Chapter 13
Along the way we come across a shack, so we go in their, make a fire to warm us up and try to figure out what the notes say. Winry is sitting over by Al worried about him, I stand on the other side of the building leaning against the wall, listening to them.
"Look at this, he mentions that phrase again here", Marco says after Yoki sneezes.
"Yet another term for gold, its gotta be some kind of pattern", May replies looking at the book as Marco showed it to her.
"What are you trying to do"? Winry asks as she walks over to the group, I don't bother, I don't have the smarts for that kind of thing.
"We believe there's a chance these notes where written in code", Marco stats.
"You think so"? Winry asks.
"Alchemists are typically very protective of their research and methods, and berry the meaning of their notes beneath metaphor and allegory. But these are almost straight forward, there is something else going on", Marco says.
"We notice that he uses several different terms for gold and immortality across various passages. So we are checking to see if they are connected", May adds.
"And you think that could be the code"? Winry asks.
"We're hoping so", May answers. We all look over as we here an echoing sound.
"Where am I"? Al asks.
"Al", Winry says and right at the same time May squeaks in relief, "Alphonse".
"Thank goodness your ok, I was so scared that you might not wake up, I didn't know what to do", Winry adds.
"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out like that, so where are we and why am I in pieces"? Al asks. Then every one but me surrounds him, and explains where we are, and why he is in pieces.
"Has this ever happened to you before"? I hear Winry ask. I shake my head, I told them that it had when we where trying to find them. I shrug it off knowing that its going to be hard for them to trust what I say.
"Just once, when I was trying to find you guys", Al answers.
"Well then, I can't imagine it being very comfortable being in pieces like that, why don't we start by putting you back together", Marco says.
"Please if you don't mind", Al stats.
"Can you hold onto this while we fix him"? Marco asks as he hands May the book. While the others try to figure out how to put together the Al puzzle May seemed to be deep in thought watching them. After watching them briefly I watch as May looks at the book and tears the back off, and lets the pages fall.
"What are you doing May"? Winry asks as she noticed what May had been doing and every one looks over at her.
"Ah, what have you done, how could you be so careless May"? Marco asks as he rushes over to try and put it back together.
"You need to rearrange the pieces, why don't we try connecting each of the words for gold and immortality by physically over lapping them", May says as she sets some down on the ground.
Marco and Scar look at one another then help out, "An immortal being. This phrase appears earlier in the notes".
"A true being, huh, that over laps here", May says as she takes the page from Scar. I walk over to Al to put together Al, while those three figure that out. By the time they figured out how the sheets go, I had Al all put together, we both walk over to them as we look down at the sheets and see what they drew on them.
"Its the country wide transmutation circle", Al says.
"Its too late for this to help us now", Marco stas as he sits down.
"Wait are you saying what I think, you mean these damn research notes are completely useless to us"? Zampano asks.
"No way you can't be serious, but what about the? What is going to happen to our families, our country", Jerso adds.
"I'm sorry, I should of known that this was nothing but an act of futility, it was naive to think some one elses research could save us", Marco says.
"We're missing something, we've only broken the first code and I bet there's more, there's gotta be some other message hidden in their", Al says, then every one looks back down to the papers. Yoki then sneezes once again and blows some papers over.
"Can't you cover your mouth you idiot"? Jerso asks.
"Well thanks for caring that I'm getting sick, I can't help the fact that I'm catching ammonia", Yoki says.
"Who cares"! Jerso yells at him.
"Can't even tell which side of the page is right side up anymore", Zampano stats as he looks at a page and flips it over.
"Good job moron you blow the whole dam thing upside down", Jerso says.
"That's gotta be it, you take a bad situation and you turn it around, their is two sides, we gotta put it back together and then flip it over", Al says, and that's what every one does, they put it back together then flip it over as he had said. Then May draws the transmutation circle.
"You where right Al, this is it, its a new amestrian transmutation circle, but its activated through Xing's alkahestry instead", May stats. Now after all this, we then come up with a plan to get Envy out here, Zampano is to make the call, Marco is certain that Envy would come and get him all on his own. Knowing what he is like.
While we wait, I decide to help around the village, and when Jerso and Marco mention to Scar that they are going to go out and find some fire wood, that was my que to go with them.
"You where one of the big wig researchers at the fifth laboratory"? Jerso asks while we tie up some wood.
"I wasn't that important, I just had a few men working for me", Marco says, then he turns and continues, "Its been ages since I've spoken to any of them".
"Hey", Zampano says making his way over to us, with a man following behind him. I smile knowing who that guy is, but then frown knowing what is going to happen.
"Who is this man with you"? Marco asks after showing some fear.
"Hes just a nice drifter I met, he was hopping you could examine him doctor", Zampano answers.
"You can stop Zampano, nobody is falling for your bad acting", the kid says, and then he uses the stone to turn back into the look he likes to have. I grin seeing him, I all ways love watching him turn back into the person I know.
"Its nice to see you doctor, its been too long, I like what you've done with your face", Envy says, and as he walks over he asks, "Now, who do you think you are you honestly believe you could pull one over on me"? I flinch as one of the traps is activated and ice is stabbed through his foot.
"What is this"? Envy asks and Zampano rushes over to us.
"Zampano"! Envy yells.
"Ha, ha, ha, now what where you saying about my acting is bad"? Zampano asks.
"Thank you Envy, you couldn't have made our plans to lure you here any easier, you did just as we expected. You take such delight in your cruelty I knew you would come to capture me on your own", Marco gloats.
"Well your right about that one doctor, but do you realize that some one is with you who will help me? But now you've got me here, you asked for it", he says taking his foot off of the ice, then running again only to run into another trap. This one punches him into the air.
"What do you think Envy, there like land minds loaded with alchemy", Marco says while the others chuckle. I just look down, I don't want him to get hurt, but I can't do anything about it.
"That kind of alchemy doesn't even exist", he says then I hear more alchemy being used. I let out a small sound as I hear him let out a startled scream.
"It'll be fine, he isn't going to get killed", Marco says as he looks at me. I just shake and look at the ice cage that Envy breaks with ease.
"Dammit", he says, then jumps over to the foot prints that Zampano had made.
"You say they are land minds, well then all I have to do is follow your foot steps to avoid them", Envy says.
"That's not going to help"! I scream just as he activates another one, Jerso puts his hand over my mouth to shut me up, my need to help Envy toke hold of me.
"What the hell", he says confused as he is in the air.
"There set to detonate for Homuculi only, we've littered the entire area all beneath the snow. Well Envy how does it feel to have the tables turned on you, its not as much fun on that side is it"? Marco asks. I watch unable to do anything as Envy gets angrier by the second.
"Let her go, Jerso"! Envy yells and points to him.
"Never, she will help you, and she promised she wouldn't do that", he stats. I look down, I can't do this.
"What"? Envy snaps once more. Not liking this, I stomp on Jerso's foot and he lets me go, so I run a few feet away from him.
"Why you pest", Jerso says.
"Look don't touch me, I promise I won't rush out their and help him, nor will I say anything to give this plan away", I say over to him.
"I don't tru..", "Leave her the hell alone"! Envy snaps in his direction. I ball my hands into fists and look over to Envy I can feel tears forming in my eyes.
"I'm so sorry Envy", I say and fall to the snow.
"That's enough, you should of just done as you where told. If you really want to test me then I'll show you who is in charge"! Envy yells and starts to form into the giant form. He then brings his tail down and hits the snow, I had to jump away and get blown by it, as where the others. I watch as Envy looks around, spots me, nods his head briefly and then looks around again.
"That was a close one", Jerso says.
"Oh thank you", Marco stats.
"Your fast for a fat one", Envy wasn't able to say much of anything else as he gets quills in the face.
"You shouldn't underestimate us scum", Zampano says.
"Dammit", Envy says shaking the quills off his face and trying to go for him, only for May to set a few of the traps to stop him. He hits it away with his tail and says, "If you think your going to win this, your fools". I groan and look down, seeing Scar land on his back, "Is that so? He asks.
"Now then what do you think of this"? He also asks. I close my eyes tight and shake all over as I hear Envy's painful scream, a few tears managing to escape my eyes. I look up when I hear him fall.
"Envy", I whisper as I get to my feet, I look down noticing they feel wobbly.
"Is he dead"? Marco asks. And I smile when I see his tongue go out after him, not yet.
"Ha, ha, I gotcha", Envy says.
"Doctor", Zampano calls.
"Whoa, stay put unless you want him dead", Envy stats, then looks back at Marco.
"Now then, how should I punish you? What do you think doctor, how about I whip out a village of innocent people"? Envy asks.
"I'm not going to let you do that", Marco says struggling against his tongue. I watch as Envy brings his large hand up to him and flicks him to shut him up. I try my best to walk over to him, I don't like this, something don't feel right. I fall again to my knees, and again shakily get up.
"Quit trying to resist Marco, just look stupid", Envy says then sighs and looks over seeing a small village in the distance, where Winry and Yoki are.
"There we go, that looks right for destruction", Envy points out.
"Don't do it", Marco calls. Envy looks over some at him and replies, "But it would be wasteful to simply kill them, I could all ways take them back to Central instead", Envy adds as though he isn't paying any attention to Marco one bit. Then he turns and looks over in Zampano's direction, "We are running low on ingredients", then he looks back over to Marco.
"Monster, your still using souls to make philosopher stones, I won't let you, let my research team go, dammit", Marco says. Envy laughs some and looks at Marco with his white eyes, "Sorry its a little late to release them now that we've turned them into philosopher stones".
"You, sacrificed my men"? Marco asks unable to believe his words.
"What I forgot to tell you? Oh well doctor there's no point in crying over spilled milk now. Its not right getting upset considering all the stones you've made, and all the lives you put into them", Envy says then starts laughing. I make my way past Zampano who just stands their like a statue. After taking a few feet he looks at me and reaches out, grabbing my arm.
"Don't touch me"! I scream and yank my arm away from him and continue walking toward the two of them, really getting a bad feeling about this now.
"Your right, I've sacrificed many innocent lives to make your damn philosopher stones. I know better then any one else on how much pain into creating them, and not only do I know how to create them, but I know how to destroy them as well"! Marco yells.
"No, Envy"! I scream as I watch horrified when Marco puts his hand on Envy's nose. I fall once more to my knees and put my hands on my ears trying to drown out this scream, but even then it still didn't help, tears just flow down my face.
"I'm so sorry, please forgive me", I say. I don't know how long it had been, but I look up as Envy speaks, his head on the ground and his body still sitting, but my eyes widen in horror, his head isn't attached to his body, "In so much pain, no this can't happen it can't"! Envy yells. I put my hands to my mouth in a silent gasp as I watch as he is part human and part worm looking.
"This can't be, no. How could this, how could this happen? I could never be defeated by pathetic creatures like you", he says reaching out to Marco.
"And you, you chimaeras. No, quit looking at me, how dare you look at me. Don't look down on me you worms"! Envy yells then a small creature comes out of his head and lands a few feet away from the body.
"Don't look down on me, worms", the little green creature says. I watch as Scar pics him up.
"How pathetic, this is the thing that caused so much damage"? Scar asks. I get up and walk over to them, Marco on the ground catching his breath.
"We did it Marco, we won", Scar says. Then Al and May come running over. We then start walking, making our way back to the village. I look down at envy's true form and look away when I see him look at me. I feel like I'm going to cry.
"Doctor Marco are you all right, what happened"? Winry asks as we get to the village. I notice Yoki spots Envy.
"Whats that"? He asks. Envy looks over at him. We walk into the village and we explain a few things to Yoki.
"Whoa, I can't believe you would keep me in the dark about this", Yoki says.
"That's what you get for picking a fight with us humans", Yoki says and flicks Envy.
"Hey stop that"! I yell at him.
"No he deserves this", Yoki says as he continues to flick Envy. I was about to stop Yoki, but Envy got to it first by biting him, Yoki freaks out and runs around, then falls, Envy landing on his neck.
"Mister Yoki"? I hear May ask.
"Help get it off me", Yoki says. I look over and see Envy latched to his neck.
"Ha, ha I've hijacked this idiots body", he says in a different voice then the one I'm use to.
"Ahh, stop, let go. Some body help me, I can't control my body", Yoki says as he gets up and moves his arms around strangely.
"That's right you can't, now if you want him to live you'll do as I tell you", Envy says.
"Na, he's all yours, do what you want with him", Jerso says, and Yoki stops moving.
"Its not like he's our friend or anything", Zampano stats.
"Poor Yoki, I'm sorry I didn't know you better", May says.
"We'll never forget your sacrifice", Al says waving a clean X around. Yoki lets out a betrayal scream then turns to Scar.
"Please mister Scar, you won't stand back and let this thing kill me, right"? Yoki asks. I had to laugh at what happened next, Scar stairs at him for a while then turns his back to him.
"How can you turn your back on me"? Yoki asks.
"How about you, you won't let him kill me will you"? Yoki asks, turning his attention to me. I smile darkly at him and say, "Hey you where the one flicking him, and besides, I'm on his side remember". He seems to be taking this really hard, his eyes go wide looking at me.
"What is this, doesn't any one care about this guy"? Envy asks.
"Your wasting your time Envy, we've excepted the measures we'll have to take to defeat you. We'll destroy both you and this man if you don't surrender", Marco says.
"Dammit", Envy says then he lets go, I reach in and get him out, and let him stand on my hand. Al walks over to me and holds out his hand to me. I look at him with a look that says I don't want to.
"I'm free"? Yoki asks.
"Nice acting doctor", Jerso says. I take a step away from Al, Envy still on my hand. Marco falls over and Jerso catches him, "I'm afraid I'm not use to bluffing like that". Then every one smiles, but Yoki didn't hear it because he ran off.
"Damn all of you, none of you guys are my friends, how could you, your dead to me"! Yoki yells at us with tears going down his face.
"Come now Lisa", Marco says as he gets back to his feet.
"I can't I won't, I'll carry him, but I promise I will not run off with him", I say trying to hide Envy, who is looking at me shocked.
"Can we really trust you? If this is the Envy guy that Al said your in love with, then can we really trust you"? Winry asks.
"I am not in love with him, its nothing like that, and yes you can trust me"! I snap, but again my heart hurts for some odd reason.
"Brother trusts her enough to let her come with us, and besides I trust his judgement", Al says, "She can carry him".
"Thank you my dear boyfriend", I joke as I smile sweetly at him. May gives me the evil look and Winry gasps.
"She is just joking", Al says in his defence. I laugh, then look down at Envy, he just looks at me oddly, I look away feeling my face flush. We then walk to a building that we where allowed to use, and Winry had put a jar on the tree stomp in the centre of the room.
"Come on guys, isn't it bad enough that he had to be in this stat"? I ask just looking at the jar, to me its a little much. I then look at them and step back, they are giving me the dark looks.
"Oh fine", I say, then walk over to the jar and put him in it gently, Winry then puts the quark in the top so he can't try to get out. I sit away from the rest of them, as they talk and keep my eyes down, and for a while it stayed quiet.
"This sucks", I hear Envy say. I look up and see Jerso and Zampano walk over to the jar, I get to my feet ready to do something if they do anything to harm him.
"So, this seems like a good opportunity to interrogate you", Jerso says.
"I'm not talking", Envy says as he turns away and closes his eyes. Zampano brings his face over to the jar and growls.
"Spit it out you slug"! He yells as he shakes it making him hit the top and bottom. I rush over to him and take the jar out of his grasp he and Jerso frown at me.
"Don't you dare do that again"! I snap, they take a step back but look at Envy.
"Even if I do talk, your still going to kill me, whats the point fools", Envy says. I put the jar back onto the stump and sit by it.
"What"? Zampano asks not liking the fool part.
"So what's the deal, why isn't the Fullmetal pipsqueak with you"? Envy asks looking over at the others.
"Brother"? Al asks as he looks over, "I'm pretty sure he's at Briggs by now". I watch Envy and shake my head when squints his eyes.
"Oh, last thing I heard he'd gone missing", Envy says, I get up as Al rushes over and picks up the jar, then just rocks it, making Envy go on his back.
"What did you say, he's missing, tell me", Al demands.
"He disappeared after a mine caved in Boscool, I wonder if he is still alive", Envy says.
"Envy"! I snap at him, he only looks at me with slight fear in his eyes.
"He's lying, he has to be", Winry says.
After that, every one just sits around in silence taking this information in, I sit beside Envy, where May sits across from me and the rest of them sit together on the other side of the jar.
"So what now, should we head back to Boscool to check"? Jerso asks.
"No, that's not what brother would want. He would trust that I was all right and he wouldn't let a rumour stop him, so we are going to do the same thing and keep moving", Al says. Marco nods his head then Al looks down at the map.
"We can't give up hope, not yet", Al says. I watch Envy's face go to being disgusted at what Al says. I shake my head at him, he will never learn.
"I'll go my separate way for now", Scar says and every one gasps, "I've realized something about the actions I've taken. I don't intend to simply punish this country for what they did to Ishbal. I want to change it and I'll need your help Marco. The two of us need to set things right".
"All right then we'll travel together", Marco says.
"In order to change this country", May says.
"Actually I've got some place I've been meaning to check out", Al stats.
"Oh where's that"? Jerso asks.
"It's a town called Liore, I'm not sure, but I got a feeling that the tunnel runs under it", Al says and as he says that Scar walks over to the jar and hands it to May. I get up, "What the hell are you doing"?
"Here May, take this thing and return to your country", Scar says.
"Hold on", Yoki says as he finally says something.
"Yeah what he said", I add.
"Its the remnants of a seemingly constructable creature it might appease your emperor enough to save your clan", Scar says.
"I can't, who is going to teach you about alkahestry if I leave"? May asks.
"You need to think about your own country", Scar says as he moves the jar making Envy hit the glass, he turns and glares at Scar, if the situation was different it would have been funny.
"Have you forgotten why you came here in the first place? Your clan could lose its power struggle. And what explanation will you have for them when you return home? Will you apologize and tell them you where too busy saving another country"? Scar asks, then puts the jar in her lap, "Now go home, forget this place, leave this country's problems to its people".
May looks at every one and Al nods his head at her, she then gets up and says, "Thank you for everything".
"Hey wait a minute, you don't think I'll allow myself to go alone do you"? Envy asks annoyed. He then turns to me and stats, "I would like it if Lisa can come with her". I gasp at that, I didn't think he would want me around. Not after what had happened, and me being powerless to stop it.
The next morning, we get up and talk a bit before leaving.
"You take care May, once I learn the basics of alkahestry I'll be sure to find you to learn more", Al says.
"Oh, Alphonse", she says. Then she goes over and hugs him while crying, "Alphonse I'll miss you". Al pets her on the head before she backs away.
"And don't let her take that jar, you never know, she may let her feelings get the better of her", Winry stats pointing to me.
"Hey I'm right here", I say. She just smiles at me and I smile back, "Wait what feelings are you talking about"? She just sticks her tongue out at me. I frown at that, and start walking when May does. She then stops a good distance away and turns around then waves, "Good luck, I'll never forget any of you, goodbye", then she turns and starts to run, I follow suit so I don't get left behind.
"Have a safe journey May, and Lisa take care of her", Winry yells over to us as we rush away from them.
Ok another one finished. I'm sure that a few of the words are still spelt wrong, like the terms in the story for some things, but hopefully you still know what they are.