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 Fourteen:
"It's been nearly a week since he came here." Illis commented over a mug of coffee.
"True." Gordan replied, lightly reading a periodical.
"Don't you think it's odd he hasn't tried anything since then?"
"Perhaps he is finally understanding of your desire to stay with us."
"I doubt it, he said a lot of things that proved otherwise."
"But his actions seem to reflect hesitation, at the least, or maybe he is threatened by the unified front we present. Not only has he not done anything to do, but he has yet to commit a robbery since that day."
Illis moaned in frustration. "Gods, this is what drives me to be so worried. He said he'd take me home or make everyone I know suffer in place of that, but he hasn't done a damn thing to me or anyone else. What can he be planning..."
"He obviously wants to take you back to your hometown, but he never seems to attack you or Ruthy singularly."
"Yeah, your point?"
"When I sit and think about the various methods he could employ to capture you, there are many options that I can see that he has not considered. For instance, what would prevent him from using a warp spell to enter your home at night, use some sleeping weed to render you unconscious, then take you away?"
"Good grief, don't say things like that, I don't need to be any more paranoid that I am already!" Illis complained.
"But these are the things you need to consider. With his array of spells and seemingly limitless treachery, he is a foe to be greatly concerned about. What would have stopped him from attacking you or taking you away when he first confronted you here?"
Illis looked away from Gordan's stern face. "I don't know..."
"Then it is obvious that whatever his intentions are, he will go about them at his own leisure. It still leaves one to wonder what his goals are if he is not taking every opportunity to his advantage."
"What, you think there's something else to him?"
"Well, I already posed a few situations that would give you to him with the least amount of effort, but he has not done them. Either he has not thought of those alternatives, or perhaps he is taking this plan to an end I have not seen."
"But what else could he be here for? He seems to be solely focused on getting me to return to my home."
"Maybe that is the source of his delay." Gordan mused.
"What do you mean?"
"Perhaps his hesitant actions as of late are because he too has qualms about returning you to Ulura."
"But why would he be?" She wondered.
"That is best left to be answered by Elric himself..."
* * *
Fedrich contemplated the darkness with a sour expression, not even bothering to look at the projection of the sequence of supposed future events.
"Alright, Phantom, what do you want this time?" He asked to the inky expanse, annoyed.
You seem agitated
"I've got reason enough to be, what with you showing me these visions about the end of the world."
Whether or not you believe me is relative, what matters the most is that you hear the message
"Oh, and what else have you to say to me? You didn't even answer my question last time!"
The events in the future have numerous threads that help support the web itself, and although the web is beyond your ability to completely undo, you have the choice to assist in affecting its design
"How so? You've got to tell me what my connection is if you want me to do it!"
The voice didn't respond to his demand, and Fedrich feared that the mysterious speaker would again leave him hanging. He hadn't experienced this dream in a long time, and he didn't want to be forced to wait an even longer time before he tried to get another answer.
"Phantom?"
Silence.
"Damn it, this is why you are a pain to deal with! If you can see into the future and see such things, surely you must understand that I'm in trouble as it is!"
You realize that if I give any kind of response that defines a fact of this certain future, it will cause my ability to communicate with you to be lost
"Lost?" Fedrich repeated. "Why?"
The forces behind my existence within your realm have a strict set of regulations that forbid a seer from giving any clear facts about the future, and as such, would immediately remove me from this position for tampering with the inhabitant of this timeline
"And this would be a bad thing?"
There is much more to be explained if it were merely given in obscure and metaphorical phrases, where the events would be up to you to comprehend and act on based on your will, not my own
"Well, I'm quite frankly sick of these dreams. I've got enough troubles in life without you coming here and giving me more worries about my future."
Then what do you want to be clarified?
"You said that last time I was connected to an important string in this 'web of destiny' you talk about. Just what exactly is the string? Is it a person, some place or event?"
It is...the soul of-
Fedrich's eyes shot open, his sleeping self awake instantly from his mysterious dream. He sat up from his bed to see the late morning light shining through his solitary window, and he wondered what happened at the end of the prophetic dream.
"The soul of...what?" Fedrich spoke, feeling each syllable across his tongue as if he expected it to do something.
What kind of connection to I have to this mysterious soul? A better question is what the soul is supposed to refer to. Maybe I know the soul of the person who is supposed to be the one who brings about the end of the world?
The Burman shook off the sluggishness of his mind and stood up, rubbing his face free of sleep. He glanced outside the window, thoughts of the dream fading away and the harshness of reality came to surface. The Fire Bandit resurfaced in his mind, along with Fedrich's desire to get stronger and to stop him at any cost.
"I don't have time for this. I have to stop Elric before I can worry about those dreams..."
He walked over to his dresser and donned his clothing, picking up his sword and leaving his room for his morning appointment with Gordan for practice. Taking a momentary look at his small pocket watch, he was surprised to see it was already nine.
Damn...I've got zero minutes before I'm supposed to be there...
Fedrich closed the door to his room and jogged into the main room of the Hall, seeing Gerick at rest with his ever present mug of coffee at hand.
"Morning, Gerick!" He said quickly.
"G'mornin' yourself." The bearded man replied.
"I'm off to practice with Gordan, so I'll see you later!"
"Don't forget that Macky's gonna be comin' here this afternoon, so be sure 'ta get here at noon!"
"Of course!" Fedrich agreed, passing through the doors into the warming morning air.
The Burman kept up his pace as he traversed the streets and stairs of the Theater District, hoping that Gordan wouldn't be overly upset at his tardiness. The late morning sun was already sending waves of heat across his back, and Fedrich knew this was going to be a warm afternoon. The end of spring was coming close, and soon the intense heat of the summer season would be upon him.
And only after the beginning of Fall will the Festival of the Hunt begin. If I can improve myself and get strong enough to beat the Fire Bandit, then winning the Festival will be much easier...
Crossing through a small intersection of streets, Fedrich leapt into one of the alleys and followed it to the end, looking at the door to the last home on the street overlooking the open skies of Lindblum's airspace. The Burman collected himself, then stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, the sound of locks being drawn in came from the opposite side, and the door opened to reveal the well dressed frame of Gordan.
"Sorry I'm late." Fedrich immediately apologized.
"It is okay, Fedrich, do come in." He welcomed, stepping back.
The Burman stepped inside, accustomed to the sparse and neutral surroundings that Illis' home consisted of.
"Good morning." Fedrich offered to Illis herself, who was resting on a chair with some coffee.
"Morning, Fedrich," She replied.
"Where's Ruthy?"
"Still sleeping."
"Ah." He nodded. "She's still...?"
Illis frowned. "Yeah, she can't get to sleep at night until exhaustion forces it to her."
"Poor girl..." He sighed.
"There's no use in worrying yourself about it. I'm sure she'll snap out of it sooner or later."
"I think she'll only rest well once Elric is out of the picture." Fedrich snapped.
"Well then, perhaps we should get to your practice to make sure the next attempt it successful, eh?" Gordan suggested.
"Right."
The two stepped outside of the small home, giving farewells to Illis as they proceeded down the pathway to a round outcropping in the street, offering a semi-circular area to overlook the city with a few benches. Gordan stretched his arms and legs while Fedrich drew his sword, performing a few experimental swings to get his blood flowing.
"So how are things with you?" Gordan asked.
"Alright, I suppose, although I'm still worried about Ruthy and Illis." He replied. "And yourself?"
"I am making the best of things. Illis seems glad to have me around despite her previous grievances with me staying."
"That's good to know." Fedrich concurred.
"Alright, enough banter, you've got practice to do." Gordan insisted, drawing his own sword. "Let's start with the basics. Come at me!"
Fedrich did as he was instructed, moving forward at a slow pace with his sword ready. He swung it slowly, keeping track of his limbs and their motions while checking the angle of the swords fall as well. Gordan blocked the strike with his weapon, then used a strong push to separate the blades. Gordan then brought the sword back to hit the Burman's middle, but the shorter sword already blocked the strike. The two the brought their blades away, and Fedrich was first to send his sword out in an arc leading towards Gordan's shoulder. The Nobleman was quick to react, using his own sword to divert the energy of the movement away from his body and into the open space away from his body. He then slid his sword out and pushed the edge to Fedrich's neck, signaling the end of the short duel.
"Enough." Gordan ordered, pulling his sword away.
"You used the same move I use, again!" Fedrich commented, a little bit upset.
"Well, it is not like there is a law forbidding the use of a proper combat technique, is there?"
"I suppose not. Where did I go wrong?"
"You made an error rather common to lesser experienced warriors, no insult to you. Let's recreate the scene where you started your attack towards my shoulder."
The two moved into the proper positions, Fedrich paying extra attention to his body's location in comparison to Gordan's.
"Now start moving your sword down slowly, and I will do the same."
The two began the attack, moving slowly until Gordan interrupted.
"Now you see here," He motioned with his head. "That my arms are somewhat extended from my body, insuring that your blade will have to travel farther before it can reach my flesh. This is a simple rule that dictates the proper form of a swordsman with a longer blade. My blade has a longer reach, so I can keep you from hitting me easier than you would I."
"Uh huh." Fedrich nodded.
"Also take notice of your arms. You are putting a lot of your body into the attack, adding power to the strike that your arms and weapon alone are not able to generate. This makes your attack riskier, in that if you fail to deliver a strong blow, your opponent will have an easier time counterattacking. Let us continue moving."
The two resumed the attack, Fedrich short sword hitting Gordan's, and the Nobleman again used his blade to transfer the energy away so the Burman's blade slid away from Gordan's body.
"Stop, now this is where your attack comes into danger." He again motioned. "Your attack at this point has failed, but your primary error was not making an attempt to pull back your body's movement. Since my arms are farther away from my body, I can draw them back and allow your momentum to carry your sword off mine. From there, a combination of your body's motion and the thrust of my arms can send the edge of my sword into your neck, offering a bloody if not lethal cut to the veins."
"So how would have I stopped you from doing that?" Fedrich asked.
Gordan thought for a moment. "There are not many means to slowing your body down quickly once it is in motion, so your options would have been limited. The only chance I see would have been to redirect your energy to the opposite direction of your swing, causing you to fall down and hopefully avoid the brunt of my counterattack. This would leave you on the ground, but it would open up a chance to back away and continue the battle."
"That makes sense. I was hoping that you would've just parried the strike and pushed me away like before."
"There is a lesson to be learned, that you should never assume your enemy will fall to a specific pattern." Gordan chided with a grin. "Always assume that your opponent will use every opportunity to counter your moves, so that you cannot be easily lead into a dangerous situation like this one."
"I'll remember that."
"Also you should not be willing to be as offensive with a shorter sword unless you have an open shot. Had you remembered this, the battle could have gone on with you performing the same counterattack on me."
"I'll keep that in mind, too."
"Good, then let us continue." Gordan ordered, stepping away from the Burman. "However, today I wish to further hone your defensive and counteractive capabilities, as it is the natural strength of your sword's design. I will come at you and perform a series of strikes, and you will defend against them and counterattack whenever you think you can do so."
"Right." Fedrich agreed, readying his weapon for use.
"Then let us begin!"
The two warriors again battled with one another, blades clashing with one another in a slow and methodical fashion as they continued to spar, both working towards similar goals.
* ^ * ^ *
The Author Speaks!
G'afternoon everyone, it's me, once again, here to gift you with various tidbits of information and other stuff of mild or otherwise useless value and to answer questions posed by those who graced me with their reviews. So firstly, to Robshi, I'll be rather blunt. The chapters are numbered, and I don't think it's all that tough to remember a simple number.
Lastly, if you've been around any source of news in the past few days, you've probably heard about the obscenely dangerous fires rampaging through the Southern California area. Well, as luck would have it, those very fires came close to my home, and we're still under voluntary evacuation orders. My writing's have been delayed quite a bit, so don't be surprised if the next update comes later than what seems like normal.
Have a good day, peoples.
