"What did you say they were doing?" Konrad Curze asked incredulously.
Fer Zalost fell silent for a long while, then lowered his head and told his primarch, "They are, um, dueling with Kael Lohars."
"..."
Konrad Curze also fell silent for a moment, but his first words were not a request for details. They were a correction.
"Don't call him 'my lord,' or attach any honorific to that name, Fer. Just address him the way I do—Kael, Lohars. In any case, don't call him 'my lord.'"
"...Understood, Primarch." Fer nodded in confusion.
Curze took a deep breath and rose from behind his seat.
Forty minutes earlier, he had fulfilled his vow. He had successfully memorized the name of every warrior in the Eighth Legion. It was an impressive feat, but to him, it was nothing at all.
And after that, not a single person from the Eighth Legion had pushed open that door again.
So, it was fair to say that when Konrad Curze saw Fer Zalost walk in, he had actually been somewhat pleasantly surprised.
He had simply never imagined that the surprise would turn into a shock so quickly.
"A duel?"
As he walked out the door, he turned and questioned Fer. He had already taken the time to study Nightfall's detailed map and commit every detail firmly to memory. He needed no guide.
"What exactly happened?" he asked.
The former Third Company Captain of the Eighth Legion hurried to keep pace with his primarch and began explaining in a low voice. "It was supposedly Kael's suggestion in the first place."
"At first, it was only hand-to-hand combat, but it quickly developed into free fighting with ground techniques. Now it has even turned into an armed fight, Primarch."
"So it isn't actually a duel?" Curze pressed, temporarily ignoring