Arrive come morning time.

The sun rises before you're back. Thankfully no monsters get in your way on your hike back to civilization. You didn't think much about it before, but perhaps monsters are less common at this time of the year with all the travellers making their way through. Eventually, you start to approach the border of the town. The sun is rising up, and you can already feel that desert heat falling over you like a blanket. The Golden Sword is thankfully hosted on the northern edge of Althudiyu. There are more people here than you even saw yesterday. Though this time, the bleachers are already filled.

It really shows how massive this setup is for such a small town now that people are lining up and eagerly waiting to watch the battles commence. There are buildings set up all around it. Some are selling food, drinks, and other items, and others you assume are either for competitors to wait within, or they're for staff of the tournament. Either way, you made it. Your legs are sore, your skin is dry, but you made it.

"There you are!" Hedi comes running up to you. Following him is Thomas and Bek. "You never came home last night."

Tom looks Niki up and down. "Woah. Uh..."

Niki covers up. "It's a long story, all right? I just need to find some equipment, and fast. Right now I have nothing but these."

"Damn. Really? Well hopefully you don't fight first."

"Speaking of which, you came just in time," Hedi explains. "They're about to reveal the tournament brackets. We're moments away from finding out if we'll end up battling one another in the very first round or not. Either way, I'm excited. There's a spot up there reserved just for competitors if they want to watch between their own matches. I'm definitely taking advantage of that."

"That's right. There's a clear advantage to being able to watch future opponents fight," Tom says.

"I just wanna see some bloodshed." Bek snickers. "But I guess there is strategy to watching, if you want it to sound boring."

Niki cracks her knuckles. "Just point me to that damned dancing bitch that almost got us killed. I swear to Goa. If I see her again, I'll give her a real pearl necklace..."

You squint your eyes and peer over to her. "D-Do you know what that means?"

"Attention, all competitors of the Golden Sword!" A voice booms out from a horn held up before a sunheart man standing up on a balcony beside something concealed by a giant white sheet. He has peppered hair and a thick beard. "Listen closely, and look ahead. In a few minutes, you will witness the first, randomly selected matches for this year's tournament. If you are not present upon the time of battle, you are immediately disqualified. I will not repeat myself... but apart from that, enjoy the festivities. For those that are new here, allow me to welcome you first and foremost to our lovely town. Ask one of the staff for a detailed scroll of the rules, though we try not to over complicate things here at the Golden Sword. It's about combat! It's about honour! But listen closely if you wish.

There is no time limit, but if a battle lasts longer than ten minutes, things will get crazy. You obtain victory if your opponent surrenders or touches the ground outside of the ring. Other than that, though we greatly discourage fighting with the intent to kill, if a **** does occur, that is the way of things. Our healers are on standby to prevent this as much as possible, however. Other than that, fight for glory! Who will survive the gauntlet of battle and rise as the wielder of the Golden Sword this year? Let's find out already!"

The crowd goes wild. Applause roars from the arena behind him, the crowd on the street, and the competitors waiting to fight. Though, you can't quite tell who the latter is from the rest so far.

The man yanks the sheet and reveals a huge board with ten names written on the bottom. Each name is paired up with another, and lines are drawn leading up in brackets to the top where a single, golden blade is illustrated. Above that it says, "Roster of the Golden Sword".

You inspect it closely.

Round 1: Niki Vakila vs. Zakira Qurasha
Round 2: Umi vs. Crusher
Round 3: Thomas Whitham vs. Hedi Vakila
Round 4: Falcon vs. Bekram Kholrann
Round 5: Kyle Warren vs. The Edge

I didn't even think about how people could put anything as their name. I kinda wish I could have had a cool title instead. Though, these titles aren't really that cool to begin with. Damn. That's rough though. Niki is fighting before anyone else.

Niki holds her head and groans loud towards the sky. "This is so unfair!"

"I've got you, Niki." Tom glances around. "I'll find you something to use before you enter the ring." Before anyone can even respond, the scout sprints off with impressive agility.

"Falcon? What a corny name," Bek scoffs.

"And why didn't you give yourself a cooler name then, hm?" Hedi asks.

"Bah. If someone gives me a title, then maybe. But I ain't gonna give myself one. I'll use my real name, so people know exactly who kicked their ass."

What kind of person calls themselves The Edge?

The same voice as before booms out again a few minutes later. Though this time, it's coming from inside the arena. You look towards the gap in the bleaches--the opening--and see him standing up high on the other side with the horn still up to his mouth. The odd person shuffles in and out the doors that lead up into the seats, but for the most part, everyone has settled. This is it. Things are about to begin.

"Welcome again, competitors and observers, to the Golden Sword! I hope everybody is ready, because the first match is about to begin. Will Niki Vakila and Zakira Qurasha please step into the arena please?" calls the voice.

The audience continues to cheer throughout.

Niki clenches her teeth. "Damn it! I gotta go." She steps through the opening towards the ring to a figure already standing on the other side. As she nears the rope marking the boundary, a fire ignites in her gaze. The woman standing on the other side of the woman with the pearl necklace. She's dressed almost the same as back when you saw her in the Lily, but now she wears a translucent mask of thin fabric over the bottom half of her face, jingling gold jewellery around her wrists and ankles, and a small circlet in her hair.

"Did you find my sister?" She spares no moment before taunting her opponent.

"You bitch," Niki snarls back.

"Wait!" Thomas comes running past you with objects in his arms.

Before Niki can step into the ring, he hurls them towards her. She catches a large wooden disk in one hand, and a blunt object in the other. She looks down. The shield given to her is no more than the barrel of a wine cask with a metal bar nailed into it for something to hold. The weapon is a wooden baseball bat, though crudely made. Despite the makeshift gear, she turns her face back to her opponent, and there's a wild smile on her face.

She slams her bare foot into the ring.