Mercenary Black Mamba

"Brat, humans don't heal as quickly as you do."

They are superhuman beings, but they are too much!

Tears accumulated in Ulumbo's eyes. The Mahabharata and Vodun's casual conversation sounded distant as though they were talking underwater. The Vodun sprinted like a madman with him tucked under his arm like he was some luggage. A single step covered over five to six meters. He jumped over rocks and pushed away most of the trees with his body. Every time his foot landed on the ground, his ribs cracked, and the bones of his skull rattled.

The after-effects of being carried around by a giant were significant. His bones seemed dislocated, and the sky was spinning. Most of the people from his village would give up chasing after a chimpanzee when it kidnapped a baby from them. It was because a baby's fragile skeleton couldn't withstand a chimpanzee's strength and speed and would end up dying. He thought he was just like one of those babies who got kidnapped by a chimpanzee.

Of course. I'm not a monster like you guys.

The last thing he could remember before losing consciousness was his impious perception of the Mahabharata.

Bang—

Ulumbo lost consciousness and fell to the ground, face first.

"Huh? Ulumbo, this b*stard. He is really weak. Wakil, you are right. Humans do die before they heal. I should be careful from now on."

Samedi looked perplexed. After all, his wakil was always right. Great master never got hurt, while wakil and himself always healed quickly after sustaining injuries. They were all humans, so why were the others so weak? Humans were really complicated beings.

"Ulumbo, Ulumbo!"

Samedi grabbed Ulumbo's collar and shook him back and forth. Ulumbo's head wobbled back and forth helplessly.

"Brat, you'll break his neck!" Black Mamba shouted.

"Wakil, Ulumbo's just kicking up a fuss. I know a way to make him heal quickly."

Samedi rushed toward the forest. He found some shrubs with dense branches just like the needles of a pine tree. It was a fern with clusters of pencil-like nodes just like an underwater coral. It was listed as Blue Coral in the botanical encyclopedia. Samedi ripped off the Blue Coral with his rough hands and returned.

"Hehehe!"

Samedi laughed creepily. When he squeezed the Blue Coral's nodes, yellow sap flowed out between his fingers. He dipped a finger in the liquid and shoved it up into Ulumbo's nose. There was an immediate reaction.

"Kuagh!"

The unconscious Ulumbo leaped up like a frog stung by a bee. It felt like 100s of needles pricking his nose, leaving his nervous system and brain in shock. Poor Ulumbo woke up with tears and a runny nose, walking around in circles like an ant missing its antennae.

Samedi choked on his breath, trying to hold back his laughter. Blue Coral sap had stimulating effects and was spicier than the chili powder used to fill kimchi. Even Black Mamba, who was about to burst into laughter, forcibly held himself back. Samedi didn't blame Ulumbo for his weakness despite his dissatisfaction. A playful zombie, how cute was that?

"What did you use? How did you know of a plant that can wake people up?"

"I don't remember, but its spicy taste is really good," Samedi replied, licking the sap off his hands with his tongue.

"I see!"

When Black Mamba lost his memories, he still managed to find herbs and ginseng scattered around the mountains. There were times when the body remembered things that the head didn't. Modern science said that the brain was dedicated to memory and calculation, but that was not entirely true. Leeches and all of their 34 body parts had a ganglion each. A human's heart worked similarly to a leech's ganglia.

Where am I? Who am I?

Ulumbo's soul, which left his body due to the pressure from being carried around, returned. Ulumbo shook his head. He couldn't remember what had happened to him. All he remembered was that he woke up to a prickling sensation of needles in his nose.

"Oh god, an elephant! Why is there a dead elephant?"

Ulumbo jumped in surprise once he saw the elephant with the shattered skull.

"Stop crawling up Sha Wujing's leg.[1]" Samedi snorted.

Samedi didn't understand why his master brought along such a weak person.

"Are they from the Pygmy tribe?"

"Yes, great master!"

"The Pygmies were attacked by the elephant. Relay their situation to us."

Ulumbo started talking to the Pygmy tribe man. Most Pygmy tribe members were scattered around Zaire's north-eastern and south-eastern regions. Without their native language, they spoke the language of the neighboring Black community. The language they spoke in Ituri was Zulu, a Bantu language. Ulumbo, who was from a Bantu farming tribe, continued talking to the Pygmy tribe man without much difficulty.

"Mahabharata!" the Pygmy tribe man shouted.

"Shh!"

Ulumbo quickly pressed a finger on the man's mouth. The Pygmy tribe man also placed his finger diagonally on his mouth. Ulumbo continued his conversation with the Pygmy tribe man.

"Great master, the father and sons are Mbuti Pygmy tribe members. The father's name is Olonge, and the son's name is Chochomba. They have no concept of age, so I don't know their exact age. Olonge seems to be 37 years old, and his two sons seem to be in their teenage years. They thank you for saving them from the mad elephant. They said the elephant rampaged through their village and caused chaos. Olonge says he wants to repay God's warrior."

"God's warrior?"

"Yes, sir. The Pygmy tribe respects those who are tall and strong. They said they respect sir Samedi first, followed by the great master. When I told them that sir Samedi is the great master's servant, they asked if the great master is a great spirit. I told them that you are God's warrior."

Ulumbo looked at him as though he was expecting praise.

"Good job. There's no debt here. I hope Olonge can be our guide from hereon."

"Of course, sir. Olonge knows Ituri 100 times better than I do."

"That's nice. Elephants are gentle creatures. Why did this one try to kill humans?"

"This one's a mad male chased out of its herd."

Olonge pointed at its protruding privates and the dark liquid dripping from its head.

"A mad male that fails to relieve its sexual needs during mating season would lose its mind. The leader of elephants chases away strays that keep lingering around the females. A male elephant separated from its herd would lose its mind. Olonge was just unlucky to have been noticed by it."

"How unfortunate! It would have taken care of itself if it had fingers."

Black Mamba found it pitiful. Turning mad meant it had a conscience when it was sane, which was distinct from instinct. It didn't matter whether it had a conscience or not. That guy deserved sympathy because it couldn't relieve its sexual needs, and it ended up dying. After all, an elephant couldn't satisfy itself with fingers like a human. Black Mamba was pitying the elephant for all the wrong reasons.

"Great master, this man's saying that there's no food in the village because they weren't able to hunt. He says there are many starving."

"This should be plenty of meat. How are they going to move this massive guy?"

"The village isn't far from here, sir. As long as you give them your permission, that is. Moving it should be done by the Pygmies."

"I give my permission as God's warrior." Black Mamba approved in a pompous manner.

The Pygmy tribe members submitted to the strong without hesitation. There was more than enough reason for him to be respected.

"Naiabunga!" The Pygmy tribe man bowed down.

The three Pygmies rushed toward the elephant with his approval. They excitedly wielded their knives and sliced the elephant's meat. It was surprising that they didn't hurt themselves since they were moving so quickly. The Pygmy father and sons wrapped the massive cuts of meat and carried them on their backs.

The Pygmy village wasn't too far away. As they stepped into the village, locals rushed out of their homes. Most of them were naked. Adults were around 140 centimeters tall, and women were smaller in size. They looked like children rushing out of school after it ended.

The women cheered as they received the elephant meat from Olonge and his children. Some of the women rushed back into their homes. Olonge's spit flew as he talked to a crowd of men, and the two children surrounded by women and other children babbled endlessly while pointing to Black Mamba and Samedi. They talked a lot and quickly too until they were frothing at the mouth.

"Ulumbo, what are they talking about?"

"They are talking about how sir Samedi killed the elephant and saved them. He's also lying about how he fought against the elephant."

"Hahaha, I knew it. Men and their instinct to lie." Black Mamba laughed.

The Pygmy tribe was also human. Those who lived in a primitive society together were more naive than modern humans.

"Naiabunga, al ukupi-al-ley."

"Si propas, oo kuku rekele."

The Pygmy tribe bowed down to Black Mamba and Samedi and chanted in unison.

"They are thanking you for killing that mad elephant. They are praising God's warrior."

"What kind of praise is that? Tell them not to do something so embarrassing. Wakil is great, but I'm not."

Samedi discreetly sneaked away. A Pygmy tribe man, who seemed slightly older than Olonge, came forward and lowered his head.

"Elphant Ildra?"

Black Mamba stared at Ulumbo.

"He says there isn't enough meat for the entire village to eat."

"So, he's asking for the elephant? I already gave my permission. Tell them to do whatever they want."

"You need to give permission yourself, sir. The Pygmies don't trust Black people that much since they were often fooled. You just need to say 'Nku lungkur Imboom buh.'"

"Nku lungkur Imboom buh![2]" Black Mamba shouted with resonance.

His heavy voice rang across the Pygmy village. Without protest, he decided to become God's warrior. Trying to get the Pygmies to understand would take longer than simply accepting.

"Shira, shira!"

"Uwa wa!" The Pygmies cheered.

The women rushed into their homes and came out with large baskets made out of bamboo. Nearly 100 Pygmies of all ages and gender gathered outside the village.

"Huh, what are they doing?"

"They are gathering to get the elephant."

"At least they look cheerful."

The world was vast, and there were many strange things. The sight of naked Pygmies gathering like a swarm of bees looked comical the more he watched. The forest was exasperating, but Africa was an entertaining place.

"Aye sum!"

"Elphant meko mekoi."

The Pygmy tribe members returned with meat on their backs. Most of them tied up the elephant meat with tree leaves, and some carried it on their backs. Women had shoulder straps on their forehead, while men had shoulder straps on their shoulders. A woman with a bamboo basket also had shoulder straps on her forehead.

"Why do they put themselves through so much trouble? If two people share shoulder straps, they can move more at once."

Black Mamba was frustrated. While he wasn't expecting carts, even tribes from the Stone Age knew how to use shoulder straps.

"They are like that because they are a primitive tribe."

Samedi's eyes widened at Ulumbo's words.

"Shut up. If two people share shoulder straps and move, it will be difficult for them to move through the vines and dense oak trees. Don't mention primitive so easily."

"Ah, I made a mistake."

Ulumbo's neck retreated.

"Samedi, you learned a lot from your master."

Black Mamba patted Samedi's shoulder happily. That guy's way of thinking was, "Everyone tries to be better than yesterday." He must have been an intelligent person before he became a zombie.

The density of vegetation on the Ituri Rainforest's floor was almost murderous. As it was an old forest, various ferns such as lycophytes, brackens, and nardoo covered the forest floor. The lycophytes had developed their own defense mechanism after several 1,000,000s of years. It was tough, toxic, and couldn't be digested. Since there were other good flowering plants to feed on, there was no reason for herbivores to eat lycophytes. Ituri Rainforest naturally resembled a forest in the Mesozoic Era.

The Pygmy tribe adjusted their way of transportation to the characteristics of the Ituri Rainforest. They shouldn't be called primitive. "Primitive" was a word that European imperialists in the 18th century used to justify themselves when expanding colonies.

They called other cultures "primitive" based on their own culture's standards. That habit continued into modern times. Culture developed hand in hand with the environment and history. There was no reason to call someone else's culture "primitive" based on one's own standards.

Was Korea's food culture primitive because people drank herbal soups when they're sick, and was France's food culture civilized because people ate snails and frogs?

There's no such thing as a civilized culture. There were simply different cultures. If one must differentiate, there were wrong cultures. A typical example would be the culture of human sacrifice practiced in Africa and South America.

"These small people… they look happy."

A smile rose on Samedi's face. The Pygmy tribe went into a frenzy because of the abundance of elephant meat. They rubbed their cheeks together and spun in circles while holding each other's hands. Cheerful humans were always a delight to look at. Samedi automatically laughed at the commotion. The small people sounded like chirping birds.

Black Mamba's face also brightened up. The Pygmy tribe's actions reminded him of sports day in his hometown. It was the typical behavior of young students who refused to listen to their teachers. Black Mamba's sharp senses felt no evil or bloodlust from the Pygmy village.

Human culture brought out collective justice and reassurance from familiar ties, differentiating it from other rivaling cultures. The Pygmy tribe had no reason to kill white people in the future with the meat they gained today. From a cultural anthropological point of view, the Pygmy tribe belonged to the pre-collective egoism time. To put it simply, they were a representative of pure, untainted humans.

"Ulumbo, gather some information about the Mai-Mai rebels from them. Find out if the whites are alive, and confirm the location of the guerillas' headquarters."

"Yes, sir!"

Ulumbo had a long conversation with a bunch of old Pygmy men.

"Great master, they say they saw black men with guns three times. They have no concept of dates, so they don't exactly know when they saw them. They saw them when the full moon rose, and they saw them again when an elephant gave birth. They say there were a lot of them. They say anything more than the fingers on their hands is a lot."

"Ha, impatient people would explode out of frustration if they heard this." Samedi pounded on his chest.

[1] It means to stop fooling around.

[2] "God's warrior permits!"