The Auric Insignia (6 page)

Whoa....

The sylvan village that the Kappas called Braida would have been, if built, the most amazing construction ever imagined. But that was the thing, it wasn’t built, it was grown. Roarke didn’t see a nail or sawed plank in sight as they moved through this wonder of nature. Trees and plants of varying size and sort worked in harmony, creating everything from what looked to be nests in the high canopies, with shapes looking down on their new guests. Underground settlements leading to unknown expanses and natural hot springs that seemed to call for Roarke’s aching body. To Roarke’s delight their party stopped by the path leading to the natural bathhouses.

     - If you follow this path, you will find your way to the springs. The warm water will help soothe your tired muscles whilst Korri will come with me and deliver her report, after which you will join us once more.

     As Korri and Vaya started moving away along the path on which they had come, Roarke hesitated in the intersection, feeling a pang of uncertainty.

     - Get moving or you’ll sprout roots!

     Korri’s caustic remark bounced back towards him, reaching his ears and stinging his pride.

     - Blueeh!

     Roarke’s childish retort missed its mark as the two Kappas had already vanished into the thick vegetation, leaving him and his outstretched tongue alone. Figuring he would be dead long ago if they had wanted him killed, Roarke shook off his worries and started down the path leading to the springs. His attention jumped from one amazement to the next, finding something new every other second. Seeing animals that must have been reindeer, judging by the color of their coats, coupled with their soft antlers, graze beside the road, completely undaunted by his presence. Seeing all the bewildering feats of nature happening all around him, Roarke was tempted to linger along the way, but as his broken bones made their state remembered, he thought better of it and continued on, following his instructions.

     The surface of the water lay unbroken, like a smoking mirror buried in the ground. By the edge of the pool was a big leaf with a collection of some sort of bronze fruit, stacked in a neat pile. Roarke didn’t recognize it as any fruit he had ever seen, which by this time was almost more to be expected than the opposite. He payed it little mind as he stripped down and slowly felt his way with his foot, before descending into the dark water. The hot liquid melted away the knots within his muscles and the pain in his ribs lost its edge, calming him. His toes walked across the bottom, tracing the surface towards the deeper part in the middle of the basin. When his legs had gone as long as they could reach, he hit something, something spiky. Instinctively, he pulled away but nothing happened. Deciding it had probably been a rock, he relaxed and were about to close his eyes, when he saw what it was he had felt. Rising out of the water in the deep end was something huge. Where Ama had been the size of a big human, this Kappa was monstrous in size, spiked shoulders standing at roughly ten feet, it towered over Roarke. A gargantuan mass of muscle incased in green gray armor, hands equipped not only with claws but also with webbed fingers from where citrine colored daggers sprouted. Jaw shut tight with teeth overlapping each other, resulted in a macabre expression enticing unhelpful and gruesome imagery. The chartreuse slits it had for eyes gave no tell of the thought process happening within.

     Reaching its full height, it inhaled, inflating its massive ribcage, only to exhale it all with a low hiss. Its spiky tail moved like a paddle, slowly going back and forth, the tip just rippling the surface. Roarke had recovered from his initial surprise and being the bullheaded man he could be, he stood up whilst clutching his injured side.

     - You know what, I haven’t had best time of late. I’ve been forced to leave my home and my life behind me. I’ve gotten the shit beaten out of me by an overgrown mutt whilst coming here to this supposed safe haven. And now, when I finally get some, in my mind, well deserved rest, you show up. So if you’re going to kill me, just fucking get it over with, you overgrown bastard!

     The Kappa gave no reply as slow seconds passed by.

     - Ahaha!

     The sound came from behind Roarke, who twisted around to identify its source. Another Kappa stood leaning against a nearby tree, currently choking on a piece of the bronze fruit, due to laughter. He shared the webbed digits with his friend in the water but after that. the similarities ended. Smaller in stature, standing shorter than Roarke, his body was covered in a slick brown coat, streamlining his profile. Bristly whiskers sprouted from bulging cheeks that gave him a cheerful appearance. Joining in the laughter, came a thundering chuckle from the Kappa that had risen from the warm waters, all traces of hostility gone.

     - You’ll have to forgive us, its not everyday we meet someone new and we can’t resist a good prank!

     The giant chortled his agreement.

     - Besides, you handled yourself better than most. Even a smooth talker like me have a hard time complimenting Ippan’s features with a straight face.

     Ippan feigned indignation.

     -Oh quit it, you big rock, you know I love you anyway.

     Ippan continued his charade of hurt feelings until he couldn’t hold it any longer and burst out laughing once more. Matching his level of joy, the Kappa standing on land proceeded to spray the pool with the chewed up fruit he had been in the process of swallowing. Standing where he stood, between an overgrown otter, hysterically laughing, and a giant lizard that was chuckling, Roarke, buck naked as he was, decided to see the absurdity that had become his life and joined in the mirth.

     - I’m Marel by the way, and that big oaf behind you is Ippan, he’s not as bad as he looks.

     As their names were said, they both executed overly grand bows, swirling their fingers through the air. Whilst both being comedic in nature, Marel moved with a grace that his larger companion understandably lacked.

     - Well I’m pleased to meet you, I’m Roarke.

     - Oh we heard, through the grapevine....

     The thing about comedians, whether they be human or Kappa, was that one could never quite know when and if they were actually being serious, so Roarke ignored what he thought was a quip and extended his hand, as to greet the punsters. The two Kappas shared an amused look, making no moves to reciprocate the handshake.

     - Well you are definitely human, that’s for sure!

     Unsure of what to do, Roarke lingered until he was picked up by arms powerful enough to break stone but that proceeded to gently hold him without upsetting his sore side, until he was finally let down on shaky legs.

     - It’s nice to feel welcome....

     - Well, we do our best.

     Marel struck Roarke as the talker of the unlikely, yet somehow perfectly matched duo. Gifted with a silver tongue, he appeared to, more often than not, speak for both of them with Ippan grunting his support on occasion.

     - At least some of us do.

     Marel nodded at Roarke’s purple ribs as he nimbly kicked up one of the fruits that lay between them and threw it to Roarke, who caught it awkwardly with his left hand.

     - They’re called Idu fruit, they grow on Idu trees, original I know. The ones that grow here in the Braida are the only ones left in existence.

     Roarke inspected the shimmering fruit with a sceptical look on his face.

     - They will help with that nasty bruise, or almost anything else for that matter. Give it a try.

     Roarke bit in and was greeted by a juicy sweetness like no other he had ever tasted. The flesh almost melted in his mouth, overflowing it with sugariness.

     - Mmhm, it’s good!

     - They are indeed.

     Roarke took another bite of the golden treat, pleasantly surprised.

     - Sweet isn’t?

     - Yea....

     Roarke noticed that they were snickering. All of a sudden, unsure, he spit out the bite that he, a second ago, had so eagerly taken.

     - What!? Is it poisonous?

     - Do you think that we would poison you and then stand by snickering? We’re hurt you would even suggest such a thing! Ain’t that right, Ippan?

     Ippan nodded with his massive head.

     - Then what is it?

     - The, hehe, the Idu rejuvenates the body, but when it’s consumed for the first time, it overloads the body, mainly the senses.

     Like a lighting bolt from a clear sky, the sweet taste that had lingered in Roarke’s mouth, exploded, juicy pulp feeling like burning embers. His mouth figuratively on fire, his taste buds overwhelmed with flavor, he started drinking the warm pool water in an attempt to put out the metaphorical flames licking the roof of his mouth. To add to his predicament, his vision started changing. Like seeing through the stained glass he had played with as a child, the world changed color. Red, orange, blue, green, as well as some colors he had never seen before.

     The sniggering from the orchestrators of his plight echoed in his head, tone changing from high to low. His nose filled with a strong odor that made it even harder to concentrate. Not recognizing it at first, he eventually understood he was smelling the water he was standing in. Becoming hyper aware of his body, he could feel every individual hair on his body, at the same time as he felt his organs pressing on one another inside his body. Feeling like he couldn’t take anymore, every sense growing more intense, they finally culminated in a sensory crescendo before they, in the blink of an eye, subsided.

     - Whoa.....

     - Quite the experience, isn’t it?

     - That’s the understatement of the year.

     - But like I said, it’s good for more than jokes, even though thats is just a lucky side effect, as far as we are concerned.

     Ippan slapped Roarke on the shoulder in his amusement, to which Roarke instinctively reacted by wincing, bracing for the coming pain but feeling nothing. Looking down, he saw that the purple cloud that had floated on the right sight of his diaphragm, had begun to fade.

     - Granted, it won’t bring you back to life if, let’s say, you have a large hole straight through the ol’ thinker, but otherwise it will help with the healing process.

     - Amazing...

     Roarke had seen a lot in recent times that existed outside what he considered the norm, but this seemed like magic. He could see his skin return to its normal hue, and the pain that had earlier attacked him upon touch, was gone. Feeling better than he had in a long time, Roarke took a couple of deep breaths, grateful that they came unhindered.

***

Idiots....

- Oh!...And flea jokes! Cliché some say, nothing wrong with a classic once in a while, we say.

     - Ahaha, I’ll have to try those, providing he will let me live long enough to finish.

     - Well Ama is a bit of a grump we agree, but he wasn’t always like that.....

     The three of them were sitting on soft mounds of moss that grew some distance from the pool where they had first met. Roarke stopped mid laugh as the mood took on a more somber note.

     - Vaya said something about that, “he has his reasons” I believe it was.

     - Well.

     Roarke could see that Marel, who, so far had let his mouth run like water, now weighed his words before voicing them.

     - Before, he was already the protector he is today, but that was just one of the things that was Ama. He wasn’t as funny as Ippan and me, but who is? At least he smiled, you know? You don’t see that these days, these days he is duty incarnate, his other sides, not so much gone as lacking in that spark that fuels them, happiness.

     - So.., So what happened?

     The two Kappas looked at each other, like they were deciding what to say, and how to say it.

     - If you don’t want to say, that’s fine.

     - No it’s just, it’s fine. He was abandoned, I think is the best term for it. All Kappas are like family but some are more like distant cousins and some are more like brothers. A long time ago, Ama lost the one that stood him nearest, they were almost like parts of a whole and so when one part got ripped away, the one remaining got all these torn edges. That part, the part of a whole with the jagged edges, is the Ama we see today, and the one who attacked you before.

     Seeing that the subject made his two new acquaintances uncomfortable, Roarke didn’t push the topic any further. As they sat in silence, Roarke contemplated on the fact that had become a rule as of late, that answers didn’t really clarify issues, but rather spawned two more questions where earlier there had only been one. Marel, being used to speak for two, grew far more awkward compared with his normally mute companion, who felt more in his element. Seeing his fellow Kappa filling with unease, Ippan lay a spiked hand on Marel’s shoulder as to steady his ever moving mind. A smile spread over Marel’s face and he took the giant hand in his, giving it a kiss.

     - What would I do without you, my big scary, spiky, sweet, sweet Ippan.

     The look on Ippan’s face echoed Marel’s spoken affection, their grip on each other squeezing tighter before letting go, moods lightened. Before they could strike up a new conversation, the calm of the woods was broken by the flapping of wings as a blackbird landed on a twisting branch of a nearby bush. Folding its wings, it let out a beautiful call that reverberated through the area. The Kappas listened as if they heard more than just the delicate notes of the melody itself.

     - What is it, did it say something?

     - It was a message.

     Having completed its task, the blackbird took flight once again, its aerodynamic shape vanishing between the trees through which it had just arrived.

     - And?

     - It was for you, you’re to join Korri at the meet.

     - Okay, where’s that?

     - They also sent a guide.

     Ippan pointed towards the direction the bird had taken just seconds before.

     - Keen eye Ippan, had you had wings, I would’ve thought you were a hawk.

     - Well do share, for those of us that are apparently blind....

     - Humans, am I right, Ippan?

     The hefty kappa smiled and nodded in agreement.

     -.. Can’t see what’s right in front of them.

     Roarke ignored the glib remark and squinted, trying to distinguish what was ostensibly so evident. Right when the frustration was starting to get the better of him, he saw movement. Jumping from branch to branch was a squirrel rushing towards their small group. Stopping in front of Roarke. it immediately started chattering energetically.

     - What is it saying?

     - It’s wondering if you can see it yet?

     - Oh really?! I’m sorry, don’t you two have anything better to do? Why don’t you make like one of these trees and leave...

     - Ouch, the human strikes and strikes true!

     The duo promptly started enacting a dramatic scene where they both sustained mortal injuries.

     - After you I assume, lead the way, pipsqueak.

     As he was walking away, he heard his new friends burst out in uncontrollable laughter.

     - Idiots....

***