The city of Warjilis seemed to be booming as the sun rose atop the distant mountains. Merchant ships came and left the port dropping off and picking up various cargo. Wagons could be seen winding up and down the streets pulled by giant yellow birds known as chocobos. These birds are viewed by many as magnificent, they are a very versatile animal. Some chocobos (such as these pulling the wagons) are domestic, while others are wild hand have been known to attack if provoked.

It was a cool fall morning and a light fog rose with the sun and drifted across the meadow, but a slight chill did nothing to dampen the spirits of the town folk. "Fresh loaves of bread 5 gil each! Only 5 gil!" exclaimed a baker happily from his booth.

"Mother can we can some bread? I'm starving." A little boy around the age of ten directed at a woman standing near him. "You have already eaten the morning meal you will just have to wait until lunch." She scolded him sternly. "But mooootherrrr! I only had one slice!" he whined.

To be such an important place of trade I can't get over how simple and how tranquil of a place this is. Rasler thought as he sat on a bench eating an apple and observing the little boy and his mother.

After being found washed up on the beach he had decided to stay in the city until he recovered his strength. It wasn't that he was wounded, he felt fine, except for the ache that had followed him from the place of nothingness. He had simply felt exhausted, as if all the walking had hit him all at once.

At first the city had seemed so strange to him. After asking many different people if they had heard of Dalmasca or if they knew what an airship was, to no avail, He had come to the conclusion that somehow he had not just been thrown in the sea and landed on another island, but somehow he had traveled back to what seemed to be a much quieter time, when airships and technology didn't exist and magic is more predominant.

This place isn't so bad Rasler thought, as far as being stranded it was much better than the place he had previously found himself in, however, as nice as this place was he knew there had to be a way to get back home. I mean he had made it here somehow? "I guess first things first, even though I have no idea where I'm going, I need to get a decent sword if I'm going to leave the city on my own." He said to himself as he walked over to the outfitter.

"How can I help you today, Sir?" the large clumsy looking man at the counter inquired. "I am in need a weapon." Rasler replied as he glanced around the shop. On one side various sets of armor lined the rock wall, ranging from shiny armor that looked as if a giant would have had difficulty keeping his balance in it, all the way to armor that was well worn to the point of almost falling apart and some that were so small they could have been worn by a small child. Across from the armor all sorts of weapons covered the wall: clubs, knives, staffs, and pretty much any size and shape of sword you could imagine. On the rear of the room, beside the shop counter, there were also many different types of shields and accessories that one could equip. some were more useful than others but Rasler was sure that each one was bound to have its purpose for somebody(although at the moment he couldn't think of any).

"As you can see we have many different swords to choose from, many different types in a range of prices. What would fancy you?" the shop keepers question almost startled him,(he had gotten a little off track), "um I guess you could say I'm not from around these parts, but I suppose I'm looking for a medium sized blade that I don't have to worry about breaking or dulling after only a few fights."

The large man seemed to study him carefully for a moment. "How much coin have ye sir? Rasler stopped for a moment and pulled a leather pouch from inside his vest. He then dumped the small pile of coins on the counter in front of the clerk. "I'm not sure how much this is worth here, but this is all that I have." He replied.

The clerk started closely examining the coins "Where about did you acquire these coins sir?" he asked bewilderedly

"I guess you could say I acquired them during my travels." Rasler replied "Is there a problem? Surely, even here they must have some value. The bread maker was more than wiling to give me enough bread and drink for my stay here for but one of them."

"I have been in this business for many years." he started "But I have only ever seen a few coins this old. The few that I've seen were in horrible condition and more than showed their age, but these look almost flawless even though I am sure that they are real. As for their worth, I cannot say for certain, but assuredly they are very old and valuable. I assume you are journeying from this town are you not?"

Rasler replied that he was leaving and that he was in need of gear and provisions for his journey. "I cannot be sure of the exact value of these coins, but I believe I can offer you more than a fair trade for them" the man said with a gleam in his eye. "What do you have in mind?" Rasler inquired. "For all of them I will gladly give you my finest rune blade that is a most beautiful weapon and is enchanted with the ability to boost the power or your magic, if you possess any, in addition I will also let you have a mythril knife which is a deadly weapon in case you are unable to use your sword." The shop owner said laying the two blades on the counter.

Rasler picked up the blades running his hand down the blades feeling their sharpness. "I believe these weapons are more than I could have hoped for. But what of armor and potions? I have no more armor than what I am wearing and no medicine or rations to speak of."

The shop owner glanced at the coins again and back at Rasler "I suppose to be fair for all of the coins I could throw in a set of mythril mail, an assortment of potions and antidotes, and a 3 days' supply of traveler's bread. I believe that is more than a fair deal and probably more than anyone else will offer you for these old coins, so I must hold firm and can offer nothing more. So? do we have a deal?" the Outfitter finally asked.

"That is far more than I had hoped for when I first came here. You are a generous man...Thank you." Rasler then equipped the armor and weapons and started to leave the shop. "By the way, you said that the coins were very old but that you had seen them before; where did you see them?"

The outfitter thought for a second. "A group of travelers came here and re-stocked with supplies some time ago, one of them said he was an engineer from Goug, the machine city, the others didn't really say much but the man that gave me the coins said that he probably wouldn't be In need of money where they were going." He said thoughtfully.

Rasler then asked him where Goug was and the man told him that it lied to the west, and that normally he would be able take a ship, but he was not sure when it would return to port because ships had been slower in returning lately. So, his best bet was to first travel to Lionel castle and then make his way there. After hearing this he thanked the outfitter and left the city.

The journey though Balias Swale started out uneventful for Rasler, his mind filled with thoughts of how the coin could possibly be old. Upon setting out from Warjilis the weather had been beautiful, aside from a slight chill in the air, and because of this he had made fast progress through the rough landscape.

However, as he got further from the city it seemed to turn progressively for the worse. It started as just a deep cold wind flowing from the ocean, but with it came the rain. It was a drizzle at first but turned into a downpour powered by a strong wind. "I can't believe the rotten luck!" Rasler thought. "The weather was perfect until I left. This place would have been beautiful and made for swift travel had the weather not turned."

Regardless of the rain and driving wind Rasler continued walking on the well-trodden path toward Lionel, and For the next few hours he made steady progress, albeit slow progress because the persistant rain had soaked and made muddy even the packed dirt, which wasn't the best conditions for keeping your balance or hurrying. He had yet to encounter any other travelers on the path or monsters so far and for that he was thankful, he hated walking in the downpour, much less fighting for his life in it.

As night began to set he came to a slight ledge near the path that provided some protection from the rain and wind. "What I wouldn't give if only I had a way to make a fire that I might dry my clothes and be able to have just a little bit warmth." He said to himself as he huddled against the wall. "Mayhap this night will pass quickly, though I doubt I will be able to sleep at all."

Resting uneasily, Rasler had managed to make himself somewhat comfortable in the midst of the rain pouring from the night sky. Looking back later he decided that he allowed himself to get too comfortable and that it might have been better if he had just kept walking through the night.

He had just started to drift off when he saw them coming. Three creatures were slowly approaching in the distance. At first in his tiredness he thought they may have been people, but as they got closer they appeared to be goblins as the people in the town had said roamed this area (their snorting as they drew near confirmed this) .

"What's a few goblins?" He said as he readied his sword. "I can take them; I shouldn't even break a sweat." He started to charge toward the goblins in front of him when suddenly a fourth goblin grabbed his arm from behind. "What the hell!?" Rasler yelled as he struggled to get loose.

He had never considered himself weak, but this thing's strength was more that he had anticipated, and if he didn't hurry the other goblins would be having a nice meal. As the goblin ripped the armor off his shoulder he remembered the knife the shop owner had given him. He drew it and stabbed the goblin over and over with his left arm until finally, the goblin shrieked and released his arm.

Not wasting any time Rasler turned and swung his now freed sword and decapitated the goblin that that had grabbed him. The sound of the shrieking goblin seemed to enrage the others and they charged toward him. He looked up from the dead goblin in time to see the second one lunge for him. To his surprise and with a lot of luck the goblin slipped in the mud and fell to the ground.

Without taking the time to marvel at this, he quickly drove his blade through its chest and then swung it again at the third goblin. This time the goblin managed to avoid his attack and tackled him. Try as he might to brace himself, the weight of the goblin combined with the loose mud caused him to lose his footing and inadvertently throw his sword a few yards away as he toppled through the mud.

"Could my luck get any worse!? Damn! I can't believe I'm getting killed by goblins. I must get up! " He yelled to himself. Looking up he saw the third goblin standing over him ready to finish him off, but, just as he was sure he was about to meet his end the light that he had experienced before started to radiate around him. This startled back the goblin that had hovered above him.

"What's happening to me?! Rasler yelled. The light that was radiating around him had been bright from the moment it had appeared, but now it blinded him. With the pulsating light came fresh waves of pain that was almost unbearable, but as he yelled his voice seemed to grow distant and in a few moments there was nothing, only blackness.