THE DAY ZULKEIM SHOOK
Selbina, a quaint fishing village connecting Windhurst to Bastok and Sandoria. I have never seen so many Hume, Galka and Elvaan people on one place in my life before. Many of them were on the docks fishing. My companions had wandered around town to rest awhile before we continue on to Bastok. Everything seem new to me. This journey of mine has opened my eyes to the wonders abound in this world. Icon was looking at the magic spells the vendors were selling. Twinki and Hyanmensir went to have a little drink. Mourn as usual kept to herself, sitting on the docks fishing.
"May I join you Mourn?" I asked her.
"Sure Tiny Heart, take a seat. Do you know how to fish?" Mourn asked.
"Yes I do, that is what I did to pass away time in Windhurst. I haven't had the time to thank you properly for helping me get here."
"No need to thank. I was headed here anyway. We were fated to meet. By the way I have decided to go with you to Bastok. Seeing the trouble you are in it wouldn't be proper for me to leave you."
A commotion was brewing near the entrance to the ferry. A large group of Elvaan soldiers had gathered and was arguing with the ferry boat attendant.
"Let us thru we have business on the ferry." the Elvaan soldier said.
"No no no. No pay you cannot cross." replied the Mithra attendant.
"You dare not follow an Elaan Royal Knight's request? With one command, I can tell my men to level Selbina to the ground." the Elvaan knight angrily said.
"If your brain is working right, you better remember that Selbina is considered neutral territory by Jeuno. Anyone who dares make trouble here will be dealt with accordingly. That is though if you have a brain to begin with." the Mithra angrily snapped back.
"Such insolence for a lowly peasant, you will pay for what you said." the Elvaan knight now clearly fuming as he drew his sword.
Mourn had stood up and was approaching the toll booth when Twinki stopped her midway.
"No mourn, this isn't our fight. They won't dare make trouble here." said Twinki.
"One last time, let me pass!" barked the Elvaan knight.
"No No No! Get out of Selbina before you get into real trouble." yelled the Mithra back.
"Fool!" the Elvaan knight shouted as he swung his sword towards the Mithra.
Mourn with her lightning fast reflexes got her bow and arrow up, aimed for the knight's weapon. The arrow struck knight's hand and the sword went flying from his grip.
"Ahhhhhhh." yelled the knight as he grimaced in pain. "Who dares hit me. You will pay for this! Men level this place to the ground!"
With that order the other knights drew their swords and charged towards us.
"No we don't need this now." Twinki shook his head.
Hyanmensir who was at the pub ran towards us and jumped in front of the knights. "Yay a fight! Come on me against you all. The more the merrier."
With his knuckles he started pounding the knights. The knights blocked Hyanmensir's fists their shields. Hyanmensir was attacking so fast that the knights hardly had time to fight back. Finally one of the knights shouted. "Enough of this!" he raised his hand and a flash of blinding light streamed forth from his palms.
"Ahhhh I'm blinded" Hyanmensir yelled taken surprised by the knight's move.
"Paladins?" Twinki exclaimed. "Why is Sandoria sending such a large number of paladins here?"
Even with Hyamensir partially blinded, he still could engage the paladins. He could still sense the movements of the paladins. He would block and counter attack the paladins moves. With Mourn shooting a barrage of arrows, all the paladins could do was to raise their shields and defend themselves.
Two Elvaans appeared above the roof of the fisherman's guild. Twinki noticed them and threw shurikens at them. The shurikens bounced off the body of the Elvaan as if nothing happened. He then drew his rapier and the burst of flame encircled his weapon.
"Red Mages." Mourn said.
"I will deal with them." Icon said he then proceeded to bombard the two Elvaans up the roof with spells of stone, air and fire. The elvaans retaliated with magic spells of their own. We were trapped between the paladins and the red mages.
"Tiny Heart, delay the paladins I will take the red mages." ordered Twinki. He then jumped up the roof to engage them.
I swung my axe at one of the charging paladins. He blocked with his shield and counter stab with his sword narrowly missing me. The paladin was a war veteran, he could read every move I made. No matter how hard I pounded him, he would just parry or block my attacks with ease. He faked a move by attempting to slash my legs but changed direction midway and swung his sword upwards with such a strong force that it knocked my great axe out of my hands. I, now weaponless, used my body as a battering ram and charged the paladin knocking him down. It was a desperate gamble on my part and it worked. I turned and ran as two other paladins came after me.
Rock like projectiles materialized beneath the two paladins knocking them unconscious. I look around and saw Icon giving me a thumb up. He was keeping the other paladins at bay with a wall of stone by casting Stonega. I picked up a sword from one of the fallen paladin, ready to take on the next one coming towards me. Twinki wasn't having much success against the two red mages. The red mages had Stoneskin and Phalanx plus a version of Utsusemi called Blink to protect them from Twinkis physical attacks. Twinki's Utsusemi wasn't holding up well from the constant barrage of magic spells he was taking from the red mages. He jumped back down and regrouped towards us.
"This is getting us nowhere. Too many of them. We have to fall back." Twinki said. "You shouldn't have meddled with them Mourn."
"I had no choice. He was about to strike a Mithra." mourn replied. "Don't worry we have reinforcements coming." She pointed to the direction of the ferry that was just docking.
A hail of arrows sailed from the ferry towards the paladins. Unaware of the attack from the ferry boat, some fell from the arrow barrage. Around ten Mithras jumped down from the deck of the ferry and ran towards us.
"Black Fang Squadron?" Twinki said in amazement.
"Yes Black Fang Squadron. Windhursts very own special army unit" smiled mourn.
One of the Mithras came and bowed her head before Mourn. "Commander Mourn, we came as soon as we got your message."
"Good timing also." Mourn replied. "We need to get out of here. Blast us a way out of here."
Eight of the Mithras formed an arrow shaped line in front with two of them covering our back. With Icons stonega and a barrage of arrows from the Mithras, we punched a hole thru the defenses of the paladins blocking the exit out of Selbina. We quickly ran out to Valkrum Dunes hoping to outrun them. But outside was even worse from what we encountered inside.
The Sandorian Army had stationed two battalions outside of Selbina. We were trapped, nowhere to go. The commander of the Sandorian Army came forward.
"I am Commander Valmun. Give us the Galka and you can leave in peace. Oppose us you will all die." the Elvaan said.
"What you want of the Galkan?" Mourn asked.
"That is none of your business. I won't repeat what I said. After the count of three I will order my men to take you down."
"I will go peacefully. No need to shed blood for me." I said.
"No, if you go with them you will surely die. Sandoria sending their army to capture you means they are behind the attacks we encountered. I will not let them get you. Over my dead Taru body." Twinki replied.
"Hmmm as much as I want to pound my fist on their faces, this fight isn't one we can win. We are vastly outnumbered." Hyanmensir said. "But if you want to go down fighting count me in."
"Bravery in such hopeless odds, stupidity." Commander Valmun shook his head. "I will grant your wish. Kill them."
"Stop!" I shouted. I threw down the sword I was holding and stepped forward. "There shall be no more bloodshed today."
Mourn held my arm and tried to reason with me but I looked at her and shook my head. She understood it was useless to argue and let go of my arm. Such brave people, strangers helping me in something I do not even know what is happening. To think it all started from a dream. Now it seems I will never know why.
As the Elvaan soldiers shackled my hands with chains, I noticed a dust cloud coming our way. The Elvaan army noticed it. It was the Bastokan Army headed our way. Galkans and Humes riding chocobos galloping towards us.
The Bastokan Army stopped a few meters in front of the Sandorian Army. The leader of the Bastokan army, a Galka jumped down his chocobo.
"My my, what brings the famous Iron Eater here to Valkrum Dunes." Commander Valmun said as Iron Eater walked toward him.
"Release that Galka you have in your custody and Bastok will forget everything that has happened today." replied Iron Eater.
"Hahaha and in what authority do you order me to do so?" laughed Commander Valmun. "This is Valkrum Dunes. No one owns this place. I have every right to detain the Galka."
"What crime has he committed against Sandoria?" Iron Eater asked.
"We Sandorians do not have to answer to you Bastokans. Give us safe passage or else feel the wrath of the Sandorian army." Commander Valmun replied as he walked away from Iron Eater.
"Wait…." Iron Eater called after Commander Valmun. Valmun drew his sword and slashed Iron Eater, hitting him across the arm.
The Bastokan Army charged when they saw Iron Eater wounded. It will be remembered in the history as the day Zulkeim shook. The next war between Sandoria and Bastok has begun.
To be continued.