FROM: THE PRIME INSANE UNIVERSE
WRITTEN BY: OLUSEGUN AYOMIDE SHEDRACH


TALES OF LABAKE
Issue One
Introduction
I grew up in the slums of the village, TORO closely meaning Peace, I have been on the street for long, I even lost count of my age, from living with the Light brothers, who had taken me as their responsibility from little, years ago and changed my name to Labake from Ire, I remember being carried into the arms of ORUN our eldest brother, who grew fond of me immediately he set eyes on me, but now I have to find my own way, but first there is something I really have to do.
Find my parents, before ORUN took me into his shelter, I had come with my mother from a rather far village into this village, she was a trader of Adire clothes, somehow she had missed me in the large crowd, I know she still yarns for me and also my heart yarns for her, I still remember her chubby face vividly like she was still very close to me.
This is going to be a very long journey that I am really prepared for, except for the fact that I can do some things that seems to be unexplainable, things like moving objects with my mind, slowing down time and a little of swordsmanship. Some had considered me to be a witch, even those abilities has painted a bull mark on me, tyrants wanting me under their controls, Kings wanting me to be their Chief Commander, even at a young age.
I should be around 22 years of age, according to ORUN.
I am not the very beautiful type, I possess a huge stature, looking a little masculine.

Chapter One
Labake walked into a bar, drenched by the heavy rain that fell before she finally found the inn to take shelter in, her bold stature got her some attentions, without minding the inn filled with drunk men, she found herself a spot a dark corner in the inn, which was lacking oil lamp to illuminate the area and made herself comfortable, she removed her sword from where she hanged it around her waist, including the belt and laid it on the table.
“What can I offer you?” a masculine voice said before her, even her didn’t notice the presence until it spoke.
She raised her head up and looked at the man, moved her hand towards her coin bag on the left side of her waist and dipped her hand into it.
“Nothing, once the rain is over, I will be on my way” she said rather disappointed.
“You must be hungry, I will ask the boy to serve you, don’t worry about paying” the man said and gave her a warm smile that made her felt at ease.
“Thank you” she replied.
As soon as the man walked off, she brought the only bronze coin in her coin bag and briefly took a look at it and dipped it back into her bag. If she would be finding ease on her journey, she knew she needed more money, and there was very little a bronze coin could do for her.
A boy walked over to her, holding a steaming calabash shaped in form of a bow and on the other hand, a palm wine gourd with him.
“Your meal” the boy said and carefully dropped them on the table.
Labake got a glimpse of the man from afar and smiled at him, showing a face of gratitude.
“Is there a way I could get a job around here, there should be an offer” Labake said calmly to the boy.
“There is always job in the inn, over there” the boy said and pointed to a board hanging above the reception part of the inn “you can find available offers and the amount, take it up and get paid, once you are done” he said and walked off.
After the meal, Labake gathered the calabash and the wine gourd and walked towards the reception table, the boy that had offered her the meal quickly collected them from her and she found her way towards the board. She raised her head up and went through the long list of offers and spoke to the man at the reception.
“I want that offer, the one of 50 gold coins” She said and looked at the man.
“For one, I wouldn’t recommend a lady taking even the least of all job on that list, not to talk about the most expensive and dangerous one on the list, unless you have a death wish” the man said while cleaning the table.
“I want the job” she insisted.
“Well, meet Commander Lekan, he owns the job” the man said and pointed at a table in the middle of the inn, where three men dressed in royal guard armor where seated.
“Thank you and thank you for the food, I will never forget this favour and I promise to repay your debt” Labake said and walked towards where the men where seated.
The man chuckled softly and took a lasting look at Labake before paying attention back to what he was doing.
“Good evening” Labake greeted the guards and immediately stated her mission “I heard one of you owns the highest paying job, I am interested” she said holding firm to her sword sheath.
The men immediately went into an uproar of laughter, laughing hard, with tears rolling down their eyes
“Do you have a death wish or what?” another asked
“Its payment after job done isn’t it?” Labake asked and continued “Tell me, what job is it?”
The man who seemed to be the leader saw the seriousness in Labake and cleared his throat calling the others to order. He looked at her bold stature and heaved then spoke.
“Dudu, as he is famously called, the rumor is that he commands the dark, but we know he is an ordinary man, who possess some magical power gotten from dark source, we need him dead, on order of our king” the man said and gazed at her.
“Why do you want him dead?” Labake asked curiously
“Around here, you don’t ask, you only get the job done” the younger soldier said
“Where can I find this man?”
“In the Ruins of Sango, he resides in the tomb yard, our spies traced him there”
Labake nodded her head and took few steps backward, adjusted her belt firmly around her waist and set out on her mission late that night, she didn’t need to delay any more time in getting things done, she had an important priority at hand.
***
***
By evening the next day, Labake could see the Ruins of Sango, a huge mountain that reached to the clouds, legend had it that, the mountain was a meditation centre for Sango, the god of thunder, before his ascension into Orun, while he ascended Esu, the god of mischief went after his followers that decided to take the meditation center as their homes and slaughtered every single one of them.
Labake sat on the floor next to a tree and gently rested her head on the tree, exhausted by the trekking from the village. She walked towards the river flowing meters away and dipped her face into it, drank from it and felt replenished. Gaining enough strength she stood up to continue her journey, her destination only some few hours away.
Getting to the entrance, she felt a presence behind her and quickly turned around, only to meet emptiness, excepting the tall trees which were leafless, say for the brown dying leafs on them. She took a step forward, stepping on the dead leaves that let out rattling noise in return.
She felt the presence again and quickly turned around, this time to see a faint human structure moved away so swiftly it would be so hard for one to tell if it was real.
***
***
The doors to the inn, suddenly crashed open, revealing Labake standing before it, with an unconscious man dressed in animal skin for clothes. She walked in, to the amusement of everyone, she came back in one piece. People paved way for her as she walked towards the table where the Royal Guards were seated and dropped the body to the floor.
“That’s your hunt, he is alive, you can do to him whatever you want” she said and stretched her hand forward for the reward.
“Who would have thought the leader said and retrieved a coin sack and placed in on Labake’s hand.
“Its complete, thank you” the man said and stood up.
Labake smiled in return and walked over to the reception, retrieved two gold coin and gave the man.
“That is for the meal, thank you” she said and walked out of the inn.

FROM: THE PRIME INSANE UNIVERSE
WRITTEN BY: OLUSEGUN AYOMIDE SHEDRACH


TALES OF LABAKE
Issue Two
Labake sat at the bank of a river deep in the woods and pulled off her shoes, feeling relieved, she carefully deep her legs into the river, feeling refreshed she laid her back on the ground and tilted her head towards where her horse stood, drinking and eating the grasses that were close to it.
All her life had been with the brothers, caring and loving, she never knew what it felt like to have a mother, or what a mother’s love felt like and here she was risking everything to get back to her mother by all means possible and nothing was going to stand between her and this important decision of her life.
The water rippled beneath her feet, and she felt a presence walked out from the river, quickly she got herself up and between her and her horse was a lady, probably in her early twenties also, seated on a rock which Labake was sure wasn’t there earlier.
“A river servant or goddess?” Labake asked and laid back with no sign of fear in her.
“You are the special one everyone has been talking about in various realms” the lady said calmly admiring the courage Labake had.
“Even the gods knows about me, what do you want?” Labake asked and stared at the lady.
“I should ask what takes you far away from your abode, you are a long way away from home” the lady said
“It’s of no concern to you”
“Sometimes, what we think is the answer to our questions and our deepest desires are not worth searching for” the lady said and crossed her legs on each other.
Labake sat herself up and made a funny look on her face.
“You say that like you know what I am up to”
“Well, it is easier to identify someone who is driven by zeal and ambition, but at the end, if what we search for doesn’t have an answer, who do we blame for all our unanswered questions?” the lady finally asked and stood up and continued “Even the gods still have questions that are yet to be answered, the answers we search for sometimes doesn’t count” the lady said and walked into the river and dived in.
Labake scoffed as she pulled back her boots, not putting the words of the strange lady into consideration, all she said didn’t count as words to Labake, she climbed on her horse and geared it forward, forging ahead to her destination.
***
***
Night slowly caught up with Labake, already weary and exhausted from the long ride, she lazily alighted her horse and retrieved her tent from the side and next made a camp fire, after she was done, she treated herself to a bush meat stew and retreat into her tent for the night.
Labake suddenly opened her eyes, and stood up to the footsteps that circled constantly outside of her tent, she grabbed her sword and removed it from its sheath. Paying more attention, she noticed the steps stop, she also paused and immediately the movement began she dived out of her tent, smashing her body at the same instant the movement came at the entrance of the tent.
She rolled hard on the ground and raised her head to see what she had collided with and was surprised as to what it was.
A human dust, which was faceless, known for instilling fear into the heart of their preys, how they feast on the prey, no one knew. Myth only had it that they absorbed their victims into themselves, sucking them dry of their entire system including the bones, leaving no trace.
“I never thought a day like this would come” Labake said with excitement and stretched her hands forward.
The human dust suddenly leaped into the air, launching an attack at Labake, right there in mid air, it got stuck, giving Labake enough time to strike it down, with one single swing of her sword.
She staggered to the left after slaying the human dust, sometimes using her powers took more than enough energy, in which she needed more time to rest and recover every bit of energy she had lost, but today was not the day to give in to any rest.
Returning back to her hut, the words of the girl she met by the river suddenly rang in her head, which made her thought for a while before finally entering into her tent.