Happy 2021! Vaccines are rolling out, so if you're eligible, go get it! Don't give me no excuses, let's get it so we don't need to have masks and go where we want, okay?
Mustang and Oliver Armstrong only stared at the creature in disbelief. "What madness is this?!" Oliver growled.
Mustang said nothing, but narrowed his eyes. "If FullMetal was telling Alex the truth, he wants to rule that other world." "As interesting as this is, you are in the way." Mustang said. He snapped his fingers, and an explosion erupted immediately in front of Naugus.
The flames spread wide…and suddenly, they shrunk. Their eyes widened as the fire traveled into Naugus' palm. "This magic of yours. It's…interesting." The explosion was reduced to a mere candle flame that he held.
"That's impossible!" Mustang thought. "Literally impossible!"
"Interesting." Naugus repeated. "But inferior." He clenched it in his fist. Raising his arms, Naugus sneered "Let me show you what a real master of the elements can do!" Fire came alit on his arms, and when he threw them down, a wall of flame flew towards the humans.
Mustang quickly countered with another explosion, repelling the flame. "Run!" Mustang yelled as he grabbed the elder Armstrong by the arm.
Oliver hated it when people did that, but she always put survival over her pride. "What kind of alchemy is he using?!"
"I'm not sure he's even using alchemy!" Mustang answered. "He broke every rule of equivalent exchange I can think of!"
"Then…a philosopher's stone?!" Oliver wasn't sure if she believed it even existed, but at this point she was willing to accept anything as possible.
"No, I don't think so. Even the false philosopher stones have limits!"
A wall of earth suddenly rose in front of them. "As much as I enjoy watching my enemies flee in terror, I cannot allow you to escape." The two Amestrians turned to him, fearful, but also angry.
"Die!" Kodos threw a wild punch at the younger Armstrong, throwing his head back. Alex quickly countered with a punch to the lion's gut, forcing him back. "Nhn!" Kodos clutched his stomach.
Between the two, Kodos was more feral and aggressive, while Armstrong fought more honorably. On the other hand, Armstrong was almost supernaturally strong; even Kodos' similar build couldn't keep up. "Don't let your guard down!" Alex punched his arm beneath the snow, and a large rock hit Kodos in the jaw. Oh yeah. The alchemy was a problem to.
Kodos charged at him, tackling him. The two rolled across the snow. Alex landed some solid side punches, while Kodos clawed at him. Their momentum slowed down to a stop, and Kodos wound up on top. Alex punched him across the face, which Kodos just sneered at. Alex didn't let up, taking both hands and clapping his ear drums. Kodos howled in pain, the combination of Armstrong's strength and Kodos' sensitive hearing making it exceptionally painful.
Though everything was ringing, Kodos managed to find one of Alex's arms and bite down. "ARGH! No fair!"
Kodos simply punched the alchemist across the face, and then clenched his fists together as he brought them down on Armstrong's face. Finally, Kodos found Armstrong's throat and squeezed. Armstrong flailed about, but it was difficult to gain leverage in his position and the snow. All seemed lost…
Riza fired her rifle, as a shuriken flew towards her. The bullet hit the projectile head on, deflecting it back to Uma. It cut her scarf, but she avoided damage. The spider-ninja tried to get into position in the trees, but Riza was on her. Though none of her bullets hit the creature, Uma was on the defensive with no means of counter-attack. Not by conventional means, anyways. She jumped out of the way of Riza's line of fire, timing her dodges perfectly before landing in the snow again. Drawing two sais, Uma charged. Without missing a beat, Hawkeye fired, and knocked the left sai out of Uma's top hand, causing her to flinch. Before Riza could fire off another shot, Uma was in front of her and attacked with her multiple limbs.
"Ugh!" Riza fell over in the snow. The spider was small, but she was strong, and her techniques were precise. Uma made a move to stab her with her remaining sai, but Riza blocked with her pistol, catching the tip in her barrel.
"Ngh!" Uma growled with rage. Though Riza usually used weapons with her clips, she kept a six shooter for occasions like these. Riza reached into her coat and fired, catching the spider in the shoulder. Uma screamed and rolled back, blood staining the snow. She clutched her bleeding left shoulder with her top right arm, clutching the sai with her middle right. "I'd recommend you surrender." Riza said, quickly reloading all her weapons. "I don't fully understand the situation, but we can send you home if you let us."
"I have no home!" Uma hissed, finally finding the will to block out the pain. "But I will be back on my planet! And your people will serve my master!"
Uma threw her shuriken, which Riza shot out of the air. In that time, Uma vanished from sight. "Shit! Can't believe I fell for that!" The creature was wearing almost all black; she shouldn't have been hard to find. Could she be under the snow? Possibly, but in this weather it was liable to freeze to death if it stayed under for too long. Riza eyed the forest on her peripherals, and she realized that's where she went!
It was perfect for her: high places to stay above her prey and ambush them. She could make full use of her agility there. For most, following her would have been foolish. But Riza had no choice, and was confident she could navigate her way through. Making sure she was fully stocked with ammo, she marched forward.
"Kneel!" Acorn fired his energy lance, which Edward cartwheeled away from. "In the name of Naugus!" He fired again, Ed transmuting a stone barrier. It did just enough, blocking the blast but exploding, knocking Ed back and making him catch shrapnel.
"Cut this crap!" Ed shouted as he struggled off his back. "You're not a knight, you're a king!" Ed felt silly addressing him like this, but given the friendships he made, it felt like a valiant attempt.
"Flattery will get you nowhere." Was all the squirrel said. He aimed his lance again. Ed got fed up with dodging, and charged. He clapped his hands again and dug into the snow, reaching the ground.
Pulling out a spear, he yelled "If you won't let me talk it out of you, I'll just have to beat you and bring you to Sally, tied up and gagged!" Having closed the distance, Acorn was forced to counter with his lance directly. Even so, he was still able to nearly knock Acorn off his small horse. "Okay, that last part may have came out wrong." Ed admitted. He noticed Acorn's eyes lit up a little. "Maybe he remembers a little?"
Acorn then parried the spear and stomped on it with his foot. Swinging his weapon, he managed to whack Ed across the face. The alchemist was forced to let go of his weapon; no big deal. But having his back turned to him could prove to be a fatal mistake. Ed scrambled again, managing to get out of Acorn's line of sight. "If you're going to fight me, get off that horse of yours and do so like a man!" Ed clapped his hands and dug deep into the snow again. However, he wasn't creating another weapon this time. This time he transformed the earth itself, creating a series of pillars towards Acorn.
"What sorcery is this?!" Acorn's horse brayed as a rock rose from the snow, throwing it and its rider off balance. Acorn freed himself from its saddle and rolled away as it fell.
Ed was kind of hoping he would break his leg; Sally would have probably thrown a fit, but at this point he believed the only way to subdue him would be to incapacitate him in some way. The longer this fight dragged on, the more risk there would be. Nonetheless, Ed charged. "That lance of yours is no good when you're not on a mount!" Ed prepared to finish this hand to hand, hopefully quickly.
Acorn, however, showed no fear. He dropped the lance, making Ed think he was giving up. However, at the last minute, something materialized in Acorn's hand. "Rah!"
Ed stepped back, the slash getting his clothes but thankfully it didn't breach his skin. "What?!"
Acorn now held a green crystalline sword in his hand. "Where did that come from?!" Was this alchemy? King Acorn didn't make contact with anything. Even if the molecules needed were present in the air, there was no way he could gather them without a large transmutation circle. Even if he had seen the truth, he didn't clap his hands.
"Don't be surprised, overlander." Acorn said. "Master Naugus generously shares his magic with his servants." He iterated as he gave his sword an experimental swing.
Ed stood. "Sorry, but I don't believe in magic."
"Curious. And what you are using isn't?"
"I don't create things from nothing." Ed answered.
"A pity. That would come in handy." Acorn charged with his crystalline sword. Ed quickly transmuted his arm into a sword, and the two began to duel.
"Of all the problems I thought would come from working with you, running away somehow didn't cross my mind!" Oliver shouted as she and Roy blindly ran through the blizzard.
"Just think of this as a strategic retreat!" Mustang responded. Suddenly, something rose from under the snow. A green, crystal beast, shaped like a large feline, leaped towards them. Oliver stepped in front of the Colonel and sliced it apart with her sword. "Impressive technique." Mustang complemented her.
"Don't praise me yet. There are more coming."
Mustang centered himself behind her. "I was afraid you would say that." Mustang unholstered his gun as more appeared. Flames wouldn't work against these things. And though Mustang was nowhere near the marksman as Hawkeye, he was proficient enough with a pistol. Like a pride of lions, the crystal beasts surrounded them, growling.
Through the cold, Naugus' voice penetrated the mist. "I have no need to waste life, when it can be used in service to me. Join me-"
"Whatever your proposal, shove it up your rear end if you have one!" Oliver shouted. "No matter how strange and unexpected the threat, we are Briggs soldiers! We live by survival of the fittest so those down south may lead peaceful lives!"
The only sound they heard was that of the blizzard. "So be it." The crystal beasts pounced.
Riza poked her rifle out from behind a tree. Even from her peripherals her shots had exceptional accuracy. If the creature so much as stepped on a branch wrong, she had a good enough sense of angles to graze her. Indeed, she quickly caught a branch quickly bend and force the snow down. She pointed and fired, blowing off the branch. She quickly retreated behind the tree as shuriken flew towards her in retaliation. Not a second later, she ran out to where she saw the spider. Finding a bit of blood in the snow, she knew she found her target.
Though Riza never participated in hunting like many rural folk in Amestris, she understood the principles: be alert, be quiet, and aim to kill. She quietly made her way forward, her body becoming numb to the cold long ago. She heard stories of those venturing off to exotic wildernesses, where they were at risk becoming the hunted if they got careless. Hearing a crunch of snow not her own, she stepped to the side as a ninjato came thrusting towards her. Uma sliced part of her jacket, but Riza turned and fired again. Though she missed, Uma was thrown off balance and on her back. Riza moved in to pin her, but Uma threw a smoke bomb in her face. Riza covered her eyes, but it still stung. When the smoke cleared, Uma was once again gone. Even worse, Riza's eyes were blurred. She had no doubt her sight would be back to one hundred percent by the end of the day; she was just concerned she didn't have all day. Still, she had no choice but to press on, and hope for the best
Uma watched her from the shadows, and pulled on a string of webbing. Riza found her in the trees, and fired. The bullet hit its target, and the body fell to the snow. Riza ran over to inspect her kill. However, even with her impaired eyes, she realized she had been had. Turning it over, she saw it was a dummy made of pine needles, wood and snow. Riza quickly stood as she opened her rifle to put more bullets in. So occupied with what was in front of her, she failed to see what she was walking into. Something sticky grabbed hold of her, and it tightened. "Wha-?!" Riza tried to move forward, but the substance held. Looking to her sides, Riza realized she was caught in a web! "Idiot!" Riza scolded herself.
"My my, look at the fly I caught!" Uma slid down from a strand of web as she taunted her prey. Holding up a sai, she narrowed her eyes. "I can't wait to feast!"
"AAAHHH!" Alex and Kodos were both battered and bruised, having traded various blows. However, at this point, it seemed Alex was gaining the upper hand while Kodos seemed to be losing steam. "Cease, creature!" Alex yelled as he threw a solid cross at Kodos' jaw. Kodos roared and tackled Alex again, but the soldier was ready, dropping his elbow on his neck. "You have nothing!" Alex followed with an uppercut to his jaw, knocking the lion-man back.
Alex then threw his fist down into the snow, and earth spikes exploded towards Kodos. Curiously, none impaled him, but his arms were caught between the spikes. "Surrender now. This is your final warning!" Alex breathed. "I do not wish to take the life of so magnificent a creature if I have a choice."
Kodos growled…but ultimately relented. "Very well. I surrender." He said, lowering his head away in shame.
Alex relaxed, punching the ground again. This time, he turned the spikes to dust, and Kodos collapsed onto his knees. "I promise, you will be under my protection." Alex said, holding out his hand.
Kodos took it, allowing the overlander to help him up. "That is very generous of you." Discreetly, Kodos formed a crystal dirk in his hand, and quickly stabbed Alex.
"Ngh!" Alex winced. He was quick enough to grab him and redirect the stab lower in his body, away from his vitals. But it was still a serious wound.
"Generous…but stupid." Alex tried to fight back, but now Kodos had the upper hand, grabbing his neck and pushing him down in the snow. "Tell me where Julian is; I have a score to settle with him!"
Ed's sword arm clashed with Maximillian's own. The mobian quickly parried Ed's weapon and sliced at him, catching him above the brow. "Nnh!" Ed retreated from the blade as the blood blinded him. Ed didn't have much of a physical advantage over him, as he was large for his species, still taller than him somehow. His swordsmanship was superb, no doubt from training both during his time as king and now as a knight; Ed wasn't sure even his teacher could beat him in a weapons' fight!
Above all else, the Fullmetal Alchemist was holding back. The only real edge Ed had right now was his alchemy, and not even that could he use its full potential, not if he didn't want to kill him. He put up a defensive wall of ice, but Max sliced through it like paper. "Ahh!" Ed ran away on all fours as Max chased after him.
"Coward! Stand and fight!" Ed tried to face him, but Acorn knocked him down with a well-placed kick. Ed quickly transformed his arm into a shield, and Max slammed his sword against it. "Fight back!" The king turned Black Knight shouted.
"I'm not going to fight you! Not like this! Not when your people, and your daughter, need you!" Ed shouted. Max then kicked his arm away and pinned it down, and simply pointed his sword down at Ed's neck. The two just stared each other down, and a whole minute passed. "So, is it honor?" Ed suddenly asked. "Is that why I'm still alive?"
Max didn't answer, but he could see his sword trembling. Acorn suddenly stepped back, breathing heavily. Ed sighed in relief. He may not have gotten all the way to him, but it seemed he was not a lost cause.
"Sir, though it is rather amusing to see the Amestrian Army fail, we still need them." Snively said to Robotnik as they watched the monitors.
"Oh don't worry Snively. I just wanted to make sure they would actually need the combots." Robotnik replied. He tapped a button on the console. "And…as I had anticipated, it appears they do."
Oliver sliced her sword across the earth. Mustang followed as he ignited the trench, the explosion forcing the crystal beasts back. "You've put up a good fight," Naugus said from somewhere in the mist. "…but now I'm bored." Roy and Oliver were getting ready to fight again, but suddenly they felt the air literally leave them, and the flames were quickly extinguished. Mustang tried to ignite a flame, but the lack of oxygen made that impossible. Naugus finally stepped out, his true hand glowing green. "Never again shall you challenge a mater of the elements. Especially one who commands the very air you breathe."
Suddenly, a laser came out of nowhere and blasted him away. Oliver and Mustang gasped as they were able to breathe again. The Colonel looked up, seeing the green golems presented to him and his men in Amestris. "What are those things?!" Oliver growled as she used her sword as a support.
"Those, General, are our secret weapons." The combots marched past them to deal with Naugus, ignoring the two humans. "But we don't own them. That's what truly makes them terrifying."
Alex took another hard cross into the face from Kodos. The lion roared as he raised his crystal dagger, preparing to finish him off. Before he brought it down, a hot beam of light shot his fingers, stopping him from delivering the killing blow. Metallic tendrils then restrained him. He was strong, but whatever held him was strong enough to hold him in place.
Alex pushed himself up. "What's this?"
Uma prepared to impale Riza with her Sai…until a high pressure blast of water knocked her off her web. Nnh!" Uma tumbled across the snow, and retreated into the shadows.
As if magically appearing out of nowhere, combots came into Riza's view. There may have been a half dozen, positioned at various points in the forest."Did the Fuhrer already deploy them? Or were they always with us?"
A combot approached Riza. Through its mechanical eyes, it analyzed Riza's stats, vitals, everything. A window appeared saying DO NOT HARM.
The combot turned, Riza still creeped out by their unnatural, mechanical movements, and walked off. "Hey!" Riza yelled. "Aren't you going to cut me down?!"
Before anymore could be said between Ed and Max, heat lasers fired at them. "What the-?!" Ed stumbled back while several combots surrounded them. "These things!" Ed thought. Before he could act, one of the robots came up behind him and ensnared him in a net. "Hey!"
Max deflected the lasers with his crystal sword, shooting them back at the combots. Parrying another shot, he twisted his sword and decapitated a combot. Another came up and punched him in the face, making him stumble. Even with his back turned, Max was able to slice a cable aimed for him. Twisting again, he impaled his adversary. It seemed he had everything under control. Suddenly, large metal claws protruded from his hip! "Ahhh!"
A combot seemingly materialized from behind him, removing its bloody claws. "Target captured: Maximillian Acorn." One said, approaching him. "Orders: Terminate." A blaster rose from its wrist, and aimed it at the mobian.
I'll leave this here for now.