Adei's mind was blank, it had always been blank. The dreams scattered over her inner self only showed similar images in sequence, almost indistinguishable from one another. And her only sight, not new but recent, showed only the experiences of the day before. She was puzzled. Or rather her consciousness was puzzled but not her soul, her thoughts may be surprised at the absence of prior memories but her will, ever focused on the endless white abyss between the reminiscences, expressed the desire and power to seek and find. Seek and find.
Adei woke up by the thud of a door.
"We want to see how your fray, outsider!"
An old grey Pasmathan stood in front of her. She was still in the same spot as yesterday, except that a soft water pouch was now under her head. It seemed that exhaustion got the better of her.
Clumsily standing up, she snatched her sword and looked straight at the grey Pasmathan. He had an insignia in the shape of two races, one with a segmented shell and one with an oval centrepiece for his carapace and five strange limbs on each side, both in sturdy silver metal. "I am a Bathy, a governor if that is what you call it. We have determined that it is not satisfactory for us to keep you until you prove your worth. Through battle. Follow me, Nomu is waiting." Adei was puzzled, but she followed.
When she stepped outside the hut, men, women, and children alike flocked around to see Adei walk to her opponent. A few minutes later, they arrived at a stadium.
There Nomu was waiting. Two massive swords in hand. They were imposing blades with three small holes on the side to allow him to wield them. An elaborate system allowed his arms to stay locked, where circle wires circled around Nomu's arms and got stuck onto his rings, only letting him get his hands out once he folded them to loosen the wire. The blades had a large hollow centre on them that did not damage the structure, possibly to make the swords lighter so that a normal individual can lift them up. Finally, two counterweights were added at the bottom and the side of the blade, this made the centre of gravity end up at the spot where they were held. His blades were facing down and inwards, covering most of his body in an ominous stance. Adei approached, confused by the situation but readying up her blade.
"Sorry, little one." Nomu uttered, bitterness in his voice. "But today you will fight me, land a straight blow on me and you will have won. Otherwise, it was pleasant to know you."
Within the blink of an eye, Nomu dashed towards her. He flipped his blades to have them upwards and out and swung at Adei. She parried the hit with her blade, losing grip from the ground and almost crumbling under the sheer power hurled onto her, but the second blade came in from the other side for the finisher. Adei dropped to the ground and let both swords swing at the air, before rolling backwards using her tail and landing back on her feet. Seizing the opportunity, she rushed forwards and attempted to swing at Nomu's legs, but he swiftly turned his swords back down and blocked the hit. In one precise movement, Nomu's swords rose to slash vertically at the girl, and she jumped back to avoid the hit, but her thigh got slightly cut. It was only superficial, but it showed that the old warrior truly had the intent to kill. As Adei stumbled from her unsteady jump, Nomu swooped in for the final blow, and, swords facing up, let one of his blades fall directly on her. For a split second, a faint, almost imperceptible black glow emerged from Adei's sword, and she moved swiftly, more swiftly than she had ever done before. In a gracious roll to the side, she recovered to sure footing, and in one fluid motion, still crouching, swung at Nomu's unprotected feet. He got hit. Nomu backed up, and after a brief moment of pure awe, bowed. Cheers were heard throughout the stadium. The defeated sheathed his blades, then helped up the mesmerized Adei on the ground.
"They trust you now, come"
Adei's unmistakable expression showed a single inquiry: 'But me, should I trust them?'
As she wandered down the stadium, the Pasmathans now observed her with cautious, circumspect curiosity. One of them, a black-skinned woman, had an enlarged thorax which held her clutch: a multitude of small eggs which could be discerned through her transparent carapace. As she walked, inhabitants parted to create a path. An unsuspecting bystander lingered in her way, and he was chased away violently by the witnesses. She did not seem of high class, indicated by the lack of uniform, but her pregnancy must have pushed her to a status of respect.
"Hello, Adei is it? You're quite the fighter, aren't you? I heard about your muteness, so I do not expect an answer. I was tasked with the duty to invite you to a meeting tonight, at the giant shell south of the village. You will be expected at dusk."
Adei nodded in approbation and, needing a quiet place to think, returned to Nomu's place.
The warrior's dwelling was empty. Adei had caught a glimpse of him and the Bathys discussing together at the end of the fight. Her initial intention of staying put quickly faded when her eye caught a glimpse of a green poda dagger which hung from a wall upstairs: it had a dragon handle.
Its mouth was a hole in which Pasmathans could insert one of their appendages and from its tail emerged the pristine silver-like blade. The girl, fascinated by such an intricate weapon, rushed upstairs to inspect the blade. Even with its careful polishing, signs of wear had started to appear, and the magnificence in the present must've only been a shadow of its former glory.
Emerging from her daze, she noticed that the entire room was filled with an essence of warfare. Many long-range, deadly sharp spears ornated the sides of the room. Three elegant swords were on purple amethyst scabbards. Finally, at the centre of the walls, a map of the explored parts of the surrounding area stood triumphantly as the main attraction of the room. It showed at the centre the oval shape of the mobile walls of Pasmathe. At the south, an unusually shaped city was outlined, unfortunately, nothing was labelled. Another shell-shaped, much greater place lay overarching at the northwest, and finally the whole northeast was coloured in black.
"A fascinating armoury, isn't it?"
Startled, Adei jumped making a 180° turn. It was Nomu. She glared at him. He sighed.
"You deserve an explanation. It has been decades since anyone who didn't have a shell entered this city. Our brawl had to happen, as not only did it confirm your usefulness, but it also exposed your fighting style, showing you are different from the… beasts we slay. You must've met them outside." He had just finished hanging his sheathed swords. "And finally, it was to appease the constant gossip about my connection to you. As I mentioned earlier, I can't get attached to anything, or rather I'm not allowed to. This was my only opportunity to save myself."
Only silence followed. Adei's tail, slightly aloft, was tense. As Nomu looked up from the ground, he saw a tear on her cheek, and dread scattered all over her face. It was as if she knew she had to forgive him, but the image of terror that was carved in her brain, a single snapshot of her impending doom raining upon her, plagued her mind with indelible distrust.
"I'll let you collect your thoughts, I understand it's a lot to take in, I brought some alcohol and cloth for your injury… This world is cruel, little girl, this is not the last time your world will be shattered. You are strong, I've seen it first-hand. Go. Skewer your enemies in a way in which an old man like me could never do."
He left. Within the cloth was the poda dagger which Adei had seen on the wall. Upon turning it over, engraved by hand on the belly of the dragon, the words 'seek and find' could be seen.