Down The Mountain[Plot/Diego]

Upon meeting up with Akatetsu and their bounty from the dungeon Yakuroro began a descent down the mountain alongside Diego and his own beasts. It wasn't long after they'd gained some distance from the prison that Diego began to speak what was on his mind. Yakuroro had been expecting questions but instead he received a tale of Diego's adventures. It was surprising to say the least, but the Imuchakk remained quiet and listened to all the fanatiga had to say only interrupting once at the beginning to insist that they keep moving so as not to get caught out in the cold at night. Crunch crunch went the snow beneath their feet as the two made slow but steady progress.

"Anyway, I was hoping you would go visit that town with me and see if we can find any clues."

Yakuroro could see why Diego was intent on bringing this up despite what they'd just been through. It seemed that Diego had found himself a lead on Jagang's whereabouts. "Hmmm..." Yakuroro thought about Diego's request and his mind held clear recollection of the promise shared between them. The Imuchakk wanted to help Diego with his quest of revenge as he had with Ayero, but there were pressing matters to attend and since time flowed differently in a dungeon it was possible that much had transpired since Yakuroro left Remano. Pulling out the Torran map, the Imuchakk fed it magoi and produced the globe of light. "Where on this map is the town? We're here and Remano is around here." With the reference given Yaku would wait for Diego to point at location to the south east of their location.

"I'll need to stop at the capital to deal with some things first. Do you mind the detour?" Remano was honestly on the way assuming they didn't go in a straight line to the town. "But once I am ready I will help you. I have a spell that can let me look into the past of people and objects. If there is anything Jagang or his group have held for a long time left laying around we might be able to learn where they went or what they are planning." Yakuroro then came to a stop standing on a rocky surface just beneath an out-of-place cherry blossom tree that had already shed its leaves amidst the cold of the mountain. He turned to face Diego more directly and smiled as he struck the butt of his staff onto the snow covered ground. "Fate is on our side Diego. Jagang won't get away this time!"

When the Imuchakk magician asked for Diego to point out Kios on a conjured globe of light, the Fanatiga hesitated. "If I show you, it must be kept to yourself. Ariella was adamant to keep the place secret and if it wasn't for Ella, she would have never taken her in." He placed the tip of his claw at a point on the map where Kios was located. "She did seem more open to telling me when I said you were helping me."

Diego's ears drooped, a little depressed Yakuroro wasn't willing to go right away, but he understood the Imuchakk's desire to check on things back in Remano. He ran his fingers through his wild mane and exhaled, "I plan on heading straight there, I kind of broke a promise by going to the dungeon. I told Ariella I would be watching over the town. When you're done, meet me there."

He gave a feline grin when the Imuchakk exclaimed that fate was on his side. Yaku's confidence that they would catch Jagang infected Diego. "Not with the five of us on his heels." The Fanatiga looked between the Imuchakk and the beasts with a twinkle in his eye. His gaze finally settled on Yakuroro, "Now, what have you been keeping from me, Mr. Mischief and Deceit." His tone was teasing and he was no longer offended, but there was a hint of seriousness to it.

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The ground beneath their feet shifted ever so slightly to an almost unnoticeable degree as the Imuchakk made his declaration. Thinking nothing of it, Yakuroro was focused more on answering Diego's question. "Ah, I was wondering when you would ask about that." The Imuchakk held up his left hand balled in a fist and displayed the ring Metal Vessel that housed Marax. "Much like that young man, I too have been chosen by a djinn." The King Vessel said in reference to Jahangir, "Although, I've had mine for quite some time. Since before you and I met even." Yakuroro spoke the truth to Diego and went on to remind him of the illusions produced when they had first fought together against the bandits raiding the temple of the Second Sons of Anubis. Yaku explained that those illusions were born of the Djinn's magic and not Yakuroro's own.

"Thus the djinn's title of mischief and deceit." Yakuroro would give a moment to let this sink in and paused in case Diego had any other questions. But there was still more that Yakuroro needed to share with the fanatiga.

Diego listened carefully as Yakuroro shared that he was chosen by a Djinn, much like Jahan had. When the Fanalis boy thought about it, he wasn't very surprised. Diego was drawn to Yakuroro for not only his power, but for his personality. While it was clear that people like Ariella didn't understand the Imuchakk or his actions, Diego thought he was slowly coming to understand Yaku.

Diego's jaw dropped as he realized that the events during their battle at the temple had been possible because of Yakuroro's Djinn. All this time he had attributed it to the Imuchakk's magic, but it was not an overly important fact. The Fanatiga hummed in thought as Yakuroro mentioned Marax's title and a thought clicked in his head. "I had forgotten until now, but during the fight with the three guys on the way to Remano, a voice had spoken to me. It said it was the household spirit of Marax. It offered me power and I accepted. Ever since then, a similar magical circle to the one on your ring has been imprinted on Trixie's old collar. What does it mean?" Diego held out his wrist to show the bracelet he wore and the magic circle it held.

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There was always something amusing about watching realization and surprise take over someone's expression. Yakuroro smiled feeling somewhat satisfied and entertained by Diego's reaction until the fanatiga told the Imuchakk of the household spirit's voice. It was the magician's turn to be surprised as his eyes widened and he swiftly approached Diego's bracelet with speed that should have been impossible for such a large man. "HOOO!" A sound of excitement boomed from Yakuroro as he grasped Diego's hand and tried to examine the bracelet closely. "Without a doubt! This is certainly the same eight pointed star on my own vessel!" If Diego didn't stop him, Yakuroro would tug the fanatiga by his wrist in a wanton fashion as he tried to inspect every surface and corner of the accessory.

When he was done, Yakuroro stepped back and cleared his throat realizing that he had once again let his extreme love for new discoveries get the better of his composure. Speaking much more calmly now, Yakuroro explained his theory. "I don't know what it means to be honest. If Marax did something it was without my knowledge. That's the name of the djinn. Marax. But if I had to guess, this means that some of his power was placed within that bracelet. You should try feeding your magoi into it. Something of interest might happen."

Diego saw the satisfied look on Yakuroro's face when the Fanatiga showed surprise. The look soon faded off the Imuchakk's when Diego mentioned the household spirit. Suddenly, the magician was in front of the Fanatiga, studying Trixie's old collar in fascination. Diego let out a teasing, "Ahhh!", as his wrist was pulled in every which way by Yakuroro. The Imuchakk agreed that the ring and collar both shared a similar magical circle.

Finally, realization overcame the Imuchakk that he had gotten too excited and he took a step back. Diego simply giggled in response, always amused by Yaku's sense of wonder. The Fanatiga paid attention to the details Yaku provided, remembering Marax's name from both the household spirit and Yaku's earlier djinn equip. Diego learned that a portion of the djinn's power had been granted to Diego, residing in the collar.

At Yakuroro's request, Diego looked down at his household vessel and fed magoi into it, in a similar fashion to how he used his Beast Tamer's Bracelet. A glimmer of light reflected off the magical circle engraved into one of the green gems as it responded to the thread of magoi. Diego felt something probe his consciousness, as if it were searching his intentions. His mind's eye was whisked away to a possible future where he and Yaku were fighting a horde of unseen enemies. While his King, the word seemed natural for some reason, had donned the appearance of Marax and was handling his own fairly well, he would quickly find himself overwhelmed if Diego didn't help.

The Fanatiga hesitated for only a moment, despairing at the amount of enemies, before kicking off the ground to assist Yaku. Zanzibar and Trixie ran on either side of Diego, battle lust shimmering in their eyes. Diego wished he had something he could leverage against so many foes, an advantage that would make the enemy lose momentum. Diego wished him and his beasts could move unseen through the enemy, picking off their weak-points, punishing them for advancing even an inch.

As soon as the idea occurred, he would be whisked back to reality, the battlefield fading away. To Yakuroro, both Diego and his beasts would have vanished from sight, rendered invisible from Marx' Shimmercloak. Diego shook his head, unsure of what had happened and looked for his beasts. Not finding them, Diego gave Yakuroro a confused look, "Where did Trixie and Zanzibar go?" Unless the Imuchakk djinn equipped, he would be unable to hear the boy, hidden behind the perfect illusion.

Diego unconsciously stopped feeding magoi into his household vessel and the perfect illusions that had concealed them faded away. When both Trixie and Zanzibar suddenly appeared back into sight, Diego arched a brow. "Huh? What happened?" Hoping the magician knew, the Fanatiga cast an inquisitive look towards Yaku. When it came to matters of magic, Diego was clueless, relying on his friend, King, to educate him. Especially considering whatever had happened was due in part to Marax, something that Yakuroro was much more familiar with.

Meanwhile, Trixie and Zanzibar had an equally unsettling experience. Trixie had lost sight of Diego, while still being able to smell him, and began searching for the Fanalis boy. Zanz felt the tiger shift underneath him, but from his perspective, he was floating in the air a few feet off of the ground. Suddenly, Diego reappeared nearby and the empty air below Zanzibar was filled with Trixie's furry back.

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Spoiler:

Yakuroro watched as Diego began sending his magoi into his household vessel. Nothing began to happen immediately and after a couple fleeting seconds the Imuchakk turned away not noticing that Diego had zoned out into a vision of sorts. "Hmm...perhaps the power had worn off by now. Or maybe you have to say a certain phrase like with my Djinn? No, the words for that incantation came about naturally. It must be something else..." Pondering in deep thought, Yakuroro was absorbed in his own attempts to unravel the mystery of the household's power. It wasn't until Diego spoke asking where his beasts were that Yakuroro turned to find that the fanatiga had disappeared. "How should I know whe-....Diego?"

At first glance it appeared as though Diego had vanished but the magician narrowed his eyes and looked with closer scrutiny. There were small rukh dancing about in the air forming a shape around where his companions had been standing. The appearance and behavior of these rukh were similar to those used in Marax's own magic. Smiling to himself, Yakuroro thought to help Diego realize what had happened by playing along as though he hadn't seen through the magic. Bringing a hand up to his eyes, Yakuroro did an exagerrated sweeping scan of his surroundings. "Oiiii! Diegoooo! Where did you- Ah, there you are." The fanatiga and his beasts reappeared all looking rather confused. "I think it was the "power" that "household" mentioned. It seems to make you become invisible. I simple but effective power. Be sure to practice with it. The more I made use of my djinn's powers the more spells I learned. Perhaps your bracelet will work the same way."

Diego nodded at Yakuroro, still trying to grasp that the bracelet had made him and his beast invisible. Marax's power would certainly be of use in the future. Learning that more spells were possible with the bracelet, Diego made a note to practice with it more. If Marax could assist Diego with getting revenge on Jagang, he would accept it without a second thought.

Diego beamed at Yakuroro, "I'll play with it every night! You can count on me!" He looked out over the horizon and noticed the sun getting lower, "I think we should keep moving and look for a good place to set up camp. Being out in the open with the chilly night air won't be friendly." He reached a hand down to ruffle the fur atop Trixie's head.

The Imuchakk smiled at Diego's eagerness to develop his now power, but then the fanatiga suggested they move on the smile slowly faded. "There is one more thing I wanted to talk to you about..." He said with a serious gaze fixated upon Diego's eyes. "I was unsure before the dungeon, but now I am convinced. You see, I believe there is a great danger in the world threatening everything we know. I don't know what form this evil takes or where it can be found, but I believe that it is part of my destiny to face it." A bold confidence in these grandiose claims was reflected in the King Candidate's sovereign expression. Despite a pause in his words, Yakuroro's look would seem to imply that he had not yet gotten to the crux of what he wanted to discuss.

"In braving the dungeon with you, I saw a strength in you. One which is important to my own path. The rukh are fond of you and I believe that you are just as important to the future of this world as I...After we deal with Jagang, will you join me on my quest to save the world? The dangers we might face are unknown and it's entirely possible that it is a fools errand. I'd understand if you decided to live life in peace instead."

Yakuroro ended things on a note that he hoped would prevent Diego from being forced into helping him. But he still worried slightly that asking this of Diego would be a mistake. The magician looked to his young friend earnestly and waited to see and hear his response.

Yakuroro's demeanor grew serious and Diego held the King Candidate's gaze, paying close attention to what he had to say. The Fanatiga was certainly aware that his King was seeking not only information about the Toran, but information about the dark djinn as well. Diego knew firsthand how dangerous they were, the child from the slave auction had lain waste to portions of Heliohapt. Back in the prison, Yaku had been eager to seek the other orbs to cleanse such a being. While the Fantatiga didn't understand everything surrounding such matters, he trusted his King.

Happy to receive praise from Yakuroro, Diego gave a fang-tipped grin. His bushy tail flicked back and forth, "Of course I will. After all, isn't dealing with Jagang just part of saving the world?" He chuckled, "Peace isn't guaranteed if you hide from it. How could I run?" Diego clutched a fist tightly, "Gremory gave me this form and Marax gave me some of his power. What is the point of power if not to protect the good of this world? We made a promise anyway, remember? You would help me and I would help you." The Fanatiga would not hesitate to lend his power to Yakuroro, no matter what lay ahead.

Yakuroro observed a strong sense of personal resolve in Diego as he gave his response. The fanatiga's eyes burned with a strong determination and an assuring air of potential emanated from his presence. The Imuchakk smiled and nodded having accepted Diego's commitment. But of course, the youth exceeded Yakuroro's expectations as he often did. When Yakuroro had asked Diego for help with Reim, he hadn't fathomed to fully involve the boy in his mad quest to become a savior of the entire world. But apparently Diego had taken their promise to help one another on far more simple terms. It didn't matter what Yakuroro's goal was, somehow he felt that Diego would follow him into the abyss if the Imuchakk asked.

"That's right, we did promise...Well, lets be off then!" Yakuroro then turned to proceed and began to take a few steps only for a large rumble beneath their feet to send him falling onto his bottom. "W-What's going on?" Yakuroro said in confusion as he watched the mountain forest around them sink into the ground. No, wait, the ground they were on was rising! Snow fell away from nearby crystals revealing their brilliant colors to the world and the cherry blossom tree swayed from all the motion. A great Shimmer Golem rose to stand 10m tall on the mountainside. A deep earthy grumble sounded from the magical creature as birds took flight from all the noise of the golem's waking.

"Hoooo!" Yaku exclaimed in surprise. "It's some kind of beast! Ooooooi! Sorry if we woke you up!" He then looked to Diego a bit worried that the golem might try to squish the annoying humanoids scittering about on its head. "Do you think it understands? Maybe we should get out of here..." The magician said before trying to move towards an outstretching tree branch so he might get off the golem. But a large stone hand rose to prevent his dismounting of the Shimmer Golem. "What's with this guy?" Yakuroro would say in confusion as it seemed like the great being of earth didn't want them to leave.

It seemed Yakuroro was satisfied with Diego's answer and began to head off for a better camping spot when the rocky surface they were standing on started to shake. Diego gasped to learn that they had been standing on a sentient creature. The beast let out a grumble that shook throughout its body, causing Diego to crouch down to avoid losing his footing. From out of the creature's back, several large crystals pierced into the sky, shimmering in a variety of colors in the afternoon sun.

Diego arched a brow, while he could hear the grumbling noises from the beast, underneath the surface, there seemed something...more. It was almost if the Fanalis boy could understand what the Shimmering Golem was trying to communicate. Diego wondered if it was in his head or if it was a part of his new form. Yet, he hadn't experienced this with Trixie or Zanzibar.

'Lonely...no...leave...behind.' A large stone hand was raised to prevent Yakuroro from dismounting the Golem.

Diego took a step back, nearly falling off the edge, sure he had heard something this time. He turned to Yakuroro, his expression a mix of fear and awe, "I...don't think it wants you to leave. I think...it's lonely." Diego hesitated to say anything, thinking himself crazy, but he slowly felt more sure that he had understood the Golem.

Yakuroro was perplexed by the Golem's behavior and stood ponderously debating his options. Simply flying away on the carpet wasn't a great choice. It was too small to fit everyone, beasts included, and it already had Akatetsu atop it along with a small mountain of gold. There was also little stopping the Golem from simply plucking them out of the sky the moment they try to fly away. As Yakuroro wrestled with the idea of perhaps trying to freeze the Golem in tomb of ice before making an escape, Diego spoke out sounding oddly confident of his words. "Lonely?" As he said this, the Golem's hand lowered and it gave an affirmatory grumble. Yakuroro was rarely one to worry about being lonely, but that wasn't to say he didn't know the pain it brought. The Imuchakk was simply used to being alone. But he remembered the sharp pain in his heart when he was first ostracized by his village.

"I see...You're just lonely, that's all." Yakuroro mused whilst rubbing his chin. The Golem gave another affirming sound and nodded a little. Yaku stumbled to keep his footing during the nod and made the Golem an offer. "You seem to understand speech well enough. If so, then you know my friends and I have a very important quest. You may stay with us on our travels if you like, but we're in a hurry. Can you take us south of here?"

The Shimmer Golem let out a long and somewhat cheerful sound that shook through its whole body before it began making slow strides southward down the side of the mountain. The beast didn't seem to have much speed, but its size made up for that and with each step they made great strides. Laughing softly to himself somewhat in disbelief that the Golem was listening, Yakuroro looked to Diego with a smile. "I guess you were right! Now then, lets be off. To save the world!"

Diego crouched down onto all fours to balance as the Shimmer Golem eagerly trudged forward, saving the others a long walk. Diego returned Yakuroro's smile and turned his gaze to the horizon. Saving the world seemed like a large task, but in the Fanatiga's eyes, if he and Yakuroro were able to defeat Jagang, then they could tackle it. For now, he would stay with his King until Remano, before heading to Kios to wait. Diego hoped that nothing bad had happened during his absence and that with Yakuroro's help they could pick up Jagang's trail.

The Fanatiga shrugged off his worries, there was nothing he could do right now. Diego turned back to Yaku, intent to enjoy the time he had with his friend before they parted. "Tell me what Marax's dungeon was like?" On their way to Reim from Heliohapt, Diego had shared his experiences in Caim with the Imuchakk. Curiosity aside, it seemed only fair. Of course, Diego could never turn down a tale of adventure either.

[exit]