Part 7: Battle of Omashu
Chapter 50: Spirit of the Deeps
Seeing President Raiko and others not immediately involved with the evacuation vanish, Korra noticed that Pema no longer looked as if she had been beaten, now herself again. Smiling, Pema said with a re-assuring light in her eye, "I'm all right! Forget what I heard Chief Eska saying about using this place for meetings – I felt like I was going crazy! So many people…" Raava sighed, saying, "Sorry. The next time, if there is one, we'll try using Korra's inner dream space - another… incident tonight leads me to believe that it is exceptionally resilient." Korra heard Raava intone something no one else could hear: Cross-planar dealings are taxing even for me at times, and your inner dream world handled magic from another plane like it was nothing, not to mention the much funner part. I didn't expect you to be interacting with real creature's souls. After a slight pause, Raava said out loud, "Though, after all the trouble getting people together, I think a real meeting would be easier to arrange, and conduct. There's a certain… nicety and proper behavior enforced by being at an official event, and not something that can devolve into… that. Zuko was acting like a buffoon - just as bad as Wu tossing that cap at Raiko!" Korra chuckled, saying, "Maybe Zuko will get it out of his system tomorrow night. Whether they like it or not, there's going to be a 'little' Gaang reunion – I could use a break from my goofball predecessor. An ALL NIGHT BREAK, 'Goofballatar' Aang."
Hearing an odd swishing from behind her, Korra turned around, shaking her head disdainfully as she said with disgust, "Aang, you never know when to just… not, do you? Put that stupid marble away!" Remembering a promise she had made Toph and adding a little embellishment of her own, Korra discreetly pulled some water from the air behind her back, shooting it at Aang's feet in the form small icicles as she said, "Let's see you do that stupid trick now! This is from Toph, Twinkletoes! Dance!" Aang laughed "Yeah - more! Make it harder!" in a way that only made her more frustrated with him! Korra said, as he maintained the spinning marble's movement despite her continued barrage, "Alright, if you're going to bug me, at least be useful!" Freezing him in a block of ice, Korra snickered as she said, "Let's see you goof around inside that. Hey! Quit sticking your tongue at me – I have a question for you. I have heard, and even said, that Avatar Kuruk could have killed a spirit if he wanted to – Koh the Face-Stealer. Do you think I can really do the same to that kraken-arthropod spirit near us, if I need to?"
Getting no initial response other than a slight straining noise as Aang struggled against the ice, Aang apparently trying to shrug, he admitted, "I don't know. That was inside the Spirit World – and this would be in the physical one. And I thought you wanted to try cleansing that spirit anyways?" Korra nodded, saying grimly, "Yes, but remembering how that went the last time, and knowing this spirit has grown in size since then, I am not optimistic that he will go easily, if at all." Whistling loudly, Korra said, "Raava , over here, please – fix the screen that Vaatu broke with his laughing, and see if we can get a better view of that spirit!"
Screen now intact, everyone who should be there was there, with the exception of Princess Ursa II and Desna still lingering off near her house. A slightly annoyed-looking Yangchen and Jasmine were talking to one another off to the side of the screen about battle strategy and how best to command and possibly share their spirit allies, Yangchen complaining about having only one firebender - period, and no waterbenders to heal any wounded. Letting them hash out details themselves, Korra looked at the spirit on the screen again – specifically, the head. Counting what she assumed were extra crablike eyes on the end of stiff armored stalks coming from its head, Korra cursed lowly in English, saying, "Four clusters of four eyes, scattered over the head, far apart – great. Just what we needed - more eyes to knock out. He changed some more – and, looks like he's decided to honor his past with Vaatu as well. Not a trace of red lines anywhere. Raava, where are we, and at what altitude? If we're still low, pull us up, yesterday – I don't want this thing spotting the Raging Shark Whale and Vaazula seeing what's coming their way."
Feeling a lurch and slight breaking of the "controlled" dream, Korra saw what she could only assume was an actual dream image for a brief moment - one that disturbed her. She saw herself in Republic City at her home, crying as if she had made some huge mistake. Her despondent-looking figure was backed by a darkened sky, even though the sun was visible.
Mmmm… perhaps after this, you need some actual dreaming. I can't put my "finger" on it, but that image seems important. Maybe just as important as the dream with the Spirit of Air…
Returning to the present, Korra pointed to a group of four eyes, asking, "Raava, those are obviously eyes – but can spirits see without them? When I fought this thing originally, the eyes, face and edges of its mouth were almost as one, 'eyes' and face unfolding to show its terrible maw…" Raava approached, tapping the glass a few times as she said, "Obviously, I could see without eyes, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to see and scold Wan for breaking me from Vaatu. Speaking of which… just how did you do that earlier?" Korra shrugged, saying, "I just steeled my will the second time around, and Vaatu came out. Whatever – is that relevant?" Raava shook her head, though Korra could tell from her smirking she didn't really care if it was relevant or not. Korra sighed, saying, "You're just as bad as Aang, and I have to deal with you, whether I like it or not. Quit grinning and focus! Let's get this over with. My question for you - do you think we can take this thing down without it seeing the mechasuits, or even the Raging Shark Whale?"
A red X appearing on the screen, Raava said, "No – but in the sense you couldn't hit it in the first place with the technology we want to keep hidden as long as possible. You couldn't even get its attention properly, it's so deep, now that I think about it. I guess our best option is for me to go down there in my bigger form and try to fight, and shatter it, like I wanted to do to Kuvira's father before you stopped me. That is, if I can shatter outside the Spirit World…" Looking at the spirit's form again, Korra tried interacting with its image like a piece of technology she had almost forgotten about: a tablet. As her finger made contact with the screen near the spirit's armored sides, Korra tried dragging the form much as she might have manipulated water. After a flick of the wrist, the image rotated around, revealing six staggered pronounced protrusions on its back, and a slight depressed line down its middle – almost like the beginnings of a metamorphosis…
Knowing this was taking real time, Korra yelled, "Jasmine, Yangchen, Princess Ursa II, Desna - get over here! You're the only people left not currently with me in the physical world, and we might be very busy soon!" Noticing that Baatar Jr. and Ikki had come as well, Korra made to apologize, but hearing a low beeping from the screen's speaker that accompanied a slight growth in the line's thickness down the changing spirit's back, she knew she might not have much time.
Getting the most important part out of the way first, she called Jasmine and Yangchen closer, noticing that Jasmine wasn't ignoring Baatar Jr. as Korra thought she might have. Yangchen was first, Korra saying as she imparted technical details to her about weapon systems with Raava's assistance, "You need to see if you can get those captured weapons updated - from what I've heard, the simpler 'fire-earth' formula has quite a few drawbacks. Smoke, lack of rapid fire…" Korra felt glad to hear Yangchen say, "Of course! We have plenty of metalbenders, some Earth Empire defector's equipment, and even have the industrial equipment to make more acid to use on the spirit vines. The new spirit vines can be split, we have spare explosives - even other industrial equipment and supplies. That overhaul will be one of the first things I do after this - we may even be able to fashion crude Meesiles," disappointed to hear her admit, "Without you, I doubt we can manufacture any rapid-fire weapons, Lisers or more advanced Meesiles on such short notice, though. Especially since we 'just' have spirit vines for power." Noticing Yangchen was starting to shimmer slightly, as though she were about to wake up, Korra said, "See if Alyssralove can help with that - she can both bend and heat metal at the same time, and get you more free nitrate! Good luck - and tell Toph she might be needed, especially for destroying evidence and tech if you have to pull out! Don't forget to make the NON-lethal weapons!" As Yangchen vanished, Korra made excuses for the airbender, pushing thoughts from her mind. For her tastes, even if the lethal options would likely be easier to make, the airbender had paid entirely too much attention to the newer Lipowder and shell-making techniques, and not enough to Lisers and their ability to direct incapacitating lightning…
Yangchen gone, Jasmine said, Korra wishing she had spoken earlier, "Using 'fire-earth' early on will only make Jinshu Kuangmai realize its importance," Jasmine continuing, "You could always project to her and tell her to not - but something tells me she'll need all the help she can get, defending Omashu. Which brings me to the prison camp… we're worse off. We do not have explosives, or even basic 'fire-earth'. Let alone the kind of industrial machinery needed to create a Varrick gun or even the newer Lipowder without synthesis... There may not even be deposits of the ingredients for the basic version of Lipowder near the camp. Sulfur is usually found in volcanic regions, and there's nothing near Omashu like that. We certainly won't be making any Varrick guns anytime soon, and I don't want to risk people's lives, getting equipment from Omashu. Any war balloons we send would get torn to shreds by their spirit weaponry." Jasmine sighed deeply, finishing as Korra inspected Jasmine's prominent scar, "We certainly don't have the resources Yangchen does, controlling Omashu, even if we do have the human benders she doesn't - water and fire." Trying to think of something, Korra wondered if there were any cruder Lipowder weapons that could be readily fashioned - steal old technology from Earth.
Hearing a hoot from the screen, Korra turned to see Wan Shi Tong moving his head around in front of the depiction of the hostile spirit below, multiple blueprints of outdated-looking weapons labeled as "firearms" and "gunpowder weapons" appearing as he vanished. Korra was surprised to see a weapon not unlike a Varrick gun in form included in the antiques, but was not quite sure what to make of two different versions of what Korra mistook for a cart of sake bottles. It didn't help that the notes to the one with many barrels was written in a language she did not know… Jasmine inspecting the blueprints, she said, "There - those two, on the carts. They look crude but effective, and the one with many barrels and gibberish notes would actually work quite well with metalbending, clearing the soot with earthbending and dissipating heat with firebending. I don't know if we can make what looks like rockets on such short notice, on the one labeled in normal characters, and the 'Gatling gun' looks even more doubtful."
Korra regarded Jasmine skeptically, saying, "For former 'Chief Containment Officer,' you sure know a lot about 'fire-earth'. Were you and Chin ever a thing?" Jasmine laughed, saying, "No, of course not. I'm a year older than you - 22! He's roughly 30 years my senior - he was a good friend of mine, though. I don't understand why he didn't defect - he was one of those relative few within Kuvira's army that stayed after her defeat who seemed like decent people." As though trying to remember something, Jasmine paused, finally saying, "Oh, yes - he holds a personal grudge for the death of his wife following destabilization of the Earth Kingdom, and holds you and the rest of the world responsible for not helping. The other biggest reason is his men - two battalions of conscripts he loves just like his own three children, ones who fight better than the elites if he's around, if he's to be believed. And they are whole reason he made fire-earth in the first place - he wanted the non-benders under him to be better able to handle themselves, unable to manipulate metal or even earth. Just like his kids…" Shifting uncomfortably, Jasmine finished, pointing to her scar, "But not all people are attached to something so relatively noble, much less willing to work hard to protect it. Some, like the man who gave me this, are hungry for power. Others… A lot of people simply blame you for what happened to the Earth Kingdom, and want 'justice.'" In spite of all the chakra work, Korra felt slightly guilty again over her three year hiatus, thinking, "I guess some things never really go away…" Accepting guilt as part of life just as Asami had, Korra listened without letting sadness distract her as Jasmine added, "You will find many men like Chin - good people misguided and blinded by anger and vengeance," Korra suppressing a snort of surprise when Jasmine said, "I am glad to see Baatar Jr. was not one of them - in the end, that is," finishing with an interested tone, "Though, I don't know the details just yet…"
Baatar Jr. looking very relieved, Jasmine finished, "Should we even find the sulfur and other ingredients… I do not need blueprints to reproduce the two that interest me the most, though the rockets will not explode as much as I might like, given we will likely bear the brunt of the attack at first. Along with how to make any kind of explosives at all, give me this 'Gatling gun' blueprint - one that looks like the inferior predecessor to a Varrick gun, a joke, but I'll have to make do." Doing exactly this and throwing in some others on a whim, Korra was surprised to hear Jasmine think during the process, "- proves himself, maybe I can forget about that special program," not having remembered showing Jasmine such things. Hearing Raava intone, I threw in a "little" extra too just now, Korra removed her hand, thinking, "Not cool - you aren't a good enough judge on that kind of thing yet. Baatar Jr.'s own mother hasn't seen his ordeal, and you're sharing it with a complete stranger! One he seems to like - but still!"
Oops. Uh - she did sound like she wanted to know!
Hearing Aang from behind her, Korra turned around, taking out her anger with Raava by saying tersely, "Maybe I should have left you in that ice prison. What do you want?" Shifting to his older self, he said with a slight frown, "I helped you get your bending back, you helped me escape. And what Raava does is her own business - don't take it out on me. I'm just as annoyed by her little… gift as you are, and her lousy excuse." After giving Raava a withering glare, Aang said, "Enough of that. I wanted to show you something that would easily be reproducible that I saw in my youth - specifically in the hands of then Princess Azula." Princess Ursa II speaking for the first time, she asked awkwardly, "Avatar Aang, is - is it the derivative cannon on her airship? The one she used to lob bombs at you at… the Western Air temple, right?" Aang nodded, smiling as he said, "You are right. Looks like someone paid attention in school. I faced it directly - let me show you what I mean."
Korra watched Aang walk over to the screen's console, laughing when she saw a stylized mover-toon version of said cannon appear, telling Aang as Raava fussed and fumed about Aang's little sneak, "She can dish it out, but can't take it. Maybe I should keep you around after all - always trying to slip in a little something." Aang grinned, looking intrigued when Princess Ursa II said, "Huh - the smoke looks all wrong. The edges - too well-defined. No matter. As soon as the Fire Nation joined the Four Elements Task Force a few days ago, I started working on a better version of it for land use. I only had a small test model made, and that version was not very good. Here - let me show you the current idea. I got more than a little inspiration from what my mom told me about the new technology." Princess Ursa II touching the console, Korra shook her head briefly, saying, "Don't be modest!" As she tried to look the Princess in the eye, thoroughly impressed from what she saw, Korra told the reluctant Princess, "That - that looks a lot better than any shell we came up with for big physical-based guns, and the gun itself! Are those… cylinders full of liquid? Care to explain?" The Princess blushed, saying, "Th-thank you, Avatar Korra - but can you stop trying to look me in the eye? I know you're trying to be nice, but… I don't know why, it makes me feel uncomfortable. Always has."
Korra obliging readily, she yelled, "Asami, Varrick, Zhu Li, Meelo - come look at this thing that Princess Ursa II came up with!" Hazarding Raava a glance, Korra asked, seeing she looked shocked, "Would it be cheating to tell me what it looks like?" Raava nodded, saying, "Yes. All I will say is this - looks like you have a new braintrust member." Korra repressed the urge to give Princess Ursa II a funny look when she insisted strongly, "No, no - not me." Asami, Varrick, Meelo and Zhu Li finally arriving, Korra asked them what they thought of the gun. Getting an unsolicited opinion, Jasmine said, "I think it looks wonderful - and completely irrelevant to my predicament. Give Yangchen only the blueprints, a week and Omashu to make one undisturbed, and she couldn't - that thing's complicated looking. Korra, why don't you give me what I need, so I can be on my way." Princess Ursa II blushed, saying, "S-sorry. I tend to get carried off on tangents, or forget I'm not alone."
Listening to the way the Princess spoke and her occasional stutter, Korra found herself vaguely reminded of Rohan. Remembering how Rohan had been fascinated by Bumi's airbender tank, she wondered if they shared something in common. Apparently, she had done so out loud, hearing Ikki say, "Maybe. But Jasmine's not the only one with a schedule! Hurry up!" Finding herself blushing as everyone but Jasmine, Ikki and Baatar Jr. laughed, Korra quickly gave a stone-faced Jasmine what she needed, getting a polite, "Thank you, Korra" and bow before Jasmine vanished.
Princess Ursa II had a puzzled look on her face, asking innocently over top of an antsy-looking Ikki, "Why didn't she call you Avatar Korra, Avatar Korra?" Korra laughed, saying, "Because I told her to drop the formalities. There's only one of me -'Korra' - and unless you want to, you don't have to even call me 'Avatar'," adding, "Technically, it's 'Master' Avatar Korra, but that really gets on my nerves. Wonder if Mr. Tuber-Vine is going to call me that again…" Korra rolled her eyes as Raava said, "You're the first one - Master Avatar. Forget what you told Aang about using it. Come on - 'Master Avatar' Korra!"
Not wanting to deal with Raava's behavior, Korra simply thought strongly, "Don't call me that. The gentle voice doesn't often call himself 'God' or 'supreme being of light' - maybe you could take a page from his book yourself." Korra told Princess Ursa II as both she and Raava blushed, though for very different reasons, "I'm impressed with your work, and look forward to working with you, Princess Ursa II." Varrick, Zhu Li and Asami agreed heartily, Meelo asking, "Princess, how come we never saw you or heard from you before this?" Princess Ursa II hugged herself as if to calm herself. She said, seeming more a misplaced shy schoolgirl than heir to the Fire Nation throne, "I was busy helping my mother modernize the Fire Nation - and I remember very clearly from what my mother told me about Mako's reaction to the new Fire Nation was that not everyone was a fan of her final architecture. Something I share with Mako… though not purely for love of heritage. I tried dissuading her from the final, truly Fire Nation style I wanted - the familiar…" Something about the Princess' mannerisms and aversion to change told Korra she wouldn't take kindly to simply being called Ursa II - not out of pride, like President Raiko might, just from a deviation from the normal, or as she said, "the familiar".
Sighing, Princess Ursa II continued, nervously pulling on black hair in the style of her namesake, "I'd rather design a building or piece of industrial equipment than a weapon, but I remember very clearly what my grandfather Lord Zuko told me after the speech: 'If nobody helps make weapons to defend ourselves, you might have an unwanted opportunity to design new buildings … given all the old ones were destroyed by the enemy. You remember what my father wanted to do to the Earth Kingdom…'" Trailing off, Princess Ursa II sobbed slightly as she said, golden eyes filled with sadness, "He was right - I don't want my home being as helpless as the South was against, well, the old Fire Nation or the Northern Water Tribe!"
Realizing she was upsetting Princess Ursa II, Korra suggested, "Why don't you, Asami, Varrick, Meelo and Zhu Li go talk about technology - peaceful technology," seeing the Princess live up to her namesake's determination and protective nature by saying strongly, "If my people need me to work on war, I will - I want to protect my home. As much as I wish everyone could get along, I'm not going to live in a fantasy land," finishing, "I hope your plan to turn Jinshu Kuangmai works, Avatar Korra. Looks like someone else wants your attention."
Figuring technology could wait until later, Korra told an exasperated-looking Ikki, "Tell me what you want, and Baatar Jr. - aside from more sleep." Korra growled lowly herself when Ikki looked at Korra with fake innocence, eyes sparkling as she said, "Attention." Baatar Jr. shared Korra's displeasure, saying, "Well, then, get, Ikki! I have something I need to ask Korra - in private." Ikki no longer looked innocent, saying seriously, "I need something too."
Taking them both aside, hearing the newest member of the braintrust explaining something about "recoil-dampening hydraulics" from near the screen, Korra said quietly, "Before I answer anything - if it's about Equalists becoming benders, I want to let that play itself out." Both looked annoyed, Baatar Jr. saying, "They're fine right now, and I overheard you telling the Lieutenant 'no' about something passionately. My best guess is he asked you to remove any Equalists' bending if they get it, and you said never."
Knowing Baatar Jr. was only partially right, Korra felt conflicted - tell them both what the Lieutenant wanted for himself, something she refused to do, or deflect? Tossing a look at Asami, noticing Zhu Li was attempting to bend a mockup of this new cannon with Asami's help to heat metal, Varrick bending water idly to the side, Korra realized that she had two choices.
Honor the Lieutenant's whispered request, or do her best to help him with the reality of the situation.
Korra remembered how big a change it had been for many non-benders to become airbenders - in particular, one named Daw, who had been terrified of his new ability, having had no prior warning…
But now there was.
Choosing a different path, Korra told Ikki and Baatar Jr., "When you deal with the Lieutenant or the Equalists, fighting beside them, I want you to try and chat up their rank and file. See how many had dreams, and what their reaction was to bending. We'll go from there," thankful to see both nod. Baatar Jr. appeared to react to the unseen, vanishing without a trace. Ikki, still present, asked, Korra dreading the curious look she had, relieved to hear the actual question, "What's a bottle-nosed dolphin feel like, and can I ever ride one?"
At first, Korra was going to say no, but remembered that technically, Ikki shared a link to an Avatar - Avatar Aang. Needing Raava's input, Korra tried something she hadn't before - placing Raava in a particular spot. Saying, "Just a minute, Ikki," Korra closed her eyes, inhaling and exhaling as she imagined Raava appearing next to Ikki.
Opening her eyes, Korra saw that it had worked, but now it was Raava's turn to admonish a faux paus, saying hotly, "You're lucky Wan and I weren't doing anything just right now - you should ask before doing… that!" Wondering aloud if Wan and Raava had ever actually done anything past the most basics, Raava blushed as Ikki said, "Bottle-nosed dolphins, not sex! Jeez." Raava answered both their questions, saying, "I suppose it could be possible for second-generation Avatar descendants to take out of this plane dream trips - but that's something for another time, just like true 'Wan on Wan' time," crying as she added, "If my gifts to humanity were enough to start a Spirit Civil War, spirits seeing me as more human than spirit, I hate to imagine what would happen if they saw me truly 'sleeping' with the first Avatar - even in a dream!"
A wave of sympathy washing over her, Korra said, "I remember Uncle Iroh giving me some bad advice - to keep my love for Asami a secret, over concerns that people wouldn't support me. All I can say is this - if it feels right, do it," feeling depressed when Raava shook her head, insisting, "No - the risks are too great… a spirit, with human." Korra sighed, saying, "That's what the Avatar is already," adding with a sour note, "Something perhaps even more 'abhorrent' in many spirit's eyes - a living human, trying to sleep with a spirit - is beyond our control, if we act honorably. Jinshu Kuangmai and Vaazula…"
Seeing both Ikki and Raava act repulsed, Korra finished, "For all we know, what might win us one war might lose us the other. Both ways - you remember my little pact with Tonga Beifong, and what Long Yumao said, about spirits being unable to see any deaths that happen as part of an act of helping thousands. Breaking that agreement with Tonga might prove catastrophic in our other war. Speaking of which - let's go check on that spirit."
The trio walked over to the screen in silence, Korra noticing that many small mockups were strewn around its base, including modified versions of older equipment, some guns life-sized, a few of these ruined-looking. Wondering aloud why they didn't just imagine all of them into existence, Korra felt foolish when Varrick replied, "Practice bending - duh! Plus, as Ursa II - ouch, honey! Sorry, Princess Ursa II reminded us, sometimes it's best to make something to get a feel for it. She tested her cannon, and got a lot of good stuff from the test," looking vaguely ashamed as he admitted, "The 'folding VarriMag guns' weren't our only half-baked ideas - let's just say she spotted a lot of flaws." Pointing at Princess Ursa II, Varrick said, "Desna was making himself a bit of a pest earlier, and I think those two have something they want to talk about. Don't keep the lady waiting - pick her brains!"
Princess Ursa II giggled slightly, blushing as she insisted, "I was, uh, talking to Desna about trade agreements," getting slightly angry when Meelo said, "Yeah, right - you're just as bad a liar as my grandpa!" Before Meelo could say anything else, Korra heard a low beeping from the screen's speakers, saying, "Meelo, whatever you were going to say can wait," giving him a withering look for good measure - she could have sworn he mouthed the word "Azula". Still looking at Meelo, Korra said, "Sorry. I'll let you two go after this - if you don't mind, Princess Ursa II, I'd like to infobend you. I don't want to leave anything about your designs to chance."
Princess Ursa II complying eagerly, Korra noticed that she did have the tuber-vine Firelord Izumi picked up in Republic City in her possession, and had been experimenting with it as a source of peaceful power. Approving internally, Korra finished the transfer, including directions on how to use the equipment left behind at Ember Factory Island, using tuber-vines for war and many other things. Remembering Princess Ursa II's penchant for shells and guns, Korra included something she had only just recently learned herself - the mechanisms of an autoloader like the one Baatar Jr. designed for the Colossus' weapon. Before withdrawing her hand, she heard the Princess think, "Forget shells… what I'd really like to work on, instead of war - peace!"
Peace. Her own deepest desire - one that went back many years, to the day Republic City had proved to not be the paradise her predecessor had hoped it would be. It hadn't really struck her when Princess Ursa II said it earlier… Korra hugged Princess Ursa II before she could think, saying as emotion welled up within her, "That's what I want too - to work on peace, instead of war. I'm sure you'll make a fine Firelord someday - do your namesake proud." Having expected the Princess to be awkward in a hug, Korra found her just as warm as she had heard the first Ursa was, eventually saying after Korra heard another, louder beep, "You should probably let me go now. Asami's giving you a dirty look."
Seeing Asami wasn't the only one, though Korra smiled nervously to see Asami's was the scowliest, Korra broke the hug. Knowing time was short, she simply told Desna, "Cousin, try to see if you can talk to Yue - I may need her help shortly here, and tell her all about what might happen." Desna nodded, saying, "Very well - now, to unpleasant matters… deciding who stays behind in the Northern Water Tribe. My sister and I still find it boring." Cocking his head slightly, he asked Princess Ursa II, "Do you plan to go to Republic City?" Hearing a muffled protest from behind her, someone managed to restrain Meelo from saying anything for long enough for Princess Ursa II to respond, "Yes, I do - I hear there's a lot of… opportunity for reconstruction."
The Princess looking like she wanted to say something, Korra told Meelo to be quiet, Korra relieved when she tentatively asked, "Do you think it would be a good idea to fortify the crater with spirit weapons?" Korra nodded, saying, "Yes - that stupid serpent persuaded the other spirits to not help protect Republic City - our shared home. And I'm not letting him more directly hurt Republic City. Ikki, when you get the chance, I want you to run this idea by President Raiko, and if he approves, yes," adding, "I have something else for you - the tuber-vine locations. You should probably get trusted bender's help to dig them up."
After imparting the information, Desna declared he would go to Republic City, grumbling when taunted by Ikki and Meelo, wondering aloud, "I don't know if I'm glad to be going to Republic City or annoyed I might bump into one of you, you little hooligans." Korra laughed bitterly when she heard Raava proclaim, "Even if I do think it's a good idea, if you're going to fortify the Spirit Portal with spirit weapons, then I may as well do whatever I want with Wan!" snickering when Raava admitted, "Probably just more hugging and innocent stuff anyways…"
"WARNING: Spirit energy surges reaching level beyond concern. High Clearance User Korra is advised caution."
Realizing she might be broken from sleep before anyone not on the gunship was, Korra turned around, looking at the screen as she said, "Ikki, Desna, Ursa II - go, quickly!" hearing Varrick complain while Korra studied the display, "Oh, so when I call her that, I get thwacked by Zhu Li, but when you call her that, nothing? Bah!" The image of the spirit changing before her, the protrusions grew further out from the back, a deepened crack running down the middle of the half dozen protrusions and the spirit's rear. Raava grabbed her hand tightly, saying, "Forget trying to be merciful, Korra, or talking to anyone – it looks like it's almost finished changing! And I don't like the look of those protrusions…" Something in her gut telling Korra that Raava was right, she said, "Very well. Everyone, sit tight inside the plane – I don't want this thing relaying anything to Vaazula before Raava and I… deal with it. I certainly can't withstand the pressure that deep, and my mechasuit would likely share a similar fate – crushed. Raava, get us out of its sight, then take all bending from me in the physical world – you might need it. Something about this spirit…"
A short time later, Korra found herself awake, staring at the ceiling of the Raging Shark Whale. Before letting Raava take over, Korra tried one last thing – walking over to the plane's super Kuviracomputer, and placing her now glowing hand on its palm console.
The display looked ready to overload at first, a few errant sparks visible out of the corners of her eyes. The screen stabilized rapidly after a low humming noise, displaying something curious: "Avatar State enhancement active. Capabilities increased. Dark Spirit below plane identity: Akiak, Spirit of the Deeps. Accessing Spirit Library Water Tribe Legends: Scroll Fifty Seven." Wondering why Raava could not have identified the spirit earlier, Korra got her answer, seeing a scroll tell the legend of this Spirit – how a squid-crab had once "Been touched and shrouded in darkness long, long ago by a great evil" and had itself afterwards "eaten of the discarded scales of Tui and La," puzzled to see the legend mention in passing "As the great evil once again approaches, a vision depicts this spirit attempting to make a great change. Should it fail in its dark mission, it has been foreseen the Deeps will rise as does Air, hoping to find a new dark purpose."
Obviously, the great evil was Vaatu, and this Akiak, Spirit of the Deeps had failed his mission – Korra was here, and most definitively knew she was the Avatar, and who Raava was. Given its allegiance, its new dark purpose was also obvious – servitude under Vaatu, in the form of Jinshu Kuangmai. But the part about "rise as does Air"…
"BNEEEE! BNEEEE! BNEEEE! IMMENSE HOSTILE SPIRIT ENERGY SURGE DETECTED - AWAKING ALL OCCUPANTS! BNEEEE! BNEEEE! BNEEEE!"
I know what that part means, and we don't have time to talk about it! We've got to switch! We have to – even your mechasuit can't withstand the pressure beneath the sea, just like you said!
Korra quickly telling the squawking computer to shut up and tell everyone to stay calm and out of sight, no matter what, she ran as fast as she could to the cargo bay doors, not wanting to accidentally set off any ordinance with firebending jets, or even risk blowing something just the wrong way with airbending-produced air currents.
The last thing she felt directly was moist sea air buffeting her face and morning rays on her skin, hoping and praying this wetness didn't mean Akiak had already surfaced…
Finding herself fully in control of a physical body, Raava thought, "Korra, don't go anywhere – I want you to see if you can learn how to perform this breaking, should the need ever arise," plummeting down towards the sea below. Moist sea air buffeted her as she adjusted her trajectory with the odd fire jet or air blast, waiting on a response from Korra's spirit.
Here's your response: fine. And I think I know on who, too – Zaheer.
Shortly before hitting the water, Raava turned incorporeal, thinking, "No – not necessarily. Now just pay attention, and watch – no talking, except questions! I have no idea how powerful 'Akiak' is."
Powerful enough to wipe my memory and almost sever my connection to you… speaking of which, try not to get eaten, please? Otherwise, you might lose your memory as anything but human, and I'd possibly become the supreme being of light. Given how much of a hassle being the Avatar is – not for me.
The possibility never having occurred to Raava, she found herself wishing Korra hadn't brought it up, testing out something else instead – if her body could withstand the water pressure. Turning physical again and using Life's Gift to enhance her waterbending, Raava found she was able to go down deep without great issue, barely feeling any pressure at all, eventually re-sheathing the sword.
Making her final approach to the area where the cavern where this Akiak wretch had been found, Raava could see nothing in the pitch blackness. Striking her foot against the sea "floor", she cursed internally, inadvertently trying again on the mouth of the cave itself after she hit her foot on a rock trying to get the disgusting sea-bottom silt and slime off. Still not able to sense much, Raava resorted to something much cruder. Wanting to see if she could awaken Akiak, Raava began pulling water closer to her, then pushed it outwards with great force, hoping to wake the spirit. Initially getting nothing, Raava tried taking a shot in the dark with combustionbending. Surprised to see the shot actually propagate underwater, Raava watched as the light faded, faded…
Deep within the cavern, Raava saw a small explosion, temporarily illuminating a figure as massive as her spirit form. Many phosphorescent lights appeared, Raava glad to see there was still a faint glowing down what must have been the spirit's back – it had not yet metamorphosed into its winged form.
Its WHAT form?! Raava, hurry up and kill it already – forget redemption! We can't afford that thing interfering with the evacuation if it can fly! Go into your bigger form – it's the only way you can keep it from surfacing, given how big it is!
Knowing Korra was right, Raava shifted forms, hoping she could still bend – a kite didn't have chi paths! But then again, she had held Water for Wan, ten thousand years ago…
Able to see spirit energy much more clearly, Raava saw the massive spirit begin to half crawl, half swim its way out. The first opportunity she got, she wrapped a tentacle around one of its sixteen eyestalks, trying to snap it off. Apparently, this spirit was not stupid – as soon as she made contact, it shifted into an incorporeal form. The large vaguely triangular maw opening and revealing sickly green-yellow energies within, Raava heard a hostile clacking voice groan, "Your attempt amuses me. It will require more than that pathetic attempt to do anything to me – I am in my element, and soon to be reborn!"
Hoping the tuber-vines aboard the Raging Shark Whale could receive message despite dark energy interference and distance, Raava thought, "Everyone, get far, far away – seek land! I need better visuals. This spirit can see me – I can't see it properly!" To underscore this point, Raava felt the pressure of a hostile tentacle around her own before she noticed the movement. As a hook dug into her, she felt a twinge of dark energy, Raava hearing Vaatu's voice laugh, "You should have just left him alone." Trying a different tactic, Raava shifted, the other spirit's tentacle no longer grasping her, moving it free and becoming physical once more.
Summoning all of her power, Raava made to shoot the now physical tentacles into the other spirit, just as she had with Kuvira's father. The first attempt a failure, tentacles harmlessly bouncing off what felt like thick armor plates, she tried again, getting a similar result.
Tentacles aren't exactly penetrating, you know.
Grumbling internally and knowing Korra was right, Raava tried taunting the spirit to the surface, booming, "You hide in this cave, away from danger, waiting on something which may never come – Vaatu's return," pleased to see the taunt had the desired effect – Akiak was now fully outside the cave, yellow-green lights pulsing intensely. The same clacking voice from before groaned, "I failed three years ago – and I will not fail again!"
Now that I think about it, he actually sort of did us a favor. I would have never found out about Wan without his premature attempt on my identity as Avatar. Try pointing that out, and going up in the water column.
Beginning to move upwards, slowly at first, Raava taunted, "Your mission was worse than a failure – without you, the Avatar would have never connected with myself and Wan, clueless about your master's plans!" As the spirit drew closer and increasingly flustered, clicking and groaning incoherently, letting out the occasional muffled roar, Raava ascended in the water column by spinning rapidly, finding herself unable to bend in her spirit form after all.
Now at a depth that actually afforded some daylight from above, Raava shifted to her human form without saying a word, holding her sword with both hands. Akiak was so incensed at being called a failure he continued rising right into her little trap. As the spirit passed, she imagined Wan having been the one to be swallowed by Akiak, swinging Life's Gift at the nearest cluster of eyestalks.
Dancing plasma cut into the eyestalk's base, severing all four from Akiak's body, steam appearing in the water as liquid contacted superheated matter -plasma - continuously. A dark, bluish blood began spilling out from a crack near the eyestalk's former base, visible in the daylight as Raava moved onto the next set of stalks while the spirit writhed. Wanting to see if Dark Spirits could be incapacitated much like Kuvira's foe in her nightmare could, Raava thought of her unique friendship with Korra and deepening relationship with Wan as she sliced off the next set of stalks, finally plunging her sword into the top of the spirit's armored head.
As more dark blue blood came from cracks around the new wound, the wound itself cauterized by the plasma, Raava tried getting a glimpse into the spirit's mind and feelings. Finding nothing but pain, disgust and rage, she heard the Dark Spirit's clacking groan quicken and begin to include curses in a foul, universal language. Deliberately not removing the sword, she moved Life's Gift in an arc through the spirit's form towards the two final sets of eyestalks after propelling herself forward with a waterbending kick, trying to sense any weakness at the same time.
As the final two sets of stalks were severed by dancing plasma, the water around the blade superheated by the great energies, Raava heard an earthshatteringly loud cracking noise. Looking at the spirit's back, she could see the metamorphosis was almost completed, six pairs of staggered brightly phosphorescent crumpled wings protruding slightly from the creature's carapace.
Damn - we shouldn't have talked so long!
As the slightly translucent, dark purple and yellow wings burst forth from their thick bases and began to unfurl rapidly, they displaced a great amount of water, Raava heard a hint of splashing with terror. They were closer to the surface than she had thought! The wings assumed a final form similar to that of a Dark Spirit dragonfly bunny spirit's, except broad and gargantuan, one pair of wings per protrusion. The twelve massive wings looking more than powerful enough to lift the spirit into the air, Raava knew that unless she wanted the evacuation to get very interesting, very fast, she needed to act quickly. After a second of indecision, Raava plunged her sword further into the being's head, incapacitating it with a combination of direct energybending and heating her sword to unbearably hot levels. Twisting the sword while it was still within the spirit's head, Raava noticed that the plasma cut a circular cauterized hole. Continuing to twist the sword with both hands, Raava kicked and bent her way towards the mouth, cutting a deep channel around the clamped-shut maw.
Even though she could sense Akiak was beginning to break, and not just in the physical sense, Raava finished the job, the Dark Spirit no longer possessing a mouth, or for that matter, a face at all - only a cauterized swathe of yellow-green flesh. Readying to begin breaking the spirit apart, Raava heard Korra's voice say Wait – perhaps it will be willing to talk, just like Kuvira's "brain" had to be brought down to size before being reasonable.
Bending away disgusting dark blue blood from herself, Raava asked, sword still embedded in that spirit's form near motionless pincers, "Is there any reason I should not break apart your spirit?" Raava cursed, wondering if the spirit was bluffing when it clacked, though it now had no mouth, "Is there any reason I should deal with you, when I am about to fly free? You haven't even touched my wings! I too can see without eyes…" Dismissing any concerns Korra might have had, Raava began the same process she had on Kuvira's father, making sure to keep the spirit immobilized.
The judgment producing much the same result as she had figured it would, Raava moved on, able to sense the spirit getting more and more desperate. Managing to partially decompose the bonds that held Akiak together as one, Raava felt an odd energy snapping like an overtaxed string on a cello within Akiak through her sword. This snapping was followed by a weak angry groaning click, "You – temporarily severed my connection to Vaatu! What gives you the right, to… break me down, just for not choosing your brand of human?"
Raava not immediately knowing the answer to that question, she simply responded, "We didn't want you causing us any problems, and we didn't want to wait and find out what kind of trouble you would make!" Beginning the end for this spirit before her, dismissing a small doubt in the back of her head, a familiar voice gloated from her chest, "Perhaps we are not so different after all, Raava, supposed counterpart, foil to me – dispersing another spirit into shards of the soul, just for opposing you, based on something it might do. Just like you wanted to do to Kuvira's father when he proved bothersome!" Raava hoped that little pest was finished, doubt intensifying…
"Perhaps the first crack in those barriers will be caused by you, Raava, and not an allied human or our shared spirit foe…"
Maybe this isn't the right answer, Raava. Try to find another way…
Trying something she knew she probably shouldn't be even considering, Raava shared a little bit of information about the evacuation with this Akiak spirit, knowing she could just retract it as she asked, "If I spare you, do you promise to not interfere with this operation?" Getting a low clicking response of, "Perhaps if you bestow onto me the gifts you have given that larger spirit, but of Air and Water," Raava found herself not caring if the shield did crack completely right now, saying before sending out another disrupting energy pulse, "What? No! Never! Forget it, you little greedy idiot!"
What a "gimme gimme" moron! Raava, part of me is tempted to take his deal, to see if this spirit's "transformative experience" would turn him to our side – but taking it strikes me mainly as naïve, and I know multiple people – and even another supreme being of light - have told me I'm too naïve. Not to mention the longer-term view – Jinshu Kuangmai doesn't need two dual bending spirits, all four elements, one big enough physically to be a menace without bending! We can't guarantee this Spirit of the Deeps would keep his word. Make one last offer, then… Just end this.
Making to do exactly that, Raava held the final disrupting energy pulse back within her sword, telling the spirit, "This is your last chance. You can feel the energy in this blade - your very end. The Avatar herself, a very merciful individual, one who you personally did great harm to, wants to see you scattered to the edges of the Universe, mainly out of mistrust and suspicion over your 'promise'. Choose – change sides, permanently, and receive the gift of dual bending and exist, or stay stubborn and thick-headed like the squid-crab you once were, and become nothing." Energy within her sword eager to finish its course, to break apart the spirit in front of her, Raava waited on a response.
On a whim, not knowing exactly how much Akiak knew, having been dormant for over three years, she let a little more information slip, choosing her thoughts carefully: "One Nation, aside from the United Republic, is particularly threatened by the possibility of Long Yumao's forces pouring forth from the spirit portals. The only one that as a whole kept records of your existence, one Tribe housing the two fish whose scales you once dined on. Yue and La have chosen our side," adding with a grin, "The Moon and Ocean spirits are very powerful. They might not be too keen on you downing a bunch of innocent civilians in airships over the open ocean, and have the power to encase you in ice until I can come and start this whole process over again, should I let you go without converting or receiving bending first, or you betray me."
Raava heard a low, deep groaning, ecstatic to actually sense her own energy beyond her body, albeit at a very low level within Akiak. Still not withdrawing the sword, she listened in disbelief as a weak clacking voice said, "Put this way, the choice is obvious – the two spirits from which I draw some of my power would likely obliterate me even if I duped you successfully and received dual bending. You will many need to split my spirit nonetheless – there is but a spark of yourself within. The rest is much as before..."
Changing the energy stored within her sword, Raava let it flow, seeing the love grow slowly, and begin to have physical effects as well. The spirit's face shifted, an empty-looking shell re-formed the shape of lost eyestalks and the spirit's face itself. Raava noticed with alarm these shells still appeared much as they had before – dark purples and yellow-greens instead of white or blue. Wondering if she had been duped after all, a clacking voice said, "The old… left behind… in the shell… alive. Split from… the new… within. Keep… pumping… or old… overwhelming."
Agh, damn it! Sounds to me like Jinshu Kuangmai might get a new spirit ally after all – admittedly, an empty husk! Let's hope it can't bend…
Not about to obliterate and scatter a spirit that had just switched side as much as it could, even if Korra was right and the husk would remain animated and "house" a new –or would it be old? - Dark Spirit, Raava tried to think of the two best candidates to hurry along the transformation process. Korra was obviously not an option, given she was currently nowhere and everywhere, all at once, within. Tonraq and even Senna would likely not be pleased to see this spirit, given it once tried to end their daughter, and the light within the spirit was… still unimpressive or wholly convincing. For Water, this only left Katara and her daughter Kya as possibilities. Given Katara was likely less than a decade from pushing up lilies, almost 90, even though she was the better choice from the spiritual point of view, Kya would have to do. The obvious choice for the airbender Jinora or Tenzin, Raava found herself needing help on deciding who.
Simultaneously keeping up the energy flow, Raava thought, relaying her wishes to the tuber-vines connected to the Raging Shark Whale's super Kuviracomputer, "Patientstem, Jinorahead, I want you to bring the transport close enough for Kya, Tenzin and Jinora to bend their way over here, then pull back," relaying what had happened to a curious Jinorahead and asking for the plane's computer to relay what ended up occurring.
After what seemed like an eternity, Raava feeding her energy into the spirit and noticing that it really did appear to be splitting into two diametrically opposed beings, one housed within the shell and a thin layer of flesh, the other within the core. Raava began raising it to the surface once she was informed by Patientstem that the wait for help was over. Akiak's form still immobilized, she turned to face the source of whipping wind and water, surprised to see that much more than Tenzin, Jinora and Kya had come. Katara the only one absent that had anything to do with Air or Water, she asked, "I thought I said just three of you – what did that tuber-vine say exactly?" One of the more unlikely figures shook its head, Senna saying, "Nothing. This spirit wants to change, just like Kuvira did – and it needs help. We all decided to come, and it was everything Tenzin could do to get his mother to stay behind," laughing as she added, "Katara's acting more like she's still my age, as best as her body will let her…"
As Raava heard Senna's laughter, she noticed the process of half purification, half splitting accelerated. Raava heard a low clacking groan struggle out, "Vaatu… never… happy…" Realizing that even Pema could help, despite not yet having actually become an airbender, Raava ordered, "Everyone, try and grab ahold of something on me, or even on this spirit, 'Akiak' – going to need a new name, if everything goes as planned. But be careful of the husk!"
Doing something Raava hadn't thought of, she saw Korra's parents and Kya encase most of the spirit in ice, Tonraq yelling, "That should buy us some time if it does try to attack– now let's hurry!" Raava feeling multiple people's hands on her body, she saw that Senna and Jinora went straight for the spirit's exposed carapace. As soon as the young airbender's hand made contact, Raava felt herself acting as a conduit for something much greater than herself. As the non-judgmental and re-assuring energy flowed, Raava heard a titanic cracking sound drown out the sounds of whooshing air and splashing water.
The spirit shuddered, Raava able to feel that the transformation was nearing completion. After a low sigh, Raava sensed a vulnerable form taking shape within the confines of the husk at the same time the husk itself coursed with dark energies. The two opposing energies seemingly at a standstill, nothing occurring, the only sound she heard was that of waves and straining, Raava asked, "If I don't split you, this will never end - I can sense your agony. Do I have your permission to possibly obliterate you? I've never done this to completion before!"
"End… this… stalemate. Pain… indescribable. And… 'Jinora'… says… human-y? 'Kuvira'… pain?"
After warning everyone to be on alert, Raava changed the energy within her sword - to split, to sunder, not to mend. Focusing on the remaining link between light and dark, Raava attempted to make a clean cut, but found that she could not - every time she directed the energy to cut perfectly between light and dark, a force more powerful than any other supreme being she had ever interacted with interfered.
Growing tired of this, Raava made a messy cut, moving her sword at the same time severing the link, such that dark remained within the new, and light infected the old. Wondering why she had been unable to cut the way she wanted as she moved on to crippling the husk spirit's ability to fight as best she could, Raava felt a concept without words pass through her mind. At first, she was unable to put it into words, feeling embarrassed when Korra beat her to the punch: Light cannot exist without darkness, and darkness cannot exist without light.
Now let me out of here after you finish whatever you're doing! Wherever I "am" is just… weird.
Laughing, Raava thought, "Welcome to my world," trying to finish the job on the husk - to sever the odd link between all Dark Spirits and this one.
Maybe it's pointless - this spirit will likely not die, and flee to Jinshu Kuangmai eventually, and tell all then. Then again, any delay could mean the difference…
Finally finding her mark, Raava thrust her sword into the husks' chest after swimming down, sweeping the sword upwards as she said, "Let's see you squeal to anyone now!"
Raava heard a weak splashing sound. Looking up, she saw two small globules of water in the early morning light. Following an immense cracking sound, ice splinters visible in the edges of her vision, a much larger sphere of water rose above the two spirits - and split in two, one half steaming lightly.
Raava's eyes widened, yelling, "Everyone, out of here, now - something is acidbending, and it doesn't look friendly! Go, run, n - "
Raava found herself interrupted, and once again, on the inside, looking out through another's eyes. Confused - and furious!
Having seen how vulnerable the new spirit appeared, not even having a well-defined form yet, more mist and wind than anything physical, Korra wasn't about to let Raava ask people to cut and run. Making sure her most prized physical possession had been swapped for Raava's massive two-handed sword, she felt her hand touch her betrothal necklace, smiling, taking a deep breath as she thought, "For you..." Fully herself again, Korra bellowed, keeping a close eye on the slowly stirring husk, "I helped Kuvira when two spirits threatened her, and this new spirit is no less deserving of our help! I'm not abandoning that new spirit to Akiak!" Looking away for a moment, Korra was glad to see no one tried to run, continuing, "Jinora, Kai, Opal - defend the new spirit as best you can. Mom, dad, Kya, try to keep the acid away from everyone. Tenzin, help Pema and Meelo back to his gunship - it needs a pilot. I'm calling for help!"
You damned idiot! What do you think you're doing - do you not remember what your own acid did to solid rock?! I don't know if even metal will stand up to that - let alone flesh! This is the new spirit's fight now - not ours!
Ignoring Raava, Korra tried her best to contact Asami, anyone left behind on the ship. Connecting with someone unlikely, Korra told a confused-looking Wu, "Wu, I need you to tell everyone with a mechasuit to get ready for a big fight, and tell Sharktooth to bring me mine." Getting a dirty look from Wu, the former Prince asked, "What, now it's discriminating against benders?" Korra said, "What? No, it's just that - I don't have time for this! Earthbenders aren't exactly useful right now… We're in the middle of an ocean! Bolin, Lin and Su need to stay behind and reload the gunship's ammunition with Bumju's help, and tell Katara to get ready - we might have some nasty acid burns incoming!" Wu looked panicked, asking as he twitched slightly, "B-but I thought only you and your mother could do that?"
Wait… your mother was touching Akiak directly. Crap.
My best guess is if a bender has a special skill, and they are involved in the bending granting process… it is bestowed on the spirit. Great - if we go through with our deal, Vaazula will be a blood-iron bender for sure - though I have no idea where Fire will come from…
The image of someone resembling Azula wielding control over another's body disturbed Korra so much she accidentally broke the connection without explaining what Raava had said to Wu. Looking up, it was obvious as the large hostile spirit overhead that she wouldn't get a chance to reconnect - she'd be too busy fighting.
Seeing the husk, and what Korra assumed the new light spirit would look like, dread rose slowly from within her. The husk now pulsing with dark energy, Korra saw that one final abrupt transformation had taken place – the dark energies actually left the husk occasionally! The beating of purple-hued wings nearly drowned out a roaring boast: "Your mercy will cost you dearly – but I appreciate your foolishness nonetheless! Now, to destroy this new soft-hearted impostor – I am older than even Wan, and the true Spirit of the Deeps!"
Entering into the Avatar State, Korra yelled, "Protect the new spirit – I'm going to see what I can do to occupy the old – "
Korra's eyes widened, two lengthy purple tentacles shooting towards her almost imperceptibly. Rising in the air, clutching her betrothal necklace with her left hand, Korra splayed her right hand outwards. A large blue fire stream with a brightly burning tip shooting from her palm, right arm moving in a circle, a large blue incinerating disc appeared in front of her. Realizing she'd need both hands to finish the half-shell, Korra released her grip on the betrothal necklace, thinking, "If he mars me with acid, let alone takes me from…" The idea of leaving Asami alone, or even herself sporting a scar that would make Zuko's look like child's play, leaving Asami with less to look at…
Drawing on the rage she felt, Korra saw the flames intensify, their crackling now equal to the roar coming from the other side. Behind her thickened airborne half-sphere firewall, Korra advanced slightly towards the hostile spirit. Barely able to see anything on the other side, Korra frowned when she heard a clacking roar boast, "I remember everything… the can't delay me forever. I have nothing better to do, but you…"
Not having any idea what time it was, Korra began moving her hands closer together as the spirit continued taunting her, concentrating solely on her firebending. The blue firewall in front of her condensed and shrank as she did so, eventually forming a cone. The first time both of her hands were aligned, she pushed forward, yelling, "Eat this, arrogant overgrown lobster-crab!" The spirit finally shut up, though its movements were far too late… A massive concentrated fire jet connected with Akiak, swearing she could see white flame in the center of the superheated core.
Seeing that her target was smoking and reeling from the assault, many of its wing's tips engulfed in blue fire. Breathing heavily and beginning to feel the effects of her exertions on such little sleep, Korra looked around, seeing something that made her heart drop. Mako was nearby, defending himself against the onslaught of multiple untouched tentacles, dual dao swords sheathed in flame as they severed tentacles as one weapon.
Korra immediately rushed to his aid, yelling, "I'm coming - be careful!" One tentacle coming far too close for comfort and seeing that Mako was bleeding from multiple shallow puncture wounds, one near a gap and puncture in his plate armor at the groin bleeding particularly badly, Korra knew she would have her work cut out for her.
Hearing the roar of spirit engines behind her, a re-assuring tinny voice announced, "I'm here, Korra - I'll try to defend you while you patch Mako up!" Hearing another familiar voice yell, "I'm gonna carve you up into sushi for what you did to my boyfriend!" Korra yelled, grabbing Mako's hand, "Come on - Asami and Kuvira have us covered!" Seeing Mako wincing in pain, she asked, still staring at the intermittently bleeding wound near Mako's crotch, "How long were you defending me?"
Without a hint of anger, Mako gasped, "As long as… you were making that… amazing… attack." Feeling horrified that she had inadvertently caused his injuries, Korra knew that a lot of his armor would have to come off to get at his multiple wounds properly. Korra only had time to "explain" through infobending at first through the odd skin contact as she removed the armor. More pieces than she would have liked required manual removal due to partial penetration by barbs she was amazed had been able to puncture metal. Seeing Mako blushing slightly and noticing she herself was blushing, Korra said as she focused on the worst wound first, "It's just as awkward for me to have to try and heal down there as it is for you." Gritting his teeth as Korra tried to remove some latent dark energy in the wounds, he said, getting a wild look in his eyes halfway through, "You've got that right. I'm so glad you're - screw Asami, and Kuvira. You, me, later?"
Korra gave him a disgusted look, saying, "WHAT? What's wrong with you?" Forgetting the blood loss, Korra focused on the dark energy in the groin wound, finding it was nothing like she had ever felt before. The dark energy began to yield to removal after Mako shook his head, saying, "GAAH! I lost my head… What… what is that garbage in there?" Taking a deep breath, saying, "I don't know - but I'm going to get it out," Korra thought after, "Raava - this energy feels like Vaatu's, but… different. 'Human-y'…corruption?"
Oh my - another unanticipated side effect of becoming more human-y.
Korra shook her head, hardly able to believe the voice had been Vaatu's. Still unable to completely get the dark energy out completely, Korra told Mako, "There's something off about the energy - I want you to close your eyes, grab something important to you - other than me." Looking baffled, Mako held one dao sword by the yin yang metal and gem inlay, Korra seeing the spiritwire glow white momentarily. The dark energy now much easier to remove, Korra cleansed Mako completely of it. Internally hearing Vaatu's voice hiss and say Damn!, Korra couldn't help but wonder what Raava was doing, explaining to Mako as she finished healing the wounds with glowing hands, "Remember how Vaatu could turn spirits dark? I hope I'm wrong, but… if what just happened isn't just a fluke, spirits aren't the only thing strongly influenced…"
Korra felt sick when Mako nodded, saying, "That… sounds about right. One minute, I felt fine, the next, wanting to cheat, bitter, full of hatred - but only for a little bit, when you tried removing the energy by force." Mako reassured her, patting her on the back as they both hovered above the water on flame jets, "Don't worry - I felt a lot of energy enter into me when that barb first made contact near my goods, and just shrugged it off." Trying to see if he was lying, Korra placed a hand on his arm, not wanting to try and feel for an erratic heartbeat near Mako's crotch, of all places. His heartbeat was completely normal - as was hers.
"You should be glad I'm the first one to see you two - without context, I am sure both of your girlfriends would have many… questions."
Bending all the armor back onto Mako in a panic, Korra spluttered, grinning nervously, "Uh, hi, Sharktooth! Glad… you're the one who came over! Heh…" Mako laughed, saying with slight nervousness, "Me too - I remember what Kuvira did to her last breakup," Sharktooth laughing dryly just as the spirit he had a link to might have. Finally feeling comfortable enough to exit the Avatar State, Korra heard Raava's voice intone, Sorry about that - I was busy helping you, and talking to the new spirit in the meantime.
Hearing a loud clacking groan in the background, Korra knew she didn't have time for catchup, telling Mako before entering her mechasuit, "Go back to Katara, and tell her what happened to you. She needs to know about the dark energy if anyone else gets snagged." Mako nodded, reminding Korra before jetting off, "You might want to take it easy, Korra - you have to synthesize stuff after this."
Korra laughed, saying as she began moving Korra's Spirit, "Yeah, right - not use this new suit fully? I'm not holding back in this thing!?" Korra heard dry laughter, what must have been Sharktooth saying, "Why am I not surprised… I suppose I could dispense some Jang Hui stimulant - it appears Akiak does not wish to give you a break." Hearing a loud roar from outside the mechasuit and a metallic scraping, Korra looked to her spiritglass display, seeing her mechasuit was under attack.
Entering the Avatar State once again, Korra smiled to see every single spiritwire on her mechasuit and twin Avatar's Bites glowed a brilliant white with a hint of light blue – just like her eyes. Apparently, some of Raava's energy transferred directly through exposed spiritwire, Korra hearing Akiak let out a jagged roar of pain and pure fury as tentacles peeled off. Hearing Zhu Li say over the comm system, "We're going to start bombardment soon - don't get yourself in the way!" Korra told her co-pilot, "Sharktooth, link to me and give me some stimulant right now," figuring a direct link would make friendly fire almost impossible.
Korra winced, feeling a stab in the back of her neck at the same time metal cables penetrated her armpits. The pain subsided rapidly, Korra unsure if it was the Jang Hui kelp tea's work. Feeling her senses heighten, Korra flew in for her first attack ever inside Korra's Spirit. Dodging and weaving, Korra noticed a different kind of tentacle - ones made from pure dark energy! Looking to the source, she could see Kuvira and Asami must have been busy, many circular holes in the husk letting these new thick tentacles spill out, some looking substantial enough to support the spirit on land. Realizing that any cuts she made in the main carapace would likely have the same affect, Korra rose upwards, her mechasuit disobeying her command at the last second.
After a large volume of fire tore into Akiak, Korra heard staggered barking groans after many respectable-sized holes appeared in Akiak's wing membranes, Korra wondering if the Varrick gun's projectiles were actually somehow faster than sound itself. Realizing Meelo must be trying to knock out the spirit's ability to fly, Korra tried out a weapon she hadn't before, pointing her left arm at the base of one of the twelve massive wings, a mist rising around the spirit before she did so. Firing the medium-sized Liser at her barely visible target, Korra cursed at the result, saying, "Man, what? Why isn't it working - don't tell me this thing can't penetrate a bit of fog!" Keeping her hand steady and thinking, "Increase power to the Liser!" Korra saw the red dot on the outside of the shielding mist seemingly begin to boil the fog screen away. Somehow knowing she had been joined by Asami and Kuvira, Korra saw the fog screen begin to give way entirely at that one point, Korra hearing Asami say, "Guess these Lisers aren't perfect after all!" Korra sighed, realizing her dream of preventing any Korranium weapon use with Lisers just got more complicated if a bit of fog could make them not hit. Saying as much, she heard Kuvira chide, "Focus more on this, less on the future! The fog's almost all boiled away!" Korra heard an odd clacking laugh as the fog came back in force, Akiak boasting, "I'm wasting all kinds of time with this! Keep it up, fools!" Looking up from her mark, Korra saw the entire spirit was shrouded by mist, groaning in frustration when she heard Zhu Li say over the comm, "I can't see much in there - get that fog off him!"
Realizing she was the only waterbender with a mechasuit, Korra did exactly that, fighting an elemental tug-of-war with Akiak. Winning the tug-of-war, she yelled, "Hit him hard, now!" Seeing the wings begin to move, Korra swearing she saw small patches of shimmering water near slowly shrinking bullet holes, she tore the mist under her control in two, splashing the highly concentrated acid and base against different wing's attachment points. Repeating this once more, hearing a loud roaring as she did so, Korra saw the first Meesiles made contact after another round of Varrick gun fire, both physical and spirit warheads causing great damage to Akiak's wing membranes and back. The spirit appeared to list, yelling as tentacles flailed blindly at Korra's mechasuit, "NO - not my lift! Just what is your game?"
Seeing an opportunity to sever many tentacles at once, Korra detached her thighblades, glad to see their wire glowing with Avatar State energy and plasma dancing around their frontal edges. Trying to cut off the tentacles at their source as Varrick gun rounds continued, Korra let out a frustrated yell when the plasma vanished shortly before impact, listening with irritation as Sharktooth said dryly, "It appears that feature has a minimum range of roughly 40 feet." Remembering Mako managed to sever tentacles without plasma, Korra set out to sever every tentacle she could with pure steel, hearing metallic scraping on her mechasuit periodically. Even though one large barb had managed to penetrate Mako's armor partially earlier, Korra wasn't concerned - her mechasuit's armor was much thicker, and apparently protected more directly by the spirit wire than anyone had hoped.
Noticing too late on her display that one tentacle seemed to be aiming for something, Korra felt her mechasuit wobble, frowning and feeling some fear when she heard an alarm wail and "SPIRITWIRE CONNECTION TO LEFT FOOT COMPROMISED" pop up on her screen. Hearing an ominous weak splutter and Akiak roar, "Let's see how you like it the other way around, Avatar b-", her mechasuit leaned left after another scraping noise, the spiritwire connection severed completely. Knowing she was vital to keeping Akiak open to fire, Korra persisted in her attack and keeping the fog off, trying to see if she could fully support her mechasuit's mass with Avatar State flight or not. Thinking of Asami and Atokara, Korra shut off power to the other foot's spirit engine. Korra was genuinely surprised to hear Sharktooth hiss, "Test successful - though I wish you hadn't done that in the middle of a battle! Re-directing power to spirit weaponry…"
Shortly after, Korra tried something different. Unable to touch the display in front of her, she envisioned crosshairs around key points of Akiak's body, smiling to see them appear on her display. Not sure if everyone else could see, Korra asked over the radio, assigning names to every target by thought at the same time, "Can everyone see that, and your names?" Even Meelo answering "Yeah!", Korra yelled, "Then let's cripple this stupid thing so we can get to Omashu already! Hit your marks hard!" Hearing some cheering over the radio, her spirit weaponry fired all of its own, noticing many other beams of varying strength hitting Akiak at the same time in the key places she had designated. Most had a light blue core with twin white and blue helixes around the center, while some were a striking solid blue beam with twin bright white helixes. Akiak beginning to buckle under the bombardment, Korra noticed with a smile that both of Kuvira's breastbeams were in this latter, apparently more powerful category - though they weren't very thick.
Remembering her own mechasuit's damage and Kuvira's desire for more spirit weaponry on her own, not to mention Varrick's new replacement weapons, Korra said over the radio, "If anyone gets ideas on changes to equipment, don't be shy!" Akiak still resisted, incompletely incapacitated, Korra listened as Meelo asked, "What are we doing again, trying to pummel this spirit more? He looks pretty beat up to me!" Korra explained the small amount of self-healing the spirit seemed capable of, Varrick interrupting, "Just give him a few VarriMag rounds, Meelo – my guns are useless! Never got the chance to fix 'em."
Hearing four loud cracks shortly after, only a few seconds in between each, Korra looked in amazement at the continuous chunks taken out of Akiak's wings, what must have been a Varrick round's path continuing through the main husk like it was tissue paper. Remember even Raava's tentacles had not penetrated Akiak's armor, Korra said as the spirit roared when four more staggered cracks rang out, "Varrick, those things should be mandatory - wow!" Clearly proud, Varrick said, "Darn tootin' they should be. Maybe on everything!" After another four cracks rang out, Korra could see all of Akiak's wings were in tatters, the projections they all attached to looking worse for the wear as well. Korra heard Varrick whooping over the radio, an annoyed voice she didn't recognize saying, "I thought I told you… be patient! MEELO, cease fire immediately - there's something wrong with the VarriMag guns!" Figuring Akiak wasn't going anywhere soon, Korra looked towards the Raging Shark Whale, her heart dropped when she saw the weapons - the metal was almost white-hot in places!
Korra made her way towards the aircraft's nose as best she could, using heat re-direction to continue cooling the now orange VarriMag gun barrels, returning them to their proper shape using metalbending. Hearing radio chatter, Korra could hear something bad had happened, asking, "Where did Akiak go?"
Korra's stomach dropped when she heard Kuvira grumble over the radio, "DOWN, and towards Omashu, according to Conscience! I tried holding him back with metalbending cables, but… they snapped! He's still too strong! Can't fly, but given how quickly the metal broke, he can still swim well!" Knowing Akiak might still be a threat to the evacuation, even with his power of flight crippled, Korra thought, "Sharktooth, re-direct weapon power to spirit energy sensors!"
Seeing a large Dark Spirit quickly fleeing the scene underwater, Korra began to despair, thinking all their efforts had been in vain – even with weak flight, Akiak could ruin the evacuation, especially during the day when Yue couldn't help any. It wasn't until Sharktooth highlighted another massive spirit for her that Korra felt hope return, thinking, "Come on, new spirit - catch him!"
Hername is Imiqanuri, and she has something that darkened spirit could never hope to have. It's her fight for now, possibly a while - why don't you fix your mechasuit and work on the Firelord's spirit weapons?
Imiqanuri, as she now called herself, had barely felt her shell finish hardening before she heard a voice "she" might have groaned to hear only a short time ago command, You need to catch Akiak - prevent him from getting away! See if you can bring him back to the surface - you're the only one who can get him right now!
Plunging beneath the waves, her elongated segmented body undulated rapidly as she propelled and bent herself towards the spirit she had only a short time ago been part of. Akiak beginning to disappear into the gloom, she followed, her eyes just as adept as his in the low light, bright white phosphorescence from her own body helping light the waters. Sweeping her right immense blue, white phosphorescence speckled claw in an arc, she manipulated the water around Akiak, spinning him to face away from his goal - Omashu. Feeling little resistance as she dragged the other spirit closer, she could tell the other spirit still wanted to fight, though not apparently with the human who gave her a second chance. Imiqanuri used some of her countless swimmerets to adjust her position, easily avoiding Akiak's tentacles, taunting Akiak, "Sure aren't very brave, running away from a fight with a 'lowly' human?"
Hearing a clacking groan propagate through the water, Imiqanuri wish she had the mouth parts necessary to laugh in a "human-y" way when Akiak retorted, "I know when I'm outnumbered - I wasn't outclassed! Now, at this depth, I just have you to contend with!" Some bubbles escaped her mouthparts when she heard Raava intone, Looks like he's just as thick and prideful as Vaatu, idly wondering if Raava would see fit to give her a "human-y" form. A huge, multi-segmented elongated crab wasn't exactly comforting, much less the large spike and its acid-based weapon that rested underneath her final section's lobstercrab-like tail.
Of course - but later! I'm afraid you'll be going to the Southern Spirit Portal right after this - Korra's first home is not well defended right now.
Akiak finally closing the distance between them, Imiqanuri kicked like a gargantuan shrimp to avoid his many outstretched tentacles, grabbing hold of a good portion of them at the same time with her elongated left claw. Wondering if a water spirit could be "drowned", she switched, holding the squirming tentacles with her larger blue claw while using the spindly "air claw" to make a small bubble of air around Akiak's head, drawing from gas in the water.
Given how his body shuddered slightly, she must have done something right, maneuvering her tail into position near Akiak's squid-like rear, vaguely disappointed to hear him laugh, clacking rapidly, "You can't drown me - but I find the energy in that other claw weak, yet incapacitating! Just how 'human-y' did you go, softy?" More bubbles escaped Imiqanuri's mandibles as she said, realizing the bubbles must have been some form of laughter, "Enough to want a 'human-y' form of my own - trying to rescue sailors or airmen in this form would likely just make them all run away!"
Hearing Akiak roar, "SAVE them? Why?" Imiqanuri clamped down harder with her right claw, clacking hotly, "I wouldn't expect you to understand - the Avatar and Raava wanted to save me, not you! And I want to pay back the favor!" The other spirit groaned lowly, "You're a fool - the only reason… they didn't scatter us to the… sea's currents was… self interest!" Knowing Akiak was partly right, Imiqanuri took out her anger and frustration by tearing on the other spirit's tentacles at the same time forming a bit of acid inside a cavity near her tail. Akiak distracted by the tug, which actually snapped off some tentacles, she plunged her tail's stowed spike into the spirit's fleshy rear, the hard tip easily penetrating the hollow, soft flesh.
Injecting her load of acid into the other spirit's vital end, she barely noticed Akiak making a move of his own, a single large hooked tentacle managing to land directly between her eyes. Many large hooks penetrated her still-weak carapace…
Feeling dark, hateful energies enter her being, Imiqanuri heard Akiak boast, "You know what I said about convenience to be true - they wanted to destroy forever, not convert." Hearing another much greater spirit's voice say Yes - give up, give in to me once again, she could feel darkness within grow…
Vision from her multiple eyes dimming, Imiqanuri saw shifting images of two human women appear, recognizing both second hand. The most powerful spoke first, saying, "When I was 'just' Princess Yue, I thought all hope was lost after that despicable man Admiral Zhao killed Tui, the Moon spirit. After fighting off his own nation's soldiers, a former enemy, Iroh, convinced me to give the gift of life back to Tui. In doing so, giving hope back to the world, I became the Moon spirit myself - and I can sense some of my energy within you." Smiling, Yue continued, "Light cannot be extinguished by dark - not without a fight, and certainly not with allies like these."
The human turned moon spirit vanished, Imiqanuri hearing what must have been Kuvira speak, as though from an odd recording, "I want you all to know that I would never ask any of you to do something that I'm not willing to do myself." Puzzled as to what this had to do with the energies entering her, she saw images of Raava fighting Akiak - once "her" - directly, and many other images of the current Avatar, Avatar Korra, who had come up with the idea of making one last offer, fighting past battles personally… and almost losing, many times.
Remembering the struggles Kuvira went through, what Avatar Korra endured, seeing a condensed and edited version of ten thousand years of Avatars, Imiqanuri turned Akiak's attempted corruption back against him, feeling a being much more powerful than herself assisting as images and information flowed through a now frozen-in-place tentacle. A voice not her own rang out clear.
We are about equality - even the strongest among us cannot win by ourselves. We all pull our share, and would rather see a new ally than a new corpse or… husk. You will find nothing but lies and "untimely" weakness in the dark - alone, when you need your so called "friends" the most.
Hearing a clacking screech, she asked, "You heard Raava, given your pathetic cursing and screaming. Tell me – what do you owe Vaatu?" Akiak letting out a low groan, "He created us – elevated us above a lowly animal, a 'father'," she responded hotly, beginning to wrap herself around a weakly struggling Akiak, "He is no more my father than Kuvira's birth father is hers – I choose my own fate," adding, "I'm afraid the Avatar and Raava will decide yours."
Moving her tail in a slashing motion, Imiqanuri successfully severed most of Akiak's remaining rear tentacles, knowing the spirit would take a long time to get anywhere after that. The tentacle between her main eyestalks retracted, Akiak howled as she began to bring him to the surface, "They can scatter me for all I care – but it would do them more damage than I can do in this state anyways!"
Feeling one of her crabshell segments break the water's surface, Imiqanuri tried out something she hadn't gotten a chance to use yet – weightless flight. Her body clearing the water, she would have smiled if she could to hear a tinny version of Kuvira's voice yell, "She's got him! Man – you really did a number on him, didn't you?" Imiqanuri let out a bubbling, "Yes, I did," wondering why only Kuvira and Avatar Korra greeted her.
Everyone else is in the transport up above, designing changes or going back to sleep. We've got a schedule to make – Korra can handle it from here.
Korra had to admit, she wasn't sure entirely at first which spirit was Akiak and which was "Imiqanuri" at first glance, helpful labels appearing on her repaired mechasuit's display as Sharktooth nonchalantly stated, "Now you can see why she wants a 'human-y' form so badly." The new spirit really did have the power of weightless flight, given her wings were only partially formed yet she was holding Akiak aloft.
Jetting her way over to the two spirit's heads, Korra placed her mechasuit's palm onto Imiqanuri's beautiful blue primary shell, realizing the small white glowing dots formed the shape of a Master airbender's tattoo. Knowing she wasn't there for pleasantries, Korra moved on after a brief information exchange with the spirit, glad to see the spirit loosen her hold as she had been told. Speaking directly to Akiak, Korra brandished her dual armblades, saying before flaring plasma onto them for the first time, spiritwire glowing brilliantly, "I'm not going to kill you or scatter you to the edges of the Universe, Akiak – but when I'm done with you, you'll wish I had."
Sticking her right armblade into Akiak's "forehead", she attempted to energybend the spirit and remove his bending abilities. Seeing dark energy begin to creep into her right Avatar's Bite, the spiritwire beginning to glow black and red, Korra thought, "The true heart can tough the poison of hatred without being harmed," seeing the brilliant blue-white energy begin to creep the opposite direction, beginning to envelop Akiak's form.
Hearing a screaming roar of, "YOU CANNOT GIVE, THEN TAKE AWAY!" Korra found Akiak "cleansed" of her own energy, cursing him heartily before saying, "What the hell – even Ozai didn't react that strongly to being stripped!" Akiak let out a loud clacking laugh, calmly stating, "You may be able to take a human's bending away, but theirs was granted by the Universe – not Raava. The Universe and Raava are not one in the same – and it doesn't take kindly to retracting gifts."
Akiak doesn't strike me as being particularly… knowledgeable. Quick, retract your blade, cripple him, and leave him be! He just might be getting information from Vaatu with your blade stuck in like that!
Her armblade out of the spirit's head by the time Raava had finished intoning "blade", Korra looked at what was exposed of Akiak, seeing only one thing left to cripple – the head and eyes. Waving Imiqanuri off the front and asking for support from Kuvira, Korra tried out another weapon for the first time, using her chain and "mercury" tip to slice off the husks's eyes in two clean sweeps, not even having to move her body at all. Detaching the thighblades for the second time, Korra bent the glowing plasma-edged weapons to sever Akiak's "face", noticing towards the end that both elongated shield-shaped weapons did not require manual control – she need only think of where they were to go.
Getting an explanation when she heard Sharktooth say, "As you use equipment, I learn to use it myself, remember," Korra attempted creating cauterizing blue fire as the two thighblades lingered over where Akiak's face had once been, hearing the spirit scream, "GAH – the fire stings, all its repulsive… mercy!" even though he was down one "head". Remembering the spirit had slight healing abilities, Korra yelled over the radio, "Kuvira, shoot him full of holes, blow the whole lot of your explosive grenades, and we're outta here!"
Jetting backwards as her thighblades returned, Korra found herself wishing for physical weapons once again, seeing the sizeable pockmarks Kuvira's grenades left in Akiak's husk. Three wings to the front falling off entirely, their connections blown to bits by many small explosions, Imiqanuri severed another one with her dagger-like tail weapon.
Lopping off another with her chain and "mercury" scythe combination, before Korra could unsheathe her thighblades once again to finish the job, Akiak surprised her by dropping suddenly. Hearing his pitiful low groan, Korra exited the Avatar State, almost feeling sorry for him, the feeling vanishing when she heard him groan lowly before retreating, "Southern… Water… Tribe… destroy… too… weak… to…" Korra recoiled slightly, seeing Imiqanuri strike the fleeing foe with her tail viciously, the spirit severing another wing with her blow as she hissed, "Not in a hundred Harmonic Convergences, vile thing! Get out of my sight, before I kill you!" Akiak obliging rapidly, Korra had the feeling she wouldn't be seeing him again anytime soon – and realized the new Jinora had given Imiqanuri more than the power to fly without effort.
The spirit in question dropped into the sea below suddenly, dark blue waterbound mouthparts frothing in apparent confusion and frustration. Recalling Jinora's misadventures with weightless flight, Korra jetted down, imparting more about the new technique to the spirit as she said, "It appears that trying to grab someone's penis isn't the only thing that can break flight – I could see the malice in that final blow." Hearing the spirit think, "I… I'm sorry, but hearing what he said, something… took over…" Korra re-assured the spirit, "That sounded awfully human – maybe we can get you a 'human-y' form right now."
Gah – even if you finished Izumi's weapons, you have a lot of stuff to synthesize, if half of what the braintrust wants is to be made or modified! Later!
Rationalizing that people of her Tribe might glimpse the spirit as she made her way to the Southern Spirit Portal to protect it, Korra decided to try and override Raava, asking Imiqanuri, whose eyestalks Korra just now noticed were looking directly at her in about as an endearing manner as they could, "What do you want your human-y form to look like, or more importantly what do you want to do, exactly?" Suppressing a snort when Raava intoned Fine! Korra listened as Imiqanuri attempted to describe what exactly she wanted to be the spirit of, finally settling on a protector and healer of those who lived and served off and around the sea as well as rescuer of stranded sailors and aircraft pilots.
Seeing as the spirit already had partial Master airbender tattoos in the form on white dots that created an outline, Korra placed her mechasuit's hand to the spirit's carapace, showing her idea. Imiqanuri's human-y form was intended to instill trust as well as give off a sense of power, an ample motherly and soft figure with skin tone the same as Korra's possessing Master airbender tattoos. Realizing with a laugh the white-haired figure had no clothes, Korra imagined a traditional Air Nomad garb with slightly short-cut sleeves to better show the tattoos. Korra was surprised to see the image shift, the still blue-eyed figure wearing what Korra somehow recognized as a younger Katara's clothing instead. The figure was now confidently holding and twirling an airbending staff that ended in a blade closely resembling Jinora's, with the exception of a symbol for Water on the staff's blade.
Very well – she's made her choices. To be honest, the blade makes more sense on her than Jinora, given Imiqanuri actually has something like that on her bigger form. Let's see what happens.
Korra removed her hand, awaiting Raava's next command. Not liking the one she got, she told Kuvira over the radio, "I'll be just a little bit – why don't you go back to the transport?" Seeing Kuvira jet off on her display, Korra grimaced, thinking, "Did you tell Imiqanuri what you want me to do? Is it really necessary to… stick the blade in her head? Are you sure I can do this?" Korra listened as Raava said internally, at great length, I'm not totally sure, but there's only one alternative. It's either you do it, or you hop out of the mechasuit and let me do it after a "switch". Remember what happened to Mako… You really want to exit your mechasuit and risk getting snagged, with Akiak still in the area? You don't even have armor plating on over your clothes like Mako did! Want to find out what Akiak can do to exposed flesh up close and personal? The answer an obvious no, Korra closed her eyes, letting Sharktooth guide the armblade into the spirit's carapace. After nothing happened, Imiqanuri not even groaning slightly, Korra herself put the other armblade into position, entering the Avatar State as the other glowing blades went beneath the surface.
Hearing an odd sucking sound, Korra turned her head, the spiritglass camera display showing a massive amount of water streaming in towards the spirit's form, seemingly being absorbed by Imiqanuri. Segments growing larger and the armor her armblades were stuck into actually beginning to creep outwards, Korra quietly wondered if thinking of a more than husky human-y form for the spirit was the cause of the, well… weight gain. Laughing when Raava intoned, Both yes and no, Korra saw the limp wings on the spirit's back begin to straighten up and out, eventually seeing six pairs of massive blue and white dragonfly wings. Noticing another change closer to her, Korra watched as white airbender arrows formed, idly wondering if the spirit was getting help to be an airbending "Master", even though it was less than thirty minutes old. Seeing a flash of Avatar Yangchen nodding as if to tell her the answer was yes, Korra saw one final change take place. The tail's end now much larger, Korra could see the similarly larger spike sticking out from underneath as the tail lifted into the air slightly.
Withdrawing her armblades, the small void left was quickly filled in, Korra waited eagerly to see Imiqanuri's human-y form. Getting her wish, the massive spirit shifted, eventually taking on the motherly figure the spirit had chosen. Korra looked at the form and its comforting curves and wide hips, feeling like ejecting from her mechasuit and giving Sharktooth a little firepunch when he said, "Yeah – take a good look, Korra. Bet you'll look like that after your second or third pregnancy – maybe even the first, if Asami dotes on you too much." Korra wasn't going to get fat – if anything, she wanted to get fitter! Though Korra did not find the remark funny, apparently Imiqanuri had heard and found it amusing, saying with a smile, "Neither of us have to worry about weight, being able to fly freely. At first, I thought this 'form' wasn't right, but… I guess you could say it grew on me." Korra groaned, asking, "Raava, did you just give this spirit Katara's clothes and Sokka's sense of humor? Because that will be really awkward explaining – to both of them."
Not hearing any response, Korra felt like she had been cut out of the loop when both Sharktooth and Imiqanuri began snickering. The fact that her mechasuit was now heading towards the Raging Shark Whale without her input alongside a flying Imiqanuri only made her feel more like Raava had cut her out of some joke.
Jinshu Kuangmai was in the middle of working on yet another re-design of one of their new tanks with Chin when Vaazula tapped him on the shoulder. Seeing she was smiling, he asked, "Is it news about the special project?" Vaazula laughed, temporarily shifting forms for some reason, continuing in the same voice that he loved so much, "I do not know much, but from what little I can see at the moment, we have a new, very powerful spirit ally."
Jinshu Kuangmai sighed, saying, "What, did the 'fish-man' you converted manage to get out of the Spirit World or something? No offense, but that last time only got on my nerves, getting my hopes up." After being woken at one in the morning, he had been hours without sleep, having downed cup after cup of tea in an effort to stave off sleep and stay fully awake, so he had a hard time believing his ears when Vaazula said, now back in his preferred form given how he felt a long fingernail on his neck, "No – a Dark Spirit that somehow got dual bending before I did." Vaazula continued, "I'll need to draw something for you," frustrating Chin slightly when she plucked the pencil from Chin's hand and pushed aside Chin's latest attempt to marry spiritsteel, a new formulation of fire-earth Chin was pushing that married spirit vines and some process involved in making mover film, of all things, and spirit weaponry.
Vaazula stopped, lingering over the tank's blueprints, saying confidently as she pointed to a fire-earth weapon, "Unfortunately, he is currently very weak. I can only tell a few things from this spirit – he was greatly weakened by the Avatar and her allies, leaving him of no use until he is healed – or augmented. One of the other things I can tell is that it was certainly not bending that did the most damage – technology did. The only other thing I know aside from his current and former physical state is that it was not spirit weaponry that did most of the damage, given his spirit is supposedly strong…" Vaazula rapidly drew out the spirit's form in its original state on one blueprint paper, saying, "This is what the spirit looked like before devastation by the Avatar and her allies…"
Watching Vaazula re-draw the spirit's current form, Jinshu Kuangmai felt terror begin to creep into his heart, eyes wide as he said, "Just what in the name of the Earth Empire do they have?" Looking at long gouges taken out of the spirit – labeled "Akiak" – and in particular many holes in the half-dozen surviving wings, some quite large, Jinshu Kuangmai found himself deferring to an underling he thought entirely too soft for his own good for once, asking Chin, "What… what could possibly cause that kind of damage, Chin?"
Seeing the vestiges of a small smile appear and quickly vanish from Chin's face, Jinshu Kuangmai almost vented his frustration on Chin, but stopped, staring Chin in the eyes as he said, "You may be the technological golden boy right now, but do not get on my nerves. Am I clear?" Chin merely looked at him, saying nonchalantly, "I only have two things to tell you. One, that if I were on the front right now with my two battalions of 'conscripts' that follow me out of loyalty and not fear, they would have broken into that prison camp you want so badly by now. And, most importantly, two – "
Just who do you think you are?!
Furious, Jinshu Kuangmai made sure Chin was having sudden difficulty breathing, bellowing, "I CONDUCT MY AFFAIRS AS I SEE FIT, AND I DO NOT SEE HOW THOSE PEASANTS ARE FIT!"
Jinshu Kuangmai heard a feminine, "Ahem," followed by Vaazula speaking in a condescending way that made him wish he could choke her as well without her shifting: "Fool! Control yourself. Perhaps you need some sleep – this man may be annoying, but he is too valuable to kill, and partially right. You have an extensive collection of stories and details about my human namesake's life, and the people lucky enough to be around her. Surely, you remember how Zuko got his scar? THAT is the conscript's use – fodder." Seeing Chin still looked furious, Jinshu Kuangmai maintained his hold.
On some whim, he deigned to let Chin's blood flow again, Chin still insubordinate at first, saying, "I have seen you treating the civilians of Zaofu with more civility. And though I completely despise him, I have treated your Chief Military Officer Wuqing with more respect than I did you just now." Jinshu Kuangmai sighed, too tired to bother making a choke on Chin as he was insubordinate again, daring to retract part of his apology, saying, "Though, if trying to win affections is periodically good enough for the civilians of Zaofu, I fail to see how it is not good enough for our soldiers. All of them." Knowing half of Chin's precious peasants weren't even benders, lucky to have received so many mechasuits given even the spirit vine powered ones were about to be obsolete –
Because of Chin's breakthrough.
Jinshu Kuangmai shook his head, unsure if that thought "sounded" like his own… or if it was in the voice of a young boy.
Recollecting himself, he asked, "What is number two? The second thing you wanted to say?" Seeing Chin grin in a way he had never before, almost properly, like a predator, the man Jinshu Kuangmai thought was a hopelessly soft genius said, "The second thing is that there is something that will make even the weakest of my men safe and powerful, and if used from within these new tanks, safe to kill with impunity. I believe, based on the type and shape of injuries this 'Akiak' spirit sustained, and my own theories about the effects of various types of fire-earth weaponry, that this right here…"
Chin paused, fishing out one of his precious fire-earth weapon blueprints.
Tapping his finger, Chin said, "This is what is the future – what we need, to close this war down." Jinshu Kuangmai gave Chin the benefit of the doubt, seeing as he had just displayed proper behavior for the first time, saying, "Your savage grin was your savior. Now, explain to me, how this drawing of a spirit proves your new fire-earth and other weapon systems are deserving of more resources than spirit weapons." At first, Chin looked lost in thought, about to speak when Vaazula interjected, "I just got something else – it was very hazy, and… could only barely make out what happened, and where."
Jinshu Kuangmai could feel the cumulative stress of the past week and low sleep starting to get to him, most recently having been up ever since that traitorous Jasmine interrupted what was an admittedly interesting night's sleep completely. Remembering one part of his night, he watched as Vaazula drew a rough sketch and a crude map, recalling the image the Avatar had showed him of an airbending projectile somehow able to…
Puncture steel! GAH – what a fool I've been!
Seeing Vaazula was done drawing, Jinshu Kuangmai was about to tell Chin he'd have all the resources he'd need, to perfect fire-earth and especially defenses against it, seeing how the holes in the spirit's large wings perfectly resembled the smaller ones…
In the heads and hearts of my poor soldiers. Maybe we are outclassed…
Jinshu Kuangmai could tell he was slipping now – all these deviant thoughts. Returning to the present, Jinshu Kuangmai caught Vaazula mid-sentence, asking her to start again. Not caring about the annoyed huff she made, stating, "I was merely informing you of their abysmal progress towards Omashu– still near that failure of a Fire Nation Avatar's old island home – Roku…," he listened as she explained, "I do not know how exactly it works, but… you remember the two advanced mechasuits I saw through that Dark Spirit at some early hour in the morning?" He nodded, Vaazula continuing, "Apparently, when Akiak made physical contact with these strange wires on the Avatar's mechasuit, particularly the back, the energy actually repulsed him, burning – direct contact with Raava's energy." As though receiving another bit of information, Vaazula drew outwards from the wire, eventually forming an entire familiar mechasuit.
While it closely resembled the one Vaazula had seen earlier based on her drawings, and a very large influence on the newest line of Earth Empire mechasuits, it appeared much more massive. Jinshu Kuangmai's green eyes widened as Vaazula scribbled the note "Much larger than Avatar" on the side, drawing in a representation of Avatar Korra to the side.
What – her head doesn't even come to that thing's chest! Why is the chest so large – surely, there aren't weapons in there? And how can they afford such frivolities like making the mechasuit large, but still resemble themselves?! And… four modified spirit weapons? What are the ridges for?
"Just give up now!"
Jinshu Kuangmai cursed internally, idly wondering if the Universe might enact petty revenge on him for Vaazula's "stealing" of secrets, and let the Avatar in on his special project through the little brat who had just spoken…
Looking again at the figure on the page, Vaazula said, "Now that I have your attention again… If the Avatar's energy can flow directly into these wires and contact with them transfers energy… there is no reason to believe it couldn't work the other way around. Chin, what could this mean?" Chin scratched his chin, saying, "I believe spirit energy can be converted from one form into another, just as electricity can be converted to heat… and we believe these mechasuits are powered by some extremely potent power source and borderline sentient, no, sentient, given the Dark Spirit's intelligent behavior …" Tracing his finger along some wire on the Avatar's mechasuit, Chin said, frowning, "Energy can flow two directions, just like water – waterbenders love to turn any attack made against their opponent. Given the Avatar hails from the Southern Water Tribe… It is likely any energy that hits these wires would be absorbed, given the fact that they can directly give off energy. Perhaps any metal on the suit – we do not know the make of the metal. Waterbending… The energy could even be turned around, unleashed through those modified spirit cannons on the shoulders…"
Jinshu Kuangmai cursed, saying, "GYAAAH!" Fishing out Chin's fire-earth designs, Jinshu Kuangmai said, now seeing the need for fire-earth, "These projects are to be given highest priority. In a vivid dream, the Avatar taunted me with an image of an airbender using some kind of steel projectile that, once it hits, despite being propelled by a puny airbender, punches right through metal. Given the damage to this 'Akiak' spirit, something tells me they attacked him with some of a much higher… caliber, was your term, Chin?" Chin nodded, saying, "I will work as hard as I can to make these projects spiritsteel compatible – perhaps the process could be modified to work on anything involving earth or metal…"
Closing his eyes, Jinshu Kuangmai saw a legion of these new tanks, other vehicles and aircraft Chin had suggested sweeping from Zaofu towards the prison camp, towards Omashu, outwards and onwards…
Feeling like himself again, the image vanished, Jinshu Kuangmai opening his eyes and saying, "I need some sleep," not explaining why – to recover what he felt like was slipping sanity, finding thoughts that had formed in his mind in the past few hours… undesirable. More undesirable than the sexual criminals he feared he'd never get to execute. Chin nodded, looking tired as well, yet still he said, "I do as well – but I will work anyways. The sooner these new weapons go to the front, the better my soldiers can handle themselves… maybe I can even go there myself." Chin having a strange expression on his face, Jinshu Kuangmai realized Chin really did miss those sorry lot he called his soldiers – ones who had not defected after Jasmine's backstabbing, ones he had heard fought like tiger armadillos when Chin was around…
Perhaps I do need to make things more merit-based, and less "class".
Looking at the blueprints in front of him, realizing these vehicles and fire-earth weapons would let even nonbenders be a force to be reckoned with, Jinshu Kuangmai felt himself quelling a nagging doubt in the back of his mind – one about whether he was slipping or not. He said, "Perhaps I do not need sleep after all – if you are willing to work, Chin, so am I – and we both know how much faster the processes are when I'm bending, for whatever reason. I may hate Kuvira and her betrayal, but she was right to say this, before taking the city where we're now sitting above, hidden…"
He said, "I believe she said 'I want you all to know that I would never ask any of you to do something that I'm not willing to do myself.' Hiding in Zaofu is not what I had in mind while my soldiers are working…" Vaazula interrupted, saying, "Your work with Chin is more important than being at the front – the Earth Empire was the first to enter a new age of technology, and it cannot fall behind!" Jinshu Kuangmai nodded, saying, "Yes – but that is not why I quoted the 'Great Uniter'."
As much as it pained him to say it at first, he continued, "If we are to have any hope of stopping further defections or holding our ground, I cannot rely on 'the stick' alone – even… Privates need a reason to fight, beyond 'I'll choke you if you don't!' or for their fellow soldiers." Seeing Chin beaming, Jinshu Kuangmai added, looking at Vaazula, "If a spirit such as yourself is judged on merit and contribution, I fail to see how humans are any different. Especially since we will be adding a powerful spirit to our ranks soon – when he gets here..."
Jinshu Kuangmai had never expected to see both Vaazula and Chin smiling at the same time, much less quelling yet another internal doubt about becoming soft. Remembering how some of Zaofu's civilians had warmed to him and worked harder when offered the chance to earn better living quarters through service, he knew this new approach was practical.
"Maybe there's hope left for us yet."
Jinshu Kuangmai groaned internally, thinking, "It is only to better kill and conquer with – not out of true concern for the soldiers," doing a physical double-take when he heard Tonga taunt, "Yeah, right – I remember your reaction to seeing your soldiers die earlier tonight at the hands of a 'pathetic' airbender!"
Jinshu Kuangmai distracted himself from the pest by looking at blueprints for two special seemingly contradictory projects for this Dark Spirit Akiak - supposedly capable of bending water and air. Pointing at one, he said, tracing his finger over a portion that closely resembled the special project he hoped to keep secret until the last moment, "This, but after the other one is attempted –perhaps even both, the other first. If what Vaazlua has seen is true, Akiak's first encounter with 'fire-earth' did not go very well, and it appears he has an original 'wound' in his husk from where the carapace split to let out what I must assume is yet another spirit ally for the Avatar."
He didn't like how grim Vaazula looked after hearing his wild guess, baffled to see her close her eyes temporarily, saying finally, "She won't be bothering us anytime soon – apparently, the Avatar sees reason to guard the Spirit Portals beyond her little barriers." Taking another deep breath, Vaazula let out a sigh, admitting, "I could only get this from Akiak; with all the latent energy of Raava and the Avatar infecting him and sullying my link to him, his mind is not healthy, just like my namesake's in the end: the Avatar fears walking too close to the 'dark' side to get what she wants – Omashu and the prison camp evacuated – may shatter the barriers."
Looks like I'm not the only one trying to walk a knife's edge to get what I want…
Good. Maybe if those barriers shatter, we can… no, far too early. I remember very clearly the Avatar's little warning – and there are spirits on the other side that already side with me.
Seeing Vaazula looked cross at the delayed response, he said, "I was just thinking of the aligned spirits trapped inside like the fish-man you talked up," finding Vaazula's smile more attractive than usual. As he got up, making to head for the new fabrication room with Chin to begin working with Jang once more, he found himself not bothered or phased in the least when he heard Tonga say, swearing the boy sounded older, "Love grows…"
Hah! No, it doesn't – not your kind of love. Survival, building of strength, prudence and effectiveness first – brutality and pursuit of pure power second, when I'm in the position to do so. If I'm dead or disarmed, I can't do anything to truly enjoy myself, now, can I?
I changed Vaatu – I see no reason to not change myself in small ways to better ensure ultimate victory. Reward for service is just another form of control… even Raava and the Avatar understand this truth, even if they think of it in the wrong way.