A Cold Day in Hell
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Mazdani are not human, they are descended from bovine stock, however they are not minotaurs. If you’re expecting a man’s body coupled with a bull’s upper torso you’d be quite disappointed. Certainly they didn’t have horns either, though some of their primitive types had the subcutaneous bulges where the horns would form. What you had were eight foot tall seriously muscled humanoids, with a long extended face. They are roughly seven times stronger than a normal human and covered in a short, mottled, hairy exterior, five digits on each extremity and definitely no hooves. They were also highly resistant to quantum manipulation, in other words aversion wards and mind control etc. didn’t work too well on them and in addition some of them were pretty fair Mages themselves. Mostly they had no interest in humanity and were in very low numbers, which for humanities sake is just as well otherwise we’d be living under their rule ... well most of us. They are all, I’m told even the women, consummate warriors and they take any act of aggression very seriously as the Tuatha Dé Danann found out to their cost when they sent a military expedition to Mazdan which led almost to the destruction of the Tuathan world of Finias, where only farms and isolated villages remained by the time the Tuathans had begged the Mazdani for forgiveness.
Generally speaking anyone human had to be on their guard when speaking to the Mazdani, as we didn’t know just what it was that might set them off, beyond the blatantly obvious that is. Hence there was total silence when the Mazdani honour guard escorting one of their ‘notables’ marched into our encampment and demanded to speak to whoever was in charge.
“That would be me,” Vaniralla Freya announced. “Though I’d appreciate your input Mage Morgana,” she added as an aside.
“My pleasure,” Morgana replied, though her eyes told a different story.
“Our farseers have told us you have a Mazdani here,” the leader of the honour guard boomed, though as was par for the course the ‘notable’ said nothing.
“I am Vaniralla Freya of the Æsir, wife of Wind Councillor Ferrimoot of Murias. This is Morgana of Earth, Assassin Prime of the Mage Council of Earth. With whom are we dealing?” Freya reply in a steady voice.
There was silence as the Mazdani seemed to be a little stunned over Freya’s reaction. Greetings are part of their culture and signify intent as well as status. Not formally introducing yourself, or rather the one you were escorting at a first meeting was considered to be a major insult.
“Forgive my lack of manners brought on simply by a desire to see if one of our own was here. My name is Fin’so of the Bruenda herd. I am escorting the jinshi Ta’u’san,” the Mazdani within the centre of the honour guard announced himself.
“We are honoured,” Freya replied formally. “We have a Mazdani. Tu’tar was left behind because of serious wounds. He is now healed. Is this the Mazdani you wish to speak to?”
“Indeed it is. Did he request healing?” Fin’so asked ominously.
“No. He was defeated in combat, having attacked one of our own whom he wrongly perceived as a threat. He was rendered aid whilst unconscious,” Morgana replied.
Fin’so relaxed slightly at this announcement. Mazdani have a ‘tradition’ of toughing out wounds, believing that asking for help is weakness; though apparently it was perfectly OK to help one once they’d lost consciousness.
“You mentioned he was in combat with one of your own? Do you mean human or one of your party?” Fin’so asked.
“His wounds were given during a fight with the Nephilim, those your world moved against. He then attacked, without provocation, my journeyman and his partner, badly injuring the partner,” Morgana stated.
“You claim blood debt?” Fin’so asked.
“No. Tu’tar gave it when he realised his error,” Morgana replied.
“Your ... journeyman defeated a Mazdani?” Fin’so went on.
“An injured one, though I suspect that had challenge been given he would have won irrespective,” Morgana stated.
“A bold claim!” Fin’so replied.
“Feel free to try an honourable challenge,” Morgana threw back knowing that with the Mazdani any claim had to be backed up if necessary.
“Perhaps a friendly challenge later,” Fin’so gave way graciously.
“Feel free, until then Tu’tar is yours to speak to in private,” Morgana acknowledged with Freya’s silent assent, indicating the tent we’d given the Mazdani to keep him out of my sight for the moment.
“I’m really not in the mood for a friendly challenge, my Mage,” I said quietly to Morgana.
“I know this, John, but they’d regard any attempt to prevaricate as a sign of a lie and an ‘unfriendly’ challenge would have been given,” Morgana replied.
“Oh, I see,” I nodded. “Who or what is the jinshi Ta’u’san,” I added.
“Senior bureaucrat of the dynasty, won’t speak directly to us but will be the one who ultimately will decide Tu’tar’s fate,” Morgana said grimly.
“Fate as in?” I queried.
“He was aiding humans; he attacked humans of a ‘friendly’ realm; he hurt Róisín severely. Yet in the end his fate will be decided as to whether he acted honourably. Not honourably by our standards, but by theirs which are vastly different. It might be that he’ll be ordered to carry out his blood debt and then kill himself,” Morgana explained.
“Right...” I sighed. “What do I do if I receive a friendly challenge?”
“Don’t lose,” Morgana stated.
“This day just keeps on getting better,” I muttered, not happy that after a being I was having difficulty feeling anything but anger at, fate was playing silly buggers with me again.
“John, I realise that currently you’re not emotionally stable, but I do trust you to do the right thing,” Morgana said softly cupping my cheek in her hand.
“I won’t let them kill him, or force his death, I promise,” I said.
“Good, now go see your ladies and stay out of trouble,” Morgana chuckled.
The Mazdani were with Tu’tar for nearly two hours before they emerged. I spent most of the time being hugged and talked to by Abi and Imelda, Brianna having returned an hour since to Loegria to sit by Róisín’s side.
“Our decision is to terminate the being Tu’tar for the act of receiving medical attention from outsiders and siding with them against a non-hostile group,” Fin’so boomed out when all had gathered.
“I object,” I stated loudly if calmly.
“Who might you be to question the judgement of the jinshi Ta’u’san?” Fin’so asked with narrowed eyes.
“I am John of Earth, one to whom Tu’tar owes a blood debt,” I said.
“We relieve you of this debt,” Fin’so stated, looking interested at long last.
“It is not yours to relieve,” I replied.
“The jinshi Ta’u’san can do as he wills,” Fin’so answered back, though did not sound so sure of himself.
“In the case of a blood debt owed to one who does not owe allegiance to him? I somehow doubt that,” I replied, making the assembled Mazdani honour guard stir uneasily.
“It is not for you to question the jinshi Ta’u’san!” Fin’so replied.
“I believe it is. On my behalf and that of my injured partner I say you cannot execute this Mazdani until his debt is paid ... which on current grounds will be a lifetime’s debt if this is what passes for Mazdani honour,” I replied.
“You dare! You dare question our honour!” exploded from the lips of Ta’u’san.
“I do. What do you intend to do about it, jinshi?” I replied directly to him.
“Guard strike him down!” he commanded imperiously, only to stare aghast as not a single Mazdani moved.
“This is a matter of him questioning your decision, jinshi Ta’u’san. He made his case honourably and it is for you to strike him down or reconsider; not for us,” Fin’so replied stiffly.
“You will die by my hand and bond, hu’man,” Ta’u’san snarled as he cast off his bureaucratic robe and drew what had to be the biggest sword I’d seen in my life as to a human it would be a two handled great sword, but he used it in one hand.
“Your bond is worthless if it means the death of one who had no choice or knowledge in his decisions,” I replied.
Oddly at this statement all the Mazdani honour guard clapped their hands to their breastplates in a massive booming sound.
There was no ceremony, no oaths. Ta’u’san simply struck at me with blinding speed with his sword only to gasp as I used my speeded up reaction times to simply step to one side and let his sword cut into the packed earth of the street where we were arrayed. My own rapier flicked out to place a razor cut on his arm before I stepped back out of the way of another wild lunge.
“Speed will not save you!” he snarled as he lunged again.
“Well, I’m certainly in no danger from your lamentable talent,” I mocked before darting in to score another minor cut.
“You think small scratches like that will save you?” he taunted.
“No,” I chuckled as I dodged a slightly better move. “But enough of them will weaken you, and trust me; I can play this tune all day.”
“Fight like a Mazdani!” he yelled.
“I’m not a Mazdani,” I threw back at him.
“Faugh! You think you will gain honour by fighting so?”
“I’m fighting to win,” I chuckled before using a flurry of strokes to land several cuts on him whilst he attempted to skewer me.
“Even if you kill me, my decision will stand!”
“No it won’t,” I replied. “Your own honour guard disagrees with you and you’ll still be dead. Killed in a duel with a human.”
“Pah! I need only get lucky once. You’ll have to spend hours to even weaken me a trifle,” he huffed.
“Oh, I could have killed you several times over by now,” I chuckled. “I’m simply demonstrating to your guards how hopeless you are.”
“Liar!” he yelled until I swiftly moved inside his guard to land a slashing blow on the tendons of his sword arm, severing them and making him drop his weapon.
He then lunged for the weapon only to pull up sharp as my blade flicked to his throat.
“Yield!” I ordered.
“Mazdani do not yield!”
“Do not lie to me. I know your code. A yield is permitted in a duel to avoid blood feud,” I replied coldly.
“You are correct hu’man,” Fin’so boomed. “Even if he chooses death, we will report you gave him a life chance.”
“I am the jinshi Ta’u’san. You will address me as so!” Ta’u’san yelled at Fin’so.
“You are jinshi no more. The hu’man has taken that honour from you and reversed the decision on Tu’tar. A decision that was made in spite and dishonour, even if couched in flowery language. It is well known your house hated that of Tu’tar and that you claimed this ‘investigation’ in order to humiliate his patriarch,” Fin’so replied coldly. “You may even have got away with it had this hu’man not intervened as we, the honour guard, are sworn to silence on such matters.”
“I ... I yield,” Ta’u’san grated out. “But know you have made an enemy of my house!”
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