Fullmetal Wizard | Chapter 8

Title: The Unbreakable Spell

"Stupify!"

Ed heard and felt the impact of something strike his right arm. He growled in irritation and pulled back his fist from the door. There were a number of surprised gasps down the hall, and he heard the sound of a body hitting the ground. Through the roughly face sized hole his fist left behind, Ed saw a number of faces, none of which he recognised.

'Light source is strange.' He thought as he looked for it. Then he blinked. The tips of several sticks were glowing, held aloft by a few in the hallway.

"Fool. That arm's artificial. What'd you think would happen?" A rough low voice called.

'Same one that called me a shrimp' Ed noted, and scowled at the thought.

"Vhat's vith the sticks?" Ed said.

Everyone in his sight stiffened at that question, then his limited view of the hall was blocked by the single face that regarded him through the hole in the door. There were scars all over that face, and Ed noted that part of the nose was missing. The eyes were mismatched..one dark and bright with intelligence, the other dull and blue, likely as artificial as his own two limbs. The blue orb spun about as he watched, moving independently of the the other. It was a disturbing sight to see, even for him. The face scowled in concentration as the man it belonged to pointed one end of a stick right at him. Or rather, at his left side.

Ed felt it in his chest. The hush...nearly like the calm before a storm, or the moment an array activated. Then..He was in motion. He dove forward and to his left, just inside arcing blast of glowing energy. He struck the wall with very loud thumps and swore aloud at all the aches in his ports and head.

'Weapons. They're weapons.' was all he could think in the second he knew had before the stick's end caught up to his movements. Ed rolled to his back, and leaned it flush against the door.

"Moody..you alright?"

There was a snort.

"Just glanced me. He's...dodged it."

Ed pushed up with his legs, and looked out the hole with his head never leaving contact with the door.

Four that way.

He dropped and quickly did the same for the other side. Or rather tried to.

Shit. Too dark. Can't tell.

He dropped again.

Three, maybe four in the middle with me. Counting Scarface.

Ed closed his eyes, and breathed a deep steadying breath. Mind focused on the image of the basic array, and he adjusted it with an equation for his need at the moment. Nothing really fancy. Then, he clapped his hands, smirking at the distinctive, familiar, cutting sound his mismatched hands always made. He then slammed his hands to the ground before him, letting the warmth of the energy circulate through. He heard gasps of surprise and even panic as the great resounding boom and blue archs of the reaction occurred in the hall.

Once he raised his hands from the ground, he heard Scarface yell. Furious by the tone. The volume was significantly muffled by the transmutation he had made on the door, which now, not only had no hole, but was flush with the wall and floor. As if there was never a door there at all.

"Idiot! You were supposed to check him for a wand!!!"

"I did!!! He didn't have one!! I swear!!!"

Should hold for a bit, Ed thought and he rushed to the window above the bathtub. It was high up on the wall, slightly above his shoulders. He opened it, and hopped up. Then a wave of dizziness and nausea hit him, just as he scooched on his stomach.

"Not. Now." Ed breathed, biting back the bile in the back of his throat. He squinted his eyes and willed it down. It worked for the time being.

Squeezing through the narrow opening, Ed noted he wouldn't have fit if he were...bigger. That thought really annoyed him, and yet he found he was thankful. He looked below him and saw there some trash bins. The lids were down.

'Hope that means they're full. On second thought....' Ed thought.

Ed firmly gripped the window ledge and flipped himself over. He landed with an ungraceful flop. The noise of the crash echoing into the night. The racket certainly roused at least three neighorhood dogs. They barked and howled furiously as he gingerly picked himself up out of the wreckage. He gave himself a quick once over for cuts. He saw none in the meager light.

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