บท 50: Chapter 49
With a new deadline and detour, we didn't have much time to get going. Which is why Aang trying to leave without us was a bit annoying, but we quickly got past that and we were on our way to Cresent Island. It was a tense but uneventful couple hours, which abruptly ended when Katara and Sokka yelled.
"Aang, We have trouble!"
"Yea, and it's gaining fast!"
I figure we're being chased by Zuko, but my water sense doesn't reach that far. It does reach far enough to warn me of an incoming fireball. Katara spotted the fireball first and told Aang. Aang reacted by brining Appa up higher past the clouds. I bend the clouds into a water sphere and surround us with it. Stopping a flying boulder dead it's track would be hard, but I only need to deflect it.
"Aang just keep flying I'll take care of the fireballs"
"Come on boy, Faster!"
"Katara, clouds are just water, try to bend them to keep us in cover"
"I've got it"
"What about me?" Ooph team, not bender is taking a real back seat to the action. Backseat? Backseat driver got it.
"Look at the map make sure Aang is keeping us in the right path"
That's when the fireballs started coming at us for real. Turns out it wasn't just one ship chasing us from behind but also nearly a hundred ships in front of us. I didn't know anyone could be that accurate with a catapult. There were plenty of misses, but a surprising amount of hits I had to deflect. I draw in more water from the clouds thickening the shield and start to spin the water shield faster. The fireballs that would hit would push in the water shield slightly before having their path altered slightly. However, we soon overshot the fire nation blockade and the few remaining catapults that were still firing at us were doing so from behind us.
We have some time to catch our breath after we outran the Fire Nation. Not long enough as we landed on the beach of Cresent Island less than an hour later. We made our way into the temple only to be accosted by the temple sages. Despite being responsible for guiding the avatar they sided with the fire nation and try to capture us. Aang makes a diversion and we run into the temple. The temple is like a maze we could be running around in a circle trying to find the right place. One of the fire sages, Shyu, catches us and reveals he is still loyal to the avatar even if the other sages aren't. He takes us through an underground secret tunnel leading us to the avatar sanctuary. However, once we arrive there is. problem.
"The sanctuary doors, they're closed." Shyu told us
" Can't you just open them with firebending? Like you opened that secret passage?" Katara asked.
" No. Only a fully realized Avatar is powerful enough to open this door alone. Otherwise, the Sages must open the doors together with five simultaneous fire blasts."
"Two questions. First does it have to be fire bending? Second how important is the door remaining intact?"
"The room is spiritually protected so only fire bending will open it. And if the room no longer seals it won't function as a spiritual sanctuary. So breaking the door even if you could it wouldn't help."
Damn, there goes my two ideas. Sokka plans to use oil from a nearby lantern to make an explosion and fake fire bending. The explosions go off alerting everyone in the temple to our presence and also not opening the doors. The new plan is to trick the temple sages to open the doors for us. Shyu runs off to get the other sages and we wait and hide. While we hide I focus on my senses and discover that there is a group of soldiers slowly making their way toward us.
"The temple sages aren't the only people in the temple. While you guys trick the sages I'll distract the soldiers."
"Wait we shouldn't split up" Sokka tells me.
"We'll be fine, you 4 take care of the sages. I'll make sure the fire nation soldiers that have been chasing us dont catch up." That doesn't seem to settle anything as he still wants to argue, but as he tries to I run off down the stairs. I know that the soldiers are a few floors below me and heading toward the central temple where I was. I'm able to cut them off as they start heading down a long hallway a floor beneath the main chamber.
"Well, look at this it seems like our prey is coming to us boys." The commander is in the front of the group leading his men. I start to increase the water vapor in the hallway. Drawing water from outside and my water skin. I want to delay him, and right now he's stopped moving and waiting for me to respond. I push his patience as I stare at him without responding.
"Are you mute as well as blind. Not that it matters you'll be leading us to the avatar."
"Lieutenant Zhao I presume"
"It's Commander Zhao"
"Oh, a promotion congratulations. How did you earn it? I assume it has to do with your plan to invade the northern water tribe"
"HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT!"
"Wan Shi Tong sends his regards"
"Men get him!"
I miss being able to see people's faces because I'm sure the face he's making would be great. His men behind him begin to charge me. I don't let them get a chance. I take a step forward there is so much water in the air I think moving through it should qualify as swimming. My first step freezes a wall between Zhao and his men capturing several in the wall itself. Normally an ice wall would be a mild inconvenience against firebenders, but with several of their comrades stuck in it destroying the wall quickly became much harder. Zhao only takes a moment to realize what I've done before charging me by himself while letting out a battle cry. I dodge his first 2 flame blasts and I get in close. He tries to punch and fire blast me, but I grab his wrist and redirect the hit. He tries to get me to let go of his wrist by kicking some fire at me, but I counter with my own kick creating pulling some water to block the fire. My kick serves two functions and after blocking the fire my kick goes on to hit him in the face. A loud crack as my kick connects with his unarmoured head. My shin connected directly with the area just below his temple. I feel his skull give way under the strength of my leg. Zhao goes limp and falls to the ground. I can tell that he is not dead yet, but without immediate advanced medical attention, he will be. I don't let him linger on and suffer as I deliver a stomp to his head.
I turn my attention to his men still trying to melt my ice and get to me. I shift the ice instead of freezing the whole bodies just their heads are now frozen and I have some water to work with. The ones with frozen heads act like headless chickens. One good strike is all it takes to knock them out. I move on to the rest of the soldiers dodging their telegraphed attacks. I move in close to deliver quick strikes. My strikes double as water bending with a punch landed on one soldier a thick tentacle of water strikes another behind me. By the end, it's just me standing the others on the ground in pain or unconscious.
I make my way back up to the center chamber only to see a tall glowing man in robes bringing his foot down and lava bending the entire Island. I now recognize him as avatar Roku who is currently possessing Aang. I see Shyu, Sokka, and Katara off to the side trying to call out to Aang. I grab the three of them and bring them to a new large opening in the chamber leading to the outside. I call yell out to Appa only to find he's already coming to us. Aang snaps out of it so as I load Shyu onto Appa Sokka and Katara grab Aang. The five of us load onto Appa and fly away as the temple collapses, the island is flooded with lava, and the fire nation ships that have followed us scramble to get away from the island as it erupts.
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