ดาวน์โหลดแอป
24.67% Avatar: Macai's Journey / Chapter 19: A New Voyage Part 2

บท 19: A New Voyage Part 2

Macai and his team rapidly advance toward the main harbor facility. They see a massive brown wooden complex with several Earth Kingdom flags on it. There are four towers around it, and each has an archer. A loud boom is heard, and several ignited catapults are fired from the shore. There are also several soldiers on patrol around the facility.

Two inflamed projectiles hit the two front archer towers and break them to pieces. Another catapult lands between two guards and blows them to dust. A fourth catapult lands between three Earth Kingdom troopers and dispatches them. The sirens go off and troopers start shouting.

Macai commands, "Sonna, cover us with archer fire! I'm going in, there is no time to waste."

Ronin: "What about those two remaining archer towers?!"

Macai: "Asad's team should be facing those towers. Hopefully, his men are clear and will assist us."

Captain Onazi shakes as he hears the explosions in his office. Captain Onazi: "We're under attack! Deploy the defense garrison!"

Lieutenant Dongo: "Yes sir! Would you like to evacuate? Our forces detect about three enemy squads nearby and one is closing in on our position."

Captain Onazi: "Did they attack our base?"

Lieutenant Dongo: "There have been no direct hits on this facility but, several on the defenses around it."

Captain Onazi: "Then they are not here by accident, looks like they planned this out. Is there any clear exit?"

Lieutenant Dongo: "There is one route that they aren't coming from, but I've just gotten a report that the naval vessel is bombarding that route. Looks like they want to keep us from using it."

Captain Onazi: "Let's prepare our men. They are coming. Let's try to take out at least one of those squads before we consider running."

Ryse: Son of Rome- Main Theme- YouTube (music starts)

While this is happening, Lieutenant Asad and Dade are fighting incoming Earth Kingdom troopers as they are trying to make it towards the enemy facility. Asad looks forward as two Earth Kingdom troopers descend toward him. Asad kicks his right leg and fires a flame into the stomach of the trooper on the right. The trooper on his left has a sword and Asad swiftly pivots his body and throws a ball of fire into his chest.

The trooper falls forward and a trooper with a spear rushes Dade with a lunge at his stomach. Dade diagonally thrusts his sword down to the left and knocks the spear in the left direction. Dade steps forward and slits the trooper's throat. Another trooper with a sword gallops at Dade from behind and the marine swiftly turns and lashes his sword into across the man's midsection.

Dade turns around again and notices an earthbender leap forward about five feet towards Dade. One Fire Nation soldier with a sword and bender move in to intercept the bender. The Earthbender thrusts both of his hands and launches rectangles of stone into both of them, knocking both soldiers back several feet.

Dade turns around and the earthbender thrusts his right arm and tosses a log at Dade. Dade ducks and rolls then leaps back on his feet. The bender lifts his hands causing the ground below Dade to shift up and this knocks Dade five feet in the air. Then the Earthbender uses his bending to fire several sharp projectiles at Dade.

Dade gathers himself and uses his sword to swat each projectile aside. Then Dade falls hard on the ground and moans. Asad leaps a few feet away from the Earthbender. The Earthbender turns his head and taunts, "Another one, good. I've been waiting for this."

The bender pushes his hands forward and fires several projectiles at Asad. Asad shifts his hands and launches a stream of fire into the projectiles. Asad lowers both of his hands then pulls them up and creates a fire barrier on the ground below. Asad rotates his right hand forward and sends a payload of flames flying toward the bender from the ground below.

The bender leaps in the air to the right direction then shifts his right arm and chucks a large rectangular block of stone into Asad's chest. Asad shouts, "Ahhh!" Then he flies three feet backward and rolls unconscious in the dirt. Another Fire Nation soldier with a spear advances toward the bender and tosses his spear at him.

The bender turns and lifts his left hand. A wall of stone rises and knocks the spear aside. Then the bender zips his left hand and launches the stone into the firebender, knocking him out. Dade hastily gets up and shouts, "Hey ugly, I'm still here!"

The bender turns and taunts, "Oh, you still want more? I guess you don't learn."

Dade sprints with his sword ready. The earthbender moves his right hand and causes a shake in the ground, causing Dade to stumble and fall. Earthbender: "You are no match for me boy." Dade leaps up, but not completely on his feet. Instead, he jumps is a crouched position. Dade chucks his right sword low and through the bender's right leg.

Earthbender: "Aiyyye!" The bender falls backward and Dade sprints forward unarmed. Dade closes in on the bender and swiftly rips the sword out of the bender's leg. His blade is covered with blood and a loud snap is heard as he does. The bender winces in pain.

Earthbender: "Gahh! Wait, I surrender." Dade doesn't trust the earthbender. Dade inserts his weapon into the man's chest. Earthbender: "Ahhhh!" The man briefly struggles and then becomes still.

The earthbender coughs, "I see you are doing just as they taught you (coughs again). I can see why. Maybe you aren't so bad, just doing your duty like I am. Oh, this war has made monsters out of us all." Dade rips the blade out of the man's chest, and he dies.

Asad slowly gets up and rubs his head, "Well done Dade. We should press on and aid Macai's team. You have earned my respect, doing what must be done to win. You are a real soldier now."

Dade shakes his head, "We need to hurry up. How many of our warriors are still functional?"

Asad turns and notices that a few are still conscious. One of the soldiers has a sword in his chest and is clearly dead. Dade checks the pulse of one of the swordsmen, "Looks like he was knocked in the air by an earthbender and when he fell his skull cracked. He's gone."

Asad: "Squad report!" The archer of the team moves in behind them. As well as one of the firebenders who are recently knocked out and a swordswoman who was recently sparked unconscious. One of the soldiers scrambles back to his feet and gets his spear. One of the benders who wasn't knocked out meets with the team.

Dade: "Looks like Egar is still asleep from that hit he took. We can meet with him later, but we have a mission to complete. For now."

(music stops)

Dade and Asad advance with the archer, a swordsman, and a firebender. They notice two towers; one tower is across from Macai's advancing team which are heading to the large Earth Kingdom facility. Dade: "We'll need to archer to take out that archer on the right that's facing Macai."

Asad responds, "That will leave our archer exposed and open to be flanked by their other archer on the lower left corner. Macai chose to take that risk, so let's see how he handles it. We need to wait until after Kanna's team arrives to reinforce us or attack the lower left tower."

Dade shouts, "We can't wait and leave them exposed! We need to help since we are here."

Asad yells, "No! We will wait and if Kanna's team attacks them in time then we will strike."

Dade: "Kanna's team is further from the base than us."

Asad: "Oh well."

Meanwhile, Macai rushes into battle with Sonna on his left and Cosal on his right with his sword drawn. Three Earth Kingdom troopers rush toward them. The one in the center is a bender. Sonna rapidly fires an arrow into the throat of the trooper across her.

Macai leaps and presses both of his hands together; releasing a condensed rectangle of white fire into the bender's chest. Macai turns and kicks a white flame into the chest of the trooper on his right and sends him flying three feet back.

Another two earthbenders launch themselves in front of Macai. Macai extends his right arm and knocks them aside with a whip of fire. An archer from the tower left of them aims at Sonna, but an arrow is launched into the left side of his neck, and he falls forward out of the tower.

Asad turns around and looks at the archer in his team. Asad: "I said wait until Kanna's team arrives. Now the other archer sees us!"

Archer: "Oh well, like Dade said we leave no man behind. Sonna is one of our best archers!"

Asad's face turns red, and he exclaims, "Get down!"

Sonna looks up and notices another earthbender on the left side of the entrance door and fires an arrow in his chest. Another earthbender on the right side of the door quickly propels several rocks at Macai. Macai swiftly punches multiple white flames into those rocks then Macai pulls his right arm up and ignites the ground with a cascade of white flames. The white fire swiftly flows from Macai's position to that of the earthbender.

The earthbender is blinded by the luminous flames as they approach and is quickly consumed by them.

The Earth Kingdom archer on the rear left tower fires an arrow at the Fire Nation Archer's head. The archer rolls left of the shot and Asad's team takes cover. They are quickly pinned down by the archer, but Macai's team enters the facility.

A few seconds later the archer is shot in the back of his head and falls off the platform. Kanna's team has arrived from the lower left flank. Dade slowly lifts his head, "See, it worked."

Asad: "You took an unnecessary risk."

Dade: "I didn't fire the arrow, I'm not trained in archery. Risks come with the battlefield, but if we always have each other's back it will pay off more than screwing each other over."

Asad: "Orders are orders."

Dade: "Then it's a good thing Macai is the commanding officer. His approval trumps yours."

Macai charges inside of the structure with his allies right behind him. Sonna stays on Macai's left and Cosal is on his right. Ronin and another four Fire Nation soldiers move in behind Macai. As they advance they notice three earthbenders waiting for them.

All of the earthbenders raise their arms and pull the floor up then launch it toward Macai's team. Macai presses his hands forward and fires a massive white flame at the floor. The floor is burned to ashes and smoke flows from the explosion. Macai nods his head and Sonna fires her arrow through the smoke.

Sonna's arrow hits one of the benders in his forehead. Macai: "Code 431." Macai leaps to the left direction and Ronin flips to his right. Both of the earthbenders refocus as the smoke clears and fires several fragments at Macai and Ronin. Macai shoots his flames side to side as he struggles to blast several fragments. Macai bobs his head as he evades a brick.

Macai flicks a shot low and blasts the bender in right kneecap. Ronin blasts several incoming projectiles and has his hands full. Sonna takes aim again, but the bender throws an object at her face. Sonna swiftly ducks and Ronin sprints ahead.

The bender hurls a stream of objects at Ronin. Ronin runs against the wall and performs a spinning flip off it. Ronin lands a few feet behind the earthbender. The bender launches a large piece of the wall at Ronin and Ronin dives on the floor but catches himself.

Ronin readjusts his body and rotates his legs. Ronin fires a burst of orange flames into the earthbender's stomach. The bender glides backward and hits his head against the wall. Macai and his team advance into a large white room. They notice Captain Onazi and two earthbenders. Macai: "Captain Onazi, you're under arrest."

Onazi greets his enemy, "I don't know who you are, but you must be the boy with the white fire that I've heard about. That is an impressive display, but you will soon discover that you are outmatched." Onazi claps his hands, and the ceiling opens. Two earthbenders land on the left and right side of the room. The ceiling also opens at the rear of the building and another three earthbenders leap down that side of the building.

Onazi: "It is you who are under arrest. What's your name?"

Macai: "Macai." Macai buzzes off the floor while launching both of his legs toward Onazi. A glistering rod of white fire flows from his feet and hits Onazi in his chest.

Onazi: "Ahhhh!" Onazi screams at the top of his lungs and flies three feet in the air hits the top of the open door behind him. Onazi falls unconsciously. The earthbender right of Macai pulls his right hand down and sends a piece of the ceiling flying toward Macai. The 31st captain rolls right and leaps back on his feet. Macai shifts his right hand forward and throws a ball of fire into the bender's left shoulder.

The bender left of Macai shifts his left hand forward and launches a piece of the floor at Macai's chest. Macai shifts his left arm forward and into the object. The fragments break in half and Macai is unharmed. Macai shifts his body and kicks a flame into the bender's gut.

Cosal rushes toward one of the benders on the right flank. The bender claps his hands, and two walls slam against Cosal. The walls break into several fragments but, Cosal is badly wounded and falls forward asleep. Macai shouts in rage, "raaah!"

Macai kicks a white flame in the bender's nose. Macai shifts both of his hands forward and fires a white beam of fire into the other earthbender on the right flank. The flame violently knocks the bender against the wall.

On the left flank, Sonna turns her head and fires an arrow in the bender's chest just as he is raising his arms. Ronin pops a flame at the other fire bender on the right flank and he raises his arms and blocks the flame with a wall of earth. The earthbender launches the flame toward Ronin and Ronin gallops over the wall a few inches in front of the bender.

The earthbender shifts his left arm forward and swings at Ronin. Ronin moves his head left and knees the earthbender in the stomach. The earthbender bends in agony. Ronin ignites his right fist and uppercuts the man.

On the rear, an earthbender raises a wall of earth and launches it at one of Macai's spear-wielding warriors. The Fire Nation soldier is knocked back. The firebender on the left hooks a flame into the earthbender across him. The last earthbender on the right raises a piece of the floor and launches it at the firebender.

The firebender kicks a rod of orange fire into the earthbender's body. Macai rushes toward Cosal. Cosal coughs up blood. Macai: "Cosal, stay with me."

Cosal coughs again, "I'm still kicking. But I need to rest, I can't make the run across here.

Macai looks at one of his swordsmen and one of the firebenders. Macai: "You two, stay with Cosal. Make sure he's safe. The rest of us will complete the mission."

Ronin: "One of our swordsmen was knocked out in the fight."

Macai: "That's fine. We still have enough people to finish the mission." Macai, Sonna, Ronin, and a spearman advance. Macai finds Onazi's unconscious body. Macai looks at the spearman, "Put him on your back and stay behind me. Sonna, stay next to him. We have to meet with the others. But we don't want to bring attention to Cosal, so let's leave out of the opposite side of the building. They will follow us wherever we go."

While Macai's team is moving forward, they notice an earthbender. He has an ally with a sword on his left and another ally with a spear to his right. Earthbender: "Defensive positions."

Earth swordsman, "Screw this." The swordsman ditches his allies and sprints away.

Earthbender (to the spearman): "Wait for my signal." The Earthbender launches the ground at Macai and Macai jumps forward. Macai lands five feet away from the earthbender.

The Earthbender crosses his arms and pulls wall fragments toward Macai. Macai hops over the fragments toward the earthbender. The earthbender raises the fragments toward Macai. Macai ignites his legs with a swirl of white fire, which burns all of the objects that move toward his feet. Macai rotates his legs and pulls them up in a flip, which fries more of the objects around him.

Just as gravity pulls Macai down, he pulls his right fist up and engulfs it with white flames. Macai swoops down toward the earthbender and spearman. He is heading between them but, the spearman runs toward Macai. Macai rotates his body and shifts it backward to avoid the spear.

Macai slams his right fist into the ground, creating a powerful white explosion. The blast immediately blinds the Earth Kingdom troopers and burns them to ashes. Sonna, Ronin, and the other Fire Nation soldiers stare in awe. Ronin: "When he rose those objects, I was worried for you. I had no idea how even you were going to get out of that. I thought you were going to get knocked out or worse."

Macai looks back at his friend, "It'll take more than that to stop me. Come on." Macai's team advances outside of the structure and they notice multiple Earth Kingdom troopers. One of them has a spear, the one on the right has a sword, and the one in the center is a sergeant.

Earth Kingdom sergeant (pointing): "They have Onazi, take them down!" Sonna fires an arrow in the officer's heart, which immediately breaks the squad's confidence. She then darts a second arrow into the chest of the trooper on the right. Ronin bobs forward and kicks a flame in the stomach of spearman's chest. Macai buzzes in front of the earthbender and presses both of his hands; launching a white flame into the bender and sending him flying several feet away.

Macai: "Now, let's find the others and make a glorious stand together."

Kanna and her team advance to the left and can hear a fight in the distance. Kanna: "Looks like that's Asad's team. Let's help them out." Kanna still has Gammal, a firebender, Basin (soldier with a long sword), a spearman, and a standard swordsman with her. Kedo still lays unconscious from a distance.

Gammal: "Affirmative."

Meanwhile Asad has two earthbenders charging toward him. Asad shifts both of his hands forward, zapping a stream of fire into an incoming earthbender. Asad turns his body right and flicks a flame into another bender's chest. Dade is a few feet behind Asad and turns his back cuts down an enemy swordsman.

The archer keeps his distance and fires an arrow into the stomach of an advancing earthbender. Then one of the swordsmen on Asad's team advances toward an incoming earthbender. The bender launches several rocks into the soldier's armor and knocks him out.

The other firebender on the team notices this and kicks a flame into an incoming Earth Kingdom swordsman. Then he turns and fires two fireballs at the earthbender. The earthbender pulls his arms forward and pulls two arm guards over his arms. The bender blocks the flames with his new arm shields then shifts his arms forward and launches several projectiles in the earthbender; decking him.

Dade charges the earthbender and swings horizontally at his head. The earthbender dips then Dade swings horizontally a second time at his neck. The earthbender bulls both of his arms up and blocks the attack with his improvised arm guards. The earthbender then swats Dade's sword out of his hand with his left arm then he rushes toward Dade and thrusts his right fist into Dade's stomach.

Dade's stomach growls and he kneels. Then the earthbender backhands Dade and Dade falls to the ground and coughs. As the earthbender prepares to finish him Asad steps forward. Asad: "Enough, let's see if you can beat a real pro like me."

The earthbender smiles and shifts his hands forward. Several objects fly toward Asad and the 31st officer slides left past the attack. Asad pops several orange torpedoes of fire at the earthbender. The earthbender jumps right and kicks a low flame at the earthbender's knee. The earthbender slightly raises his knee and a small shield of fire thwarts the attack.

The earthbender then kicks his left leg and launches the object at Asad's lower right leg. Asad stumbles forward and steps over the object. The earthbender thrusts his right arm and launches a brick into his stomach. Asad backpedals in pain and the earthbender points his other arm and darts several projectiles at his face.

Asad lowers his head and advances. Asad kicks a flame at the earthbender's lower left leg. The earthbender quickly generates two leg guards on his left and right legs. His leg guard blocks the shot. Asad: "You are ridiculous." The earthbender folds his arms together and causes the ground within a ten-meter radius of Asad to cave in.

Asad dives in the air and lands a few feet away from the earthbender. The earthbender charges toward Asad and kicks his left leg at Asad. This sends an object flying low at Asad's right leg. Asad tilts his body right to avoid the attack then the earth bender rotates both of his arms as he launches a large square of stone into Asad's body.

Asad falls backward sore. The earthbender smiles and puts his hands on his hips, "I'm not impressed."

Another voice interrupts him, "Me neither." Kanna suddenly leaps right of his position and the earthbender shifts both of his hands forward. Causing the ground to cave in within her direction. Kanna leaps left and kicks a massive flame of dark orange fire at the earthbender. The earthbender holds both of his arms forward to block the shot, but it is too powerful. As eruption occurs on contact and the earthbender is sent flying eight feet backward unconscious.

Kanna slowly walks toward Asad's position and extends her right hand to help him up. Asad ignores the friendly gesture and gets up on his own. Kanna: "You're welcome." Kanna's team reinforces Asad's and a sore Dade slowly gets back on his feet. Kanna warns, "Looks like there are more Earth Kingdom troopers coming, get ready."

Several Earth Kingdom troopers charge toward Kanna and Asad's remaining forces. However, several white flames fly from the left direction and hit two of the benders. Ronin, Sonna, and a Fire Nation soldier with Onazi on his back rush behind Kanna and Asad's team.

Kanna looks back at Ronin, "You have the target?!"

Ronin: "That's right, it's time to go. Macai said, he'd hold them off briefly."

Kanna turns and sees Macai smack five Earth Kingdom troopers down with two whips of white fire. One Earth Kingdom trooper raises a shield of earth to block the flame then Macai launches a large white ball of fire into the wall, smashing it to pieces and blinding several distant Earth Kingdom troopers.

From the distance, Kanna can see the left and right positions of the earthbenders being destroyed by afar artillery shots from the shore. Macai falls back to Kanna's position. Macai: "Kanna, Dade; it's a pleasure to see you both again."

Dade: "I see you're showing off as usual."

Macai: "Well that is my job, and I just can't help it sometimes."

Kanna: "Looks like their forces are depleted, they don't have much left."

Macai: "That is true, but they might throw everything that they have left at us."

Kanna: "Then let's get ready to fight." The remaining Earth Kingdom troopers slowly advance then they drop their weapons, and the benders throw their hands up.

Ronin smiles (to Macai), "Well played my friend, well played."

Dade: "Did command expect the mission to be this difficult?"

Macai: "I think they had more forces than anticipated. It's definitely not a simple first mission, but we did it."

Dade: "That we did."

The team returns to their ship after the mission is completed with Onazi as a prisoner. A few days later two standard fire nation cruisers arrive to secure the Island and take the Earth Kingdom prisoners. One of the ships personally takes Onazi. The captain of the ship requests that Macai meets with him for a cup of tea before their departure.

The man has dark brown hair with shades of grey. He is in his late forties and is blind in his left eye. He also has a hazel right eye and yellow skin. His ears are small and pointy. His nose is plump, and he has a strong face. His name is Commander Yinpul.

The commander's office has maroon walls, a sand-colored floor, and a white ceiling. The commander is also smoking a tobacco pipe as he waits. His chairs are a red-brown color. Commander Yinpul: "Well, done young man. Well, done."

Macai: "Thank you. I do just as my father instructed and I have waited a long time for this opportunity."

Commander Yinpul: "Indeed, Kenshin will be proud when he hears of your performance. There were indeed more Earth Kingdom forces here than anticipated, but you did well, nonetheless. I can't imagine that I would have ever pulled a mission like this off at your age and you had few casualties."

Macai: "We had few deaths and serious injuries. However, many of my troops sustained minor injuries. It just was the nature of the fight. We did have the element of surprise and naval superiority on our side."

Commander Yinpul: "Even so, your accomplishment was very impressive. Especially for a new unit. This is the kind of mission that standard units perform only on their best days. Your team has proven itself to be elite, but this is just the beginning. There will be many more opportunities and I believe Ozai will also be impressed."

Macai: "Is that why you invited me here?"

Commander Yinpul: "You could say that. I was personally impressed with your performance. We need more leaders like you. Your career has quickly taken off and I'd love to work with you in the future. However, I will warn you." Macai nods his head.

The commander continues, "If you ever cross me or disobey direct orders, you will face my wrath. I doubt that you would ever do such a thing. You seem to be wise, but it's a common thing I say to young officers."

Macai: "Of course sir."

Commander Yinpul: "There may come a time that you will need to make a hard decision, but remember to always obey the hierarchy. If you do that, you'll be even further ahead than I am. My father was a commander like me. That helped, but your father was a General. You also have Ozai's personal interest, use that to your advantage and don't fail."

Macai: "Of course."

Commander Yinpul: "As long as you do well. But if you suffer a serious blunder, your career might go down even faster. If Ozai wants to forget about you and how you shamed his nation. So think very carefully about the decisions you make." Yinpul smirks.

Macai's eyes widen then dart to the floor, "Yes, of course, sir. I will not fail my nation."

Commander Yinpul: "For your sake, I hope not. But for now, enjoy your victory. You should be very proud, and your troopers should be proud of themselves. You are making our state look good and it is an honor to work with you."

Macai: "What are you going to do with the prisoners?"

Commander Yinpul: "Interrogate them and make some useful labor of them. But we have a special use with Captain Onazi, we will get a lot of good information out of him. We have a new way of extracting vital information from our enemies. We're going to test it on him."

Macai nods his head, "Thanks for the tea."

Commander Yinpul: "Of course, take some almond cookies. I have boxes for guests, but only take one box."

Macai: "Sure." Macai leaves and rejoins his crew. They set sail once again, determined to do whatever it takes to honor their nation and become legends.


บท 20: Beneath the Bush

It is a bright morning, and the sun is shining. The sky has a mixture of light blue and golden light throughout it. The Prompt Adjudicator sails at sea. Asad enters Macai's personal chamber. The walls are light grey, the ground is dark red, and the ceiling is white. There are several pictures throughout the room of different Fire Nation leaders including one of his father, General Eyre.

Two Fire Nation soldiers open the door for him and Asad notices Macai reflecting at his own throne. Several white flames surround him as he is meditating. As soon as Asad enters the room, Macai douses his flames and opens his eyes. Macai stands up and sits at his desk.

Asad kneels, "You requested my presence?"

Macai slowly walks toward Asad, "Rise." Asad stands. Macai: "I heard that you ordered Dade and your unit to leave me open and exposed. Did you think I wouldn't discover this?"

Asad replies, "I simply did not want to put our unit at unnecessary risk."

Macai: "Indeed, but in my unit there is one rule you must not forget. We all are one unified body! We work together and put ourselves at risk for each other. That's what makes us different from most other Fire Nation units and even my father's unit. You should also know it's standard procedure to put the interest of the commanding officers first. It's the least you could do for a commanding officer who risks his life fighting on the frontlines aside his men when many other officers don't."

Asad sharply replies, "That may be so, but you only know the rule books and official guidelines. I am a seasoned veteran. In the real battlefield, the units must take care of themselves first and foremost."

Macai: "Are you certain of this? I talked to both my father and even heard once from the Firelord that a good leader's word and style must take precedence over that of his subordinates. Do you think of yourself as the leader? What makes you think you can make such decisions?"

Asad shakes his head, "Look, I'm sorry if there was a misunderstanding."

Macai's eyes narrow, "Do you take me for a fool?! I know what you were trying to do. You wanted to leave me exposed and risk my death. So that you could take command. Something like that. I'll give you one final warning."

Asad: "No, captain. That is not it." Macai lunges his fight hand across Asad's neck and starts tightening his grip. Asad latches onto Macai's right arm and attempts to break the chokehold. In an instant, Macai knees Asad in his stomach. Macai yanks the officer and slams his head against the floor.

Macai pulls Asad back up and Asad's nose turns red. Macai pulls his right fist into Asad's face and amplifies it with white fire. Asad: "Ehhhm!" The hit knocks Asad out and Macai gives a hand signal for two of his soldiers to get him.

Macai: "Drag him back to his office. If he ever does anything like this again, I'll kill him myself."

Senior Captain Hazo enters Macai's chamber and confronts his friend. Hazo: "You did well Macai, I'm proud of you."

Macai: "Thanks Hazo. I couldn't have done it without your guidance."

Hazo smiles, "Wonderful. We have a new assignment."

Macai: "Oh great, what is it this time?"

Hazo: "There is a faction of pirates who call themselves the Sea Guerrillas. They travel quickly and raid several commercial ships. They have attacked several Fire Nation supply ships then sell the supplies for profit. They usually pull this off in the less important Fire Nation colonies with less up-to-date ships."

Macai: "I see, how do we plan on dealing with them?"

Hazo: "Stories about you being the boy with white fire are already traveling, but not all the members of your crew are very known. You could stage a false meeting with them, using people that are fresh and young. People who you trust and believe could pull the mission off."

Macai smiles, "I know just the people who would be perfect for the job."

Hazo: "Great, you can use them to spring the trap. They make the fake deal then arrest the pirates. Their leader is a dangerous man named Namo Vib. Talon Zon and Rigor Po are other dangerous members of their team. They wear teal uniforms with yellow markings."

Macai: "We will need a small team to avoid being detected and everyone must keep a low profile."

Hazo: "Exactly, the pirates do not make deals when cities are too crowded. However, they like for there to be a moderate amount of people around so that they can use the crowd as a distraction for an escape. One of our spies says that they are heading for the Fire Nation colony New Polexia. It's known for its harbor."

Macai: "When the time is right, I'll have the Prompt Adjudicator come to intervene. I'll give my team thirty minutes to wrap things up before we arrive."

Hazo smiles, "Good, very good. They have at least five ships at their disposal, but they never have them all together. So you may be attacked by several vessels. They are faster than most Fire Nation ships, but the Prompt Adjudicator should be able to put pressure on them. Their ships are only about sixty meters long and thirty meters wide. With about thirty crew members per ship."

Macai asks, "Do they have wooden ships?"

Hazo: "Yes, so they aren't as resilient as our steel ships. But don't underestimate them. The Sea Guerrillas stole advanced Fire Nation technology and have powerful cannons that can melt steel."

Macai: "So they can dish it out but, they can't take it."

Hazo: "Yes and they are also faster than even the Prompt Adjudicator. Despite their primitive tech, the ships were very well made. With advanced sail systems."

Macai: "But our ship will be more accurate. My soldiers have superior training. We also know how to fire three shots within the time that the average non-Fire Nation vessel can fire one. That's faster than the average for the Fire Nation which is still about two to one if I remember correctly."

Hazo: "Indeed, you should be able to match them. Especially with the element of surprise. But let their vessels touch down first before you pull out in front of the harbor. Remember that your ship has an advanced scope on it. You can have one of your soldiers look through the scope tower to tell when to strike. It comes with a great range for recon purposes and you will see them before they see you."

Macai respectfully bows and Hazo does the same. Macai: "You are an excellent mentor. Your guidance is invaluable."

Three days later...

Alternate Negotiations

Kanna is sitting in a room, but she is not wearing her Fire Nation uniform. Instead, she has a bright orange shirt and a skirt with yellow highlights. Kett is in a seat right of her direction wearing a purple shirt with dark blue pants. Dade is left of her position with a standard dark red shirt and black pants.

The walls are white in the room, the floor is light brown, and the ceiling is also light brown. There are open windows in the building and it is located within New Polexia. Sunlight beams from the open windows and a few travelers can be seen through the windows.

Kanna: "I'm so excited to see more of this town. This will be a fun adventure."

Dade: "I don't know why you're so excited. There isn't much to New Polexia. It's just an industrial and port-based city."

Kanna: "It's near the sea and I love beaches."

Dade: "Kanna, every city that we go to is near the sea. There is nothing new about that."

Kanna: "I know, but this is an actual village to enjoy. Not a battlefield."

Kett: "I hear that there are a bunch of salesmen in the city. That try to sell umbrellas when it's raining, water, and clothes. Especially to any new people in the city."

Dade: "We'll definitely stand out, but I can't imagine that they get that many tourists. It's only a medium-sized city."

Kett: "You all will probably stand out more than me. I think the locals act a bit more like me. You know, laid back and hard-working common people."

Dade: "It's true that Kanna stands out wherever she goes. Not that that's a bad thing. I don't know about myself."

Kett: "Looks behind Dade, what about you two? What do you guys think about the mission?" Behind them is Sonna, the gifted archer and Ronin. Sonna has a light green shirt with grey pants. Ronin is wearing a brown shirt and light grey pants.

Sonna shrugs her shoulders, "I'm fine with it."

Ronin: "I'm very excited. Even though I'm just the backup guy."

Dade: "Hey there is nothing wrong with that. Just wait on a rooftop and come assist any of us if we need help. Macai was wise to ask for a reserve warrior. It's a great chance to prove yourself."

Ronin: "Prove myself? No offense, but I have more experience than all of you."

Dade: "That may be true, but we know the Captain. Even with your experience, Macai has proven himself time and time again. We also have stats to show that we are legit. That first battle, we all proved ourselves."

Ronin takes a breath, "I know, I know. You guys are legit. I'm just kind of nervous that's all. I've never worked with a young noble like Macai before. But he is really cool. I've already learned a lot by being his bodyguard and he's a lot fairer than many nobles. He's also less of a hypocrite than what I'm accustomed to seeing."

Kett smirks, "That's because he had us to help whip him into shape." Ronin nods his head. Kett: "I'm kidding." Kett looks and notices that Sonna has a silver bracelet on her right wrist. Kett: "That's a nice bracelet, did you just wear that for the role?"

Sonna: "I thought it might help me blend in, but it actually means a lot to me. It belonged to my grandmother. She gave it to me during my journey here."

Dade: "You're a new recruit right?"

Sonna nods her head, "I'm sixteen and I just graduated."

Dade: "Exciting stuff. I guess that squirrel shooting really paid off. That's what you did right?"

Sonna: "I shot squirrels, leopards, and deer. From different elevations. There are a lot of hills where I'm from."

Dade: "I can kind of relate. We're from Nyarri (pointing at Kanna and Kett). We lived in a valley near some mountains."

Sonna: "I've heard of your town, it's pretty famous. Mine, not so much." Someone knocks on the door.

Kett: "That's probably the messenger. Are you all ready?" Everyone nods their heads. Kett: "Ok, Sonna get into position." Sonna immediately hides and enters a closet. Ronin then climbs out of a nearby window and flees the scene.

Dade: "Let's get it over with."

Kett rushes forward and opens the door. A man with dark brown hair, long sideburns, tan skin, brown eyes, a light grey shirt, and beige shorts enters the room. Dade: "Are you the Weeping Crow?"

The man nods his head, "I am. I have exactly what you are looking for."

Dade: "Lead the way."

Weeping Crow: "Not so fast, show me the supplies first."

Dade signals and Kett gets a large suitcase then carries it toward the man. Ronin opens the suitcase and shows hundreds of silver coins. The Weeping Crow nods his head, "That looks right to me. Alright, you're all good. I'll take you there and they will give it an official count."

Dade: "But you have what we want right?"

Weeping Crow: "Of course, we Sea Guerrillas always keep our word. That's why people keep doing business with us. You will find the goods soon enough. Now follow me." Dade and his allies follow the Weeping Crow through the town. They walk past several citizens and maneuver past several of the small tan building throughout the area. While this is happening, Sonna follows behind them in the distance with her bow and arrows strapped on her back.

Ronin climbs on another distant building and keeps a bit of a distance from Sonna so he can also see what is happening. Ronin takes cover to avoid being detected by any enemies. He lays low until or unless intervention is absolutely necessary as instructed.

They move closer toward the harbor into an abandoned area. Sonna notices where they are heading and climbs on top of a distant building. The young woman gallops from building to building to close the distance.

The Weeping Crow leads stops and stands still then turns around. Weeping Crow: "We are here. Now watch what I do." The man walks to a nearby building and knocks on the door. The Weeping Crow makes a strange noise and the door opens. Then he signals for Dade and his gang to join them.

Dade, Kett, and Kanna enter the building. Kett is holding the suitcase. They notice about nine pirates in the room. All wearing teal uniforms with yellow stripes. In the center, is a man with medium-length brown hair. He also has deep green eyes, pale skin, a long nose, a small goatee, sharp attached ears, and big lips. He stands at five feet and ten inches tall. He is Namo Vib, the leader of the Sea Guerrillas.

On his right, is Rigor Po. A man with black wavy hair, caramel gold skin, light blue eyes, a thin mustache, and a thin frame. He stands at six feet and one inch tall. Rigor: "Well, well, well. Looks like these are our guests."

Namo smirks, "Indeed, would you guests like to have a drink before we conduct our business? We offer one free one to all our clients."

Kett: "No thanks, we are in a hurry. We have to head to another town called Galigon soon after this."

Namo: "Oh leaving, so soon? Well isn't that a pity. I hope you all enjoyed your stay so far."

Kanna: "Finishing this deal will make it that much better."

Namo: "Get them their lember stones" The pirates bring a box of lember stones. Namo: "These lember stones are being used by the Fire Nation to make their ships travel faster. They can supply ten times the amount of energy than standard coal. They are vital to the Fire Nation war effort, but we have them here at your convenience."

Kett smiles, "Excellent."

Rigor: "Will you need help shipping these into your vessel?"

Kett looks back at Rigor, "Yes, please."

Rigor smiles, "Very well, I'll send some of my men to help you ship them. Just show us to your ship so we know where to go." Rigor and four of his men follow Kett's team to the shore. There is a standard harbor ship waiting for them.

Kett: "See, that's our ship."

Rigor: "Good, then we have what we need. We will ship it for you really quickly." While this is happening, Sonna keeps an eye on the situation from the distance. She looks across at Ronin and signals for him to come where she is. Ronin leaps across several rooftops until he lands where Sonna is.

Ronin: "Yes?"

Sonna: "Stay low." Ronin crouches. Sonna points at two distant buildings across from her. One on the right and another on the left. Sonna: "They have two archers, which means that I might have my hands full for a bit. I'll need to take both of them down before I can cover the team. But that's not the only issue."

Ronin looks back at Sonna, "What else do we need to worry about?"

Sonna: "I need you to keep an eye on their position. Rigor and some of his men are with Kett's team. But Namo and the others might try to escape. I want you to see if they try to and where they attempt to leave. Wait for me to take down the other archers, then be ready to intercept them if you need to. I will give you covering fire and hopefully, the rest of them will come to your assistance if you need to cut some enemies off."

Ronin: "Oh geez, I don't know if this was a good idea."

Sonna: "Macai asked for us to complete this mission because he believed in us. So do not let him down. Your failure would be his failure."

Ronin nods his head, "Ok, let me return to my position so I'll be out of your way. Then when the time is right, I'll attack."

Springing the Trap

Three of Rigor's men carry crates of lember stones into the wooden harbor ship. Dade stands across from them in the ship while Kanna and Kett stand across from Rigor with four of his men around them. Rigor: "You both can start shipping things in as well. Or I can see why the lady wants to wait, but you (to Kett) can go ahead and start shipping things."

Kett turns and locks eyes with Rigor, "That won't be necessary." Rigor raises his right eyebrow. Kett extends his right arm and flicks a light orange flame into the face of a pirate. Kett pivots his body and lengthens his arms, firing an explosive rectangle of flames at Rigor. The pirate leader raises both of his hands, and a stream of water hits the flame.

An explosion ensues and steam causes smoke to flow around the area. Sonna immediately fires an arrow into the neck of the pirate archer on the left building. The archer falls off the building. The archer on the right reacts and looks around to locate Sonna. Just as he notices her, Sonna propels an arrow in his chest, and he also falls off his building.

Kanna springs into action and kicks a dark orange rod of flames into a pirate's chest. Two pirates move to engage her. One quickly draws a short sword and the other draws two knives. The pirate with the knives immediately throws one at Kanna's chest. Kanna hops right and the pirate throws a second knife at her head.

Kanna ducks. The knife-thrower retrieves another two knives from his utility belt while the other pirate rushes Kanna with his short sword. The pirate swings vertically at Kanna and Kanna leaps right. The pirate horizontally swings at Kanna a second later and Kanna spins backward.

Kanna jumps behind the swordsman. The knife-thrower throws a knife at Kanna, and she rolls right. The knife flies in the back of his comrade. Pirate swordsman: "Ahhh!" Kanna kicks a flame into the knife-thrower's stomach, and he rolls backward.

Meanwhile, Dade swiftly draws his sword which is strapped to his back. The pirates immediately drop their crates. Dade cuts down a pirate left of him with a horizontal sweeping strike. A pirate across Dade picks up a lember stone and tosses it at Dade's face. Dade ducks then kicks the crate over. The pirate draws two short swords then skips over the crates toward Dade.

Dade tilts his blade horizontally and blocks the strike. However, the force of the clash sends Dade stumbling back two feet. The pirate rushes forward swinging wildly from left to right and Dade tilts his blade side to side blocking several strikes. Dade rotates his blade and lunges low, pressing his sword through the stomach of the pirate.

Dade hears footsteps from his left direction. Dade swiftly rips the blade out of the pirate's stomach then turns and notices a pirate with a long sword who vertically swings at his head. Dade rotates his body and blocks the attack. Pirate: "Not bad boy, but I'm commandeering this ship." The pirate kicks Dade overboard into the water below.

The pirate laughs then heads for the controls. Meanwhile, Kett and Rigor continue to battle each other. Rigor: "Fire Nation scum!" Rigor shifts his right hand forward and launches a large stream of water at Kett. Kett leaps right dodges the stream, Rigor waves his hands and redirects the stream of water to loop around and follow Kett.

Kett notices and sprints toward Rigor. As the stream of water is right behind him, Kett leaps behind Rigor. Rigor's own stream of water flies toward him, but Rigor turns around and faces Kett. Kett nonchalantly raises his right hand and scatters the water. Kanna looks across at Kett. Kett: "Go, get Namo, I'll deal with this guy."

Rigor frowns, "I hate your nation. You're the reason I became a pirate."

Kett: "Spare me the pity story."

Rigor: "Your nation destroyed my village, killed my parents. After that, I had nothing. I became an orphan and only the pirates would take me in. You call me scum and a scoundrel but your wicked nation stole from and destroyed peaceful villages! I can't wait to put you down boy. I've made a list of every soldier that I've certainly killed from your nation. I've got thirty-four so far. You just might be number thirty-five."

Kett: "This is going to be embarrassing when you get owned by a sixteen-year-old." Kett leaps low and kicks a rod of fire at Rigor's feet. Rigor jumps in the air and presses his right hand forward, firing a water tentacle at Kett. Kett rolls right and springs back on his feet. Rigor extends his tentacle and swings it horizontally at Kett's body.

Kett performs a left flip past the tentacle. Kett presses his arms forward and fires a volley of light orange shots at Rigor. Rigor sways his arms in a circular motion then creates a water shield that blocks the incoming shots. Then Rigor presses his left arm forward and directs a beam of water out of his shield and at Kett.

Kett rolls right then leaps back on his feet and thinks, That's similar to one of my attacks. While this is happening, Kanna rushes toward the building she was just in. She sees two pirates approach her. One on her right and the other on her left. Both are armed with short swords. Kanna kicks her left leg and pounds a flame into the stomach of the pirate on the left. He flies into the wall of the building behind him.

Kanna turns and launches a flame from her right hand into the chest of the other pirate. The young woman advances in front of the door and presses both of her hands together. A beam of dark orange fire flows from her hands and burns through the front door. As soon as Kanna enters the room, two pirates are waiting for her beside the door. Both are armed with short swords.

The pirate on the right swings horizontally at Kanna's neck. Kanna ducks and flips the pirate over. Then Kanna turns and shoots a flame into the other pirate's chest. Kanna doesn't waste time and bolts a second flame into the pirate on the floor. Then Kanna looks up and notices a pirate with a spear across her. The pirate chucks his spear at Kanna and Kanna dives right.

Another two pirates with short swords advance toward Kanna while the pirate who just threw his spear draws a dagger. Kanna notices a pirate with a short sword closing the distance while she is still on the floor. Kanna rotates her body and kicks a whip of fire into the pirate's legs. The pirate falls backward and Kanna leaps back on her feet.

Kanna immediately shifts her right arm forward and launches a flame into the chest of an approaching swordsman. The last pirate with the dagger turns his back and sprints toward the door. Kanna launches a flame into his back, knocking him out. Kanna looks around and notices that the crate is gone.

Kanna thinks, "I have to hurry, Namo isn't here. He must be making his escape."

Outside of the building, Namo is running with three pirates. Two of them are armed with short swords and one has a combat spear. One of the pirates with a short sword is carrying the crate. Ronin sprints about ten feet in front of them. Namo: "Get out the way if you know what's good for you."

Ronin smiles as Sonna is lining up a shot at Namo's head from a rooftop. Just as Sonna prepares to fire, she hears a voice, "What do you think you're doing?" Sonna tilts her head and notices two pirates with short swords are behind her.

Sonna: "You got me?" Sonna slowly stands like she is about to surrender as the pirates move in to close the distance. Sonna turns and shoots an arrow into the chest of the pirate left of her.

The Pirate screams in agony, "Gah!" The pirate directly behind Sonna closes the distance and Sonna springs forward then kicks the pirate in his stomach. The pirate falls backward and drops his sword.

Pirate: "Don't shoot, I surrender."

Sonna warns, "Then stay down!" The pirate slowly rises. Sonna: "I said stay down." The pirate draws a knife and Sonna propels an arrow in his chest. The pirate's body slumps backward.

Namo looks at Ronin, "So you're one of them aye? Well, you chose the wrong man to mess with." Namo rips his shift off and tosses it aside. Namo is unusually muscular and presses both of his hands forward. A stream of dirt flies toward Ronin and Ronin shifts both of his hands forward; launching a rod of orange fire into the dirt.

The dirt is evaporated by the heavy explosion. Ronin kicks a flame from his right leg at Namo's face. Namo pulls his right hand forward and blocks the flame. Ronin kicks a second flame at Namo's stomach. Namo stomps his right foot and a wall of stone intercepts the flame. Namo presses his right arm forward, launching the stone at Ronin.

Ronin slides right and flicks two flames at Namo. Namo rapidly jabs two bricks at the flames and they both extinguish each other. Namo then pulls his right arm in the air and yanks it downward. This sends a strong vertical whip of sand flying at Ronin. Ronin rolls right. Ronin kicks his left leg and kicks an orange flame into Namo's lower stomach.

Namo falls backward and his pirates spring into action. Ronin kicks a rod of fire into the stomach of the pirate on his right. The pirate with the spear throws his blade at Ronin. Ronin crouches and the spear zooms over his head. Sonna gets back in her position and fires an arrow into the forehead of the pirate with the crate. Sonna pops another arrow into the chest of the other pirate.

Namo leaps back on his feet and shouts, "No! I will not be beaten, by a child!"

Ronin: "Child? I'm twenty-three."

Namo: "Well, you're all children to me." Namo plants his feet and claps both of his hands. This creates a small earthquake in Ronin's direction. Ronin weaves backward and in the right direction. Namo rushes forward and launches several objects at Ronin. Ronin blasts two of the objects but is then hit in his left nipple by a rock.

Ronin stumbles backward and another rock hits the right side of his stomach. Two stones fly toward Ronin's head and Ronin ducks then another rock hits Ronin on the neck. Ronin falls backward. Sonna is able to take the shot at Namo but, she doesn't. She remembers the instructions she was given by Macai to allow her warriors to win their own battles when possible to prepare them for greater storms. She waits to intervene when absolutely necessary.

Ronin coughs and Namo smirks, "That all you got boy?" Ronin dashes forward in a moment of flurry and rage. Ronin thrusts both of his arms forward with all of his might and fires a ten-inch-wide beam of orange fire at Namo. Namo pulls a wall of earth to intercept the shot, but his wall is broken to pieces by the attack.

A fragment of the disrupted wall hits Namo on the left side of his face, a few inches from his eye. A red mark is left from the attack and Ronin zooms forward. Ronin hurls a flame from his right arm into Namo's chest. Namo groans and falls. The flame burns into his chest and Namo dies. Ronin can feel a chill on his back from his actions and his stomach starts turning from the brutal act.

Another pirate arrives with a dagger a few feet across Ronin's position, but Kanna fires a dark orange flame into his back. Kanna slowly walks forward, "Well done, Ronin."

Meanwhile, the last pirate starts steeling the ship that Kett's team burrowed for the mission. But he hears a noise behind him while he is taking off. The pirate turns around, "Back for one last round are you kiddo?" Dade rushes into the room and the pirate draws his sword.

Dade chucks a lember stone into the pirate's nose. A loud snap is heard and blood gushes from the pirate's nose. The pirate falls over unconscious. Dade taunts, "Commandeer that."

 Kett battles Rigor.

While this is happening, Kett continues to battle Rigor. Kett fires a three flames at his opponent. Rigor hurls three water torpedoes into Kett's flames. Rigor presses both of his hands together and swats a water beam at Kett. Kett leaps right and creates a large fireball then tosses it horizontally at Rigor. Rigor launches himself ten feet in the air with two water streams then fires two water streams at Kett while descending.

Kett narrowly avoids the attack and Rigor smacks another two streams of water into the ground as he launches himself towards Kett. Rigor starts to generate ice particles on his right hand as he prepares to fire a killing shot on Kett. A weary Kett presses his hands forward and directs a beam of fire at Rigor. Rigor's eyes widen and he immediately surrounds himself in a defensive water bubble shield.

The light orange fire beam knocks Rigor twenty feet out of his water bubble and into the ocean. Kanna sprints behind him with Ronin a few feet behind her. Kanna: "Is he dead?"

Kett: "Water benders can control water, but only the best ones can breathe it. I think that's the end of him."

Kanna replies, "Hopefully, but he seemed to be pretty talented."

Ronin: "He might know how to breathe water, but with how quickly he was flung into that sea the waves might have taken care of him."

Kanna: "Unless he can control the waves when he falls."

Ronin: "He's probably dead, but we can have soldiers search for him."

Kett: "Looks, like the pirate reinforcements, are here to deal with us." Kett points to three approaching pirate vessels on the shore. Each one has a garrison of forces who are ready to engage Kett's team."

Kanna: "Should we run?!"

Kett: "Just wait a second. If these pirates had any sense, they would have fled. But they think it's just us."

In the center of the ships, is the pirate leader Talon Zon. She was second in command of the Sea Guerrillas. However, she is the de facto leader of the group since Namo died. On the other hand, the other Sea Guerrillas are not aware of Namo's passing.

Talon has medium-length black hair, light skin, an eye patch over her left eye, and a hazel right eye. She is a firebender, but never showed her ability before to hide getting animosity from the other members. One of Talon's men looks through a scope and notices Kett, Kanna, and Ronin.

Pirate: "I see three of them on the shore. Along with several fallen members."

Talon: "Make them pay, all ships prepare to fire. We'll reduce them to rubble with our new weapons. Get the ships in position."

Kett: "Wait, they're facing us."

Dade suddenly sprints as he catches up with his group, "You guys won't believe what happened. I barely got off that ship we borrowed that the pirate tried to steal because I don't know how to control a ship by myself. There is no way he would have lasted with it alone, I guess he thought other people were doing to pick it up. Now it's drifting at sea."

Ronin: "Now is not the time, turn around and see what's happening." Dade turns around and sees three pirate ships moving toward them. Dade winces.

Kanna: "Like I said, run!"

Kett: "This doesn't make sense, the whole group will look bad if they level the city just to kill us."

Kanna: "Well, let's not make it easy for them by standing on the shore. Come on!" The group starts running.

While Kett is running he says, "Well now that I think about it, I think I heard that Talon is the most brutal of the leaders. And with the others not there to balance her out, we might have a big issue on our hands."

A pirate with the scope tells Talon, "They're running."

Talon laughs, "They will not escape the range of our guns. Even if they get behind the buildings, level everything in your path until they're dead." Just as the ships are getting ready to fire, a volley of orange fire torpedoes his the ship left of Talon. The ship immediately splits in two.

Talon turns around, "What just happened?!"

Pirate: "Looks like a Fire Nation ship just emerged. They're moving to engage us."

Talon: "Oh, well tell the ship on the right to take those scum out and we'll retreat. Our ship will fire distant shots to keep them at bay meanwhile our enemies will get obliterated."

Macai waits at his command deck with Asad. Asad: "The enemies are getting ready to open fire on us. The ones at Talon's ship anyway."

Macai: "What about the one on the left? It looks like they're getting ready to fire on our ground team."

Asad: "There is no way, we'll intercept all of the shots from Talon's ship if we focus on the other one. We shouldn't risk our entire team for five members."

Macai interrupts, "Those are five of our best members. Hazo order our meant to put all power to the engines, we'll move to evade those shots. Our troopers trained for this. I want a third of our shots to be fired at the pirate ship on the left. It is wooden, so it won't take much abuse before it goes down. I want another third fired at the shots that they might bombard the port, and I want another third of the shots to block incoming projectiles."

Asad: "There is no way our men will succeed in all those areas."

Macai: "We have to try. Besides, we trained diligently to be elite. The biggest limitations that anyone has are the ones they put on themselves. Give the order!"

The pirate ship of the left fires a volley of shots at the shore, but a volley of well-placed shots from Macai's ship hits the explosive cannons. Creating a massive explosion right outside of the shore that still manages to fry some naval ships on the harbor. Another volley of shots his the ship on the left, blowing it in pieces.

Kanna, Kett, Dade, and Ronin take cover expecting to be pulverized. They hear the loud explosions but, are still alive. Kanna looks and says, "Guys, the ship is destroyed."

Ronin looks, "What?! Macai did it! He saved us! I don't believe it."

Kett: "Macai is a real bro. He has our backs until the end. No matter what."

Ronin: "He probably left himself exposed to save us."

Kanna: "Macai trained his team well. If anyone can do it, it's the 31st."

The last volley of shots flies towards a barrage of shots from Talon's ship. Many of Talon's cannons are destroyed by the shots and explosions that ensue from the well-placed shots. However, several shots keep heading towards the Prompt Adjudicator. The ship avoids several of the cannons but three cannons hit the ship. Each cannon rocks the ship and has a minor breach through the ship's defenses.

One cannon destroys one of Macai's catapults on top of his ship and kills three crew members. Another cannon kills two crew members in a torpedo position. A third cannon kills four crew members and injuries two others. Macai: "Now return fire." Fire half of our shots at enemy projectiles and a third of them at the enemy ship."

Asad: "What about the few remaining guns?"

Macai: "Keep them on reserve for any incoming projectiles that we miss and fire at will after the initial volleys are fired. That way we keep our ship safe. We don't need to waste an unnecessary amount of firepower and risk getting hit. We also don't need to risk firing too many shots and causing unnecessary damage to the harbor which is an important economic resource to the Fire Nation."

Asad shakes his head. Macai's ship opens fire and blocks incoming projectiles and fires another volley at Talon's ship. Talon looks up in despair as she and her crew and blown to oblivion. The crew cheers to celebrate their victory and many members have a newfound respect for Macai after his first two victories.

Asad visits Hazo in his office. Hazo's office has blue-grey walls, a sand-colored ceiling, a khaki door with a silver door handle, and a dark blue floor. Asad: "We took casualties because of his actions, to save a small team."

Hazo: "And? Casualties were expected."

Asad: "I thought the well-being of your men meant something to you?"

Hazo: "They do, as well as that of Kanna, Kett, Ronin, Sonna, and Dade. They are all part of this crew. Sonna and Ronin have been a part of this crew for a while now. It seems like you are the only one who is not looking in the best interest of his unit."

Asad: "No sir, not at all. I just don't like the favoritism that Macai is showing."

Hazo: "Macai has the right to handle this however he wishes. If I told Macai this, you might be a dead man. I am relatively nice for a Fire Nation officer so I will leave you with this last warning. Stop your medaling. This is a lower casualty rate than what was expected for us to engage the three pirate ships with their new modified weapons. We also did it while saving five of our most trusted and valuable members. It certainly will pay off in the long run."

Asad: "We still could have saved more."

Hazo: "Only because of Macai's exceptional training."

Asad: "I'm not saying that Macai is not a great trainer. I'm talking about his-".

Hazo: "Enough, I know exactly what you're talking about. Your argument is nonsense. It seems to me like you're just jealous. You're hanging on a thin thread my friend so I suggest you learn how to hold your tongue and control yourself. Do I make myself clear?!"

Asad: "Yessir. Fine, I'll say nothing more from now on."

The ground team returns to their naval vessel and meets with Macai in the briefing room. Macai: "I must apologize to you all."

Kanna: "For what?"

Macai: "For risking five of my most valuable members in one mission. It was a good plan and a good mission but that was not wise. It was an awful risk."

Kett: "I don't know if any other team could have pulled the mission off. You know what Ozai says in the rule book. Always use your best members in hazardous missions to maximize success rates. Even if they die. Less talented soldiers are better for large-scale battles while more talented soldiers are better for small-scale battles. We're just doing our part."

Kanna: "You also saved OUR LIVES. A lesser officer would have sacrificed us to complete the mission."

Macai: "Well I should be thanking you all. My entire mission depended on your success. I wanted to see how effective each and every one of you were. When it came to working with new people and working in small-scale missions. None of you disappointed me. I'm very impressed. We have a bright future ahead of us."

Dade: "That we do. Now let's not overthink things. It's time to celebrate."

Macai: "Alright, I've got a deck of cards in the rec room. There is also a pool table, foosball, and ping pong."

Kett: "Sounds like a ball to me."


Load failed, please RETRY

สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์

ป้ายปลดล็อกตอน

สารบัญ

ตัวเลือกแสดง

พื้นหลัง

แบบอักษร

ขนาด

ความคิดเห็นต่อตอน

เขียนรีวิว สถานะการอ่าน: C19
ไม่สามารถโพสต์ได้ กรุณาลองใหม่อีกครั้ง
  • คุณภาพงานเขียน
  • ความเสถียรของการอัปเดต
  • การดำเนินเรื่อง
  • กาสร้างตัวละคร
  • พื้นหลังโลก

คะแนนรวม 0.0

รีวิวโพสต์สําเร็จ! อ่านรีวิวเพิ่มเติม
โหวตด้วย Power Stone
Rank 200+ การจัดอันดับพลัง
Stone 0 หินพลัง
รายงานเนื้อหาที่ไม่เหมาะสม
เคล็ดลับข้อผิดพลาด

รายงานการล่วงละเมิด

ความคิดเห็นย่อหน้า

เข้า สู่ ระบบ

tip ความคิดเห็นย่อย

คุณลักษณะความคิดเห็นย่อหน้าอยู่ในขณะนี้บนเว็บ! เลื่อนเมาส์ไปที่ย่อหน้าใดก็ได้แล้วคลิกไอคอนเพื่อเพิ่มความคิดเห็นของคุณ

นอกจากนี้คุณสามารถปิด / เปิดได้ตลอดเวลาในการตั้งค่า

เข้าใจแล้ว