Chapter 7

A confused Rescue

Esuka learned something in the days he spent training in vlakrum. Don't get sand in an open wound. Cuts, bruises, and scrapes covered his body. Multiple times, he had to take days at a time off to let his wounds heal. In time, however, his skills were honed, and he decided it was time. Packing the few belongings that had survived the stampede in the plateau and Tazuki's attack, he mounted a chocobo and headed towards the gate. The town of Selbina had gathered to see him off.

"Ya dun right wit yerself, Esu. Ya woulda made yer parent's proud." As Esuka rode through the gate, an old man stopped him.

"You should take this. It was meant for Lillyra's oldest child, so take it. Don't you lose it now." With a snap, the giant bird took off, leaving sand flying in his wake. The people of Selbina watched the last heir of the Yamanaki family ride off.

"You think he'll be ok?"

"He'll be fine. He's got a summoner's blood in him."

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Jugner Forest was damp, sticky, and full of moving fungus. The chocobo twice got stuck in mud, and had to be pulled out. From the shadows of the forest, eyes watched the traveler. Esuka watched them back, unsure if they were human or otherwise.

A low hum could be heard one morning, getting louder and higher in pitch. Esuka rolled out of his tent as the bundle of cloth and wood imploded. Six men, all dressed in balck, stood around him, all carrying weapons Esuka had never seen before. Esuka saww what had caused the humming. One of the men had a strange disk connected to his wrist by a wire. With a flick of his wrist, the disk went for Esuka's neck. Another roll barely saved him, but it had tasted Esuka's blood.

"What do you want?" Esuka looked from one man to the next, waiting for an answer. In between, he looked desperately for his chocobo, eager to leave. Finally, he saw it. The galka of the group had it draped over his shoulder, blood pouring from its neck and staining its gold feathers.

"You seem to under stand now. There is no escape." Another man pulled out a halberd, but the pole must have been 12 feet long. Esuka ducked below its strike, and heard the trees behind him topple over. By this point, all the men had drawn their weapons, bent on killing this kid. And they were going to do it. Esuka barely had the strength to fight two of the warriors, much less six.

"That's enough harassing our comrade, scumbags!" A man stood on top of a tiger, likely one of the blacked robed men's pets. Four other men stood around him, all dressed in uniform, with a red feathered cap and brown and navy blue Gis. Without thought, they lunged at the attackers, killing three of them on contact. The other three, outnumbered and unsure, fled into the trees. The leader of the five men turned to Esuka, who was still lying against a tree. "Is there a reason why the Black Coats were hunting you, comrade?"

"The what? And why do you call me comrade?"

"Are you not a Argon knight?"

"...No." Esuka got to his feet, confused by these men.

"My apologies, adventurer, we believed you to be one of our own."

"No, I should be thanking you." Esuka bowed to them, then turned to walk away. "Maybe I will see you again, someday." Esuka walked into the trees, now more determined to reach Jeuno alive then before.

"Wait, adventurer!" Esuka turned to the other man. "When you reach the Downs, do not enter The Eldieme Necropolis. There be far worse things than the damned down there..."

"I shall remember that advice, knight."

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The brush grew tick now, and walking was difficlut. Then, as soon as it had started, the shrubs opened into empty fields with rolling hills. Esuka had reached Battalia Downs. As Esuka walked through the silent land, he noticed a strange feeling from one of the hills. A whisper, like some sort of thousand year old echo. Esuka climbed to the top to see what caused the sound, but could find nothing to cause it.

He was about to turn back when the ground opened. Esuka fell, and darkness took him. He had entered The Eldime Necropolis.

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Author's notes:

Hey guys. To be honest, I didn't like how this chapter came out. It's just missing something. IF you have any advice at all on improving it, please leave it in a review, and I may be able to repost it with a better flow. Bye for now.