Another Way » Places

         The scouts and foot soldiers stepped back from the flames that died just before reaching them, but did not lower their weapons. Sotaro stared down Jin. Had he not demonstrated his firebending, Sotaro would have been inclined to disregard his explanation. He had the vague look of a Fire Nation soldier, and spoke like one, but otherwise dressed like a hunter . . . or a vagrant. Deserter? If so, Sotaro had no choice but to take the man. Spy? If so, for whose side?

Sotaro considered. Under usual circumstances he may not have cared if someone decided to live as a huntsman, but this was not peacetime. A firebender trekking through the woods alongside an army looking like an Earth Kingdom hunter during wartime was questionable.

A dispatch of soldiers from the camp caught up to the band. There were perhaps a dozen, weapons drawn.

"Captain," breathed the one in the lead. "This one was caught trespassing after the attack. Lee claims he was trying to take his uniform."

Having no time or patience for needless indecision, Sotaro motioned for his men to close in.

"I don't care much for bowing," said Sotaro simply. "But these days, everyone is in the army. And considering recent events, I can't afford to let you walk."

The unarmed infantrymen surrounded Jin more closely while the spearmen formed a wall behind them to prevent escape.

If this man was telling the truth, Sotaro would have have some explaining to do. If he truly was treacherous, he would be in an even bigger bind. In any case, Sotaro was not about to risk a potential rebel bringing information to the enemy or leading another attack.

         

Zerath Mael

While it was night time, a Fire Nation fleet could be seen approaching the coasts leading to Yu Dao. From the beach, all that could be seen was an organized assortment of orange dots, and between some of them, if you concentrated hard enough, you could see the red banners of the great Fire Nation. The central vessel was where Prince Azulon slept. In not too long, he'd be on foreign soil for the first time in his life. His quarters had a bookcase laden with literature, typical national decor, and a single guard stood at his post just inside the door.

The door opened; a note was passed to the guard on the inside, and the door was subsequently shut. That way, talking or whispering would not disturb the prince. The guard raised the paper in hand, and promptly lit it on fire when he was done reading its message. He went over to Azulon's bedside, and gently shook him to wake him.

"My Prince, the ship's captain says we are nearing the shore. About forty five minutes away. You wanted to be woken when-"

"You don't need to tell me something I already know, Zerath," Azulon snapped at his guard.

"Of course. Excuse me," Zerath responded sincerely, though the expression on his face would show that he was slightly annoyed. He retook his post without another word before watching the prince swing his legs out of bed and yawn loudly. Azulon began dressing himself for appearance in front of the soldiers. Zerath hesitated before breaking the silence between them.

"If I may ask, Prince Azulon, what do you hope to gain by undergoing this crusade? There are plenty of competent commanders, but you chose to take this mission on personally. Aside from that, it is unsure if you'll even make it to Ba Sing Se." Zerath said.

"You already know; I hope to have a record of honor upon receiving the title of Fire Lord," Azulon answered curtly.

"What does honor mean to you?"

"I didn't know my father was coming along for the adventure," Azulon remarked sarcastically.

"It's a fair question. I only ask so that-"

"So that I can think more clearly on the nature of my decision, I've heard it before," the prince interrupted his guardsman again. Azulon lifted up his breastplate and placed it in his lap as he sat on the bed, considering Zerath's question. Eventually, when Azulon had children, he'd have to explain these things to his children, so why not figure an explanation now?

"Honor... in a way, is a form of respect. Whenever someone bears honor, they immediately have respect. There are two different kinds of respect I am concerned with on this venture; there is respect in which one loves something, and respect in which one fears something. The people of my nation will respect me and admire my accomplishments. The people I come to conquer will fear me as they are the ones who will experience my wrath. That way, when I do become Fire Lord, my Earth subjects will not question my decrees, and my citizens on the homeland will wholeheartedly support the success I bear. Weather or not I get to Ba Sing Se is irrelevant; what pressure I put on the Earth Kingdom and the resources I make them burn will be their biggest casualty."

Again, Zerath hesitated to say something to Azulon. When the prince put on his armor, Zerath simply said, "Okay." The guard contemplated whether or not respect could come in the form of fear, and compared the situation to the day his father tried to beat respect into him. But alas, he was never afraid of his father, and he reasoned the comparison inadequate. He supposed that the prince knew what he was talking about; he was the son of the cherished Fire Lord Sozin.

As Azulon rose and turned towards the door, Zerath in turn held the way open for the prince. By day, they'd be passing through Yu Dao and heading east across the continent.

         Qin looked at his map while others in the resistance worked on the traps. The Earth King had granted him with ten normal soldiers as well as four earth benders. At the moment, only a few hours after the attack on Yu Dao, they were digging traps into the road. The troops had waited an hour for whatever scouts went ahead of them before setting to work. Qin was on a road that led to a ferry town known as Fei Long. There were a few of those towns along the river, the other soldiers had destroyed the ferries, but Fei Long had too large of a garrison to do that. Instead the traps were laid.

The traps were simple holes covered with dirt and extremely thin rock with sharp bamboo stuck on the bottom. That bamboo, however, was smeared in feces to promote infection to the wounds. Trees to the side were cut yet held small rock wedges in them so the benders could easily knock them over on top of the artillery. The point was to force them to stop for the night. Then the real fun could begin.

The Shadow Palms all took their positions off the road to wait for an army to slowly move in. They would then spring the trap with one arrow volley before booking it into the heart of the forest. The arrows were dipped in double-headed rat viper venom, which thickened blood to a solid, becoming lethal the more it spreads. The panicked soldiers would run into the traps while the trees fell, or so Qin predicted. For the time being they would just wait....he had all day.