Chapter Fifty-Five: If the Boys Want to Fight, You'd Better Let Them.
–
The Assassin.
They lined the street, so proud, so cocksure. But only three of them. The other two were nowhere to be seen.
Damnit, damnit, damnit.
What, Sokka, did you expect them to throw away their biggest advantage by sticking to one cluster? Why did you think that, Sokka? Are you stupid or something?
Okay, let's deal with this.
"Katara," I murmured in her direction, up the stairs. She turned to listen. "Go out the back door. Look for the two that aren't out front. It'll be the-" I glanced out of the window for half a second- "the archer and the guy without a shirt on. Ty and I will handle the others." I hope we will, anyway.
She paused, then nodded.
"Good luck."
With that, she turned, and vanished down the hallway. A second later, and I heard the scrape of a window opening, and the distant thud of Katara jumping out the window.
Well. Alright then.
Not stopping to wonder about Katara's unorthodox methods, I figured we had maybe three seconds before the Rhinos got bored and came in to get us. That was what I was waiting for. In this confined building, the advantage was mine, especially with Ty Lee cutting off their retreat.
Three seconds passed.
...
Five seconds.
Seven seconds.
Twelve sec- oh come on. This is getting ridiculous.
I peered at the window again.
Oh.
I see.
–
The Guardian.
We leave the river behind us, and follow the almost invisible path through the woods. The vegetation is thick and irritating, so our progress is slow. I miss flying.
No one's saying much; it's too humid for conversation. Idly, I wonder if this kind of weather is normal for Earth Kingdom summers.
If so, I'm probably going to need some more changes of clothes, because I don't see any laundry services around here.
–
The Assassin.
Their leader has moved towards a house, quite deliberately in my field of vision.
He's going to set it on fire. He's planning to draw us out, obviously.
Dick.
Well, he overestimated my compassion a bit.
There's an unpleasant niggling in the back of my brain as he gets ready to bend. I try to ignore it. After all, I'm Sokka, the cold-hearted bastard who's only concern is The Mission.
But... what if Ty intervenes? We'd lose the element of surprise.
Oh, the hell with it. Let's get to it.
I draw my long sword, and drop the stick sheath as I charge out the door. The colonel spins towards me, and I'm sure I have the attention of the other two, but I suddenly drop into a slide, throwing off everyone and getting me right next to his rhino, which is still standing alongside the house he was about to destroy.
I grab the saddle, pulling myself upright while simultaneously slashing right through the cinch of the saddle with my sword, scoring a long cut on the belly of the beast. The creature bucked in pain, and I was almost trampled to death for my pains, but the saddle slipped, free of its tether, and the colonel fell to the ground.
Good start.
The rhino was looking confused and in pain, and I vaulted over it, using it as a shield from the other two riders that would undoubtedly be after my neck. On this side of the beast, the colonel had picked himself up. He glared at me, but nodded.
"Not bad."
Why thank you.
I close the gap between us before he can fill it with fire, and swing my sword overhead. He catches it smoothly on his jagged gauntlet, and yanks it out of my hand. Undaunted, my short sword springs into my left hand, and slices at his belly.
Fuck, he's fast. He grabs my wrist, twisting my hand harmlessly away from him, and gathers fire around his right fist.
I snatch at his forearm with my free hand, forcing it up and away from my head. It's unpleasantly hot.
So suddenly we're grappling, struggling, and he's got the advantage of height and weight. I can't kick him, can't afford to lose my footing-
There's a sudden shout from the other side of the worried rhino.
"What the- get off me!"
Ty Lee has entered the fray.
Sensing his momentary confusion, I let go of his hand, slamming my forehead into his nose with a very satisfactory crunch.
He stumbles back, but gives a sharp whistle, and his mount is spinning around towards him, and the tail catches me in the midriff, sending me crashing into a wall.
Ow. Ow. Ow.
Winded, I struggle to breathe as I pull myself up onto my knees. My enemy is mounted again, and behind him I see a pink blur leaping as two more soldiers vainly try to kill her. Katara is nowhere to be seen, but the background noise and fact that her two opponents have yet to appear reassures me.
Of course, I should be paying attention to the murderous firebender. He spurs his beast towards me, but I fall back, into an alleyway, and he is unable to follow me. Not much of an obstacle for a man who can shoot fire from his hands, but an obstacle nonetheless.
High ground. I've got to get to higher ground.
I fly out the other end of the alley, a plume of flame at my heels, and swerve left, finding myself on another street. I quickly make use of a convenient barrel and balcony, and scramble onto a roof.
Idly, it strikes me how empty the place has gotten. Presumably the whole village is hiding out in someone's basement or something. I'll say this for earthbenders, they are convenient when you need a bunker in a hurry.
But back to the matter at hand-
…
Where'd he go?
Oh, this can't be good.
Should have been paying attention, Sokka.
No matter. After all, how hard can it be to hide a komodo-rhino?
I glanced around. Ty Lee was still keeping Armoured and Dressing Gown occupied, and Katara's battle was still out of sight. Other than that, no one.
Oh dear.
-
I thought I heard something.
The ground- roof, it's a roof, Sokka- beneath my feet began to rumble.
Oh no. Please, no.
Before I could even think, the roof beneath me burst open, and the horned head of a komodo rhino slammed into the air, bucking and tossing and catching me right in the chest as I was flung to the ground.
Ow.
–
Ribs broken. Right shoulder dislocated. Head hurting. On the floor, though. Sword on the ground, right in front of me. It's a start.
Hey, my boomerang. Now where did that come from?
Snatching at the weapons, I forced myself to ignore the pain and stand, because the house behind me-
Exploded into fragments of wood as the komodo-rhino tore through the wall like so much paper, sending me rolling forwards and crying out in pain.
Ty Lee heard me. As I stumbled to my feet, I could see her turn from her fight, and start to run towards me.
No. Bad move. Don't do that.
Seriously, don't do that.
Full Armour was fiddling with something. Something small and grey. Involves sparks. He's about to throw it.
A bomb. Oh no.
I barely know what I'm doing. My right hand is beneath me, pushing me upwards and the pain is making white spots appear but my boomerang's in my left hand and I throw and it pinwheels through the air and connects.
The bomb tumbles from Full Armour's numb fingers. My arm no longer cooperates, and I hit the ground.
I don't see any more. I hear the explosion, though, and I feel the heat.
And I see the body hitting the ground, just in front of me.
–
The Guardian.
Midday, and we made camp. It was too hot not to. We would get moving again in the late afternoon, when it's cooler.
Seriously tired of this 'walking' business now, guys. The novelty's worn off.
For some bizarre reason, everyone laughed when I told them that.
–
The Assassin.
Ty Lee.
She's not moving.
Get up. Please, get up.
My hand stretches against the pain, straining for her.
There.
A flutter.
She's awake.
She's on her feet in an instant, only the faintest of grimaces on her face, and she's stooping, pulling me up. I try to tell her that she's yanking me around by a dislocated shoulder, but the face I make is eloquent enough, I'm sure.
So I'm on my feet, and Ty's pressing my long sword into my left hand, and propping me up with her body.
But we're surrounded. The firebender is behind us, and Dressing Gown and Full Armour (and wow, that must be some really good armour) are in front, all mounted.
We're dead.
"Attack!"
We started at the cry, and turned to look at it's source.
Aha. The infantry has arrived.
Can I sit down, then?
The figures charge, and our enemies whirl to face them, but they're suddenly gone, scattered down side alleys and up rooftops, and all of a sudden they're beside us, forming a defensive block around us.
The Kyoshi Warriors.
The Kyoshi Warriors. Wasn't expecting them. Maybe I should have actually paid proper attention to the dispatches.
Or maybe I should have stopped to think for three seconds. We're in the south east. We're supposed to meet an Earth Kingdom force here. We're ahead of the main armies. The only fighting force of any repute around here is?
Sokka, you never cease to amaze me with the depths of your idiocy.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," one quips, her face half turned towards me as the Rhinos turn around, pale as the grave. "So, who are these clowns?"
"The Rough Rhinos, and there's two of them behind the inn, fighting my sister," I replied, in one breath.
She nodded, unphased.
"Li Li, Chun, Min, go," she ordered, and three split off from the group.
"Now," she said, sizing up the remaining three, looking somewhat worse for wear, now I had time to look at them- Dressing Gown's left arm hung limply, forcing him to hold his nagainata like a lance, the colonel had blood flowing liberally from his nose, and he was riding bareback, and Full Armour was actually not looking at us straight- he was obviously still dazed from the explosion- "let's finish this."
The rest of the fight was very short indeed. Even considering.
–
The Guardian.
"Come on, Toph," I said. "It's not far, and we might as well."
"Oh, alright, fine," she grumbled, and off we went.
We were going to see a ruined village, torn up by a previous Earth King to let the forest grow. It sounded interesting enough, but the reason I was going was because Zuko looked like he wanted to ask Iroh something, but didn't want to ask it in front of everybody. Everybody in this case consisting of me and Toph.
I'm pretty good at deciphering expressions.
So, off we were going. Hopefully, this little detour won't last too long, and we can get back to what we're supposed to be doing soon.
Goodbye, Xian Zai. Good riddance to a boring plot tumour.
