Attack On Alchemy - Chapter 1

    AN: Aaaaaahhhh >.< It’s been YEARS since I’ve written fanfiction oh gosh, but the urge just hit me, and I could always use the practice…This is eventually going to be Eren x Armin (I plan on making it a rather lengthy fic…because I’m a masochist), and I’ve based the world LOOSELY off of the FMA/FMAB universe. Very loosely. I just pictured Eren slicing homunculi and drawing circles and  thought it would be super rad…All critiques and comments are welcomed…>w<

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        It was three months ago when Eren and Armin had encountered their first real fight with the Titans. Footsteps echoed through the dark halls while heavy boots thudded against the floor, pounding as loud as their hearts. Corridors curved into the unknown darkness. Stumbling along blindly, they ran long and hard.

    “Eren!” The voice choked. “Eren, they’re catching up!” Armin’s voice trembled, dashing madly to catch up with the hunter as they fled.

    Eren attempted to slow the bleeding by tightly clutching the wound on his left side, gritting his teeth in pain.
“We’re almost out!” He calls back to Armin, taking a daring glance behind himself to assess the situation.

    Homunculi were an alchemy marked as taboo, artificial life. Of course, because they were man-made, something always went wrong. These creatures never quite looked human. They were tall and fast -- filled with murderous intent. Reaching an intimidating height of 8 feet tall, they towered over the average human. These homunculi dubbed “titans” roamed the streets, killing and eating endlessly. Alchemists with exceptional combat skills called homunculi hunters used their knowledge to fight the artificial beings, but often just doing their best simply to survive.

    Grasping desperately at his broken and bleeding arm, pain shot through every fiber of Armin’s being. Eyes wide with fear and adrenaline, he pulled ahead of Eren just slightly. Finally reaching the exit, the moonlight blinded them. Armin grabbed Eren’s arm dragging and flinging themselves unceremoniously into the nearby shrubbery, hiding anxiously.

    Sniffing around and galloping the area surrounding the abandoned building, the titans grew bored and eventually wandered back emptyhanded. Large waves of relief washed over the two before they carefully got up, minding their injuries. There had been an aberrant in the mix, a titan with an uncommonly high intellect, taking Eren and Armin by surprise.

    “Those fuckers,” Eren grimaced, applying pressure to his side to stifle the bleeding as best as he could. Looking back at Armin, cradling his arm gently and biting his lip in pain, regret overwhelmed him. They were careless, and it had cost them; of course if they continued to be careless they’d take much more damage than a few broken bones and bleeding…

    “Hold still, Eren.” Armin stated, frustration lingering in his voice.

    “But it hurts…” Eren moaned, letting out a small whine of protest. Letting his arms cover his eyes, he sighed. He winced in pain -- his side hadn't completely healed yet, and Armin doting on him like a hen was getting on his nerves.

    “I know it hurts, but it won’t get better unless we keep it clean and change the bandages. So. Hold. Still.” He punctuated in response, tightly wrapping the gauze around Eren’s torso.

         It was a month since their encounter with the aberrant and the other titans. Armin’s arm had healed rather quickly, although still resting in its splint, had otherwise recovered. Eren unfortunately took much more damage, breaking several ribs and opening a few large gashes on his left side. Recovery was a bitch, and Eren was antsy. Armin knew it wouldn't be long before his friend would claim to be fine and run back onto the battlefield again…it was his job as a homunculi hunter after all.    Finally done wrapping the wound sufficiently, Armin placed the leftover gauze on the side table.

    “There. Done.” Armin sighed.

    Eren lifted his arms from his face, carefully stretching his torso  in an attempt to make the wrapped gauze feel a tad more comfortable. It still hurt, but the recovery was going smoothly. He glanced over at Armin’s splint, pangs of guilt in his gut. If he had just been more carefu-

    “Eren, I know what you’re thinking.” Armin’s stern voice snapped him from the train of thought. Looking up to meet the blonde’s eyes, he quickly diverted them in momentary shame.

    Sighing, Armin scratched the back of his neck before responding. “It’s not all your fault, I wasn’t careful either. We both got our asses handed to us. We should have waited till Mikasa gets back from her mission. Doing it by ourselves was a ridiculous idea…” He trailed off. Mikasa was enrolled in the military upon the state’s request due to her outstanding combat performance. While she had been reluctant to leave Eren and Armin, both had convinced her to pursue it. She was rarely home any more, taking missions to fight against rebels and alchemists that broke the laws in hopes to make the world safer for them.

    “Anyways, it’s not all your fault, so don’t shoulder the blame like that. It’s not good for your injuries.” Armin added, sitting across from Eren in the living area. Sighing deeply, he surveyed the familiar room. Dark, weathered wood paneled the floor, a tattered fading rug in the center. Several chairs and a small table were clustered in the corner, an oven in another and a fireplace across from that. Shifting his thoughts once again, he grabbed a glass of water, slowly sipping at it. He would need to brush Eren up on some alchemy circles if they were to continue like this — Eren’s swords were nearly broken, the roughly carved circles on each glowing only faintly. The blunt blades would need to be sharpened as well if they were intended to slice. Eren cleared his throat, catching Armin’s attention.

    “Uh, thanks for fixing me up again…” Eren mumbled, his eyes still not making contact. “I promise to do my best to get stronger, so I can protect you even without Mikasa around…” Armin smiles slightly.

    “You took the brunt of the damage, and I can take care of myself, Eren.” He replies simply.

    Eren nods in agreement, but a look of slight distress is still painted on his face. 

        “They’re still out there…” Eren speaks, breaking the momentary silence. “We didn’t kill them, and now they’re probably killing innocent people because some idiot decided to break the law.” His eyebrows furrowed. “How can they do this? How can people create these monsters so willingly?” His tone gradually increased in volume before he balls up his fists. “Why are we so weak?!” His eyes water, but Eren doesn’t cry. The question resonates, suspended in the air around them.

     “Eren, please…We can kill them next time. They just took us by surprise, it was dark and we should have been more careful. You aren’t weak, you just made a mista-“ Armin was cut off by the brunette pushing himself off the table and walking towards his room. It was late.

    “Good night, Armin.” Eren cut him off, his statement showing no space to continue the conversation.

    “Good night, Eren…” Armin whispered softly, nodding slightly before heading to his room as well.