Southern Earth Kingdom.
Luca's POV .....
The rumbling sound of moving earth fell into my ears. In the current situation, it was especially jarring.
It had happened right under my gaze. More than a hundred people had stepped out of the tunnel.
Many of them had left their families back at the stronghold due to the reasons given by the Captain. After all, it was ultimately better than having to travel and rely on themselves through the dangerous earth kingdom lands.
Without knowing how exactly the transport would take place, even I had no doubts about the reason given by the Earth bending captain.
After all, this was war time. His explanation had some merit.
I thought so, and so did they. But the situation had changed now. The rendezvous point we were supposed to meet Earth Kingdom forces that would take us swiftly to Omashu now had Fire Nation soldiers.
Why in hell was that? I didn't know but I couldn't spare the time to think about it now.
I turned around in an attempt to dash back into the cave. And that's when I saw it.
The very same Earthbenders that brought us here had sealed up the entrance in one motion.
The hole that was previously made was now filled up like it had never existed before. Any doubts that could have possibly risen were squashed immediately.
The dots connected as I realized where exactly that sense of unease came from. It was a trap all along.
The Earthbenders waited for the whole group to step out of the cave, staying far back until they were the only ones left. I hadn't followed all the way, staying at the cave entrance.
While others walked forward. Those behind me were too immersed in the shock and horror of the sight of Fire Nation that they didn't react immediately. I was different. I turned tails and ran into the cave only for this to happen.
But here's the thing. Why?
There was no way this was a coincidence.
I wasn't foolish enough to think in that direction. Coupled with my previous suspicions, it all but confirmed that something was terribly wrong.
They knew the Fire Nation was already here. And they brought them and closed the entrance without so much as a sound or second look.
'..... We're .... being handed over to the Fire Nation .....'.
Once the thought appeared, it was firmly rooted there, refusing to make way for other possibilities. My eyes narrowed as I rushed to the now sealed entrance.
The sound of clamoring footsteps behind me let me know that these people had finally come back to their senses and were now running for their lives.
But it was too late. At least, too late for them.
I remember that the initial roll call for occupations included benders of any element.
Not one person among the group of a hundred plus was registered. Understandable really, as anyone with bending ability would already be fighting in the war or imprisoned by fire nation if not already dead.
Be it voluntarily, or forcefully drafted. The Earth kingdom had lowest bending ratio despite having the largest population.
That didn't mean their number of benders was the smallest of the four nations but that despite having the largest population, less than 15% made up the overall bending population.
Only one out of a hundred civilians could become benders. If not for their large numbers, they wouldn't have lasted so long in this war.
How could they be wandering around as poor refugees? Unless one of them was a hidden earthbender with a decent skill level, no one would be able to open this tunnel.
They were trapped here. But I wasn't.
It was times like this that I was grateful I had gotten Density Shifting in my perk wish.
Nothing could serve as an obstacle. This wall was no exception.
The chi in me stirred as my body turned illusory and I rushed straight through the wall of earth without stopping.
'Sorry ...'. I whispered inwardly at the thought of what might happen to these refugees.
They had found themselves in the same situation as me. But I was special. I could escape.
But they couldn't. I was abandoning them to fend for themselves.
Unfortunately, it meant nothing.
Whatever sympathy I felt would only remain that way. Sympathy.
There was no way I was going to risk my life to help these people against unknown odds. Right now, I had other things to take care of.
For starters, the earthbenders waiting for me on the other side
......
Northwestern Earth Kingdom
Mo Ce Sea
Timespan: ...
Caw!
The sound of an aerial predator resounded in the skies.
While a great distance away below on land .... Or rather, sea was an iron vessel sailing through Northwestern Mo Ce waters.
A large mass of steel and iron shaped for battle. With a red flag sporting fire symbol at the top of its mast.
Fire Navy Cruiser.
Standing on the deck, looking into the distance was a short, slightly fat looking middle aged man with an expressionless face.
And behind him were two Fire Nation Officers standing at attention just in case he had any orders to dish out.
Captain Han.
It had been more than a week since he departed from the stronghold near Senlin Village. Leaving matters to the discretion of his newly promoted Lieutenant to deal with.
That's right. Newly promoted.
As for his previous lieutenant ..... The mere thought of what had happened was enough to turn his mood gloomy.
It was a simple mission to destroy a old farming settlement. What should have been an easy job turned into a nightmare for those assigned to it as a report came to his desk the following morning that the group consisting of three dozen men had veen wiped out.
The village was destroyed, razed to the ground. But his men had died miserably.
Not a single one made it back alive.
Furious, Captain Han investigated the area to discover who was the cause of this incident. Night fell. While the investigation was underway, the truth made no efforts to hide and readily revealed itself to the Fire Nation officers searching for it.
Hei Bai, in all its fury attacked all wandering search parties it could find.
That same night, Han lost more than a hundred men.
Then .... What followed were nights of nightmarish attacks. As the days before the winter solstice drew closer, the Fire Nation encampments in the surroundings received frequent attacks from the monstrous spirit creature over and over.
Men were killed, supplies destroyed ..... Han remembered confronting it.
"Slay this beast".
He and his best benders had tried their hardest to slay the creature with fire. Result? They didn't even burn a single hair off.
For a creature of such size, it was fast. Too fast.
Han remembered getting slammed into a tree with one swipe. Before losing consciousness, all he saw was the blurry silhouette of Hei Bai on a rampage.
He woke up on a bed the following morning.
He had been saved after the spirit creature left. Then he made a prompt decision. All soldiers would immediate evacuate the area.
For ten miles around that bear statue in the burned forest, no Fire Nation officer was to step into that territory.
Of course, they could do so at their own risk.
Three days after the passing of the winter solstice, reports returned that the Hei Bai was nowhere to be seen.
It seemed that with the solstice passing, the attacks of the Spirit creature had come to an end.
However, the damage had been done.
Han's Forces suffered heavy losses at the hands of a spirit creature. A spirit creature!
Till now, Han still didn't remember how he wrote the details down in the report and sent it to the Fire Nation Capital. Hundreds of men, large amounts of supplies and machinery, all gone in the Hei Bai's rage.
They hadn't even managed to slay the spirit. Worse still, Han had sent his soldiers out again to pick up the rebel's trail.
The result was obvious. Cold.
The Captain was so angry that he burnt down large areas of vegetation, venting his frustration for hours with his Fire bending.
The target was lost, the army was lost, the supplies and machinery dwindled, Han knew he was in a precarious situation.
This whole thing would definitely be put down on his record. Forget about a promotion, it would be considered merciful if he wasn't heavily punished.
And that was if no one jumped up to add fuel to the fire.
Failure in the Fire Nation had no tolerance policy.
His enemies and competitors would definitely not miss the chance to step on him when he was down. For example ....
Zhao.
The last scroll from "Commander" Zhao came to mind.
Internal struggles existed within the Fire Nation, different political factions in the military. The only reason he hadn't been called upon yet was due to the fact that the war was nearing its completion.
As a Captain, Han was privy to secret information. By the year's end, the earth kingdom capital would be under Fire Nation control.
This would mark the end of a century long battle and begin the time for tying up loose ends.
His actions were one such loose end. And so, Han analyzed his current status in an attempt to figure a way out of this mess.
Unless he made a major contribution before the war's end, he would definitely receive punishment. One year wasn't too long nor was it too short, but now, his options were limited.
There was no way he could get involved in anything concerning the war from his current position. Even if by some miracle he was allowed, doing so could lead to more harm than good.
Now, there was only one path that led to possible redemption.
Which brings him to the point he currently is.
Caw!
The sound of a messenger hawk quickly drew the captain's attention as a bird with red feathers flew towards he ship landing on the metal edge of the deck.
'.... Finally .....'. Han thought as he walked to the Messenger Hawk. He opened canister on its back and took the note within it.
Reading the content, his face seemingly showed no expression but those who knew him would realize through his eyes that he was rather pleased.
'.... Old debts are quite useful. Colonel Shinu has my thanks ...'.
The scroll in hand contained information from the Pohuai Stronghold. On it, recorded the Intel Han was looking for.
The Location of someone who could hunt down and capture Luca no matter where he was hiding.
Long flowing black hair, grey eyes, light skin.
The scroll's contents contained not just a picture of his target but a drawing of her pet mount too.
A legendary a Subterranean beast that hunts by scent, capable of tracking its quarry across stone, water, dirt and thin air despite being hundreds of miles apart.
The almost extinct Shirshu ....
The scroll recorded her identity.
Name: June
Bounty Hunter ..... Skilled Fighter ... Expert Tracker ..... Skilled strategist .....
Pet Shirshu: Nyla
"Corporal Wei ...".
"Um .... Yes Captain?"
"How far away are we from the nearest port?"