Caldred surveyed the destruction with keen observation. The battle between Asin and Khazt had been far more damaging to the surrounding landscape than to their bodies. Great tears in the once-level plains created gouges in the land's now-shattered surface. Fires had long since snuffed out vegetation in swaths from deflected attacks against the other, creating an odd criss-cross pattern of green vegetation and blackened destruction.

Asin called to the thunder and summoned a giant, arcing stream of electricity. Khazt hardened his skin to iron in response, taking the hit and discharging it to the earth, leaving his body untouched. In the same breath he uprooted a section of earth below Asin, attempted to entomb him in its fist-like grasp. Asin quickly changed course during flight and assaulted the fist of dirt and clay with a jet of pure water, causing it to crumble and fall back to the surface in giant globs of mud.

Khazt had been prepared for this response, however, and Caldred noted the grin of satisfaction on his face as he dashed to Asin with a solid roundhouse to his face, landing the first blow in hours. Caldred heard the tell-tale 'crack' as Asin's limp body broke the sound-barrier on its decent to the ground, crashing with a great upheaval of dirt, stone, and vegetation a few hundred yards away. Khazt immediately assaulted Asin's dazed consciousness, reclaiming lost loyalties, and releasing forced world views to open his eyes to the truth. Khazt had won.

Caldred couldn't help but wonder at how powerful Asin had been, to have come so close to overthrowing Khazt was a remarkable achievement. The two former opponents made their way back to camp, arms over shoulders in manly embrace, laughing about the fight.

The next morning, the two of them were making plans over the crackle of campfire as Caldred slowly ate his own meal, contemplating what the fight had meant. He had been overconfident, pleading with Khazt to allow him a chance to prove himself. He realized now how foolish he had been.

Asin turned to him. "What's wrong, Caldred? Still sore from our fight?" The duo laughed heartily.

Caldred searched for something profound to say, but couldn't find the words. He settled with the first thing that came to mind. "You never fought seriously against me." He stated simply. "In our entire fight, I gave it my all and now I know you were practically toying with me. I, just, I don't know."

"Hey, Caldred, my boy..." Khazt began.

Caldred stood, angrily staring at his mentor. "No, you don't get to do that, Khazt. You knew. You knew and you let me make an ass of myself anyway! You let me boast beforehand of my newfound strength, let me blame it on luck and the elements afterward, to salvage my pride. It wasn't luck, it wasn't a minor difference in strength. It was a goat against the mountain!"

"A goat can rise above the mountain, dearest Caldred."

"You know what I mean." He fumed. "The monarchy must be destroyed. I get that now, you made me get it, and I can't turn away from what I know now." He turned and stared down at Khazt, the fire burning at the edge of his vision. "But back then, back when we first met. I never stood a chance, did I? Against either of you." He turned his attention now to Asin, including him in the question.

Khazt chuckled grimly. "That's the sad part, my boy. You did once. Back before you decided that strength is determined by the extent of your physical limits. Back when you held political power to sway the masses faster than a mind crash can alter their perception one by one. You gave that up in search of power, as you defined it, because you got lost in the stories of the great heroes of old. You could have protected the monarchy through your words, Caldred, not your fists. There is strength in words, boy, and there is strength in fists. The moment your words ended, you lost the ability to protect your ideals."

Asin's gaze was still lost in the fire, but his grin slowly morphed into hearty laughter. "And then you lost! And our friend here modified your beliefs, and here we are, fighting against the very ideal we swore to protect." He mulled that over a moment. "It's odd that I'm not nearly as disturbed by that as I probably should be."

"It's because the monarchy was the first to change them, Asin. To ignore the injustices we see every day, and to give in to the despair all around us. To fight for despair as if it was noble." Caldred answered. It was true. "I suppose I'm grateful I lost to you, Khazt. But I can still be bitter about it."

Khazt stood and put his arms around the boy. "Well, you may have lost, my boy, but you made the right decision." He began dousing the fire. "Now, we have a king to expose, a government to overthrow, and citizenry to liberate. But before that, we train!"

Caldred groaned, but Asin just cracked his knuckles. He was itching for round two.

^{I went for a focus on descriptive action with this piece - the fight, mostly, and keeping up a high-pace action scene. One of my weaknesses for sure, critique welcome!}