Chapter 24

Another split pov chapter, hope you enjoy!

The following day Naruklok returned to the room where Kyoshi waited, she simply gave him the same response as the day before.

“About the portal” He said walking close enough to Kyoshi so that he was just out of her reach. “My answer hasn’t changed, it’s no dumbass” She shot.

Naruklok only sighed. “I don’t’ know why you’re being so difficult”

“I’m only trying to do my job. Which you are interfering with by the way.”

He sighed again as he sat down on the floor across from the avatar. “What’s it gonna take? Money?”

Kyoshi couldn’t believe what she was hearing, was the man really trying to pay her off to open a damn portal. He’s helpless, and out of moves. Kyoshi thought.

“No amount of money could make me aid you, but thank you”

“How about a house, a mansion even. Anywhere you’d like”

“You suck at bargaining”

He frowned.

“Everyone loves a big house, and I’d figure the avatar would want the best.”

“Sadly I already have my own mansion of sorts, I inherited it from the old earth bending master who tried to kill me” She said bluntly.

“And if I torture you?” He seemed to think this was gonna work. Surely no one wanted to suffer.

But Kyoshi only shrugged. “Unless you’re a lightning bender. I’m hardly afraid of you”

“JUST OPEN THE DAMN PORTAL” He yelled, throwing a nearby rock at Kyoshi’s face, scratching her under her left eye.

“Well I can’t do it anything like this idiot”

She watched as his eyes lit up. “You’ll do it?”

“No” Kyoshi had to refrain from laughing. “You’re an impossible woman”

Kyoshi honestly took pride in hearing that statement, if she couldn’t go anywhere for the moment. She might as well mess with his psyche.

“I told you I’m not after money, and I’m not even that scared of death. I already have everything I’ll ever need. You’re just wasting your breath here” She said plainly.

He scoffed as he threw another rock, this time missing. “You will comply eventually, sooner or later you’ll be too tired to fight.” Naruklok said as he stood once more.

“I will find a way to make you create the portal I require.” he said before slamming the door. Kyoshi sighed as he left. As amusing as messing wiht him was, she really does need to get out of here soon.

Naruklok stormed down the hall, and into a meetin room of sorts. “Still no luck” A man asked.

“The woman’s so stubborn, nothing seems get her.” He explained.

“You could torture it out of her” Someone offered.

Naruklok wasn’t impressed by this idea. “Nothing like that will work, she’s been struck by lightning and lived. She’s not even afraid of death, so torture would be pointless.” He explained.

“For starters I belive she was struck by lightning closer to 10 times give or take” Wren called out.

“And how would you know that?” Naruklok yelled, annoyed at the correction.

“From the person who knows more about the Avatar than anyone else” Wren explained.

“I assume you mean her bodyguard” He called.

“Her girlfriend” She answered smugly as she settled herself into a chair.

“I had an interesting talk with her before I came back here. Not only did I find out that Kyoshi had shared the location information. Which got us out of the first problem you didn’t even know you were in, you’re welcome. But I found out both of their greatest weaknesses”

“And that would be” Naruklok asked eagerly.

“Eachother”

…

As the group heads into town they search to find some guys that Wong claimed has a shirshu they could borrow.

Not that much has happened since Kyoshi headed off that day crime wise. That group really was causing most of the problems from the letters. 

“Come on, I think his shop is this way” Wong called as he waved them forward. Rangi didn’t even have enough fight to argue with Wong that they could be going the wrong direction.

She lingered near the back of the group, still not entirely sure where they were going. Lao and Kirima babbled in just front of her. As the round a corner Rangi swears she spots someone she had met before. As they made eye contact he walked in the opposite direction.

Kirma was just about to share with everyone the weird dream she had and why she thought Wong was a weasel in his past life when the ground below seemed to start shifting.

Quickly she leapt up before the ground sank holding the other members in place. She had recognized the trick from Kyoshi, who had used it on numerous occasions.

Rangi turned to find the man she had made eye contact with earlier. It was then that she recognized him as a group member who attacked the palace. But he was all alone, odd. She could never recall ever seeing a group member just wandering alone.

“What do you want?” She yelled advancing towards the earthbender. “Don’t just leave us here topknot!” Kirma yelled from behind.

“Just soften the ground with water or whatever, I need a minute here!” Rangi yelled back.

“About my question” She said to the earthbender in front of her.

Without warning the man left forward lunging at her, Rangi quickly pulled to the side allowing him to fly by her. “None of you guys like answering questions I guess” She mumbled to herself as he took another shot at hitting her.

Pulling backwards Rangi began with her counter attack in hand to hand. The alleyway was too narrow to use firebending without risk of setting a building ablaze.

They went back and forth taking shots at one another, until the man suddenly pulled a large chuck of earth only to use the speed to rush down towards the fire bender.

She used her right arm to keep him far enough from hitting her, but then something else happened. It seemed like he wasn’t just going after hitting her at all.

Rangi had realized this by the way he had chosen his direction of attack, but it was too late to realize why.

Until she felt the pin being pulled form her hair, snapping the band that held her topknot in the process as well. Her hair now falling in her face.

“Bastard!” She yelled, lunging forward. For a second she stumbled as she pulled the hair out of her face. But the man had already seemed to have disappeared.

“What the fuck was that” Kirma called joining Rangi at her side.

“I don’t know, but they knew who I was,” She answered. He didn’t want to hurt me, he just took my hair pin and left. Odd.

“You’re not hurt are you?” Lao asked. Rangi gave an annoyed look. “No, he just took my hair pin.” She replied blandly, dusting herself off. “Let’s just go.”

They eventually ended up in front of some building that seemed like it would be enough to house a shirshu. Rangi opted to stay outside, while Wong headed in with Lao. Leaving her and Kirma together.

“Guess I’ll have to find a new nickname for you” She commented as they lent back against the wall. “I assure you it will be fine, I have extra hair bands back home.” Rangi replied.

“That’s good, cause I like topknot. I don’t think I’d want to change it”

Rangi gave a small nod of recognition. “So do we have a plan?” Kirma asked to changing the subject.

Rangi tapped her chin. “Well we’ll get the shirshu to get to her location, that should be easy.” She said, looking down. 

“And then?”

“And then, we go after her-” She paused a second. I forgot who we were dealing with.

“We’ll have to find a way to stop the spiritual group too” Rangi finished, realizing the severity of the task.

“Do we have that figured out yet?”

“No.” Rangi said blandly.

“Well do we know what they want?”

“I was told they are working on a portal, a way to make their nation powerful. So they can pull spirits at will” Rangi explained.

“So why do they need Kyoshi?”

Rangi gave her a sad look.

“They need her to open it” Kirma said looking down.

The firebender nodded. Kirma’s head suddenly shot up. “Then Wong needs to hurry his slow ass up. ” She said, marching inside. 

“Wong you better stop taking your sweet ass time in there talking, we have work to do-” She began yelling as she entered the building.

Rangi laughed lightly looking up at the sky. At least Kirma was in the mood to get moving now. She thought.

…

Some time later the door swung open once more as Kyoshi was greeted by the masked man. Only he had company this time.

“Thought you needed backup this time around” Kyoshi said, staying as alert as possible.

“This is your last chance” Naruklok warned as they grew closer. “It’s still a no” Kyoshi said rolling her eyes.

“You’re not going anywhere, so why don’t you just give up-“
His sentence was interupted with Kyoshi swing one of her legs out to know the man off balance. Serves him right for walking this close.

But Naruklok was less than amused, as he got to his feet he marched closer and pulled the front of Kyoshi’s tunic upwards, causing her to look up at the man. “Don’t try anything, your firebender here would beg to differ. In a cold dark room there isn’t much they can do”

Kyoshi froze, they had Rangi? No they couldn’t, right?

“What are you talking about?” Kyoshi demanded, thrashing under his hold.

“Your little firebender, with the topknot she’s here you know.” Naruklok said calmly.

“Your bluffing” Kyohis called, trying to stay focused. They couldn’t have her.

“A shame you had to go and tell her, we knew she would be following behind you, and know look at this we have you both”

As he spoke Kyoshi felt all the blood drain form her face, he had known. That’s why she was here now.

“You’re a liar” She said under her breath, as she started to heat up the metal. She figured she could eventually melt the restraints, it didn’t matter the damage it caused. They’re lying.

The metal restraints burned her hands, but she tried her best to ignore it, ignore everyhting. Then something hit her square in the face, mental but the feel of it she guessed.

“What the hell! Scared you won’t be able to fight me if I get out.” Kyoshe yelled, blood begaining to drip from her nose.

“Whatever you try will be unleashed on your firebender tenfold, got it?” Kyoshi tried to stay calm as he spoke, they don’t have her, he’s bluffing. She repeated to herself.

The other man that had entered the room with Naruklok then took something out of his pocket, tossing it to the ground in front of her.

She looked at it carefully, before realizing what it was. Kyoshi wanted to cry, this wasn’t what she thought it was. It couldn’t be.

Rangi’s hair pin now sat in front of her, Kyoshi knew she would never let anyone touch it, never leave it behind, and the pin too it was unique, she wasn’t sure they could have replicated it, just by a few passing glances. If they were trying to recreate it to mess with her.

So this was the real thing.

“Believe us now” Naruklok asked smugly.

Kyoshi didn’t answer, she stayed focused ont he pin infront of her.

“We’ll give you one more chance to reconsider, but remeber what we now have in our possession. Be sure to take that into consideration.”

“If you hurt us, she dies. If you escape, she dies. If you go against any of our orders she dies”

Kyoshi had told herself she wasn’t going to cry infront of them. No matter what they did, but this… this was an expection. She felt the silent tears begain the steam down her face.

“I’ll do it” She said, still not looking up.

“She will be released on completion-” The man started to explain.

But if you hurt a single hair on her head, if you lay a hand on her, you’re dead. All of you. No questions asked, no expectations. Nothing will stop me, even if it takes my life, it could matter less to me” As she looked up at the two men they were pierced by Kyoshi’s fiery gaze.

They both turned quickly heading towards the door. “We have a deal, we’ll start tomorrow”

Okay I tried to make this chapter a bit longer since I was missing for a while, sorry about that. But I’m done with finals now so I should be able to write quite a bit more. Your comments are literally my fuel to write, so thank you so much!