It used to be a bandit camp, really. Though it's a bit hard to see it when the entire place is ransacked beyond recognition. Still, the scattered limbs wearing bandit clothing should be enough evidence for that.

"D-don't come close to me! Stay away!"

And also, the legless bandit struggling to crawl away.

The smell of blood reminiscent of iron hung heavy in the air.

The green grass had long lost its vibrant green colour, now covered with a layer of crimson.

There's a splatter on the tent, one running down the tree where a bandit is stabbed through the heart with a massive spear made from rocks, and a puddle forming beneath a stake where a bandit was pierced from his bottom with the tip coming out of his mouth.

It's quite a graphic scene, for sure. Fortunately, he had gotten used to it after a year of living in this world.

Sitting atop a stool placed near the extinguished campfire, he turned his gaze back towards the crawling bandit.

"Come on man, it's just a necklace. When the hell did bandits began having integrity anyway?" He ran his gaze back towards the current state of the campsite, his pearl black orbs scanning the view with uncanny calmness. "I'd rather not get another earful from the guards if I added more to the mess."

"I swear! I don't know!" The bandit desperately begged, his hands, missing a few fingers, clutched the grass below. "Only the captain knew, but you already killed him!"

"Oh." He turned towards the headless bandit crucified on one end of the camp.

"That complicates things." He stood up, sighing.

He turned around, his grey coat fluttering in the breeze. Despite the campsite being a recreation of a butcher house, he stood unblemished. It was like he's not on the same reality as they are.

The legless bandit, biting his lips in pain but knowing better not to make a sound, watched in horror. That man was a monster. There was no other fitting description. In merely a minute, the camp of 40 people had been reduced to 1. But what terrified him the most was the means that he did it. The man was an Earthbender, he was sure, but there was something more sinister behind it. He saw his colleagues float in the air and, following the man's casual gestures, had their limbs torn off one by one. 

It was horrifying.

There was no indication. They simply had their limbs torn off with a flick of his fingers.

It defied everything he thought he knew about bending.

It was as if the world itself obeyed him, as if reality bent to his will.

This man wasn't normal. He was much more.

Not a man. A devil.

The bandit's thoughts were cut off, as he suddenly saw the world turn upside-down. And... huh? Was that his body? But where is his head?

Oh.

As the bandit's head fell onto the soft embrace of the bloodied grass, the man lowered his right hand and began walking.

His footsteps, tinted with blood, painted the dirt below. Contrary to the heavy scene behind him, his gait remained light.

All that was left is an eerie silence, occasionally broken with the leaves fluttering in the cold breeze of a Spring morning.

"A waste of time."

*

It was another buzzling day at Huangshi Village.

The modest settlement, nestled in between yellow-hued limestone cliffs, is situated on the Southwestern coast of the Earth Kingdom. It's a strategic trading area, supplying to Kyoshi Island, Gaoling, and Chin Village.

A sea of people filled the marketplace. Merchants, both local and wandering, set their stalls and began business with the customers. On one hidden corner of the marketplace, a building stood, eerily silent.

"Didn't get lost this time."

In front of the building, Ren adjusted his grey coat before entering. 

The door creaked ominously, and he was greeted with a view reminiscent of a pub. Rough-looking men sat on their seats around their tables, their metal weapons gleaming ominously. Few sent glares his way, but he ignored it. It was a normal occurrence around here.

Ren made his way towards the counter, where the bartender came to his aid. The man had slicked-back hair, looking like a proper gentleman except for the eyepatch on his right eye. Without a word, he put down a shot glass and filled it with gin.

"Bust. They didn't know where the necklace is." Ren began, downing the drink in one go.

"Unexpected. Any leads?" The bartender replied, his face void of emotions.

"It's a dead end." Ren sighed.

"Hmm." The bartender refilled his shot glass.

"I got something new. The pay is good." He followed.

"Do tell." Ren downed his drink, signaling for another shot.

"There's been rumours about a flying bison being sighted near Kyoshi Island. Some rich bastard offered some gold if you can get it to him." 

A flying bison huh? Ren swirled the drink in his hand.

It should be time, then.

"I'll take it."

"You sure? You could go against the Kyoshi Warriors." The bartender raised an eyebrow.

"Worried?" Ren smirked, downing his drink.

"For the Kyoshi Warriors, yes. Don't kill anyone." The bartender let out a knowing grin, showing his gold-laden teeth. He reached below the counter, handing Ren a rolled sheet of paper. 

Ren grabbed it, storing it underneath his coat before heading out.

"That job's basically a suicide mission. The Kyoshi Warriors ain't no joke." A rugged man sitting on the counter spoke to the bartender, a bottle of beer on hand.

"Hah!" The bartender grinned, exposing his teeth. "For some, perhaps. That man is different."

"How so?"

"Do you remember the 'Butcher of Zhanhu'?" The bartender began, wiping a glass.

"Everyone does."

"Of course. 400 elite raiders, dead within a day. Once known as the strongest raider settlement on Earth Kingdom, reduced to rubble by one man. It was nothing short of legendary. They say the river on the center of the settlement turned red for days." The bartender narrated, a distant look in his eye. "That man was the one responsible for it."

"Him?" That rugged man narrowed his eyes.

"The Rock Devil. Yes, indeed." The bartender shot him a crazed look. "He's the last thing you want after your head. In all of his jobs, there wasn't a single corpse in one piece. A hundred thousand gold bounty, yet none even dared to accept it."

"He's a devil."