The Water Alchemist

Venomous Consequences

Welcome back to The Water Alchemist. I don't own any of the intellectual property of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Chapter Twenty-One

Venomous Consequences

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I entered the main floor of the bar to find that it was a real bar. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, though the tables and a bar top with shelves of spirits and such lining the back wall weren't exactly it. A red hue cast over the bottles on the back wall, and the chairs overturned on the tables and bar top. It looked like it was simply closed for the day. I wondered if it was operational when it wasn't a front. I walked through the swinging doors into the kitchen and eventually made it to a door further back that opened to a flight of stairs. As I descended further into the bar, I could hear Izumi and Ed's fight with Greed from the stairwell. The sound of metal against hardened carbon rang out through the halls and led me right to them through the dim light. I eventually came upon the room they were in and peeked through the door.

"Oh no, Ed," I breathed as I took him in. He was covered in blood and exhausted, panting heavily, his automail torn to bits. He seemed to look back at me but was sucked back into his fight with Greed.

Shit, I thought as I clasped my hands over my mouth to stifle any noise I made. I watched him attack Greed, only to get thrown into a pile of boxes, and I closed my eyes. I knew he'd be okay – he was tough like that – but something was unsettling about watching it happen right in front of me. My chest panged with worry, and I opened my eyes. Izumi charged at Greed, and I backed away from the small opening, unable to watch. If I interrupted them now, I'd just be getting in the way. I turned down a few hallways into a dead end, so I went back to where I started and tried another route. This one took me behind the room they were still in, though the back door out was wide open. They'd probably see me if they were paying attention, but luckily for me, they weren't. I slipped out of my sandals and padded down the corridor as quietly as I could, though I doubted they'd hear me over the sounds of their brawl.

If they took Al out of this door, maybe there's a way to the sewers through this corridor, I thought, making my way down the hallway, at first walking fast, then breaking into a run. My bare feet slapped against the concrete as I came upon a door. I opened it gingerly, hoping no one was on the other end. It just opened to another flight of stairs, which I descended, and as I grabbed the handle of the door at the bottom, I heard the rushing of water. Sure enough, I had made it into the sewers. I covered my face with my arm at the putrid smell. I looked around, searching for any clues to their whereabouts, and I placed an unsteady hand on my knife. It was pitch black, and besides the occasional shimmer of the water, I couldn't see much. The flow of the water rushed in my ears, muffling any other sounds.

Damnit, how am I supposed to get around like this? I thought, hoping my eyes would adjust. They didn't. I had to do something, so I hooked a right and hoped I headed in the right direction. I walked for a while when I heard the familiar clanking of my armored friend. I squinted my eyes, realizing I was at a junction in the sewer, trying to identify where the sound was coming from. It suddenly stopped, and the only sound I could hear was the uneven thumps of my own heart. I called his name into the darkness desperately.

"Marina?" I heard his voice echo, coming from my left. I sprinted into the shadows, not realizing that the walkway ended, and I fell face-first into the water. Panic took hold of me as I wriggled around in the murky depths until I wrenched myself from the cold water, hunched on my hands and knees. I gasped for air, relieved the water was just knee-deep.

Gross, I thought dimly as I stood and wiped away the strands of my hair from my face. I reached out for the opposite walkway. I eventually found it and climbed up, calling out to Al again.