Duty, Honor, and Death (Sequal to the 'Legend of Beldin')Follow

Chapter 1
“Buddy, get yer lazy **** up and outta me bar! I don’t allow freeloaders like yerself to stay.”
I grunted as he punched me in the ribs. I lifted my head up and blinked owlishly. I had been drinking since Rich left. I was trying to drown my sorrows, make my pain end. I hauled to my feet, tossed a few gil on the table, and staggered out of the “Merry Minstrel” into the bustling metropolis of Jeuno. Life didn’t feel worth living. What’s the point of living when there is nothing to live for?
Another face in the crowd, I passed though Lower Jeuno unnoticed. This, in retrospect, was a good thing. I was still a wanted man. I was still the Dread Pirate Beldin. No amount of repentance could change that. I made my way to the Temple of the Goddess in Upper Jeuno to pray to Altana.
“Psst, hey you!”
I turned around to find a man in garments that gave away his origins form being from the far east. He was a normal hume with long blond hair, dressed in Blue Mage Artifact gear.
“I know who you are and if you don’t want to be turned into Wolfgang, I suggest you come with me.”
A bit startled, I called after him, “Wait! Who are you? Where are we going?”
With an evil snarl he looked over his shoulder, “Just shut up and come along. My master wants to see you.”
My mind screamed that there was something wrong with this. This man, whom I’d never seen before, knew who I was. Stranger more, he knew where to find me. Curiosity overrode my sense of caution. I followed the strangely dress man down the street to the tavern next door to Galmut. He paused before the door and uttered something in a language I have never heard before. Afterwards, he delivered five quick knocks to the door. After a few moments, the door swung open. He nodded to the man behind the bar and we went in.
He lead me to the back of the tavern ad slammed his foot down in-front of an oddly shaped table. With a groan, the floor, table and all, opened upwards and revealed a set of stairs that lead down into darkness. The mage turned towards me, nodded once, and we made our way down into the inky blackness. As the darkness surrounded us, I felt an ominous chill as the slamming trap door behind us sounded like the steely clank of prison bars.
We continued to walk through the darkness. I couldn’t even see my nose in-front f my face. Despite the total darkness, my guide seemed to know exactly where he was going. After what seemed hours, we stopped. He balanced a glowing orb in his palm and held I up. The light stung my eyes, but I persevered and held steady. This seemed to please my guide. However, that grin swiftly turned into one of hatred and malice. He slashed out with his scimitar a cut a rope on the wall. The floor disappeared beneath my feet and I fell with the echo of evil laughter lingering after me.