Chapter 120

Captain Hideteki fought back his despair as he led his men further into the woods. The colonial garrison of Sozuro had finally reaped the full bounty from days of harrying the ungrateful home island force that sought to punish their beloved princess.

Hideteki had been proud that none of his men and women had shied away from acting as rearguard to buy precious time for the other colonists to flee. He'd been even more proud that his troops had managed to harass the invaders with incredibly light casualties.

Until now, anyway.

In the back of his mind, the captain understood that what he and his command were doing could only last so long, that the were living on borrowed time. But still, when the invading force finally had enough of the night raids and scout ambushes and trapped carts, Hideteki found it both gratifying and crushing to have the whole damned army's attention fully fixed on them.

A final stand would be worse than useless, considering the severe numerical superiority. So the partisans of Sozuro fled deeper into the forest in hopes of losing their attackers. It was a vain hope, it turned out. They've been running for four days now, the flames nipping at their heels, with barely enough time to get a nap or even eat. And the forest was thinning out.

The enemy army had enveloped the whole area and herded them all the way to the other end of the forest.

Captain Hideteki would've laughed at just how pissed off the enemy commander must've been to order such overwhelming force, but he was busy trying to come up with a way for at least some of his troops to survive this. Once they reached the other side and hit the grasslands, the partisans would be easily obliterated.

On the other hand, trying to put up a fight in the forest would see them all simply burn to death while the enemy happily stood back.

They'll go out with a roar instead of a whimper, Hideteki decided with his resigned but determined servants of Princess Azula. They had their last meals in the evening, wailed their regrets before they slept, and then in the morning, the whole group dashed out of the forest.

Hideteki bit down the dismay of seeing another damned army, one far more massive than the one at their heels, arrayed just half a mile away, while behind him the enemy firebenders urged the flames on.

"This is it," he told the warriors of Sozuro as they took a short breather outside the tree line. "Brothers and sisters, we'll meet them in the open. Let them see that Princess Azula does not employ cowards! Let them see that one colonist that these islanders sneer down at is worth ten of their blinkered lives!"

"Twenty!" someone yelled out.

"Fifty!" another countered, and then others joined in to raise the number higher. The roar of flames from the forest grew louder, and the haze from it became thicker as it rolled out to blanket them. Hideteki stared at the creeping smog for a second, and then willed away his dread as he addressed his men and women.

"Warriors of Sozuro! It is an honor to have served alongside you. For the princess, long may she lead us!"

"For the princess!" came the cheers of the defiant partisans of Sozuro. "For Princess Azula!"

They doomed partisans continued chanting her name as they marched out in the open, daring the second enemy force idling in the grasslands before them to attack. Fierce pride bloomed in Hideteki's heart as none of his comrades even flinched when the massive force began to move against them. Someone gave a report of the first enemy force finally catching up from behind, but that only made everyone wish louder for Princess Azula's wellbeing and longevity.

The captain looked over his shoulder and found the invading force that had chased them for days rushing out from the trees as a roaring mob. They must have been far more frustrated than he had accounted for that they didn't wait to reorganize their ranks. Good. One more insult to the enemies of the princess and the colonies.

He then turned his attention to the enemy in front of him, who were marching in a far more orderly fashion. Almost…lazily. That annoyed Hideteki, and he pledged to make this force curse his name just as the first one had. His last breath would be saved until he saw the enemy's full frustration.

As the approaching army drew closer, they finally began to pick up speed. Hideteki heard some sort of order being yelled out, and in turn called for his warriors to ready for a charge.

Ostrich horse cavalry rushed ahead of the second army's rumbling advance, but they veered away from the partisans, as if there was a need to flank the paltry force. The vanguard of heavy infantry with their massive shields got close enough to make out the battle-damage on their armor.

And then horns began blaring, and Hideteki's resistance fighters finally slowed to a shocked stop as the banners of the army rushing at them were dropped. The royal flame of the Fire Lord fell away, and in their place rose the black dragon-pincered Scorpion of Ba Sing Se.

"For Prince Xing and Princess Azula!" What had been a second enemy army roared as one, and they completely ran around Hideteki's warriors without slowing in the slightest. "Death to the enemies of the Scorpion and Phoenix!" The captain could only blink in confusion and follow their charge with his stunned eyes. Their heavy infantry crashed into the disorganized mob of the first army with brutal results, just as the ostrich horse light cavalry swooped in to hit them at the flanks.

It became less of a fight and more of an inexorable and bloody grinding of the first army. Hideteki turned his head as he heard the loud, booming cackling of a madman somewhere in that throng of blades and fire. 

Only as the last ranks flowed around Hideteki and his troops did a voice call out. "Well met, good captain."

Hideteki turned and found a pair of well-dressed officers, their armor clean but not pristine. It took a second before he recognized their ranks. Generals. Two generals, a man and a woman.

"Err…uh, thank you for your timely aid, sir, ma'am," Hideteki stammered as he remembered his manners and bowed.

"None of that," the man casually replied with a disarming smile. "We're glad to be able to help such valiant allies. I take it, you're the rearguard from Sozuro?"

The captain nodded, ignoring the sounds of laughter and dying from behind him.

"Good, good. We've ran into your refugee train. A regiment has been dispatched to escort them to Ba Sing Se."

"Thank you, sir."

"No need to thank us, it's the right thing to do."

"Not that the dolts from the home islanders would know anything about that," the other general finally said, matriarchal disdain clear in her tone. "Stupid fools talk about loyalty and duty, while forgetting the contributions of the princess and shamelessly accusing Prince Xing and Prince Iroh of treason."

"Pardon my wife," the first general said with faux placation. "The orders she received from the home islands were most unreasonable."

"They asked me to deliver your head!" she snapped angrily, but he seemed unperturbed.

"That was one of the options," he agreed, "Though admittedly the other options were not as…palatable either."

"Not palatable? They all but threatened my family and yours!"

The first general inclined his head in a placating fashion. "And no doubt if there's any strand of political sense in them, that's all they can do until we reach the home islands, where they can finally use our family as hostages. And besides, didn't you wish your relatives to experience some hardships?"

Hideteki stared at the two generals, and only as they continued to go back and forth did it finally click.

"Husband…wife… Y-You're… You're General Sho and General Hwa?"

General Sho gave a genial smile, and even General Hwa's lips turned up a little. "I see we've got a reputation."

It was the first time the captain saw the storied generals in the flesh, the few commanders out in the continent that dutifully guarded the colonies and aided the princess in bringing prosperity and stability to the continent. Theirs were names ranked closely to the princess and the Scorpion.

"Oi, Sho!"

Hideteki turned to see a burly commander walk in, stained and dripping in gore from head to toe. Even his smile was stained red. Hideteki saw the axes rested casually on the man's shoulders, and with the context he was given, identified Colonel Dao, the Thunder of War and the great patron of teahouse girls all across the colonies. "Fighting's over. The fuckers are running back into the forest like you said they would."

Despite General Hwa frowning with heavy disapproval, her counterpart was uncaring about the total lack of respect. "Any sign of their baggage train?"

"Not yet, Yashen's men are pushing into the woods to find it."

"Hm… And casualties?"

"Eh, we got a light scratch, they got reamed with a komodo rhino's-"

"Remember yourself, Colonel," General Hwa admonished sternly, and the great Thunder shut up, though looking not a bit ashamed.

Hideteki then had the unique experience of being the focus of Colonel Dao's gore-smeared attention. "Huh. You the guy who led the fighting?"

"Yes- Uh, yes, sir."

Dao walked up, and Hideteki found himself craning his head up at the man towering over him like a dark spirit of violence.

"You held them back for days…more than a week. How?"

The captain found himself fighting off the urge to shrink away. "Um… We conducted hit-and-run night raids on their exposed elements, silencing their scouts a-and…"

Hideteki felt a tingle of apprehension as Dao continued to stare at him. The weight of the man's judgemental gaze was overwhelming. 

A spike of fear stabbed into the captain. Was he about to get berated for adopting such tactics?

"And it kept you alive so far."

Hideteki could only gulp and nod. And then a bloody, armored hand flew out to smack him on the back with such force that Hideteki almost fell forwards.

"Hah! Good man! The princess really does foster good talent!"

"Spirits… You're a colonel, Dao. Act like it." This time General Hwa was much sharper in her scolding.

"Ah, calm your tits woman. We're among friends h-"

Hideteki didn't catch the blur of movement, but suddenly the Frostfire was standing before him, and Colonel Dao was down on his knees, clutching his groin with a pitiful whimper. This time, Hideteki did shrink away when Hwa's gaze fell on him.

"Forgive the oaf for his…crassness, captain. Clearly, the home islands are not the only ones stuck with idiots in their ranks." There was nothing to forgive, but Hideteki nodded anyway. "Anyway, you and your people can rest and resupply in our camp for the day. Then you can continue to the safety of Ba Sing Se."

"What…what about you?" Hideteki had to ask.

"We'll continue pursuing this force," General Sho declared firmly. "Eradicate them and if the ships are not around, raze the depot they'll no doubt have built in your colony. It'll be one less thorn in the prince and princess' side."

"Hear, hear," Dao weakly agreed as he rose to his feet.

Hideteki looked at the generals, and then to the garrison-turned-partisans he led. The looks in his comrades' eyes told him enough, and he turned back to General Sho with matching resolve. "We'd like to join you."

Neither general tried to dissuade him. Instead Sho gave his wife a thoughtful look. "Having people familiar with the local terrain would be useful…"

"Especially when it comes to urban combat," Hwa nodded in agreement, and then fixed Hideteki with another intimidating look. "Are you sure of this, captain…?"

"Hideteki, Captain Hideteki, ma'am. Yes, we're sure."

"Hm. Then welcome to the First Continental Army. We'll find a place for you and your people, and you'll have the chance to enact vengeance for your homes."

Hideteki nodded dumbly and simply did as he was told for now. He was a mere garrison captain, and now he'd be fighting alongside the folk heroes of the colonies. What's next? Meet a dragon in the flesh?