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So far, so good. Harrar BlazeFang, the Charr, had traveled a long way. Starting from the camp in the Dalada uplands, crossing the green hills with ease through Charr territory, then sneaking his way towards the mountain range Shiverpeaks, avoiding ogres and the even larger Jotun giants. He had finally reached Boreal Station; a small outpost, guarded by a score of dwarves and inhabited by only five Asurans. They were the ones operating and guarding the Asuran gate, which allowed for instant travel towards distant locations. That's when he encountered his first bump in the road.

In front of the gate stood a tiny, blue Asuran, little even for his own race. It was checking travellers, scanning them with a crystal wand. Shaking its head, its big pointy ears swishing through the air, it was trying to actually lecture the Charr.

"No, no, no! You cannot take that sword with you! It is tainted by your use of magics and it can very well lead to destabilizing the magical harmonic resonances and interfere with the wavelength of the multifoca...."

Harrar's growls started softly, then grew louder and louder, but the Asuran continued his boring explanation, not ignoring the growls, just not hearing it over his own monotonous high-pitched voice.

He snarled at the Asuran.

"I know already. And I am telling you, I traveled before by gate and you are the first one that is bothered by the sword. Let me pass!"

"No, you shall not pass!"

Harrar sighed, then took a different approach. He leaned in and almost brushed his maw up against the Asuran's cheek. The Charr softly whispered in the small creature's ear.

"I am traveling to complete a ritual, little mouse, where I have to hunt down and bring back something rare. Now let me through, otherwise I might have to cut my journey short and bring them only an Asuran head! Though the ritual will be completed, I will be ranked last, but I don't mind, since it will bring me, personally, a lot of satisfaction."

Leaning back, he grinned, flashing his fangs towards the Asuran. The Asuran gulped, softly rubbing his throat.

"Fine! As long as you do not hold us responsible if you are stranded halfway or if your mind becomes discombobulated, or if your body is ripped into tiny shreds by..."

He interrupted the annoying creature again, waving him away with his large paw "Yes, yes. Can I step through now?"

"But of course, master Charr, the portal has been ready now for an hour and will be for another."

Harrar sighed and ascended the stairs leading up to the stone and metal ring, ten foot tall, filled with a magical purple field, which seemed to ripple like a pool of water where a stone had just been thrown in. He breathed in, held it and stepped through. A tingling sensation on his fur was the only thing indicating he was being transported and he stepped out from another portal into the fields south of Kaineng City, Capital of Cantha.

He was greeted by another Asuran, which to him looked the same as the one in Boreal station with the exception that this one had a more green toned skin.

"A Charr! How rare to see one entering these parts." The crystal wand the Asuran held started to flash. "And with a magic sword no less! How did you sneak tha..."

Harrar wanted nothing more than to grab his sword, stick it through the creature's gut and set it ablaze. He sighed, knowing the Canthan guards would not like that one bit. He turned and bent down low, maw to maw with the Asuran and growled.

"Where is the outpost nearest to the Jade sea?" The Asuran fell silent, eyes wide at the sudden growl and question, paused a few seconds before answering.

"You want to go to Cavalon, just follow that road..." he pointed "... east and a bit to the south"

Harrar turned and bounded on all fours towards the direction the Asuran had indicated.

He made his way to the large city without further incident. But Cavalon was ruled by the Luxon clan and he was not allowed entrance, so he stayed at one of the small inns and taverns that surrounded the town. Tired after his long journey, he slept the entire night, waking refreshed and fit the next morning. After getting directions from the innkeeper and a light breakfast, he set off again towards the north east.

The Maisiang Hills greeted him like the hills back home, beautiful green and brown with the only exception being that they got larger and larger the farther you went in, until they merged with the impassable mountain-range on the other side. At first, he followed the relative safety of the known paths, but after an hour of travelling, he set a new course, through the bushes and shrubs, angled away from the path. He smiled. Finally he felt like a hunter again, making his way stealthy, yet fast, hiding behind a large rock or tree, hoping to find prey, a challenge worthy to bring back home for the ritual.

He saw a Yeti once. Though that would indeed have been quite the prize, the huge creature was comparing clubs with two others and he would be severely outmatched. Bypassing them, he continued onwards, until he came to another road. It looked as it was traveled lightly, the shrubbery keeping it hidden from plain sight. Probably a hunters pathway. He decided to stake it out for a bit and hid behind a large tree.

Chewing on a bit of dried Dolyak meat, sitting with his back against the tree, he smiled as he looked up at the sun. Right after he had eaten and guzzled it down with some water from his flask, a soft sound reached his four ears and turned towards it, even before his head did. At first it was just a shadow, but as it got closer, his keen, golden eyes quickly saw what it was.

A Naga. A Strong, large serpent like creature with the torso and arms of a human. He had heard of them, but never seen one. Stories told they were fearless warriors, just like the Charr capable of magics, but in forms more dark and sinister. And it seemed this Naga in particular was very large indeed. His viper-head held two, bright yellow eyes, watching the surroundings through slitted eyelids. A dark red forked tongue kept slipping in and out of his maw. Wearing only some simple leather armor, the muscles of his body could easily be seen in his arms, chest and tail. A belt pouch was strapped to his belly and on his back was probably a sword, the hilt sticking out from behind the Naga's left shoulder. It slithered forwards on its muscular tail and if Harrar's estimates were on the mark, the Naga would be about eight foot long, head to tail.

Now here is a challenge! A trophy worth to bring home. A story to add to the history of Harrar BlazeFang. He was about to make a move to make his presence known, when the Naga suddenly stopped. It lifted his head up a bit, extending his neck. His tongue was darting out even faster than before. By the false gods, stupid me! Harrar thought. Snakes smelled through the use of their tongue. But it did not matter. The ritual demanded honorable combat, meaning he should make himself known and challenge his opponent.

He stepped from behind the tree, faced the Naga and roared once, then called out his challenge in the guttural Charr language. The Naga only hissed back and watched him curiously. But its yellow eyes betrayed anger. Harrar repeated himself in the human tongue.

"I, Harrar Blazefang, Commander of the Blaze Warband, Flamebringer of the Blood Legion, challenge you to combat to the death. Will you accept this honor?" Of course, the Naga could refuse. Harrar would have to walk away then. But such a prize was too good to let go though.

The Naga did react to that. Its eyes went wide for a the smallest of moments. It's tail twitched a little and a smile came to his face. The Naga nodded and hissed, then made a 'follow-me' motion, before slithering off the path to the left. Harrar followed and a few minutes later, they reached a clearing. It was a grass field, a relatively flat plateau among the hills. It would seem this Naga was an honorable opponent indeed. The Naga went to one side and Harrar to the other. Facing each other, they both just glared menacingly.

The Naga went into a defensive stance, while drawing his sword. The curved falchion that came to paw looked very sharp indeed with a wide blade, perfect for slashing. He hissed towards Harrar, sounding as if calling out a challenge of his own. Harrar took his own blade in paw, the double bladed sword gleaming in the sunlight. He growled, then stood ready to rush towards his opponent. Even though the combatants had never met before, they knew the rituals of challenge. Harrar had issued it, meaning he would attack first. The Charr hunched a bit forward and rushed, his sword held to his right side, trailing a little bit, ready to swing upwards.

Suddenly a smile crossed the Naga's face and he gestured in the air with an open palm. From it, a black ring of misty smoke shot forth, straight at Harrar, who was unable to avoid it. It hit him square in the chest, forcing him to stop his charge. The smoke held still around him for the smallest of moments, then seemed to be absorbed into his body. Immediately, Harrar felt his body weaken a little. The smoke exited from his back, but now was a crimson red, colored by his blood. The small droplets shot back towards the Naga, who took a deep breath and inhaled the fine, red mist. His chest seemed to expand, the muscles becoming bigger, the Charr's blood making him stronger. "A life draining spell, just my luck. A Necromancer!" He hated those. Luckily, their spell-casting was slow and they took long to recover for a recast. His own fire magic might be less subtle, but quicker to use. But he would only use it as a last resort.

He snarled a curse, letting his emotions lend strength as he continued his charge. Swinging his sword right to left, his momentum adding to the force of the strike, he aimed for the Naga's chest. The Naga brought his falchion up, just in time, but needed a two-handed grip to deflect the tip away from his body. Harrar stepped closer, forcing their blades to cross, metal scraping on metal, sending sparks into the air. Their maws were only a couple of inches apart, eyes of fury and anger locked into each other. Harrar suddenly yanked his head back, then threw it forward, hitting the Naga right between the eyes with a solid headbutt. He twisted his head, hoping to slide his horn into the Naga's left eye, but the serpent's head had been hit backwards, the horn only hitting air.

The Naga shook his head, pushing forward with his blade, frustration giving him more strength. Harrar took a few steps backwards, creating a little room between the two combatants. Now it was Harrar's turn to fall into a defensive stance and the Naga instantly went on the attack. Slithering forwards with great speed, he gripped his falchion tighter with both paws and sliced downwards. Harrar held up his sword, the blade vertical and took the hit on it. The impact was enough to make him bend his knees and he quickly rolled from under it and to the side to regain his footing. He was barely up when the Naga's tail slammed into his ankle and swooped him on the ground.

Taking the advantage, the Naga slammed down his sword towards Harrar's chest. The Charr quickly brought his blade up and caught the falchion in the gap between the two edges. He smiled and turned his wrist, trapping the other blade and made a throwing motion. The Naga almost held on. Almost, but not quite, as the blade was ripped from his grasp and flung to the side. The Naga went wide eyed, but kept his wits. He threw himself on the feline, when his sword arm was open, grabbing the Charr's wrists and pinning him down.

Harrar tried to slam the sword towards the Naga's neck, but was kept in a firm grasp. The Naga twisted Harrar's wrist, almost snapping it, the pain causing the Charr to let the blade fall to the ground. The Naga opened his maw wide, revealing his fangs. The left one already had the smallest of drops hanging on it, clear green colored. He slammed his head forwards and bit down hard in the flesh on Harrar's shoulder.

Harrar screamed out. It felt like ice water was injected into his flesh. As if the nerves near the bite wound were set ablaze with a kind of burning, only sub-zero temperatures could create. Without hesitation, he unsheathed his claws and slammed his left paw in to the Naga's abdomen, then twisted his wrist, tearing at the wound and cutting away the flesh.

The Naga hissed in pain, quickly retreating, but a bit relaxed, letting the poison work it's magic on the Charr. But Harrar was fast enough to slam his right fist into his own shoulder, right on the puncture wounds, his claws cutting deep into his own flesh. He cursed, sending magical fire into the wound, searing and burning the flesh away, but also evaporating his own blood and with it, the poison.

Roaring in anger, he scrambled to his knees. That move had cost him most of his energy and strength, but he looked back at the Naga and saw that it was not doing very well either. Blood was oozing out of the wound and the Naga was pressing a paw against it, trying to stop the bleeding, but to no avail. Harrar was glad. He was panting heavily and feeling weak, so he used the little respite gratefully.

Looking around, he saw his sword and picked it up, pointing the tip to the ground and using it to get up and support himself. He took a step towards the Naga, feeling a bit dizzy, but each step he took was steadier and he regained some of his focus.

Meanwhile the Naga went wide-eyed, surprised that the Charr was still standing, walking even. He slithered backwards, away from Harrar. Adrenaline shooting through his body, Harrar found the strength to lift his sword and he walked towards the Naga, raising it above his head, ready to give the final blow. The Naga suddenly looked up over the Charr's shoulder and it's eyes widened. Harrar's upper ears turned towards the sound of a soft whistle coming from behind him. The Naga dove to the left side, while Harrar dropped and rolled to the right. In the middle, a huge rock boulder fell down, shaking the ground. Harrar looked towards the point of origin and saw a grinning Yeti look back at him. It reached down, looking for another boulder, while the two Yeti next to it, roared and started charging towards him and the Naga. Both of them were brandishing large wooden clubs.

In sheer defiance, Harrar roared back at the Yeti that was coming for him. He fell into a defensive stance, not knowing how the Yeti would fight, but thought it wise to conserve his energy for now. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the Naga do the same. But he seemed to cast the bloodspell again, and the Yeti stopped just as Harrar had done. When the red mist was absorbed again into the Naga's body, the bleeding wound seemed to heal.

Harrar looked back at his own opponent. Maybe he should also use his magic this time. he waited, letting the Yeti come closer and closer. When the Yeti was almost on top of him, it roared and held the club high above his head, ready to slam it down on Harrar. That's when the Charr cursed and ignited his sword. Flames immediately sprouted all over the blades and Harrar focussed on them, making the flames burn even brighter. The Yeti looked at the flames, not understanding what or how it was happening. That moment's hesitation was enough. The Charr took the handle in a two handed grip and punched the blade through the Yeti's kneecap. He made a cutting motion, taking off the leg and freeing the sword. The Yeti roared in agony, falling to the ground, letting go of his club and holding the bleeding and slightly smoking stump in his paws. The smell of fresh blood and burned fur reach the Charr's nostrils.

Harrar turned around. He looked at the Naga, who was not faring as well as he had. It was slithering from side to side, evading blow after blow from the Yeti, trying to find an opening to strike back. Seeing his opponent in trouble, he charged towards the Yeti. But again he heard a faint whistle and he jumped to the side. It was just enough to avoid the boulder landing on top of him. He did not even look at the one who threw it, but restarted his charge. The sound of the impact had however, drawn the Yeti's attention. He looked over his shoulder for only the slightest of moments. But it was enough for the Naga to slither forwards and bite down into the Yeti calve.

The Yeti screamed and slapped towards his leg, but the Naga had already moved away. Harrar kept charging and rammed the other leg, dropping the Yeti on his back. The poison did take effect, but not as fast as it should have. Maybe it was due to the sheer size of the Yeti. But it was dizzy enough to slow it down. It tried to get up, but struggled to do so. The Naga took this opportunity and quickly closed the distance. He coiled his body around the Yeti neck and squeezed. The Yeti, tried to lift his arms and grip the Naga, but before they were halfway, the Naga's body twisted and with a sickening hard crunch, broke the neck. The dead body slumped to the ground, the head lolling about, tongue out.

Harrar nodded at the Naga, who nodded in return. They both turned towards the last Yeti. It looked at the two combatants, then to his allies. One was dead, the other breathing heavily, about to give up his final breath as it was bleeding out. The Yeti roared, then turned and ran away. Both Harrar and the Naga sighed and slumped down, exhausted.

Harrar looked back at the Naga. "You are one fearsome warrior, Naga". He said in the human tongue

The Naga laughed and hissed "You are asss well, TsCharr"

That caught the Charr's attention "So.. you do speak hte human tongue? Why did you not answer me the first time?"

"Becaussse you never asssked. You jussst asssumed" The Naga hiss-laughed again.

"True. Forgive my challenge. The hunt for glory is part of a ritual and you seemed like the perfect target."

"No offesssenssse taken, TsCharr. Asss coincidenssscesss go, I wasss actually doing the sssame thing"

Harrar chuckled at that. "Looks like we have more in common then" He outstretched his paw towards the Naga. "Harrar SwiftFang"

The Naga took it and shook. "Ssserpent Nile" The Naga let go. "You know. I think a Yeti ssscalp eachz will be enough to win our ritualsss"

"Yes, I think you are right." Harrar said, slowly getting back up. He walked over to the Yeti he had slain, dragging his sword behind him. He took careful aim and with a circling motion of his arm, he delivered one strong cut to the creatures forehead, then let it slide along the skull, slicing off the skin neatly. He picked it up, then cursed, letting a bit of flame run over the exposed flesh, coagulating the blood. After that, he carefully fastened it to his belt.

When he turned around, he saw the Naga had done the same thing, but was still preparing his own scalp. He held it up as well, then seemed to hiss and spit. A mist poured from its maw, but it looked green, as if it was made up of the poison it carried in its fangs. When the mist hit the slab of meat, it immediately stopped bleeding. The Naga threw it over its shoulder and secured it there. It put his sword away on his back again, right when Harrar sheathed his sword as well.

The Naga slithered towards Harrar and held out its paw. Harrar took it, but grasped his former opponent by the wrist. The Naga did the same.

"Ssso, Harrar BlazzzeFang, you are a formidable opponent indeed and thank you for fighting by my ssside."

"The pleasure was all mine. I do hope we will meet again some day?"

"Yesss. Maybe we can even hunt together? And if our clansss mussst meet on the field of battle. Let usss avoid eachzzzother until we are the lassst onesss ssstanding..."

"Agreed. Try not to get yourself killed then"

"Sssame to you Massster TzcCharr"

They both gave one tighter squeeze and a firm shake, then let go. Nile cocked his head, closed his eyes for a moment and nodded, then opened his eyes, turned around and slithered away.

Harrar smiled, staring the Naga off. He shook his head, turned towards the north west and went down on all fours. He rushed off, back towards Cavalon and would then make his journey back home. He hoped the asurans would not give him more trouble. He chuckled. Maybe some Asuran ears would go nicely with the Yeti scalp. He ran on.

The End