Authors note: Before submitted thisI had my friend look over it and i found out that he did not know what Mindartia was. Just in caseno one else knows,Mindartia is the continent that Windurst and Mhaura are on and Quon is continent that is home to Sandy, Bastok and Selbina. Enjoy.

Chapter 7

A Change of Scenery

"We have arrived at Mhaura," announced the ship's captain. It had taken a few days but I had finally arrived in Mindartia. On my first attempt, my ship had to turn back to Selbina. A fierce storm had developed ahead of us creating in what seemed to be hundreds of sea squalls. Seeing no way through the storm, or around it for that matter, the captain returned to Selbina. During the second trip, I took the time to reflect on the events that pushed me to venture to Mindartia alone.

I had found a party in Vulkrum Dunes. We were training intensely. My party was in a difficult battle with a lizard. We had been battling the monster for what felt like ten minutes. Thanks to our dragoon, we had finally broke through its hide. As I went in for an attack a squeaky voice behind me said, "Master, kupo. I have a message for you, kupo.. Startled, I missed, allowing the lizard to hit me in the chest with a fireball from its gullet. Something soft hit my head as I flew back, slamming into the rock wall behind me. As my eyes slid back into focus, I looked around for the beast. A loud scream drew my attention. The vile lizard locked its jaws into our warrior's leg and started to drag his body across the sands. Luckily for the warrior, lizards have no teeth and the monster was heading in my direction. I charged at it and tackled it with my shoulder. This stunned the beast, letting the dragoon jump into the air and landing on it with ease. The lizard let out a final yelp of pain before it collapsed to the ground. We congratulated ourselves for a battle well fought. However, its hide was too badly damaged to sell.

With the battle over, I remembered that someone spoke to me. It sounded like a Moggle but I looked to sky and saw nothing. It was then the white mage of my party pointed to a small lump of fur with a red ball on the ground. Knowing what it was, I walked towards the Moggle while the white mage casted a cure spell on it. It shot up in front of me and shook vigorously to remove the sand in its pink fur. It floated up to my eye level and said, "kupo....sorry to scare you but I have an urgent message kupo."

"Urgent? Who sent it," I questioned the Moggle.

"Miss Kyri, kupo," said the Moggle with a innocent smile. I should have known that it would be her. It was a habit of Kyri's to inform me and Nazak of anything she thought would be beneficial to us. Upon becoming adventurers, this habit became a nuisance. With a sigh, I motioned to the Moggle to deliver the message. The Moggle nodded its head, spun around, and out a thin air a letter appeared in the Moggle's tiny hands. I took the letter and thanked the Moggle for its service.

"Thank you...and wait next time if you have to deliver a message to me in the field," I said gently, "you might get badly hurt." The Moggle nodded his head, probably delighted that I cared for its safety, and flew away. As I walked back to my party's small camp by the rock wall, I looked at the letter trying to fathom Kyri's latest piece of advice.

Back at the camp, our white mage was taking a brake to replenish her energies. I sat against the rock wall, feeling a bit exhausted myself, and read Kyri's letter.

Razio,

I have left for Mindartia. The dunes are a death trap. There is barely any space to set up a camp because of the other parties and on top of that lizards are getting hard to come by. I heard the opportunities were better in Mindartia so I went to check that out. I've only been here two days and I can tell that my sword skills have improved. The creatures and beastmen around here are great to train against. Also, the citizens Windurst need help with everything. I've already taken on four clients. Do the smart thing and come down here. Take the ship from Selbina to Mhaura and head to Windurst. Just watch out for the enemies outside Mhaura. they are very dangerous. Find a way around them!

Kyri

P.S.- Don't take too long to decide. I also told Nazak to come so you don't have to go alone. Remember, you're an adventurer now, you should go and see the world. Also, if I get better than you, I will have to follow others at my skill level and leave you behind. That's not a good thing. We have to stick together but I don't want to be held back. There are so many things I want to do but I need you an Nazak there with me.

"The nerve of that girl," I thought to myself. I could not believe that she would go off on her own. However, her plan is what truly bothered me. I felt content with my current living. I was earning enough Gil to support myself. The training was not extremely dangerous given the fact that a party could fall back to the guard post and obtain help from the idle adventurers if over whelmed. After cursing her recklessness, I realized that Kyri had a point. I am an adventurer. My very title elicits such exploration. Why should I not take the risk? On my way back to Bastok I mulled over this dilemma. "She is my companion...my dearest friend. I can not abandon her or Nazak if he excepts," I declared to myself. "Navigating to Windurst, on the other hand, is an unneeded risk. It is foolish to rush into unknown," I countered. I continued to tip the scales back and forth until I finally realized that staying on Quon was the better decision.

Although I would not admit it, I felt that we would split up because of this lifestyle. We started to see less and less of each other, even more so with Kyri. But then it has always been in Kyri's nature to do whatever she can to excel in her profession so I was not surprised with her frequent disappearances. The next day I put aside my worries about the situation and focused on recuperating from yesterday.

I was reading the Vana'diel Tribune on my bed when Nazak, sans armor for once, stormed into my one room mog house. "Those damn gobs," shouted Nazak as he dropped into a chair at my table. I smirked a little as I watched Nazak slump onto the table, looking absolutely exhausted but agitated. From what I could gather at that moment, the Goblins of Vana'diel had finally gotten to him. These beastmen seem to be everywhere adventurers tread. There are even some "good" Goblins in the capital cities. Although many Adventurers consider them an annoyance, they are not to be taken lightly. The "Gobs", as they are sometimes called, in Valkrum Dunes are no exception. Just one can cause problems for an unprepared party. I had guessed that Nazak had to do much running in his last party.

I placed the tribune on the table and smiled, "well...your not the only one that feels this way. Do you want a drink?" Nazak replied with a low "yeh'" while he tried to straighten himself up in his chair. However, out of the corner of my eye, while I was pouring the drinks, I noticed that Nazak failed and returned to his slumped position. I then handed him the mug and advised, "it may not be as strong as your used to." The ill look on Nazak's face as he took a swig of the water I served him was priceless. He smacked his lips in disgust.

"You could of warned me first! You don't say drink unless ya mean it," he advised in return. With a scowl he drank the rest in one gulp. "Er...thanks,"he said with a respectable disgust. Laughing slightly, I sat down at the table and took a sip from my mug. Nazak looked into his empty mug and said, "how long has it been since we started training in the dunes? Two months?" I nodded in agreement with his estimate. He leaned back on his chair and said, "to tell you the truth...even with all the bad parties I had...feels like only yesterday me, you and Kyri first made it to the dunes."

"But I wager that your bones feel differently," I quipped, unable to hold myself back. After I had gotten to know Nazak a few years back, we got into the habit of attack each others age when the other left the opportunity open. I blame this impulsiveness on Nazak's jovial attitude. He laughed before defending himself.

"Heh heh...I bet you weren't planing to move from that bed for a while before I stopped by," Nazak retorted with a grin on his face. I smiled for the fact that is was mostly true. Having exacted his revenge, Nazak began to reminisce about our first day at Valkrum. "Hey Razio, do you remember that guy we met the first time we got a party there," he thought for a moment, "I think he said he was gettin' money as an adventurer so that he could be a bard." It took a few seconds but I remembered the name.

"Ah I remember. It was the first and last time we partied together at Valkrum. Ginger Breadman was his name,"I answered.

"Ah right...he was kinda strange. Never thought good fighter like that would be able to carry a tune."

"Yes...however, he needs to work on his lines a bit," I said while taking a sip from my mug. Then a thought occurred to me, "have you seen him since then?"

"Nah...not once. Would be great to party with him again," Nazak said while looking at my sleeping Moogle. Poor thing must have been exhausted from the previous day.

"Come to think of it...I have never partied with the same adventurer twice. Coincidence maybe," I asked. Nazak scratched his beard and thought about it for a moment.

"Eh...who knows? Maybe they just get better faster. You know...I haven't seen many adventurers our age around...not exactly a good thing huh," Nazak added with a smile. However, he did have a point. The most experienced adventures are mainly in their mid thirties and have been at this game since their late adolescent years. For us to start at 42 seems must like madness compared to the experienced. Although I was conditioned well in the military, I felt the limits of my age from time to time. I always wonder how a merchant like Nazak could keep up with the rigors of this lifestyle. That explains the liquor I suppose.

We both laughed at the thought of our age slowing us down. Nazak then stood up and swung his arms as though he was swinging his great sword, "but you know I can swing my steel better than those young guys." I forcefully drank the rest of my water to hold back my laughter as Nazak stopped flailing his arms and started rubbing his shoulder. While I found it amusing to laugh at his moment of weakness, I could not help but caress my red, throbbing knuckles. Our laughter soon subsided. It was time to find out Nazak decision.

"So will you take Kyri's advice," I enquired politely. Nazak put his hands in his pockets and just smiled.

"Nah...its one thing to go to Sandy. But going across the sea to seek opportunities that may not exist when we get there...sounds like the perfect Kyri plan. Remember how well the merchant thing played out," Nazak reminded while pointing to his swore shoulder. I grinned as he took that shot at Kyri.

"It nice to know we share the same thoughts," I said cheerfully. Nazak let out his usual obnoxious laugh.

"Can't stand the girl anymore huh," he questioned with a laugh. However, I felt that he was just as worried about Kyri as I was.

"She has grown into strong woman...Kyri will be just fine with out us," I stated causally. Nazak continued to laugh as he stopped by the door.

"Well I think im gonna get a real drink...wanna come," he asked.

"Thanks for the offer but I must decline. I plan to visit the market to purchase some groceries after I finish reading. Perhaps afterwards I will join you," I replied.

"Ok, ya know where to find me," Nazak said with a grin.

The next morning I found a letter from Nazak next to my door.

Hey Razio. You probably figured out that I left to join Kyri when you saw this letter. After you took off I looked in to my Gil sack and saw that it could use some more Gil. Ha don't take that too seriously. You see the sword and armor I want is very pricey and I needed a way to get more money. So I thought I give it a shot. You looked tired so I left this instead. I couldn't forgive myself if you took this the wrong way. So don't . I'll be back as soon as I get the money. The last thing I want is to spend the rest of my life with Kyri. Im joking of course. Girl like that need some guidance you know.

-Nazak

This took me by surprise. I did not believe that Nazak would change his mind. However, I do respect his reasons. At least he had the heart to not leave me in the dark for as long as Kyri did. However, now I was on my own. But not just that, I was also alone. My contact with Torry had greatly diminished after we began to venture in Valkrum. As of that moment I had no clue as to were he was. At the very least I could keep in constant contact with Nazak thru the Deathknights linkshell.

The next day I decided to take on a request from an some superstitious man in the port area. He wanted several sand bat fangs for some anti evil charm. I suggested that he should look to Our Goddess for protection but he just shoed me away and said that the fangs were good enough. I let out a sigh for this nations continuous ignorance towards the teaching of Altana and made my way to Valkurm. I was not entirely sure that I could take on these bats, I heard that they could be quite tenacious, but I was willing find out. As I approached the cave where the sand bats usually are found I was able to hear the crashing of the waves from the dunes' dual beaches. In addition to the waves I was able to hear the battle cry of some lone adventurer.

The adventurer was a male Hume trained in a different hand to hand martial art. The monk's skills were impressive considering that he was fighting a small group of swarming bats. He was able to dodge some of their attacks even while they circled around him. It had even looked as though he would win. Unfortunately, before he could take down the last of the bats about 20 more emerged from around the corner and overwhelmed the Hume. They began to take bits of Gi and flesh as he tried to run to the exit of the cave. I took my leave as the bat swarm caused him to run into the tunnel wall. I was not about to suffer the same fate. Seeing that completing this request was out of the question, I said a small pair for the unfortunate monk and decided to look for a party.

After about an hour of waiting, a Mithra waved at me and motioned to follow her. I rose and ran to her but she did not wait for me. Although puzzled, I kept track of her as she lead me to her camp. The Mithra's camp was situated on a dune that scaled a rock wall. It did not offer much protection from the sun, especially on an unusually hot day like that day, but it had an excellent view of the area. We were able so see every lizard and stray Goblin. I had a good feeling about this party so introduced myself and added a compliment about their encampment.

No response.

No Names. No discipline explanations. Not even a slight welcome gesture. Either they were a highly focused group of adventurers or this was a bad sign. "Right then...who will pull in the lizards," I formally asked.

No response.

"What on Vana' diel is wrong with these people," I thought to myself. Interupting the silence, a little Tarutaru, who of which I had not noticed until then, stood up andmumbled something to the Mithra. She mumbled back and took off. It might have been obvious that she left to lure a lizard to camp but I had to ask to be sure. There were a few parties who dared to fight against the Goblins. Before I could draw up the question, the party members began to mumble to each other. It became apparent that these adventurers were not inept at communication. Rather, they were speaking in code. What was most intriguing was that this code was so complex that it sounded like another language. As interesting as this was, it did not help in combat. There were many unneeded injuries because of mis-communication between me and the party. Furthermore, the lack interaction began to make me feel uneasy. Did they even listen me.

By midday we had taken on 20 lizards. This was standard but the heat of the day made it feel like an agonizing 50. As I wiped the sweat off my brow, while sitting underneath the small open air tent that the party had with them, I spotted the Mithra running back to our dune. She was speaking frantically in there code. Knowing that something was wrong I stood up, looked for whatever was chasing her but to no avail. The midday haze made the creatures indistinguishable from the trees. I then turned my attention back to the party who, with weapons drawn, were focused on the expanse. Suddenly a figure broke though the haze. It was Goblin. A heavily armored one at that.

The foul beast tore us to shreds. What really did us in was its bomb. I tried to tackle it to stop the Goblin from lighting the explosive but our warrior, who was trying his hardest to keep it focused on him but failing, ran in to me. The bomb blast sent me into the wall, blurring my vision. However, I was able to make out not only my party fleeing the battle without saying a word but the lunge the goblin took at me. Lucky, this old elvann had enough stamina to dodge its attack and flee myself. I ran as fast as I could to catch up with the rest of my party. I looked back and to my surprise the damn beastman was nipping at my heels. This was a mistake. I tripped and skidded across the sand. Futilely, I called for assistance from my party but they abandoned me with out hesitation. Flipping to my back, I saw the goblin raise its sword. I was not about to die with out a fight. Its slash cut into my arm as I rolled to the side. Ignoring the pain, I rose to my feet and readied myself to fight the brown armored menace. Strangely, I now saw the backside of a white suit of armor.

The goblin dropped to the ground as the white armor stranger turned to heal me. Its was a paladin, a holy warrior that is a servant to Altana. I thanked the paladin for their help. The paladin, who I never found out who he or she was, nodded, hopped back on their chocobo and left me with another day to look forward to living. It was then I noticed my error.

"It was foolish of me to stray from Nazak and Kyri. They were not only my dearest friends, they were compatriots that I could trust with my life. Because they are my friends, I know they will be there, as I would be, for the toughest of quests," I realized. I made my way back to the guard post and brought out my neglected Deatknight link-pearl. (I had tired of their usual lewd conversations.) "Excuse me. Nazak this is Razio. Are you there," I questioned into the pearl. After replying to greetings from Maximus and Tri, Nazak's voice rang in my head.

"Hey Razio, you ain't mad are you," Nazak questioned in a joyous tone to cover his true concern form the Deathknights.

"No, not in the slightest. Actually, I want to tell kyri that I am coming join you two in Mindartia," I said calmly.

"Heh heh, great. Someone to share the baby sitting with," Nazak said with a stab at Kyri.

"Hmm...yes. So how do I get to Selbina," I asked, not having been there myself.

"You know that cave we don't go in to...well go through it and follow the shoreline to Selbina. There are gobs there and at night the undead roam around just to make life difficult,"

"Of course. Would not have it any other way," I said in a sarcastic tone.

I left the ship and viewed my surroundings. What caught my attention, aside from the ominous storm clouds that loomed overhead, was a moogle that was darting around in a panic. It was flying around the heads of various adventurers that were with me on the ship. As I walked by it I heard it ask a hume adventurer in a frenzy, " Are you Mr. Razio? Kupo. Please tell me you are." Before the hume could shake his head I raised my hand and said that I was the one it was looking for. The moogles eyes lit up as it zipped towards me, almost landing on my face.

It said with much glee, "kupo! Is it really you! You know Mistress Kyri?"

I shook my head, "Yes, yes. You may cal-"

"Hurray kupo! I thought something bad happened kupo when your ship did not appear. I didn't want to bring back bad news to my mistress. It make me feel sad when I have to bring bad news kupo so I decided to wait and see if you came on another boat kupo. Im so happy that you are here," it said quickly while almost pushing me off the pier.

"Thanks for your concern and your loyalty to Kyri," I said kindly while motioning to the moggle to follow me. It did so with out question and followed me, closely, off the pier. "What is the message," I asked the moggle.

"Kupo. My Mistress want you to wait here for he. She should be here by tomorrow," the moggle said with a smile but a bit calmer this time.

"Did she tell you why," was my second question.

"Um...sorry kupo. That's all she told me," the moggle said cheerfully. I thanked it again and bid if farewell. One thing bothered me, however. Why was she not here waiting for me if she wanted to escort me to Windurst. All I could do was ponder and sigh. Not seeing much else to do, I decided to look outside Mhara.

The area was just as barren as Gustaburg but at least there was something to see. Wild Dhamals roamed the area. I was able to see about 10 of these creatures from the entrance because of their towering necks. They are rather pleasing to gaze upon. However, I knew that if I approached one of them, I would be assaulted because of their wild nature.

Before I re-entered Mhara I called to an Elvaan adventurer that was approaching the town. I had wondered what other beasts roamed these hills so I inquired about it.

"Oh there are plenty. There are dhamals, mandragoras, vultures, and the occasional crawler, but they will not bother you. Unless you attack them of course. What you have to watch out for are Goblins," the adventure said plainly. I sighed sightly when he mentioned about Goblins. "These Goblins," he continued, "like to hid behind rocks and pillars to ambush you."

"That might explain why Kyri wanted to escort me," I concluded to myself.

"If that was not bad enough, at night powerful un-dead scour the arealonging to drag others into their plight," the Elvaan said with some disgust before continuing, "if your strong, that should not matter much." I thanked him for his information and proceeded thru Mhara's narrow entrance Not one to sit in a tavern, I walked around the port town trying to pass some time.

After looking into some of the guild workshops, I wandered past the mayor's office and found a peculiar sign.

Adventurers Are Welcome

Curious as to what this meant, I entered the office. I was greeted by the secretary, who's enthusiasm seemed mandatary, and waved in by the old, beaming mayor of Mhara, who's enthusiasm was almost child like. It turns out that the mayor loved to listen to the lives that we adventurers lived. Seeing no harm in indulging the old mayors whims, I began with my close encounter with a veteran Quadav in the Highlands. After a while, I had to bleed into my years as a Temple Knight given that I had not been an adventurer for very long. Hours past and thunder had turned my attention to the outside. Even with the clouds I could the that the sun was setting. The old cheerfully said, "I'd put you up for the night but the Misses doesn't like when I bring home adventurers." I bid farewell to the mayor and headed for the inn. When I arrived there, however, something caught my attention.

While I explored the town, I had noticed a Hume woman staring at the sea. Though I did not give it a second thought, it did strike me as odd. I decided to talk to the woman, who was as still and vigilant as before, and see if there was a problem, "excuse me madam but is th-"

"I know he will come back," said the woman in a trance as she continued, "only my husband has the strength to take on the ocean...only him." I stood there, puzzled by the woman's words, until a young woman's voice rang over the thunder.

"Mother! Please come inside! He is not coming back...look, it is about to rain," the voice pleaded. I looked down the road to see a hume girl running towards us. I stood back as she continued to plead but interjected when I saw that not much progress was achieved.

"Pardon, but is there a way that I can help? If I were to know the situt-"

"Ah a ship! That must be him," the woman said loudly, interrupting me. The daughter simply sighed and placed a heavy cloak over her mother.

"Every day since father disappeared," the young hume said while looking annoyed at her mother, "she has stood at this spot...waiting for him to come to return. If there was only some way to get it through her head that he is gone." I could tell that the acceptance of her fathers death was just as extreme as her mother's denial.

"It is always good to have some hope for the best. Keep in mind, however, that you should not let it blind you...I will see what I can do to aid you," I said nicely. The girl nodded and placed a hand on her mothers shoulder.

"Hopefully one of you adventurers will keep that promise," the young hume said quietly.

She gave me some information about her father then continued to reason with her mother as I entered the inn.

"What," I asked the innkeeper, "are you sure that there are no rooms available?" Speaking to the mayor before securing some lodging was not the wisest choice. He looked over his ledger to make sure he was not mistaken.

"Sorry sir...all the rooms are booked up," replied the Hume. Thunder struck. The room suddenly became flooded with the sound of rain taping the windows. Defeated, I put up my hood and walked into the storm. Luckily, there was a bridge near by that I could take shelter from the worst of the storm but the wind sprays made sure I was not completely dry. This amused me. Being stuck in the rain reminded me of my years as a Myrmidon in the Temple Knights. How I cursed my Commander in assigning me to positions that offered little or no rain cover. However, preforming my duties such a deluge was one of the many tests that conditioned me into a better knight. Grinning, I sat against the wall while I shrugged off the dampness and the cold. I continued to recall the memories of the past, especially those of my sweet Fiona, and let the soothing sound of the rain lull me to sleep.