[FMA Big Bang fic] Down the Road - Chapter 7
Title: Down the Road
Author: bay115
Beta: The lovely and great alchemyotaku75
Artists: seta_suzume, ghosthax (thanks so much you two!), and bay115
Genre: Drama, Action, Flashback
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 36,028
Pairing/Characters: Ling/Lan Fan (UST), May, Shao May, short appearances from various OCs and canon characters (including one from the Daughter of the Dusk FMA Wii game)
Warnings: Violence, deceased body being carried throughout this story.
Summary: Ling, Lan Fan, and May took the long road back to Xing by passing through Aerugo and crossing the ocean, carrying Fu’s deceased body with them. As the group was traveling, they got to know Fu better by reading his journal. Unfortunately, the journey doesn’t go smoothly as a water alchemist, the Aerugo royal family, and thieves make sure to delay the trip.
Author's Note: For the 2010-2011 fmabigbang . I actually went and did a quick research on fog, so Ada can be able to transmute water from the moisture there, or that’s what I like to think. Chemistry isn’t my strongest point. ^^; *reminds of another blunder I did in Like a Radio Drama with Roy’s alchemy*
Chapter One: Before the Trip
Chapter Two: Meeting With May
Chapter Three: All Quiet on the Southern Front
Chapter Four: Ada of Rainington
Chapter Five: The Camiburn Tale
Chapter Six: King of the South, Prince of the East
Chapter Seven: The Five Thieves
Ling and the others had been traveling through Aerugo the past three days; nothing eventful had happened since their stay at Padrid Castle. The group stopped at several towns along the way to get food or sleep at an inn, as long as if the room was not expensive and the beds were comfortable. They also tried to find an automail mechanic and there were some shops around, but like the shop in Camiburn, no one was willing to check Lan Fan’s arm because the automail wasn’t made in Aerugo. That made Ling wonder if this country really had a problem with Amestris other than just the border war. In one of the towns, May bought more flowers for Fu.
The prince reflected on their journey through Aerugo so far. The country’s culture, people, and towns were quite different compared to Amestris. Aerugo was under monarch rule, but King Claudio was a good king and the people were happy. There weren’t too many alchemists in Aerugo, so it seemed as if the people were fine without alchemy. He couldn’t help but wish he had found out more what alchemic style was most favored in this country; seeing only Ada using it wasn’t good enough. Not a perfect country-the automail shops coming to mind again-but it was still lovely in its own way.
The group was now passing through Emit Woods. There were trees everywhere, and the dense shade made the going difficult. The crows would screech from time to time, scaring May and her pet panda. When sunset approached, they were only halfway through the forest
The prince looked up at the gray sky. Yesterday, clouds began picking up and now it was completely overcast; rain could pour in any minute.
“I think we should find shelter as soon as possible. We’ll get wet if we don’t find someplace to stay,” May said in a worried tone. Shao May squeaked in agreement while Lan Fan nodded.
Ada swiveled her head to look around their surroundings, as if she already knew where the group could stay for the night, and a smile appeared on her lips. “There’s a cave not too far from us, actually. We can stay there until the rain stops.”
“Then we had better find that cave and fast,” Ling said, urgency in his voice.
Ada nodded and whipped the reins, signaling the horse to go at a faster pace.
+++
The girl was right in that there was a cave not too far from them. She parked the cart inside and everyone got out.
“All right, I think Lan Fan and I will get some wood while you girls stay put,” Ling said to May and Ada.
“Me being guard again? I have done that two times already,” May pointed out with a pout, crossing her arms disapprovingly.
Lan Fan frowned in frustration. Seeing May sulking like this caused her to become irritated with Ling. She agreed it was unfair for the little princess to watch over Fu again; it was time someone else does that for a change.
“My lord, I don’t mind guarding my grandfather’s body,” Lan Fan offered. “May can help you find some firewood.”
The prince sighed and disappointment shown on his face. The guard assumed Ling knew she was right. It wasn’t long until the young man smiled.
“All right, then. May, you and Shao May can come with me.”
“Yay!” May said cheerfully while her panda grinned.
Ling, May, and Shao May quickly left the cave, leaving Ada and Lan Fan alone. The two were silent for some time before the young water alchemist spoke.
“Sorry about not getting you guys out the forest faster,” she said, her frown matching her tone. “This is the only way to get to Santa Rosa.”
Lan Fan smiled. “You don’t have to apologize. No one said this road would be easy.”
Ada still frowned. “I’m afraid this will delay things. I know you guys don’t want to be stuck in this country forever.”
Lan Fan felt her heart being stung. Did Ada think she didn’t like Aerugo? She did want to leave the country, but not because she hated it.
“Your country is very lovely, but Xing is where I belong.”
“It’s understandable. It’s nice you take pride in your home country,” Ada said, beaming.
The two fell quiet once more. Ada went to give Dory some food while Lan Fan stared at her grandfather. It had been almost eight days since the group had left Central and Fu’s body should have started decaying by now. Luckily, there was little odor due to the flowers, but it wouldn’t be long before the stench of decay would make itself known.
Just hang in there, Grandfather…
Lan Fan immediately thought about the dream she had back at Clement’s house, the one where she had met with Fu again, right after the group had left King Claudio’s castle. Truly, that was a sign she missed her grandfather. She wanted to cry, but had shed all her tears back at Central--her heart did all the crying for her now.
+++
As an experienced water alchemist, Clement Gautier could tell when rain would be coming well in advance. There was one heading straight toward Rainington soon, the light gray clouds stretching across the afternoon sky.
Looking at his reflection in the window, the elder man sighed. He knew the downpour was already starting in Santa Rosa and the children should already be near there. If they weren't staying in the city, Clement could only hope they had found some form of shelter and sleeping around a small campfire.
A knock on the door distracted the alchemist from his thoughts and he hurried over to it. Upon opening it, and saw a young woman gazing at him with sad eyes.
“Oh, Shelly! What brings you here?”
“Well…” The woman turned her head slightly, as if hesitant to continue on, but managed to gather the courage to look at Clement again. “I wonder if you have some milk with you? My husband won’t be back from Camiburn until tomorrow and I need milk now. The children are complaining about not able to sleep without having a glass to drink before they went to.”
“Don’t worry, I have some to spare,” Clement said with a chuckle. “Please have a seat in the living room while I get some from the kitchen.”
The man stepped aside to let Shelly in and the two walked into the living room. The woman sat down on the couch while the alchemist went to the kitchen to get the milk. In seconds, he came back to the living room and gave Shelly the bottle.
“Oh, thank you very much, Mr. Gautier. If you want, I can give you a milk in return when my husband comes back.”
“No, that’s fine. You’ll need that milk more than my daughter and I.”
Shelly giggled, but her lips slipped into a frown immediately after. “Speaking of your daughter, I heard she’s going to Santa Rosa to take a three young people there, but will be coming home with only Dory by her side.”
“Yes,” he responded, nodding solemnly. “I have no doubt those children will be fine, but the father in me still worries about her.”
“Well, that happens to us parents. We worry about our children too much.”
A slight smile warmed the man’s face. “I remember that when she was a baby, I had a hunch she would want to learn water alchemy, too. There was one alchemist, one that specialized in fire, if I remember correctly, who told me how I’ll end up like him and would want to use my alchemy to the fullest. That is why I was always afraid of teaching Ada water alchemy.”
The young mother gave him a surprised look as she touched her left hand to her cheek. “I never saw you as someone that wants to abuse alchemy. I know you want to use it for helping people.”
“Thanks.” Clement chuckled, appreciating her for saying that. “I guess you’re right. Ada has come a long way since she started her training.”
“Indeed!” Shelly responded, a smile spreading across her face. “She’s really talented. You have taught her well. I’m sure she’ll put her water alchemy to good use.”
“So do I, Shelly. So do I.” His smiled turned warmer this time.
+++
Rain had poured down almost nonstop the past few hours. At first, it had been a light drizzle, but it quickly accelerated to a downpour. After it lightened to a moderate shower, the downpour started up again. The four teenagers had already eaten dinner, but it wasn’t very satisfying due to the food being cold. Because the rain wouldn’t stop until it was really dark and the ground would be muddy, everyone decided to go to sleep early.
By morning, the rain had stopped. The ground was still soft, but the cart was able to travel through the mud without a problem. Eventually, a light fog appeared and the air became chilly, but that didn’t stop the group from continuing. The birds kept cawing, causing May and Shao May to cover their ears.
“I don’t like the noise the birds are making!” May complained.
Ada giggled. “Sorry about that, they tend to be loud around here.”
Ling couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. It was amusing to learn of some of his sister’s quirks. His facial expression changed, though, when he heard hoofs thundering closer.
Other people are trying to travel through this forest, too?
It wasn’t one set of hooves-there were quite a few, as if a horse stampede was approaching. Ling and the others turned around and they looked very worried. Worried, Ling and the others turned to see five men on horses nearing them, each with a sword in hand
“Why are they coming at us?” May asked. Shao May shook and squeaked in fright, so the princess was hugging her for comfort.
“They’re probably the thieves I heard about,” Ada responded.
“Thieves?” Lan Fan asked.
“Recently, there has been some bandits roaming the country and robbing people. Rumor is, they sell off anything they steal. I’m not sure where, but most people believed it is at a city far south called Beliz, well known for having ex-criminals living there.”
“Have they ever been caught?” May pointed out.
“I heard some were caught, but the more experienced ones were able to get away.”
“It figures they’ve targeted us since we’re traveling through this forest,” Ling said.
When the bandits got close, the circled the group. Everyone of the thieves glared at them with sinister smirks.
“My my my, what do we have here? Four young ones all alone,” one of the men, a redhead dressed in rags, said.
Another man, skinny and wearing a cap on his head, held his sword close to Lan Fan’s throat. She didn’t seem intimidated.
“Oh, this gal is a brave one. She has an automail arm, which could bring big.” After gazing at Lan Fan’s body, the man grinned and had lust in his eyes. “I actually wouldn’t mind hav’n a bit of fun with her if she were a few years older.”
Ling clenched his fist as his heart swelled in anger. He would shred them to pieces if they did anything of that sort to her.
The third man, who was wearing only trousers and with wild looking hair that didn’t look like it hadn’t been combed in days, snickered, “Lookie here, a cat and a horse. I bet they’d bring a bit of coin, too.”
Shao May snarled at that remark while Dory snorted in frustration.
“Not only that, but it seems they have a corpse with them, too,” the fourth man said. He was the smallest of the group, but his arms were heavily muscled. After he took a sniff, he winced. “It’s a few days old, though.”
“We still might be able to sell it to alchemists doing secret experiments,” the red head mentioned.
“Humph, that settles then,” the fifth man, a chubby but very tall one, said. Ling thought he must be the leader of the group. “Hand over the automail arm, the pets, and the corpse to us this instant and no one will get hurt. I don’t like hurting kids.” The bandit leader’s lips curled to a crazed smile.
“You shouldn’t underestimate us because we’re kids,” Ling remarked with a smirk. “We won’t mind attacking you, because we won’t hand over any of those things to you thieves, especially Fu.”
The chubby and tall bandit stared at them sternly, but abruptly laughed. “Tough guy, huh? All righty then, you asked for it.”
The man snapped his finger and two of the bandits, the redhead and the skinniest of the group, charged at them. Immediately, Lan Fan and Ling leapt out of the wagon to kick them in the stomach, causing the men to crash to the ground. Eventually, the pair sat up, groaning in pain as they rubbed at the deepening bruises on their foreheads.
(Art by seta_suzume )
“What the?”
Ling turned to look at May, and the two animals. “Get away! Get out of the forest as fast as you can!. We’ll catch up with you soon.”
The girls at first looked at one another in uncertainty, then nodded, knowing they had no choice but to do as they were told. Ada shook the reins and the horse took off.
“Vincent, George, get those girls. Timothy, Benny, you stay here and help me take care of those two.”
Vincent and George, the small but muscled man and the one with the messy hair, respectively, nodded and urged their horses follow the cart. Timothy and Benny, the ones that had taken a hit from’Lan Fan and Ling, stayed with their leader.
“You sure about this, Ivan?” Timothy asked, scratching at his red hair.
“Just because they kicked you in the head doesn’t mean we’re done for. We can still slice them up.”
Ling and Lan Fan took out their weapons and dropped into a defensive stance. They knew this would be a long fight.
+++
“Faster Dory, faster!”
The horse galloped as fast as she could. May and Shao May looked over their shoulders, to see the bandits catching up on them. The princess’ arms were trembling with fear.
“Ada, they’re gaining on us!”
The water alchemist again shouted at Dory to go faster, but she was already running as fast as she could pulling a cart. The horse was able to put a good distance between the girls and their attackers. May could feel her heart pounding and knew it wasn’t caused by their reckless speed. Dory was able to avoid a boulder, but wasn’t able to turn in time for the cart to miss it, too. When one of the wheels bumped over the large rock, May, Ada, and Shao May flew out of the cart and hit the ground.
“May, Shao May, you two are all right?” Ada asked as she got to her feet.
May stood up and dusted the mud from her clothes. Shao May, on the other hand, was out spitting dirt and mud.
“Yes, we’re okay. We better get back on the cart now.”
“Actually, I have a better idea,” Ada said, putting her gloves on. “I’ll be able to handle my water alchemy better with this fog. I don’t know about you, but I’m not running away.”
May gasped, knowing the girl was right. There was only one way out of this.
“Hey, there they are!” came Vincent’s sudden shout.
“Looks like the cart got broken too!” George yelled right after.
The girls turned around and saw the two men closing in on them. Without any hesitation, they went to work. May used her foot to do a quick sketch of an alkhestry symbol on the ground then threw down five kunai into it. She then slapped her hands onto the dirt and the earth rumbled loudly, knocking George off his horse. Ada, too, touched her hands to the ground and muddy water splashed onto Vincent; he was also thrust from his horse.
“You can do muddy water also?” May said, looking on in puzzlement.
“As long as the ground is wet, I’m be able to transmute it into water,” Ada said, her tone serious. May thought she might be more conceited about her abilities, but realized the young water alchemist was focused on getting rid of the bandits. The princess would do so, also.
The two men, their horses nowhere to be seen, got up with intense annoyance burning in their eyes.
“So you two are alchemists, huh? No matter, we can still catch the both of you!” Vincent shouted.
The bandits charged the girls with their swords. May transmuted again, wrapping Vincent’s legs in stone and capturing them as if they were in cement. He tried to free himself, but found it was no use. High pressured water exploded from Ada’s gloved fingers and shot at George’s sword, knocking it out of his hand. That didn’t stop him from running towards them with clenched fist, though.
May saw fear in the other girl’s eyes, but could tell the water alchemist was ready to act without hesitation. With no time to waste, Ada hit the ground with her hands and a stream of water was sprung towards the oncoming bandit. George was brought to a fast halt as ice formed around his legs. He also tried to escape from his alchemized prison, but found his efforts useless.
The two trapped men glared at the girls as if looks could kill. Ada stuck out her tongue while May made a disapproving noise. Knowing this was their chance, May, Shao May, and Ada hopped onto the cart and the brown haired girl tugged at the reins. Everyone took off.
+++
Ling blocked Ivan’s sword with his own for the tenth time. The thieves’ leader tried to find an opening, but the prince’s swift actions blocked every stroke of his attacker’s sword. After Ling avoided Ivan’s attack yet again, he kicked the sword from the man’s hand and the weapon’s tip lodged into the ground. Frustrated, Ivan swung a fist and nearly struck Ling, but the prince thrust his foot into the bandit’s face, making him fall back.
Meanwhile, Lan Fan had no trouble with Benny and Timothy. She was able to get away from them amongst the tree limbs. The men fought to protect their eyes as she hurled flash grenade into the air before leaping to another branch.
“All right, where are you!?” Timothy shouted as he frantically looked about for any sign of the two foreigners. He howled in pain when two kunai unexpectedly struck his palms, pinning him on the ground.
“Timothy!” Benny yelled in shock when he saw his injured comrade. Then kunai went through his palms, too, causing him to scream as his fate matched his friend’s.
Lan Fan jumped down from the tree she was hiding in, a smug expression on her face. Benny and Timothy tried to get free, but it wasn’t easy. Their hands began to bleed and soak the muddy ground.
Ivan shook his head as he came to, and was at a loss for words when he saw that two of his men were pinned to the ground with the small throwing knives. Ling took the opportunity to place the tip of his sword close to Ivan’s throat.
“Will you leave us alone now?” Ling pleaded, fire in his eyes.
The bandit leader spat in the prince’s face for an answer. Naturally, Ling punched him in the face and the man fell went down again, knocked out. He looked at Lan Fan over his shoulder, the female leaving a surprised expression for him.
“My lord, what should we do with the men?” she asked after being silent for some time.
“We’ll leave them here. Right now, we need to find Ada and May. They probably found a way out of the woods already.”
+++
May found their way out of the forest quicker than they thought they would, and waited for Ling and Lan Fan to join them. May and Shao May took in their surroundings while Ada stared blankly at the ground. The princess glanced at her, but wasn’t able to see the other girl’s expression.
“I’m glad both of us knew alchemy and used it to defend ourselves,” the young woman said slowly in a strange deep voice, as if she had aged a few years. “I never really wanted to use it for combat. Instead, I want to research it more and help people, like what I did in Rainington.” The princess thought she saw Ada clench her fist. “However, I won’t hesitate to use it to its fullest potential to protect the ones I love. My father is the same way.”
That left a bitter taste in May’s mouth. It seemed Ada wasn’t fond of fighting, but would do anything to help save lives. All the princess had done for most of her life was fighting to keep her clan afloat.
The young girl was about to speak, but held her words when she saw Ling and Lan Fan walked out of the forest. She dashed towards them and hugged her half-brother. Ada lifted her head and smiled.
“You two made it!” Ada said.
Ling chuckled. “He broke from his half-sister’s embrace then patted her head. “We saw two of the bandits trapped in ice and stone on our way here. You two did it, huh?”
May beamed and nodded. “Indeed. You should have seen Ada use her alchemy, though. She was magnificent.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that.” Ada let out an embarrassed laugh and rubbed the back of her neck. “I still have a long way to go with my water alchemy. I need to learn how to boil water and how to create whirlpools, for instance.”
“Either way, I would have liked to have seen you both kick those men’s butts,” Ling said with a chuckle. He was relieved to see that Fu’s body was untouched. “Thank goodness Fu is all right.” He paused and looked at the road that led to their destination. “We’d better get moving, then. Santa Rosa isn’t that far away, now.”
With that said, Ling and Lan Fan climbed onto the cart and Ada shook the reins, letting the horse know it was time to get moving again.
Onto to Chapter Eight!
Author: bay115
Beta: The lovely and great alchemyotaku75
Artists: seta_suzume, ghosthax (thanks so much you two!), and bay115
Genre: Drama, Action, Flashback
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 36,028
Pairing/Characters: Ling/Lan Fan (UST), May, Shao May, short appearances from various OCs and canon characters (including one from the Daughter of the Dusk FMA Wii game)
Warnings: Violence, deceased body being carried throughout this story.
Summary: Ling, Lan Fan, and May took the long road back to Xing by passing through Aerugo and crossing the ocean, carrying Fu’s deceased body with them. As the group was traveling, they got to know Fu better by reading his journal. Unfortunately, the journey doesn’t go smoothly as a water alchemist, the Aerugo royal family, and thieves make sure to delay the trip.
Author's Note: For the 2010-2011 fmabigbang . I actually went and did a quick research on fog, so Ada can be able to transmute water from the moisture there, or that’s what I like to think. Chemistry isn’t my strongest point. ^^; *reminds of another blunder I did in Like a Radio Drama with Roy’s alchemy*
Chapter One: Before the Trip
Chapter Two: Meeting With May
Chapter Three: All Quiet on the Southern Front
Chapter Four: Ada of Rainington
Chapter Five: The Camiburn Tale
Chapter Six: King of the South, Prince of the East
Chapter Seven: The Five Thieves
Ling and the others had been traveling through Aerugo the past three days; nothing eventful had happened since their stay at Padrid Castle. The group stopped at several towns along the way to get food or sleep at an inn, as long as if the room was not expensive and the beds were comfortable. They also tried to find an automail mechanic and there were some shops around, but like the shop in Camiburn, no one was willing to check Lan Fan’s arm because the automail wasn’t made in Aerugo. That made Ling wonder if this country really had a problem with Amestris other than just the border war. In one of the towns, May bought more flowers for Fu.
The prince reflected on their journey through Aerugo so far. The country’s culture, people, and towns were quite different compared to Amestris. Aerugo was under monarch rule, but King Claudio was a good king and the people were happy. There weren’t too many alchemists in Aerugo, so it seemed as if the people were fine without alchemy. He couldn’t help but wish he had found out more what alchemic style was most favored in this country; seeing only Ada using it wasn’t good enough. Not a perfect country-the automail shops coming to mind again-but it was still lovely in its own way.
The group was now passing through Emit Woods. There were trees everywhere, and the dense shade made the going difficult. The crows would screech from time to time, scaring May and her pet panda. When sunset approached, they were only halfway through the forest
The prince looked up at the gray sky. Yesterday, clouds began picking up and now it was completely overcast; rain could pour in any minute.
“I think we should find shelter as soon as possible. We’ll get wet if we don’t find someplace to stay,” May said in a worried tone. Shao May squeaked in agreement while Lan Fan nodded.
Ada swiveled her head to look around their surroundings, as if she already knew where the group could stay for the night, and a smile appeared on her lips. “There’s a cave not too far from us, actually. We can stay there until the rain stops.”
“Then we had better find that cave and fast,” Ling said, urgency in his voice.
Ada nodded and whipped the reins, signaling the horse to go at a faster pace.
+++
The girl was right in that there was a cave not too far from them. She parked the cart inside and everyone got out.
“All right, I think Lan Fan and I will get some wood while you girls stay put,” Ling said to May and Ada.
“Me being guard again? I have done that two times already,” May pointed out with a pout, crossing her arms disapprovingly.
Lan Fan frowned in frustration. Seeing May sulking like this caused her to become irritated with Ling. She agreed it was unfair for the little princess to watch over Fu again; it was time someone else does that for a change.
“My lord, I don’t mind guarding my grandfather’s body,” Lan Fan offered. “May can help you find some firewood.”
The prince sighed and disappointment shown on his face. The guard assumed Ling knew she was right. It wasn’t long until the young man smiled.
“All right, then. May, you and Shao May can come with me.”
“Yay!” May said cheerfully while her panda grinned.
Ling, May, and Shao May quickly left the cave, leaving Ada and Lan Fan alone. The two were silent for some time before the young water alchemist spoke.
“Sorry about not getting you guys out the forest faster,” she said, her frown matching her tone. “This is the only way to get to Santa Rosa.”
Lan Fan smiled. “You don’t have to apologize. No one said this road would be easy.”
Ada still frowned. “I’m afraid this will delay things. I know you guys don’t want to be stuck in this country forever.”
Lan Fan felt her heart being stung. Did Ada think she didn’t like Aerugo? She did want to leave the country, but not because she hated it.
“Your country is very lovely, but Xing is where I belong.”
“It’s understandable. It’s nice you take pride in your home country,” Ada said, beaming.
The two fell quiet once more. Ada went to give Dory some food while Lan Fan stared at her grandfather. It had been almost eight days since the group had left Central and Fu’s body should have started decaying by now. Luckily, there was little odor due to the flowers, but it wouldn’t be long before the stench of decay would make itself known.
Just hang in there, Grandfather…
Lan Fan immediately thought about the dream she had back at Clement’s house, the one where she had met with Fu again, right after the group had left King Claudio’s castle. Truly, that was a sign she missed her grandfather. She wanted to cry, but had shed all her tears back at Central--her heart did all the crying for her now.
+++
As an experienced water alchemist, Clement Gautier could tell when rain would be coming well in advance. There was one heading straight toward Rainington soon, the light gray clouds stretching across the afternoon sky.
Looking at his reflection in the window, the elder man sighed. He knew the downpour was already starting in Santa Rosa and the children should already be near there. If they weren't staying in the city, Clement could only hope they had found some form of shelter and sleeping around a small campfire.
A knock on the door distracted the alchemist from his thoughts and he hurried over to it. Upon opening it, and saw a young woman gazing at him with sad eyes.
“Oh, Shelly! What brings you here?”
“Well…” The woman turned her head slightly, as if hesitant to continue on, but managed to gather the courage to look at Clement again. “I wonder if you have some milk with you? My husband won’t be back from Camiburn until tomorrow and I need milk now. The children are complaining about not able to sleep without having a glass to drink before they went to.”
“Don’t worry, I have some to spare,” Clement said with a chuckle. “Please have a seat in the living room while I get some from the kitchen.”
The man stepped aside to let Shelly in and the two walked into the living room. The woman sat down on the couch while the alchemist went to the kitchen to get the milk. In seconds, he came back to the living room and gave Shelly the bottle.
“Oh, thank you very much, Mr. Gautier. If you want, I can give you a milk in return when my husband comes back.”
“No, that’s fine. You’ll need that milk more than my daughter and I.”
Shelly giggled, but her lips slipped into a frown immediately after. “Speaking of your daughter, I heard she’s going to Santa Rosa to take a three young people there, but will be coming home with only Dory by her side.”
“Yes,” he responded, nodding solemnly. “I have no doubt those children will be fine, but the father in me still worries about her.”
“Well, that happens to us parents. We worry about our children too much.”
A slight smile warmed the man’s face. “I remember that when she was a baby, I had a hunch she would want to learn water alchemy, too. There was one alchemist, one that specialized in fire, if I remember correctly, who told me how I’ll end up like him and would want to use my alchemy to the fullest. That is why I was always afraid of teaching Ada water alchemy.”
The young mother gave him a surprised look as she touched her left hand to her cheek. “I never saw you as someone that wants to abuse alchemy. I know you want to use it for helping people.”
“Thanks.” Clement chuckled, appreciating her for saying that. “I guess you’re right. Ada has come a long way since she started her training.”
“Indeed!” Shelly responded, a smile spreading across her face. “She’s really talented. You have taught her well. I’m sure she’ll put her water alchemy to good use.”
“So do I, Shelly. So do I.” His smiled turned warmer this time.
+++
Rain had poured down almost nonstop the past few hours. At first, it had been a light drizzle, but it quickly accelerated to a downpour. After it lightened to a moderate shower, the downpour started up again. The four teenagers had already eaten dinner, but it wasn’t very satisfying due to the food being cold. Because the rain wouldn’t stop until it was really dark and the ground would be muddy, everyone decided to go to sleep early.
By morning, the rain had stopped. The ground was still soft, but the cart was able to travel through the mud without a problem. Eventually, a light fog appeared and the air became chilly, but that didn’t stop the group from continuing. The birds kept cawing, causing May and Shao May to cover their ears.
“I don’t like the noise the birds are making!” May complained.
Ada giggled. “Sorry about that, they tend to be loud around here.”
Ling couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. It was amusing to learn of some of his sister’s quirks. His facial expression changed, though, when he heard hoofs thundering closer.
Other people are trying to travel through this forest, too?
It wasn’t one set of hooves-there were quite a few, as if a horse stampede was approaching. Ling and the others turned around and they looked very worried. Worried, Ling and the others turned to see five men on horses nearing them, each with a sword in hand
“Why are they coming at us?” May asked. Shao May shook and squeaked in fright, so the princess was hugging her for comfort.
“They’re probably the thieves I heard about,” Ada responded.
“Thieves?” Lan Fan asked.
“Recently, there has been some bandits roaming the country and robbing people. Rumor is, they sell off anything they steal. I’m not sure where, but most people believed it is at a city far south called Beliz, well known for having ex-criminals living there.”
“Have they ever been caught?” May pointed out.
“I heard some were caught, but the more experienced ones were able to get away.”
“It figures they’ve targeted us since we’re traveling through this forest,” Ling said.
When the bandits got close, the circled the group. Everyone of the thieves glared at them with sinister smirks.
“My my my, what do we have here? Four young ones all alone,” one of the men, a redhead dressed in rags, said.
Another man, skinny and wearing a cap on his head, held his sword close to Lan Fan’s throat. She didn’t seem intimidated.
“Oh, this gal is a brave one. She has an automail arm, which could bring big.” After gazing at Lan Fan’s body, the man grinned and had lust in his eyes. “I actually wouldn’t mind hav’n a bit of fun with her if she were a few years older.”
Ling clenched his fist as his heart swelled in anger. He would shred them to pieces if they did anything of that sort to her.
The third man, who was wearing only trousers and with wild looking hair that didn’t look like it hadn’t been combed in days, snickered, “Lookie here, a cat and a horse. I bet they’d bring a bit of coin, too.”
Shao May snarled at that remark while Dory snorted in frustration.
“Not only that, but it seems they have a corpse with them, too,” the fourth man said. He was the smallest of the group, but his arms were heavily muscled. After he took a sniff, he winced. “It’s a few days old, though.”
“We still might be able to sell it to alchemists doing secret experiments,” the red head mentioned.
“Humph, that settles then,” the fifth man, a chubby but very tall one, said. Ling thought he must be the leader of the group. “Hand over the automail arm, the pets, and the corpse to us this instant and no one will get hurt. I don’t like hurting kids.” The bandit leader’s lips curled to a crazed smile.
“You shouldn’t underestimate us because we’re kids,” Ling remarked with a smirk. “We won’t mind attacking you, because we won’t hand over any of those things to you thieves, especially Fu.”
The chubby and tall bandit stared at them sternly, but abruptly laughed. “Tough guy, huh? All righty then, you asked for it.”
The man snapped his finger and two of the bandits, the redhead and the skinniest of the group, charged at them. Immediately, Lan Fan and Ling leapt out of the wagon to kick them in the stomach, causing the men to crash to the ground. Eventually, the pair sat up, groaning in pain as they rubbed at the deepening bruises on their foreheads.
(Art by seta_suzume )
“What the?”
Ling turned to look at May, and the two animals. “Get away! Get out of the forest as fast as you can!. We’ll catch up with you soon.”
The girls at first looked at one another in uncertainty, then nodded, knowing they had no choice but to do as they were told. Ada shook the reins and the horse took off.
“Vincent, George, get those girls. Timothy, Benny, you stay here and help me take care of those two.”
Vincent and George, the small but muscled man and the one with the messy hair, respectively, nodded and urged their horses follow the cart. Timothy and Benny, the ones that had taken a hit from’Lan Fan and Ling, stayed with their leader.
“You sure about this, Ivan?” Timothy asked, scratching at his red hair.
“Just because they kicked you in the head doesn’t mean we’re done for. We can still slice them up.”
Ling and Lan Fan took out their weapons and dropped into a defensive stance. They knew this would be a long fight.
+++
“Faster Dory, faster!”
The horse galloped as fast as she could. May and Shao May looked over their shoulders, to see the bandits catching up on them. The princess’ arms were trembling with fear.
“Ada, they’re gaining on us!”
The water alchemist again shouted at Dory to go faster, but she was already running as fast as she could pulling a cart. The horse was able to put a good distance between the girls and their attackers. May could feel her heart pounding and knew it wasn’t caused by their reckless speed. Dory was able to avoid a boulder, but wasn’t able to turn in time for the cart to miss it, too. When one of the wheels bumped over the large rock, May, Ada, and Shao May flew out of the cart and hit the ground.
“May, Shao May, you two are all right?” Ada asked as she got to her feet.
May stood up and dusted the mud from her clothes. Shao May, on the other hand, was out spitting dirt and mud.
“Yes, we’re okay. We better get back on the cart now.”
“Actually, I have a better idea,” Ada said, putting her gloves on. “I’ll be able to handle my water alchemy better with this fog. I don’t know about you, but I’m not running away.”
May gasped, knowing the girl was right. There was only one way out of this.
“Hey, there they are!” came Vincent’s sudden shout.
“Looks like the cart got broken too!” George yelled right after.
The girls turned around and saw the two men closing in on them. Without any hesitation, they went to work. May used her foot to do a quick sketch of an alkhestry symbol on the ground then threw down five kunai into it. She then slapped her hands onto the dirt and the earth rumbled loudly, knocking George off his horse. Ada, too, touched her hands to the ground and muddy water splashed onto Vincent; he was also thrust from his horse.
“You can do muddy water also?” May said, looking on in puzzlement.
“As long as the ground is wet, I’m be able to transmute it into water,” Ada said, her tone serious. May thought she might be more conceited about her abilities, but realized the young water alchemist was focused on getting rid of the bandits. The princess would do so, also.
The two men, their horses nowhere to be seen, got up with intense annoyance burning in their eyes.
“So you two are alchemists, huh? No matter, we can still catch the both of you!” Vincent shouted.
The bandits charged the girls with their swords. May transmuted again, wrapping Vincent’s legs in stone and capturing them as if they were in cement. He tried to free himself, but found it was no use. High pressured water exploded from Ada’s gloved fingers and shot at George’s sword, knocking it out of his hand. That didn’t stop him from running towards them with clenched fist, though.
May saw fear in the other girl’s eyes, but could tell the water alchemist was ready to act without hesitation. With no time to waste, Ada hit the ground with her hands and a stream of water was sprung towards the oncoming bandit. George was brought to a fast halt as ice formed around his legs. He also tried to escape from his alchemized prison, but found his efforts useless.
The two trapped men glared at the girls as if looks could kill. Ada stuck out her tongue while May made a disapproving noise. Knowing this was their chance, May, Shao May, and Ada hopped onto the cart and the brown haired girl tugged at the reins. Everyone took off.
+++
Ling blocked Ivan’s sword with his own for the tenth time. The thieves’ leader tried to find an opening, but the prince’s swift actions blocked every stroke of his attacker’s sword. After Ling avoided Ivan’s attack yet again, he kicked the sword from the man’s hand and the weapon’s tip lodged into the ground. Frustrated, Ivan swung a fist and nearly struck Ling, but the prince thrust his foot into the bandit’s face, making him fall back.
Meanwhile, Lan Fan had no trouble with Benny and Timothy. She was able to get away from them amongst the tree limbs. The men fought to protect their eyes as she hurled flash grenade into the air before leaping to another branch.
“All right, where are you!?” Timothy shouted as he frantically looked about for any sign of the two foreigners. He howled in pain when two kunai unexpectedly struck his palms, pinning him on the ground.
“Timothy!” Benny yelled in shock when he saw his injured comrade. Then kunai went through his palms, too, causing him to scream as his fate matched his friend’s.
Lan Fan jumped down from the tree she was hiding in, a smug expression on her face. Benny and Timothy tried to get free, but it wasn’t easy. Their hands began to bleed and soak the muddy ground.
Ivan shook his head as he came to, and was at a loss for words when he saw that two of his men were pinned to the ground with the small throwing knives. Ling took the opportunity to place the tip of his sword close to Ivan’s throat.
“Will you leave us alone now?” Ling pleaded, fire in his eyes.
The bandit leader spat in the prince’s face for an answer. Naturally, Ling punched him in the face and the man fell went down again, knocked out. He looked at Lan Fan over his shoulder, the female leaving a surprised expression for him.
“My lord, what should we do with the men?” she asked after being silent for some time.
“We’ll leave them here. Right now, we need to find Ada and May. They probably found a way out of the woods already.”
+++
May found their way out of the forest quicker than they thought they would, and waited for Ling and Lan Fan to join them. May and Shao May took in their surroundings while Ada stared blankly at the ground. The princess glanced at her, but wasn’t able to see the other girl’s expression.
“I’m glad both of us knew alchemy and used it to defend ourselves,” the young woman said slowly in a strange deep voice, as if she had aged a few years. “I never really wanted to use it for combat. Instead, I want to research it more and help people, like what I did in Rainington.” The princess thought she saw Ada clench her fist. “However, I won’t hesitate to use it to its fullest potential to protect the ones I love. My father is the same way.”
That left a bitter taste in May’s mouth. It seemed Ada wasn’t fond of fighting, but would do anything to help save lives. All the princess had done for most of her life was fighting to keep her clan afloat.
The young girl was about to speak, but held her words when she saw Ling and Lan Fan walked out of the forest. She dashed towards them and hugged her half-brother. Ada lifted her head and smiled.
“You two made it!” Ada said.
Ling chuckled. “He broke from his half-sister’s embrace then patted her head. “We saw two of the bandits trapped in ice and stone on our way here. You two did it, huh?”
May beamed and nodded. “Indeed. You should have seen Ada use her alchemy, though. She was magnificent.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that.” Ada let out an embarrassed laugh and rubbed the back of her neck. “I still have a long way to go with my water alchemy. I need to learn how to boil water and how to create whirlpools, for instance.”
“Either way, I would have liked to have seen you both kick those men’s butts,” Ling said with a chuckle. He was relieved to see that Fu’s body was untouched. “Thank goodness Fu is all right.” He paused and looked at the road that led to their destination. “We’d better get moving, then. Santa Rosa isn’t that far away, now.”
With that said, Ling and Lan Fan climbed onto the cart and Ada shook the reins, letting the horse know it was time to get moving again.
Onto to Chapter Eight!