Fandom Legend of Korra - After the War (jaydude x Necroknight)

[NecroKnight]

jaydude

"Standard procedures as always soldier. Have several of our outlying villages evacuated, their families, livestock and crops brought here...." spoke Li, not knowing how long this siege of Qutong might be held. While most of their trade was now done via sea - she still wasn't about to let what few villages they had, be used by the bandit' army.

"Get the civilians informed," she added - unless they planned on bringing a navy, Qutong could continue its usual life. So long as civilians knew what was happening and mentally prepared themselves. Plus Li had made sure, to stockpile up their food stores, for just such an occasion.

The most worrying thing, that Qutong had to fear - thanks to Li' leadership, was simply wild rocks falling and crushing any buildings they might hit. Since namely, Qutong' walls had been inlined with plantinum plates - so any metalbender wanting to try his luck, would be sadly mistaken.

In addition, any attempts to try and rip the earth under them, would also be a failure. As the ground underneath the walls had been inlined with plantinum spikes. While Xiao' father had thought them a waste of money - Li proved this invest was worth it. After a squad of trained soldiers, were unable to breach Qutong - beyond trying to launch themselves above the walls.

 

[jaydude]

NecroKnight

(Bit more backstory for Qutong, and also for Xiao. I hope you don't mind me making her a metalbender, but I wanted to make her bending relevant to her time in the army, and a possible future medical career. Plus, I wanted to give earthbending its own healing subskill, and thought orthopedics would be appropriate, given that it can involve working with metal plates, screws and rods. And if anywhere in the Avatarverse was going to develop this subskill, it would be Zaofu.)

Half an hour wasn't nearly enough time to get everyone from Qutong's outlying settlements safely into the city. The populations of the two closest villages made it inside with whatever supplies and livestock they could take with them, but everyone else was just too far away to get there in time.

Back at the city, preparations were carried out for the imminent battle, which many assumed would take place around the eastern side of the city, based on the direction the bandits were coming from. Boulders were stockpiled on top of the east wall, to be earthbent at the attackers when they got close. The three planes were loaded with fuel and bombs, and their pilots were put on standby, ready to take to the air at a moment's notice. Earthbender soldiers and mechasuits were made ready on top of and behind the eastern walls.

Based on the position of the eastern outpost and the estimated time of the bandits' arrival, it was judged that they were all driving jeeps and motorcycles. In response, other earthbender soldiers used their bending to raise rock formations and dig trenches capable of stopping a jeep in its tracks in the ground in front of the walls. These rudimentary defenses wouldn't stop a charging bandit force at all, but they might slow it down slightly, as the bandits ran into or struggled to avoid the obstacles.

As she changed into a soldier's uniform within the barracks, Xiao remarked to herself that Kuvira, in her own way, had indirectly been very helpful in securing Qutong's future. Her army had rebuilt and started modernising the city the first time it had been ravaged by bandits, but as was the case everywhere Kuvira had helped out, this had come with a steep price. After platinum mines had been discovered in the state, Kuvira had put most of the state's people to work digging up the valuable metal, using it, along with the domes taken from Zaofu, to build her Colossus. If it hadn't been for those mines, Li would have had a much harder time gathering the platinum necessary for all her defenses.

Once she had finished changing, Xiao took the two spools of metal cable, similar to the ones Toph Beifong's police force had once used, and attached them to her belt. Metalbending had been a skill she had acquired during her days as a medic in Kuvira's army. While orthopedic surgery had first been developed in Republic City, Zaofu had been the place where people had first used metalbending to perform it. A metalbending orthopedic surgeon could perform their operations without the need for machinery or electricity.

One of those same surgeons had travelled with Kuvira when she and the Zaofu security force first began their mission, and he had started training Xiao and others in his craft, so that they could better help the army. It hadn't been easy for Xiao to pick it up - it required great precision to reach and bend the earth traces in the metal - but eventually she was capable of drilling holes and fixing metal plates onto broken bones, injuries that were typical when your main form of warfare involved throwing rock and earth about.

Now though, Xiao took up a position on the wall, alongside the troops preparing to defend their city from the incoming bandits. She'd been earthbending since she was a child, and had been trained by her father and the most skilled masters he could afford to hire. She was an adult, she could fight, and she planned to do so regardless of what Li said.

Shortly before the thirty minutes passed, the sound of several dozen approaching engines could be heard by everyone around the walls. Seconds later, the first of the bandits - on their bikes and in their jeeps - came over the crest of a natural hill far in the east, racing towards the city. Many more followed, and it soon became apparent that the warning from the eastern outpost was very much correct; the city's defenders would be outnumbered several times over.

Xiao felt her heart rate and breathing increase as the bandits - and battle - rapidly approached the city, but she nevertheless stood her ground.

 

[NecroKnight]

jaydude

(I plan for Li to in the near future to also discover/invent something - that will give Qutong the advantage of starting to slowly absorb and conquer the other states. If that okay...=3. Also...some new tech coming your way)

"Ready! Arm Zhuge's!" yelled Li, as around the eastern wall - several men and women, pulled out some rather interesting contraptions. Namely they were crossbows, the kind which hadn't seen much use in the days - since of the Industrial Revolution had happened throughout the world.

Crossbows hadn't been of much use, as many benders could easily deflect or block a strike from such a weapon. The days of when they might have been handed to outposts back during the Hundred Year War was over...until now. As conflict breeds progress - Li during Kuvira' march had time to think of such ideas.

Namely unlike Xiao whom could easily bend rock and metal - Li didn't have that kind of opportunity. She could only use her fists and weapons on-hand, which most were meele. A bow was too clunky and not much use nowadays, except the occasional hunting trip. She needed a ranged weapon, period - so did many other non-benders in the Army. Thanks to modern technology, crossbows could be build with more stuff and more stopping power. But always, came it down to ammunition.

Well, after the war and with the developing of Qutong - Li had time and incentive to make such items. Thus was born the Zhuge' crossbow - named after a famous inventor of the Earth Kingdom, whom had originally been born in Qutong. In essence, the Zhuge' crossbow was a repeating crossbow, that held its bolts in small cartridges. When the first bikes came into view - the guards soon unleashed their first volley.

The now completely metal-made bolts easily penetrated into the engine and wheel compartments - demolishing several bikes in seconds. It was nothing compared to how they tore through the bandits themselves. With the reload mechanism, being a simple clicker on the bottom, which loaded the crossbow in seconds and was fired again.

 

[jaydude]

NecroKnight

(Go ahead.)

Soon after the crossbows began firing, the earthbenders - including Xiao - started launching their boulders. The effects of this storm of rock and metal on the bandits was nothing short of devastating. The bikes stood no chance when a bolt or boulder found its mark, throwing their riders aside as they went down. The jeeps fared slightly better, the bolts slamming harmlessly into their bonnets and engine grilles, but when their tyres were hit, or the bolts smashed through their windshields to hit the drivers and passengers behind, it was a different story. And that was without the heavier boulders being taken into consideration. Bandits were killed at a fast rate, many vehicles were soon forced into crashes or stopped in their tracks by the combined bombardment, and those that weren't tried desperately to weave and avoid the incoming missiles, leading to a number of crashes when two vehicles hit each other, or a vehicle hit the rudimentary earth defenses that had been set up earlier.

Still, more than three quarters of the vehicles were able to make it through undamaged, and as they approached the city walls. At their head was a musclebound giant of a man with a brown beard and mohawk. He was clad only in a pair of boots, green trousers and metal shoulder pads, and his face was adorned with blood-red warpaint. As he rode towards the walls on his bike, weaving between his dead and the other obstacles, he levitated a man-sized piece of earth between him and the defenders, catching any bolts that would have hit him or his bike.

Those earthbenders still in vehicles who were close enough to the city lifted up boulders of their own and launched them up at the walls, desperately trying to stem the bombardment from the defenders stood on top of them. But they had to work against gravity, and their projectiles were unable to get enough height to reach the defenders; they crashed against the stone walls to almost no effect. Meanwhile, those earthbenders who had survived the missiles and their vehicles crashing quickly raised up barriers of earth between them and the incoming missiles, behind which they and several of their surviving comrades took shelter.

So far the bandits were the only side to take losses, and those had been significant. However, they had yet to stop their attack, and before long their leader and several other of the jeeps and bikes had made it to the walls.

 

[NecroKnight]

jaydude

Commander Li didn't seem the slight in being worried, as she soon gave the command - to one of her engineers. Whom spoke into a radio-set of somekind - the type that could be portable. Albeit the contraption was needed to be carried by one soldier on its back.

Soon enough, further inside - several ten launchers were prepared and loaded. Soon enough Li gave them their coordinates, and they soon fired. In the air, both the defenders and attackers could hear the strange sound of whirling - as like something was flying through the air. It soon became evident, what had been launched at them.

As a bandit jeep was soon sliced in half and exploded - torn to pieces by what looked to be a circular object with four curved blades attached to it.

These objects in question came flying over the walls and impacting straight into the line of the bandits. These objects were much larger, with a thicker blade-set. Made from plantinum that was too impure to be refined into useable constructions - yet they worked well as a weapon-material. Combined with the dynamic and speed - it was the crux of the new glaive launcher. The spin of the object, adding to it a sharpness unable to be stopped by a simple rock - combined with its mass, that smashed through what it couldn't slice.

Like the Zhuge crossbows before them - they operated on an easy reload system. As the radio-operator gave coordinates on his radio - and more and more, vehicles were destroyed. It in essence was a ballista version of the Zhuge' crossbow - yet more lethal.

"Leave now, and your lives may be spared. Stay and face your destiny!" yelled Commander Li, to the so-called 'warlord' below her.

 

[jaydude]

NecroKnight

Those bandits who had made it to the walls had left their vehicles and were about to start earthbending tunnels into the city, unaware of the platinum hidden within the stone. Then the glaive launchers began firing, wreaking even more havoc within the bandit ranks, and the attack slowly drew to a close as the bandits began to realise just how outmatched they were. Once it had stopped, and the battlefield became silent but for the cries of the dying, Li delivered her ultimatum. The soldiers on the walls aimed their boulders and crossbows at the bandits as she spoke, as if to emphasize their commander's threat.

The bandit leader gritted his teeth and glared at Li for a few seconds, furious and in disbelief over how the battle had gone, but he eventually got back on his bike and signalled for his forces to retreat. Only half of them - the unhurt or lightly injured - left the city, jumping on whatever vehicles were still in drivable condition and racing after their leader. Those who were incapable of getting into a jeep or onto a bike were left to either die, or start rotting.

"We shouldn't let them escape." One soldier muttered within earshot of Li and Xiao. "They'll either attack us again, or go after someone else. I say we send the bombers after them, blast them all to bits."

The bombers could be in the air almost as soon as Li gave the order. Xiao looked at Li, her expression saying that the older woman could do as she pleased, and she wouldn't complain either way. Her ability to forgive banditry had decreased significantly after what had happened to Qutong several months ago, but on the other hand, she'd understand if Li wanted to show mercy, or had simply had enough killing for one day.

 

[NecroKnight]

jaydude

Li had that look in her eyes, before she gave the order. "Deploy them, tell them to focus on the front collum...eliminate the leader and the rest will brake-down into infighting," she spoke - letting them know, that while she wasn't about to let this opportunity to decapitate this 'Bandit' Army' - she took this as pragmatically as possible. Kill the leadership element and let the rest of them, wither on the vine and either crumble or die-out by their own.

"Round up the rest of them..." spoke Li, pointing at those whom had been left behind. It was evident, they couldn't be left to rot infront of their gates - plus the battlefield needed to be cleaned of debris anyway, for trade to be resumed.

What would become of the bandits and anybody whom would survive - was a different matter. Commander Li wasn't know to be much merciful when it came to banditry - ever since Qutong had been demolished those years ago.

 

[jaydude]

NecroKnight

The bombers took off, heading in the direction of the bandits, and before long, the people of the city would start hearing the sounds of explosions in the distance as the bombers started unleashing their deadly payloads. Xiao looked in the direction they had flown, and then down at the corpses and wreckage on the land in front of the walls, before turning away.

As morning began to segue into afternoon, all three bombers would return, having used up all their bombs, and reporting that they had eliminated many more of the bandits. The bandit leader had escaped, but it would take him a long time to rebuild his forces up to the level they had been at before the attack, if anyone was willing to follow him at all after this battle. It had been nothing short of a decisive victory for the people of Qutong; They had taken no losses, and the enemy force had been utterly decimated.

"Hopefully, people are going to think twice about attacking us once news of this victory gets out." Xiao said as she walked over to Li, taking one last glance at the site of the battle.

 

[NecroKnight]

jaydude

Li nodded in reply, letting the soldiers mop out the remaining alive or dead - near the gates and walls. As she would allow Xiao' father to handle the rest of them - as they had laws in place, against banditry and since they broke the law. They would be judged based on the law, which likely would involve hanging - unless Xiao' father wanted to be merciful.

For the time being, Li returned with Xiao to their home - where the Commander of Qutong, soon removed her armor - setting up on a stand.

"Well....that was something;" she spoke, the first time they had to bloody their hands once more - since five years ago the end of Kuvira' reign.

 

[jaydude]

NecroKnight

"Tell me about it." Xiao muttered as she sat down, having changed out of her soldier's uniform and back into her normal clothes. "Though I have to say, it went a lot better than I could have expected. And I doubt those bandits will be able to give anyone trouble for a long time."

The last time she'd seen the bandits who had survived the battle but hadn't escaped, her father was arranging their imprisonment. There were plans to question them on where they were based, and about other bandits operating in the area. The ones who were dying had been quietly put out of their misery.

For the next few seconds, Xiao was silent, as she went over the next thing she wanted to say to Li.

"Li, there's something I have to tell you." Xiao began, now visibly nervous. But she was past the point of no return, and she kept on speaking. "So, before I came back here, I had a conversation with those refugees..."

 

[NecroKnight]

jaydude

"What is it? You know you can tell me anything, you don't have to be nervous about anything," replied Li in reply - in truth, she had been the shy one, before they had even consumated their love or marriage together with eachother.

Despite Li being the pinnacle and unshakable pillar of fortitude and strength - she relied alot on Xiao to make up for her lack in social interaction and introvertism. Without her, Li wouldn't have the strength or reason to be a strong and polsterous pillar of faith, trust and loyalty. She couldn't be out-done by the other guys, after all.

 

[jaydude]

NecroKnight
"You remember that among the refugees, there was that couple with the baby?" Xiao began. "Well, it turns out that the baby wasn't theirs. They'd found him lying in a house as they fled their village. His parents were nowhere to be found." They'd either been killed by the bandits, or had abandoned their baby in their desperation to save their own skins, Xiao thought to herself, but she let the thought go unsaid.

"They told me they were planning to head west soon, but with their own children and the baby, they've got too many mouths to feed. So they asked if I could direct them to the city orphanage."

A deep breath, for this was the most important part.

"I...I remembered how much you wanted a child of our own...and...well, I offered to take the baby off their hands. I thought that...the two of us could raise it as our own. That you would like that. Nothing's set in stone yet, I wanted to make sure that you were happy to take the baby before I..."

 

[NecroKnight]

jaydude

Li merely smiled warmly in reply, as she soon rose from her seat - walked over to Xiao and kissed the woman on the lips. "I always knew I married the right girl, your warm heart is always a very open to kindness."

"Yes, he can stay with us - we can raise him," smiled Li, as she kissed Xiao' cheek in reply as well. "I had thoughts about such a thing myself...but guess you beat me to it. So, where is the little one?"

 

[jaydude]

NecroKnight
Xiao couldn't help but blush and smile at Li's compliments and kisses. Her wife's reaction couldn't have been any better, and it filled Xiao with joy that she was able to make this woman so happy. Plus, the idea of raising a child of her own, alongside the woman she loved, was an exciting prospect.

"Right now, he's with the refugees. Let's go and get him, shall we?" Xiao asked with a loving smile, standing up and holding out a hand to Li.

 

[NecroKnight]

jaydude

"Of course, my love...after you," giggled Li, taking ahold of Xiao' hand - after she had changed into some regular civvies, before following her wife to the refugee' camps near the gates.

She hadn't expected Xiao to take such a direct and open route in having children. She had expected, her to mention about anything else. But it was surprising, a rather warm and happy surprise to say the least.

 

[jaydude]

NecroKnight

The family of refugees in question were waiting at the tent Li had set up for them. Seeing the commander dressed in civilian clothes, and the identical wedding rings on her and Xiao's hands came as a surprise to them, but if they felt any discomfort towards the couple, they didn't show it.

When the time came for them to hand over the baby, they did so with a slight reluctance. Even if they had only known him for a short while, and were unable to take care of him, they'd formed a bond of sorts in what little time they'd had him. Once the handover was complete, the family wished Xiao, Li and the baby well, and set off for the train station, intending to take a train to the west.

Xiao looked down at the bundle of green cloth in her arms. The baby looked to be only a few months old, with a short tuft of brown hair on the top of his head. He'd been asleep during the handover, but now he opened his eyes, looking at Xiao and Li with curiosity.

 

[NecroKnight]

jaydude

Li smiled down at the little bundle of life. "Hello little guy, hihihi...." she chuckled, reaching out with her finger and gently touching the baby' cheeks. "How are you doing? I am your mommy, and this is also your mommy, Xiao..."

Li gently let Xiao hold her, while she had her arms wrapped around both of them. She always found herself as the protector rather than the soothing gentle touch of a female. It was nothing wrong - it was just, her entire life - she had learned to serve and protect, not be a lady unlike some of them.

 

[jaydude]

NecroKnight

The baby smiled and let out a small giggle as Li tickled his cheeks. For a few seconds, Xiao just stood there, Li's arms wrapped around her, and their baby in her arms. For now, all was right in her world.

Eventually, she turned away from the baby and looked up at Li. "Before we head back home and get him settled in, what do you think we should name him?" She asked.

 

[NecroKnight]

jaydude

"I am not sure...." chuckled Li. "All of my talk about us wanting kids, and I honestly didn't think of any worthwhile names to offer to our new and young child."

"Do you have anything in mind? I do know, that while I am the mover - your usually the thinker of the family..."

 

[jaydude]

NecroKnight

It came as a surprise that Li hadn't thought about any names for the baby. But looking back, Xiao imagined that she'd been busy with the state's affairs. Plus, she hadn't exactly had much time to prepare for this. Xiao thought for a moment, and then came up with something.

"Yun, after my grandfather. Does that sound like a good name?"

 

[NecroKnight]

jaydude

"Yes that sounds lovely," spoke Like, as the two of them soon started heading back to their mansion.

"Yun it is. I am sad to admit I didn't learn alot about all of your family members. Just the most important ones back then. To keep an eye on them and make sure nothing 'bothered' them..."

 

[jaydude]

NecroKnight
"It's fine. Truth be told, I never really got to know him either. He passed away when I was about four, after all." Xiao replied, looking slightly sad as they headed back to the mansion. They would be greeted at the front doors by Xiao's parents, both of them looking pleasantly surprised

"Xiao! Li! We were wondering where the two of you had gone." Xiao's mother said, before she and her husband noticed Yun.

"Xiao...why do you have a baby?" she asked, curious.

"Well...long story short, the two of us kind of decided to adopt him." Xiao explained with an apologetic grin, before quickly explaining the circumstances behind this adoption.

 

[NecroKnight]

jaydude

"Eh...we had talked years about maybe having one ourselves or maybe adopting. So Xiao decided to try out luck and simply - have another child, since the situation seemed to favor us. Or rather of a situation, where a young child would need a loving home," she hummed, smiling down at Yun.

"I know it seems unorthodox and strange. But I promise we shall care for this child, as if it was our own," replied Li, looking at her family. "What do you think?"

 

[jaydude]

NecroKnight
"You two are both in your 20's, and married. If you're willing to raise a child of your own, we have no problem with it." Xiao heard her father say. Looking at her parents, she saw that both of them were smiling, which was no small relief to her, given how she'd worried about how they'd take the news.

"May we?" Her mother asked, and Xiao nodded, moving forward and kneeling down so that her father could see from his wheelchair. Yun opened his eyes to look round at these two older people looking down indulgently at him, letting out a curious sounding gurgle.

"He looks as good and healthy as Han, Hua and Xiao did at that age." Her father said fondly. Xiao couldn't help but blush slightly when he mentioned her name there.

"We've still got the baby pictures of her. You can have a look later if you want." Her mother whispered into Li's ear, just loud enough for Xiao to overhear.

"Mother!" Xiao exclaimed, half embarrassed, but also half amused.

 

[NecroKnight]

jaydude

"I can't wait. I have never seen any of Xioa' baby pictures - I can't wait to see what she looks like," replied Li. Chuckling a bit at the idea. "Oh relax, Xiao. I saw you enough growing up - maybe when you were ten years or younger, I don't have any memories of."

As she also gently stroked Yun' young head. "Wonder if he is an earthbender, or maybe another bender. Or maybe just a regular boy like his mother," she spoke - namely meaning herself.