Blood and Ash

PORT ANDREW KABBAN

Captain Kong picked himself up, his sight blurry from the blast. As he turned to the right, the deck was in flames, debris scattered and men running around in flames.

“What the hell happened?” He thought.

People were running in different directions, some passing in front of him.

“Sir” “sir!” a shout was coming from his left. Suddenly a grip on his shoulder,

‘Sir! We have to get out of here now!’ Said Goro.

While pushing through the men, Captain Kong found his voice.

“What is happening? He asked.

“They are here sir, the Hallows!” Goro replied.

“What? How did they?”

An explosion landed ahead of them. Confusion reigned. With the aid of his lieutenant, Kong found himself off the ship. Standing on docks, the men re-assembled taking their weapons out; blades, bows and arrows.

“Hey. The four of you get captain out of here,” Goro motioned to a small dark alley ahead.

“Now” He shouted.

Quickly the dark alley swallowed the men from the chaos in the harbor. On the burning ship, two devils walking slowly to the dock. The two other ships where hit badly as well. Fire and smoke rose to the sky, wood and debris floating on the water.

Goro bit his lower lip, his heart pounding with fear.

How? His mind could not understand. All the precautions were set, he thought.

His head aching from the several blasts, ear bleeding and mind confused. All the cargo was destroyed, ship wrecked and men dead.

“Those cursed devils” He spat.

They stood in their white regalia. The mask had multiple holes and two eye openings. The jumper looked feminine, breast caps where visible from afar. It was sealed from wrist to neck with the shoulder protectors and blades strapped behind them, flexible tight while slack with an apron sticking out in front of the shaped thighs and zip boots.

“Hey…. Do not just stand there, attack!” Goro finally gave a cry.

Meanwhile Captain Kong ran his belly to the extraction point, his men never talked. The walls of the alley were abandoned wood warehouses used to store cargos; this western part of the port had become deserted as a lot of traders moved to the east, hence making it a good trading point of thieves. The moon was ripe and beaming from the left side giving a semi illumination in the alley.

“Damn it.” Moaned one of the men

Turning their heads instantaneously, they saw something dressed in white running towards them on the roof.

“Shit!” One of them exclaimed.

Kong felt his legs sluggish as he saw the fast approaching white thing on the roof. His black coat was an oven; he could feel the sweat from this frog neck down his chest. Shockingly, the thing leaped from the roof into the alley. A 7meters leap into the alley from 15 meters height seemed insane.

“Captain, run! There is a small boat after the alley east from here. The men are waiting for you. We shall stop this devil here.” He added.

Kong wanted to protest that he was be protected but that white ghost was quick, it was few meters away from them now. All the four men drew out their blades after turning around. The thing kept charging at them with no weapon drawn. The move was bold and stupid as the men waited to slice every inch of this masked assassin.

Kong exited the alley and turned right, the bricks beneath his feet responded to the steps in low sound.

Now he was running a path that led to the dock up ahead. There were multiple store house, abandoned ox-carts and plank crates beside the road.

“Almost there.” He muttered.

Then he stopped. He couldn’t believe what was standing ahead of him. A sense of powerlessness fell upon him. There it was seated on a stack of wooden crates in the middle of the road. The nightmare – the Hallow.

“There is nowhere to run.” An artificial voice came from it.

Kong stood dumb founded, infuriated and exhausted to respond for a moment. Then he turned around but couldn’t go back, another Hallow had stood behind him. This one had what seemed to be blood; it had a long assassin blade on the left and a dagger on the right hand. It stood still as if waiting for him to try anything stupid.

“That is not a good idea Captain.” A voice behind him said.

“What is the meaning of all this?” He demanded.

“Come on, Captain let us not play this game now.” Replied the Hallow.

“Do you know who I am? You have just violated the treaty of Al-sisi and we…we…..”

“Silence! Tell me, who is behind this?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about” Kong

“I will count up to 7”

“Go to hell!” Kong replied.

“Then let us play a game.” The fake voice sounded. Everything was still the breeze continued and the moon light beamed.

Finally Kong broke the silence; he moved his left leg in front then dropped his height low with the right fist raised to the ear. He gave a scream and then he lifted his leg then dropped it. Instantly, there was a rumbling beneath the earth shock.

Then it began. Kong swung a right kick then a wave of bricks erupted toward the devil at a high speed. With a disgusting casualness the devil flipped from the top of the box in a split second and landed on its feet while the stones crushed in the box. The devil charged towards him with a dagger drawn from its back. Kong ran a series of punches sending a number of head sized bricks and stones to the opponent. Yet it was quick on its feet, dodging and ducking while pressing forward. It seemed as if it was a dance, there were spins, side steps, ducking and flips.

Kong knew the desperation and why this fight was not in his favor, his close combat skills where bad. He had noticed that the enemy behind him had not moved, but just stood there watching lifelessly like it was a game.

Kong magnetically pulled some stones to his chest, back and arms. It was “the Iron Defense” known by all the Earth benders and manipulators in the second level training.

Although this technique demanded a hefty amount of energy and made the caster slow in combat, it gave an important defense against an opponent.

Then he noticed the dagger thrown at him, without delay he shielded his face with his hands.

The blade crusted against the stones with a sound which made Kong smile. Then suddenly he broke this posture to see his enemy only 6 feet in the air with legs spread out but before he could move, the opponent legs closed on his neck and sent him flying forward then landed on his back.

Kong eyes went black. The sharp ages of the stones chipped into his back, the stones felt heavy on his chest. He fell for such a stupid move, how reckless was he?

As he struggled to get to his feet but a hand gripped his hair and a sharp pain pierced in his shoulder.

A cry of distress broke the night.

Days had passed since Selena and her assassin sisters had taken down the supply channel of the Knights of Al-hamza. Just as many other assignments the sect had been given before, it was a success. It was a swift take-down of the enemy. The Knights of Al-hamza were a dangerous violent gang of mad men who rebelled against the monarch of the Earth Empire.

Three years ago during the Shinga ceremony, which his Majesty Lord Akuu inspected the harvests of the farmers in the market, a group of unknown men attacked. They wore a red cloak with potter made light masks. The attack was precise, men with masks appeared within commoners and royalty butchering standing guards, watchmen and any royal blood on sight. Public building stood in flames, Libraries, Markets, Courts, Hospitals and the palace. The conspiracy was well calculated. It was just as Selene’s father always says, “An enemy at the gates is less formidable than an enemy within”. It was in the midst of innocence that betrayal sprung forth.

The royal guards overwhelmed with the complexity of the enemy, they opted to extradite his Majesty because northern Kush was under-siege and it was just a matter of time the whole Earth capital got captured. Dead bodies of men in green uniforms lay everywhere.

The assault was a success, a prefect takedown. Unfortunately they had managed to assassinate the Emperor and spike his fat head in the center of the kingdom. Extraditing the Emperor was a failure. The heads of top governing officials were also spiked just beneath the head of the king facing west to the sunset. Even though Selena had been far away in the city of Leen, full of ice horning her hand to hand combat skills. Her father had nurtured her into tactical, strategic and diplomatic princess. Her father’s obsession in politics had spread to her.

The fact of the Earth nation's collapse was simple, a failure in the intelligence and the lack of action. She could always hear her father say know yourself, know your enemy and exploit his weakness. The reasons forwarded by the newspapers that the revolt was triggered by high taxes and biased social-economic reforms were lies. The revolt was instigated solely by greed families which wanted power for themselves. They tried to create order out of chaos under the pretext of religion.

It was a well-known fact that in one way or the other the Earth Nation’s security had some clue of the impending attack, which they reluctantly addressed whether out of ignorance or sheer stupidity. The universe is governed by chance and time, only gods had the luxury of existing outside this paradigm.

These principles are what sustained the Water Nation and southerners with influence to stand against the ruthless reign of the Emperor Shinzo of the north. Ever since birth, the two nations competed in almost everything including Architecture, Arts, Commerce and Weaponry. The two nations would not agree on anything in a debate if the Fire Nation was opposing the Water nation proposed. It felt like ego-centric boys in a debate. Selena found this stupid “playing politics” as she would put it.

Up in the fifty foot tall luxurious castle which was a private property of Tania’s Grandmother Gwen Kibban, situated in the city of Gora, Selena was going through a written report of the mission. The common room was silent, to the left the delicate curtains separated for the sunlight through a 12 foot tall window, the smooth carpet from Kush stretched from end to end. The portraits of the lineage of the Kibban family hanged everywhere and the exotic fire place stood on Selena’s right. The room was big with an astonishing light glass fitting up the ceiling.

Selena’s smooth white hair collapsed from her shoulder to her front then she reluctantly pushed it back. Her lips captivated the eye she usually applied dark stick on her lips. She also darkened her eye lashes and dyed one strip of her hair black which gave her a rather naughty look.

The door behind her seat opened violently followed by laughter of two voices.

“Oh here she is.” A voice said behind her.

She reluctantly turned to meet Tania’s eyes, Kiliana was accompanying her.

Kiliana, the princess of Hades and once a nemesis of Selena, walked inside. This was an enmity which was complimented by their father’s egos.

“Let me guess, you two were gossiping on me?” She responded.

“Well, let’s see……. Hmmm oh we were planning how to get Rufus from you.” Tania replied with sarcasm. There was a light laughter.

“Be my guest.”

“What? Are you sure? You not going to cry?” Kiliana chipped in the conversation as she lay facing up on the large comfortable seat with legs stretched and crossed on the red dandy seat.

“Wait, last time I remember you where the cry baby Kay.” Selena darted her glance at Kiliana.

“Come on. It would be an insult to my family if I cried for a good for nothing commoner.”

“So what are you looking at Selena?” Taina interrupted.

“I am just looking at Amira’s drafted report on the mission.”

“You are such a perfectionist, can’t we just send it the way it is? The fact still remains the same; we successfully took out the supply chain of the Knights of Al-hamza.” Kay said.

“No. The Circle demands perfection. You know well how they insist on every detail.” Selena responded.

“We took out a part of Al-hamza that was planning to frustrate the peace process so they may demand for the details.” Tania added.

“Does that mean you are including our little play we had with that old fart?”

“No. Why? Are you worried? Everyone knows you pleasure torturing people.” Tania laughed out.

“Thinking of it you are right Tania.”

“What? You were both part it. If it is you Water Princess, you nearly drowned him with your fancy bending.”

“No. I did not try to drown him, I just pressed him for an answer”

“Both of you shut up, even if he died you wouldn’t care. It would not be the first time; you have both killed in the name of your houses. Just forget that and let us find ourselves a drink.”

She went to check the cabinets at the far left opposite where Kay lay.

“Well thank you Miss know it all for the insight. Speaking of Amira, where is she?” Kay turned her head to gaze at Selena.

Kays cherry lips brought out her resemblance of her late mother, her long hair black and darkened eye lashes made her a match for Selena’s beauty.

“Aah…..” Tania shrieked with excitement.

“Yes. Look at what I found!”

Tania raised a jar of wine in her hands. Her breasts shook gently up and down as she was turning around. Her brown skin and dimples gave her a deceiving cover of a young lady from royalty. However, behind the beauty lay a demon of an assassin just like any other member of the Hallow. Two strips of her coiled, springy hair were lose in front of her left eye while most of it remained tied behind her head.

“Thank the gods, I was longing for some wine.” Said Selena with her hands raised.

“Be careful Selena, Tania will make you a drunk.” Kay retoured.

There was laughter in the room, within short time the glasses were filled and cheers sounded in the room. A short time had passed when Amira walked in the room.

“What is going on in here?” Before she could continue she had her answer.

It was a celebration.