Fantasy Kaizoic: Earth Reborn

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo took notice of the gesture, heading out behind Rufus. He didn’t seem to stop with the formalities, giving the short statured man a wave goodbye and a light smile before exiting the building.

Besides the niceties, he didn't really know how to feel about the man. Vincent was definitely an interesting character, that was for sure. Not a lot of people he knew had the guts to scam people like that. Kairo figured Vincent would have made a great businessman back in the old world.

"We really lucked out finding that guy huh." Kairo joked, his tone filled with sarcasm. "Went perfectly that did."

 

[Da Doofus]

"Perfect." Rufus repeated. "That's a word to put it in." He shut the door behind him, and stood on the wooden porch alongside Kairo. In the distance, Crina was conversing with a Vindav with no quills on its neck, and a rounder crest. It could be safely assumed it was a female.

Rufus sighed.
"Guess I'll go job hunt with the little lady and get directions to this trading post." He patted Kairo's shoulder, and looked to another human-designed building down the road.
"Take a look around town and see what you can find out."

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo nodded. This was a vast place, and he couldn't wait to explore it.

"Good luck with that." Kairo said. "Meet back here at sunset?"

 

[Da Doofus]

Rufus scoffed.
"Hell no not sunset." He said. "I ain't walking through this jungle at night again.

Give it . . ." He looked at the position of the morning sun and then at Crina.
"I don't know, 3 hours?"

 

[Chai_T3a]

"Yeah, good point." Kairo replied, laughing a bit. "It'll be tough to keep time, but I'll try." He turned around, heading off into a small street in the town.

"Be careful. Okay?" He said, giving the man a quick 2 fingered salute.

 

[Da Doofus]

Rufus saluted him similarly.

"I will." He nodded and made for the Vindav that Crina was conversing with.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo looked around. His hands on his hips. He had no clue where to start, but hopefully wandering around a bit will help him with getting the feel of the place. Afterall, that’s exactly what he did in the Noah, and that seemed to work pretty well for him. So who’s to say this wouldn’t either.

With that in mind, he started walking randomly. In hopes of maybe finding something or someone that may help.

 

[Da Doofus]

The closest building further down had its windows clear, meaning it was not shut down for the upcoming holiday (it could be assumed). The door was clearly meant for a larger being to enter, and the sign above it portrayed a sunrise over an open book.

 

[Chai_T3a]

“A library maybe?” He mumbled to himself. This seemed almost too convenient. Almost like some kind of omniscient god was watching over him or something.

He shook his head, that was a ridiculous thought. But either way, this could end up becoming some kind of lead. He heads over, opening the door and peaking inside.

 

[Da Doofus]

Within was a spacious assortment of literature in the form of scroll-shaped containers. Near each shelf was a table bearing a stand clearly designed to hold these 'books' and roll the writings out in a manner similar to a conveyor belt.
One such patron was standing over a young Vindav, and was clearly teaching him to read.

The large, aged Kendian now had a majority of his robes off, but Bom was recognizable by his walking stick perched nearby and his soft but rumbling voice.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo looked at him, wide-eyed. All of a sudden, nothing else here mattered except for the presence of the familiar Kendian. This was pretty clearly the last person he expected to see here.

Maybe he was going crazy. He wouldn't be surprised after everything he had to go through on this journey. He took a few steps inside, rubbing his eyes slightly to make sure he wasn't seeing things. A smile appeared on his face after realizing the creature standing before him was indeed Bom.

"Bom?" He asked, surprise written all over his face.

 

[Da Doofus]

The dull-colored Kendian glanced up from his tutoring and saw the human. A smile crept on his face that became coupled with a nod of greeting.

"Greetings, youngling. I see you are in a better state than yesterday." He commented kindly. "I trust you and yout friend are well?"

 

[Chai_T3a]

"Y-yeah." He said, still trying to shake off the surprise from earlier. "Rufus managed to find work in town as a carrier to earn a bit of money too. I wasn't expecting to see you here!"

 

[Da Doofus]

"Ah . . ." He exclaimed. "I failed to mention my work in this village, didn't I?"
The large saurian cleared his throat and dismissed himself from the young Vindav.

"I made a bargain with the human who once owned this library that I would ensure it remains once she was gone. I donated a good bit of my own collected literature here on her behalf." He now stood before Kairo and stroked his chin.
"Now . . . Is there anything I may help you with?"

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo shifted slightly, leaning over to look at the large variety of literature that was in the shop. He really did hit the jackpot with this place. There seemed to be enough information here to keep him engaged for years.

“Actually now that you mention it. Yeah.” Kairo looked back at Bom. “I’ve been meaning to learn a bit more about this place, get accustomed to its culture ya know.” He said. “I can wait until your lessons finished.”

 

[Da Doofus]

"Well I can at least direct you to the appropriate section." He gestured to a shelf to the right. "These are all translated into human language. Took a great deal to collect." He smiled. "Please, enjoy."

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo looked over at the shelf, which itself, displayed a large variety of pieces he could read. To him, these scrolls were absolutely ancient compared to the digital databases he was used too. Maybe it was even a tad bit ironic, considering he was 10,000 years in the future. But he wasn’t going to complain. There was information to be gained, and that was all that mattered.

Kairo visibly perked in excitement. He turned back to look at Bom, a smile on his face. “Wow, thank you!” He said as he walked towards the scrolls, sifting through a the shelves to grab a random scroll. “You’ve saved me a world of pain.”

 

[Da Doofus]

The scrolls had dangling tags made of metal that displayed the contents within.

The Archosaurian Study
Ecology of the Kaveran Jungle.
Gods of the Kaizoic Era.
History of the Rithian Empire.
The End of the Old World.
Peculiar Spices of South Hennasia.

All but the last one looked to be written by the same author. The same line followed after the title.
Written by Rhylus Archovis.

 

[Chai_T3a]

The scroll he had randomly grabbed had just happened to be labelled ‘Peculiar spices of South Hennasia.’ His trick of randomly choosing a scroll really didn’t seem to work that well.

“You go back on the shelf.” He whispered to himself, putting said scroll back, he continued to look at the options provided for him. All of them seemed like good choices, but the scroll on Kaizoic era gods seemed to stand out to him the most. After Cräga’s history lesson, he was aching to learn more.

He took the scroll off the shelf and popped open the lid of the container. Revealing the contents inside.

 

[Da Doofus]

Inside was a table of contents listing the names of the world's gods in accordance to their locations upon a drawn map of the world.

Hennasia was once the Americas, now flooded along the coasts and seemingly tropical aside from the barrier in the north signifying an arctic climate.
Here were listed Kavera, Apsanoth, Gamikos, and Tovir. The first creature being the only one to live in the tropical region.

In the various areas of the ocean were listed the names; Tiatritus, Ahyura, and Xulub.

Across the sea separating the continents was what was once Europe/Africa/Asia, now one supercontinent, Arvekii, connected to Hennasia by an icy mass to the North.

Here were listed the Children of Imofernii, followed by a dozen names of the Arvekian pantheon. Afterward was the only non Hypodraconis deity named Errol.

In a subcategory was a list labeling the names of fallen beasts that had been enemies of the ruling titans in the past; now extinct.

 

[Chai_T3a]

The first thing that really popped to him was the sheer abundance of apexes, or gods, that were in Hennasia. He felt a chill run down his spine as he realized that any of them might have still been alive. It was hard to think of these beings as gods, especially after what he's seen in his lifetime. In fact he wasn't sure if he could ever see them as anything other than bloodthirsty monsters. Whatever reason why these people worshipped them, he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to understand.

His eyes gravitated to Kavera first. The one closest to the point he assumed he was. It was pretty obvious that Kavera would be the one closest. Considering the effigy he had seen in her honour. Considering he'd heard good things about Kavera. Maybe searching her up wouldn't be as hard to stomach as the rest.


Searching through the thing, he began searching for the section of the scroll dedicated to Kavera.

 

[Da Doofus]

Finding the appropriate extension on the metal-cased parchment, Kavera's chapter was laid out in english translation.

Several stylized depictions of her decorated several pages, along with captions written by the author: Rhylus. They all were drawn by various Vindav tribes and Kendian clans and all depicted her as a mountainous-sized being. Her body looked like a mountain itself, but with a face like a helmeted mask. Six eyes of amber color dotted her armored head. The author states that although the depictions and paintings are stylized around her sheer size, he theorized that the actual Kavera may be an insect creature.

On the following pages, he explained how she came to be cemented in Hennasian culture as the Life Mother. After the end of the Past Era, and the Gods waged their war for lands to rule and the chaos of the new food chain was concluded, Kavera was still young. Stories told long ago said that she was born on the last day of the Past Era. Following the cataclysm, she wandered Hennasia and replenished life wherever she nested. Bringing back vegetation from the prior era and from eras past. Once the Vindav emerged from their hiding places underground after the Cataclysm that reshaped the planet destroyed the underground ecosystems most creatures today emerged from, they thrived in the new forests and proclaimed Kavera as their savior.

The Kendians too came to revere her after they themselves were driven out of their homeland West of Arvekii by drought and by warring humans that descended from the skies. This happened almost a millenium ago, and her worship continues to the modern day.
Apparently, the largest mountain in the landscape is her doing. Her nest once she reached adulthood, built out of the cracked stone and rubble of a ruined human city into a shield of rock for her to burrow beneath to sleep. Stories say she will awaken when Hennasia is in need of her care.
The last entry was a hypothesis that the large insects that patrol the jungles collecting seeds and pollen are a colonial arthropod that exist symbiotically with Kavera, and how the author hopes to uncover this cycle they enact annually in detail.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo was completely engaged as he read through the scroll. From what he read, it seemed that Kavera was a peaceful being, a relief to see after his personal experiences with the apexes. From what was told, it would make sense why she was worshipped so dearly among the Vindav and Kendians. Her status as the Life Mother wasn't something he could question, especially since she'd apparently been the source of the lush vegetation he lived in. He himself, couldn't be too sure. After seeing what Apsanoth and Tiatritus had done, who knew what would happen. He had a gut feeling that things would only get worse from now.

He read through it a couple more times, making sure to soak in every last detail. He was determined to become a literal history book by the end of this. Once he was certain he'd drilled the information in his head, he'd search for the next article he would have liked to read.

As if to find the biggest contrast, the next thing he looked for was information on Apsanoth.

 

[Da Doofus]

He found his chapter and was immediately greeted by a single colored portrayal of the creature he once called the North Apex. He stood upon ground that was colored to look like cracked glass with roaring fires spewing from the cracks. His bone-white face bore the familiar glow of his heat breath.

A list of titles ran along the side of the page.
Ender of Eras.
He Who Turns Earth to Glass.
Crown of Ruin.

The following pages go on to explain that Apsanoth was most likely the last of an ancient species predating both Archosaurian and Homosapien histories. Rhylus made references to human records describing Apsanoth as a mass destroyer, and comparing them with ancient Irokai tales of the Crown of Ruin laying waste to tribes of Irokai colonizing human ruins in the North long ago. The way they were described sounded almost like personal accounts.

"I bear no hatred for this being like the rest of my people." Rhylus wrote. "From what I have studied in my travels and searchings for historical accounts; Apsanoth lives peacefully for a majority of the time I have observed him, awakening from his glacial den to hunt or relocate to another lair across his territory spanning the frozen North.
I have taken note that his past incursions into the South happened at the same time one of my peoples' tribes have engaged in a land dispute that turned to warfare.
Utilizing the salvaged weapons of war from the time of the humans, these tribes raze colonized ruins to the ground.

Could it be that this creature can detect these instances and believe them to be threats to his territory? I have read many times on how mankind suffered greatly at his rampaging across their cities.

What if these attacks were not on man itself but on his constructs? They would appear unnatural to most animals, and one as territorial as Apsanoth would seek to eliminate a potential threat. In a way, his destruction is beneficial to the land itself. A forest fire leaves the soil fertile, so this 'destroyer' leaves the land clean for replenishment before returning North in peace.

It has been a long time since he has ventured South since the Irokai tribes fled. It could be said that there have been no disturbances in the natural order to drive him out."

The following pages describe his relationship with the other Gods. How he never goes into the Kaveran jungle, or too far West into Arvekii across the land bridge. Although he were aware of the other creatures claims to these lands.
Rhylus details greatly his alleged rivalry with the ocean God, Tiatritus.
On the following page was an entry on the Fall of Man. The events described sounded familiar to the First and Second Emergences. When the planet began changing and awoke the slumbering titans to wage war on the dominant species at the time, laying the foundation for the next geologic time period.

On the neighboring page was a haunting image of an artistic coloring of Apsanoth facing Tiatritus beneath a massive crack in the Earth. Flame and smoke bellowed behind Apsanoth while storm clouds and a tsunami swelled behind the Coastal Apex.

In smaller drawings were depictions of giant metal men fighting fire breathing reptiles that were clearly Hypodraconis. Among them was a giant Hypo holding the head of one of these mechanical men in his talons.

 

[Chai_T3a]

This Rhylus guy was definitely an interesting character. Kairo had been more than surprised that Rhylus hadn't described Apsanoth but nothing more then a ravaging beast, because in his mind, that was the only thing he saw. His speculations sounded convincingly real, but Kairo couldn't bring himself to see it as anything more then a pseudoscience. A peaceful Apsanoth sounded like complete and utter bullshit. The beast that had murdered so many people he'd loved had to be a cold-blooded killer. He just had to be. Otherwise, the only thing he could hang on too would be lost. His parents had fought to defeat a common enemy, to think anyone would disacknowledge the status of such a threat felt like spitting on their damn graves.

He took a deep breathe, he needed to continue reading, even if this was a rather touchy subject. He couldn't back out now, especially when Rufus would be counting on him to do such a simple task.

He continued to read, learning that Apsanoth wouldn't venture out of his region, that he would only fight if his territory was in threat, and all the other little details thrown in. He tried to keep himself emotionally detached as he read, and it seemed to be working as long as he didn't think about the past. This seemed to work for the large majority of the reading, but it seemed to be too much for him to ask once he reached the bottom.

Those pictures, they were too real. Apsanoth and Tiatritus, that was a similar fight he watched during the Noah launch. All those people outside that must have lost their lives as nothing but collateral damage. Lives that weren't meant to be taken. And the depiction of the crusader with a missing head. Stryx comrades, his parents, and the hundreds of other people he knew had fought so hard, only to perish for absolutely nothing.

Hand's shaking, Kairo quickly pushed the scroll over, away from sight. Taking a few steps away from the shelf, he clumsily bumped into the one across from it. He needed a quick break.