Kinich

"It's okay to charge a fee for delivering a letter, but I've never heard of charging a fee for celebrating the Night of Reminiscent Fire. Can someone like that still be considered a hero?" "It's not like you just met him. Doesn't he do his job well? Well, that's more than enough." In Natlan, where saurians and humans live in harmony, not everyone understands why the profession of saur hunter was born. Even more criticism is directed at the fact that in this nation, where heroes abound, a price is charged for completing a mission. A cold-blooded, cruel and ruthless killer; pragmatic and self-interested, with no heroic appearance at all... People have given a whole series of derogatory epithets to a young man who has never opposed them. But what does that matter? Any order that is fairly priced will be completed properly; any poison that causes havoc will be sent back to the Night Realm. Once the bearer of the Reminiscent Fire locks onto a target, there is no turning back.

appearance

Kinich uses the medium male model. Kinich has fair skin, greenish-yellow eyes, and messy blue-black hair with green streaks. His left arm is tattooed with green ink, and he wears black gloves decorated on both arms. A green bandana is tied around his head with two white feathers with yellow and green tips tucked behind it and a sweater tied around his waist. He has a white, lime, and green earring hanging from each ear and baggy green pants with blue and orange detailing. His Vision is positioned on his right leg, and he wears black boots with blue and gold detailing.

Natlan is a nation where humans and saurians have lived together in harmony for many years. The relationship that most humans and saurians have is one of cordiality and companionship. But this does not mean that all the saurians that approach humans have good intentions. Even today, there are still humans who lose their lives due to saurian attacks. And that is precisely why the saur hunters appeared, who know very well the weaknesses of these beings, Kinich being one of the best. Although he was still young and had not been taught by any master, his years of experience in the wild had given him the techniques necessary to subdue evil beasts and saurians. A born hunter, he is firm, direct and efficient, and his gaze is as sharp as a knife's edge. But unlike other sauropod hunters, Kinich's profession is not limited to hunting. According to rumours, as long as Moras' offer is sufficient, he will accept any assignment. For this reason, many members of the tribes respect him, but they also look at him with suspicion because of his practical and opportunistic way of doing things. Whether it's a client who is in a difficult situation or a child who has not yet come of age, Kinich always demands an appropriate reward. Nothing can make him change his principles, because he believes that everything in this world has a price. Although his behavior causes confusion, he has never had the intention of giving explanations about it. If someone wanted an explanation, I would reach out and ask how much they would be willing to pay for it.

Kinich lived with his family until he was seven years old. His father was a messenger who, for every day he worked, took three days off to go to betting shops. If he won, he would buy Kinich an expensive box of candy and some pretty flowers for his mother. If he lost, he had to borrow money from his coworkers to get drunk and thus hide his lack of income. But his mother, who remained lucid, often argued with her husband about it while holding little Kinich in her arms. Sometimes the man admitted that he had lost and promised not to gamble again. But other times, the argument would end in a heated domestic fight in which the stronger father always came out on top. The dejected mother then had no choice but to quietly tend to the gardening chores in the backyard. The tenacious woman was no good at fighting, but she was an excellent farmer. And she had better be, since she had three mouths to feed. Years passed until Kinich's father lost his home and the family had to move to the foot of a mountain, far from the tribe. But not everything was bad, because there they had more land than before. There, Kinich learned to grow mahi and make rope from castor oil. He also learned to prepare thick noodles from tapioca and to hunt wild boar with traps. But the bad thing was that now that there were no neighbors nearby to mediate family arguments, the fights became more intense, resulting in injuries to both his mother and Kinich. One day, his mother sneaked away without her son. She did not take him with her, perhaps because she was afraid that her husband would follow her to the ends of the earth if she had done so. Kinich does not remember whether his mother ever said goodbye, but he learned very well how to do household chores: farming, hunting and taking beatings.

But as he grew older, he also learned to run away. He had an innate athletic talent and each day he ran faster than the day before. His father had a harder time catching him. Every time he left the house, the wind would cover his father's screams, and Kinich enjoyed unique moments of freedom.

Perhaps fate felt sorry for him and wanted him to experience true freedom. One day, when Kinich was seven years old, he asked his father if he had any news of his mother. The answer was obvious. His father, whose eyes were red from the alcohol, left the house and chased him, hoping to teach him a lesson. But years of alcoholism weakened the man's body, and when he came to a cliff, he accidentally fell off it. When Kinich realized it, his father was lying motionless among the stones at the bottom of a ravine, like a wild boar that, after fighting against a trap, had decided not to get up again. At that moment, Kinich felt a great deal of confusion. His head was spinning and a feeling of bitterness took hold of him. To keep from crying, she squeezed her eyes shut, wrinkled her nose, and took a deep breath with all her might. Her face contorted into a disfigured shape. It was some time before Kinich took his father's grappling hook to drag the body into the house. His father had never taught him how to use the hook, but he had memorized it after seeing him on the sly on certain occasions. He jumped from branch to branch, the wind whistling past his ears. On the day he turned seven, freedom came to him as a gift from the mountains, but when he opened the gift, all he found was loneliness.

After his parents left him, Kinich remained living at the foot of the mountain. She farmed, wove and hunted to survive. She also used to go to the tribal market to exchange the prey she caught for other everyday products. Over time, the adults of the tribe began to pay more attention to this quiet child. Some were concerned about his way of life and offered to help, but he always shook his head. For him, nothing in this world was free, and goods that came with a price were more secure than free help. Perhaps it was a trap, like those he used to catch prey, the price to pay for which would be discovered later. So he always stayed away from the center of the tribe and kept a safe distance from the adults who approached him. Every time he went to visit the tribe, he only stayed as long as necessary to get the items he needed and then left. All this was observed by the old man Leik, who was also a teacher to the children of the tribe. As he had already met Kinich through his involvement in the training of the Tree Saplings, he was one of the few who knew of his family situation. One day, when Kinich went to the market, Leik made him a special proposal. He wanted Kinich to attend the tribe's school, since all seven- and eight-year-old children were required to attend. As for the tuition fee, he could cover it with the income from the commissions he gave him as a messenger, since Leik would need a messenger to send notices to the students.

But Kinich refused. He was still too young and didn't really understand what it meant to go to school. Besides, he didn't think it was worth it. In the time it took him to run around sending messages, he could have caught seven or eight wild boars. Leik was stunned. The school was actually free. He just wanted Kinich to let his guard down, so he had asked him to run some extra errands. But he did not give up. He spent a whole month trying to explain to Kinich what the school was and adjusting the remuneration. In the end, they reached an agreement. Every time Kinich went to the market, he would also go to school. In exchange, he would run some errands for Leik when he had time. Both were satisfied with the deal, except for the fact that neither had imagined that Kinich would take just one day to graduate.

When Kinich arrived for class as arranged, the teacher, who turned out to be the elderly Leik, was already in the classroom. The old man stood in the center of a circle of students, and he motioned for Kinich to find a seat. Kinich sat on the outer edge of the circle, while the other children looked at him curiously. Although the life of the Tree Saplings was simple, Kinich's clothing was ragged even for them. She wore an ash-stained bandana tied across her forehead, a hand-woven wool jacket and an animal-skin skirt. She was barefoot, giving her a somewhat wild appearance. “Why aren’t you wearing shoes?” asked a curious little girl, to which a burly boy and his friends laughed. “It’s because he’s a dirty monkey who lives in the forest,” one of them replied. Old man Leik cleared his throat to immediately interrupt the children and indicate that class was about to begin. “Children, today I will tell you the story of the heroes of the Tree Saplings. Can anyone tell me their names?” “Burkina from Malipo!”, “The great Yupanqui!”... The children answered incessantly. “Yes, each and every one of our heroes deserves to be remembered, not only for their strength, but also for their altruistic spirit.” Hearing this, Kinich, who was standing at the edge of the circle, raised his hand. “Why were they altruistic?” “There is no reason why, it is an innate virtue of heroes,” replied the elderly professor from Kinich. “And what have they received in exchange for this virtue?” asked Kinich again. “It is a very precious virtue that cannot be exchanged, because it is in itself a reward from heaven,” replied Kinich’s teacher while giving him a smile. “A reward?” Kinich asked, not quite understanding. “What kind of reward? Fame? Blackberries?”

"All those things and more, but that's not the important thing. The important thing is that this virtue in itself is something admirable that makes heroes what they are," the professor replied. The old man closed the book and stared at Kinich, but the young man did not quite understand him. Then he remembered something...

The forest taught him that the wild boar is the noblest animal, because it can fill your stomach, and that water is the next most important thing, because without it we would die of thirst. But we are not born with either of these two assets. That is why they were so valuable, and to get something valuable, you have to give something in return. He loved getting Blackberries, since with them he could buy anything else. So he told the professor, “If I become a hero, I want to be rewarded with Blackberries.” The children laughed, and the boy who had made fun of Kinich laughed louder than the others. “So go back to the forest and swing between the trees, you filthy, greedy monkey!” said the boy. But the other children in the group were not satisfied with that, and they stood up to push Kinich towards the door. Although his teacher tried to stop them, Kinich took the opportunity to leave. He then realized that he did not need to stay there any longer, because his sharp mind had discovered a truth: All those children were just brats. They gathered around and praised the heroes as if they were heroes too, as if they shared the same greatness as them. But that false glory would not teach them to fill their stomachs. They would have to go home after school and beg their mothers for food. Kinich could have taught them a lesson right there and made them see how far they were from being heroes, but he didn't have to do them that favor for free. However, he also thought that the class had not been a complete waste of time, since it had at least served to resolve some of his doubts. He knew what the future held for him: becoming a hero. To win Moras, of course.

To become a hero, Kinich needed extraordinary strength. Shortly after graduating, he approached the elder Leik and told him of his plan to become stronger. To ensure that he would accept, Kinich offered him everything he owned in exchange: Grappling hooks and traps, freshly harvested castor oil plant, two large cans of tapioca flour, a bag of mahí seeds, a freshly hunted wild boar and a handful of blackberries. The old man laughed and refused Kinich's offered payment, but on the condition that he would learn what it really meant to be a hero. In fact, the old man cared for the young man, as he saw in him the reflection of the heroes of yesteryear. So he thought he would need a guide for the path that lay ahead, for if Kinich strayed from the right path, his power would be far more destructive than that of an ordinary villain. And so they came to a new agreement. Kinich spent the next few years living with the elderly Leik in the mountains. In addition to teaching him the history of Natlan and the heroes of the tribes, he also recommended that he look for all kinds of incredible people. An archer who made special arrows, a healer who researched saurian venoms, an old hunter expert in ropes and grappling hooks, an expert escape artist from extreme situations... Kinich accepted and absorbed all he could from them day and night, but he was not satisfied. On his days off, he returned to the mountains to hone his combat skills. Without a master per se, he mimicked the movements of predators as they hunted. He was agile, cunning and strong. He learned from each of them and fused their skills into a unique fighting technique. As his skills improved, Elder Leik taught Kinich to take on more responsibilities in the tribe, starting with messenger duties. Kinich completed them better than most adults and usually took less time than them.

Thanks to his skills, people began to seek him out for more dangerous jobs, such as hunting powerful saurians. At first, the elder Leik thought Kinich would ask his opinion on the commissions, but he never did. He seemed to be as experienced as a veteran and was able to judge whether a task was good or bad, as well as what its just reward would be. Sometimes, when orders included false information or concealed details, Kinich would adjust the price accordingly at his own discretion, even if the client disagreed. His actions did not go unnoticed and some members of the tribe thought he was not rigorous in his way of working. But Kinich never gave any explanations and continued to evaluate the price of each order. There was one day when Mr. Trinidad, who was in charge of ceremonial affairs, had an objection. He wanted to question Kinich about his actions, but Elder Leik stopped him. “No need, the boy knows what he’s doing.” “Nonsense! I’ve never seen the Tree Saplings call someone like him a hero!” “And that is precisely where he is wrong. Kinich has never been a Tree Sprout. He is a shoot of the mountains, a shoot capable of becoming the hero he wants to be.”

It may seem strange that Kinich, solitary as he is, does not go anywhere without a self-proclaimed “K'uhul Ahau”—meaning “Divine Lord”—lurking around him. According to the most reliable research by the Saurian Archaeology Association, Ahau is an authentic relic from the time of the dragons dating back thousands of years. Its original form had been sealed in a mysterious bracelet, its current form being a mere manifestation in phlogiston. The researchers at the Association consider Ahau to be of immense investigative value, given his long lifespan and intelligence, and were therefore willing to invest a large sum of money to purchase him. But Kinich knew that Ahau was a very intelligent being, with a very complicated personality and that he could pose a great threat, so he rejected the offer without hesitation. I knew that Ahau was undoubtedly dangerous, arrogant, cunning, chaotic and evil. If he handed it over to the Saurian Archaeology Association, it could end up being his downfall. But beyond that, there was another, more concrete reason why Kinich could not hand over Ahau: they had an unbreakable contract. It all started with a rumor about a dragon treasure hidden in some ancient ruins that appeared after an earthquake, and it attracted the attention of many. However, after several failed expeditions, explorers began to take extreme precautions. By this time, Kinich was already a somewhat reputable dinosaur hunter in Natlan, so he was invited to join one of the expeditions. It wasn't until they entered the ruins that they discovered they were filled with monsters and traps far more dangerous than the rumors said. Many explorers were killed or wounded, and in the end only one of them, Kinich, reached the depths of the ruins. It was there that he encountered an ancient being called K'uhul Ahau, who had been sealed.

Kinich immediately sensed the being's evil, but also thought that perhaps its power could be of use to him. As for Ahau, he had plans of his own. He had been sealed in that place for countless years and longed to see the light of day again. Several days of testing went by, sometimes more hostile, sometimes more friendly, but generally full of mutual tension. Each understood the other's measure and so they signed a contract. The mysterious being called Ahau was willing to obey Kinich's orders, and also to share his power with him, as long as it was in a limited, conditional, restrictive, contractual, partial and temporary way. In return, Kinich promised to take Ahau with him to see the outside world and promised that when the time came for him to die, Ahau could keep his body.

The Hill of Silent Crickets»

«The Hill of Silent Crickets» When Kinich was studying at old man Leik's house, he read a lot of books and scrolls there. Some I skimmed through without much interest, but others I read over and over again. However, none of them were comparable to “The Hill of Silent Crickets,” which he even recommended to the old man. Upon reading it, the scholar complained that the quality of the text was crude, the plot was monotonous and lacked imagination. In addition, the work was unfinished. Kinich had no words to respond, but his love for that work did not change, since his mother was the author. The book recounted the life of a species of cricket that lived underground. The insect grew and fed in the depths of the earth until it finally rose to the surface to reproduce and then die. They lived like this for generations until one day the underground environment changed dramatically. The temperature of the ground increased and a large number of crickets died. The survivors chose to hide even deeper underground, but the hero protagonist decided to rise to the surface. He wanted to know what had happened in the outside world and if he could find a solution to save his kind. However, upon reaching the surface, he discovered that the hills where his ancestors had lived for generations had been reduced to a barren wasteland due to the war between humans and monsters. The plants had died, the ground was scorched, and ashes floated across the sun. The air was filled with phlogiston, a poison that was lethal to crickets, in a land that would later be known as “Mare Jivari.” The heroic cricket fell exhausted on the scorched ground, but before dying, he used his last remaining strength to lay a broken glass egg...

The Hill of Silent Crickets»

The story comes to an end here, without knowing whether a little cricket hatched from the shell or not, and that is the main reason why old man Leik did not like it too much. But for Kinich, that was the reason she loved it, because it meant that the day would come when the author finished her work.

Vision

construction site. Vision Even after getting his old name, Kinich did not promise that he would follow the example of historical heroes in sacrificing themselves for others. He only participated in the Pilgrims' War and, without saying a word, he threw himself without hesitation into the jaws of the glorious death that awaited him. It was a very dangerous battle in which the power of the Abyss had taken a new and evil turn, now taking the form of the warriors' near and dear ones to ambush them. Facing familiar faces, the heroes began to falter one after another, and even though they did so for only an instant, it was enough to spell doom and fatal defeat. Kinich also faced this dilemma, for the person standing before him was his mother as he remembered her. He once thought that if he ever met her again, he would first ask her how “The Hill of Silent Crickets” ended. However, at that moment, his hunter instincts proved to be faster than his mind, because as soon as the being from the Abyss disguised as his mother extended its arms to embrace him, he pierced it cleanly with his sword. He then became even more ruthless as he cut down every familiar face he came across, though it was not cold-blooded, as each fatal blow he dealt was like another burden on his heart. He simply understood that only victory could bring back all the fallen, so each comrade that died only made his sword even sharper. But the monsters appeared like a voracious plague, and the heroes' side had already suffered substantial losses in the previous ambush. So, little by little, they fell until Kinich was the last one standing. Blood clouded his vision, his body was covered in wounds and the monsters did not stop attacking.

Vision

At that moment, he realized that his end was near. It was then that he heard for the first time a solemn tone in Ahau's voice: “I'm afraid my powers have reached their limits, Kinich...

vision

But I swear by my name, K'uhul Ahau, that the almighty Dragonlord will avenge you when he gains access to your body.” Hearing those words, Kinich laughed very loudly, something unusual for him, and with his laughter he raised his sword, killing a few more creatures that approached. However, he was so exhausted that he increasingly let his guard down, until a monstrous claw pierced his chest from behind. Slowly lowering his gaze, Kinich could see fresh blood oozing from the wound, but he still staggered, eager to kill another monster. Crimson drops snaked across the ground behind him, spelling out his end. Finally, his body fell to his knees. He could do no more, and so his end was drawn. Kinich, the last hero of the Pilgrims' War, had fallen. Ahau closed his eyes in mourning and offered his respects to the fallen... until, upon opening them, he witnessed a scene that could only be described as a miracle. Inexplicably, Kinich's lifeless body rose again. And not only that, but his hands, now devoid of color and blood circulating through them, once again tightened their grip on his sword. Kinich charged upon the Abyss army once more, his tireless sword flashing across the battlefield. After recovering from the shock, Ahau took a closer look at that body and then, without knowing when it had appeared, he saw that an emerald-colored gem was now hanging in the place where Kinich had the wound on his chest. An overflowing life force emanated from it, which drove Kinich's unconscious body, who had become an ultra-instinctive, relentless beast that tore through all the monsters until they were completely destroyed. ... When Kinich opened his eyes again, he found himself in the Sacrofuego Arena, with a crowd around him singing the "Ode of Resurrection."

vision

Kinich turned to look for his comrades, who, bathed in music, began to wake up one after another. “We won? But who...?” Kinich muttered, touching his chest. He was sure he had fallen to the Abyss.

vision

However, someone must have helped him win that battle, otherwise the "Ode of Resurrection" would not have brought the heroes back. “What nonsense are you talking about? You did it, you lucky, little grasshopper!” Ahau lay down on the ground dejectedly and threw a rock into the air. “*Sigh*, was my power not enough for you? I see not! And now you have gotten a Vision... Can I ask when I can have your body?!” ... On the night he was granted new life, Kinich lay in bed and caressed his emerald-colored Vision. Then he had flashes of that moment when all those people surrounded him, giving him a thunderous ovation as the sacred “Ode of Resurrection” continued to play… Suddenly, he realized that he had already strayed from his original goal. At first, he had undertaken that heroic journey for love of Mora, but now he was fighting for something more valuable. His comrades, his nation, the joy of his people... Kinich did not know when he had begun to change, but the seeds of such change had likely been planted long ago. “Heroes deserve to be remembered, not only for their strength, but for their altruistic spirit. It is an innate virtue, because that virtue is something admirable that makes heroes what they are.” Kinich vaguely recalled the old man Leik's first lesson. He did not consider himself any more noble or altruistic than he had been before. What he was much more certain of, however, was the price he was willing to pay for what he now wanted.