An Alchemist's Task: Damsel in distress

[Cloud Strife]

The nexus was just as sparse and wide as it had been a couple of weeks ago when he first arrived. Apart from the gates and the fountain, there was virtually nothing for him to notice. There was, however, some people by an odd gate off in the distance, it made him wonder what they were doing, yet it didn’t intrigue him enough to warrant any investigation on his part. Edward chalked it up to some random new primes congregating around the gates, going in one after the other. Edward stood with his back to the palm tree gate that would take him to The Vasty Deep. It was a shame that he couldn’t bring the Gryphon with him, it had been too large to travel through the gate but, then again, it would have been way to obvious that he was there for something else rather than a holiday. If he was going to get this done, and smoothly, he needed to blend in… Well, as best he could. Edward turned towards the gate, the loose parts of his coat shadowing him as he did so. Edward placed his hand on his chest, above the pendant that Winry had given to him only a few hours ago, and took a deep breath.
‘Well, it all starts now.’ Edward stated nervously as he stepped through the gate.

The trip through the gates was something that Edward hadn’t thought he’d ever get used to. The feeling of having the ground ripped from beneath you and then, just after your stomach drops and you get used to it, only to be replaced by another surface was something that Edward had never experienced before. Well… apart from all those times he’d fallen through floors and into sewer systems back in Amestris... But that was different to this. Edward heard the crunch of sand as he found the stark white scenery replaced with an Azure sky and a bright sun baring down on him. It was hot, but the breeze was cool, he felt no need to remove his red coat.
‘Oh… So that’s why it’s called the Vasty Deep.’ Edward realized as he looked out at the seemingly endless sea. Islands dotted the water’s surface randomly, stretching all the way to the horizon and most likely beyond that as well.
‘So… somewhere here, in this ocean heavy verse, I’m supposed to find a hidden prison?’ Edward sighed as he thought back on his time in Dumbledore’s office.
‘Well… He wasn’t kidding when he said it wasn’t going to be an easy task.’ Edward laughed as he began walking along the beach. Girls in swim suits, guys in board shorts and speedos, beach balls flying all over the place. It was strange for Edward to see this many people being so care free. Back in Amestris, there was always a problem, granted they were cause by the Homunculi and ‘Father’ but it was still strange to him. Fun was something that he understood, but he’d never seen this many people with the time to enjoy themselves. Edward smiled as he walked the beach towards the city that was just behind it. He was happy that the people here didn’t have anything to worry about, it was something he liked to enjoy.

With a heap of sand in his boots, Edward ventured through the city. He needed somewhere he could sit, enjoy some lunch and, maybe, just maybe, get the sand out of his boots. It wasn’t long until he spotted a nice, little, open bar with some spare tables, and considering the amount of people he’d passed by just to get into the place, he was surprised that no one was filling this place up. It was nice and small, and despite the large amount of people outside, there was almost no noise in the bar. As Edward emptied his boots, a waitress walked over with a bowel of stew and a cup of milk and placed it at the table.
‘Enjoy your meal sir.’ She smiled as Edward reached into his pocket in an attempt to find some money.
‘Oh no, we don’t need you to pay here.’ She said happily as she turned and walked back towards the kitchen. Edward smiled as he looked over his meal, but was cut short as he spotted the milk. He squinted his eyes and glared angrily at the milk, as if he was a child looking at a bug that he hated.
‘I hate milk…’ Edward muttered to himself as he took the spoon and began eating. It was nice, different to the stew he was used to, but it seemed very similar.
‘I’m not touching that though…’ Edward scowled as he pushed the milk away with his spoon. Milk tasted disgusting and he didn’t know how anyone could even think about drinking it. Edward finished his meal, the stew was good, but he didn’t touch the milk, and leaned back against the wall he was sitting in front of.
‘Now I just have to find the empire’s headquarters in this verse...’ Edward said to himself as a stranger from across the room looked up at him. Edward hadn’t noticed him yet, but the stranger had heard him and gotten up. The man sat down at the table, his smile made him seem calm and his eyes were warm, it made Edward feel awkward as he stared the man down. He was dressed in a brown cloak and had short, brown hair and fair skin.
‘You’re an odd young man if you’re looking for the empire.’ The man smiled as he looked at Edward.
‘Yeah, so what?’ Edward replied with his usual attitude as the man looked at Edward’s milk with a confused look.
‘So… you must be the new guy then?’ The strange man asked as Edward sat forward, the man had interested him now… and given him a way in.
‘Well, I might not be the new guy you’re expecting, but I have been sent here by the Empire.’ Edward replied, a complete lie, but he did it with such a convincing tone.
‘Ahh okay, well that makes sense. What did they send you here for?’ The man asked as he began to relax around Edward, his smile turned into a bored look and his eyes seemed to have a ‘battle hardened’ look to them. His demeanour had seemed to completely change.
‘That’s top secret, but I was told I needed to speak to the man in charge of Headquarters here in the Vasty Deep.’ Edward replied as he crossed his leg and sat back again, he needed to seem less interested and make it look like he was just here on business.
‘You know... we get a lot of Primes like you coming and going from here. But I guess I could show you the way. I know how the empire can be with their directions.’ The man sighed as he rolled his eyes and stood up. Edward stood up after him and followed him out and onto the streets.
‘Come on, I’ll take you to the Empire’s HQ.’ The man said as they walked slowly down the streets, through crowds of people. Edwards plan was going better than he had thought. Either this guy was an idiot that found it easy to trust, of he was just going along with Edward, either way, he could probably take him. Edward smiled slightly as he found himself progressing along faster than expected.

[Cloud Strife]

‘Alright, here we are.’ The hooded man said as they came to a stop outside of a large building. It was tall and seemed to tower over the buildings that surrounded it.
‘Wow… The Empire sure like to make their buildings... large…’ Edward stated with slight hesitation as the building gave off an intimidating feel.
‘Yeah… but don’t be afraid. You’re a Prime, they’re always nicer to their Primes.’ The man stated as he pushed Edward Forward and then began walking back towards the bar.
‘Wait… Aren’t you coming?’ Edward asked as the man turned at him and smiled.
‘Nah, I have to go and wait for that new guy.’ The man smiled as he adjusted his hood, pulling it over the top of his head completely as he turned away from Edward and disappeared into the crowd of people.
‘Well… Guess I have to do this on my own.’ Edward said confidently as he entered the building. Ed found himself standing in a small waiting room, an old lady sitting at the only desk and chair combination in the room.
‘Can I help you?’ The lady asked in an old and raspy voice. Ed felt as though the lady had smoked one too many cigarettes in her life time, but that wasn’t anything for him to worry about.
‘Ah yes. I was sent here from Coruscant, to guard a prisoner.’ Edward explained confidently as he looked down at the lady, who was sitting in front of a large book. Staring at Edward with scepticism in her eye, she flipped the book open and scanned the page.
‘To guard a prisoner you say…’ The lady asked as she lifted her hand to her chin and scratched it. Edward nodded in agreement as the lady looked down at the book.
‘Well… We did get word of a new guy coming, but he was just here to work in the upper office.’ The lady explained as Edward focused all of his attention on listening to her and not getting caught. Keeping himself calm and collected here was a priority.
‘I was supposed to come next week, and they were going to notify you at the end of the current week. But the boss man decided it’d be best for me to guard her.’ Edward replied, his acting was on a roll today, that or people here were just really stupid. Edward looked at the receptionist with as serious a look as he could muster, she replied with a scratch of her chin as she just stared at him.
‘Well okay... If you head upstairs, all the way to the Executive Offices, follow the hallway to the end and talk to the man in there, he’ll be able to give you the details.’ The raspy old lady coughed as she reached into her desk and pulled out a cigarette.
‘I knew it!’ Edward exclaimed inside his own head as he struggled to keep a straight face. The reception lady gestured him to move into the elevator. Edward followed her instructions and stepped in, the buttons listed floors 1 through 25.
‘Twenty five, here I come.’ Edward grinned as he pressed the button and watched the elevator doors close.

The top floor was literally just a hallway with a door at the end and doors along the walls.
‘When she said ‘follow the hallway’ I didn’t think the floor would just be a hallway…’ Edward sighed as he slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. Edward followed the long hallway taking note of how clean everything was.
‘I wonder who cleans this place.’ Edward said to himself as he knocked on the door to the office, the door was open and as soon as his metal knuckles hit the door, it creaked open a little bit.
‘Come in.’ A calm and soothing voice called out, inviting him into the room. Edward pushed on the door, it swing open slowly, revealing a neat and tidy office with a man sitting at a desk in the centre of the room. He was cleanly shaven and his hair seemed as if had been combed down with some sort of product.
‘Well… that solves that mystery.’ Edward thought to himself as the man gestured for him to sit in one of the two chairs. He seemed oddly clean for this place, and, now that he thought about it, the reception area seemed rather clean as well. No sand or dust, which you’d expect from a beachside city.
‘Are you a clean man, Mr. Prime?’ The man at the desk inquired as Edward sat in the seat to his right.
‘I believe so, yes, and my name is Edward.’ Edward replied as the man placed his elbows on the desk, rested his head on the top of his hands and stared at Edward.
‘My name is Barry. So, what are you here for Edward?’ Barry asked as Edward looked around the room, his attention split between listening to the guy and observing the room itself.
‘Oh uh, The Empire sent me from Coruscant. To monitor and watch over a prisoner, she’s an alchemist named Alexandra.’ Edward stated haphazardly as he switched between looking at the room and looking at the person in front of him.
‘We haven’t had any word sent to us about this… Why would they send someone?’ Barry asked as he leaned forward, staring into Edwards left eye.
‘I… I’m also an Alchemist. Edward Elric, the Full Metal Alchemist.’ Edward replied as he rubbed his eyes, the man’s staring made him uneasy.
‘Something about having someone who’d know how to deal with her if she ever tried something.’ Edward Explained as the man sat back in his chair, his movements and actions all seemed very strange to Edward, as if he was examining him like a lie detector.
‘Okay then. The facility you’re looking for is on an Island south from here.’ Barry said as he pulled an old, weathered, map from the top compartment in his desk and circled an Island. Barry offered Edward the map by placing it in front of him. Edward took the map and looked at it, the circled area had a tiny green dot at the centre of it.
‘It looks small on the map but… it’s large enough to hold a prison.’ Edward said as he examined the map.
‘Well, that will be all. It’s time for you to get going.’ Barry said as he stood up and began to push Edward towards the door. Edward didn’t want to stay any longer than he had to, so he followed the man’s lead and left his office and headed down the hallway. The building hadn’t changed at all, it was as if it was perpetually clean.
‘What a weird place...’ Edward mumbled to himself slowly as the elevator doors closed.

[Cloud Strife]

The streets of Costa del Sol had calmed since his entrance into the building. The crowds of people that once swarmed the streets had been reduced to small groups of two or three that seemed to be scattered throughout the different roads. It was a nice sight, the calmness of it all. Earlier had showed how crowded and desirable an Island resort can be, but at the moment it just reminded him of the country side back in Amestris, the serenity of it all. Edward smiled as he stepped away from the building and began heading down a street. He wasn’t sure of where to go, but If he kept heading in the opposite way to where he’d come from, he hoped to find the docks, or, at the very least, someone that could point him in the right direction.

Edward wasn’t rushing, but at the same time, he wasn’t dawdling along either. He was taking in the scenery around him, thinking about how long it would have taken to build a place like this. He was amazed that such a magnificent city could be built out of wood, glass and concrete. Some buildings were mostly windows, others were small wooden shops and bars with open fronts and tables set out, ready for customers.
‘I’ll definitely have to bring Winry here.’ Edward said to himself as he noticed a nice, little, open bar up ahead. It was quiet, few customers sat within the small building, yet it had an inviting atmosphere to it. Edward’s attention switched from the small building back to the streets ahead of him, the calmness of it all made him smile as he glanced at the pedestrians that passed him by. This world seemed to have a lot of conflict yet, somehow, everyone still found the time to live in peace, it was something that he wasn’t used to. Usually when some form of conflict arose in Amestris, everyone would panic. Here, in this ‘Omniverse’ that he’d been transported too, people could just go day by day without any strife. Edward’s mind wandered from idea to Idea as he thought about the Alchemy School he was going to open up. He was definitely looking to turn a castle-like building into his school, and it needed to be fairly large, enough space to have a Ground and Second floor. He wasn’t quite sure on the Classes that he’d make available, but that was stuff he’d figure out later. He wasn’t sure about primes, He hadn’t met a lot of children primes, but there is bound to be secondary children out there and if Edward could help teach those kids to protect themselves in this world, then he could feel like he’s achieved something.
‘I’ve been in the Omniverse – as Truth calls it - for a while, a couple weeks I think. I’m going to help people here, I’m going to teach them to defend themselves.’ Edward said to himself as something caught his chest and stopped him from walking. Edward looked around, confused as to who had stopped him and why they had done so. At first glance he saw the ocean and, after inspecting the area even further, the wooden docks below his feet. Edward had reached his destination without even realizing it. He had almost stepped off the end of the docks and into the water.

Edward looked down at what appeared to be a large firearm. It was placed gently in front of him, acting as a barrier between himself and the water. Edward followed the barrel of the gun only to find it attached to a large, hulk like arm, much like his own Automail Arm and leg. Edward turned to see a large, cybernetic, orc standing next to him.

‘Almost took a dive dere.’ The large, green Orc laughed as Edward looked up at him. He towered over Edward, his mechanical parts seemed to be just as large as he was, yet they didn’t seem to weigh him down a single bit. His right arm, the massive gun, alone was – in its entirety – was about as large as Edward was. Edward noticed the humanoid’s other arm. It was a large hook, not as fat and not as menacing as the Gun, but scary in its own right.
‘Even if this guy isn’t a Prime, I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy wouldn’t give any Prime out there a run for their money…’ Edward thought to himself as the large Orc donned a stereotypical Pirate hat. Edward laughed as the hulking man looked down at him.
‘Ya fink somethin’z funny?’ The Orc bellowed, causing Edward to become silent.
‘I’z only kiddin’. The name’z Kaptin Choprot. Me krew’z gone out for drinks, dey’z be back any minute.’ Choprot exclaimed with a pirate gesture as he turned to look at the ship behind him. It wasn’t a ship actually, more like a small boat that would house enough for a crew of people.
‘This is your ship?’ Edward asked out of confusion. Chprot looked at him and laughed.
‘Dis? Kaptin Choprot’s ship? Ya jokin’ right?’ Choprot continued to laugh as he pulled a piece of paper from his coat and handed it to the young Alchemist.
‘Ship hiring for a, one, Kaptin Choprot. The following is to be given a replacement ship, until he is able to find a suitable replacement for his old one, or, until his own ship is repaired.’ Edward found himself reading the words out loud to Choprot as an Idea popped into his mind.
‘I have an Idea. You need your ship repaired, and I need a ship. I think I can help you out.’ Edward smirked as Choprot looked at him with a look of confusion and intrigue. Edward smiled as he turned to a barrel that was next to him, lifted his automail arm and slammed it down on the barrel, crushing it to pieces and spilling whatever small amount of liquid was inside.
‘Oi! What da zog ya think ya doin’!?’ Choprot exclaimed as Edward held his hand up, as if to tell him to be quiet. Edward kept his back faced towards the Orc as he clapped his hands and then placed them on the crushed barrel. Choprot watched in amazement as the pieces began forming together. The yellow light that emanated from beneath Edwards hands was almost blinding, Choprot was forced to squint his eyes if he wanted to continue watching the spectacular display of power. As the light faded, Edward stepped away, revealing a whole barrel that looked even better than it had before.
‘Well zog me!’ Choprot exclaimed as Edward bowed, his ego growing.
‘Now, How about we go and fix your ship?’ Edward asked as Choprot nodded in agreement and guided Edward onto the deck of the ship.

[Cloud Strife]

Edward’s Trip with Choprot hadn’t been short, but it had been fun. Choprot had told Edward stories of this man they had escorted around for a while. He called himself ‘Doomguy’ and, to Edward, he sounded like a fun guy. But When Edward saw the ship that had been stranded on a sand bar, he had little hope that he’d be able to restore it to its full glory, he’d be able to get it up and going so that it could get far enough to be repaired, but It wasn’t taking him to where he needed to go until it had the proper repairs.
‘This isn’t all of the ship… is it?’ Edward half sighed in disappointment as he looked at Choprot. Choprot returned his sigh with a look of confusion and worry.
‘No, dis iz only most of da zoggin’ thing.’ Choprot replied as he looked out to his stranded ship. The water gushed over the carcass of the ship as if it was trying to devour it. Edward watched in silence as they pulled up next to the sand bar, it was large, and the water seemed to rush over it almost every second, covering the entire surface of the sand.
‘Well… it’s not going to be good for my boots… but come on.’ Edward said as he vaulted over the edge of the ship and landed on the water covered sandbar below.

We water washed over Edwards shoes as the tide pushed and pulled itself along the sand. He could feel the waterlogged sand beneath his boots compress as he walked around the stranded ship. It didn’t look good for the ship, and Edward didn’t think he could fix it completely. No, this was definitely something that needed the attention of a Shipwright.
‘I could probably use alchemy to get it running. It could make it back to Costa Del Sol. But it won’t be completely fixed.’ Edward thought to himself as he continued to survey the damaged ship.
‘So… can ya fix da zoggin’ ship?’ Choprot asked nervously as he watched Edward walk around his ship.
‘I can fix it… to a point. I can get it running, but you’ll need to take it to a shipwright.’ Edward said as he turned back to the Orc. Choprot sighed and then shook his head in agreement with Edward. Edward turned to look at the ship they had here on, only to notice the yelling, pointing and calling of the crew still on board. They were yelling about something in the water behind them. Edward turned as the water began to bubble, as if something below the surface was releasing air. Edward watched with a blank expression for a few seconds before realizing that something big was coming for them.

A wave of water pushed Edward back as three, large, snake-like heads burst from the water. Two of them focused on Edward, while the third one instantly charged Choprot.
‘Just my luck.’ Edward said as he stared back at the two heads. Large, snake-like eyes showed their malice and hunger, he was to be their meal. One of the heads plunged its gaping mouth towards him causing Edward’s reflexes sprang into action. Edward rolled out of the way and instinctively used his alchemy to create his Arm blade. Slid backwards along the sand as the beast brought its head up, baring its razor-like teeth as it let out a low pitched growl. Edward returned its growl with the only action that came to his head, an determined stare, one that displayed his desire to beat this monster and survive.

‘Winry would kill me if I died here.’ Edward gritted through his teeth as he readied his arm blade.

The two heads charged towards him, their scaly heads glistening as the water splashed over them. Edward watched as their gaping jaws barreled towards him, he took a large breath to calm his nerves and then returned his attention to the beasts. They twirled around each other, their long snake-like necks twisting together, almost seeming to come together as one as the two heads shot towards him. Edward launched himself into the air only moments before the two beasts reached his position. Edward began his descent quickly, the empty space between him and the two beasts faded quickly as he landed on the necks of the beasts, but the momentum was too great and he was knocked over. Edward fell face first on to the razor sharp scales, tearing his red jacket to shreds as he rolled along the scaly necks. Edwards face also received a few cuts before he jammed the blade into the monsters thick hide. Edward’s quick thinking had stopped his momentum and allowed him to gain proper footing on the beast and plan his next move. The blood that trickled from his cheeks failed to distract him as the Heads unraveled themselves, the one with Edwards blade puncturing it let out a large howl that shook Edwards bones as it began flailing. The sound of the scream was ear piercing as it filled the area with a noise that could only be described as the crying screams of thousands of animals all at once. Edward pulled his arms and pushed with his legs, launching himself backwards off of the beast and into the water. Edward’s splash went unheard by the two beasts as the sound of the screams still echoed throughout the entire area. Edward made it back to the sand bar pretty quickly, he didn’t want to be fighting within a setting he had almost zero mobility in. The beast he had stabbed rushed him immediately, without giving him time to react and before he’d realized, the beast he it’s massive jaws wrapped around his metal arm and blade. Small, jagged, teeth crunched the metal and the skin where his automail connected to his arm. It felt as though tiny razors were poking into him and exerting an almost unbearable pressure on his body, but he couldn’t give up, not with so much to fight for, not with so much to live for. Winry and Alphonse were the first two things to pass through his mind, stirring a new strength from within him. Edward turned his forearm and drove his blade upwards and into the roof of the creature’s mouth. Blood streamed from his torso as he tensed his muscles and began to heave the colossal creature upwards.

‘GRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!’ Was all the sound Edward could muster as the weight of the creature’s head was lifted up and thrown down and onto the waterlogged sand. The beasts jaw released itself as it began to retreat back into the water, its eyes closed slowly as it disappeared into the water. Edward glanced over at where Choprot had been, he was managing the beast as if he’d done this before, well… he was faring much better than Edward was.
‘That guy’s crazy…’ Edward sighed as he returned his attention back to the second head.

Edward had taken care of the first head, now he only had one more to deal with. Edward clapped his hands and created his spear, grasping it with a firm grip and a determination to match as the head began charging towards him, traveling along the sand as it barreled towards him like a steam train. Edward took a deep breath as he flipped to the left, narrowly dodging its fierce crunch. The sound of its teeth snapping together echoed throughout his head as he spun around on his feet. Edward drove his spear into the beast’s eye, causing it to emit a loud, deep roar before retreating back into the water. Edward sighed in relief as he sat down to rest. He didn’t care about the sand or the water, only that he’d survived. There was some damage though, the beast had managed to damage his arm to some degree, some minor dints and scratches, but it would eventually need repairs. Edward looked over at Choprot as the head he’d been fighting retreated back into the ocean below them. Choprot smiled at him and held up his large, hook-like arm in victory and shouted something that Edward did not understand. Meanwhile, under the surface of the water, the beast that had fought the two grew angry, it could feel everything they did, their actions made it more enraged as they believed in their false victory. The creature surfaced quickly and without warning. It’s huge, dinosaur-fish hybrid, body broke the surface of the water, revealing an extra 4 heads in addition to the three it had attacked them with before.
Edward and Choprot looked up at the huge beast as their victory had been cut short.

‘It’z one of dem Hydra beasts!’Choprot called out as Edward stood up and turned to glare at Choprot, who returned his look with a menacing smile as he signaled for the two of them to charge towards the gargantuan Hydra.

[Cloud Strife]

Edward and Choprot charged the beast, Choprot’s pirate-like war cry made no sense to Edward but he was glad that his Ally was taking things seriously, otherwise he’d have to actually worry about his life. Choprot’s companionship reminded him of Alphonse, how they’d always gone into battle together, side by side. Edward found himself slowing down as memories of Al started to flood his mind.
‘No, no time for this, I have to focus.’ Edward said to himself, shaking the cumbersome thoughts from his mind. Edward watched as Choprot leaped from the sand bar and hooked his arm into one of the many necks of the beast. Edward was impressed, he wouldn’t want to have to fight the Orc, but he couldn’t do that, he had to make his own way there before the other heads turned their attention to him.
‘I haven’t tried this yet, but there’s not much else I can do.’ Edward gritted through his teeth as he clapped his hands, his left palm colliding with the grip handle of his spear.

He needed this to work.

Edward slammed his hands down onto the edge of the sand bar as a bright, yellow, light – coupled with sparks of yellow and blue lightning – started to emit itself from his hands.
‘Icy Floor!’ Edward called out in a weirdly instinctive way as the water in front of him began to freeze over. After roughly five seconds, a three inch thick and one meter wide platform of ice that extended then metres had been created. It wasn’t any Olympic style jumping ability, but it would do for Edward.
‘Now it’s my turn to attack you…’ Edward thought to himself as he began sprinting along the ice platform towards the Hydra – as his companion had labelled it.

As Edward neared the end of the platform, he began turned his sprint into a slide – If only he’d had some ice skates – and launched himself off of the end of his platform towards his foe. Edward took his spear and jammed the sharp edge into the beast’s scaly hide. The Hydra didn’t seem to react, as if the spear sticking out of its side had no effect. Edward grasped at the creatures scaled with his left arm as he used his automail arm blade as an instrument to climb.
‘I’ll get onto its back while Choprot is distracting it’s four good heads.’ Edward said to himself as the determination he had felt still fuelled him, with each few feet he climbed, he felt the idea in his head develop. Edward had made it almost all the way up the colossal beasts back as some salt water was splashed up into his mouth. Edward coughed and cringed as the salty water touched his tongue.
‘Wait a second… Sodium!’ Edward exclaimed as he looked to the salt water.
‘It’s perfect!’ Edward laughed as he looked at Choprot, he was tangled up in a mass of snapping and striking heads, but he was still alive.
‘COPROOOOOOT!’ Edward called out as he focused on his ally.
‘YAAAARRRRRR?’ Choprot called out on a stereotypically pirate-like way, causing Edward to sigh.
‘When I give the signal, Dive into the water and start swimming down!’ Edward exclaimed as he launched himself backwards and off of the Hydra, giving Choprot no time to answer back.

Edward hit the water with a large splash, his back ached a little from the impact but he had no time to think about that right now. Edward resurfaced and clapped his hands together and placed them on the water’s surface. Sparks flew from Edwards hands and began to bubble the water as his alchemy began to change it.
‘If I take the sodium and turn it into large quantities of sodium Metal, I can create a bomb using only the sodium and water around me.’ Edward grinned as he watched the sodium metal form slowly on the surface of the water. The yellow light and sparks caused by the transmutation had begun to die down, revealing a circular area of pure sodium metal sitting in front of the Hydra’s body. Edward began to panic as the sodium began to react with the water, producing a large amount of hydrogen gas and heat.
‘NOW CHOPROT!’ Edward called out before diving under the water. He’d had no time to make sure Choprot was safe, he could only hope and assume that his friend had made it out alive. The initial explosion sounded like a low pitched rumble from beneath the surface of the water, but it wasn’t over yet. The head produced from the initial explosion had ignited the Hydrogen gas, and before Edward knew it, he felt the shockwave of a second explosion push him into the side of the sand bar, almost causing him to breathe out. Edward watched as the beast began to sink towards the darkness of the ocean. He watched as the heads, half limp tried to snap at him, but couldn’t find the energy. Edward watched the beast sink, as he began to ascend.

Edward lay face up on the sand bar, water rushed around him as if nothing abnormal had gone on at all.
‘All is one, and one is all.’ Edward muttered to himself as he began to remember the last time he’d been around this much water.
‘Edward, dat woz zoggin’ awesome!’ Choprot exclaimed as he stumbled out from behind the broken ship they had been fighting for. Edward smiled and held his hand up, making the thumbs up symbol for Choprot. Edward sat up to see the ship they had come here on landing beside him. Edward sat up with an annoyed look on his face as he watched Choprot’s crew members climb down a rope ladder.
‘We… WE RISK OUR LIVES FOR YOU AND YOU ONLY SHOW UP NOW!?’ Edward screamed as Choprot’s crew looked at him in fear. One of them began to reply but Edward didn’t want to hear any of it, he held up his metal index finger and shook his hand, signalling the man to be quiet.
‘Alright, come on. Let’s get this over with.’ Edward sighed as he walked up to Choprot’s ship.
‘Well… Here goes nothing.’ Edward said as he clapped his hands together, focusing all of his energy on what he was about to do. Edward took a deep breath as he placed his hands on the ship, it began to emit a yellow glow as shockwaves of air began to fly from the ship. The light grew brighter as the air became more ferocious. A large spark flew from the broken ship and connected itself with the ship they had come here on. Edward couldn’t see it, but Choprot and his Crew watched in amazement as the two ships began to merge together, the sight of their ship coming back together made them call and scream out of Joy as Edward’s alchemy was put to work.
‘I... have to really focus on this one…’ Edward thought to himself as he felt the strain on his energy. He had begun to pant only soon after he had begun his temporary repairs, but after about fifteen minutes of serious concentration, his task was completed.
‘Our ship!’ Choprot and his crew called out as they all swarmed onto the ship, leaving only Choprot and Edward behind. Edward turned to Choprot and gave a large grin as he began to lose consciousness.
‘I… Did… It…’ Edward grinned slowly as he fell backwards, he’d used up most of his energy in the fight against the Hydra and his last use of Alchemy had exhausted him to the point of passing out. Choprot caught Edward before he hit the ground and hoisted him up onto his shoulder.
‘Ya did good kid.’ Choprot smiled as he climbed onto his partially restored ship.

Edward woke to the sound of construction tools and voices. Edward opened his eyes and found himself lying in a bed. It was soft and comfortable, which wans’t something he’d expected to wake up in.
‘Where am I?’ Edward asked a man as he walked by.
‘Oh, you’re on the ship. We’re repairing it for Choprot.’ The man replied as Edward sat up slowly.
'What’s with the bed?’ Edward asked as the man looked at him in confusion.
‘I’m not sure, I guess Choprot had it brought on board for you? You’ve been out for about a day and a half.’ The man replied as Edward still felt the fatigue from his fight.
‘Oh… Okay. Well… When you see Choprot Tell him to send a message to a girl in Camelot. Her name is Winry. Tell her to come to the Vasty Deep with her automail stuff.’ Edward explained as he laid down and rolled over. Before Edward fell asleep he heard the repairman’s footsteps fade as he walked to another part of the ship.

[Cloud Strife]

The white void that greeted her was less than comforting, it made her feel cold despite the lack of a breeze. Winry looked around at her surrounding area. Nothing, well mostly nothing, decorated this part of the world. It was all but populated in this white void and, apart from the strange structures that dotted the horizon, there wasn’t much to be seen here. Winry sighed as she looked out at the only objects that let her distinguish the sky from the ground.

‘So those are the other gates?’ Winry said with a slight hint of awe in her breath as she placed her right hand over her brow and attempted to get a better look. After a fer seconds of trying to stretch her neck out and see further than she actually could, winry dropped her hand and sighed in frustration. How was she supposed to know where to go? It wasn’t like Edward had left her some form of detailed instructions on how to get to him.

‘UUUGH. That boy…. I swear-’ Winry began as she started thinking up a storm of ways to finish that sentence. None of which ended in good fortune for Edward. Winry scrunched her face and balled her fists tightly as she prepared to let out a loud, frustrated scream. Just as she was about to let her frustration out, a hand placed itself on her shoulder. Winry turned to see Rachel behind her.

‘The gate you’re looking for is over there.’ Rachel smiled as she pointed at a distant gate. Winry looked to it, it wasn’t too far, at least it was much closer than some of the other gates she could see in the distance. Winry turned back to Rachel and gave her a smile as thanks. Rachel returned this gesture with a wave as she stepped back through the gate to Camelot.
‘Right, time to get going.’ Winry proclaimed as she began her trek to the gate that Rachel had pointed out to her. She was so close now.


The gate was right in front of her, she hadn’t noticed what they looked like when she’d first arrived in this blank world, but up close they were very clear, and it looked exactly as Rachel had described. The arching palm trees that met at the top outlined the gate. It looked inviting.
‘So this would be some sort of resort world then?’ Winry questioned herself as she stepped through the gate. The same feeling that she’d experienced while leaving Camelot had returned as she stepped through the second gate. She felt her stomach drop as the white void was replaced with sand and the sound of crashing waves. Winry looked around to see young men and women in their bathing suits.


‘I was right...’ Winry smiled as she trudged through the sand. it had been a while since she’d visited the beach, even longer since she’d had the opportunity to go swimming, but that would have to wait. She was on a mission, and that had priority right now. Winry headed towards the small city that stood at the back of the beech. Winry only stopped because she realized something… She had no Idea where he was.

‘Well… if he’s come here on business… Then he would be somewhere in the city?’ Winry asked herself aloud to herself as another hand landed itself on her shoulder. Winry turned expecting to see Rachel, but was instead greeted by a rugged man. His clothes seemed old and somewhat torn.
‘Excuse me but, would you happen to be Winry?’ The man spoke as Winry looked up at him, grasping her wrench tightly as she did so. Winry nodded and failed to break eye contact with the man. He didn’t have a raspy voice, as his outfit and appearance would suggest. But instead he had a rather clear and comforting voice, something she hadn’t expected from the man.

‘Ah good, Edward is waiting for you.’ The man smiled as he gestured for Winry to head into the city. Winry stood her ground, the threat of a stranger was something she wouldn’t stand for. This made the man laugh as he reached into his pocket. This made Winry hyper aware of her surrounding area, if he pulled out a weapon, she’d hit the man with her wench and run to the nearest building. Winry was surprised when the man pulled out Edward’s pocket watch. Winry pulled it from the man’s hand and quickly flipped it open.
‘Yep… It’s his alright...’ Winry mumbled to herself as she closed the watch and dropped it into her bag. Winry looked at the man as he tried to get it back, a look which told him to back off.


‘Alright. Take me to him. Take me to Ed.’ Winry spoke as she followed the man through the streets of Costa Del Sol.

[Cloud Strife]

The bed was comfortable, and the construction on the ship had been finished for hours. Now all he was waiting for was Winry to show up and fix his arm. It hadn’t been so bad earlier today, but now he could barely lift it. All he could do was lightly twitch the fingers. Edward sighed as he glanced over at his metal arm. It was definitely broken, and all he could think of was when he and Choprot were fighting the beast. It had almost taken the arm off then, it must have been that moment.

‘Oh man, Winry’s going to be so angry.’ Edward sighed to himself as he sat up. He didn’t know how long Winry would be, he’d sent someone to pick her up, and now that he thought about it… the guy did look kind of shady. But that’s why he’d given the guy his pocket watch, Winry would know that it’s his and would let the man escort her to him. Well… he’d hope she would. Edward sat back against the headrest of the bed and looked up to the roof of the room he was in. It had been a long adventure, but he was only half way there. He still needed to do so much more if he wanted to get his Alchemy school up and running. Edward sighed and then looked down at his arm again.

‘What’s the matter Ed?’ Winry’s voice echoed throughout the room. Edward jerked his head as she tossed his Alchemist Pocket Watch onto his lap. Edward took the pocket watch and slipped it into the pocket of his pants as he smiled at Winry.
‘Hey, can you do something about this?’ Edward asked. Winry looked at the Automail, it was limp and sort of just hanging from his torso.
‘Ah, you’ve really done it this time Ed.’ Winry said as she looked around for a stool.
‘I’m sorry Winry, I didn’t mean to break it.’ Edward sighed in sadness and disappointment as he looked away from Winry. He didn’t want his arm to be useless, but what made him feel even worse was the amount of time Winry puts into making these arms, only for him to break them.
‘Listen, Ed, don’t worry about it. It broke because you grew so much in such a short time. You were due for a replacement anyway.’ Winry reassured him as she started removing various screws from his arm. This made edward feel better, but he’d still sped up the process by fighting that damned Hydra.
‘Thanks Winry, I appreciate it.’ Edward smiled as Winry began her work on his arm.

it had taken hours, the process of disconnecting the old arm from the nerve endings and then reconnecting the new one to all of those nerve endings wasn’t an easy process, but winry had finished with Edwars new Arm. Connecting Automail to a body was a form of surgery and, although she was the most experienced Automail Mechanic/ Surgeon in the Omniverse, Winry was far from the most graceful, or talented surgeon. Needless to say, there was a lot of frustration on both sides.
‘You're the best, Winry.’ Edward sad as he stood up from the bed, grabbed his new arm and stretched it outwards. It felt good to have an arm back. Edward balled a fist and threw a punch. It was definitely good to have his arm back. Edward hugged Winry unexpectedly before turning to the bed, grabbing his red coat and putting it on. It was time to continue his journey.
‘Let’s go.’ Edward said as he headed for the outside of the ship.

‘What!?’ Edward exclaimed as he stared at Choprot.
‘Can’t zoggin’ go.’ Choprot replies as he turned to his ship and gave a signal. at that moment a medium sized life boat dropped into the water beside the boat.
‘I can give ya dis.’ Choprot said as he looked back at Edward. Edward sighed as he looked at the small boat. Edward grumbled to himself and then looked back at the boat again.
‘Thank you Choprot, I appreciate it.’ Edward replied in slight disappointment. He’d relied on the Captain so much recently, it was only fair that they do their own thing. He really did appreciate all that Choprot had done for him. With that, the two looked at eachother one last time, a simple nod was all that was needed to sum everything up to the two. It was time for Edward to go.

‘Hey Winry... I need you to go back to Camelot. I have to do the rest of this on my own.’ Edward said as he looked into Winry’s eyes. Winry didn’t look happy about it, but she understood what he meant. There was danger head and he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on his task if he had to look out for her for the whole time. Winry sighed and then turned away.
‘Fine Ed, But you owe me dinner when you get back.’ Winry said as she stormed off. Edward smiled and nodded as she walked away. He had planned on buying her dinner when he got back anyway. Edward turned back to the small boat he’d been left.
‘Well... Time to get going.’ Edward said as he dropped from the wooden pier and into the boat. it rocked violently as Edward sat down.
‘Ugh… Reminds me of Teacher’s training.’ Edward sighed as he grabbed the oars and began rowing.