Fantasy Kaizoic: Earth Reborn

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo swatted at the air, clearing the dust that had been dislodged as Darrek removed the lid from the box. Once the dust finally settled, Kairo focussed his attention on observing what the irokai had taken out of the box. The first two irokai he recognized as the children from the portrait. The human child though, she looked oddly familiar too.

If that child in the picture really was Cräga, then this had just become even more complex and intertwined then he’d ever thought possible.

“Who would have thought.” Kairo said, his face becoming more then a bit shocked as he made a realization. “She would have known then.” He turned to face Darrek. “She would have who your family was the whole time.”

 

[Da Doofus]

Darrek’s expression shifted between mixtures of outraged and flabbergasted.
“I . . . I don’t know . . .” He looked at the happy faces of Cräga and Dracon as they ran together with the unknown sister in a moment frozen in the photograph.
“Why didn’t she tell me? I left when I was thirteen . . . She never said anything then.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo's felt his mouth coil in a frown. Darrek clearly wasn't taking this news very well. A reaction that was completely understandable. Kairo himself felt cheated as the discovery of Craga's secret came to the surface. He couldn't imagine how that would have made Darrek feel. Years of searching and wandering, when the answer he was seeking laid right before him all along.

Still, Kairo didn't want to pit the blame on Craga. She was a good women, though with a few violent tendencies. No, there must have been a reason that she's kept this a secret all this time.
"She must have had a reason." Kairo tried to reassure Darrek. "I know he wouldn't cheat you of information like that unless it was necessary." He added, picking up another picture from the box.

 

[Da Doofus]

The following picture was of a gathering of Irokai and Kendians. The old Irokai depicted as a statue outside was in the middle of what appeared to be a negotiation. Behind him was the Kendalt father, and several other Irokai dressed in robes and furs.
The old Irokai was shaking clawed hands with a familiar female Irokai who seemed to be leader of the painted Kendian group. The charcoal female was wearing stitched animal pelts and tribal markings across her face and neck. Behind her, was a familiar face.
Bom stood behind Darrek and Dracon’s mother in a position that could be assumed to be an advisor to the female.

 

[Chai_T3a]

The plot seemed to thicken every time he pulled out another picture. So now not only was Craga involved, it seemed Bom was as well. The image itself depicted some type of negotiation, and Kairo was more than just a bit surprised to see Darrek and Dracon's mother on the other end of the deal. He recalled Bom saying that there was a clan chief before him, he had expected another kendian, Dracon and Darreks mother was definitely not another kendian.

"Looks like you're from a long line of leaders eh?" Kairo said, tryign to make light of the situation as he handed the picture to Darrek.

 

[Da Doofus]

Darrek squinted.
“Is that . . . Bom?” He asked, and then glanced to the elder Irokai.
“Look.” Darrek pointed to the fur-clad man’s hand. “Isn’t that the ring you bought?”

On one of the old male’s fingers was the carved ring Kairo had purchased from Vincent the day before.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo zoomed in on the ring, giving Darrek a nod once he identified it as his own. He didn't need much confirmation to know that ring on the old irokai's hand was his, considering he had already seen Darrek and Dracon's dad wearing the thing. Judging from the age of this irokai, this must have been Darrek's grandfather. Kairo thought about that for a second, if whatever destroyed Dakovis hadn't occurred, one day either Dracon or Darrek may have even lead this place. Then again, it seemed a lot could change in just a few years, Kairo was all to familiar to that.

But all that was beside the point, Darrek had asked him a question about the ring. It was probably time to tell him what that thing was.
"I gave it to Dracon." Kairo pointed as his broken, ringless hand. "I'm gonna guess it's your family heirloom, Vincent told me that this was from some royal family in Dakovis. I just didn't know it would be your family."

 

[Da Doofus]

“Yeah, yeah . . . I remember.” Darrek nodded. “The Kendalts.” He paused.
“Darrek Kendalt.

That’s my name.” He chuckled softly and noticed a third picture. Withdrawing it from the box, it was a photograph of the mother and father together in what could be guessed was a wedding picture. The silver male was holding the female in his arms and both were smiling, even though the newfound Kendalt bride had a slightly annoyed smirk aimed at the larger male.
Both the human and Irokai saw a brass label at the bottom of the frame.

‘Theron and Aileene Kendalt; 23rd Third Quarter Spring, 3235.’

Darrek read the names of the mother and father he’d never know, and made a sound like a ragged sigh that was mixed with a dog whine.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo's worry only spiked further when the bestricken Darrek let out that sigh. The hurt in that voice like a lead weight attaching itself to his heart. He felt for the irokai, even if he hadn't known him long. He was increasingly beginning to find out that time wasn't a factor in determining closeness, something he realized with Rufus, and now Darrek. And seeing someone he'd learned to care about so darn much beaten, bloodied, and overwhelmed was one of those things he would never want to witness again.

"Real family isn't all that matters, ya know." Kairo tried reassuring, his good hand on the irokai's back. "Those two might be your flesh and blood, but I'd say you got a perfect family back at Drafisl."

 

[Da Doofus]

“Yeah, and they’ve been keeping secrets from me.” He added in with harshness to his tone.

Neither would have noticed until just then that Dracon had been standing at the staircase the entire time the two had beeb rifling through the Kendaly memoirs.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo opened his mouth in an attempt to argue with the young irokai, but found that he could produce no words. Darrek was right, they had been keeping secrets from him. No matter what kind of reason they had, it was still a secret. One that could have completely changed Darrek’s life. Darrek had the right to be angry at them, he definitely did. Kairo just hoped the grudge wouldn’t last.

Kairo turned his head, shifting his eyes away from the sad irokai out of a lack of things to say. He didn’t want to make things awkward. To his surprise, turning his head would only reveal another sad irokai. Dracon stood at the edge of the stairs, making Kairo wonder how long he had been here. He looked between the two irokai. Brothers, who had just moments ago been so distant, now reconnected.

“I’m guessing you know that he knows.” He said to Dracon, before turning to face Darrek. “Uhh. Meet your brother!”

 

[Da Doofus]

“Kairo . . .” Darrek sighed. “You’re not really helping.”

“Cräga and Bom were going to tell you when you were old enough.” Dracon cut in, his tone soft. “She said you left before they got the chance.
Don’t be angry with them.

It was my idea to keep it secret.”

“Why?” Darrek scowled. “Why hide my own life from me?”

The older Irokai sighed heavily. “It was . . . The only way I could think of to ensure your safety. It wasn’t to hide your life from you, it was to hide you alone.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo listened into the conversation, his interest and concern clearly piqued. He kept this a secret to hide Darrek. What did that mean?

"I don't understand.....what's so dangerous about him knowing the truth anyway." Kairo inquired.

 

[Da Doofus]

“Not YOUR business.” Dracon snarled, his eye twitching as his gaze focused on Kairo.

Darrek stepped between his brother and his friend. “Back off. I want to know.”

“It’s complicated.” He sighed. “But our family was attacked, and they didn’t know of your existence yet. So you being hidden kept you safe.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

To Kairo's dismay and embarrassment, the man instinctively flinched back at Dracon's booming voice. That irokai was still scary as fuck, there was no getting around that. At that moment, he was glad Darrek had been there to get between the two. That at least took some of the focus off of him, and allowed him to clear his mind to think about what Dracon said.

An attack, that only made sense after seeing the state of the manor. Everywhere, small hints of acute damage must have signalled something other than just a forest fire. This was definitely the work of someone. Kairo needed to know more.

"Those plasma burns in the house. I'm gonna guess those were from the attack." Kairo stated with as much calmness as possible. "What...exactly happened."

 

[Da Doofus]

Dracon only glared once more at Kairo.
“Now’s not the time to start digging up the past.” He said quietly. “You have enough problems to deal with right now.”

Darrek frowned.

“It can wait a bit longer.” Dracon added in, rubbing at his shoulder and clearly still in pain from the fight. “When it gets dark I’ll see if there are any open routes for you to get out.”

“And what about them?” Darrek gestured to Kairo.

“What about them?”

“You going to help them escape, too?”

Dracon squinted. “If they cooperate and stop being so noisy.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo lightly nodded at that. "I'll make sure that happens" He added. "It's the least I can do...after all this."

 

[Da Doofus]

“Doesn’t matter if you do or don’t.” Dracon grunted, and turned back down the stairs.

Darrek waited until Dracon had returned to whatever room he dwelt in.

“Can’t believe I’m related to that.” He sighed, and glanced at the portrait once more.

 

[Chai_T3a]

The tension remained unbearably thick, all the way until Dracon finally left to head back downstairs. Kairo didn't even notice that he'd been holding his breathe until Dracon had finally went out of sight. As that happened, the man visibly exhaled, his shoulders slumping as his body became more relaxed. He was pretty sure that barrier would never break between him and Dracon. There was so much about that irokai that he wasn't even sure if he wanted to know. But one thing was clear, and that was his love for his family. He'd seen it on multiple occasions. Back when they were darted by those two vindav, and just recently in the siege. Darrek needed to reconnect with Dracon, it would be the only way he'd be able to find closure. Kairo understood that way too well.

"Yeah, I didn't really expect that either." Kairo added with a quiet laugh, sitting down against the wall next to the broken window. "But I think he means well. At least to you. He clearly cares about you."

 

[Da Doofus]

“What makes you say that?” Darrek cocked a brow. “I can look after myself. I don’t need a psycho-babysitter.”

He turned his head and stared at the portrait once more, memorizing every detail. He saw the resemblances he and Dracon shared between their mother and father. Even the sister he never knew he had bore a similar facial structure.

“I’ve been on my own for years.” He stated proudly, although he seemed to be trying to convince himself more than Kairo of his independence. “Where’s he been?”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo picked up a piece of glass, absentmindedly fiddling it around with his good hand. Darrek clearly didn't seem to believe what he was saying. The very look on his face was evidence for that. He had to admit, learning that Dracon was your brother was probably a daunting discovery to realize, but the irokai would have to accept it at some point. The two were family, and Dracon was reciprocating the love that came with that, albeit not in the best way. Darrek was going to have to learn to the do the same.

"You can't just deny the fact that he's your brother." Kairo calmly said, eyes facing Darrek. "And from what I could tell, he's been keeping you safe, at least from a distance......kinda weird, I know. But trust me, you don't want to turn away your own family."

 

[Da Doofus]

The Irokai sighed.
“Look, I think I want to be alone right now, Kairo.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo seemed slightly taken aback by that, but ultimately slumped down in understanding. He was getting himself into something that wasn't his to deal with. As much as he wanted to contribute, to help out, he knew it wasn't needed at the moment. He got up from his spot on the floor, grunting slightly as the sudden movement hurt his crippled hand, and made his way downstairs.

"Okay." He mumbled, pausing right in front of the stairs. "Just.....I'm here okay? If you need anything?" He added, with the warmest smile he could muster, before finally giving Darrek his much needed privacy.

As he was void of distractions. His mind was again left to roam free, something he quickly realized would be the last thing he needed. A sense of overwhelming fear and guilt welled up in his system until he felt as if he'd burst. He knew it wasn't their fault, but they'd led Stryx team straight into a trap. There were deaths, injuries, and turmoil that could have all been avoided if they'd just avoided Dakovis all together. Just one little change of events, and at least Stryx and his men would be safe. Those deaths, and the inevitable ones to come from the escape. They were on him.

"No...no no no." Kairo berated himself, shaking his head. "Keep it together."
He took a few deep breathes in an attempt to calm himself. Though his voice quivered, he found that it helped out. As far as he knew, they were in the eye of the storm. They still needed to find a way out of Dakovis, and Kairo knew that he'd have to be in tip-top shape if he wanted to try and redeem himself. The sulking could come later.

With that in mind, Kairo joined Stryx and Rufus, along with the rest of Stryx's men. He assumed they'd be talking strategy at this point. Maybe a good idea if he were to listen in.

 

[Da Doofus]

“So none if you have any equipment we can use to get to higher ground?” Rufus asked Stryx.

The commander shook his head. “All we have are provisions and a few remaining medical supplies. Private Chancely had our extra ammunition, and he was the first one shot I hear.”

“Well that’s just damn dandy.” Rufus sighed in aggravation.

 

[Chai_T3a]

As Kairo entered the room, the first thing he noticed was the thick air of apprehension that filled the room. From the looks of everyone, and what he heard, things weren't sounding very good for the group. None of them knew the layouts of Dakovis, and as far as everyone was concerned, there was no way out except for through the main gate. Well....everyone except for one person.

He wasn't entirely sure if anyone would take the option, considering everything Dracon had done beforehand. But at the moment, it was their only choice. Considering that he was the only one who was familiar with this area, he was their best way out. Now he just had to find a way to convince everyone else of that.

Kairo instinctively moved to stand next to Rufus. "Well maybe we could find a way out without them even noticing we're gone." He proposed, voice soft yet not wavering. "It's a lot to ask, but Dracon....the shorter one, might be able to do that for us. As long as we could put some trust into him."