The Line

Chapter Four

No one had ever put much stock into the old fortresses of the Southern Earth Kingdom. Not even the Earth Kingdom and certainly not the Fire Nation. But the 62nd Platoon needed target otherwise they may have survived for the new year. And the Fire Nation royal family and accompanying tacticians couldn't have that.

Toro currently found himself with three other Fire Bender soldiers, squaring off against five Earth Benders.

"Tighten up that defense!" yelled one of the Earth Benders. Judging from the loudness of his voice Toro surmised that he was the captain of the group.

"Heads up," Tompha boomed from behind Toro. Toro snapped out of his analysis and dove to the right as a series of mid sized rocks rained down from the night sky of the jungle.

"You alright babe? Don't want you feinting on me again." Tompha said, letting lose a cluster of fire balls at the Earth Benders who promptly raised an earthen wall to block.

"That won't happen…" Toro said, kicking up his leg in a sweeping arc trailing fire behind it to shatter an incoming rock with his boot. "Not again."

"Good to hear," Tompha said. "Hey, you ever been with an Earth Kingdom girl?" he asked.

"What?" Toro asked, bewildered by the question. So distracted was he that it took the sound of an Earth Kingdom soldier being set on fire to draw his attention back. "Is this really the time?"

"If not now, when?" Tompha asked. Toro felt something hit his shin. Pulled, he fell to the ground and was dragged towards a pair of the opposing soldiers. "Toro!"

Toro quickly looked down and noticed that one of the Earth Benders had shaped a long rock into a hook and had snagged his leg with it. With a swift kick to the rock, Toro leaped back onto his feet only to have a massive boulder being launched right at him.

"Damn it," Toro murmured, "where the hell are the prodigies?!" he screamed at no one, bringing his hands into formation and launching a wave of flame against the boulder. Unfortunately he only succeeded in burning the boulder a bit. Using all the strength he could muster Toro squatted down and leaped forward, twisting in the air as he did inches beneath the flying rock.

Having caught the Earth Kingdom soldiers momentarily by surprise Toro pumped his fists sending a flurry of fireballs at them, causing the pair to split in opposite directions.

Rising, Toro decided in a heartbeat to pursue the one who he assumed to be the captain.

"Damn it," the assumed captain cursed as he spotted Toro running at him.

Toro attempted a kick only to have the captain block it with his arm. Bringing up his other leg in a fiery sweep, Toro was again blocked, this time by a miniature earthen shield that the captain created. Before he could comprehend, Toro was on his back again. In the corner of his eye, Toro saw the other soldier he had been fighting charge at him…only to have Tompha suddenly step in front of him effectively blocking his path.

"Come on, show these dirt herders!" Tompha screamed gathering air in his palms and igniting his fists. He charged his opponent who fell back and put up a barrier to block the upcoming assault.

In his own battle, Toro was able to dodge a dirt coffin that the captain had tried to form around him from the jungle floor. Toro then stomped a booted foot in front of him and jacked his right fist forward sending a long stream of flame at his opponent.

The captain in response forced the earth beneath him to rise. Catapulting into the air the captain pulled back his arm and brought out several other rocks from the ground after him. He quickly gathered them around himself and sent them shattering downward on the Fire Nation soldiers. Toro felt one of the mid sized rocks belt him in the chin. Already he could sense that a few of his teeth had loosened and that blood was trickling from his now split lip.

As the captain landed back on the ground Toro realized with horror that the captain hadn't even been dueling with him all that time…he had been fighting two of the soldiers around him…and had promptly dropped them both to the ground, sucking them into the Earth up to their necks.

Toro looked back at his fallen comrades and then rushed at the captain again. His attention now fully on him, the captain shifted the stones beneath him and used it to flip himself over the running Toro. The Fire Bender skid to a stop in the dirt, raising his arms into a high X shaped block intercepting the captain's punch. Back on the ground again, Toro kicked at the captain only to have himself blocked again. The two traded punches, kicks and holds, and yet another realization dawned on Toro, he was completely outmatched.

Stepping back cut, bruised, and bloodied. Toro put up his arms in a feeble defense. The captain, an older man with a graying beard, stared at him, no where near as worn out.

"The Fire Nation actually sends its children to fight?" he asked.

"I'm no…no child," Toro said between panting breaths.

"I see, you're just inept then…" the captain stomped the ground raising a boulder and launched it at Toro. Though it was only a glancing blow that followed Toro was still thrown from his feet and into the thick trunk of a nearby tree.

His bones rattling beneath his armor, Toro attempted to get up.

"To a meaningless fight," the captain said, raising another boulder above Toro's head.

"Cheers…you horse-donkey's ass." Toro responded. The colors around Toro's eyes were swimming and bleeding into each other. Noises of men and creatures being crushed, squished, burned, charred, Toro was even sure he heard lightning sail past over head. This was it, death would be quick and painful. Just what a Fire Nation monster, or rather just he, deserved. Everything coalesced, the captain was outlined by the glow of battle. Toro could taste the sweat beading on the captain's forehead, he could smell the odor of sulfur and burnt rock, their blood ran as one on the jungle floor.

Just as the boulder began to fall, Hiro placed himself betwixt it and Toro. Breathing in deeply (and quickly) and bringing his hands towards the boulder palms facing outward, the boulder exploded from the ensuing infernal blaze.

"H-hiro?" Toro asked. Hiro turned to him.

"Toro!" Hiro yelled. Toro nodded and rushed out beneath Hiro. Reaching into his sleeve he withdrew the flimsy dagger his father had given him.

The captain, still dodging the fiery remains of the rock, looked on in a wide eye stare as he saw Toro rushing towards him.

Leaping up, Toro slammed the dagger into the side of the captain's neck. He then twisted it and pulled it out with a sickening slink noise accompanying it's exit.

The captain looked on with a suddenly faraway gaze. His brown eyes were quickly fading, turning duller and duller as he seemed to be looking at some invisible point on a horizon so far off, yet right in front of his eyes.

He collapsed with the blood squirting out onto the ground, being slowly sopped up by the leaves and vines.

"Come on Toro," Hiro said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "The Earth Benders are massing in retreat, we need to cut them off."

"Yes…yeah right, sir." Toro said shaking his head, unlocking his gaze from the captain's dead eyes.

"Not too bad for new mean, babe." Tompha said as he dropped two charred corpses on the ground. Toro looked at him unsure of how to respond. His stomach was too empty to allow him to vomit, so he instead just nodded and took off following Hiro. Tompha took off after them.

…

Meanwhile, up at the front, near where two of the Southern Earth Kingdom fortresses were situated, the battle was being fought in earnest. With the night wearing thin and the rising sun fast approaching, the Earth Kingdom soldiers were hard pressed to finish this battle as soon as possible lest the sun give their fire based enemies the edge.

Though hard fought. The skirmishes were nearing their end, the Earth Kingdom soldiers were being slowly but assuredly driven back into the jungle.

When Hiro, Tompha, and Toro arrived at the front, the Fire Nation troops already there were in perfect formation, augmenting and extending the range of each others attacks to penetrate and burn through the Earth Soldier's defenses.

"Good, the formations are working…" Hiro said to himself. Kicking aside a few Earth Soldier Lance Men, Hiro sent streams of fire into the clumps of opposing troops forcing them to scatter and scale back. Toro and Tompha, their backs to each other, united their stances in perfect unison sending out an extended flame spray that covered the jungle for nearly fifty feet forward.

"So what do you think of your first war?" Tompha asked. Toro broke from their stance and was able to draw a dual sword from a fallen soldier.

"I look forward to the brothels," Toro muttered in response. Tompha laughed loudly, crashing together two Earth soldier's skulls as he did.

The fighting went on and the tide continued to turn in favor of the Fire Nation. More and more of the bodies piling up on the ground were charred corpses as opposed to smashed ones.

At some point Toro was separated from Tompha and Hiro and quickly found that he was lost in the thick of battle in the densest darkest part of the jungle. Save the frequent flashings of fire and clashing blades to light his way temporarily, Toro could only make out what was in front of him in short bursts of time. Feeling somewhat dizzied and lightheaded, Toro extended a hand forward and felt what he assumed to be the trunk of a tree. Leaning back against the tree, Toro stared up, trying for the life of him to somehow see through the thick foliage above him to the starry sky above.

A whishing sound.

Toro ducked, and a fraction of a second later a three pronged bladed weapon attached to a chain flew over his head, completely severing the thick trunk of the tree he had been leaning on like a sword cutting down stalks of fresh wheat. Lifting his head to inspect the trunk, Toro noticed that it was glowing, no, simmering was more like as the chained weapon had been ignited.

"…someone dodged? You dirt pushers aren't all that fragile I guess." loud and arrogant, scarred and venal, Toro recognized that voice.

"Sung!" he cried out.

"Ah, so you've heard of me," he was whirling his weapon above his head, and with a flick of his wrist he sent it out flying again towards Toro. "I'm honored." The trident blade again sailed past Toro by bare inches, leaving a burning singe mark on his shoulder. Toro cried out.

"It's me you dunce!" Toro cried out again.

Sung ventured through the underbrush and squinted. A fiery flash lit up the area. Sung locked eyes with Toro. Toro saw a look of animalistic intent in that one moment of visual connection, Sung wasn't smiling, wasn't frowning, he was fully comprehending devouring Toro.

"That's enough…Sung," another familiar voice stated. A smaller figure appeared next to Sung, carrying and quickly dropping a dead Earth Soldier's body. "Can't you tell friend from foe?" Ishe said.

"Ishe…" Toro said.

"Toro," Ishe said, acknowledging him. "Again I have to apologize for Sung."

"That's fine, fine." Toro said following the retreating Ishe. As he passed Sung, the two locked eyes again. Sung spit on the ground.

"I'm glad," Ishe said, Toro thought to no one for a moment until he realized he was talking to him. "You're alive, I was afraid that you had fallen. Good thing I underestimated you." Ishe remarked with a small smile. Toro blinked.

"T-thank you." he said.

"You think you're up to this, after that little spell you had?" Sung said, his tone cold.

"I said I was fine," Toro sneered looking back at the following Sung. "But thanks for the concern." he said just as coldly.

Suddenly, a rustling.

"Look out!" Toro yelled grabbing Ishe and shoving him aside. Without taking a breath, Toro sent a vicious ball of fire sailing into the brush. An Earth Nation archer flailed and cried out.

"It's…a woman?" Sung asked looking at the quickly dying body.

"Agni…" Toro said looking at his smoking fist, unsure if it was actually him that attacked. He then felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Sung staring down at him.

"That's just what you need, that killer instinct. There may be hope for you yet." Toro noticed for the first time the fresh cuts on Sung's face, dripping blood all the way down his armor.

"Lets go," Ishe said. Toro and Sung followed suit into a nearby clearing where a platoon of Earth Kingdom soldiers were being pushed back by their Fire Nation counterparts. Before Toro could take it all in, he saw Ishe moving his arms in a strange formation.

"You may wish to step back," Ishe said, glancing at Ishe and Sung.

"Ah yes, you're in for a treat, watch what's about to happen." Sung said to Toro. Sung walked back, an almost childishly eager look of anticipation on his face. Toro followed suit, feeling an odd sort of reaction to Ishe's stare.

Then, a pale white light lit up the jungle area near Toro and Sung.

From Ishe's finger tips, lightning struck.

Once, four Earth Benders were electrified and burnt to cinders.

Twice, the archers bows were set ablaze and they dropped and ran.

Three times, anyone left behind was enveloped by the forked tongue of the white lightning bolts.

All was silent. Then.

"Retreat!" screamed a voice off in the distance. The Earth Nation promptly dropped any semblance of trying to fight and simply started running back into the jungles around them. Toro marveled as hundreds, possibly thousands of troops ran past he, Ishe, and Sung, looks of panic and terror on their faces.

After a while, there was silence again. Only the cracking and popping of the small and the not so small fires that had been set around the jungle. And then.

"WE WON!" one of the Fire Nation Soldiers cried out. A cheer went out across the Southern Earth Kingdom Jungles. Flames were shot into the air as the 62nd platoon and others celebrated their victory. Masked helmets flew up as well, clanging and crashing into branches as they rose and fell.