I dont get you Silencer, Oktinen spoke to the cloaked figure before him as

he was unloading the house-sized cart, I watched you all the way here and I still
dont understand how you think fighting the way you do makes any sense.
Silencer paused, adjusting the heavy crate he was carrying to rest on nearby
fence gate. Sweat had soaked through his shirt long ago, he had not been
adequately prepared to survive on a more humid planet before his friend had
contacted him. He wiped his brow, chuckling slightly as he spoke.
Care to explain? Voice low, he answered. His scars always stung the most
after a few battles.
First of all two swords? There is no one alive other than you that would
think having two swords gives them an advantage.
His friend had a point. Silencers people were the only ones he had ever seen
use his particular style of combat. One standard sword in one hand and a slightly
shorter sword in their other. No one he had ever come across fought the same way
he did, a fact that he secretly took pride in.
Oh no? Silencer grunted as he placed another heavy box of blacksmithing
implements down, Enlighten me then, what makes them so unbelievable?
Oktinens thin fingers came up to cover their face. Having been around Ondo
long enough to decipher their faces, Silencer knew annoyance when he saw it. It
helped that Oktinen was never one to hide emotions from anyone.
Unbelievable is not the word Id choose, impractical is more like it. Oktinen
dropped to a fighting stance, sinking down on all three legs and pretending to hold a
two weapons, You only have two hands, when youre swinging with one sword its
not like you can do anything with the other without possibly hurting yourself.
Silencer laughed as he watched his friends arms flail about wildly, pretending
to imitate his fighting style.
Can I not? He pulled Oathbinder and Maelstrom from their resting places in
the Void. Oktinen stopped flailing upon hearing the bassy, warbling sound of the
dimensions reconstituting themselves around the blades.
The cloaked Void-spawn swung his swords through the air, independently of
one another. Oktinen flinched upon first seeing the dangerous show of dexterity, but
calmed down after noticing how Silencer was not phased even the slightest by the
deadly razor edges flying past his exposed arms and hands.
Hmm I guess its just a Spawn thing? Oktinen said, All of you able to do
that so easily?
Of course it takes practice, but it always seemed to come naturally I
suppose. Silencer dispersed his weapons and they returned to unloading the cart in
silence, working together to pull out the heavier implements that Oktinen would
need for the forge.
 Got another thing, Oktinen said, strained under the weight of the anvil
they were carrying. The Losa Ondo suddenly wished even more that Urdinne had
been able to come with them, he was large and powerful even for a Fos. He
wouldnt have had any problem moving all of the forges equipment.
Go ahead, speak then.
The way you fight, its like youre caught in a Oktinen searched for the
right word in Standard language, Whirlwind, I guess? You spin and jump and use all
these unnecessary acrobatics! It is exhausting just watching you sometimes.
The crate of tools Silencer was carrying almost fell out of his hands as he
burst out laughing. Despite the laugh sounding like someone was choking him
through his scars, Oktinen couldnt help but join him.
Believe me, its every bit as exhausting as it looks Silencer spoke as his
chuckles died down, voice becoming softer with every word. Oktinens mood fell
more serious as he stopped unloading the cart to look Silencer in the eyes.
Oktinen had lived for a long time and known Silencer for a good many years.
Humota facial expressions werent hard to decipher on their own, but Silencer was
no Humota. He was a Spawn of Saromisir. Figuring him out had taken much longer
than most, even for Oktinen, who was considered by many to be an excellent judge
of character.
Where Humotas eyes often were vibrant with color, Silencers were a dark
iron gray. No matter whether he was talking to friends or foes, his eyes never gave
him away. His voice, of course distorted from his old injury, also rarely gave any
indication to what he was thinking. However, if one had known him for as long as
Oktinen had, you could hear the slight hitches. The tiny pauses that gave away his
thoughts.
It pained Silencer to even use his voice at all, he spoke no words unless he
felt he needed to.
Then why? You could use a more traditional fighting style if it is so difficult. I
could even teach you an Ondo style if you wish, even with one less leg than us Im
sure you of all people could make it work.
Silencer was quiet. Oktinen could just barely make out his hand twitching
slightly in one of the pockets of his cloak. Nervous twitch. It always gave him away,
playing with that little puzzle box of his. Oktinen never understood its purpose,
though Silencer had ribbed them with something about not understanding
sentimentality when they asked about it.
I appreciate the thought, but Ill have to decline. It may be trying at times.
But it is what I know and it has worked for me thus far.
Weve got time friend, you know Im always eager to learn more about
weapons and fighting, Oktinen said as they both returned to unloading, Plus, itll
make an interesting story for Urdinne when they finally get here.
 If you insist, though I wont bore you with the specifics of my training.
Oktinen watched Silencers view fade off into the middle-distance, as if
remembering something he had long forgotten. You have seen the enemies I face,
do you know much of them?
Oktinen recoiled, remembering past experiences with said enemies, they
were disturbing to say the least. As if I could forget, Chaos and Order. And the Void
lies between yes?
In a sense but youve seen Chaos before. How confusing it was to fight it,
never knowing where the next enemy will be or even what it will look like.
I remember vividly, though I suspect Urdinne would know far better than I.
Oktinens many thin fingers unconsciously started to tap nervously against the box
in their hands.
Too true... Im glad we got him out in time. But see, that is the nature of
Chaos in all its forms. The Void, and its Spawn, have always endeavored to be
prepared for whatever the Chaos throws our way. So, we trained ourselves to always
be unpredictable, A sly smile snuck across Silencers face even as his vision never
faltered from staring into nothing and he harshly cleared his throat. You cant stop
an enemy if you cant figure them out, right?
And that works for the Order as well?
Of course. The Order tries to brute force everything to follow its design. All
you have to do is not project any recognizable patterns and it cant get a read on
you.
Interesting and this was all taught to you by your family? How does one
teach unpredictability?
It was less teaching, more showing. I would follow along on missions and try
to imitate the basics of what my family did. Its how we all learned, really.
Silencer took a moment to wipe his brow. The days on Oktinens new planet
were shorter than average, the systems star had almost completely disappeared
over the horizon by the time they were finished unpacking the new forges
equipment. The Spawn and the Ondo took a moment to relax, Silencer leaning up
against a few boxes and Oktinen laying prone with all three legs extended.
Oktinens eyes were closed, deep in thought.
I need to apologize, Oktinen finally spoke, Urdinne is always telling me
that I pry into others lives too much.
What do you need to apologize for? Youve done nothing wrong, and I owed
you for finding me that abyssinium. Helping you unpack was nothing big. Oktinen
opened their eyes and noticed Silencers position, he had apparently been in deep
thought as well.
I should not have brought up your family without your permission. Most
Ondo believe that to speak of those who are lost is to trap them here, never
allowing them to move past the physical realm. I would wish nothing of the sort for
anyone you have lost.
Heh, dont think you have to worry about that. I was there when they left.
Believe me. They arent here anymore. Talking about them wont rip them from the
Void so easily. The smile on Silencers face was not a true one. Oktinen could tell
immediately. Even coming from a different species, Oktinen could tell Silencers
expression was bittersweet. One that screamed of pain, but also of acceptance.
I would have liked to meet them, your family. They sound truly
fascinating.
Yea, Silencers face lightened as he finally looked up from staring at the
floor, They really were.