Capítulo 8: Act II: Chapter 1
Hello everyone,
Sorry it's been this long since I updated, but life has gotten in the way as it always does. I just got married so there is that! That took up so much time! But it was wonderful, and I don't regret it!
Anyway, on to the chapter!
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The world was fuzzy when I woke up, and my head throbbed.
'Hangover debuff applied!'
I dismissed the prompt before sitting up in the igloo I found myself in. As I looked at it, it seemed a bit crooked, with half of the roof sunken in a bit. It looked like the inside of a lumpy skull. I had probably erected it during my serious intoxication last night. I pulled up my inventory and browsed it for food.
A sausage link, half a block of cheese, and a few pieces of bread were what I found.
'Consume'
The weight of that food settled on my stomach and its bubbling stopped as it had something to break down for nutrients. The world clarified, the headache disappeared, and the small amount of light peeking through the igloo didn't hurt to look at.
'Hangover debuff removed!'
With that done I stretched, feeling like a new man. That had to be one of the biggest benefits of being a gamer. I had to drink a metric fuck ton to have the debuff apply, but a simple meal caused it to remove itself. I didn't even have to wait for the meal to digest either. I quickly got dressed in the furs of the Southern Water Tribe and exited the igloo.
Once outside, I realized that I was in the same spot that my father and I used to sleep before we left. It was outside the walls of the Southern Water Tribe due to it being too crowded inside the small walls.
I turned back to my igloo and seeing it's misshapen form because of my drinking, I stomped on the ground near it, summoned my chi, and bent it to its proper shape. Once that was done, I nodded and moved to my fathers tent.
"Are you up, father?" I asked without opening his igloo. After no response, I moved the furs at the entrance to find that he had already left. It was no surprise, considering the sun had been over the horizon for close to an hour, judging by its height.
I moved away from it, and looked towards Wolf Cove, and the port beyond it. A massive Fire Nation Frigate was anchored about a hundred yards from the docks. It was the vessel that had delivered us back to our capital city yesterday. Next to it sat a smaller frigate, the Fire Nation Southern Raider Frigate and the first vessel we had ever successfully captured. It had been anchored there, waiting for our return.
Numerous other traditional Southern Water Tribe ships could be seen in the waters as well. Most of the warriors had stayed here last night and helped unload the supplies. Today is when Hakoda will split up the loot for the other warriors to return to their home tribe. There is to be a big announcement at mid-day.
Ice gathered around my feet and shaped into something resembling skis. I laughed as I plunged down the icy slopes towards Wolf Cove.
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I stood in the crowd at the center of Wolf Cove.
An ice podium had been built by yours truly in preparation of this event. It was easily twenty feet and higher than Hakoda wanted, but it would help everyone be able to see him clearly. He would just have to talk louder than he was used to. He was already at the top actually. To his right was my father, and to his left was Vikkok, the bastard.
"People of the Southern Water Tribe!" Hakoda got everyone's attention. The murmuring in the crowd stopped and we all looked up to him.
"Yesterday we returned home and the rumors are true. It was our most successful venture since the war started nearly a hundred years ago!" Hakoda said with fire in his voice. A fire that the people in the crowd next to me liked. They gave out a happy cheer. Hakoda waited for it to die down before continuing.
"We captured two Fire Nation Vessel's for ourselves! With only 50 men, we sunk 13 more ships and dealt a devastating blow to the Fire Nation!"
If the crowd was excited earlier, they were absolutely roaring now. That was a secret that we had kept the past day, so that Hakoda could reveal it himself to the people of the tribe. They loved it. It took much longer for them to quiet down after that. Hakoda had to raise his hand to hasten the silence.
"I know! I am happy to announce that the food supplies from these vessels alone will feed Wolf Cove for a month. No longer will we go hungry! No longer will our children starve!" Hakoda continued.
Once again, the crowd roared for their chieftain. Even I felt the need to raise a fist and howl.
"The warriors that fought alongside me deserve to be recognized and rewarded!" Hakoda said as he reached down beside him and grabbed an object before holding it up towards the crowd.
'A sword?'
"Our people have not had the resources to produce swords, and we have a surplus of weapons due to the deeds of our warriors. I give each and every one of them a sword made of the highest quality steel in the world. It will be a symbol of bravery for our people. A symbol of status and honor. Wear it proud, warriors of the Southern Water Tribe!" Hakoda said, shaking the well made sword in the air.
'Fuck it, I'll take it.'
"This is what our youngsters will look up to! This is what will inspire bravery and courage in our people for years to come! Enjoy it because you have earned it!"
I cheered alongside the warriors that fought beside me. Although the sword meant little to me. It would be a nice little collectors item in the future, if our people ever managed to thrive.
"But that is not all! It is time to reward those whose service was extraordinary!"
The crowd hushed for that part, curious as to what else Hakoda would hand out as rewards.
"Vikkok!" Hakoda gestured to his left, where the man stood slightly behind him. I rolled my eyes, curious as to what the man had contributed. I was really the one that should be taking all the spoils, if we were doing this by merit and amount contributed. "For your bravery, and the bravery of your men I give you the Southern Raiders Frigate anchored at port. Accept this as a token of my gratitude! May your tribe use it for prosperity in the years to come."
Unsurprisingly, the cheers weren't that loud. Vikkok was not a liked man, it would seem. I tried to hide my anger and shock at hearing the grand gift to Vikkok. I expected something big to appease the man and his warriors, but nothing of that size. We could have done a lot with that ship. Now we only had the one to claim for Wolf Cove.
"And to our newest waterbender, Koda!" Hakoda continued, gesturing towards where I stood in the crowd. The people nearest to me parted, forming a circle of space between myself and the crowd. "Let it be known that without you, we would have surely failed this mission. So for your bravery, I give you the ship that I have captained for years! May it lead you to wealth and prosperity in the future."
'Ok that's kind of badass I guess.'
I had not expected to be recognized for extraordinary deeds to be honest. There was a lot of tension between myself and the rest of the crew for a lot of the time we were gone. I was only just becoming more accepted by the men. I smiled and bowed slightly to the man to show my gratitude. There were more cheers for me, then there were for Vikkok. But I was on my home turf, so I didn't think too much of it.
To someone unaware of the traditions of the Southern Water Tribe, it might seem like a small gift. But for a young man that was only considered a warrior for a couple of months, it was a massive honor and a major accomplishment. I was basically risen in society to a different tier. Ship captains were extremely valuable and respected.
This was for a variety of reasons to be honest. The main one was that you immediately became a fisherman. You fed the people with the ship. That was a major boon to your reputation. It was also a tool of transportation. Should I so choose, I could sail and begin to trade with the other tribes, or if I was ambitious enough, with other nations.
Not to mention that I was seen as a leader for our people now. I could one day be the chief. I couldn't stress how much this changed things for me. Even if I deserved the biggest frigate for my deeds, I would take the ship. I already had ideas of what I could do with it, now that it was mine.
I ignored the rest of the speech, too lost in my thoughts about the future and what I could do.
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The sword on my waist, and the belt that held it, was an unfamiliar weight, but I liked it.
It was a jian, a double-edged straight sword, with a disc-shaped hilt that was only big enough to protect my hands from enemy swords. The pommel wasn't overly ornate, and the handle was made of an unknown wood stained red. The balance was perfect and it wasn't overly heavy. I would have to train with the weapon for it to become usable in the future however.
"This is it." My father said as we approached the end of the pier, where my newest ship sat. We stopped before the gangplank that extended from the pier to the ship. He gestured for me to go first, and I obliged.
The gangplank was solid and sturdy as I walked up it. I jumped onto the ship and a thud reminded me that this was made of wood, and not metal like the frigate I was used to. It was also so much smaller, it was hard to even compare the two.
"What do you think?" Bato asked as he followed me onto the ship.
It had a mainsail, a jib, and there was a tiller for steering near the back. It was small, and some of my future plans went out the window once I saw just how small. But I would be able to make it work.
'Maybe I can take another frigate for myself in the future. I'd just need a crew to operate it.'
"I think that I need to learn how to sail it properly." I answered.
The sun was high in the sky, and there was plenty of time to actually take the ship out. Bato must have thought the same thing, because he smiled.
"No time like the present."
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'Skill level up!'
'Sailing Level 20!'
'Dismiss!'
I pulled on the tiller, and the ship beneath me rocked as it changed its course to avoid the rocks in my path. I quickly swung the tiller back towards the other side, and the ship buckled once more to weave in between two more rocks.
Water crashed against the side of my ship, spraying cold water over the deck and onto me.
"Hahahahaha! There you go Koda, there you go!"
I ignored my fathers laughing, and the prompts from the game from the rapidly advancing level of my newest sailing skill. I could only focus on the rocks in front of me as I tried to navigate and miss them. I was sweating and panting, despite my higher level vitality of an even 100.
If I would have had a hand available, I would have flipped my father off.
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"I hear you've been getting familiar with your new ship."
I rolled my eyes and smiled at Hakoda. It was well-known how my father had put me through the ringer now that I was the Captain of my own ship. Although, I was one of the only people in the entire tribe capable of manning the ship completely by myself. Whips of water could be seen flying around my ship at moments of stress, to raise sails, lower sails, tie ropes, and even loosen ropes when needed.
It had been a stressful week, but I had successfully leveled my sailing up enough that I was comfortable enough to begin sailing wherever I wanted. My fathers instructions and the frequency of which he put my ship in danger had power leveled my sailing to a comfortable 63. It was one of my highest skills, and it had only been a week.
"Bato is a slave driver, but I am comfortable with the entire ship now." I told him as I entered the large igloo he had me bend the other day. It was in the center of Wolf Cove, and acted as his hub of operations. There was an ice table in the center, big enough to host a meeting over. There was also a smaller ice table in the corner with a chair from the frigate for him to sit down at and do work for himself.
There was only a thin sheet of ice covering the ceiling. I had added that so that light could fill the room while he worked during the day. He appreciated it.
"Good. Will you begin fishing soon?" Hakoda asked. It was a natural direction now that I had the ship. But to be honest, I could go swimming and bend the water around any school of fish I found. I could quickly double our fish meat within two days. Perhaps I would, should we ever get low on food, but I didn't want to use my ship for that.
"Actually, that is why I asked for a meeting." I told him as I moved forward and placed the object in my hands on the table beneath us, and unrolled it. "I came to talk about the future of our people."
Hakoda frowned and walked around to where I stood looking at the table. A map that I had procured off of the first ship we ever confiscated, the Southern Raider Frigate, was laid out. It detailed the Patola Mountain range, along with the surrounding islands in great detail. It was the same islands and mountain range that was closest to the Southern Water Tribe and the same place that the Southern Air Temple had once resided.
The fire nation map was a detailed one, showing exactly where forests dominated on some islands, and how others were mainly steep cliffs of mountains and inhospitable.
"Why am I looking at this?" Hakoda asked after he realized what it was.
"I've been thinking deeply about a problem recently, Chief." I started. I was respectful, because I wasn't sure how my proposal was going to be received.
"And what is this problem?" He asked. I could tell he was entertaining me but I needed him to do more than that. I needed him invested.
"The problem of this." I said as I pointed to the ground beneath us. "And this." I said as I pointed to the ice around us. "The place we call home as a tribe."
Hakoda frowned. "Wolf Cove?" He asked for clarification.
"The whole damned continent." I answered, giving him the clarification he wanted. "This place will never allow us to truly thrive as a people. It only brings hardship." I told him passionately.
"The grain we are feeding our people with was farmed on Fire Nation islands. The meat was taken from cattle raised on a farm with the singular purpose of being slaughtered for sustenance." I continued, trying to present my line of thinking to him. "Neither of which is possible in our current climate."
"You speak of migration."
Hakoda interrupted what I was going to say next. He was staring at the map in front of him, and he was showing me that his high intelligence stat was not for show. He was already seeing through the reason that I had approached him.
"Yes." I answered. "And I believe that this should be our destination." I didn't have to dance around the subject, Hakoda was already thinking about my proposal. He was probably already weighing the pros and cons of it.
"Why?" Hakoda asked, without looking up.
"Simply put, it's abandoned and it's close. When the Fire Nation purged the Southern Air Temple, the people supporting and relying on it either fled east to the Earth Kingdom, or were taken back to the Fire Nation as prisoners and slaves." I answered as I moved closer to the map and pointed at an island that was closest to Wolf Cove.
"This is the closest to our home. A mountain range and a potential source of precious metals on the east half. A forest, that no doubt is abundant with wildlife, covers the west. We could harvest the lumber, clear fields, and plant crops to sustain us in the west. We could survey the mountains in the west, mine it for precious metals to be forged for our people, or export it for wealth." I told him. It was the most basic aspect of my plan.
I actually had some other plans meant for the construction of a town and city. I already had a basic plan and structure for a port of epic proportions. But that was far into the future. Luckily for me, terraforming with waterbending is not only possible, but can be fast given the amount of water benders available.
'That will require more water benders though.'
"This will also put us within trading range of the Earth Kingdom, Omashu, and Kyoshi Island." I continued, trying to lay another pro to the situation.
"I have thought of the subject before." Hakoda admitted, standing up from his position hunched over the map.
"And what was your conclusion?" I asked.
"I was a young man then. All of our water benders were imprisoned and our morale was broken from the string of defeats of that generation. I was told it wasn't possible." Hakoda answered as his hands went to his chin, obviously thinking about my proposition.
"You forgot to mention the biggest drawback…" Hakoda said, turning away from me.
"We're closer to the Fire Nation as well." I answered for him. It was easily the biggest setback.
"Exactly!" Hakoda said, knocking his hand on the ice desk beside us. "We would put our people in danger."
"Not anymore than they already are." I retorted quickly. I had thought of the subject extensively, and had my answer prepared. "We already face raids. The only difference is that we might be able to prosper and grow here." I said as I touched the spot on the map that I thought would be best.
Hakoda didn't respond immediately. He did, however, begin to pace around the room. I could tell that he was pondering my proposal. I was lucky that the man had considered migrating before.
"Let me think on this further, Koda."
I nodded and moved forward to grab the map on the table. I rolled it up, and began to walk out of the igloo.
"When will we depart again?" I asked, curious. I didn't expect the man to immediately pack up and command the people of Wolf Cove to begin moving. I knew that it would be a process that took time. I had a ship now, and the itch to explore this world was becoming a little too great to ignore. But I also didn't want my people to be vulnerable either. I wouldn't leave if we were planning on attacking the fire nation again.
"It won't be for a couple of months. I hope to bring our full force, and it will take time for word to spread of our deeds." Hakoda answered as he sat back down at his chair and smaller desk.
I nodded, satisfied with the answer, and walked out.
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"Where are you going?"
The sun had yet to shine even the faintest over the horizon. It was completely dark outside. Yet my father was already up and now he had found me.
"North, to the Patola Mountain Range." I told him truthfully.
"Hakoda did not tell you no son."
'So they've talked about it already.' I thought. I hadn't told my father the contents of my meeting. He knew that I had the meeting and that was it. Hakoda and his friendship had picked up, now that we were back in Wolf Cove and Hakoda was away from Vikkok. Bato and Hakoda were always close.
"I know, but I need to see it for myself. What if the maps lie? What if it too is inhospitable?" I asked as I reached down and picked up the gangplank.
Bato's foot stepped on it, not allowing me to pull it into the ship. I stood up, and looked at him.
"I have yet to teach you how to navigate. How will you know you're in the right place? How will you return?"
"I know North from South based on the sun's position." I answered. It was going to be difficult, but I was confident in my abilities. I had enough food in my inventory to survive a long time. I would find land eventually.
"Ah, so you know enough to get lost then…" He said as he took another step and began walking towards me. Soon enough he made it to the end and jumped into the ship.
"If you're coming, we'll need more supplies." I said, thinking about the most obvious issue. I wasn't opposed to him coming. Actually, I would like the company. Being on the sea for weeks at a time with no company sounded awful.
"Then you best get to it." Bato said as he made his way to the tiller. He sat down, put his hand on it, and then looked at me expectantly. I narrowed my eyes, but set my feet and went to retrieve more food for him.
'Damned old man.'
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A/N: Boom!
This is a bit of a shorter chapter, but what comes next doesn't really fit into this chapter. I think it's best that it waits for the next chapter honestly.
Koda and company have returned to Wolf Cove. And he already has plans for leaving!
He got a new cool status symbol in a sword. He won't use it much until he gets
more skilled with it. He also got a new ship! All to himself! And as a waterbender, he can operate all jobs of the small ship to make it run.
Obviously, this isn't near enough what he deserves for his deeds. But you'll start to see that increase in the future!
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