Brothers: A Tale of Two Alchemists (An Adventure of Alchemy, And Good Intentions)

Night Together:

Barry did not look up from the dinner table as Nero and Ares both sat down there. He was staring absently at the small bowl of mashed potatoes in front of him. It was still steaming, warm, having just been put on his plate by Ares just a moment before. "Thank you." He whispered.

Nero took a deep breath before he said. "Water, starch, sugar, protein, trypsin inhibitor, oxalate, vitamin C, phenol, carotene, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and manganese, heated to over two hundred degrees over the gas stovetop for twenty minutes, as instructed."

Barry smiled before giving a small chuckle. "When I asked you to make dinner tonight, I expected you to actually buy food from the grocer across the street, not get into my stores and make it yourself."

Ares shook his head. "We can't spend any more of your money Master Barry. You have already given us enough. Besides, we're a little out of practice."

Barry frowned. "That is not an excuse." He then took a deep breath. "Something is on your mind boys, I know that much from Nero deciding to list all the ingredients he wasted on making dinner tonight." His face softened. "What is wrong?"

Nero did not look at his master, he instead looked to the food in front of him. The warmth that touched his face distracted him from his thoughts.

Ares spoke first, saving Nero from having to speak first. "We're scared." Barry did not show any emotion as he heard the statement from the younger twin. "Our father did something to us and we have nothing to go off of Master… What if he broke the Taboo, and our memories were stolen from us as punishment?"

Barry took a breath, his sharp inhale silenced the panicking boy. He paused and looked at Nero. "I do not want to see you eat yourself alive because of an event outside of your control."

Nero took his eyes off of his food and was now looking back at his master. Though the man was blind, Nero could feel the warmth coming from his eyes, understanding the pain both Nero and Ares were feeling. But Nero still felt something gnawing inside of him, whispering in his ear like an incessant nagging, telling him that it was all his fault.

"But-" Nero wished to speak, but Barry raised his hand.

"No more words out of your mouth boy," Barry ordered. The twins master looked at both of them before he said. "You blame yourself for wanting to help someone… That is a terrible thing to do Nero. You have goodness in your heart that is rare for anyone in this day and age. It's what makes you far better than your father." Barry then turned to Ares, his blind eyes staring down onto his hands. "Ares, you follow your brother because it is the right thing for you to do. Your love for each other is something not even your father's experiments can break."

That made Ares smile, and Nero took a bite out of the food he prepared. It tasted good.

But as Nero swallowed, he saw that Ares and Barry still had not touched their food.

"I hoped that I would not have to tell you this until tomorrow, but I can't see you in any more pain," Barry stated. Ares traded a glance with his twin, but the two boys looked to their master. "The symbol on your arm. I recognized it. It's the Symbol of Altosk's Chosen."

"How's that possible?" Nero asked. "Altosk's Chosen haven't been seen since the end of the Dawn War. Their just myths and stories."

"The scaring was done in such a way that you were branded, but it healed in such a way that it will remain forever stained on your skin… to always tell who you are." Barry paused. "It seems that whatever happened to you, Altosk took an interest."

Nero looked down to his food. "Then what happened to us? What did our father do to us?"

"I don't know," Barry replied, sadness in his voice. "But I know you both well enough to trust your own judgment. And if you need help, I will always be there to help you."

The words of encouragement were then replaced by Barry taking a bite out of the foot in front of him. "Hm." He mumbled. "Tastes good, though it could use more salt."

The Three men ate their food, enjoying their company, before going to bed.

The Twins were not plagued by any of the nightmares that haunted their dreams. All they dreamed about was the stories they heard about in their childhood.
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The Morning came quickly, and the twins looked at their master Barry. "I've made my choice Master… I have to join." Nero stated.

The argument had been short, but the point was made. Nero was going to join. Barry looked disappointed in his student, but he gave an approving nod. His signature was on the note he had handwritten himself. It looked a little messy, but it would serve Nero's purposes.


"Thank You, Master Barry." Nero stated.

"Go, before I change my mind and rip up that letter." Barry replied.

The boys left their masters home, walking towards the Headquarters of the Royal Retinue.
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Nero was separated from Ares after he handed the letter to the receptionist.

He was escorted into a dark room with dim lights, with only a chair. Then a woman in a blue uniform walked into the room, with a small clipboard on her hands. "Nero Schwarze, I will need you to answer a few questions for us before we can continue. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Nero replied.

"Are you looking for a civilian position within the Retinue or a military one?"

"Civilian." Nero replied.

There was a sound of a pencil moving. The woman then asked. "Are you religious in any way, and will those beliefs affect how you may carry out your duties?"

"I believe in Altosk, and I don't believe that will affect my duties." It was an honest answer, Nero had no idea what his duties were.

Another pencil mark was made. "How many years of Alchemical Experience do you have?"

"8 Years." You replied. "5 of those Years were under Barristan Riley." Nero hoped that the mention of his mentor would help his case.

The woman's eyes widened in shock for one moment, before she wrote something down on a piece of paper. "Wait here please." She stated.

Nero saw the woman walk away, out of the door to the outside world.

The wait was agonizing, but soon someone came through the door.

Who came in to see you:
[]A Man in… Regal Dress: He was smiling, despite the gloomy atmosphere. "Hello Mr. Schwarze. Now... why do you want to join my retinue?"

[]A Military man in a Black trench coat: He took a seat and opened a file with your name on it. "Mr. Schwarze. I am here to ask you a few more questions. Let's begin."

[]General Kailvin Tremere: The General of the Retinue itself looked at you with a stern gaze. Golden buttons adorned up and down his uniform jacket, a golden rope was on his right shoulder. On his left chest, were a plethora of ribbons, and medals from numerous campaigns at taking down rebellious factions within the Empire. On his sleeves was a red line, signifying that the man was of noble birth, and he had not just gained his tile for his service. On his shoulders was the unmistakable stars of a Brigadier General. "Hello, Mr. Schwarze. I am told you were quite the Alchemist... show me what you can do?"

AN: Enjoy.

The Prince

The man who came into the room was not a military man, at least as far as Nero could tell. The red uniform shirt that the man wore underneath his black military jacket was not standard issued by any of the imperial military. In fact, as far as Nero could tell, the red shirt was a business shirt, with a black tie that was made of silk. But it was the jacket that made Nero realize the mans rank of nobility.

The ornate golden/yellow rope on his shoulder was sparkling with gold dust, on the left side of his torso had a small metal with a golden crown on it, The Mark of the Legion, the Emperor's calling card for excellence, when a man of noble birth made strides and headway among the empire, making it better for his home and the Empire in general. By his hip was the Imperial Retinues symbol, and surrounding it.

The man in front of Nero was a high noble… a very high noble. And Nero found himself sitting up straighter as the man sat down.

The man gave a small smile to Nero, clearly sensing the anxiety from the boy. "Hello Mr. Schwarze." He said with a gentle tone. But it was clear to Nero that the man was in complete control. He pulled out a small vanilla colored file. "I know Ms. Galara interviewed you earlier, but I want to have a few questions answered."

"Do you mind if I know who you are, sir?" Nero asked, trying not to hesitate as he spoke.

The man's smile did not dip. "No. Not until you answer my questions that is."

Nero nodded. "Fair enough."

The man opened the file. "What School of Alchemy do you belong to?"

"The Flamel School." Nero replied without hesitation.

The man looked up, his eyes slightly widening in disbelief. "The Flamel School? You know nothing of the other schools of alchemy?"

"No sir." Nero replied. "The other schools are not as useful as the Flamel School. That, and my master did not view the other schools in a very good light."

That made the man look down to the file. "Barristain Riley… Yes, I shouldn't have asked that question. But why is it that you do not try to learn something from the other schools? Surely knowing more may help you, in any sort of job that may require an alchemist."

Nero took a breath, before he gave a smile, remembering his masters rants about the other 'Lesser Schools' of Alchemy, where they taught shortcuts that did not make the Alchemists think of the long term costs of their actions, on both themselves, and the environment. "Because the Flamel School requires the Alchemist to connect to the world, to see themselves, not as using the resources around them as building blocks, but as part of that world. We rise from dust, and we will become dust again. We are part of an endless cycle… the only changes being in our actions, and our reactions." Nero quoted Ricardo Caspian's "On the Fundamentals of Alchemy, Vol. 1" The first book on Alchemy he had ever read during his masters tutelage. Considered the most definitive starting text for any beginner wanting to get into alchemy.

The noble closed the file. "I see you've memorized Caspian's work?"

"Old man Barristan beat the words into me." Nero replied. "They'll never leave me till I'm dead."

The noble smiled. "Indeed. Though I have to ask, how did you come under the Tutelage of Barristain Riley?"

Nero chuckled, the memory of the old drunkenly stumbling in front of them while he and Ares begged him to teach them was always something he treasured. Getting that old man to Dr. Federal and Sam also helped soften him to the idea of staying in Greenfield for a little while. "Lets just say we helped him out and he helped us."

The noble smiled. "It says here you are from Greenfield, in the Angshire." The words made Nero freeze in his chair, his eyes widening. The noble's smile also dropped "What clan do you hail form?"

Nero gulped. "My mother hails…" He paused for a moment. "from the Lupin Clan."

The noble picked up a pencil from his pocket and made some scribbling sounds, a note of some sort. "Yet you don't wear the name… You chose to wear the name of your father?"

Nero nodded. "Yes."

"Why?" The noble asked.

Nero stopped, looking away to the wall. In the dark, he could for a moment make out the glass. He could see the look of his face, the fear, the anxiety…

The Determination.

"Because despite everything, he's still my father… and I'm still his son." No matter how much pain he put his sons through.

"Do you have any goals that you wish to achieve? In the military or in the government?" THe Noble asked.

Besides finding out what happened to him, and try to reverse it? Nothing much. But he couldn't say anything like that. He liked his secrets to remain secret. "I want to find my father and beat the shit out of him for abandoning me and my brother and my mother… but otherwise… I really don't know."

The noble nodded. "You want to find your own path. I can respect that." He put the file down and leaned forward. "I have one more question to ask you however: Why do you want to join my retinue?"

The gears finally clicked together. Nero finally recognized the man. He lept backwards from his seat and went onto his knees, not daring to look up to the man's eyes.

He should have recognized him from the newspapers, but he failed to.

The man in front of him was Prince Alexander, the heir to the throne!

That made Alexander frown and sigh. "Gods dammit, get up Mr. Schwarze." He ordered. "Your embarrassing yourself." Nero stood up and faced the man, only looking down as to not look at his eyes. "Would you please look at me." Nero did. "I know that speaking to a member of the royal family is completely unexpected, but I sometimes want to know about the new members of my retinue."

"Your the prince, you deserve respect." Nero replied.

"Respect… I only wish I had respect." There was silence from Alexander as he shook his head, as if catching himself from showing some forbidden emotion. "Now, please, answer my question…Why do you want to join my retinue?"

"Because I want to find my father." Nero replied. "Maybe if I rise up high enough… I can find him."

That made Alexander nod. "Very well." Alexander stood up. "We will be in touch about if you will get into my retinue." The door opened and the Prince left.
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An Hour passed before Nero was finally escorted to the front of the building, where Ares was waiting for him. He jumped up. "Nero!" He shouted. "Are you a member now?" He asked.

"I don't know. We're going to get a telegram soon." He replied, not really wanting to talk about the meeting just yet to his brother. "Lets go."

What do you do?:

[]Go back to Barry's: Maybe the old man has some books you can borrow/ read.

[]Wander the City: You are going to wander around the city, maybe you can see the great works of Howlard Streetpainter, or the Statutory of Gildran the Marbleborn.

[]Spar in the Park: There is a park nearby, maybe you and Ares can get some exercise.

[]Go to the Library: Maybe you can get into the Great Library.

AN: Enjoy.