Martin and Thorn'Shield stood across from each other in the training grounds, the entire ring reserved for them alone. With so many people invested in the duel, no one could focus on practicing skills or sharpening reflexes, and the other players naturally drifted over to join the crowd.
As questions and speculation passed through the onlookers, Thorn'Shield summoned his weapons.
A shield depicting a wolf's muzzle rimmed with fur appeared strapped to his left forearm, its dark metal heavy and brute-made, as though it had been forged to meet charging beasts head-on. In his other hand, he held a thick longsword shaped like a black wolf's tooth.
A steady orange aura wrapped around the blade. It did not flare wildly. It clung to the weapon in dense folds, like a patient predator waiting for the first opening.
