The Monkey and the Iron Bear

#### The Story of Dahari Solas, First Captain Of the Seekers of Unity among the Hounds of Surmah.

Eino hit the deck of the training cage hard. His modified MkII armor was cracked and broken and blood seeped out. Vladamar stood over the newly initiated Hound of Surmah and spat upon him. Valdamar had his flamberge gripped in his right hand held at his side. His opponent was no more a threat, bloodied and beaten, moaning in pain from Vladamar’s fury. The Fifth-Stalker, the Iron-Bear as he was called, had not relented in his strikes against Eino until he could no longer walk. The youth had supposedly insulted the Fifth-Stalker and brought forth his ire. The other Hounds that surrounded the cage and watched with morbid amusement had cheered at the display of raw anger. All knew the outcome before it began but that didn’t take away from its value as entertainment.

Around the cage, all laughed, cheered, or made flippant remarks save one individual. He was in stark contrast to the other legion Astartes that surrounded the cage. He was, not in armor but in a scarlet and amber robe. He was bald and his wide flat features were in a perpetual expression of boredom. He had a tattoo on his forehead, it was a squared infinity symbol with a diamond above the center. It was the legion symbol of the Seekers of Unity and the monk-looking warrior was their First Captain. He was on some form of ambassador mission to different legions and currently he resided here with the Hounds, having only arrived a few days past. His name was Dahari Solas of the Pha Trelgan Sempa, and he watched the fight with an aloof nature. Such was his expression, that many would have thought he wished to be anywhere else, doing anything else, but apparently this was how he normally looked.

As the terminator armored warrior Valdamar stalked back and forth in the cage, his rage continued.

“Pathetic whelp! Not even worth the effort to kill. Does anyone else wish to speak?! Any other off-hand comments like this pup put forward? If so, enter the cage!

The crowd fell silent and at first it seemed none would rise to the challenge, not wanting to end up like their battle brother. When it seemed all refused, there was the soft sound of bare feet on metal as Dahari ascended the steps to the cage, the chains that were wrapped around his wrists hung slack just above his feet. His fingers quietly moved along the length like prayer beads as he came to a stop several paces from Valdamar and bowed low.

Valdamar’s choleric mood seemed to relax slightly and he chuckled as he spoke.

“What is this new insult? You think you can stand before me? You do not even wear armor, nor carry a weapon. What can you hope to do, you must want to return to your legion in a coffin.”

The group surrounding the cage let out a laugh, those of the 5th Great Clan sharing their Stalker’s more belligerent demeanor. Dahari rose up from his bow, his expression unchanged.

“You seem to use rage as a tool, your weapon is not your blade but your anger and wrath. I wish to show you the folly of such a weapon. I have a lesson from my father I wish to share. I am armed with a calm mind, sharp focus, that can overcome such things. I mean no insult but to prove the value of tranquility.”

“Tranquility!?” This time Vladamar let out a loud and dry laugh. Those around the cage did the same mimicking their leader. “Do not be such a fool, get out of this cage before I do to you what I did to that whelp.”

“I see, you fear to be wrong. I understand, to be seen as wrong in front of your own warriors would damage your reputation. As a leader I share these concerns. I just never took you as one to show fear.”

Dahari’s barb hit home. There was a visual twitch of anger on Valdamar’s brutalized face, his grip tightening on his blade. “Very well, I will send you back to your legion bloodied then. I will show you fear really is.” There was still a small smirk on Valdamar’s face, his confidence was palpable.

The crowd went silent as Valdamar made his first strike. It was a lazy thing, visible that he thought this fight would be over in seconds and he didn’t take it seriously. Dahari sidestepped the blow, with no noticeable concern. The blade clanged against the deck missing the warrior in scarlet and amber robes by inches. Dahari gave a slight shrug, showing he was not concerned. Valdamar’s smirk vanished, replaced by a snarl of rage instead. This time he put a little more into the strikes, more weight behind each blow. He swung with a horizontal cut that Dahari ducked under. Valdamar brought the blade back, this time Dahari leapt over the strike, like a child at play, jumping over a rope. Dahari rolled his eyes. Valdamar was now at his wits end, having had enough of this game of cat and mouse. Anger surged through him like a wave and he thrust forward, still slightly holding back, but much more of his weight was behind the strike. Dahari’s chains whipped up and wrapped around the blade. Using Valdamar’s own weight and momentum, Dahari yanked at the blade and rolled. The blade, being held loosely, came out of Valdamar’s grip and clanged to the floor across the cage, an expression of visible confusion strewn across his face as he looked down at his now empty hand.

Dahari turned his back to the warrior, and walked over to the blade. He picked it up, turned back to Valdamar and walked towards him, bowing again before presenting the blade to his opponent. Valdamar snarled and snatched the blade from Dahari and this time Valadmar did not hold back, his cuts and strikes coming in quick succession, slashes and thrusts trying to strike the other warrior. Dahari moved about the cage like water, dodging each strike in a calculated manner, never over exerting himself and moving just enough that the blade missed by inches.

“With anger your strikes are without focus, with rage without serenity. You cannot be of single purpose with such wrath. You strike as if trying to hit the wind, but never will you be able to hit such a thing. It shows a weakness of mind. I can show you the way to strengthen your mind and bring focus. Perhaps you are too small minded to want to learn of such things?” Dahari spoke these words as he moved. His expression never changing, his words never out of breath.

Valdamar let out a growl as his anger rose, the words goading him on. He struck out with a fist but the monk threw up a hand and redirected the blow. He did not block it but angled his arm to allow the strike to slide in the direction he chose. Valdamar brought the blade down in a diagonal slash, Dahari once again wrapping his chain around the blade, but this time his hand darted out like a knife and hit the softer joint and soft-armored part of Valdamar’s hand. It struck a pressure point through the ribbed padding and Valdamar’s hand opened without him willing it. Once again the blade fell and skidded across the deck, the crowd around the cage remaining silent, more warriors from other training cages had come to observe the strange fight.

Valdamar whirled around at them, “What are you gawking at!?”

No response was forthcoming. There was just Valdamar’s breath and the soft pitter patter of Dahari walking back to the blade to pick it up. Once again he bowed and presented it to Vladamar.

Vladamar snarled and bellowed his rage as he snatched the blade and shoved Dahari away. He stumbled slightly but remained on his feet. He rose from his bow and slid into a fighter's stance. His legs spread, body turning sideways as two blades connected to the chains dropped from Dahari’s sleeves. They were just shorter than the length of his arm. The blades split towards the top, one end continuing straight into a point the other curving into a hook. He gripped one blade in his hand the other he swung by the chain. It swung in a circle, so fast that it looked like a wheel, the blade blurring. Suddenly he stopped spinning the blade and it shot out past Valdamar’s head. As fast as it moved out he snatched it back twisting his body slightly to reverse the blade’s momentum, it clanged and the hook caught Valdamar’s shoulder and tugged him forward slightly, caught off guard by the strike. The blade came back to Dahari and he resumed spinning the chain.

“No finesse, lumbering about like a drunken bear, it is no wonder that you have yet to best the Black Widow in combat. Seems you are too dense to learn the lessons I have to teach.” prodded Dahari.

That was the final straw for Valdamar and he could no longer hold back. The fight began again in earnest, Valdamar making great, wide swings and thrusts, striking out at Dahari with reckless abandon. Dahari dodged with measured grace, minimizing the energy he used. When he couldn’t dodge the strikes, he would use one of the blades of his Viper’s Fangs to redirect the flameberge. He never directly blocked, knowing full well that unarmored he could not match the strength of an armored Astartes, let alone one in full terminator plate. Instead, being unarmored, he used his speed to his advantage. After redirecting a strike, he would leap backwards creating space between him and Valdamar and would throw one of the ends of the Viper’s Fangs. The blade would snap out, miss the terminator and with a quick jerk or rotation of his body to stop the blade mid flight, Dahari would pull the blade back with the same movement. Everytime Dahari would bring the blade back, it clipped Valdamar, causing no damage as the power fields were not active, but each time it would cause Valdamar to move slightly or make one of his strikes swing wide.

It annoyed him, enraged him into reckless fury and mindless rage, and then Valdamar made his final mistake, seeing only red and falling completely to his rage. He brought his blade above his head two-handed. Spitting and growling he swung down with all his might. Dahari brought up the blade in his left hand and like a rock redirecting water pushed the strike aside. Dahari then stepped inside Valdamar’s guard and brought up the blade in his right hand to Valdamar’s throat.

The fight was done. The Hounds of Surmah around the circle remained silent, no cheers or laughter followed. Except one. From the shadows, a sibilant laugh drifted over the gathered warriors, all eyes turning to see Surmah himself observing the small brawl. The sound sent a chill down Dahari’s spine. He turned his back to his opponent and bowed deeply to the primarch and sire of the Hounds of Surmah. Surmah stepped from the shadows, his presence oppressive as it filled the air with the seething threat of violence. His laughter stopped and he stared at the two. His alabaster white eyes penetrated the souls of both warriors.

“It would appear the Monkey has outsmarted Iron-Bear this day... Do not let such petulance guide your hand again. We are not animals, Valdamar, so save the mindless savagery for the sons of Nautis and Kodiak.”

His words spoken, Surmah turned and departed from the chamber through one of the adjoining hatchways. There was a brief span after the primarch’s exit where no one moved a muscle. Though brief, his presence had been unsettling, the strange occurrence causing shock even amongst his own sons.

Valdamar let his anger get the better of him and he roared as he brought his blade down in another wide cut. Dahari rolled back into the fight and brought his blades back up. He dived away from the cut, he leaped back and threw his Fang. The blade shot out and cut into Valdamar’s wrist, between the armor plates, slicing easily through the soft padding. Valdamar roared in pain as his blade dropped from his stricken hand. Dahari yanked and his blade came free, catching it by its rich hilt. Valdamar looked up with a smirk, hoping to see anger in Dahari’s face, thinking he had gotten the better and broke his calm, but he was met with the same disinterested stare. No anger, no rage, not frustration, just blank, if slightly bored, disinterest.

Dahari bowed again, though this time it was a shallow bow and he did not go to retrieve his opponent’s sword.

“Perhaps another lesson tomorrow when you are healed cousin.”

He left the training cage, his bare feet making soft noises as he moved away with the crowd, none of the XXth legion making a move to assist Valdamar. Tursari pushed away from the back wall he had been leaning against and met Dahari, chuckling at the display.

“That was quite the spectacle monk. I do so enjoy seeing Valdamar embarrassed,” Tursari spoke dryly.

“I only teach what my father has taught me, Stalker-Prime,” responded Dahari. “I bring his wisdom to the other legions, his teachings my message. However, from what I have heard, I do not suppose I could manipulate your ire so easily, or survive for so long alone. I would need something more clever to teach you.”

“Perhaps in time we shall see, cousin.” Tursari replied, departing Dahari’s company and leaving him alone to his thoughts.