The History of Renko: Book 2 Voyager (Avatar, BoyxBoy)

Chapter 20: A Strange Genius

 "AUGGHH!"

If they were not underground, the scream would have been heard for miles. The shrieking guard fell to the ground as Ippei lowered his staff still tingling blue with electricity. Not far down the dark corridor in which he stood, he could see bright orange flashes of fire as his team battled against the prison guards. He looked down as he felt the concrete floor under his feet splinter.

He jumped out of the way as the concrete erupted into a spike meant to impale him to the ceiling. In a matter of moments, he had to roll out of the way as another security guard threw rock after rock at him. The guard slammed the ground with his foot sending a tremor towards Ippei. In return, Ippei took his staff, pressed a small button on it and stuck it into the now softened earth. The staff pierced the ground and held Ippei steady as the ground shook around him.

"Halt! You may not-"the guard tried to say but was interrupted by another Dark Hand member reaching for him with a glowing blue glove.

The guarded turned to knock the Dark Hand member away by raising an angular pillar of concrete from the ground but was hit with a kick in the back from Ippei. As soon as he turned to try and shove the blue-eyed boy off him he was stabbed in the chest by Ippei's blue-tipped staff. The guard writhed silently as the electricity traveled through his body until he became still. Ippei climbed off the now limp body.

"Is that the last one?" he asked.

"No," the Dark Hand member said. "They'll be more coming but we think we're close to the prisoner."

"Good," Ippei said. "I'm tired of wandering around these tunnels."

The day before, Ippei and his team had found their way underneath the city of Ba Seng Sei and into the ancient tunnels that form a dark maze. Ippei tasked himself with finding a prisoner who had been locked up before he was born. A prisoner so dangerous, they had been sealed into the maze-like catacombs. The maze was so old, folktales spoke of a horned monster that roamed the tunnels. Ippei and his team of a half of dozen had not run into any monster but had grown weary of their search.

"Ippei!" someone called from around the corner. The group marched to where they heard the call. A young fire bender girl stood in front of a wrought iron door. She held a ball of flame in her palm to lighten the dimly lit area. They could see that the walls around the door were old but the door showed no signs of age except for a bit of dust.

Ippei nodded to another girl who stepped up to the door. She placed her palms on the iron and with a few loud wrenching sounds, she twisted the metal as if it were tissue paper. She kicked it inward and it flew a couple of feet before landing loudly on the floor. Everyone poked their heads in and tried to peer through the darkness. A bright light shone down another long corridor and they knew that they found what they were looking for.

"Oh?" a small voice called out down the hall. "Is someone there? Are the guards rotating so soon? My, something must have happened."

"Who's there?" Ippei called down.

"My my," it was a man's voice that spoke. "You certainly don't sound like any guard that has been down here before."

"Who are you?" Ippei asked again this time raising his voice.

"If you have come here to find me," the man said. "You know who I am."

"I have a proposition for you. A woman you were once very close to wants me to capture the Avatar. I think you can help."

"Hehehehe," the man laughed very creepily at that. "I can certainly help. On one condition."

"What's that?"

"What has the woman named your little organization?"

"The Dark Hand."

"Hmm," the man sounded displeased.

"Is that your condition?" Ippei asked.

"Oh no," the man said. "When the time is right I will tell you my condition. For now, release me before anymore guards come."

Ippei and the group walked towards the light and found another iron door. The girl metal bended it away to reveal a small and skinny man sitting crisscrossed under a single hanging lightbulb. His hair was a strawberry color with a few streaks of gray. His eyes were green and his skin was very pale. Ippei was unsure as to whether or the not the lack of sun was the cause of his pale skin. The man looked up at him.

"You must be around the same age as my daughter," he said. "I can only imagine what she must look like now."

Ippei wondered whether or not it was wise to tell him the truth about his daughter. Instead, he got down and picked the locks keeping him to the ground. When he was finished, the man stood and towered over Ippei. He rolled his neck and popped his shoulders.

"What is your name boy?"

"Ippei."

"Strong name."

"And you are-"

"Yes. I am Fogwai, but you may call me Fo."