The Truth Within the Truth: A Fullmetal Alchemist RP

[Redryhno]

Coming upon the other State Dogs in the city near where he heard the screams of the monk. Seeing that it was all clear, he noticed the stone hand covering what appeared to be the smashed remains of a human being.hm, nice form, good transmutation...interesting, by the color of this... man's? Robes, he was a monk, curious, nice form though, if a bit risky using it against one of these men.{i]

After studying the body and stone hand for a few moments, Kallu noticed both that the soldier, little more than a boy by the look of him, was vomiting from the sight of the squished man and that the Landscaping Alchemist was attempting to issue orders.

"lets advance before the surviving enemies regroup, reinforces and attack."

Smiling a bit to himself, Kallu first ignored Ken, began searching for James, found him, and went up to him, "Sir, I have with me two prisoners, I request that they be treated fairly, though there is a good chance that at least one of them knows where Torul is. Both of them may have to be carried if we have to run out of here though," He gestured to both the young man, now dry-retching on his knees, and Teole, who still had that wooden facade held together by the simmering anger by the look in his eyes. The fire only burned brighter when he saw James.

"Oh, and the monk's name is Teole, and you may want to stay out of his range, he's not going to forget you easily after what we did to his brother."

 

[CJ1145]

As the Alchemists conversed, they spotted a figure making a slow approach. As the desert sun relented and revealed his features, they recognized him as Colonel Grand. He waved at them with one arm, his other covered what appeared to be yet another fresh wound.

"Good work, boys!" The Colonel shouted. "I knew these rebels couldn't stand up to real soldiers! Everyone gather round."

The troops assembled in front of him, and Grand roused Victor from his incapacitated state. He looked at the Ishvalans with Kallu and asked if they were prisoners, which Stone confirmed, and added they may know where Torul was located. The first to speak up was of all people Teole.

"He is at his home at the temple. That's where he coordinates his men, and houses all the families whose homes you've destroyed." The combined resignation and hatred was disturbingly palpable.

Grand eyed the Ishvalan for a second, and nodded. "Intel from this morning confirms his story. You'll need to get up there soon before someone gets there and evacuates him. I'll get these prisoners back to the camp so they don't slow you down." The Colonel grabbed the two Ishvalans and began to drag the pair back with him as he shouted back at them. "I would suggest you round up your squad and get there ASAP!"

 

[Jedoro]

"Guess that's the nice thing about being a watch," Elias commented as he checked his machine gun, "once the enemy sees you in action, no need to torture them for intel." Makes it a bit easier to sleep at night.

"If there's noncom's in that temple, I strongly suggest a much more subtle approach this time. I don't know, maybe use a more elevated entrance."

 

[JokerboyJordan]

"Well that's a let down, I really wanted to try out my new *cough* interrogation techniques " Roland said with a honest look of disappointment.


Oh well... Perhaps there'll be another time and place

"Oh, a bit of cloak and dagger 'eh? Sounds like fun"

He yawned extremely loud and stretched his back with his hands locked behind his head.

"I suggest we split up and cover any possible escape routes" He put on his best authoritative voice.

"Marlin you should take Landscaping with you, as his ability helped you out back there"

He motioned to the thick, ginger bearded alchemist.

"The rest of you should all pair off with those who offset your weaknesses "

"I of course, will go with Tash..."

He looked around for her.

"By the way where is she?"

 

[TheIronRuler]

Leo thanked the soldier that saved his life and followed the site where his group had assembled to hear the colonel's orders.

"How will we reach his location?", Leo asked the colonel.

 

[Jedoro]

"Not quite cloak-and-dagger, sir," Elias replied, "but with all the noncom's in there, we have to avoid them. Best case, they take hits meant for guards and draw out the fight. Worst, they provide cover for the target to escape." He turned his head to face the temple.

"I don't know about you, but I'll have a hard time finding a monk I've never seen before in a panicking crowd."

 

[Redryhno]

"Then I'll take a flanking position. I prefer to only kill people who shoot at me. Or are about to shoot at me. Or are using explosives. I think you see where I'm going with this."

"You're eventually going to have give up that idealism Sergeant, this war won't be won through squeamishness.,"Kallu remarked in the gentlest voice he knew, which amounted to simply being monotone, "I volunteer for the Bark team, the frontal assault. I'd also recommend that Landscape be put on the Bite, since his Alchemy mimic my own to a point, it would be to an advantage with him, seeing as how he can create walls out of the earth. It's just my thought, but I defer to your decision, Lt. Colonel Heldon."

This should be underneath Jedoro's, I don't know why it got put it up here.

 

[Redryhno]

As the Colonel dragged the two prisoners back to the camp with him, he said, "Colonel, be careful of the monk, he's not all there anymore."

"Not quite cloak-and-dagger, sir," Elias replied, "but with all the noncom's in there, we have to avoid them. Best case, they take hits meant for guards and draw out the fight. Worst, they provide cover for the target to escape." He turned his head to face the temple.

Listening to the team and their thoughts on the matter, Kallu flashed back to a time in his youth, when he had watched as a pack of wolves hunted a bear up in the north. The memory gave him an idea for this mission, not to mention a shiver after also remembering the climate.

"What if we split into two teams? The majority of us engage the temple head-on, while four of us get around back and sides. While they're busy fighting us, we have the second team keep watch for any unusual activity going on, such as if they try to get Torul out. The second team engages his bodyguard and himself, and we take him alive or dead, however we can,the second team then gets out and the first team covers their retreat."

Kallu looked around to see how his idea had been recieved, hoping for either approval or the outburst of a better one.

 

[Redryhno]

Ignore, these are being put in the wrong places.

 

[JokerboyJordan]

"I don't know about you, but I'll have a hard time finding a monk I've never seen before in a panicking crowd."

"Whilst that is true, do we need him alive? Can't we just burn/blast that place to ground?"

An almost slasher-like smile appeared on Roland's face at the mere possibility.

What if we split into two teams?

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure, that could work. It's not like anybody put me in charge or anything..."

He started whistling nonchalantly.

"Okay, how about this... We use Kallu's plan... but with more killing"

Satisfied with himself, he gave a wide smile and resigned himself to another cigarette whilst waiting for any more ideas from the team

 

[JokerboyJordan]

"Then I'll take a flanking position. I prefer to only kill people who shoot at me. Or are about to shoot at me. Or are using explosives. I think you see where I'm going with this."

"You're eventually going to have give up that idealism Sergeant, this war won't be won through squeamishness," Kallu remarked in the gentlest voice he knew, which amounted to simply being monotone, "I volunteer for the Bark team, the frontal assault. I'd also recommend that Landscape be put on the Bite, since his Alchemy mimic my own to a point, it would be to an advantage with him, seeing as how he can create walls out of the earth. It's just my thought, but I defer to your decision, Lt. Colonel Heldon."

Spoiler: OoC

Problem Solved

 

[Jedoro]

"Okay, how about this... We use Kallu's plan... but with more killing"

"Then I'll take a flanking position. I prefer to only kill people who shoot at me. Or are about to shoot at me. Or are using explosives. I think you see where I'm going with this."

 

[sage42]

"By the way where is she?" Tasha caught up with the group, she has kept quiet as they walked, mostly letting her mind wander as they entered the camp. "Right here Roland. Sorry about that, when I don't focus I tend to space out from time to time." She said with an embarrassed smile. "Anyway I vote on what ever plan get's us through this with the least bloodshed possible, there's been enough of that in this war."

 

[CrazyBlaze]

"Understood Colonel," James saluted and turned to face the rest of the group. "We should take down the entire monastery. Under order 3066 we are to kill all Ishvalans. Therefore we are able to kill everyone inside. Even noncoms. Kallu, Ken and Leo, you three should work to seal off all exits but two, to prevent. Marlin, do you think you would be able to flood the entire monastery? If yes then Tasha and Roland are to stand at each of the exits and use their alchemy to electrocute the water with as much voltage as they can. From there Victor, Vlad, Tasha and Leo will sweep one side, well Brandon, Kallu, Roland and I sweep from the other. Marlin and Ken will stand at the entrances and take care of everyone trying to escape."

 

[Redryhno]

Hearing James' plan, Kallu nodded and gestured to Ken and Leo,"Let's get started now, We've got a large building to transmute into a dam. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can reforge Amestris."

Kallu started towards the temple, sighing and thinking to himself,This is not going to turn out well if we continue to follow order 3066 without question. The Ishvalans already hold too much against us as it is and this is just going to make it worse. I don't have anything against killing them, but there is a difference between war and massacre and we will not recover from this.

 

[nuba km]

'I should be able to sink the monastery into the ground so when I force water into it, we won't have to worry about getting our own ground wet' after ken said that he started advancing to the monastery.

 

[sage42]

Tasha nodded and sighed. "Very well if that's what we have to do, but I want it put on the record that I don't like this. I became an alchemist to help people, not kill innocents. I know I'm a dog of the military, but even a dog knows when it doesn't like something it's master does." She said following after Kallu and Ken.

 

[JokerboyJordan]

"Now that's what I'm talking about" said Roland as he blow a long trail of smoke.

"A proper Ishvallan Massacre, now that's how we Dogs of the Military do it. We're merely weapons at the disposal of the State"

He crushed his burnt down cigarette underfoot and proceeded over to his two teammates and patted them heartily on the back.

"Well, what are we waiting for gentleman?"

 

[CJ1145]

Victor watched his allies with a look that anyone paying attention would note as horror. He had been speaking with these people just a short couple of hours ago, and they seemed like decent, if odd people. But in the span of maybe two minutes, he had watched them convince themselves to murder innocent civilians. Victor had been in the war for nearly half its length, though he certainly didn't look it. He had watched more than one unit rise up without a word and slaughter their own commanding officers for their bloodthirsty attitude toward the Ishvalans. They were terrifying in their cold defiance of command. But, personally, Victor always thought the ones who followed orders without question were even scarier.

As the group huddled closer, he found himself standing as close to Tasha as respectfully possible; if they were all going to be murderers, he wanted to be close to the one who had enough of a conscience to see what she was.

[hr]

Out from the courtyard a lonely dirt road passed a few hovels and stretched up into the rocky hills behind the village. It couldn't be more than ten minutes to reach the monastery that sat at the top. It was a strong-looking building, three stories high but much wider than tall. Its bricks were stained brown by decades of Ishval's sand blasting against it. A simple wooden door at the front marked the only obvious entrance, and the back as up against a high cliff face. Indeed, the cliffs surrounded the temple entirely save for the pathway up to it. The top was flat, and at the moment a pair of individuals stood watching the carnage in the village below.

The younger of the pair was a monk, clearly heavily injured and scorched from electrical shocks, spattered blood on his robes. The elder was only obviously a monk if you looked closely. He was an extremely old man, hunched over and clutching a gnarled old walking stick. His face was heavily wrinkled, the stress of an 8-year war grinding away at him. In his state he only up to the other monk's chest, and his beard reached down to his knees, white as snow. His thick eyebrows were furrowed as he observed the massacre below.

"It was good of you to bring me this information, young one. Your master was kind to send you to assist my village."

"Thank you, Master Torul." The younger monk responded, bowing in respect.

"But--" Torul told him "--it is time that you left."

The young monk's eyes twitched in shock. "M-master Torul? Why--"

"Do not take me for a doddering old fool, my child." Torul berated him. "I have served as the resistance's primary tactician in this region for almost three years now. I've seen many battles like this. We are lost, utterly and completely, my child. I am grateful for your help beyond measure, and look on you as I look on my own disciples, but I will not let you sacrifice your life for mine when you have so much left to defend at home."

Torul pointed to the rock wall ground up against the monastery's rear. "Go inside the temple, and gather the women and children. There is a secret passageway in the basement that will lead you down the hillside, and take you out far away from this village. From there, go back to your home."

"...And what will you do, Master Torul?"

The old monk took a deep breath, taking a moment to come to terms with what was happening. A hint of smile showed under his ancient beard.

"I will meet these Amestrians that are killing us, and teach them the last lesson these old bones can teach."

 

[Redryhno]

As Kallu walked towards the temple, he transmuted his stone breastplate again, creating minute spikes for the monks that got close enough to hit him, they might at least injure themselves. As he neared the temple, he turned and gestured to Leo and Ken, "How do we want to do this? Seal it off before sinking it or the other way around?"