“Idril never really payed attention to press. He was part of the mighty Warrior team and cared less for any opinions from outside. But this time it was somewhat different: for the second time, he had scored twice and played well, but unlike last time, the Warriors had not won. They gave away a confortable 3-1 advantage to draw in the dying seconds of the match. The press reports were brutal: how come the mighty Warriors let such a game slip away? He, just as the rest, knew the answer: they showed compassion. They were weakened by the sight of their opponent. Members of the same race, with the same blood lines and maybe even related. The ref was on their side, for the complete game, but they were soft and didn't gain advantage from that. And that cost them the win and maybe even a Warrior, since Maeglin was permanently injured in a blokc that may have been prevented.

He and the rest had learnt a lesson but paid dearly. Next game, it was 10 Warriors. Again.”