The village had a rustic feel. Most of the buildings seemed primitive, but this did not mean that they were not sturdy. The most distinctive feature was that the buildings were mobile. Most of them were come shaped, made of a mixture of leather and wood. They were spaced out, but gathered in groups of three.
In the center of the village was a large fire pit. and surrounding it were several villagers talking excitedly. Their topic of conversation was before them, the giant tortoise. It let out a happy pur as it saw Yuri approach, and rubbed its massive head against her supple body. She smiled as she gently stroked the turtle's bald head.
The villagers immediately grew quiet as they saw the tortoises reaction to the young woman, and their eyes grew wide in disbelief. The tortoise was known to be a prideful creature, who was full of mischief. However, before this young lady it seemed as if it was a young pup nuzzling into its mothers fur.
The one who was most startled was Valentine. As a Yufai Beast tamer she naturally knew how standoffish the sacred tortoise was. As an animal that was a revered symbol of their faith it had been spoiled from the moment it hatched.
They did not not that the tortoise had fallen in love with the exotic taste of the florecent mushrooms. A treat that only Yuri could provide. She smiled as the tortoise nuzzled her, and quickly slipped an orange mushroom into the tortoises mouth. The tortoise let out out a happy whine, before it reluctantly removed itself from Yuri.
The village watched on with awe at the sight of their spoiled turtle acting like a well behaved child. Beside her, Valentine's eyes were rather wide in shock, but she had kept her mouth shut as she looked on at the scene.
The silence of the village was broken as Yuri cleared her throat. "So this is your village V. It is rather beautiful."
Valentine was not a slow woman, and quickly caught on to the meaning behind Yuri's words. The words themselves did not matter, they were simply a means to difuse the awkward feeling in the air around them.
"Our village is rather humble, but we have lived here for as long as anyone can remember. Our tribe existed here before even the once illustrious SkyHigh City."
Yuri nodded. The Yufai had a rich history, though not quite as deep as its parent races. The yufai were beautiful creatures, though they contained a deep sense of ferocity that could not be hidden. This was represented in their culture. and had been studied extensively. Even the most ignorant of people had understood the long lasting history of the Yufai was not something to be ignored.
Thankfully the comment served its purpose, and alleviated the awkwardness in the air around them. Soon after an Elderly Yufai man approached the two girls. He was mostly bald, and his beard was pure white. However the fierceness in his eyes had not faded in the slightest.
Yuri gave a respectful warriors solute to the approaching man, this is the fist over the heart, and a slight bow with a straight back. Her eyes never left his. "Greetings esteemed elder. Thank you for allowing me to enter your village."
The man nodded happily at the warriors solute. It was a show of respect that youngsters not often gave to him any more.
"It should be we who are thanking you, The sacred tortoise would have taken us days to retrieve if it had not been for your help."
Yuri smiled, revealing her rather sharp canines, and a mischeavious glint in her eyes.
"It was nothing. He just so happened to have a taste for some mushrooms I had happened to gather. The encounter was pure chance."
The man nodded, he had enough experience with the tortoise to know the root cause of the ease of its return. "Never the less a good deed must be rewarded. As you can see our village does not have much to offer, but I believe I can give you what you are in desperate need of."
Yuri could not hide her shock and disdain at the mans words. The old man had just met her, and yet offered her advice? However she quickly changed her way of thinking. The man in front of her was a master, a warrior that had seen countless fights. To him, the flaws she carried must have been readily apparent.
"I would gladly take your advice elder, the chance to improve oneself does not come around every day."
The man nodded in satisfaction. He had of course seen the momentary look of disdain that had crossed Yuri's face, but he had also seen how it changed as she realized the opportunity she had been given. The girl in front of him was rather quick witted, if not a little arogant.
Perhaps this was her right. He could sense that the girl had already reached epic status at such a young age. For an outsider this was considered extremely talented. But for the yufai, this could only be considered average talent. This could not be helped, as the difference in training had a huge impact on the development of a warrior.
"If you will follow me, I shall provide you with some guidance."