Chapter Thirty:

Tsume waited, he felt the ground waiting for that feeling. The feeling of the offroad vehicle. The feeling of the tires churning the dirt and gravel. A certain someone told him it would be coming soon, he told him the time and place.

Naturally this someone did not want to tell Tsume these details. He broke the man, beat every detail out of him. He begged for it to be over. Tsume considered letting him live, but decided he was annoying.

Tsume then felt that feeling, the vehicle was coming. He had been carefully loosening rocks, making them ready to crumble into the gorge below. He stomped his foot, and the rocks came loose. The poured downwards filling up the gorge. He heard and felt the vehicle come to a stop.

Tsume leapt down onto the vehicle. Men stepped out of the vehicle and into combat stances. He dodged various rocks thrown at him from different angles. He jumped down from the vehicle and landed on a man. He drove his claws into the man's skull.

He swung left and right, hitting the men to his sides. He then grabbed the man into front of him and slammed him into the vehicle. Tsume put his hands against the vehicle and felt men at the front and back of it. They were getting ready to peer around the vehicle, and get a drop on him.

He felt that both men had rocks that they were ready to launch. He ducked at the last second and a rock flew over him, slamming into the man at the other side. Tsume charged in the direction of the rock and tackled the man. He slammed his head into the vehicle, and shoved him to the ground.

He went around the vehicle and found two more men. He opened fire, spraying nails at them. Tsume deflected the rocks them men sent at him. Soon the men started to bled as the nails cut and slashed them. They feel to the ground. Tsume walked to the closer man and jabbed his claws through his head.

He then went to the back of the vehicle. He ripped open the doors and stepped in. A man was restrained in platinum chains. It was one of Tsume's Iron Assassins. He took a key from one of the men and unlocked him.

"You came for me?" the assassin asked.

"Yes, now help me." Tsume replied. "Find the rest."

Tsume and his assassin stepped out of the vehicle. The assassin felt around the scene. "You didn't kill them all?"

"Saved some for you."

The assassin searched for the men who were still alive. He kicked each one, and stabbed their head if they flinched. Tsume observed this, admiring his killer instinct.

I blew air at the sails with Kaze and pushed currents with Kinto, and the boat sailed across the water. "So were going to Republic City?" Kinto asked.

"Not quite." I replied.

"Then where are we going."

"We're not going to Republic City." I said. "I'm finding a way to contact someone who can take us there."

"And who is this someone?"

"A powerful friend."

After reaching the southern tip of the Earth Kingdom, we sailed across the shore. I saw a small village and pointed to it. "There, go ashore."

"What's there?" asked Sela.

I pointed to a radio tower. "That."

We docked the boat and walked into the village. We went to the building next to the tower and I knocked on the door. The man opened the door. "I am the Avatar." I told him. "I need to get into contact with the Fire Nation."

The man looked at me with skepticism. "I'll try to contact the local fleet." He adjusted the knob and spoke. He identified himself and explained the situation. "Get me Lord Yuzin" I added.

After a while a familiar voice came through the radio. The man looked surprised when he heard it. "This is Fire Lord Yuzin do you read me?"

"This is Arata, loud and clear."

"It's good to finally hear from you." he said with relief, he then dropped into a serious tone. "What is your status?"

"Not good." I said. "I have been at the Southern Water Tribe. It's ruled by an insane despot."

"We need to deal with Arashi first."

"That's the problem." I replied. "Visola plans to invade Republic City. I doubt she has the military strength to pull it off, but she will kill anyone in her path."

"I will have the nearby fleet pick you up." Yuzin said.

Kinto motioned for the microphone, and I handed it to him. "Lord Yuzin, this is Kinto." he said. "I am the local leader of the resistance movement. I know exactly what Visola is capable of, I have many troops on my side if you can take them to Republic City."

Tsume and his assassins peered over a hill. Down below was one of the White Lotus outposts. Several more of Tsume's assassins were held there. "You ready?" he asked.

Tsume felt the assassin's body language and knew they were. They quietly moved down the hill. He felt someone coming around the corner, it was a sentry doing rounds. The assassin squeezed themselves against the wall as the sentry rounded the corner. The nearest one grabbed the sentry and stabbed his head.

They continued around the base till they reached the gate. They cut it open and stepped inside. They split up looking down various corridors. Tsume thought he felt someone and went over to a cell. He cut open the lock and saw one of his assassins, chained in platinum chains.

A guard came by the cell and looked at it suspiciously. Tsume quickly dragged him in and stabbed his head. He took the key of the body and unlocked his assassin. "Where are the others?"

The two of them continued to search. Suddenly they saw a group of men running down the hallway in front of them. "There onto us?" the assassin asked.

Tsume was suspicious. He wondered why the guards were all rushing outside. Another pair group of guards rounded the corner, and confronted Tsume. He and his fellow assassin fired nails at the guards. An earthbender erected a wall and fire and airbenders sent blasts back at the assassins.

In turn the assassins pushed and shoved the earth wall towards the guards. As much as the earthbender struggled the force overwhelmed him. Tanking the return fire, the assassin's pushed the guards to the ground.

The assassins leapt over the wall to the downed guards. "I give up. Don..." one tried to say before being fatally stabbed.

The other guards tried to get up, but the assassins got to them first. Tsume flung one against the wall and stabbed him, he turned and saw his assassin finish another man. Soon they killed all of the group.

Another larger group of guards came around the corner. The assassin fell back and hunkered behind the wall. Various shots slammed into the wall, and the assassins reinforced it. One guard came closer. "Keep your..." another guard tried to say.

Tsume peered up and grabbed the guard. He plunged his claws into his head. The other guard was stunned that his warning came to late. Tsume shots nails at that man and they went straight through his head.

A waterblast hit Tsume and he quickly ducked down. He peered up a little and returned with a spray of nails. Another waterblast came at him but he quickly dodged. He fired at the waterbending and hit him, wounding him.

The waterbender crawled back through the guards. Tsume wanted to finish him, but had bigger issues. He wondered where his reinforcements were.

The waterbending guards reached the back of the guards, stood up, and tried to run. He suddenly stiffened up. A tendril wrapped around his throat and slammed him against the wall. A woman appeared around the corner and let out a laugh.

Tsume was surprised by this strange woman, and what she was doing here. She raised her arms and the guards in the back froze up. The ones in front of them looked back in confusion. Tsume and the assassin lunged at them.

Tsume stabbed a couple of guards, before the rest of them broke out of there shock. He dodged a blast of flame, and tackled the man who threw it. He finished them man of, then turned around and stabbed another man.

Another guard lifted up a water whip, but it wrapped around the guards throat. The woman waved her arms, not only controlling the water, but the man himself. Tsume observed this, fascinated.

He then stabbed the man in the head. The woman stared at him. "Why did you break my toy?" she snarled.

"Toy?"

"Never mind, I'll find more toys." she casually kicked a body. "There's more where that came from. Anyway, what are you doing here."

"Wondering the same thing." Tsume replied.

The woman sighed. "Well I guess I've gotta answer first huh. I don't really like the White Lotus. I think that's clear."

"Very." Tsume replied.

"Anyone it seems you don't like them either." she said. "What's your beef with them."

"Was once with them." he said.

"And they kicked you out." the woman suggested. "Anyway I am the daughter of the White Lotus head Arashi. He sent me away to the Southern Water Tribe."

"Why?" Tsume asked.

"Cause I killed mommy." she said. "What did you do?"

"Took pregnant woman." he said. "Wanted to birth a new Avatar."

The woman let out a laugh. "Oh boy, I know the Avatar. Arata is his name. He was my toy, I had fun with him. Until he ran away."

"We have common ground." Tsume said.

"Hmm your right. Maybe we can work together. I have quite an army. We can take over Republic City and I can finally kill daddy. Anyway my name is Visola. What is yours?"

"Tsume"

"You know, you really don't talk much."

Tsume just shrugged.