41 Journey

There i was trodding on the sand following the instructions of the Map, the Compass my guiding star. But the intensity in which I felt hunger and thirst made me regret ever acting cool. It was only the first week.

At this rate I would die before I reach the Ishvalan rebellion camp. Argh can't a man fucking be happy for a second. Wait a minute, right now I am a boy, a child, a weakling.

These confusions are causing my head to spin. Sigh I can only distract myself like this, otherwise the pangs of hunger that strike my stomach, the stampede of the Gazillion Rats in it, might be heard a mile away.

Exaggeration aside I truly am hungry, my energy spent to maintain a sufficient and safe distance from the recently established and destroyed camp. Hunger may famish someone, but true hunger will deteriorate and gnaw at the mind laying out lies and delusions.

Well who would look at my angelic face and say 'He killed them all'. But I did leave a few survivors. Shit now I have to think on something immediately, otherwise at this rate death would be walking around me skirt lifted.

Is that a few days old, dead body of an Ishvalan. That means he also like me died in exhaustion and starvation. Damnit my prospects look really bad right now. From the looks of it he must have died from sickness rather than starvation.

That means there is only one option. But this option is repulsive, no its beyond nuts. I keep on adding on my crime tally. It must be a huge ass tower right now. Am I supposed to desecrate the dead for survival.

My thoughts had gone haywire. I should devour the dead, he is dead, there is no need to hold for a dead man more so he is a stranger. It was then I realised how pathethic I truly was without my power. I actually thought to resort to cannibalism for survival.

Hunger had cruely and twistedly tested my morality. It was enforcing the fact on me that my true body never needed food. It brutally kept on ringing in my mind, like the sweet voice of the devil it enticed me. But I had stood rooted not doing whatever it asked of me.

Sigh I should bury him, just so that I may not end up eating him. So I made a makeshift grave with rocks found around and buried him in the sand. Then I continued on my journey.

Ever tired, ever hungry, ever exhausting, the sun which had previously helped in my endeavour against the platoon had become my worst enemy. It would drain my vitality like a vampire sipping slowly and slowly till I would be nothing but bag and bones.

I had been walking for Two weeks now and I still could not see any sign of a town or a camp. The searing heat raged on my body during the days, the biting cold making me shiver during the night.

I had been in this state for Two weeks already and my spirit had long been exhausted. Like a puppet on strings I trodded on to my destination ever lost, not knowing where it lay or if it truly existed.

The world had silenced itself, time had extended, hell bent on making my suffering stay. My feet full of blisters and wounds, adding on to my already previous grievous wounds, it became my Achilles Heel. Now I could no longer walk anymore. I lay there in the sand waiting for my passing.

I would be freed and this Universe destroyed by freeing me. So I lay there thinking on ways for my immediate demise, just in a bid to end the suffering I had been going under the sun. But sadly I lacked even the basic amount of strength to do that.

Lips parched, Skinny boned I lied under the sun, I tried standing but then staggered and rolled around in the sand. Dust my body was and dust it would return to. Then came salvation, a figure that could free me from my eternal suffering, even if for a little while, passed by me.

A lizard had run near me, but I had no energy to catch it. My salvation ran just in the same way it came. Huk I am nearing death and my thoughts are a jumbled mess.

Then true salvation came, as if God had admired my patience by not desecrating the dead. I saw the Rebel forces just a few meters near me, guns held, scouting ahead. They looked at me in horror for I had truly looked like Death was gracing me. This was the third week.

I had survived, the disorienting figures who picked me up, stuffed me with soup and gave me emergency treatment, remain forever etched in my mind. My gratitude had no bounds. I was happy that my record of clearing worlds in one go would remain the same.

Phew I nearly died there. This is the first time I regret ever taking on this body. Its so weak but then again its only a Nine year old child. So in actuality it might have high resilience compared to many of his peers.

It was a novel experience nearly starving to death. But I would rather not experience it again, plus I know my body well enough, I really was near death.

I had survived but then again I still had to continue on my journey. I wasn't patriotic enough to stay and fight, I wasn't commited enough to actually see an Alchemist using his circle, when the target could very well be this weak version of me.

I wasn't strong enough to set tides in this battle, but I was smart and I knew the State Alchemists were coming, glorified Tanks of War fueled from a soul powered engine.

So I healed and planned, like a wounded tiger sharpening his claws for the next hunt. For the next hunt would truly decide the possibility of conquering this world.

After a few weeks I healed enough to not look like Death was about to be my best freind. I was worn down but then again, time to hunt or forage.

I desperately need Alchemical Knowledge otherwise we would lose not only the war but the entire world. I needed it, perhaps I was getting into my character too much, but leading a war sounds badass.

So I foraged for circles or any sign of a book that could help. But I guess I really underestimated the Ishvalan religion. They really hated Alchemists, but foolishly enough, every and anything about Alchemy that would grant the minimalistic information was burned down.

This made me face palm, shouldn't every war strategy be based on 'Know yourself and your enemies'. Fuck them, now I don't even wanna fight for these people with Bananas in their mind.

Okay think, there must be someway to gather knowledge about Alchemy without dying. Damnit, the only way remaining is watching a live Alchemist, in close proximity use his circle.

The chances are too low and if the famous Alchemists come then we are pretty much screwed. Perhaps if Mustang came I would have a better chance, but if someone like Kimblee came, then our life would be forfeit. He is an explosion maniac after all.

From what I could gather this base is not too near or far from the warzone. It is relatively safe right now but the moment the Warzone is completely won by Amestris, this place would become one of the finest places to set camp as a supply and transition point.

So by the next month I think this place would become a coveted landmark for both sides of the Army. This means I have to continue to run, I need to get out of Ishval or I could stay. I have a plan in mind.

So a late night discussion about two weeks later started, about evacuating and escaping, for even the rebels could tell just how strategic this base camp was. But it did not mean everyone was okay with fighting back later.

Now many people want to live and die in and for their own homeland. Very chivalric at the very wrong moment, guys we need to run, not discuss this Homeland and what not cowardness we poeple who are evacuating are like.

So the camp was divided into two groups. One basically wanted to wait and fight till they got reinforcement, the other must have understood the direness of the situation and convened that they need to evacuate, losing firepower over no result is an unappreciated effort.

So I finally got sick of this back and forth meeting they were having. I said "Then hang yourselves".

At that, the whole room had been silenced. They never expected this Angel to say something like that. But I had to, the more time we waste, the more people we will have to sacrifice.

"Do you guys even know the horrors an Alchemist produces when he enters a battlefield ?". Their silence gave my answer, they underestimate Alchemists, since they believe they are not invincible.

True, but with a Philosopher's Stone most of that weakness is covered. This time no one will lack a Philosopher's Stone so I need to be fast. I had to lay out the harsh facts.

"Have you ever seen a man talking to you turn into a burnt crisp of charcoal the very moment you had blinked your eyes. Have you guys ever seen your own people being treated as live bombs. Have you ever seen a man riddled in so many bullet holes he could breathe through it ?".

The silence was overbearing, none had ever escaped the warzone. The few that did, kept on running, never looking back, never explaining, as if they had barely escaped the maws of a monster but never its fangs.

My recounting might have made a few people shiver. It made the fact even more eerie that a child was explaining this without batting an eye. I had to end this so I continued "If the battle was of soldiers I would ask you to stay and fight. But Alchemists are the true defining features of this war. If they send even one Alchemist we might as well forget leaving this town".

But one of them scoffed and said "Child, Alchemists aren't as invincible as you say. Why don't you take that team of cowards, become their leader and leave. We will stay and fight, delay the capture of this town". Many laughed at that statement.

I was done explaining so I said "If you say so, Team Cowards lets pack, and start for the evacuation. Not a moment can be wasted, I want every civilian, food supplies, night camping equipment, some vehicles to carry the items, also arrange all of them before noon". I had taken command through my sheer aura and will, yet nobody had been able to refute under my confident and charismatic presence.

The team could only yell out "Yes sir". Unsure whether they should really follow me or not. "Do whats been told, you won't regret this. For an Alchemist will surely be sent here. So first gather every civilian". I simply had enough of acting like a child, time for a revolution.

With my declaration done, I saw to it that everything went in accordance to how I had ordered. After every civilian was gathered I stood on an elevated rock and started "Today we will start on the evacuation process. It has been confirmed that the next target within two weeks will be this very Town we are in".

I was lying but to ensure that everybody understood the dire situation I had to let them panic a bit. More so if they came from the direction I came, which is the main Warzone. About the uncertainty of the statement I was saying. Lets just give this problem to the higher ups in the Rebel Army.

What I said had then sent the whole town in panic, for civilians who escaped the Warzone knew the nightmare that would follow here. I gathered my momentum and proclaimed "Those who have survived the Warzone must understand what we are up against. Its not a matter of whether we are patriotic or cowards. You simply don't fight a man with a gun while wielding a knife. Many still do not know the horrors an Alchemist can commit, so I plead to you 'Follow My Lead'. A nation can be rebuilt if the people remain faithful to its ancestry, but if we lose everyone here then no one might even remember Ishval existed".

I was pulling the strings in their hearts all the while maintaining an expression of confidence that was unfounded. Based on my expressions they would make guesses like I was someone from an higher hierarchy. Most possibly a child of the former Grand Priest.

But all those thoughts are false, I was merely letting them second guess so that they themselves will convince themself. Its a pretty useful trick, letting them misunderstand on unfound rumours and by the time they learnt of the truth it would be too late.

Why was I doing these tedious things. Well it was time for a Warlord Gameplay.