Chapter #8Last Airbender: A new character by: rugal b.   "Are you sure this is the place, Azula?" Ty Lee asked in an unsure tone. "Why would he be living in the middle of the woods?"
"This is where the information I managed to obtain said that he could be found." Azula answered in a confident tone, "And besides, Ty Lee, you should know by now that my information is always good."
"Ugh, this place is so small and dingy." Mai chimed in as she looked at the house.
Deciding to put on a facade of civility, Azula approached the door of the rather puny and unimpressive house and knocked.
"Blast it, I'm coming!" came a voice from inside the house. A moment later the door opened and a man stepped outside. He appeared a bit disheveled as if he had been awaken from his slumber and his rather rotund form, balding and graying hair and older appearance would make one wonder what the Princess of the Fire Nation was doing here. "Darn travellers, just 'cause you got caught in one of my animal traps doesn't mean you can jus--" he stopped upon noticing the three girls, his eyes narrowing as he saw the manner of dress of the one in the middle. "Fire Nation..." he spat, "What do you want?"
"I take it that you are the man known as Liang?" Azula asked rather plainly.
The man eyed her and rubbed his long mustache and shorter-yet-pointed beard. "Perhaps I am and perhaps I ain't. What business would you three little girls have with Liang anyway?"
At that moment Mai and Ty Lee moved to either side of the man, flanking him. "As you are no doubt aware the Fire Nation is currently embroiled in a war of unification, attempting to bring the Earth Kingdom and Northern and Southern Water Tribes under its control."
"You'd be right about that girly, even out here in the boonies word travels." the man answered. "But that still doesn't explain what you want with Liang."
Azula smiled a very serpent-esque smile. "At present, though my nation's march towards conquest moves smoothly a spanner has been thrown into the works." she explained.
"The Avatar." stated the man, "Yes that piece of information too has reached all the way out here. A long thought extinct member of the Air Nomads returns and, with a group of friends in tow, has set out to prevent the Fire Nation's global conquest. A goal that is as foolhardy as it is noble."
"You are surprisingly in the loop." Azula commented still wearing her smile, "Yes, the Avatar has given us some... minor trouble. But more problematic is that he serves as a symbol and rallying point. Tabs must be kept on him and he must be hindered and, if need be, eliminated."
"And that's where Liang comes in I'm guessing." the man said, crossing his arms.
"Precisely." answered replied Azula. "Liang was one of the best spies and assassins the Fire Nation had seen until his retirement. His ability to get close to targets and gather information was unparalleled. Some say he could even change his appearance using a unique form of bending called Formbending to take on the appearance of another."
"Formbending eh? That's a term I haven't heard in at least twenty years." With that, the man looked to his left and right seeing the other two girls flanking him looking ready for combat. Smiling, he began a small series of movements. "After not doing this for so long I need to get the spirit energy flowing again." he said. Then with a stomp energy flowed around his body changing it; shrinking it and making it skinnier. His head gained a full head of brown hair in a long braid, his appearance became younger and more feminine and his clothes changed to a pink midriff exposing outfit. He had turned himself into Ty Lee!
"Wh-what's going on?" Ty Lee stuttered.
"EEYAH!" Mai shouted throwing a few knives in the copys direction. The fake Ty Lee, however, ducked out of the way and the knives hit the real Ty Lee's shirt sending her backwards and pinning her against a nearby tree. As Mai pulled out another half-dozen or so knives the fake Ty Lee quickly lunged in with a quick series of blows to her arms. The knives dropped from her hands as Mai's arms hung uselssly at her sides and a swift kick to the sternum sent her flying to the ground.
At that point the real Ty Lee had managed to free herself and lunged at her imposter. The pair of Ty Lees traded blows, neither being able to gain the upper hand until a quick movement by the fake got "her" in a position to disable the arms and legs of the real one. At this time Azula decided to join the fray and quickly sent blasts of blue flame flying in the fake Ty Lee's direction. The fake, however, used all of Ty Lee's agility and acrobatic ability to effortlessly dodge the blasts getting into a position to disable Azula's arms as well. Azula, realizing this was who she sought, continued fighting back with kicks but abstained from producing any fire.
It was at that moment that the fake Ty Lee spotted the knives that Mai had dropped on the ground. Reacting quickly, "she" dodged Azula's flurry of kicks and spun around behind her. As she manuevered, a flash of spirit energy caused Ty Lee's form to be replaced by Mai's. Azula spun around to kick once more but she was too slow as the phony Mai picked up the knives from the ground and tossed them pinning Azula to a tree by her clothes much like Ty Lee had been.
"I concede." Azula stated, a statement neither Ty Lee or Mai thought they would ever here. "It appears the stories are true and the master spy and assassin really could change into other people. Isn't that right Liang?" she asked.
"A gift from when I visited Koh the Facestealer in my younger days." Liang replied still Mai's form, "I had ended up in the Spirit World... well it has been at least four decades so my memory is not what it was being near sixty-years-old and all. Koh had taken my face but even without a face I fought on and impressed by my tenacity Koh did something he never did: he restored it." Liang explained, "And in the process bestowed upon me a gift: you see all living things give off spiritual energy. Their appearances, skills, thoughts, personalities... all of it exists as free-flowing spirit energy. By harnessing this energy I am able to tap into the very essence of a person taking not only their form but everything about them. I look like them, fight like them, I can think and act just like them. I am them. That is what is called Formbending."
Azula smiled. "A useful talent and that is why I have come to you Master Liang." She explained, "Though you retired from service twenty years ago your talents are needed now more than ever. We humbly request your help in using your abilities to spy on the Avatar. Become his friends, the people he meets along the way, those close to him... everyone. And if the opportunity presents itself... kill him."
Liang used one of his pale, dainty hands to stroke one of Mai's long strands of hair. "An enticing offer. Using my abilities again has been exhilarating. Perhaps I may consider your offer." A smile then crept onto his borrowed face, "Or perhaps I am enjoying my retirement. Perhaps I refuse. What then, hmm?" he asked.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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