The Elf on the ground slowly got to his feet.
Ryan readied himself for an attack that never came.
He made his way to Ryan with a smile on his bloodied face.
The Elf's nose was crooked, and his voice was nasal.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?"
Ryan frowned at the Elf as he tracked the droplets of blood falling on the floor.
What baffled Ryan was not the injury, but how easily the pain was ignored.
"I will tell you as soon as you are taken care of."
It was the Elf's turn to frown.
"Taken care of?"
Ryan saw a light glow from the Elf's eyes as his nose reformed and the blood disappeared from view.
Of course, that is what happened.
The Elves have strange customs, and they use magic for everything.
Ryan sighed.
"Never mind. I learned from the Silver Tongues."
The Elf rubbed his chin for a moment and suddenly got a look of surprise.
"My apologies. My name is Venerol Farstep, the Clanfather of the Farstep clan."
As he introduced himself, he bowed slightly.
Ryan held out his hand.
"My name is Ryan."
With a slight nod, Venerol shook his hand.
"I was told that you have a human eye, and you have walked the Path on your own."
Ryan waited for him to continue.
"We all thought that to be impossible."
Ryan swallowed and tried to probe.
"When I was travelling with Ayeden, he asked me if my human parent was a half-Blood."
Venerol shrugged.
"It could happen. Come with me, I shall help you find armour that will fit you."
Ryan wanted to question the ancient Elf, but Venerol just started walking.
This made Ryan jog slightly to catch up.
As they exited the throne room, Venerol kept stopping to look at the portraits.
The ones where he was a warrior were the ones he stopped a moment longer.
Ryan saw the opportunity.
"Do you enjoy being a warrior?"
Venerol turned to him with a big smile.
"There is nothing I enjoy more than a good fight."
This confession gave Ryan an idea.
He followed Venerol to the barracks, where a few Elves were donning or taking off armour.
As the Elf started walking away, Ryan blocked his path.
"Would you like to have a spar?"
The big smile spread across Venerol's face as he motioned for Ryan to follow him.
Ryan noticed many Elves with the regular helmets looking at them.
They walked until they found a new Elf with a circlet.
Venerol said something in Elvish, and the other Elf bowed.
The Officer led them to what seemed to be a large open area.
On closer inspection, Ryan saw that it was a large circle with weapon racks on each side.
Venerol took off his robe to reveal he was wearing pants underneath, but no shirt.
He was quite muscular without a single scar.
Both men entered the circle.
"Ryan, it is customary for the challenged to state the rules for combat."
Ryan nodded.
"What are your terms?"
"No magic and no weapons."
Ryan took his dagger off his belt and took off his shirt.
He placed his belongings on the nearest rack.
When he entered the circle, he saw Venerol studying his scars.
"I see you are a veteran of many battles."
Ryan remained quiet as he stood in front of the Elf.
"When do we begin?"
The Elf took a deep breath and took a strange stance.
He was very low, and this made Ryan think he was a grappler.
With a half-smile as he thought of Bell, he took a boxing stance.
Venerol sprinted and tried to go for a takedown.
Ryan managed to grab him around the neck and shot his legs back.
Before Ryan could tighten the lock, Venerol slipped out and tried to get to his feet.
Ryan was a second quicker and managed to connect with a quick left jab and right uppercut.
Because he reacted so quickly, the hits had very little power.
Venerol tried a very wide roundhouse kick, but he was too slow as Ryan managed to give a hard front kick to his chest.
The force threw Venerol back, and as he landed, he rolled to his feet.
The smile disappeared as he started circling Ryan.
Venerol came closer slowly and started jabbing at his face.
Ryan slapped his hand away each time until the Elf tried to step in with a big hook.
Ryan ducked underneath the hook, and as Venerol was open, he landed a big hook to the Elf's face.
The heavy hit put Venerol on the ground.
Ryan held out his hand for the Elf to take.
Venerol took his hand and started laughing.
"How many centuries did it take you to fight like that?"
Ryan frowned for a moment before he burst out laughing.
"What is so humorous?"
When Ryan stopped laughing, he answered.
"I am twenty-one years old."
The Elf's jaw fell open.
"With your skill… I lost to a child."
Venerol rubbed his face as he started laughing.
"It seems I misunderstood you. Follow me, we wasted enough time."
Ryan was led back to the barracks, where he was given armour.
The armour Venerol gave Ryan looked very plain and reddish brown.
He was quiet for a moment as he realised the armour was much too large.
"Put these on and let some of your magic flow into them. They will reform around you."
Ryan did as he was instructed, and the armour reformed.
It went from brown to black, and the helmet became silver.
Venerol slapped Ryan hard on the back.
"Aha! You are a Farstep. I realise why you are so adept in combat."
This display made Ryan swallow hard.
What if Aeriath was wrong?
What if he could be accepted here?
To keep his secret safe, he just smiled at Venerol.
"Oh, I didn't know. What else is special about the Farsteps?"
Venerol waited for Ryan to put on his helmet.
"Some of us move short distances in the blink of an eye. You are of my kin, and it makes sense how you could follow my path."
Ryan nodded, and before he could ask him more questions, Aeriath entered the barracks.
She bowed to the Clanfather, then she turned her attention to Ryan.
"Ryan, please follow me."