A/N. Thanks to the site for having fixed the issues, I can see reviews and so on again!
And about this chapter, I had way too much fun with it. Graphical warning! There is a lot of blood and violence.
Never again. Never. Ever. Again.
Piandao should be hanged for suggesting an eelhound as their transport. Toph hated the beast, and how it had shaken her off twice. Twice! Sure, it had not been very comfortable for the creature either she supposed, having three people on its back, urging it on as fast as possible.
Certainly, if one of those people was Meathead, who had taken a rather heavy meal during their journey.
Sliding off the back of the saddle, the blind girl rubbed her ass. Spirits, that was sore… And not in a good way. Under her feet she could feel the rocks of a beach, that extended all around the island. It was just a few miles off the coast from Wulong Peninsula, but still, it felt different, as if the geological rock was of another type than that of the north eastern coast. Extending her senses into it, she sensed indeed that the island was probably from sandstone, friable and weak, while the peninsula to the east was of solid granite. She hated sandstone. The vibrations in the earth resounded much harder in this type of rock, while granite was much clearer to read.
"Tell me this is the place." She heard Suki mutter. Feeling the girl land beside her, Toph couldn't help but grin when the Kyoshi Warrior made the same movement as she had done to ease the muscles in the rear area.
"It seems to be. Iroh told us that the reports said that the air fleet was gathering on this small island." Sokka's voice came from above. Without having to feel around, Toph knew that the water tribe boy had stayed on the eelhound.
Sighing, she quickly scanned the island. It wasn't very large, a mile or so long, and two miles wide. It formed a rather crescent shape island, with the two tips bowed towards the Earth Kingdom coast. She could feel they were on the most northern tip, and the wider part of the island buzzed with activity.
"I would suggest keeping an eye out. There are thirteen of those air ships over there." She pointed southwards, hearing a soft groan coming from the creature behind her.
"Thirteen? They had six a month ago!" Sokka was clearly not happy about this new development, which Toph could understand. Six would have been a challenge, with comet powered firebenders on board… Thirteen? Thirteen was just a horrible advantage in numbers.
"Eh. It is not like we can't take them." She shrugged, trying to hide her own fears with a casual confidence. Twelve of the airships seemed identical, with just one being longer and large than the rest. Sensing that the front was rather heavy, she raised her eyebrows.
"Ozai is here, isn't he?" She asked, to no one in particular. Not that would change much, but perhaps that meant that Twinkletoes would be here too!
"Probably. But Iroh is right, it has to be Aang. If it was possible, I would much rather cut my way through the soldiers and attack that bastard… But our task is making sure the fleet doesn't leave this island. Ideas?" Sokka spoke, and the earthbender heard the concern in his voice.
She had rather envied that protectiveness at first. When she had first joined them, she had seen that Sokka and Katara were anything but friendly to anyone who even seemed to blow air towards Aang. First, she had thought it was concern for his status as the Avatar, but after a few days, Toph had understood it was genuine friendship and love the two siblings felt towards the airbender. But now, she knew that their whole group worked like that. Each of them would protect the others with their life… And as Katara had said once, it was a strength but also a weakness. A weakness Azula had exploited when she had threatened Katara in front of Aang and Sokka.
She too had been angry, but had also known that there was nothing she could do at that moment!
Great Spirits… Katara and Zuko had gone off to fight that bitch. If they found Aang before his fight with Ozai, they'd better not say a word about that to him. He would just forget everything about the Fire Lord and race towards Caldara City to make sure nothing would happen.
"Well, let's go then!" she waved her arms forwards, towards the slight rise she could feel in front of them. Behind it there was a large crater, where the fleet was assembled. Feeling around, she was surprised not to feel any soldiers standing guard. Had the Fire Lord really thought he was safe in his own territory? She had hoped to find just one soldier… They could have "asked" him questions, they could have learned the lay out of those airships…
Quickly marching off towards the ridge, she felt Sokka's heavy form land on the ground, slapping the eelhound on its rump. The beast bolted away, disappearing into the water. Tph sensed that the other two followed her up, and as she neared the top, she heard Suki hiss something about getting down.
Grumbling, she lowered herself to lay on her stomach, slowly edging upwards with her elbows. She much preferred standing up, for it was better to sense the vibrations. But this would work too. Her two friends lay down on either side of her, probably to make sure that she wouldn't move her head too high above the ridge. Spirits, how she hated that kind of attention.
She knew the ridge was there. She knew that they shouldn't be seen! But they forgot every time, that she could actually feel if someone turned towards her! She could feel if they were spotted!
"Well? What does the fleet that is going to burn half the world's population look like?" Toph asked, a fake grin plastered on her face, turning to Sokka.
"Leaving." He grumbled, grabbing her arm. She felt herself being pulled up. Letting her senses reach towards the air ships, she felt Meathead was right.
The big ropes that held the ships in place were being hacked by men with axes, and there were several already taking off from the ground. Luckily, it seemed there was an order to the ships, and it were those at the far northern section that had begun to take into the air. It felt strange…
At first, there was a massive weight on the ground, crawling with footsteps and with banging… And in the matter of a second, it felt as if they had just disappeared. But Toph was blind, not deaf. She could hear the roaring of engines and knew that the ships were actually just leaving the base. The one deep beneath them had its engines on standby, but it would probably not be long before it would leave…
Sokka was pulling her along, down the slope into the crater.
"Hands off Meathead." Toph pulled her arm out of the water tribe boy grip. She didn't need to ask what the plan was. If the fleet was leaving, there was only one option… Go with it. They would need to stop them during their attack. A small voice in her head prayed to every spirit possible that they would be able to stop the ships before they did too much damage… But the earthbender doubted it. No way they would be able to take on one airship, let alone thirteen.
On their journey here, she had thought about how to disable them. Toph had supposed that she would have to bend the metal frame of each ship in a way it couldn't fly. Sokka had suggested just destroying the engines, but Toph doubted that would work. Of course, there would be a whole regiment of engineers, ready to repair any damage done to the ship. No, to stop these kinds of things, they needed to destroy the frame on which the balloons were attached.
Only, she didn't want to be inside one, flying hundreds of feet above the ground, when doing that! It would not only mean the death of all those on board… it would also mean their death. And Toph wanted to live to be honest.
The slope evened out slightly, and feeling around, Toph knew that they had arrived at the bottom of the crater, close to the last airship. The one next to it was taking off, the wind created by it hitting her face and hair. It felt so much like when Aang would bend himself upwards, or when Appa took off, that it made her heart ache slightly. Would Twinkletoes be at Wulong, waiting for the air fleet to approach?
They ran towards the last air ship, but even as they closed the distance, Toph could feel that they wouldn't make it. Nothing indicated an open door, and the roaring of the engines was deafening. And, even worse, she sensed people turning in their direction, their heart rates clearly indicating that they saw something weird.
Well, three of the most searched for people in the Fire Nation sprinting towards the last air ship to take off would be strange she gathered.
"We're too late!" Sokka shouted above the sound of the engine.
"Fuck that! Either we are on the ship, or we will have to get acquainted with those soldiers!" She pointed in the direction of the group of people gathering.
"Shit!" She heard Suki mutter.
Wait… Surely, it would be crazy. But if Aang could bend himself up with his airbending… A sort of earth catapult could get them towards the ship in time. It had to be close to the ground still.
"Where is the ship?" The earthbender knew this was crazy, even for her. It was dangerous, with the potential of crippling their efforts before they had even a chance of doing anything. In other words, she loved it.
"Right there…" Sokka pointed his finger, and Toph was rather happy her parents had insisted on mathematics as a suitable subject for her. It wasn't that high off the ground, but still, it was too high to even think about doing it safely.
"Alright! Hold on tight!" She grabbed Suki's hand and Sokka's arm, and lifted her right foot.
"Wait a second, what are y- TOPH!" That last word resounded quite loud in her ears, but quickly, it was only air that was racing past them. She had pushed the earth under their feet so hard up that it had created a sort of catapult, throwing them towards the ship. Sure, as the air whistled past her face, Toph knew that the landing, if successful, was NOT going to be fun. But hey, what could be worse : Having a ten ton bison sit down on your leg once, or land on an air ship, that was literally made of air and canvas?
As her feet hit something solid once more, Toph realized that landing on an air ship was going to be way more painful. Around her, she heard the others yell and groan, and she herself rolled over something metallic, before a hand grabbed her ankle. When the world stopped spinning, she quickly put the sole of her left foot on whatever she was lying on.
Crap.
They were on one of the metal platforms close to the doors leading to inside the airship, but her body was just one or two inches away from the abyss below them. And judging by the relieved sigh from Suki, Toph supposed that if she had fallen down, it would have made a rather unceremonious spot in the form of a blind girl.
"Thanks." She stood up, brushing off her clothes, even if she knew that it was probably not necessary. But she hated being grateful, but then again, Suki had probably saved her life. Hopefully, that wouldn't happen too many times today.
"Alright, inside. There are guards on the other platforms." She waved her hands towards where the door was and felt that Sokka opened it. Stepping inside, and closing the door behind her, Toph resisted to yell out in happiness.
Outside had been rather chaotic, with the wind and air lashing all around them. Flying on Appa, she tolerated, because Toph supposed the bison did everything in his power to make the journey comfortable for everyone. She had felt his concentration the few times they flew without a saddle… But an airship? Even though it was all made of metal, and she had her senses here, it was also very clearly not something that tried to keep you alive.
Feeling around, Toph realized they stood in a corridor, long and narrow. On the left, a row of windows probably showed the ocean over which they were flying, while on the other side was a long metal wall, with a door at regular intervals. Sensing that on the other side of those doors, dozens of people were working on engines, on controls and supervising, she put a finger to her lips, hoping the others would understand. Even if she doubted anyone would actually hear them above the roaring of the engines.
"It has the same configuration as the one we stole from the Boiling Rock." She heard Sokka whisper.
"Meaning the control room is isolated the front of the ship." Suki added.
Toph felt around, observing that indeed, there was a room at the end of the long corridor. The room itself was crescent shaped, with windows giving a broad sight of what was in front of the ship. However, she also felt that there was a thick metal door, with several locks, that guarded the room.
Easy.
"Come on then." She marched off towards the door at the front of the ship. As she walked, she heard Suki whisper to Meathead.
"It is actually… kind of beautiful."
What was she talking about?
"Shame it is going to be used to kill millions." Sokka grumbled back.
Ah… So the comet would probably be visible from the windows on their left. It was a strange feeling… But Toph felt rather disappointed she would be able to see that. On the ground or on metal, she could sense everything, from feelings to the shape of the smallest leaves on a tree. But to really understand what this day would look like to the rest of the world, she would have to rely on other people telling her how it looked.
But even so, each time she passed in front of one of the windows, she could feel the warmth on her face, the irrational feeling that whatever was giving off the warmth wasn't the sun.
"The comet is here, isn't it?" She asked. She would rather be sure, because if they had to fight firebenders, she didn't want to come to an unpleasant surprise.
"Yeah… Sozin's Comet." She heard Sokka spit, "They are not invincible, however." She felt the smile, that evil grin the water tribe boy did when going into a fight he knew he could win.
"How so?" Suki asked.
"The Northern and Western Air Temples were cleaned up, by the Fire Nation or by refugees. But I have seen the aftermath of the battle at the Southern Air Temple. Hundreds of airbenders died there… But they took hundreds of firebenders with them." Sokka explained, with a thin voice that was probably trying to hide the emotions he was feeling.
But Toph sensed them. She felt the anger and the hurt. And the unthinkable pity in that heart.
And she understood. Those were Aang's people he had talked about. The airbender had lived in the Southern Air Temple, but he had not often talked about that time with her. She had felt the hurt and sorrow in Aang's heart when they had camped in the Western Air Temple, each time he passed next to something that made him think of people he had known.
But Katara had told her how Aang had responded when seeing… his father figure. Toph didn't remember his name, but the waterbender had told her that the Avatar State had nearly blown the mountain up. But also, that the older monk had not gone down without a fight. So, there was a change against comet fuelled firebenders.
They arrived next to the door.
If her senses were correct, and they were, the metal slab was six inches deep and had three locks. She supposed that that was in case of mutiny from the crews and soldiers to make sure that the people worth a damn in the eyes of the Fire Nation, meaning the engineers and guys who knew how to operate this thing, would be safe.
"Get back." She sighed. It was cute to be honest. How people thought they were safe just because they had put a big wall of metal in front of themselves. In this case, they would have been better served by the same kind of door made of ice. She, Sokka and Suki would have spent precious minutes breaking through it without Katara, and in the meantime, the people on the other side could just have sounded the alarm.
Letting her fingers run over the plate in front of her, she smiled as she sensed the fine particulars of earth inside it. It was so very small… but if she just pushed them together, then ripped them apart… Finding the soft groove of two plates that had been soldered together, Toph put her fingernails in the groove, and concentrated on just pulling the fine particulars apart. At first, it was like a soft groaning, before the six-inch door began to tear itself in two.
The earthbender couldn't help but laugh aloud as she felt the shocked expression on Suki's face. Sure, they had told her what metalbending was, but to see it first hand would be a novelty for anyone Toph supposed.
As the hole in the door was large enough to just walk through it, at least for herself, Toph stopped. The others would just have to watch their head while crawling through it. Stepping inside, she sensed that four people stood at the end of the room, their faces turned towards them.
One felt shock, while two others were afraid. One of the two had actually peed his pants. The fourth was the stupidest Toph supposed because he wasn't afraid, he was just enjoying the idea of burning something.
Three engineers and one bodyguard.
Sighing, she knew what to do. But she also knew that there was no chance that she was fighting those idiots in their terms. Stamping down her feet, still searching for the small particles of earth in the metal, she let the plate from the metal floor wrap around her legs, while bending down and doing the same with her arms. Then, she gripped a part of the floor, letting it fall around her stomach and chest. Finally, grabbing a part of the wall, she let it nearly met over her head. This helmet had no eye holes, for obvious reasons… But Toph was glad of the protection, because a second later she could feel the bodyguard assume a firebending stance.
She also sensed that Suki and Sokka were still behind the door, probably not risking going in. They knew her, they knew she didn't need help.
Pulling another part of the wall away, she wrapped it in a tight metal rod, with a sharp point at the end. Even if she normally would at least try to give them a fighting chance to run, Toph knew that today was not a day for such qualms. No, today was a day for killing. Killing the people who would try to burn millions. And what were four men against the lives of millions?
Letting the fire wash over her, she realized she had made a mistake. Sure, a metal suit of armour sounded good… But it heated. Shit.
Throwing caution in the wind, she ran through the fire, hoping that the metal would hold just a minute longer. Toph sensed that the bodyguard had not remarked the sudden movement, and before he could see her, she let the pointy end of the metal pole sink in his throat. Releasing the metal spike, she turned to the three engineers.
It wasn't pretty.
The first, she let the metal around her arm loosen and let it slam into his eye.
The second, she used the metal around her left leg to impale him through the heart.
And the third, the one who had pissed himself… Well, it was war. She took the metal around her head and chest and drove it through his stomach.
"Spirits Toph… Have I told you how happy I am you invented metal bending?" She heard Sokka mutter through the groans of the one engineer who was dying at her feet and the sputtering sounds coming from the bodyguard, who lay in a puddle of his own blood.
"You could mention it more often. It's all yours Meathead." She waved towards the controls, while she sensed Suki taking a knife and finishing the two men off. Trying not to think about how easy this part had been, the earthbender quickly turned to the door and bend it shut. No unwanted visitors please.
"What about the rest of the crew?" Suki asked suddenly. Toph let her senses around, seeing that most of the engineers and so on were at the control rooms… But a rather large group of people were standing in the biggest room. With… No, they wouldn't have been that stupid, had they?
"Most are on a door in the middle of the ship. A horizontal one…" She could feel the grin on Sokka face when she said that.
"Would be shame…" The water tribe boy muttered, before she felt his heart make a sort of skip, as if he was excited for something. He suddenly grabbed a part of the control panel, pulling it towards himself.
"Happy Sozin's Comet Day everyone. It is not only a special day for us, but also for… Lee! Yes, Private Lee! Before we burn our enemies, I invite all of you to the docking area for drinks!"
Toph couldn't help but laugh aloud. Sokka had just thrown someone a birthday party… During the comet that was going to decide everyone's fate.
"Toph? Are they all moving towards the same place?" Sokka asked innocently.
Sensing that, to her own amazement, the engineers had dropped their tools and were all running towards the place she had sensed to be a door, she grinned.
"Private Lee is going to be so surprised…" She nodded a few moments later, and Sokka pushed a button.
All the heartbeats on the ship disappeared in the matter of a second.
"With the kind regards of the Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom." She heard Suki laugh and wave while standing next to a window. She could probably see the people falling to their doom underneath them.
Well… That had been easy. One down, twelve to go.
Walking towards the front of the room, she knew that if she had been able to see, she would be met by a rather glorious sight. Aang had once described a coast line to her from the air, and she knew that there was probably a forest on the peninsula, as it was literally called Wulong Forest. Toph also knew that somewhere in the air, the comet was burning through the sky. It could have been beautiful...
"What about ramming the Fire Lord's ship into the dunes there?" Toph heard Suki suggest, gesturing to something outside.
"Could work… But there are five ships between him and us." Sokka answered. Knowing she would be of no help to the two in this particular case, she listened and stood still, with her misty eyes fixed out of the window.
"Too late…" She heard Suki murmur sadly. Raising her eyebrows, she turned to the others, before feeling the hottest wave of air she had ever felt fly past her. Staggering, Toph sensed that the other had done the same, while Sokka gripped the wheel of the air ship tightly.
She felt fear in his heart rate.
"Fuck…"
"That can't be only one person… Right?" Suki whispered.
One?
Now, Toph could also hear the hissing of fire, the hissing of water turning into steam and the crackling of something being destroyed by fire. Feeling that the water tribe boy grabbed a spyglass from the panel and putting it to his eyes, Toph could not help but take a step backwards.
For once, she was happy to be blind. She could hear what was happening outside… But it was not something she wanted to hear.
Aang was not there. Katara had been wrong, and stupid Twinkletoes was not there! The blind girl felt a pang in her heart for the airbender, who would never have let them down willingly. He had to be somewhere, imprisoned… And that June Lady had known! Of course she had! She probably was at good at lying as that bitch Azula!
Then, she heard a chuckle. Sokka's heart rate was giving off pure relief.
"Oh Air Head… I know you would be here." The water tribe boy sounded so happy.
Aang? Aang was there?
"What? He is here?" She asked, sounding rather pleading, something she didn't want to sound like at all! But Toph didn't care this time! If Aang was here… She gave the airbender a lot of crap, she knew! She teased, pestered and tortured the poor guy… But if there was something Toph knew about the airbender, it was his limit.
And seeing the comet that had wiped out his people, being used to do the same to another race… Well, she guessed that was a few miles over his limit.
"Oh yes… And he just made it eleven airships we need to take down." Sokka grinned while she heard Suki whistle softly.
"Again, blind!" She shouted, too happy to care about it.
"He just threw… a literal mountain at the Royal Air Ship." The Kyoshi Warrior sounded amazed, which Toph could understand. Suki had probably never seen Aang when he didn't restrain himself. To be fair, neither had she, but the others had told stories… And it was rather difficult to assimilate the image of the gentle and shy monk with an all destroying vengeful spirit warrior that had turned a whole Fire Nation Fleet to dust at the North Pole.
But apparently, today it was vengeful Spirit Warrior.
"Well, I suggest we do the same with this ship." Sokka smiled innocently, touching the steering wheel.
Wait, what?
"I call this move Air Ship slice. I would suggest all passengers find something to hold on to, and to run on my signal please."