Stay the Blade

The small room was thick with the haze of bloodthistle smoke as the three elves sat around the table, a few empty bottles of bourbon on the floor and half filled glasses before them. The dark-haired elf deftly shuffled the deck of cards, taller than the other two and of a build that stated clearly "don't mess with me". The blonde haired elf casually leaned back in his chair, taking a long drag from his bloodthistle smoke as the cards were dealt. The younger dark haired elf drained his glass, refilling it swiftly and topping up the glasses of his companions before picking up his set of cards. The briefest of smirks crossed his face before he remembered just who he was playing against.

"Good hand eh, kid?" smirked Sabien as he put down the remainder of the deck and picked up his hand.

"What? Feck no...was laughing at your dealin' style, you feckin' amateur" replied Arli swiftly with a small scowl.

Kel'dos laughed and picked up his cards; "You should wear a full face mask kid, help you play cards and make it more bearable for us to sit with you".

Arli replied with a suitable two word retort and accompanying hand signal as the friendly banter continued between the three friends. It had been a long time since the three had been able to share a few drinks, smokes and games of cards but they had slipped back into their close friendship as if this was something that happened every week. A few hours, bottles of bourbon and smokes later, Arli announced that this would have to be his last game as he was due back in Arathi the next day so needed to grab at least a couple of hours sleep before heading out.

"Alright, how about we up the stakes then?" asked Kel'dos with a smirk as he shuffled the cards. "Winner takes all". With nods of agreement he shuffled the cards and dealt out the hand.

"Wait..." said Arli with a grin. "Up the stakes...you win you get my bike, I win, you two gotta be Thorns for..like...a month".
Kel'dos and Sabien exchanged a glance.

"Scared eh? Call yourselves feckin' gamblers?" laughed Arli.

Kel'dos looked back at Arli, bristling slightly at the challenge. "You're on, it's got to be worth something as scrap metal if nothing else".

Sabien shook his head slightly, there was a lot of history between Kel and Arli but Kel should know better than to play the kid's games.

"I'm out" said Sab simply. "Not gonna work for some jumped up little git like you" he added with a smile as he refilled his glass.

Arli just laughed and looked back at Kel "Sure you're up for it Kel? Or you gonna act like a scared little girl like Sa-". Arli's words were cut short by a swift kick under the table from Sabien.

"Don't push it kid" added Sabien, draining his glass and winking at Arli.

Arli picked up his cards and scowled as he rubbed his leg "Feck's sake..." he muttered, getting a grin from Sabien as a response.

"Me and you kid, make sure you leave the keys before you walk home" said Kel'dos evenly as he picked up his hand of cards and the game began. Both elves remained expressionless but to Kel'dos surprise, the game was swiftly over with Arli presenting an unbeatable hand.

"You..lucky..little.." said Kel'dos, blinking in disbelief at such a good hand of cards being dealt from the deck.

Arli laughed and gathered up the pile of gold and silver from the table, he'd never been a good winner and took delight in the loss of his friends.

"Here, you'll need this" he said with a grin as he placed a small comms unit in front of Kel'dos. "Thorns use it to keep in touch and go Undercity and tell 'em I sent you and you need a Thorn tabard, you can do that tomorrow....Thorn". Arli laughed as he turned and headed, somewhat unsteadily, for the door - leaving the two elves in stunned silence.

Arli's grin hardly faded on the ride back to Sunwing Spire. He'd outplayed them, neither noticing him swapping his dealt hand of cards for the one he'd had ready in his boot, a hand that would guarantee a win, a win facilitated by Sabien's response to his jibe.
"Feckin amateurs.." he smirked as the gates to the Spire swung open before him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was late afternoon before Arli finally awoke from his drink-fueled slumber. Rolling out of bed he clipped on his comms and headed to the bathroom for a much needed drink of water.

"Hey Thorns" he spoke groggily into his comms; he was supposed to have been in Arathi hours ago. "Had..uh..something to eat that didn't agree with me, or..somethin'"

Among the responses of "Hail Deathmaster" was an unexpected "Hey kid". Arli stopped in his tracks, trying to think through his pounding headache as to just why that voice was on his Thorn comms.

"Kel?"

"Well it's not going to be Sab is it?" came the sharp retort.

Arli's eyes widened with the recollection of the gambling of the night before and of his crazy bet with Kel and Sab. Incredibly funny at the time and it had fueled his ego to get one over on the two pro gamblers but in the cold light of day, well afternoon, it was far from funny

"oh..feck.." he muttered. "Anyone...has Deathmaster Dianthaa been on comms today?". To his relief none had heard of her so far that day. "Right..Kel, get the feck off comms and meet me at Silvermoon gates now!".

"That an order, kid?"

"Feckin' yes, and it's Deathmaster, not kid" snapped Arli, failing to drown out the laughter from the other Thorns on comms as he rushed to get dressed. Fel only knows why he'd made the bet with Kel and Sab of all people - Dia would kill him if she found out that he'd recruited one of the top ones of her most hated list into the Thorn brotherhood, no matter for how long or for what reason. Arli rubbed his forehead to try and ease the pain of his hangover, a pain that would be noting in comparison to what he'd get from Dia if he didn't get Kel off comms and out of Thorn colours before she found out.

Nice! I don't suppose Kel'dos will be in a hurry to leave the Thorns now that he can wind up Arli to his wits' end? >=D

Sab shook his head as he poured a drink "I'm out..." he said as he threw his hand of cards onto the table. He laughed as he watched Kel and Arli square up to each other over their dealt hands. Kel was an adept card player and Arli wasn't a bad player by any means but he lacked the experience to hide a bluff from Kel's experienced eye. "Aye" thought Sab "Kel will no doubt be the owner of another bike by close of play" A splutter of bourbon and a sharply raised eyebrow as Arli smugly laid a winning hand on the baize covered table. Sab and Kel exchanged an incredulous look then looked at a broadly grinning Arli, would it just look like sour grapes if he were to wipe that smug look? "Aye" he thought then shrugged and grinned at Kel as Arli issued orders for Kel to report for thorn duty tomorrow then staggered slightly from the room.

"Lucky little bas..." started Kel then smirked "I'll speak to Chey when I get back, she can have a word with the kid and get it called off"
Sab nodded confident in Chey to pull that off.
"Night mate" said Kel as he headed out.
"Later Kel..."

Sabien wasn't ready to sleep, too awake to crash out, too tired to clean the place up he headed outside planning to call on Leilia, a young elf he had been seeing casually on and off for a little while. He smirked with anticipation at her welcoming him in with open legs er arms.

Sab kicked out at a cat as he walked moodily away from the girls apartment, what was it with females he growled, can't just have a bit of fun..always spoil a good thing with talk of commitment. He headed back towards his apartment, a commotion from the inn drew him in.
A young pandaren was standing in the centre of the floor seemingly arguing with a Sin'Dorei.

"I do not want your attentions I am merely looking for the whereabouts of Xia-eng" he said mildly in halting orcish. He bowed pandaren fashion and turned to leave.
"Not so fast" the drunken Sin'dorei hauled him back and swung a punch wildly. Sab laughed as the punch went wide as the small pandaren feinted deftly and quickly.
The sindorei scowled at Sabien "Find that funny did you?"
Still laughing Sab nodded "Who wouldn't?"
"Yaaargh...." a cry of drunken temper from the other elf and a fist smacked into Sabs face. "Ha, laugh at that then...."
Sab wiggled his jaw and smirked "Ha feckin ha...." before letting a punch fly sending the other elf skittering backwards against the bar. A drunken fist flew towards the pandaren from the stricken elf with a garbled "all your fecking fault..."
With an agility that belied his stocky frame the young pandaren feinted and spun into a powerful roundhouse kick aimed squarely for the elfs temple. Sab leaned back smirking, delighting in what was going to be the other elf's pain. The drunken elf swung wildly again and knocked himself off balance, stumbling to the floor, the pandaren foot continued in its momentum, all Sab heard was hysterical drunken laughter as he sailed across the inn, winded and dazed by the impact of the kick.
Sab shook his head to clear it and looked up at the pandaren, his eyes flashing angrily.
The pandaren bowed contritely and stuttered an apology the best he could in the harsh alien language of the orc.
"I am humbly sorry" he began, Sabien hauled himself to his feet, his hand slipping into the knuckle duster at his belt. "You are going to be sorry you did that.."
"I accept you will have to hit me, I allow this to be so" the pandaren said simply and stood facing Sabien as he bowed low. As the head bowed Sabien struck with an uppercut to the face, the knuckleduster impacting with a sickening crunch. In his drunken state of self righteousness Sabien followed through again and again, ceaselessly pummelling his winded opponent with head and body blows.
Many hands pulled him off, voices calming his fight rage. "Steady on buddy..." "Whoa..easy pal he's had enough..."
Breathing heavily with adrenalin and exertion Sabien calmed down and shrugged off the hands that held him, he looked down at the beaten pandaren who lay gasping at his feet. A final kick which landed heavily on the shoulder of the pandaren and another sickening crunch and Sabien turned and left the inn staggered back to his apartment and fell into bed.

"Sabien" a voice crackled through the coms unit by the bedside and into his fuddled head, stirring him from his drunken sleep. "Sabien around to my place now" Sabien rubbed his head, What did Chey want with him this time of day? He lay back down, he'd go in a moment or two.
"Sabien!" Cheys stern voice again "Which part of now are you not understanding?"

With a heavy sigh Sab dragged himself out of bed, wincing at the dull ache in his upper arm and head. A quick wash and mouthrinse and he hurried to Chey and Kels apartment.

"I'm here..." called Sab as he closed the door behind him and headed to the living room, he stopped suddenly as he entered as on the sofa, bruised and bandaged with his arm in a sling was the pandaren from the night before. He looked from the pandaren then at Chey "Ah...." was all he managed to say.

"Ah indeed" snapped Chey "How could you? What on earth possessed you?"
"Who says it was me?"
Chey gave him a withering look. "Tall, brutish, drunk, swinging fists? who else would it be?"
Sabien shrugged and opened his mouth to retort.
"Don't..just don't" Chey said and Sabien closed his mouth Feck she was in a right mood, pointless trying to speak to her, he'd let her nag for a bit, say sorry then scarper, his head just wasn't up to this today.
"Well?" she said sharply
"Sorry..." muttered Sabien "What's he doing here anyway?" he gestured to the pandaran.
Chey still looked angry. "This is Souchin, the great nephew of Soumyn, he wanted to have a break from their farm so I invited him to stay here for a few days, show him Eversong and our lands ghostlands and such, show him what his people can expect under horde allegiance and all that"
Sabien rolled his eyes.
"You invited him? He was looking for Xia-e...ah" started Sab the copper dropping Xia-Eng, Cheyene. Oh feck was he in trouble.
Chey was on a roll he sighed, she berated him and his alchohol fuelled violent outbursts, he closed his ears and let her rant.
"Souchin tends the farm for his grandfather...broken shoulder...need help....labourer...you...You Sabien will tend their farm until Souchin is well" he vaguely heard her.
"Aye Sorry..." Sab said, thinking it time he made contrition "What!!! no way"
Kel entered the room towelling his hair. "Hey mate"
"Don't Hey mate him..." Chey said and cast Kel a smile "He broke Souchins shoulder..."
"I only kicked him once..." Sab feebly defended himself
"Nice kick mate" Kel nodded as he dried his hair. Chey turned and sent a withering look at Kel, in response Kel busied himself with his towel, sending a smirk in Sabs direction.
"She's sending me to look after the farm til he's better...I ain't going"
Kel burst out laughing.
"Oh you think it's funny do you?" Chey snapped
Kel held up his hands in mock surrender trying to hide a smirk. "Well....Sab in a smock sucking a straw...aye, it's funny, come on love, it was a bar brawl it wasn't Sab's fault..."
Chey rolled her eyes angrily as Kel laughed trying to ease the heavy tension in the room.
"If you think it's so funny you can go with him" Chey retorted.
"What?" Kel was shocked "I er can't..I lost a bet to Arli...I've got to be a Thorn for a month, or until you speak to him and get him to call it off..."
Chey nodded at Kel and turned back to Sabien "I suggest you go home and get a few things together, you'll leave tonight"
Kel laughed again, Chey looked hard at him. "And you Kel'dos, have made your bed, you can lie in it, now hurry up you'll be late for your deathmaster..."
"Like feck I will..." Sab snarled "Fel..that feckin old panda should have left you where you were..." Sab closed his eyes as the words left his mouth and he knew he was going to Pandaria.


He flung a few things in a backpack, cursing all the while., he picked up the playing cards from the table and deftly counted them into a stack, checking all suits were complete. "Six aces?" he counted again and soon realised that the extra cards he had were the same as those in Arli's winning hand. "The feckin little git..." Sab had to laugh, give the kid his due there, he'd fleeced them well and truly. He scooped the extra cards into their hand and put them in his breast pocket. He wasn't going to smack Arli for it, he deserved the kudos for pulling it off, better players than him had failed before, but he would make a point of handing Arli his cards back, just to let the little git know that he was rumbled and he wouldnt get the chance to do it again.
With a resigned sigh he shouldered his pack and headed out.

A collab eh? Interesting to see how this'll turn out

"Thought I'd find you here" said Sab placing a bourbon in front of Arli as he took a seat. "There you go kid"
Arli looked up with mild surprise. "Hey Sab..." he answered "..and thanks".
Arli took a sip of the drink. "You were looking for me?"
"Aye kinda..."
Arli raised an eyebrow questioningly. Sab laughed. The kid's face was so readable at times.
"Seen Kel?" asked Sabien
Arli shook his head "Not for a while" then laughed wryly "That was one crazy bet..."
Sab joined the laughter, "Aye..crazy night afterwards too" and Sabien explained the fight, Chey's anger and his subsequent "punishment detail" to Pandaria.
"Honestly mate its a piece of scrubland in the arse end of nowhere.. the old geezer has me hauling rocks like a freakin kodo..."
Arli laughed "I got a bit on land in the valley, use it to grow erm..herbs"
"Talking of herbs..." Sabien smirked as he rolled a thistle smoke and lit it, inhaling deeply with a satisfied sigh. He passed it to Arli then rolled another. They smoked in silence for a moment.
"Five card stud?" said Sab finally, taking a pack of cards from his pouch. Arli nodded.
"Sure youre up to another loss?" he laughed. "Feckin amateur..."
"Oh I'm sure I can pull a winning hand from somewhere..." Sab replied with a half smile that for some reason chilled Arli.
"No cheatin..." grinned Arli
Sab laughed then looked serious. "I'm a lot of things kid...but I don't cheat at the table..especially not with a buddy, we got to be able to trust our buddies, can't trust em at cards can't trust them at anything...." he let the sentence hang watching Arli's face for reaction. He smirked to himself as Arli nodded lamely and reddened slightly. "Come on kid you deal...I'll give you some tips."
Sabiens tips on counting cards using a high to low ratio of the deal seemed to improve Arli's game, soon he had a fair sized stack of Sab's gold.
"Told you you were an amateur" gloated Arli as he pulled another winning pot to his side of the table.
Sabien looked at Arli over his hand of cards. "Thats right kid...keep it up..."
Arli laughed and smirked slightly as he looked at yet another dealt good hand. Sab grinned to himself as he played his card.
"Lucky bastard" Sab affected a sigh as he threw in his hand.
Arli raked the pot.
"Ok then" said Sab "One more hand...winner takes all...you win you get my bike...if I win you work the farm for ..like a month"
Arli looked across at Sab who sat lounging in the chair, he couldn't explain the feeling that something wasn't right.
Sab raised a brow and gave a half grin "Scared?"
Arli bristled then forced a laugh "Scared...of the way youre playing? I'm in"
"Good kid..."
Sabien dealt the last hand, laid the deck down and looked at his cards, his face impassive as he watched Arli watching him. Arli's face struggling to hide a relieved smile as he looked at his nearly full house.
"Call" said Sabien at last after a fairly tense silence.
Arli laid his cards out with a triumphant grin "Mine I think" he laughed
Sabien laid his winning hand on the table. Arli looked at the hand then in disbelief at Sab's coldly smiling face.
"Well what do you know...." exclaimed Sab almost sarcastically "Look kid..it's the same hand as you drew at my place..now what are the chances of that do you think?"
Arli's face drained of colour and he forced a strangled laugh. "Ha.. weird huh....?" he muttered lamely as he swallowed hard. "Oh feck" he mouthed silently.
Sab cocked his head and looked at Arli "Nothin to say Kid?"
"Bout what?" replied Arli pulling himself together, deciding playing ignorant was the best tactic to hopefully avoid a pumelling at the end of those hamshanks Sab called fists. Sab shrugged and started to rise from the chair, sitting down again with a laugh at the look of trepidation that fleetingly crossed Arli's face. Arli against his better judgement scowled. "You startled me was all...and I gotta go...thorn business y'know"
"Sit down kid..I aint gonna smack you" Sab nodded to the chair and Arli slowly sat, his eyes never leaving Sab.
"You ain't?"
Sab shook his head "Hats off to you kid for pulling it off" he laughed. Arli all but deflated with relief and sat down. "But I meant what I said..we don't cheat as friends..we need that trust" Arli reddened and nodded slowly. Sab smirked, good the kid looked ashamed, although if he knew Arli it was probably more relief than remorse and only sorry that he got caught. Sabien looked thoughtful "Yeah go on " he said to himself "Lay it on thick" he smirked again. "Thought you more than others would understand that...being a Blade in the day..and with Thorns..you know...fraternity and loyalty..."
Arli nodded "I'm real sorry Sab..."
"Aye well its done now"
Arli looked up and grinned. "So it's ok..I can keep my bike?"
Sab looked at him and blinked before bursting out laughing
"Aye kid you can keep your bike..."

Then serious again, Sab looked at Arli.
"But listen up kid and listen good...you ever...and I mean ever...pull a stunt like that again and you'll end up at the bottom of the nearest river. We clear? I like you kid and I really don't want to be the one to kill you...""

Then rising he flashed a grin as he scooped the gold from the table and into his pouch, raising an eyebrow at Arli's scowl and the hastily silenced "Hey..I won..."
Sab laughed and patted Arli's cheek. "See you kid"

Muttering sulkily under his breath Arli rose and headed out the inn.

"This is it?" Sabien looked around the field of weeds, rocks and assorted rubbish. "Chey said it was a farm not a flamin goblin slum"
The old pandaren bowed low and chuckled softly. "And so it will be, my son had great dreams for this land, for his future and for the future of his children, alas he was taken from us before his dreams were met, now his son wishes to do what his father couldn't. We are indebted to you for the help you have offered..."
"Offered...my arse..." Sab grumbled to himself.
The pandaren cocked his head and looked at Sabien with a slight frown of concern and gestured to a house on stilts.
"You may use the house as your own whilst you work for us"
Sab nodded and climbed the steps.
"It's a feckin shit-tip" he scowled as he looked around the single room filled with more broken farm equipment, sacks of supplies and little else. "Thought my place was bad..." he threw his pack onto the floor.


Sab took a long swig from a bottle of water and wiped his sweating face on his sleeve. He'd long ago given up cursing Chey and muttering profanities took too much effort, he found he needed every ounce of stamina he had for the gruelling task of clearing the land and breaking the boulders that littered the place. With the old worn equipment at his disposal, this was gonna take feckin weeks before the ground was even fit to be dug over and then planted. He'd tried asking the locals in the marketplace to see if he could get new tools, no luck, they were a suspicious lot and seemed to have an inherent mistrust of strangers, they had said however that if he proved himself to be trustworthy they would be willing to assist him and to do business. He'd turned and strode away cursing Chey while he still had the breath to do so.

"Oooh aren't you strong" gasped a female voice behind him one day as he swung the pick-axe at the last remaining boulder.
"What the...?" he started and as the axe shattered the rock he turned to see a small panadren, hardly more than a child, staring up at him with wide eyes.
She smiled and wrinkled her nose. "My sister says would you like some bread and meat?" and she held aloft a squashed packet. "It's gone squishy cos I had it in my pocket when I fell over..."
He looked at the packet for a moment before taking it from her with what passed as a smile. "Thanks kid..."
He sat down and leaned against the remnants of the rock, the child stood and watched.He cocked his head "What?" he asked tersely "You want money for it?"
The girl shook her head.
"Then?"
Sab shrugged and tucked in the the contents of the packet. As he ate his eye caught a large mound of soft earth revealed by the boulder, a glint of green poking through. Reaching out he raked his hand through the soil and pulled out a greenish but dirty ornament of some kind. Putting the food down he carefully wiped the object, a cat..carved from solid jade.
"Heavy and worth a fortune" he smirked. No way was he telling anyone about this, finders keepers and all that. The child looked at him then at the statuette. "Oooh isn't it pretty?"
"Aye" grinned Sabien "mighty fine piece" He tucked it behind the rock for now and continued to eat.
"What?" he snapped at the girl as she flopped down beside him.
"Whats your name? Why have you got such long ears?Where are you from?Why are you...?"she babbled looking up at his now annoyed face.
"Do you never shut up kid?" he snapped
She laughed and shook her head "My grannie says I'm a chatterbox..."
"Aye.."
"Do you come from a long way away?did you get sick when you travelled? I always get..."
"Shut up kid...go on feck off..."
The girl closed her mouth and her lip quivered as she clambered to her feet.She walked away slowly with her head down "Sorry mister if I made you cross..."
Sabien for some unknown reason suddenly felt like a heel, it was one thing to be terse and his surly self with the likes of those he mixed with but this was a kid and pandaren too, if Chey found out he'd made one cry....
"Hey kid...it's ok..thanks for the food"
The girl looked over her shoulder and smiled a little.
"Here.." said Sab before he had time to rationalise his actions "You can have this" and offered the jade cat she had admired.
Her face lit up and she ran up to him and hugged his leg.
"Alright kid..enough of that huh? just go tell your sister thanks for the food" he sighed as he extracted himself from the girls leeching hug.

Things changed from then, the people seemed to warm more towards him and every day that passed saw the townsfolk dropping off food and supplies for him, cool cotton clothes and a pandaren style hat., which he reluctantly wore to keep the merciless sun off his head as he toiled with ploughing and planting. The work was endless he found himself building pens for the livestock the villagers insisted he had. He slowly became accustomed to the people and their ways, smirking to himself where once he would have grumbled, laughing instead of scowling at the adolescent girls that giggled when he removed his shirt. But feck, the work was hard, the inn was dry and he missed Silvermoon.

"Hey Mate how you doing?" Kel's voice on his coms.
"Kel..hey, what you doing in Pandaria?" replied Sab glad to hear his friend after weeks of silence. The coms units not functioning as independent units when on a different continent.
"Contracts while Chey visits old man Soumyn" laughed Kel. "How's life on the farm?"
They bantered for a while, Kel poking gentle harmless fun at Sab's circumstances. Sab laughing and poking back with comments about Harpy Chey.
"Won't be a sec Kel, Miss Fi-fi up to her tricks again, best see to her..." Sab said as he dashed across to tend the kodo that had wandered into his fencing.
"Perks huh?" laughed Kel "Turn coms off, don't want to hear you "sorting her out".
"Funny!" said Sab breathlessly.


The windrider circled the farm once then landed in the centre of the crop field.
"OI!" Sabs angry voice shouted across from the next field. "Get that off my feckin cabbages..." he charged across the distance, coming to an abrupt halt as Kel alighted from the beast and promptly fell about laughing. "What the feck are you wearing?" he chortled as he flicked the coolie hat. "And cabbages? what the fel is that about?you gone all gamekeeper...?"
"Shut it Kel" Sab growled
"Or what?" laughed Kel "Throw a melon at me?"
Sabien scowled and clenched his fist, Kel was riding for a punch if he didn't shut up.
Kel stopped laughing abruptly as a large kodo barrelled towards them, "Jump!" he yelled to Sab.
Sab turned to face the beast and stood waving his arms "Stop you stupid creature..." it slowed but still came on.
Kel had leapt onto his windrider and poised for take off held a hand out to Sab "Quick mate.."
The kodo trundled to a halt and started to graze on the cabbages.
Sab aimed a kick at its flank "Piss off back to your field Miss Fi-fi"
Kel slid off his rider, bent almost double and eyes moist with laughter.
"That's Miss Fi-Fi?" he gasped "I presumed...I mean...ha ha ha ha...."
"Ok ok Kel thats enough not funny anymore!" Sab snarled "Your wife that stuck me here.. just doing as she ordered."
"Oh mate.." Kel couldn't speak for chuckling, the angrier and more agitated Sab became, Kel couldn't help himself and ruthlessly ribbed Sabien about his new lifestyle.
"Right thats it!" hollered Sab "I'm gonna feckin shut you up"
Kel smirked.
"You won't find it as easy as last time mate, Ive trained a lot since then, a lot fitter and quicker now, you'll not get me again" replied Kel.
"Aye well, couldnt give a shit mate, if I lose I lose but at least I'll have had the satisfaction on breaking that arrogant nose..."
"In your dreams Sab" Snorted Kel "Reckon you've gone a bit soft"
"Yeah?" growled Sab
"Aye" smirked Kel.
A moments silence as they eyed each other. "Shall we settle it then?" grinned Sab.
Kel grinned back "Thought you were never going to rise"
They laughed. It had been a while since the two of them had faced off in a fight and Sab found he was looking forward to it, wanted to test his mettle after so long just labouring.
"Same rules?"
Sab gave a curt nod and they faced one another. Sab threw the first punch, Kel easily dodging the incoming fist and countering with a low punch aimed for Sabs gut, Sab deflecting it with his other hand. This was customary for them, a few free punches thrown, not expecting to hit, more testing the opponents reflexes and possible strategy. Sab knew from the countless fights he'd had with Kel that he could send Kel reeling with a heavy well aimed punch, but feck getting the slippery git still long enough to land a good one was another matter. Sab knew Kel had an agility he could never even hope to rival, quick on his feet and lightning with his hands, his best way to beat Kel was to either grind the little fecker down then wallop him five or six or try to dummy him and catch him off-guard. Sab also knew that Kel knew he knew this, it was gonna be a good but tough fight.

Kel eyed the bigger heavier Sab and knew his best chance to defeat Sab was to keep moving, Sab for all his power with his punches, wasn't particularly nimble he tended to take a stance and power punch from the body. Kel knew to dive in, punch and get out of reach of Sabs left hand was crucial. He also knew that Sab knew he knew. However confident he could snatch a win as he had been training a lot more than usual and was fitter and quicker than he'd ever been. Sab he felt would be a little out of condition and practice after just farming for feck knows how long.

Kel feinted to the right as Sab threw another punch, then quickly back to the left as he realised Sab had thrown a dummy left and followed through with his right, it caught Kel slightly unawares and the blow glanced off his cheek. He dropped and rolled as he saw Sab throw another. Springing to his feet he leapt forward and struck a short but hard punch to Sabs jaw, before ducking and dodging Sabs retaliatory swing. Kel laughed. "Feckin pussy", and puched up and hard from his ducked position catching Sab in the abdomen. A soft oof from Sab. Kels knuckles hurt, feck Sabs gut was rock solid...he glanced up and saw Sabs fist a second too late, it hit hard and knocked him back, straight into a roll and up on his feet, Sabs follow through cracking the air.
"Owwwwww...." Kel cried out and Sab pulled up short, looking to Kel, aye his punch had been hard but not enough to make the git cry. A trick? Nah not Kels style.
"You're horrible..." came a shrill angry if somewhat tearful childs voice. "You leave Saybyen alone or I'll kick you...."
Sab looked at Ellie the little pandaren who brought him his lunch everyday, her teeth sunk into Kels hand.
"Ellie..." said Sab
The girl looked at Sab and released Kels hand from her teeth.
Kel raised his hand "Feckin brat..."
Ellie ran and hid behind Sab's legs. "I don't like you..." she yelled at Kel.
"Gutted" responded Kel dryly, before looking at Sab and laughing. "Getting little girls to fight for you now? tell you mate, youre going soft".
"Ellie go home, this is just a friend of mine." Sab said gently pushing the child towards the gate.
Sab grinned at Kel. "Shall we?" he asked before throwing another punch. Kel dodged and laughed "Aye"

Smiles and camaraderie dropped, the two squared up to each other, Sab taking a solid stance, his left hand curling into a fist, Kel poised on the balls of his feet ready to feint away from the punch, bluff? should he feint right anticipating a straight blow or duck left? Sab had before now coiled a left fist then struck with his right. Hard to tell, Sab was a left handed puncher by nature natural for him to curl the left hand. Sab smirked as he read Kels face. The left hand raised, Kel feinted right then ducked, Sabs left hand sailed through air but a low uppercut followed immediately catching Kel squarely as he ducked and sent him sprawling into the dirt. A handful of soil wildly thrown in Sabs direction, not hitting but causing Sab to stop and veer bought him the split second he needed to roll and spring to his feet.
"Damn the little git" thought Sab.
Sab sprinted and leapt the distance between them punching from the waist as he did so, Kel parried and both blows struck, Sabs hitting Kel on the shoulder while Kels smacked soundly under Sabs chin. The fight was on.
Punches and kicks ensued, a good few of Sabs falling short as Kel ducked and dived, those that did impact however sent Kel reeling.
"Youre losing it" laughed Kel slightly breathlessly.
Sab growled a response. "Thats it Kel..get cocky and I got you..." he thought.
Kel hopped from foot to foot an arms length from Sab. "Come on then farmer boy...." he goaded."Come on mate lose your temper and I got you..." he added silently.

More blows followed, the peaceful afternoon silence broken by the crack of knuckles and the grunts of exertion from the two elves brawling.
Sab let fly a wild blow which Kel easily dodged, the momentum carrying Sab onwards and he fell to the floor. Kel, losing no time leapt onto Sab as he got to his feet, striking a blow towards his head. Sab grabbed Kels wrist and yanked his arm. He grinned.
"Gotcha you slippery little twat...." and as he pulled Kel, he let fly with his left fist. Kel saw the arm tense, saw the immense bicep under the shirt, and braced for the blow. It hit squarely and hard on the face, blood spurted from Kels nose. Sab held onto Kels wrist as he reeled, pulling him back towards him to meet again with the fist. Kel lashed out as he fell backwards, and hit Sab in the solar plexus. Sab lurched forward with a winded groan and released Kel from his grip. Both elves slumped to the ground,
"Had enough yet?" gasped Sab
"Why? Have you?" groaned Kel.
"As if..."
"Well then..."
Both scrambled to their knees and faced each other fists clenched. A few blows were exchanged none of them particularly effective. Both tired and beaten, neither prepared to be the first to yield.

"Saybyen" called Ellie as she ran into the field followed by a few menfolk brandishing tools. All halted as they saw the two elves kneeling facing each other trading punches that were getting weaker by the blow. Both swayed slightly, their expressions grim and determined as they tried to keep upright.
"Oh for goodness sake Ellie..." came an exasperated female voice "He's not being killed at all...he's fighting....or trying to"
"Break it up lads" said a male moving in towards them, backing off as both turned and snarled a "No, piss off..." and went back to their fight, now more of a wrestling match, Sab held Kels head under his arm and was about to punch his face, Kel was raining blows at Sabs stomach, raising his elbow to try and block the incoming punch that would end the fight.
A sigh from the female, both were vaguely aware of her footsteps passing them as she flicked the lever on the sprinkler system. A jet of cold water soaked the two elves and they sprang apart. "What the....?"
"Now behave!" said the woman and walked away.
Kel and Sab looked at her retreating back then at each other.
"Drink?"
"Aye.."
Using each other as props they hauled themselves up.
"Not bad mate" said Sab "You werent wrong when you said youve been training"
Kel nodded "And your work..bloody hell, youve got muscles like feckin rocks"
They clapped each other on the back and walked towards Sabs hut.

"Indeed they are a strange race..." sighed the pandaren "If thats how they greet their friends..."