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Zhan's project (FieryChicken) was progressing quite nicely since he got back the wings were attached and the frame the only thing that was required was the turbine and other important, yet small components.
Yet for all his work, it might be for naught the Drill had reached the outskirts of Ba Sing Se and was closing in, along with that Azula had taken a personal objective of seeing the invasion through, according to her last sent letter. Guess we may repurpose it for the civilians after the war, or maybe we could finish it before the conflict concludes. The Dragon of the West had besieged the city for almost six-hundred days and hadn't able to conquer it, and he doubted the Earth Kingdom would give-up knowing for their stubbornness.
"Nono...easy...with that piece.." said Zhan, seeing the two engineers, attaching the control-part. "Easy with the wire...if this isn't attached, properly then the entire thing, could not work."
"Yes, Sir," replied the engineers, getting to work on the other one.
'All-righty, scratch down: control, frame, wings, and wheels. All that is left is the engine and braking mechanism,' thought Zhan. If everything went smoothly, they should be able to complete the project within a couple of weeks.
"Hello?" asked a voice from behind his door.
"Yes?" asked Zhan, unlocking the door to the underground facility, revealing a member of the Royal Messenger Corps.
"Yes, well...you had informed me, earlier to keep an eye open to situations and reports, regarding the Central battlefront or related to Ba Sing Se?" he asked.
"Yes, what news do you bring?" asked Zhan, a little anxious.
"Not good...I'm afraid," he replied, a bit saddened. Then I took out a scroll and started to read it. "We had lost a good company of soldiers mostly captured. Yet the biggest news was that of the destruction of the War-Minister' war-machine."
"What?! Are you sure?!" asked Zhan, suddenly surprised.
"Yes, luckily any high-personnel managed to escape unharmed, before being captured. This news had only reached the Fire Lord recently."
'Damnit,' thought Zhan to himself. "Many thanks. You may go."
As soon as the messenger left, Zhan slumped against the metal door, rage boiling.
"Damnit!" he said, punching the door, giving him a small injury, and a tiny dent in the door. "Bloody-idiot-fool!"
"Useless! Egotistic idiot!" he said. Then he went over to his desk, searching through blueprints for the required one. Soon finding what he was looking for, soon starting to scribble on it. "Hope you don't screw this up!"
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Two days had passed, and Zhan soon found himself heading back towards Zu Day. A certain man was due to arrive there, and he had to give special instructions to him.
"Has he arrived?" asked Zhan, departing from the war-ship.
"Yes, M'Lord. He just arrived a few hours ago," said the dock-handler.
Zhan made haste towards the Noble Section of the town, where a particular Minister had arrived.
"Wait! Stop! You have."
"Unofficial business!" said Zhan, showing the guards the Royal Token, which silenced them and moved them out of his way.
"Qin!" yelled Zhan, barging into the room. Grabbing the startled War-Minister, and pinning him against a wall.
"What is the mean."
"Shut! Up! And listen!" said Zhan in an angrier tone which shut him up quickly. Qin was terrified, 'of being pinned against the wall by a boy, who was wearing some serious-looking, black metal armor and having a look similar to the Crown Princess's, mess with me and you'll be sorry.'
"Now listen: your little idea had cost the Fire Nation a sizeable interest. It's failure an unacceptable outcome, one that even the Fire Lord isn't pleased with, now start listening to me! In your office, in the Royal Palace are some blueprints, ideas, and modifications about your previous, the war-balloon," said Zhan, making statements heard. "Now get your sorry-head back to the Palace...and start working out a machine soon, so the Fire Lord doesn't get the idea of banishing you for your failure." "Make sure my facility gets the resources they need there is a project linked to the Crown Princess herself...so don't even think of screwing this up!"
He soon let go of the startled War-Minister, dropping him onto the floor and making his way out of the house. Leaving Qin, both frightened and a little relieved, to have a chance to fix his mistake.
Making his way out of the section and in towards a nearby tavern, this one was more of calmer nature, or that it was saturated with Fire Nation people: soldiers, citizens, nobles.
Taking a seat near the bar and ordering a strong-drink. Having dealt a warning to the War-Minister, Zhan's next move was to figure out where Azula was at the moment. After the Drill's failure and rumors that the Avatar had escaped to Ba Sing Se, he wouldn't be surprised if Azula tried to gain entry into the impervious city. It was only a theory though but a good one since, Azula had mentioned she was now focusing more on capturing the Avatar than her family. After the last-failure with the Drill, Zhan has decided to rendezvous with her, due to her bad-streak of luck.
'He wasn't much on the sappy-side, and neither was Azula...yet the feeling of just sitting around, while she was doing something dead-important didn't very much suit his being. Also that the (FieryChicken) was pretty-much-completed, and the residue could-be handled by the engineers.'
So he had equipped his newest armor, written a request to the Fire Lord for leave, and had caught the nearest boat to Zu Day. Now he needed some information about her whereabouts.
"...hey did..you heard.." spoke a nearby soldier, a few feet away.
"...did I heard..." spoke another one.
"...some...women...warriors...been...captured..." they spoke in between each-other.
"Here you are!" said the bar-keeper, with Zhan's drink.
"Thanks," replied Zhan, focusing on the soldier's conversation more.
"...local...garrison...what...they...some...fan... Kyoshi...lame...if...me..." they spoke.
'Fan?'
'Kyoshi?
'Azula!' Zhan realized, flipping a silver coin on the table, leaving behind an untouched drink, a silver-plated-coin, and a bewildered bar-keeper.
'Azula you sneaky...' he thought, making with haste towards the pier, by the two soldiers' descriptions, the warrior-women sounded like the Kyoshi warriors from Kyoshi Island. While still rumors, he had read the Kyoshi warriors were formidable fighters who used fan-like weapons, added to the fact they were women, and it didn't take much to put two-and-two together. No doubt, Azula would try to use the Kyoshi's, to get inside Ba Sing Se and capture the Avatar. Now the only thing he needed to do, was to get to Ba Sing Se fast, but how?
Zhan needed something fast and quick, 'who could set sail immediately towards there...but who?'
'Who…'
'Wait, were those pirates?!' he suddenly realized, seeing an unusual pair on the pier. Turning around and confirming his suspicion, that they were pirates: a captain of Fire Nation origin by his attire and looks with an iguana parrot; a skinnier man with a mustache who seemed of Earth Kingdom origin judging by his attire; and a half-dozen of mixed ethnicity. Although their ship, seemed a little on the smaller side: a three-quarter less size of an actual war-ship, made of wood and some metal parts, yet manned by them, it no-doubt could be very-fast.
"I'm telling you, captain, we got bamboozled by that ship-seller!" spoke Oh, the lieutenant of the captain' ragtag pirates.
"There wasn't any bamboozlement! You idiots bought the wrong ship!" yelled the captain, shaking Oh. 'Times like this, I wonder what am I doing with these idiots...or maybe not.'
"Greetings sailors fine ship you got here," spoke Zhan, approaching the pirates.
"You, mocking me, boy?!" the captain said in a hateful-tone.
"Not at all!" said Zhan grinning, raising his hands in defense. "I'm interested, how fast is she?"
"She's fast!" spoke the captain, crossing his hands. "What's it to you?"
"I'm looking for a trip..." said Zhan, pulling out a cut-emerald from, his pocket one of the monetary resources he had brought along, to aid on his trip. Tossing it to the captain, who eyed the precious gem greedily with his crew. "...straight to Ba Sing Se..."
"All aboard the ship!" said the captain, pocketing the gem.
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Zhan could 'see the pirates giving him various looks, on top of the crow's nest or top of the mast. Yet in Zhan's opinion, the best way to spot pirate-betrayal was as keeping an eye on them, from as high as possible. So they couldn't sneak up on you, or attack you from behind.'
So far they had made good progress, by the captains and Zhan's calculation, they would reach the southern side of Ba Sing Se by morning tomorrow...currently it was dusk, a foggy one.
"Drop anchor! Full halt!" yelled the captain suddenly, with the entire ship stopping in its tracks.
"What's the matter? Why have we stopped?" asked Zhan, sliding down from the mast.
"We got an Earth Kingdom ship, holding steady," spoke the captain, looking through the spyglass, then handing it to Zhan. "While my ship, is fast that thing will easily submerge, mine this is as far we go."
Zhan eyed the ship in the distance a fair amount of metal used, signs of conservative design, large earth-rings on the surface. An Earth Kingdom ship.
"Regarding that obstacle in front of us, what if I remove it?" asked Zhan, throwing the spyglass.
The captain catches, it "hey don't throw things," as he points at Zhan "you?!" laughed the captain. "Better first, I grow wings and a tail!" he said with disdain.
"My idea, my risks!" said Zhan, putting a gold coin on the captain's desk. "For the row-boat."
"Man! You're crazier than we are!" said Oh. Seeing Zhan getting into the row-boat and making way towards the opposite ship.
"We'll see!" replied Zhan back, grinning the way. 'Oh...they'll see.'
The captain eyed the boy's trip towards the opposite ship so, far he hadn't been spotted.
"And I thought we were, crazy!" He said Oh, eyeing with the crew with their spyglass.
"You can't fix idiocy!" replied the captain, both meaning for the boy and his crew.
He had reached the ship and was climbing up the anchor...he was good, but the earth-benders would take him down quickly, once spotted. He entered the deck...then...yelled to them and mocked them?
No sooner did earth-rings start to fly, and the boy disappeared from out-of-sight.
'Wait for it!' he told himself, waiting from the boy to fall or be thrown overboard. No sooner did someone fall overboard an earthbender. 'WHAT?!'
He eyed his spyglass even more, and soon soldiers started to fall into the sea: one, two, three, six. He looked at his crew, who were watching the event mouth's open from shock and amazement.
'What in bleeding hog-monkeys?' he asked himself, cleaning his spyglass and looking again. No sooner was the Earth Kingdom's flag, taken down and replaced by someone's pants.
"Am I going crazy?" he asked his iguana parrot who just squawk at him. "I think...that is our cue...to meet up!"
"Yeah," replied while shaking away the shock, trying to get his act together and follow his captain orders. "All hands on deck."
No sooner did the pirates start to climb onto the deck of the Earth Kingdom ship, highly-likely to appropriate it as their new ship. While they weren't much of a match for the Fire Nation navy, it was by far larger wooden-dinghy.
"Now then. About Ba Sing Se?" asked Zhan, sitting on an earth-ring.
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"Pirates..." mumbled Zhan, sitting in the row-boat, with Oh rowing. The pirate's idea was to commandeer the ship and set him down a few miles away from Ba Sing Se what piracy.
"We aim to please!" replied Oh grinning. They soon enough reached Earth Kingdom shores, with it already being night.
Zhan soon got out of the row-boat, covering himself with the green cloak, gloves, and leather boots he got from the earthbenders. "Alrighty! Straight North is the Serpent's Pass and Ba Sing Se. Happy walking!"
"Yeah, yeah!" replied Zhan. Kicking the row-boat back onto the sea. "And happy pillaging!"
Zhan soon made head-way into the land, keeping low and his body covered, no use getting sloppy this close. While he would have wanted to get closer to Ba Sing Se, this would have to do. He wasn't in the mood to fight pirates after he had dealt with a squad of earthbenders recently. So it was walking from here on.
"Excuse me, young man," spoke a voice, from behind him, acting on, instinct and quickly turning around in a defensive stance, and coming face-to-face...with an old man. "You seem like a refugee yourself. Could you help me with something?"
"What in general?" asked Zhan easing up, making sure his black armor underneath wasn't, seen but seeing the old man, he doubted if the old man could tell the difference during the day.
"I'm heading for Full Moon Bay, would you mind, accompanying me there? I rather not, go there along during the night, yet I must," he spoke.
"Full Moon Bay? What is this?" asked Zhan, starting to walk with the old man.
"You're from farther? It takes us, refugees, to Ba Sing Se, by ferry," replied the old man.
Zhan followed, the old-man for a while, curious about this Bay until they arrived at a cave and started to descend and reach a wall that soon came-down. Revealing a hidden harbor, filled with all sorts of refugees.
"Move along!" replied one of the earthbender guards, who were allotted near the gate, looking around the harbor, he could see many guards, earthbender, and non-bender.
"Thank, you son!" replied the old man shaking his hand and departing.
'Hmmm...how can I get aboard the ferry?' he asked himself. Eyeing further, he could see there was some sort of control-booth checking passports. 'Easy enough.'
Zhan soon started to make his way towards the booth, zig-zagging through the crowd to avoid the guard's watchful eyes, paying him to much attention, passing by a particularly funny group of people, dressed as the Avatar. Soon reaching the booth, but not before grabbing a passport from a nearby patron.
"Hello. One ticket to Ba Sing Se," said Zhan, approaching the booth. Where an aged, overly, and mean-looking woman worked.
"Passport?!" asked the woman, in an angry-sounding tone, to which Zhan slipped her the passport. Also making sure to be covered. "Mr. Guam? That's an interesting name?!"
"Well...I look interesting," replied Zhan, revealing his gold-yellow hair.
"I guess you are..." said the woman, stamping his ticket and letting him through.
Making his way up, through another ticket-checker, and down into the pier where the ferries were. Wasting no-time getting aboard and out-of-sight.
'Was that a rush!' thought Zhan. Having dealt with pirates, made head-long into enemy territory, discovered a hidden harbor, and secured a ride to Ba Sing Se. Now the only thing he had to do, enjoyed the journey.
The ferry-ride took a long while to reach Ba Sing Se Giving Zhan some time, to catch some sleep. When he awoke, the sun was up, and they would be reaching Ba Sing Se soon.
"Welcome to Ba Sing Se, Mr. Guam!" greeted a young-teller, having re-checked his stolen passport.
"Thank you, kind lady," replied Zhan. Finally, he was in Ba Sing Se now the only thing he needed to find out, where was Azula.
"Excuse me herbal please," said Zhan approaching a local tea-seller.
"Tell me locally. Has anything been strange lately? Any interesting arrivals?" asked Zhan, savoring the tea.
"There have been two actually," replied the tea-seller, welcoming the chat.
"Please tell me all about it..."
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Omake: A Challenge to Forget #3
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The battle was long and hard for both Zhan and Azula both on their last ropes, both out of stamina and unable to even lift their weapons properly.
They thought they would die in this ambush, "Azula shut your eyes and keep them close until I say so," Zhan ordered as he grabs an oval object and quickly throws it at his adversary.
"O...okay," said Azula, shutting her eyes.
A loud explosion as their foes gave their last shriek as the final thing that left was total carnage and silence.
"Azula, you can finally open your eyes," she slowly opens her eyes while looking at her surroundings. Azula sees Zhan cover in sweat and dust, having difficulty to stand she swiftly grasps him before he falls to the ground, "Azula we need to get out of this place and quickly!" he said, Azula could hear in his voice how exhausted he was.
"Let me do the lifting now." she slowly put his arm over her shoulders to help him walk. "Don't get cheeky on me princes," said Zhan with a broad smile as they quickly left the scene of the crime.
They made it to a cavern it was illuminated by bluish-crystals and various fungus the cave was damp as you could hear the sound of water dropping and a beautiful lake. Zhan gently places Azula on the floor, taking off her clothes to clean them and bandage her injury, covering her with his coat.
Zhan looks at the sleeping face of Azula he squeezes a wet towel he slowly placing it in her forehead, 'silly little princes why you have to overexert yourself.' He walks to the pond taking off the clothes and armor, Zhan steps deeper-inside the pond.
Azula slowly opens her eyes, finding she was in a different location, she tries to get up, and the jacket that was concealing, her body fell revealing, silky-white skin while her ebony long hair cascade slowly. Azula promptly grabs the jacket, embarrassingly looking at her surroundings, Azula sigh while placing her back against the cavern wall.
"Azula, have you finally woke up?" She flinches, knowing entirely of her, situation she was in she was naked!
'Oh, Ani gives me strength!'
'Wait, did he see? Did he like what he saw?' Azula's face went from white to red. She started to notice drops of water falling on her looking up she saw a topless Zhan wet from his dirty-blond hair to his chisel chest. Azula went from red to scarlet-red smokes even smoke was coming from her head she covers her face with her hands yet still taking a peak.
Zhan took a closer look and decided to act ignorant, leaning closer to Azula checking her temperature, "Azula, are you feeling good, you are burning-up." Azula felt warm by how protective and worry Zhan was about her health.
She decided to play it off, "Yes..." while she plays with her hair trying to distract herself from the merchandise. "And how are you?"
"Well, you did manage to help me walk a long distance after that you fell unconscious soon I found the cave, taking care of your injuries and cleaning our equipment." Zhan continues to dry, himself sitting beside Azula.
"Zhan, I am sorry for the way I have acted on this trip by not taking it seriously and keeping calm... My actions could have gotten us, injure or kill," as tears started to fall from, her eyes the last thing she wanted was to lose him.
"My precious wildflower, what matters is that we both are safe," while he wipes the tears of Azula's face, "And failures are part of life since with them we learn and grow," he kissed her on the forehead.
She decided to hug him in return while making sure the coat didn't fall, "About the bet..." she drags her words.
"Yes?" he pulls her closer to him and placing her head on his chest.
"Since this prince is kind and just... she will admit defeat," she softly said, "Are you sure this is your chance to get one over me."
"A lose is a lose this princess will not go back on her word," she said proudly.
"Well, I'll take the win just don't regret it later," Azula felt drowsy, she felt safe and warm as she slowly fell asleep in the embrace of the man she loves.
After this, they made it safely to the festival, and on time they enjoy the festival, while Zhan enjoys more dressing; Azula in a black collar attire consisted. Of white frills, a double-breasted thing length vest, a red mini skirt, black stockings supported by garters, red shoes, wrist cuffs, and black rabbit ears as an accessory on top of her head.
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