Part 7 (1)

The new Commander of the imperial forces Babida had now a clear path to victory against the newborn Monster of the forbidden mountain thanks to the foresight of his henchman Baba.
The time had finally come to abbreviate the days of the beast that dwelt above the cursed hill in the north of Okunde village and posed a threat to the peace of the whole Batang empire.
So the lumberjack kicked off the execution of the top-secret war strategy that had been initiated by the late Governor Kola II assisted by his aide-de-camp Polo the cunning.
The new army superior Commander consequently sent his henchman, the youngster Baba, to Okunde's garden to select from the troop three volunteers for an undisclosed mission to the forbidden mountain.
Without wasting time, the young man hastened to do what he was told.
He left the office and rushed to Okunde's garden in the middle of the evening under a cloudy sky, for it suddenly threatened to rain.
"Three volunteers, three volunteers!" shouted the henchman Baba as raindrops fell upon the garden.
His scream caught the attention of the men in uniform on the lawn who turned their gaze at him and the comrades that were inside the tents came out to grasp what was going on.
"Three volunteers, three volunteers!" Babida's henchman repeated.
In a short lapse of time, the imperial warriors surrounded the youngster Baba who then declared: "Our Commander-in-chief, Babida the lumberjack, is seeking three volunteers for a special mission to the forbidden mountain."
And as if they had been waiting for this moment, tens of imperial soldiers yelled that they should be selected for the mission, even if it was to the kingdom of pain where the beast's creator Edimo, the god ruin, was hiding.
Amazed by the excitement and enthusiasm of the men of honor, Baba was spoiled for choice because he needed only three valiant fighters for the special operation.
Therefore he decided to pick three men in the superlative. He took among the warriors who desired to participate in the mission: the oldest, the youngest, and the biggest.
The choice of the three volunteers made, the henchman Baba returned to the office where the Commander of the imperial forces Babida was waiting for him with the selectees.
Toc, toc!
The interim aide-de-camp knocked at the office door and entered the room followed by the volunteers.
"Greetings, My Commander!" Baba said as he and the men behind him saluted their superior Babida the lumberjack.
The logger who had his focus on the paperwork on the desk paused and glared in front of him.
"Be welcome, comrades!" He said to the men in uniform standing at the other side of the table.
"My Commander, here are the devoted servants of His Majesty that destiny has chosen for the mission you are about to assign to them." The henchman Baba then told him.
The woodsman looked at them closely and noticed something obvious to him. He grinned and uttered to his aide-de-camp Baba: "You are indeed one of a kind assistant."
"You picked an old warrior for his experience, a young one for his vitality, and finally a big one for his power." He added.
"My Commander, what a sharp eye you have!" The henchman declared to the Commander of the imperial forces.
"Well, shall it be so!" Babida replied.
He thereupon commenced a serious conversation with the volunteers. He explained to them what they had to do and how they had to do it.
The three volunteers listened attentively to the Commander and measured the high stakes of their mission to the forbidden mountain.
They pledged to succeed at all costs, including by making the ultimate sacrifice.
They assured the superior Commander Babida that they wouldn't fail and they would lure the newborn Monster to the west gate of Okunde village so it drowned in the river.
All dots put on the I, the three volunteers left the office and immediately departed for the forbidden mountain in the middle of the night.
Babida and his henchman Baba stayed in the office and silently started a meditation, imploring the ancestors to be with the commando and protect the men of honor against the mortal beak and claws of the giant bird.