"You're an idiot," Toph said after a prolonged silence. Kegare glared off into the distance with his lips puckered out in confusion.
"Not sure what I did to deserve that." The two Earthbenders were walking down the side of a dirt road, with no signs of life anywhere in sight. Kegare looked around for a moment to make sure he didn't blunder in some fantastic fashion and missed it. He looked back at Toph, "Okay, I'll bite. Why am I an idiot?"
"I dunno. Just felt like making conversation."
Kegare rolled his eyes, "You know, the random insults are just a bit hurtful from time to time, you know that?"
"Insults don't typically make a person feel better genius."
"Spirits, it's a wonder you haven't gotten a companion to join you sooner."
"I didn't ask you to come along, and I never wanted a partner. You tagged along because you're a fan!"
"No, I tagged along cause we're both draft dodgers, and we decided to stick together since we're both on the run."
"Well I've decided you're an idiot!"
"And I've decided you're a child," Kegare said with a winded sigh. They hadn't even walked that far, but already he was getting tired. It was mostly because of Toph's relentless campaign to insult Kegare every second of the day.
A young woman dressed in all black came out onto the trail, cutting the two Earthbenders off. She had long black hair pulled back into a topknot, with hair hanging down and covering her right eye, a dark shade of lipstick, and a darker color for her eye shadow. Her attire consisted of a tight shirt with its sleeves not even going past her shoulders, dark brown bandages wrapped around the rest of her arms, reaching down the middle of her forearms, a few belts strapped around her abdomen, and a belt around her waist that held a long dress over her black boots and pants.
The young woman looked worried, and she was panting heavily as though she'd been running for quite awhile. "Damn it!" Toph and Kegare both raised questioning brows in the direction of the young woman across from them.
"Um…is something wrong miss," Kegare asked.
"I was trying to find a caravan led by the Fire Nation! They raided my village and kidnapped my family!" Kegare's eyes narrowed in disgust upon hearing this.
"What did you expect to do by yourself Missy," Toph asked in a scolding tone. "You against a group of Fire Nation soldiers by yourself?"
"I…I dunno. I had to do something. I wasn't about to lose my family!"
"We're Earthbenders," the blind girl said, "We can help you get your family back." Kegare shot a questioning glance over in his partner's direction. The woman smiled and bowed her head to both Toph and Kegare.
"Thank you, thank you so much. They're coming, hurry!" Kegare looked back over his shoulder before Toph grabbed him by the arm and yanked him violently towards the bushes.
"How did she know they were coming," Kegare whispered softly to Toph.
"Shut up," Toph snapped. The male Earthbender scowled at his partner before looking back at the trail.
Four wagons were approaching, locked down tight. Kegare narrowed his eyes skeptically, having an odd feeling about the mysterious young woman. He also didn't know why in the world Toph was so eager to help some wayward girl. Toph didn't seem heartless, but she didn't seem like the type who would stick her neck out for random strangers either.
"Ready Man-Boy?"
"Not entirely, but then again I don't have a choice do I?" His fellow Earthbender shook her head in response.
Toph stood up and spun her arms around in a fast, pinwheel like motion. A giant pillar of rock shot up from the ground and smashed into the rear wagon. The animals pulling the convoy and the soldiers around all cried out in shock. Kegare slid his foot forward, twisting his ankle a bit to send out a wave of softened ground forward at the convoy. The dirt caused the wheels of the wagons to sink into the ground a bit, rendering them immobile and off balance. The guards all lost their footing and stumble about, before a solid wave of earth courtesy of a blind Earthbender knocked them down.
"Stop her!"
Kegare rushed forward, planning to take cover behind the overturned wagon before a wall of earth cut him off. The former soldier skidded to a halt, gasping softly before looking over to the side. He looked over and saw a couple of Earth Kingdom soldiers, who were the cause of the wall blocking him.
"Oh you're kidding me..."
"You're under arrest for attacking members of the Earth Kingdom military and-," The soldier was cut off when Toph's fist came crashing down on the back of his head. The man's face was implanted deep into the ground, causing the other two soldiers to turn and gasp in shock. Toph swung her arms out, punching the soldiers in the arm before two pillars of earth jutted out and sent them flying.
"We were tricked," Toph called out, sounding not too surprised.
"Very perceptive for a blind girl! I guess you'll tell me that you knew that we were attacking the Earth Kingdom from the beginning huh!" Toph placed a hand on her hip, leaning to the side while gazing in Kegare's direction. The two sixteen year olds were silent. Kegare's eyes widened as the realization hit him, "Oh you have GOT to be kidding me!"
"You didn't ask who we were attacking," Toph pointed out.
"I didn't figure we'd be attacking the Earth Kingdom! What the hell makes you think that it was a good idea to attack them when we're trying to avoid unwanted attention from the Earth Kingdom!"
"She's getting away!" Kegare looked over to the edge of the forest, seeing the black haired woman they just 'helped' disappearing behind the trees with a large bag on her back. "She took our supplies! Get her!"
"Apprehend her accomplices!" The Earth Kingdom soldiers looked back to where they last saw the two Earthbenders, only to realize that they were now gone.
Kegare and Toph scrambled through the forest in a panic, worrying more about escaping the Earth Kingdom than finding the woman who tricked them.
"Why in the world did we help her? You knew that we were going to attack Earth Kingdom soldiers and you just let it happen? What's wrong with you!"
"Keep yelling and I just might leave your unconscious butt for those soldiers to find! I figured maybe someone in her family was taken away by the Draft, and maybe she was trying to get them back! I didn't know she was a thief!"
"Good job! From now on let's THINK before we help strangers!"
"I'm SERIOUSLY going to drop you!" The two sixteen year olds rushed through the forest as quickly as they could, leaving the soldiers in their dust.
Toph and Kegare both sat under a tree, less than a mile outside of a nearby village, in order to rest. Toph panted softly while Kegare looked out to the nearby town. "I wonder why they stopped chasing us," the former soldier asked.
"Who cares," Toph bitterly snapped. "I'm just glad that they're off our butts!"
Kegare crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side, humming quietly to himself. "This town...it doesn't seem to have any civilian town or any type of farming outpost."
Toph placed her feet flat on the ground and blindly looked off into the distance. "There's a lot of people in it...and a lot of commotion going on in one area of the town." Toph stood up and dusted her clothes off, "Let's go check it out!"
"Says the girl who wanted to help a total stranger." Despite the sarcastic remark, Kegare stood up to his feet and followed Toph towards the town.
The two sixteen year olds headed in the direction of the entrance. Kegare noted the appearances of the gruff and tough looking men gazing curiously in their direction. There were a few murmurs of confusion amongst the inhabitants of the town, which Toph overheard.
"Toph," Kegare whispered with a hint of doubt.
"Man-Boy," was Toph's very simply reply in the form of a question.
"I think we entered, for lack of a better term, a den of thieves. Or a cave of criminals. Or a lair of liars. Or a hole of-,"
"Are ya done yet," Toph snapped.
"I had more, but I guess I could stop." The two Earthbenders continued through the town, making sure not to draw unwanted attention to themselves. "I take it you're not the type to let a grudge go…?"
Toph tilted her head to the side, keeping her blind eyes forward, "What ever do you mean by that?" Kegare rolled his eyes at the unnecessary amount of sarcasm in the young lady's tone.
"You're going to look for that woman who used us to rob the Earth Kingdom aren't you?"
"Maybe I am. You gonna stop me?"
"I just don't want to cause a riot in the streets of this town. These people look like they wanna mug us right now as it is."
"If you wanna be a baby, then by all means wait for me at the exit." Kegare shook his head, deciding to stay silent for the time being. Toph stopped in her tracks, paying very close attention to the vibrations through her feet. "I think I know where she is. Follow me, and don't fall behind!"
Toph ran down the street to the right with Kegare behind her. Toph ran quickly, making sharp turns and dodging through people effortlessly. Kegare had a bit more trouble keeping up with the blind girl, having no general idea as to where they were even going.
The young woman dressed all in black dropped the heavy bag to the nearest soldier, who nearly tumbled over from the sheer weight of the loot. He gave a confused look to the young woman as to how she carried it with such ease before waddling off to sort through the treasures.
"Impressive as always I see," a voice spoke from the shadows. The young woman looked over to the man, whose face was shrouded in darkness. "This almost puts you out of debt."
"A deal is a deal. You said if I gave you this from that Earth Kingdom transport, then you'd tell me where they were."
"I believe I said 'where at least oneof your family members is,' didn't I?" The man put his hands behind his back and turned around, looking at a map which was barely lit from the few candles in the room. "One last assignment, and I promise I'll release them both."
"You said one last assignment four months ago," the young woman snapped angrily, slamming her fist on the desk separating her and the man who was the source of her anger. The two guards tensed up a bit, ready to defend their leader if need be. "My parents were taken off into this stupid War, and you said they're prisoners! I've gotten you more than enough supplies, I've sabotaged more than enough of the Earth Kingdom's advancements, and I've done MORE than my fair share of favors to you!"
Silence lingered in the air for some time. The man raised his arm up, lifting a single finger in the air, "One last assignment. Then I promise I'll give you your family back." The young woman scowled, reaching behind her back.
"How about you tell me now, before I get REALLY mad?" She gripped a knife ducked in her belt and slowly began to draw the blade out. She was past compromising with this man.
"As I said; this next assignment is crucial. Complete it as you have the others, and I'll release your entire family."
The young woman narrowed her eyes before pulling out a small knife, "I want my family back, NOW!"
The guards moved to apprehend the young woman. Before they could put their hands on her, the woman quickly rolled forward onto the desk, lying on her back. She shot one leg out to the man on her right, kicking him squarely in the side of his armored head. The soldier fell to the side with a small dent in his metal helmet. The second man turned around just as the woman spun around on her back and faced him. She shot her leg out again with the same lightning fast speed and kicked him squarely in his exposed neck. The man gasped silently, holding his throat as he fell to his knees before the lack of oxygen rendered him unconscious. Before the last soldier hit the ground, the young woman spun around and swung her knife towards her blackmailer. She froze in place when she saw a fist aimed right at her face.
Time seemed to stand still as the young woman analyzed the situation carefully. Her eyes, harboring a bit of fear, met a pair of golden ember eyes hidden behind the shadows.
Toph and Kegare entered a tavern, which was in an uproar with drunken men stomping, walking, and dancing to loud music. "Great," Kegare murmured. "Finding her in this group should be easy enough."
"It's kinda hard for me to see in this place," Toph groaned. Kegare turned his attention to his partner, who was holding the side of her head in pain. "Too much crazy going on…" Toph wobbled from side to side before she was about to fall over. The male Earthbender quickly caught her by her arm and held her up straight.
"Here, I'll carry you," Kegare offered. "At least until we find our friendly thief."
A thunderous crash was heard, causing the drunken cries and music to stop immediately. A young woman dressed in black had been thrown through a solid wooden door by a jet of fire, soared through the air, and had crashed hard into the bar. She slid down the smooth wood for a bit before falling over the side with pieces of broken glass littering the bar and floor around her, and all manner of alcohol running all over.
"Found her," Toph said, a newfound life in her tone as all the commotion in the room had been stricken dead.
All eyes turned to the door the woman had just been thrown through. Two Imperial Firebenders and four other Firebenders came out of the room, branching out on either side of the doorway.
"It's such a shame you know," a voice said softly. A young, strong looking man, dressed in high ranking Fire Nation attire walked into the bar, his hands behind his back. "I was going to keep my promise, you know that?" The young woman groaned in pain, slowly rolling over onto her side. The high ranking Fire Nation officer walked further into the bar with the two Imperial Firebenders following him. "All you had to do was be a good little girl and take out one general. Was that so much to ask June?"
The woman in black growled furiously as she pulled herself up to her feet. Glaring daggers at the Fire Nation officer, the woman named June reached to her hip and grabbed a hold of her whip. The two Imperial Firebenders quickly moved between her and their commanding officer. The man simply huffed with a smirk of amusement.
"I would suggest standing down dear June."
"Give me back my family first," the woman scowled.
Kegare and Toph still stood at the entrance, staring at the building tension between June and the Fire Nation officer. "I knew she wasn't lying," Toph murmured. Kegare quickly turned his head to his fellow Earthbender.
"You what?"
"She said her family was taken by the Fire Nation right? When she told us that, I could tell she wasn't lying." Kegare's brow furrowed in confusion. He looked at June then back to Toph.
"You…what?"
Toph rolled her blind eyes and groaned in frustration, "I can sense vibrations remember? I can also tell if a person is lying because of it. There's always a tell. An unnerved shake, increase in heartbeat, there's always something. She wasn't lying when she said that the Fire Nation took her family."
"She still didn't tell us we were stealing from the Earth Kingdom, adding to our growing list of felonies," Kegare added.
"She told us the truth. It wasn't the whole truth, but the truth nonetheless."
Kegare shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, "I think you're just sympathizing for her cause she's a woman." Toph's response was a solid punch to Kegare's arm, "OW!"
June lashed her whip out at the first Imperial Firebender. The leather weapon wrapped around the man's helmet, holding firmly in place. June pulled forward with all her might, bringing the man's head down through a solid wooden table. The second Imperial Firebender shot a stream of fire out at June. The young woman nimbly sprung into the air and did a slow, graceful back flip. She landed on the Firebender's shoulders and quickly removed his helmet. June turned around and threw the helmet at the officer, who was moving to stop her. The young woman then grabbed onto the Imperial Firebender's head with both hands, flipped around backwards, and hurled the grown man across the room. The man was sent flying past all of the drunken thugs and bystanders before smashing through a window and landing face first into the muddy streets outside.
June turned around just as the officer shot a fireball at her. The young woman ducked and rolled to the side while the fireball broke through a nearby window and exploded outside.
"MY CABBAGES!" a male's shrill voice shrieked.
June, in a crouching position, lashed her whip at the officer. The man simply raised his arm up, letting the whip wrap around his forearm harmlessly. June scowled while the officer smirked. The young woman quickly moved forward, rushing the Fire Nation officer. At the last second, June fell onto her back and slid between the man's legs, pulling on her whip hard as she moved past him. The officer's arm was pulled down between his legs, causing him to flip around quickly. He landed on his feet and spun around to face June's direction again.
The two squared off, both playing tug-of-war with the whip. Two of the other Firebenders came over to their commanding officer's aid and pulled on the whip with him. June slid forward, gasping for a moment before regaining her footing. While she held her own, she was slowly being overpowered by the Fire Nation troops. Finally, she decided to rush forward, jump up into the air and attack the officer. The man simply huffed before he swung his other arm outward, slamming his forearm hard into June's gut. The woman released her whip and was sent flying through the air, landing on a nearby table with several glasses breaking under her. She slid back a little too far and fell to the ground, bringing the table with her.
"Take her," the officer ordered. Two Firebenders moved towards the unconscious woman while the other two stood by their commander's side.
As they approached, one of the Firebenders was sidelined. Kegare had slammed his shoulder into one of the Firebenders and was carrying the man away from his partner. The sixteen year old grabbed the Firebender by his armor, lifted him off the ground, spun around and slammed the man through a wooden table.
The second Firebender simply looked on in shock before he took a position to attack. A loud crash was heard, followed by a weak groan from the Firebender. The grown man fell to his knees and then landed flat on his face, revealing Toph standing behind him, holding the back of a broken chair.
The officer raised a questioning brow to the two young newcomers. Kegare dusted his hands off while looking over at the remaining Fire Nation troops, "Sorry, I can't abide unfair fights."
"Then again, having to fight me is pretty unfair, no matter how many men you have," Toph boasted, "If you're not on my side that is." Kegare sighed softly, wondering where the young girl's boundless confidence came from.
"I take it you two are friends of June there?"
"Not exactly friends," Kegare murmured.
"She tricked us into helping her rob from the Earth Kingdom. And I guess she gave the loot to you."
"And you're helping her? How curious." The officer waved his hand to his two conscious soldiers. The two remaining Firebenders stepped back while their officer stepped forward. "I can tell by the lack of shoes that you two must be Earthbenders." Toph and Kegare both narrowed their eyes and tensed up a bit. "In that case, I'll be taking you both down myself. It's been quite some time since I've fought an opponent by myself. What are your names, if I may ask?"
"You can call me Kegare."
"And I'm Toph! The world's greatest Earthbender!"
"Kegare and Toph…at least I know now what names to mark on your gravestones." The officer squatted down a bit, holding his elbows at his hips, "Prepare yourselves, Toph and Kegare, for the wrath of Lu Ten: son of Fire Lord Iroh!"
"The WHAT now," both Earthbenders shouted in unison.
The officer took a few steps forward and pumped his fists forward with a mighty roar. Two powerful jets of fire shot from his fists, towards both of the Earthbenders. Kegare lifted his foot up, turned it sideways, and slammed it into the floor. The wooden planks broke underfoot, but allowed Kegare to raise up a wall of earth between him and Lu Ten's fire. Toph did the same, but without having to break her foot through the floor.
At this point, the occupants of the bar started to vacate the area in the form of a panicked mob. Lu Ten pressed on with his streams of fire, watching carefully to make sure neither opponent slipped out of his sight.
Toph lifted her arms up, leaving her hands hanging down. The wall's bottom broke off from the ground, allowing Toph to push her arms and hands forward, sending her defense at the Fire Nation officer. Lu Ten spun to the side as the wall flew past him, and smashed into the last two conscious Fire Nation soldiers. The officer grinned in anticipation, clenching his fists in excitement.
Kegare simply kicked his wall in Lu Ten's direction. The Firebender looked to the side and quickly spun back around to avoid the wall of earth. Lu Ten spun his arms around and sent out a powerful stream of fire from both fists at Kegare's direction. The former soldier ducked and rolled forward under the stream of fire. He got close enough that Lu Ten had to stop his attack and prepare for hand-to-hand combat.
Kegare threw one fist at Lu Ten, which he effortlessly dodged. The Fire Nation officer's hand grabbed Kegare's wrist and held it in place. The Earthbender threw his other fist, which Lu Ten dodged and grabbed. Kegare's arms were awkwardly crossed over his chest, rendering him immobile and defenseless. Lu Ten grinned at the younger bender. Kegare then threw his head forward, smashing his forehead into the Firebender's. Lu Ten released the young Earthbender, crying out in pain as he held his hand over his face.
The former Earth Kingdom soldier rolled backwards on the floor as Toph jumped into the air, slammed her feet into the ground and swung her arms upward. Lu Ten stepped back as a pillar of earth shot out of the ground, stopping inches from his face. The officer looked up, seeing the two young Earthbenders heading towards a broken window with June in hand. Lu Ten scowled before spinning around, brining the heel of his foot crashing through the pillar of earth in a stream of fire.
"Explain to me why we're bringing her with us," Kegare asked, being the one who was carrying the unconscious June on his shoulder.
"Would you wanna be left to the mercy of the Fire Nation?" Kegare opened his mouth to concede the point, but was quickly pushed to the ground by Toph.
The blind Earthbender sprung to the side as a massive ball of fire shot between her and Kegare. Toph landed on the ground and pivoted around to face Lu Ten. "You didn't really think that you could just walk away did you?" The Firebender spun around, twisted his arm upside down and shot a stream of fire from his palm at Kegare and June.
Before the fire could even get close to the two, the mud from the road came up and smothered the burning element to a sizzle. Lu Ten's eyes shifted to Toph, who bent her left arm up and drove her right arm down. The Fire Nation officer narrowed his eyes skeptically for a moment, before the ground below him quickly started to consume him. Lu Ten cried out in shock, sinking quickly before his entire body was consumed in a matter of seconds.
"Now we run," Toph ordered, taking the lead as she ran past Kegare and June.
"Thanks for the help," Kegare shouted, having to get up to his feet in mud while carrying an unconscious woman who was half his weight. When he finally got up to his feet, he quickly ran and caught up with Toph.
June groaned, her head pounding as her eyes fluttered open. To her shock, it was nighttime and she was lying in front of a fire with a blanket over her body. Across from her sat the young blind girl, and behind her with his back turned was her partner in crime.
"W…what happened," June asked, holding the side of her head. Her usual topknot was gone, giving her hair a much longer and thicker look.
"Well, Lu Ten knocked you out," Toph began, "Man-Boy and I fought him for a bit, grabbed you, and ran like a bat outta hell. Now we're here, miles away from that town and the Fire Nation."
June rubbed the back of her neck, groaning softly as she tried to massage the soreness out, "Then I guess I owe you both my thanks…"
"Don't mention it," Toph said, waving her hand dismissively. "Just tell us why you tricked us and we might call it even." June's eyes traveled over to the two Earthbenders. She observed them for a moment before sighing and turning to face them both.
"In short? My father was a bounty hunter, and when the Draft kicked in, the Earth Kingdom brought both my mother, my father, and my pet Shirshu, Nyla into the War to help them. I spent most of my time trying to find them, but always came up short with most of my leads. Eventually, Lu Ten found me and said that my parents and Nyla were taken as prisoners of war, and he'd arrange to set them free if I helped him. I got fed up with doing his dirty work and never getting anywhere, so I decided to try to make him tell me and…well you both know the rest."
"Did you honestly expect that you could trust the Fire Nation," Kegare asked, looking over at June.
"Honestly? No, I never trusted Lu Ten. But I wanted my family back. No so much so I can have some type of tear-jerking reunion with them, but just so I know they're safe, and not risking their lives for this stupid War." June leaned back against a nearby rock and crossed her legs. "I'm not use to turning up dead end leads. And I was desperate enough to trust even the Fire Nation."
"So now that you know that working with the Fire Nation won't turn up anything, what'll you do now," Toph questioned.
"I'll keep searching. I don't care if I have to search every inch of this country, I will find my family one way or another." June sighed softly before quickly standing to her feet. "Thank you for saving me. And I'm sorry for tricking you both, but I had my reasons."
"Hold on their sweet-and-sour," Toph snapped. June turned her head around, a look of curiosity lingered in her eyes. "We can help you find your family." Kegare's head snapped up in alarm. June rose a questioning brow while a smirk of intrigue came over her lips.
"You can," the bounty hunter asked.
"We can," Kegare repeated.
"Hey, we weren't doing anything special aside from avoiding the Earth Kingdom and staying out of the War. Both Man-Boy and I here are draft dodgers, which means that crossing the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation isn't a problem for us."
"But attracting unwanted attention is a problem for us," Kegare stated in an angry matter-of-factly tone.
"Hey, she can handle herself in a fight," Toph pointed out. She turned her head in Kegare's direction before continuing. "Plus she's a bounty hunter, which means she has money that we don't. Not only that, but if we helped her find her family, then we can use their house to hide out if we need to." Toph caught herself and turned to June, rubbing the back of her head with an embarrassed smile, "With their permission of course." The bounty hunter crossed her arms and smiled at the blind young girl.
"So, you're only helping me because I come with benefits, and not because you're just a kind, sweet little girl? I like you already." Toph grinned and stood up.
"So do we have a deal?" The blind girl held her hand out in June's direction.
"Deal," the bounty hunter replied, shaking hands with the Earthbender.
"Welcome to Team Toph!" June giggled a bit, finding the name charming if nothing else. Kegare simply looked confused before shaking his head.
"When the hell did we become a team?"
"Well the Toph Duo is a stupid name," Toph snapped, whirling around in Kegare's direction. "And now we have more than two, so now we can be considered a team. Or at the very least the Toph Trio." Kegare let out an exasperated sigh, resting his knuckles against his forehead. June giggled softly before putting a hand on her hip.
"You know, you two make a pretty cute couple."
"We're not a couple," the two Earthbenders shouted simultaneously. They then turned to each other, pointing a finger at one another, "And you need to stop doing that!"
June bit her lower lip, trying to keep from laughing outright at her two new partners in crime. She sat back down and leaned against the rock behind her, watching as the two Earthbenders simply glared bitterly at one another.
After getting all of the mud off of him and out of his armor, Lu Ten sat in his room, calmly meditating in silence. The door opened, causing Lu Ten's face to twitch slightly in annoyance. "Well, well, the great Lu Ten, beaten by a couple of Earthbending children?"
"I was caught off guard, and went too easy on them. I promise you though Zhao if I ever see those children again, I will personally deal with them myself." The officer chuckled before entering Lu Ten's room.
"Honestly, what would your father think? Losing the best bounty hunter in the Earth Kingdom, bested by a couple of children, and what do you have to show for it?" Lu Ten, with his eyes still closed, held up a scroll in Zhao's direction. The man narrowed his eyes before cautiously taking the rolled up paper. Unraveling the scroll, Zhao's eyes traveled down the scroll, reading the contents carefully. A look of shock crossed the commander's face, "This is…"
"The location to the Spirit Library." Zhao's expression of surprise then switched to a devious sneer. "The closest one to the site of the library is General Shu. Send out a messenger bird to him and have him secure the area. You, dear commander, will go to this library in place of June and find out any information you can in order to better our chances in the War."
"Very well…" Zhao rolled up the scroll and headed for the door.
"And Zhao?" The commander stopped just short of the door, not bothering to turn around. "Don't anger the Spirit."
"Heh, you sound like that pacifistic traitor," Zhao stated. "I can handle myself and my men just fine without your guidance general."
Silence hung in the air as neither officer said a word. Lu Ten closed his eyes and took a small breath in through his nose, "My mistake then…" Zhao huffed below his breath before exiting Lu Ten's room. "Fool."