บท 1: Path of Revenge
The sky is grey and a cool breeze flows through the air. There is dark yellow grass, yellow leaves on long yet thin dark brown trees, and several Fire Nation Remnant prisoners in dark red uniforms are hurled around on chains as they work in a field outside. The yellow sun beams above as multiple Fire Nation guards on horseback with whips patrol the area.
The guards have black and red armor. They also have helmets that do not cover their faces. A middle-aged Fire Nation sergeant with a clean-shaven brown beard, tan skin, light brown eyes, and long eyes gallops forward.
The sergeant howls, "Go on then!" The sergeant pops a prisoner on his back with his whip and the man tumbles on the ground. Another prisoner with dark brown curly hair, yellow skin, a long nose, brown eyes, thin lips, and curved ears arises.
The remnant prisoner protests, "This is how you treat your countrymen?! We were only doing our duties, just as you all are now! We put the interest of our nation first and you reward us by treating us like animals!!"
Sergeant Guard: "No you fool! I see you have a selective memory so let me remind you what actually happened. Our country LOST the war! Zuko took over and changed our policy. Yet you stubborn warmongers are being treated like this because you refused to accept peace! You became terrorists who fought for a lost cause and you expect a reward? You deserve nothing more than the dirt!"
The Remnant prisoner looks at the sergeant with disdain, "Because Zuko is a joke, conspiring with our enemies. And you have chosen to just bend over and submit to those we opposed. People like me are built different. We don't give up and when times get tough we just fight harder. If you continue on this track our nation will collapse and lose all its glory!! Shame shame!! Sozin is rolling in his grave right now!!"
Sergeant Guard: "Sozin was a fool to think he could defy the Avatar and win."
Remnant Prisoner: "He did!! It worked for a time."
Sergeant Guard: "Judgement was coming to our nation and now it has come to you people! Because you were too stupid and hardheaded to get the message."
The Remnant Prisoner swishes his mouth and spits in the sergeant's face. Sergeant Guard: "Arrrraaaahhhaa!! You piece of garbage!" The sergeant rushes forward on his horse and causes his pet to stand up and kick the man in his chest. An obnoxious crack is heard as the man hits the ground. The prisoner wails, coughs, turns, and holds his chest.
Sergeant Guard: "Maybe that will teach you some manners, if not I will be more than happy to continue this beatdown." A younger Fire Nation guard looks in shock. The sergeant points at him, "Drag him to the infirmary and have him patched up." The sergeant looks back at the laboring prisoners, "And the rest of you will GET BACK TO WORK!! What are you standing around for?! Make yourselves useful or you'll receive a worse beating than him."
The prisoners continue their work and the guard strolls off. The former 31st trooper Ronin tilts his head and glares at the sergeant while is back is turned. Ronin then sighs and continues his task. Later that day Ronin sits in a cell with two remnant troopers sitting across from him in a bunk bed. The cell has a grey floor, stone walls, a dark grey ceiling, light green beds, and a dusty interior.
One prisoner across him has long wavy dark brown hair, pale skin, and grey eyes (Gendall). Another prisoner (Tokhi) has short straight black hair, copper brown skin, dark gold eyes, and a round nose. Gendall is in his early thirties while Tokhi is in his late forties. Gendall looks outside of his cell, "I get tired of this, I had so much pride when I was younger. But it seems all that ambition was, wasted. Now here I am stuck in this cell, where I will spend the rest of my life."
Tokhi: "Times are bleak, but don't despair. I've seen a lot of bad and good in my life, but I learned that a situation can easily change."
Ronin looks at his wall and says, "You think we can get out of here?"
Tokhi raises an eyebrow. Gendall: "That's the first time you've spoken all week. You don't talk much do you.... What was your name again?"
Ronin continues staring at the wall in front of him, "Ronin."
Gendall: "You don't seem to have much hope in busting out, the whole time you've been here you've acted like a mummy."
Ronin: "That's because I've been thinking."
Gendall: "About?"
Ronin: "Things."
Gendall laughs, "Things? Could you be more specific?" Ronin looks across the cell then looks back at his cellmate. A prison guard strolls across the hall. Gendall notices the guard and waits for him to leave. Gendall asks, "What have you been thinking?"
A Hazy Afternoon
Another former 31st trooper, Kedo walks in the prison yard as several inmates stroll the area. Multiple Fire Nation guards with spears watch the corners of the area while two archers watch in towers. Kedo uses his sharp vision and senses to spot weaknesses within the enemy formations. Another former remnant inmate pats Kedo on his back and whispers something to him.
Meanwhile, a prison guard with a spear strolls across a hallway when he notices Ronin and Gendall arguing. Gendall: "Oh shut up!! That's why you will be stuck in this cell and rot next to me. I will forever haunt you with my voice and relentless roasts."
Ronin: "Wanna bet?!" Ronin slams Gendall's head against the prison bar.
The Fire Nation Guard points at them, "Hey, knock it off!" A prisoner in the cell behind them reveals stolen keys and unlocks the door. The prisoner sprints behind the guard but the man rotates his body and butts the inmate with the back of his spear. The man hits the deck and his keys fly out of his hands but slide directly into Ronin's cell.
Ronin wastes no time as he picks up the keys and unlocks the door from behind. The spearman turns his blade and points it at Ronin's chest. Spear guard: "Stand down! I won't ask twice!" The spearman is hurled into the cell behind him by a cascade of orange and yellow flames. Spear guard: "Huhhhhhhhhh!" Two other prisoners in the cell move out of the way as they rush behind Ronin.
Ronin hands one of them the key, "Free as many people as you can, while we make for an escape."
Prisoner: "No way, I'm getting out of here too!" Ronin looks at the other prisoners and they all shrug. Gendall: "Of course, selfishness prevails, we will need more people to try to escape if we want to get out of here."
Ronin: "Whatever happened to being committed to your country! To the remnant and what we believe!"
One prisoner answers, "I wasn't even here for that, I was a bank robber."
Another prisoner responds, "Look just how far the remnant's gotten us."
Tokhi steps up, "I'm done with all this fighting anyway, I'll let them out."
Ronin: "Thank you, you are a true patriot."
Tokhi: "Don't ever think I'm doing it for any cause. I've given up on those long ago, I just am doing it because I'm tired of running. But I also want the rest of you to have a second chance, at life. I really hope you all won't end up in this cell again and wish you well on whatever path you choose. But think it through once you get out, that is all I ask."
Ronin thinks, I've done all the thinking in the world already, I KNOW my path. Tokhi starts releasing other prisoners as he opens cells. Several run toward the rear doors for an exit and Gendall prepares to do the same but Ronin moves for the front exit.
Gendall looks at Ronin, "Wait why are you going that way? The closest path to the exit is the other way!"
Ronin: "True, but I am looking for someone first. Someone who the guards strategically separated me from while I was trapped here. But I'm sure he also is thinking of some sort of escape himself. And most of the guard reinforcements will go in the direction where the other inmates are heading, so maybe we can try something different. Afterall, I'm going to be a high-profile target so I'd rather use a less guarded escape."
Gendall asks, "Why are you famous again?"
Ronin: "I'm not that famous, but my past is tied to famous people. I was in the 31st Company. I served alongside Commander Macai, Captain Rosh, Kett, Kanna, and Asad. Before we split, before our Civil War, and before they betrayed us."
Gendall: "Oh I see, so were you just an average trooper or a bit above average?"
Ronin smiles, "A bit above average." Five guards emerge. Two have spears, two have maces, and one is a firebender.
Gendall: "There are too many, what do you plan to..." Ronin extends his hands and they are surrounded by orange fire. Ronin leaps forward and punches two flames into a spearman and macewarrior. The firebender kicks a rod of light orange fire at the 31st veteran. Ronin extends his arms and pumps his own storm of orange-yellow flames into the rod. An explosion flows dust and grey smoke across the room.
Ronin extends his left hand then knocks the guards back with a whip of flames. Gendall claps, "Brilliant." Ronin sprints through the smoke and Gendall follows. Meanwhile, Kedo hears several loud noises as he waits in the prison yard with other inmates watching. A loud explosion occurs and two guards fly into the ground. Another three guards move to engage including a firebender and two duelists.
A barrage of fire torpedoes drop the duelists and Ronin emerges from the smoke as he kicks a roundhouse explosive fire torpedo into the firebender. The man explodes into ashes. The archers take aim at Ronin and his friend Gendall as a riot breaks out in the prison yard. One prisoner punches a spearman square in his face and the man's weapon flies out of his hand.
Ronin looks up and notices the archers preparing to fire. The remnant warrior rotates his hands and creates smoke to hide his location. Kedo runs and grabs the spear from the unconscious spearguard and chucks it at the archer on the left tower. The blade flies directly through the man's right shoulder and he flops off the platform.
Kedo looks right and notices two inmates climbing up the other tower. The smoke clears and the archer takes aim at Ronin but a prisoner grabs the man from behind and hurls him off the tower. Ronin salutes the prisoner and the man does the same. Two guards advance toward Ronin including one swordsman and a firebender. Ronin punches orange fireballs into his opponents.
A guard with a sword charges at Ronin from the right but Gendall grabs a rock and tosses it in the man's nose. A crack is heard then Gendall rushes the guard and grabs a hold of his blade with his left hand. Gendall pounds the guard in his face with his right fist, dropping him while taking the man's sword. Ronin looks at Gendall, "Good work."
As the duo meet several prisoners fight Fire Nation guards. A guard swordsman vertically impales a prisoner while two spearmen gut other inmates. A firebending prisoner kicks a large ball of fire into one of the spearguards but the other spearman closes the distance and slams his blade into the prisoner's abdomen.
Kedo notices the duo and runs toward them. A guard with a mace moves right of Kedo's position and swings horizontally at his head. Ronin warns, "Kedo, look out!" Kedo turns then ducks just in the nick of time. Kedo uppercuts the mace warrior and grabs his weapon. The archer then catches up with his allies.
Kedo: "Ronin, who is this?"
Gendall: "Name's Gendall, I've also served the remnant and used to be in the army. Now I'm looking for some get-back against these guys. And I wouldn't have gotten out of here without Ronin's help, so I owe it to him."
Kedo: "Well, we're not out of here just yet."
Ronin asks, "Any ideas on an exit from here?"
Kedo: "The wall behind us has barbed wire, an escape from the building is more practical."
Gendall: "Well think again, there are guards all over the building now. The prison break started there."
Kedo: "I wasn't talking about the building interior."
Gendall:"You mean on top of it!"
Kedo nods. Gendall asks, "How?"
Ronin: "I learned basic jet propulsion on Rongor. I'm not as good at it as Kett was, but I might manage."
Gendall: "Can you carry us both at once?"
Ronin: "No way, I'm not physically strong enough. And it drains me, I'm not sure I can afford to make extra jumps."
Kedo pulls out a knife, "I've smuggled this blade while in solitude. It is made of a special material that can penetrate what this wall is made of. I should be able to climb it myself but it will take some time. That structure is what three-stories? So while I do that you can take Gendall up."
Ronin answers, "I might even know a way to speed that up, let's go. And we actually can head straight for the barbed wire rear of the facility." The trio runs toward the wall as prisoners clash with the guards. The guards start to win the battle and prisoners begin taking heavy casualties. A guard with a sword horizontally cuts down a prisoner and a guard firebender shoots a beam of flames into a mace-weilding prisoner who flies into the wall behind him.
Ronin looks at Kedo, "I should be able to throw you over the wall."
Kedo: "Like an enhanced fire jump?! I'm not a firebender, that will hurt me."
Ronin: "I've been working on a new technique recently. Practicing in solitude on a way to utilize fire nonlethally. It might sting a bit, but shouldn't hurt you too badly."
Gendall: "How is that possible?"
Ronin: "When I firebend, the energy that I release is dispersed in a way that channels the violent energy out of my body and into whatever it hits. There could be a way I transfer the kinetic energy that will launch him, like what launches a firebender during jet propulsion. But I can launch him while transferring the violent and damaging energy of the fire into the air."
Gendall: "You could kill him if that doesn't pan out. Have you ever tested it on people?"
Ronin: "No." Three archers emerge on the rooftop of the building behind them and most of the remaining prisoners in the yard surrender. Several of them run but are cornered.
Kedo: "Oh well, it's not like I have any better options."
Ronin: "Ok jump!" Kedo jumps and Ronin generates orange sparks around his hands. Ronin swiftly sweeps Kedo's legs with his hands and Kedo is launched fifteen feet in the air over the wall and barbed wire.
Gendall: "Wait Ronin, aren't you benders more durable? That fall might hurt him." Kedo flies into the ground and hurts his legs.
Kedo moans, "Awwwww!"
Ronin shrugs, "Had to try something."
A guard yells, "You two stop!"
Ronin turns around, "Alright, time to go!" Ronin grabs Gendall and launches them both over the wall. Three arrows are fired at the team from the rooftop archers but the duo soars over them. Ronin lands gracefully with Gendall before looking at a wounded Kedo.
Kedo: "You did it again!"
Ronin helps Kedo up, "Let's not celebrate just yet."
Gendall: "Let's hurry and flee in the trees. Before they send more men around this way." The trio rushes into the woods as chaos ensues behind them.
Think It Through
Ronin, Kedo, and Gendall flee into a small town called Doreckcosa that is located on the Southwestern fringes of the Fire Nation. The town consists of several dark brown wooden huts, multiple farms, one bar, one bookstore, one tea shop, and a dirt road.
Kedo knocks on a door and a man in his early fifties opens it. The man has white wavy hair, is 5'10 inches tall, hazel eyes, small detached ears, and a pointy nose. Kedo says, "Uncle!!"
The Uncle looks at Kedo, "Oh, who are your friends?"
Gendall: "We're with the remnant."
The Uncle nods, "Oh nice. I served back during Azulon's time. Things were different back then. We were always winning but the war seemed like it would never end. Our enemies just wouldn't give up. Still, the public support never waned and we kept steadily gaining ground. Now we have been suffering steadily. The economy has taken a step back with the assets we lost and it went down again after those 'Losers of Justice' emerged. Back in my day we actually fought for a reason, our nation and pride."
Kedo: "We'll only need to crash for one week. Just so we have some time to get some resources together and plan our next move. I know I can always count on you Uncle."
The man smiles, "Sure I've got two couches in the living room and I can get a floor mattress for you Kedo."
Kedo hugs his uncle, "Thanks Yutek, you're the best."
Yutek: "So rest up, I have some lamb, ginger, onion, brown rice, and sesame that I can put together for a meal."
Ronin: "That works for me."
Gendall pokes Ronin, "Much better eating than prison food."
Yutek: "Wait, you all were in prison? I never knew that."
Kedo sighs, "Yeah, but we got out."
Ronin gets up, "I need to get some fresh air. Gendall I need to show you something."
Gendall: "I'm good."
Ronin whispers, "That wasn't an option." Gendall and Ronin step outside of Yutek's front porch.
Gendall: "Yeah?"
Ronin: "Don't tell all of our business, we don't know this guy."
Gendall: "But it's Ronin's uncle."
Ronin: "That is irrelevant, we still don't know him. It just isn't wise, it's a no-wonder you got caught with your tactlessness."
Gendall: "Hey, take it easy. I saved your life earlier so show some respect. And I'll be quieter but you got caught too." Ronin has an urge to keep arguing but lets it go and just looks around outside.
Yutek starts cooking. Gendall and Ronin can smell the food from outside. Gendall: "That smells amazing!! I'm hyped for dinner." Gendall rushes back in the Yutek's house and Ronin follows him. Ronin and Gendall notice that Yutek is preparing the dish with his nephew Kedo.
Gendall: "Oh look at that beautiful family bonding."
Yutek: "It's ready, Ronin fix the plates. I also made carrot and chicken soup." Yutek pours everyone a glass of white wine. The group huddles over the table as they prepare to feast. Gendall immediately starts devouring his food.
Ronin laughs, "Take it easy Gendall."
Kedo: "Let's have a toast."
Gendall asks, "A toast to what?"
Ronin: "Freedom!"
Kedo's eyes widen and he laughs, "Well, that's one heck of a toast. But I'm all for it. To freedom!" Gendall raises his wine glass and Yutek does the same.
Everyone taps their glasses and shouts, "To freedom!!"
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