Taiba - The Chapters

[Kromoh]

For ever since humans lived on earth, two Tribes were known in the continent of Taiba. The Water Tribe, populating their welcoming bay; and the Fire Tribe, sprouting at the base of the volcano. The two Tribes had lived together in harmony, sharing their culture and ideals. But just when everything had seemed to go best, the Fire Nation attacked. Not much is known about what caused the attack and what happened in the meantime, but the two Tribes have been in war ever since. From its start, so much has changed - and the Tribes don't have much resources left. From what is said, a victory may be imminent - it all depends on the cleverness and strategy of one or the other Nation. Which one will stand victorious and rule over Taiba ... only time will tell. T A I B A CHAPTER I - DELICATE CHOICES Character list: Kaelen Talas - Gerold Chigun - Rail - Halden - Otima - Tybalt - / Kaelen Talas, the village of Viensi The young man carried a quiver to a shoulder and a skinny deer covered in blood on the other. For quite some time, hunting had been uneasy - merchants had been hunting inconsequently and unbalancing the very sensitive northern fauna. Fishing had not been any better, and that young man wondered how long his village would survive in that situation. His name was Kaelen, a skilled archer who had carried an apparently peaceful living on the coldest areas of the continent. The war had not only made him orphan, but also scattered the remains of what he called family throughout the world. Only his mother and two sisters were left, one of them a still a child. He slowly walked his way through the snowy field to his village. He had known these surroundings as his home: the poor houses nearing the river, made of old, limy wood and pieces of leather. Leather was the only thing that was yet abundant to his village; for some reason, merchants preferred silk. He knocked on the door twice, but awaited no reply before coming in. The inside was dim, such a relief to sight after the ever-white snow. Some utility items and kitchen accessories made of copper decorated the place. His house consisted of one room – where imagination drew a line between kitchen and bedroom. He rested the yet warm deer to the wooden table and, predicting his mother’s question, said “It was all I could catch”. Not much happened as the night came, setting a blanket of humid blackness to the sky. The mother, the younger daughter Kayla, who he protected so much, and Kaelen himself now went to sleep – Kaelen in an improvised bed. His older sister had been off hunting and would only be back in some days. Tired from hunting, sleep came in to the blink of the eyes. Kaelen woke up as the sound of his screaming sister echoed in the gelid fields – she asked for help. Kaelen wasted no time to grab his belongings and bow and haste outside. Running, he could see to the far, a group of people, ornamented red clothes, and his sister being carried into the woods. How could it be? Why would the Fire Nation want his sister? And how had they made their way through the Freedom Valley? Then a shiny light popped from the group of invaders, smoke surrounded them, and suddenly they disappeared. Kayla Talas had disappeared with them. His sister was gone. Gerold Chigun, the centre of Magmer The man woke up from a dream, panting. Confused and frightened, he looked at his surroundings to make sure he wasn’t in real danger, before thinking what he had just dreamed over. All was well – his room, slightly orange and neat, and the bright sunlight coming in. He was alone – as he had been for years since he left the nomad life. Now Gerold Chigun breathed deeply and envisioned his dream once again in his head. In it, the Righteous God of the Fire Nation, Lord Fogo, was hand-in-hand with the goddess of the water Tribe – an heresy, he thought – but who attended to the name of Agua. The idea of the two enemy gods not fighting each other frightened him, making him tell himself it was only a dream. He could recall yet a last thing from the dream. The one thing that scared him so much as to make him wake up. The gods spoke, in a crystalloid and extremely musical unison: “End of thy war draws nearer, and the one wish that started it shall arise once again – bringing pain, destruction, death. Thy war end should, otherwise the consequential could be ludicrous”. The voices of the gods were followed by brutal scenes: tidal waves raging against land and making what was once island, sea; thunderstorms raging even the most pacific plains; the gruesome volcano in a catastrophic eruption. No, it could not be! The Salamando volcano, being the guardian of the Fire tribe for so long! An eruption would mean such a great disaster that the Fire Tribe would not survive! He cared too much about his nation to let it die. He had made a decision: he’d fight at the war. Who could have foreseen, that lively blond child born between the many nomads that lived harmoniously on the Copper Plains, would become a soldier? But it was what was right: he had to defend his nation and family from the evils of the Water Tribe. He decided to skip his morning exercises that morning, which had built him a muscular body; grabbed his sickle and belongings, and went straight to the army headquarters somewhere in the amplitude of that enormous city. A huge, fearsome building made of orange bricks rose from the ground, as if watching for the rest of the city. He went through the agitation of people coming in and out of the big gates, and walked straight to a delicate lady, supposedly the receptionist. “The military training costs 1,000 coins a month. And I do warn you: it’s very strict. Enlisting as a soldier is free, though. What shall you choose?” Finding himself unable to pay the quantity even if he sold himself as a slave, he chose to enlist as a soldier only. He was given a scrap of paper, where he signed his name. The lady then spoke again: “We’ve got two missions you could choose from. You could go on an expedition to the desert, which is quite safe, but monotonous. Still, who knows what you will find there. Or, you could go to the divide to fight the water troops at the war front – notice though, how this is an extremely dangerous choice and we are not responsible for your lack of care; but you will be given a military weapon if you decide so. Which one do you choose?” Chigun found himself in a dilemma. Rail, the outskirts of Magmer That house had been an easy target. Its owners had been imprudent enough to not be there for a week, and yet leave their gold and jewels inside. That enormous luxurious house so misplaced in between the poorest houses surrounding Magmer. Rail’s sack was now all too heavy, all too shiny. A pity though, how not even half of it would remain – he owed money to an influential group of outlaws. Not willing to risk his head, the thing he valued above all else, he went straight to the city’s most ludicrous alleys, ways of which he knew as brilliantly as nobody. Stepping through the disorganised whereabouts of the zone, finding all sorts of freaks on his way, he carried the bag of goodies, making sure nobody guessed what was inside, or it’d mean trouble. As he passed down one narrow street, some eyes recognised him, instantly joining in a circle around him. Slowly, almost calmly, he knew what to do: got hold of the sack of looted treasure and threw it to their reach. “That’s all I owe you, I hope to be left alone now”, he said firmly, and coughed a couple times after – a practice that had not been the first. One in the group of outlaws, apparently the leader and the meaner of them, replied after examining the content of the bag carefully “So that will be it. Now, leave my part of the town and don’t bother me again”. All had succeeded fine, thankfully. If only Rail could write, he’d write a book of all the amazing stories he had had, living in poverty and being exploited by people in the same condition as him. Struggling to make his life daily was not an easy task. He slowly walked off into the dizzy crossways… until he heard something. Noise, people screaming, guards. He was then surprised by a group of teenagers – thieves – carrying a golden necklace and running from the guards who made their way through the dirty roads. Rail could observe the necklace only enough to notice its remarkable configuration: it had the emblem of Fire, the same one used by the Fire Emperor and by the Fire Church on their rituals. It must have belonged to a member of nobility, Rail concluded. Then he saw one of the guards take an arrow from his quiver: an arrow surrounded by fire, which for some reason refused to burn the quiver or the shooter. The arrow was then stretched onto the bow, and shot straight to the leading thief’s arm – a pecfect short – and his arm burnt in an encompassing flame for about two seconds. The thief screamed in pain, letting the necklace fall to the ground. In the meanwhile, Rail was making a decision: should he run from the soldiers and avoid getting into trouble, or should he risk his dark skin and try to make the necklace his? He had to think fast. Halden, the seaport of Blaiden Halden stepped on the sandy beach, and felt dizzied by the firmness of steady ground. For such a long time he had been out at the sea with the rest of the crew, the idea of a floor that didn’t move to the waves had almost been forgotten. His companions apparently felt the same: one by one, they stepped out of the ship and onto the water down below, refreshing themselves before swimming their way to the shore. Blaiden’s seaport had been as busy as he remembered it: people, products, buildings and ships crowded the shoreline to a point where the horizon was left out of sight. It was claustrophobic, Halden thought to himself. Yet it was necessary – deer meat was sold for the highest prices here. Halden took his land-days to remind himself of how life was outside of a trading ship. His companions substituted the family he’d left in Viensi. He missed the scent of pine and the childhood memories he had of the snowy village. He still remembered the day he enlisted to become a sailor, leaving his parents’ care for a life of adventure. Taking some time to wander through the multiple and varied stores and markets of Blaiden, his payment bought him some needed personal items, and also a few unneeded ones. But yet his income was too little to guarantee him a room at an inn – he slept in the ship. Not that he complained about it – he knew his family would be in worse situation far to the north. On the last day on land, as a tradition, the captain called the entire crew for a meeting at the deck, which was usually followed by a night of celebration and rum. When dusk rang the sky into an orange frame, all seamen made their way back to the beach.. they’d miss dear land. Yet the ambient wasn’t all of melancholy; they knew they had missed the sea as well. Halden took his sit at the deck table and patiently waited for the others to come. Some laughed, some drank, and some played cards. The interior of the room was lit by candle lights, and they gave the oil-brown wooden walls a warm and welcoming look. Eventually the last sailor came in, and the Captain spoke: “Hello, brothers and friends, tonight is a special night. Tomorrow we depart once again, only to touch land on our destiny.” The Captain, experienced as him only, started telling a story about a marine that once got too sick to sail. “He stayed on land for weeks, and one night he woke up and spoke nothing: he went to the shore, coughing and in pain; paid for a boat, and rowed his way far onto the midnight horizon. The man had the whole night to watch the moon, but he didn’t see another sun rise. That man’s spirit, sailors, still lives in the ocean.” It took minutes before the sailors could recompose from their tears. The usual sad story had evidently surpassed the last one told. When the moods had started to calm down, the Captain took a deep breath and spoke: “Brothers, it is now that we decide our destiny. I was offered two jobs, and both are particularly challenging; but I know we can do it. Unfortunately, the war knocks to our door, and if we don’t respond they break in.” He took a gulp to his mug before continuing “So we must choose: either we go after a product at the Fire City of Pirona, where with luck we won’t be identified; or we go to the north, and work a way to catch one or two Ice Golems and take them to Mareum. Those creatures may freeze an unguarded man with a blink, as I’ve been told. Both jobs are risky, but on the other hand, quite rewarding. I promise, friends, that after this job I’ll offer you a vacation time for you to do whatever you want. So what do you say?” The sailors started whispering. Otima, a pub in Mareum Otima pushed the wooden door open and a wooden bell ringed. A dim establishment, as he preferred. Some bad-looking subjects sat to the back and seemed to ignore his coming in. The bartender quickly offered him a drink, to which he refused. He had to keep a sober mind to what was going to follow. The others shall arrive anytime. As it was said: five other men and a woman walked in altogether. The men smiled, and the woman seemed joyful for what was about to come. They chose a table where little would disturb them, and the meeting began. “As I’ve previously warned you, I’m leading an expedition to the Emerald Forest, in the name of the Water Tribe.” Otima said, and continued: “Considering you’re all here, I’m inclined to think you’re accepting my invitation.” All the warriors nodded positively. “Great, now we have to set the plan right.” An extensive conversation followed, interrupted only by the bartender bringing in a drink or asking if they wanted anything. Otima explained in details the aim of the expedition, to explore, and ultimately claim the Emerald Forest to the Water nation. What beats or riches lied inside, he had little information of: all that was mentioned in the library was the density of the vegetation, which made access so hard. Apparently, every expedition to the Emerald Forest had not returned home. The group made sure to set right every detail of the quest about to start: from minimal details as camping and provisions to the route to be taken – and that’s when opinions diverged: “We have to choose between the northern route and the southern one. The northern one should be safer, but it will take longer to reach our destiny. The southern one is the shortest way, but it may pose a threat – the Fire Tribe is said to have established a base there.” “If the group is going through the southern route, I’m not going.” Abruptly said the woman, the only mage in the group. “It is simply a risk I’m not willing to take.” One of the men contested “But you’re the only mage in the group! You could come in extremely handy!”, to which the lady responded “Either the southern route or me, you choose.” Confused, everyone looked upon the leader of the group, waiting for an answer. Tybalt, residential zone of Mareum Tybalt woke up lazily. The sun shone in through the round window, making the inside of his room light blue. He took his time before going to the kitchen, where the rest of his family was having something to eat. It didn’t take long before his father started, his mouth full: “So, Balty, when will you join the military. You know your grandfather and I wish you to enlist – our family has a long lineage of valiant knights and archers.. I just don’t yet understand why you keep playing with that thing you call magic”. Tybalt was already used to the conservationist militarian father he had, but he could barely cope with that blabbering any longer. It seemed all his family conspired for him to enlist and forget about his magical abilities – a thing he’d refused until the very end. It constantly popped to him he was old enough to leave home and carry a living. “Your brother is now probably at the divide standing the very ground of the Nation you live, while you avoid the topic like nothing’s happening.” His father continued. It seemed now that joining the military wouldn’t even be that bad – he’d at least get rid of his restrictive father. Streams of ideas flowed through his mind, as he finished breakfast and went outside. The sky shone in absolute blue from above – it seemed like it’d not rain that day. He held his necklace with a hand, searching for advice and protection. The amulet that had been given him by his mother – his real mother – and that he refused to take off his neck as it were part of himself. Tybalt felt, for some reason, that he could feel the amulet empathise with him – consoling the anger he was feeling for his father. He knew the amulet would never replace his mother, but would work in the absence of her. He spent hours sitting at some rocky formation near the shoreline – from which he enjoyed watching the movement of ships down there. It was here that he practised magic, on his own. He grabbed a small rock, and concentrated on it. He thought of ice, of very cold ice… and the rock started turning blue. At some moment, the rock seemed to glow in gelid magic. He tried throwing it to his water pouch... and as soon as the rock touched the water, the liquid froze deep and instantaneously. It was magic that froze the water – magic cast onto the stone, which now had solidified into the water. It was magic, magic he possessed, magic he’d not let go of – no matter how much his father disapproved of it. Decided, he stood up, walked straight to his house, stepped in, and said to his father: “I’ve made my decision.” Chapter 1 – Summary Kaelen came back from hunting. As he was asleep, his sister Kayla was kidnapped, and he didn’t wake up in time to save her. What will he do next? Gerold had a very frightening dream involving a catastrophic end to the war. He therefore decided to enlist and to fight for the Fire Tribe. Now, he has to choose from a pacific journey to the desert or the potentially dangerous but rewarding choice of fighting at the war front. Rail looted a house to pay an amount he owed to a group of outlaws. On his way back, he found a group of thieves running away with a valuable necklace – and he should choose between risking his head and getting the necklace, or running away and avoiding danger. Halden finished another job as crew of a trading ship. He had time to rest, and before sailing again, the sailors had a meeting to decide the next job: going north and capturing the highest amount of Ice Golems possible, or going southwest and passing as Fire Tribe to look for a requested product. Otima is going to lead an expedition to the Emerald forest, where he intends to explore the region in search for riches. When discussing the plan, his group got to a forkway: either they go through a shorter but dangerous way, and leave the only mage behind, or they opt for the northern, longer route which is less threatening. Tybalt is tired of his father trying to convince him to join the military and fight at the war. After a small demonstration of his magical abilities, he makes up his mind about his future and goes straight home to tell his father. Which will be his decision? All questions will be answered on Chapter 2!

[Kromoh]

When war begins, conflicting nations, cultures, and ideologies struggle to prove themselves right – to see whose view of the world is true. But in a war where none is right, who can learn the secret hidden for so many centuries? Only few elected ones – those who manage to learn the underlying mystery – shall make the world crumble. CHAPTER II - OVERCOME Character list: Kaelen Talas - Gerold Chigun - Tybalt - / Rail - Halden - Otima - Kaelen Talas, nothern hills Kaelen Talas now walked back to his village - he had tears on his face. His sister had gone, but it would not remain like that.. He would find her. He would seek her to the very end of his days and bring her back home. The feeling that he was there when his sister was taken, and that he could do nothing about it, made him feel… guilty. If only he had woken up, if only he hadn’t been so tired from hunting.. He entered his house, and it only served to remind him that his sister wouldn’t be inside. That feeling made his heart tremble.. he went into a trance, a momentary comma. He had to bring her back. He could almost see his sister now – she was at some dim forest, being kept in a wooden cage… she wasn’t crying, she wasn’t fighting… it was as if she knew her brother would come. The bond between both had always been so strong – Kaelen could tell Kayla’s mood from days of journey apart. And that bond was what made them so close to each other, so mutual. It was as if he magically knew where she was. And she screamed for his help. Kaelen now noticed he had mechanically packed his bags – he was leaving. He took his last moment home to write a message to his mother. He wouldn’t be able of waking her up to say it, not to give her such bad news. The small scrap of paper now lied onto the table, waiting for motherly eyes to read it. He stepped outside, determined. He walked for hours still – not willing to stop… if only he had a horse.. but he bother about it: he kept on walking ahead. The geography around didn’t help either – formed of steep hills, it made his walking slower and tiring. The snowy and silky outlook of the ambient slowly turned to a greener, yet still cold field. But only suddenly, slow flew in: the weather had changed to brusquely it was almost unnatural. What could have done such thing? The snow got fiercer and thicker – he’d have to prepare some shelter. He picked a stable tree and started preparing the shelter, so used to doing it he was. Had he almost finished, he saw the cause of the sudden drift in the weather. Not more than two hundred metres away, an Ice Golem played with freezing a few trees – crystal huge, almost childish. The fearsome Golem had not noticed Kaelen’s presence; it played on the snow that for some reason fell from the sky around him. The eyes of the beast seemed to glow in light blue. Some nearby trees had frozen, decorated with icy stalactites. It was a threat – and not a small one. Another Ice Golem came into view, screeching, and making the sky even darker. Kaelen had to think of something... The Ice Golems were coming closer. Gerold Chigun, south of the Divide Gerold stepped on land. The raft he’d taken was perceptively faster than he expected: the trip hadn’t taken one day. They had come through the Tiger, the river to the east of the fire nation, connecting Magmer, Blaiden and the whereabouts of Flanzil. What a convenience, he thought. Together with him, many stepped out of the ferry: archers, mages, and knights, all in the same armoured soldier outfit. They were a relatively large group, but what would they be facing? How many men had the Water Nation brought? Would the terrain give them advantage? Would they survive? All questions lied unearthed on his mind: he had to focus. Having frequently checked all his equipment throughout the trip, a last one time wouldn’t do harm. Step over step they approached what seemed to be a lower base. Not only had they blood-red tents, but they were filled with other soldiers, ammunition, supplies, doctors and weaponry. Gerold had the opportunity to peek into what seemed two large catapults. Alongside with them, boxes on top of boxes filled with gunpowder. Apparently the use of cannons was frequent. All soldiers were now being provided with military weapons, which were stronger than most of them had. Chigun was given a very sharp, entirely metallic scythe, encrusted with red ornaments, which resembled fire. It was as if the metal itself was redder than the common: a metal extracted on the mines around Salamando. Having such a weapon gave Gerold confidence, as he continued to tests his own movements with it: it was balanced and light: perfect for an extended fight. The soldiers were directed to different tents to have a meal, and when it was about dusk, everyone gathered outside to hear the combat tactics. They were told about the fighting style of the Water Tribe: quick and girly, as the commander said. The soldiers were told to be careful and to protect others, just as they’d like to be protected. Then the speech moved into more detailed plans: archers would stay behind, and try to take down the archers of the enemy Tribe. Knights would lead the front in a cohesive group; and mages would be used against mages. After hours of continued speech, now when it was already dark and uncountable fires had been lit, the soldiers were divided into two groups for the sleeping turns. They would strike at dawn. [continued below] Tybalt, north of the Divide Tybalt was woken up by another soldier. The trip he’d taken to the Divide had surely made him tired. The sea was their road for most of the trip, which was safe and fast; and then having to walk their way to the Divide was extraordinarily exhaustive. Tybalt wondered how the Fire nation marched to the Divide to attack, seeing the sea wouldn’t take them as close as useful. He now pictured the map of Taiba in his head; the way he learned it when he had been home schooled by his mother. He took his bow before stepping outside the navy-blue tents, where many soldiers gathered: they trained their defence, aim and attack. Just close to the tents was a small lake, which was, as Tybalt thought, artificially made by Water mages. Tybalt picked a target and started practising his archery, which was already significantly accurate. He was also curious about some other soldier training their accuracy using javelins. Those were heavy and hard to aim, but if thrown right, they could do a lot of damage. It seemed now Tybalt’s choice had been a wise one: not having a father complaining about his every move gave him a sense of freedom. He wasn’t even worrying too much about battling itself: he knew he could take care of himself. Dusk waved in, as the soldiers gathered in the centre of the tents for a meal. Light was provided by strange recipients containing water, which shone in light blue, as if an aurora popped from the pot. The soldiers then divided into groups for turn-sleeping. Tybalt took the last minutes before sleep to enchant his own arrows with his own magic. At dawn they would strike. [continued below] Gerold Chigun and Tybalt, the Divide [continued from above] Gerold made the final arrangements before joining the concentration. He was now extremely nervous, to a point where time seemed to slow down, and things he saw seemed farther than they were. The sun was yellow and weak in the sky, but enough to brighten the day. Everyone around him seemed nervous as well. The march would soon start. Tybalt prepared his quiver and wore his blue military armour. They would be moving in groups to the mountains, where they’d hide and wait for the Fire Nation to come. Adrenaline now seemed to phase through his body, making him feel small. He joined a group, and as soon as it was complete, the marching commenced. The two armies moved in the direction of each other. They settled each on one side of the rocky mountains, but they could already see signals of smoke and the sound of activity coming from the opposite sides. One messenger of each Tribe moved to the centre of the canal, thousand eyes watching them observantly. The Water messenger, carrying a blue flag with the Water Emblem on a snow-white horse; and the Fire messenger, holding high the Fire Emblem of a red flag, mounted on a vigorous brown horse. They met and exchanged epic words, before touching blades and having their way galloped to their armies. Both armies waited impatiently: as soon as the first arrow thundered the sky, the fight would begin. Rail, the outskirts of Magmer Should he run from the soldiers and avoid getting into trouble, or should he risk his dark skin and try to make the necklace his? He had to think fast. Rail hastily ran towards danger. He cast himself into a run, and before the soldiers had time to think, before they had time to take another arrow out, he threw himself over the fallen amulet, as if it were food and he hadn’t eaten for months. The manoeuvre had cost him a few scratches, but minor ones. The young and inexperienced thieves were too frightened to bother about it: they only struggled to stand back up and start running. The soldiers now realised what was happening, and it was not before Rail touched the amulet that their hands moved to their quiver. The outlaw lost some backbreaking fractions of second to grab the amulet, and as he did, he felt a sudden burst of energy, coming from the necklace, consume his body – the artefact was clearly magical. As if the shock had boosted Rail’s skills, he had time to look aback and locate a red arrow drawing a flight into the air. He went into a trance of adrenaline and fright. He rose from the rocky floor as fast as he could – which seemed to take ages – and started running his first step. And the arrow missed him for so incredibly close. But then, to his bad luck, the arrow was consumed into a ball of fire, one so hot and encompassing that it burned his leg arduously. Rail screamed in pain, but a pain he actually didn’t feel, such high was the adrenaline in his body. Another fiery arrow was on its way, and he could hear it burst as he resumed running for his life. Even though he ran slowly, he knew these alleyways like nobody in the world, and so after a few turns of lefts and rights he was sure that the soldiers were left behind – not without the fiery arrows combusting his trail as he passed. He managed to get into what seemed and abandoned pub, and there he stayed until he would be sure it was safe to go out. Taking advantage of his isolation in the abandoned building, he took time to examine the amulet. It consisted of a meticulously thin golden chain, and the Emblem of the Fire nation encrypted into a very red stone, maybe even ruby. Touching it tingled; the magic inside it was strong. He wore it on and, without noticing, fell asleep. He dreamed. He had such a vivid, hot dream. The dream had maybe been weaved by the amulet, maybe. In the dream, a voice spoke. A manly, but still indescribably beautiful voice – the voice of a god. It said, in an orange tone: “A world in disorder, of centuries a war. Only few end to it can put, few only they are. Those, with a brave heart and surprising destiny the ones, to the war an end shall draw. Destiny, guide will these elected ones, but of destiny not only is a human made of. On the rightful choices they must rely, if saving the world is what they want.” A peculiar dream. Halden, the sea of Magmer A big commercial ship crossed the waters, as far from the harbour of Magmer as possible, but not too far as to sounds suspicious. What was once blue flags had been replaced by Fire Emblems: they were supposed to look like a Fire Nation ship – which, to attentive eyes, wouldn’t happen, since the architecture of the ship was clearly Aguan. Yet their journey had gone well so far. They departed at dawn from the port of Blaiden, enjoying the autumn breeze coming from the east. The sea had very soon turned from a shallow green to deep, salty navy. The ship braved the currents as a messenger ran through an empty field with news of war. As they had moved to the south, travelling became riskier: huge and sharp dark rocks would emerge from the waters, making it impossible to travel at a remotely steady course. It was impossible to know how many sharp rocks missed the ship by so close underwater. Looking worried the sailors: the rocks were so many that they had been expecting the worse. Sea algae was not the green and vigorous one found at the Foster Bay, but rather some scarce, red corpse moving to the water currents: an adapted species to the warmed waters. It was the Sea of Despair. Now they had gone west, where the sea was calm and trustworthy, but the waters were still not as limpid and cool as that of the Water coasts. From the coast, a strange model of a ship came, clearly to their direction. Oddly enough, it was made of metal, and had a large fire lit to its centre – but it was still a very small ship. Halden’s ship reduced speed, hoping it would all go well. Unfortunately, not all the crew had red clothes, so part of it had to hide at the deck. The Fire Nation metallic ship finally made its way in the wooden one’s route – forcing it to stop. Then Fire soldiers yelled after the captain. The moment was tense, as the two captains talked to each other – the Water one clearly forcing his accent and manners to sound convincing. The conversation could not be understood from the deck by Halden, but he could sort of grasp the tone of it by the behaviour of his captain. Then, the captain came to the deck, bringing bad news: “They want to examine the ship and let us go. They seem not to know we are from the water Tribe, but they will find it out if they come to our ship. We need a plan.” Otima, the Freedom Valley The group took off from its tents, preparing to keep travelling west. Four knights, two paladins and a mage. They had chosen the longer route: it was definitely not wise to face unnecessary danger. Plus, the mage had agreed to come with them this way. Her abilities were most useful: she could conjure water out of thin air and enchant it to boost a persons attributes; she could attack with fearing rays and so many other spells. They were following the immaculately designed plan, each on their own function. The journey was a tiresome one, but they had progressed well so far. To the north, the noise of crepitating fire, and a red outlook contouring the mount. Sneakily, they approached the mount top, as quietly as they were able to. Seven pairs of eyes were shocked to see the source of the flame: a dragon slept quietly, surrounded by the fire it’d cast to protect itself. The fire would inflame the grass around, the trees… but not the stone-hard scales of the dragon, which stayed there as if no fire was lit. A dragon’s sleep: something so extraordinarily beautiful but whilst while so fear-staking. Green scales moved to the breath of the explosive beast; two pairs of claws lay on the ground lazily, together with a set of wings that were enough to fly a city; and the snout, from where some faint smoke still came out. Dragons were the very symbol of the Fire Nation, although no civilisation had ever managed to tame this incredible creature. They were only competed in power and beauty by the northern Ice Golems, usually associated with the Water Nation. The group could not afford wasting any other time. What would they be willing to do? Chapter 2 – Summary Kaelen Talas leaves after his sister, but finds two Ice Golems on his way. Gerold Chigun travels with the army to the Divide, and prepares to fight. Tybalt joins the army, travels to the Divide, and prepares to fight. Gerold's and Tybalt's armies are about to confront each other. A battle shall begin. Rail manages to ninja the strange amulet, and finds out it has magic properties. He has a dream while wearing it - a revelational dream. Halden and the crew are passing as Fire Tribals to obtain an unknown item in Pirona. A Fire Nation ship stops them when they pass through Magmer, and asks to inspect their ship. Otima and his group are moving to the Emerald Forest, and they find a dragon on their way.