Work Text:
After a week in a town learning adaptations from talking with alchemists and two more in the woods after having been chased by the guard, Ed and Al were completely lost in the middle of the woods. They had continually practiced their alchemy, amazed at the leveling system and specialties they gained from doing so. It also seemed to be a good way to gain new knowledge. It seemed as good a place as any to be in, especially since they’d gotten kicked here after accessing their own gates.
Ed felt that it was kind of a shame that some of his friends hadn’t come with, but this seemed fine enough. They had learned that the land had been made up of every kind of magic and energy. That meant a hotbed of stuff for alchemists and potion makers to use. Which had made it hard not to show off a little in the town they’d landed in. And that’s where the trouble started. Now they were lost in some kind of mist that only Al could see through for some reason, wandering towards whatever kind of messed up epicenter lay before them.
It wasn’t long before they saw long trenches of dug out pits leading up to sturdy walls in the process of construction. The two brothers approached cautiously through the mist towards the main gate. “Halt, who goes there!” The guards at the gate shouted. Ed started at that as they were both wearing armor that he hadn’t seen anyone wear besides in his father’s history books dating at least a hundred years back.
Ed raised his hands in surrender and motioned for Al to do the same. “We’re alchemists seeking refuge,” Ed assured them. Of course they weren’t reassured with Al being armor.
“If that’s true, then have your companion take the armor off,” the dark skinned human demanded.
“He can’t it’s part of our families alchemy training. He has to keep it on until he’s at least an adept,” he tried to reassure her.
She paused and nodded. “Then all he has to do is remove his helmet so we can see his face,” she told him.
Crap. He didn’t want these people thinking Al was an undead or something. “He can’t even do that much. It breaks the oath of our family,” he told her, hoping she’d leave it.
“So He can’t take it off, right? What about someone else? If he can’t, I will,” the lady told them firmly.
“No- don’t!” He cried as she reached for Al. He clapped and transmuted a wall between the warrior and his brother in a flash of light. Now they had two options. To face the likely hostile guard or try and survive more in the woods. Ed would be willing to risk it if it weren’t for the fact that the monsters in the woods were so much trouble. So he transmuted the wall into a 10 ft tall hand that lifted him and his brother above the nosey guard only to see more of them gathered around the base of the hand. “I told you not to touch him,” the alchemist said sheepishly. Ed would treat this all as a bad joke if he could. A few other guards had gathered and they all looked angry.
That was about when the two brothers saw the head honcho start walking over. “Brother, do you really think this is a good idea?” The metallic voice asked him with a voice full of concern.
“It’s better to be in a civilization near nightfall. Especially with what we’ve seen here so far Al,” he reminded his brother.
The man came closer and stared up at them. He had smooth mocha skin covered by green armor with an actual dragon perched on his shoulders. They evaluated each other for a moment before the man grinned. “Are you the Elric brothers?” The man asked them.
Ed stared for a long moment. He wasn’t sure how to respond to that exactly. Just how did this guy in a strange place hear of them? “...yes,” he responded hesitantly. The man nodded to himself. “Bring then in and prepare a meal at the Scholar’s hut,” he proclaimed. A few soldiers ran off. “Come on down. I won’t hurt you or make you remove your armor. He told the brothers. They nodded at each other and followed him into the village. This was definitely going to be the start of a wild adventure.