That night, they decided to stay in the village after Towan and Elliot, subtly insisting, convinced their master to spend the night there. This way, they could train a little in the morning.

"Finally, we’ll sleep in a real bed," said Towan as he nestled into the blankets.

"I must admit, it's more comfortable than I remembered," added Elliot.

"You guys are something else, huh? You only slept in a tent for one night. Maybe I should make you sleep outside more often..." said the master, with a tone that made it seem like he was genuinely considering it.

"It was a joke! A joke, Master! Don’t take it seriously," Towan quickly replied.

With each in their own bed, they rested throughout the night.

The first to wake up was Towan, excited to train. He noticed the master was gone but had left breakfast ready. “I’ll be back soon,” read a note on the table.

"Great… now I have to wait," Towan thought.

"Elliot, wake up," he said to his brother, shaking him gently.

"Huh? Huh? What time is it?" asked a groggy Elliot.

"I don’t know, but it’s morning, and the master left us breakfast. Looks like he went out for something."

Still half asleep, Elliot sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. "What do you want me to do? Let me sleep five more minutes..." he muttered, but Towan cut him off.

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"No way, five minutes! We have to train. We can’t waste time if we want to go far in the tournament." Towan crossed his arms, showing his determination.

Elliot sighed as he reluctantly got up. "Fine, fine. But if the master’s not here, who’s going to train us?"

Towan shrugged while serving some breakfast. "We can improvise. There’s bound to be something interesting to do in this village while we wait."

After eating quickly, they went out to the courtyard of the inn where they were staying. Although it was early, the village was already bustling with activity: merchants opening their stalls, children playing in the streets, and some travelers, likely tournament competitors, practicing their techniques in the open air.

Elliot observed a group of fighters doing exercises in a corner of the village. "Looks like we’re not the only ones taking the tournament seriously."

"Perfect!" Towan said, excited. "Why don’t we challenge them to a friendly duel? We could learn something."

Elliot looked at him incredulously. "Are you crazy? We’re just starting to improve our techniques, and we don’t know who they are. They could crush us."

"That’s what makes it exciting. Besides, we’ve got nothing to lose." Towan started walking toward the group, ignoring his brother’s warnings.

Elliot sighed deeply and followed him. "If we end up on the ground, it’s your fault."

When they reached the group, a tall young man with dark hair and a confident gaze noticed them and approached. "Need something?" he asked in a friendly but firm tone.

"Can we have a friendly duel?" Towan asked directly, without hesitation.

The fighter looked them up and down, assessing them. "A duel, huh? Not a bad idea. It’s always good to warm up before the tournament." Then he looked back and called to his partner, a shorter but muscular guy. "What do you say, Kade? You in?"

Kade nodded and stood up. "Of course. It’ll be fun."

Elliot, uneasy, whispered to his brother, "I’m not sure this is a good idea, Towan..."

"Relax, Elliot. We’ve got this," Towan replied with a confident smile.

The tall fighter introduced himself. "I’m Rhys, and this is Kade. You?"

"Towan and Elliot," Towan said quickly. "How about a 2-on-2 match?"

Rhys smiled. "Deal. But don’t hold back; we want to see what you’re made of."

Elliot swallowed hard as Towan took his position, thrilled by the challenge.