“You should be sucking air yourself, assuming you’re human,” Harruq said. “We’ve been out here since sunrise!”

“Do you see my movements slowing?” Haern asked. He struck, his sabers a blur. Harruq blocked the first couple before a desperate parry missed its mark. Steel pressed against his throat.

“Not possible,” the half-orc said. “You can’t be less tired than me. You just can’t!”

“When was the last time you were fully exhausted?” Haern asked, pulling back his blade. Without warning, he thrust it straight at his chest. Harruq slapped the thrust wide. He countered with his other hand, only to have it brutally blocked, pushed aside, and then ignored. Metal thwacked against Harruq’s chest armor. Haern did not halt, though, instead repeatedly slashing that exact same spot. All the while he spoke.

“When was the last time you were beaten? The last time you felt no chance of victory? Tell me half-orc, when was the last time you were a coward and surrendered?”

“Never!” Harruq screamed, slashing with all his remaining strength. Haern rolled, the powerful swords smashing the dirt.

“Exactly,” Haern whispered, his voice soft yet still heard in the commotion. His foot shot upward, nailing Harruq’s kidney. The follow up kick mashed his already sensitive nose. Qurrah winced as blood ran freely. “I will exhaust you. I will defeat you. I will make you collapse in surrender, convinced you cannot win.”

The butts of the sabers cracked against Harruq’s thick skull. Condemnation and Salvation remained stiff in the dirt as the half-orc fell onto his side, silent but for his gasps of air. In this silence, Haern’s words were clear and powerful, yet still soft and quiet. Despite his distance, Qurrah heard every word, convincing him there was magic involved with Haern’s constant whisper.

“You will learn to fight me,” Haern said. “Even after defeat. After exhaustion. After hurt and humiliation. When you can stand against me, to the very limit of your body, then we may truly begin. Your speed, your strength, your mind: they will all grow these coming days, if you are willing. That is the one thing I cannot help you with.”