"Hey stop right there!" One of the guards ordered the man to stop, which was effective.
Amgalan stopped immediately, he knew these youngsters are in danger. The drunkard guards here only served their own interests, not the law. He needed to be smart about this.
"Well, if it isn't another nomad." The lead guard sneered, noting the lamellar armor and brown fur. "You should know that on our turf, we have the authority to punish any criminals we see fit!"
Amgalan noticed the wanted posters on the wall, he knew these guards wanted to arrest Satchiko and Mayumi. But there is a problem here, he himself doesn't know whether or not those two are actually criminals. He and Batzorig were actually there when Satchiko saved them from Shui's blood bending. Without her timely intervention, he wouldn't be standing here right now. However, those posters did created doubt in his trust. He knew outlaws, bandits and cultists across the Earth Kingdom have done many unspeakable things. Masking themselves to gain trust isn't something uncommon. But now isn't the time to debate that, his first priority is to get all four of them to safety.
"Those two look too nice to be criminals," Amgalan said, uselessly trying to persuade the guards. "Just turn a blind eye just this once, you did it many times, you can do it again."
The lead guard stomped on the ground, pulling a small chunk of earth and threw it at the nomad. Amgalan dodged it easily, he didn't counterattack since he is still outnumbered.
"You think we are fools?" The guard decried, finding it funny that this nomad would even fathom with the idea that the Kyoshi warriors would let off the loose like this. "We have more to gain have handing these two to the governor of Yi, heck, we can even quit this stupid job entirely after we received the reward. At the same time, that little brat is coming too, it seems he can give us information on where the guerrillas are at!"
With this, his underlings laughed maliciously. Amgalan clenched his fist, looks like he can't talk his way out of this. This was supposed to be about getting Jargal out of here, and he was only assigned to look after his people's belongings. A non-bender like him would clearly be no match for all seven Earth bender. And judging by one of their earth bending demonstration, it's obvious that these are not the average joes in this town. Unlike the regulars, these guards can actually put up a fight. They are rarer, but their possession of Earth bending makes them much more powerful than the usual non-Benders around town. He can't just beat them up in a fistfight like how he would normally do.
The Kheshig cursed his luck, for this is not his day. If only he had some backing, like his fellow warriors coming to assist him, then he would definitely have a good chance in direct confrontation. He remembered that if Batzorig was in this situation, his friend would immediately use his air-bending to choke, pummel and destroy these people. Afterwards, Batzorig would use his powerful mace to smash his opponents into pieces. But now, he is alone, if he fought them head on, he will definitely lose.
Regardless, he is a grown adult, responsibility for the four youngster's safety now lies solely on him. He might potentially be killed in trying to save them, but he knew it would be on his head when the rest of the clan finds out he let these four slip into danger.
Amgalan made a heavy sigh. "Looks like it can't be helped." He proceeded to look at the nearby crowds, and prepared to shout loudly at everyone on scene. If he can't fight these people, then he will hurt them in other ways.
"Everyone, look, these guards are harassing these girls, come and see!"
Amgalan immediately confused the guards, Sarangerel was even more dumbfounded. She expected the warrior would recklessly charge into battle, but at last, she remembered that unlike Ganbaatar, Amgalan would prioritize strategy over brute strength. In a situation like this, she now realized how creative Amgalan's approach is.
"Mayumi, what is he..." Satchiko stopped asking as her older sister made a shushing sound, indicating that this question would be answered later.
"These poor and helpless women are being bullied by the very people who were supposed to upheld the rule of law!" Amgalan then decried even louder. His voice sounded as if a parent is pleading the public to take his side.
"Stop him! Stop him before..." The man tried to order his men to silence the Kheshig. But it was too late, a crowd have already gathered. A few women whispered to one another, and the local men displayed disappointment at the guard's alleged behavior. These guards were not locally employed, but their unprofessionalism towards the citizens have already soured their relationship with lower class.
"People of Shang!" Amgalan climbed on top of a wooden cart, hoping his message can get to as many people as possible. "These seven men attempting to wrongfully arrest these women!"
"I'm a boy!" Batu reminded Amgalan. The Kheshig man then took a moment to wink at Batu, subtly conveying a secret message. He didn't said a single word to the boy, and continued to slander these militias.
"These three women, and that little boy have done nothing wrong. They are vulnerable and helpless, yet these so called 'men' are planning to take advantage of them! If you know what I mean."
"Enough!" The guard captain yelled. "There are wanted posters on the walls, why don't you all take a look yourselves!"
Luckily, Batu already ripped off the two wanted posters of Satchiko and Mayumi when he got the chance. As for Lei and the other guerrillas, he wouldn't even bother. He only hoped that none of the onlookers managed to see the two wanted poster depicting Kyoshi warriors.
As the crowd started to gather a bit more, most the guards turned around to face them. Peasant revolts are easy to deal with, since most of the town are not benders. As guards from noble origin, they are of course blessed with the ability to Earth bend.
"You discontent peasants," the captain muttered with increasing anger. "Get back to work!" He hurled a chunk of the earth below him to scare the crowd away. While the guards' attention are diverted, all seven loosened their encirclement to disperse the gathering crowd. They wanted to make sure that their activities are not bothered by mere insects.
Surprisingly, all the guards now have their backs facing Mayumi and Satchiko. Knowing that this is a right opportunity, Batu quickly pulled both of them with him, rushing out of a small gap created by the guards.
"Hey, where are you..." one of the guard immediately turned around and noticed the three have escaped. But before he can notify his captain and teammates, Sarangerel used a airbending to knock him to the ground. She used her left leg and created a swipe of air, forming a crescent projectile that is strong enough to knock the guard off the ground. She then proceeded make her escape too, by propelling her light body on top of the roof and disappear. They are split up.
The man picked himself up, realizing his assailant is gone, he went on by trying to alert his team. As they are all too preoccupied with dispersing the small crowd, preventing a potential peasant riot.
"Captain! The two girls are gone, they run that way!" He pointed towards direction, which was a deeper part of this town.
"What!?" The Earth bending captain incredulously responded. His jaw dropped as he noticed that all four suspects have disappeared.
"Bring me that Kheshig!" He ordered his men dogmatically. "Peel his skin and boil him alive!"
"But sir, that meddling man is gone too!"
The captain looked at the wooden cart where Amgalan was just standing on. Empty.
A common tactic of a Kheshig nomad involves being aggressive when it is needed. When the enemy is weak or low on number, the Kheshig would not hesitate to attack if victory is assured. But should the odds stack up against them, then the Kheshig would evade the stronger foe, and engage the enemy without being in close proximity. Often times it would be maintaining a good distance while using arrows to harm the pursuing foe. Even though evasion played a big role in their tactics, what separated the Kheshig from the Air Nomad is their different world view. Unlike the peace loving folks from the air temples, these Kheshig would do everything if it results in achieving what they wanted. That would usually meaning that negotiations are not their strongest points. But who cares, it's not like the nomads saw others as above them. The only person and authority they respect is themselves and the Khan that leads them.
"Should we go after the Kheshig, there are lots of them in the town now!" One of the subordinates suggested.
"No!" The captain said. "Assemble the patrols, we are going hunting! And let me be clear, we are going after those two white faces and that short nomad brat!" For all he knew the Kheshig is the one group of people they should not provoke as a whole. While he can justify arresting Batu under the pretense of getting intel of the guerrillas, the rest of the Kheshig are a different matter. If their entire people wanted to raze this town to the ground, they can certainly do that. It's not like the town of Shang has the manpower to stop them. To his knowledge, the town of Shang has a population of just about few thousand, and the security forces from the capital city are numbered less than 200 men. Those two hundred men mostly served as guards for main entry points, his colleague Suo is assigned to the main entrance, while he is responsible for managing the town patrols.
But he doubt these two hundred men is enough to stand against the Kheshig, who have bisons and an old grumpy air-bender that was rumored to be able to defeat an entire army himself.
"What are you waiting for! Get the men, I want every inch of this good for nothing town turned upside down! I don't care what you do, you MUST bring those two women to me!" For the captain, the reward is simply too great to ignore. He is fine with Batu not being caught, but the Kyoshi warriors must be brought to him. Ten thousand coins is not a small number, if he can get this reward, and keep it for himself, then he wouldn't need to work as guard anymore. Mansions, ranks and even women, is all within his reaches. And even better, he might even be elevated to a very prominent position as a high ranking official, after all, the employer doesn't care about the qualifications, only the moneys and connections you have. Ten thousand coins is more then enough bribe money for him to use. Who knows, maybe he can even become a governor in this state's next 'election'.
The captain started to laugh at this, even though he doesn't have Satchiko and Mayumi in his custody, he is confident that he can capture them and reap the reward from the governor of Yi.
"Oh Suo, you fool." The captain said to himself, mocking his colleague. "While I will become rich, you will still be just a lowly guard captain! This is day is when I finally surpass you!" He then chuckled deviously, as his men hurried off to rally all available troopers to help hunt down Satchiko and Mayumi. For him, this opportunity is his golden ticket to a wealthy and comfortable life. But little did he know, that this moment is only just a speck of fire in the face of a brewing thunder storm.
...
A team of troopers pushed aside a peasant blocking his way. Without apologizing, they entered a house, and searched the entire place while creating a huge mess. Of course, the residents are displeased with this behavior, but what could they very do anyway?
"Hey, don't break my vase!" A little girl cried in horror. "That belongs to my late grandmother!"
The guards didn't listen as they searched her tiny home, they moved the shelves, flipping the tables and the bed, making sure there are no secret hiding spots for the fugitives to hide. The vase was nearly broken when one of the guards knocked it over with his clumsy elbow. But luckily, the house owner was able to catch it in time.
The guards made their way across the streets, they searched house by house. Every ugly building or compound was being thoroughly visited by the guards, just to make sure that the two Kyoshi warriors are not hiding in any one of it.
"They are going to find us!" Satchiko said worriedly. She kept her voice as low as possible, since right now they are hiding a small alleyway connected to the street. Actually, they are technically quite out in the open. All it takes is for the team of guards to walk right into the line of sight, and they can see the three of them standing right there. There is nothing to hide behind, just an empty alleyway where they are all standing out in the open. But there is nowhere else to go, they have been running and dodging the garrison's detection for quite a while now. Since they can't return back to the Kheshig without passing through the guards, they have been relocating constantly to make sure they are not caught, after all the face paint and green armor of the Kyoshi warriors makes the public very aware of their presence. Anyone who have seen them can just inform the guards about their last whereabouts.
"We can hide in there!" Batu pointed at a particular building across the street that has round wooden door. Unlike the rest of houses in this district, the building looked more like a shop, some sort of salon. The roof was painted green instead of the soulless brown that infested every other building. While that humble building does look like it needed repair, it's status is still better than the other living quarters in this town. But the one feature that made Batu decided to choose that building is because based on his instincts, is much riskier to hide in someone's home. But with a building of commerce, they can enter without angering the establishment's owner.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Mayumi voiced her disapproval. "That house stood out like a sore thumb, the guards will definitely search that place!"
"You got any better idea?" Satchiko asked her sister. The buildings nearby are too tall to just jump onto. If they can leap onto the roof, they can an easy escape from their pursuers. "Batu, can't you just fly to the roof? You are an airbender."
"I can if I have mastered it," Batu grumbled. He wished he had learned how to propel himself high up in the air. To him, it's actually much harder to use air to propel himself from the ground. If only he brought with him a hand glider spear, that way he can go back and alert the other Kheshig can call for help.
"Search the next one!" One of the guards yelled.
"If I make it out of this alive, I will definitely learn airbending in a more intense way!" Batu promised.
The three of them knew they need to make a decision. Right now, they are surrounded by teams of warlord troops that is hunting them like rats.
Ultimately they decided to head for that building. As the guards are busy searching the street house by house, they used the opportunity when most of them are not looking.
Crossing the streets swiftly, Satchiko slided the doors open, without breaking the fragile material which the door is made of. Batu and Mayumi hurried in as they wanted to avoid detection. After they slammed the door shut, they turned around and noticed an environment that is quiet, very quiet. The shouts and barks of the guards outside are completely nullified. They are in some sort of waiting room with cushions on the floor and small tables with tea on it.
"There, those closets!" Batu opened one of them, there is enough room for everyone inside.
They all crammed into the single closet that is the furthest away, squeezing through any objects that are blocking them.
As they closed the closet's door, they hear someone else entered the room. A guard with a scowling face immediately started to open the closets one by one.
"This isn't good," Mayumi's heart beat hastened. "We are going to be found, when he opens this door, I will kill him and then you two make the run for it."
"Wait," Satchiko noticed something is wrong in Mayumi's words. "You are going to kill? I thought-"
"Now is not the time to worry about that!" Mayumi quickly shut down her sister. Batu grew uneasy, he wished he had never left the bison. If only he hadn't selfishly went out of his way to buy snacks. If he makes it out of here, he definitely would change himself for the better.
As the guard put his hands on the closet's handle, Mayumi opened her war fans. She intends to cut the man's throat the moment the door is opened. The last time when they battled Shui, she was reluctant to kill. But this time, she needs to do whatever it takes to make sure her sister is safe, as well as Batu of course. After all, she promised Suki herself to protect the family.
"You seemed to have made a lot of noise, haven't you?" An old voice of female voiced her disdain. "You don't look like someone who is here for fortunetelling."
The guard stopped what he was doing, and immediately felt subservient to this new presence. He just realized that he have intruded into a very special place of the town.
"My apologies Aunt Meng, we were only searching for two fugitives that were outlawed by the state of Yi" He wanted to explain his unintentional rudeness. But the elderly lady with a pink attire only looked at him emotionlessly.
"The last mayor was kind enough to let me live here." Meng ruthlessly begin to lecture the guard. "Although I am not allowed to go anywhere besides this town, I am at very least grateful that my presence was tolerated. But at last, with the likes of you ravaging my humble abode, I don't think I can pass from this world in peace."
The guard immediately noticed the state of room. When he rushed into here, he didn't cared much for the environment. Knocking over a few tables and breaking the fragile cups, he carelessly turned the room into a pig pen.
"I...I will help you clean up this place..." Even though the guard was from the state's capital, he didn't dare disrespect this fortune teller named Aunt Meng. Her reputation of predicting the future accurately not only garnered the respect of many, but it has even made her somewhat immune to this town's hierarchy. This means that no one, not even the most pompous person, would dare show contempt towards this elder. Being the sole successor to the famed Aunt Wu, she is simply too important to just be casted aside. If Aunt Meng can accurately predict the future, then it would be a very valuable asset to the town's authority.
"No, I do not wished to be disturbed anymore." Aunt Meng's expression became even more stern. "I suggest you leave, for I have no criminals in my home." She grasped her walking stick with all her effort, and very slowly walked towards the center of the room. "And if you doubt me and believe that I am hiding someone in my home, then search it!"
It was a direct challenge to the guard, and a show of dignity. The guard, not wishing to further strain his ties with the fortune teller, decided to just leave. He showed himself the door and quietly exited, informing the others that the fugitives are not here.
Mayumi peaked through a small crack of the closet's door. She saw that Aunt Meng is using her frail body to pick up the broken pieces of clay on the floor. After cleaning the whole room to a moderately acceptable standard, she decided to face the room where she just came out of.
"Come out," Aunt Meng ordered. She wasn't asking nicely, nor was she being mean in her request.
Mayumi was hesitant, she wanted to just remain silent continue to hide.
The door of the closet creaked. The three of them slowly exited. And Batu immediately wanted to make a run for it but was stopped by Satchiko.
Mayumi stepped forward, as she is the oldest of the three. She bowed, expressing tremendous gratitude towards the elder with two long pony tail.
"I don't know why you decided to help us, but I want to say thank you!" She bowed even lower. Aunt Meng may not know why this young women is being so sincere, but she acknowledged Mayumi's gratitude.
"You two," Meng said, obviously addressing the two Kyoshi warriors. "Both so young, yet you are already wanted. I thought Kyoshi warriors are an order who fights for justice, I don't suppose you two are exceptions?"
"No, no, no! You got it wrong!" Satchiko quickly tried to flatten Meng's suspicion. But Mayumi quickly stopped her from going further, in case they fell out of grace with Meng's generosity.
"It's complicated, but I can swear on my honor and my family's name that we are not people with ill intentions." Mayumi explained. Satchiko also nodded quickly.
"That's right!" Batu added. "These two helped me before, they were fighting against ACTUAL criminals. Those stupid Acolytes of Vaatu didn't stand a chance! Even though I definitely could have handled it on my own!" He boasted his self perceived greatness, this is a rare opportunity to make himself look good.
Satchiko and Mayumi both glared at Batu. Even though they knew he is embellishing himself to support their innocence, did he very needed to make it look so childish.
"How old are you anyway?" Meng asked Batu..
"Eleven!" Batu replied immediately. "But I am already a very good warrior!" Batu pulled out his bow for Meng to see. Satchiko felt Batu is spending too much time to build a false image of himself.
"Im-pressive." Meng replied without much energy. "Now if you excuse me, I have to tend to my customer."
"We are truly sorry to bother you," Mayumi pulled out some copper coins to hand it to Meng. But the elder simply rejected it.
"No, it's free of charge," Meng then gently pushed Mayumi's coins filled hand away. She then walked towards the door to the room at the back, where all her fortunetelling is done.
"What are you waiting for?" Meng said to Mayumi, trying to not sound too impatient. "If you don't understand, you are the customer."
The elder then directed Mayumi towards the back room. But the Kyoshi warrior had a surprised expression.
"I'm the customer?" She asked in confusion. They only stumbled into this place to hide from the local garrison, and now the establishment's owner is treating them like actual customers. "But, if you don't want any money, what do I give you in exchange for your service, and what shop even is this?"
Gradually, the three of them begin notice the environment within this building. The heavy scent of incense permeated their nostrils. Batu blocked his nose to stop his inhalation, being a nomad who is so accustomed to the smell of grass, such a smell would make him sick. Satchiko looked at nearby shelves, the waiting area contained mystical objects, crystals, and colored smoke. So many thing she doesn't understand, and she doesn't want to. They look way too weird.
"I'm a fortune teller, and this is a fortune salon." Meng briefly introduced this place which served both as her workplace and her home. "Many people come to see me, hoping I can read their fortune. I only assumed that you are here to do the same."
"You are a what?" Batu doesn't know what fortune telling is. A simple nomad like him only worked with bows and arrows. He is not well versed in the alien lifestyle of the sedentary people, even though he was also one.
Mayumi stepped towards the door that opens up to the back room, which was dimly lit, and presumably where one's fortune are revealed. But before she entered it, Satchiko came over and stopped her from entering.
"What wrong?" Mayumi asked, caught off guard by her sister's sudden behavior.
"I'm the one that was supposed to be asking that question, what's wrong with you?" Satchiko's tone became a bit more accusatory, even Batu was surprised that the younger of the two sibling is trying to lecture the older one. Satchiko doesn't felt Mayumi should waste her time on some fortunetelling nonsense, whether if it's for free or not free.
"Mum said that while our fate can be unpredictable, all we need to do is walk our own paths successfully. We don't need some fortuneteller to tell us what to do!" Satchiko's statement was directly a firm statement towards what Akahana told them.
"I see that you are a non-believer." Meng was amused by Satchiko. "It is not everyday I met someone who doubts fortunetelling, the last one was a water tribe boy, he never believed a single thing from my mentor."
"Sorry, my sister is young, she doesn't know any manners." Mayumi quickly dismissed Satchiko's advice, hoping it didn't offend the fortune teller. She didn't even address Satchiko directly.
Satchiko only watched helplessly as Mayumi and Aunt Meng entered the back room. The door closed, leaving Satchiko angrily crossing her two arms. Although she has better things to worry about, like how there is literally guards crawling around on the streets, she still felt it is weird that Mayumi became a bit distanced from her. Whatever, she will just wait until the activity outside has settled, and when they leave this place, she will just pretend Mayumi snubbing her didn't even exist.
"I can't believe she did this to me!" Satchiko said to Batu. "Did Sarangerel ever did that to you?" She asked frustrated, mispronouncing Sarangerel's name in the process.
Instead of hearing a response, she heard sounds of eating. She immediately turned around, noticing that Batu is eating some bean curd puffs.
"It's pretty good!" Batu complimented this food he just found. "I mean, it's not roasted meat but it's not bad!" It's apparent that Batu doesn't know much about any manners either. Even Satchiko, a girl who sometimes doesn't even behave like one, finds Batu's behavior displeasing to look at.
Nevertheless, she stuffed some bean curd puff into her pocket. If she got chance to meet that little girl again, she can give these to her.
...
Inside the fortune telling room.
Mayumi is staring at a picture on the wall. It was man with two ears, very large ones in fact.
"That is my late husband," Meng commented on the picture Mayumi is looking at. "Before I became an assistant to my mentor Aunt Wu, she for-told that I would marry a man with large ears."
"You seem to believe in fortunetelling a lot," Mayumi said. "But to what extent do you believe it, even though you are a practitioner."
"I believe it enough to accurately predict simple things." Meng replied, she now sat on a small cushion besides a small fire. Mayumi joined her, making herself comfortable by making sure her armor doesn't hinder her sitting position.
"But I must confess, there are times when fortunetelling are just as fellable as a weak tree hanging over the cliff." Meng admitted. She remembered how Aunt Wu foretold that Makapu Village would remain safe for another year, just to have a volcano erupting on the very same day. If it wasn't for drastic intervention by a special group of travelers, she doubt the village would have survived until it was demolished by the United Republic. "But I am confident, that predictions of smaller scale and stake is still reliable. Farmers and merchants would still come to me, hoping I can a few nice words in regards to their harvest."
The fortune teller then pulled out an oracle bone from a nearby box, with Mayumi watching very closely. Judging by the object's appearance, it is a shell from a turtle duck. Aunt Meng placed three coins into the shell, she shake for a bit, and then pour the coins out onto a flat surface.
"Is this your way of fortunetelling?" Mayumi inquired about this strange behavior. She is not an expert in this, nor does she actually believe it herself. But in case there is some validity to Aunt Meng's fortunetelling, then maybe, just maybe she can get a heads up for what is up ahead.
"Shh," Meng respectably made Mayumi be silent. She needed to concentrate in order to interpret the coins. The position, the direction the coins are facing, the angle, and the distance between every coin. Every little detail played a tremendous role in predicting someone's future. Using the turtle duck Oracle bone demands years of experience as a fortuneteller, and Meng wanted to get this prediction right.
"You are very lucky, he is a strong bender and a talented individual," Meng curved her mouth into a slight smile as she said those words without any context.
"W-what?" Mayumi was at lost. Maybe she should have asked Meng first, to predict something more specific, something more important at this point of time.
"He thirsts for greatness, a man of great caliber. His talent can only be matched by his ambition!"
"Aunt Meng, I think I haven't even told you what I want you to..."
"But the most important of all, that man you will fall in love with shall give you a purple flower, to symbolize both his commitment and sacrifice. And you have two lovely children and they..."
"Aunt Meng!" Mayumi almost lost her patience. She quickly calmed herself before things went too far. "Aunt Meng, forgive my rudeness, but I'm pretty sure I didn't ask you to predict who I will marry in the future." Mayumi felt goosebumps by just mentioning that. It was very awkward for her. And what is this with two children anyway? She is not ready for love, not yet anyway. She still wanted to see the world a bit more before settling down.
"Oh you didn't?" Aunt Meng was bewildered. Being a fortuneteller for decades made her assumed that every young maiden who came to this fortune salon is to ask about the future boy they would fall in love with. "So what do you want to know about?"
"I want to know whether or not our journey to Ba Sing Se would be successful." Mayumi chased Aunt Meng to reevaluate her readings. "My sister and I are traveling to Ba Sing Se. We are there so that Satchiko can study in Ba Sing Se university. I want to know if we can safety reach that location."
The elder did so, she thoroughly re-examined the coins again.
"You will reach there, alive." That sounded like a good news, but Mayumi is still anxious. "But I am not so sure about the destination." Aunt Meng said, almost as if warning Mayumi that something is off with Ba Sing Se. If she remembered clearly, Shui herself has said something about her organization attacking the city. There was no enthusiasm in Meng's speech, and Mayumi knew this must mean the outcome may not be the best. "I hope that your journey is not an important one." Meng said.
"Then what do you suggest I do?" Mayumi felt her burden just became heavier. While she doesn't fully place her faith in things like fortunetelling, part of her felt it would be prudent to heed certain warnings about the future.
Meng's face is filled with deep thoughts, this is one of those moments where decision making is the most important. Even though Mayumi couldn't see it, Meng is actually having a very difficult time to decide what Mayumi should do.
"Con...continue your journey." The well composed Meng stuttered using her croaky voice. The advice doesn't sound very reassuring, especially when you don't even know what exactly made Aunt Meng worry.
"Shouldn't me and my sister just go back home?" Kyoshi pointed it out. "Wouldn't it be much safer if we just end the journey right?"
Whatever Aunt Meng predicted in her readings remains rather ambiguous. To Mayumi, the safer option is always the better one. But Meng's suggestion that they should continue their journey sounded very risky, as if ill fortune is destined to occur.
...
"This is a shirt made by the highest quality hog monkey hide!" Saran said, trying her best to sell her craft. She has been attempting advertise the shirt she made for quite a while now, frankly no one is interested in buying it. Since the peasants here don't have the money to buy a shirt, she tried to sell it to those with wealthier wallets, primarily the merchants.
"Look, lady." The merchant in a long green robe sighed. He counted his coins on a wooden table, hoping this nomad would stop bothering him. "I have seen many worthless clothing, but the one you are holding, I doubt you can make any profit off that."
"How come?" Saran challenged the merchant. She was lucky to enough to encounter a hog monkey in the wild, and she immediately shot it with an arrow. "It keeps you warm, AND it's cheap! I am selling at a good price here."
The merchant sighed again, he surveyed the laborers, who are working tirelessly to load as much bison wool onto his endless line of wooden carts, all pulled by camelphants.
"Work faster!" The merchant yelled! He noticed that one of the laborers, who have already passed the age of seventy, is having a difficult time carrying a large bundle of bison wool. He only dragged it across the ground, as he lacks the strength to hold it.
"You fool, you are damaging my wool! Pick it up or I will cut your paycheck!" The merchant banged the table, demanding the old man to fix his mistakes, which the laborer did his best under this new found pressure. Some other workers, especially the younger ones, assisted their elderly colleague. And with that, the merchant stopped his rage, and proceeded to drink some tea on the table. All of this happened, and Saran couldn't do a single thing about it.
"Listen, I have been buying wool from you nomads for a while now, and I can say for sure your hog monkey shirt isn't worth my time." The petty merchant sipped his tea as he begin to lecture Saran on economics. "I have seen machines and large factories, and even entire assembling lines that makes thousands of high quality shirts each day. And you, you can never compete with them. Your people are earning a good amount of money already by selling bison wool, so I suggest you abandon this little project of yours. If I were ever to purchase shirts to sell them somewhere else, I would never buy it from you!"
The rich merchant was very direct, and confrontational. But Saran hid her discontent, she knew this man is an important source income to her people. He is their sole purchaser of bison wool, and until they find someone else, they cannot offend this man in anyway. The Kheshig's might are rendered useless against this merchant. Even though each Kheshig can only sell the wool at a set price dictated by the merchant, the income is vital for their people to acquire other necessities like medicines and metal for armor. So as an adult, she needs to not let the merchant's punitive insult rattle her.
"Very well," Saran said as she swallowed her anger. "Thanks for the lesson." She then walked back to Khenbish, who is collecting some money from the merchant's assistant. The assistant checked countless times, making sure the amount of coins given to Khenbish is correct. After finally confident with his calculations, the assistant finally handed a small bag of copper coins to the nomad.
"Thank you! And have a nice day!" Khenbish said pleasantly. Unlike the other Kheshig, who are often unsatisfied with the low amount of coins they receive in exchange for bison wool, Khenbish was quite content with it.
"I see you are happy," Saran said in a defeated tone as she showed her husband the shirt. "I didn't sell a single thing today!" She thought her sewing can help bring in a few extra coins. Yet all she did was wasted time while her fellow tribesmen are being more helpful then her.
Khenbish pulled out a water skin, and proceeded to quench his thirst. "You don't need to worry, we will get though this winter!"
He then patted a random sky bison nearby, to which the bison responded by showing Khenbish more affection. Since they are selling wool, they brought a few sky bison to carry it over.
"We have them remember?" Khenbish referred to the sky bisons, reminding Saran that as nomads, they should not fear any financial insecurities. Unlike the majority folks in this town, the Kheshig have certain freedoms that allowed them to survive even the harshest season.
They are lucky that they don't need to pay money just to have accommodation, just setting up tents is enough. Their food is hunted from the wilderness, and a good hunt often provides enough protein to let them days. They don't even need to fear getting sick and not being able to pay medical bills, the physician himself literally helps you for free. But perhaps the biggest 'asset' they have is the very bisons which they rode upon. These versatile mammals provided food, and their wool can be used as material for warm clothing. In fact, it should be state countlessly that without the bisons, the Kheshig people wouldn't even be standing to this day.
"You are right," Saran admitted. "I guess I am too worried lately. We have encounters with Vaatu Acolytes too often, and our son is in constant danger." Her face is very solemn, as every Kheshig remembered what happened to them all those years ago. It's always hard to forget about their kinsmen that were killed. If only more of their family members have survived and also boarded the sky bisons. And then maybe, they would still be here, simply talking with them.
"We lost too much Khenbish, I don't want to lose any more people dear to us." Saran then placed the shirt back into a bag. Sensing that everyone has made their fair share of money today, it's probably time to head back. Hopefully, the Khan's is able to bring Jargal and his bison back. That is assuming Jargal is even here.
"Ah, Subutai, you are finally back!" Khenbish greeted the physician as he made his way towards him. "How is your hunting trip for grass?"
"Hahahah," the older man acknowledged the joke. "Successful," he said. "With this amount, surely it would be enough until Khiimori recovers his full strength!" He then showed Khenbish the plants, some banana leaves, sandalwood and some Corydalis. The last plant is especially vital. With the severe pain Khiimori must endure, plants such as Corydalis are useful to treat chronic pains. Judging that airbender's multiple damage his body have suffered, it's already a miracle that he even lived. But his recovering process would unfortunately be a long and painful process.
Subutai then threw Khenbish a newspaper, which the younger nomad almost fumbled it to the ground.
"Anything newsworthy?" Saran asked out of curiosity. While the Kheshig woman doesn't care that much about the outcome of world affairs, sometimes reading the news can help them keep track on which areas are safer to travel to. Wars between the Earth Kingdom states are common, bandit and pirates attacking people are even more prevalent. If a certain fixed destination was sacked by ruthless warlord army or rebels, they would notify Temujin immediately.
"Nothing out of the ordinary happened in the news lately." Khenbish replied to his wife. He then watched every article of the paper for anything worth mentioning. "Hmm, the state of Xia declaring war on the state of Kou over the dispute of a water source." He flipped the pages. "It says here bandits massacred a whole town of civilians." He flipped away from this depressing but unfortunately common news."Pirate ships defeated the state of Chu's navy, and then went on to hijack a fire nation steam boat, all 50 hostages on board were killed." Khenbish then read an interview of a fire nation captain, who told reporters that him and his passengers could have suffer similar tragedy if he didn't cancel the trip of Ba Sing Se. He suggests Earth Kingdom states to strengthen its navy through modernization, and allocate more funds to build better ships. All the bad news on the newspaper, mentioning deaths and violence everywhere, is like reading the weather forecast. When disasters like bandit raids became so rampant, it became harder for a reader to feel anything.
After reading that section, Khenbish remembered how the Earth Kingdom has a very weak navy. Based their travel to the state of Chu a few years ago, he is pretty sure their 'navy' has countless problems. He was there at the harbor, and noticed that the crews were clearly unfit for combat. The ships were made to look menacing, but even he knew that the interior is that of a transport ship. It wouldn't surprise him that the lost naval battle to the pirates were due to their incompetent leadership, who only wanted to scare the pirates away, but ended up actually fighting them. Khenbish let out a heavy sigh. Most of the resources were used to build land armies to wage wars against fellow states in the free for all civil war. To him, all of that seems like a huge waste of energy and man power when it would much better if all the states would unite and fight a common enemy. As long as bandit and pirate raids do not threaten an Earth state's capital, he doubt any warlord would even care enough to send armies to quell the chaos.
After scanning through all the gloomy news, he finally found something that is worth mentioning to his wife. His own face also brightened up as he said this news. "Check this out!" He notified his wife. "It says here that the Judge of Honghai destroyed a bandit army near the south of Ba Sing Se!"
The other Kheshig men also became interested in the news. They came closer to read the section documenting the recent successful victory of the man known as Judge of Honghai.
"Men will always be men, so interested in someone they never even met." Saran watched as many Kheshig huddled around the newspaper.
"Well, the Judge of Honghai does have quite the reputation." Subutai said as he watched the younger men are filled with smile and excitement. "I heard many things about that man, it's as if he is the only one who is capable of defeating armies of bandits."
"Physician, I know the Judge of Honghai has accomplished many feats. But we also cannot trust everything newspapers said." Saran reminded Subutai. She knew that news moguls love to distort truth from facts. And the only goal is to shift public opinion to their own interest and ideal, all the while preaching freedom of thought to the readers.
"I know, but it's the Judge of Honghai we are talking about here." Subutai said while checking his herbs. "He is more famous than the Warden of the Ashes. Unlike her, he is someone who became legendary after his greatest military success."
"The battle of HongHai," Saran said, already knowing the answer. No one, not a single soul in this world could forget what happened during that battle. It is said that the Judge managed to defeat an entire army composed of ten thousand strong corsair with a smaller force. The pirates were intending to attack the Western Air Temple, to plunder its artifacts and enslave everyone there. Because the temple is not built on a high mountain, it can be easily accessed by anyone who wishes to raid them. But of course, those pirates were unlucky. The Judge got there first, and everything else became history. When that man managed to annihilate an overwhelming daofei army, it's no surprise people would notice.
It was a masterpiece, a performance that made the Judge known throughout the world. He even earned the title 'Judge of Honghai', to solidify his victory. Unlike the Warden of the ashes, who is only known for taking unwanted prisoners into her shady Earth Empire remanent base, the Judge scored a decisive victory against a powerful foe no warlord would even dare oppose. It seems like he is a hero that gives hope to everyone.
"They say chaos provides opportunities for heroes to ascend to greatness." Subutai continued to inspect his herbs. "Military geniuses like the judge are rare, a piece of diamond in the mud. Of course, it's not like he would volunteer himself solve all the Earth Kingdom's problems."
So far, the Judge of Honghai have only remained on the areas near Ba Sing Se, cleaning off bands of bandits who roamed in proximity of the city's walls. Since Ba Sing Se used its walls to isolate itself from the civil war outside, the Judge have only fought in local wars against bandit lords. The Battle of Honghai in fact was the only battle that man has fought outside of Ba Sing Se's area. And with that demonstration, people begin to wonder, what would the Judge of Honghai do if he were to fight in more wars? But of course, Ba Sing Se has no involved itself with the affairs throughout the rest of the Earth Kingdom, and remained as a neutral entity.
"I have got to say, it's strange he still uses that same Earth bending tank from the One hundred Year wars!" One of the nomad commented.
"Oh please, it's not like the Judge lead the army because his parents are important people!" Khenbish replied to the chatter. "Ba Sing Se has tanks powered with oil, but he just chooses to not use them."
Although the Judge of Honghai earned plenty of respect across the Earth Kingdom, there is one quirky aspect his army no one can overlook. It is considered a bit old fashioned. The slinky tank is an outdated tank that has been in service during the Hundred Year War, and it can be surprising to see it still being used in battle by certain organizations.
"Ok! Everyone," Saran brought everyone to attention. "I know you are excited at what you are reading, may I suggest that we return first before investing time into it." It's like telling the men to stop watching a sports game, very difficult. They became so invested that they forgot important matters, like the fact Jargal is still not back. Hopefully, they can be out of this town as soon as possible.
"Saran!" A voice called out. They all turned and saw Amgalan hurried over with a distressed face. "We need to hurry! Your son is missing! And so are the two guests!"
All the Kheshig on scene gasped. Khenbish stopped reading his newspaper, and quickly asked Amgalan what happened. After a quick explanation, Khenbish's face grew more worrisome.
"You mean the girls in armor were...outlaws?" Khenbish said in disbelief, unable to accept that the Kyoshi warriors are wanted by the Earth Kingdom states. If it wasn't the the two's help in fighting the bandits, he would have immediately believed Amgalan.
Saran was silent. But she knew what must be done. "Then we will find them first! I don't care if those two ladies are wanted by the law, I just want OUR son to be safe!"
She couldn't bare to lose anymore people. Even though Sarangerel was said to have not been captured, it still didn't settle any unease.
"But, the Khan isn't even with us!" A Kheshig warrior reminded. "We can't act without his permission. Usually it's captain Ganbaatar that gives the orders in the Khan's absence, but even he isn't here!"
The group grew silent, unsure how to proceed. If Temujin is negotiating with this town's leadership, causing further trouble with the local authority could hinder their leader's effort. One wrong move could affect a source of income. And they could be officially denied access to the town.
The merchant entered his comfortable carriage. He then signaled the driver, who whipped the ostrich horse that is operating the carriage. A whole file of wool carrying camelphant caravan followed the carriage towards the town's exits leaving the band of Kheshig wavering nomads.
After speaking nothing for a while, they slowly turned their eyes to Subutai, the oldest of them all. It's clear that they are assuming the physician have some advice to address your difficult situation.
"We must act with caution," the old man said, with a surprising calm tone. "They probably haven't found those three kids yet." He looked at the anxious face of everyone. While he knew everyone cared about Batu, it's two two parents that is going to worry about him the most. It's hard to be guardians of that specific child. "I doubt the guards here can catch them. Of course, we must be ready if a fight is coming."
All the adult men tightened their muscles. They expected such things might happen and they are ready for it. Subutai then laid out the plan. The majority of the Kheshig will first get out of this town with most of the sky bisons. Then, a small group of warriors would head towards the town's center, where the Khan himself is. At the same time, they will bring along a few bisons in case they have to make the escape. The reason why they choose to not send a search party after Batu, is because Subutai does not want to further separate the Kheshig. The town is too big for them to search. Much to Saran's dismay, they need to contact Temujin first, and use his influence to assure Batu and the Kyoshi warriors's safety in this place.
"Saran, I need you to go back to the bisons and take care of our daughter. If things get ugly here, do not come back for us." Khenbish said to his wife, who didn't very responded. She only looked as Khenbish and everyone else split into two group. One of group is composed of armed warriors, and the other group are regular nomads who will leave this town.
They split off, not very sure what is going to happen next. As Saran walked with the rest of her people back to the bison herd, she took one last look at her husband. When things get difficult, she always felt she might once again lose those close to her.
...
Mayumi came out of the room looking refreshed, followed by Aunt Meng. They were in there for about half an hour, talking about every little speck on how Mayumi should approach their future.
Batu is sleeping soundly on one of the cushions, snoring loudly as if no one can hear him. Judging by the quietness outside, the guards must have ended their hunt for the Kyoshi warriors on this street. Or maybe they were just searching elsewhere. Whatever it is, it wouldn't take long for someone to recognize the Kyoshi face paint, and alert the local security.
"You took your sweet time, sis." Satchiko said in an unfriendly tone. "I would love for you to share what the fortuneteller said about your future. I would also be glad that you tell me what advice she has given you, instead of listening to your own sister!"
Mayumi knew her little sister was unimpressed by the unexpected display of superstition. But at the same time, she also did it to show respect to Meng. She hid the truth of what she and Meng discussed about their current journey, and instead told her more something Satchiko might be interested. Something more distracting.
"Oh Satchiko, you would not believe it!" Mayumi's sudden enthusiasm made Satchiko felt a bit suspicious. "Aunt Meng made a predication about who I might marry!"
While the younger sister was still a bit angered by Mayumi's earlier disregard, she can't help but sharpen her ear. Curiosity is simply too strong to defeat, and Mayumi knew Satchiko would not want to ignore what Meng predicted.
"That's...so sweet, but go on," Satchiko demanded, very cautiously. She still doesn't believe in fortunetelling, nor does she felt Meng's method are believable.
"Ok, that boy I will meet in the future is very talented one. Whatever talent it is, Meng didn't say. But I know that he will be a strong bender! Just like you said before remember? Who knows, he could be very strong!" Mayumi's face is actually very excited as she said this, which drew Satchiko's concern. Her elder sister is usually composed, modest, and never someone who talks so enthusiastically about who she is going to get married with. It's more of a problem rather than what Mayumi desires. Mostly because their mother wanted her to find someone quickly, a mountain which you shall lean against like how Hakaru puts it.
But Satchiko then went on to ask a question that inspect's Mayumi's behavior.
"You know Mayumi, I sometimes question your taste of men. Why are you specifically looking for people that is strong?" Satchiko produced a questioning look. She remembered that talk she had with Mayumi that night. "I thought finding a husband is about finding someone you love. Isn't that the quality that you should look for first?"
"And he has to be someone I see as an equal." Mayumi reminded. "You know those young lads back in the island only saw me as prize!"
"Very well, and I know that, but how is any of Aunt Meng's information able to help you locate the one?" Satchiko openly challenged Mayumi's unfounded trust in the fortuneteller.
"Of course, simply listing out his attributes are not enough, which is why Aunt Meng told me to pay attention to a man with a purple flower. He will give me a purple flower to show his love for me."
"What type of purple flower." Satchiko is unconvinced. This conversation just became a whole another level of weirdness. "There are plenty of people holding purple flowers in this world!" Meng didn't even specify what species the purple flower even is. If the next time Satchiko was asked by the other Kyoshi warriors about Mayumi's love life, what is she even going to say to them? They would probably all think that her sister has become very desperate, and have resorted to witch craft to find a partner for life.
"I know you and the other sisters always love to use me as a topic for your little chats." Mayumi begin with a smile. "You, Kazuki and others just like to imagine who I would be together didn't you? Well, something tells me that you all will get your answer. And my good friend Orihime would be both glad and jealous that just like how you will bring back Earth Bending to our island, I too will bring back something important." It was just right now Mayumi realized what Orihime meant by 'confirming the gossips'. She knew the other Kyoshi warriors are curious to see if she can return with someone, after rejecting all the suitors on the island. Well, a lot of it was also because her father respectfully foiled arrange marriage attempts. But if Aunt Meng correctly foretold that Mayumi would find a life long partner, then everything will work out just fine. The other Kyoshi warriors would be impressed, her father would be proud, her mother would be satisfied, Satchiko would have a brother in law. Who knows, maybe even Akunin would break...
"Well, we are not doing any of that when we are trapped here." Satchiko grumbled. If only she wasn't outlawed, who would have thought angering the Yi governor could have such long lasting consequences.
"Which is why you will need these." Meng said as she tossed a few garments at all three youngsters. Batu woke up as one of the garment covered his mouth, almost suffocating him. He gasped for air as he was suddenly awoken.
"What happened?" He asked.
He took a closer look into the new outfit he was given, it looked like some type of ceremonial robe, used by fortunetellers when ever they are at public events.
"Every year, I would head towards a small platform at this town to forecast its future." Meng said as she pulled out an old cloud reading book from a drawer. It was the same one, the exact one she has given to Avatar Aang to save her old home. The very book Aunt Wu once used at Makapu village, and has now passed on to her successor, Meng. The pages looked old and dusty, but it's still readable for the seasoned fortuneteller. While the book proven to be unable to predict the volcanic eruption near Makapu village, Meng still hold it to high regard. After all, it is a reminder of her memories of her home, friends and mentor.
"Conveniently, I would occasionally also bring a few temporary assistants with me, and sometimes those assistants would get lose and never be found again." Meng continued.
"Wow, is it because you never pay them?" Batu wondered.
"We. Are. The. Assistants." Mayumi kindly reminded the kid, who still haven't caught on with what Meng is saying. She quickly put on the robe, concealing her face and armor. Satchiko and Batu did the same, although the ceremonial robe Batu wore might have been too long for him.
"Your older sister have informed me that you are allies with the trading nomads that come here every once in a while." Meng said to Satchiko, who is still trying hard to put the ceremonial robes on. "I will walk with you to them, but remember, under no circumstances must you remove your disguises. Understand?"
The three of them nodded simultaneously. Satchiko and Mayumi used the robe's hoods to conceal their faces. Batu didn't, since he doesn't have a war paint on him, he is less recognizable. He simply pulled his fur hat off and hide it underneath the robes.
"Why are you helping us?" Satchiko questioned. She trusted Lei because she knows what he abide by, and his real intentions is. But she doesn't know much about Aunt Meng. If Meng wanted to, she can hand all three of them to the authority and they can do nothing about it.
"As I said, I am a fortuneteller I am never wrong." Meng simply replied.
"And?" Satchiko hoped she get some answers as to why Meng is going to such lengths.
"Fine, let me tell you the truth." Meng said reluctantly. "My mentor has predicted many things that I will encounter in my life, and she has also predicted the future of others and tell them what they should do. This happened many years ago, probably when you two aren't even born yet. The last fortunetelling my mentor did on me is that one day, I would meet two woman warriors. And I must do everything I can to help to them."
"And what makes you so certain that it's us?" Satchiko raised her eyebrows as she is not convinced. This fortunetelling thing is weird, and she believes that destiny is something that you control. "Did your mentor said anything about there also being a little boy?" She is obviously hinting the fact that Batu is also here.
"What my sister was trying to say is that we are grateful for your help." Mayumi corrected Satchiko's behavior. "And we promise that we will one day return the favor!"
Mayumi then bowed in respect of the elder, she gently jabbed Satchiko to tell her to do the same. Batu is still struggling to get the robe on, and he almost succeeded. Once he finally got the hand of it, Meng slowly opened the front door. She checked the perimeter, no guards.
"Follow me." She then looked at Mayumi, and asked her to direct them to where the sky bisons are. "Stay close."
They all left the building, leaving the empty room behind.
Author's notes:
The turtle duck thing and coin thing Aunt Meng performed is based on the real life method of fortunetelling using tortoise shells and coins. It is a practice dated back to the Shang dynasty. The user would place the three coins into the shell, then shake the shell, and the coins are then poured to a flat surface. The person would then 'read' the coins to do fortunetelling.
Disclaimer: We do not condone real fortunetelling here. This is just a story, please don't allow it to influence your life in any negative way. Thank you.
The canon camelephant is a fusion of elephant and camel. Their natural habitat is the Si Wong desert, and they are mainly used for transport and entertainment(Suyin was once part of a circus, the animal is present in a picture.)
IMPORTANT INFO FOR MY OLD READERS
-I made important adjustments to chapter 2. I have toned down Kyoshi island's world building to make it feel more like when it was during ATLA. A good friend of mine from real life pointed out my choice of design on Kyoshi island, and judging by his reaction, I knew I have made a big mistake back then. Meaning, from now on, all the building on Kyoshi island are still the same design like in the cartoon. That means no generification nonsense, no modern stupid building. It made no sense from all the economic, geopolitical and geographical limitations Kyoshi island had. They are still using those same wooden lodges always straw roofs, which makes more sense when your island is constantly threatened by pirates and the trade of ideas and products are always impeded. Ok I am done, thank you. (16/6/2021)