Halfmetal Alchemist: Chapter 24

Ultimus Attacks

"Envy... I'll give you one more time. Aggravate me again, and you won't be able to regenerate after I tear you apart, got it?" Ultimus growled. "Where are you going then?"

"I'm going... out. That's all you need to know."

"Going to stir the masses in Aquorya, Ultimus?" he turned and cast an indifferential eye on Lust. "Perhaps. It's almost gone under anyway, I'll see what I can do to cause further chaos." He dropped by the dungeons again. "Mother."

She looked up slowly. "I'm leaving again..." he reached into the pockets of his cloak and brought out a bag of food and opened the door. "I brought some food from last time I was out." He bent down to give it to her and she touched his face. His eyes searched hers and he pulled back a little. "Edgar... my poor Edgar..."

"Mother... I... As soon I defeat the Fullmetal Alchemist, they say we'll get everything, we can leave." A look of horror crossed her face. "Fullmetal Alchemist... Edward..." he nodded. "Him and that Flame Alchemist, they're the only ones left. Once they're gone... You're free."

"Roy..."

"Is... something wrong?"

"Don't kill them... please!"

"...but Mother!"

"Don't..."

His throat lumped and he tried to swallow. "I'm going to Aquorya... I have to go. I'll be back soon."

She hugged him. "Edgar..."

He said nothing and let go of her, backing out of the cell.

On the road again, Ultimus was left to brood. "Edgar... is that my name?" he shrugged and pulled the cloth over his face. "I will find out soon enough... as soon as I exterminate the Fullmetal and Flame Alchemists."
Anri knocked on the door of a house near the edge of Aquorya apprehensively. After a few minutes, a woman came to the door. "A-Anri..." He smiled a little. "Hey... sorry I've been away so long!" she leaped at him and hugged him tightly. "Away for ten years and all you can say is sorry? What kept you?"

"A mission from a Fuhrer who no longer exists, that's what. I was duped. I... I missed you Lira..." She let go of him reluctantly. "Faris? Is that you?" Leroy let go of her quickly and Roy suppressed a smart comment that was on the tip of his tongue. "Yeah, it's been a long time!"

"It has... and it's all his fault!" she said, poking Anri's chest. "My fault! Who decided to come with me, eh? I said you could stay if you wanted to. But now... maybe it was better that you didn't stay..."

"I heard about Rivant... I'm so sorry Faris." She hugged Faris and let her go. "I'm okay... really."

"Oh, why don't you all come inside?"

The group stepped inside the house and Anri looked around approvingly. "It looks just like our house in Central did."

"I'll cook dinner in a bit, so why don't you all tell me where you've been, and-" she looked at Roy.

"You look just like-"

"Leroy Mustang, I know. He was my father," indicating that he got that an awful lot.

"Anri, what up with Faris? She's been acting strangely."

"Faris?" said Anri through a mouthful of bread. "She's in love, I'm pretty sure."

"What?"

"You heard me! She's got the hots for Roy's son, Leroy. They're probably outside looking around Aquorya now."

Roy choked on the stew he was swallowing and Riza hit his back sharply. "Y-you mean like a d-d-d-date?"

"Possibly."

"Ha! I bet Hughes is laughing from up in the clouds, I'm almost sure of it!"

Riza had a misty look in her eyes. "Oh-h-h-h... it'll be just like when we went out Roy..." he thought he saw a heart floating around her head.

"Riza, we were so scared of getting caught by the Fuhrer we were looking over our shoulders more than we were kissing..."

"Still! I enjoyed it."

"So did I," Roy admitted. "But that Ultimus guy really bothers me," Roy said, switching back to business. "He demolished half of Rizenbul in a matter of minutes, and now he's nowhere to be found. Not only that, but he was recently seen loitering around Central and East City. It's worriesome."

"We're looking for Terra too," Fullmetal reminded him. "His wife, and my sister," Roy explained.

"Where's Ed?" Fullmetal asked looking around. "I think he went out to talk to Al and Alley," said Riza.

"Oh no, I forgot! What about Alphonse!"

"...we don't know Fullmetal... we thought you did."

Roy pushed back his chair from the table. "We should go look for the kids, Riza, Fullmetal." They nodded and got up from the table as well and left the house. "Ed! Ed, where are you?"

"Leroy! Faris!"

"Al, Alley!"

The kids came in a herd back to the house, Faris and Leroy hanging back from the others. Roy sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He wasn't taking this as well as always thought he would, but he guessed living without a father to get on his every nerve did that to you. Riza, however, took it much better. Roy could practically see her heart liquidating into a puddle.

Leroy and Faris took his parents aside. "Dad, we think we saw Ultimus."

"Again?"

Leroy nodded. "Faris says she's seen him a lot in Rivant, says they call him Apocalypse around there, because wherever he goes destruction follows." Riza nodded and hugged Leroy close to her.

Roy however, looked agitated. "Fullmetal, get over here, now!" Fullmetal came over. "What's up with you?"

"Riza, take the others and get inside the house, Faris, get Anri out here as well."

Anri was already there. "I felt him, he's here." Faris shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Neither am I," Leroy and Ed said in unison.

Ultimus looked down at them, bemused. "Interesting, you knew I was here. However, it is only the Fullmetal and Flame-Arm Alchemist I am after today."

Leroy looked alarmed. "Dad?"

Fullmetal looked troubled and put a hand on Ed's shoulder. "You should get out of here, while you still can." he turned to Ultimus.

"What are you?"

Ultimus laughed. "That's an interesting question, isn't it? I guess you could say I'm human. I guess."

Roy said nothing, so Fullmetal said something instead. "Where is Terra? Did you take her?"

Ultimus regarded them with a dangerous look. "You won't take her from me, because you'll never find her, Fullmetal Alchemist. You won't find her, because the Homunculus want you dead, and dead you shall be!"

"We'll see about that," Roy said, striking his gauntlets together to create flames while Fullmetal transmuted his arm into a blade and Leroy set his fingers in snapping position. Anri said nothing, but clapped his hands together and activated the refractors in his armor. Ultimus's right hand fingers lengthened and tapered into points while his left transmuted into a scythe, and black wings sprouted out of his back.

"This is where your lives end!"

Aaagh... getting chappie 24 up took way too long, sorry bout that guys! - T A