Chapter 294: We both kept our word

Chapter 294: We both kept our word

Mason stepped into the small break in the trees and cleared his throat.

"Alright," he said. "You've had your fun. Now untie him and leave him alone."

The 'birdmen' turned and stared or flinched in surprise, some lifting surprisingly well-made spears or bows. Mason just stood there and gave them a moment to inspect him and the giant wolf beside him.

"Who are you?" said what looked to be the eldest, his dark eyes assessing with obvious intelligence.

"A scarier thing than you. So just do what I tell you, and everyone leaves alive."

A few of the winged men smirked or scoffed, a few raised eyebrows. But their leader didn't look amused.

"You are either a madman, or very dangerous. Or perhaps both."

"Likely," Mason agreed. "Now off you go. That fire looks like it's growing."

"I cannot just leave," said the older warrior with a frown. "Not without knowing. It would...diminish me."

Mason sensed around him with Speak with Nature for the closest dying tree. Then he turned and threw his whole body into a brutal punch.

With Duality of Strength still tingling through his body, and the speed of his strike, his fist smashed straight through the small trunk. With a giant crack the thing shook and toppled, crashing against a few other trunks before getting caught in enough vines it just hung in the air.

The men stared with shocking calm. But then Mason supposed he wasn't really an expert on fantasy bird men culture.

"Don't hurt them, stranger, please!" shouted the robed man. It...wasn't exactly what Mason was expecting.

"Sorry, uh, Guy-about-to-be-burnt-alive, you're worried about them?"

"I am here to teach them on behalf of my god. He of renewal, god of life. Please, they know not what they do. You must not kill them. My survival is unimportant."

Mason shook his head. He looked at the bird man leader, who still watched him with those intelligent, curious eyes.

"Well that's great,” Mason said, “because I don't think your survival is likely."

The priest clenched his jaw, his eyes glazed with the courage of a fanatic.

"Then that is the will of God."

"No,” Mason sighed, “I'm pretty sure it would be the will of...?"

"Diaman," said the sharp-eyed bird man, apparently still not phased at Mason's tree smash.

"Right. Well, boys, I don't have all day. So how many of you do we figure I need to beat to a pulp before we decide I'm not a madman?"

The winged leader actually grinned.

"I think two should be adequate."

"Two?" Mason shrugged then rolled his shoulders. "A little offensive. But fair enough. I'll use my hands, and leave the wolf. 'Non-lethal' isn’t really part of his skill set. Let’s get to it."

"What the hell was that crash? And what's all this?"

Becky and Seamus had apparently ignored his order to stay put. Mason sighed as the bird-men lifted their weapons again with increasing suspicion and concern.

"Don't worry about them," Mason said, gesturing them back. "A good, honest fight, you have my word. You win, you roast the idiot. I win, you let him go. Fair enough?"

"Agreed." The bird-man leader looked increasingly pleased, which was slightly concerning. He turned his head and whistled. "Asan. Diax."

Thumping sounds came from the trees.

Eventually the bird man grinned.

“Cut him loose. And put out the fire.”

The others warriors rolled their eyes and went to obey.

“Wait,” said their leader, glancing at the jungle canopy. “We built the thing. May as well use it. Come,” he gestured at Mason and the other players. “Sit. And eat with us.” He winked at the priest. “We can find something else to cook.”

Mason couldn’t help but like the man a little.

In a few minutes they were all sitting around the fire as one of the warriors cooked something like eggplant, then something similar to the grouse (or ‘stupid-birds’) in the great forest.

The idiot priest sat about as close to Mason as he seemed comfortable with, obviously sweating grotesquely in his robes. The bird-men seemed to recognize his discomfort and offered him some water, which he drank desperately.

“Thank you, my friend,” said the priest a little while later. “But...why did you save me?”

Mason sighed, knowing he needed to get a little smarter about this. He glanced at the priest and the birdmen and spoke loud enough to be heard.

“I think your god sent me.”

The birdman captain raised a brow at Mason’s words, looking for the joke and not finding it.

“Truly?” The priest blinked and stared, his voice low with wonder.

“I can't think of a single other explanation,” Mason said with complete honesty. “We were sent exactly here. Exactly now.”

The priest made some kind of religious gesture and clutched some symbol in a fist.

“Blessed be The Lifegiver. Blessed be His coming and the visions He inspires.”

“You serve his god?” asked the leader, still obviously surprised.

Mason winced and took a moment before he answered.

“Apparently.”

The bird captain snorted.

“Excuse me, but you don't seem...very faithful.”

“My God...” Mason did his best to hold back the bitterness, “he doesn’t need...enthusiasm.”

The man’s toothy grin cracked across his weathered face.

“Your god must be more powerful than we thought,” he said towards the priest, “to have servants such as these.”

“He truly is,” said the priest, coming alive with interest.

“What did you say his name was? We have many gods here.”

“The Lifegiver,” said the priest, clutching his charm and closing his eyes with something like pleasure. “God of life. God of renewal. The Everliving. Nephus.”

Mason glanced at Becky and Seamus, remembering the old man’s words at the top of the pyramid.

The Nephalai. Save the Nephalai.

The bird man and priest didn’t notice the exchange, their own attentions on the fire or on preaching. The bird man shrugged and gestured for his men to come and deal with the fire, indicating he was ready to go.

“The old king cut off the head of the last foreign priest who came here. I was only a boy, but I remember the execution.” He stood and rubbed his hands together to clean off some grease, then shrugged. “But come, if you wish. And bring your warriors. Perhaps with the prince you will do better.”