Hey everybody, and welcome to another exciting chapter of Lost Girl! So sorry to keep you all waiting, but I started taking upper level classes this semester and I don't have as much time to write as I'd like to. But don't worry; I've set aside a few free hours each day to write so I should be able pump out a new chapter every two or three weeks. That being said, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is owned by Marvel and Legend of Korra is owned by Nickelodeon. Blah, blah, blah! Now on with the show!
Chapter 27: Friends on the Other Side.
The Spirit World…
A parallel dimension with physical laws all its own.
Seasons pass like hours of the day.
Earth and sky run unparalleled.
Light and darkness exist as one.
It is a realm of endless wonder… and unspeakable horror.
On the shore of a large brown water lake, a lone armored figure trudges through the thick black mud; his arms crossed over his chest in an attempt to stave off the bitter cold. His eyes dart back and forth as he frantically scans his surroundings. This man is the infamous Dr. Doom, and at the moment he was scared out of his mind.
'Damnation!' Doom cursed internal. 'How could it have all gone so wrong?'
In an attempt to cement Latveria's place at the center of the universe, the metal lord set forth on a quest to capture the greatest power in all the cosmos; the Nexus of All Realities. To aid him in this journey, Doom recruited the recently banished Avatar Korra to act as his guide through the Spirit World, and despite several rather unpleasant setbacks, everything was going more or less as he planned.
That is until they actually arrived in the Spirit World; then the whole thing turned into a debacle.
Mere seconds after passing through the Mortal Gate, our travelers found themselves in the midst of a massive monsoon. Hurricane force winds nearly blew Korra away while raindrops and hailstones the size of dodge balls threatened to bludgeon them both to death; Spirit World weather was far more violent than either had expected. Then, as mysteriously as it started, the storm suddenly stopped and for a moment the two companions believed the worst was over; but as I'm sure you have learned by now, dear reader, the universe seldom shows such compassion.
Less than a minute after the storm settled a gigantic mudslide tore a path of destruction across the spiritual plane and the two companions were swept away in a raging torrent of putrid muck. Some time later Doom awoke on the shore of a distant lake; lost, alone, and completely terrified.
For you see dear friend, somewhere within this ever-changing world of nature spirits and demigods dwelt a monster. A bloodthirsty beast spawned by the blackest of the arcane arts. An unholy abomination whose only instinct is to slaughter and destroy all life in its path. A creature called… Amon.
'I know you're out there Demon.' The metal monarch thought to himself; too afraid to speak aloud, fearing his voice may draw out the beast. 'Watching… waiting… biding your time until I let my guard down and then you'll strike, but you're wasting your time because I will never let you catch me off-guard ever again.'
Doom continued to ramble on internally; completely unaware of the large set of eyes watching him from the bushes nearby.
XXX
A strange scent wafted past Korra's nose; arousing her from her slumber. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and once her vision fully returned she was able to take in her surroundings. The young Avatar found herself in some kind of small white room; which was very unusual considering that the last thing she remembered was being swallowed up by a massive wall of mud. Upon closer inspection she realized she was laying on a soft, if not a bit itchy, bed of straw.
"Where the hell am I?" she asked aloud, despite the fact that there was no one there to answer her; or so she thought.
Why, you're in the Spirit World of course. Said an ethereal voice from within her mind.
"You said that?" she asked with an edge of fear in her voice.
Relax Korra, the voice replied with an amused chuckle. It's only me.
At that moment, a transparent figure arose from the floor and stood beside her; his form all too familiar.
"Aang?" she asked almost stupidly. "What are you doing here?"
This earned another chuckle from the spectral form of the former Avatar.
You and I are of the same spirit Korra. I am always with you.
"Oh… right." She said, slightly embarrassed. "I guess it's been a while since I've done the whole Avatar thing. So I'm a little rusty on all the rules."
So I've noticed.
"Hey!" said the young Avatar, being unnecessarily defensive. "I've been busting my ass for the last two months trying to get back home; so excuse me if I haven't had time to meditate or whatever."
How exactly was playing 'video games' and watching 'Happy Feet' supposed to help you get back home?
"Shut up!" she replied bluntly before looking away in a huff.
Now Korra, you know I was just teasing.
The old specter said with a sympathetic tone as he knelt down beside her.
Tell me, what really has you so upset?
Korra said nothing for the longest time; refusing to even look at her predecessor. Then, after what felt like an eternity, she turned her head to face the old shade; tears slowly streaming from her beautiful blue eyes.
"It's not fair…" she said with a sniffle. "It's just not fair. All I want is to get back home, to see my family and friends and…" her sobbing intensified, so it took a moment before she could choke out the rest of her sentence. "…to be with Mako again, but the entire ****ing universe seems to hell-bent on keeping me from him!"
I know what you're going through Korra.
The former Avatar said sympathetically, though his successor didn't take it the way he thought she would.
"You know what I'm going through?" she asked in an acidic tone. "You know how it feels to be beaten almost to death and banishing halfway across the universe? To be stranded on a world full of people more powerful than you are? To find out that the only way to get back home is to either give-up on your one true love or side with a would-be world conqueror who knows how to turn off your Avatar State like it was a light switch? To almost get eaten by a cult of super intelligent dinosaurs? To nearly drown in a sea of Spirit World sludge?"
By the end of her rant, the young Avatar was practically shouting, which greatly unnerved the wraith of her previous life.
Well… no, I suppose I don't…
"No! You don't know! So don't go all Ancient Wisdom on me, because you have no idea what Hell I've been through!"
The former Avatar was at a loss for words. Korra's outburst had caught him completely off-guard. He was wondering what he could possibly say to defuse the situation, when a second ethereal voice emerged from the wall behind him; a much more feminine voice.
Young Lady! I know you've been through a lot lately, but that's no excuse for such language!
The voice scolded as the image of a woman suddenly phased through the ivory wall; a very familiar looking woman.
Especially when you're talking to my husband.
XXX
'Where are you, you bloodthirsty lunatic? Where are you?' the tin-plated tyrant thought to himself as he continued his lonely trek. He'd been walking for several hours and so far he had not seen a single trace of the vengeful spirit formerly known as Amon; which he found very suspicious.
'What are you waiting for, you Cattle-Butcher? I've lost my compass, my Avatar, and my way; you will never get a better opportunity than this. So why don't you show yourself, you gutless Frog-Eater?'
While the metal monarch continued his internal questionnaire, the landscape around him suddenly changed. What had once been the muddy shore of an unfamiliar lake was now a vast, frozen wasteland. Such dimensional shifts were commonplace in the Spirit World and having already experiencing five of them in the last hour alone, Doom simply ignored it and kept up his sluggish pace.
Chilling winds swept across the barren tundra; each gust felt like a frozen sickle cutting into his flesh. Yet the great Latverian Lord took it all in stride; he could not afford to show any signs of weakness. Not now, not when he was in the heart of the lion's den.
'This is what you want isn't it, you soulless abomination? The man who took your life is all alone and… somewhat helpless, WHY DON'T YOU SHOW YOURSELF?'
Needless to say, the metal lord was wound tight enough to snap, but then again who wouldn't be in his situation? At any moment, that bloodthirsty monster could appear out of nowhere and wreak his horrible revenge.
Another chilling gust sent waves of pain up the metal monarch's backside; it was so excruciating he failed to notice the sound of footsteps behind him.
XXX
"Katara!" the young Avatar shouted excitedly at the sight of her old mentor. It had been so long since she had seen a familiar face; she very nearly rushed over to give the aging water a great big hug. Unfortunately, a sudden realization eliminated all such urges; as well as even the slightest trace of joy in her heart.
"Katara…" Korra said in an uncharacteristically meek and melancholy tone. "If you're here… then that means…" Once again, tears began to well up in her beautiful blue orbs. "No…"
It's alright Korra,
The female shade kneeled down and wiped the tears from the Avatar's streaming eyes.
I'm at peace now.
"Yeah…" she replied with a sniffle. "But I don't understand. How? When?"
Before Katara could answer, the phantasm of her former husband cut in.
I'm sorry Korra, but I'm afraid your questions will have to wait. I have something I need to… discuss with Katara.
The female shade looked to her former mate and nodded in agreement. Then she stood up to stand beside him.
"But…"
No buts, there'll be plenty of time to talk later. Right now, you need to rest. You and your 'friend' still got a long way to go.
Then, without another word, both shades simply faded out of existence, leaving the confused young Avatar alone with her thoughts.
XXX
So, what do you think?
Asked the Water Tribe shade to the Air Nomad shade.
I think banishment has had a negative effect on her attitude and that new 'friend' of hers is only making it worse.
Speaking of whom, what do you make of him?
Not sure, he's a very hard man to read. It's difficult to deduce his true motives.
So, how do you think we should handle this?
I don't know Katara… I just don't know.
The two shades stood in silence for several moments as they both carefully weighed their options. Katara was the first to speak.
I hate to say it, but I think this 'Doctor Doom' may be our best hope of getting Korra back where she belongs.
I don't trust him.
Neither do I, but the quickest way for Korra to get back home is through the Spirit Gate and if this man is as resourceful as you say, then he is the only one who can get her there alive.
The phantasm formerly known as Avatar Aang let out a deep exasperated sigh as he massaged his temples.
Alright, I'll go look for him.
The old shade whistled for his bison and left Katara without another word.
The former waterbender watched as the shade of her husband went off in search of the illusive doctor. She hoped with every fiber of her astral form that he would be able to find him soon.
Korra was going to need every advantage she could get, if she was going to face the Warrior of Avalon.
When did death get so complicated?
End Notes: Well folkies, that brings us to the end of another chapter. In case you were wondering, I got the terms Cattle-Butcher and Frog-Eater from the Jungle Book, which if you recall, Doom was reading in an earlier chapter. Cattle-Butcher refers to someone who kills people weaker than himself and Frog-Eater refers to someone who either tries (or succeeds) to harm and/or kill children and/or infants. Both of which apply to Amon if you think about it. Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave a review before you leave. Until next time my faithful followers.
