"Do you rank warriors by level?" Shola asked Umar.
"Yes, that's right. To identify the best warriors, there is need to group them into different levels." Umar answers.
"So how many level do you currently manage?" Shola asked him again.
"There are currently five levels and each level has up to 20 warriors fighting each other to advance to the next level," Umar further explained.
As the discussion progressed, the fight at ringside officially began. The two fighters each came on stage holding a Sanda (a long staff used by the Fulani people in battle).
Khalid, the butcher, stood at one end of the stage, wearing white shorts and no shirt, showing off his broad, thick shoulders, looking at Abdul Gobara, who was wearing long black pants and a black singlet. They were both ready, the bell rang and the match began. . Abdul Gobara started moving first, running towards Khalid the butcher, jumping into the air and attacking the butcher aiming at his head.
"Cannnnnnn" The sound of two Sanda crashing into each other was heard. Abdul Gobara was repelled by Khalid and fell back from the clash.
Khalid wasted no time and took advantage and swung his cane at Abdul Gobara.
"Baaannnnnnn" Abdul Gobara was hit squarely in the side and immediately retreated, vomiting blood.
"Yessssssssssssssssssssssss", cheered the crowd.
"Beat him and take him down. Butcher I'm your biggest fan," a women in the crowd cheered happily.
Butcher used the momentum to attack Abdul Gobara more brutally, earning cheers from the crowd, and the fight continued with one man attacking and the other blocking or dodging around the stage.
"I thought you said these two were the best level 1 fighters, but why does it seem one sided?" Shola asked Umar.
"Hmm, this match can not be decided yet, because Abdul Gobara, whom you see at a disadvantage right now, might not necessarily lose…."
"Because he has Shaferi," Timothy said, interrupting Young Alhaji Umar.
"Do you know about the Shaferi?" Umar asked Timothy, with whom he had not spoken since.
"Yes, I read it once before," Timothy answered.
"What is a Shaferi?" Shola asked.
"Shaferi is a special ability that grants rare and talented warriors with increased strength, stamina, and speed, making them virtually invisible to their enemies." Young Alhaji Umar explained:
As Umar was explaining things to Shola, the battle on stage suddenly heated up.
Khalid, the butcher who was fiercely attacking, suddenly stops moving when Abdul Gobara, who looks terrible and bleeding from almost every part of his body, stops running and stands on stage with his eyes closed. The Sanda he was holding in his hand, began to vibrate, his whole body trembled, and suddenly he let out a scream. He disappeared from where he was and emerged before Khalid the Butcher, striking him with all his might.
"Puuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" Khalid the Butcher was unable to avoid the attack on time, and was hit then sent flying off the stage.
The crowd was silent for a moment, trying to figure out what just happened, and then cheers erupted from all over the stage.
"Yesssssssssssssss," the crowd cheered.
Someone in the crowd shouted, "I just bet my money on Abdul Gobara and now am rich hahaha."
"Me too hahaha if I collect my winning, I'll go for a drink." Shouted another person
While some were cheering, others were crying over losing money by betting on the wrong person.
After the shouting and cheering died down.
Timothy said, "Thank you young Alhaji Umar for inviting us. We will now depart."
"The show has just begun," Umar said not willing to let them leave immediately.
Timothy said, "We could have loved to stay longer, but now something urgent has come up and we can't stay any longer."
Timothy and Shola left the location after exchanging contact with young Alhaji Umar and then returned to the hotel where they were staying.
When they arrived at the hotel they first went to their different room to shower before returning to the hotel lounge for dinner, Frederick did not come down for food. Timothy tried to call him, but his phone didn't connect. so the two sat at the table for dinner.
"Tell me more about the Shaferi. I want to know more about them?" Shola asked.
"Shaferi can be likened to Chi of the Igbo people," Timothy began to explain.
"All are abilities that are natural to any talented warrior, but there are some differences between the two."
"For Chi, everyone is born with it, but not everyone can unlock their special Chi and become powerful Ogbanje*.
For Shaferi, not everyone is born with it, but those who are gifted enough to be born with Shaferi can usually unlock it with the right guidance, but there are different levels of Shaferi, people can unlock."
"They are ranked according to how powerful they make a warrior, with White Eyes Sharferi being the most common among most warriors, followed by Clear Eyes Sharferi being much stronger and very rare, and then the Black Eyes Sharferi being the most Powerful, people are rarely seen with it, only one in a million warriors can unlock it," Timothy said in conclusion:
"Did you read all this in a book?" Shola asked Timothy.
"No, I know because I was born in Kano, but it's not here in Sabon-Garri, it's in a village quite far from here," Timothy answered her.
"Wow, you're full of stories," Shola said.
"Shola, what do you think of young Alhaji Umar?" Timothy asked.
"I think he's a good guy and he'll be helpful to us," Shola answered.
"That's right. I want you to get closer to him and find out more about the golden dagger from him." Timothy said. "I'll explain my plans more tomorrow when Frederick joins. I think I might have a way for us to get the dagger easily."
After eating and discussing more both retired to their rooms in the hotel.
Early the next morning, Timothy went to Frederick's room to check on him and found him still sleeping, Timothy woke him up.
"Good morning, brother, how was your night?" Timothy asked him.
"I'm fine," Frederick answered. "How about you?"
"I'm good, get dressed and come to the lounge. I'd like to have an important conversation." Timothy told him and left him to get ready and come down.
Arriving at the lounge, he met Shola there and joined her, while Frederick soon came down and they started discussing.
"When we went to explore the city yesterday we discovered something important that will help us with our plans," Timothy told Frederick, and then explained to him everything that happened in Zobo Park.
"With the competition at the Galadima's palace just around the corner, I think the chances of getting into the rooms inside the museum are now very high," added Timothy.
To understand what Timothy meant, Frederick asked, "So are you going to enter the competition?"
"Yes," Timothy answered.
"Do you know how to fight with Sanda?" Shola asked curiously.
"Didn't he tell you?" Before Timothy could answer, Frederick asked her.
"No, he haven't" Shola replied
"Well, I know how to fight with a Sanda. How I learnt to, is not a secret if you want to know. I can tell you." Timothy told her.
"I want to hear your story. tell me more." Shola said expectantly.
"Timothy, I'm sorry I have urgent business to attend to,so you have to excuse me" Frederick says and walks out of the hotel.
"Then how did you learn to fight with the Sanda, since you are not a Hausa or a Fulani?" Shola asked.
"Well, first of all, it all started with my father Okoye, he was a very talented person who unlocked his Chi at a young age and became an Ogbanje, he grew more powerful and was unmatched in Igboland. So, he traveled to different regions and met different people. But he could not find a worthy opponent.
Then one day, he heard about a famous fighter Aminu Youngblood. Like my father, Aminu was a great warrior blessed by heaven, he was a strong and powerful man who had never before tasted defeat.
Being overcome with a desire for battle my father went down to Kano. After finding the famed warrior and obtaining the information he needed, he went down to a small village called Daura, where he found Aminu Youngblood and challenged him.
Aminu Youngblood accepted his challenge and they fought for seven days and nights, with no winner determined. Those who witnessed the fight said it was one of the most brutal fights they had ever seen. The two men used different skills and fighting techniques, but it was useless as none of them could emerge victorious.
Seeing the damage caused by the aftermath of the battle, the queen of Duara pleaded with them to stop fighting.
"I hereby intervene and plead with the two of you to stop the fighting and treat this battle as a draw."
"The fight ended in a draw, but another chapter in my father's life began."
"He fell in love with Aminu's sister, the queen of Duara, and they married, a year after I was born. My father named me Timothy, but my mother named him Amir."
"I grew up learning to fight with a Sanda from my uncle Aminu Youngblood and with a sword from my father, but my father was disappointed when I failed to unlock my Chi and become an Ogbanje just like him.