It was almost noon as a truck carrying Ed, Al, and Garand, rolled into Rush Valley from the East. The three had made it to Metso late the night before and quickly learned that Winry, May, Darius, Heinkel, and Yoki had left just as the storm had passed to continue on towards Rush Valley. The three had managed to hitch a ride on an empty delivery truck headed for Rush Valley and had slept on the ride over but were shaken awake as the truck slammed on the brakes just inside the city limits.
"Alright fellas, this is your stop!" the driver called as the three wearily got out of the truck, Ed carrying his helmet under arm.
"Thanks again for the ride." Al said, paying the driver.
"Don't mention it. I was just glad to have some company on this trip. Take care now!" the driver called as he drove off, leaving the three outside Rush Valley.
"Well this is it. I hope Winry, May, and the others got here alright." Ed said as Al nodded in agreement.
"I'm sure they did boys." Garand said as the two looked at him.
"So Dr. Garand, what will you do now?" Ed asked as Garand scratched the back of his head.
"Probably head to Central and turn myself in to the military. The Red Kingdom has to be stopped and if I can help put a stop to them, I gladly will." Garand said as he started to walk towards the Rush Valley train station only for Al to clear his throat.
"Dr. Garand, you never have explained to us what the Red Kingdom wanted you for." Al said as Garand paused. (AC: Destiny – FMA OST 1)
"You know what my greatest accomplishment was, right boys?" Garand asked.
"The creation of a human hand through alchemy. A biological replacement for automail, right?" Al asked as Garand nodded.
"Yeah. If it had worked, my breakthrough could've helped thousands of people who had lost their limbs, even you Edward. You could've had a new arm, a new leg…but Father and the military had different plans for it. They wanted me to create for them, an immortal army that they could use to set against their enemies." Garand said as the brothers grimaced.
"We saw them. The military used them two years ago on the Promised Day but we beat them. You mean that you made them?" Ed asked as Garand nodded.
"Not by choice. They were byproducts of my research. You see, when it comes to human transmutation, you can create the body easily. If you have the ingredients, you can create a lifeless human body with no problems. But if you try to bring it to life, that's where you get the rebound as human souls are impossible to measure in terms of worth in accordance to the Law of Equivalent Exchange." Garand explained.
"They wanted you to make an immortal army for them, is that it?" Ed asked as Garand nodded.
"They did. The Immortal Alchemist remains unaware of the creation process for those monsters, and for that I am relieved. Now you know why I'm so valuable to the Red Kingdom." Garand explained.
"And it would take a lot of Philosopher's Stones to bring those monsters to life. It would be a kingdom of red stones. A Red Kingdom." Al said.
"That's a very astute observation, Alphonse. I can't afford to waste any more time here boys. Those Homunculi don't need to eat or sleep so they could easily be on our trail or may have even overtaken us by now. I should take my leave now." Garand said as the brothers gave him a nod.
"Take care, Doctor. And good luck." Al said.
"Yeah. Oh and if you run into a military General named Mustang, tell him the Fullmetal Alchemist sent you." Ed said as Garand smiled.
"I've heard of him. Hopefully I'll see you boys later. And good luck to you too." Garand said before turning and running into town.
"Well, come on Al. Let's go. Winry and May are probably waiting for us and we've got some explaining to do." Ed said as they started to walk into town. (End AC)
"Hey…brother?" Al asked meekly.
"Yeah Al?"
"Do…do you think that was really Nina back there?" Al asked, causing Ed to stop mid-step, his expression darkened.
"No…I don't. Nina died two years ago, Al. She died when her father turned her into a monster." Ed replied, shaking in anger at the memories of both Nina and the Homunculus Nina.
"But…she looks and sounds exactly like her, brother." Al said as Ed wheeled around towards him, anguish clear on his face.
"You saw the Ouroboros Tattoo like I did, Al! She's a homunculus! She's not even human! What we saw back there was just an attempt by them to trick us into joining their side! She didn't even act like the original Nina, Al! Nina wouldn't have attacked us like that!" Ed yelled.
"Neither would Ling." Al muttered, causing Ed to freeze.
"What?" he asked softly.
"Ed, Ling became a Homunculus! You remember what happened when Greed took over his body?! He became a different person! What if it's the same for Nina?! What if they really did manage to restore her but the only way to do it was by making her a Homunculus?! There might be a chance that Nina is still in there!" Al asked. Ed could see in Al's eyes a heartfelt desire to believe that Nina was truly still alive.
"It's impossible, Al! Nina was killed by Scar! He confessed it to us himself and he's not easily fooled! A decoy would never have worked on him! The only way she could have come back is if they attempted a human transmutation! And we both know that's impossible! Don't forget, October 3rd, Nineteen Eleven!" Ed yelled as Al looked up at him with a disconcerted look on his face. His mind flashing back to when he and Ed attempted to bring back their mother and paid the price for their hubris. (AC: Trisha's Lullaby – FMA:B OST 1) At this Al lowered his head in quiet sadness.
"You're right, brother. Nina's gone. She's been gone for two years now. But I bet she's smiling down on us in heaven right now. Nina, Mom, Dad, Colonel Hughes, and everyone we knew and loved that we've ever lost." Al said, holding his head high as Ed smiled sadly at him.
"Where did you get that idea?" Ed asked with a slight laugh as Al smiled.
"From Mrs. Hughes. She was saying that Colonel Hughes was probably neighbors with our parents in heaven. It sounded so nice I couldn't help but agree." Al said as Ed put his hand to his chin in thought.
"Neighbors in heaven. Yeah…I kinda like that idea. Gotta hand it to Mrs. Hughes, she sure knows how to find a bright spot in things." Ed said as Al smiled slightly and nodded.
"Come on, brother. Winry and May are waiting for us, and we've already got bad news to deliver to May as it is." Al said as he and Ed turned towards the city, continuing on into town. (End AC)
…
Winry and May were in the market in town. The two chimeras and Yoki had gone off on their own to secure a few rooms for them all. Colorful banners waved over the streets as stalls and kiosks were being set up by the locals in preparation for some kind of festival. The two girls were at a nearby café, watching the set-up for the festival.
"I wonder what they're setting up for." May commented curiously.
"It's their Summer Festival. Rush Valley has one each year about this time. It's really kinda nice. I only wish Ed would hurry up and get here so we could go see it." Winry grumbled.
"Don't worry about the boys, Winry. They'll be fine." A familiar voice said from nearby. Winry nearly jumped in alarm as she turned to see her grandmother, Pinako Rockbell, sitting at a nearby table, smoking her pipe.
"Granny! How long have you been there?!" Winry asked as Pinako blew a puff of smoke into the air.
"Long enough. So what brings you to Rush Valley, Winry? I thought you had back orders to fill." Pinako said.
"We're supposed to be meeting Ed and Al here. We've had some…misadventure lately." Winry commented, hesitant to mention the state of their house.
"Those boys sure know how to get into trouble. I bet they'll show up all battered and bruised, wearing that old armor suit of Alphonse's, and in need of an automail mechanic. Just like old times." Pinako said as Winry gave her a blank glare.
"If Ed messes up my armor, I'll kill him." Winry mumbled.
"Please don't kill my son-in-law to be, Winry. I would like to become a great-grandmother before I die." Pinako commented.
"What makes you think Ed and Al will show up in need of repairs anyway?" Winry asked as May spotted something that made her sweat drop.
"I think that's a pretty good indication!" May said, pointing at something behind Winry. The young mechanic turned and saw Ed and Al approaching up the street.
"Hey! Winry!" Ed called with a grin and a wave, carrying his helmet under his arm.
"We're back!" Al added as Winry leapt from her chair and ran towards them, her wrench in hand.
"YOU IDIOT!" Winry yelled, smacking Ed on the head with her wrench, causing him to collapse onto the ground.
"What the hell Winry?! What was that for?!" Ed yelped as Winry slammed a booted foot down onto his chest, pinning him down.
"For running off without telling us first! I was worried sick!" Winry yelled as Al tried to interject.
"It wasn't his fault Winry! It was my idea to-GACKT!" Al yelped as Winry's wrench was swiped by May and used to bludgeon Al in the head.
"You had me worried too Alphonse!" May exclaimed, startling Al.
"May?!" Al yelped, surprised by May's reaction.
"You had some nerve running off without so much as a goodbye or telling us where you were going! Didn't it ever occur to you that we might've been able to help?!" Winry yelled as Ed and Al's expressions seemed to darken.
"We're sorry. But had we brought you along, I don't think we could've lived with ourselves had you gotten hurt or worse." Ed said softly.
"What we found in the forest…we were lucky to have gotten away in the first place." Al said, Winry and May quickly recognizing the looks on their faces, the looks of dire worry. Winry then noticed the claw marks that had cut through Ed's armor and began to realize the situation.
"What did you find out there Ed?" Winry asked softly. The boys remained silent, quietly recalling everything. Fletcher, the Homunculus Nina, and the twin Homunculus sisters.
"I don't think this is a conversation they want to have in public Winry." Pinako said as she approached.
"Granny!" Ed said in soft spoken surprise.
"Besides, I think that armor could use a few repairs. Why don't you open it up, let Ed out of it for a while, and let me fix it. It seems you four have some things to discuss." Pinako said as the four looked at each other and nodded quietly.
…
A few minutes later in the hotel, Ed stood free of the armor, stretching his muscles while wearing a simple undershirt and shorts. Pinako had the armor in another room, performing the repairs on it herself.
"Ah! Man it feels good to be out of that armor! I think my entire body was going numb in there." Ed said with a relieved smile. Al sat on a bed across from him while Winry entered with a change of clothes for Ed, May sitting next to Al.
"So what happened out there? What's going on Ed?" Winry asked.
"Is it more of that Red Kingdom business?" May asked.
"Yeah but it's gotten a lot worse. The Red Kingdom…they know how to create Homunculi." Ed replied, causing the two women to pause in worry. (AC: Homunculus – FMA OST 2)
"H-Homunculi? But…didn't they all die two years ago?" Winry asked as May nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah they did! I was there!" May said.
"These are new Homunculi. Three new ones. But one of them…one of them…one of them was made in the image of someone we knew. A little girl named Nina." Ed replied.
"Nina? You told me about her. Wasn't she the girl whose father turned her into a chimera?" Winry asked as the brothers both nodded.
"Somehow, the Red Kingdom managed to bring her back as a Homunculus. They tried to pass her off as the real Nina but we saw through the deception. They were trying to convince us to join them. There was some kind of secret they want from us and when we refused to join them, Nina attacked us, revealing herself as a Homunculus." Al explained.
"Then two more Homunculi appeared. A pair of twin girls. All three of them are in league with the Red Kingdom and the Immortal Alchemist." Ed added.
"Three homunculi? Does the military know about them?" Winry asked.
"We haven't had a chance to tell them yet, but we've got a friend who's going back to Central right now to inform Mustang." Ed replied.
"Dr. Garand, the Living Hand Alchemist, saved us from the Homunculi and helped us get here." Al added.
"Well I'm glad you got here safely. Were the Homunculus the ones who damaged my armor?" Winry asked as Ed sweat dropped and nodded.
"Yeah." Ed replied. At this, May grimaced in frustration.
"Ed, I really think you should try and get your alchemy back. You'll have a better chance of fighting off the Homunculi if you do." May said but earned a dark glare from Ed.
"Forget it, May. I'm not getting my alchemy back." Ed said as Al sighed heavily.
"Look, brother, I know you don't want it back because you gave it up for me. I'm touched by it but you're not using your head. I want you to have your alchemy back." Al said as Ed turned his glare back towards him.
"And how do you propose we do that Al? You know there's only one way to do that and you know how I feel about it." Ed said as Al grimaced, nodding in understanding.
"You're right. I forgot about that. We'd have to get a Philosopher's Stone from the Homunculi if we wanted to use one." Al said. That's when he noticed May fidgeting slightly.
"We~ll…" May said hesitantly.
"What is it, May?" Winry asked as Ed glared at the young Xingese Princess.
"May, don't even think it. We're not using Ling's Philosopher's Stone or anyone's Philosopher's Stone." Ed said, startling May.
"How did you-…" "Lan Fan told me. That's part of the reason you're here isn't it? To keep Ling's Philosopher's Stone out of the hands of his enemies?" Ed asked as all eyes shifted to May who seemed surprised.
"May?" Al asked, surprised, as May sighed, reaching up into the bun in her hair and pulling out a small glass phial with a cork on the top and a red liquid inside. The sight of the Philosopher's Stone made Al and Winry's eyes widen in shock.
"Part of my mission was to protect you two and find a way to destroy the stone. But I don't know how short of using it and expending its energy. But at the same time, I've been hesitant to use it for the same reason you hesitate to use it as well. Inside this stone are the souls of countless innocent people. I just can't bring myself to use it." May said softly.
"May, you're not going to like this but, we were never the targets." Ed said as May closed her eyes, sadly.
"I know." She replied.
"You know?" Winry asked, surprising them.
"I knew I was the target from the very beginning. Ling wouldn't have had me sent here to protect you when you're both fully capable of protecting yourselves. I could tell Lan Fan wanted to tell me something and I figured it out quickly. Ling and I have become good friends in the past two years. He's had me sit in and observe the daily affairs of the nation, welcoming my input. Everything he's done is to prepare me for the possibility that I may succeed him as Emperor of Xing. He must have found something that indicated he was to be targeted by assassins and that someone wanted all successors to the throne removed so that someone else could take over. He sent me to you two for two reasons: first, to keep me safe because he trusts you to do so, and second: to dispose of this stone. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry about me." May explained. (End AC)
"We were more worried about you defending us than us defending you." Ed said as May looked at them in surprise.
"Really?" she asked.
"Yeah." Al replied, Winry smiling and nodding in agreement. (AC: Overture ~Brotherhood~ - FMA:B OST 1)
"So then let's all make a promise. From now on the four of us look out for one another. We protect each other from all dangers that may come our way, regardless of the reason for this danger." Ed said with a smile as the others smiled at him.
"Together, as one family." Al said.
"Yeah! The Fullmetal Alchemists!" Ed declared as Winry sweat dropped.
"Uh, I'm not an alchemist." Winry replied.
"You're marrying one. It counts." Ed said with a cheeky grin towards her, holding up his left hand and tapping his ring finger with his thumb.
"But I'm not part of your family." May said but Ed grinned at her.
"After all we've been through together two years ago and now? I'd say you are!" Ed said as May smiled at them, Al nodding in agreement towards her. Xiao-Mei even leapt onto Al, nuzzling up against the side of his face with happiness. The moment was slightly interrupted by the sounds of the festival outside.
"Oh the festival! It's started!" Winry exclaimed.
"I haven't been to a festival here in Amestris before." May said as Al extended his hand towards her.
"Want to go?" he asked with a smile. May blushed and shyly took his hand.
"Sure." She replied, the two rising to their feet and heading for the door.
"Hey Granny! We're going to go see the festival! Want to come?!" Ed called into the adjoining room.
"Hmm? Oh no thanks. You kids go have a good time. I'll be fixing the armor in the meantime." Pinako replied.
"I should probably help. I built it after all." Winry said but Pinako blocked her path in the door.
"And I helped you build it. Go on, enjoy yourself Winry. Go spend some time with that fiancé of yours." Pinako said with a coy smile as Ed finished putting on a pair of brown trousers, a white shirt, and brown vest with his usual elevator boots.
"Well…alright." Winry replied with a smile towards Ed as she and Ed headed for the door. As the four exited into the lobby, they spotted Darius, Heinkel, and Yoki sitting in the lobby, Heinkel with the hotel phone to his ear, standing at attention.
"Hey! Fullmetal!" Darius called with a grin.
"Mr. Gorilla! Hey!" Ed greeted back, Darius calling them over with a wave.
"You guys seem in good spirits!" Winry commented as she noticed glasses of Champaign on the table near them.
"Yeah, what's the occasion?" Ed asked.
"We just got headhunted by the Military! They want us back! We're soldiers again!" Yoki declared joyfully.
"Yep. We're to leave for Ishval ASAP." Heinkel added, hanging up the phone.
"Ishval? But we just came from there." Ed commented with a sweat drop.
"Hold it Elric, our orders were for the three of us. You and your brother are to continue some kind of investigation. Orders came straight from Colonel Miles at the Ishval garrison." Darius said.
"Well congratulations to all of you. Oh and Yoki, don't try anything funny because Al and I are on to you." Ed commented with a sly grin, earning a sweat drop from the former Colonel.
"Right. Their ranks were reinstated and I got bumped down to the rank of Lieutenant. But at least I've got a commission again." Yoki grumbled as the two walked off, leaving them to celebrate. (End AC)
…
The Festival was alive with people from all over Amestris visiting to take advantage of the fun and excitement. There were games to play, prizes to be won, contests to compete in. Both Elric brothers and their lady companions had opted to go in different directions at the festival, with Al and May, with Xiao-Mei leaping between them regularly, going through the arcade section of the festival area.
"So what do you want to do first?" Al asked.
"I dunno. I've never been to a festival like this before." May replied.
"Neither have I so I guess we're both new to this, huh?" Al asked with a grin.
"Yeah I guess so." May laughed. In another part of the festival, Ed and Winry walked past a stall with an automail arm lying in front of it. Winry had to throw herself in reverse when she saw this stall, eyeing it suspiciously. Ed immediately caught on.
"Oh boy, here we go." Ed mumbled as she approached the stall. The stall had a banner that read "Connect the Nerves" and all the wires and cables on the arm were missing. The operator saw Winry approaching and smiled in a friendly fashion.
"Would the pretty lady like to try her hand at Connecting the Nerves? Only two Cens for three tries." The carnie said as Winry eyed the arm suspiciously.
"Ed." She said simply. Ed immediately caught on and paid the carnie who handed Winry four cables. She was about to start attaching one cable when she saw something that made her glare at the carnie suspiciously, the carnie starting to sweat. (AC: Pastorale Rondo – FMA:B OST 2)
"How big of an idiot do you think I am?! These aren't even the right cables! These are the T3-2s! They're meant for heavy duty automail legs, not arms! You can't just use generic nerve cables! In an arm of this design, it would cause feedback, causing the patient extreme discomfort once the nerves were reconnected! I don't suppose you have any T2-1s back there do you?" Winry yelled as the carnie started sweating even more.
"Oh crap! It's you! The White Tiger of Resembool!" the carnie yelped, cowering behind the counter fearfully as Winry glared angrily at him. Ed was baffled, question marks floating around his head as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.
"White Tiger of Resembool?" Ed asked himself softly.
"Then I'm right aren't I?! You don't have T2-1s! This game is rigged, isn't it?!" Winry asked as the carnie yelped in fear.
"I swear I didn't know! Please! Take any prize you want! Top shelf! Take it all!" he whimpered as Winry's scowl of anger turned into a friendly and happy smile, immediately pointing to a large stuffed rabbit that was taller than Ed, not including the ears.
"Thank you very much!" Winry said with a cheerful smile as she walked away with the rabbit in both arms, earning a suspicious glare from Ed.
"So…White Tiger of Resembool huh?" Ed asked as Winry rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Oh it's just a nickname I got while I was here two years ago. Don't know how I got it." Winry said before hearing Ed scoff.
"Uh-huh. Sure." Ed sniggered, earning a glare from Winry.
"What are you sniggering about, Edward?" Winry asked.
"I was sure that you were about to beat that guy to death with the automail if he hadn't surrendered." Ed replied.
"Well I don't understand why they'd let such an amateur build automail! I mean even you know more about automail than that guy did!" Winry groaned as Ed snickered to himself.
"What?!" she asked, annoyed.
"You're the weirdest girl I've ever known! Such a metal-head!" Ed laughed, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Oh yeah, shorty?!" Winry argued, earning an enraged glare from Ed.
"Hey! You don't hear me calling you out on your flaws!" Ed argued back, causing Winry to snarl.
"My flaws?!" she asked, flabbergasted.
"Yeah! You leggy metal head!" "Pint sized know-it-all!" "Wrench lover!" "Alchemy freak!" "Metal eared nut!" "Bucket foot!" "Milk drinker!" "Milk hater!" "Mechanic!" "Alchemist!" "Damn sexy in a miniskirt!" "Fun sized!" "Wait. Hold on…" They both said as their argument came to an abrupt pause. (End AC)
"What just happened?" they both asked. They then noticed that they were being stared at by some of the bystanders, both of them immediately sweat dropped.
"Weren't we arguing?" Winry asked.
"I don't think we're doing it right." Ed added.
"Can we even argue correctly anymore?" Winry asked.
"Is it such a bad thing if we can't?" Ed asked back.
"I don't think so." Winry commented. They stood in relative silence for a while until Winry cleared her throat.
"So…you think I look sexy in a miniskirt?" she asked with a smile.
"You think I'm fun sized?" Ed asked back, a coy smirk on his face. Winry was about to return the compliment when she saw something behind Ed that made her face flash with fear.
"You…know there's something scary behind you?" Winry asked as Ed arched an eyebrow and turned to look. What he saw however…
"Hello, Elric."
"Jerzo?!" Ed yelped at the sight of the toad/human chimera in his chimera form albeit disguised in a large overcoat and fedora. (AC: Fifth Laboratory – FMA:B OST 1)
"Surprised to see me, huh?" Jerzo asked as Ed stood between him and Winry, deliberately shielding her.
"A bit. We ran into Heinkel and Mr. Gorilla. They said you and Zampano have joined the Red Kingdom!" Ed said as Jerzo smirked.
"They promised they'd get us our bodies back to normal if we joined them and Mustang lied to you about making sure we were taken care of! He was having us shipped off to a secret military prison for interrogation when the Red Kingdom attacked our train and rescued us! We tried to convince Darius and Heinkel to join us but they refused! Now we've been sent to retrieve you and your brother. You've got something that the Red Kingdom wants. Sorry about this Elric, it's nothing personal, but we want our bodies back." Jerzo said as he reached for Ed but Ed instead grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward, throwing a punch straight into his face.
"Winry! Run!" Ed yelled just before Jerzo grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up into the air and throwing him into a nearby stall. Before Ed could move, Jerzo had spit a large glob of his saliva at Ed, pinning him to the wall.
"Ed!" Winry yelled as she tried to help him but was suddenly pinned in place by the feet by Jerzo's saliva. Across the fairgrounds, Al and May heard the commotion, people running and fleeing towards them.
"Uh-oh!" Al exclaimed as they started running towards the source of the fight. Before they could reach the scene though, a wall of earth suddenly burst up between Al and May.
"May!" Al exclaimed before he was suddenly blindsided by a shaft of rock plowing into his back, knocking him into the ground.
"We meet again, Fullmetal Alchemist, if that's who you really are." A voice said from nearby. Al climbed to his feet while turning to look. His eyes widened as he saw Horatio Sherman, the Quake Alchemist, standing nearby, the left side of his face bruised from their previous encounter.
"Alphonse!" May yelled from the other side of the barrier. Suddenly her survival instincts kicked in and she quickly ducked down, rolling to one side just as a volley of quills hit the wall near where she had been standing. She looked and saw Zampano in his boar form nearby, several of his quills ready to fire in an instant. Up ahead, Ed and Winry were pinned in place due to Jerzo's saliva and Jerzo was approaching Ed.
"Pity you had to give up your alchemy, Edward. Now you're defenseless." Jerzo said as he pulled something from his pocket and slipped a hand through the neck of Ed's shirt, sticking something to Ed's back.
"What are you doing, Jerzo?" Ed asked, scowling angrily at the traitorous chimera.
"Only getting what I really want. You got Al's body back for him. I want the same thing." Jerzo replied as Ed snarled.
"What does the Red Kingdom want from me, Jerzo?!" Ed asked angrily.
"Dunno. They didn't say. The want you and your brother for something though. Can't say any more than that. Now come along Ed. The Immortal Alchemist is waiting for you." Jerzo said as he started to reach for Ed. Before he could however, they heard a shrill whistling sound. (End AC) Jerzo spun to his right in time for something to explode mere feet from him, throwing him a short distance away but leaving the pinned Ed and Winry unscathed.
"What was that?!" Winry asked in alarm as the dust settled.
"Wow Winry, I'm surprised you forgot about little old me!" a voice said from nearby. Ed and Winry both turned to look and saw a familiar face standing nearby.
"Paninya!" Winry exclaimed, the former pickpocket standing nearby with a smoldering and gaping hole in the left knee of her pants, the knee plating on her automail leg retracting back into place to cover the cannon barrel.
"Never thought I'd be glad to see you again!" Ed called as he struggled to break free from Jerzo's saliva.
"Huh, so you're a friend of theirs?" Jerzo asked as he climbed to his feet.
"Yeah. As you can tell they get into a lot of trouble on a regular basis." Paninya replied casually, kicking her left leg forward a bit before adopting a relaxed pose, her left leg bent a little so that the knee was facing Jerzo. When she kicked, Winry heard a series of rifling sounds from Paninya's leg.
"Paninya! Get out of here! This guy's a terrorist!" Ed yelled as Paninya stared blankly at Jerzo.
"Really? He looks like a frog to me." She replied as Ed threw his head back with a groan.
"Out of the way kid, or else I'll have to sic the dogs on you!" Jerzo called as Paninya arched an eyebrow.
"Dogs?" she asked before Jerzo suddenly barraged her with saliva but Paninya casually leapt clear before getting hit, landing next to Winry. (AC: Clash of the Alchemists – FMA:B OST 1)
"Ew! This guy's gross!" Paninya grimaced.
"Get out of the way, girl!" Jerzo ordered before Paninya smirked and charged forward, extending her right leg blade and kicking at the chimera. Jerzo quickly used his powerful frog-like legs to leap high into the air but was startled when he saw Paninya jump past him, spinning around and pointing her left knee towards him.
"See ya!" she taunted as her left kneecap popped open and fired a shot from the cannon in her leg, the shot narrowly missing Jerzo and impacting the earthen wall between Al and May. Al in the meantime had alchemically extended the arm blade and was using it to try and get close to Sherman, but the Quake Alchemist would alchemically evade him with mere shuffles of his feet to cause the earth beneath him to shift and move, allowing him to move faster and more fluidly. Al couldn't lay a finger on him until he finally clapped his hands together and alchemically turned a large patch of the earth beneath them to what appeared to be metal.
"You think that's going to help?!" Sherman asked as he stomped on the ground but nothing happened.
"What?!" he asked, his eyes widened before Al swung at him, the arm blade cutting a large chunk of Horatio's beard off. Horatio quickly leapt clear, landing near where the metal floor was absent and suddenly launching higher up into the air on a pillar of earth. Al quickly ran up towards the pillar, clapping his hands, and placing them on the pillar, causing it to explode at the base via an incomplete transmutation, stopping at the deconstruction phase. Horatio found himself tumbling towards the ground head first but reared back his fist as if preparing to punch something. He then plowed his fist into the ground, causing a burst of sand to erupt beneath him and giving him a softer landing area. Al was startled by the sudden transmutation. As Horatio rose to his feet, Al saw something on both of Horatio's hands that explained the transmutation. On both of Horatio's middle fingers were rings bearing the same transmutation circles as the ones on the soles of his shoes.
"I commend you, Alphonse Elric! It took me a moment to figure it out but now I understand! That metal floor isn't iron! It's a mix of aluminum and carbon fiber! I recognize the mixture from a brief stint I pulled at Briggs some twenty years ago!" Horatio roared as he slammed his foot on the ground, causing the metal floor behind Al to suddenly erupt into a giant fist that rose into the air and then arced around to fly straight at Al. Al quickly clapped his hands together and raised both of them up just as the fist collided with him, the fist suddenly shattering into a shower of small metal figurines of his old armor body. The impact from the fist had still done its damage and both his arms were in pain.
"Alphonse!" May exclaimed as she continued evading Zampano's attacks. She had been purposefully evading him, refusing to strike back at him.
"Come on, May! Sit still!" Zampano groaned as he barraged her with a steady stream of quills but May kept evading.
"Stop it Zampano! We're friends! We don't have to fight!" May called but Zampano kept firing quills at her until the quills suddenly stopped.
"Uh-oh." Zampano mumbled as he realized he had exhausted his supply of quills. That's when May leapt at the opportunity, a pair of kunai in her hands to be used as melee weapons. As she charged at Zampano, the ground beneath her suddenly gave way and she fell into a rapidly expanding earthen pit, a pair of iron bars forming over the top to block her inside. Sherman had been the one to alchemically create the cell for her.
"May!" Al exclaimed, clapping his hands together but Sherman was prepared and made a kicking motion with his left foot towards Al, causing a shaft of rock to burst from the ground towards him but Al quickly blocked with his hand, shattering the rock with another partial transmutation. Al then leapt to his feet, clapping his hands together before dropping to his knees and slamming his hands into the ground, sending an earthen wall shooting up between him and Sherman. Sherman lowered the wall back into the ground with a mere tap of his foot, revealing Alphonse perched atop another cannon transmuted from the ground. Sherman's eyes widened as Al clapped his hands together, in preparation to fire, but was quickly knocked to the ground as Zampano pounced at him, his arms pinned behind his back, rendering him unable to transmute. At the same time, Paninya and Jerzo were playing a game of evasion with Paninya trying to kick at him with either foot but the surprisingly agile Jerzo was able to evade her. Finally she landed a kick with her left foot onto Jerzo's stomach, her leg sinking into his stomach.
"Yeah!" she grinned before Jerzo grabbed her leg and spat in her face, the saliva disorienting her and trapping her hands. They both landed on the ground, Paninya struggling to get the saliva off her face without success. (End AC)
"Finally, we have you. Your consistent evading us is now over boys. It's time for you to come with us and share your secrets with the Red Kingdom." Sherman said as he pulled a dog whistle from his pocket and was about to blow into it when they heard a rumbling sound.
"What's that?" Zampano asked as they turned towards the source of the rumbling. They turned in time to see a pack of chimeras running towards them.
"Looks like they're already coming." Sherman said with a small smile. His smile vanished however when the chimeras ran completely past them, whimpering and crying out in fear and panic.
"What the hell is with them?!" Jerzo asked in alarm.
"Good question!" a voice from nearby yelled angrily. Sherman quickly turned only to be plowed into a nearby wall by a massive earthen fist.
"What the-?!" Zampano yelped before an airborne Jerzo crashed into him, freeing Alphonse. The earthen fist pinning Horatio to the wall suddenly turned to dust as the Quake Alchemist used one of his alchemy rings to destroy it. He was holding his side as he watched Alphonse rise to his feet, ready to fight.
"I don't know how you got free, Elric but now you're-GAH!" Horatio yelped as someone grabbed him by the arm and threw him towards Zampano and Jerzo. Horatio started climbing to his feet and turned around to face his attacker but was caught completely off guard.
"Who the hell are you?" he asked a beautiful woman with black micro braided hair as she cracked her knuckles. He quietly noticed Alphonse was sweating buckets at the mere sight of this woman.
"Who am I?" Izumi Curtis asked as she bowed to him politely before standing upright and pointing to herself with an angry expression.
"PISSED OFF!"
End Chapter 13