142 Unnamed (1/2)

The Yufai were a race that focused heavily on larger weapons. From a young age they were trained in the arts of the greatsword, the Lance, and their specialty the spear. This was in large part because of the great strength they recieved from their orcish ancestors.

This did not mean that they were lacking in their gifts from their elven ancestors. The gifts they had recieved from this parent race had developed in a unique direction. The tattoos that covered their bodies were magical in nature. They were scribed with a special magical ink, that put a constant drain on their mana. If not for the rich magical energy of the elves they would be unable to sustain such a drain.

Because of these tattoos they could not use magic. When their mana pool had reached a certain stage the magical ink in their bodies would form a new tattoo. These tattoos were similiar to Yuri's arcane body in nature, except they were constantly active.

The individual tattoos each raised the a specific stat by 5% Strength, Agility, Dexterity, Constitution, and vitality. When a Yufai youth accumulated 5 tattoos they would combine into a single heart tattoo. The heart tattoo raised those 5 stats by a total of 10%. This amount may not seem like a lot, but 10% was double the effect of Yuri's non augmented Arcane body.

The heart tattoo signified a mature Yufai warrior. No matter the age of the Yufai they would be considered an adult once they had obtained the heart tattoo. This is because once a youth had gained their heart tattoo they would ascend to being an elite.

The heart tattoo had an additional special effect. This effect is what allowed them to tame the vultures. They heart tattoo would combine with the soul of a newborn vulture, making the two entities into one being. The yufai would gain the element of the vulture, while the vulture would enjoy the benefits of the 10% increase to physical stats.

This is where the Yufai got their nickname, The elemental Knights. The most common of these elemental knights were those of the fire element. The vultures who lived in this barren land were mostly of the fire element. Rarely a vulture of another element would be born, but currently this village only had fire element vultures.

The vulture eggs would only be lain once every year. To gain an egg, a Yufai warrior who had ascended since the last laying would need to gain the acknowledgement of one of the brooding females. This could be done in a number of ways, but mostly it was done by bribing the mother with treasure.

What each vulture regarded as treasure varied, but regardless of what treasure was accepted, it would always be traded for a single egg. Each vulture would only give out a single egg, which made the process much more difficult.

Luckily the Yufai elders monitored the event, and would place a marking on the nest of a vulture that had already given away an egg. The entire process was streamlined, as to make it easier for their youth to advance.

Further, the entire process had become a large gathering through the years. The Yufai only gathered rarely, but when they did it would be a cause for celebration. A 3 day festival would proceed the laying of eggs, with the egg gathering being the main event, and the signal for the closure of the festival.

Valentine calmly explained all of this to Yuri, who listened intently. The Egg Laying festival would not be for another 6 months. But it was an event that all of the Yufai attended. As a student to the Yufai, Yuri was expected to attend.