Oliktalv paced in the temple on his side of the event ground, swords unsheathed. Looking at the ruins, he was conflicted on the inside. Not for the upcoming battle, but rather, the history of his people. The ruins reminded the orc that his people, although manipulated, pushed the draenei to near extinction. He never thought too much on it until befriending Naur. Now, he hoped to one day make up for what happened. But that would be a story for another time.

Belara was perched up on the wall that overlooked the upcoming playing field. She wasn't Oliktalv's first choice to work with. That honor would go to Dal'bin. However, when compared to the others. Granted, they still had their disagreements, but in the end, she was competent enough to work with. He was confident that for Salin's little exercise, they would excel.

It also helped given who they were going up against. Balthar would not be able to hold his own in a fight. Oliktalv wasn't even going to bother dealing with the man. It was Colben that would serve as the biggest threat. An accomplished swordsman and a pyromancer made him a dangerous adversary. The orc remembered how Colben fought against Kelvin and knew that he would put up a good fight. He only hoped that by working with Belara, they would be able to win.

Oliktalv approached Belara on the wall, watching over the battle. "What're you thinking?"

"Just how much I hate being out here," Belara answered coldly. "There were other ways we could have accomplished team bonding, if that's even necessary."

"It may be," Oliktalv commented. "If we're going to continue working with the Alliance, we need to be able to trust them"

"Yet here we are, working together," Belara pointed out.

Oliktalv was silent for a moment, trying to think of a counterargument. "At least the others are breaking down the faction boundaries."

"I wouldn't call Colben a Horde patriot and Salin would trust anyone, regardless of who they are."

"Well, Kelvin and Dal'bin are working well enough despite their loyalty, at least."

"I don't think they're exactly bonding. Not that I consider Dal'bin to be loyal to the Horde."

"You doubt his loyalty?" Oliktalv glanced at her, skeptical of her claim.

"Not at all," Belara shook her head. "He's loyal enough to you. I don't think that loyalty extends to the Horde."

"He follows yours and Salin's orders well enough."

"And does he do that because of his loyalty to you?" Belara brought up. "Speaking of, I think you need to give him some freedom with his loyalty."

"Meaning?"

"He follows your orders to the letter. That's not good at needs to have some independence that you offer him."

"And what's the difference between offering him independence and him taking it for himself?"

"If you offer it, you might remain friends. If he takes it, that might damage the bond you two have. But what do I care about you two?"

Oliktalv took a moment to think over her words. She did have a thought regarding Dal'bin's loyalty and independence. When he had voted for supporting the Cenarion Expedition, against his advice, the orc felt betrayed. He had grown to rely so much on Dal'bin's loyalty throughout their service, he had depended on it. Perhaps some distance between them would be good. Dal'bin would learn to live without orders and Oliktalv would live without someone to rely on, just like Gotur.

Focusing on the field, Oliktalv gasped. Standing next to the flag, holding it in one hand, was Colben. He was talking idly with Balthar, who stood by the edge of the large island. Oliktalv wasn't aware how Salin planned on starting the match without Colben's magic. It just seemed like that rule was thrown out in Colben's favor. Yet, the veteran remained, watching the other side where his foes waited. He didn't want an easy victory. He wanted to fight.

"We move out," Oliktalv commanded. "Move fast and strike quickly. Colben will likely try to engage us in conversation. Ignore him, attack, and get the flag."

"Good plan," Belara nodded and took out her two knives. "Ready when you are."

Oliktalv jumped up from the wall and rolled down onto the ground. Belara followed after him, sticking by his side. The two took their time getting to the battle for the flag. If Colben was willing to wait for them, they would take their time getting there. That way, they would be able to preserve their energy for when they actually fought. Colben and Belara wouldn't grow tired while Oliktalv would. He needed to make every action count before he ran out of stamina.

The two made a final jump to cross over to the large island where their battle waited. On the center of it, Colben grinned at the approaching two. In one hand, he held his sword, and in the other hand, he held the flagpole. Balthar stood behind him, nervously clutching his quarterstaff. Salin stood on the island on guard while the others watched from afar. Oliktalv and Belara approached Colben. They cared little for Balthar and for the words of their opponents.

"About damn time!" Colben greeted with a smirk. "I've been waiting for you two for so long. The kid told me that I should have just captured the flag, but hey, I wanted to fight, so-"

Oliktalv led the attack, swinging both of his swords towards Colben's chest. The swordsman blocked the attack with his own blade, grinning as he kicked a charging Belara away. The veteran held off Oliktalv's offensive with one hand, not bothering to use the flagpole in combat. The orc swung with each second, trying to break through his defenses. He only used the flagpole to swat aside Belara, who tried to take it from him rather than fighting.

"I know you can do better than that, Oliktalv!" Colben taunted. "Give me everything you got!"

Oliktalv let out a roar and kicked Colben, who nearly fell. Balthar ran forward, supporting him so he didn't fall down. The veteran jabbed the flagpole down into the dirt, using both hands on his sword to protect himself from Oliktalv while he regained his footing. He nearly tripped again when Belara pushed Balthar down onto the ground with a kick. The swordsman growled at her and slashed at Oliktalv. The orc fell back to avoid the blow, allowing for the veteran to wield his sword with one hand.

Belara reached for the flag, intending to claim it. Colben slammed a fireball into her chest with his free hand. The magical force sent her flying back into the water, where she quickly sank away.

"Belara!" Oliktalv exclaimed.

"That's going too far!" Salin called out. "You could have killed her!"

"I didn't," Colben shrugged. "I held back. She's just going to remain underwater and wait for an opening. Besides, she was getting in the way."

"Getting in the way?" Oliktalv asked.

"Uh, Colben," Balthar stood up and reached for the flag. "I'm just going to run with this now so-"

Colben interrupted Balthar by swinging the hilt of his sword into his face, knocking the priest down. "And now you got in the way of my duel with Oliktalv."

"All of this is so we can fight, just us two?" Oliktalv questioned. "Why?"

"Somehow, you managed to kill Kargath Bladefist in a battle where my dear friend was killed. I wanted to see how you could best a warchief in such a manner. So far, you have disappointed me."

"I had to fall into a rage to stand a chance against Kargath. If I enter that rage again, I may not be able to stop myself from killing you."

"So, I have to get you angry?" Colben grinned.

"Don't."

Oliktalv grunted. He and Colben started to walk into a circle, preparing to battle each other. The orc hated how his opponent was treating this training exercise as if it was a game. Salin doing it was expected but Colben did it in such an arrogant manner that got on his nerves. He steeled his nerves, reminding himself to be calm. He wasn't going to give Colben what he wanted. Oliktalv was going to win this battle in his own way and showed that he could keep up with the top fighters.

Oliktalv charged forward, swinging his swords down towards Colben's shoulder. Colben blocked the blow by raising his blade up and kicked the orc away.

"Pathetic," Colben chuckled.

"Shut up!" Oliktalv stabbed forward with one blow.

Colben parried the blade with ease. "Come on. You're already a traitor. Get a little loose."

Oliktalv slashed out with his other sword. "I still serve the Horde!"

Colben ducked. "No. Gotur still serves the Horde!"

"Do not speak of Gotur!"

"We can't just ignore that. He betrayed you. And here I thought you were brothers in arms? Yet, he left you to die. His loyalty lies with the Horde. You're a traitor."

"Stop it!" Oliktalv roared out.

Oliktalv's patience finally reached its limits. He was going to destroy Colben and win the battle. He let his rage consume him and his grip on his swords grows tighter. His vision turns red as he enters a frenzied bloodlust, just as he did against Kargath Bladefist. Colben had finally unleashed the beast.

The battle became a blur for Oliktalv, who struck out against Colben. Even while acting, it was hard to process what happened around him. He struck at his opponent repeatedly. He heard the sound of iron pounding against iron. In the background, Salin called out, although his words were undecipherable. Colben shot back at the referee with his own response and the fight continued.

Yet, as the battle persisted, Oliktalv felt his limbs growing numb. Each attack became harder. He took a deep breath in and summoned up a second burst. He heard something clang away and a grunt from Colben. Then, he felt the hot fire impact against his chest that sent him flying backwards, onto his back. He groaned out in pain and the rage came to an end.

When Oliktalv next opened his eyes, he saw clearly. Colben stood over him and placed a boot over his chest, pinning him down. In one hand, he held another fireball. Oliktalv knew when he was defeated. Yet, in the end, he grinned, knowing how well he did. Colben's other hand remained empty, his sword disarmed during his rage. He forced the veteran to unleash his true power on him. That was a worthy defeat.

"Not bad," Colben taunted. "I'm still better."

"Grah," Oliktalv groaned. "I gave you a good fight at least."

"That you did," Colben looked around the island. "Wait. Where's the flag?"

"Huh?" Salin, who had been distracted by their battle, looked around. "It's missing!"

"Nah, mon," Dal'bin called out. "While Oliktalv was distractin' Colben, Belara slipped in and grabbed da flag. A good strategy."

"What?" Colben gasped. "No. I wanted to win, damn it! I wanted to win and kick Salin's sorry-"

"Victory goes to Will of the Warchief!" Salin shouted, his voice booming out louder than Colben's cursing.

Oliktalv chuckled loudly on the ground. His body was sore and his limits had been pushed. Yet, in the end, when it looked like he was defeated, he had emerged the victor. There was no denying that Colben was his superior in a straight out fight. That much was now clear to him. Yet, skill alone didn't win battles. Teamwork did. Even if he didn't mean it, his rage allowed Belara to win the battle for their team.

"Hey Colben," Oliktalv slowly glanced up. "If you actually relied on Balthar, you might have made it to the finals."

"If I had the saliva for it, I would spit on you right now," Colben scowled, furious.

"How disgusting," Salin laughed. "Oliktalv, do you need time to rest before the final round?"

"That would be appreciated, Salin."

"Then, once you are fully recovered, we shall begin the final match between the Will of the Warchief and Day and Night!"

A/N: Well, I would talk about the poll results here, but no one voted. Eh, not too big of a deal. I did just get back from hiatus. There won't be a poll for the championship round.

Until next time.