A/N: Hello, I promised quicker updates and here is one. Yay! Please review because that will get me through this blasted holiday and my extremely normal and boring family.
Disclaimer: I only own the OC's, they are MINE! Because even I want some imaginary credit. :) Everything else belongs to its respective people.
Previously on Events Unexpected…
All that had been scratched into the rough paper with a graphite-tipped pencil was a crude schematic of some sort of building.
"But why would Aroostook leave a thing of such importance?" Tenzin was growing suspicious about some of the details to the plot. "Why make his involvement so publicly known? And why leave this in his office when he must have certainly been aware that it would be the first place we looked?"
"Because it's worthless," Korra's disheartened voice answered him. Both Tenzin and Lin turned to look at her with raised eyebrows and a similar question on their tongues. "I know because it doesn't matter what the blueprints say; we still have no idea where that place is."
"Alright Naga," Korra whispered, procuring the blue and red envelope that she had secretly snagged from the unwitting boy while he was too busy apologizing to her. Turning the reins to indicate a Northeastern direction, Korra spurred her ride forward, both disappearing into the dark of the wilderness.
Kaji's deft fingers curled around the pen with perhaps a bit too much pressure. She had observed Inzei for quite a time, even if he himself had not known it to be so for the majority of it, and she trusted in his ability to decipher the subtle hints she placed within. It was such a simply letter really, written in the hand of someone she knew Inzei would find familiar with. Perhaps it told too much for the first letter of importance. She had to obtain his attention though. So, with a resigned huff of expelled air, she gave it to the attending servant and bade him send it in the familiar black envelope.
The stars pointed Kaji's ship to its destination, north and east.
Tenzin didn't even try to prevent the impending, foreboding, headache that was due to appear at any second. He could not believe how foolish he had been to have thought, to have even entertained the possibility, of Korra actually listening to him for once in her life. He wanted to let out quite an unprofessional groan before slumping so that his head rested on the cool table before him. It had been that morning that he had been woken up from a much needed session of sleep, only to be told by his mother that Korra was missing. His first reaction had been a drowsy disinterest, thinking that the girl had simply snuck off somewhere with Bolin and Kaji. As his mind began to emerge from its stupor and the events of the previous evening were dawning on him, however, he finally gave out the appropriate response. For him that was a very loud, abnormally infuriated "WHAT?!"
After a hastily made tea to sooth his fraying nerves, he had immediately set of for the stables. To his happiness, Korra had found pity for him by not stealing one of the flying bison, but her polar bear-dog was, of course, found missing. The poles that held up the roof over his head seemed quite inviting for the purpose of hitting his head against them. He should have had the blasted girl tied to her bed posts or something. Chained more like as normal ropes would be no match for her. It was pure insanity.
Having discovered her mode of transportation and the fact that she had packed a bag- to his begrudging relief- Tenzin decided to pay a small visit to the only person he could think of that would mayhaps have a solution. So, kissing a very solemn Pema goodbye, he set of for the streets of Republic City.
Lin had agreed to see him hastily once he had shown up in front of the imposing building where she worked- perhaps reigned would have been a better verb for it. And there he was, sitting in a slouched manner most unbefitting of his role in society, waiting for Lin to come up with some ingenious way to bring back their rogue Avatar before she did something they would all regret.
"Do you at least know where she would be going?" Lin asked, her face in its signature scowl. It really wasn't that she was particularly upset about anything; moreover that was just her thinking face. A muffled reply came from Tenzin's mouth, hidden by her sturdy metal desk. Rolling her eyes she said a bored, "What was that?"
"I said that I have no idea what runs through the mind of that girl anymore. I don't think I ever did," Tenzin stated unhappily. He had raised his head and was abashed at the clear look of disapproval on his friend's face. Lin always had a way of making him feel even more worthless than he was in a dire situation such as that one.
"Did she give any indication as to the fact that she was leaving?" Lin was smug about finally getting the airbender's attention, but she wanted to smack herself at his carelessness. Not for the first time did she wonder about how such a wise man could be so naïve at times.
"Not really," Tenzin mused. "She looked exhausted when we returned to Temple Island last night and went straight to her room. Her light went off shortly after that and she was so quiet that I was almost certain that she had fallen asleep."
"Did you check on her to see?" Lin hoped to the high spirits he said 'yes'.
"Of course. I am not a fool." At the look given to him by the metalbender, he decided to rephrase his sentence. "I went by her room to make sure she was alright. I even cracked open the door. She was in her bed, unmoving. I just- I don't know Lin."
"Don't be too hard on yourself over it. We'll get her eventually. If there is one thing Korra is horrible at, it's staying inconspicuous."
"I hope you're right," Tenzin glanced out the small window to the exterior world, hoping that his young charge was alright. To his dismay, the dark clouds that he had not seen roll over them had begun to sprinkle them with the first onslaught of a future downpour.
Kaji was having quite an aggravating experience, attempting to prevent her habit of tapping her finger against the armrest of her chair. It was a nervous tick that her grandmother had disapproved of since it had developed at the tender age of seven. She had constantly been put through exercise after exercise to 'cure' it, but the muscle memory had been so engraved into her mind that it was only through immense will power that she kept it under control. The fact that she even had reason to feel anxious had fallen entirely on the astounding incompetence of the ship's captain. She inwardly growled at the thought of the man. His prediction of a storm rolling in from the east had been quite spot on, but unfortunately for them, he had not found it wise to fly over areas with populous. This had eventually led to them flying over the rugged, wild terrain of the Earth Kingdom's many forests, with nowhere to land, in the middle of a tempest. The men on the vessel had been thoroughly shaken, many having abandoned their posts to find a deck to empty their stomachs off of, leaving only Kaji and a few choice others to ensure that they did not all plummet to their doom.
The lightening had been the worst of it really. Kaji had ensured that, to minimize all perceived involvement of the Fire Nation's part in her plans, her crew was composed entirely of water and earthbenders. The only real drawback, when it came to the particular circumstances they found themselves in, was that she was by default the only lightening bender of the lot. That also meant that it was her duty, and hers alone, to ensure that their zeppelin- made up of many metal parts and flying right in between the daunting columns of cumulonimbus- did not get struck by the deadly electricity. Thoroughly soaked, and completely miserable, she had stood on top of the massive hot air-filled balloon, tethered to one of the supporting iron beams and redirected every single streak that was deemed 'too close for comfort.'
Three hours and forty-five minutes later, the captain had finally found a town that was surrounded with an expanse of level fields that allowed for a safe landing. Once they had descended to a comfortable height, Kaji had been able to get back into the relative comfort of the ship and waited impatiently for their grounding. The trees surrounding the small meadow housing the ghostly town swayed with such vehemence that one could almost hear the roots straining to retain their holds on the rain-soaked dirt, clinging as though they knew that they would be swept up into the vortex were they to lose to the winds. The grass was a pasty grey, lit a brilliant white in the flashes of lightening that occasionally sparked from the nether regions of the billowing clouds. The zeppelin was almost completely invisible against the dark outline of the forest's beginning, the ropes and flags billowing in the twists of the compressing and expanding air gave the illusion of millions of branches and leaves dancing to the storm's tempo. Even with the sharp metal legs that had been buried deep into the crust upon the violent landing, the balloon had to be deflated to prevent the ship from being wrenched away from the Earth.
A heavy gale had begun to pour over them. Where the droplets above the troposphere had been uncomfortable, the icy sheets now hitting the bedraggled crew were daggers that pierced through even the thickest and most water-resistant of fabrics. Kaji, having been let down from her post before the large balloon had gone down, led the small group toward the faint little lights that appeared so frail as to be engulfed by the elements at any moment. Still, the tender flames that lit the oil lanterns- no electricity having been taken that far into the country at that point- held on with a strength that was thoroughly unexpected of them.
They had finally reached the small road that split the hamlet in two rows of rickety shacks. Kaji took a look about, trying to discern any building that might have been an inn of some sort. A three-story house caught her attention. The lights there were most numerous and the glow bathed the windows and the porch beyond them in an ethereal light, looking as though it lead into the spirit world instead of a decrepit room to house those unfortunate enough to be stranded in the desolate area. The roll of thunder was enough to convince the Fire Princess that she had no right to be picky at the moment, and with a bracing intake of air, she took off in a straight march to the door.
Karak, for whatever hidden reason of his own, opened the door and entered first. His eyes swept over the entirety of the interior of the inn. It was indeed one, marked by the large reception desk and a multitude of keys all of different shapes and sizes. The skinny bookish man sitting behind it was fast asleep, his head lying on the empty catalog book and his hand wrapped in a vice grip around a pen so old that the feather was simply the spine and nothing more. A bar to the side had three rugged men staring at their drinks and a fat bartender cleaning a glass with a soiled towel. None of them paid any attention to the new party that had just entered the establishment; a good practice for those parts was paying mind to your own business and no one else's.
Karak prodded the clerk awake with the butt of one of his knives, a sharpened peace of bleached bone with an intricately carved handle. That one was his personal favorite, depicting a savage snow wolf-fox baring its sharp canines and narrowing its obsidian-jeweled eyes threateningly. The image was not lost on the quivering man behind his rotting desk who awoke with a start.
Kaji stepped forward, drawing the rather worthless hood away from her sopping hair, to address the befuddled man. She procured a small pouch from under her heavy cloak before indicating to the others in her party and asking, "How much for room and board… and some food to accompany it?"
The shakiness in the Earth Kingdom peasant's hands slowed the entire process as he calculated the sums on the Abacus; the clicking of the small beads as they set into place along their string was drowned out by another boom of thunder from outside. The patter of rain was increasing in its intensity and a few droplets could be seen dripping down onto the floor from cracks and crevasses in the old roof. Tile had only been laid on in some places, the rest having been covered only by wood and some straw. Small puddles could be seen appearing everywhere, leaving greenish-blue stains on the moss-riddled floorboards.
"H-here a-are your r-rooms," eight keys made their way shakily into the hands of the crew members. Most would be sharing rooms except for Kaji, Karak, and Izuru. Aroostook would be taking turns among them to ensure that he did not escape, not that there was a real possibility of that what with Izuru's methods of persuasion. Still, it never hurt to overestimate and accommodate. "It will come out to be about three hundred and seventy-three Yuan please."
"What a fucking rip-off," one of the hands grumbled. Kaji shot him a glare and returned to look upon the spindly clerk before her. He shrunk back under the intensity of her fiery orbs and faint smirk. "Surely you could bring down the price a bit for us. It is such a frighteningly stormy night and my men and I are tired. I believe that a few of them will more than make up for the discount at your… lovely bar over there."
The clerk pushed the circular glasses that were twice as big as his petite face up along the bridge of his nose. Kaji's smirk widened in triumph at the nervous gesture. "I- I suppose three hundred and eleven for all, including the meal miss."
"Well, I suppose I can't exactly rob you," Kaji replied wistfully, looking behind her to survey her men, some sharpening small weapons they kept on their person. She turned back to the clerk, her face telling him that she had every power to do just that. The man's Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped.
"Two hundred and forty-nine miss, but that is as low as I can make it."
"Perfect, I thank you for your generosity," the money was quickly exchanged and Kaji released her crew to do whatever they saw fit- with the explicit instructions to not cause a scene. The men each took a key from her hand and went about, milling around or retiring to their beds. She herself moved to retire to the room with the largest, oldest, most ornate key in the peculiar bunch that she held. Karak moved to follow her up into the dark regions of the upper floors, taking another key from her diminished collection.
Kaji thought nothing of the waterbender's footsteps keeping close to hers, believing that his room was somewhere in the vicinity of her own. It was strategically beneficial to have her most trusted near her so she really could have cared less. The key she had chosen fit into the room at the far end of the second-story corridor. She had not wished for a room on the topmost story due to her distrust of the stability and protection provided by the roof. It was always safer to bet against leaks when further from the downpour. The lock clicked open and she hastily opened the termite-eaten door.
The room inside was sparse, but then again she had expected nothing more from it. The small bed was tucked in the left-hand corner close to the door. Upon further observation, the reasoning behind it became evident: the farthest wall had been darkened with a large water stain, new streaks of the infernal liquid spilling in at the exact moment. Kaji groaned, wondering if the spirits had something against her or were just so bored as to decide to play practical jokes on poor mortals with much to accomplish in short amounts of time. A lamp, lit by lard and a wick, was placed precariously at the edge of a broken nightstand with a small cabinet used to store small possessions too delicate to be left on the floor. As to any other sort of furnishings, there were none.
Two strong, rough hands suddenly shot out from behind her and wrapped themselves around her mouth and torso. Her arms were locked against her sides as she was lifted off of her feet and walked over to the bed. Despite her predicament, Kaji could not help but gag at the state of the dirty sheets and forced herself not to think about what could possibly inhabit the mattress she was expected to lay on.
She was unceremoniously thrown onto the thing, the straw filling muffling the sound to a dull thud. She whipped around, ready to singe the face off of whomever it was that was stupid enough to try anything with her, when her hands were caught in grips that could rival chains and win. She struggled but the person had more mass on her and she found herself pinned down. Her rage that had been barely contained burst forth with all fury when she saw that the person straddling her hips was none other than Karak. His blue eyes had darkened with an irrepressible lust, his lips parted to allow short gasps of breath to escape and hit Kaji's flushed face. She growled at him, animalistically inquiring as to 'What the Fuck he was thinking' but it did nothing to stop him from forcibly crashing his heated lips into hers.
Korra cursed her sour luck. Not only had she lost a few hours of time that she could have used in making headway north due to her getting lost in the dense undergrowth that covered the lower rungs of the mountains, but then it began to pour rain seemingly out of nowhere. Naga had gotten them pretty far, passing the entire mountain range in only a day or so. Maybe it was less; Korra couldn't tell due to the fact that the abysmal clumps of water hanging in the sky made everything look so much darker than usual. For all she knew, it could be high noon or midnight.
Naga's whining alerted her to the fact that she wasn't the only one that was being adversely affected by the splattering of water that reached into her clothing to stick to her skin. The polar bear-dog looked as miserable as the Avatar felt. A few hours ago she had kept a protective bubble around them, but exhaustion and the inevitability of eventually getting wet had caused her to give in to the elements nature was assailing her with. In the end, even she was no match for the forces of the planet when they decided to not give a crap about how she felt.
A bark from her ride brought her out of her lamentations and allowed her to spot the break in the dense foliage that, aggravatingly, had held no shelter from the rain at all. "A town, yes. Maybe the spirits don't hate me that much after all."
Her mood somewhat lifted, Korra spurred Naga forward at a run to the shelter of the buildings. The town sat in the central point of a plain of grass. It was a very poor village; that much was certain from the looks of the disrepair of the houses. Most windows were dark and desolate. None looked especially welcoming, but Korra was not about to be judgmental as long as she could find a warm blanket on a dry floor.
Her cerulean eyes fell upon the distant light of a rather small house, much lesser than the large three-story villa across the muddy road from it. A crippled old man was sitting, statue-like, on a beaten old wooden chair, staring out into the depth of the storm's darkness. Korra took one look between the man and the glistening windows and merriment coming from what she could only suppose was the inn of the village. Shrugging, she decided that she would see what was wrong with the senior human then, if he turned her away, she would see the rates of the other place.
"Excuse me sir?" she questioned gently, getting off of Naga's back to come down to the man's eye level. She wasn't really sure of what exactly she was going to ask him after that. Somehow 'What are you doing looking at the rain like a psycho?' did not seem like the correct way to go about things.
Luckily for her, two bleak twilight eyes turned from the scenery to focus on her. The irises had once been the brown of many of the continent's residents, but were now of the darkest ebony. So deep that it was impossible to separate where the muscle met the drop off of the hole that made up the pupil.
"What would a young lady such as yourself be doing out here in such weather?" his voice was nothing like what she would have expected. Instead of the frail, quaky nature of the vocal chords that comes with age, the sound that exited the elder man's throat was deep and kind with a hint of hidden power. He smiled crookedly, displaying a full set of shiny white teeth. A flash of light illuminated the dark around them. Korra jumped ever so slightly as the crackle and boom hit.
"Just passing through really," she answered. Naga started to grumble behind her, complaining of their continued position in the downpour. The old man's smile only widened.
"Do come in, both of you. There is plenty of space as I am alone in my house," he propped himself up stiffly from the chair. His arms were thin and shook slightly under the pressure of the rest of his frail body, but it was only a second before he was taking long strides toward the door. Korra was about to inquire as to how she would fit an enormous arctic animal into such a small establishment, but decided to hold her tongue in case the invitation was retracted.
Amazingly, once inside, she found that the interior of the house was much larger than it had looked from the outside. Naga fit snuggly in the two room house. A bed was next to a small burning fireplace, flanked by two small bookcases. The room to the right was a shadowy kitchen and dining room, decorated with nothing but a few pots and pans along with a sink and cooking stove. Korra couldn't honestly care any less about anything within the house other than the crackling fire in its stone holder. She hadn't even realized just how cold her hands were until the prickling of her skin warming could be felt along the receptors lining the digits. Her bare arms, having left her jacket drying beside the flames, were the first to dry and completely return to their normal temperature. The kind old man came from the kitchen with a mug of some sort of steaming beverage. Korra took it gratefully, taking a few small sips. It was a rather sweet tea that had a way of filtering all traces of the cold stiffness from within her.
"Thank you so much," she happily smiled at her generous benefactor. "I have no idea how I was going to pay for a stay at the inn or whatever place you have here that houses travelers."
The good-natured chuckle that left the man's lips was not unkind, but it still made Korra blush self-consciously. "It is not a problem. I have very few visitors nowadays and it is always nice to see a new face. My name is Hatsuharu by the way."
"K-" Korra cut herself short, not knowing whether she should reveal her identity or not. Back-woods places such as the hamlet most probably had no idea who the Avatar was in the present cycle, but there was always that small chance that the old man was not as unobservant as he seemed.
"You do not have to tell me yours if you do not wish to," Hatsuharu reassured Korra, seeing the troubled look that crossed her jovial face. The thin brown eyebrows relaxed from their scrunched positions and Korra simply nodded in affirmation before taking another gulp of tea.
"So, I do not believe I am a prying man, but I am quite the fool for stories. May I ask what you are doing so far out in the middle of nowhere?" Hatsuharu attempted to rekindle the conversation. He moved to reach for the poker and stir the wood in the hearth for a while, waiting for Korra to reply.
Not seeing any drawbacks in saying a few vague truths, Korra began to regale him with her mission to save her loved one from a gang of bandits who had attacked them. The old man listened intently as she described the ice daggers and Kaji's selfless sacrifice to save her. Korra suddenly felt her throat clog up as she choked back a wave of tears that threatened to overwhelm her. Naga pressed herself against Korra's back, nudging her comfortingly with her nose. It was a little too much for the Avatar and the salty streaks of water began to run freely down her cheeks. She had not let herself cry about Kaji's abduction, too afraid of being seen by Tenzin or the others and having their secret blown to bits. Now, without all of the pressures of appearance and reputation, there was no barrier she could erect that would quell the empty feeling curling itself around her stomach and the breathlessness that took over her lungs. Warm hands grasped her own, surprisingly soft despite all of the wrinkles and calluses. Looking up, she saw Hatsuharu giving her a sympathetic look.
"I am sure that you will both be reunited soon. The red string of fate binds you, I can see it."
Korra could only nod, lost in the truthfulness of the murky depths of the old man's knowing eyes. If only she looked long enough, listened intently enough, then perhaps it would be true. It had to be true. She didn't know what she would do if it wasn't.
Karak's body pressed flat against Kaji. Her mind was still in shock, processing what the hell was happening. She felt his pants bulge against her thigh, no doubt with an erection. Her dulled eyes widened with the gut-wrenching realization of her predicament finally dawning on her. His blonde hair draped along her face pricked into her eyes as he moved to lick around her lips, rocking into her to cause more friction where he needed it. A blinding rage filled her with the ignited chi that gave her the power to spark forth the fire that was in her blood. The man really had no way to defend, or even expect, the sudden rush of indigo flames bursting into his face from the lips that he had been ravishing. He gave a muffled cry of surprise and pain, jumping off of her to rub his singed eyes. Kaji had, of course, not given him any lasting damage as he would prove useful later. Still, it gave her enough time to push herself from the bed and shove him against the rotting wall next to the door. His pupils were dilated in a feeling Karak had not experienced in a long time: pure fear. The golden eyes before him could only be described as primal or reptilian. He tried to move away but a deceptively firm hand placed around his neck kept him in place.
Karak gasped as a warm hand cupped his enlarged dick. The fabric of his pants did nothing to keep him from the iron grasp Kaji had on him so all he could do was stand on his toes and try not to squirm too much. The fanged smile that was given to him was nothing short of Draconic.
"Now that I have your attention," Kaji whispered into his ear, gripping harder to prove her point, "I just wanted to outline a few things for you."
The hands holding him began to heat up. It did not take long before it grew uncomfortable and he was biting his lip to keep from screaming out. Kaji paused for dramatic effect then continued, "The first thing you should know is that I am your commander and ruler, not some whore for your entertainment. Nod if I am understood."
Her lower hand squeezed him until he yelped and shook his head up and down vigorously. Kaji cooed a soft, "Good."
"Second, if you ever, EVER, try something like that again, I swear I will burn you so badly that you will be replacing Koh as the Faceless One. Understood?"
"Y-Yes," Karak gasped.
"And finally, if you do anything to double-cross me because you didn't get what you wanted tonight… well, don't double-cross me," the poison lacing her sickly sweet voice sent shivers up and down Karak's spine. He groaned in pain as he was released. His legs gave out and he slumped against the creaking boards behind him. He couldn't even think; the agony between his legs and around his throat was overpowering.
"Can you get out on your own or do I have to call someone to remove you?" Kaji asked in a cold tone. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, pretending to busy herself with an inspection of her sleeping arrangements. Karak knew that he would be demoted by whoever was chosen to aide him out of the Princess's quarters so he chose to drag himself slowly out of the room. He was thankful that the door had not been fully closed, laying ajar from when he arrogantly pushed it open after he followed Kaji into her room.
"Karak, one more thing," her voice made him tremor involuntarily. He swallowed his paralyzing fear and pain, turning to see what his commander wished of him. He did not trust his vocal chords so all he did was nod. "Please hand me your key."
He pulled out his silver key from his charred pants and dropped it into the pale white hand outstretched for him. He had no intention of touching the woman again if the consequences were to be such.
"Congratulations, you have been promoted to my chambers. I shall take yours for the night. Enjoy," she moved around him as though he were a leper or another type of social pariah.
Sighing when she had left his presence behind, Karak pulled himself back into the dank room that smelled of mold and misuse. As he slumped onto the bed, not giving a damn by that point of the vermin sharing the sheets with him, he couldn't help but crack a small smile. The agony was doubled when a light laugh escaped him, turning into a fit of coughing soon after leaving his bruised bronchi and burnt trachea. 'Do not betray me' she says, he thought to himself, not even a lunatic would betray you Princess. He had never had such a respect for another person; never had he experienced such cold cruelty with no remorse. That was a leader that he would lay his life down for.
Kaji moved into the room that would have been occupied by that insufferable boy. What the idiot had been thinking, she had no idea. Never had she been taken advantage of like that. The feeling of his mouth on hers made her want to empty the contents of her stomach. She didn't even have her appetite anymore. At least the room that he had chosen was in better shape than the one she had left him in. She had secretly known that he had snuck up to inspect them before anyone else had. When he had done it, she could only speculate. How; she didn't even care to know. Either way, she had had a feeling that he would have picked the best place for himself. Perhaps the lesson had been taught. A small part of her, or maybe not that small, wanted it to not be so just so she could sink her nails into him and make him squirm one more time. Unfortunately, Karak was a valuable tile to hold… able to adapt to whatever gambit she placed on the Pai Sho board. Her hands moved up to her lips, subconsciously reliving the feeling of having him on top of her. The anger returned afresh. No one touches me like that but Korra, she seethed. Astounded at her own thoughts, Kaji tried to backtrack and deny the statement. It was really a stupid attempt though, for the only two people she could never lie to were Azula and herself.
The rain continued to fall through the night. The morning brought a break in the oppressive clouds and a cease in the downpour of the heavens. Before the crack of dawn, a girl and her snow white polar bear-dog set out on the dusty trail, riding far from the confines of the small town and the kind old man who was still fast asleep on his small cot. Had the Avatar turned back even once, she may have spotted the metallic skeleton of a giant ebony zeppelin standing by the edge of a grove of trees, its supports like a giant's bones sticking from the earth. Her eyes, however, were set on the horizon before her.
A few hours later, a disgruntled firebender awoke and roused her entourage. The inn keeper and bartender bid them a safe journey as they departed. The canvas of the balloon was filled with the heated particles of the mixtures of the elements found amongst the air, bouncing wildly with the added kinetic energy of the firebender punching blue flames into the iron coal container. Her irritation was evident with each resounding grunt of effort that accompanied the blasts of flame. Kaji just couldn't believe that her idiot of a navigator had caused them to retrace thirty miles worth of travel in an attempt, unsuccessfully, to outrun the tempest. The lost time did nothing to help her already taut nerves.
A battalion of metalbenders, amongst them a tall serious looking woman, set out from the bustling metropolis. They held one unit that drove over the ground and a smaller scouting group to peruse the skies for signs of a black airship or a missing Avatar on a white arctic beast. A worried airbender watched them disappear into the distance, wishing that his duties would permit him to accompany them. Alas, he had to stay where he was and keep the events of the passing day from becoming a global affair. Somehow Inzei had already found out about the capture of his heir and was demanding suspects and information. The entire situation was a boiling pit of magma and the world was the loose rock sitting over it.
P.S. I feel like I made Karak a masochistic asshole, but I kinda like writing him. He was a fun character to make up. Dark characters are fun to do. Anyway, happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate and Happy Regular Day of Being Alive to those who don't. Honestly I like celebrating the latter one better because it happens everyday. Review! And I will update sooner.