The Officer and the Princess: The Flames Of War

Chapter 20

Sung was happy to be out of the Goddess forsaken Jungle and back in open ground, what he wasn't happy about whatsoever was his present company. Sung had been around enough nut jobs and killers in his time to tell flat out without a shadow of a doubt that this Zirin was unhinged, she enjoyed killing, she enjoyed causing destruction. She was proof that danger could hide behind a beautiful face. But at least he had seen her face, the other five women hadn't removed their masks since Sung Ty Lee and Azula had run into them.

People liked to think of monsters as strange creatures that the human mind couldn't comprehend, something that looked so inhuman that their acts of chaos could be justified by their appearance, but that was not the case. When an animal killed you it was either for food or because you were too close to it's territory, but when a person killed you it was for a whole number of different regions ranging from the justification of war to people liked Zirin who took pleasure out of it. Humans were the only things on the planet that actively tried to kill others of their species and come up with more creative ways to kill more than one at a single time.

The night was cloudy, rain threatening to fall yet again. Since leaving the Jungle they had been following the same water way that had almost threatened to take Sung into a watery afterlife, the ground was relatively flat, green grass and weeds spreading across the ground like a long green fuzzy carpet. Along the way they had to by pass several Villages that dotted the landscape but other than that it had been a brisk walk.

They had reached a section where the waterway split off in a Y formation, on the left intersection in the distance black plumes of smoke could be seen rising into the sky even in the dark of night. "There it is." Zirin said. "Follow me, I know a spot where we can get a good view inside."

The woman then took off running down the embankment, her warriors following behind her Sung, Azula, and Ty Lee following close behind them, the closer they got towards the black smoke the clearer things became. The iron walls surrounding the factory began to come into focus, the large smoke stacks being the only part of the buildings that could be seen so far. Running diagonally from the walls Zirin led them up a steep hillside a mile at most away from the complex.

Even in the darkness just via an outline Sung could see the Factory was a massive building. Little more than dots in the distance Sung could see small patches of Fire moving about the grounds. "Here Soldier boy." Zirin said from beside him. Holding out a Spy glass that she had pulled out of somewhere. More than likely from under her cloak.

Sung took the spy glass and extended it, bringing it up to his eye. With his sight amplified Sung could make out Figures holding lanterns moving about on patrol. Looking left at the back of the Factory he could see lines and lines of the new tanks sitting idle. He had stopped counting by the time he reached over fifty but there had to be at least a dozen more. "They have an entire Battalions worth ready to deploy." Sung grimaced. "Do you know how many they have already moved?"

"Thirteen just this week." Zirin said. "We don't know where they take them though."

"We saw two in the Harbor as we came in." Azula said from beside Sung. "Until we know otherwise we should assume they have hundreds. They might as well, even thirteen would be more than what the Fire Nation Army could take in a one off fight."

Sung turned his head again to look at the front of the factory complex, around the yard were long wooden bunk houses, lights shining in the windows and people moving around inside them. As he watched he started counting those he could see moving around the grounds on their patrols and quickly came to sudden realization. " Your counting skills need work Zirin, There are more than twenty."

Zirin snatched the spy glass from him and brought it up to her eye. Staying silent for a few moments before mumbling something. "They must have increased security."