Raid
"THIS" = Ed's tantums/short rants
Two days of hellish bedrest later, Carmilla woke with a sinking feeling in her gut, one she'd only felt twice in her life.
The first was when her former possessed teacher Quirrell tried to strangle her; the second was in the Chamber of Secrets when Riddle revealed his true self.
Though she'd never really bought into the older teen's act entirely, something about him had rubbed her wrong the moment the diary had talked back.
Quickly dressing in her preferred black muscle shirt and shorts, she went straight to her lab, bypassing a concerned-looking Roa who sought out their boss.
Entering her lab, she gathered her potions ingredients, research notes, and premade alchemy circles, storing them into her trunk that she kept on a choker around her neck before moving to her library and doing the same with her magic tomes.
She'd just finished when Greed walked in, watching her move like a tornado through the room.
"Thought I told you to stay in bed." the sin greeted making her jump, in her rush she hadn't even noticed that he'd joined her.
"Bad feeling, probably just being paranoid after what happened, but..." Carmilla shrugged, a slight blush on her face from the look that Martel, who stood just behind the sin, shot her.
"Whatever the case, we're bringing in the Elrics today. Bido was spying on them last night and learned something fascinating," he informed her, making her raise a brow.
"What's so fascinating about them? Other than the fact that the older brother is a State Alchemist with a bit of talent?" she asked as she followed behind the pair as they went to the 'common room' within the basement.
Once there, she noticed that Zolf was absent but made no mention of it as Nina ran up to her.
"The younger brother is nothing but a soul bound to armor, that's what," Martel answered, making Carmilla's eyes snap to her.
"What? A soul? Why in the world would someone bind a soul to armor? Unless..." Carmilla muttered, playing with Nina's hair after sitting down with the girl in her lap.
"Unless," Greed prodded, curious as to what her sharp mind was thinking, he could hear the gears turning in her head from clear across the room.
"Well, it's just a theory, but Izumi can perform alchemy without an array because she tried bringing back her baby. Fullmetal is rumored to have the same ability, so maybe he tried to bring his brother back, but only the soul?" Carmilla theorized, making everyone stiffen up.
"It's a possibility for certain," Greed muttered as he sipped at his whiskey.
"Anyway, Bido will be sending a message to the brothers, and Roa, Martel, and I will be waiting in the alley. We're aiming for armor-boy," Dolcetto called out, causing her to nod.
"Just don't hurt the kid, I've heard him talk, he sounds young despite that body," Carmilla requested, warning clear in her tone making Dolcetto chuckle.
"We don't plan on it, and if he gives us any trouble, we plan for Martel to get inside the armor."
Carmilla sighed at the answer, knowing it was the best she'd get, before turning her dual-colored gaze back to Greed.
"So, if you reveal that you're a homunculus to the brothers, who gets to knock your head off?" she inquired, making Greed snicker while Nina whimpered.
"Greed's going to what?" she demanded in concern as everyone flinched.
Greed quickly walked over and pulled the youngest into his arms, "Don't worry sugarplum, it won't hurt me at all. It's happened loads of times." he assured, petting her head as she sniffed, tears welling in her eyes.
"It won't? It won't hurt you? Really?" Nina asked, looking up at him through watery eyes as he rocked her slightly.
"Not one bit, remember, I'm not human sugarplum, and you won't have to be there. You can come in after that bit, okay?"
Carmilla smiled at the scene before her, it always amazed her just how much Greed adored the little girl, he cared for all of them, but Nina held a special place within the sin's Stone.
"Promise? I can see Big Brothers again?"
"Yeah, you can see them again, but only for a few moments, we need to have grown-up talk, okay?" Greed told her as he handed her back to Carmilla.
"Okay," Nina mumbled as she curled into her sister.
"By the way," Carmilla spoke up, causing the sin's gaze to rest on her, "where is Zolf?" she questioned curiously.
"He left for a town in the west, something about going to collect some of his notes he'd hidden. Said he'd be back in a month or two." the homunculus answered, the man had left just before dawn since he was a wanted man, planing to disguise himself to travel unimpeded.
"He mentioned something about that," Carmilla grunted, recalling the man mentioned it in passing.
"Now, back to the 'knock my head off' thing, why did you ask?" Greed asked, making a mischievous grin appeared on her face.
"Well...I kinda want to do it, payback for nearly walking in on me while I was changing." Carmilla teased while the sin sighed,
"Damnit Milla, it was an accident. But fine, how are you going to do it?" Greed groaned, pointedly ignoring the laughing of his gang.
"Nina, go play; you don't need to hear this, okay?" Carmilla gently shoved Nina off her lap, the younger dog chimera nodding, as Bido took her hand and led her out of the room.
Once she was sure they were out of hearing range, she answered her friend/protector's question.
"I could use magic, in which I could use the blasting hex or cutting curse, or I can use my hybrid circle, Zolf's circle, or Isaac's circle." She listed, ticking off her fingers while Greed gave her a concerned look.
"Hybrid circle? And 'no' on the magic bit."
"Yeah, I combined Zolf and Isaac's circles. It'll superheat the water in your body before focusing it into a small explosion. I'm still working out the kinks on it. Zolf said the theory is good though, just needs controlled testing." Carmilla explained with a maniacal tone, rubbing her hands together like some sort of mad scientist.
Greed shuddered at the look in her eyes, wondering where the sweet, shy preteen she'd been went.
'Note to self, puberty is scary in females,' Greed thought as she began giggling, mumbling under her breath about various transmutations she wanted to try.
'Or, maybe allowing her to be around Zolf wasn't a good idea after all,' he conceded in the safety of his mind, the look on her face was scarily similar to the Crimson Alchemist's when he talked about his explosions.
"Okay, no on the hybrid circle, I'd prefer that you have Zolf around for that one. Just use his circle." the sin commanded, making her pout, snapping her fingers in disappointment.
"Fine, we'll do that instead," Carmilla mumbled, she'd wanted to use her new circle so much!
'She's insane,' the group collectively thought.
"Dol, Martel, Roa, go wait for the kid. Tell Bido to deliver the message." Greed ordered as Carmilla pulled out one of her notebooks, an idea having hit her.
Carmilla watched as Roa carried the soul-bound armor over his shoulder, placing him against the wall.
Since Martel was missing, she guessed the snake chimera was inside the armor as Greed walked over, removing the helmet and saying,
"Cool, you're actually hollow," as he waved at Martel inside, "the name's Greed and I want to be your friend." the sin told the boy as he walked back to stand beside Roa, who Carmilla was hidden behind to keep her a secret.
Wouldn't do for Alphonse to spot her too early.
"Then why don't you tell me what you people really are," Alphonse stated, thinking back to Nina's malformed body while trying to hide the fact he knew that talking chimera existed, his thoughts going to Carmilla for a moment, "You're not chimeras, it's impossible, no ones made a chimera that can talk."
Playing along for the moment, Greed walked back to the boy and kneeled before him, "You can't believe everything the government tells you, kid. You got all the proof you need right inside you. The girl in there is part snake, and this big guy here," he gestured to Roa with his head, "Roa, what were you made with? Cow?"
Roa nodded with a "Yeah," adjusting his grip on his hammer to hide Carmilla, who moved against his back.
She heard Alphonse gasp at this, smiling sadly at the innocence the boy showed while Greed continued,
"We've also got a lizard, a crocodile, and the little runt you took down earlier tends to lift his leg when he pees." Greed teased as Dolcetto barked, "Only once damn it!" nearly making Carmilla give herself away from giggling.
"You're part dog?" Alphonse asked in disbelief while Dolcetto smirked at him.
"Yep, it's really not so bad."
"I don't believe it...it's not possible. Who would even be capable of creating one?" the armor asked, beginning to wonder if this was the group Carmilla spoke of.
"The military." Greed told him, making the boy ask, "You mean?"
"You got it, there's a shadow world beneath yours that's jampacked with the impossible. Hell, I'm more uncommon than they are." Greed said as Carmilla discretely looked around Roa, knowing her part was coming up at the sin showed off his Oroboros.
"I'm a homunculus."
"A homunculus?"
"You know what that means, right? I'm an artificially created human, really, no joke," he said to the boy.
"You're lying! A homunculus is just a theory! No body's made one!" Alphonse denied making Greed frown as he stood up, removing his shades.
"Oh man, guess I gotta prove it," the sin sighed, "Milla, if you would, dear."
Alphonse watched in shock as Carmilla walked out from behind the largest male, standing beside Greed as she waved to the boy before turning, holding her hand up to the side of Greed's head the next instant and blowing everything from the chin-up off.
Greed's body went flying off to the side, a shower of blood, smoke, and pieces raining down.
Alphonse cried out in shock,
"Why did you do that to him?! What did you do to Nina!" the boy demanded only to watch in horror/shock as the headless body began to move, red lightning arcing off the body as it regenerated, one hand raised with the pointer finger up.
Once his head fully regenerated, he moaned before cracking his neck, wiping the blood from his chin as he smirked at the boy.
"That's one time I've died."
"No way,"
"You get it yet, nothing is impossible, I'm a little surprised you'd have such a hard time accepting that. Considering you're just a soul in a suit of armor." Greed mocked, patting Carmilla on the head.
"As for Nina, she's just fine, Milla, why don't you be a good girl and fetch her while soul-boy and I have a chat," he ordered making Carmilla nod.
"Sure, I think she's in her room, don't worry Al, you'll be pleasantly surprised to see her actually," Carmilla promised, smiling sweetly at the boy as she left, hearing the boy demand to know how they knew he was a soul bound to armor.
Carmilla skipped down the hall to Nina's room, glee filling her at the thought of what the armor would feel seeing the little girl again.
Knocking on the door, she called out.
"Nina, it's time,"
She listened to hurried footsteps within the room, the door flying open to reveal Nina dressed in a shirt with a flower printed on it and shorts.
"Big Brothers are here?" Nina asked, jumping into her arms.
"Well, Alphonse is here. Come on, maybe Edward will be there by the time we get back." Carmilla told her as they turned to leave, Nina holding a stuffed rabbit that was the one possession she'd never be without.
As they approached the common room, Carmilla frowned at the sound of someone yelling.
"Shut your damned mouth! It sounds great to you? It seems perfect? You know nothing about the hell he's had to go through stuck with that body! And you want to know how to transmute a soul?" the male screamed, clearly audible two halls away.
"That sounds like Big Brother Ed," Nina mumbled to her, clutching the rabbit to her chest.
"Indeed it does," Carmilla muttered, sweat beading beside her eye at the volume.
"YOU KIDNAP MY BROTHER, AND YOU WANT TO TRADE SECRETS WITH ME?" the elder Elric roared as the pair reached the room, watching the blond rage at the gang who looked confused/disturbed by the teen's lung capacity.
"I'm gonna crush you creeps. I'll smash you. End you. And I won't give you slime ANYTHING!" Ed screeched as Carmilla tilted her head, he gave Molly Weasley a run for her money in the ability to murder one's ears.
"In other words," Ed declared, the illusion of a fiery hell surrounding him, "there won't be an exchange with you SCUM!" he finished, pointing at Greed, who clapped at him.
"I guess we're doing this by force again," Dolcetto sighed as he moved forward, drawing his katana from the sheath.
"Dol, I doubt that Fullmetal wants to fight with Nina here. Greed, did you go on the immortality train again?" Carmilla spoke up from behind the State Alchemist, making him whip around.
"You...you're with these guys?" Ed demanded the familiar woman who nodded, waiting for what she'd said to kick in, Nina hiding behind her.
"I told you that my family were chimeras when I helped you hide Nina, did I not?" she said as Dolcetto resheathed his blade.
"Nina...where is she?!" Alphonse demanded, scanning the room for the little girl and not seeing her.
"She's right here," Carmilla answered, moving to reveal Nina standing behind her, still clutching the bunny.
"Big Brothers," Nina greeted, holding on to Carmilla, who placed her hand on the girl's head.
Ed's eyes widened in disbelief as he took in Nina's appearance, an emotion he couldn't identify flooding him as he took in her nearly human appearance.
"You used alchemy on her?" he accused, it was the only way he could understand what he was seeing.
The cross look on Carmilla's face sent a chill up his spine, hearing the ringleader of this gang whistle at the look.
"The hell? As if," Carmilla snorted, "I had no need to use alchemy on her, newsflash boyo, I'm a witch. The genuine article," Carmilla hissed, pulling her wand out and sending a stinging hex his way.
Fullmetal grunted as pain radiated from his stumps, eyeing the wand.
"Magic isn't real, the only magic that exists is people passing alchemy off as it," Ed said, glaring at her when she began to laugh.
"Oh, by Truth, you're an idiot. Magic and alchemy come from the same source, the Gate, magic just isn't as common. Should I turn you into a ferret to prove it exists? Or maybe I should stick you to the ceiling." Carmilla wondered, tapping her wand tip against her chin, hips cocked as Nina giggled.
"It's true Big Brother, Sister fixed me!"
"Well, I can't make you human, but I was at least able to give you your human form back, better than being left in that state forever." Carmilla rubbed Nina's head, smiling down at her.
"Now, Greed, please tell me you didn't go on the immortality train again, that gets old," she asked, looking to the sin who shrugged.
"I just mentioned how nice it must be to not need to eat or sleep. Don't recall saying I wanted immortality."
"Greed," she sighed, "who knows how old Alphonse was when Fullmetal bound his soul to that armor; for him, it must be hell. To you, it sounds great, but to him, it's probably been a nightmare he can't wake up from."
Greed flinched at her tone, knowing how testy she got about kids being hurt.
"You're the one behind this, aren't you?!" Ed growled at the sin who sighed.
"Milla, take Nina out of here. She doesn't need to see this." he barked when the State Alchemist transmuted his automail arm into a blade as the homunculus walked forward.
"Roa, take the armor-boy too, we'll have Milla examine him later." Greed added, coating his arms in his shield.
Blade tip met shielded palm as Fullmetal rushed forward, the clash of metal against the blackened skin ringing through the air as Roa grabbed Alphonse.
Carmilla led Nina out of the room as Ed and Greed clashed, Roa following close behind the two.
"Will Big Brother and Greed be okay?" Nina asked, looking up at her.
"They'll be fine, it's a guy thing, sweetie," Carmilla assured, sending a discrete glare to Roa and Alphonse (plus Martel who was still inside the armor) to agree or else.
"Carmilla's right Nina, Brother just likes to spar with new friends?" Alphonse said though it came off as more of a question.
Carmilla smiled at him before freezing, falling to a knee as they reached the sewer tunnels.
"Milla?!" Roa called out in concern, setting Alphonse down and kneeling beside her.
"R..Roa, you need to get back to Greed, my ward, someone just tripped it," Carmilla grunted, making the large male pale.
"Ward?" Alphonse questioned, concerned at the pain that filtered across the witch's face while Martel pushed the helmet out of her way.
"The ward you set up to warn us if a large number of weapons entered the bar?" Martel questioned as Roa ordered the snake to get back in the armor before taking off back toward the Nest.
Carmilla nodded in answer, making Martel hiss.
"Will they be okay?" Nina asked, concerned, the only people she could think of that would have a large number of weapons would be the military.
"They should be fine, Roa will help him," Carmilla assured as she stood, rubbing her chest slightly.
Usually, when one cast a ward spell, they tied it to an object to act as a keystone. But Carmilla tied it to herself out of paranoia; the downside was that when it was tripped, it felt like a sucker punch to the gut.
"Will you be okay?" the younger Elric asked, she looked like her chest hurt from the hand she held to it.
"I'm fine Alphonse, thank you for asking, but I am worried about the others."
Carmilla and Nina leaned against the wall beside the armor for the next few minutes, looking up when they heard approaching footsteps.
Seeing it was Greed, Martel popped her head out of the armor.
"Greed!" the snake called out to the sin who smirked.
"Ah, Martel, glad to see that you're safe, you too, Milla, Sugarplum." the sin said.
Carmilla nodded to the man as she stood.
"It's a raid, isn't it," she muttered, concerned for the others.
"What's going on up there, no one else has made it back. Milla said the ward was tripped."
Greed frowned at the question, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah, things have gotten a little out of hand, so we need to figure a way out of here," he told her only for the whole group to freeze when a male voice called out from the darkness, a figure stepping out of the shadows.
"I can't let you do that," the man said, holding a pair of swords in each hand Carmilla recognized as Spadroons, four more resting in their sheaths on his lower back.
The man was older looking, she was guessing between his 40s and 60s, well-muscled, wearing the trousers of the military uniform and a black muscle shirt, and harness for his swords.
What stood out was his eyepatch that gave of an ominous feeling.
But she would be a fool if she didn't recognize him, even if Greed didn't.
"Just what do you want, old man?" Greed asked while she and Alphonse spoke in unison.
"It's/He's the Fuhrer, why is he here?"
Martel gasped at the identification.
"King Bradley?!"
Greed shot Carmilla a look before returning his gaze to the interloper.
"Huh, what's the most powerful man in the land doing down here?" he asked.
"Not that you'd know, but growing old isn't easy." The Fuhrer said, causing Greed to pinch his brows while Carmilla's gut clenched.
"Huh?" Greed mumbled in confusion.
"This year marks my 60th birthday." Bradley continued with a smile, his green eye closed, "It's frustrating how your body stops moving the way you want it to. So I'd like to finish this job as quickly as possible and return home." the leader of Amestris said, moving forward, swords held out to his sides.
Greed scoffed, covering his arms in his shield as he answered the man, "Heh, I've got an idea, retire."
Carmilla was blinded by a flash of light, hearing the sound of something dropping into the water as she focused back on Greed and the Fuhrer only to gasp, hiding Nina's face in her chest.
Bradley was standing in front of Greed, whose right arm from the elbow down was gone, sword raised telling her that the man had cut it off.
Greed looked down in shock as Carmilla got to her feet, still hiding Greed from Nina's sight.
"Well look at this, the old man's got some moves!" Greed growled as they clashed, Carmilla watching in horrified fascination.
'How, how can he move that fast?' Carmilla wondered, holding Nina tightly to her chest as the little girl whimpered.
"Greed!" Martel called out only for Alphonse to shush her.
"Martel, be quiet, he'll more than likely kill you." Carmilla hissed to the chimera under her breath, Alphonse moving to curl around her and Nina even with his limbs bound.
'Where are the others, I don't think Greed can take him alone,' Carmilla thought, touched slightly that Alphonse was trying to protect them.
The fighting moved away from them, though she could make out the sound of their fight.
"Martel, the others," Carmilla mumbled as leaned against the armor.
"I know..." Martel whispered back, concerned for their friends.
When everything went silent, Carmilla was almost afraid to move, worried that Bradley would pop out of nowhere like a demented weasel and kill her.
Looking up when she heard footsteps, she held her breath, releasing it when she spotted Greed walking out of the shadows.
But...something was wrong with his gait, and his arm hadn't healed yet.
"G...Greed?" she whispered, when he fell, a sword sticking out of his neck and pinning him to the ground.
"No, Greed!" Martel yelped, trying to get out of Alphonse's armor only for the boy to trap her inside.
Carmilla ignored the struggle between Alphonse and Martel, picking Nina up in her arms as the child whimpered, smelling Greed's pain.
"That makes fifteen times you've died now, how many lives have you got left?" Bradley asked rhetorically, pulling the sword from Greed's body.
"Nha, ah, damn you..." Greed groaned, trying to get up.
"Ah crap," Dolcetto's voice called from behind her, making Carmilla turn slightly, keeping Bradley in her sight, to see the battered forms of Dolcetto and Roa.
"Kinda wish we'd died back there," Dol continued as he took in the scene, Roa standing behind him, the larger male transformed to reveal his horns.
"There's still plenty of time to tuck your tail and run away." Roa chuckled, one hand on his injured shoulder.
Dolcetto scoffed at the statement, "Trust me, I'd love to, but I've got this obnoxious sense of canine loyalty." the dog chimera said, stopping to stand beside the bound Alphonse, slashing through the chains binding the armor's wrists and ankles.
"Do us a favor, kid, and get the girls out of here," Dolcetto said with a smile, knowing the boy would do it.
Dolcetto had little doubt that he was going to die, that Roa would too, but at least his pups and friend would be safe.
Martel gasped as the two males smiled back at them, Carmilla handing Nina to the boy as she pulled her wand only for Dol to shake his head at her.
'No...I cant' Carmilla thought as her friends/brothers turned to Bradley and the still down Greed.
'I can't lose them,'
"Protect them," Roa stated with soft eyes before the two rushed to aid their leader.
Carmilla felt numb, feeling like the world slowed down as Bradley turned to face his new opponents.
Nina's screams for Dolcetto, Martel and Alphonse's argument, her brothers' war cries, they were all muffled as she watched the Fuhrer move forward, sword raised.
She had a vision of Dolcetto being cut in two, of Roa falling, and she wanted to cry.
Then the world came back into focus, her brothers still rushing forward, and Carmilla moved, a loud pop-sounding through the air as she reappeared with a crack between her family and the monster that would kill them.
The Fuhrer's eye widened as the slip of a girl reappeared, standing between him and his prey with her arms outstretched. Her right arm pointed to her comrades with the palm facing them, her left arm pointed toward him with some sort of stick, the tip glowing.
"Impedimenta!" the girl howled, and Bradley felt shock tear through his rage as he was thrown backwards, the two chimeras also being thrown back toward the younger Elric brother and the little girl.
Greed stared in shock at the force behind her spells, quickly getting to his feet and rushing to her as she stumbled.
"Carmilla!" he cried out, catching her before she hit the ground, sweat pouring down her face.
"G...Greed?" she mumbled, looking up at him with hazy eyes before the sin looking to his possessions.
Dolcetto and Roa were beaten all to hell, they needed medical treatment, and fast, Carmilla was looking bad too.
"Dolcetto. Roa. Alphonse." Greed barked, wondering how far Carmilla had sent the other homunculus flying as he peered into the darkness.
"Boss?" Dolcetto questioned, panting as Nina rushed over to him.
"Get out of here, take Nina, Milla, and Martel and go. I'll hold him off as long as I can. He's a homunculus like me, pretty sure he's Wrath." Greed told his men, glancing at the before gently shaking Carmilla to wake her up.
"Milla," he said softly, getting her attention, "I need you to blow up the sewer, block him off. Use the strongest spell you can, you hear me?" Greed ordered, making her eyes widen.
"But what about you?!" Carmilla demanded, her eyes focusing on his with terrifying intensity.
"I always knew that Father would send someone after me sooner or later. I can't die that easy, you can. So go, this is an order, the final one possibly." Greed sighed, handing Carmilla over to Roa, taking in the grim faces of his men.
"I don't think so," Bradley hissed as he appeared between them, sword moving faster than they could blink as he beheaded his fellow sin and stabbed inside Alphonse's armor, only catching Martel in the arm as her blood splashed across the boy's blood seal.
"Greed!" the chimeras cried in unison while Carmilla shrieked, casting another knockback jinx, before aiming her wand at the tunnel ceiling.
"Greed, I'm sorry, Papa." She cried out as the tip of her wand glowed a violent red, crying out "Bombarda Maxima!" causing the ceiling to explode, rubble falling down.
Greed turned back to them with a smile, he finally got to hear her call him 'dad,' and it'd be the last time he saw her.
"Talk about shitty luck," they heard Greed laugh before the tunnel was sealed off.
Nina stared at the rubble and started crying, squirming in Alphonse's grip as she called out for Greed while the others watched in sadness.
"Nina, he's gone, we have to go," Carmilla sobbed, curling into Roa as Martel jumped out of the armor, looking at the new wall in horror.
"No, no, no, it can't, why? Milla, why?" She hissed, turning to Roa, who glared at her, tucking Carmilla's head under his chin.
"The boss gave us our orders. Now we need to go. Alphonse, you're free to do as you please. We can watch over them." The cow chimera grunted as he started walking, and Dolcetto took Nina in his arms before following, Martel trailing after.
"What do we do now?" Martel wondered aloud as Carmilla cast the NMN spell on them then fell into an uneasy slumber, she'd severely overpowered the jinx on Bradley, she'd need to sleep the next couple of days.
"We survive, as we always do," Dolcetto answered, grateful to the fact that they had their earrings to help avoid the military combing the sewers.
"Do you think anyone else made it?" Nina asked, looking up at him, clutching her bunny under her chin.
"I don't know, Pup, I don't know." Dolcetto sighed, trying to quiet his inner dog that was howling with the loss of his pack members.
Sliding his gaze to Carmilla, he swore to get stronger; he would protect what was left of his pack.