The air was stagnant save for the stand-off between the two forces.

Sol's group broke off from them and joined with the rest of the Ashvali while Alex leaned in and whispered to Emily.

"Get ready to fight. If Kael loses, they'll attempt to kill us all."

Emily pressed her lips together as she looked at the line of warriors.

"I thought you passed through here before. Doesn't he win?"

Alex shook his head.

"It was so close last time that either of them could have taken it. Kael is far stronger on his own, but the Ashvali fight as one. Their Shamans have a skill to strengthen one another."

She looked back over to Kael and Dwal as they prepared for the fight.

They began by stripping their armor till nothing but their spears and undergarments remained.

Selia held all of Kael's things for him, and Emily saw another woman doing the same for Dwal.

A man from the Ashvali stepped out of the crowd, clearly their Shaman. He wore a strange-looking headdress made from chitin. The interlocked shells were a work of art arranged with care and dedication.

Reaching into a pouch on his side, he brought out a red powder and spat into it to create a brilliant red pigment.

Coating his hands, he laid them on Dwal's chest and back, leaving imprints on his body. There was the telltale sign of a skill activating.

Emily leaned into Alex again.

"What are they doing again, buffing him? That seems like cheating."

Alex shook his head.

"They consider this part of the process. It's not cheating, and Kael is welcome to do the same. It's just…" he trailed off.

"We don't have anyone who can do that," Emily finished for him.

Alex just nodded as he watched Kael's back.

They had moved to the front to get a better view and saw Yishmal apply a skill to Kael.

Emily wasn't sure what it was, but his abilities lay in healing, not enhancing. If anything, he could probably make him more resilient to injury.

"So how does this work?" she asked Alex.

"They'll fight two rounds in accordance with the cycles of day and night. The first round is ceremonial of sorts, while the next is till the other can no longer fight. This usually means to the death."

Emily frowned as the first two faced off; it sounded like they had a warm-up round before things got serious.

As they watched the two combatants face off under the rising sun, the tribe began to chant in low tones. The sound built to a crescendo and echoed out across the open dunes. It was almost hypnotizing as it resonated through Emily, and then they began.

Kael and Dwal closed the distance in seconds, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake.

When they collided, they created several impacts in under a second. Their spears stabbed out at incredible speed,s the sound of metal on metal ringing out. Emily's eyes were locked on the fight as each bobbed and weaved around the other's attacks.

It felt more like watching a complex dance between two acrobats. At first, Kael took the upper hand, knocking Dwal on the back foot with swift stabs and technique.

The man deflected and dodged Kael's strikes as best he could, but he couldn't get away unscathed. Small wounds opened up on his arms and neck, a testament to Kael's skill.

Though the pace Kael set was doomed to fall short as he recovered from each attack a little faster, Dwal was adjusting. The Shaman's red hand prints glowed to life on his skin, and with every blow, they began to even out, Kael losing his advantage.

Dwal became more steady as the fight went on, his strength making up for their clear skill gap. Then Dwal took the initiative to attack.

The spear collided with Kaels' defense repeatedly, each strike more powerful than the next as the pressure grew.

Such was the clatter that Emily wondered how Kael's spear hadn't broken yet from the strain.

Kael defended as best he could, but he was being pushed back bit by bit, leaving grooves in the sand.

One particular overhead strike came around, and Kael had to twist his body backward to avoid the attack. It swept overhead, narrowly missing his skull. Kael retaliated by creating vapor around his spear and stabbed out with the butt of the spear and impacting it against Dwal's gut.

The man took a step back as he wheezed, but that didn't stop him from twirling his spear and slashing out with the point.

Kael had committed to the attack, so even when he aborted his forward momentum, he couldn't stop the spear from grazing his chest. It went through him, opening up a diagonal cut from his collarbone to his ribs.

The wound was deep and caused Kael to hiss in pain.

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Both reeled but recovered and lunged at one another again. Kael with incredible precision on his side, and Dwal with brute strength.

They locked in another volley of blows, but this time, Kael used his vapor to help him keep up. Even with Dwal's strength—and that of the others—he was unable to pin Kael down.

As Kael ducked under another swipe, he spun upward and stabbed his spear towards Dwals throat. At the same time, Dwal brought his spear down like an axe and attempted to cleave into Kael's skull.

Their speeds were just about even, but Kael's was a hair's breadth faster; if the attack landed, Kael would win.

Unfortunately, Emily's hopes were dashed a moment later when a sharp cry came from the Shaman, calling an end to the first round. Kael shifted his weight and redirected his spear so that it swept up past his throat and cut his ear in half.

Dwal couldn't do the same thing with a downward slash, so he pushed the spear further and to the side. Causing the wooden pole of the spear to impact Kael's shoulder instead of the blade. There was a sickening crack of bone when it landed, but both froze and stepped back at the end of the first round.

The other members of the Ashvali tribe lowered their voices to a quiet hum, but Emily couldn't help but feel frustrated.

As far as she was concerned, the Shaman had only stopped the fight when it looked disadvantageous to Dwal, and that didn't sit right with her.

The two combatants backed away from each other, retreating to their respective sides. Emily's eyes followed Kael, noting the slight limp in his gait and the way he clutched his shoulder. He didn't look good.

The only silver lining was that Dwal wasn't much better off.

As Kael reached their side, Yishmal offered him a healing tonic, but he waved it off.

Emily frowned.

"Why won't he take it?" she asked Alex quietly.

Alex pressed his lips into a thin line, glancing at the Ashvali, who were watching Kael like hawks.

"Only Shamaisims are allowed. If he uses any outside help, they'll consider it cheating and disqualify him."

Emily's face twitched as she looked toward the Ashvali. Their Shaman had just pressed more red paint into Dwal's wounds, sealing them into nasty-looking scabs.

How was this a fair fight? They could heal, but Kael wasn't allowed to? If you were going to fight, fight with everything you had. This ridiculous honor-bound duel was one thing, but outright handicapping Kael was bullshit.

Sighing, Emily dismounted and took a step in Kael's direction.

Alex's eyes widened, and his arm shot out to grab her wrist.

"Emily, whatever you're about to do, stop and think about it. They're looking for a reason to turn us away, and meddling could be all they need."

Emily pulled her hand out of his but nodded.

"Relax, I'll play by their rules. Normally, I'd be okay with this if it didn't affect me, but it does. And I'm not about to accept the short end of the stick."

Alex's face was a mask of worry, but he didn't try and hold her back.

Turning, Emily closed the distance to Kael and stopped in front of him.

The man looked down at Emily with a tired sigh.

"What?" he asked.

"What's the punishment for open use of Shamaisim on their land?" she asked.

Emily was aware that they needed to play their game, so she had to make this look like one of their traditions, but Sol had also told her that doing so was considered an insult.

When trapped between a rock and a hard place, it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Kael didn't answer at first, searching her eyes as he hummed to himself.

"Usually, it will have to go through the council of Elders, but it's never good," he said hesitantly.

"Will they try and kill me or disqualify you from competing?" she said firmly.

Kael hesitated but shook his head.

"Alright… Then trust me. And whatever you do, finish the fight quickly; the effect won't last long," Emily said with a smile.

Glancing over, she saw that Dwal was turning around to look at them, as were the rest of the Ashvali tribe. They were ready for the next round; she better hurry.

With dozens of eyes falling on Emily, she smiled and took a step into Kael's personal space. This close, she could see the sheen of sweat glistening on his skin. Bending down, she grabbed a small handful of sand, letting it trickle through her fingers

She her palm and copied the Shaman by spitting into the sand, at the same time she pulled blood from her hands. The red mixed with the fine sand, turning into a heavy crimson paint. Rubbing her hands together, Emily glanced up at Kael, who watched her with a patient light in his eyes. All of this was just pageantry to look like one of their rituals. The only necessary part was when she placed her hands on his chest. When they made contact, Emily activated Blood Price for less than a second.

This ability was powerful, but it also made her vulnerable. It opened up a connection between her and the other party, which is why she'd only used it on animals and unconscious people.

The difference now was that she was opening it for the smallest instant and pouring life force into Kael. There was nothing complex or controlled about this technique, it was just pure raw power. And just as good, there was no chance for Kael to take more than she was willing to give.

The effect was immediate. Kael's eyes dilated, and the wound on his chest bubbled and knitted itself back together. His body shook like he'd just been hit with a hundred adrenaline shots at once as his breath became erratic and his pulse moved a mile a minute.

This technique was one she'd been able to do with her powers alone, but the Blood Price made it a lot more efficient. The excess energy pumped into Kael would improve his strength, speed, reactions, and more, but there was a downside. Because Kael's body could not hold all the excess life force, it faded fast. Emily didn't like to do this because it was an incredible waste of energy, but right now, she didn't feel like she had much choice if they wanted to advance.

Nodding to Emily, Kael turned on his heel and stepped towards Dwal.

The man frowned at Kael's approach, his eyes lingering on Emily before he had to turn his attention back to his opponent.

The chanting of the Ashvali resumed, and the fight began, but the difference was like night and day.

Dwal opened with a powerful strike in an attempt to pressure Kael from the beginning, but he parried the impact with his strength alone. Before, he'd needed to use his vapors to help him defend, but they were now on equal footing.

No, with Kael's skill backed up by equal power, he was far stronger.

Dwal seemed to realize this, too, and activated a skill. Sand rushed up from all directions in an attempt to consume Kael, but a few well-placed strikes he scatted the attack.

Just like how Kael had used his vapor to defend in the last round, Dwal found himself doing the same now. Sweeping walls of sand to lessen the impact of Kael's strikes. Each one created a powerful shockwave as he tried and failed to keep up with him.

Kael danced around Dwal, effortlessly breaking his guard and sending him flying. Before he'd even landed, Kael appeared above him, and with a tremendous strike, coated in the most vapor Emily had seen yet, he swung down, catching Dwal in the gut.

The impact changed his direction and buried him in the ground, sending an explosion of sand scattering in all directions.

Kael didn't stop there, though. He lifted his spear again and stabbed it multiple times into each of Dwal's extremities. The man had barely had a chance to defend himself before the area fell quiet.

The chanting stopped, and then the dust settled to see a panting Kael standing over Dwal's body. Emily could tell Dwal wasn't dead but he was damn near the exit door, unable to even move.

Kael wobbled as the energy left his system, and Selia moved up to help support him.

The whole area was quiet, and yet one voice rose above it. I'llva stepped out of the crowd and pointed at Emily with an accusing tone in her voice.

"Cheater! She's not a Shaman!"

Blood points: 620

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