Unmoving

A hue of lights fills my vision as a wooden training staff makes swift contact with my jaw. I reel back and gingerly get back to my feet as my two sparring partners close in, brandishing their staffs. I assume my offensive stance with my arm stretched out and my staff tucked behind me touching my shoulder blade. Water drips from stalagmites and onto the cold rocky floor as the two senior Knights of Konn and I begin to circle each other in the cold dark cave. The roaring rush of the waterfall behind us deafens my calculated thoughts and I focus on concentrating as several decorative symbols beam under the harsh white lights that hang on lines in the cave. Two mirroring Ks etched on a breastplate come in and out of focus as an old burly woman with bobbed blonde hair, adorned in white and grey armour, circles the sparring circle, passing stalagmites.

"As The Supreme Leader of the remnants of humanity you must be strong not only mentally but physically." she spits out over the crashing of the waterfall, "Training in martial arts will help you commit to proper situational action while learning how to control and use your body to its maximum potential. Training will enable you to find inner strength and control yourself from within, a leader is expected to lead thousands and must therefore be able to control his own self first. Now, fight!"

The Knights suddenly rush towards me. I brandish my staff and parry my first attack while the next violently barrels towards my head. I gracefully spring back on my hands as the staff seers across my face. My bare feet hit the cold stone floor. I drive the end of my staff towards them before sweeping it across their faces and then back again. They dodge it effortlessly before advancing towards me. I spin my staff in the air and across my body before sweeping it at their feet. My staff quickly hits one of their ankles with a sickening crack sending him crumpling to the floor. I springboard off my staff and fling my foot onto the chest of the other, kicking him back onto his back as he heaves on the ground. I focus on the Knight behind me with the broken ankle. I effortlessly swing my staff backwards hitting him on the nose, as he tries to get up, before launching my staff through the air and slamming it across his cheek – debilitating him. I make my way towards the remaining Knight, swing my staff, and hit him across the face – incapacitating him as well. I make my way towards the virago woman and bow.

"Nobel Odessa." I manage to say through ragged breathing.

"Well done son of Senecca, let us walk." She says as servants head over to tend to the two Knights. She grips my shoulder and gestures me to rise. We continue towards stalagmite bridge as I recover my breath with the waterfall to our right turning us into silhouettes. The sound of metal wooden staffs slamming against each other, rifles hitting training targets, and fist slamming against flesh echoes through the wet caves of Citadel as fellow Knights of Konn train.

Trainees dressed in grey shirts and grey slacks salute us and jog past and as we enter the facility. The facility is a hybrid of modern dome infrastructure with the facility merging both the Citadel landscape with the raw earth it was built on. From photos it's not hard to compare the jagged caves of the enclave to the desolate Catacombs of the Dune Reaper Undergrounds with both having the same signature black inky rocks to form both caves. A Knight announces us, as onlookers stand to attention and salute us. We continue into the massive facility and walk in silence, soaking in the intense dedication to the cause - to the continuation of humanity. I notice a big brass door to my left and stop. In my peripheral vision I can see Odessa turning around and beginning towards me.

"He's not in there."

I raise my palm to touch the door, only for Odessa to violently grab it. I look at her puzzled.

"Your eagerness precedes you, young Konn. When the water is clear and the storm has settled, will you have the patience to wait? The right action will arise, but can you remain unmoving till the day?" She scolds.

"Yes, Noble Odessa."