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Overview[]
Rong Yan and Yong Ten visit Taku for the annual End of the Thirty Year War celebration.
Chapter 12: The Festival[]
Book 1: Air
Chapter 12: The Festival
The winds have been picking up around the area that Yong Ten and Rong Yan were flying through. Rong Yan was laying back enjoying himself on Jippo's saddle chilling while Yong Ten sat on Jippo's head steering the beast through the sky. In the distance, they had seen a small city with city folk putting up decorations for what seems to be a festival. The large shadow of Jippo begins to ride past the edge of the town, some of the people were looking up to see the bison flying above them in amazement as they have never seen a sky bison before. Yong Ten steers Jippo down to the town below and lands just outside of the town near the stables. Rong Yan and Yong Ten hop-off Jippo, Rong Yan walks up to the city gates where he reads the letters engraved on a wooden sign while Yong Ten leads Jippo to the stables.
"Welcome to the city of Taku," he read. Looking over to Yong Ten who had just paid the stable worker a few silvers to take care of Jippo while they visited the city. He walked back over to Rong Yan reading the sign as well.
"The sign says, this city is named Taku," Rong Yan said.
"Yes Taku, it is a city of commerce there's a lot of trade that goes on around here. We're in the northwestern part of the Earth Kingdom now," Yong Ten replied.
"Why are we here though?" Rong Yan asked.
"Here in Taku every year on this day they celebrate the end of the Thirty Year War," Yong Ten answered, leading Rong Yan into the city of Taku.
A guard noticed them and bowed to Rong Yan formally introducing him to the city, "Welcome to our city, Avatar, I hope you enjoy the celebration!" he said. Rong Yan and Yong Ten thanked him and bowed in return.
There were several lines with paper lit lanterns strewn about each end of the lines were tied to parts of roofs from one building to another. A guard tower off over yonder held multiple men carrying fireworks and placing them in the pile of pyrotechnics. A few guards were scattered near the area protecting the fireworks from hooligans or riff-raff.
They had entered the commerce quarter of the city several buildings all over with businesses here and there. Stands were built outside on the streets and in the alleys of the quarter. A couple of people were walking around having a conversation with each other while making deals with the merchants. There were merchants selling fruits, vegetables, hot meals, masks, snacks, weapons, armor, clothing, etc. Crowds were gathering getting ready for the festivities, travelers from all around the Earth Kingdom were arriving for the celebration.
There must have been at least around a hundred people in this area having fun, and preparing for the festivities. Others were eating off to the side at all the feast tables places on one side of the square. The stands had everything from banana juice to lychee nuts, from komodo chicken to roast duck a Fire Nation delicacy. They approached a stand with a short line where behind the stand was a fat Earth Kingdom man selling fruits and juice.
The line finally ends at them, Rong Yan runs off in another direction to another food stand while Yong Ten begins to order his food, "Yes, I'd like some lychee nuts, apple cabbage stew, and some mango berry juice please," he ordered. The food vendor wrote his order down he called out someone from the building behind him who took the order and ran inside.
Lychee nuts.
Minutes later, Yong Ten obtains his meal from the vendor and sees Rong Yan a few yards from him careening from side to side while trying to balance the mountain of food he was carrying in his hands. "Ahhh!" he screams finally toppling over after losing balance some of the food lands on top of him spilling on his clothes. He whines a little but gathers what he could salvage and walks off to meet Yong Ten at the table he was sitting at.
Several people handed out flyers of different things happening around the city of Taku during the celebration. A man with a bounce to his steps comes around to the section Yong Ten and Rong Yan were eating at passing around fliers sliding a flyer on their table he continues on his merry way. The flier had a graphic of the Earth Kingdom shaped continent, with decals of the insignias of both the Omashu and Ba Sing Se provinces which were the two major provinces in the area.
The flier the man handed out to Yong Ten.
The writing on the flier says: 'Come one, come all Happy National Thirty Year War end celebration! Come to the stage in the center of town and receive a history lesson by our local historian professor Chi-Fu. Learn more about the Thirty Year War between the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes.'
"This could be educational for you, it is best for you to learn more about the history of the war your past life ended." Yong Ten said.
"You always said you wanted to learn more about Ku Tei so now's your chance to look at it from a civilian perspective." Yong Ten mentioned.
The sun was beginning to go down and the sky was changing colors from blue to a more pinkish hue. Rong Yan and Yong Ten had finished their meals and cleaned up after themselves tossing their trash away. They foot it in the direction of the center of town where hundreds of citizens and visitors were gathering around the stage area, where a bony and scrawny man with a lanky build is standing near a desk on the stage gathering his materials and getting ready for the presentation. He wore middle-class green, light green and yellow colors on his robes, a belt with the Omashu province insignia designed for the buckle fashioned his waist. He also had a short black Fu Manchu mustache that ended at the bottom of his chin and a thin goatee that didn't even reach his Adam's apple. He wore a hat called a 'yugeon' it an assortment of green and yellow hues, yugeons were more commonly worn by scholars and students.
Chi-Fu the Historian.
He stepped forward onto the stage and looked out to the hundreds of people in the crowd area, he bowed to them and began to organize his notes. Switching papers around to put them all in order from chronological order so he wouldn't get anything mixed up. He began, "In the year 750 BG, Chieftess Akitla of the Northern Water Tribe established a Northern Water Tribe colony in a northeastern area of the Ba Sing Se province. The colony remained behind to gather resources to export to the Northern Water Tribe. Enslaving the villagers in the area to work amongst the colonials to gather resources necessary to aid the Northern Water Tribe. This was considered an invasion and was not known to Earth King Ta Po. When the village was conquered by the Northern Water Tribe the governor's estate of raided as well and the governor was assassinated by the northern tribe. They stole lumber, ore, livestock, and crops from the villagers in the area for one year," Chi-Fu began.
"Word had eventually gotten out from the village a call to arms to take back the village from the Water Tribe invaders. Earth King Ta Po was furious and sent a detachment of assassins to the Northern Water Tribe in 749 BG. The mission was a success, Chieftess Akitla was assassinated in her palace, her supporters who failed to overthrow her and excused all of her crimes in the northeastern Earth Kingdom began the war with the eastern Earth Kingdom. Ta Po had declared war on them as well for what the Chieftess has done. In 748 BG following the war months later the village was reoccupied by eastern Earth Kingdom troops and in the Northern Water Tribe Akitla's heir, Cupun was crowned chief of the northern tribe. Three years have passed, in 745 BG, the eastern military began invading the Northern Water Tribe and taking villages. Also during that year Avatar Anana's successor Ku Tei, a young man servicing in the Ba Sing Se military was identified as the Avatar and was removed from service to begin mastering the four elements," Chi-Fu recalled.
"A year later in 744 BG began major battles that took place that forever changed the flow of the war. The battle of Akiak between the Northern Tribe and the eastern Earth Kingdom was lost to the Northern Water Tribe. The battle of Lu'an was won by the eastern Earth Kingdom. Five years had gone by smaller skirmishes had occurred, then in 739 BG was the battle of Eklutna Forest a sacred spiritual forest to the Northern Water Tribe, there was a heavy toll of casualties to the eastern Earth Kingdom during this battle. Forces retreated and the Northern Tribe kept their sacred forest. Ten years later, in 729 BG the war, ravaged on but Ta Po gained aid from the western Earth Kingdom to end it all. Gao Zu sent his forces into the eastern Earth Kingdom to repel northern invaders. The Southern Water Tribe lent their aid to the Northern Water Tribe as agreed upon by their ancient treaties. During this year Prince Bao Ju heir to the Ba Sing Se throne was assassinated by Water Tribe assassins. Ta Po's grandson, Bao Ju's newborn and now heir to the throne was sent to the Fire Nation to be kept safe until the war ended," Chi-Fu continued.
"In 727, General Chun was killed in combat and for Senlin's dedication to the Ba Sing Se military was promoted to general. It was around this time that Senlin began to betray the eastern province. He never revealed his motives, but this was crucial to the future of the war as well because this is when the Earth Kingdom's unified forces began to fail in skirmishes. Three years later, in 724 BG the battle of Chu-Shi commenced and the Earth Kingdom lost the battle. In 719 BG, Gao Zu cut ties from the losing war that he left Ta Po's men to die, pulling all Omashu province soldiers from eastern territory they retreated to their lands and closed the borders. Troops were deployed to the border of the Omashu/Ba Sing Se provincial borders to fight off any eastern or Water Tribe invaders." Chi-Fu said.
"It was in 718 BG, that investigations almost concluded. The Battle of Ta Ren was won by the Water Tribes, at this point, the military was a week away from invading Ba Sing Se. Avatar Ku Tei, was an ambassador for both nations and working closely with the leaders of all three nations. It wasn't until he arrived in Cupun's palace that he ran into Senlin. He hid at witnessed the whole thing. His duties as the Avatar kept him from killing Cupun and the southern chief because doing so would destroy the deal. He confronted the chieftains and had convinced them to no longer work with Senlin. He returned to Ba Sing Se to confront Senlin of his crimes. Senlin fled the room and gathered men who supported him on both sides. Han Tui was taken by Senlin's small forces and the truce between the eastern Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes began. Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe troops joined together to take Han Tui from Senlin's forces. In the end, Senlin was arrested and his forces were captured or killed." Chi-Fu finished.
"At the very end of it all, the war ended in a truce to defeat a common foe and peace talks occurred during 718 BG - 715 BG. The end of the Thirty Year War brought a lot of hardships to the nations affected. The Earth King pulled his forces from the Northern Water Tribe and all Northern Water Tribe colonies were deported to the Northern Water Tribe. Ta Po had plans for a civil war with Gao Zu but closed any thoughts about it, his men fought in a thirty-year war it would be unfair to put them in another war so quickly." he mentioned.
Captain Wei and his men arriving on the stage.
A squad of western Earth Kingdom troops, about 10 to 12 men marched in Taku the crowd wasn't aware of what was going on. Three men walked up onto the stage shooing Chi-Fu off the stage, the man in the middle wore a captain's uniform and took out a scroll attached to his belt. The captain of the squad opened the scroll up to reveal a painted portrait for Senlin and writing beside it. It was obvious the scroll was a wanted poster and several bounty hunters would be on the lookout for Senlin.
"General Senlin of the eastern Earth Kingdom is wanted for treason, escaping prison and the assassination of 41st Earth King Ta Po. It is led to believe that Senlin escaped the prison with the use of metalbending. He is to be considered extremely dangerous and should be reported to a local guard. Anywho join his cause or harbor this fugitive will be thrown in prison for life or executed, for they have committed treason to the Earth Kingdom," the captain announced.
A shadow is lurking on a rooftop in Taku eavesdropping on the squad captain announcing the wanted poster. He grinned and then hopped from the rooftop he stood to another before disappearing into the night. A man in the crowd shouted to the captain on stage, "Did you just say he was metalbender? That's nonsense no one can bend metal!" Others in the crowd reacted in frightened tones and some showed expressions of dread.
"We don't want you to panic, rest assured we here in the Omashu province are on the lookout for this man. The Ba Sing Se province has warned us of this and have begun searching for him as well," the captain reassured.
Another person in the crowd, "Why doesn't Avatar Ku Tei just kill Senlin??"
"That's because Avatar Ku Tei passed away, he's been dead for almost twenty years. The new Avatar from what we heard of is off in the Southern Air Temple mastering airbending," the captain of the squad replied.
Rong Yan felt like this was his cue to debunk that fact and finally introduce himself to the people of Taku. He ran up onto the stage and introduced himself, before being pushed back by the two men who stood on the stage near the captain.
"Get off the stage you have no business up here, ash maker." the men said.
"Move I'm the Avatar." Rong Yan responded, struggling to get past the two men before slipping past them.
"I am the immediate successor of Avatar Ku Tei, I know this isn't a formal introduction but I'm Avatar Rong Yan. I haven't gone off to the Southern Air Temple because I'm still on the way there. I promise you that when I master airbending I will do my best to focus looking for Senlin while mastering the four elements and bring him to justice!" Rong Yan promised.
The crowd and soldiers had knelt before Rong Yan to pay their respects and honor his presence. They stood to their feet after a few seconds, Yong Ten had heard a whistle in the air an arrow was slicing through aiming at Rong Yan. Yong Ten shouted, "Rong Yan, move!" Hearing his master's words he ducked, the arrow that had plunged into the chest of the soldier behind him. The crowd shrieked panicking they had fled in multiple directions while the captain of the guard jerked his head up and had seen an archer on the rooftop of a building.
Some of the Water Tribe rebels that attacked Taku.
"Archer on the rooftop! Water Tribe rebels! Men assemble positions!" He ordered.
The squad of troops gathered in a line formation all in several different earthbending stances. Three arrows tore through the sky in the direction of the captain, one of his comrades quickly swings his arms forward raising an earth wall for his captain. The captain tightens his fists and cracks begin to appear on the wall. In Ma Bo stance the captain begins to punch the small segments of the wall up onto the roof knocking the archer off the roof. Yong Ten tosses his glider into the air and leaps onto it flying up onto the roof an arrow soaring right past him. He lands on the roof swinging his staff conjuring an air slice that slices through the air like butter hitting the archer perched on top. Knocking him off the roof, his bow drops along with him the archer quickly attempts to reach a wooden beam on the building he squatted on, catching himself on it with both arms the bow snaps as it impacts with the ground below him. He screams a bit the weight that was suddenly put on his shoulders after he caught himself at the speed he was falling. The wooden beam creaked quite a bit and he had hoped that it wouldn't snap because there had been quite a few feet before he would meet the ground.
The wave that the waterbender makes.
A waterbender comes riding in with style a large wave freezing it as he goes to further stabilize the body of the wave from collapsing. Unfreezing the now frozen arch as soon as he reaches the ground with his feet. A second archer had been blown off a roof this one didn't react fast enough to grab onto something. The waterbender reacted quickly and created a giant globe of water to break his comrade's fall. The water had fallen around him in large puddles, he began attacking the citizens sending small waves at them swishing them away, some slamming into walls others being knocked off their feet.
The squad captain had began to break some of the cracks of the earth wall into smaller projectiles. He jerked his fingers forward each commanding a small rock towards the archers knocking them one by one off the roofs. A few men emerged from the ground below in full clad earth armor to prevent the waves from knocking them out of balance and position. More waterbenders gather near the first one and in unison try to push and pull the water themselves to strengthen the wave and push back the soldiers. The soldiers who were freely jogging in the earth armor were now being slowed down floundering closer to the waterbenders. One of the soldiers was being pushed away in a quick effort he shot the rock gauntlets of his hands at a waterbender. The gauntlets propelled through the air hitting a waterbender square on the chin. Knocking him out and knocking off his feet. The wave had gotten weaker, the moon was present the waterbenders had gotten stronger.
An arrow found its way coming to Rong Yan, he spun around releasing a wave of fire from his fingertips the speed of the wave hitting the arrow faster that it can reach its target. The arrow burnt to a crisp fell out of the air falling to the ground as a small pile of ash. Only a few citizens were left behind all others had gotten away a few bodies were spread out near the stage area one or two had drowned maybe while others were left scattered around stepping on their toes as they ran for their lives.
The squad captain yelled at the top of his lungs, "Civilians if you are brave help defend your city from these invaders!"
One of the last of the citizens felt the fire in his heart he ran forward warriors chasing him and the others away with their weapons raised he slid his front leg across the ground changing the solid ground near him into quicksand sinking the three warriors who were chasing civilians. Waist-high in quicksand the men pleaded with the earthbender, his fists in front of his he slowly began to close his hands into fists watching the warriors sink into the ground meeting their deaths in a sandy tomb. Another civilian ran up to the earthbender who had grabbed one of the clubs from one of the three warriors he sunk into the sand and tossed it to the civilian. He charged into the fight but had no skill in how to properly use his new club he might have ran into his death but he naturally used it to bludgeon his enemies.
Rong Yan is fighting off a warrior who had attempted to a swing on Rong Yan. He kicked the blade out of the warrior's hand disarming him fighting the warrior in close combat. The warrior had snuck a punch to Rong Yan's stomach, taking the hit he felt a slight discomfort although he was struck in a general abdomen area his body took the swing and soaked the pain. The warrior had brought up his knee in time aiming it at Rong Yan's face who pushes the knee down blocking his face with his hands. The warrior snuck out a small blade and tried to cheat on his fistfight with the Avatar.
Swinging the small blade at Rong Yan slightly slicing his left hand blocking the blade from trying to cut his face. Blood sat on the light open wound and reddened the surrounding area but was not deep enough to begin bleeding. A little frightened Rong Yan sparked a small ember in his right hand and struck the warrior in the chest with an open palm holding the flaming. Producing a hotter and bigger flame that burned a hole into the warrior's chest and boiled the man's internal organs killing him. The dead warrior laid on the ground with a hole smoldering in his chest.
Not giving him any breaks a wave of water had hit Rong Yan washing him up and crashing him into the wall of a house. He tried getting onto his feet before two waters had bended another wave at him. Coughing out some water that was getting into his mouth he couldn't breathe. Yong Ten jumped out of nowhere blasting air at the waterbenders kicking air at one of them. He raised an ice wall with his right arm that was free while he concentrated on helping the other bender continue bullying Rong Yan with waves of water.
The air blast smashed into the ice wall shattering the waterbender turned his attention after the third wave and trapped Yong Ten in an icicle prison from the remnants of the ice wall he shattered. Another waterbender joins them he had carried more water with him what with the puddles surrounding them. Rong Yan was helpless at this point, Yong Ten had hoped one of the earthbenders would notice to come to the rescue but they were busy fighting off and dying to the invaders. A few civilians had come out of their homes after they had seen their neighbors having enough and going into defend Taku from the men who invaded their small city.
A worried Yong Ten cried out, "NO!" he couldn't break free from his ice prison while he struggled to break free he was watching them drown the Avatar.
Something triggered in Rong Yan when he had heard the panicked cry of his airbending master. His eyes opened wide with a cold white glow that emanated from his eyes. The water around him began to glow on of the waterbenders startled had lost concentration and ran for his life screaming when he had noticed that the Avatar State triggered protecting Rong Yan. They had lost control of the water that began lashing out at them. The water nearby that was not being used on Rong Yan had began to rise in a large water spout, the water began to pressurize and bent upwards and some of the waterbenders began to lose focus and pointed at the large water spout rising in the air. This was the moment where the earthbenders could push back the invaders. The distracted invaders were struck down, the men who were trying to drown Rong Yan were fleeing from their location.
Rong Yan rising in the sky in Taku, while in the Avatar State.
"Run! The Avatar State has triggered within that firebender!" one of them yelled as he came sprinting down towards the others. One of the earthbenders had nudged his squad captain behind the small earth wall they covered behind.
"Sir, the Avatar is in the Avatar State! We should pull out troops out for their safety, if he can't control it he might kill them too." the soldier warned.
"Men find cover!" he barked the order to his soldiers who were fighting near him, who jumped ship and sunk into the ground beneath them.
Others stopped fighting entirely when they had seen the Avatar. They ran off to hide behind something until the Avatar had exited the Avatar State. Rong Yan had blacked out but his past lives had controlled his body, he rose on the water sprout in at great height and rode the spout with ease. His face began to redden from the anger of the Avatar State.
A terrifying roar shook everyone watching from below the spout had shot down to the ground. A rumble from the ground was felt while the earthbenders had hid behind walls of earth to wait out the Avatar State. When Rong Yan hit the ground icicles had shot out at the fleeing invaders impaling the ones who did not seek cover killing most of the invading force while others screamed retreating out of the city. The icicles that held Yong Ten melted freeing him, he dropped down onto his hands and knees. Rong Yan had collapsed on the ground after the Avatar spirit had detected that Rong Yan was now safe and the threat had subsided.
The festival had ended early and abruptly due to the invasion, Yong Ten had blown into his bison whistle calling for Jippo. He ran over to Rong Yan's unconscious body lifting him up and over his shoulders. Jippo had landed and laid down on his belly allowing Yong Ten to walk up his flat tail and gently lay Rong Yan's body on the saddle. "Yip yip," he clucked to Jippo.
Jippo's tail he slammed onto the ground as he began to slowly ascend into the air. Yong Ten saddened at the ending result of the invasion a tear from his eye, he grabbed a small folded blanket and placed it over Rong Yan. Jippo flew through the air, the squad captain looking up at the sky bison, he muttered to himself, "Thank you, Avatar. Be safe."
"Alright men gather up the prisoners!" he barked at his soldiers, clasping earth bracers onto the invaders' wrists. They began to round out the invaders arresting the ones who didn't leave the city.
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