Ling led them across the plains to where a massive bridge spanned the strait between their continent and the one to the south. Its sturdy wooden construction could clearly stand the test of time. A line of knights was standing in the middle of the bridge, on guard for an attack from the fiends across from them. On their end of the bridge, the commander stood, dressed in gold armor, surrounded by a group of roughly five knights. He waved as they approached.
"Ah, Ling. It's good to see you've arrived," he said. "My men have managed to hold the bridge thus far, but it's an uphill battle against those fiends and their magic." He turned to the bridge. "I don't know where you came from, but you're our best fighter since Sir Cyrus. If anyone can find the Masamune, it's you."
"I hate to interrupt, but what's going on down there?" Mustang asked, pointing down the bridge. The line was now buckling, and battle cries could be heard, but the knights were obscuring any view of their opponents.
A single knight came running toward them. "Magus's troops have launched their attack! Our defenses will not hold!" he said. As he spoke, several of the knights on the bridge fell, killed by moving skeletons wielding spears.
"You are knights of Guardia! Defend the honor of our order, and drive the enemy back whence it came!" the commander barked.
"But, sir, we are far outnumbered!"
The commander shook his head. "This is our last line of defense. It must not break!"
"...Very well, my—"
"Wait," Mustang said, looking down the bridge. The line had almost completely broken, and when a knight died, his skeleton would claw its way out of his body and begin fighting against his comrades. "Recall your troops."
"What are you talking about?! Are you a spy for the fiendlord?" the Commander asked.
"Face it, your troops will never win at this rate. Right now, your options are either to save the ones you can, or let them all die. The bridge falls either way."
The Commander turned away, looking frustrated, then turned to the messenger. "Tell the troops to fall back. We have to retreat."
"Yes, sir!" the knight said. He ran back to where the remaining knights were fighting, and led their escape. The skeletal troops gave chase, but Mustang stepped into the center of the bridge, right in their way.
"What are you doing?! We need to fall back!" the Commander shouted.
Mustang ignored him, held out his hand, and snapped his fingers. A tiny jet of flame shot out at every individual skeleton, impacted, and burst into a raging inferno. In seconds, they had all been incinerated, and the bridge was left with nothing but superficial scorch marks.
"Geez, Colonel, think you could bring it down a notch?" Ed said.
"And let these men die?" Mustang said. "They were the enemy. It had to be done."
The Commander was stunned. "H-how did you—"
"Impossible!" came a rough voice from the bridge. What looked like a fat, green man with a tail, wearing white robes, was levitating toward them, just above the ground. "How can a mere human cast spells that rival Lord Magus's?!"
"Who's this guy?" Ed asked.
"That's Ozzie, one of the fiendlord's generals," the Commander said.
"Hmph. At least you know that much," Ozzie said. "That's right, kid. I serve Lord Magus, and to his enemies I grant death!"
Mustang snapped his fingers again, engulfing the floating fiend in flames, but they soon dissipated harmlessly.
"Fool! As if I'd leave myself undefended after seeing that attack," Ozzie spat. He grinned, then held out his hand. A bolt of lightning lit the sky, striking Mustang directly. He screamed and fell to the ground.
"Colonel!" Ed yelled, rushing over to him. He was clearly in pain—burnt, with parts of his clothes smoldering—but he was still conscious. "Dammit," Ed said, turning towards Ozzie and transmuting his arm into a blade. "I'm gonna kick your ass!"
Ling stepped up next to him, drawing his curved sword. "I like your style. Let's see what you can do."
Ozzie scowled. "Insolent humans. Take this!" He called down another lightning bolt, which Ed rolled away from just in time. He and ling dashed forward, both connecting attacks with their blades. Ozzie growled and glided backwards. "Hrm... Stronger'n I thought." Ed tried to close the distance, but he retreated again. "You've won this time, humans, but mark my words. All of Lord Magus's enemies will fall!" He started floating away. Ed was about to chase him, but then changed his mind and returned to Mustang. Ling followed.
Mei had already drawn a transmutation circle and was dragging Mustang into it. "I can mend the surface, but he'll probably need time to recover," she said.
"Go ahead," Ed said.
Mei nodded, then pressed her hands to the circle. It glowed, and the burns along Mustang's skin healed.
"Wow, so you really are an alkahestrist," Ling said.
"Colonel, are you alright?" Ed asked.
Mustang groaned. "Fullmetal... It seems we may have underestimated our opposition."
"Let's get him back to the End of Time," Ed said. "He can rest there."
Hours later, Ed and Ling came into the End of Time, supporting Mustang on their shoulders, with Mei trailing behind. Al shot up and approached. "What happened? Is the colonel alright?" he asked.
"Lightning magic," Mustang grunted.
"He'll be okay, but he needs some time to rest," Ed explained.
"Lightning... So, that Spekkio guy really wasn't kidding," Al said. "So, what now?"
"Well, we still need to stop Magus, and we can only travel in groups of three. We'll just have to leave him here." He and Ling set Mustang down against one of the fences.
"I'll stay with him," Mei said. "I'll make sure he recovers properly."
"Alright," Ed said. "By the way Al, this is Ling Yao. I've already filled him in. He's from Xing, so he's joining us in trying to get home."
"Nice to meet you," Al said. "I'm Alphonse Elric."
"Your brother told me about you," Ling said. "Are you sure you're the younger one, though?"
"You saying I'm short, pal?" Ed interjected.
"Well, compared to Alphonse—"
"Shut up! It's complicated."
"Alright, alright. Well, this 'End of Time' place is cool, but didn't you say that defeating the fiendlord was an urgent matter?"
"Right, we'll have to continue on with the three of us," Ed said. "Lead the way, Ling. Where do we find this sword we're looking for?"
Ling led them back through Guardia to the bridge, where the knights had now secured the bridge. The Commander thanked them for their help in the battle, then pointed them in the direction of the Denadoro Mountains, where the Masamune was supposedly hidden. They stopped to sleep in a small town called Sandorino.
Ed sat down on the bed in his inn room, with Al sitting on the floor nearby. Ling had his own room.
"I sure am glad I found you, Al. We had no idea whether you were even in this world," Ed said. "If we'd made it back to Amestris without you, I don't know what I would've done."
"Yeah, it was really scary suddenly waking up in that wasteland," Al said. "I wandered for days before I found any people. That makes me think, though. We don't know how many people have been brought here, or where they are."
"We don't even know when they are."
"Yeah..."
Ed flipped over onto the bed. "Oh man, I think this is the first time I'll get any actual sleep since we were in Central."
"I wonder if they managed to bring down the Freezing Alchemist."
"Nothing we can do about it now."
"Yeah... I wish I could sleep."
"I know, Al. As soon as we get back to Amestris, we'll work even harder to get your body back," Ed said. "That reminds me, did you remember anything in particular about the Portal of Truth?"
"Well, I remember talking to someone. They looked strange, like they blended into the environment."
"That checks out," Ed said.
"But, then they grabbed me, and my body started deconstructing, and before I got dragged back, I saw my face. In fact, when I talked to them again while coming here, they looked like an older me. It was freaky. I was so thin and pale."
"Mine had my arm and leg, too. It got me thinking: maybe we don't need a philosopher's stone at all. Maybe if we can open the portal again, we can manage to pull your body out."
"You think so?"
"Yeah. We might even be able to do it from here, though I don't feel safe doing it while the planet's energy is corrupted. The real problem is that you have to pay a toll to open the portal, but this place has got me thinking that maybe we can use this world's magic for it. We just need a source of sufficient energy."
"Hm... Interesting."
"Right now though, we should focus on saving the world from Lavos."
"Yeah. You'd better get some sleep then."
Ed yawned. "I'm with you there." He rolled over. "Night."
"Good night."
The next morning, they set off, and by the end of the day they were standing at the foot of the mountain. They camped out there, and started hiking up the next day. Their path brought them to the bottom of a creek, where they saw two fat, green creatures lounging in the water. Their arms and legs were proportionally short, and they had brown hair all down their backs. The group stopped behind a small bend, just out of sight.
"What are those things?" Al asked.
"I heard about them the other day in the tavern," Ling said. "These mountains are full of wandering fiends that attack humans on sight. Apparently, these guys are total pushovers without their hammers, though. I think they're called Ogans."
"Alright, let's see about that," Ed said. He walked around the bend towards the creatures, who looked up when they heard him. They growled and stood up, moving to block his way. When Ed kept approaching, one of them made a weak, telegraphed punch, which Ed easily dodged by sidestepping. He kicked it in the stomach with his metal leg. It stumbled back and snarled at him. Al and Ling followed him, with Ling drawing his sword.
"Hey, Ling, don't kill them," Ed said.
"What? Why not?"
"They're sentient creatures,just like us."
"They're at war with the humans, Ed. They've killed hundreds already."
"I know! It's just... Al and I made a vow not to kill anyone, no matter what."
"Well, that's your choice, then," Ling said. "But fine, I guess I can at least go easy on the weak ones."
It didn't take long for them to knock the Ogans out. They continued up the creek until they met a gentle waterfall from far above. The surrounding area was full of sheer cliffs, but a rope ladder led up to where the waterfall originated.
When they made it to the top, they found a larger river which was split by the landscape into several smaller rivers and streams. There were multiple waterfalls, much more violent than the previous one, but several natural bridges of stone made a pathway across them. Another Ogan was lying asleep nearby, with a huge wooden hammer sitting beside him.
"Let's see if we can just walk around him," Ed said. He didn't have to whisper because of the sound of the waterfalls.
"Sure," Al said. They started around the Ogan, but before they made it, an acorn came from above and hit it in the head, waking it up. They looked up a short nearby cliff, seeing a blue, bird-like humanoid holding a katana. It took one hand off the sword, pulled something out of its belt, and threw a shuriken at each of them. Ed dodged, Ling knocked it aside, and it bounced harmlessly off Al.
The Ogan had gotten up by then. It swung its hammer down at Ling, who barely managed to avoid it. He attacked with his sword, but the Ogan blocked with the hammer's handle.
"Al, can you take care of that bird thing?" Ed said. Another shuriken flew at him, which he blocked with his metal arm.
Al nodded, then transmuted a column just beneath him, which he rode up to the platform the creature was standing on. It jumped back, then attacked with its sword, which predictably failed. Al kicked it, knocking into the water below. It flailed around, then started swimming downstream.
Ed and Ling were busy fighting the Ogan, but neither of them could seem to get an attack in; its defense with the hammer was extremely skillful. Luckily, its attacks were still relatively easy to avoid. Ed and Ling broke off, and there was a pause in the fight. Al jumped down and took up a stance beside them.
"We've gotta do something about that hammer," Ed said.
"Maybe we can use our alchemy to break it," Al suggested.
"Good idea. Let's try it." The two of them ran forward, trying to get a decent opening to destroy the hammer. It was a threat even to Al, as its sheer force was enough to damage the armor he inhabited. Eventually, the Ogan missed Al and struck the ground, giving Ed just enough time. He clapped his hands together, then gripped the hammer's handle, causing it to break into splinters. The Ogan looked shocked. It got the same treatment that the other creature had, as Al knocked it into the river below, where the water was relatively calm.
"Wow, good job you two!" Ling said, his voice somewhat cheery. "We should make it up the mountain in no time."
"Whatever, let's get going," Ed said.
They continued up the mountain, encountering more Ogans and the bird-like fiends, some of whom seemed absorbed in training and ignored them, on the way. At one point, Al noticed a rainbow near one of the waterfalls. Near the top, they saw a round, white-furred creature that looked like the form Spekkio had had in the end of time, simply staring over a cliff. When Al tried to talk to it, it just talked about how much it liked mountains and what a nice view it was.
Not much later, they came across a cave entrance between two waterfalls. Inside, there was a small boy with green hair, playing and running around. At the other end of the cave was a staircase to a small ledge, where a gentle light seemed to be shining.
"What the..." Ed said. "Hey, kid, what are—"
"I'm the wind! Whoosh!" the child interrupted, continuing to run around.
"Huh?"
"Whatever, Ed. Let's just get going," Ling said. He walked across the room, but as soon as he took a step on the stairs, the child stopped.
"Hey, don't go up there!" he said. He ran up next to the stairs, then jumped up to the ledge in one go. He stood at the top, blocking Ling's way. "Did you come to take it? The Masamune, I mean."
"Uh, yeah," Ling said. "What do you—"
"I thought so. Wait just a second, all right?" The child turned around. "Oh Big Brother... Where are you, Masa?"
Another child, seemingly identical to the first, came to the rim of the ledge as well. "What is it, Mune?" he asked. He looked down at Ling and the Elrics. "Not again!"
"Uh... What?" Ling said.
Masa, the second boy, crossed his arms and sighed. "So, thought you'd make a name for yourself as Hero by grabbing the Masamune, did you? What a buffoon!"
Ling looked back at Ed and Al. Ed shrugged.
"You humans are all the same," Mune said. "It's how you use the sword that's important, not just that you have the strongest one!"
Masa nodded in agreement. "You can't even understand something as simple as that. Guess that proves you're human."
"What should we do?" Mune asked.
"Test them, like usual," Masa said. "Might as well give them the chance to entertain us for a while."
Ling tried to speak up. "Um, excuse me—"
"Alright, here we go!" Mune said. There was a flash, and they both transformed, becoming bald, yellow-skinned creatures with pointed ears and large noses. They were both wearing simple white robes, and scarves. Masa's scarf was green, and Mune's was purple. They jumped down off the ledge, with Masa aiming for Ling, who jumped back and drew his sword. Ed and Al took up stances beside him.
Masa and Mune wasted no time, surrounding Ling and summoning a whirlwind that threw him to the edge of the room. They attacked Ed and Al with a barrage of highly skilled martial arts, which the brothers were able to match due to their years of training.
Ling stood up and charged in to help Ed against Masa, who jumped away just when the attack came. He and Mune both attacked Ling simultaneously, in an X-like pattern. Though he got hit, Ling was able to land a blow on Mune. There didn't seem to be any blood.
Masa and Mune turned back around, hopping about in a strange way. "Hey, Masa, these ones are pretty tough," Mune said.
Masa nodded. "No one's lasted this long since Cyrus."
"What should we do?"
"We fight them for real, of course!"
"Alright, this is it!" Mune said.
"No more games!" said Masa.
Masa and Mune both slid to opposite sides of the cave, facing each other with one hand back. They pushed their hands forward and slid back into each other, and when they made contact, there was a flash of light. When the light faded, Masa and Mune were gone, replaced by a huge, muscular, horned creature, with only its yellow skin in common with Masa and Mune.
"They fused!" Al said,
The creature bumped its fists together, then grinned. "With Masa's bravery and Mune's brains, we're unstoppable!" he said.
"We'll see about that," Ed said, transmuting his arm into a blade. He rushed forward and slashed at one of the creature's legs, but his skin was tough, and the attack had little effect. The creature responded with a two-handed chop which hit Ed in the chest and sent him tumbling across the floor. He quickly bounced back to his feet despite his new bruises.
The creature pulled his arms to his sides, and wind began swirling around him. "I don't like the look of that," Ling said. He tried to interrupt the creature with his sword, but the attack's effect was also negligent, and was immediately countered with a blade of wind that drew some blood from Ling. The swirling wind didn't stop.
"What is this guy?" Ling said, rejoining Ed and Al. "Our attacks aren't doing anything."
"Maybe he's weak to magic," Ed said. "We met a guy like that earlier."
"Great, well none of us can—"
Ling was interrupted by the creature suddenly thrusting his hands forward. A massive wave of gale-force wind blasted out from him, so forceful that it knocked pieces of stone from the walls. Al managed to raise a wall just in time, though even the rebounding wind was somewhat disorienting.
Ed grunted. "Thanks for the quick save, Al."
"Like I was saying, none of us can use magic," Ling said.
"I know! Let me try what I did before," Ed said. He ran around the wall and was almost hit by a spinning disc of wind that was moving toward him. He ducked, then rushed the creature, clapping his hands and pressing them to the cavern's floor. Stone walls shot up around the creature, extra thick just in case. He heard thumping from inside.
Ling and Al walked around Al's wall to join him. "Huh. Guess that does it," Ling said.
"Come on, let's go grab the sword before they break out," Ed said.
Before he took a step, the wall next to him broke. He rolled out of the way of another chop, and Ling and Al dodged another disc.
"Damn, what the hell is this guy made of?" Ed said.
"We have to find a way to hit him with his own magic," Al said.
"How do we do that?"
"Maybe we can use our alchemy to redirect the energy."
"Hm... Sounds risky, but I guess it's worth a shot," Ed said
The creature started gathering wind around himself again.
"Ling, try to draw out that wind blade without getting hit," Ed said.
"Got it," Ling said. He attacked with his sword again, but this time managed to evade the counter, and it continued traveling. Ed jumped in its way, pressed his hands together, then blocked the blade with his metal hand. It exerted a fairly intense pressure, but as he focused his alchemy, he was able to reverse its direction (something he wouldn't be able to do with ordinary wind), though he could feel that some of the energy was lost in the process.
When the wind blade hit the creature, the swirling wind dissipated, and he looked somewhat surprised. He threw out another wind disc, which Ed did the same thing to, throwing it back. He could feel the technique straining his arm.
The creature frowned, then began gathering wind again. This time, it ignored Ling's attacks.
"Hey, Ed, what do we do now?" Ling asked, sounding somewhat nervous.
"Brother, I have an idea," Al said.
"I think I know what you're thinking, Al," Ed said. "Let's do it."
Al nodded, and they got close to the creature. When it released its energy, they both worked together to stop the wind in front of him, Al using both hands and Ed still using one. They managed to contain the attack in something like a large bubble, holding it there until they were able to reverse it, blasting the creature into the wall behind him. Ed heard something in his arm snap, and it went limp.
The creature sat on the ground, stunned, until he began glowing, and separated back into Masa and Mune. They stood up, looked at each other, then transformed back into human children. They were both smiling.
"They beat us, Masa," Mune said.
Masa nodded. "That was fun!"
"Do you think they'll fix us? Will they find our proper owner?"
Masa nodded again. "Yes, it'll be alright."
They both looked up at Ed, Al, and Ling, then walked up the stairs to where the light was coming from. When the other three followed, they were gone. In the middle of the ledge, embedded in a small mound of stone, there was a sword blade, broken off at the handle.