Investigating

I woke up pretty easily, and it was time to start my investigation. I didn't really like sitting around and without any reading material. I needed something to do and this investigation may prove fun. First things first I figure I could ask around and see if I can get the time period Zhao's men left the camp.

Walking around the camp asking the various other soldiers.

"Yeah I saw them leave the camp I don't know the time they did it though, maybe like noon? Chia would likely know since she has to watch the camp area."

Chia, eh? I have no idea who that is, but if they are a lookout they should be up the mountain near the tunnel I had carved. So I began walking back up the mountain, last time I was up here I had a sleeping bag and the chefs just brought food up to everyone up here. Now that I was climbing up I realized how long the trail was.

I needed some kind of ride to get places faster. Maybe something like a bicycle... Nah that could be left behind. Even if I could get someone to build me a motorcycle that would also likely be hard to achieve. Needed something to follow me, maybe something like Appa? Nah Appa was way to big, and any creature like him would make travel easier, but also 1000 times hard while in enclosed spaces or cities. I remember someone named June having a creature named Nala. That would be a useful pet with its paralyzing tongue, but it would be incredibly hard to tame.

Once I got up to the top of the mountain I was able to easily find the small bunker that was made out of wood and rocks. I think it was supposed to be camouflaged but it didn't look like it. I walked over and opened a door made of painted bamboo.

"howdy! This is the look outpost with Chia?"

Three guards lifted their heads, all three were playing a card game. So their was poker cards in this world. I would need to get a pack of cards for myself.

"Whose asking?"

"My name is Orin, I am currently on an investigation about Zhao's men. Moha said that someone named Chia could tell me about there they left the camp down there?"

"No need to be so formal, your the new recruit everyone's been talking about. Though I gotta ask don't you need to be a higher rank than private to conduct investigations like that?"

"I was actually just promoted before I started my investigation."

"Really that fast, damn kid. Well yeah really no need to be formal at all then, I'm Chia, this is Mathew, and we just call her Tammy."

Tammy got up and walked over to a small chest,"You needed the camp logs right, to see when those guys left the camp."

She pulled out a large booklet and handed it over to me, "Nothing changes much in the logs so you only have to check the previous two or three pages. You can read them over there."

"Before I start can I ask where you got those cards, I would love a deck for myself."

"Yeah sure, if you know how to play. We can give you one of ours if you win." Mathew had took out another deck held together by a two strings.

"Alright I'll join you after I get this done."

Flipping through the pages of logs took only a second to find the right one, I then wrote down on my own piece of paper about when the group of men left and when they returned. The logs even had what they were carrying, I guess that was included because possible supply thieves.

~9:34 leaving, group of 5 carrying empty sacks. Returning 13:12, Group of 4 carrying 1 filled bag.~

After that I pulled up a chair and played a few rounds of cards, They played a different type of cards than I was used to, but after I won once I showed them how to play blackjack. I knew some other poker games, but figured they would take too long. so i took the card deck they gave me and left.

Getting down the mountain was much easier as I actually tripped have way down and tumbled the rest of the way. i was able to get up relatively fine and the minimal pain I felt made me wonder how durable I was... Or more specifically how strong was the Bull Sloth to break my ribs....

Wait I had heal myself from that, HOW STRONG WAS MY HEALING?

Things to think about another time. I took the documented times and brought it over to the General's Tent. "Sir are you in? I have the camp logs of Zhao's men, I need a warrant to search their tents."

The soldier near the tent actually spoke up, "The General is in the Round Meeting Tent, you can get a warrant at the Messenger Hawk Mailing Post. They actually handle all of the different outgoing paper-works."

"Thanks!"

With that I walked off again, this was turning to be fairly anti-climatic. When I got to the office it was incredible simple task to get the warrant, as apparently General Lee prepared it before hand.

I sighed,"This is gonna be a long day."

With the warrant in hand I went to Zhao's tents, "Whose goes there?"

"Really? Whose goes there? That isn't even correct information."

"I am Orin, I kicked your boss's ass. I have a search warrant for your stuff."

"Shit, okay. Ummm, Go right ahead I guess."

"Thank god Zhao's in the meeting. He would kill us."

Seriously? Everyone was in this meeting! Then it occurred to me that General Lee likely made it that way so Zhao wouldn't interfere. Damn, so anti-climatic....

Searching through the various boxes and chest I found various clothing articles, weapons, and just random crap. Like there was a chest just filled with stuffed animals. Was it Zhao's or one of his men's? Like there was hundreds of these stuffed toys. Looking through the chests I eventually found one with several scrolls. One of these was a scroll that Zhao said he burned, this was when he attacks the water spirit. I started pulling out the scrolls reading them one by one. The first was about the two water spirits that related to the moon and the ocean. It mentioned the connection between the spirits and water bending. I kept reading until I realized I got a message...

<Waterbending Insights received>

<La and Tui Push Pull spirit water bending style unlocked>

<Water bending (82% basic)>

<Water Resistance(22%){From Water Blessing}>

The insights I got were surprising to say the least, I got a whole 40% increase to my normal water bending and I received 7% water resistance just for reading about La and Tui. The cherry on top was the new Bending style.

I would need to take the entire chest and read through it all and see about other insights. I was about to leave when I caught sight of a blanketed cage. I removed the blank and i had found something truly astonishing. It seemed my theory was all too correct about the Bull Sloth. I recovered the cage and took both the blanketed cage and the chest of scrolls.