Mount & Bending

by Luke Danger

As Harmonic Convergence came to a close, it seemed that things would be right again. But for Korra and her friends, it became the start of a new adventure in a strange land. This is Calradia, a land of war with six kingdoms locked in brutal struggles for dominance. Unable to return home, Korra must find a new path in a vicious world, and find what she wants to accomplish here.

4. On the Road

"We just passed into the Kingdom of Rhodoks," Asami remarked as they saw a large stone castle ahead with green banners, built into the hills with only a few small passways up. A castle that, according to the map, was Grunwalder Castle.

"Weird name for a place," Bolin remarked. "Rhodoks? Gotta wonder where that came from…"

Korra smirked as she looked at Bolin, at the reins and trying to learn how to ride a horse with Mako keeping him steady. "That's the people, Bolin. They name most of their states after the cultures, rather than the other way around."

"Right," Bolin said as he glanced around. "Wait, shouldn't there be a 'the' in there - the Kingdom of the Rhodoks - I mean, it's a culture, and I'm pretty sure there's some grammar convention…"

"Bolin, you slept through half of those outreach programs," Mako chided.

"You never talked about your educations," Korra noted in surprise as she glanced towards them. "I thought Republic City had public schooling. Some of the best, even."

"Unfortunately, the money mostly goes into the actual schools, not the outreach programs for street rats," Mako explained as he pulled on his scarf. "And well, kinda hard to go there regularly once the Triads had their hooks into you."

"Shady Shin gave us a pretty good one, though," Bolin noted. "I mean, yeah he's shady, but he still made sure we knew the basics. I mean, don't ask me about algebra or anything like that, but I'm not stupid!"

"I'm the only one here who had a normal education, huh?" Asami remarked as she pulled the map out of the saddlebag. "I mean, I'm imagining that the White Lotus didn't let you go to public school."

"Homeschooled," Korra remarked. "One of the things my parents did. More my mother, since around that time my dad started becoming active as a leading member of the Southern Water Tribe, but he did it too."

"What did your dad do anyways?" Bolin asked. "I mean, he seemed like he might as well of been the guy in charge."

"That's the Council of Elders, at least as far as day to day stuff goes," Korra explained. "My dad worked pretty closely with them, though he formally wasn't part of it. Mostly helped them with the grunt work of keeping things running, but some wanted to join soon."

"Sounds like he was trying to be ready to help you," Asami said. "Probably hoped to be able to help when things went wrong in the south."

"Probably," she shrugged. "Though, I guess it doesn't matter anymore, does it? I mean, what with us being stuck here."

The group fell silent and Naga gave a slight whimper, glancing up towards her as they continued along the road to the city of Veluca. They still had half a day to go, but they were expecting to be there before nightfall.

"So Korra," Bolin finally asked to break the silence. "One thing I don't get - if the Water Tribes both had one chief, from the north, how come the south had chiefs, like during the Hundred Years War? I mean, after he finished his term as Republic City Councilor, Sokka went back to the Southern Water Tribe and became chief."

"Same reason why Omashu has a king even though it's not the same as Ba Sing Se - too far out," Korra answered as she took another look at the castle. "Plus, the Southern Water Tribe's chief was always more of the go-to guy for when a debate couldn't be afforded than actually deciding on rules. More of a guy enforcing the laws and defending the tribe. I mean, we even elected the chief - well, the Council of Elders does, but it's the same general idea."

"Elective Monarchy," Asami remarked. "Well, sort of, but it's a close enough comparison."

Korra shrugged. "Call if what you want, but it works pretty well." She paused as something she had been meaning to ask occurred to her. "So Bolin… why a Hundred Year War era club?"

"I've got no idea," Bolin said as he tapped the club hanging on a harness. "It was just part of the gear I got when we showed up."

"Well considering you have a poster for the Nuktuk movers in your rucksack, maybe it was a shot at that?" Mako suggested. "An actual one, rather than that silly slab of wood?"

Bolin simply shrugged.

XXXXX

Sitting in his throne at Dramug Castle, Boyar Druli sighed as he listened to the report from the garrison captain, Janus Orginsky.

"So. Rafard escaped captivity and we lost five men in the escape. Who did it?"

"That's the strange part, sire," the grizzled captain said as he looked around uncertainly. "We aren't sure who they are. The infiltrators were both women; one of them was probably half-Khergit or something. Black hair, wore red leather, and had a weird gauntlet that charged blue fire, almost like lightning."

Druli turned his head in disbelief. "I thought I ordered the rations of kvass to be halved for the garrison?"

"No drunk talk, sire," the captain retorted. "The other woman; couldn't say where she was from, but she wore blue armor with a full moon on the chest and shoulders."

"Heraldry?" he asked as he straightened up. "Another foreign noble out trying to find a fortune here?"

"Couldn't say, sire. But… she was a bender. A waterbender for sure, but Ivan shot a fireball at her… and she dispersed it. And her waterbending… I've never seen water move that fast."

"Are you saying that there's someone who can bend multiple elements running around alongside a woman who channels lightning through a gauntlet? Do you realize how insane that sounds?"

"Well aware, sir, but the burns on Boris do not lie. Then there's the two supposed petty thieves we caught from Tebandra…"

"I remember them. Brothers, one with brown leather gear, the other with grey and had a red scarf, both also probably half Khergit or something. And benders, as I recall."

"Right, well… they're also powerful ones, like the woman. The one wearing grey set the whole stable on fire with one fireball while the brother was able to knock the gates open. We had only just managed to fix it when you returned, sire."

Druli's face fell into his hand. Something was going on in Calradia, more than foreign mercenaries cropping up everywhere looking for work in the constant wars. "Put out no bounties," he ordered. "We'll let them go, it was a well played rescue from the sounds of it. But if they're sighted again, I want to know about it. Anything else?"

"Not that we know of, sir."

"Good. Shore up our defenses and see what you can do about closing their entry into the castle; I don't want this to happen again.

XXXXX

"It's… green," Asami remarked as she looked down at the drink in front of her.

"And the finest wine in Calradia, young lady," the barkeeper said proudly. "Fresh from the Velucan wineries."

Asami looked up at the other woman before shrugging and taking a sip. "Huh, actually pretty good. You want a sip, Korra?"

"I'm good," she said with a shrug as they were sitting in the main tavern in Veluca, rubbing her shoulder briefly. It was late at night and they planned on spending the night there before checking out more of the town.

The tavern wasn't too crowded that night, mostly just a few travellers, a few mercenary crossbowmen, and a man in a dressy blue shirt that Korra thought looked familiar. Evidently he thought so too as he began to walk over towards them.

"Can we help you?" Korra asked as she turned on the stool she was sitting on to face him.

"I believe so. You were in Praven a week ago, helped a local merchant dealing with some outlaws?"

What does he want? Korra thought immediately as she dropped a hand back to make sure the waterskin was open. "I was, why?"

The man offered a hand. "Name's Pierre, pleasure to meet you. I think you're someone who should get to know me."

"Why's that?" Korra asked, raising an eyebrow as Asami glanced between the two of them.

"You're someone who's going to find herself in a scrap and come out victorious. In fact, we've indirectly worked together before. As I recall, you beat up a half dozen common looters and handed them to some gentlemen?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"They sent those outlaws to me. Well, why not cut out the middleman next time and get a good profit than hope for the generosity of manhunters?"

"What're you, some kind of wandering jailer?" Korra asked as she felt her gut tightening. Something was very wrong here.

"More of a wandering releaser. See, I normally head out on commission, checking the salt mines and ports, searching for the poor wretches captured in this fine land's endless wars, brokering ransoms for them. Usually at behest of their families trying to get them home. You might say I'm a ransom broker."

"And why would I need to get to know you?"

"Well, while I'm on my errands of mercy, if I happen to find someone carrying prisoners, nothing wrong with a little speculative investment, is there? And you look like the type of person who'll have prisoners to sell from your victories."

"I'm not a slaver," Korra immediately snarled as she figured out what he was getting at. "That's what you do, don't you? Sell people into slavery if you can't find a ransom for them?"

Pierre shrugged. "One cannot do the heavens' work with an empty purse, madame."

"And if the families can't pay, they get to live knowing that someone they loved got sold as chattel?" Asami asked, turning and clenching her hand into a fist. "You're disgusting."

"You would be surprised what dirt farmers can find or wheedle out of their cousins with the right motivation. I usually just need to spin a few tales of the galleys or mines…"

"Get away from me," Korra snarled, shoving him away. "I'm not doing any business with you or any of your slaving friends!"

"My dear, if you're looking for a slaver, Ramun in Tihr is the man you wish to speak to. Of course, you'll only likely get a better deal from him with farmhands, their wives, or looters. Don't say no to the sheer silver you can earn this way, you'd be surprised how much there is to be made in ransoms!"

"What part of get away didn't you understand?" Korra stood up and drew a small stream of water from her waterskin. "I'm not a slaver, so back off."

Pierre shifted uncomfortably, staring at the stream of water suspended in mid air, and stepped back. "Fine, but when you find yourself a prisoner, you'll wish you had someone who could find me in a hurry with a bag of silver."

"I think we'll be fine," Asami retorted as Korra felt a hand on her shoulder pulling her down. Asami's. Korra exhaled and sat down.

"Strong reaction," the bartender noted as she came up from under the table once Korra was back in her seat and had put the water back in the waterskin.

"I can't believe you guys let slavers like that walk freely," Korra muttered. "Hey Asami, there still some wine left?"

Asami simply slid the wooden goblet over.

XXXXXX

"Don't think I've seen you before; what's your name?"

"Bolin," he answered as he looked at the man with a big red mustache standing in front of him. Behind him was a large set of stadium seating and a dirt field. "This some sort of arena?"

"Aye, it is. We're about to lock up, though. But if you come by in the morning there'll be some melee fights."

"Melee fights?" Bolin curled his lip. "Like, hand-to-hand melee?"

"More just going at each other with tournament gear and seeing who comes out on top," the arena manager explained. "You get a wooden practice weapon, start swinging. Or shooting, if you get practice arrows."

"What about earthbending?" Bolin asked as he noticed a small pile of roughly spherical rocks, alongside other wooden weapons.

"Mmm?"

"Ya'know," Bolin said as he glanced at one of the rocks and lifted it into the air with earthbending, "This?"

"Earthshaper eh?" he commented, rubbing his chin as Bolin gently put down the rock. "Yeah, if you're one of those you can use the stone balls in the arena, but you don't get a weapon. No messing up the ground, though, this isn't a battlefield with Swadian Knights charging in!"

"Yeah, sudden ten foot tall wall of rock is bad for a charge."

"Ten feet?" the manager asked, taking a step back in surprise. "Hah, we're lucky to get three. You couldn't pull up ten feet of rock!"

"Really? Wrecking the battlefield into what you want is like, earthbending 101!"

"Where're you from, boy?"

"Bolin!" another voice cut in and he turned to see Mako. "There you are; I thought you were looking for a bathroom!"

"I was!" Bolin answered as he dropped his hand. "Then I met this guy. And hey, I can hold it for a few more minutes!"

"Latrines are the second set of doors to your right," the arena manager said. "Though, come by the morning. Got a few guys who might want to see just how you stack up."

"Sure thing!" Bolin said as the two walked off.

"What was that about earthshapers?" Mako asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I dunno, I guess that's what they call their earthbenders," Bolin explained with a shrug. "Kinda weird that they seem to think putting up big walls of rock is awe inspiring, though."

"Bending isn't too strong around here - you remember that airbender back in that Vaegir fort who tried to stop us?"

"Yeah, I barely felt that. Then he got a rock to the face. Man, Tenzin would hang his head if he saw such a shameful display!"

"Don't you get it, Bolin? Our training, street as it was, is a massive advantage, to say nothing of Korra's," Mako said as they were now outside the latrines. "What we consider to be basic bending skills is advanced stuff for them."

"Okay, so we're a lot better skill wise. Is there a point?"

"Just… just keep that in mind. You might come across the wrong way if you start talking about their elite standard like it's an eight minute mile."

"Okay, keep it humble. No problem. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Mako simply covered his face and sighed as Bolin dodged into the nearest latrine.

XXXXX

"Well, we need to work on our bending anyways," Korra said as Bolin finished explaining where he had gone last night. "I'm up for it. Mako, Asami?"

"I'm good," Asami said as she put her canteen down. "I'll ask around, see if there's any local sights we should see."

Mako sighed. "Well, I guess someone should come along in case you two get knocked out."

"Oh come on, join in, it'll be nice to have the team back together!" Bolin said.

"I don't think they do pro bending," Mako noted dryly as they finished up.

A half hour later, the three benders were at the arena, which had a small crowd in the stands and some people were fighting below.

"Ah, I was wondering if you'd come. Brought a ladyfriend, eh?"

"We're not dating," Korra said immediately as Mako shifted side to side.

The arena master raised an eyebrow before shrugging. "No matter; some might look down on the idea of women in the arena, but others love it and the crowd loves a good scrap either way."

"Who're those people in the stands?" Bolin asked.

"The melee fights I mentioned last night? Some townsfolk watch 'em. In fact, we set up a little arrangement. The vendors offer prize money for each melee we do, based on the number of opponents you knock out. Knock out three to five opponents before falling, you get five denars. Six to nine, ten, so so on and so forth. Keeps attractions for the crowd who'll buy snacks from the vendors."

"Nice arrangement," Mako noted. "Except for the medical bills."

"Ah, we use practice gear. Worst we've had are a few broken bones when Dranton gets bloodlusted during a brawl. Even then, he usually only shows up if there's a tournament."

"Dranton?" Korra asked curiously.

"Never heard of him? Big bruiser of an arena fighter. Tends to favor oversized weapons. I've seen him knock people cold out in one blow! 'course, not exactly the brightest fellow, but you don't need to be bright in an arena fight, just tough."

"I disagree," Bolin chimed in. "Launch a disc just right and you can hit someone in the back by bouncing it off the rope, leaving them wide open to getting a fireball to the face and knocking 'em back a few zones."

Korra smirked - had Amon not bombed the Pro Bending Arena after that match, she knew that move Bolin had pulled would have been one of the highlights.

"Either way, you want in? The melee fights are open to anyone who wants to jump in."

"Sure," Korra said. "Bolin?"

"Yeah, I'm in."

"Just so you know, it's a free for all, no teams."

"Not a problem," Bolin said as he smirked and passed Pabu to Mako. "Just put us on opposite ends, we'll see who lasts."

Mako sighed as the fire ferret scurried onto his shoulders. "Well, don't get too hurt in there, okay?"

"Relax, we'll be fine," Korra remarked with a grin. "So, what're we allowed to use?"

"As benders, technically nothing, you're bending is your weapon," the arena manager explained as he lead them down to the ready rooms. "But nothing stops you from grabbing someone else's weapon if you beat them down. Also, the only earth you're allowed to manipulate are the stacks of practice rocks - they break easily, but don't go for headshots with them. Otherwise, subdue your opponents however you prefer to."

Two weak spots to fill in, some fun, and maybe a little extra coin… perfect deal, Korra thought as they passed by a pair of muscular arena fighters who were laughing together.

"Should we go get our armor?" Bolin asked. "I mean, this is physical combat."

"Armor? Well, if you joined us during a tournament you'd get a tunic and pants with team colors, but here we just go with pants. And shirts for the ladies, though neither of which are really meant to absorb blows. We literally use old worn out stuff the townsfolk no longer use, so go ahead and grab a set, there's some stalls if you want a little privacy while changing."

"Thanks," Korra said as he opened the door and there were two piles, one thick one of old pants, a smaller one of shirts, and a few sets of old boots, all of which showed signs of wear and tear.

"Man, this stuff isn't just old," Bolin noted as he held a shirt in front of him to check the size. "Like, this is old by living on streets standard."

"Least they're getting some extra mileage out of it," Korra said as she checked some pants to make sure they weren't too baggy on her.

XXXXXX

Asami walked through the marketplace of Veluca, looking around at the goods. Most of it was common stuff - food, clothes, farming implements, large jars of the local wine, and multiple blacksmiths selling armor and weapons of various kinds with a predominance of spears, pikes, and other polearms. One merchant was selling horses from a stable, but most of them looked to be older or worn.

"Y'lookin' for crossbow bolts?" a older man with a brace around his left leg asked.

"Not really," Asami asked in surprise. She had left the crossbow in the room.

"Shame, I've got a nice large bag of steel bolts if you were looking to refresh your stock. I saw you coming in last night," the artillterator added as Asami raised an eyebrow at him. "So uh, you hear about Dhirim?"

"I was near there a few days agos," she said. "Vaegirs took the city, Swadian army's regrouping to take it back."

"Aye, and they did take it back. Heard it from a merc who likes my bolts a half hour ago. Guess Fat Harlaus got away from his table."

"I'm sorry, 'Fat Harlaus'?" Asami asked in surprise.

"Haha, you're new to Calradia, aren't you?" The man gestured to a nearby table with stools that looked to be where he did his business negotiations. After taking a seat, he continued. "Now, you've heard about ol' King Harlaus' tendency to hold feasts, right?"

"I arrived in Calradia not too far from Praven, and yes, he was holding one then."

"Well, Harlaus tends to hold a lot of them, and keeps holding them even when Swadia's being bloodied. What happened with Dhirim the last two weeks is basically normal."

"Seriously? I mean, one or two cases of bad timing I can understand, but constantly?"

"Aye. Well, that's what you get with a hereditary monarchy. Us Rhodoks, we don't do that idiocy. We broke free of the Swadians to avoid it, kicked their arses when they got uppity about it and let them break against a Grunwalder Square, and we've got a better one!"

"I thought the Rhodoks had a king too - afterall, it's the Kingdom of Rhodoks."

"Aye, but we elect our king by a council. No other kingdom in Calradia's got the common sense to do it that way, nah, they're all bloodlines and all that wishy-washy stuff. Our elders and prominent leaders meet in council, then vote for a king, one who rules with the support of all the Rhodoks - from the hill tribesmen to the city dwellers!"

Wow, he's a nationalist, Asami thought as pushed herself up to her feet. "Thanks for the info. And no, I'm not interested in any bolts, I've got a full quiver."

"Fair enough. Though, little tip: unstring the crossbow if you're in the rain but not using it. You'll get more lifespan out of the string."

"Thanks," Asami said as she quickly backed away and continued through the streets, eventually finding herself in front of the town's keep.

"Miss," a guard wearing a green tunic over chainmail in front of the keep said, "I'm afraid the gate's closed. Count Matheas' orders."

Asami glanced around the architecture, but nodded. "Alright. Didn't mean to bother you."

The guard simply grunted, putting a hand on the rim of his helmet as Asami left and went towards the arena. Inside, she found her way into the stands and easily picked out Mako in the spread out crowd; the red scarf was a dead giveaway.

In the arena itself, she noticed there was a free for all going on, Korra grabbing a fighter's quarterstaff and flinging him into the wall while Bolin was dueling another earthbender with spherical rocks, the Pro Bender quickly getting the upper hand by evading the rocks launched at him and returning the favor.

"So, what's going on?" Asami asked as she sat down next to Mako, who shifted away uncomfortably.

"Ah, melee fights," he explained. "Long story short, it's practice, and a little prize money depending on how good you do."

Asami nodded as she glanced down to where Korra was, fighting near a stack of practice rocks and trying to lift them with earthbending, but was only able to get them to lift and move somewhat before they lost momentum and fell.

"You know, this wasn't what I had in mind for Korra working out on her earthbending," she said as Korra was smacked in the face with a shield as another gladiator managed to close in on her.

"Me neither," Mako said as he shook his head as Bolin caught a rock to the knee. "They're going to be bruised ten ways from the docks at this rate. And Korra's shoulder is still healing."

"They're doing pretty good though," she said as Korra grappled a gladiator by his shield and flipped him into the ground. "I'd say all that Pro Bending paid off."

"Maybe," Mako admitted. "So uh, find anything interesting looking around?"

"Castle was sealed, but they're using it so they probably don't invite tourists. Otherwise not much."

He nodded as they noticed a man selling snacks making his way through the small crowd watching the melee.

XXXXX

"Still hurts?" Asami asked as Korra groaned, rubbing her shoulder.

"Yeah," Korra admitted as she glanced down at her bruises. "Though I have to say, it went pretty well."

"Except for being knocked out and bruised," Mako added.

"Relax," she answered as she pulled some water from the waterskin and held it over the bruise on her shoulder, the water starting to glow a light blue and the bruise slowly decreased in size. Man that feels good, she thought as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the pain fading away. And found herself wishing she had the chance to thank Katara for giving her such good training.

"Hey, uh, I don't suppose you've got some for me too, right?" Bolin asked, a large bruise on his cheek that he was hiding behind his hand. "I mean, I did take out more guys."

"Only three more, and that was because your earthbending was working," Korra answered with a smirk, "But yeah, in a second. For now, where're we going next?"

"I'm not sure, it's not like there's a travel guide here or anything," Asami remarked as a man wearing a beaten, long brown coat with fur visible around the collar stepped up to their table.

"May I?" he asked, gesturing to a seat. "I might be able to help."

"Uh, sure," Korra said as she glanced at the others as she finished with the water and put it back in her waterskin.

"If you're looking for places to visit, I can offer some recommendations. Travellers like myself tend to see the sights."

"Okay, so what do you suggest?" Mako asked, leaning on the table.

"Well, you may want to check out Grunwalder Castle while you're in the area, though probably from afar given the count there isn't interested much in travellers. It's just to the east of here."

"We saw it on the way in," Asami explained. "Though, any reason why it's special? It didn't seem to be more than a fort."

"Looks are deceiving in this case. It's built where Grunwalder, a folk hero of the Rhodoks, died resisting the Swadians. According to the legend, a full host of knights came to end the Rhodoks' bid for independence. Grunwalder was killed there when his pike square was finally overrun, but it bled the Swadians enough that they couldn't continue the campaign and the Rhodoks earned their independence. The fort itself isn't anything special, but it's location is. Plus, a beautiful view of the countryside."

"Anything else?" Korra asked as she made a mental note to keep that piece of history in mind.

"If you're looking for history, you may want to try Shariz or Wercheg. Both halls there are open to travellers and have some rather rich tapestries telling historical events of the Sarranids and Nords, respectively. Uxkhal has some as well, though with the war on Count Delinard's probably not going to allow visitors into his hall unless they're there to see him personally."

"I'm guessing you two already saw them?" Bolin asked, looking between Korra and Asami.

"Briefly," Korra answered with a faint shrug. "We weren't there to sightsee when we were, so we didn't pick up any stories it told."

"There's also some other sights - Fearichen's got an excellent coastal tower and view of the Nordic bay, and the iron mines surrounding Curaw gives the snowy hills a great glow if you're around at sunset." The traveler smiled fondly, giving Korra a sneaking suspicion that he had grown up there. "And if you happen to travel in Khergit lands, you might be lucky enough to see herds of wild horses. Damn rare sight, given how many lords domesticate them for their armies. Even more unusual given that the Khergits use more horses than anyone."

"Wow, lots of stuff. Thanks for the suggestions," Bolin said.

"No problem. Though, rule of thumb, always feel free to talk to travelers. They're usually able to tell you about things… for a small gift."

Asami glanced between them and pulled out a few silver coins from her pocket, counted them out, and slid them over to him. "Thanks for the suggestions."

"You're welcome," the traveler said as he pocketed the five denars. "Safe travels."

"So, where do we want to go?" Korra asked. "I'll admit, I'm kind of interested in Curaw."

"You just want to see how it stacks up to the South Pole, don't you?" Asami said with a smirk.

"Maybe."

"I dunno," Bolin commented. "That tower sounded interesting. I always enjoyed looking into the bay."

"Mako?" Korra asked.

He shrugged. "Never been much of a sightseer."

Korra paused as Bolin put his hands down on the table. "Hang on," she said as she stood, "let me help with that."

"Oh, thanks."

As Korra finished with her healing, she took a step back. "Alright, should be good in the morning."

"Hey, uh, Korra, people are staring," Mako said, gesturing towards some of the patrons.

She glanced towards the patrons staring towards her. "What? You've never seen a waterbender healing people before?"

Most of the patrons went back to their drinks as Korra sat down again.

"So, Korra," Bolin asked. "You think you count as a noble here?"

"Huh?" she asked, frowning as the question blindsided her. "What do you mean?"

"Your uncle. I mean, if it's hereditary in the Northern Water Tribe, and you were their chief's cousin, doesn't that make you a princess of some sorts?"

She raised an eyebrow towards him before shaking her head. "I may have been born two years before Eska and Desna and may have had some weak claim, but it was pretty much gone the moment they were born. And that's discounting my dad's exile or being the Avatar. Especially being the Avatar - that alone kicks me out of succession."

"Ah, okay," Bolin said as he glanced down at his food.

"Plus, they seem to be a pretty traditional bunch," Asami noted. "The Calradian nobles, that is. I don't think they'd recognize it even if technically you do count."

"Well, I wouldn't bank on it anyways, we're foreigners here," Mako added as he glanced towards one of the patrons suspiciously before turning back to his dinner.

XXXXX

"You want us as guards, give us the pay we deserve!"

Korra blinked, glancing around from where she had been sleeping - the doorway into the tavern, as Naga was too big for the attic that most of the tavern's guests slept at and Korra didn't want to leave her outside.

"You agreed to this job and you've gotten your pay for the trip here. What's your problem?" another man answered.

"The problem is we bled out there! We're crossbowmen, pay us the worth of good sharpshooters!"

Quietly pushing herself off of Naga and creeping up the stairs, Korra saw a man in a fancy suit with a spotted pattern and wearing a pair of spectacles arguing with three crossbowmen who all looked rather ragged.

"I'll tell the other merchants that you lot are prone to leaving. Do you want to not be able to find a job?"

"We'll take our chances," the merc said as he stood up. "C'mon boys, lets get out of here."

Korra hurried back down the stairs, watching the mercenaries leave, followed shortly afterwards by the merchant they had been talking to. All of them gave her and Naga a strange look before shrugging and moving on. As they left, Korra went back up the stairs.

"So, what was that about? The argument," she asked as she found the innkeeper cleaning a tankard with a cloth.

"Just the town Guild Master having an argument with some mercenaries," the innkeeper explained. "Might want to speak to him; he's probably looking for more caravan guards."

Korra glanced up to the attic. "Any idea where he's sending it?"

"Afraid not."

"Thanks." Korra walked over to the table the others to wake up, which didn't take too long, the three climbing down the ladder one by one. Bolin was first.

"Morning Korra," he said as he gave Pabu a small piece of bread.

"Morning," she answered as she checked her waterskin and made a mental note to refill it at the next river or well they stopped at.

Once everyone was downstairs and they had gotten their breakfast from the rucksack that had their food, Korra glanced between them. "So, the Guild Master in town's looking for some caravan guards to replace some guys who just bailed. You guys want to see where it's heading? Maybe it'll be somewhere we're going."

"Worth a shot," Mako said. "I mean, traveling in a group has to be safer."

"And the extra money wouldn't hurt," Asami added. "Though, let's go as a group. And with our gear on so he can see what he'd be hiring."

An hour later, they were near the city gates on a stone platform that raised above the ground to a stall where Veluca's Guild Master seemed to have an outside office. As they approached, he looked up at them.

"Ah, if it isn't the foreign fighters," he said as he put down a pen on a piece of parchment he was writing on. "You made quite the impression in the ring yesterday."

"Uh, thanks," Bolin said as he glanced down at the Pro Bending helmet he had in his hands. "Didn't realize you were there."

"Oh, it's basically a business, and as Guild Master I must inspect all of them at least once a week to ensure the guilds follow through with their promises, to each other, to the town, and to our lieges. So, what can I do for you?"

"You're looking for caravan guards?" Korra asked. "If we're heading the same way, we might be interested."

He paused, pulling off his spectacles and rubbing his forehead briefly before putting them back on. "Yes, I am looking for some more guards to escort a caravan to Dhirim and, eventually, Wercheg. The pay is twenty five denars per week, plus an additional ten when the destination is reached, and a ration of food each day. Per person," he added as they looked at each other. "And if you don't serve a full week due to quick travel, the money is split by the number of days since the last pay, rounded up to a full denar if needed."

"What about hazard pay?" Mako asked as he reached into his pocket. "As in, if there's an attack, do we get extra?"

"No, you're being hired to fight if the caravan is attacked. Now, the carters may have their own arrangement, but they aren't being paid to fight."

"Seems fair," Asami remarked. "I dunno about you guys, but I think it's a good deal."

"Plus, it's a good place to start making our way southeast," Mako noted as he was checking the map. "We'd easily be able to hit most of the points we want to look at once we're there."

"Nice," Bolin said. "Korra?"

She nodded. "We'll do it. When does the caravan leave?"

"Noon, so I'd advise hurrying. And yes, this counts as a full day so long as you show up on time. The caravan master is a Geroian, named Marnid. He'll be the one who pays you in the end. You'll meet him right outside the gate." The Guild Master gestured towards it.

XXXXXX

"So," Asami asked, "how's trade go in Calradia?"

The merchant in charge of the caravan glanced at her. "Fairly well, as long as you don't get caught in the wars or by bandits," he admitted. "What's your name, miss?"

"Asami," she answered as she offered a hand, leaning over slightly from Naga's back so he could reach..

"Good to meet you," Marnid answered as he shook from his own horse. "So, new to Calradia?"

"We are," Korra said as she glanced back briefly. "But don't worry, we can handle ourselves."

The Geroian merchant raised his hand defensively. "Never said you couldn't. Anyways, trade normally goes well. Especially with the Nords - you'd be surprised how good they are with trade despite their warlike reputation, especially when dealing in flax. Unfortunately, it gets caught up in wars all too often."

"How so?" Asami asked, committing everything the black haired man said to memory. If she was going to even consider rebuilding Future Industries, she needed to start building an idea of how Calradian economics worked.

"Well, there was a friend of mine from Curaw who was taking a shipment of iron to Praven to sell, hoping to pick up some ale shipments to take to Khudan as they usually lack excess grain to brew their own. As he made his way back, Swadia declared war and as news of it reached him when he was passing by Tilbaut Castle…" Marnid closed his eyes.

"I'm guessing that meant his caravan was raided?" Asami asked.

"Yes. Looted to the last denar and he was imprisoned. Luckily, the Vaegirs took the castle in the war and released him, but it nearly ruined him."

"Why raid merchantmen, I mean, they trade with all cities, right? So, that means they're denying themselves their income from tariffs and any goods taxes…"

"In the long term? Somewhat, yes, but in the short term they gain a massive influx of resources, which they can use to shore up any long term losses the destroyed caravan results in. And while it causes annoyances to the people, it isn't enough to put pressure on them unless you cut off a vital trade route or all of them. Especially since they have to pay taxes either way."

"To be fair, trade is always cut off by war," Korra remarked darkly as Naga sniffed the ground and turned her head to the south. "Doesn't make it right to pick on civilians, though."

The polar bear dog growled. "Uh, Korra, is something wrong?" Asami asked as she glanced to the south and checked her gauntlet.

"Naga smells something, that's for sure…"

"AMBUSH!" one of the other guards shouted. "Bandits from the south!"

"You've got to be joking," Marnid groaned as they looked to the south and saw a half dozen horsemen riding down the mountainside towards them. Then at least two dozen men leapt up from where they had been crouching in the foothills leading up to the mountain, maybe a hundred feet away from the caravan, and began to throw rocks and javelins their way.

"Look out!" Mako shouted as he brought his horse to a stop and started to launch fireballs, trying to intercept some of the thrown projectiles as Bolin jumped off and put his helmet on.

Asami grabbed her crossbow and slid off Naga's back, loading it and taking up a position behind a nearby rock as the guards scrambled, the two other crossbowmen in their ranks taking up positions behind other rocks while the rest grabbed their weapons and turned to face the incoming horde.

"Asami, you need the bolas?" Korra asked as she was reaching for the waterskin on Naga's back.

"I'm good!" Asami answered as she aimed at one of the bandits. She squeezed the trigger and the bolt shot forward and narrowly went over an oddly familiar looking bandit's head.

She took a second look and realized why the bandit and those near him seemed familiar. These bandits, distinct from the rest in their professional kitting, wore green outfits with a brown collar, a full mask of black cloth with brass tubing leading to their mouths and green tinted eyeglasses. They moved quickly up behind the other bandits, some of them armed with kali sticks, others with bolas, and one with a gauntlet that Asami knew all too well.

"Chi blockers!" Asami shouted as she reloaded. "Korra, Bolin, Mako, watch yourself! There's chi blockers in the mix!"

"Here?!" Korra asked incredulously as she was strapping her water skin to her belt. "Oh that's just brilliant!"

As if to answer, several bolas shot towards them and trapped Naga's legs, causing the polar bear dog to slide to the ground and drop Korra on her side as Asami fired the crossbow at one of the other bandits charging in. She hit her mark, but he brought a fur covered shield in front of his chest before the bolt hit it.

The bandits closed in, clashing with the guards in melee as the chi blockers leapt over them and hit the guards in the backside, causing some of them to collapse as they suffered pressure point strikes. One was about to get a guard holding back two bandits when a rock smashed into his backside.

"That's right!" Bolin shouted as he ran into the fray, "Bolin's in town!"

"Crap, it's the Avatar!" the chi blocker with the taser gauntlet warned.

"I've got her!" one with kali sticks answered as she ran towards Korra as she was picking herself up, with no waterskin as it had slid away in the landing. Korra dropped into a defensive stance but before she could react was hit in the head and staggered back. Seizing the opening and dropping the kali sticks, the chi blocker struck at Korra's joints.

Korra tried to draw water from the waterskin, but nothing came out and she received a kick in the chest into Naga. The chi blocker pulled a knife from her belt and advanced towards the Avatar, ready to stab.

"Korra!" Asami shouted as she dropped the crossbow and ran over, taser gauntlet charging as she sprinted to try and get there.

She never got there in time. Korra looked up at the chi blocker advancing on her and reached back, grabbing the hatchet off of Naga's saddle and swinging it in front of her as the chi blocker was bringing the knife down towards her throat.

The chi blocker staggered back, her stomach bleeding and blood splattered onto Korra's face and armor. Covering her wound with both arms, the chi blocker collapsed to the ground and could only twitched with a painful groan. Korra let the hatchet hang loosely in her hand as she looked at her handiwork before looking towards the ongoing fight, towards Asami, gave a brief shrug, and hurried into the brawl.

Asami stared for another moment before turning as she heard the thundering of hooves coming closer. The mounted bandits were still charging in, but before she could think about that she had to deal with an electrified gauntlet coming her way.

Ducking under the open glove, she dropped onto her left hand and spun, knocking the chi blocker onto his back. She charged her own gauntlet and grabbed him by the chest, electrocuting him into unconsciousness.

"Asami!"

She turned as a bandit was charging her with a large sledgehammer held over his head before a fireball caught him in the back. Mako gave a weak grin before turning towards the charging horsemen and launching more fireballs towards them, but the cavalry kept coming.

"Scatter!" one of the mercenary guards said as the horses were closing in.

"Bolin!" Korra called as she bashed a bandit in the head with the axe's handle, "We can slow them down!"

"Right, got it!" Bolin said as he stopped launching rocks from where he and Mako were standing and ran towards her, the two standing in front of the charging horsemen and turning their feet to reinforce their stances.

As the horsemen closed in, they struck. Bolin brought up a rock barrier about four feet in height and three feet wide, causing the horse charging him to come to a halt and crash its legs into the barrier, launching the rider and his rusty axe over. The two riders behind the first barely managed to stop their horses in time and found themselves quick targets for Mako's fireballs.

Korra, however, had much less luck. The barrier she made was barely a foot high. The leading horse leapt over it. And before Korra could dodge the rider hit her with a club, and Korra spun briefly before falling onto her face.

"Korra!" Asami shouted as she moved forward, but one of the riders was charging towards her with a spear held to the side like an axe.

She ran towards him to build up speed and leapt up as the bandit swung, jumping over the shaft of the spear and catching his bicep with her gauntlet, shocking him. He fell off the saddle and Asami grabbed the spear as she landed and turned as she saw one of the crossbowmen catching a spiked club to the face and the first rider was turning around to attack Korra again.

"Hey, over here!" Asami shouted at the bandit going for Korra. The bandit turned his head, and Asami chucked the spear towards him. She missed, but she hit the horse's rear and the horse neighed loudly before running out of control away from the fight.

Korra groaned, pushing herself up as Asami hurried over as the last riding bandit caught a fireball to the face and fell off his retreating horse. The rest of the bandits were dead, dying, or knocked out.

"You okay?" Asami asked as she took a knee next to Korra and put a hand on her forehead. Korra's nose was bleeding profusely and looked to be broken.

"Been worse," she said. "We won, right?"

"They're retreating!" Bolin shouted. "Haha! Yeah, that's the way! Get outta here you thieving goons!" The earthbender launched several more rocks after the few bandits still fleeing, hitting one of them in the head. The bandits near him stopped to grab their comrade and kept going, but the mercenaries didn't give chase. One of the chi blockers was also in the group that escaped, managing to leap up and grab a horse that had lost its rider.

"How bad is it?" Mako asked as he hurried over.

"I'll be fine," Korra muttered as she put her hand on her face as Pabu finished chewing through the bolas restraining Naga. "Ow, okay… I'll be fine as soon as I've fixed this."

"You better check on the others as soon as you're done," Mako said as he stood. Asami looked around and saw what he meant: There were several more wounded who were being tended to by some of the merchants they were escorting, or at least people who worked for them. Most of them were bleeding horribly.

As they tended to the injured, Asami walked over to the chi blocker with a taser gauntlet. He was dead - ran over by a horse during the fight and the gauntlet had been stepped on as well.

"So, chi blockers are here too," Mako said as he walked over.

"Yeah. Though, why would they run with common bandits?" Asami asked as she was examining the gauntlet.

"Probably were some of Amon's more questionable recruits - he tended not to be picky about who joined as long as they followed orders. I've interrupted more than one fight between Equalist holdouts and some renegades who dropped the revolution pretense," Mako explained as he looked at the taser gauntlet. "Any way to salvage it?"

"No," Asami said as she pulled it off the man's wrecked hand, "I'm not even sure if I can get any useful parts from it. Still, you have to wonder… how many others ended up here?"

"Who knows?" Mako said as he shrugged. "But so far it's the four of us and these guys who were probably in Republic City."

"Yeah, but I was miles away from the portal," she noted. "If anything, Tenzin or Bumi should be here, not me."

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you're here," Mako said as he put a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up at him and he paused, face dropping slightly as he pulled his hand up and coughed. "Uh, in the 'glad you're okay' kind of…"

"I know what you meant," Asami smirked. "And thanks."

"Right, I uh… should probably go make sure the carts are safe or something…" with that, he walked away.

As soon as the wounded were tended to and the mercs had picked through the bandits for loot (mostly grabbing any silver the bandits had in their pockets, which Marnid insisted on being split evenly between all the guards), they dragged the dead bandits off the road and made a makeshift mass grave. Asami noted that it was crude and field, but they didn't have the benefit of just calling the morgue to send a team to clean up like the RCPD could when cleaning up the aftermath of gang wars. Their own casualties were buried in individual graves just inside the woods, though the mercenaries mostly did it themselves.

The few surviving bandits were tied up with spare rope, and Marnid asked Korra to head to Grunwalder Castle to let the lord there know of the prisoners to be picked up. When they passed by the castle later, there was a squad of Rhodok pikemen and crossbowmen waiting to take custody of them, lead by a man with a massive sword easily as wide as a man's arm.

XXXX

"And here we are," Marnid said as after four days of travel they reached their destination. "Wercheg."

"Time to pay up, merchant," one of the guards grumbled.

"Hey, we just got here," Korra retorted as she looked at the mercenaries. "And we've got a few hours before nightfall."

"You'll be paid," Marnid insisted. "Once the carts reach the marketplace and they set up, I'll hand out your payments personally."

It took another two hours for them to set up and the sun was starting to set, but they eventually got their pay - twenty five denars each - and dispersed. Most of the mercenaries were heading towards the tavern.

"So, we want to join them, or we going to check out the main hall like we wanted to?" Korra asked as she looked at the large wooden castle dominating the center of the city.

"I dunno about you, but I wouldn't mind sitting around for a while," Asami remarked. "And not on Naga's back."

"I'm good either way," Mako said.

"Yeah, I'm a little tired from all that riding, let's wait for tomorrow," Bolin said as he was stretching his back.

XXXXXXX

Far from the Kingdom of Nords, beyond its southern border, King Harlaus of Swadia looked over the map as his Marshall gave a report.

The king was a large man, though most of his body was obscured by his loose clothing. Rubbing his blond beard, he frowned as he noticed the large numbers of Vaegir lords whom were marked on the map with grey stones. Many of them position to easily swarm to the southeast… into Khergit lands.

"All in all, I think we can safely put peace terms to Yaroglek and once they're done, release our levies. Count Stamar is returning to Kelderan Castle to replenish his forces now, if we need to counterattack into Vaegir territory, but from all reports Yaroglek is eager to end the fight with us and look to an easier target to recover his pride."

"Thank you, Marshall Delinard," he said with a nod as a messenger came in and bowed. "What is it?"

"A message from one of your spies, my king," the messenger said as he held the rolled up parchment towards him.

Harlaus simply grumbled as he took the letter and unfurled it, gesturing for the messenger to leave as he read the report. "Interesting. Delinard, you said you had hired two foreign mercs to save your son?"

"Yes, m'lord," Delinard answered. Harlaus handed him the letter and Delinard's eyebrows briefly rose. "Interesting. What do you plan on doing with it?"

"For now, nothing. But she and her friends might prove to be a great boon to Swadia someday. She helped expose Captain Alexander back in Praven, but what's most interesting is that they seem to be far more proficient with bending than anyone in Calradia."

"She could be a valuable asset. Perhaps we should ask the other lords to, if they meet her, offer her mercenary work for the Kingdom of Swadia? A way to let her test the waters and for us to learn more, to see if she could be brought into Swadia's fold."

Harlaus nodded as he pushed himself up from his throne. "Indeed, include that with the next orders you dispatch."

XXXXXX

"I've got my axe and I've got my mace!"

"And I love my wife with the ugly face!"

"I'm a Nordman through and through!"

"They're happy," Mako remarked with a smirk as the four were sitting in a corner next to the barkeeper's table in Wercheg's tavern. A group of burly men were singing a drinking song, laughing, and downing flagons of mead as dinner was ending.

"There a wedding or something?" Korra asked as she was taking a drink from her waterskin.

"Wedding?" the barkeeper asked as he leaned over from behind the counter. "Naw. You hear what happened in Chide?"

"No," Bolin said. "What happened?"

"Supposedly Count Stamar's been levying the people there past the expectations. Most levying is intended to be pull them in for a while, win the war, then they go home to tend to their crops. Yeah, he's keeping them in the field."

"I thought levies were retired…" Bolin said.

"Back home, yes," Asami cut in. "But that's because professional armies became the norm. I guess here they haven't figured it out yet."

"Isn't Chide in Swadian territory?" Korra asked. "I mean, we passed by when we were heading to that rescue mission."

"Stolen territory, at least according to King Ragnar," the barkeeper explained as he was cleaning an empty flagon. "Well, the Jarls are taking it as a cause for war as there are Nords there, and they're hoping it starts before the Swadians and Vaegirs get tired of fighting each other. Those men singing are some of Jarl Irya's own Huscarls, and they've been bored out of their minds this winter. And even if a war doesn't start, it's now Sea Raider season, so they'll get plenty of kills either way."

"Sea Raiders?" Mako asked, his police training kicking in as far as getting information on perpetrators was concerned. "So, pirates?"

"They'll take a ship if they catch one, aye, but they usually raid the coast. Caravans, villages… all good targets to loot and pillage before heading back north. Though the big raids probably won't be for another month or two; they prefer the summers over the spring."

"Seems like a bad time to start thinking about starting up a war," Asami remarked. "I mean, raiders coming in? That's a time to button up and not have a war so you can beat them back."

"Ragnar might not pick the fight, but he's a man of war," the barkeeper said with a shrug. "Anyways, lemme know if you lot want something stronger than that water you're all drinking. I've got good mead and even got some Velucan wine."

"We're good, thanks," Bolin said. The barkeeper moved away to talk to a dour looking Nord woman with a sword at her hip as Korra looked down at her waterskin sadly.

"You okay?" Asami asked and Mako looked at her. Korra had been down the last few days, ever since the fight with the bandits had ended.

"It's just my problems with earthbending," she explained. "I thought I just had to stand firm. You know, the core of earthbending. Root my stance, face the threat, and hold my ground. But it seems like I just can't get it to work."

Mako frowned, rubbing his chin as he took in what he knew of bending. For most, it was an innate ability. But for the Avatar…

"Though, Wan didn't just get two sets, Raava had to hold the ones he wasn't using at the time, so if he needed to switch she'd pass through him and switch them out."

He remembered that part of Korra's explanation about what was going on, including an overview of the first Avatar and the circumstances leading up to Harmonic Convergence ten thousand years ago. Information she had given given while they were traveling to the South Pole so they knew what they were up against and the context.

"Maybe it's because you lack the connection?" Mako suggested. "I mean, after we left Dhirim you said that the connection between you and Raava wasn't active, right? Or just not strong enough to bridge the gap?"

"Yeah. You don't think?..."

"Just a theory, but from what we've seen that might be the problem. You're missing the key component that lets you use other bending arts besides your native one."

"She can still do some basic stuff, though," Bolin remarked. "I mean, it can't be that. If she could only waterbend, sure, but…"

"That might just be a side effect," Korra noted as she looked at her hand. "I mean, I had Raava in me since I was in the womb, so maybe I picked up some residual energy for the other arts. I mean, spirits do freaky things to humans when they jump into our bodies. Maybe Avatars just get the benign stuff."

"It might not be a case of being able to bend an element, but lacking the fuel," Asami suggested as she put her canteen back down. "Think of it like an engine and you've got four machines hooked up to it. Water is the one it was originally built for, so it runs that pretty well, but you don't have the fuel for the others, at least until you fix the kinks in the connections. I mean, your earthbending has improved."

Korra nodded. "Yeah. So, keep working at it. Though, how come your bending wasn't that busted? I mean, even my waterbending was wrecked."

"Ours was damaged too," Mako noted as he looked down at his empty drink and reached for the pitcher on the table. "We spent most of a day just doing drills before we decided to start looking for you. Came back really fast."

"Though from the sounds of it yours was just gone," Bolin said as he was finishing his drink. "Just tired?"

"Probably, I just assumed it was out of action other than really minor boosts when I went to rescue Asami."

"Speaking of that," Asami remarked, "how did you two end up here? I was captured and Korra washed ashore, what about you two?"

"Found ourselves outside a Vaegir city - Reyvadin, I think it was called," Mako explained. "We had a little roundup with some local street toughs before we started heading out to try and see who else was around."

"Had a hunch you two would be here," Bolin said. "Then we got caught up in that village. I was playing with a cute cat, some crazy old lady got mad and tried to get us thrown in jail, Swadians showed up, then a Vaegir force hit back… and somehow they decided to lock us up too." He shrugged as Pabu hopped onto the table and started nibbling at some of Bolin's leftover food he was slowly making his way through. "Hey, Pabu, I already fed you!"

Mako smirked as Bolin started to argue with the fire ferret, and the drunk Nord soldiers continued to sing.

"I've got my club and I've got my bludgeon!"

"And I've got sixteen Swadians locked in my dungeon!"

"I'm a Nordman through and through!"

XXXXXXXX

End Chapter

- Bit of a lighter chapter as the team starts to explore Calradia. I wanted to start with a 'road trip' before the Krew gets stuck in, plus it's a good time to start looking around a bit and elaborate more on Calradia.

- Ransom Brokers are, in essence, slavery. I mean, the achievement you get for doing it is outright called "Sold into Slavery". I just don't see Korra doing that without some serious moral degradation first; I mean, sure, sometimes it might have a happy ending if their families can pay, but most of the time? Salt Mines ho!

- The "Grunwalder Square" mentioned is a spin on the idea of an Infantry Square from the Napoleonic Wars mixed with traditional pike-and-shot. Crossbowmen in the middle, pikemen surround them and put their pikes out, keeps the cav out in the open. The downside? Nice juicy target for siege weapons or Horse Archers and good luck moving in that formation. Not possible with the AI in standard Mount & Blade, but I'm not limited to a limited command and control system, am I? The formation is meant to be one tactics that the Rhodok folk hero Grunwalder taught them, as explained by Bunduk when you pass by Grunwalder Castle.

- Mako's theory on why Korra's bending is off is just that, a theory. I will be going into the details eventually and have the explanation written. But as to Mako's guess, I tried to base it on what he would know, assuming that Korra had filled them in on the events of "Beginnings" as a briefing for going after Unalaq and Vaatu.

- The Krew aren't the only ones who got warped in to Calradia, though I will say this: Overall, Avatar characters are going to be the minority. And not all of them are going to become central to the plot. Many will have their own ambitions, and I can't have Calradia become the backdrop. So, expect them to be in small groups at most.

- Not much else to say about this chapter; cameo from a companion before his fateful caravan trip, a run-in with bandits, and word of Korra's exploits is starting to get known.