Post by Teяa253 on Apr 8, 2009 5:50:33 GMT 1
the 87th installment of "The Order of the Avatar Slayer".
This chapter is basically entirely informative, as there's not much battling that goes on.
However, if you're wondering where Orzon, Ayumi, Tenoko, Rafai, and their gang all went, you find out. We also learn where The Order has placed its members, so... all in all, an interesting chapter for the "Order of the Avatar Slayer" finale, if I say so...
so... chapter 87. enjoy.
CHAPTER 87: A TIME TO STRATEGIZE
The final epiphany that Taki’s entire family was now dead in the room behind him turned out to affect Taki much harder than any of them, even Taki herself, had thought. Thankfully Cheng was there to comfort her, for it was here where she was in dire need of it.
All Cheng could really do was give her comfort, as there was no bringing back the dead. It was a little while before she was able to collect herself, and even if she hadn’t, the group as a whole was severely injured, and since the Kyoshi Warriors were chi-blockers, some of the members could not use one or both of their arms or they walked with a slight limp.
“We can’t continue like this,” said Alzar, who herself was among those who could not stand, as both her legs had been disabled, “if we continue at a rate like this it’ll be days before we reach the top.”
“I’m not going to push any of you, farther than you can go,” Zakura declared, “I don’t want you to die; any of you.”
“And we don’t plan to,” Shinon replied, “but Alzar has a point. We can’t proceed like this if we plan to see Xin Shing any time this week.”
“Then what do you propose we do?” Zakura asked,
“Surely it’s obvious,” said Zeruda, “we scout ahead. Send some of the smallest warriors with the keenest senses that are not hurt.”
Unfortunately, that too was an issue, as Sanaki has lost the use of an arm and had gotten some nasty cuts. Meili also had been disabled at the neck, leaving only her motor skills intact. Lehran had volunteered to watch over Zuki until Meili recovered.
Malak had suffered a similar fate, as well as Aiku, Zinjamyn, Iresu, and Katara I. Alzar, Sanaki, Vigo, Cheng, and Koara had trouble standing, and most of the others were bleeding rather badly and/or had lost the use of one or both of their arms. The only one who was completely unhurt was Zuki.
Zakura herself was not disabled, but was bleeding freely. She seemed to be disregarding it. Lehran was also for the most part alright, but he was watching over Zuki. Little Altina had not been hurt in the last battle, but the nasty cut on her forehead over her eyes was clearly going to turn into a scar, as even after it was healed, it still bore a deep gash. Lehran was too gentle to hold a grudge, and Altina was not suffering anymore [or so it appeared; she seemed content where she was and she was not crying] so he was ‘over it’ for the most part.
After a brief survey of the group, Reyson and Mulan were found to be the only ones in any fighting condition. This proved to be very useful, as Mulan had been here before, and so she knew the place. Since there was only two of them instead of 24, they would be able to easily navigate through the walls, assuming they knew where and how to, and if it was even necessary.
“Are you two in for it?” Zeruda asked, mostly asking Reyson, as he was her son; Mulan’s decision was her own to make.
“I am,” Reyson replied resolutely;
“And so am I,” Mulan added, “We’ll scout out this thing from top to bottom—well, from here to the top.”
“You all rest up,” said Reyson, “we’ll tell you what’s here and what isn’t”
With that, they disappeared up into the tower while the others recovered from their injuries. Both of them were full of energy for the most part, as their injuries had been minimal.
On the 3rd floor, they found absolutely nothing of importance in any of the four enormous rooms that comprised it. There had been signs of a battle though in some of the rooms, as Zuroc Sensei, Kyoshi Warriors, and soldiers from the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation were seen around the area, most of them dead. Division 79 was doing its job, and it was doing its job well.
The 4th floor was surprisingly almost completely empty. The only living person Reyson and Mulan saw was a waterbender who they recognized at once as Tenoko. Reyson was tempted to call out to her, but decided against it, and because Mulan had warned him to be completely quiet. It was unknown what could be heard and from where in this tower.
The 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th floors all showed signs of small skirmishes, but nothing too huge. It seemed that most of the strong forces were that bottom of the tower, and this led Mulan to deduct that there might also be some last minute defenses towards the top.
There were a few forces on the 9th floor, which might prove a challenge, though that was actually part of an active skirmish, the survivors of Division 79 holding their ground as the powerful Zuroc Sensei they were known to be. At once Mulan understood what Ryuka had meant when he had mentioned Division 79 without them actually in the combat they thought Ryuka had been talking about.
To the surprise of Reyson and Mulan, the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th floors were all completely empty, without any signs of a battle going on; no blood, no bodies; nothing.
“It’s an illusion,” Reyson exclaimed, looking down at the emptiness of the last room in the 16th floor, “no wonder the legends of whole armies turning back is true. They see the first few floors and get worn out, and assume that the other 17 are the same way.”
“Xin Shing works in mysterious ways,” Mulan replied, “I may despise him as a person, but I respect him for his intellect on certain tactics.”
“Or perhaps this was the work of one of his comrades,” said Reyson, “what were their names; that earthbender and firebender couple;”
“Zhin and Tu-Sung,” Mulan exclaimed, also thinking about how Ju Long, her husband, had been with them, “oh ho, this is definitely some of their work. But let us not linger much longer, for the avatar’s group awaits our return with the report.”
“Aye,” Reyson remarked, “let’s move up.”
The 17th floor was all empty save for a pair of waterbenders in the 3rd room. Reyson and Mulan both recognized them as Michiko and Fukuda.
“It’d be a lot easier to take them out if all of our forces were doing better,” Mulan remarked as they crossed unseen into the next room, which was empty, “but alas, Zhin thinks well. Chances are that those two expect a two-on-two fight or something.”
“I guess we’ll find out,” Reyson replied, not having much else to add.
The two of them ascended to the 18th floor, and this time were intercepted by a gang of Zuroc Sensei in the 2nd room, out of Fukuda and Michiko’s hearing range [presumably]. However, one of them recognized Mulan from an old meeting; it was an airbender.
“Mulan,” he exclaimed, “is that you under there?”
Mulan smiled.
“Aye,” she replied, “aye, it is. This boy here is Prince Reyson of The Avatar Guard as well. We are your allies, my friend.”
“Brilliant,” he remarked happily, “we’re sort of stuck in a bind. Katara vanished, and our scouts told us that there is a pair of earthbenders over in the last room.”
“Reinforcements are on their way,” Mulan replied, smiling back; “we are just here to scout it out. Hold tightly.”
“We will,” they chuckled, “’coz that’s about all we CAN do at this point. Luckily they haven’t tried to come kill us yet.”
Among these Zuroc Sensei was Rafai, Katara’s semi-‘crush’, but neither Reyson nor Mulan knew that at this point. They crept back through the walls and checked the next room. In it were Zhang and Zao Lin. They knew that this could not be anything good, and so they progressed up to the 19th floor, glad that their “expedition” was almost over.
It was not until the 3rd room that they actually saw anything. Sitting on a throne of some sort was a warrior clad in black, though it looked like the armor had been “upgraded” somehow.
“Is that Katara,” Reyson whispered,
“It’s hard to tell,” Mulan replied, “That armor has certainly changed since I last time saw it. What do you think?”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Reyson responded, “Though I do hope that poor Katara is alright.”
“As do I,” Mulan added, “but there’s no time to stop and ask; especially if that isn’t her. We need to scout the last parts of this tower out.”
Orzon and Ayumi were in the next room, just beyond The Warrior of the Black Hand. There was likely a betrayal scheme going on here, and both Reyson and Mulan hoped that The Order was still the one being betrayed. Regardless, they finally ascended to the final floor.
Again, the first room was empty. The second one was as well. The third room was inhabited by Zhin and Tu-Sung, and they were both conversing about something. They listened to what they were saying.
“...and the fire prince and the airbender inside the far wall that are listening to our conversation, if anything, should be praised for finally thinking of sending scouts to learn where everything is.” Zhin continued, not turning, “They will also learn that Yang is in the next room and that Xin Shing is on the roof.”
They darted off, both nervous, but at least part of Zhin’s statement was true. Yang was in the room behind Zhin and Tu-Sung, but the passages in the walls did not go to the roof, and neither one of them wanted to take changes with Yang just yet.
“Make haste,” said Mulan, “we need to tell the others.”
They made their way back safely and began to recount their tale. They now planned to use some of this recovery time as A Time to Strategize.
~Azula~
This chapter is basically entirely informative, as there's not much battling that goes on.
However, if you're wondering where Orzon, Ayumi, Tenoko, Rafai, and their gang all went, you find out. We also learn where The Order has placed its members, so... all in all, an interesting chapter for the "Order of the Avatar Slayer" finale, if I say so...
so... chapter 87. enjoy.
CHAPTER 87: A TIME TO STRATEGIZE
The final epiphany that Taki’s entire family was now dead in the room behind him turned out to affect Taki much harder than any of them, even Taki herself, had thought. Thankfully Cheng was there to comfort her, for it was here where she was in dire need of it.
All Cheng could really do was give her comfort, as there was no bringing back the dead. It was a little while before she was able to collect herself, and even if she hadn’t, the group as a whole was severely injured, and since the Kyoshi Warriors were chi-blockers, some of the members could not use one or both of their arms or they walked with a slight limp.
“We can’t continue like this,” said Alzar, who herself was among those who could not stand, as both her legs had been disabled, “if we continue at a rate like this it’ll be days before we reach the top.”
“I’m not going to push any of you, farther than you can go,” Zakura declared, “I don’t want you to die; any of you.”
“And we don’t plan to,” Shinon replied, “but Alzar has a point. We can’t proceed like this if we plan to see Xin Shing any time this week.”
“Then what do you propose we do?” Zakura asked,
“Surely it’s obvious,” said Zeruda, “we scout ahead. Send some of the smallest warriors with the keenest senses that are not hurt.”
Unfortunately, that too was an issue, as Sanaki has lost the use of an arm and had gotten some nasty cuts. Meili also had been disabled at the neck, leaving only her motor skills intact. Lehran had volunteered to watch over Zuki until Meili recovered.
Malak had suffered a similar fate, as well as Aiku, Zinjamyn, Iresu, and Katara I. Alzar, Sanaki, Vigo, Cheng, and Koara had trouble standing, and most of the others were bleeding rather badly and/or had lost the use of one or both of their arms. The only one who was completely unhurt was Zuki.
Zakura herself was not disabled, but was bleeding freely. She seemed to be disregarding it. Lehran was also for the most part alright, but he was watching over Zuki. Little Altina had not been hurt in the last battle, but the nasty cut on her forehead over her eyes was clearly going to turn into a scar, as even after it was healed, it still bore a deep gash. Lehran was too gentle to hold a grudge, and Altina was not suffering anymore [or so it appeared; she seemed content where she was and she was not crying] so he was ‘over it’ for the most part.
After a brief survey of the group, Reyson and Mulan were found to be the only ones in any fighting condition. This proved to be very useful, as Mulan had been here before, and so she knew the place. Since there was only two of them instead of 24, they would be able to easily navigate through the walls, assuming they knew where and how to, and if it was even necessary.
“Are you two in for it?” Zeruda asked, mostly asking Reyson, as he was her son; Mulan’s decision was her own to make.
“I am,” Reyson replied resolutely;
“And so am I,” Mulan added, “We’ll scout out this thing from top to bottom—well, from here to the top.”
“You all rest up,” said Reyson, “we’ll tell you what’s here and what isn’t”
With that, they disappeared up into the tower while the others recovered from their injuries. Both of them were full of energy for the most part, as their injuries had been minimal.
On the 3rd floor, they found absolutely nothing of importance in any of the four enormous rooms that comprised it. There had been signs of a battle though in some of the rooms, as Zuroc Sensei, Kyoshi Warriors, and soldiers from the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation were seen around the area, most of them dead. Division 79 was doing its job, and it was doing its job well.
The 4th floor was surprisingly almost completely empty. The only living person Reyson and Mulan saw was a waterbender who they recognized at once as Tenoko. Reyson was tempted to call out to her, but decided against it, and because Mulan had warned him to be completely quiet. It was unknown what could be heard and from where in this tower.
The 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th floors all showed signs of small skirmishes, but nothing too huge. It seemed that most of the strong forces were that bottom of the tower, and this led Mulan to deduct that there might also be some last minute defenses towards the top.
There were a few forces on the 9th floor, which might prove a challenge, though that was actually part of an active skirmish, the survivors of Division 79 holding their ground as the powerful Zuroc Sensei they were known to be. At once Mulan understood what Ryuka had meant when he had mentioned Division 79 without them actually in the combat they thought Ryuka had been talking about.
To the surprise of Reyson and Mulan, the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th floors were all completely empty, without any signs of a battle going on; no blood, no bodies; nothing.
“It’s an illusion,” Reyson exclaimed, looking down at the emptiness of the last room in the 16th floor, “no wonder the legends of whole armies turning back is true. They see the first few floors and get worn out, and assume that the other 17 are the same way.”
“Xin Shing works in mysterious ways,” Mulan replied, “I may despise him as a person, but I respect him for his intellect on certain tactics.”
“Or perhaps this was the work of one of his comrades,” said Reyson, “what were their names; that earthbender and firebender couple;”
“Zhin and Tu-Sung,” Mulan exclaimed, also thinking about how Ju Long, her husband, had been with them, “oh ho, this is definitely some of their work. But let us not linger much longer, for the avatar’s group awaits our return with the report.”
“Aye,” Reyson remarked, “let’s move up.”
The 17th floor was all empty save for a pair of waterbenders in the 3rd room. Reyson and Mulan both recognized them as Michiko and Fukuda.
“It’d be a lot easier to take them out if all of our forces were doing better,” Mulan remarked as they crossed unseen into the next room, which was empty, “but alas, Zhin thinks well. Chances are that those two expect a two-on-two fight or something.”
“I guess we’ll find out,” Reyson replied, not having much else to add.
The two of them ascended to the 18th floor, and this time were intercepted by a gang of Zuroc Sensei in the 2nd room, out of Fukuda and Michiko’s hearing range [presumably]. However, one of them recognized Mulan from an old meeting; it was an airbender.
“Mulan,” he exclaimed, “is that you under there?”
Mulan smiled.
“Aye,” she replied, “aye, it is. This boy here is Prince Reyson of The Avatar Guard as well. We are your allies, my friend.”
“Brilliant,” he remarked happily, “we’re sort of stuck in a bind. Katara vanished, and our scouts told us that there is a pair of earthbenders over in the last room.”
“Reinforcements are on their way,” Mulan replied, smiling back; “we are just here to scout it out. Hold tightly.”
“We will,” they chuckled, “’coz that’s about all we CAN do at this point. Luckily they haven’t tried to come kill us yet.”
Among these Zuroc Sensei was Rafai, Katara’s semi-‘crush’, but neither Reyson nor Mulan knew that at this point. They crept back through the walls and checked the next room. In it were Zhang and Zao Lin. They knew that this could not be anything good, and so they progressed up to the 19th floor, glad that their “expedition” was almost over.
It was not until the 3rd room that they actually saw anything. Sitting on a throne of some sort was a warrior clad in black, though it looked like the armor had been “upgraded” somehow.
“Is that Katara,” Reyson whispered,
“It’s hard to tell,” Mulan replied, “That armor has certainly changed since I last time saw it. What do you think?”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Reyson responded, “Though I do hope that poor Katara is alright.”
“As do I,” Mulan added, “but there’s no time to stop and ask; especially if that isn’t her. We need to scout the last parts of this tower out.”
Orzon and Ayumi were in the next room, just beyond The Warrior of the Black Hand. There was likely a betrayal scheme going on here, and both Reyson and Mulan hoped that The Order was still the one being betrayed. Regardless, they finally ascended to the final floor.
Again, the first room was empty. The second one was as well. The third room was inhabited by Zhin and Tu-Sung, and they were both conversing about something. They listened to what they were saying.
“...and the fire prince and the airbender inside the far wall that are listening to our conversation, if anything, should be praised for finally thinking of sending scouts to learn where everything is.” Zhin continued, not turning, “They will also learn that Yang is in the next room and that Xin Shing is on the roof.”
They darted off, both nervous, but at least part of Zhin’s statement was true. Yang was in the room behind Zhin and Tu-Sung, but the passages in the walls did not go to the roof, and neither one of them wanted to take changes with Yang just yet.
“Make haste,” said Mulan, “we need to tell the others.”
They made their way back safely and began to recount their tale. They now planned to use some of this recovery time as A Time to Strategize.
~Azula~
