~000~
Chapter Fourteen: Fire Demon
~000~
Crickets chirped quietly around the camp at the Outer Wall's Southeastern strongpoint.
It was a quiet night, new sections of the camp had been created through Earthbending to accommodate the Water Tribes forces that would be arriving soon.
Katara was walking along, when she stopped near Sokka's tent.
When she entered, Katara quickly left as fast as her legs could carry her.
~000~
Zuko cleaned helmets and equipment, with an empty dinner plate next to him.
Katara looked...odd when she sat near him by the large campfire next to his Command tent.
"You alright?" Zuko asked.
"I'm fine. Looks like Suki's visiting from the part of the wall she was assigned to garrison." Katara said.
"Visiting? The lieutenant didn't tell me. Is that why you look. Different?" Zuko put a helmet down, trying to understand just what was going on.
Katara laughed nervously. "Um. I guess so."
"You, want to talk about it?"
"Not really."
Zuko cleared his throat as Katara looked aside. 'Wow I really don't have a clue why she's acting like this. I really should drop this.'
"How was your day?" asked Katara suddenly and brightly.
"Drills went fine." Zuko said taking out one of his dual dao. "Camp and trench maintenance went fine."
Katara shrugged. "We all know you're good at all that. I meant how were you feeling?"
"How have I been feeling?" Zuko repeated, running a whetstone down the dao with light scraping sounds. "I miss my uncle. And. Nevermind."
"What is it?"
Zuko sighed, using his sword free hand to scratch his eye in thought. 'Why does she care all of a sudden? I thought she didn't want to be under my lead here at the camp.'
"Mai and Ty Lee are still in jail. If my uncle really wanted them freed he could do so. I want to talk to him, ask him why they aren't out yet."
"And?"
"And. I get why they did it. Why they followed my sister. I think my uncle is waiting for my approval to let Mai and Ty Lee out of their cells. And I'm starting to agree with him."
Katara's eyes widened. "Why would you possibly think that?"
"I've known Mai and Ty Lee since we were little. While Mai always felt, differently, towards me than Ty Lee, they both followed Azula without question. And even when we were young Azula loved tormenting and torturing me. With silly games, and sometimes with some very twisted ones."
"I don't understand," said Katara. "If Azula liked hurting you so much, why would Mai and Ty Lee stay as her friends if you say they're good people. Why would they be your friends too?"
"That's the scary thing about Azula. And Azula didn't physically harm me, only occasionally. Azula does take on most of my father's traits as a person. Cruel, cold, ruthless, and a monster. But Azula is different, she has her moments. She genuinely trusted Ty Lee and Mai could help her take down the Earth Nation and defeat Aang, a great deal of trust. The same trust I put in." Zuko paused. "I put in."
"Your uncle."
The campfire crackled during the silence between the two.
"Mai and Ty Lee are like family to Azula. I think I could convince Mai to fight Azula by my side, and perhaps Ty Lee. But there would be problems, a great number of people in the city, and even in this camp lost loved ones fighting the Fire Nation. They wouldn't be too happy seeing Ty Lee and Mai on the front lines."
"Well you know them both better than I do. If you think it's for the best, talk to them, see what they think. And for what it's worth, I think it's really sweet you want to give your old friends a second chance."
Katara was seen smiling for a split second as Zuko watched her walk away.
Zuko finished sharpening his swords and dispelled the campfire with Firebending before putting them both in his sheath and entering his tent.
~000~
Pixels formed around Zuko as he entered the Abyss' white training room and the Mask appeared with his calm and sly voice out of code.
"So. You were speaking to the Water Tribe girl."
"Yeah. She's my friend. I think."
The Mask chuckled. "Not going to lie to you kid. You have to be pretty blind to not see the messages she was sending you."
"Oh. Really?" asked Zuko.
"She was massively embarrassed." The Mask nodded seeing the look on Zuko's face. "Uh huh. She walked in on Suki and her brother together. Or at least being pretty intimate with each other."
"But Suki and Sokka are-"
"Teenagers. In the middle of a war. Without any parents nearby to know about it. I'm betting they needed to do this quickly knowing Sokka's father and the other Water Tribe warriors will be here any day now. I was a mercenary for twenty years after my own war, trust me, I know what I'm talking about."
"So wait. You see everything I do? All day every day?" Zuko looked alarmed.
The Mask shrugged. "Well not everything. I typically know when it's time not to see things. I've just been linked to you ever since you touched the Mask a few months back. It's time to let you in on a little secret. The Gamer offers a great deal of power, in your world, on par with the Avatar's in some aspects."
Zuko was dead silent.
"Yeah I know, just listen. I don't need to tell you this, but you've been popular with the ladies since you were what. Six? Seven?"
"Yeah right. Popular. That's why Mai and Jin would rather die than talk to me."
The Mask chuckled in his deep voice. "Wow. You really do have a taste for the overdramatic huh? Mai's in jail because she was dumb enough to trust your sister. And Jin was levied into the army. Considering how much history you have with both girls, I'd say they'd at least be willing to talk you."
"Mai tried assassinating Jin in an alleyway. It was completely my fault for not realizing it would happen."
"Then it sounds like you need a new girlfriend." The Mask said half jokingly.
"I don't need anyone." Zuko said proudly.
The Mask nearly burst out with laughter. "I don't need anyone." he said imitating Zuko. "Grr!" he punctuated his taunting growl by nearly making the room shake with a powerful [Mana Shock] against the white walls of the training room. "That's your stupid pride talking Zuko. You need a lot of people, especially your uncle."
"Well I certainly don't need a girlfriend right now!" barked Zuko. "Not with Azula on the horizon with legions of troops about to attack me."
The Mask sighed, raising his gloved hands defensively. "Look. I'm just passing some advice along kid. You had a very close relationship with Jin and it was going along pretty well. You found someone to unwind with and relax. It ended up being really advantageous to not turn you into a flaming maniac like your sister."
"What could you possibly know about my family? About me?"
"I've been from the Spirit World to this one and back. All sorts of video game dimensions too. Seen some crazy things kid, but I know for sure that deep down you want the three girls who tormented you as a little kid to be your friends again. Even Azula."
Zuko remembered the dreams he was having in the Fire Nation Royal palace as a young child again. Was the Mask right?
Zuko fell quiet for a moment, looking at the Mask up and down. "But that would endanger Ba Sing Se. It would compromise everything, especially the friendships I have to make with Katara, Sokka, the Avatar-"
"Your uncle Iroh told you your sister needs to go down, and I don't need to tell you that he always knows best. But with how powerful you are becoming with the Gamer the choice is utterly yours. When Sozin's Comet arrives by the end of the summer, what will you choose?"
"That's months away. First I need to survive the siege."
The Mask scoffed. "An army of firebenders attacking a fire proof son of the Firelord wielding the Gamer. Yeah, I don't think so. You're already ridiculously naturally talented at warfare and firebending, you come from a bloodline of people who were the best in history at both things. With the Gamer on top of that, you could end the war pretty quickly."
"End it, how?"
"Well first you keep training with me. Get you leveled up real high, high enough to beat Azula and her army in the first few waves. Should get you strong enough to turn you into a one man army. After that, take down most of the Fire Nation forces your father deployed overseas."
Zuko nodded. "And then?"
"That should be around the time Sozin's Comet comes around. Try as you might, you can't defeat your father yourself, you can only help in his downfall, that is the Avatar's responsibility to bring him down, and he can't learn firebending any faster than he already has been."
"So, we'll win?"
"I wouldn't see it happening any other way. Not with you getting as powerful as you should be. But to truly end the war, Aang has to be ready. After repelling the invasion, you should be able to put the Three Nations in a position advantageous enough to change the flow of the war to a stalemate. Sozin's Comet will arrive, and the war will be over. Everything I know tells me you should win."
Zuko seemed to drifting away in thought before the Mask spoke. "Now come on. You got training to do."
The Mask summoned a stack of white blocks to practice on while speaking to Zuko. "The Gamer's abilities never abide by the rules of the one it spawned in. In your case, you can of course build bending ability and physical strength and speed unlike any person. However, lightning bending's rules do not apply to you."
The Mask went on as Zuko listened. "Lightning bending normally takes a tremendous amount of skill, however, because of Gamer's Mind you can both summon and transfer lightning much easier. Watch."
Instantly, the Mask went from completely at rest to blasting several white blocks with lightning so powerfully they were turned into dust.
New blocks formed in front of Zuko and the Mask spoke again. "Now it's your turn. All you have to do is activate the ability with the desire to summon lightning. It will form and all you must do is strike."
Zuko nodded, calmly looking at his target on the white blocks.
Then, he pointed two fingers on his right hand directly at the white blocks. A light blue bolt of electricity zapped the blocks apart, sending them flying and singed across the room.
[Ability created! Lightning Bolt LV 1]
"Very nice." the Mask complimented calmly. "Again, watch."
Zuko observed as the Mask summoned so many blocks Zuko could barely count them. Without warning, the Mask destroyed all of them with chains and chains of lightning with ease.
Zuko had never seen so much lightning in his entire life, let alone believing anyone could control it so effectively.
"The trick is to think of it as bending for you to comprehend it. Like Firebending, you're merely transforming the energy in your body into a pure element."
"Rah!" roared Zuko, throwing a punch to hurl a lightning bolt directly at the block the Mask set for him.
Zuko tried again, and this time his lightning fried a large hole directly through one of the blocks, leaving it completely fried in its wake.
After a few minutes of trying, Zuko was panting quietly as the Mask spoke. "Those were some good shots. More practice and it can reach levels 20 and 30 soon. Great stuff."
"Why are we focusing so much on using lightning?"
"I'll be honest kid. With the Gamer the only person who can challenge your power is the Avatar."
"Why in the world would I challenge Aang? Well, now I mean."
The Mask snorted at this. "I'm not saying you should. It's a point of comparison. Your sister and father won't be able to hurt you with normal firebending. Hell, I could try to do it right now and it wouldn't work. Lightning will be your key to beating them. Keep going."
Zuko continued to use lightning bolts powered by the Gamer, and soon after only ten minutes of practice it was already at LV 7.
"That was quick." Zuko said checking the screens notifying him of it.
"That's the Gamer for you." the Mask shrugged. "You can learn almost anything very quickly. Now it's time for you to learn how to deflect lightning."
"My uncle taught me. You have to make a chi bridge without the lightning touching your heart. I've done it before, it worked against Azula."
"God no!" cried the Mask. "Could you imagine letting lightning get that close to you!? No, there's a much safer method. Having the Gamer, you can manipulate the things you normally could as a firebender of your caliber. Anything like lightning and fire, as well as Mana. You can create shields and weapons out of Mana."
"Mana?"
"All Gamers have it, and so do regular people in most worlds. Here."
Zuko watched as the Mask summoned a light blue bubble large enough to contain a person in front of him.
"What is that?"
"It's a Mana Shield. You can more layers and make it stronger the higher level it is, but go ahead. Try breaking it with fire, lightning, anything."
Zuko obliged the Mask and began roasting the Shield with enough fire to change the temperature of the room by several degrees.
When the dust and smoke settled, the Shield still remained intact. The Mask said nothing as Zuko was surprised by its power.
Not giving up, Zuko released bolts of lightning from his palm and hurled them directly at them using every ounce of his [STR] stat.
Every bolt was either deflected off the shield harmlessly onto the walls behind it or absorbed and dispersed across the entire shield.
Zuko panted as the Mask approached him. "Useful huh?"
"You're saying, that it grows stronger than this?"
"Oh yes." The Mask nodded. "Far stronger. There are Mana Shields strong enough to withstand all manners of damage."
"How do I make my own?"
"Glad you asked." The Mask said. "First you clear your mind. Easy enough, you have Gamer's mind. Then you focus, visualize the shield and you'll be able to create it."
Zuko took a deep breath and did as the Mask described. He held his hands out trying to create the same shield the Mask summoned instantly. Within moments a smaller and thinner version of the Mask's shield appeared in front of him.
At first there was a glimpse of the bubble and then it stayed stable.
"There you go. Not so hard huh?"
Zuko watched it float there as he turned towards the Mask. "You barely answered this in the past. But why are you doing this? Why are you helping me? Why was I chosen to have the Gamer?"
"Well the honest answer is you earned it. You got heart kid. Your uncle and your mom were the only food influences in your life until you a few months ago when you decided to join the Avatar. Against all odds you survived a household lead by the kind of people your father and your father's fathers were. War mongers who were fine with wiping out entire cultures without the blink of an eye."
"I thought Azula and I could change all that."
"I mean I can see why you'd want to think that." The Mask admitted. "No one else really shares your experiences or worldview that well. As freakish as your sister is, you're not going to have much help running the Fire Nation someday. I think more than anything you want to tell yourself Azula is worth having by your side."
"She is evil, but she's not completely like father."
The Mask sighed. "I mean you and her do share a connection as siblings, a very strong one I admit. But your family is, different."
"Of course it is, we're Fire Nation royalty."
"No I mean that." The Mask stopped. "Haven't you ever wondered why you and your sister are absurdly powerful? Even by your father's standards?"
"Not really. I have this Gamer power and she grew up with better form and technique than anyone I knew."
"You two nearly took down a cavern with firebending I mean-" The Mask shook his head. "Forget I said anything. Let's get back to training."
"Wait. Do you have something to tell me?"
The Blue Spirit looked like he was almost sweating if he could. "Um. What do you mean?"
"It sounds like you know something about my family I don't."
The Mask cleared his throat. "Look do you promise to drop this if I tell you where to properly get an answer for this?"
Zuko nodded.
"Talk to your uncle about your mother and her ancestry. It'll help you understand yourself and your family a lot. Think your uncle would be more than willing to help."
The two returned to training, and it was little more than all Zuko could think about.
~000~
A pair of guards entered the tent escorting Suki inside wearing regular Earth Nation robes.
"Found this girl sneaking out of Captain Sokka's tent a few minutes ago. We would've arrested her but the Captain's sister intervened. Agreed to bring her here to find out what to do with her."
'Miracle Katara and Suki didn't beat them into dust for this. Makes sense they were nice about the whole thing.'
"This is ridiculous!" said Suki.
"No one is allowed to leave their posts without proper clearance past curfew. All five generals and General Iroh ordered a direct mandate for nobody to be allowed to leave their positions unless specifically instructed."
"Zuko do something!" Suki turned towards him.
Zuko sighed. "Leave us."
"But sir we-"
"Now."
The men bowed their heads and left the tent.
Suki scoffed watching them leave. "Absurd. How could your uncle let such a thing happen?"
"He meant well. If soldiers walked around however they pleased with a siege on the way there'd be no reason to form battalions and assign them a section of the city to guard. You could've sent a note Suki, the Lieutenant would've let you in."
"It's hard to sneak out to meet your boyfriend when the entire Outer wall is guarded."
Zuko frowned, reaching for a pot of tea to make on a small makeshift stove he had in his tent. "Aren't you a Kiyoshi warrior? How could you get caught?"
"Well Katara actually managed to see me, she's not a master of detection exactly. And this camp is actually really well manned, you must be training your men very well."
"Erm, thank you. Some tea?" offered Zuko.
"I should be getting back to the girls."
"I learned from the best. My uncle made me help him in his shop for almost the entire spring." Zuko said.
Suki reluctantly sat down at the low table Zuko had in his tent and watched him make some tea. "Thought tea was your uncle's thing."
"So is siege warfare. Please, don't think what my uncle does is stupid."
"Well your family and I haven't gotten along well. We, have not gotten along well."
Zuko continued making tea while speaking. "My sister is truly, twisted in the head if you think you and I haven't gotten along."
"Oh we met. I managed to escape being captured by her defending Appa from her."
"Azula attacked you? When?" Zuko asked, using his Firebending to help heat the teapot.
"A few weeks ago when Appa was found in the woods near our village. You know, you tried burning it to the ground. She had a pair of girls with them, one with a braid, and the other with the most bored look you could imagine."
Zuko fought the urge to smile imagining Azula's shock in letting Appa and the Kiyoshi Warriors get away. "Not surprised Kiyoshi's best managed to get away. But what brought you to Ba Sing Se?"
"The war actually. We normally wouldn't get involved in it, but with Sokka staring down an invasion. I had to make sure he'd be alright."
Zuko felt touched by this pouring himself and Suki some tea. "I can get an order approved by Uncle Iroh personally, you can join my garrison here."
"Oh um. Isn't Chief Hakoda about to arrive?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Okay. Didn't think I'd be meeting Sokka's dad so soon, that's all."
Zuko smiled, seeing how much she seemed to care of what he thought of her. "You can stay here tonight. I'll tell the men to set up a tent for you. Or you can share one with Katara."
"Katara! Right, Katara's tent. That works."
Zuko looked unimpressed.
"Um. Yeah. I just didn't want to make things weird."
"Well, they are now."
On that awkward note, Suki was about to leave, gripping the edges of the entrance to Zuko's tent. "Oh and Zuko? Thank you. I really wished you hadn't tried attacking Kiyoshi Island but, it's in the past I suppose."
"Was anybody hurt?"
Suki shook her head. "Thankfully not. It was Aang you were after I suppose. I'm glad to hear you care. Truly I do. And thanks for the tea."
Zuko nodded even though Suki had mostly thanked him for the offer as she hadn't touched it.
After a few moments drinking the tea he had made for himself now, Zuko decided to rest after a long day of running the camp.
~000~
The next morning was a rather relaxed start to Zuko's day.
He got up, had his morning tea and breakfast served to him by a pair of soldiers and ran drills.
Drills lasted for hours, ensuring all troops were ready both mentally and physically for the battles ahead.
The trenches were maintained, equipment cleaned, and reports ran to the Earth Kingdom High Command.
A few soldiers were playing games, using the light caught by signaling mirrors to send messages.
When Zuko approached, the usually young yet strict commander instead smiled and lightly requested the men to get back to work.
At around midday, Zuko took some tea and heard a horn blow.
Soldiers began moving around the camp quickly, and Zuko rose to his feet.
"Are we under attack?" asked Zuko when a guard burst into his tent.
"No sir. It's the Water Tribe reinforcements. They've arrived a bit early."
Zuko lifted up the flap to his tent and walked outside, watching as dozens of men formed rows to greet the arriving Water Tribe warriors.
The thirty blue-clad soldiers dismounted their ostrich horses and walked forward, and a tearful Katara ran forward to hug her father.
Hakoda smiled and embraced his children.
"Dad!" Sokka said.
Hakoda said very little, the grown man clearly holding back tears.
Sokka pulled back from his father's hug and spoke. "Dad, I'd like to meet Suki. She's my, she's my good friend."
"Sokka, it's alright if you have a girlfriend." he said seeing the look on her face.
Katara looked a little unusual about seeing her father for the first time in years as Zuko introduced himself. "You must be Hakoda, Sokka and Katara's father."
"And you must be the young commander chosen to lead these men, Lord Zuko. When I got the letter I assumed there was a mistake." Hakoda noted Zuko's scar. "Surprised to see there wasn't."
"I've heard how you've eluded Fire Nation ships for years. You must be quite the captain." Zuko attempted a compliment.
"Thank you, but it's a lot easier than it sounds no offense. If you'll excuse me, it's been a long journey and I wouldn't mind having this conversation over some tea."
~000~
Zuko happily made him, Hakoda, Sokka, and Katara some tea while they all sat down in his command tent.
"I have a lot to know now. What you two have been up to since I last saw you both," he said to his children. "And how exactly the Fire Lord's son and heir ended up garrisoning one of the last few Earth Kingdom strong points left in the world."
"I haven't been back home in a while, but I'm betting I'm not his heir anymore. But, which one would you like to hear first?" asked Zuko.
Hakoda lifted his tea cup slightly before sipping from it. "Let's start with how you got chosen to lead this post."
"My sister Azula tried to capture the King and was about to end the war. I stopped her myself, with Katara and Aang's help."
"So the Earth King, his Generals, and the whole city forgave you for nearly helping its total destruction." Hakoda deadpanned, nearly making Sokka laugh.
"It wasn't an easy decision. I'm sure you understand how Azula taking the city without a siege would've cost less lives overall."
Hakoda nodded. "Well I guess choosing you to man this post makes some sense. If you were willing to betray your own sister for the city I guess you've proved your worth. And what'll we be facing out here?"
"A full-scale invasion. My father and sister will probably spend the entire summer trying to break our defenses. And if that doesn't work, by the end of summer." Zuko trailed.
Katara raised an eyebrow. "What'll happen?"
"My uncle and tutors back home mentioned how the Fire Nation chose the day to start the hundred-year war so well that it basically guaranteed its complete dominance. Sozin's Comet. A single firebender can be worth one hundred on that day. And the only person powerful enough to stop my father should the war be ongoing by that point is the Avatar."
'Or myself. According to the Mask.' thought Zuko, sipping his tea.
Sokka sighed. "So what? We try to hold off all summer clinging to the walls of Ba Sing Se waiting for the Fire Nation to exhaust itself and then counter attack? What about the solar eclipse? We have all four nations united against Azula and your dad. We have more than enough strength to capture both of them and take them out by the time it's all over."
"That wouldn't work for several reasons," Zuko said. "According to the Earth King, Azula discovered you were planning on launching the Eclipse Invasion when she and her friends were disguised as the Kiyoshi Warriors. Even if we held the Royal Palace with a thousand troops it wouldn't matter. Aang still needs to master the Avatar State and all four elements, and my uncle and I can't very well end the war by just ousting my father from power."
Sokka and Katara looked at each other, surprised by how maturely Zuko had responded and nearly sounded like his uncle.
"Then what's our plan?" asked Hakoda.
"We can still use the eclipse to our advantage. It might only last an hour or so, maybe less, but a single collective attack across their entire siege line when it forms would send them running." Sokka said, drawing an invisible line around the map of Ba Sing Se Zuko used as a war map.
Zuko nodded. "Then we can start pushing them back after capturing as many troops as we can."
Hakoda kept speaking. "And how many men will we be facing in the siege?"
"A standard Fire Nation platoon consists of three hundred men. Considering my sister knows which points on the wall to attack first which she will," said Zuko, pointing to the best spots the map offered to assault. "Four platoons will be charged with taking a single point in the wall, each one attacking from all sides with one in reserve. At least, that's the strategy my uncle said he used when he besieged Ba Sing Se."
"And how many men do we have here?" Hakoda asked.
"Not counting the troops on the wall above us and the men you just brought with you. About one hundred and twenty." Zuko said.
Hakoda put his teacup down. "Outnumbered ten to one, facing nothing but the hottest summer of the century against firebenders. Even on the defensive, those aren't good odds. Kid, you better be the firebender and commander of the last thousand years if we're even going to last a month out here."
"I plan to be," Zuko said quietly.
Sokka finished his tea as Hakoda spoke. "Not to move on from something so bleak, but kids, what have you been up to since I was gone?"
Zuko knew they were ignoring the obvious as they shared their stories happily with their father. With Hakoda arriving and news of Northern Water Tribe reinforcements strengthening all other strongpoints along Ba Sing Se's outermost wall, the siege was only days away.
~000~
After weeks of preparation and a particularly quiet morning arriving, the front was all too quiet.
The banners of the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe fluttered quietly in the summer air.
Zuko, with Suki, Hakoda, Katara, and dozens of troops in full armor completely prepared for battle, all in the trenches was looking out with a long monocular across the empty battlefield.
Then, over the long hills on the horizon and the drylands in front of the mountains, Zuko saw the first Fire Nation banners appearing. Hundreds of troops began to get into position to attack and begin the siege.
Zuko turned towards a signalman and gave a nod.
They alerted the wall and the entire city of Ba Sing Se they were under attack.
Returning signals told Zuko the Second Siege of Ba Sing Se had begun.
Zuko knew Azula was among the several commanders in charge of the siege.
'Come and get me.' he thought, knowing how powerful the Gamer had made him, balling his fists.
Long slabs of earth were raised to act as shields against artillery fire, and set up with shearing ends to deter cavalry and infantry charges.
When the first volleys of catapult fire came, the air became thick with the stinging smell of burning tar and the whistling of giant fireballs through the air.
As they struck the defenses, the ground appeared to shake as they held firm.
For two hours, Zuko made sure all the earth shields created held strong, ensured the benders made repairs where needed during the barrage, and even considered walking into open ground to return fire with his own massive amount of firepower but decided against it to not abandon his own men.
The constant heat and fireballs striking the defenses caused the inside of the trenches to feel like they were directly next to blazing hot fires. Few were injured from the blasts, but they could feel
Then when the artillery fire ceased, Katara spoke, continuing to heal a soldier whose arm was injured from a strong amount of debris hurting him. "Why did they stop?"
Zuko and Hakoda looked towards each other without a word, and they did the same with Sokka.
Fire Nation banners approached, fluttering in the wind as hundreds of men closed in on the strong point Zuko had spent weeks perfecting.
He knew the first wave wouldn't be their strongest attack, especially without any air power appearing, but Zuko still knew the attack would be huge.
For miles, the voices of Fire Nation soldiers could be heard emitting a continuous grouped war cry.
As all was silent with the lines and lines of Fire Nation troops well out of firing range of the trenches, well over four hundred men emitted a large war cry. Like Zuko predicted, they attacked from three sides.
The front of the trench, and both left and right.
When their war cry was over, the men charged still yelling, lowering their spears and sending fireballs towards the trench.
Earth benders flung huge rocks directly at troops to disrupt the charge, but most either missed or exploded harmlessly on the horns of charging Komodo Rhinos.
Zuko fixed his war helm, and he heard the Mask's voice in the back of his head. 'Let's do this.'
The moment a Komodo Rhino's horn struck the protective walls and created a breach, Zuko ran forward, landing into the middle of the left side of the charge.
Zuko had struck the ground so hard and so fast that the moment he ignited a [Blaze Arc], dozens of men went flying into the air from the flames, their weapons flying with them.
Confused and trying to regroup, the left flank returned fire only to find Zuko kept attacking. Horrified, Zuko looked like a demon, his dual swords on fire, returning the dozens of flames sent his way back towards enemy troops.
Only the flames were much hotter, yellow, and larger.
Zuko had taken about thirty men out of commission and had the entire left flank in disarray the moment the attack began.
Sokka knocked a Fire Nation soldier clean out with a strike with his club over the man's head when he entered the trench, speaking when seeing Zuko creating the opening for a counterattack on the left flank all on his own.
"Wow! Now after all those times Zuko failed to capture Aang he never showed that." he quipped, pushing a Fire Nation soldier down with an elbow to jaw and beating his face twice with his club to disable him. "He is one powerful bender!"
Katara had finished slamming two Fire Nation troops together with her water arms and created an ice wall in front of her.
"A powerful bender?" muttered Katara.
She looked over and saw Zuko, set alight from head to toe sending blasts of fire so strong from the tips of his swords they sent lines of men tumbling over each other like bowling pins.
"Well yeah. I mean." Katara said, slowly rejoining the battle.
Zuko had taken command of the left flank so well that men far older than him instantly helped, almost leaping out of the trenches to join him in sweeping the Fire Nation's attack back with a combined spear charge and earth bending strikes.
They were so filled with adrenaline and determined to defend their homes that they didn't even question how Zuko was magically able to stay completely on fire like it was nothing.
Zuko took no mercy at all on the Komodo Rhino mounts about a dozen soldiers on the left flank were using to charge. Stabbing them, setting them ablaze by running up to them and cutting them apart with his flaming swords and firebending.
The morale of the left flank fell instantly, as Zuko's slaughter of the beasts told them that if he wouldn't even spare the mounts, he was choosing not to kill the men as easily.
Hakoda had no clue how after three minutes of the battle's commencement, Zuko had slammed into the attack on the trench's center with the fury of a volcano and sent a third of the army on the run.
Zuko was moving, slashing with his twin swords, and firebending so fast that it looked like a dark-haired fireball was flying between the lines, crisping his countrymen's arms and legs and disarming them instantly.
The center collapsed in moments when almost fifty men were knocked clean into the air by Zuko flying through the ranks spinning like a fiery tornado and gripping his twin swords.
The remaining men either struggled for a few moments before being captured by the garrison or went running for their lives.
Knowing the battle was lost, the right flank gave up seeing so many of their comrades fleeing.
Zuko put his swords away, dispelling the flames on him with only his mind for bending.
Hakoda was speechless, watching about the entire garrison swarm out of the trenches, only a few men doing their jobs of capturing the injured Fire Nation troops and lifting Zuko onto their shoulders, cheering.
Sokka laughed. "What did I tell you? We got really lucky he didn't choose his sister over us."
Hakoda blinked rapidly. "With the avatar on our side and a fighter that strong with us. I think we might've just won the entire war."
Katara knew for a fact that Zuko had singlehandedly repelled the attack in under five minutes all without a scratch on him.
'If that wasn't powerful bending. Then I honestly don't know what is.' thought Katara, shocked.
~000~
Katara was sitting on her bedspread quietly as Suki entered their shared tent.
"Quite the battle huh?" asked Suki.
Katara nodded silently.
"You alright? It wasn't too different from anything we've already seen right?"
"Except for. Well." Katara looked up at Suki. "Can you promise not to tell anyone about this?"
"Of course."
Katara sighed. "Months ago, Sokka, Aang, and I met a soothsayer out in the mountains. She had convinced an entire village that a volcano wasn't going to destroy their town, and Aang and I had to save them."
Suki nodded. "Sokka told me about that. He really hated her."
"Well I spoke to the fortune teller too. She said I'd eventually marry an extremely powerful bender. At the time, I thought it was Aang. But considering what I've seen today."
Suki snorted. "What, you thought she meant Zuko now?"
Katara looked away.
"Oh. Well, you don't have anything to worry about. Zuko'll probably marry that old girlfriend of his in jail. Or maybe that Earth Kingdom girl he was seeing before."
Katara frowned. "But what if it is my fate to end up with Zuko? Everything that lady said came true."
"Then it'll happen. And if it won't it won't." Suki began getting dressed for bed. "Just don't worry about it. Besides, we got way bigger problems than that now."
Katara nodded. "I guess so."
After that, Katara and Suki retired for the night and the camp stayed on high alert for raids during the night.
However, Zuko rested easily knowing how much the Fire Nation troops must've feared attacking his position after the battle.