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 'birdn' turned and stared or flinched in surprise, so lifting surprisingly well-made spears or bows. Mason just stood there and gave them a mont 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 n 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 ."
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 n stared with shocking calm. But then Mason supposed he wasn't really an expert on fantasy bird n 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-n 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 ca from the trees.
Then the huge forms of two giant...apes erged, to a growing number of grins from the bird n. They were at least ten, maybe twelve feet tall, with hairy bodies and thick arms that stuck forward as the creatures walked.
Their heads were sowhere between man and ape, and Mason couldn't help but think of the giant skeletons he'd just seen in the pyramid...
"As you say," said their leader. "A good, honest fight. Whenever you're ready, stranger."
"No, it's not funny," Mason mumbled as Streak closed his eyes and wolf-laughed, then sagged down against a tree to watch. Mason waved Becky away. "It's fine. Just...wait over there. And no shields."
"Yessir," she said, rolling her eyes, muttering sothing about n. Mason cracked his knuckles and walked towards the giant apes.
* * *
Turned out giant ape skeletons were a lot faster when they had fleshy bits. And also clever-er.
Mason assud his opponents would rush right up and start hulk-smashing (yes, Blake, he knew who the hulk was).
Instead they exchanged an inscrutable look and circled him, clearly intending to get a threat on either side.
Mason wasn’t about to allow that. He charged the closest ape, his eyes up and posture high, as if he intended to leap up at the thing for so kind of strike to the head or upper body. Then he shifted and went at big boy's leg.
If he was trying to really cripple or kill the creatures, he would have used Predator's Strike and aid at the knee. But, for now, he was hoping to leave them without permanent damage.
He aid up and smashed his fist at a good three-quarters strength straight into the ape's thigh, and scored at least a glancing hit.
The giant ape growled and fell back in pain, and Mason grinned.
Then it smashed him with a back-hand using such violent speed he barely managed to get his Sleeves up. His feet left the ground, and he flew a good six feet, just turning in ti to get his Sleeves up to take another uppercut from ape number two.
This one he caught before flying away, activating Hunter’s Mark.
The ape pulled him back with its fist, obviously surprised, which only increased as Mason released, dropped to the ground, and punched it straight between the legs.
The ape stumbled with a very human-like groan, staggering a few steps before collapsing to the ground, where it lay down writhing.
"Sorry big guy," Mason said as he turned. "But I'd really like to get this wrapped up before..."
The other ape ca in with one fist beating its chest, mouth open in a toothy snarl. It lurched with both hands just like the damn skeletons. But with three tis the speed and ferocity.
Mason activated Aspect of the Cheetah and bolted sideways, tumbling out of the thing's grasp by a hair. It only had ti for a quick growl of protest before its speed and weight sent it staggering forward.
It reached out grasping, then lost its balance and fell. But was up just as quick and ready for more.
Except Mason was gone. He'd pushed himself against a tree and activated his Sleeves.
Big apes had pretty good vision, so Mason waited, totally still, as the thing moved forward sniffing and glancing at the bird-n as if to say 'Did he run away?'
Fortunately they'd seed to have lost track of him, too. The other ape was slowly picking himself up, and Mason couldn't help but sigh.
He really didn't want this to turn into a 'apes smash Mason until his passives overco' type situation. First of all, it would fucking hurt, and be fairly gross. And second, Rebecca was watching. And third…actually it was mostly just the first thing.
So he started channeling most of his remaining mana into a lightning bolt. As the energy built, the standing ape warrior seed to sense sothing was wrong. He made a very ape-like shriek of concern, turning back and forth and sniffing the air before shrinking back towards the trees.
Mason blasted his bolt at the thing’s feet, expecting most of the blast wouldn’t actually hurt it. The creature scread in primal terror and fled.
Mason stepped out from his tree and exchanged a good, long look with the other, groin-battered ape. It growled and showed its teeth, looked after its fleeing fellow, then dropped back to the ground and grunted in defeat.
“You cheated,” said the bird man leader, an unhappy expression on his face.
“You said two of you. I said I'd fight unard. I'd say we both kept our word,” Mason said with a shrug.
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. Co,” he gestured at Mason and the other players. “Sit. And eat with us.” He winked at the priest. “We can find sothing 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 sothing like eggplant, then sothing similar to the grouse (or ‘stupid-birds’) in the great forest.
The idiot priest sat about as close to Mason as he seed comfortable with, obviously sweating grotesquely in his robes. The bird-n seed to recognize his discomfort and offered him so water, which he drank desperately.
“Thank you, my friend,” said the priest a little while later. “But…why did you save ?”
Mason sighed, knowing he needed to get a little smarter about this. He glanced at the priest and the birdn and spoke loud enough to be heard.
“I think your god sent .”
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 so kind of religious gesture and clutched so 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 mont before he answered.
“Apparently.”
The bird captain snorted.
“Excuse , 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 na was? We have many gods here.”
“The Lifegiver,” said the priest, clutching his charm and closing his eyes with sothing like pleasure. “God of life. God of renewal. The Everliving. Nephus.”
Mason glanced at Becky and Seamus, rembering 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 n to co and deal with the fire, indicating he was ready to go.
“The old king cut off the head of the last foreign priest who ca here. I was only a boy, but I rember the execution.” He stood and rubbed his hands together to clean off so grease, then shrugged. “But co, if you wish. And bring your warriors. Perhaps with the prince you will do better.”
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