Bound by Blood

[amouri]

...I'm assuming thats ME and not the real Barry you're talking to XD

[amouri]

The oldest Slicer glanced at 66, who was trundling aimlessly along beside him.
They had walked for some time, but that didn't unsettle him.
After all, time didn't really have any meaning in this place.
As the exited the long hall, and instead found themselves in front of three passageways, one leading towards some cages, and the other two leading into darkness.
66 stopped, hesitating slightly. "Where was it we turned last time?"
"Hm...I don't seem to remember going past any caged specimens, maybe we took a wrong turn."
"...Hang on. There's a bit of your toga over there, 66."
"Ah, so there is. So it was down one of these passageways?"
"Must've been. Either that or a chimera with the same type of fur as your clothing has been near."
"Well, better check anyhow."

As they went down the passageway, they soon recognized features in the architecture from when they had just been set free of their cell.
"Allright-the weapon room is down here. I'll go down and check if they have anything I could need." The butcher winked mockingly at them. "And then we can have a rematch later, what do you say?"
49 shrugged indifferently. 48 nodded slightly.
"Sure. We need to be as prepared as possible if an unwanted visitor comes to call."
"Pff. Intruders my ass, we've been here for nearly over a week and nothing has yet happened."
"Patience is a must in a place like this."
"Kay, whatever."

As the butcher disappeared around the corner, the Slicer brothers sat down with a collective sigh.
"I've also started to wonder if anyone will come." 49 said.
"Seeking a battle never brings victory."
"Aw, come on, that day before we were arrested, we were gonna pick a fight. And boy, we sure did that."
"A brawl of fists is different to real combat. And don't speak to me of that day, it was your fault we got into this mess."
There was a strained silence.
"I...I'm sorry brother. I did not mean to blame you." The oldest slicer said wearily.
"No no, you're right." his younger brother said quietly.
"It was my fault."
"NO, it was not. We were both to blame that day, I should have stopped you as my duty as an older brother. But I just let it happen."
"Hm...whatever you say brother."
"Don't go blaming yourself now, no good will come of that younger brother."
There was a short silence. In which he felt his brother shift under him.
"Brother...why don't you call me by my name?" 49 suddenly inquired.
48 was taken slightly by surprise.
"Well...the-condition that we have been put in, does not exactly-"
He tried to find the right words.
"I don't feel we should be remembering those times, it only makes the now, and what is to come, harder to cope with. I won't let you fall subject to misery."
49 shifted again.
"How does forgetting oneself help that?"
"This subject is not what I had in mind. We are known as 48 and 49, let it stay at that."
His brother was about to say something, but hesitated.
"Fine."

48 suddenly looked down in shock, feeling his brother cease to respond to his movements.
"brother?"
"I'm just going to slee-well, shut down more likely."
"Dream?"
"That as well."
As his younger brother slipped into the mode that 66 normally called "Snoozing Standby" 48 sighed slightly.
He had probably been a little bit too harsh on his brother, but it was his responsibility to look after him, even though they were no longer young.
Suddenly his head snapped up.
A sudden noise had attracted his attention.
He listened intently.
It was a faint, slightly grisly noise, like meat being torn apart.
The loud noise of cracking bones echoed slightly through the corridor.
He warily got to his feet, not wanting to arouse his brother unless absolutely necessary.
The closest condition they could get to sleep, was important for them, mainly because it shut out the rest of the world, though making it possible to register any movement or sound at the same time.
It gave one time to think, to speculate.

He slowly made his way towards the sound, drawing his sword as quietly as he could muster.
Ducking behind a stone archway, he glanced quickly into the room.
What he saw caused him to stare in puzzlement and disgust.
A line of cells lay before him, with the one closest's door torn straight off its hinges.
A trail of blood was trickling across the floor, and the hideous noises were coming from inside the mutilated cell.
"What in the name of-"
He suddenly froze, as somebody approached from the other side of the line of cells.
He quickly ducked aside th archway, though still listening intently.
"Urgh-Gluttony, that's disgusting. Why do you always have to make such a mess?"
"I found food! Dead food! Not as good as fresh food though...is there any fresh food?"
Slicer narrowed his eyes in thought.
The first voice was decidingly female, and seemed rather familiar as well.
The second voice confused him slightly. It sounded grown up, but the words came out simple and haltingly, as though from a small child with a limited vocabulary.
Hang on-Gluttony...Envy...Humunculi!
He gripped his sword tightly.
Just his luck to run into the only ones who he had not wanted to confront.
"No Gluttony, no fresh food. Only the dead stuff."
"Can I make dead food, Lust?"
"NO. If its alive, don't kill it. Unless I tell you to of course."
An exasperated sigh could be heard.
"Apparently Tucker hasn't been able to feed those farther away. Well, I guess I can't blame him, he's doing his job as well as he can already."
Slicer slowly shifted, turning his head slightly so he could look out again.
Sure enough, it was that female-the one who had accompanied Envy-and some other individual, whom he reckoned must also be a humunculus.

Gluttony-that sure fit the description.
He was flabby and obese, with a pair of massive swinging arms, and a head as bald as an egg.
A big corpulent nose was perched on the front of his head like a potato, and his feet seemed ridiculously small for one of that size.
He had blood smothered all over his face, and was licking his lips happily, and Slicer noticed that yet another one of the peculiar tattoos was placed on his tongue.
Lust was gazing at him in irritation, clearly disgusted by his behavior.
She patted him on the head with a sigh, peering into the cell to survey the damage.
"Hm...You did a good job on cleaning it out. Do the others if you like. But if its alive, don't do anything. Just call me and I'll see whether it's worth keeping."
The strange man-child squealed with joy, waddling over and tearing the next door clean of its hinges.
Lust wrinkled her nose, and Slicer reckoned that whatever had been in there had been dead for some time.

As she turned her back against him, walking the way she had come, he gazed at her, still hidden out of sight.
Her beauty was...stunning...
Suddenly, he felt his brother shift and gasp in surprise.
"What the-"
He tensed up in panic, and by mere instinct he somehow stopped his younger brother's voice from passing beyond the bloodseal, hoped frantically that the humunculus hadn't heard him.
She stopped, turning slowly around.
"Anyone there?"
He remained silent, until she narrowed her eyes slightly and turned away once again.
He sighed in relief, and suddenly his eyes expanded in surprise as his younger brother lifted his hand and tapped on the side of his head.
"What-oh..."
He closed his eyes, and his brother gave a sigh of relief.
"You know, it never ceases to amaze me what we can do to each other's blood seals.
49 said slightly irritated.
"Keep it down. The humunculi could hear us."
"Oh."
As he shifted again, she came back into view.
She was pointedly averting her gaze from the cell in which Gluttony was eating in, and was checking the others for dead specimens.
There was a short silence, then his brother said hesitantly:
"You...er...?"
"What?"
"You checking her out?"
There was a strained silence, then 48 laughed nervously.
"Pff, the nerve!"
He chuckled uncomfortably, scratching the back of his neck.
"Checking her out, why, I've never heard of such a thing!"
"No no-well, I mean..."
His younger brother gestured slightly at her.
"...She's beautiful."
"Hrm, well, a handsome woman I suppose..." He admitted grudgingly.
"You should try talking to her. I'm sure it wouldn't do any harm-"
"You must be joking me. She would kill me in an instant if I as much as tried to ask her a simple question. Creatures like me are nothing but dirt to her, it would be pure madness to try anything as hasty as that."
"...allright allright, no need to get defensive about it."
"I am NOT. Being defensive. It would be suicide, and you know it."
Without another word, he turned and went back the way he had come.

After some time, a rather cheerful 66 came out, holding a second knife in his hand, slightly longer and thinner than the other one.
"Ain't it purdy? Come on, we better get back before the others get into mischief."
"Yes, I've had enough of this part of the lab."

[silverviper2134]

I feel sorry for those brothers....it must be so weird actually sharing a body, espically when one brother has a crush on someone.

[amouri]

....
How about BOTH brothers having a crush on someone?
XDDD
Yes, it is kinda hard, also because the youngest wants more freedom D: and the oldest just wants to do what he feels is best for the youngest.

[silverviper2134]

Yeah, and it's kinda hard to ignore somebody whose literally on top of you.

[amouri]

Lawd that sounded so wrong in my ears.
...
But yeah, I get the point XD

[masterwarlord]

Good chapters, and the pictures are of course epic. Doesn’t that go without saying? I like all the designs considerably with the exception of Big who seems somewhat generic, although that might be just in comparison to the epicness that is contained within your other Ocs. Naela was a fairly run of the mill snake, but she’s a mechanical snake, so she’s excused. Anyway, it only makes the fic all the better either way.

Anyway, on to the actual chapters. I liked that we got to see some actual fighting in the first that I haven’t commented yet, even if it was play fighting. Both chapters gave more excellent characterization to the Slicer brothers and were excellent at making the viewer try to sympathize for them, particularly the younger brother. The character development I read this fic for is still growing strong. Seems you’re also transforming me into a Slicer fan like you made me a Barry fan. Kudos to you!

[amouri]

XD LAWD. I seem to be giving those two WAAAAY too much attention.
LOL, but they deserve it.

[amouri]

The heavy built guy grunted, placing all his weight on the crowbar, but sighed in irritation as the heavy boards just creaked, instead of giving way.
"They won't budge boss, they're brand new. Maybe we should-"
"Aw, c'mon. You ain't chickening out on us now eh? As soon as we get inside it'll be done with. Nobody would suspect to find us there."
"Ok ok...."
The man sighed again, once more trying to prise apart the boards sealing up the door, though they didn't show any sign of giving.
The man in command watched in interest, rubbing his bald head in thought.
It was the perfect place of course, proper hiding places weren't easy to find.
And now that the military had become more engaged into rooting out the small buds of crime and theft that were blossoming up everywhere, it was always good to have a secret hiding place.
Preferably one no one would think of.

As his cronies shifted uneasily around him, he sighed.
"Allright, fine. Budge over, and let a real fella do the job." He said gruffly, pushing the guy out of the way, jerking the crowbar out of his hands.
With a mighty heave, he jerked it downwards, making the wood creak in protest, splintering slightly.
The others watched silently, slightly in awe.
At the third heave, the boards cracked with a splintering sound, sending pieces of chippings everywhere.
He handed the crowbar back, and motioned to the others.
"Allright men, lets check out our new territory."
One after one, they all followed their boss, switching on flashlights and treading carefully over the bits of rubble and rock scattered on the floor.
As they disappeared into the night, a cat howled somewhere in the distance, as the moon slid out from the cloud it had been concealed behind, illuminating the sign on the front of the massive building.
A tall, menacing five.

As they walked along the grimy halls, he could sense his cronies were becoming slightly uneasy.
"This doesn't feel right boss...Something's wrong."
"Shut up, if you wanna go bawl your eyes out outside, fine by me. Let the cops nab you if thats what you want."
That silenced him, and they went on.
Suddenly the guy to his right, Tony, stopped.
"Boss...I heard something."
"Eh?"
"Listen."
As they stood in silence, a distant shrieking of some strange beast could be heard.
"That...thats not normal."
"Chill. This was an old lab, probably just some test animals. Once we put them to sleep this whole place is ours and ours alone."
Suddenly they heard a gasp of shock, and in unison they looked around, drawing various weapons from small pistols to knives.
"I think...I saw something."
"Like what?"
"Something...with glowing eyes."
"Pff. That'll be a rat. C'mon."

As they turned the corner, a small figure watched them silently from the shadows.
As they disappeared from sight, it stood up and vanished into the deepening darkness, not making a single sound.

---

The slow, monotonous sound of dripping water could be heard, along with a low mumbling.
"For the last time. GET YOUR STINKIN FILTHY HANDS OFF ME."
"Aw, don't act precious hun, you know you can't resist me."
A strange clashing sound could be heard, like metal on metal.
The low vibrating echo coursed through the room.
"Wh-whatchu do that for?!"
"You should know that a woman normally slaps those who get on her nerves."
"Ah, so you're hinting your getting on to me, eh?"
Another loud clang could be heard.

Suddenly, a low creaking could be heard, fast and swiftly, and soon after an anxious voice could be heard.
"There's someone here! They came in the front! Intruders!"
There was a short silence, then a shaking voice could suddenly be heard.
"In...intruders? Intruders, did you say? Hahahaha..HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! AT LAST!!"
"Easy sixty-six, we must plan our action. How many were there, 79?"
"About ten...I think. I'm not quite sure, they were walking close together, and I think one of them saw me."
"Hm. I see."
"DAMN THE PLANNING! I wanna KILL..."
"Shut up 66, you'll just mess it up and get us all killed."
"Just my words 49."
"Talking of words, are you just gonna sit here cooing to 32 or are you gonna come get in a fight?"
"What-you expect me to stay with this slime?"
"Well...You can't exactly-"
"When one has been a trained assassin in the lord Ishbals favor, one learns to take care of oneself. Don't you think?"
"Yes-well..."
"What about you Big? See, he's nodding! c'mon. Lets get these intruders outta here."

"Boss...This ain't good."
The sight that met them made even the hardiest of them turn slightly green with revulsion.
A long row of massive cells, with all kinds of disfigured beasts and cretins shrieking and moaning and grunting, reaching through the bars and trýing desperately to get out.
Some of the various paws and claws looked disturbingly...familiar.
"Some of them...some of them are humans..."
One of the men whispered.
The stench of rotten meat and decaying corpses filled their nostrils, making them lightheaded and confused.
"Look...these ain't normal lab rats. This is serious stuff...I doubt this place is as safe as we thought."
One of them gestured weakly to a pair of supposedly empty cells, where the bars had been forcibly bent out of the way or torn apart.
"Yeah...we should-"
The all silenced in shock, as a low, thumping noise approached them.
Someone-or something was approaching them.
They cowered in fear as the hallway was suddenly blocked by a massive apelike creature, though...something was wrong.
As it stood a few feet away from them, one of the men whispered frantically.
"Where's-where's its face-?!"
But that question was soon answered.
"Right here..." A hoarse voice sounded, and they watched in horror as the creature bent its featureless head forward...
And a humans pale, stubbly face came into view, leering at them from upside down, from that grotesque position it was in.
"Right here."

The yelled in horror, turning and sprinting out of the room, knocking into each other in their attempt to get away.
"Allright-we're going!" The boss yelled, only getting a frenzied nod from the others, who were too caught up in running to reply.
Suddenly, one of them stumbled, having trodden on something that sank into the floor, and a moment later a massive scythe came swinging through the air, slicing him in two, and spraying his panicking companions with blood.
"What the-" The others skidded to a halt, though by the time they had stopped two others had fallen victim to the hidden traps, one falling into a pit with some screeching beast, who flung its scaly tentacles in the air in an attempt to reach the others, and the second one had been impaled by a hidden spear, from where he was gazing blankly at the massive point sticking out of his chest.
"Allright-don't move! There might be more-!" The man speaking didn't get to finish his sentence, as an angry buzz filled the air, and three arrows buried themselves in his chest, one after the other in quick succession.
He stared down at the quivering shafts in surprise, a low gargle rising up through his throat as a trickle of blood seeped out at the corners of his mouth, and before the others could react he'd toppled over.
"ITS AN AMBUSH!" Somebody screamed, before hell broke loose.
Strange frightening figures advanced from the shadows, moving with inhuman speed and strength.
The glowing orbs of their eyes glared at them menacingly, before a strange creature with a skull-like head launched itself on them, screaming and cackling madly.
A massive one clubbed two of his companions at once, sending their brains flying to splat on the wall, whilst a strange scaled one was jabbing everyone in reach with some kind of a pitchfork...or trident.
One with a sword was engaged in combat with three at once, easily outmaneuvering them and impaling them in the blink of an eye.
A small black figure was darting in and out of the other's legs, jabbing and stabbing at their legs, causing them to scream in pain and die from the hands of the other strange creatures.
The one with the skull head was the most vicious at all, slashing and cleaving its way through them, laughing maniacally while spraying gore and chips of bones everywhere. And all the while, swarms of arrows shot by, humming like angry bees and hitting anyone in range.
After a few seconds, it was over.

"Well, I don't think thats so bad for a first try." 32 said cheerfully, stepping out of the shadows, avoiding the pool of blood on the floor.

[masterwarlord]

I wasn't terribly fond of the somewhat lengthy description of the experience of the generic intruders, but eh. It was good that you actually had some people come in before Ed/Al though and to give them the prisoners a chance to fight. I liked how intimidating you made all the prisoners seem so intimidating and powerful, although I wonder how the traps, y'know, didn't kill them also. I find it hard to believe that Barry is stronger then Slicer and all the others, but I guess that's becaues you have a bias for him while I consider him more of a comic relief character. Not as good as some of your other chapters but not bad by any stretch of the imagination.

[amouri]

I wanted to give the intruders some kind of an identity, so it was seen from their point of view.
And yeah, I admit this isn't the best post ever, but for some strange reason I personally think the worst post I made so far was the one where Envy was leading them to the weapons room.
Dunno why though xD
Hm...The thing about the traps, I'm guessing that they didn't even know about them, not even 81 because the traps had probably been activated by Envy or one of the others when they left.
I'm guessing it was pure chance that none of them were killed, though of course I'm not saying they didn't activate them.
The effect was just lost in the midst of battle, seeing as they could react much faster than the intruders, and seeing as they don't have any limits to reaction, maybe except their imagination, they could easily avoid them and keep on fighting.
I should've added that, guess I forgot, also because I thought it was important that I showed there was some traps, and that they just didn't suddenly appear when Ed and Al come.

Barry may be more vicious in battle, but, to quote Slicer "Rash actions do not win a battle" Or something like that.
Against powerless intruders, Barry shows he's the best to make his victims freeze in fear, giving him the chance to chop 'em up good.
As his battle with Al shows though, if his opponent is capable of keeping his or her head cool, Barry tends to loose some of his bite.
Barry may be the most frightening of all of them, but Slicer is unmatched in combat skill.
....
Good lord, this nearly counts as an entire post alltogether

[masterwarlord]

Heh, I didn't expect such a detailed come back, or much of one at all, really, lol. Still, you came up with quite imperssive rebuttals to my concerns, particularly on the Barry bias. Still, you're basically admitting you don't have much of an excuse for none of the traps hitting the prisoners other then luck. . .Guess Envy could've told them about them or something. *Shrug*. Either way, there's defenitely a lot of thought being put into this, and I commend you for that.

[amouri]

Thankyee ^.^

[amouri]

66 turned his head, giggling slightly.
He was still kneeling in the pool of blood from where his victim had fallen, and his eyes were expanding rapidly with excitement.
"That was great...I wonder how long it'll take before the next load turns up?" He said in a slightly high pitched voice.
32 narrowed her eyes slightly. She could tell that he was clearly much more insane than he used to be...and she saw that as a bad thing.
"A while I guess. This place has been known as a top security building for years." 81 said casually, as he tried to prise his trident out of the chest of a man with his feet.
Big was waving his arms slightly, and seemed a bit at loss to what to do about the blood and bone fragments on his clubbed hands.
32 sighed, placing one hand on her hip. "Well, at least we got this load over with. I wish we didn't have to though..."
"What do you mean? You kill right?"
81 said bluntly.
32 snapped her head up in irritation. "There's a difference between killing for need and killing because one has been ordered to."
"Well, if we don't eliminate intruders like this, we'll get killed by the humunculi. So I'd say we were of great need when we killed these guys. Daaaamn..." He hissed slightly under his breath as he tried jerking the trident sharply outwards, causing the head of his victim to lol pathetically.

"32?" A slightly nervous voice asked.
32 looked up, and to her utter surprise she saw 79 standing stiffly in the middle of the hallway, his eyes almost pleading.
"What? What's wrong?"
"The traps..."
Her eyes widened as she realized what he'd said.
"Don't move!" She yelled flinging her arms out.
They all froze, glancing at her in shock.
"Why? What is it?" 81 said in panic, tottering slightly as one of his feet was still resting on the chest of the corpse his weapon was stuck in.
"What in the name of Ishbal were we thinking? Blundering out like that...We could've been killed without even knowing it!"
66 was remarkably serious when he asked.
"The...what?"
"The traps. I had completely forgotten...I just came down after you guys had attacked and I thought it was ok...I was wondering how come the men seemed to be falling so quickly, but I just pushed it out of my mind at the time. I think the whole floor is rigged."

The Slicer brothers, whom had been standing in silence, fidgeted slightly on the spot.
"But-how did we not notice? After all, traps that could kill a man like that are not normally easy to avoid seeing-"
"I think they we're designed to strike quickly and then reset again."
She turned to 79.
"But you saw it?"
He nodded nervously.
"Just before you killed that last guy...I saw this blade shoot through the wall and impale this guy...and then it just continued through him and into a hole on the wall on the other side."

She looked around.
"Allright...We've got to find some way of getting through without setting them off..."
Suddenly 81 wrenched his trident out of the body, tilted it over his shoulder, and broke into a frantic sprint, heading towards the nearest door.
"EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!!!" He yelled.
Before 32 could as much as blink, the others had panicked and set after him, and she could do nothing but follow them as hell seemed to release itself around them.
The walls opened, revealing sharp darts and crude daggers that shot out of the wall, either bouncing off their armour or burying themselves in the leather or cloth they were wearing. As they reached the door, they all skidded in, falling in a heaving heap on top of each other.
32 punched 81 angrily. "What'd you do that for you blundering idiot?!"
He grunted in reflex and looked at her angrily.
"What, you expect me to just stand there? One of you could've set them off before I had a chance to escape!"
"Well, too bad for you that we left our weapons out there. Now you get them or I'll punch in your seal!" With an angry snarl she pushed him out, and the others edged away from her slightly as the cries of shock from 81 and the sound of the traps activating.
A few seconds later a disgruntled 81 staggered into the small room again, carrying the assorted weapons in his arms. His chain mail was scattered with various arrows and darts that had punctured it on the way.
"Here." He growled, dumping the sword, dagger, meat knife, bow and the many sleek arrows at their feet.
32 nodded, but then she covered her face with one hand.
"You look like a porcupine." She giggled, unable to contain herself.
He shot her a dirty look, and sat on the floor with crossed arms.
66 retrieved his knife, and stared at it feverishly, tracing his fingers down the smears of blood that were still on it.

"Can you quit that 66? Its kinda sickening to watch you do that."
The younger slicer brother said in irritation, as he picked up his brothers shared sword.
"Why should I? I haven't seen the blood of my victims for months...To at last carve out the human flesh is like extreme joy to me..." He cooed, still staring at the knife.
Big widened one of the orbs of his eyes, the closest one could get to lifting an eyebrow when in his condition.
"No. Seriously, stop it."
"Shut up! As though you'd understand...Whe one kills, one can feel REAL again...the feeling of the slash through the air, the satisfying spurt of blood on contact, the pathetic groan of those to weak to resist....and the feeling of having warm, fresh blood on ones fingers is almost orgasmic..."
Big sweat-dropped in shock.
32 face-palmed, and 81 would have been wearing a very convincing WTF face had he been able to show it.
"What does orgasmic mean?" 79 asked curiously.
Slicer got to his feet quickly. "Lets change the subject and instead get out of here. I still don't understand how come you didn't know of these traps 81..."
"Oh, I knew of them. But they had been deactivated years ago, how should I know those stinking humunculus set them up again? He could've at least told us..."
"Well, he didn't. And thanks to 81, we now know that as long as we're fast enough, we're not in risk of actually dying. As long as we protect our bloodseals."
"Oh haha. As though I'd find out for you guys of my own free will."
81 said sarcastically.
"Oh shut up. Here, let me help you with those."
32 sat down beside him, using her fingers to gradually pull out the many projectiles, so he didn't seem so prickly as before.

She noticed that the Slicer brothers seemed to be fidgeting slightly, though as alway she couldn't quite tell which one was doing it.
"All right, lets get out of here. And let that be a lesson to us that rushing forwards ain't always a good thing."

((For once I'd prefer no critisism on this one. I'm tired, and complaints is the last thing I need.))

[masterwarlord]

Ironic that you demand no criticism on one of the better chapters you've churned out in a while. I liked how you actually used the traps not hitting them in the last chapter as a set up for this one, and this was, as usual, quite humorous. I've grown rather fond of how you regularly put in humor to keep the grim situation from being too depressing in a similiar fashion to how FMA actually does it.

[amouri]

...Really? This is actually good? wow O.O
The orgasmic line from Barry was requested from Raptorbarry on deviantart (I post them there as well) and is basically inspired by the horrifying youtube film Salad Fingers. Lol.

[amouri]

81 sighed, examining his nonexistent finger nails in a slightly bored manner.
The others seemed just as inactive, hell, even 66 was leaned up against a cracked wall, just gazing out into space.
He knew it wouldn't last though.
"Couldn't we hunt up some chimeras?"
Right on cue. he thought indifferently.
"...66, you must be even more stupid than I thought. Chimeras are to be avoided."
"Says the coward."
"Bonehead."
"Fishie."
"Bug-eye."
"Merman."
"Primitive barbarian with a span of thought so small that he can only think of insults that are no longer than one word."
"...Alchemist."
"What kind of a lame insult is that?"
"One that fits."
"OH, SHUT UP you two!"
32 yelled in irritation.

66 shrugged with a chuckle.
"He started it." He said, jerking his head towards 81.
"I did not."
"Did too."
"Did not."
"Did too."
"NOT."
"TOO."
79 shifted uneasily.
81 glared at 66, but dropped it and resumed his silent inspection of his hands.
48 was immobile, the orbs of his eyes not visible.
49, on the other hand, was whistling a quiet tune while he absentmindedly picked at a small bloodstain on their shared sword.

79 looked up, a slightly questioning look about him.
"49?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I borrow your brother for a sec?"
"...Guess so."
He lifted his hand and rapped gently on the side of his helmet.
"Brother?"
"...Yes? What is it?"
"79 just wants to borrow you for a moment."
"...Alright." 48 replied in a slightly amused voice.
As he was disconnected and handed over, 79 took him carefully and turned to 32.
"I was wondering if I could try something? Because both of us have the seals in our helmets, if it would actually be possible for us to switch bodies?" He asked curiously.
"Its worth a try."
As the three moved away a slight distance, so they were standing in the slight ray of moonlight that had managed to filter through the dirty glass pane overhead, the remaining huddled together slightly.

"Gee, thats so weird." 66 said quietly, watching 32 as she managed to remove 79's head, and at the same time holding 48.
The youngest Slicer brother shrugged in agreement.
"It is. I never thought I'd actually have to carry my brother around. It takes some time getting used to."
66 glanced at him.
"I have noticed you tend to remove him now and then." He added in slight afterthought.
"Yeah, one would need a break. And he doesn't mind, he knows how it is." 49 sighed, staring at his reflection in the smooth blade.
"But sometimes...I just wish that we had separate bodies. It would make things much easier. For him as well."

81 chuckled silently.
He glanced at 32 again, pleased by her smooth movements and actions. She was attractive even in the form of armour, which was a remarkable feat.
The youngest Slicer accidentally cut himself on the blade, and was glaring angrily at his middle finger where a small tear in the leather could be seen.
"Hey 81, cut it out with the staring will ya." He snorted angrily, glancing at the alchemist who was still watching 32.
"Why? She's an amazing sight." He said smugly.
"She's an armour and an ishbalan. Why would a so called rich alchemist want to have ANYTHING to do with her?"
"Why are you so defensive about her?"
The youngest Slicer seemed slightly baffled for a few seconds, before he quickly glanced down at his hands again.
"No reason."

66 narrowed his eyes in glee.
"Oooooo. You like her?"
"I do NOT!" 49 yelled frantically, succeeding in cutting himself again.
81 chuckled, leaning backwards against the wall.
"Good. She wouldn't cast you a glance anyway. Its obvious shes got the hots up for me."
49 fumed in silence, gesturing frantically at 66 who was doing a silent mime of something 81 expected was a a cherub with a bow.
"Speaking of love, were any of you married?" 66 asked offhandedly, shooting an imaginary arrow in 49's direction.
"Nope. My father died in the war, and my mother has always been soft on me." 81 answered in relish.
"Apart from the occasional gal at the local clubs, I wasn't planning on getting a wife until we needed a new link in the family. And in that case I would just have to choose whichever one my mother thought was suitable."
He sighed. "Not that thats ever going to happen now..."

66 seemed to droop a little, looking like some memory was flying through his head.
"I was. She was from a rich family, and I was just a butcher. Still can't believe my luck on that one. Her father wanted her to learn the value of modesty and humbleness, so he refused to let her marry any of the rich young lads she had had in mind. That was when he found me. Didn't even have to court her, one quick conversation with her dad and I was engaged. Buh, she wasn't all that happy about it I can tell ya. We slowly began to care for each other however...or at least for some time. Then the whole thing went downhill..."
He sighed.
"What then?"
"I killed her."

Big shifted, placing a club on 66's shoulder.
He looked up at the massive armour with an expression that clearly stated how unimpressed he was by the gesture.
"Get off, I'm not gonna get all wimpy about it." He snarled, shrugging Big off. "She bloody deserved it, the mean hag."
"How about you Big? You ever had a wife?"
Big stared in exasperation at 81, shaking his head frantically.
"Geez, don't get all worked up about it." 81 said in surprise. He really couldn't figure out why the question seemed to have insulted Big.

"What about your brother, 49?" The youngest Slicer paused in thought for a moment, glancing at his brother quickly, to make sure he was out of earshot.
"Well...you probably won't believe me, but..." He then quickly and quietly relayed the incident by the weapon room.
66 was speechless.
"No way?! So the old geezer still has it in him!"
"Hey! He ain't old..." 49 said insulted.
"He isn't? How old is he then?"
"Well..."
"52?"
"No!"
"Hm, 54 then? 60? 61?"
"You're way to far up."
"How about 45? Surely he can't be younger than that."
"He's 36 for your information."
"How old are you then?
"24." He said in slight discomfort.
"I thought you guys were way older than that."
"I'm taking that as an insult."
"So he's interested in that witch Lust, eh? Don't blame him. She's quite the figure."
"He denied it though, no wonder."
"I think he needs some confidence in this matter. Couldn't we figure something out?"
"I'm not sure he would agree to that. He doesn't display his feelings that easily, and he was always the respectful one when it came to women. Always polite."
"What, and you weren't?"
"Thats changing the subject."

81 chuckled again.
"If you ask my opinion, he hasn't got a chance. We're all armour, the needs of the human body don't come easily to us. Lust is one of them. And I doubt him in his age would make it easier."
"This is getting awkward."
"EVERYTHING is awkward. We can't speak about anything. Good Lord. I wish I had that guy Tlacka right here..." 66 mumbled, grasping around an invisible neck in midair.
"I'd wring his neck till his head fell off. He ruined everything. I would be somewhere else if it hadn't been for him."
"What, like hell?"
"Shut it."
81 gazed up at the moonlight from above.
"Speaking of, I wonder where he is...?"

[amouri]

The sound of raucous singing and cheering could be heard from inside the small inn, which seemed to be the brightest spot of light in the entire part of the small mining town that it resided in.
The figures beyond the windows were muscular and scarred, showing signs of having lived on the rough side of life for many years.
But that obviously didn't bother them, judging by the amount of merriment that was circulating.

A young boy with spiky sandy hair opened the door, a beaming smile on his face as he chuckled at the silliness of his elders, who were singing like drunkards.
Which wasn't entirely a lie.
He stuck to fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle, immediately attracting the attention of the various dogs and cats which were watching the inn hungrily.
At the signal the various ears perked up, the dogs bounding happily towards the boy, yapping whining and growling alternatively at each other and the boy.
The cats had to settle with watching enviously, as the boy carefully balanced the plate of leftovers he had in one hand, while flinging the pieces of food for the canines.

"Easy! Don't push me over ya mangy mutts." He laughed as one of the more courageous dogs tried to grab a piece of bread out of his hand.
He suddenly noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned to see a cloaked figure not far from the inn.
The figure was trying to read what looked like a map in the sparse light of a lamp, but seemed to be holding something equally heavy that made it impossible to hold the map straight.
He quirked an eyebrow curiously.
"Er...Oi! Mister, you need some help?"
The figure straightened up, pushing his hood back to reveal a flustered dark-skinned face.
"As a matter of fact...I was wondering where exactly I am. I may have taken a wrong turn..."
"This is Youswell. The coal mines?"
"Ah. Now it makes more sense. Thank you kid. Oh, one thing more. You wouldn't know if there would be any place to stay would ya?"

The boy smiled, tipping the rest of the food for the dogs, and then retreating slightly.
"This is the only inn around, so I daresay you might squeeze in."
The figure heaved a sigh of relief, packing his map away with some difficulty.
"Great. I am weary from my travels, and would appreciate a good rest."

---

He sighed, glancing around the room he had rented for the night.
The miners downstairs were still creating an awful lot of ruckus, and it irritated him.
It was much different from the silence of the lab.
He stretched, gasping as his stiff muscles and tendons protested and then relaxed to the action.
It had been hard getting around, seeing as he had to avoid normal transport. He wanted to stay undercover as much as possible.
He took off his cloak, glancing at the heavy bundle he had placed on the floor.
He nudged it with his foot.
"Nalea."
The bag shifted, a low rustle could be heard form withing as something twitched and tried to get out.
"Get me out of here." She hissed, the form of her serpentine head jabbing angrily from inside the bag.
"I can't get out of this stupid thing."
He chuckled quietly, kneeling down to unwrap the coarse material, as the glinting metal beneath was revealed.

Nalea quickly slid out with no more difficulty, flicking her tail irritably as she coiled up on the floor.
"What, are you sulking on me now?"
"I had to stay in that rotten thing for HOURS. I hate being confined."
She spat bitterly, ignoring his gaze.
"You would have attracted too much attention, you know that."
"Pfa."
He smiled, packing the sack aside, and walked over to pick up the metal snake.
She sent him a sulky glare, but it wasn't outright resentful.
"Come on, lay it off now. I'm tired, and the last thing I want is to have a serpent who wants me dead before I go to bed."
"I don't want you dead you idiot. You would have been like this if you were forced into a tight sack like that for HOURS on end."
"Maybe I would. Then again, maybe I wouldn't."

She shook her head, though seemed to soften up slightly.
"So." She said, tucking her head into the nook of his elbow. "What now?"
"I'm aiming towards the southern region at the moment, theres not so much regulation at that part, seeing as the civil war is still disturbing society with its aftermath. It should be easy to blend in."
"Sounds good. I was wondering though..."
He was surprised to hear that her tone was nearly hesitant.
"...Will we return to the lab?"
"I am not sure. You shouldn't bet on it though, its far too risky at the moment."
"...But what about-"
A slight line appeared between his eyebrows.
"He is not incapable of functioning without us. It would be best if we forgot him."
"...What about your research? Without him its nothing."
"It was risky enough before the lab was closed, now that its been partially broken down, and most of the experiments are probably roaming free, not to mention that Envy probably made sure the security measures were put on, so I'd say its near to impossible. Forget him, technically he should have been dead centuries ago."
"..."

He was relieved as she dropped the subject.
It was all-too difficult for him to explain such things to her, to make her forget.
But it was of crucial need that she did.
If thoughts like that were discussed enough, it could bring back memories that he had held back, sealed to her consciousness. Memories which technically shouldn't be there.
About her birth, her creation, who she had been.
And about the Lie.

If she realized that, he would have no way of holding her, no way of keeping her from destroying herself.
He closed his eyes painfully at the mere thought.
"...Abel?"
He opened his eyes again to watch her watching him with slight concern.
"I'm fine."
"No you're not, you're tired. Get some rest. I will watch over you."
He smiled weakly, but obeyed her and pulled the covers aside, lying down and letting her remain in his arms.
"Remember we must leave as early as possible."
"Fine, as long as you don't wake me up as soon as the sun rises."
"You lazy sod." She said lovingly, snaking the tip of her tail around his hand, which he grasped affectionately.
"Sleep. I doubt anything will harm you, but if any assassins or drunken bozos come to this chamber, they must face my wrath."
He smiled as he slipped into sleep, though one thought taunted him as he did so.
If only you knew...

((NO SPOILERS. You just gotta wait and be patient.))

[masterwarlord]

Sorry for commenting so late, but I am glad that you finally brought back Tlacka and Naela, the actual antagonists of the story, it seems. I honestly entirely forgot about them and was just enjoying watching the prisoners deal with their situation, considering it'd beena long while since those two were mentioned. Either way, I'm glad you brought them back and their characterization is starting to grow a good bit more, though that's to be expected with an actual chapter dedicated to them.

[amouri]

You spelled her name wrong lawl.
But thanks anyway, and yes, I wasn't planning on just using them for the first part. They will probably not return to lab five, but that doesn't mean I won't use them.