//Sorry that this one is short. I'll get better so have no fear.

Jak was perplexed, genuinely taken aback by the sudden change of weather.

Having no clue as to the cause of the black snow, the young man could only stare as it rained from the sky, covering a vast area that stretched as far as the eyes could see. A metallic and smokey scent filled the air as the snow started to thicken, the soot falling down more frequently as Jak plucked one of the flakes out of the sky. He had no idea of the main source, but from what he could tell, it appeared as if someone was burning coal or some other material, hence the dark color.

Still, it meant little to Jak as he figured it was from the Water Tribe that Hagoda had spoke of. Based off what was told, it was reasonable for the youth to suggest that they had started a fire in order to stave the cold and warm themselves up, hence the large quantity of soot falling upon the young mans head. It wasnt out of the question, especially considering the climate and how bitterly cold the wind was.

However, this guess was immediately put to rest as the warriors in front of him began to panic, shouting amongst themselves as they turned around and began to run. Even Hagoda, who had appeared to be the calm and collected type, turned around and followed without so much as uttering a single word to Jak. He urged his brethren forward as he rushed on ahead, leading the pack as they charged in the general direction from which the soot had initially came from. From the desperate way they were sprinting, kicking up piles of snow as they went, Jak reckoned that his first assumption was way off the mark. Of course, without proper information, making predictions was all he could really do.

With that in mind, Jak attempted to map out his next move as quick as possible, his brain flipping through possible routes that he could take.

There weren't many options he could take that would guarantee him survival nor were there many scenarios in which he just wandered off on his own and managed to secure everything he needed to live. As things stood currently, the only plausible action was to follow the village warriors and find out what was happening and hopefully extract some data from whoever was available. No matter what, gathering intel was a crucial step for his own longevity, allowing him to live long enough to figure out his past and why he had woke up on a pile of snow.

"Alright," Jak muttered as he finalized his objectives within his head. "Time to execute."

Before Jak officially followed the others however, he wanted to check out the surrounding area in order to get a good read on the current predicament. Leaping before looking was just asking for something to go amiss and the black haired youth wasn't in the mood for any unpleasant surprises, especially ones that threatened him and his overall health.

Tightening the sheathe fastened to the hip of his black cargo pants, Jak bolted in the direction perpendicular to the one the Water Tribesmen had taken, heading for a large, 4 story tall chunk of ice located in the distance. The youths sturdy sneakers trudged through the snow at a rapid pace as he moved quickly, ignoring the falling black snow entirely as he arrived at the iceberg. After running along the sides of it for a minute or so, Jak pinpointed the best route to free climb before beginning, going up one hand at a time. The surface of the ice was slightly cold but nothing that the youth couldn't handle as he quickly ascended the small building of ice.

After some time, Jak reached the top, heaving himself up onto the apex of the icy edifice as he let out a singular breath. It hadn't been very difficult to get up, but it HAD required a bit of patience as multiple pieces of frozen chunks would drop off when he applied too much weight, making everything more technical then it had to be.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

However, now that he was up, Jak could get a decent read on what happening, his pitch black hues scouring every area within his vision.

There were many events happening at once.

Dead ahead, in a rather large circular area, sat a small but compact village, one that Jak identified as the Water Tribe that Hagoda had spoke of earlier. It wasn't much to look at but it was definitely nice, possessing a simplistic feel to it which was no doubt what they were initially going for. Other then the rising flames and balls of fire being launched at it, Jak assumed it would be a nice place to live and one he himself would even stay at should he need some place to inhabit.

The village was under attack, that's what was happening from Jaks perspective as troops clad in red and black armor lay siege to the small scale town, sparing no one as the Water Tribesmen attempted to fight back. The attackers were quick and efficient, forcing their prey back with waves of fire shot out through their hands and feet. Although surprised by the knowledge that such a technique was even possible, Jak had to internally approve of their battle tactics and the way they took control of the battlefield. From where the youth was observing, even if the Water Tribe came through with the unexpected clutch, they would undoubtedly expect heavy casualties.

This was of course considering they could even win.

Positioned some distance to the right, where land met water, some large black ships were parked, of which were responsible for the flaming balls of earth raining down from the sky in set intervals. There were only two of them, but the large devices on the top of the large cruisers continued to rain the blazing projectiles, causing significant splash damage and sowing panic within the Water Tribe ranks. While the majority of the combatants on the defending side were rallying and attempting to push back, Jak reasoned the conflict would go on for some time.

"So. Now what?" The young man asked himself as he continued to watch the back and forth skirmish. "What is the next step? What option provides the best route for survival and can get me the proper necessities needed to live?"

Jak had no interest in whom won the fight as it didnt affect him in the slightest, neither concerned about those who died nor about the wanton decimation of Water Tribe village. Looking at everything from a logical standpoint, the only thing that mattered was the way that helped him in the best possible way.

There was far too little for him to go off of so the decision making was stunted in multiple places, but even so, there were two main directions he could potentially go, disregarding the sub routes for the time being.

He could fight for the warriors in exchange for certain conditions he'd place down himself, allowing him to obtain everything in one fell swoop. This one only worked if he let the battle play out a bit, allowing him to have a certain heroic effect which would greatly increase the chances of them immediately agreeing.

The other option was to take the side of the soldiers and hopefully garner their attention before dropping a request to join their ranks. This one was a lot riskier as he had absolutely no info on them other then their ability to conjure fire and bend it to their will.

"When in doubt, go with the one that offers a greater chance of success. Risk brings reward only if that reward is guaranteed." Jak flicked his eyes from the fight to the ships. "Let's start with negotiations. If both plans fail, I'll just improvise."

Taking a deep breath, the young man felt his blood rate quickening and his muscle strength spike as he leapt off the ice block, landing lightly on the ground. After hitting the floor, he switched back to his normal breathing, letting his muscles return to normal. Although his natural strength was enough to leap off of a three story tall building, the large chunk was bordering five stories, making it difficult for him to land without some sort of boost. Luckily, he possessed knowledge of something called Total Concentration Breathing, which was a technique that allowed a user to push their physical abilities to their peak by breathing in a certain pattern.

(("Definitely helpful,")) Jak muttered internally as he broke into a sprint, his feet barely leaving a print upon the snow as he dashed across the snowy hills towards the Water Tribe village. Even from the ground he could see the plumes of smoke rising from the village and the columns of black soot being ejected from the cruisers. (("All that's left is to track down Hagoda."))