Dragon Ball GX, Side Story: The Alchemic Saiyan
Chapter 30: The New Puppet Master
May Chang
"Please keep it up Ling, I know we're rivals but I'd rather not any of us die today!" I shout as the prince slugs Sloth in the jaw again, breaking it violently.
"I'm doing my best, (grunt) but he's a very, very big (yelp), and swift, bruiser-WHOA!" Ling replies, narrowly avoiding several blows and a surprise clothesline sweep.
"Well somebody do something, unless we can get this fight taken outside, I can't fight at my best, and the rest of you are doomed-AAH, WILL YOU STOP THAT YOU BRAT!" Envy screams angrily, his rage climbing after narrowly avoiding a blow out of sheer luck from Sloth, and shaking a fist as he makes the forcible request at his younger brother.
"You are…a traitor, brother…no, mercy!" Sloth roars, his voice having become more fluid along with his increase in speed, and with a mighty bellow, he flew at Envy…and punched his fist straight through the area of our friend's chest that the Philosopher's Stone resided in, the blood dripping from the giant hulk's hands as he gripped the stone tightly. With a disgustingly, horrid flop, Envy fell face first to the floor in a pool of blood.
Tim Marcoh
Upon hearing the name, I was shocked so badly, I lost the grip on my weapon, my mind beginning to snap with hysterics as I realized what was really going on.
"You're…so its really you? The Ishvalan man from the military broadcasts I've heard about, the same one who busted up that young boy and his brother who came to me just over a month ago asking about the stone…" I say calmly, just as I begin to break down. In moments I laughing and crying hysterically. "HA HA HA, MY GOD! This must be fate, I'm the alchemist responsible for the extermination of your people!" I wail as I fall to my knees feeling a combination of despair and relief. Suddenly I found myself roughly grabbed by the neck and slammed against the adjacent wall and stared into my eyes with the rage of a man who had everything taken from him and nothing to lose.
"YOU, IT WAS YOU WHO CAUSED THE EXTERMINATION? I SHALL SMITE YOU WHERE YOU STA…(Gasps sharply)" Scar begins, cutting himself short at a remarkable speed as his eyes widen and he becomes fearful, shaking lightly in fact. Releasing his grip and pulling his hands back to his side, he breathed a heavy sigh and turned his back to me as his head hung in shame and sadness.
"No…as much as you deserve it…I can't, I simply can't, I cannot risk the safety of the remainder of my race and our glorious homeland, just to give you justice" he says, his tone laden with grief and despair. This greatly puzzled me, as I thought he would have all the conviction and will needed to destroy me where I stood when I first locked eyes, something else was going on.
"Scar…what are you talking about, I would not hold anything against you if you killed me, I agree, I deserve nothing less than a most gruesome death for the atrocities I helped commit against those innocent men and women, so why are you holding your all too justified hand against me?" I inquire, perplexed at his behavior.
Suddenly, I noticed why he had turned his back, I could hear him sobbing softly, he was crying!
"Because…if I use my hand of justice upon you, he, will return retribution a billion fold, striking me down with a fist of wrath, then raining fire from the heavens upon the land of my ancestors, incinerating it, and all its surviving people across Amestris with his god-like might" Scar laments, his sobbing now so intense, that he barely managed to keep it silent and his tone stalwart.
"What…you mean you think if you kill me, your god will punish the rest of you?" I blurt, shocked that that might be what he is crying over.
"No you fool! I do not speak of Ishvala; it is his teachings that compel me to strike you down and avenge his people, my people, by virtue from all I have learned, I should smite you where you stand to avenge the death of my fallen brothers!" he bellows, turning back to face me, his face wet with tears as his features contorted with rage again. In moments though, the rage softened and melted, as the sadness came back, giving him a countenance to match the tear stained cheeks he had gained earlier.
"But…if I were to do this, it is likely that as with the War of Extermination, where Ishvala did not intervene, my god would also let the cataclysm that would surely be brought about by my de facto superior and his unholy power, come to pass too. Once he were to learn of your death, my officer would vaporize me and everything tied to my past, my present…and my future, all with a few bursts of his frightening, demonic energy that makes the blasphemous art of alchemy…seem like the work of saints" Scar weeps, his face dampening more as the tears fall freely.
"What manner of man has this monstrous power you speak of, power that you claim is capable of destroying entire lands with but a few displays of strength? Who, tell me who this Edward is!" I shout as I kneel on one knee before him and place a hand on his left shoulder, now as worried as he was, anyone who could stay the hand of Scar with a mere threat, surely was a force to be reckoned with.
Sucking up the mucus that had built from his crying with a sniffle, he growled and clenched his fists.
"His name?…(Growl) His name…his full name is-"
May Chang
As the blood, fluids, and other remains of Envy's body began to disintegrate, I started to sob with fear. Realizing there was only one person who could help us, and knowing he had super hearing, I decided it was our best bet to survive.
"HELP US! WE NEED YOUR HELP, EDWARD-"
Scar
"-Elric, the same boy we've both encountered before, with me having just met him again the other day, it is that boy who now has more power than all the world's armies, chimeras, and homunculi combined, countless times over, he is also the one who ordered me to come and bring you into the safe keeping of his company Marcoh" I state, making the Crystal Alchemist gasp and wheeze from surprise.
"E-Edward…wha…what happened to him? I mean, good lord! Your description makes it seem as if he has gained power and skills to rival that of your own deity!" Marcoh cries with shock, yet also…joy.
"No, he is nothing compared to Ishvala, but considering how god often lets men change the course of history unfettered, Edward would be allowed to destroy the very homeland of me and my fallen-"
Alphonse Elric
"-BROTHER! BROTHER QUICK, WE NEED YOUR HELP, SAVE US PLEASE!" I scream as loud as I can, my metallic voice echoing through the halls.
As if on cue, the wall at the end of the hall to our north crumbled and collapsed with a bang, as a huge female form flew through the air and into the unprepared body of Sloth with incredible force, sending them both hurtling down the corridor and through the south wall, and clear out the other side to the Amestrian land of the fort.
"Somebody order a hero?" Edward remarks jokingly as he flies in with a graceful swoop.
"EDWARD!" May shrieks with joy, leaping to his arms with a love struck and joyous smile on her face as she nuzzled his chest.
"Hey there squirt, you ok?" he asks kindly, patting her head in response.
"I' am now…thanks to you Mr. Elric" she swoons, hugging him tighter like he was the best stuffed animal in the world.
Suddenly, I felt a surge of jealousy as I saw her affections to my brother; since when did women suddenly throw themselves at Ed, Why can't she like me that much?
With a start, I became more aware of my train of thought, and of the emotions I felt, two that stood out in a most stark and striking manner. Looking at my hands, I noticed that they had begun to tremble with rage, rage of all things! Then, there was a second dangerous feeling I took notice of, the jealousy…the envious desires to be more enticing to May than my brother, I was wanting her to notice me most! As my mind got off its emotional high, the pieces started to make more sense, but even so, the notion and implication of what I just felt led to a startling conclusion.
"If it is true that what I felt was jealousy…envy…when I saw her hugging brother, then…does that mean that I could…I-I could be becoming attached to that little girl?" I say to myself almost inaudibly, however I knew it was highly likely that Ed heard me, I just hoped he didn't think less of his little brother for being so easily angered over such an innocent incident.
"Al…what about you buddy, are you ok?" Ed asks tenderly, his hand already on my left shoulder, I had been so consumed in thought I didn't even hear his foot steps as he approached me at a human pace. Maybe he hadn't heard, I guess I'd just have to play it dumb and hope he didn't know yet, then I could tell him about the issue on my terms.
"Uh…yeah, I'm fine, just a bit shook up is all, Envy got killed…I think, and Sloth almost killed the rest of our friends" I say as I begin to ponder if he really was dead, as I remembered what had occurred with Greed upon meeting him, just under two days before, back in the ruins of Xerxes.
"Relax…you can tell me when you're ready Al, I have a good feeling I know" Edward replies as he looks me in the eyes with a warm smile and pats my back. Turning back to look for Envy's stone, he chuckled and suddenly the large red orb floated out of a pile of rubble till it was in Edward's right palm. Apparently the ability to move object's with his mind was one of his countless new talents.
"He's not dead, he's just hiding, he knew he couldn't fight Sloth like this, so he let his body stay dormant for the time being, smart guy, the big speedy oaf probably stopped thinking about our friend after ripping the stone out and seeing his body evaporate, also I know you can hear this Envy, come on, get out of there, I threw the two Homunculi out into the front yard!" he explains, then shouting as he directs his speech to Envy at the end and taps vigorously on the stone.
With a bubbling sound, the flesh form of the homunculus of jealousy began to pour out and re-build before us as Edward dropped the stone from his hand, Envy's body finishing its reconstitution so quickly that his new feet touched the ground gracefully, the artificial human gasping deeply as he sprung back to life in full.
"Ed? Oh man, for once I'm glad you came, Sloth was crazy man, and with it being too dangerous for the other soldiers here to try and use my true form in a tiny hallway, I had no choice but to stay smaller and do my best, and nothing helped; I even offered him the chance to join us, and still I almost got killed by that crazy bastard, twice! First by taking a blow meant for the little girl, then just now for being a traitor!" he shouts angrily, with Ed keeping his hands on the homunculus's shoulders defensively.
"Its ok Envy, you did what you could, and you've proven once again, just how human you are already; being willing to sacrifice yourself for another, that's one of the most noble things a man can do, I'm proud" my brother says softly, patting Envy's back with a smile, who smiled in turn.
"Yeah…I guess that's true (sniffle)" Envy remarks as his eyes leak a little.
"What's this…tears?" Edward asks jokingly as he wipes a drop off from beneath Envy's left eye.
"No, I'm not crying! I just…-"
"Got something in my eye, yeah I know that old trick pal, you're crying alright (voice gets goofy) just like, a wittle girly girl! Heh heh hehhhhhh" Edward teases.
"I' am not! I'm not crying!" Envy shouts angrily, his tone defensive in nature but clearly not helping his case with its broken, weak, shaky undertones.
"I'm kidding, relax Envy, its called a joke, there is nothing wrong with crying; which yet again only reinforces the obvious fact that you're more human still…there is a lot more than mere condensed jealousy inside that stone where your consciousness resides little homunculus, be proud of that fact" my brother says with a beaming face, making Envy reform his nose to clean it up.
"Thank you Edward…I hate to think what I'd have become if you'd never offered me that chance to change" he says as he hugs him tightly, but in a brotherly way versus the crazy attracted way May had done earlier.
"Heh heh…ok, sappy moment over…this is too intense and emotional for the events currently happening around us, we need to focus and…ugh, stop hugging please!" Ed shout as he forcibly removes Envy's arms.
"Sorry, I just felt so moved Ed, that was a….ahem, a very tender collection of feelings that just occurred" he says with an embarrassed face.
"Relax, it happens, just try to remember and hold those urges until fights are established to be over and its safe to let your guard down" Edward says firmly.
"BROTHER! Speaking of battle, don't we have an evil homunculus and strange super-powered woman to deal with?" I snap, thinking they had mostly lost their train of thought.
"Relax, I'm already working on it" he says dismissively as he heads toward the series of holes that lead toward the outside of the Amestrian front.
"Wait! Brother, there's more, Sloth has a device that amplifies his strength and hides his energy too" I shout, hoping it would get his attention, the sudden halting of his footsteps and instant swivel on his heels to turn and face me with wide eyes.
"Just like Brash…the same technology (eyes harden) Al, he was detectable before activating it, did you see any part of his body that might hold the device in question?" brother yells desperately, his eyes showing he hoped I had an answer.
"No…I couldn't tell whenever I looked upon his form, which wasn't too often the times I did, he's fast brother, and the gadget he used only made him more evasive, he became totally invisible" I reply, Ed cringing angrily as he clenches his fists from the bad news.
"Yeah, well it doesn't really matter, I'm gonna go finish this, you're all welcome to watch from the last hole their bodies made on the way out. Also, find that fat ass Gluttony, he seems to have run off in the madness that occurred, he could have made it a lot easier to defeat Sloth if he'd simply fought his cowardice and stayed by your sides!" he finishes as he begins to levitate, his body tilting till his belly was parallel to the floor, then shot through the series of holes in the walls like an arrow and out of sight to the outside of the fort.
Tim Marcoh
Having heard the descriptions about Scar's self-appointed boss, another fact became more apparent as my panic subsided since I knew I would be spared and left unharmed; Edward was alive, and it seems that he knows about everything regarding the Philosopher's Stone, that would be the only reason he'd conscript Scar to come and pick me up, he knew I was a valuable asset to Father and his cronies, and that it was time to go into protective custody, and he apparently thought that it was safest that I be in his company.
"Scar…thank you so much for following Edward's orders, and thank you for sparing me, I had a suspicious feeling after Lust visited me immediately upon the Elric Brother's departure, it was only going be a matter of time till I saw them again, seems he found out about everything just in time it to save this country, and me from being forced to make more of those damnable stones, bless you Scar, bless you!" I shout as I kneel before him.
"Get up, we have to leave, Edward wants you in his presence as soon as possible, and now that I've found and secured you, we must make haste" Scar says sternly, grabbing my arm and dragging me to my feet with a swift jerking motion.
"Ok ok, but please, let me get my papers, I need to drop them off by my house before we leave, they'll get lost if I leave them here" I plead, hoping I'd be allowed that much before being whisked off so suddenly, despite the fact that it was purely for my own good.
"Alright, but make it fast, the others are outside, and I've already been gone over ten minutes, they might get worried and storm in here ready to put that electric collar back on me purely out of spite" he replies, the statement quickly catching my attention at the mention of a collar and making me stop grabbing the piles of documents for a moment.
"Electrical collar, why would they…oh, it was to keep you from killing more alchemists wasn't it?" I respond, the obvious answer flying right in my face after some quick recapping of what I knew about this man from the broadcasts over the military frequencies I'd hacked into after that unnatural series of earth tremors several weeks ago.
"Yes, I refused to listen when I was ordered to stop all the killing at first, so after he created a collar with an electrical charge powerful enough to knock me out in seconds, he gave the control unit to the man leading this operation here to find you, and he also made that threat about destroying Ishval" Scar replies bitterly, his tone clearly indicating his rage at being powerless.
"Wait, there are others with you? What do they look like!" I panic, fearing maybe Scar was originally sent alone and ended up being tricked by the shape-shifting homunculus.
"Relax, the transforming homunculus isn't here; it and most of those demons he works with are no longer a threat, Edward took care of them for good, there are only 2 left that ally with this "Father" person" Scar replies coldly.
Hearing that news, I leapt for joy and screamed with a delightful laugh as I threw my hands in the air, my face beaming with happiness.
"HE'S DEAD! That dreaded monster is dead at last! Oh, this is wonderful news indeed!" I shout elatedly as I toss the rest of my papers haphazardly into my satchel, not even caring that they were now becoming disorganized shuffles I was so ecstatic.
"Well, sadly, the truth is…never mind, you will see for yourself as soon as we're outside, come on" Scar replies, my brain barely registering the words he said as I chuckled mirthfully to myself and finished packing the last of my data and notes.
"Ok, I'm ready, take me to that wonderful child and safety as soon as possible" I state pleasantly as I open the door and head out, then pause to let Scar take the lead. Upon entering the alley, I began to do a little tap dancing and laughed giddily some more.
"He's dead, he's dead, he's dead! At oh so long last, cruel Envy is-"
Brash
"-DEAD! Comrade Sloth, we have to retreat or we're both dead!" I scream rapidly, as I flip to my feet out of the snow and begin to panic, my recent fight with the unearthly thing having spooked and thrashed me well beyond of any hope I once had to win.
"Ugh…but we have orders…kill the closed eyes man, and the man pretending as the short blonde kid" Sloth replies as he sits up and rubs his head.
"Sloth, I came here to fight an imposter, not a god! IT'S OVER, WE HAVE NO CHANCE FOR VICTORY, WE MUST GET OUT OF HERE!" I bellow as I smack the dumb oaf with a huge palm.
"Then…what about…the tunnel, does this mean…I can sleep now?" the hulking simpleton drones, causing me to snap his neck in a moment with rage to make my point.
"He'll do a lot more than that to both of us if we stay here you stupid retarded fool! (Pant) We have to make a run for the ice caves along the southwestern end of the range if we're to ever have hope of-"
"Escape…is impossible you bastards" the scary voice of Edward says calmly as he descends from the sky right behind us, stopping to hover just inches above the massive snow drifts.
"I heard your plan, and its pointless, I'm billions of times faster than your top speeds without even trying, you wouldn't get even 5 millimeters before I bash your skulls in and squash your Philosopher's stones beneath my heel" he continues, keeping that sadistic wicked grin as he glared at us.
"I suppose that's what is about to happen to us then, isn't it?" I reply, knowing that it would be over very soon, as earlier he'd constantly held back, but it appeared now would be the killing blow. The sudden, ominous chuckling quickly made me stare at him in alarm; whatever I'd been anticipating before, he obviously had something far worse in-store.
"You know…ha…I actually did consider that idea on the way down here, and I may go ahead and use it on Sloth still later on" Rekinju chortles as he glances at Sloth.
Frighteningly, despite having made no movement other than the rotating of his skull, a series of chains, clamps, and locks made of that same element as that of the huge wall he'd created around us when we fought over in Drachma earlier, erupt from the ground and bind him in huge coils in an instant, even shutting his mouth.
"But you Brash…ho ho…I've got something else in mind for you, something extra special" he laughs as he holds his right hand up, palm facing me. He was clearly ready to fire off another of his energy bursts, this time it'd surely be enough to atomize me.
But instead of a crackling red or blue orb, a transparent golden yellow orb that emitted a low pulsating rhythm like a heart beat appeared above his skin; this greatly worried me.
"W-What is that?" I stutter, finding it hard to use my voice as my fear builds.
"You're unique, and something that shouldn't be here on this planet, yet is; a homunculus…that wasn't made by Father" he says quietly, his smirk widening as he mentions the last part.
Without even moving his arm, the orb shot at me, and before I knew it, I'd been hit, feeling the impact so fast I almost thought it'd hit me before he threw it, my eyes clenching shut upon being struck.
But, something was off; I wasn't dead, and I felt no wound, what the hell did he do? Squinting an eye open, I saw a yellow light all around me, and as I shifted a foot…I realized what the light was. I had been enclosed within a bubble, a bubble of energy!
"What is this? WHAT IS THIS THING!" I scream with panic as I pound the surface, my fists bouncing off as if I'd hit a giant elastic sheet.
"My Ki doesn't have to vaporize, it can also form constructs; that's an energy barrier, also known more commonly as a force-field, it's a coherent and structured lattice of energy that forms an omni-directional shield that's not even made of any solid material, but yet can take far more punishment than most all forms of matter with ease, and this one I trapped you in, has enough durability to hold a star inside running at full power indefinitely. Just think of this as an unbreakable cage, that will keep you captive till you break and tell me what I want to know, and agree to give me that device you have that hides your Ki" Rekinju says with an arrogant smile.
"You…you can't keep me trapped, I'll find a way out, this can't be unbreakable, that's simply impossible!" I bellow as I begin to run around inside and punch and kick every single inch of the inner-surface this "force-field" I was inside. While I was busy attempting to break out, I did not notice Rekinju approaching me until he tapped on the bubble, making a loud echoing pop that got my attention and made me stop my efforts to listen.
"You have information in your mind I want, and technology on your person I need to see, acquisition, and study, so you'd better cooperate, or else" Rekinju threatens. Now I knew what he meant by something special, he was going to keep me trapped indefinitely till he got what he wanted.
"A completely pointless threat, you'll kill me anyways when its over; and to be honest, I'd prefer a brutal, but instant and painless death by your energy blasts rather than tell you the information you seek and face the disappointment and wrath of Mother. Just the shame alone for betraying her would be unacceptable, so you can forget it, I will not yield my secrets" I rebut as I cross my arms and legs as I sit down inside the bubble in defiance.
"Oh ho! You'll tell me alright you stupid bitch" shouts as he picks up the orb in one hand and begins to shake me wildly like a snow globe for several seconds. After the blending, he flung his right arm through the barrier like it didn't exist and grabbed me by the neck with an alchemically enlarged hand thrice the size of my own and yanked just my face outside of the barrier to stare me in the eyes with perfect clarity.
"You-will-tell…me!" he growls demonically, as his face takes on the form of…the white one, his eyes just like…the eyes! In an instant, I felt all my courage drained straight out of my form through those eyes as I looked at them, if there was one thing I feared more than Mother, that was it; the being known as Truth, and his piercing eyes.
I began to pant with even more fear, and as I felt my resolve dissolve, and decided that I could at least prolong any form of torment by at least spilling my guts to Rekinju. Taking a deep breath, I spoke and screamed, "STOP STOP! I'LL TALK, I'll TALK! I'm sorry, I was just pretending that I wouldn't cooperate ok? I was only kid-"
Tim Marcoh
"-Kidding me, you have to be joking!" I shout as I look again at the group Scar said he came with. Four human chimeras, and a homunculus!
"I do not joke Doctor, these are the ones I arrived with, and it is they who are charged with your safe keeping till we return to the north to rejoin Edward and retrieve my brother's research notes" Scar replies with a monotone.
"Doc, you need to chill; you look like you've seen a damn ghost" the girl known as Martel says calmingly, yet her own eyes held a hint of worry.
"I might as well have, he's one of them, the ones planning to sacrifice this entire country to make a giant stone and-"
"Marcoh, listen, that's not likely to happen anymore, you see…(removes sunglasses) we're on your side now" the tall homunculus says with a smile, the form partly comprised of a smug smirk, but also having plenty of a warm, genuine glow of pleasant kindness in his curled lips. Could he really be telling the truth?
"You…you are?" I ask incredulously, still scarcely able to believe what I had been told, and wary as to decide whether or not it was truth or lie.
"Yeah, I turned turncoat, along with four of my other siblings, two of which are the most powerful of all seven Homunculi, I'm one of the younger ones, but I defected from Father earliest, I also did so without much prompting, and of my own choice entirely. Originally my reasons were rather selfish, but after Edward helped me realized what I truly craved…well, I kinda wanna be an actual good guy; the rewards for that choice will be more grand than anything being a hoarding bastard will ultimately gain myself, so can you believe me now doc?" the man asks softly, extending a hand in friendship.
Looking into his eyes, I suddenly found they did not have any glint of inhuman wickedness or malice I'd seen in Father's eyes, I could find no signs that he was faking his reactions, and his muscles were relaxed.
He was truly being honest, he wasn't going to harm me or turn me over to Father, he was like a real person, a human. No longer feeling hesitant, I promptly extended my hand and gave him a firm shake to signify my trust.
"I do believe you, thank you for agreeing to help this country and the human race" I say kindly, proud that he had chosen this path of nobility, the likes of which I've never seen before in any artificial human I'd met. It truly humbled me to know such a homunculus as this one that stood before me now.
"By the way, my name is Greed, Greed the Avaricious, just imagine the amount of convincing and luck Edward needed to sway me" the now purely jovial man laughs with a mirth filled smile. It was enough to make me join them in a warm grin of happiness, excluding the ever dour Scar with his permanent frown.
"Alright, so shall we get to contacting Pride? We'll have to travel by shadow if we want to get to Briggs fast" Greed continues as he looks around for something nearby.
"Wait…Pride, is that another of the Homunculi?" I ask tentatively, hoping someone would answer as Greed looked around in the dark crevices.
"Yeah, his oldest brother, the first one Father made, Pride the Arrogant who usually is very close to Central" Dolcetto remarks casually.
"Then why is he looking in the darkness, from what you've said, he's at the center of Amestris far away, how can he be among the black edges and dark crevices here?" I continue, still surprised that he expected to obtain what he sought from those places.
"Pride can sense via, and manipulate, the shadows themselves, hence the whole "travel by shadows" comment made earlier" Greed shouts from a few dozen feet away near the edge of the alley.
"Pride can open shadow portals from one point to another, its sorta teleportation" Roa adds stoically, the answer finally making sense as I pieced the puzzle together.
"More like spatial warping, because if he can connect between two locations with shadows without crossing the same distance between as normal space would dictate, that's like the journey through the eye that can occur when human transmutation is executed" I remark, amazed at the idea of such a power and how useful it could be for benign purposes.
"Yeah, all I have to do is whisper to the shadows and Pride will eventually hear, and travel here" Greed finishes as he emits a groan of frustration, apparently something had gone wrong.
"Then where is he, if he can open portals it shouldn't take him long to reach us right?" I comment, fairly sure of my assumption.
"Yeah, its almost instantaneous, he must not be able to sneak us any help due to being in the presence of Father" Greed sighs as he pounds the stone wall, a small crack forming from the force of his blow.
"Then I guess we'll just have to wait till he gets privacy and can reach to us, we may have to stay here the night, and if by morning he hasn't been able to provide transport, we'll have to contact Edward with the emergency beacon" Martel says with frustration, kicking away a shard of broken cobblestone at her feet in annoyance.
"Good news is, as long as some of you don't need beds, there is room for everyone at my home on the eastern side" I say with a smile, knowing that just maybe we'd beat the Homunculi after all with so many allies and Edward's newfound power as stated by Scar.
"Then lets make haste, we shouldn't linger out here in the streets, someone from central might wonder through and recognize me, we already know where your house is Marcoh, we found it earlier thanks to the dog chimera" Scar says sourly, making Dolcetto snarl and form a vein on his head that was barely visible in the last glowing rays of the sunset.
"I have a name, you could at least be kind enough to address me by it jerk!" he snaps, causing Scar to growl angrily.
"I'd sooner trust my life to and respect that traitorous murderer than a blasphemous abomination like you!" the Ishvalan bellows as he points to me without taking his gaze off of Dolcetto's eyes. Surprisingly, Dolcetto whimpered sadly and slunk over behind Greed.
"That's it, the restraining devices go back on, you got Marcoh out already, so come on, that was the deal, you were only to be unrestrained for that task" Greed says firmly as he taps a foot, holding out a collar and an extremely lustrous metal clamp that was hand sized. With a deep groaning sigh, Scar lumbered over and held up his right arm, where the clamp was promptly snapped on like a shackle, then the collar was attached to his neck and Greed smiled.
"Good, all secure, now we can really relax; you don't know how eager he was to kill Edward and many of his friends, including me, he even broke the first clamp of Adamantium Ed designed cause Iron is part of its alloy. Its indestructible to everything but direct atomic manipulation, and sadly Scar learned about the Iron part and was able to break it apart the moment he knew" the homunculus says as we begin to head out into the street toward my home.
"Well why is this new one so special, Is it constructed from a new secret alloy?" I inquire, interested in this shiny material that somehow spoke to me that it was far beyond what it seemed.
"Actually its far cooler, that restraining brace's composition is of this pure element called Vibranium Edward conjured with his super alchemy, its not even native to this planet" Martel remarks with a cheerful tone, apparently this Vibranium was cause for great feeling of security as no one had any stress signs now that Scar was under lock and key.
"A new element…well what makes Vibranium so special that it can be used as a restraint for someone as dangerous as Scar, aside from the fact that he couldn't possibly know its atomic structure, what if he simply finds a way to break the atoms apart by extreme heat or sheer force?" I continue, wondering why such a small clamp could be given so much trust in ability it was almost like Scar's blind faith in his god.
"That's the cool part, watch this" Martel remarks as we all stop and she whips out the silencer pistol from her ankle and aims it at Scar, then walks right up to him.
"What are you doing? That's too close!" I shout, remembering the laws of conservation of momentum and energy, and if she were to shoot his clamp at that distance…
With a bang, she fired the extremely muffled gun and I winced, expecting the bullet to ricochet and strike someone, maybe even me, and then we'd need my stone for sure.
But to my surprise, there was even less noise than expected, two seconds later and no ricocheting noises had been made, and when I opened my eyes I saw why.
There upon the surface of Scar's clamp, was the bullet, deformed to the point of being tinfoil and slowly slipping off till it hit the street with a tiny clink, where Greed promptly bent over and grabbed it between his fingers.
"This element, absorbs blows and heat effortlessly, it literally sucks out kinetic vibrations, regardless of the source, and stores it between its atomic bonds, which actually makes it even more durable with every strike" Greed chuckles as he taps the clamp with his knuckles while holding the left over projectile.
"Incredible…that would mean it can absorb all forms of motion derived energy, even sound, a truly silent material, allowing absolute protection from all physical blows, simply astounding" I drone, my shock nearly disabling my ability to talk at all. Suddenly I felt myself picked up by Roa with one arm, holding me on it like a bench while he spoke and looked me in the eyes.
"Doc, I heard about all the good you've done in the years you served our country, and what you've done here according to Scar's testimony earlier; after what you just witnessed, meeting Scar, learning about Edward, and all that, I think you could use a break from walking, I'm part cow, so don't worry about making me tired, I'm literally strong as an ox" Roa says with a smile, then places me atop his shoulders like a child and everyone began to run faster, toward my house like dogs after hearing a bell. However, I wondered worriedly what Edward was like now that he had such great power; was he even human anymore, oh what could he have unlocked with alchemy after seeing my notes?
Gluttony
As I cowered in the closet of the room with the other people I'd followed to get away from Sloth, I whimpered and hoped I wouldn't have to come out till my violent younger brother was gone.
"Well, we reached the archives room, so what are we supposed to do now, just sit here and wait?" the bear like man shouts angrily.
"We don't know how to work your Plasma cannon yet Buccaneer, if we did I'd send you out there to obliterate that thing, but since that's not possible yet, we simply have to rely on the others to deal with the threat, its all we can do" the bearded man with a smoking stick remarks as he huffs on it and blows out a white cloud.
"Will you not smoke those in here! Geez haven't you read the countless health warnings about cigarettes, especially second hand smoke? There is even that disclaimer on every pack, honestly, I'd prefer to not get emphysema Randy" the blonde woman shrieks angrily as I peek from the door.
"Yeah…I don't care Kami since we have alchemy to regenerate our lungs and everything else, even if I get health problems, I can simply get an operation to fix the damage, no skin off my nose, same for you if anything should happen" the bearded man chuckles dismissively, the woman fuming with anger at his attitude.
Suddenly, there was a slam and Envy's angry voice roared, "WHERE IS THAT BLOB?"
"He's cowering in the archive vault over there" the bear man says casually.
"Ahhhhh!" I shriek, slamming the door shut, hoping the metal surface might keep Envy from coming in.
A suddenly grating slice noise as a metal blade poked through inches from my face made me understand that that wasn't going to happen, he was getting in and dragging me out to hurt me.
"Gluttony you (slice) stupid, (slice) shameful, (slice) embarrassing, (slice) cowardly, (slice) FATASS!" Envy screams as he hacks the door apart with several well placed cuts of a sword arm, then makes his other one huge and grabs me by my entire body with it and tosses me out on my face, where I skidded painfully across the floor till I was at Ling's feet.
"You abandoned us, in the middle of battle, do you have any idea how disgraceful that is? Not to mention we almost died, only saved due to the timely intervention of Edward, who is now doing all the hard work cause he's apparently bored and the only one who can take them both on with a sense of security" the funny eyed man says angrily as I tilt my head up while still laying on my stomach. I then saw the little girl and the armor man looked at me with hands on their hips, both seemed quite upset too.
"You overweight, sniveling, chicken of a rat, how the hell could you run off and leave your own older brother to his fate!" Envy screams as he grabs me by the throat and yanks me over to stare right in my face with bared teeth.
"Ok calm down Envy, you made your point, let him go, you're overreacting" the armor kid says kindly.
"Overreacting, better listen to this then, if this tub of lard had had an ounce of intelligent, and just a salt grain worth of courage, he'd have rushed to aid us and been able to defeat them by himself!" Envy shouts furiously.
"He's right, if Gluttony had just been brave, he could have come and eaten Sloth alive, he's capable I just know it" the girl shouts, her voice showing she was disappointed a lot.
"Oh but it gets even better, Gluttony here has a special power too, one of the most dangerous of all us Homunculi; fact is Father made him as an attempt to make his own Gate of Truth so he could just access all of alchemy's secrets without any toll or dealing with Truth, his actual goal was a spectacular failure, but it gave Gluttony one of the most dangerous of all the powers us Homunculi have" Envy says with an angry smile as he pats my belly for effect.
"Tubby here can open up the false gate doorway in his stomach to create a tube-shaped, spatial vacuum blast that instantly transports and traps anything within its 25 by 30 foot span, up to a maximum linear distance of just over 300 feet away, into an extra-dimensional gap between reality and the realm of truth, and since its properties works with the fabric of space itself, it affects the area he aims at instantaneously, not even Sloth is that fast. Gluttony could have beaten that giant in a minimum of at least two blows if he'd just stuck around while you kept the speedster busy Ling" my brother explains, making everyone glare at me angrily.
"You could have eaten that thing with ease and you were cowering in a closet!" Buccaneer screams indignantly.
"I don't like using it! It frightens me, it reminds me of…the eye" I whimper with fear.
"Yeah you need to stop that, you're one of the most deadly Homunculi and yet you can't use your weapon all because of the big eye, dude come on, have some back bone" the funny eyes man chastises.
Alphonse
As I nodded in agreement, I heard a shrill whistle on the wind, and immediately recognized it as Edward's, he must want us to come out.
"Guys, I just heard Ed, we need to get outside, there's news" I announce, causing everyone to stiffen and raise their heads.
"Good, then you will take me and Miles with your group, I have questions too" General Armstrong says as she walks in with Major Miles.
"Uh, right sir, he's on the uh…"front lawn", as he nicknamed it" I reply nervously, still unnerved by her presence.
"Good, then lets go; Katherine and Randall, you two stay here, the rest of you, march!" Olivia shouts as she begins to stroll out into the hall with Miles. Less than five minutes later we were out at the entrance to the fort and headed to Edward's location which was lit up by a yellow glow. As we approached, we saw a most comforting sight.
Bound in a mountain of chains and restraints, was Sloth, hopeless of any chance to even budge more than a few centimeters in any direction, and inside a glowing sphere, was the strange super woman, Brash.
"About time you slow pokes got here, and you General Armstrong" Edward jokes, his tone more serious when addressing Olivia.
"Good job soldier" she comments admirably.
"Please call me Rekinju ma'am, and I'm no soldier, just a guy helping out the real good guys, which are you" my brother remarks, apparently he now had an alias for when he was among enemies in his true form, Rekinju.
"Very well Rekinju, what is the status of the situation?" the general asks as she surveys the two captives.
"The two homunculi are both captive and restrained, you can relax, more extreme measures were needed to contain the female, as she was far-"
"Wait wait, br-I mean sir, sir, you said "homunculi", that's plural" I interrupt, confused as to his wording.
"Obviously, yes, homunculi, there are two of them and both are contained" he says with an annoyed tone.
"But then, where is the second? Sloth is captured, and the woman with powers too but…wait, you mean-"
"BINGO! We have a winner, the woman is the other homunculus!" brother shouts emphatically as he tosses his hands out, apparently aghast at my density of the situation.
"Wait…you said Father only made seven Homunculi, seven! If that's true and ironclad…how is it that there are more?" Ling remarks with shock.
"The young lord makes a good point, you made it very clear Father only made seven children, if so how is it there is an eighth creature?" Fu comments from beside.
"Whoa! How did you-"
"We're very good at stealth to most people other than Master Ling, Edward, and the girl from the Chang clan" Lan Fan finishes as she stands there in her mask to my right.
"FOOLS! Its because…the weakling Father did not spawn my life" Brash shouts loudly, making us stare at her.
"Then who made you? I demand answers now, any threat to my country is to be dealt with promptly!" General Armstrong snaps.
"That's right, You already told me plenty, but now that my friends are here, I'm demanding the whole story, so spill it Brash, or else" Edward remarks with a smirk as red lightning crackles on his fingertips.
"Very well, I guess I will have to; I' am Brash the Impatient, and I was created, by her eminence, Mother" the giant woman states, her tone showing great reverence upon mentioning the name mother.
"Mother? What, did Father have a wife who left him before we came along?" Envy jokes, causing us all to stare at him for a moment.
"Sorry, it was just too good to pass up it seemed; who is this Mother person exactly?" the jealous homunculus asks with a raised eyebrow.
"She created me and my other siblings, that's the basic concept, all there is to that part" Brash responds coolly.
"Others, you mean this Mother made more than just you?" I remark, now getting worried, there could be a good reason to worry.
"Of course, did you think she would stop with just one child after seeing how huge a success I was?" Brash replies smugly.
"Who else is there, talk!" Ed shout angrily as he holds a blood red Ki orb up to the containment sphere Brash was trapped inside, making her pant.
"Ok ok! I have 6 other siblings, and they are all more powerful than me, the worst though, is the eldest, her name is-"
"(Sigh) Again sister, why do I even bother?" a groaning, indifferent voice moans from behind Edward.
"WHOA! What the?" brother screams as he almost jumps out of his skin as he flips around to face the girl who had suddenly begun speaking. Before I could see who had come, she was gone again.
"Rekinju, where did she…where did she go?" I ask, a bit frightened now, as to out pace my brother was no easy feat anymore.
"Oh no, it's her, my eldest sister-quick, get me out of here before she can-"
"(Groan) Striking a bargain, how predictable, why do we even bother? You were always the quickest Brash, and as the quickest you were always willing to betray us and Mother the most swiftly as well" the voice speaks again, this time from inside the containment bubble as a tall but slender and gothic girl wraps her arms around Brash's neck like a child.
As I saw her form, I was aghast; she looked like a female version of some artistic things Edward did with his alchemy. The girl's clothing was made from tattered black rags, lacking any style or sign of pride in their design. Even her body, the skin was pale and grey, she had hollow eyes that seemed almost like a void, with lifeless, grey irises, dull listless pupils that showed what seemed an almost utter lack of any desire or interest in…anything, almost pure apathy.
"Apathy! Please, don't take me back to Mother, I was forced to talk, I couldn't control-"
"I know, just like me, Mother forces me to obey too, I guess she'll have to put the same device in you she did in me, not that it really matters, I just don't care, she'll do what she wants, she is Mother, we have to obey her-" the girl begins, then she looks at all of us, especially into my eyes, her gaze making me feel like tearing my head off just to not have to look at her, if I wasn't frozen with fear.
"-we all have to obey Mother" the girl drones hollowly as she holds Brash's neck tighter while looking at me, if I still had my skin it'd crawl right off my bones and flesh she was so frightening. I then realized why the girl was so frightening, she was the exact opposite of Pride, Apathy, Apathy the Indifferent!
"Mother…she calls me, she calls us; I can't stay to play, we have to go now, Mother said that Brash has to be punished, Father will deal with his boy. Maybe I'll see you all again, maybe not, I don't really care, its all up to Mother, but she does says she'll deal with you one day soon Rekinju, be ready to face her and my other siblings, good bye now" the scary girl announces, and with two white flashes she teleports Brash out of the bubble, and then onto Sloth's back, vanishing entirely with both of our prisoners just before Edward can grab them, my brother having roared and leapt at them the moment they appeared on Sloth, his attempts leaving him face first in the snow, which promptly began to melt from his power and anger at the failure to prevent their escape.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Who was that bitch who just messed with us, she creeped me the fuck out, WHO WAS SHE!" Edward roars with rage as he crawls to his hands and knees and looks around.
"She's Apathy-" I begin, causing everyone to look at me in shock.
"-Apathy the Indifferent" I finish, my armor shaking and rattling loudly from my fear that still had no abated. Edward immediately pounded both fists into the earth with such force the entire planet shook for a moment as he screamed in outrage, his voice segueing into a primal roar, like that of a monster, even more terrifying than Apathy or the sound Envy made when he turns into his true form.