Happy New Year's Eve y'all. Here is chapter 29 a few hours earlier than usual due to time differences where I am and naturally the last chapter of 2017. This is the second longest chapter I have ever written (so far) but as y'all will be able to tell I couldn't break it up but at least it is full of action. One question to address here from the last week. I have been asked if Harry will meet the all the prior Avatars mentioned in the series. The answer to that is that Harry will only meet Korra as he can only contact Korra due to Unalaq's actions during Harmonic Convergence. Harry will meet Korra a few times in this series though. That's all I have to address here so sit back, relax and enjoy the latest installment in Avatar: The Tale of Harry. Book 1: Purity.
Disclaimer: As always I own nothing relating to either of these two great works of fiction.
Chapter 29
Harry and his friends didn't need any more encouragement. They leapt down from the platform, dropping the trophy on the platform as it was irrelevant now, and headed straight to the players' box, ripping off their helmets and masks as they went. Only Ron was already changed having done so during the final round after he arm was healed but he still needed his weapons.
"Ron are you sure your arm is ok?" Harry asked as they reached the players' box and went straight into the changing room.
"It will be fine." Ron said taking off his sling and grabbing his club and boomerang from his locker. "A broken bone requires a deep heal and several additional sessions for the bruising and swelling but it was a clean break so the healer was able to set it and fuse the bone but once we are clear I will need Ginny to do the additional sessions I'll need to speed up my recovery."
"Let's get clear of the Academy then." Ginny said. "Harry what's the plan?"
Harry didn't need any time to think he already knew the plan. Ron and he had been discussing contingencies like this ever since the attacks on the prisons.
"We all have our go bags ready just in case the Academy was attacked right?" Harry asked, his friends all confirming this with nods. "Ok good then all of you go and get them from your dorms now. If you run into any Death Eaters or other opposition like the Purists or Triad members don't hold back because they won't. Right now it's kill or be killed remember that." Again they all nodded. "Ron get mine for me from the Water House."
"Wait where are you going?" Ginny asked.
"To see what is going on with Master Albus." Harry said. He had known as soon as he had heard of the attack that he would have to go to the leader of the Order of the Phoenix and see if Albus needed help or had instructions for him as to what to do and where to go. "He should be in the observation room on top of the Administration Tower in the Air House. We have to go there anyway so where else better to head."
"Why the Air House?" Neville asked.
As they had been talking they had been changing quickly out of their protective gear and into their usual attire though Neville and Ron not sort out their hair as there was no time. Harry had been in his Water Tribe outfit and kept it for this, he may need the water skin tonight.
"Because we will flee on my bison Pandora." Luna said bluntly realizing Harry's escape plan. "She's the best way out of here."
"Yes so only bring your go bags." Harry said as he attached his belt with his wire spool and water skin and grabbed his swords before heading to the exit.
"And everyone the moon is full tonight." Ron said. "So if you see bloodbending do not hesitate to attack because we know the Death Eaters will use it if there are any waterbenders among them and only Ginny and me could possibly fight it off and even that will be a long shot."
"Likely they will be on the invasion force in the south instead of being here." Harry said. "But yes if they are here take out the bloodbenders before they get a hold of you, it's the one thing we haven't had a chance to practice against and will have no defense against other than Ron and Ginny."
As Harry was speaking they exited the arena to a scene pandemonium. Students were running in all directions trying to get back to their dorms while White Lotus guards and teachers tried to establish order. It didn't help that the sky had clouded over and it had begun to rain. Looking up Harry saw 3 black airships in the skies above the academy. One had the Dark Mark in white on the side and was circling the Administration Tower, another was further north near where the bison pens where and the last was over the bay. The last two airships had the symbols for purity and bending interwoven in red on their sides.
"They're already hear so lets get a move on." Harry said.
"We have one advantage." Ron said looking up. "The clouds are obscuring the moon so bloodbending will be harder as a waterbender needs an unobscured path for the rays to infuse them with the power needed to bloodbend. They still may be able to bloodbend but it will be harder."
"That's good to know." Harry said. "Now hurry and meet at the northern most tower in the Air House ASAFP. We won't leave any of us behind."
There was no need for anymore words as Team Avatar nodded and instantly split. Neville ran to the Fire House, Ron and Ginny to the bay and the Water House and Harry and Luna north to the Air House. Harry was glad that he kept all his important stuff in his go bag in the Water House as he would not have the time to get anything from the Earth House.
Neville ran, dodging through the crowd as he did so, as fast as he could to the Fire House. Luckily by this point the teachers had gotten most of the students under control and order had been established so no one gave him a second glance as he ran. Because of the time they took to change most of the students had returned to their rooms by now and were safe.
Unfortunately the White Lotus guards were now dealing with a different situation. The third airship, the one over the bay, had suddenly disgorged several figures on repelling cables and a few clear airbenders who where gliding down on glider staffs or in glider suits. It was clear to Neville that these were the Purist forces likely sent to engage the White Lotus and the teachers while a few Death Eaters came for the important targets. At least that is what Ron would have done and his tactical mind seemed to be pretty good at predicting what Voldemort would do. Neville was nearly at his dorm when he felt an unnatural gust of air that blew the rain around him. Using fire jets he was able to dive out of the way just in time to avoid being caught by a powerful attack. Rolling with his landing on the wet stones Neville quickly rose into a low fighting stance to see who had attacked him and felt his blood go cold.
Standing between him and his dorm was a black robed Death Eater holding a glider staff. However that was not the part that Neville feared, he had fought a Death Eater before without fear, it was that he wasn't wearing a mask and Neville would never forget the straw colored hair and milky face of Bartemius Crouch Jr. one of his parents rapists and murderers. The man was older now compared to his mugshot, more mature, more muscular and filled out but instead of the frightened stare Neville had seen in the mugshot in the dossier. No this Crouch had a confident glare with an evil smile gracing his lips.
"Oh how I am glad that I am the one who gets to deal with you." Crouch said the cruel joy evident in his voice. "I had the pleasure of executing your traitorous parents, after some quality time with your blood traitor cunt of a mother and all her holes, and now I get to do the same to their blood traitor son. Well minus any disgusting faggot activities of course, that would be unnatural. The Dark Lord is not pleased you, a fucking pureblood, refused his offer to join him and instead side with the traitors to balance, benders rights, and purity. For a pureblood like yourself it is insulting, disgraceful, and disgusting that you would turn on your own and side with the weak and the traitors." Crouch spat in the dirt as he spoke. "Your purity could have been useful to us but there are times where we must prune the weeds from our family trees and now is such a time. Prepare to see your parents again you motherfucking blood traitor."
"The only traitor I see here is you." Neville said feeling the anger build inside like never before. He would have to temper it and use it so as to win the impending fight. "Today justice will be served against you once more."
Neville knew he shouldn't give into it but right now he didn't give a fuck. He had a chance to avenge his parents, at least partly, and he would give them the justice that had been taken from them when this madman had been broken out of the dark hole he had been thrown into.
"It most certainly will be." Crouch said as he begun to spin his staff. "I will enjoy executing a blood traitor once more, it's been too long since I had that pleasure."
Neville didn't give the man a chance to attack as he sent a bolt of lightning that had been building right at Crouch with a roar of rage. Crouch only just had time to launch himself into the air to avoid the attack while the bolt exploded against the outer wall of the dorm building. Neville charged forward and propelled himself into the air at the Death Eater using fire jets. Crouch didn't have time to counter as he was still in the process of avoiding Neville's initial attack. Neville slammed into Crouch and wrapped his arms around the man's waist. The power of the blow caused Crouch to drop his staff to the ground below. The force of the attack sent the pair into the dorm building that Neville had been heading too when Crouch had attacked him. As a Fire Nation design the building had thinner walls reinforced with wood rather than a normal building which would have been made of stone. So it wasn't a surprise to Neville that the attack easily punctured the wall.
Both benders crashed through the wall and into the common room that months before had been where Harry had had first experience with Hermione. Neville felt the air pick up but could not stop himself from being blown off Crouch by a powerful blast of air. Neville felt himself slam hard into the ceiling and the force of the attack cause him to momentarily black out as he didn't feel it when he landed on the floor but the impact of the floor jarred him back to consciousness. Crouch too had been hurled back by the attack causing him to crash into a table and skid across the floor to the far wall. The few students who were waiting out the attack in the room screamed and ran for the stairs, luckily none had been injured.
Neville and Crouch both slowly rose to their feet and glared hate at each other across the room. Neville could tell he was bruised and had a few cuts but nothing felt broken. Besides the adrenaline was flowing so he couldn't feel any pain, only rage at the man who orphaned him and was now standing across the room from him.
"You're a more worthy adversary than I expected." Crouch said spitting out a gob of blood from his mouth before smiling at Neville his mouth bloody. "But it won't save you. You could have been so much more, a pureblood like yourself is proof of bending purity being the way to go. I rejected my traitor of a father and you can too. I'll offer you one last chance to join us or join your parents in hell."
"Never." Neville retorted. "I will never believe in your warped, racist or ignorant views. It is you who creates imbalance not the Avatar and today it is you who will pay the ultimate price. Today it will be you who will be sent to hell."
"We shall see." Crouch said with a smirk as he launched himself across the room at Neville with his airbending.
Neville dove to the side but Crouch had been expecting Neville's move and punched a gust of air at Neville catching the boy in the chest and sending him back into a table. Crouch rolled when he landed and proceeded to leap at Neville again hands outstretched as if to strangle him. Dazed from the impact Neville instinctively rolled onto his back and kicked his feet up. Crouch must have mistimed his attack as Neville's feet made contact with the Death Eater's chest. Without thinking Neville sent two jets of fire out of his feet directly into the Crouch's chest.
Crouch gave an inhuman scream of sheer pain as he was propelled off Neville's feet and through the wooden ceiling, which had been weakened when Neville had been hurled into it, leaving behind the scent of charged flesh and burnt clothes. Neville was too amazed at what had happened to be shocked and quickly got to his feet and used his fire jets to get him through the hole in the ceiling and onto the floor above. Neville realized he was on the floor with his room on it. Somehow the hole he had made in the floor was in the corridor and not a dorm room so again no one was hurt. Judging by all the closed doors the students had stayed in to avoid the fight as soon as they heard it going on. Neville looked across the gap to see a mound of black smoking robes and sighed, it was finally over. Suddenly it shifted and Neville groaned, the fight was still on. How was this fucker not dead from that last attack.
Neville watched in morbid fascination as Crouch slowly rose to his feet and with a scream of pain he ripped the tattered and burnt robe from him so he stood in just a pair of black pants and boots. His face was mixture of rage, fury, hate and pain but that was nothing compared to his chest. The milky skin was now burned black from the heat of Neville's fire and covered most of his chest with lesser but still serious burns on his arms. Small rivulets of blood ran down his chest from where he had ripped the stuck fabric away. Neville was pretty sure that the only thing keeping this man standing was a mixture of adrenaline and pure hate.
"Now you will really pay traitor." Crouch said his vocal chords clearly a bit damaged from the attack. "I will make you suffer so much that what I did to your parents will look they died in their sleep. When I am done with you you will be begging for the sweet release of death. The pain I feel will be nothing compared to what I shall inflict upon you and I will pleasure myself while doing it."
Neville yelled in anger and jumped across the gap. He was going to end this now and put Crouch down once and for all. Crouch sent a jet of air from his fist at Neville as Neville charged but he avoided it by jumping onto the right wall and using his left hand to create a fire jet as he ran along it. Timing it as best he could Neville ended the jet and pushed off the wall lashing out with his right foot. Somehow he managed to make contact with Crouch's face, the force of the blow sending the Death Eaters sideways through the nearest dorm door. Neville landed awkwardly and painfully before he got up and ran into the room hoping it was unoccupied.
Standing in the doorway he was a little surprised to see that the room was in fact his. Crouch was sprawled at the far end in the remains of the wooden door but again Crouch was getting up. He was raising more slowly than before so Neville knew that the adrenaline in Crouch's system was wearing off. As Crouch turned to face him Neville could see that the man's nose was broken and bleeding freely. With an animal roar the wounded man used what may be the last of his strength to lunge at Neville.
Neville didn't have time to bend but he did grab the hilt of his jian sword that he kept on a stand by the door and unsheathing it in one smooth motion he stabbed the charging man in the chest. Neville barely felt the resistance of the man's skin as he impaled him on the black blade of his Piandao made sword. He had been lucky to get the blade between two ribs.
Crouch let out a startled grunt as he ran into the point of the sword and both he Neville looked down at the blade buried deep in his chest. Making eye contact with one of his parents' murderers Neville saw Crouch cough and blood exhaled from his mouth speckling Neville's face and dribbling down the man's chin. Making sure he was holding the leather grip with his left hand but keeping two fingers pointing to the floor extended his right hand and sent a bolt of lightning into the metal blade.
"Justice." Neville said as the metal conducted the lightning up the blade and into Crouch.
Neville watched as the force of the lightning blasted Crouch's body of the end of the blade and through the wall. The only sound was the sizzle of lightning, Crouch must have been dead by the time the lightning entered his body. It crashed through the roof of the nearest building and disappeared out of sight. Neville let out an exhausted sigh as he fell to his knees. He was both exhausted from the fight and judging by the raging erection in his pants incredibly horny which he didn't understand. However the firebender knew he couldn't rest. Rising and wiping the blood from his sword Neville sheathed it and then strapped it to his back and grabbed his go bag which he kept in his wardrobe just in case he needed it and then pulled the strap over his shoulder and tightened it so it was on his back with his sword but in such a way that he still had access to the latter weapon.
Neville walked further into his room to survey the damage. It was extensive. The adrenaline was wearing off and he could feel the pain in his body now but while he would need a healer for the cuts he was sure that nothing was broken. Walking to the hole in his wall he looked out into the dark, wet night. The sounds of battle were clear across the Academy as the White Lotus and the Purists fought but at least one of the Death Eaters present was now dead. There was no way Crouch could have survived all he had been through and Neville grinned knowing that one of his parents killers had received justice. He felt no remorse for Crouch's death, it was him or Neville and Neville had been the one to prevail.
"Blood traitor!" A soft yet angry voice yelled from behind him. "You will die for murdering a hero of balance, purity and benders' rights. The Dark Lord will reward me for killing you."
Neville, still alert from the battle, pivoted on his heel and sent a bolt of lighting at the intruder without hesitation or even aiming. The bolt made contact with the sympathizer's shoulder before he could get off his own attack and spun the boy away. Neville realized it was Crabbe Jr., a known Purist and bully in his year and the son of a suspected Death Eater. Neville didn't have the time or caring to check on the boy who had wanted to kill him and he turned back to the new hole in his room's wall and with a deep breath he jumped out into the pouring rain. He arrested his descent with a fire jet and stumbling on landing so he had to role on the wet stones to avoid injury. Not looking at the building he had just won a life or death fight in Neville began running towards the meeting point. As he was running the rain began to fall even harder than before and he felt a rumble in the earth that could only come from an earthbender landing on the ground with a deliberate attack. Shaking it off Neville continued towards the Air House hoping to not run into anymore trouble along the way.
As Neville was going to the Fire House, Ron and Ginny were running towards their own dorm in the Water House. With the number of Purist sympathizers in the Water House and the army of Purists descending to the ground near the bay Ron knew that he and his sister would have to fight to get to their room.
As with Neville's journey, the Southern Water Tribe siblings' journey wasn't as hard as they had expected as many students had already returned to their dorms and the White Lotus and Purists were currently locked in combat elsewhere in the Academy. It appeared that Voldemort had sent the Purists and likely a few Death Eaters to oversea the attack only to get rid of the White Lotus and probably arrest the teachers who had been active in the last war. However Ron had a feeling that Team Avatar may be a target as well as they had defeated the attempted kidnapping of Harry all those months ago. Naturally Harry himself would be the prime target for Voldemort so it was imperative that they did everything in their power to get him away from the Academy, even if it cost them their own lives in the process.
On the run to the dorm they didn't really have to do much other than focus on the task at hand. Most of the fighting was in pockets around them as the Purists pressed forward and deeper into the Academy. Unfortunately for them their luck ran out just as they were nearing the Water House when a wall of flame erupted between them and one of the bridges to the Water House causing Ron and Ginny to immediately pull up short. As soon as they turned around to try and find another path to the Water House an earth wall was erected behind them.
"Well well well what do we have here." came a cruel voice with a distinct Fire Nation accent.
Ron turned back to the fire to see a black robed man walking calmly towards them. He wasn't wearing a mask and Ron easily recognized the Sozin style beard and elaborate top knot holder the man sported. It was one of the known Death Eaters, Rosier. The man looked slightly demented look on his face with a cruel smile and a predatory gaze at the Southern Water Tribe siblings.
"Looks like my plan to stake this place out worked, eh boys." Rosier continued. "I was hoping for a chance to catch the Avatar here but his pair of waterbending blood traitors will do just nicely."
"Yeah its the brats of that illegitimate, blood traitor Chief of the Southern Water Tribe." came a burly voice from by the rock wall that caused them to turn back to the wall. "The Dark Lord will be pleased when we end these traitors to purity. They give purebloods a bad name."
Again this Death Eater was robed but not masked, they must have been confident they would win in Republic City to show their faces while in Death Eater robes. Again Ron recognized the big, burly, blond man as one of the individuals in the file he had read a few months back. This time however it was only a suspected Death Eaters, Thorfinn Rowle. What the General of the Kuei National Guard was doing here was a mystery to Ron, one he likely didn't have time to find out the truth of. However this proved without a doubt that the man was a Death Eater.
A sudden gust of wind swept over Ron and he watched as a black robed and this time masked Death Eater swoop in on a glider suit and stood to their side with his back to the wall of one of the class buildings that bordered the bay. Ron didn't know which of the airbending Death Eaters this could be but if he had to put money on it he would have gone with Gibbon.
"Illegitimate?" Ron asked keeping his voice calm and conversational. "As far as I know the only illegitimate world leader is the now former Northern Water Tribe Chief, your racist pal Lucius."
"He is the only world leader who is legitimate you fucking no good blood traitor peasant." Rosier snarled at Ron the hate clear in his eyes. "Only Lucius understands what purity and true balance is in this world and the need for both. Only he and the Dark Lord can restore the rights that benders have had taken away from them through the systematic oppression of the few strong by the weak masses. You could join us and renounce your traitorous and rebellious colony and serve the glory of the Dark Lord or we could execute you now as the fucking traitors you are. You could honor your pureblood or you could join the weak and be slaughtered by the the strong."
"Yeah we don't want to spill bending blood, especially pureblood." Rowle said. "But for blood traitors and criminals like yourselves we will happily execute you. Now it is no longer wrong, not that it ever was wrong, to execute traitors to purity."
"Criminals?" Ginny asked incredulously. "Since when have we been considered criminals."
"Since you assaulted and illegally detained 4 of our fellow heroes of balance, order, benders rights, and purity." Rosier said. "All they wanted was for the Avatar to see the truth and do his fucking job in restoring the natural balance of the world and preserving the purity of bending but he turned out to be a blood traitor cunt just like Korra."
"You mean when your fellow terrorists tried to kill us and kidnap Harry?" Ron asked. "You know it is really fucked up that you actually think of yourselves as heroes and what not. Seriously I would suggest you go seek help but you are clearly beyond that."
"Shut the fuck up you fucking blood traitor." Rosier said the anger rising in his voice, his eyes manic. "I will personally put you in your place while Lucius leads the loyal and balanced Northern Water Tribal army to crush the Southern rebellion once and for all and restore the Water Tribe to true and natural balance. Once more the Water Tribe will be one whole nation under the glorious rule of Chief Lucius."
"You do realize that not only is it the full moon right now but it is also raining." Ron said with a grin as he flexed a little causing the rain to ripple around him. "Both of those give us the advantage here so go ahead try and take us bitch, we'll stop you just as we did last time."
"And this time we may not let you live." Ginny said. "We would be doing the world a service by killing you. Of course we won't murder you in cold blood, no we will kill you in fair battle."
"Enough I tire of this." Rosier said. "Time to die but not before I first make your sister my bitch and we all have our way with her while you watch."
"Bring it cunt." Ron said barely restraining his anger. "I'm going to enjoy this."
The evil of these men and the fact that they felt they were not only justified in their actions but also doing the right thing for the world sickened him to his core. Also the threat to his sister was beyond evil and Ron would have to be careful to only kill these fucks in fair combat and not cold blood. Defeating them would be an absolute pleasure and while he couldn't see the moon it was still up and full so his bending was near its zenith tonight.
Rosier let out a howl of anger and sent a bolt of lighting at Ron which he easily ducked by dropping to one knee and raising his right hand to the boomerang on his back. Pulling it out he hurled it at Rowle from his kneeling position. The blond Death Eater easily dodged it as he clenched his fist to hurl as large a boulder as he could at Ron. Knowing Rowle's reported strength it would be a massive boulder.
"Ha missed me cu..." Rowle began as he started to launch his bolder.
However Rowle had clearly never faced off against a boomerang before and before he could finish the boomerang came back and smacked him on the back of his head knocking him out. Though he still got his attack off his aim was thrown by the strike.
As this was going on Gibbon had taken to the air to dodge a vicious flurry of ice shards Ginny had sent at him from the rain around her. He was too busy avoiding the attack that he failed to notice the enormous boulder that had been thrown of target by Rowle. The huge thing slammed into Gibbon's body full on and proceeded to crush him between it and the stone building he was gliding next too. As the boulder fell away so too did Gibbon's broken and lifeless body as it fell of the wall and landed on the wet earth with a squelch.
"You fucking murderous cunts." Rosier yelled when he realized that Gibbon had just been killed by Rowle. "You killed Gibbon. Now you will really pay and I think I'll keep the whore alive, she'll make a nice plaything for us while we break her."
With that Rosier sent another bolt of lightning at Ron who had by now risen to his feet. Seeing his chance and taking a risk Ron caught it with his outstretched left hand the way he had done against Hermione when she had tried to kill Harry.
"No you won't. You will never harm another living person again." Ron grunted as he let the lightning into his gut along the chi path, up into his right arm and out of the index and middle finger on his hand as he redirected it back at Rosier.
Rosier was too stunned to react as the bolt of lightning meant to kill Ron was instead redirected right back at him. The bolt hit him squarely in the chest, right in the heart. The Death Eater let out a scream of pain as his body jolted for a moment before it was thrown backwards through the wall of fire he had created and landing in the shallow water at the edge of the bay with a splash.
Ron didn't have time to check if Rosier was dead or not as he fell to his knees in pain clutching his right arm.
"Ron are you ok?" Ginny asked rushing up to him and pulling some water from the downpour for healing.
"I'll be ok Ginny." Ron grunted. "But I may have re-broken my arm with that move. We can heal it later when we are in the air leaving this place. Now go grab my boomerang and then lets get our shit and get out of here. No time to check on these three terrorist fucks."
"Ok" Ginny said as she got up and hurried to get the boomerang. "Though I'm pretty sure two of them are dead."
"Good." Ron said as he got to his feet slowly. "The fewer Death Eaters the better in the long run."
Ginny returned a moment later and handed Ron his boomerang. The rain had put out Rosier's initial fire attack and they were able to quickly cross the ice bridge and hurry to their dorm. Given all the fighting the Water House was untouched and they met no more opposition as they headed to their rooms.
Once there Ron grabbed his go bag and strapped it to his back then he grabbed a second bag full of weapons, provisions and maps just in case. He arranged the straps so as to form an improvised sling to pin his injured arm to his body. The last thin he grabbed was his meteorite hammer and put it on he belt next to his war club. It had been specially made for him and he was not going to flee without it. Heading next door he grabbed Harry's go bag, making sure the second wire spool was in it and headed to the common room where Ginny was already waiting for him her bag on her back.
"Here take Harry's bag." Ron said throwing it to his sister with a grimace of pain. "I can't carry three bags and still fight with my injured arm."
Ginny just nodded and picked it up and followed her brother out of the dorm and onto the ice. They began to run towards the mainland and then to the Air House. The sounds of battle were still raging but they were coming from the west and south where the Earth and Fire Houses were. As they were nearing the end of the ice they felt a slight tremor as if somewhere someone had done a powerful earthbending move. The fraternal twins stopped and looked at one another.
"Harry." They said in unison before resuming their run to the Air House with renewed vigor.
Luna and Harry charged towards the Air House avoiding the few students who were still left out and trying to find their way to their rooms. With the two airships over the Air House it could be a tough fight. Once they neared the house Luna turned off towards the girls tower while Harry continued straight to the administration tower. She would meet up with Harry soon enough, if she survived any attack.
As Luna was nearing the girls tower she felt the earth beneath her begin to shift in the tell tale signs of earthbending. Stumbling slightly Luna jumped and used a little airbending from her feet to gain altitude and avoid face planting into the flagstones. As she was opening her arms to extend her glider suit wings she felt something encircle her ankle and tighten painfully followed by a sharp downward movement. She barely had time to use airbending to brace herself from a hard landing. From the ground she pivoted in a circle, despite the metal cable on her ankle and she knew that it could only be a metalbender's cable that brought her down. Luna sent air in all directions and causing whoever had attacked her to retract his or her cable in order to avoid injury. Standing Luna looked towards where the cable had come from.
Walking towards her through the now pouring rain was a man in bulky black robes that clearly hid metal armor designed for metalbenders. From one wrist was a short blade and from the other wrist the end of the cable that had snared her was trailing on the wet ground. There was no doubt in her mind that this was a Death Eater and when she looked at his face her doubts were erased. The man was not masked and his Fu Manchu mustache was very distinctive. Luna recognized him as Selwyn one of the known Death Eaters who had been identified by Karkaroff and forced on the run when the RCPD Deputy Chief was outed.
"Good the airbender whore." Selwyn said with a malicious grin as he casual flicked the metal cable around himself idly. "I knew I would at least find you here. I wanted a crack at the Avatar but if he is heading to safe Albus then he is running into his own problems. Besides your much less of a threat than the Avatar."
"Harry can handle anything you monsters throw at him." Luna said with false smugness.
"We are not monsters! it is people like Albus, Jinora, Bolin and the other world leaders who refuse to accept purity, who deny benders their rights and the true balance that is benders rule and nonbenders serve who are the monsters of this world." Selwyn snapped back a hint a fanaticism in his voice. "They perpetuate imbalance and are a threat to bending by polluting our purity. If they would just listen to the Dark Lord the way the Northern Water Tribe and the nations of Tor Blinn, Kuei, Skrit and Yi do then they will understand the truth. Then they would aid us in balancing this world the way it is supposed to be and end the imbalance that has been in existence for centuries."
"You sound like a lunatic you know that right." Luna said. "And coming from someone who's nickname is loony that's saying something. I would suggest you surrender now while you still have the chance."
"Surrender when we are on the brink of victory I think not you little cunt." Selwyn laughed at Luna. "Don't you see we have already won. The President is dead and right now we are removing the threat of the United Forces. We control the United Republic, several former Imperial States that are now independent nations, the Northern and Southern Water Tribes, and the Foggy Swamp. The world should bow now to our rule and accept that we and we alone know what true balance and purity is. Only we will restore benders rights that have been stripped from them over the decades by the systematic oppression of the strong by the weak. Only we can end the myth of equality and restore the natural balance of the strong over the weak."
"I have news for you asshole." Luna said the anger building in her voice. "The Southern Water Tribe was prepared for an invasion from the North and will have set several traps for them. The aggressive north will be stopped dead, literally, in its tracks. You may have taken the United Republic but you have failed to seize the Southern Water Tribe."
"Our forces will crush the decades long rebellion of the South once and for all." Selwyn snarled. "And soon that blood traitor and false Chief will be dead along with all his brood. No it is you have lost and now you will come with me cunt. You are under arrest for treason to purity and bending."
"And why would I do that." Luna said. "I have committed no crime and besides I better places to be than with some maniacs who are deluded beyond the point of help. Remember I have beaten a Death Eater before and I will do so again now."
"Yes well that victory is why you are wanted by the Dark Lord." Selwyn said the grin spreading across his face. "For crimes against noble Death Eaters, purity and balance. However unlike some of your precious criminal friends you are wanted alive. Otherwise you would just be killed now, after I enjoy you fine young body of course."
"Alive?" Luna asked generally surprised by that.
She had expected the lunatics who made up the Death Eaters to want her dead for their perceived notion that she was the guilty one not them but alive, that was unsettling. It was especially unsettling given the Death Eaters penchant for sexual violence and the recent threat by Selwyn confirmed it.
"Yes whore we want you alive." Selwyn said with a lecherous grin. "And it can go one of two ways. Either you willingly renounce you blood traitors ways and swear allegiance to the Dark Lord and his righteous cause and give us what we want."
"Which is?" Luna interrupted.
"We want to know how you created that vortex thing you used on Rookwood to illegally capture him." Selwyn said. "Our airbenders could use a lethal weapon that can kill many traitors and inferiors at once. They are a little limited at the moment by the nature of their bending."
"Never" Luna said. "I will never join someone so evil or allow my invention to be used for such a vile cause."
"I was hoping you would say that." Selwyn said as lust began to fill his eyes. "Cos that means we can go with option two. I capture you and we make you our whore and fuck pet. You will be nothing more than a slut for us to use in anyway we feel like. All your holes will be filled by our noble cocks, all you will be is our cum dumpster. We will break you and by the time you give up your airbending move you will be begging for a death we may or may not grant you."
Luna was almost sick at that. These people were really the worst of the worst. Yes Hermione may be an intolerant, bigoted, narrow minded, elitist cunt but the levels of her depravity couldn't possibly reach the level of these people or at least Luna assumed it wouldn't reach that level. It made her sick and angry that they could treat women and girls like that. No she would fight now and either take out this evil asshole or make sure she died in the fight even it it meant taking her own life. She would never give these monsters anything.
"You are one sick twisted freak." Luna said as she felt the anger well up inside her. "And I will never be caught alive by you. Only one man has access to all my holes and he is more of a man than you can every hope to be. I will only be his cum dumpster and his whore. No I will die or take you out before I ever submit to the sick, perverted desires of maniacs like you and your fellow Death Eaters. It is you who create imbalance in the world, not us. The world was balanced for years under Korra until Voldemort decided to plunge the world into war because of his own evil, twisted views. So come on, bring it and I will make you my bitch."
With that Luna sent a swirling jet of air right at Selwyn. The Death Eater didn't have tome to respond only time to use earthbending to avoid the attack. He rolled on landing but as he sent his wire at Luna again he realized too late and that Luna's attack had been a feint.
Waving her arms in a complex circular movement Luna had begun the Oxygen Vortex when Selwyn had leapt out of the way of her initial attack and predicted where the metalbender would land. As he rose and sent his cable at her the vortex had already close around him and begun to suck all the air from around him. Losing oxygen rapidly his mental hold over the cable died and it stopped mere inches from Luna's face and slackly fell to the ground. There was a metallic whirring sound and the auto reel of the cable kicked in returning it back to Selwyn making a brief hole in the vortex that closed immediately.
Selwyn fell to his knees as he gasped for air that was rapidly depleting from around him. Within seconds the level had reached too low for the human body to survive and his eyes slumped back in his head and he passed out, face planting onto the wet flagstones with a sickening crunch. As soon as he feinted Luna released the vortex and fell to her own knees panting. The move was one of the hardest she knew and incredibly draining but it worked if the opponent was caught right away, or if there was another airbender to help with the strain but it had never been tried with another airbender. Fighting away her exhaustion Luna rose and hurried over to check the Death Eater.
He was still breathing but slowly, he would be out for a while. Hopefully long enough that he if he came too she would either be with her friends again or long gone on her bison. He also had a nasty cut on his forehead and a bloody nose from falling head first into the stones. She was glad he wasn't dead though. It was airbender philosophy to never take a life, one Aang took so far that the Lion Turtle taught him energybending so that he wouldn't have to kill, but Luna wasn't as much a subscriber to that. Yes she would never murder but in the heat of the battle in a kill or be killed situation she would not hesitate to kill if that was the only way to survive. Still there was no need to kill when she could incapacitate even if it was a monster like Selwyn who likely deserved to die.
Turning Luna hurried back to the girls tower that she had been about to enter before she was attacked and used airbending and her glider suit to glide to her room through the rain. Entering through the window she grabbed her own go bag and then looking around grabbed her own and Harry's glider staffs just in case they would be needed at a later date. Making sure the staffs and bag where strapped to he front she leapt out of the window and glided towards where the bison stables were.
They would meet at the stables so she would get there first and saddle up Pandora for their escape. As she was gliding over the Air House she saw a rumble in the earth and knew that Harry had just done something powerful, hopefully he had a good reason to do so. All the while she did not realize that she was being watched from above.
After Luna veered off to her dorm room Harry continued on towards the large Administration Tower in the center of the Air House. As he neared the tower Harry shifted his arms and launched himself upwards on an angled pillar of earth. Once in the air he used his fire jets to gain even more height aiming for the level just below the observation deck. Extinguishing the jets Harry used his earthbending to cushion his landing and lodge himself onto the wall as soon as he hit it. Then he quietly earthbent a circle in the wall around himself and turned it so he was inside the building hoping that if there were Death Eaters there they hadn't heard him arrive.
Harry detached himself from the wall and grimaced slightly realizing he had inadvertently ended up in Jinora's office. Hopefully she wouldn't mind that he had had to come in through the wall. Harry had a feeling that given the circumstances he could destroy the office and so long as he escaped she wouldn't mind at all. Exiting the offices as quietly as possible Harry saw that the trap door to the observation deck had been opened and the ladder pulled down. Going as cautiously as possible Harry eased his way up so that only his eyes and above were above ground level. What he saw made him pause.
Only Albus was facing the trapdoor his back to the railing that surrounded the open half of the deck. The Head of the Fire House was unnaturally still with an expression of pain on his ancient face and Harry knew the only thing that could cause both symptoms without any signs of an attack was a bloodbender's hold. Around him were 5 adults, well 4 adults and a boy. Harry was just about in earshot to hear the conversation.
"Good Draco keep the hold on him." came a rough cruel voice from a short, dumpy, bald man with a black line tattooed on the back of his skull wearing jet black robes. "Make that blood traitor suffer for his many crimes."
Harry knew without seeing his face that the man was Amycus, one of the airbenders suspected of being a Death Eater though this proved it. That meant that the similarly dumpy person with long hair next to him was his sister Alecto who was also wearing Death Eater robes. Harry easily recognized Draco from his blond hair though Amycus had used the boy's rather unique name. Draco was the one standing in front of Albus his arm outstretched towards the venerable firebending master, though the boy's arm was shaking slightly. Next to him was a man in black robes cut differently from a Death Eater's traditional black robes with greasy black hair, Harry immediately recognized him as Master Severus. This meant that Scrimgeour had been right about the Head of the Water House being a Death Eater and it sickened Harry to see a man who had been trusted by Albus turn out to be a traitor. The last man also wore Death Eater robes but instead of a mask sported a ridiculous purple turban marking him as Quirrell the former teacher turned Death Eater in the last few years.
It made sense to Harry that Severus and the three airbending Death Eaters were here but he didn't understand why Draco was here. Yes Harry hated the boy but he had barely spoken to his nemesis all year as he had been too busy. The only exception had been that brief encounter the pair had had in the their dorm's common room last month when Draco had confronted Harry about Sirius being named Acting Chief of the Norther Water Tribe, since then he had ignored the now former Crown Prince. Also why was Albus the target and not Jinora, though as Harry thought of it the firebender was the leader of the Order of the Phoenix which was a thorn in Voldemort's side and likely Voldemort felt that if he could take out the leader of the Order and the President of the United Republic in one fell swoop then he would be unstoppable. Of course Voldemort would have to take out Harry as well to secure his victory.
"Well done Draco. See bloodbending is the most powerful bending art." Alecto cackled. "Now finish him and prove to the Dark Lord that you deserve the mark he graciously bestowed upon you."
"Rid the world of this blood traitor." Amycus said the glee in his voice evident. "Kill this traitor to balance and purity and take your rightful place at the Dark Lord's side in our new glorious and balanced world. Kill him and we will be one step closer to regain the rights that benders have lost over the years."
"Severus please." came Albus's strained voice. It was horrible to watch one of his masters and mentors pleading for his life to a man who had clearly betrayed him.
"I can't hold him much longer." Draco said the strain evident in his voice. "I've never bloodbent a human before, I'm not strong enough yet. Not all of us can be blessed with the Dark Lord's prowess in the art."
"Then let me blast this traitor and villain off the top of this tower." Amycus said with eager expectation. "It will be my pleasure."
"Or let me drain his lungs of air and watch him suffocate before us." Alecto said with the same level of expectation as her brother.
"No you fools." this time it was Quirrell who spoke. "Remember this is the greatest firebender the world has ever seen, greater than Azulon or Azula ever were. If Draco loses his hold we are all fucked. Besides remember out master's order it must be the boy who kills him as proof of his loyalty to our righteous and noble crusade."
"True." Amycus said with a note of disappointment in his voice. "Then do it Draco. Don't be a fucking coward and execute this traitor, make your father and the Dark Lord proud boy."
"I can't." Draco said as the strain of the bending was really taking its tole on him. "I do not have the power. The clouds are covered I do not have the full moon power as much as I would if it was a clear night."
"Please Severus help me." Albus begged again through the bloodbending.
Severus didn't say a word just extended his arm and clenched his fist. The effect was instantaneous. Draco slumped the ground tears falling from his eyes as his blood hold on the old master ended. Harry watched as the light left his firebending master's eyes and he exhaled for the last time though Harry was certain he heard a "thank you" come from Albus as he died. The venerable master's body went limb and Harry watched as it gracefully fell backwards and off the observation deck of the Administration Tower.
"NOOOO!" Harry yelled as he used airbending to leap through the trapdoor and onto the floor of the observation deck.
"It's the Avatar! Seize him." Amycus shouted as he turned at the sound of Harry's yell.
As soon as Harry landed he sent out his cable at Severus with his left hand but the waterbender had already grabbed Draco by the scruff of his tunic and hauled the prince to his feet. Instead Quirrell who had leapt to action on Harry's shout found himself in the path of the cable. Harry didn't realize the former teacher was there though as he was entirely focused on his target, Severus. It wasn't until his cable had punched clean through Quirrell's chest and out his back, destroying the traitor's heart in the process, that Harry realized he had missed his target. As soon as he realized this Harry lost control of the cable. As the end of the cable, still slick with Quirrell's blood, thrashed around it caught Draco on the side of the neck leaving a long but not too deep gash along the boy's jawline.
As Harry retracted the cable and Quirrell's body fell backwards onto the floor, the blood rapidly spreading from the hole in his chest, Severus jumped from the tower with whimpering Draco who was clutching his facial wound. Severus waterbent the heavy ran around them to slow their descent so Harry was forced to turn his attention to the airbending twins.
They had been too slow to react and before they could Harry detached a portion of the wall nearest him and hurled it at the evil pair. They leapt out of the way just in tome so the stone sailed harmlessly out of the open portion of the deck and into the wet night. Alecto was able to turn, extend her arms and thus the wings of her glider suit and jump away to soar out of the observation deck. Amycus was forced to role on landing before he sent a weak air jet at Harry to distract his before he too followed his sister's lead.
Harry ran to where Severus and Draco had jumped from and followed them by leaping into the rain. Seeing the pair running across the ground Harry angled himself as best he could towards them and raised his right to build his power. As soon as he hit the ground he punched it in a way only an earthbender could and survive a fall from such a height without a scratch. He directed the quake at the fleeing Death Eaters but the tremors of it would be felt throughout the Academy.
Harry rose from the crater he had made on a pillar of earth and still seething with rage at Severus's betrayal of Albus's trust. He saw that both Severus and Draco had been thrown forward by the force of the attack but had been at the edge of the quake and not badly hurt, though it may make Draco's existing injury worse. The pair was now under the Death Eater airship and a metal cable with a platform on the bottom shot down to them. Harry watched as the pair, Severus clearly supporting Draco, got onto the platform and it began to pull them up to the airship.
Howling with rage Harry bent as much of the water falling around him as he physically could into a large stream of water and hurled it at the retreating platform. Unfortunately he forgot he was aiming at one of the best waterbenders in the world and Severus simply deflected the attack as the pair went out of Harry's range. Cursing Harry used earthbending to leap of the pillar in the crater he had made in the Air House. As he landed he heard footsteps and turned to see 5 people rounding one of the towers near him. They were all robed in black with different colored, plain masks. One blue, one green, two red and a yellow mask were present. They must be a unit of the Purist Army who had separated from the others and headed to the Air House to see if the Death Eaters needed their help.
"It's the Avatar."The one in the blue mask, clearly the leader, said with glee. "Seize the traitor for the Dark Lord boys. Its 5 on 1 he doesn't stand a chance."
In reality it was they who stood no chance. Still angry Harry crossed his arms over his head and withdrew his two short swords. They were made of platinum so as to not be bent by a metalbender and had a razor sharp edge that he honed every week. The handles and sheathes were ebony with bands of platinum and crescent moon, upturned hilts. If these men wanted to die now then they would but not from Harry's bending but on the edge of his swords. It would be fitting to end a group of Purists with a nonbending weapon.
Using earthbending to push him off, with a little airbending once in the air for speed, Harry hurled himself at the men rolling in the air with the blades outstretched. They didn't have time to take a fighting stance. In seconds Harry had reached the one in the blue mask and still spinning in the air he cut the man from shoulder to hip deep enough to eviscerate his heart in the process. The momentum and speed of the attack making the bone as easy to cut as if it was butter. Harry landed in a crouch on the other side of the still standing man and spun on his heel the swords still extended and took out the legs of the green and yellow masked men who were standing just behind their leader. Harry didn't hear the their screams or the wet thuds of theirs bodies, and that of their leader. Harry rose quickly and flipping the blades in his hands expertly as he brought his arms in and stabbed both simultaneously upwards and into the gut one of the red masked individuals. The blades sunk to their hilts in the man's belly and the angle meant that the blades never exited his body.
Harry was face to face with the Purist who he had stabbed. Harry watched through a red haze as the light left the man's eyes and he withdrew his swords from the man's gut. His body crumpled at Harry's feet as soon as the swords were removed. The adrenaline and rage had begun to wear off and the red haze lifted from Harry's eyes. He was exhausted and horny at the same time. Harry could see that he was covered in water and blood with 4 dead bodies around him. The last man had turned and run away after seeing his comrades cut down with easy by the Avatar. Not wanting to kill a fleeing man Harry sheathed his swords, he would have to clean them later, and stomped his right foot. A small rock appeared in front of him and he punched it forward at the retreating Purist. It caught the traitor in the back of the head sending him face forward into the stone flagons that made up that section of the Air House. His limp body skidded along the wet flagons until he stopped in a wet, bloody and unconscious heap.
Turning Harry ignored his erection and tiredness and ran towards the meeting place. He was still angry at all that had transpired but he needed to get out of here and to safety if he and his friends would have the chance to counter this vicious assault and learn exactly what had happened tonight. He had a feeling though that there was still a little more to come before they had the chance to escape on Pandora. Harry knew that he would likely have shed more blood before the night was out.
Racing north through the rest of the Air House Harry finally came tot he point he had designated as the meet up, the northern most tower of the Air House. In front of him was a large open space for the airbenders to relax and play games. In the distance was the bison stables where students who had been chosen by a bison could keep and raise them.
Luna had been chosen by her bison the summer after her first year while home in the Western Air Temple. She had named the baby Pandora after her late mother and had lovingly raised the bison ever since. Now it was a full grown creature and waiting for them in the stables. She was to be their way out in an emergency like this but Harry knew that if Voldemort had any tactical sense, and he certainly did, the madman would have a Death Eater or two or a Purist team guarding the bison just in case Harry tried to escape on Luna's bison. As if to prove his point Luna suddenly landed in front of him spraying him with even more water. She had come from the direction of the stables.
"There are two Death Eaters guarding the stables." She said looking very wet from the rain. "I saw them as I approached and turned back at once so I don't know who they may be. I didn't want to get into another fight right away."
"Another fight?"
Harry turned to see Ron and Ginny running towards them. It had been Ron who had spoken. All three had their go bags as well as what Harry assumed was Ron's emergency weapons and tactics bag and his own bag which he took from Ginny. Harry noticed Ron had arranged his bags to strap his right arm to his chest as if he had hurt it again.
"Yeah I got attacked by that former RCPD officer who was a Death Eater spy." Luna said. "Selwyn I believe his name was. Real evil piece of shit. He wanted me alive so that I could give up my Oxygen Vortex move to them and then be their sex slave but I answer to only one master."
As she spoke she embraced Ron in a passionate kiss which he broke off with a yelp of pain.
"Sorry love but I've broken my arm again." Ron said before asking. "Is Selwyn dead?"
"No ironically I used the Oxygen Vortex on him and he's passed out." Luna said with a light laugh. "It requires too much skill for someone like me to kill an opponent and while I would have killed him if I had to I didn't want to in cold blood. What happened to your arm? Did you and Ginny have a similar problem to me?"
"Yeah we ran into three Death Eaters as we reached the Water House." Ginny said. "The were waiting for us expecting Harry. That Rosier was an evil twisted creep."
"I think they all are." came Neville's voice as he reached the group.
Of the lot of them Harry noticed that Neville was by far the worst for wear, despite Ron's broken arm. His clothes were ripped and torn in several places and Harry could see a series of cuts on his body. His jian sword and go bag were with him though so he had reached his dorm but certainly had a fight on the way. Harry was glad all the bags were waterproof as they were all soaked to the skin from the rain.
"What happened to the three who attacked you?" Neville continued as he paused to catch his breath.
"I knocked out Rowle with my boomerang and no I don't know why he of all the Death Eaters was here but he was." Ron began. "The blow threw his aim off and he crushed Gibbon between a large boulder and a stone building as the airbender was dodging an ice assault from Ginny."
"We're almost certain he's dead." Ginny interrupted. "His body was mangled from the attack and he didn't get up from it."
"And Rosier?" Harry asked.
"I doubt he survived." Ron said. "He tried to electrocute me with his lightning but I managed to redirect it back at him. Caught the bastard clean in the heart but in the process undid all the healer's efforts on my arm. Now that is something I do not understand but then again I don't understand healing at all."
"We didn't have time to check on them and see if they were alive or not, not that we cared one way or another." Ginny add.
"There was no need to do so given the circumstances." Harry said before asked. "What about you Neville? You look like you had the toughest fight of all of us."
"Ran into that murderous asshole Crouch as I was reaching my dorm." Neville said the darkness clear in his voice. "Blasted him through a wall and then a ceiling, burning his chest really bad in the process, kicked him in the face and finally stabbed him in the chest with my sword and electrocuted him and through my room's wall. I'm certain he's dead but don't worry about me as far as I can tell nothing is broken. Ginny can heal me once we are free, there are more pressing matters right now."
"Are you ok?" Ron asked gently. "You know taking out one of your parents' killers."
"Yeah I'm fine." Neville said with a hint of something in his voice that Harry couldn't quite place. "I have helped get them some justice after the wanker was broken out of prison. As I was leaving Crabbe Jr. tried to attack me but I electrocuted him and fled. Don't know or care if he's alive or dead."
"Good." Harry said. "Those are things we can't concern ourselves with as we have to get moving and take out the two Death Eaters guarding the bison."
"Wait Harry your covered in blood are you sure your ok?" Ginny asked suddenly noticing her boyfriend's state. "Plus we felt a quake that we assumed was you."
"Yeah what happened in the Administration Tower?" Luna asked.
"I got there in time to see Draco bloodbending Master Albus." Harry said. "Amycus, Alecto and Quirrell were there too along with Master Severus."
"Severus?" the other 4 asked in unison.
"Yeah turns out Scrimgeour was right about him." Harry said the anger returning to his voice. "He killed Albus using some bloodbending I've never seen before or even heard of. Severus just clenched his fist and Albus died, I can't explain it. Also Draco is a Death Eater now but that and his bloodbending is hardly a surprise. I tried to stop them but failed. I killed Quirrell with my cable, wounded Draco and tried to take out the others but they fled using their airbending. I leapt from the tower and just managed to catch Draco and Severus in the quake but their friends in the airship hauled them in and they got away."
"We'll get them at a later date but for now we have to focus on ourselves." Ron said. "Though that still doesn't explain the blood Harry."
"Its not mine." Harry said with a sigh. "I ran into a team of 5 Purists as I was getting out of the crater I made and well I saw red. I killed 4 with my swords before I even really knew what was going on or they knew what was happening. The 5th fled so I knocked him out with a rock to the back of his head. I couldn't kill a man running away."
"That's what makes you better than them." Ginny said taking Harry's hand to comfort him. "And don't worry about the battle frenzy it happens and it's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm sure we will all feel it at some point if the world keeps fucking up and we have to unfuck it. Right now it's kill or be killed."
"Thanks." Harry said squeezing her hand. "Anyway now we need to get moving. Ron, Neville hang back as your both not 100%, Luna Ginny you two are up front with me. We are going to charge at the two Death Eaters and take them out as fast as possible. Ginny use the rain to attack them, Luna wait for Ginny's attack before following suit."
The others just nodded at this and Team Avatar began to sprint across the open courtyard. It was when they were halfway across and Harry could just make out two silhouettes in the rain by the stables when he heard it. It was a sizzling, sparky sound that he had never heard before but he had read accounts of before and knew exactly what it was.
"Get the fuck down." Harry yelled as he pulled up a large wall just in time. A section of the wall exploded sending them sideways and skidding across the wet courtyard.
"What the fuck was that?"Neville yelled from the wet flagstones.
Harry didn't answer right away he just punched the flagstones and earthbent as thick and high a wall around them as quickly as possible. There was another sizzling sound and an explosion but the wall was thick enough to hold for the moment.
"Its that fucking combustionbender that was freed from the firebending prison." Harry said as he reinforced the earth wall. "Ustur or whatever the fuck his name is. They clearly brought him along for this purpose. It's open ground here and that third eyed freak has a clean line of sight on us."
"That explains why an airship was circling all the way up here when all there is are bison stables." Ron said the pain clear in his voice, he must have landed on his bad arm when the first wall exploded. "It's a great additional defense. All he has to do is be able to see you to be able to pin you down. It's one of the things that make combustionbenders some of the most dangerous and powerful in the world. That and their attacks explode upon impact."
As he was speaking there was another small explosion on the side of the wall.
"How do we defeat these fucking freaks again?" Harry asked.
"You have to hit them in that tattooed third eye in the center of their forehead." Neville said. "It's their weakest point. It's especially effective if you can nail him when he is just starting his attack as the blow back is enough to at least knock him out. However I don't know how you would if he's up in that airship."
Harry thought for a moment before a crazy long shot of a plan came to him.
"Ron what's your boomerang made of?" Harry asked. "Neville remember I am the Avatar, I can make the impossible possible at times."
"Steel." Ron said a flicker of understanding crossing his face.
"Good give it to me." Harry said. Ron didn't hesitate just reached up with his good arm, removed the boomerang from its sheath on his back and passed it to Harry. "Ok here's the plan. I am going to lower the part of this wall that is facing, the stables then I am going to earthbend myself up and at the airship, I will use firebending if I have too to gain altitude. Y'alls job is to run as soon as I lower the wall and draw his fire so please take my bag with you. I will then thrown Ron's boomerang at this fucking freak and aim for his third eye. I will metalbend it to ensure it hits. Hopefully I can time it right to cause that blow back explosion and take him out. Ginny and Ron if you can will have to freeze the rain to block his attacks if he gets one off and engage the Death Eaters if you can, take them out if possible. When I land I will come to aid you. This is a long shot but it could work."
"We're in." Ginny said before giving Harry a kiss.
"Good." Harry said. "Then let's take this fucking freak out.
Harry took Ron's boomerang in this left hand and then handed his bag to Neville. He then lowered part of the wall and his friends set off immediately. He followed suit by earthbending himself into the air with as much power as he could must before using his left hand and feet to create fire jets and propel himself towards the airship. Harry noted that the side was open and standing in it was a giant of a man who was shirtless and sporting long gray hair. The tattoo was prominent on his forehead and clearly visible even in the rain.
Ustur was looking towards Harry's friends with a smile on his face. As the combustionbender began to inhale Harry threw Ron's boomerang as hard as he could at the man and then metalbent it so it would hit it's target, he never was very accurate with the throwing weapons. As he guided it Harry turned off his jets and began to fall back to the earth. Harry saw the spinning boomerang make contact with the man's third eye just as the combustionbender was starting his attack. The result was as expected, a massive explosion contained in the small section the bender was standing in.
Harry didn't see the explosion though as he was falling to the ground but he did feel it. As he was falling Harry had to summon up the earth to cushion his fall or else he would have been impressed by the results. The airship was crippled and began to list towards the mountains that bordered the eastern side of the Academy where it would soon crash in a fiery explosion though with all the crew members having escaped ahead of time. Harry also did not see the body that was hurled backwards from the explosion trailing smoke, despite the rain, before it slammed into the mountainside. As with his mother and his great-grandfather Ustur had died from a backfiring of his own bending.
Harry quickly rose from the ground and noted that the airship had been disabled before quickly running to join his friends. He could see a few fire blasts coming from the stables. It appeared that the Death Eaters there were firebenders. They seemed to be using the fire to keep his friends at a distance and Harry knew Ron couldn't bend very well with just one arm and Neville had been beat to shit. Judging by the unnaturalness of the rain extinguishing the fire Harry surmised that Ginny was the main defender as Ron likely couldn't bend. That meant that his friends had been attacked first and forced to defend themselves instead of swiftly taking out the Death Eaters.
In short order Harry joined his friends by sending two rocks at the two Death Eaters. One was unmasked and Harry quickly identified him as Wilkes from his hairstyle even the it was wet. The other Death Eater was masked meaning that he was one of the several unknown Death Eaters and had felt it best to maintain his or hers identity despite their victory here today. What was odd about the masked one was his hands. Unlike the other Death Eaters he had faced the man wore pure white silk gloves that were somehow still spotless despite the weather conditions. There had been nothing in the dossier about a white gloved Death Eater. Could this be the spymaster that Scrimgeour had theorized about or a new Death Eater no one had ever suspected. Harry assumed it was the later. That being said if it was either possibility the Death Eater would likely want to remain anonymous hence the mask.
"Ah the Avatar has made it this far." Wilkes said when Harry had joined the fight. "We honestly didn't think you would make it this far but oh well more glory for us when we kill your traitorous friends, take your whores for our own and capture you for the Dark Lord. Your days of perverting balance, denying benders their rights, and destroying purity are over."
"I expected the Avatar to make it this far hence why I volunteered to guard the bison." came the voice of the man with the white gloves. "Safest place to wait."
It was a calm, measured, cultured voice that made Harry think of a rich aristocrat rather than a twisted Death Eater. At least that was in keeping with Voldemort's preferred recruitment pool and the firebending and accent made Harry suspect that the man was from the upper echelons of Fire Nation society. However he didn't have time to waste talking with these people, he had to get out before the Purists overwhelmed whatever was left of the White Lotus guards.
"It's 5 on 2 and we've already killed or incapacitated several of your comrades in your evil crusade." Harry said calmly. "At least 4 Death Eaters have died tonight and I will happily add two more to that total if you don't get out my fucking way."
"Wa..." Wilkes began but that was all he managed to get out as Harry earthbent a diagonal stalagmite from the earth and driven it deep into Wilkes' gut. It was so deep that the end erupted out the now dead man's back.
Wilkes didn't have time to scream or anything he just grunted expelling a lot of blood from his mouth and his body went limp only held upright by the rock spike. Harry chose to not take it out as it was the only thing keeping the man's insides from tumbling out and he really did not want to see that. Harry and his friends turned to the other Death Eater who had risen his hands in a sign of surrender.
"Good idea cunt." Harry said, he had not wanted to kill Wilkes so directly but the man had forced his hand by not moving and time was not on Team Avatar's side. "We can take you with us and you can begin your life sentence or be executed, your choice depending on your crimes, wherever we go from here."
"I think not young Avatar." The man said with a chuckle. "We will meet again I am sure of it but you wont take me now. Mark my words Avatar Harry; this is but the beginning of what I anticipate to be a long journey you and I shall take together."
Suddenly the man sent a well controlled wall of fire from his palms. It was cool enough to be almost instantly quenched by the rain and as such turned the rain around him into a misty fog. Harry sent his cable at the man but when it passed through the mist and kept going he knew the Death Eater had escaped. Harry didn't have time to process the level of control required to create cool enough flames to be easily quenched the rain.
Harry reeled in his wire and turned to his friends only to find that they had hurried into the stable while he had been talking to the man and were already coming back out on a saddled, loaded, and now wet Pandora. Luna could have used a bison whistle but those weren't allowed on campus because the school didn't want random bison flying around all day. Besides Pandora may have been shot down by the combustionbender if she had.
"Get on Harry." Luna called from her bison's head where she was holding her reigns. Harry didn't need to be told twice and earthbent himself into the bison's saddle.
"Yip yip." Luna said and with a slight groan Pandora lifted herself into the air.
"Fly low for a minute Luna." Harry said before looking at his friends and all their things.
Pandora was loaded up but it was still well within her carry load. His friends looked a little worse for wear but they were alive and that's what counted.
"Ok Ginny with me bending the rain into a water bubble around us." Harry said as he began to bend the water into a bubble so they could dry themselves, Ginny soon joining him. "Luna fly due west and stay high. It looks like the Death Eater airship has gone to the east and the still functional Purist ship is heading to help the one that is about to crash."
Luna did as Harry ordered and soon they were near the clouds high in the air. Even through the water they could see Republic City in the distance. The lights were still there but many had gone dark and there were several fires burning throughout the city. The riot must have been a distraction but still it looked bad. Likely it was all the Triads who had rioted and actively sought personal gain from it. As they were flying away Harry wondered what had happened there and to the United Forces but that would be a question for when they reached safety.
"Where are we going Harry?" Luna asked as they cleared the rain and began to fly out and over the ocean.
"To someone who promised me help and sanctuary months ago should I need it." Harry said. "Somewhere far enough away from all this to regroup, strategize and learn what the fuck has just happened. Team we are going to the Fire Nation Royal Palace to seek aid from Firelord Iroh."
Well there you go, my second longest chapter to date. Sorry it was so long but as you can tell I couldn't break it up. This chapter is the change of pace in this story and as y'all can probably tell is a fusion of the assassination of Scrimgeour and the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. Harry and his friends are going to be different from the books in that they will have no hesitation to kill when the situation demands it and this chapter shows that. This change is due to the nature of the Avatar Universe and the people in it (based on my impressions of it) and as such Harry will act a lot more like that than he does in the books. Also all Death Eaters killed in this chapter are the ones who were known to have died prior to or during (Gibbon) the books or in Crouch's case being as good as dead. This may or may not change in later chapters, y'all will just have to wait and see about that. Anyway that's enough inane ramblings for this chapter. As usual any questions from PMs or reviews will be answered in next week's chapter, which will be posted on time as always, and anything constructive will be listened to. Until next week.
Stringdog
