OOC: I guess Fu-ling-sama abandoned us to a mysterious fate. Oh well. Time for some action, cause I'm bored

IC: There was something very wrong with the way that the soldiers were backing down. Even the presence of a crowd of civilians shouldn't have made them back down that quickly. And they still had their weapons ready, like they weren't going to let them pass without a further investigation.

The guard that had been shut down by Cale bowed respectfully. "Now, even though you may not be who I thought you were, the question of who you are still remains. If you would kindly hand over your passports?"

Tianli still had his sword extended out to his side and flame around his left hand. He glanced at Cale, then at Dokuga, giving a slight nod. The closest thing Tianli had to a passport was his token of passage from the Galgori, and that would hardly work. "Of course you can see it," he replies as he walks forward, leaving his hammer behind and fire dissipating as he walked. He reached into his pocket with his free hand, and removed a slightly crumpled piece of paper.

Just as he got into arms reach, Tianli lashes out with a blindingly fast left hook, bladed edge of his gauntlet sending blood spraying out into the crowd as it met the benders throat. A powerful straight kick sent the dying body crashing into another guard. As he diverted a blast of fire into the air, he roars at the remaining guards. "The Mouthguaith will have vengance for our home!" A quick pair of slashes disarmed and then cut down the next closest guard.

OOC: Let there be blood.

((I guess she has left us. Or hopefully she just doesn’t have any posting feeling because I was planning on having a relationship of hate involving the girls.))

It happened so fast. Fast wasn’t even the proper word to use in this situation, but rather that it happened very quickly. It was so fast that Vora hadn’t even gotten the proper time to register what the man had said. After al, what on earth were passports? But still, even at the fast rate with which the even occurred, Vora still had some sense of control after what she saw. First, the guy asked for some passports, and then Tianli just smashed his face in, and now a sea of blood was oozing from a fallen man.

Vora took very little time as she stumbled backwards, and away from the scene. If the crowd hadn’t ran away she could have hidden amongst them, but the sight of what Tianli had done had caused the group of people to disperse. Vora cringed with fear as the man lay on the floor wounded. Then she was even further terrified, Tianli had began spouting fire from his mouth like a monster, and he screamed something about Mothguaith…what was going on?

Were going end up like Hayate…dead worried Vora as she saw a group of men charge at the people before her. The more Vora thought about the situation, the more and more she was beginning to disconnect with the world. It was like watching a dream for her, and she didn’t ever wish to be a part of it.

The Fire Nation men were quick in reaction to TIanli. Though they had ben momentarily dissuaded by the dispersing crowd; they quickly got to their sense and charged at the man spouting flames with their weapons.

A robust man quickly got into a solid stance with his spear facing Tianli, he was supposed to fight, but merely make sure that the man wouldn’t get any further. Another one quickly joined his comrade with yet another spear facing the wild man. Then in a little under a few seconds, five of them were lined up.

Another soldier, clad in the typical Fire Nation homeland uniform ran at Tianli, and just before reaching him he jumped and headed for him with a fire punch.

{AH! NO! I didn't abandon you! I was just starting my sophomore year and I hadn't had the time (literally) to read all your posts and catch up! Please don't hate me... And sorry it's so long, but I had a lot to catch up on and this is mostly all reflection with very little reaction...}

Dokuga mentally sighed in relief. Koh... she thought as she continued at her pace, occasionally glancing back at her two charges. At least he's gone for a little while... Tianli, she had to admit, was probably stronger and faster and a better fighter than she was. But that mouth of his, always constantly running... It would get him into serious trouble someday. Dokuga didn't it be today, of all days, considering she had two Mothguaith to protect.

After several minutes of brisk walking, however, Dokuga was getting a bit unnerved. Tianli hadn't returned, and it was as silent as the streets of a port got, which meant no sign of their pursuers. As much as she didn't miss his motor mouth, at least he was another able-bodied warrior. Dokuga doubted Vora or Cale had any experience whatsoever with real combat.... And the Galgori absolutely hated ambushes and sudden attacks; she was great at initiating them, but terrible at retaliating when they were against her.

Finally, she was aware of Cale talking. Her heart gave a little burst of relief, but even that vanished in half of a second when she heard the fire guard's voice. She faced him, ever-so-slightly shifting so she was between Vora and the guard. He continued talking as if he didn't notice anything... No... He did see something. Even as he trailed off his eyes lingered on Dokuga's short stature. She could see them widen in recognition, and her fingers twitched involuntarily, ready to summon a throwing needle or something. She even noted how his grip tightened on his spear.

And then... it was over. Cale, the man who she'd thought was boring and lifeless, had struck the spear's point to the ground and held it there. His mind was obviously racing - the lie he wove was like poisoning a stream, as it was so fluid and seamless you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. There was only that brief hesitation towards the beginning where he faltered. But Dokuga was stunned. Cale, if he used the right words, could be an excellent manipulative embassador. In fact, he started a minor scene, swaying the passing audience to his will.

Then came the booming voice of Tianli. For the second time, Dokuga couldn't help thinking, Koh... but it was for a better reason. That burst of relief made itself shown again. And, of course, he began talking. However, the group of guards were suddenly frightened, even if they didn't show it. His intimidating tone, the fire that weaved his fingers coupled with the slaughtering hammer that most people in the world couldn't even lift, and there was also, obviously, his built and giant frame. The only thing she could find wrong with his demonstration was the fact that he'd called them all "children". What the...? Just because I'm fifteen... But being a respectable Hunter, she didn't verbally react.

And just when the soldiers seemed to calm enough to let them pass, one requested their passports. Damn... She glanced at Tianli, who seemed to be thinking hard, and she caught a brief nod. Damn... Passports? Even with her limited knowledge of what the hell that was, she knew enough that they didn't have them. They were in deep trouble. She glanced at Tianli again, trying to maintain composure, not knowing what to do... Fight? Run? Try and compromise with the soldiers by showing their Galgori paperwork?

Tianli decided for him. There was a second of gruesome sounds and visions, an obviously revealing outburst that threatened the secrecy of both the Mothguaith and Galgori, and then the whole guard was lined up. Idiot! her mind screeched, but she said nothing. A second before she made her move on the closest soldier, she glanced at Vora. At least she'd chosen to stay away from the area. Good... Hide yourself... she wanted to say, but she was obviously in no position to tell someone what to do. Instead, she quickly shot a needle towards the advancing fireguider's wrist. Sure he was aimed at Tianli, but it was time Dokuga did something other than stand there in silence.

The needle struck between the bones and successfully deadened the hand, but the fire was still sent. She withdrew her twin knives and, with a whirling flash, broke the fireball in mid-air, and then turned on the crippled fireguider, points towards his neck. Instead of slashing him in the manner that Tianli had slain his victim, she used the broad sides of her knives and folded his uninjured arm over on itself, and successfully cracked most of the bones when she drove her knee hard into his upper arm.

Over his scream, she sensed another attacker. But she couldn't move fast enough to stop the spearbutt from ramming into her cheek. A blinding pain maddened her for a moment, and crippled her in a similar fashion that she had crippled the fireguider. Her legs gave beneath her and she fell to the ground, cheek throbbing in agony. She was able to open her eyes that she hadn't realized had closed and saw the fireguider advancing over her, spearpoint aimed just above her nose... Where were her knives? Why couldn't she move out of the way? How come she didn't scream? With wide, fearful eyes she saw his muscles tense, ready to raise the spear high and then bring it down and stick her like a boar-q-pine...

Tianli snapped his hand to his shoulder, lunged low out to the side, throwing his hand forward to redirect...nothing. His sword meet no resistance as his follow through from the previous swing meet no resistance. He glanced back, wondering where the soldier that had been attacking him was, and watched Dokuga making quick work of him. He flashed a smile to himself, and then turned back to the spear line.

Stepping nimbly, he lunged forward, zigzagging his way to the warriors. Just as he reached their striking range, he dove forward, sword flashing perpendicular to the line formed by the spears. He flipped around, massive frame twisting adroitly in the air, one leg whipping out and sending the middle warrior flying. He thrust his sword clear through two guards, other hand snapping out into a quick jab that sent the man on his other side stumbling backwards.

Without really paying much mind, he saw another guard looming over Dokuga. He figured Cale could take him, but the spear about to kill the Galgori posed a problem. Releasing his sword, he thrust out that hand, a thin stream of intense flame launching out and coiling around the guards arms and spear. Throwing his hand upwards, the fire tore the spear from his grasp, leaving singes along the mans arms.

The other guard recovered, and the two of them struck, one spear deflected by a well placed blow, but the other caught Tianli in the shoulder. Roaring in pain, he turned his attention back to the two guards that remained between the others and the gate. More were coming, but they could easily lose them outside the city.

Grasping the spear with his uninjured arm, flame burst from his tattoos, gi falling in charred ruins as his upper body burned in sinuous patterns. The fire raced down the spear and engulfed the soldier, lighting his clothes on fire. With a wrenching motion, Tianli pulled the spear from his shoulder, and then brought it down hard on the last man as he tried to back away from the giant. The spear snapped, and with a deft motion, Tianli spun it around and buried the small part he was still holding in the stunned soldier.

Chaos.

The illusion of peace that Cale had attempted to create had been transformed into complete chaos, and there was no sweet-talking their way out of it. Cale was torn between his two first instincts, get Vora out of there or actually get involved in the fight. In the end, he chose the fight. She thinks I can't help her? Then she can take care of herself. I'm sure she has the good sense to run, he thought bitterly as he ducked beneath a wild swing from one of the soldiers and tried — badly — to parry it with the sheath that Tianli had given him.

The guard struck again. Backward, this time, and Cale wasn't quite ready for it. He and the sheath tumbled to the ground, but fortunately he had enough of a sense of self-preservation to roll out of the way of the spearpoint that jammed into the ground where his neck had been half a second before. With a well-aimed kick, he made his attacked double over in pain and release his grip on the spear. Another wild swing of the sheath, aimed at the general vicinity of the guard's head, and the guard was down for the count.

Unfortunately Cale was now in the middle of the entire ordeal — and to his right, Dokuga was on the ground, about to be dealt a deadly blow. From somewhere behind and to the left of him, a stream of fire shot out and spiraled the guard's weapon out of his grasp. As the soldier cried out in pain, Cale dug out one of his daggers — one of two that he had in hilts that hung beneath his tunic from the back of his necklace. It was such a bad hiding spot that Dokuga would have thought even he wasn't that stupid, but Cale didn't think about that right now. He threw it with surprising aim through the battle. It narrowly missed another guard's backside and plunged into the neck of Dokuga's attacker.

That dagger unfortunately wouldn't be retrieved any time soon, but Cale had no time to dig out the other one. Barely blocking another spear attack with the sheath held unbalanced in his left hand, Cale ran toward the bleeding body he had just incapacitated and leapt over it, kicking up dust and dirt with the foot he landed on. It hardly slowed the soldier down, but it gave time for Cale to notice both that he was headed for the gate outside of the city, and that Vora was standing, several meters away, between it and him. "OUT!" he bellowed at her as loud as he could, knowing that Dokuga and Tianli would hear him too and hoping they would follow quickly.

---

Coer looked down wordlessly, a bit ashamed for not paying closer attention to Anei's words, and nodded. "All right then," he said in something between a mumble and his normal speech. He started walking toward the Sozin's Blaze, where the first mate had just disembarked and was standing at the end of the gangplank.

"Welcome aboard the Sozin's Blaze," he said congenially enough as they approached. "Heading to the Colony City of Criaga, formerly known as Terrakoto. May I see your passports?" he held his hand expectantly.

Slightly surprised to remember that he still had the papers, Coer dug them out of his tunic — growling inside his head at the increasing discomfort that the garment provided — and gave them to the officer to look over. "That's Ani. I'm Keisi," he said plainly. Then something the sailor said struck him. "Criaga... When did they city get renamed?!"

"Got family over there or sum'thin'?" the officer chuckled, glancing across Ani's passport. "Don't worry, nothin' happened to 'em. After Fire Lord Ozai took control of the Earth Kingdom Colonies, he renamed 'em all. Omashu, Terrakoto, Gaipan... all the major cities. Actually the people of Criaga surrendered quietly, so I'm told. They look to be peaceable Fire Nation provincials now." He handed back the papers. "Here you go," he said.

Coer wanted badly to look at Anei, but was afraid to do so. Instead he walked up the gangplank, his face unreadable.

(Well played, sir. If you would do us the honor of posting about a (all-but-spent-in-sullen-silence-on-Anei's-part day's out in the FNW's thread, Anei can go and have her nervous breakdown there, confess, and we can enjoy the ensuing chaos. *offers digital pie* Apoligies for my somewhat forced tone earlier.)

Despite the mask of relieved weariness dominating her expression, the feeling was as false as the thin smile she offered to the first mate. Her deft progress up the gangplank behind Coer was utterly at odds with the thickening gloom she felt at having to deceive Coer... It didn't feel good to hide things from her fellow Galgori, and Coer was... so much more than that to her, bathed in an aura of absolute, personal importance in her mind's eye.

When Coer did find out what happened to Moth Gauith, and her role in pulling him away from any possible retribution... Anei didn't think she could take the rejection she could all but taste when he did... But to break silence before Coer was irovocably away from the Fire Nation would break honor as a Hunter to a Master.

The young assasin paused as she stepped foot on th steel decking of the passenger ship, resting one hand on the guard rail in a moment of weak indescion before closing her eyes angrily and taking her last foot off the gangway, marshalling every drop of her reserve to not look back at the Fire Nation Port and everything it meant. "Ko damn me," she murmured under her breath, focusing her gaze sidelong on Coer and following again.

((I think the appropriate song for this scene would be Crazy Bus. My post is a little rushed.))

People were running to the left, the right, and some were even trampling each other as Vora continued her procession into the crowd. One woman screamed, and merely added to the already growing orchestra of screams. A man bumped into Vora, a woman shoved another man, someone fell to the floor, a person was trampled, a man pushed a few people to get to safety, Vora fell to the floor.

Vora rushed to her feet and turned to see the battle underway. It was like something out of nature: a group of fire ants attacking intruders. The more she watched the more fear began to overtake her, she wanted to move, but the sight of blood, and fire only stole that option from her legs. Her eyes were wide as she watched those people that she was traveling with risk their life for her cause…but why? The more she watched, the more she was shocked to see what kind of people these Fire Nation people were. They were using their beautiful fire to do terrible things. The more she watched the more Vora became lost in the fight as she watched the fire from her enemies dance in a very taunting way. They could bend, and she couldn’t. They had been given the gift, while she was denied the gift and forced to suffer for it. It wasn’t fair. This wasn’t fair. She should be a firebender, her father is one, and as far as she knew it everyone she knows—

Cale called…she got lost in the fight, but how? No, that didn’t matter right then, what mattered was getting out. She looked at Cale with fear in her eyes, and then she lifted one leg, and another. Before she knew it she was running. She would make, and then she realized that she wouldn’t. Throughout her entire life something had always gotten in her; no what something always happened.

She was making, Vora was running the perimeter of the guards, and because they were still ‘in the fight’ Vora was able to make it to the gate. Cale was up ahead, but rather than stop she continued. She had to get away.

[glow=red,2,300]Karena Edit: Fixed coding.[/glow]

OOC: I feel...odd... about this post... I feel like it really sucks for some reason. Could be true, could be me being crazy. Whatever.

Tianli smiled grimly. Two of his biggest liabilities were gone now, and it was just Dokuga that remained. The entire area of the gate had been cleared of pedestrians now, only scattered bodies and himself nearby it. The fire that wreathed his body glowed for a moment more as the reinforcing guards arrayed themselves against him, Dokuga somewhere in the middle of it all.

Weaponless as he was, he stood tall as the Guards formed a half ring around the gate. He took a deep breath, centering himself for a moment. The fire flared up, and Tianli sprinted forward, snagging his hammer from the ground as he passed the small Galgori. He only has time to utter a single word as he passes by. "Sword." He hoped to himself that the girl will be able to get it from the two presumably dead guards by the gate, and swung his hammer around in a sweeping arc, neatly sending a trio of spear points out of his way as he physically slamed a guard to the ground with his momentum. Keeping the follow-through from his swing, he spun around, hammer sending another man to the ground with a sickening crunch.

A slight wave of dizziness washed over him as a fireball gets absorbed into the fire that covers him. Not much longer till I start to get cooked alive, I think it's time to leave town... Trusting that Dokuga had since made her way towards the gate, Tianli rolled past a jabbing spear, and channeled the fire around him into an expanding wall, cutting off the path between the soldiers and himself. Not trusting the wall to hold more then a few seconds against Fire Nation soldiers, Tianli continued running, making to leave the city.

Edit: Right after I posted, I realized the part that felt off was I switched to present tense exactly one paragraph in... I'm an idiot

{Haha, Dokuga, the fierce and vicious Galgori Hunter, is afraid of zombies! Sorry for taking so long.}

Not... dead?

Dokuga blinked as the soldier was briefly incapacitated by... fire. Tianli. Koh, as much as she hated his crazy mouth, she was grateful that he saved her life. She flung a few effectively-placed needles into the soldier and leapt up. Her face still throbbed like mad, but she was free from the spell she'd been cast under. She barely missed a dagger that was flung through the air and had stuck violently into her attacker's neck.

She retrieved her swords from the ground and struck down another nearby soldier. Cale ran past, shouting "Out!" at the top of his lungs. Dokuga took the moment she had to search for Vora. A roar of agony made her twitch, but her eyes scanned frantically anyway. Finally, she spotted the older woman. She was... trapped? Maybe under the same spell as Dokuga had been. But no, there she went.... She was walking again. And then running. Dokuga spun. Vora could safely leave on her own.

But there were more guards. They had blocked the passage between her and Tianli's position and the gate. And Dokuga's stamina, at least for fighting, was weakening. Koh damn, she thought, panting, when Tianli passed her. The word "sword" hung in the air. Her eyes flicked to the large sword that had probably mutilated if not killed a pair of fireguiders earlier. They were in a heap by the gate. She gave Tianli a moment's hesitation of time, before crouching to retrieve someone's dagger (just in case she needed it) from her previous attacker's neck and then breaking into a dash.

Though Dokuga may have been small, what she lacked in size she made up for in agility. She was upon the slain guards in a matter of moments, and she gave herself time to free the sword. It was large, no doubt about it. Nothing the Galgori couldn't handle, however. She looked up at the nearby fray and saw Tianli breaking through the ranks. That was her cue--

A hand grabbed her wrist and she screamed.

One of the assumed dead bodies was supposedly only half-dead. He'd reached up to grab Dokuga in his final moments of breath. Even as his head slowly drifted back to the ground, his bloodstained lips cracked into a smile. She could feel her hand burning from the contact with his fingers - he wasn't even trying to fireguide and he did. But it was a horrifying sight, a terrible sensation, and she screamed again.

He wouldn't let go... He wouldn't let go! Panic overwhelmed her and she eventually began to hack the arm off above the elbow. Finally, with her haphazard strokes with the dagger she'd picked up, the hand's grip released her and she stumbled back into a sprint, out of the large gate. She saw Vora and Cale ahead... But it was all they were. They didn't get closer. Could they still be running, or was it Dokuga's mind playing tricks? She heard Tianli begin to pound the ground behind her as he sprinted away from the city, racing to join up with and pass her.

She ran, her hands steadily losing grip on the dagger and large sword. Why on Koh's green earth didn't Vora and Cale stop? But knees grew weak and unsupportive, and she crumpled to the ground. She was exhausted from the fight. The weapons she'd retrieved for her allies were just beneath her feet. Those who she was sworn to protect were ahead of her. And those who wanted her dead were at her back. But her muscles all fell limp. She couldn't move and she didn't want to.

The vision of the half-dead man remained burned in her mind, in much the same way as the fingers in their death grip had burned her wrist. Her throat ached, and she didn't want to speak - couldn't. Her eyelids flickered closed despite her half-hearted protests and she felt herself go unconscious...