A peaceful walk

It was early morning and Ani had decided that it would be nice to go out for a walk and get something to eat from the merchants. After she had gotten dressed in her lowcut dress and sandals she put her hair up into a high ponytail before picking up her purse. Making sure everything was in place she motioned to Hoyo and walked out of the inn that they were staying in. Once she was outside she saw the saw in the sky finding it once again to be a beautiful morning in Balbadd. With a small click of her heel against the road she walked down it while humming softly.

After walking for a few minutes Ani had made it to her goal which was the road where the merchants had set up their stands. Walking around for awhile she stopped by a fruit stand buying a bag of apples to snack on. After she had payed the man she walked away pulling out an apple and biting into it the juices running down her soft pink lips a little making her chuckle softly. Swallowing the bite she looked down at Hoyo throwing him a piece of jerky from her purse. "These apples are pretty good." She said with a nod before continuing to walk down the roads wondering what she should do this fine day.

Standing atop a wooden crate as though it were a stage, a large Imuchakk man was waving his arms in swooping gestures as he called in a crowd. Anyone in the marketplace would have been able to see and hear him if they wandered around long enough as he had chosen a central location to give his speech. Upon arriving in Balbadd, Yakuroro learned that there was a dungeon nearby. Since he had come here to build more power for himself, the scheming magician figured that it would be in his best interests to ensure that the next individual to gain a djinn was someone he knew and had influence with. However, he didn't know anyone in Balbadd and there was no telling how long a dungeon would remain unconquered. So with that in mind, Yakuroro was resorting to desperate measures by putting on this public act.

"If you think yourself fearless enough to answer the call of a dungeon, then step right up!"

Yakuroro scanned the people before him with a probe-like gaze looking for any who looked to be promising candidates. "Any takers?"

Ani had been walking around the marketplace before hearing a man utter her three favorite words adventure, fame, and wealth. She walked up a bit watching him wondering what he was talking about. Feeling curious she scanned him over noticing that he was an Imuchakk just like her. This gave her a little incentive to talk to him, but instead she just watched for a minute. As she listened she heard him saying something about dungeons. Ani knew a little about dungeons, but she did know that if she could conquer one it would help her in her goals of adventure and fame. When she saw no one else taking his offer she stepped forward a grin on her face.

"Aye." She said lightly while looking into his eyes while a smirk crossed her lips and Hoyo stood at her side. "I'll take your offer."

After hearing him speak of dungeons she was confident that whatever he was offering seemed fun so she walked close to him with a small bounce in her step as she was excited to hear what he had to say. As she looked into his eyes she tilted her head slightly while leaning slightly to pet Hoyo who was next to her. "Tell me more." She said wanting to know what she offered to join in on.

Yakuroro had been up there on his soap box all day. He had gotten a few bites to the bait of adventure, but in the end each contender fell short of his requirements. They were either children who failed to understand the danger a dungeon posed, or foolish men looking to bite off more than they could chew. He ended up turning down half a dozen people before now. But this was to be expected when casting such a large net. You were bound to catch a few prey that weren't your intended targets. Thankfully, Yakuroro caught a lucky break. He had expected to take several days before finding someone worth while at this rate, but during his latest call he was approached by an interesting sight.

An Imuchakk girl accompanied by a strange looking beast spoke up and indicated that she was interested. Yakuroro smiled a soft and friendly expression as he looked down at the pair. The girl seemed calm and confident, but enthusiastically excited as well. She had the caliber and presence required to tame a beast, physical strength of her race, and a thirst for adventuring through the unknown. These were all qualities that Yakuroro felt gave the stranger far more potential to make it through a dungeon than the other rabble that wandered the streets. Perhaps he had found the one.

"Well, I can't tell you much as I've never been in THIS dungeon. However, I have braved two dungeons prior to this. I can tell you that if you survive, you can expect a chance at earning great riches and possibly even artifacts of wondrous power. BEHOLD!"

The Imuchakk picked up his Bottomless Gourd from the ground nearby and emptied it out causing water to splash onto the ground. Then with a small burst of magoi, he tilted the gourd so the girl could see inside as it was magically replenished and filled with water once more.

"This is admittedly a somewhat mundane tool. But I've seen others obtain powerful weapons. I've even seen a boy transformed into a tiger-like beast with the strength of ten men! But it's dangerous, countless lives have been lost to past dungeons...Still interested?"

Magoi: 295/300

Abilities:

Ani kept eye contact with the male as he explained how he hadn't been inside the dungeon he was talking about along with him saying that had been inside two other dungeons. She was a bit skeptical about this as she had heard how dangerous dungeons were so she thought that she would need some proof so this wouldn't be a scam. She then saw the thing that he called an artifact. Watching him pour the water out she wondered what he was doing until she was shown that it was refilled again. While in her head this was a boring tool, but she also knew that this was enough proof to the claim that he was making. Despite the dangers she was informed of Ani was sure that she wanted to go into that dungeon no matter what.

Her determination was visible as she clenched her fist and smirked with an unwavering look in her eyes. "Of course I'm interested if i'm not willing to risk my life to achieve my goals I might as well have no conviction at all, plus I want my own stories like that." She said with a slight nod before extending her hand out to the male member of her race. "I'm Ani and I'm taking your offer, so tell me what you're offering." She said assuming that he must have some reason to be looking for people to explore the dungeon.

Upon hearing the young woman's reply, Yakuroro nodded and smiled, "Mmm, that is a good answer." In his mind, he felt a twinge of joy upon finding someone that seemed so eager to throw themselves at a chance for glory. The fearlessness she had was a good sign that she would not turn tail and run at the first sight of danger. But more importantly, there was the glimmer of ambition in her eyes that told Yakuroro he would be able to leverage her desires in his favor. It would be a huge blunder if he helped this stranger obtain a djinn only for its power to be used against him some day. It was vital that he find some string of weakness in her personality to tug on. But there wasn't much time to spend getting to know her. He'd have to probe for such vulnerabilities in the meantime between now and actually going to the dungeon.

"I'm a researcher by nature. I wish to go into another dungeon to further my investigations of the Toran people."

It was a lie of course, but Yakuroro wore his falsehood like a cloak of prideful truth. A faux friendly smile accompanied Yaku's handshake as he reached out to accept Ani's gesture before explaining what it was he was offering. "I'd like for us to enter the dungeon as partners. We'll protect each other and if we make it out alive, we'll split the loot half and half. Sound like a deal?" He would wait for a positive reply before nodding and retracting his hand before introducing himself. "My warrior name is Yakuroro, but please, call me Yaku."

While she'd been curious about his nature and why he needed someone explore the dungeon, but she knew it would be foolish to turn down his offer as it would lead her to the first step on her path to become someone great. While she listened to his reason she gave a light nod before shifting on her feet lightly as Hoyo had curled around her legs before passing out. The deal he proposed would benefit the both of them, but Ani was no fool for something this great she might end up owing this man. Luckily for Ani though her dedication for this was already at the peak as she couldn't let this offer slide.

"Nice to meet you Yaku." She said with a light laugh as she put her hand down by her side after the handshake. Another reason Ani found this agreement beneficial is in case she ever needs an ally in the future. One thing she worried however was in the back of her head would this man stay her ally after they completed the dungeon. "Well since we'll be partners what she we do first?" She asked while tilting her head since she assumed that he must have a plan of what they will do, or something along those lines.

At Ani's question, Yakuroro clasped his hands together and grinned, "I'm glad you asked! Now, we prepare. I know the general location of the dungeon. In my experience they are usually large structures so it shouldn't be too hard to find. But I have to go gather some equipment before departing." Yakuroro seemed to be a bit disappointed that he was not quite ready to go yet. His eyes became downcast and his body slumped slightly. All a show for Ani as part of a carefully crafted demeanor. "I need to obtain a sword from the market and make sure all my tools are in order. But I'd like to depart for the dungeon as soon as possible. Can you meet me here tomorrow morning and use the rest of today to get yourself ready?"

She heard what he was saying about the general plan, but it made her a bit worried that there was no exact plan set up, but she knew that they could come up with a plan when they really needed to do so. When she saw him acting sad it reminded of her when she saw a sad animal, but soon the thought left her head as she was more focused on the dungeon they would end up going to. She was also hopeful in the fact that Yaku had been in two other dungeons so she hoped this would in turn help them out once they had gotten inside of the dungeon.

"Mm alright I'll meet you here tomorrow." She said while waking up Hoyo who sniffed Yaku as soon as he became fully conscience. "Mm alright I'll see you tomorrow then." She said with an excited tone. It may have looked that Ani was being carefree about this, but in all reality she was deep in thought about the dungeon along with the things she could possibly gain from it. She knew that no matter what came her way at this point she was determined to conquer this dungeon. Thus she walked away to begin preparing for the first great adventure of her life.

[Exit]

Yakuroro maintained his friendly demeanor while he waited for Ani's reply, thinking all the while that it was strange for an Imuchakk to leave their village without receiving their warriors name. Perhaps Ani never fought the rampaging unicorn to earn it? Or maybe her clan was just...different. It didn't really matter, but the Imuchakk was somewhat curious about it until Ani agreed and woke her beast from its slumber. When Hoyo approached Yakuroro and looked up at him, the magician gazed back down and locked eyes with the creature. There was a brief second between them before the flash of another beasts face impacted against the surface of his mind like the charge of a rampaging unicorn horn. Yakuroro winced as a sharp pain radiated throughout his skull and his vision blurred. But he kept his smile and watched as Ani left waiting until she was out of sight to allow himself to hold his aching head.

"Not again...the memories...why won't they stay?..."

Yaku suddenly felt quite exhausted and weak. He needed to go to the market now while he was still able to move around. With that in mind, Yaku pushed the memory thoughts away and trudged on to look for a sword.