"Look, can we just cut the crap and talk here?" Ed addressed Cornello in a casually cynical tone. "All I want are some straight answers about the stone," he continued, his sly grin morphing into one of a pleasant young fellow willing to be cooperative. "Tell me what I need to know and I'll be on my way…or we could get the military involved."
Cornello snarled at Edward's subtle threat, blatantly furious that a kid had him by the short and curlies so easily, he appeared to be a few well-chosen words away from beating Ed senseless. But realizing that would only attract the kind of attention he didn't need, the kind Sam guessed could only happen when a military official suddenly went missing, Cornello sighed heavily, frowning as he glanced up and down the hallway to be sure they weren't within earshot of any unsuspecting churchgoers.
He shut the door behind him, his livid constitution influencing his lack of conscious knowledge that Sam was standing just to his right. Now having fully emerged into the room Cornello spared a death glare at the younger Winchester, masking his surprise at the sight of him with a hateful look. Sam wasn't affected by such trivial behavior, Cornello reminding him strongly of a spiteful child on the verge of throwing a tantrum. Cornello turned to focus his sight on Ed, but the slight turn of his head showed that he was keeping Sam within his peripheral as much as possible.
Masking his rage as best he could, he schooled his features in order to appear calm and resilient, "Ask your questions."
He barked out the statement in such a snappy tone that it came off as more of an order rather than a passage of temporary leniency on his part, but Edward seemingly chose to ignore it.
"You can do anything with the Philosopher's Stone right?" Edward queried, his tone just short of mocking. "So why waste all that power performing phony miracles?"
Cornello's expression smoothed over into a more low-key version of the grin he sported earlier. He currently held important information that Edward needed, regardless that the young alchemist was attempting to feign indifference, the priest could tell that the information was essential to Ed's overall plan. That small moment of gaining the upper hand being the influence behind his subtle look of victory, he addressed Edward as he had before in the bannered room. There was a mischievous and outright maniacal gleam to his eyes as he spoke, his tone exhilarant and passionate.
"Because with each miracle I can attract new believers to the order who would lay down their lives for my sake," he was obviously proud of his accomplishments in the way he spoke about the cause, it was that breathless kind of excitement you sometimes heard in someone's voice when something big was happening in their life. Something huge.
"I'm slowly building an army, a legion of holy warriors unafraid to die. In a few more years I'll be ready to unleash this mindless horde upon the world! And I'll use the Philosopher's Stone to tear this country apart. Who knows? I might even carve out a slice for you." He laughed at his own works as though they were some private joke only he could understand.
Edward, having appeared bored to tears during the whole explanation, suddenly erupted in a burst of laughter of his own. Though it wasn't for Cornello's benefit, but rather for his own, and considering the ridiculousness of the priest's master plan it was certainly justifiable. Sam wasn't normally the type to find dangerous situations humorous, but Edward's response reminded him so much of Dean it was almost worth a laugh or two.
"Hey what are you laughing about?" Cornello was obviously displeased with Ed's mirth.
"I knew it! You really are a novice aren't you?" Edward replied, his laughing dying down as he spoke.
Edward wasn't the only one that was skilled, Sam had a few tricks of his own, his time at Stanford wasn't the main reason behind his intelligence, a majority of it was simply good old-fashioned Winchester instinct mixed with a healthy dose of worldly logic. It had only taken a matter of seconds to formulate a plan during their escape from Cornello's gun, Alphonse having split from them (still carrying Rose) to do his part. Sam and Ed had tracked down Cornello's office, where Ed used his alchemical skills to transmute a microphone using what little materials they had.
Sam couldn't help but grin at the situation, especially when at that precise moment Edward lifted something off the desk. Something small and made of metal in a box-like fashion, with two wires running from the bottom. It was an On/Off switch, the switch itself turned to the "On" end, and one of the two wires lead to said microphone lying casually on the carpeted floor at Cornello's feet.
Having noticed this finally, Cornello's expression went from a blank look of confusion, to a jaw-dropping moment of disbelief, to a twitching state of fury before he finally exploded with rage. "YOU DON'T MEAN THAT..!…WHY YOU..!…..HOW LONG? HOW LONG HAS THAT BEEN ON?"
From somewhere outside Sam heard the faint whirring sound of what he assumed was Al's part of the plan, which consisted of making it so that Cornello's beloved confession could be heard on every station across Lior and then some. Sam guessed the "and then some" part included blaring the message as well, he could hear the booming echo of the priest's angry words from somewhere outside, startling a flock of birds to immediately take flight.
"From the start," Ed replied nonchalant in response to Cornello's bewildered question. "Your believers heard every word."
"How could you?" Cornello all but snarled at the young alchemist, his patience, having worn dangerously thin up until now, was finally broken following another cheap shot on their part. "YOU'LL PAY DEARLY FOR THIS!" He made a move to transmute his cane into a gun once again, but Edward had already anticipated this move.
"Sorry not today!" striking forward with his sword-arm, he sliced the gun completely in half, the blade cutting through the metal like butter. The front half broke free and clattered to the floor. "Just face it," Edward replied in a tone reflecting his lack of patience in dealing with anymore bullshit now, "you're outclassed here."
Cornello didn't seem to fully understand just how screwed he was now, his actions mimicking that of an animal backed into a corner that eventually came out acting hysterical and manically violent in an attempt to gain freedom from its pursuers. "I AM WITHOUT RIVAL!" he bellowed, reaching up to his half-gun to transmute it once again, the red light the transmutation was emitting seemed to last longer than before.
Edward twisted and flipped over backwards to move away from the priest, landing in a crouch with cat-like grace, his right arm still in sword form. Sam semi-circled the priest in order to put some distance between himself and whatever it was he was attempting to create. The man was losing it, slowly but surely he was going to snap in a manner that would put them all in the kind of danger that was beyond chaotic. The kind that was better to run from than to face.
Something was wrong, the transmutation was taking longer than usual, the red glow growing brighter and brighter until Sam had to cover his eyes because the brightness of it was blinding him. Suddenly the light flared and went out, giving off a tiny booming sound like a miniature explosion. Black dots swam in Sam's vision in the aftermath of the light, when his vision finally cleared he was presented with Cornello standing as he was, but with a pained expression on his face. One look at his arm clearly showing why.
Cornello no longer held his cane-gun, instead it appeared as though the gun had become a part of his arm. Bits of metal twisted and framed his forearm, pieces here and there actually sticking into the flesh, some of them going straight through like oversized piercings. His own shirt sleeve was fused into his arm along with the gun itself, the fabric twisted into and around his skin, bits of his shirt was also floating around like debris. Strings of red light still flickered here and there, twisting and spiraling around the creation, as though the transmutation was attempting to either finish itself or make things right.
Edward stared in disbelief, still in his crouched position. "It's a rebound," was all he said.
"No!" Cornello raged determinedly, "I won't be disgraced like this!" He was clutching his disaster of an arm, the red light becoming stronger once again, Cornello's voice growing deeper as the atmosphere shifted in the room. "Now….." he stared at the two of them with such hatred Sam felt a chill creep up his spine, "….behold…..the chosen emissary of the Sun God Leto!"
For the first time that day, Sam witnessed the first true expression of fear on Edward's face. Up until now, his moments of vulnerability had been short-lived, immediately snuffed out by a snarky comment or an act of violence. Now with Cornello standing before them, red light all around, transmuting himself into a larger and deadlier version of his formerly formidable self, the young alchemist appeared momentarily disarmed and….strangely enough…almost helpless.
Cornello was massive, abusing the Stone's power to make himself as large as possible, his body straining against the rapid and unnatural change. His skin made stretch marks as it adjusted to his new size, his muscles were larger but unevenly so, giving the impression of his being lopsided and misshapen. The changes in his physical appearance caused his shirt to tear and eventually fall to pieces, and the arm he'd disfigured in an attempt to transmute a gun was larger as well. In fact it reminded Sam of a more grotesque and sickening version of Edward's own metallic arm, but where Ed's was symbolic of a painful past with a promise of a more victorious future, Cornello's gave the impression of a main goal of search and destroy.
He swung an enormous fist in Edward's direction, and for the second time that week Sam reached out and grabbed him by the collar to drag him out of harm's way. He pulled himself and Edward around Cornello's hulking form, grabbing the broken piece of gun barrel as he went. When Cornello swung around to strike out at them again, Sam used the jagged end of the metal to slice at the man's left hand which was roughly the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. Cornello roared, in anger rather than actual pain, and made to chase them. His immense size making it difficult for him to get through the door without a bit of forceful effort, giving Sam and Edward a moment's head start.
This was the kind of danger Sam had been worried about, the kind that could lead to some serious trouble. What if Cornello got loose into the city? If they couldn't stop him there was no telling what kind of damage he could do, not to mention the kind of danger he would be to his former followers. The duo ran and ran (Sam was getting tired of this), bypassing room after room until they ended up at the door to the sanctuary. However instead of simply breaking through the double doors, the three of them ended up exploding through the wall as Cornello, having finally caught up as he bounded along, launched at them so hard he broke through the stone. He came barreling through with such force it shook the very foundation of the church, large crumbled portions of the wall came raining down as they scampered away from the crazed priest who was still chasing them with vehemence.
Sam backed away, Edward regained a fighting stance in anticipation of Cornello's next move, but he needn't wait long. The priest reared back his disfigured arm and made to smash Ed into the stone floor, but Edward being as light-footed and quick as he was, leapt out of the way just as Cornello's fist cratered the spot where Ed had stood only seconds before. The priest used this opportunity of their focus on his right arm to swing around with his left in an attempt to knock the young alchemist off his feet, but the victory was cut short when Cornello realized that the young Elric was fending off the blow as much as possible. He was pushing against Cornello's fist, putting all his weight into the effort, but his strength was proving frail against the priest's inhuman strength.
"MY WORD IS THE DIVINE WORD OF GOD HIMSELF," Cornello's voice boomed across the room as though it were amplified on a loudspeaker. "MY FIST IS THE ALMIGHTY FIST OF JUDGEMENT!"
"Oh yeah?" Despite his diminishing efforts against Cornello, Edward still feigned bravado. It didn't matter that Cornello could simply knock him down into the floor at this point, Edward wasn't going down without getting the last word in. "Fist of God huh?" he leapt backward, stumbling as he semi-circled Cornello and made straight for the giant statue of Leto behind the altar.
"If that's what you want you can HAVE IT!" Edward clapped his hands together and placed them urgently at the base of the statue, engulfing it in a large current of blue light. The transmutation morphed the Sun God's right hand to move and curl into a hefty stone fist, which it then used to slam into Cornello, he cried out in response to this sudden turn of events as the fist surged forward, slamming him into the floor. A large dust cloud erupted from the collision, powdering the room with flecks of stone and grime. The moment the dust began to settle, Edward and Sam made straight for Cornello, who lay whimpering beside Leto's "fist", clutching desperately at his disfigured arm. Ribbons of red light still circulated around both him and the stone fist, but they were starting to fade away as the alchemical reaction wore off.
"Shut up!" Edward grabbed Cornello's face, and roughly so, making Sam wince inwardly. The priest had returned to his normal size, still minus the shirt and what looked to be the bottom half of his pants, a side-effect of his Hulk-worthy moment. Now that he was back to his normal size, he almost looked pathetically pitiful lying there, defeated and utterly cowed by no more than a child and his estranged other-worldly sidekick.
"Just give me the Philosopher's Stone!" Edward wasn't sparing any pity or remorse for Cornello's plight, instead choosing to cut to the chase in demanding the ring.
It was in that moment, when Cornello's normal hand with the ring partially covering his horrified expression, that the red Stone in question slipped away from its hold and fell to the stone floor, where it shattered into tiny pieces. They watched breathlessly as the pieces turned to a fine red dust, blowing away as though someone had left a window open somewhere, and the bits of the Stone dissolved into nothing with a phantom jangling sound of finality.
Edward stared in horrified disbelief, his eyes wide with upset and confusion. "What the hell?" was all he managed in a small whisper.
Sam wasn't sure what any of it meant, but he had a feeling that it wasn't good. "What does that mean? Was it even the real Stone?"
"The Stone…." Edward began, regaining some of his composure as his mind worked to make sense of the situation, "….it's supposed to be perfect material…..how did it just break like that?"
Cornello seemed as perplexed as Edward, immediately he held up his hands in his defense, whining feebly. "Uh…I don't know! I don't know anything about it! Spare me! Please!" he switched from whining to bargaining, "I was wrong! Please I beg you!"
"Does this mean what I think it does?" Sam dared to ask, knowing the answer was going to upset the young Alchemist.
"It does." Edward rose from the floor, the first pangs of defeat finally settling in on him, "It's a damn fake."
"Please don't!" Cornello continued to bray, his actions only fueling Edward's upset. "I'm helpless without the Stone! Spare me please!" Sam's brief moment of pity for this man had dissolved instantly the moment he plead for his life, now he was simply pathetic.
"You mean we went through all this…..risked our lives for this one possible chance…..and it's a fake?" Edward swayed for a moment, his shoulders sagging under the weight of realization. Sam wanted to say something comforting, or at least something to get him motivated again, but he didn't know what would get him going at the moment.
But apparently Cornello had the right stuff for just that.
"So…haha…." he began, grinning sheepishly. "What about me?"
"What about you?" Sam demanded, growing tired of the priest's bullshit, but Edward had a different kind of approach to the question.
"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO JUST GET OUT OF HERE!" he all but roared at Cornello, shaking a metal fist at the priest's face in silent emphasis as to what would happen if he disobeyed.
"B-but…but…..what do I do?" his excessive whining had plucked the wrong nerve with the two of them, and it gave Sam the excuse he needed to rear back his fist and slam it into the priest's chubby face. Normally Dean was the one to let fists fly on a whim if someone was deliberately pissing him off, but Sam had been having an off-week, hell an off-life, so he was entitled to throwing a punch here and there when it was deserved.
The blow knocked Cornello flat on his back, he immediately scrambled up and onto his feet, clutching his cheek as he raced from the room. It was amazing how easily one could cow a person of power once that power was gone, especially if that someone relied solely on that power to control others. All it took was the right kind of training and even the most cowed person could bounce back swinging, ready to beat the next person that dared challenge them. Cornello obviously had never been trained as anything other than an idiot, a whimsical and foolish person that when stripped of his powers was nothing more than a shriveled little man with nothing to offer but broken promises.
He made Sam sick.
"Thanks for that," Edward's voice broke through Sam's thoughts, "I would've done it myself but I thought I'd better not."
"Don't mention it" Sam replied, flexing his right hand. Even though the priest's cheeks were chubby, it hadn't cushioned the blow as one would expect. "I just wanted him to shut up with all the whining."
"Well either way…I don't think he'll be accepted with open arms from this point forward." Edward placed his hands on his hips, "I get the feeling his ex-followers will be paying him a visit at some point…and not the friendly kind."
"He's earned that," Sam pointed out, crouching down to examine the location where the Stone had dissolved into nothing as though it had never existed in the first place. He reached out and traced a finger across the floor, curious to see if any residue had been left behind, but upon removing his fingers he came back with nothing but dust and dirt. "If the Stone is so perfect than why are there fakes?," he straightened up to face Edward, "why not just stick with the real deal?"
Edward shook his head, he too had been staring at the spot on the floor, "I don't' know. The Philosopher Stone is meant to be a substance of purity."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning there shouldn't even be fakes to begin with."
"So that leaves us with the why…why create a fake that works?" Sam pondered, "Why give someone the false impression that they had something they thought would make them invincible?"
"Like I said I don't know," Edward replied dryly, obviously done with Sam's little interrogation. "Anyway I need to get out of here and find Al and Rose," he looked over his shoulder at Sam, "You should probably look for your brother and whoever that old man was."
"Bobby," Sam corrected him, deciding against setting Edward straight on the "old man" bit.
"Whatever," Edward didn't spare the damage in the room another glance as he made his way to the exit. He must be truly angry about this Sam realized, otherwise he would be mouthing off at him for interfering again.
Sam meant to follow him, but something told him to hold back. He gave Ed a couple minutes head start, enough time to get outside the building altogether, before picking his way through the mess to go find the others.
***********************************************************************************
"So the Stone was a fake?" Sam had just filled Dean and Bobby in on the recent encounter with Cornello, especially the part involving the chimera which (as Sam had predicted) Dean found highly amusing as well as intriguing.
"Seems so," Sam answered him, they were standing just outside of the church, his gaze sweeping across the exterior. The sun was setting now, the city was quiet, not a soul could be seen wondering the streets. Sam wondered vaguely if the townspeople were waiting for Cornello's next move, or perhaps they were scheming against him. There might be an uprising in Lior tonight, after what Cornello did it was practically inevitable, Sam just wanted to be sure they were gone before it all started.
"Well that sucks," Dean glanced over in the direction of the Elrics, they too were discussing the recent events. Sam could tell by Ed's pained expression, and the defeated set in Al's demeanor, that he was relaying the news about the Stone. Their only hope. Gone just like that.
"Well that's one down at least," Bobby offered optimistically, shifting his weight with his hands shoved into the pockets of his zip-up vest. He regarded the Elrics with a sad look, a look of understanding and pity swelled up in his eyes as he surveyed their body language. They definitely appeared defeated, but Sam knew that somehow, especially with Edward, they would bounce back.
"What do you mean 'one'?" Dean asked him, frowning in Bobby's direction.
"Cornello may have been a pathetic dillhole, but a cannibal he was not," Bobby pointed out.
"So where does that leave us?" Dean inquired, obviously dreading the answer.
"It means Hannibal's long-lost brother is still on the loose," Bobby reminded him, "which also means we have an unsolved case here."
"Well if it's not the sketchy little pseudo-priest than what is it?" Dean replied cynically with obvious disdain for the "unsolved" situation. "The chimera maybe?"
"I'm not sure that's it," Sam regarded the Elrics as he spoke, in particular Ed's shredded pants. "When that thing attacked Ed it wasn't trying to eat him…it was only interested in biting him."
"But it's possible this thing could've been snacking on humans at some point?" Bobby gave Sam a hard look, not the kind that's meant to put you in your place, but rather the expression he usually bestowed when he was making absolutely sure the boys had it right.
Sam shook his head and shrugged, "I don't know for sure."
"Well I think it's about high time we got outta here don't you?" Bobby inquired, his I-want-to-take-a-break-from-this look clearly evident.
"Preferably to some place with food," Dean pointed out, his hand traveling absent-mindedly to his stomach. "Man I had to stop and eat the last of my gum earlier just to keep going. I hate that these people don't have fast-food restaurants or something."
"Give it a couple decades they'll catch up eventually," Sam attempted to cheer Dean's crabby mood with good old-fashioned optimistic teasing.
"Well I need sustenance pronto, and no stopping at some shitty diner or coffee shop I need real food."
Bobby nodded in the Elric's direction, "Maybe they can point us in the direction of a decent place."
In that moment a figure appeared on the steps before the church, with her white dress and dark hair it wasn't hard to establish that it was Rose. What was hard to establish was the fact that she had a gun in her hand, the .38 revolver from earlier to be exact, and she was pointing at the Elric's. Her shouted "Give me the Philosopher's Stone!" was heard clear across the courtyard.
Sam didn't hesitate, he surged forward, disregarding Dean calling his name in warning, and found himself trotting over to stand next to Al. He slowed his pace so as not to startle Rose, but then again it seemed Rose could be startled by just about anything. She flinched openly upon seeming him, her face a mask of utter despair and remorse, her aim wavering towards his direction before reverting back to Edward, where it stayed.
"Rose," Al replied softly, more surprised than afraid at her presence there, regardless that she was threatening them. He spared a momentary glance at Bobby and Dean who moved cautiously toward them, being careful not to agitate Rose anymore than she already was.
"Like I was just saying," Ed said in response to her threat, "it was a fake. It wasn't real. Besides, it's shattered now."
"Liar!" Rose took a step forward, her aim steady. "You want to keep it for yourself don't you? So you can use it on your bodies! That's right! And so you can try to bring your mother back again!"
Edward's eyes widened upon hearing that last accusation, immediately followed by his angry retort of "You shut up!"
Rose flinched again, her whole body trembled and she appeared on the verge of a meltdown. She stared at Edward, disbelief clearly written in the terrified look on her face. Sam knew what would happen if anyone made any sudden movements, the girl was more than likely to shoot Edward this time. A nervous shot is always the worst kind to deal with, they were unpredictable and more of a threat than someone who was quite savvy with a gun For a person like Rose, any movement or sound could be perceived as a threat against her, and her immediate reflex would be to pull the trigger in self-defense. They would have to work to keep her calm, otherwise she would end up killing someone for real this time.
"People don't come back from the dead Rose…not ever." Edward's anger was swiftly replaced with the same sadness Sam noticed before when loss of family was mentioned. His voice was cracking and he sounded choked up with emotion, "not ever."
Rose crumbled upon hearing those words, she sank to her knees, the gun still cradled in her hands. "But he promised me!" she cried out in desolation, "He said if I prayed it would happen! A miracle!" Her voice grew higher in pitch as her misery overpowered her words. "That hope was all I had left, what am I supposed to believe in now!" She lifted her head to look at them all directly, tears streaming down her face, "Tell me what to do! Please!"
As she spoke these words she sank further to the ground, still shaking. The boys, hunters included, moved forward in Rose's direction, Ed going slightly past her but stopping long enough to address her pleas.
"I can't tell you that," he replied in soft resolution, "you'll have to figure it out. Stand up and walk. Keep moving forward. You've got two good legs, so use them. You're strong enough to make your own path."
When Rose didn't reply to this Edward resumed walking away from the church, Al trailing along silently behind him. Rose, still in shock from the day's trauma, ignored the three hunters that regarded her with a mixture of pity and sadness, tilting her head back to gaze upon the church building. Sam could almost read the thoughts plaguing her mind, the uncertainty of what was once a certainty, the sense of loss of something you believed in, the utter betrayal of someone you had trusted with a fragile part of your life, not to mention the sensation of guilt even though she had nothing to feel guilty about…well except for shooting Al maybe.
He moved to stand in front of her, giving her a second to register his presence before kneeling down in front of her. She couldn't be any older than fifteen or sixteen and already she was living a shattered life, but Edward was right: If she didn't learn to walk on her own two feet again, she would surely waste away.
"I'm not going to sit here and tell you what to believe in, and I'm also not going to tell you how you should live your life," he shifted his weight sheepishly, trying to find the right words. "But if you let this keep you down, you'll be crippled for life. It wasn't the faith that betrayed you, it was the man that represented it, and he did a piss-poor job of that."
Rose sniffled, reaching up to wipe the tears from her face, "But how can I trust it now?…..How can I believe in something if I don't have anything to go by?"
Sam hated addressing topics of religion, particularly questions regarding the essence of faith, there was always the issue of lack of evidence. Without evidence people just didn't believe anything, hell even hunters suffered from such a handicap from time to time, only believing certain monsters exist solely because they fought them face-to-face. For all they knew aliens actually did exist, but then again maybe they didn't. There was once a time when Sam believed in a higher power, one that sought to protect the human race, to watch over them like a father would watch over his children. But after years of dealing with angels and demons, and hearing certain resolutions to the contrary of his childish beliefs, that hope had shattered just like the remaining pleasantries his childhood thoughts used to bring him.
"Well Ed is right about that," was the only answer he could give her. "That's something you'll have to figure out on your own. I'm just saying….don't let one misguided person color your judgment on it, that's all."
She looked into his eyes, uncertainty clashing with a dim hope in the purple depths, and for a brief moment Sam was sure the corners of her mouth twitched. But no smile came.
Leaving it at that, he straightened, his muscles beginning to scream in protest with all the prolonged exercise. He motioned for the others to follow him, leaving Rose sitting dazed and confused in the courtyard of the church.
"Now what Dr. Phil?" Dean asked Sam teasingly, "Shouldn't you at least hug her before we leave?"
"Shut up," Sam glanced ahead of them. Ed and Al's receding forms were still in sight, but the trio would have to move quickly to catch up with them.
"You want to talk with them?" Dean followed Sam's gaze, suddenly serious.
"I think our minds are in synch," Bobby pointed ahead. "Looks as though they want to talk with us too."
In the distance, from what they could tell, the Elrics had stopped walking and now stood facing in their direction almost expectantly. Upon catching up to them, Al held out his hand, his glove-fingers clasped around a folded piece of paper that he offered to Sam. "Here," he said, half turned from his brother who now stood facing slightly away from them as though he wanted no part in this. "Take it."
"What is it?" Sam asked, reaching out to pluck the paper from his grasp. He unfolded it to find a phone number and address written hastily, with a name that read…..
"Izumi Curtis?" Dean looked up at Al with furrowed eyebrows. "Who's that?"
"Our teacher," Al explained, "she taught us alchemy…..she can help you."
Sam didn't know what to make of it, it appeared almost as though the boys were pulling some cheap trick, his expression seemingly displayed his skepticism for Ed responded next.
"Don't get too worked up about it….and don't get your hopes up this early," he turned to face them directly, his eyes synching with Sam's as he spoke. "She may not want to take on new students."
"Is this for real?" Bobby inquired, verbally echoing Sam's suspicion.
Ed simply shrugged. "Take it or leave it…but…..", he sighed heavily turning his head to gaze at the sunset just beyond the city, there was a stubborn set to his features but his eyes seemed thoughtful. "Equivalent Exchange right Sam?" he turned to face them again, a half-smile playing at his youthful face, "after all you did save my life."
"Quite a few times actually" Sam reminded him lightly, but dared not to push it any further than that. But Edward didn't seem to mind, his only response was a curt nod in agreement.
"Why do I get the feeling you've got a twisted arm right now Elric?" Dean folded his arms, eyebrows still furrowed with his lack of trust.
Edward didn't respond verbally, choosing instead to give a daggering sideways look at Alphonse who rubbed the back of his helmet as though he'd just been caught stealing candy from a store. "Well…I sort of badgered him on the way here to think about it….helping you guys I mean….he only agreed to just now," he straightened to regard Sam with what the younger Winchester believed was a meditative expression, "But I get the feeling he's only agreeing to this to pay Sam back for helping us….."
"And to see if you fail….which you probably will knowing Teacher," Edward's boyishly cynical humor had returned. Fists on his hips, he looked at the trio with an expression that reminded Sam of Cornello, reminiscing of a futuristic victory that he'd hoped to gain through his "mindless horde". Except the gleam in Edward's eyes wasn't for the sake of world domination by any means, but rather the enjoyment of a troll-worthy prank. He really was a kid at times, still young, still entertained by childish things. Deep down Sam hoped he would hang on to that humor, he would need it in the future when things became even more rough.
"Well thanks for the vote of confidence Macaulay Culkin" Dean snarked, snatching the paper from Sam and waving in their direction just before he pocketed it. "We'll be in touch," with that he mockingly saluted Ed and then walked past them in the direction of the train station. Bobby and Sam exchanged a look and a shrug before the older man followed, nodding to the Elrics as he went along. Only Sam remained behind, because someone had to thank the boys properly.
He held out his hand to Al, who shook it. Sam could tell the boy was being careful to watch his movements, lack of nerves made it difficult to discern whether or not you gripped your acquaintance's hand too lightly or too tight. Not to mention whether or not you were shaking it too hard.
"Good luck," Al told him, and he truly meant it. "And try not to get on Teacher's bad side okay?"
"Thanks for the warning," Sam half smiled, turning to face Edward. Fleshed palm made contact with cold metal as they too shook hands.
"I hope you two can find the…..you know…..Stone," Sam said in earnest. And he really did. After everything these boys had suffered, they deserved to find the Stone.
"Sure thing," Ed somewhat mirrored Sam's expression with a boyish grin. "Just one thing….about Teacher….."
"Yes?"
Edward appeared to think for a moment, his expression turning serious. "She huh…well…she has a tendency to….well you'll see," he released Sam's grip, shoving his fists into his pockets. "Just don't freak out or let it get to you…she's stronger than she looks….you'll find that out for yourself."
Sam wasn't sure how to respond other than to nod, he waved at the two of them before walking past to catch up to the other two. Trotting a bit, Sam eventually fell into a walk beside Dean, pulling up his collar as the premature coldness of night began to settle in.
"What was that all about?" Dean asked him, glancing behind them in the direction of the Elrics.
"Just the usual goodbyes accompanied by awkwardness," Sam replied, following his gaze to find that the two boys were now gone. Sam wondered if maybe they were going back for something, he could've sworn they were headed to the station as well.
"Did he say anything else?" Bobby queried, giving Sam a sideways glance.
The younger Winchester simply shrugged, "Nothing much. Just a warning about this Teacher person"
"What about?"
"I'm not sure….." Sam glanced back again. Still no Elrics. "I guess we'll find out when we get there."
"Where exactly is Dublith anyway?" Dean pointed out, a hint of whining in his tone.
"That's what maps are for genius," Bobby replied flippantly. Sam took this short-lived moment of typical behavior to revel in what he liked to believe was the kind of normalcy he looked forward to after a hard days work of fighting abnormal monsters. It was nice to slide back into the wonderful routine of snarky banter every once in a while. It was a subtle reminder that they could have normal moments, if not normal lives, at the very least.
"The train station is this way right?" Dean pointed to their left, obviously attempting to bypass Bobby's remark.
"No it's that way," Sam pointed somewhere to their right.
"Speaking of needing a map…." Bobby began, picking up the pace in order to find a passerby who could give them directions.
The atmosphere in the city was beginning to fill with tension, it practically crackled with restlessness as though something big was about to happen. Sam had no doubt about that, after today's events he was surprised that chaos had yet to take reign over the streets already.
There was going to be a riot tonight for sure.
Torches lit the night, as well as the hundreds of enraged faces as Cornello's former followers crowded the church courtyard, demanding that the priest reveal himself. Along with their flaming beacons they also carried pitchforks, knives and assorted other household items-turned-weapons. Their shouts echoed across the churchyard, angry retorts and demands of an explanation mixed with the saddened cries of the betrayed.
Inside the darkened interior of the church, just within the bowels of the sanctuary, Cornello lay face-down in a small pool of his own blood. A hole pierced clean through his head. His arm was still misshapen from the little alchemical incident early that day, still shirtless as well, his hulking form suddenly held in the grasp of a much larger man. He had beefy hands, no neck, and his belly was about the size of Cornello altogether.
"I dare say, this is quite the setback," a seductive voice spoke just beyond the reach of what little light was streaming into the room. The yellowish glow was a silhouette for the strangely large man as he lifted Cornello's lifeless form towards his gaping mouth. He wore a black sleeveless top and black pants and dark boots. His teeth were each the size of the kind of box wrist-watches were placed in, his eyes gleaming red as his tongue rolled about along his mouth and flicked in the direction of Cornello's head. It dripped heavily with saliva, emphasizing the man's obvious desire to feast, the golden glow of the dim light revealing the red Ouroboros marking.
"Gluttony try not to make a mess," the seductive voice replied, its owner stepping into the light. It was a young woman with ivory skin, her raven hair fell in wavy curls down her back and framed her angular face. She had darkened lips, and eyes that flashed with anticipation, almost like a cat on the prowl. She wore black gloves on each hand that went all the way up her arm and past her elbows, matching the black dress she wore. It was strapless, seeming to have been made specifically for her body the way it hugged her curves. A small slit in the dress revealed the black boots on her feet, and the low-cut design revealed the red Ouroboros on her chest as well as the obvious emphasis of her bosom.
"Father will not be pleased…..he will have to be told of this," she folded her arms, picking at the fabric of her gloves with her free hand.
"What should we do about the Elric brat?" A third member to the group appeared, this voice belonged to what appeared to be a young man with a smooth and youthful face. Although he was obviously male, his voice was somewhat feminine, a bit raspy with a mocking tone. His hair was as dark as the woman's, save for the green tint of it. He wore a black top, sleeveless, that revealed his trim midsection, black shorts and black shoes that were cut open at the tips to reveal his toes. On each hand he wore fingerless gloves. All three of them matched not only in clothing style, but the red lines along their outfits as well that ran the length of even their limbs, connecting certain points in some strange form of fashion.
"Leave them be Envy," the woman replied, suddenly preoccupied with her nails even though her gloves concealed them. "They'll play their part soon enough."
"Naturally," the man, Envy, agreed with a smirk. "It's those three friends of theirs that concerns me now."
"You mean the Winchester boys and the old man?" the woman tilted her head to gaze at Envy, her dark hair partially concealing her face which held no apparent interest nor concern regarding the subject. "Don't worry, they won't be a problem….but should they become one," she reached out her right hand, extending her fingers which suddenly elongated. She slashed through the air cutting away at a few of the pews and tearing them to pieces with a single fatal swoop of her hand, ribbons of debris fluttered around in the aftermath.
"That can be fixed if necessary….those boys mean nothing to us anyway."
Envy simply grinned at the woman's malicious demonstration, the wild look in his eyes helping to emphasize his joy at the thought of causing mayhem.
"Lust I'm still hungry," the large man, or Gluttony as he was called, patted his well-rounded belly and regarded the woman with a childlike expression of neediness. He sat on the floor, stubby legs poking out from beneath his large form, small remains of what used to be Cornello all around him.
"What did the priest do?" Envy replied, suddenly realizing that the priest was no longer among the living.
"I'm afraid he became too much, in the end it was almost poetic the way he fell," Lust slithered to stand next to Envy, her fingers having returned to their regular size. She smoothed the fabric of the gloves as she spoke, eyes cutting to glance at Gluttony, "You've made a mess again. Wipe yourself off before someone else sees." Although there was a latent tone of urgency, she could not be any calmer.
"Who's to say those hunters won't figure out what's going on?" Envy pointed out, one hand on his right hip, the other gesticulating as he spoke. "I mean really, they're not the brightest but give them enough clues…and they could pose a problem after all."
"Or…" Lust began, a small seductive grin caressing her pale face, "…..they could prove helpful to the cause…..I mean after all with the way the younger man fought with Elric….we shall see them teaming up again real soon."
Envy's expression was almost lustful at this new plan formation, he crossed his arms and beamed at his partner, revealing large and pointy teeth.
"Hey! Who are you and what are you doing here? Where's Father Cornello?" One of the priest's little minions, a higher up by the looks of his dark robes, appeared suddenly and was gesturing wildly at the three of them. His wide-eyed expression was focused on Gluttony and the bloodstains on his face and clothes, as well as the remains of Cornello's clothing on the floor.
"Gluttony…." Lust interceded the conversation in a calmly manner.
Gluttony lifted himself off the floor, eyes darting from Lust to the minion with childlike curiosity, "Yes?"
"Time for dessert."