Episode 158: Dressing to Kill
Zack wiped the sweat from his brow and looked over the array of daggers, spears, and swords before him, barely suppressing a cough. Â He could tell from the cloth of woven reeds that these were wrapped in that the Sthenites kept these weapons with care, but none of them truly felt appropriate for the situation.
âAnd the Purcellian Strikers are definitely out, then?â
âTheyâre only permissible if your competitor agrees to it,â said Chala. Â âAnd if your competitor has a suitably comparable weapon. Â Nectra doesnât have a gun.â
âIâm telling you, she doesnât need one,â said Zack. Â âHer staff is deadly, and I might die out there otherwise.â
âThere are plenty of staves and cudgels here that you could take,â said Chala, gesturing to another rolled up parcel of woven reeds. Â âI think thereâs one not unlike a shillelagh from Earth over there, actually, it might even be superior to her staff, weapon-wise.â
âHer staff can turn into a virellium-powered energy-scythe!â
âSo you say,â said Chala, unrolling the new parcel and withdrawing a sturdy looking branch. Â âFor what itâs worth, this is a legendary item that the Sthenites believe to contain magical properties. Â You wonât need to escape from your hut again to go looking for better weapons.â
âIâd rather use my strikers,â said Zack. Â âIf she has a weapon sheâs comfortable with, then I should have one as well. Â And I didnât escape.â
âFine, but pick another weapon anyway in case the Sthenites donât let you use them. Â And you might not call it an escape, but when you get out without the guards seeing you I donât think the Sthenites will know what else to call it.â
Zack sighed and looked over the options. Â One dagger in particular seemed dangerous enough to deal actual damage while also being simple enough for him to use. Â It was a hard, red substance not unlike chitin, and bent at the tip so that it was almost a sickle. Â He picked it up, and felt its weight.
âWhat can you tell me about this one?â
âItâs made from one of the mandibles of a threzh, a kind of cantankerously territorial plant creature. Â If it still has any of its poison in it, that could be a useful counter to a fast-moving energy scythe.â
âWhatâs the poison do?â
âA threzh can use it to slow or weaken its prey, sometimes fully paralyzing a creature for hours to make it easy to drag the prey back out of its territory. Â The Sthenites would only leave this weapon here if they thought it still had some of its kick, but this isnât the first ritual duel itâs been available for. Â Itâd probably slow down a personâs metabolism, at least, and make them slower.â
âThat might give me an edge where a speed-freak like Nectraâs concerned,â said Zack. Â âIâll take it. Â But I still want to use my blasters.â
âGreat,â said Chala. Â âHold onto them. Â Iâll make sure that Chalaâs preparations are going well as well. Â If sheâs using her staff, that might give you grounds to use your own weapon of choice. Â And practice with it a little instead of your pistols, it smells light lightning in here.â
âWonderful. Â And I will.â
Chala turned to the door but stopped at the frame.
âSo⌠are you really going to kill Nectra?â
âMaybe,â said Zack. Â âI donât want to. Â I donât think she wants to kill me either, but she was definitely willing to not too long ago. Â Youâre one of the Sthenites yourself since you endured your own trial, right? Â Do you know of any such trials by combat ending peacefully?â
âNo,â she said, stepping through the door. Â âGood luck, Gamma.â
âYou look surprisingly relaxed.â
Nectraâs massive eyes fully opened without, it seemed, any transitional time from being fully closed. Â Chala mostly succeeded in not flinching as she gestured to the two pillars of stacked rocks in Nectraâs guarded hut. Â The shangmere herself was hanging upside down, using her feet to clutch the staff that stretched between the miniature towers. Â Nectraâs mouth stretched into an alarming smile, one almost made less disconcerting by being flipped.
âThanks!â said Chala. Â âIâm trying to meditate before killing Gamma.â
âThat answers that, then.â
âAnswers what?â Â Chalaâs wings opened and beat once, flipping her upright and letting her perch on the staff.
âI wasnât sure if you were actually planning on killing Zack.â
âI donât think I have a choice,â said Chala, her smile crashing into a morose frown.  âThe Sthenites will kill him anyway if I donât⌠and while Iâm not happy with blood on my hands I have to admit that this was what I wanted to do anyway when I first started hunting him.  And sure, Zack said he could help reopen my legal case using evidence gathered here on Mandrake, but if I kill him I wouldnât need that anyway and now I just wish I hadnât made friends with him first.â
Nectra stood, stretched out her arms and wings, and fell back. Â Chala gasped, but realized that the shangmere was falling slower than a human would, and that she was falling onto the bed of reeds that the Sthenites had given Nectra to use when they remanded her to the hut. Â Chala watched Nectra lie motionless for a few moments before she sighed, rolled onto her side, and pulled one of her wings over her face like a blanket.
âThis shouldnât be so complicated.  Or⌠actually, it should be complicated.  I like complicated.  I can work with complicated.  This shouldnât be so simple and horrible.  The Sthenites have awful customs if this is what they make people do, just awful.  If I kill Zack, do you think heâll be mad at me?â
Chala didnât mentally stumble over the question, but felt like it was a question that should cause stumbling. Â She walked to the mat between the rock pillars and knelt by the bat-like alien.
âNo,â she said. Â âI donât think heâd be mad at you for killing him. Â Heâd probably prefer the alternative, but he understands how delicate the situation is. Â Heâs constructed a situation where a Suzerain might even be able to step in to prevent a trial from being completed. Â With a different Suzerain who had more support from the different tribes, that might even be a remote possibility.â
Nectra flapped her wing back into place and sat upright.
âI guess weâll just have to cross that road when we come to it. Â Thanks for not saying anything about claws earlier.â
âWhen I talked about getting blood on my hands.  Iâve used that expression before⌠sometimes I have humans stop expressions Iâm making where I talk about hands, saying I should use claws instead.  I love human expressions, though.  And that expression involves hands.â
âYou donât exactly have claws, either,â said Chala. Â âTheyâre a bit pointier than human hands, but theyâre definitely hands.â
âI know, right?â said Nectra. Â âThough I sorta do if you count my feet.â
âThose arenât really-â
âNah, my feet have claws. Â Theyâre really good for catching fish.â
âLike, amazing. Â Iâm great at catching fish. Â Fishing for humans is so slow, they just get in boats and wait for ages forgetting that the point is catching fish, thinking that waiting in a boat is the point, and I normally really like how humans do things, but catching fish is supposed to be active. Â Fly over the water, wait to see the ripples, splash in, and bam! Â Lunch. Â And, yes, I know that some humans hunt fish with spears, but thereâs still a lot of waiting involved in that even if itâs more proactive. Â And donât get me started on humans who fish with nets.â
Chala nodded, following the conversation flow.
âThe Sthenites prefer hunting the native fish equivalent with spears. Â A few tribes use nets. Â Some just slither into the water to see what they can grab with their bare hands.â
âOoh, now thatâs nice⌠ I couldnât do that.  I donât see underwater very well if Iâm actually under the water.â
âSpeaking of nets and spears, though, Iâm supposed to ask what sort of weapon you intend to use for the trial?â
Nectra pointed at the staff stretched between the rock pillars over Chalaâs head. Â Chala glanced back up at it.
âBecause there are plenty of weapons we can also offer-â
Nectra shook her head and pointed at the staff again.
âMy staff can turn into a scythe around Zack. Â An energy scythe. Â Why would I use anything else?â
âAre scythes actually good as weaponry?â
âTheyâre better than good,â said Chala. Â âTheyâre awesome and cool as weaponry.â
âBut are they capable?â
âLook, Iâm using the scythe. Â Even if for some crazy reason a scythe wasnât a good weapon, it can also be a staff which is also an amazing weapon, plus Zack is scared to death of this thing. Â You should see the look on his face whenever I activate it.â
âZack feels thereâs a disparity here, and that he should be permitted to use his pistols if you get to use your staff.â
âThat seems fair,â said Nectra.
âFor him to have a ranged weapon while you only have-â
âMy awesome scythe? Â Of course itâs fair. Â Iâm a little insulted by this anti-scythe attitude youâve got.â
âFair enough,â said Chala.  âIf thereâs nothing else, Iâll take my leave now.  Good luck prepping for the fight.  Someone will be along shortly to deliver some fruit and⌠if youâre interested⌠I can have them include some fish as well.â
âOh, yes, please,â said Nectra, rising to her feet and leaping back to her perch on the staff. Â âIâd love to give some of the local food a try.â
Chala nodded and walked out while Nectra clutched the staff with her feet, rolled forward, and resumed her attempts at meditation.
The Phantom Matador lifted his head and turned to look back, expertly revealing only his eye as Chala entered his hut. Â The two Sthenite guards rose to a firmer attention and lifted their spears at the sight of the new company, though the humans ignored them. Â The Matador turned back to resume looking at his cell wall, tapping his foot and creating a gentle clink as the wrought-iron manacle at his leg jingled.
âI donât know what you mean,â he said, his sonorous voice echoing through the room, theatrically enhanced by either natural skill, his deceptive psychic abilities, or some quirk of the acoustics of the hut. Â âI do, however, see that you have my hat and my mask.â
âThese are to trade. Â I give these to you, and you tell me what I need to get it back.â
âI think I agree⌠but sincerely, I donât know what youâre talking about.â
âThe Oborosian Stone,â said Chala. Â âThe Fact. Â You broke into my hut and stole it, Starprey.â
âOh, that was your hut? Â Iâm sorry, I should have known. Â Knick-knacks from Veskid and articles of clothing not suited for the serpentine form, and you being the only humanoid Iâve seen here apart from Gamma and myself should have made it obvious.â
âNow that you know what it is, how about that deal?â
The Matador tapped his foot again and sighed.
âI would agree, but I can not help you. Â I donât have it.â
âThen where did you hide it?â
âI didnât.  The⌠Oborosian Stone?  The Fact wasnât on my person when I woke.  I assumed that, like my hat and mask, it had been taken by Gamma.â
âHe didnât take those,â said Chala. Â âHeâd passed out by the time the Sthenites located him. Â They removed your hat and mask.â
âThen they have the Fact. Â Or Gamma does. Â Or the bat.â
âSo she told you her name. Â She may be a brilliant researcher, but she knows nothing of maintaining mystique.â
âShe knows itâs childish and accomplishes nothing.â
âItâs an art.  I wonât be appreciated in my time.  Now⌠considering that I donât have what you want, and donât know where it is, I have no more to offer you.  Might I have them back as a matter of courtesy?â
âWhy? Â Zack seemed interested in knowing who you are.â
âYou mean he still hasnât come to see me?â said the Matador, turning to look at Chala. Â Sheâd already seen his face when the mask had been removed, but she was still struck by how memorably average he looked. Â His face didnât quite match the back of his head, with neither appearing strange except in relation to each other. Â She considered the possibility that he was using his psychic abilities to confuse something about his appearance in her mind, but dismissed the level of effect it might have.
âNo,â she said. Â âLike I said, he passed out after you did. Â You woke up before he did. Â Heâs not had time.â
âHeâs on the run from someone.â
âNectra, yes, but I thought they were patching things up.â
Chala coughed, not sure what to say to that.
âWait⌠are you telling me thereâs someone else after him?  Even here on Mandrake?  That poor man⌠heâs blessed with an inordinate amount of bad luck.â
âThat might be true,â she said. Â âI donât know many details myself, only that heâs in a hurry and Nectraâs on his side. Â He and she will be fighting to the death soon, and then he has to leave.â
âI feel that Iâve missed something,â he said. Â âPlease explain. Â I still havenât picked up on the finer points of the language, and I doubt my wardens would be talkative even if I had, but under what circumstances do people on the same side fight to the death?â
âNo,â she said. Â âYou donât need to know anything while you wait for your trial. Â Which will begin shortly after Zackâs concludes.â
âI see,â he said.  âThen we have little more to discuss.  Except for⌠my hat and mask?â
âWhy do you need it on a world where I already know what you look like and literally no one else cares?â
âItâs an art form,â he said. Â âYouâll appreciate it after my time. Â Iâd ask for my sword to complete the picture, but as I understand it Iâm being tried as a criminal, so that might not be reasonable.â
Chala narrowed her eyes but cautiously folded the mask and set it into the hat before tossing the wide-brimmed sombrero cordobĂŠs to the prisoner. Â He smiled, bowed his head, and extended the hat forward with his hand as if having just doffed it.
âMany thanks. Â Even without the sword, I have everything from my Traje de Sombras. Â I can finally dress to kill.â