Halo: Warrior Spirits

Prologue: A Father's Legacy
1347 HOURS, FEBRUARY 2ND, 2568 (UNSC MILITARY CALENDAR)

Dorod felt a sting of pain as his back slammed against the stone wall. A moment of dizziness followed, before he regained full conscience – just in time to roll away from the wall before the glowing prongs that made up an energy sword slammed into it. The sword's owner – Ervod 'Koidam, Dorod's older cousin – cursed as he yanked the sword out of the rocky wall that surrounded them.

Dorod took the opportunity to get back up on his feet and get a solid grip on his own sword. Ervod turned with surprising speed and slashed his sword through the stale air that made up the dark crypt. Dorod dodged and prepared to stab his opponent in the leg, only to feel new pain as something slammed into the side of his head and sent him flying a few units across the room. He impacted with the stone floor with a loud bang. He tried to push himself up with his elongated arms, but the pain was too much. Panting and sweating, he continued the attempt to get up, only to be stomped in the back. New and greater pain struck him, sending him down to the floor again.

This is the end, he thought to himself while he struggled to stay conscious. He had been doing this for a whole cycle. Ervod had won every time. No matter what he did, Ervod always seemed to be one step ahead. He was unpredictable, he did not fight like the instructors Dorod had faced many times before.

He barely heard Ervod whisper something, setting his mind straight; he could not surrender, he had to try again, no matter how many times. Ignoring the pain, he rolled to the right, impacting with the senior Sangheili's leg, sending him off balance. Dorod followed up with as mighty a swing as he could manage with his left arm, hitting him on the unprotected thigh. While Ervod roared in pain, Dorod mustered his willpower and forced himself up on both legs. Without thought, he reignited his sword and lunged at his senior. Ervod made a quick jump backwards, just barely avoiding contact with the glowing prongs. He got back up on his feet and stepped back towards the wall.

For a unit, the two Sangheili simply stared at one another while panting heavily. Finally, Ervod shut off his energy sword and clipped it to his belt.

"You are improving" he said, with an obvious tone of surprise. "I thought that that last hit on your head and the following kick ensured my victory for sure. So it is true after all. You are resilient."

"Not really" Dorod hissed, turning off his own sword and clipped it back to his belt. "I simply refuse to accept defeat."

"Whatever the reason, the ability to continue despite being almost consumed in pain is something every Sangheili desires." He raised his arm and wiped sweat from his forehead and neck, before removing his helmet and placing it on a nearby bench, close to a glowing torch. "But not all actually learn it. It is promising to see you developing so fast. Xutar will be pleased. After all, the future of Koidam lies in the hands of the new generation of warriors, so you will have to be stronger than those that came before us."

It was much truth and wisdom in that statement. Despite the fact that Koidam had established itself as a power to be recognized in an extremely short amount of time – roughly two ages – their warriors were too few for the amount of territory they controlled. Although numbers had grown with a considerable amount over time as Sangheili exiles fled to Koidam space to start anew and serve a new Kaidon, Koidam always needed more.

The problem became even more noticeable after the Covenant's collapse. The Kaidon at the time, Jor 'Koidam, had become overeager, sending most of his forces on conquest throughout loyalist-held space. While the disorganized mongrels that controlled the lightly-guarded colonies were easily driven away, Koidam forces were spread thin, barely able to afford large enough garrisons for each colony to maintain order. The Kaidon had not realized this, and prepared another invasion, only to be afflicted with Throat Curse – a deadly disease – and die soon thereafter. He was replaced by Shipmaster Vod, who cancelled future invasion plans and focused on securing Koidam's new territories, as well as making sure the surrounding space was adequately protected, for ragtag groups of Jiralhanae still roamed there.

"I will be up for the challenge." He continued panting for well over a unit, but he remained standing. He would not show the courtesy of sitting down before his opponent. The duel was over, but it would take some more time before Dorod finally returned to his normal self, his self that was not all about fighting that came out at the beginning of every battle.

"Of course you will." Ervod chuckled as he put his helmet back on his head, twisting it slightly to connect with the rest of the armor. "After all, if you do this well against me – who, as you know well, just graduated from the first year of the Torka Academy – then you have unlimited possibilities, young one. Just sharpen your skills and everything will be fine." He waved at Dorod to follow him out of the crypt and back into the main keep. But as they walked towards the wooden door, Dorod realized he had one more question.

"But I still do not know how to be unpredictable like you are. That was the reason you defeated me. Can you teach me to be the same?"

Ervod let his hand rest on the door handle while turning towards Dorod, clicking his mandibles into a smile. "You already have. Or do you believe your last maneuver is standard for all Sangheili? Caught me off guard, it did. Otherwise you would not have made it a draw." He turned away from Dorod and opened the door. Silently, the two Sangheili left and closed the door behind them, leaving the dark crypt in silence.