ATLA, In A Darker World

Nee Chapter guys. Creation is seriously hard. So give me your Powerstones.

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Southern Earth Kingdom

The moonlight cast an eerie glow over Haican Stronghold.

The once quaint town had taken a quite unfamiliar shape, turning into a formidable fortress ever since the Earthbenders took over.

All previous civilians had been evacuated, their small homes destroyed to make way for larger structures and walls.

With the reconstruction, different structures had been set up with different levels of importance.

The Infirmary near the east wall, the refugee sleeping quarters near the West Wall. The North and South walls had multiple garrisons with soldiers patrolling the ground floors, stairs, walls and occasionally inspecting the sewer system.

Other important areas like the mess hall for the soldiers, the supply station, and the armory were stationed close to the central tower. Also known as the command center, meeting hall and residence of Captain Li Shan and his higher ranking officers.

These mentioned places were the areas where soldiers patrolled regularly at all times.

The tunnel for transportation of valuable refugees, however, didn't have such a luxury.

Compared to the main transportation channel that was stationed near the central tower, the one leading to the bay controlled by the Fire Nation had less security measures.

This was proven by how only two soldiers were stationed in the large, secluded area to act as guards.

In the entire stronghold, it was considered the easiest, and most boring work station to be assigned to, with soldiers on guard duty caught napping on their shift periods.

The same scene replayed at the moment. As outside the sealed underground tunnel, two guards could be seen standing on watch duty.

Two guards could be seen standing in the middle of the empty space. They stood several feet away from each other, both holding long spears and standing at attention.

The previous shift of soldiers had just finished a few minutes ago, making it their turn to guard the tunnel entrance.

Not like it was really needed, though. After all, nothing had ever happened in this area.

In their expectations, this was going to be a very long four-hour shift.

"…. Help …." That stillness, however, was broken by a sudden cry for help.

From the entrance, the appearance of a disheveled young woman, with messily cut hair and a frantic expression, caught their attention.

"Hey!" One called, alerting the young woman, who froze in her tracks.

"What are you still doing outside at these hours?" Both soldiers moved forward, the one on the left asking with a stern expression.

"All registered refugees should be in their quarters. No exceptions".

"I …." The young woman shuddered slightly under their gaze. Her amber colored eyes carried a touch of fear and panic, all of which was displayed under the soldier's eyes.

With light skin and short brown hair, she was young. Perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old. Nevertheless, no matter how fidgety she looked, he wasn't having it.

"I repeat…." He uttered, his eyes narrowing. "Who are you, and what are you doing out here?"

"I …. My name is Meilin. I'm look…. looking for my brother …." She uttered, her voice trembling as she moved closer to a few water barrels behind her.

"He …. He told me he was going to the restroom. It's been an hour, and he hasn't returned yet. I set out to look for him".

The two guards exchanged looks, skeptical about her story. The refugees quarters were a long-distance away from here. Forget about the possibility of her wandering in this direction, she should have been stopped by the other patrolling soldiers and told to return.

And yet …. Here she was.

Thinking of this, the guard's eyes turned cold.

"I'm sorry, miss, but this is a restricted area. No one without proper clearance should be here, especially snooping refugee kids".

The guard had already determined her story to be a lie.

The conflicting factors were too much.

Obviously, he regarded her as another curious peasant who couldn't sit still after getting something to eat.

It wasn't the first time this had happened. But those who went snooping around and discovered things they weren't supposed to usually had terrible endings.

"…. You have to come with us, miss. We'll verify your story and decide what to …." He stretched out his hand as he spoke, aiming to grab her.

It happened then. The moment the soldier stretched out his hand, the girl made a ducking motion and fell to the floor instantly.

The soldier was stunned. However, the next turn of events left him even more bewildered.

The water in the water barrels behind her suddenly flowed upward and rushed towards the guards, enveloping them before they could react.

'Waterbending?'

Caught off guard, they opened their mouths to scream and alert others.

Crack!

Unfortunately, they were still a step slower. The water enveloping their bodies quickly solidified into thick ice, trapping both men inside.

The guards literally froze in place, their faces portraying their confusion.

Meilin who was previously trembling suddenly stood up. Her previous vulnerable look gone with the wind as she examined the new ice sculptures.

"All clear".

As she did, several figures quickly emerged from the shadows.

"Nice work Dandan". Meilin uttered towards the slightly thin male on the side. Each figure wore black hooded cloaks.

"Alright guys …. We need to do this before we're discovered. And fast".

A soft, female voice came from the cloaked figure in the middle of the group. They all nodded, no one uttering another word as they moved into action.

The icy coldness emitted from the frozen soldiers faded as they moved further away.

Several barrels were pushed over close to the tunnel entrance.

"Peng, you're up".

"Right". Another male moved closer to the entrance. Taking a stance, he slammed his feet on the ground and thrust his arms forward.

Rumble!

The top of the earth was removed, revealing a tunnel underneath it.

"…. So it really is true".

"Yeah, it is".

"I heard rumors that many refugees were placed into combat while wearing fire nation uniforms. I thought the fire nation had captured them after raiding their villages. I just never expected …."

The atmosphere quickly turned depressing as they all looked at the tunnel below.

"Damn Fire nation". Dandan cursed at that moment.

"Guys … Focus". Their leader voiced out again.

"We can't get distracted here. Time is against us on this. You know what happens if we're discovered".

She uttered before moving towards the barrel. "Fenfang, get the lanterns".

Then, she carried a barrel down the stairs.

Seeing this, the others carried their barrels and followed.

With a lit lantern, Fenfang stood at the entrance a few seconds longer than the others. Looking back, her eyes flashing with panic and guilt before ultimately walking into the tunnel with them.

The darkness was driven away by the light from the lanterns. The smell of damp earth flowed into their nostrils, making most of them crinkle their noses slightly.

"Here, there … Down over there ….". In the tunnel, Meilin began giving instructions on where to place each barrel.

They walked several dozen feet into the tunnel, placed them anywhere she asked.

" ..... And here .....". The last one was placed there by Peng.

The barrels were spread out a good distance away from each other within the tunnel.

"Are you sure this will bring about the most damage?"

Dandan looked at Meilin with a hint of skepticism.

".... Don't question me blue boy". The slim looking girl with a short haircut scoffed. "..... My dad worked in a demolition team. I know my way with explosives". She said while looking at the barrels.

Each one was filled to the brim with blasting jelly, enough to destroy a good portion of the stronghold if placed above ground.

Dandan frowned with displeasure. After several weeks of getting along, Meilin's nickname for him due to his blue hair color never ceased to serve as an annoyance.

"Of course, the effect would be better if Peng over here could make a deep enough opening in the walls. The wider spread out they are, the better the effect".

The Earthbender kid frowned. His hand scratching his head full of brown hair.

"My Earthbending isn't proficient enough. It will take time".

"Time is what we don't have". Their leader uttered, taking off her hood to reveal deep blue eyes and a head of mousy brown hair reaching all the way to her chin.

She took off the backpack from behind, her actions not ceasing as she spoke.

"We don't know how long we have before someone realizes something's up. Don't forget, those guards are still frozen out there. If a patrol team comes, and we're still here, then we're done for". She reached into her bag, taking out several objects from within.

"We don't need the explosion to be too big. Just big enough to completely collapse this tunnel from here to the other side. Or ..... Part of it, at least. That way, their operations with the fire Nation will come to a halt. Hopefully, long enough for us to transfer the news to Omashu and they can send real help".

Clang!

A soft clatter resounded in the tunnel as two gold colored metal fans were placed on the ground. Following which, she took out what looked to be a sword hilt with no blade on the other end.

Of course, that changed after she applied force on a certain area. The blade emerged from the hilt, extending rapidly until it became a full 56 centimeter katana.

Placing her hand on the blade, the metal emitted a slight coolness to its sharp edge.

"With the tunnel's collapse, they can't sell off skilled refugees as merchandise to the fire nation. It will take them some time before they can rebuild it …. About …". She turned to Meilin who replied promptly.

"It depends on the damage done, really. We don't know how long this tunnel extends. But as long as there are Earthbenders working on it, I estimate about two to four days".

"Then that's how much time we have". Receiving a reply, their female leader nodded with firm conviction.

"That's how much time we have to get the word to Omashu so they can bring these traitorous bastards down. Blowing up the tunnel is the only thing we can do to prevent more people from getting sold to the fire nation for gold by these heartless savages before that happens".

Her voice carried unprecedented firmness, and her eyes shone with determination.

"Fenfang. You've seen it for yourself. Once we blow this place it, it won't be safe here. They'll be looking for those who caused it, and your mom will be in danger. Can you convince her to come with us now?"

Her gaze turned to the blonde standing a distance away.

Fenfang.

Seeing everyone's attention turning towards her, she lowered her head slightly to avoid their eyes and nodded without speaking.

Fenfang wasn't usually outspoken, seemed shy and was usually timid.

Her current behavior was normal.

"Alright". Their leader nodded before turning her attention away.

The next thing she pulled out was an architectural design. A blueprint of the Haican Stronghold itself.

"We need to make sure that we aren't here when that happens. Once the fuses are lit, we sneak back the same way we came and pick up Fenfang's mother from the refugee quarters. The blown up tunnel will draw all their attention while we escape through the enclosed sewer entrance. That's our exit channel".

Dandan and Peng's eyes lit up. "So that's what you got when you snuck into the soldier's Garrison".

"Yep. The blueprints show that this sewer line has been here before the village was transformed. It's well hidden, so they probably never saw any need to close it up. Currently, it's the safest way out of here".

She uttered while examining their expressions. While Peng and Dandan were nodding. Meilin was frowning slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"Are you sure about this Mingxia?" She asked with a bit of hesitation. "Once this tunnel explodes, the whole place will be on alert. The fuses can only hold out for about three minutes at most. Anything after that will be completely out of our control".

Everyone fell silent. They knew what Meilin was talking about.

The exit plan was there, but complications were complications because you never expected them until they appeared.

If they didn't get into those sewers before the base went on alert, the consequences were obvious.

And that was just the issues they were seeing with their own eyes.

Who knows if anything else might happen that would take the plan off the rails.

"..... Guys. It's ok". The gloomy mood was interrupted by Mingxia speaking once again. "I know it's risky. But we're already here. We can't turn back, not now. Not when we've already placed the explosives".

Her voice was unprecedentedly solemn.

"These people being sold are just like us. They are refugees. Many of them have lost their homes, friends, and family to the fire nation. Now some of them are losing their freedom as well. Wouldn't you want others to do the same for you if you were in their position?"

Everyone fell silent as her words hit them hard in their hearts.

"We're not fighting the entire base. As long as we do this and get out of here smoothly, then the hard part is over. I left my people and my Island because I was sick of being isolated from everything else. I came to the mainland to see the world, to meet new people, and to help those who needed me. That's what I'm doing, and that's how we all met each other. And now, I need you guys to help me".

"...". Silence. No one uttered a word for several seconds. Until ….

"Hey, I was just asking. You know you've always got my help whenever you need it". Meilin came over with a loving smile.

Then she squinted her eyes and poked.

"All you have to do now is put on the makeup and regalia and this will probably be one of those epic Kyoshi warrior moments you always tell us about. I'm sure Suki and your friends would all be proud".

"Hehehe…. Makeup or not, I'm still a Kyoshi warrior at heart". Mingxia chuckled, then turned to look at the others.

"Guys?"

"Us too". Dandan and Peng took a look at each other before nodding in unison.

They were already here, why not just get it over with?

Mingxia's smile grew wider.

"Fenfang?" Then she turned towards the only other female in the group. However, Fenfang who was standing a good four feet away, remained unresponsive.

Her lack of response caused the atmosphere to grow awkward as the two boys raised an eyebrow.

"Fenfang, are you ...".

"I'm …. I'm fine …".

The blonde girl shook her head frantically before taking several steps back.

"Fenfang? Is something wrong?" Meilin frowned and asked in concern.

".... No, it's ..... It's ….".

Mingxia's smile faded slightly. "It's ok if you're scared Fen … I know it's …". Her words stopped abruptly. Because as she spoke, tears began to stream down from the blond girl's face.

"Fen …. Ok, Fen, now you're scaring us". Peng who was not very outspoken uttered with concern.

"What's the matter?"

"I ….". Incoherent words emerged from her small lips as tears streamed.

"I. … I'm sorry".

"Sorry?" Confusion emerged on their faces.

"Sorry for wh ….".

Thud! Thud! Thud!

At that moment, the sound of multiple footsteps emerged from the entrance, causing everyone's faces to change drastically.

"Hehehehehe ..... Sorry, indeed". Under everyone's gazes, several earth kingdom soldiers walked down the entrance, with a tall, burly male taking the lead.

"Well well well. An Earthbender, Waterbender, a demolition expert and a former Kyoshi Warrior from Kyoshi Island".

The group came to a halt.

With his hands placed behind his back, Captain Li Shan uttered with an expression of intrigue.

"What a wonderful group of individuals. And must I say, that speech you gave was very moving. Almost made me shed a tear".

At that moment, even if they were idiots, they could piece together what was going on.

"Fenfang ..... You ....".

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