Father surveyed the group, his expression cold and calculating.

Dante stood on his left while Pride stood on his right. Envy stood in between them, and Sloth was off sleeping in a corner of the room, his breathing very slow.

Dante smiled. "So, things are going well. Quite well. But there is one matter we have to address. The humans are putting together some sort of plan to stop us. Should we intervene, or let them be?"

Envy grinned sadistically. "We should crush them immediately. We need to show those vermin who's really in charge."

Pride shook his head. "That isn't necessary. As long as we don't interfere with them, they'll think we don't know about their plans. And as long as they think that, they'll think they have a chance at success, and let their guard down."

Pride glanced down at his hands and flexed his fingers, still getting used to his new container. "In the end, it doesn't matter if they eliminate the senior staff and seize control of Central. All that matters is gathering all of the sacrifices together on the Promise Day. If we let them be, we won't have to chase them; they'll come to us."

Father spoke. "Yes, I agree with Pride. They are no real threat to us. The only one who might actually present a threat is Hohenheim. But from what you observed, Dante, he's still too soft. Crushing him will be easy. And once he falls, the rest will follow. Keep an eye on them, but let them think we're still ignorant."

Envy bowed his head slightly. "Very well, then. After we use them, we get to kill Hohenheim and the Elric brothers, right?"

"Yes. But remember yourself. We need them alive for the plan. Once it is complete, then you may do with them as you wish."

Envy stepped away. "Thank you, Father."

Father turned to face Pride. "Now, send for Wrath. There is another matter that must be dealt with."


Mustang was walking down the halls of Central Command, and found himself walking alongside General Armstrong.

He smiled politely. "General Armstrong, fancy seeing you here today."

Olivier scowled. "Mustang."

Mustang looked ahead. "I know it's a little late, but congratulations on heading the Armstrong family."

Olivier sighed. "So, what are you doing here?"

Mustang grimaced. "The Fuhrer summoned me for a private meeting."

Olivier looked at him sharply. "Really? He summoned me for the same reason."

Mustang's eyes widened. "He did? You don't think..."

Olivier shook her head. "I suppose we'll find out soon enough."

Before long they stood before the Fuhrer's office, and heard the familiar call from Bradley to enter the room.

Bradley glanced up at them, then back down at several papers spread out on his desk. "Now then, there's an important matter that we need to discuss. A serious problem has recently been brought to my attention."

Mustang swallowed, while Olivier rested her hand on her sword hilt.

"There have been reports of attacks throughout the Southern sector. Initial rumors suggested that some kind of monster was responsible."

Olivier blinked. "A monster, sir?"

Bradley nodded. "At first we thought the rumors were exaggerated, the products of citizens with overactive imaginations. But further intelligence has come in that proves that some kind of monstrous creature is indeed behind these attacks."

Mustang frowned. "Pardon me for saying this, but aren't you and your peers experts on monsters?"

Bradley narrowed his eye. "Yes, and if this were one of the homunculi under our control, the matter wouldn't be so urgent. But that's the thing. We don't know what this creature is."

Olivier folded her arms. "What do you want from us, sir?"

Bradley looked at Mustang and Olivier carefully. "Both of you have experience with the homunculi, and that experience could prove to be key in dealing with this problem. Your orders are simple. Find the monster and destroy it, by any means necessary."

He gathered up the papers on his desk into a single file and handed it to General Armstrong. "Here is all the intelligence we have on it. You may use any subordinates or allies you would like to help you in this mission."

He glanced at Mustang. "Although, I will need to approve the ones you choose, Mustang. Understood?"

"Sir."

"Sir."

Bradley sat back down at his desk. "Very good. You're dismissed."

As they walked back down the hallways, Mustang frowned thoughtfully.

"Do you think he's telling the truth?"

Olivier's face had become suspicious. "I can't be sure, but I think so."

Mustang put his hand on his chin. "Still, what kind of monster could have even the homunculi this nervous?"

Olivier closed her eyes. "More to the point, why are they sending us to deal with it? I think it has less to do with our abilities and more to do with a nice, easy way to get us killed."

Mustang looked at her sharply. "What?"

"Bradley already knows you aren't on their side, and while he trusts me more, he knows that I killed General Raven, so he's naturally still suspicious."

Mustang grimaced. "So they're sending us in to take care of this monster. If we manage to defeat it, then that's one problem that they don't have to take care of themselves. If we die in the attempt, then that will show just how dangerous this thing is while also getting rid of several potential liabilities."

They walked in silence for a moment.

Olivier shook her head. "Still, there's no way to get out of it. We'll just have to be prepared."

She stopped. "Oh, there was one other thing I wanted to discuss with you."

Mustang looked at her curiously. "Oh?"

"If something happens to me, I'll leave the family manor to you. It's not like it'll fit in my casket."

Mustang raised an eyebrow. "But what about your brother?"

Olivier scowled. "Between the two of you, I'd rather you have it. Try not to take that as a compliment."

Mustang smiled. "Nonetheless, I'm honored."


Several days later, Mustang headed down to Pendleton, where he would meet up with General Armstrong and some of her forces.

Mustang's group arrived first, and were waiting for General Armstrong to arrive.

The only partners that Bradley had approved for Mustang for this special mission had been Hawkeye and Alex Armstrong, but those were the only ones Mustang trusted to watch his back, so he didn't mind.

The three of them waited at the train station for several hours before General Armstrong arrived with her forces, which included Captain Buccaneer and Falman.

Falman walked up to Mustang and saluted. "It's good to see you again, sir."

Mustang smiled. "And you, Falman."

Olivier raised her voice. "Everyone stay alert. We head out in ten minutes."

Armstrong looked at his sister with a frown.

Falman glanced at the town uncertainly. "What's with this place? I know Pendleton isn't the most populated town, but it looks like a ghost town."

Mustang frowned. "Most of the citizens were evacuated."

Falman looked at him in surprise. "Evacuated? I thought this was just a straightforward…"

Mustang shook his head. "It's not. Apparently, there's been some kind of monster that has been rampaging across the countryside. Our orders are to find it and kill it."

Falman looked worried. "A monster? Is it one of the homunculi?"

Mustang sighed. "We don't know. If it is, the other homunculi don't seem to know about it. From the reports we've gotten, the creature seems to be most active during the night, and once day comes retreats into caves and underground tunnels. Based on the path it's been on, Pendleton is the next place it will come to. There's a small mountain right next to Pendleton, one with many caves and tunnels inside of it. Normally, the citizens go there frequently for work or recreation, but that's obviously been stopped until further notice."

Falman nodded grimly. "So what's the plan?"

Mustang stepped out into the open air. "We'll camp out near the mountain and wait for sunset. During the day we'll set up some traps and some lanterns so that we can see it and hopefully slow it down. Then, we wait for it to come out during the night.

"Isn't this kind of risky?"

Mustang shrugged. "Yes. But our duty is to protect the citizens of Amestris, including the people who live here. Plus, we need to show the homunculi that we mean business, and that they can't get rid of us that easily."

Hawkeye tapped Mustang's shoulder and pointed toward General Armstrong, who was beginning to move.

Mustang nodded. "Right. Let's head out."

Mustang looked at her affectionately. "It's nice to have you watching my back again."

The group made their way to the edge of town and set up camp. The Briggs soldiers then began preparations for the coming battle, putting up a series of tall lanterns and digging holes to place traps in.

The two Armstrong siblings got into an argument before long, and Mustang ended up walking away to avoid the unpleasantness.

Hawkeye walked along the perimeter with Mustang, and she looked up at the small mountain with a frown.

Something feels off. But what?

She spotted a flicker of motion on the cliff, and her eyes widened.

Without warning, a massive rock was blasted away from the cliff and came rocketing toward Mustang.

Thinking quickly, Hawkeye tackled him and dragged him out of the path of the rock just in time. The rock skidded along the ground and smashed into one of the lanterns the Briggs soldiers had been setting up, destroying it along with several supply tents.

Everyone looked toward the cliff in shock, and from the same place the rock had been, a massive creature leaped down and landed on the ground only a few yards away from Mustang and Hawkeye.

The creature was enormous, at least three times bigger than Sloth had been. Its skin was pure white except for a series of red stripes that ran down its arms.

As Mustang got a better look at the creature, he realized that it really was a monster. Its head was as big as a man's entire body, its arms were long and bulged out, a pair of tiny legs wriggled just below its head, and the enormous mass of its body dragged on the ground behind it. Three tentacles emerged from the creatures back, and swung around toward the group of humans. Each of the tentacles had another face on it, with the main feature being the hungry, snarling mouths.

The creature's main head sniffed the air curiously, then settled its gaze on Mustang with a grin.

Falman yelped. "What the hell is that?"

Mustang put on his gloves. "I don't know, but I think it's safe to say that we've found the monster."

The monster roared, and charged with incredible speed at Mustang.

Mustang snapped his fingers and engulfed the beast in flames. But instead of being incinerated, the creature simply roared and continued charging forward.

"Colonel!"

Hawkeye and Mustang ducked out of the way just in time as the monster pounced.

The creature turned around to face them again, but before it could charge, Major Armstrong leapt forward.

"Stand back, foul beast! I shall best you with the Armstrong combat technique that has been passed down for generations!"

With alchemically-charged fists, Armstrong sent the monstrosity flying back. But as with Mustang, the beast was undeterred, getting back up with an animalistic snarl.

"Snap out of it!" Olivier shouted to her soldiers, who were staring in horrified awe. "Surround the enemy and open fire!"

"Sir!"

The soldiers surrounded the creature, but it paid them no heed and leapt over them, landing next to Mustang and Hawkeye again. Mustang shot his flames at it again, this time concentrating them on its head.

The monster's head exploded, but the body kept moving and the tentacles darted in toward them, some too fast for Mustang to incinerate.

Mustang's eyes widened. Dammit, I can't get all of them!

Using his great strength, Armstrong hurled several boulders flying toward the tentacles, knocking each one back, giving Mustang and Hawkeye a chance to retreat.

Seeing their chance, the Briggs soldiers fired many bullets into the monster, and managed to force the beast to retreat a short distance.

Mustang panted. "Why the hell does it keep coming after me?"

In that moment, Hawkeye had an epiphany.

"Sir, I know this might sound crazy, but I think that's Gluttony."

Mustang looked at her sharply. "What?! That's impossible! He…"

As he took in more of the monster, Mustang realized that she was could be right.

Hawkeye nodded grimly. "Exactly, Colonel. I don't know how, but it looks like he's been altered, maybe reverted, to a feral state. But it's clear he retains a bit of his old self. He still likes to eat people. And you're the one who killed Lust."

Mustang's eyes widened. "And he was extremely angry about that. Damn. How are we supposed to take him out? My fire just seems to enrage him further."

"We can't kill him. But there is something else we can do."

The briggs soldiers continued to fire their guns into the monster that had once been Gluttony, but all of the wounds healed before long, and Gluttony swooped down and devoured several of the briggs soldiers.

General Armstrong's face tightened in anger, but she remained calm and rallied her men to continue the attack.

After coming up with a plan, Hawkeye ran over to Alex Armstrong's side to inform him, while Mustang approached Falman.

Mustang looked at Falman seriously. "Falman, would you mind being bait for a few minutes?"

Falman looked puzzled. ""What are you talking about?"

Mustang took off his jacket and gave it to Falman. "Just put this on, lure the monster closer to the town, and try not to die."

Falman protested. "Wait, sir, what…?"

But Mustang had already left.

Olivier shouted. "Keep at it, men!"

Gluttony rushed toward her, but she didn't flinch. She dodged him at the last minute, dashed in with her sword, and cut off one of the tentacles.

Captain Buccaneer rushed forward and managed to lop off another one of the tentacles.

The tentacles didn't regenerate, and Gluttony howled in rage. But before he could charge again, a single gunshot hit him in the neck. He swiveled around and spotted Falman, who was looking at Gluttony in fear, his knees shaking slightly.

Gluttony sniffed, smelled Mustang's scent on Falman, then snarled and began to rush toward Falman, causing him to run back toward the town in panic.

Before Gluttony could catch Falman, however, several of the briggs soldiers closer to the town fired heavier caliber weapons at Gluttony, slowing him down.

With Gluttony distracted, Mustang and Armstrong stood on either side of the area right next to the mountain and pressed their hands to the ground. The earth began to shake, and an enormous fissure opened up, creating a massive hole that went down a long, long ways.

On the other end of the battlefield, Gluttony had killed several more of the briggs soldiers, and was about to eat Falman. But before he could, a burst of flame hit Gluttony's flank. Gluttony turned around, and spotted Mustang on the opposite side of the massive hole. He sniffed the air, and began to charge toward Mustang.

Mustang and Armstrong stood on the other side of the hole, readying themselves as Gluttony got closer and closer.

When he reached the fissure, Gluttony leaped over the hole toward the two alchemists.

Right before he reached them, Mustang and Armstrong combined their alchemy and hit Gluttony with a mixture of earth and fire. The blow was powerful enough to stop Gluttony in mid air, but not powerful enough to send him flying back.

Gluttony fell down into the hole, roaring in rage. His form fell farther and farther down, until he disappeared from sight.

Mustang let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god that worked."

General Armstrong and the surviving briggs soldiers peered into the hole uncertainly.

Olivier frowned. "Do you think that will be enough to stop it?"

Buccaneer looked wary. "I don't know for sure, but I think so. It might be resilient, but I doubt that it's particularly good at climbing. Even if it survives the fall, it's unlikely it'll bother anyone again."

"Hmmm."

Hawkeye ran up to Mustang. "Are you all right?"

Mustang smiled reassuringly. "Yes, Lieutenant, I'm all right."

Falman glared at Mustang. "What the hell? Next time warn me before you do something like that!"

Mustang smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. It was spur of the moment."

Mustang looked down at the hole, an uneasy frown on his face.


Gluttony fell down, and down, and down. He snarled and clawed at the edges of the hole, but couldn't get a grip.

Eventually he hit the bottom, smashing into the unforgiving earth and fell down into an underground tunnel.

The fall temporarily silenced him, but he was back on his feet a minute later, looking around and snarling like a feral animal.

Suddenly, without warning, a mass of shadows surrounded him, and several eyes opened up among the shadows.

Gluttony roared, but before he could attack, the shadows struck, and consumed him whole.

Back in Central, Pride approached Father. "It appears that the humans were cleverer than we had thought. They took care of Gluttony."

Father frowned. "Hmm, is that so."

He leaned back. "It matters not. They are not powerful enough to stop us, and now at least we don't have to waste our time retrieving Gluttony ourselves."


A week later, General Grumman was reading about the incident in the newspaper. The news had ended up spreading far and wide throughout Amestris.

Grumman chuckled. "Well, it seems that Colonel Mustang and General Armstrong have become quite the heroes after taking care of that monster. Public approval for them has shot up."

He set the newspaper down. "That's good. Hopefully, that will make things a little easier on the Promise Day."


Author's Note: So as you can probably guess, the thing I incorporated from Conqueror of Shamballa was the mutated form of Gluttony. Good guesses though.

This is more of a side story, but it does tie up a loose end and I thought it was an interesting idea for a fight. If you don't know what his mutated form looks like, go onto YouTube and type in Wrath vs Gluttony. Apologies to my beta reader for giving them more work this week.

Next time, we return to the main plot. We'll have a few character moments, and then something will blow up.