And the world combust

Prologue

The sun glared down upon the desert sand with a vengeance. Heat bounced off the ground, creating the sweltering waves that ran across Roy's vision. Spending more than a few minutes in the sun would burn your skin into jerky.

Roy wiped his dripping forehead with his arm, lifting his gaze upwards. The sand reflected much of the sunlight, straining his eyesight. Days like these were certainly the worst.

"Can't handle the heat?"

A familiar voice cut through the dry hot air. Roy blinked, his vision of the desert lands suddenly being invaded by a cup of water. Glancing to the man who arrived beside him, Roy met eyes with Hughes. The man had a small smirk, raising a brow at the flame alchemist.

Closing his eyes, Roy took the cup of water and took a swig. It was lukewarm, unable to keep its coolness upon the heat. However, it still slid down his throat smoothly. Finishing quickly, he let out a satisfied sigh.

"It makes me wish I was in Briggs." Roy slumped against the wall, crossing his arms. "You just can't escape this dry hell."

Hughes snorted, mimicking Roy's position. "Ironic for the Flame Alchemist to hate the heat, isn't it?"

Roy waved his hand dismissively, "It's different."

Hughes rolled his eyes, his gaze moving across the camp. "Well you'll have to hold on a little longer." Empty wooden boxes were strewn across the desert sand, hollow cartridges scattered around camp. People began scrapping the bottoms of food cans and sucking every drop of water from canteens. "We're due for a supply pick up in two days. Till then, we're out here ourselves."

Roy turned his head towards his friend. Dark bags under Hughes' eyes had long replaced the spark they once held. The desert sand dulled the bright blue of his military outfit and dirtied his face. It was hard to remember the Hughes he met back in military school. Silently, Roy wondered if he himself had changed too.

"Hey you two." A dark haired man approached the two soldiers. Roy and Hughes quickly straightened up and saluted, "We're getting a move on north. Start gathering your things and get a move on."

"Yes sir!" The two soldiers responded quickly.

The general responded with a huff and turned to leave. As he moved away from their sight, Roy and Hughes exchanged glances.

"Did he say north?" Roy asked, glancing towards the camp which began to sprout to life as soldiers got to work, "I thought we were advancing south towards the mainland of Ishval?"

"Yea. I don't understand either." Hughes took a narrowed glance across camp, "But whatever it is, it's got to be important to be sending State Alchemists there."

Roy's mouth turned downward to a frown. "I haven't heard any trouble in the north. I thought it was captured."

"Well." Hughes lifted his hands to the sky in a large stretch, "Either way we're packing up. You heard the General. Come on Roy, they might need our help." Completing his stretch, Hughes pranced off towards the camp, leaving Roy behind.

The sun beamed ever so brightly against the ground. It strained Roy's eyes as he glanced to the distance. He let out a long sigh and adjusted his gloves before following Hughes out into the desert sun. As he did, the skin on his face burned and he felt his body boil from the heat. It was hell, but he had to wonder for who.

—

"Really Ruth, I want you to consider it."

A woman emerged from the office, their heels clacking against the floor. They wore a white suit, a long coat held over the shoulder. Wavy brown hair trailed down to the shoulders, cut short. As the door swung open, another figure followed right behind. They were a larger and taller man, wearing a similar black suit. In his hand was an orange file, papers threatening to fall out.

"It will bring the company to new heights! With government funding on projects and materials, we can bypass the production line and go straight into designing and profits." The larger man gestured wildly as he followed the footsteps of the brown haired figure, "This is the next step! For this company and humanity!"

"Look, Farren." The brown haired woman sighed, "I am just cautious. I'm unsure what this might do to the company reputation and the restrictions that might be put in place-"

She was cut off by the man as he stepped in front of her stride. The brown haired woman was forced to stop as she stood face to face with the man arguing with her.

"Have I ever failed you Ruth?" He asked, hands in his pockets.

A silence struck the hallway as the two stared one another down. The brown haired woman bit her tongue, pursing her lips together. The man didn't waver, staring with such intensity that she couldn't meet.

"No. No you haven't." The woman sighed, the stare broken as she looked away.

"Then listen to me." The man straightened up, taking his hands out of his pockets and holding out the orange file to the woman, "I got us the support, the funding, the properties. I can get us more if we go through with this."

The woman stared down at the orange file. It almost felt like it stared right back. With a hesitant hand, she took the file into both of her hands. Large black letters littered the front.

ISHVAL WEAPON SUPPLY PARTNERSHIP

"Give me the details."

The man smiled softly. "It's a partnership offer from the Amestrian Government themselves. With the Ishval War lasting this long, they're looking to end it quickly. Due to difficult transport in the desert and Aerugo supplying the Ishvalens, they're looking to have an upper hand in weaponry."

"And that's where we come in?" The woman asked, raising a brow.

"Yes. It's not an empty offer either." The man gestured to her to open the file. "In return, we get access to military research and funding with few restrictions. All we have to do is give a research report every 3 years."

The woman stared at the open file in front of her. She searched the words, almost glaring a hole into the paper. It would've been a dream for any company. So why..?

"So..." She lifted her gaze up to meet the eyes of the man, "What's the next step?"

"If we are to accept, they're looking to get a demonstration."

"Demonstration?" The woman questioned, her head tilting to the side.

"To bring our weapons and showcase them on the northern border of Ishval."

—

A/N: I have spent 3 weeks re-watching and re-reading FMAB so now I feel ready to finally start writing. This is something I'm mostly doing for fun since I have too many ideas in my head and I need to write things down so expect infrequent updates. I plan on taking my time with this one. I really want to take my time refining and delving into my ideas deeply for this story. Still a casual thing though.