Here is the 14th full chapter in Book 5, released on time as promised. There actually isn't anything to say here for once as this chapter is the set up for the coming events and as such I will leave it here and as there isn't anything to respond to that means that it time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 14th full installment of Avatar: The Tale of Harry. Book 5: Duty.
Disclaimer: As always I own nothing related to these two great works of fiction.
Chapter 14
Ekrizdis had set off north to throw the Avatar off just in case he was followed but once he was in the clouds he banked and headed southeast. The private airship that his some of his special followers, those who'd joined the exiles because the false Air Nation had exiled them or denied them entry due to their crimes, had acquired for him was waiting for him there hidden by the clouds.
It was the perfect mobile base for him. Top of the range and the latest model from on if the few companies that had no ties to the Avatar with no markings to indicate who it belonged to, it just looked like a large, fast, private, airship. Little did anyone know what it was really for.
It was where Ekrizdis had spent the last few months following his initial contact with the Air Nation and Remus's expected refusal of his offer. He'd used it to avoid being discovered by anyone looking for him and to avoid Remus sending the abominable ANDF to follow him to the Exile Temple, a place he doubted he'd see again until he had achieved his rightful place as leader of all Air Nomads. After what the Avatar had said it was now even more imperative that he not return but it was a worthwhile sacrifice as the airship had all he needed. Well, that and he'd soon have a new Temple or two to call home.
Already, since his grand reveal, Ekrizdis had already gotten two new key allies and plenty of lower-level ones though still not a majority of the Air Nation. He just needed one big event and the fallout of it to push the last few to his cause and begin what he knew was the right course of action to restore balance to his nation. That path would begin the moment he was back on his airship and with his inner circle.
It took a good half hour of gliding, using the wind currents and his own airbending, something only a true airbender master could accomplish over open ocean, to reach where the airship was stationed southeast of Azkaban Prison. There was no way that he'd been followed to it, it was too hard to follow him, so he knew that he was safe as he landed on the open top deck of it and made his way inside, passing the bison that were chilling on the deck, ready to take off with their owners at a moment's notice. He had to get to his meeting room and get his defense of the Air Nomads started.
"Contact the bridge." Ekrizdis said as he entered the airship and saw one of his loyal exiles waiting there for his return with a flask of hot coffee to warm him after the cold flight from Azkaban and give him a boost of caffeine for his second and more important meeting of the day. "Tell them to begin heading due south at top speed. It will take us a good 12 hours to get into position, but we need to be there before nightfall tomorrow."
"Yes sir, it will be done." The exile said before heading off.
Ekrizdis smiled knowing that his orders would be followed to the letter. Almost everyone aboard the airship were from the Exile Temple and fanatically loyal to him as they should be. After all, they knew the truth and would follow the rightful leader of the Air Nomads until the very end. He just had to convince as many of the current airbenders to defect from Remus to him as possible and this was the first step for that.
Making his way down and to the heart of the airship, Ekrizdis passed several crew working hard as he walked though none looked up from their jobs as they should. Good, it showed how well trained his men and women were. Everything was going smoothly and as he reached the meeting room he felt the airship picking up speed meaning that the captain had gotten his order and they were now heading south.
Opening the door, Ekrizdis walked into the secure meeting room and looked at the 4 gathered people in it as the door closed. The room itself was a large room with a table for 6 in the center, bolted to the floor naturally, and 6 chairs around it. At the far end was a map of the world with the Air Temples highlighted and a desk in front of it where Ekrizdis conducted his business while on the airship. This was where he had been strategizing and planning and where he would talk with his inner circle, all of whom were currently sitting or floating at the table as they waited for him.
Taking a seat at the head, Ekrizdis looked at the 4 people who would help him restore the Air Nomads to what they once were and then he could get the perpetual justice from the Fire Nation that would make airbending whole again. All on good time though, this was just the first meeting to get to that point.
On one side of the table were his two trusted advisors and enforcers, Pansy and Insomnus showing their usual levels of support for him as they waited to follow his orders to the letter. Their role here was to kick things off as they could do things airbenders like he couldn't and shouldn't do. They were tainted unlike everyone else here, so they were perfect for what had to be done.
On the other side were two old airbenders in their 70s and 80s who had been turned to his side shortly following his announcement and had made contact a little over a month ago, though at separate times, to pledge their support to their true leader. They were key to his conversion of as many as possible. After all, Head Abbots like Edgecombe and Brocklehurst had a lot of sway within their home Temples and amongst the other Temple Councils. Not even the Air Nation was except from political games it seemed and these two were perfect examples of that.
"How did your meeting with the asshole go." Pansy said as soon as Ekrizdis sat down. "I am glad you are back; the Avatar is a dishonorable fucker who can't be trusted so I was worried that he'd try something while you were meeting him despite the polices around that shithole."
"Says the convicted criminal who was expelled from the Air Nation at the age of 15 and only just avoided an espionage charge in the ISEK thanks to your traitor father agreeing to a deal." Brocklehurst said, he was the only one uncomfortable with Ekrizdis's undesirables, especially Pansy, but he still swore his fealty to Ekrizdis in front of a trusted truth seer, so it was more petty annoyance than anything else. "How long have you spent in prison again?"
"At last count 56 years on and off starting when I was 15 and ending when I was in my late 70s." Pansy said with a shrug. "So almost two thirds of my life but I'm reformed now, I only kill for the Ekrizdis or for the extreme sexual pleasure it still gives me when I slowly torture and kill someone who deserves it. Just thinking about it can get me going so I can't wait until I can be unleashed again."
"Killing is not part of the Air Nomad way." Brocklehurst countered clearly disgusted and disturbed by Pansy's words and on that Ekrizdis had to agree with him, Pansy's twisted was of gratification was abhorrent but it was also what made her so valuable an asset to him. "Nor is any kind of crime. You are the very worst of the airbenders out there but what should I expect from a Purist. You were a lost cause long before your first conviction."
"And how many did you kill during the Principate War?" Pansy shot back clearly getting annoyed. "Just because yours were sanctioned by the laws of war and mine at the time weren't doesn't make us any less different in my book. In fact, mine show that I'm human and not whatever they teach at those Temples of yours, I never fit in because I knew the world for what it really was so my expulsion was a formality really, I'd never have lasted in the Air Nation. I'm glad I got out and actually made something of myself even if I spent most of my life behind bars."
"Now, now, calm down we are all on the same side here and once things come out Brocklehurst and Edgecombe will be expelled from the false Air Nation as well." Ekrizdis said cutting it off before they could get distracted. "I understand the hesitation Brocklehurst, I agree with you on how it is abhorrent to our way for what Pansy has done, but people like Pansy and Insomnus are vital to our success. They are already tainted, their actions not in line with the old ways so they can do what we cannot, and we need that to win. Their hands are already filthy with the blood of innocents, so they are already dirty."
"Yeah and neither of us have qualms with killing." Pansy said as Insomnus just nodded. "Plus, it's not just my hands, I've bathed in the blood of the so called innocent but in my book only those who adhere to Purist philosophy are innocent. I've been like this since before I was arrested in the Second Purity War. The Purists are no longer a thing, but Ekrizdis here still understands the importance of purity and who has the right to lead, that is why I follow him and do the shit he cannot do."
"Well, I am here because I believe he can restore the old ways as he said." Brocklehurst said. "So, show me that it can be done because I am throwing my lot in with you which means that if we lose I'm done for."
"Yeah, what did the Avatar say?" Edgecombe added though Ekrizdis knew that unlike Brocklehurst, Edgecombe understood the need for people like Pansy and Insomnus in their efforts to correct the Air Nomads from their wayward ways. "Will he see the light, or will he be defiant as we expect him to be?"
"As expected he won't but we knew that going in, the meeting was just a formality to gage him for myself as I've never met the current Avatar until today." Ekrizdis said with a sigh. "Remus is one of his father's best friends and the only one of them still alive and the Avatar is the godfather to Remus's son who happens to be the President of the United Republic, so they are really close. Add in that Luna, the Head Abbess of the Western Air Temple and almost certainly the next illegitimate claimant to my own title is a member of Team Avatar and married to his wife's brother so we always knew what side he'd be on."
"So, it is as we expected it would be." Edgecombe said with a growl. "The elitist ties of the World Leaders showing that this world is not governed by independent nations but an oligarchic cabal in the pocket of the Avatar. It is one of the reasons why I feel a return to the old ways with a true leader not tied to them is the best way forward. That way we can truly be like our element is meant to be, free and independent of the other nations of the world as it was in the past."
"That and you've never liked the Avatar or his friends, so this is your best bet to both beat them and gain the power you so desperately crave and are clearly turned on by." Pansy said with a slight sneer. "I remember you from the Academy, I know that you hold no love for them. I heard you didn't even fight in the Battle of the Elemental Academy, something I commend you on because that doesn't make you a traitor to purity by being part of the greatest crime against it."
"Why would I, I am a pacifist." Edgecombe said though no one believed her, she was a power-hungry opportunist, and they all knew it. "But yes, I never cared for the Avatar and his annoying crew. They were so high and mighty, and they always wanted to change everything to fit their own image while rejecting others who were just as stubborn. I am fed up with their dominance so I will fight to change it."
"Though with Edgecombe and me voting against her, Luna may not be the next Archabbot." Brocklehurst said clearly trying to get the conversation back on track. "Whenever Remus dies there will be a conclave and Luna needs 5 votes to be elected which means she needs all the others on her side and that will be harder than expected given the current divisions in the Air Nation."
"And how many vote does she have now?" Ekrizdis asked. "Based on what you know of the other voters that is."
"She has 3 votes for sure so far." Brocklehurst said. "She'll vote for herself only to stop us because we will try and get you elected when the time comes as you are the rightful leader, but she doesn't see that and will need to vote for herself to get over our voting bloc. She doesn't want the role, but she knows she's the best pick and would win it on the first ballot without your presence. Davies and Bexley will also vote for her. They've served with her and the Avatar and are loyal to him, so we have no hope of turning them."
"That was to be expected, one is the leader of the ANDF so an antithesis to our very philosophy and the other is Remus's successor at the Southern Air Temple." Ekrizdis said. "That leaves the swing being Cho and Wroxton. Can they be turned to our side and thus indefinitely stall the vote?"
"Wroxton no, I can safely say that." Brocklehurst said shaking his head. "He's an academic and will official stay neutral when the schism we know is coming happens because we all know that there will be one now that you are out in the open and have a legitimate claim to the leadership, but that's a front Wroxton will put up. During the Principate War he ran an underground resistance movement against the Princeps, and he's close with Lysander, Luna's son. The boy is a Wroxton's protégé and will almost certainly be named Head of the Air House when Wroxton becomes High Chair of the Elemental Academy."
"I see so he'll vote for Luna then?" Ekrizdis asked.
"In the Conclave he'll abstain for a round or two as we debate." Edgecombe said. "More out of academic curiosity and for the sake of appearances I think because in the end he'll vote for Luna. Remember that Milo created the system and Milo is actually descendant of the old airbenders, so Wroxton will see it as legit even if we know it isn't."
"So that leaves Cho as the only one who can block Luna's election." Ekrizdis mused. "The Head Abbess of Air Temple Island and a known staunch neutralist if I recall what I've read on her."
"Wasn't she your best friend at the Academy?" Pansy asked. "I remember you two were so inseparable I thought you were a pair of dykes most of the time. Add in that you are both blood traitors and it was another knock on you."
"No Cho is straight; she had a thing for some dude called Cedric before he was fried in the Battle of the Elemental Academy by some random Death Eater." Edgecombe said. "As am I by the way though unlike you I have no problems with homosexuality. Cho was my friend, but she stayed and fought in the battle, getting wounded in it, while I left. That ended our friendship as she saw me as a coward and a traitor to the Avatar for that despite the fact that I did what was sensible. We've mended it over the years, especially after her failed run for President after Shacklebolt retired, but we're not at the same level we once were. She'll abstain as long as possible out of neutrality but in the end she'll vote for Luna."
"Are you sure?" Ekrizdis asked annoyed at that. "Why?"
"To end the debate and the Conclave." Edgecombe said with a shrug. "It will give Luna the position and no doubt Luna will grant her whatever she wants in exchange for her Conclave ending vote. Luna understands politics, she was the First Lady of the United Republic for 15 years after all, so she will know how to play it. Add in that Cho will not want to be the reason it is delayed and I'm sure she'll cave in the end."
"Very well, when the time comes do your best to avoid it, but you know what to do if it comes to it." Ekrizdis said. "We are planning for this after all, but we can hope the others see the light before then."
"If I may ask, why are you curious about this?" Brocklehurst asked. "I understand why you won't join the Air Nation; it is the right decision but why are you wondering about Remus successor? He may be old but he's in good health right now and likely going to be around for a few more years at least."
"Because the vote for his successor and the fallout of the results will be my coming out as the real leader and those who want to join me will flock to the Northern and Eastern Temples." Ekrizdis said simply. "And that fallout is almost at hand."
"What do you mean?" Edgecombe said. "Do you mean what I think you mean?"
"I do." Ekrizdis said with a grin. "We are currently heading south and will be within striking distance of the Southern Air Temple sometime tomorrow afternoon. When that happens, we will wait for the dead of night and then act."
"You mean us, don't you." Pansy said indicating herself and Insomnus with a sadistic grin and a flicker of pleasure in her eyes at the idea. "Right?"
"Who else would I trust something like this with?" Ekrizdis asked rhetorically. "It is time to kick this thing off a little earlier than anyone was expecting. Today is the last full day of the 20-year reign of Archabbot Remus. Tomorrow night, Pansy and Insomnus will infiltrate his quarters in on of the towers of his home Temple where he is currently staying and make sure he never wakes."
"You can't be serious." Brocklehurst said his eyes wide at what Ekrizdis had just said. "You're talking of treason and assassination."
"It is not treason." Ekrizdis said seriously. "I am the true leader so Remus is the one committing treason by defying me my right, but you are right it is an assassination, that is why we have people like Pansy and Insomnus who can do this for us and make it look like Remus peacefully passed away in his sleep. There will be no way that they can prove he was murdered. They'll suspect it but they can't prove it so will have to accept that he died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 103 or however old he is."
"If you're going to kill him then why not kill all of them?" Edgecombe asked clearly fine with the plan and just wanting to know why they didn't do more right now. "After all that is what James almost did when he launched his coups and it worked pretty well until he lost the war. At the very least he secured almost all of the Air Nation in one fell swoop."
"Because we can't do it that way." Ekrizdis said shaking his head. "Yes Remus's death will look suspicious, but he is over 100 years old so dying in his sleep, especially as Insomnus knows how to make it look like that, is plausible and they will never be able to confirm that he didn't die that way. It will also trigger the mourning period and Conclave. That is where we strike. Luna and the Avatar will be forced by honor to focus on it while me and my supporters work on those who may join us. Then during the Conclave, you two will make sure that I am a candidate and when I don't win we use that to launch our schism and make sure that we blame the Avatar for starting the war so everything we do is in self-defense."
"I see, I may not agree with this course of action, especially so soon, but I understand." Brocklehurst said with a hint or resignation in his voice. "Very well the Northern Air Temple is with you on this."
"I have no such reservations." Edgecombe said. "The Eastern Air Temple is with you, Ekrizdis."
"Good." Ekrizdis said. "Now this is how it will go down…"
For the rest of the meeting Ekrizdis spelled out his plan to his key supporters so that they knew what to expect in the coming two weeks. When he retired to his room, Ekrizdis smiled because in 24 hours' time he'd be one step closer to his goal. Soon he'd complete the circle and once again the old ways would return to the Air Nomads, and they'd finally be balanced.
It was the dead of night the day after Ekrizdis's meeting with the Avatar and the mission he'd assigned his two most trusted assassins was about to begin. Pansy and Insomnus either stood or floated in the latter's case at the open cargo hatch of the airship. They were both dressed in completely in black with special masks to cover their faces and googles that would allow them to see as they flew or glided towards the Southern Air Temple that was almost right below them beneath the clouds they were using as cover.
They had gotten lucky in that it was an overcast but not rainy night so no one looking up would notice them, not that they would as the Air Nation did not defend their Temples, nor did the Archabbot have a security detail. The pacifistic and open nature of the Air Nation meant that they wouldn't do such a thing even if they really should. Their kindness and openness would be what doomed them today.
The mission itself was simple. The two senior undesirable advisors to Ekrizdis, both loyal only to him and more than willing to do all his dirty work so that he could maintain his vows as they were already beyond redemption, were to go to the chambers of the Archabbot. Once there Pansy would serve as a lookout while Insomnus did the dead, he was more skilled with the method as Pansy had never perfected the technique that few remaining alive knew. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes.
After that they would leave and fly or glide east to a special rendezvous point where a bison belonging to one of the exiles would pick them up and return them to the airship that would already be on its way to the Eastern Air Temple once they had leapt out of it. By the time anyone realized what had happened and that Remus was dead they would be long gone, and the ruse would be complete without anyone finding out what actually happened.
Pansy for one was excited about this and even at her age she was getting a little tingle of pleasure at what was about to happen. Remus had been a key member of the Order of the Phoenix that had played a vital role in the demise of the Purist Movement first with the Global Raids that had ended Pansy's role in the war and then in the final battle where Voldemort was defeated. The old man had even killed at least one Death Eater during the battle, an executable offense. It may have taken her 65 years but at long last she was going to get some justice for it with her own hands, or at least her own involvement.
Insomnus on the other hand was as impassive as ever. Pansy never got the man. He'd sworn a vow of silence decades ago and only communicated through hand signals and written tablets. However, she didn't really care in the end. He was here to do a job and so long as he did it that was good enough for her.
Pulling out a watch, Pansy saw that it was almost time and grinned. Ekrizdis was still on the airship and would meet them when they returned to it but their other two conspirators, the two Head Abbots who'd joined their side and who they'd made sure were present for the plan to kill Remus so that they were implicated in it amongst them, had already left that morning on their bison.
It made sense that they'd leave as soon as possible though as they did need to be back in their home Temples, or on the way to them, to have plausible deniability and be rightfully surprised and saddened at the news of Remus's peaceful passing. Already both had Council of Elders who were loyal to them and not Remus which meant that both Temples would fully join, minus a few low-ranking individuals who would flee to the Avatar's side, when the time came but it was always good that they weren't here. They're treachery to the Air Nation would be known in time.
First though, Pansy and Insomnus had to set up that moment. With a final glance at her watch, Pansy saw the time click over to the go time and she put it away before nodding to Insomnus. With that, both of them leapt out of the airship.
Pansy let herself freefall through the clouds enjoying her element as it blew past her knowing that Insomnus was simply flying by her side. It wasn't until she was through the clouds and the large central tower of the Southern Air Temple came into view did Pansy open her arms and unfurled the wings on her glider suit to slow down her descent and glide towards the Temple she hadn't been too in about 70 years.
Beneath her the Southern Air Temple was laid out in all its glory. Nestled atop two needle mountains, well mostly the larger one but the bison landing area with pens beneath it was on a smaller, narrower mountain just to the southwest of the main mountain and connect to it by an arched bridge, and between a series of larger mountains, it looked like a small city on a hill. In essence it was as all the Temples were practically individual city states with a loose central system held together by the Archabbot's position.
The Southern Air Temple hadn't changed much in the centuries since the end of the 100-year war. It still had the old, classic Air Nomad style buildings, winding walkways and 4 towers. Three were small and at different points on the way to the peak of the mountain but still on the edge of it while the last one was massive and cut through the peak of the mountain the Temple was on. That was where the masters lived, where the Council of Elders met, and where the Archabbot's room for when he was at this Temple was so that was where they were headed.
The Archabbot was the only member of the Air Nation who was technically a member of all 5 Temples and none of them at the same time. His role was to oversee the whole nation, so he was constantly traveling between the 5 Temples and as such had a room reserved in each one. However, whenever he wasn't visiting the other Temples or nations on business, he was allowed to reside in whichever Temple he wanted.
Milo had decided to reside in his home Temple, which for him was Air Temple Island. Filius had originally hailed from the Eastern Air Temple though because of his past as Head of the Air House, a surprise position to be elevated to Archabbot from but he was apparently the only acceptable candidate after Milo's death, and as such he'd spent most of his time on Air Temple Island as well due to his time in the area and the central location of it. That said, Filius had traveled a lot and had been in the Southern Air Temple when he'd been murdered by Arncliffe at the onset of the Principate War.
It looked like the Southern Air Temple would become the place were Archabbots died as it was the home Temple of Remus, and he'd been the Head Abbot of it prior to his election, hence why he was here most of the time. That thought brought another smile to Pansy's lips as she took the lead from Insomnus, he had more control as he could actually fly, and she glided around the large central tower counting the windows from the top as she went down to find the right one.
The only way they could find the right room with the approach that Pansy had to make was to go by the windows. It was hard and she'd spent weeks preparing for it while Ekrizdis delayed his meeting with the Avatar so that she'd get it right on the day. They knew the right window based on a certain approach thanks to a sympathetic supporter within the Southern Air Temple who'd already begun to head to the Northern one under the guess of typical Air Nation travel to be safe when the schism happened.
It took a few minutes but soon Pansy found it about two thirds of the way up the tower in an unassuming location. She had to circled the tower once to slow down and then she turned and faced it so that she could fly in through the wide-open window. Another advantage of the Air Nation is that the windows were almost always open and large enough to easily fit a person so as to allow the airbenders to come and go as they saw fit using their element or bison whenever they wanted.
It took a little bending and control for Pansy to land in the room without making much of a noise or commotion, but she managed it thanks to all the training she'd had for this mission, well that and past stealth missions she'd had in the past. It also helped that the room was spartan in keeping with Air Nation philosophy on possessions and the fact that the Archabbot was seldom in the room, so he didn't need much here and as such there was barely anything for her to disturb.
Pansy studied the room as Insomnus floated outside waiting for her confirmation. All it had was a desk, a chair tucked into it, a wardrobe, a few shelves with nothing on them, and a bed in the corner. On the desk was an open book that Remus had likely been reading before bed and a candle that was half burnt. Other than that, there was nothing in the room.
Turning to the bed, Pansy saw a very old man lying peacefully in it sleeping soundly on his back completely unaware of the intruder. He was under a simple homespun sheet. Still, Pansy had to inspect it to make sure that he was Remus. She crept up using her bending to lighten her footwork and looked at the lined face. It looked like Remus, but she needed to be sure and there was only one sure fire way to confirm it.
As carefully as possible, Pansy crept to the wardrobe and opened it just as carefully. Inside was a collection of formal robes and a single glider suit with a red cape attached to it, a good sign. However, the confirmation that Pansy needed was hanging from a hook inside the door. Hanging there was a simple necklace made of small wood beads on a thread of woven bison hair with a 5 dyed red feathers on it and a large, circular, wooden pendant at the base. Carved into the center of the pendant was the symbol of the Air Nation.
There was only one of these ancient pendants in the world and a quick count of the beads between the dyed feathers confirmed it as the number was set to avoid forgeries. This was the pendant that had once belonged to Avatar Aang after the 100-year war, a relic he'd found in this very Temple that had belonged to his mentor Gyatso and passed onto his son Tenzin though many suspected it to be much older than it actually was.
When Jinora officially resigned as the nominal head of the Air Nation shortly before onset of the Second Purity War in favor of her more militaristic brother Milo he had taken his grandfather's pendant as a symbol of office. Following Milo's official codification of the structure of the Air Nation and his decision to create the title of Archabbot for the leader, the pendant became his symbol of office. When he died, the pendant was removed after his funeral and held by the National Council until Filius was elected the Second Archabbot and given to him and thus the tradition started.
Rumer had it that one of the Elders on the Southern Council of Elders sacrificed himself after Filius's death so that Davies, then the most junior and thus healthiest member of the Council of Elders, could take it with him when he fled to give to the next Archabbot. Even that early on in the war it was already clear that it would be Remus as he was a Head Abbot and alive due to always being in the Northern Water Tribe with his close friend Chief Sirius during the Summer Solstice.
Davies had allegedly taken it with him, along with the other survivors of the fall of the Southern Air Temple at the start of the Principate War to the North where it was presented to Remus after his election. It was of course an unverified story as Remus, while he wore a pendant while in the North, never confirmed if it was the real one or not. This one though, this was the real one.
Closing the door so that it looked untouched, Pansy turned to Insomnus who was just outside the window and nodded in confirmation. She then turned and crept to the door and crouched down by it, listening to the air currents passing through it to keep an eye out for approaching people. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Insomnus float into the room and hover over Remus. He then slowly, carefully, performed a complex movement with his arms as he looked at the sleeping Archabbot.
Pansy couldn't resist keeping an eye on the work as she saw a slow stream of air come out of Remus's mouth and nose from his lungs knowing that that was the old man's life breath now in Insomnus's hands. It was done so slowly and delicately that the Archabbot didn't have time to realize what was happening or wake up for all the air had been removed from his lungs and was now in a swirling vortex around his head.
Only a master assassin trained by the long defunct Red Lotus like Insomnus was could pull this off and Pansy was jealous as she watched him work though she did prefer to kill more painfully. With Remus out cold from lack of oxygen before he could open his eyes it was unclear how long was needed. Pansy knew that for good measure Insomnus would hold the air there for 10 minutes. It was 10 long minutes that he did it before releasing it.
Remus hadn't moved the entire time and he still looked like he was sleeping, only Pansy couldn't see his chest rising and falling anymore. Insomnus removed a glove and placed his fingers over where Pansy assumed Remus's carotid artery was. He then turned to her and placed the glove on giving her a nod that confirmed to her that Remus was dead. It looked like he'd simply died in his sleep just as they had planned.
Pansy smiled under her mask in glee at the idea that Remus was finally dead and nodded back. Insomnus floated out of the window and then flew off to the rendezvous point. Pansy waited a few moments as she kept her post and scanned the room to make sure that it was clear. When it was, she crept to the window and jumped onto the well-worn edge before she leapt out of it without a glance back.
Once she was clear of the tower, Pansy opened her arms and glided away from the Southern Air Temple blending into the night thanks to her suit. She'd take a different path to the rendezvous point than Insomnus, another precaution they were taking, but she'd be there and a good 15 miles clear of the Temple within half an hour based on the wind currents that were swirling today.
The further away she got without hearing any alarms the easier it got for Pansy and by the time she landed and met up with her partner who was floating there waiting for her she knew they'd succeeded in their mission and had gotten away with it. Archabbot Remus was dead. The Airbending Schism as it would be known as had begun.
Ah a nice little cliffhanger right after an intense assassination as the schism begins with the sudden death of the Archabbot. From here, the main story will truly begin as all have converged, the players are known, and the foundations laid for what is to come. However, that is all I have for y'all so I will leave this chapter here. As always any questions in PMs or reviews will be answered before the start of the next chapter (as well as replied to if possible). Please follow, favorite and review, all are greatly appreciated. Until next week.
Stringdog