Cain had a fairly simple plan in his mind. He would first start by spreading rumors of a ghostly spirit wailing at night. This was to create the superstitious belief among people that the spirit of the water was crying every night. Then when people woke up, they would find that the river water was dyed a shade of crimson and that a lot of fish had died.
It was not a good plan by any means, as Cain would've preferred to keep the villagers from the harm. Of course, any good deed he did would need to have a lasting effect; otherwise, any run-of-the-mill General would camp on the bank and start throwing the fire nation trash in the waters.
Once the General got the whiff of this, he would send his goons, and villagers would then start appealing to soldiers to lessen the outlet of their activities from the factory. Of course, being the ridiculous patriots that they were, they would never listen. That's where he came in.
...
Late at night, when the moon was shying behind the clouds, the village was enveloped by a shade of darkness. People slept in the comfort of their homes, while one inhabitant wandered the broadwalks. His steps were silent, and his body blended with the shadows; in his hand he held a thin needle.
Cain took a look around him, finding nothing but his barely visible shadow. He took a deep breath, feeling the fire burning beneath his skin, and jumped.
Water rushed around him, engulfing him in its embrace. Cold and murky, he could almost feel the terrible impact it was having on his skin. His eyes swiveled to his left and right, searching for his prey.
A fish was swimming at arms length from him. His hand shot out, and the needle skewered the fish through the middle. Blood started to flow, mingling with the water. Of course, the blood wasn't going to last long enough for the people of the village to see. Keeping the problem in mind, Cain had prepared a simple prop: an oil-based red dye. Since it was less dense than water, it would float above without mingling with the water and disappear in the short run, at least for long enough for people to notice.
He slew a number of fish, which would certainly cause a few problems for the village if the current circumstances continued, but Cain was sure that he would change the outcome before that.
Done with his task, he moved back to his home and decided to call it a day.
...
When the first cry was heard, Cain was one of the first to wake up and find a small group of people herded together overlooking the scene of carnage. He kept the grimace off his face as he frowned. An old lady was holding her head and crying about the spirit of the river being upset with them and that this was the first warning they received. While not entirely correct, she wasn't wrong either.
Cain sighed and kept to the sidelines as more and more people gathered. Most of the fish that he had killed had sank to the bottom, and only a few floated to the surface, but all it took was a dive, and people quickly found the severity of the issue.
As the discussion started he had already retreated to his adobe and was going through the plan one more time. He looked at the small barrel full of dead fish and sighed. Without his workshop, the plan would never work.
Time to implement the second part of the plan.
...
The Fire Nation was at war. Their need for rations, resources, and armor was abundant. The Fire Nation Army factory that polluted these waters mostly dealt with metal works. It was a smelting plant and needed an abundant amount of water for the cooling system. While understandable to some extent as to why the nation built it here, that didn't mean it was anything good.
Day by day, the waters grew poisons, fish died, and villagers fell sick. Even knowing the impact it had on the people, the General never stopped. Everyday was the same routine, and people went about their business.
Tonight, however, a man had infiltrated this place.
...
Cain wore a black martial robe, one similar to Zuko's outfit when he acted the Blue Spirit. He wore no mask, however, as his mission was more than just infiltration.
He wandered through the dim hallways; the heat of the forge bled through the walls, but his inner fire made it seem like a breeze. He smiled at this.
Soon enough, he found the entrance to the ventilation duct and moved inside. Perks of infiltrating at night, and with this being a simple factory, the security was rather lax. He moved through the duct and finally found his target.
When he had conceived the thought of taking someone's place, he hadn't thought exactly how he would do so. After all, he needed someone who matched his height and body. With the standard issued helm, he could blend in like a stormtrooper no one cared about. Perks of being a foot soldier.
He dropped into the sleeping soldier's quarters in the dead of the night. The man slept with no care in the world. Cain regarded him for a second before nodding to himself.
He pulled out a rope and a blindfold, alongside some rags. He slowly wrapped the hands first, then the legs. When the soldier stirred and abruptly opened his eyes in panic, his vision was met by the smiling face of Cain.
Before the man could scream, Cain did karate-chop on him and put him unconscious. Then, wrapping the blindfold, he opened the door to his warehouse and placed the man inside.
Before closing the door, Cain bound the man tightly, then changed his clothes into the Fire Nation armor.
He smiled at the fitness and closed the door behind him.
...
Come morning, the factory was brimming with activity. General Mung called a squad of soldiers to visit the Jang Hui and find what's causing the disturbance. This was, of course, the result of another expedition by Cain last night. It was too bad that he wasn't included in the team.
For the moment he copied others, all the while feigning sickness and keeping his helm on. His voice also came out hoarse, and no one suspected anything.
The men returned in the afternoon and waived off any concern, claiming that the villagers were acting crazy and superstitious. The general agreed with the soldiers to not deal with the village at all and to leave them to their own devices.
Cain watched it all and smiled. Time for one final act before closing the curtains.
At night, when the moon was high and waters churned in waves. A voice so soft and ethereal spoke to soldiers. It sounded close, and many found it suspicious; only when they moved outside and looked over the cliff did they find loads and loads of dead fish.
The discovery floored many, with fear gripping their hearts. Few slept after, and many kept watch, wide-eyed and fearful that the spirit of water would descend and take revenge.
Cain stood at the sidelines, no one paying him any attention. Silently, he made his way back inside. The interior was spacious and empty, as many stood outside.
He wandered through the corridors to the main area where the metal was smelted. A forgery, full of steam and fire. He could see the tons of coal lying in the warehouses, ready to be used.
"Alright, time to not hold back anymore."
Firebending was an art. It was a rather explosive one, but it required as much skill as raw power. And Cain was rather skilled.
Combat Bender gave him enough skill to stand on equal footing with some veterans. And skills, in this word, equaled aptitude; the more you have, the more you could bring to bear.
His hands moved with grace as he crushed coal into dust. He wore a helm, but beneath it his mouth was covered by a thick and wet cloth to keep him from inhaling the dust.
He took whatever he could and dispersed it through air ducts and hallways. He had to finish this before anyone arrived.
Once sufficient coal dust was dispersed, he smiled and moved back to the warehouse.
A spark, a wick of flame, and then a torrent of hellish fire. His hands moved with artistry, gushing with waves of searing hot fire and bathing the room in flames. That was all it took before the air caught on fire.
An explosion sounded; the soldiers were roused from their fearful state and looked on as the factory erupted in flames. General Mung cried out orders, and the men went about to stop the flames.
In such a situation, where many were still trapped inside, Cain would've hesitated. But thankfully they were Firebenders and could keep the flames at bay. This also meant that they would be able to purge the flames before the factory could be fully destroyed.
Unfortunately for them, the Spirit of Water was angry, and it wouldn't stop till it had its revenge.
Cain stood in the center, feeling the gushing waves of flames. He recalled the moves that Zuko and Aang learned from the dragons. Combat Bender made him unusually skilled, and Logic fueled his comprehension. His form was graceful, the peak human quality showing its superiority compared to many other geniuses of this land. A geyser of rainbow flames erupted.
The night was no more.
Author Here: Hey guys, been a lot time; hope you're all doing well.
First of all, i would like to apologise for the delay. It has been a few hard months. I spent a lot of time and effort into learning something and then, well it turned up into nothing. On top of that, there were examinations, it was harrowing and, i was a bit depressed. All in all, i couldn't write anything.
After almost three months, i am finally here. I still don't know if i will be able to build a stable update schedule, but i will try my best.
Anyway, thanks for all the support.