All the Briggs soldiers had started to retreat, and I would stand out like a sore thumb if I stayed behind, so I followed them, staying beside the wounded Buccaneer to watch the battle.
Greed and Fu were engaged in a battle of speed with Wrath, dodging his attacks before making some of their own. In a sense, it was elegant, they way they moved so swiftly yet so precisely, almost like a dance. There was a glint of metal, a clash of blades every now and then, but their fight was entrancing, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at their gracefulness as they sprung off the ground and twisted in the air.
It all ended when Wrath flung Greed at Fu's sword. Greed was quick to be on his feet again, but complained loudly to Fu. In their moment of distraction, Wrath took advantage of the situation and lunged at them, separating them. Once he got Greed close to him, he turned, driving one of his knives through Greed's black jacket and pinning him to the ground. Greed struggled, crying out, while Wrath spun on his heel and lunged at Fu, fighting him one-on-one.
In their frenzy of stabbing, dodging and blocking with their weapons, Wrath hit the blade out of Fu's hands, switching it with his own knife.
"Certainly makes a difference when you have a weapon you're more comfortable with!" Wrath said, wielding Fu's short sword with deft skill. Now that he had a sword in his hands, he seemed to gain the upper hand, his awkwardness disappearing with the knife. It was only a matter of time before the knife broke on Fu, and Wrath slashed at him, cutting off the cloth that had been wrapped around his forehead.
Fu quickly jumped back, out of range of Wrath. When he had skidded to a halt, blood splattered all over his face from a cut he hadn't noticed before, momentarily blinding him. He hurriedly wiped it off, but once he opened his eyes, Wrath was under him, swinging his sword in for an attack.
"It's impressive how quickly you move," Wrath said, "You're even older than I am!" Wrath got a scary glint in his eyes, "However, this is as old as you're going to get!" And with that, Wrath landed his blow, knocking Fu back. Fu's armor shattered, and blood spurted from his chest wound as he cried out in pain. He hit the ground hard, letting out a sharp howl in agony.
"Old man Fu!" I couldn't tell if it was Greed or Ling, but before I could blink, he had flashed over and grabbed Fu, saving him from Wrath's next attack. That was by far the fastest move I had seen in the battle, and I couldn't help but be astounded.
"Well, if it isn't the young prince," Wrath said, straightening himself and looking over at Ling through narrowed eyes. Fu coughed weakly, and Ling's eyes narrowed into a violent glare toward Wrath. "I can't help but recall the last time we fought when I took that girl's arm. It seems again that you'd rather risk your own life than give up on something that's not even worth fighting for."
"Young lord," Fu rasped, his voice rough with pain, "Forgive me. My life isn't worth fighting for..." Ling turned to him, gritting his teeth.
"Don't give me that crap!" Ling growled, "Are you honestly telling me that I should be like him?!" Ling looked at Wrath, hatred burning in his violet eyes. "A king should fight for his people, because he is nothing without them! This man is about to sacrifice his own nation!" Ling's aura was twisted with violent rage, and it was a little scary. "His people... I'll never become the monster that he is!"
Fighting for his ideals, I thought, looking down. That's naive, but at the same time, extremely admirable.
"If you are a man truly worthy of being king," Fu mumbled, coughing up a little blood. "You must be able to accept some loss..." A frightening amount of blood dripped down from his wound, and Ling's eyes widened in panic.
"You need to rest!" He exclaimed, "Please!" But the blood continued to stain Fu's clothes, and Fu finally started to realize that he really was going to die.
A small chuckle escaped Fu's lips. "You're right, young lord." He said, "I need rest." Fu raised a fist, "Time for this old man to find rest." Fu elbowed Ling, and Ling let out a cry in pain as he collapsed, freeing Fu from his grip.
"Honor your shield, Greed! Protect the young lord's body!" Fu yelled, and Ling's arms quickly covered themselves in their unbreakable shield.
Fu lunged forward at Wrath, giving Ling a small glance back before focusing on his target. He yanked open his shirt only to reveal the bombs strapped around his torso, and lit them without a second thought.
"This old servant has no choice but to offer his retirement!" Fu yelled, and sharp gasps were heard from everyone. I winced, knowing what would happen next.
"YOU STUBBORN FOOL!" Greed and Ling wailed as Fu launched himself at Wrath.
"I'm taking you straight to hell with me, Bradley!" Fu snarled, his hand landing on Wrath's forehead. "You BASTARD!" But Fu's actions were all in vain, because before anyone could react, Wrath sliced off the tops of the bombs off, his blade cutting into Fu as he went.
A terribly horrifying amount of blood burst out of Fu's cut, and he fell back.
But no one expected what happened next, not even Wrath himself. A blade was driven through Fu and into Wrath, making a shish kabob of two men.
"That philosopher stone might have given you the eyes of a god," Buccaneer muttered, "But even you can't dodge an attack if you can't see it coming!" Buccaneer had disappeared from my side, and had taken out Wrath's sword only to run it through Fu, giving him the element of surprise as he impaled Wrath on it too. Wrath's eyes widened, and his expression was more shocked than I had ever seen it.
"Alright, old man," Buccaneer said, looking up at Fu, "Maybe you are going to hell, but you aren't going alone. I'll keep you company on the ride down." A small smile graced Fu's lips.
"You have my gratitude," His voice escaped as a whisper, "Thank... you..."
Wrath pushed them off, the sword sliding out of his torso as Buccaneer and Fu flew back. Before Wrath could escape, Ling lunged at him, eyes blazing with fiery retribution. Ling broke Wrath's sword with ease, his shielded hand swiping at Wrath's face.
My attention was quickly taken by a scream from the top of the wall.
"GRANDFATHER!" A familiar voice shrieked in despair. Lan Fan instantly appeared at her grandfather's side, leaning over him in worry. My gaze darted back to the fight between Ling and Wrath, and Ling came on so strong that he was starting to push Wrath back, back toward the edge of the wall. I gasped when Wrath threw Ling right into the wall between the end of the gate and the swirling water below, and the dust cleared only to reveal that Ling was holding on for his dear life, with Wrath clinging to Ling stubbornly.
Just as Ling's hand started to slip, Lan Fan was quick to grab his hand with her automail arm, keeping Ling and Wrath from falling into the water below.
I sprung to my feet, dashing over to Lan Fan's side before any of the Briggs men noticed what was going on. Whipping out my gun, I knelt on the edge next to Lan Fan, aiming for Wrath.
"Take this, you son of a bitch!" I barked, pulling the trigger. Wrath was quick to react, and threw his last knife up me, and it lodged itself in my shoulder just as my bullet reached him. His grip loosened on Ling's arm, and he fell, making a big splash as his bleeding body sunk into the water.
Adrenaline ran thick in my veins, but I was more worried about Lan Fan's arm than I was my own. I offered up my good hand to Ling, which he grabbed, and with the help of a few more Briggs men that rushed to our aid, we pulled Ling up safely.
"FU!" Ling cried, rushing past us to Fu's limp body. "FU!" I didn't have much time.
"Pull this out!" I ordered a Briggs soldier, gesturing to the blade lodged in my shoulder. I bit down hard on my sleeve as the soldier followed my order, and swiftly yanked the knife from my flesh. I howled, giving myself a moment to double over in pain as tears welled in my eyes. But that was all I allowed myself.
"Get a doctor!" Ling yelled in distress. "Someone who knows how to use alchemy! Hurry! I've got a philosopher stone!" I stood up, shaking off my pain and rushing over to Ling as fast as I could.
"Ling!" I said, my legs collapsing under me as I arrived at Fu's bloody body. He looked at me, shocked, and I snarled at him, "Well, are you just going to stand there and gape like an idiot?! GET DOWN HERE!" Ling quickly knelt next to me, and I took off my gloves, revealing the human transmutation circles burned into my palms. He was surprised, but I didn't have time to humor his emotions. I clapped my hands together before grabbing Ling's hand and setting our hands down on Fu's injured body. Red sparks enveloped Fu, and my eyebrows furrowed, focusing intently on healing Fu despite my own agony.
The pool of blood on the ground started to be absorbed back into Fu's body, and once I deemed it was enough, I ceased the transmutation, my free hand going to clutch my wounded shoulder tenderly.
"Buccaneer," I gasped, and Ling was quick to lift me into his arms, being mindful of my injury, and bring me over to where Buccaneer lied.
We did the same thing, and again, after I deemed it was enough, I brought my hands back and slumped.
"As long as they don't fight, they'll live," I informed Ling, "Move them somewhere safe and they'll be fine." Ling turned to me, and before I knew it, he wrapped his arms around me, burying his face into the crook of my neck.
"Thank you..." He choked out, his body trembling with relief. "Thank you..." I let myself smile a little, knowing that I had saved two more people from the horrid fate they were doomed to. I wrapped my arms back around him, smiling wide despite my pain.
"I like your ideals, Ling," I murmured, "It makes you different. Don't let anyone take those from you." Ling pulled away to look at me, and I gave him a bright smile. A tremor ran through the ground, and I inched back from Ling. "Although, it looks like it's time for me to go," I said, and at that moment, a big eye opened up underneath me. I waved at him with my good arm as he looked at me in panic. "Bye!" I said, little black hands reaching up to me. My body faded away, piece by piece, and I bid farewell to everyone on the gate, ready for the final showdown.
Hi guys!
This is going to be my last authors note for The Game Has Begun! So it might seem a bit long...
But wow, its finally finishing! I was so hyped up about this that I decided to update a bit quicker than usual! The next chapter is the last one! I am so excited for this, like you wouldn't believe! By the end of this, you guys will both love me and hate my guts. Why? Well, you'll have to wait and seeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Aww, she saved Fu and Buccaneer! Since they're still a bit injured, they can't fight, so it doesn't disturb the plotline!
This chapter only goes to wonder, what the hell will happen next?! What has Lynette planned?!
HEHEHEHE I am so damn excited! I'm going to update reall soon, so I hope you guys are prepared! I'm supersupersuper eager to get this next chapter up, so expect it within the next few days! Who knows, I might even finish it today!
Aaand I've forgotten the disclaimer for a few of the past chapters, so here!
Disclaimer: I do not own FMA! (applies to all chapters that don't already have that disclaimer!)
Also, I'd like to add, please please pleaseeee put me on Author alert if you haven't already! You really need to, like, seriously! If you don't want your heart ripped out and shredded to pieces, you might as well do that much! Trust me, you will be really happy if you do! (hint hint come on guys)
My lovely readers, please review~!
Thanks!