Welcome back! I do believe these weekly chapter updates will become a Thing, so stay tuned every Monday for a new installation!

This week belongs to the gremlin thief boy.

The front doors of the church burst open, and a streak of red flew through them.

"Stop! Thief!"

Said thief did no such thing. Today was a good day—he had food and supplies, he'd swiped the most coveted alchemical artifact known to man, and it was still early.

The sound of hooves echoed behind him, and Edward sighed and rolled his eyes.

When would they learn? The Fullmetal Alchemist couldn't be stopped.

He ducked down an alley, mentally mapping the route he would take out of town.

The horsemen chasing him were gaining on him, but not for long.

He clapped his hands together and pressed both palms to the cobbled street. Immediately the stones flashed and came to life, writhing and shifting to create a new shape.

Ed snorted with satisfaction as he heard hoofbeats clatter to a stop, faced with the stone wall he'd just erected between him and his pursuers.

"A dead end?" one of the soldiers spoke up in disbelief. "That's impossible."

"Not for our quarry," said another voice, and Edward's stomach twisted in recognition. "Stand back, everyone."

Edward turned on his heel and ran.

Behind him there was the sick, deafening sound of stone being torn apart in a massive explosion. Fire bloomed at his back, heat tickling him even through his thick red coat.

"Fullmetal!"

Ed cursed, his suspicions confirmed. Why did he have to be in this town, on this day?

True, he was a wanted thief everywhere, and there were members of the military in every village, no matter how small. But Roy Mustang had it out special for the Fullmetal Alchemist, and pursued him as though his own life depended on it.

Ed slung the loot sack over his shoulder and quickened his pace, pausing only to tuck something small in the pocket of his vibrant coat. He wove through back alleys, dodging vagrants and stray chickens until he reached the town outskirts, where his two accomplices waited.

"You're in a hurry," Ling remarked blithely, smiling when he saw Ed's spoils. "Did you get fresh meat? Should we eat it before it spoils?"

"No, you idiot," drawled their third companion, with a look of disgusted consternation. "He ran into some heat. Why else would he be running?" Envy stood from a sprawled position in the shade of the tree and stretched.

"Yeah, that," Ed panted, glaring at Envy. "You were supposed to light a fire, not toss a burning branch into the square! That fake priest didn't even leave his office. I had to fight him."

"Did you get what we came for?" Ling chimed in.

Ed held up his sack. "Plenty of food in here. It'll last us a while."

"Don't play dumb," Envy snapped. "Did you get the Stone?"

Ed rolled his eyes and patted the sack. "Yes, I got the Stone. We'll argue over it later; right now we need to run!"

The group raced from the town, ducking into surrounding woods at the first chance.

The three companions were not friends, by any stretch of the imagination. They'd come together out of necessity, their needs outweighing long rivalries and mutual distrust.

Ling was nimble-fingered and unnaturally perceptive, two qualities that made him a better-than-average thief. Enough to earn him his own wanted poster, at least.

Envy, on the other hand, relied on trickery to accomplish their feats—and when that failed, brute strength. They catapulted between a smug superiority and a sniveling embarrassment that a being such as they had sunk so low. "Reduced to a worm who digs through the trash," Ed had heard them mumble more than once. "It's the ultimate humiliation."

Both of them had clashed with Edward over the years—growing up on the streets, you seemed to meet the same people over and over—but there was something to be gained by teaming up with the thief who could summon walls or weapons with a clap of his hands.

His wanted poster, with his snarling grin and the flashy name he'd adopted, did little to deter most desperate, hungry thieves from joining him on a job, or asking for his help. The Fullmetal Alchemist was a thief for the people.

Except when he was being chased through the woods with a stolen Philosopher's Stone and Roy Mustang on his trail. Then he was out for himself.

The Flame Alchemist was a nuisance for many reasons, the most immediate and dangerous being his explosive alchemic abilities. There were other, stupider reasons too, but they weren't what propelled Ed through the trees and rocky landscapes, running frantically enough to hit—

A dead end.

They'd run themselves into a ravine.

"Great. Just perfect!" Envy kicked at the rock wall, then yelped and grabbed their toe.

Ed slipped a hand into his pocket. If we all get out of this, we'll still be fighting each other for the Stone, said the voice in his head. Might as well make a move now.

Ling cast an anxious glance backward. "Now would be a great time for some of that Fullmetal magic, Edward, wouldn't you say?"

Not magic, Ed groaned silently for the thousandth time, dragging his left hand over his face. "Fine. I'll hoist us up one at a time."

Ling and Envy looked at each other, the silence heavy.

"Let us have the bag," Envy growled. They held out one hand expectantly.

"What?" Ed put on a mock face of shock. "You don't trust me to keep my word?"

Neither Envy nor Ling blinked.

His face split into a wide grin. "Fair enough."

He handed over the stolen goods.

Then he clapped his hands and crouched to touch the ground at his feet. A block of earth grew around where he stood, hoisting him five, ten, fifteen feet in the air.

Below him, he knew, the ground around him caved in, the earth moving to create the column he stood on. There was no gaining anything without first giving something in return, as dictated by equivalent exchange.

"Are you sure you can reach from there?" Ling called.

"Are you calling me short?" Ed growled, kicking his feet to swing them over the top.

"No, I wouldn't—"

"I would," Envy interrupted. "You are a pipsqueak."

A shadow fell over Ed's face, and he would have fought Envy right then and there if he didn't already have his revenge ready to serve.

He clambered to his feet on the ledge, dusting off his red coat.

"Now give us a lift, pipsqueak. They probably saw your flashy alchemy."

Ed surveyed his two companions, waiting anxiously at the bottom of the ravine with their bag of stolen food and supplies. It was enough to last them maybe a week.

A sly smile grew on his face.

"Actually, you can keep the food. I've got my prize." He patted his coat pocket.

"What?" Envy's face darkened as realization dawned on them. "You—you—"

"Tell Roy Mustang I said hi."

"Edward!" Ling's voice was lighter, but it had the same edge as Envy's. "Surely we can work this out. We'll owe you a favor."

"Sorry, pal." Ed turned and began jogging away. "The only favor I want is the Colonel off my trail."

"This isn't over," Envy snarled. "You haven't seen the last of us!"

"Speak for yourself," Ling interjected lazily.

That was the last Edward heard, because miracle of miracles another battalion of soldiers had made their way to the top of the ravine and were hot in pursuit of him once again.

"Give yourself up, Fullmetal." The familiar voice sent a wave of annoyance through Edward. Why couldn't the Colonel have sent his lackeys ahead, instead of heading the chase himself? His lieutenant was just as competent, but less obsessed with catching a certain alchemist and thief.

"No chance," Ed hissed.

He dodged trees and arrows, mindful of the landscape this time, lest he trap himself in another dead end. Mustang's party chased after him, launching arrows and spears and the occasional fireball at the hem of his coat.

Ed threw himself through brambles, thick tall grasses, and the narrowest gaps between trees, attempting to shake off his pursuers. Judging from the shouts of frustration behind him, he was successful at least a few times.

He would've run himself into exhaustion, except the forest ended in a steep cliff, forcing him to a stop once again.

Edward swore. Was it too much to ask for one clean getaway? If Ed believed in a god, he'd think the Almighty had it out for him.

The screaming whinny of a horse made him jump.

He whirled and clapped, slamming his palms into a nearby tree. A wooden spear was better than no weapon at all. Ed held it up defensively, putting on his best scowl for the Colonel.

Roy Mustang reined in his horse with one hand. His dark hair was tousled and wind blown from the wild chase, but his expression was cool, almost placid. As if this chase were as boring to him as sitting at a desk.

His other hand hovered away from the reins, held at the ready. Even from a distance, the red transmutation circle on the back of his white glove was visible.

"Stay back," Ed growled. His fingers tightened around the spear.

"What did you steal this time, Fullmetal?"

"Like you don't know," Ed spat.

"My objective is securing you, not whatever petty item your sticky fingers landed on this week."

"You'll be kicking yourself when you find out." Ed grinned devilishly. "You let it just slip through your fingers."

"Fullmetal, we've done this too many times. Don't make this harder than it needs to be." The colonel nudged his horse forward, holding his gloved hand out threateningly.

"Too many times? I think that just means you're bad at your job."

The colonel chose to ignore that. "Come with me now, and I'll go easy."

There was nowhere to go. Fighting was almost guaranteed to get him caught—or charred to a crisp.

"Sorry." Ed threw his spear haphazardly. "But I'm—not—interested!"

He didn't wait to see where the spear landed—just clapped his hands once more and jumped.

"Fullmetal!"

The cliff was steep, but not a completely vertical drop. Ed reached out with his right hand, the fingers transmuted into sharp, hooked blades, and dug them into the rock.

Sparks flew as his arm snagged at the cliff face, completely shredding his glove.

Oh, well. It wasn't like he needed it. There was no one around, no one here to hide his metal hand from. And digging his clawed fingers in slowed his fall to a manageable speed.

It wasn't a graceful fall. He didn't slide down coolly, striking a pose as he landed. His boots slipped, struggling to find purchase. His face contorted with fear and concentration, and it was all he could do not to scream.

As the bottom loomed below him, approaching far too quickly, Ed aimed for a patch of green brush and leaped, crashing to the ground unharmed.

Well, relatively unharmed. He was scratched and bruised all over, and the hem of his coat was blackened from a stray explosion.

He groaned as he stood, taking stock. He was alive, and he'd escaped Mustang for the moment. But he had no food, nothing to survive with except the stupid Stone. And he'd just burned one of the last bridges he still had, with Envy and Ling.

If the soldiers didn't snag them, those two could make trouble for him. Particularly Envy—they had a monstrous vindictive streak.

Ed would have to take refuge somewhere, possibly leaving the kingdom altogether.

Oh, well. It wasn't like he hadn't started over from nothing before.

That seemed to be the story of his life, in fact. Always moving, always changing, always losing everything and starting from scratch. The only constant was that nothing was constant.

Except Mustang.

Got to get someplace safe.

He stumbled through the forest, well aware that Mustang was probably making his way down the cliff to continue his search. He hated to admit it, but on horseback Mustang had the advantage. Ed could run for hours, but he had his limits. He was only human, after all.

Desperate to catch his breath, Edward leaned a hand on a vine-infested area of the cliff face, only to muffle a gasp of surprise as his hand went straight through. He stumbled forward, clawing leaves out of his face and hair.

There was an opening in the cliff face, a passage through the rock, concealed by the swath of ivy.

Coincidence? Or cleverness?

Ed's question answered itself as he followed the beam of light, and the tunnel opened up into a high canyon.

It was something to behold. The space was roughly the size of a small farm, the ground covered in luscious flora.

And in the middle of the secluded paradise was…a tower.

Small and slim, the tower sloped upward unbroken until it opened at the top, where a single window and eaves were visible beneath the roof.

Ed made his way toward the tower curiously. There was no door on the bottom, no visible way in except for the window, hundreds of feet in the air.

Well, Ed had wanted a safe place to hide—and he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

The tower was quiet, and from down here the window looked dark. Ed couldn't fathom what such a place was for. It was too small and inaccessible for storage—he couldn't count on finding any food inside.

Maybe it was an outpost from a kingdom long since fallen—before the geography had changed and hidden it so thoroughly.

Whatever it had been, it was Ed's now. Finders keepers.

He pressed his palms together, then touched them to the stone wall. Immediately blue energy surged electric up the side of the tower, creating small divots and protrusions in the rock.

With adequate handholds and footholds, he gathered his strength and began the long climb up.

About halfway there he noticed the heat building in his coat. He should have had the foresight to shed it, or at least tie it around his waist, before starting to climb. His left hand was becoming increasingly slippery with sweat, and he dried it on his undershirt.

To distract himself, he began to imagine what this tower could do for him. It could become a haven, a safe place to retreat when he wasn't stealing or bartering his skills as an alchemist.

He could store food here, books, supplies. He could practice alchemy here. He could get himself a bed.

Almost like...a home.

He was quite giddy at the prospect by the time he reached the top and slid through the open window.

The inside of the tower was dark. His eyes didn't have time to adjust before there was a rustling behind him—

Then something heavy and painful slammed into his skull, and he knew nothing more.