"Zhu li! DO the THING!" Varrick demanded in a loud obnoxious tone,
Zhu Li, emotionlessly pressed a flashing red button on the large metal panel containing various switches and nobs. Team Avatar watched anxiously as they awaited the effects of the metal machinery Varrick had been experimenting on for past few months. Seconds passed and nothing had happened. Varrick was dynamically posed, his finger in the air, his eyes focused into the oblivion of the sky before him awaiting for the effects for the machine. His eyes slowly slid to the side, where he raised an eye brow a Zhu-li. Before she could respond, he shifted out of his dramatic pose and quickly scrambled to the machine.
"Zhu-Li, why isn't it doing the thing!?" Varrick asked, taking the liberty to slam his fist on the button vigorously.
Team Avatar eased up, realising Varrick's machinery had failed. They were standing along main street of Republic City, where the vines had grown even more and covered the streets, roads and buildings.
"We're wasting our time here, we have to help Suyin and the others" Korra muttered, turning her back away from the relentlessly pounding Varrick.
"But how? They're in Zhao-fu and we're –"
"FINALLY!" screamed Varrick, the team turned their gaze back where they saw the metal panel lighting up and whirring into action. Varrick stood next it, erecting a crown of flashing lights and various foreign objects that resembled spirit relics onto his head. He strapped the buckle beneath his chin and flashed a cocky smile.
"What's he-" Mako muttered,
"Guys Look out!" Asami screamed, sprinting over to knock Korra and Mako out of the way of speedily approaching vine. The spirit vine violently grabbed hold of Asami's waist and dragged her into the air.
"Varricks controlling the spirit vines!?" Korra squealed,
Korra and Mako quickly regained footing and gazed at their distraught friend who punched and squirmed in the grasp of the vine. The ground shook violently, the pair on the ground stumbled as the vines that had rested between buildings and on the roads slowly unravelled and plunged towards them.
"Mako!" Korra screamed, pushing Mako out of path of vine and into an alleyway. She managed to avoid the first vine but the second one came darting towards her and grabbed her ankle and whipped her mercilessly through the air.
Mako glanced up at the two girls, now suspended high above. Asami was fidgeting madly in the grip of the vine and Korra was screaming obscenities at Varrick. Mako turned to Zhu-li and Varrick who stood with the metal panel. Zhu-li raised a finger in Mako's direction. Varrick's grinned widened as he narrowed his focus and attention on Mako. Mako cursed and jumped to his feet, avoiding the newly sprung to life vines that where now chasing him. As he ducked, turned, slid and threw his powerful fire bending blasts, nothing seemed to stop the unyielding strikes of Varricks spirit vines. He turned to the metal panel, it was his only chance. Gathering speed and momentum, Mako dodged the the flailing plant-tentacles, he covered good distance until the machine was just within his grasp. He jumped up and raised his fists, focusing his fire bending in his right fist but before he slam it down, a spirit vine encircled his legs and dragged him high into the air.
"Seriously Mako?" Asami muttered unimpressed,
"Oh come on, I nearly had them" Mako attempted in defence as he catapulted burning fireballs at the vines.
"Nearly" Asami grumbled. She sincerely wished she had been blessed with bending abilities.
"Oh, You're all pathetic!" shouted an gravelly voice,
Attention flew to an elderly woman with long grey hair tied back with a green headband. A large bun of hair hung on her head and loose flowing tendrils flew in front of her face.
"Who's that?" Varrick demanded, he turned to Zhu-li, "Zhu-li, who is that?" Zhu-li shrugged
"Mako, spin me" Korra said, attempting to squirm around and confirm her suspicions. Mako obeyed and stretched out to spin his friend. Korra's eyes widened in joy and relief.
"TOPH!" Korra screamed,
"Yeah, yeah, I'm here. I wouldn't be, if that pom-pom over there didn't mess with my swamp!" she shouted annoyed,
"Whatever you did to it, undo it! That's my home and you're screwing it up!" she yelled, angrily pointing a finger in his direction.
"Pom-pom?" was Varrick's brief and dim response.
Toph snickered, "So, do you wanna do this the easy way or the hard way" she threatened from a distance.
Varrick watched her with bemusement, ignoring her threat completely, "You wouldn't happen to be Toph Beifong, Founder of the Beifong Police would you?"
"The one and only" Toph stated proudly,
Varrick rubbed his chin and thought, "You would do well with my hostages, Kuvira might just lend me her Prince Suite" he thought to himself.
Toph threw a couple more insults before Varrick decided he would take her too. Gathering all his spirit Vines he plunged them at Toph. She easily ducked them and continued walking towards the machine. Varrick's brow pressed into a frown. He focused again and the vines came flying viciously towards the old lady. Toph once again ducked and dodged avoiding the strikes. It required a lot more force and back bending and she had only narrowly avoided a vine aimed at her head. Varrick attempted one more time, awakening more spirit vines and unleashing them all on Toph. At this, Toph took a defensive stand, squatting and focusing on the movement around her. Just before they touched her, her eyes snapped open and she earth bended the series of sharp earth rocks at the vines cutting them in half and stopping them mid swing. The endless onslaught of vines was met with her equally deadly earth bending strikes. She stood and waited for the last vine to fall beneath her. The young teenagers hung above and cheered on Toph but she remained unimpressed. She placed her hand on a vine and closed her eyes focusing on the source of power. In her mind, she felt herself travelling along the spirit vine in fast motion, until it brought her to source of their control, Varrick's crown. Her eyes snapped opened and she walked towards Varrick. The boisterous man now looked terrified as the old lady approached him.
"Uhh…You can have Zhu-li" he offered nervously, shoving the unaffected woman in front of him.
"No wait! I need her! Uh…" Varrick panicked and instinctively turned his back and prepared to flee. Toph, used her earth bending to the mould the ground around both their feet. Varrick shook violently as Toph walked around to face him. She raised herself on a mound of earth so they were face to face and raised a hand above her head,
"Oh please, not the face!" Varrick begged,
Toph ignored his whines and thwacked the side of his head so the headband of flashing lights fell into her left palm.
"You should know better to ruin an old ladies home, especially this old lady" She gave him another thwack on the head at which Varrick let out a yelp. Toph hopped off her pedestal watching the Spirit Vines slowly retreat and unravel away from Korra, Asami and Mako.
"Toph that was amazing" Korra said sincerely, "If it weren't for you…I-I don't know"
"If it weren't for me, you would all be captured like the ninnies you are" Toph stated clearly
"Heh, I guess" Korra laughed weakly.
Toph turned around, the others following her gaze.
"Geez, Varrick's gone!" Asami uttered in annoyance
"Yes, but not to worry. I'll find them" Toph said a determined tone, she turned to the tall figure next to her and punched him in the arm,
"Ow! What was that for!?" Mako cried
"You call that fire-bending? Remind me to introduce you to Zuko"
"What! You can't even see my fire bending" Mako almost cried rubbing the sides of his arm
"I didn't need to. It reeked of pathetic"
"Geez" Mako muttered,
They began walking out of the mess of spirit vines. Toph held onto the crown tightly. There was a heavy feeling of guilt as she felt the pain of the spirit vines. It was a subtle pain, it pulled at her chest and made her head sting lightly. All the time in the swamp and given her a deep connection with the spirits like no other. She paused at edge where the spirit vines stopped growing.
"What's wrong Toph?" Korra asked,
Toph gave her the metal crown, took a stance and began to use fluid movements similar to those of the water tribe. She focused on the light energy within the vines, feeling the deep pained wounds she had carved into them. As she continued to lift her arms and move her body accordingly, the spirit vines slowly glowed and began to retreat below the surface. The ground shook lightly, as the last of the vines returned beneath the ground. Toph stood at a standstill, attempting to make peace with the vines. Tenuous seconds passed before the heavy feeling in her chest slowly subsided. They had forgiven her, she bowed, extending a hand out to the vines,
"Go in peace" she said,
She slowly stood up straight and seismically gazed back at the now cleared streets.
"Wow, I didn't know you could do that Toph"
"There's a lot of things you don't know Avatar" she grumbled, she walked ahead
"Toph" Korra called out, "Do you wanna go with us to Zhaofu?"
"Well obviously!" she said in an exasperated tone
"But were going this way…" Korra called out,
"Yeah, but I need pee. I usually need a pee when I do that spirit stuff. It really gets the bladder going" she called out casually from a distance,
"that looks like a good bush" she stated, before vanishing amongst the leaves
The three teens grimaced and settled against a building,
"I cannot believe I just heard that" Asami said, shaking her head
Korra simply smiled, the girls glanced at Mako who was rubbing his right butt cheek.
"Did the spirit vines get you?" Korra laughed,
Mako blushed and ran his fingers through his hair, "Uh, yeah"
Asami raised an eyebrow, "You're lying, what happened?" she pressed on
"It was nothing, I just fell on my butt"
"No, tell us Mako. You know we'll find out one way or another" Korra warned.
A determined look crossed the faces of both his female companions, Mako glanced between the two and calculated his odds. He sighed and attempted to find the words,
"Eh, Toph she kind off…well, maybe she didn't know but she..." Mako stuttered,
"What is it? What did she do?" They asked, closing in on him.
Mako sighed, "She just pinched my- YEEOWWW!" Mako screamed and jumped away reeling backwards holding onto his bottom. He cursed and fell to ground. The excruciating pain showed on his face. Korra and Asami smiled and turned back to see a grinning Toph.