I jumped to my feet and turned around to face who had just called out. I saw a guy in full armour, with a mace on his belt and a shield on his back, standing a few meters away from us. "What do you want?" I shouted at him. Karla had pressed herself against the tree to avoid being seen. "I'm looking for a few good men, who know how to fight." replied the guy. "What for?" I asked. "I'll tell you only if you show me what you can do." he said.

He went through his menu. *bing* a popup window appeared: "Ironfist has requested a duel." "I don't want to duel anyone. The last guy that wanted to duel me turned out to be bad news." I said as I refused the request. An awkward silence fell between us. This was not going as he had planned and I was in no mood to play games. I heard the sound of armor and weapons being equipped.

"I'll duel you!" Karla said stepping from behind the tree, decked out in her armour and her katana hanging from her belt. I turned to Karla to ask what she was doing but she gave me a look that told me to just shut up. I raised my hands at chest level and submitted to her wishes stepping back to give her some room. She stood tall, a hand on the hilt of her katana and her eyes fixated on Ironfist. He raised an eyebrow at this challenge and eyed her equipment, assessing her strength.

"Very well then." Ironfist said and sent a duel request to Karla. The fifteen second timer started counting down as Karla accepted the duel. Ironfist grabbed his mace and shield and fidgeted to adjust them. He positioned his shield just below eye level and held his mace ready to strike. Karla moved her left foot back, and unsheathed her katana with deliberate steadiness and precision. She held it in front of her, pointed at her opponent, her eyes never leaving him. He gulped, unsure now of his choice of combatant.

At zero, Ironfist leaped at Karla attempting to slam her down with his mace. Karla dodged the attack and it only hit air. He swung his shield arm to try to knock her to the ground. Missing once again as Karla stepped away. Karla retaliated with a double slash attack directed at his chest. He managed to get his shield back in position in time to block her attack. They both stepped back for a moment, eyeing each other like cats. I could see the weapons glow as the sword skills activated.

The attacks came simultaneously: swings, stabs and blocks in rapid succession. It was hard to follow and hard to tell who had the upper hand. The two separated momentarily and red shards of light could be seen on both opponents. Karla had sustained a hit to the right thigh and left shoulder. Iron claw had a cross shaped gash in the face and a stab on the chest. That's all I got to see in that brief moment before they clashed again.

I was captivated by the battle and impressed that Karla was giving this guy a hard time. If Karla maintained her focus she might just win it. She would just have to avoid his strength attacks to do so. Ironfist for his part wasn't letting himself get beaten. He was effective with the shield and could deliver a powerful blow with that mace of his. They seemed evenly matched even considering that Ironfist's equipment placed him at least two levels above hers.

Without warning, Ironfist managed a brutal attack that Karla wasn't quick enough to dodge. It hit her squarely in the chest and sent her sliding through the dust on her back. Ironfist seized the opportunity and pounced through the air, slamming his mace down hard. The action stopped and for a moment nothing happened. A blow like that could definitely put an end to a duel. I heard someone shout "Resign!". But surprisingly it wasn't Karla who was resigning.

The dust cleared and I understood: Ironfist's attack, as powerful as it had been, had hit dirt. At the last minute Karla had rolled away from the blow and managed to thrust her katana upwards. Ironfist received it squarely in the chest. It was too much for him and he gave up. "Karla, you won! That was amazing!" I said as I ran to her. I offered my hand and helped her up. "Remind me never to duel you." I said mockingly as I handed her a health potion.

I turned to Ironfist and reluctantly offered him a health potion also. "Thanks, but it's not necessary: I've go my own. But I do appreciate the gesture." he said as he reached into a belt pouch. Karla sheathed her katana in one graceful movement and dusted herself off. "Now. I hope I've demonstrated our ability to fight. And shown you that some of the 'women' are just as capable as the 'men' you're looking for. I think you owe us an explanation for all this, who you are, and what it is that you want." Karla pressed Ironfist. At this Ironfist stood up and bowed.

"For starters, please accept my apology for not explaining my intentions and I meant no disrespect when I said 'a few good men'. But I have no regrets; that was one of the best duels I've had since the game started." he said. The compliment sounded genuine and I felt that Karla appreciated it. "My name is Ironfist. I'm a member of the Brutal Knights Guild. I've been tasked to select capable warriors, like yourselves, and invite them to come to a meeting to discuss a proposal. I can't give you more details about it right now, but you are the type of people we're looking for. The meeting will be held in about two hours in one of the rooms of the keep. I hope to see you there." Ironfist concluded. He saluted us and left.

"That was a bit odd and mysterious. I can't tell what it is he wants exactly but I am curious. What do you think?" I asked Karla. "I think he ruined our picnic." she said, standing with her hands on her hips looking at the spot where it had been. "Not for me. I enjoyed the after dinner entertainment. You sure put on a good show." I joked. "Oh stop it." Karla said, brushing me off. I wasn't entirely joking and by the colour of Karla's cheeks, she accepted my concealed compliment.

"Ok. Let's find out what this Ironfist fellow wants. I don't think he has any evil motives or anything. It's not like we've agreed to anything yet. I said I was ready and I meant it. He might offer us something we want anyway." Karla said. "I guess it's decided then." I agreed. "We have at least an hour before the meeting, is there anything you'd like to do in the meantime?" I asked. "Let's go for a walk." she suggested. "To go where?" I asked. She turned to me, rolled her eyes, and with slight frustration said

"Just walk with me."