บท 98: Chapter 98 - Big News
Chapters in advance in Patreòn
Pa treon.com/HolyJoker
(20+ chapters in advance)
***
June's bewildered look showed her feelings on Sokka quite clearly. But he wasn't bothered by her scrutinizing gaze, being used to women looking at him like that, and instead, he observed her pet. "This guy is quite fast, right? Like faster than most animals and probably could run faster in longer distances than me."
"He is not for sale," June stated firmly, getting up from the ground and pulling at her whip that was wrapped around Sokka's spear, but it was to no avail as his hand didn't even budge. Sokka noticed that she was quite strong for a thin body like hers.
"That's okay, I wasn't going to buy him," he added with a friendly smile. "I am kinda just gonna take it from you."
She frowned and took out a dagger, getting ready for a deadly fight. But unlike her on-guard posture, Sokka seemed very relaxed and just glanced at her mount with a scheming gaze. "I have no idea how to ride one of these things, so you're gonna have to come with me."
"What?! You think I am just some sheep that you can-"
Sokka swiped his thumb across his neck. "Or else, you know… people die all the time nowadays and in my defense, you did just try and track me for one of the most dangerous men in the world. If you had been successful, it could have just as well led to my death."
"Listen, kid, it's just business," she reasoned, understanding what he was getting at here. "Refusing the Fire Lord and the great reward he offered didn't sound like a good idea at the time. He isn't the kind of guy who takes 'No' calmly."
"Oh, there is no need to try and reason it with me," he nodded in agreement. "I completely agree with your reason and how it's all business. What I am offering you is also business," that seemed to get her attention, and Sokka saw this, smiling and offering her the reward of the mission. "If you help me today, I won't slit your throat and throw you to the side of the road to be eaten by wild animals."
"Like you can do-"
Fwish!
Before she could say anything anymore, the tip of Sokka's spear was only an inch from digging into her throat and she noticed that he had untied the spear from her whip that was previously wrapped around it. "I don't think you understand the situation. I wasn't asking for your opinion."
She nods, sweat rolling down her cheek as she glanced at the spear and the man wielding it. Sokka smiled at her and tried to make himself seem as friendly as possible. While June's actions wouldn't have had him in any likely danger, she didn't know that and he decided to use it as a reason to have her be his ride to certain places he wanted to go.
Without much persuasion, Sokka was atop the mount, with June acting as his driver. He didn't bother spending any more time trying to threaten and his demeanor changed to his usual friendly self.
"Just keep going forwards towards those swamplands," he pointed towards a faraway place, barely within the view of the normal human eye and it was surrounded by trees and kept getting bigger the deeper one looked.
"That place is dangerous," she warned him, but by the trace of nervousness in her voice, Sokka could tell that she was nervous.
'Who would want to go into a dangerous place, with someone who threatened them?'
He understood her worries but didn't care about them for now. Sokka knew he needed to finish this as soon as possible, during this critical time he felt nervous leaving Katara alone, and also it seemed like Ozai was worried enough to send someone after him. Well, more like sending someone after Kuzon, who had gotten his hands in Azula.
…
The swamp was a dangerous place and Sokka could smell the wetness in the air with the gross smell of moldy grass, the shade from the giant trees made things darker, allowing predators to hide, and with strange sounds coming out from all directions, it was a very uncomfortable place to be in. June's mount continued to move with agility through the not-so-deep waters.
"Nyla won't be able to go on for much longer as the waters get deeper," June said worryingly, glancing at Sokka's spear as her words left her mouth.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you," Sokka reassured. "Sometimes I threaten people, that way they listen easier. But it isn't in my nature."
"I don't know, you seemed pretty natural at it," June retorted, a small smirk adorning her face.
He could tell that she was trying to soften the mood between them and get rid of this tense atmosphere. So Sokka played along. "Says the unnaturally violent girl. I almost felt my arms about to rip off when you tugged at my spear."
"That's a suggestive joke," she smirked, but her gaze soon turned serious. "I don't know why the Fire Lord is after you-"
"You mean Kuzon right?" Sokka diverted, knowing that by now her mount should have confirmed that by smell, he and Kuzon were the same person.
She didn't add more into that, but her gaze was a suspicious one. "I have heard that some assassins can change their faces. Are you one of them?"
Looking around, Sokka notices from the corner of his eye that some vines under the muddy waters are moving as if they have a mind of their own. "Hmmm~ If I was then I wouldn't tell you," he responded vaguely, while his eyes followed the moving vines. "But right now, there is another thing to worry about."
She nodded, looking around. "Yeah, I can feel the eyes of a predator gazing at me. We're being watched."
"More than just watched," Sokka whispered under his breath and as soon as he did so, vines burst from underwater, and like whips, they show towards him.
Fwish! Fwish!
He cut dozens of vines easily as if they were made of butter. But suddenly even more vines burst out of the water, so Sokka grabbed June by her hand and threw her up as vines grabbed her mount and dragged it underwater.
"Nyla!" June yelled out in distress, but Sokka quickly appeared behind her mid-air and grabbed into a tree branch with one hand, while holding her leg with the other.
"Stop worrying about your pet too much," Sokka advised June, pulling himself and her up the tree branch. "It would have been worse off if you got captured."
He tried to console her. But June flipped him off. "You bastard! Do you know how much money Nyla makes me? Those vines stole my way of living!"
Sokka stared at her weirdly, having thought that June might be worried for her pet for a second. But to her, Nyla getting dragged away was the same as her pile of money getting stolen.
"Don't worry, your pet will just be eaten by some hillbilly waterbenders. Nothing too strange." Sokka muttered, patting her shoulder in comfort.
"Help me get him back," June snorted, and then hazed towards the direction Nyla was taken. "And I will give you some secret information about the Fire Lord."
[New Quest]
Sokka dismissed the notification as soon as it came. "Tell me the information first," he didn't want something that he already knew. Having seen the show, he knew a lot more than most.
"What if you don't keep your end of the bargain?" June narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him.
Sokka shrugged. "Well, I have your life in my hand so that should help, right?"
Of course, he was going to help her either way, as a tracker like June owing him a favor was something he could use later on. Or in case it's not a favor, helping her would make June see him in a better light for possible future deals.
"The Fire Lord is getting re-married."
That stopped Sokka's thoughts as he looked at June, wide-eyed. His skin tingles at the news… or maybe that was the mosquitoes here.
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