Kolau
Earth Kingdom
[Earlier that day]
.....
"Over here".
A loud shout resounded, followed by multiple footsteps.
In front of the entrance of an enclosed space within the mountain range, several men could be seen getting off the backs of their mounts.
"The trail leads in there".
One uttered.
"Very well. Let's get to it".
The reply came as they marched in warily.
From the uniforms they wore, there identities could be easily deduced.
Earth Kingdom soldiers.
The enclosed space wasn't large, and they had barely moved a few meters before coming to a large cave hole.
"This must be the Boar-q-pine's den".
Captain Boqin, uttered.
"Do we go in?"
"If you aren't afraid of death soldier then go ahead ….".
The private kept silent. Boqin was speechless.
Had the memory of the animal breaking through several erected earth walls in order to escape faded out of their minds so fast?
Boar-q-pine's were very aggressive once fully grown. Highly territorial and hostile to all other creatures.
In an enclosed space, it would simply charge forward, ramming into whatever was in its path.
"Shake the cave, draw it out". It would be easier to fight this beast in an open space.
His soldiers immediately carried out his order, slamming their hands onto the side of the cave walls.
The whole cave trembled and shook, causing dust to fall from the roof.
"Get ready".
The Earth Kingdom soldiers quickly got into their stances, waiting for the animal to rush up.
Time elapsed, yet nothing happened.
Seeing this, Boqin frowned. They had followed the tracks and trail of blood left by the animal. It was impossible to have gotten the wrong location.
So why was it silent.
"Sir, perhaps it bled out from its wounds?"
The words of a soldier enlightened him. Yes, that was possible. After all, it had suffered injuries from an avalanche, then an ambush from Earth benders.
Death from inflicted injuries wasn't a stretch. Still, Boqin wasn't satisfied, so he made the soldiers rumble the cave tunnel again. The results were the same.
As there was no response, he let his soldiers inside. A shining green lamp illuminating the floor under their feet.
It didn't take long.
A massive corpse emerged in their sights, completely unmoving.
'It's dead alright'.
Boqin nodded before turning his head and giving orders.
"Move it out. Lunch at the camp tomorrow will be meat stew".
RUMBLE ~
Earthbending was used to pull the boar's dead body back towards the entrance.
"Sir, there's someone here".
With the animal moved, the light illuminated the last edges. Revealing a youth in dark clothing resting against the wall, with damp clothes.
'…. A boy?' The leading soldier was stunned. What was a teenager doing out here, in the cave of giant beast?
Looking at the cracked wall behind him, his face fell. How unfortunate, this youth had been killed by …
"He's still alive". His thoughts came to a halt. Then he frowned.
"Search him".
Luca's bag was taken off him.
The contents discovered was a sword, map, herbs, rations, and daggers.
"Those knives. They're Fire Nation craftsmanship".
A soldier uttered. He should know, as he was a blacksmith before enlisting in the Army.
"…. That's not all. Look".
Another pulled out a folded piece of clothing. Making everyone's faces crumple.
Earth Kingdom Uniform.
"That confirms it. This boy is either an Earth Kingdom Collaborator or a Fire Nation spy".
(Cue ominous Fire Nation soundtrack)
"What do we sir? Do we kill him?"
All eyes turned to Boqin.
The man's face turned stern, and his eyes showed pondering. No one uttered a word …. Until.
"No, not yet". He uttered seriously.
".... We don't know his purpose. And until we do, he's more valuable alive than dead. Arrest him for now".
His orders were immediately carried out as two soldiers moved to pull the unconscious youth away.
Boqin watched all this silently. Then his gaze turned to the wall that was badly damaged, a frown remaining present on his face.
Then, he turned around to leave.
Word had spread that the fortress of Shen Guan (The Last Fortress before Omashu, eastward on the other side of the Kolau Mountain Range) had fallen. Fire Nation was marching towards Omashu.
No matter whether the boy was a spy or a traitor, judgement would be passed when he spat out everything he knew.
.....
[Back To Present Timeframe]
Earth Kingdom Camp.
Luca's POV
"... You guys again?"
I could tell you that my surprise wasn't the slightest bit farfetched.
For the two people right before me, I was undoubtedly, genuinely surprised to see them.
".... Hey, nice to see you too". Dandan uttered unkindly with narrowed eyes.
I could feel the hostility in his tone.
The teens before me were none other than Dandan and Fenfang.
Two of the five teenagers I met back at the Haican Stronghold.
'They're still alive?' in that case, it meant that the secret passage back then was real. Not that it mattered anymore.
However ….
".... Why are you here? ….". I asked with a frown.
The last thing I remembered was losing consciousness after killing that strange boar.
Logically speaking, I should be back in the cave.
But that wasn't the case now, was it?
"... No … How are you here …". My eyes examining my surroundings. It was a small, earthen room. A small mat laid on the floor, a barrel of water at the side and a candle to give light.
"And where exactly am I?"
"..". I received no reply. Both of them in the other end turned to look at each other. Eventually, Dandan took the lead.
"Look, we need to …".
RUMBLE!
It happened then.
The walls shook slightly, followed by rumbling noise and the sound of moving rocks.
A door entrance opened up, catching their attention as a figure walked inside.
"Oh … You're awake".
Mingxia said, surprised. "That's good. Now we can clear up a lot of things. I know right now you must have …. Many questions. We can …".
"Where am I?" I cut her short immediately. It might be rude, but I couldn't care less right now. Not when I had no idea what had happened to me.
She paused for a moment.
"You're in an Earth Kingdom Camp".
"Earth Kingdom?"
My eyebrows furrowed immediately.
"Yes". She nodded. "Apparently, they found you out in the mountains in the cave of an animal they were hunting".
I remembered my situation before passing out. It sounded accurate.
"How long was I unconscious?"
"A few hours. We saw you when they brought you back and vouched for you. Nevertheless, you aren't out of the woods yet".
My eyebrows couldn't get any higher at this point.
Dandan who noticed my confusion got to the point.
"Don't you understand? You're a prisoner here. We all are".
Here we go. Those words filled me with an ominous premonition.
"What are you talking about? What do you mean by vouched? And how can you be prisoners after escaping Haican?"
"..". She paused once again. Under my gaze, her lips curling up to reveal a bitter smile before replying.
".... We …. never escaped to begin with".
.....
POV Change
It took less than five minutes for Luca to understand his current situation.
Just like he had expected, the tunnel back at Haican was a ruse and the entrance had long been covered up.
Mingxia and her group were captured by Earth Kingdom soldiers.
Under the pressure, they revealed everything they knew and explained the situation and circumstances.
The end result was, surprisingly better than they expected.
Like Luca suspected, not all soldiers in the base were Collaborators. The leading Captain and his trusted men accounted for more than half of the total number.
Once being told that their captain was a traitor, the personnel stationed there were startled.
Many didn't believe it at all, while others began to question why there were two tunnels instead of one.
The impact of this revelation was too great.
In the end, Mingxia and her group managed to keep their lives.
Explaining why exactly they blew up the cave, the soldier in charge decided to take them as prisoners to be transferred to Omashu.
There, they would be brought to the court and trialed by The Monarch himself, Earth King Bumi.
His decision would be their fate.
Using the Cave tunnel, they initially covered more distance than him, who had gone the long way and stopped at a small camping settlement that served as a base for Earth Kingdom soldiers in Kolau.
After the storm passed earlier, a squadron of soldiers led by Captain Boqin had gone off searching for food.
Reaching this point, the rest could be reduced.
Not only did they bing back a wild Boar-q-pine, they also brought back the mentally exhausted Luca who had been identified as a Fire Nation spy.
Recognizing Luca, Mingxia had explained Luca's involvement back at Haican.
All leading to this point right now. If not, perhaps instead of waking up naturally, he would be in an interrogation room, getting splashed with a bucket of rain water.
...
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FYI, chapter 52 will be released on Sunday. You know, regular reset time for Powerstones. That's 5pm WAT for me.