Kaden and Sahl spent the rest of the evening tweaking the system for delivering essence directly to the Karo Shar's heart. All in preparation for the next day's appointment with Princess Lyla in the palace arena. After some intense work, they had crudely managed to mount it securely, if not crudely, to the inside of his warrior's breastplate.

To the tip of the singular tube near the left shoulder, Sahl had managed to fasten a small container consisting of the most minute amount of Rage. Sahl had pulled it from still moments before Kaden had left to meet the princess. It was all they had been able to produce on short notice.

The container he'd used to hold the fresh essence was nothing more than a discarded silver bead from a necklace that had the smallest of holes drilled through it. But, with its ends capped, it severed the intended purpose. Although they hadn't tested the means of delivery, Kaden figured his sparing session with the princess would be as good of a time as any to do so.

"You're late," Princess Lyla complained as Kaden strode onto the dirt floor. She stood in the middle of the arena in her Sava Warrioress armor. "I don't like being made to wait."

"Apologies." Kaden added a bow. He wanted her to buy in to what he was about to propose, and he figured showing a bit of humility before her might help with that. "I was busy."

"Not an excuse," she snapped. Then she considered the size of his arms which were definitely larger than even yesterday, although they had decreased in size from what they had been while at his father's old shop and during his first test. "You look like you've been up to something. I don't know anyone who would put on that much muscle in a day."

"That's something I want to talk to you about. I think I've come up with a way to increase my strength, speed, stamina, and other attributes more effectively that sniffing the vapor of Rage."

"Oh? Have you now?"

"Well, it still involves using Rage. But with a more efficient and direct delivery system. I was wondering if you'd help me test it out in actual combat?" Kaden paused, hoping for a response that did not come. "I'm nearly positive that you'll be able to still kick my ass," he added. "But what I want you to do is gauge what you think the results are. As a trained warrior."

"Training is best done without enhancement." There was not amusement or hint of acquiescence in the princess's voice.

"I understand that. I just want to give the idea I've come up with a full test. And who better to test it against than perhaps the best warrior in all of Ison?"

The princess cocked herself sideway, a bit of pride beaming from her. "If you fought half as well as you sweat talk me, you'd be in my bed this evening."

"Honestly, I'll worry your bed later. Right now, I want to test this thing. Do you accept?"

"I accept." The princess drew her swords and stood defiantly. "Whenever you're ready, Karo Shar."

Kaden cleared his throat. He punched the location on his armor where the reservoir of rage was concealed and trying to break open the seal on the bead. Nothing happened. Embarrassed, and dealing with princess's annoyance, Kaden blushed and struck it again. This time, although it took a moment, the bead released its contents and Kaden felt the Rage as it touched his heart, his body tensing and his strength swelling.

Not nearly to such heights as before, but that was to be expected. It was a fraction of a fraction of a dose. But Kaden could tell that the sensation flowing through him was on par with he had experienced when he'd breathed a full dose of vaporous Rage. His muscles bulged, once more reacting to being fed the raw emotion, and he drew the Rohs Fang from his back.

"All right," he said. "Don't take it easy on me. As I said, I want to give this theory a real test."

"If that is what you desire, Karo Shar," Princess Lyla replied, and sprung at him.

There was no doubt that she was not holding back as much today as she started in and slashed at Kaden. But, what was also clear, was that the young man who was an unlikely Karo Shar to the Prince of Ison maintained his ground. His body fed off the energy he had just taken in and it allowed him to meet her on nearly equal footing as his mind calculated and supplemented his lack of professional training in fighting.

He didn't just parry her blows. No. He also attacked. And did so effectively. Back and forth they went, steel ringing, strikes blocked, and bodies twisting and dancing.

Kaden didn't know how he was doing it. It was simply his body, his instincts, pulling his strings as though he were a puppet. But everything seemed so clear. And to some extent he felt in control. It was like he could predict the princess's next responses to his every move.

Very early on in the bought between them, his muscles tensing and relaxing as though he'd been trained as warrior all his life, Kaden could tell Princess Lyla was not pleased. But it was a displeasure, Kaden could tell, at her own prowess, not his.

Each of the warriors grunted as they hurled what should have been devastating blows down on the other. But each was met by an equally furious counter. Tables turned numerous times between them, never allowing one to gain the advantage for long as each quickly broke into a profuse sweat under the suns in the sky above, roasting the desert and all within it.

Kaden, having started out with his Rohs Fangs as a single unit, soon had the two halves disconnected and was using them as the princess used her pair of swords. The one thing that Kaden noted as obvious was the woman he was to marry, this profoundly efficient warrior, was now beyond frustrated.

He didn't need her to utter a single a single word to recognize that his impression was true. And he doubted her pride would allow her to ever admit such. Still, he could tell with absolute certainty that she was holding back. Perhaps fearing that if she didn't, and unleashed her full might, she might hurt him?

Kaden had to make sure the princess wouldn't hold back against him any longer.

"I'm surprised I've lasted this long against you," Kaden said. "I figured you'd have taken me down by now."

Their warrior's ballet continued.

"Who says I'm not holding back?" the princess snarled at him between strokes of steel. "I don't want to permanently hurt you, my future husband."

His concern confirmed, Kaden knew what he needed to do next. "If you hold back, this is for naught. I will not know my limits."

"What you're doing is rather impressive."

Princess Lyla tried the same tactic Prince Relastin had once attempted, and swept for Kaden's leg. The Karo Shar avoided it, leaping above it, and somersaulting in midair towards his right and out of harm's way.

The princess smiled at the display, but gave him no reprieve and was on him again. "What size dose did you take?" she asked in the heat of their battle.

She dropped her hesitation in using her full skill. The wall protecting Kaden from her full and furious onslaught was soon dropped like a curtain before a performance.

Kaden fended her off as the princess began to gain the advantage more often than not. "One five-hundredth of a stone," Kaden replied, blocking a sword strike with the bladed end of his weapon behind his back before twisting and using the forked half to derail another. "Give or take."

"Impressive. And it was fed directly towards your heart?"

"Yes."

"And how did you arrive at that philosophy?" Her talking mixed seamlessly with her fighting.

"Well, I just remembered what it felt like when Touran applied one his salves directly into the wound." Kaden blocked another blow that was meant to take him down. "He told me there were traces of essences in them. And they seemed to have a greater effect than when one breathes them in as vapors. So I tried it."

More clashing and clanging of their weapons ensued. Despite the princess finding yet another level to take their combat to, Kaden was not yielding to her.

"How long do you think you can keep this up?" the princess asked as her breathing grew more weighty.

Kaden could tell she wasn't exhausting herself, but she was exerting herself greatly. "I don't know," Kaden admitted. "How bout you?" he asked her with a quirk and a smile.

"I will not tire before you," she boasted.

"That, I don't doubt. It's just, I'm so impressed by how well trained you are, and your superb conditioning. Without Rage fueling me, I've have tired long ago."

The compliment obviously pleased the princess. "Well, thank you. And know this, Karo Shar, my conditioning will pay dividends in other endeavors as well. Ones more pleasurable than this, I assure you."

"I always thought warriors like yourself found their greatest pleasure in fighting."

"Trust me when I say, that I do find pleasure in the fight," the princess said. She came down on him with both swords. Kaden blocked in with the crossed shafts of his weapons. And they stood at a stalemate. "But, I take greater enjoyment in the pleasures of the flesh. Don't you? Don't you find your time with Hernah a satisfying indulgence of your time? More so than this? I know she does. She can't stop talking about how pleasurable each time you touch her is."

"Does that bother you?" Kaden dared to ask as he pushed away, not certain he should have delved into such a sensitive topic. And definitely unsure of how the princess would react as they continued their battle.

"Yes," she told him. "It does."

"Why?"

They crossed blade for a second, stared deeply into each other's eyes, then pushed away and separated again.

"Because, you're mine." The mere words and the thought masked behind them drove the princess to another level entirely.

Kaden was now unable to do anything but block her anger fueled strikes. Blows that he had drawn out of her. She fought as though she had a full dose of rage freshly within her. And Kaden could not overcome it as she twisted and twirled faster than the desert wind.

Not more than ten strokes of her swords later, Princess Lyla broke through his defenses. But her strikes, even as they bit, one into his left arm and the other slicing his urk and into his right leg, were still withheld from what Kaden knew could have been their full force and effect. They were more like the cuts of a surgeon.

Even through the pain, Kaden wouldn't relinquish his weapons, holding on to them like they were life itself.

"Good!" the princess crowed with a smile, even as Kaden was able to once more find the means within him to begin blocking her continued blows once more. And as the wounds trickled hints of blood. "Never give up in a battle!"

She struck for him with a furious flurry of blows. Kaden was only barely able to keep up. And then, suddenly, it was over.

Kaden didn't know what transpired to put him squarely on his back, because it had happened so fast. All he knew was he staring into the bright blue sky above, without his weapons, and Princess Lyla's blades crossed over his neck. They hovered there, thirsting for his blood.

She breathed so deeply, that her body almost looked as if it were convulsing. Sweat dripped off her, and her hair was a disheveled mess.

Kaden said nothing as she straddled atop him.

"No man has ever given me such a battle," the princess shoved the words out, needing multiple deep breaths to do so. "Not even Sahkar Bul."

"What do you think?" Kaden asked, careful not to move too much lest her sharpened blades cut his throat.

"I think you might have found something very useful to us, Karo Shar."

"Well, I definitely need some refining, but—"

The princess did not allow his words to finish. In a flash, her swords pulled back and her lips were on his. While her tongue was probing him. "Shut up," she commanded him.

Her hands were immediately under his urk and pulling it up. She only briefly paid attention to his erect manhood. Kaden hadn't even notice his own aroused state until that moment as the princess was busily removing as much of her own silks as necessary to expose where she planned to put it.

"What if someone sees?" Kaden whimpered just before she was ready to put him inside her.

"Let them see." She slammed her hips onto his again, drawing him in fully, and began to ride him. "I—" she moaned. "I am a Princess of Imeron." Another moan with another thrust. "And you are the Karo Shar. We will do as we please."

From his limited experience, Kaden knew her body was quickly escalating towards ecstasy. And so was his. He had many thoughts running through his mind as the princess grew louder in her pleasurable wails. But the one at the forefront of them all was that he could not, under any circumstances, reach a climax before she did.

He placed his hand on her pelvis and aided her strokes, adding some upward force of his own. All while trying desperately to hinder the eruption within him demanding to be released.

Almost as if she could sense his thoughts, the princess warned of as much. "Don't you dare," she said, breathlessly with more and more contortions. "Just a little more. I'm almost there. I'm almost—almost—"

And in that moment, faster than Kaden had ever brought Hernah to pleasure, Princess Lyla let a passion fueled scream rip out of her. He could feel her body gushing on him. And then he joined her by releasing inside her.