Fantasy Kaizoic: Earth Reborn

[Da Doofus]

The Irokai huffed and headed past the kitchen to explore other parts of the house as the two soldiers Stryx called arrived and detained Victor.
Once away from the kitchen and in a quiet part of the house, Rufus looked at Kairo.

“That son of a bitch is calling us out.” He said. “You heard him. Something is about to happen.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo took a quick glimpse back into the kitchen, before turning back to face Rufus. The man was right. Victor was definitely getting at something, otherwise he wouldn't have been this calm in front of the enemy. At least that was what he'd assume.

"Yeah." Kairo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well we can't kindly ask him what that is can we?"

 

[Da Doofus]

“Last time we chatted with him we got shot at.” Rufus pointed out. “All we can do is stay sharp and play it cool.”
He pointed to the staircase. “I’m going to look around and see if there’s anything we can use.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

“Heh” Kairo nodded in understanding. “Wouldn’t be surprised if he whipped out a pistol outta his ass or something. I’ll help you.”

 

[Da Doofus]

“If you want, but I doubt you’d see stuff like I do.” Rufus tapped his eyebrow.

Darrek poked his head from a nearby corner.
“You guys looking around too? I caught a whiff of something in the cellar.” He said. “Wanna check it out?”

Rufus pointed upstairs.
“I’m checking the upper rooms. Kairo, your call who you tag along with.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Was that a comment about his eyesight, or about his inexperience? Either way, he felt it necessary to rub that in a bit. Least just to lighten up the mood a tiny bit.

“You know what, with that comment, I’ll think I’ll head down with Darrek.” Kairo said, feigning offence. “Call is up if you find anything fun okay?”

 

[Da Doofus]

“Likewise, kid.” Rufus winked and turned upstairs, his limp beginning to return.

Darrek nudged Kairo.
“Smells like food, whatever it is.” He said quietly and started to lead the way to the cellar door.

 

[Chai_T3a]

That definitely caught Kairo’s interest. He perked up slightly at the mention of food, even in the terrible situation that they were in. He'd forgotten how hungry he was, considering he didn't have much time to think about the aforementioned hunger he was going through. Hopefully, Darrek was right, a bit of food could go a long way for morale. Especially when everyone here already felt so defeated.

"Perfect." Kairo commented, a smile on his face. "Bless you and your crazy ass nose."

 

[Da Doofus]

“Hey don’t call my sniffer crazy.” Darrek jabbed. “It’s just doing its job. What’s that flat useless thing done for you?”
The two reached a pair of double doors that clearly were the entry to a staircase.

 

[Chai_T3a]

"Definitely not finding food that's for sure." Kairo said, subconsciously rolling his eyes. "C'mon, I wanna see what it is." He added, not wasting any time to open the double door.

 

[Da Doofus]

A stone staircase lay before them leading to a lower storage room that was dimly lit by distant candlelight.

Darrek wasted no time smelling the sudden aura of smells that wafted over the two.

“Salted meat and herbs.” He smacked his scaly lips. “Dibs.” He called out before starting the descent at a swift pace.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo wasn't expecting Darrek to just start bolting the minute the young Irokai made his revelation. His eyes widened and he began chasing Darrek down the staircase.

"HEY!" He called out, a bit of a smile forming on his face. He didn't want to admit it, but Darrek's energy was just what he needed then. When everything was crumbling around them, maybe having a bit of fun was what would get them through this all.

"I thought you said you didn't have to eat for a week!" He said as he caught up to the irokai. Using his body, he harnessed a surprising amount of strength in an attempt to push Darrek to the side and get ahead of him.

 

[Da Doofus]

“Doesn’t mean I can’t eat.” He laughed and pushed Kairo away once they reached the stairs.
His eager energy would vanish upon seeing just what morsels were stored in the Kendalt family cellar. Strings of leafy herbs and edible plants were hung near salted chunks of meat and small pelts of jungle animals.
The dim lighting came from a trio of candles atop a metal braced table with three small feeding dishes. Next to the table was a bucket of water with a recently dirtied saucer in it.

Darrek paid no attention to the dining area itself, as his eyes were glued to the slab of scented meat above it.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo seemed equally amazed as his eyes gazed upon the sheer quantity of spiced meat. This looked like enough to feed someone for weeks on end! Delicate cuts of meats, most of which he’d never seen before laid before him. Taunting his stomache to dig in.

“This...” Kairo mumbled, at a loss of words. “Wow.”

 

[Da Doofus]

Darrek gave no other response than a loud smack of his lips. He approached the largest slab of smoked meat and opened wide his jaws to feast when a shadow stood in the doorway to the cellar.

“It’d be nicer to ask me for a portion.” Dracon said bluntly as he descended the stairs with a bucket of water in hand. The triplet critters were following behind him.
When the older brother saw Kairo, he huffed and brushed past the two.
“Take a little of the fuyti on your right. That speckled deer is going in this stew.” He said.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo's excitement was quickly replaced by apprehension as Dracon entered the room. Fresh from their past argument, Kairo didn't know what to say to the irokai. Instead, only looking away awkwardly when Dracon acknowledged his presence. He's found himself growing more confident out in this new world, but right now, he definitely wasn't feeling that way. Rubbing his arm slightly, he watched as Dracon began to indicate what they could and could not take.

"Thank you." Kairo said, adding a quick nod. He nudged Darrek, urging him to go and grab some of the aforementioned fuyti. As much as he was hungry, he'd feel weird taking the food from someone he'd just fought with and fucked over.

 

[Da Doofus]

Darrek reached out and tore off a leg of the small rodent and handed it to Kairo. He then eyed his brother as he started to pour water in a nearby cooking pot.

“You’re cooking?” He asked.

Dracon glanced at him. “Yes.”

Darrek blinked. “Why?”

“Because even if your arrival is unexpected, I’m obliged to be a gracious host.” Dracon said. “Tradition and all.”

The younger Irokai gestured to Kairo. “What about them?”

An agitated huff came from the charcoal scaled brother. “What about the Archaic?”

“What are they going to eat?”

“Whatever they can get.”

Darrek frowned. “I don’t know what your problem is, but Kairo and Rufus are good people.
And with those others, I guess if they’re friends of theirs then they’re alright too.”
He looked at the array of hanging meat and herbs.
“We’re all in this mess together now.”

“I’m not cooking for that many.” Dracon turned and snorted.

“I don’t expect you to. I’m wanting to help.”

This time, the Feral cocked a brow.
“Why?”

Darrek shrugged. “Don’t really know. Maybe because I want to thank them for saving my hide. Or . . .” He coughed. “I guess to try and learn about all . . . This.
I mean, this was my home once too, right?”

Dracon’s eyes softened.
“Yes. It was.” He glanced to Kairo with less fierceness.
“Fine.
One of you bring me the dried leyroot.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo had thought this was a lost cause. Even preparing to speak up and tell Darrek about that. But the younger Irokai found a way to get on Dracon’s good side. He would’ve thought Darrek to still have been pissed off by all this. Besides, it wasn’t easy having all that information about your family piled onto you. Especially when one of those people he’d feared for a lifetime. But he couldn’t underestimate Darrek. He apparently not only accepted it, but was already willing to bond with him. It brought a smile to Kairo’s face.

Plus, Dracon didn’t look like he wanted to murder him anymore. That’s always a nice bonus.

“I’ll get it.” Kairo said, heading over to where the herbs and veggies were. He paused as he looked at the variety of edible plants before looking back up at the two Irokai. “Uhhhh. So which ones the dried leyroot?”

 

[Da Doofus]

Darrek chuckled and stepped toward the primitive ‘spice rack’.
“I got it.” He said, reaching out and plucking a wrinkly vine from a hook. “Anything else, Ghar-“

Dracon shot him a poisonous glare.

“Dracon. You . . . Need anything else?”

“Go get another pot from the kitchen. Any of those humans try to keep you from doing so and they’ll regret it.” He shifted his eyes to Kairo, as though warning him.
“This one can stay.”

The silver Irokai was hesitant, but did as he was instructed, and soon left Kairo alone with his wild brother.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo’s eyebrow cocked. He was perfectly content on being ignored by Dracon, at least for now. But it seemed that wasn’t going to happen. His nerves began to grow as the younger irokai went to grab the pot. Oh how he wished he could’ve volunteered to have done that.

Kairo looked over at Dracon, trying to gage the other man’s expression. Hopefully he wasn’t pissed off. After how he lost his temper back there, he wouldn’t be surprised if Dracon was.

“Is there something you want to say?” Kairo asked, voice reserved as he fiddled with a jar of some unknown spice. “If it’s about what happened in the living room. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that.”

 

[Da Doofus]

Frederick crawled above the two atop a wooden support beam. Ezekiel and Lawrence were behind him.

“He trusts you.” Dracon finally said. “Which I don’t understand, but that’s not important.
I want to know how you see certain things.”
He returned to seasoning the water as his tail coiled around a bag of coal beneath the table.
“How do you value the life of another?”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Dracon’s response caught Kairo completely off guard. Though after the immediate shock, Kairo seemed to relax. So Dracon wasn’t after his blood after all. That’s a great step up from all the other previous encounters he’s had with the irokai.

He thought about the question for a second. Why did he value the life of others so much? It seemed so natural to him, that he never really thought of it before. Still, Dracon seemed genuine about trying to reconnect with Darrek. If all he wanted was to be brothers again, then Kairo was going to do all he could to help him along. After twiddling with the jar for a little longer, his answer seemed to become clearer.

“I guess I just don’t see how ending someone’s life really fixes anything,” Kairo answered, putting the jar back down on the shelf. “Back in the old world, before we went extinct. There was death pretty much everywhere you went. I’m not sure how the world works now, but back then, I don’t think I can remember a single day without tragedy.” He added, mind wandering back to those dark times. “Everyone I’ve ever known is gone. My parents, my friends, all those lives were shoved down the drain. And I'm just tired of all of it. The death" Kairo paused for a moment, trying to find the willpower to continue a speech that hit so close to home. "Natures the one that claims lives, and if it doesn't, then it'll destroy your spirit for trying to defy it.....but there's no reason for us to do so as well." He looked up at Dracon for the first time since he started the speech. "I can't give you a reason to start valuing the lives of others. But I really believe that no one wants to kill. I think if you try hard enough, then you'll be able to find a reason for that too."

 

[Da Doofus]

“Well said.” Dracon shredded the leyroot with his claws and put it in the broth.
“Have you ever taken a life?”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo only stared at Dracon, pupils constricting at the sudden question he was asked. His first response was to say no. To tell Dracon that he hadn't and would never kill anyone in his life. At least, that was how he lived until today. The vindav he ruthlessly murdered a few hours ago. He didn't even think much of that till now, being too overwhelmed by the urge to survive and protect. But now that things have calmed down at least slightly, his sin was brought up to the forefront of his mind. The pained scream that the vindav let out haunted him. He wasn't even attacking Kairo! How could he have told Dracon all that when he himself was contradicting his statement?

Kairo didn't want to talk admit it. He wasn't ready to admit it.

"I......" He paused, stumbling for words. "....can I help you with the broth?" He pointed to the pot of water, dodging the question completely.

 

[Da Doofus]

“That’s what I thought.” Dracon huffed. He shrugged off Kairo’s attempt of redirection and knelt down to scoop out a few clumps of coal.
“Human or Archo? Your hesitation tells me it was recent.”