Chapter 14: Rumbling Island Daofei (1)
A daofei is a term referring to outlaws or bandits. These individuals often operate outside the law, engaging in activities such as theft, smuggling, or extortion.
The term is primarily used to describe organized groups of criminals that live by their own code and often challenge established authorities. (Wiki Definition).
Of course these groups contain bender and non-bender alike. And now Tai Lung got what he asked for.
"Kill, not incapacitate or defeat." Those are some heavy words. Tai Lung bit more than he could chew but his frustration to get stronger overpowers his fears.
His resolve grew stronger.
He already got the taste of getting stronger and it was addicting. There was no way for him to stop, not until he satisfied himself which in his case would not happen unless he reached the very top.
[New Quest: Hunt for the Path
Objectives: Kill the Rumbling Island DaoFei
Rewards: ???
Failure: Mental Frustration or Death]
The Rumbling Island Daofei, the leading daofei big Yokoya. Although they are not as popular as the bug league Daofeis like the Fifth Nation or the Flying Opera Company on its heyder but in Yokoya they are fairly popular and notorious.
Their number are estimated to be around 20 or so, their majority being filled with benders. Of course this number doesn't pose that much of a threat to Tai Lung since he fought greater numbers.
But those were animals, not humans capable of thinking and strategizing.
'I think this is better.' Challenges lead to improvement. If he keeps on fighting within his comfort zone he will stagnate.
So this was a welcome challenge for him. A change of pace if you will and a new hurdle to reach a new realm.
*******
Due to the distance between the central government and Yokoya, very little political support is given to the place. They only come once every year to collect taxes but provide little to no protection.
That's why organized criminal syndicates formed around the peninsula.
The area that later became Kyoshi Island was originally a peninsula whose most prominent settlement was Yokoya Port.
This village was an impoverished community of farmers and fishers whose hard lives were plaugued by monotonous work and a stubborn sense of xenophobic pride.
The peninsula was strategically and economically unimportant: merchant ships usually circumvented it due to the prevailing winds and currents of nearby Whaletail Strait, and the Earth Kingdom's government consequently had no interest in actually governing the area.
The people of Yokoya thus existed in relative isolation, save for occasional contact with the town of Qinchao further inland or passing travelers.
Around 308/307 BG, Jesa and Hark arrived at the village, paid a local farmer to care for their daughter, Kyoshi, and left. Contrary to the agreement, however, the farmer threw the young girl onto the streets.
Since the Yokoyans were poor and generally unsympathetic toward outsiders, they left Kyoshi to die from starvation.
That's why Tai Lung is very sympathetic about the crimes the Rumbling Island Daofei were committing.
Because even though they were Daofei, they were the closest thing that maintains order around Yokoya.
He didn't love this place, the only people that held meaning to him were his parents. For him, this village was no different from a rotten apple.
But the mission was still a mission.
He spent his remaining days tuning himself and preparing. Conditioning himself into intense training even though little to no yield was given.
After four more days, he was done. His eyes brimming with determination and burning brilliance. He was ready.
********
"Boss, we got another one on our hands," a scruffy man muttered as he approached the imposing figure seated on a crude throne of wood and stone.
Tetsu, the leader of the Rumbling Island Daofei, barely glanced up. His patience had been wearing thin and the constant disturbances only added to his frustration.
"Who is it this time?" he asked, his voice reverberating in a low growl.
"Some merchant ship," the man replied. "Refused to pay the toll. Tried to slip around the checkpoint."
Tetsu's expression darkened. With a sudden slam of his fist, the wooden table in front of him creaked under the force splintering slightly.
"Ungrateful bastards!" he roared. "Do these people not understand who keeps them safe? Without us, they'd be overrun by real outlaws. Pillagers, pirates, the whole lot!"
He stood up, towering over his subordinates, his heavy frame casting a shadow across the room.
His fists clenched as the earth beneath them trembled, a showcasing of his earthbending prowess. "We ask for a small tax. That's all. And they can't even give us that?"
The second-in-command, a wiry man with a scar running down his cheek, stepped forward, keeping his voice calm. "It's not us, boss. It's the government. They don't see us as legitimate. We're not an official authority in their eyes."
Tetsu spat on the ground in disgust. "To hell with the Earth Kingdom! Where are they? Do you see them sending protection here? No! We're the ones keeping this place from falling apart."
The room fell silent as Tetsu's anger grew. After a long pause, he growled, "Bring me the merchant. I'll make an example of him."
His lieutenant grinned, knowing Tetsu's fury was about to be unleashed. "Already done, boss," he said, gesturing toward the door. Moments later, the door creaked open, and two men dragged in a bound and gagged merchant, his face pale with fear as he struggled helplessly against the ropes.
Tetsu's booming laugh filled the room. "Good job!" He strode over to the merchant, towering over him. "You thought you could cheat the Rumbling Island Daofei? Thought you could slip past us? You've got guts, I'll give you that. But no one gets away from me."
The merchant thrashed in his bonds, his muffled cries barely audible as he tried to plead for mercy. But Tetsu wasn't in the mood for leniency.
"Hold him still," Tetsu ordered, and two of his men forced the merchant to his knees.
The leader circled him slowly, like a predator toying with its prey.
"I want everyone in this village to know what happens when you cross us. Start with the hands."
At his command, one of the benders in the group raised a stone from the ground and brought it crashing down onto the merchant's hand, a sickening crunch echoing through the room.
The merchant screamed, his face contorting in agony as he writhed under the weight of the stone. His cries of pain were muffled, but his suffering was clear to everyone in the room.
"Boss... you don't need to go this far," one of the lieutenants muttered. But Tetsu ignored him.
"Let this be a warning to all the other merchants," Tetsu said coldly. "No one cheats the Daofei."
The beating continued, each blow more brutal than the last. Tetsu watched, emotionless, as the merchant's body slumped under the pain, his screams growing weaker.
By the time they were done, the merchant was barely conscious, his body bruised and broken.
Tetsu wiped his hands clean of the dust. "Throw him back out. Let him crawl to whatever remains of his life. And tell the village—anyone else tries this, they won't be so lucky."
The lieutenant gave a curt nod, signaling the men to drag the merchant out of the hideout.
As the door closed behind them, Tetsu turned back to his men. "We're not just thugs," he said, his voice deadly calm. "We're the law here. Don't ever forget that."
******
Pls give stone :)
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