It's time for the next round, between Matenro and Fling Posse. If the previous duel had thorns from the past dragging between our leaders, in this duel the stakes are high in the present. They hint at a stormy past that I don't think will be fully explained in the few remaining chapters, but hopefully they'll shed some light on it. The duel is excellent, truly exciting, and either side could emerge victorious. What I don't think is right, though, is that even with compelling reasons to win or lose, the fact of losing is accepted so easily and without much internal conflict. It seems the motivations to win aren't really that strong if losing means a simple "oh shucks, we'll try again another day."