Shattered Alchemist

Chapter 5: Alchemic Secret

A/N: Be aware this fic is primarily where I try out every adjustment to my style, so don't be alarmed if it changes from chapter to chapter.

Bursts of gunfire, pattering and bouncing off the hardened crystal of the walls. The flickers of light reflected and briefly lit up the room in all directions. Riza's pistols were drawn and joining in just a moment.

"Kill it, kill it!" The armless guard was crawling backwards and unloading a clip in to the beast, which let out a tremendous roar. It was stalking towards him, carefully and patiently. Ignoring the bullets, it's entire body covered in the same cold material of this room. 'What the hell is this thing...'

"This is amazing, the creature has absorbed the substance of the room in to itself! Quite the mutation." Riza growled and shoved the researcher backwards, trying to shoo him towards the exit. If nothing else they could not stop this thing, who's body was resistant to simple things like bullets. "We're making a run for it, so hurry up!"

"I'm going to kill this thing!" The second man drew the weapon from his back, already loaded and ready to go. It took Riza a moment to realize what was about to happen...

"Wait you fool, don't do it!" Explosions, sounds of explosions reverberated through the seemingly tough walls of these ruins. The shrapnel of grenades tore through the armless man, killing him in a matter of seconds. Smoke surrounded the mighty beast, it's roar and cries even louder. "That's right, die die die!"

He pushed another grenade in, fired it off and repeated the same cycle of destruction. The walls shook harder. Smoke made it hard to breath, the combined coughs of Riza and Charlie filling her ear drums. 'What an idiot, at this rate...!'

It was already too late. Strong stone walls behind them had enough, collapsing in to the tunnel and cutting off any sort of retreat. Unless that thing was dead, they were essentially trapped in it's nest.

"Groooooooooooar!" A mighty cry of a great beast. From within the abyss of gray mist it charged. The body bloodied and battered but no less tough, it slammed it's body against the remaining mercenary. It let out a second cry before ripping in to his throat with a mighty jaw and massive teeth. This chimera...would not be stopped by her. If a series of grenades did little more than wound it and more likely piss it off, then her pistols no matter how well aimed were like mosquito bites.

There was silence. Dropped flashlights were either stomped upon and broken or shining against empty walls. She could hear Charlie's quiet breathing behind her and also her own. The second man already dead only made a thump, his body tossed aside like a rag doll. 'I have to be careful, but I have to be able to see...'

She raised her hand and the light in it, slowly scanning over the room directly in front of her. Red eyes, deep red eyes were illuminates from a spot maybe six feet ahead. It stared at her and the light with fierce fangs. A chimera was less of a monster than this thing, far less. "When I count to three jump to the left, get up, and run."

"R, run where...the exit...", she glanced at him to keep his voice quiet. The answer should be and was obvious. If you were to run it would simply be as far from that thing as possible. "One...two..."

She steadied her hands, keeping perfectly still despite the audible shaking from behind her. While training did not prepare her for things like this, it did allow her to remain calm. 'If I can't kill it, I need to keep it from being able to kill us.' Riza breathed in slowly and finished the count. "...three!"

They leaped to the ground, one going left and the other right. The movement triggered the beast's legs to throw it towards where they had just stood, skidding across the ground and in to the crystal wall. The panicked footsteps of Charlie were already moving away as she got to her feet.

An incomprehensible sound made it's way through the angry beast. Her hands moved and fired upon it, only serving to gain it's attention. It rushed her and she threw herself out of the way again, flying across the ground with a hail of bullets erupting from her guns. She released the clips, replaced them, dodged, and repeated the same movements.

She wasn't sure how long the stand off occurred before she finally hit it. The seventh or eigth jump allowed her to catch it in mid spin, shooting it in the eye with a single bullet. It flailed and squirmed, thrashing around the room and smacking her with the large tail that swayed behind it. Her body, which had successfully dodged until then was thrown across the room.

"Kuugh...", she coughed upon hitting the wall. In just one massive attack all of her breath was stolen and her chest ached. Nothing was broken, but her body didn't want to move now. The fatigue of such skillful dodges catching upon. It followed the sound of her wheezes and launched through the air, it's pained and flailing body smashing against the crystal yet again. She had ducked and slid away. Backing away was all she could do, using silence and it's blindness to her advantage.

It stalked the room looking for her, pained breaths along with her own. It seemed oddly human but it was the same as a battlefield. 'Kill or be killed, it's no different here.' Except Riza had no way of killing this thing. "Why aren't you shooting it!?"

Charlie screamed out and caught the attention of the monster. 'Damn, what an idiot!' She fired upon it, drawing it her way in time. Dodging wasn't possible at this range. It rammed her and sent the female body back across the room. 'I'm done...' The second hit wouldn't allow her to rebound in time, it would be impossible to...

"Riza...!" Brilliant sheens of light filled her vision, the fearsome face and growl of the beast meeting her eyes before it was flung through the sky. Just like she had, it hit the wall without mercy. A second form followed after it, through the blinding light. 'Edward...' With insurmountable speed he landed upon the belly of it, stabbing through the chest as darkness surrounded them again. The final cry of those giant jaws giving way to more silence.

"Edward...? Ed!" When he didn't respond she pulled her aching body up and walked towards the sounds. A light joined her from Charlie who seemed unscathed by the attack. It flashed on Ed, and she saw what he meant earlier. His entire body was covered in small sparks of the same alchemic energy he had just used. Her eyes could tell he could hardly stand and before she could reach out for him...he grabbed the center pillar for support.

"Guaaah!" The ball, that single ball of energy erupted in an instant and bathed the world in blinding white. It gave way to a world she didn't understand...

Flashback

Several explosions rang out, the pounding of artillery shells slamming all across an open battlefield. It was an endless source of noise. The impacts were followed almost exclusively by bullets and screams. Trashed buildings and depots were blown apart by the shells and heads as well. Within the scattered trenches battalions worth of soldiers fought for their lives.

"Edward, hurry up will you!? The third squad needs back up immediately!" This war zone was unlike others, it did not involve alchemy and used weapons he had never seen before. His survival relied upon the men around him and his own skill with a gun. "Yeah I got it! Keep your head down!"

The sergeant ducked as a shell hit, they pressed forward instantly with several other men. Rifles were clung to tightly, helmets hid their faces as they stayed close to the ground. Two men at the front went down, several enemies dropping in to the trench. "Close combat!" A jab of a bayonet was followed by a gunshot, one of the assaulting troops falling. Ed leaped at another and tackled him, smashing his face with the end of the gun. "Keep moving, keep moving!"

"Gaaaah!" Roaring of engines overhead, the whistling sound of air being split and the smashing of gigantic bombs against the trench. "Sergeaaaaant!"

The man's body was limp on the ground, having been blown away by a massive blast from one of the overhead bombs. Ed tried everything to get him up and check his pulse but it was obvious...he was gone. "Dammit, we have to keep moving! If Sarge is dead, then he's dead! Come on Edward!"

He followed reluctantly after the second in command. Sounds of bombs and shells everywhere. It was impossible to see who was going down and who was still running alongside him. They reached the end of the trench, pulling themselves out on to the battered ground. Two of the front guard were torn apart by a blast but still they didn't stop. Their platoon moved in to the forest for cover, pressing their backs to tree's and rocks to catch their breath.

"Shit, who would have thought they had this much fire power after we blew up that arms depot. Ed, how much farther are we from the rendezvous point?" He spoke in a wheeze but Ed quickly drew out his map, used to the raspy voices of his comrades. If they were just on the edge of the forest then it shouldn't be much further. "Looks like a few more clicks south should do it, if we can rescue the men there and move on to HQ we should be ok..."

"Alright then-" His voice was cut off as a ground of soldiers pursued them in to the woods, each soldier went toe to toe with another. The bursts of gunfire, the echoes of grenades and shells cutting out soldiers hearing, along with the screams of those who were shot or stabbed. Ed was within a hell, a hell with an eternal battlefield...

End Flashback

"Ha...ha ha..." the world collapsed back in to reality, the endless battlefield giving way to the obviously strained face of Edward. Instead of attempting to comfort him, Charlie only seemed interesting in what just happened. "Oh wow, what an odd occurrence. It seems the contact resulted in the surfacing of Ed's memories. What a strange, strange place this is..."

"That's not important, we need to get him out of here!" She grabbed him under the arm and lifted him. His form seemed extremely weak. Despite her own hits, helping him out wouldn't be too much of a problem. "Oh yes, it would probably be wise to move him from the area. Anyway, it seems the contact has broken the object."

"Ha ha...ha...guh..." he couldn't even seem to get a word out, his panting was only followed by more pained gasps. The energy was sparking harder. Quickly she moved him towards the exit he had blown open, taking him out one step at a time...

Despite having his fragile form in her arms, all thoughts had moved to the scene she had witnessed. Feet kept on moving towards the exit, but the mind kept running over the vivid dirt of the trenches. That was definitely Edward. Most likely on the other side of the gate, had he fought a war there as well?

"Hang in there Edward, we're almost there." Actually she had no clue how much longer, only that every time she would say that his steps would come with a bit more hope. He clung to her tightly and she gladly supported him the rest of the way. Up through the tunnel the entrance was...shimmering...

They reached the top, the rain which had pounded the town in endless waves were in nothing but a light drizzle. The sun was shining brightly, more so than she had ever seen in the two days or so she was here. "...What the...?"

"It stopped, it stopped!" Charlie jumped up and down as if all his research had been correct, his notebook which he apparently scribbled notes on was being read over and over. "The condensed energy must have formed upon the failure of the experiment, and was continually producing alchemic reactions which broke the normal course of weather. By Edward touching it then, it must have been absorbed in to his body and broke."

"Are you saying he absorbed all of that!?" His wheezing was still hard, even after the sparks had disappeared and his body seemed ok. All of it did nothing to help him to calm down. "Well it's only a theory. I mean, no body can hold that amount for long. More likely he will slowly let it out until his powers stabilize again. He will probably require some sleep, so hurry up."

It was easy for him to say, not helping at all. Sighing deeply she lifted Ed up a bit higher, smiling slightly to renew his spirits.

Gold Street Inn

Despite that man's house being closer she refused to leave him with someone who so easily left him be in such a state. She'd prefer to be able to care for him without his constant thoughts and opinions. So she logically chose her own temporary home. Already he was asleep on her bed, quietly released from the misery of such a concentration of energy.

"Man, what a mess..." no one noticed them walking through town, everyones eyes were staring up at the sky. The cloudless sky...the endless rain already having ended. Drizzles became nothing but a sunny day. Henry took both his wife and his son outside to see it, everyone looked dazzled. She still didn't understand what was happening. That ball, that small blue ball was the cause of all of it?

"It doesn't matter, I have to take care of Ed." She replaced the damp cloth with a new one, a colder one. He reacted with a small shift but kept to a silent slumber. Reminded of the old Ed she blushed slightly, turning away to stare out the bright window. 'Those images, were they really his...'

Her mind was consumed in that war zone, trying to fight off the urge to replay it yet again. If nothing else she didn't like the expression he held in such a situation, it was the one she was used to seeing but...more serious and determined. Was that the cause of his change? Or even more, did she even want to know?

"Uu...gh..." he groaned but didn't wake. She wanted to yell at him for running in so recklessly even if her life was saved because of it. Really, even in this state he disregards himself so fully. Such a horrible trait to have in a world like this. Far too easy to take advantage of. 'I guess I'm no different, seeing as I want his help too.' No, that wasn't it. In the end she wanted to see him more then that, his sleeping face and the smile it brought to her proved it.

As night came she replaced the damp cloth several times. Somewhere around midnight his eyes popped open, shimmering for a moment under the dim light of the lamp. Riza wasn't even paying attention, watching the people outside the window. It was so late and yet they still examined the sky as if waiting for the dream to end. "Uugh...Riza...?"

"Wait, don't sit up yet. You could still be weak." She pushed his body back down. His eyes blinked several times, taking in the scenery for a moment. "I'm fine really, you don't need to worry about me. What happened and...how did I get here?"

"You decided it was smart to run in to a cave despite knowing what it did to you, then crashing in to a chimera and breaking the only other thing in the room. Basically you created tons of chaos and made me carry you all the way here." She teased him lightly and his eyes lit up, running through the actual line of events. "Oh I see...is that what happened...?"

He groaned lightly and against her wishes sat up, leaning back against the beds headboard. She tried to protest again but was ignored. 'So stubborn...!' After risking himself like that she would feel guilty if he hurt himself farther. He was looking better though. 'I won't mention those memories, no telling how he might react.'

"Riza...I...I'm sorry, I didn't realize what would happen in there." The apology came as a start. She didn't need something like that. Being in the military made such danger very common. "Don't worry about it. I went in because I wanted to help. Besides, you made up for it by going inside."

"I guess so, but still..." he frowned a bit and looked away, eyes shifting to the window. He noticed it. You couldn't not, the lack of rain hitting the window. She tried to stop him but he jumped out of bed to look closely. "Wait, what happened!? The rain...it's...it's..."

"Gone, whatever you broke in those ruins seemed to stop it." His gasp, a sweet and soft sound. Ed had grown just as used to the patter, unlike her who had only witnessed it for a few days. "This is fantastic, it's finally over...then...it worked...Charlie was right."

"Forget it, you can talk all about it tomorrow. Get some rest or I'll just shoot you in the arm and give you more reasons to need it." He searched her unwavering eyes, trying to find some sort of a bluff. It was a bluff but he couldn't see any form of backing down. "Fine, just...a little nap then..."

"Yes that sounds fine, goodnight Edward..."