Title: Vice & Virtue Homunculus Origins
Description: As Commissioned by BR-san
Description: As Commissioned by BR-san
GoldenSama - November 10, 2005 12:56 AM (GMT)
BR has asked that I change this topic into being a topic for all the origins of the homunculi that he asked me to write. So far, it's just Faith and Fortitude, but more will be showing up. ^o^
Not ALL the homunculus will be told here; he wants to, and HAS to do some of them himself in his fic... but some of their stories will be told here. :P
Faith's history has been re-written, as per BR-san's request. :P Also Hughes' history is changed so he never got Kevin's arms.
Fortitude
The History of the Hughes Homunculus
By Brandon “GS” Rice
Written for BlueRush.
Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return,
To obtain, something of equal or greater value must first be lost,
That is Alchemy’s first law of Equivalent Exchange,
In those days, we really believed that to be the world’s one and only truth.
----
“Mrs. Hughes, I understand that you’ve been through quite the ordeal, and I am sympathetic, however if you cannot make the payment by the end of the month, I’ll have no choice but to foreclose.”
At the home of Gracia Hughes, a young widow who lived alone with her daughter Elicia, there was a man standing on the front lawn. He represented the bank, and he was the bearer of bad news. Gracia had her head hung in sadness, and she bit her lip softly. The wind blew lightly, tickling her legs as it blew her dress, and she sighed.
“I’m behind on the house payments, yes, I understand that Mr. Colt.” Gracia said softly. “I’m also behind on my car payments, and Elicia will be starting school in the fall, and I can’t afford her books. My husband had recently gotten a promotion and he bought several things on credit before he had the money for it. I assure you, we never meant for it to happen like this . . . but my husband is dead, and we don’t have money coming in anymore. I have the money, but if I pay you now, then I won’t be able to afford groceries.”
Mr. Colt from the bank, though he claimed to be sympathetic, was not. He was just a cold, greedy man who only cared about his money, and not about the Widow Hughes.
“Mrs. Hughes, I’m sorry.” He said, but it wasn’t true. He just had to say it to at least pretend like he gave a damn about anyone but himself. “But we need the money.”
“How much?” A male voice broke the air, and both the widow Hughes and Mr. Colt turned around. There was a man standing at the far end of the yard, dressed in a simple white shirt and black pants. The man had short black hair, and on his belt was a silver chain for a pocket watch.
“Who are you?” Mr. Colt asked.
“How much does she owe you?” The man ignored his question, and asked his own once again.
“I represent the First Bank of the Artemies Military, sir, that qualifies me as a Military Officer. Answer my question.” The banker, who by law was a military officer because of the bank’s connections to the State, just loved to brag about his power.
The man reached into his pocket and then held up his pocket watch; the symbol of a State Alchemist gleamed in the dim morning sunlight, and Mr. Colt’s smug smirk washed off his face in a heartbeat. His own heartbeat began to increase as well.
“I’m Colonel Roy Mustang, Head of Eastern Headquarters and the ‘Flame Alchemist’, appointed by Fuhrer King Bradley.” The man replied with ice in his voice. “Like you said, you’re a ‘qualified as a military office’, and a superior officer just asked you a question, now answer it.”
Mr. Colt looked at Mustang for a moment, obviously taken aback by this out-of-uniform Colonel giving him orders, but not about to say a word about it.
“Mrs. Hughes owes quite a large sum.” Mr. Colt replied.
“First of all, you address me as ‘Sir’ when you talk to me.” Mustang informed him, his voice still as cold and ruthless as a winter storm. “Secondly, you can take what she owes out of my bank account, and from now on you deal directly with me until further notice, do you understand?”
“Yes sir” Mr. Colt said through gritted teeth, then he turned and left the Hughes’ yard, getting into his expensive car and driving away, muttering about stuck-up Colonels.
Gracia turned to Roy and smiled. “I’ll pay you back when I can.”
“Forget about it.” Mustang replied, waving his hand and shaking off her offer. “I wouldn’t take your money.”
“Would you care for a cup of tea?” Gracia asked.
“No. I have business to take care of.” Roy replied, and he began to walk away, but then he stopped and looked over his shoulder. “But the next time you need some help, call me.”
“You don’t have to take care of us, you know.” Gracia said softly. “Maes –”
“Yes I do.” Mustang cut her off. “I owe him that much.”
----
As Roy turned and walked away from the Hughes House, someone was watching across the street. A young man watched Mrs. Hughes as she went back into the house, and a smirk crossed his face. A few minutes later, as the man continued to watch the Hughes Home, a woman walked up to accompany him.
“Did you pick someone yet?” The woman asked. She was blonde, with long hair that fell down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were cold and blue like the winter sky. The man was also a blonde, he had green eyes, however, and those eyes held a deep sadness.
“Yes. Maes Hughes, he was in the Military, Head of Investigations –” Before the man could finish, the woman shook her head.
“No Military!” The woman snapped.
“He’s a good man.” The man tried to argue. “He has a wife and a little daughter who misses him. Please Alexia, I want to see these people helped. He deserves it.”
“No.” Alexia, the blonde woman, firmly said. “If the Military found out about the stone they would kill us and take it! Besides, this is scientific; not sympathetic. Pick someone else Kevin.”
“No, I will not.” Kevin replied to his sister, his own voice becoming stern. “Maes Hughes deserves it.”
“You’re talking about bringing someone back from the dead. That isn’t what we’re doing. No one has ever done that before.” Alexia informed him somewhat misguidedly.
“We have the stone, don’t we?” Kevin asked, his eyebrow raised.
“Did you forget what we he warned us about the stone? Did you forget who will be coming after us? That’s what he told us anyway. He warned us about them.” Alexia spoke in a warning voice, sinister and cold.
“Did you forget how you felt when our father died? A four-year-old girl has no father now; if you had a chance to see dad again when you were her age . . .”
“Fine. Do what you want; but leave me out of it.” Alexia said, handing Kevin a small brown paper bag. Kevin reached his hand inside and took out a small smooth red stone which he placed in his pocket. Then Kevin turned and walked towards a nearby bar, where he would sit and drink for the next few hours, until it would be time.
----
Once night had fallen, and under the cover of darkness, Kevin headed out to the Graveyard reserved for Military Personnel and their families. He hurried over to the tombstone that had the name HUGHES written on it in large letters, and he dropped down to his knees and began to draw a circle in the dirt with his index finger. He hurried and finished the alchemic symbol, and then he placed his hands on the edges.
There was a bright flash of light and then the dirt disappeared beneath his hands; he had broken it down on a subatomic level and it became nothing at all. Kevin looked down at the casket that Maes Hughes was buried in, and he hurriedly went about opening it and stealing the bones of Brigadier-General Hughes, stuffing them gently in a bag and then running out of the graveyard before anyone would catch him.
----
Six hours later he was in a small cottage in the middle of the forest, the bones of Maes Hughes scattered on the floor, and a giant, highly advanced and complicated alchemic circle was drawn in white chalk on the black marble beneath the skeletal remains. Kevin and Alexia stood on opposite sides of the room. The brother and sister duo looked at one another, and then they got down on their knees around the edge of the outer white circle.
“Are you sure this will work?” Alexia asked.
“Yes. We followed all of the instructions we found in that old book. We have all the elements of a human body lying underneath it . . . we can do this, Alexia. I know we can. We’ll bring Hughes back.”
Alexia and Kevin had spent years of their lives filled with pain and suffering. They had become alchemists for a reason that was long outdated. They wanted to help people. It was a cause that most alchemists didn’t even pretend to do anymore. They honestly did want to help people. That is why they chose Hughes. They wanted to bring back a person who was good, and had a family who needed him. They did not thing about the repercussions.
It had been four weeks ago when a man approached them. The man seemed to know all about their ambitions to help people, and he gave them a Philosopher’s Stone. He told them that human alchemy was possible with that stone, and then, to illustrate his point, he took them to a small village where a young boy with an automail foot lived. Then with the stone’s incredible power, he used alchemy to replace the automail with live flesh and blood.
Kevin and Alexia took the stone, and decided to do good. They traveled for weeks, healing the sick, helping the poor, and in the end, they decided to try the ultimate act of human alchemy – bringing someone back from the dead. They choose Hughes because he was a good person; what they did not know was that none of it mattered.
As the two young alchemists placed their hands on the white chalk pattern, a blue light emitted around the room. The bones of Maes Hughes began to glow, as did the raw alchemic materials scattered around the bones. A shape began to form inside the alchemic ruins, and the two smiled at each other.
And then, the Philosopher’s Stone that Kevin held, the central piece to their plans – shattered into shards. Kevin and Alexia gasped, and then the blue lights turned red; black clouds began to swirl around them, and then they saw the gate.
And then there was screaming.
Alexia was gone; her entire body was taken beyond the gate, vanished into the void. As she vanished tiny, round black creatures came out of the gave and covered her brother. Kevin screamed, and they took his arms to the other side.
A few hours later, the man who had given them the stone arrived at the cottage, and he found Alexia gone. Kevin had bled to death from losing his arms, and the stone’s shards were scattered all over the floor.
“It didn’t work.”
The man sighed and dropped his head. “The stone wasn’t strong enough. They used it to heal too many . . . it wasn’t a real Philosopher’s Stone, just a Red Stone, made from condensed Red Water. They overused it.”
The man reached down to his pocket and took out another stone, it too was false, but it had never been used before. He walked forward to the body created from Hughes’ bones and he sat down and re-drew the transmutation circle. Then the man summoned up the gate; but his stone had the power to handle it. There was a scream in the air of wind as the gate opened, and the soul of Maes Hughes came back through the void and into the body of the Homunculus that had been carved for him.
The man left the homunculus on the floor; naked and alone. The Hughes Homunculus awoke and opened its eyes; but the man was gone by the time it did. It had no clue who it was, where it was, or how it had come to be.
Fortitude looked down and saw the dead Kevin. He stood up and opened his mouth in horror at the scene he saw. There was so much blood from Kevin’s missing arms, pooling across the ground.
“W-W-What is this?” Fortitude said aloud, horrified by the scene he saw. He knew he had to get out of here, but he knew he couldn’t run through the forest naked, something he realized as he walked by a mirror. He looked at Kevin’s dead body and felt sick by what he knew he had to do. He stole Kevin’s clothes, feeling horrible for having to do it, and turned to leave the cottage when he heard a voice.
“Homunculus . . . I see now. It was successful, I was able to see you. I was able to make you.”
“Gah!” Fortitude turned around and saw a man wearing a pure white face mask, dressed in a black trench coat with black gloves that had no finger coverings. “Homunculus? What are you talking about? Who are you? Where am I? What happened here?”
“You are a Homunculus. Did you not know that?” The man in black asked.
“What . . . No . . . I . . . Get out of my way! I want to leave this place!” Fortitude demanded.
“Hahahahahahahahah . . . You were a test Mr. Homunculus. To see if I could create one of your kind. When a true Homunculus is born, the soul used to make it is used up forever. I couldn’t test it out on who I needed to make as a homunculus; but now that I know it works . . .”
“What are you blabbering about?” Fortitude asked.
“I tricked those idiots into using human alchemy with a faulty philosopher’s stone so that I could create a homunculus from the result. Now I just need to do it again and then – ”
“You sacrificed these people’s lives like that? To make me?” Fortitude asked, horrified.
“Some blood must be spilled.” The man in black defended his actions.
“No! That’s horrible!”
“Hmm . . . you do have his personality. A waste, and a pity. However, I no longer need you, Homunculi. Goodbye.”
The man in black lifted his left hand out of his pocket, and he held a glossy black pistol. He aimed it at Fortitude and fired; but Fortitude dove to the side and jumped under a table. Bullets smashed into the table behind him, and he grabbed a bowl that fell onto the floor and threw it at the man in black. The man was hit by Fortitude’s incredible aim and he dropped the gun. Fortitude used this moment to run out the back door, into the woods.
The man in black followed him.
“You cannot escape . . .” The man in black aimed his pistol and fired it at him. The Homunculus jumped into the woods. Then he turned and looked at the man in black with distaste in his eyes and anger in his face, sweltering up and causing him to growl. He had to defeat this despicable fiend who had costs two young alchemists their lives just for an experiment. Though he had no memories of who he was, or what had happened, he still had his basic knowledge; and he still knew how much he hated this man he didn’t know for what he had done.
The Ultimate Aim . . . that is what Fortitude would become known as one day. He picked up a small rock and stood up. The man in black smirked and aimed his gun; but in a flash Fortitude threw the tiny rock and, with an unnaturally good aim, the pebble stuck in the barrel of the pistol. As the man in black fired, the gun jammed, and the bullet that had been launched forward stuck in the nozzle and as the pressure built up it burst and exploded in his hand, causing the man to shout out in pain and drop the gun; blood pouring down from the shrapnel that had become impaled in his palm.
“You! You owe me your life! You were just a pile of rotting bones before I came!” The man in black howled.
“You murdered and deceived to create me, as a guinea pig? You’re a psychopath!” Fortitude snapped back. The man in black charged at him and threw a punch; Fortitude dodged it and grabbed the man’s arm and flipped him over in a judo-style move, rendering the man onto his back. Then he punched him hard in the neck. Then Fortitude turned and crawled quickly to the grass as the man in black coughed; Fortitude picked up a rock and threw it at the man’s head. It knocked him unconscious.
Fortitude wandered off into the night, unsure where he would go or what he would do . . .
_________________________________________
Have Faith
by Brandon “GS” Rice
for BlueRush’s V&V Fanfic
The History of Faith; the Homunculus
Okay; here’s the NEW and IMPROVED history of Faith. :P Hope you like it BR-san!
Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return,
To obtain, something of equal or greater value must first be lost,
That is Alchemy’s first law of Equivalent Exchange,
In those days, we really believed that to be the world’s one and only truth.
----
Hissegart is a medium-sized city not too far from Central. The city became famous, or at the very least, infamous, when an Alchemist named Wilhelm transmuted an army of Chimeras, and led the Alchemists of the city in a revolt against the military. Officially, the rebellion was quashed by a State Alchemist named Edward Elric. In reality, the rebellion was a cover-up so that Wilhelm could turn his homunculus daughter, Armony, into a real girl -- like his dead true daughter Selene. Ed and Al did stop him; and in the process the town became infamous for all the lives lost and damage done.
However, long before Edward and Alphonse entered Hissegart, long before Brigadier-General Nemda squared off with Colonel Mustang, there was another infamous event in that town. A Alchemist named Douglas Glass, who was renown and famous, caused quite a stir in the town.
Douglas and Kathryn Glass were happily married and in love. Douglas was a strong man with a strong chin, a small beard, and dark brown hair. His eyes were icy blue, but filled with a warm love for his wife. Kathryn was a pretty redhead with beautiful brown eyes and flawless skin. She loved Douglas, and treated him like a King. Her love for him was matched only by his for her; and he treated her better than a Queen.
The only thing that matched his passion for his wife, was his passion for Alchemy. He was a famous Alchemist, he had written two books on Alchemy -- one of which was inside the prestigious Central Library for State Alchemists. Life was good for Douglas, and because of his famous Alchemist book, he was made a State Alchemist.
However, as good as life was, it became just as bad. They lived in a big mansion, ate off of expensive imported plates, and he had a ton of money which he used to buy gifts for his beloved Kathryn. They had a daughter named May, and then another daughter after her. For fifteen years, things were good.
And then Kathryn came down with a disease. An unknown disease. Though Douglas took her to every Doctor he could find, even taking her to each of the five Capital Cities, he could not find anyone who could help her. Then his wife died of the flesh-eating disease, and he was stricken with sadness – but his daughters made him strong. He taught them Alchemy, as he had been doing since they were twelve and ten.
One day Douglas met a man named Hoeinheim Elric, the Alchemist of Light. Hoeinheim was a skilled alchemist, very far beyond Douglas. However, the night that Hoeinheim came home with Douglas to meet his daughters, they discovered that his youngest, who was just seventeen, had come down with the same disease as her mother. Douglas thought he would lose his daughter too, and he couldn’t stand it. Hoeinheim told him they should use Alchemy to heal her.
Hoeinheim left that night, for reasons unknown; but Douglas and May proceeded without him. They used human alchemy on the sick sister; and the result was horrible. Douglas lost both of his legs and one of his arms; and he went blind. May sacrificed one of her arms to bind her sister’s soul to a lamp. Hoeinheim never returned, but someone else did. A man in a black trench coat, with black gloves that had no finger covers. He wore a white face mask and he brought a fake philosophers’s stone with him.
He offered to create a homunculus for them, and he did. The homunculus looked just like the dead sister had; and then May transmuted the soul from the lamp into the homunculus – creating a homunculus with a soul; a one of a kind. The man in the white said he would be back in the morning – and that is when Faith, as the Homunculus would come to be known, had her first vision.
She was the Ultimate Spirit, and always had Faith. Mainly because she could see the future – in a limited effect. She saw that the man in the white mask planned to do horrible things to them, so the three fled. Douglas now had automail legs and an automail arm – May also had an automail arm. The three vanished into the night, and the man in the white mask had to move onto plan B.
What happened to Faith, Douglas and May however, is another story.
Not ALL the homunculus will be told here; he wants to, and HAS to do some of them himself in his fic... but some of their stories will be told here. :P
Faith's history has been re-written, as per BR-san's request. :P Also Hughes' history is changed so he never got Kevin's arms.
Fortitude
The History of the Hughes Homunculus
By Brandon “GS” Rice
Written for BlueRush.
Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return,
To obtain, something of equal or greater value must first be lost,
That is Alchemy’s first law of Equivalent Exchange,
In those days, we really believed that to be the world’s one and only truth.
----
“Mrs. Hughes, I understand that you’ve been through quite the ordeal, and I am sympathetic, however if you cannot make the payment by the end of the month, I’ll have no choice but to foreclose.”
At the home of Gracia Hughes, a young widow who lived alone with her daughter Elicia, there was a man standing on the front lawn. He represented the bank, and he was the bearer of bad news. Gracia had her head hung in sadness, and she bit her lip softly. The wind blew lightly, tickling her legs as it blew her dress, and she sighed.
“I’m behind on the house payments, yes, I understand that Mr. Colt.” Gracia said softly. “I’m also behind on my car payments, and Elicia will be starting school in the fall, and I can’t afford her books. My husband had recently gotten a promotion and he bought several things on credit before he had the money for it. I assure you, we never meant for it to happen like this . . . but my husband is dead, and we don’t have money coming in anymore. I have the money, but if I pay you now, then I won’t be able to afford groceries.”
Mr. Colt from the bank, though he claimed to be sympathetic, was not. He was just a cold, greedy man who only cared about his money, and not about the Widow Hughes.
“Mrs. Hughes, I’m sorry.” He said, but it wasn’t true. He just had to say it to at least pretend like he gave a damn about anyone but himself. “But we need the money.”
“How much?” A male voice broke the air, and both the widow Hughes and Mr. Colt turned around. There was a man standing at the far end of the yard, dressed in a simple white shirt and black pants. The man had short black hair, and on his belt was a silver chain for a pocket watch.
“Who are you?” Mr. Colt asked.
“How much does she owe you?” The man ignored his question, and asked his own once again.
“I represent the First Bank of the Artemies Military, sir, that qualifies me as a Military Officer. Answer my question.” The banker, who by law was a military officer because of the bank’s connections to the State, just loved to brag about his power.
The man reached into his pocket and then held up his pocket watch; the symbol of a State Alchemist gleamed in the dim morning sunlight, and Mr. Colt’s smug smirk washed off his face in a heartbeat. His own heartbeat began to increase as well.
“I’m Colonel Roy Mustang, Head of Eastern Headquarters and the ‘Flame Alchemist’, appointed by Fuhrer King Bradley.” The man replied with ice in his voice. “Like you said, you’re a ‘qualified as a military office’, and a superior officer just asked you a question, now answer it.”
Mr. Colt looked at Mustang for a moment, obviously taken aback by this out-of-uniform Colonel giving him orders, but not about to say a word about it.
“Mrs. Hughes owes quite a large sum.” Mr. Colt replied.
“First of all, you address me as ‘Sir’ when you talk to me.” Mustang informed him, his voice still as cold and ruthless as a winter storm. “Secondly, you can take what she owes out of my bank account, and from now on you deal directly with me until further notice, do you understand?”
“Yes sir” Mr. Colt said through gritted teeth, then he turned and left the Hughes’ yard, getting into his expensive car and driving away, muttering about stuck-up Colonels.
Gracia turned to Roy and smiled. “I’ll pay you back when I can.”
“Forget about it.” Mustang replied, waving his hand and shaking off her offer. “I wouldn’t take your money.”
“Would you care for a cup of tea?” Gracia asked.
“No. I have business to take care of.” Roy replied, and he began to walk away, but then he stopped and looked over his shoulder. “But the next time you need some help, call me.”
“You don’t have to take care of us, you know.” Gracia said softly. “Maes –”
“Yes I do.” Mustang cut her off. “I owe him that much.”
----
As Roy turned and walked away from the Hughes House, someone was watching across the street. A young man watched Mrs. Hughes as she went back into the house, and a smirk crossed his face. A few minutes later, as the man continued to watch the Hughes Home, a woman walked up to accompany him.
“Did you pick someone yet?” The woman asked. She was blonde, with long hair that fell down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were cold and blue like the winter sky. The man was also a blonde, he had green eyes, however, and those eyes held a deep sadness.
“Yes. Maes Hughes, he was in the Military, Head of Investigations –” Before the man could finish, the woman shook her head.
“No Military!” The woman snapped.
“He’s a good man.” The man tried to argue. “He has a wife and a little daughter who misses him. Please Alexia, I want to see these people helped. He deserves it.”
“No.” Alexia, the blonde woman, firmly said. “If the Military found out about the stone they would kill us and take it! Besides, this is scientific; not sympathetic. Pick someone else Kevin.”
“No, I will not.” Kevin replied to his sister, his own voice becoming stern. “Maes Hughes deserves it.”
“You’re talking about bringing someone back from the dead. That isn’t what we’re doing. No one has ever done that before.” Alexia informed him somewhat misguidedly.
“We have the stone, don’t we?” Kevin asked, his eyebrow raised.
“Did you forget what we he warned us about the stone? Did you forget who will be coming after us? That’s what he told us anyway. He warned us about them.” Alexia spoke in a warning voice, sinister and cold.
“Did you forget how you felt when our father died? A four-year-old girl has no father now; if you had a chance to see dad again when you were her age . . .”
“Fine. Do what you want; but leave me out of it.” Alexia said, handing Kevin a small brown paper bag. Kevin reached his hand inside and took out a small smooth red stone which he placed in his pocket. Then Kevin turned and walked towards a nearby bar, where he would sit and drink for the next few hours, until it would be time.
----
Once night had fallen, and under the cover of darkness, Kevin headed out to the Graveyard reserved for Military Personnel and their families. He hurried over to the tombstone that had the name HUGHES written on it in large letters, and he dropped down to his knees and began to draw a circle in the dirt with his index finger. He hurried and finished the alchemic symbol, and then he placed his hands on the edges.
There was a bright flash of light and then the dirt disappeared beneath his hands; he had broken it down on a subatomic level and it became nothing at all. Kevin looked down at the casket that Maes Hughes was buried in, and he hurriedly went about opening it and stealing the bones of Brigadier-General Hughes, stuffing them gently in a bag and then running out of the graveyard before anyone would catch him.
----
Six hours later he was in a small cottage in the middle of the forest, the bones of Maes Hughes scattered on the floor, and a giant, highly advanced and complicated alchemic circle was drawn in white chalk on the black marble beneath the skeletal remains. Kevin and Alexia stood on opposite sides of the room. The brother and sister duo looked at one another, and then they got down on their knees around the edge of the outer white circle.
“Are you sure this will work?” Alexia asked.
“Yes. We followed all of the instructions we found in that old book. We have all the elements of a human body lying underneath it . . . we can do this, Alexia. I know we can. We’ll bring Hughes back.”
Alexia and Kevin had spent years of their lives filled with pain and suffering. They had become alchemists for a reason that was long outdated. They wanted to help people. It was a cause that most alchemists didn’t even pretend to do anymore. They honestly did want to help people. That is why they chose Hughes. They wanted to bring back a person who was good, and had a family who needed him. They did not thing about the repercussions.
It had been four weeks ago when a man approached them. The man seemed to know all about their ambitions to help people, and he gave them a Philosopher’s Stone. He told them that human alchemy was possible with that stone, and then, to illustrate his point, he took them to a small village where a young boy with an automail foot lived. Then with the stone’s incredible power, he used alchemy to replace the automail with live flesh and blood.
Kevin and Alexia took the stone, and decided to do good. They traveled for weeks, healing the sick, helping the poor, and in the end, they decided to try the ultimate act of human alchemy – bringing someone back from the dead. They choose Hughes because he was a good person; what they did not know was that none of it mattered.
As the two young alchemists placed their hands on the white chalk pattern, a blue light emitted around the room. The bones of Maes Hughes began to glow, as did the raw alchemic materials scattered around the bones. A shape began to form inside the alchemic ruins, and the two smiled at each other.
And then, the Philosopher’s Stone that Kevin held, the central piece to their plans – shattered into shards. Kevin and Alexia gasped, and then the blue lights turned red; black clouds began to swirl around them, and then they saw the gate.
And then there was screaming.
Alexia was gone; her entire body was taken beyond the gate, vanished into the void. As she vanished tiny, round black creatures came out of the gave and covered her brother. Kevin screamed, and they took his arms to the other side.
A few hours later, the man who had given them the stone arrived at the cottage, and he found Alexia gone. Kevin had bled to death from losing his arms, and the stone’s shards were scattered all over the floor.
“It didn’t work.”
The man sighed and dropped his head. “The stone wasn’t strong enough. They used it to heal too many . . . it wasn’t a real Philosopher’s Stone, just a Red Stone, made from condensed Red Water. They overused it.”
The man reached down to his pocket and took out another stone, it too was false, but it had never been used before. He walked forward to the body created from Hughes’ bones and he sat down and re-drew the transmutation circle. Then the man summoned up the gate; but his stone had the power to handle it. There was a scream in the air of wind as the gate opened, and the soul of Maes Hughes came back through the void and into the body of the Homunculus that had been carved for him.
The man left the homunculus on the floor; naked and alone. The Hughes Homunculus awoke and opened its eyes; but the man was gone by the time it did. It had no clue who it was, where it was, or how it had come to be.
Fortitude looked down and saw the dead Kevin. He stood up and opened his mouth in horror at the scene he saw. There was so much blood from Kevin’s missing arms, pooling across the ground.
“W-W-What is this?” Fortitude said aloud, horrified by the scene he saw. He knew he had to get out of here, but he knew he couldn’t run through the forest naked, something he realized as he walked by a mirror. He looked at Kevin’s dead body and felt sick by what he knew he had to do. He stole Kevin’s clothes, feeling horrible for having to do it, and turned to leave the cottage when he heard a voice.
“Homunculus . . . I see now. It was successful, I was able to see you. I was able to make you.”
“Gah!” Fortitude turned around and saw a man wearing a pure white face mask, dressed in a black trench coat with black gloves that had no finger coverings. “Homunculus? What are you talking about? Who are you? Where am I? What happened here?”
“You are a Homunculus. Did you not know that?” The man in black asked.
“What . . . No . . . I . . . Get out of my way! I want to leave this place!” Fortitude demanded.
“Hahahahahahahahah . . . You were a test Mr. Homunculus. To see if I could create one of your kind. When a true Homunculus is born, the soul used to make it is used up forever. I couldn’t test it out on who I needed to make as a homunculus; but now that I know it works . . .”
“What are you blabbering about?” Fortitude asked.
“I tricked those idiots into using human alchemy with a faulty philosopher’s stone so that I could create a homunculus from the result. Now I just need to do it again and then – ”
“You sacrificed these people’s lives like that? To make me?” Fortitude asked, horrified.
“Some blood must be spilled.” The man in black defended his actions.
“No! That’s horrible!”
“Hmm . . . you do have his personality. A waste, and a pity. However, I no longer need you, Homunculi. Goodbye.”
The man in black lifted his left hand out of his pocket, and he held a glossy black pistol. He aimed it at Fortitude and fired; but Fortitude dove to the side and jumped under a table. Bullets smashed into the table behind him, and he grabbed a bowl that fell onto the floor and threw it at the man in black. The man was hit by Fortitude’s incredible aim and he dropped the gun. Fortitude used this moment to run out the back door, into the woods.
The man in black followed him.
“You cannot escape . . .” The man in black aimed his pistol and fired it at him. The Homunculus jumped into the woods. Then he turned and looked at the man in black with distaste in his eyes and anger in his face, sweltering up and causing him to growl. He had to defeat this despicable fiend who had costs two young alchemists their lives just for an experiment. Though he had no memories of who he was, or what had happened, he still had his basic knowledge; and he still knew how much he hated this man he didn’t know for what he had done.
The Ultimate Aim . . . that is what Fortitude would become known as one day. He picked up a small rock and stood up. The man in black smirked and aimed his gun; but in a flash Fortitude threw the tiny rock and, with an unnaturally good aim, the pebble stuck in the barrel of the pistol. As the man in black fired, the gun jammed, and the bullet that had been launched forward stuck in the nozzle and as the pressure built up it burst and exploded in his hand, causing the man to shout out in pain and drop the gun; blood pouring down from the shrapnel that had become impaled in his palm.
“You! You owe me your life! You were just a pile of rotting bones before I came!” The man in black howled.
“You murdered and deceived to create me, as a guinea pig? You’re a psychopath!” Fortitude snapped back. The man in black charged at him and threw a punch; Fortitude dodged it and grabbed the man’s arm and flipped him over in a judo-style move, rendering the man onto his back. Then he punched him hard in the neck. Then Fortitude turned and crawled quickly to the grass as the man in black coughed; Fortitude picked up a rock and threw it at the man’s head. It knocked him unconscious.
Fortitude wandered off into the night, unsure where he would go or what he would do . . .
_________________________________________
Have Faith
by Brandon “GS” Rice
for BlueRush’s V&V Fanfic
The History of Faith; the Homunculus
Okay; here’s the NEW and IMPROVED history of Faith. :P Hope you like it BR-san!
Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return,
To obtain, something of equal or greater value must first be lost,
That is Alchemy’s first law of Equivalent Exchange,
In those days, we really believed that to be the world’s one and only truth.
----
Hissegart is a medium-sized city not too far from Central. The city became famous, or at the very least, infamous, when an Alchemist named Wilhelm transmuted an army of Chimeras, and led the Alchemists of the city in a revolt against the military. Officially, the rebellion was quashed by a State Alchemist named Edward Elric. In reality, the rebellion was a cover-up so that Wilhelm could turn his homunculus daughter, Armony, into a real girl -- like his dead true daughter Selene. Ed and Al did stop him; and in the process the town became infamous for all the lives lost and damage done.
However, long before Edward and Alphonse entered Hissegart, long before Brigadier-General Nemda squared off with Colonel Mustang, there was another infamous event in that town. A Alchemist named Douglas Glass, who was renown and famous, caused quite a stir in the town.
Douglas and Kathryn Glass were happily married and in love. Douglas was a strong man with a strong chin, a small beard, and dark brown hair. His eyes were icy blue, but filled with a warm love for his wife. Kathryn was a pretty redhead with beautiful brown eyes and flawless skin. She loved Douglas, and treated him like a King. Her love for him was matched only by his for her; and he treated her better than a Queen.
The only thing that matched his passion for his wife, was his passion for Alchemy. He was a famous Alchemist, he had written two books on Alchemy -- one of which was inside the prestigious Central Library for State Alchemists. Life was good for Douglas, and because of his famous Alchemist book, he was made a State Alchemist.
However, as good as life was, it became just as bad. They lived in a big mansion, ate off of expensive imported plates, and he had a ton of money which he used to buy gifts for his beloved Kathryn. They had a daughter named May, and then another daughter after her. For fifteen years, things were good.
And then Kathryn came down with a disease. An unknown disease. Though Douglas took her to every Doctor he could find, even taking her to each of the five Capital Cities, he could not find anyone who could help her. Then his wife died of the flesh-eating disease, and he was stricken with sadness – but his daughters made him strong. He taught them Alchemy, as he had been doing since they were twelve and ten.
One day Douglas met a man named Hoeinheim Elric, the Alchemist of Light. Hoeinheim was a skilled alchemist, very far beyond Douglas. However, the night that Hoeinheim came home with Douglas to meet his daughters, they discovered that his youngest, who was just seventeen, had come down with the same disease as her mother. Douglas thought he would lose his daughter too, and he couldn’t stand it. Hoeinheim told him they should use Alchemy to heal her.
Hoeinheim left that night, for reasons unknown; but Douglas and May proceeded without him. They used human alchemy on the sick sister; and the result was horrible. Douglas lost both of his legs and one of his arms; and he went blind. May sacrificed one of her arms to bind her sister’s soul to a lamp. Hoeinheim never returned, but someone else did. A man in a black trench coat, with black gloves that had no finger covers. He wore a white face mask and he brought a fake philosophers’s stone with him.
He offered to create a homunculus for them, and he did. The homunculus looked just like the dead sister had; and then May transmuted the soul from the lamp into the homunculus – creating a homunculus with a soul; a one of a kind. The man in the white said he would be back in the morning – and that is when Faith, as the Homunculus would come to be known, had her first vision.
She was the Ultimate Spirit, and always had Faith. Mainly because she could see the future – in a limited effect. She saw that the man in the white mask planned to do horrible things to them, so the three fled. Douglas now had automail legs and an automail arm – May also had an automail arm. The three vanished into the night, and the man in the white mask had to move onto plan B.
What happened to Faith, Douglas and May however, is another story.
BlueRush - November 10, 2005 01:11 AM (GMT)
THAT WAS AWESOME.
You rock so much, GS. ^_^ Pure awesomeness. Can't wait to see more.
I think I'll start my fic as well- I am inspired! :D
You rock so much, GS. ^_^ Pure awesomeness. Can't wait to see more.
I think I'll start my fic as well- I am inspired! :D
GoldenSama - November 11, 2005 02:51 AM (GMT)
Thanks for the compliments BR.
I've updated the topic with Fortitude's origin; made the changes we talked about via PM. Hope you like it. :P
I've updated the topic with Fortitude's origin; made the changes we talked about via PM. Hope you like it. :P
BlueRush - November 11, 2005 03:00 AM (GMT)
WOW.
That was just so unspeakably fantastic--
You rock so much GS. ^0^
Can't wait for more, and I think I better go start on the next chapter of VaV myself. ^_~
That was just so unspeakably fantastic--
You rock so much GS. ^0^
Can't wait for more, and I think I better go start on the next chapter of VaV myself. ^_~
GoldenSama - November 16, 2005 04:10 AM (GMT)
Name: Temperance
M/F: Female
The Ultimate: Resistance
She can change her body structure to resist extreme conditions; such as extreme heat, extreme cold weather, she can survive underwater… things of that nature. :3
Ouroboros on: Her bellybutton
Blue Lines: From her below her shoulders down to her waist on the side
Abilities:
History: She was a bar maid, who was killed one night. The man in black helped her boyfriend, who was an alchemist, bring her back as a homunculus; but he killed her boyfriend in the process. :C
Appearance:
In the slums of a large city, there is a tiny bar called Tiny Heaven. The bar is just small, and run down, but it is a popular gathering for the people of the city who can’t afford the nicer bars and taverns. Working there was a young girl who would become the Homunculus Temperance. She was young, beautiful and the life of the bar. She had a sarcastic mouth and a hot-temper; but everyone liked her. She would serve the drinks, and entertain everyone with her stories and jokes.
Her father owned the bar and he was her only family. She did have a boyfriend who would sit at the bar every night just to be around her. He worked at the bar too; as an handyman. He was an alchemist, and so whenever something broke it was his job to fix it using alchemy. Neither of them made a lot of money, but that was okay, because they were happy together. One night, her boyfriend surprised her on the way home from work. He came to the bar as she was closing up for her father, and he proposed marriage to her. He slipped a ring on her finger – and ring that he had to save several months to afford, and told her he loved her.
The beauty of the moment was sweet. The next day she told her father at the bar, and there was a celebration. They had a round on the house for everyone, and cheers broke out among everyone. That is, until that night, when tragedy struck suddenly – as it often does.
The young lady was on her way back to the bar, when she bumped into a gang of ruffians -- A large, very large man; and a skinny fellow with a ponytail.
“Well what have we here?” The ponytail man – Kimbley, asked as he smiled at her.
She ignored him, as she did everyone else, and tried to keep walking away; but Kimbley got in her way. Roa just watched, grunting and muttering to himself. What he said, the girl did not hear.
“Where are you going? I want to have a chat.” Kimbley smirked to himself, grabbing her wrist. She tried to tug away from him, but his grip was too strong.
“Leave me alone, dirt bag!” She snapped at last speaking.
“Dirt bag? How original. Heheheh . . . but as for leaving you alone, no can do.” Kimbley was a homicidal maniac, and he just loved proving it. Unluckily for him, the girl had a real attitude; and she kicked Kimbley in a place that showed off her attitude well. Kimbley fell to his knees, cursing and crying out. She took off running, hoping to make it back to the bar in time.
“Roa, catch her!” Kimbley shouted at the big man.
“Kimbley . . . we got a job to do.” Roa reminded him.
“Like I give a damn!” And Kimbley, despite the pain, got up and started chasing her. He grabbed a rock and threw it at her; hitting her in the back of the knee. She fell to the ground with a grunt, and Kimbley caught her.
“You’re going to die you little –“”
“KImbley, what are you doing?”
Another man appeared at the far end of the alleyway in which they all stood. This man wore all black – except for the white fur around his neck. He also had dark sunglasses, and he wore a devilish smile on his face.
“Havin’ some fun.” Kimbley replied. He pulled the girl up, holding her by the throat and choking her. Kimbley’s eyes were shining with sick pleasure.
“Knock it off. I just got word – the Elric’s are heading towards their old master’s house. That’s where we’re going.” The man with the sunglasses and fur announced.
“Jes a sec, Greed. I’m busy.” Kimbley smirked as he continued choking the young bar maid. She fought back, but it was no use. Her world was becoming darker and darker, and then her eyes closed and she passed out.
Unfortunately, at that moment Greed jumped forward and knocked her right out of Kimbley’s grasp. She hit a wall of the alleyway, and cracked her head. Greed grabbed Kimbley by the throat much as he had been holding the girl.
“You don’t tell me to wait. Ever. I’m the boss; you understand?” Greed growled. He then dropped Kimbley, and the three of them hurried out of the alleyway; Kimbley muttering all the while, and Roa quiet. The girl bled to death; and was found an hour later, by, ironically enough, her fiancé.
He cried over her, and she was buried the next day. Her father moved away from town, and her fiancé was heartbroken and fell to pieces. He refused to pay his rent and was evicted, and then he began to starve on the street. That is, until a man in a black coat with a white mask came to town. He gave the fiancé what he claimed was a philosopher’s stone; and urged him to return her to life using the stone.
When he tried, he was taken beyond the gate as a sacrifice – and from her body, Temperance the Homunculus was born. Temperance did not know where she was, or who she was. Her memories of the woman’s life were fuzzy, and didn’t make much sense. Though she had the same attitude, and when the man in black came to her, she ignored him and went away on her own.
As she was leaving town, she had a memory of the Tiny Heaven bar; and she went there to check on the man in her memory, who was the girl’s father. When she got there, of course, the father was gone – but she did find the bar on fire. She was about to leave, when she heard a frantic cry from inside.
The new owner of the bar had had an accident with his cigar, and was trapped inside. The building was burning. Temperance ran inside, and to her amazement was able to change the chemical composition in her body – making it possible for her to withstand the searing heat. She jumped onto the bar, crawled across, and grabbed the man and then helped him out a window.
She would only be burned if she touched the fire directly; and she was nimble enough to avoid it. When she was out, she realized she had an incredible power – and it scared her. Her memories were confusing, and her abilities were scary; so she left town and wandered.
M/F: Female
The Ultimate: Resistance
She can change her body structure to resist extreme conditions; such as extreme heat, extreme cold weather, she can survive underwater… things of that nature. :3
Ouroboros on: Her bellybutton
Blue Lines: From her below her shoulders down to her waist on the side
Abilities:
History: She was a bar maid, who was killed one night. The man in black helped her boyfriend, who was an alchemist, bring her back as a homunculus; but he killed her boyfriend in the process. :C
Appearance:
In the slums of a large city, there is a tiny bar called Tiny Heaven. The bar is just small, and run down, but it is a popular gathering for the people of the city who can’t afford the nicer bars and taverns. Working there was a young girl who would become the Homunculus Temperance. She was young, beautiful and the life of the bar. She had a sarcastic mouth and a hot-temper; but everyone liked her. She would serve the drinks, and entertain everyone with her stories and jokes.
Her father owned the bar and he was her only family. She did have a boyfriend who would sit at the bar every night just to be around her. He worked at the bar too; as an handyman. He was an alchemist, and so whenever something broke it was his job to fix it using alchemy. Neither of them made a lot of money, but that was okay, because they were happy together. One night, her boyfriend surprised her on the way home from work. He came to the bar as she was closing up for her father, and he proposed marriage to her. He slipped a ring on her finger – and ring that he had to save several months to afford, and told her he loved her.
The beauty of the moment was sweet. The next day she told her father at the bar, and there was a celebration. They had a round on the house for everyone, and cheers broke out among everyone. That is, until that night, when tragedy struck suddenly – as it often does.
The young lady was on her way back to the bar, when she bumped into a gang of ruffians -- A large, very large man; and a skinny fellow with a ponytail.
“Well what have we here?” The ponytail man – Kimbley, asked as he smiled at her.
She ignored him, as she did everyone else, and tried to keep walking away; but Kimbley got in her way. Roa just watched, grunting and muttering to himself. What he said, the girl did not hear.
“Where are you going? I want to have a chat.” Kimbley smirked to himself, grabbing her wrist. She tried to tug away from him, but his grip was too strong.
“Leave me alone, dirt bag!” She snapped at last speaking.
“Dirt bag? How original. Heheheh . . . but as for leaving you alone, no can do.” Kimbley was a homicidal maniac, and he just loved proving it. Unluckily for him, the girl had a real attitude; and she kicked Kimbley in a place that showed off her attitude well. Kimbley fell to his knees, cursing and crying out. She took off running, hoping to make it back to the bar in time.
“Roa, catch her!” Kimbley shouted at the big man.
“Kimbley . . . we got a job to do.” Roa reminded him.
“Like I give a damn!” And Kimbley, despite the pain, got up and started chasing her. He grabbed a rock and threw it at her; hitting her in the back of the knee. She fell to the ground with a grunt, and Kimbley caught her.
“You’re going to die you little –“”
“KImbley, what are you doing?”
Another man appeared at the far end of the alleyway in which they all stood. This man wore all black – except for the white fur around his neck. He also had dark sunglasses, and he wore a devilish smile on his face.
“Havin’ some fun.” Kimbley replied. He pulled the girl up, holding her by the throat and choking her. Kimbley’s eyes were shining with sick pleasure.
“Knock it off. I just got word – the Elric’s are heading towards their old master’s house. That’s where we’re going.” The man with the sunglasses and fur announced.
“Jes a sec, Greed. I’m busy.” Kimbley smirked as he continued choking the young bar maid. She fought back, but it was no use. Her world was becoming darker and darker, and then her eyes closed and she passed out.
Unfortunately, at that moment Greed jumped forward and knocked her right out of Kimbley’s grasp. She hit a wall of the alleyway, and cracked her head. Greed grabbed Kimbley by the throat much as he had been holding the girl.
“You don’t tell me to wait. Ever. I’m the boss; you understand?” Greed growled. He then dropped Kimbley, and the three of them hurried out of the alleyway; Kimbley muttering all the while, and Roa quiet. The girl bled to death; and was found an hour later, by, ironically enough, her fiancé.
He cried over her, and she was buried the next day. Her father moved away from town, and her fiancé was heartbroken and fell to pieces. He refused to pay his rent and was evicted, and then he began to starve on the street. That is, until a man in a black coat with a white mask came to town. He gave the fiancé what he claimed was a philosopher’s stone; and urged him to return her to life using the stone.
When he tried, he was taken beyond the gate as a sacrifice – and from her body, Temperance the Homunculus was born. Temperance did not know where she was, or who she was. Her memories of the woman’s life were fuzzy, and didn’t make much sense. Though she had the same attitude, and when the man in black came to her, she ignored him and went away on her own.
As she was leaving town, she had a memory of the Tiny Heaven bar; and she went there to check on the man in her memory, who was the girl’s father. When she got there, of course, the father was gone – but she did find the bar on fire. She was about to leave, when she heard a frantic cry from inside.
The new owner of the bar had had an accident with his cigar, and was trapped inside. The building was burning. Temperance ran inside, and to her amazement was able to change the chemical composition in her body – making it possible for her to withstand the searing heat. She jumped onto the bar, crawled across, and grabbed the man and then helped him out a window.
She would only be burned if she touched the fire directly; and she was nimble enough to avoid it. When she was out, she realized she had an incredible power – and it scared her. Her memories were confusing, and her abilities were scary; so she left town and wandered.
BlueRush - November 16, 2005 04:41 AM (GMT)
THAT WAS
FREAKING AMAZING
......................
OH MY GOOD GOLLY GOSH
That is SO awesome....
1) Her powers- Simply brilliant. Good in battle, makes sense with her name.
2) Her personality- PERFECT. I needed just that kind of fighter.
3) Her design- SIMPLY SCRUMPTIOUS. :3 I may have to make her outline darker though if you don't mind. ^_^;
4) Her history- WOWZER. Be usin' that later. >:3
5) She worked in a BAR! XD! Temprance! In a bar!! XD
WOW, GS. You continue to amaze and stun me with your awesomeness.
...If I gave you a general idea of what I need in Hope based on what is missing on the team, do you think you could make her, too? :3
FREAKING AMAZING
......................
OH MY GOOD GOLLY GOSH
That is SO awesome....
1) Her powers- Simply brilliant. Good in battle, makes sense with her name.
2) Her personality- PERFECT. I needed just that kind of fighter.
3) Her design- SIMPLY SCRUMPTIOUS. :3 I may have to make her outline darker though if you don't mind. ^_^;
4) Her history- WOWZER. Be usin' that later. >:3
5) She worked in a BAR! XD! Temprance! In a bar!! XD
WOW, GS. You continue to amaze and stun me with your awesomeness.
...If I gave you a general idea of what I need in Hope based on what is missing on the team, do you think you could make her, too? :3
GoldenSama - November 16, 2005 06:51 AM (GMT)
1) ^^ I'm glad you approve. I kept thinking and thinking trying to come up with something. X_X Drove me CRAZY, but at last I figured this was good.
2) :P I like her personality too. It's always good to have one sarcastic, rough girl.
3) Aye, yeah, her outline... I shoulda made that darker, but I was too lazy to change it. XD
4) :3 I wanted to throw my favorite Homunculus in there somewhere. Heheh.
5) XD Exactly! Irony RULES!
I'm really glad you like her, BR-san. :3 I tried to make her good. And dude, PM with what you need Hope to be, and I'll get right on that. Just include any important details and stuff that she needs, and as much info as you have now; and I'll fill in the rest.
Also, do you need a visual of Hope while I'm at it? Or do you have a picture already?
2) :P I like her personality too. It's always good to have one sarcastic, rough girl.
3) Aye, yeah, her outline... I shoulda made that darker, but I was too lazy to change it. XD
4) :3 I wanted to throw my favorite Homunculus in there somewhere. Heheh.
5) XD Exactly! Irony RULES!
I'm really glad you like her, BR-san. :3 I tried to make her good. And dude, PM with what you need Hope to be, and I'll get right on that. Just include any important details and stuff that she needs, and as much info as you have now; and I'll fill in the rest.
Also, do you need a visual of Hope while I'm at it? Or do you have a picture already?
BlueRush - November 18, 2005 02:46 AM (GMT)
So who do we have left? Hope II, Greed II, Lust III....
I can K-O Wrath if you want. :D Never been my favorite character, the little bugger. ;)
Cannot wait! :D *squee*
I can K-O Wrath if you want. :D Never been my favorite character, the little bugger. ;)
Cannot wait! :D *squee*
GoldenSama - November 18, 2005 03:05 AM (GMT)
KO Wrath if you want. I don't really like him too much, either, so I dunno if I'd be good at making a Wrath II.
ALTHOUGH, for drama, Wrath I is best with Ed -- cause of the arm-and-leg thing.
I'll do Greed II and Lust III when I get home from work. :P
ALTHOUGH, for drama, Wrath I is best with Ed -- cause of the arm-and-leg thing.
I'll do Greed II and Lust III when I get home from work. :P
BlueRush - November 18, 2005 03:10 AM (GMT)
*tilts head*
Wha- what about Hope? :)
Wha- what about Hope? :)
GoldenSama - November 18, 2005 03:11 AM (GMT)
Huh? I thought I said Hope too.... *checks*, nope, I did not. XD I meant too, though!
BlueRush - November 23, 2005 01:22 AM (GMT)
POST! MEANINGFUL POST!
XD
Uhhh... "I can't wait"? XD
Sorry for the useless post... :P
XD
Uhhh... "I can't wait"? XD
Sorry for the useless post... :P
GoldenSama - November 23, 2005 01:54 AM (GMT)
Too Greedy To Die
The History of the Ultimate Shield’s Return
By Brandon “GS” Rice
Written for BlueRush.
Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return,
To obtain, something of equal or greater value must first be lost,
That is Alchemy’s first law of Equivalent Exchange,
In those days, we really believed that to be the world’s one and only truth.
----
“What you ask is as impossible as your story.” The alchemist told her; just as all the rest had.
Martel frowned and pushed a strand of long blonde hair back behind her ear, revealing her facial tattoos. “My story is not impossible!”
“A Homunculus? Please. No one has ever made one, and I won’t waste my time trying to bring a non-existent creature back to life.”
And once again, Martel was turned down.
Ever since the death of Greed the Homunculus she had been going to alchemists, hauling the dead creatures remains with her, trying to find someone who would attempt to ‘fix him’. Greed had once told her that he was not human, so it wasn’t human alchemy when it was done to him. Now that he was gone, she believed that that meant the impossible was possible. Alchemy could not revive a human, with a soul; but Greed was not human. He did not have a soul. So she knew he could be revived.
Sadly, no one would help her. No one from Greed’s old gang would help her, and no alchemist she could find would help her. They didn’t even believe a Homunculus ever existed; much less that they would try to bring one back to life.
Martel sighed, walking down the street. She sat down on the curb and placed her chin in her hands. On her back was a backpack that contained the bones of Greed’s remains. His original remains. She began to cry.
It was confusing. Her days as one of Greed’s henchmen had been good days. They were going to change the world. Get rid of the old military, and reform everything. They were going to make things different. Not better; just different. Then those Elric boys had shown up.
The one, Alphonse, he wasn’t so bad. He had saved her life, probably, the night he refused to let her out of his armor. But the other; Edward. She shook her head. It was all very confusing.
And then a voice spoke.
“I will help you.”
Martel lifted her head, and she saw an alchemist in black. He wore gloves that had no fingers on them, and a pure white mask over his face.
“Who are you?”
“An Alchemist.” He said in a deep voice. “An Alchemist willing to do what the others are not.”
And he took her to his laboratory at the edge of town. They went down to the basement, and he had her give him the remains. Then, he sent Martel to wait in the other room; so that’s what she did. She waited in the other room, and watched under the crack of the door as light flashed. Red light; alchemic light. Then the door opened, and to her amazement, it was Greed who stepped out.
How the alchemist in black had managed to revive him, or find his memories on the other side of the gate, is unknown.
"What happened?" Greed asked her.
"Y-you died." Martel told him silently. "Edward Elric . . ."
"Yeah, I remember him." Greed snarled. "Let's go, you can fill me in on what's happened since I died."
"You go nowhere, Greed." The Alchemist in Black walked out of the back room, and he smirked at him; a red stone glowing on his finger. "I brought you back . . . but now you'll do something for me."
"Naw. Don't think so. And you can skin the speech." Greed said with a laugh. In a flash, his flesh had turned blue and become incredible hard. He leapt forward and punched the alchemist in black in his face, knocking him backwards. Then Greed and Martel left.
The alchemist, however, was fine. His mask absorbed the shock of Greed's punch and he wasn't harmed at all. The mask was alchemically modified, of course. The alchemist in black sighed, and went on to finish other things.
The History of the Ultimate Shield’s Return
By Brandon “GS” Rice
Written for BlueRush.
Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return,
To obtain, something of equal or greater value must first be lost,
That is Alchemy’s first law of Equivalent Exchange,
In those days, we really believed that to be the world’s one and only truth.
----
“What you ask is as impossible as your story.” The alchemist told her; just as all the rest had.
Martel frowned and pushed a strand of long blonde hair back behind her ear, revealing her facial tattoos. “My story is not impossible!”
“A Homunculus? Please. No one has ever made one, and I won’t waste my time trying to bring a non-existent creature back to life.”
And once again, Martel was turned down.
Ever since the death of Greed the Homunculus she had been going to alchemists, hauling the dead creatures remains with her, trying to find someone who would attempt to ‘fix him’. Greed had once told her that he was not human, so it wasn’t human alchemy when it was done to him. Now that he was gone, she believed that that meant the impossible was possible. Alchemy could not revive a human, with a soul; but Greed was not human. He did not have a soul. So she knew he could be revived.
Sadly, no one would help her. No one from Greed’s old gang would help her, and no alchemist she could find would help her. They didn’t even believe a Homunculus ever existed; much less that they would try to bring one back to life.
Martel sighed, walking down the street. She sat down on the curb and placed her chin in her hands. On her back was a backpack that contained the bones of Greed’s remains. His original remains. She began to cry.
It was confusing. Her days as one of Greed’s henchmen had been good days. They were going to change the world. Get rid of the old military, and reform everything. They were going to make things different. Not better; just different. Then those Elric boys had shown up.
The one, Alphonse, he wasn’t so bad. He had saved her life, probably, the night he refused to let her out of his armor. But the other; Edward. She shook her head. It was all very confusing.
And then a voice spoke.
“I will help you.”
Martel lifted her head, and she saw an alchemist in black. He wore gloves that had no fingers on them, and a pure white mask over his face.
“Who are you?”
“An Alchemist.” He said in a deep voice. “An Alchemist willing to do what the others are not.”
And he took her to his laboratory at the edge of town. They went down to the basement, and he had her give him the remains. Then, he sent Martel to wait in the other room; so that’s what she did. She waited in the other room, and watched under the crack of the door as light flashed. Red light; alchemic light. Then the door opened, and to her amazement, it was Greed who stepped out.
How the alchemist in black had managed to revive him, or find his memories on the other side of the gate, is unknown.
"What happened?" Greed asked her.
"Y-you died." Martel told him silently. "Edward Elric . . ."
"Yeah, I remember him." Greed snarled. "Let's go, you can fill me in on what's happened since I died."
"You go nowhere, Greed." The Alchemist in Black walked out of the back room, and he smirked at him; a red stone glowing on his finger. "I brought you back . . . but now you'll do something for me."
"Naw. Don't think so. And you can skin the speech." Greed said with a laugh. In a flash, his flesh had turned blue and become incredible hard. He leapt forward and punched the alchemist in black in his face, knocking him backwards. Then Greed and Martel left.
The alchemist, however, was fine. His mask absorbed the shock of Greed's punch and he wasn't harmed at all. The mask was alchemically modified, of course. The alchemist in black sighed, and went on to finish other things.
BlueRush - November 23, 2005 02:41 AM (GMT)
WOW! :D Awesome as usual, GS! ^_^
Now I can bring Greed and Martel back into it. ^_^ Yayness!
Thanks so much!!
Just out of curiosity, who's next? :3
Now I can bring Greed and Martel back into it. ^_^ Yayness!
Thanks so much!!
Just out of curiosity, who's next? :3
GoldenSama - November 27, 2005 08:03 AM (GMT)
Name: Hope
M/F: Female
The Ultimate: -leaving it up to BR-San-
Ouroboros on: Her right palm
Blue Lines: On her back
Abilities: -leaving it up to BR-San-
History: Hope
Appearance:
Hopeful Outlook
The History of Hope the Homunculus
By Brandon “GS” Rice
Written for BlueRush.
Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return,
To obtain, something of equal or greater value must first be lost,
That is Alchemy’s first law of Equivalent Exchange,
In those days, we really believed that to be the world’s one and only truth.
----
Hope the Homunculus is shrouded in mystery. It is unknown at what date or time she first came into the world. What is known, is that a man named Vic Jacobi lived alone on his small farmhouse. He never had many visitors, and never had many friends. He just worked all day and all night, farming his crops and selling them to a market in Central for little money. It was a hard, thankless life, and he was a poor man; but he made the most of it.
Then, one night during a terrible thunderstorm, a young woman turned up on his farm. She was alone, cold and soaking wet from the rain and had sought shelter in Jacobi’s barn amongst the animals. She begged him now to throw her out, and in a true act of kindness, Jacobi took her into his home, shared with her the little food he had, and then gave her a warm bed to sleep on that night. His own bed; since he only had one, he himself elected to sleep in the barn with the pigs and sheep, so she would have a place to be comfortable.
The next morning, when he returned to his house, she was in the kitchen preparing him breakfast on his stove; which amazed him, since his stove had been broken the night before. She explained that she had fixed it, and wanted to repay him for his kindness. She called herself ‘Kate’, and that was the only name he ever got out of her.
Kate stayed with Jacobi for two weeks, and to his amazement good luck came to his farm with her. It seemed in the middle of the night, his crops would grow ever better, and broken things would be fixed. Never when he was around, though. Finally, he confronted Kate about it, and she explained that she had used alchemy to do all of these things; and she had not told him because she was afraid of his reaction. When he asked her why, she explained that she had been in a desert city and used alchemy; and the people became afraid of her and tried to kill her.
Jacobi promised he was not afraid of Alchemy, he said that he even had a friend who was an alchemist. He said he would introducer her, but sadly, that night was the night a horrible thing happened.
A storm began to brew, and the weather turned most foul. Then, in the distance, they saw a tornado bearing down on the farm. Kate instructed Jacobi to his in his cellar till morning, and not to come out. She promised to protect his crops with her alchemy, since she knew if his harvest was destroyed, he would not be able to afford the cost of living. And since it was almost winter, he needed this harvest, or else he’d be unable to buy food for the long winter months.
So she stayed outside, and used alchemy to erect a wall of dirt around his crops and his home to protect it from the tornado; but Jacobi got worried when she did not come back to the cellar, and when he went to look for her a piece of roof blew off his house and crush his leg. Kate ran to his side, and attempted to use get the roof shard off his leg; but to no avail. The winds got worse, and he begged her to go into the cellar and save herself. She tried to use alchemy to remove the roof from his leg, but the winds and rain were so bad, she couldn’t draw a circle. If she drew an transmutation circle in the sand, the water from the rain washed it away; and she had no chalk and no pen. She couldn’t preform alchemy with a messed up circle, for fear of the consequences, so against her better judgement, she obeyed his dying request and saved herself.
Jacobi died in the tornado. Kate went up the next morning, but sadly that is when Jacobi’s brother, Shane Jacobi, came by the farm to see him. Shane had recently gotten a job in the State Military, and he came to tell Vic that their money problem were over. When he arrived to find Vic dead, and Kate the only one there, he blamed her. She tried to explain, but no one listened to her, and she was arrested, tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death.
However, as the prison wagon took her to the prison, several months after the tornado and days after her trial, the van crashed. She heard gunshots, and ten the door opened and an unknown man pulled her from the van. He revealed himself to be Vic’s alchemist friend who he had spoke of before.
Kate and the Alchemist fled from the military, who now followed them. The alchemist turned and using a red ring on his finger, moved the very earth beneath them and made a wave of dirt that crushed the military. The ring was a Philosopher’s stone. However, one of the bullets struck Kate, and the alchemist used the stone to revive her.
In a way. He used her body as the base to create a homunculus; the homunculus Hope. However, before Hope could be awoken, the military did catch up once more. Several bullets were fired into the house, and one of them knocked over a lamp which caught fire to the entire place. The alchemist got the still sleeping Hope outside, and hide her on a truck that was bound for a nearby town. However, he sustained horrible burns in the fire; especially to his face.
Hope woke up on the truck, with no memories of who she was, or how she got there.
The alchemist began to wear a white mask on his face to hide the burns, and he began dressing in black. (:3 Two origins for the price of one! Mwahahah!)
(If you don’t like this as black-wearing-alchemist guys origin, you don’t have to use it. So I included an alternate ending)
ALTERNATE ENDING:
The alchemist, after saving Hope, was killed by the military.
(XD)
M/F: Female
The Ultimate: -leaving it up to BR-San-
Ouroboros on: Her right palm
Blue Lines: On her back
Abilities: -leaving it up to BR-San-
History: Hope
Appearance:
Hopeful Outlook
The History of Hope the Homunculus
By Brandon “GS” Rice
Written for BlueRush.
Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return,
To obtain, something of equal or greater value must first be lost,
That is Alchemy’s first law of Equivalent Exchange,
In those days, we really believed that to be the world’s one and only truth.
----
Hope the Homunculus is shrouded in mystery. It is unknown at what date or time she first came into the world. What is known, is that a man named Vic Jacobi lived alone on his small farmhouse. He never had many visitors, and never had many friends. He just worked all day and all night, farming his crops and selling them to a market in Central for little money. It was a hard, thankless life, and he was a poor man; but he made the most of it.
Then, one night during a terrible thunderstorm, a young woman turned up on his farm. She was alone, cold and soaking wet from the rain and had sought shelter in Jacobi’s barn amongst the animals. She begged him now to throw her out, and in a true act of kindness, Jacobi took her into his home, shared with her the little food he had, and then gave her a warm bed to sleep on that night. His own bed; since he only had one, he himself elected to sleep in the barn with the pigs and sheep, so she would have a place to be comfortable.
The next morning, when he returned to his house, she was in the kitchen preparing him breakfast on his stove; which amazed him, since his stove had been broken the night before. She explained that she had fixed it, and wanted to repay him for his kindness. She called herself ‘Kate’, and that was the only name he ever got out of her.
Kate stayed with Jacobi for two weeks, and to his amazement good luck came to his farm with her. It seemed in the middle of the night, his crops would grow ever better, and broken things would be fixed. Never when he was around, though. Finally, he confronted Kate about it, and she explained that she had used alchemy to do all of these things; and she had not told him because she was afraid of his reaction. When he asked her why, she explained that she had been in a desert city and used alchemy; and the people became afraid of her and tried to kill her.
Jacobi promised he was not afraid of Alchemy, he said that he even had a friend who was an alchemist. He said he would introducer her, but sadly, that night was the night a horrible thing happened.
A storm began to brew, and the weather turned most foul. Then, in the distance, they saw a tornado bearing down on the farm. Kate instructed Jacobi to his in his cellar till morning, and not to come out. She promised to protect his crops with her alchemy, since she knew if his harvest was destroyed, he would not be able to afford the cost of living. And since it was almost winter, he needed this harvest, or else he’d be unable to buy food for the long winter months.
So she stayed outside, and used alchemy to erect a wall of dirt around his crops and his home to protect it from the tornado; but Jacobi got worried when she did not come back to the cellar, and when he went to look for her a piece of roof blew off his house and crush his leg. Kate ran to his side, and attempted to use get the roof shard off his leg; but to no avail. The winds got worse, and he begged her to go into the cellar and save herself. She tried to use alchemy to remove the roof from his leg, but the winds and rain were so bad, she couldn’t draw a circle. If she drew an transmutation circle in the sand, the water from the rain washed it away; and she had no chalk and no pen. She couldn’t preform alchemy with a messed up circle, for fear of the consequences, so against her better judgement, she obeyed his dying request and saved herself.
Jacobi died in the tornado. Kate went up the next morning, but sadly that is when Jacobi’s brother, Shane Jacobi, came by the farm to see him. Shane had recently gotten a job in the State Military, and he came to tell Vic that their money problem were over. When he arrived to find Vic dead, and Kate the only one there, he blamed her. She tried to explain, but no one listened to her, and she was arrested, tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death.
However, as the prison wagon took her to the prison, several months after the tornado and days after her trial, the van crashed. She heard gunshots, and ten the door opened and an unknown man pulled her from the van. He revealed himself to be Vic’s alchemist friend who he had spoke of before.
Kate and the Alchemist fled from the military, who now followed them. The alchemist turned and using a red ring on his finger, moved the very earth beneath them and made a wave of dirt that crushed the military. The ring was a Philosopher’s stone. However, one of the bullets struck Kate, and the alchemist used the stone to revive her.
In a way. He used her body as the base to create a homunculus; the homunculus Hope. However, before Hope could be awoken, the military did catch up once more. Several bullets were fired into the house, and one of them knocked over a lamp which caught fire to the entire place. The alchemist got the still sleeping Hope outside, and hide her on a truck that was bound for a nearby town. However, he sustained horrible burns in the fire; especially to his face.
Hope woke up on the truck, with no memories of who she was, or how she got there.
The alchemist began to wear a white mask on his face to hide the burns, and he began dressing in black. (:3 Two origins for the price of one! Mwahahah!)
(If you don’t like this as black-wearing-alchemist guys origin, you don’t have to use it. So I included an alternate ending)
ALTERNATE ENDING:
The alchemist, after saving Hope, was killed by the military.
(XD)
BlueRush - November 27, 2005 02:22 PM (GMT)
Wow! Really awesome GS! :D Once again, greatness. I love how you keep introducing new characters. I can use those guys in later storylines!! :3
Hah hah! Two origins at the price of one indeed! Ossum!
XD I think I'll go with the first ending...
Hum, as for the Ultimate whatever... well, she IS from Xing originally... so it should probably have something to do with renkanjutsushiwasabi, medical alchemy... which would make sense because she offers 'hope' to sick people... but I wanted her power to be agressive! :\ Ah well.
The Ultimate Regrowth - can help any living thing grow or heal by touching it with her Ouroboros. (Good thing you put it on her hand! XD *tries to touch the back of her neck to a sick person* XD) Which not only means she can heal people, but she can help crops grow ( ;) ) and help animals, too.
So she can create vines and stuff to attack! >:3 And her abilities are martial arts. Hoo-yah! She might not have known them in real life, but now she does. Kai-yah! XD
Wow, GS. Totally excellent. ^_^ Thanks! I'll get to work on the next chappie soon. ^_~
Hah hah! Two origins at the price of one indeed! Ossum!
XD I think I'll go with the first ending...
Hum, as for the Ultimate whatever... well, she IS from Xing originally... so it should probably have something to do with renkanjutsushiwasabi, medical alchemy... which would make sense because she offers 'hope' to sick people... but I wanted her power to be agressive! :\ Ah well.
The Ultimate Regrowth - can help any living thing grow or heal by touching it with her Ouroboros. (Good thing you put it on her hand! XD *tries to touch the back of her neck to a sick person* XD) Which not only means she can heal people, but she can help crops grow ( ;) ) and help animals, too.
So she can create vines and stuff to attack! >:3 And her abilities are martial arts. Hoo-yah! She might not have known them in real life, but now she does. Kai-yah! XD
Wow, GS. Totally excellent. ^_^ Thanks! I'll get to work on the next chappie soon. ^_~