This story belongs to me and my creative mind. However, most of the characters, names, and places all belong to their respective companies, so don't yell at me for copyright infringements! Remember, Italics represent a person's thoughts or the telling of past events.

Enjoy...

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:Faraway Dreams:

Chapter Ten:


"Hey, you seen anyone suspicious?" A guard asked his comrade.

"Nope." The other replied.

"You remember his description, right?"

"Nope."

"Wha-? Geez, you really don't do anything your suppose to, huh?"

"Nope."

"Don't you have anything else to say?"

"Nope."

"If you say nope again, I'm gonna wallop you with my hammer!"

"Hey, does that guy look like him?"

"Huh?"

"Him. Is that guy him?" The guard pointed.

The two looked out into the crowd, finding a man milling around a small fountain. The first guard smacked the other across his pointed helmet.

"Idiot! That's the silk merchant's son!"

"Sorry!" The other whined.

"I don't see how you keep forgetting things!"

"My doctor said I had a bad memory!"

"Then why did you join the First Division?"

"First Division? This isn't the Second Division?"

The first guard smacked his forehead. "How clueless are you!?"

Before the other guard could reply, a fireball exploded in the center of a jewelry stand, knocking aside the people nearby. A figure dressed in billowing clothes took off down the street, a large bag trailing his body.

"Hey, that's him!" The guard shouted, running after the man.

The Bandit stopped running and looked around, seeing the two guards in pursuit. He moved his arm around and chanted a spell, then threw his hand out and cast a fire spell that knocked them back. After seeing that the two were unable to continue, he restarted his sprint for freedom on the main Business Street. The first guard struggled to move, but fell to his back in pain.

"Damn...him..."

"That must...have been him..." The other commented.

The first sighed. "Smack...yourself...idiot..."



"There he goes!" Cecil shouted. "Don't let him get past the blockade!"

The leader of the First Security Division continued running as fast as his legs could carry him, the Regulators at his heels, weapons drawn and ready to attack. The Bandit kept running, not stopping to cast any spells, much to the relief of his pursuers.

"Dammit, we're not gonna stop him in time!" Illis swore.

"Screw this, Burman!" Cecil barked.

"Yeah!?" Fedrich answered.

"You've got those legs! Use them and stall him!"

"Right!"

Fedrich slowed down, then used his natural strength to leap into the skies, flying ahead of the others and closer to the Bandit. After several leaps, the Burman landed in front of the Fire Bandit and drew his short sword, shouting a command.

"Stop where you are, Elric!!" He shouted.

The fiery haired bandit stopped in his tracks, and he looked ahead at the voice that dared him. Neutral brown eyes met fierce blue, and the Burman frowned as the bandit simply laughed at his effort.

"You're actually telling me to stop by my name? How daring of you!" The bandit commented.

"Don't take me so lightly! Surrender yourself." Fedrich again demanded.

The bandit laughed again, which made the Burman hesitate. "I remember you...you tried to stop me before at the Hunter's Gate. You must be one of those pesky little Regulators."

"Yes, and this time I won't let you get away!"

"Goodness, it's been a while since I've had a stalker. Most people know not to mess with the Fire Bandit."

"Well, then I guess I don't go along with most people." Fedrich joked.

The Bandit laughed again, tugging on his leather gloves while putting a smug grin on his face. He slung the pouch across his body, then began focusing his power.

"Alright then, let's see what you've got!"

Elric brought up his right arm, and a sparkle of magical energy ran across his body and focused into his palm while he chanted a mantra. With a flourish of fingers, he thrust his arm forwards and shouted out a final word to realize the spell.

"Fire!!"

A ball of fire exploded to life in front of Fedrich, then roared into an inferno that engulfed the area nearby in blistering red heat. He lowered his hand, looking at the scorched earth and finding no remains of the Burman Regulator. Without hesitating any longer, he quickly jumped forwards and rolled several feet away from his original location. Fedrich, having avoided the fiery blast, slammed his short sword into the cobblestone instead of the bandit's body.

"A good idea, provided your enemy is a stupid one." The bandit commented.

"Why you...!" The Burman cursed, scrambling to his feet and dashing for the bandit.

The bandit quickly summoned his strength, and he cast another fire spell at the approaching Fedrich. However, the demi-human again leapt into the air, avoiding the second fireball with obvious ease.

"Quick bastard..." The bandit swore, watching as the Burman landed without harm.

"Not so tough, are we?" He mocked.

"You avoid my attacks and think the battle is won? You've only guaranteed yourself a place in hell!"

The bandit reached back and gripped something hidden under his large shirt, pulling sharply and revealing the polished, deadly length of a broadsword. With a growl of anger, he jumped to action and charged the Burman, who replied in kind. The two blades struck one another, a loud squeal of metal sounding from the impact. After the first strike, the bandit went on the offensive to keep the Regulator off balance, who could only hold his ground and block each attack. With a move that strained his arms, Elric swung down at the burman, and their swords hit one another and locked together.

The two pressed their blades against the other, a stalemate until one moved his sword away.

"You're strong..." Fedrich muttered, eyes locked onto the bandit's.

"I'd say the same of you..." The bandit started.

Suddenly an arrow whistled by, and Fedrich looked to see Ruthy standing ready with her longbow drawn. Elric looked around, seeing the Regulators and Cecil at one end of the street, a horde of Lindblum Guards at the other. The Bandit looked at Fedrich, and the Burman was grinning widely.

"You stalled me..."

"A smart one, too!" Fedrich laughed.

Elric growled, then used all his strength to shove the Burman back. Quickly chanting, he cast a small fire spell in front of the Burman to halt any attacks, and the Bandit took off running towards the line of Guards. Sheathing his blade, he lifted his arms up and began chanting once again, sparkling magical essence traveling across his body and building at his hands for several seconds. Another arrow pierced the air, but the Bandit managed to avoid being impaled, despite never seeing the projectile. After avoiding the attack, he threw his arms forwards and bellowed out another spell.

"Firaga!!"

A fireball, much larger than any before, formed at the center of the Guard blockade and exploded with a violent roar. Dozens of men were thrown out from the epicenter, many more sent to the ground from the shock of the explosion. Cecil and the others stood in mute surprise, seeing their plan ruined before their eyes. Fedrich was quick to overcome the pain the previous fire spell etched into his torso and again gave pursuit.

"Elric! Stop!" Fedrich shouted.

The Bandit turned to face the approaching Burman. "Sorry, Burman, but I'm a busy man. Give Illis my regards."

With a quick motion, Elric lifted his arms up and began chanting, preparing a warp spell to escape. Fedrich doubled his effort, sword out and ready, praying that he would reach the Bandit before he cast the spell. Just as Elric thrust his arms out to his sides, Fedrich leapt forward and thrust his sword out to strike him down. A blinding light blotted out Fedrich's sight, but the Burman could feel his sword pierce the air instead of flesh, and the cobblestone scraping his chest only reinforced that idea. A few moments later, the sound of footsteps came from behind, and Fedrich pushed himself to his feet.

"Fedrich! Are you okay!?" He heard Ruthy cry.

"I'm alright..." He muttered in return, turning back to see the Regulators rushing to his side.

"God damn, boy!" Cecil shouted with a grim smile. "Gerick told me you were quick to fight, but I've never seen anyone rush that fast into battle with a guy like that!"

"That's because his thick head doesn't know any better!" Illis declared.

"Well, that thick head managed to give him a good fight!" Cecil praised. "I never thought that anyone could get close enough to fight him!"

The Regulators and the Security Captain arrived by Fedrich, and Ruthy was quick to approach the wounded Burman with healing medication in hand. Her face widened in surprise once she saw the numerous scrapes and burns covering Fedrich's chest, his vest burnt and useless.

"Gods, Fedrich, you look terrible!"

"It's not that bad." He boasted, looking at his injuries with a careful eye.

"Here," She spoke, forcing two potions on him. "Take some of these anyway."

"Alright." He accepted, taking them into his hands.

"Do your men need any help, Captain Cecil?" She asked, looking back at the blonde officer. "That fireball looked powerful enough to take out a building!"

He smiled and waved her off. "Nah, but thanks anyway, kiddo. My men are more than able to care for themselves."

"Okay then."

Cecil looked around, seeing the others with grim expressions. "Come on now, we just gave that bastard the scare of his life! He'll think twice before trying to attack us again!"

"But we still allowed him to escape." Gordan grumbled. "If anything else, he will know that he cannot toy with us any longer, and will not hold back. You saw his power, he was able to defeat your Guards, fifty strong, with a single spell! If he has such a power as readily usable, there is no hope for us to avoid it if he sees it in his benefit to cast it on us!"

"Yet he still is gonna know-"

"Dammit, Cecil, he wiped out a squadron of your men with a flick of his wrist and wasn't even slowed down!" Illis swore. "How can you be so damned optimistic when we didn't even stop him from carrying out another robbery! Now he's going to know that even your best men and the Regulators combined aren't a match for him! What's to stop him from attacking more often!?"

Cecil's expression fell, the sad truth of the situation piling into his mind.

"Well then, we'd best try and think of another plan!" Gerick spoke up. "Never mind that he's a strong bugger, we've gotta find another way to stop him!"

"Then what would you recommend!?" Cecil growled. "I've done the best I can with the people I have! What else do you people expect from me!?"

The Regulators looked at the Captain with surprise in their faces. Cecil was normally a optimistic and mind tempered man, and his sudden outburst revealed a different side to him that seemed foreign to him. He shook his fists at his side, frustration running its course and leaving behind even more stress than he had.

"I've tried everything I know to stop him, but he just overcomes any obstacle I create! Damned if I admit it...but he's just on a level that me and my men can't compete with..."

"Then what can we do?" Fedrich asked.

"I don't know, I've exhausted all my ideas." Cecil sighed.

"Look now, Cecil." Gerick added, patting the officer's shoulder. "You've done yer best, and that's nothin' to be ashamed of. Go and take care of yer men, we'll think 'o somethin' in the meanwhile."

Cecil sighed again, but put on a smile for the elder Regulator. "Alright then. You go and think things over and we'll compare notes in a few days."

"Agreed." Gerick grinned.

The Captain gave a salute to his fellow warriors, then jogged away to assist his Guards. Gerick faced his own comrades, each of them holding different expressions of mixed fear and worry, concerns and somber thoughts.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, we've gotta find ourselves another plan." He addressed. "We'll head back 'ta the Hall for the time being. Fedrich, you'd better get your wounds looked over properly."

"Yeah..." He sighed.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he's patched up." Ruthy volunteered.



At the Hall, the atmosphere of the Regulators was anything but eager to go into combat as they usually were. With the rising danger the Fire Bandit posed, doubts and fear began to erode the once solid moral foundation the group thrived on. Illis was worried even more about her friends, Gordan became even more protective of her, willing to part with his own home to guard her from harm, and Gerick was pondering the future of his organization and it's moral. Ruthy was growing worried about the safety of her family and her friends, and Fedrich was continuing to berate himself for his inability to stop people from being harmed.

"You really got burnt bad, Fedrich." Ruthy assessed. "It's going to be a while before this all heals over."

"It's not that bad." He denied, shuffling in his chair.

"Oh really?" She asked, poking his tender flesh.

Fedrich immediately winced in pain, hands closing into fists. "Rei's damnation, that hurt! What was that for!?"

"To prove that you aren't a good liar." She smirked, picking up another roll of medical bandages.

Fedrich sighed. "I guess I'm not, but compared to what those Guards must have taken, this is nothing."

"They can take care of themselves, you know. Cecil said as much."

"Still, if I wasn't so slow I could have stopped Elric from casting that spell on them. It's my fault that they were all injured so badly."

"No it isn't." She scolded. "You did the best you could, and so what if he got away? You did all you could, that's what counts, and no one else will blame you for it."

Fedrich struggled for words, but he wasn't able to find anything to counter her argument. He knew that the fault lied with Elric for attacking them, but he couldn't shake off the guilt of not being able to help.

"Could you move your arms?" Ruthy asked.

"Huh?"

"Your arms." She repeated. "I need to bandage your chest."

"Oh, right." He muttered sheepishly.

Ruthy took the long strip of bandage and looped it around Fedrich's torso, keeping it tight to his body as she slowly covered the area of his burns. Fedrich remained silent as she worked, his mind wandering back to the battle.

That Fire Bandit...he seems to enjoy toying with us, as if he thinks we aren't worth his attention. I don't care what kind of power he has, there's always a weakness of any attack, I just need to find it. I swear that I'll make him pay for everything he's done...for causing so much strife for Illis and Ruthy, for everyone...

Ruthy took the last length of bandage and slipped it through the weave of tape, tying it off. "All done!"

"Thanks a lot, Ruthy." He smiled.

"Next time, though, try not to get hurt so much, okay?" She asked with a sarcastic grin.

"Yes, Ma'am." He replied, equally sarcastic.

Ruthy stood to leave, picking up the remains of the bandages, but Fedrich stood up for a final word.

"Ruthy?"

She turned back to face him. "Yeah?"

"I just...wanted to thank you for helping me back there."

She smiled warmly at him. "Sure thing."


* * * *


Elric felt his body pulse with energy as he warped away from the battle, his nerves blazing with the intense feeling of being manipulated by magical power. Suddenly he felt his form shake and cringe in pain, and he found himself standing in an empty alleyway. Almost as soon as the warp spell ended, he felt his legs give out, and he fell against a wall, short of breath and vision wavering. He let gravity pull him down to the trash littered ground, and he wiped his forehead clear of the sweat that coated it. Reaching into his large shirt, he pulled out a healing potion and an ether and downed them both, tossing the bottles away with a clatter of glass.

"Dammit...I knew it was too risky...to cast that spell and warp right after..." He muttered.

The soothing relief of the potion and ether slowly eased the exhaustion that plagued his body, and after a few minutes of resting prone on the ground, he shoved himself to a stand. He stepped to the edge of the alley and looked around, seeing heavy machinery grinding away in the stonework of the buildings.

"At least I got this far...but I'm gonna have to push it again."

Elric steadied himself on his feet, then raised his arms up and prepared for another warp. He imagined his destination in his head, putting as much detail into his arrival location before finalizing the spell. His body exploded into torrents of energy, the spell removing his physical form, sending him through the air, and reconstructing him at his destination. Once he returned to normal space, the further strain on his body caused a gasp to escape from his lips, legs going numb and his balance all but gone. With a helpless motion, he fell onto a thick bundle of blankets and quilts lying on the ground, consciousness fleeing from his weary mind. His eyes looked upon the area he slept in, the crates and dust offering a perfect cover for him in the near abandoned catacombs of the theater he hid in.

I'll be sure to get you next time...Illis...