Part 2 (5)

All this while, Babida stood in the middle of the battalion like a good warrior. He followed the instructions given by the Commander in chief, Kola II. He chanted war songs with his comrades. Disciplined, he took no initiative of his own.
Kola II ordered the men of honor to rest and recuperate from a long journey that began earlier in the day. He went back to his headquarters while the women of the village distributed food and beverages.
Flatbread, spicy toasted bush meat, and guava juice were abundantly dispatched to the soldiers. They ate all of the exquisite repast. Then, they constituted small units and slept in tents spread across the lawn of Okunde's garden.
The night flew by hitch-free.
"Two volunteers, two volunteers!" A man shouted while advancing toward the center of the improvised barracks. Warriors woke up as the sun was about to shine.
"Two volunteers, two volunteers!" The man reiterated louder.
"His Highness Kola II requests two brave scouts who will go to the forbidden mountain and spy on the movements of the Monster." He said.
"Me!" A voice emerged from the troop.
"Great! Who are you?" The Governor's emissary asked.
"Babida." He responded.
The Governor's aide de camp paused for a moment, pretended to clean his right ear with his index finger, then said: "Sorry! Can you repeat?"
But the volunteer did not have time to answer. The officer anticipated by making an assumption.
"You mean Babida, the lumberjack?" He asked.
"Yes." The voice responded.
"By jingo! The killer of the Monster of the forbidden mountain is back among us!" He exclaimed.
Warriors stepped out of the tents and flocked in big numbers toward Babida's position. They were startled by the revelation.
"Yes, it's him. He's a little bit older but on my ancestors' head, I swear it's him." A senior warrior affirmed after he glanced closely at Babida's body.
"I am going with him to the cliff." An acute voice resonated, stopping in the meantime the crowd's excitement. The soldier was a teenager.
The rest of the troop looked at him bewildered but no one protested or expressed reserve. They approved in silence the rules of wartime.
"Well, who are you?" The Governor's messenger interrogated.
"Bodo." The youngster replied.
"How old are you?" His Highness' emissary asked.
"Sixteen." The lad asserted.
"Well, both of you, come with me!" The Governor's emissary told Babida and the young warrior.
The two warriors shadowed the emissary who was heading to the headquarters of the Commander in chief, Governor Kola II.
"Your Excellency, you will never believe who is one of these devoted servants of the empire." The messenger declared to the Ruler of Okunde.
The latter was surprised by the unexpected announcement.
"Oh really? Well, are you referring to the older warrior right here or the youngster over here?" The Governor questioned his assistant while pointing with his head, at Babida and Bodo who were standing in front of him.
"I have to say the lad here was still a toddler fifteen years ago. So he would not have been able to decimate the Monster of the forbidden mountain. That's being clarified…"
"No need to continue with your development, Polo. I know who this brute force of nature right here is. He is Babida, the lumberjack. Even the axe he is holding in his hand is enough evidence." Governor Kola II deduced marvelously.
"Now, both of you, listen to me with the utmost attention! Take this little plastic bottle with you. It contains a precious liquid provided by Iyô, the god of deep sleep. I obtained it in exchange for my manhood. I relinquished my ability to impregnate a woman but it's fine, I am the father of ten kids already. I did this for the sake of our land." Governor Kola II told the two scouts with an air of great seriousness so they could understand the importance of their mission.
"Find a way to drop the mystical liquid into the beak of the newborn Monster and come back safe." The Commander in chief instructed the two scouts.
"Your wish is our order, Your Excellency!" Babida stated. He then took the magical potion and slid it into the right pocket of his silk trousers. He tapped on the youngster's back to signal him to follow him and they both left the Governor's headquarters, en route to the forbidden mountain.