Rise of a King

Altair awoke from a deep sleep with a smile on his face.  This was the first really good sleep he'd had in a long time.  It was only a few days back from the dungeon, but already there were many things to do.  He had heard tell of a slave auction to take place in a few days, and he wanted to be ready for that.  He luckily had found that Diego was safe the previous night at a Gypsy Party, and Altair had promised himself he would visit home at some point.  And there was what to do with his new found wealth.  But at the top of his list, was visiting a friend.  A friend, who may know more about the dungeons than he was letting on.

He made his way back over to the inn that Yakuroro was staying at, the Grasshopper.  He checked in at the counter, and made his way up to Yakuroro's room.  Curiously, upon arriving, he found his door ajar.  Altair knocked, and pushed the door open.

Yakuroro would not normally leave his door open, but the magician had entered his room exhausted from another long trek in the desert and lacked the strength to even close it behind him before having collapsed upon the bed made for humans which was tragically too small for his Imuchakk body. Upon waking up this morning, the dungeon capturer would wide the sleep from his eyes and wearily greet Akatetsu whom was already up, standing on a chair so he could look at the inn window. "Morning, Tetsu..." Yakuroro would say through a yawn as he made his way over to his desk. "Gyao~" Akatetsy replied happily before turning his attention back to the streets below, fascinated by the various people moving throughout Heliohapt's capital.

The Blue Magician sat down and looked over the desk. It was made of wood and cleared entirely of any effects provided by the inn. Blue eyes searched for the Staff of Storms and found it nearby before taking the magical medium in hand to begin casting a spell. "Frozen Mold." As the spell gave commands to the rukh, a slab of ice equal in size to the desktop surface with letters and symbols etched into its surface would form from water in the atmosphere. A slight smile came over the Imuchakk's face as he was able to begin his research based on the notes he'd recorded on his ice spell. His groggy mind finally kicking into full gear as the prospect of deciphering ancient knowledge lay strewn out before him.

It was only a few minutes after the studying began that a knock would sound upon the door, followed by the entrance of the young man Yakuroro had met on his first day in Heliohapt. Yakuroro looked up from his ice tome and rose his brows in surprise at the sight of the former shepherd. "Gya...Gyao~" Akatetsu made startled sound before realizing that he recognized the human. The Chimera then wove to him in greeting before turning his attention to Yakuroro, hoping to learn from his adoptive father as he usually did in social situations.

"Altair! I've not seen you since out last trip into the desert. Please, come in." Yaku would gesture in front of his desk, but with Akatetsu perched on the only other chair in the room there was no where to sit so Yakuroro stood in order to be in the same boat. "What brings you to visit me? Have you found another lead on the Toran civilization?"

Magoi: 240/250

Stuff Used:

At the site of the big, blue-haired Imuchakk, Altair couldn't help himself. He rushed in, interrupting the pleasantries and gave both Yakuroro and Akatetsu each a big hug. "My friends, it is wonderful to see you again. Especially since there was a time when i thought i might never see you or anyone else ever again. Altair stood up then, and presented himself. "As i'm sure you've heard, the dungeon called Caim has fallen. Which can only mean someone has conquered it. Gentlemen, i've done it. I have gone through and Conquered the dungeon, and received its power." Altair then closed the door, leaned against it, and recounted his story. He told them of every floor and it's encounters, of the many traps and puzzles it included, and even how in the end it came down to a decision between himself and Dynatos, who he was surprised to see there, as to who would be given Caim's mysterious power. "In the end, i was chosen. Although, i know i have much to learn about Caim, since he only chose me because i was... i think Caim would say 'closer to his ideals', even if i didn't totally understand him."

Now came the part where Altair wasn't sure what would happen. He thought he knew Yakuroro well enough that he would understand, but since Yakuroro went through some length to hide his secret, Altair had to take a leap of faith. He had made the connection back in the dungeon. Both Caim's sword and Yakuroro's ring bore the same insignia. And it could only have that if there was a Djinn living within it. "So, in an attempt to gain a better understanding of Caim's wishes, i have come seeking your guidance. Since of course, you have conquered a dungeon yourself, haven't you Yakuroro?"

As the young human excitedly recounted his adventure in the dungeon, Yakuroro listened in silence with a disbelieving look upon his face. Soon after the tale began his arms would cross and his eyes would close, the only signs that he was still listening would the occasion nod or raise of his eye brows in reaction to an escalation in the story. Deep inside the Imuchakk's mind, Yakuroro struggled with himself as he experienced the unexpected results of his own actions. There was only one reason why Altair had come to share this information with Yakuroro and the blue magician knew it long before Altair finished his narration and declared the purpose of his visit. "Hmm...I know I showed him Marax's ring because I saw potential in him...but I never expected the human would actually come out of a dungeon alive...Hmmm...This is troubling, I can't afford to let anyone know of this power. I'll have to deflect once he brings the question up." Yakuroro thought to himself as Altair told him of floating swords that sparred each other at the other end of bridge in a mysterious land of twilight.

At last, the former shepherd reached the heart of why he had come and asked Yakuroro to enlighten him on the power he'd obtained. "There it is..." The Imuchakk said mentally to himself before opening his eyes and uncrossing his arms with a slightly stunned look. "That is a grand tale Altair, but I think you've taken this fantasy a bit too far. ME, a dungeon capturer? What ever gave you that idea?" The man would spread open empty hands palm up and shrugged his shoulders as he gestured to the room. "If I were so lucky, do you really think I'd be living in a shoddy inn living off the meager wages of a researcher? Are you sure you conquered a dungeon? This wasn't a dream you had, was it?"

Altair noticed the strange way that Yakuroro was acting during his tale. Instead of what he expected, some kind of awe or at least a smile, the Imuchakk gave something far more suspicious. He closed his eyes, and folded his arms. Altair was no mind reader, but it was clear by his body language that he was being defensive. When Altair had finished his story, he had been like that for some time.

Yakuroro's response to his query was more in tune to what Yakuroro had always said. He insisted that he was just a researcher, and that if he had conquered a dungeon, he certainly wouldn't be living within these means. "He's clearly trying to hide it." Altair thought. "But for what reason? It's not like i'd turn against him, or sell his secrets. There must be some reason for him to lie." But Altair then had a thought that he never had before. "What if the real problem is that i'm too trusting?" This rocked Altair. He had grown up in an area where you didn't need to keep secrets. Where you trusted everyone like family, and gave everyone a great deal of respect. When it came down to it, Altair had only known Yakuroro for a short time, and yet as soon as he conquered the dungeon he rushed here to share it with him? Any reasonable person would have kept that secret untill they died. And so it was that Altair was quiet for longer than he should have been after Yakuroro's rebuttal.

He began to feel the blood drain from his face. His realization hitting him with the force of a charging bull. Had he just made a terrible mistake? Catching himself, Altair only responded with a short laugh that came far too late and, "No, no, of course you haven't captured a dungeon. That would be silly." Altair didn't bother to mention the ring or his sword as proof. His mind was a whirlwind of old choices he had made, and whether he made the right choice at the right time. Hell, had it been a mistake to bring Diego along with him to capture the dungeon? That meant that there was an additional person out there who knew his secret. Not to mention Dynatos and his partner. the room began to spin, growing as fast as his paranoia. Altair managed to get out, "Do you have any water?" before he stumbled backwards, his head hitting the door and then the floor, knocking him unconscious.

Both the Imuchakk and the Chimera watched Altair carefully as he reacted to the news that Yakuroro had not conquered a dungeon as he'd suspected. The magician became concerned when Altair responded in a somewhat delirious state before appearing overwhelmed by his own thoughts. Surprise painted Yaku's expression as he watched the human back into the door only to collapse on the spot. There was a pause of silence as Yakuroro and Akatetsu both looked at each other and then back to the shepherd lying on the ground unconscious. Finally, Yakuroro sighed and rubbed his forehead as he spoke aloud in an incredulous tone, "You're telling me HE captured a dungeon?" Altair had shown potential both in character and in combat during their past meetings, but now he seemed the be the furthest thing from a "King" there could be.

"How on earth did he manage to convince the Djinn he was worthy...assuming there even was one in Caim..." Yakuroro said aloud as he stepped out from behind the desk and inspected Altair, keen blue eyes settling on Caim's sword and the eight pointed star in a circle that was engraved upon the object. "Hmm...Tetsu, drive the carpet." Yakuroro then grasped the cloth around his waist and willed it to unfurl revealing it's nature as a flying carpet. The bonehead jumped onto the floating jade cloth and took control of it's movements willing it to float in place giving Yakuroro time to pick up Altair over one shoulder. With the human in tow, Yakuroro would mount the carpet and take control of it once more before speaking to Akatetsu, "Don't worry, he'll be fine. But he needs to be tested..."


Altair would be woken by the sudden splash of ice cold water over his head as Yakuroro conjured up a nice chilly bath for the shepherd. But something would be off. While he was unconscious, Yakuroro had bound Altair's hands and legs to a cross as if he were to soon be crucified. But beyond his bindings there was something else...scaly claws were grasping Altair's face. Should he open his eyes, he would see the skull face of Akatetsu staring intently at him waiting to see if the human had woken up yet. The beast was clinging to Altair's head and it would growl cautiously as he stirred, waiting until his eyes actually opened to yelp loudly in order to signal the end of his slumber. "Gyao! Gyao!"

The chimera would then hop down from Altair's body revealing the sight of the rest of the room. There was nothing but darkness all around save for a single light coming from above which cast beams of illumination down upon Altair and his immediate surroundings. In front of Altair would be a table upon which his rod and Caim's sword were sitting. Akatetsu jumped up to the table and stood over the weapons with his arms crossed, shooting a death glare in Altair's direction.

At last, Yakuroro's voice would sound from behind Altair, "You've made a terrible mistake." The Imuchakk was out of sight and his voice echoed a few times in the distance making it clear that this was a very large chamber. Yakuroro's tone was monotonous and without any emotion making it hard to tell what he meant without further explanation. But no elaboration would come. Only silence as he waited to hear what Altair had to say.

Altair's dreams were a whirl of mistakes he could have made, and guilt over the ones he did.  Who should he trust?  What constitutes a real friend over an acquaintance?  Should anyone ever garner your complete trust?  The thoughts plagued at Altair, tearing his dream self to shreds.  Eventually there was only a small piece of himself left.  Just his right eye floated in the darkness, waiting for oblivion to consume him.  But, from out of the darkness came a shape.  It was fuzzy at first, but soon it became unmistakable.  It was his shepherd's staff.  Unlike the rod, which could be used for discipline, the staff was a tool for guiding.  It was gentle, and could never do harm lest it lose it's meaning to the sheep.  With the care of a master, the staff picked up the small fragment that was Altair, and with a whisper of the wind it slowly brought him back out of the darkness.  The thoughts began to attack once again, but then a rod materialized and protected him from his aggressors.  Altair was, for the first time in a while, at peace.

His thoughts began to slowly return to him.  But this time their nature was one of healing and purpose.  His staff and rod weeded out the misconceptions and false truths and provided him with a clear image of himself.  Altair had been acting like a sheep.  mindlessly going with the flow of life without someone to steer him along.  His trust may have been quick, but it was never misplaced.  He had grown too complacent.  His path became too deep.  His staff and rod reminded him that he wasn't one of the mindless flock.  He was better than that.  He was a Shepherd.  He made the path.  He didn't follow along it.  He leads the flock to safety, and is not ignorant of the dangers.  His trust in others wasn't a bad thing.  It merely came too quickly.  He had to remember that some weren't part of his flock.  There were other beings that had to be dealt with.  From other Shepherds to sheep owners, from thieves to lions and bears.  He had to carefully tread these waters and place his trust in the right people.  Being quick to trust isn't always a bad thing.  Only when it comes without thought.  Altair readhed out and grabbed his staff and rod, and claimed his identity.

"I am a Shepherd."  Altair said aloud.  His eyes were still closed as he came out of the dream.  As they opened, he was met with the skull of Akatetsu, who quickly spoke and moved from his body.  Altair noticed that he was bound.  He was tied to a cross of wood, his arms and legs were unmovable.  The room he was in was completely dark except for a beam of light from above, which showed himself and the table upon which sat Akatetsu, his rod, and Caim's sword.  From behind him came Yakuroro's voice.  He claimed that Altair had made a mistake.  the voices in his head began to return, but with a mental sweep of his rod, they vanished.  Altair remembered how he had dealt with sheep who had become unruly.  He had broken their legs and bound them around his neck.  He carried them for months until they healed, and by the time they had, they had bonded immensely, driving out their bad habits.  Altair knew that in order to truly be free of these thoughts, he would have to undergo something just as painfully healing.  And so, with a twist, a bend, and an audible snap, he forced his right leg to bend under the bindings until it broke.  The pain was excruciating, but also cleansing.  His mind was clearer in pain than it ever had been before.  after a few moments, the worst had passed.  Altair spoke directly to Yakuroro then, albeit somewhat panting.  "Please forgive me for my behavior before.  i was not myself.  I have to thank you for this Yakuroro.  Only a true friend would be willing to test me like this.  I knew i made a right choice in choosing you for a friend."  And it was true.  If Yakuroro truly hadn't cared for Altair then he would have woken up perhaps in his own bed, with Yakuroro nowhere to be seen.  Or, if Yakuroro had more vile intent, then he might never have woken up at all.  instead, he was here.  Altair thought more clearly than before thanks to the pain, and knew that in the coming trials, it would be useful.

The only response Altair's words would earn him would be another short statement from Yakuroro, the Imuchakk still out of sight, behind the cross Altair had been strapped to. "You misunderstand..." The tone of his voice made it clear that the human hadn't even so much as shaken his captor by breaking his own leg. Akatetsu was still glaring at Altair like the beast wanted to rup his face off and his "friend" Yakuroro still did not reveal himself from the darkness. Instead, a sudden strike from Yakuroro's wand would whip from behind the cross aiming to smack the shepherd in the face. This strike would be followed with spiteful words, "You have no friends. None that can help you here anyways. Besides, who would befriend a monster?"

After this question, Yakuroro would take a few steps forward into the light before turning around to face Altair. His expression was almost that of disgust as he placed his staff on the table and rose a hand to the light pouring down on them from above. Magoi began to pour into the ring at his hand and Yakuroro shouted, "Allow me to show you what kind of demon you've become. Marax! Dwell in my body and let your power be unleashed!" golden light then shone from the Imuchakks body as he became engulfed in rukh. As the birds of light scattered, the magician was revealed to be clad in disturbing flesh-like armor. His body had become demonic in appearance but perhaps most unsettling would be the head of blue flames that held six magical eyes peering down at Altair full of animosity. A greatsword wrapped in illusory flames was held in the monster's hand, burning dimly casting blue light into the darkness revealing stone walls that seemed to be part of a large sewer or underground tunnel.

"THIS is the so called power you've obtained. But it is more a curse than you can ever imagine. You couldn't possibly imagine the price one must pay for being such an abomination. But I'll enlighten you since it seems you've yet to feel the hunger it brings." Yakuroro then whispered quietly under his breath, "Marx Canvas."

The sound of wooden wheels would begin to echo throughout the tunnel as three more crosses rolled into the pillar of light revealing three more people bound to the wooden stakes. "These pathetic mortals you once called your kin, are our kind's food." There were two women and an elderly man among the poor three captives and Yakuroro pointed his demonic finger at the female on the left. As he did so, the woman began to scream in agony as if something were terribly wrong. The old man and the other woman began sobbing, begging to be let go as a wispy light was drawn from the screaming girl. She writhed to and fro violently trying to escape but it was all for naught as the light was pulled from her body and sucked into Yakuroro's flaming head. When all the light had been devoured by the hell flames the woman would suddenly fall silent and go limp.

The Imuchakk turned demon cackled and the six eyes among the flames squinted in pleasure, "Bwahahaha! I always find the souls of defenseless women to be all the more delicious~...As you can see, we who have become djinn feed on the souls of others." The demon then fell silent and listened to see Altair's reaction. He would have no way of knowing that there were no real victims and that this was all merely an illusion, compliments of Yakuroro's power.

Magoi - 200/250

Stuff Used:

The thwack across Altair's head barely registered against the pain in his leg, although it was still did it's job of surprising him. Altair watched and listened as Yakuroro spoke of the demon that lived inside him, and even transformed into a flame headed beast in armor with many fiery eyes. But the most difficult thing to swallow came soon after. Before Altair's very eyes, a woman, tied to a cross like he was, was led into the room. Altair could only watch, as with a small motion, the woman began contorting and a small white light could be seen exiting her. as soon as it left her completely, she went still. This light was absorbed into Yakuroro's new body, the flames in his head all but obliterating it.

Altair was in shock. Could it really be that Djinn were monsters who thrived on the souls of others? From this display it seemed to be the case. and what about the others who entered the dungeon first? what happens to their souls if they perish in the dungeon? Are they eaten by the Djinn? Altair was almost convinced, but the searing pain in his leg stopped his excited mind and brought him back to earth. No. there must be another explanation. Besides, Altair thought he knew Yakuroro enough that he could never see him doing something like this. Even if the Djinn commanded him to do it. Yakuroro was a caring soul. He even had his son, Akatetsu, that he took care of as if he were a real child. If it was Akatetsu on the line, he would never be able to do that.

Wait...

A cruel idea began to form in Altair's head. It put a lot on the line, and endangered Akatetsu, but it might be the key to seeing through this puzzle and revealing what Yakuroro's true intentions were. Altair lifted his head and looked into the many eyes of Yakuroro's flaming head. "That was cruel what you just did. Only a beast would so enjoy taking a life. But i wonder. Are all souls subject to your whimsy? If so, then i would say that the most delicious of all would be the soul that you helped form yourself. The soul of someone you helped to grow and nurture. The soul of your son, Akatetsu, must be the most delicious of all. Eat him, and be satisfied. That's how you will prove to me that this isn't some kind of sick elaborate game."

Altair looked to Akatetsu standing on the table. Giving him a death glare. He hoped that his plan would pay off. Should Yakuroro try to say that it was impossible to do so, Altair would challenge him that he simply wished not to, for there is some weakness in him. And if Yakuroro tried to say that he wished not to, Altair would posit that it was in fact because he couldn't. Because no being possesses that kind of power.

It seemed Altair thought himself clever. Yakuroro had acknowledged his wits and sharp thinking in the past, but it was an annoyance when it was being used against his efforts at deceit. Thankfully, Yakuroro would not have to face the shepherds quick thinking with his power alone. Marax, the very embodiment of lies and deception incarnate, was lending the Imuchakk his power. There was no seeing through these perfect illusions, not even through clever demands. What Altair thought would be a move to corner Yakuroro into revealing truth would become yet another tool, another weapon, for the magician to use against the human. An illusory copy of the djinn equipped Imuchakk formed right on top of himself and then moved forwards so that it might cover all of the shepherds field of vision giving the real Yakuroro an opportunity to fly backwards into the shadows unseen. Cloaked by darkness and a veil that stopped any light from reaching or escaping him, the real Yakuroro watched silently as his copy reached up to grasp Altair's face in an armor clad hand.

"Careful what you say you ignorant fool."

The words did not seem to come from the Yakuroro clone and the voice was distinctly different from the one Altair had been hearing thus far. "Master...you would reveal your identity to this one?" The false Yaku said as he turned clearing Altair's sight so he could behold the chimera on the table. Another illusion began as Akatetsu's skull became alight and brilliant flames far grander than those that adorned Yakuroro's head. They burned a bright white with wisps of black darkness flickering here and there through the burning aura. Akatetsu's body became clad in an armor of obsidian glass and his form grew several times its size until it was as large as a full size djinn looming over both the fake Yaku and Altair. "I am Marax. The Source of this puny Imuchakk's power. Devour my soul? HA! He must fear the opposite. His hunger is my own and should he fail to sate it with the souls of others then it is HIS spirit which shall be on the menu." The illusory Yakuroro knelt before the fake Marax's majesty while the real Yakuroro plucked Akatetsu from the table behind the grand illusion so they could not be seen pulling the chimera back into the shadows with him.

The fake Yakuroro then spoke up once more, "Did you really think I would keep a baby beast with me as I scoured the desert? When Caim is ready, it too will take a physical form. Our relationship is...symbiotic..." The fake Marax would then continue to elaborate on this idea, "If my physical form is killed, then I will survive by stealing my hosts soul. Such is the way of Djinn. But I will return to the other world back to my dungeon. The Imuchakk will simply be a corpse whose heart stopped pumping, all life drained from him."

Magoi - 175/250

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Yakuroro grasped Altair's face as a voice behind him spoke. His master? What was this all about? It was soon revealed to Altair that Yakuroro was not in control of the relationship between himself and his Djinn. Rather, his Djinn referred to him merely as a spare soul should his host die. He even went as far to say that Caim would someday take on a physical form just as his Djinn had taken the form of Akatetsu. If Altair wasn't so scared of this whole scenario being true, he would have laughed at the thought of someone like Akatetsu being master over anyone. From what he had seen of the, um, now that he thought about it, what kind of creature was Akatetsu supposed to be? Anyways, if it wasn't for his child-like mannerisms, he might have believed Akatetsu.

But most of all, something struck Altair as strange. In the dungeon, Caim had (although begrudgingly) chosen him to be his master for having conquered the dungeon. And from his reluctance to do so, Altair was having trouble believing that a Djinn could enforce any kind of control over their chosen master. As soon as Yakuroro's hand left his face, he made his point clear. "You're lying, Yakuroro. I don't know about how much, but there is one thing that i cannot believe. You're Djinn may be strong, but no Djinn can control the wills of their masters. Caim made that quite clear in the dungeon."

Altair had no idea how Yakuroro would react to this, or even if he would. Now that Altair had called his bluff, he'd either have to prove himself, or admit that he lied. Well, if he even chose to deign him with a response.

((OOC: I went back and checked Caim's dialogue and he never said anything to suggest that he would be unable to influence your will. If anything, his words suggested that he has another "King" who he serves before all others. So I'm not sure what you were trying to reference in your last post, but I'm not sure Altair should be so 100% sure of himself on this.))

The two illusory beings stood silent as Altair spoke, the only noise being produced from them a subtle crackle as the shadowy purple flames flickered and licked the air. When he finished his theory there was an audible sigh coming from Yakuroro's clone yet it would be Marax who spoke first. "I don't know what Caim said to you, but what makes you so sure that the djinn was sincere? I promised to serve this young Imuchakk, and it is true that I do. But he serves me in kind. We already told you that the relationship is mutual." While the spirit spoke, one of the two other remaining prisoners woke up on his cross and looked around in a panic only to be swiftly silenced by Yakuroro whom consumed his soul as well. "Tch, the fool should have stayed unconscious."

The false Yakuroro would then turn his attention back to Altair and follow up Marax's words in an attempt to paint a clearer picture for the shepherd. "You seem to have a misunderstanding. Caim should have mentioned something about being a 'King' right? Why do you think these spirits are so keen on us becoming rulers of men?" The inference there would be clear. If one were a King then it would be far easier to obtain souls. But the real Yakuroro lurking in the shadows worried that Altair would make more assumptions about the situation. It was probably time to end this farce.

Using Marx Vanish, Yakuroro made himself invisible and set Akatetsu down in the shadows before flying forwards slowly. He'd listen to Altair's first few words but would soon interrupt them with a swift attack using Marax's greatsword.  The flat side of the blade would be used along with a great deal of the Imuchakk's strength. With no way to dodge the blow, Altair would face the damage in the form of a brain shaking concussion. Yakuroro would then wait to make sure the man had been rendered unconscious before continuing.

Magoi - 120/250

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"A... symbiotic relationship?" Altair's reasoning was breaking down. All his arguments were being dashed before his eyes, And any new ideas he had were weak arguments at best. Altair's confidence was shaking. His only and last chance was, he could only hope, a dream. But even then, the pain in his leg was far too real to be simply imagined.

Altair hung his head. For a moment, he considered all that had been said by Yakuroro. What if it was true? The idea that he was partners with Caim and not his master was easier to accept, in fact, he would rather it be that way. But needing to steal the souls of others in order to keep his own life? Altair couldn't accept that. Even if it meant that he would forfeit his own life in the process.

But in the moment that he looked up to Yakuroro to say something about it, his nose met the broadside of a giant sword.


Altair awoke later in a bed. The familiar ceiling of Yakuroro's room at the grasshopper was there to meet his gaze.

Following Altair's submergence into the abyssal black that was unconsciousness, Yakuroro would dispel his djinn equip and all the illusions that came with it faded into nothingness. The shepherd was unbound and carried to a healer whom was paid handsomely to restore both his leg and his nose as well as any other injuries he had sustained to perfect health. A bit extra was paid to ensure the man remained asleep as well and by dawn the next morning Altair's body was healed of any and all signs that he'd been injured. Another magic carpet ride and Yakuroro brought the human back to his in room to be placed on the bed to rest as the magic that kept him sleeping wore off.

By the time Altair began to stir, Yakuroro had already returned to his studies and was pouring over notes while updating a worn map to reflect his findings. "Gyao! Gyao!" Akatetsu's bone covered face would pop into Altair's view blocking out the ceiling as the beast noticed he had awakened. The lizard-like creature turned away from Altair and gestured to Yakuroro whom stood from his desk and walked over the the bedside. Akatetsu hopped down from the bed and into Yakuroro's arms to be lifted up onto his adoptive father's shoulder so they could both look down at the human from the same general height.

"You gave us quite the scare Altair, you've been out for almost a full day! I considered bringing you to a doctor to make sure that you hadn't come down with illness."

The Imuchakk wore a mask of concern and masterfully suppressed a grin that wanted to betray his lies. His lips didn't even so much as twitch though and his deception remained solid on the part of his facial expressions. Perhaps Altair might question how he could sleep for a full day but Yakuroro was quick to make a comment that would possibly nudge the human to a reasonable answer. "I suppose I should believe you now that you entered a dungeon. The stress must have been great to have caused a need for such an extended rest."

Altair vision is soon obscured by the sight of Yakuroro and Akatetsu looking down upon him in the bed. Reflexively Altair tensed, but upon noticing that he was not tied down, he relaxed. Yakuroro explained that when he had fainted that he must have been extremely tired from conquering the dungeon to have needed a full day of rest. "Wait, i've been asleep for that long? The Slave Auction is today! I have to get going!" Altair leaped out of the bed, and landed on his feet, noticing that he didn't immediately fall due to a broken leg. He paused only for a moment to consider what that meant. Was it all just some terrible dream? Shaking it off for now, Altair grabbed Caim's sword and Elisheba from the side of the desk and scrambled out the door. as he went he called to Yakuroro, "I'm sorry to have caused you so much trouble, and i'm sorry that i'm leaving so abruptly, but there is work to be done. Please forgive me, and may we see each other again someday!" And with that, Altair was gone.

Could it all have really been a dream?

The magician wouldn't stand in Altair's way at all, stepping aside to let him rush to the door. It was strange to see him in such a hurry but the cause was made clear as he exclaimed what day it happened to be. Yakuroro could only sigh and shake his head as his eyes watched Altair sprint out the door and out to attend an event that wouldn't be occurring for at least another week. "Sometimes I wonder about that one, Tetsu...The Festival of the Broken sun isn't for at least another week." The chimera shrugged and replied helplessly, "Gyao..."

When the shepherds footsteps faded and could no longer be heard, Yakuroro returned to his desk and gathered his things before moving to open the window. "Alright, lets head of for another expedition. Perhaps this time we will find something!" The Imuchakk and his beast adopted son then mounted Yaku's flying carpet and set off for another trip to the desert.