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Fullmetal Kingdom ~ Chapter 28

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Chapter 28: Tringham's Legacy

"That red water you saw, it's a toxic substance...that's been polluting the town. But it's...it's the vital ingredient for creating a Red Stone." After hearing Fletcher's explanation, Al asked, "Is that why the people in Xenotime have been coughing so badly?" Fletcher then broke into tears, "I-I'm...so sorry! (sniff-sniff)" Ed then stood up and said, "Alright, well first things first, Sora, Al, we've gotta demolish this lab!" Suddenly, a voice was heard, "I can't let you do that."

Sora and the Elric Brothers then turn around and see Russell in the room, with a Red Stone in his hand! Russell continued talking, "After all the work we put into it, we finally created a Red Stone!" Sora then said, "Well, we're screwed." Ed looked at Sora and yelled, "CAN IT BAGGY-ASS!" Sora retaliated, "What? He kicked your ass with one last time!" Ed snapped again, "That was just a fluke! I can kick this jerk to next Saturday if I wanted to!" Sora shook his head, "Pff, that coming from the gnome."

"WHO-YA-CALLIN-A-TINY-INSIGNIFICANT-SHORTY-WITH-A-HAT-SIZE-COMPLEX?"

Russell interrupted, "Sorry to intrude on the bonding, but my father gave everything he had in pursuit of this stone, 'Mr. Elric'! If you think I'm going to give up now, then you're quite mistaken." Ed raised an eyebrow in amusement, "So, you care that much for a lame piece of costume jewelry?" Irritated by Edward's mockery, Russell used the power of the Red Stone to transmute a nearby lamp into a Black Sword. Ed smiled and said, "A fake sword from a fake stone? I think I can top that!" Ed then transmuted his Automail arm into a blade and charged at Russell!

The young man guards using the black sword, but to his surprise, the blade started cracking when Ed's blade was pushed further, "Well I guess mine's the genuine article!" Ed gloated. Russell then knocked Ed back with a kick and threw his broken sword aside. However, the fake Elric wasn't done with Ed, he placed his hand on an iron doorway and used alchemy to transmute a large hose!

Sora gave Russell a confused look, "What's with the hose?" Russell replied, "For a hired assassin, you’re not very bright, are you? This hose releases Red Water, straight from the tap!" Sora was surprised to hear Russell’s words, "If Ed gets shot by another dose of that-!" Russell interrupted, "That's right, then he's a goner! The mist was one thing to poison you, but a full dose of the chemical can do more than make you lose your consciousness!"

Sora yelled to Ed, "Alright, time to tag out Ed, I'll deal with him!" Ed replied, "The hell you will, this joker's been using my name!" Sora said in response, "Think Ed, I'm your bodyguard for a reason; I can take the damage for you, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WASTE YOUR LIFE!" Ed smiled and replied, "It's only a waste if I die for nothing! So come on smart-ass, LET IT RAIN!" Ed then quickly transmuted his arm-blade into an umbrella!

Russell then lets loose the Red Water from the hose and tries to use it on Ed, but Ed's umbrella covers his body! "Ed, this is crazy!" Al said, "You're brother's right! Just go and you can live!" Russell said to Ed. But as he kept the umbrella in the way of the hose, Ed yelled out, "NEVER! I'M NOT LOOSING TO A KID WHO JUST WANTS TO BE...JUST LIKE DADDY!" Enraged, Russell aimed the hose at Ed's feet, causing Edward to lose his balance! But then, Ed was pushed away from the hose's poisonous water! Ed got up quickly to see who pushed him, and to his surprise, Sora was the one drenched in Red Water.

"SORA!"

Ed, Al, and Fletcher came to Sora's side. Ed turned Sora over to see his condition, and was startled to see Sora's eye's blank and his skin bathed in red toxic water. Russell was just as frightened when he saw Sora's condition. Ed slowly stood up and roared out in anger, "YOU BASTARD!" Russell gulped and said, "I-I didn't want this to-" Ed interrupted, "SHUT-UP, YOU MURDERER!"

"(cough-cough) I'm n-not dead yet you know!" Ed turned around and saw Sora covering his mouth while coughing. Fletcher said, "He's been exposed to allot of poison! Alphonse, help me make an Antidote!" As Al went with Fletcher to a desk to work on the Antidote, Ed took Sora's hand and said, "Y-you scared the hell out of me! I thought you were dead!" Sora shook his head and said, "(cough) I-idiot! I'm...your bodyguard! My job...is to protect you and Alphonse! Whether I live or die...isn't important, what is important...is that you’re still alive...and I completed my-(cough)...my mission!"

"Your mission, you think dying for me is your mission?!" Sora smiled, "Hey...it's...what we were trained for-(cough-cough)." Fletcher then came to Sora with Al by his side, "You're going to be OK Sora! Just drink this down!" As Sora was given the Antidote, Ed said to him, "Listen, I might not know how you were raised, but killing yourself isn't the best way to solve my problems! When the problem involves me, then I have to deal with it! You can't just jump in and be the hero!"

"It's...what I was raised for-(cough)!"

Sora then fainted, leaving Ed to question Sora's sanity, "Why? Why are you so determined to protect me?" Fletcher sighed and said, "He's going to be fine, I gave him enough to heal up at around the day after tomorrow. Just give him plenty of time to rest and the Antidote should cure him in no time." Al nodded, "Thank you Fletcher."

"Fletcher, what are you doing? They'll try and shut us down!" Russell said to Fletcher. But Fletcher turned at his brother and said, "Well I hope they do!" Russell staggered after hearing Fletcher. The young alchemist continued, "...brother, the reason dad created the Red Stone was to bring happiness to others, but what we've been doing here, it's actually making people suffer, isn't it?"

Russell tried to reply, but in a sense, he knew his brother was telling the truth. Fletcher looked at Sora and said to Russell, "Don't you see the cost of forging that stone? It's THIS, what Sora's going through right now is what most of Xenotime is suffering from! It doesn't matter who gets the credit anymore! Because this isn't...because dad would be ashamed if he saw what we did!" Russell, after hearing Fletcher's words, dropped the hose, and looked at his little brother with a face filled with regret and sorrow...

But suddenly, the alarm went off! As the alarm rang, the guards of the mansion ran to the laboratory doors and knocked on the doors, "Mr. Elric is everything alright?" Russel replied, "Y-yeah, I'm fine! Damn, I told them not to bother me in here..." Ed laughed and said, "Maybe they don't really trust you. Though I can't see why except for, well you know, BOTCHING OUR NAMES AND LYING ABOUT WHO YOU ARE!!!"

Al picked Sora up and said, "Brother, we have to get out now!" But then, Al heard something...it was chalk. Fletcher was using chalk to draw a transmutation! Russell looked at Fletcher and asked, "Wh- Fletcher, what are you doing?" Fletcher didn't answer; instead, he pulled one of the experimental plants over and transmuted it into a large tree to block the door.

Fletcher then looked at the Elrics and said, "RUN FOR IT, HURRY! YOU HAVE TO GET SORA TO A SAFE PLACE TO RECUPERATE! If they catch you, we'll all be in trouble, so please, get out of here! I promise I'll explain everything later!" Ed nodded and said to Al, "Alright, let's go!" With Sora in his hands, Al followed Ed as he jumped through a window and made their escape! Russell watched as the three intruders disappeared into the night, and then, he looked at Fletcher, who then said, "...you could blame me if you want brother."

A few minutes later...

Russell and Fletcher were still in the lab, sitting on the ground as the guards kept trying to break through the tree. Russell looked at Fletcher and said, "You promised me you would never experiment with alchemy Fletcher. We both know dad didn't want you doing it." Before Fletcher could reply, the guards finally broke through the tree with guns in their arms, and as they looked around for anything that might have been stolen, Mugear came into the lab while carrying a medium sized suitcase.

"My lab, what have they done to my lab?" As Mugear pondered, Russell approached him, "Mr. Mugear..." Mugear then looked at Russell, "Huh? Oh, I'm glad to see you’re alright. The stone, has it been damaged?" Russell gave Mugear the Red Stone, "No need to worry, it's intact." Mugear examined the Red Stone with fascination, "Hmm, it's a decent size, I commend you for getting this far, but I'm afraid our time table has been pushed up. I need you to move on to the Contingency Plan!" Russell’s eyes widened, "But sir, we made real progress, we don't need to resort to that-!" Before he could continue, Russell was interrupted by Mugear, "Are you questioning the only man who has given you a second chance?" Russell replied, "...no, no sir."

Mugear then grabbed the suitcase and started to open it, "...there was once another alchemist who couldn't do what I asked. He left here with his tail between his legs and he was never heard from again." Mugear then took out a strange device, filled with red water. The old man then dropped the Red Stone into the machine, and it started to glow, Russell asked, "Wh-what are you doing?" Mugear replied, "Using the latest technology of course! It's powered by both the Red Water and the Red Stones; I call it the Red Rain!" Mugear stared at his weapon with a satisfied look, and then aimed it at Russell and Fletcher. Mugear smiled, "With this machine, even a non-alchemist such as myself...HAS OPTIONS!"

And then, red electricity came out of the Red Rain and created tree roots from the ground, tying up the two brothers! Russell demanded an answer, "Why are you doing this?!" Mugear replied, "Because I can! You honestly thought I was a fool didn't you? That I didn't know that the real Edward Elric has an Automail Arm, that his bodyguard was sold form a secret orphanage and not found on the streets, that the younger brother is a giant that hides inside a large suit of armor, that you two are really the sons of Nash Tringham!"

Meanwhile, Sora and the Elrics returned to Belsio's house while everyone was asleep, including Tidus. As Al carried him, Sora looked at him and said, "You can put me down now, I'm alright." Al nodded and placed Sora on the floor. As the young bodyguard stood up, he rubbed his eyes and looked at the Elrics, "Well, at least my vision's working again."

Ed then said to Sora, "You're not alright yet, you still need to recuperate. That Antidote should be done clearing the poison from your body in two days. So go to sleep and tomorrow, leave the dangerous stuff to me and Al." Sora shook his head, "I can't do that Edward. By the Colonel's order, I'm supposed to protect you from deadly situations, and that's what I'm going to do. Besides, I might find out where Riku and the others are." Ed poked Sora and said, "Not if you’re dead, Bush-Brain!"

"Allot of excitement at the mansion, huh boys?"

The three turned toward a chair in the dining room, and sitting in that chair, was Belsio, drinking some coffee. "Eh, heh-heh-heh, you don't say." Ed said while rubbing his head. Belsio gave a sharp glare at the boys and said, "Second night in a row. Not much hope for you, is there?"

Just then, Sora, Ed, and Al heard some small coughs coming from one of the rooms. Al recognized the coughing, "Is Elisa still here?" Belsio replied, "Her father's going to be furious, but she wanted to stay here. And like you three, she won't listen to reason; I had no choice with her coughing like that, so I put her to bed. So what about you guys? You bring in some beat-up kid, and now your all back after another goose chase in the mansion." Ed then said to Belsio, "It's a bit more...complicated than you'd like to believe..."

As Ed explained what happened at the mansion, Belsio stared in disbelief over the fact that the so called Elrics were responsible for creating the Red Water, the source of all the people's sickness. When Ed finished, he said, "Pff, those idiots can create as many stones as they want, they'll never come close to making the Philosopher Stone. It's a complete waste of time." Al looked at Ed and said, "The elder one, he said that his father put everything he had in making the Red Stone." Ed replied, "Yeah, yeah, but it's probably another lie." then Belsio said, "Unless...maybe they're the sons of Nash Tringham."

The trio's eyes widened when they heard the name, Sora then said, "Nash...wait, Ed, isn't that the guy who had research on the Red Stone?" Ed nodded, "Yeah now I remember, Nash Tringham was his full name! So those two fakers...were his kids?" Belsio replied, "The two of you could be right. Nash had children and the credit for the Red Stone. He was born in Xenotime, just like me, he only moved to Central to put his research of the Red Water to use. He was gone for years, but then one day...he just showed up again, out of the blue."

Sora then noticed the tone in Belsio's voice, "Sir, the way you talk about Nash, it almost sounds like the two of you were friends." Belsio smiled, "Yep, since childhood. And even when he returned, he greeted me with a smile. But there was something else about him, when he came back; he almost looked like he was ready to jump off a bridge. It turned out his research was to blame, so because of it, he left behind everything that mattered to him. He never told me what happened in Central, he was a wet wounded animal, ready to be pounced on...and the town's biggest land baron, Mugear, makes his fortune spilling blood..."

Sora then said, "So there is a connection between Mugear and the kids after all. He needed them to complete their father's work on the Red Stones!" Al then asked, "But where is Mr. Tringham?" Belsio replied, "...ultimately, Nash gave in, secluding himself in Mugear's mine to resume his research. And as the land baron promised, the town was once again lit by gold. The streets of Xenotime were rich with gold, and life returned to the people...but at the same time, a mysterious plague began to spread."

Ed was startled, "A plague?" Belsio continued, "...we had all the money we could afford, but they couldn't buy a cure. Many...many babies succumbed to the disease as soon as they were born." Ed looked at the door to the room Elisa was sleeping in and then realized, "...Elisa...was born then?" Belsio nodded, "When she was a baby, an alchemic doctor named Marcoh passed through town and took a look at her. He said that she came into contact with Red Water, and to stop her sickness, he used some strange tools that lit up the room."

Ed jumped from his seat, "It glowed?" Belsio looked at Ed, "Yes." Al then said, "The doctor's tools, could they be the real thing?" Belsio said, "Well, whatever it was, we have that treatment to thank for Elisa's survival. I hounded Nash all about the Red Water, and he told me that it was indeed his fault. So after he admitted what he did, he took it on himself to end it. And that was the last time anyone's ever saw him. Soon after, the gold dried up and the town was once again on the decline. If those are indeed Nash's boys, they must have come this way in search of their father...or his work."

Sora clenched his fist, "All those children...how can anyone go through all that, and still keep poisoning people? If Nash’s research is used again...what's to stop another sickness from spreading?" Ed looked at Sora and replied, "Us of course, duh!"

End of Chapter 28
"A State Alchemist is in need of protection, so the State hires a child trained for combat and protection to look after the alchemist no mater what. They will face dangerous obstacles, sinister enemies, and uncover secrets that could change the world..."

Last time, Alphonse befriended the young boy who pretended to be him, Fletcher, who also had a father with alchemic talents. The two boys crossed paths with a battle-damaged Sora, who was carrying Tidus, who was under the control of the Slave Crown until Sora destroyed it and released asked about the Slave Crown, Fletcher didn't seem to know how it ended up on Tidus.

That night, Edward hatched another plan to sneak into Mugear's Mansion with Sora and Al by his side. But when Ed and the others dug underground, none of them would have expected the surprise that awaited them, they found their way to a large sewer line that was filled with Red Water, a substance used for creating an imitation of the real Philosopher Stone. Ed remembered hearing about the water from a book written by a man named Nash, but before they could get to the bottom of the mystery, Sora and Ed were victimized by the poisonous fumes in the sewer.

Due to having no body, Al was immune to the poisonous toxin, but he had no way of helping his brother and the Keyblade Master, but before Al lost hope, Fletcher arrived and helped Al save their lives. The two heroes were brought into a lab, where Fletcher made an Antidote that removed the poison from Sora and Edward's bodies. As the two woke up, Fletcher decided to tell them and Al the truth of what he and his brother, Russel were secretly working on...

Warning: Kingdom Hearts and Fullmetal Alchemist are both licensed by Square-Enix. The secondary licenses for both franchises are Disney (Kingdom Hearts), Aniplex, Bones Inc., and Funimation (Fullmetal Alchemist).

PS: There will be spoilers.

Next Chapter: Fullmetal Kingdom ~ Chapter 29
© 2013 - 2024 4xEyes1987
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jakman129's avatar
nice story so far.