[i]"Be prepared to defend yourself, but do not allow them to entice you to violence with just words."[/i] Juran answered. [i]"I will protect my own, but I will not support them if they attack you. I will tell my hunters that you are to be recognized as our guest, and that your wife, and now your son, is still one of our own. Those that disobey will know they do not have my support. Just be sure that you prove worthy of the trust I am placing in you. I am the one who is charged with protecting my village, and I take that role every bit as seriously as my predecessor. I will also speak to my hunters about the rite and see who is willing to fight. By tradition, you will have a choice of who you fight from those who volunteer, young one."[/i]

Kaleeth was as surprised as she was confused. Janius had likely gathered that she did not expect such an open welcome from Juran, specifically, and she was not sure how to respond to him. Julan, while he did adopt some of his mother's anxiety, had enough questions about the upcoming fight to overcome it. [i]"I understand, but...how will the rite work? I mean, what are the rules? Do I need to fight with certain weapons, or without magic?"[/i] 

[i]"There are no such rules. Only that you must not take any killing blow against your opponent. Accidents have happened, but the fight will be watched closely. You may use any weapons or armor you have, and though this is not a magical challenge, any magical ability is still permitted. Our hunters are expected to be able to deal with any threat to our village, including magic, so do not expect to surprise your opponent with it. You may also use alchemical concoctions, but only if you make them by yourself, under observation from the Treeminder."[/i] Juran answered. 

[hr]

Ahnasha remained alert, particularly once Rhazii conjured his blade. Unlike her, his casting was not silent, but that was why she had made sure to stop short for him to conjure it. "I think that will be find. Though, do remind me to give you some more lessons later. I think it's my fault for not being available enough for you. I am sure your teachers have been perfectly skilled mages, but...you're not going to find a conjurer anywhere in the clans better than your mother." Ahnasha smiled. "Anyways, what about other spells? Something like stoneflesh for protection? I wouldn't really call myself much of an alterationist, honestly, but I can do the basic spells. They are generally useful to have when you can't always rely on your equipment. If nothing else, I can cast it on you before we start. Now, we should get moving. The trail is still fresh, and I would like to catch them off-guard."

From that point on, Ahnasha took the lead, instructing Rhazii to follow her path precisely. She knew how to avoid making any unnecessary noise almost on instinct, and as they drew closer, positioned herself to be able to approach unseen. The glow of Rhazii's sword had the potential to give them away, so she showed it how to carry it to keep it out of sight of the direction he was facing, and how to move with awareness to what angles it could be seen from. Ahnasha was starting to understand why these bandits had not yet been caught, despite having been rumored to be operating in the area for over a month. They had traveled quite far from the road, and there were no landmarks of note that might draw anyone to the area. The bandits were relying upon remaining hidden for their safety, but unfortunately for them, that meant they were not adequately prepared to actually be found. 

Once Ahnasha's ears started to pick up the sounds of talking and a crackling fire ahead, she scaled one of the nearby trees to get a better view. It took some time repositioning for her to find a line of sight through the leaves, but she eventually spotted the camp ahead, and motioned for Rhazii to join her. She remained as silent as she could, but at their current distance, they could whisper safely. "Seems we're in luck. It looks like you will get to have your first kill today. I count five. No one on lookout, so I don't think they expected to be found. They've got a few makeshift...I guess you could call those shacks, but there's a whole lot of nothing this far out from the road. The Legion would never find them, barring blind luck. But, we're going to put a stop to them. I see...two Imperial men, average looking builds. One is still wearing some basic leather armor. There's a big Nord man and Khajiit woman skinning that deer. They don't look armed, except for their knives. The last one is that Breton woman, but...she has her bow on her. I'll need to take care of her. I would rather just leave one opponent for you, so which would you prefer to kill? I can kill the rest."