Foreign Blood
By THE Xenomorph (aka Xenomorph666)
Avatar: The Last Airbender and all related Characters are © Nickelodeon
Bao-Fai is © Me
Choronus Illadae is © Me
The Odd Spirit
The first group to leave the palace was the usual group, plus Suki and Ty Lee. They all rode on Appa to the village and agreed to wait for June and Nyla to arrive. They arrived at the town within the first twelve hours after they left, unfortunately the town wasn't much in a greeting mood, even for the Avatar. It was obvious why too, a large indentation in the center of town was now a glass bowl.
"What did that?" Sokka asked.
"The wizard." A man said as he stepped outside of his in. "Jo Chen." He extended his hand to the group. "Fire lord, I'm sorry we could not detain the man and your sister, but the risk that he would turn on us when awake was to great."
"I understand." Zuko said, "A man who can paralyze with just words is a danger."
"He also did that with words." Jo Chen nodded to the bowl.
"He bent fire with words?" Katara asked.
"More like he summoned it. I've never seen anything like it, especially the color!" Jo Chen gasped at the memory.
"What color?" Zuko asked.
"Purple and it crackled gold near his hands." Jo Chen said. "It was unnatural."
"Maybe he has a spirit helping him." Aang said, "That could explain the power and the color."
"I doubt that, he actually had to steal the energy from the spirits just to use that spell." Jo Chen said. Aang frowned but didn't say anything.
"Ability." Sokka said. "Magic doesn't exist, he's likely bending energy."
"That's scary." Aang said. "Wait if he can bend energy, he can give Azula her firebending back!"
"I doubt that Avatar Aang, he seemed more concerned with protecting her than helping her." Jo Chen said. "I heard him through the door after I came up to inspect the crashing sound. I couldn't hear everything, but I think he has had some similar experiences."
"That just makes him more mysterious, I mean his name has got to be fake." Sokka said.
"No, it's real, just not in any language I'm familiar with." Jo Chen said.
"Oh and how would you know?" Sokka asked indignantly.
"Do you know how man Lee Li's or Wang Fire's I get in here on a monthly basis." Jo Chen said derisively, though the last name caused Sokka's face to falter and the group to laugh.
"Hah, your fake name is used everywhere!" Toph laughed as Sokka tried to recover from the reality.
"Anyway, they left behind most of things I gave them. Used the bag to store extra food." Jo Chen smiled. "Thankfully just holding the incense I gave them is gonna give a scent trail a proper hound could follow for days."
"Great then June and Nyla will have it easy." Zuko said.
Jo Chen's face fell at the mention of the bounty hunter's name. "I'm gonna need a new pai sho table after this."
"Oh so you're familiar with her." Sokka asked.
"She's trashed my inn trying to get a few bounties." Jo Chen sighed.
"Sounds familiar." Zuko said with a light smile as Jo Chen motioned for them to follow him.
"Sokka." Aang said as he pulled his friend aside. "If he really did steal energy from the spirits, he is a dangerous and powerful man."
"I know Aang." Sokka said, "But you're the Avatar, I mean shouldn't that trump him?"
"Maybe, but if he is the thing spirits are concerned about..." Aang shook his head. "I'm going to meditate in the woods."
"Need a guard?" Sokka asked.
"I'd appreciate it." Aang smiled, knowing how vulnerable meditating made him.
"All right I'll go tell the others." Sokka sighed. "Hope they'll save some meat."
Soon Aang sat in the forest and soon found that he wished Ty Lee had not joined them. She was busy talking about the chirps of the birds and the sound of wind through the leaves.
"Ty Lee, please I need quiet." Aang said.
"Sorry." Ty Lee said as she sat by a tree.
Soon Aang did find himself entering the spirit world. He was surprised by the number of spirits actually waiting for him. More than a few were terrified, but a few were calmly waiting. There was a frog spirit that seemed to carry an air of nobility about him that tried to grab Aang's attention, but what caught Aang's attention was the great, no huge crane spirit.
"Good day Avatar." It said calmly.
"You're not a normal spirit, are you?" Aang gulped.
"No I am not." The crane said.
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"We have a problem!" Aang shot up.
"Whoa!" Sokka stood up.
"We gotta get back." Aang said as he ran off to the village.
"Wait for us!" Ty Lee shouted.
When Sokka and Ty Lee eventually did catch up Aang was himself trying to catch his breath. The others were also standing around him.
"Sokka what's going on?" Katara asked.
"I don't know, he just shot out of meditation and ran off." Sokka gasped
"They're both in danger." Aang said in between breaths.
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"Well this sucks..." Choronus said as he closed the tent where Azula slept.
He had walked with her for several miles before deciding to take a break, which changed into setting camp. He sat down by the fire and yawned before drifting off into his own dreamless sleep. When he woke up Azula was sitting by the fire and it was still before sunrise.
"Feeling any better?" Choronus asked. She only shook her head.
Choronus stood up and looked around with a yawn. As he glanced around her heard a bird call, a familiar bird call. He quickly spun in place checking all possible spots in the sky before deciding he had just been hearing things.
"That man is going to kill us." Azula said flatly, and then cheerfully smiled. "I think I'll be happy dead."
"Why do I get the feeling you were on some medication." Choronus sighed right as a large rock jabbed into his side and slammed him into a tree.
"Did you really think knocking me into the woods would kill me?" The leader of the kidnappers shouted. "I am Ji Cuing!"
"That is the least Chinese name I have ever heard!" Choronus said as he grabbed his side and stood up. "Even my name's more Chinese than that and it's mostly nonsensical!"
"What are you babbling about, I have a perfectly normal Earth Kingdom name!" Ji shouted.
"And why do you sound like every Saturday morning cartoon villain ever!" Choronus said as he stretched out his hand. "Kiv gah!" A lance of light shot forth from his arm, it struck Ji straight in the chest and sent him sailing back a ways. Choronus used this time to get to Azula.
"Did you really think that would work?" Ji said as he ran forward and planted his feet in the ground causing several spikes to jut forward towards Choronus and Azula.
Choronus reacted the only way he knew how, by throwing Azula away and trying to take get out of the way. Unfortunately the spikes caught him in the back at several points and left small gashes wherever they landed.
"Protecting the girl will only get you killed." Ji said with a smile as he launched a boulder towards Azula.
Again Choronus reacted by pushing her away and taking the blow. He stood back up though and coughed up a small sputter of blood. "Where was this f-in' skill earlier, you twat!"
"Not needed until I knew your full strength." This time Ji launched several fist sized rocks at Choronus, who did manage to barely duck out of the way. "Hm, still got some fight in you, good. I want to end you slowly."
"I don't end slowly." Choronus said as he spat out another sputter of blood. "I end fucks like you."
Ji laughed, "You could have done so easily before, but now you're dead."
"I don't kill people in front of kids." Choronus said, "Not unless I don't have a choice."
"No choice here..." Ji smiled viciously. "Give me everything."
"Ten-" Choronus heard Azula speak the start of his earlier spell and quickly dashed to her and elbowed the back of her head. She dropped unconscious.
"What, not gonna let her use your precious spell." Ji laughed.
"That spell has many pronunciations, most of which are just used to incinerate." Choronus slowly put her to rest on the ground. "She could have easily killed herself, and she knew that."
"Suicidal bitch." Ji snarled. "I need her for the money!"
"Ka no Horus Ra fa dae kor." Choronus said as he held out his arm and a staff of brilliant white metal appeared in his hand in a bright flash. "Aid me oh sky god, your servant is called to battle." He leaned on the staff heavily and his face was to the ground..
"How..." Ji blinked. "Where did that come from?"
"I serve many gods, some have seen fit to reward me with a fraction of their power." He raised his head and his eyes now shone brightly with what looked like an eerie green fire. "Horus Ra, god of the sky, has such rewarded me. This staff, Ji Cuing, this staff is your end."
Ji didn't even speak as he quickly turned to run.
"Na kiy." Choronus said and Ji was pulled backwards.
"Wait, I'll leave you alone!" Ji said in a panicked state as a strange force turned him to face the now powerful sorcerer. "Please I'll do anything."
"You will die Ji, and in being killed by this staff your soul will be stripped of any hope of an afterlife." Choronus said with a coldness that no mortal would recognize. He then placed his hand on Ji's head. "Fall into dark..."
"Ow!" Azula shouted excitedly. "You hit me! What's he doing here?"
"You live for now Ji Cuing. Never let me see your face again." Choronus said as the staff vanished and Ji fell to the ground and then ran far away as fast as he could.
"You could have killed him you know. I would have." Azula said as she tried to stand up.
"Let's rest." Choronus said dismissively. "That fight really hurt and you need to get your bearings after that blow to the head." He then went to pack up the tent.
"How are you not bleeding from those spikes? And how is your jacket fixed?" Azula said as he turned his back to her.
"Staff I summoned heals all flesh wounds." Choronus said as he took a deep breath. "Wish it healed bones."
"Are they broken?" Azula asked.
"Maybe, don't worry though. Just rest." Choronus coughed.
"Why did you protect me?" Azula asked, a true sadness in her voice. "The world would be better off with out me."
"Really?" Choronus snorted. "The impact one person can have on the world is truly amazing, don't sell yourself short kiddo. You may be twisted and broken by most standards, and hope for you may lie more in the future than in the past, but kiddo I tell you ending it only destroys lives rather than saving them."
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"What can one person do?" Azula snorted in disbelief.
Choronus stopped and turned around, he looked her straight in the eye and spoke. "One person can change how man views the world. One person can end six millions lives on his words alone. One person can stand up to a creature demons would run in fear from. One person can unite good or evil." He then sat down with out breaking eye contact. "One person can notice another and start a chain to unite their lives, one person can give their all to protect everything they love, one person can save a soul others wouldn't try." He then smiled. "Everything starts with one person."
"Wow..." Azula breathed. "That was kind of..." She looked for the right word. "Breathtaking."
"Yeah and Superman told me it." Choronus said. "Just don't tell him it worked if you ever met him."
"You really don't like him do you?" Azula smiled weakly.
"I think it's the hair. It's so perfect all the time!" Choronus laughed, then grabbed his side. "Yeah that's at least one broken rib." He then helped Azula up and grabbed his now packed bag and the two started walking again.
"We shouldn't travel on the road." Azula said. "He might try and come back."
"He knows better now." Choronus said.
"Why didn't you kill him?" Azula asked, honestly confused as to why her companion seemed to show mercy to such a foolish attacker.
"I don't care what you've seen, been told or were taught." Choronus said. "Letting kids see people really kill each other just messes with their minds, and your mind is already a twisted maze of confusion."
"Don't forget the pain, self hatred and mommy issues." Azula sniffed, but gave a weak smile.
"Or the sleep talking." Choronus added with a devious smile.
"I don't sleep talk." Azula said with a frown.
"I'm sure your dear brother Zu-zu and his lovely Mei will love to hear that." Choronus smiled. "Should I tell them you want to be at the wedding."
Azula froze in part because now she knew she sleep talked and in part because her companion had grade a blackmail material and she knew he wasn't afraid to use it. "You can't tell them that." She then ran to catch up with her companion. "Really you can't, I'd never live it down!"
Choronus merely gave a victorious laugh, then grabbed his side in pain.