We had some ridiculous train track repair going on last night at the bottom of the field from 10pm til about 2am. It was the loudest crap I've ever heard, with echoes of metal slamming and a horn being blared loud enough to bounce off the trees. Why this was being done during the night I have no idea, but my dog was losing her mind and up barking at all hours.

Cover Art: GWBrex

Chapter 23

The applause broke out as the final bout of the women's semi-finals ended, deciding the final match. It would be held after the men's rounds, allowing for the last two fights to be the finale female pair and then the final male pair. It would also give them time to recover and ensure the last matches were a spectacle, important given that the last rounds had been in succession and the winner of this one, Raven Branwen, looked exhausted. Pyrrha clapped with the rest of the crowd, though certainly not as wildly as Coco did. The final was sadly not to be between mother and daughter as Coco would have liked, but between Raven and a female knight from House Noscis named Rosaline. The knight had worn the blonde girl down and knocked her out in the semi-finals. Not a bad showing given her age.

Pyrrha suspected they would all be contacted and brought into the church's fold soon enough. These spring tournaments were as much to aid in scouting out perspective Chosen as they were cheering up the populace after the winter. The villages the women had registered under would receive visits soon enough.

"Those two clearly know how to use aura." Coco said pointing at Raven and Rosaline as they ceremoniously faced one another, a teaser of sorts for their final match later today. "Imagine having to figure it out without the church."

"I think the knight has some training by us," Pyrrha replied. "Her aura use is too clean and practiced. The other's is wild and clumsy. There, and more than good enough, but she flares it to defend."

"Hmm." Coco rubbed her chin, taking her attention away from the women and focusing more on how they'd fought. Coco wasn't unintelligent, quite the opposite, but she liked to play stupid for the sake of fun. "It's illegal for any woman to be trained outside the church. You think her sponsor has been bending the rules?"

"House Noscis. I'm not too familiar with them."

"They're not really big players. No scandals either. Not unless this becomes one. I could see why a noble would want a pet bodyguard with the skills of a Chosen, but I'm not sure the church will be happy. The Countess might receive a visit for this one."

"The other one will be fine." Pyrrha said. "Her control is sloppy. Good – I mean, impressive if she had to figure it out on her own – but she clearly hasn't had formal training, so they'll hold her up as a prodigy touched by the divine."

"You think we'll get both her and her daughter?"

"Perhaps." Pyrrha allowed a sly smile to appear. "Though I think you managing to be sandwiched between them if they do will remain a fantasy."

"Cruel. Still, maybe I can ask the younger one if she wants a little one-on-one training, you know? A newcomer in the church, unsure what to do, taken under the care and attention of the kindly older sister."

"Should I warn them or Sister Goodwitch first?"

"Oh come on. Like you didn't do exactly the same with your little boytoy."

"Coco!"

Pyrrha blustered and blushed as her friend burst out laughing, unable to counter the accusation laid at her feet when she and Jaune had sparred just the other day. Coco always knew the best ways to get to her, but thankfully a distraction came in the form of the final combatants emerging from the tents and onto the field once again, and soon they were both clapping along with the crowd. Eight in total, three of whom were a part of Jaune's own group. They'd done remarkably well to get thus far, showing the value of organised teamwork against stronger foes.

"My money is on one of the knights." Coco said. "That big guy is House Winchester's latest investment." She pointed to a plate-armoured figure with a huge sword and a small buckler attached to his left arm. "Yatsuhashi, I think he's called. Came out the knight academy top of his grade and they snaped him up."

"Hmm. He certainly looks strong," Pyrrha said, hoping Jaune would not be set against him immediately. He'd done well in the grand melee, remarkably well, showing a degree of skill she hadn't realised he possessed. Had he been starstruck and unwilling to show it against her? His father must have taught him more than she thought. "Are you putting money on him?"

"I would if I had any. There's this girl in town, though."

"Coco…"

"Her name's Velvet and-"

"I don't want to know." Pyrrha shook off her friend before she could jump into yet another sordid tale. It wasn't like she didn't hear or see enough of that anyway within the church. When you lived, grew up and trained solely around women, it wasn't unusual to form bonds beyond that of classmates. The teachers never discouraged it either, though they often reminded students that you could still bare a child without having to commit yourself to a man. "I'm not spending my hard-earned money on gambling either."

"You always were too sensible for your own good."

They quieted along with the crowd as the crier began to announce the draws, each of the men having reached into velvet bag and drawn out a token. It was a stroke of poor fortune that Jaune was aligned against a man named Taiyang, one of his own compatriots in the competition. As if to make matters worse, his other ally, Qrow, was set against the man from the White Fang with the red sword.

Convenient that their entire team is forced to whittle one another down, she thought as the knights were more spread out. Indeed, they fought against one another, but the two sponsored by House Rangor managed to not only miss one another but be placed on opposite ends of the bracket, ensuring they could only meet in the finals. Are the fights being fixed? The Goddess would never do that – she's hardly paying attention – so if so, it's the nobles vying for the relic.

There was no point sharing such concerns with the first bout beginning. Jaune and his ally took their places across from one another, each wielding a shield and sword, each armoured in mail and metal helms. The colours of their clothing and shields were different, as were the designs of their swords, but she could well imagine them fighting shoulder to shoulder. If she hadn't met Jaune's father before in the village of Ansel, she might even have believed he and this Taiyang were father and son.

The crier swept a purple flag into the air. "Begin!"

They began slowly, circling one another while maintaining their stamina – the winner would have to fight again to determine their place in the final and earn a chance to rest, so pacing was important, especially for men who lacked aura and could take crippling or near-fatal wounds if their attention slipped for even a moment. The crowd, having just been spoiled by far more aggressive and wilder woman-on-woman combat brayed noisily and stamped their hands and feet on the wooden stages to urge them on.

The Chosen, however, watched silently. To them, the women's combat had mostly been unrefined and amateurish, as they'd spent years witnessing better. The sport here between men, so close to blood being shed, was far tenser, and even more so for the time the two spent probing and gauging one another with quick cuts and stabs. Pyrrha's muscles were clenched tight. They were testing each other's guard, and yet even the smallest thrust had the potential to sever an artery.

When the clash eventually happened, it was fast and dangerous. The crowd of citizens roared happily but the Chosen all leaned forward, the clash of metal on metal and the cracking of wooden shields all too real. Jaune buckled under the raw power of the older and bigger man, and yet even as he fell to one knee he sliced out under the man's guard at his legs. Taiyang stepped back to avoid it but placed himself off-balance, allowing Jaune to push in with his shield and his whole body behind it, driving as hard as he could. The elder did his best to recover and push back, but in a battle of shield against shield, he with the greater footing would always be victorious.

In a battle line, Jaune pushing too aggressively would end with him among the enemy, surrounded and cut down, but a duel was far too removed from that to apply. Taiyang struggled to find his balance and Jaune allowed none, eventually ending with the man toppling onto his back and holding still as a blade tickled his jaw. He released his weapon and raised his right hand, open and empty, in the sign of surrender.

The applause was muted. The audience grumbled and clapped politely but without much cheer, for the most part unimpressed with what Pyrrha felt was a very solid showing. To the audience longing for more acrobatic and agile fighting, they didn't realise that Jaune had managed to win both without exerting himself and without harming a close ally. That meant more for his chances than a good show.

Coco clapped happily with the other Chosen, leaned over and said, "Not bad, eh? He's got a quick mind. Shame about the equipment though. He's not going to be able to topple someone in full plate that easily."

"I'm quite confident he will surprise everyone." Pyrrha said tightly. Coco noticed.

"No point getting angry at the crowd. They're here to see fights."

"They're here for a show. You and I both know a fight is a short and brutal thing. They want these people to clash for ten minutes or more, shedding blood and limbs as they somersault about the arena."

Coco couldn't hide her snort. "Sounds about right. I've heard some of them complaining about the men's fights being boring because they all use shields when the women have a wider range of weapons."

That was because the women already had shields in the form of aura in most cases. The comparison just wasn't a fair one to make. For the Chosen, large, two-handed weapons were very common. They had more cutting power against Grimm, were heavier and thus more capable of several thick, inhuman limbs, and you didn't need to worry so much about defence or armour when aura could protect you. It wasn't the same for the men down there. They were severely disadvantaging themselves if they weren't shielded. Again, a war formation might use pikes or halberds, but in a tightly packed line of bristling pikes, the sharp tips of your many allies were your shield. They served much the same purpose.

"Most of the people watching this have never seen war and will never have to." Coco said. "You can't fault them, Pyrrha. They've grown spoilt on watching Chosen train and spar at sermons or compete on the Day of the Goddess."

"They know this isn't the same and should temper their expectations accordingly."

"You're only saying that because of him." Coco smirked. "Why don't you go congratulate him on making it past the round? No one is going to stop you doing so."

"I… I don't know…"

"Go for it." Coco gave her a little push. "I'll save your seat."

"Until a pretty girl shows up, I take it?"

"Silly Pyrrha, you are a pretty girl." Coco gave her rear a little slap and Pyrrha yelped, then glared hotly at her and the Chosen behind who had seen and started sniggering. "And hey, if your seat is taken then you can always sit on my lap."

"You are the worst, Coco. The worst."

"You love it."

/-/

The Dark Lord had stuck to the deal so far.

When Taiyang faced off against him, Jaune had seen the naked doubt in his eyes mixed with a little fear. Was he to face Jaune, a boy with only a winter of training, or Ozma, the Dark Lord who had faced off against the Goddess for thousands of years? It had become readily apparent it was the latter, and Taiyang's fear had spiked. It was no big surprise when he yielded out early. Ozma had thankfully let that happen and hadn't pushed further, though Taiyang had avoided him since.

Not that he blamed the man. He didn't deserve to be thrown against a monster like that. I'll have to apologise to him later. Hopefully he'll accept that I did this to help us on our journey after. We need somewhere far away from the Goddess' eyes to settle down after all.

His tent flap opened suddenly, and a broad-shouldered man strode in flanked by another. He recognised neither, but the man was bedecked in fine purple with a cloak lined with soft fur, and a golden chain hung about his neck. The other was armoured and kept a hand to the sword at his side in warning. Someone wealthy then. Jaune bit his lip and stayed seated on his knees lest anything more be taken as a threatening action. "Can I help you, sir?"

"You can," the man answered immediately. "Your next bout against Sir Gaddon. You will forfeit."

"I shall what…?"

"Not for nothing." The man snaped his fingers and his guard handed to him a thick pouch that jingled loudly. "Two hundred golden coins for you."

The amount was staggering. That… well, that was just an impossible amount back home. He could have bought Ansel twenty times over at least – probably more. It was enough to live a life of some small luxury without ever working again. Better still, it was right there in front of him with no more fighting necessary. Yes, this man was asking him to throw the fight, but he was willing to pay for it.

"The fact he is shows we have a real chance of winning." Ozma's voice whispered in his hear. "He would not go this far otherwise."

That was true. On the other hand, he might still lose even with Ozma backing him. This was a guarantee of money he could use to travel away from Vale with Taiyang and Ruby.

"Ten times this lay as reward for victory – and a question on the Relic. Is that not worth more? And what will the maiden's father feel if you use me to best him only to forfeit your chance now?"

He had a point.

"You also enter under the banner of the raven."

Meaning that Raven would demand a cut and might just be upset that he made this decision without her. He could fake it, pretend to fight and then lose and say he never stood a chance, but Ruby and Taiyang would know he'd lied later. The more Ozma said, the more he turned away from the idea, despite having been on the cusp of accepting mere moments ago. The Relic was worth more. It was worth taking risks for.

"I'm sorry." His answer did not please the man. The noble's lips drew back. "I can't accept your kind offer. I agreed to fight-"

"Three hundred."

Jaune licked his lips. "My sword is not for sale. I'm-"

"Every sword is for sale, boy, or are you so naïve as to think otherwise? Four hundred." The man shook the pouch as though to bludgeon him with it. "You won't find a better offer. Four hundred gold and all you need do is lose. You'd be a fool to turn this down!"

"You're right." Jaune smiled in what he hoped was a placating manner. "But I'll have to say no all the same. I'm sor-"

"You damn well will be!" the noble spar. "Sir Rod-"

"Am I interrupting something…?"

Had it been anyone else, the noble might have shouted that they were, but when one of the Goddess' Chosen is the one speaking, you don't argue. Pyrrha Nikos wore a pleasant smile that didn't quite hide the fact she might have heard the spoken threat. The knight who had been about to draw his weapon suddenly had released it and let his hand hang loosely at his side. The noble, meanwhile, had gone a dark shade of red and was lightly shaking. Whether that was with embarrassment or fury, Jaune didn't know.

"Not at all, honoured Chosen," he said. "Come, Sir Roderick. We are done here."

Pyrrha stepped aside to let the two walk by her, smiling the whole time. Only once they were gone did she let it fall as she turned back to him. "What was that about?"

"He was trying to bribe me to lose the fight. And he wasn't happy I said no."

"I see. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised some would go so far for a chance to hold the relic in their hands. The nobles could use it to unearth old claims or find rich deposits of silver, gold or gems that would transform their fortunes."

He hadn't thought of any of that, but then he also didn't have the manpower to make use of it if he did. He'd assumed the nobles would just be using it for petty politicking, but the idea of being able to ask the relic exactly where hidden riches might lay was an obvious one. The nobles really could make the most of this since they had the money both to buy the land and fund a mining operation to unearth said riches. No wonder they were prepared to go so far as to bribe the crier, rig the matches and then try and bribe him out.

"Part of me feels silly for having said no," he admitted. "That kind of money is nothing like I've ever seen before."

"Your pride should never be sold cheaply. It's one of the few things you get to hold onto."

"I've never really thought of myself as proud." Jaune realised that he was sitting while she stood. He quickly gestured to the cushions. "Help yourself if you like. I'd stand but my legs are a little weak from that last match."

"Thank you." Pyrrha used her foot to draw a cushion over and then gently knelt. "And that's to be expected. You did well."

"The crowd didn't seem to agree."

"They want spectacle. Honestly, they'd rather this whole thing be us Chosen facing off against one another. A good fight is one you win with the least amount of effort required. There weren't any hard feelings in you having to fight an ally, were there?"

"No." Not from the draw, but he didn't know if Taiyang was taking Ozma's inclusion personally yet. Ruby was still watching the fights, but he couldn't use that as evidence since she would be with Yang right now. "I don't suppose you happened to see what happened with Qrow and Adam's fight?"

"They haven't fought yet. Yours was first and theirs is last. I can tell you a knight, Sir Gaddon, won his bout and will be your enemy, but it looks like you already know that."

"I gathered. Anything I should know about him?"

"If there is, I'm afraid that I don't know it. The various knights and private armies of the counts, dukes and barons aren't church business. They're all expected to defend their own lands from threats so it's normal for them to have strong men and women at their beck and call."

He must have been one of the best if he'd made it this far. The best equipment, the best armour, the best training and maybe even a team of dedicated people surrounding him feeding him advice on how Jaune had fought and how to beat him. There would be no sparing any expense with a prize like this on the line. Jaune half expected Ozma to chip in with a comment, but the Dark Lord was silent. He'd spoken when the noble was here but refused to say a word with Pyrrha. That was probably for the best.

"Any advice for dealing with someone in full armour, then?"

"More of what you did before," she replied, chuckling lightly. "It's not easy to crack through their armour or knock them down, but if you can then it can be hard for them to get up. One of the leading causes of death among knights, aside from ballistae bolts, is being dragged from their horses and knifed by a horde of angry peasants. You could also try and wear him out. It isn't easy carrying all that weight around." She tapped her arm with her finger for a moment. "Actually, that might be a good strategy. His enemy fought hard in the first round, two knights sponsored by nobles to win, and I imagine he came out of it a lot worse than you did yours."

Hence the attempt at bribery. The noble must have felt his knight was flagging after a hard round. Damn, now he had to hope the other rounds went quickly enough that he had less time to recover. If Qrow and Adam took too long, the advantage might slip out his grasp again. Or out of Ozma's. There was little point pretending he was doing anything here.

A wave of booing and complaining came from outside, drawing both their gazes to the tent flap. It sounded like the crowd were upset about something or other. Not him for once. The answer came as the flap swung open and Taiyang stuck his head in. "You're u- oh, you have a guest."

"Not one who wishes to disturb." Pyrrha stood and dusted herself down. "Good luck in the fight, Jaune. I will be cheering for you." With a quick smile, she brushed past Taiyang and away without even giving him a chance to respond.

"Uh. Right." Taiyang looked back to him. "Like I said, your fight is up."

"Already?"

"Raven spoke to Sienna, who asked Adam to surrender his match to Qrow early. It was always the agreement, but Raven saw a chance to make sure your opponent doesn't have any time to recover. It'll help Qrow in the next round as well."

Jaune stood and reached for his shield and sword. "The audience don't sound happy."

"Yeah, well, that's not our business, is it? The nobles are cheating enough already making sure we take one another out first. I refuse to believe me against you, and Qrow against Adam, was anything but by design."

"I feel the same way." Jaune made to walk out the tent but for Taiyang gripping his arm. "Is something wrong? Is this about our fight?"

"No. I knew you might, and you didn't injure me. It's about hanging around with a Chosen. Do you really think that's wise?"

"Pyrrha came here on her own. I can't control her."

"Just be careful." Taiyang gripped his arm a little tighter before letting go. "Ruby would be heartbroken if you got yourself locked up. Winning this, whether it's for the relic of the gold, won't mean shit if you tip your hand. The Eternity Queen is here herself. Don't push…" Taiyang chained his tune. "Don't let him push you into anything."

"I won't. We have a deal."

"A deal with the Dark Lord." Taiyang shook his head. "Just be careful. I'm sure that more past hosts than you have tried to control him, and we all know how that ended. You make sure you come out of this still yourself, okay?"

"I'll do my best. I don't intend to let him take over."

"Good. We still need to have our trip around the world, right? Got to find somewhere to settle down." Taiyang released him and stepped out the way at least. "You best get out there before the crowd start to rip themselves apart. Good luck."

/-/

The crowd were well and truly restless when Jaune reached the arena. Some of them had even taken to hurtling things in at the edges, though it came to a stop when he and the knight, Sir Goddard, entered the ring again. Goddard didn't look tired or winded despite the claim of having fought hard in the prior round. He stood tall and firm, clad from head to toe in armour with a bright red mane flowing from the top of his helmet and falling behind him down to the centre of his back. Unlike so many others, he had no shield, no doubt trusting his armour to do enough. Instead, he wielded a single long sword in his right hand and a smaller, slimmer dagger in his left, perfect for finding those small chinks and gasps in a person's armour.

Jaune moved without his control, back under Ozma's control and flexing his sword arm with a few short swings. The two faced off from one another, then were brought closer to shake hands in the centre. It was hard to see anything of the man within the armour, but he had a powerful grip. They shook quickly and were then dispatched to walk several paces away.

"Things are not as they seem," Ozma whispered in his head. Ozma kept their lips sealed in a thin line as he did, giving nothing away. What did he mean? Had the man beneath the armour switched out with another that was rested? "Not nearly as bad a guess as you might believe, and yet still not quite right. This will be difficult to win whilst abiding by the rules you have set."

No. Those couldn't change. No aura, no magic, nothing to give him away.

"Then this shall be a challenge…"

My internet is so stupidly slow right now. Wow. Just opening up pages on fanfiction is taking a full minute or two to load. Reminds me of the good old days with dial up when I would play Neopets (yes, I'm that old) and struggle to get it to load games of hearts or solitaire. Man, I don't even remember what I liked about it other than that it was a thing, it was online, and I would refresh pages hoping to get a training stone or whatever they were called. Nostalgia overload.

But yeah, I'm half worried updating this that it will have frozen, not updated or updated multiple times. I'll have to check after to make sure.

Next Chapter: 10th July

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