Elric stepped up to the "Hunter's Challenge" stall, the wood of the counter polished smooth by the hands of a thousand hopeful commoners. Beside him, Herschel nudged his shoulder with a mischievous glint in his eyes that usually preceded a disaster. It wasn't the usual bow and arrow this time; it was a game of precision using weighted Southern throwing daggers, their blades etched with faint, decorative swirls.
"Don't tell me the Duke of the North is afraid of a little balanced steel," Herschel teased, picking up a blade and spinning it expertly around his thumb before catching it by the hilt. "I know you Northerners prefer axes big enough to fell a tree, but surely you can handle a lady's toy like this."
