Chapter Text
“There’s been some Fatui scurrying around on the other side of the Ancestral Temple, it shouldn’t be too much of a trouble for you. Just get rid of them before they get too close to the tribe. Once it’s done, return to me, and you’ll get your pay,” the commissioner explained.
Ajaw was the first to speak up, “How much are we talkin’, though? We need to know if this commission is worth the trouble for the Almighty Dragonlord, K’uhul Ajaw!”
“Shut up, would you, Ajaw?” Kinich interrupted. “Bargian as high as you wish, if there’s Fatui lingering around the tribe, I’ll get rid of them for free, no mora required. A threat to the tribe will not go unnoticed by our defences.”
”What?! At least wait until he’s told us the price before judging what to do next, you idiot!” Ajaw argued back against Kinich’s judgement, flailing his little pixelated arms around angerly.
The commissioner only chuckled, “Even if you insisted to do it for free, I would’ve still found some way to repay you for the trouble. Twenty thousand mora, I’ll give extra if you get some information out of them on way they are there.”
“Deal!” Ajaw jumped at the opportunity, trying to shove Kinich’s face away and silence him.
Said hunter only smacked Ajaw out of his face and continued on like nothing happened; “I’ll do it, and since you insist to pay me either way, I’ll take the mora as well.”
”Ten thousand now and you’ll get the rest when it’s completed. Thank you for your help, Kinich.”
”It’s my pleasure as always,” Kinich replied, taking the bag of mora and heading off towards the Ancestral Temple. Ignoring the screams of disagreement from Ajaw as he swung his way up the mountains.
Why did he agree to this?
Hey, twenty thousand is twenty thousand.
But seriously…? They have been walking and searching for almost three hours now! Kinich swears they’ve done a circle five times in the same location already. And Ajaw’s blabbering is really starting to give him a headache. The scorching heat from the sun wasn’t helping with it either.
His energy has been depleted because of all the walking, he’s exhausted and that’s not good. He doesn’t have the strength to fight even if they do find the Fatui. Maybe it was a flut? A fake commission to get him out of the tribe for a while? Could something have happened while he was—
No. The guy gave him half before he went searching, it couldn’t have been a false commission. Maybe the Fatui left the area before he could arrive? Or they are hidden somewhere because they noticed him here.
”Kinich!” Ajaw dragged on, slurring his name like he was bored while on a roadtrip begging for a break. “This is useless! We’ve been here for almost four hours walking in cicles! I swear I know this mountain like the back of my tail by now! And I’ve seen that same tree almost a bazillion times!”
Kinich did not respond to the dragonlord, his hand held against his head as the scorching heat was starting to get to him. Sweat dampened his hair and clothes, causing him to attenpt to fan himself. His pace had slown down, and his movement unsteady, almost drunk-like.
Ajaw went quiet, worry spread across his limited pixelated face. He wanted to reach out and help, until his eyes flickered to the band on Kinich’s wrist- and he stopped himself.
“Don’t tell me you have no more strength left, Kinich! I thought you would have been more durable than that! Watch you fall over and pass out like the pathetic human you are!” Ajaw maniacally laughed, though his voice caused his words to sound sarcastic and forced.
”I just…” Kinich finally spoke, leaning against one of the tree they’ve seen dozens of times before, “I just need a moment…”
“Kinich,” Ajaw said sternly.
“Ajaw… I said give me a moment.”
“No— Kinich, turn—”
The sudden gasp Kinich let out almost caused him to pass out right then and there, but the adrenaline of danger kept him awake. His hands flailed to the hand wrapped around his throat, his legs instinctively bashed around, trying to escape the confines.
“Kinich!” Ajaw screamed out, unsure of what to do or how to help without hurting Kinich.
The lack of energy and air was starting to cost Kinich his vision, things were getting blurry and his eyes felt heavy. Gasping for air felt like a chore rather than an everyday automated need. His arms were starting to numb from the constant scratching and lifting he was doing.
He finally got some sense of self back as he tried to think of what to do, reaching his hand out to Ajaw, attempting to release the Dragonlord to help them. But it was futile, the Fatui holding him down took noticed and removed the band from Kinich’s wrist.
“NO!” They didn’t know which one of them screamed it first, or if they did at all. But Kinich felt as if his soul had been ripped from his very being, watching Ajaw slowly float to the soild ground beneath him, no longer able to fly.
The pressure of the chokehold tightened, and Kinich couldn’t take it anymore. His mind was blank and his body was in a panic, he couldn’t think of what to do other than to just give in. His band was taken and Ajaw is weakened.
Kinich could barely see anything now, but he could make out the silhouettes of another Fatui member, an electro one he recongized. He walked up to Ajaw laying on the floor and grabbed him like he was just a toy. It made Kinich’s blood boil, but he couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t focus.
He watched as Ajaw only stared at him in plea.
Right before his eyes forced themselves shut, he noticed one other member, a pyro one. Three members, and Kinich couldn’t even put up a fight - not a single punch. So unfair.
They locked Ajaw up right when his vision went blank, and he suddenly felt the agonized sting of a pyro bullet hitting his shoulder. But he couldn’t do anything but take it, no scream, or wince, no whine, no nothing.
Then he hit the water.