LEVEL ONE = ELITE

The first dungeon materialized around the quartet.

It was the futuristic one. Azula disapproved of what looked like laser tag. She was hoping for a tropical intro – the wild animals in those maps were by far her favorite. She made them kneel like she made the AI enemies kneel.

"I love this one," Zuko of course said as the neon blue lights streaked across the dark ceiling. "My friend has the top score in it."

"Oh, well, he will meet his demise at my hands," Azula said. "I am the elite player and we all know it. Now start moving before we get snuffed out in the first room."

"She. It's Katara," Zuko corrected.

"I don't care. It's my birthday and I don't want to hear about your loser friends," Azula ordered. Zuko reached for his broadsword before he remembered the public consequences of friendly fire. If it were not for his own scores and reputation in Endurance, he would have probably taken her out.

"Are we moving on now?" Mai asked, pointing at the landscape in front of them.

The staircase caught Azula's eye first. It looked like it went on forever, but that could not be; it seemed to be the safest way through the glowing blue and steel room.

"Yes. I am clearly the leader, so we will go up that staircase," Azula said, and no one argued. They didn't care who led them.

The quartet ran over the first chunk of land, and began to dash up the steps. The blue lights shifted to violet as they reached the platform at the top.

They felt the silence and knew that they were about to face their first batch of enemies.

"What level did you set these guys at?" Ty Lee asked as she eyed the swarm of foes.

"Elite," Azula replied without hesitation.

"Okay." Ty Lee was certain they could handle it. She dove to the side and pressed her back against one of the very well placed cover options. Zuko moved opposite of her while Mai and Azula decided to stand right in front of an entire wave.

They did not want to let the other win. That was how Mai and Azula operated.

A knife collided with one of the identical enemies and it burst into a shower of violet sparks that rained down for a flicker of a second and then disappeared. Azula took out three of them in one burst of powerful flame. It seemed so real that all four friends could feel the heat.

Azula dodged the bullet of a sniper from above and bounced back to hit it with lightning. Mai compensated for that loss by sliding down to grab her lost knife and stabbing it straight into the chest of an enemy. The sparks scorched her skin but did not leave a mark.

Ty Lee jumped up the moment two of them came close to the staircase. She threw one over the edge with one move, and the other she took down with four punches.

Azula glanced at her and the approval in her eyes made Ty Lee's heart race. They were an awesome team and Ty Lee wanted her to see that.

Ty Lee nearly slipped over the side when a huge masked guy grabbed her. She pushed herself back up and punched it. When it faltered, Ty Lee grabbed one of the guns Azula told her to take and fired three fast shots that brought him down.

The sparks burned her skin, and it felt good. They left no marks and no trace of their existence, which only made her crave the feeling more.

Hearing the sound of metal smashing against metal snapped her back into focus. Zuko was locked into a fight with broadswords. Azula was brilliant with that fire; she was good at it and was the perfect crowd control. At Mai and Zuko's pace, she and Azula were definitely going to win.

Ty Lee had the honor of the last kill.

As soon as the bodies of the enemies faded from existence, the top of the staircase was quiet and far less exciting.

Azula followed the violet lights down from the platform and she began to weave through the walls. She then stopped, because she had lost her partner. But before she could snap an order, Ty Lee vaulted over one of the walls and landed beside her.

"Mai and Zuko went to the left. Should we go right?" Ty Lee asked.

Azula nodded, and they took off through the glimmering obstacles, stopping to take out an enemy or two on their fiery trail to the dungeon exit.

Tonight was looking good.