The beach had changed again. The quiet lull of the lunch hour was gone, replaced by a storm of voices.

  By the time I got back to the arena strip, a few hundred players had gathered along the ropes, crowding every dune and scaffold. Flags fluttered from driftwood poles, banners improvised from cloaks and spare cloth were swaying in the wind. Even the Adventurer’s Association staff looked caught up in it, runners darting between tables, refilling ink pots and parchment as the organizers prepared the new rounds.

  At the center scaffold, Shieldbreaker's voice rolled over the noise like a warhorn.

  "Alright, Oakenlight! Let's get back in the game!"

  The cheer that followed made the sand tremble.

  "We are down to the Top Eight! Eight champions from across Tidemark, four matches, four rings, and soon we'll know who's making it to the final four!"

  Virtune and Thorax flanked him, both with Association scribes feeding them updated notes. The three of them stood beneath a freshly stretched awning painted with the Association’s blue crest. Behind them, the new brackets glowed on an interface panel; one of the Association’s temporary mana screens, bright enough for everyone to see even in sunlight.

  Shieldbreaker pointed with his quill, booming each name.

  "Match one: The Flame Wizard of Carpa, the mage prodigy himself, Cyrus versus Oakenlight's rising Arcanist, Blue in Arena 1! Only one of you will walk away standing. Thorax will be covering the duel for you!"

  Thorax saluted the crowd dramatically, earning laughter and applause.

  "Match two: A Carpa mirror match between Orion, the Black Ranger and El Rafael from the infamous Los Asesinos in Arena 2! Since Orion is the only one here whose match was covered last round, if it's fine with you guys, we will not be commentating this one."

  I looked at Rafael and we both nodded. There was a high likelyhood that I was going to end up against one of my friends, so I wasn't too surprised. And as strong Rafael and his equipment was, I was still happy I didn't have to face the fiery hell that was Cyrus' Flame Hydra. Not yet, at least.

  "Match three: A dance more intense than a hurricane between two of our fastest participants, Sylph from Dryhollow and Seraphina from Shadowreach, Arena 3! Virtune will be casting that one, so get ready for some poetic play-by-play!"

  Virtune gave a small bow from the scaffold railing. "Wouldn't miss it for the world," he said, voice already projecting like silk across the crowd. "This one will come down to the smallest details."

  "And finally, Arena four! Hometown hero, crowd favorite and the Slayer of Briar, the Blade of the Sea, Athos! Versus a true lancer prodigy, ProDG of Dryhollow! I will be casting the duel."

  The roar was deafening. Someone in the Oakenlight section threw a sword-shaped banner into the air and a dozen others followed. Shieldbreaker just laughed.

  "Matches begin in fifteen minutes! Players, check with your refs and good luck. Everyone else should go and find a spot before they are all gone!"

  The scaffold exploded into motion. Association runners dispersed through the crowd, herding players and marking spots. The referees planeted new flags into the sand, their colors snapping in the wind.

  I turned to our little Carpa circle as we gathered one last time before we split.

  Sylph had already slung his bow back over his shoulder, his expression sharp but calm. "Looks like I got Verdugo's favorite."

  The berserker grinned. "You won't tease me for long, amigo. She will wipe the floor with you."

  "We'll see about that," the ranger replied, and with a handshake, Sylph made his way to his arena.

  Cyrus adjusted his staff and nodded towards Arena 1. "I'll be there if you need me."

  "Good luck," I said. "I still want to see you next round."

  "You will," He smiled. "Good luck to both of you."

  Rafael grinned from where he was checking the edge of his blade. "Fortune favors the bold, amigo."

  Stone crossed his arms, scanning the sand as though memorizing each ring. "Whatever happens, you guys already walk out respected."

  We all nodded. After standing there for a moment longer, we made way to our fighting ground. Several shadows cast long across the pale sand – the best Carpa had to offer.

  The other refs’ whistles pierced the air again. The crowd’s murmur sharpened to a roar as the first two contestants, Fisher and ProDG, started in Arena Four. Shieldbreaker's voice thundered from the scaffolds: "Oakenlight, make some noise!"

  The crowd answered with an explosion of sound.

  Rafael clapped me on the shoulder. "Don't hold back, hermano. I can take it."

  I met his grin with a small one of my own. "Wouldn't do that."

  He drew his sword with a flourish and entered Arena 2. I followed suit.

  Top eight.

  One step closer.

  I breathed deep and grabbed my bow. I knew my opponent, I have seen him fight, and I also knew the equipment he was using. The best armor set and the best sword in quite possibly all of Tidemark, but definitely the best in Carpa.

  I still wasn't worried. The last match gave me all of the adrenaline I needed to see this tournament through. Bow God Zephyr was on the loose.

  Arena 2 gleamed like a jewel in the sun. The crowd had swelled to over three hundred now, their shadows layered over the sand like ripples. Every conversation sparked with the same energy that follows a storm. Even from across the crowd, the crash of spells from Cyrus and Blue's duel echoed like artilerry, however here, all eyes were fixed on the next fight.

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  The crowd noise faded the moment I stepped inside the ring.

  Across from me, El Rafael stood like a monument carved out of green and gold. His armor set gleamed like burnished jade, each plate etched with lines that radiated in the sunlight. The Emerald Bane rested in his left hand, its edge pulsing with a green aura that traced tiny arcs across the sand whenever he moved it. The shield on his right arm was almost as tall as his torso, gold-rimmed and worn, but sturdy.

  He raised the blade in a salute, and I nodded in response, drawing my bowstring back until I felt the comforting resistance I had felt a million times before.

  The referee's hand came down.

  "Begin!"

  He walked forward like a juggernaut, with one step at a time, each foot sinking deep into the sand. Every instinct told me to keep distance and kite him until his buffs expired, however I knew he won't let me do that.

  I fired first; a Burning Arrow, fast. It hit square on his shield, exploding in a brief spray of fire and sand. When the smoke cleared, he hadn't moved an inch. The flame had barely left a mark.

  He tapped the shield with his sword and whispered a prayer. "Oath of Steel!"

  A wave of silver aura rippled across his armor. His entire outline grew sharper, the glow crawling down all the way to his boots. His defense rose.

  So that's how this is going to be.

  I shot again, a basic attack, then a quick Piercing Shot to test his reaction. The first arrow struck the breastplate, but the skill was succesfully deflected by the shield.

  In Godsrealm, you could block and parry with anything you wanted, to a certain degree, decreasing the incoming damage of both skills and basic attacks. However, certain items were much more reliable in doing so. Parrying an incoming dagger skill with a bow – like I did against Kaelith – was highly ineffective, making me suffer most of the original damage.

  Blocking a projectile with a shield? Completely different scenario. It could almost totally nullify a basic attack, and even a skill like Piercing Shot, that was designed to penetrate defenses, was much less effective when blocked compared to a direct hit.

  Regardless, my attack power was considerable, so he still felt the impact. He raised his sword and muttered another prayer. "Purging Flame!"

  A red-gold sheen spread from the blade to his arms, faint embers clinging to the edge. His attack power spiked, and I felt the heat even from across the arena.

  The moment the glow solidified, he moved.

  "Holy Charge!"

  The paladin shot forward like a fired cannonball, sand exploding in his wake. I barely got a Quick Step in before he hit. The blade cut through where my chest had been a second ago, the aftershock of his charge kicking grit into my face.

  I spun, drawing, loosing another arrow into his flank as he passed. It scraped against armor, leaving only a shallow gouge.

  He pivoted cleanly, shield already coming up. Next, he used Smite, glowing gold, and his sword arced down with precision.

  I twisted to the side, feeling the vibration of it as the edge kissed my shoulder guard. Even glancing, the impact sent a shudder down my arm and briefly stunned my movement.

  I fell back, rolling to my knees, firing another Burning Arrow from the ground. The flame burst against his chestplate, applying both burn and poison DoT.

  The next arrow I loosed got met with Reflective Shield, snapping mid-flight, disintegrating against an invisible wall. The magic shimmered briefly, then vanished. He lowered the shield, unfazed, then started advancing again.

  He fought like a fortress on legs, patient and unstoppable.

  I kicked a Web Trap into the sand just as I Quick Stepped backward, dodging his swing, and loosed a Fan of Arrows just as he got stuck in the webs. He plowed through the skill with Stalwart Defense.

  I drew in that moment with full tension, air burning in my lungs, and fired a Piercing Shot directly into the seam of his armor.

  The hit landed and he grunted, HP dropping significantly for the first time. He swung the sword down, shattering the web with a surge of holy energy.

  "Golden Dawn!"

  Light erupted around him, a shockwave of searing gold that turned the sand to glass at his feet. The damage field ticked at my health bar even from meters away. It was an AoE holy burn that punished anyone within reach.

  I sprinted wide, skirting the edge of the light while shooting arrows to maintain pressure. This was the first match today where I could utilize my ranged advantage fully, without the opponent sticking to me like glue.

  The arrows struck, burned, poisoned and yet, he kept advancing.

  The glow faded only after several seconds, leaving the air thick and hot.

  "Not enough, hermano!" Rafael called, his voice carrying over the distance.

  "Don't worry, friend, I've got more," I replied, raising my bow again.

  I dropped another Web Trap as I ran, layering the field. The silk shimmered faintly under the sun. He'd have to choose: slow down or risk getting tangled again.

  He chose neither.

  He raised the Emerald Bane overhead, mana coiling along the edge. "Emerald Slash!"

  The sword cleaved horizontally, unleashing a crescent of pure green energy that screamed through the air. I barely ducked in time, however the skill tore through my Web Trap – I didn't even know it could do that – and detonated behind me in a shower of glassy fragments. The aftershock rippled across my HP bar; even missing, the skill was devastating.

  When the sand settled, he was already closing the gap, shield up, sword glowing from the skill before.

  I steadied my breath and drew again. The only way to wear him down was to not let him reset.

  Burning Arrow. Piercing Shot. Fan of Arrows whenever he got close.

  Each found something, be it a joint, a seam, a spot between shield bashes, chipping him down little by little. His uncommon regeneration skill “Holy Light” offset most of the damage, but I was still dictating the tempo.

  He pushed through, relentless, using Smite and Holy Charge in quick succession to keep up, his strikes leaving faint cracks of gold where they met the sand.

  We traded damage for distance until the ropes loomed behind me. I had nowhere left to run. Or so he thought.

  He smiled behind his helm. "Caught you."

  I smiled back. "Sure."

  Then I Leap Attacked over his head, landing behind him before he could finish the downswing. My cloak brushed his pauldron as I passed.

  He turned, sword raised, but the poison ticks were catching up, green sparks eating away at his health. I kept reapplying them whenever he cleansed himself using his healing spells.

  The crowd was roaring but I barely heard it. All I could hear was the sea and the thrum of my bowstring as I drew it again.

  The next minute passed in silence broken only by breathing and our attacks. Sand smoked around us.

  Rafael rolled his shoulders once, lifted his sword again and whispered another prayer.

  "Oath of Vitality!"

  A Paladin below level 20 had access to four basic skills: Smite, Oath of Steel, Purging Flame and Holy Charge. I also knew he had the uncommon skill Holy Light that most Paladins and Clerics could pick up at any chapel by completing a quest, and he had the rare skill Golden Dawn that he used before. He had also used Stalwart Defense and Reflective Shield, both uncommon skills that could be picked up by spending a bit of training with local militia.

  Oath of Vitality was something new. Another healing aura, much stronger than Holy Light or the basic Cleric skill Mend Wounds. It was on par with the basic level 15 Cleric skill Aura of Light, which was problematic on a tanky opponent like a Paladin. He was pretty much pulling himself back from the brink.

  I couldn't let him reset.

  I darted left, firing Burning Arrow followed by a basic shot, but both were blocked by the shield, so I couldn't apply any DoT damage. Sparks and flame scattered almost harmlessly across the plates.

  He advanced, patient, step by step. Every footfall left a crater in the sand.

  When he got in range, he raised his sword again, mana flooding down the edge. - Emerald Slash!

  Once again, the green wave roared toward me like a horizontal lightning bolt. I jumped with Leap Attack, the crescent craving under my boots, however he anticipated the move and used Holy Charge to close the gap, and Smited the spot I was landing at.

  I used a Piercing Shot just to trade some damage, and although his grip faltered for half a second, I recieved a big hit.

  Regardless, I pushed.

  Another shot. Another. Poison burned along the edges of his armor like ivy.

  Rafael didn't retreat. He surged forward through it, eyes bright under the helm. His shield slammed into me with the force of a battering ram.

  Pain burst through my ribs and my vision flashed white. He followed up with another Smite, a downward gold arc that struck like a hammer. My screen flickered from the stun effect.

  I forced a roll sideways, barely avoiding the follow-up Purging Flame that would have certainly turned the tides.

  "You're quick." he said. "Too bad speed can't pierce defense, amigo!"

  "Don't worry, amigo," I smiled. "I have something sharper."