| By King Bumis Heir | Genre | Rating | Reviews | Updates |
| More from King Bumis Heir | Action/Adventure/Drama/Comedy/Romance | YA 16+ | None | No update page |
Overview[]
Avani and the gang continue on their journey to the capital of Pingyao. Meanwhile, both Kingdoms push their advances toward the grand city of Garsai situated on the southern tip of the East Hu Xin province. The coalition of Haijunese controlled states assault the Xian city, while their Oma brothers remain unaware of their siege. The Isoro Royals finally enter their territory and spend a day in a small hamlet near the borders of Shiwei and the Si Wong provinces. Chu Zi is still trying to get used to being around Setka, both teens learn about each other's flaws and insecurities.
Chapter 7: The City of Labyrinths[]
"Save it, let's get him to Taiyuan after we bury that guy over there," Avani raised her hand at the Captain. She was uninterested in conversation but pointed out that there was a dead soldier nearby. To which Fangzhu had tended to.
Fangzhu knelt beside the dead soldier; his eyes stared at Taobing while seeing nothing. The airbender shut the man's eyes, then examined the body for the mortal wound. Next, he lifted the body's arms, hands, checked the armpits.
Airen pointed at the head, "Do you not see the big hole on the side of his head?"
"Ahh, I must've missed that," replied Fangzhu.
Fangzhu used two fingers and conjured a small air blade to snap the tail of the arrow. Then he apologized to the corpse, "Sorry bud, I'm going to need to remove the arrow from your head."
"Fangzhu... he's dead," added Airen.
"Airen, we have different cultures, and I would like it if you stopped pestering men. I know he's dead," responded the Airbender. Fangzhu tugged at the arrow lodged into the man's skull while Airen turned away disgusted. Hangzhou's hands were stained with the man's blood.
Airbenders usually gave sky burials to their dead. They spoke to the bodies of the deceased as if they still lived. Because in their culture, it was believed their souls were still inside the bodies until ceremonial rites were given.
After a soft pop, the arrow was removed from the cranium of the fallen soldier. Then, Biehe suggested, "Why don't we just bury him here?"
Shuaige disagreed, "No, we don't just bury our men everywhere. Help me wrap him up, and we'll put him in the cart. Then, when we reach Taiyuan, I'll make the arrangements to have his remains transported back to Ba Sing Se."
Shuaige headed over to one of their carts and grabbed a large cloth long enough to cover the body. Baoshou and Wei lifted the body, while Shuaige placed the sheet under the body. This cloth was gold in color with the insignia of the Golden Haijunese Sun. His helmet was picked up by Zuqiu, his weapons were picked up by others. After the body was wrapped in cloth, it was placed into a cart, and the body's belongings were placed near it.
Shuaige sighed, "That's one of us down. I just hope the rest of us can make it alive to the capital."
"Let's move on, help Taobing get onto an ostrich horse," he ordered Wei. The man nodded and paced over to the injured soldier.
Somewhere in Southern East Hu Xin province – Contested Territory
Smoke billowed all around a field army of men; about one-hundred thousand men marched toward these mountains near the coast of East Hu Xin province. At the helm of the field army was Shuicheng's Colonel-General, Liehou Shili. The whitish-gray-skinned man sat on an ostrich horseback in front of him, and his field army was a mountain range. Over these mountains, however, was a basin. The land looked barren, as if nothing lived there. But this area, in particular, was guarded by Oma Kingsmen soldiers as if it had some importance.
Mountaineers were killed around the mountains as the enemy soldiers trekked the paths to reach the area. With the might of a field army at your hands, no one could oppose you. The mountaineers ran for their watchtowers as they attempted to sound alarms across the area. The invaders caused a landslide which resulted in the towers collapsing from the mountainside. Each building fell and injured or killed the two patrols inside. The field army continued on their way; scouts were sent ahead to survey the area and disable enemy watchtowers.
Hat, Isoro Empire
The white-painted wooden carriage rolled through the sandy environment. The royal guard passed through the border of the Isoro Empire and Shiwei province. The Isoro Royals had been cooped up in that carriage for as little as four to five days. Chu Zi rested her head on Setka's shoulders. While he and her arranged fiance napped, Zaphnath rested his arms on the aperture and stared out of it while they rolled through. Shabaka sat in the corner, silent as he thought about things.
Zaphnath gasped with excitement and pointed out to a small hamlet near the border. He beamed excitedly, "If! We're here!"
Then Pharaoh called out to his guard captain, "Adeben, where are we?"
"We've arrived in Hat, D'jer," answered Adeben.
A royal guard opened the carriage door, the sound of the door opening awoke the young couple. Chu Zi yawned while Setka rubbed his eyes; they stepped out of the cart first. The young couple stretched their bodies, the young boy ran and dove into the sand. He rolled around as he giggled; he missed his homeland. The Pharaoh exited and then ordered his youngest to stop, "Zaphnath put an end to your shenanigan. You're getting yourself dirty!"
The boy ceased his enjoyment of the sand and slightly frowned before he got back on his feet. Then, Adeben began, "The civilians here have arranged the local inn for your stay, Heru."
"That's very kind of them; make sure that the owners are well compensated when we return to Bekini," mentioned Shabaka.
The royals were escorted into the inn, where the owners welcomed them by kowtow. The guards split into three rooms, one for the Pharaoh, shared by Setka and Chu Zi, while the third was occupied solely by Zaphnath.
Outside each door stood two royal guards; the owners and the employees were thoroughly searched for weapons, poisons, and anything that could harm the royals. Inside and around the outer perimeter of the inn was the presence of the twenty royal guards. The caretakers were observed by the guards as well. While the hamlet guards worked closely with the royal guards to ensure the area was well guarded. Some guards came in to place clothing and other belongings into each room.
After everyone was settled, Setka and Chu Zi were alone in their room.
The princess sat on the bed while the prince changed his tunic for the day. Chu Zi sat in silence, as she had been for the past week. She spoke very little and listened to everything the Isoro royals and the guards said.
Her prince mentioned, "This tunic is sort of itchy; I don't understand how the nobles can wear this stuff."
Chu Zi twiddled her fingers as she sat there silently. Finally, Setka turned to face her to get a response, "What do you think?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was thinking about home," she turned her attention to the prince.
"I wanted to get your opinion on the tunic I'm wearing. But it seems like you're distracted. Are you homesick?" repeated Setka. He noticed the tone in her voice when she mentioned 'home.' He wondered if she missed her homeland. If so, the least he could do is help her be more comfortable.
"I miss my mother, my uncle, I even miss my piyan of a brother..." she mentioned, then gasped when she caught herself.
Chu Zi covered her mouth. She just insulted the Earth King of the Oma Kingdom. She lowered her head in embarrassment. Then added, "Excuse my language."
"You acted like you had a close relationship with him," commented Setka.
"I don't, we never grew up together; Father kept him close where he learned how to run things in the case my father ever passed. He grew colder after Father died of illness. The gemsbok bull was all his doing, that wasn't even a part of the ceremony," revealed Chu Zi.
"This union will get you away from him; at the very least, I'm doing you a favor," commented Setka.
"You're right about that, but I feel like...I still need my mother. She's my rock, my everything," Chu Zi agreed; she then opened up more to the prince.
"Ahhh, I see; while I spent most of my time with His Majesty, I feel closer to the Queen Consort. So I understand where you're coming from," shared Setka.
"Why do you call them by their titles?" she questioned the prince.
"Do you not call your family members by their titles? It's a formal gesture," Setka asked the princess.
"Your tunic looks nice," commented Chu Zi as she pinched it at his left shoulder.
"Only nice?! I knew I looked like a fool!" blurted Setka. He cleared his throat when he saw that she looked at him weirdly. Then he apologized, "Sorry."
He lost interest in the conversation and walked over to the balcony of the room they stayed in. Setka rested his arms on the railing as he devised an adventurous idea in his head. Chu Zi undressed into more of a light attire for the arid climate she was now in. Setka returned inside and then brought up his plans for the day, "How about w-"
The princess interrupted the prince, who gave a faint shriek and told him, "Turn around!"
Setka had only seen the large birthmark that wrapped around the left side of her navel up to her mid-back. He covered his eyes and twirled to face the outside, "I'm so sorry, I didn't see anything! I promise!"
However, the prince lied he saw the birthmark located on Chu Zi's lower abdomen. It didn't matter to him, though. Instead, he inquired as he faced the balcony, "How did you get that mark on your lower torso?"
Chu Zi silently sighed, then answered, "I...was born with it."
"At least now I won't feel embarrassed to show you this," said Setka.
"I'm almost done; hold on," she continued. She slipped on some robes.
"You can turn around now," said the princess.
Setka faced her; she wore a light green robe perfect for Hat weather. He smiled, "That looks good on you."
She thanked the prince and followed with a question, "Thank you, so what were you going to show me?"
The prince wore golden braces on his forearms; he sighed then unlatched his left forearm's bracer to reveal a splotch of white. Setka divulged, "The healers can't tell me what it is. We've tried everything. I thought this only plagued the common folk."
Chu Zi examined his left forearm then addressed him, "You have vitiligo."
"I have what?" he questioned her again.
The princess repeated, "You have vitiligo."
"One of the Court of the Clans members has it. Most of his face is white, and he has one brown eyebrow and a white eyebrow. So you'll be fine," explained the princess.
"Speaking of white hair, that's also the reason I had my head shaved. I was born with some white spots in my hair. I began having it shaved when I turned thirteen; since then, I have lived my life bald. I struggled to love the way I am; it's embarrassing being in my late teens and having the hair color of an old man," revealed the prince, a tear welled up in his eye. The princess wiped his tear as it slid down his right cheek.
"You shouldn't have to hide who you are," Chu Zi paused, then she chuckled. She realized that what she told him was ridiculous because she hid her birthmark from the world.
Chu Zi shook her head as she finished, "I'm telling you this while I'm afraid of showing you my birthmark."
"Can I-I see it?" he asked.
She slightly hesitated at first, then opened her robes to show Setka the birthmark she was born with. Setka smiled, "I think you look beautiful."
She blushed, her mouth beamed from ear to ear. Then, finally, the prince suggested, "Now that you're dressed to walk about, why don't we go exploring? The hamlet's actually pretty sizable for a day of activities."
"Activities? What could we possibly do here? There are only five buildings," stated the princess.
"Well, when you have an adventurous soul like mine, a place with five buildings will feel like Upper Bekini," said Setka as he gave Chu Zi a toothy smile.
Omashu, Oma Kingdom
King Yeman sat upon his throne within the war room as he overlooked a large table with a painted-on thick leather hide. Across him were four seats, only three were filled, the missing man was General Bu Lu. However, in his place were scrolls that he sent to Commander Zhang for the meeting. This contained information about what was happening in the region he controlled.
General Ji Du Wei began, "Urgent news from the southwestern front, we're cornered. The Haijunese have taken hold of their land in the area. Leaving Gongzhu province under attack from all borders."
"What we can do to avoid losing Bu'Keng?" asked Yeman.
"I've been working with Governor Lundu; his navy is large enough to split into three and assault two capitals while adding support to Bu'Keng. He deployed men to Tu Zin and Kunlun City. We're working on retaking the land," explained General Wei.
"And how many are being sent to Gongzhu? You know it's an important port city," wondered Yeman.
"A flotilla of thirty-two warships should have docked in Bu'Keng by now. Chuan Bay has mostly been a contested territory as of now. We were made aware of the evacuation of the Chaopin islands. The Haijunese Navy is using the islands as their base for the time being. We've had scouts report that not even merchant ships are being permitted into the waters because of the hostile blockade," answered General Ji Du Wei.
Yeman twiddled his thumbs as he sat there and contemplated likely scenarios. Then he inquired, "Do we need the islands?"
General Wei added, "They'd contribute to the economy based on the population who live and work there."
"Send word to Lundu; I want those islands by the weekend's end," ordered Yeman.
General Wei saluted him and dismissed himself from the meeting. Yeman questioned the Commander of the Triumvirate, "Commander Zhang, what do you have for me?"
"We're gaining ground in Pingyao province; however, I've ordered the men to steer clear of Fort Li Jun and Taiyuan for the meantime. I've sent word to Gan, soon they'll be meeting with the leader of the Ke clan near the border of Pingyao and Ru. With a clan amassing around five hundred individuals, it should be a great asset to our assault on Taiyuan," reported Zhang.
"I've also been orchestrating the invasion of Duryaja province; we've mostly taken northern areas of it. Our presence is increasing, you should know we've completely lost Jintai, and the Haijunese are bleeding into Yang province," said Zhang.
"Deploy Tanghai military to assist the Jintai resistance in liberating Minghua," commanded Yeman.
"Those in Yulin are ready to assault Duru province but are meeting resistance on the front lines. So Duru and Houxi formed a coalition to keep us at bay. What would you like to do about that?" Zhang questioned Yeman.
Yun interrupted, "Shouldn't we be worried about the Haijunese amounting an assault?"
"Most of their armies are busy, and the army in Pingyao is busy attempting to trickle in from the eastern border. Ru is in the far west; I think it'll be fine," Commander Zhang added.
"I'll send word for immediate deployment," Zhang nodded; he grabbed the scrolls left behind for Yeman from General Bu Lu, who's been in Garsai for over a month now. Commander Zhang mentioned as he slid the scrolls over to the young Earth King, "This scroll was left behind to you from General Bu Lu, and this other one shows the current state of things."
Yeman unrolled both of the scrolls; he scanned the two left and right. The first contained a letter, while the second had a map with golden pigment and silver pigment painted onto the map. The drawing was in the shape of the Eastern Hu Xin province.
Most of the map showed X's left where forts, outposts, and towns once stood. All of this was highlighted in gold paint. While the southern tip of the peninsula was painted in silver color. Yeman's hands trembled, likely from anger as he stared at the map.
He faced the letter it read:
"To His Majesty the 57th Earth King Kuiwu Yeman,
I reach out to you from the grand city of Garsai; I regret to inform you that we've lost an immense amount of territory. We're losing it fast. The coalition of the following provinces: Zhong Tai, Tsinghua, Hailiu, Yizhan, and Yaiyan, have attacked us from all ends.
I believe soon, the union of provinces will finally come to take the city. We've mobilized the slave soldiers in the outer perimeter of the town, along with siege weapons and operators to keep the invaders at bay. We've seen enemy warships by the hundreds out near Hu Xin island, which I must let you know has been taken by the Haijunese. I've sent word to West Hu Xin for aid; the forces will arrive in a week. With blood, bravery, and honor, we will make sure Garsai remains under our control.
Lieutenant-General Bu Lu, of the Triumvirate of War"
Yeman slammed his fists onto the table as hard as he could and screamed with rage. His generals watched as he threw a temper tantrum. Finally, Yeman barked at Zhang, "If we lose Garsai, I want Bu Lu's head on a pike!"
Garsai, East Hu Xin – Contested Territory
The Haijunese union of provinces ceased their march at the foot of the basin. The land was flat with almost no hills, the water ran underground, no vegetation for miles. The area was empty save for the giant holes that were off about a mile away. A soldier walked forward and questioned General Shili, "Why were our foes insistent to not lose positioning on the mountain? There's nothing here, just an empty basin."
"This is where the city is," answered Shili.
The soldier eyed his general confused, then said, "But... there's nothing here."
"That's because the city of Garsai is underground. So sit back and observe," General Liehou responded.
The whitish-gray-skinned leader of the field army deeply inhaled some air and concentrated on the area in front of him. He shut his eyes and stomped forward. A visual image entered his mind, vibrations from when his foot hit the ground. The vibrations traveled far underneath the soil of the basin to reveal a labyrinth of tunnels that led to massive chambers inside the basin. Further from them, about ten chi, a large tunnel opened.
A few resistance soldiers used their seismic sense and created more tunnels that led toward the bottom tier of the city. Finally, one of the men told himself, "I'm here to set you free, motherland."
He gestured several men to follow him into the tunnel. Hundreds went after the resistance soldier, deeper into the tunnel as he used his seismic sense and earthbending to direct them to the bottom. Finally, General Shili announced, "It's time that we finally take the seat of the Xias, back from the Oma Kingdom. May you fight with honor, and may Tiandi be with you every step of the way! For the Haijun Kingdom!"
"Wait inside the Catacombs of the Fallen; we will begin our assault there! But, first, we must disable the defenses in the Military Quarter and prevent them from defending Garsai," General Shili shouted to his men, the lower-ranking officers repeated the orders.
There were ten divisions, each containing ten thousand men. The tunnels closed behind them, each being led by a resistance earthbender to the catacombs. Finally, after about half a dian, they reached the catacombs, each entering an empty vault. The resistance leaders repeated the plan to the men as they paced back and forth.
In other vaults, other leaders screamed, "Those of you who have gathered today know what's at stake. Our lives mean nothing without our Garsai; with blessings of Tiandi on our side, we will prevail!"
"The plan is simple, groups one and two will attack the Military Quarter, groups three, four, and five will head into the Merchant Quarter, The Despairing Vaults, and the Farms to secure them. Groups six and seven will build a resistance force inside the Deep Mines. Many of their slaves are prisoners of war. They will have the courage to fight!" all the leaders summarized.
"Group eight will secure Old Town, group nine will handle the Enclave of the Gods, tear down the shrines of their deities, and burn them. Next, find Earth Sage Zhanfu, if he still yet lives. Protect him at all costs; he will be the de-facto governor until further notice. Finally, group ten will attack and rescue the nobles and gather the number of their retainers to lay siege to the Seat of Paragons," finished the leaders. The resistance bannermen tapped their poles on the ground, the men within gave battlecries. They were ready to die for their home city.
Military Quarter – Garsai, East Hu Xin
A middle-aged gentleman swept nearby the walls of the Military Quarter's southern tip. The wall nearby shook; he reacted a bit startled. He slid his foot and listened in on the wall. His mental imagine revealed a massive group of men inside a tunnel. The sweeper gasped, but instead of sounding an alarm, he casually whistled on by. Two barbarians strolled through on their patrol route. The wall formed cracks on it.
The wall blew out, the debris seriously injured both of the Oma soldiers who passed by. A division of men poured out of the large hole in the wall. Some men went to investigate the sound with weapons drawn. The enemies ran toward the Oma Kingdom soldiers and took the men by surprise. Instantly overwhelmed by the invaders that came to take their city back. About thirty men trained in a training yard with weapons when the walls were torn down in another position. All of them freaked out and turned to face the crumbled walls. The second division came and overwhelmed the small number of recruits. Twenty thousand men flooded the Military Quarter.
Oma Kingdom soldiers were caught by a surprise attack; the Haijunese spilled through the holes they created like cave crawlers. Alarms went off, and many were alerted. Barracks went haywire as men jumped out of their beds to equip their armor. The defense grabbed their weapons on the way out. Many barracks were stormed by platoons of Haijunese soldiers. Some of the Omas were trapped inside these buildings. Many were killed, but some of the Omas got a kill or two before succumbing to their wounds. Barrack houses were set ablaze with men inside.
Watchtowers collapsed while drums of others continued to bang across the city. A slight resistance was set up in the southern area of the quarter. About five thousand men, while others fled to other parts of the capital city. Some ran toward the Enclave and the Seat of Paragons. Siege weapons were destroyed, while some were captured and relocated to other areas surrounded by platoons of Haijunese men.
Meanwhile, in the Despairing Vaults, the alarms echoed off in the distance. Many captured Xians were enslaved and worked in the prison mines. The slaves heard the warnings in the space. A slave master cracked his whip on one of the slave's backs. He then shouted, "Get back to work; it's nothing!"
The slaves used their pickaxes to mine away at the earth inside. The earthbender slaves were supervised and always had an earth dagger held on their throats if they tried anything. The alarms in the prison's mines went into full blast. The drummer slammed the drum sticks on the drum as hard as he could. After he broke a sweat, he turned to his left and screamed when a head-sized boulder crashed into him and knocked him off the tower to his death.
This startled some of the slaveholders as archers shot at an unseen enemy. Perhaps it was a massive cave monster that's run amok in the city? A tower was knocked to the ground, the prison walls caved in, and men in gold armor stormed in. The Xia slaves chuckled in vengeful laughter as they all fought their slave masters and freed themselves to join the fight. Chains were broken with earth, cuffs unlocked by keys, the slaves, along with their liberators, clashed with Oma slave masters and prison guards.
Thirteen platoons remained in the Despairing Vault mines while the rest of the division headed in deeper to rescue prisoners. The prisons inside the Despairing Vaults were like massive corridors deeper into the city.
Expansive halls and floors that led down several hundred feet below the actual city. It is said that the Despairing Vaults are connected to the Catacombs of the Fallen via several tunnels miles deep into the mountain.
The prison itself was surrounded by earth, but the inner layers were made of iron. This prevented prisoners from escaping the actual jail. Endless floors filled with inmates who served life sentences, they were housed alongside Haijunese and Xian slaves. Guards, while outnumbered, rushed to fight off the invaders but were killed. They were no match for well-trained soldiers. The troops ran toward the levers to release the prisoners and incite a prison riot.
Those who joined the resistance will be spared; those who opposed will be slaughtered. At the same time, the Farms are suddenly filled with Oma Kingdom resistance. Those who fled from the Military Quarter barricaded themselves in the area. The farm fields were expansive and as far as the eye could see. Endless square miles, possibly around seventy to one-hundred-and-twenty farms. Gigantic holes in the ceiling of the cave allowed sunlight to enter.
With very few siege weapons acquired, the rest were taken by the Haijunese, who was still in the Military Quarter. The farms and their lands were on lockdown with men behind built ramparts and siege weapons ready. The division that came was immediately bombarded with projectiles in all directions. Some were surprised, while others stopped the massive chunks of earth and redirected them back at their enemies. Although some of the missiles were dropped and split, the resistance used them as ammo against the Oma Kingdom.
The division spread further into groups of a thousand men. Each of the ten groups explored the farms deeper and was tasked to eliminate Oma troops. The fifth division engulfed the Merchant Quarter of the city. This area was filled with most of the businesses, taverns, and other amenities in the town. Money ran in this city area; local gangs were hunted by the Oma Kingdom and killed off. Those who survived joined the resistance in securing the town. Merchants turning their backs on their oppressors attacked the guards. Businesses were secured by the local triads. While these criminals weren't skilled enough to fend off the guards, critical thinking skills gave them an advantage against the barbarians.
Back in the town of Hat, as mentioned by the princess, there were only five buildings in the hamlet. However, an oasis was also connected by a stream that led outside of the province toward Shiwei. Over the creek was a bridge built from sandstone that the civilians used to get to the other side. The local inn was heavily guarded while the royal guards were behind the prince and princess. The places built near the oasis were shops; one was a jewelry store, another was a butcher and hunter shop. The owners of these businesses also bunked inside their stores.
To the other side of the bridge was a cartographer's home, where he made maps of the settlement and any points of interest uncovered by sandstorms. To his left was the final of the five buildings in Hat, the barracks of the local guards. Chu Zi walked on the bridge while Setka climbed onto the railing and slowly tip-toed and balanced on it. His arms spread out as he minced on the barrier above, his body slightly leaned to the right and left as he maintained balance.
Setka pointed to the sky and beamed, "Look at the sky, perfect day for an adventure of the town!"
Chu Zi frowned, "I don't see it."
"You're not trying hard enough; just come along. I already planned ahead," said the prince.
"What could we possibly do here? It's too crowded and small," mentioned the princess.
Setka's eyes wandered around for a moment, "Follow me."
The vegetation outside of the settlement was mostly sporadically located in date palm trees. Each was nurtured by the groundwater that surfaced into the oasis. Chu Zi groaned, uninterested in what Setka had to show, "Date palms."
"Again, you're not trying hard enough; give it another look," repeated the prince.
Chu Zi stared at the area in front of her and discovered a small footpath. She thought, "Oh wow, he's right, there is something here."
Setka grew a grin on his face, then questioned her, "What do you see?"
"A path surrounding the hamlet, we should explore," she answered; she faced the prince and offered him a suggestion. They wandered down the path behind a building; Chu Zi frowned when they found nothing. She then mentioned, "There's nothing here."
"Pay attention to your surroundings," repeated Setka.
The prince's right corner of his lips curled in a grin. He shifted into an albatross crane stance. He crouched down and slightly faced to the right of the princess. One foot was positioned in front while the other pointed toward the building. His hands were placed away from him. One extended out in front while the other was in the center of his diaphragm. His front foot slid forward, a significant portion of sand moved, and he used his arm closer to his body and pushed forward then up. A building rose out of the crushed rocks. While not large, it contained spires as tall as Setka himself.
The sudden shake of the loose earth around her made her gasp. She took a step back in surprise when she witnessed the sheer talent of the Isoro prince. Setka focused and exhaled, then changed his stance into an ostrich horse stance taken from earthbenders. He pressed his hands together then split them apart. The ground around them shook. The miniature palace had a moat around it but no water. Although it was small enough for them to step over it.
Setka took a slight bow and pointed toward the new building, "After you."
"There's no door," Chu Zi observed.
He lowered his head in shame, "I forgot about that."
Chu Zi chuckled, "" So are you going to add one?"
He flicked his wrists, and a door hole carved itself out, however, while it was only a few inches dug in. The building was solidly sand with no interior. Chu Zi glanced back at the prince and stated, "Wait, it's all sand; there is no room here."
"I should've mentioned that I'm still working on that. I've studied the workers and slaves when they use their sandbending to build," answered Setka.
Chu Zi questioned him, "Wait, you have slaves?"
"Do you not have...slaves?" he returned an echo question.
"Haijunese prisoners of war, they're mostly used in Omashu as far as I know," stated the princess.
"We mostly have Imperial Grovellers," continued Setka.
"What are those?" she inquired.
"Hami, they're typically invaders that try to gain control of our side of the Neter River," Setka finished.
"Why are they called that?" wondered Chu Zi.
"Because they grovel at the feet of your enemies, the kingdom of the North," responded Setka.
"Anyways," Setka added, he destroyed the miniature palace with spires and used the remaining sand to create a few more structures. One was a platform with two oversized chairs that could sustain their individual bodyweight if they sat on them.
The other structures seemed to compliment the altar at which they would sit. Chu Zi guessed, "Did you construct a throne room?"
"It's the only thing that comes to mind right now; plus, we can pretend to be the rulers of our made-up Kingdom," replied Setka.
"Come, my Queen, we must listen to the outcries of our dear citizens," said Setka as he ran to the throne on the left. From the ground, he lifted ceremonial items used by Heru. These were made of sand then solidified into sandstone as he clenched his hands around them. Finally, he crafted a crown of sand; she leaned her head to the left to avoid getting sand in her hair.
She implored, "What if I get sand in my hair?"
He clenched his hands and solidified the crown, "You won't get any sand on your head, I promise. And if you do, I'll just bend it out."
Setka gently placed the crown on her head, then crafted himself one, similar to that of his father's. He grabbed his ceremonial items and crossed his arms as Heru would. The heel of his left foot slammed into the ground, two men of sand rose from the ground. Setka inquired to the figures of sand, "Ahh gentlemen, what brings you to my throne room?"
"Shouldn't they bow before you, my King?" questioned Chu Zi.
"Oh right! I forgot about that!" nodded Setka.
The figures crumbled into piles of sand before they returned into shapes of men once more. Chu Zi was astounded at the Repat's talent; creating sculptures with his bending was terrific. She sat there and stared at Setka in awe, the sheer technique used for everything from items they wore to the fictional men in front of them.
"Oh, of course, I will make sure that my Minister of Agriculture is aware of the coming famine. We have storages being built as we speak, but I assure you the gods will bless us with another season of rain," the prince spoke to the figurines who've not uttered a single word.
Chu Zi jumped into character and joyfully nodded along and assured the silent sandmen, "Neser will allow our lands to heal."
The men fell apart a final time before three figurines of women with bowls of food came forth. Then, finally, the prince shouted, "Time for a feast."
The Despairing Vaults, Garsai, East Hu Xin province
Smoke filled the tunnels of the underground city. Soldiers rushed into the deeper tunnels of the Despairing Vaults. The mines were taken and under control by the Haijunese and their Xian allies. While the vaults below held prisoners of all kinds that were still left unchecked. A regiment marched toward the prisons below; four guards gasped when they saw the military men. The two at the door turned their backs on the other two, which happened to be Oma Kingsmen. One Xian buried his earthen dagger into the back of his co-worker. While the other jumped on the back of the man on the right. He locked him in a chokehold and used all his strength to snap the guard's neck.
"The prisoners on the first ten floors are those who refused to serve the Oma Kingdom. These floors are heavily guarded; the other floors are regular prisoners," said the Xian on the left.
"We will join you if you so wish," offered the second Xian.
One of the regiment leaders shook his head, "You remain here, with a platoon guarding the area."
"What if we're overrun?" questioned the second Xian.
"No one's getting past over ten thousand troops in the mines. How many Omas are below?" assured the colonel before questioning the men.
"About two hundred to three hundred in the vaults," answered the first Xian.
The gates to the prisons below opened for the regiment to enter. The first section of guards just behind the doors was consumed by shadows. When they turned to face the silhouettes, they were instantly charged by their enemies. The front line killed or maimed the Omas at the entrance with ease.
Meanwhile, the eighth division marched on toward the Olde Town portion of the city. Here is where many of the residents of the town lived. Haijunese and Oma-aligned citizens lived here; those who supported the enemies were forced to be reeducated by the Yanzhao. Or slaughtered if they refused. As a result, citizens shut and locked their doors as the Haijunese pushed through. Oma Kingdom citizens and guards who fled to this city area hid in alleys and rooftops as they waited for their moment to strike.
Hand signals and bird whistling echoed around the giant cave chamber. The Haijunese soldiers were unaware as they marched on through. Onlookers peeped through the sewer pipes or apertures of their homes. A barrage of arrows rained down on the end of the division. The unsuspected men were hit; however, only a number were injured and/or killed by the barrage. The first few lines of men that fit through several streets were blown to pieces by bombs planted into the ground.
The hulking and sometimes hunched outlines of men appeared from the other side. Some of the Haijunese soldiers were scared, while others were angry over the sudden ambush of their brethren. A barbarian leaped through the dust cloud and cleaved a Xian soldier in two. Barbarian warriors and benders attacked their enemies from behind and in front. While the archers on the rooftops shot at the men in the middle. The Haijunese and Xian soldiers created shields above their heads to protect themselves from enemy projectiles. However, the bombs that were thrown from above made enough force to crumble the shields.
A door slammed shut to their left, inside, a father argued with his son. A young man in his late teens. The young man pleaded with his father, "Dad! We have to help them!"
"I said no! You go out there, and then what?!" maintained his father.
"You have to think these things through, Chignon. If you leave this house and help the Haijunese, you're putting all of us in danger!" emphasized Chigun's father.
"But-" Chigun interrupted; his father finished, "Not another word from you."
A claymore clashed with a large battleax; the barbarian's strength was met with a well-trained soldier's might. Both men struggled to overpower the other. A rock was flung toward the barbarian. But just in time, an earth shield stopped it in its tracks. The barbarian slightly flinched, which gave the claymore-wielding soldier the upper hand. He shoved the barbarian back and caused him to stagger. Both men parried their weapons again, the soldier shifted his weight to the left. The barbarian lifted his battleax but dropped his weapon after receiving an excellent kick to the diaphragm, which knocked the wind out of him.
The claymore took his head clean off his shoulders. However, the soldier's victory was short. First, an ally's shield accidentally struck him in the back of the head. This knocked him to the ground, and then he was dispatched by a bender's earth mace. At the same time, the ninth division burst through their tunnels as they arrived at a well-prepared wedge in the city. This was the temple's center within the capital of East Hu Xin. This particular section was known as the Enclave of the Gods. It was populated mainly by those who heavily worshiped the Xian gods, those involved in the temple, and the home and workplace of Zhuanfu, the Earth Sage.
The objectives for the ninth division were to secure the Enclave and find the Earth Sage if he still yet lived. However, as they ran through the tunnels, the towers in this district had been alerted. The city was on high alert. The invaders flooded into several sections of the city. Xians who sided with them used their seismic sense to find enemy soldiers. Many soldiers slammed their feet on the ground in the area they were in. One of them alerted the regiment that stood behind him, "I feel something."
"Several feet, likely hundreds, Prepare yourselves!" he warned them.
The wicks of bombs that lined the walls were lit, walls raised to prevent damage to themselves. The walls burst down, but the first line of invaders were shredded by shrapnel bombs. The Omas knew they were coming. At least thirty to fifty men fell to the shrapnel bombs. Those men were either instantly killed or torn apart and left to bleed out. The defensive line tore through enough men that more crawled out of the tunnel on the eastern portion of the Enclave. While they were vastly outnumbered by the invaders, they were unaware that the Ninth Division was split to assault different areas of the Enclave.
Four legions of five thousand troops: two with the task of preserving and taking control of the district, another with destroying the shrines built by the Omas and cleansing the desecration, and the fourth legion to rescue the Earth Sage. Toward the North near the temple, the third legion blew the walls down with explosives. The men roared as they stormed the temple itself. The massive structure towered the other buildings within the cavern chamber. The building had several wings, each belonging to a separate part of the Duryajian religion.
The temple was vandalized with effigies and stains of animal blood on the doors. Banners of the Oma Kingdom insignia draped over the apertures covered with stained glass. Men were holed up inside the Enclave itself. They chose to protect what was inside from the Haijunese invaders. Earthbenders ripped portions of the building and ground to form a giant battering ram.
A group of forty pushed and pulled when they got to the doors in an attempt to bust them down. The doors trembled as the force of forty men tried to cave in the doors. Finally, a large brace locked the huge doors in place, men readied themselves inside. Earthbenders held spikes while they became immovable in their stances. The doors trembled once more; a few broke a sweat. Some of the temple's priests ran to grab relics of their native religion and hid them somewhere where the Haijunese would not look. They knew the capture of the temple meant something to the North.
The first two regiments' numbers were knocked down a notch; the defense of the Oma Kingdom in this portion of the wedge was well-positioned. Waves of soldiers hid behind dugouts with walls in front. The walls had slits carved into them. This allowed a line of five to six Oma Kingdom earthbenders to see through and shoot projectiles out of. As the earthen spikes fired from across all fortifications that defended the eastern side of the Enclave. They were positioned on the cobblestoned streets of the Enclave. Dead bodies filled the streets, blood trickled down into the sewer systems that filtered waste out of the city.
Shields formed around platoons of Haijunese men, a front and two panels on the side. Like some sort of defense, the walls moved forward as the men did. Like some sort of defense, the walls moved forward as the men did. When one of the groups finally reached a dugout, they dropped the front wall. Six men from inside used their agility and split the bunker in two. The men inside were frightened, then the remainder of the platoon wiped the enemies out before the wall rose again.
The security walls moved forward. This was how the Haijunese earthbenders countered and pushed on. One of the fortifications dropped their front fence but was instantly met with spikes. The front row of the platoon was impaled and killed. The first four men that stood on the sides inside the shield were dead. The walls fell, which left the other ten defenseless. They quickly picked up the walls again and pushed forward without losing another. One of them wiped the sweat off his forehead, "Ta made! They took out five of us, the gui sunzi!"
The man behind them panted, "We need to be more careful! I thought we were done for!"
They pressed forward and attempted again. Finally, the men all agreed upon the time to drop the front shield. Four of the benders grabbed their boulders and shredded them into smaller projectiles harder for the eye to see. In ma bo all four of the soldiers in front jabbed with their left and right arms, the shots flew and punctured the armors of the Oma Kingdom soldiers inside the bunker. With precision, they went through the slit in the dugout.
Several soldiers inside felt sharp pains and dug into their armor to tear off pieces. They needed to examine the cause of pain. The wall went back up. After fifteen to twenty seconds, the wall went down again and killed the men who were exposed. The bunker split in half and was destroyed; the remainder of the platoon pushed onward. More platoons tore apart more Oma fortifications as they used this tactic.
At the same time, the third regiment used the battering ram once, and the doors caved in just a bit. The entries were fully collapsed, the bar that held both doors closed began to snap. The dust filled the semi pavilion, the Oma Kingdom soldiers braced for combat, while the priests ran for the secret rooms with their relics. A few soldiers ran behind the priests to protect them. A sizable hole between the temple grounds and the semi-pavilion formed. The defenders threw spears aimlessly inside without hurting a soul.
A warrior clenched a spear and tossed it through the hole. It impaled a priest and killed him. The doors almost of their hinges, the wooden bar began to tear and bend further. The battering ram slammed into the door. The men shouted in unison, "Heave! Ho!"
The doors shook again, the phrase was repeated the bar finally broke in half. Although another good ram caused the doors to collapse in. The doors broke open sideways, only the left's top portion separated from its hinges. The Oma Kingdom company within the pavilion gave it its all. Despite being vastly outnumbered, they used all their firepower and ammo. They were run through after they killed only but a few of the third regiment. Once the doors fell apart, the company was dead. The regiment took positions around the grounds of the Enclave's temple and held their ground.
The four regiments split into two cohorts. One cohort filled the temple's interiors and searched for enemy soldiers. While the other cohort divided into two squadrons, they filled the tunnels below to find the Earth Sage, as was their mission. According, to the temple plans, tunnels under the Enclave the Earth Sage utilized to escape or hide in. Meanwhile, within Old Towne, the Haijunese had advances that were failing against the defense of the Omas.
Rockets lit up the cavern chambers and flared before they landed on their marks. The south side of Old Towne was pushed back by Oma's presence. However, the North and West did quite well for themselves. The east side of Old Towne's division fell back and retreated to better positioning. The south side men gritted their teeth as shrapnel and explosives shredded their friends. Shields of earth were used to protect themselves from bombs. The strength of the firepower of explosives made way for the Omas. These were strong enough to break shields of earth.
"Push forward!" shouted a private; he attempted to boost morale as a platoon tried to push past a street. It was possibly the late afternoon at this point. Homes were destroyed by rockets as civilians ran for cover. Fires burned and smoked covered the streets; blood ran like water and soaked into the soil beneath marching feet.
Bodies filled the corners of the dirt paths in Old Towne, some piled on top of others near the porches of homes. Apertures were locked tight, the citizens refused assistance to any side. For fear of retaliation against their families. Within the tiny house of the young man that fought with his father. Chigun's entire family slept while his father sat in front of the door with an heirloom sword in his hands. The grogginess finally took its toll on the family man. His eyes were heavier than before; every time he fell asleep, he woke alert. His grip tightened around the hilt of the weapon. Chignon rested in a dark corner of the room while his father cycled through a drowsy episode.
The young man quickly and silently changed once the blade slid off his father's hand. He knew his old man had lost the battle to sleep. The sounds of ballistae rung from outside of his home. Chignon tip-toed across the floorboards and avoided the creaky ones. He grabbed his family's blade and lightly creaked open the door. Once he slipped outside, his lungs were instantly filled with smoke. The young man coughed then covered his nose. His eyes watered as the smoke irritated his eyeballs. With his right, he covered his head with a dark brown hood and meandered to the left side of his home.
He grabbed a ladder and climbed onto his roof; the smoke filled the cavern chamber's airspace. Breathing had become a bit harder than usual. He gazed at the rooftops that surrounded him. Some of them still had wooden crates filled with smaller rocks carried by Haijunese snipers. Chignon taught himself how to snipe and practiced since age ten. While he was a bit rusty, he felt confident in his abilities. The doubt of only being one person was underwhelming. His self-assurance was blinding.
He ran across the rooftop to another rooftop as he picked up rocks and placed them in a sack slung on his right shoulder. He leaped from house to house as he neared the battle that continued to rage on. The conflict reached the eastern division's center, while their numbers were significantly chipped, finally blended in with their northern brothers. The defending armies pushed back but were being dominated in the center of the sector of the city. A tower sat in the center of Old Towne; not much was known to the Omas about it other than it held some sort of historical context to the Xians.
The Omas surrounded the tower, the western and southern divisions themselves advanced further toward the middle of Old Towne. The North and east continued their fight as the numbers of the enemies dwindled quicker than ice melted near a fire. Hainanese riders on flying mounts swooped in and dropped capsaicin bombs on the Omas below to deprive them of sight. Hainanese soldiers marched forward in their makeshift fortifications while also in an arrow-headed formation. The front shields dropped while smaller projectiles of earth pierced the defenses of the Omas. The soldiers pushed until the bunkers fell.
Chigun examined the battlefield from his location, where he perched on a rooftop. He had an eye for seeing things most did not, an eagle dragon's eye. Above the tower, it seemed like men dumped a black liquid into a cauldron. He sat there quietly as thoughts raced in his head. What it could be, and what was it for?
He's seen the tactics of the Omas before and has read about it during class. Meanwhile, the Ninth Division secured the temple gardens. Priests and priestesses ran for their lives from the regiment who stormed the Enclave's temple. The regiment's troops used their bending to capture their enemies and bound them onto the temple walls. Soldiers trampled some of their victims while others ran over searched the pockets of the robes of the clergy folk. As they looked for jewelry or relics, they might've hidden on their person. The priestesses shrieked in fear of being killed or sexually assaulted by the Haijunese soldiers.
But the mission of these men was strictly to burn relics and effigies and take control of the temple itself. The temple was enormous; the semi-pavilion was already under the power of the Haijunese at this point. The extensive corridors past this area led to the secondary pavilion within the temple. This section of the temple was much larger than the entrance area. This area was filled with banners and weapons they used for sacrifice. Here they desecrated the temple where they killed traitors and gave their blood to the Oma gods. Guards rushed to stop the regiment from pushing, but too many were quickly overwhelmed.
Those who carried torches began to light everything that didn't belong. Priests who fought back were disarmed and maimed. Those who bled on the floor begged to be killed to spare them of a slow and painful death. Finally, a priest attacked one of the men. His skull was instantly caved in by a Warhammer. Some soldiers stayed behind to collect the bodies and drag them into a pile outside the temple grounds. These bodies were later burned to cleanse the temple grounds to appease Tiandi and Lord Qin.
As the regiment took control of the pavilion, many scoured further and reached the grand pavilion. This section was in the center of the transepts that largely surrounded the inside of the church. Each transept had a concrete statue of every Haijunese deity defiled by the Oma Kingdom. Some were beyond repair. The only figure left untouched stood in the middle of the grand pavilion. However, this wasn't a statue of a god.
This was a statue of a robed man, with frizzy medium hair, a top knot on the crown, both his hands rested on the pommel of a yuan dao sword. The statue featured small details like scars and wrinkles. This statue was that of a swordsman but not just any swordsman. The plaque under the figure revealed this was the last Xian Avatar. He lived almost eight hundred years ago from today, Avatar Yudhisthiu. It was pretty unknown why the Omas did not destroy this one. Perhaps because they respected the Avatar or because they respected him as a formidable warrior.
The Xians were enraged further when they saw the damage caused to the statues of their gods. One of the men saw the sheen in the eyes of the Avatar's figure. He knew the past life watched angrily from the afterlife. He gave a small prayer to the Avatar and promised that they'd take back their home.
Hat, Isoro Empire
A feast table made of sandstone sat in the middle of Chu Zi and Setka's area. The prince rose his cup of wine. The royal guards arrived and knelt before the prince, "Repat, Heru wishes to have your and the princess' presence for dinner."
He clapped his hands and smiled, "Splendid! Let's get out of here, Princess Chu Zi!"
The table, chairs, and all other things made of sand fell into grains once more. The prince jumped and followed behind the royal guards; the princess lifted her dress and minced behind the prince. Very few citizens of the hamlet walked about as some of them went home from a long day of work. When they say, the Repat and the princess are escorted through the dirt paths that led to the inn.
They dropped everything and kowtowed before their crowned Repat and his soon-to-be bride. The wooden door guarded by men mounted on skink mantids opened wide. There stood Setka with his chin high and a smile on his face. His hands were on hips with the princess to his right. She looked at him funny; servants surrounded the Repat and changed his tunic. Finally, they placed an amulet around his neck and dusted him off to be presentable to the Pharaoh.
The princess was dusted off as well, as she didn't seem to have much sand on her body. The servants brought them forth to the Pharaoh. The servants lowered their heads and crossed their arms as they entered the dining area. One of the servants announced, "Heru, the Repat, and his bride-to-be have arrived for dinner."
Another servant finished serving Zaphnath some fruit juice into his chalice. Taste testers arrived before the boy placed the goblet on his lips. His father interrupted his drinking with his hand, then he reminded the boy, "Remember you must wait for the taste testers."
The child nodded and frowned; a taste tester took a sip from the chalice and smacked his lips around. Then, finally, the man nodded his head and smiled, "The juice is safe for the repat to drink, Heru."
"Thank you kindly, the food?" he questioned the man.
"The food was observed by the royal guards and nibbled to an extent. However, we believe it is safe for consumption. Or else Dep would've joined the ancestors," joked the taste tester.
"May we join you, Your Majesty?" wondered Setka.
"Join your brother and me, and sustain yourselves," he responded as he eyed the prince and princess. The servants slid the chairs from under the table and gestured the young couple to join the royals. Both sat down, Shabaka clapped, and soon female servants arrived clad in jewelry and held the golden plates full of food in their hands. Some of them presented the food in their own unique way. Once the food was placed on the table, the Pharaoh dug into the feast first. After he took his first few bites, everyone else was allowed to eat.
Meanwhile, Chigun continued to think about what the Omas were doing. He gasped when it came into his head; the barbarians were boiling oil to build time for them to escape. But where? They were surrounded. He watched as the men rolled the pots of oil toward the ledge. Chigun waited for the right moment. Then, just as the oil dropped, Chigun tossed a rock at a lantern that hung on a rope.
The rope snapped and dropped the lantern; once the oil spilled, the lantern smashed into the fluid and ignited. Fire surged all around the barbarians as they were set aflame. Oma Kingdom troops screamed in agony as they burned. The Haijunese soldiers quickly lifted a small wall about one chi tall to avoid the oil. The Haijunese pushed further closer to the tower on one end. Oil spilled on its right when another lantern crashed into the ground and caused those men to also burn.
A few archers inside the tower were confused about the accident. They examined the roofs above to see what might have caused the lanterns to fall. Another suggested cutting the ropes that were connected to the tower to prevent more deaths from fire. Finally, Oma archers within the building saw someone at their height level. Chigun's silhouette was well hidden. Although one of them saw something, he wasn't too sure. However, another line of lanterns snapped as the next cauldron of oil dropped.
The line of fire rushed through the enemy soldiers' positions and killed many. An arched pointed to the silhouette he saw in the distance and called out, "There! Right there!"
Four bows pointed at the rooftop across from them; Chigun gasped and slid down the roof as arrows propelled through the air. He cut a rope and swung onto another roof while the archers notched and pulled back their bowstrings. Another set of four indicators came his way; each one missed as he swung onto another rooftop. He snatched two rocks from the small pack he carried; his hands shook with fear.
The archer found him, and now he was afraid to die. He should've listened to his father, he thought. The arrows pierced into the chimney he hid behind; Chigun took a deep breath and fired one rock without proper aim. A second one followed the first, the first missed one of the archers, the second rock hit one of the archers in the center-right of one of his eyes. This shattered his eye socket and knocked the man unconscious. He fell from the tower and hit the ground dead. Arrows flew to Chigun's left; he breathed again and peeked his head to the side where he aimed another rock. This projectile hit the archer on the left and killed him instantly. His body dropped from the tower.
Only two men remained when Chigun popped his head out again. An arrow raised his right shoulder. He screamed as he clutched his shoulder, as it started to bleed. A second arrow landed near him, this one covered in flame. The roof he sat on ignited; he didn't have much time. He rolled to his left and sniped the archer on the right. This archer fell back dead.
Another arrow barely missed the teenager's head. He twirled around and swung his left arm as strong as he could. This final pebble smashed into the last archer's head. The projectile obliterated his skull, the young man panted heavily for air, frightened for his life and tired. He used his last bit of energy to jump to another two roofs away from combat. Where he rested for the time being while he mustered more energy to continue.
Somewhere in Li Jun county, Pingyao province
Almost eighty Haijunese troops surrounded two carts full of supplies. These supplies were to be escorted to Taiyuan, the capital of Pingyao province. First-Lieutenant Er looked at a map he held in his hands and announced to the men, "We should be able to reach the city by nighttime."
Some of the younger soldiers groaned after being exhausted from marching for the past two days. Avani napped on ostrich horseback while everyone else walked. Shuaige looked on attentively in front of him from the ostrich horse's saddle. Zuqiu rested on the edge of the cart's tailgate, slouched with his chin resting on his palms. Airen and Fangzhu continued to march without a sound. Taobing rested on top of an ostrich horse; every morning, he received a healing session from Avani. It was to ensure the wound would not get infected and instead scar. Unfortunately, it was definitely going to scar.
Biehe had been dragging sore and calloused feet since they left the campsite. Biehe groaned at the First Lieutenant's words. Shuaige concentrated on his surroundings then brought up, "It's been a while since I've visited this part of Pingyao. Good to see it hasn't been razed to the ground."
Suddenly the ground beneath them began to tremble, the younger men scattered around while, the older men and veterans stood their ground and readied for a fight. Avani was abruptly awakened by the shock. She hopped off her mount and into a defensive stance.
Twenty men in black hanfu and their iconic black jeollips shielded their faces from the sun. Their faces are hidden in the shadows making these men more mysterious than they're known to be. Ten of the men had their Jian sheathed on their sides, while the other ten were unarmed. It was clear ten were non-benders, and the others were earthbenders. The Yanzhao were usually seen in pairs of two and never alone. The men were startled, and Er was about to give orders when Avani shouted, "WAIT!"
Boulders dropped to the ground, and weapons were lowered. Avani added, "They're the Yanzhao!"
One of the twenty men gave a signal, the agents lowered their weapons. The men dropped to one knee and knelt before the Avatar once their leader eyed her. The group leader removed his jeollip and placed it behind his back as he stepped forward toward Avani. The man greeted the woman, "Avatar Avani, we've been awaiting your presence; Wanggoudexin sends his warm wishes."
The leader's skin was lightly tanned, his eyes were a jade color, his jaw and nose were chiseled, his thick downturned eyebrows and slight natural frown gave him a deceitful gaze. Perfect for an agent within the King's spy ring. The leader had not a single strand of hair on his head; light quickly reflected off his cranium. He bowed before the Avatar; Avani returned a formal bow to the man and addressed him by name. She recognized the man as she's worked with him back in Ba Sing Se, "Overseer Pai Jun what a pleasant surprise."
"It's always a pleasure to work with you, Avatar Avani," smiled Pai Jun.
"You two know each...other?" Fangzhu questioned both of them; he squinted his eyes and swung his right index left to right.
"It is rare to see an Airbender in the army's ranks..." paused Pai Jun.
He noticed the tattoo on Fangzhu's left eyebrow then continued, "...ahh, you're one of the marked. So that makes more sense; glad to see you're on the righteous side."
Avani faced Fangzhu and answered, "Yes, Wanggoudexin, assigned me to assist Pai Jun on several operations across the kingdom. I've been working with him since I was fifteen."
Zuqiu examined the uniforms of the terrifyingly cold agents that surrounded the company. He attempted to mold the face under the jeollip in his mind. The agent he stared at bore his eyes into the young man's soul. A chill ran up Zuqiu's spine; with his tail tucked between his legs, he scurried behind a more giant soldier. Zuqiu shook in fear; his father told him stories about the Yanzhao. He was told never to make comments about them left they watching him. But it didn't matter because the Yanzhao spied on everyone even when they didn't know they were there.
Children from poorer families were told bedtime stories of the agents, not as paragons that protected them but as thieves in the night that made people disappear. Finally, the Yanzhao agent's gaze returned to stare into nothingness. Overseer Pai Jun and Captain Qishi saluted one another, "We're here on orders of the Crown, to find Captain Qishi's company, secure the shipment, and escort you all to Taiyuan."
Airen remained silent through the entire encounter and only spoke to his commanding officers when spoken to. To avoid any curiosity from the spies, the Yanzhao made him anxious. Shuaige told Pai Jun, "I think we handled it just fine these past two days, but I wouldn't mind having twenty extra men watching my back."
Pai Jun nodded, "We will watch from the shadows."
"Meiying!" shouted the Overseer, along with the other nineteen spies who ran off in different directions.
This was used as a command to tell other agents to disperse and hide in plain sight. A tactic to make whatever important target seem unprotected to the enemy. First-Lieutenant Er shouted, "Move forward, in a few hours we'll reach the capital," the group of men marched onward to the southeast.
Court of Diamonds, Garsai, East Hu Xin province
The gargantuan chambers within this part of the city were illuminated by diamonds. Spires and towers littered this section of the city. Walled estates guarded by retainers were fortified to keep the Haijunese and Oma Kingdom troops out. The capital's center, the Seat of Paragons, was south of this location, where the Oma governor sat in power. The Seat of Paragons was heavily guarded by soldiers and siege armaments that could wipe out entire companies of enemy troops. Hainanese presence was already heavily present inside the Court of Diamonds.
Those loyal to the Haijun Kingdom turned and attacked the Oma soldiers. They joined the Haijunese in taking over the district. Several estates were used as strategic points to further the advancement toward the Seat of Paragons. Siege weapons seized during the morning hours of the invasion were brought onto the cement-covered roads. The roads here were designed with badgermole motifs and descriptions of the city.
Retainers on the walls of estates set off a series of fire arrows into the battlefield below. Ballistae rolled toward the entrance of the seat. Catapults and iron crossbows defended the access from intruders. Siege engineers readied their siege weapons and waited to give the signal to release a projectile. When the enemies stormed further, a line of twenty catapults and ten iron crossbows fired. The boulders were flung across the Court and crashed into walls and killed platoons of men. While the iron bolts tore apart and dismantled some fortifications. Only two were halted by thick walls. The Haijunese pushed forward with more significant numbers. Some of the Omas ran into the Seat of Paragons; it was a palace of sorts.
This palace once held the ancient Xian kings now to be ruled instead of a barbarian war chief. Fifty men lined up the halls of the archway that led into the corridor. The war chief desecrated the once-great throne, one made of jade. Thus, the Xian Kings were once called the Jade Monarchs. The war chief's iron-plated armor was quickly fastened onto his body by servants. Latches were tightened while furs were placed over his shoulders and back. His helmet resembled a lion bear's stern look; the helmet would scare off most cowardly men.
Instead of the skull of the beast, it was iron-shaped to look like one. Metal teeth individually lined the mouth. A royal guardsman commanded, "Take Warchief Ni Bei Dou underground if the jiepi breach the gates of the Seat!"
"No! I stay and fight! I'd rather die than run like a coward!" barked Bei Dou.
"We need you to survive to continue our control of Garsai, war chief. So do not be selfish!" argued the guard.
"You listen to my orders; we stay and fight!" he maintained.
At the same time, Chigun regained his energy while the fire consumed the rooftop he rested on. He was out of rocks, but on a distant rooftop, he saw another sack with rocks that spilled nearby it. Once, he was out of sight of the archers that came to the tower's aid. He peeped his head out and scattered toward the ammo several ma away.
He hopped rooftops again to reach the ammo; an archer spotted the young man and shot fire arrows at him. Two of them notched on the bow and then released. While the accuracy was a bit bad, he still managed to almost hit the man on the rooftop. Again Chigun panted and continued to wait for the archer to lose interest. But he was dead set on killing Chigun. Chigun sprinted and leaped onto the rooftop he headed for. An arrow lit aflame, hit the roof, and rolled over to a rocket beside the young man.
He turned to his right to see that the wick had been lit. Chigun rolled over and grabbed hold of the explosive and aimed while the archer notched another arrow. The rocket launched straight into the tower. A large explosion caused the tower's watch room to crumble; several of the larger pieces were stopped by Haijunese soldiers or even crushed the Omas underneath it. The armies below finally held control of the tower. A cheer traveled throughout the area; the district was won, and the remaining enemy soldiers surrendered.
Meanwhile, within the Enclave of the Gods, the district was almost secured. The Ninth Division continued cleaning the inside of the temple. What remained was to traverse the tunnels beneath the temple and kill the blasphemers that remained. Men rushed down secret halls after their seismic sense allowed them to see where the tunnels began and where they led to.
Seismic seers felt the heartbeats of their enemies for easier detection. The priests and priestesses huddled and were chased down the tunnels with relics in their hands. Soon they'd be executed by the Haijunese for the defilement of their shrines. However, as groups plunged further into the system of tunnels. They finally came upon a larger chamber where they believed Zhanfu was being held.
With the use of earthbending, the doors were kicked down, they encountered the remaining clergy of the temple. The women screamed for mercy while men tried to fight off the Haijunese soldiers. The men slaughtered the church; each dropped their bloodstained relics while others clutched tightly even in death. One was allowed to live, they interrogated the man, "Where is Sage Zhanfu?"
"H-he's in the Despairing Vaults with the rest of the Xians, who didn't bend knee!" cried out the man.
A soldier released a crossbow bolt into the man's chest; he died instantly. Another commented, "He's fourth division's issue now."
Men rushed to the Despairing Vaults' lower levels; the prison maps only detailed twenty floors below. The lowest contained the vilest of villains. Some were filled with skeletons as no one had been that evil since. Rumor has it, a Jade Monarch died in one of the cells below. Even floors were long forgotten and never recorded in the maps further deep into the prison's Deep Roads. A reduced amount of prison guards were down the next flight of floors. The Xians used their seismic sense in groups to enhance the range of their technique.
This saved time to search for those who needed to be saved. Some men were pushed up against the railing and then flipped over the rails. Falling to their deaths into what seemed like a bottomless pit. The group forced themselves into another seismic sense session. What they witnessed together was another five floors beneath them. However, while they were heavily fortified, they were confused about who or what was contained down there. They felt the breathing and heart rates of multiple people. It was definitely heavily guarded.
"It seems to be heavily guarded. If we go the normal route, we can expect to be blasted by these troops," suspected one of the soldiers.
"There is no other way is what you're suggesting, correct?" another inquired.
Two Xians eyed each other then shouted, "Craycricket!"
"What are you two on about?" the first soldier asked the men.
"Just do as we're about to demonstrate and follow us," the first Xian said. He took a stance and magnetized earth from the prison's walls onto his back. Then four solid legs with hands-on on each end formed; the eccentric man voluntarily jumped over the barricade and used the limbs to latch onto the pit's walls next to the prison's walkways.
The second man repeated the same motion, jumped off the edge of the walkways, and rapidly climbed up to where the first waited. The soldier shook his head and smirked, "You Xians always impress me."
A ton of the men were shocked that such an ability was even capable, and they tried their best to copy the ability. Finally, another Xian told the men, "Some of you might be able to do this; if you'd like to join us in surprising our enemies, then do exactly as I do."
The Haijunese copied these exact movements as their Xian brother and built themselves four legs that wrapped around their backs. Finally, a warrior shouted to the men on the walls, "What about us non-benders?!"
"Take the normal route; by the time you reach us, we've already disabled their defenses!" the Xian yelled in return. His voice echoed as he crawled down the walls; the earthbenders, one by one, followed the rest of their comrades. Warriors remained behind to kill prison guards on the floors below on their way to the heavily fortified area. At least a battery of one hundred men crawled down the shaft of the vaults.
This floor was more significant than the others; the men who crawled below to reach it swung in and drop-kicked their enemies. Rockets were fired in random directions. They had no idea what hit them while the non-benders rushed through the first floor in between them and the earthbenders who were already below. Some of the crawlers were knocked off the railings and edges as they fell down the shaft. Those who regained themselves quickly used the craycricket leg technique to maintain balance on the post walls and climbed back up to the floor to continue the fight.
The craycricket soldiers swung like spider monkeys onto the floor that was controlled by the Omas. The Omas were unexpectedly surprised; a battery of one hundred men swooped in. A thick wall rose as soon as the glaive tosser launched a glaive. The wall stopped the glaive from going further, and thankfully no one died. One of the Xians ran forward with a wicked grin on his face and quickly seared the earth in front of him. The ground turned into a pool of lava. He motioned his arms to expand the lava further toward his enemies. The Omas were frightened at the sight of such a rare bender. A wave of lava overtook a small group of Omas.
Some of the men ran away, while other used walls to stop the flow of the lava. Meanwhile, the men behind the glaive tosser loaded another round. The lava crawled onto the wall to the right; he motioned his arms similar to how a waterbender controlled water. The lava burst out of the wall near the glaive tosser and engulfed the front line of defense. As soon as men burned to death, the lavabender motioned his hands from his chest's center then outward.
The lava dried up and hardened, leaving behind patches of black igneous rock for the Haijunese benders to walk on. Some of them were scared to touch the once molten ground. The lavender sighed, "It's cool to walk on, guys."
One of them felt the ground with his big toe and deemed it safe even after he didn't believe the lavender. The lavabender rolled his eyes then led the group of men down the floor. Then he disengaged into his fellow soldiers when he saw more enemies. Slabs of earth popped off the walls and slammed into unsuspected enemies. This alerted the others from around the corner to run over. More Omas rushed to the aid of their comrades. Lava poured out from the holes that were left behind by the earthbenders.
Hidden by the bodies of their allies, the lavender went to work. His arms were spread out and above his head as he slowly motioned them down to his hips. More of the wall melted into liquid rock and overtook the Omas in their way. As the men were killed, he dried up the lava into solid rock. The earthbenders used this to their advantage as the earth was still relatively hot to the touch. The lavender ran forward, a bridge that linked both ends of the floor together melted underneath the feet of several enemy troops. The men plummeted to their deaths while the earthbenders rebuilt the bridge and continued.
The lavender slammed his arms into the walls nearby, the vibrations traveled to all the cells within his reach. Finally, the lavabender mentioned, "There's someone in one of the cells; their breathing and heart rate is fleeting. Friend or foe?"
The men rushed to the cell in question and opened up the barred cell door. The inside seemed empty and was very dark. However, a quick seismic reading indicated no one else was hidden inside but one. On the floor was a man flumped, his hands tied behind his back, and a cloth wrapped around his head. Sweat drops ran down his dark-skinned forehead to his chin, his jade-colored eyes darted to the men who entered his space.
He trembled with fear; he was covered in bruises that could be seen through the holes of his tattered sage robes. The lavender stared at the short, plump old man. He seemed familiar. His grey long gray beard and bald cranium beside the robes identified him as the Great Earth Sage of Garsai.
"Woah, they brought Sage Zhanfu down into the vaults and locked him away," said the lavender in astonishment as soon as he recognized the old man. A Xian removed the gag from the Sage's mouth and untied his hands. Two more Haijunese piled inside and lifted the Earth Sage to his feet.
One of the men ordered, "Move out and secure the rest of the vaults; we need to protect Earth Sage Zhanfu and take him to the Lieutenant-General."
At the same time, a massive war ax cleaved a wooden table in two. Warchief Ni Bei Dou quickly turned to face his opponent. The Haijunese and Omas fought each other while the Warchief and a Major dueled inside the Seat of Paragons. First, the Warchief charged at the Major, his ax parried with the Major's sword. Then, with all his strength, he shoved the Major back and staggered him. Ni Bei Dou lifted his weapon to bring it down on his foe. But the Major rolled to his right and avoided death in that split second.
The weapon smashed into the ground and caused the war chief to drop his weapon. The vibrations caused the ax to sting his hands. The Major kicked the war chief as hard as he could and dropped the man on his rear. As he was about to bury his sword into the quinquagenarian's back, the man rolled around and parried his ax into the Major's blade. The Major tried to attack but was booted away from the Warchief, which gave him space to recover. The Major wiped the blood from his nose, both men charged at each other.
The Major ducked and slashed at the Warchief's left knee; the barbarian yelped in pain and reached for his knee. Then, in a last-ditch effort, he grabbed a small pouch with light green powder inside. This was a common drug used by a specific tribe within the Oma Kingdom. It offered induced rage and strength for a short amount of time. Bei Dou inhaled the unknown substance; within a few miao, he suddenly felt an adrenaline rush.
His veins popped out of his skin, the barbarian roared as he dodged swings of his foe's sword. The Major swung at Bei Dou's legs, causing a sliced thigh to bleed but not enough to take him down. The war ax swung wildly with belligerence; the Major attempted to dodge the swings without being overwhelmed.
The war ax nicked his left arm; he clenched his teeth as he tried to ignore the pain. The Major screamed and sliced open Bei Dou's right cheek with his sword. Bei Dou shrieked, but it did not knock this behemoth down. Instead, Bei Dou buried the war ax into the Major's skull and dispatched him. After removing the ax's blade from the Major's cranium, he shifted his eyes onto the doors that failed to hold the enemy army away from the seat.
The Haijunese ran in from the doors, and Bei Dou charged into the fray with his hands braced around the shaft of his weapon. An earthbender tossed a large chunk of earth at the war chief. He knocked the war chief to the ground. The quinquagenarian brushed it off like nothing; his enemy noticed the dead Major with his brain matter spilled on the floor. Dirt was kicked in his face, the war chief was blinded for a brief moment.
A mace wielder slammed his weapon into the warchief's ribs and broke a few. A spear ran into his chest but apparently didn't kill him. The drug that pumped through his veins caused enhanced pain tolerance. He muscled through the pain and ripped the spear off his chest, and snapped it.
Although the injury slowed him down. His ax swung and decapitated a soldier while others severed his right arm, which held the weapon. The same earthbender produced a large stalagmite that impaled the war chief through the heart. They finally killed the man. His head was severed from his body and brought forth to the men outside the seat, proving victory.
Hat, Isoro Empire
Hours passed since the dinner took place with the Pharaoh. Setka and Chu Zi sat by each other on a small wooden boat. In front of them was a boatman. The boatman wore tattered clothing that covered his entire body. His hood was removed, however. The royal guardsmen watched from the shoes of the stream that passed through Hat. The unique thing about this boatman was that he had no large rowing stick. Instead, he gently motioned his hands which maintained balance and a light-speed for the boat. He was a waterbender; his skin was darkened by the Si Wong sun.
He was hired from another settlement to take the prince and princess on a boat ride. Chu Zi nestled in closer to her partner and rested her head on his shoulder. While he rested his head on hers and wrapped his left around her. They stared at the night sky that overtook the sandy and dune landscape. Shades of gray and black covered the heavens above, massive amounts of stars covered the sky. Besides the torches, these also lit up the stream enough to make safe passage back and forth to the hamlet. The princess eyed the sky above and mentioned, "Who knew the nights in the Isoro Empire could be this beautiful."
Her eyes reflected in the moonlight; Setka glanced down at her and smiled, "Yeah."
"Does Omashu not have skies this nice?" wondered the prince.
She looked up at him and frowned, "No, the night is usually polluted with smoke from brazier fires or blood that exerts as a mist that fills the air from the arena."
"I already don't miss the blood-curdling screams in the night. I can tell you that much," she added.
She pointed to a massive bright star, "What do you call that one?"
"Hey Chalmu, how well do you know astronomy?" inquired Setka.
The waterbender broke concentration, and the boat came to a stall. The Tribesman answered, "Enough to know the major celestial bodies, repat."
Chalmu pulled out a small rolled-up scroll from his pantaloons and handed it to the young couple. Chu Zi gently grasped the scroll and opened it. The scroll revealed itself to be a star chart of the Si Wong province. Setka said, "I know it's the pole star because there's a pyramid right under it in Bekini; I forget the name, though."
"That star is known as the Great Star of Salai, Your Highness," Chalmu corrected the prince.
"What?! Who names these stars?!" he blurted out in annoyance.
"I apologize, Your Highness. But the Junggar named the star after their Avatar. Since then, everyone uses that name for the star," apologized the boatman.
"Do the Junggar dictate what we call the star, Chalmu?" Setka furrowed his brows and questioned the boatman.
A drop of sweat slid down the man's forehead. He felt as if he offended the prince. Indeed, his life was over. His tone sounded fearful and anxious. He carefully chose his words as Chu Zi noticed Setka got a bit worked up. Chalmu reasoned with Setka, "N-no, Your Highness they do not. But the chart you see is the official star chart of the Si Wong province. I am not the one who oversees the names of the celestial orbs in the night sky."
"My love, you need to lower your voice. The man was unaware he only wanted to assist us," whispered Chu Zi.
Goosebumps formed on her arms; she, too, was afraid of the prince. She had never seen him angry before. Setka said, "I want that star to be named after Avatar Saret."
"Who?" both Chu Zi and Chalmu asked the prince as they turned to face him in confusion.
"So we're just going to pretend that Saret didn't exist?" replied the prince as he crossed his arms.
"Your Highness, I don't even know the name of the last Avatar," maintained the boatman.
"She was the Isoro Avatar who lived many, many centuries ago! Therefore, she's deserving of the star that shines over Upper Bekini!" argued Setka.
"I will make it part of my goals as future Pharaoh of the Empire, that..." paused Setka as he pointed to the star in particular.
"...THAT star is renamed!" he grumbled.
He dropped his rear onto the row boat's seat; he pouted with his arms once again crossed like a child who didn't get what he wanted. Chu Zi sat in silence as she exchanged glances with the boatman. Finally, Chalmu turned the boat around, and he rowed back to Hat.
At the same time, inside the temple's infirmary, the Earth Sage was being cared for and observed by a few healers. Priests and alchemists fluttered about the large aid station, the old man coughed. A knock on the door to the infirmary concerned the old man. One of the four guards who stood watch slightly cracked the door open. He turned to face the Earth Sage, "It's Lieutenant-General Shili, Your Excellency."
The Earth Sage hacked a cough, "Let...him in!"
An alchemist approached the old man and knelt before him. In her hands was a small wooden bowl with a clumpy consumable pasty substance. She whispered, "Drink this, Your Excellency."
She pressed the bowl between his lips, and he sipped the contents within the bowl. Then, the heavily armored general stepped inside the room. Some of the cots were filled with injured priests. While the one closest to a makeshift shrine was the Earth Sage of Garsai. The old Sage looked up to eye the general, who had several scrapes and bruises. He coughed again; Shili gave the old man a toothy smile.
"I'm glad you're still with us, Your Excellency. Finally, the battle was won, and the liberation of Garsai was attained!" stated Shili.
Zhan coughed once more and smiled, "You too, Lieutenant-General. I thought our home was lost to those brutal savages."
"I came to check on how you were doing; I will remain in the city as governor until you recover. After that, you will be seated as de-facto governor until His Majesty Shuicheng finds a capable replacement," Shili revealed to Zhanfu.
"I will sit in the Seat of Paragons with honor, for our Kingdom and the Crown," approved Zhanfu.
Taiyuan, Li Jun county, Pingyao province
Captain Qishi's company and the twenty Yanzhao that followed finally reached the great capital city of Pingyao province. Taiyuan was below the hill and across the valley. The port city was unique in design; it was situated on a man-made island. Each section of the walled town was shaped into a triangular wedge. Each contained a massive road that connected to the center of the city. In the center sat a large castle, one that must've included a king at one point.
In between each section of the city were massive canals with boats and smaller vessels. They went to and from every part of the city. Bridges joined each quarter over the channels, but more minor details could only be seen as they ventured toward the port city. The front gates had six structures that lined them. Inside each frame were four soldiers decked out in lamellar armor with golden cloaks draped around their shoulders. The golden sun insignia was on the center of their cloaks.
The carriage pulled in closer, one of the watchtowers spotted the caravan of Haijunese troops along with their Yanzhao companions. Avani's eyes glistened in the bonfires atop the towers being lit up. The massive earth gates slowly spread apart. Avani waved at the men on the watchtowers; in excitement, she shouted, "Hey, look! They see us!"
Airen glared up at the towers on the walls of the capital city. The shadows quickly overtook him and every one as soon as they entered the city's walls. As he marched forward, a sudden thought came to mind, then he furrowed his brows and frowned. Airen recalled, "Oh great, I just remembered my disgraceful cousin Congxiong lives in the city, alright I'm out. I'll stay in a nearby village."
Fangzhu clasped his hands, smiled, and lowered his head toward Airen's ear, "Oh come on, Airen, how bad could it be? Just stay out of whatever part of the city he lives in."
Airen sighed, "You're right, but you can't force me to spend time with that gui erzi!"
"Spend your nights nestled in the cots of the barracks, besides it not like the Captain or First-Lieutenant will let us roam the city," suggested the Air Nomad.
Fangzhu rested his chin on the palm of his hand while he sat in one of the wagons. In the distance, as they entered the city's main gates, he saw an unkempt girl in tattered clothing settled in a small corner sheltered from the sun. Her pale skin seemed to radiate in the sunlight she tried to desperately escape. Instead of long black hair, it was frizzy and short.
The girl was short and petite; her large brown eyes made her cute. Zuqiu's eyes widened with excitement; his mouth grew into a broad smile, "Ahh."
He hopped off the wagon a sudden burst of confidence came over him. As he marched toward the cute girl, he stumbled over a rock. The girl noticed the lanky tallboy that tripped over the stone and giggled. She shook her head at him. Then, she grabbed her things, and she scooped up her kangarat from the spot she sat in and ran off to find a better shade.
Tears welled in his eyes at the hard luck the gods had given him. He was downhearted. Shuaige curved around the caravans on his ostrich horse and announced to his men, "Go on now. You can explore the city and rest. The Defense Sector is to the northwest; we can all meet there."
"Avani, I need you to come with me; I need your presence when I meet with Governor Wuqi Xingren," ordered Shuaige.
"We will take the caravan along with some of your men from here, Captain," offered Pai Jun.
"Go, I'll accompany the Yanzhao to the Defense Sector along with the shipment," said Lieutenant Er.
Shuaige slightly nodded to his friend, Avani slapped the rear of her mont, and both she and Qishi rode off toward the castle in the center of the capital. Zuqiu sobbed on the ground; still, Airen rolled his eyes and yanked the young man by his collar. Then, placing him on his feet, the short and stocky noble snarled, "Shut up, and let's go."
Zuqiu choked on his tears, "Y-yes, sir.."
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