Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with this series, or planning any kind of profit.

Chapter 4: Complications

Ok, they made it to the cavern, hopefully unseen. The things they were fighting against were above them though. A lot of them were above them. How did she know? Well she couldn't feel anything. If it weren't for the fact she could still feel her friends, it'd be like she truly was blind. This whole thing was really starting to get on her nerves. She felt Katara gently pull on her hand to change her direction. After the first couple of times of running into stalagmites and an occasional wall, Katara was there to help without speaking up on her handicap at the moment.

Didn't stop Sokka though. She could feel him gently rub his behind. She smirked. But yeah this place was seriously annoying.

"We're almost at the exit." She heard Katara whisper to her, didn't want to risk those creatures hearing us. The gentle caress of the action sent a small shiver through her spine. Did it all of a sudden get a little hot in here?

She could feel the cool breeze touch at her skin as they left the cavern.

"The building is just a little further up." Katara whispered to her once again. She knew that, the place virtually hummed to her. it was like she could actually 'see' it, but it doesn't mean she had to tell Katara that. She gently squeezed Katara's hand.

Once inside, still haven't been seen yet, she froze in her steps. The place was huge, like a giant labyrinth. It was like the vibrations were coming off of everything, she could she the entire structure like it was imprinted into her mind.

"What's wrong Toph?" Aang asked. What was wrong was the fact she could practically see those creatures too, and there's a large group coming their way.

"We need to go, now." She went off sprinting, already setting a course out in her mind that will lead them to where they need to go and hopefully not be seen.

After a while of running she realized that getting to their destination was going to be much harder. It only had one hallway that led to the area where those things were coming from.

Hiding in an unused hallway she discussed her plan of attack.

"Ok, this is what we do. These pillars here, made of rock… I think. Aang and Toph will use them as rams to force our way in." Sokka finished. After everyone voiced they're understanding, both Aang and her tore a pillar each from the wall and quickly ran it down the adjacent hallway and rammed it into creature after creature. They let out an unnatural horrid scream as they came into contact with the pillars. When they made it she hurled her pillar down the hallway, followed by Aang, to keep the creatures from coming back to soon.

As soon as they entered the room she felt a wave of hate, malice, scorn, and a bunch of other strong negative feelings wash over her. It all originated from that thing pulsing on the floor. Its deformed shaped stretching as another of those creatures tried tearing its way into existence. She gagged at the 'sight' but it wasn't a time to waste, a lot more of those Horexes were heading their way and more was trying to come out of that blob in the middle of the floor. In an almost synchronized pattern, Aang and her ripped out portions of the pillars around them and started beating it against the substance until it stopped pulsing.

Everything grew still in the room. The creatures stopped moving, the room stopped humming, and everything was still. The creatures started screaming and then nothing.

"I think we did it." Sokka uttered, breaking the silence.

"What happened to those things?" she asked after awhile.

"They…vanished." Katara answered, sounding a bit unsure of the outcome. That's when she 'saw' it. A faint humming, coming from the middle of the room, outlining a man as he fell to his knees. She heard the others gasp, apparently they could she it too.

"Something really isn't right here." Aang proclaimed as the figure vanished. As soon as it did the whole place started to tremble.

"You think Korin forgot to tell us something?" Sokka said sarcastically.

They made it out. They place didn't collapse, just stilled after awhile. Of course when Sokka went to check out the inside again, he said there was nothing there.

"Well, mission accomplished." Sokka said as the group started back to the cavern.

"It doesn't feel like it." Aang said, sadness tinting his words. "I mean you saw that guy back in there, it looked like he…was lost."

"C'mon, it was probably the place and stress of today playing tricks on our minds." Sokka tried to reassure, himself included.

She stopped. Everything was starting to still again.

"There's more coming." She said seriously. Everyone stopped.

"We're surrounded." Katara spoke up a couple of moments later.

"How many?" she asked. She was starting to get really worried.

"I don't know…countless." Ok now she was getting scared. If there was that many and she couldn't feel them, she was only a burden.

Refusing to let that happen, she tore a chunk of the earth out and hurled it behind her. she smiled as she heard one of those things howl in pain as it was hit as she felt the rock land a little distance off.

"We need to clear a path into the cavern." Sokka said a little tight lipped.

Ok, what to do? I can't feel th…but I could feel the rock land! Smiling as an idea came to her she said, "Leave it to me." With that said she turned to the direction of the cavern. Breathing deeply and raising her arms under apparent strain, she caused a thick dust cloud to cover an area between them and the entrance of their escape.

She could feel the particles of dirt hit the ground as they ran into something solid, those creatures, forming an outline in her mind.

Her smile grew wider as her plan worked. She may not be able to feel them but she can still feel everything else.

She started off by raising wall after wall of earth and rock and shoved them into the charging crowed. She was soon joined in by Aang as they rushed forward through the small opening they forced to have among the throng of creatures.

As soon as they got inside the giant hole in the ground Aang and her raised up and sealed the entrance with the ground. They also raised more rock as they kept walking along just to be safe.

"I'm starting to think they didn't really need us." Sokka said as they made their way deeper into the cavern.

"What do you mean?" Aang asked.

"Well you saw it back there, there were to many of them in one area. It was like a suicide mission or something." Katara picked up this time, "It could be that our bending is really that great of an advantage." "Maybe," Toph began, "but it's like you said, it's harder to bend here."

"Really?" Aang asked surprisingly, "Because it's much easier for me."

"Well I guess it kinda makes a little sense now." Sokka began again, "They asked for the avatar's help because he gets more powerful and we're here because we were with Aang at the time."

"Yeah but I still want to know what happened I the tower," Said Aang, "and I need to know where or what this place is because I don't think you guys could actually be here and with our physical bodies."

"You didn't ask this before why?" she asked a little harshly.

"Well it never occurred to me. I mean we're here and ok so I never gave it much thought until this whole tower incident." They continued to walk in silence, lost in their thoughts and doubts.

"You made it back." Korin greeted the group as they exited the cavern, "Successful I hope?"

"Yes," Aang began as he spoke in a tone that demanded attention, "but I want to know what I succeeded in. I want to know now!" Everyone paused as they waited for Korin to speak.

"Very well Avatar. Follow me and you shall have your answers." They all started to follow behind him. Answers only a few steps away.

AN: oh look, new chap. Done faster…..probably won't happen to much. Anyway hope you guys enjoy reading this. Also the story, I think anyways, will probably get more complicated and better in later chapters 'cause that's where I mapped out most of the story and I'm trying to get there in an enjoyable read along the way. Oh well again thanx for reading, means a lot. Well till next time.