Known Figures

"Noo pleasee! I have a family" a middle age man was dragged like a rag-doll across a street outside an inn, his screams were heard all around yet no one dared to interject, no masses present were capable,his wife and child begged for the man but no one was daring - to even lift up a finger against their opposition seemed impossible. They were sheep in fearful wait for their undeniable but unsure fate. Fear befalls them like rain and like when it rains the people hoped not to get drizzled, hoped to not get drenched- they hoped they weren't pick for whatever, hoped they would just leave. The place wasn't barren, the inn and the houses looked like a normal slightly shabby small village but the group of rippers and thugs as they seemed, decimated the people into fear unbound, it was total chaos.

"All man below 67 and age above 10 must work the mines, On the Sloan kingdom side of Pilatun. This was already decreed by the Overlord and yet the village of Fuu'ue didn't comply"." Punishment is due and therefore here we are" A small middle aged man with a wig, spoke out loud, he looked unfit for combat and his half closed eyes proved that he is shrewd, in behavior and in looks too.

"We need people for our farms! Please we already sent a message to the Overlord" an elder pleaded for his people.

"He burnt your message, lousy scum!" The shrewd man said spitting down on the elder's feet.

"At least please spare the boys sire, please only the boys" the captured men screamed but it fell on deaf ears. The shrewd man, dark on humour - he laughed and continued "Men take any crops you can fill, any silvers, deins and valuables! We are raiding this place"."Round up the remaining men first then do the thing I just said".

" God will one day smite you all" The elder with tears, vouch vengeance.

"Your God can't touch us" the shrewd man said, with a sinister grin.

"No - No you just wait, King Ardamien Dekadora will come, he will carry out God's vengeance on you" But as the elder looked around , the thugs entered houses"Nooo" he said, they took their jewelleries, and robbed them of all "Noo--please stopp" the elder felt for the villagers, the young, the old, and all " You monsters ---- stop it---- stop taking our sons --- our wealth---our only cro-" No more sound was out, except a slight thud, Gasps all around and then a dis-harmonic sound of cries made up a noise.

"Graaaaanpaaa" a child cries out loud.

In front of the shrewd man - a body collapsed on the ground- headless - chopped off - by an underling, a ripper. It was the elder, the cut was clean but the results was grim. A full on riot by the villagers but a mysterious ripper present but unseen by all, made them all a vegetable( not literally ) their bodies, all of them were - stuck - like they all froze in time - they can't cry, they can't run-. They were stuck in a prison of time.

"Why'd you do that for?" the shrewd man asked the man who cut off the elder's head.

"He doesn't matter much anyway" the ripper answered.

The child who screamed, who saw his grandfather's head chopped off in an instant, forcefully engraved the identity of the ripper at fault in his memory. 'If only Al was here - grandpaa --- if only Al was heree, They will pay -- he will payy, Al please come back homee' he thought, while still stuck in time.

"There it is Lu!Guards-hold Town the best town in the -- worlddd". Szlick like he found El-dorado he was in a state of pure ecstasy that he dropped a full roasted quail by the side of the road.

Lu saw that and said" Quu-ail meat are a suh-preeme delicacy " sarcastically quoting Szlick.

" Cann youu smell it?" szlick asked, completely disregarding Lu, "Woooooo----" he shouted in joy, Szlick was completely attracted to bars and booze, the parties and all, it's safe to say that his buttons are super turned on.

Lu sniffed deeply and said "Meat and food?" his eyes gleaming.

"Ohhh but you forgot the booze, the ladies anndddd------" szlick for a moment pauses, his eyes was on a familiar soldier, he instantly - in that moment - slowly voicing out a whisper with the gentlest of tone - and continued "hide -- for now".

Szlick immediately pulled Lu behind a huge cart - a trader's cart, and he peeped -

A tall slightly buffed man with a buzz cut - blonde, eyes wide and looking very determined - sky blue and cyan on the epicenter was the color of his pupils, he looked 'pissed as ever' thought Szlick, "

Slowly Lu peeped right above Szlick's head, he whispered in the same tone and said " whoo-- iss thatt?"

Szlick - all eyes on Wadu - heavily focused - answered "Ohh- that guyy-- he's Wadu!, Iii--- may have -- well kind of buut not exactly,,, alsoo-- maybe slept with his niece one time" said Szlick, eyes set on Wadu - googling - would be the most suitable word to describe it, most serious - determined - to not get caught.

Just as Wadu walked past the cobble-stone gate of the town, he walked past the stone made road - a highway road - used for trade and such which runs straight past outsides of the gate and the town the road connects towns and villages, the place was highly guarded by the King's soldiers/guards. And when Wadu paved his way, following the shabby road in the forest which Szlick and Lu just came from, he stood motionless in an instant, 'I know this smell' he thought, he looked down and he saw leftovers of a full roasted Quail - 'no not the quail, it's the smell of a rotten excuse of a man, that's about to be shredded into ten something million. - *he take a deep breath*- Szlick I'll rip you apart' as Wadu was proclaiming vengeance - in his mind. A boy, a messenger with his bag of pamphlets bumped into him "Sorry mister! I didn't mean to... here! an apology" he said and he hands out one pamphlet which wrote:

"The village of Fuu'ue near Pilatun Valley on the border of Sloan was just struck with a raid, the results - the loss of a respected elder, wealth and crops, the man taken as prisoners in a mine - east of Pilatun, visibly orchestrated by Veradun".

'Sloan, Pilatun, This forest joins Pilatun in the west Wadu thought, "I bet they're there, Szlickk I'm coming,you rotten creep" he shouted, and not a moment later - strange breeze blows out of nowhere towards Wadu, the breeze forms a nigh-visible cloud beneath Wadu's feet - and with a sudden *fwwosh* He blasted himself in the air.

"Maaann I hope he falls and hits his head--" a pause and then " Hard" Szlick commented looking up at the guy, "Why?" Lu asked, "So then he'll forget about this little ol me". " Enough of this---- shiitt,the bar waits for no one". Szlick jumped up and stood up,

"Cmon Partner, let szlick show you the high life" and he bows directing the way like some gentle mannered servant of sort, "Don't mind me, ol'sport" said Lu, classily walking, with his neck on the clouds. "Hold up!" Szlick halts Lu and as Lu turns around Szlick was talking with the messenger "So what exactly did he say after?" Szlick said, "Well! he didn't say much, but he looked scary though, like he was giving his all in some revenge plot or something,, I don't know but I'd hate to be his target, he scares me" the messenger said.

"Thanks little man, just give me a holla when you're off duty, Szlick will show you the wayy--- ain't that right partner?!" Szlick turned at Lu, who was captivated by the town's design and was in awe.

After waving farewell to the boy messenger they finally entered the town.

A tourist - 'Lu' gleaming with curiosity as he never went to a town before, he saw things - houses, gardens, the town fountain Square, castles of the soldiers, high traders and ministers , the green bustling Lone dome park with tamed harmless beasts and children of all ages running around, the market and it's noise and finally the bar -- "O silent O'haaareee" Szlick shouted as soon as thrusting the two wooden doors of the bar open, the loud - mouths - they were shook for a minute, an air of awkward silence filled the bar, Lu stood firm slightly behind Szlick- motionless - he was a plain log burrowed on the grown in a shape of a man. Then a voice from the bar uttered, he wasn't on the tone of a high note but the silence made it seemed loud "The King of motion, I presumed" he said " The boozyee with the cookie. I'd guess" Szlick quickly replied and another moment of awkward silence, Lu wasn't quite sure about the air in the bar, 'Ehhhh--- what's with the silence--- Do I simply get a drink?! but Szlick told me to act proper' Lu thought, standing in the shadow - in the corner.

But then laughter from the bar keep, of the dirtiest kind - like a partly blocked drain - the laughter was barely out and yet loud also dirty like nicotines crying to be set free from their prison of a throat. Like it was rehearsed Szlick followed in with his own brand of dirty laughter "Szlick boogie doogie jahgger", the man hugged Szlick, " Silent cocktail O'hare, How you doing man?!".

"Shitty as always" Silent replied.

Like nothing happened the people in the bar, drink and yack about - loud and fun - as they all were.

"I liked you to meet Lu my partner" Szlick introduced Lu,

"Lil short ain't he?" Silent remarked, staring at Lu.

"Ayyy!! Short man still drinks heavy" Lu replied, leaving Szlick with a closed mouthed smile and Silent in pause, and then again "Hhhguahhahaha" Silent laughed " I already like him ". " Hguahaha, come come, sit with me -- there --" Silent pushes Szlick and Lu in the bar stool, "What you feeling this evening" Silent asked the gents as he step sideways and puts his bottles in show.

The show was bright too bright - golden - for Szlick" Why are exctascy bottled, theyyy been calling me, they wantt mee badd -- Daddy's here girls" Szlick praised the treasures - drooling - looking at the fine bottled wine and all sorts of alcohol, a collection of it's proud owner Silent. The two - Szlick and Lu - looked up to turn their party on, all the while trouble between Kingdoms was brewing slowly.

The messenger sets out from Whatchers keep which stood near Pilatun Valley to Uden the capital of Alk-Land kingdom, from there, he further went through five villages, two small towns including Guards-hold, he relayed and handed out pamphlets after pamphlets which recited the incident of Fuu'ue. All who knows of this - their thoughts as though connected were left with the feeling of disgust as they lived in the kingdom of peace - a kingdom - a dictatorship in a way but with a ruler of mercy, pitied they all felt for the villagers and people of Sloan, cruelty as they all know and they wondered 'is another war at hand?'.

Two old man in a blissful wooden chair in the outer lands of a village - swang child like from a chair hanging down a branch of a tree, "So Veradun is at it again!" one of them barely voicing it out, "What's that?" the other too, barely making a sound, "You know? , Veradun the overlord? " the other repeated.

"Oh! Him, he died in the last war"

"He did not, He's still being a bad boy today".

" What's that?"

" People don't change easily"

"I miss the boys sometimes".

" Oh!! our good ol warring days".

"How long has it been"

"46 years, I presumed"

"10 years, you old fool"

"It seems the years have taken their toll on you, 46 years grandpa"

"10 years senile old pervert". War veterans the two old man, Spitting trash back and forth, a sight seen by villagers working the fields,' friendship do last forever' they thought, the scene took away their fear for the people of Sloan and for another war.

Back at Guards-Hold the boy made his way to the Colonel's office who after relaying the pamphlet to him looked scarier than usual, his eyes like a predator locking on prey but gives a hint of a traumatic experience. The Colonel looked shocked and glad at the same time, he looked like he's in pain too - the scar in his face started to twitch and itch but he kept his composure intact - respectable and dependable, and then he spoke " Is that all Pay?".

"Uhh!! Yes, others are just accounts on farms and stuff"

"Thank you Pay" Mustang added, Pay the messenger could see the droplets of sweats - like little puddles in his forehead - his eyes still looked determined and yet still scarier than usual, Pay was too scared to ask if the Colonel was alright. "Before you head to the capital, I'd like you to take a short detour to General Sako, is that doable?" Mustang asked Pay, demanding yet calm.

"Yeaa!! I'm the fastest, won't take much of my time away" Pay shyly added. " Thank you again Pay" Mustang added, "Sooo -- I'll be going? now? Sir? " Pay looked pale, the Colonel was clearly different.

As Pay opened the door he bumped at Lucy who stuffed - hugged - her arms full of papers upto her face. The papers fell on the floor.

" Sorry" Pay immediately apologizes, "Nevermind It was my fau-- Pay?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Oh hi sis!" Pay smiled and bent down to help Lucy pick the papers. " What's your hurry bumping into me like that" Lucy bickered a bit, "Welll-- the colonel seemed kinda mad about the pamphlet" Pay said. "Well he always frowned when Veradun is brought up" Lucy said, the siblings still picking up the tons of papers, "Sis -- I don't think you should clumsy up with the colonel today" Pay with a whisper warning Lucy, "Whatt?? who's clumsy,? Say that again and It's salad salad salad for dinner" Lucy grumpy and added "But yeaa, he is scary sometimes" Lucy reminisces Mustang's scary moments and suddenly " Woaahh! It's him" exclaimed Pay bringing back Lucy to senses, "Him who?" she asked.

"This guy!! Szlick he's cool,he promised me a fun time" Pay said holding up the poster of Szlick.

"Yo--You, where?" Lucy asked - barely sounding normal.

"Isss he your boyfriend?! " Pay with an un-impressed look, " You can do better sis! the other guy!? suits you better but Szlick's sooo--" Pay interrupted and with a girly of a shout "other guy do you mean----" Lucy like a dog digging ground scattered the papers and brought up the picture of Lu "Him?" she asked.

"Yee--yeah" Pay brought aback by his sister's enthusiasm.

"WHEREE?" she shouted. Bringing the other soldiers and officers to annoyance and they shouted "LUCYYY!".

" oops" she whispered and shouted out "SORRY" and whispered to Pay with the gentlest - cutest of voice "where".

" they told me they were going to a bar besides the park" Pay answered, "Why si--" before pay could finish, Lucy as if lightning possessed pushed the Colonel's door, the force slightly excessive as it drops the nameplate reading 'Colonel Arhea Mustang' just barely hanging on one side, she stood close to the still opened door, behind her was Pay observing. Lucy red face and loud she said "Secretary Lucy reporting in sir! prepare for good news and Good bye sir!".

She hurried quickly to the main door and shouted " Pay pick those up and put it on my desk and a special dinner for tonight,,,Quails" and she zoomed(fast) out, leaving the whole strong-hold in annoyance and then there's Pay with a hundred or so solitary pages to pick up and an opened - name plate broken door - inside, an annoyed Colonel, the vessels on his forehead long and large, twitching and on the verge of popping - a sight that made Pay coughed up a short laugh with a large drop of sweat.