After listening to the Captain's explanation, Aiden turned towards Clynt once more. Focusing his gaze, he looked deeply at the man standing just a dozen or so steps away from him, looking so determined, so adamant to prove something.

Matching the man's slit-like eyes, seeing the determination shining in them, Aiden -though he felt like he still had many questions still-, decided to not waste time questioning the man's resolve. It would be nothing short of disrespectful to the faith, to the beliefs they all had.

Also, he could feel no malicious intent from Clynt, no negative or harmful auras were surrounding him. Whatever his goal was, it wasn't spewed out of hate or anything harmful.

The two men stood a bit of distance away from each other, at the center of the training field. The rest of the two teams, as well as the Masked Mistress and Sebas, were standing by the side, watching the spectacle with a variety of gazes. Some were excited, some were worried whilst most of the women were quite bashful.

As per customs, both parties had to take off all of their armor, and even weapons, facing each other with only their own self-made brawn and might without any so-called 'parlor tricks'.

Though he could have argued about the statement, or in reality he was not required to even bother about their old customs, Aiden agreed to it after a bit of thinking. Since they need to be working together and that can only be achieved if they could trust and rely on each other.

Standing only in a plain, white cotton shirt and similar khaki pants, Aiden was once again free from all the glitter, the lavish, expensive shirt and pants he was gifted earlier and returned to his 'roots'. They were much more comfortable to maneuver around in and could withstand his powers much better than the expensive fabric of the new ones.

Looking at his opponent, his face slowly transformed, the cold rigidness eased, shifting and revealing a thin smile. He cracked his knuckles as he raised his head and asked the man facing him loudly.

"So, what are the actual rules of this… 'Doh'vahl'? Whilst I may have agreed to honor your request, I will not fight you to the bitter end. We have much bigger enemies upon us soon."

At first, there was no response, or change in the man's stoic, stern visage as he stared down at the much leaner youth. He, unlike the boy, was bare-chested wearing only a simple-looking gray pants that were made of a mixture of cotton and linen, giving it a more 'down-to-earth (well Eora) feel with a reasonable amount of elasticity and ample resistance against everyday wear and tear. Compared to Aiden's peasant-like clothing, this one was still of much higher quality and consequentially; sturdiness.

Squinting his eyes, Clynt spoke up after some time. His face retained its cold attitude, though there were the seeds of respect glinting behind his half-crescents.

"Do not worry kid, we will not push it to that extent. How about this? We will only do thirty exchanges before we call it off. Since our mission is for a month, it seems fitting to trade a blow for each day, isn't it?" He asked, turning his head to the side. "Though I'm certain the Cap or Boss Sebas or even the respected lady could probably judge the outcome, I do not see a reason for it." He took a heavy, long breath before continuing.

"You all said that the best way to get to know each other is through honest bouts. However, I have only shown a miserable, pathetic side of myself so far… so…"

Suddenly, to the shock of his teammates and captain, he bowed his head as he asked.

"Please allow this little selfishness of mine and let's get to know each other to the truest of our customs!"

"Raise your head, Clynt." The boy's words came almost instantly, his tone was warm, not carrying any trace of hostility or anger in it. "I will acknowledge your will, and will accept your terms."

Then he turned to the crowd at the side and nodded at them.

"Whoever comes out on top, we are all victors. We are one team, one family from now on. Don't forget the person to your left, and to your right. In the next 30 days, he or she can be the reason for your survival. Don't look down on each other, regard everyone as you would your father, mother, sister, or brother."

Turning his attention towards Clynt, he casually raised his arms at his side, roughly matching his chest level. With a slowly growing grin, he nodded at the man who was just as fired up and ready.

Stepping up, Captain Don looked at both of the parties, his face was finally calm and collected. He nodded at both sides before his right arm slowly reached the zenith of its arc above his head, and swiped down in the next.

His bellowing roar signaled the beginning of their Doh'vahl, their duel. "Begin!"

He deliberately hasn't exclaimed fight, feeling that it wouldn't be appropriate.

—

As soon as his captain bellowed the shout signaling the start of their duel, Clynt shot out, charging towards his youthful opponent, who, like him didn't stay in place either.

Meeting at the middle, Clynt was the one to strike the opener, trying a right-winded swing towards Aiden's temple. His fist sailing the air with frightening momentum and immense might, it took barely any time to reach the boy.

Yet, for Aiden, this speed seemed like slow motion. He watched the fist, following its arc as it slowly inched closer and closer, raising his left arm casually to thwart this probing attempt and swipe it off-course.

At the same time, his right hand was already in motion, matching the men's parameters to the letter and mirroring his attack perfectly aiming at Clynt's temple in the same manner.

Clynt wasn't surprised his attempt wasn't successful, he didn't commit too much to it after all. At the same time, he also expected a counter, his left hand-copied the boy's movement and evaded the approaching blow as well.

Wanting to keep up with the momentum, Clynt swiftly pulled his right arm back, and at the same time, launched a kick towards the boy's abdomen.

Just like that, in the span of a few seconds, they have traded several blows. Their speed was fast. For the untrained eye, it would have been hard to follow what was happening, though none of the crowd were someone that could be referred with that term. Their eyes flickered as they followed the blurring arms and legs as they tried their best to overcome the opposition.

Eventually, as the second minute reached its completion, the blows and kicks abruptly came to an end. In the next moment, the young boy jumped back, creating a bit of distance, looking at his partner with a warm, appreciative smile.

He nodded as he silently turned towards the crowd and began to walk away back to his friends.

---

AN: Hey there Readers!

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