Hello again, everyone, and apologies for taking so long!

Anyway, this is but a prelude to what's going to happen next. Afterwards, I'm going to do something a little bit different. The "Journey North" story will focus on Ed being in Briggs, while the next part, "Lost Truths" will focus on Al, Winry and the Freedom Fighters, and I will switch back and fourth between them during updates. I understand that this might be confusing to some; the closest I could think of would be how Archie often had back-up stories in their Sonic comics behind the main events. I chose to do it this way simply because I felt trying to include both sides in one chapter would be distracting and disjarring. If that doesn't work for you, then I am sorry.

And since this is a Fullmetal Alchemist story…I feel it is appropriate to talk about the Vic Mignogna situation going on, but of course after you read the story! Beware readers: no matter which side you're on, you might not like what I have to say.

So before you go all crazy on me…please enjoy the story!

The Northern Territories of Briggs felt like an entirely different country than what Ed was familiar with. Winter had passed months ago, yet the area was still covered in snow. He looked out the window, almost forgetting about what he was leaving behind. He also couldn't help but wonder what would happen to him up here. After he learned of the mobians he would be facing, he was hesitant. The Spider girl was an unknown. Kodos was apparently a traitor to his people; he would be the easiest to approach directly, but he was still an intimidating monster. This Ixis Naugus…Ed wondered exactly what his magic was. Ed thought back to a book he read as a kid when he ran out of alchemic books to read. The novelist claimed that magic was just a science that hadn't yet been understood. Of course, that was pure speculation with no specific definition of magic. "Hopefully he's right." He thought.

But what really frightened him was the rider, King Max; Sally's father. Did he lose his memory and was taken advantage of by Naugus, or was he somehow controlled and lost his memory in the process? What if he willingly decided to serve him? Whatever the reason, he absolutely could not kill him. He didn't want to kill anyone, but if for any other reason he was driven to, he could not let that befall him.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Ed looked toward the aisle where he saw Armstrong stare out the window. "Yeah. I guess it kind of is." Ed mumbled.

"What really troubles you?" Armstrong asked.

Ed couldn't tell him the secret…but he could tell him one thing that was genuinely bothering him. "Is…is this war going to be like Ishvall?"

Armstrong blinked in surprise, but his expression softened as he kicked himself for not realizing this was a question he should've expected. "Any war has that potential." Armstrong sighed. "The Ishvallans wanted independence, and the war escalated to the point that the Fuher felt he was forced to exterminate them." Armstrong looked away. "I dearly hope he truly felt he HAD to do such horrible things…" "However, this is nothing I could have ever prepared for." Armstrong continued. "Battling…creatures. I do not understand how it has come to this." He then looked to Ed. "But, I suspect YOU do."

Ed's eyes widened as he began sweating nervously. "Uh…uh…why, Mr. Armstrong!" he squealed, trying to sound as innocent as possible. "Whatever do you mean?"

Armstrong did a quick look around. Most of the soldiers were either asleep or occupied with reading to pass time on the train. Satisfied with what he saw, he eased himself onto the set next to Ed's. "At the same time our allies here are being attacked by creatures…it seems YOU have made friends with some." Ed's eyes widened. There was no hiding it now! Armstrong continued. "I saw them earlier back at the lab with the child, the one with your limbs. At first, I thought they were some new kind of chimera. Then, during Elicia's kidnapping, I saw you on the roof with them, helping you, and I realized they were something more. You were clearly familiar with them."

Ed sighed as he looked out the window. "They're from another world. I don't know anything about the ones up here, but they're not on our side. My new friends have confirmed that."

Armstrong nodded. "Have you told Mustang?"

Ed snorted. "And what would he do? Burn them all?"

"Mustang is more than just a soldier." Armstrong said. "He may not be your favorite person, but if you learn to trust him, you just might have a powerful ally on your side." Armstrong patted his shoulder, and got up. "We'll be there soon. There are things I must prepare."

As Armstrong got up, Ed said "Armstrong!" The major turned back to him. "The rider! No matter what happens, he must not die!"

Armstrong sighed as he turned away from him. "I'm sorry, Elric. I cannot promise that."

Armstrong walked down the hall, and met up with Mustang, leaning at the side latrine entrance. "Your orders, sir?"

"The ones we're about to meet are hostile. Let's keep it simple." Mustang made his way back to his room. "If we make it out of this alive, I'd like to meet the rest."

Olivia Armstrong was always known as a hard woman. Her soldiers often told stories on how she would never smile unless it was for battle. Even so, most could tell when she was at least content. But with Briggs taken, her soldiers battered and forced to retreat…she was absolutely livid. Only her senior officers dared approach her; the other subordinates considered her a powder keg ready to explode. "How did Drachma create those things?" she wondered as she sat at her table. Though her head as covered in a bandage and her right arm in a sling, she still kept a firm grip on her saber should she have to use it. Finally, she heard the train horn. "They're here!"

Olivia got up from her table as she proceeded to the train station. Buccaneer, his face bandaged, and Miles, his left arm also in a sling flanked her sides. Even injured, they had enough respect for their general to not abandon her. They stood silently with her as they waited for the train to come to a complete stop. It seemed they would stay there for an eternity, but finally Mustang stepped out, Hawkeye and Armstrong flanking his sides as well. "General Armstrong." Mustang saluted. "It is a pleasure to see you again."

Olivia merely scowled at him. "Can't say the same." She then looked to Alex. "Alex. At first, I didn't believe you had a career with the military after Ishvall."

Alex hesitated before answering. "Father put in a good word for me."

"For his only son, of course." Olivia growled.

"Before we ignite this sibling rivalry again, perhaps we should get right down to business." Mustang suggested.

"On that I agree." Olivia said. "The more we squabble amongst ourselves, the longer Drachma and those creatures hold my fort. And I will not have it."

As Olivia turned, Mustang held out his hand. "Excuse me, general. There is one more I would like to have in on this meeting."

Olivia glanced back at him. "So bring him out."

Mustang nodded. "Fullmetal!" he called.

Finally, Ed stepped out, wearing a red winter coat over his usual red jacket. "Gh…it's freezing out here!" he hissed, hugging his arms. Ed felt his metal arm, relieved that the metal did not seem to be conducting the immediate temperature. "Well, so far so good. My old arm would have caused me problems in this weather for sure." Still, he did not trust the doctor with it. This arm was a ticking time bomb, he just knew it.

"So, this is him; the oh-so famous Fullmetal Alchemist." Olivia said, unimpressed. "He's even shorter than I heard."

Once again, something went off in Ed's head. "Who you calln' so short he doesn't qualify for the fair rides you old hag!?"

In a flash, Olivia drew her sabre and pointed it only a hair's width from Ed's forehead. "Watch your tongue with me, you little prick!" Olivia roared. Ed could feel her killing intent, as if she was a ravenous bear in human form. "You're not in your cozy little home in Central, you're in the North! Only the fittest here survive, and we do not have the luxury of tolerating spoiled brats like you! You can either follow me and live, or you can be your own man and die out here!"

Ed was visibly trembling as he gulped. "Yes ma'am." He whimpered, feeling like a mere bunny compared to her.

Olivia withdrew her weapon, and walked away. "Why, thank you general." Mustang smirked. "I've often struggled to keep this one in line."

"You should have known better than to allow a child to join the military." Olivia said.

"With all due respect, in spite of his faults, I allowed him in because of his skills. Nothing more. And since he will be on the front lines with us, I think it's fitting he knows what we are up against." Mustang argued.

Olivia sighed. "Whatever." Olivia continued on, waving them forward. "Come. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can reclaim my fort."

The three senior officers followed her, while Ed remained in place, still shell-shocked. "Fullmetal!" Mustang called back. "Let's get going!"

Ed blinked. "Uh…right!"

"For now, the Drachman army has not advanced." Miles explained as he slid through the photographs on the projector. "As you can see, our secret ops couldn't get too close, but we got a good enough look about what they've been up to."

The next slide showed the Fort, turned into a crystalline structure. Ed's eyes widened. "It's just like the shrine!" he thought.

Mustang also noticed the similarity, but said nothing yet. "It's my understanding that chimeras were the reason the fort was taken over?"

"They were unusual, yes." Miles confirmed. He showed a slide of the spider chimera on the wall of the fort. "However extraordinary their abilities were, they were nothing we couldn't handle." He moved onto the next slide, showing Kodos manhandling one of the Drachman soldiers in some kind of spat.

"I thought they were working together?" Ed asked without raising his hand.

"Elric!" Mustang hissed.

"They may be working together, but they are clearly not friends." Miles stated. "We'll touch on that later." He continued to the next slide, showing the rider. His height had to be just short of five feet, but his armor's intimidating appearance made up for that. "As I said, their abilities were strange but not outside our scope to handle. However, when their bodies turned crystalline, the tides turned. Their bodies became impervious to damage after that."

This time, Alex Armstrong raised his arm. "Like what happened to the fort?"

"Yes." Miles confirmed. "After we were forced to retreat, we saw they had turned the structure of the fort crystalline. However, we have reason to believe that this ability is not their own, but from an external source." Miles then turned to Mustang. "Colonel, I was hoping you might have insight on this."

Mustang rubbed his chin. "My first instinct would be to say it's alchemy. But you say the creatures were still mobile after the transformation?"

"That's right."

"And none of the witnesses saw transmutation circles on their persons, so to speak?"

"None that we could find, no."

"If alchemy made them crystal, they would essentially die as statues. Even if it were possible, they would still need a circle on their body SOMEWHERE to regulate the transmutation so perfectly. I'm sorry, Major. But I'm afraid I don't have any insight into this."

"A shame." Miles said. "Still, that was not the only factor that allowed them to win. A blizzard overtook us, and forced us to retreat. And before any of you ask, this as unlike anything we encountered before. Even Buccaneer's frost-proof automail was beginning to freeze up."

The big man grumbled as he gripped his automail arm. "You didn't have to tell them, Major."

Miles continued without pause. "The forecast was certain that we would not have a major storm for at least 10 days, and this storm simply materialized out of nowhere within seconds. We can't prove it, but we are certain that some outside force made that storm."

"It does indeed sound far-fetched." Mustang agreed. "Good thing General Armstrong is in such good standing in the Fueher's eye, so to speak. Anyone else would have been discharged and labeled mad."

"If this hasn't phased you, I fear you haven't heard the worst yet." The female Armstrong finally stood as Miles wrapped up the slide show. "During this time, I attempted contact with Chairman Miles. Although I have no intention of taking back Briggs by means of negotiation, a conversation would have at least lent me some idea of his intentions and a strategy. I couldn't get much out of him, but he mentioned something about a benefactor."

"A benefactor?" Mustang asked.

"His exact words were 'Thanks to the magic of our benefactor, Drachma will take the power it deserves.'" Olivia sighed. "I don't want to get too literal, but based on what I've seen, I'm inclined to believe that this person does indeed have powers to affect these creatures' bodies, and the weather. It's like he somehow violates the laws of equivalent exchange." She said.

"Like a philosopher's stone…" Ed thought.

"From what I've heard, the chairman isn't one to share power." Mustang added. "Either he's being manipulated, or threatened."

"We're investigating that right now." Major Miles said. "In the meantime, our priority is taking the fort back."

"What's the plan?" Alex asked.

"We didn't have alchemists on our side before." Olivia said. "We feel you alchemists could be a perfect counter to this crystallization."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you." Mustang raised his hand. "But I've encountered a crystalline structure similar to those things a few weeks ago. I couldn't determine its composition; it's like it was composed of brand new elements. I didn't think much of it at the time, but seeing the pictures, I am certain there's a link."

"That is a problem." Olivia growled. "Then we must capture one and study it. And, perhaps if things go south, hope they are not fireproof."

"Some crystals have a high melting point." Mustang sighed. "Let's not count on that except as a last resort."

Olivia sighed. "Fine." She finally stood. "Then we must capture either one of the creatures or the soldiers. Find out what's going on first. We will begin before dawn, so get some rest while you can. The cold is rather harsh on you southerners during that time of day. Dismissed!"

Enerjak flew over the alpine forests, growling to himself. Ever since he was captured, he had been in a bad mood. A being of infinite power, restrained by a mere mortal! "As if I was some sort of genie!" However, he was forced to play along for now. The device attached to his neck was a brilliant invention; he didn't want to admit it, but he had a small amount of respect for the overlander who made it. Who could possibly pull such a feat off, but a genius? Not even he and his long-gone brother would have been able to accomplish that together! But his hatred outweighed that tiny admiration. "Enjoy your position for now, mortal! For when the first opportunity comes, I will make you experience horrors you could have never imagined!" He continued flying to his destination, hoping to get this over with.

Well into the night, Ed scribbled in a notebook. Ed may have been a brilliant alchemist and pretty good martial artist, but he was no soldier. Even joining the military, intentionally taking the life of another was something he went out of his way to avoid, and he still wasn't convinced he could do it in even the worst of circumstances. Sitting on his cot, with an oil lamp the only light he had, he desperately tried to figure out ways to somehow save Sally's father. The physical part was easy enough; simply trap him without hurting him. But afterwards? How would he be able to convince Mustang to keep him alive? Forget Mustang, what about that female Armstrong!? The major was a teddy bear compared to her! She would probably kill them all just for the fun of it! Sighing, he tossed the notebook on the ground, as he gripped his head. "I'm sorry, Sally…"

And that's that for now. Next time we'll get back to the rest of the mobians

Now, about Vic Mignonga. As you know, several allegations have came out accusing him of sexual harassment/misconduct. When DBS Broly hit huge, Vic was fired from Funimation, as well as Rooster Teeth. While I could understand a few protests, I never imagined it would get this large, with the KickVic vs IStandWithVic/VicKicksBack.

In all honesty, I've tried to stay neutral in this whole fiasco. But the behavior of some just didn't sit well with me. We'll get to that soon.

I think it's important to note that officially, Vic has not been charged with anything. However, that doesn't make him innocent. He didn't touch anyone in the big no-go zones or rape someone (at least as far as we know), but many who have encountered him have reported he got VERY close to them in ways that made them feel uncomfortable. In addition, many con staff have reported that he got too close to many minors than they were comfortable with, and was quite the diva when he attended (we'll touch on that later). It's important to note that these allegations didn't pop out of thin air, but have built up since the 2000s. And when you have 40+ different accounts of inappropriate behavior, that's a VERY troubling sign.

Now, it is certainly possible that Vic meant no harm in any of these incidents. Some people are very unaware of what makes others uncomfortable. However, that in itself is still a problem. Vic himself was made aware of these things before this blew up in his face, and he just shrugged it off as people trying to hurt him because they were unhappy or something. In his position, most sensible people would reflect on that and think about changing the way the interact with others. Silence is not a conformation of anything; if they're uncomfortable, people often won't speak out. That's just the unfortunate truth of our psychology.

In light of these allegations, it also came out Vic is quite a jerk, mostly at cons where he demands certain rooms or to go over hours, a lot of things. There's also been claims he's been homophobic/anti-semitic, though in all honesty the incidents I heard about are so minor I wouldn't make a fuss about them. Many have argued that being a jerk isn't illegal, and you shouldn't be fired for it. Well, you guys are right about the legality of being a jerk, to a point at least. We're all different as people, sometimes we rub others the wrong way. However, while it's not illegal, it doesn't protect you from consequences. It sounds like he has been difficult to work with, and these companies only hired him because of his fanbase. However, once these allegations caught attention of the public eye, they found it as an excuse to let him go, with many VAs refusing to support him. I know about the saying about separating the art from the artist, but that's just our right as consumers. The companies that hire these people have every right to not work with them if it's not worth the trouble.

Plus, Funimation is located in Texas, which is a Right to Work state. I will admit I'm not the most qualified to explain this, but the simplest explanation is that an employer may terminate their contract with an employee/contractor at any time for just about any reason (why it's called Right to Work in light of this, I have no idea). It's not absolute, but if Vic was behaving badly both in the company and outside, I can see management gladly getting rid of him with these allegations, false or not.

Now again, while nothing has been definitively proven, you have to admit 40+ accounts of this behavior is ominous. Yet some people have claimed a conspiracy against him. I hate to break it to you, but most conspiracies are just not true. In this case, supposing such a conspiracy does exist, why? What's the motive? Other VAs are jealous of his success? I'm not buying that; there are plenty who are successful who voice more regularly than Vic (he seems to make most of his money from cons). They wanted his jobs? Were they even qualified for these other things, when they were making enough money on their own? They're attacking him because he's a white christian male? There are plenty of VAs and fans who fall under that category too. There is really no reason for people to go against like this, other than he really did something wrong.

Then there's the controversy of Monica Rial and Jamie Marchie, two VAs who have also accused Vic of inappropriate behavior around them. In particular, Monica Rial is being blamed because of liking a tweet from Marzgurl that apparently started this whole thing. Then she claimed this happened to her. Jamie Marchie was especially aggressive with her tweet, saying that she wanted his head, his balls, etc. I will admit that their tweets could have been handled better (it seems especially two-faced when Rial still thinks of Vic as a friend), and it may have been best if they didn't say anything until they were given a go-ahead, but I guess they had no restrictions from doing so. Again, I can't say with confidence that their stories are 100% legit. But their stories do seem to line up with the others, that again, are not related to them.

Now, you don't have to like either of these women. But man, you guys seem to take them WAY TOO SERIOUSLY. With Marchie in particular, she's being accused of running from the law and avoiding her subpoenas, based on what she said on her tweets. Um, you guys do realize that if she was refusing to appear in court, she'd be sent to jail right? If she's still working, she is OBVIOUSLY not running from the law. There's no easy way to say this: You all have been trolled

And now, Vic is suing Funimation. The story of how this came about is interesting, to say the least. Apparently, some youtuber named Nick Reiketa went to many of these ISWV grifters on youtube, saying that a lawsuit would be a slam dunk (I especially love how the Youtubers would post in bold interview with a REAL LAWYER, as if they had a sense of validation or had to emphasize that they're not being played by a fraud). A kickstarter was raised for Vic's legal expenses, and here we are now. That right there should have been a redflag; most of the kickstarters you see online are absolute bullshit. If this Nick guy was interested in representing Vic out of passion for this subject (it should be noted a lawyer who works under him is representing Vic currently), the two could have reached an agreement on their own. As if that wasn't enough, this Nick guy is doing things he really shouldn't. He's involved with the doxing site Kiwi Farms, and has often been asking others to find out the identities/addresses of others that don't agree with him. Apparently he was also caught sporting the worst blackface I have ever seen (literal shitface is more like it). I won't go on a rant on how it's racist, hurtful, etc. But this kind of stunt just shows he's not meant to be taken seriously, and I don't think he wants to be taken seriously. I really feel he just wants to be a shock jock as opposed to a serious lawyer.

As for the trial itself, well none of us 100% know what the outcome will be. Assuming this goes to trial, most likely a settlement will be reached as neither side wants to racket up their legal expenses any higher than necessary (in all honesty I think a settlement is all Vic can hope for at this point). If Vic is seriously trying to win this defamation case, it's going to be an uphill battle for him. First, he has to PROVE what was said about him was defamatory. That's very difficult for public figures (even if you're just an anime VA). Monica and Jamie didn't speak out until AFTER he was fired either, and Funimation execs never said a word of his behavior. Legalities is not my specialty, not by a longshot, but I fail to see how a company and coworkers are responsible when it was the allegations from other people that ultimately brought him down, with the company acting accordingly for good PR. While I think others have a right to be skeptical about a company's investigation into one of their employees, I don't think they would fire a VA as popular as Vic unless they knew there was something else behind the scenes. And this strategy is a double-edged sword: depending on what both sides testify, there's a chance random con-staff and fans could speak out against Vic, and land him in hot water with a different trial of a completely different nature. I also find it a bit suspicious that others are claiming Vic is doing well with the depos, based on what Reiketa says. It sounds more like he's trying to market his own firm, and the fact he's being very out in the open about this information instead of saying "No comment" when asked…that just screams fraud to me.

So, this is a messy situation for all involved really. I don't WANT to believe Vic would do these things, but it's pretty damning that he did. However, many on Vics side just won't let this go, and to be honest, reading what many of these people have to say makes me shake my head at best, and appalls me at worse.

First off would be the outright dismissal of the allegations. Most claim these are rumors or lies. That's hard to argue when 40 different fans, con workers and other VAs make these claims. This IS evidence, and in situations like these it's often the best evidence you could hope for. Harassment isn't something done like a plot with no witnesses; it's quick and unexpected. I get it that you think Vic shouldn't have been fired if you think a more thorough investigation should have taken place; that is a perfectly reasonable to ask for. What's not is to suddenly play detective to confirm your own biases. Some of you are saying "Well, why don't these victims/witnesses come forward!?" Because too many would brand them as frauds and harass them. That's not a problem exclusive to this controversy: many cases of sexual harassment or assault seems to create pack mentalities against the victims. That's just the sad truth of how these things go, especially in today's climate. Again, you have a right to not believe the words of a supposed victim, but inciting further harassment is NOT cool.

And finally, the whole accusation that this a conspiracy by SJWs/NPCs or whatever buzzword you kids are using these days. You want to be taken seriously? Grow up, and talk like a normal person. If a bunch of political extremists are targeting Vic, why just him? Why do I not hear rumors about Steve Blum? Chris Sabat? Johnny Young Bosch? None of them have made-up crap slung around about them for no reason (at least none that caught traction like in the case of Vic). Plus, how is calling out sexual harassment political? It's a worldwide problem across ideologies. You're not hearing more about it because it's a trend; you're hearing more about it because many were quiet about it for too long, and thanks to social media, they have a voice. Yes, there certainly are made-up claims out there, and that is also a problem. But the existence of the later does not invalidate the former

And let's face it, a lot of these Youtubers are jumping on this case not because they are fans of Dragonball/FMA/Whatever else Vic is famous for. They were grifters for the Anti-SJW trend and just found this as another MeToo story to attack and dissect with their conspiracies.

If you're hoping for Vic to come back to voice acting…abandon hope. Now that these allegations have come fourth, it was difficult enough for him to get hired by another company. The fact he's suing one of his former employers now (even if ultimately unsuccessful) is almost guaranteed to black list him just for doing that. Plus, even assuming these allegations are totally made up, he simply wouldn't. Why would you go back to a company that fired you and its employers turned against you?

In conclusion, it's done. Vic ain't coming back to Funi, he's not going to be voicing anyone for a long time at least. Even those who have tried to defend him seem to suggest something was happening behind the scenes that rubbed people the wrong way. If you want to support this guy, well, I guess that's your business. All I can say is be prepared if something much worse comes out, and if this court case doesn't go the way you hoped/thought it would.

So did Vic really do these things? I can't say with absolute certainty, but I think it's safe to say he made more than a few people uncomfortable. Maybe accidentally. But this should serve as a lesson to everyone when you interact with people. Always be as respectful as possible, do not make contact unless they give you the go-ahead, don't let your ego go to your head no matter how famous you become and finally, if things ARE being said about you from different people that are less than flattering, reflect on what you are doing and stop it before it gets worse.

I do apologize for this. I rarely rant like this on my fics, especially when there's not much material in the actual story. If you want to share your thoughts on this issue, just PM me, and please, PLEASE, be respectful. As for what I have for the story, go ahead and review!