Part 7 (4)

The new Commander of the imperial forces Babida arrived in the office with his henchman Baba.
The lumberjack sat behind the desk while the youngster preferred to stand.
A bit impatient to know what the Superior Commander had done with the food being served to the troop in Okunde's garden, the henchman Baba queried him again: "So there is something special with the breakfast, My Commander?"
The logger saw curiosity was itching his aide-de-camp and didn't want to keep him out of the secret any longer, so he commenced recounting him everything.
"Well, comrade, you remember, yesterday you asked how we were going to build the bridge in a short time," Babida said to the youngster Baba.
"Well, the divinities heard you, and Guigna, the god of strength appeared to me. He gave me a magic potion that procures the men twice the strength of an elephant and thrice the speed of a Gazelle." He then described.
The interim henchman Baba was first awestruck but then jumped for joy.
"That's excellent, My Commander!" He said excitedly.
"So then you have ordered the cook put the potion in the breakfast." Baba guessed.
"Yes, indeed!" The Commander of the imperial forces Babida confirmed.
"However, the effects of the magic potion will last only two days." He then precised to the youngster.
"Only two days?" exclaimed the henchman Baba, a bit disappointed.
"Yes. Two days during which the men in uniform will build the bridge. So they will have to be fast because the volunteers may come back soon from the forbidden mountain with the lured newborn Monster." The lumberjack uttered.
"Then we shall start the construction right away without no further delay." The aide-de-camp Baba suggested.
"We will begin by noon when the effects of the magic potion would be at the fullest." The woodsman decided.
Thereafter the two strategists remained silent and ultimately they also got hungry. So the Commander of the imperial forces ordered an imperial sentinel to bring to the office two cups of coffee along with some cookies made of cassava paste that they ate while killing the time with casual talks.
The first half of the day passed by fast and soon it was going to be noon.
Finally, it was time to move on to the next stage of the warehouse strategy against the newborn Monster of the forbidden mountain.
It was now noon in the Batang empire and the men in uniform in Okunde's garden had long finished eating the enchanted porridge and had well digested.
The Commander of the imperial forces Babida was still in the office with his henchman Baba. He took his axe and told the aide-de-camp to follow him to Okunde's garden, for he had to talk with the troop about what was coming up next.
At the sight of the Commander in chief, like one man, the imperial warriors lined up and saluted him. The lumberjack greeted them back and immediately commenced a speech.
"Comrades, the final hour has come. Soon the volunteers shall come back from the forbidden mountain. You surely wonder what exactly their mission was. Well, let me disclose it to you! And as I do, don't panic since we have the situation in full control." He said in his opening remarks.
The troop murmured, for the surprise was total. The supreme military Chief Babida lifted his right hand to command them to keep quiet, which they did instantly.
"Don't be troubled as I just said since we control the situation." Babida reformulated and then went on.
"Your comrades were tasked to tease the giant bird and attract it to the west gate of the village, so it shall die drowned in the deep river." He added.
"However, they will need your support to terminate the mission. So this is where you come into action. The beast may be a cold criminal but it is not silly. It won't throw itself into the river. You will have to lure it. Therefore you will build a bridge that is hard on the extremities and soft in the middle over the water. The villain shall walk up to the center which shall break under his heavy weight, causing his fallout into the water. It would then die by suffocation." The lumberjack concluded the speech.
A big clamor from the imperial warriors followed, for the men were contented with the message.
"Now you may start guided by the interim aide-de-camp Baba right here. He has received my trust and you shall obey his instructions." Babida told them then returned to the administrative headquarters.
And as if all the soldiers had been deprived of logic, without questioning how they were going to build the bridge and for how long, they began the construction.