Special message before the chapter: Hi guys, I have been gone for a while, sorry for the wait. I want to thank you all for the patience and support you have given me, I very needed it during a rough period of mine. I have been overthinking many things, and I know me writing this story could influence the people reading it. I want to emphasize that this story is SOLEY for entertainment, and it is meant to be enjoyed and not taken too seriously. I hope I can grow and develop with every feedback and critique you the reader is giving to me. I know this sounded a bit out of the blue, but I just want to bring this out there. Enjoy!
Mayumi grimaced. She stood like a statue underneath robe disguise, she stared at the empty street. They are gone, all of them.
The bisons, the nomad warriors and the other Kheshig herdsmen that were lingering around this place, all vanished without a trace. Not even leaving foot prints on the ground for them to trail.
Mayumi's breathing hastened. Her innards felt like it wanted to spill as the climbing stress and fear begin to slowly entrench her. The feeling that they are abandoned and left to their own devices, forcing her and Satchiko to kneel at the mercy of corrupt lawmen. None of it will end well.
A gentle hand landed on Mayumi's shoulder. She turned around and saw Aunt Meng with her two upright pony tails giving her a strict but reassuring stare. "Why are you afraid?" Meng said. "Are you questing my fortunetelling?"
It has been foretold that the two sisters would make it to Ba Sing Se. But Mayumi needs more than some fortunetelling to quell her anxiety. She didn't anticipate that the clan of Kheshig would just leave.
"Maybe instead of zoning out, think about the next step?" Meng lectured her. "Surely these nomads wouldn't just abandon you without reason?"
The elder is right, Mayumi thought. Now is not the time to worry, they need a plan. Considering that Amgalan have came into conflict with the lawmen, it would be a wise choice for all the Kheshig to leave this place. Being trapped in a hostile environment would prove disadvantageous when you fell into the bad grace of the ruling authority.
Mayumi contemplated, they can head for the outer wall now, but that would mean trying to sneak pass the guards manning the gate. They could just over the walls like last time, that would be another option.
Loud sounds can be heard as a man walk down the streets. Banging his metal gong repeatedly, he rallied the attention of everyone, delivering a message from the town's center.
"Attention!" The man shouted in the middle of the street. Batu looked at the announcer, while the Kyoshi warriors concealed their face paints. "A public execution of an evil partisan will be held in half an hour, he will be trialed right outside the inner district! Our generous and glorious mayor invites all to see and witness the deliverance of justice!"
All the listeners, mostly locals, started to head to the where the man is pointing. Public executions often demands a crowd to gather. For many, it serves as a sort of entertainment within this mundane town of theirs.
The enthusiastic announcer then arrived in front of Aunt Meng, being cordial to the famous fortuneteller.
"Ah, Aunt Meng!" Suo greeted with the upmost joy. "Care to join us? I see that you have new assistants. The event could use some eye candy like these two ladies here!"
Meng didn't respond immediately. Usually she would do cloud reading infront of a large crowd of people. But if everyone is going to be gathered at the site of execution, then it is naturally good for her perform her duty there, after that execution. Although, the fortuneteller knew it would bring bad luck when doing fortunetelling so close to someone that have just died.
"Who is the one being killed?" Mayumi asked. She is careful not to reveal too much of her face, even though Suo already seemed to take quite an interest in her.
"Oh, just some green ribbon guerrilla fighter." Suo said gleefully. "He revealed himself in front of our mayor, disrupted a deal between our town and the Standardized Oil Company. Let me tell you, I think those stupid air-benders are helping him, those barbarians should all have been arrested alone with him. If I was the one in charge, I would have all them thrown into the dungeon!"
Batu took one angry step towards Suo, but was blocked by Satchiko. Blowing up their cover now would be a disaster. Maybe it would be better for Mayumi and Meng to do all the talking.
"Oh is that so?" Mayumi sounded very girly. "Are those frightening air-Benders still in town?" Mayumi asked Suo, taking advantage of the man's weakness towards women.
"Oh yeah, that big guy with grey arrow is still here, and so are a bunch other heathens who just showed up. Right now, they are at the sight where the partisan is going to be killed. But don't be afraid, I will be there to make sure they don't try anything. So you can enjoy the show with all your hearts content!"
Mayumi saw an opportunity, the Kheshigs are still here. The big guy with grey arrow Suo is talking about is probably Temujin himself.
"Very well, we will certainly make haste to witness the mayor striking down that terrible person." Mayumi then giggled a bit. She played up her voice acting to fool Suo, who still thinks he has a chance with woo Aunt Meng's 'assistant'.
Suo wanted to ask Mayumi about her name, to ask her out. But the four of them robbed him of that opportunity when they headed for where the site is.
"You enjoyed that, didn't you?" Satchiko jokingly nudged Mayumi with her elbow.
Mayumi didn't smile nor did reacted by endorsing her earlier behavior. She simply exploited a person's weakness to get information, nothing more.
On the way, Meng voiced her objection, citing how a death can bring bad luck if they are near it. "It is not wise for me to personally go there, at least not when you know what happens." The old lady looked up in the sky, her still sharp eyes observing the cloud positions and patterns. Perhaps she is simply worrying too much, Mayumi believe.
"Aunt Meng, I know that public execution is not something you wanted to be part of." Mayumi said. "But those air-nomads are there, and they can help us. We need to reach them as soon as possible."
"Yeah, then we will escape this place." Satchiko snapped.
"Shh!" Batu nudged the Kyoshi warrior. "Not too loud! People might be listening to us!"
Mayumi now noticed that many people are looking at them. It is unusual that Aunt Meng has assistants. The fact that there is three of them is even more unlikely. Meng has tried to find a successor for herself, but of course, no such talent can ever arise from a shabby town like this one. Most citizens here are mere laborers, who couldn't even read or write. They are only concerned about how to put food on the table, and not die on the streets. Those that can read or write however are not interested in becoming a fortuneteller. Often belonging to the richer families, they have little interest in learning something as archaic as predicting the future. Which is why, it takes a special kind of people to enroll themselves into this peculiar profession.
"There they are!" Batu exclaimed after telling Satchiko to lay low. He pointed a finger at a group of men built like mountains. Some of them have grey arrows on their forehead, wearing simple brown deels with the minimal protection. Most of them are wearing suits of lamellar scale, carrying spears, scimitars as well as their signature composite bows. The men are separate from the large gathering crowd of commoners that is right outside the gate wall towards the inner district.
"Where have you been!" A concerned Khenbish hastily arrived in front of Batu.
"Dad, sorry I-"
"We will talk about this later, after we get out of this place!" Khenbish then placed his hands around Batu protectively, making sure his son is not going to be taken away.
Mayumi and Satchiko looked at the makeshift plateform that was crudely made by Earth bending. Its hideous design is dissimilar to the nearby walls guarding the inner district. While the attending crowd of locals must stand in the streets, Choman and other men from the United Republic were given seats made of the best furniture wood. But what both of them is focusing now isn't the platform itself, but what is happening on it.
Their eyes goggled in disbelief when they saw Lei being held inside a human sized metal cage, a container which Earth Benders like him simply cannot bend out of. His head is left hanging on the outside, which is probably intended.
"Lei, what are you doing?" Satchiko said.
"Being a stubborn fool that's what!" Ganbaatar arrived next to her. "I don't know what he was thinking, we got the permission to free Jargal, and now that man just exposed himself as an enemy of the mayor! Those corporation folks from the United Republic made a deal with the mayor, something about extracting oil nearby. And apparently Lei is a member of the Green Ribbon Army, and he isn't happy about this development, so he tried to prevent this deal...and failed."
Mayumi glanced at the crowd nearby, hunter Jargal now appeared behind the group of Kheshig, slightly scared, but still tried his best to maintain his signature laughter. His fellow tribesmen found him in the town's jailhouse, where he apparently was assigned to cooking duty and unintentionally give stomach ache to all the guards. It was later the Kheshig found out he tried to make cabbage soup, which induced food poisoning to everyone that have eaten it. Based on that observation, Jargal have listened Mayumi's cooking advice of incorporating vegetables. But he still failed to escape the label of being the worst cook of the entire Kheshig khanate.
As for his bison. They discovered an airship in this town, and intervened right before it took off. It remained inside a small airstrip located in the inner district.
As for why they haven't left this town already, is more because they haven't found Batu, and the Kyoshi warriors of course.
"We are leaving, I am too tired to be around these sedentary folks." Temujin said, commanding all his subjects to leave. He appears to be holding two pieces of paper in his hands, but it's content are not visible to the Kyoshi warriors. "Get on the bisons, we fly out of here, now."
There is currently three bisons here, enough for all the Kheshig and the Kyoshi warriors to leave this place.
"Wait, but we can't just leave Lei like this, they are going to kill him!" Satchiko felt her words attracted weird looks from the Kheshig, who suddenly look like a group of strangers.
"He knew what he was doing when he went with us, entering the gate of the mayor's palace," Subutai said. The old advisor and physician looked on the stage, right now, one of the mayor's henchmen is sharpening a sword. Which is definitely intended to decapacitate Lei's head. "A man whose conscience is inflexible and strong willed. Truly, he has lived up to an expectations of Earth bending nature." He then made a long sigh, indicating how it is a shame to lose someone who could have been their allies. If only Lei never showed up, then they could have just killed all the cultists and pilots and get on with it. Although now that he think about it, using those pilots as to trade for Jargal has been quite beneficial. It is also convenient that some high ranking 'collie' is around to influence Shi Zhang's decision. "I do not believe he made that choice out of impulses, after all, guerrilla fighters not only fight to take down their enemies. Gaining support from everyday folks is also something they do."
"Which are none of our concerns." Mayumi said as she forcefully pulled Satchiko towards the bison. The younger sister reacted with a perplexed face, assuming that Mayumi would support helping Lei. "We have got ourselves into too much trouble, now let's go before-"
"Behold my subjects!" The mayor's ear piercing voice thundered across the massive crowd, which stood in silence as their leader decided to pass the verdict. "Today, I am happy to announce that I have successfully formed a mutually beneficial partnership with the United Republic! Their construction of the oil refineries will benefit our town economically. I speak on behalf of the interest of everyone here, that things in this town will never be the same! However, one man tried to destroy this wonderful plan. We are brought together to witness the death of a member of the green ribbon army! He will be punished accordingly to this state's law!"
Satchiko freed herself from Mayumi's grasp, and decided to listen what the mayor is saying. Currently, the stage is occupied by Shi Zhang, who stood next to Lei's cage with a golden crane. Choman and his security guards are seated on wooden chairs on the floor platform, overlooking the crowd below. Their presence here is to ensure that the mayor demonstrates the ability to quell partisan groups that act directly against their company's interests. A sort of guarantee that men like Lei who dare undermine the company would be punished swiftly. The mayor, whose wallet depends on this exchange, eagerly decided to held a public execution to demonstrate the power of town Shang's law and order. Or at the very least put up a good show for his United Republic guests, showing that the United Republic can operate in the local area without fear.
For many years, the green ribbon army has been a thorn. One of the group's goal is to mitigate the corporation's resource extraction no matter where they are. This often resulted in the destruction of unguarded resource facilities which wastes the company's resources and damages the trust of investors back home. While the United Forces has been very active on the Earth Kingdom, the Green Ribbon Army still manages to find opportunity to slip through and attack certain weak spots.
"The Green Ribbon Army and their atrocious acts against our country are unforgivable, they are the scrooge of society, and like weed, they must be exterminated! I swear that as mayor of this town, no one will harm you and your children! Especially this rude outsider!" Shi Zhang bellowed in a vigorous tone. The crowd of mostly underclass peasants didn't react with cheers or praise, they just stood silently, watching Lei sitting motionlessly inside the metal cage. When the partisan opened his dark green eyes, they can feel that the guerrilla has something to say. He looked rather harmless inside the confinement. But unlike most people, he still have that determined expression that emits the long forgotten notion of hope.
"My fellow compatriots," Lei begin with a calm but soothing speech. Shi Zhang was caught off guard as the partisan speak as if this is his own show. "I would like to tell you a story, a story about our people. If you would grant me this wish."
Everyone, the peasants, the Kheshig and the Kyoshi warriors all listened with interest. Uttering the word compatriot invokes a more personal attention, even though the Earth Kingdom is practically countless provinces and states split into separate ones.
"There was a time, long ago, when our nation the Earth Kingdom was still under one roof. It wasn't coordinated, but at least it was supposedly united, and everyone regardless of their ethnicity or language worked together to fight against Fire Nation imperialism during the war." Lei paused, regaining some more composure to continue. "Every night, children fell asleep listening to stories about our country's courageous Earthbenders guarding our nation's border against a common enemy. It was a difficult era, but at least we were not fighting amongst ourselves. However, you all know the truth is much more complicated. As not all of us can live up to the expectations of the heroes from bedtime stories. As fun as it is to model ourselves like those heroes, most people like us, like me, are simply powerless, insignificant, and are nothing more but Pai Sho pieces to those who are powerful and with ill intentions. Not only were few in the Earth Kingdom able to live up to the heroic expectations of keeping their own countrymen's interest at heart, there are even those who actively work against the Earth Kingdom, justifying the subjugation of our nation while the Fire Nation massacred millions of innocents. Our fellow countrymen in the colonies, Earth Benders or not, would point their swords and spears at their own people while bowing to portraits of a foreigner Firelord who only viewed them as pawns. It is shameful, when your only will are the ones being controlled by others. But those were the old days, and the past is not the present. But I tell you, things haven't changed now, as shameless freeloaders and traitors among us who once supported the Fire Nation's endless destruction have only taken a different form of disguise today. But when you strip them of such disguises, they are nothing more but self-serving thieves who only satisfies their own interest, their beliefs, while remaining indifferent to the suffering of the everyday people. Your so called mayor is no different, he will sell you out to the enemies, close and afar. Enemies who indulges themselves in putting up a puppet show, pretending to be our saviors, convincing us all that we should bow to them, for they have helped the Earth Kingdom. My fellow brothers and sisters of the Earth Kingdom, I urge you all, do not follow such paths and believe the lies. Be like the heroes in the story, not for your own ambitions, but for the sake of your friends and families in this nation. Free them from the shackles of being just toys to the cruel and corrupted!"
The crowd was silent before, but now they are actually drawn in by this speech of a mere peasant. They started to shift their heads at Shi Zhang. Whether if it's due to their discontent of their own predicament, or to verify Lei's hints about their own governor support the so called 'imperialist', the people can't help but consider the partisan's message. After all, everyday people like them are not that invested in quelling some guerrilla army who are enemies of warlords and the United Republic. They are however, very passionate about how they can place food on their table, or how they can accomplish the basic necessities to live a decent life.
"Blasphemy! I should have pulled you tongue out beforehand!" Shi Zhang denounced Lei's claims, and quickly addressed the masses. "I only have your best interest in heart. These gentlemen from the United Republic are not our enemies, they are our friends, partners! If it wasn't for them defeating the Earth Empire, we would living under tyranny!"
Some members of the audience did murdered in agreement. The mayor isn't wrong in what he said, the Earth Empire has done bad things. There are people alive today in this town who still remember what they had done.
"I am finished, you may proceed." Lei lowered his head, as if he is accepting that his fate is sealed. Satchiko watch with anxiety as the mayor hastily ordered the executioner to come on stage. The large burly man carried his dao, preparing it so that it would cleaning cleave Lei's head off.
"Now, with the witness of the United Republic's delegation, and my unquestioned authority, I sentence Lei, a guerrilla of the Green Ribbon Army, to death!"
The executioner swings his weapon downwards, but a golden glinting projectile pelted his arms, causing him to drop the blade. The sword nearly cut Lei's neck as it struck the ground.
The crowd traced the origin of that projectile to Satchiko, who discarded her disguises. Much to the horrors of Mayumi, who tried desperately tried to get the robe back on Satchiko, she knew their cover have been blown.
"Let him go!" Satchiko demanded, curling her hands into a round fist and raise it in the air. "He did nothing wrong, he just want people to live better!" Just as she was about to rush up the stage to rescue the man, a whole squadron of lawmen surrounded them, including the same Earth Benders from before.
Satchiko opened up her war fan which she didn't threw out earlier, and Mayumi also drew out her katana and raised it defensively. Both of them stood their grounds against the encroaching guards, who is ready to apprehend them.
"Guards, arrest these Kyoshi warriors as well!" Shi Zhang screamed in anger. "Make an example out of them!" But the guards did not act upon his words, for Temujin now stood in direct opposition to their target. His large stature easily intimidated their unsteady resolve, with some of the guards backing away just for safety.
"Mayor," Choman finally stood up and decided to intervene. "I think you have wasted too much of my time quarreling with the uncivilized wilds men and those two theatre actresses." He went other to the Satchiko's metal fan and picked it up, and proceeded to place the metal object inside his pocket. "You shouldn't delay in carrying out justice to those who are enemies to the Earth Republic. You wouldn't want to disrespect masterpiece of Avatar Korra and his excellency Wu do you?"
"Hey, give that back!" Satchiko yelled as one of her own war fan has been taken. It is often said that a Kyoshi warrior and her war fan must never depart, or else the woman would be considered neglectful and incompetent. But to Satchiko, her war fans are a part of who she is, even losing one would be devastating.
The situation now is tense, even the air felt thicker with all the Kheshigs readying their weapons and killing intent. Choman ignored the Kyoshi warrior, his attention went straight back to Shi Zhang, who nervously glanced at the waiting crowd.
"I will never betray the people!" Shi Zhang reaffirmed his allegiances to Choman. He quickly hustled the executioner back to where he was, killing Lei. As the crowd watched, some of them begin to felt sympathy to the man. Perhaps it's because his words rekindled something deep inside their hearts, something they have long forgotten. A former glory of a country that is now nothing more but a shadow of its former self. A nation whose fate is determined by others. A sick man.
"Stop!" Meng hurriedly bolted for the platform, the crowd quickly created a clear path once they know who she is. She pushed aside Wuli, who fell to the ground. The young pilot is clearly surprised by the elder's strength.
Mayumi focused her thoughts, the fortuneteller's speed and determination to make it to the stage have surely caught her by surprise as well. This rash behavior also concerned her, as she expected Meng to be rational and composed. Maybe it's because she wanted to prohibit the execution, but for what?
"What now? I thought only young women would disrespect authority, I surely didn't expect you, the Aunt Meng to also perform uncivilized behavior?!" Shi Zhang exclaimed, incredulous at the old lady's weird act.
Meng stepped on the stage, puffing from her short exercise. Talking between short breathes, she explained while pointing her finger at a cloud, all the while holding onto her precious book. "We-must-be-ready!" Meng recovers her lungs, and proceeded to speak in full sentences. "Forgive my intrusion dear mayor, but there are much more serious issues at hand. This town is in grave danger!"
Mayumi noticed that many town folks are frightened by the revelation that came out of nowhere. Scared and uncertain, they completely forgotten that they are participating in a public execution. She can even sense the mayor's guards looking at each other with insecurity. It appears that Meng has quite the reputation to make people believe her. This is good way to call off the execution, since Meng already have shown disdain for something like this.
But when Mayumi lifted her head to look at the cloud Meng is pointing at, she temporarily froze. As a person who doesn't very believe in fortunetelling, even she cannot help but feel a bit frightened. This might not be a trick by Meng, Mayumi thought. On their way here, Meng did showed her a few pages inside the cloud reading book. While the Kyoshi warrior wasn't that much interested, she did remember one specific cloud that forecasts grave danger. The worse one, and the most dangerous cloud. Meng explained that if a malevolent cloud like this appeared on the sky, doom follows.
"It's the fluffy bunny cloud!" Meng screamed. "Doom and destruction!"
The Mayor reacted by casting her a confused look. Even the people from the United Republic are unsure what to make of this bizarre behavior.
"What!" Ganbaatar said, baffled. "That pink clothing lady must be crazy, no way can she tell the future by looking at the clouds!"
"Yeah, I can just go up there with a bison and rearrange it, let's see what she will say after that!" Batzorig laughed.
"My Khan, what's wrong?" Khenbish asked their leader, who grew silent after listening to Meng's prediction.
The Khan turned to Subutai. "Are our people safe? Where have you ordered them to go?" There is a lot of weight in his words, expecting the answer to be serious.
"As faraway from here as possible, Temujin." Subutai replied. The old physician has always been the Khan's most trusted ally. Since they have a long history, Subutai is the few that is allowed to call the Khan by his name.
Temujin looked very relieved after hearing that, but still maintained his stoic expression. Mayumi cannot help but linger on the idea that Temujin believes in superstition. The powerful airbender, who has the nerve to even disrespect master Tenzin himself, is being being prudent because an old lady said a cloud appearing on the sky means bad news.
But to be completely honest, even a disbeliever like herself cannot help but be afraid.
"Laughable!" Shi Zhang nudged the fortuneteller aside and retook the spotlight. "You expect me to stop this public execution just because some cloud looks like a fluffy bunny?"
Meng quickly nodded her head. "We must prepare the town for imminent danger, I suggest you prepare the outer wall defenses, rallying the soldiers, and call the capital city for help!"
"Well it looks to me that cloud is not the only one that is a fluffy bunny," Shi Zhang gleefully. "Perhaps your age have made your own brain the same shape as that cloud up there!"
The pilots chuckled at the joke, and Shi Zhang continued to assert his reasoning. "I know what you think of me Aunt Meng, but you are wrong. Ever since I am in office, my administration have done more for this town than any other administration in history! If there is any danger that would threaten this great city of mine, than I would personally deal with it. It would be just as I have foiled this Green Ribbon Army rebel, who tried to interfere with our town's partnership with the United Republic!"
While it is debatable as to what improvement the new mayor has actually brought to this town, many would agree that even a shanty settlement like this shouldn't be that difficult to govern. When compared to other regions of the Earth Kingdom, the town of Shang is lucky enough to be on the border with friendly Earth Kingdom states. While trade isn't as prominent as the other cities, many do consider this region to be relatively safe due to low sightings of bandits and the absence of civil wars. Nonetheless, this insignificant town was once a thriving trading hub when the country was still in one piece, albeit under the Earth monarchs or the Earth Empire.
"Shi Zhang," Lei said in a renewed tone, he watched the skies in front of him, something has caught his attention. "I doubt everything you have said about yourself. Frankly, I do not care what you did to become this town's leader, whether if it's corruption or winning a popularity contest. You are a terrible leader, nothing more but another puppet like that foolish puppet King himself. But if you truly are a competent leader who cared even the slightest about your people, than I wouldn't mind being proven wrong. Because right now, I would gladly eat my words if you can save this town from destruction!"
Mayumi now finally noticed a thick trail of smoke coming from a faraway distance. The crowd begin to panic, as Meng has once again accurately predicted an event, just not a good one.
To add oil to fire, a burning carriage appeared from the main street. People dodged out of the way as the ostrich horse thundered across stalls and wheel barrels. When the carriage finally stopped, Mayumi noticed that a blade is stuck inside the coach man's chest. The man is dead.
Satchiko gulped her saliva at this sight.
Quietly like a small critter, a businessman crawled out of the carriage. His face appeared as if he was being subjected to torture. All his clothings were smothered, and his face remained in fear. The arrogant merchant who have just lectured Saran on economics, is now in tatters.
"Raiders!" He cried. "Thousands of them!" He then run to the crowd and speak with terror. "They robbed my bison wool, killed my servants. They said they coming here to cleanse everyone! And me? I have lost all my fortune!" He then fainted, mostly due to what he had witnessed.
"It's coming from the village down south!" Mayumi heard someone cried. The masses begin to move back towards their dwellings, possibly to gather their family and possessions so that they can retreat back to the inner walls.
Satchiko became confused, stunted by sudden flow of the crowd. She looked like a little girl who got separated from her mother, becoming lost and unsure what to do.
The Kyoshi warrior then noticed that one of the Standardized Oil Company security guards have whispered something to Choman, to which the expressionless man simply placed his hand on his chin. They all slowly retreated back into the inner district, leaving the mayor in his futile attempt to calm the masses.
"Satchiko, we need to go, now!" Mayumi barked. She tried to hustle the younger sister to towards the bison, but Satchiko still refused to budge. "What do you mean you want to stay?"
"The people here are in danger, I don't believe in Aunt Meng's crazy fortunetelling, but I do know that smoke must mean bandits have attacked a village." Satchiko once again tried to get out of Mayumi's hold. "I must stay here and help defend!"
"You will do no such thing!" Temujin marched in between the two sisters, causing them to cease their little quarrel. "What difference will you make? You will be another casualty in the upcoming bloodbath. This town, and everyone in it will be destroyed by the bandits. All of it will mean nothing! Your best course of action is to leave this town with the rest of my people, for I will not risk their safety for complete strangers. The lives of my kin and my allies weight far higher than a town of sedentary folks."
Satchiko stopped and tried not to crumble under this intimidation. She became silent, as if she didn't expect this reproachfulness of the Khan.
Mayumi knew where Temujin is coming from. A poorly defended town, an incompetent leader, expendable peasants, immoral daofei. This is just like when the Kheshig have suffered a similar fate when they have been targeted by the Acolytes of Vaatu. Something tells her that the local garrison may not be able to fend off the attack.
"Everyone!" The mayor announced. "Remain calm, I assure you the situation is under my control. I will personally lead my own army to face the daofei menace! They will be obliterated by me!" Shi Zhang strode past Lei's cage, and gave orders to Suo, who is standing by. With only few exchanges, Suo gathered his men, and stormed off. But what baffled Mayumi is that they are heading not to the outer wall, but went back to the town's inner district. And with that distraction, Mayumi failed to notice Satchiko's sudden use of force, escaping from the arm grip.
"Hey, what are you doing!?" Batu cried out from behind. "We need to go now!" The brave looking young warrior has finally displayed hints of fear and anxiety. That distant thick trail of smoke completely refreshed his own memories of when he lost his parents.
Satchiko climbed onto the platform, using her war fan in an attempt to break the cage's lock.
"I appreciate your help, compatriot." said the guerrilla. "But you can't bend this metal, so I think you should let them do it."
Satchiko spun around, three men in plain simple clothes are now also on the platform. They look exactly like the locals in laborer clothing. One of them came to the lock with a bolt cutter, and easily freed Lei.
"Thank you comrade Zhou!" Lei said.
"You are thanking me!" Zhou spat back. "If was you who placed yourself in this situation didn't you?"
"Lei, who are these people?" Satchiko asked. She is glad that there are people helping the Earthbender, but she is still on guard to strangers in this town.
"We are with the Restoration," Zhou said. He didn't further elaborate, instead, all three of them pulled out green scarves and tied it around their necks. And Mayumi instantly noticed the similarity with one Lei is wearing.
"Alright, the people got our message, now, let's get out of here!" One of the undercover guerrilla said to Lei.
"No, we must stay." Lei went off the platform and found his trusty dadao blade. "We will join with the defenses, Do whatever it takes until some reinforcements arrive!"
"There will be no reinforcements," Temujin stated. He used airbending and propelled himself on the platform. "I am impressed that you didn't die, Lei. For an idealist like you, I thought you were sacrificing yourself just to spread a simple message." The Khan checked on the three under covered Green Ribbon men, making sure they do not retaliate in case he offended them. "But I doubt anyone is coming to help you, after all, this state doesn't have a single garrison in the entirety of its southern border. Even if the mayor called for the capital's help, I can bet the governor would simply ignore the plea and resume whatever lavish life those elites indulges in. To put it simply, this town of common folks in the eyes of the wealthy elite is less important than the next state election. That is assuming they still have it of course."
Satchiko went silent. Lei walked a few steps towards the direction of the outer wall.
"This town and its people, I may not know them personally but even so I refuse to let harm come to them." Lei then ordered his three allies. "Comrades, let's go."
"You stubborn Earthbender!" Ganbaatar yelled across the street, kicking the dust beneath him. "Of all the dirt throwing people I have ever met, you are the most dense of them all! First you wanted us to spare some captured genocidal men, and now you are going to waste your life for people you don't even know! This whole town watched as you were about to be executed, yet none of them helped you!"
Lei didn't respond, he simply continued his walk along with the other three men. Perhaps their commitment to the people stems much further than words and slogans. If they are willing to die for it, who could stop them?
Mayumi observed this whole situation. This town is doomed to fell. If there are thousands of bandits invading this town, than all of the inhabitants will die when the defenses are overwhelmed. Right now, all she needed to do is to bring Satchiko out of here and...
The younger sister is no longer on the platform. Mayumi looked around, wondering where the girl is. Her face paled even whiter than the white face paint she is wearing. That foolish girl!
...
A massive condensed blob of men and women moved slowly on the barren path that is leading to Shang. The whole contingent lacks any form of uniform that identifies their affliction. Usually in times of war, a competent leader would anticipate that neutral or peaceful entities would turn hostile. This is no different between various Earth Kingdom states. Just because one of your neighbor doesn't attack you today or signed a peace treaty with you, there is no guarantee it will remain like this in the ever changing game of broken alliances and forsaken oaths.
From the walls of Shang, the mayor's three hundred guards present during Choman's reception is positioned all across the wall walk. Suo is present leading them, telling where each of them should stand to make sure it creates an impression of an organized militia.
"Everyone, remember to look tough!" Suo made a snarl, hoping the others would mimic his facial expression. "The enemies must be from another country. Let us show them the strength of our glorious mayor, and let them tremble upon hearing his name."
The guards, wearing their fashionable uniforms didn't elicit the reaction Captain Suo was hoping for. On the contrary, their morale seemed to have plummeted upon hearing Suo's underwhelming speech. A few even begin to tremble when they smell a heavy stench of blood as the potential invaders draws near. The clattering of blades sent shivers down the spines of many defenders standing on the wall.
When the massive blob stopped in front of the wall's now closed wooden gate, the identity of the attackers can be better observed. From the looks of it, none of them appear to be soldiers from nearby Earth Kingdom states. All of them are dressed in ragged clothings derived from mostly peasant origins, their faces are filled with killing intent. But what truly caught the attention of the defenders is the fact many of the non-benders have bloodied their weapons, an indicator to what happened to their previous victims.
To worsen the situation of this town, the attackers have also brought dozens of mecha tanks, a machine of war that is a giant suit made of metal supported on a continuous track. With its two massive 'arms', the machine are all properly armed in various weapons. A few were equipped with giant harpoons. These monstrosities are manufactured by Future Industries, and have become a popular choice for militaries around the world. Since it's inception during the anti-bending revolution, the mecha tank has proven to be a powerful vehicle against Benders.
"There sure is a lot of them," One of Lei's friend commented as the four Green Ribbon climbed over the in. "I hope the lads in those fine looking clothing are some sort of elite unit."
"What-why are you here!?" Suo said, alarmed that Lei is now free and walking on the walls.
"Now is not the time to worry about us, tell me, have the mayor called for help from the capital?" Lei asked Suo, who is still recovering from the shock.
"The order is for us to defend this town at all cost!" Suo said. "My superior have already thought about an ingenious plan for this situation." Something about his uncertain voice didn't convince the guerrillas. The invasion have came so sudden, that everyone was caught off guard.
"There is so many of them!" Satchiko cried.
Lei turned around, seeing Satchiko peering on the wall. Since Kyoshi warriors are elite fighters trained in arts of stealth, it's very easy for her to just walk up behind them without being detected.
Now it was Lei who is shocked. "What in the name of-you shouldn't even be here! As your Earth bending teacher, I demand you escape with those nomads!"
"No, I am staying here!" Satchiko replied. "I am a Kyoshi warrior, I defended by home Kyoshi island from pirates many times. I know what I am doing!"
"Many times?" Zhou questioned. "So it's like a routine isn't it, they came to your village and you expel them. It went on for many years, the pirates continued to attack and retreat just like when your parents were your age, am I wrong?"
Satchiko nodded, she is surprised how accurate this Zhou person managed to guess the situation on Kyoshi island. While it is true that there are frequent bandit raids across the island, it never gets to the point of endangering the vital villages or its people. Usually evil folks from the sea would try their luck during the height of tourist season, when there is actual wealth available for them to rob.
"Let me tell you something, this isn't some regular pirate raid where the only thing being destroyed is a person's gold ring. This is serious, this is real!" Lei then directed Satchiko at the sophisticating mecha tanks. "Here on the mainland, you do not fight simple thieves who are only after your money. Those people you are looking at, they are after your life!"
Satchiko took a long deep look at the mech tanks rolling into the proximity of the wall. Her understanding of the world used to be so much simple. A boat is a boat, and a bird is a bird. Her and her fellow sister's minimal interaction with the tourists have definitely hindered many chances of her knowing how different the outside world has become.
"Just what is that...thing?" The young girl asked out of hesitation. How in the world is that whole chunk of metal even moving?
"Those are mecha tanks country bumpkins!" Suo scolded the Kyoshi warrior. "Almost every Earth state have those. I don't care what those imbeciles from the United Republic of stolen Earth Kingdom land says, the Earth Republic is technically countless countries on a map. I have seen plenty of mecha tanks in the capital when our armies were sent up north to fight in the border skirmishes."
"This army of your is still fighting up north is it?" Lei interjected. "If that is the case, I can probably guess that no sufficient aid is coming for us, am I correct?"
Suo refused to respond. He just stared at massive army outside the walls, dreading in fear. His lips went dry as the sun's heat bear down on all of them.
There is now a sudden movement in the army. Two man emerged to the front, one in his thirties, and another an elder. The young man is large and tall, with a large swelling belly. In hands was no weapon, but a large piece of cooked camelphant leg. It seems that the man have helped himself after pillaging the wool merchant's convoy. The older man is in comparison much shorter. One can tell his long and stiff beard is longer than his whole body. Blood is visible extending from his mouth all the way to tip of the beard touching the ground. The horrified defenders wondered whose blood does it belong.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves!" A fat man took a large stride forward, mouth grinning. "The name is Taotie, head of the brothers and sisters behind me." He said while munching onto the meat of the camelphant. "Right besides me is elder Qiongqi!"
Taotie's eye drawing gluttony can be hard to ignore if wasn't for Qiongqi's own quirks. The old man's back is bend forward, supporting his body on a thin walking stick. His clothing made him look like a street beggar who have lost all hope in life.
The blood on his face made Satchiko's hands went cold. When her fingers touches her palms, she knew part of her wanted to just run away from whatever is going to happen next. She felt the old man stared at her briefly, even just for a second more, she would have surely stumbled to the ground out of fear.
"What do you want!" Suo said. The captain is sweating, obviously putting up a brave face. "Who hired you daofei scums!"
As Qiongqi remained completely silent, eyes not blinking, Taotie tried to finish his meal quickly. After devouring the bones, he spoke.
"The word daofei is not a term you should be using." Taotie muttered, unpleased with Suo. "Unbelievers like you should grateful that purity have been delivered to your front door! Open up your gates and submit yourselves, or we will force our way in and deliverer righteous judgement!"
Unbelievers, purity, judgement. Satchiko played those words repeatedly in her head. Those words sounded familiar, it's like these people are...
"The Acoyltes of Vaatu," Lei said it first, staring at the attire of the enemies. "So this is what an entire army of them looks like."
"The Acolytes of what?!" Suo exclaimed.
An whole army made of fanatics, zealots, and people who have dedicated their minds to the person they called 'master'. All in the name of eradicating bending impurity through purging the masses they detest. Something about these people made Satchiko rattle with fear, which has never occurred when small bands of pirates tried to attack her village. She doesn't know why, but for once her energetic fighting spirit doesn't look forward to fighting someone.
"So, are you opening the gates?" Taotie is now chewing through some roasted camelphant ribs. "We don't have all day!"
None of the defenders dare to reply, fearing one wrong word is all it takes to send the entire horde clashing into their puny defenses. The individual faces of the Acolytes of Vaatu indulged in the enemy's plummeting morale. Many of them laughed at the silence defenders.
"Wait, if it's food and money you want, we will give it to you!" Suo quickly said.
Lei gave Suo a disappointing look, the guerrilla knew the captain doesn't have the wits to held out in an argument. Showing the raiders weakness already sends a message that the defense are inadequate at its core.
"Hmm, that would be a good option, since that our main goal is prepare for the great invasion of-hey!" Taotie's foot was painfully poked by Qiongqi. The elder disciplined the army leader of the Acolytes of Vaatu, as of reminding him that accepting Suo's suggestion would cause them their victory.
"Uh, fine!" Taotie said to appease the elder. He then turned around to face the mecha tanks, and started to direct them to position themselves infront of the walls.
"Suo, they are attacking, if we hold those bandits here with all the Earth Benders on the walls, we can stop them. Save for the Taotie and Qiongqi, most of the enemies outside are Non-Benders."
Satchiko glanced at the army positioned across the walls. Their uniforms looked so beautiful, yet she knew fashion often creates zero advantage during battle. But what concerns her more is the apparent lack of confidence in these guards. Since none of them are holding weapons, she assumed that they are all Benders selected from the locals.
"They...they are not benders." Suo whispered to Lei. Despite the meek tone of the guard captain, the news sounded by thunder for the whole group. Zhou was standing besides them, and Satchiko can hear his throat choking from disappointment. They thought the three hundred guards provided by the mayor are some sort of elite unit of Earth Benders used to impress Choman. But since Shi Zhang is known for underfunding public infrastructures and services, they should have known that the only fighting force is Suo and his fellow colleagues from the capital.
"Wait, where are those Earth Benders who were after me and my sister?" Satchiko raised the question to Suo. "There might not be many of them, but they can fight can they?"
Suo sighed, explaining the simple issue of why certain people in this world is given a silver spoon rather than others. "Uh yes, that is true, but you see, those Earth Benders who were after you have blood ties to powerful families of this state. If someone even manages to scratch them me of them, mayor Shi Zhang could lose his rights to office!"
"So Shi Zhang would risk the lives of the people for his position?" Lei demanded, pointing his dadao at the guard captain. "If those so called Earth Benders are present on this wall, our chances of fending off an attack could have increased a lot!"
"Lei, calm down, now isn't the time for that!" Zhou used his hand to held down Lei's weapon. He then faced Suo. "Would it be ok for you to go to the mayor and fetch those Earth Benders? Since we can't expect any spare armies to march here to help us, we need any help we can get."
"Very well," Suo surprisingly agreed to the request of a Green Ribbon rebel. He then walked to one of his subordinates, another guard who is wielding a dao. "Take command of the forces, defend this place at all cost!" The captain then fled the scene and headed to the inner walls.
"You trust him?" Satchiko asked Lei. "I don't think he is reliable."
"I believe in him." Lei looked at his reflection on the blade." Though I am an enemy of the warlords, I am still willing to believe that the good in every one of us will eventually triumph over the bad. He might look like an incompetent officer, but I still believe he can convince the mayor to do something."
Satchiko made a hopeful smile, but Zhou was not impressed. He gave Lei a sorry look and a few pats on the shoulder. "I wouldn't be surprised if that man just hid behind the inner wall and never came back."
As the defenders watched nervously, the Acolytes finally began their assault. Five mecha tanks shoot out harpoons with metal chains attached to them, allowing for the bandits to climb. The harpoons flew into the wall turrets, stabilizing themselves into the stoneworks. The dumbfounded defenders are all in disarray when the attackers swiftly scaled the walls, many even dropped off the wall walks when the enemies finally reached the top.
"Remove the harpoons!" Suo's second in command urged the non-bending honor guard regiment. Without much experience, the man can only shout whatever command he can think of in his mind. Before the defenders can do anything, attackers already reached the top of the wall and engaged the defenses.
As the defenders were being slashed and cut left and right, Lei used his Earth bending to pulled the chunks of earth from where the harpoons are stuck into. One by one, each metal chains were displaced, and any bandits who were climbing onto the walls also fell to the ground.
Still, the defenders struggled against the remaining bandits on the walls, Satchiko used her one metal fan and fought the attackers head on. Using the brute force of opponents against them, she knocked out the weapons of many bandits, allowing allies to pick them up and use them against the enemy.
"Watch out!" Zhou earth bent a piece of earth and blocked an incoming strike from a random acolyte behind the Kyoshi warrior. He barely parried the blow and then immediately punched the bandit before ramming a sharp rock into the enemy. The bandit shriek in pain and dropped dead to the ground.
Satchiko tried not to look when it happened, the gross detail of blood spilling on the ground. She ignored it. If only she have never been born with Earth Bending, then she might have never came to here on this very day.
Just then, they all heard the wooden gate of the wall being punctured. While the defenders were distracted by the fighting on the walls, they failed to notice that two mecha tanks have shoot out their three clawed retractable 'fists' at the wooden gate. The two war machines begin to tear down the gate. When the door finally collapsed, Taotie ordered one of the mecha tanks to charge into the city.
"Not so fast!" Lei shouted as Satchiko and the three other Green Ribbon rebels climbed off the wall and arrived on the street. They faced down the mech tank, and the driver dared them to challenge him.
The mecha tank poured out a stream of fire at Lei. Satchiko watched as the Earth Bender used the material in front of him and created a wall from the ground up. While dangerous, this is a good opportunity for her to observe actual Earth Bending.
As Lei blocked the fire, he then launched the Earth wall and smashed it into the cockpit of the Mechatack. The machine's driver did felt the impact, but decided to continue the fight.
"Zhou, and you two, back me up!" Lei shouted at his fellow Green Ribbon guerrillas. "We will use that move!"
The Kyoshi warrior was confused. Zhou and two other unnamed Green Ribbon rebel seemed to be performing some sort of strange dance move she does not understand. They all moved in synch bare footed, chanting loudly each time they stomped on the dirt ground.
"He,He,He,He,Ha,Hu Haaaaa!!!!!" The three of them screamed like madman. And a small piece of rock in front them now begin to levitate in the air.
The Kyoshi warrior's mouth is now wide open. They did all of this exaggerated move set just to bend a piece of rock. This is unbelievable, as just before Zhou was seen demonstrating a competent proficiency of Earth Bending. This is a battle, not a comedy show.
But just then, right before she could yell at them for their irrational behavior. The ground in front of the three men sudden erupted. A massive boulder, at a size of a three storied house is now floating in the air. But it took all three of them to keep it in the air. From their facial expression, the three Earth Benders are near their limits as to how much force they can maintain. While their bodies are not physically strong, their stubbornness and willpower allowed them to do things Satchiko thought was not possible with Earth.
Lei quickly used his arms and performed some basic Earth bending moves. After gathering the momentum and body position he needed, he swiftly punched his right arm from behind his back and send the massive boulder flying at the mecha tank. This is his counterattack.
Even through that foggy cockpit window, Satchiko knew the driver is just as surprised by that astounding display of Earth Bending. Sheer force, was all she can say about what she has just witnessed. Before the driver can maneuver the mecha tank out of the way, the whole machine was sent crashing backwards. The boulder blocked the gate, shielding the entrance from all other mech tanks that were about to charge through.
Lei fell to his knees, that Earth bending have exhausted his stamina. Without food, it's remarkable how a weakly born peasant like him can even accomplish something like that.
"That should buy us some time," Lei inhaled deeply. He is breaking a lot of sweat, and Zhou threw him a waterskin to quench thirst.
"Lei! You ok?" Satchiko rushed out into the open street. Right now, all four of the Green Ribbon Army guerrilla is resting on the ground, panting for breath. If they were not in the midst of battle, then she would have immediately ask him to teach her this Earth Bending move.
A rumbling sound of the giant boulder made it shake violently. Before anyone can comprehend what happened, the boulder shook and break into countless little rubbles. All that hard work Lei and Zhou did went down the drain, and the town's entrance became once again exposed to attack. When the dust cleared, Satchiko saw a lone figure slowly walking through the gate. She held her breath, mentally preparing herself for any threat coming through.
"Young people are so naive some times," Qiongqi spoke with coarsely for the first time. He slowly shuffled forward with his walking stick, back still bent. "You very think pesky tricks like this can halt the will of the master? All I did was touch that boulder and it became dust!"
The defenders of the walls are beginning to be overwhelmed with another wave of assault. The mayor's honor guards and the skeleton crew of Suo's men had no chance to held off a marauding horde of crazed men and women.
Behind Qiongqi, Taotie appeared. A large swarm of acolytes armed with swords and axes poured into the town.
Zhou quickly picked Lei up from the ground. With Satchiko with them, the other two Green Ribbon member moved the piece of earth all five of them are standing on and used it like a board. They swiftly made their retreat. Satchiko stole one glance at the people, she would be lying if she said everything would be ok.
Author's notes:
-Qiongqi and Taotie are two of the evil mythical beasts known as the 'Four Perils'.
-The idea that Earth Benders are fighting for the Fire Nation is actually canon. There were Earth Kingdom armies that collaborated with the Fire Nation to fight against their own country. Reasons like defecting, self-interest, and people growing up in the oldest Fire Nation colonies are loyal to the Firelord, and are willing to fight for them. What are bunch of interesting specimen.
-The way Lei said how children fell asleep listening to heroic Earth Benders in stories is a reference to how Katara tried to inspire the imprisoned Earth Benders.
-You might have noticed the way Zhou and the other two earth bender levitate a projectile and then Lei be the one that actually shoots it sounded very familiar. This is because this action sequences is based on an Earth bending fight scene of the Avatar live action movie. I even added that weird shouting bit of all those Earth Benders, albeit I have zero idea how to write those shouts. When I discussed this with a friend of mine from real life, I was very confused so we discussed why the rock was so little and why it took so much Earth Benders just to do levitate a small rock. Since I had a brain, not a very bright one unfortunately, I have decided to 'fix' this scene in the simplest way as possible. Since there are plenty of Earth Benders, we can assume that together, they can move a large landmass. But Lei actually punching that rock would require a higher willpower in order to launch so a massive projectile at the enemy.
Small changes I have made to characters
-Kyoshi warrior matron Hitomi was renamed to Oiwa, after a character from Japanese ghost story.
-Mayumi's close friend and fellow Kyoshi warrior Akasuki was renamed to Oriheme, after a character from the Tanabata festival. Seriously, her old name is so uninteresting, it's like you merged the names Akahana and Suki together.
-Tomeo was renamed to Tomoe. You see, before I accidentally mixed the o with the e.
Please notify me if you see those old names again, I will fix. Thanks!
Self reflection and community feedback.
-Past chapters have displayed avoidable problems like repeated sentences, grammar mistakes and uninteresting dialogue. I will do my best to avoid those.
-Sometimes I wrote characters, I got a bad habit of changing the thoughts/perspective and alternating between people.
-The story's pacing was too slow. Originally, I was going to write a segment on how they freed Jargal from prison, but that would add nothing to the story. Will improve on that.
Please check out 'Conspiracy of the North' and 'Avatar: The Legend of Krypton' by Megabob452. These are stories also about Avatar, the second one is a cross-over. Feel free to hop over and check out their works. ;)