Smiling back at his father, Julan took the blade, then took his place in the clearing. He had a few minutes before his opponent joined him, which he spent examining the blade and taking a few practice swings. It was a longer weapon for him proportionally, compared to his father, but he was still more than strong enough to wield it with ease. 

Rhazii's opponent, a man by the name of Argrei, while young compared to more experienced hunters, was still very much an adult. He had plain, dark brown scales and bore the marks of the viper, like the majority of other hunters. However, he also was wearing thick, rugged leather armor protecting his chest, legs, and some of his arms, which was likely made from the tough hides of local beasts. Along with the spear he was holding, it was an advantage that Julan was not certain that he could deal with. By contrast, the only garment Julan was was a thin, tattered loincloth. However, his opponent was also quick to notice the imbalance between them. 

[i]"Did you not wish to wear your armor for our duel?"[/i] Argrei asked.

Julan looked down, almost seeming ashamed. [i]"I don't have any armor to wear."[/i] He answered plainly.

Argrei crossed his arms. [i]"Hmm, a hunter of our village is expected to craft and maintain their own armor from the spoils of their own kills. It is a part of the rites as much as fighting ability."[/i] He explained, though he soon let out a sigh, then gave a light smile. [i]"But, let no one say that I am not honorable."[/i]

Momentarily setting his spear aside, Argrei started to unstrap and remove all of his armor, piece by piece, until he was down to the same attire as Julan. They would still be fighting with different weapons, but without armor to further divide them, their fight would be more of a test of skill than equipment.

[hr]

Ahnasha was stunned speechless. For the first time during their fight, she had no response, and no quick reaction. Rhazii's reply had been far too lucid to be purely the work of his beast spirit, though the wolf was certainly still influencing him to some degree. Now confused and increasingly worried, Ahnasha walked after him, easily keeping pace with his crawling. "Rhazii, I...what do you mean? I don't understand. You...you lost control, but now it's over. Now we can heal you up and get everything back to normal."

Finally, Ahnasha knelt down next to Rhazii, turning him over and staring straight down into his eyes with tears in her own. "Rhazii, please talk to me. I want to help you, but I don't know what's going on. Please, Rhazii...please." She begged.