I do not own FMA.
The Storm Front Alchemist
Chapter 10 Storm and Sun
John, Ed and Al were walking though the desert. It had been three years since they had met, they had become good friend but they still got on each others nerves. For some reason they worked on almost every assignment together, John figured it was to keep Ed from getting himself killed.
"You had to flip out on the chauffeur Ed, all he did was say you were short, it's not like he lied." Said John. John had grown a lot in three years; he now stood at six foot two. His hair was longer, his bangs on his forehead. He still bore the scars from his fight with Maki on his right hand and left cheek. He wore a coat like Ed's but black, the symbol on the back was the same as the pocket watch.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE CAN RIDE A FLEA LIKE A HORSE!" yelled Ed
"Geez Ed calm down, I'm just messing with you. You think you'd be used to it by now."
"Just shut up and let's get to this stupid town, c'mon Al." Ed looked behind him and saw Al wasn't there. "Al! Where are you?"
"Down here brother." Called Al. John saw an arm sticking up from the sand.
"I'll get him out." Sighed John. John clapped his hands together and put them to the ground and Al popped up out of ground.
"Thank you."
"I don't understand, how do you keep falling in?" asked Ed
"I'm sorry brother, but I get full."
"Full? Full of what?" Ed kicked Al and his chest plate opened dumping sand onto Ed.
"Well Ed I hope that automail is sand proof." Laughed John. Ed popped up out of the sand the vein in his head throbbing.
"YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?" yelled Ed as he chased John to the town. By the time they reached Lior, John and Ed were wiped. "Need water." They both looked and saw a fountain in the center of town.
"WATER!" they both yelled. They ran to the fountain, John reached the fountain first and drank heartily but spit it out.
"Hey this isn't water. It's wine." Gasped John. Ed and Al came wandering up to the fountain.
"Hey drink is drink." Said Ed reaching out to scoop up the wine.
"Hey you get away from there, that's not for kids." Called a man.
"Oh sorry sir, we didn't know." Said John
"Not you, that shrimp standing next to you."
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE NEEDS A LADDER TO CLIMB THE STAIRS!" Al grabbed Ed so he could hold him back.
"Please don't call him short it kind of upsets him, but I'm sorry if we broke any rules, we're just very thirsty, we lost our ride and we've been in the desert for hours."
"Oh, why didn't you say so, why don't you come have a drink on the house." John, Ed and Al followed him to the bar, he gave them their drinks. "So what brings you guys all the way to Lior?"
"We're here on state business." Said Ed.
"State business, who are you guys?"
"You don't know who they are?" said a woman. John and Ed looked at her. John got the distinct impression he had seen her before. For though he hadn't seen Grendel since that night at the library, he knew he was alive because he sometimes saw flashes of his life in his dreams, and he had attacks of pain whenever Grendel was destabilizing, it was the only pain that traversed the distance between them. "They are the State Alchemist prodigies, Fullmetal and Storm Front."
"Oh I see they call you Fullmetal because of that armor." Said the man to Al.
"I'm not the Fullmetal Alchemist, he is." Said Al pointing to Ed.
"What who, that shrimp."
"THAT'S IT!" Ed started to jump up but John took out his rod and gave Ed a shock to his leg which made it collapse. "Damn it I hate it when you short circuit me like that."
"Until you learn to control your temper, I'll keep doing that."
"Oh it's time." Said the man. He went over to a radio and switched it on.
"Pray to Leto and you shall be saved, for the way of the sun is the way of salvation." Came the voice from the radio.
"Some kind of preacher." Said John
"What you haven't heard of the prophet Father Cornello?"
"Can't say I have."
"He's a miracle worker, he turned this town into a paradise."
"Really?"
"Yes he can do anything, even raise the dead." both Ed and John perked up at this.
"That's impossible!" said John as he got out of his seat he tripped over a wire and knocked the radio to the ground breaking it.
"Hey, you better pay for that." said the man.
"I can do better than that." John took out his metal rod and touched it to the pieces and in a flash of light the radio was fixed.
"How did you do that? Are you miracle workers too?"
"Nope we're just your run of the mill alchemists." Said Ed
"Hey, what's going on here." Called a woman, they both turned to see a woman with brown and pink hair.
"Hey Rose, these two are miracle workers like Father Cornello."
"Really?" asked Rose
"We're not prophets, there's no such thing." Said Ed
"Don't say that. Why don't I take you to a miracle gathering? You can see it for yourself."
"Yeah, I want to see these miracles." Said John. They got up and followed Rose to courtyard full of people. She brought them to an empty spot so they could see better. They saw an older bald man standing at an alter.
"Pray to Leto and you shall be saved." As he turned a glass filled with dirt to wine.
"Surly that's a miracle." Said Rose.
"That's simple alchemy, I could do that when I was five." Said John
"Is there anyone who needs a miracle?" called Cornello, a boy came up with two dead birds. Cornello took them and in a flash of light both of them flew up onto Cornello's shoulder.
"No way in hell!" yelled Ed
"Now that's a miracle." Said Rose.
"No it's still alchemy, but there's no equivalence to it." Said John
"Equivalence?"
"Alchemy is a science Rose, and all science is based on laws. Alchemy is based off the Law of Equivalent Exchange; in order to obtain something of equal value must be lost. Also you can't make something from nothing; you have to have the same amount of mass before and after."
"But it has to be possible, he said he could bring my Kain back, you could just exchange something for him, to bring him back." Ed sighed and took out his log book.
"Water, 35 liters. Carbon, 25 kilograms. Ammonia, 4 liters. Lime 1.5 kilograms. Phosphorus, 800 grams. Salt, 250 grams. Saltpeter, 100 grams. Sulfur, 80 grams. Fluorine, 75 grams. Iron, 5 grams. Silicon, 3 grams. And traces of 15 other elements." Said Ed.
"What is that?"
"That Rose, is chemical composition of the average adult human, down to the last specks of protein in your eyelashes, and all that can be bought on a child's allowance. Humans can be built on the cheap."
"But if you know what we're made up of then why?" But she was cut off by John.
"Rose you must understand, the physical part of a person is the easy part, but to this day there is nothing that can be exchanged for a human soul." Said John solemnly
"But there has…"
"There isn't believe me, we know."
"Thank you all for your prayers, and let Leto smile upon you." said Cornello as he bowed and walked back into the cathedral, as he did one of the birds on his shoulder flew away. As it flew by a window a hand reached out and grabbed it. The figure looked down at the bird struggling in his grip.
"Well aren't you just so full of life." Said the figure, he smiled evilly and crushed the bird, silencing its song. "And now it's gone."
"Must you always be so melodramatic Wrath?" asked Betrayal sitting in the corner, like John, Betrayal had grown a lot in these past three years. She was now fourteen, her hair stretched to just below her shoulders, she wore black pants, but her shoes and shirt were like Envy's.
"Why shouldn't I be? Look at all of them, pitiful humans and their wasteful lives. I'm glad I gave that all up for the power I now wield." Said the sin of Wrath, this was indeed Blade who had willingly given up his life to become a Homunculus, his hair was now completely black, his eyes violet, he wore a sleeveless leather jacket with metal spikes on the collar, he wore no shirt underneath, also he wore black jeans with black steel toed spiked boots. The mark of the Ouroburos was just above and to the left of his navel, a sword hung at his waist. "Here Gluttony, catch." Wrath threw the bird and Gluttony caught it and ate it. "I'm tired of this whole waiting thing, John and the brat are here, when can I kill everyone in this stupid town, especially John."
"First, I know you're Wrath, but why must you kill every chance you get. The second we get the order to kill you spring into action, we never do anything anymore. And how many times do I have to tell you? John is mine." Said Betrayal annoyed.
"You dare give me orders bitch." Wrath started to glow red and he unsheathed his sword the glow encasing the sword as well. "I am the Ultimate Power." Betrayal got up from her chair.
"Prove it."
"Die bitch, I'll show you what power is." Wrath charged Betrayal, she smirked, the vertical slit on her forehead opened revealing a sky-blue eye, the eye John lost. The eye glowed and Wrath was surrounded by a blue aura and he froze mid run. "Damn it, you and your brother's eye, it mocks me when I look at it."
"You always forget about Ultimate Control." She pointed at Wrath, she then pointed to the ceiling and he slammed into the ceiling and then the floor. She then picked Wrath up and pulled him towards her, she raised her right hand, the symbols on her arm glowing.
"Oh crap." She released a shockwave and blew off Wrath's head. His body fell back to the floor.
"You forgot Ultimate Destruction as well. That should teach you to mess with the queen of sins." Wrath's body twitched as it got up and his head grew back.
"That hurt damn it." Wrath picked up his sword.
"Will you just give it up, you can't win." She took a deep breath. "Must I beat you yet again?" She raised her left arm and the symbols began to glow. She was about to fire when a large Chimera jumped in between them. It was Grendel.
"Will you both stop it, you'll bring down the whole building." Roared Grendel.
"I don't have to listen to you Chimera." Said Wrath
"My name is Grendel, and you will listen to me because I have this." Grendel reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box with an alchemic seal on it.
"What is that? Why does it need that seal?"
"This dear Wrath is you." he flipped open the tab. Wrath cringed weakened. "Or was you."
"Damn you." Wrath attempted a charge but collapsed.
"That's enough Wrath." Said Lust as she and Envy came into the room.
"Yeah you keep this up you'll go the way of Greed, you don't want to be sealed underground for eternity." Said Envy. Grendel closed the box and Wrath got up. Cornello burst into the room.
"What the hell is going on up here? You're scaring the worshipers." Yelled Cornello
"Nothing just a family spat." Said Lust. "We were discussing the threat to your religion."
"What threat?"
"Two State Alchemists have come searching for the stone; they'll take it by force if they have to. I suggest you take care of them."
"I will, Grendel can you arrange the chimeras for me?"
"Of course, I've got the perfect ones for them." Said Grendel
Back with John and Ed
John, Ed and Al followed Rose into the cathedral.
"Why are we here?" asked Ed
"If Cornello has the stone, we have to see him and find out about it." Said John
"Hold it right there!" shouted a man with a gun, they were soon surrounded by gunmen.
"What is the meaning of this?" asked Rose
"Rose, these three are heretics, now come with us." Ed started to charge but John stopped him.
"Let's see where this leads." Said John, the gunmen led them to a large room. Cornello was standing on a balcony.
"Rose my child come up here with me where it's safe." Said Cornello, Rose walked over and joined him. "The rest of you are dismissed, I can handle this myself." The gunmen left. "Well, I should be honored. The Hero of the People the Fullmetal Alchemist and the Raging Storm the Storm Front Alchemist. To what do I owe this visit?"
"We're here for the Stone, give it up, and we'll leave without a problem." Said Ed
"Like I'm going to hand the Philosopher's Stone to you, you'll just use it for destruction. If you want it you'll have to take it."
"You really think you can take down two of the military's top alchemists." Said John
"I won't have to fight, they will." The ring on his finger glowed. A doorway opened next to them and above them. Out of one came a lion like chimera. Above them came a chameleon like chimera that crawled along the ceiling. Ed clapped his hands together and put them to the ground and brought out a lance. John reached behind him and made his lance. He looked back at Ed.
"Mines bigger." Joked Ed
"Size doesn't matter Ed." Said John
"So what do you say, you aim high, and I'll aim low."
"You aiming low, there's a shocker." Ed laughed. John ran forward and aimed a gust of air at the chimera; it jumped down lower on the wall. It opened its mouth and lashed out its tongue. John ran from the tongue, but it managed to wrap around his ankle. It pulled him up.
"Yes you cannot beat my chimeras." Cackled Cornello. John stabbed his lance and cut off the tip of its tongue, the chimera cried in pain and disappeared. John fell back to earth. "My beast does not need its tongue to beat you; you can't kill what you can't see."
"Invisibility might have worked a year ago, before I upgraded my eye." John's eye flashed for a second. He looked around for a second. "There you are." John shot a blast of lightning it hit the chimera, it turned visible and fell to the ground. John ran over impaled it with his lance silencing it. He looked over to see Ed and Al had dispatched their chimera.
"It'll take more than two-bit chimeras two stop us." Said Ed
"But how? He assured me these could beat you." said Cornello.
"It's over priest." Said John as he and Ed charged Cornello. Suddenly John felt a familiar presence coming toward him fast. He heard the familiar clap of claws and a wall formed in between them and Cornello.
"What the hell?" said Ed
"Brother look." Called Al. John and Ed looked to where Al pointed. Standing on top of the wall was a very angry Grendel.
"What is that?"
"Grendel" said John spitefully.
"What have you done to my children?" roared Grendel, he jumped down and went to the body of the lion chimera. "They were only just born, and you cut them down you monsters!"
"Who are you calling a monster, Chimera." Shouted Ed
"You will both pay for what you've done to my children." Grendel clapped his claws together and turned his automail claw into a double bladed axe. "Die now!" he charged Ed. Ed blocked with his lance, but it shattered under Grendel's strength, Ed jumped back and clapped his hands and put them to the ground, a stone pillar came out of the ground and tossed Grendel into the air, Ed then jumped and kicked him in the stomach. John cringed at the blow.
"Son of bitch Ed, could you have kicked him any harder?" asked John in pain.
"What the hell is your problem?" asked Ed annoyed
"This is Grendel, the chimera Tucker made with my blood; we feel each other's pain." Grendel got up.
"It will take more than that shrimp, I'm much more durable than your average chimera." He transformed the axe back into a claw. "And a much better alchemist." He ran to the body of the lion chimera, he picked it up and carried it over to the chameleon one. In a flash of light he fused the two together into sickening combination of the two, a lion with sprawling splayed legs and powerful tale. "Behold my power, like my father I am a master of chimera alchemy." Grendel began to cackle. But then doubled over in pain. His flesh pulsating. John cringed to. "Damn, over did it with the alchemy." He ran out a door John started to run after him but stopped and looked back at Ed.
"Don't worry, we can handle this thing, you go after Grendel." John nodded and ran after him trying to ignore the pain. Grendel was running away, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pile of Red Stones.
"Damn, I should have brought more, but it'll help some." He swallowed the stones and his pain alleviated slightly. He ran ahead into the vacant hall. He saw Wrath standing there.
"Having fun?" asked Wrath
"What are you doing here? He isn't allowed to see you."
"Giving you some help." Wrath tossed Grendel a bag. "Eat up." Wrath then backed away and hid in the shadows. Grendel dumped the Red Stones in the bag into his mouth and ate them. John burst in a second later.
"Found you Grendel!" John charged Grendel, but was stopped as he was tackled by Wrath and flung into a wall, before he could even react he was kneed in the stomach forcing the air from his lungs, knocking him out. Wrath drew his sword and walked toward John.
"And now you die." Wrath raised his sword.
"That's enough Wrath, we need him alive." Said Grendel
"Stop ordering me around!" Wrath began to glow red. "I AM WRATH, I AM THE ULTIMATE POWER!" he charged Grendel, Grendel dodged Wrath's sword which made a huge crater in the floor. "You can't dodge forever." He charged again, Grendel reached into his pocket and pulled out the box with the seal and opened it. Wrath fell to the ground weakened.
"You have to learn to control your temper Wrath, remember that person knew you would be hard to handle, so she gave me a piece of you, and I know the array to get rid of your Red Stones. So I suggest you listen to me." He closed the box. Wrath got up and sheathed his sword.
"Fine but what should we do with him?" asked Wrath pointing to John.
"Tie him up and let that priest deal with it." Grendel thought for a second. "On second thought, I'll do it." Grendel picked up John and carried him away.
Later
John regained consciousness. He looked and saw he was in an empty room, his hands were shackled above him, and his jacket had been taken.
"Finally awake huh?" he looked over and saw Ed in a similar predicament.
"Ed, how the hell did you get here?"
"Cornello sent the whole town on us. Al got away and I came here."
"And the reason you haven't broken out yet is?"
"Look behind you." John craned his neck and saw a microphone hidden behind Ed. "We're never going to get out of here with the town against us, we're going to get Cornello to spill his guts to us." The door opened and Cornello came in.
"Well if it isn't our little alchemists." Said Cornello, he held up their pocket watches. "The official watch of the State Alchemist, supposedly to contain alchemic amplifiers, that is how you were able to do alchemy without a circle, and then there is this." He held up John's lance. "For some reason I can't transmute it, but it is made of metals that are said to be alchemic amplifiers, that's how you control weather so well. But now, why do you want the stone so bad? Is it so bad what I've done, give people hope."
"It's one thing to use the stone to help people, why do you have to lie and say you're a prophet of God." Said John
"It's really quite simple, the power, because of my miracles I now have an invincible army."
"How do you get that?" asked Ed
"There are many things that give people a cause to fight, the biggest cause is religion, now that these people follow my belief they'll do anything I wish, and an army fighting for their beliefs is unstoppable."
"And how do you think your precious followers will feel when we tell them your plans?" asked John.
"You're not going to live long enough to, even if you did, they wouldn't believe you."
"They would if you told them." Said Ed
"Like I would ever tell them." Laughed Cornello. Ed looked over at John and winked, they both clapped their hands.
"You just did." Their shackles shattered, Ed and John got up off the ground. Cornello backed away.
"But how? I have your watches, and you have no stone, you can't do alchemy without a circle." John walked straight up to Cornello and grabbed his lance.
"I believe this is mine." John sent a shock trough the lance and Cornello let go and backed away. "You really are quite stupid, spilling your guts like that, now your secrets exposed."
"They'll never believe you."
"Why don't you have a look there?" John pointed and Cornello saw the microphone. "Your little speech was just broadcasted all over Lior."
"No! I am a god to them you'll see." Cornello ran from the room down he stairs and out of the cathedral, a mob of people met him there.
"What is the meaning of this Cornello?" shouted a man.
"You were playing us for fools." Shouted another.
"My children, the alchemist tricked you with their wicked magic to mimic my voice."
"That's a lie priest!" shouted Ed
"Give it up it's over." Said John. Cornello turned to face them.
"I will not lose, I wield the Philosopher's Stone." The ring glowed and he turned his cane into a machine gun. He shot at Ed, Al jumped in the way and blocked the bullets. "But you're dead."
"Who do you think set up the microphone?" asked Al
"It doesn't matter." The stone glowed and Cornello yelled as his arm sprouted metal gears.
"It's recoiling." Said Ed. The stone shattered.
"It's a fake." Said John.
"No, I have the power of God on my side!" yelled Cornello.
"That's it! John lets show him the power of God." Ed clapped his hands together and an alchemic shockwave traveled into the cathedral and a giant stature of Leto crashed through the wall. John made a strong gust of wind and jumped onto the statues head.
"Now, allow me to show you how I got my title!" Yelled John. He held his lance out in front of him. He spun it around and blew a large gust of electrified air at Cornello, the priest dodged the blast and ran back inside. He ran to an upper room and found Lust sitting in a chair.
"You lied to me! This stones a fake!" yelled Cornello
"Of course it is. That stone and this city were just bait; unfortunately you have outlived your usefulness." Said Lust. Gluttony and Wrath stepped up next to her.
"What are you?"
"Can we Lust?" asked Wrath
"Yes you may." Said Lust. Wrath drew his sword and ran forward cleaving Cornello in half, Gluttony charged in and ate the pieces.
Later at Outskirts of Lior
John, Ed and Al were standing there with Rose.
"Well Rose I guess this is goodbye." Said John
"Why? Why did you do it? Without Cornello this town will die."
"We had to, he was a charlatan."
"Why, what does it matter if he was a fake? What will we do now? What do I do now?"
"You've got a strong pair oflegs beneath you Rose." Said Ed
"So I suggest you get up and walk." Said John, and with that walked off into the sunset.
Well that's the end of this chapter, I had a lot of fun writing this one. Wrath is awesome to write for; he just wants to kill everything. Anyway, next time John, Ed and Al arrive in Aquoya, there they meet the nurse Clara and the thief Psiren who uses card alchemy to commit crimes, but are Clara and Psiren one and the same. What happens when a Phantom Thief meets a Raging Storm? Let's just say more than sparks of lightning will fly in chapter 11 Love at First Fight (A/N Yeah corny but I'll take suggestions.) Hey wait a second; wasn't Cardshark's daughter named Clara?
P.S. Normally I don't do this, but I've noticed with this story, a lot of people read but don't review, I'll continue this story no matter what cause I love FMA, but I want to know what people think, like am I going too far with a second Wrath, things like that. Anyway see you next time.