The lord let out a short laugh, his face filled with complete confidence.
"Don't misunderstand me," he said. "I have no interest in winning through numbers alone. Overwhelming a handful of nobodies with an army wouldn't even make for a story worth telling."
"How thoughtful of you," Atlas replied.
"Four against four," the lord continued, completely ignoring him. "Your strongest four against my strongest four. One fighter at a time. The first side to lose all four loses everything. Your people leave this island and never return."
Atlas stayed silent for a moment.
"He's already decided we'll lose."
It was obvious from the way the man spoke. Like he was patiently explaining the rules of a game to a child who never had any real chance of winning.
Four against four. No advantage in numbers. No stain on his precious pride when he crushed them in a clean victory.
