ATLA, In A Darker World

Hey guys. New Week, New Chapter. More Powerstones please.

....

A town ... Just what he needed right now.

At least that was what Luca thought.

At this point, it was almost sunset. Standing on the side of the mountain range, his destination could be seen right before him.

Haican, the last earth kingdom stronghold before Omashu. From the outside, it certainly looked the part. Large stone walls of earth could be seen fencing the previous village from all sides with figures stationed on the walls.

From the distance he stood at, a normal person wouldn't be able to make out a clear picture.

- Subskill - Hawkeye -

For him, whose's Marksmanship had exceeded the standard 15 points, a spyglass at this distance wasn't needed. The guards on the walls all wore green uniforms of varying colors. Some light green, some dark, some with additional colors of gray, dark yellow or brown.

Some stood in one place, seemingly immobilized while others walked along the walls as patrols.

Large amounts of circular rocks were loaded on the walls, ever ready to be used by the earthbenders in case there was ever an enemy attack.

The advantage of tall walls, fortified stronghold and Long ranged attacks was enough to give the Fire Nation a headache.

After all, earth was everywhere at their disposal. The earthbenders could just launch boulders from afar at their enemies and squash them to death with falling rocks.

In fact, they had.

This part of the Earth kingdom was separated by two rivers on its sides. Crossing the river west would lead to the Mining Village he had just crossed from (As if going towards Fire Nation Lands), and East leading to the Koala Mountain Range that led to Omashu.

Aside from crossing the river, the only other way to get there was to go inland North until you met the river's end. Then go around it and continue your journey. But that would take longer and with the war going on and bandits everywhere, it wasn't necessarily safer.

".... Most refugees usually go around the river path .....". That was what the Earth kingdom captain meant when he said those words.

Luca however, wasn't most refugees. Crossing the river to the other side was a definite must in order to avoid Fire Nation on the lookout for him.

And just as he expected, Fire Nation troops on the other side of the river hadn't even heard of his existence.

That aside.....

Rustle ….

At that moment, the sound of rustling leaves came from a distance. Luca turned around, his hand reaching for his sword.

The bushes were pushed aside, following which, three figures appeared in the open.

"It's ok dear, we're almost ....". The leading male had his voice stuck in his throat at the sight before him.

It was a young man, a really young man. But that wasn't the point. The point was that this boy had a sword on his back with his hand placed on the handle. His posture looked as if he were ready to cut them down at a moments notice.

'Oh no ... Did we encounter a bandit? .....'.

His reaction quickly attracted the attention of his wife and sister who similarly froze in their tracks.

A strong tension immediately filled the atmosphere as both sides stared at each other without making a sound.

Luca observed the new arrivals with scrutiny. One male, two females. They wore green clothing with varying degrees of intensity. Some light, some several shades darker and small mixture of light colors.

The man had a bag on his back and a hat on his head. The latter which was shared with his female companions.

No stances, no weapons .....

'..... Not enemies then'.

"Um ..... Hello there .....".

Than (That's the actual name), the leading male uttered awkwardly.

"You're..... Refugees?"

"Oh? …. Yes, yes of course we are".

"I see". Luca released a nod while releasing his grip on the blade. His actions earned a sigh of relief from the good looking middle-aged man.

"I apologize. I thought you were ..... Others".

It had been a year since the other villages in these parts had been conquered. Yet, the Fire Nation hadn't managed to secure Haican despite infusion of more manpower.

Hence, as the only refuge left standing, it was a literal beacon for all refugees trapped between the two rivers.

"Oh …. Never mind that. It's fine". The man scratched the back of his head with a nervous smile. For a moment, he thought their good luck would end, and they were about to be robbed before reaching their destination.

"So ..... Are you going to Haican as well?" Than called out to Luca who was moving towards the edge of the cliff.

"Yes …". Luca responded, then under their astonished and frightened eyes, he jumped down. The group of three quickly rushed to the edge in panic, looking down only to see Luca's figure disappear into the dense trees.

...

If the stronghold building wasn't enough to let Luca know that this was the place he was looking for, then what he saw as he continued his journey did.

Refugees. Lots and lots of refugees.

Going down the edge on the other side of the mountain range, Luca began to see first hand what the war had done to people in these areas.

At first, it was only one or two. Then the number increased as he walked forward.

Due to the large amount of trees, he couldn't see the people underneath them from a high vantage point.

It was different now.

Men, women, elderly, children ..... So many people whose lives had been uprooted by the fire nation. Some looked fine, slightly fatigued, with bags on their backs carrying tents and supplies just like him.

From his understanding, these were the ones in the war who were considered well off. And by that, he didn't mean rich people, he meant those who still had food and water to hold them by since they became refugees, whenever that might be.

Perhaps coming from shorter distances. Others ..... Haggard, scrawny, looked like they hadn't eaten for days. They staggered towards the structure in the distance without much light in their eyes.

Some barely holding on purely due to their willpower and hope for a better future. Hope that they could get out of those worn torn lands to a place where better lives awaited them.

They had all run from their homes after the Fire Nation came in full force. They knew the future awaiting them wouldn't be anything good if they dared to dilly-dally.

Unfortunately, little did they know that for some of them, arriving in this place wasn't exactly going to bring solutions to their problems. At least, that was what Luca noticed when he finally arrived.

There was a large clearing area just outside the stronghold, and numerous people could be seen crowding the place.

Stationed at different areas, Luca could see several Earthbenders who were seemingly tasked with maintaining order.

Their stern expressionless faces alerted everyone to know that anyone who dared to cause trouble would be sorry.

The refugees seemed to understand. Some stood, some sat, some huddled together at a corner.

'Aren't they supposed to be getting helped? Why are they still so many of them?'

Taking a look around, Luca frowned slightly. The tense and depressing atmosphere was quite suffocating.

The question was well intended.

As for the gates to Haican itself ... There were no gates. Instead, what Luca saw at what was supposed to be the entrance was a large wall with no openings whatsoever.

Standing in front of that wall were three earth kingdom soldiers with menacing expressions.

'..... What's happening here ….'?

"Please sir. Would you be so kind as to spare some food". At that moment, a slight mutter for help came from his left, causing Luca to face that direction.

"Huh?…".

It was a child. Female, she didn't look like she was over eight. With pitch-black hair that looked unkempt, dirty hands and shaggy clothing. Despite her tattered clothes, they looked to be too big for her thin figure as the girl looked to be heavily malnourished.

"..... Please …". Seeing Luca looking at her, her eyes widened, forming a heartwarming pitiful look .

".... I . I haven't eaten anything in days". Her voice began breaking down into choking sobs. Tears streaming down her face.

"Please ..... Please, my stomach hurts …. Mommy …. She ..... She can't get up ….". The little girl's young body was trembling.

".... I asked … Nobody would give ….".

The pitiful sound of a young girl's begging voice resounded, silencing whatever soft sounds could be heard in their surroundings. Many refugees nearby took a look at the body of the trembling young girl and felt their hearts ache at the sight.

Some lowered their heads in shame, others turned away with indifference.

"Don't be impulsive". A distance away, a young boy holding a bowl of rotten congee clenched his palm and slowly stood from his seat. He didn't make it all the way however, as he was stopped by the older man beside him.

".... It's not worth it …. We barely have enough as we are. You can't afford to give it to someone else". His face was stern, and uncompromising causing the young boy to freeze and return to his seat.

The old man who stopped him breathed a sigh of relief, his old eyes flashing with a hint of grief.

Luca could feel multiple gazes fixed on him, probably wanting to see what choice he made.

"Is your mother still ..... Awake?" Luca didn't immediately answer the girl, but asked her a question of his own.

"She … She .....". The girl spoke incoherently. "She's awake …. But too weak to get up".

"I see ..... Well, I'm sorry little one. But I won't give you food for free". His words caused her trembling body to freeze for a moment …. right before it started shaking again. Luca could see the slight hope in her eyes dying out.

Her eyes getting more watery with each passing second as tears promised to burst out in torrents.

"However ….". At that moment, Luca reached into a side of the bag he carried and took out a few fruits.

The girl who was ready to cry her heart out stopped immediately at the sight of possible food.

"..... I will trade it to you if you answer a few of my questions".

"I …. You …. What? ….".

Seeing her confused expression, Luca let out a slight smile. "I'll ask you a few things, you answer, and you can take these fruits to your mother to enjoy. Can you do that?"

Barely a moment passed, she was nodding vigorously.

"Good. Now, why is everyone still waiting outside?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, why haven't they allowed you to go inside yet?"

"I …. I'm not sure ..... Mommy only told me that the soldiers said we would get food at sunset".

"She also said something about an announcement.....".

'…. Is that so …'? Luca thought to himself while taking the little girl's hands and stuffing the two fruits into each one.

"You work is complete. Now go and feed your mother".

"I …. I …". Once again, she released incoherent words for a few seconds before coming to hr senses. Following which, she bowed down at a ninety-degree angle.

"Thank you sir ..... Thank you ….". The girl uttered promptly then ran with renewed vigor towards the distance as if afraid Luca would change his mind.

Luca paid her no heed. His mind preoccupied by what the little girl had said.

Sunset, huh? No wonder so many people were outside the stronghold and hadn't gone in yet.

Numerous thoughts flew through his mind as he sat down on the spot and sat comfortably.

From the looks of it, no one here looked to be rushing to question or leave. However, he didn't care.

Perhaps the real deal was happening at sunset.

Time passed. Eventually, the sun set and darkness rapidly encroached from the horizon.

And just like Luca had guessed, with the sun disappearing, the stronghold which had been sealed off suddenly opened.

This movement attracted a wave of refugees who looked over at the Fire Nation.

"Alright then ….". A man could be seen stepping out of the stronghold as the walls opened up for him to pass through.

Walking forward a few feet and stopping, he swept his eyes across the large number of refugees that had appeared.

"I will take it as all the refugees for today".

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