3- The Parasite Awakens.
It was nighttime already over Red Sand Island and the abandoned city of Ignus Janjira, now conquered by nature. Team Avatar and Ursa were sat inside some kind of armored vehicle that reminded a little to the tanks of the Fire Nation, but it was different, as it had smaller and lighter wheels instead the caterpillar like ones, allowing it to drive much faster all over the rock bridge illuminated by torches, right at the secret outpost of Monarch established there that stood where once was the mountain of the island. Appa and Momo were flying nearby there, following the vehicle from above and landing near it once it stopped, entering in the outpost without knowing it and making some of the workers from there to retreat backwards a little surprised because of the flying bison when this one landed. Once the vehicle stopped, the security forces that were guarding the perimeter guided Team Avatar and Ursa out of it gently. The place looked like some research complex of some kind, with lots of workers, engineers and very rare equipment. Momo hopped on Aang's shoulder and cuddled him, making the little airbender to chuckle and pet the flying lemur.
"It's okay, guys. We're fine." Aang assured to both Momo and Appa while petting his bison companion.
Sokka whistled surprised and amazed by the place. "What a place you people have built up here."
"Welcome to the outpost." The captain announced. "Sorry about the uncomfortable reception. We've been very busy lately."
"Yeah, we can see it already." Suki agreed by the looks of everything.
"The lieutenant will take you to where Dr. Serizawa is currently, Princess Ursa."
"Alright." Ursa affirmed grabbing her things before turning at her son. "Don't worry. It won't be long." She assured Zuko, who nodded at her, knowing inside him now for real that she knew what she was doing.
And so, Ursa followed the lieutenant to some place of Monarch's complex.
"If you allow us, Fire Lord Zuko, we'll take you to the command post of the complex so you all can meet the-" The captain offered to Zuko and the rest of the team, but then…
"CAPTAIN! Captain!" A soldier shouted running at him, who looked like being in a hurry, alarmed and sweating.
"Wow, wow. Easy, Private. What's the matter?"
"It's increasing its activity. They've ordered us to secure the perimeter. They believe something could happen."
"What? Please wait here." The captain said to Team Avatar before going running with his soldiers to some place of the outpost alongside some of the workers, whom wore protective anti-radiation suits, leaving the Avatar and his friends confused with no idea of what exactly was going one.
What they didn't know was that the entire place was not an ordinary research outpost as how it seemed to be: it was the containment outpost of some unknown and mysterious giant creature, the same one that escaped from the secret underground cavern of the island the Fire Nation discovered 16 years ago and went on the loose, which was now inside some kind of giant weird-looking chrysalis. The entire outpost was built all around the strange cocoon of the larval creature in secret after the fall of the Fire Nation colony, with Monarch's crew studying and monitoring its status all those years. But it seems that its activity has been increasing slowly all over since the last days of the Hundred Year War, which made the people of Monarch worried. The cocoon was made from a hardened, rock-like substance and notably curve inward and its segments produce bright orange bioluminescent flashes, occasionally revealing the silhouette of something within.
"What do you think it's going on?" Aang asked to his friends.
"I don't know, but these people don't look like ordinary military." Zuko realized.
"More than that, they don't seem to belong to any nation in particular." Katara added.
"Are you saying that this people could be from some group like the White Lotus or something like that?" Suki proposed.
"I'm not sure."
"Who knows? For what I know after all this time, everything could be possible." Sokka opined.
"Well, I'm more concerned of that." Toph said.
"What do you mean, Toph?" Katara asked.
The little earthbender pointed to some direction and began walking to it, followed by the rest of the group. Team Avatar approached to the constantly guarded perimeter established around the giant black cocoon, which was emitting some pulsing sinister glow from its inside, like the heartbeat of some living being. The young Avatar and his friends got stunned and shocked of the giant organic structure, even without knowing what was what they were looking at, although the glowing light was a little scary for some of them.
"What…is…that?" Katara asked.
"I don't know. I haven't seen anything like it." Sokka responded without clue too.
"Me neither, but I've one thing clear." Toph started. "Whatever that thing is, is not made of earth."
"What do you mean?" Zuko asked confused.
"I'm not sure. I cannot see it at all, but at the same time, somehow I know that it's there, right in front of me. I cannot explain it, but…I can feel that there's something inside it. Something…alive." The young earthbender confessed, very confused.
"Me too. I don't know how and why, but I feel like…something is inside that." Aang said.
"Something alive? What do you mean with that?" Suki asked confused by their words.
Then the group heard some growls and screeches coming from behind them. It was their animal companions, who were acting weird: Appa was growling at the structure while walking backwards a little while crouching a little too, the same as Momo, who was screeching at it before retreating to Appa's back running and cuddled shivering.
"Hey, hey guys! What's the matter with you?" Aang said while trying to comfort both mammals.
"What's wrong with Appa and Momo?" Sokka asked, more confused this time. "I've never seen them like that."
"Neither did I. They look like scared."
"Scared? Of that thing?" Toph said pointing at the structure.
"That doesn't sound pretty good." Katara added.
"Yeah. Animals have some special sixth sense that warns them of anything dangerous for them, especially when it comes to humans, even spirits." Suki reminded.
"I see. And whatever is a bad omen for them, it's also bad for us." Sokka deduced looking at the giant chrysalis again.
"That light of it looks creepy, and there's not many things that can make me feel that way." Zuko admitted.
Then the cocoon began acting more rare. Its glow began to pulse, making some sound with each pulse and slowly increasing said pulse until it faded after emitting something and returning its glow back to normal. In that moment Aang groaned irritated while touching his head and kneeled down, like if he had some strong headache.
"Aang! Are you alright?" Katara asked worried, holding him close to her. "What happens?"
"I'm not sure. That was…strange." Aang said, feeling himself now better. "I could feel some kind of energy coming from inside that."
"Energy? Like spiritual energy, perhaps?"
"Do you think it's a spirit what is inside that thing?" Zuko asked.
"No, that's…no spirit. That type of energy…is something new for me." Aang answered worried. "That…I don't know what it is, but…it's strong. Very strong."
The Avatar's answer left his friends more worried, as it was something totally new for all of them. That strange pulse also seemed to affect every machine from around the organic rock-like structure, including the spotlights, making them to act erratically and glitch for a few seconds. Something that was also received in the main control room of the outpost, were Dr. Serizawa and others were monitoring the creature's activity and signals with scanners and some other advanced equipment, which were also affected by said pulse for a few seconds before returning to normal.
"Seven-point-two seconds and getting stronger. We're trending exponentially." One scientist said checking the main monitor's readings. "That's our new curve."
"My gosh, it's worse than we thought." Another scientist said worried.
"Excuse me, Dr. Serizawa?" One security guard called entering the room, getting Serizawa's attention. "Some particular group was just found in the Q-Zone."
"We've got bigger problems here. Have Dr. Graham take a look." The first scientist replied.
"She did, sir. She sent me. One of them says she used to live in the city long ago, doctor. And is someone that helped us in the past, and she know of us as well."
"Who is her?"
"Princess Ursa. Well, former now."
That got Serizawa off guard and turned at him completely, as well others.
"Is that true?" Serizawa asked in disbelief.
"Yes, she has some vital information for us. She said she came looking for you, accompanied by her son and the Avatar and their friends."
That left Serizawa and the others even more surprised. Pretty coincidence, huh?
"The Avatar is here? And the Fire Lord too?" Serizawa asked stunned, as he didn't expect anything like that to happen.
"Indeed. The entire…Team Avatar is here, in this outpost." The guard responded nervous. "They came with her."
Now aware of all that, Serizawa was escorted by the guard to some other room, one near some machine room, where Graham was with Ursa next to some table waiting for him.
"Princess Ursa?" Serizawa said while arriving.
"Well, not anymore." She answered smiling nervously.
"When we heard that you're gone 11 years ago, we feared the worst." Graham confessed.
"But now we're glad of seeing you back." Serizawa said shaking his hand with Ursa's, giving her a proper welcome. "It's been a long time since then."
"Well, it's kind of a long story." Ursa responded.
"We've heard of what you did for us back in the island. It's an honor to meet you at last."
"Likewise." Ursa thanked, bowing at the two of them in respect, the same as them. "Anyway, I have something that I think it belongs to you." She said taking out of her bag everything that she brought with her, including the files of research that the ill man gave her long ago and gave them to Graham. "After Ignus Janjira fell, I found a sick man that said it was one of you. He gave me these in secret and everything in this bag. I was not sure of what to make of them, so I had them hidden in my room all this time, until I could have the chance to fulfil my promise and return all these to you. He said to came and look for you, that you would know what to do with them."
"She's right." Graham confirmed, giving the files to her superior and mentor. "All these files and items…they were brought by her. They're all of us. And the date." She explained pointing at the date marked in the files with her finger. "Look, 16 years ago."
"I thought all of the data from that day was lost." Serizawa recalled.
"I guess not."
"Thanks." Serizawa thanked, looking at Ursa.
"It was nothing. Although, I've to admit that also…I came here in hoping that you could tell me about some-" But then the lights began to glitch again, interrupting Ursa's words and making everyone to look up at them. "-some questions of mine."
"You see? You see? There it is again." A scientist said nearby stunned and nervous, who was with some others checking the generators and caught the doctors' attention.
"Mr. Brody, what's the situation?" Serizawa asked to their nuclear physicist, walking at him and his team, followed by Graham and Ursa.
"Is something wrong with the generators, Joe?" Graham asked next.
"No, that is not a transformer malfunction. That is an electromagnetic pulse, and it's not an ordinary one." Joe explained almost alarmed and made Serizawa to check on the files' data and their records again. "It affects everything both electrical and machinery for miles and miles and it is happening again. This is what accompanied that thing when it caused everything in the first place. The bosses don't see that. And it's something that is gonna send us back to the Stone Age. They have no idea what's coming." Joe tried to calm down after what he said. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright, Joe." Serizawa said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"What happened to that man?" Ursa asked to Graham.
"He and his wife, Sandra, were some of our scientists that were investigating what was happening here 16 years ago, before the disaster came. She didn't make it in the end, just like her team."
"Oh, I see." She lamented, feeling sorry for the man's loss.
Then the lights started to glitch again, this time more than a few seconds, making everyone to look up again and more concerned now.
"Let's go." Serizawa said as he, Graham and Ursa went running back to the control room, where things were getting worse by a second as the devices were all crazy and the alarms turned on.
"Pulses are seconds apart. They're getting stronger. It's affecting the power grid." The first scientist communicated more concerned and alarmed checking the lectures.
"Any radiation leakage?" The second scientist asked.
"Gamma levels are still zero. It sucked the entire deposit dry." A third scientist reported.
In that moment Serizawa, Graham and Ursa arrived at the room, just in time to see the cocoon starting to shatter after another strong pulse, something that was also sighted in the nearby perimeter, right where Team Avatar was gathered alongside the workers. All of them were forced to retreat in order to avoid the falling debris of the structure.
"Wow!" Toph said caught off guard by the shaking provoked by the debris that made her to fall backwards. "What's going on?!"
"I don't know, but it doesn't look good!" Sokka said, with no idea of what could be happening to the strange rock, if he had to call it somehow.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Suki expressed a little scared and hugging her boyfriend Sokka while the workers ran from there.
Meanwhile, back at the control room…
"It's done feeding." Serizawa realized shocked while he gave the files to the first scientist.
"What's this? It's the same pattern." The first scientist observed mistaken by comparing the files and the lectures that they had already.
"16 years ago…it's what our lost teams detected when the mountain collapsed." Serizawa corrected.
"An electromagnetic pulse, but unlike the ones that we know." Graham continued. "That's what it's building to. Converting all that radiation until it hatches."
"We have to shut down." Serizawa said, knowing that the time for them to intervene had come.
"Oh my gosh. Is…that is…?" Ursa began saying fearful as she saw the chrysalis holding her hands tightly.
"I'm afraid so."
"By the spirits. I wish I was wrong."
"Secure the grid. Wildfire protocols." The first scientist ordered by radio. "All personnel, clear the first perimeter immediately!"
After another strong pulse happened, all workers prepared both security and containment measures and evacuation protocols, like lifting up some huge and tough bunch of metallic cables all around the cocoon, like it was forming some kind of cage made of cables or something. Aang and the others had no idea of what was going on and couldn't ask anyone because everyone was in a hurry. Once everything was done and ready, one of the workers activated some alert in order to signal everybody that the procedure was made correctly.
"Grid's secure." The first scientist reported, looking at Serizawa in order to know their next move.
Serizawa stared at the cocoon, which continued with the pulses, with a worried and sad face. He didn't want the creature to be exterminated, especially by humans and he was against taking away an animal's life and preferred to choose another way to deal with it, but unfortunately there wasn't; besides of the fact that they had no idea of the great damage said creature could do if it managed to escape from the installations, and that included the lives of many people. After reflecting about it for a few seconds, he came with his final decision.
"Kill it." He said in defeat.
Everyone stood there in silence after hearing Serizawa's order. The first scientist nodded lightly and pushed some button on the panel. Suddenly, a storm of huge voltaic arcs emanated from the cables striking the cocoon from all sides hard and with full power. Most of them didn't want to see it and turned back their faces, Serizawa among them, like if the sound of the electric strikes were painful for them to hear too and the bad time they were making for the creature. Team Avatar and the workers also witnessed that from below, just when a loud and chilling roar was heard all around the place. It seemed to come from inside the chrysalis, something that left them stunned while part of the cocoon collapsed and the glowing light expired.
"Incoming!" Aang yelled as he and Toph used earthbending together to lift some rock wall to protect everyone from both the falling debris and the dust cloud generated by it.
Once the elimination protocol was over and the electricity ceased, the monitor detected no readings of the asset, similar to the lack of heartbeat of a person or living being.
"All readings are flatlined." The first scientist reported by looking at the monitor.
"Ahem. Get a visual." The second scientist requested after putting on his glasses.
At the same time, back with Team Avatar…
"You saw that?" Sokka said still in disbelief, but mostly impressed.
"What was that for?" Katara asked next.
"What? What just happened?" Toph asked confused, not knowing what happened just a few seconds. "Besides the debris coming from up there, I haven't seen so much."
"No idea. A bunch of lightning came from those cables from above and stroke that thing." Zuko deduced. "I wonder why."
Meanwhile, one of the workers climbed up some stairs of the observation post that was the nearest to the cocoon and came the near as he could to take a closer look at its status with a flashlight. At first, he saw some kind of grey goo leaking from the chrysalis's inside, until he swore seeing something moving in there, covered by the same substance. He spotted it, which looked like some appendage that moved a little. The man tried to get a closer look at it, but then…suddenly came out of the cocoon fast and with force, destroying that observation post in the process. Next, two giant insectoid legs stomped in the ground as the supposed giant creature that was inside there finally hatched while emitting some creepy cracking noises for the first time in the outside. After that the giant arthropod-like creature lifted its right leg, which foot started glowed with the same red light from the chrysalis; like if it was charging something and stomped it back on the ground hard. With that done, from the foot it unleashed an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) that expanded through all over the complex, leaving it without energy and making all machines to shut down suddenly. Even if the pulse wasn't deadly, it was strong enough to make Team Avatar to be pushed flying backwards a little, that because they were near to the place where the pulse was launched, but strong enough to knock them out.
"Oh my. Check the grid." The first scientist instructed almost alarmed. "Hit us with an EMP. We're losing power!" Just when the entire control room got powerless. Very soon, the entire place became dark. "Get the backup generators online."
"Working on it." One of the enginners answered while checking all systems. "That pulse fried every circuit."
"Check the cage."
Graham and Ursa looked at the outside, both worried of what was going on and whatever could happen next.
"Trying the backup generators." Another engineer said while pushing buttons, trying to get everything online again and restore power to all the installation. Thanks to his and his companions perseverance, they managed to success as power began returning in just a few seconds. "Here we go."
Everything came back, except the spotlights. Instead, the lights glitch constantly because of the effect of the pulse, making it some really scary sight for everyone to watch when they were finally able to spot the giant creature letting out another big roar, which they called Muto or MUTO: Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism. It was something totally new and different from everything that the people of the four nations knew; it looked like a giant insect, but it wasn't literally that, despite its body resembling one of arthropods such as beetles and spiders. So its silhouette looked definitely like insects and its skin was similar to some chitinous exoskeleton, but it had flesh and bone and muscles, so it was like some strange kind of insect-looking vertebrate. Its body was predominately grayish-black, sporting predominant light markings. Its head was long and triangular with the top of its head flat. It possessed triangular jaws resembling a hooked beak with seemingly degenerated rows of sharp teeth, and had sort of "mandibles" in its lower jaws capable of separating slightly, similar to snakes. It also had two pairs of forelimbs and one of the front two pairs was modified into wings, which were long, pointed and membranous, similar to those of a pterosaur. It had narrow red, visor-like eyes which seemed to have channeled energy inside, beside of possessing long and slender hind limbs that were digitigrade in structure, with flat, broad feet ending in two hoof-like toes. The forelimbs all ended in two digits and took on a pseudo claw form, being curved like a sickle, making it a six-legged winged creature that was 61 meters high and had some huge wingspan. When walking or stood in the ground, the Muto used the front "knuckle" of its claws, giving it a hook-like appearance. With all those features giving it that sinister appearance, it was like if that creature, the Muto, represented the malevolent side of nature. The Muto was struggling to emerge completely from the chrysalis while keeping roaring with its red eyes shining in the dark; making everyone from the observation posts to leave scared while it kept stomping all over and over again in order to push its way out of the cocoon. The tremors were felt everywhere on the outpost, including the main room.
"I have to find Zuko and the others. I have to warn them!" Ursa said for herself alarmed, remembering that her son and his friends were outside, just where the Muto was near.
"Everybody out! Now!" The second scientist ordered.
Everyone began abandoning the room and fast while the Muto was still busy tearing apart its former shelter and strengthening its limbs and body, with the tremors of its stomping continuing. Ursa ran to one of the bridges between the connected leveled up paths and cranes in order to spot where Zuko, Aang and the others were while the workers were running away on the opposite direction, but the roars of the Muto caught her attention and made her stop and look at it. So her suspicions were correct in the end. That was the real culprit of the fall of Ignus Janjira. The Muto was finally free from the cocoon, but now it found itself trapped by the net of cables, which prevented it to get out of the hole. It kept struggling to get through them while roaring in frustration, but it was no use, so it was forced to go under it, disappearing for everybody. In that moment, Aang and his friends regained consciousness.
Aang groaned while rubbing his head. "What happened?"
"No idea. But man, whatever hit us, was very strong." Sokka answered rubbing his left arm.
"Eh?" Suki took a look to the surroundings and saw everyone else running from one place to another and alarmed. "What are they doing? They look like…frightened."
But when Toph touched the ground, she gasped shocked of what was seeing. "Guys, we got one…big problem."
"What? What are you talking about, Toph?" Katara asked confused.
"Everyone!" Zuko called, earning the team's attention. "The weird giant rock-like thing. Is gone!" He exclaimed pointing at where the chrysalis was before.
Just in that moment, both Appa and Momo got nervous, walking backwards and growling again at where the cocoon was before being destroyed, right before the legs of the Muto appeared from below the crater slowly and grabbed the cables. That scene left Team Avatar completely speechless and scared.
"What…is…that?!" Katara exclaimed.
"Don't ask me." Toph answered without a clue. "I've never seen anything like that in my life."
"Me neither." Aang added, as he could see it too thanks to the seismic sense. "It looks like…a bug, but…it's bigger, a lot…and scarier."
Next thing the Muto did was drag down the cables with its legs and pull from them, like if they were strings. Of course the cables couldn't endure the strength of the beast and ended giving in, with all the cranes connected to the cables falling down because of the huge weight. One of these was nearby were Ursa was and about to fall at her right side of the bridge, just when some other members of Monarch's crew intended to leave.
"No! No, wait! Stop!" Ursa warned, trying to stop them, but it was too late.
The impact not only broke the bridge, but also took those people down with it. That was also witnessed by Team Avatar, with the young Fire Lord getting worried and scared for his mother who was there, especially when the structure began to giving in too, with Ursa almost falling.
"Mom!" Zuko yelled, afraid that she could fall from there.
"Hang in there, Ursa! I'm coming!" Aang said opening his glider and taking flight at where she was as fast as he could.
It took not too long for Aang to reach where Ursa was still standing and stood near flying around.
"Jump! I'll catch you!" Aang encouraged putting himself under where Ursa was.
Ursa did what Aang said and landed over his glider and just in time, because after that the bridge collapsed and went down.
"Hold on tight!" Aang advised for her grab herself to the glider tightly as he flew back at where the rest stood.
Aang went flying very fast and when they were close enough to the ground, Ursa jumped and ended grabbed by her son, with the two of them rolling backwards from the force of the fall a little in order to protect her.
"Are you okay?" Zuko asked to his mother, who nodded at him smiling while caressing her son's face. Next he turned at Aang, who landed shortly. "Thank you, Aang. I'm in debt with you, again." He said with a sincere smile.
"Yes. Thanks, Aang." Ursa thanked too.
"You're welcome. Besides, it's my duty." Aang responded smiling as well.
"Em, guys?" Toph interrupted. "I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but…"
Then everyone heard another roar coming from the giant hole, followed by some creaking sounds and sinister echoes, which left them petrified in fear. And as they slowly turned around back to there, they saw one of the legs of the Muto stomping on the edge. Then…all of them saw frozen in fear the Muto emerging from the hole slowly, who seemed to look at them a little. Even it growled back at Appa stronger when he growled at it first, making him to shut up and retreat a little scared while Momo ran and hid under his tail very frightened.
"It…it's looking at us." Sokka said hardly and nervous, at the verge of panic while hugging his girlfriend.
"I…I don't think is us where it's looking at." Suki added, also almost incapable of saying anything.
Once the Muto ended climbing up out of the hole where it was contained, it looked at its surroundings before reassuming its walking.
"Let's get out of here!" Sokka yelled as he grabbed Suki by the hand and began running away.
"Where?!" Toph asked while began running too.
"Anywhere far from that thing!"
"Watch out for the legs!" Suki warned as she and Sokka dodge one of the Muto's legs in time.
Team Avatar was forced to separate (Zuko and Ursa, Toph with Sokka and Suki, Aang with Katara and Appa with Momo) while running and dodging the legs of the Muto while it kept roaring. They were able to dodge the footsteps of the giant beast without getting themselves crushed, others…weren't so lucky. In the end, it became too much for Aang to endure and he ended getting overwhelmed in pressure and hyperventilated, so Katara grabbed him tight and went to find some shelter under one of the fallen cranes. She used her healing abilities of waterbending in order to calm down her partner while having him embraced kindly, and it worked. Feeling themselves safe and sound, hidden under the crane, the young couple saw the Muto opening its wings and letting out one last roar, showing that way a more imposing figure of itself. And just then, it used its huge wings to take flight and disappear between the dark clouds of the night. In that moment Aang ended fainting in Katara's arms. The next day, at the first hours of dawn, very far from there in the waters nearby the Southern Water Tribe there was a fleet of ships doing a regular patrolling of the area. Hakoda was on deck of the leading ship as always, but this time was different as the war was finally over, the reason why he was only looking at the sea with a warm smile. After so much time battling the Fire Nation, he and his people could finally focuses merely on rebuilding their tribe and have their most deserved rest. As for Hakoda, he wouldn't have to worry about being separated from his son and daughter or their safety ever again. Life was finally smiling at them at long last and everything would be only peace and quiet…or that's what he believed. Then, his old and best friend Bato came running at him. It seemed to be something serious.
"Bato? What is it?" Hakoda asked to his old friend and second in command. "You look nervous. Has something happened?"
"Yes, it is." Bato responded as he tried to catch his breath before regaining his composure. "Hakoda, something has happened, and I'm afraid it concerns us all. But…especially the two of us."
"What do you mean? I don't follow you."
"We've received some urgent message from…some old friends of ours."
While Bato said that, he showed the message that they received a few minutes ago, and it had some familiar emblem that only both him and Hakoda recognized.
"Monarch?" Hakoda asked surprised while taking the message. "It's been a long time since the last time we knew of them." And he began reading the message of the scroll, which gave him a shocked and fearful face. "Oh no. You mean…does this means? This means…that one of those things have managed to get out and reach mainland?!" He said to Bato.
"It's not from the island, Hakoda." He answered, which left Hakoda confused. "Do you remember what Brooks and the others told us back then when we're younger? That there was more out there. I think…I think that it's one of those."
"I see." Hakoda said turning around, back at the sea.
"It seems that it finally happened, the day that we hoped to never come, the one that we're so afraid of. And now…Monarch is calling us after all these years. They need our help once again." Bato expressed with a face of determination.
"Then let's not keep them waiting." Hakoda decided with a determined face too. Next he turned at Bato again. "Set course to Red Sand Island."
"Right away." Bato affirmed bowing at him before going on giving the order to everyone else while Hakoda turned his sight back at the sea.
This was something neither both the leader of the Southern Water Tribe and his second in command expected to hear, but they knew that Monarch was always serious when it comes to these kinds of things. He didn't want his kids to be forced to deal with something like he, Bato and the others did many years ago in Skull Island, especially now that the war was over, but if it really was a giant monster on the loose and it had to be stopped, the people of Monarch were going to need all the help that they could. They helped their tribe back in times of war, even if that was not even their main purpose. Now…it was time to return the favor, once again. And no matter what kind of threat could be that new creature, they would face it together, just like they did before.
Next chapter, our king comes back at last after a long time, so you better get ready.