The Frost Alchemist

Chapter 16: A Favor

Selim stuck around for the rest of the week, I checked in on the Elrics when I could, Winry was still sick. But there was something good, my dad stayed away from me unless we were training. Which I was in the middle of when Selim approached me. "Morning Levy," he greeted.

"Morning Selim, what can I do for you? I'm sure my men would live a reprieve," I asked.

"They said there was a call for you and that it was urgent," he replied. Winry. 

"Dismissed!" I yelled at my men before running for the phones, I was pointed to the one that was my call and I picked it up. "It's me."

"Hello Frost," the Fuhrer said and I sighed in relief, if it was him that meant Winry was still okay. 

"Morning Fuhrer, to what do I owe the honor?" I asked.

"A personal favor has been called in, I need you to head north to Dublith," he said.

"Dublith? Why Dublith?" I asked.

"Izumi Curtis lives there," he said.

"The Izmui Curtis? She's the only other person that Olivier completely respects. Has something happened to her?" I asked.

"No one has been able to get a hold of her or her husband for the past week, which is unusual," he replied.

"Didn't she teach the Elric brothers their alchemy? Is that who is calling in the favor?" I asked.

"They would have asked, but you were under orders to stay there, so your orders are changing," he explained.

"I'll leave as soon as I'm packed sir and report when I know anything," I stated.

"Good luck," he said before hanging up.

"Can I go with you?" someone asked and I turned and saw Selim at the door.

"Huh?" I asked.

"To Dublith. Can I go with you?" he asked.

"You're a civilian, you're free to do as you wish. Where as I need to tell Miles he just lost his trainer," I replied before moving past him. "If you're coming with me, I'll be leaving within the hour." I told Miles and the Ishvalan that I had been ordered to check out Dublith, I ran into Colonel Ross and Lieutenant Colonel Brosh when I was heading to my tent and I told them I was leaving as well.

"We'll miss you Frost, having you around is almost like having Edward around when he was young, it's been nice," Colonel Ross said.

"I'm sure I'll be back here, the South really needs to work on training their men better," I replied. "I have to pack now."

They wished me luck as I went into my tent and began to pack my bag. "Permission to enter," someone asked outside the tent and I knew the voice.

"Go away," I replied.

"Please Frost," he begged.

"One minute," I conceded and my father walked inside.

"I heard you were leaving, I was hoping we could have more time together, that maybe you could forgive me with more time," he said. 

"It wasn't going to happen. I'm your superior officer, nothing more. I'm under orders and I'm leaving that's it. You're dismissed," I replied and he left. I packed my bad and waited for Selim, who came not a minute later. 

"Did I see your father walking away from here?" he asked.

"None of your business," I replied. "Ready to go Selim?" 

"Yeah of course," he replied. When we got on the train we started talking, Selim told me about his childhood, how it wasn't so bad until he'd meet people who were around when he was Pride. I felt bad for him, he faced such prejudiced when he never remembered what Pride had done. I took the time to sort of explain my life, leaving out how I got my missing limbs.

"It wasn't all bad really. Losing all of that you know my father, my mother and sister, parts of my own body... it let me get everything that I now care about. You know I have Olivier and the men up north, I have the Elrics, and so many friends around this country. I losing everything I had, losing the name Deen, meant I got a lot of opportunities to become a better person to do things I never could before to meet people. I lost everything and then I got so much more than I had."

"You sound luckier than me."

"Yeah well, the only luck I had is that Olivier was doing training and found me that night. That's all everything else... I don't know what to call it."

Then the train stopped, we were finally in Dublith. We got off the train, it only took asking one person to find out where Izumi and Sig Curtis lived. I went up to the door and knocked. "Mrs. Curtis? Are you in there? I'm a friend of the Elrics," I said, but there was no reply.

"No body home?" Selim asked.

"They don't travel, not often. If they were traveling they would have said something to someone," I said to him. I turned back to the door. "Mrs. Curtis, I'm coming in. I'm not here to harm anyone, the Elrics sent me because they're worried." I put my hands together before grabbing onto the door handle. I pushed the door open. The place was a wreck and there was meat on the counter rotting, Selim plugged his nose as I chose to breath through my mouth.

"Stay outside if it bothers you," I said to him, but he shook his head. Obviously something happened here, the Curtis' didn't leave on their own accord. But if someone took down Izumi, they must have been something... though there wasn't signs of alchemy being used. And then I heard it. Something was tapping. 

"Selim check the cabinets and any doors, now," I ordered as I rushed to the door in the back, opened to what I guessed would be the house, but the tapping wasn't coming from there.

"Levy!" Selim shouted and I ran over to him, in the fridge laid a man. 

"Get his feet," I ordered as I grabbed his arms, together Selim and I lifted him up and carried him out of the shop. "We got to find a doctor or something."

"Who is he?" Selim asked.

"Too small to be Sig. I think my uncle mentioned someone once when he visited the Curtis', they had an apprentice... god what's his name... it doesn't matter. You stay with him, I'll find some help, try to warm him up while I'm gone," I said before leaving the property. Once I got a doctor I had to make a call to Central and tell the fuhrer what I discovered and hope that the Elrics don't find out, they had too much to worry about.