Over a Pit Without a Peach

Laying across a gorge was a log. One looking down couldn't see the bottom of the gorge. The center of the log was marked by a line carved into the log. On the each side of the line was a knife.

Rath, stripped waist down, stood on one side of gorge. On the other side of the gorge, was Shan standing without a shirt. Walking towards each other, they stopped at the line. A bracelet of brass was locked on their left wrists. A log was lowered until it rested on the craved line. One of the shaman walked across the log until he was between Rath and Shan. He held a leather strap with brass hooks on the ends. He fastened the hooks to the ring.

"When you hear the gong, grab your knife and fight. Remember knock your opponent off the log or make him submit to win. There are the embedded wooden spikes that can't be seen below you. This fight is to the death," he said bowing towards the warriors.

After the shaman walked away, the log was raised, leaving Rath and Shan alone.

In his clinched left hand was a pebble. It had a role in this, but April didn't reveal how it fit.

"That in time it will be reveled," she whispered in his ear after slipping it in his mouth.

He had focus on defeating Shan. An unfocused mind will get him killed. Lest that was what Cob would beat into his mind. To kill or not to be kill, what a question. That was the life of a gunslinger. Chiba always offered a different way to killing. Just beating your enemy got result better then killing. Rath worked both ways. How not killing seemed difficult but not unreasonably. Again had to focus his mind.

The gong echoed from the darkness. Picking up the knife, Rath let the peddle slip from his hand. His ears detected a splashing sound below him. Before this could register this, Shan took a slash at Rath. He dodged it and swept Shan off his feet. His back landed against the log. He tried standing, but Rath's left heel connected with Shan's right temple. This sent him off the log.

Rath rolled off the opposite side of the. They dangled from the leather straps in midair. Before Shan could react, Rath cut the strap. They dropped towards the bottom. Splash was heard. They had landed in water not on spikes.

Rath's head broke the surface of the water. Suddenly the carven was luminosity. The light revealed above the pit was a circle of onlookers. His ears caught murmur of conversation among the crowd.

"Since Shan hit the water first," declared the shaman, "you, Rath Kalong, have become the newest a member of the tribe."

Ropes lifted them out of the pit. His eyes were scanning the crowd. Stopping, his eyes caught April. She was motioning with her finger against her lips to stay quiet.

"Why did she help?" he thought as he was lead out of the carven.