I stretch out my back while sitting cross-legged on the grass outside of my hobo hut. There is a series of sharp cracks along my spine from the motion. I roll my neck with my eyes closed, appreciating the barely there breeze and the warmth radiating through the cloud dome from the early morning light.

Looking back down, I readjust the square granite slab in front of me — I had cut one for myself from the Material Crafting building to use as a nice mobile work surface. I’ve been leaning over this project for the past hour and my back is starting to feel it; I’m tempted to eat one of my healing potion balls, just to see if it will do anything. But the weather feels fantastic. It’s that perfect moment in the early morning, when the light is bright enough to work by, the birds have started singing, and there’s still a gap in the rush of new players so I don’t have to worry about being bothered. It would be such a waste to spend even a moment inside trying to find a potion after all... Though if I’m being honest with myself I’m just too lazy to get up right now.

I shake off the discomfort and refocus. Let's do this!

I line up the holes of the two curved plates of leather that make up the right-armed pauldron for my leather armor. I’ve spent the last two days treating the leather I wanted to use, cutting along the various patterns, and steadily gathering all of the various parts I will need. I’m finally at the point I can start riveting it all together.

Van helped make a set of metal rivets for the armor. I’m not too bad with forging larger items now but I’m still not the best with smaller, delicate work.

He’s leaving later today, and I at least want to finish my armor and show it to him before he’s gone.

My grip slackens over the leather as I’m hit by a wave of loneliness. In the main game, Van’s base of operations is the Mountain Continent. Since I’ll be starting in the Plains Continent, it means that there will end up being an entire ocean between the two of us from now on. It will take me a long time before I can gather enough resources to make my way across that ocean. No matter what, after today, it’ll be a long time before I can hang out with Van the way we have been.

I shake my head, banishing that melancholy. It was pure chance we got to meet and become friends; heck, in the real world, the odds of me meeting someone in Asia would be off the charts to begin with. That’s one of the unique joys of this game. And besides, with the chat function, it’s not like keeping in touch is impossible.

There’s only another hour left before this Tutorial Village will be swarmed with new players, so I don’t have any time to waste. I realign the holes for the leather pauldron and grab the stem of one of my rivets. I push it through both holes to make the joint and place the cap head on top.

With both pieces of leather pressed flush against the granite slab, I raise my mallet up to forcibly join the metals of the rivet. As I tense my muscles to swing down, a shadow falls over me. Whoever caused it had silently walked up and decided to stand right in front of me. Ugh, not this mess again.

“For the last time, I am not an NPC!”

“Oh, I'm very aware.”

Something about the authority in that voice stops me short. I carefully lower my mallet and look up.

Golden Age is incredibly flexible and free with its character creation system. It was one of the game’s major selling points. But while there are obviously players who push the limits on what kind of characters can be made, they all inevitably work in the game world. They all feel like they belong. In that sense, Golden Age is always very consistent in how it presents things. So seeing someone who so distinctly goes against those visual themes is disconcerting.

The tan skinned man standing over me is wearing an all black suit. Not even the material of the suit looks like it matches the rest of the game. It is very modern in design; the kind you would expect to see anyone in business owning. His hair is combed back, his posture is straight — with his arms held behind his back — and he is looking at me with dark sunglasses on. It wasn't until I was looking at him that I realized I hadn't seen anyone in the game wearing sunglasses yet.

“Um… I'm sorry. How can I help you? My name is—“

“D0n. I know.”

I'm not really sure how to react. Everything about this man pulls me away from the sense of being in a game.

He gives me a tight smile. “You see D0n, our Tutorial Villages — here for the sake of introducing new players to this world — runs on entirely separate instances then the rest of the game. As such, we have different servers running them. And these servers require different needs. During some scheduled maintenance of this particular server, we found an anomaly in the data logs. There has been a single player who has not yet left, and has instead been camped out here for the better part of a month. I assume that's you?”

I nod my head.

“Hmmm. At Aurum Productions we pride ourselves on offering a broad, robust experience to all of our players. And so it is a matter of course that we attract a variety of eccentric and very… individual… players to our game. But I do believe you are the first beginner to ever stay in the tutorial zone for quite this long.”

I rise to my feet, trying to wrap my head around what’s happening. “I am… I'm sorry? If that's been an issue?”

“Only recently. In fact some of the staff, in particular the writing department, have been rather happy to see a player so appreciative of the work they put in to our starter sections.” He flexes his hand and fingers in front of him, like he's operating a holographic screen I can't see. “Yes indeed, according to your character data it appears you have already read 216 books. Shame that it was done here.

“But I digress. You see, Mr. D0n, while you are free to approach our game in any way that pleases you, your continued presence here has made it a bit difficult for our systems to properly reload the instance. The personal work done in the instructors buildings may have some leeway, but eventually all of it gets set back to the default state. And so the Tutorial Village system has functionality in place to perform that. But your… additions to this island,” he says, looking at my hobo hut behind me, “have thrown the automated systems a bit of a monkey wrench. We will have to do it manually now. But to do so, we will be forced to ask you to leave.”

The whole time this man has been talking, it feels like I’ve only been carried along for the ride. But that last sentence is like a dose of cold water, shocking me to attention.

“What? But…” I say, and look back at my little home. I know. I’ve been here for a while. Lately even I’ve been thinking that I might have squeezed out all there is to get here. That perhaps I should look towards moving on soon. My eyes roam over the leather cover of my hut, the one I had hand-stitched. The bits of artwork I had carved and placed out front. I think of all the cushions and lanterns and projects I had made inside of that hut. “It's all just going to get deleted?”

I look back at the man from the game’s management. For the first time his mask of professionalism slides off, and he gives me a sympathetic smile. “Afraid so. We never like to deny the hard work of our players, but this all needs to be deleted. It makes absolute sense why you'd be attached to all of the things you've made here, but this space was never meant to be a permanent stop. Go out and explore the rest of the game, build an even bigger and greater home for yourself. And we promise those future efforts will be protected. Our staff is grateful that you appreciated this island as much as you have. But it's time to continue the game.”

The man snaps his fingers and a business card materializes in his hand. He gives it to me and says, “Now if you'd still like to come back and participate in the Tutorial Village as an instructor — once you've leveled up and have more experience under your belt — we’d be happy to have you.”

His business card is sleek, with minimalist black print on a white background. It says, Daniel M. Lopez. Underneath his name, in italicized text is his position: Player Relations. It’s simple and to the point. The back of the card has the Au symbol for Aurum Productions in gold leaf.

Mr. Lopez gives me another sympathetic smile. “Your circumstances are very unique D0n, and we are sorry to put you in this position. So while we can't allow you to take anything from here with you into the main game — as that is a privilege unique to the instructors for their service — if there is anything I can do for you, please let me know.”

I fiddle with the business card in my hand. It's a shame that I can't take anything with me, but it makes sense. Instead I think back over all that I’ve accomplished in this Tutorial Village. Was there anything I still wanted to do?

“Well then, if there’s still enough time, can I challenge the other instructors before I leave?”

Mr. Lopez stiffens, and the smile he was giving me earlier slides off his face. I can't see it because of the sunglasses, but I can feel the intensity of the stare he is giving me.

“… And why would you want to do that?”

I fight the urge to take a step back. “I was able to learn a lot because of all of them. I figured it’d be a fun farewell, to issue them a challenge in their Alignment, as one last test for myself before I leave. To see where I'm at.”

The silence of the early morning I was enjoying so much earlier now feels oppressive. The man from management does not move, does not gesture or give anything away with his facial expression. He just stares at me through his sunglasses, stone faced.

“Very well, D0n.” He lets out a breath through his nose. “Go wait in the village square. I will finish freezing this instance of the Tutorial Village and gather the rest of the instructors there.”

I try to tell him that he doesn't have to go that far, I can simply go to each building and talk with them before I leave, but the man from management simply fazes out of existence.

I realize I'm still holding my mallet. This whole encounter has been so strange, it almost doesn’t seem real. I put the mallet down, and make my way to the Village square for lack of a better idea of what to do.

I don't end up waiting long. Slowly I see all of the current instructors and some of the new players, who were already on this island to begin with, slowly come out of their buildings and gather together. I see Van come out, wiping soot off of his hands, looking just as confused as I feel.

We're all in one big group in the center of the square. A quick flash of silver pulses through the cloud dome of the island. The man from management appears in front of us all. Based on the reactions of some of the other players around me, I'm not the only who feels thrown off by his appearance. I can see Van and Zhaz stand up straighter as they stare down Mr. Lopez.

“Greetings everyone. I’m so sorry to have taken up your time like this, but a situation has come up. To the new players, I am sorry to say that this Tutorial Village will not be functioning correctly for the time being. You have the choice of waiting for this incident to finish, or I can have you transferred to a different Tutorial. Of course you also have the option of simply proceeding to the main game now if you feel yourself ready.” Says Mr. Lopez.

There are only 7 new players in the Tutorial Village at the moment. Two of them look at each other and then make their way over to the exit portal. The other five do not follow them, but they don't speak to the man from management either. They want to see what's going on for themselves. Again that mask of professionalism slips, as Mr. Lopez grimaces at them, before regaining control over himself.

“Well then, to the instructors. I have gathered you here because I'll be needing your cooperation. You see, this Villages most loyal resident, D0n, has requested a competition against the instructors here. I simply ask that you oblige.”

My shoulders bunch up as everyone remaining turns to stare at me. This was not the kind of attention I wanted; this whole idea was just supposed to be a way of saying goodbye. It is only because a majority of these instructors are friends of mine that I can keep my composure.

“Compete how, exactly?” says the current Adventure instructor. She is a Merchant Alignment, and has been here for the past three days. Her name is Averack. I've only spoken to her a few times. The speed at which she calculates numbers makes my head spin, but she’s seemed nice. The way she wears her flowing red coat, hanging on her shoulders, and the amount of bucklers on her vest and pants makes her look more like a pirate than a merchant though.

“In a manner befitting your Alignment. For the combat alignments, I assume combat would work best. For the rest of you, it merely needs to be something that you feel accurately tests the knowledge of your field. Our friend wishes to see what he is capable of, so test him on it.”

The resulting silence is broken by voice saying, “I am sorry, but I cannot fight another. That is not the way of the priesthood.”

The one who spoke is the current Support instructor. There were no players available to take up that job at the moment so the spot is being filled by a basic priestess NPC. I think this one's name was Laurel. The names may change each time, but the NPC replacement instructors are always the same stereotyped personality, matching their Alignment.

“Oh for the love of — I was afraid of this. Listen, you do not need to fight him.” Says the man from management.

“You said that a trial by combat would be fitting. I am a priestess, my job is to heal others. It would not be correct for me to fight. If we did, it would be his win.”

It’s not for a flash this time, the grimace on Mr. Lopez’s face is on full display as he stares down the priestess NPC. “… are you saying you forfeit?”

“Yes. I forfeit the challenge.”

Mr. Lopez takes a deep breath, struggling to get his emotions back under control. He starts to make some sort of notes on a hologram that only he can see.

“Hohoho!”

I turn and see Van staring at the man. His mouth is still open and he looks like he just understood something. At that moment, Van turns to me and we make eye contact. He gives me a very wide grin.

Van immediately calls the other crafting instructors off to the side. Jazz916 is still the current Fabric Crafting instructor. The current material crafting instructor is a ship builder named AngryTurtle. And though it is not a traditional crafting class, the current Home instructor is a cook named Emily, who has hung out with us during some of our late-night work sessions. Van pulls them into a huddle and starts whispering something. I'm incredibly tempted to go over as well, but something about the look he gave me makes wait and watch.

“Excuse me?” Says Van, in a professional voice I've never heard before. Mr. Lopez stops making notes in the air and turns his attention to my friend and the group of three instructors behind him. “You see I was just conferring with my fellow instructors. And we all have come to the agreement that at our core, we are craftsman. We are artists. No matter what values the game can give, we do not feel it is appropriate to rank and compare art.”

“… So what are you trying to say?”

“I am saying, that myself and these other three instructors, forfeit the challenge. They will count as D0n’s win.”

The man from management’s anger flares brightly. But it seems like it is now strung through with anxiety as well. “Don’t you dare! This is a simple challenge. Just, make something at the same time as him.”

“I could. But I have the right to judge him as winner. Don't I?”

Mr. Lopez clenches his hands tight and opens his mouth —

He is cut off by the merchant, Averack. “Well now, hasn't this gotten interesting? Mr. manager, you had said I could decide what method is best to challenge him. One that is fitting for my alignment, correct?”

“Yes. I did.”

“Then I do hope you’ll be providing him with whatever we need for the challenge. Because merchants value coin, and we value resources. Both of which a player as new as our D0n here will not yet have. So I assume you'll supply the funds accordingly?” Says Averack.

Mr. Lopez smooths down his suit, seeing a path back to being in control of the situation. “Of course.”

“Excellent!” Averack claps her hands. She turns to me, looking straight into my eyes, “Now then D0n. If we must compete, then we compete like merchants. And merchants compete with a wager. And be prepared, because in Golden Age, a deal between merchants is binding, no matter what.” There is an intensity in her gaze that tell me to pay attention. “I will bid my 500 gold coin against your 500 gold coin, with your performance as the determining factor.”

I can see Mr. Lopez sputter at the amount of money. Even for an experienced player, a total of 1000 gold coin is nothing to sneeze at. But Averack has the stage now.

“I will be betting against your ability to win the rest of the challenges, against our fellow combat instructors. Should you win, the thousand gold is yours. Should I win, I will take the money, as well as one month of your labor at one of my shops. All funds will of course be supplied by the game itself. And since we must be forced to compete like this, then it’s only worth it if the funds won will be transferred to our accounts in the main game. So, do you accept?”

“Wait a minute, you can't just—“ Mr. Lopez starts to say. But I don't like the spectacle he’s made of my request. And I can tell exactly what loophole Averack is trying to exploit.

“I accept your wager!”

A hologram pops up in front of me, listing the contents of our wager. 1000 gold coins on the line, and a month’s worth of labor. There is a counter for the number of wins I’d need to win the whole contract. It currently says 0 of 4. At this point Mr. Lopez is shaking in fury. So it looks like what Averack was hinting at was really true; that a deal made with the assistance of the game must be kept. Even by the game’s staff.

I can see Mr. Lopez opening his mouth to yell when he suddenly does a double take at Zhaz. Mr. Lopez stares at him for a moment before suddenly regaining control of his temper. “Very well. Then it seems that the rest of this challenge will be done through combat.”

He looks at the four remaining instructors: the current Magic instructor is Arinn. There is a new Attack instructor, a stern young man with a metal staff on his back. The current Long Range instructor looks like a teenager, dressed like a simple hunter. And then there’s the current Defense instructor, the paladin, Zhaz Morrowolf.

“I expect all of you to participate. We can have the competition here. One round at a time for a total of four matches.”

“Oh! if we're doing it round robin style, then it’s only right that D0n is given a moment to collect the rest of his supplies.” Says Van, looping his arm through my right arm. “In fact, since the other instructors will be able to use their own equipment, I’ll just go make sure D0n's gear is fitted well.”

“Yes,” says Jazz, looping his arm through my left arm. “You use leather armor, right D0n? Allow me to help in making sure it all looks good for this special event.”

The two of them all but drag me towards my hobo hut, with Emily the cook hurrying after us. From the Village square I can hear Averack calling for bets from the remaining players, and the shipbuilder, AngryTurtle, telling an exasperated Mr. Lopez that he could whip up a stage and some stands quickly.

You know… when I got up today… I didn't expect things to end up this out of control.

The leather armor I had been making for myself was more like a batch of individual armor pieces, rather than a complete set. The largest one was for the chest; a kind of studded leather vest. I had planned on accompanying that vest with linked sheets of leather to make up the pauldron shoulder coverings. There was a similar design for the armor coverings around my thighs and calves. All I had planned for my arms was a set of simple leather bracers around each of my forearms, to help with defending attacks.

The problem was that even though I had most of the materials ready, I was still in the middle of putting it together when all of this craziness started.

I had been dragged to my hobo hut — to grab my supplies — and then dragged back to the Metal Crafting building.

In the short amount of time we’ve been in here, it’s become very clear that if the Crafting instructors had actually accepted my challenge, I probably would have lost.

Jazz916 had not only sewn together the linked pieces of my armor, but had expanded on them so that I now had full jointed arm pieces and leg pieces. Van had added strips of iron throughout the plated sections of armor to give it more strength, while making iron plated gauntlets at the same time. Emily had somehow jury rigged four different pots to boil over the fire at the same time in order to make dozens of healing and mana potions in my design. She was able to get the crushed sugar version ground fine enough that it would dissolve in my mouth instantly; she was wrapping them tight enough that they looked more like a pill than a ball.

“Wow, I thought I had already seen how well you all work but this is kind of insane.” I say, fingering the edges of my new gauntlets. They don’t restrict my movement at all, while barely adding any weight; the connections between the leather and iron is done perfectly.

I try to fight it, but I can feel a pout come out. “… There’s no way I could have made this myself.”

“Oh quit your whinging.” Says Van. He's crouched in front me as he adds steel toes to my leather boots. “Do you have any idea how much other players would pay to have me build them this?”

“Oh leave him alone Van,” says Jazz, “we both know D0n could care less about that. Besides, how would you have felt if I walked into your shop and finished up one of your projects for you?”

“Well to begin with I wouldn’t have let someone like that into my shop.”

“Both of you, quit fighting.” Says Emily. She walks up with a tray of edible potion pills. “Jazz, are you finished with that bag yet?”

“After this stitch… yes.”

Jazz gives her a small hip pack attached to a belt, padded on the inside, and split into two sections down the middle.

“Now remember, D0n,” says Emily, “I’m putting the healing potions in the front half, and the mana potions in the back half. If I had more time I could've dyed these a brighter red and blue color, but it takes too long for the food coloring to really set. And I don't know how much longer that guy from management is going to give us. So the two of you, finish up!”

“Fine, fine. I’ve technically been done for a while anyway. I just hate sending out work that’s not as polished as it could be. Oh well, it’ll do I suppose.”

Van smacks me on the back hard while Jazz and the Emily give me a thumbs up.

“Alright, D0n, break a leg. We’ll be cheering for you.” Says Emily as I make my way out of the Metal Crafting building.

What was once the simple cobblestone Village square has been transformed into a stone stage in the shape of a square, raised up on a series of logs; it stretches the entire width of the area, touching two buildings on each side. There’s even a set of wooden stands next to the ring. The rest of the people in the Village are already sitting there. Jazz, Emily, and Van make their way over to get their own seats. In the center of the ring is Mr. Lopez, tapping his foot impatiently.

I make my way onto the stone ring and see that the first person I'll be fighting is Arinn. Oh thank God, finally someone else who looks as lost as I am.

“Jeez, D0n,” says Arinn, glancing at our audience before looking back at me, “you really do go at your own pace, don't you?”

“To be fair, there is no way I could've predicted all this.”

Arinn lets out a chuckle. Our simple exchange helps me center myself and focus on what's going to happen next.

Mr. Lopez clears his throat. “All right then, we will finally begin the first match of this challenge. The two of you will fight with whatever skills you have. The winner is determined by forfeit or by being forced to pass out. Are you ready?”

I bounce on the balls of my feet and slowly swing my arms in small circles, getting my body loose. Getting ready to fight. I can see Arinn tightening his grip on his wooden staff and getting into a more stable position.

“You know, D0n,” says Arinn, “for all the complaints I might have given you, I really respect how you've always done what you wanted. I promise to give you a good challenge.”

“What are you talking about? You've always been nothing but supportive.” I say.

He gives me a smile while shaking his head lightly.

I've seen Arinn perform spells in the magic building. I've seen how serious and how hard-working he is. I know that there's no way I can win if I don't give it everything I have.

I pull my right leg back and brace my foot against the floor, leaning forward to brace most of my weight with my hands, out in front of me — in a sprinter's stance. Arinn lowers the end of his staff to point at right me.

Everyone goes quiet.

I see Mr. Lopez raise his hand in the air. I block my lightning mana point and expand the rest of my mana out. There’s no in-game skill for what I’m doing, so I just call it an Element Cloak. I can feel wind blowing all throughout my body, just under my skin.

“… Begin!”

“Fireball!”

Arinn launches a fireball immediately, but I’m already gone. As soon as the go was given, I used a Wind Burst out of my feet to launch me in the air towards Arinn. I pull my right leg back and kick it out, yelling the words, “Wind Blade!”

Arinn throws himself to the side and to the ground. My Wind Blade flies past and cuts into the exterior of the building behind him. He threw himself far enough that I completely overshoot. I continue past him, thrown by my own mana towards the the building I cut; planting both of my feet against that wall, I kick off with another Wind Burst to fly back towards center ring.

As I turn around I can hear Arinn saying, “From ember’s spread, to fire’s gluttony, rise forth and go, Field of Flame!” From the tip of Arinn’s magic wooden staff, fire gathers and spreads out into a massive wave, streaming right at me.

The spread of the spell is so large that there's no space to dodge left or right.

I launch a small wind burst out from between my shoulder blades, to push me into the ground. As soon as I get my feet under me I look up to face the wall of flame rushing close. I pull my right arm back, tucked against my side.

All wind does to fire is make it flare up even bigger, so I need to counter it with water. I take a breath and imagine releasing the cork on my lightning mana point. As the newly freed lightning mana spreads out, it neutralizes the wind mana already spread throughout my body. At the same time, I imagine putting that same plug into my fire mana point. The pure neutral mana is then replaced by the cooling sensation of water mana. This method was the only way I could think of to switch mana elements fast enough in a fight. With one thought, I switch from a Wind Cloak to a Water Cloak.

Imagining the mana gathered at my shoulder in an activated state, I start to spin it into a whirlpool that travels all the way up my arm. When it makes it all the way to my fist, I punch my right arm straight out, and release it. I'm not good enough with this spell to perform a shortened incantation normally, but I don’t need a full strength one, all I need is for this Water Shield to hold up for a second.

From my straight punch explodes a cyclone of water that floats in the air, spiraling in place. As the Field of Flames spell hits my voiceless Water Shield, the two elements meet and counteract each other. I can still feel some of the fire pass on my left and right, but I am able to block the brunt of it. Still, the residual heat is enough to scrape away some of my health bar.

The force of the fire and water meeting violently floods the whole stage in a dense fog from all the steam. I can't see anything, and the ensuing silence is eerie. But I have to try to get close to Arinn as soon as I can. If I give him enough time to get some distance and start shooting spells at me through this fog, I’m done for.

The visibility right now is really bad, so I have to be able to react to anything on the fly. Since Arinn is a pure fire mage, I keep the Water Cloak spread throughout my body. Moving based off of where he last was, I run into the thickest part of the steam. I’m rewarded as I see an outline of a person. From that silhouette a small ball of fire flashes out at me. I dodge with a side step to my left, and go to rush him down. I lunge forward, plant my leading foot right in melee distance, and now I’m able to hear what Arinn is saying.

“… Let this ring be the point of origin, let the tongues of fire reach towards the heavens…”

In a circle around Arinn, I see more of those flames he shot at me. Those weren't an attack, they were markers for a spell. And the two of us are right in the center!

The spell he's casting is an intermediate one, with the power to crush a player like me in one shot. My eyes widen as I realize Arinn is planning to bank on his fire resistance. Tongues of fire are already gathering down his hands, towards the bottom of his staff. If I don't do anything now, this match is as good as lost.

I form a fist with my left hand, with only my first two knuckles pointed out, and punch into Arinn’s right shoulder. I can see him grimace, but he doesn't let it break his stance or stop him from completing the spell. It’s now or never. I feel the water mana pressed underneath my skin and picture the points of my knuckles pressed into his shoulder. I push the mana out, not activating it. So that I'm not releasing physical water, instead pushing out pure water mana.

Aaron grits his teeth and yells, “Rise up, Flame Pillar!” And slams his staff into the ground.

From the point of impact streams of fire start to spiral upward, burning my health away. But after that initial flare, what follows is a wave of pure force that spreads out and clears all of the fog with it.

Arinn’s place markers are gone and the two of us are standing still, in the center of the stage, as everybody stares at us.

I pull my hand back, feeling the adrenaline rushing through me from how close I was to dying. It worked!

“Wh-what? But, the spell activated?!”

I’m grinning widely and hold up the hand that jabbed into him. “I injected water mana directly into your fire point. And inside the body, those two neutralize each other. Which means no more fire magic for you.”

Arinn’s eyes widen in horror, realizing that I’ve effectively taken away his magic. Desperate, he grabs his staff and swings it horizontally at my chest. But hand-to-hand combat is all I’ve been working on this month, and Riyu moved much faster.

I throw my upper body back to dodge and catch myself on my hands. Instead of completing a cart wheel I hold the handspring for a moment and — moving the cork from the fire point back to the lightning point — I change back to a Wind Cloak. I push off with my hands to complete the handspring and turn the momentum into a dropkick, right into Arinn’s chest. At the same time, I launch a Wind Burst out of both of my feet.

The force of the hit launches me back but I'm expecting it. I throw my feet down. Digging them into the ground, my hands out to stabilize me, I slide back in a crouching position at least 10 feet.

Arinn was not as prepared.

The force from the dropkick to his chest was probably bad enough for a mage to take, but combined with the Wind Burst, it sends him soaring through the air. He slams into the stands behind, making a hole as he crashes into the seats.

Everyone is stunned silent, looking at the Magic instructor embedded in the wood. I look over at the remaining combat instructors. I let my eyes move over the Long range instructor and the Attack instructor; they’re both just staring at Arinn. When I look towards Zhaz, our eyes meet.

I glance back to the hole in the stands, and pull up the menu with the contents of my wager on it.

“That's one.”