The following morning, Arland pulled on his armor and began stretching.

As he was finishing up, a knock rang out from the door. Arland went to answer while the others began waking up.

As the door swung open, Arland saw Kamen there, holding out a basket of food.

"Good morning, Arland. Urlir would like to duel before breakfast. This is for the others. If you survive, you'll be permitted a separate meal. Inform the others that they'll be taken to the location before it begins. I'll wait here while you prepare yourself."

Arland took the basket and set it by the door, "Nury, Alryc, Lyn! I'm off. Breakfast is by the door. Someone will come take you to watch here in a bit."

"Kay! Love you!" Nury called from the bathroom.

Alryc walked out and clasped Arland's forearm, "Good luck, man. Don't die, you hear?"

Lyn stepped out of the bedroom rubbing her eyes and scratching her belly, "Huh? Oh, alright. good luck Arland..."

Arland turned back to Kamen who had flushed red as his eyes locked on Lyn's nude form. He chuckled and pushed out the door, "Let's go."

As he stepped out of the door, Kamen snapped his eyes to Arland and nodded, following him.

The walk was uneventful, save for the occasional catcall and whistle as the two walked the path towards the edge of the village.

"What's the matter, Kamen? Never seen a woman before?"

"Of course, I have! But... Well, look around! our people stay covered. but she walked around with everything all... hanging out! And she didn't have a penis!"

Arland furrowed his brow, "Of course, she didn't. She was a woman. What did you..." His eyes grew large, "Wait! You're saying vardor have both?!"

Kamen met his gaze, "Of course! I find it weird that she didn't!"

Arland shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Kamen... Most races don't have both... Urlir told me you used to be a war-heavy race. It might have something to do with that. If anyone can die at any time, it's best that the remaining individuals can continue reproducing as normal. But yeah, most races DON'T have both penises and vaginas, dude."

Kamen flushed a deeper red, "I'm sorry, okay...? I was still a kid when we pulled back from the world... The only non-vardor person I've met after I became interested in potential reproduction was Lyriel. But she's with my sister, so..."

"Wait, sister?"

"Yeah, we still use gender terms, based on the top half. I don't have breasts, so I'm a guy. Urlir has breasts so she's a girl..."

Arland looked Kamen over, "And what about flat girls? Like, girls with small chests?"

Kamen tapped his chin as they walked, "I... don't really know. I don't know of any female vardor that have small breasts. It's pretty much just more of an expectation. I say I'm male so I'm male. But if I got pregnant, I'd still lactate, so..."

Arland was about to reply when Kamen interrupted him, "We're here. I'll bring your sword to you once you're inside. The elders will speak to the residents, then they'll call for the start."

Arland nodded and entered the clearing. As he stepped inside, he saw a crowd gathered. A small group of people sat behind a table and stood upon his arrival.

A man spoke, "Arland, swordsman. You come asking our warriors to return to battle. You ask us to throw away the lives of those who live here in this village. Why?"

Arland looked him over, "To free your kin - the Lumier elves. The demons aren't known for their kind treatment of slaves. And I promised my master, Leera, that I would do all I could to ensure their freedom. To that end, I would like to add your formidable forces to my own. I'm sure you're aware of our current plan?"

A woman spoke, "Indeed. But why don't you sum it up for us, to ensure we heard clearly."

Arland took a deep breath, "I was trained to be Leera's equal. My sword arm is an extension of her will - her fury at her kin being enslaved. My companions include a former knight and guard captain, a goblina looking to create new, better, and healthier goblin nests to the north, and finally, my lover is a Dragoness."

When he mentioned Nury, a whisper of surprise ran through the gathered crowd. The elder woman raised her hands, "Is this it?"

Arland nodded, "For now. You are the furthest south of our potential allies. We plan to seek and imprint goblins, ask for help from the various orc tribes, and seek any other dragons we can. Nury, my lover, has a dragoness sister who's the guardian of an orc tribe to the north. I'm sure we can at least get her to join, if not the rest of the tribe as well."

The elder man opened his mouth to speak but Arland held up his hand. He quickly went over what he was about to say, considering the pros and cons of such a tactic. Finally, he decided to go through with it. "As a final note for your consideration... My full name is Arland Norman! I'm a noble from the kingdom of Cheecia! I will be recruiting my father to aid in this quest. Should you approve of your people joining us, know this: They will not be alone. And I do not lead from the back lines. I'll take on no less risk than anyone I request fight by my side!" He finished off, raising his voice for emphasis.

The crowd began murmuring amongst themselves. The elders shared a look and the woman spoke again, "Then it's settled. We shall witness your strength. If you impress, we'll begin preparations immediately. If not, then you will be executed. Do not hesitate to strike for a kill, Arland, for Urlir will not."

Urlir stepped into the ring, wearing armor and wielding a longsword and shield, "Ready yourself, boy."

Arland nodded and took a deep breath, taking the sword and swinging it experimentally, "I don't use a shield. I'll need a dagger. and this isn't my sword."

Urlir smirked, "Alright. Kamen, bring his weapons. I don't want this to be over too quickly."

Kamen returned moments later and handed over his sword and a dagger, "Be careful, Arland."

Arland nodded his understanding and looked over the blade. Satisfied, he dropped into a combat stance and nodded, "I'm ready."

Urlir looked him over, "Your stance is wrong. Your grip is loose. And rejecting a shield was stupid."

"Why don't you come test before you judge."

Urlir glanced up at the elders and nodded. The man took a breath and called out, "BEGIN!"

The two began circling each other.

Urlir spoke, "Well? I'm waiting."

Arland stayed silent, his eyes focusing on her movements. After a long moment, he struck, aiming at her neck.

Urlir blocked the blow with her sword and kicked out at his stomach, "Not bad, boy."

Arland dodged the kick and countered, "Thanks."

"You're still weak. And your movements are too easy to predict. You won't get past me so easily."

Arland smiled, "Who said I was trying?"

Urlir grinned as she struck out, her blade skirting off Arland's blade as he parried, "Oh, this is going to be fun."

Arland's grin matched hers, "Indeed it is."

They continued to spar, neither one able to land a hit. After nearly fifteen minutes, they were both sweating, breathing hard, and smiling.

"Damn, if Leera trained you to this level, she must've gotten better," the vardor said.

Arland nodded, "She was a renowned swordmaster."

"Swordmaster? That's certainly an improvement..." As she finished, she lashed out again.

Arland parried, spun, and kicked out. Urlir held her shield up, blocking his kick.

Arland continued his momentum, jumping and spinning down. As he ended up upside down, he lashed out with his dagger. Urlir jumped, pushing his foot off her shield.

His blade flew harmlessly under her feet as he reversed his spin, bringing his other foot around to her sword side. he scored a hit, sending her back.

He quickly got back to his feet and pressed his advantage, thrusting at her chest with his dagger.

She caught it against the crossguard of her blade before lashing her shield out. Arland sidesteps her thrust, bringing his sword up.

They both stop, breathing heavily.

Kamen watches next to Nury, Lyn, and Alryc. He looks around, "Why'd they stop?!"

Nury smirks, "The fight's over. Urlir lost."

The elf looked at her, "You're insane! Neither one has drawn blood yet!"

Kamen opened his mouth to speak when he noticed Urlir moving. Arland pulls back and Urlir collapses to the ground.

Arland holds his dagger up, a thin line of blood dripping off the tip, "The fight is done. Urlir lost."

Kamen rushed out into the circle, falling to his knees beside Urlir, "What the hell, Arland?!"

Urlir sat up, "Kamen, stop. Arland... I look forward to seeing you on the battlefield when you're not holding back."

Arland offered his hand to her, "You could tell?"

Urlir grinned, "If you really wanted to, you could've taken my head from the start."

Arland sheathed his blade before grabbing her sword and shield, handing them back to her, "You telegraph your moves. You're fast, but Leera... She was so much faster. I could see through her speed by the time I was eleven. Between then and when she died, I was able to improve my reaction speed."

Urlir chuckled and shook her head, "Well, let's hope the elders have something more to say."

The two walked up to the elders and Urlir bowed, "I can tell his heart is kind and his skill is unmatched. It's greater even than my own. It is my recommendation that we send a force with this human."

The elders looked at each other before the man spoke, "Arland, your skill is impressive. You withheld your full strength to spare Urlir. Tell me, do you have a blessing yet?"

Arland nodded, "Indeed. I have the blessing of Seraphina, Goddess of the Dragons."

The crowd erupted in whispers, and the elder woman spoke, "Seraphina herself? You're serious?"

"I am."

"She's infamous for rejecting people seeking her blessing, so people stopped going. That's... Certainly something."

Arland grinned, "I confessed my love for a certain dragon." Arland turned his gaze up to Nury, "She was impressed and blessed me.

The elder man followed his gaze, then closed his eyes and nodded, "I see. Arland Norman of the Kingdom of Cheecia... We vardor will send our forces with you. In three years to this date, we'll meet you to the north, between the Sister Mountains."

He raised his voice so everyone could hear clearly, "IN THREE YEARS TIME, THE VARDOR WILL ONCE AGAIN MARCH TO WAR!"

The gathered crowd erupted in cheers and applause, and Urlir smacked Arland's back in congratulations. Nury, Lyn, and Alryc raced down from their position and Nury threw her arms around Arland's neck, planting a long kiss on his lips.