Chapter 9: The Crazy Dastard

"Hooloolooloo!" The fight of death between Hammer and Kanga started at the signal of the priest.

Everybody watched with their hearts in their mouth. The clanking sounds of metals striking each other filled the entire area. Both were not ready to back down.

"Why is he doing this?" Jumbo asked Varius as he was unable to understand the intention behind this duel. Why risk your life for something so trivial as a trophy sword and strange compositions of some wild tribal people?

"He has something on his mind. I do not know what it is, but we will soon come to know," answered Varius.

They suddenly saw that Hammer stumbled to the ground after Kanga booted his chest.

Varius pulled out his sword. "My prince!"

"Stay!" Hammer shouted, making Varius sheathe his sword again.

Kanga was about to stab the prince, but was kicked in the legs. When he stumbled down, he got stabbed in the guts with the scimitar Hammer had pointed above.

"Father!" Dyna cried when she saw the blade point pierce his guts and come out through his back. "No!" She wanted to run off to him, but her mother was holding her hand. "Let me go! Father!" Her mother was still not ready to leave her hand. "Mother! Mother?" she turned to look at her and discovered tears in her eyes as well.

"He had chosen this. He died a warrior worthy of his name," her mother said, hiding her emotions.

"You win, prince," Kanga said when he slowly closed his eyes. Hammer stood up and pulled out his scimitar after overturning the body of the supreme chief.

Everybody present there was stunned. An outsider had just killed their supreme chief in front of their eyes.

Hammer raised his scimitar high with the blood still dripping from it. He looked at the dead face of Kanga. "Rest in peace, supreme chief."

"I think killing their supreme chief was not a good idea," Jumbo said to Varius. "We should get the prince out of here."

"I wonder he chose to fight a death battle just to leave," Varius said.

Prince Hammer put down his armor and the shirt he was wearing and covered the face of the dead body. He was bare-bodied now. He then proceeded to the altar with the bloodied sword in his hand. Everybody was just watching him in awe.

Suddenly, the old tribal chief noticed something. He saw a strange mark on the back of the prince. "What is that on his back?" He suddenly realized something. "Wait, is he…"

Like this old man, everybody also noticed it.

Varius, on the other hand, asked Jumbo, "Commander, have you heard the folklore of these tribes?"

"I might have," Jumbo said.

"Have you heard about the lore with the prophecy of a messiah?"

"I think I have. The goddess of their Holy Banyan Tree prophesied to their supreme chief two thousand years ago that a messiah would come and save them from their slumber."

"Right. But how would they recognize the messiah if he comes?" asked Varius.

"I do not know."

"There was an ancient script written by the same ancestor whom it was prophesied that the person would be blue-eyed and have a mark on his back," Varius said.

"Mark? What kind of mark?" wondered Jumbo. Suddenly, his eyes expanded as he realized something. "Wait, do you mean he…" He saw a strange circular mark on the back of Prince Hammer.

Hammer walked the altar and wiped the blood from his scimitar and rubbed it on his forehead. He then took a handful of the turmeric powder and rained it on himself.

"I, Hammer of Madmen, the son of Joker, declare that you all can enter my lands and settle there freely." He announced.

"What? What is he talking about? Has he gone mad?" Commander Jumbo was unable to comprehend this strange announcement.

"Let him do what he is doing," Varius said.

"But the king would not approve it," Jumbo reasoned.

"Who cares about that old man?"

"Wait, are you…" Jumbo understood what the matter was. "Have you all gone crazy?"

"If you think so."

"You have won the duel. Why do you still want to let us enter your lands?" a young tribal chief asked Hammer.

"I was not here to only to win the duel and show-off some hero complex," Hammer said. "I am here to liberate you. I will give you rich lands so that your upcoming generations can live in peace."

"Why should we believe you? Why are you doing this for us?" the young tribal chief questioned again.

"Because he is the prophesied messiah," the old tribal chief dropped the bomb. He stood up and walked to the altar. He grabbed the arm of Prince Hammer and turned him so that his back could be shown to the people. "He contains the mark of the messiah," he announced and dropped to his knees and bowed.

The young chief was still unable to understand. "What nonsense is this? How can an outsider be our messiah?"

"There is nowhere written that an outsider could not be a messiah," another old tribal chief said. He looked somewhat younger than the chief at the altar. "He had just defeated the supreme chief. He also promised us rich lands. What else do you need?"

"But…" the young chief tried to argue, but the one who just spoke walked ahead and also fell to his knees.

Suddenly, all the people present there fell to their knees. The other chiefs had no choice but to accept him as the messiah except a few.

There are always exceptions.

"You murderer!" Dyna cried in rage and attacked Hammer with a dagger, but she was seized by Varius. He blocked her hand and kicked her in the guts to humble her.

"Be careful, lady. I do not want to send you to your father so early," Varius said.

Hammer then announced, "I will take the throne of Madmen and return all the lands you had lost to my ancestors. I will even take you beyond that. Now, tell me. Would you help me?"

"What nonsense is this? I do not buy this. I am out," the young tribal chief walked away with a sour face.

Four other tribal chiefs also followed, who thought the same. The other bowed and submitted to the prince. "We certainly would, your highness."

***

"Hahahahaha!" Gilbert laughed like a maniac when he heard the story.

Dyna thought he had gone senile after listening to her, or maybe he did not believe her at all. "Why are you laughing? Do you not believe me?"

"No, that is not it," Gilbert said, and tried to settle himself. "That crazy son of a b*tch. Hahaha! Seriously. What a guy." He laughed again.

"Are you appreciating your enemy?" asked Dyna.

"I do not want to, but he did some crazy stuff there. He could have died in that duel, yet he went for it. He waited for the coronation when all the tribal chiefs would be present. He challenged the supreme chief because it was the highest authority he could defeat among the wild tribes. He gained your respect and turned it hundred-folds in a matter of seconds. He even branded a false mark on his back to make you believe he is the messiah."

"A false mark?" reacted Dyna.

"Yes, I know Hammer since he was born. There was no mark on his back when he was little. He clearly made it to fulfill the prophecy."

"Then let us tell it to the tribal chiefs," Dyna suggested.

"Does it say anywhere in the prophecy that the mark would be since birth?" Gilbert asked.

Dyna realized there was no instance where it mentioned this. "Then what should we do?"

"To defeat this crazy dastard, we need an even crazier person." Gilbert grinned. "We need to find Prince Colt."