I stepped forward, keeping my posture straight.
"My name is Erik, and she is Astrid." I gestured slightly toward her. "We come from the Kingdom of Valkenheim, under the rule of King Edric."
Uzhgar nodded slightly but said nothing, waiting.
I took a breath and continued.
"I have something from the King that I desire—his ring."
Uzhgar's eyes flickered slightly with interest.
"A ring that grants the wearer complete protection from all physical and magical harm." I paused. "But in order to obtain it, the King has given me a task."
Uzhgar leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the arm of his throne.
"To help him rid the world of its last great threat."
A small smirk touched his lips.
"Us," Uzhgar finished for me.
I nodded.
"His original request was to slaughter every last one of your people." I let the words hang in the air for a moment. "But Astrid and I came up with a better solution. Instead of wiping out your entire race, we challenge your champion. If we succeed, we take his head as proof for the King, and that will be enough to satisfy him."
Silence followed.
Uzhgar's golden eyes locked onto mine, unreadable.
Then, the voice that broke the silence wasn't his.
It was Rhazan.
"Reasonable enough."
He folded his arms across his broad chest, tilting his head slightly.
"You've decided to stake your fate on a single Skarnhaal rather than fight us all. Sparing us, and yourself, from much needless bloodshed."
A slow smirk.
"I accept your challenge, Erik."
I exhaled, feeling the tension in the room shift slightly.
"Thank you for your explanation, Erik," Uzhgar finally spoke again, his tone even. "I appreciate your thoughtfulness in not choosing to massacre us outright."
Then, his lips curled slightly in a small, almost amused smile.
"Though, truth be told—I doubt you could manage it."
He turned slightly, gesturing toward the blueprints sprawled across the table before him.
"After all, the Skarnhaal are moving toward our next great plan."
His fingers tapped lightly on the parchment.
"We dream of returning to the surface."
His golden eyes flicked up toward me again.
"We know we are strong. But humans… humans have something we lack."
His fingers traced a slow, deliberate line over the designs.
"Not strength. Not skill."
A pause.
"Your armies. Your tools. Your weapons."
A sharp gleam entered his gaze.
"They are superior to ours. And that is why we must evolve."
Astrid stepped forward slightly, her voice steady.
"Varik said that you should choose the second option."
Uzhgar's gaze flicked to her, then he nodded.
"So, you do know of our plan?"
Astrid and I both shook our heads.
"Varik only told us that you should choose the second option," I clarified. "He didn't say what it was."
Uzhgar exhaled, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully.
"Very well. Let me explain."
He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees.
"The Skarnhaal have always dreamed of returning to the surface."
His voice was calm, but there was weight behind his words.
"Our first option is here, in Valkthara."
His golden eyes locked onto mine.
"After all, this is where we belong."
His fingers drummed lightly against the arm of his throne.
"The first living beings to ever walk this land were us. We thrived here, long before your kind arrived."
Then, he paused.
Letting the words hang in the air.
And in the silence, the sound came again.
A deep, throbbing vibration, pounding steadily beneath us.
Like something massive moving through the earth.
Uzhgar let out a slow breath.
"And then there is the second option."
His hand gestured subtly toward the blueprints on the table.
"We have been digging."
A faint smirk touched his lips.
"Carving our own path beneath the land, forging tunnels that stretch far beyond Valkthara's borders."
His golden eyes gleamed.
"And after decades of work, we have found something."
A pause.
Then—
"An empty land. Far beyond Valkthara."
He leaned back slightly.
"A land with no humans. No threats. Just open space. A place where we could build, where we could thrive—without bloodshed."
Uzhgar exhaled, his fingers tapping against the steel armrest of his throne.
"I asked my people what they wanted the most."
His golden eyes flickered with something sharp—conviction, certainty.
"The majority chose the first option."
A pause.
"And I agree."
His voice was firm now, unwavering.
"We should take what belongs to us."
The tension in the room shifted.
Rhazan, standing beside us, let out a low, amused hum.
"But democracy is not always the best answer."
Uzhgar's gaze slid toward him.
"True."
His fingers traced slow, deliberate lines along the blueprint before him.
"Because while we know we are strong—one of us is equal to ten of you—"
His voice lowered slightly.
"We lack in numbers."
A breath.
"Massacred to near extinction by one man, we learned fear. We learned restraint."
The weight of those words settled over me.
Uzhgar exhaled.
"That is why your proposal could hold the answer to our future."
His golden eyes met mine.
"If Rhazan, my champion, our greatest and strongest—if even he cannot defeat you…"
His fingers curled into a slow fist.
"Then we will have no chance against the humans."
Silence.
Then—
"That is why I have another proposal for the duel."
We listened.
"Both of you will fight Rhazan."
His voice was calm, final.
"Use everything you have. It is a battle to the death. Any trick, any cheat, everything in your disposal—you may use it. I will not intervene."
The room felt thicker now, heavier.
I could feel Astrid tensing beside me.
But before either of us could speak—
Rhazan did.
A slow smirk curled on his lips.
"Very well."
He turned toward us.
"Shall we begin, now?"