Kamaitachi Chronicles

By: Aviantei

Four


Assuming that I got into the State Alchemist Exam, we still had to wait to the end of the week for testing to start. After exchanging promises of follow up with Rosomak, Mustang got us checked in at a nearby military hotel. It was focused on providing housing to traveling officers, so the décor was rather Spartan, but my traveling lifestyle had led to me staying in far cheaper lodgings. There were even two beds, so I wasn't about to complain.

There were plenty of other things I did want to complain about, but I couldn't decide which one to go with first.

I plopped my suitcase onto the bed closest to the bathroom, claiming it as my own. Mustang went about pulling out some documents as he settled down at the desk. I glared at his back. "I'm surprised that you even bothered to bring work with you," I said.

Mustang glanced over to me with a shrug. "As much as taking care of you does count as part of my job, I do have other obligations," he said. I squinted at the papers, but couldn't make out the words. "Let me make sure there's nothing too pressing in here, then I can show you around Central."

I dropped onto the mattress and kicked at the ground. Both the carpet and the comforter were the same green as the Amestrian flag, just missing the silver lion blazoned on them. Thank goodness nationalism had its limits.

I hadn't, for all the cities I had seen before, ever made it towards Central. Most people who wanted alchemy help weren't hurting for it in the capital, given the military base. The sheer expanse of the place could make it tricky to navigate, but I'd be fine if I got a map in my hands. "A tour isn't really necessary."

Mustang's paperwork rustled as he put it down and turned back to me. I rolled over and stared at the brown wall. "Caiman, you don't need to be upset," Mustang said. I wanted him to shut up. The one thing worse than an ass was a patronizing ass. "There's nothing wrong with the fight you put up against me. I wanted to get a grasp on your ability, and I did. You wouldn't be here right now if you weren't impressive."

"I didn't ask, Lt. Colonel." I pushed myself back up, fists pressing into the mattress. "If you're so certain that you can beat me, why don't we have another fight?"

"And risk injuring you before you even get the chance to test? No thanks." Mustang's uninterested gaze swiveled back to his paperwork. He thought injury was the outcome? Oh, he wouldn't be the first person I gave injuries. "Just give me a few minutes, Caiman, then we can go for a walk and you can let off some steam."

"Last I checked, you were the dog here, not me."

"Funny, because you seem to be doing an awful lot of barking." That was it. I hopped to my feet, grasping for my capsule, just as Mustang stood, chair dragging rivulets into the carpet. He tossed his paperwork into a scattered mess across the desk and pulled his jacket on. "Let's not keep you cooped up in here all day. Come on."

Without so much as waiting for a reply, Mustang strode to the door. I gritted my teeth. I could make my way around the city on my own if I had a little guidance. It didn't need to be him. But he was, as much as I hated to admit it, my patron into the exam. If nothing else, I couldn't back out of that. Not when it was a chance to prove I had more than enough talent to smash his face into the ground.

Clenching my capsule one last time, I followed Mustang into the streets of Central.


Even though it wasn't my first time in a major city, Central was beyond the real deal. With the Fuhrer's mansion and military headquarters looming over the rest of the city from its center, the streets spanned out in an array reaching far out before breaking into the countryside. Stone roads cut straight paths to every end of the city, and most buildings were painted in light colors, bringing light into even the shaded corners and alleys.

Thriving businesses, crowded streets, and not many signs of homelessness. Either the capital was just that well off or they were very good at hiding its darker parts.

Mustang very well could have taken a military vehicle, but he insisted on traveling by foot. It was easier to absorb everything I needed to get around that way, so I had no complaints. While still near our hotel, other military officers stopped Mustang for greetings, and farther off civilians recognized his uniform and thanked him for his service. Women blushed at his presence, and some even flirted with him. I wondered what the mystery Riza and Hanna would say about the transgressions or if Mustang's behavior was the norm for them.

In civilian clothes, it was much easier for me to blend into the background for those conversations, though Mustang didn't linger for long. He did seem insistent on showing me most of the major areas in the city, though Central didn't have much in the way of sights to see. By the time we'd stopped at one of the several libraries the city had to offer, it didn't take much to figure out his plan.

"You really don't have anything better to show me?" I asked, looking around, the area burning itself into my memory. The library stood taller than most government offices in other cities, complete with columns, several meters worth of stairs, and even guardian lions perched by the entrance, all in pure white stone. The surrounding buildings seemed to consist of a number of offices, though most people walked past them. Streets bearing the names of fallen officers were available in every direction. "If this is what you've got, then you'd be better off heading back to the hotel and getting that paperwork of yours out of the way. I can handle just fine on my own."

"Is that so?" Mustang asked, hands in his pockets. He looked up to the library before us, craning his neck to the top. "This is one of the biggest alchemical knowledge bases in Amestris. Beyond just your capability for alchemy, I figured it might pique your academic interests. There's plenty to study, after all."

"Study what, exactly?" True, there was an unprecedented knowledge source in front of me. But did I want the burden of carrying all that information with me? Was that what I wanted to use my mental energy on? What else was it good for? I brushed my bangs out of my face. "Are you worried about me failing the exam? I may have some practical limitations, but you don't have to worry about my book knowledge."

Mustang hummed in contemplation, but his face spoke of just concealed amusement. "While I don't doubt your skill, the exam does take place in both a written and practical format. You have a week to prepare, and while that's less than most, I don't want to hear any complaints if you end up failing, you hear me?"

"Trust me, Lt. Colonel, as great as it would be to bring your judgement into question, I believe I'll pass. I'd rather not damage my own reputation in the process."

Mustang chuckled. "And what reputation would that be exactly?"

I crossed my arms and kicked at the cobblestones. "Rumors do spread pretty far. I wouldn't get much clout as an alchemist if I didn't at least put a decent showing in for the exam. Potential customers wouldn't trust someone who didn't know their basics." One of the benefits of doing freelance alchemical work was that most people didn't comprehend the science. However, the State Alchemist exam was one of the few national measures of alchemical talent. If I didn't do well, I could kiss any business goodbye without the military patronage.

She needs refinement.

I clicked my tongue and turned back to the library. While Rosomak had given me some words of praise, his recommendation wasn't glowing. And if the man who had developed the theory I used in my own work said I was lacking, I couldn't argue. Pulling my capsule from my pocket, I rolled it between my palms. Was it that heavy? I didn't notice anymore, but—

"Hey, ass, catch."

I underhand tossed my capsule to Mustang. He blinked but snatched it out of the air, his shoulders sagging a bit. "Yikes, Caiman, Rosomak wasn't kidding about this thing. What sort of material do you even revert this to?"

I strode forward to snatch the capsule back, and retorted, "Some of us make our own resources instead of just stealing from nature, you know." I whirled around and started climbing up the steps. "Go back and do your paperwork, Lt. Colonel. I have some formulas I want to work on."

"What about lunch? You haven't eaten since the train," Mustang said. I hadn't been aware that being my patron also involved being such a goddamn mother hen. "And getting back to the hotel? I know you're used to staying on your own, but I can't let you wander around in the middle of the night."

"I memorized the way back," I said without turning around. Mustang made disgruntled protests from the street. The doors to the library were made of an impressive oak, their varnish shining in the sunlight, and reached higher than most one story buildings. If I couldn't find the resources I was looking for here, I would be very much disappointed. "I know how to take care of myself, so why don't you go do something useful for the country in the meantime?"

Without waiting for a response, I tugged the massive door open and let it swing shut behind me.


One look at the library's layout told me everything I needed to know. As the purported largest alchemical knowledge base in Amestris, near every book on the shelves was either about alchemy or related in that it applied to material makeups for conversion comparisons. I knew most metal materials from my research when I had assembled my scythe in the first place, so it wasn't a problem with my knowledge base.

My difficulties were in the arrays I was using to make the conversions in the first place. I needed to refine that to come even close to improving my technique.

So I gathered up all of Rosomak's research texts that the library had to offer, which consisted of a rather hefty stack of materials. I had only read Redistribution of Component Balance, which had been published before I was even born. There was a decade and a half of material since then, most which had come from Rosomak's State Alchemist recertifications. Since alchemy wasn't the easiest subject to master, it wasn't easy finding or affording texts when you traveled everywhere like I did.

None of the books had the courtesy to be shelved all together, but my wandering had the added bonus that I found the State Alchemy exam research materials section. While I felt confident I knew most of what I needed to, getting more data wouldn't hurt.

Dammit, guess I am taking this seriously.

Rosomak had hit it right on the head: I didn't want to be a State Alchemist. I could've been happy helping out strangers and traveling the country, as I'd done for years. But I hadn't been lying when I had said I wanted to do something more, if I could. I didn't quite know how me wielding a weapon that didn't take half my body strength to lug around in its dormant state factored into that, but it was a step that could get my closer to a position where doing more was a possibility.

If I did well enough to impress Rosomak, maybe he could teach me more.

Plus, it'll feel great to show that ass he can't just underestimate me.

That meant I had two goals: have Rosomak become my teacher—or at least willing to share some of his insight with me—and kick Roy Mustang's ass as soon as possible.

Both of those meant improving my alchemy and passing the exam. Flipping through the library's research materials, I confirmed that I had more than enough knowledge to beat out the written exam. I made sure to skim the rest to collect any stray information I might have missed in my own studies, then started on the trickier task of tackling Rosomak's collective publications.

I didn't need Redistribution of Component Balance, so I sat that aside with the exam materials. Even with my ability to absorb knowledge, it would still take most of the evening to even skim all the books Rosomak had written during his tenure as a State Alchemist. It seemed to me he spent all his time tucked away in his research lab, configuring new alchemical circles and theories on the dime of the state, unlike Mustang, who ran a unit as a higher up. That almost sounded nice, save the part where I needed fresh air.

You're not going to have to figure out what kind of State Alchemist you want to be if you don't figure out how to make your practical impressive as hell.

So I spent the next several days in the library occupied with a ream of papers, a pencil, and Rosomak's updated information spinning through my brain. Each day I left with hundreds of alternate alchemy circles scribbled out, none of them as successful as I would have liked. In theory, they looked nice and contained all the right inscriptions to get the catalyst I wanted.

Shape was more in the mind of the user than the chemical conversations, which relied on the circle itself. The weight of my scythe had pressed against my palms too many times to forget, even though I couldn't. That meant I could focus all my efforts on the conversion.

It wasn't as easy as it sounded.

No matter what layouts I tried, I couldn't find one that let me keep all the materials I needed for my scythe to stay as stable as it needed for battle. I recalled Rosomak's materials again and again, but none of them lined up just right. I needed an original array, but I hesitated to test the results on my actual scythe for risk of losing its components in a foolish transmutation. It had taken me ages to build the thing in the first place; I couldn't screw it up with my carelessness.

If I hadn't been so focused on avoiding Mustang, I might have been able to ask for his assistance in procuring experimental materials. I could've walked back to Rosomak and straight up admitted I needed help. But with each and every circle I drew, it became more personal, some puzzle I had to crack on my own.

I had gotten so caught up in my routine that it surprised me when Mustang stopped me one morning over breakfast at the hotel and said, "You're not planning on running off today, are you? At least let me escort you back to HQ to make sure you're registered alright."

Sure enough, the morning of the written State Alchemist Exam had arrived.


[Author's Notes]

Well that took longer than I planned to post. Welcome back! I've finally gotten my bearings back on this story, and a bunch of content drafted for later updates. Ivy is getting somewhere, even if it's just a little.

Thanks to kitsuneblackwater, Liltorgy, and Frozen-Roses-77 for the favorites and follows. I super appreciate it. I promise that the next update won't take two years to put out (honestly).

After much tweaking of my original plans, I've managed to settle on the direction I want this story to go. Hopefully everyone will like the results!

I don't have much else to say other than I'll be posting the next chapter at the end of the month to celebrate my tenth fanfiction anniversary. Please look forward to the State Alchemist Exam!

-Avi

[12.4.2018]