Edward leaned against the rock, panting. He glanced backward, checking none of the marauders was still following him. What a mess! He let himself slid to the ground and rested a moment, trying to remember how the hell he'd come to this point.
He remembered that he'd been stupefied when the guard took him onto the deck of the ship. The weather was bight and clear, and the temperature cool. The water all around was crystal clear and he could see strangely shaped fish swimming around lazily in it. Then he'd cast a glance around him and his jaw had dropped. Everything was strange, as though distorted. There were few trees, most of them being replaced by very large and ugly mushroom-like… things. Very few birds flew in the sky, and there was almost no chirping to be heard. But most of all it was the people's aspect that stunned the young alchemist.
Even from a distance, he could see that most of the inhabitants of this place were clearly not human. He'd glimpsed cat-like figures standing on two legs and wandering around, as well as one bloke which he thought looked somewhat like an overgrown lizard. Then, of course, there were many like his cell companion: purplish – grayish, tall and haughty with pointed ears. As far as Edward could tell, the only "normal" human beings were the few guards who wandered around in the small town, all dressed in the same armor as the one who'd so kindly escorted him out of the ship's entrails.
He recalled that he'd only had a few instants to notice all this before feeling the point of the guard's sword in his back and heading for the plank linking the ship and the wharf. There, he'd met another guard, this one in full armor, complete with a helmet and all, who'd led him into a house at the end of the passage. Ed remembered he'd been relieved to see that the guard from the ship hadn't followed them. One idiot less to evade.
Inside the house, Edward had met a strange old man who'd asked him all sorts of stupid questions about himself: where was he from, what "race" was he, what were his major skills, what was his "class" or job… Ed had tried to answer correctly but as he didn't have a clue to what the old bloke wanted to hear, he just said what passed through his mind. Luckily, it must have been sufficient for the old man seemed happy enough. He handed Ed a scroll with strange letters upon it and told him to scarper…. Well, that wasn't exactly the way he said it, but the basic idea was the same.
Not needing to be told twice, the alchemist had gotten the hell out of there and crossed into the next building, where he was instructed to talk to the captain. At first, the military had seemed very unpleasant but Ed had learned very interesting facts from him. He'd also received a message and a pack to deliver to someone called Caius Cosades. Of course, as soon as he'd been out of the house, Edward had thrown pack and letter into a nearby pond. He had no desire whatsoever to be used as a messenger. He had more important things to do. Like get back to Amestris for example.
Anyway, he'd left the village behind and headed south-east, as the guards had told him. That was where Vivec was supposed to be located and with it the semi-god Vivec, after whom the city was named. If that bloke was capable of stopping a moon in its course, then he was surely capable of sending a poor, lost alchemist back into his native world. As least that was what Ed supposed. Which was why he'd spent a few days following a worn-out road that led more or less south, until he'd come upon a trio of ugly-looking olive-skinned brutes who'd decided to kill him and have him cooked for diner. Or so Ed assumed, for he couldn't understand a word of what they were yelling at him while running after him. Fortunately, only one of them had a bow and he was a terrible shot. None of his arrows had passed at less than five meters from Ed. Nevertheless, there were three of them and they were armed with nasty looking blades. Being unable to use his alchemy here – he'd tried with a rather despairingly empty result just after leaving the village – Ed had preferred not to take any chances and had therefore chosen he honorable and most ancient art of… running away.
Which was why he was now sitting behind a rock in the middle of nowhere, panting madly and not knowing whether or not the three madmen were still after him.
He'd only been sitting for what seemed like ten minutes when a cry told him his three pursuers where closing in. Straightening up heavily, he risked a glance over the edge of the rock and saw that the pursuers were indeed closing in. but not on him. They were making for a most bizarre bird, with a wingspan that must have exceeded the length of two grown men – or four Edwards. The bird was shrieking madly and landing blows with his vicious-looking tail on the three gathered bandits. These were most occupied with avoiding the blows and returning jabs with their swords at the bird. For a moment, Ed was tempted by the idea of taking advantage of the fight to make a run for it, however something stopped him before he'd even made a step.
There was something wrong about leaving this bird take care of his attackers. It felt like running away – which it was, of course – and that wasn't correct in his mind. He'd never fled before an enemy so why would he have to do so now?
As Ed thought this, one of the men fell backward, the bird's beak having pieced his eye. He writhed on the ground for a moment then finally lay still, obviously dead. "Wow! Thought Ed, That's one vicious bird!" Then he saw the dead man's sword, lying just a few steps from him. He hesitated. Would he have time to get to it before the two remaining men and the bird – ah well, forget the bird. Edward doubted that with its head flying one way and his body the other, the bird would be capable of running after him. That left him with only two enemies who were apparently taking a break next to their fallen companion. The sword lay between him and the two bandit, however it was a few inches closer to them than to him. Would he have time to reach it before they noticed him? There was only one way to find out.
Ed leaped from behind the rock and pelted towards the weapon. He was only two or three steps from it when one of the men noticed him and, jumping up, ran at him, quickly followed by his companion. Fortunately, his head start had given Ed a sufficient advantage. He reached the sword just instants before the two did and plunged for it. His hand closed in on the hilt and he gripped it firmly before rolling into his two attackers' legs. They fell with him, disorientated by his attack, and he used this advantage to get up before them. Seeing one of them was still struggling to get up, he aimed a kick at his head. The man keeled backward, senseless, leaving Ed with one enemy to deal with.
The last bandit approached carefully, his sword in one hand and a strange whitish shield in the other. They circled one another for a moment then the man dealt a blow to Edward's head. Ed parried at the last instant and retaliated with an assault to the chest. His sword was blocked by the shield and he had to jump back to avoid being speared. They circled again. Then Edward had an idea. He leapt forward and dealt a powerful diagonal stroke to the man's left side. As he'd expected, his enemy blocked with his shield and counterattacked with a thrust to Ed's throat. However, Ed was ready for it. Dropping the sword, he clutched the bandit's right shoulder with his automail and, taking advantage of this firm grip, jumped and lashed out his left leg at the oncoming sword. The blade rang as it hit the metallic leg and was carried away by the force of the blow. And there was the opening Ed had been waiting for. He brought his left leg down hard on the man's right arm then let go of his shoulder. As his enemy fell to the right, destabilized by the blow, he aimed carefully and landed a powerful blow to his head. The bandit fell limp to the floor, knocked out.
Ed sighed with relief. It had been harder than he'd imagined. Without the ability to use his alchemy, he had to sum up his best fighting abilities, even against a pitiful bunch like this one. This was a problem he'd have to solve rapidly. One more problem… Great!
Taking great care to step on his attackers' unconscious bodies, Edward walked away heading, once again, for the city of Vivec.