A/N: And this ends the filler, and in the next chapter we will be back to your regularly scheduled competition. This chapter serves to 1. Establish some power level math, 2. Provide more worldbuilding, and 3. Stock up Chekov's armory. Also I was watching the "Voice in the Night" episode of Korra and reading "Rules of Engagement" in Horus Heresy and wanted some nice room-to-room urban combat.
Chapter 7
Disharmonious Elements
It was not a good day for Tiger Yao.
First he drew the short stick and got stuck on guard duty while most the other gang went marauding. Then he drew the short stick again, and got the roof, with the sun bearing down on him all day. Sure, he was Fire Nation and somewhat used to heat, but that didn't mean he liked stewing in a set of cured leather under the blazing sun either. Then the marauding party came back, and they decided to give themselves first dibs on the spoils. And the sound insulation in this old barracks was horrible. He joined the army to get away from, among other things, the incessant grunting of the family rhino herd in rut, not to be constantly reminded of it.
And then, to cap it off, he turned around to spit over the rooftop, but found himself unable to look down due to the arrow in his throat.
"Loosed and dropped," Sukh called out as he pulled another arrow from his quiver and looked for his next target. Next to him, Jun struck home with a shirshu dart, dropping another sentry. At the same time, Chan and Kazuma kept up a steady stream of fire that took out the other two guards on the roof.
"Shot team, cover us! Sword team, to me!" Leng barked.
Inside the barracks, Kabuto and Mimura were doing their best to ignore the sounds of their fellow bandits. Normally, they would have been able to hear the thumping of the sentries of the roof as their bodies fell, but the squad leader's grunting as he helped himself to the pick of the crop which sounded nothing more like a pig-chicken being slaughtered masked any form of warning they might have received. All they knew was that one minute, they were throwing dice by their positions next to the main door, a heavy oaken board reinforced by wrought steel crossbars, and the next minute a torrent of blue fire blew the thing clear across the building. To their credit, boredom and a few cups of sorghum wine could not overcome battle-honed instinct, and the two of them took stances to either side of the breached door and punched out streams of fire.
Their eyes widened as they beheld a young man clad in the armor of the Fire Nation steppe tribes reach out with his hands, spin, absorb the fireblasts into his own body, and throw them right back, catching the two Order of the Agni Kai soldiers in the chest and sending them flying through the air. Kabuto was fortunate enough to have looted a suit of officer plate earlier on in his career. It had saved his life more than once, and emboldened by his protection, he snarled an oath as he prepared to show the intruder what it meant to mess with the Agni Kai.
Ouyang Yunfei's broadsword did not give two shits about any armor the Agni Kai member wore as it broke through the breastplate with contemptuous ease and stabbed into his chest.
"Clean," Fang-lin called as she kicked her own target in the jaw, staggering him and opening him up for a followup slash with her hook swords that tore out his windpipe. She scanned the rest of the room, weapons held ready as Yunfei did the same, dropping them by a fraction as the situation was ascertained. "Clear."
"Didn't realize you'd hit so hard," Leng grunted as he and Kazuma followed Yunfei and Fang-lin inside. "They're sure to have heard that one." He paused to listen, but while some of the shouts of pleasure were turning to panic and alarm, others were continued, making for a highly discordant combination of ambient noise. "Or maybe not." He waited for Sukh and Chan to enter, then turned to face the group.
"So what do we do now?" Chan asked.
"This floor splits up into a T-intersection. Now I got enough confidence in the lot of you to split you up, so that's what we're going to do. Yunfei, Chan, with me. Kazuma, Sukh, you're with Fang-lin."
"Wait, where's Jun?" Kazuma asked.
"The hell are you complaining about, pup, you already got a pair of titties on your team," Leng grunted. "Oh come off it Fang-lin, grow a sense of humor," he added as Fang-lin yelped in protest. "But yes, that is what I would like to know. Sukh?"
"She said she was only paid to track, not to fight, and that she's going to ask for reimbursement for the shirshu darts," Sukh answered with an apologetic shrug. "She was quite…adamant on the matter."
"Miserly bitch." Leng spat. "Well, from the sounds of it, we still got some of them with their pants down. Let's keep it that way. Move out!"
Few people in the world knew much of anything about the spirit world. Oh, it was the Avatar's duty to act as a bridge between the moral and spirit realms, yes, but there was only one Avatar every generation. Aspects may do the same, depending on how much formalized training they received, but their journeys tended to be far more selfish in nature. For the vast majority of people, the extent of their knowledge of the spirits' influence upon the world were the benders who altered the very elements of nature at a whim.
Kei knew better. There were ways, and there were ways, and while her people have never produced a single bender despite their deeply spiritual upbringing, they found something different. Maybe not better, but different.
Imprints were very useful things. Just a simple touch, a few brief enumerations, and the spiritual signature of an individual was within her grasp. An initiate into her people's ways would only be able to glean the vaguest ideas of general health – whether someone was alive or dead or how far away they were, for example – but with training, more could be learned. And Kei was far beyond initiate status. She knew, despite never having seen any of them after the gala, that Yunfei was off on an excursion in the Ding-Chen sector of the Agri-Ring, that the Old Lord Huang was selling land and a serving woman to a farmer who had a bumper harvest the year prior, that Brad and Katara were training in the Southern Water Tribe quarters, that Councilor Ngo of the Ministry of Trade was having tea with someone he did not want others to know he was having tea with, that Ty Lee appeared to be making her way towards an Avatar Temple near the Gang-Hui Plaza. And by this time in her career, Kei had developed the sensitivity to glean imprints from whatever residual energies the dead possessed as well.
Most would call the ability useless – after all, if the dead one was really that important to you, you'd have taken an imprint from them when they were alive. And if you didn't, well, they could not have been that important.
"Knowledge is power, guard it well" had always been one of Kei's mottoes, along with "No one harms me without punishment," "Neither a borrower nor a lender be," and "There is a special place in the underworld reserved for child molesters and those who talk loudly at the theater".
It was a boon that Mifune's killer chose, of all things, a lightning blast to do the deed. Imprints from the dead were already weak, and Kei needed every boost she could get. All bending was highly spiritual in nature, especially a technique as advanced as lightning, and the dead carried that with them too. In addition, this narrowed down the list of possible suspects in Kei's mental catalog considerably. Blood Tides, Badger Claws, Crimson Points, Dark Sky Seven, Night Lords, Sons of Stone, Storm Serpents, Thirteen Cold-Blooded Eagles, Tower of Grey, and countless others, all ruled out due to elemental incompatibility. Which left only the 108 Stars, Burning Legion, and the Order of the Agni Kai.
After a day's combing the Lower Ring's underbellies, Kei was finally getting close.
"You got a lot of guts showing up on our turf, earther bitch," came a shrill voice behind her.
Kei stopped in her tracks. An awkward smile crept up her face. And then a set of throwing knives dropped out of her sleeve into her waiting hand, and she spun and cast them in a wide arc all around her. Two Fire Nation men suddenly found themselves pinned to a nearby wall. The woman, the one who had spoken earlier, managed to deflect the strike and prepared a firebending counterattack, only to take a push kick to the gut that cut off her breath.
And that is why you do not try to sneak up on someone when the sun is behind you, Kei thought.
"Order of the Agni Kai, by your colors," Kei noted, stepping on the Fire Nation woman to keep her from getting up. "I wouldn't try anything if I were you," she called out, eyeing the two Fire Nation men who had succeeded in pulling themselves loose from the walls. "Next one finds your throat." To punctuate the point, more throwing knives popped into her hands. "Judging by your colors though, you are Burning Legion. Working together?"
"What do you want?" the woman hissed.
"Take me to Po-jun. Or Warmaster Qin. Preferably both. If they are not present, then whoever is currently in charge."
"They are busy lords and I am but a soldier. Even if I knew, I wouldn't take you to them."
"Oh, you will," Kei said, her eyes narrowing as she leaned in and whispered in the woman's ear. Her eyes widened as Kei finished her spiel. She opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped, interrupted by another voice, soft-spoken and genteel, but with an edge of steel.
"Why, Glaive Dancer, such a surprise. Why are you picking on my poor children here? Surely there are others of your own size you can bully?"
Kei looked up and smiled warmly as she recognized the man. Of average height and slightly portly weight, slightly balding with a thin mustache, bushy brows that gave him a somewhat perpetually perplexed appearance, clad in common firebender armor save for a set of gold-trimmed shoulder pads and an officer sword which bore the Ouyang Ironworks seal. Behind him stood a retinue of guards, their bamboo-straight postures indicating past military service, their varying sizes, builds, and uniforms revealing an eclectic mix of service branches represented, though all wore the standard firebender skullmask.
"Marshal Yan Po-jun," Kei replied. "General of the armies of the northwest. Commander of the Zhuque legion, later commander of the Ba Sing Se garrison. Hero of the Battle of Garsai. Breaker of Walls. Crusher of Rocks. Butcher of Garsai." She let go of the woman and allowing her to return to her feet. "I was looking for you."
"All old titles, though it pleases me that some remember them," Po-jun said. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
"I see you and the Warmaster have come to some amount of agreement?"
"We did, in fact, reach some amount of compromise," Po-jun replied. "Of course, you know what they say – it's not a proper compromise unless both sides are equally unhappy with the arrangements. But I doubt you are here to make small talk."
"No," Kei replied. "In fact, I am here because I believe one of your men - or perhaps the Warmaster's - need reminders of the rules for operating in this city. An insult has been delivered. Discipline must be taught." She saw Po-jun's guards bristle at this. Several went for their weapons, and Kei brought her glaive forward from its position on her back in response, but Po-jun waved them down.
"None of my men, Miss…Mallari. Where did you pick up that name, may I ask? It does roll off the tongue easier-"
"As you said, I am not here for small talk," Kei interrupted. Something tingled on the back of her neck. She placed a hand to her brow chakra and paused in concentration. "Here."
"Excuse me?"
"The one I am looking for is here. Among your retinue." She scanned the bodyguard squad. Not the tall cavalrywoman. Not the wiry tanker. Not the Yu Yan. The slight woman, dressed in marine gear...
"And how did you come to this conclusion?" Po-jun said, his brows furrowing in annoyance.
"I have my ways, is all you need to know."
"Hmph. You impugn my honor, Dancer," Po-jun said. "As you say. Discipline must be taught." He snapped his fingers, and the Burning Legionnaires lunged.
"I will be the only one giving the lessons today, Po-jun," Kei replied as she rushed in to meet them. On the first step, she palmed several pellets from her utility belt. On the second, she cast them to the ground, surrounding herself in a cloud of dense smoke. On the third, she heard the roars to clear away, but she had already hit the floor as a massive burst of flame soared overhead, singeing her back but otherwise leaving her unharmed. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to attune to the spirits of everyone around her, Po-jun, his guards, the scouts from earlier, everyone, and melded. The fireblast cleared the smoke, but she had disappeared from their vision.
"Agni's left nut," one of the Burning Legionnaires cursed, before an unseen glaive sliced into his ankle. He howled in pain as he dropped, clutching his knee as the severed tendon snapped upwards and blew out his kneecap. One of his squadmates turned in anticipation of the unseen threat, but Kei's glaive exploded through his chest before he could do anything. In such close quarters, the Burning Legion could not firebend without hitting their fellows, and Kei was among them like a piranha-shark among a school of elephant koi.
This is the price you pay for flouting the rules, Kei wanted to say, but before she could put thoughts to speech, she heard a sharp and commanding female voice bark the words "get back," and then an intense blue fireball engulfed her most recent target and would have consumed her as well had she not kicked the flaming corpse off her weapon and pike-rolled away. More fireblasts followed her as she ran, but they could not hit what they could not see.
Kei's heart was pounding and her lungs felt like they would explode by the time she ascended back to her familiar roost in the clock tower. It was definitely one of the harder sprints she had done, and now she sat in a lotus stance, running through a set of breathing exercises to recover from the excursion and to reflect.
Kei did not like failing, especially so close to fulfilling her objective. But, mulling things over, she also did not like this newfound courage that the Burning Legion had found. For years they had not questioned her rules. Yet today they felt emboldened enough to attack her.
Why now? Who's behind you? She wondered. The answer to that was obvious. Whoever did the hit on the Fire Lady. Which led to a better question.
Who are you really?
Room-clearing with the First Sword was an experience, Yunfei decided.
Yunfei was no stranger to combat. As one of the preeminent noble clans, Ouyangs trained their children from youth in the warrior ways. Yunfei had forged Windbreaker at the age of thirteen. Gone on pilgrimage under the tutelage of his sister, "Iron Orchid" Ouyang Lan at sixteen. Fought by her side across the post-war world for the better part of three years. Spilt his share of blood. As such, he still bore some of the invincibility of youth, that feeling that no man could stand for long before Windbreaker's edge, that any man who tried would be cut down like so much stubble before a shaving scalpel.
Fighting next to Ouyang Leng showed Yunfei just how much more work lay ahead of him before he was ready for First Blade trials. If he was a scalpel, then Leng was a veritable threshing combine before which human lives were so many stalks of wheat to be reaped for harvest.
"I got him-" Yunfei called, sword ready to engage the bandit, but Leng had darted between them and sliced the enemy fighter's throat.
"Does he do that all the time?" Chan asked. "Not like I'm complaining about being out of harm's way, you know, but I'm kinda wondering what I'm doing here if he's just going to hog all the kills."
Yunfei shrugged and moved to keep pace with Leng as they fought through the building.
Room-clearing with the Ouyang was an experience, Kazuma decided.
Kazuma's training was in the martial traditions. Ways to strengthen the mind and the body. Ways to make the sword an extension of the self. Ways to detect hostile intent. Ways to read the minute movements of the body, to identify alterations to the center of gravity, to sense slight changes in pressure during a blade bind, to do a myriad of things handed down by thousands of generations of warriors from the four nations intended to give them an advantage against any single adversary.
But small-unit tactics was a different beast entirely.
The first room they'd found, he blasted open the door in a fit of righteous rage and charged in ready to knock some heads. The surprised firebender had barely gotten off the mattress that held him and his prize, and he had just enough time to shoot off a fireblast at Kazuma, who sidestepped and hit back with a follow-up blast that caught the man in the chest and knocked him against the wall.
"Enjoy waking up to the sight of a prison cell," Kazuma growled as he finished up with a kick to the head, knocking the bandit out cold.
"Dammit, Kazuma!" Fang-lin yelled as she and Sukh stormed in after him.
"What?" Kazuma asked, looking back.
"That was stupid, is what," Fang-lin growled. "What if that room was booby-trapped? Or if there was someone else in there?"
Kazuma was taken aback. "I…I would have figured out something."
"Remember how we entered the building?" Sukh asked. Kazuma nodded. "There was a reason for that. You're strong, Kazuma. So you're going to be our ram. Wait for us to get on either end of the doorway first. Blow it open, then duck back. Fang-lin and I will take care of any counterattacks and enter first to secure the room. Then you follow us in. Got it?"
"Sorry," Kazuma said, quickly filing the lesson to memory. The honor of the White Lotus was at stake, and he would not represent them poorly.
"No worries, just do better next time. In fact, it would probably be best if you just follow our lead."
Meanwhile, Fang-lin was checking over the Earth Kingdom woman. "Catatonic. Covered in bruises. Some bleeding. Bastards," she growled, then turned to Kazuma and the passed-out bandit. "Is he dead?"
"I took care of him," Kazuma said.
"Not my question," Fang-lin replied. She strode over to the body. "He's still breathing."
"I knocked him out. He won't harm us any more. We can tie him up to be sure."
"How do you know that? What if he wakes up? Firebends the ropes off? Or his buddies come in and find him?" Fang-lin snarled. She reached out with one of her hook swords and tapped the sky-iron blade in Kazuma's hand. "Finish it."
"But that's murder," Kazuma protested.
"And we are here on murder-make-" Sukh began, but Kazuma cut him off.
"You know what I mean," Kazuma said. "Look, I understand killing someone in the heat of battle. But this will be in cold blood."
"You saw what he did," Fang-lin scoffed. "You really going to argue he doesn't deserve death?"
"Kazuma, the longer you drag this out, the more time the rest of our enemies have to get their bearings," Sukh added. "Fang-lin has the right of it."
"You're asking me to do the dishonorable," Kazuma said, exasperated. "Surely a clan as illustrious as yours understands-"
"To hell with this," Fang-lin growled. Before Kazuma could react, she shoved him aside, knelt on the unconscious bandit's chest, and punched the crescent-bladed hand guard of her hook sword into the man's neck. The bandit's leg jerked, then his head rolled to the side as life left him. "I will disregard that slight upon our honor for now," Fang-lin snarled as she got up and shot Kazuma a glance with all the venom of a rat-viper. "Move out!"
Room-clearing with the Ouyang was an experience, Kazuma decided. One that was illuminating as well as disillusioning.
Lin Hayate was tired.
Ever since his spirit world visit all those days ago, he had felt more invigorated, more energetic, more powerful. But Lin knew that power was a fleeting thing, especially power from such a capricious source, and so it was that he spent the entire day at the Royal Avatar Temple in the Upper Ring. Originally constructed for the private use of the Royal Family, in recent years Earth King Kuei opened it up for public use, albeit with strict controls over how many could access the facilities at any time of the day. Ordinarily, a citizen of Ba Sing Se would have had to wait in line for hours before a ticket would open up.
Being a tournament competitor, however, had its privileges, and Lin Hayate took advantage of this to the max, spending days poring over ancient tomes and scraps of lost lore. The tournament had drawn many who would not normally venture to such a bustling metropolis, and in the past few days Lin had seen Earth Kingdom gurus, Fire Sages, Water Tribe medicine men, even a select few archaeologists who had chosen to study Air Nomad lore all make stops here. But he dared not approach them in discussion, fearing they would discover the beast within. And so progress was slow, and Lin was about to call it a night when the smell of burnt snow lotus, oak, wolflower entered his nostrils. He closed the book and ventured forth, peering past the wall and seeing the unique visage of a steppe shaman, clad in the pelts of various beasts, crowned with a sky-wolf atop the head, a pair of red steel lightning claws strapped to his wrists, with a young woman kneeling beside him.
Lin was surprised. From what he knew, steppe shamans were a diminishing breed, their prominence among the Fire Nation's tribesmen diminishing with the rise of the Fire Sages. There were indeed a few clans who still held to the old ways, Jaghatai, Merkit, and Khitan among them, along with the steppe branch of Ouyang, but in any case the shamans tended to dislike travel away from the embrace of their Eje Earthmother.
"It is done, child," the shaman said, in thick accented common speech. "Oak for strength, wolflower for fortune in the hunt, snow lotus to let him know it is from you."
"Thank you, Shaman Yesugei." The woman rose, saluted the man, and began to exit, and that is when Lin recognized her as Ty Lee. Not wanting his fellow competitors to see him, he instead opted for the backroad out of the temple. It would take him through an alleyway that mothers with children did their best to avoid, but that was no obstacle to one such as him.
"Hey, Demon," a gravelly voice called from behind Lin as he walked, which made him wonder why gangers, especially those of Earth Kingdom descent, insisted on adopting a gravelly voice when they wanted to appear amicable yet threatening. Lin stomped, and a wave of earth engulfed the speaker and held him to a wall.
"What do you want?" Lin hissed, raising a fist and readying a boulder that hovered by his side.
"Whoa, whoa, belay your badgermoles," the man said. "I just want to talk."
"That was a terrible turn of phrase and you should feel bad for saying that," Lin replied, disgusted. He set down the rock. "You've been following me."
"You celebrities haven't been making a point to keep hidden," the man replied. "Just hear me out, alright?"
"Fine. Speak."
"My name is Tu-Hsiung, lieutenant to Shih Po-tian of the Sons of Stone. I have a proposition for you that I think is mutually beneficial."
"Why would I agree to anything with one of you people?"
"Oh come on now, don't tell me you believe in the propaganda that the City Watch puts out about us. We're but a band of Earth Kingdom veterans looking for ways to help each other out. Times are hard after the war, you know. Too many of us can't find work or get our pensions back. We just need someone famous who can catch the eye of hundreds of thousands to make the case and grant us exposure."
"And then it gets out that I work with a crime lord."
"'Crime' is such an ugly word and hardly fits at all with what we're trying to accomplish here, now does it? But we did anticipate this. There is sufficient separation between those who make the petition in front of the Earth King and we their backers."
"What do I get out of it?"
"The Sons of Stone are not an insignificant force in this city, Demon Lin. We will owe you a favor, and you know how men like us consider such debts."
Lin Hayate turned and walked away.
Find room. Blast it open. Dodge tripwire-launched flying daggers. See Fang-lin and Sukh peer inside. See Sukh give the clear signal. Exit and watch the rear. Next room. Signal firebender presence. Blast it open. See Fang-lin absorb retaliatory fireblast into her body and throw it back. Cries of pain. See Sukh loose a brace of arrows and enter. Follow him and Fang-lin in. See Fang-lin sink Tiger's Head into a bandit's neck. Stagger the remaining bandit with a fireball while Sukh plugs two arrows into his chest. Liberate kidnapped Earth Kingdom woman. Clear. Exit and watch the rear. Arrive at intersection. Detect no firebenders. Guard the rear while Fang-lin and Sukh assess. Feel tap on shoulder signifying clear. Head right. Find room.
Kazuma found his rhythm. It felt good, delectable even, the rush of adrenaline filling his limbs, the crash of doors being brought down by his blasts, the pounding of his heart as his sword parried and struck. The methodical pace that the Ouyang set prevented him from thinking too much about his misgivings about their methods, and he decided that, moral qualms aside, this was a highly educational exercise.
They were at a T-intersection now, and Kazuma had sighted a firebender round the corner. He signed this to Fang-lin, who nodded and switched positions with Kazuma such that she now took up the rear while Kazuma and Sukh hugged the sides of the walls. They inched along, nearing the edge, waiting for the right moment to burst out and rain death.
"We're under attack!"
Fang-lin snapped her head back, eyes going wide and nostrils flaring in anger as she heard the warning shout echo throughout the building. Sukh's eyes met hers, and in them she saw annoyance as well. For Kazuma, however, a different kind of reflex took over; there was a challenge to his warrior ethos, and it will be answered. Even as Sukh ducked back into cover and Fang-lin turned her attention back to guarding the rear, Kazuma dove across and punched outwards to either side. The enemy firebender's shot was entirely overwhelmed by the torrent of blue fire that filled the hallway, knocking him on his back and sending him skidding several meters. Kazuma quickly scanned to either side. Nothing to the right, and only the downed firebender struggling to get back up to the left.
"Clear," Kazuma called out. Sukh immediately stepped out and plugged two more arrows into the firebender's chest.
"Okay, anyone mind telling me what the hell was that?" Fang-lin hissed, eyes still trained on the rear.
"I don't know," Kazuma began, but Sukh cut him off.
"Kazuma. When you're about to round a corner, make sure your sword isn't poking out first. That's how he saw you." The steppe warrior turned to Fang-lin. "Sorry. I was about to sign a warning, but the firebender saw him first."
"I'm sorry, Fang-lin," Kazuma said. "I won't make the same mistake again."
"Make sure that you don't," Fang-lin growled, leading the group further on. "Oh, Kazuma?"
"Yes?"
"Impressive fireblast. And endurance, too. Have you always been able to do that?" Kazuma nodded. Fang-lin looked like she was about to say something, then thought better of it and motioned him onwards. "Come on. Kazuma, take point."
Axes flash, broadswords swing, shining armor's piercing ring.
The old war song echoed through Yunfei's mind as he fought through the barracks. They advanced methodically, Ouyangs in front, using the standard stance of off-hand in front to ward off fireblasts, weapon held ready at neck level in preparation for followup strikes and to defend against other forms of attack. Yunfei, too, had found his rhythm, and it provided a release he thought he would never find. Turns out that while he could not drink Ty Lee off his mind, killing did the job far better.
"Enemies everywhere! Go go go!"
By this time the nest of bandits were starting to become responsive to the mixed Ouyang-Lotus-mercenary force in their midst, and resistance was starting to harden. Having cleared the current wing, Yunfei, Leng, and Chan had reached a flight of stairs when crisscrossing streams of fire rained down, stopping them in their tracks and sending them back into cover.
Horses run with polished shield, fight these bastards till they yield.
A brace of small smoking globules tumbled down after them. Chan began calling out a warning, but Yunfei and Leng circled their hands, a chill filled the air, and the fuses went out with a puff of smoke.
"How'd you do that?" Chan asked, picking up one of the grenades. He knew that that firebending allowed for control of a fire's intensity, but he had never seen it applied with such precision.
"The price we pay for-," Yunfei began, but a glare from Leng silenced him. The First Sword knelt down and picked up the snuffed out grenades. Then, with a puff of breath, he reignited one of them and hurled it back. As the explosion threw the defending bandits into disarray, Leng leaped forward, Icefang drawn, ready to begin the murder anew.
Midnight mare, blood-red roan, fight to keep this land your own.
Former Fire Nation Private turned Agni Kai member Rui-kang shouted a kiai and hurtled a fireblast towards Leng, but the First Sword dispelled it and sent it crashing into the chest of its owner. Bowman Koizumi popped out of cover, shouted a war cry, and unloaded the magazine to his repeater crossbow. It was a marvel of engineering, created from the crafthouses of Clan Zhuge, one that served the Fire nation army well across a hundred years of war and served Koizumi better across dozens of battles in the Earth Kingdom. Ten bolts erupted from the weapon's stock in the blink of an eye, matched by ten thrusts from Icefang in the same amount of time that struck them from the air. The bandit crossbowman's eyes widened as he ducked down and felt for another magazine, but his volley slowed the First Sword's advance sufficiently that Leng could not possibly reach him before he reloaded. Glee filled his eyes as he snapped the wooden box on to his crossbow.
"I will destroy you!" He shouted, popping back out of cover and imagining the glory this act would bring him. "Death to the false Fire Lord!"
Yunfei charged up, and Windbreaker sang as it cut through the crossbow and opened Koizumi up from gut to throat.
"Wicked," Chan called out as he shot his own fireblast upwards for Yunfei to redirect behind a barricade, keeping the remaining bandit pinned until Leng barreled past, leaped for the man, and punched downwards with the steel gauntlet on his right hand. When he got up, there was some sort of pink and gray matter smeared across it.
"What are you lot waiting for? Move," Leng growled. As he waved the pair forward, Yunfei thought he saw the First Sword give an almost imperceptible nod of his head.
Sound the horn and call the cry, how many of them can we make die?
It was the happiest day of Qing's life.
Training with a teacher, one who actually cared, and not only did not ridicule but actually encourage her questions, surrounded by fellow students who were nothing but supportive of her efforts, stood a stark contrast to her training at the North Pole. And while Mai was an excellent teacher in her own right, she retained that Fire Nation rugged individualism that made her hard to approach sometimes. And after the waterbending lesson, Katara had treated them all out to dinner with her tournament competitor stipend, resulting in her now walking back to her quarters at the Northern Water Tribe embassy with a belly full of fried blubber, seal sausages, and cake, with Brad next to her. They chatted about many things, the shades of snow, the differences between their tribes, the similarities in their bending styles, everything under the moon.
She got the distinct feeling that something wasn't right as she neared the gates, however. There was an aura of general unease as she approached, and she realized what it was as she recognized the group of boys lounging about outside.
"Hello, little sister," the oldest of them said, a tanned one with three waves tattooed on his cheek, the skin of a polar beardog draped across his shoulders, the amiableness of his voice a little too overstated. "You certainly are making a name for you out here, aren't you?"
"Nukilik," Qing replied, startled. "I didn't expect-"
"That's Senior Nukilik," another cut in. "Mind your manners."
"Yes, Senior Chugach," Qing stammered, holding her hands apologetically. Why did they make her feel this way? She had bested them all during the trials, hadn't she? And Mai had taught her ways to defend herself. Why was it simply being around her classmates inevitably make her feel like a weak little girl again? "What brings my esteemed seniors here to Ba Sing Se?"
"It has been deemed necessary that we come to watch a girl represent the martial traditions of the Northern Water Tribe using nothing that resembles such under the tutelage of the chieftainess of they who would have destroyed our culture four years ago." Nukilik paused to look up at the sky, placing a hand on his chin as if deep in thought. "Hmm. Come to think of it, I'm not sure that they did not succeed."
"Hey, that's a bit uncalled for, don't you think?" Brad cut in. The one called Chugach fixed Brad a glare that made him gulp.
"And who might you be?" Chugach growled.
"Brad. Of the Southern Water Tribe. Student to Master Katara," he replied.
"You are speaking to Nukilik Bearsbane, Serpentslayer, Breaker of Iron Ships, star pupil of Master Pakku of the Northern Water Tribe," came the reply. "And as my master taught yours, I am not merely your senior but your elder also." His eyes narrowed, and his voice dropped from its previous urbane timbre to an admonishing hiss. "You will speak to your elders with respect, do you understand?" Warning finished, he turned back to Qing.
"Don't mind us. We will merely be setting ourselves up here from now on. Oh, and little sister?"
"Yes?"
"You will be training with us from now on. Dismissed. This means you too...Bato, was it?"
"Brad." But they had already left.
Qing sighed. It was the happiest day of her life.
The hunting party moved with frightening efficiency, and soon Leng's group and Fang-lin's group had regrouped on the top floor.
"Well, aren't you a welcome sight around these parts," Leng said, sweeping his eye across Fang-lin's group. "How fare you and yours?"
"Speak for yourself, one-eye," Fang-lin replied. She spat, then turned back to Leng. "Well enough. This kid," she added, pointing to Kazuma. "Hella strong when you get him riled up. Now if only we could get him a pair of balls and maybe half a brain-"
"Hey, I only refused to kill defenseless people who've already surrendered-" Kazuma began, but Leng cut him off.
"Save it for the ride back," Leng growled. He turned an appraising glance to Kazuma. "Guess I ought to keep an eye on you," Leng mused, the jade orb sitting still in its socket. No one said anything. "Well, I thought it was funny," he said, muttering as he wiped the blood from his sword and gauntlet on a nearby wall. "You find any bounty on the way?"
"Neg," Fang-lin, said, shook her head. "I was going to ask you the same thing."
"Are we seriously looking for loot–" Kazuma began, but Sukh cut him off.
"Kazuma, do you remember what kind of spoils these people were taking?"
"Oh."
"I don't suppose that 'fire-sight' ability of yours is finding anyone that we missed," Yunfei sneered.
"It's not, so it must be a nonbender," Kazuma said. Dude, I have like had it up to here with your attitude, he didn't say. "I don't suppose you have any better ideas?"
"Welp, more's the pity," Leng said, a little loudly, fixing a glare at Fang-lin. "All right, new plan. We clear out, and then Kazuma, Chan, and Sukh are going to torch this place. Either we'll roast him out, or he'll be dead."
Play along, Fang-lin mouthed, seeing that Kazuma was about to protest further. The group began making their way out of the building, and right when they had reached the bottom floor, surprised to see Jun there to greet them.
"If you're looking for the girls, they're in there," Jun said, pointing to a nondescript corner of the floor. "There's a cellar door there. I was getting bored, so I had Nyla sniff them out. I picked the outside lock with no problems, but there's a set of crossbars inside that I can't get through."
"I can fix that," Yunfei offered. He strode over to the area where the doors were, unsheathed Windbreaker, took careful aim at the seams, and chopped downward. The crossbars were heavy, but it faced Ouyang steel, and Windbreaker whistled as it sailed through the air and split the crossbars holding the door together. Yunfei heard yelps of fright coming from below as the pieces of crossbar clattered to the ground and Chan and Sukh went to either side of the doors to pull them open.
"Help is here, ladies," Yunfei drawled as he began to step inside when he was suddenly cut off by mixed screams of fear and dread. Confused, he stepped inside and tried again. "You're safe now-"
"No! Get away from me!" One of the women cried, shrinking away from him. "Please, no more..." another moaned. All around Yunfei, captive women echoed similar sentiments, and he stopped in his tracks, unsure how to proceed. He stood there, numb, until Jun shoved him aside.
"Out of the way, boy," the bounty hunter hissed. "Let me handle this. Fang-lin, give me a hand here." The two women descended the cellar. "It's okay. We mean no harm. Help is here."
Yunfei slowly walked to the other side of the hallway and placed a hand on the wall. A blur of emotions welled up inside him. He did right, by all the teachings he knew. Crimes were committed. Those responsible were killed. And yet those he saved feared him and saw in him the image of their oppressors. The Pilgrimage prepared him for blood, for death, for battle against a clear and visible enemy, but it did not prepare him for this. He felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Our people have done wrong, Yunfei, but we can set it right. Will you join me in this undertaking?" Kazuma asked quietly.
"These are not my people," Yunfei snarled, whirling around and slapping Kazuma's hand away. "My people are honorable warriors who face their enemy in battle, not scum who oppress those who cannot fight back. These are not my people, and don't you insinuate that any of my ancestors who served with honor were in any way like these wretches." He stormed off in a huff, pausing only to slam a fist into a support beam as he passed. Kazuma started to go after him, but now it was his turn to have a restraining hand placed on his shoulder.
"Leave him be," Sukh said. "It's not going to be that easy."
It was a full moon out, with little cloud cover, perfect for pensive thoughts, and Yunfei was doing just that. He was still reeling from the reactions of the liberated women, the fear and mistrust instead of gratitude. It did not occur to him that the women may have seen in him the face of the enemy, first the one that had conquered them, now the one who oppressed them again and tried to consign them to a fate that some would consider worse than death.
"Well, well, what do we have here. An eaglet fresh out of the nest, it seems?" a soft voice came from beside him. Yunfei mentally kicked himself for not noticing the warband coming upon him and immediately went for Windbreaker. He had always had a quick draw, and the Raging Wind swordplay style that had been passed down the Ouyang clan for generations was one based around speed. Indeed, he had received his nickname from his fellow clansmen because they deemed his sword strikes to have all the speed and ferocity of a diving steppe eagle.
The spear was at his throat before Windbreaker was even a centimeter out of its sheath.
"Ouyang too," the spear wielder said. "I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised at the presence of servants of the false Fire Lord. How many of you are there?"
Yunfei wanted to mouth back with a snarky remark, but fortunately for him none came to mind. So instead he looked up, studying his adversary's features. The bandit wore a variation of the standard firebender skullhelm, of an older model with pronounced spiked horns. Lithe of build, armored in a custom set of dark red lamellar scale mail with black trim. The spear that was now held to Yunfei's throat emitted the same coldness of a master-crafted tool of murder as Leng's Icefang or Shijie's Evenstar and Falcon's Talon, and Yunfei saw that it was shorter than the standard infantry issue, of ideal length for dual-wielding, with both ends bearing a point and adorned by bright red tassels. The dual-wielding theory was confirmed when Yunfei saw that another spear was indeed in the bandit's other hand. The other members of the warband fanned out around Yunfei, blocking off possible avenues by which to disengage.
"We are many, and powerful too," Yunfei replied as his mind raced for ideas, none of which were forthcoming. "First Sword Leng's in there, and he's got backup."
"You're in no position to be threatening anyone," one of the bandit's guards growled, drawing his sword, only sheathing it when his leader signaled to stand down.
"Hey, I'm just trying to be helpful here," Yunfei replied, looking back his captor. "Just so you know who you're dealing with."
"And you've been very helpful indeed," the bandit said, and Yunfei imagined a smile under the skullmask. "Now be a good little dear and come along, will you?"
"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Yunfei replied as thick ropes bound his hands.
City Watch Constable Zhui Feng's head hurt. Crime had skyrocketed in the past few days, emboldened by the fact that on a night when dignitaries from all four nations - well, technically three, but old turns of phrase died hard, and a case could be made for the Southern Water Tribe being a separate nation - were supposedly here in Ba Sing Se to enjoy the sights and sounds, and security was at its utmost, an assassin could still place himself in position to launch an almost-successful assassination attempt on the Fire Lord's betrothed. In addition, sources were reporting an increase in bandit and organized crime activity as well, and rumors were spreading that the triads and tongs were forming greater alliances with each other. Orders had been given to step up security, especially with the next round of the tournament approaching. Requests were made to the Council of Five for an expansion of the City Watch's ranks and powers, but these were denied. And so everyone on the force, Zhui Feng included, pulled double shifts.
Which is why he was currently striding out of the locker room and into the armory. Today was, coincidentally, the day everyone's gear was being upgraded. There was some controversy surrounding the change, but Zhui Feng did not care. Let the politicians and lobbyists bicker all they like about traditional relationships and shout all they like about "buying Earth Kingdomite". The new gear proved superior to the old gear in the trials, and that was good enough for him.
"Constable Zhui Feng, designation Fire-Zero-Five-One-Two," Zhui Feng said upon arriving at the supply officer window. The supply clerk on duty nodded, pointed to a clipboard filled with names, and disappeared into an array of cabinets and storage racks. A short while later, he returned with a polished new set of chains and grapple hooks. Zhui Feng nodded in turn, then fished a seal out from his pockets and stamped it upon the clipboard before taking his new gear and striding away. It was lighter than he was used to, but tests had proven them to be just as strong as the old model, and as he strapped the chains to his belt, Zhui Feng paused to run his finger over the Ouyang seal carved into the handle.
Yes, let the protectionists bleat all they like. And when they knew how it felt to have a blade actually pointed at them, then Zhui Feng might actually listen.
"Yunfei's been gone for a while," Kazuma noted as Leng and the others began preparing a quick post-fight meal, primarily for the benefit of the abducted Earth Kingdom women. "Should we go looking for him?"
"He's a big boy," Sukh replied, eyes on a simmering pot of stew. "I'm sure he'll be fine-"
"Hello, gentlemen, how are you," a voice purred. Six sets of eyes snapped to the source of the sound as their owners drew weapons. "You have something that belongs to me. We can fight it out, and a lot of us would die…or we could trade."
"Hey guys, what's up?" Yunfei managed to croak out, as the speaker's spear still at his throat.
"Fan out," Leng growled to his own warband before turning to the bandits. "Let him go and I'll give you all a quick one."
"Quickblade Leng. Manreaper Leng. Devil-Dog Leng. Executioner Leng. Swordbreaker Leng. Jade-Eyes Leng. First Sword Leng." Sheng replied jauntily. "Still as fast and loose with the threats as you are with the blade. How are you these days?"
"Xu Sheng Twospear," Leng growled, recognizing the voice, distorted through the skullmask as it was. Icefang slid out of its sheath. "I thought you were dead."
"Dead? Me? But that would be such a tragedy. Especially since there are so few of us left," Sheng replied sweetly, sweeping an appraising glance across the group. "Jun the Tracker. Blood Yaksha Ouyang Fang-lin, Slayshot Ouyang Sukh. Boy...by your features you look to be some relation to Chan the Diamond Shark." Sheng's gaze fell on Kazuma. "I do not know you?"
"Kazuma of the White Lotus," the young man replied, an edge of steel in his voice. "You run this slaving operation?"
"And what if I do?" Sheng said, bemused. "Will you take my head for my crimes?"
"You're going to the City Watch," Kazuma said, balling his fists in anger. Sheng laughed.
"No. No I won't. What will happen is you will take the women, load them on the carts outside, and let me and mine leave. And then I'll give you your little tournament competitor." Sheng pointed around the room with an off-spear. "You have more than enough heads to collect bounty on. Simply say the women were already moved when you arrived, and that the room was doused in spices to throw off the shirshu's trail."
"Or we could just kill you all," Leng replied, stepping forward as Sukh stepped to the side and nocked an arrow to his bow.
"You attack and we'll kill the kid," Sheng said.
"Kill the kid and you die," Leng said, continuing stepping forward.
"Damn it all, Leng," Sheng growled, muscles tensing as Leng walked closer and closer.
There was a flash.
Yunfei heard a sharp ringing clang and felt something kick him in the ass, sending him crashing to the ground and rolling towards the other Ouyang clansmen. He looked up, and both First Sword and Twospear had their weapons at each other's throats, Icefang being stopped by one of Sheng's spears, Leng's gauntlet gripping on to the other spear. Something landed next to Yunfei with a soft thunk, and the young Ouyang saw that it was Windbreaker, stabbing into the ground like the first sapling of the spring. He immediately crawled over and cut himself loose, then picked up the weapon and looked on at the two combatants, standing still as the guardian statues in the Field of Blades.
"Why didn't you burn away the rope?" Kazuma whispered to him.
"Shut up," Yunfei said back.
Two of Sheng's guards shouted and raised their blades. There was another flash. Leng and Xu Sheng were still in their previous positions, weapons pointed at the other's neck. The two guards took exactly one step before their necks exploded into a gush of crimson. Sheng raised an eyebrow.
"The Blood Yaksha taught you that underhook?" Sheng asked.
"She did," Leng answered.
"You are faster than I remember."
"I am."
"Faster than during Operation Swordbreaker."
"Yes."
"Faster than me, even."
"Perhaps."
"This mission must rankle you, though? To have to baby-sit a Lotus?"
"It does."
Kazuma raised an eyebrow at this.
"That's not going to change your mind though, is it?"
"It won't."
"I saved you in that op, Leng. If I hadn't pulled you away, Unbeatable Piandao would have taken a lot more than your eye." A small gasp emitted from Kazuma's lips, one that everyone else ignored. "You owe me life-debt."
"I do." Slowly, deliberately, Leng put his sword down, and Sheng withdrew the spears back in response as the two fighters disengaged. Stares were exchanged. Leng gestured towards to the other Ouyang clansmen. "They don't."
"Once again, I'm paid to track, not to fight," Jun said. "I'm out."
"Chan, stay," Leng barked as the young ward moved to join the others.
"Speak for yourself," Kazuma growled as he charged forward, sword at the ready. "Prepare to face justice, slaver!"
It is said that for all martial arts under the sun, speed determines the victor, for while defenses may be broken with power, strength may be redirected using finesse, evasion may be nullified via area-of-effect, techniques may be countered by identifying their weak point, there was no defense against an attack that arrived faster than one could defend. Three of Ouyang's finest plus the apt pupil of the White Lotus felt this keenly as they faced off against against the former Fire Nation commando now turned bandit known across the martial world as Xu Sheng Twospear.
Initially, one of Sheng's retinue got the idea to join in the fray, until a thin straightsword appeared at his throat.
"I don't think so," Leng growled. "I don't owe any of you dregs anything. Anyone else wants to join in has to tangle with me." Next to him, Chan lit a hand on fire and waved.
No one made a step after that.
Still, even with four against one, Sheng was just too fast. Within the space of a minute, all four of the party had been tagged, Sukh a stab piercing the shoulder, Fang-lin a shaft strike on the knee, Yunfei a glancing cut across the cheek, and Kazuma a jab to the calf, while Sheng took not one scratch. Only their numbers and the certainty of followup counterattack preventing Sheng from committing to a killing strike. Another minute passed, and numerous more cuts and slashes accumulated across all four fighters currently engaged, though Kazuma had managed to score a glancing cut along Sheng's shoulder pad.
"Come on, now, we are all Fire Nation here," Sheng called out from drop stance, spears held to either side for optimal defense. "And I know Clan Ouyang to be men and women of honor. Surely the usurper Zuko cannot be paying you that much." The taunt was ignored, though, and Sukh, Kazuma, Yunfei, and Fang-lin circled warily, panting with exertion as they looked for weakness. They all had varying motives. Kazuma, still filled with righteous rage. Yunfei, to avenge his early mishap. Fang-lin, because as a woman she had a hate-on for slavers in general. Sukh because he understood that when the tree falls, the hog-monkeys will scatter. Whatever their reasons, the end result was the same – all four went in, blades held high, fighting through injuries that were thankfully light due to Sheng's need to avoid overcommitting to a strike. They went in, hacking, slashing, stabbing, striking with all the varied weapon techniques at their disposal, straightsword, slashing saber, hook swords, axe, while Sheng fought back, double spears spinning like fiery pinwheels, deflecting a cut here, parrying a slash there, thrusting at an opening and then retreating back to defend again.
In a battle of endurance between the one and many, the one tends to lose. Both sides knew this, and thus the Ouyang pressed the attack, attempting to tire Sheng out, while Sheng fought on harder and harder, determined to end the bout quickly. After the initial bouts, it became clear to all in the Ouyang party that Sheng's weapons were of sufficiently quality that not even master-crafted Ouyang steel or Kazuma's sky-iron sword could simply cut through them, and thus every aspect of the surrounding environment was put to use in order to gain a possible advantage. A chair, hooked and thrown by Fang-lin, ducked under and answered by a series of rapid thrusts. A table, kicked up by Sheng, blocking a stab from Yunfei as the bandit kept Sukh at bay with one hand and Kazuma with another. All across the field they maneuvered, leaping over, ducking behind walls, sidestepping around support columns. A butterfly twist by Sheng over a swipe from Yunfei, landing in a crouch stance under a double swing from Fang-lin, followed up by a thrust to either side to keep Kazuma and Sukh from getting too optimistic. A flaming tornado kick from Kazuma that kept Sheng scrambling to evade as Fang-lin and Yunfei continuously redirected the initially missed projectile until Sheng dove through a window, allowing the fireball to crash harmlessly against a wall.
A storm it was, a storm where every drop of rain was a thrusting point, every howl of wind a slashing edge, every crash of thunder a blade clash, every flash of lightning a searing flame, every swirling cloudhead a tangle of steel.
"Dammit, Leng, help us!" Kazuma shouted, agitation and frustration clear in his voice. For all his rage, all his power, all his training he just couldn't land a good hit on the slaver, and that made his blood boil. The First Sword raised an eyebrow.
"I owe a life-debt, pup," Leng growled. "Or has your time with the White Lotus crippled your sense of honor that much?"
But honor did not win fights, and Sukh was the first to fall. Archery was his forte, but the furball that Sheng and the others were engaged in combined with the close-quarters nature of the fight meant that it would be next to impossible for him to get a clear shot, and so he was forced to switch to Threadcutter. His relative unfamiliarity with the weapon compared to his bow showed, as a quick flick of the spear caught the hook of his axeblade, pulling Sukh ever so slightly off balance, and the next thing he knew he was howling in pain as Sheng's other spear had stabbed into his back and exploded out his sternum. The others quickly moved to support, but Sheng by this time had rolled over Sukh and kicked the steppe warrior's body at Yunfei. The two men crashed into each other, and Yunfei, forced to make a split-second decision between continuing to pursue versus pulling his clansman out of harm's way, opted for the latter.
"Family first," Sheng noted, ducking under another fireblast from Kazuma. "How so very Ouyang."
"It's what gives us strength," Fang-lin replied, redirecting the fireblast, only to have Sheng deflect it into the ceiling with an upward power blow. The Ouyang woman quickly lashed out with her hook swords, catching the shaft of one of Sheng's spears in a disarm attempt, but as she swung her other hook sword, Sheng responded with a lightning-quick thrust with the other spear. The closest distance between two points being a straight line, Fang-lin immediately pulled her attack back to parry, and Sheng's heel smashed into her chest with a push kick that sent the Ouyang woman crashing into an upturned table. She landed heavily, reducing the table to splinters, the wind knocked out of her.
"Eat sword!"
And that was when Kazuma's sword slammed into Sheng's head even as Sheng moved to dodge.
It was storming. Not quite a dark night, but storming, in portent of what was to come as the warrior host gathered in front of a Fire Nation villa in Shu Jing.
"Come back with us," the man in front said, opening his arms wide in a conciliatory gesture that brought his hands coincidentally close to the two cleavers strapped to the small of his back, "We called you brother once. Surely we can do so again."
"But this war is wrong, don't you see? We were in the same theaters. Saw the same actions. Surely you all have seen how everyone fears us."
"Humanity cannot truly gain the blessings of civilization without experiencing the pain of civilization," a young woman said. She was clad in dark red scale mail, and long silky hair accented her delicate features. "Is this not what Chaplain Sun teaches us?"
"Please. I beg of you. For all the love you bear me when I fought by your side, and for all the love I bear you during the same, leave me be. I have no wish to be part of this war any longer."
"Bloody hell, we have our orders," a young man, rough in appearance despite his fine armor, a flowing horse-tail crowning his otherwise shaven head, growled out. His fingers twitched to the handle of his own straightsword, a long and thin affair with a carved sky-wolf head adorning the pommel. "Don't force our hand."
"I would have asked you the same," Piandao said sadly as he placed a fresh bundle of lit incense upon the alter in the Jasmine Dragon. "Come home safely, Kazuma."
Sheng had dodged just in time, and a strike that would have defaced had instead shorn the faceplate away from the bandit's helmet. Kazuma gasped in surprise as the two pieces of armor fell to the ground with a clang. He expected many things, an ape of a face framed with unkempt stubble perhaps, or a thin snakelike mask of malevolence. He did not expect a cascade of raven locks to flow as a river of obsidian down Sheng's head, spiraling outward like a blooming fire-lily during the twist, crowning a delicate countenance carved from pale jade, brought to life by the two fiery-gold eyes that spat dignified vehemence at him.
"You're...you're a woman," Kazuma breathed out, faltering in his followup stroke for a brief second. Indeed, Sheng could have passed for a lady-in-waiting from the stage operas, were it not for the thin line of raw scar tissue that cleft from the top of the left brow across the nose bridge all the way to the right ear.
Sheng took that second to plunge her spears into Fang-lin's chest.
"Kazuma,you fucking dumbass!" Yunfei shouted, picking up his sword beginning a mad dash for the bandit leader. The smoldering embers of all the confusion and frustration of the past half-hour swelled up inside him, fanned the winds of grief into a burning nova of rage. The inadequacy of his training, the dissonance between the expected and actual reception from the rescuees, the inability to prove himself useful to his seniors, the questionable status of his relationship with his snow lotus, all that now paled compared to his desire to murder the bandit who had brought down two of his kin.
"Yes, I am a woman. What of it?" Sheng said, her eyes twinkling in amusement. "Those philosophers of the White Lotus filled your head with the garbage culture of the foreign barbarians, haven't they? I suppose that's a good thing for me," she added, laughing while preparing to pull her weapons out to meet Yunfei's assault. One spear left with a sickening squelch and a piercing scream of pain from Fang-lin. The other, however, stayed put, and Sheng's heart fell when she turned her head to see why.
"I'm a woman too, Twospear," Fang-lin growled, maintaining her death grip on the remaining spear still lodged inside her body. She felt sharp jabs of pain in her abdomen and sides as Sheng growled and kicked and stabbed at her, trying to free her weapon, but each became less pronounced and more dull than the last. With a scream of rage, Sheng let go just in time to avoid being delimbed by Yunfei. The bandit blocked a followup cut, but the ferocity of the blow knocked her back, and as she backpedaled, she felt her back foot suddenly give way, sending her crashing to the ground.
"The blood. Sometimes it makes the ground slick," Fang-lin murmured with slipping lucidity, and in the back of her mind, Sheng cursed herself for making such an elementary error, while the front of her mind concerned itself with Yunfei, who was now charging forth, sword held at the ready, Kazuma right behind him. As Yunfei approached, Sheng kicked upwards, sending the young Ouyang tumbling over her while using the motion to roll back on her feet so she could deal with Kazuma.
But now it was a losing struggle. Without a secondary weapon, Sheng's efforts became awkward, stilted, lacking in the daring and audacity that had laid waste to so many who had crossed blades with the Twospear before. Kazuma fought ferociously, his powerful slashes and lightning thrusts and searing flames keeping Sheng from reaching Fang-lin's body and reclaiming her other spear. And Yunfei was well-versed in the grappling arts, such that he recovered nearly instantaneously after being thrown, just in time to join Kazuma. The storm of swords started anew, but now it was Sheng who was taking more and more cuts, until another power stroke from Yunfei smacked the remaining spear from her hands right as Kazuma lit into her with a fireblast that slammed her into a wall.
"Son of a..." Sheng hissed, struggling to clear her head and get back on her feet, but she saw the flash of burning steel too late, and now it was her turn to howl as Windbreaker stabbed into her shoulder and pinned her to the wall. She tried grabbing the blade's flat and pulling it out, but her other hand had taken a deep cut from Kazuma and would barely hold a set of chopsticks. She closed her eyes as Yunfei pulled the blade out and stabbed again, waiting for the killing blow that never came. Opening them, Sheng saw that Kazuma had darted in and set aside Yunfei's sword, which was now buried up to the hand guard above her head.
"You son of a...why in the name of Tengri Eternal Blue Heaven did you do that?" Yunfei snarled, pulling his blade out and rounding on Kazuma. "Are you touched, Lotus?"
"We won," Kazuma replied, trying to keep a temper under control as he mentally reminded himself that combat was over. "She's been disarmed, we can take her to the City Watch, and if she firebends you Ouyang can do that fire-absorbing thing that I've seen you do." He looked around. "There's been enough killing today."
"No, not after all she's done," Yunfei growled back. "A life debt is owed. Honor demands no less. What the hell is your problem anyway, Kazuma? Not only is she an oathbreaker to her vows to the Dragon Throne, but she's a slaver too. Death's merited, a thousand times over."
"An accusation of 'oathbreaker' from a servant of the false Fire Lord? Oh, that's rich," Sheng added. Yunfei growled and swung at her, but again Kazuma blocked the blow.
"Then let it be a death sentence handed down by an Earth Kingdom court," Kazuma said evenly. "Her crimes were committed in the Earth Kingdom. They have jurisdiction."
"The next one is going to be aimed at your neck," Yunfei warned, glaring daggers at the young White Lotus.
"It is said that mercy is the mark of a great man," Kazuma replied, staring right back. The anger was flaring up inside him again, and he quashed it down with greater focus.
"Ah, yes, mercy. I'm sure I would consider it a mercy to rot away in an Earth Kingdom prison for the rest of my days, after they break my scapulae and brand my face," Sheng deadpanned. "At least give me a clean death."
"See? Even she wants it," Yunfei said.
"Then why should we give her her preferred punishment?" Kazuma asked, and no sooner were the words out of his mouth did he mentally do a double-take. Whoa, where did that come from? That was cold. He looked to Yunfei, and saw that at least the point had caused him to paused and reconsider. And you'll accept that point?
"Damn it all, get out of the way, pup." Leng barged between Kazuma and Yunfei, shoving them aside. Icefang flashed in his hand as he knelt down to address the downed Sheng. "How are you feeling?"
"I've had worse," Sheng replied. "Like at Wuchang. Remember that? Or Mount Lishan. Let's not forget the bridge at Luding Crossing-"
"I am going to ask you one thing."
"Yes?"
"Is my life-debt paid?"
Sheng closed her eyes, smiled, and gave an almost imperceptible nod.
"One last dance, Jade-Eyes."
Icefang flashed, and Twospear Xu Sheng slumped to the ground, a stream of red trickling from her neck.
There was a time in every parent's life when their child came home from school one day with cuts and bruises all over, and in horrified tones they would ask their darling who beat them up, followed by angry letters to the school officials and martial arts lessons to the child. And when Piandao and Iroh arrived at the Ba Sing Se emergency care hospital, both their hearts skipped a beat.
"Hey dad," Kazuma called out, stepping forward to give his surrogate father a hug. "I'm back."
"I...I'm glad that you are," Piandao said, returning the hug while trying to hide his startlement at seeing his surrogate son with a body full of cuts and bruises through his White Lotus robes.
"There is someone else to see you as well," Iroh said, stepping to the side.
"Kazuma!"
The next thing Kazuma knew, Jin had wrapped him in an embrace that nudged several of the cuts and bruises Sheng had left, and though he tried to hold it back, a hiss of pain escaped from his lips.
"I will get some tea," Iroh said, striding to the refreshment section. "It will help the pain."
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Jin cried. "You're hurt." She took out a hankerchief from her sleeve and dabbed at growing spot of red on his upper arm. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Jin," Kazuma said, smiling and putting on a game face.
"Kazuma, if it is alright with you, I would have words with the First Sword," Piandao said. As Kazuma nodded and complied, Piandao turned to the Ouyang swordsman and motioned for him to follow. Silently, the two walked outside, and which point Piandao turned to Leng. His eyes narrowed, and his voice fell. "Leng, you have best have a good reason for why my son came back in such condition."
"Couldn't be helped," Leng growled back. "We ran into the Twospear who chose at that point to invoke life-debt. My hands were tied."
"And so you threw my son into harm's way?" Piandao retorted angrily, slamming a palm against a wall. "You swore to keep him safe! Does that mean nothing-"
"Mind your words, Lotus," Leng snarled back. "Of the two of us, I am the one who did not forswear his vows, and I'll not take any accusations of breaking faith, especially not from you. Your son's alive, isn't he? And his sword arm is still good, isn't it? All he came back with was a few scars, which is only going to help him with the wenches. And if my eye doesn't deceive me, it's working already."
"How can you make light of something like this," Piandao said. "To think there was a time I called you brother." Leng harrumphed.
"The boy is back," he said, turning back and walking away. "My job here is done."
"No, it is not," Piandao replied. "Leng-"
"I have three more of my kin to bury," Leng snapped. "So if you'll excuse me-"
"Wait, three?" Piandao said, startled. "What happened to Yunfei?"
"Yunfei is in the same condition as you ward there," Leng replied. "We ran into Twospear. We came back alive. You do the math."
"I'm sorry," Piandao breathed out, sitting back down. "About Sukh and Fang-lin. And Sheng." Leng harrumphed.
"I knew her, Piandao," the First Sword said. There was a period of silence, and then he began walking away.
"Thank you for escorting my son back. Good night, Leng."
"Not bloody likely, Piandao."
"I am the flesh and bone of my sword.
Steel is my body, and fire my blood…"
It was an old prayer, passed down from before the Taming of the Steppes, and now the words poured forth from Yunfei's lips, melding with the voices of Yunteng, Shijie, and every other Ouyang in the Ironworks. Even Yunteng's wife and his daughter joined in, for the solemnity of the matter had a way of enrolling all into it.
Fang-lin had lost too much blood, and Sukh had died from complications during transport. There was only so much that herbs and cautery could do for punctured lungs, after all, and he had stopped breathing despite their best efforts but fifty feet away from the nearest Water Tribe healer station. And so the two Ouyang warriors' bodies were laid upon a forge fire to be cremated, their ashes to be gathered and packed into urns, which would then make the journey across the Great Ocean to be placed in the Field of Blades, with their owners' weapons to mark their final resting place.
As the ritual continued, Yunfei could not help think of the previous operation, and of the takeaways from it. He thought a little of how much farther he had to go. He thought a little of the battle against Sheng. He thought about something Leng had said that stuck with him
"Why did you let them go?" Yunfei had asked. Leng was about to brush his off as was customary, but then he took a look at Sukh and turned to Yunfei.
"When the tree falls, the hog-monkeys scatter," Leng had said. "And when they scatter, they fight amongst themselves until someone leads them to another tree. Kill, and they'll be on death ground, fighting to the last because they have nothing to lose. Let live, they'll fix the problem of their existence soon enough."
But most of all, his thoughts returned more and more to the reactions of the women he had helped rescue. I saved them, but they still saw me as the enemy. Why?
The ritual soon ended, and Yunfei felt a reassuring hand clap his shoulder.
"You did good today, little bro," Yunteng said.
"I wasn't strong enough," Yunfei said back. He prodded the spot above his brow where Sheng had landed first blood. The waterbender healers were skilled and thorough, but it still felt weird knowing an injury site should hurt but did not. "Cousins Sukh and Fang-lin-"
"Xu Sheng Twospear's skill is renowned across the steppes and the islands," Ouyang Shijie said, lending his own voice to support. "Don't worry, I heard it all from Leng. You took down an entire warband, and that's what counts. You did good, Yunfei. Truly." He looked up, and his eyes narrowed to focus on the newcomer who had just arrived. "Hmm. I do believe you have a visitor, little cousin."
"What?" Yunfei turned around. "Ty Lee!" The Kyoshi Warrior smiled a light and restrained smile as she walked over and offered her hand. To Yunfei, the gesture arrived like fresh coals in winter, and he took it. "What brings you here?"
"They told me what you did," she said. "It is an admirable thing."
"So does that mean…?"
"It means I'm willing to be friends, at least," Ty Lee said evenly. "And maybe more, depending on your future behavior."
"I won't disappoint you again, sun-and-stars," Yunfei said. "I swear-" Ty Lee raised a hand to cut him off.
"Nicknames can come later," she said. "I came to tell you that we got a challenge. The two of us against Mai and Qing, in three days."
"Oh. Then we'd better-" Yunfei caught himself. "I mean, ah, would you like to come by tomorrow to break fast and train?"
"Sounds like a plan, Yunfei."
"Status?"
"We've lost Sheng, my lord."
"Ah. Tragedy. Her death will not impact the grand scheme of things, but the loss of her skills is regretful. How fare we on the other fronts?"
"Our strength is steadily increasing, my lord. In fact, we are somewhat ahead of schedule."
"Hmph. Slow it down."
"I'm sorry?"
"Slow it down. Too many at once and the City Watch will notice. What of Ouyang?"
"The White Lotus played a good gambit, unfortunately. But his next match is against the girl from the Northern Water Tribe, and that may work to our favor."
"What of our auxiliaries and contractors?"
"Aside from the Burning Legion, Agni Kai, and Night Lords, we have had no favorable replies from the other triads. The Badger Claws..."
"What of them?"
"The envoy we sent there escaped with a broken arm and counted himself fortunate at that."
"Unacceptable. Why do we not have their heads for this?"
"The Thirteen Cold-Blooded Eagles and the Tower of Grey have refused on grounds of professional courtesy, though the Dark Sky Seven and Black Lotus are on the fence and have implied needing additional incentive. They fear, my lord."
"Well, they should fear me more."
"I agree, my lord. Shall I ready the commandos?"
"No. They, too, are ultimately insignificant in the grand scheme of things. And now is not quite the time for a test run. This is but a temporary setback, one to which I have a solution already. Dismissed."
Codex
Post-war Society
Subsection: Triads
Following the end of the Great War, the vast armies raised by the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, and the Northern Water Tribe were demobilized for a return to normalcy. However, not all elements of these armies complied. Many Fire Nation military personnel fled to the countryside when the call to disband came, remaining a thorn in the Earth Kingdom's side. In the Earth Kingdom, many soldiers returned home, only to find that there were not enough jobs for them all, and that remnants of wartime inflation resulted in what jobs they could have being barely enough to feed themselves, much less their family members, and thus they turned back to the only thing they knew how to do – violence. And though the Water Tribes were numerically small, their skills were enough of a wild card in turf battles and warband skirmishes that waterbenders were often sought after by warbands of both nationalities, save extremist groups such as the Badger Claws or the Order of the Agni Kai.
Crime had always been a part of life, small as it may be for some, but the influx of battle-trained and war-hardened individuals turned the matter into something more serious. The Fire Nation, having not suffered from invasion, remained mostly immune save for occasional attacks from remnant Azula sympathizers. The situation is similar in the Northern Water Tribe, which has stalwartly defended its borders all the way until the very last days of the war, and the Southern Water Tribe, which has suffered through so much invasion as to be nearly nonexistent. The situation is most serious in large Earth Kingdom cities such as Ba Sing Se, however, where the long arm of the law simply is not long enough to search every nook and cranny.
~The Complete Works of the Hundred Sciences, 52nd edition, Ba Sing Se University Press
