"Why don't I see how you fight? I could spend all day fixing those little imperfections of your stance, but it's meaningless if I don't have a fundamental understanding of how you use that stance to fight."
"Should we use training weapons?"
"No, this will be a serious fight. Not one to the death, but one on the edge of that. Fight me as if you were trying to kill me, and I will do the same for you. Once either of us is in a position where we will die, the fight is over. For example, if I had a blade to your throat, you would have lost. Simple enough?"
"But aren't you afraid one of us would get hurt?"
"I have the restraint to not harm you, even by accident. And I have the skill to not be hurt by you, even if you wanted to. Don't hold back."
"Frequencies too?"
Karve thought for a moment. The lantern swung above like a ticking clock. Each time the shadows moved across Karve's face, it seemed as if he was a different person.
