The Other Exams
By: Bar-Ohki
Disclaimer: looks in mail box Nope, still don't own it.
Recap: Roy's a pyro, but what else is new? And Armstrong's sparkles are a little more than unforgettable…
Other Stuff: I probably won't get another update until next weekend. School, unfortunately, is still going on for me. But I'd like to thank all my reviews out there, you are the people that make this all worth while! hugs everyone of you And as a warning, this chapter is not all fun and games, its serious and a bit sad.
Chapter 3: A Cornered Choice
"Hey Zolf!" cried a boy from behind him. The boy's name was Rupert, he was average height with brown hair and blue eyes. An average guy, from a seemingly average mining town.
"Yo, Rup!" Zolf called back, waving at his friend. He stopped and waited for the boy to catch up.
"Zolf! My dad's coming back in from West City! He said he learned some alchemy while he was out. He's going to show me how, Zolf!" Rupert jumped up and down in joy.
"Aww that's so cool! I wish my parents did something besides run the general store around here." Zolf sighed. His family never had much money, but that could be blamed on his parents having too many kids and too little income.
"You never know!" Rupert assured his friend. They made their way to Rupert's house where they witnessed Rupert's father blow up a few rocks.
"Now look at that honey!" The father explained. "Now we can make all sorts of tunnels in the mines!"
-break-
"Hey there!" A young woman came over and sat down beside him on the train. "Where you headed?" Zolf looked over at her, wary, seeing that she was decently pretty and dressed nicely.
"Central." Zolf's voice was dry.
"Why?" She was shocked, heading to Central in these back parts usually meant that person was going out to war.
"Answering the draft." Zolf sighed. "Not like I have much to return to. I may just stay in the military."
"I think war is horrible." The woman hissed.
"So do I." Zolf sighed, wondering if his life could possibly get any worse.
-break-
It was a normal day, well it should have been. Rupert and Zolf were innocently walking home from school. They joked and threw punches at each other in play. Just then they stopped as they heard a strange sound. A car came tearing around the corner. Both boys were stunned, it was their first time ever encountering a car.
Rupert took a few steps towards the car, unsure if it was even real. Zolf was about to comment on how he thought that was a bad idea when the car lost control. Suddenly the back end swerved to the side, hitting Rupert dead-on.
"Rupert!!" Zolf cried as he watched the body of his friend fall to the ground. The sickening crunch his body made was finial. Zolf ran over to his dead friend and screamed, hoping some, something would help him. Nothing came.
Later that day Zolf explained what had happened to Rupert's father. The man's gaze fell. Both of the mourning males held a comfortable, understanding silence.
"Zolf…," Rupert's father began, "would you like to learn alchemy?"
"What?" Zolf sat up, stunned.
"Rupert didn't have much of a talent for it. He always said that you understood the material better than he did and all you did was glance at it. I want someone to know these techniques I've learned. I brought these here to help this mine, this town. I need to have someone else know them."
"I don't know." Zolf began to answer. "I'd have to talk it over with my parents. Its really sudden, you know."
"I know." The next day Zolf began his alchemy lessons.
-break-
"Where am I?" Zolf was just a deer in head lights, he was surrounded by people, by noise, by colors, by things he'd never imagined before. He found himself pushed through the crowd, getting lost and confused. A tall man in military uniform caught Zolf's eye in all the mess.
"Sir!" Zolf cried, trying to get the man's attention as he struggled towards the officer. Finally, after much trial, Zolf caught the man's attention. Within moments he was fished from the crowd.
"You're Zolf Kimblee, correct?" The officer asked.
"Yes." Zolf panted.
"This way then." And all Zolf could do was follow.
-break-
Zolf dropped the letter, panicking. He had feared he'd get one when the Further called the draft. He backed up against the wall, as if getting away from the letter would protect him from it. But he knew, deep inside, that the truth was that he was going to war. Being an alchemist, he was to accept that, but the irrational side of his brain had taken over. He had no say in it.
"Zolf?" His mother asked worriedly. She came in and saw her son white as a sheet, his eyes transfixed on the paper on the floor.
"Is that-?" She cut herself off as she picked it up and read it.
"Oh Zolf…." She began to cry.
-break-
"Do you understand why we called you here Mr. Kimblee?" The officer asked him as he drove Zolf to Headquarters.
"To become a State Alchemist." Zolf answered. "Apparently what I know is too useful to let me be a standard solider…."
"I heard you can make just about anything explode." The officer prodded hopefully.
"Did you know, that with just a little effort, humans can become effective bombs?" Zolf eyed the man in front of him.
"Really?" The officer was a little horrified.
"Yes, really." Zolf sighed, going back to his thoughts.
-break-
"Hey Zolf, I heard the news." Rupert's father remarked as Zolf drug his feet. "There's one thing I have left to teach you before you go."
"Really?" Zolf's eyes lit up, he loved learning alchemy.
"This is something you should only use when you have no other choice." The man explained. "Because its sinful and terrible."
"What is it?" Zolf was now curious.
"Its how to turn humans into bombs…." Zolf was horrified, what a fearsome thing indeed!
-break-
"By order of Further King Bradley, the State Alchemist Assessment Exams are to be conducted in an emergency manner. This entitles to the suspension of the written exam and posting of the interviews until after the practical exam." One of the officers announced over the radio as Zolf walked through the gates of Headquarters. He was a little confused.
Written exam? Interview? What kind of nonsense is this? Zolf, having grown up out in the west, didn't know what a proper state alchemy exam meant.
"Uhh, I can still take the exam right?" Zolf asked, worry filling his voice.
"Of course boy! They just made it a lot easier for you!" The officer assured him.
Easier? I doubt it. Zolf thought to himself as he walked into the building.
-break-
Zolf arrived at the drafting station.
"Zolf Kimblee, reporting." He told the man at the counter. The man gave him a look down, then smiled.
"Fill out this form here. Then go around back and get measured for your uniform." The man jerked his thumb in the particular direction of importance. Zolf nodded and looked over the sheet as he walked around the shed.
"Damn rock's in the way!" One of the men shouted. There was a group of boulders blocking the train tracks. Zolf approached the scene, quickly realizing that there had been a minor avalanche.
"Excuse me sir, but I can help." Zolf explained as he approached the man he thought was in charge.
"How boy!?" The man snapped, irritated.
"Observe." Zolf took out a piece of chalk. He set his hand against the boulder and wrapped lightly against it. I see… Plenty of materials then…. Zolf remarked mentally then began to carefully draw a circle on the rock. By this time a small crowd had gathered, everyone's eyes perking in interest. When Zolf finished he looked around carefully, checking the bottom of the boulders and the tracks.
Zolf flashed a smile and waved to the crowd. He then took a deep breath and put his hands to the circle. Moments later there were three very decisive-looking arches that flew off the circle.
"Please take two steps back, its going to explode!" Zolf warned and wasted no time in his retreat. Everyone took heed of his warning. The next few seconds were tense as everyone waited.
"You didn't do any-" The man in charge began but stopped. There was a low grumbling sound and the boulders began to shake.
"Hit the deck!!" One of the other soldiers cried as he flung his body to the ground.
BOOM!!
Everyone slowly raised their heads and stared. There were no more rocks. Zolf had been sitting a little ways away, unharmed and amused.
"Nice sound, isn't it?" He asked them.
"Sure…." One of the men responded.
"Are you a State Alchemist?" The officer in charge asked Zolf.
"No, I did just get drafted though." Zolf replied honestly.
"Well here's your new orders bucko, goto Central and get yourself certified." The man handed Zolf a new sheet of paper. "I'll call ahead and make sure that there's someone there for you at the station."
-break-
"Zolf Kimblee, your turn." The woman in charge remarked. Zolf walked up to her and nodded. He spent the next few minutes of his life making bombs. He made seven in all, each a varying type and strength. Zolf had decided he wanted to show how versatile he was, rather than just flaunt his talents at people. That and if he did do that he'd probably total Headquarters. As he walked away from the testing site there was a lot of applause.
"Very well done Mr Kimblee, please follow us. This is a simple interview and will only take a few minutes." One of the generals explained. Zolf followed, hoping he wasn't in trouble for making the mess he made. (1) A matter of minutes later they arrived in a small meeting room. There were 3 over generals in the room and the Further. Zolf got really nervous.
"Please take a seat." One of the generals asked him. Zolf sat down.
"State your name, age, and years of study." Another general asked.
"My name is Zolf Kimblee and I'm 26 and I've been studying alchemy since I was 11." Zolf lost a sense of grammar when he grew nervous.
"Why do you want to become a State Alchemist?" The Further asked him in all seriousness.
"I didn't want to become one." Zolf admitted. "I got drafted then I was trying to help some people with the aftermath of an avalanche and the next thing I know I'm on a train to Central. I'm not really sure if I should be here…. I know I've got some talent for alchemy and I wouldn't mind becoming a State Alchemist, I mean being in the military is a better career than a miner, right?" The generals were a little stunned by this. "I won't really care weather or not you pass me, I mean, I'm still going down to the battlefield either way."
"Yes, that is true." One of the generals remarked.
"If we did pass you, would you use your alchemy to kill?" A different general asked.
"If I was ordered to, then yes." Zolf was quiet. "The way I see it, I'm going to kill people either way, so in the end it doesn't matter how."
"Well then, congratulations Major Kimblee." The Further said, standing up and shaking the young man's hand. "As of today, you are officially the Crimson Alchemist. Welcome to the military." Bradley left a sliver watch in Zolf's hand and walked off.
Zolf stared at the watch, at first in disbelief, then with a small smile.
I'm going to make the old man back home proud. I'll be the best alchemist out there! Zolf vowed, clutching his watch. On the inside he slipped a photo of his large family. But, as the events turned out, he never did open his watch up again to look at it.
1- Mind you Ed and Roy made a much larger mess during their battle exam.
Well, I decided to make Kimblee into a kind of nice, sane guy before Ishbal. Tell me what you think, so review. Flame me if you want, I just want some feed back. See ya next time!