Chapter 25: Earth Mover

The freedom fighters had found their hands full dealing with the Fire Nation troops that had walked into their ambush, as they were two groups of elite well trained units. The Southern Raiders and the Yuyan Archers. One had destroyed an entire nation of Water Tribes in the South Pole, while the other was renowned and feared as one of the most deadly trackers and elite sharpshooters in the world.

Yet they didn't stand a chance.

Grounding her stance firmly in the earth, Toph spat derisively as she stared down (for better lack of a word), two full platoons of Southern Raiders and Yuyan Archers. At first, the Fire Nation troopers were confident, the Southern Raiders assuming an aggressive Firebending stance while the Yuyan archers backed them up from behind, stringing up their bows and aiming it all at their opponent.

Then, they saw it. The Full Metal Armor, and the seal of the flying boar patched on her armored brestplate.

She grinned as she gave them that split second of realization on who they were facing exactly. This was the part of the job she enjoyed.

"Fire!" A Firebending sergeant yelled in panic, and the fire line of Firebenders took a step forward towards the Earthbender.

But to Toph, with her unnatural 'vision' and Seismic sense, they may as well have been moving in slow motion.

Before the Fire Nation soldiers took even the first step into the ground, Toph stomped her feet downwards sending a shockwave through the ground towards the platoon that suddenly erupted into a blast of rock and dust. The explosion of Earth was so strong, it tossed the armored men back like they were ragdolls.

The cloud of dust however, was not enough to obscure the Yuyan Archers, and they let loose a deadly volley of arrows straight at Toph.

Another stomp into the Earth sent several pieces of debris and rock flying up in front of Toph, each one of them blocking an arrow that had been fired by the archers. Feeling that the moment was right, Toph quickly counter attacked, sending her barrier flying straight at the archers in a hailstorm of rock. The quicker archers quickly dived out of the way, while many more were knocked out cold by the debris.

With her immediate opponents taken care of, Toph gauged her surroundings with her seismic sense. Arrows and fire bursts danced in the air, while swords and spears clanged in the melee. The fighting was pretty much even, with the freedom fighters boasting the numbers but being stalled against the disciplined formations of the Fire Nation Troops.

To a casual observer, it seemed impossible to see anything through the melee, but Toph could see it all, could count in her mind the numbers and the odds. Niska was keeping that Sentinel, maybe the most dangerous opponent on the field, occupied at one end of the battlefield, while Kori was leading some of her Freedom Fighters to occupy the Southern Raiders. Smellerbee and Longshot were distracting the Yuyan Archers with some pinpoint shots of her own from the trees, giving her the opening she needed.

But where was the girl?

Another quick stomp into the ground gave Toph her location. Somehow, she was in the mine, running with someone else.

Towards Zuko.

Momentarily annoyed at having the avatar out of her sight, she quickly ran towards the opening of the mine. If I can just get there.

Without even looking (like she ever needed to) , Toph's arm shot up to protect her face, grabbing an arrow out of mid-air and snapping it in half like a twig. The Yuyan archer barely had a moment to appreciate how she did saw him before he was shot up into the air by a spike of Earth at his feet, Toph having simultaneously launched her own attack as soon as she caught the arrow.

Grinning at her triumph, Toph moved on, but suddenly, she felt the wind of someone rushing past beside her. Before she could stop to assess the threat, Toph suddenly felt several jabs run along the side of her arm and thigh, each one sending jolts of pain through her.

Chi Blocking? ...no it can't be. I'm in full armor...

Then Toph realized. Her opponent was so precise with her attacks, she had hit her in the exposed, 'cracked' areas of her armor along her leg and elbow.

Grunting, Toph sent a wave of Earth upwards at her attacker, who nimbly dodged it with ridiculous ease. How did they manage to appear on the battlefield without me seeing? She asked, confused at how this new opponent could appear just out of no where.

If Toph had been able to see, she would have saw the amazing sight of a nimble and fast feminine figure jumping tree to tree at the edge of the battlefield, and onto the shoulders of several rebels and Fire Nation troops to reach her location just outside the cave. This new figure was dressed in the manner of the elite guard of the Fire Nation: a red kimono, with black armor and gold trimmings.

Toph propped her wounded arm as she sensed her opponent. She had a presence. Familiar from the past, back in the old days. But somehow different.

"Long time no see!" The person said lightheartedly, and Toph could just sense the amused smile she wore on her face. There was recognition in that voice.

"You...I know you." Toph said uneasily. "Who are you?"

"I'm the insurance." The figure said simply. "Normally I would fight you for old time's sake, but I have a mission today, I'll need to get into that mine please."

"Well, you're not getting by me sister!" The Metalbender snapped, using her other arm to shoot a metallic cable at her adversary. If I can just wrap her arms around in that cable, she'll be helpless. Toph smirked as the cord shot, propelled by her metal bending, veered straight towards her like a bullet.

The figure leapt at the same moment, sidestepping out of the way with tremendous speed. Incredibly, she managed to twist in the air and deflect Toph's attack, and had Toph's other arm not been paralyzed, she would have been able to counter, but such as it was, the next thing the Earthbender felt was a sharp jab into her gut, knocking the wind out of her.

Toph felt the strength in her legs leave her, and she reeled onto the ground.

"That's why I love fighting earthbenders." The figure said cheerfully. "They're so adorably stubborn."

Without another word, she was gone.

Precious minutes passed before Toph regained consciousness. Lying on the ground, prone and battered, she was furious at how she had been beaten so easily like that, and especially how helpless she was at that moment.

"What's she doing here?" She grumbled angrily.

"Toph!" Kori Morishita, seeing the quick exchange, quickly knelt beside Toph. Disguised in her insurgent garb with a dark cloth covering the bottom half of her face, she had finished fighting her way through the Southern Raiders to the General.

"Are you alright?" She asked out of concern.

"I'm fine!" Toph shouted above the din of battle. "Come, we got to move quickly before she reaches Zuko!"

The Gaoling Mines were a simple enough cave system to navigate. There were a few winding paths and crossroads that would have made navigation tricky in itself, but the glowing green crystals that illuminated the caverns were a huge asset, as they gave her enough light just to see the dark shape of the Blue Spirit in the distance.

Even as she ran after him, she was firing bursts of flame at the fugitive, each one just narrowly missing and harmlessly blasting a slab of rock into pieces.

"You'll want to keep that down, unless you want to bring the whole cave down on us!" Korra turned to see the sight of Zhenjin running just behind her. She was slightly impressed, not many people were able to keep up with her, as evidenced by how easily she had lost her team back in Gaoling.

"Prince Zhenjin!" She exclaimed in surprise.

"Next time, wait for back up." The Prince chastized Korra as the pair ran deeper and deeper into the cave.

"Sorry..." Korra replied sheepishly, "I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright Private Korra. As stupid as it was, I admire that kind of initiative in a soldier. Now let's just get this guy and end our wild goose chance shall we?" Zhenjin said firmly, his eyes blazing with a similar determination at catching his prey.

"Of course your majesty." Korra smirked.

Zuko sat at the dead end of the cave, waiting patiently. His signature Dual Daos in his arms while his other two hook blades were sheathed on his back. Even as he stood by and waited for his opponent to come, he couldn't help but think how cruel and ironic his destiny had played out. He has spent most of his youth chasing after the Avatar, capturing him to restore his honor. Now, the Avatar was coming straight to him, almost on a silver platter, but capturing her now was not the same. It would not bring him the honor, happiness or the rewards he had wanted in his previous life.

He gripped the handles of his swords tightly, the voice of his uncle echoing painfully in his past.

You know, Prince Zuko, destiny is a funny thing. You never know how things are going to work out. But if you keep an open mind and an open heart, I promise you will find your own destiny someday.

"I'm sorry Uncle." Zuko whispered softly. He had failed his test once, utterly and completely, and he saw the stab of pain and betrayal that was etched in his uncle's face, even as they took him away to rot in prison. It took a few years to realize the wrong path he had chosen, and decades more to reach this point in his life.

This was his second chance, and even if it didn't lead to the better life and the honor he desired. It was the right thing to do. He wasn't fighting for himself now, but something greater. Failure was not an option.

Spirits. If there is one thing I can do right. Please let it be this.

His thoughts were interrupted as a pair of footsteps echoed in the darkness ahead, two Firebenders emerged from the darkness. To his shock, one of them was dressed in the gold trimmed crimson armor of Fire Nation Royalty, while the other one, in the dark crimson armor of the Southern Raiders.

The Avatar.

He expected her to have reinforcements, but not from the prince of the Fire Nation. More to the point, he didn't know Azula had a son...and at the moment, he felt the urge to feel pity for that unfortunate soul who would suffer her as a mother. His own painful memories of his upbringing with Ozai didn't make it any easier.

But he had no time to think on that now. He had a job to do, and he was determined to see it through.

"It's over," Zhenjin said authoritatively. "You're tired and you've got no place to go except through us."

"And even if you try to run, we'll catch you." Korra added confidently.

To their surprise, the Blue Spirit stood up in reply. He had the build and height of an adult in the prime of his life and he moved with a confident gait of someone who had seen many battles in his life.

"I'm not running." he said simply, then flashing his dual daos, he charged.

The Blue Spirit was fast, and Korra instinctively sent a charged fireblast at him, hoping to catch him off balance. Instead of weaving to the side, which Korra was expecting, so that Prince Zhenjin could move in, he simply brought up his dual swords, and met the flame blast head on, dispersing it with a twirl of steel.

That display distracted Korra enough, that she didn't realize that the Blue Spirit was still barreling towards her.

"Watch out!" Zhenjin shouted, a flash of steel glinting in the cave as he locked blades with the Blue Spirit, narrowly stopping a sword swipe at Korra just as she backed away.

"T-Thanks!" Korra unsheathed her own jian uneasily, even as the Prince and the Blue Spirit exchanged several more sharp parries. The Prince was skilled, having been trained in royal swordsmanship by his days in the academy, but the Blue Spirit was not bad himself, flowing and weaving through the prince's strikes like water. To Korra, it was as though both of them were on another level compared to her.

Still, she was determined to do her part, and a sudden inspiration struck her as she recalled her days training with Mako in the South Pole. Gripping her sword tightly, she rushed, intercepting a sword strike that was aimed at the Prince's side. A loud clang resounded in the cave, and Zhenjin nodded to Korra in thanks at covering for him.

The Blue Spirit seemed to almost hesitate in his next strike as Korra locked blades with him, probably from disbelief that she was able to block one of his attacks. Now was her chance!

Remembering her lessons with Mako, she channeled her firebending through the blade of the sword, so that the jian seemed to be smoking and glowing red from the heat.

It only took a second for the Blue Spirit to realize what she was doing, and he instinctively jumped backwards, avoiding Korra's next sword swipe that produced a wave of flame that sliced throughout the cave. It was a fast attack, and one that he had barely managed to dodge. Underneath the mask, Zuko widened his eyes in astonishment as he felt the head of the flames singe his mask.

Did she get that much stronger in just a few weeks? Admittedly, he was quite impressed. Few people were able to Firebend with a sword, himself included. Her movements were brash, fluid, and the way she moved with the sword... he couldn't help but think of that twelve year old kid, knocking him back so many times airbending with that wooden staff...

"You're not half bad at this," Zhenjin remarked casually, giving his shoulder an experimental rub as he resumed his fighting stance.

"Thanks." Korra smirked, glad at the praise. "But so is he. We'll have to take him down together."

"Agreed." The Prince said calmly, raising his sword at his opponent, along with Korra.

"Now!" Zhenjin growled, and Korra followed suit, charging the Blue Spirit with a series of ruthless and non-stop attacks. Strikes and Fireblasts were exchanged, again and again, the ringing of steel echoing through the caverns, which were occasionally illuminated by a bright spark of flame. Korra focused mainly on her firebending sword strikes, while Zhenjin was more precise, but as the fight wore on, it became apparent that the Blue Spirit was stopping all their attacks, frustrating both the Firebenders.

Both firebenders soon locked swords again, and they jumped back, breaking off the attack, both of them breathing heavily from their last attack. They eyed the Blue Spirit, assessing his condition. Aside from that singe Korra had burnt into his mask, they had barely even hurt him.

Is he toying with us? Zhenjin thought indignantly. No! As a Prince of the Fire Nation, failure was not an option. If his opponent was experienced, then he would simply wear him down. In frustration, he raised his sword, and moved forward, Korra following suit.

Zuko watched as the pair approached him slowly. They were good, much better than he had expected. But they were no where near as experienced as he was. And he would show them now.

Quickly sheathing his swords, Zuko shot forward, unleashing a strong blast of flame that knocked Zhenjin back with force. The Prince grunted as the firebending took him by surprise, and was knocked back unceremoniously against the wall of the chamber.

Did he just...Korra widened her eye in amazement, turning around to see that the Blue Spirit had already closed the distance with her, she tried to block, but the man was much faster, more honed by years of combat. Without a word, Zuko brought the hilt of his sword to the back of her head, knocking Korra down. She gave a sharp cry of pain as she fell.

"Get away from her!" Zhenjin shouted, having recovered from his initial surprise. He advanced, sword in hand, but Zuko was ready. Unsheathing one of his hook swords, he parried Zhenjin's blade, then retracted it back, hooking onto the hilt of the prince's jian and tucking it neatly out of his hand. Before the astonished Prince could react, he found himself flying backwards as Zuko kicked him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him.

Zhenjin groaned as he fell to his knees, unconsciousness slipping to take hold over him.

"You've fought well," Zuko said softly, "But this is over."

He stepped forward-

Then, another voice echoed in the chamber.

"Maybe not just yet."

Before Zuko could do anything, several smoke bombs exploded in front of him, temporarily blinding him. Someone else had breached the chamber, and he quickly assumed a defensive stance, even as the figure emerged from the smoke. Wearing the crimson kimono of the elite guard, Zuko's eyes widened in haunting recognition as he saw someone from his past life.

"Ty Lee?" Zuko exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"Just keeping an eye on things." Ty Lee said innocently as she walked towards Zhenjin's prone body, lifting the young teenager over her shoulders.

Zuko found himself struggling with how to express the swirl of emotions now in his head. It had been years since he had seen her, and from what he remembered of her in his youth, she was so sweet and full of life. Now, his heart almost sank knowing just how much had changed in all those years. He knew Ty Lee was loyal to Azula, but he never imagined it would be to this extent. There was just so much wrong with it.

"Ty Lee..." He almost shouted, his hand shaking as he gripped the sword. "Why are you doing this? We were friends...Mai was your friend."

"And she should have known better than to turn traitor." She gave a dark whiff of a smile, which eerily reminded Zuko of his sister.

"You..." Zuko said angrily as he advanced.

"Sorry Zuko," Ty Lee said lightly, oblivious to Zuko's anger. "As much as I would love to stay and fight you. I can't allow the young prince to die today. Azula wouldn't be happy about that. But you, on the other hand..." She produced several metallic orbs in her palm, and flung them towards Zuko.

It only took a second for him to understood what they were.

He jumped back, just as the bombs exploded in a blinding flash, throwing him back and shattering the delicate structure of the cave. Soon, rocks began falling from the ceiling as the surrounding walls shook violently, collapsing. As he took a look at the cavern entrance, he saw that Ty Lee was gone, carrying the prince with him.

That just left...Zuko's eyes widened.

He glanced towards Korra's prone form, lying several meters behind him. The Avatar! He had to save her!

Just as he turned around to run however, a rock column slammed between him and the Avatar, cutting him off.

No...

Korra woke quickly to the sound of falling rock and debris, and even as she rubbed the back of her head in pain, she was conscious enough to notice the falling stalactites from the cavern ceiling. Thinking quickly, she rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a column of rock that fell from the ceiling, exploding into a cloud of rubble.

"Zhenjin?" Korra shouted in the cave as it collapsed around her. "Somebody? anybody! Help!"

Korra coughed through the dust and soot, trying to navigate a way out just as more rocks slammed from the ceiling. One had caught the side of her helmet, and she fell backwards groaning in pain, struggling to find her way out of the collapsing cave.

Gasping for air, the last thing Korra saw was a large slab of rock crashing down onto her, casting its wide shadow over her like a veil of black. She was going to be crushed, she just knew it, and she pathetically threw her arms up to protect herself.

No! I can't die here, not like this!

Not now!

Suddenly, out of the darkness, Korra saw a blinding light.

Then nothing.

Next chapter: To be revealed! XD

Phew! that was a long one :) thanks everyone for keeping track of this story thus far. I've got a lot more planned, and i hope you enjoy it! Great point Fokusas on the armor/chi blocking bit, i've added a line to explain it, hopefully it is better now. thanks again!

Some replies to comments that i can't PM

RashestRumble : Thanks! As dark and oppresive this AU is, it's always good to inject some humor into it :) Glad you're liking Zhenjin, as I said, he'll surprise you in the end hopefully :)

Yep I know about the Agni definition, its just that it seems the fandom has accepted it as some kind of deity in the fanfics ive read, just me going with the trend :)

Your idea sounds awesome. One of the few things ive had complaints about in ALTA was just how black and white the Fire Nation army was shown to be, some moral dilemmas and insights for the Fire Nation soldiers were would be interesting to read!

And yes, the warden is based off the one in ATLA that ran the oil rig, who imprisioned Haru. In the AU, the south pole one is his son

Uzu-chan: Asami does tend to be a bit more cockier in this version, considering she's an elite guard, but i'll keep my eye on it for future updates :)

Toph is awesome, agreed. And thanks, i'm glad you are liking Zhenjin. TBH, OCs are not my strong points, and i try to limit them, but your description/impression of him is exactly the type of character i am going for

I cannot comment on the speculation lest i give it all away, but you've got some great ideas there :) and some ideas I have played with as well!

I try to update once a week on average.

Guest2: I actually haven't put much thought into it actually, so i can't answer that atm, i always think it's best to have the readers decide what voices they want the characters to have :)