Chapter 9: Action
Ba Sing Se Library's Grand Archive…
Warrant Officer Shen was told that his title implied being specialized. Being a warrant officer meant he wasn't a normal soldier and his duties wouldn't mirror his colleagues.
That's what they told him.
What they didn't tell him that his particular specialization would be a security guard for a bunch of dusty scrolls, books, and whatever else was in here.
This wasn't what Shen joined the army for. Sure, the war was over before he was old enough to talk, but that didn't mean everyone was doing something as boring as this. This was pointless, and he hardly saw the sense in having two round the clock sentry here.
Okay, maybe he did.
The archive contained important information and did need to be guarded, as well as the entire library, but it wasn't so much the guarding of this place that made no sense to Shen, it was that it somehow was the military's responsibility?
Couldn't they just get a private company to do it? Never mind the archive had only two access points, one of which was locked shut at night. All they had to do was lock both at night and not waste manpower on something so unnecessary.
He would go vocal with his objection, but he seemed to be completely alone in his stance and he wasn't about to challenge the military by himself. Not to mention he already failed in his efforts as far as trying to convert the other guard in this place, old man Tzang.
"Just shut up and do your job, soldier," he had said. "If someone got their hands on the files in here, they could topple the infrastructure of the Earth Kingdom!"
An exaggeration if you're being lenient.
Tzang was part of the infamous discipline age during the war. If anyone ranked captain or higher strode in and ordered him to drop his pants, march around the city, and whistle the national anthem, he'd do it and not feel the slightest bit of shame or embarrassment.
It seemed that Shen would be at this post for the foreseeable future.
The foreseeable future…
The foreseeable future was on everyone's tongue now thanks to a certain blast from the past.
D, the Red Striker, appeared out of nowhere yesterday mourning on top of a building with an old ad banner on it. He set up a sonicus system and told everyone about a special announcement he'd make that would "Change the world".
Shen chuckled. Leave it to that blowhard to make a big announcement to say he's going to make another big announcement.
D was lucky he managed to get off that rooftop safely. There are still people who would really like to skin him alive. Shen made a small bet on that game and lost a little money, but he didn't care about it anymore. That anyone really was still that upset about that game boggled his mind. Shen chuckled again as he wondered if Tzang was still upset. He knew he made a big bet on that game too.
Now everyone wondered what this big announcement was about, and if it had anything to do with the other big event that same day.
Tzang would probably say they should cancel it just in case, but the old man didn't understand this new world at all. It was a forever moving engine and a little thing like D wouldn't stop it.
Speaking of which, where is Tzang? Shen wondered. It was Tzang's night to make the rounds; checking all the locks, looking for signs of intruders, that sort of thing. Tzang followed the once every hour schedule to a "T" and it was 15 minutes past midnight and he hadn't seen him shuffling by yet.
That's completely unlike him. He'd usually come by 5 minutes or so past the top of the hour, and he was never off by much.
Shen shook his head and muttered, "The old fart didn't die did he?" Stifling a tired yawn, Shen decided to go check on him and bent over and reached for his gasa.
He hated wearing the stupid thing at night. This part of the building was kept balmy to help preserve the ancient scrolls and the gasa made his head sweat, so he normally took it off unless he heard Tzang shuffling by.
Before his fingers could close around the rim, Shen felt something hit the side of his neck. A low grunt of shock escaped his lips and tried to reach for the dart that had appeared in his neck.
The arm never made it as all his strength left him.
Helpless and weak, he slumped to the ground as the intense desire to sleep flooded over him. Through the foggy haze drowning out his sense he heard light, clicking footsteps…
Like…his wife's high heels…
Consciousness returned to Shen all at once, like someone flipping a switch. He snapped to his feet. Not even the slightest bit of drowsiness left. He ripped out the dart, which hurt so bad he gagged on his own caught breathe, and immediately scanned around him.
Nothing except an empty hallway, a square of white drew his eyes to the ceiling. Orange tinted light crept through a small hole just above a supporting arch for the curved ceiling. He knew that wasn't there before, but he also noticed the light.
Dawn? Was he out all night?
He ran to the nearest sonicus line on the wall and removed the receiver. "Intruder alert! Intruder alert! There's been a breech in…" Shen stopped. His voice should be going over the loudspeaker, alerting other guards, and eventually informing the authorities. But, there was nothing except slight echoes coming from his own lungs. He tried again but got nothing. Did they cut the wires?
Shen cursed and ran up the corridor; he turned a corner and saw a body lying on the floor. "Tzang!"
He slid on his knees to Tzang's body and shook him. "Tzang, are you alright?"
A low groan escaped his lips. His eyes fluttered open, but where glassy and blank. The same kind of dart was in the back of his neck. He tried getting it out as gently as possible, but he could tell it hurt him bad too. Tzang's whole body jerked and he coughed.
Whatever drug the dart was laced with, it affected Tzang worse than Shen. Without warning, he grabbed Shen by the arm.
"The archives! Go to the archives!" He rasped between coughs.
"But the-"
"Go!" He shoved Shen away as he rolled over, trying to force himself up to his feet.
Shen stumbled back. Tzang was right; their duty was to protect the archives first. He fished his keys out of his pocket and went to the entrance.
He wouldn't need his keys.
The double door's lock was cut and the door was open slightly. He took a ready stance and raised a stone the size of his head out of the ground. He slowly pushed the double door open.
The archive was organized from newest additions to oldest, and public to private. The oldest was kept in the back and only authorized personnel could handle the scrolls, some of which were thousands of years old. And as such, they were kept in a separate section cordoned off by a velvet rope which would stop absolutely no one.
The newer documents were kept near the front entrance and on a second and third level for easy access and with provided supervision, anyone could look through them.
As a public service, people can request for the archive to store their private documents. Most big businesses in Ba Sing Se use this to store important records of business acquisitions and sometimes blueprints for a new building or important invention. And some of the most valuable historical scrolls are kept in there as well.
The question was then obvious: Why store it here and not somewhere safe?
The answer was obvious too: Because the Grand Archive was the only place with a vault like this.
The vault itself was constructed of 14 inch thick highest grade imaginable steel and built by the greatest metallurgists in the world. No one could get it open without the correct numbered combination in the two turn dials and 4 keys all turned in the exact perfect sequence. All together, the vault alone weighed roughly 15 tons. Even a wagon filled with blasting jelly couldn't scratch dent it.
The vault was visible straight ahead from the entrance, and it was open.
Shen wasn't half way to the vault when he saw that the vault hadn't been forced open. Which didn't make sense, how could anyone know the code? Even he was purposefully kept in the dark about it. Shen didn't even know anybody who might know the code, and never had seen it being opened.
Still keeping the stone poised in case someone, somehow, was still inside, he stepped around the heavy door.
Shen's face grew deathly pale.
Everything inside of the vault was shredded.
Every single piece of paper.
Every important scroll.
Whoever knocked him and Tzang out opened the vault and destroyed a fortune in books, scrolls, and schematics.
Shen gulped through a suddenly dry throat. A lot of people were going to be in deep, dark trouble for this, and he had a deep, dark feeling that one of them might be him…
Ba Sing Se, Upper ring…
"You've joined a club?" Rei asked as she combed her hair, watching herself in the mirror.
Mitsuro, who coincidentally was also fixing his hair, said, "Yeah, so I won't be around quite as much."
"Really? What does this club do?"
Mitsuro suppressed a grin. "It has a good time, that's what it does."
Rei turned and gave him that all-to-familiar suspicious look of hers. "A good time?"
The paranoid cow. She was always suspecting him of cheating on her. So what if he had? It's no business of hers who else he's with. Mitsuro waved her off. "Nothing like you're thinking. They're just into the same things I am."
"Oh, okay. So, they're some kind of archery group? Racing cycles?"
"Something like that. Sorry, but we're in a…competition of sorts with other clubs, so I can't tell you." In the last week since he joined, Mitsuro had come to understand more and more about what the organization was exactly about, though he still was unclear on a few things. Namely: who was the Head Master? Why hasn't he met him yet? When did Baku learn how to use explosives? And most importantly, who was their true enemy, and why was his destruction so important they'd kill the Avatar to do it?
Though he asked, he was provided with nothing but vague answers. They didn't want him to know yet.
Mitsuro figured it had to be him being new. They don't trust him fully with such important information. No matter. When the time comes, he'd learn everything he wanted to know.
She wrinkled her nose. "Why? You think I'll tell someone?"
"I know you'll tell someone. Like your big mouthed friend, Narnia."
She scoffed. "Her name is Nyla. And she's not big mouthed; she just…likes to talk. A lot. Very loudly."
"My point exactly."
She pouted. "That's not fair. What makes you think I'd tell her?"
Mitsuro cocked an eyebrow. "Because you've got a big mouth too."
She loved the way Mitsuro looked when he did that. She bit her lip enticingly, then pouted. "Fine, whatever you say. I'll let you play around in your little club. Just don't do anything crazy."
He laughed. Not at her idea of humor, but the idea of him needing her permission to do anything. Just because she had all the money, doesn't mean she was in charge, but if pandering to her was what it took to stay in her good graces, so be it.
"Crazy? Me? Not a chance."
Crazy wasn't the word for what they had planned. Dynamic, radical, epic. Those all seemed more appropriate. The more he thought about what they would do, it gave him a renewed elation that he hadn't felt since before he was about to kill the Avatar. They were going to cause chaos and destruction on a level that would make the bombing at the museum in Bumi City seem like a whisper in the wind.
And Mitsuro couldn't wait to be a part of it.
Okano District, Soto's Furniture Warehouse…
"Well, Mr. Ezeru, you certainly seem capable. Very capable indeed," one of the store owners Lin Soto said smoothly as she looked Ezeru up and down for the fifth time in as many minutes.
Her husband, Kao Soto, cleared his throat. For the fifth time in as many minutes. "So…uh…when can you start?"
"Immediately."
Lin immediately perked up. "That's just great. It's been so difficult running a business without any strong, young men around. They just don't seem to stay in here anymore. If they aren't moving to Kanko to work in the factories, it's to Gwuanju to work at the harbor. And everyone left just becomes businessmen of some sort here or in Ba Sing Se." She sighed. "It's so difficult for a small business to function nowadays."
It was the husband's turn to sigh. "Yes, but let's not bore him with that whole mess. Let's go to the office and finish the paperwork."
Finally. Ezeru's job search was over. He'd managed to avoid those moments of…weakness that had haunted him for as long as he could remember. He would be loading furniture onto delivery wagons, into and onto personal wagons. Ezeru also would help gather timber for Kao and Lin to carve during weekends if he chooses to.
There wasn't much room for his tendency to break things. Since some of furniture was heavy and sturdy, it could take any stress he could inadvertently put on it. And before asking for a job, Ezeru walked around the entire warehouse. There was a lot of walking space and few things he could trip on or termite riddled/moldy floorboards that could give under his weight.
He would've been a shelf stocker at a ceramic and tile shop, but mere seconds after arriving his foot went through a floorboard. He lost his balance and fell through a wall.
Not into. Through.
To heighten the problem, he landed on and crushed a wagon of cabbages.
The cabbage merchant threw up his hands and stormed off saying something about his father being right and that cabbages were cursed.
Ezeru offered to clean up the rubble, but the owner was furious at losing some of his best crafted vases and figurines. Needless to say, the owner was in no mood to give Ezeru a job.
Ezeru knew that for a fact. He asked. And was promptly called a name he hadn't heard before.
He would be sure to ask his aunt what it meant later. She could curse and jaw with anyone and kept up with slang. Ezeru tended to ignore people who speak vulgarly, which seemed to be everyone now, and only something new caught his attention anyway.
He put a scribble everywhere he was told to sign, bowed to his new bosses, and left. He would start tomorrow morning at 8.
Aunt Meng's…
Meng's place was empty save for three males, two were thin and the other pudgy. All were around Miko's age. The pudgy one was constantly looking at Miko, but she wasn't really paying attention to him. Her eyes kept drifting towards the clock on the wall just above the small window to the kitchen.
The three had finished eating a while ago and were probably waiting to see how it turned out.
Miko wished they would leave, she didn't want to potentially embarrass herself with an audience.
It was nearly time. Was she really ready to go through with this?
The door opened.
She'd have to be ready now…
One of the three nudged the other when Ezeru walked up to the counter, and said something about how tall he was and snickered about someone named Darlo.
"Uh…hello, Ezeru," a small voice said in place of Meng. Meng herself was rinsing dishes in place of the girl who was standing there the last time Ezeru was here.
There was a long pause as Ezeru's eyes went from the side of Meng's head to the girl. For whatever reason, they had changed places. The chef was watching with a face that teetered between intrigue and skepticism.
Oh goodness…
Her cheeks flushed and she looked at Meng, who urged here on with a quick flick of the wrists.
Her lip quivered as she tried to speak. "Would you…like…the usual?"
She was taking his order? Meng must have been training her to run the counter, he guessed.
Ezeru nodded. "Yes."
"One usual, coming up," Tin Li proclaimed as he did his typical spatula twirl.
Before she could tell him the total, he set the money on the counter in front of her. She apprehensively collected and counted the money, then dropped it into the register.
Another stretch of silence came as the meal was prepared, only broken by a few whispers and snickers were shared by the three at the table.
"Order up!" Tin Li shouted, sliding the platter and bowl of noodles through the kitchen window.
She handed it to Ezeru, and he started for his corner seat.
"M…my name is Miko!"
It was almost a shout and it made Ezeru stop.
Ezeru couldn't see her face since he was still facing away from the counter, but Miko wanted to cry, and had to look like it too.
She hung her head, blinking back tears she felt miserable for wanting to shed.
She wanted to crawl inside of a deep, dark hole and never come out.
How could she be so pathetic? Now he'll-
He turned his head and looked over his bandaged right shoulder she'd never seen him move, from between the quarter of his gasa that was missing, with those green eyes, and said with his strong yet gentle voice, "That is a very nice name, Miko."
If the gasp that came out of her mouth was loud enough to hear, she would never know, because she wasn't there any more. She barely remembered anything else after that, and she was already small of build, but she felt totally weightless. Floating about on air, with that seven word compliment playing in her mind over and over again.
Ezeru's House…
"You really don't need to work anymore," Wu Lin protested as she rinsed the plates of food they just ate. As usual, Ezeru didn't eat as much, since he prefers to eat at Aunt Meng's.
Ezeru's mother agreed. "She's right. I was finally approved to receive aid from the government. The letter came in the mail while you were away. We'll have more than enough to pay the note on the house now. It's okay to take a break now."
Ezeru took a sip of Wu Lin's tea. "I understand that, but I still need to do this."
"But, you've been working nonstop for so long. I worry about you wearing yourself out too soon. And for you to go from carrying around buckets of rocks to couches and sofas? I don't want to see something happening to your back too."
She didn't mean to, and Ezeru knew that, but he still felt the pang in his chest and his pulse quicken. The memory was still fresh in his mind of the day his mother's life was ruined forever. His own personal loss pails in comparison to how she suffered.
Thanks to him…
It was faint, but he felt his right arm quiver. He closed his eyes, inhaled slowly, and willed the thoughts away, suppressing them before they did any real damage. Literally.
"I will be fine, mother. You don't need to worry." He finished the cup of tea and set it on the table.
Wu Lin snorted. "It's just like I said. That boy is as stubborn as a zebra mule. He's going to work, whether we need him to or not."
Ezeru wouldn't put it that way, but that was his basic sentiment.
It was something he wouldn't be dissuaded from.
There were four sharp thumps against the door. It was a much heavier sound than someone using their bare hand, but not loud enough to say someone was banging. More like someone knocking with a rock.
"Goodness, who could that be?" his mother wondered.
Ezeru started to stand.
"No, no, you sit, Mr. Hard Worker. I'll get it." Wu Lin mocked as she walked by. When Wu Lin opened the door, two Dai Li agents were standing there.
The tallest one removed the distinct, tasseled gasa from his head. "Good evening, Ms. Wu Lin. Is your nephew home?"
Westbound road out of Ba Sing Se…
It was just after noon, and the weather was warm, but not too hot. Most importantly, the wind was calm. The dirt beaten path made it clear that this was a seldom used route. Newer routes were paved over to make passage with wagons simpler. Though use of those things was low and no one wanted to spend hours in a cramped metal box with uncomfortable seats.
Though it was a step up from walking place to place. But, just barely.
"Ohhh, how much longer will this take? Vivi's tired of walking," the little girl who wasn't a little girl whined.
Now she was wearing a not as frilly skirt, but still had her pigtails and exaggerated little girls voice. Mitsuro thought it might be an act at first, but he'd never seen her talk her age yet.
The "Vivi test" as Baku put it and those cryptic words: "Bad things happen to people who upset Vivi" still hung fresh in his mind.
It wasn't that Mitsuro was wholly afraid of her, but he didn't like known unknowns. He had more or less figured out everyone of the main group he was assigned to's special abilities and a basic shell of their personality.
"It won't be much longer, Vivi. If Jung Su was right, and he always is, it'll happen any minute now," replied the other girl named Lila.
She seemed to function as the on the ground leader when Jung Su wasn't present. He hadn't seen her fight, but a sword is standard fare. Given all the solo assignments she goes on, Mitsuro was sure she was more than capable with it. Since seeing her the day he first walked into the facility, he scarcely saw her. He could easily see that she was the organization's primary agent.
Baku yawned. "I'm with Vivi. This is pointless."
Baku specialized in explosions, which relegated his combat duties to distraction and intimidation. Enemies had a tendency to lose their fighting spirit when their comrades start blowing up. The only thing Mitsuro didn't know was what kind of explosive he used.
His early guess would be something similar to what a member of the Rough Rhinos once used, small but highly volatile explosives, portable enough to carry in a small backpack.
But, Baku didn't carry anything like that on him. Which only further begged the question: what does he use?
It would come in time, and he would also find out why didn't he rely on his Firebending. As Mitsuro remembered, Baku was an excellent bender even at a young age.
And of course, Mitsuro knew his role. As an archer, he had the only long range ability based on what he knew. He would cover their escape, and pick off any enemy archers or threats at a distance. Jung Su had already told Mitsuro he planned on having him accompany Ivy on future tasks that she couldn't do alone. He'd look forward that.
Mitsuro could also say, as of now, that no other benders were present in this group except for Baku.
He knew just about everything he needed to about everyone.
Except Vivi.
She had to bring something to the table, or a strategist like Jung Su wouldn't have use for her. Even Po, the organization's muscle, wasn't here, and Mitsuro figured a person like him would be useful for any situation. But, Jung Su's thought process was another issue that didn't fall into place with Mitsuro's presumptions.
So, what was Vivi's role? What is it that she could do that made Po, expendable for today? At some point, he'd find out, but he'd rather know sooner than later. So for now, even though he was supposed to walk next to her, he made sure not to stray too close.
Vivi turned to Mitsuro, beaming with a cheek dimpling smile. "Why so quiet, Misty Mitsy?"
He decided to be honest, but not completely honest. "I'm just thinking."
"About what?"
"A lot."
She giggled. "Don't think too much, or Jungy will get jealous."
"Oh please," Baku began. "Like Jung Su-"
Two bursts of fire from opposite sides of the road, one in front and one behind them, cutting them off.
Mitsuro's went for his bow.
A short arrow whizzed by the left side of his face.
He felt it bite into his skin and he jerked away, slapping at his cheek.
Five men sprang from the bushes, three in front on either path and two behind. All were wearing rags over their faces. One man wielded a broadsword, another had dual short blades, two were unarmed but their stance looked like that of a Firebender. Another was slightly taller than the rest and was barefoot.
The final bandit stepped out of the trees. His pace was slow and deliberate. Controlled. In his hands he held the weapon that he cut the side of Mitsuro's cheek with, and he was pointing it directly at Mitsuro.
A crossbow.
The bastard.
The sight of it angered Mitsuro. This bastard was challenging him. How dare someone with weapon that takes almost no skill to learn, challenge Mitsuro? How dare he! That weapon was a mockery of archery in every way. Just point and fire. No care or worry, because it reloaded the next arrow automatically. And he dared to show off his "skill" by grazing his Mitsuro's face on purpose?
He was going to pay for that.
Only thing now was where Mitsuro was going to put his arrow…
Ezeru's House…
Captain Asuke looked at the elderly woman named Wu Lin and hoped she wouldn't fear the worst.
When a Dai Li agent came knocking on your door, rarely was it good news. But, this was a different visit entirely.
Officer Nu Lang didn't follow Asuke's lead and remove his gasa upon greeting the elderly woman, and that probably threw Wu Lin a bit. Making a good impression on his family would be key. Nu Lang would have to learn how to dot his one day. He was young and green, like everyone is as a rookie, but soon this would be his job.
To come see youngsters like this one.
The look on her face told him she was a little worried. He added, "No need to worry, ma'am. He's not in any trouble. It's quite the contrary."
Her demeanor shifted. "Why are you here, then? If you don't mind me asking."
She's a sassy one. "It's about the day of the Avatar's revealing. We'd like to speak to your nephew about what happened that day."
She considered that, staring hard into Asuke's eyes. "Alright, I'll be right back." And she shut the door in their faces.
Nu Lang furrowed his brow, which was rather thick. "Why didn't you tell her?"
Asuke turned to his protégé. "There's no reason to rush this, is there? You only get one chance to make a first impression. And you'll catch more badger moles with worms than you'll ever catch with brute force," he said knowing full well how Nu Lang hated his obscure metaphors.
The dirt road…
"What's this? A bunch of brats? Well, just listen to me and no one will get hurt. So, no sudden movements," said the tallest bandit. He was probably an Earthbender, but he took no stance to speak of. "Or he will put an arrow in your eyes. You've already seen how deadly accurate he is first hand. Now throw down your weapons, slowly."
It took every ounce of will to keep Mitsuro from spitting at that comment, but given how outnumbered they were, they complied. Mitsuro unbuckled his quiver, with bow still in place and set it on the ground and took five steps back.
He wouldn't dare "throw down" the bow that once belonged to Mitsuro's father, but that wasn't the only reason he set it down that way…
Lila did the same with her sword.
Valuable or tactical, Lila? Mitsuro thought.
Baku and Vivi had no weapons on them to speak of so they did nothing.
The bandits moved in, also slowly and deliberately.
Vivi, who hadn't moved since the attack began, walked off to the side of the road, looking at the ground. Like she was following something.
"Hey!" the bandit Earthbender ordered.
She kept going.
Crossbow fired.
The arrow landed inches away from Vivi's feet.
She kept walking another three steps, seemingly oblivious to the threat against her life, then knelt down near some grass.
"Hello, Mr. Caterpillar. How are you today?" she said to the fuzzy, orange thing.
"I said don't move!" the Earthbender barked. "What in the world is wrong with you? Are you deaf, you stupid girl?" He took a step towards her.
Baku, who was holding his hands up, smiled that ear to ear smile of his. "Technically, you said 'no sudden movements' and she was walking pretty slowly. She won't run anyway and-"
The man, who Mitsuro now considered the leader, nodded with his head and the Firebender who attacked from the back, stepped in front of Baku and punched him in the stomach. Baku staggered, doubling up. He clutched at his chest and he began coughing.
"Now I'm telling you to shut up! And don't move." the Earthbender grated as he jabbed a finger at Baku. The other Firebender stepped forward, unraveling a rope. "Good, tie them up. Then go through their pockets."
It had been a while since he had known Baku, but he still recognized the flash he saw in his face. It was the way he looked when he was plotting something, the certain way he was smiling.
What's he planning?
The Firebender went to Lila. He patted her and started going through her pockets. A bizarre, almost pleasurable look was on her face as he did it.
"Oooh, you know, this would be much better if I didn't just get to see your eyes, Mr. Bandit," she said in almost a moan. "Why don't you take off that mask and let me see your face?"
Mitsuro hadn't really looked at her hard before now, but she was rather…shapely, and had an attractive face.
Her eyes drifted over to Mitsuro and met his eyes. She winked at him.
It wasn't an oddly timed seductive act. It was a signal.
It's time…
The bandit fumbled as if he were trying to say something, but knew he shouldn't. He turned to his leader. "She's…uh…got nothing but some change on her."
"That's not all I've got," she moaned, raising the seduction in her voice even higher. "I've got a feeling that you're not going to like the next 5 seconds."
"Wh…what?" He stammered as he shifted in front of her to tie her hands up. Then his body seized up and he staggered back.
From the angle Mitsuro was standing at, he would've been able to see the small stiletto sticking from the Firebender's chest.
But, he was already diving to the ground for his quiver.
Crossbow saw the movement and fired twice in succession.
Mitsuro was right; he couldn't aim for crap. The arrows went wide of him.
In a practiced maneuver, Mitsuro grabbed his quiver, rolled, and rose to a crouch.
Just like he trained and expected, the bow was free and in hand, but he had only managed to remove two arrows.
Damn, it was supposed to be three. It's because I'm out of practice. But that's all he needed.
He raised his bow-
A blast of fire came from behind him-
The Firebender without a dagger in his heart was attacking-
Baku leapt in the way, dissipating the blaze by flaring out his arms and protecting Lila and Mitsuro who must have performed a similar roll to Mitsuro for her sword, because they were crouched nearly back to back.
She jumped to her feet, and she swung at the same time Mitsuro jumped to his.
As the sudden sound slinking metal rang in his ears, he charged Crossbow.
Crossbow raised and tried to put an arrow in Mitsuro's face-
-Click-
The arrow clip was empty-
Another reason a real bow will always trump a crossbow.
Dual blades' head fell from his shoulders.
It hit the ground with a sick thump.
His body followed after.
How the…? Did Lila do that? But, he was over 10 feet away! There's no way her sword could reach-
Crossbow cursed, and lunged to his right, trying to get out of Mitsuro's aim. He desperately reached into his pocket for another clip.
Mitsuro cursed himself for getting distracted and raised his own bow.
A sharp spike of stone sprouted from the ground, trying to impale him!
He leapt back, just missing getting stabbed, and turned in midair. He fired a single arrow on Earthbender before he really gauged him as a target. But it wasn't the first time he'd fired from this position at a target he couldn't quite see.
Muscle memory and reflex made the arrow strike in the shoulder.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Broadsword's chest rip open, as he spun to the ground, crying out and he heard the same sound of slinking metal.
Lila again?
Mitsuro landed on his feet and bent to his knees.
He readied the next arrow, just as Crossbow was running from around the spike to get a point blank shot.
Mitsuro gave a grim smile. "Hello there."
He fired.
Ezeru's house…
"So, you don't recall using any form? You just saw the explosion and then woke up in that shell of earth?" Asuke asked, taking a sip of Wu Lin's tea.
"Yes," Ezeru answered with a slight nod. Ezeru didn't know what to make of this visit. They'd asked him about what he did to survive the blast four times now, asking him to go in detail what he did. But, he just didn't remember.
Not exactly.
What would the Dai Li want with him that would make the come all this way? Was it really just to ask him these questions?
"Hm…most intriguing, young man. Most intriguing. And Ms. Wu Lin, this tea is as good as anything the Jasmine Dragon has ever made."
"Why thank you," she said bowing. "But, I like to think of my own brew as more unique than anything the Dragon of the West's shop could create."
Giala set down her own cup. "Well, excuse me, Captain Asuke-"
"Asuke or Mr. Asuke is just fine."
"Mr. Asuke, you never actually said how you figured out we were there at the time of that explosion."
"I did? Silly me. Well, I'll start at the beginning." He took a final sip of the tea and set it down on the living room table. "Well, as you know, the explosion took the lives of many people. 29 in all perished and dozens more receives severe burns. And that doesn't even include those injured in the panicked rush to get to safety.
"The Dai Li was charged with keeping order on that day. They set up the barricades and were positioned all throughout the area, and especially near the stage." He looked remorseful. "Of the 29 who died, 6 were our agents. None of them. Not a single one of them protected themselves. No one threw up a stone barrier or even tried too. All were incinerated.
"I had to survey the scene in person. I trained those agents myself. They were like sons and daughters to me. And that's when I saw it, the one oval of clean, unscorched earth in the blast radius. It was faint after a few days time, but after years of bending, I could see it. I asked again and again if the scene had been disturbed and was assured each time the area had been preserved as it was on the day of the explosion. It was then clear to me: someone had bent the ground there to save themselves. Something none of my other agents could do. And I knew I had to find that person.
"I asked about who was standing there and what happened to them and heard the story of the only three survivors amidst all the death. I did some searching and eventually came across the Water Tribe healers who gave first aid to the survivors. They remembered you very well; the tall youth with the bandaged arm, his mother in a wheelchair, and his aunt. And they also remembered your name as well. Once I had a name and a description, well, this is the Dai Li. It was simple to find you."
Giala nodded her expression shrewd, a face she often saved for her sister. "That's quite the tale, but, it's clear now that learning about how my son saved us isn't your true reasons for coming here."
Officer Asuke looked at Nu Lang and sighed. He held up his stone gloved hands in defeat "You got me."
"So, why are you really here, Mr. Asuke?"
They're quite astute, didn't take that story at face value one bit. And this youngster is quite the…quiet one. He and Nu Lang might get along just fine; they could sit around and not talk about anything all day.
The descriptions didn't do him justice. He was taller than Asuke thought he'd be. Asuke subtly asked if he lifted weights, but was told no. Which is hard to imagine given how muscular his frame his. He wasn't wearing the three-fourths gasa they described, but why would he indoors? And he already had the queue, though for whatever reason he kept a full head of hair, rather than shave the front.
Asuke felt no reason to keep up the butter up portion. He would lay it all on the table. He leaned forward in the comfortable sofa, and locked his hands together.
"Ma'am, I'm here to recruit your son to join the Dai Li."
Dirt road…
Crossbow stood there, eyes wide. He looked over his body, frantically searching for the arrow. Confident when he didn't find it he said, "You missed." And he brought the sight to his eyes to return an arrow of his.
He squeezed the trigger.
The crossbow jerked.
Crossbow looked confused for a second. Mitsuro was rising to his feet, unharmed. "No, I didn't. But, you did. Earlier, you weren't trying to scare me. I was an active threat to you and your comrades. You were trying to kill me, but missed. A bow is and will always be superior to a crossbow."
Crossbow then fell on his back, gagging on his own blood.
One of his own short arrows was lodged, shaft first into his throat. The arrowhead was pointing straight at Mitsuro.
Crossbow's crossbow slipped from his hands and clattered to the ground, as he clutched at his throat with both hands, his eyes wild.
Now Crossbow probably could see what Mitsuro had done. Mitsuro's arrow was stuck in the stock, blocking the smaller crossbow arrows from exiting. When Crossbow pulled the trigger, it backfired.
Mitsuro just made the fool kill himself.
Mitsuro turned and went for his quiver, as the dying bandit kicked and squirmed his last moments before finally becoming still.
Mitsuro had gotten his quiver when he realized Baku and the Firebender were still fighting. Baku was knocking aside all of his blasts, which were much smaller than before. The bandit was also breathing heavily.
Lila was tapping her foot impatiently. "Oh, come on, Baku. Finish this up already," she complained.
Baku shrugged. "Alright, fine, party pooper."
The Firebender took advantage of Baku taking his eyes off him. He roundhoused a small arch of fire, trying to hit Baku in the chest.
Baku slapped the fire up and over him, as he stepped towards the exhausted and beaten bandit.
Baku twisted on his heels, and started shouting at the top of his lungs.
The bandit panicked and tried to shield himself from the oncoming-
Baku stopped yelling at the same time he touched on finger to the bandits' forehead. His smile was in full force as he looked at the shaking bender.
"Boom."
The second the words left Baku's mouth, the Firebender's body shook just like his partner, except he didn't stagger.
He just dropped to his knees and was still a moment before slumping over.
What in the world did he do? Mitsuro walked over to the body.
There was no stiletto. No cuts. No visible wounds whatsoever, yet blood was seeping from his ears, eyes, nose, and mouth.
It didn't make any sense. How did Baku kill him?
A heavy grunt and footsteps brought Mitsuro's attention around.
Damnit, the Earthbender. Mitsuro had forgotten about him!
By the time they turned around, the bandit leader was holding a knife to Vivi's neck.
"Hold it right there, you freaks!" He looked every bit like the coward he was. He was backing away from them slowly, keeping Vivi as a shield. "Stay back or I'll slit her throat!"
Vivi's head was down, with some of her hair free of her pigtails and covering her eyes. She was more or less being carried.
If he moved quickly, he might be able to hit him without hurting Vivi, but Lili was the group leader. He looked at her.
She was shaking her head. Not in shame or in fear for Vivi's situation, it was a bemused "He's in trouble" kind of head shake.
Baku was chuckling quietly to himself, with a hand on his face.
The man was a coward. He tightened his grip on Vivi. "Damn you, what the hell is so funny?!"
"You are so dead," Ivy said still shaking her head.
"Dude, you would've been better off pretending to be dead. You picked the wrong little girl to take hostage."
"What?"
A low, rasping breathe slowly became louder and louder, until it was a near wheezing growl. It was coming from Vivi.
"You…squished…Mr....Caterpillar…"she said not sounding at all like an innocent, little girl.
Her head snapped around, almost at an impossible angle and speed for a human neck with the most feral, animalistic look Mitsuro ever saw on a human face.
Through bared teeth she hissed, "Vivi doesn't like you!"
It was such a startling look, he withdrew a bit from her.
She grabbed his hand that was still holding the blade.
The Earthbender was much larger than her, but that didn't stop her from breaking free of his grip and twisting his arm around.
He grunted in surprise and pain.
She violently twisted his hand around, snapping his wrist, and plunged the blade into the lower right side of his back. He bellowed in pain.
The back of his knee was kicked out, bringing the rest of his body lower to hers.
She pulled out the knife and stabbed him again.
His cries grew louder.
She twisted the knife before pulling it out.
And then she found another place.
It was like she knew just where she could inflict the most pain without killing him.
The man didn't stop screaming for what seemed like a long time.
Mitsuro had seen death before. He'd killed men before, even has taken the life of a woman and people his age when he had too. But, what Vivi did with that blade turned his stomach in ways he never thought possible.
She literally butchered the man.
Mitsuro couldn't hold back anymore and wheeled around, and wretched.
Gasping for air, he looked at the other two who didn't dare interfere .
Ivy looked solemn, but not sickened. Even Baku wasn't smiling his usual smile, though he still was smiling.
None were surprised. They had seen this before.
Then, just like that, she changed.
She actually skipped up to them after tossing away the knife. She was remarkably clean to say what she'd just done; only a few streaks of red stained her skirt. "Okay, time to go. Vivi needs to wash her hands and change her clothes. The bad man made it all messy." And she giggled again.
Baku handed Mitsuro a hand towel to wipe the vomit from his face. "Yeah, I had the same reaction the first time I saw that. Eventually, you'll get used to it."
Baku's hand hovered in the air as Mitsuro was reluctant to take the towel from him. He still didn't forget how he killed a man by touching him.
Lila beheaded one man then gashed another's chest open 10 feet away.
Vivi went from a sugar coated princess to a psychopath in no time flat.
So, this is what Jung Su meant by…special…
Lila then said, to no one in particular, "Operation: Bandit's Bane, is a success."
They began walking back to town.
Baku chuckled. "I said it then, I'll say it now. That name sucks. And this mission was pointless"
Lila shrugged. "Take it up with, Jung Su. He named it." She sighed. "Though I do kinda agree with the second part. Not a single cute guy in the bunch, though that Firebender had some pretty eyes."
Vivi smiled. "Don't worry, you'll find some good ones next time.
Lila bit her lip, something Rei often does, "True, there's always next time."
Mitsuro had an idea of the purpose of this mission. Sending them into a bandit infested area by themselves, there was only one reason:
Jung Su wanted Mitsuro to know exactly who he would be working with from now on.
The entire walk back, Mitsuro doubled the distance he kept from Vivi and all of them.
That Earthbender was right…they were all freaks.
But, then…so was Mitsuro.
Outside of Ezeru's house…
"I appreciate the invitation, and you journeying this far, but I decline."
Today was originally going to be a learning experience for Nu Lang, but it turned out both Dai Li agents would get a taste of something new.
"Has anyone ever turned you down like that?" Nu Lang asked as they climbed into the wagon.
"Nope," Asuke replied, closing the driver side door.
"What does this mean?"
"It means we go home and continue with business as usual, Nu Lang."
"But, to leave without even trying to convince him otherwise… I mean, a person like him would do such good for the agency. You said yourself if a 16 year old could throw up a barrier that fast and strong enough to withstand that intense heat, he must be…"
"A true master in the making," Asuke finished and started up the engine with hummed to life. "I've acquired a talent for reading a person. It's key in this line of work and in any bending battle. I saw something in his eyes that told me, that he would like the training. No bender wants to just sit on his talents like that. Bending is a skill that almost demands to be honed. But, for some reason in his eyes…well…it isn't that he didn't want to join us; he couldn't join us."
"So, why can't he join us? It's not his guardians. Both of them said it was fine."
Asuke shrugged and shook his head. "Hell if I know, but we left him our card. If he changes his mind, he knows where to find us."
"Do you think he will? He seemed pretty…stubborn."
"Yeah, I got that too. If he feels there's enough reason too, he'll come." Asuke paused for a moment. "In fact, I'm almost positive he'll come." Then he laughed his hearty laugh. "Though it might take a while from the looks of it."
They were almost through Okano District and were pulling onto a main roadway before Nu Lang spoke again.
"What about that name? It doesn't sound…normal."
"Yeah. It's not an Earth Kingdom name, that's for certain. And on top of that it's fake."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because his mother would probably name him after his father. A strong woman like that would only marry an army man, and army wives always pass on a father's name."
"Where'd you hear a thing like that?"
Asuke laughed again. "You'll find out what I mean one day, Nu Lang. One day. But, that isn't the only reason I think it's fake."
"Oh?"
"You see, when I was searching for his name in the records at City Hall. No person named Ezeru lives in this city. I went back to the Water Tribe healers and asked them if they were sure that was his name. A lady admitted they didn't actually get that name from him, his mother, or aunt. They knew because the foreman who was doing construction was making a fuss over losing 'the man named Ezeru' she called him as they walked off on the day of the explosion. The foreman wasn't upset about losing him because he was such a hard worker, it was because it would be on them to clean up the damage and they used Ezeru as a heavy lifter."
"He certainly is built for it."
"He sure is."
"So, why would he use a fake name? And does anyone know what his real name is?"
"I know why he'd use a fake name, and I know his real one."
"Really? Why? What is it?"
Asuke breathed in deeply and let out an even slower breathe."I know you'll hate me saying it, but from where he stands, he has good reason to shun that name. So, out of respect for him, I can't tell you."
"Great, now I want to know what it is."
Asuke laughed again. "Sorry."
Next chapter:
Chapter 10: Discovery