Chapter 7: The Crux
"We haven't heard anything from those soldiers in several weeks," Gamon said. All their operatives in the Spirit World had stopped reporting in, just after the South had joined the Coalition. They had been counting on the South's neutrality to leave them a safe route into the Spirit World, but that had just been taken from them.
"It can be difficult to communicate from the depths of the Spirit World," Ahn-Li suggested. "Perhaps we can give them more time."
"There is no need," Sarin said calmly. He had confirmed their losses himself by meditating into the Spirit World. "They are already lost. The Avatars friends have been journeying through the Spirit World."
"Not the Avatar himself, by any chance?"
The success of their mission still hinged on getting the Avatar to the Undying Bloom. Sarin could not match the Avatar's spiritual power without the aid of the undying spirit Ta Jide Shui.
"No, only a few of his less important allies," Sarin said. "The airbender, and the Shorewatcher."
Kida's tense stance shifted visibly at the slightest mention of Ariak. Sarin waved her down.
"Patience, Kida, he is beyond even your reach," Sarin warned her. "The Spirits are against us."
It was only a half-true statement. The vast majority of spirits were entirely disinterested in the war between Sarin and Sen. There was, however, a sizable host of spirits who were siding against Sarin. Some were opposed to the idea of destroying Raava and Vaatu, some simply wanted to remove Sarin's Energybending, feeling it presented a threat to their immortality. Whatever their reasons, they made dangerous enemies, especially in their native Spirit World.
"What do we intend to do then?" Gamon asked. "We can't simply allow them complete control of the Spirit World. We need to-"
"I would not bring you all here if I did not have a plan," Sarin said. "We are going to abandon the Spirit World for the time being."
Gamon thought about questioning that plan, but bit his tongue just in time. Sarin seemed like he had more to say.
"If we cannot control it, no one can," Sarin said. "For now, we will leave the Spirit World in the hands of the Abomination."
Ariak did one last tally of their prisoners. He had been one of few volunteers for this mission, but He was still eager to leave the Spirit World. One of their spirit "allies" had seven green eyes, and not one of them ever blinked.
"Hey, bad guys, quick poll," Whistler shouted. "Raise your hands if you got your butt kicked by the dude with the spear."
Ariak looked up from his own assignment to glare indignantly at Whistler. She had been the only other volunteer for this mission. Ada was on a mission, Suda was not fond of spirits, and spirits were not fond of Miyani, so Ariak and Whistler had been the only ones available to enter the Spirit World. Having Ariak and Whistler stuck together for weeks on end was not a recipe for success.
The gathered prisoners were initially reluctant to answer Whistler's question, but she insisted. She insisted loudly, and with multiple curse words, to be precise. After sufficient goading, several of the prisoners raised their hands. Whistler counted them out quietly.
"Alright, now raise your hand if I'm the one who kicked your butt," Whistler commanded. She then counted out the responses, and smiled broadly.
"Ha! Hey stickler," She called out to Ariak. "I got you beat by twelve."
"It's not a competition," Ariak said gruffly.
"That sounds like something a loser would say," Whistler said.
"It does not sound like something-"
"It absolutely does, you know why?" Whistler said. "Everything you say sounds like something a loser would say, because you say it and you are a loser."
"I don't even know why I open my mouth around you," Ariak said.
After an unfortunately short interlude of silence between the two, Hanjo arrived to hear a report. Sen could not be present personally due to the responsibilities of running the Coalition, but he made sure to keep track of the mission via Hanjo. Hanjo was just glad his ill-acquired ability to meditate between planes was coming in handy again. He liked to feel useful.
"Report, officers," Hanjo said, feigning military professionalism. Whistler jumped to face him and saluted sharply.
"Enemies thoroughly thrashed, Sergeant Stupid," Whistler said.
"Good work, Lieutenant Loser," Hanjo said. He turned to Ariak as Whistler tried in vain to smack him upside the head. "But seriously, what's going on?"
"All our intelligence suggests we've got all their agents," Ariak said. He pointed over his shoulder at their prisoners, and at the spirits who had helped track them down. "If there's any left, they're too few and too scattered to pose a significant threat."
Even as she spoke, the seven-eyed spirit turned its head to the horizon.
"There is something," The strange spirit claimed. Its unblinking eyes gazed vacantly towards the horizon. One of their larger spirits, an odd beast with four massive arms, stepped forward and postured threateningly at the distance.
"Did we miss one of the agents?"
The seeing-eye spirit turned its head and shifted its eyes oddly for a few moments. The spirits nearby became increasingly agitated. Some of the weaker-willed ones even began to shift towards Dark, before being calmed by their comrades.
"It is not like them," The seven-eyed spirit declared. Its seven eyes refocused. "It is not like us."
Ariak grabbed on to his spear and abandoned his post. Whistler's hands were starting to shake. This was not going to end well.
Whatever was coming at them was now close enough that it could be heard. Swift, arrhythmic footsteps were pounding the dirt rapidly, growing closer every second. Ariak tried to look around for a pair of binoculars, but settled on asking Hanjo to check it out.
"I really think the best option would be to leave," Hanjo suggested.
"It's probably just some angry spirit thing, like that worm we tackled the first time we came through here," Whistler added. "If it's not with the Energybender it's not our problem."
"We're close to the Portals, Whistler," Ariak countered. "We can't let something dangerous get near civilization."
The brutish four-armed spirit planted its limbs on the ground, preparing for a charge.
"Resolve your differences quickly," the seven-eyed spirit suggested. "It is coming."
"Whatever it is, we can handle it," Ariak suggested. "We might as well take care of it now."
Ariak readied his spear. Whistler reluctantly drew her staff and joined them in preparing for the arrival of the strange beast.
"When this goes south, I get to say 'I told you so'," Whistler grumbled.
A cloud of dust heralded the oncoming charge of the unknown creature. Whatever it was, it was moving unnaturally quickly. The dry soil of the Spirit World was kicked up into a storm of flying dust as it travelled. The few Coalition soldiers who had accompanied the Avatar's friends on this mission began to form ranks.
As the charging cloud of dust came ever closer, another sound beyond the pounding footsteps became audible. A loud, resounding cry that only got louder and louder as it approached. Whatever the beast was, it was screaming.
The furious howl of the beast reached a fever pitch as it finally drew near them. Whistler caught only the barest glimpse of the creature as it raced past. It struck Ariak bodily, knocking him aside, never coming to a halt even as it impacted him. The racing beast dove past all those who would fight it and then started to circle, running around in panicked circles, screaming all the while. It was moving so quickly that it was nearly impossible to see, but some people caught brief glimpses.
Something about it seemed vaguely human, but the creature was mostly animal. Ariak recognized narrow, catlike limbs and short brown feathers, vaguely reminiscent of a cheetah-hawk. That explained the extreme speed, at least, but the animals from the mortal world were knee high, not the size of a bear.
As he pondered the creatures strange appearance, it finally came to a halt, and Ariak felt sick to see the creature in its fullness. It was neither humanoid nor bestial, but a horrific combination of both. Human muscles were twisted and constrained under the fur and feathers of a beast. Strange thumbed paws bore its weight, contorted under a warped skeleton that tried to be both human and feline at once. Patches of fur, feathers, and human skin covered the hide of the unnatural beast, and it stared blankly at the world with mismatched eyes, one feline and the other human.
As the strange Abomination finally paused and took in the world around it, the prisoners and soldiers began to tremble at the gruesome sight. Some of the captured Grey-Faces began to shout loudly that they should be allowed to run. In frantic, twitching movements, the unnatural beast surveyed the area, and then zeroed in on the frightened prisoners still waiting to be transported. In a lightning-fast dive, the beast dove through the middle of the waiting crowd, turning its misshapen claws upon them in frantic blows.
Though they were the enemy, no one was going to stand by and let the prisoners be mauled by a vicious Abomination. Ariak was the first to step in, striking the attacking beast with a sweeping blow of water. The wave managed to push the Abomination away from its victims, giving them some room to fight it.
Once it had gotten far enough away, the Abomination turned sharply and dove back towards the frightened prisoners. One of their spirit allies, the four-armed brute, stepped forward. Spirits were immune to the mundane attacks of claw and fangs. This one thought it would be no different. It was wrong.
The Abomination struck, and its claws gouged the spirit as powerful limbs pulled both ways, tearing the spirit in half. Shimmering light scattered in all directions as the spirits essence dispersed. The remainder of their spirit allies fled along with the scattering light.
"That's not supposed to happen," Whistler said, stating the obvious. Spirits were supposed to be untouchable by normal means. This creature was clearly not normal.
"It keeps coming after the prisoners," Ariak said. Ariak repelled yet another attack from the Abomination, proving his statement.
"We can use that," Whistler said.
"We are not using people as bait," Ariak protested.
"The people are already bait, we're just taking advantage of it," Whistler countered.
In a spastic motion, the Abomination turned its sights on them and made a vicious lunge. Whistler barely moved to the side as the massive claws of the beast raked the ground where she had once stood.
"Okay, now it's not after them," Whistler said, jumping high into the air to avoid another blow. She unfolded her glider and tried to stay above ground, out of reach of the Abomination.
"It's a monster, it's not after anything," Ariak said. The Abominations attacks were almost aimless now, as it dashed haphazardly between various targets. He followed the motions of the beast, watching it dive from target to target. It jerked and twitched rapidly, frequently changing course and targets. It's most common target was the group of screaming prisoners.
"It follows noise," Ariak shouted. The mismatched eyes of the beast had an aimless gaze reminiscent of Gun's blank, sightless stare. It had to be using some other means to detect its foes.
At hiss shout, all sound in the Spirit World stopped for a moment. Everyone shut their mouths, halted their movements, and held their breaths. For a moment, you could hear a pin drop. The only sound was the heavy, strained breathing of the Abomination as it twitched and turned, looking around the area.
Even in the silence, Whistler and Ariak found a way to express their dislike for one another. Both stared at each other, daring the other to make a noise first. Ariak knew Whistler would only be able to control herself for so long. Whistler knew Ariak would eventually try something noble, by which she meant stupid, and start the cycle all over again. Their mutual distrust of each other was made apparent by a long glare.
The silence was broken by the sound of claws against dirt. The Abomination lunged between Whistler and Ariak, forcing them aside. The spell of silence was immediately broken, and chaos reigned once again.
"Alright, that theory just blew up," Whistler said. "Time for violence!"
Whistler struck out at the Abomination, forcing it backwards and giving her room to maneuver. As soon as she had some space, Whistler began to swing her staff in heavy, arcing blows, sending out sharp blades of air to cut through the sky. The Abomination moved skittishly, jumping from side to side in swift leaps, always a step ahead of Whistler's strikes. The more Whistler attacked it, the more and more the Abomination focused on her, until its attacks revolved completely around the airbender.
While Whistler occupied the full attention of the beast, Ariak worked on his angle. The Abomination was fast, but if he could just find the right moment to strike, he could catch it. Ariak crept up behind the battle slowly, spear at the ready, bracing himself to jump at a moments notice. Whistler noticed his stealthy movements and tried to funnel the Abomination towards Ariak, giving him a chance to strike.
The Abomination was fast, but swift movement made it difficult to brake. A lunging dive came to an abrupt halt, and the Abominations misshapen paws skidded in the dirt as it made a sudden stop. In the brief moment where it lost control, Ariak leapt at his prey, spear ready to strike. He landed on the Abominations warped back and dug his blade into its shoulder, dropping it to the ground as its twisted limbs collapsed underneath it.
The beast struggled and screamed in a disturbingly human voice, but with one of its limbs so severely wounded, it could go nowhere. Ariak struck at it with his spear again and again, aiming his blows at its limbs and neck. Eventually the gruesome scene slowed and then halted as the screaming stopped suddenly. The misshapen creatures flailing stopped, and silence resumed.
Ariak stood, took a deep breath, and tried to clean his spear. That had been thoroughly unpleasant, physically and morally.
"That was unpleasant," Ariak said quietly.
"We do what we have to do," Whistler said uneasily.
"I'm aware. It was a monster," Ariak said. "And now it's not a threat anymore."
Hanjo rematerialized and examined what was left of the Abomination. Ariak put away his spear and crossed his arms.
"Perhaps we should have tried to learn more about it," Ariak said. "I don't think it's a coincidence this showed up right after we struck at the Energybender."
Hanjo took a closer look at the Abominations back. Most of the fur on it was golden colored, but it had a patch that was brown for some reason. Now that he thought about it, Hanjo would have sworn that patch had been golden just a moment ago.
"He's right," Hanjo said. "This could be some new kind of creature he's created with Energybending."
"This doesn't seem like an Energybending kind of thing," Whistler said. "That's supposed to be a whole spiritual kind of technique, not a physical one."
Hanjo took a look at the Abominations paws. He didn't remember whether or not it had had thumbs before. Its hands seemed less like paws up close. Too much less.
"Do you have any other theories on where this thing we've never seen before came from?"
"I'm just saying maybe you're not right," Whistler said.
"Of course you are," Ariak grunted. "Why would I ever be right?"
"Oh, bite me, stickler, I was trying to play devil's advocate," Whistler snapped back.
"Guys," Hanjo said. He was looking at the shoulder Ariak had first struck. There should have been a gaping sword wound there. There wasn't.
"Does everything have to be an argument with you? It's a perfectly valid theory, you don't have to question it for the sake of questioning it."
"I'm questioning it because maybe-"
"Guys!"
There was a low moaning sound at first. Then came the sickening sound of cracking bone and shifting muscle, the sound of moving ichor and bile as organs rearranged. The moaning intensified as the Abomination moved slightly from side to side. Bulbous muscles moved underneath ragged skin as the insides of the beast rearranged. The mismatched patches of fur, feathers and skin likewise changed shape and tone, as feathers dropped away to be replaced by clumps of thick brown fur.
The moaning grew louder and louder, into a horrific scream, as the Abomination stood once again. Where once it had been a lithe and swift predator, it was now a thick-muscled brute, with heavy arms. It stood on two legs, supporting itself on its heavy arms, like some kind of simian. Even its face had changed, shifting from a feline's narrow head to a broad, horned head, like that of a bull.
"That ain't natural," Whistler said quietly.
What was left of their group scattered as the reborn Abomination charged at them. It was slower in this incarnation, but the way the ground shook as it stampeded told them it would be much stronger.
"Hanjo," Ariak shouted. "Tell Sen about this! And then try to get us some information."
"Got it," Hanjo said, promptly disappearing, headed back to the physical world to relay the message to Sen. Ariak was forced to draw his spear once more. Whistler grabbed her staff nervously.
"So what do we do in the meantime?"
The Abomination let out a loud bellow as it prepared for another forward charge.
"Do I have to say it?" Ariak asked.
Hanjo relayed his message quickly. Sen headed for the Spirit Portals as soon as he could, leaving Kim and Cujo in charge of the Coalition temporarily. While Sen was preoccupied travelling, Hanjo went looking for answers. He had an idea of where to start.
"Wan Shi Tong," He cried into the halls of the seemingly-empty Great Library. "We need you!"
A shadow fell over Hanjo's spectral form as the great Owl spirit materialized seemingly from nowhere. He did not seem happy to see Hanjo intruding upon his library.
"I will assume you have a very good reason for making demands of me, mortal," Tong said harshly. The dark halls of his library seemed to grow ever darker as Wan Shi Tong's anger manifested. Hanjo took a fearful step back, but quickly regained his resolve. He had a mission.
"There's some kind of monster we've never seen before attacking my friends," Hanjo said. "We need to know what it is. We need information, and fast."
Tong's owl eyes narrowed slightly as he took in Hanjo's appearance. He did seem legitimately frightened and concerned, and there was Tong's arrangement with the Avatar regarding the Hssk to consider.
"I'll allow it," Tong said abruptly. "But you stay here, and touch nothing."
Hanjo held up his ghostly hands. In an astral form, he couldn't touch anything if he wanted to.
"Now, describe this creature to me," Tong demanded. He held out his wing impatiently as Hanjo began to explain. As more and more details of the Abomination came out, Tong's attitude shifted from anger to legitimate curiosity.
"Strange," he said. "It resembles a spirit hybrid in some ways, but the reincarnation is strange…I'll have to do research."
Tong turned swiftly, vanishing in a cloud of black feathers. The bookshelves echoed with mighty wing beats as Wan Shi Tong soared across the vast expanse of his library. Ancient tomes were swept clean of dust as his massive wings pushed the air aside. Finally, he landed in his private collection, the source of all his most ancient and dangerous knowledge. One by one he picked through his way through the myriad tomes, searching for anything even vaguely resembling the Abomination.
Hanjo sat in silence in the dark halls of the library. Dusty tomes leered at him eerily from quiet shelves. He really didn't like the Great Library. Sen mentioned now and then that when the war was over he would like to come back to peruse Wan Shi Tong's tomes, but that was a field trip Hanjo would not be joining.
The dark spaces between the book cases darkened even further as the massive body of Wan Shi Tong obscured the light. The great owl stood above Hanjo, seeming somewhat frustrated.
"There's something wrong," Tong said grimly.
"I suppose we should have seen that coming," Hanjo said.
"No, we should not have," Tong said. "My library has information on virtually every existing creature. There are only two possible exceptions. The first is that this is some kind of new spirit-possessed creature, which is fundamentally impossible."
The "bridge between worlds" that the Avatar represented was as much literal as metaphorical. When Wan and Raava had united, they had closed the disastrous divide between human and spirit forms. Spirits could no longer disfigure mortals by possessing them, as they had in the era before Avatar Wan.
"The second is that this creature is not a new hybrid, but an old one. My records of this world extend only so far into the past. I was…indisposed, prior to Wan's convergence."
Hanjo's eyes narrowed.
"Are you saying this thing is older than the Avatar?"
"It is quite likely," Wan Shi Tong concluded. "Given the Abomination's ability to regenerate from mortal injury, I would not imagine immortality is beyond its power."
"Well that's spooky and intimidating and all," Hanjo said. "But it doesn't really tell me anything about how to stop it."
"It does, however, give you a clue," Wan Shi Tong chided. "You know better than most where to find information on the ancients."
Hanjo opened his mouth to protest, but then he remembered exactly what Wan Shi Tong was talking about. He then crossed his arms and muttered indignantly. This was not going to be pleasant.
The scouring light if the Undying Bloom surrounded Hanjo on all sides. It might have been beautiful were it not so blindingly bright. There was only one spot in the entire forest that did not burn with the light of a thousand suns: the massive, dead tree that marked the home of Ta Jide Shui.
Hanjo grimaced the moment he saw it. The last time they had come here they had ended up- he couldn't quite remember what exactly had happened, but it had been something awful. This dead tree, within reach of the imprisoned Ta Jide Shui, was Sarin's seat of power. Here and only here would he wield enough power to end the Avatar.
But the Avatar was not there. It was just Hanjo. He sheepishly stepped forward.
"You are bold to come here again," a thundering voice declared.
"Not really," Hanjo said. He was scared out of his wits, but he always put on a brave face. "I can just poof away whenever."
Hanjo demonstrated that fact by vanishing and reappearing. The methods Sarin had used to give Hanjo access to the Spirit World made him able to appear and disappear quite easily. He was quite happy to use that ability against the very person who had given it to him.
"Yes, I know that very well," The great tiger stated, with just a hint of sarcasm. He had been a conspirator in the plot to use Hanjo as bait.
Rising from his resting place, Ta Jide Shui stretched his tiger like legs. Sufficiently roused from his rest, the tiger that was both stone and cloud strolled around the tree, coming into view of Hanjo. The massive spirits form seemed even darker and more troubled than usual, having turned a shade of deep grey. In keeping with the mismatched tones of mist and stone, Hanjo could not decide whether it looked more like a storm cloud or dark granite.
"Now, why do you come to me?"
"Why does anyone come to you?" Hanjo asked. "I want to know about something super old."
It was amazing how a face that wasn't even vaguely human could show such a familiar expression of indignation.
"What possible reason would I have to give you any information?"
"Well, if your boss sent out that freaky monster, probably none at all," Hanjo admitted. "But I'm kind of hoping that isn't the case."
Broad paws of mist and stone flexed, exposing the Ta Jide Shui's claws. He knew exactly what Hanjo was referring to. Sarin had unleashed the Abomination upon the world.
"I suppose I have no reason not to help you," Ta Jide Shui said, lying through his mist-shrouded teeth. "Tell me more. Removing this Abomination may benefit both of us."
Ta Jide Shui pretended to listen with rapt attention as Hanjo described a creature he already knew quite well. He barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Hanjo made a few mistakes in describing the creature. As Hanjo's tale wrapped up, the great tiger continued his charade, pretending to be mildly intrigued.
"Ah yes, I recall this creature. It was sealed away long ago, though. I can't imagine how it escaped," Ta Jide Shui lied. "I shall tell you everything I know."
Hanjo looked over his shoulder suspiciously, but all he saw were the blindingly bright trees. This was almost too easy. There should have been bargaining or deal-making, but Ta Jide Shui was all too eager to hand the information over. The great tiger clawed the ground idly.
"Where to begin," he mumbled to himself. "You mortals have such a small view of the world."
With the curse of an endless life and endless memory, Ta Jide Shui often found it difficult to talk to the short-lived. Even so-called ancient spirits were practically newborns from the stone-cloud tiger's point of view. With such limited memories, they often lacked the proper context on events.
"It was long ago, roughly fifteen or sixteen thousand years after Vaatu tore open the paths between the worlds," Ta Jide Shui said. "In those early years, spirits were largely concerned with their own world. Few spirits intruded upon the mortal realm, but those that did, ah, they were terrible to behold. Life takers, face stealers, mind eaters…"
Ta Jide Shui watched as the shadow of memory passed from Hanjo's face. The Hssk was nowhere nearby and yet his power still took hold. Ta Jide Shui had always envied that power. The Mind-Eater could exert his influence across worlds, while Ta Jide Shui was confined to his lone dead tree.
"For many millennia they endured their fate as prey to the dark spirits, but one day they could endure it no longer. A great warlord, powerful and proud, rallied the mortals to war, and they marched across the frozen wastes into the Spirit World."
Ta Jide Shui had only heard stories, passed on by those spirits who travelled through the Undying Bloom, but this story he recalled in great detail. They were the first mortals to cross into the Spirit World. They had marched headlong into the ethereal plane, crude clubs and spears held high.
"It was annihilation," Ta Jide Shui said grimly. "This was before the Lion Turtles had begun to shelter man. The mortals wielded no bending arts. They were hapless prey for the spirits who they, by their own anger, had darkened."
He could still recall the echoes of the one-sided battle. The screams of men deformed by spirit possession, and those destroyed in other ways. That first conflict had sparked the first mass migration of spirits into the mortal world, leading to their eventual domination of it. Only the intercession of the Lion Turtles had saved men from extinction.
"Most of the soldiers were simply deformed and left to their fate," Ta Jide Shui explained. "But the warlord who had united them was different. His will was stronger."
The strange events that had happened that day were part of why ta Jide Shui could so easily recall the events. The story of the Abomination was one of a kind.
"A Spirit sought to possess him, to deform him, but the warlord's will was strong," Ta Jide Shui said. "His soul would not warp, even against the Spirit's fury. The fury of two souls met, and there was no victor. In their hatred for another, neither would release their grasp on the others soul, and the two gripped so tightly that they became one."
"They became the Abomination," Hanjo said.
"Precisely," The tiger roared. "The immortality of a spirit, with the pain and suffering of a human's mortal life. A mortal's ability to die, with a spirits eternal rebirth. An endless suffering, a prison of mortal flesh for an immortal anger. A beast that lives by nothing but hatred and fear."
"Man, why is it always hate and fear? When are we going to get some one-of-a-kind weirdo for stuff like hope?"
Ta Jide Shui stared blankly at Hanjo for a long time.
"The Avatar."
"Right, duh," Hanjo said, clearly embarrassed. "Forget I said anything. The Abomination, though. That was a nice history lesson, but it doesn't really tell me how to beat it."
"The force that keeps it alive is anger and fear, negative emotions," Ta Jide Shui said flatly. "It was born in dark times, and imprisoned in the dark depths of the Spirit World to feed on the chaos. Isolate it from hatred, face it with a pure heart, and it will not regenerate."
"I know just the person," Hanjo said. "Thanks for the help. You're still evil, though."
Hanjo waved a sarcastic goodbye and then vanished. Ta Jide Shui rested his stony paws and chuckled to himself.
Sen arrived on the scene to find it far less chaotic than he had anticipated. Whistler was standing idly by while Ariak stood over a shifting lump of flesh, his spear held high, the point facing downwards.
"What are you doing?" Sen had been mostly brought up to speed by Hanjo, but this was new to him.
"Oh, yeah, this," Whistler said. She pointed at Ariak and his oddly-shaped victim. "Eventually we figured out if we keep stabbing the Abomination it'll just keep regenerating. No need for fighting."
Ariak thrust his spear downwards and then looked at Sen with weary eyes.
"This is very morally uncomfortable," He said with a slight whimper. The Abomination squirmed slightly beneath him as it tried to regenerate.
"That's enough," Sen said, waving his hand dismissively. Ariak stepped back as Sen stepped towards the Abomination, his hand extended. Though he could easily test Ta Jide Shui's advice and defeat in combat without hate, there was something Sen wanted to experiment with. "I need to try something."
Although the Abomination's body was twisted, its soul was almost normal. Chi flowed through everything, living and unloving, mortal and immortal, and the Abomination was no exception. The head of the Abomination began to form, and Sen placed his hand against it. Where there was a soul, there was a chance to energybend.
Two souls met, but only briefly. Sen recoiled backwards, clutching a hand struck by paranormal agony. The Abomination likewise retreated, running on malformed legs from a sudden spike of pain. Sen stepped backwards, clutching his arm, as the beast ran. Hanjo was quickest to Sen's side, though all his friends gathered around Sen soon enough.
"What did you do?"
"I tried to split it apart," Sen said. "I thought I could unravel the two souls. Separate the mortal and the Spirit."
Sen clutched his arm and flexed his fingers. The pain was intense, but it was oddly ephemeral. As Sen realized he wasn't really injured, the pain faded almost instantly. An odd quirk to spiritual damage. Any will strong enough could undo it without any trouble at all. Only a slight remnant of the soul-burn lingered in Sen's fingertips.
"It won't work," Sen said. "It's not two spirits stuck together. It's one. It'd be like trying to turn tea back into water."
"So what now?"
"We do it just like Ta Jide Shui suggested," Sen said. "We fight it without any anger."
"We'd better leave, then," Whistler suggested. She was well aware she had a large host of anger problems.
"Not just yet," Sen said. He locked eyes on the fleeing Abomination. "We need some bait."
"Some Hate-Bait," Hanjo quipped.
"That joke alone should get me enough hate to get us going," Whistler said without an ounce of humor.
The Abomination slowed in its tracks, stopped, and then turned. Whistler's hatred of bad puns was entirely potent enough to attract the beasts attention. It hesitated slightly to return, still reeling from Sen's attempt to split its soul.
"Ariak, why don't you tell Whistler what you think of her?" Sen suggested.
"I would rather not," Ariak said.
"Because that would require bad words, probably," Whistler said.
Ariak sighed. Normally he did not like to engage in this behavior, but this one time he would indulge Whistler.
"Whistler, you are so intensely misguided I am honestly surprise you can walk in a straight line without someone holding your hand," Ariak said.
"It's none of your business what kind of guided I am," Whistler said. "I'm happy, and I'm not hurting anybody. You can deal with your own stupidity instead of worrying about mine."
The Abomination limped slowly towards them, its twisted body still reforming. It had a hog-like snout, and its back was covered in the bristly quills. Sen found it odd that the Abomination reformed with different traits every time. If it weren't so incredibly dangerous, he might have liked to study the creature to see how it worked.
"I am simply trying to make the world a better place," Ariak said. "That includes you."
"I just said, my world is just fine," Whistler said. "Maybe try to fix some of your own problems. You're just distracting yourself from your own issues trying to fix someone else's."
"We're a team, Whistler, whether or not we like each other," Ariak said. "Your problems are my problems."
"I don't have problems, Ariak!"
"Whistler you were a dangerous criminal, you can't honestly say you don't regret-"
"I do regret it," Whistler snapped. "I know I did things wrong. But I forgive myself."
Whistler looked away from Ariak and readied her staff. The Abomination was getting closer.
"Maybe you should try it," She said bitterly. She could see it in every move Ariak made. He still carried the guilt of his actions as a Shorewatcher. The shadow of Kida still lingered over him. The violent bloodbender was responsible for her own actions; Ariak had no reason to feel guilty on her behalf, yet he did anyway.
The twisted form of the Abomination paused. Sen readied his hands to strike with the full fury of the elements.
"You're right," Ariak said. He sighed heavily. "I'm sorry."
In that moment, the Abomination struck.
It barreled through the middle of their crude formation, scattering their group. Sen jumped backwards, followed closely by Ariak and Whistler. The spiny quills of the Abomination tore at Ariak's robes as the beast charged past yet again. A broad forearm slammed the ground just short of Whistler's feet. Sen struck with a large boulder, knocking the beast back and to the ground. Sen never gave it a chance to rise. A large boulder rose up from the ground and crushed the Abomination flat. He paused slightly to wait out any possible regeneration.
The boulder shifted slightly. A dull moan could be heard from beneath it.
"How do you still hate me?" Ariak said.
"I don't hate you, I never hated you," Whistler shouted back. "I just didn't like your attitude."
"Then why do you insult me so much?"
"I do that with everyone, you idiot," Whistler snapped back. "It's just the kind of person I am!"
The boulder toppled to the side as the reborn Abomination rose up. It was long, lithe, and snakelike now, and it moved in a warped slither towards its prey. The Abomination was still feeding on hatred and anger.
"Well I don't hate you, and you don't hate me," Ariak shouted. "So what's it feeding on?"
The snakelike beast reared up, hissed loudly, and struck at Sen.
He struck it back with a lance of flame, burning its mismatched scales and skin. The snakelike monstrosity came back at him once again, and Sen rose up the ground in a sharp spike, impaling the creature.
The Avatar took a deep breath. Miyani had taught him this long ago. Let go of the anger, let it be carried away on the breath. He focused himself and let go. Anything that frustrated him was carried away. All the stress of running an army, all the battles he had fought, and all of his enemies. Temujin, Kida, the Hssk, and Sarin.
The snakelike Abomination began to squirm and tremble as it reshaped. Sen struck again, nearly breaking the beast in half with a forceful blow, and the Abomination fell motionless again. Sen re-centered himself.
He focused on all the things Sarin had done. The collapsing buildings in Shen's Post.
The Abomination twitched again. Sen struck quickly and stepped back. Losing Hanjo, thinking he was gone forever. The attack on Gai Zhu, so many civilians, his friends, put in danger. He tried to let it all go.
The shifting face of the Abomination took heavy fangs. Sen buried it in a blast of fire and charred the fanged face into a black coal.
The endless pursuit of the Fogbender. The attack on the North Pole, burning fire and breaking ice at the crown of the world.
The heavy limbs of the Abomination clawed forward, reaching out to Sen's hatred. A swift burst of red flames stopped the monstrosity's advance. This time the flames did not die out afterwards. Sen clutched the crackling fire in his hand like a weapon.
There were so many atrocities, so much suffering. In so many times, in so many different places, horrible things had happened to Sen and to the people around him, the people he cared about. It all came back to one person.
Sarin.
In a swift dive forward, the Abomination lunged at Sen, pinning him to the ground with half-formed limbs. Its fanged maw had only barely regenerated when it opened wide to roar at Sen.
The Avatar roared right back. In a sudden outburst, Sen pushed the Abomination back, and then struck it with a heavy boulder, crushing its body as he forced it back. Sen took a few heavy steps forward, igniting bright fires in his hands.
"You want hate?" Sen roared. He slammed his hands forward. "Take it!"
The fire in his hands sparked into an inferno that buried the Abomination in an endless stream of fire. The misshapen monstrosity screamed as the torrent of scorching fire washed over it. It burned red at first, and then blue, and then finally Sen's anger became a white-hot blast of raw heat, a stream of fury so intense it could barely be called fire anymore. The air burned blisteringly hot as the screaming inferno burned hotter and hotter.
As the fire burned the air, Sen screamed aloud, adding his raging shout to the torrent of fire that rushed forward. All his anger carried out into the inferno, but it did not diminish. Rather with every passing second it grew hotter and hotter, never seeming to run dry, weaken, or falter for even a moment.
With a fire of such intensity, there was eventually nothing left to burn. The inferno quickly diminished as Sen restrained himself. The blazing light died out, and the fire died away, revealing a blackened patch of ground, incinerated so thoroughly that even the ash had burned away. Sen stood before the charred patch of earth, breathing heavily, his muscles tense.
There was silence for a while as Sen observed the blackened scar where the Abomination had once been. Hanjo crept cautiously to his side. Sensing motion seemed to snap Sen out of his battle trance. His shoulders straightened and the intense hatred faded slightly from his eyes.
"Problem solved," Sen said curtly. "Nothing left to regenerate."
There was no sign of motion in the scorched void where the Abomination had once been, and there was no shortage of hatred nearby. The Abomination would not be returning.
"Sen, are you-"
"We've wasted enough time here," Sen said grimly. He turned his back on the ashen scar and marched towards the Portals. "We have a war to win."
The midnight shadow of the Hssk circled around Sarin, dodging the light of the Undying Bloom as it darted between shadows. The malevolent trinity had reconvened to discuss recent events.
Ta Jide Shui was making no secret of the fact that it had given Hanjo the necessary information to defeat the Abomination. That left Sarin with only one question.
"Why?"
Ta Jide Shui stretched out and flexed his paws. He seemed utterly unconcerned with his own treachery.
"To win the war, of course," The great tiger said.
"The Abomination was part of the plan, Spirit, I was-"
Ta Jide Shui's calm demeanor evaporated in a moment. He lunged forward like a raging beast, pouncing to Sarin's side to roar into his face. The massive tiger's fanged maw dwarfed Sarin as it roared.
"You were stalling!"
With that roar the immortal spirit stepped back from Sarin, and began to circle him just as the Hssk did. The great limbs of Ta Jide Shui, at once mist and stone, sauntered with predatory intent around his "partner".
"You are wasting our time," Ta Jide Shui growled. He had lived for tens of thousands of years already. Every minute of continued existence was agony. "The only way we defeat the Avatar is to bring him, for the three of us to face him as one. Anything else, everything else, your entire petty war in the mortal world, is waste!"
"You don't understand warfare," Sarin said dismissively.
"There should not be a war," Ta Jide Shui said. "Bring the Avatar to this place. That is all that matters."
Sarin shook his head and turned his back on the spirit. Ta Jide Shui snorted derisively as Sarin walked away. The Energybender was not concerned with what the great tiger thought. There was a war still to be fought.