Hi everyone! New chapter for you! Already? Yes! You're welcome :) Just wanted to mention a warning here for intense violence and swearing! Enjoy the story!
The glow of the Philosopher's Stone was brilliant and Edward had to shield his eyes as the holy man willed it to do his bidding. A loud scraping of stone on stone screeched from their left and the brothers snapped their attentions to the thick slab of concrete that sunk into a crevice in the wall acting as a door to the adjacent room. Beyond the door was pitch blackness that Edward couldn't comprehend what lie behind it, eyes fixating on the darkness, bracing for whatever Cornello may have summoned. A low deep growl reverberated from the darkness menacingly and from the void stretched a scaly paw, long sharp talon-like claws jutting from its appendage. Breathes stilled and hearts jumped at the sight of the beast as it stepped out into the light, teeth baring as its beady eyes laid on its prey. It was a fusion of a lion, crocodile, and some kind of scorpion. A long link of flesh curled and adorned a sharp needle as its tail while different limbs were a mix-match of scales and tan fur. A chimera, a sick freak of nature created by Alchemists to achieve a perfect fusion between two or more animals.
"So this is what you've been doing with the stone. Making chimeras, the most depraved form of alchemy there is." Edward spat as he eyed the transmuted mess in front of him. Cornello snorted from his place on the platform and his smile stretched.
"Maybe so, but they're quite effective." With a stretch of his left hand, he commanded the beast onward and it reared its gnarly head with a thundering roar. Edward's muscles tensed and his eyes honed in on the chimera's movements as the creature barreled forward, sharp teeth jutting from its mouth as it came to take a bite out of its opponent. Sucking in a sharp breath, Edward swung his metal foot up into the beast's jaw, sending it tumbling to the side, a resounding crack of its chin echoing off the stone walls. Lifting its massive body off the ground, the beast turned its head back to its prey and lunged for another bite despite the jaw that now drooped slightly out of place. Preparing for the attack, Edward swiped his metal arm in front of his face just in time to catch the chimera's large teeth around the appendage. It gnawed helplessly, its broken jaw grinding sluggishly against the steel. Edward pushed back as it tried to use its weight to bare down on him and he grunted as he struggled. Shifting his feet, Edward prepared to thrust the beast backward when the ground rumbled and shifted under him, changing from hard stone to soft sand. The beast snarled and thrusted its weight down harder, and the sand under them seemed the slither and slip. The fall was swift and within an instant, Edward was on his back, air thrust out of his lungs as the ground became solid again under his harsh drop. Large heavy paws raised off the ground to pound down on top of him and all he could do was think to shield his front with his arms. As the beast came down with a rush, Edward's heart raced and his lungs heaved bracing for the impact.
As if time slowed, a sudden flash from above tore Edward's eyes up to watch as a large dog, fur black as night thrust its body into the chimera, and clamped its jaws down on the bridge of the beast's nose. Crimson blood sprayed and a piercing screech tore from the chimera as it stumbled backward from the weight of the other animal. Edward froze, eyes blown wide as the two animals struggled. The large dog snarled and growled as it released the chimera's bloodied face to sink its teeth into the creature's thick throat. The chimera helplessly whimpered and its movements became lethargic as its body slowly collapsed to the floor in a heap. The dog lifted its head from the lifeless body, blood dribbling from its mouth and it turned to face the boys. Edward's blood ran cold and limbs seized as he watched the creature staring back at him.
Lifting my head, my nose and mouth shone red from the blood as it coated my fur and teeth. Drool and blood swam together in my mouth and I swallowed it reluctantly. The taste of nickel slid down my throat thickly and I let out a pant. Heavy breathing to my left flitted through my ears and I turned my head to look into the eyes of the blonde boy and his metal companion, frozen in place a few paces away from the murder with a look of terror splayed across his face. The sound of his heart beating rapidly as he stared grew louder and louder in my ears, but the heartbeat of the metal one was non-existent. 'Strange…'
"W-What the hell is this?!" A voice several feet behind me bellowed and my eyes snapped to the rotund man standing on the platform across the room, mouth agape and squinted eyes blown wide in shock. I shifted my body to face him, a low growl deep within my chest sounding out as I peered up at the man. The man took a defensive step back, arms shaking as he drew his cane up in front of him and he transmuted it into a menagerie of metal and gun barrels jutting out of it erratically. The prophet swung it in front of him, pointing it in our direction and I could hear the faint sound of gasps behind me as we watched his movements.
"Blasted Demons! I'll purge your evil with my holy power!" The man howled as he pulled the trigger and bullets flew in a frenzied wave.
My paws dug into the floor beneath me before I lurched my body forward, bullets ricocheting off the stone next to my feet as I dashed for cover, My head whipped frantically looking for something, anything to hide under. In the corner of my eye, a bright flash of blue sparked across the room, and a tall wall of stone was erected from the ground as the boys huddled together behind it for cover. 'That's clever!' I thought as I whirled away from a curve in the wall and dove toward the middle of the room again. Dodging bullets to the best of my ability, My ears perked up and I tilted my head to see a piece of the ceiling as it crumpled from the top of the room and came barreling towards me. Narrowly I managed to skirt out of the way, the dust from the fall stuffing my nose and lungs and I hacked and coughed as I tried to evict it from my body. I hear shouting and cursing as the different people in the room try to avoid falling pieces from the ceilings and walls. A shrill scream sounds from my right and I skid to a stop as I peer over at the woman who stood terrified and frozen beside the Prophet, eyes locked on a large falling piece of debris dropping towards her in a rush. Without thinking, my legs are moving again, paws pounding on the stone ground as I raced towards her.
Sucking in a deep breath, I pushed my body upwards, thrusting myself onto the platform where the man stumbled blindly backward, gun still firing aimlessly at his side and I slid myself between the screaming girl's legs with a bit of effort before taking off again, her body flopping against me as I tried to carry her narrowly out of the way of the debris. Her small fingers dug into my fur and clung desperately to me as we landed back onto the stone with a grunt. She continued to scream from on top of me, but I ignored the piercing in my ears as another blue flash of light sparked wildly from across the room and two large double doors appeared against the smooth stone. The short blonde from before leaned up against it as he willed the doors to open. With a heavy push of his body weight, the doors groaned open and I could hear the sound of shouting in my direction urging me to follow. I did so without another thought, body barreling out of the room with a huff and several feet skid to a halt at the sight of more guards standing at the ready at the end of the hall. 'Of course.'
"Oh son of a b-" I didn't stand to listen to the rest of that sentence as I bounded forward, paws thundering under me as I lunged myself towards the wall of men standing ahead of me. I felt a rise of thrill and amusement as the men's faces paled at my advance and with another leap of faith, I flew over the screaming men. They shouted and cursed below me as I threw my body over them and back onto the stone path, hardly taking the time to look back as my heart pounded in my chest. Never in a million years did I think I would do that and I couldn't contain the small bubble of nervous laughter that rose into my throat. After running for what felt like forever I come to a slow trot, turning my nose back to the hall behind me and I listened for the sound of advancing footsteps. Hasty stomps of rubber and metal bounced off the hallway walls as they headed toward us. I braced for whatever the company may be but eased slightly when the blonde in red and his metal companion turned around the corner and breathlessly came to a stop a few paces from us. The blonde leaned forward, hands clasping over his knees as he tried to suck in a few deep breaths.
"Well, that sucked." He breathed out hotly and the girl still turtled up against my back uncurled slightly, lifting her head off of my back with a shaky release of breath.
"That was awful…" She said, voice trembling and her hands continued to grip my fur tightly. Dusting off his pants, the blonde offered the girl a steady hand and she reluctantly took it. Climbing off of me slowly, my back ached softly at the change in pressure. I shook out my damp fur from where she pressed herself against me, and my fur fluffed back into its usual shape.
"You okay?" He asked gently still a bit out of breath and his heart continued to clamor in his chest as their hands stayed clasped for a moment later before she took it back shyly. 'Is that from the running or the girl?' I thought a little intrigued as she let out another sigh and pressed her hands against her thundering chest.
"Y-Yeah…I think so." She stood above me, breathing slow and deep as she tried to calm her rushing nerves before a voice broke through the silence again.
"We should be safe from those goons for a little bit. We seemed to get the slip on them for now." The blonde stuck a thumb over his shoulder gesturing to the hall behind us and his metal companion chuckled nervously beside him.
"I wasn't expecting Cornello to just open fire on us like that. Seemed kinda reckless." The voice was surprisingly young and high-pitched as it rang through the metal container and the blonde only scoffed in response.
"Typical of a second-rate alchemist. Just goes straight for the shooting without thinking about the repercussions afterward." He folded his arms over his chest, the two glancing at one another as he tsked.
"How would you know?" The girl beside me tensed as she glared at the two boys, fists clenched tight at her sides. "What gives you the right…the right to just storm into our place of prayer and destroy everything?!" She shouted angrily at them, her voice echoing harshly off the stone walls and I couldn't help the tension in my muscles at her change in demeanor. The blonde frowned at the girl, golden eyes flicking over to her and he sighed.
"We didn't destroy anything, Rose. It was your 'prophet' who started swinging his guns around and shooting up the place. Just face it, he isn't as holy as you believe him to be."
"That's because-" The girl choked and I tilted my head back to her and watched as she fell silent, head bowing down as she tried to hold back a small sob. Her body shook again and I couldn't think of what to do. I offered a small whine in response but I was ignored as she seemed to curl inward on herself, lost in her thoughts. Another sigh across from me, this time higher pitched flitted through the cool hallway slowly and I tipped my head back up to look at the armored companion as his size dwarfed the rest of us.
"What are we gonna do now brother?" The small voice was jarring to hear coming from the huge armor. While intimidating, it seemed to curl forward, like a small creature or child trying to make themselves small. 'How bizarre…'
"I don't know Al. This is all becoming more of a pain in the ass than I think is worth." The boy huffed and something seemed to catch his eye as he turned to look over at the wall to his left, suddenly lost in thought.
"If only there was some kind of way to get him to confess to everything where the whole town could hear…" The boy commented, his hand coming to rest under his chin as he continued to think to himself. The armor next to him clanked as his head shifted from his brother over to the girl, "Rose," I think.
"Hey Rose, there's a bell tower attached to this church right?" He asked curiously, his voice flitting across the hall and she seemed to snap from her thoughts suddenly, her body coming alive again as she lifted her head to look back at the armor speaking to her.
"Yeah, why do you ask?" She questioned softly, and I turned my head from between the two to watch as the armor tilted his head up, looking to the ceiling as if pondering her answer over in his mind. 'Head? Helmet? This guy is confusing…'
"Well, I was just thinking, what if we use it like a big speaker?" The armor proposed, leather hands coming to his metal hips as he spoke. "We could trick Cornello into fessing up and project it out to the town. Maybe we can uncover his motives and the people can judge for themselves what they think after that." The boy next to him shifted his gaze back over to his brother with an amused grin.
"Al you're a genius." He knocked the back of his fist against his metal brother with a clang and turned to look back at Rose.
"Alright, Rose you show Al how to get up to the bell tower and I'll sneak into his office and see if we can rig something up." The boy's eyes glistened with a newfound determination and before parting he glanced down in my direction, expression changing to a look of confusion, then giving a shrug and a small smile. "And you can just go with them too, I guess." The latter of his sentence tilted up an octave as he seemed unsure what to say to me. I opened my mouth to reply but it was a second too late as I watched him swiftly make his way down the hall and back out of sight, coat snapping behind him. 'Uhh… never mind I guess..' I huffed to myself before looking up at the two companions I was left with and they both looked to the hall where the boy had vanished before landing their gaze over to me with a look of confusion.
"Well, the more the merrier right?" Al -the armor- said with a sweet voice and if I was in my human shape, I would have shrugged. I wasn't left to ponder my response before the two were moving again, Rose taking the lead to quietly lead us down the hall and off toward the bell tower.
After making our way through a few winding corridors and ascending a long stretch of stone steps up into the bell tower, Al tore down the bell from its place hung in the center of the belfry and began fiddling with it. He created a long stretch of black cord which he attached to the bell and strung it back down the steps where it would hopefully have found his companion to set up some sort of..speaker? 'Is that what he said?' I couldn't really remember as I'd been too occupied looking out at the vast city below. Dust picked up with the light breeze and flitted through stone buildings quietly without much of a care. 'I wonder what it would be like to be a mindless dust cloud. Just flowing through life without a single thought.' I thought to myself quietly when the sound of Al's voice picked up across the silence again and I pricked my ears towards their conversation.
"What do you think about the prophet now Rose? He just opened fire regardless of who was in the way. He didn't even care if that ruble crushed you." Alphonse finally spoke, breaking the silence from the little ledge we stood on.
"That's because-" Rose stopped herself again and I turned my head behind me, pulling my paws off the stone railing to face the two properly. Taking a moment, Rose's eyes flicked over to Al and then back down at the ground. Her voice was soft and quiet, like a meek deer.
"So what he said back there…Is it true?" She didn't lift her head when the sound of his metal body shifted, rolling his shoulders back slightly as he paused what he was doing to stare off almost like he was miles away.
"We're not evil…We just wanted to see our mom again. See her smile. But our transmutation failed. We never could have known what was really going to happen…But what we made, it wasn't even human." I hear a gasp to my right as Rose finally lifts her head to peer over at him, but I pay her no mind at the racing of my own heart. 'Not…Human? What could they have possibly created instead…?' My stomach dropped slightly at the implications and I felt a sense of dread as I continued to watch Al, his hands dropped at his sides in deep thought.
"We transmuted our mother in an attempt to bring her back from the dead…But that wasn't possible. We didn't understand that at the time, and we paid for it with my brother's leg, and my entire body" Al explained solemnly, reaching up to pull his helmet off his shoulders and he leaned over to reveal a dark empty shell. Deep into the expanse of emptiness was a dark seal drawn out of what I can only assume was blood, streaks of red forming a circle, and scribbled lines I couldn't even being to understand. 'Yeah, my heart is definitely in my stomach now.'
"Edward saved my life by sacrificing his right arm for my soul. It took so much from us and my brother almost died trying to save me. Now, all we want is to get our bodies back to the way they were. To right the wrong we made. Rose, alchemy doesn't create miracles, it has consequences and us alchemists have to understand those consequences and abide by the laws. What Cornello is doing, isn't possible. He lied to you."
"But father Cornello said…He-He promised me! Just because you and your brother failed- That doesn't mean- It doesn't mean he will!" Rose shouted, desperation in her voice, and her arms raised to clutch her chest as her eyes watered with frustration. The sound of Al's soft sigh and his arms returning the helmet to its place on his shoulders turned my gaze back onto him, ears perked forward curiously.
"You're free to believe whatever you want Rose. I can't make you believe me. No one can but yourself. But please, look at us as an example of what happens when you play with things you can't understand." Turning back to his work, Al flipped some sort of switch at the base of the makeshift speaker and heaved it over his shoulder, shooting to his feet and stepping over to where I stood by the railing. As he approached I stepped to the side and peered up at his tall frame as he brought a foot to rest on top of the stone railing, taking position there without another word. A couple of moments were silent between the three of us before a blaring ring sounded through the metal bell Al held and a sudden familiar voice echoed through the device.
"Listen, All I want is for you to answer my questions about the stone. You do that and I'll be out of your way." It was the brother's voice. 'Edward.' My brain sufficed and I perked my ears to tune into the conversation.
"Fine, ask your questions…" A man's voice said with a heavy sigh. 'Cornello.'
"You can do virtually anything with that Philosopher's Stone, so why waste it on performing phony miracles?" Edward's voice carried through the bell and there was a short pause as Cornello seemed to consider if he wanted to answer the question.
"Because by performing those phony miracles I can collect a multitude of believers. Believers who'd be willing to lay down their very lives without question to suit my needs. With a big enough army, I'll be unstoppable and I can shape this whole country however I please. Hell, maybe when all things are said and done, I'll cut you a piece." Cornello's voice was dark and sinister as the bell rang his message out across the entire town. The silence that followed his statement was just as loud as my ears vibrated with what I just heard. 'God damn.'
"Wow, you really are a novice!" Edward's words shouted through the bell again and his cackle was heard rippling through the speaker.
"H-how did you-when did you- what the hell is going on?!" Cornello's voice cried and I could have paid good money to see the look on his face.
"What's going on is you just outed yourself to the whole town, I hardly had to do anything. Must bite huh?" Edward continued to chuckle, sarcasm dripping off his words and the conversation continued in the background as Al spoke up between the exchange down to Rose who now stood on my other side, silently absorbing everything she heard.
"You see Rose? There were never any miracles. He lied to you. He lied to everyone." She didn't respond or even move as her head hung low, her bangs concealing her face. I could smell the shock and despair though. 'I wish I could do something to make her feel better.'
"How could you? You'll pay dearly for this!" A voice ripped through the bell and the sounds of loud crackling and static rung loudly as the receiver was cut and then, there was silence once again. Al took his foot off the railing and heaved the heavy metal off his shoulder with a loud clatter and I had to shake out my ears from the obnoxious sound. 'Fuck that was loud!'
"What do you think that was?" Rose asked with a raise of her voice, concern crawling into her fair features. Al dusted off his hands 'gloves?' with an unsure exhale.
"I'm not sure. I hope he's okay. He has a tendency to get himself in way over his head." It was said with a bit more sarcasm than I'm sure he meant. Probably something he's quite familiar with by the sound of his voice. Then there was a deep rumble from below and the tower began to shake almost violently. I braced myself where I stood while Al and Rose reached for the railing, steadying themselves as we rode out the sudden quake. Whatever they were doing down there couldn't be good.
"What was that?" Rose gasped from above me but she was left unanswered as another shutter of the building came crashing through, this one harder than the last. A sudden thunderous crash from below reverberated through the church walls and the street below, causing us to peer over the ledge down to the commotion below. Chunks of brick and stone were tossed toward the town followed by a thick cloud of dust at the church's entrance, and an egregiously large, towering figure lumbered out amongst the dust onto the platform ahead. A few feet away from the large figure stumbled out a flash of red, Edward regaining his footing after being flung out the double doors. Or rather, what used to be double doors. Al gasped from beside me and leaned over the railing, two hands pressed tightly against the stone.
"We have to help my brother!" He shouted and started racing towards the steps that lead to the bell tower. Rose and I followed suit, hot on his heels as we bounded down the stairs as quickly as our hearts raced. My paws clambered down onto the stone as we made it onto flat ground, bodies barreling towards the enormous hole in the wall where the front doors once stood. As the dust cleared, we lifted our heads toward the scene before us.
Cornello, or what used to be Cornello, stood looming over his target, muscles, and fat bulging out as he stood. His gun consumed his arm and shoulder, branching out across his chest and back like a parasite leeching off his body. It was a sick sight. I mean 'he's huge!' My heart battered in my chest as I watched the fist of the once small prophet rear back and plunge towards Edward who braced himself for the impact. The fist smashed into Edward's metal arm, feet digging into the floor as he pushed back and he skid a couple of feet across the stone but otherwise held his ground through gritted teeth. 'Kid's gonna get himself killed!'
Keeping our distance, the three of us watched on as Edward shoved the fist out of his way and shouted something up at the man who only stumbled a bit before rearing for another attack. This one I wasn't sure Edward could manage this time and I lurched forward, instincts kicking into overdrive, my hair standing on edge as a growl escaped my lips. Quickly I snapped my head over to Al who stood breathless beside me, red eyes glued to the scene ahead.
"Al, you can transmute the ground right?" I shouted up at him, my heart climbing into my throat as I began to panic a little. The armor jolted suddenly with a gasp and pulled his head away from the commotion to look down at me, glowing orbs blown wide in shock.
"Y-You can talk?!" The voice pitched drastically in surprise and I shook my head hastily.
"That doesn't matter! Can you make me a ramp to reach that big guy?" My voice raised as my panic continued to climb and hesitantly he nodded. Taking that as answer enough I burst into a canter shouting to him from behind me.
"Make me a ramp! Hurry!" My eyes snapped forward as I bounded across the platform, a resounding clap and crackle of lightning behind me forged a slab of stone in front of me as it curled and reached for the sky. Pushing myself harder as I saw Cornello's fist come down again, I lept onto the ramp made for me and prayed this would work. 'Paws don't fail me now!"
With a final push of my legs, I reached out and lept onto the back of the large man and sunk my teeth harshly into the dip between his neck and shoulder. The large body jolted under my bite and swung wildly around, flailing his large arms to try and reach for me, I clenched my eyes tightly and hoped I could hang on, heart rattling in my chest and ears. Loud thunderous roars escaped his lips as I bit down harder, trying desperately not to be flung off. Snapping my eyes open again, I watched a heavy hand reach for me and while his muscles made it hard to angle towards his back, this hand was sure to catch me this time. I pulled my teeth from his shoulder swiftly and without a second thought, I jumped onto his hand as it swung down to snatch me, merely missing his grasp by inches. A familiar glow of red pulled my attention to his finger where the silver band held the illusive stone that caused all of this. I gulped as I peered at it. 'Sometimes we gotta get a little dirty'
Swallowing down my fear, eyes shut tightly, I stretched my neck out and sank my teeth into the flesh holding the ring. The creature roared violently again and swung the hand wildly to free himself from me like a relentless bug. I held on and tugged aggressively onto the flesh in my mouth, the sound of meat and skin tearing as blood spurted from the growing wound between my teeth. In a few short tugs, the finger tore free and I flung backward from the force, falling off the writhing creature as it screamed. Butterflies swam violently through my stomach as I continued to fall, eyes held tightly shut as my mind ran wild. 'Is this how I die?'
Wind and some kind of electric shock zinged past my ears and a sudden warmth enveloped my body. I couldn't tell what it was but just as I thought I was falling, I seemed to land on something soft and..sandy? I opened my eyes wearily, the blue sky painted my immediate view as I seemed to land on my back. Wiggling experimentally, I rolled onto my stomach, blood clinging to my fur and mouth. I stood shakily and took note of the nice sand pile that seemed to break my fall. 'How convenient." Shaking myself free from the sand, I spit the flesh from my mouth onto the ground, blood bubbled and pooled from my tongue and I hacked and coughed to the best of my ability, taking deep shuttering breaths as I tried not to throw up. 'Have you ever seen a dog throw up? It's gross'
Wild sparks of light danced across the air as Cornello's body began to reduce in size, muscles, and tendons shrinking til he knelt with his hand clutched to his chest now his normal size. My ears perked to the side as I heard a gasp and I turned just in time to see the red stone disintegrate and flitter away into nothing out of the corner of my eye. A little further than that was Edward, knelt forward and eyes blown wide as he watched the stone disappear and his face scrunched in confusion and shock.
"But…The Philosopher's Stone is a perfect material. It can't just disappear…"Edward hung his head with a mixture between a chuckle and a strangled sob. Running over to his side, Al knelt down beside his brother, hands hovering over his form in an attempt to comfort him but possibly unsure whether or not to touch the teen whose shoulders started to shake. What started out as small chuckles turned into cackles and Edward threw his head back towards the sky as he laughed and I wasn't sure if he might have lost his mind or not. 'Yeah, this cookie's definitely crumbled.' A hand suddenly smoothed over my back as Rose came to kneel down beside me and I glanced at her before turning back to the boy whose laughing fit slowly died down to chuckles again and he sucked in a sharp breath before exhaling loudly.
"Damnit!" He cursed loudly to the sky and heaved himself to his feet with a tired grunt. Shoulders drilled forward, he trudged over to Cornello who was still curled over his severed finger, blood dribbling from his wounded shoulder and hand all down his body onto the stone below him. Edward approached and grabbed the man's head with a sharp turn of his face upward. In one swift movement, Edward smashed his temple against the other man's in a head butt and screamed at him.
"What the hell was that!? Why did it disappear!?" Edward demanded, his metal fist raised between the two men and Cornello blubbered and sputtered out a slew of nonsense as he backed away from the enraged teen.
"I-I don't know! I swear I don't know anything! Spare me! Please!" As the man continued to spout nonsensical pleas, Edward sighed heavily through his nose and shot a pointed finger in no particular direction with a shout.
"Just get out of here!"
Cornello scrambled to his feet and waddled his large body away as quickly as he could out of sight. Edward simmered for a moment before burning out and he turned his eyes back over to the three of us who sat watching his little outburst. His golden eyes snapped over to me and his brows furrowed as he analyzed me.
"You've saved my ass twice now. I guess I should thank you or something." The latter of his sentence tapered into an almost light-hearted chirp as his heart seemed to ease a little at the ridiculousness of it all. I lifted my eyes to meet his own and licked my lips, the taste of nickel still persistent in my mouth.
"No worries. I just kinda jumped head first, so.." I trailed off, shaking my head internally at the craziness that had been my day so far. Edward's eyes blew wide at my statement and his body tensed.
"Y-You can talk!? What the hell is wrong with this place!?" Edward shouted, pointing a finger out at me, and if I didn't know any better I would think he's about to faint. That or karate chop my head. 'This again?' Al raised his hand up in defense of me as he turned his head up toward his brother.
"I know I thought it was weird too, but it kinda makes a lot of sense." He tilted his head toward me and red eyes looked at me with a strange gentleness and curiosity.
"You kept showing up and saving us, even when it put your life at risk. Only something with a great deal of intelligence could do that." His voice carried through the armor with a hint of innocence and I was reminded again how childlike he sounded.
"So what are you? Another one of Cornello's chimeras?" Edward asked, eyes drilling into me again and I had to stop myself from flinching.
"No -I mean -yes- I am a chimera -but I'm not Cornello's." I stammered out as the young alchemist continued to trail his eyes up and down my shape like he was trying to dissect me. He shifted uncomfortably when I confirmed I'm a chimera and something in his expression flashed as he looked at me.
"The last time we encountered a talking chimera…" He trailed off, turning his gaze over to his brother and the two seemed to deflate slightly, sharing a look I couldn't read before he took a step towards me, kneeling a short distance in front of me.
"Who created you?"
"What? I don't know, some guys in a lab in Central."
"Central? Why are chimera experiments being done in Central?"
"I-I don't know!" I blurted a bit intimidated by the slew of rapid questions. My heart raced in my chest again, It seemed that organ would not be getting a break today.
"Look. All I know is I was made in a lab, I escaped, and now I'm here. There were a lot of experiments involving flashing lights, and some Doctor named Marcoh -or something- but I didn't really get a chance to know much because before I knew it- the place was running wild and people were shouting and I didn't know what else to do but to run until I could get out of that place." I expressed with a deep breath, my voice shaking at the anxiety flooding my body.
"Flashing red lights? You mean like alchemy?" Edward questioned again, gaze never wavering as his eye's seemed to pick up on my recognition of the word.
"Um..yeah I think so…It looked a lot like the flashing from the stone that guy had," I say with another release of breath, my stomach continuing to churn in distress. Edward tore his eyes away from me suddenly, gaze trailing something in the distance as the wheels turned in his head.
"Can you tell us what that lab was? You said it was in Central right?" Al suddenly piped up, coming to stand beside his brother and he looked down at me as he did so. Sucking in another breath, I tried to steady my breathing as I thought about the lab again.
"Um yes…I don't know what it was called though…They hardly let us know any of that kind of information." The boys seemed to wilt slightly at the statement, eyes falling away and my heart jumped again when another question was raised.
"You said there was a Doctor at the lab, Marcoh right? Do you know if he's still working there?" I shook my head and my eyes fell to the floor.
"I don't know that either, sorry." I racked my brain for some kind of solution before another light went off and I lifted my head back up to them. "But I could show you the lab If that would help. And maybe you could find the Doctor there."
The armored boy's eyes picked up again and a look of concentration fell over Edward for a second time as a hand came to rest under his chin.
"That could work…But how are we gonna transport you when you look like…well, that?" Edward asked, eyes darting back to my form in between his musings aloud and I gulped harshly at the look.
"Well, I could shift into a human form once we make it into the city…could try to blend in." Edward's eyes blew wide at the statement and he stared. Once again it became blatantly obvious all eyes were on me as if they weren't beforehand. Shock and awe fell over the three as they all looked at me curious.
"You…You can shapeshift?" Edward asked slowly and I had to suck in a breath at the spike of adrenaline again, my heart drumming in my chest.
"Y-yes..?" I breathed out shakily, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable and my legs vibrated slightly, ready to run at any given moment. Edward's eyes darted around for a moment seemingly lost in thought once more before rising to his feet with a sigh.
"Well, if we've got no other options, then I guess we'll just have to take you with us. I'm sure we could manage, right Al?" Edward turned his gaze over to his side, hands resting on his hips with a small smile and the younger brother nodded alongside him.
"Right." The two boys looked down at me with a smile and I couldn't help but feel suddenly really warm. If I wasn't covered in fur, I may have blushed.
"So, that's it? You came all this way to do all of this, then just leave again?" A small voice said and I turned my head to look over to Rose who was still sitting by my side. She'd been running her hand down my back but I hadn't noticed until now. Her bangs shielded her face as her head was tilted towards the floor. Slowly, she lifted her head towards the two boys where they stood, her eyes welling up with tears as they threatened to spill over.
"What are we supposed to do now? How am I supposed to go on? You tell me that Ed!" Her voice trembled and her shoulders shook. Helpless sobs racked her body and Edward closed his eyes with a sigh, eyes tearing away from her.
"I can't tell you that. It's up to you to figure that out for yourself," He pivoted onto his heels, swinging around til his back was facing us.
"You'll have to walk on your own. Move forward. You've got two strong legs Rose, you should get up and use them." Rose stared as tears streaked her face, mouth agape unsure what else to say. Edward shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking, making his way across the platform and down the stone steps. Al sighed softly, shoulders drooping slightly as he looked over to Rose and me.
"Rose try to understand. We've seen a lot of things over our travels. We've come to learn the importance of doing what's right, even if we don't always understand why. You're free to still believe if you want to. I still do."
Al bowed slowly, offering a silent apology when she didn't answer before turning and making his way off the platform after his brother. I watched as they left before turning my nose over to Rose. Her shoulders shook as tears were shed and I bumped her with my nose softly. She turned to me and offered a weak smile and a pat on my head.
"I'm sorry Rose," I said gently to her. It was all I could think to offer before rising to my feet. She glided her hand along my back before letting it fall to her side. I gave her another poke of my nose and she chuckled softly which I took as a sign she might be cheering up. I turned my head back toward the town and stepped away from her without another word, passing through the platform and down the stairs after the brothers a few feet ahead.
I'm beginning to understand now, how alchemy can be used for good, and for bad.
After running around to track down his suitcase, Edward and his brother trudged back through the desert once again, and I followed slightly behind. The hot sand burned my paws, but I pushed along anyway, head up, eyes forward as I tried to keep up.
We walked for miles mostly in silence, I wasn't quite sure what to say so I kept my mouth shut for the most part. Every now and then, Al would tilt his head down to look at me but any time I looked back he'd snap his head away like he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. 'I wonder what he could be thinking.'
"So um…I suppose we should probably ask. What's your name?" Al asked softly, his voice seeming a bit embarrassed at only thinking to ask that now but I wouldn't hold it against him. My name is a bit of a tough subject, and I'm not quite sure how to bring it up. I opened my mouth as if to say something, but I ultimately close it again as I think of what to say.
"Well to be honest…I don't really have one." I finally say after a few moments of just walking quietly. Al gasped from above me as if surprised by the statement and his voice became slow.
"You..don't have a name?" He tried to keep it light but it was a bit obvious he felt a little sad at the fact. I perked my ears at him, keeping my body language neutral.
"I was only ever referred to as E-226. I believe I was considered as project E and specimen 226 or something along those lines. They never really took the time to explain too much. I guess they wanted to keep us dumb." I tried to keep the air friendly, voice lifting at the notion of us being dumb, but I found it a bit hard when Edward who had been trucking along ahead of us stopped suddenly, turning to look over his shoulder at me.
"You said 'us', that must mean there are more of you out there." Edward turned his body toward me, golden eyes peering down to look into my own. My spine crawled a little and I gulped.
"Well yeah…My lab mates and I were the last experiments made before I broke out. I'm not really sure where they've ended up now though." I say a little lost in thought at the memory of my lab mates. The only other companions I ever had. Until now.
"Maybe we should give you a proper name then." Al proposed, his light voice flitting through the armor into my ears, my thoughts forgotten from the interruption. 'A proper name…?'
"Good Idea Al. Why don't we call you…Megatron? Or Black Death, or something badass like that?" Edward offered with a wide grin, fists at his hips like he'd just come up with the best idea of the century. A chuckle escaped my lips before I could stop it and his grin turned into a mock frown.
"I'm thinking no, but I appreciate it….er…" I trailed off as I wasn't sure how he wanted me to refer to him, only hearing his name from his brother and Rose. Seeming to pick up on my hesitation, his expression softened and he smiled at me again.
"My name's Edward, and this is my brother Alphonse." Alphonse gave a small wave and I couldn't help but feel that small warmth again. 'So, Edward and Alphonse.'
"Oh uh right…Good to know." I said sheepishly and I thought back to the conversation before and I seemed to not be the only one as Alphone's voice picked up again.
"Well, what if we pick something that's closer to your old one? Like something that starts with E?" Standing there, I took a long moment to think to myself. Names are the first impression of everyone you meet right? Then it's got to be something good…something nice and easy to remember.'
"What about Emelia? Em for short?" I asked and the two boys looked at each other as if trying to see what the other thinks before Al shifted his gaze back over to me.
"Em. I like it." Alphonse rested his hands on his hips to match his brother who hadn't turned to voice his opinion, choosing to stare off into the distance before seeming to return to the conversation and he smiled softly.
"Yeah, it's got a nice ring to it." Edward was beginning to seem like quite an interesting character. He always seems to be thinking about something. 'What could be going through his head all the time?'
"Well then, nice to meet you Em." Alphonse held his large leather glove out for me to take and hesitantly, I lifted my paw to rest onto the soft palm.
"Um, nice to meet you too." I laughed softly, feeling a little silly and the two brothers echoed it with their own, the mood finally seeming to settle a bit between us and my heart beat steadily with a newfound hope for my future, and the people I'll meet along the way.
Most people don't get second chances, so I guess I'll have to live mine to the fullest
Wow, quite the chapter huh? So Em, she seems like a nice girl quite shy. And Awe isn't Al so sweet being concerned about her and trying to be friendly? Good boy Alphonse. Ed's still on the fence but I think he'll come around. As per usual your support is appreciated and I'd love to hear what you guys think about this chapter! Thanks and have a good one!
