As the doors are opened for us I look around without moving. The first thing is there are two men armed with spears at the door. Each of them are tense, the priest that lead us here seems strained as well. Behind us as the door shuts I can see two more men coming up the hall and blocking off that path.

The priest that’s lead us this far speaks up. “The father is quite busy, and cannot make very much time, but you’re in luck!”

Zig clearly notices the situation and pauses at the doorway. Keeping his back flush to the door as it closes. I can hear a slight deep hiss start to come from him. It has both men with spears back away slowly and seem a little hesitant to get closer.

Ed replies to the man still a bit oblivious to what is going on. “Sorry about the short notice! We’ll be sure to not take much of his time.”

I take a few steps closer to the priest in front of us as he pauses in his tracks. “Good then let’s end this quickly.” They suddenly pull a revolver from their coat their offhand reaching for me obviously looking to take me hostage as I appear weak. The two men at the doorway move to aim their spears at both Edward and Zig.

The girl that came with us at least seems surprised. “Wha-“ Flailing backwards to the sudden motions going on around her.

Before the girl even finishes Zig has grabbed both the men with spears by the backs of their heads and crush them together. The priest still in the middle of drawing his gun never suspects the kick to the face from their potential hostage. Launching his gun from his unprepared hands far off to the steps in front of us. After he falls over I keep him down by stepping on his face.

The girl still standing there in shock looks like a deer caught in headlights. “W-what is going on!”

I turn and smile at her. “Sorry, but I don’t take kindly to being threatened.”

The man still under my heel tries to speak up. “Rose… these… these HEATHENS are here to discredit the fathers work. They are evil! They must be purged! Join us and deliver righteous fury upon them fellow dau-“ He was rambling a bit so I give him a firm kick in the teeth causing him to finally shut up. Well he’s still making sounds but at least they aren’t as annoying. I wonder how much a change in bone structure is required to devolve speech? I mean it would have to be a sig-

I’m cut off by a man that speaks up from the darkness. “Who dares to cause such a ruckus in Leto’s church?” The same fat bald man from the rally walks in. A short stone staircase separates us as he walks in from a dark part of the room.

He looks down at us from the steps seeming to stand a little straighter as he does. “Ah the full metal alchemist and… guests, welcome to the home of our sacred order.” He holds a shit eating grin… now that I’m closer to the man. I can feel the sickening Chi more clearly. It’s like a pulse… like a heartbeat permeating his existance from something but it’s faint… like it’s weak but trying it’s hardest to stay alive. What sort of feeling is that? Edward and him seem to be talking but I’m not really paying all that much attention as I’m trying to figure this out…

Then the man uses alchemy… I can feel it. The sickening feeling the… screams echoing in his Chi, they get a little weaker each time he uses it. Something else I just noticed… I didn’t feel the dragon’s pulse when he used alchemy… he used something else entirely.

But what could it possibly be…

Finally, I tune in to their conversation as something important is being said. “You’ve managed to get your hands on something that amplifies alchemy. Something that’s said to make the impossible possible, then maybe you could do that.” This is… an item? It’s an object that allows for improved alchemy? How does that work?

Edward points at the father, specifically his hand. “The philosophers stone. That ring of yours, that’s it isn’t it?” I immediately turn to Zig. I give a short nod and he starts moving around. Everyone seems so distracted and dramatic. It’s like Edward and the father are in their own little world.

“The ring is just a-“ He doesn’t manage to finish that statement as Zig crashes into the man from the side ripping several of the mans fingers off as he’s thrown down the short set of stairs. The Father hits several steps on his way down crying in surprise and pain before screaming obscenities at us.

“You fucking fuck fuck what the fuck!!! I am without rival! Leto smi-smite thee down! I-I am the chosen emissary of the god!” The father raises his bleeding hand and seems to attempt to do something. After a moment pause, he seems to realize that he’s missing his ring. So that really was the source.

Realizing he has no power he turns into a sobbing mess, getting on his knees and trying his best to move despite the pain. “I’m sorry! I’ll do anything… please don’t kill me! It was all fake! It was the ring! Just… please?”

Edward seems completely lost “Wha- what the hell!” He looks between Zig and the father on the ground.

Meanwhile Al seems to have a weak stomach “I think I’m going to be sick… I didn’t think I could be anymore.”

“F-father?” Rose apparently, the girl that’s been guiding us seems lost seeing father cornello start cursing up a storm holding the stump of his fingers. Then boldly admitting that it was all the ring.

“Well, that certainly ends that quickly. Why were you all just standing around talking?” I look over at Edward and Al.

“You… you didn’t have to go that far… What the hell is wrong with you two? He’s going to be permanently disfigured now!” Edward actually has the gall to move up and grab me by the scruff of my shirt. I just look down at him and frown.

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I don’t understand why he’s upset. “What do you think you’re doing? We handled the problem.” He quivers slightly at that.

“But he was talking! He could have been reasoned with! He was a lying bastard, but he doesn’t deserve death or being permanently maimed.” Right as we are having this talk. Zig quickly comes up behind Edward.

Al calls out quickly trying to move in to help. “Brother look out!” But just a little too late.

Zig swiped down at the offending arm that’s holding on to me. A loud metallic thunk happens as the meaty claw of Zig hits into something metal. Edwards arm ends up tearing my shirt down rather than letting go. It also rips the cloth around his own showing it’s metallic shine.

Ignoring that Zig has started to get into a fight with Edward and Al I start asking questions. “Oh, that’s fascinating. Your arm is made out of metal?”

Edward turns to me with a smirk after weathering another hit from Wig with the same arm. Al rushes in too distracting Zig for a moment.

“Yeah… I thought you wanted an automail mechanic? This is it, want a closer look!” He jumps towards me clearly attempting to punch my face. I sidestep and kick him in the stomach, he’s not exactly skilled at fighting. I’m much quicker on my feet than him thanks to Chi and a lot of training. He get’s knocked back into the wall with another thump but he’s not knocked out from just the one hit.

Just as I turn back to what Al and Zig are doing, I hear a gun shot go off… I… I was so distracted by the metallic arm and everything, I should have been paying more attention. The father is holding the gun the priest had earlier. Another crack of a bullet goes off followed by another three quick shots one of them must have gotten Al in the head as his helmet goes flying… well that’s not good.

Edward quickly gets himself up and starts running that way and I follow after him. “Al! -cough- Al are you alright?!”

Zig is standing still but I can see that he was shot point blank in the mask and that there is a spiderweb of cracks formed along it. He better not be hurt again it was a bit of a mess last time. “I swear to the god of this planet, you better not have died on me after what I did to get you back.”

Despite the father being a coward. He’s still holding the gun with a red face and the girl Daisy? or something on the ground holding her leg tightly.

“Hold on Daisy? Err Rose? Flower? We’ll be right with you I just gotta check on my friend.” Hearing me close by seems to snap Zig out of it because he finally shakes his head. Small parts of his mask fall off revealing the scaled large jaw beneath. He slowly starts walking towards the father.

Father Cornello having found his confidence again starts ranting at us. “Burn in hell heathens! This is what you get for harming a true emissary of-“ -click- He’s out of bullets. “wha-what the hell! No no please don’t! I-I didn’t mean it!” He immediately throws the gun on the ground and starts groveling again. Before Zig’s slow walk can get there Al or well Al’s body? Seems to get there first crushing into his face knocking him unconcious.

“Hissssssssss” Zig just keeps walking towards the body with his jaw slowly unhinging. He raises the fingers squished in his hand to his mouth and eats them… including the ring.

“Damnit! Don’t eat that! Stupid beast!” Edward claps his hands together and presses them against the ground. The stone turns into a metallic pillory restraining Zig as he starts thrashing in place. I don’t feel the dragons pulse this time either but something about it tickles something at the back of my mind. Mental me starts searching through the information from behind the door as it seems familiar.

Edward sighs before moving over to me. “Hahhh we’ve been looking for that for so long! What the hell Jiang. Why did Zig go all feral? What the hells wrong with his face?” I take a glance over at Zig who’s hissing and biting at the air unable to move thanks to the restraints but slowly tiring himself out.

“Well I’d like to ask the same about your brother?” I point over at Al who is moving over to pick up his head. Inside the suit of armor, it’s empty except for a bloody symbol written in the center.

“Eh damn, well how about we trade information on that? Also can you get that ring out of him without killing him?” It’s too late I can already feel the disgusting Chi mixing with his. I can feel the pulse weaken but not quite go away.

“No, it’s too late. It’s mixing with his insides. Honestly, I have no idea what’s going on with Zig. When I brought him back, I used a snake and I guess a part of it’s soul and brain got mixed in with his… wait I have an idea.” I move over next to Zig as he continues struggling. I carefully move to where he can’t bite me and realize I don’t have hands to go through the bag…

“Hey can one of you two help me here?” Al moves up and gets some of our stored meat. He tosses it out to him as he’s biting around, he swallows it whole. He slowly stops moving as much.

“Wiggles used to be annoyed while hungry but would calm down after a snack.” Edward and Al are just staring at me. Then I hear a gasp of pain, looking at it’s origin the girl seems to still be bleeding out.

“I need a bandage and some hands! I would treat her myself but uh… Damn I think hands are a larger priority than I thought.” Edward gives me another annoyed look at that before rushing over to help her with Al.

“H-how do we help her? We don’t know any medical alchemy…”

“For now, just get some cloth pressed on the wound and tight. She’s going to need to be brought to a doctor. I’d operate but I need hands.” After Edward wraps up the gun shot Al picks her up gently.

Edward looks between the other two and down at himself. “What do we do about the father and well your friend?”

“You’re not strong enough to lift them. But if you could lift my mask over my mouth, I can defend them while you guys get her to the hospital? There were a few others out there that looked to be getting ready to attack us if we tried to leave.” Al nods to Edward and he put my mask up.

“Alright, I’m going to trust you but no killing okay? We aren’t killers and won’t work with any.” I just give him an utterly dumbfounded look.

“You work for the military right? You’re going to have to kill eventually. You're naive if you believe you can keep your hands clean either that or you'll just lead even more to die from your innaction." He grits his teeth but chooses not to say anything as they head out. I hear some sounds of gun fire but that’s not my concern.

I turn to look at Zig, I can see the scales on the lower half of his face have spread slightly… I hope he’ll be okay. I’m worried that he’ll be stuck like this. It might just be because of the trauma to his head but this is uncharted territory. I have no idea how two souls and minds melded function well outside my own melded soul… maybe that’s what’s happening? Maybe the snake just has control of the seat right now after he got knocked out.

I move over to the unconcious father. He doesn’t look like much of a threat but just to be careful. -crunch- -crunch- -crunch- I stomp on his other nonmangled hand. He doesn’t move or make a sound beyond a light groan.

Hmm now that I think of it he's a kind of father right? He's probably not who my quest is refering too though. Although it does open up the idea that perhaps I should be looking into other religious figures. This church is obviously corrupt and I doubt this dumbass was able to make this stone himself.

I awkwardly wait around for a while. At first, I heard gunshots outside and a few other sounds but nothing else seems to have happened for a while now. I look around for a bit a little bored with nothing else to do. Theres a switch at the top of the steps… There’s no real marking on it besides ‘incase of emergency’ with a downward arrow… I mean what’s the worst that can happen?