1. Fire from Heaven, part 1: The Quiet Plains
Bartz sat in the wastes of the plain, contemplating a leaf of grass. He had been searching for freedom for so long, that watching this piece of plant, rooted in the dirt, suddenly made him envious.
The vast plain of Jenal looked out from where he sat, his arms stretched out leisurely, his fingers digging into the rocky ground. Mountains as tall as the sky circled him, their hillsides dotted with burnt stumps and the howling of the tribes of goblins. Bartz saw the shadows of the goblins flitting between valleys, impossibly fast, carrying their heavy blades that bounced the light of the moon back into the sky during their night raids.
They were moving into the northern valley tonight, Bartz sensed. He dared not travel that direction, knowing that wherever the goblins went, the insanity of magic followed. He had made a habit of avoiding anything magical during the past few years, and he intended to keep it that way.
Bartz's mount, the chocobo Boko, grazed quietly nearby. He could hear the sound of his chocobo's snorts as he happily fed. He was tired after the long ride from Talmon Village. While Talmon was the closest habitable town, Bartz had no desire to return there. The villagers were quite unhappy with him, having nearly hung him in the village square before he narrowly escaped.
He wasn't sure where he was going next. The next town, a one day ride, was the quaint hamlet of Trona. Bartz knew from the tavern at Talmon that Trona was only slightly larger, but boasted women who were once bred as servants of Karnak, and then during the rebellion they escaped and disappeared into the wilderness. Or at least that was the hearsay of Talmon. He half chuckled when he heard that: the servants of Karnak were often known for their beauty, but also for being contemptuous and vile.
Nevertheless, at least for the beauties, that might be a foreseeable stop.
Boko had stopped grazing, and looked up at Bartz with his big black eyes. The hair on his back had a slight lift to it: Bartz sensed the clouds rolling overhead and felt like a storm coming.
He slapped his thigh, and the chocobo trotted to him, nuzzling his face. He smiled.
"You're a good boy, you know that?"
Boko, in response, brought his head up high, ready to move. Bartz stood up, grabbed his gear, and swung onto the saddle. With a kick, they were off.