Blind Ambition
Chapter X "Rush"
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"So," Kain Fuery stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "What are the three key processes to performing alchemy?"
Jean Havoc yawned. His lit cigarette fell from his lips and landed on his lap. Drowsiness had delayed his body senses and he couldn't feel the small burn his cancer stick was forming. His head bobbed as he tried to stay awake.
"Matter, decomposition and reconstruction and manipulation." Riza answered.
"Correct!" Kain smiled and slammed the book he held shut. "You've learned all of the basics of alchemy."
Riza sighed and rubbed her eyes. "It's not enough."
Heymans Breda and Vato Falman nodded from their corner of the room, both were indulged in a furious game of chess.
Havoc, half asleep, finally felt the burn from his cigarette, which had already sparked a small flame in his lap, jumped up with shock and pain. "Ah! Hot!"
Riza and Fuery jumped and glanced at the blonde, lunging in the air with his lap on fire. Riza sighed again and hung her head down. Fuery stood with his hand to his chin and wondered what he should do, the flame was getting bigger.
Breda and Falman pried their eyes away from their game and once they saw Havoc jumping in panic they lunged to their feet.
Havoc succeeded in patting the flame away, but his face flushed a deep crimson as the men in the room roared into laughter.
As the men laughed, joked and mimicked Havoc's reaction to the accident, Fuery glanced at Riza and felt his good mood melt. Her head was hung over, her eyes closed and her breathing slow. She had fallen asleep.
At that same moment the rest of the men noticed their sleeping companion and fell silent. Breda and Falman cleaned the room from litters of food wrappers. Fuery tended to the dishes and Havoc picked Riza up and placed her onto her bed.
The tragic news of the alchemical criminals had already spread to Central by the time Riza reached the city. She immediately settled at a new apartment, she couldn't bare to move into her old one, and settled within the week. Since she lost everything in the fire she had to buy new clothes and food, as well as a few things for Black Hayate.
Once she had everything in order she thought about getting a job. Both her and Roy's savings were enough to support her for years without work, so she was free to study alchemy all day, every day. Studying was all that she did.
The first week was the hardest. One moment she would be able to study, the next she would break into a fitful sob. Most nights she avoided sleep. She couldn't sleep. Every time she did she was only haunted by painful memories.
Where did she find alchemy books? Most of them were borrowed from Luis Armstrong, others were books that Breda, Havoc, Falman and Fuery had managed to get a hold of.
Every other day Fuery, Breda, Falman and Havoc visited Riza and helped her study. By the end of the day they'd quiz her on everything that she had studied that day and the one before. Most days ended with Riza falling asleep where she sat.
Fuery sighed as he rinsed a cup. "She's exhausted."
Falman nodded while he picked up the freshly rinsed cup from Fuery and dried it. "Despite what she says, I think she studies throughout every night. Well, except for the nights we visit."
The shorter man nodded.
Breda walked in with fists full of wrappers and other trash. "I've noticed she doesn't eat much either." He said as he threw away everything. "Most of her food looks untouched every time we visit. And when we're here she hardly touches her food."
"You guys think there's any way to help her?" Asked Havoc as he walked into the tiny kitchen. For once a cigarette was absent from his mouth. "I never expected for her to take Roy's death like this."
"How did you expect her to take it?" Fuery asked. The last dish was cleaned and placed away by Falman.
Havoc shrugged. "Like how she always reacts to everything else. She accepts it, dismisses it, and acts as if nothing happened."
Breda shook his head. "I don't think she could ever behave like that with something as serious as Roy's death. You saw them at their wedding. They were so happy."
Havoc nodded. In all his years of working with Riza he had never seen her smile or laugh. The only time he saw her happy was on her wedding.
"What worries me," Fuery added, "is the way she's studying. She studies as if she's preparing for the State Alchemist exam."
Falman raised an eyebrow. "That exam is two months from now. There is no way she could ever be ready by then. Not when she's learning alchemy from the beginning for the first time."
Fuery shrugged. "A part of me wants to ask her if she is going to take it. But another says not to."
"Why" Breda asked.
"I just think that...if I ask she may really want to take it."
"Why would she ever want to be a State Alchemist anyway?" Havoc asked. He patted his pockets for a fresh cigarette. He went a minute too long without one, and he really enjoyed smoking when trying to think. "She just said she wanted to lean so she could kill that bastard."
Fuery hummed to himself. "Hmm, but as a State Alchemist she would have the necessary resources and power to search for that man."
Breda nodded. "That makes sense."
"The most we can do for her now is let her sleep." Falman announced.
The men agreed and continued cleaning the mess they made. Once they were done, they left as quietly as they could.
Black Hayate yawned greatly. Now that the guests were gone he stepped next to Riza bed. After turning in a circle he laid on the ground and fell asleep.
Riza couldn't sleep for very long. When she awoke from her dream, nightmare actually, she half expected to catch the guys sneaking out. Most times she woke up before they had time to leave. When she found her apartment empty she got up and took a shower.
Once she was bathed she sat next to her mountain pile of books. It amazed her how it took roughly half a week to finish one book. Her goal was to be able to get through one a day, but she knew she was pushing her limits. Even without eating and sleeping, she still couldn't get through a book in a day. They were way too detailed and long.
Better study hard if you want to take that exam.
"Shut up." Riza whispered to herself.
Her voice woke Hayate, but he simply rearranged himself so he was laying on his back and fell asleep again. He was already used to hearing Riza speak to herself.
Do you really think you can pass that exam? You can barely pass those stupid tests those idiots create. Even better, you can't even understand what most of these books say. Memorizing facts is one thing, but its another to actually use them for practical use. Have you transmutated anything? By now you should be able to transmutate yourself a new husband. Its what you want, right?
"Shut up!" Riza screamed, tossing the book across the room.
Frustrated, she climbed to her feet and went to the bathroom to run cold water over her head.
"Calm down."
Instead of crying, get your ass back and study.
"Calm down."
The more time you waste, the stronger that bastard gets. The farther he gets from you. The more he kills. The more husbands he steals away from other happy women.
Sighing, Riza turned the faucet off and picked up the book she threw. Luckily the pages didn't tear, she'd hate to return a damaged book to Armstrong after he trusted her with all of his priceless books.
She opened the book and began to read. In two weeks she got through reading all the basics and other useless things she had to memorize. Now, in this book, she was to practice transmutation.
With a piece of chalk in hand, she mimicked the circle from the book and drew it onto the ground.
"Break a small stick in half, preferably a pencil, and place it in the middle of the circle." Riza read aloud.
She found an unused pencil, broke it, and placed it in the center of the circle she drew. She read the instructions in the book before trying it out for herself. With her eyes closed, she concentrated. She envisioned how she wanted the pencil to become whole again. Riza placed her palms onto the circle.
The lines of the circle flashed, which blinded Riza for a swift moment. Then laying in the center of the circle was her pencil in one piece. Yet, it wasn't straight. The pencil had attached itself in a T shaped form.
Sighing, Riza sat back and leaned against her wall. She rubbed at her dark eyes. This was going to be a long night.
Two days later, a knock echoed in Riza's apartment.
"Riza." Havoc's voice called.
After a brief moment Black Hayate stood behind the door and barked. Havoc knocked again but heard no reply from Riza.
"Uh...we're coming in." Havoc called. Hopefully the door was open and Riza was probably in the shower.
He turned the doorknob and once he stepped inside his eyes grew wide. "Riza!"
He sprinted towards Riza's body, which laid face down in the center of the room. Breda, Falman and Fuery stepped inside and also panicked once they found Riza's body.
"Is she okay?" Fuery inquired.
Breda and Falman joined Havoc to inspect Riza. They turned her so she was laying on her back. Then they noticed her chest rise and fall, then repeated.
Everyone heaved a heavy sigh.
"Good, she's just asleep." Breda whispered. His face was sweaty and red from the sudden shock.
"Hey." Falman ushered his friends. "Look."
Everyone turned to where their older friend had pointed. Amazed, they stared at a slick and shiny object that rested on the floor. It was surrounded by a white circle, instantly recognized as a transmutation circle.
"A...gun?" Asked Fuery. He stepped closer to the weapon and clenched his fist to keep himself from touching it. He had never seen such a weapon before. It resembled a rifle, yet it wasn't as thin nor was it as long. It was thicker and shorter with a huge barrel.
"Unngh." Riza stirred. Her eyes opened and focused.
"Riza?" Havoc asked the sleeping woman.
"Huh?"
Riza stood up slowly. She recognized Havoc's voice and figured it was the time they usually show up. The sun was high in the air, its rays piercing through her window which added some much needed warmth to her.
How long have I been asleep?
"You fell asleep?" Breda asked. It was a stupid question, but he wondered why of all places she had to sleep on the floor. Unless she studied to the point where her body automatically slept to recover its energy.
Riza rubbed her face and yawned. Her back and neck were sore, but she ignored them. She spent countless times in the past during the war where her only bed was a rough rocky ground.
"Sorry." She whispered. "What?"
She frowned as she watched her friends stare at her with amazement.
"Did you make this?" Falman asked, he pointed down at the weapon by his feet.
Riza smiled. It took her a night to get the hang of transmutation. By morning yesterday she started to transmutate everything and everything she could find. The transformations were slow. But by night on the second day she was able to convert most simple things with ease. From torn pieces of paper into a whole piece to pieces of fruit and other foods into a whole piece again. Once she was done with repairing things, she moved onto creating new things. All night she worked on combining the metals of her weapons to form a new weapon.
Hard work pays off, doesn't it?
Smiling again, Riza nearly replied to herself. She bit her tongue to keep from answering her own question. But, nevertheless, she was happy with the rapid process she was making. However, her success came at a price. She couldn't remember the last time she ate a full meal and nor could she remember sleeping for anything more than two hours. Her body was weak and fatigue, but she kept a firm face in front of her friends.
Merely standing on her feet and she felt as if she were to pass out any moment.
"Yes, I made it." She finally answered with a small grin. "Its nothing extravagant, but I built it so it could cause more damage than a rifle, but its consequence is that it has a far shorter range. So its most lethal at a close range."
Havoc whistled. "You should show it to the military. I'm sure they would love this."
Riza smiled again. "They'll see it alright. But now yet. Not yet."
"When?" Breda asked. "And have you tested it yet?"
The blonde sat down on a chair. Standing any longer and her legs would have failed. "I haven't tested it. But it should work just fine. If there's one thing I know like the back of my hand it's the anatomy of a gun. Using alchemy to build a new one was simple."
"You're not planning on taking the State Alchemy exam, are you?" Fuery asked. Suddenly he wished he didn't ask.
Riza nodded. "I need to take the exam."
It was as much as Fuery had feared. "But...why?"
Shrugging, Riza stifled a yawn. "State Alchemists are equivalent to a Major. With that position I can have numerous resources that can help me find him. Classified reports, funding, I can even have a squad under my command. I need all of that before he can do any more damage."
Fuery nodded. "Well...you have a whole year to study."
Riza frowned. "No, I'm going to take this year's exam."
"But, but..." Fuery stuttered. "You'll have two months to cram! That's not enough time!"
Then Fuery and the rest of his coworkers felt a spasm from their spine as they stared at Riza's face. Never had they seen such a death glare from her.
"What I've accomplished in a week and a half is what most people accomplish in half a year." Riza replied icily.
True, her success was unbelievably quick, but from what she's learned in alchemy, everything is granted at a cost. To understand and perform alchemy so fast she sacrificed her own humanly needs. She denied herself food, water and sleep for days. She ate and drank what she needed to survive, and she only allowed herself to sleep when her body forced it upon her. Her last sacrifice was time. She never spared herself a moment from studying. Even in the shower she stuck notes above the shower head so she could study and memorize.
Her body hurt and she felt horrible, but her determination to learn overpowered all pain. Its even shadowed the pain in her chest.
Now you can see why they called Edward a genius in alchemy.
Riza closed her eyes. A faint smile grew to her lips. She would remind herself later to pay Edward a visit, she and Roy hadn't heard anything from him since their separation before the Fuhrer was still in office, and alive.
"I'm going to take that exam and pass." Riza announced.
With that, she picked up her newly designed weapon and stored it away. Then she picked up some more books and rested them on the table. She had a lot of work to do before the exam approached.
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