Wanted!

Bounties: the Palace's favourite way of arresting or removing criminals. The only legal way, too. They give many bored clans something to do if they weren't engaging each other or being chased themselves. Every criminal caught is sent to Sprohm, where the bangaas guard the prison 24-7, but the unlucky ones are never seen again.

Sprohm is inescapable. Its walls are fused with Barrier spells to prevent magic blowing down the walls, and the bangaa guards are specially trained Templars, able to cut down anyone fool enough to take them on. And yet, even with all of these precautionary measures, Terion the Terror, a Fighter with an incredible bounty on his head, managed to sneak out. Prince Mewt was furious.

Terion the Terror was so called because he terrorised the townspeople in Cyril, Baguba, and Muscadet with his fighting prowess. He did it all without a clan. No-one knows how he wasn't caught right away, but they have a general idea that he lies, tricks and even injures people to get what he wants. Of course, it helps to have a friend who's a high-ranked judge.

Terion was laying low for a while. The judges were raiding the pub he was staying at again, and he was down in the cellar, his favourite hiding place. He could just about hear the judges through the floorboards above.

" The fugitive has been sighted at this pub a total of fifteen times! I will not ask again. Where is Terion the Terror?"

" I have no idea! He showed up and then disappeared!" That was Hadji the innkeeper, probably losing his turban over the intrusion.

" If he disappeared, there's no point in looking here. He'll probably be hiding out on the plains nearby. He may even by in the next town by now." And there was good old Jeffrey, sticking his neck out for him. Was it the fourteenth time or the fifteenth? Probably the fifteenth.

" Very well. We shall send a search party out to the plains, and take the innkeeper to the palace for questioning."

" What! You can't take me away! I'm innocent!"

" All we're going to do is ask you where the fugitive's main hideouts are, and then we'll release you. Escort this man to the Palace. And please be gentle with him."

Several thuds announced the arrival of Templars to take away the poor man. They chained the innkeeper's hands and led him away into the night. When the footsteps faded away, nothing happened, so Terion promptly went to sleep.

Several hours later, Terion was shaken awake. He opened his eyes to meet the glare of Jeffrey, who had removed his armour and placed it against the wall.

" Terion! Get up! We have to talk!" Jeffrey seemed furious. He had been angry about this sort of thing before, but now something had snapped.

" Look, Jeff, I know Hadji got taken away and I know it's my fault, but-"

" No buts! Hadji was an innocent man who was arrested just because you were seen at his pub. Do you know how much trouble you've caused? The Head Judge ordered every person in the pub to report the prison for identification! I can't keep doing this, Terion!"

" Doing what?"

" Covering for you. Making sure no-one looks where you're hiding, and sending them off into different towns so you can escape to another pub where you'll be seen having another drink!"

" What am I supposed to do? And why are they looking for me anyway? Don't they have that Marche guy to chase?"

" They are chasing that Marche guy. Llednar Twem is leading the search party himself."

" He creeps me out. I mean really creeps me out. Who would think that the prince has two bodies!"

" The prince? What's he got do with that Biskmatar?"

" Oh, please. Don't tell me you haven't noticed. It's the most obvious thing in the world! What is Mewt Randell backwards?"

" Mewt Randell… Llednar Twem! By Famfrit's beard, you're right!"

" Yeah, once you know it, it seems really obvious, don't it?"

" Yeah, it does… Anyway, Marche is getting chased. But that shouldn't be an excuse for you to be seen in public. Do you know the size of your bounty just increased?"

" How much to?"

" They're now offering 30,000 gils for your head on a plate. 50,000 alive."

" Wow!"

" No it isn't 'wow'. It means that nearly every bounty hunter not looking for Marche will be looking for you. Have you ever thought of giving up this life of terrorism?"

" Sorry Jeff, but they don't call me Terion the Terror for nothing, you know."