(a/n: hope you enjoy this. review!)


Ch 2: Theft of Antiquities

The morning gave way to the afternoon and in Republic city all was peaceful. The sky became clear of clouds, letting the sun shine down on the gleaming metropolis.

A teenager named Jin ran down the street as quick as he could, he weaved through the heavy stream of pedestrians muttering "Late, late, late" he skidded around a corner and he finally reached his destination.

He stopped and allowed himself to catch his breath, he straightened his jacket and he opened the door.

A bell rang softly and he walked inside.

Inside he glanced around the shop and saw no one, he let out a sigh of relief "Made it" he felt a sharp smack on the back of his head and he yelped.

He spun around and saw an old man with dark grey hair and grey eyes glare at him "You are late"

"Sorry Uncle" apologized Jin, rubbing the place where the man smacked him on the head.

Standing there was Uncle Chan, owner of Uncle's Antiques.

He was an elder man of middle height, he wore a orange vest over a old grey shirt with dark pants. Perched on his nose was a pair of spectacles he used for reading and very few wrinkles.

To many people he was just an old man who ran an antiques shop but unknown to the public, with the possible exception to a few people, he was a master chi wizard.

Jin was an employee of Uncle and was his one of his apprentices "Where were you?" said Uncle in a stern tone

"I was out getting lunch" said Jin, holding his hands up defensively "It was my lunch break and I thought I could go get something to eat"

"And who was minding the shop?" asked Uncle, he crossed his arms and fixed Jin with a hard look.

Jin swallowed "I left Jade in charge"

"Jade?" said Uncle incredulously "She's too young! You should not leave her in charge of the store, who knows what kind of damage she could have done" "Sorry Uncle" said Jin "I thought that she could watch the shop till Tohru got back from his brake, i'm sorry it won't happen again"

Uncle still had a stern look on his face but after a minute it change to a softer look "Ok, but you are going to stay late and help Uncle reorganize the back room"

Jin nodded "Yes Uncle"

"And this is coming out of your pay"

Jin groaned "Aw come on"

Uncle wagged a finger "Next time you should think before you leave Uncle's shop in the hands of a child" Jin was going to continue arguing but he just accepted Uncles decision "Ok".

Even though they aren't related by blood, they were family. When Jin was a young child, Jin's parents died in a horrible accident and he was left to fend for himself. A few years later, Uncle adopted him.

Jin took off his over coat and hung it on a coat rack in the corner of the store.

Jin straitened his tie, and took his place behind the counter. Uncle went into the backroom and a few minutes later another man walked out from the backroom. He was a large man with dark hair and he wore dark clothes

"Hey Tohru" said Jin

"Hey Jin" said Tohru, "How was lunch?"

"Not that good" mumbled Jin "Couldn't really get into that new restaurant a few streets over, so I had to go to that small one another three streets over, even then I didn't have enough time to eat, I had to run the whole way back " Jin leaned against the counter "What about you?"

Tohru shrugged "I had lunch with Sensei, it wasn't that good" he glanced around then whispered "don't tell him I said that" "I won't" promised Jin.

Tohru was another employee of Uncle and another apprentice who studied to be a Chi wizard along with Jin. Tohru was a member of a criminal organization but he left and decided to make an honest living, Uncle knew of his criminal past but he allowed Tohru to stay and to be an employee.

Jin had started working at the shop when Tohru first joined him as a coworker and after a while they got to know each other, and then later they became friends.

The bell dinged and the two looked towards the front door.

They saw three teens enter the shop, two were boys and one was a girl. The first boy was tall, he had dark hair and wore a red scarf. The second boy was shorter, also had dark hair and he wore green. Lastly the girl wore blue, had long dark hair and darker skin.

Jin straightened up then said warmly "Welcome to Uncle's Antiques, may I help you with something?" the boy with the red scarf said politely "Uh no thank you we're just looking around"

"Anything in particular?" asked Jin

"No, not really" said the girl. Jin blinked, he leaned closely to Tohru saying softly "Is it me or dose she look like the Avatar?" "That's because she is" said Tohru

Jin blinked then nodded "Good so it isn't just me".


Korra, Bolin and Mako had just finished talking with Lin Beifong, daughter of Toph Beifong and Chief of police of the police force of Republic City.

She was telling them that the police are making great strides in capturing Equilist agents and freeing benders from their holding facilities but she also mentioned a rising problem.

A recent string of thefts from a number of stores belonging to a number of gangs are causing tension among the rival gangs.

There had been some reports of small-scale fights but nothing major and she fears that a war might soon start.

Korra asked what she could do about it but Lin told her that she shouldn't do anything but if there was anything, Lin would let her know.

They were walking down a street and as they passed an antiques shop something made Korra stop in her tracks.

Something told her to go into the shop, so she did.

When she, Mako and Bolin entered the shop someone about their age greeted them. He was dressed like a businessman, in a white dress shirt, red tie and dark pants with suspenders.

Standing beside him was a large man. He was dressed in black and had dark hair.

They looked around the store and saw various old and expensive looking items.

An elderly man walked out from a backroom, he noticed the three and said sternly "Are you going to buy something or what, this is not a library"

"We're just looking" said Korra

"Anything in particular?" asked the man

Korra shook her head "No but I think I'll know when I see it"

the man frowned "Uncle has no time for riddles" he turned to the boy at the counter "Jin, Tohru show them to the backroom, they might find something there" Jin nodded "Yes Uncle" he hopped over the counter and motioned for the three to follow him.

He opened the door and led them into a spacious but cluttered room. Once all three of them were inside, Jin closed the door behind Tohru once he entered the room.

The three teens glanced around the room and saw mountains of aged books, stacks of ornate boxes and a small collection of ancient figurines.

Korra, Bolin and Mako stared in awe at all the antiques Jin smiled and he waved his arm over all the antiques "well here they are, where do you want to start?"

Tohru cleared his throat "I suggest that we start with the books".


Meanwhile in the shop, Uncle was sweeping up when the bell dinged and a man walked in.

Uncle turned saying "Welcome to Uncle's Antiques can I help you?"

"Yes, you can Chi Wizard" hissed a voice like sandpaper.

Uncle froze and he looked up and saw a man with long blonde hair, his eyes glowed scarlet "Shendu" breathed Uncle, his hand went for a weapon that was hidden in his pocket but the man grabbed Uncle's shoulder and Uncle crumpled to the ground unconscious.

The door to the backroom opened and Tohru exited the crowded backroom to get some air but he saw his sensei lying on the ground, unconscious.

Tohru breathed "Sensei?" he glanced up at the man standing over him and his eyes widened "Master?" Standing there was Valmont, leader of the Dark Hand.

Tohru's eyes narrowed and he snarled "You are not welcome here" Valmont just stood there staring at him coldly

"I will show you the door" Tohru growled, he charged at his former boss, ready to throw him out but Valmont just held out a hand and an invisible force stopped Tohru and he was flung across the store.


Jin was sifting through a pile of books with Korra when suddenly Tohru crashed through the door and slammed into a bookshelf, causing it to topple over and burry him under a mountain of books.

Bolin gasped, "What happened to him?" Mako rushed over and began to dig Tohru out.

Korra turned to Jin who she saw reached into his pocket and pulled out a crooked stick, he made his way to the door

"Where are you going?" asked Korra

"Stay here" hissed Jin.

He exited the backroom and entered the main shop. Something told Korra to follow, so she did.

She stayed hidden behind a large chunk of the destroyed door, she could see through a large hole in the wood.

She saw Jin standing in front of a man, dressed in a suit and trench coat and a few other men flanked him.

Korra froze, the lead man's eyes were glowing red.

"What are you looking at?" asked Bolin, Korra waved him over and he rushed over, he peered through the hole and he paled. Korra looked through another opening and she saw Jin pointing the stick at the man.

The man looked slightly afraid of Jin but overall, he looked impassive

"What are you doing here?" demanded Jin

"We are looking for something" said the man, his voice was like a soft hiss. Jin kept the stick leveled at the man "I know what it is you are looking for"

"Oh?" said the man, his eyebrows rose

"The item is not here, so leave this place and never return" said Jin, his voice was a low growl.

The man looked at the stick then to Jin saying "I don't think so"

Jin shook his head "Wrong answer" he chanted in an old language and he waved the stick at the man, launching a bolt of green energy at the man. In a blur of speed the man ducked and the bolt of energy struck one of the men behind him, sending him flying into the street.

The lead man swatted Jin's arm aside and he placed his hand on his chest, red energy crackled across Jin's body and Jin was sent flying across the store.

Jin's body crashed into the counter and he went limp.

The man straightened his suit and he snarled at his men "Find it" the four men spread out and started rummaging through the shop.

One of the men, a large man with red hair walked past the door causing Bolin and Korra to duck away from the opening.

Something about the man with the red eyes and his friends were bad news. Korra and Bolin got away from the door and helped Mako dig Tohru out from under the pile of books.

Once they had him uncovered, he slowly regained consciousness groaning "Uh what's happening?"

"Hate to tell you but I think you're getting robbed" said Mako

Tohru blinked a few times then his eyes widened "Oh no" he tried to get up but he winced in pain then he fell back onto his back "are you ok?" asked Bolin

"Yes" said Tohru "but you must stop them, they can't get what they are looking for".

Korra got up and rushed out of the backroom to confront the robbers but they were gone.

She rushed out of the shop, glancing around she saw the red haired man round a corner quickly and Korra chased after him.


She followed the man for a few minutes, weaving through a few streets and alleys till she rounded a corner and saw that she hit a dead end.

Korra looked around and she glanced up at the top of the building.

Standing on the roof of the building was the man with red eyes "Who are you?" demanded Korra

"I am known by many names but you may refer to me as Shendu" replied the man.

The name made her shiver, something about it brought up sick, cold feelings that made her body scream 'run' but she stood her ground.

The man named Shendu smirked then snapped his fingers "Goodbye young one" he turned and walked away. Korra looked around her and saw the shadows stretch and shift.

Suddenly men dressed in black rose from the ground and the walls, appearing from out of the shadows. She noticed that they all had glowing red eyes.

Korra took a fighting stance; one of the men whipped out a throwing star and launched it at Korra.

Korra caught it with water bending and whipped it back at the man who just dodged it.

She used water bending to knock a few of the men aside, she also blocked a few more throwing stars but she didn't notice two sneaking up behind her with knives.

Before she could notice them, they attacked but two men who jumped in the way and blocked their attacks.

Korra glanced behind her and saw the two men, one was had black hair and wore a blue suit, the other was bald and wore the grey uniform of a police officer

"Mind if we cut in?" said the bald man

"Sure no problem" said Korra.

The three stood back-to-back, facing the large group of armed men surrounding them

"I think we may be outnumbered" said the man in blue

"Nonsense" scoffed the bald one "I think we can take them" suddenly more men started appearing from the shadows, doubling the number of enemies.

The bald man frowned "Uh ok now I think we may be outnumbered" the army of men in black were ready to strike when suddenly they heard someone chanting.

The three looked and saw standing there was Uncle, Tohru and Jin. Each of them were holding an item, and Uncle was chanting in a foreign language. The men in black started backing away, retreating into the shadows. Uncle's chanting grew more intense and some of the men in black just evaporated into ink black smoke.

Within seconds the ally was clear of their assailants, the bald man scratched his head sighing "phew, that was close".


The six of them returned to the antiques shop and they found that it was completely turned upside down.

Items lay strewn across the floor, the door leading to the backroom was obliterated and a few antiques were destroyed. Korra saw that Bolin and Mako were gone.

The man in the blue suit glanced to Korra and said "I passed you're friends on my way here, they said that they were going to get the police". the man then went into the ruined backroom with Uncle, Tohru, Jin and the bald man.

The bald man spoke first "Thanks for the save, that was some magic"

Uncle just shrugged "Eh, just a simple Chi spell, I have plenty others in my book"

Jin rubbed the back of his head, wincing in pain "So the big bad dragon is back?" "Yes and it seems he stole the talismans" said Tohru.

Uncle frowned "Yes but the talismans are not important, he has become a spirit and not even the magic of the talismans can change that"

"So he's after something bigger?" asked the bald man.

Uncle adjusted his spectacles "Shendu not only stole the talismans but he also stole a book from my collection and it is the key to understanding his motives better"

"But which volume do he steal?" asked Tohru.

Uncle shrugged saying irritably "How should I know? We must take inventory" he began scooping up some books and putting them into stacks.

Korra just stood there looking confused "Uh I'm sorry but what is going on here?"

Jin glanced over and said, "I'll explain, but first help us organize these books" Korra frowned but she shrugged "Ok" she picked up a few books and they began organizing the ocean of old books.


Korra saw the bald man read a book saying aloud "so these books contain spells"

Uncle snatched the book from his hand and smacked the man on the head with his two fingers "ow!" yelped the man

"Do not touch" said Uncle

"Aw" whined the man, his shoulders slouched a bit.

Korra smiled a little, she picked up a book and handed it to Jin.

After a few minutes of organizing books Korra started asking a string of questions "so who was that guy? How did you do that? And who are you people?"

Jin smiled "You wouldn't believe me"

"with what I saw today, I'll believe almost anything" said Korra.

Jin took a deep breath then began explaining "That guy was an evil demon sorcerer by the name of Shendu. Thousands of years ago, he and his siblings ruled the world until they were defeated. I'm guessing he's a spirit now because he's actually massive dragon, not a human. So that man was actually some human he's possessing for a while. What I did was a simple magic Chi spell, it was supposed to stun him but that didn't work"

Jin placed a small stack of books on a shelf carefully and in alphabetical order.

Jin sighed, "Lastly, Uncle is a master Chi Wizard and Tohru and myself are his apprentices. We are learning to be master Chi wizards like him".

Korra frowned, an hour ago she would have dismissed Jin's explanation as a crazy story but after what she saw, she believed him.

She glanced over to the man in the blue suit and the bald man "Who are they?"

Jin looked up and he saw who she was referring to "oh, the guy in blue is Jackie, Uncle's nephew and the guy in the police uniform is Captain Black"

Korra glanced at Jin asking "What dose Jackie do?" "He's an archeologist" answered Jin, he smiled a little "And an expert in martial arts".


An hour after they finished organizing the books they began taking inventory of what books they had.

"Aieeeyaaah!" exclaimed Uncle, everyone looked at him "What is it?"asked Tohru

Uncle pointed to an empty space on the shelf "I know which book has been stolen?" "And?" said Captain Black

Uncle turned to face him, his face was pale and his eyes wide with fear "It is a book to ancient artifact's, ancient magical artifacts"

"So?" said Korra "The book contained the location of a specific item that should never be found" breathed Uncle "And if he finds the item, it would mean the end of the world".

End of chapter


(a/n: well there you go. more to come in the next chapters. till next time. review)