The Jama's Blade
Lekan jumped away from yet another near-death strike from the imposing Jama, chuckling at his opponent's failure to cut off his head. If only this foolish Ilorin man knew what he was up against, he would run for the hills without looking back. He is, after all, Lekan Oye the juggernaut of Ilu-inọ village, son of the juggernaut of Ilu-inọ village, only a fool would dare to challenge him.
"Why are you still smiling?" The frustrated Jama growled
"No reason" Lekan replied in a nonchalant tone
"You rejoice on the day of your death?" The Jama inquired
"To be honest, this battle is fun. So feel free to go wild and in your interest don't hold back" Lekan beamed
"Soon you will wish that you never crossed the path of the shadow. For it is only a fool that sends a pregnant woman out at night" the Jama gritted
"You call yourself the danger of the shadow" Lekan responded, "but to me, you are nothing but a bee robbed of its sting"
"You will regret those words child," the Jams growled
Laken wasted no time in preparing his defence drawing out his two short Ẹṣọ's blades, Laken prepared for the Jama's aggressive onslaught. The Jama responded with a very vicious attack waving an over-large ebony Ida as though he held a feather, his Sword abnormally blacker than any other normal blade. With each strike, Laken parried, he had a closer look at the weapon of his opponent. The Ida had a special kind of adornment, which beautified the handle of the sword, from all indications this magnificent blade might be made of reinforced copper (but what does he know about metalwork, he is only good at using them). It is a fine blade Lekan thought as he deflected another strike that nearly made two of him.
Their weapons clashed repeatedly sending bright red sparks of ignited metal into the air. Lakan was fast, but the Jama managed to keep up with his skill, despite the length of his sword he found it difficult to keep Lekan at a distance, the Ẹṣọ somehow had an advantage with his smaller more manoeuvrable weapons. He was able to prevent Lekan from scoring an assassin's death strike, he hates to admit it, but this child was holding him at bay, preventing him from using one of his more powerful attacking techniques and if this battle should continue, he is going to tire beneath the weight of his Ida. Lekan smiled mockingly at his opponent, the fool really has no idea of who he is dealing with. Unlike most Ẹṣọs who can remain in combat for a few hours at a time before they collapse in exhaustion, he can remain in a battle for more than seven days before his body starts to show signs of weakness; he is after all the juggernaut of Ilu-inọ.
The first round lasted for three minutes with none of the two combatants inflicting any damage to his opponent, Lekan still had that nonchalant grin plastered on his face and the Jama had a look of pure venom. The Jama ended the first fight by jumping away from his opponent, he realised the difference between his strength and the strength of his foe and concluded that he needed a new combat strategy if he intended to survive such a formidable enemy.
"I must admit" the Jama panted, "You have some skill"
"You, on the other hand, were too slow" Lekan replied showing no signs of fatigue, "I could have cut you down five times during our last clash"
"I could have killed you as well" the Jama growled, "I was just measuring your skills"
"I don't believe you" Lekan yawned, "but you still have a chance to prove yourself, let go another round and this time, I am not holding back"
"And neither will I" the Jama agreed, fuelling his Agbara into his Ida
The battle joined once again and this time the onslaught was more fierce than the previous one, Lakan attacked with pure blood lust and his strikes and reaction time were quicker than before. As he crossed blades with the Jama he realised that his opponent's movements were sloppy, seems like the previous battle might have had a negative effect on the Jama's muscles. Lakan laughed this battle would be over soon; suddenly, something dark moved towards Lakan from his blind spot. He caught sight of it from the corner of his eye and almost discredited it as a tree rodent or a stray bird, however, his natural reflexes had a different opinion, and his free hand moved to block the attack that came at him from his blind spot hoping to hit an animal or thin air…
"Cling!" The sound of one sword striking against another
In an instant his fighting instincts went into a state of shock, he felt a wave of terror wash through his entire being, chocking the very humour out of him. In his confusion, Lekan jumped away from the Jama, unconsciously obeying his self-preservation instincts.
The Jama laughed uncontrollably, almost letting his guard down for a moment, enjoying the response of his opponent and savouring the slight glimmer of success. He watched as Lekan held his motionless right hand and the look of surprise could be seen as his face was twisted in a mixture of pain and rage.
"Surprised?" The Jama taunted, "Well, Ẹṣọ it's too bad. Now you know that Jamas are also good with illusions"
Lekan did not attempt to hide his pain, the Jama had succeeded in knocking the smirk off his face, he growled in his frustration surprised that the Jama could pull a fast one on him. The Jama laughed again seeing that he had silenced his opponent.
"Now Ẹṣọ, are you afraid of me?" The Jama gloated.
"You had only one sword!" Lekan shouted
"That is why I call her 'Adamẹta'(three swords/tri-sword)" the Jama responded "The great sword Adamẹta is the heirloom of my family, the inheritance of my descendants and the honour of my name. Forged by the great Oba Ojiji himself"
Oba Ojiji meaning the king of the shadows, Laken was taught as an Ẹṣọ that all Jama-type weapons smith were known to be among the most proficient weapon creators in Yoruba land. The blacksmiths of Ilọrin are especially efficient at forging enchanted tools. While all the Ẹṣọs of Yoruba land depend on their covenants and inner spiritual strength to grow stronger and to manipulate the elements, the Jamas lack the luxury of the covenant and know next to nothing about the manipulation of the elements. The Jamas had long forgotten the art of initiating a covenant, so the Jamas decided to make use of the legacy that Kankan fo Afọnja left behind, the art of forging enchanted weapons.
The blacksmiths of those days started to forge enchanted weapons imbibing each blade with the keys to manipulating the elements of nature; soon the Jamas were able to rival the fighting capabilities of Ẹṣọ at Balogun level. As the years, go by the Jama smiths improved in their craft, forging weapons that were not only more potent than the previous ones but far more effective. The smiths improved to a point that they began to diversify, each group specializing in a specific element and each smith sub-dividing into unit tribes, creating a special set of weapons to meet up with the demand of their clients thus the art of forging in Ilọrin prospered and people like Oba Ojiji gained their fame.
Oba Ojiji, 'the king of the shadow' a master when it comes to forging shadow blades. All those who have wielded a weapon of his make have all gained a position of renown among the Jamas. Oba Ojiji's weapons are very expensive and very rare, considered a king's ransom. Anyone in possession of such a magnificent weapon should consider himself very fortunate; this Jama might have obtained him from the cold hands of one of his victims or he inherited it from his father before him.
Ẹṣọs have tried to obtain some of these Jama-type weapons in times past but to no avail. The strong rift that exists between the Jama and the Ẹṣọs contributed to this, just as the Ẹṣọs remain unwilling to share the secret behind the covenant, the Jamas are also unwilling to share the only edge they have against the Yoruba warriors. The demand for Jama-type weapons grew with time, and the reason for this occurrence started when a warrior from Ọyọ under the orders of the Alaafin, obtained a Jama-type weapon by chance, imbibed with the covenant of fire. The moment he used the weapon in combination with his own Agbara, he found it easy to achieve great feats; he ascended to the rank of Balogun in a short time, since then Ẹṣọs of Yoruba land have been in search of a suitable Jama-type weapon. Any weapon acquired by an Ẹṣọ the normal way (purchased) is either a worthless imitation or archaic, the only way to obtain a perfect Jama-type weapon forged by the master smiths of Ilorin is to win it in battle as spoils of war.
Adamẹta
Lakan smiled, the sinister intentions written in his eyes, the only reason why he chose this fool as his opponent is his oversized sword and he looked at the blade with a deep interest. The Jama looked at Lekan seriously confused, a moment ago, he had the Ẹṣọ at the mercy of his surprise attack, but the moment he mentioned the name of his sword, the look on his opponent's face changed.
"Adamẹta" Lekan said calmly, "It means that your Ida can produce two to three solid shadow blades, nice!"
"Now you know," the Jama taunted, "Are you ready to be cut into a thousand pieces"
"Let's go another round," Lekan suggested, "Show me what you can do with that sword," he smiled, letting go of his presumably wounded hand; it was not wounded, after all, he had played the Jama for a fool.
The third clash proved a far more brutal fight than the previous ones, out of nowhere two additional blades appeared radiating the essence of the absence of light; the additional blades did not even reflect the light of the sun. Lekan examined each blade closely, glad that the strange substance possessed the properties of iron, easily deflected by his two short blades. Lekan now has only one goal, to force his foolish opponent into using his Ida to its absolute limits that way he can learn how to use it, once he obtains it.
The Jama put his heart into the attack, striking at Laken from every direction not daring to relent for fear of losing his life. Lekan, on the other hand, parried every strike made by the Jama including the ones going for his unprotected back with pinpoint accuracy, then someone's blade hit home and red blood was spilt. The Jama stumbled to his knees looking down in horror at the wound on his chest, he never saw the blade coming and he didn't know he was hit until after his native shirt was soaked in his blood; the Jama instinctively retreated to a nearby branch. Lakan surprisingly let the Jama go, without even taking advantage of the opportunity to finish off his opponent.
"Impossible!" The Jama said, "How can this be"
"Speed," Lekan replied "I have always been faster than you, it does not matter how many weapons that magnificent Ida of yours can produce they will not affect me. I am the juggernaut of Ilu-inọ son of the juggernaut of Ilu-inọ, the unstoppable force that every Ẹṣọ fears to engage in combat. I am the unconquerable Lekan Oye the juggernaut of Ilu-inọ"
"The unconquerable, will one day be conquered and when it comes down, it will perish beneath a wall of shadows, cut down by my shadow blade Adamẹta." The Jama retorted.
Using what strength, he had left, the Jama brandished his Ida in preparation for a powerful attack, hoping to inflict a great wound upon his opponent and end the fight with a single blow. Laken simply stood, set for the attack egging the Jama on with the sly grin on his face. Then, the Jama swung his blade towards the ground, in the process launching a missile of pure shadow at his opponent. At first, Laken did not notice the attack at all, he was thinking that the Jama would use at close range combat strategy, as usual, it's a good thing that he's fast; had he not jumped away in a nick of time the attack could have looped his head free from his shoulders. Deep in his heart, Lekan was grateful to Olodumare that he was fighting an opponent of this nature under the light of the sun; if they were to fight under the shadows of the night; his opponent would have had all the advantage. The Jama launched his shadow blades again, hoping to score a direct hit. He now knows from experience that it is dangerous to confront a warrior of this level in close combat; the only way to take him down is to use all forms of long-range attacks, "his speed is not going to save him from the seeking blades of 'Adamẹta'" the Jama whispered
"You are still too slow," Lekan cried from a distance
"Keep running child and we will see who the slow one is" the Jama replied as he launched another shadow missile at his foe.
Lekan observed that the Jama could send out a maximum of two shadow blades at a time, in other words, his Ida is reacting to the nature of his Agbara, Lekan also noticed that the shadow blades dissolve into nothing the moment they exceed the distance of thirty feet from its source. He smiled to himself, he had seen enough of the Ida's ability; now all he had to do is to make quick work of his opponent and claim his prize.
"I'm getting bored," Lekan said in a third tone, as he landed on a nearby tree branch "Does that sword of yours have any other ability that I might be interested in?" He mocked
"Shadow Shield!!" The Jama chanted, instantly, his entire body was covered in a strange glossy substance no doubt a solid shadow. In seconds, the Jama had transformed into wrath, covered from crown to sole in solid shadow like a masquerade.
"Now, you will die" the Jama shouted, attacking with rage
Lekan stood his ground, not even moving an inch bracing for the upcoming attack, he fuelled most of his Agbara into his left fist as soon as the Jama closed the distance between them, Lekan attacked. He landed a blow so powerful that it shattered the Jama's shadow-like armour in an instant; the pressure from the blow also sent the Jama flying.
"That was a very good attack," Lekan applauded, "But not enough to entertain me"
"I'm going to kill you," the Jama cried out in frustration
"How can I defeat someone this powerful?" The Jama wondered, for the first time in his career as an assassin, 'he panicked'. An Ẹṣọ who is no more than a boy, able to smash through his ultimate defence, for some reason he had lost the will to fight.
"And here I was thinking that all Jamas are tough, from now on I will see all of you as weaklings. What a waste of my time" Lekan mocked
"How dare you insult my people?" The Jama growled, "You call yourself the juggernaut of Ilu-inọ yet you choose to insult the pride of a fellow warrior"
"You're not warriors" Lekan replied, "You are assassins, dishonourable fools who enjoy killing others when their back is turned, dishonourable because you are slaves of money. In my opinion, the female warriors of my village have far more dignity than you"
The only thing that forced the Jama to his feet was pride, his pride at being a Jama and the attitude that Lekan displayed towards his fellow warriors. He prepared himself for the next attack, gave his opponent an imposing glower and then he attacked. He brought down his blade upon his opponent landing a direct hit to his relief, 'Now that will put an end to the Ẹṣọ once and for all'. To the Jama's absolute amazement, his sword failed to bite into Lekan's tender skin, it simply bounced off harmlessly not even leaving a mark or a scare; the rebound from the blade making contact with Lekan's skin caused the Ida to vibrate violently which in turn forced the Jama to lose the grip on his sword. Seeing the opportunity, Lekan reached out and grabbed the enchanted sword.
"Nice blade," Lekan said "Now it is mine," he had a grin so wide it could crack his face open.
The Jama jumped away in terror, the thief had taken the one thing he depended on in a battle; his Ida, Adamẹta is now in the hands of his enemies.
"Give me back my weapon," he demanded
"No, you want it, come and take it" Lekan baited
Before the Jama could say anything else, Lekan launched a shadow missile of his own using the Jama's own Adamẹta. The moment the Jama saw his own attack, he felt a cold chill run down his spine. The Jama instinctively evaded the first shadow blade expecting Lekan to throw two more before he made his move, but to his utter amazement, a fourth shadow blade whizzed past his head nearly causing permanent damage. As he recovered from the first surprise, he received yet another, Lekan sent four more shadow blades after his opponent, confounding him completely.
The Jama jumped out of Lekan's attack range, fearful of the new abilities that his Ida is capable of now that it is in the hands of a new wielder. 'Is this the true power of Adamẹta?' He wondered.
The Jama ran away for dear life and he kept on running, hoping to put as much distance between himself and the Ẹṣọ as possible, he didn't look back for fear that he was being followed, if only he had known. Throughout the entire fight, the Ẹṣọ was on the defensive, the Ẹṣọ was observing the entire fight, case studying the way and method he used his Ida. How can he be so foolish, in his overconfidence he exposed the true nature of his Ida to his opponent and stupidly decided the battle, in the favour of his opponent. The Jama finally decided to rest, leaning at the base of a Dongoyaro tree, if only he knew that Lekan had been following him the whole time and now stood leaning against the opposite side of the tree with a sly grin on his face.
"It seems this weapon's name is going to change," Lekan said in a conversational tone, "'Adamẹta' will now become 'Adamẹwa'. Funny, isn't it, that its reaction to me in battle is much more efficient than its reaction to you" then Lekan instantly moved away from where he stood to the front of the terrified Jama, blocking his escape "this wonderful blade reacts according to the Agbara potential of its wielder and I have a lot of Agbara. I don't think I'm ever going to let you have this back"
In the last desperate effort to win the fight, the Jama started to throw a large number of sharp darts and sharp objects at Lekan hoping to puncture him full of holes, hopefully, the Ẹṣọ will bleed to death. The Jama looked in horror as Lekan deflected his endless barrage of flying darts with the shadow Ida Adamẹwa, his hand movements were so fast that the Jama found it difficult to follow with his eyes and the sword was a complete blur; he might as well be holding a large black feather. Despite himself, the Jama was impressed
"I told you I was fast" Lekan gloated
"You are indeed a mighty warrior" the Jama acknowledged, "but I am a Jama and an assassin if I fail the elder Jama will kill me. I will not yield, I will win," he pronounced stubbornly.
"Fool," Lekan said to himself,
The Jama launched another volley of flying darts again determined to overwhelm Lekan's speed by the number of weapons used against him, Lekan deflected each dart like before, using his skills and his speed. Lekan wondered where this Jama got his endless supply of flying missiles from, he dismissed the thought from his mind determined to conclude the fight. Lekan noticed the hate in the eyes of his opponent and his desperate scream of defiance; 'this man actually thinks he can win' Lekan thought as he slashed through the tendons in the Jama's left leg, causing the helpless warrior to stumble.
"Surrender, you can't win this battle," he scolded.
"Kill me, I will never surrender" the Jama growled
Lekan suddenly felt the spark of impatience wash through his entire being, 'Why is this fool still denying the will of the juggernaut of Ilu-inọ'.
"Well, since I still have the advantage, I'll simply knock you unconscious and drag you back to the village," Lekan pointed out, as though that solves the problem
"I still have one more chant to play, fool!" The Jama shot and then to Lekan's confusion the Jama used one of his small darts to cut himself reciting a chant in pure Arabic. "I have offered my blood as a sacrifice to the gods of steel in order to kill you, it might shorten my life span, but it is enough to kill you," the Jama shouted.
In an instant he vanished, Lekan looked around for traces of his opponent expecting a sudden attack but nothing happened. The Ẹṣọ was about to give up waiting for the Jama to attack when there was a burst of sudden violent laughter in the atmosphere. "He is about to attack," Lekan said, getting set for the sudden onslaught; the attack was so sudden that Lekan barely had enough time to evade the overwhelming onslaught of flying darts.
"This is your ultimate attack?" Lekan cried in mock surprise. "It's pathetic". The first wave of flying objects was easily deflected by the expert swordsmanship of the defending Ẹṣọ. The second wave, however, came in with a surprise, the volley of flying darts came in on two fronts; the first one that Lekan had deflected before and the second which he was about to face. This unwittingly increased the amount of effort Lakan uses in defending himself, and with the third wave, followed an attack on three fronts; for the first time during the battle, the Jama had the upper hand and to his joy, he is actually pushing Lakan back.
"Alright stop, you've made your point, you win" Lakan mocked
"Victory is only achieved through the death of your opponent" the Jama responded.
"So much trying to deceive the foolish Jama," Lakan said offhandedly
Now, he is being pushed back by the fierce attack of the Jama from five fronts, Lakan felt his heart throbbing from the stress of overexerting his body. As he deflected another volley of flying missiles, he felt Agbara circulation fluctuate and his grip on the balance waver. To his astonishment, the internal Agbara that remained dormant within his body detonated fuelling Adamẹta the Jama's blade with an overwhelming amount of power. The result was an explosion of pure shadow fire, black flames engulfed the entire environment, devouring everything within a forty-foot radius including the Jama who was hiding within the foliage of a nearby bush.
Using his seal, Lekan was able to re-stabilize the flow of his Agbara; thankfully, the weapon lacked the ability to do any damage to its wielder. Lekan found his opponent sprawled on the ground, the shadow fire had burnt away the very life within the Jama; Lakan shook his head in disappointment, regretting that he didn't knock out his opponent from the beginning.