The Phoenix and His Demons

Yes, yes, I know...it's been practically forever (really only a few months) since I updated. Well, that job that was supposed to be really easy, bore me to death and give me tons of time to write...it totally backfired and drained my very soul away. Not to mention I'm pretty sure it also fried my brain as well. However, I did promise that I would never abandon this story and I keep that promise. To my loyal readers, don't worry, I've not forgotten about this and it will not slip away into the masses of uncompleted stories. So continue to be patient with me and I shall deliver...eventually. So without any further blather on my end, I offer you Chapter 17. Enjoy and Reviews are wonderful things.

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Hellfire

It was nearly sundown when the brothers reached the outskirts of Lanton. The town resembled something out of an old ghost story, empty and eerie. Doors swung in the early evening breeze; creaking on rusted hinges. Shutters slapped against the wooden buildings, startling the boys and making them jump.

“Ed, I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all. Where are all the people?” For all their experience and years of adventuring, Al was still spooked and unconsciously crept close to his brother’s side.

“I don’t know. They should be here. There’s smoke in that chimney, let’s check it out,” the young soldiers wasted little time in dashing over to knock near frantically at the door. Their efforts were rewarded with the door swinging open and their questions answered.

In the middle of the room lay the bodies of the family whose house this had been, or so it could be assumed. There were five of them; two men who looked to be father and son and three women who appeared to be a mother and her two daughters. All of them had been ripped open and party; their flesh ripped from their bones by jagged teeth and taloned claws. The brothers didn’t have to wonder what kind of creature could’ve produced the bloody, stomach-churning carnage before them; the three creatures were still in the room feasting.

Both boys had given shouts of alarm and horror upon seeing the mutilated bodies which alerted the creatures to the prospect of fresh meat. High-pitched shrieks were emitted by the red-skinned, leather-winged demon as they launched themselves at the alchemists.

“Oh shit, Al duck!” Edward launched himself backwards, stumbling down the stairs while pulling Al along. They hit the ground hard, Al landing atop his brother and knocking the wind out of both of them. By the time they pulled themselves to their feet, the shrill shrieks of the three had been joined by five others who had been feasting nearby.

“Ed, what are we going to do? There’s eight of them – and they don’t look very crazed to me.” Standing back to back, the brother were being surrounded by the demon, the flapping of their leather wings kicking up dist which made it difficult to both breathe and see.

“We fight Al, I have no intention of letting those bastards eat us alive.” Both boys clapped their hands and a shower of alchemical sparks could be seen through the dust cloud. This enraged the demons who then took turns diving into the cloud with their talons extended. With their spears in hand, they managed to duck out of the beasts’ way, at least for the first few swipes. “All right Al, you get their timing down?”

“Yep. I’m ready.” As the next demon dove towards them, Al knelt and used his alchemy to erect a large stone pillar. The unsuspecting demon smashed right into it and fell to the ground with a sickening thud. While the creature was dazed, Edward and Alphonse used the opportunity to stab the thing several times, at least until it stopped moving.

This tactic proved useful for two more demons, but the remaining five refused to fall so easily. Three beasts landed, and approached the pair with long swipes of their sharp claws.

“Oho please, they think they can take us? We didn’t spend all that time getting our asses kicked by Teacher for nothing. Let’s get ‘em, Al.”

With that cry the boys rushed two of the three demons, dodging their gangly and almost clumsy attacks with grace, speed and a display of martial arts far beyond what someone their age should know. Edward ducked under a swinging claw, transforming the blade on his automail arm in the process. When he got in close enough he sliced across the thing’s chest before landing a solid kick in the same spot to follow up. Al used his spear to vault over their attacks, planting his foot in the demon’s face and flipping over its back. Still in possession of his spear, since he’d not let go in the jump, he drove it deep between the creature’s shoulder blades, crippling it.

All appeared to be going smoothly until Al tried to pull the spear out of the damned demon. He’d seen the third approached him, and had tried to pull away when the weapon stuck. By the time he’d abandoned his weapon, the third beast had closed in enough to rake its claws across the younger brother’s back. Al screamed in pain which distracted Edward. When the older boy tried to rush to his brother’s aid, the beast he’d injured sank its teeth into his shoulder.

“Enough!” Everything stopped in that instance as a deep voice bellowed from one of the roof tops. Edward felt the teeth in his shoulder withdraw as the creatures took to the sky, save for the one Al crippled; it limped away a few feet before collapsing on its face. Both state alchemists turned to face their “savior” and gawked in surprised and fury.

The man appeared to be in his late forties with salt and pepper hair and black eyes. He was dressed in blood red robes, decorated in golden flames. Flanking him were a dozen soldiers all dressed in military style uniforms of the same red color.

“Al, you okay?” The younger alchemist simply nodded before turning his attention back to the newest problem.

“Who the hell are you? Did you make these things?”

“Interesting that two young boys could do so much damage against the demons.”

“Answer me, damn it!” Edward screamed at the group while starting in their direction. All the soldiers readied their rifles, prepared to fire.

“Ed! No!” Al was too late, they fired. The last thing each boy knew was stinging pain in numerous spot on their bodies; then the darkness took them.

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Several hundred miles away, a man sat at his desk idly tapping a special pen again the edge of the wood. Three days; it had been three days since the Elrics had failed to report in to the Northern Command and even the cantankerous Colonel whose ire they’d raised unfailingly was worried. Troops had been dispatched to Lanton but little evidence of the boys had been found. The place was a disaster area with rotting corpses strewn about all the homes, most of which were destroyed. A few bits of alchemical transmutation had been evident but there was no trace of where the boys had gotten off to.

“Damn him!” The General cursed loudly and suddenly enough that his subordinates which had quietly been going over other paperwork at their workstations within the large office jumped. Breda fought Havoc for hiding rights to the table while Falman and Fuery looked on helplessly, the former tugging nervously at his collar. It was Fury that finally had the nerve to squeak out a response.

“Um…sir? Are…are you all right?” Sure it was a stupid question and an obvious one at that. The General was anything but all right and his glower, which was only enhanced by the patch covering one eye, was turned on the poor man. Fuery made a rather pitiful sound and swallowed hard, fidgeting as though they were all facing down Hawkeye’s pistol after having used her desk chair in hallway races.

“No, Sergeant Fuery, I am not all right,” Mustang near roared as he stood quickly, sending his chair slamming back into the wall. He bypassed the phone and stormed across the room and threw open the door. “Major Hawkeye, my office…now!” He didn’t bother shutting the door as he turned to leave.

Major Riza Hawkeye had endured much from the General she served, but this had to be one of the most trying and curious things they’d seen. All of them had watched as he slipped away into depression over Ed’s absence and rejoiced as his returned had given the Flame Alchemist back his spark, almost literally. However, this was different. Out of all of them, perhaps only Hawkeye understood the emotions running underneath the surface and though inappropriate as their relationship may be, she wholly approved. Roy had sent Edward and his brother on many dangerous missions but never once had the failed to report back. Never once had there been this level of concern for their welfare. The boys had been hurt, they had worried; but never would Fullmetal and Philosopher leave a town scattered with the bodies of the innocent; even in pursuit of an assignment.

Hawkeye closed the door quietly and shot the four men still scrambling and fussing around the table a look, a serious look. All at once they jumped into motion and within seconds the feuding pair on the floor had straightened out and all stood at attention.

“What is it, sir?”

“Major, I want you to take Havoc and Falman to Lanton. I trust your eyes more than I do the soldiers at Northern Command. Find out what the hell happened there and keep me updated. This nonsense has gone on long enough and while we’ve our hands tied here with two missing alchemists,”and dear friends; they were all thinking it even though it wasn’t said and never would need to be said, “and a serial killer on the loose. Three more bodies have turned up off our projected schedule. Something triggered these recent attacks since the markings weren’t nearly as neat before. They were sloppy, done hastily.”

“Certainly sir, and what will you be doing?”

“Someone killed a few good soldiers with that bombing at the banquet. Before now I hadn’t considered that it might be related, but as it’s turned out, it’s split our resources. I have to wonder if it wasn’t used as a distraction technique or to silence someone that was getting a little too close. I’m going to have a look into Saunders’ research and see just what was so interesting it got him killed. He had just been transferred back from North City not but a few months ago.”

Havoc and Falman gave a near imperceptible groan at being ordered to go with Hawkeye. While they both generally like the woman, being under her command was just terrifying. Fuery and Breda looked at each other for a moment in silent query before Fuery once again found the courage to speak up.

“Sir? Will Lieutenant Breda and I be accompanying you?”

“Yes, I’ll need some help with a few distractions of my own.” As he spoke, there was a distinctive smirk tugging at his lips that reminded them all far too much of the trouble that was about to unfold in Central City. It really was just like old times.