Elf-Dwarf Racial Duel (1)
"Anyway, if you're going to ignore me and the Hero and start a war with each other... I'll crush you all first."
At my calm words, the elf and dwarf representatives let out groans. They'd gotten the gist of what the Dragon Priestess really was. They understood it was entirely possible. They knew full well that rashly provoking me would end with them smashed to pieces.
Therefore.
"Pick five representatives each for one-on-one duels—five matches total, first to three wins takes it."
Best of five. That ought to convince them.
"Five fights... three wins...?"
"Hmph. So you can afford to lose twice. With differences in skill and matchups among your five reps, the order of duels will matter too."
Hmm. Dwarves sure had quick wits. Already grasping the strategy behind a best-of-five series.
"We'll iron out the fine details later, but it'll be fought in a confined space—knock out your opponent to win. With the one rule: no killing."
"Why can't we kill them? Those puny dwarves would drop dead in an instant anyway."
"Oh yeah? Wanna try it? You lanky elf stick—you'll go down like a tree chopped by an axe."
The elf and dwarf reps started growling at each other again. Really... Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha actually got along pretty well, so why were their worshippers always at each other's throats? Must be the massive racial differences. Ahem.
"Save the posturing for the actual fights and conserve your strength. Prep will take time, so we'll hold the duels three days from now."
"Three days. Understood."
"Three days till I smash that stuck-up nose of yours!"
"Think you can even reach my face?"
There they go again. Seriously, nonstop snarling. Like water and oil. Hard to believe these were the same folks writing friendly letters... Go figure.
Anyway, once the elf and dwarf reps had left, I turned to the Hero, who was just staring blankly, and said,
"Alright, this is your chance to see how other races fight—keep those eyes wide open. Got it?"
"Yes. Understood."
It was a rare opportunity for the Hero to observe other races' combat styles. Perfect teachable moment. Unlike the physically tough dwarves, elven spirit arts allowed for some tricky tactics. Watching these two clash up close would help him grow.
"Now then, time to set up the dueling arena."
Elves used bows, so it'd need to be pretty spacious. But too much distance would handicap the dwarves badly. Hmm. A sweet spot where dwarves could close in without it being impossible. Didn't want elves sniping from afar the whole time. Maybe a square about 100 meters on each side. Dwarves could tank arrows and push forward at that range. Overall, it'd test if dwarves could weather the arrow storm, close the gap, and handle spirit arts up close. Seemed elf-favored, but... who'd know? These were the ones bold enough to march to war, so they had to be no slouches. Hope they didn't get steamrolled—would be embarrassing!
Three days later.
"Alright! The duel for the honor of two great races is finally here! Five bloody clashes in place of war! The only forbidden act: taking a life! Anything else goes in this ultimate showdown!!"
I cast a voice-amplifying spell and circled above the arena, hyping the crowd like a pre-fight MC!
A perfect 100-by-100-meter square arena. Tiered spectator stands ringing it. Packed full of elves and dwarves.
"Right here and now! Elves versus dwarves! Dwarves versus elves! Today, we decide who's stronger! Are you ready to witness the duels!!!?"
My words barely ended before roars erupted from both sides. Hmm. This was kinda fun!
"Great! Then enter the ten duelists staking their races' honor!!!"
At my call, five elves and five dwarves stepped into the arena from opposite sides.
Lightly armored elves. Heavily plated dwarves with massive shields. Elves all carried bows and quivers, but the dwarves' weapons were a wild mix. Giant hammers, axes, one with a two-handed sword longer than himself, another loaded with small axes, even one with weapons wrapped in cloth... Wait, that was a dwarf rep. A rep fighting personally? Impressive. The elf rep was just watching from nearby, radiating "As if I'd stoop to this!" Arrogant. Very arrogant.
I'd thought elves had the edge overall, but now? Hard to say.
"Step out of the arena: loss. Don't kill your opponent: fine. Though good luck even if you tried."
I'd whipped up a spell in the spare time after building the arena! It blocked one fatal blow per fighter. Like a headband of resolve... Nah, niche reference. Anyway, a one-time block against lethal attacks. Mixed in a knockout effect, and boom—survive the killing blow but pass out. Perfect for duels.
"It'll save you once from death but knock you out instead, so fight without holding back. But attack a downed foe, and the judge steps in. Got it?"
The judge? The Hero, of course. Let him watch up close.
Thus began the honor duel between elves and dwarves.
Describing every match in detail would drag on forever, so here's the quick rundown.
Match 1. Lightly armored elf archer versus dwarf festooned with small axes. Elf peppered from range, but dwarf bull-rushed behind a full-body shield. Slowed by the bulk, though—the nimble elf circled, targeting unprotected flanks. Dwarf parried side shots with hatchets in his off-hand, stubbornly advancing to center arena. Slammed his shield into the ground with a thud!, then unleashed a barrage of thrown axes at the elf 50 meters off.
Elf dodged in panic, but dwarf had axes for days—no mere decorations. Some were chained pairs, tripping up the elf's evasion. Elf tried counter-shooting mid-dodge but took an axe to the head and dropped.
Huh. Axe-throwing to counter a bow? Impressive if true. The raw power to hurl that far, pinpoint accuracy. Not a amateur's skill.
Dwarves took a satisfying first win.
Match 2. Two-handed sword dwarf versus another light elf. Much like the first. Difference: no shield for the sword dwarf. Turned him into a porcupine of arrows. Valiant push through dozens of shafts... but reaching the elf without a shield? Hubris. Still, tanking that many without blacking out proved dwarf armor's mettle. Lost anyway!
One win each, back to square one.
Hmm. Pretty entertaining. They say scrappy fights are the best to watch, and damn if it ain't true. Problem was, the Hero wasn't getting much growth potential from this... Hmm. Arrow limits as penalty? Nah, dwarves won the second sans shield by tanking a volley. Limit arrows and those human tanks would just absorb 'em en masse. Meh, leave it. Tweaking for "balance" might look like favoritism. Plus, dwarves' first win muddied things. Just watch. Hopefully elves pull out flashy spirit arts to inspire the Hero.