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...
:Faraway Dreams:
Chapter Sixteen:
"You look horrible."
Fedrich nodded. His clothing was still stained with blood despite the best efforts to scrub it clean, and his shoulder and tail were tightly bound with bandages. Small parts of his fur were missing, cut away so the healers could tend his wounds. Even his sword was mostly unclean, the doctors forbidding him from moving his arm any more than necessary, preventing him from working on it. "Trust me, I feel much worse."
"Regardless, after hearing details of Claire's combat prowess, to have defeated her and come out in your condition is worthy of praise. You have been sticking to my lessons, it seems."
The Burman grinned weakly. "Yep, they proved useful, although I've still got a lot to learn."
"...I suppose I owe you a debt of gratitude. Without your overzealous dedication to finding Claire, she might have completely disappeared from the public eye. I thank you on behalf of my parents and the whole Gestahl and Fulmen family."
"It's okay, Gordan, you don't need to be so formal." Fedrich slapped the nobleman's shoulder. "We're friends, consider it payment for all the times you helped me."
"If you insist." Gordan looked at Ruthy, the redhead standing casually at Fedrich's side. "Illis sends her heartfelt wishes for your safety and safe return. She adds that poking fun at Gerick is not any fun without you at her side to laugh."
"Thanks." Ruthy snickered. "So why are you here, Gordan? You didn't come all this way just to send word from home, did you?"
"My parents sent me here to assist on the investigation regarding the capture of Claire, and also to retrieve our business Airship, the Diamond Blackjack." He grinned, leaning against the wall of the medical hall's common room. "It would seem that with Claire being disposed of, my duties remain mostly accomplished. Already the Gestahl security teams have located and detained the man known as Joachim Frediamin, and soon we will be able to determine if anything the man says is true. His ownership of the family crest ring already makes him the guilty party who ordered uncle Setzer's assassination."
"Do you know why he did it?" Fedrich asked.
"He claims to be the bastard child of my great uncle Edvard Gestahl, although no one has stepped forward to second his claim. Even if his claim is true, there is no way that we would allow him to assume control of the business."
"Fedrich, we need to go." Ruthy motioned to her pocketwatch. "Sorry, Gordan, but we've got to meet a friend to see off for Alexandria."
"Of course, I would not want to detain you. We will be departing for Lindblum at midday, so please come to the manor when you are ready." Gordan bowed lightly, then walked out of the hall.
"You ready?" Ruthy asked, shouldering both her pack and Fedrich's.
Fedrich nodded. "Ready and able."
.
"Hey! You feeling any better?" Leena asked, tossing extra rations into the pouches on her chocobo. The white bird ruffled its feathers at the necessity of all the extra weight, warbling quietly. The two Regulators approach the stall after gazing around at the large number of birds resting on the grassy floor.
"Sore as hell, but up and walking regardless." Fedrich scratched at his bandaged shoulder. "Thanks again for helping Ruthy and me."
"Ah, it's no problem." She put some final pieces of food into a leather pouch. "Got to make sure I can repay people I owe while I can."
Fedrich offered the mage a hand. "Let's just consider it even. I'm not one to keep tabs."
Leena hesitated a moment, then tossed the pack across the choc's saddle and took his hand in a firm shake. She then slipped something out of her gold bodice and presented it to the Burman. He looked at it oddly, seeing it was a collection of beads similar to the ones on her hat, tied on a short length of rough thread.
"What's this?" He asked.
"In the study to be a Red Mage, generally the first thing the children learn to do is to tie in magic potential into physical objects. Every mage makes their own outfit from scratch, weaving in a thread of magic power with every thread of fiber." She took the beads and tucked them into the band around Fedrich's hat. "These are some of the first things I made in my training, I want you to keep it for some good luck."
Fedrich smiled warmly. "So now I can use magic or something?"
"Not quite." The woman knocked his head lightly. "It's got magic potential, so consider it a bonus on your part if you ever get into a fight. I think that one's a protection charm against magic."
"I'll be sure to remember that, thanks a lot."
Leena looked at the moonlit horizon. "Well, as much as I'd like to dawdle, I've got to be on my way to Alexandria."
Ruthy ran up and gave the elderly woman a brief hug. "You stay safe, Leena."
"You too."
Leena stepped up and gave Fedrich a sideways embrace. "You'd better keep out of trouble. I'm not going to come save your ass if it gets handed to you again."
"Right, right." He chuckled, returning the motion. "The same to you."
"Okay." She muttered, taking hold of the birds reigns and pulling herself onto the saddle. Adjusting her riding dress, she prodded her bird to action, its large feet stamping about in anticipation. Leena looked down at her two friends, allies when she needed them the most, and comrades in a foreign land.
"Well, farewell you two!" Leena smiled and waved. "Let's go, Polom!"
Her white feathered chocobo warked loudly, trotting out of the stable and into the plains of the Bentini heights. Kicking up a spout of dirt, the bird took off at a fast pace towards the north and her destination in Alexandria.
"Be sure to write us!" Ruthy shouted after the retreating mage.
The two Regulators stood at the stable doors and watched Leena ride away until the fleeting tail feathers crested a hillock and disappeared from view. Ruthy sighed happily, glad to have been able to help someone get back on their feet.
"I'll miss her."
"Me too, but she's got her own road to take." Fedrich smiled slightly. "They say that life is full of meetings, partings, and reunions, and that's what makes it worth the effort."
"Sage advice."
Fedrich nodded. "My father told me that when I left home. I think I know what he meant, now."
.
"Welcome!" Gordan waved. "I assume you both are ready to return home?"
"Yeah." Fedrich looked around in amazement. "This place is huge! How do you manage to remember where everything is?"
The nobleman chuckled. "I can attest to that difficulty. I nearly got lost trying to find entrance to the Airship dock."
"So there's even a dock in this place?" Ruthy prodded.
"Yes, this manor is not strictly a residential structure. Most of the Gestahl Industry is managed and operated within these very walls. The foundry is in the far back of the manor, management and business discussions are held on the upper floors, and the dock is located opposite the living quarters in the east wing." Gordan rubbed his hands together. "My duties here have been taken care of for the time being, so we can depart at any time."
"Let's go, then!" Ruthy insisted. "I've been homesick for days!"
"Okay, follow me."
The trio walked into a hallway lined with old paintings and potted flowers, artificial lights brightening the hall in tandem with large windows. Outside was a finely maintained courtyard, filled with a variety of trees and plants. Passing through a large entryway, they began climbing several flights of stairs. Pushing open a heavy door, they stepped onto a large platform at the edge of the manor. Hovering just above was the massive form of an Airship suspended by an even larger blimp, illuminated by several artificial beams of light. Both Fedrich and Ruthy gaped in amazement, and Gordan merely chuckled at their reaction.
"Impressive, is she not?" He asked, motioning up. "It took four years of complicated planning, construction, and spending, but the Diamond Blackjack is finally complete. Uncle Setzer's dreams and ambitions will finally take flight. It is tragic that he was unable to see it's maiden voyage."
"Great Goddess, this thing rivals anything I've seen yet." Fedrich swore, wide eyed.
"It is based off an old model Airship design that uses lighter than air gases trapped in a balloon to hold the craft aloft, thus allowing all the engine's power to be strictly for propulsion. The few remaining Cargo Class models are the example we took from." He started towards the ship entryway, a lowered stack of stairs granting access to the inside. "Come, the interior is just as marvelous as it's exterior."
The three walked up the stairs and into the front room, a crewmember taking their packs and stowing them for flight. Gordan then led them down a small hallway and into the center of the ship.
"The hidden jewel of the Blackjack, the betting lounge."
Before them was an immaculate chamber, the walls covered in a deep red wallpaper, carpeted floors and tables placed throughout. Massive roulette tables were placed in the center, and a bar was against a corner with a full complement of drinks and seats. Both of the side walls were replaced by long stretches of glass windows, allowing for a wide view of the outside world from the thickly padded chairs nearby. Artificial lights illuminated the whole room, and two crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling to provide a classy atmosphere.
"Uncle Setzer anticipated the future of the business well, he designed this lounge personally and made sure it would fit the tastes of anyone onboard. His clientele would be picked up from anywhere on the continent and brought to Treno for business talks, offering them a luxurious trip each way to help persuade them to work with him."
"It's beautiful." Ruthy praised, stepping into the room and staring at the expensive furniture. "It's amazing all this was put into an Airship, you wouldn't find this anywhere on the earth except a nobleman's home."
"Thank you, I am certain that uncle Setzer would appreciate it." Gordan paused a moment, rising out of the sadness that permeated his thoughts. "Let us proceed to the command room."
The three walked through the lounge to a door near the bar, pushing it open to reveal a flight of stairs. Ascending them, they walked down another hallway lined with passenger quarters and other necessary facilities, then came to a small stairwell. Climbing further up, this ended at a door that opened up to the center of operations for the Airship. A steering wheel sat at the center, surrounded by levers and switches, pressure gauges, and a plethora of other instruments. Two members of the crew were busy cleaning the windows as Gordan entered.
"Walkers! Tritoch!" The nobleman stated clearly.
The two workers dropped their work and saluted.
"You need something, Sir?" Walkers asked.
"Prepare for liftoff right away, destination being the Fulmen Manor in Lindblum!"
"Yessir!" The two again saluted, then ran to their stations and began their operations.
Gordan nodded, then strode forward to the front windows and looked outside at the dark scenery of the Gestahl manor. He fell into contemplation again, reviewing over his sudden placement into the upper hierarchy of his family business, something he wasn't prepared for at all. The excitement and honor of the position, however, dulled his fears to an acceptable level. He looked at his side to see both Fedrich and Ruthy admiring the darkened view of the estate.
"Did you find the answers you sought?" Gordan asked after a moment.
"...Yes." The Burman replied, holding in a sigh. Except now...now I've got more questions to solve...
-End of Part Two-
.The Author Speaks!
Okay, and that brings an end to the second part of the novel! Our poor heroes went through a lot of crap this time, and the following story arc looks to be just as strenuous for them. Will the Regulators stay together? Will Fedrich be able to succeed at his dream of winning the Master Hunter title? Will Gordan leave permanently, and will Illis follow him as well? What does the revival of the prophetic dreams hold in store for our poor Burman hero? Will I stop trying to hype this up now?
Alright, fine.
Like before, I'll be taking a rest from writing to go through the previous chapters and give them a looking over for errors, mistakes, and to unify the formatting that keeps getting mangled by ff.net's document manager. The only problem is that I don't know when I will work on the story. Anyone that's read this ought to know that I'm moving to Washington with my parents, and that'll definitely halt my writing for a few weeks. Even if I get to write right away, I have no idea how long it will be until we get internet access. The move date has been set to about mid June, so I'll give it a healthy month before you'll see me again, but let's hope it won't be that long.
How's it go, time makes the heart grow fonder? Ah, whatever. I'll be back in due time, my fellows, so until then...
