Castle Oztroja

Castle Oztroja is a really intimidating place. The last time I was here, I was still training as a Warrior, on a quest to become a Dragoon. As I recall, I didn't have to go inside, but I did anyway, out of curiosity. Many of the monsters were weak, so I would fight two or three at a time, hacking and slashing my way upstairs. The angry mob waiting for me was more than anticipated. I ran, with at least a dozen screaming Yagudo behind me. That place is scary.

Last night, I returned, for the first time in over a year. But I wasn't alone.

I returned as a Black Mage, and Dawezy as a Blue Mage, as you would likely expect. We brought friends this time. Samano, a modest Mithra who liked to sleep at odd hours, finally decided to be awake with the rest of us for once. She pulled out her Monk gear and met me in Windurst. Dirgon, a fiesty Mithra who had been on vacation for months (yet she won't tell us where she went), donned her Red Mage gear and joined Dawezy in Jeuno. We all equipped our linkpearls and the chatter erupted like a volcano.

When we all reached the Aragoneu region, I invited Dawezy and Dirgon to join our party. We met up just outside of the castle, poking Yagudos on the way in. They didn't seem to mind, so we left them alone. They were no threat to us, so why should we waste our time with them? At least, that was the thought process at the time.

The four of us entered the castle together. Yagudo Monks and White Mages were everywhere. They seemed rather tough, but there were four of us, and we could handle them. We took them on two at a time, and I put any others who noticed us to sleep before they could do anything to us. The experience was slow, but the group was enjoyable. Samano was a bit more experienced than the rest of us, but we didn't mind (too much).

When we cleared out the first floor, we took a glance upstairs.

"Incredibly tough with marks? You're kidding me, right? These guys don't look so tough."

Samano raised her eyebrow at me as Dawezy quipped back, "And you're not an upper-level White Mage right now, are ya? Don't be so quick to judge by appearance. I got a good look at them meself and I'm tellin ya, they ain't worth the trouble. Damn Elvaan, always looking to pick a fight with something, ugh..."

"What was that last part, Dawezy?"

"Nothing, nothing, nevermind me."

Dirgon and Samano snickered. Apparently they heard what she'd said, but they refused to repeat it. Go figure.

We turned back to where we came and resumed fighting. It was rather smooth until a Yagudo happened to spot Dirgon from behind. I whirled around, chanting a spell to put it to sleep, and succeeded. Unfortunately, another Yagudo saw me casting spells on his friend, and decided to join the fun. Next thing we knew, there were four Yagudos on us.

Well, more specifically, four Yagudos on me. It was getting hard to breathe. I had to get out of there. The girls tried and tried to fight them off, but they kept attacking me. I ran back to Meriphataud Mountains. Back to safety.

I heard screaming in my ear. The linkpearl was buzzing. "What have I done? I should have stayed!" I told them to run. They wouldn't. And to think, people say that Elvaan are stubborn.

The three of them walked out of the castle without a scratch. Thanks to Samano, they managed to defeat the group of Yagudo, but it wasn't without its struggles.

Samano looked at me and sighed, "Well, I think that's enough excitement for one evening."

And with that, we all went our separate ways.