Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Guilt ridden ❯ Maze of skulls, Insane Arcanum? ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Full Metal Alchemist, just a fan here folks.

 

Warning: LEMON scene's, Language, violence & other stuff.

 

Summary: Did you read the first chapter? `Cause it says it there.

 

Chapter 10: Maze of skulls, insane Arcanum?

 

The homunculi were milling around dumbfounded at the darkness.

A small smirk tugged at the corners of Ed's lips “It's amazing how flames effect homunculi isn't it Roy?” he said striking a match the small flame barely illuminating his face as he spoke the words. The homunculi didn't even see Mustang as with a click of the fingers he transmuted the small match flame into a whirling inferno that engulfed the whole room.

Through the flickering flames Ed saw Roy standing there his coat flapping ever so slightly in the breeze generated by the flames. The screams of agony from the homunculi turned to hisses of fury “foolish mortals, you can't kill us so easily” they said in unison, thirty voices combining to create an eerie mass echo effect that reverberated throughout the torched nightclub as they glared at Ed and Roy as the flames leapt off their bodies.

“Really?” Ed said clapping his heads together “then how about this!” slamming his hands down against the floor. Sparks of blue/white lightening leapt outwards from Ed in a semi-circle. The homunculi closest to ed simply exploded, the ones after that vaporised in a cloud of ash then the ones after that burned quickly from the inside out, until there was only three left.

The three homunculi looked from Ed to Roy, back to Ed then ran for their lives through a previously concealed side door that seemingly led towards the graveyard. Ed rose from his kneeling position slapped them up and down a few times together, flicked his collar back up and smirked at Roy.

“Ready flame-o?” he `asked' as they stood before the recently revealed doorway. “I was ready to start with” Mustang said as he stared into the pitch black hallway “though it does seem a good way to ambush us” I said with a hint of caution showing through in his voice.

“Perhaps you should handle that, since I sent our quarry packing” Ed said semiseriously to Roy. “Or perhaps I should help” a deep baritone voice said from behind them. Ed snapped his head around and shrugged at the giant Armstrong “suit yourself” he said moving to the side.

Armstrong flexed his muscles, cracked his knuckles then slammed his fist down against the ground. Yellow lighting crackled, arched and flared along the dark hallway. Ed watched as one by one a series of lanterns flared into life a small smirk flickering across his features as Armstrong basked in the glory of his latest `masterpiece'.

“Well that works” Ed mumbled stepping into the hallway. Every side of him were rows of skulls, how many he didn't know. Hundreds? Possibly more but he didn't want to think about it. Of course he knew these weren't the results of human transmutations, merely the remains of passed on citizens of the west that had simply been arranged in this order.

But to what point? What did the homunculi stand to gain from creating a mass of twisting turning tunnels that were lined with skulls? Probably nothing, other then reinforcing the fact that they were beasts, sins against alchemy and sins created at the hands of foolish alchemists, much like he had been once.

The sound of Mustang's and Armstrong's footsteps, and even his reverberated back to his ears sounding like a whole army was marching past. A small smile flickered across his lips, in a way they were a small army in and of itself and what homunculus, even a clearly insane alchemist of a homunculus could stand against them?

But did he want to just slaughter them all without remorse? He knew he didn't want to, he would forever be haunted by comparing himself to Kimbly or worse Scar! As if he wasn't tearing himself apart emotionally as it was over his lack of humanity over the killing of so many beings, homunculi or otherwise.

As they rounded a corner and stood before a giant set of doors, lined once again with skulls. This was undoubtedly the point of no return, to open these doors and confront the mad `Filth' meant Ed would be forced to bloody his hands for the final time, but on the flip side it meant he could get home to Rose.

Just that thought alone made Ed react instantly, reaching out he grabbed the handles and threw the doors open striding into the room as if he owned the place. He stood at one end of the room, Mustang and Armstrong either side him at another set of doors roughly half way into the circular room stood Al, Riza and the rest of Mustangs cohorts.

But at the other end of the room to Ed stood Filth, the small knot of his few remaining followers huddled around him pleading for him to `deliver them from this nightmare'. Filth for his part seemed unfocused to their pleas but was instead talking to a skull he held in his out stretched hand.

“The passage of time does horrible things to you mortals, you're born you start growing, you reach your peak at such a short amount of time and then you begin to slowly waste away, your skin wrinkles your muscles weaken your bones become brittle and before you know it all beauty of your forms fades away, then you die and begin to rot turning into a feast for maggots and worms, and yet you have inherited this world”.

Filth lulled his head to the side and stared at Ed, who was seeing visions of Rose getting old and wrinkly before slowly wasting away before his eyes. Filth was clearly behind this and the way it seemed to stagger Ed made him give off a dry bitter laugh “and yet we who don't age, are perfect, are forced to hide in the shadows like some sort of fucking disease, its sickening!”.

Ed shock his head, trying to clear the dizziness out of himself and hold back the vomit that threatened to come out. Despite the sickness he felt rising up in him Ed managed to notice that everyone else who wasn't allied to Filth was feeling the same way. Through gritted teeth Ed choked out one word “why?” he asked in a growl of part frustration and part sickness.

“Tisk, tisk, tisk I already told you that much Edward” Filth said a maniac's grin spread across his features “are you that incompetent that you've already forgotten?” he `asked' Ed with nothing but pure sarcastic mockery in his voice. “That's not what I meant” Ed growled slumping to one knee “why have you chosen such an obvious yet stealthy way to try and take over?” he growled.

“Because you fools are so paranoid about maintaining your pretence of absolute power” a voice said from behind Filth. The homunculi moved clearing room for the Lieutenant Colonel who held a revolver in his ungloved hand. “And so through me he controls the West and soon….. The rest of the state” he stated simply raising the pistol and squeezing the trigger the bullet punching right through Fallman's chest. A small spurt of blood, arms coming up as his body went backwards then Fallman hit the ground dead.

“I knew it” Ed growled clearly the only one who could still think at this point “so you're both willing to have everyone hate and fear you rather then rule under more just terms?” he growled seemingly already knowing the answer. “Fear is control, simple and less conceited as the control you idiots believe you have over the state and it's people” the man said.

From his kneeling position Ed glared daggers of hatred for the cold hearted man with the pistol a small dangerous smirk slowly creasing his features “at first I thought you where like Yoki, a weasel of a man who tries sliming his way up the ladder but now I see you're like Archer, a manipulative cold hearted bastard who is uncaring and focused solely on himself” he spat in pure disgust.

“And you” Ed spat out drawing Filth's attention “you believe your immortal, perfect and should rule the world?” he gave off a short bitter sarcastic laugh “you're nothing, just a fucking monster, a sin against nature and you can't even strike up the courage to really fight me one on one can you?” he sated a feral snarl spreading across his features.

Ed's tirade against them seemed to have halted the visions, if only temporarily and it also pissed Filth off something awful! “Stupid pitiful human, as if the visions of your loved ones fate I have blessed you with aren't proof enough of my might you dare call me out? Your soul will be sent screaming into the gate!” he yelled clapping his hands together and slamming them against the ground.

Black lightening arched outwards in wild disorganised patterns as some senseless ramble fell from Filth's lips. Where the lightening touched jagged uneven imperfect spikes of diseased broken glass sprang forth. Ed, like the others easily avoided this hurried assault before preparing his own counter attack, aided by the combined efforts of Al, Armstrong and Mustang.

Blue and yellow lightening mixed with cold blue flames arched out every which way, bouncing off and shattering the skulls that lined the room, passing straight through the small knot of homunculi and vaporising the lieutenant colonel before he even knew what was happening.

As the `dust' settled the impact of the combined assault was made all the more clear. What remained of the followers of Filth were nothing more then tattered scraps of pink flesh suspended by razor sharp rock spikes. As Ed took in the sight of this carnage and the look of anger in Filth's eyes he slowly rose to his feet and stared right into Filth's eyes.

“Now are you going to give up? I'm tired of spilling blood, all I want is to go home and I refuse to kill again. But if you're going to be as stubborn as Envy then perhaps I have no choice” he said in a slow, dangerous yet honest way.

Filth's reply was a harsh choking mocking laugh “ah yes Envy” he said the words carrying a serpentine hiss with them “you have no idea how perfect that being was do you Edward?” He lulled his head as he questioned Ed. “You have no idea how long it took me to train all the identity out of him, to remove all trace of your fathers taint and leave him as such a beautiful and powerful beast, with that power and ability coiled like a snakes anger do you?” he `asked' mockingly stepping forward slowly with each pause.

Ed snarled, the less said about Envy the better in his opinion. “And you have no idea of the monster you created, to have left `him' filled with nothing but hate and anger that he would turn on me, as if I had anything to do with his creation, and to make me and Al suffer at his hands as if you pull the strings like a grotesque insane puppet master do you?” he spat back at Filth.

Filth simply gave Ed a lop sided grin as he kept his head tilted to the side “oh but I do Edward, I may not have been pulling the strings in central but it was I who set Envy on his path almost a hundred years ago and now here we are, you and I in this confrontation” Filth's grin took on a sadistic almost daemonic quality. “How appropriate that the first and last homunculus your father gave birth to would be the one to end you” he snarled clapping his hands and unleashed a stream of rusted steel thorns that burst from the ground straight towards Ed.

He moved, but not soon enough. Bright white pain shot up Ed's one real leg as two steel `thorns' punched through his feet impaling him to the ground. “Brother!” Al yelled about to go after Filth himself. “Al no!” Ed yelled as Al gaped at him in disbelief. “But brother-“Ed cut him off already fully aware of what Al was about to say.

“No Al, no `buts' I know you're not a kid but I'm not going to have you fight my battles, just get everyone else out of here, just do it and don't question me okay?” he said his voice softening ever so slightly with his last word. For the longest moment they stared at each other until Al nodded.

Ed glared at Filth easily holding the homunculus's attention while Al managed to sneak the others out of the room. “Ah brothers love” Filth sang mockingly “what a load of crap” he spat venomously at Ed. “Oh yeah?” Ed stated tearing his feet free with a grunt of well concealed pain “well at least I've know it, what have you had to get you through these many years?” he `asked'.

“Oh I could tell you many things about what's kept me going” Filth replied that sick grin returning to his features as they begun slowly circling each other. “But you won't will you?” Ed asked trying not to wince as his wounded foot rose and fell against the ground.

“Oh no I'll tell you” Filth replied his grin turning daemonic in its quality “but only as you're dying!” he yelled launching himself at Ed, hands like filthy talons stretched out for Ed's face. He moved quickly, but Ed was ever so slightly quicker as he side stepped Filth who landed, turned to face Ed and hissed before launching himself at Ed once more.

Again and again Filth lunged at Ed, who simply swayed and side stepped him with all the grace of a martial artist fighting a drunk. “Hold still you little bug!” Filth hissed teeth bared, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Ed simply glared at him “I told you I won't kill you, but I'm not going to let you kill me either” he stated with a steely determination in his voice.

“Well I'll just have to see about that when your innards are spread across the cold ground won't I?” Filth hissed lunging at Ed again. Ed swayed to the side once more, but Filth flicked his long spidery fingers out at the last second. Ed staggered backwards slightly as he felt hot pain flare up from were Filth had grazed him. It took a couple of seconds but he quickly felt a strong nauseous sensation sweep up throughout him as his vision brightened slightly.

“They don't call me Filth for nothing” Filth stated in a sickening sing song style. “But don't worry Edward” he spat in a hate filled hiss “your loved ones will suffer far worse then you will, of that you can be sure” he sang hand raised ready to slice Ed's throat open from ear-to-ear.

Despite his blurring vision and the sick feeling in his stomach, not to mention the clammy sweat that had started to break out all over him Ed felt a cold hate swell up inside of him as he pictured Filth agonisingly slowly carving up Al, Winry and Rose. It was the image of Rose, his mind clearly imaging her screams of torment pain that pushed him into action.

Filth's hand lashed down towards his throat, Ed's hand snapped up in the blink of an eye and caught his wrist with his hand. “You bastard” Ed growled punching Filth in the gut with all the strength he could put behind his automail arm. Filth was sent sprawling across the ground in a ragged heap, a look of pure disbelief etched on his features.

Staggering to his feet Ed kept his gaze on the ground, his hair cascading down hiding his eyes. “Do what you will to me monster, but you leave them out of this or you will pay” he whispered his teeth gritted as a feral hatred welled up from deep within him. It was a primal instinctual uncaring hatred that drained any resemblance to a caring person from him as it blocked the pain out.

“So, you'll finally fight me then?” Filth said standing up and dusting himself off “that's good, very good” he hissed lunging at Ed. Ed didn't even look up as Filth lashed out at him swiping with his talon like hands over and over as Ed back tracked towards the wall.

His back contacted with cool earth as Filth lashed out with his left hand. Still staring at the ground Ed blocked it with his right forearm before striking back with his left. His left hand slamming into Filth's stomach with a strength his lithe yet toned body shouldn't have possessed.

The air whooshed out of Filth with a gasp as he staggered backwards caught off guard by the strength of Ed's punch. Filth staggered backwards to the centre of the room, Ed begun slowly advancing towards him as he transmuted his automail arm into a razor sharp blade.

“You filthy, insane, disgusting hideous monster” Ed growled “you think you can threaten the ones I care about and I'll just let you carry it out? You think I'll stand by and let you massacre people simply because I'm sick and tired of having to burden myself with guilt?” he clapped his hands together blue flames flaring into life along the edge of his bladed arm.

“Well no way!” he yelled lunging at Filth. Filth swayed and backtracked as Ed swiped at him white arches following in the wake of Ed's enflamed blade. Soon it was Filth who had his back against the wall Ed punched with his real arm; Filth caught it with both hands leaving him exposed to the strike with Ed's automail arm.

The blade cut deep into Filth's mid section, the flames quickly coursing throughout and consuming Filth from the inside. Filth arched his back as blue/white light shone out of his open mouth and from behind his wide open eyes. His final act on the world a deafening scream of pure torture.

As Filth collapsed his body turning into a pile of ash Ed staggered backwards as the nauseous feeling in his stomach and the pain flaring up from his foot overwhelmed him. He heard a door open and someone cry out his name in shock, but before he could register who it was he slumped forward unconscious.

 

A/U: DAH, DAH, DAAHH!! Is Ed dead? Not bloody likely! But you don't know for sure now do you. The fight scene between Ed and Filth was a little bit too `action movie' for my taste but I could see it in my mind and it just flowed out onto the screen (YEAH!!) so I left it. On a side note thanks for my TWO reviews (one for this fic and one for Sloth's hunger) I love hearing back from people, and comments YOU might have are very welcome so please review. Later……