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The gallop of a native steed blazed through the tall grasses and vibrant wildflowers of the Adlian plains. It had been some time since Songhua had looked upon the beauty of his homeland, but it tasted a bittersweet to return when the people he had left were his friends in Learania that he knew needed him. However, he also knew his tribe needed him and was anxious to return to their smiling faces. Kalilah's was always the brightest, she never failed to warm his soul with her humble, carefree pleasantness. And Azoth, he always admired the lad's tenacity and steadfast loyalty towards his friends. Songhua raddled off the names of his tribesmen in his head one by one, looking forward to greeting them all once more. But first, he had to go meet with the elders and seek their council. Adliana was in an alliance with Learania and Estarcia, they were a part of this war. However, after the Great Eyris Siege, all the tribes save for Songhua's returned to the plains. They needed to do more to help the effort, Mordache was their enemy as well. Songhua intended to lead his tribe to assist Rath regardless of what the elders said, but he still had to go and see if they would have the other tribes fight as well. So many thoughts raced through the chieftain's head as he reached the top of a hill and could see the elder's encampment up ahead.

As Songhua rode inside, he noticed the guards seemed distant and hushed, strange for when a chieftain came, but had hardly the mindset to dwell on it. They were still doing their job. After approaching the largest ger, Songhua dismounted and tied his horse to a post outside. He had no need to have his horse escorted to a stable, he didn't plan on staying very long. Songhua took one deep breath and then slipped inside.

"Greeting, elders. I have returned from..." His voice trailed off quickly as his jaw sank and eyes grew wide. Before him, limp in their seats, were the bloodied bodies of elder Kenafa and his sister, elder Kusume. "No!" Songhua rushed forward and leaned beside Kusume's body acting quickly to feel for a pulse to no avail.

"...S-song... hua...."

The chieftain quickly turned leaned over Kenafa. "Elder! What's happened?! Who... who did this?!"

"...You must... flee... ..."

"Elder!" Songhua serached to find the pulse, but shook his head when he couldn't find it. "No, stay with me! ...Kenafa!!"

"Tsk, tsk, was he still breathing? Tenacious old cretin, wasn't he." Out of an archway that led to the back of the ger, Elder Shamir emerged, a contented grin plastered on his face. "Well passed his prime, completely useless in matters that required intelligence, his sister too. They were both nuissances." Shamir looked at Songhua, holding his wicked expression, savoring the look on the chieftain's face. "You look confused, Songhua. Is it really that hard to piece together?"

The chieftain shook his head in disbelief as he stood back up. "...You did this, elder?!" He looked down at Kenafa's red-stained body and then back at Shamir. Never before had such a helpless look been worn by him. "...Why...?"

Shamir laughed. "I just told you why, weren't you listening? They were a nuissance. They were in my way. Adliana hasn't the need of their tired dribble. All the tribes need... is me." The elder looked down at the corpse of the former elder, shaking his head. "Amazing really, the two of them were bestowed with bodies that would greatly withstand the passage of time so that they would not so quickly die and yet all it took to end them was a simple stab in the back." He rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. "...Or the throat, I don't really know where it was, precicely, but you get my point."

"...Enough." Songhua growled lowly, as he hid his face. "I've heard ENOUGH!!" Face erupting with rage, Songhua looked up, glaring at Shamir. "You've gone mad! I never expected something so cruel, even from you! I will set things right here and now; to bring justice to the fallen elders, I will put an end to you!" With fury in his heart, Songhua moved to draw his sword on a man he once considered his leader.

Shamir remained calm as Songhua gripped his sword and chuckled after Ishtur entered the ger. "Now, now, Ishtur, he needs to be given a chance just like every other chieftain. It's only fair..." The elder moved his hand from behind his back, revealing a crystal ball. He flourished his other hand over it as he held it out towards the chieftain. "Yes, there they are..." Within the ball, the image of an army appeared. But it was no ordinary army, it was an army of the soulless, the summoned damned. "Do you know what you're looking at, Songhua? I reckon you've heard about an army like this before... that spring when Learania was here. Ring a bell? Unfortunately, the small group I summoned on them didn't do its job, but I can guarantee this one will completely obliterate the poor fools they hunt." Shamir's eyes narrowed as he flourished his hand over the ball once more. "I wonder whom they approach..." The image in the ball shifted, soaring over grassy hills until it came upon a familiar encampment to the chieftain. "...I believe this is where your tribe currently resides, yes...?"

He kept the ball out so that Songhua could see his peaceful people, their unsuspecting smiles. "I'll make this simple for you... you follow me. You do what I say. If you agree, I'll call off the attack. The fate of your tribe lies with you, Songhua. You can either save them or condemn them. What will it be...?"

Shamir's grin faded as he looked down at Songhua with discontent. He was given his chance. He could have gone along with the others and lived in peace. But no, he would rather condemn his people and himself because he was too foolish to see the good that Shamir was doing for them. "...Fine then, Songhua. If that's the way it's going to be..." Shamir looked over to Ishtur. "Kill him." He grinned and then stepped back, moving his crystal ball behind his back. The image inside flickered to the undead army marching ever closer to Songhua's tribe.

Songhua drew his sword with the speed of a streaming geyser and intercepted Ishtur's blade. He looked at his fellow chieftain with a piercing glare that few had ever seen. "...Get out of my way." His eyes flared as he used his brute force fueled by adrenaline to push Ishtur back. He swiftly reformed his footing and then slashed time and time again with his own sword, like the crashing waves. With each stroke, he pushed back closer to the entrance of the ger. "You will not keep me from my family!!" With another powerful slash, he clashed blades with Ishtur and then used all his strength to force the man out of the ger. However, that was only a small victory for him. He was now out in the encampment, but Ishtur was not a novice at swordplay and they were quickly clashing weapons once more. "...So tell me, Ishtur, is this about power or do you really think this is what is best for Adliana, too?"

Songhua glanced around him as Ishtur's men moved to surround him. Ishtur's words made everything very clear. "...That's how it's going to be, then. So be it... you've forsaken yourself." Songhua pushed back against Ishtur and then put distance between the two of them. As the guards rushed in to overwhelm Songhua, he quickly discovered their skill in swordsmanship. He had to intercept one blade and then spin around the other to avoid fatal blows. After spinning, he lifted his arm and dealt a hard blow with the bottom of his arm to the back of the guard's head. Defending against three opponents was hard, Songhua knew he had to move or else he'd be quickly dispatched. It was only a matter of time until the entire encampment ended up joining the fray.

As the first guard came at him again, Songhua deflected the sword with his own and then slugged the guard in the jaw, sending him colliding into the side of the ger. And a punch from him was not something people just lightly shrugged off. He kept a wary eye on Ishtur to make sure he didn't try to come at him from behind. But now that the guards were out of his way, Songhua used the chance to move. He got no more than three steps before the second guard was back on his feet, chasing him. They were skilled, indeed. However, there was no time to deal with them, he had to get away. After blocking and pushing back against a slash, Songhua glanced and did a double take at a pile of wood by the side of the ger. His hand was shaking, anger turning into concern at the thought that he might not make it out of the encampment. But the sounds of his tribesmen's laughter inside his head gave him courage. After knocking the guard away, he ran behind it and slashed at the string securing the logs, severing it. He gave a hefty kick and the logs went rolling forward at the two guards, causing them both to trip not just upon the wood but also themselves. Songhua hoped the effects would travel and catch Ishtur up in the mess as well.

Now that he had more time, he quickly raced over to his horse, untied it and mounted. He eyed the way out and the guards around it, but it was the quickest way out. There were guards at every exit of the encampment, so it hardly mattered which one he tried. He just had try and sweep through like a coursing river. Not giving Ishtur more thought, he raced forward towards escape.

The speed of his horse had gotten him almost to the nearest gate, but the attention from the rest of the encampment had come just as Songhua had expected. "...Blackheart!" Songhua scowled, as he heard the echoed shouts from Ishtur roaring behind him. He had to move fast or else all of Ishtur's fighters would soon be upon him. The guards at the gate had already drawn their bows and opened fire and more men were emerging every second. He had to weave all around, but not divert from his path or else slow himself. And while his riding was superb, there were quite a few arrows being fired. He had to use his sword to deflect a number of them.

He galloped passed the gers Ishtur's men were coming out of, nearly trampling one of them. The nomad jumped back into the others who were rushing out, causing them all to stumble. That would aid a little. As Songhua came upon the exit, he held his breath. The guards would not get a better shot at him then at that moment. However, other guards had drawn swords and stood in the way in a feeble attempt to make Songhua stop instead of passing through. The bowmen stopped so they wouldn't hit their comrades and the swordsmen moved to not get trampled. Although some slashed from the side, Songhua intercepted with his sword.

In the blink of an eye, Songhua had ridden through the exit and was riding away from the encampment. The bowmen opened fire once again and were joined with numbers. Songhua now had a much larger space to weave around in now that he was not confined to inside the encampment. The shots became far off and the ones that got close were deflected with Songhua's sword as he turned and looked back while riding. He gave a deep sigh. He had made it out.

"Leave him" Shamir said, after approaching the annoyed chieftain. "He rides to his demise anyway. We have much more important matters to tend to." He turned to head back to the main ger. "Come." He then began to walk off, expecting Ishtur to walk with him. As they both headed back, Shamir expanded on what these others things they needed to tend to were. "I need you to ride to Learania. I've dealt with all the tribes, the plains are mine. Now I must further support Mistress Razevi. In Learania, you will convince their bandits to revolt and pillage. Tell them to support their Sentrian brothers. Use whatever words you have to. The Learanians must be distracted so that the sorceress can further her plans. Only she has the power to stand before Loki. Learania would not hesitate to get in her way, given the chance, so our success is vital. Do not fail." He chuckled. "But of course, I know you shan't."

By then, the two had entered the elders' ger. Shamir wafted his hand at the stench of the corpses and then turned to Ishtur. "After you are done there, I want you to ride to the two towns in the east. Disgusting places, filled with people not of the plains- and to think they consider it their home! Unacceptable. It is time to cleanse Adliana of these stains. The plainsmen who reside in these towns have forsaken their culture and can no longer be considered Adlian. Kill them all." After delivering the harsh sentence, Shamir went into the back of the ger for a moment and returned with something covered in a cloth. "To help, I give you... this." He pulled the cloth away, revealing a black bow with runes imbued into it. "The legendary thunder bow, Donarco. Originally the weapon of Shento, the Dragon's Bane, pilfered from Eyris by Mordache and given to Sentria as a gift of good will. Razevi has seen it best to send it here. Use it well." After handing the weapon to Ishtur, he smiled sinisterly. "Make haste, Ishtur. We haven't much time to waste."

Shamir chuckled as he turned around and stepped towards the middle of the three seats for the elders. Kenafa's corpse still resided upon it, but Shamir gingerly pushed the body forward until it fell off and rolled away. He faced the seat and his smile was instantly reduced at the sight of the seat covered in Kenafa's blood. "...Yuck." He sighed. "Well, I guess I'll just have to wait until it's cleaned..."

"..."

He stared at the seat. "... ...Nnnnnno, I'll just place a- a blanket on it or something... Ah, there we go!" Shamir grasped one of the many decorative woven cloths and gracefully laid it over the seat as a cover. Satisfied, Shamir took his seat, acting as if it was the most comfortable thing he'd ever sat in. "Yes, this is much better. As it should be. Heh heh hehee--" A fly flew into his mouth as he laughed. "--Heh he heack blaugh aahhh craaaghBLEGHUWEGHHEEEH!!" He grasped his throat and breathed deeply. His pupils slowly turned to Kusume's corpse in the seat beside him, which had flies fluttering about it. "...WOULD SOMEBODY KINDLY GET IN HERE AND REMOVE THESE BODIES!!!" He took a few more deep breathes and calmed himself. "...I mean really. It smells..."

After sighing, Shamir went to the back of the ger for a moment and returned to his new seat with crystal ball in hand. "Heh heh... Let's see how my army is progressing..." Images swirled within the ball, about to reveal the goings on of Songhua's tribe...



Slowly, the army marched over the plains, growing ever closer to the encampment. Skeleton soldiers carrying a variety of weapons hobbled along, soulless. These fallen soldiers, imprisoned to do the bidding of the one who summoned them, knew only destruction- and that was their task.

All was silent. Scouts from Songhua's tribe trotted along the outskirts of the camp, ever watchful. Everything was at peace... but that all changed, when the fire nation skeleton army attacked. As they charged over the hill, the scouts quickly spotted them and rushed to warn the rest of the tribe.

"We're under attack!" they shouted, riding through. "Enemy, unknown... they came out of nowhere! Women, children and elderly need to flee at once! Fighters, weapons at the ready! Hurry!"

The evacuation began instantly, Songhua's tribe knew how to handle emergency situations. There was a place just the right distance away they could go to, ancient caves dug by their ancestors during the time of the legendary heroes. The fighters of the tribe would defend the rest. As the army came upon them, Songhua's warriors were already prepared and arrows shot like lightning.