Chapter Text
Kinich had been restless for the past few days, running amok Natlan and accepting commission after commission in an attempt to gain as much Mora as possible before Mualani’s birthday. It shouldn’t have been a big deal, but Kinich valued the few people he had in his life. He wasn’t exactly popular or loved, not even among his tribe. So the two people he dared to call friends – Mualani and Kachina – were fairly important to him. Important enough to make him swing through the nightly vistas in hopes of completing another commission. He would have to wait until morning to claim the prize, but he wanted to finish the task as soon as possible.
This particular commission interested him. There had been reports of Saurian herds disappearing in the middle of the night. It became especially concerning when domesticated Saurians started disappearing, too. Those creatures were very important to his people. Kinich also cared about the Saurians despite being a hunter. So as soon as he saw the news, he accepted the job.
The night sky was full of brilliant stars; paintings of vast constellations and clouds of stardust. Their glow shrouded the lands, turning dampened only in the shade of the tall jungle. Kinich’s gaze lingered on the sky’s brilliance until dark leaves began obstructing his view, and then he was swinging through a forest grove, so high off the ground that the sleeping Saurians underneath looked like cats.
The earth was dry after many days of an abnormal heatwave, but it made traversing through the jungle a lot easier. Had the trees been damp and slippery, his grappling hook would have a lot of trouble sticking to their surface. Something his draconic companion was overly excited about every time he went out in the rain.
Ajaw stuck close to his shoulder as he flew through the grove, his small pixelated form looking much different than their peaceful earthy surroundings. He had been grumbling non-stop ever since Kinich left camp. “Are you incapable of standing still for one evening? Do you not feel ashamed for dragging me, the Almighty Dragon Lord K’uhul Ajaw, to some commission in the dead of night? You should be tending to a warm flame and pampering me with a feast!”
“I didn’t ask you to come with me,” Kinich answered with a monotone voice. He was already used to Ajaw and his way of speaking. Truthfully, his demeanor never hurt Kinich at all. His skin had turned tough a long time ago. “You could have stayed at camp.”
“You ignorant servant! How dare you try to correct my actions? I cannot let my servant venture out alone. After all, if you were to perish in a pool of blood or break your neck, I would like to witness it,” Ajax cackled, flying from one Kinich’s shoulder to another. “So that I can claim your body as fast as possible and emerge victorious!”
Kinich didn’t even look at him. He didn’t even offer him a blink. He swung through the grove with a stone-cold expression, his black hair flurrying in the wind along with the bandana that stood over his forehead, and the jacket that he had tied around his waist. “Aha.”
“You dare to sass me, human?!”
Kinich swung to a nearby ledge. Dirt and dust curled into the air as his feet made contact, and he dropped to a crouch as he began observing the sleeping Saurian herd nearby. He had spent enough time in the area to know that the herd used to be bigger in number. He couldn’t help but notice three welps that were sleeping on one heap, completely unguarded. It was unusual, since mother Saurians never left their welps alone. Maybe she was missing.
With Ajaw yapping in his ear, Kinich could hardly focus on the herd. He was trying to analyze it as much as possible in hopes of discovering some important clue. But his companion was not shutting up. When Ajaw arrogantly flew at his face like a fly, Kinich grabbed him out of the air, enclosing the Almighty Dragon Lord in his fist. “Shush.” He warned. “I’m trying to investigate.”
Ajaw turned red from anger, his pixelated form stretching cartoonishly into an angry sprite, his arms spinning around in a ridiculous display of fury. Had his mouth not been smooshed against Kinich’s hand, he would have sputtered out a slew of insults.
However, when Kinich suddenly dipped lower into the shadows, even Ajaw stopped trashing. The two of them gazed over the ledge, seeing two suspicious hooded figures emerge from the forest. One was a fairly tall male and the other was about Kinich’s height and a woman. They seemed to carry elemental Visions on them. They snuck along the riverbed until they alerted the Saurian herd.
The animals began hissing, angered by somebody entering their territory and disturbing their slumber. In turn, the two persons flashed their torches at them, and whipped out electrified weapons. “Get back you beasts!”
It only aggravated them more.
Kinich’s eyes narrowed as he watched chaos unfold. Some Saurians tried to attack, only to be mercilessly hit by fire. Sparks spread to the nearby bushes. Blood splashed over the stones of the trickling river. The young Saurians started to flee in panic. Fire spread.
“Don’t let the little ones run away! Shoot them!”
A boom echoed through the valley, and Kinich dipped lower behind a pile of rocks. Next to him, Ajaw turned completely quiet as he watched the hunt unfold. The man had shot a web at the poor welps. He caught two of them. The third one escaped, running after the elderly Saurians and Kinich nearly jumped after it, but forced himself to stay hidden despite his instincts telling him to intervene.
“It’s getting away!”
“Ah leave it,” the woman answered. “We already got two. Lord Harbinger should be satisfied.”
Harbinger?
The poor baby Saurians struggled in the net, desperate to escape, but the cruel men only yanked the net closer and shook them, ordering them to behave. The suspicious persons began trekking away, towing the net behind, letting it drag along the ground with little care for the animals that they had ensnared.
“What the-” Ajaw grumbled, now free from Kinich’s hand. “Look at those assholes. Poachers these days have no dignity huh? They can’t even catch an adult, so they turn to the younglings. How disgraceful.”
“I don’t think they are poachers, Ajaw,” Kinich answered, quietly sneaking out from his hiding spot. If they were following orders from a Harbinger, then they had to be a part of the Fatui, no? But why would the Fatui hunt for Saurians? If he followed them, he could probably find answers. “It’s the Fatui. But either way,” his continued, “they seem to be responsible for the disappearing Saurians.”
Kinich’s green eyes focused on the distant shadowy figures. In a flash of heroic judgement, he grappled ono a nearby tree and zipped to its branches. Ajaw cackled to his ear, trailing behind. “That’s right. Go ahead and follow them. I’m sure they won’t ensnare you and kill you. That would be soooo unfortunate.”
“Be quiet,” Kinich hissed. “Fron this point onwards, no speaking. We’ll follow them to their base.”
“You fool! You dare give me orders?” Ajaw began trashing once again. “I, the Almighty K’uhul Ajaw do not take orders from lowly servants such as you!”
Ajaw followed anyways.
***
The camp was crawling with Fatui soldiers. It was situated between two mountain ranges, reaching deep into the caves. Even on the surface of their camp, Kinich could see cages filled with Saurians. The cages were rather small, barely giving the creatures space to stand or turn. They seemed to cower as the two Fatui poachers returned, towing welps in their net.
Kinich tried to stay hidden. Even Ajaw stayed quiet as they prowled around the Fatui camp. In the veil of night, the camp was lit by petroleum lamps. The light illuminated dark blue banners with Fatui insignia, marking their organization without fault. About a dozen of soldiers guarded the cave entrance, drinking and talking amongst themselves, failing to spot Kinich as he prowled closer and closer.
He noticed how the dry earth was accompanied by a much starker smell. Sulfur. Was there lava nearby? What were they doing with the Saurians? Why were they keeping them in cages and hiding them inside that cave? The situation appeared to be a lot more drastic than Kinich initially assessed. A rescue mission was on the horizon. There was no way he could leave all those Saurians in the clutches of the Fatui.
When the perfect opportunity arrived, he snuck into the cave and followed a long path of metallic tubes to the inner depths of the mountain. The air turned hotter and the smell of sulfur more intense. A coat of sweat began to form over Kinich’s body, making his tawny skin glisten. He wiped his face with the base of his wrist, carefully walking closer to a clearing. Ajaw stuck close to his messy black hair, seemingly cowering in front of mystery. Not that he would ever admit that, though.
Kinich’s boots crunched against rock and gravel, and he came to a halt as soon as he peeked into the upcoming space. The inside of the cavern was filled with Fatui infrastructures, banners and camps. Underneath them, a pool of lava bubbled with raw fire and gas. There were cages lined up along the platform, filled with different Saurians. Only one of them had a human hostage. A girl.
Kinich released a breath that he had been holding. With a human prisoner involved, his mission became extremely more complex. Not only were the Fatui snatching up Saurians and planning something nefarious in his home nation, but they were kidnapping people, too.
The girl looked distressed as she hugged her knees and kept her face buried against them. The heap of hair on her head was a mess, and the dirt on her clothes indicated she had been there for quite some time, stuck in a cage above a lava pit.
Ajaw observed the cavern alongside Kinich, his pixelated form floating steadily next to the man’s shoulder. Kinich was still. Eerily so. The dragon took a pause to try and read his servant’s expression. It was deadpanned always, but a tiny smudge of animosity sparked underneath his usual façade.
The pixelated dragon let out a happy growl. “Yesss. Let’s burn them to ashes.”
***
You breathed steadily, carefully counting the minutes as they passed by. The cave was deep underground, and you had no way of seeing sunlight or the stars so you kept track of time in a far different manner. You memorized the Fatui’s schedules, creating an artificial clock on the base of your cage with sulfuric chalk. At 6 in the morning, squadron leader Ivanovich exited his tent and woke the other soldiers with a loud wake up call. The soldiers would stretch and then leave, before gathering at 9 to eat breakfast. At that time, Ivanovich would come to look at the cages and harass you.
At 12, the Harbinger would arrive at camp and speak to Ivanovich, and then they would both come to your side. At 3 in the afternoon, you would be in the laboratory with that Harbinger…
It was 3 in the morning now, and you should have been asleep, but the soldiers were loud whilst drinking, and you were rudely awakened earlier when Ivanovich brought over new baby Saurians and stuffed them in a cage next to yours. All three welps in one small, rusty cage. The other cage, the one on your left, remained empty after the last Saurian babies died in the laboratory. A permanent reminder of the Harbinger’s cruelty, and what was expected of you.
You usually missed these parts of the night. Most of the time you were exhausted and unable to keep your body awake. This was a rare opportunity to observe the soldiers – to learn what other parts of their schedule you could abuse in your escape plan.
You uncomfortably shifted in your cage, feeling your legs cramp as you kept them tight against your chest. There was not enough space to stretch them out. The confinements of your prison were strenuous. The only time you go to stretch your legs, was when the Harbinger took you to his laboratory.
You took a deep breath. Twenty five minutes. You counted up to twenty five minutes when the gluttonous cacophony of the soldiers’ party suddenly got interrupted.
One moment you were watching the soldiers with dull lifeless eyes, the other, your pupils widened in utter awe. A figure zipped out of the shadows, following a glowing line of emerald. The figure twisted in the air. The ends of a colorful bandana fluttered behind a head of unruly black hair. Native tattoos burned a bright color along the figure’s arms. They plummeted from the sky, diving straight for the Fatui. Their arm outstretched, some kind of device decorating their wrist and then-
You gasped, shielding your head as a boom echoed through the cavern. Dendro energy and hellfire washed over the camp; aftermath of a powerful blast.
The soldiers scattered. The music ceased. Orders were shouted. Yells and frustrated shouts filled your ears. You covered them, curling into yourself, falling lower in your cage. Another boom. You flinched and sank deeper, gritting your teeth as the platform rattled. The imprisoned Saurians began to trash around in panic.
There was a thud next to your cage – the sound of footsteps. You sheepishly looked up from the floor, your frightened eyes finding a handsome face right in front of your cage.
“I’m getting you out of here.” The intruder had a soft, determined voice. Despite your fear, you blinked at him. It was a young man – not much older than you – with gorgeous emerald and amber eyes, and pupils so unique that they represented diamonds or a reptile.
His face was stone cold. He had just infiltrated a Fatui camp and attacked a group of highly trained soldiers. How was he not afraid?
“What is your name?” he asked. The man’s hands wrapped around the bars of your cage. They were covered by black gloves. The artifact on his wrist shimmered in gold. You stared as the man seemingly tried to pry the door of your cage open, only then realizing you forgot to answer any of his questions.
His arms and neck were tattooed with green ink – tribal tattoos of the Scions of Canopy. He wore earrings too. Sharpened bones. If he did belong to the Scions tribe, the bones were most likely Saurian.
He tried to pull the door again, jerking it back with violent force. The cage loudly screeched but the metal remained intact. “My name is Kinich.” He said, trying once more to get you to talk. “I will get you out of here. Just bear with me.”
Perhaps this Kinich stranger thought you were stupid. Or maybe he thought you were in too much shock to understand. Maybe he expected you to say something back. Maybe he expected you to try and help bust the door open…
“Ajaw.” Kinich said coldly.
The artefact on his wrist shimmered before a pixelated projection popped out. The familiar warmth of phlogiston surrounded the small creature and its draconic image. It seemed to be alive? Fascinating.
It zoomed closer to Kinich’s head, poking out from behind his unruly black hair. “You need my help now, lowly servant? Right after rudely stuffing me in that accursed bracelet? Well, isn’t that funny.”
“I can’t leave you unchecked in a fight. You know that. Now shut up and help with this cage.”
“You dare command me again, mortal?” the pixelated dragon huffed, a lowly growl creeping to his voice. “Oh. You are truly daring today Kinich. As if following and attacking the Fatui wasn’t stupid enough, now you dare to patronize the almighty Dragonlord, K’uhul Ajaw with your pesky issues? I have no benefit from helping you mortal vermin. Nor do you deserve my-”
Kinich scoffed and swiped across the bracelet. Ajaw got interrupted mid-sentence, his form zipping back into the bracelet artifact. “I figured.”
Your mouth draped open. The sight left you with many questions. Yet for some reason, as you watched Kinich’s brows furrow in strain – as you watched him pull on the door again – you couldn’t ask anything. You couldn’t voice your thoughts. Perhaps the Harbinger had beaten this reflex into you. You merely watched his fingers curl around the bars, and the muscles on his arms flex. The shirt he wore was tight enough to reveal how hard he was trying to break the lock. But it was of no use. The cages were built to contain Saurians. It would not open by force.
“I need a weapon.” He stated. You blinked. He attacked the Fatui and came here without a weapon? Was he stupid or did he simply have a death wish?
“These cages were built for Saurians.” You said. Your own voice sounded strange to you. You hadn’t spoken out loud since that Harbinger left five days ago. If Kinich heard the strain in your voice, he did not acknowledge it. He only paused to look at you, making direct eye contact as if to convince himself that you were present and talking to him.
“I can break it.” He stated. Was it confidence or arrogance? You could not tell. Kinich fixed the headband that covered his forehead – decorated by pixelated imagery much like that Ajaw companion of his – and pulled away. “I’ll be right back.”
An emerald strip shot up into the air and he flew up – back to the soldiers that he beat unconscious. It must have been some kind of gear from the Scions tribe. You’ve read about it before. Hooks and lines. The Scions could fly much like their Saurian companions.
He hastily searched the ground for a weapon until he found a greatsword. He had just turned to face the cages again when shouts echoed through the cave. Kinich flinched like a cat, retreating a whole step back as his entire body braced. His head was quick to follow the noise.
More soldiers arrived at the entrance of the cavern. They must have heard the commotion all the way to the surface. More of them were probably on their way.
They rushed at Kinich whilst hollering war cries, yet the mysterious man stayed still. All he did was coldly swing the greatsword outwards, ready for another battle.
You gawked at the battlefield. The mysterious intruder was fast. So, stupidly fast. Your eyes could hardly keep up with his movements. Kinich jumped and flipped in the air, avoiding the Fatui’s weapons, keeping himself tethered to the enemy with a bright, sturdy line. His tattoos burned like emerald fire. His canon fired again and again. The sound so loud it shook the ground. That only got him more attention, and more soldiers rushed to the cavern.
Kinich expertly dodged the Fatui’s fiery bullets, moving fast to keep his body from harm’s way despite the Fatui’s numbers. Just when you thought he’d be overwhelmed, he hastily moved his fingers across the artifact on their wrist and then…
Your eyes grew.
A dragon emerged from mist. A giant, terrifying creature with furious red eyes. It growled out. Fire followed suit - raw phlogiston, strong enough to vaporize anything in its path. It was bright; the elemental power you were so familiarized with. It burned in red and orange and green.
And it was magnificent.
You had dedicated your entire youth to research that very same power and it had only brought you to this cage… It was like a ballad from some legend. The power that had entrapped you was now going to save you.
Your eyes began to water. Were you finally going to be leave this place? Would you dare leave this place?
The dragon’s fury matched its human owner, standing coldly triumphant surrounded by a pile of bodies. Maybe you would trust him enough to try and leave.
Something flashed on a distant wall. It took you a second too long to recognize what it was. There was a clearing high above in the cavern’s rocky walls. There stood Ivanovich, Fatui squadron leader, with a rifle in hand. He was acquainted with hunting strong and wild Saurians, and he didn’t hold back from shotting at humans. Your mouth opened. You wished to warn him – you wanted to warn him. However, acting against the Fatui would have great consequences. Ones you did not want to risk. You closed your mouth.
The rifle fired.
Kinich flinched upon receiving the blow. He staggered on his feet, hastily tugging at the dart that stuck out from his shoulder. He jerked it out of his flesh but it was too late. The poison had already reached his blood.
Kinich wobbled on his feet. Then, to everybody’s surprise, he smacked his palm against the artifact and seemingly ordered the dragon to slumber. One flash later and the dragon’s image was sucked into the device. Just like Ajaw.
Only then you realized that that giant dragon was Ajaw.
I can’t leave you unchecked in a fight. You know that. That is what Kinich said to him earlier.
Kinich knew he was doomed. He knew what the dart had in store, and he made sure to seal that dragon beast before the poison fully hit him.
The emerald line shot far into the ceiling once more, and Kinich flied right after it. He attempted to reach the cages. To smash the door of your cage open, so that you may run away. So that you may escape. But that dart was capable of tranquilizing a Tepilosaurus, and he stood no chance.
You watched in horror as Kinich flopped to the ground with a loud thud, a meter away from a pool of lava. Dead asleep in a few seconds. Or maybe just dead. The dart contained Saurian tranquilizer after all…
As he laid there, only a few meters away from certain death, you caught yourself breathing shallowly.
Soldiers sprinted closer, surrounding him and blocking your view.
Your breath was rapid. Your eyes glimmering and hands shaking, you furrowed your brows in utter desperation and frustration as you watched soldiers detain him.
If you had shouted and warned him, he would have dodged that blow… He would have been outside of the cavern already. With or without you.