Cardinal Sin (1) : Rebirth of the Fullmetal Alchemist

12 - Genius works of the automailist

Without warning, Herman began his attack. He caught Ed unaware as the young man was still processing his last spoken words, and out of breath from his fight with Sophronia.

Ed got a fist that seemed stronger than humanly possible in the gut. He stumbled a few steps back, clutching his stomach. He dropped his spear and it rolled away from him, which he cursed silently, trying to look unaffected by the loss of his weapon. Now all he had was the dagger.

Elric huffed—a rough way of laughing, it seemed. "You could rival Armstrong with a punch like that."

Grinning from the thrill of a new fight, Herman said, "I have no idea of whom you speak of, Fullmetal, but I appreciate the compliment!"

"I'd rather not compliment guys who come and attack me without giving a reason first."

"Your fault for not asking. We want the philosopher's stone you keep in your basement."

"Ha! I was right all along. It is a philosopher's stone!"

"That's right and we want it back!"

Out of nowhere, Herman presented two small sheets of paper on which transmutation circles were traced in black ink. He, like Sophronia, placed them on the floor, his palms on them. A transmutation was performed; the wooden floor shifted, writhed and took shape to wrap itself around Herman's forearms and closed fists. When they set, the enemy stood to face Ed with thick gloves of wood to protect his limbs.

"Oh, I see," Edward said. "You're into punching?"

Herman smirked, glad to have found an opponent who got his technique at once and didn't hesitate to throw himself into the fight rather than mock the wooden gloves of ridiculous appearance. He raised his fists.

Ed gave a trying, quick step forwards in which he swung his knife.

 At once, Herman turned the situation around. He blocked with his forearm, but the blade got stuck in the wood and wrenched out of Fullmetal's grip. The latter was forced to retreat weaponless. The enemy knocked the knife out of his glove, the dagger flying across the room, burying itself in the head of the sofa, opposite of where Frederick of Phil could retrieve it for him.

'About those two,' Ed thought, carefully examining his next course of action, 'why am I the only one fighting? I can't use alchemy but they can!'

Again, Herman went in to deliver a punch. He had amazing speed for such a big man, and was across the room in an instant, his wood-reinforced fist in Elric's face. 

Blood spilled from Ed's nose from the impact, covering nearly the entire lower half of his face in the crimson liquid. It went on to dribble down his neck and stain his white collar. He was pretty sure Herman had broken his poor nose, but, wincing through the pain, he forced himself to try and focus. Thankfully he did, for it allowed him to roll out of the way of his opponent's other fist descending upon him.

"In a fight like this, you're weak, Fullmetal alchemist!"

Herman smashed the floor, narrowly missing Ed's already injured face. Eyes wide, he scooted out of the way.

"If I had my alchemy—"

"But you don't, do you?"

The fists kept flying incessantly. Completely defenceless, the only thing Ed could do, just as he's done during his fight with Sophronia, was dodge and block. He felt so useless; once he'd fought a homunculus with the power to bring an entire country to his knees and now he was losing to man with hard punches.

With this is in mind, Ed told himself, 'I fought Father and beat him. I should be able to pummel this guy easily! So why can't I...?'

Suddendly, Ed's foot swept the floor, colliding with Herman's legs and knocked the man clean off his feet. 

Regainning his smirk, the young alchemist pushed himself into a standing position again, ready for the next attack. He said confidently, "I may not have my alchemy anymore, but I do have something else that can totally kick your ass!"

Reflecting the expression, Herman crouched and then jumped up into a ready position. "Oh? And what might that be?"

"Tell me, have you ever heard of a woman by the name of Rockbell? She's my mechanic..."

Ed feigned a punch at the left, to which Herman sunk into a half crouch to block, but, anticipating this movement, the Fullmetal Alchemist swung his automail leg high in the air. With great accuracy, his metal foot slammed into the enemy's face.

"... AND SHE MAKES THE BEST AUTOMAIL AROUND!" Ed finished in a tremendous scream, watching satisfied as Herman was sent crashing into the kitchen counter, narrowly missing Frederick and Phil, his face a bloody mess.