Chapter 1: Day of the Comet

[Webhead]

With the earthbenders in full surrender, the Fire Nation begins rounding them up and puts the survivors under guard. Their commander stands proudly over the conquered soldiers of the Earth Kingdom, smug with self-assurance of victory. He turns his attention then to the small band of remaining Water Tribesmen to the north and his foot soldiers fighting valiantly against them. Bellowing powerfully over the battlefield, he calls out to his troops to regroup and form a defensive line. The small group of standing Fire Soldiers respond with military vigor and discipline and draw a steady line, polearms extended in attack formation. The commander continues to order the detention of the earthbenders and then begins walking in the direction of his newly ordered formation, four firebenders in escort.

"I'm sorry your people had to get involved in this affair but all is not lost. As I offered the Earth Kingdom warriors before they so ingraciously refused, I will grant your people the chance to end this aggression before it continues any further." As the commander speaks, his voice and smug expression drip with pride and self-satisfaction. His broad, flat stance, with arms clasped behind his back reveals his mountainous ego and he reacts as though the thought of his enemies surrendering disgusts him. "It is clear that you have already lost and that your further efforts would only lead to more senseless loss of life. Surely you have your families to think of and this matter does not truly involve your people." With that, he turns his back to the Water Tribe and stands sliently for a moment. "Throw down your weapons and you will be allowed to leave."

Bato looks to his brother, and down upon the fallen bodies of a handful of friends and kinsmen being lapped by the gentle tide. Musashi can almost feel the conflict within his brother, Bato's grip upon his dao tightening and nervousness trembling his neck and shoulders.

Fire Army Threat: 8, Yin Toll: 1

Secondary Goal (rescue the Water Tribe crew): Complete

Ben gets to declare Coup de Grace on the Secondary Goal as part of his next set of descriptions.

Kiuy loses 1 Chi.

[boulet]

Bato strokes gently the cheek of his helmsman, whispering a prayer for the dead. He then stands up slowly, with tears in his eyes. Musashi gets a glimpse of his brother's face and see no resignation. Just a cold detachment and infinite sadness. He then grabs an object at the feet of a dead Fire soldier. /Bato raises his voice : "Commander ! You claim that the blood shed today isn't our affair. A few days ago I would have agreed that the Fire Nation's matters are none of my concern. But I have witnessed the felony and madness of this once venerable nation. And now no one..." he turns his head so all can hear his words " No one can say they don't care anymore. No peace anymore ! We have to put a stop to this insanity should it be at the price of our lives !"

/Suddenly Musashi throws something in the air, and it becomes clear why he was messing with abandoned gear. The flask spins elegantly as it falls down to where the section of soldiers stand, the fuse drawing spirals of smoke in the sky./ The soldiers close to the impact are taken by panic. Most of them scatter and a few are trampled./ Taking opportunity of the chaos, Bato and Musashi rushed to the closest confused ashigarus. Two fall, one grasping the dao deep in his chest, another knocked down by the shaft of his own spear./ (Yin : 1, Yang : 3)

* Last call for pride and sacrifice (Aikido) *

[Webhead]

(Kiuy achieves 1 Yin and 1 Yang Success.)

As the smoke and cascading sand clears, the front-line Fire soldiers are clearly shaken and now appear not quite so assured of victory as the boasts of their commander seems to be. Enraged at the blatant and sudden defiance, the commander lashes out with furious shouts and growls as he draws his firebender accompaniment into attack formation with him.

"If you will not surrender, then die!!!" The flames he draws are wild and hungry and they stretch out across the ground in a circle around him. He then begins assailing his foes with long, whip-like tendrils of fire that coalesce from the sweltering wall. The Fire Nation soldiers, witnessing his wrath, clear to the edges of the battle to avoid being accidentally struck by his attacks and the four firebenders protect their superior and help feed his flames with their own.

Fire Army Threat: 5, Yin Toll: 1

[boulet]

Bato runs with determination toward the commander, an enemy spear in his hands. He tries his best to avoid the flames while his clothes darken./ Musashi turns pale as he realizes how desperate his brother's attack is. He Kicks a soldier rushing at him in the guts./ Then looks for some water at hand in order to pull a trick but can't find any./ A second later he can see his brother beaten down by the commander and his body engulfed in flames. Musashi shouts with sorrow as the loss dawns on him. (yang : 3 yin : 1)

* Dark tango of rebirth (Aikido) *

[MuslixtheMighty]

"The Fire Nation is attacking the Earth Kingdom?!" The voice inside Jin's head screams while he tries to make sense of all the chaos going on./ Without a another thought, Jin hops out from behind a shack/ and charges into battle with the pole he was going to use to carry fish back to his parents./ He volts himself into the air off a small boulder/ and baseball swings the pole into a Fire Nation's soldier's helmet. (1 Yin/3 Yang)

* Jin to the Rescue! *

[Webhead]

As blankets of violent flame consume the shore, Bato's agonizing cries ring out amidst the roaring heat and frenzied cries of the commander. As Bato scrambles on his hands and knees, one of the firebenders savagely kicks him aside. Witnessing Bato's dire predicament, Kiuy propels himself forward on a small wave of sand and swoops in to grab him and pull him away. Just before he reaches for Bato, three Fire Nation scouts emerge from the edge of the forest riding komodo rhinos. The scout leader, a heavily muscled man with a single white feather adorning his topknot, throws a net around Kiuy and hoists him over the back of his mount.

"Commander Lao!" the scout leader beckons. Without looking, the furious commander barks back orders as he continues his fiery assault.

"I have this situation under control. Take the rest of the troops and Earth prisoners back to base camp and resume your patrol, sergeant!" The scout leader chokes back a scowl that passes over his features and looks disdainfully upon Bato writing in the smoldering sand for a moment. Then, he and his accompaniment ride toward the remains of the fishing village to round up their charge, leaving only Taki, his four firebenders and a half dozen soldiers behind.

Just then, around the northern bend of the shoreline, an Earth Kingdom fishing junk comes into view. Seeing the floundering embers that mark the remains of the Water Tribe ship and spying the survivors, the ship makes its best speed toward them. The bosun cries out from the fore of the ship to get the attention of the remaining Water Tribe and the crew begins loading the vessel's harpoon launchers.

Fire Army Threat: 1, Yin Toll: 1

Jin loses 1 Chi. (Feel free to narrate the meaning of the loss of Chi as part of your next set of descriptions if you wish.)

[MuslixtheMighty]

After landing on his feet, Jin turns around to make sure the soldier is out cold,/ and gets thrown to the ground after being plowed into by a rhino./ His back ached with hot pain while he tried to get back up on his feet./ "Time to do some bending of my own." Jin whispers as he hears footsteps heading his way./ When they stop, he grabs two big handfuls of sand, rolls over and throws all the sand at the soldier's face./ (Yin 2/Yang 2)

* Earthbending, Jin Style. *

[boulet]

Musashi covered in sweat is quite confused. /The multiplication of events, the exhaustion and adrenaline overload bring his wits down. /He's lead into a defensive stance. /Harassed by two soldiers and their pole arms, he's forced into playing hide and seek among fishing boats laying upside down on the beach, /waiting for his foe to make a mistake. (yin 3, yang 1)

* panting interlude (aikido) *

[Webhead]

As the sound reaches Commander Lao's ears of his warriors' plight against Jin's improvised tactics, his guard is momentarily lowered as his focus shifts away from his assault. In that fleeting moment, two waterbenders lash out with whips of sea water and crack two of Lao's firebender escort solidly against their helmets, putting them soundly out. Lao's attention and rage snap back to life as his teeth gnash and smoke curls out from his nostrils. A volley of blunted harpoons bowls over a couple of the Fire Nation soldiers standing at the flanks of the battle. The others still standing assess their failing position and quickly surrender their pikes and swords.

In rigid defiance, Lao begins recentering his stance and between long, deep breaths begins drawing the flames in a funnel around him, building power for a final, explosive release.

Fire Army Threat: Complete

Jin gets to declare Coup de Grace on the Fire Army Threat as part of his next post.

[boulet]

Musashi keeps an eye on the relentless officer while the decisive showdown seems about to happen. Yet he moves cautiously toward the silhouette of his fallen brother. He then kneels down, broken and quiet, and grabs a hand. Prostrated, it's almost like the surrounding turmoil doesn't matter anymore.

[MuslixtheMighty]

Before the soldier could get the sand out of his eyes or even realign himself, Jin kicks his legs out from under him and slams a rock into the side of his helmet after he lands. Standing up, the sound of harpoons being launched makes him turn his head and sees what has happened.

"It seems the tide is coming in to cool off this invansion." He speaks the words aloud but not really talking to anyone but himself. Yet, the feeling soon melted away when he felt the heat radiating out from the commander, preparing for his last stance but it also seemed like the water benders were not out of the fight yet. With all that was going on, Jin had a surreal feeling like he was only watching what was unfolding and not actually there, in harms way.

The first to attack was the Commander. Focusing his chi, he released the inferno from his mouth that would probably rival a dragon's breath. The heat that blasted across his body and the scream of one very unlucky water tribe's man snapped Jin out of his dream state. Trying to figure out some way to help, he sees that a water bender kneeling over the charred dead body and oblivious to all that is going on around him. After that, Jin was running, as if his legs had a mind of their own. He tackles into the water bender and they tumble out of the way as a line of fire erupts behind them.

"Watch them break and flee under the might of the Fire Nation!" Commander Lao thought to himself when he stopped his attack for all of the water tribemens were retreating to the water with no where to run.

Basking in his moment of victory, the sound of rushing water distracts him as he watches a tsunami build infront of him. Weak from the strain of the last attack, Commander Lao sucks in a deep breath and tries again, aiming for the middle of the giant wave. Fire and water mix, making filling the air with hot steam. The two were at a stale-mate but then the water benders started to fold the wave and attack from the sides. Jin knew they were going to get wet if they didn't move but the water bender was too big for him to pick up. The commander tried to retaliate but was too slow and too weak and the water crashed into him.

They find the soaked and unconcious body of the commander lying face down in the sand.

[Webhead]

With the help of the crew of the fishing vessel, Summer's Bounty, the remaining Fire Nation men are bound with ropes and kept under guard while a few fishermen venture into the remains of Mu Bai village to check for prisoners or recoverable supplies, of which there are none. The fishing captain, Miamoto, a short, middle-aged man with stark white hair and a bronzed complexion, begins posing questions to the Water Tribe about the battle, where the missing villagers have gone and why the Fire Nation was attacking them. Receiving only wearied and frustrated glances, Miamoto turns his attention to the distant pillars of smoke to the west that rise from tiny silhouettes of the Fire Nation ships. "And where are they off to now?", Miamoto groans as he kicks at the lapping tide. Meanwhile, the subdued Commander Lao groans and stirs slightly.

[MuslixtheMighty]

There wasn't a part of his body that didn't hurt was he tried to stand back up after the incredible battle that just took place. His clothes had been burned in some spots and were completely soaked but he was still alive. "What happens now?" Jin thought while we tried to clear his head and figure things out.

[boulet]

Musashi is still shaking of the sheer horror that war is. "This must be the logical conclusion : the Fire Nation has simply declared war on the mighty Earth Kingdom" he thinks to himself, and contradictory thoughts about the implications make his head spin. In an attempt to keep himself together and retain some dignity, he attends the wounded of every nations. It's not long till he's actually making a splint for an enemy and it doesn't escape Miamoto's attention. "You should be ashamed to waste your efforts on those pigs who ruined our village" says the fulminating captain of the fishermen. Musashi is first stuttering and can't align three words to save his life. But as Miamato's ranting starts to run out of control, he gathers enough self confidence to answer the accusation.

"You're not the only one who lost family members today Captain. I saw more blood than during the fiercest whaling. Now that the madness has paused I'm doing the only thing that makes me a worthy man : take care of every wounded. Nobody will contest your will about the prisoners fate. But if one is to follow the path of barbarism, who knows what predicament will befall your fellow villagers who are held by the Fire Nation?" At this point Musashi raises his chin, struggling with the embarrassment of confronting the head of the village. "I have to ask you a favor in the name of the few remaining Water tribesmen. Please help them return to their home. I don't doubt one second the North tribe will gather reinforcement and send troops to help you. I'm willing to stay and contribute to your cause in any way you see fit."

[Webhead]

Miamoto huffs in initial protest but then begins conceding to the wisdom of Musashi's words. He starts to gather his crew together and begin loading up the ship with anything and everything that seems recoverable. As the afternoon wanes and the sun begins to dip below the horizon of the glistening seas, Commander Lao seems to return to consciousness as his voice produces a low, rumbling laughter.

"You think this moment marks your victory but you are sorely mistaken. Even now our ships cross the channel toward the Western Air Temple and further south, Admiral Kentaro's fleet advances on the city of Taku as we speak. Mark my words, before the sun has reached mid-day tomorrow, the skies will be as red as flame and the old, disjointed world will be reforged into a strong, proud new utopia...and all will come to understand and appreciate Fire Lord Sozin's generousity. You fight as ants in a storm. You cannot contemplate the greater scheme nor would you attempt to oppose it if you could realize its aims."