Chapter 14

Kenzo the Rocket charged at Bikki, the trail of flame fanning out behind him acting as a boost to his momentum. Bikki snapped off a shot from his Bow as Kenzo charged in, but the Pirate Firebender swung his tetsubo out in a short arc that swatted the arrow out of the air. Bikki was forced to tuck and roll out of the path of the charge to avoid being smashed aside, rolling away and coming up in a kneeling position. He fired another arrow at the Pirate Firebender's back, the arrow sinking into the man's right shoulder.

Bikki tossed his bow aside and drew his Emushi Blade once more as Kenzo the Rocket roared in pain, blasting fire out ahead of him to arrest his momentum. Bikki didn't know what a retro-rocket was, indeed no one in the world did, but it was that principle that saw Kenzo the Rocket stop and then reverse his charge on a dime, forcing Bikki to dodge out of the path of his charge once more.

As Bikki came up to his feet, he leaped into the air in a backflip and fired off an arc of flame with a flipping kick at Kenzo. The Pirate Firebender janked to the side on another pillar of fire, his mastery over the Flamecharge Technique allowing him to dodge to the side. Instead, Bikki's attack caught one of Kenzo's subordinates, a Pirate with a pair of Kama in his hands, aflame. The man went down screaming as Bikki righted himself at the apex of his Chi-assisted jump.

Igniting a Flamecharge of his own, Bikki rocketed toward Kenzo, superheating his Emushi Blade with his first original technique and cutting out at Kenzo the Rocket. The Pirate Firebender let out a torrent of flame to his right in order to sidestep the cut and lashed out with his Tetsubo, forcing Bikki to ignite another Flamecharge behind himself to speed past Kenzo and out of the swinging arc of the Tetsubo.

The pair of combatants whirled about each other, as if dancing on plumes of fire, each trying to get a better angle on the other. Kenzo was more experienced with the Flamecharge, but Bikki was a quick study and more creative in his use of Firebending. While Kenzo would be able to flatten any normal Firebender with his mastery of the technique, Bikki always just managed to get away in time to avoid taking a fight-ending blow. As they fought, both Tamna Warriors and Pirates paused in their struggle around them, keen on watching the duel.

Eventually, however, Bikki began to ape the way that Kenzo used the Flamecharge. It happened suddenly, with Kenzo moving in from Bikki's side on a plume of flame, charging forth to take advantage of his better position. That's when Bikki thrust out in front of himself and let off a burst of fire to arrest and then reverse his momentum as Kenzo had during the start of the duel, dodging what would have been a surefire attack that decided the outcome of the duel.

As Bikki cut off his retro-rocket-style Flamecharge, he darted in at Kenzo's now exposed right side, cutting out with his Emushi Blade glowing a deep cherry-red through the use of Bikki's first original technique. Caught off-guard by Bikki's sudden learning of his own Technique, Kenzo the Rocket couldn't dodge. Instead, he tried to parry with his tetsubo.

There was a clang as the weapons met before, with a shriek of tearing steel and a hissing of melting metal, Kenzo's Tetsubo was cleaved in half. Bikki smashed a knee strike into Kenzo's unarmored torso and sent the Pirate Firebender reeling backward. That gave Bikki his opening to finish off his opponent. Charging in on another Flamecharge, Bikki lashed out with his Emushi Blade, red hot edge carving through the hasty Fireblast that Kenzo sent at him to try and deter his assault. Kenzo's Fireblast parted to the cutting blade and a second slash struck out, taking Kenzo the Rocket's head off, helmet and all. The Pirate Firebender toppled to the stone of the fortress courtyard, dead.

Bikki turned to regard the others in the courtyard. The Tamna Warriors and Kenzo's Pirates were looking at him with looks of awe and fear respectively. They weren't fighting, though, which was a problem because Dal-Sam was still fighting the Pirates on the walls and counting on them to open the fortress gates. Summoning up whatever vestige of a commanding tone he currently possessed, Bikki decided it was time to put paid to that.

"Well? Why are you not fighting? Our comrades are still trying to get past the walls! Let's finish up here and let them in!" Commanded Bikki.

"You heard the Captain, let's get after them!" Shouted Lieutenant Suk-Jong.

And like that, the twenty or so Tamna Island Warriors who had come through the secret tunnel with Bikki surged forward, blades flashing out and carving into Pirates. Many of the Pirates had only tunics and maybe a leather helmet to protect themselves if they couldn't parry, and the way Bikki had dispatched their Captain left them too intimidated to successfully parry. The front ranks of the Pirates in the Courtyard were cut down by the advancing Tamna Island Warriors without being able to mount much of a defense. As the Tamna Island Warriors smashed into the middle rank of the Pirates, the back rank began to falter, desperately searching for a way out.

Bikki gave them none, harrying their flanks with blasts of fire or swings of his Emushi Blade every time they tried to retreat. Each time only cutting one or two down, but this served to sufficiently cow the remainder as they sought to flee a different way. To their horror, every time the Pirates did that, Bikki would race around them via a flame charge and repeat the process, cutting down more pirates and forcing them to try fleeing once more.

Ten Minutes after the death of Kenzo the Rocket, his fifty Pirates were whittled down to just fifteen. Now outnumbered by the Tamna Island Warriors and unable to flee, the Pirates did the only sensible thing they could at this juncture. They surrendered, throwing down their weapons and putting up their hands to indicate they were serious about it. Bikki detailed five men to keep watch over the prisoners while he and the rest of the Tamna Island Warriors moved for the gatehouse.

Bikki kicked in the wooden door in a burst of Chi, lending strength to his kick and they raced up the stairs into the Gatehouse, Bikki in the lead with Lieutenant Suk-Jong just behind him. As they raced up the stairs, a Pirate with an Ono Axe tried to stop them, cutting down at Bikki only for Bikki to parry with his Emushi Blade and punched a fireball into the Pirate's face with his left hand that sent him toppling back clutching his burning face. Lieutenant Suk-Jong put the man out of his misery with a quick slash to the throat. Then they were up the stairs and into the Gatehouse.

Here, another thirty or so Pirates sat manning the murder holes and arrow slits, while a pair stood guard over the mechanical winch that opened and closed the gates down below. Bikki dashed forward, cutting out with his Emushi Blade at Pirate who was firing an Earth Country-style Repeating Crossbow at the gathered Tamna Island Warriors outside, avoiding the return fire from arrows by dint of the arrow slit blocking them. The man was surprised by the sudden appearance of the enemy in the gatehouse, but it didn't last long. Bikki's Emushi Blade sunk into his skull with a downward cut, killing him.

A nearby trio of Pirates turned to charge at Bikki, only for Bikki to wrench his Emushi Blade out of the Pirate's skull via the simple expedient of kicking the corpse off his blade. The Dead Pirate's corpse slammed into the three charging Pirates and as they managed to right themselves, Lieutenant Suk-Jong moved in to take them on.

In a flurry of swordplay reminiscent of some of the Masters that Bikki had seen, Lieutenant Suk-Jong managed to blend attack and defense together. He parried a cutting Dao while simultaneously striking out, cutting off the Pirate's sword hand at the wrist. He dodged aside from a thrusting Jian while his blade kept moving at the same time, opening that Pirate's throat. A whalebone club came streaking in for his elbow only for him to move his arm out of position and in so doing, thrust his blade through the Last Pirate's chest. Three Pirates attacked him and three were swiftly dispatched within a trio of heartbeats.

"Huh, you really are a master swordsman." Blinked Bikki as the rest of the assault force caught up with him and Lieutenant Suk-Jong and charged in.

"You had doubts, Captain? I'm hurt!" Chuckled Lieutenant Suk-Jong.

"Yeah, sure. Let's get back in the fight." Grumbled Bikki.

"By your command." Grinned Lieutenant Suk-Jong.

The fight only lasted another couple of minutes as the Strike Force of Tamna Island Warriors finished off the remaining pirates with brutal efficiency. Bikki took three more Pirates, two with his Emushi Blade and one with a knife-hand strike to the throat that crushed the Pirate's Windpipe. Lieutenant Suk-Jong took two more with his blade. Then Bikki began operating the winch to let Lieutenant Dal-Sam into the fort.

The whole time, Lieutenant Suk-Jong couldn't keep the grin off his face as he kept taunting Bikki about his lack of faith in him. . .

XXXX

Lieutenant Bu Dal-Sam was annoyed. Not that he minded leading the main assault, mind you, no that was all well and good. What he was annoyed about was how his opponents seemed to be adept at cowering behind their battlements and letting out just enough arrow and crossbow fire to keep Dal-Sam's men from making any meaningful advances on the walls. Even firing back was hit or miss, literally, as the Pirates only came up from behind their battlements to let off a quick crossbow bolt or arrow before ducking back down. Dal-Sam was a good enough shot to take out more pirates than he missed, even with this. Most of the Warriors in the Company were not, though.

He supposed he should be thanking the Spirits that O-Meul and the Wolfporpoise's gunners had done an excellent job suppressing the Ballistae on the Walls and towers. Most of the wood, rope, and stone contraptions now lay smashed to flinders, and one particular one lay buried in rubble and unable to fire as the roof of the bastion tower it was housed in had collapsed down on it as well. There were only the two facing the Port of Woncheon that weren't yet destroyed and from the look of things, that wouldn't last much longer. A cloud of smoke and the thunder of guns wafted up and rang out from the Wolfporpoise as Dal-Sam thought that and suddenly, the last two enemy Ballista lay smashed to pieces.

Unfortunately, with how thick the walls were, it was unlikely that any of the black powder guns the Wolfporpoise carried would be able to breach them. Maybe with a sustained bombardment carried out over a day or two, but they didn't have that sort of time. The General's plan required speed, after all. Mind you, none of this annoyance showed on Dal-Sam's face. Instead, his face was set in a neutral mask, as if he wasn't doing anything more interesting than a bit of light reading. That was his secret, appear unflappable at all times and the men would think you actually were.

As he let loose an arrow from his bow at a Pirate who had popped out from behind the battlements to fire his Earth Country-style Repeating Crossbow at one of the men, he couldn't help but wonder, deep down, what was taking the Captain so long. Hadn't the point of using a secret tunnel been to ensure a swift assault? It had already been fifteen minutes since the Captain should have infiltrated. Dal-Sam had expected to be in the fort in ten.

As he thought this and the Pirate Crossbowmen fell from the battlements, throat suddenly sporting fletching, there was a shout from the gatehouse and one of the Pirates that had been firing at Dal-Sam's men was yanked back away from the arrow slit he'd fired from. Dal-Sam allowed a small smile to just barely ghost over his lips. Speak of the Spirits and they will appear. It seemed that the Captain was coming through after all.

Twenty minutes after the assault had begun, the gates were opened and Dal-Sam raised his hand in the air in a clenched fist to signal the men. As all eyes fell on him, his ghost of a smile deepened slightly as he knew they would be able to pull this off with just a few casualties now, and those were mostly wounded.

"With me! We're going in!" Commanded Dal-Sam as he charged into the open gates.

And the main force of the Tamna Island Warriors charged in after him. . .

XXXX

Fifteen minutes later, and Bikki and the Tamna Island Warriors had cleared the outbuildings. Three Buildings had each held men who had needed to be dealt with. The Mess was taken by surprise during a meal and easily dealt with, while the Barracks and Armory had to be secured by fighting their way inside, but once the Pirates saw they were outmatched, they surrendered. Bikki and the Tamna Island Warriors had surprised them with the ferocity of their attack and Bikki's bending prowess. All told, they had managed to take another hundred prisoners and kill eighty-six more Pirates at the cost of two and a half dozen wounded.

Now there was only the keep remaining. The squat, three-floor, tower supposedly only held another fifty Pirates, plus their overall commander, the Waterbender known as Deniigi. Bikki wasn't sure what he was expecting from the enemy, but coming out to fight him wasn't it. He'd thought for sure that they would have stayed in the keep and forced him and the Tamna Island Warriors to fight their way up.

However, he couldn't deny what he was seeing. The red, lacquered, wooden, gates to the keep had swung open and a procession of pirates with various arms and equipment came marching out. These pirates had actually armored troops among them too, though, and not just lacquered leather or padded cloth like were common in the Archipelago either, though those were also present. Some of them had heavier armor. Everything from Fire Nation Lamellar to Earth Kingdom Brigandines, and even a small number in Northern Water Tribe Wolf Armor.

Their weapons also varied. Spears were present, as were varying types of swords and maces, but there were also more exotic weapons around. Earth Kingdom Meteor Hammers, Fire Nation Kama, and Northern Water Tribe Whale Tooth Scimitars. It was an eclectic mix of weapons and armor from an eclectic group of varying origins.

Once the last of the remaining fifty pirates exited the keep, their commander made her way out as well. Deniigi was an Amazon of a Woman, six feet tall and obviously muscled, her well-defined arms bore tattoos across her brown skin of various Northern Water Tribe designs. Her hair was longer, in the usual fashion of the Water Tribes, though styled differently than normal, and she wore the sort of leather and fur clothing you would expect of a Water Tribeswoman, albeit accented with the sort of things you could only get outside the Water Tribes. A Silk sash in sea green, for instance, was wrapped around her waist, and she wore a jade hairpin that kept her hair done up and out of her face.

"Who is in command here?" Demanded Deniigi.

"I am. Bikki of the Yonbanjin." Intoned Bikki.

"You? You're just a boy!" Blinked Deniigi.

"Perhaps, but my people teach the ways of war young. I have been training to fight since I was old enough to hold a weapon." Retorted Bikki.

"And you managed to take most of my fort with only a hundred men? I guess that's good enough." Huffed Deniigi.

"Good enough for what?" Questioned Bikki.

"I'm challenging you to single combat. If you beat me, we surrender. If you lose, your men have to withdraw. What do you say?" Offered Deniigi.

"Why should we take that deal? Can't you count? We outnumber you two to one!" Scoffed Lieutenant Suk-Jong.

"While I wouldn't put it quite the same way as Suk-Jong, it does seem a bit on the risky side given we clearly have the advantage." Added Lieutenant Dal-Sam.

"True, but at what cost? They look much better equipped and prepared than the other Pirates were. Besides, I'm confident I can win." Pointed out Bikki.

"Captain, are you truly that confident?" Queried Lieutenant Dal-Sam

"I'm with Dal-Sam on this. You cannot be seriously considering this." Frowned Lieutenant Suk-Jong.

"What's wrong, are you guys just a bunch of Pig-Chickens, too scared to face a woman in battle?" Mocked Deniigi.

"I take it back, kick her ass." Groused Lieutenant Suk-Jong.

"I won't rise to that bait so easily. We should simply attack them with everything we have." Huffed Lieutenant Dal-Sam.

"Have some faith in your Captain. I can handle it." Grinned Bikki before stepping forward.

"Well, what's it gonna be, Little Captain?" Asked Deniigi.

"I accept. We fight, when you lose, I'll expect your surrender." Nodded Bikki.

"I could say the same to you. When I beat you into the ground and freeze you there, your men better hold to the terms." Sneered Deniigi.

And with that, both sides made a circle there in the courtyard of the fortress to give Bikki and Deniigi room to fight. Deniigi took up a Waterbending stance, not even designing to draw the dagger tucked into her sash. Meanwhile, Bikki took up a Firebending Stance, ready to shift into Steambending at a moment's notice. For a few moments, both combatants stared each other down, each daring the other to make the first move. Then, with a mocking grin on her face, Deniigi stepped forward and summoned a spear-sized icicle.

And the duel began in earnest. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here's the first part of the actual fighting. The Fortress fell pretty handily to the sneak attack and after around an hour of fighting, everything but the keep was in Bikki's hands. Now, the commander of the Fortress is doing that thing that sometimes happens in ATLA where a commander bets the outcome of a battle on a duel.

Whether Bikki succeeds in beating her and capturing the fort or not has yet to be seen. Deniigi is stronger and tougher than he is and has close to a decade more experience on him. Of course, she also taught herself Waterbending from scrolls and is going into this overconfident. Plus, Bikki has Steambending he can use as well.

The outcome could go either way, but the question is that if Bikki wins, how likely are Deniigi's men to follow through on surrender? They are Pirates after all, and thus, not the most trustworthy sort. The Tamna Island Warriors can be counted on to keep to their bargain, but they may very well have to fight their way through Deniigi's troops anyway even if Bikki wins.

We'll find out the answers to those in the next chapter.

Stay tuned. . .