Ch.4
Reckoning
Avatar the Last Airbender is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me
"Alright, you two rest up here and I'll come back for the witness statements later," an officer told Samsara and Yumi while leading them to the barracks and gesturing at the empty beds causing the young girl to sigh in relief.
"Thank you, Officer," Yumi replied while bowing to the lawman who returned the gesture as Yumi trudged over to one of the beds and tiredly plopped down on it face first while Samsara just sat on the edge of another.
"So, you wanted to know the reason for my...brazen behavior, right?" Samsara inquired causing Yumi to sit up straight while narrowing her eyes at the spirit with all of her exhaustion seemingly gone for the moment.
"Yes, explain yourself now," Yumi demanded while letting out a puff of smoke from her nostrils eliciting an amused chuckle from Samsara who brushed her red hair over her shoulders.
"Just let me make sure of one thing first," Samsara responded causing Yumi to glower at the spirit who did a thorough scan of the room and after seeing that no one was watching them, smirked.
"My patience is running out," Yumi seethed as she balled her hand into a fist causing the spirit to understandingly nod and stand up to which the noble girl tilted her head, but maintained her frustrated glare.
"As well it should," Samsara retorted as she transformed into her true form causing Yumi to widen her eyes and nearly fall off the bed as she could only just stare up at Samsara with her mouth agape.
"Y-you're a-"
"A spirit? Why yes I am; I hope this answers your question," Samsara interrupted as she shifted back into her human visage and absorbed any slurry on the floor that appeared because of her transformation. Yumi, for her part, could only mindlessly nod as while that answered one question, a million others suddenly formed in her head like why Samsara was here of all places, how did she even know Zhen Liu in the first place, and what her intentions were.
"Judging by the look on your face, I'm guessing you want to know why I'm here," Samsara assumed while filing her nails causing Yumi to nod making the spirit purse her lips and cross one leg over another.
"Well, the truth is...I don't really have one. Not a meaningful one anyway," Samsara remarked as she put away her nail file and stretched her shoulders causing Yumi to raise a brow.
"What do you mean?" the noble girl inquired as she recalled, from her limited knowledge of spirits, is that they would interact with humans if they harmed their homes or the environment in a significant way. Armed with this knowledge, Yumi ever so slightly scooted away from Samsara which didn't escape the spirit's notice as she raised a brow, but decided it wasn't worth pushing the issue.
"I mean that the Fire Nation has been my home for over...uh...um...two hundred years, give or take, and I really have no intention of moving. Plus, it's a great place to drain people of their chi since the Fire Nation doesn't care about resolving Spirit World matters," Samsara answered causing Yumi to slowly nod and defensively, but discreetly curl up which Samsara noticed, but again didn't push the issue.
"So you're just here then?" Yumi ventured causing Samsara to nod as she nodded and leaned back on the bed slightly.
"Yep, I'm just a gal trying to live her life," Samsara answered while letting out a loud, obnoxious yawn causing Yumi to grunt as she went over the information the spirit told her before narrowing her eyes when a thought occurred to her.
"Is draining chi your form of drug addiction?" Yumi asked to which Samsara huffed, sat up straight, narrowed her eyes at the young girl who didn't back down and stared back at her.
"Jeez, harsh much? It's less a drug addiction and more of food addiction meaning that while I don't need chi to sustain myself, I do it anyway since I like the feeling," Samsara replied with a dignified huff and put her hands on her hips for emphasis, but all Yumi did was huff causing more smoke to come out of her nostrils.
"And I'm guessing this is the part where you tell me that you could stop if you wanted to, right?" Yumi spat causing Samsara to roll her eyes, groan, and reach forward where she gently, but firmly grasped Yumi's wrist.
"Hey, what are you-" Yumi began only to gasp as her mind was suddenly flooded with the events from Samsara's life specifically pertaining to chi draining where the young girl saw that yes, Samsara's hobby was purely recreational and was not wholly dependent on it as a means of survival.
"Oh...um...sorry," Yumi quietly told the spirit and scooted closer to her making Samsara grunt as she released her grip on the noble and performed a slightly miffed shrug.
"Good, now get some rest," Samsara replied causing Yumi to release a breathe and lay down on the bed just as the officer from before came back with a scroll, ink pad, and paint brush in hand causing the noble to groan.
"Can't we do this a little bit later, officer?" Yumi implored causing the lawman to say nothing as he walked over to the duo and sat down on the edge of one of the beds while Samsara opted to lay down on her side.
"I'm sorry, but I'd rather we do this sooner rather than later considering your statements may help us in our search for the enemy," the officer explained eliciting a long, heavy sigh from Yumi as she sat up and winced a little when her broken arm started acting up.
"Of course," Yumi replied as she got sudden flashbacks to the attack and recalled how, after her mother was snatched from the carriage, that she was forcibly yanked out and tried to defend herself to no avail. Shuddering when she heard the voice and saw the faces of the warrior women in green kimonos and white face paint, Yumi tried to keep her cool as she sucked in a breathe and let it back out.
"My family and I were on our way to Prince Ozai's party with our escorts when we were forced to come to a stop because of a road block. When we tried to clear it, our attackers, whoever they are, ambushed us. My mother was pulled out of the carriage by a water tentacle while I was dragged out by women who looked like Avatar Kyoshi," Yumi explained and cringed upon recalling the sensation of her having her nose broken while the officer suddenly leaned forward making Samsara raise a brow.
"Women who looked like Avatar Kyoshi? Can you be more specific in their description?" the officer inquired in a tone that suggested that he was on the verge of a breakthrough.
"Yes, their kimonos were lamellar plated, they had iron masks that looked like some kind of sea serpent, they had metal headdresses, and they were all wielding war fans," Yumi explained causing the officer to be taken aback and had to take a moment to process the information to which the young girl tilted her head while Samsara chuckled bemusedly upon recalling her brawl with Avatar Kyoshi.
"Those assassins who attacked you are the Kyoshi Warriors, but the reports never mentioned them wearing lamellar plating or iron masks. These assassins might just be one group of a larger whole," the officer surmised which was something Yumi had to take his word for while Samsara expression suddenly grew solemn when reminiscing about Kyoshi as she wondered why the Avatar let Chin and his army run roughshod over the entire Earth Kingdom without so much as lifting a finger.
"From what I remember, I thought the Kyoshi Warriors just protected the people on their peninsula. Why would they of all people get involved in the war?" Samsara asked causing the officer to look down at his shoes and tap his chin as that was a good question he didn't have the answer to...until his eyes lit up in realization.
"It must be because of Avatar Kyoshi's death! Without her around to keep the Earth Sovereignty army at bay-"
"Kyoshi Peninsula was easy pickings," Samsara finished as she was certain Kyoshi was kicking herself for not taking the initiative in the Spirit World as the officer furiously scribbled down the information on the scroll.
"I'm sorry, please continue," the officer told Yumi who slowly nodded and cleared her throat.
"After I was pulled out of the carriage, this guy with hookswords who seemed to be the leader told my dad that they were only here to kill him, but they would kill my mother and I too if that's what it took. I managed to get the Kyoshi Warriors off of me with firebending and that's when I heard my mom tell me to run so I did," Yumi elaborated causing the officer to nod and write the information down while Samsara wondered how Zhen Liu and, to a lesser extent, Ming were doing right about now.
"After that, I fell into the storm drain because I knew I wasn't going to get very far with my wounds and that's when everything went dark. When I woke up, Samsara and Mrs. Zhen Liu were tending to me. I wanted to go home after they finished, but Zhen Liu told me that it wasn't safe at the time," Yumi continued causing the lawman to be taken aback and look up at Yumi from his scroll making the young girl tilt her head.
"Zhen Liu, was it? She used to be a nurse in Prince Lu Ten's legion until she suffered severe injuries, particularly to her eyes, and because she couldn't work out while she was recuperating, put on a lot of weight as you've seen. Nowadays I hear she's a belly dancer in the...downtown district," the officer commented causing Yumi to widen her eyes as she wondered why Zhen Liu, if she had skills in the medical field, was working in such an occupation.
"I see. Um...anyway, the assassins attacked us again which is when Zhen Liu stayed behind to hold some of them off while Samsara and I fled. We got cornered in an alley which is when she...goaded them into attacking us," Yumi went on as she pictured Zhen Liu dancing the night away in front of some perverted patrons which made her blush a deep, tomato red while the officer turned his head and glared at Samsara.
"Are you serious?" the officer accusingly stated causing Samsara to sit up and give a casual shrug as if it was no big deal.
"Look, it's not like they would be able to hurt her with me around," the spirit said in defense of her actions, but the lawman wasn't convinced as he wrote something down in his scroll which Samsara saw said "One of the victims has an inflated, delusional sense of her combat skills." making her scowl.
"And what makes you so sure of that?" the officer inquired to which Samsara was tempted to say "Because I'm a fucking Rakshasi and I was about to tear out the hooksword guy's throat and lap up his blood with an honest to Brahma smile on my face.", but settled for a different answer.
"Let's just say I eat punks like those for breakfast," Samsara responded while mentally adding "Quite literally in my younger days." causing the officer to huff and write down what the spirit said on his scroll.
"What you did was reckless and put not only yourself, but your friend in trouble too! Next time, you keep them talking and wait for the authorities to arrive," the lawman fiercely admonished the spirit who resisted the urge to groan and roll her eyes and simply nodded as the officer then asked Yumi "Do you remember any distinct details about the leader?"
"Yeah, he had dark skin, black hair, he was wearing what seemed to be a mishmash of improvised armor, and he was leading other people about 16-18 years of age," Yumi explained causing the officer to nod slowly as he got up and left the room causing the noble girl and the rakshasi to exchange glances. A short moment later, the officer returned with more scrolls and sat down in his previous position where he carefully read the contents within before setting some of them aside.
"These sound like the guerrillas that have been giving our troops on the front lines some trouble. They call themselves the Freedom Fighters and from what the reports say, they consist of kids in their late teens or younger from around the Earth Imperium or Water Confederacy who were displaced by the war," the lawman elaborated causing Yumi to slowly nod as she processed the information and then wondered why these so called Freedom Fighters were so far away from the battlefront...unless the Fire Nation was really losing ground as she had heard.
"So they're a bunch of kids with a chip on their shoulder against the Fire Nation, eh? Can't say I really blame 'em minus the whole trying to kill us thing," Samsara quipped while picking her teeth with her nail causing the officer to tighten his grip on one of the scrolls while Yumi sighed softly.
"Those bunch of kids have enough numbers to be considered a legion and if they're here, that means our front lines have weakened to the point that a large guerrilla force like this was able to slip by them," the officer responded in a tone that was trying to make the rakshasi understand the severity of the situation and to his surprise, Samsara stopped picking her teeth and sat up straight where she looked down at the ground with a hand on her chin.
"If the Fire Nation loses, the Earth Imperium and Water Confederacy are going to take over which means that I run the risk of being slain by their shamans," Samsara analyzed with a slight sense of dread, but kept up the appearance of being as cool as a cucumber while trying to think of a way to do something about the Fire Nation's current predicament.
"Yumi, right? Going back to your previous statement, you said Zhen Liu stayed behind to fend them off, but how exactly did she manage that with her blindness and obesity?" the officer asked causing Yumi to try and think of an excuse for Zhen Liu while Samsara gazed at the officer with slightly narrowed eyes and grounded teeth.
"She's tougher than you think," Samsara said with a slight growl causing the lawman to raise a brow while Yumi worriedly glanced at the spirit who noticed the noble girl's expression, but ignored it.
"I don't doubt it, but military training alone doesn't explain how we found two dead bodies at her house," the officer pointed out making Samsara snort, but before she could say anything, a voice suddenly said "My grandparents taught me how to fight even with my physical impediments and considering the aforementioned corpses, I'd say they did a good job." Jolting, the trio looked in the direction of the sound where they saw a severely battered Zhen Liu, a horribly beaten Lian, and an exhausted Ming limp into the room where the belly dancer sat next to Samsara and across from Yumi.
"She managed to beat two Freedom Fighters and a Kyoshi Warrior too, Captain," Ming informed her fellow officer in defense of her friend who nodded slowly and glanced at Zhen Liu who told the young girl "Glad you're safe, Panda Lily."
"Alright, if you say she can hold her own, I believe you," the lawman replied causing Zhen Liu to mouth a silent thank you to her friend who nodded as Yumi suddenly embraced her making the former nurse grimace as the bruises on her midsection acted up.
"Thank you for helping me. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you and Samsara," Yumi gratefully told them causing Zhen Liu to smile through the pain and return the embrace while Samsara gave the young girl a genial two finger salute.
"My husband and I owe you two a great debt," Lian informed Zhen Liu and Samsara causing the spirit to say "You have nothing I want, but thanks for the offer." while the belly dancer pursed her lips and rubbed her chin.
"Well, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you spare some gold or silver pieces?" Zhen Liu hesitantly ventured causing Ming to narrow her eyes and raise a brow to which the belly dancer said "What, I have bills to pay."
"It's no trouble at all, we'll be sure to compensate you once we get back home," Lian assured the former nurse who internally sighed in relief as the officer began taking statements from her and Lian. While all this was happening, those in the police station were unaware of Himiko's astral projection and the phantom watching them from a corner in the room where no one, not even Samsara with her chi sense or Zhen Liu with her heightened sense of environmental awareness, were able to detect them.
"Ah, so you've finally found this Samsara. From what I've heard, she's a hedonist in every sense of the word," the projection mused while Himiko folded her muscular arms and glared daggers at Samsara, but her gaze softened when glancing at Yumi who was leaning into her mother's embrace.
"She acts silly, but she's far more dangerous than she lets on as her aid to Avatar Kanna can attest to. I say we take her out as a precaution," Himiko strongly advised to which the apparition nodded and clasped her herald's shoulder.
"I agree, but not now. There will be too many witnesses; wait until she gets back to her domain and then strike," the projection ordered causing Himiko to dutifully nod before gazing at Yumi and Zhen Liu making the apparition slightly increase the pressure around her herald's shoulder.
"Speak your mind, Himiko," the apparition stated causing the herald to slowly nod as she recalled Yumi's demonstrations of firebending prowess fondly while feeling nothing but sympathy for Zhen Liu's circumstances.
"I'm worried if I try to kill her, Zhen Liu and Yumi will defend her. I have no wish to strike them, especially Yumi," Himiko confessed causing the phantom to nod as it reminded of her killing of Amaruq. Beaten half to death and stripped of her bending, the projection was willing to let the powerless avatar go at the point...until Amaruq swore that even without her bending, she would find a way to stop her. As soon as those words left her mouth, the phantom knew she couldn't let Amaruq go so she hardened her heart, snapped the powerless Avatar's neck to paralyze her, and then finished her off.
"I understand, killing children is an unsavory aspect of our work I wish to avoid at all costs, but sometimes our enemies will be children. At that point, they cease to be children, just enemy combatants, and should be treated as such. However, you are a skilled combatant so you should be able to neutralize them without killing them," the apparition advised her herald who slowly nodded as she really didn't want to kill Yumi, especially the way her mistress did to Amaruq, nor did she want to slay Zhen Liu in similarly gruesome fashion. That being said, the world of light her mistress was building required sacrifice and she was hoping that neither Yumi or Zhen Liu were forced to become one.
"I understand, mistress. If I'm confronted with them, I'll disable them non-lethally," Himiko replied causing the projection to nod proudly at her herald's sense of honor as they continued to listen to the conversation just in case pertinent information that they could use against their enemies came up.
With adrenaline pumping through her veins, Ying Mei sprinted down the empty, moon lit streets towards Jin's chi while making sure to keep a lookout for any Dai Lee agents. Seeing something in the distance, Ying Mei took cover behind a wall and peeked around it where she saw some of the government agents patrolling the streets. Quieting her breathing, Ying Mei ducked back into cover and took out one of her throwing knives where she remained perfectly still until they passed by her. Emerging from cover, Ying Mei flung the projectile which deeply embedded itself into the back of the agent's neck where he gurgled on his own blood, crumpled to the ground, and twitched erratically before going still. Before his two cohorts could process what happened, they were both shot through the throat with two razor sharp darts which poked out of the back of their necks causing them to collapse to the ground while clutching their necks, cough up a copious amount of blood, and then go limp.
"I see your skills are as sharp as ever," the presence commended causing Ying Mei to say nothing as she retrieved her weapons lodged in the agent's throats before continuing her pursuit with the phantom taking on the visage of Ying Mei's shadow.
"Thank you, mistress, but now ain't the time for compliments," Ying Mei replied as she did another quick, but thorough scan of the area to make sure she hadn't been outflanked.
"I understand, I merely came here to tell you that I'm guiding an ally toward you" the spirit informed her servant who raised a brow, but otherwise said nothing as she saw more Dai Lee agents in the distance.
"I don't suppose you could tell me where Jin is," Ying Mei responded as she took cover, scanned the area, and saw that there would be too many agents for her to engage directly even if she did take them by surprise.
"She's been taken to Lake Laogai," the phantom told her servant who nodded slowly as the spirit ebbed away and returned to the spirit world leaving Ying Mei alone to solve this mess she caused.
"Ying, it's me. Don't freak out," a voice quietly called out causing Ying Mei to jolt and look in the direction of the sound where she saw Mayumi take cover next to her with a very similar armament to the servant of the presence.
"What are you doing here? It's not safe-"
"And what you're doing is? Look, your spirit friend told me about what happened so I'm helping whether you want it or not," Mayumi silently, but sharply interrupted her friend who sighed softly before nodding as Mayumi peeked around the corner where Ying Mei could see the gears turning in her friend's head.
"Okay, let's go back and cut through the alleys. There are some buildings low enough to the ground that we can climb on to get to the rooftops. As long as we're careful, we can travel unseen," Mayumi stated causing Ying Mei to nod as she followed her friend with her crossbow ready to be fired at a moment's notice.
"Okay, any idea where to start looking?" Mayumi asked after they doubled back and found a building they could climb on causing Ying Mei to press her back against the wall, kneel down, and clasp her hands together with the palms facing upward.
"My spirit friend told me that they is taking Jin to Lake Laogai," Ying Mei answered as she lifted Mayumi onto the roof after she stepped on her hands who then extended her hand to her.
"Lake Laogai? Oh jeez," Mayumi groaned as Ying Mei jumped and grasped her friend's hand who strained to pull her friend onto the roof with beads of sweat pouring down her brow, and after she did, had to take a moment to catch her breathe.
"I'm aware of how bad things is," Ying Mei quietly replied with a slight huff as Mayumi took the lead with the servant of the presence bringing up the rear as they let a patrol of police officers pass by them before jumping onto the next rooftop.
"I don't think you do because we both know how the beloved Grand Secretariat is," Mayumi whispered in retort to which Ying Mei was unable to say anything in response as they jumped to the next rooftop and ducked into cover when they saw Dai Lee agents prowling on the building across from them.
"I'll take one if you take the other," Mayumi stated causing Ying Mei to nod as she discreetly looked over her cover at the agent before going out into the open and swiftly firing off a shot with Mayumi following suit. Gasping, one of the agents staggered about as Ying Mei's crossbow bolt pierced through his eye and out his skull where he then collapsed to the ground with blood pooling around his head before going still. The other could only let out a short, sharp yelp before going completely silent as Mayumi's dart hit him right between the eyes causing him to fall onto his back with his eyes rolling to the back of his head.
"Alright, let's move," Mayumi commanded, but just as she was about to take the lead again, Ying Mei grabbed her arm causing Mayumi to look over her shoulder at her friend and raise a brow.
"Let me take the lead; I have this chi sense that will make locating Jin easier," Ying Mei explained making Mayumi want to toss her friend in the crazy house, but considering she herself talked to a spirit earlier, it didn't seem too out of the ordinary now.
"Lead the way," Mayumi urged causing her friend to do so as they took out any Dai Lee agents they encountered that they couldn't pass by without being seen and let patrols pass by when they were too big in number. Finally, they got onto a building that overlooked the gates that separated the lower ring from the agrarian zone which was guarded by two sentries causing Mayumi to glance at her friend.
"Frustrated wife or prostitute?" Mayumi inquired causing Ying Mei to say "prostitute." making Mayumi leave her gear with her friend save for her throwing knives and hunting knife as she and her partner scooted over to the edge of the building they were on.
"Wait until I have them distracted before taking them out," Mayumi ordered as she untied her robe which left it loosely hanging over her shoulders which exposed her ample cleavage and part of her undergarments. Nodding, Ying Mei unfurled the length of rope she was using as a belt once more and pressed her back against the wall as Mayumi sucked in a breathe, let it back out, and forced a wide, sultry grin on her face.
"Hey there, fellas~," Mayumi purred as she emerged from the alleyway while sensually swaying her hips, but the guards remained stone faced at her display while Ying Mei discreetly crossed over to the next building.
"Ma'am, the Lower Ring is currently in lockdown. Step back and return to your home, please," one of the sentries professionally stated even as Mayumi embraced him and slowly traced her finger down his chest.
"Oh, come on; you guys stick to protocol so much that it must be frustrating, right? Why don't you come with me and release some of that tension?" Mayumi murmured while blowing into the guard's ear, but like last time the sentry wasn't fazed in the slightest and gently pushed Mayumi back while saying "Ma'am, the Lower Ring is currently in lockdown. Step back and return to your home, please."
"Oh, playing hard to get? I can respect that in a man," Mayumi whispered as Ying Mei emerged from wrapped her improvised garrote around the other sentry's throat, clamped a hand over his mouth, kicked the back of his knee to knock him off balance, and proceeded to drag him behind a nearby building.
"Ma'am, the Lower Ring is currently in lockdown. Step back and return to your home, please," the sentry repeated causing Mayumi to loosen her robe even more which exposed her chest wraps in full and her slightly chubby midsection.
"Are you sure, soldier boy?" Mayumi whispered huskily and even did a short, sensual dance to entice him, but all this made the sentry do was pinch the bridge of his nose and release a long, winded sigh.
"Ma'am, the Lower Ring-" the sentry began to say only to retch as Ying Mei wrapped her garrote around his throat and fiercely headbutted the back of his skull and while he was reeling, yanked him to the ground. Before he could recover, Ying Mei forcefully brought her elbow down on his forehead like a sledgehammer making him yelp before going limp causing the servant of the presence to release him and clutch her bloodied forehead on account of crashing her forehead against the sentry's metal helmet.
"Bad idea, bad idea," Ying Mei groaned before taking a swig from her gourd which healed her wound and caused the head splitting feeling in her skull to evaporate while Mayumi recovered her gear and retied her robe.
"You okay?" Mayumi worriedly asked her friend who replied "I'm fine." before standing up and shaking her head with a slight groan as she checked the both sentry's chi signature and to her relief, both of them were still alive.
"Let's go," Ying Mei urged causing Mayumi to nod as they entered the agrarian zone and made their way to Lake Laogai while staying out of sight of the occasional farmers they came across. True, they were far and in between and by the time any of the farmers informed the authorities, they would be too late to stop them, but better to be safe than sorry.
"Alright, Jin's chi stops here so let's be careful," Ying Mei advised as she readied her repeating crossbow, got down on her belly, and slowly inched her way to the edge of the hill overlooking Lake Laogai with Mayumi following suit. Carefully peeking over the hill, Ying Mei and Mayumi saw eight Dai Lee agents standing as still as statues near the edge of the lake, but were ready to attack at a moment's notice.
"There don't seem to be an entrance anywhere so where'd they take her?" Ying Mei silently wondered while getting back into cover as Mayumi looked down at the ground with a hand on her chin before her eyes lit up in realization.
"It must be underwater, but our explosives won't work there," Mayumi analyzed out with a slight snarl as she thumped her fingers against her leg before saying "We need to make one of them expose the entrance."
"These fellas don't seem the type to cooperate with us...unsavory women," Ying Mei pointed out to which her partner nodded and took out a smoke bomb prompting Ying Mei to ready a cast iron explosive.
"Then we'll make them cooperate," Mayumi retorted as she tore off part of the fuse with her partner following suit as they took one last, subtle look over their cover before lighting up the fuses and tossing the bombs at the government agents which exploded the moment they hit the ground. Immediately, the night air was filled with agonizing wails as flesh, blood, and viscera flew in every direction and erratic, pained coughing as the smoke inhibited the agent's breathing.
"Come on," Mayumi urged as she leaped down onto the ground with Ying Mei following suit as they approached the bloody, mangled bodies with some of their chests being tore right open by the shrapnel while some had their faces torn apart into a bloody mush. However, neither one was fazed by this grizzly scene even as they saw that a Dai Lee agent who had been at ground zero of the explosion was reduced to nothing but a mutilated torso and stumps. Hearing something whizzing through the smoke, both Ying Mei and Mayumi sidestepped a volley of stone fist and fingers flying at them where they saw three agents who, while injured with one even missing an arm, still capable of fighting.
"We only need one of them!" Mayumi shouted as she ducked underneath a stone fist hurtling towards her face only to dry heave as a stone pillar jutted from the ground and struck her right in the gut sending her flying. Hitting the ground with a harsh thud which sent her crossbow skidding across the ground, Mayumi rolled to the side just as earthen restraints tried to pin her down where she flung a throwing knife at the agent after getting into a kneeling position. Cursing as he caught it with an earthen glove, she dipped her head to the side to avoid her own knife being thrown back at her and then spun around a melon shaped rock coming towards her gut.
"Right!" Ying Mei replied as she discharged several shots which were blocked by an earthen wall where several separate segments were sent hurtling toward her like projectiles from a cannon. While she was able to weave around the initial volley, she wasn't agile enough to dodge the next where she ate several hard projectiles to her gut, chest, and face. Grimacing as she felt as if her head was punched off of her shoulders which made her spit up a glob of blood, Ying Mei forced down the pain and concentrated as she saw a Dai Lee agent lifting up a boulder from the ground. As if time came to a near halt, Ying Mei fired a shot before the agent could properly fling the boulder at her causing him to scream before collapsing on the ground face first with a dart through his skull.
Widening his eyes, the other agent nevertheless regained his composure as he lifted up a boulder from the ground and made it look like he was going to throw it causing Ying Mei to get ready to dodge. However, the agent retracted the blow at the last second and instead caused a stone pillar to swiftly emerge from the ground behind Ying Mei and brutally strike her right in the spine causing the servant of the presence to scream bloody murder as she felt as if her back broke upon impact. Crumpling onto all fours, Ying Mei fired off several shots from her crossbow which the agent blocked by lifting a boulder in front of himself before flinging it at his foe who widened her eyes. The agent, however, smirked when she rolled to the side to avoid it as he clenched his fist causing the boulder to explode into dust which obscured Ying Mei's vision and made her cough uncontrollably.
Hearing something flying through the air, Ying Mei dove aside just as a volley of stone fingers penetrated the smoke where several of them grazed her side and face which shaved off decent amounts of flesh. Hissing, the servant of the presence forced down the pain as the Dai Lee agent rushed toward her before jumping into the air and landing on the ground with a loud thud sending a wave of earthen spikes towards Ying Mei. This time, she was prepared as she avoided the attack by sidestepping it and deftly chucking a throwing knife at him which nailed him right in the chest causing him to yelp before collapsing on his back unable to move. In turn, however, Ying Mei received a stone hand that had all five fingers extended to her forearm which she used to block what could have been a killing blow. Howling in pain as the rock shaped appendage deeply lodged itself into her forearm and bored right through the bone causing streams of blood to pour down her limb, Ying Mei tightly ground her teeth as Mayumi dipped around an earthen pillar before slicing the throat of a Dai Lee agent. Hacking, the agent futilely grasped his throat as he tried to get some air, any air, into his system, but it was for naught as he crumpled to the ground drowning in his own blood before going still.
"That looks bad," Mayumi concernedly said when she caught a glimpse of the stone hand deeply lodged into her friend's forearm causing Ying Mei to say "The pain's even worse." before walking over to the agent she subdued.
"We'll let you live if you open the entrance to your hideout," Ying Mei offered while stomping on his chest and having a throwing knife at the ready while Mayumi pointed her crossbow at his skull.
"Hah, you think I'm scared? You won't kill me since you need an earthbender to expose-" the agent began to say only to yowl as Mayumi punt kicked him across the face causing blood to fly from his mouth and splatter onto the ground. While the Dai Lee agent was in a daze, Mayumi patted him down and retrieved some documents from his robes causing the government agent to widen his eyes and reach out for the documents only for Ying Mei to stomp on his wrist.
"Ooh, this document from Long Feng says that you'll be able to get an even fancier house in the Upper Ring for your exemplary service," Mayumi mockingly read the contents of the scroll before taking out another one and after looking over what it said, broke out into a grin.
"And this one says that not only will you able to sit next to the Earth King's pet bear the next time there's a party, but you'll also get five hundred gold coins. All you need to do to get all these gifts is for the Earth King to sign off on them. However, I'm guessing that Long Feng had business to attend to and he was supposed to bring these documents to the Earth King later to make them official, right?" Mayumi inquired with a cold, predatory grin causing the agent to widen his eyes before looking away causing Mayumi to triumphantly smile and slightly tore both of the documents.
"Judging by the looks of these papers, you got them recently and on account of you and your friends being...well...Dai Lee, you figured that no one was going to mess with you so you thought it was safe to keep these on you," Mayumi ruthlessly continued as she tore the documents even more causing the Dai Lee agent to desperately yell "Stop, I'll open the entrance!" causing Ying Mei to step off of his chest.
"Don't try nothing funny," Ying Mei growled as she stepped off of him where Mayumi let the documents drop to the ground and wrapped one arm around the agent's neck while the other pressed the tip of her knife against the back of his neck. Cringing when he felt the cold steel pressing against his flesh, the Dai Lee agent exposed the entrance to the hideout causing Mayumi to toss him to the ground and stomp on his face making him yowl before falling unconscious. Nodding, Ying Mei looked at the stone hand embedded in her forearm and wondered how she was going to get it out before shaking her head.
"I'll just deal with the pain for now," Ying Mei grumbled as she could still use her throwing knives at the very least and began to walk toward the entrance with Mayumi in tow just as her partner suddenly asked her something.
"Are you rescuing this girl because-"
"No, Mayumi. I ain't doing this just because she gave me a generous tip," Ying Mei interrupted causing her partner to nod and ready her weapons with Ying Mei following suit as they descended into the base and saw it was near pitch black with the only light being glowing green crystals.
"Find Jin's chi and let's get out of here," Mayumi stated causing Ying Mei to nod as suddenly, the apparition appeared before them and took the shape of her servant's shadow causing Mayumi to raise a brow.
"Lake Laogai reeks of dread, despair, and hopelessness which is more than enough energy for me to maintain my astral form indefinitely," the shade informed Mayumi who could only wordlessly nod as Ying Mei led them down a corridor before grinding to a halt as a trio of Dai Lee agents passed by them. Just in case, both Ying Mei and Mayumi quietly readied their knives, but to their relief the secret police didn't see them where, after making sure they were out of sight, continued on their way. After what seemed like an eternity navigating the maze and staying out of sight of Dai Lee agents, Ying Mei came to a stop at a hallway with a door across from it with two agents standing by it.
"Jin's in there, but we have to act fast if we don't want to raise the alarm," Ying Mei murmured causing Mayumi to quickly peek out of cover, duck back into it, and rub her chin before looking up at her friend.
"I'll take the one on the right, you take the one on the left," Mayumi whispered while readying her crossbow causing Ying Mei to nod as Mayumi silently counted to three before she and her partner emerged from cover. Before they could react, one of them was hit right between the eyes with a razor sharp dart while the other yowled as a knife lodged itself right into his face causing both agents to spasm wildly before slumping to the ground.
"Okay, be ready for anything," Ying Mei advised causing her partner to nod as Ying Mei put a hand on the door, sucked in a breathe, and pushed it open where she and Mayumi found Jin chained to the wall with her chest, wrists, and ankles restrained. Jolting, Jin confusedly looked between Ying Mei and Mayumi with Ying Mei holding up a hand while Mayumi dragged the corpses into the room causing Jin to widen her eyes.
"They don't know where we are, but I don't expect that to last for long," Mayumi stated while looking at the door with her crossbow primed to fire at a moment's notice causing Ying Mei to nod and walk over to Jin.
"Wh-what are you doing here and how did-"
"Darling, now ain't the time for questions. All you need to know right now is that we're trying to bust you out of here," Ying Mei lightly cut off Jin as plunged her hunting knife into the lock mechanism of Jin's handcuffs and twisted causing the restraints to fall to the ground where the noble woman rubbed her wrists.
"Okay, but I expect an explanation afterwards," Jin replied to which Ying Mei nodded as she lodged her hunting knife into the lock mechanism of Jin's ankle cuffs and twisted causing the binds to fall off of her.
"Of course," Ying Mei responded as she got off the last of Jin's restraints causing the noblewoman to breathe a sigh of relief just as they heard multiple footsteps approaching the room causing Mayumi to ground her teeth.
"How are we getting out of here?" Jin nervously asked causing Ying Mei to say nothing in response as she glanced at Mayumi, motioned at one of her bombs, and made a pushing gesture at the door. Nodding, Mayumi tore off part of the fuse of one of her bombs and positioned herself next to the door while Ying Mei stood in front of it like a predator on the hunt. As soon as the shadows on the outside were almost at the door, Mayumi lit the fuse just as the agents tried to push the door open where she quickly tossed the explosive through the gap while Ying Mei lunged forward and slammed the door shut with her forearm. The surprised agents didn't even get a chance to scream as the explosion made the walls shake, dust to fall down to the ground, and a distinct, sickening squelch of flesh being blown apart to echo throughout the hallways. While Jin widened her eyes, Ying Mei and Mayumi took it in stride as the latter, concluding that they wouldn't get to the entrance in time, opted for a different means of escape.
"Ready to go for a swim?" Mayumi inquired causing Ying Mei to nod while Jin cried out "You guys are crazy!", but could do little other than just go along with their plan as Mayumi and Ying Mei set up their explosives near the wall.
"Wait, I-I can't swim!" Jin shrieked as Ying Mei dragged her out of her cell and stood to one side of it just as the explosives went off in a brilliant display of debris and whitish, red flames causing a copious amount of water to flood into the base where they waited until the room was completely flooded. With nothing pushing against them now, the trio re-entered the cell and began to slowly swim up to the surface with Ying Mei having to carry Jin as, after what seemed like an eternity, they finally came up for air.
"Everyone okay? We need to go to the Crystal Catacombs and I know how to get there from here," Ying Mei stated after getting oxygen back into her system causing Mayumi to nod and release a long groan while Jin coughed up some water and sputtered as they she felt Ying Mei dragging her toward the shore.
"The Crystal Catacombs? Why?" Jin asked as they got onto dry land and after taking a moment to gather themselves, got back to their feet where Mayumi and Jin followed Ying Mei to wherever she was leading them.
"My ship is there," Ying Mei replied causing the noblewoman to widen her eyes while Mayumi simply snorted as Ying Mei led them to the drainage system and after letting the guards on the wall pass by them, opened the grate as quietly as possible.
"Come on," Ying Mei beckoned as she got into it and slowly began inching her way forward with Mayumi following suit causing Jin to scrunch her brow and pinch her nose due to the bad smell.
"Do I really-"
"Yes!" Mayumi interrupted Jin as she grabbed the noblewoman's wrist and yanked her into the storm drain where she let Jin pass by her before closing the grate.
"We're going to make a turn up here," Ying Mei said as she rounded the corner and entered a separate system where Ying Mei slid down the pipes like a slide with her companions in tow where splashed down in what seemed to be a river. Coughing and sputtering yet again, Jin hacked up some water that got into her mouth before Ying Mei pulled her onto solid ground causing the noblewoman to have to take a moment to catch her breathe before looking up. Widening her eyes, Jin was mesmerized by the beauty of the caverns illuminated by the glowing crystals and the abandoned, ancient houses of Old Ba Sing Se.
"Okay, we're here. Give me a moment," Ying Mei requested as the phantom showed itself and began to systematically break down the stone hand embedded in her servant's forearm in order to make yanking it out easier.
"Both of you should take pride in your accomplishment; taking out Dai Lee agents is no small feat," the apparition complimented both Ying Mei and Mayumi before swiftly yanking out the appendage making Ying Mei fall scream and fall to her knees. Releasing a heavy breathe, Ying Mei felt the phantom gently pull her to her feet and then heal her grievous injury with a white, glowing hand causing Ying Mei to thank her mistress. Nodding, the projection focused on healing her servant just as the walls started shaking violently causing Mayumi to curse and ready her crossbow while Jin, despite not being a fighter, got into a stance she hoped was similar to what the earthbending soldiers used.
"Shit, the Dai Lee found us!?" Mayumi shouted to which the projection shook her head making the raider raise a brow while Jin tilted her head.
"No, something more benevolent did," the projection answered causing Mayumi to huff as before she could demand the spirit to be less cryptic, sections of the wall suddenly burst apart in a haze of pebbles and dust forcing the raider and Jin back. Coughing, the raider swatted away the dust cloud and saw several large, quadrupedal beasts with grayed out eyes, a brown coat, and a white, blackish stripe going down its back.
"Badger moles?" Mayumi asked with a raised brow as she lowered her weapon while Jin dropped out of her sloppy stance as one of the beasts slammed its paws on the ground causing a large section of the earthen wall to part revealing a sailboat which seemed to be cobbled together from aluminum and copper.
"Yeah, I ran into them during my first visit here and turns out, not even the Dai Lee want to mess with them. Because of that, they steered clear of this part of the Crystal Catacombs which meant I was able to build this thing in peace," Ying Mei explained as she leaped onto the ship and checked to make sure everything was in working order causing Mayumi to purse her lips.
"How did you even become friends with these things?" Jin asked as she reluctantly approached the ship next to the gigantic beasts which was something Mayumi was curious about as well where they saw Ying Mei flush red.
"They...uh...like music so I...sang for them," Ying Mei grumbled while looking off to the side causing Mayumi to guffaw while Jin, despite the situation, chuckled as Ying Mei sung a shanty which caused one of the badger moles to gently earthbend the vessel into the water.
"You? Sing?" Mayumi repeated with an amused chuckle causing Ying Mei to grumble and retort with "I realize how ridiculous it sounds!" as she leaped off of the ship and approached Jin where she rubbed the back of her head.
"Darling, I'm really sorry for dragging you into this mess," Ying Mei apologized while bowing to the noblewoman who blankly stared at Ying Mei for what seemed like an eternity before letting out a heavy sigh.
"I'm not going to say it's okay, but I will say that I'm grateful that you two freed me from that jail. Since I can't go back home...I guess I have to go with you," Jin reluctantly replied causing Ying Mei to nod slowly just as Jin bent a glove of hardened sand around one of her hands and gently, but firmly clasped Ying Mei's shoulder.
"Besides, you still owe me an explanation," Jin remarked while tightening her grip on Ying Mei's shoulder ever so slightly making Ying Mei laugh softly and say "Yeah, I do." before motioning at the ship.
"Ooh, I like her," Mayumi remarked as Ying Mei raised a brow and asked "You're coming with us?" to which Mayumi nodded and leaned against the railing.
"I don't exactly have a home to go back to considering what we just did and besides, I was getting sick of Ba Sing Se anyway," Mayumi playfully remarked causing Ying Mei to smile and bow to her friend who returned the gesture as her partner and Jin got onto the ship. Raising the anchor, the vessel slowly floated downstream where Mayumi discreetly listened to the presence and Ying Mei's conversation about going to the Fire Nation to find someone called Himiko and...a world of light? Whatever her friend had gotten herself into, the raider hoped it was worth it.
Forcing a smile on her face for the umpteenth time, Yue nodded mindlessly as her father, Master Pakku, and the chief to be, Hahn, conversed with Chin IV and caught the gaze of his wife sitting silently like an obedient doll. Yue couldn't help but compare her situation to her own; both were raised to be the ideal women, both really had no say in political matters, and both expected to spend the rest of their days doing womanly duties. The princess loved her father and knew she had a bit more wiggle room in regards to tradition, but she still had no say in the matter of her...betrothed. Speaking of which, she saw Hahn hanging off her father's every words like clingy turtle sea pup which made the princess scoff.
"He's probably trying to remember Father's manner of speaking so he can mimic it when he's chief," Yue derisively thought as, while she was loathe to entertain it, she thought that maybe, just maybe, someone might make an attempt on her father's life which would subsequently put him on the throne.
"No, he's an arrogant, delusional fool, but he wouldn't go that far...I hope," Yue mused uncertainly and was shaken out of her stupor when she heard Chin IV shout "Your son in law and my boy will do great things do great things together like crush the Fire Nation should we fail to do that in our lifetime!" with a mighty boom making the princess scowl slightly.
"Indeed, but shouldn't we keep diplomacy on the table? After all, much blood has been shed on both sides," Arnook sagely pointed out causing Chin IV to frown ever so slightly before taking a sip from his tea cup and solemnly looking down at the liquid.
"I realize that, but the Fire Nation hasn't exactly shown that they are willing to try and work things out with us," Chin IV pointed out causing most of his entourage to vehemently nod in agreement which was a point Arnook agreed with, albeit reluctantly.
"Don't worry, Chief. Our people's have held the upper hand the entire war and by summer's end, we'll have crushed whatever petty resistance they have left with extreme prejudice. When that happens, I'm sure they'll be willing to listen to whatever it is you want to say," General Fong kindly assured the chieftain who sighed softly and said "Yes...thank you, General Fong."
"You say we'll win by summer's end, but Sozin's Comet is still coming which means the Fire Nation might try something...desperate to push us back," Pakku interjected causing General Fong and General How to smirk smugly making the wizened, world weary master raise a brow while Chin IV laughed softly and stroked his beard.
"Don't worry, Master Pakku. We found a way to make Sozin's Comet a non-factor because our astronomers mapped out its most likely route. When it comes, we'll shoot it out of the sky which will crush the Fire Nation's morale and make them easy pickings," General How boasted causing General Fong to bristle with anticipation of the fated day while Pakku glanced at Arnook who nodded slowly with a downcast expression.
"When we win the war, what will happen afterwards?" Arnook inquired causing Chin IV to pour himself another cup of tea, blow away the steam, and take a drink from it before staring at the chieftain dead in the eye.
"Well, considering the Fire Nation made the airbenders extinct, did the same to the waterbenders in the South Pole before you took them over for their protection, and continue to uselessly try and gain a foothold on our land after we forced them out, I was considering...doing to the firebenders what they did to the airbenders," Chin IV hesitantly replied causing Yue to cover her mouth, Arnook to let out a small gasp, Hahn to mutter "Sounds good to me.", and Pakku to glare daggers at the Earth Sovereignty's ruler.
"The firebenders who enacted the Air Nomad Genocide are long dead by now so how do you intend to carry out your plan? Punish their descendants who had no part in it!?" Pakku spat making Chin IV narrow his eyes at the waterbending master while General Fong interjected with "You may be willing to let this slide, but we will avenge our fallen!" Before this could turn into a full blown shouting match, Arnook shouted "Enough, both of you!" causing Pakku to snort while General Fong grunted, but nevertheless both settled down.
"Sorry Chin, but I too must object to that plan. It will only ensure that we'll have another bloody war after we win this one," Arnook calmly, but firmly told the Earth Sovereignty's ruler who shook his head while General Fong murmured "Then we'll just crush the Fire Nation again like we're doing now." earning him a disapproving glance from Pakku.
"Yet the point still stands that we can't leave the Fire Nation to their own devices. The last time we did that they wiped out the Air Nomads during our joint, preemptive strike. That is why I propose the Imperium leave a standing force in every town, city, and village in the Fire Nation so if there are any schemes to initiate another war, we can end it before it happens," Chin IV proclaimed causing Arnook to sigh softly as the thought of leaving angry Earth Imperium soldiers with an equally angry Fire Nation citizenry was a recipe for disaster.
"The Water Confederacy will also need to patrol their waters in order to ensure that whatever business that happens at every dock, pier, and harbor isn't meant to incite war," Chin IV went on before releasing a breathe causing Arnook to grunt as his people weren't conquerors by nature, but the ongoing war certainly put that principle to the test.
"These proposed courses of action will only ensure the very thing we're trying to avoid. I agree the Fire Nation shouldn't go unpunished, but we must punish those for the crimes they committed, not ones they are loosely connected to," Arnook countered causing Yue to internally breathe a sigh of relief that someone wasn't going for the vengeful option in the aftermath which was a sentiment shared by General Sung.
"I don't agree, but should you prove to be right I'll reconsider my opinion on the matter," the Earth Imperium's ruler conceded causing Yue to want to wipe away the nervous bead of sweat on her brow, but kept herself still. Suddenly, a messenger entered the room and cautiously approached Chin IV where he cordially bowed to the monarch before handing him a scroll causing the Earth Imperium's ruler to politely nod and dismiss the servant who took his leave. Opening the scroll, Chin IV read its contents and widened his eyes before bursting out into a hearty, triumphant laughter.
"Forgive me, but it seems our astronomers have came through yet again! They informed me that soon, there is to be a solar eclipse which will leave firebenders powerless for a short amount of time. With that in mind, I suggest we start drawing up invasion plans to strike at the heart of the Fire Nation!" Chin IV proclaimed as Arnook read the scroll and was taken aback as yes, the scroll did indeed say that there was going to be a solar eclipse.
"I agree, this is an opportune moment to end the war in one swift, precise strike and finally end a century of bloodshed for both sides," Arnook replied causing General Fong to quietly mutter "You honestly care about those savages in the Fire Nation?" to which Pakku glowered at the career military man who returned his glare in kind.
"Indeed, no more families will be torn apart and our soldiers can go home," Chin IV said as he noticed Arnook's solemn expression causing the monarch to ask "Is something wrong?" to which the chieftain nodded.
"I just remembered some of my people have defected and sought sanctuary in the Fire Nation. During the invasion, we'll most likely encounter them and have to..." Arnook trailed off causing Chin IV to nod and added "I understand; we've had defectors ourselves and unfortunately, we've had to kill them. It's not easy to do, even if they're enemies."
"Thank you for your...words, Chin. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?" Arnook inquired causing Chin IV to shake his head as he stood up followed shortly by General Fong, General How, General Sung, and his wife where he wiped his lips with a napkin.
"I'd rather we'd focus on coming up with a plan for the solar eclipse if you don't mind," Chin IV told Arnook who nodded and asked one of the servants to escort the monarch and his associates to the war room.
"Of course, I'll see you in the war room in a moment," Arnook replied causing his partner to nod as he along with his entourage followed the servant out of the meeting hall causing Yue to let out a long winded breathe while Pakku scowled.
"I realize we're allies, but that doesn't mean we should overlook their flaws. I received reports from the front lines that Fong's Freedom Fighters flooded the last Fire Nation colony in the Earth Imperium some time back. They killed everyone who lived there, Fire Nation or not," Pakku bluntly stated causing Yue to widen her eyes and unconsciously took a step back while Arnook nodded and sighed heavily.
"I know of these Freedom Fighters, but what would you have us do? We can't take up arms against our allies especially when we're so close to ending things," Arnook responded causing Pakku to snort and reply with "We can't do nothing about it either. What should happen if the Freedom Fighters consider some of our men necessary collateral damage?" causing the chieftain to narrow his eyes.
"Then I will speak to Chin personally and get it resolved," Arnook replied causing Pakku to snort, but otherwise say nothing before departing leaving Arnook, Hahn, and Yue alone in the meeting hall to process what had transpired.
"Hahn, I hope this experience has been enlightening for you. As you have seen, sometimes meetings with allies can get strained which requires a cool head to keep things on track," Arnook explained to his future son in law causing Hahn to grin arrogantly and say "Of course, Chief. I'll be sure to keep that in mind for the future."
"Good, I expect no less from you. Now if you'll both excuse me, I have other business to attend to," Arnook went on causing Yue to wish him well while Hahn nodded with the same cocky smile on his face as the chieftain took his leave making the princess groan internally as she was stuck with her fiance.
"Well...if I'm going to be stuck with him for the rest of my life, I may as well try to get to know him better," Yue reluctantly thought as while he was certainly easy on the eyes, his personality left a lot to be desired to which she hoped that maybe, just maybe, bonding might reveal a kinder, compassionate soul underneath.
"So...did you want to go on a boat ride together-"
"Oh man, did you see the way Chin handled business? I mean, I'll always be loyal to your father, but if I had been born an Earth Imperium citizen, you wouldn't see me complaining!" Hahn obnoxiously interrupted causing Yue to bite her lip, force a smile on her face, and reply with "Yes, he certainly has a...commanding presence."
"I know, and I also like the way General Fong thinks. We're so close to winning and when we do, we have to make the Fire Nation pays for what they did," Hahn loudly went on causing Yue to frown ever so slightly before it disappeared behind the same genial mask she always wore. In that moment, she was tempted to say "How does committing genocide on firebenders make us different from our enemies?", but opted for a different response.
"I share my father's stance that while the Fire Nation does deserve punishment, we have to make sure the punishment fits the crime to avoid another war in the future," Yue replied calmly to which Hahn frowned and put a hand on her shoulder where he said "You're a woman so I can forgive you for not knowing too much on this, but next time let the people who know what they're talking about handle things." Upon hearing this, Yue's self control nearly evaporated and was about to let loose a whole slew of curses at her unwanted fiance, but somehow managed to keep her cool and forced a smile on her face.
"Yes...of course," Yue seethed all with a fake smile on her face causing Hahn to laugh heartily and respond with "Good, now did you want to come with my buddies and I? We're going to hunt some tiger seals!" all while flexing his non existent muscles. Yue had to resist the great, overwhelming urge to groan and roll her eyes as the last thing she wanted to do was see some blowhards kill some animals (though she conceded that they always brought back a lot of meat without overhunting).
"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm going to go for a boat ride through the capital," Yue replied causing Hahn to raise a brow, but just shrugged and "Suit yourself." before leaving the room causing the princess to sigh heavily.
"Out of all the suitors you could have chosen, you had to pick one that one. Thanks, Father," Yue silently quipped as she regained her composure and exited the room and then the building where she maneuvered her way through the busy streets. After what seemed like an eternity, she came to a stop at back at the palace and walked over to the side where one of the men standing near a rowboat perked up.
"Afternoon, Princess. Do you want a ride?" the paddler asked causing Yue to nod to which the man got the boat in the water and steadied it before indicating for her to get on. Getting on the boat, Yue let out a quiet sigh of relief as she finally had some time to herself.
"Alright, here we go," the driver stated as he slowly began paddling through the waterways where Yue genially greeted any of the citizenry she made eye contact with while admiring the architecture adorning the buildings in the capital. As they exited the capital, however, the princess frowned when she saw the ever expanding military base guarding said capital which bore resemblance to the supposedly impenetrable walls of Ba Sing Se. From there, she could also see large groups of sentries standing at the top of the walls with their blasting jelly artillery pieces which looked like a scaled up version of the repeating crossbow or modified catapults. In addition, she saw large, metallic ships as far as the eye could see either under meticulous, careful construction or casting away making her look over her shoulder at the paddler.
"Are these fortifications...necessary?" Yue ventured causing the driver to nod without any hesitation and reply with "The Fire Nation doesn't let up so neither are we." causing Yue to purse her lips and nod.
"Can't argue with that I suppose," Yue thought as she looked around and saw a compound with many guards standing vigil around it causing the sentries to cordially nod at the princess who returned the gesture.
"What are they building over there?" Yue inquired causing the paddler to shrug as he too cast a glance at the compound and like the princess, received a polite nod of acknowledgment from the guards causing the paddler to awkwardly return the gesture.
"I don't know, Princess, but I always see the best shamans and engineers we have from the North and South Pole going in there. Whatever they're building, it's probably going to be...devastating," the paddler responded causing Yue to nod slowly just as she felt as if her head was split in two. Curling up in pain, Yue tightly clutched her head and saw a picture of devastated Fire Nation lying in ruin with no one, not even plants and animals, left. What's more, she saw the Earth Imperium flag proudly planted at what used to be the Royal Palace causing her to raise a brow only to shout and fall onto all fours as she then saw the Water Confederacy and the Earth Imperium at war with each other. What made her widen her eyes though is when she saw both sides using not only whatever technological marvel they could churn out, but the whatever spirits they could find as attack animals as well. However, the blood drained from her face when she saw both sides using weapons powered by spirit energy which tore apart even battleships like paper and obliterated entire legions of soldiers into nothing, not even ash.
"Princess, Princess, are you okay!?" the paddler shouted while gently shaking her shoulder causing Yue to suddenly feel the splitting pain in her head fade away causing her to turn to the paddler and nod slowly.
"I-I'm fine, could you take me to the spirit oasis, please? I think I just need a change of scenery is all," Yue stated causing the paddler to raise a brow, but complied nonetheless while the princess, externally, kept her façade of being calm as if nothing was wrong, but internally was a bundle of nerves.
"This is how the war is going to end!? No, no it can't be!" Yue internally screamed as she wished the paddler would make haste and as if reading her mind, he did making the princess relax a little as they came to a stop at the stairway to the spirit oasis.
"Here we are and if you start feeling dizzy, don't hesitate to ask for help," the paddler stated causing Yue to nod as she sped walked up the stairs and greeted the guards before waltzing in where, to her relief, no one was there.
"I-I saw the visions! Are you telling me this is what's going to happen when the war ends!? Just...just more death and destruction!?" Yue yelled at the koi fish swimming around each other in the pond causing the two koi fish to stop what they were doing and swim as close as possible to the princess where their eyes glowed white.
"This is the most likely outcome out of all others, yes. The Water Confederacy and the Earth Imperium will surround the Fire Nation in the final days of the war and in spite of this, the Fire Lord will refuse any and all final attempts of diplomacy. This, as you have seen, leads to the Fire Nation's complete destruction by the Earth Imperium's hand. There will be some displaced survivors of course, but they will be too few in number to revive what once was. The Fire Nation, effectively, will cease to exist," Tui and La telepathically explained in unison causing Yue to cover her mouth as the thought that no, even someone like Azulon could be that stubborn.
"A year of peace will follow which will then be broken due to the Water Confederacy taking in refugees from the Fire Nation. Chin the Peacekeeper will demand your father turn them over to the Earth Imperium for execution, but he refuses which sparks another war. This war will be even more devastating than the one being waged right now due in part to not only spirits being forced into battle and vast technological leaps, but also because your people don't want to share the Fire Nation's fate. When it ends, both nations will be destroyed, leaving nothing but a handful of souls to pick up whatever remains," Tui and La went on causing Yue to fight back tears as hearing something so awful and not being able to do anything about it was infuriating to say the least.
"Th-that's terrible!" was all the princess could get out to which Tui and La nodded simultaneously and as best they could in their current forms.
"Indeed, but while it's the most likely outcome, it can be averted if the proper actions are taken. That is why you must go to the South Pole, Princess. The Avatar is alive, frozen underneath the ocean. You must awaken him and help him master the four elements before all is lost," Tui and La urged causing Yue to breathlessly say "The Avatar is alive?" before shaking her head.
"Why me? I'm just-"
"Brave Amaruq was nothing but a simple housewife before she became the Avatar. You too can be more than what fate has destined for you if you will it," Tui and La encouraged causing Yue to think back to how Tui saved her when she was a baby and her desire to do right by her people. Was doing what the spirits asked a greater duty than continuing the bloodline of her family? Releasing a breathe, the princess concluded that continuing the bloodline wouldn't matter if she had no people in the aftermath.
"How would I even get out of the capital and between the Fire Nation and the Earth Imperium, where would we even stop first?" Yue asked causing Tui and La to respond with "We have allies who can assist us in helping prepare you for your departure and once the Avatar is awakened, you must keep him away from the Earth Imperium as they will seek to use him as a weapon. As for whom you stop first, I believe your father can be persuaded to take action against the Earth Imperium."
"Is it okay to bring the Avatar back here to learn waterbending?" the princess inquired causing spirits to slowly nod and say "That seems to be the only course of action though it does pose the risk of him being discovered by Chin the Peacekeeper.
"I'm sure I can convince Father to keep the Avatar a secret once he's here," the princess countered causing the spirits to nod and say "Of that we have no doubt, but we have seen glimpses of what the current Avatar is like and subtlety is not his strong suit. Once his waterbending training is complete, go to Omashu and seek King Bumi for his earthbending training. If that proves to be too risky, find some badger moles and have the Avatar study their movements as they can at least give him an intermediate understanding of that element."
"Who do we look for as a teacher once we're in the Fire Nation?" the princess questioned causing the spirits to momentarily go silent before replying with "There is someone called Jeong Jeong in the Earth Imperium who can provide tutelage, but if you must go there, find the one called General Iroh." causing Yue to note their hesitation.
"You guys don't want me to go the Fire Nation?" the princess stated causing the spirits to nod and say "Before the Water Confederacy took over the South Pole, many waterbenders existed in a conglomeration of people called the Southern Water Tribe. However, they were driven to extinction because the Fire Nation saw them as a threat and to this day, any and all waterbenders in the Fire Nation are to be detained and executed."
"I see why you don't want me to go there, but what about the solar eclipse-"
"The invasion on the day of the solar eclipse will end the war, but there will be enough pockets of resistance to delay the mass extinction scenario for a short while. That is why Sozin's Comet must remain in the field of play to give whatever remains of the Fire Nation's military a fighting chance," the spirits cut off the princess who slowly nodded with a chill going down her spine as she remembered the trip her family took to one of the Air Temples...and wished she could forget what she saw.
"But why? I thought you hated the Fire Nation for what they did to the waterbenders-"
"I despise those in the Fire Nation who kidnapped, imprisoned, and killed my children in the Southern Water Tribe. Were they to show themselves to me, I would very much enjoy drowning them, crushing their bodies against the icy shores, and casting them into a dark, watery abyss, but those we need help from are not them," Tui interrupted the princess with La staying silent causing Yue to unconsciously back away from the moon spirit which the moon spirit noticed, but ignored.
"Okay, I'll...go get ready, I suppose," Yue replied to which the spirits nodded and went back to swimming around each other, but not before telling the princess that they would send for her when the preparations were in order. Nodding, the princess bowed to Tui and La before exiting the spirit oasis while heading to the palace to enjoy a cup of tea and a long, hot bath to temporarily forget that the fate of the world was now hanging by a thread, and a loose one at that.
Slight change from the updated Chapter 3: Unlike in the main universe, the Siege of Ba Sing Se never happened. I came to the conclusion that it shouldn't have happened so as to paint the Fire Nation at the breaking point like I've been trying to imply. Additionally since I've been hyping the Earth Imperium and Water Confederacy as more formidable to their canon counterparts, it would be a poor showing if their enemy, whom they outclass in manpower and technology, got as far as the heartland one of their nations. Sorry for any confusion this alteration causes/caused.