Chapter 14: The Earthbending Masters

It was very early in the morning, with the sun having only risen a mere hour ago. The chilly autumn air penetrated everything, proving a much needed nip to get people up and moving. And for Toph Beifong, the conditions were perfect for an earthbending session. Not for her of course, after all, Toph was arguably the greatest earthbender in the world. No, it was her students who needed training, and Toph would see that they got their money's worth, weather they liked it or not.

The petite earthbender smiled maliciously as she felt her students training. There were only four of them this morning, the best of her entire class. She had a few more paying for her services, but Toph could already tell that they wouldn't amount to much, so they were hardly worthy of her attention. No, these four younglings had potential. But to fully realize their capabilities, Toph knew that she would have to break them first, and then rebuild them.

Toph surveyed the earthbenders practicing before her. There was Ho-Tun, who was by far her favorite to pick on. He was a remarkably pessimistic young man, deathly afraid of his own demise and always assuming the worst of other people. He had a portly build, but that just meant there was more of him for Toph to beat up. And despite his somewhat wimpy nature, he was progressing noticeably faster than his peers.

Toph moved onto Penga, her youngest student. The girl was a typical vacuous rich kid, and in some ways she reminded Toph of herself. But she was even greedier than Toph was, and unlike her master she lacked any self-control. Her earthbending was unfortunately rather weak, but Toph could sense that she possessed hidden reserves of power that could hopefully be unearthed.

Next was Mugchi or 'The Dark One' as he liked to call himself. Although he was hardly deserving of an extra name if his bending was anything to go by. He was dour and just as miserable as Ho-Tun, but Toph could see inklings of skill whenever he genuinely tried to apply himself. He was a tough nut to crack, but Toph knew he would break eventually.

Lastly there was Sun, who was Toph's best student, and also her favorite. Unlike the others he was a local, and very skilled. Although Toph couldn't confirm it herself, Sun was apparently born with yellow eyes, which marked him as someone of mixed extraction. Sun also possessed the rare ability to lavabend, which was of great interest to Toph. Although Sun's violent attitude often made instructing him a precarious occupation.

As her students moved on to their next training exercise, Toph found that they were moving far too slowly by her standards. They must have been tired, and Toph suspected that they required a little verbal motivation.

"Drop your nuts and move your butts!"

"Um… Sifu Toph", Penga piped up, "I don't have…"

"You think I don't know that?" Toph leaned in close to her student. "Do you think I'm stupid or something?"

"N-n-no… not at all" Penga squeaked, before redoubling her efforts.

Toph smiled. It seemed like her training was beginning to erode the young girl's ego. That made her much easier to instruct.

As the quartet continued practicing their earthbending forms, Ho-Tun evidently decided that the room was too quiet and attempted to strike up a conversation. "So… have you guys heard about the Fire Nation pulling its army back? It sounds like pretty good news, right?"

Mugchi mumbled something indiscernible in agreement, and Penga chimed in. "I'm glad we're finally getting rid of those hot-heads. Now all we have to do is shove them off the rest of the continent!" Penga giggled at her own statement, but Sun did not share her sentiment.

"Replacing one occupation force for another doesn't sound like something that's worthwhile getting excited about."

Sun's response hit like a rock on calm water. The earthbending trainees slowed down their movements, and a tense atmosphere enveloped the room.

Penga stared at Sun with a scandalized look. "Um, excuse me… what the heck are you talking about? How could you not be happy that we're taking back what's ours? You're an earthbender for crying out loud!"

"I don't see what that has to do with me cheering on the Earth Kingdom. Last time I checked the Earth King hasn't done anything for me."

Penga broke her form and placed her hands on her hips. Toph grimaced at her lack of focus, but Penga didn't notice. "So you would rather live under the Fire Lord?"

"I didn't say that. Believe me, I'm not a fan of him either, but at least the Fire Nation let people come here and build this city. Think of all the people that have anchored their livelihoods here."

Ho-Tun and Mugchi broke off their training as well and opted instead to gawk at the argument unfolding in front of them. Penga scoffed at Sun and accentuated her pose. "I bet you're only saying that because you're the spawn of some wretched Fire Nation harlot…"

Penga barely had time to react as Sun lunged towards her. Thinking quickly, she flung the stone she had been practicing with at him. The rock impacted Sun on his shoulder, causing him to stagger backwards slightly.

Taking advantage of his momentary incapacity, Penga hardened her stance and gathered some earth from the building's floor, shaping it into a primitive defensive structure. It was a mildly impressive move for someone of her age, but it would be useless if she couldn't control it. And Toph knew that even at her strongest, Penga was nothing compared to Sun.

Sun pushed himself into a standing position and glanced at Penga, his yellow eyes almost glowing with rage. With a glare he slammed his fists into the earth, seizing control of his element. He raised his fists from the ground and lunged forwards. The earth obeyed his commands, changing its consistency to that of a liquid. A small wave of bright orange lava split the ground and flowed toward Penga's barricade, threatening to overwhelm it.

As much as Toph despised having to help Penga, she felt that being drowned in liquid rock was a rather harsh fate for the young girl to put it mildly. Toph leapt into action, raising a more substantial wall to stop the lava. With that problem dealt with, Toph shifted and brought her foot down in a solid stomp, causing a pillar of stone to erupt out of the earth and launch Penga into the air. Toph caught then caught the young earthbender by the collar of her dress.

"Aw… Sifu Toph this isn't fair!" Penga whined as she attempted to squirm out of her master's grasp.

"Fair?" Toph addressed Penga without looking at her. "I decide what's fair in this establishment, and insulting your peers certainly isn't on my list."

Penga groaned. "You don't like me because you're chummy with the Fire Lord! You're in league with the Fire Nation aren't you? It's all a big conspiracy!" Tired of her yammering, Toph tossed Penga across the room, causing her to land between Ho-Tun and Mugchi.

Penga recovered quickly and snapped her head up to look at Toph. "Did he buy you off? No wait… I bet you slept with him!"

Toph gave a brief snort of laughter. "I wish… but Sparky only likes women who are as miserable as he is." Toph shifted her attention to her other students. "Go get cleaned up and take Super Sleuth here with you. I want to have a word with Sun." Ho-Tun nodded and picked up a very irate Penga, gently slinging her over his shoulder. Once everyone had departed, Toph turned toward Sun.

"I think it goes without saying that you stepped way out of line." Toph felt Sun nod his head in affirmation. "And I think it also goes without saying that I expect you to cut out this volatile attitude of yours."

"But she… she…"

"She did, but you need to understand that it was just words, and that's all it ever will be. Penga harasses you because she knows that you'll lash out, and she's too arrogant to realize that she's in over her head. You need to be the bigger person and ignore her."

"But…"

"No buts. I know what she said cut deep, but it shouldn't matter. I don't care about how you started out. I only care about where you're going. I mean, look at me. I was practically born with a sack of gold in my hand, I lived in a mansion that had more rooms than I could ever find uses for, and I practically had an army of servants waiting on me. And now look where I am." Toph gestured to the cramped dojo they were conversing in.

Sun bowed his head. "I'm sorry Sifu Toph. I'll do better in the future."

Toph smiled. "That's what I like to hear. Now run along!"


Toph sat by a little table, steadily drinking a cup of green tea. She had wanted a cup of oolong after the commotion earlier, but someone, she suspected Penga, had rearranged the tea bags. So here she was with a noticeably less energizing beverage.

Toph rested her feet on the surface of the table. Although she couldn't see them, Toph knew that they had gotten noticeably longer recently, and she sincerely hoped it was a sign of an impending growth spurt. It was about time. She was thirteen years old, and yet she was shorter than even some children.

Not content to dwell on merely her physical inadequacies, Toph's mind wandered toward her dismal financial situation. Toph and her father were the last living members of the Beifong Family by blood. She knew that his coffers must have been overflowing with wealth accumulated over countless centuries. The Beifong Family's treasury had once rivaled that of the Royal Family in Ba Sing Se, and from what she knew very little of that money had ever been spent. If she could just get her hands on those resources and assess them, Toph wouldn't be surprised if it turned out she was the wealthiest woman in the world.

Of course, that was only if she actually could get her hands on them. Beyond a few curt letters, Toph still wasn't on speaking terms with her father, and he was in charge of all the money. In effect, she was financially isolated, and that proved to be rather problematic for her current business venture.

Toph originally had her eyes set on a lovely estate overlooking Yu Dao. Besides the beautiful location, it had plenty of space and was situated in a very rocky area. Unfortunately, it was way out of her price range. She was forced to look southward, and that was when she stumbled across Cranefish Town.

As far as Fire Nation colonies went, Cranefish Town didn't seem that unique at first glance. It was built up from a small Earth Kingdom settlement, and now housed a large population. People from the Fire Nation made up the largest group, although they weren't the majority. Next were those of mixed background, and then natives of the Earth Kingdom.

Nothing was appealing about the location. The city largely consisted of coastal property, and it lacked much of the older, and frankly better, infrastructure found in Yu Dao. But for Toph, it was the economic and legal situation that she found most appealing.

Cranefish Town had stayed under the radar for much of its history until businesses from the Fire Islands began flocking to it. As such, it had yet to be incorporated into a colonial governing body, and lacked many of the political fixtures found elsewhere. Power was held by a council composed of representatives from the major industries and civilian organizations operating in the city. Constantly in disagreement, they had little time to legislate anything besides things everyone could benefit from. This meant super low taxes and less red tape.

Of course, Toph wasn't the only person cognizant of the opportunities available in Cranefish Town, far from it in fact. Arguably the fastest growing city in the world, Cranefish Town had become something of a boom town after the war, and people were moving in faster than new homes could be built. Unfortunately, while Toph had been able to purchase a dojo in the city, she had to share it with another newcomer.

Speaking of which…

Toph sniffed the air and detected the unpleasant scent of smoke. Her 'roommate' must have been practicing for his next lesson. The man she was forced to share the building with was a disgraced firebending instructor name Kunyo. From what Toph had gathered, he was in the colonies to continue his teaching, which was apparently no longer valued back in his home. Toph also knew that he had been looking into the Yu Dao estate as well, and she suspected the reason he settled for their current location was much the same as well, although Kunyo was far to prideful to admit it.

Toph suppressed a chuckle. The aging firebender was an eccentric character to say the least. He was quick to anger and stubborn as a moose-lion, although not particularly bright. Kunyo certainly left an impression on others.

Just as Toph was finishing her thought, Kunyo opened the door and stepped into the joint lounge. He ignored her and went to brew a cup of tea. After he was finished he moved to leave, but Toph had other ideas.

"What are you doing buddy?" Toph put on her sweet face.

Kunyo turned around in his usual flamboyant style. "I am not your 'buddy', little earthbender."

Toph shrugged. "I don't know, it seems like you could use a buddy, if only to drag your head out of the clouds."

Kunyo angrily pointed his finger in Toph's direction, momentarily forgetting that she couldn't see him doing it. "I'll have you know that I'm a grounded individual, with reasonable aspirations and a great sense of personal fulfillment!"

"Whoa there, did I happen to bruise your ego? It must be more fragile than I thought."

"I will not stand to be insulted by an earthbender! Put up your dukes!"

Kunyo got into a firebending position while Toph remained seated, continuing to drink her tea. "I suppose I could fight you, but then I'd have to explain to the authorities why you suddenly disappeared… not that they'd mind."

Kunyo faltered, whatever judgment he possessed evidently getting the better of him. "Of course… I was simply testing you. Yes, that was my intention all along!"

Toph nearly spat out her tea. She didn't need her seismic sense to tell that Kunyo was lying; but to think that she would actually fall for such an obvious pivot, why it was laughable. His antics were so laughable in fact that Toph was beginning to find him endearing.

"Have a seat oh great master of deception."

Kunyo evidently didn't pick up on her sarcasm, and pulled up a chair. The two sat silently for a long while, although Toph suspected Kunyo was analyzing her. As if on cue, he confirmed her suspicions.

"You're very small for an earthbender."

Toph put down her now empty cup of tea. "So?"

"You claim that you trained the Avatar, do you not?"

"I did train him. What does that have to do with anything?"

"I would have thought he would seek out someone more outwardly powerful."

"I don't know what to tell you, he came to me. He said he saw me in a dream, or something creepy like that. But it doesn't matter. I whipped him into shape, and he kicked the Fire Lord's butt."

Kunyo growled slightly at her barb, which was exactly the reaction Toph had been expecting. "I'm still surprised that you're so small. Most of the earthbenders I've met are much more robust. The same is true for earthbenders I've read about, like King Bumi or Avatar Kyoshi."

"I'm surprised he was even allowed to read about such people in the Fire Nation!"

"I'm not exactly frail, but you're right that there are more muscled earthbenders out there. So what? Bending isn't just about who has the most meat, although that certainly doesn't hurt. Earthbending might be the most physically demanding of the bending arts, but as long as you can connect to your element you're set. I mean, just look at my students. I'd struggle to call any of them athletic. Maybe Sun if I were feeling generous, which I never am."

"How do you connect to your element so well?"

"Well, part of the reason is that I'm naturally talented. Blood probably has something to do with it, or at least that's what I believe; although the Beifong family hasn't had an earthbender even half as powerful as me in at least a few centuries. But if you're asking for my secret trick, it would have to be these…" Toph pointed to her faded eyes.

Kunyo squinted in confusion. "You can earthbend so well because your eyeballs don't work? How can that be anything but a negative?"

"Obviously there are disadvantages to being blind, but it also forces me to compensate in other areas. I can't rely on my vision to guide me, so I have to pay attention to the earth. I'm always interacting with it, and I've become accustomed to controlling it. I mean, why do you think earthbending students are typically blindfolded early on, just for fun?"

"Well… it certainly seems like fun to torment the little buggers."

"Oh trust me it is, but that isn't the main point."

Kunyo nodded and took another sip of tea before proceeding to play with his mustache. Toph figured now was probably the best chance she had to learn a bit more about the man she was sharing the dojo with.

"So… what made you leave your home and come here?"

"I was looking to spread my knowledge. After all, the children living in the colonies are so underprivileged. They barely even know how to bend!"

"Don't be shy Kunyo; tell me why you're really here…" Toph leaned forward, "Because I can tell that you're lying."

"Nonsense, I am an honorable man!"

"You're lying again." Toph grinned with glee.

Kunyo went through several more excuses, until Toph finally relented and explain that she could sense if he was lying using her earthbending.

"Fine… I suppose I can tell you. I was once an esteemed firebending instructor, very well versed in the traditional methods of firebending. Then one day I was presented with a most lucrative opportunity. I was hired to train the children of the then Prince Ozai."

"You trained Sparky and Psycho?"

"Indeed, and I intended to whip them into shape! Unfortunately, young Zuko was utterly useless, although I suspect the Prince already knew that. It was little Azula who landed me in the most trouble."

"Yeah, she tends to do that."

"Her father was evidently not impressed with her firebending progress. She far exceeded anyone else in her age group, but for reasons I never understood, Prince Ozai was adamant that she surpass her grandfather Fire Lord Azulon. A truly ridiculous notion in my opinion; everybody knows that the late Fire Lord was the youngest firebending master in history. But nonetheless he insisted, and I attempted to straighten his daughter out."

Kunyo took another sip of tea before continuing. "During one of our training sessions, the princess attempted to use shortcuts, to make it seem like she was doing better than she actually was. She might have completed the tasks, but she did not do so the way I instructed, and neither did she understand what she was doing. I reprimanded her, but she must have complained to her father…"

"Uh oh…"

"The Prince blamed me for his children's inadequacies, and promptly fired me."

"That doesn't sound so bad. From what I've heard you got out of there before things got really ugly."

"My body might have remained unscathed, but my reputation certainly was not. The Prince fed rumors about my incompetence to everyone he could, and within mere weeks my image was in tatters. Nobody wanted to hire me, and I even had to leave the homeland to avoid the embarrassment." Kunyo began to sniffle, and he proceeded to remove the tea cosy from the pot and raised it to wipe his nose with.

"Geez… this guy's a mess…"

"There there..." Toph patted Kunyo's arm, "at least your back in business now." That seemed to do it, and Kunyo regained his composure.

"Well, this was an interesting experience, but I must be heading out."

"You're going shopping as well?"

"Um… no… I'm just going for a walk…"

Toph sighed and got up from her seat. "I already know you're broke. You can tag along and I'll pay for whatever you need; although I do expect to be reimbursed in a timely fashion."

Although Kunyo would never admit it, Toph could sense his heart begin to leap with excitement. Toph began to gather her bags and her coins before calling back to her students. "I'm going out for a little bit, try not to break anything!"


Toph and Kunyo wandered through the crowded streets of Cranefish Town, taking in the sights, or for Toph the sounds, and perusing for supplies. The waterfront market was tightly packed with both customers desperate for goods and vendors eager to sell their wares. Everyone had something to sell, ranging all the way from complex machinery to cabbages.

Kunyo approached a tailor and attempted to haggle for three affordable uniforms in various sizes. He didn't seem to be making very much progress, so Toph decided to take a moment to herself and stepped away from the hustle and bustle.

It felt nice to be relieved from the sensory overload, but her position was still far from ideal. Toph took a whiff of the air and inhaled the unpleasant scent of sea water, which was noxious enough to almost make her gag. She couldn't even begin to verbalize just how much she despised the ocean. She never understood how Katara could put up with it. Dry land was so much better!

Still, it wasn't just the sea water that was giving Toph bad vibes. She had been to the market countless times before, but today felt different. It was as if the earth was singing a different melody than it usually did.

Kunyo briefly interrupted her. Evidently he had been unsuccessful in procuring what he was after, and had come to vent. Toph mentally blocked out his voice and tried to concentrate on the earth. She could swear that she detected something, and it almost felt like…

"Get out of the way!" Toph's eyes widened as she flung her arms outward and pushed Kunyo back with a hasty rush of her earthbending.

"What are you…?" Kunyo's question was quickly answered when an earthbender sprang out of the ground and moved to strike him.

Kunyo was momentarily paralyzed from shock. Luckily for him, Toph came to the rescue. She bent a barrage of rocks at the man as he mounted a frantic defense, only to find himself being pushed backwards. He attempted to seize control of the material Toph was bending, but the earthbending master's grip was nigh unbreakable.

Looking to end this quickly, Toph flung the earthbender toward a metal pole on the edge of the waterfront. Just as the assailant was about to rebound at Toph, she seized control of the pole and used her metalbending to wrap it around the earthbender, immobilizing him. And just to be certain he couldn't fight back, Toph bent the pole backwards so the man was hanging over the water.

Toph smirked in satisfaction as Kunyo dusted himself off and moved to join her. He stared incredulously at the earthbender before speaking his mind.

"Do you savages have no honor? I was not even in a fighting stance!"

Ignoring Kunyo's rather disrespectful remark, Toph approached the enemy earthbender. "Why did you suddenly jump out of the ground and attack us?"

Kunyo interrupted before the man could respond. "He's wearing an Earth Kingdom military uniform! He's obviously here on the behest of our enemy."

Toph briefly glared at Kunyo, pointing at her eyes.

"Oh… right… I forgot."

"Anyways…" Toph said before turning back toward the earthbender, "Why are you here? We're in Fire Nation territory."

The man remained silent, and Toph decided to further constrict the metal pole around his body. The earthbender briefly grunted in pain, but otherwise remained steadfast in his muteness.

"Talk… or I'll make you squeal like a pig-deer." Toph deepened her voice to make her threat sound more menacing, and she felt the man's heart rate increase in response.

The man raised his head and glared at Toph. "Traitors like you will have it worst…" the man coughed up bile from his throat, "None of you will survive what is about to transpire."

Just as Toph was about the question the man farther, she heard a series of screams erupt from the market. Toph tightened her grip on the earthbender.

"You'd better stay put if you know what's good for you. And believe me, if you somehow manage to escape I will find you. I never forget a voice."

With that Toph dashed toward the market, Kunyo hastily following behind her.


By the time Toph and Kunyo arrived at the market they found it in complete chaos. Toph could feel dozens of slight tremors beneath the surface, no doubt indicating there were more soldiers on their way. She also detected something incredibly faint in the distance, almost like the tapping of thousands of feet against the earth.

"Oh no… It's a whole army!"

A series of local guards rushed past Toph and charged the enemy earthbenders, only to wind up crushed in the process. Toph winced at the sickening crack of their bones being shattered and sent a wave of earth at the attackers in retaliation.

One of the soldiers, she suspected he must have been the leader of their unit, managed to avoid the counterattack. As Toph readied herself for a second strike, she sensed two rocky objects fly in her direction. She deflected one of them, but the other latched onto her leg and began to squeeze.

"Wait a minute… I've seen these before!"

Toph ripped the stone gauntlet apart and sent its remains soaring back at their creator. The man ducked, just as Toph anticipated. She promptly raised a small pillar of rock from the ground and struck the man on his head. After an audible thud, the man feel to the ground, completely knocked out cold.

Kunyo looked in awe and approached Toph. "Well done, little earthbender. I don't think he'll be causing problems anytime soon."

"Yeah, but he was probably the last person I expected to see here."

"You know this earthbender?"

"No, but I'd recognize his fighting style any day. This is a Dai Li agent."

"What are the Dai Li?"

"They're the secret police of Ba Sing Se, and they're supposed to be disbanded. But if they're here, it can only mean bad news."

Kunyo looked around and spotted another squad of guards running farther into the city. He quickly grabbed one by the shoulder and demanded answers.

"What is going on here?"

"No time to chat, an army of Earth Kingdom soldiers has been spotted in the distance. We only have a few minutes to prepare the city's defenses." With that the guard ran off to rejoin his comrades, leaving behind a very confused Kunyo.

"Come on old man." Toph grabbed hold of Kunyo's arm. "I haven't had a good fight in a long time."

"B-but… what are you going to do? There's an army of earthbenders marching toward the city!"

"What are you, some kind of chicken?"

Kunyo huffed indignantly. "Certainly not, I am a very brave man!"

"Then prove it!"

Toph used her earthbending to raise the surrounding stone into a circular platform. With a hefty forward motion, the structure began to race along the ground. Toph grinned like a madwoman, while Kunyo held on for dear life.

Once they made it to where most of the city guards were stationed, Toph disembarked from her makeshift transportation. But before she could become engrossed in what the men were discussing, she detected a familiar tremor.

"What the heck are you guys doing here?" Toph whirled around to address her students, who were running towards her.

"Sifu Toph…" Ho-Tun wheezed, clearly out of breath. "We've come to help…" Mugchi finished for him.

"Well I don't want your help. This isn't one of our sparring matches, this is a real battle! And you aren't ready to risk your lives yet."

"But Sifu Toph, we know how to fight…" Penga protested, "You said as much yourself!"

"I did, but that was one on one combat with each other, not an onslaught of trained earthbenders."

"But you trained us…" Sun piped in, "that's got to count for something, right?"

Toph sighed. "If you insist on participating I suppose I can let you help set of the defenses." She gestured toward a group of friendly earthbenders who were clumsily raising a barrier. "Those poor saps need all the help they can get."

Toph could tell that her students were somewhat crestfallen, but they obeyed her command nonetheless. As they began to depart, Toph heard someone calling toward her and Kunyo.

"You two, are you able to fight?"

Toph snickered. "I'm only the greatest earthbender in the world."

The skeptical guard turned toward Kunyo. "Can you firebend?"

"Of course, I even teach it to others."

"Then the both of you better follow me."

The guard led Toph and Kunyo to a small encampment that had clearly been erected only mere moments beforehand. Inside, Kunyo was fitted with very light armor, and one of the guards draped something over Toph's head.

"What the heck are you putting on me?"

"It's a poncho. We don't want any friendly fire." Kunyo hastily informed Toph that the covering was colored red, and would help distinguish her in the battlefield.

"It also makes me a clearer target for the Earth Kingdom soldiers."

"Sir…" one of the guards addressed his superior, "what are your orders?"

"Remove anything valuable and transport it a safe distance away from the front. We don't know how far their army will be able to penetrate into the city."

The guard accepted his orders and began to force any remaining vendors to vacate the area. Off in the distance, Toph heard the anguished cry of one particularly unhappy merchant.

"No… not my cabbages!"


To say the battle was chaotic would have been an understatement of epic proportions. As far as Toph could gather, it seemed like neither side had even the slightest idea what they were doing. There was no coordination, no strategy, and certainly no discernable front. But there was a whole lot of destruction.

Boulders were being flung into the air by both sides, often landing on buildings rather than the soldiers they were intended to eliminate. The streets had been thoroughly torn up via earthbending, and several building had collapsed from the foundational stress.

On a more positive note, the city had yet to catch on fire, although Toph suspected that had more to do with the moist climate provided by the ocean.

In an attempt to provide some relief to the vulnerable populace, Toph had used her earthbending to dredge up several large platforms along the waterfront. They helped put the people out of harm's way, which made fighting the battle much easier.

Just as Toph was finished securing the platforms, she felt a tremor from behind. The heavy footsteps of half a dozen approaching earthbenders echoed throughout the earth, readily giving away their presence to Toph.

"Look, she's with them!" One of the soldiers exclaimed. Toph merely smirked as her enemies dropped into a remarkably unintuitive earthbending stance. They flexed out their arms and raised a series of stone blocks out of the ground before kicking them in Toph's direction. The earthbending master quickly spun around and got into her signature stance.

Using only small movements from her arms and legs, Toph raised a slab of rock from the ground and directed it back and forth like a shield.

The stone blocks shattered upon impacting Toph's earth shield, forcing her opponents to quickly think up a new strategy. They stepped forward and extended their arms in an attempt to wrestle control of the earth from Toph.

While still directing her shield, Toph shifted her one foot forward, sending a slight tremor toward the enemy earthbenders. It was a small move, but it was just enough to weaken their focus, and that was all Toph needed.

At precisely the right moment, Toph hardened her stance and sent a massive wave of rock hurling toward her opponents. Some attempted to stave off the attack, only to wind up crushed or unconscious. One scrappier individual attempted to flee and avoid the same fate as his comrades. But just as Toph was ready to send a second barrage in his direction, the man let out a scream and fell to the ground. Toph was about to vocalize her confusion, when she heard a familiar voice.

"Kunyo saves the day yet again!"

Toph normally would have called out the old man for lying, but this time she didn't detect any of the usual signs. "He genuinely believes that he saved me… how cute."

"Save the victory lap for later hot shot. The battle isn't won yet."

Kunyo deflated slightly, but he moved to follow Toph regardless. The two warriors made their way toward the front of the city, fending off plenty of earthbenders along the way. However, when they reached the front they found a rather unfortunate situation.

The city guard and militia were in a full retreat, as the enemy had brought an entire legion of Earth Kingdom tanks to the battlefield. Fire was virtually useless against the tanks, and few soldiers were brave enough to attempt any bolder maneuvers.

"Everybody get out of the way!" Toph shouted at the top of her lungs. The remaining soldiers quickened the pace of their retreat, just as Toph stretched out her arms.

The earthbending master emptied her mind and concentrated on the ground in front of her. She could feel every pebble, and when she had a good grip, she struck big. The ground shook violently as the space between Toph and the tanks rose up until it formed a thick wall. This normally would have been enough to stop any army, but Toph knew that the earthbending tanks were built to traverse even the most staggering obstacles, so her wall would, at best, slow them down.

Toph and Kunyo joined the guards in the retreat as the tanks began to scale the wall. It wasn't much, but Toph had bought everyone just enough time to relocate to a more fortified position. But even then the tanks pursued them, and they were pushed further toward the waterfront.

"I came here to make money… not die a gruesome death." Kunyo whined.

"Well at least you learned that the world is full of surprises."

Kunyo seemed like he was about to respond, but instead he turned around and Toph felt his heart begin to beat faster.

"What is it?"

"Look on the horizon!" Kunyo shouted as he pointed toward the sea.

Toph grumbled and pointed to her eyes.

"Oh… right… sorry. I spotted a fleet of Fire Navy ships in the distance. It seems like they're coming our way!"

"That's great, but we still need to make it long enough for them to be of any help."

Kunyo frowned and began to stroke his mustache. "We need to find a way to eliminate those tanks. Not even my legendary firebending can breach their defenses!"

Toph rolled her eyes. "I can make more obstacles, but that will only slow them down. There's only so much earth between us and them."

"Could you attempt to trap them under rubble?"

"I don't have enough materiel for that. And besides, the closer they get to the waterfront the less earth there is. If I try something like that I might end up causing the buildings to collapse."

"Hmm… this certainly is a tricky predicament."

"I'm going into the fray to do whatever I can. You stay back here and protect the people."

"I will do so with honor!" Kunyo gave an eccentric salute and bid Toph farewell.

"I hope I can at least distract the tanks long enough for help to arrive."

Once Toph got within range of the tanks she concealed herself behind some ruined buildings. Stealth was decidedly not her preferred method of combat, but she needed time to think up a plan. As Toph wracked her brain for ideas, she detected several pairs of footsteps that were quite familiar.

"I thought I told you brats to keep out of trouble and help with the city defenses!"

"S-sifu Toph…" Ho-Tun stuttered, "We didn't mean to break your orders!"

"Then what are you doing here?"

"We're here to help." Mugchi replied.

"And I told you how you could help! You were supposed to defend the city!"

"We can't do that if there's nothing left to defend! We need to stop those tanks!" Penga said haughtily as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Well that's just fine and dandy, but what are we supposed to do about that?"

Sun stepped forward. "I might have an idea." He focused on the ground and began to liquefy a small portion of it. "Those tanks can withstand anything we throw at them, and they can slink their way across all kinds of obstacles. But what would happen if they tried to cross a surface that isn't solid?"

A cheeky smile slowly spread across Toph's face. "You're a genius kid."

Sun rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Actually… it was Penga who suggested it."

Toph gave the young girl a hardy slap on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you." Toph then turned to the rest of her students. "Come on, there isn't a moment to waste!"


Toph and her students enacted Penga's plan quickly. Being the most experienced earthbender among them, Toph would distract the tanks and do her best to slow them down. This would allow Sun the time he needed to focus on each tank individually.

Once a tank was separated from the rest of its unit, Sun would liquefy the ground it was positioned on. Without anything to use for traction, the tank would effectively be stuck. Then Penga, Ho-Tun, and Mugchi would use the opportunity to begin disabling the tank.

Toph was no mechanical engineer, but she had spent enough time around Sokka to know just how complicated machines could be, even primitive ones that relied on bending. She reasoned that whoever built these tanks was the only person who would know how to repair them, and not the soldier piloting the weapon.

Their plan worked almost perfectly, and within a few minutes they had already destroyed several tanks. Unfortunately, the tanks were not alone, and an army of soldiers was quickly approaching their position. Evidently they had caught onto what Toph and her students were up to.

"Alright everyone, good work!"

"Of course we did good Sifu Toph!" Penga piped up, "I never knew how much I enjoyed destroying things! Now are we going to pulverize those mean looking soldiers charging towards us?"

"Absolutely not." Toph hoisted up Penga. "You kids did great, but we'll have to hope it was enough. Right now we need to make it back to the waterfront."

With that Toph and her students made a mad dash for the pier, as the Earth Kingdom army surged through what remained of the city.

When they reached the harbor, Toph was greeted by a very enthusiastic Kunyo.

"Well done little earthbender! Whatever you did must have worked, because you gave us just enough time."

Kunyo grabbed hold of a nearby guard and brought him to Toph. "Tell my friend the good news!"

"Uh… right…" The guard looked at Kunyo awkwardly. "Admiral Chan's fleet has arrived. There are probably at least five-hundred firebenders on board, and a whole bunch of tanks. Our enemy doesn't stand a chance."

Just as the guard had finished relaying the information, a group of Fire Nation tanks rumbled past them and headed into the city to engage the Earth Kingdom forces. They were quickly followed by many firebenders, who ran after the tanks and joined the battle.

Toph felt slightly relived. Strange as it might have seemed, she didn't feel odd fighting against her own people. In some sense, she had been doing it her whole life on a smaller scale, and in her mind this was just a new manifestation of that. She was however quite curious as to why the Earth Kingdom had suddenly attacked Cranefish Town.

But before Toph could dwell on that particular question, Kunyo nudged her shoulder.

"Admiral Chan's ship is docking." Kunyo's excitement almost made him sound like a little girl, and Toph had to suppress a chuckle.

She reached out to feel the tiny fragments of earth that made up the metal hull of the ship. "Wow… that's one big hunk of metal."

"It's an Empire-Class Battleship, the largest kind in the Fire Navy."

"Yeah… I'm pretty sure I could've guessed that."

After the ship docked and the crew began to unload vital supplies, the leading officer finally made his appeared.

"Greetings, citizens of Cranefish Town…" Chan said in his boisterous voice, "I apologize for the delay, but my men and I are here now and we are going to take back this city from the backstabbing Earth Kingdom!"

Chan received none of the applause he was clearly anticipating, and Toph noticed the heartbeats of everyone around her quicken. She leaned closer to Kunyo. "What's the matter?"

"Yes little lady…" Chan echoed, "Why is everyone so bashful?"

"Umm… sir…" one of the guards began.

"Well speak up soldier, what is it?"

"Well you see sir… you're… you're not wearing any pants."

Chan didn't bother looking down. Instead he just stared at the guard who had spoken up and narrowed his eyes.

"It's my ship…"

Nobody dared to argue his point.

"Okay then…" Toph said awkwardly. "Mind telling us what's going on here Admiral Stark?"

Chan let the nickname slide, but he merely shrugged instead of providing an answer. "I haven't the faintest idea. One of my frigate captains saw fighting on the coastline and reported it directly to me. So I came to investigate."

A soldier run up to Chan and handed him a series of letters.

"Oh!" Chan exclaimed. "That's where I put my mail!"

He opened the letters and began to read. "Hmm… this one is from the Fire Lord. He says the Earth Kingdom attacked Yu Dao and they plan to mount an offensive." Chan opened another letter. "And this one is also from the Fire Lord. He says that the Earth kingdom has launched a full scale assault on the colonies without provocation, and he wants me to do something about it…" Chan trailed off, seemingly realizing that reading the letters he forgot about to everyone in the harbor only made him look even dumber.

"Well then… it seems like I have work to do." Chan curtly turned around and went back inside his ship. Toph proceeded to let out all the laughter she had been holding back.

"How exactly did you guys win the war again?" Toph continued to snicker for a while before Kunyo had enough and insisted she stop.

"It's kind of an open secret in the Fire Nation that Admiral Chan is never the best when it comes to communication."

"Well I can certainly see why." Toph let out a couple more snorts of laughter before she settled down.

"So, Sparky is marching east from Yu Dao?"

"That's what Admiral Chan's letter said. What do you have in mind?"

"My mind is telling me that Sparky is going to need all the help he can get, including his friend who happens to be the greatest earthbender in the world."

"You're leaving us?" Toph turned around upon hearing Sun speak up. All her students were assembled, and Toph could feel the disappointment in their hearts.

"I'm going to help a friend, but I promise I'll be back soon."

"But… what if you die and this is the last we see of you?" Ho-Tun stammered out his morose question and earned a light kick from Sun.

"Sifu Toph is a great earthbender. I don't think she'd fall in battle." Sun retorted.

"But who's going to teach us while you're away?" Penga asked.

Toph turned to Kunyo. "Master Hot Head here can look after you while I'm gone, and you can practice what you've already learned with each other. If one of you is better at something than the other, then teach that person like I do."

Toph noticed that some of her students were far from keen to have a firebender look after them, but after this battle, she knew that they could put their differences aside and handle anything.

"Alright…" Sun began, "Are you sure we can't go with you?"

"You've already proven yourselves to be clever earthbenders, and I have no doubt that you'll achieve great things one day. But for now try to take things easy. I think one battle is enough for now."

All of Toph's students acquiesced and gave her a quick bow of reverence. Toph then turned to Kunyo.

"Try not to burn down the place while I'm out of town."

Kunyo gave Toph an indignant snort. "Nonsense, if anything I'll be more relaxed with you gone."

Toph didn't bother to inform Kunyo that she knew he was lying. It was a secret they could share. Toph smiled and waved goodbye to her friends, before tagging along with some soldiers being sent north.


Smoke filled the dim autumn sky above Han Tui. The source of the smoke could be readily discerned by anyone within a mile of the city. A roaring fire tore through the streets of Han Tui, as boulders rained down from above.

In one of the many plazas located in the former Earth Kingdom city, two firebenders and a waterbender did their best to fend off an onslaught of earthbenders.

Azula charged up a bolt of lightning and sent it soaring toward a group of soldiers. Zuko was locked in combat with several earthbenders, who he quickly dispatched with several well timed blasts of fire. Despite his concentration, the chaos of the battle allowed some of the fire to escape his control and spread to the surrounding area. That was Katara's cue to jump into action. She seized control of the water in a nearby fountain and used it to douse the building Zuko had inadvertently set ablaze.

"Careful! Are you trying to burn down the city!?"

"Not now Katara, things aren't going as I planned!"

"Why does that not surprise me?" Azula chimed in.

"Would the two of you get off my back? I thought using my great-grandfather's campaign journal would make things easier!"

"Evidently that didn't work out." Azula responded.

"The map inside was almost ninety years old!" Katara shouted.

"Enough!" Zuko exclaimed as he blasted away another soldier. "I don't have time to argue! Right now we need to push back their forces and salvage as much of the city as we can!"

"I'm on it!" Azula and Katara both said in unison. Azula immediately engaged some nearby soldiers in combat, striking down several and frightening away many more. Katara meanwhile took on a less combative approach, and used her waterbending skills to capture and immobilize the soldier in ice.

They were making good progress, and Zuko felt his mood soften slightly. Having Azula and Katara with him made what he was doing far less daunting. And a small part of Zuko's mind hoped that fighting together would draw the two women closer to one another.

"I shouldn't get ahead of myself; we still have a long way to go…"

With that Zuko rushed to join his friends, eager to bring a swift end to the liberation of Han Tui.


Author's Notes

So much for getting these out faster… March was a hectic month, and April has been even more so. Thanks again to DylanTheDemon for helping with this chapter. These next few chapters will branch out a bit more from the core of the narrative, but rest assured that the focus will return to our favorite fire siblings in due time.