Sorry for this less than stellar chapter, I just wanted to get an introduction out of the before the real action starts. Enjoy!
His bare feet slapped against the stony floor, cockroaches, ants, beetles and other bugs scurried away in a hurry as his steps quicked. He could hear it, back there, down the hallway, it was getting closer. Despite his fastened pace, he could hear its humming and groans swirling down the hallway, crawling into his ears. He began to run, the humming was getting louder, his footsteps began to become wet as he waded through black water that lapped against his ankles. He looked down to see his reflection.
He was dangerously thin, little more than a skeleton covered in thin, almost transparent skin. He felt a scream rise from his throat as he saw the small circular orb stare at the back of his head, the humming was now deafeningly loud. His screams stopped, as did his breathing and all bodily movements, even his eye. It just stared straight forward, into the black corridor, the darkness seemed to seep forth in groping tendrils that slithered and writhed towards his frozen body. He saw the faintest flicker of movement in his peripheral vision, just a shadow. He soon found himself staring into the frozen solid gold of a floating eye. The eyeball was bloodshot, red veins throbbed angrily in the surrounding whiteness.
The eye drifted closer to him, towards his socket. He wanted to reach out and grab it, stuff it into his skull, but his hand remained unmoving. The eye just brushed against his brow before it darted into the darkness down the hallway, disappearing.
His eye snapped open to reveal the pale moon rays spilling into his dark room. His chest heaved and sweat trickled down his forehead. He glanced around his room, expecting to see the eye there, glaring at him. He did see an eye, but it was not his own. He felt his hand instinctively reach for his sword. He felt his fingers wrap around the hilt before his wrist was jerked away by a small rope of some sort that followed a loud snap. His heart was beating wildly, pumping blood throughout his body, blood he should be using to run or fight but he just found himself staring at the dark silhouette the eyes belonged to.
"I'll release your arm if you promise not to reach for your sword again." The voice was feminine yet low, full of arrogance but truth. He nodded to the concealed woman who in turn, allowed Razai to uncoil the whip wrapped around his wrist which was now glowing red with spots of angry blood. He glared at the woman still concealed in the dark, the brown eye still gazing at him, studying him, moving up and down his body which was only partially concealed under the covers.
He sighed and slightly gritted his teeth. "I will not feign fearlessness and act unsurprised. How did you get in here?" he asked the woman. "Through the window," she said simply before sitting up from the chair and walking into the moon's white rays. Her pale skin glowed brightly in the moonlight, almost glaringly. Razai opened the top drawer of his nightstand and pulled out a small match, scraping it against the wooden bed then lighting a candle. Despite being only a small source of light, it illuminated the room, casting an orange cover against the pale woman.
She raised her brows at his action curiously, crossing her arms across her chest. "You're Fire Nation royalty, why didn't you just light the candle with your bending?" she asked, her tone even and just a bit bored. Razai remained silent and glared at the intruder who was standing only just from the foot of his bed.
She had seen quite a lot of things in the ten years that she had traveled. Many frightening people many odd folk but this teenager was terrifying in his own way. She didn't mind the missing eye, she had seen much worse but his remaining one was more disturbing than that opposite blackened pit. She had met royalty of the Fire Nation before, specifically the banished prince, and they all had blazing golden eyes that seemed to bubble and shift with certain liquid-like properties, but his eye did not. It was stern, cold, and inquisitive and revealed no inner fire.
He continued to stare at her, hardly blinking. Her hair was black enough to blend into the dark wooden walls of his room, despite the orange light the candle cast. She had changed her clothes from her traveling gear and wore a sleeveless black tunic of cloth. "I assume you came in through the window," said the Prince sternly as he set the candle on the nightstand and reached for his folded robes that sat in the drawer. He waited for the woman to look away but she never once took her eyes off of him. "It is common courtesy from where I am from to turn away when someone means to change," he said impatiently.
The woman chuckled lightly, the sound was strangely alluring for Razai, reminding all too much of someone he had known. "You have nothing that I haven't seen, boy, but, if it makes you feel better, I'll turn." The woman revolved on her heel, her bare feet seemed to glide above the firm wooden floor and stared into the dim wall, tapping her foot lightly while Razai pulled on a red cotton shirt and loose fitting black pants before she turned around to see Razai walking out of his room, hand extended towards her.
She scoffed but took his hand regardless, it was warm yet cold. His feet slapped against the wooden floor with each step he took. He descended down the stairs while lightly holding her hand, courtly. "Here, sit," he said quietly. The bar was completely empty side from his guards who followed them from his room, Sun Spear's held in hand, ready to lash out at her if need be.
She mock bowed to Razai then took her seat at the booth he had requisitioned only last night, chuckling at the carvings on the wooden table. She watched him pour a strong brown alcohol into two tankards, she could smell its bitter spice from here. "So," he said while walking over to her. "Do you know who I am?" he said as he took a seat, watching her drink heavily from the tankard. The liquid dripped off her thick, dark red lips, she was very attractive despite her birth, which, he assumed, couldn't have been very high up in the social ladder.
"No. I've met your brother though. He had scar, right?" she said as glanced around the bar, trying to avoid his singular, slightly disturbing gaze. His rubbed his fingers together and felt the edges of his lips curl ever so slightly. "Many men have scars," he said while taking in her silky, reflective black hair. "Yeah but he had one on over his left eye, red and angry, not like yours," she said as she looked at his blackened eye socket. Razai moved two fingers reflexively across the dead skin, he still hadn't truly gotten over the loss of his eye, it still bothered him and made him a bit self conscious. "Yes...his was by a burn, mine was poked a bit too much," he said with a noise emanating from his throat, similar to a chuckle. He, for the first time, lifted the tankard to his lips and let the strong drink slip past his lips and down his throat, burning intensely enough for him to choke slightly.
She laughed aloud at his reaction and lifted the tankard to her mouth once more before seeing the Prince waiting for her to lower it, which she did. "I'd like to know what you were doing in my room while I was asleep," he said while staring at her. "I was interested in you," she said in curtly. She spied his lips curling upward slightly, but it never evolved beyond that, much to her disappointment. "Interested in me?" he asked, amused. "I've been to this inn more time than I can count for as long as I have been traveling. I've known every single face in this town for the past ten years and not once have I seen a noble. I'd like to know what you're doing here and I am willing to offer my services if you are willing to pay," she said, meeting his gaze for the first time.
He "Hmph'd" at this and raised the tankard to his lips once more, ignoring his tightening throat. "And what would your 'services' include. Warming my bed?" he said amused. She laughed and ran her pale, skinny fingers through her thick hair. "No, I can only assume you're looking for someone here, why else would someone of your status be in an out of the way village like this?" she said. Razai moved his eye towards the window, a very small ray of orange light was bursting over the oceanic horizon, at least he slept for the better part of the night. "You're too smart for your own good. What is your name and how might you help me find the person I seek?" he said as he stood up.
She smirked and extended her hand towards him, making him raise his eyebrows slightly before taking her hand. She was warm. He thought she would be cold for some odd superstitious reason he couldn't name, but she was warm and her skin was soft. They both went outside, greeted by a cold, humid morning, clouds of fog drifted like floating white whales across the thatched roof tops of the village cabins. Dew hugged at the tops of each blade of grass. He shivered when he felt his bare feet collide with the cold wetness of the blades of grass, slightly itching his feet. "June," she said while looking forward. June, what an odd name.
She led him by his hand behind the inn and showed him to a small stable, a simple shack with two stalls big enough to hold perhaps two horses each. She let out a sharp whistle, the stable rattled in response, dust falling off the door while something on the other side banged against it. After the third or fourth smack, the door burst open and large four legged creature bounded from the stall. He hadn't even blinked and the creature was already upon him, it was covered in light brown fur, a patch of dark fur went from its head and down its back, down to its bushy, unkempt tail. He eyed the creature with a mixture of fear and surprise, and a bit of curiosity.
He noticed the lack of eyes on the creature and then the over developed snout with a collection of short, pink, fleshy tendrils that surrounded the flaring nostrils that expanded and imploded as it sniffed me.
"This is Nyla, a shirshu. She could track a flea on the other side of the earth and can without a doubt find the person you are looking for," she said while rubbing the creature's snout affectionately. The creature's mouth hung open with damp, saliva ridden hair drooping from below its lips, its dart like tongue lolled and slithered through the creature's dagger shaped teeth. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when an ear piercing shriek echoed down from above them. He looked up in the darkish blue void, the orange light of the dawn was pushing back the darkness back across the sky.
A hawk swooped down and landed on Razai's shoulder, his talons digging uncomfortably into Razai's thin skin. He pulled a small scroll from a scabbard slung across the hawk's red feathered back. He found the creature's graceful and beautiful to look at, they had pinkish faces with long drooping mustache like fur that fell to its stomach. He eyed the goldish seal, a golden dragon that coiled about the small circular hardened wax. He tore the wax seal from the paper, careful not to tear and read the note.
Fire Prince Razai, third child of the Fire Lord,
We had heard of your intent to stabilize the Earth Kingdom Provinces, we beg of you to postpone your plans. Pirates from Northern Huang have become bolder. More than once have trade ships been pillaged under the cover of night, cutting off supplies from The Grey Snake, we must ask for your intervention.
Captain Xe of Frostspire
Frostspire, The Grey Snake, two very uncomfortable outposts in the Northern Earth Kingdom. Frostspire was little more than a tower of cold metal off the coast of the North Pole while The Grey Snake was a collection of metal buildings built into the side of the Huang-She mountains. He sighed and stuffed the message into his robe pocket. "Come, I will give you your first payment," he said before returning to the inn. The stairs shook slightly as he quickened his pace, they creaked and groaned in protest as his feet stamped on each stair, June striding quietly behind him. His guards hadn't moved at all. Sometimes he questioned if they were normal humans.
He practically ran into his room and opened the chest, grabbing his clothes and armor, setting them on his bed. He dug into his jerkin's pocket and retrieved a rather small bag of golden dragons, the most expensive currency in the world. He tossed the bag to June who had looked at the bag in disgust, not knowing the contents of the bag, it could be coppers for all she knew. "Twenty golden dragons, this should last you a few months for whatever you need." June's eyes widened for a few moments then settled, she smiled deviously at him. "Head down to the docks and wait for me, we'll be there shortly," he told her while putting his gear on.
The charcoal skiff bounced idly on the rather clear water of the docks, a few gulls stood on the edges of the skiff's roof, watching Razai and his guard approach. June laid against three stacked crates, Nyla curled up next to her, snoring softly. The guards armored steps alerted her, her eyes shot open and she sat up, stretching. "Is this the ship you plan on using?" she asked teasingly. He let out a short amusing grunt before walking past her, pointing out a small black rectangle on the horizon.
The pier groaned slightly at the weight of all of them. It wasn't poorly made but he wasn't sure four fully armored soldiers and an animal larger than a bear were meant to walk on it. He sent the four guards onto the skiff first and beckoned for June who stepped onto the boat. "What about your animal?" he asked curiously. She looked back and waved her hand in dismissal. "She can swim," she said as she sat onto the metallic bench built into the skiff.
The boat moaned and with a blast of steam and a whoosh of spray, it surged from the island's bay towards The Debauchery which sat idly in the water, a floating fortress. The shirshu silently swam next to the vessel, occasionally coughing up water with a scratchy yack. His guard's bright armor caught the sun's light, but their Sun Spears almost seemed to literally drain the light, making the tips of their weapons glow brightly with an unnatural light. More than once he caught himself staring at June who was looking at the growing metal island that was The Debauchery. Her pale skin reflected the sun's glare, making her glow white and angelic, he was slightly concerned how infatuated he was with her. They finally arrived at the flagship, the sun was practically setting. How long had they been on the skiff? It couldn't have been a whole day, he thought. He quickly reminded himself of sandbars and reefs from which they had to avoid, and they were spread out around the island like a maze.
The skiff rounded about the massive ship and was hoisted into the docking bay by chains. After leaving the skiff, he sent his guards away and proceeded to the bridge, June tailing behind him. Nyla slopped up the ramp out of the water and shook wildly, tossing damp fur and water throughout the crewmen were very wary of the shirshu but it did little but grunt and snort at anyone foolish enough to approach it. "Quite the metal beast you have here, Razai," said June as she walked beside him, looking around the dark metallic corridors despite there being not much to look at. "Don't lie, it's very dull. And I would have to agree with you," Razai said while rounding the corner, leading to the stairwell. June chuckled lightly and brushed the hair out of her eyes. For the first time, he saw her right eye. It was emerald green, tiny crystal-like formations glimmered and shimmered like a bundle of jewels, he almost stumbled as her eyes darted towards him, squinting as she laughed at him.
He felt his face flush slightly but kept an even expression, he was after all, still a teenager. He knew he couldn't help these hormone-induced emotions and lusts, but he did his best to act older than he was. Hell, he felt older than he was.
"So, how old are you, kid?" she asked as they climbed the metal stairs, clinking and clanking with each footstep. "Sixteen," he said simply, keeping his head slightly elevated, watching the next floor grow closer to them. She whistled with surprise. "You look almost twenty," she said while she eyed his body. He was thin, a bit too thin, and fairly short, but he still had a few years to grow. His face was long and he possessed an attractively sharp jawline. Short strands of black hair grew from his chin and slightly up his jaw, making him look older. "You're too skinny," she said, chuckling lightly. He grunted in response.
"You never did tell me how you lost your eye," she said, trying to continue the conversation. She was genuinely interested in his injury. He was unlike most people she had met who lost an eye, and that was quite a few considering her profession. Normally one would wear an eyepatch or get a fake eye but he wore his injury proudly, almost daring anyone to mock him. "I was imprisoned at one point. They shattered my wrist and broke my arm then stuck a hot metal rod through my eye," he said boredly, almost as if he had rehearsed the sentence.
After a few minutes of nothing but their feet banging against the metal floor, she sighed. "Don't you want to ask how old I am?" she said with genuine curiosity. He sighed as they reached the top of the stairwell, walking towards the metal door that led to the bridge. "How old are you?" he asked, not really caring. "Twenty-three," she said, smirking at him while he opened the door. She eyed a fairly tall man in simple red robes, staring out the window. She started in but Razai stopped her with his hand. "Sang, set your course for Frostspire, we have business to attend to," he said. The man nodded and after a series of lever pulls and gauge adjustments, the ship rumbled to life. Metal vibrated and groaned, smoke bellowed from the enormous smokestacks that rose into the sky, and the ship lurched forward, slowly at first but picking up speed every second. Razai turned from the bridge, June following him.
"I'll show you where you'll be staying," he said while stepping down the stairs fairly quickly. Even with a quickened pace, it took them quite some time to reach her room. He allowed her to go in first. It was a cold metal cabin with a fairly large bed, sheets and covers folded up on the foot, a bolted down chest sat at the foot as well. There was a grey metal hearth on the other side of the room, built in to the wall with a pile of firewood next to it. She entered the room and dropped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. "It's been a few months since I've slept in an actual, comfortable, bed. Made out of cloth and silk and not just...straw and fur." He watched her close her eyes and smile while groping the bed with her pale fingers.
"I have a request of you, June," he said. June looked up and nodded at him. "I am in probably the poorest state of health since I was released from the prison and I need someone to train with. I have been in combat before, actual combat, fighting without my firebending, and I couldn't really say I was killing with finesse or skill, just hacking, jabbing and slicing like some Water Tribe Barbarian," he said the last words with disgusted contempt.
June looked at him curiously before sighing and sitting up. "Alright. It's been awhile since I've had a sparring partner. Other than my bounties of course, and, well, it's not like they had a choice anyway" she said with a smirk. "We'll start tomorrow morning then. Sleep well," said the prince before leaving her in her room. She undressed and looked at herself in the mirror. She eyed the two plump, teardrop shaped breasts that hung from her chest, as pale as the rest of her body, she sighed as she traced her black nail along the curve of her breast. She lowered her eyes as she examined her abdomen and legs, looking for any blemishes, finding none. Her hips were wide in contrast to her slim torso. Her thighs were thick and creamy, slightly touching each other at the thickest point, leaving a small heart shaped opening between her upper legs and her intimacy which was well trimmed despite her being on the move most of the times. She sighed and walked over to her bed, feet sliding across the smooth cold floor. She laid her bare body against the bed and covered herself in the silky sheets, finding the softness and warmness unbearably alluring. She found her eyes shutting, eventually soft snores escaped her slightly parted lips, ushering her into a peaceful sleep.