Chapter 26.1- And so the Dragons Danced

XXXXXXXX- THE BOULDER

“The boulder is not the biggest fan of this plan” He said, making sure to get his objections heard before they all ended up killed at the end of the day. Gecko, as always, was silent. So were the Gopher and Headhunter. Cowards the lot of them were.

“I agree. He killed King Bumi himself, I don’t think we can do this”, Lin said, and the Boulder made sure to nod his thanks at the man who constantly took defeat after defeat to hype the crowd up. The Boulder could appreciate a good performer, and the self styled ‘Fire Nation Man’ was one of the best in the business.

“Shut your mouths” Xin Fu said, the greedy fool. “We have lured him and his army in. The mayor has plied them with alcohol and women. By nightfall, he will be completely exhausted and asleep. All we have to do is use already existing tunnels to infiltrate the place and capture him. Once we have him, we negotiate with his army- His freedom for their lives.” The man explained like it was so easy. Like the Fire Nation Army were well known for their mercy and their ability to stick to their word. Like they would not just sooner set fire to the entire city and sift through the ashes to find their leader.

“This plan will work. And you will be hailed as heroes for this success. Each of you will receive your weight in gold” A voice said, reminding him that they were not alone here. Lao Beifong stepped into the spotlight with an easy smile on his face. The Boulder knew his kind well. Hated them. His former employer had been just like this. Too cunning for his own good and sure that his money would save him from whatever situation he went and got himself involved in. Of course, that had turned out to be far from the truth. The man had failed to learn the lesson before he died, and The Boulder was beginning to get the feeling that a similar fate would befall Lao Beifong.

“There are eight of you here. Eight of the stongest earthbenders in the whole Earth Kingdom gathered to take out one man while he sleeps. Surely this is not an impossible task to ask of you” The Mayor was the one who spoke now. Earth Rumble Wrestling was supposed to be illegal within Gaoling so it itched at his senses, being so close to the foremost legal authority in the city, but neither Xin Fu nor any of the real veterans seemed to care. Of course he was in on it.

“Let’s just get it over with. Where are the chains?” Gecko finally asked in that deep baritone of his.

XXXXXXXXX

Night gathered, and so their mission began. They fluttered from shadow to shadow until they were outside the Mayor’s office. From there, they followed the map given to them to the hidden tunnel. The Boulder figured that this tunnel would be closed and redrawn after they succeeded here today, but that was none of his concern. They followed the path in the darkness, trusting their hearing and sense of touch to guide them through until they could reach their destination- the room they were assured that the Fire Nation General was sleeping in.

A/N; Dan dan dannnnnnnn