章 44: Chapter 43 Undercurrents
Hey Guys. Sorry for the Delay in Update. Hit a block and spent the last few days thinking how to incorporate bending into the following chapters.
Either way. New Week, New Chapter.
Let the Powerstones start rolling in.
Enjoy
....
Northwestern Earth Kingdom
Pohuai Stronghold
"Thank you for your hospitality Colonel". High in a guard post on the inner walls, the short captain Han uttered towards the man opposite with a slight bow.
"It is no problem Captain". The Colonel replied apathetically. "After all, I do owe you a favor. And we're all in this war together. On the matter of hunting down rebels, as long as it doesn't inconvenience our efforts to do our jobs, you have my support".
Colonel Shine, supervising officer of the Pohuai Stronghold.
A man only a few inches taller than the short Captain himself.
Han nodded, his gaze moving down below and a flash of envy appearing in his eyes.
"Wonderful aren't they?" A smile appeared on Shinu's face seeing the direction of his gaze.
"Indeed". The Captain made no secret of his envy. "Soldiers with such precision are rare assets".
"Every one of them". Shinu nodded. "I understand how you feel Han. I personally felt the same way eight years ago when I first took over this stronghold".
Shinu remembered that day. The day the Yuyan Archers displayed their skills right before his eyes.
He nearly made a fool of himself looking so slack-jawed.
Suuuuiii!
Down below.
An arrow streaked through the air, hitting the bullseye accurately. A moment later, another arrow hit that arrow, splitting it in half. Another second elapsed, and two more arrows pierced through, splitting each one in half successively.
'Such skill, such precision'. Despite this not being the first time, Han still felt intoxicated at the wonderful display of skill before him.
His eyes glowing like a sex deprived man suddenly seeing a naked beauty after years of abstinence.
'If only I had such archers under my command …'.
If he had such warriors, that blasted rebel wouldn't have escaped so far out of his reach. At least, that's what he concluded.
The Yuyan Archers themselves were just as legendary as their precision and skill with the bow. Each and every single one of them boasted a hundred percent mission completion success rate. More than a dozen men, not a single one had failed any task they had ever undertaken.
From hunting rebels, to assassinations, to disrupting enemy forces …. Perfectly done without fail.
Records existed of their retired predecessors destroying five Earth Kingdom strongholds without assistance of any kind within a week during the early years of the war.
These young men showcasing their abilities below were the most elite team in the Fire Nation. So much so that Han was certain that Colonel Shinu would rather sacrifice a small army of soldiers than lose a single one.
Compared to them, June The bounty hunter was simply not up to par. After all, she had a high mission success rate, but it wasn't perfect.
The Yuyan were exactly what Han needed. Of course, he could only think so in his heart without daring to express it.
Because the moment he did, Han was sure that the easygoing Colonel would change his attitude faster than he could say the word Agni.
If these archers were under his command, he wouldn't entertain such a possibility either.
"Their skill is a feast for the eyes. I thank you once again for hosting me. Now I must be on my way".
Either way, the Colonel had been of great help. If he wanted to keep up with June's pace, he had to be back on his cruiser within the hour.
His words made Shinu frown.
"Are you certain, Captain? The skies are cloudy, and my men tell me a heavy storm is approaching". Both their gazes turned upwards.
The sunny sky was gone with dark clouds hovering over.
Han reciprocated the colonels frown.
When mother nature was in a particularly bad mood, not even the heavy mass of steel they rode on could withstand her temper.
If things got really bad, then his cruiser could be swallowed up by the ocean.
"We don't know how big it's going to get, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. You should consider staying until the storm passes".
He extended an invitation.
Han pondered.
It truly wouldn't hurt to be careful.
However .....
"Thank you, Colonel Shinu ….". He uttered. "But time waits for no one. The sooner I leave with my crew, the faster I can apprehend my target. If it takes too long, the trail might get colder than it already is".
'Or …. Someone else might just beat me to it'. An inward thought.
"Would you like me to help you spread the word, then? I can send a message to high command letting them know the target has escaped your jurisdiction".
"That will be unnecessary. As I have already done so myself".
"Very well then". Shinu nodded as he turned and started walking. "I wish you a safe departure from my port and safe journeys on your search. Do be well".
The figure of the Colonel walking away fell into his eyes.
At that moment, corporal Wei, who had been standing aside spoke.
"Sir, did we really inform high command?"
Han's face turned cold.
"No you idiot".
"I ….". The corporal trembled slightly. A hesitant expression appearing on his face before continuing. "Forgive me, sir, but why…?"
"What we received was a simple order from High command that the perpetrator was within our jurisdiction. Now the rebel has escaped towards Omashu, an area out of my jurisdiction in which I can't follow. Once the news is released, a full on bounty order will be posted across all Fire Nation outposts. Every ranking officer, soldier, and mercenary will be out there looking for him, carving a permanent error for me and making my job even harder".
This was the truth. The previous order was simply a message given to the outposts within a specified region.
News of Luca's existence hadn't spread past the western and southwestern Earth kingdom as high command simply assumed an escaped rebel would easily be caught and killed.
So the bounty itself wasn't high. Merely forty-five gold coins.
Most high-ranking officers would take it as an effective one to two months salary depending on rank (Zuko excluded. The prince isn't getting a dime of support for chasing the avatar around the world. This is why he considered capturing Luca. Because for a banished prince with no income, fifty gold coins is a lot of money. It was necessary, if not, the former prince might end up being broke one day. Quite saddening if you ask me)
But that would change once a worldwide official bounty was released.
Not only would he have to tell high command that the rebel escaped, he would also have to give accurate details of how and under what circumstances in the report.
This was mainly, so Luca's ability could be accurately judged to place proper information on the bounty order.
However, on top of the previous disaster that was Hei Bai's rampage, that would also mean revealing that Luca had escaped from his grasp and killed several of his men along the way. (The previous scenario where he wrote to high command was simply explaining the losses inflicted by the Hei Bai spirit. Not the fact that Luca had escaped).
That would be another stain on his record, highlighting his infidelity and ineffectiveness.
The whole point of hiring June was to make sure Luca was captured quickly before anything was released.
Unfortunately, he was constrained to his post and area of jurisdiction. Unlike a certain vanished prince, he didn't have the authority or freedom to wander around in search of a target.
To do that, his rank needed to reach the minimum of a commander or Colonel. Like Zhao.
So he could only go for the next best option.
How could he go and shoot himself in the foot while also creating competition for himself?
"No more questions". Han uttered expressionlessly. "Get the crew ready. We depart in fifteen minutes".
With a bow, the corporal quickly ran away to carry out orders.
Han resisted the urge to sigh.
This new aid needed to be brought up to speed quickly. If not, he would have to explain himself all the time when carrying out actions that bent the rules. How infuriating.
....
Pohuai Docks .....
Five minutes later.
"Man the ship! We leave in Ten minutes". The corporal yelled at the top of his lungs causing the crew to run in different directions.
Seeing this, he walked into the ship and ran up the tower mast as quickly as he could. Arriving at his quarters, he sat at his desk where laid his work materials.
With familiarity, he took out a small paper scroll and a feather quill, dipping the latter into a bottle of ink.
Scribbling for nearly two minutes, he put his special signature to make sure the one receiving the message recognized him as the sender.
After inspection, he rolled up the note and walked towards the messenger hawk perched on a bird stand.
He skillfully arranged a small canister on its back and urged it when he was done.
With a flap of its wings, the bird flew out the open window and soared into the skies. The lieutenant watching it as it gradually disappeared from the horizon with an expressionless face.
...
Southern Mo Ce Sea (Fire Nation Controlled Waters)
Fire Navy Blockade.
Fire Navy Cruiser ….
On the headquarters of the illustrious High-Ranking Officer .....
"Commander Zhao".
"Come in".
Thud, Thud, Thud ….
A soldier of unknown rank walked into the room.
"Sir". He bowed respectfully.
"Is the ship ready for my departure?"
"Almost sir. But that's not the issue?"
"Oh! New news on the Avatar's latest whereabouts?"
"No sir. A messenger hawk assigned specifically to you sir".
"Oh!"
The man appeared before the table and handed the scroll over.
Unfurling it slightly, a man with Gray hair, amber eyes and light skin looked at the contents with curiosity. Moments later, a small smile made its way up his face as a gleam of ridicule emerged on his features.
It was short-lived however as he quickly returned to neutrality as he placed the note aside.
"Lieutenant. I need you to do something for me".
"Yes sir?"
"Take this note now, transcribe it in my writing and deliver it on a messenger Hawk to High command".
"I … As your wish, commander".
Taking the note, the officer quickly departed to complete his assignment.
As for Commander Zhao? He simply lowered his head and returned to his work after taking a brief look out the window.
'Looks like a heavy storm is coming up'.
Crack — Boom!
....
Southern Earth Kingdom
Kolau Mountain Range
Crack-Boom.
The sound of thunder crackling in the sky resounded throughout the area.
Luca took a look at the clouding skies up ahead, the unlabeled map in his hands and finally raised his gaze to look at the vast chain of barren mountains that stood between him and Omashu.
'This is going to be a long day'.
....
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