ATLA, In A Darker World

The moon fell, and the sun rose ...

The wind blew through the earth kingdom plains around the area of Senlin Village.

Not long ago, the forest a great distance away from the small town had been burnt to the ground. And now, just last night, smoke once again rose to the skies, marking the possible arrival of what this simple farming village was now most afraid of.

Fire Nation.

They knew not what happened, but it was enough to cause great concern.

As for the chance of it being something else? The loud explosion that occurred said otherwise.

'Those savages are back again ... I just don't know what they're up to ….'. An elderly man thought to himself at the sight of smoke.

Perhaps another part of the forest would be destroyed again.

Morning had risen across the grasslands, but all wasn't peaceful. A new part of the earth kingdom was scorched with fire across the grounds, indicating the battle that ensued in this area.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of footsteps fell clearly as a short, fat man appeared with an expressionless face.

His gaze swept across the damaged lands, half burned with small patches of preserved grass. Fortunately, green grasslands weren't flammable. Hence the fiery destruction didn't spread.

"..... How many dead?" Captain Han uttered in a low tone.

"..... That ….". Standing behind him, the lieutenant hesitated to speak. He couldn't see Han's face, but after following him for several years, he was knowledgeable enough to estimate his mood.

Gloomy, cold, grim ..... Furious. The nearby soldiers stiffened in place, some not daring to breathe too loudly.

"Did you not hear me, lieutenant?" His cold voice came again as he turned his head to reveal his side profile.

Although Han was short and fat, that didn't make him less intimidating. In the Fire Nation army, very few could make it to the level of a captain without some form of competence.

Han wasn't an exception, and anyone who dared to underestimate him due to his short height and round frame was in for a bitter lesson.

"Fifteen ..... Sir". The lieutenant replied. He spoke with a calm tone and a clear voice. After all, this failure had nothing to do with him.

"How many are in the team?"

"Twenty one ….".

"How many survived?"

"Six sir …".

"Why?"

".... Because ..... they were ordered to guard the rear…". For this point, even the lieutenant felt slightly speechless. Everyone had died except the ones who didn't participate.

Didn't that mean that the entire team would disappear if they were there?

".." silence. No one uttered a word as Captain Han continued to peer into the distance with cold eyes.

"..... We underestimated him". The heavy atmosphere dissolved slightly.

This was the truth. An eighteen-year-old managing to wipe out a Fire Army search party, Han was impressed.

Especially when the rebel in question was a non bender…. He resisted the urge to release a sigh. Even after a year of imprisonment, this kid still had such a sharp edge.

"I agree sir". The Lieutenant spoke up at that moment. "We've had our specialists take a look at the corpses. The bodies can be split into two groups depending on the way they died".

He uttered while coming closer.

"The first were those left with a full corpse".

"Full corpse?"

"Yes sir. The results state that they were killed by sharp weapons in a single attack. The wounds suggest the use of arrows to the head and heart, with one exception being a private pierced through the head with a spear".

'Shiver .....'. All those listening to the reports couldn't help but shiver subconsciously. A spear straight to the head? How cruel.

"Nine of them, no follow-up attacks, all one hits at vitals leading to death. I estimate that the soldiers were caught unaware, not even seeing their enemy until it was too late".

'An assassin .....'. Han didn't need his soldier to finish. He understood perfectly what he meant by replaying this data.

'Quite in line with the image of those from the Assassination and intelligence department'.

'Nine bodies, all one hit kills, nine ambushes. According to the lieutenant, this means he was able to go unnoticed, killing nine out of fifteen people before anyone realized something was wrong… Impressive'.

Han admitted inwardly.

For an eighteen-year-old, this was already a very impressive feat. There wasn't even any need for a second strike. Truly outstanding capabilities.

Such a useful soldier, if used strategically, could bring about great results in the war. A useful tool that could have been of great help to his nation was now against them and being hunted ..... What a waste.

".... The others?" Han asked apathetically. Since he managed to only kill nine this way, then that means he was discovered. There were still six enemies left, so how did this boy manage to do it?

Did he showcase great combat talent? Killing everyone, even the Sergeant, and managed to escape with heavy injuries?

If that were the case, then this criminal was far too dangerous. The first thing he would do would be to write a full report to the Fire Lord, asking those bastards guarding at Capital City Prison to be lashed for their incompetence.

A criminal of such level was actually allowed to escape from under their noses .....

Of course, if he fought his way out, then he would definitely not make it unscathed. Exchanging injuries for kills, getting burnt by flames, pierced by weapons …. Perhaps he was bleeding out somewhere as they speak.

"I was getting to that, sir ... The others …. Couldn't really be identified".

"Huh?" Han uttered in confusion.

".... That … We couldn't identify them because …. We found nothing that could indicate so. Like I said, one half had a full corpse …. The others, had no corpse at all".

"No corpse?"

"No sir. Just body parts, charred body parts. Only the body of the Sergeant could be found, but .... With his face gone, even his body was difficult to identify".

"...".

Seeing the captain unresponsive, the Sergeant continued. "There was an explosion, a big one, suggested by those still alive".

Han nodded. He already knew this, after all, he was standing right next to the center of the explosion point.

This wasn't something caused by Firebending. His many years of experience let him know that.

"I surmise that the remaining six were lured into a trap. And were blown up at the center of the explosion. Black powder, blasting jelly, dynamite perhaps. Only the Sergeant had a corpse, with a knife stab to the head finishing him off".

The lieutenant finished his report, with a grim face.

The nearby soldiers had similar expressions as well. A team of Fire Nation soldiers with a sergeant, two drill sergeants and more than a dozen privates were easily wiped out.

"Is there any report on his possible status?"

"None sir. We have no idea if he's heavily injured or unscathed. All we found are tracks leading southeast. We sent other search parties in his direction, but we won't get any news for the time being...".

His words not only did not ease Han's bad mood but only fueled it.

"Dozens of search parties were released to hunt down a single rebel". The Captain turned around, looking towards the soldiers and swept his eyes across the lot of them.

".... Why were the others so late to respond?"

".... Sir …. The distance between this unit and the others were stretched due to a large amount of ground to cover. Delayed response is inevitable".

"I have been informed that a village exists not far from here, does it not?"

".... Yes sir …".

"Then why did the soldiers stationed there not respond?"

"... Sir …. There were no soldiers stationed there". Wow, it's hot out here. Isn't it hot out here ….

The lieutenant felt sweat accumulating on his body.

"Why?" The question was asked in a cold, elongated tone.

"The town is ... nothing more than a minor farming settlement. It holds no strategical advantage, hence .....". At this point, even the lieutenant began to chose his words prudently.

"..... Placing troops there was a waste of manpower". Things were coming back to him without his permission.

Back then, he was the one who gave the order to leave the city alone.

He didn't think much then. Who would have thought that his decision would soon come back to bite him in the ass.

His confirmation made his Captain's face darken even more.

'Things aren't going as planned'.

Han thought with an ugly expression.

"Have you interrogated the villagers?"

"Sir yes sir. I've deployed soldiers to do so as we speak".

"..... Good". Despite saying this, his expression didn't ease in the slightest.

"Once this is over, I will file a report concerning your dereliction of duty to Fire Nation command".

The Lieutenant's face paled. He wanted to plead, but the fat man interrupted before he even had the chance to speak.

"Send Messenger hawks to the outpost in that direction. Tell them to keep an eye out for the possible appearance of the rebel…." Han uttered while turning towards his ride.

The area within two thousand three hundred kilometers were the colonial lands captured within Earth King territory.

This total area consisted of many cities and villages in the Northwestern and Southwestern parts of the earth kingdom. The mountain forest around Senlin Village was in the far ends of the southwestern areas of the earth kingdom. But Luca was riding east.

As far as Captain Han knew, the farthest Fire Nation Outpost in that direction was at a mining village where all the earth benders had been arrested. (Book 1 EP 6: Imprisoned. Where Katara, Aang and the Sokka met Haru and saved his father and the rest of the earthbenders from the prison oil rig. At this point in time, Aang, Sokka and Katara should be there doing just that. That's what I deduced after looking at the Map and judging the timeframe) and taken to a Metal Prison Rig on the Mo Ce Sea.

The fire nation's sphere of influence only slightly extended beyond that reach. As after there was the unconquered city Omashu. (It hasn't been conquered yet)

If Luca escaped past that, then the difficulty of capturing him would increase by several folds.

The area starting From Omashu was still Earth Kingdom territory with the city standing as a stumbling block to the advances of the fire Nation.

Chasing past that point would be almost impossible.

Han would immediately be tied down as the rebel had escaped his influence range. It was impossible to stray that far from his post to apprehend him.

If something unfortunate happened while he was away, the consequences would be too much to bear.

Thinking of this, Han's face grew more gloomy.

"Also. ….". He uttered when he sat of the Komodo Rhino.

"After the interrogation is over, destroy the town". The lieutenant was right, this small farming settlement held no significance to both the fire nation and the earth kingdom. The Lieutenant's actions weren't wrong.

This could only be regarded as misfortune falling from the sky.

Hence, Han in his terribly mood saw no reason for this useless city to exist anymore.

Under regular circumstances, he wouldn't care. But today was not one of those days.

"Hyah!" Following which the man flicked the reins and the mount under his butt shot forward.

...

Meanwhile, later .....

Caw!

A peal call resounded through the skies as a large aerial creature could be seen flying through the skies.

Its vision constantly scanning through the vast land below it with sharp eyes as it searched for its target.

Unlike the earlier area that was a grassy plain with sparse trees, this part of the southern earth kingdom looked more like a forest. The land below was covered with numerous trees, plants, hills, and all sorts of vegetation.

Even with its extraordinary sharp vision, locating a target within these parts would prove quite difficult and time-consuming.

However, that depended on what exactly it was looking for.

The Eagle Hawk flew out of the forest area towards the Earth Kingdom Coast and flew closer to the earth.

As one of the few animals in the Avatar world with near human intelligence, it knew exactly what to look for.

And soon enough, it found it.

....

Earth Kingdom Coast ...

On the waters of the Mo Ce Sea, a lone Fire Nation cruiser could be seen sailing on the waters.

From Earth Kingdom to Fire Nation, anyone with a little bit of knowledge would instantly recognize, much to their puzzlement that this was an outdated version of the Fire Nation warships from the early days of the hundred-year war.

One with no special modifications for defense, attack or luxury whatsoever. It would also be more puzzling to imagine that the owner of this ancient means of transportation was the son of someone with extremely high status.

"... No, uncle, we're not stopping'. Inside an inner room, a young teenage voice answered with a firm tone.

"But Prince Zuko, those parts of the earth kingdom are one of the best to find natural springs. Perfect for relaxation purposes…".

An older, gentler, more jolly voice responded to Zuko's blunt refusal. Iroh's eyes lit up as he reminisced with a look of enjoyment.

".... This is not a vacation, uncle, and I am not stopping to relax while the avatar is still out there". The reply came immediately.

The banished prince was particularly adamant as he went through his firebending forms.

"Sigh! My Nephew, when will you learn to appreciate the good things in life? These springs aren't something you can enjoy every day. I've only been here twice before, and that was during my time as general on the earth kingdom conquest".

"Hah!" Zuko roared as he shot out a plum of fire.

"Ha… Ha….". Heavy breathing resounded as his chest rose and fell. "I'll consider such trivialities after I regain my honor, uncle". He couldn't stop for breaks, not now.

The existence of the Avatar had been made known to that blasted Zhao. Now he was also on the hunt for the Avatar and soon, the news would spread far and wide.

By then, every Firebender would be searching for him. He couldn't let that happen, he couldn't let anyone get to him first before he did.

Hence, stopping was out of the question.

"Until that day comes, I won't relax".

Seeing Zuko remain adamant, Iroh shook his head.

"We have been on the Avatar's trail since your ruckus at Kyoshi Island. The men manning the ship aren't machines, Zuko. Even this ship needs to take a break, much more the people who run it. Unless you want another breakdown like last time".

His words made Zuko pause, followed by a slight groan.

After Losing Aang at the South Pole, Zuko had driven his crew tirelessly in a relentless pursuit. His actions, paired with the damages Aang caused during the battle, led to the old battle cruiser breaking down on them. So much so that he had to take the ship to Ketu Harbor for repairs where he encountered Commander Zhao.

Iroh's words were reminding him. Unless he wanted the ship to break down again, he needed to stop and rest every once in a while.

"Ughhh!" He let out a begrudging moan. "Fine, we'll stop. But not for too long".

"Excellent choice prince Zuko. You will not ….". Iroh's face blossomed with a smile. However, his words were interrupted by a rapidly approaching soldier.

"Sir…. My prince .....".

"What?" Seeing the man rush in, Zuko frowned and stopped his training.

"What's the matter? Has the Avatar been spotted?"

"No sir, but something else is perched on the tower of the ship. You need to see it".

"What?"

"Huh?" The two men exclaimed in confusion.

Five minutes later, Zuko with his upper body bare and Iroh appeared at the deck.

"Where is this thing you speak of?" He asked, and the soldier pointed upward.

"Up there". The two men turned their gazes in that direction.

On the tower mast of the ship, a large bird decorated with the fire nation crest could be seen staring at them below.

...

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