Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Fullmetal Alchemist. I also have not seen all the epis, so if some things are out of place, forgive me. Have any comments, please leave them and I'll make notes of them. I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can.
The woods of the eastern region were not a quiet place. Not at first. These woods were filled with the shouts of soldiers running around with their guns ready. They were looking for something. Something they kept referring to as "Chimera", "Monster", and "Beast". Even as the freezing rain fell and made visibility even less than the branches of the trees already made it, they searched the forest for their lost target.
One soldier stood out from the others. His black jacket, tee shirt, and pants were in contrast to the blue uniform the rest of them wore. A silver pocket watch testified his rank. His shaggy raven black hair was soaked and dripping with rain water. His dark onyx eyes scanned his surroundings. Two armed soldiers stood behind him following his lead. They kept watch and listened to the shouts of the other soldiers. They had been searching for hours with no success.
A peculiar shouting caught the attention of the soldier on the right. It was coming from up North. "I found something," the shouting voice said over and over.
The blonde soldier, known as Michael, turned to his fellow soldier and leader. "Sir, they found something."
The black haired leader glanced over his shoulder at Michael. His cold gaze gave Michael the creeps no matter how many times he has seen it. "Show me," the captain said.
With in minutes, the group of three was joined by many others. In time, a small group gathered around one soldier crutching near a mud puddle. The black haired leader stepped from the crowd to obverse what was just found. The young soldier looked up to see his leader standing there waiting for a report. "Captain Vilonce, sir," the soldier said, pointing out what he had found.
The so called mud puddle was odd sharpened. It was round on one end, but on the other it was jagged, that the foot print of a large animal. Four clawed toes extended from an oval shaped print. The captain stared at the print for a moment, standing still, silent and unmoving. Then, still without so much as an expression on his face, he gave orders. "Search the surrounding area," he said. "Look for anything possibly out of the ordinary." He pointed a bony finger at the soldier that found the print. "I want you to search for my tracks such as this."
"Yes sir!" The soldier said, standing and saluting to his officer before doing as commanded.
The rain refused to let up. If anything, it rained harder. Visibility in the forest was being more limited as the misty water obscured the soldiers' range of sight. Many of them were cold and wishing they were home in a nice warm bed by now, but knew they had to stick to their duties. Another hour or so rolled by since they found the print and not another sign since had shown itself. Even Captain Vilonce was about to give in.
That is, until the screams started.
The first one ran out through the forest and many of the soldiers heard it. If they were not aware already, the gun shots would sure get their attention. However, when they got to the source, all they found was the mangled body of the soldier that found the one and only footprint. His chest was slashed opened, his face barely recognized, muscles in his legs torn, and his right arm was missing. Blood mixed with the mud in puddles around him. His gun was half buried in the ground near him. The entire area was so slick many of the men kept their distance while others took caution while inspecting the body.
By the time the captain got there, the three soldiers were done giving the body a once over. But, when they turned to give their report another scream came from somewhere behind them. Then another, and another.
"Be on your guard, men, and stay close," the captain commanded. "Don't let each other out of your sight." He motioned for his privates to follow and set forth.
The first scene they came to was just as unpleasant as the last. The next was even more unpleasant. The body of a dark haired soldier laid in ruins in the muck its blood created. His face was completely torn off. Organs spilled from his open gut, and his limbs were still attached only by threads. While other men were disgusted by the mess, Vilonce only grew more enraged. This creature had to be stopped. Only now taking it back dead or alive was not an option. Destruction was the course to be taken.
Several meters southwest of the captain's location, a foot soldier known as James was taking a through sweep of the area. His auburn hair was matted to his scalp by the rain and its icy chill cut through his clothing like frozen daggers. Despite his captain's command, he had lost sight of his fellow soldiers, and they lost sight of him. Knowing general direction, he hoped to find his way back to the others before the beast they were hunting found him. With so much rain and water, his gun would become useless. Wet powder will not discharge and rust might cause the barrel and bullets to become weak and unstable.
Hearing the screams and seeing the dead body of a man he once knew made James extremely nervous. Not to mention jumpy. Every time it sounded as though a twig popped, he would turn on his heels, aiming his gun, hoping it was not the creature they were hunting. His heart was racing and his breath was coming in quick burst. Thunder was roaring across the sky, though the clouds which blocked out the sun. That and the rain did nothing to ease James' nerves.
The worst part about knowing that there is a killer monster on the prowl is when you finally meet it. There was no cracking of twigs, no ruffle of leaves, not even a splash in the mud. When James turned around he found himself staring face to face with the target they have been seeking. Fierce, crimson eyes stared into his. The rage of a beast coursed through the large orbs. James was too frightened to take in all the details of the beast. All he knew is that it was a head taller than him and obvious on hind legs. Jaws full of razor fangs were exposed from peeled back lips. A snarling sound echoed from the throat of the creature. Rain water dripped from long jet black locks.
James' heart felt as though it was now beating in his throat. He struggled to sallow it and calm himself, but he shook uncontrollably. He no longer cared for the icy chill of the rain, the fact his boots were sinking into the mud, or even finding his comrades. All he wanted now was to get back alive, but at this point it seemed impossible. James' body flinched when long, sharp, black talons were scrapped across his neck. It was not a killing blow, or even drew blood, but James was so scared he reacted to it all the same. With a quick motion, he raised his gun and fired at the creature's head.
The shot missed. The creature did not even move in a reaction to his. Instead, it merely raised a shaggy brow before driving his claws into James' neck and began feasting on his flash.
Captain Vilonce was getting tired of this. Several men were down and not a single sign of the creature has shown up yet. Not to mention the rain and mud added to his annoyance. Vilonce glared at the thunder clouds above, clinching his fist. One of the Privates near him began to twitch uncontrollably. "Captain," the private said. "Captain!"
The soldier fell into the mud near him and was his body was jerking severely. His eyes stay on his captain as his body acted as though it had a mind of its own. Another private that was following the captain placed his hand on Vilonce's shoulder. Once the captain took a deep breath and calmed his temper, the Private stopped jerking and was able to regain command of his body. Standing, he gave the captain once last glance before returning to his duties.
Before they were able to press on, another scream echoed through the forest, then another, and another. Accompanying them were gun shots that were quickly shut off. Vilonce pointed out the direction the screams came from and the men prepared to move out. That was until screams started coming from the other direction.
The captain looked around, puzzled. The screams started to come from all around them. His men were being slaughtered at an alarming rate by an enemy they can't even but a face on. The only explanation he could come up with was not good for them. If they were outnumbered, then there is no way they could make it out of this forest alive. However, it was their duty to stop this terror, and so they press on. Leading his men, Vilonce picks the direction of the most recent scream and charges for it.
Lead by some unseen force, as if acting upon an instinct, Vilonce kept running. His eyes were focused up ahead, and every now and then he would turn slightly as though he was fallowing the path of a creature he was pursuing. The captain ran through the forest swiftly, slashing through puddles of mud and crashing through low branches. His privates that were assisting him, however, were having a difficult time keeping up. A few of them slipped in the puddles, others got caught by limbs.
When Vilonce finally stopped running, he was standing in the center of a small clearing. The four private soldiers came crashing through the tree line and regained themselves, taking in deep breaths and fixing their clothing. They were all tired from the chase.
Something was not right. Vilonce felt it in his bones. All the screams had stopped and the forest fell quiet, except for the rain that continued to fall. All attention was turned to their surrounding area. For some strange reason, Vilonce felt alone, that his men were all gone. It did not frighten him in the least. However, it did irritate him to a great degree.
The Privates that stood by him, though, were shaking, and not from the cold either.
Vilonce walked to the center of the clearing. His fellow soldiers took a step to follow, but a clawed hand with long talons burst from the chest of one of his men. The three others turned their guns to fire, but they all discharged in a bust of flames due to being rusted from rain. One blonde soldier fell back into a puddle of mud. When he looked up to see what was going on a shard of shrapnel from one of the guns flew right into his eye and lodged itself deep into his skull. By the time Vilonce looked over his shoulder to see what was going on, his men were already doomed. He caught sight just in time to see his last two soldiers get torn to shreds.
Standing there among the corpses it created was the beast they were hunting. Exact details were obscured by the rain and lack of sunlight, but the captain knew this was no ordinary creature. It stood on his hind legs like a man, but the features it showed were more inhuman than anything else he had ever seen. Crimson eyes were the most noticeable thing.
"You bastard," Vilonce cursed the monster as he glared at it with hated eyes.
Clenching his fist, he let all his hatred, anger, and vengeance into the air and world around him. Sparks of light traveled in the air, through the rain and puddles, the trees felt the surge of energy. And the corpses were electrified as well. Deep within the once proud soldiers, bones started to creak and move. What was once in animate stood once again.
Vilonce continued his staring contest with the beast when they were no longer alone in the clearing. All the soldiers that were killed walked out of the tree lines. Those who were no longer able to stand were left behind. Bones popped and creaked as they moved about and surrounded their prey. The captain was in control over his army once again.
"Kill him," he said, his onyx eyes glowing with alchemic power.
Every corpse that was giving the ability to move again attacked the creature at once, but, the beast was smart. He lashed out at their legs, cutting through muscles and ridding out bones, snapped some like twigs and discarding them. Even at that, the numbers were proving difficult for the beast. Yet, even at that, within a matter of minutes the monster ripped many of the corpses apart and used its inhuman strength to knock others out of the way to give him better mobility.
Vilonce saw that it was a losing battle. It's not a wonder how it was able to take out his entire armed fleet. Now, standing alone in the drenched forest, it was time for him to take a last stand and live up to the title of the Necro Alchemist.
The walking corpses gave up on attacking the beast and started gathering around Vilonce. They latched onto him in various patterns, covering him from head to toe. Even the ones missing their legs crawled until they were part of this mass of bodies. With a wicked smirk on his face, and a blazing glare in his eyes, Vilonce worked his alchemy once again. Electricity surged through him and the corpses. The energy built more and more. In a flash, Vilonce and the corpses disappeared, and something else took its place. Something far beyond human.