You can find more of this on by Subscribe/Star (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted past Ch. 20 there. You can find the same on my new (via Discord per their ToS), under /WildErotica. The DISCORD is at h-t_t-p_s-:_/-/_discord-._g-g_/-N9yDASt6Cw (taking out hyphens and underscores, 'cause FFnet). If you prefer direct links, go to my Discord and follow the 'links in general' section to find the ones you want. All of my fics are well ahead of what I post here, often 10-30 chapters ahead.

You can also read my original fiction on Kindle, or Kindle Unlimited for free. My author page: www ._amazon ._com / stores / Kaja-Wilder/ (this time taking out underscores and spaces, but leave the one hyphen).

Enjoy!

Chap. 9

Lin could only hope both Captain Taijin and Mai were satisfied with him getting Sandseal Platoon lodging inside the village for a few days. He didn't honestly think Gonju was ever going to go for even that, but thankfully, public sentiment seemed to be leaning heavily toward hearing all the big-city gossip from Lin and news of the outside world, so he and Lieutenant Jo Gai's men would be put up 'for only a few days', despite the crotchety Elder's grumbling.

At the very least, Lin's father had announced, his son, the officer, should be able to stay at his family's home. And since the platoon needed to stay with their commander, well...

Gonju hadn't been happy, but they had been allowed inside without further incident. Lin had also tried plying his father and one of his older brothers for information, but the older pair had been intent on bragging to all and sundry about how Lin had made such a name for himself among the vaunted military that he'd attained the rank of Zhōngwèi in just a few short years.

That had escalated, of course, and now that they were nearing the home where he had been born and had once thought he'd die, Ban, his father, was telling everyone he'd be a Captain, a Duìzhǎng, in just a couple more years, and maybe a general after that. His Lin, he proclaimed proudly, from their little village!

His older brother had taken it in stride, though he seemed a bit jealous, and was all-but shouting the news that Lin was back with a whole platoon under his command to rid them of the bandits. All Lin could do was sigh. The oldest of his siblings was a full twelve years older than he was, as the youngest, and Chen, the brother in question, was the second of five boys, the third overall. They had never really gotten along all that well but weren't antagonistic, either. Chen had simply wanted to be a farmer more than a soldier. Or, perhaps, had felt it his duty to follow in their ancestor's footsteps.

They'd actually fought on the day Lin left the village, but now Chen seemed quite alright with his presence, and even proud of him. Maybe too proud, actually... it was, Lin had to admit at least to himself, a bit annoying. And of course, the newly-promoted Jūnshì Chonji was nominally in charge of the men now that they'd been separated by the excited, eagerly gossiping villagers (and Gonju, who stalked with them sullenly, quietly).

Lin thought that might actually be helpful. Gonju would have to organize the placement, housing, and feeding of his men (which, he insisted, the army would actually pay for instead of simply claiming they would) with Chonji and Corporal Yuya, rather than himself, thanks to his father's insistence that Lin eat dinner with 'the whole family', at least for this night, and of course his mother would insist that Lin be housed at the family dwelling, new rank or not.

Maybe that was why Gonju had been so cranky. Normally the highest ranking officer would be housed in the best home in the village, which would be the elder's house. But they walked past old Po's ancestral dwelling, and Gonju's too, almost to the far end of the scattered houses. As they went, here and there one, two, or three of his men would peel off at Gonju and Chonji's instructions to go with this family or that, until only a half-dozen men including Chonji and Yuya themselves, were left.

Then it was his turn to leave the group, leave the protection of his men, and enter the battlefield known as family relationships, as his mother and youngest sister, who'd once been his best friend, squealed loudly from the doorway of the modest home, before sprinting toward him.

Despite being a good chi taller and wearing at least the decorative part of his armor, Lin was still rocked back by the force his petite mother hit him with as she threw her arms around him, crying openly. Like most Earth Kingdom natives, his family was not prone to open displays of affection at the best of time. He could probably count the number of times his mother had embraced him since he was a small child on a single hand, and two of those had been on the day he left.

Five minutes into the hug, though, he was starting to wonder if she would ever let go. "I'm glad to see you, too, Mother," he replied softly into her dark, somewhat graying hair. "I missed you."

"My boy's home," she sobbed quietly, "my little boy's home."

"Yeah. Not to stay, though. I... we're only here a few days, maybe a month at most."

She stiffened a little at his words, but then embraced him tighter, strongly enough he feared his ribs would crack beneath the shiny uniform. "It doesn't matter... you're here now."

"Y- Yeah. Mom, I can't- I can't breathe."

She didn't relax until his father's big, calloused hand hit her shoulder, "Let him go, wife, the boy- the man- needs to breathe. Come on inside, Lin. I'm sure everyone's excited to see you. We didn't know you were coming! The last letter you sent said you were fighting in Hibonyi Valley. I... I hoped you'd never have to see combat."

"The last...?" Lin muttered, "I sent that letter almost a month ago. Two, even. I've sent two more letters since then. And extra money, too."

"Couriers must've been delayed, then," his mother murmured, finally letting him go and wiping her wet cheeks. "Come, come inside! Len, go start chopping the radishes, we've got to make Lin's favorite for dinner tonight!"

"Yes, mother," his favorite sibling replied with a happy smile, forgoing her own hug in light of her new mission. Instead, she gave a quick bow, then hurried off.

Yes, it was good to be back... even if his ribs hurt, and everyone was heaping far too much praise on him. His mother's radish and potato soup was very good.

"Looks like he made it in," Ty Lee commented from nearly three li away. She and Mai were laying face-down on the top of a hill, each with a spyglass that had been made to the most exacting specifications by Mai's family's own company and shipped to them at great expense before they had begun the long-term mission they were hoping would now end within the next few months.

"Mm," Mai hummed noncommittally.

Ty Lee didn't know why she had expected more. Since she had shouted at Lin that morning, her best friend had been even more taciturn than normal. Positively withdrawn, in fact. Professional, yes, but Mai always got the job done unless it was completely beyond her considerable ability. Talking, however, often seemed like such a chore for the girl. No, the woman, because Mai was a little older than she was, and Ty Lee could hardly call herself a girl anymore.

It wasn't like she didn't understand. She knew Mai better than anyone alive, Ty Lee was pretty sure. Certainly better than her last boyfriend, and better than their insane former friend, Azula. Azula knew how to manipulate Mai, yes, control her, yes, hurt her, definitely. But she'd never truly understood Mai like Ty Lee did. The same, the gregarious woman knew, was true in reverse. Mai understood Ty Lee. They were opposites in so many ways, of course.

Talkative and taciturn, open and closed, friendly and a bit cruel. But that was also why they complimented each other so well, and why Suki had assigned them the task of helping hunt down the Dai Li when the Earth King had asked the Kyoshi Warriors to do the job.

Mai was extremely competent, but Ty Lee would be lying to herself (something she did not like to do) if she said she wasn't, as well. Mai was smarter, that wasn't even a question. Ty Lee was, however, more wise in the way of people and patterns, especially social ones. Again, the two complimented each other well. Even in more intimate ways, not that she had much time to think about that, lately.

"Look," Mai interrupted her thoughts, "The old man, the one who was arguing with Lin. He's left the last soldiers... he doesn't look happy."

Of course, at this distance they had no idea what was actually being said, but both women were adept at reading lips. It was difficult through the spyglasses, as finely made as they were, but he was clearly muttering darkly to himself. Or talking to someone invisible, but as much as Ty Lee sometimes thought the Dai Li could do that, it didn't seem all that likely. They'd fought the mysterious Earth Benders to know that they were cunning, intelligent, and did in fact have almost preternatural skill at disguise and stealth, they were still just people, men and women.

Most of the Dai Li, in fact, were just regular people, not even Benders. Only the leadership had any real skill in that way, mostly due to sheer rarity compared to the general populace, but also because it was required to learn their most secretive techniques. Those were, thankfully, techniques she and Mai had access too thanks to Azula's cunning years before. They couldn't perform many of them, not being Benders, but they knew of them.

Could, in theory, teach the basics if it came to it.

And that was why, Ty Lee knew, they'd gone for Lin in the beginning. He was much stronger than he thought, they could both tell. And, as a relative unknown, it simply wasn't likely that he'd been recruited by the Dai Li themselves. If they had, if he was a sleeper agent, they were in a bit of trouble... but neither woman doubted they could handle him in a fight, if it came to it. The problem was the men he'd no doubt command. Skilled they might be, but neither could fight off a small army alone.

Maybe not even together.

"Think he's the one?"

Mai gave a small grunt. Ty Lee sighed. She didn't really think so, either. The Dai Li were usually too smart to make such a grumpy person their contact, and certainly not the leader. The friendly folk aroused less suspicion. Everyone always thought the rude people were the enemy, when far too often it was the nicest person around.

Which, according to Lin's own report that morning, might just be his father.

She hoped not. Lin clearly admired the man a great deal, and she liked Lin. It'd probably crush him emotionally if they had to kill his father. He'd certainly forget how much he seemed to like them. Ty Lee grinned to herself, the old, familiar tingle starting to warm between her legs as she thought of him. He tried so hard to be a gentleman, polite, and not stare, but every time Ty Lee teased him, he couldn't help but look.

Even Mai, who he was clearly attracted to as strongly as she intimidated him, had been teasing him lately. Inviting him into the bath... well, that had partially been Ty Lee's idea, but after Mai had briefed her on their conversation that rainy morning, Ty Lee had done what she always did, and asked. And her friend hadn't been shy about answering, though she was concise as always. "He came in while I was bathing, and I told him what I needed to tell him. Then he left."

The acrobatic warrior, of course, was not satisfied with that, and had plied further. Mai had only huffed, "He saw my back, and perhaps a bit of my side, and nothing more. If anything, he was too well-behaved. I'd have almost thought he didn't like what he saw."

Ty Lee had snorted, "Sure, I don't believe that. Him being polite, maybe. Or scared to death he'd make you mad and you'd knife him. But he liked it. What's not to like? You're beautiful. Anyway, why do you care if he likes you or not?"

Mai's blush in response hadn't been something Ty Lee had chosen to capitalize on except to laugh. She wasn't the type to be mean in her teasing, of course, but she also knew if she did make fun of her for it, Mai would only clam up about the subject forever. No... better to wait for an opportune time later. Like now, for example.

"I'd sure hate to have to kill him. Lin's pretty cute. Got a nice dick, too."

Mai coughed.

Ty Lee grinned. Mai giving out one single, little, measly cough was the equivalent of, say, Yugao shrieking in surprise. Must've touched a nerve...

"It's... alright," Mai said, so quietly the bustier woman barely heard it though they were right next to each other, with barely any breeze and no other soldier or Kyoshi Warrior without earshot.

At once, the taller of the two stiffened, as she realized she'd let something slip. Ty Lee grinned, "Oh? When did you see it? Is it as nice as it feels?"

Another cough, and this time, Mai actually blushed. It was hard to see beneath her makeup, but Ty Lee knew her friend well, and saw the tips of her ears pink. "I didn't see anything," Mai sighed, exasperated more with herself no doubt, but also fully aware that this time the shorter woman would not be dropping it. Not when their was juicy gossip like that to be had. "I... he reacted, at the bath. I only saw a shadow of... something."

With a wider smile than before, Ty Lee nudged her friend's shoulder with her own, "Well, I haven't seen that much really, but I felt it that night we brought him to our camped and showed him the scrolls. You know, when I sat on his lap for his men. I can tell you, a shadow doesn't do it justice, he's pretty big from what I felt."

"I wouldn't know," Mai muttered dryly, "Now can we drop this? We have work to do."

"Please," Ty Lee scoffed, "There's nothing we can do except keep an eye out for skulkers going after Lin or his men, and that's kind of unlikely this early, isn't it? Besides, you and I both know the bandits haven't and won't attack this village. Not until we're gone, anyway."

"Maybe," Mai admitted, "but I don't want to talk about Lin. There's nothing to talk about anyway, except for the possibility that we'll have to kill his family, too. Whether or not it'd 'crush him' is irrelevant. If they're Dai Li agents... even leaving them as Sleepers might be too much, there's never any way we'll guarantee we have them all."

Ty Lee grunted as the smile fell from her face. It was back a moment later though, "I notice you didn't say anything about killing Lin himself."

"W- Well, that's a- a given," Mai muttered, looking away and back down the hill at their forces. The Kyoshi Warriors were all-but invisible, three hills away and hiding as the two of them and Suki had been training them for years. Five hills away, the majority of Birdfox Company was... well, less stealthy. But at least they were a good distance off, and far enough from any road that it was unlikely they'd be spotted by any hunters or far-roving farmers in the little village. "I hope we brought enough. If that base is as big as the scrolls indicate... it could be formidable."

"Probably," Ty Lee sighed, glancing around as well, though her eyes swept the geography of the almost desert-like rolling plains, "No real fort around here, of course, it just has to be one of the Earth Kingdom's super-secret underground castles... full of traps. We'll probably lose girls if we have to attack directly."

"Probably," Mai repeated quietly, more sober as the topic shifted. "Look, down there. The Elder is going into that building. Doesn't look like a house."

Ty Lee followed her spyglass automatically without bothering to follow the pointing finger. "Hm... General store? I see a smithy, but I don't think a village this size could support much else."

"Or the equivalent. Some sort of trading post, anyway, look: there's a stable next to it, and a few tables outside. Could be the local bar."

"In that case, a good place for information... if we had someone that could go get some. Heh... think Lin would mind a late-night visit? I wouldn't mind this time. He is pretty cute."

While she meant it, Ty Lee had largely said the last bit just to get a rise out of Mai. Unfortunately, it worked, as her closest friend sent her a strangely heated glare before turning back to the telescope. "Go ahead. Sleep with him, for all I care. Not like he means anything to me. Might make him more loyal to us. I bet he's a virgin."

"I'm not taking that bet," Ty Lee laughed, "even if I always win against you, at least when it comes to people. Still... are you sure it wouldn't bother you? Because you're acting like it would bother you."

"It wouldn't."

Flat tone or not, Ty Lee didn't buy it. Not for one moment. Still, they did actually have work to do. A possible underground fortress to find, an assault to plan once they had gotten some information, any information at all, on it... and to try and sort out who had to die and who could be spared. They would, of course, wipe the entire nameless settlement off the map if they had to, but Ty Lee and Mai both would prefer not to, if for no other reason than it would be pointless.. if they weren't Dai Li sympathizers.

Fortunately, they did have a man on the inside. At least, if he could keep from giving anything away.

Lin laughed as Jao, the middle brother of the family, finished regaling them with the story of how Lin himself, as a child, had fallen down the town well and needed to be rescued by half the village after being alerted by a barking dog.

He barely remembered the incident himself, though it explained a bit how he was a bit nervous in small, enclosed spaces. Especially wet ones. Fortunately, while the land itself was fairly arid, the water table wasn't that deep here, and the village had been able to rig together a rope long enough to get him out within an hour. Much longer, and he was sure his arms would've given out.

All around him, his family crowded into the small, two-room cottage they had all, excluding his mother, been raised in.

His father sat on his right, his mother his left, and all around him his brothers and sisters, their wives and husbands excluded for the evening by virtue of a simple lack of space. Even their children were being cared for by others in the village for the night if not their mates. Most of them were drunk, and even Lin had been convinced to have a little despite being, technically, on duty. He felt warm, hot even, with almost everyone's attention on him.

But it was a good feeling, even those he hadn't gotten on as well with still seemed happy to see him, at least for the night. Who knew how anyone would feel tomorrow? Not Lin. His mother had hated the idea of him joining the EKMS. His father had only griped about having to pay for someone to teach his grandchildren how to read and write their numbers, too, but otherwise been supportive. Of course, he knew the stipend he'd been sending had helped a lot with that. Even as poor as he was before his promotions, the average pay of a soldier was equal to three or four farmers in the village, depending on the harvest.

Which brought up a question, actually. As the laughter died down, he turned to his father, "You haven't been getting my letters? I've sent at least two, as I said earlier, since I was at Hibonyi Valley. I think it was three... two of them had money. I sent them after I was promoted to S- To Zhōngwèi. They should've been a fair bit more than I'd been able before."

"Haven't seen them," his father said jovially, then hiccuped. He'd had more than anyone, though that wasn't surprising. His father frequented the local common room more than his sons, being older and in more general pain from a life of hard work. "Would've known for sure. Maybe bandits got the couriers. Letters have definitely been spotty for others in the village lately."

Lin grunted.

"Not for long though," Chen laughed, reaching around their mother to clap Lin's back painfully, "Our brother here's come to put a stop to them, isn't that right?"

"W- Well, if I was, I couldn't talk about it," Lin mumbled, "so no? But, uh..."

That, unfortunately, was something Yugao had told him to say if they asked. At least, close enough to it. Lin hated lying to his family, but he understood the risk.

Chen winked and laughed, then looked around the table, "See? He's not just an officer, now he's come to save us all from the marauding thieves who come and steal our hard-earned crops!"

"Y- Yeah, a- about that," Lin muttered, but he was drowned out by the cheers that followed Chen's cry. He couldn't break their spirits just yet. Not if... not if, in a few days, they would all be dead. He would let them have this night.

Silently, as his family celebrated, Lin became more and more withdrawn as he fought to keep from blurting out everything. About the Dai Li, how the Kyoshi Warriors had manipulated events to make him a Lieutenant, that he hadn't earned it. How they were waiting, right now, outside the village in case they had to move in quickly and burn it to the ground with everyone in it, including his family.

And not for the first time, he cursed both Mai and Ty Lee.

Eventually, though, his increasing quiet prompted a question about how he was feeling from his mother. Which, gave him an out, at least. "A- A bit tired," he admitted, "been marching for a couple weeks straight. Almost all the way from Qiquan."

"Wow," many of them gasped. They had known where he was stationed, but as none had ever been further than Pingjin, it must have seemed quite as legendary and mystical as the distant, smaller city had seemed to Lin at first.

Like it still did, in many ways.

At least he was finally allowed to go to his old room, now home to the children of his second-oldest brother, both twin boys, and climb into his old bed.

He fell asleep quickly, despite the continuing celebration, his dreams fitful, mixed with a festival atmosphere that always seemed to turn into blood in the streets, the corpses of everyone he had grown up knowing laying there surrounded by crimson, their skin gray and pallid, with the stench of urine and feces mixing with that same blood.

It was no surprise that he startled awake fumbling for his weapon in the scant starlight as his bedroom door creaked open.