Sai rose from the ground, letting out a relieved sigh as he tried to brush some of the sand from his body and clothes. Once done, he glanced at the man lying on the ground before smiling. He stood over the still unconscious man, taking a victory pose as he looked back up the slope towards where Tirr sat. Watching the young blademaster wave happily, Tirr clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes before reluctantly waving back.

It was only then that the crowd reacted, watching the young man wave so happily… Outraged jeers mixed with hopeless muttering as most of the crowd didn’t understand what had happened in the last moments of the fight…. Filled with doubt and facing the implications of the loss, most of the crow turned hostile. Though with no clear target for their anger, their accusations were split among themselves.

Many yelled and claimed that the young blademaster had cheated, saying that he had received outside help somehow… Otherwise, how could the fight have turned out that way? He was clearly losing just a moment ago, only for the Jacta warrior to suddenly collapse? Someone must have done so something to interfere!

Others said that the fighter must have lost on purpose. Faking the fight up until then to avoid suspicion but suddenly collapsing when he realized he had to lose… The rest of the Jacta clan heard these shouts and were justifiably angered, and soon many among clans Krawl and Jacta were close to brawling. A first for the two historically close clans.

There were still a dozen other complaints whispered between the tribespeople and though they quieted as Fari raised her hand, they didn’t completely stop… She called out the results of the match, naming Sai the victor as the young man looked proud and waved back up towards his comrades once again.

Before the Blademaster could leave though, Rev’s irritated voice called from the side, “Are you going to just ignore what just happened Fari?” His voice was loud and carried across the basin easily, reaching many of the tribe who nodded their heads, waiting for him to go on.

“Everyone here knows the boy cheated somehow!” Rev waved a hand down at the field below and the Jacta warrior who was only now getting up. “Are you just going to ignore the voice of the tribe? The match should be investigated! And if the true cause of what happened can’t be determined, then the results should be discounted!”

A roar of agreement came from the crowd and Fari stood silently for a moment letting their displeasure wash over her unheeded. Over on Tirr’s side of the rim, the young god just sneered. “Looking at this, people would think that the tribe's so-called skilled warriors were just stories…”

Dun coughed awkwardly, “Many of the more seasoned fighters that weren’t going to be participating in the matches were kept back to help defend from the beasts…….” Still, who could blame those that we're calling out so angrily? Dun thought of himself as a seasoned veteran, one of the tribe's strongest warriors. And even he had barely seen what had happened…

Soon the yells and complaints quieted as Fari listened in silence, her rigid form, giving off an imposing aura even without any sign of actual threat. In a quiet voice that seemed to stretch over the lake bed, She asked Rev seriously, “Are you insulting the eyes of clan Havo?”

Rev seemed shaken by the woman’s demeanor not expecting the sudden hostility. He had thought that this was a good chance to even the odds and had hoped that Fari could be pressured into going along with it. Facing her question though he sputtered, “Something is wrong, yes? How could the fight have ended like that otherwise?”

“It ended because Jacta’s fighter lost! Fari said confidently. “And if your too blind to have seen how then I recommend you talk to the few warriors with some skill you still have with you and ask them why they're being so silent…”

Her words drew sudden attention to the more seasoned fighters among each of the clans, all of them were still looking towards the lakebed with stoic expressions as if still thinking about what they had just witnessed.

“And if you still need more proof than that. You can take a look at that warrior's jaw… That should be more than enough proof of what happened….”

As the crowd once again broke into loud whispering as many tried talking to the more experienced warriors around them. Fari turned a discerning eye towards the young man still clumsily making his way up the slope of the basin…

“Mother…” Koti’s voice suddenly called out next to her. She turned and looked at her roughly bandaged daughter and found that despite her wounds, her face was filled with deep admiration. Her daughter's eyes seemed to sparkle as she watched the young man reach his camp, talking briefly with the young god before being sent away….

Seeing a look she had never seen her daughter make before sent all thoughts of the Clangang from her head as she sighed in exasperation… Well, she thought to herself, it wasn't like she could blame the young woman, who aspired towards the heights of martial prowess.

Even Fari’s keen eyes had just barely caught the young man's blade as it swiped upwards gently knocking into the other man's jaw before slipping away again as if it had never happened. The move had been so utterly perfect, without and wasted movement or effort, it was no wonder many hadn't even noticed it.

Truly frightening… Fari thought once more to herself before turning back towards the crowd...