General Art Fullmetal Alchemist: The Philsopher's War (Fan-fic)

[Azure Sage]

Greed, this is awesome! Just spectacular! I could see this as a possible sequel, even!

 

[Lord Death]

Haha thanks Azure Sage! I really appreciate that from a fellow FMA fan!

 

[Mido]

I'm liking this so far, can't wait to read the next part! (Don't forget to address Lt. Colonel Armstrong by the right title)

 

[Lord Death]

CHAPTER 2​

The Return of the Fullmetal Alchemist​

It was almost seven ‘o’clock. Ed, Al, Winry, and May were waiting patiently at the Rush Valley Train Station. Ed and Al were leaving on one train, while Winry and May were leaving on another.

“Will you be alright?” Ed asked.

“Huh?” Winry sounded off guard. “Oh, yea, we’ll be fine! May is just going to stay with me at Resembool for awhile. I’m more concerned about you, though.”

“Concerned about me?” asked Ed smirking. “C’mon! I know how to handle myself! Besides, I’ve got Al here with me! Everything will be fine!”

“I sure hope so,” Winry quietly replied.

Just then the train to Resembool thundered into the station. Winry and May said their goodbyes and headed off, while Ed and Al were left to wait for the person Lt. Colonel Armstrong spoke of. Finally, the next train pulled in. Out of it stepped a young man dressed in military uniform. He had reddish brown hair and brown eyes, and was about Ed’s age. What’s more, he had a state alchemy pocket watch.

“Hey there,” he said, “my name’s Steven. Steven Vaughn. I take it you two are the Elric brothers?”

“That’s us!” replied Al politely.

“Well, I have orders here from Lt. Colonel Armstrong to escort you to Dublith.”

“Escort us?” questioned Ed. “Who do you think you are?”

“Brother, please!” pleaded Alphonse.

“Um,” continued Steven, “I’m pretty sure I’m a guy giving you orders from the higher ups…” At this point, Ed and Steven were viciously butting heads.

“HOW DARE YOU?! I AM THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!”

“NOT ANYMORE YOUR NOT! YOU CAN’T EVEN USE ALCHEMY! AND BESIDES, YOU’RE TOO SHORT!”

“THAT’S IT!” screamed Ed. “YOU’RE IN FOR IT!” At that point Al clapped his hands and touched the ground. From the earth rose a wall that separated Edward and Steven.

“That’s enough!” shouted Al. Ed rubbed the back of his head and Steven shifted uncomfortably, realizing that they were acting like children. “Now,” continued Alphonse, “what’s in Dublith?”

“Oh, right,” said Steven. “Do you remember a place called ‘The Devil’s Nest’?”

“Of course,” replied Edward. “That was Greed’s old hideout.”

“Precisely,” continued Steven. “That is where we are heading.”

“But why?” asked Alphonse.

“Because the military needs you to test something. Something called a Perfect Philosopher’s Stone.”

“A Perfect Stone?” questioned Ed. “What does it do?”

“They didn’t tell me,” answered Steven. “I was just recently hired the other day as a state alchemist… I don’t think they trust me well enough to give me that sort of information…”

“Well,” concluded Al, “there’s only one way to find out what’s really going on. We need to head to Dublith!”

**​

The group arrived in Dublith early the next morning. The city was pretty much asleep, except for a few civilians and some military folk. Steven led the Elrics down a main street and into a familiar alleyway. At the door to “The Devils Nest” stood two armed soldiers, who let the three pass after seeing Steven’s pocket watch.

Things had definitely changed inside the building. Once a pub and a hideout, the place was now a fully operating military laboratory. Ed and Al were escorted through the facility to an underground tunnel that ran below the city. From here they walked two miles through twisting corridors until they finally reached their destination. A large steel door was unlocked and pulled back, revealing one final chamber.

As Ed and Al walked inside, they recognized a familiar face: Roy Mustang. However, after seeing him, they burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?!” Mustang demanded to know.

“It’s your mustache!” the Elrics said chuckling. “You look ridiculous, Colonel!”

“That’s Fuhrer to you now!”

“Oh, that’s right,” Ed said nonchalantly. “I never thought I’d have to call you that! So what’s the deal? You know, with this Perfect Philosopher’s Stone?”

“Huh? Cutting right to the chase, are we? Well, to put it simply, it’s a Philosopher’s Stone with much greater energy than normal.
It was created a few months ago by Doctor Marcoh. It combines the energy of multiple stones.”

“Is that it?” asked Ed doubtfully.

“Well… there is another thing…”

“What is it?!” Al demanded to know.

“It’s,” Mustang began, “… human transmutation.” When he had heard this, Ed grew furious.

“HOW… HOW COULD YOU ALLOW THAT KIND OF EXPERIMENTATION TO BE CONDUCTED?! HOW MANY INNOCENT PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES TO THIS PROJECT?!”

“One,” Mustang answered. “Doctor Marcoh offered his life to finish his research and protect this country.”

“Doctor Marcoh?” questioned Al. “He’s… He’s dead? But how? How is a Perfect Philosopher’s Stone made?”

“Well, first you draw up a human transmutation circle. Then, you need three Philosopher’s Stones, one in each of the inner circles. Finally, you need one human sacrifice in the middle. The sacrifice then performs human transmutation on themselves, and, in their place, a Perfect Philosopher’s Stone.”

“Yea, and what’s the point?!” Ed shouted. “How is it at all different from a normal Philosopher’s Stone?”

“Well,” started Mustang, “that’s why you’re here. This stone does something that a normal stone can’t. It can be infused within someone’s body, thus giving them alchemic powers…” Ed’s eyes widened.

“You mean…?”

“Yes, Ed. You would once again be able to perform alchemy.” After Roy had said this, two men dressed in lab coats walked into the room. They were both carrying part of a large container. Inside of it: the Perfect Philosopher’s Stone.

Both Ed and Al had their eyes fixed upon it. It was perfectly round; about double the size of a normal Philosopher’s Stone. It was colored a dark purple, rather than the traditional violet. But Ed was smart. He knew there was a catch.

“So why are you giving this ‘super weapon’ to me?

“Well, to be honest,” said Mustang, “we want the two of you to fight for us.”

“Fight for you?!” questioned Al. “Against Drachma?”

“Yes. A war is about to break out, and we need to stop it as soon as possible. Amestris, well, isn’t at its strongest right now. We could use both your fighting skills, as well as this opportunity to test out the Perfect Philosopher’s Stone.”

“So not only do you want us to be dogs of the military, you also want me to be a lab rat too?” Ed sarcastically asked.

“Precisely,” Roy answered bluntly.

“HEY, YOU COULD HAVE MADE IT SOUND NICER THAN THAT, YOU KNOW?!” Ed shouted while waving his arms. “But I accept. How ‘bout you, Alphonse?”

“Oh, yea sure, I’m up for it!” Al answered.

“Then it’s settled,” continued Ed. “So how do you infuse that thing into me?” Roy Mustang looked over at Steven, who already had a transmutation circle set up on the ground. He clapped his hands and pressed on the circle. Blue sparks flashed everywhere, and suddenly orange beams sprang from the ground and restrained Edward.

“Brother!” Al called.

“Ugh, what is this?” asked Ed. “Copper?”

“That’s correct,” Steven answered. “That’s why they call me the Copper Alchemist!”

The scientists set the container down on a table in the middle of the room. They opened it up, and Mustang walked over and removed the stone.

“This is going to hurt,” he said to Edward.

“Bring it on,” Ed said. “I’ll go through whatever it takes to get my alchemy back and save Amestris!”

One of the scientists pulled out a knife and handed it to Mustang. He took it and then slashed Ed on the arm, causing him to bleed.

“Owww!” Ed cried. “What was that for!?”

“So I can draw a transmutation circle!” Mustang answered.

“WELL WHY DIDN’T YOU DO IT ON YOUR ARM?” Ed snapped back.

“Because that looked like it hurt!” said Roy chuckling.

He then tore Ed’s shirt, revealing his chest. Mustang removed the glove from his right hand and covered his index finger in Ed’s blood. Finally, he drew a special array on Edward’s chest. Holding the stone in the center of the design, Mustang used his free hand to push it into Ed’s chest, activating the array.

Purple lights and sparks covered the room, while the sound of crackling filled the air. Ed’s eyes starting bulging from all the pain he was in. He then started screaming.

“STEVEN, RESTRAIN HIM!” Mustang shouted through all noise. The copper restraints grew even tighter, causing Ed to scream louder.

“BROTHER!” Al cried with tears in his eyes. Finally, things calmed down. The copper restraints were removed, and Ed fell to the floor half conscious. Roy was able to catch him, as the stone was no longer in his hand. It had been successfully infused! He looked down at Ed, who faintly smirked.

“I’m back…,” he said. “The Fullmetal Alchemist… is back…”

End of Chapter 2​

 

[Mido]

Greed: This....is....a work of ART!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This whole story is leaving me on cliffhangars that make me anxious to see the next chapter!!!! 'Looking forward to it!

 

[ChargewithSword]

This is a very good way for the story to progress. I feel certain parts may be a little rushed but that's alright for now. You're tense have gotten better, but you got to be careful when you use them around when characters are talking. For example:

“Because that looked like it hurt!” said Roy chuckling. That's two different tenses there.

You may also want to try words other than said, though this is more for flourish sake.

Here's another one, you have to be careful with how you use the word, then, because that word can seem very unnecessary in certain situations.

Overall, an exciting story that really displays your prowess as an upcoming writer. You convey very good emotional tension that builds in scenes and leave the viewer wanting more. I can't wait to see.

(P.S One last piece of advice; if you want to check for grammatical errors better, it's better to print out the story on paper.)

 

[Lord Death]

“Because that looked like it hurt!” said Roy chuckling. That's two different tenses there.

So can I say, "Because that looked like it hurt!" chuckled Roy.?

 

[ChargewithSword]

So can I say, "Because that looked like it hurt!" chuckled Roy.?

Yes, that would work basically. There are a few more like that in your story, but it's better if you found them.

 

[Lord Death]

Haha oh yea I know I'll try to work on all that for Chapter 3! But story wise, I've got a pretty good plot planned that I hope the viewers enjoy!

 

[ChargewithSword]

Haha oh yea I know I'll try to work on all that for Chapter 3! But story wise, I've got a pretty good plot planned that I hope the viewers enjoy!

Finally, I remembered what else I wanted to say! Make sure for conversations that involve more than three people have good introductions so that way people can tell who's saying what. This problem mostly happened during your Roy, Ed, Al threeway.

 

[Lord Death]

Finally, I remembered what else I wanted to say! Make sure for conversations that involve more than three people have good introductions so that way people can tell who's saying what. This problem mostly happened during your Roy, Ed, Al threeway.

Okay, gotcha! Thanks again! (umm can't transmute 3o characters?)

 

[Lord Death]

CHAPTER 3​

The Attack on Fort Briggs​

“Attention, all soldiers!” a man yelled over the loud speakers. “Drachma forces have gathered just outside of Briggs’s northern wall! Report to your battle stations immediately!”

What ensued was utter chaos. The attack had taken everyone inside the fort by complete surprise. Men were running every which way, some crashing into others. Fights even broke out. Then the door to the Brigadier General’s office open, and out stepped Olivier Mira Armstrong.

“IS THIS HOW WE ACT WHEN BEING ATTACK?!” she shouted. “YOU’RE BRIGGS MEN; MY MEN! SHAPE UP AND GET INTO POSITION!”

“Y… Yes sir!” they stuttered simultaneously.

The Brigadier General, Olivier Armstrong, was a tough woman. Feared by all, she was very tall and very muscular. Her long blonde hair ran down her back and curled at the ends. She had a long face, with blue eyes and full lips. However, she almost never smiled.

A man appeared behind Armstrong. It was Major Miles, a soldier of Ishvalan decent and Armstrong’s personal adjutant. He looked like most Ishvalans: tan, white hair, and red eyes. However, he was only a quarter of the ethnic background. He tapped Armstrong on her shoulder.

“Sir,” he began, “you should come see this…” He led the Brigadier General to the top of the fort. There, through the light snow, they could see the mass of soldiers approaching the wall from Drachma. Major Miles handed Armstrong a pair of binoculars. She looked through them, estimating an approaching five hundred Drachma soldiers. Fort Briggs only contained about three hundred soldiers. They would be outnumbered. Suddenly, she happened to spot a familiar face.

“Cyrus J. Kimblee…,” she muttered to herself. “Well I’ll be… It’s the ‘Blitzkrieg Alchemist.’” She handed the binoculars back to Miles. She then headed down to a lower balcony, one from which she would be able to talk to the enemy. Kimblee and men were now just a few hundred yards away.

“You dare approach my fortress?” Armstrong asked.

“Olivier,” Kimblee called, “it’s been too long…”

“So, Cyrus, you decided to join Drachma… Why?”

“Well, as you know, soon after I joined the military, my parents died in an accident. That left me with only one person: my older brother. However, after the Ishvalan War of Extermination, he was called a traitor, a psycho! He was locked up in prison by the same damn country that gave him the assignment! But the whole mess affected me as well! I was treated like dirt. They hated my brother, so they hated me as well! I couldn’t stand it! I visited Solf in prison, and you know what he told me?”

Armstrong just glared at him.

“He told me to bury Amestris in rubble! He even taught me the secrets of his Crimson Alchemy! He said, ‘Flee. Flee to Drachma. Build and army, and blow his whole cursed nation up!’ So that’s exactly what I did! I came here, built an army, and created this!” He pulled down his sleeve, revealing the gauntlet and the Philosopher’s Stone placed inside of it. “Today,” he concluded, “Briggs will fall!”

Olivier was quiet. She continued to stare at Kimblee, as if assessing his sanity. Finally, she remark, “You’re even more arrogant than your brother…” At these words, search lights were turned upon the Drachma troops. Panels in the walls of Briggs opened, revealing hundreds of canons. Armed soldiers lined the balconies. Tanks rolled out of doors at ground level. The once dull wall of steel had become a fully armed fortress in a matter of seconds.

“Has it really come down to this?” Kimblee asked.

“This is my fortress,” Armstrong answered. “AND NOBODY DEFEATS THE MEN OF BRIGGS!”

Guns fired from both sides. Armstrong and Kimblee moved out of sight, as not to be shot at. Briggs’s canons took out waves of Drachma soldiers, and its tanks pushed the invading army back. The once white snow was now stained red with blood. Briggs started to pull away with the victory, that is, before Dion stepped in.

Hidden for most of the fight, Dion finally decided to step out from behind a line of soldiers. He reached into his pocket and slowly pulled out a Philosopher’s Stone of his own. He placed it in his mouth, held between his teeth. Dion then removed his gloves, dropped them in the snow, and open the palms of his hands. Tattooed on his palms were the same alchemy circles Solf J. Kimblee had. The Philosopher’s Stone between Dion’s teeth began to glow, as well as the alchemy circles on his hands.

“Feel the wrath of the new ‘Crimson Alchemist!’ he shouted. Suddenly, crimson colored explosions rocked the battlefield, taking out most of Briggs’s equipment. The tide of the entire battle had changed within a moment. Brig. Gen. Armstrong watched from the top of Fort Briggs.

“So,” she started, “Cyrus has taught that man his brother’s alchemy… And it would appear as if he also has a Philosopher’s Stone…”

“Orders, Brigadier General Armstrong?” Major Miles asked. Armstrong didn’t answer. Looking down, she could see that all of the tanks were destroyed. Only a few canons were still firing. And as for soldiers on the battlefield, there were close none.

“Order a retreat…,” she finally muttered.

“Yes sir,” replied Miles. Soon, another siren began to wail; this one meaning retreat. When Kimblee heard this, he moved to the front line.

“Not so fast!” Cyrus remarked. “I’m not letting you get away that easily!” He lifted his right arm. Once again the Philosopher’s Stone, along with the gauntlet, began to glow. Immediately, the sky turned black. Thunder boomed. Kimblee called out, “BLITZKRIEG!” Lightning shot down from the sky, striking his gauntlet. “The ‘Lightning Warfare Alchemist,’” he began, “or the ‘Blitzkrieg Alchemist,’ named this for my specialty in rearranging the protons and elections in various atoms. This rearrangement results in electromagnetic attraction, thus creating electricity! But, together with this stone and amplifier, I can create enough lightning to turn Briggs into dust! Goodbye, Olivier!”

Kimblee waved his arm forward, still charged from the lightning that hit it. More lightning struck from the sky. Bolt by bolt, it traveled in a straight line, headed for one location. Finally, the lightning cut through Fort Briggs like a knife through butter. There was an explosion. Blue light flashed. The sound of static buzzed in everyone’s ears. When the light faded, all anyone could see was rubble.

**​

When Ed woke up, he realized he was in a hospital bed.

“Brother! You’re okay!” Alphonse shouted.

“SHHH!” Ed sounded. “Jeez Al, I just woke up…”

“Oh, I’m sorry! I forgot!” Al apologized.

“So what happened to me?”

“The perfect stone, it was fused into you! You can use alchemy again!”

“… WAIT, SO I’M A PHILOSOPHER’S STONE?!” Ed hollered.

“Hey, I thought you wanted quiet!” Al snapped back. “But yes, basically, you’re now a Perfect Philosopher’s Stone…”

“Ugh, that’s so weird…,” Ed moaned. “So where are we?”

“You’re in Central,” a familiar voice answered. Into the room walked Alex Louis Armstrong. He was a tall, very muscular man in military uniform. He had but a single blonde hair on his square-shaped head and a thick mustache. He had brought Ed flowers and a glass of water. Placing the flowers down, he handed Ed the glass. “Drink up,” he said.

“I’m not thirsty,” Ed answered, still taking the glass from Armstrong. Suddenly, there was a pink light. The next thing they knew, the water had evaporated into water vapor. Everyone in the room looked shocked.

“Wha—What the?! How did that happen?!” Ed screamed.

“You—you didn’t even clap your hands!” added Al.

“So… that isn’t normal?” Armstrong asked. “Well then, it must be the effects of the Perfect Philosopher’s Stone!”

“Must be,” Ed concluded. He put the empty glass on the table next to him.

“So, how are you feeling Edward?” the Lt. Colonel asked.

“Well, I feel fine,” Ed started, “but—”

“Good! You two are scheduled to leave for Xing in one hour!” Armstrong bellowed.

“WHAT!?” the Elrics shouted.

“I JUST GOT HERE!” Ed whined.

“Yea,” Al concurred, “and why do we have to go to Xing anyways?”

“Fuhrer Mustang would like you to talk to your friend, Emperor Ling Yao,” Armstrong answered.

“About what?” Ed questioned.

“About lending troops to Amestris in the upcoming war,” replied Armstrong. Just then, someone stormed into the room. It was Jean Havoc, one of Mustang’s men. He was tall, had messy blonde hair, and always had a cigarette in his mouth. Recently, he was paralyzed from the waist down by the Homunculus “Lust.” However, he was cured by Doctor Marcoh using a Philosopher’s Stone.

“Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong,” he panted, “I ran here to tell you! That upcoming war you were just talking about, it’s already here! Fort Briggs was attacked and destroyed earlier today…”

“Fort Briggs?” Armstrong muttered. “Oh no, sister…”

End of Chapter 3​

 

[ChargewithSword]

Very good. Aside from a few grammatical mistakes early on, there is nothing bad I can really say.

The only thing I could possibly grasp at is your pacing, but that's an author's trait and I wouldn't want to intrude without your permission.

Your thirst for narratives has grown incredibly well. You can definitely feel you are in the world of FMA just by reading this. The sheer power presented in the characters you use is displayed to a magnificent tee. Good work!

 

[Lord Death]

Thanks! I know my pacing is off a bit but its been like that for a while, sad to say... Anyways, thanks for the compliments/advice!

 

[Mido]

Greed, once again you amaze me!!! I like the whole Briggs battle, it was epic!! Can't wait for Chapter 4, any idea when it will be out?