Alaric had finally been welcomed into sleep's arms after hours of fretful turning thanks to the lack of comfort in the forest floor. He imagined the others had no such problems and that knowledge very much embarrassed him.

His embarrassment was nothing compared to his annoyance at being awakened, however. He turned away from the tent opening, annoyed that the spot where he'd managed to find an ounce of comfort was now ruined. When the noise persisted and he could groggily decipher it as raised voices, his sense of duty kicked in and he pried open the tent opening with muttered curses which raised in volume at the assault from sunlight.

In the middle of their impromptu camp was a gathering and Alaric seemed to be the only one late to the party. He wasn't surprised to see the two who seemed seconds away from starting a physical altercation were Korran and Mathis, rather he was shocked that no one seemed intent on stopping the two.

Alaric jogged up to the quarreling men, his grogginess a forgotten mistress but a massive hand clamped down on his shoulder. Alaric trained an annoyed glare on Ardus. "What?"

"Let them work it out," the man said.

Alaric scoffed. "What happened to that talk about avoiding unnecessary violence?"

"This is necessary - overdue even. These men are fighters and perhaps the only way they'll respect each other is to exchange blades."

Alaric was struck by how confident the man spoke - as if he hadn't witnessed firsthand Korran's willingness to kill and given Mathis' army background status, the man was likely liable to murder given the chance as well. "They aren't just fighters, they are killers; what will we do when we're down a man because we allowed these two to point their blades at each other?"

"That's what Petra is here for, is it not?" Ardus retorted. "She can heal them both with her blessed abilities once the dust clears."

Alaric stuttered, searching frantically for an excuse. He'd made it a goal not to become too reliant on the girl's Pateral abilities in fear of her becoming unstable. "I don't want her to waste energy. She'll need-"

"I'll be fine," the soft-spoken Petra announced. Alaric hadn't expected her to speak up and he groaned internally.

"There you have it. Now there's no reason not to let these chaps work out their problems on their own terms," Ardus said readily.

Alaric frowned. What course should he be taking as a leader? Should he overrule Ardus and stop the men or heed the older man's wisdom?

As he was pondering the best course of action, his eyes locked with Korran's and he suddenly got the feeling that they were on the same page. Something in the boy's eyes told him he wasn't seeking to kill Mathis...or Alaric could just be imagining what he hoped to see. Nonetheless, he relaxed, confident that Korran would be the victor.

Mathis had just finished saying something at the highest volume his voice allowed when Alaric focused in on their words. "Now that I think about it," Korran started with a sly grin, "I remember seeing someone in that uniform before up close. He had this big badge on his jacket, unlike you, and I figured it meant he was supposed to be strong or something." He lowered his voice menacingly, "Turns out I was wrong."

This was Mathis' breaking point. His face's complexion turned such an unadulterated red that Alaric half expected steam to start pouring out of his ears. With puffed up cheeks he drew his spear in a single motion, pointing the metal tip directly at Korran.

Korran chuckled darkly. "I warned you what would happen if you pointed that spear at me again."

"Let's see if you can keep that promise," Mathis countered with a sneer.

Korran set about doing exactly that, launching himself toward the man with daggers drawn - much like he did Nolan. However, Mathis was no Nolan and his spear was a different story altogether. He was able to keep Korran at a distance with a few well placed swings and thrusts.

Alaric could almost see the gears in Korran's head turning as he drifted backward out of the spear's reach. After a moment, Korran lunged forward again toward the grinning Mathis. This time, Korran was better prepared for the speed of the man's spear and moved as effortlessly as water, weaving in and out of the way of the tip.

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Seeing an opportunity, Korran leaped into the air to dodge a stabbing attack that came very close to finding purchase; then, with all the weight his small stature allowed, Korran landed delicately on the spear, his momentum sending it pointing to the ground. Mathis - strictly disciplined to keep ahold of his weapon in the most extreme of conditions - went down to a crouch to maintain his position.

This left him at the mercy of a vigilant Korran who after taking a step across the shaft of the spear, launched himself toward Mathis at such a speed that he was a blur. Alaric sighed with great relief; eternally grateful that the fight was ending before significant blood could be shed.

Or so he thought.

In a move that displayed such exquisite footwork and spear control that Alaric failed to comprehend what exactly happened at first glance, Mathis spun backward - creating enough space to lash out with his spear before Korran could reach him. Korran was now the one at the mercy of the blade, suspended in the air as he was.

He put his daggers in a defensive x shape in front of his chest right before the spear smashed into them. Despite saving himself from a direct stab wound, the force of the blow sent Korran sailing backward and skipping across the dirt like a human rock before skidding to a stop on his stomach.

Had he taken a split-second more to regain his footing, he would've received an impromptu piercing in his back - but the tough boy leaped back up and dodged out of the way of Mathis' lunging combo. However, Alaric detected a noticeable decline in the boy's previously incomparable agility; evidently, he hadn't walked away from the tumble unscathed.

Presumably out of desperation, Korran started to kick up dust and Mathis went out of his way to slice through the dust clouds before they could provide the smoke screen Korran appeared to desire. Alaric noticed Korran fidgeting with something under his cloak while Mathis focused on dispersing each cloud he kicked up.

Korran switched back to the offensive in the blink of an eye, throwing a dagger like a rocket at an unsuspecting Mathis. However, it lacked the velocity to really challenge the Guerdian who just knocked it away to the left. Another followed shortly after, but once again it lacked the speed Alaric expected and Mathis easily brushed it away to the right. His third dagger throw was pitiful, even for the average human, and it landed a few paces in front of a confused Mathis who regarded it with suspicion.

Korran charged at Mathis after the distraction, but the Guerdian was much too advanced for the simple trick and he raised his spear in a disappointed matter, aiming the blade at the man's heart as he lunged forward to meet the charge. Despite the man's apparent dislike of the assassin, it was clear he had held him to a certain standard based on his reputation in the underground.

Suddenly, the confident Guerdian catapulted to the ground as if an invisible hand had pushed him in the back. His head bounced off the ground with a wet thud and Korran slithered around his body, placing a firm knee in the small of his back and holding up his face enough so he could place his dagger against the man's neck.

Alaric didn't hear the boy's whisper but he didn't need to be the best lip reader in the land to make it out. "Checkmate."

Alaric started forward - keen on making sure his only spear wielder didn't end up with his throat decorating the floor, but Ardus' massive palm once again touched his shoulder gently. The giant gave a small shake of his head and Alaric understood his meaning.

If he intervened now, there would be no point in the fight. Korran had to choose to spare him.

Mathis' face was now a bloodied mess with at least a broken nose, but he seemed too stunned for the pain to set in yet. "How?" He asked shakily.

"Thread in between the first two daggers you blocked," Korran replied readily with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "That's what tripped you."

Mathis managed to look more confused than he had prior to Korran's curt explanation. "Impossible. How would you be able to predict the daggers would land on either side of me?"

Korran gave what looked like half of a nonchalant shrug. "Instinct, I guess. You Guerdians are robotic; I figured if I threw it far enough on either side you'd knock them down into the ground, instead of a wild block that would risk flying in a random direction and injuring allies. You may not consciously think of it in the heat of battle, but it's how you were conditioned in your training."

Mathis frowned, his eyes darting to and fro as he tried to find a lie in the boy's confession. "Then, when did you apply the threads to the daggers?"

"While you were busy dealing with the dust clouds I was kicking up. In reality, I wouldn't be able to create a big enough dust cloud to pose a real threat, but you Guerdians are obsessed with controlling every factor of the battlefield, so I bet on that."

Mathis scoffed but couldn't argue against Korran's analysis; the proof was against his neck. After a few seconds of listless glaring, Mathis spoke again, "You weren't lying when you implied one of your jobs was dispatching a Guerdian, were you?"

Korran seemed to debate something in his head before answering. "No. The lie was in him being weak. He fought fiercely, and even after studying how Guerdians train and their habits - I came close to marrying the dirt. He used a basic sword, but his control over it left me unable to raise my left hand for a week." Korran removed the dagger from Mathis' neck and to Alaric's surprise, offered a hand to the man. "He was strong."

A pregnant silence followed as Mathis regarded Korran's offered hand through his bloodied visage. Alaric didn't doubt that Mathis could be so petty to pick up the spear in arms reach and drive it into Korran's stomach. After all, the boy had just admitted to killing a Guerdian general.

Finally, Mathis closed his eyes briefly, then gripped Korran's hand. "Aye, I imagine he was."