ATLA: Azlua

Rebellion Part Fourteen

It was a cloudy, oppressive night, the kind where the darkness seemed to press down heavily, making it hard to breathe. Mai stood in the shadows by the shore, her sharp eyes scanning the murky waters as she waited. She could hear the faint rustle of leaves behind her—her Yuyan archers, perched in the treetops, covering her from the forest. The torch in her hand flickered as she lit it briefly, a small flame against the fog before she quickly extinguished it. A signal.

A small boat, barely visible in the gloom, cut through the water and silently arrived on the shore. It was a typical Fire Nation escape boat, inconspicuous and designed for stealth. From the boat, a dozen Dai Li agents emerged, their movements as quiet as shadows. They approached Mai, their stone-faced expressions unchanging, and gave her a slight bow.

"Lady Mai," the lead agent spoke, his voice low and deliberate, "we've been sent as the reinforcements you've requested."

Mai kept her expression cold, indifferent, as Azula had taught her. Azula had always been a master of controlling her image, every movement calculated. Mai mimicked her, recalling how Azula would flick her wrist with the slightest hint of dismissiveness. She gestured for them to follow, her face betraying nothing.

She led them through the forest, the darkness and fog concealing their path, until they arrived at an abandoned hut. The air was thick with tension as Commander Shin and a couple of Yuyan archers waited inside, standing in the shadows of the decrepit building. The Yuyan archers who had been following Mai from above dropped silently from the treetops.

The tension between the Dai Li and the Yuyan archers was palpable, two elite forces—each masters of their own craft, neither willing to acknowledge the other's superiority. The Dai Li stood with perfect posture, like statues molded from the earth itself. The Yuyan archers, in contrast, were lighter on their feet, always ready to move, always alert. Both groups eyed each other warily, but before any silent confrontation could begin, Mai clapped her hands together sharply.

"Enough," she said, her voice cutting through the tension. She pointed to a large chest in the corner, which one of the Yuyan opened to reveal clothing in shades of green and black, along with large round conical helmets.

"Here," Mai said, reaching into the chest and pulling out the items. "Put these on."

She handed a rolled scroll to the lead Dai Li agent. His name was Agent Qin, recognizable only by the subtle scar running across his left eyebrow—a rare mark of individuality in the otherwise uniform ranks of the Dai Li. He took the scroll and laid it across the table, smoothing it out to reveal a detailed map of a series of underground tunnels.

"You and the Yuyan will work together to ambush the target," Mai explained, her voice steady. "He'll be inside this branch base. Your mission is to collapse the underground tunnels to cut off anyone trying to escape."

Her tone shifted, growing colder, more calculated, as if each word was a shard of ice. "A team of Yuyan archers will wait above ground to kill any escapees. The rest of the Yuyan will join you in the assault."

Mai gestured to the map. "We will strike in the middle of the night. I'll take out the lookouts and let you in. Two days from now. Use that time to study the terrain and make backup plans in case anything goes wrong."

Agent Qin studied the map for a moment, his sharp eyes taking in every detail before raising his brow slightly. "A branch base?" he asked, his tone careful but questioning. "Not the main HQ?"

"Yes, a branch base," Mai confirmed. "It's smaller than the main headquarters, with less security and fewer skilled benders. Easier to take down."

Commander Shin stepped forward, his deep voice steady. "I'll remain at the main base. If any messengers manage to slip past the tunnels, I'll ensure they don't make it out alive."