The clash of steel and shouted battle cries shattered the forest's silence.
Bursts of wind and cracking stone echoed from every direction.
The fierce attacks and deadly dance of the two figures were mesmerizing.
Elan launched himself into the air with an explosion of wind beneath his feet.
Using the same burst, he shot toward Karon with both daggers drawn.
Raising his massive sword, Karon blocked the twin blades.
He pulled his weapon back and swept it sideways.
The sword suddenly accelerated mid-swing, shortening Elan's reaction time.
Elan ducked beneath the strike.
With an upward slash, one of his daggers left a cut across Karon's shoulder.
Pulling back his wounded shoulder, Karon shifted his weight and swung his sword diagonally.
The blade grew heavier and heavier until it struck the ground, creating a crater filled with jagged cracks.
Retreating, Elan flicked his dagger and cleaned the blood from it.
"As long as you can't hit me, your attacks are useless."
Karon frowned and exploded forward.
Every step shook the forest, and his momentum was as swift as the Owl's.
Driving his sword forward, he lunged at Elan.
Elan twisted slightly and slipped past the attack.
The shockwave created by Karon's momentum blasted him into a nearby tree.
Coughing up a little blood, Elan rose to his feet only to feel cold steel against his neck.
"That makes twenty."
"You're still ten points behind, you know."
"I've won our last three matches in a row."
"Looks like intelligence isn't enough against raw power."
"It would be if the one using that power were an idiot."
Smiling, Elan shrugged.
"Thanks for the compliment."
After wiping away their sweat, they headed toward the stream.
As they stepped into the water wearing nothing but their underclothes, the scars and wounds covering their bodies became visible.
"Where did you get that one?"
"Which one?"
"The Triple Claw mark."
"A creature attacked me from behind while I was tracking slave traders."
"Did you run or kill it?"
"Of course I killed it."
"How can you be so ruthless toward animals and monsters?"
"The superiority of humanoids makes sense to me."
"That doesn't mean I'm heartless. It's simply the law of nature."
"But humanoids don't have to obey nature's laws. We can rule over nature."
"That's why the two are completely different to me."
"If something isn't my enemy, I show mercy."
"In elven culture, loving nature is part of our lives."
"Instead of hurting it, we live off what it gives us."
"Yet you're eating the meat I gave you."
"Normally we only eat meat during feasts and festivals. Besides, you were the one who killed the animal."
"And who doesn't love meat?"
The two burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!"
"Fair point."
"Do you hate humans, or are you capable of separating personal issues from entire races?"
"I'm cautious around races other than elves, but I don't have a problem with them."
"So there isn't a race you truly hate?"
"Maybe the barbarians."
"It's true you've been fighting them for a long time, right?"
"Ugh..."
Karon was about to speak when he suddenly looked up at the sky.
He extended his arm and offered his shoulder.
"So you finally decided to come back."
"Is that the creature I saw during our fight?"
"Yep."
"How did you tame it?"
"It's been with me since it was born."
"Why did it leave?"
"It was afraid of you."
"Seems like it's warmed up to you now."
Karon stroked Phen's throat before continuing.
"Where were we?"
"Hm... the barbarians. Right. Why are you two races such enemies?"
"We have a belief that dates back to ancient times."
"According to both sides, one of our races has the chance to become a superior race."
"But for the gods to grant that, one of the races must disappear."
"If we wipe them out, we could stand alongside the Diavans and the Thanaruls."
"A grand and empty dream..."
"It is."
"Do you know for certain that the gods would even do that?"
"Both races believe so, but I don't."
"Why would a god make a decision like that? It doesn't make sense."
"I don't find it convincing either."
"If the royal family heard us saying this, they'd have us executed."
"Good thing they can't hear us, then."
"How many elves think the way you do?"
"My guess? Close to half of them. Maybe more."
"No one chooses war when peace is an option."
"Destroying another race simply for power is the kind of thing only the royal family would consider reasonable."
"You're speaking pure wisdom, Elan."
"Hahaha... Once you reach a certain age, all you want is to spend a happy life with your family."
"That sounds like you have one."
"I do. A daughter and a wife who's more beautiful than the world itself."
"My daughter is still young, and I haven't been married for very long."
"Doesn't your being here worry them?"
"They trust me. Besides, I won't be staying away for that long."
Karon was just about to respond when the sound of an explosion echoed through the forest.
"That came from the road..."