Bound by Blood

[amouri]

...There'll be alot of that then xD it takes time before intruders come to call.
And they somehow have to learn to get on with each other.

[amouri]

The dark figure paused, trembling with anticipation as it heard its next victim's blissfully ignorant voice. The creature considered its options for a few seconds, before flashing past an illuminated spot of floor as nothing but a black streak.
Resting in its new hiding place, it narrowed its eyes in glee.
Creeping as silent as a baby's heartbeat, it lurked in the dark shadow of the overthrown pillar.
It paused once more, listening intently. Its victim was sitting directly up against the other side of the pillar, the attack would be as easy as killing a bug.
This creature, this manifestation of evil, was living darkness, an invincible foe.
To say it in few words, ultimate pwnage.
It shifted slightly, gaining ground as it settled into an attack position. Ready to teach its victim the true meaning of horror.
With a mad gleam in its eyes, it pounced, screeching a brutal war cry that could cut through bone...

"GLOMP ATAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!"
32 screamed in shock as Barry lurched directly past her and ended up grabbing the shoulders of a highly surprised 81, who fell in a confused tangle of metal limps.
"WHAT-ON-EARTH-ARE-YOU-THINKING?!" the alchemist roared in fury.
"Nothing at the moment." Barry replied in a daze, red orbs spinning dizzily in his empty eye sockets.
"You can say that again..." 81 snarled in irritation, punching the cross-eyed butcher in the head so it fell to the floor with a clatter of bone.
"Oi! Thats not very nice..." After a struggle, 66 managed to pull himself away from the infuriated 81, and flopped on the floor, overcome with mirth.
"Golly, you two should have seen your expressions. Your eyes nearly popped out of your head! Though it would have been more fun if you hadn't moved..." He said, in a slightly sulky tone to 32.
32 face palmed, but couldn't help giggling.
"Thanks anyway 66, pamper-pants was becoming a little too secure of where he stood for my taste."
81 probably would have scowled as the crazy butcher waved merrily.
"No problem! Any time you need it!" He said, picking up his head and jamming it back down again.

79, who was sitting in the arms of the massive silent prisoner, (which they had resolved to calling 'Big') having apparently leaped up there in fright, slid down with a groan.
"Don't do that! One day it could be a REAL threat, and we won't react because we would think it was only you!"
The Slicer brothers, having drawn their sword, sheathed it again, the oldest sighing wearily.
Barry shrugged teasingly "Oh come on, you know I can't help it! I've always been a trickster with a big 'D', no denying that." He said mockingly.
A short silence followed.
"I find that there is something rather peculiar about that sentence..." 32 began, laughing fit to burst.
"Trickster with a big 'D'?! Where the hell did you learn that?"
"What, you mean there isn't a 'D'?" 66 said in frank puzzlement.
81 groaned. "Lord. You're dumber than I thought."
"Heeey, I just asked you a question! Is, or is there not, a 'D' in 'trickster'?" 66 pushed on, eyes narrowing.
"Look, just think what you want. Its not like anything is gonna help us here." 81 said dryly, sitting down again.
Barry shook his head. "You're being too negative pal. Believe me, we've got all the luck in the world to still be alive. Even though...we may never have been alive in the first place." He added, growing silent.
79 trembled slightly, clenching his hands.
"Are you on about that rotten fake soul theory again 66?"
32 said, placing her hands on her hips.
"Well, how do you know its fake? For all you know, we could be."
79 looked like he was about to scream something, but Big gently placed one of the massive clubs on his shoulder.
"Look, what's most important is that we are alive, and that we have whatever memories we think we have. Whether they be bad or good, they form our personalities and whom we are, they are what makes us human."
"Well said younger brother."

Barry sighed. "Well, now that thats finished, I'm bored again. Didn't that guy-whatshisnamenow-Envy say something about intruders?" He added hopefully.
"Don't count on it 66, it'll be a long time before people realize the building has been left and begin breaking in."
"Aw...Oh well, just gotta do what I'm best at then-" He said cheerfully, grabbing 81's head and waving it mockingly. "-pissing people off!"
"YOU GIVE THAT BACK!!" 81 yelled, groping at the sudden empty air where his head had been.
"You've gotta come and ge-e-e-t iiiit..." 66 sang teasingly, doing a single handstand while still holding the head.

As the commotion continued, the youngest Slicer fidgeted slightly.
Even though he had no need for exercise, he still loathed having to sit still for so long. It was just not in his nature.
"Hm...You allright?" 48 asked as 81 grabbed 66's head as revenge, still sprinting after the laughing butcher.
"Hrm. Yeah, fine." He replied bluntly.
Barry gleefully jammed 81's head onto his own neck, turning around and waggling his fingers at the alchemist, who couldn't help laughing at the peculiar sight.
"What-you want to join in on their...childish game?" His brother said in surprise.
"NO."
48 chuckled quietly. His younger brother would never admit anything like that.
81 copied Barry's action, putting on the skull helmet and causing 32 to hold her stomach with laughter.
Suddenly, Big stiffened, poking 79 in the back and gesturing wildly.
"He can hear something!"
They all froze in their tracks, listening.
A strange, wailing, moaning sound could be heard.
66's eyes expanded in shock.
"GHOSTS!!! WE'RE DOOOOOOMED!!!" He yelled, running around like a headless chicken, still with 81's head perched on his neck.
"Stop it! I recognize that from when I was on feeding duties..."
81 narrowed his eyes and listened.
"Yup. Either chimera number 54 or 95. Both potentially harmful to humans. We'd better scram, they're not that fast."
"Allright!"
As they tore down the great hall, 32 turned slightly, just in time to see a pair of glowing green eyes before she turned around a corner and disappeared out of sight.

((Nothing really happening in this either, just the prisoners settling in and goofing around really. It was fun to write though.))

[masterwarlord]

Yeah, like I said. I’ve just been having fun watching the characters interact. So long as you keep the characters in character like you have been and keep up the humor, I’ll be along for the ride wherever you take this thing. Quite enjoyable to read, and you put the focus back on Barry again like you wanted by making him the life of the party.

[silverviper2134]

Very nice, and I do like how Barry seems to barely remember Envy's name. It's like he didn't really want to be bothered.

[amouri]

LORD THANK THE DAY I JOINED DEVIATART AND GOT TO KNOW WONDERFUL PEOPLE LIKE THIS.
Raptorbarry was so kind as to draw the OC's from bound by blood, and will prolly draw Nalea in the future. My Deviant i 'hestetz' go check it out yo.

GOOD LAWD I LUFFF EEEEEEEET.

[silverviper2134]

WTF? XD I don't know whether I should be impressed or scared s***less.

[amouri]

...Yet again I assume thats a positive reply xD
Big is clearly inspired from Al xD love the lil horns she gave him.
32 is bloody beatiful. I've always imagined her like a feminin slicer, though maybe in silver. BUt still, I love how she turned out.
79. I WANT HIM TO BE MY YOUNGER SIBLING NAO PWEEZ.
And 81...lawd. That is SO his pose.

[silverviper2134]

I think 79 is freakin' adorable for some reason.

[amouri]

HE IS OG GAWD HE IS.

[silverviper2134]

It might be because the armor looks so short, but I can't help but look at him and imagine a young person---like late teens, early 20s.

[amouri]

He's eleven

[silverviper2134]

WTF? Maybe I'm forgetting something, but why did they make an 11-year-old boy a guard?

[amouri]

He was an ishbalan. I don't even think he was taken to court. They automatically assumed he was older.
And the alchemists didn't care.

[silverviper2134]

Using young children as weapons. Why do so many people (me included) feel like the military would willing send toddlers into war if needed?

[amouri]

Actually, the plan was never that they would actually be used as weapons. It was just to see if they COULD that the alchemists did it. Like with the chimeras, the original goal was that they made an invincible collection of freaks by alchemy, but the chimeras were just experimented on, they never actually got to be sent into war in their new form.
If a different alchemist had got 79, he would prolly have been spared.
But apparently the one that he got had a heart of stone

[amouri]

THE GOODNESS JUST NEVER ENDS.
YAAAAAAY ITS NALEA AWRIGHTTTTT.
Also by raptorbarry on deviant, check out her profile she is the most serios Barry artist on the whole deviant site.
Some of her stuff still makes me shriek in joyous glee even though I've seen it a hundred times already.
The easiest way to find her is to search either 'Barry dragon fma' or 'Slicer dragon fma' AND THEN CLICK ON TEH AWESOMENESS.

[silverviper2134]

OMG.....that's like the metal version of my fursona (Silverviper)

[amouri]

Call me an idiot, but I looked up fursona on wikipedia to see what it meant XD
PURDY NALEA, yus?

[amouri]

The clash of steel on steel could be heard, as 48 quickly brought his sword up wards, blocking a swipe from 66's cleaver.
66 stumbled slightly, backing up to avoid impact, and then charging forward again, cleaver held high.
As the butcher reached the two slicer brothers, the younger slicer suddenly took control, and was about to slice at 66's exposed belly when he felt his older brother block his action, and instead merely waiting for the attack to come, then to strike it aside.
"What you do that for?" 49 asked in surprise.
"There is no need for hasty actions, one does not win a battle by taking risks, one wins a battle by planning it out and staying calm."
Came the gruff reply.
"But-if we'd attacked then we would have had him!" the youngest slicer protested, trying again to seize control of their shared body.
And once again he was foiled, his brother taking control of their legs and quickly shifting out of the way, so the hacking 66 skidded across the floor and changed direction.

79 was sitting in Big's lap, fidgeting slightly and tensing up every now and then.
"Hey, chill squirt. Its just a mock battle." 81 said lazily, examining his hands.
"I know-WOW, did you see that?!" The young boy cried in excitement, leaping to his feet.
"66 must be crazy to fight like that, but 48 is all cool about it..."
"Pfa. More than you can say for 49. Its good there's a proper head on that guy, without his brother he wouldn't stand a chance against 66."
32, who had been-well, not exactly engaged in conversation, but at least talking to-Big, who had been listening in mild interest, turned her head and sighed wearily.
"As though you could do any better. Hypocrite."
"Well, maybe I could. It doesn't take that much skill to wield a fish-stick like this." He said in slight irritation, poking his trident with his foot.
"Hm."

Barry cackled madly, slicing away at 48's iron-hard defenses, looking for a weakness.
He never gave a damn to strategy and common sense in battle, after all, he was a simple mind, with a simple weapon, so why not fight the simple way? Hacking and chopping away endlessly was much easier than twisting ducking and feinting, after all.

Once again, the younger slicer tried desperately to get an attack against the armored butcher, but once again he was stopped by his brother. This time he tensed up, taking up the invisible struggle.
"What are you thinking brother?! This is no battle between us-"
"NO, its a battle between us and 66! So why aren't you bloody attacking?!"
"No pride comes from defeating an easy foe as quickly as possible, and defense is the key for-"
"WHAT, if this had been a chimera you would have just let it attack until-"
"OI! Stop talking will ya, you're ruining my concentration!"
66 yelled, pausing for a moment.
Slicer shook his head, once more brushing aside his brother's protests.
As the butcher once again raised his knife, the younger slicer moved forward quickly, taking his brother completely by surprise.
"Brother-NO-!!"
48 tensed up, struggling to regain control.
66, unable to stop his attack, let his cleaver make contact with the helmet, causing sparks to fly with a deafening screeching noise, gouging a deep scratch down the front of the helmet, taking one of the small horns that were placed there off all-together.
49 roared in fury, reaching up and flinging his helmet, and so to say, his brother, aside and twirled his sword up wards to point at the butcher's throat.

48 rolled dizzily across the floor, clunking to a halt up against a massive piece of rubble.
79 quickly hurried over and picked him up, still watching the furious battle.
The youngest slicer was slicing and feinting viscously, slashing so fast that his sword was a mere blur.
"Hey-cool it kid, I didn't do it on purpose-" 66 hissed, forced to use his knife as a shield, before crouching and swiping at his opponents legs.
"I-know-" 49 managed to mutter, leaping up to avoid the attack.
As the battle continued, the blows fell faster and faster, until suddenly the butcher tripped up and landed on his front, letting 49 quickly place the tip of his sword on the location of 66's bloodseal.
A hoarse chuckle came from 66, as he staggered to his feet.
"Good one, I can see I need a lot of work done."
The young slicer chuckled slightly, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, before realizing what was missing.

He turned to his brother.
"I'm...sorry." He said quietly, suddenly shameful.
48 sighed. "Its allright. I understand that sometimes you need to be-yourself."
32 got to her feet, dusting herself off. "Allright, my turn."
49 froze. "What? you can't be serious!" He said in shock.
She narrowed her eyes. "Oh I'm serious. Why so surprised?"
"Well-you don't exactly have a hand-to-hand weapon, do you?"
"Who said weapons? Sparring empty handed is good practice too."
"But..." He seemed to be struggling with himself.
"...You're a girl."
Her eyes were reduced to slits. "You were saying?"
He sighed, slightly uncomfortable.
"Allright."

She nodded, taking off the quiver of arrows she normally had slung over her back, and placing them beside her bow on th floor.
He shifted as she approached, getting into attack position.
Hm...I'll do it easy on her. He thought.
As she braced herself, he couldn't help but admire her.
Well, it won't be so hard-

He froze in shock as suddenly darted towards him, agile as a cat, striking him in the stomach with her knee, before twisting aside him and elbowing him in the back.
He gasped, as the hollow sound echoed though him, though forced to turn around and block her next attack with his wrist, which was directed against his chest.
She backed up quickly, eyes darting over him, and then lunging forward, hands open as though she was about to scratch him in the eyes.
He shifted aside, reluctantly tripping her up, though nearly toppling over as she grabbed his leg and pulled herself up in one swift movement.

As he figured that he was only going to humiliate himself if he held himself back, he struck back with full vigor, watching her eyes widen as she registered the new force behind his attacks.
She quickly adapted, being as lithe and flexible as a young doe, twisting in and out of positions that would make any normal human groan in agony, though only causing her armour to creak slightly in protest.
He mirrored her moves, and suddenly understood what his brother had meant.
In a battle against friends, the goal is not to win, the goal is to keep the battle going, to brush up their cooperation to perfectness.
He jerked out of the way as her foot flew through the air, and instead of grabbing hold of it and flinging her viciously away as he would have done before, he quickly twisted both arms under her legs, throwing her gracefully into the air.
Suddenly 32 couldn't restrain herself anymore.
She shrieked with shock at being hurled into the air, before landing directly on top of him and trembling with laughter.

He cried out in surprise, wobbling dangerously at this new weight on his shoulders, before crashing to the floor.
"Oh god oh god oh god!" She laughed, holding her face and closing her eyes.
"I didn't mean to lose it, it was just too comical. I guess I would have landed properly if I hadn't, sorry about that."
Realizing that she was ok, he also began laughing, her still sprawled awkwardly on his shoulders.
"Its allright, lets call this a draw, kay?"
"Yes-I guess we both lost in this case."
She slid down, and he stood up and helped her to her feet.
79's eyes were wide with shock in his empty eye sockets.
"WOOOOW! That was amazing! It looked as though you were connected somehow, sometimes you even touched each other without disturbing you flow-though at the end it was more like you were dancing." He added with a slightly disappointed tone.
They both laughed nervously, glancing at each other.
And awkward silence followed, and the youngest slicer was dismayed to see his brother watching him with a certain look of understanding in his eyes.
Suddenly, 81 stood up.

"Allright, you've fought a girl and called it a draw. How impressive. Its my turn now."
The younger slicer would have nodded, but instead he just bowed slightly.
He was not yet ready for his brother to yet again take control.
As 81 gathered up his shield and his trident, 49 picked up his sword where he had left it and shifted his feet.
81 stood for a few seconds, before lunging with the forked weapon, aiming directly for 49's bloodseal.
The young slicer ducked, stabbing out at 81's chest, though the latter managed to lift up his shield to block the blow, before yet again stabbing with his trident.
After some time, 49 noticed that 81 seemed to be swinging his trident to high, and as he did it, the younger slicer brother lunged out and struck it aside, before beating down on his shield and poking at his shoulder plate.
81 froze, eyes narrowing in anger.
"Fine. You won this time." He muttered, bringing his trident down slowly.

"My turn my turn!" Came the voice of 79.
Big also stood up, motioning curiously.
"Kay!" As the two engaged in mostly a play-fight, with a lot of 'hiya's and 'got you there's from 79, 49 sidled over and picked up his brother.
"you did well. You still have a lot to learn though, as so have I." He said.
The young slicer was silent for a moment, before placing the helmet once again on his neck. "Yes...I understood what you meant, but defense is not always the key to victory."
"No, you are quite right."

"Hey, you guys," 66 called, as Big surprisingly tripped over allowing 79 to scurry over his massive body and placing the tip of the small dagger on the sole of his foot. 49 had a feeling the massive prisoner had fallen on purpose, to give the boy the satisfaction of winning.
"I was wondering if you'd come over with me to the weapon room again, maybe later? I figured that another knife might come in handy, if I ever loose the one I've already got."
The younger Slicer remained silent, as his brother answered the question.
"Yes, of course. I'm sure the others will be able to take care of themselves unassisted."

[silverviper2134]

XD Barry, when will you learn that in this show being a girl just makes you more badass?