Crimson Flower

Three sail boats suddenly rammed onto a beach near Koi Bay. A band of marauders disembarked their speedy vessels as local villagers fled inland. Someone in the nearby watchtower has already blown a conch horn, sounded the alarm and provided ample time for the people to evacuate.

These intruders are no ordinary thugs. Armed with a wide assortment of crude weapons such as axe and curved swords, they are obviously not here to trade. The men wore tattoos on the faces, an indication of their criminal past.

Pirates, each and every one of them. Dressed in nothing but rags, they marched across the sand, searching for any valuables worth pillaging.

"Boss! They all left!" A disgruntled cutthroat complained to their leader. The others are also disappointed, some tried to steal trinkets from abandoned fishing boats, taking a few salmon. But there is nothing worth stealing in the area.

The band of unruly misfits are led by a bloating man, tall and imposing. He wields an iron club ridden with spikes. He scoured surrounding, sharp eyes detected structures on the far side of the beach.

All of them decided to head there, discovering a small group of abandoned wooden huts next to a small pier. The leader of the pirates deduced that this is just the outskirts of the main bay, as indicated with having only a few small sail boats.

"Boss, this place isn't valuable either, let's head more inland!"

"Shut it!" The bloated man bellowed. "You want to risk our heads being detached?" As a leader of any group of cutthroats, authority can be challenged if nothing is earned through risky ventures. A band of pirates in the south of the continent can consists of many ethnicities. Be it Earth Kingdom farmers or Southern Water Tribe hunters, anyone can usurp the role of leader if the whole group allows it. Which is why it is imperative for them to at least steal something worthwhile. "This island might have almost nothing valuable to steal, but the traders bring goods, passing here too."

They spotted a wooden sailboat with red mast. The pirate leader grinned gleefully.

"Boys look! A Fire Nation boat, Yang Chen has heeded our prayers!" The leader galvanized his followers, who has their motivation reignited upon seeing the color of the mast.

Trading vessels from the Fire Nation has always been a prime target for seafaring pirates, as the red color alone is enough indication that the boat has far more valuable goods and wealthy people for profitable ransom. Despite being cutthroats, the venerable air nun is worshipped by both Earth Kingdom soldiers and daofei marauders alike. Some of the pirates even thanked the Avatar as they climbed onto the boat, pillaging the deck, tearing out the crates.

"Hey boss look!" One of the pirates cried as he held up a few paintings. Portraits of Avatar Roku and other important figures are shown. Despite being ink on ordinary paper, artwork like this is very valuable.

"Good, that is excellent booty," the pirate leader said.

As they continued their ravage, it became clear that this is just a simple trade sailboat. The people commandeering this small vessel must have fled inland, reminding the pirates to be hasty before an armed response comes upon them.

"Uh boss, I think there is something moving down here," a man said from below the deck.

Footsteps slowly arrived back from the hold of the vessel. Hearing sounds of struggle, the pirates turn to the entrance of the stairs, watching as one of their comrades dragged a passenger to the deck.

"Let go of me you unruly brute!" The youthful girl demanded. "Unhand me scoundrel!"

Judging by the way how this hostage talks, the pirate leader believes that she must hail from a somewhat well-off family from the Fire Nation. The red clothing obviously supports this.

The bloated man congratulated his underling, and then decided to talk with this defiant girl.

"Now, now, princess, do not struggle, or else you might get hurt!" It was a mixture of both courtesy and threat, but mostly the latter. "As you see, we all must make a living. As the head of this little band of adventurers, I will promise no harm to anyone in our care. As for future arrangements, a reasonable ransom will be sent to your family."

"As if my family would even need to resort to that option!" The hostage retorted fiercely. "Unhand me now!"

The bloated man decided to not embroil in further squabbles. Pragmatically, they already stole more than what they came for. On the boat, the pirates have acquired valuables. Highly prized silk and porcelain from the grand city of Ba Sing Se, refined steel from the Fire Nation. They now even have a hostage for even more profitable ransom.

"Get this spoiled brat back to the boats, we are leaving," the bloated man ordered.

The girl huffed in stubborn anger, crossing her arms after the pirates placed a chain around the neck. But her defiance attitude was quickly turned to horror as the pirate leader forcefully snatched the ring around her finger. She protested, claiming that this is an important heirloom from her late mother. Of course, this plea fell on deaf ears. These men are unruly pirates, bandits on water.

As the men headed back to their own vessels in a merry mood, one of lackeys expressed gratitude to their leader.

"Man, I should have started doing this earlier!" He drooled on the silk fabric held in his arms, a commodity that most people would never be able to touch. "All those years of farming isn't enough afford this! Now I am set for life-"

The whole band gasped as the man's shoulder is impaled with a spear. A loud scream followed as the injured pirate dropped the bundle of silk fabric. They panicked. The bloated leader look back at the tiny pier, noticing a group of men in blue garments, yelling the robbers with violent tendencies.

Although they do not have the numbers, a bunch of fishermen rallied together with nothing but fishing spears. They charged across the sand, roaring angrily. The locals are more offended by this intrusion.

"B-boss?" One pirate frantically asked.

There are heavy crates and valuable wares in their hands. The leader, understanding that his underlings cannot run fast with all the trading goods, chose to fight. Since they outnumber the fishermen four to one, he expressed confidence in their better weapons.

Yet, this miscalculation failed to account the fierce resistance of the islanders. Unlike regular farmers on the mainland, fishermen practiced their arms by spearing fish, making them somewhat proficient in handling a polearm. One large burly man used nothing but a wooden harpoon and knocked out five pirates, his force along might have killed a few people.

Although the fishermen offered a worthy fight, they still fought to a stalemate, both side refusing to yield to the other.

"Out of my way!" The pirate leader roared. He used his metal club to whack a few unlucky fishermen. The shaft of the weapon along is enough to injure its victim's arms upon impact.

But the fight dragged on. Feeling frustrated, the marauder chose to attack the largest man in the group to demoralize the others, targeting the burly fisherman with an angry snarl. The wooden harpoon shattered immediately as the two clashed. The fisherman received a heavy blow across the face, luckily not fatal.

Just as the pirate leader appears to hold the upper hand, a sharp knife flew into one of his palms.

"Gah!" He cursed the coward that initiated the attack. Despite this injury, he pulled the knife out, trying to swing his metal club as if nothing has happened.

Before the pirate leader can regain his senses, something entered the fray. What seems to be a flash of green bolted pass the other combatants, stepping on the heads of the other pirates. It specifically headed for the bloated marauder. Those strikes were so quick, no one could react.

The man felt instant pain. Someone managed to maim his face with two diagonal cuts, forming a bloody cross. His expression is disfigured, unrecognizable to his horrified followers.

"Boss man!" A pirate screamed in concern.

As the fight continued, a few cutthroats spotted a woman. She blocked their route of escape, positioning herself as an obstacle to their nimble boats.

The Kyoshi Warrior's blade is stained in scarlet, obviously the culprit who struck their bloating leader.

"Kill her! Clear me a path!" The bloated man ordered an attack in pure rage. Five pirates swung their weapons wildly, attempting to chop the one who dares to hinder their escape.

"Pathetic," she said.

The first pirate is disarmed after the Kyoshi Warrior parried a strike, instantly riposting and struck the cutthroat's arm. It all happened too quickly. He cried in a hellish manner, crimson flowing from a forearm and kneeled to the ground. Feeling hesitant, the rest do not dare to challenge this seasoned swordswoman.

The head of the marauders bellowed. Upon his berating, the other four is encouraged to charge in a desperate manner. The woman with brown hair did not relent, that curved blade was swift, precisely maiming their forearms. One of them tried to punch after losing his sword. Sensing this feasible attempt, the warrior simple raised her blade up and allow the fool to hurt himself. The steel entered the knuckle, an excruciating experience.

"You idiots!" The pirate head berated.

Escape is sealed off for these intruders. As the fishermen are still fighting the underlings, the Kyoshi Warrior blocked the path to their nimble vessels, trapping them here.

Sensing an opportunity, someone else exploited the pirates' diverted attention. As her older sister and the fishermen are keeping most of the enemy occupied, she decided to ambush the flank by suddenly revealing herself from the forestry hill nearby.

Catching the pirates off their guard, she snapped open two glinting golden fans, swatting at foes and disarming them. She smiled, enjoying the thrill of the fight. Rarely can her skills be used on unruly troublemakers.

"Satchiko! Get back here!" The swordswoman is not impressed with this reckless behavior.

The attacker fought off many before facing a tall brute with a large axe. Despite the opponent's strength, the youngster's agility is unparalleled. She toyed with him by dodging around, avoiding the weapon's swing as if it's all just a game.

"Stay still!" In his frustration, the marauder swung his axe in at the wrong object, accidentally struck a wooden boat lying on the sand. He froze, trying to extricate it to no avail. It is stuck.

Not letting a good opportunity go to waste, the young Kyoshi Warrior arrived behind him. A series of jabs and punches are delivered to the exposed spine.

Although she is shorter than them all, that attack was no mere punches. Instantly, the victim's limbs became numb. Null flesh stumbled to the ground. The other pirates stood terrified by this unexplained witchcraft.

The audacious Kyoshi Warrior smiled. Not explaining what she did is even funnier for her dumbstruck opponents.

She once again opened her two golden fans, deciding to target the head of the snake. Subduing the leader of this unruly band would be a great achievement as a village guardian. Honor and Glory are within her grasp.

She swung those blades in a full rotating motion, forcing the nearby pirates to step back, creating a small window of opening.

Satchiko lunged forward in the air, preparing to swing the two fans at the bloating man that dares to arrive unannounced. Just as she was about to strike the face, a sudden swing by the man's metal club forced her to recoil. With good reflexes, both fans are positioned to handle the blunt force. But it wasn't enough. The Kyoshi Warrior was flung out of the fight as the force was too great. She is thrown back, almost falling to the ground if it wasn't for Mayumi narrowly catching her. They both fell down to the sand, the older sister groaned in pain as she used her own body to cushion the impact.

"Quick, make a run for it!" A few pirates tried to utilize this opening. They broke off from the group, heading for their nimble boats. Seeing this, Mayumi acted decisively. She retrieved a few throwable knives from the sleeves, chucking them at the legs of those escapees.

The two Kyoshi Warriors quickly sprung back up and assumed a defensive stance, effectively blocking the path to their boats.

The pirate leader growled in frustration. Obviously, those two are far more competent in the ways of fighting. Although they are occupied by the ferocious fishermen, the local men are more predictable and less agile.

Switching tactics, the pirates focused their numbers on one side, deliberating avoid fighting the two Kyoshi Warriors that will do everything to stop them. But this beach has more boats, especially that Fire Nation wooden junk still stationed in the little pier.

Since the pirates outnumber the angry fishermen, the leading marauder issued a rally cry. They charged with great desperation, many of them were speared as they recklessly tried to break out, dropping their loot. But one of them managed to make it to the other side despite this danger. There are many bloody holes in his bloating stomach, yet still managed to thunder across the pier. It is soon apparent that he does not intend to escape alone.

He carried the hostage with him.

"That man is getting away!" Satchiko cried. Ignoring Mayumi's order, she recklessly charged into the fray again, narrowly avoiding the fierce fighting between the pirates and her people. Some fishermen were caught off guard, quickly retracting as their spears almost hit Satchiko.

"Get him Satchiko! Get him!" An injured Ebisu yelled. He is still furious after being pummeled by the metal club.

The Kyoshi Warrior stepped onto the small wooden pier, closing in on the bloating pirate.

But the opponent did not play fair. He quickly used the hostage as a shield, forcing Satchiko to halt.

"Release her!" Satchiko demanded.

"When have that ever happen?" The pirate insulted.

The Kyoshi Warrior snarled, deciding to just charge at him and rescue the Fire Nation girl somehow. This sudden advance even surprised the cutthroat, who depends on the hostage to induce hesitation.

Satchiko swung two fans in an aggressive manner, clashing with the metal club he wields. They exchanged blows with their weapons, with the pirate desperately trying to regain control.

It here that her hubris became her undoing.

After finally kicking the hostage out of the pirate's hand, she decided to end the fight decisively. Both golden fans slashed wildly, scratching his arms while remaining elusive to his own attacks. An incoming swing from the metal club forced the energetic youth to dodge sideward, but that was just a trick to position her into a spot where the pirate can acquire a different advantage.

With one sudden burst, light seemingly conjured from his free hand. Satchiko grimaced, realizing that she is not the only one who has a hidden ability.

It is fire. He is a Firebender.

"Die you meddling brat!"

Eye widened, Satchiko quickly rolled herself and the hostage sideward before a beam of flame can torch them both. The stream of scarlet missed them. But it did narrowly burn one side of the warrior's hair before it is extinguished.

"Ah!" The girl from the Fire Nation cried as they fell off the wooden pier and into the water. The stream of bright light continued its trajectory, hitting a row of wooden huts that withered easily. After resurfacing, Satchiko helped her maintain buoyancy. She shouted at the coward who is trying to escape using the Fire Nation wooden junk.

"Boss! Don't leave us!"

The pirate is commandeering the wooden vessel, ignoring those pleas.

Despite facing abandonment by their leader, the pirates did not lose morale just yet. All creatures that are backed into the corner would not give up easily, they continue to fight the fishermen, refusing to give up.

Satchiko glared at the bloating man who is fleeing. She is also felt shameful for underestimating that pirate.

It is too late, that bloating pirate is too far away, setting sail as the red color mast picked up some wind.

"Wait, what is that?" The Fire Nation girl cried. Satchiko's eye also caught a bright object flying towards the fleeing vessel. She smiled in relief.

A fire arrow flew straight towards the vessel, shooting the mast and lighting it on fire. It eventually burned the vessel too. The pirate tried to prevent the damage but was forced to abandon ship. Even after swimming back to the sand, his woe does not end there.

A commotion can heard near the still raging brawl. On a nearby hill with dense trees, a group of women with elaborate face paint emerged from hiding. All armed with long yumi bows, one of them instructed the fishermen to retreat. As the men in blue garment hurried away from the scene, the archers let loose the projectiles, a hail of arrows accurately shooting at the band of pirates. The ones shot in the head or vitals are instantly killed, but half of them is still alive, determined to escape from this island.

The bloating man joined his disgruntle underlings. Before the Kyoshi Warriors on the nearby hill can unleash another volley, he blasted the trees with his own hail of fire too, forcing them to reposition.

"Head to our own boats this time!" He roared, attempting to regain whatever authority these cutthroats still have in him. This time, they will do everything to overcome the blockage that is Mayumi. All of them knew that many will likely not make it. But one swordswoman cannot stop all of them!

"Get out of our way little girl!"

They formed a mob, attempting to overwhelm the sole warrior. No matter how skillful she may be, a single person cannot stop them all at once.

Just as Mayumi is about to cut down the nearest escapee, one person will make sure that will not be necessary.

Instead of assuming a defensive stance, Mayumi suddenly placed her sword back to the scabbard, bowing her head low. Even the pirates are slightly confused by this weird behavior, why is she leaving so many openings?

A marauder, discontent with this possible disrespect, attempted to swing his sword at the now defenseless woman that dares to belittle them.

Before his vengeance can be quenched, something was felt across the arm. No, the limb is now lying lifelessly on the ground. How did it even happen?

"Greetings matron," Mayumi said in a respectful tone.

One lone Kyoshi Warrior strolled onto the sand nearby, walking towards the remaining pirates. The bloating man watched as the man behind this newcomer succumbed to pain, missing one arm entirely.

Unlike the other two adolescent, this newly arrived woman is different. Despite the same face paint, all the marauders sensed immense danger in that single individual. She appears almost similar to the swordswoman behind her, just with longer brown hair.

But that stern expression, it is a face that is about to murder.

"Your audacity knows no bound," the matron said in a deeper tone. She held one metal fan firmly, which lost its glinting appearance as it is still stained with blood of a pirate. "Since you intend to enter here without my permission, I will interpret this transgression as a challenge." The Kyoshi Warrior slowly opened the second metal fan, one which is still unused.

The pirates involuntary huddled together. So far, about thirty is still capable of fighting. Despite their numerical advantage, the sight of their fellow losing an entire limb is somehow more frightening than being killed by arrows.

Mayumi arrived next to the matron as the older woman issued an ultimatum, one that is fair for insolent thieves that harmed those who is trying to earn an honest living.

"I am not an unreasonable woman. I do consider myself rather compassionate." The matron cleared her throat. "Peacefully surrender, and I will grant you all a swift death."

The pirates recoiled at that suggestion. Even their leader is astonished by this outrageous demand.

"Silence woman!" The bloated man bellowed. "You are insane! I wish that all your disgusting offspring to be as ugly as you are!"

The Kyoshi Warrior did not even react much at that taunt.

"I see," her eyes narrowed. "How ungrateful."

Before the archers on the hill nearby can fire another volley, the matron waved her and to cease their operation.

"Mayumi, you stay back too."

"Yes matron," the swordswoman obeyed.

The pirates, confused by the sudden silence, became uncertain as the Kyoshi Warrior walked forward.

"Stay back!" One of them yelled.

A brave soul tried to intervene, swinging his curved blade at the woman.

She reacted accordingly. Without exerting too much, the long-haired warrior blocked the strike with one fan, using the other to slash at the throat. Despite how effortless it looked, the audacious pirate fell to the ground, choking on blood. It felt inevitable.

"Do not falter, the riches are always worth the fight! If we can escape with the goods, you can all live like kings!" The pirate leader tried to bolster the morale, but to no avail. It seems that the prospect of a greed failed to overcome the consequences.

Without any other option left, they all did the only thing available.

"Attack!"

The pirates mobbed up again, concentrating their full might at just one person. With axes and swords in their hands, all of them screamed, hoping to suppress their fear of the inevitable.

The matron, utilizing both fans, prepared to end this asinine game.

It was like a performance. Golden blades swung at all directions. Countless slashes alone coordinate together to form a wall of pain, mincing any pirates nearby.

The warrior cut down all those that tried to escape. Limbs fell to the ground, blood staining the sand. The pirate leader froze in horror as if a monstrous creature has just murdered all his followers. Those two shiny golden pieces of metal moved like waves, violently smashing everything that opposed her. The sharp blades are no longer reflecting any sunlight.

The carnage ended as she took down the last of the underlings.

All thirty men are reduced to just one.

"Firebender," she said, pointing the metal fan at the bloating pirate. "What are you going to do now?"

All around them lies bodies of seafaring thieves. Many are presumably dead, but there are still some that are barely alive.

The bloating man, still believing in his inherent ability, chose to unleash his full power.

With a forceful punch, he shot a ball of fire at the matron. Satchiko, who is just climbing out of the water with the hostage, witnessed this scene.

For the first time, she almost screams out uncontrollably, urging that woman to just run. The power of fire is too volatile to fight.

"Insolence," the matron said.

With one smooth motion, she swung one fan, extinguishing the flame. It felt more like an annoyance rather than a threat.

The last pirate is surprised by how unflinching she appeared. Capitalizing on this shock, the seasoned warrior dashed forward, deflecting all the fireballs conjured by the desperate cutthroat. It is exceptionally difficult for a non-bender to withstand the power of the elements.

Seeing the lack of effectiveness, the brute swung his metal club, deciding to use reliable blunt damage to defeat his opponent. Upon gathering enough force, he brought the weapon downward with the intent of smashing the Kyoshi Warrior. Although that too was actually just a feign to torch his opponent, the experienced matron simply cleaved off the free arm that was just about to expel some flames.

The whole limb almost flawlessly fell off. In sheer excruciating pain, the pirate stumbled, using his weapon as support to stop himself from completely dropping to the sand. He can't even try to cover the open wound, which has blood gushing out without resistance.

"This isn't the first time I fought a Firebender," the matron insinuated. "I made a promise to myself, anyone that even dares to enter this place with ill intent would be served in the most fitting manner."

Before the pirate can beg for mercy, the metal fans moved again.

One of them disemboweled the stomach. Unceremoniously, the pirate leader is killed with a simple swung at the neck. Compared to the team of archers, she managed to kill far more.

The remaining pirates that are still alive are captured by more Kyoshi Warriors entering the area. Some fishermen arrived and used their nets to 'catch' these seafaring criminals. Other villagers also joined to take a look at the pirates. As for the woman that personally killed majority of these intruders, they maintained a respectful distance.

"Dad!" Kazuki hastily arrived, tending to the injured Ebisu. The fisherman suffered a blunt blow at the side of his cheek. It is lucky that his bone did not break. Despite experiencing serious pain, Ebisu instead bellowed his intention to finish the fight with that blacksmith just across the other side of street.

Mayumi oversaw the scene as her fellow sisters are securing the area, but her worries are mainly on her own sibling. Occasionally, her eyes would inevitably glance behind.

"Here, are you ok?" Satchiko is near the pier, helping that girl from the Fire Nation. Despite being soaked in water, none of them are harmed.

A frantic tradesman in red robe rushed up the pier, he is obviously the owner of that sunken wooden junk.

"By the grace of Roku, miss, are you ok?" He is horrified as the young girl's dress is drenched. After overcoming his initial shock, the man's heart sank further upon realizing that his boat is also destroyed. After a quickly inquiring the surrounding people, he turned to the Kyoshi Warrior that emits an aura of leadership. "You! How am I supposed to sail to my next destination without my vessel? All the goods abroad have fallen into the depths! Where is the compensation!?"

Before Satchiko can furiously protest this ungratefulness, the older woman blocked her by snapping open one metal fan. The weapon is still stained in red. It is a kind warning on who is the one in control here.

Obviously, the matron is more skillful in fighting rather than diplomacy. Considering that their little island is somewhat dependent on traders for certain goods, it would be unwise to dismiss his complaints. Despite lacking the knowledge to handle disgruntle tradesmen, that doesn't mean she is clueless.

"I will delegate your grievance to the local village chief," the matron said without elaboration.

Satchiko watched the man's reaction, who quickly stormed off to her village's gathering place.

After turning away from the disgruntle trader, the older woman arrived at Satchiko. Despite just moments ago appearing unrelenting as she faced off many opponents, the matron's face finally grew concerned. She inspected the young girl's face, noticing some missing hair.

"We need to have a good talk," the matron said to Satchiko.

Without saying anything, the woman grabbed the youngster by the forearm, leading her back to the village. Despite no longer being a child, Satchiko is oftentimes still being treated as one. But it is unwise to openly voice her opinion, especially in front of none other than the warrior named Akahana.