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You, your teacher, and Yi stand over the newly deceased Kimblee's body. You're aching all over from that last attack, and you can visibly see Yi breathing heavy. You don't know how long he was at this, but he seemed to be using a lot of energy to do it. You see Leah on the floor above you attempting to make her way down. You stand by to be rush over in case she falls, but she's able to make it on her own by sliding gently down one of the lower floor's pillars until reaching a collapsed section of the wall that leans against it to form a ramp. She joins the rest of you standing around Kimblee.

"This bastard..." Izumi groans, clutching her abdomen. "Went and died all self-assured. Didn't even give me a chance to tell him off for his stupid rant. For one thing, the homunculi's power comes from the lives of thousands of humans. It sure isn't their own."

Just then, your teacher winces and drops to her knees. She briefly removes her hands from her body, and you can see blood staining her shirt.

"One of the rocks knocked around in the explosion cut into me a bit." she explains, pressing down on the wound again. "It just had to be right where Hohenheim did his work, didn't it?"

You don't think you're quite qualified to fix a wound like that, but you've seen Yi do it before. Then again, that was just a scratch and he said it wasn't his specialty.

As you're considering this train of thought, your eyes are drawn to a small red stone lying just a bit away. You reach down and grab it. It's the Philosopher's Stone that Kimblee was using. It's your first time holding one, and it's a bit eerie. But a thought crosses your mind. This stone helped Kimblee transmute with no material around, it could easily patch up your teacher in seconds. Who knows, it could serve even greater use beyond that if you really felt like it.

"Thank you all for your support." Yi says, before turning to face you. He holds out his hand. "Now, Iskander. I must destroy that stone immediately. Please give it to me."

>A.Hold on, can you try to treat teacher first? Her wound looks kind of bad

>B.Wait, I'm going to use it to heal teacher first

>C.I think we should keep it and use it to our advantage. We need all the help we can get

>D.Here you go

>E.Other

>A.Hold on, can you try to treat teacher first? Her wound looks kind of bad

i have a question, was it ever addressed why we lost our voice for the transmutation?

>>1213285
>>A.Hold on, can you try to treat teacher first? Her wound looks kind of bad

>>1213285
>A.Hold on, can you try to treat teacher first? Her wound looks kind of bad

>>1213330
Do you mean in the terms of equal exchange or just the events that led to us losing it?

>>1213317
>>1213338
>>1213345

You hold up a hand to Yi, then make some signs in Leah's direction. She goes ahead and relays your message for you.

"Yi, can that wait just a bit?" she asks. "Could you try to treat Mrs. Curtis first? Her wound looks pretty bad."

You can tell Yi is annoyed being denied the stone, as even through his mask, the narrowing of his eyes is visible. But he relents, walking over to your teacher's side and telling her to lay flat on the ground.

After observing the wound, he sets up his array,and transmutes. You watch as the wound closes. By your teacher's pained face, that must not have been a complete success, but she at least seems to no longer be in danger of bleeding out.

"Stopping the blood is about the limit of my ability." Yi says. "There's still some damage done to your insides, so I'd suggest not fighting any more if you can help it. You'll rip that right back open if you do. Now, the stone, please."

Leah helps Izumi get to her feet. She clenches her stomach again, still in pain, but manages to shake it off. She continues moving around, likely testing the limits she can move without hurting herself. You know full well she doesn't intend on backing down now, injury or not. For that matter, you don't know if that's an option. She's going to be present when confronting Father, and she might get caught up in fighting one way or another. Staying out of it could be impossible. Hohenheim's the only one you know for sure could fix her up completely, and he went off on his own. Feeling around, you feel his chi below you. He could already be confronting Father himself. There's a chance May or Tucker might be able to get her back in fighting shape, but no guarantee. If you could reach them in time anyway, that is. It's looking more and more like your teacher is going to be a major weak link during the coming fight. You and the others might just have to cover for her.

Unless of course, you used the stone to heal her right now. Yi would obviously be against it, but turning it right over to him afterwards couldn't be so bad, could it? Then again, you've seen how he gets. You weigh your options.

>A.Hand it over, you'll hurry and take teacher underground to try and catch up to Hohenheim so he can fix her

>B.Hand it over, you doubt you can reach Hohenheim in time, but you'll manage anyway, teacher is tough

>C.Keep it and fix her up yourself, then hand it over

>D.Ask why it's so urgent that he gets this stone

>E.Other

>>1213405
>>A.Hand it over, you'll hurry and take teacher underground to try and catch up to Hohenheim so he can fix her

>D.Ask why it's so urgent that he gets this stone

>>1213345
in terms of equal exchange,you know like how al lost his body due to wanting to feel his mother again or how ed lost his leg so he couldn't stand on his own two feet anymore.

>D.Ask why it's so urgent that he gets this stone

>>1213427

You decide that you'll try to catch up to Hohenheim anyway, and see if there's anything he can do for your teacher. But not before getting a little bit of information out of this guy. You sign your question to Leah, who relays it for you as you hand the stone over to Yi.

"Here you go Yi, but we do want to know..." Leah begins. "Just why is it so urgent that you get this stone?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCt4aLirnrk&

"I told you that healing with alkahestry was not my specialty, did I not?" Yi goes on, as he sets up an array. He continues talking, but keeps his gaze fixed firmly on the stone. "As I said, my specialty lies elsewhere. My clan guards the secret of an unusual alkahestry technique. One focused on destruction. And not mere destruction of material... but of the human soul. In my youth, I spent long hours wondering why such a technique would be created, useful only for leaving men lifeless husks. I was convinced it was an evil technique. But hearing of the Philosopher's Stone made me start to think otherwise. And when I learned the truth of their nature, I knew for sure. The true reason this technique exists is for this purpose. To destroy these evil stones."

Yi performs his transmutation, and the red stone he placed in the middle of the circle dissolves away into nothing.

"It would not do to make those tormented souls wait a moment longer to be freed." Yi continues. "Hohenheim said he made friends with the souls within him, but I am still skeptical. They really should be freed as well. But for now, I'll let it slide. It's the souls in the homunculi and Father that are of the greatest priority."

With that done, your group of four heads upstairs. You search the corridors for that elevator you were sent up in earlier, and you find it. However, the thing won't budge. It doesn't respond whatsoever.

"Before we split up, Hohenheim found a stairwell in the Fuhrer's office leading deep down." Yi tells you. "That might be your best bet."

Just down the hall, you find the office in question. There's a door to the side, where you can see the stairway Yi mentioned. It looks like it probably goes all the way down to where you're looking for.

You head to the window behind the Fuhrer's desk, and take a glance out. The northern forces seem to have the mannequin soldiers mostly under control by now, so you're less worried about that. However, you see tons of smoke coming from the main gate. You also catch a glimpse of a huge explosion. No doubt about it, there's a fight going on there. And you doubt mere puppet soldiers or even human soldiers could be causing that much trouble with both the Armstrong siblings there. It could even be a homunculus. It is a fact that you haven't even come across one so far.

>A.They'll have to handle it on their own, let's go down

>B.Yi, take teacher and find Hohenheim. I want to go help while we still have some time

>C.Other

>>1213682
>>B.Yi, take teacher and find Hohenheim. I want to go help while we still have some time

>>1213682
>A. They'll have to handle it on their own, let's go down
>C. The Elrics are there

It's not wrong to heal people with a Philosopher's Stone, guys.

>>1213682
>>B.Yi, take teacher and find Hohenheim. I want to go help while we still have some time

>>1213799
I agree that it's not wrong, but I also don't think it's worth pissing this guy off. I don't think even using the stone to fight would mean the difference between beating the bad guy and getting killed. But an extra person on our side might be more helpful than the stone even.

And I want to go check out the big fight.

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>>1213785
>>1213802

You glance at the sky. You could still have enough time before the eclipse hits. You sign your plan to Leah.

"Yi, please take Mrs. Curtis to Hohenheim as quickly as you can." she says. "Iskander and I are going to check on the fighting at the main gate."

Yi nods, and heads for the stairs.

"You two be careful." Izumi insists. "Our hardest fight is still ahead of us. Let's hope we're all in top condition when it comes around."

With that, she goes to follow Yi. You and Leah start to head downstairs, running so as not to waste any time. Dashing past the bit of fighting against the mannequins still happening just outside the building, you eventually pull up on the main gate. It's locked up tight, obviously to keep the assailants from getting in, but a quick transmutation gets you and Leah around real quick. Sealing things up behind you, of course. The two of you emerge to a fearsome sight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdp_g-RYjQI&

The Fuhrer himself is on the attack. His eye patch is off, revealing an ouroboros tattoo. He's using one sword, and you can see an identical one lodged in the stomach of Buccaneer, who is lying some way away.

With his single blade, he's fighting back both Colonel and General Armstrong, both of whom are covered in lacerations. Meanwhile Bradley seems to have yet to get a scratch.

The Fuhrer goes in for what seems to be a lethal blow on the General, and the Colonel goes to shield her with his own body.

>A.Have Leah try to shoot him

>B.Transmute something between the Colonel and the Fuhrer

>C.Attack the Fuhrer and get him to back off

>D.Ask the Armstrongs if there's anyone else who can help out

>E.Other

>>1213956
>>A.Have Leah try to shoot him

>>B.Transmute something between the Colonel and the Fuhrer

Wall then shoot

>>1213956
>B.Transmute something between the Colonel and the Fuhrer
But Laze I don't want to fight Wrath. Does anyone remember in '03 Bradley was Pride and he was so OP that the writers made him keep his only weakness within reach of his son?

>>1213956
A to distract him, then B, maybe we can try to hold him down for a second?

They seem a bit preoccupied for D

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>>1213963
>>1213977
>>1214004

Moving quickly, you motion Leah to take a shot, while you clap your hands and hit the ground. You raise a wall between the combatants, if only out of hope of giving them one second longer to avoid the attack. Bradley is surprised by the appearance of the obstacle, but his sword cleaves right through it. More fortunately, Leah's shot is aimed right at the Fuhrer. While he does jump back out of the way, it causes his cut to be merely shallow.

Colonel Armstrong winces in pain at the blow across his back, but likely realizes just how lucky he is. Just the slightest bit deeper, and he'd be looking at a severed spine.

"Alex, you fool!" the General shouts. "What do you think you're doing? Throwing your life away for mine isn't going to win us this fight."

"Sorry Olivier, but my body moved on its own..." the Colonel groans. "I couldn't simply stand by..."

Armstrong gets to a knee, the pain and fatigue wearing on him.

"Yet we still haven't done the slightest bit of damage. Is it that eye that allows him to evade everything we throw his way?" Olivier ponders, holding her wounds with one arm and her sword with the other. "I had no idea our nation's Fuhrer was this fearsome..."

"And that ignorance will be your downfall." Bradley says, before turning your way. "And once I'm done with them, I'll be restraining you, Silent Alchemist. You've been a thorn in our side long enough. Might get rid of that pesky girl of yours, too."

In a flash, the Fuhrer sets upon the Armstrong siblings once more. But this time, you don't get the chance to interfere. Someone else takes care of that for you. Three blades appear to block the Fuhrer's.

"Need some help, Colonel?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stzofz4yMSY&

"Ling?" the Colonel asks. "What are you doing here?"

Ling and his retainers stand between Bradley and the Armstrongs.

"Just think of this as repayment for hiding us out all that time." the prince replies. "Besides, that is this guy's fault, right? That we had to hide at all? We'll make sure he gets what's coming to him. Ain't that right, Barry?"

"Oh boy, a chance to chop up the Fuhrer!" you see the suit of armor with the skull helmet jump in nearby. "What a treat! It's truly an honor, Sir!"

The Fuhrer jumps back from the clash. He doesn't seem amused.

>A.Jump in to provide direct assistance

>B.Stay back with Leah and try to give the four of them openings on the Fuhrer

>C.Check on the Armstrongs, see if they're alright

>D.Duck out of here, there are enough people in this fight

>E.Talk to somebody (Write-in)

>F.Other

>>1214208
>>B.Stay back with Leah and try to give the four of them openings on the Fuhrer

>>1214208
>>B.Stay back with Leah and try to give the four of them openings on the Fuhrer

>>1214208
>B. Stay back with Leah and try to give the four of them openings on the Fuhrer
Well, Barry's dead considering Wrath makes Lust's blade skills look like a kitten at play.

>>1214208
>>B.Stay back with Leah and try to give the four of them openings on the Fuhrer

Alright, we're going with B. However, I'm going to be gone a while eating dinner

In the meantime, let's see how well this goes

>Roll 1d100, first three

Rolled 36 (1d100)

>>1214293
Please Dice Gods, let me not roll an average number.

Rolled 86 (1d100)

>>1214293

Rolled 5 (1d100)

>>1214293

>>1214330

You're in no hurry to rush into the fight, so you decide to stay back with Leah and hopefully give the others an opening. However, despite Leah's occasional shots and your attempts to loosen his footing or pin him down, Bradley sees through it all. No matter what, he can always dodge every attack. Despite being outnumbered four to one, with additional support working against him, Ling's group is the one that looks like they're on the ropes. The three Xingese fighters are just barely avoiding counterattacks from the Fuhrer as he effortlessly sidesteps their blows.

"You're mad at me? That your people aren't treated fairly here?" Bradley scoffs. "In my eyes, you're just as worthless as any other human. What country you're from makes no difference to me. Curse your own ancestors for creating alkahestry."

Barry dives in for a swing, and Bradley lops his hand off for the trouble. However, Barry and the others immediately jump back when that happens. Barry's severed hand explodes, catching the Fuhrer ever so slightly off guard. The dust clears, and he doesn't have any real injuries, but you're sure he felt that nonetheless. The first attack that's really landed.

"You sure about this, Barry?" Ling asks the armor man. "I won't hold it against you if you back out now."

"I gotta tell you Ling, it's been fun palling around with you guys." Barry replies. "But it's about time. My consciousness has been fading out more often and for longer at a time. I don't have much left. So I figure I'll go out with a bang!"

With that, the group dives in on the attack again. You focus. Your assistance will help most in reducing the Fuhrer's avenues to dodge attacks. You start altering the battlefield to that end, putting up walls behind Bradley to restrict his movement. He can easily cut through them, but whether he has time between attacks is another story. Ling and company keep attacking without letting up. When they manage to back him into a corner you made, Bradley gets ready to take them all out with one cut. But once again, Barry gets in the way. Letting himself get cleaved in half, you can see the fuses going on the explosives stashed in his body. There's an huge amount.

"And for the second time, I die!" Barry shouts. "But not without seeing the fear in your eyes! I am Barry the Chopper! Don't you go forgetting it!"

Just before the explosion, Bradley goes to cut the wall behind him at an angle that will make a chunk fall in between him and Barry. That's when Leah shoots, forcing the Fuhrer to step aside a bit. You use the moment when he shifts his weight to push him even further aside, knocking his sword off target. the piece of wall isn't big enough to shield him from the whole blast. Barry explodes, sending shrapnel in every direction. You all take cover.

When you peek out to check, you find Bradley mostly unharmed, save for a single wound. A metal shard of Barry's body is embedded in his left eye.

"That's enough." he states. "Playtime is over."

Sorry to end it so abruptly tonight, I'll try to start earlier tomorrow to make up for it

Not missing a step despite one of his eyes being taken out, Bradley cuts himself a path through Ling and his retinue. He jumps and flip through the air, landing next to Buccaneer. In an instant, the Fuhrer cuts down the soldier that was at the captain's side to treat his wound, then puts his foot on Buccaneer's chest. He grabs his sword, and with a heave, removes it from the man's abs.

"Gah!" the captain shouts in pain, shot to alertness from his half-unconscious state. Almost instinctively, he grabs the Fuhrer's leg with his one remaining arm. "You bastard... What do you think you're doing?"

Bradley doesn't even dignify him with a response, merely cutting down the length of his arm, forcing him to release his hold. By this point the three Xingese fighters are on him again, but with two swords in hand, he's able to parry all their attacks even easier than before. It does seem like he does a lot less dodging though, compared to before. Regardless, the fight is still clearly in his favor.

"General!" you hear a norther soldier shout in Olivier's direction. "The Central forces are fighting their way up! We don't have enough ammo to pin them down much longer! And the bulk of our forces are still fighting inside! We have to do something, or we're going to be completely overrun!"

"Damn it." the General scoffs, pulling herself to her feet. "And if Mustang butts in now, he'll be digging his own grave for opposing the Fuhrer when he was supposed to be on his side... Not like I'd ever want his help, anyway..."

"Olivier, I can help." Colonel Armstrong gets up, pushing through the pain of his multiple injuries. "My Alchemy can hold them back for a while. Just leave it to me."

"Alex, you're being stupid again." his sister chides. "If you try to hold off that many soldiers in your condition, you're definitely going to end up bleeding out. Not to mention, don't you have an image here in Central to uphold as well? Can you really kill your fellow Central soldiers?"

"I'm fine, I assure you." the Colonel begins. "And I will not kill them. I just have to impede them from reaching up here."

"Even dumber." Olivier replies. "Not just yourself, you're liable to get us all killed."

The siblings continue to bicker, while the fight against Bradley is drawn out longer and longer. Your interference from afar, is doing little to help now that he has both his swords again, and the utility that comes with them.

>A.Stay here and just try harder, you're sure to be able to make an opening

>B.If this isn't working, you'll have to get in closer and try something more extreme

>C.This is all pointless if the Central forces get here. You have the power to block them off yourself, tell the Armstrongs you've got it covered

>D.Tell something else to the Armstrong siblings (Write-in)

>E.Other

>>1216950
>>B.If this isn't working, you'll have to get in closer and try something more extreme
Leah still there with the back up shots

>>1216950
>>C.This is all pointless if the Central forces get here. You have the power to block them off yourself, tell the Armstrongs you've got it covered

>>1216950
I want to say C, but if they can't do anything to stop this guy with us then without us I don't see how it would change. So I say B.

>>1216957
>>1217124

You'd like to help hold the Central forces off, but Bradley is still in front of you, and as dangerous as ever. The Armstrong siblings will have to work that business out themselves.

As for you, this long range approach is getting less and less effective. If you really want to make a difference, you'll have to move in closer and try something a bit more extreme. You sign to Leah to stay here and continue providing fire support, while you move in.

"Be careful, Isk." she tells you. "He won't want to kill you because of your part in Father's plan, but you could still get seriously hurt."

You wait until Ling and the others break off from an attack against Bradley, then rush into join them. Trying to surprise the Fuhrer is pointless, since he's already seen you. A 'surprise attack' would probably just be you jumping out and getting slashed up. It's much better if you're close enough to tell exactly when you have an opening.

"You're getting pretty cocky, Silent Alchemist." Bradley calls you out. "You're not invincible just because you're a valuable piece. And I'll prove it to you right now if I have to."

The Fuhrer lunges straight for you, both swords at the ready. Ling, Lan Fan, and Fu do their best to glance his blows away with their own weapons, and it's only just enough to let you duck and weave away from certain death. Your clothes take a cut or two, and you can feel the sting of his swords tear ever so lightly into the topmost layer of your skin.

While you may be putting yourself in extreme danger, it isn't for nothing. The Fuhrer seems intent on keeping you from trying much, likely because you can use alchemy while the other three he's fighting cannot. Now that you've made yourself vulnerable, he's moving to take out the biggest threat.

The pace of the battle is too quick, you try multiple times to transmute, but never get far before you have to move. Just another second would be enough to make the difference, but you can't seem to get it. As you rack your brain for a solution, the clanging of the combatant's metal weapons interrupt your thoughts. At first, you mentally curse the racket for distracting you during such a tense moment, but then an idea starts to form in your mind. It's a bit risky, but it could give you just the opening you need. If your body is up to the task, that is. One slip up, and you could be looking at the end of the line right here. Though you can always hope Bradley will stop himself from outright killing you, even if it goes wrong. Regardless, it's now or never, as you hear the fighting approaching from down below getting even more intense, explosions and all.

>Roll 1d100, first three

Rolled 96 (1d100)

>>1217199

Rolled 17 (1d100)

>>1217199

Rolled 97 (1d100)

>>1217199

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>>1217203
>>1217211

>>1217324
Isk really hates Homunculi.

>>1217211

You get ready to make your move, and try to be as calm as possible. The trick here will be to pay attention, and find exactly the perfect moment to strike. You breathe deeply, and focus. For a moment, you manage to feel chi other than Father and Hohenheim's. It's that of Bradley and the three Xingese fighters. You feel them moving by their chi, and it gives you a better view of the flow of the battle. It becomes clear to you that this is exactly how the three of them are fighting so accurately. They can sense the chi of both their enemy and their allies, and use it to augment their sight. They don't fight with their eyes alone. Thanks to that, they can fight an enemy of this caliber all at once without worrying about getting in each other's way. You try and replicate this feeling. It could be what lets you pull this next bit off.

You've been dodging this whole time, but you get ready to make your move. When you come up to wall, the Fuhrer come after you. Ling and Fu are there to defend you, but you know Bradley expects that. The adversaries have been parrying blows for some time now. The difference now is that he can rain blows on you repeatedly and be sure some of them get through since you have nowhere to go. Of course, you want him to think this way.

As both swords come in, Ling and Fu raise their weapons to block them. Normally, the Fuhrer would immediately draw back and keep swinging until his strength pushed through, but not this time.

This time, as soon as the weapons were about to clash, you clapped your hands, jumped forward, and reached out for them. Placing your hands around the clashing weapons, you transmute the metals into fusing together.

When it's done, you drop your hands. They're cut all over from grasping the blades. However, Bradley, Ling and Fu drop the useless hunks of metal that used to be weapons. Bradley is unarmed. It's then that Lan Fan comes in. she uses this opportunity to the fullest, getting in as many attacks against the Fuhrer as she can. Keeping to his blind side, she's able to land several blows to his shoulders, arms, and legs. Shallow, but enough to draw blood. And it'll add up. Bradley tries desperately to make his way to a discarded weapon, but Ling and Fu have gone around to grab any nearby. He has nothing.

"You damn humans..." he curses. You see him briefly glance to the sky, before making his way over to the railing. "I may just be leaving because I'm pressed for time now, but you managed to make even the Fuhrer retreat. Your persistence is enough to make me sick."

Lan Fan goes to slice at him again, but he jumps off the railing, into the water below.

"He got away..." Fu remarks. "But I imagine he won't be nearly as formidable the next time he's fought. Those wounds will take their toll."

You look up. The eclipse is mere minutes from starting.

>A.Patch up your hands

>B.Go after Bradley

>C.Check on the Armstrongs

>D.Other

>>1217355
>>A.Patch up your hands
Shit, if this was any other time, I would say go after him, but we're low on time.

>>1217355
>>C.Check on the Armstrongs
while we
>A.Patch up your hands

>>1217355
This >>1217374

Are we going to head underground and try to stop this now?

>>1217355
This >>1217374
I really hope our luck doesn't run out against Pride.

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>>1217370
>>1217374
>>1217412
>>1217456

First thing's first, you've got to take care of your hands. Leah runs out from around the wall she was aiming from behind, ready with bandages, since she saw everything that happened. She wraps up your hands, making sure the bandages don't get in the way of your fingers. You'll need the dexterity. You've still got fights left, after all. As long as you don't get them cut up any more, this much should be fine. There's not a whole lot of danger of losing too much blood from these anyway, it's just something you'd want to keep from getting worse.

"I know that worked, but it's not exactly what I'd call careful." Leah says, as she finishes applying the bandages. "I really wish I could have helped instead of you doing all the dangerous things on your own."

With that done, you check on one last thing before getting ready to head underground once and for all. You head over to check on the Armstrong siblings, to see if they were in fact capable of holding back the Central forces. You find the both of them leaning against a wall, overlooking the path down from command. The Colonel seems to have transmuted a obstacle course worth of impediments, but nothing that couldn't have been taken out with enough firepower. Yet there doesn't seem to be anyone coming up for some reason. You have Leah ask the exhausted Colonel about the situation.

"I wasn't much good to hold them off for long." Armstrong groans. You can see he's taken plenty of glancing blows from gunfire, likely as he was transmuting. "I'd likely be dead now if I had to keep that up. But... we got support."

"Mustang is down there." Olivier pipes in. "The bastard threw away everything he built up to fight the Fuhrer's men, and keep them off of us. He's not even killing them, so they'll all know. What an idiot. He won't be getting any thanks from me."

While the General insults the Lieutenant Colonel, you can see the Colonel is a lot more sympathetic. He's holding his head a bit lower than usual.

"He wanted to be Fuhrer one day. I can't see it happening after this." he sighs. "He gave up all those ambitions for us. A true comrade."

You and Leah get ready to take off, heading back for the gate, when a huge eye opens up in the ground beneath you. Shadowy hands start to tug at you, pulling your body apart piece by piece. You know this feeling. It's just like when you opened the Gate of Truth.

"Isk!" Leah calls for you, grabbing your arm, as it gets taken apart. "Hold on, wait! What am I supposed to do?"

You might have time to sign something to her quickly before you're completely dismantled.

>A.Tell her to stay here, it's too dangerous for her to come after alone

>B.Tell her to catch up with you at Father's chamber underground

>C.Other

>>1217601
>>A.Tell her to stay here, it's too dangerous for her to come after alone

>>1217601
>A.Tell her to stay here, it's too dangerous for her to come after alone

>>1217601
>>A.Tell her to stay here, it's too dangerous for her to come after alone

>>1217601
>>A.Tell her to stay here, it's too dangerous for her to come after alone

>>1217611
>>1217618
>>1217684
>>1217689

You're sure this must be Father drawing you to where he needs you for his plan. When it was you and Leah making your way underground together, you were okay with bringing her along, but she shouldn't try to make her way down there alone. You struggle against the shadowy hands, signing to her to stay here.

"Are you sure, Isk?" Leah asks, letting her hands slip down from your arm to your own hand. You can see tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. "I may not be able to help you.. but be safe, okay? I need to see you again when this is over. So hurry up and beat that guy and come back to me."

Leah gives you one last smile, as your hands are pulled apart, and you're pulled completely through the portal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSs9H1ANmL4&index=7&

You feel a familiar sensation, the hands pulling you through a completely white void. You'd be screaming if you could. However this time, you don't show up at the Gate of Truth. You re-materialize in a dark room, with pipes all around. You recognize it as the room you met Father in all those months ago.

In moments, you see others materialize in the room nearby. Your teacher, Edward, and Alphonse. Your teacher hits the ground and winces in pain, while Al drops completely motionless.

"Huh? What's going on?" Ed asks, as he jumps to his feet. "May, Scar, Tucker! Chimera crew! Where are you?"

"Al?" Ed sees his brother, then rushes over to him. "Damn, he's not moving. Al!"

>A.Check on your teacher, see if she's alright

>B.Go over to the Elric brothers, see what's going on with Al and see if you can get Ed to tell you the story

>C.Stay put and stay alert

>D.Other

>>1217776
>>A.Check on your teacher, see if she's alright

>>1217776
>A.Check on your teacher, see if she's alright
I'm honestly really curious as to how Father planned on ripping open the Gate without sacrifices.

Sorry for the wait guys, was eating dinner again. I'm back and writing now. And it'll be more than one post this time, I promise

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>>1217785
>>1217812

You leave the brothers to themselves for now, and head over to your teacher. Helping her stand up, you motion to where she was wounded, and give an inquisitive look.

"No, Yi and I were still on our way here when I got dragged through the portal." Izumi clarifies. "But we were getting really close. Yi will probably be here any minute. But since all of the sacrifices are together, then Hohenheim should be here, shouldn't he?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eazctq0E-w0&

"He is." a voice calls from the darkness. A shadowy being covered in eyes and mouths, similar to Pride, emerges. Hohenheim is sticking out of his body upside down. "He was causing a bit of trouble however, so I had to restrain him."

"Ah, Iskander and his teacher, Izumi Curtis. So you've been brought down here as well." Hohenheim says, from his awkward position. "Edward and Alphonse made it too, I see."

"Dad?" Ed turns, startled at the sight. "What the hell is that thing?"

"It's a copy of me." Hohenheim explains. "He may look different because I destroyed his outer coat, but this is the one the homunculi call Father."

"Enough talking, Hohenheim." Father says, as his body pulls Hohenheim completely inside. "Your stone is being a bit stubborn, but I will absorb it. That doesn't mean you get to chat as you please in the meantime."

Hohenheim disappears into the shadowy figure, and Father smiles.

"Now then, that aside... Welcome to my castle, my sacrifices." he grins. "We have only a bit of time left, but it seems that you're not quite all here yet. Alphonse there seems to be lagging behind a bit. Well, that's alright. We still have a few minutes. He should be along quickly enough."

As Father is talking, you see a young boy step out from behind him. You recognize him as Selim Bradley. The one Breda told you was a homunculus. As if this wasn't enough to confirm that, that is. You can see shadowy tendrils waving around near his feet just like Father. No doubt about it, he's Pride. The child grins at the sight of all of you.

>A.Attack Father, try to get Hohenheim free

>B.Attack Pride, he can't kill you, and you'd rather try and get rid of him now

>C.Don't do anything reckless, just let things be for now

>D.Try to get something across to the others (Write-in)

>E.Other

>>1218057
>>A.Attack Father, try to get Hohenheim free

>>1218057
>>A.Attack Father, try to get Hohenheim free
We're going to need all the alchemist we can

>>1218057
>B.Attack Pride, he can't kill you, and you'd rather try and get rid of him now
Trap him in a dome like Al did?

>>1218057
A seems like a bad idea right off the bat. B, get rid of pride first. In the way >>1218099 suggested. Assuming pride works the same way in this universe it should help at least slow him down so we can then do A.

>>1218090
Switching over to B.

>>1218099
And I don't mean that in a meta way, it was just the best explaination I could think of, sorry Laze.

Please don't crucify me like Mini did to so many.

File: Selim Bradley Pride.jpg (117 KB, 1440x810)

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>>1218099
>>1218123
>>1218132

His plan still hasn't gone through, so he wants you all alive. However, if wait until after it's passed, you'll have to deal with both Pride and Father simultaneously. If it's possible, you'd rather avoid that.

You dash forward towards the young boy, clapping your hands as you do so. You have a bit of experience with his attacks, the shadowy tendrils that cut and pierce. What can you do to stop them? The only thing you know for sure is to deflect them when they attack. Though you think perhaps his body may be a weak point. It is just that of a normal child, after all.

"What is this?" Pride chuckles. "Are you actually trying to fight back? Now? Don't think you'll get off easy just because we still need you alive."

The shadows spike towards you, and you intercept them with your transmutation. You jump out of the way of a few more, then transmute again. After a couple of times, you get an opening. You're able to transmute a spike out of the floor, right through Pride's host body. He hangs in the air, clearly not amused. One of his tendrils cuts the spike apart, while his body regenerates. While that was a bit of a bust, you figure you at least learned one thing. While he can regenerate like the others, his body is in fact as weak as a child. It is the shadowy tendrils exclusively that pose a threat. There must be a way to neutralize them. But how? Perhaps their nature might hold some clue.

You can't work it out in time however, and Pride's attacks get more intense. You have no choice but to back off. You back up closer to the others, and Pride stops following.

"Please don't try that again." Pride says. "It's pointless. Just a waste of time and effort."

"Indeed." Father chimes in. "It wouldn't do for you to struggle at this juncture. To resist me is futile. Everything up to this point has predetermined by me. And so will the next step. You cannot stop it. You four should know that best of all, shouldn't you? You have experienced firsthand the greatest futility. For a mere human to struggle against the Truth. The two brothers, who wanted only to feel their mother's warmth again. One lost the leg on which he stood. The other lost his entire body, rendering him unable to feel the warmth he so desired. The woman who tried to transmute her only baby, and was given a body that can never bear a child. And you, boy. The one who lost his voice. You, who tried so desperately to bring back your friend, without whom you would have died without a purpose. He so lauded your knowledge, and the way you conveyed it, that you were inspired to keep living even in this world where it was all you had. For the chance to speak with him even one more time, you attempted human transmutation. And now you will never speak again. It's the harsh reality of the price you pay when you try to defy your station. That is the way of the universe, imposed by the very thing you claim to worship. That is Truth!"

Hey, what do you know, just as short as yesterday. I better run real late tomorrow, or this'll just seem pathetic

Anyway, that's all for tonight. Will start up again tomorrow

On the dome thing, I figured that was metagaming just a little too hard, since Isk doesn't really know much about Pride yet. So I tried to put kind of a stepping stone in logic here so it can kind of work next time

>>1218312
Thanks Laze, wasn't sure whether or not it was, but I'll take what I can get.

Neither of the two sacrifices currently able to speak do so. Father seems to have hit a bit close to home for them. For you too, perhaps. However, you have all long since come to terms with your mistakes. Father's words aren't worth more than a moment's wavering. While no one retorts, you're all still ready to defy Father when the time comes.

For now however, Ed is hanging back with his motionless brother, not stepping too far away. Your teacher is also reluctant to join you in jumping into the fray. If only Hohenheim could have healed her wound.

You consider whether or not you do actually want to try and fight Pride alone again, or wait like the others, when there's an explosion from above you. May jumps down, with her tiny panda in tow.

"Don't worry, I caught up to you guys." she says, taking a combat stance. She breaks it when she sees Al lying on the ground, unmoving. "Alphonse, are you okay? Is it happening again? Oh no..."

"He was fine until we were summoned." Ed tells the girl. "Something must be holding him up."

Another figure emerges from behind Father and Pride. It's Yi.

"So we come face to face once more, monster." he remarks. "For the last time."

"So both of the alkahestrists are here again." Father frowns. "Those humans must be truly incompetent. Get rid of them for me, won't you Pride? Our final guest sacrifice has come to."

You look back, and see that Alphonse has sit up.

"Al, you're up!" Ed shouts, helping him to his feet. "Alright! Now we're in this!"

Father grins. It's probably extremely close to the eclipse now.

>A.Everyone gang up on Pride, try to take him out before Father goes through with his plan

>B.See if May can treat teacher well enough for her to fight again

>C.Someone needs to keep Father busy, not everyone can fight Pride at once

>D.Other

>>1219643
>c.
Some one needs to keep his eyes on him. And who else but the one that can do alchemy and alkahestry.

>>1219643
>A.Everyone gang up on Pride, try to take him out before Father goes through with his plan
>B.See if May can treat teacher well enough for her to fight again
>C.Someone needs to keep Father busy, not everyone can fight Pride at once
Designate Yi to occupy Father, have Izumi back him up when she's able.

>>1219643
>C.Someone needs to keep Father busy, not everyone can fight Pride at once

>>1219643
Actually, we should occupy Father, not Yi. Then have Izumi and May help us when Izumi is able. >>1219660

>>1219643
I think we should occupy father and cause as much collateral damage as possible.
After all he can't start his transmutation if he is not in the centre of the circle and if we can force him out it is a win then.
I think.
Or maybe some part of his machinery is crucial for him.

Yi may be able to kill pride in one good hit, and pride's character seems like one that would underestimate him most.

>>1219795
>kill pride in one good hit
Wew

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>>1219660
>>1219760
>>1219763
>>1219795

You motion back to the others, and then towards Pride. After that, you point to yourself and then Father. Yi is a bit farther away, but you try and make sure he gets the message, too.

"That's a pretty dangerous plan there." Ed replies. "Fighting Father by yourself. But alright. We'll try and get Pride out of the way first, so he's not a problem later."

The brothers and May dash off toward the homunculi with the body of a young boy, while Yi follows their lead from the other side.

"Now now, this won't do." Father mutters, as he holds his hand up and starts to chance its form. "The alkahestrists are the ones I need gotten rid of. My sacrifices should just stay put and be patient."

Father's hand forms into a gun, and he shoots a few rounds their way. However, you're able to raise a barrier and block it, successfully getting Father's attention.

"Hmm... Your attempts at resistance are starting to wear on my nerves." Father frowns. He stomps his foot, and you feel a strange sensation shake through you from below. You know this feeling. Father has just blocked out alchemy.

You move to your backup plan. You practiced for this. Setting up an array, you transmute some pillars into Father's torso. He was caught completely off guard, and your plan was somewhat successful. You manage to push Hohenheim to the surface of Father's body.

"You tenacious little brat..." Father remarks. "You even went and learned alkahestry? It's almost admirable. Unfortunately, that won't be nearly enough."

Without moving, Father transmutes, nearly restraining you in stone in an instant. You're only saved by Hohenheim transmuting to counter the attack. After that, you stay constantly on the move, as staying still will render you helpless. The attacks you can make are few and far between, but you hope they're enough to buy May and Yi the time they need to fight Pride.

"Alright, it worked!" you hear Ed's voice. "Nice work May, you trapped him real good. He's not getting out with that tiny body. And it looks like his shadows are useless without light, otherwise he'd be cutting himself out of there right now! I had a hunch after watching Isk fight..."

You're glad to hear that Pride is now a non-issue, but annoyance only shows on Father's face for a brief moment, before it's replaced by a huge grin.

"It's time." he smiles, as shadowy tentacles burst out from his body in every direction. They bust through every obstacle in their way, including May and Yi, who are thrown aside. They grab you, Izumi, Edward, and Alphonse, and pin you all to the ground. Father then flows like water over to his throne, dragging everyone but Hohenheim with him, who he leaves held in place by yet more appendages. Hohenheim tries to explode Father with a transmutation, but Father merely blocks it with one hand held up, while the other, he places down on a small circle that he's drawn.

You all try to struggle free, but it's no use.

File: Nationwide Transmutation (...).jpg (45 KB, 637x344)

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>>1219988

"Now, for you all to fulfill your purpose!" Father shouts. "I will use you five who have open the gate as sacrifices, and open the very gate of this planet itself! That's right, the planet has its own gate, one that has collected a vast expanse of knowledge, and watched the universe unfold! I will absorb it all right now! Here, at the center of the world!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut7uI9p3O5A&index=76&

Father begins the transmutation. You feel an odd sensation, then look to your stommach to see an eye has opened there. It hurts, and you'd be screaming if you could. The others are, as they are experiencing the same thing. Shadowy hands extned from each of the eyes on your stomachs, and gather around Father.

"Yes, give it to me!" Father demands with excitement. "Give me all your energy, the power from all your gateways! It's incredible, such a magnificent volume of energy! It's like nothing I've ever seen! And now, I will use it! I will take hold of God, and bring him down to Earth, inside of my body!"

A blackness envelops everything. You can't see, and have no way to tell what's going on. But you know. Father is activating the circle, and absorbing the lives of everyone in Amestris. As awful as it is, you know it's not the end. You all prepared for this. As soon as you get the chance, you'll free all those souls, and defeat Father.

You're eventually let go. The dust clears, and you get to your feet. The other sacrifices do the same.

"You have done well, my sacrifices." you hear. Looking to the throne, you see a figure that looks a bit like Ed. The voice is Father's, though. "Thanks to you, I have obtained the power of God. I no longer have any need for you."

"Just a few moments now, everyone." Hohenheim assures. "My plan will take effect shortly. Just survive until then."

>A.Distract Father as best you can

>B.See if Yi or May is up to helping you

>C.Stand your ground here with Hohenheim and get ready to weather out whatever Father throws at you

>D.Other

>>1219998
>>A.Distract Father as best you can

>>1219998
>>A.Distract Father as best you can
>TFW this means he most likely killed Leah when the circle went up

>>1219998
>C.Stand your ground here with Hohenheim and get ready to weather out whatever Father throws at you
>D.Get May to see to Izumi

>>1220027
Well, you don't really die when the Nationwide Transmutation Circle affects you, it just separates your body and soul.

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>>1220003
>>1220027

Ed, Al, and Izumi are all sitting ducks right now, unable to use alchemy. You don't have any idea what kind of condition Yi and May are in, so you don't want to try and drag them in. And Hohenheim will have his hands full trying to keep everyone safe. It's up to you to buy time.

You step forward, setting up more arrays. Attempts to actually harm Father would be pointless, so you focus on wasting as much of his time as possible. You raise things to block his view, shift around the ground he sits on, and knock his hands around with your transmuted attacks.

"Even now, you continue to struggle. Pathetic." Father scoffs, as he releases a huge blast of energy your way. You just barely manage to dive out of the worst of it, but the shockwave still throws you aside, painfully colliding with a wall. Father goes on to launch more attacks at Hohenheim and the others, protected only by Hohenheim shielding them with his own body. But he's immensely overwhelmed, and would have been destroyed in short order, if Father didn't suddenly stop his attack. His body starts twitching.

"What have you done, Hohenheim?" he asks. "What's happening to me? To all my power?"

"I've activated it." Hohenheim replies. "My counter measure. Together with our allies, we've set up a circle with the souls from my body, using the shadow of the moon. Now all the souls of Amestris will return to their bodies. And you won't be able to contain all that power you've taken in."

Sure enough, Father starts convulsing. Dozens of millions of souls erupt from his body, flying in every direction to return to their own bodies.

"It doesn't matter..." Father pants. "There are billions of souls for me to take. Hundreds of thousands in you alone, Hohenheim. I'll just take all I need to contain this power!"

Father, though shaken, resumes his attacks, just as strong as they were before. Yi and May set up arrays to block them, but they clearly won't hold for long.

"Damn it Scar, are you done yet?" Ed curses. "We can't do anything right now!"

You get back up. You still need to help hold him off.

>Roll 1d100, first three

Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>1220266
ded

Rolled 38 (1d100)

>>1220266

>>1220270
Yes he is.

Rolled 65 (1d100)

>>1220266

>>1220270

You set up more arrays, launching more and more attacks. They don't do much, merely deflecting a small bit of the force away from Hohenheim and the others, but you continue regardless.

Father starts to take notice of your attacks. Though they are mere annoyances to him, he still decides to throw another blast of energy in your direction. Despite dodging the worst of it, you're knocked off your feet yet again, slamming hard into a wall. Your body aches. You can't take a whole lot more of this.

"You alone are nothing." Father insists. "This vessel may be less than adequate for it, but I still hold the power of God!"

He's about to shoot another blast your way, but you activate another array you've set up. This one surrounding the elevated area where Father stands. And though you didn't expect it, in a stroke of luck, just below Father is a tub of what seems to be some kind of molten metal. With the floor destroyed, Father falls right into it. You watch as the red light arcs wildly, as Father desperately transmutes to save himself. It takes him quite some time to climb out.

As he does, you feel another surge of energy.

"It's here!" Hohenheim shouts. "Scar has activated the Reverse Circle! You can use alchemy again!"

Ed and Al test it out, then take up fighting positions.

"Damn you humans..." Father mumbles. "I don't have time for this! I need more!"

Father flings a blast of energy aside, destroying the dome Pride was trapped in. He then uses some of the molten metal as a jet to push himself upward.

"He's going for the surface!" Hohenheim declares. "He's going to absorb everyone he can! We have to stop him!"

"Not so fast..." Pride says, his shadows flailing wildly. "I'll make you pay for trapping me in there, and for interfering with Father."

>A.Follow Father to the surface

>B.Stay here to fight Pride

>C.Get some help for Izumi already so she can fight

>D.Try to direct who stays or goes after Father (Write-in)

>E.Other

>>1220514
>>B.Stay here to fight Pride

>>1220514
>>B.Stay here to fight Pride

>>1220514
>C.Get some help for Izumi already so she can fight
>D.Try to direct who stays or goes after Father (Write-in)
Hohenheim, Yi, Edward, and Iskander follow Father. Izumi, Alphonse, and May take on Pride.

>>1220514
I agree with >>1220534. I don't want to fuck around with pride when they didn't need our help with him before.

>>1220525
I'll switch over to >>1220534

Sorry about the delay guys. Eating dinner, you know how it goes. Back now and writing

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>>1220534
>>1220616
>>1220622

First thing's first, you'll need as many people helping to fight as possible. You tug on Hohenheim's shirt, and point him in Izumi's direction.

"What's that, Iskander?" he asks, as he follows you over to the woman. "We don't have any time, we need to follow right away."

"I got injured earlier." your teacher explains. "I hate to be a burden like this, but can you heal me? I need to be able to fight with everyone."

"I understand." Hohenheim nods, kneeling down to get to work. "This should only take a few moments."

After that, you run around, trying to direct the group how to split up. You point Al and May to Pride, then Yi and Ed upward. When Hohenheim is finished treating Izumi, you point her to pride as well.

"Alright." your teacher says, stretching to check that she's all better. "We'll be right behind you."

"Be careful Ed, Dad!" Al calls, as the two of them ride pillars up to the surface. You follow with one of your own, bringing Yi along with you for the ride.

As you head up, you pass a higher floor where you see Scar covered in wounds. Tucker is at his side, treating him. The four chimera that you met before as part of Ed an Al's group are also there, looking beat to all hell. They glance in your direction as you ascend, then start to move toward you, their eyes and mouths open. It's almost like they were going to try and tell you something, but there's no time. You've wasted enough as it is, and Father has to be stopped.

You emerge on the surface to find Father attempting to draw the souls out of a group of Northern soldiers. Hohenheim hits him with a projectile to break his focus, and the soldiers are spared. They stumble away, gasping for air.

"I won't let you take any more souls!" Hohenheim declares. "Your path of destruction ends here! You claim the superiority of the homunculi, but you were created from humans! Humans create, all you do is destroy! You haven't reached perfection, you're just a dead end!"

"Hmph." Father scoffs. "I can create. Let me show you."

With that, several human bodies emerge from Father's flesh. They stumble forward, marveling in their physical forms.

"I've done it..." mutters one. "I'm immortal, right? I'm still alive..."

"A body!" cries a young one, as it reaches out for you. "I have a body again!"

Edward and Yi are notably shaken at this development, watching the revived people shamble forward.

"No!" Hohenheim stutters. "King Xerxes... This is wrong..."

As everyone is distracted, Father unleashes another powerful blast in your direction, paying no mind to the humans he's granted bodies to. You try to react as fast as you can.

>Roll 1d100, first three

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>1220838
Aw shit.

Rolled 59 (1d100)

>>1220838

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>1220838

>>1220845

You clap and hit the ground as fast as you can. You transmute something, anything that can give you a better chance of surviving this. You make an indent in the ground under you, while raising a sloped wall in front of you. Hopefully you can get as mush of the blast as possible to clear you.

It might have worked perfectly, had you only the time. You had mere moments, and it wasn't enough to dodge the entire blast. Your wall is obliterated, and you're blasted onto your back. It hurts like hell, but you glanced enough of it off that you're alive. You struggle to get back to your feet as the smoke clears.

Behind you, you see the blast destroyed a good portion of central command, along with the north gate. Beside you, you see your comrades laid out. Ed and Yi are injured about as much as you are, and manage to get up. Though a good portion of Ed's automail arm is stripped. Then you see why the two of them got off as easy as they did. Hohenheim kneels over them, shielding them from the brunt of the attack.

"Dad!" Ed shouts, going up to his father. "Dad, are you okay? Come on, we still gotta beat this guy!"

Just then, Father appears behind Hohenheim. He bats him out of the way with one swing, then turns to the three of you that remain.

"Hohenheim's souls are tedious to consume, so you three will be first." he announces. "Become fuel to contain God's power."

Red light arcs from his fingers to the three of you, and you can feel your soul getting wrenched from your body.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_scbziJUEog&

But fortunately for you, you hear an all too familiar sound. The sound of a very particular rifle being shot. It hits Father in the head, causing him to lose focus and release his hold on your souls. As you gasp for air, you look up to see it was indeed Leah that fired. She is joined by Colonel Armstrong, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang, and a great number of Northern soldiers. General Armstrong steps forward and shouts orders.

"Take out the one with the long blonde hair that's not Fullmetal!" she shouts. "Don't give him any time to react, just keep the pressure on him and do not let up no matter what!"

You, Ed, Yi, and Hohenheim back off a bit as the forces start dumping all the ammo they have into Father. He shrugs it all off for now, but he can't keep at it forever. You will wear him down eventually.

You get ready to attack. This will be the final battle.

>End of Chapter 15

That's unfortunately all for this thread guys, I'll pick up from here in what will likely be the last thread Tuesday next week

Twitter is @LazeQM

>>1220917
>As you gasp for air, you look up to see it was indeed Leah that fired.
Best girl here to save the day.

>>1220921
Thanks for the thread, Laze. Time to end Father.