Fantasy Kaizoic: Earth Reborn

[Chai_T3a]

The clips in the critters ears wasn't a good sign. Right now, the fear that the Guest wouldn't react well to the clips was hard to ignore. There was a pang of guilt that welled up inside him as he looked at the little critters. They seemed so innocent. The thought of giving them away to the reptilian outside was almost impossible for him to bear. He knew that the Guest had wanted him out, but he knew his consciousness wouldn't let him. If he were to throw those three to such an uncertain future, he'd at least like to inform them. He knew that he wouldn't be accomplishing anything with this act of defiance, he knew that the critters probably wouldn't even understand him, but this was something he deemed necessary.

He took a few tentative steps to the cage, before crouching down next to it. An uncertain look on his face as he began to address Frederick. He probably looked liked a dumbass.
"Hey. Remember me?" He whispered, hoping that the Guest wouldn't hear him.
"There's....someone that would like to take you now. I don't know what he's going to do with you, but I'll try my best to make sure it isn't anything bad." He said, before standing up and carrying the cage along with him, making sure to keep the thing still as to not wake the Ezekiel and Leonard. Might as well hand them to the Guest personally, especially since he was already next to the cage.
"Try not to scream in front of him okay?" He joked, at this point, it was probably a coping mechanism. He lifted the flap of the tent to face the Guest.

 

[Da Doofus]

Frederick eyed Kairo suspiciously the whole time he was near. Once they were out of the tent, and he saw the guest, he vibrated with excitement and chittered happily. This awoke Ezekiel and Leonard, who saw the reptilian as well, and added to the cage's shaking with their jovial movements

The Guest himself was stunned at first when Kairo emerged, but when the little mammals began showing their glee at his presence, a warm smile crept over his maw.
He ever so gently took the cage from Kairo and put it upon the ground. Seconds later, he spoke a command in some strange language, and the three sat down as still as they could. He then pried open the cage, making the metal squeal. When a large enough gap had been formed, Leonard was the first to hop onto a coal-scaled arm and crawl to a cloak-covered shoulder with happy chittering.
Soon, all three were perched on the Guest's shoulders, and he nuzzled each one with soft, almost alien words spoken.

"Karo-ku, karo-ku." He said softly to the three, scratching their ears and ignoring Kairo's presence entirely.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo watched the events unfold with immense confusion. Out of everything that could have happened, this was probably the last thing he would have expected. Somehow, the critters had managed to illicit such contentness from the Guest. He didn’t even know if he was even capable of caring until now. There must have been something between the Guest and the critter’s that he wasn’t previously aware of.

It was then that realization seemed to dawn on him. His eyes reflecting that.
“The critters. Their...yours?” He questionned.

 

[Da Doofus]

"They are not MINE." He barked, eyes gleaming at Kairo. "They are WITH me."
He glanced at the name tags on their arms, and inspected them.
"Hmm . . ." The black-hided being read. "I approve of these names."
He then saw the clipped ears. "I do not of this." His lip curled into a sharp-toothed snarl. It later melted back into his passive scowl. "It will wait," his claws gripped Kairo once more. "How do we get out?" He growled.

Admittedly, he lost some of his previous intimidation when the triplets were perched on his shoulders with their ears twitching.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Even with the critters perched on him. The guest still managed to find a way to look intimidating. Kairo didn’t waste any time in finding a way to exit the camp. At this time of night, it would be tough to exit from a main gate. But seeing as there wasn’t any other way of leaving camp, that would be there only option. Still, that posed a huge logistical challenge. The possibility that someone wouldn’t notice the gate opening was next to none, and that would be suggesting that Kairo knew the pin to unlock the doors.

“We could try the gates.” He said. “But I’m pretty sure we’d get caught. How did you get in here to begin with?”

 

[Da Doofus]

He reached for his side and pulled out a damaged sonar stake. The exact kind that the motion trackers detect with.

"I made it possible to climb over. But now that there will be MORE guards, I have to leave alternatively, yes?" He scowled at Kairo, completely knowedgable of the situation the camp was in.
"Open the gate, and stand there when I pass. Stray from these instructions, and you'll be bleeding, you understand?" He pointed a claw at the back entrance with a low growl.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo looked at the back entrance, then back at the Guest. Just for one second his expression looked like he was questioning the Guest's sanity. There would be no way he'd be able to get that gate opened unnoticed. He was going to get caught, most likely with the back-gate not even close to unlocked. The guest had asked him for a lot, but this task seemed to be way more difficult than the others. Then again, it was either die, or complete the task, there wasn't much he could do about the situation.

He knew that wasn't the only reason he was doing this though. There was something else that was sparked inside of him the moment the Guest had been reunited with the critters. The way the critters reacted when they'd seen the Guest. Hell, the way the guest reacted when finding the critters. Maybe it would be a good thing that he'd let them escape.

Still, that thought was something he couldn't allow. There was no way he'd betray the camp. He was doing all this out of pure necessity. To survive the night. Nothing more. Or at least he hoped so.

He sighed in defeat before nodding at the Guest, confirming that he understood. Without missing a beat, he began the journey towards the door. He remained alert throughout, looking every direction to gage if someone had spotted his suspicious actions. This would continue into he reached the back gate. In the darkness, the pin-pad was challenging to find, but after a quick search, he'd managed to locate it.

That would be the easy part, recalling the code Stryx had typed wasn't.

 

[Da Doofus]

"47820." The camoflauged humanoid said from the shadows near the gate. "I saw the metal-armed man use it on the armory door."

Frederick and his brothers were catching up to their master, gleefully sprinting across the grass to clamper back up the Guest's tail for his shoulders.

 

[Chai_T3a]

"Okay." He answered back, looking down at the keypad. Hopefully no one would notice that the door had been open, but he couldn't get his hopes up. He took a deep breathe, preparing himself for what was to come.

It was now or never.

He entered the code in that the Guest had provided, before waiting for the door to unlock. He stood there as directed, looking over at the Guest to urge him to go.

 

[Da Doofus]

The door unlocked, and slowly rose upward in opening.
Very noisily.
Once it was a mere foot from the ground, the Guest lowered his arm and said a command in that unknown language. Obeying, the triplets hurried down his arm and under the door.

"Who's opening the gate?" A voice shouted from the wall. "Commander! Someone's opening the gate."

Many voices clamored, and footsteps approached along the wall paths above. The very moment Stryx appeared from behind a tent, the door was halfway open. Rufus was close behind along with the 16 volunteers Kairo had aquired.

Before any questions could be asked, Kairo would feel the guest lock his wrist behind his back, and the cold edge of the blade pn his throat.

"What the- KAIRO!" Rufus shouted, aiming his pistol before Stryx blocked his aim with his arm.
All others gasped and murmured at the Guest's appearance.

Then all was silent except for the clattering of the door's gears, and the steady breathing of the Guest now holding him hostage.
The door opened completely, and Kairo would be pulled backward as the Guest's shield toward the jungle. Stryx glared at the movement with quiet anger at the sheer lack of choice or control he had in the current situation.

Kairo was no better off.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Everything seemed to happen in the flash of an eye. The sound of the door, the crowd that formed, his arms being pinned back.
And finally, the knife pressed against his throat.

He couldn't help but feel betrayed. Admittedly, the Guest hadn't swayed from his words. But Kairo had expected to be let go. That, it seemed, would be too much to ask for. His body failed to move but his mind seemed to be going at a thousand miles a minute. He wanted so desperately to find a way out of this situation, to go back to the camp and resume the life he had. Sadly, that didn't appear to be an option anymore.

"I'll be fine." Was the only thing he managed to utter out. Hoping that the short statement would at least help comfort everyone watching. His eyes seemed to convey something different though. There was a silent desperation hidden in them as they darted between Stryx and Rufus. Almost as if he was pleading for them to do something.

 

[Da Doofus]

Rufus tried again to take aim, and again Stryx stopped him.
"Don't." The commander cautioned regretfully. "You could hit Kairo."

"Just let him get taken by that thing?" Rufus gritted.

"If he wanted to kill someone, I think he'd have done it." He answered, locking eyes with Kairo's kidnapper.

The man and the reptilian were soon outside, and still backing further into the jungle with the guards on the wall aiming at whatever they could get a clear shot on.
The Guest gave them no such opportunities.

Shortly after, they were in the dense, moisture coated brush making up the border between the colony of mankind, and the untamed world that greeted them upon awakening.
The Guest spun around and pushec Kairo forward.

"Walk." He ordered, putting his blade away and glancing upward to see the triplets crawling on the upoer branches.

 

[Chai_T3a]

He stumbled forward, the force of the push almost enough to trip him. He started walking with little resistance. He really was absolutely helpless now. There wasn't a single weapon he had on him, and there was no way he'd win in a physical fight against the Guest. The thought that his fate lied entirely on the Guest was impossible to stomach.

Even in his state of panic and fright, he managed to give the Guest a spiteful glare. The most he could possibly do for defiance without getting himself killed.

As he began moving forward, he tried to keep his mind elsewhere. Thinking about anything other than the hopelessness of the situation. He thought about the camp, the Noah, how much he'd give to be back on the dingy bunk, but none of that seemed to be able to numb the tension of the situation. It didn't take long for him to give up on distracting his mind.

"Where are you taking me?" He asked the Guest. He tried his best to sound at least slightly demanding, but it ended up coming out weak and quiet.

 

[Da Doofus]

"Don't talk now." He scolded, glancing back to see the camp come alight with searchlights and handheld flashlights.
Undoubtedly a search party.

The Guest only huffed and quickened his pace, hurrying Kairo along until the distant shouts grew quieter. This being knew every shortcut and path to cover ground faster than his pursuers.

 

[Chai_T3a]

He silently walked along, hoping that someone would end up finding him. But with the sound of shouting growing quieter by the second, he knew that their efforts wouldn’t amount to anything.

He did have to give the Guest some credit though. He definitely knew his way around the jungle, even if that skill was actively working against Kairo.

He continued to let himself be directed. This wasn’t the time for escape. He could try and figure that out later.

 

[Da Doofus]

They eventually reached the great tree Kairo and Stryx discovered with Red Team. In the light of the moonlight, the fruting buds glimmered. It was like a giant tree bearing starlight.

"Rest here." The Guest ordered. "The effigies are scented. No predators come near." he assured, approaching the massive trunk and leaned against it.
"We wait until the forests are safe for travel."

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo had originally wanted to claim the tree. But seeing that the Guest was already occupying the space, he opted on sitting down on the jungle floor.

Kairo wouldn’t tell the Guest. But this was a great place for him to take a rest. He remembered how to get back to camp from here. All he needed was to wait for the Guest to fall asleep, and he’d get his chance to head back to the camp. The journey back would be dangerous, but he didn’t know if being with the Guest would be any better.

Speaking of that.
“You mind answering my question now?” He asked

 

[Da Doofus]

The reptilian sighed frustratingly.
"You have a group of your people nearby, yes? They left this morning to reaquire equipment stolen by that idiot that shot me." He clarified, then glanced at his shoulder. Possibly in recollection of the OTHER human that shot him aboard the Noah.
"I'll take you as close as I can, then leave you to join them for the rest of the night."
He reached into his satchel and pulled out a tiny cloth bag tied with string. "You can return to your peers by dawn." He reached into the bag and pulled out three purple berries.
"Kir." He said to seemingly no one.

Then the triplets hopped down from the bordering branches, and lined up before him. They sat down with eager expressions.
"Karo-ku." The Guest smiled, tossing each brother their own fruity treat.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo was again stunned to hear the response the Guest gave to his inquiry. He'd completely lost count of how many times the humanoid had surprised him. Fortunately though, this time it had been for the better. He seemed to relax a bit at the answer, the tension and uncertainty from earlier seemingly melting away.

Maybe the voice at the back of his mind was right. Maybe, just maybe, the Guest wasn't just some bloodthirsty monster looking to destroy humanity. The way he smiled at the triplets, the fact that he was letting him go, someone like that couldn't possibly be that bad of a person.

Still, that didn't mean he could just let all that other stuff go. The guest was the one who planted a bomb in the Noah. He was the one that brought him into this situation. Even if the Guest had morals, he wasn't in the clear. Kairo had so many questions to ask. So many things that he didn't understand. He knew it wasn't his position to be asking all these questions, but this could be the only chance he had.

"Rufus isn't an idiot. He shot you because you attacked us." He said quietly, there wasn't any anger or spite in his voice. "Not to mention the fact that you planted a bomb on the ship." He looked up at the Guest, knowing that he was pushing the limits this time. "I know that my people aren't in the clear either, but beside's ruining all chances of peace. What were you trying to accomplish?"

 

[Da Doofus]

The coal-hided being turned his crested head to look at Kairo sternly.
The time he took to hold that glare lasted uncomfortably longer than it should've.

"Not that I have to explain myself to you . . ." He finally said. "But just so I can be clear on certain matters;"
It was noteworthy that when not snarling or whispering, his voice had a soothing, deep-toned sound that almost seemed reminiscient of high culture. Still, there was the faintest undertone of growling in his pronunciations, coupled with his crooked jaw.
"That big scary bomb was nothing but a low frequency EMP. I only had it as a contigency if I were captured." He put away the triplets' treats. "Secondly, I seem to recall you two getting ready to break down the door to attack me, so my actions were purely for self preservation." He lowered his body to where he could curl up on the soft grass. Still, he watched Kairo.
"Although I admit I was a bit pissed after the IDIOT shot me from that window. I digress . . ." He closed his eyes.
"Thirdly, and most importantly, seeing as how your . . .
I forget what those ships are called.
Since that THING landed in my territory," his eyes shot open with a piercing look.
"On my damn home, to be precise.
I believe I had the right to investigate to be sure Hennasia wasn't going to have an invasion from a species prone to militaristic aggression throughout their history."
He closed his eyes again.
"Anything else?" He sighed with blatant sarcasm.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo listened in attentively to the Guests reasoning. He didn't want to admit it, but he found his explanation to make perfect sense.

But on another hand. His previous fears had been confirmed. There was another civilization that had taken their place in the time they'd been gone. That would make integrating back to earth much harder. Hopefully the two groups would be able to peacefully coincide, but with how things are working out now. That option seemed rather far fetched. That would be a problem for another day though.

He took a deep breathe and lied down on his back, using his arms as a cushion for his head.
"No. That's it." He said, sounding almost like a child that's just been reprimanded. There was a bit of a pause before he spoke next.
"Sorry for attacking you back on the ship." He added on. "I wasn't...thinking properly. If that makes sense?" The apology seemed genuine.

 

[Da Doofus]

"Don't apologize." He sighed through his nostrils.
"I know what I look like. It was no surprise."

The triplets gathered at the Guest's side and bundled together at his belly. Feeling their movement, he removed the fiber-mesh cowl and draped it over the three as a blanket.
He redid his previous position and exhaled, his body deflating for what seemed to be an overdue rest.

 

[Chai_T3a]

It didn't take long for Kairo to notice the Guest was asleep. A few moments ago, he probably would have ran off to camp around now. But with everything he'd just learned, that suddenly didn't sound like a good idea at all.

Instead, he decided to get some sleep as well. He shifted around a bit to find a comfortable position, before settling on sleeping on his side. He again used his hands to prop his head up. It wasn't the best accommodations, but with the adrenaline out of his system, he could feel every part of his body aching for rest. There would be a lot to do tomorrow with the new knowledge he gained. But that was something for future Kairo to worry about.

It wasn't long before Kairo was asleep.

 

[Da Doofus]

Sleep would not come easily.

Tree branches snapped in the distant denseness of the jungle night. Creatures stirred from their homes in panic.
And the sounds of the nocturnal predators boomed through the forest. They were running down some new prey.

When his eyes opened, he'd find the Guest laying in a position curled around the sleeping triplets with his gaze in the forest.
In this light, the scar on his right eye was more visible. It was carved from his brow to his bottome jaw. His red eyes twinkled like glass as he watched for any possible movement.

 

[Chai_T3a]

The sight of the scar peaked interest in Kairo. He'd always knew it was there, but he hadn't ever had a good chance to look at the thing. It was frighteningly big. Whatever could have caused such injury, Kairo wished he would never have to face it in his life.

It wasn't until a few moments later that he realized he was staring. Knowing that, he sat up and diverted his attention elsewhere.
"Morning." He mumbled as he stretched out his arms.