Silver Linings

Chapter 5 – Karma

The force of the wind kept Lillian in the center of the tempest. She knelt, trying to limit the amount of flesh that would be exposed once DePuy shifted his alchemic sandstorm to its deadly final stage. Underneath her clothing the Truesilver was already moving trying to protect her most vital organs. She raised her right arm to shield her eyes; it was difficult to do against the strength of the wind. Her sleeve was pushed back revealing the silver beneath.

"Once I'm finished removing the flesh that Truesilver will make me rich on the black-market. Hell, even the army will pay me well for it!" DePuy's gloat came from somewhere outside the storm.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I've grown quite attached to my arm. You'll have to do better than this little sand sprinkle if you have any hope of doing much more than taking the polish off of it." Lillian's words came out braver than she felt, but if she couldn't attack him straight on at least she could assault his pride.

"You little witch! You've seen what I can do. If I remember correctly, when I was done with your dear Arthur you could have buried him in a shoebox with room to spare."

Lillian clenched her hand in silent rage but held herself in check. "Keep him talking." She thought to herself. "Have to keep him focused on me and give Ed and Al a chance."

Aloud she continued. "Well, if your goal was to get sand down my shirt you've succeeded." She slowly stood up against the power of the wind and took a step toward DePuy's voice.

"No one defies me!" The force around her increased as he shifted the grains of sand into their ultimate stage.

The shards of glass ripped her clothing; through her pant legs more silver was revealed. She continued her deliberate march toward his voice, keeping her arm in front of her face as a shield. Abruptly, she was hit from below the waist by a blunt force, which knocked her back into the storm and onto the ground. Tiny razorblades tore into her exposed flesh as she struggled to shield herself.

Suddenly the attack against her stopped and she dropped her arm to find Al kneeling over her, his armor taking the full force of the storm. "Stay still, Lilly! Let me protect you."

Lillian nodded and moved closer to Al so he could wrap his arms around her to create an impenetrable shield. She could hear the glass shatter against his steel shell. "It's up to your brother now, but be ready Alphonse," she said.

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Ed watched his brother disappear into the sandstorm and then turned his attention toward DePuy. The Alchemist of the Sands seemed focused on Lillian but Ed didn't let his guard down. Kneeling he clapped his hands together and placed them on the ground, DePuy wasn't the only one that could manipulate the sand. He repeated his transmutation from earlier creating a giant hand under DePuy. But this time he caused the hand to form a fist around his target; then solidified his creation trapping DePuy in its grip.

"Looks like I finally got a hand up on you, DePuy." Ed chuckled at his own humor as he warily approached.

DePuy still had a cigar clenched in his mouth as he struggled against his bonds. "You seemed to have as many lives as Little Lilly, Mr. State Alchemist. However, it's a good thing for her … gives me a chance to harvest the Truesilver she was good enough to reveal to you and your brother."

Suddenly Ed's creation exploded showering him with sand and dirt. DePuy dropped to the ground and turned to face Ed. He casually placed a hand into the pocket of his pants and with his other hand he took the cigar from his lips blowing out a ring of smoke.

Ed clenched his auto-mail hand into a fist. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his brother disappear behind one of the ruined walls of the town. "At least Al and Lilly are safe," he thought to himself.

A subtle change in his footing was enough warning as he catapulted himself straight up, with the aid of his mechanical leg. Underneath him the ground had become alive, shifting into a sinkhole.

"How in the hell are you doing your transmutations?" Ed demanded.

"You don't really expect me to answer that, do you?" DePuy answered with a small grin.

Ed landed on solid ground; at least it was for the moment. He clapped his hands together and slammed them down. The sand in front of him rushed toward DePuy in a giant wave, as if Ed had liquefied the ground. He didn't wait for the creation to reach the alchemist, under the cover of his attack he raced over to where he had seen Al take cover. Behind the wall he found his brother and Lillian huddled. Ed couldn't help but notice that a pair of silver legs had joined Lillian's silver arm.

"Damn, you have some explaining to do, but it can wait. I can't find this guy's weak spot. Lilly, you know him better than us, any ideas?"

"Keep moving!" She yelled as she leapt up.

The Elrics followed, escaping another deadly sinkhole. Ed landed beside Lillian then moved to place himself in front of her. Al did the same and the threesome faced off with the Alchemist of Sands.

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Lillian watched the Elrics with a look of admiration. There was no hesitation as they fell into fighting stances. Her eyes darted around noticing that the remains of DePuy's treacherous alchemy continued to manipulate the desert. The sand was alive with sinkholes and sandstorms.

"How in the hell are you doing your transmutations?"

Ed's earlier comment echoed inside her head. He was right, DePuy was evil but he wasn't magic. There were basic laws all alchemy followed and one of the big ones was the need of a transmutation circle. Lillian was a walking transmutation circle, since the silver from her arm connected to her legs from both the front and the back, completing the circle. And within were different arrays. Yet it only allowed her to manipulate her own metal. Even she needed to draw a transmutation circle for any alchemy she formed outside her own body. Then again Ed was creating alchemy without the need of a circle.

She growled in frustration as she slammed her hand down on the ground. Her fist fell beside a footprint in the sand and she frowned. In the heel of the print was the remains of a transmutation circle, her eyes followed a series of footfalls and in each one the circle was repeated. She did a quick glance from Ed's feet to that of the print and decided his boots were too small to leave the mark.

"Ed! His transmutation circles are on the soles of his boots!" Her warning came as once again they were forced to move as the sand beneath became liquid.

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"That explains a lot." Ed said aloud as he once again found solid footing. "But now what?"

"Not to sound too cliché, but now you die!" DePuy unleashed another deadly alchemic sandstorm.

"Screw this; I'm tired of playing your games!" Ed clapped his hands together and slammed them down on the ground. "You are not the only one who can control the desert!"

The sand beneath him began to shake violently and Ed pulled back alarmed. "That isn't supposed to happen." A quick glance around revealed the reason; the ground had become too volatile with all the sudden changes DePuy had been causing. Mother Earth could only take so much stress and she had reached her limits.

"Al! Lilly! We need to get the hell away from here! The ground has become too unstable!"

"Ed!"

"Brother!"

Ed's warning had come a moment too late; Al had lost his footing and fallen into one of the many sinkholes. Lillian had tried to help grabbing one of Al's hands but the sand was now pulling them both toward the deadly center.

"Over here, Fullmetal, we're not done yet." DePuy's voice had become almost hysterical.

"I think we have more pressing matters. If you haven't noticed your alchemy has caused the ground to go into meltdown, we have to get out of here or we're all going to be pulled in." Ed turned his back on DePuy to help the others.

"I'm the Alchemist of the Sands! I do not fear the desert!"

"Then maybe you'll fear this!" Ed whipped around with lightening speed and slammed his auto-mail fist into the jaw of the other. He didn't wait to see where DePuy landed as he rushed over to where Al and Lillian were quickly being pulled under.

Suddenly Al freed both arms and grabbed Lillian pulling her from the sand. He raised her over his head and then tossed her as hard as he could toward his brother. Ed broke her fall and they both looked back at Al, just in time to see his armored hand disappear beneath the sand.

"Al!" Lillian screamed in terror.

"His armor is always filling with sand. Makes him sink like a rock."

Ed's negligent reply seemed to startle Lillian. "Ed?"

"Don't worry, Lilly. I'll have him back out in a jiffy … you just watch your footing." Ed said as he knelt down. Clapping his hand he placed them on the ground. "One more transmutation then we'll leave you in peace."

The sinkhole which had claimed Al suddenly started spinning in the opposite direction. The sand began rising up in a giant twister. After a long moment the armored body of Al was pulled free from the ground and Ed dissolved his creation.

"Thank you, brother." Al said as he landed.

"Anytime, Al." Ed said with a slight smile. The Elrics glanced over at Lillian who was staring dumbfounded.

"I'm glad you're okay, Lilly." Al said.

Lillian shook her head and then shrugged. "You …" she gasped as the ground shifted under her feet.

"Go! Go! Go!" Ed shouted.

As the trio raced out of town, Ed was surprised at how easily Lillian kept up with them. Running past their camp from the night before, they gathered up their separate bags with barely a pause in their pace and then didn't stop until they were safely away from the deadly sinkholes.

Ed looked down from the safety of an overlooking dune. The sinkholes had formed one giant one and it was slowly pulling the remains of Ishmar into its eye. "Damn, DePuy got away again!"

"No," Lillian said softly. "No, he didn't." She pointed down toward the disappearing town.

Ed followed the direction she was indicating and saw someone struggling in the grips of the sinkhole.

"I guess even he can't make transmutations with the sand moving." Lillian's voice seemed void of emotions.

"I have to save him!" Ed cried.

Lillian grabbed his arm holding him in place. "Ed, I have no doubt you are one of the most powerful alchemist I have ever seen but not even you could stop that in time."

Ed's shoulders drooped as he watched DePuy disappear into the center of the ever-growing sinkhole. "I guess we have to attribute his fate to karma."

"Brother, do you think that sinkhole will reach its climax soon?" Al's concern was evident in his voice.

"I do, but just to be safe." Ed clapped his hands and placed them on the ground. The sand beneath them became solid rock and it spread out in a giant circle, surrounding the vanishing town of Ishmar.

"Ed, that transmutation is miles in length, who the hell are you?" Lillian gasped.

"I've already told you Lillian. I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

The End

All Fullmetal Alchemist /Hagane no Renkinjutsushi characters and pictures are copyright © 2004, 2005 HIROMU ARAKAWA/SQUARE ENIX, MBS, ANX, BONES, Dentsu
Fullmetal Alchemist copyright © 2004, 2005 FUNimation Productions, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.