Dodon Maza Book 2 Na Abdulaziz Madakin Gini

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 Book Information

• Title/Author Note: DODAN MAZA 2 by Abdul'aziz Sani Madakin Gini

  1.

  "...they prayed fervently for this blessed town of ours, so no evil-doer could pass by or come to harm us with our consent. Our Lord accepted their prayers, which is why we received protection and blessings in our daily affairs. Oh king, I want you to know that both you and your people are entirely in manifest error, so I advise you to repent, cease your idol worship, and return to the worship of Allah, who is the Supreme King with no partner."
  In intense anger, King Sailub looked at Imam Husein and said, "Old man, just stop defiling your mouth with nonsense talk, because this is not what brought me here. What I want from you is simply to let us pass through your land so we can move on." Before Sailub could even close his mouth, Harun had already drawn his sword and lunged forward with the intent to strike Sailub. Quickly, Imam Husein grabbed him and pulled him back.
  At that exact moment, Princess Lasmal stood up abruptly upon seeing what was about to happen. Instantly, her eyes met Harun's. One look at her, and he quickly averted his gaze, only to feel his heart pounding fiercely for no apparent reason. Three reasons made him quickly look away: first, it is forbidden for a man to gaze at a woman who is not his mahram; second, in all his life, he had never seen a woman of such beauty; third, he suspected that merely looking at her was causing his rapid heartbeat, thinking that if he stopped looking, he would find peace and his heart would calm down. Not at all—that did not happen; his heart continued to beat even faster than before.
  Imam Husein looked at King Sailub and said, "Oh king, know that I could simply tell you to go and you would find a way to travel, but I will not say it unless you agree to listen to my preaching, for it is my duty to inform you about Allah and His religion since you have strayed from it."
  Upon hearing this, the sorcerer Zuwalil Baharus became furious and said, "We will not listen to your preaching, and if you stand in the way of our mission, we will fight you."
  Right at that moment, the rest of the residents of the city of Nurul Salam arrived. Anyone who caught sight of the jinn Kamasaini and the dark crowd atop him stood frozen like a statue out of pure astonishment. Some exclaimed, "Oh, Allah creates many wonders!" while others began muttering various things, each expressing their thoughts. Imam Husein drew his sword and said, "Bismillah! Any of you who thinks he is brave enough, step down and let us duel."
  Quickly, Harun stepped in front of him and said, "Oh my father, how could I possibly let you fight the disbelievers while I am alive? Remember that I am the commander of this city's army, and you are now advanced in age. Let us young ones with fresh blood protect our brothers, for it is the young dog that hunts the rabbit this year."
  Hearing this, Imam Husein smiled, tapped Harun's shoulder, and said, "Greetings to you, hero of heroes! Indeed, I believe in you, and I am certain you will not shame me. Here is your chance to show them that there is a difference between a grain of millet and a pebble." Before Imam Husein finished speaking, the warrior Harun had already drawn his long, razor-sharp sword, letting out a ringing sound as it cut through the air, and planted his feet firmly on the ground.
  Seeing this, King Sailub looked at a great champion among the guards tasked with protecting Lasmal on the Island of Darul Muhuk, a man named Balulu bin Kamis, and said, "Oh Hero of Men, go forth and meet this man whose days are numbered, and cut off that handsome face of his for me. Remember you are the one who terrified a thousand heroes when we went to the Suruk war, the one who entered the city of Kurwas alone and cut off their king's head and brought it to me in the hall, and the one who drove away the battalion of King Kalusi's warriors of Hamdasi. Truly, I am proud of you, Balulu bin Kamis."
  When Balulu bin Kamis heard these praises sung to him, his body began to tremble. In haste, he picked up his shield and sword, leaped, and landed on the ground from atop the jinn Kamasaini. As he hit the earth, a massive cloud of dust rose up like a galloping horse.
  Balulu bin Kamis was a massive, towering, thick-set, and muscular giant. When he stood before the warrior Harun, he towered over him so much that Harun only reached up to his waist. Balulu stepped back slightly, looked at warrior Harun scornfully, and burst into a mad laughter. Warrior Harun stepped forward and placed his foot inside Balulu's footprint, noting that three men's feet could fit inside it due to its sheer width. Harun thought to himself, "Goodness gracious, Allah has created a magnificent giant! I must take this giant very seriously, or else I will be disgraced."
  Before he could finish this thought, Balulu struck a ferocious blow aimed at severing Harun's head. With immense skill, Harun ducked and dodged, the sword striking the empty air with a loud whoosh of rushing wind.
  Thus began a fierce duel. Balulu launched blow after blow, and each time, both parried or evaded. After about half an hour, Balulu had cornered Harun, restricting his movements and preventing him from striking back. Realizing that if this continued, Balulu would soon exhaust him and claim victory, warrior Harun instantly changed his fighting style. He began leaping and running around, rapidly wearing down Balulu's strength and strategy. At first, while Balulu was cornering Harun, King Sailub and his group were cheering and clapping, but when they saw the fight change its pattern, they fell dead silent as if water had swallowed them.
  As for Princess Lasmal, her heart was completely captured by warrior Harun; his bravery had thoroughly impressed her, deepening her fascination and filling her heart entirely with love for him. While gazing at her hero, she noticed that all the people of Nurul Salam—men and women, young and old—were looking at her, completely ignoring the duel between Balulu and Harun. Instantly, goosebumps rose on her skin, and alarmed, she thought, "What nonsense! Why are people staring at me when this man who is far more handsome than me is right here with them?"
  As if out of nowhere, a voice whispered, "Oh Princess, you shouldn't blame them, for your beauty is beauty indeed. Never forget that no matter how handsome a man is, a woman's beauty is always more captivating." Princess Lasmal quickly raised her head and saw that it was the bird Hamsil speaking.
  Lasmal said, "Oh Hamsil, what help can you give me here? Hide my face; I am tired of all this staring." Hamsil smiled and said, "Do not worry; I feel in my bones that my magical power has returned. Know that this opportunity arose because the people of this town became so preoccupied, gathering all in one place to watch the cheering and applause. In the history of this town since its foundation, no large gathering has ever occurred except for religious study or preaching."
  Having said this, Hamsil blew a breath from his beak onto Lasmal. Instantly, her clothes transformed into armor, and her face was completely covered by a battle helmet, revealing only her eyes, nose, and mouth. She stepped back and stood among her maids.
  As the fight intensified, warrior Harun began wearing down Balulu because his new fighting style was beyond Balulu's comprehension. Suddenly, warrior Harun would leap into the air like a fluttering snail, his feet touching the ground for barely a second before launching back into the air as if thrown upward. From above, he rained blows on Balulu from all directions—east, west, south, and north. Balulu's mind scattered, not knowing where to block the strikes.
  In this manner, warrior Harun successfully sliced Balulu's body into four pieces. Suddenly, Balulu collapsed to the ground, and as he fell, his torso split neatly into four parts.
  Seeing this, King Sailub and the sorcerer Zuwalil Baharus panicked. King Sailub glared at the remaining troops and shouted orders for them to attack warrior Harun. In the blink of an eye, they leaped down from the jinn Kamasaini, charging aggressively at Harun. He stood in their midst like a demon, tearing them apart. The area became obscured with dust, filled with the battle cries of men and the splashing of blood. Spectators were forced to pull back to avoid stray danger. This was the scene unfolding around King Sailub as the jinn Kamasaini hovered above the city of Nurul Salam—the home town of the mysterious warrior Harun bin Husein.
  Meanwhile, regarding Larhat, Baluhuk, Talazu, Zamar, Lakban, Sadwan, Amrus, Saiful, Maut, Jalkas, and Manzuf: after spending half an hour traveling through the skies atop the jinn Kashgarbu, they arrived in a breathtakingly beautiful region. This region consisted of vast forests, deserts, and great cities filled with diverse architectures that captivated the hearts of these brave warriors, making them yearn to land in one of the cities to feast their eyes.
  All of them shared this desire, but none dared to voice it first. For several agonizing seconds, silence reigned, with no one uttering a word. Lakban broke the silence, saying, "Oh my brothers, why don't we land in this region to rest and sightsee? You know the saying that travel is the key to knowledge."
  Hearing this, Sadwan said, "Indeed, brother, your words are true; I fully support your suggestion."
  Baluhuk cleared his throat and said, "Deep down inside, isn't this what everyone wants?"
  They all looked at Baluhuk in surprise. Jalkas said, "You seem to know what is in our hearts." Hearing this, Baluhuk burst into laughter and said, "Have you forgotten that Larhat and I have seen a region like this before? Why don't we land here, spend a day, and then continue our journey, provided we don't skip the five forests?"
  Upon hearing this, all of them agreed: "Yes indeed, we fully agree with this suggestion."
  Without wasting time, Larhat signaled the jinn Kashgarbu to spread his wings and dive downward. As they descended closer, they realized they were heading right toward the middle of a massive ocean. Looking everywhere—east, west, south, and north—there was nothing but endless water with no land in sight. The most astonishing part was that right in the middle of the sea stood a massive island, and upon that island was a magnificent palace built of white pearl. Wherever you looked, it shimmered and gleamed dazzlingly, hurting the eyes.
  When Larhat and his companions caught sight of this building, they were filled with astonishment. Baluhuk said, "Look at another wonder! Truly, we must go and enter this house to see what villain resides inside."
  Without any opposition, they headed toward the island, and in a short while, the jinn Kashgurbu landed them upon it. They all dismounted and stood staring at the colossal palace, whose size and height surpassed imagination. Despite the immense size of the jinn Kashgurbu, standing before the palace made him look like a deer beside an elephant.
  Baluhuk walked ahead, turned back to look at the others, and said, "Shall we go inside?"
  Talazu objected, saying, "Oh Master of Horses, as soon as we arrive, you want us to enter directly? We ought to pause and investigate whether there is any danger inside that exceeds our capability."
  Amrus chimed in, "Indeed, that is a very wise suggestion."
  Instantly, Larhat pulled out his magical mirror and began scrying to see what was inside this white-pearl house. Suddenly and unexpectedly, sweat drenched Larhat, his body began to tremble uncontrollably, and he let out a scream as his magical mirror shattered into pieces with a loud bang. This terrified them all profoundly.
  Before they could make a single move, the entire island was enveloped by mocking laughter. They looked around anxiously to find the source, but saw no one. Then, the front door opened by itself, and out walked a very tall, extremely elderly man leaning on a black staff. His face was covered in hair, and he carried himself with regal majesty like a king.
  The old man looked at them one by one, called out their names, and burst into laughter once more. Abruptly turning his face grim, he said, "Welcome, brave warriors who seek the hand of Princess Lasmal in marriage! I welcome you to the dwelling of the sorcerer Haibatul Haslabu. Follow me inside this house of mine, for I have a request for you. I warn you that none of you should attempt any foolish tricks against me, for neither your magic nor your bravery will save you from my wrath."
  With utter submission and obedience, they all followed the sorcerer Haibatul Haslabu inside. As soon as they entered, the door closed by itself. This was what befell the ten warriors who risked their lives to pursue their quest to reach the Island of Darul Muhuk when they landed in the grand region inhabited by the sorcerer Haibatul Haslabu.
  Back in the city of Nurul Salam, the situation was intense. Warrior Harun relentlessly battered King Sailub's troops until he wiped them out entirely, leaving not a single guard standing before him except corpses. This drove King Sailub and the sorcerer Zuwalil Baharus into deeper panic, not knowing what to do, so they stepped aside to whisper to each other. Meanwhile, Princess Lasmal—standing among the maids clad in steel armor—was filled with joy, witnessing how brilliantly her protector had triumphed in this battle.