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The Bridge Between Worlds – Chapter Ninety-Seven
A rocky overlook loomed over the horizon in the foggy realm.
While countless bizarre and mystical structures littered the landscape for as far as their eye could see.
It had been nearly an hour since the team had left the Realm of Koh and Ty Lee just now felt as if she was free to breathe a sigh of relief.
"I hope we never see that spirit again." Ty Lee stated at long last with her heart still racing in terror while Azula rolled her amber golden eyes.
"I found him to be quite forthcoming…for the most part." Azula spoke with a still present smile on her lips while her childhood friends shivered beside her.
"We'll be seeing him again soon if we don't make good on our end of the deal." Mai commented quietly with her tawny eyes gazing in discomfort ahead while Ty Lee grimaced over the reminder.
"Well then. We'll just have to give him your face. It's not like you need it. You don't ever smile anyhow." Zoi insulted in a nonchalant voice as she walked ahead of the other noblewoman while Mai now glared daggers at the back of her head.
"Shut up Zoi." Mai replied with just a spark of energy in her dispassionate voice while the captain just smiled back at her.
"Failure will not be tolerated on this mission. Do I make myself clear?" Azula declared in a frigid voice as she turned to gaze imposingly back at her subordinates while they quickly nodded their heads.
"Azula-sama? I have a question." Elle announced in an adorable voice as she raised her hand like a child in class while her mistress turned to her with approving amber golden eyes.
"What is it Elle?" Azula inquired in an ever-authoritative voice with her fists planted on her shapely hips while she gazed down at her petite follower.
The highborn women waited patiently as their young friend thoughtfully chewed on her lower lip.
Before she turned to peer up at them with a contemplative look in her amber eyes.
"Since that spirit took the face of a Roman soldier…then do you think that the people from our worlds may have interacted long ago?" Elle in a curious voice with her amber eyes gazing up at her princess's intrigued face while her mistress rose an intelligent brow in consideration.
As her big sisters gazed on with wonder in their eyes as they mulled over the possibility.
"Romans…are they a prominent people in your homeland?" Zoi asked in a fascinated voice with her golden eyes gazing down at the younger girl's gentle face in a desire to know more.
"They were. Roman society existed under various forms for well over two thousand years. In ancient times they were the world's greatest power but over time they gradually lost influence. Until they finally collapsed almost six hundred years ago during the Fall of Constantinople." Elle explained in an informative voice as she gazed up at Zoi's impressed countenance.
The princess and the two noblewomen once more listened with gazes of fascination in their eyes.
"Incredible. They were quite the long-lasting civilization." Zoi remarked in a tone of respect while Azula stood with a well-manicured fingernail under her chin.
"If there truly is a World Gateway…that is a likely probability. At the very least it would imply that this…Koh has visited your homeland once before." Azula spoke in a deductive voice with her stoic gaze staring back at her four subordinates enthralled faces.
"Then that just makes this moment all the more memorable." Elle stated with a sentimental smile growing upon her lips while she gazed up at her friend's bewildered faces.
"How so Elle?" Ty Lee queried in a fond voice with a small smile on her lips while her little sister smiled up at her.
"Someone was bound to come over…it could have been anyone that came here in my place. It could have been someone long before us. Or maybe even someone long after our time. But it wasn't. It was us." Elle answered with heartfelt emotion overflowing from her voice while the older girls listened in a moved silence.
The highborn women of the Fire Nation could only gaze down at their young friend with their eyes expressing a shared taken aback emotion.
As Elle peered up at them with a joyful mistiness in her innocent eyes.
"We are the first people to meet from our homelands in possibly many hundreds of years. It didn't have to be us and it was. What are the chances that it would be us?" Elle responded in a spirited voice with a grateful smile on her lips while she gazed up into her friend's speechless eyes.
Each of the four older girls were touched on some level by their kind-hearted friend's words.
Even the ruthless Fire Princess herself.
Azula found herself unable to resist staring down at her servant with a sliver of profoundly affected emotion in her cold amber golden eyes.
The three noblewomen gazed on with poignant expressions adorning their faces.
"Elle is right. That is special." Mai agreed with a small smile pulling at her lips while a tear brewed in Ty Lee's right eye.
"It is. It couldn't possibly be any pinker than this. Could it Azula?" Ty Lee commented with a grin upon her lips as she wiped at her eye while Azula snapped out of her reverie.
"No Ty Lee. I suppose it couldn't." Azula sighed in a cold voice that disguised her fondness for her sensitive admirer while she gazed down at her serving girl's emotive face.
"A-and I'm thankful for it. I am happy that it could be us." Elle confessed in a lovable voice as she fiddled her thumbs while she smiled bashfully up at her mistress's hardened visage.
She tackled the tall woman's armored belly while the princess immediately stiffened under her loving embrace.
"Aww! Azula!" Ty Lee gushed with a rapidly growing smile on her face while the princess glared at her through the corner of her eye.
Her two fellow noblewomen also gazed down at the younger girl with a look of affection in their eyes.
As the princess's crimson lips pursed into a proud scowl as she glared down at her devoted servant with cold amber golden eyes.
Yet even so.
She somehow found herself unable to detach the smaller girl from her stomach.
"That's enough now Elle. You can hang onto me more another time." Azula remarked in an ever-dignified voice while her young girlfriend emotionally nodded her head before she separated from her belly.
"Right! We have a mission to complete!" Elle exclaimed as she bounced on her feet while Ty Lee patted her shoulder.
"Indeed. And I have a suspicion that it is just beyond that ridge." Zoi stated in a determined voice with her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.
The others followed her gaze as they peered up at the towering overlook.
"Then let us resume. I insist upon seeing this World Gateway with my own eyes." Azula commanded in a courtly voice with her lips pulling into a clever smile as she began to make her way upward through the mystical fog.
As her team resumed their stride alongside their leader.
They carefully kept their eyes peeled for any sign of danger.
"What do we do if we encounter the Avatar Azula?" Ty Lee questioned in a concerned voice while Elle peered at them with another flicker of worry in her amber eyes.
"Ty Lee has a point. The Spirit World is the Avatar's specialty. We shouldn't discount the possibility." Mai commented in her usual monotone voice while her tawny eyes gazed through the seemingly endless mist.
"Simple Ty Lee. If the Avatar does show. It will be five against one. The tiger monkey has awoken her power. And our chi has been restored to maximum capacity. He won't stand a chance." Azula spoke with a confident smile upon her beautiful lips while Ty Lee numbly nodded her head in understanding.
"Well Princess…when you put it like that…" Zoi trailed off with a smirk on her lips while a cruel smile pulled at Azula's lips.
"We'll kill him." Azula concluded in a silken purr with her amber golden eyes taking on a sadistic stare while her childhood friends hesitantly nodded their heads.
Before she glanced down through the corner of her cold eye when she took notice of the fretful look in her serving girl's eyes.
"What…what if we run into something…worse than the Avatar?" Elle pondered in a soft-spoken voice with her amber eyes gazing down in apprehension while her highborn friends listened attentively.
The four older girls paused for a moment as they exchanged a look with one another.
"That's right. Mava told us that the Avatar was not our greatest enemy." Zoi stated in a stony voice with her golden eyes gazing back at her princess's now coldly frowning countenance.
"I am well aware Zoi. That spirit was very descriptive. Until I broached the subject of this…Elder One. He almost seemed…fearful of this being." Azula remarked in a reflective voice with her full lips pursing into a regal scowl.
Mai and Ty Lee shared a nervous look as they walked beside their shuddering little sister.
"I noticed that too." Zoi said in a stony voice as she trudged up the pathway while Elle chewed on her lip in uncertainty.
"P-please don't that name Azula-sama. I don't like it. It has a bad feeling to it." Elle commented meekly as the others turned to her in surprise while her princess rose an articulate brow in bewilderment.
"What? Elle. It is just a name." Azula responded with her brows furrowing in a questioning manner while she gazed down at her admirer's hesitant face.
"I…I know. But when I hear it, I feel as if a terrible presence is starting to come over me." Elle explained in a noticeably unsettled voice as she bit her lip.
Her four highborn friends stared down at her with taken aback looks in their eyes.
Before Ty Lee frowned with her kind brown-gray eyes gazing down at the younger girl in unhidden concern.
"If it bothers Elle then don't say it Azula." Ty Lee urged as she turned to the princess's baffled face before her friend finally relented.
"Fine Elle. I won't say the stupid name." Azula scoffed in a seemingly uncaring voice with a roll of her eyes while her serving girl padded alongside her.
"And I can't say that I blame Koh for not wanting to discuss such a horrible presence. If someone came to me wanting to talk about it. I…wouldn't talk either." Elle muttered in a disquieted voice while the highborn women listened in disbelief.
"Elle…are you saying that this…being felt worse than the face stealing spirit that we just met?" Mai asked with a worried edge to her voice while Elle shakily nodded her head.
"M-much worse. I…can't really put it into words. It's…just a feeling that I have." Elle admitted in an anxious voice as she averted her eyes from her friends troubled faces.
The older girls once again shared another perturbed look with each other.
Before Ty Lee set a caring palm on Elle's shaken shoulder while she offered the worried girl a reassuring smile.
"No matter what happens Elle. You won't have to face it alone. We'll be there for you. We all will." Ty Lee assured in a supportive voice with her hand lingering on the younger girl's shoulder while Elle's face brightened once more.
As the others nodded their heads in a rare moment of unity.
"Try not to worry about it, Elle. We'll help you figure it out." Mai stated with a small smile on her lips while Elle gazed up at her with grateful amber eyes.
"Fear not my young friend. You have the strength of the Song clan behind you." Zoi spoke with a stoic nod while her golden eyes gazed back at the young girl's emotional face.
Before all eyes turned to the powerful princess as she let out another spoiled sigh.
"You wouldn't survive without us. Clearly it falls upon me to dictate your little life for you." Azula sighed with a smile returning to her lips while she shook her head in a fond fashion.
"A-arigatou gozaimasu minasan." Elle stammered with an appreciative smile overtaking her lips while her big sisters smiled back at her.
She found herself gazing up at her princess's beautiful face.
As the older woman gazed back down at her with captivating amber golden eyes that made her young heart skip a beat.
"I will crush all who stand in our way Elle. Just follow my lead dear. And I'll take care of the rest." Azula announced in a sanguine voice with a confident smile upon her lips while her young girlfriend adorably nodded her little head.
"I-I will do just that Azula-sama. Forever as you command." Elle agreed with returning cheer in her innocent voice while her princess smirked in approval.
Just as their attention was refocused when they found themselves pausing in their tracks halfway up the path.
Only to find themselves gazing up with alert eyes when they saw a faint ray light resonating from above them.
"We're close." Zoi stated in a matter-of-fact voice as she quickened her pace while her four companions hurriedly followed after her.
And within minutes they finished trekking through the bizarre rock formations.
Only for their eyes to widen when they finally made it to the top of the Spirit World overlook.
The team stood there in disbelief as they now gazed back in shock at a small portal that had formed in the very air before them!
It sparked ominously with a strange energy radiating off of it while the girls gazed on in fascination.
"T-that's…that's it Azula-sama." Elle stammered in an awestruck voice with her amber eyes gazing at the vortex in marvelment while it swirled before them.
"So…this is the fissure." Azula commented in a stunned voice with her amber golden eyes staring back in boundless interest.
"Then that means that those soldiers are coming from someplace beyond this opening." Zoi spoke with her golden eyes watching the portal as it sparked with mystical energy.
"Do…do we just go through it then Azula?" Ty Lee questioned in a hesitant voice while the princess scoffed as she walked up beside her.
"Obviously Ty Lee. How else will we see what awaits on the other side?" Azula answered in a smooth voice with her indescribably curious amber golden eyes gazing back at the vortex of energy.
"Then…we should go through together at the same time…as friends." Elle declared in a sweet voice with her amber eyes turning to gaze back at her companions moved faces.
"I agree with Elle. If we're going to do this, we should do it as a group." Ty Lee spoke with a nod of her head.
"That way whatever happens…happens together." Mai stated with her tawny eyes staring at the portal in amazement while Azula shrugged her shoulders.
"So be it then. On my mark. We'll all jump in." Azula spoke with her fists on her hips while Zoi waited beside her.
Just as she felt the younger girl take hold of her sleeve.
She glanced down at her servant through the corner of her cold eye with the smaller girl already latching onto her.
Before she turned her gaze back to the portal while her subordinates remained silent as she voiced the order.
"Go." Azula commanded in a tone of endless confidence before she sprang into the air with her girlfriend crying out in surprise as she clung to her arm.
As the three noblewomen leaped forward at the very same moment.
The five girls fell towards the spiraling portal with a momentary look of doubt flashing before their eyes.
Only for their eyes to collectively widen in awe when found themselves falling through the fissure not a second later.
And then just like that the members of Team Azula shouted out in surprise as they fell through energy itself.
They gazed on in shock as the landscape rapidly changed all around them.
Gone were the floating trees, the strangely shaped rock formations and the dense fog.
And in its place, all that remained was a tunnel of near complete blackness that continued for as far as they could see!
With the only source of light being that of a faint shimmer of blue light that dimly lit their way.
"S-so this is the Pseudo Space." Elle murmured with childlike wonder in her voice while she hung onto her princess's side.
They older girl held her tightly under her armpit as they fell through together.
As the princess gazed on with her amber golden eyes agape in uncharacteristic surprise.
'It almost feels like…I am flying!' Azula thought as she fell through the open air with the younger girl tucked under her arm.
But she knew that she wasn't.
No, it was more like…her body had become weightless!
"How do we stop ourselves from falling!" Ty Lee called out in a bewildered voice as she plummeted through the void with her eyes wide in disbelief.
"I…was wondering the same thing myself." Mai remarked in a tone of great surprise while she fell through the tunnel with her tawny eyes gazing around in awe.
As the captain jumped through the air with her golden eyes gazing around in fascination.
Before she fired off her grappling line in an effort to test her surroundings.
She watched with marginally widened golden eyes when her hook flew straight through the darkness around her.
"It's…almost as if there is no gravity." Zoi stated in a calculating voice with her hair blowing in her face while her eyes followed the faint blue light that lit their way.
"Up there! There's something approaching up ahead!" Ty Lee shouted to her companions while her hair whipped in her eyes.
As the group gazed on with widened eyes as they fell to the other end of the void.
Only for their eyes to widen even further when they saw what was creating the source of mysterious light.
Sitting in the darkness was a large stone gate with blue hieroglyphics illuminating its imposing structure.
It was in the shape of an archway and in its center, it was generating an ethereal blue light that shined brightly in their astonished eyes.
"Unbelievable…" Mai trailed off in a stunned voice as she finally began to slow her fall.
"Then this is the World Gateway…and there is another on our end." Azula spoke in a speechless voice while she gazed at the blue light in awe.
"I-is that what I came through?" Elle pondered in a spellbound voice with her amber eyes widening in amazement.
"It…has to be Elle. But even though I am seeing it I just can't believe it!" Ty Lee exclaimed in an astounded voice with her brown-gray eyes staring on in fascination.
And then the team finally felt their feet skid upon the darkened ground while they around down in wonder.
Before the five girls landed on the ground while they found themselves skidding to a stop.
Until they finally stood in an awestruck silence gazing up at the seemingly ancient structure.
'Remarkable! Then Elle truly is from another world!' Zoi thought with her eyes agape in uncharacteristic shock while her hands hung at her hips.
She stood there in a state of great disbelief never even noticing that her line had retracted into her gun.
Just as the shocked princess came to a stop standing at the base of the portal with her equally amazed servant hanging onto her bicep.
As she turned to glance down at Elle with a surprised amber golden gaze.
The younger girl gazed back up at her with her amber eyes wide in fascination.
They turned to gaze back into the blue light of the portal in a shared moment of unbridled wonder.
"And this…is the passageway between two worlds…" Azula spoke in a profoundly astonished voice with her fist falling to her hip.
And she couldn't help but ponder…
Are there other worlds out there that lie beyond this void?
"T-this is beyond belief Azula-sama." Elle stammered in a mousy voice from where she stood under Azula's arm while the older girl stared up at the portal with enraptured amber golden eyes.
"What…what are we supposed to do now?" Mai breathed in an unusually startled voice with her tawny eyes gazing up at the archway in wonder.
"K-Koh said that we should damage it if we want to stop the soldiers from coming through." Elle stated in an uncertain voice as she bit her lip while her friends now gazed on with incredulous looks in their eyes.
"W-what if we get stuck in here? How can we trust that he was telling us the truth?" Ty Lee protested in a fearful voice as she gazed up with wide brown-gray eyes.
"We can't do that! That's insane! We'll starve to death!" Mai yelled out over her shoulder.
"That is a likely outcome…if we just blindly strike the gate." Zoi commented in a puzzled voice with her stony golden eyes gazing up at the structure in fascination.
"Do not damage it. Investigate it." Azula ordered in a keenly astute voice with her cold eyes studying the portal while her captain quickly nodded her head in agreement.
"Understood Princess." Zoi responded as she cautiously stepped forward while she visually assessed the foundations.
"M-my world...everything I have known...is just beyond this…" Elle murmured in a marveled voice as she placed one foot forward while she peered up at it in awe.
The four older girls turned to gaze at their young friend with a flicker of moved emotion in their eyes.
As they found themselves inexplicably curious of what the girl's homeland was like.
And what it would be like to go see it for themselves.
"Be careful…Elle…" Ty Lee stated in a worried voice as she moved forward with her amazed eyes remaining glued on the ancient portal.
The princess walked forward with her callous amber golden eyes gazing down at her young girlfriend's back.
Her childhood friends strode up behind her as they all surveyed the portal in a speechless silence.
Countless questions were running through their minds.
Such as who or what created the World Gateway.
Who or what was the Elder One?
And how does the Avatar Cycle tie into all of this?
"Gateway." Elle breathed out in a confounded voice with her hands clutching at the straps of her backpack while her princess stood on guard over her.
Her amber eyes peered back at the shining blue vortex with her mouth open in wonderment.
Only for a flash of energy to abruptly spark before the surprised group.
The captain wisely took a step back with her golden eyes gazing up at the light in captivation.
Just before the highborn women turned around with their eyes growing even wider when they realized that the flash of light had come from their young friend!
Elle's chi had flared for a third time while Elle gazed on with a confused look in her amber eyes.
And then before they could react the light from the portal shot out towards the stunned serving girl.
And without warning it began to pull the young girl in while she cried out in surprise with her friends shouting out in alarm behind her.
"Elle! Get back!" Azula yelled out as she jumped forward without hesitation with her dark hair blowing in her eyes while her companions rushed forward.
"Azula-sama! W-what's happening!" Elle cried out in fright as she was swept forward with her hair blowing wildly in her air as she flew towards the swirling portal.
Only for her amber eyes to widen when she felt a strong hand seize hold of her wrist.
She turned to gaze back with a heartfelt emotion in her eyes when she found herself gazing back into Azula's brilliant amber golden eyes.
Before her eyes grew even wider when she saw that her friends had formed a chain.
Zoi stood behind the princess with her hand tightly grasping the princess's other arm.
While behind her Ty Lee had grasped a hold of her arm.
And at the back of the group Mai had taken hold of Ty Lee by the wrist.
The four older girls held onto each other with the youngest flailing about at the forefront while their boots began to slide across the floor.
"M-my friends…" Elle stammered in a moved voice while the princess pulled back on her wrist with a stern grip.
"Do not let go of my hand!" Azula hissed in a firm voice as she held tightly onto her serving girl's trembling arm.
"Hold on Elle! We've got you!" Ty Lee hollered with her arm pulling back on the captain's wrist while Elle smiled back at them as she blew in the winds.
And then not a moment later they were all swept off the ground by the force of the gateway while their shouts filled the air.
"We're going in!" Mai exclaimed in a bewildered voice as she flew through the air with her hand still grasping onto Ty Lee's arm.
Just as the captain fired off her line into the stone archway in a futile attempt to stop their fall.
Only for the hook to be torn free not a second later while the group yelled in protest as they were swept toward the spiraling gateway.
"It's no use! It's too strong!" Zoi shouted as she plunged through the air with her golden eyes growing wide in surprise.
And before they could attempt to do anything further to prevent their fall.
The team plummeted through the glowing blue portal with their distant shouts soon fading away in the vast void of the Pseudo Space.
Before the five girls found themselves dropped through into open air not even a moment afterward.
And the first thing that they felt was a frigid chill.
And then before they could even get a chance to so much as speak a single word, they all plunged face first into painfully cold snow.
The team gasped in shock as they fell into the horribly cold snow.
As icy winds blew in the distance while the five girls sunk to their knees in a state of agonizing shock.
The four highborn women of the always equatorial climate of the Fire Nation had not been prepared for the horrific change in temperature.
And by the look of the way Elle was shivering in a ball in the roaring winds neither was she.
"N-Naoki didn't say anything about it being this far n-north." Elle spoke with her teeth chattering while dangerously freezing air stung in her widened eyes.
Just as she felt a warm arm pull her in while she shivered violently in the princess's powerful arms.
She sought shelter under the much taller princess's armored chest as she listened to the larger woman snarl in frustration above her.
"The next time I see that girl I am going to kill her!" Azula snapped in a furious voice with her amber golden eyes glancing swiftly about through the snow.
She released carefully controlled breaths as she desperately fought to keep her body warm in the frozen landscape.
Before she crushed the smaller girl's quivering body into her plated breasts.
Just as she pulled the petite teenager up as she began to march her booted feet through the thick snow while her damp eyes located her companions.
"I-it's so c-cold!" Ty Lee exclaimed in a stunned voice while she shivered wildly in her thin clothing.
"Where…where are we?" Mai asked in a highly miserable voice with snow in her hair while she quickly gazed around to get a better look at her surroundings.
"Princess! Up there!" Zoi called out with her arms shielding her face while she trudged through the snow.
The princess hurriedly followed the other woman's voice as her callous amber golden eyes gazed about her location.
It was then that they realized that they were standing in the opening of a gigantic ice cave!
Thick snow covered the ground for as far as their eyes could see.
As subzero winds blew through the mouth of the cavern and over their improperly dressed shivering bodies.
Before Azula's eyes widened when she saw what her warrior was pointing at.
Looming above them was the other side of the ancient gate!
The ominous World Gate sat on a bed of timeworn stone while its blue portal continued to glow over them.
A series of stone steps led the way up to the ancient arch shaped structure.
And most intriguing of all, was the fact that it looked as if it had just recently been chiseled out from beneath many centuries of ice!
"What country is this Elle?" Azula questioned in a harsh voice with her arms holding her trembling girlfriend close as she strode through the snow.
"I-I don't know Azula-sama. It could be one of many countries. I…I wouldn't be able to tell without looking at a map." Elle stammered as she clung to the princess's chest while she savored the woman's welcoming body heat.
"We…we should go back Azula! We're…we're not d-dressed for this!" Ty Lee hollered as she shook in her now damp pink pants.
Her eyes grew wide in discomfort as she pulled her body through the dense snow.
"I already know that Ty Lee." Azula growled through gritted teeth as the snow crunched beneath her boots while she exhaled stream through her nostrils.
Only to find herself spinning around not even a second later when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps behind them.
The five girls stared on with widened eyes as they swiftly used the dense ice as cover.
Before they found themselves gazing on with alarmed eyes when they saw the silhouette of a solder entering the cave!
And then with lightning-fast reaction Zoi sprang at the man from behind while his startled cries soon echoed into the air.
"Help!" The soldier yelled out in a muffled voice while the captain's mighty arms clamped down shut over his mouth.
Just before he was slammed into unconsciousness while the team watched warily as he slumped in the snow.
Only for the princess to exhale blue fire through her freezing nostrils when she heard the sound of more people coming in.
"Get them." Azula commanded in a ruthless voice as she made eye contact with her rapidly nodding subordinates.
And then she carefully set her shivering girlfriend against the ice wall before she viciously lunged at an advancing soldier.
Elle sat shivering with her arms wrapped around her small frame while she watched her friends leap into battle.
Just as the princess leaped atop a man before he could so much as even shout in protest.
Azula let out an animalistic snarl as she brutally restrained the struggling man in her arms before she smashed his head into the ice.
Ty Lee gracefully jumped on top of a soldier after she stepped into view just as the woman released a momentary distressed cry.
Only for Ty Lee to firmly pull her back before the noblewoman swiftly struck the writhing woman's pressure points.
And then just like that the soldier went limp in Ty Lee's arms while Mai pinned down another woman.
Team Azula knelt in the cold snow just as Mai concluded disabling the woman in her arms.
Only for her jaw to clench in growing worry when a voice shouted out in the distance.
"We've got intruders!" A voice shouted while the team stared on with widened eyes as they quickly exchanged looks with one another.
"I'll show these fools who they're dealing with." Azula snarled as she began to generate lightning at her fingertips while she glared out with narrowed amber golden eyes.
"P-please be cautious friends. Watch out for their guns." Elle pleaded in a sweet voice as she shivered while she gazed back at her highborn friends as they gratefully gazed back at her.
"Our young friend is right. It seems as if we are at a disadvantage in long range combat." Zoi remarked in a near silent voice as she knelt with her focused golden eyes gazing out beyond the ice.
"That's putting it lightly." Mai grumbled with her knives clutched in hand.
Ty Lee watched as she sat shivering in the snow as she gazed out with a guarded look in her brown-gray eyes.
And not a moment after that they heard the sound of a larger group of soldiers rushing in.
Just as Zoi instinctively reached down to her waist for a grenade only for her golden eyes to widen marginally as she recalled what happened in the prior battle.
'Damn it Jiao! I forgot that she took my grenades!' Zoi thought with aggravation in her golden eyes while she watched closely as the soldiers stormed in.
And then mere seconds later multiple fireballs were launched over the heads of the startled soldiers as ice began to fall down above them.
The highborn girls jumped at the targets that had made it past the falling ice while many shouts filled the air.
Elle sat with her hands over her hand while she shook in crippling worry for her friend's safety as several gunshots rounded off into ice cave.
Just as Mai swiftly kicked a man down while she fired her stilettos off at a shouting soldier.
Azula let out a malicious battle cry as she mercilessly struck down two soldiers with her blue flames.
"There's way too many Azula! We need to go!" Ty Lee yelled in an alarmed voice as she kicked a man unconscious.
Before she nimbly jumped down on all fours while her leader ground her teeth together in anger as she slammed a soldier face first into the wall.
"Make for the gate! I'll blow the tunnel!" Zoi hollered as she blasted flames into the ceiling of the tunnel while she exhaled cold air.
Only for a rifle to fire off over her head as she rapidly rolled to the ground with her eyes narrowing in frustration.
Just before Azula fired off a stream of lightning that connected with the shattering ceiling while she glared on with violent amber golden eyes as chunks of ice rained down upon the soldiers.
And for the briefest of moments the tunnel was blocked off.
Particles of ice filled the air while the girls coughed as they hurriedly made a break for the gate.
"Elle! Let's go!" Azula shouted in a hiss as she seized Elle by the wrist while she bolted through the snow.
Only for her amber golden eyes to widen once more when the sound of a heavy explosive detonating went off behind her.
Zoi turned around to gaze over her shoulder with widening golden eyes when she saw that the soldiers had swiftly broken through the barrier.
And now many soldiers were sweeping in through the opening at an alarming rate.
There had to be at least thirty! If not more!
The team gazed on with widening eyes as they began to back away while Elle stared on in horror from where she stood behind the enraged Azula.
"A-Azula-sama…" Elle trailed off in a frightful voice while the princess shielded her with her larger back.
It was only when the team heard a fearful sound from one of their own did, they turned to their right.
Only for their eyes to widen in dread when they saw that Ty Lee's still healing foot had given out on her for a fraction of a second.
But it was long enough for her to find herself kneeling in the snow with many soldiers surrounding her!
"Get away from her!" Azula ordered in a livid voice while Ty Lee shook as she gazed around to find many guns in her face.
"Azula-" Ty Lee stated in an unsettled voice with a gun pointing at her cheek while she swallowed the lump that was in her throat.
"Ty Lee! Don't hurt her!" Elle cried out in a mortified voice as she stepped out from behind her mistress while Mai glared at the soldiers.
Zoi stood ridged with her sword in hand while her stony eyes never left the small army of soldiers.
It was then in that moment that the four girls found themselves gazing at a large muscular man with a prominent scar on his left cheek that had taken hold of Ty Lee from behind.
And he was the very one that was pointing a pistol at the uncertain woman's temple.
"Surrender. Or I will kill her." Reynolds announced in a tone devoid of compassion while Ty Lee gazed nervously back at her friend's furious faces.
A squad of nearly forty soldiers stood flanking the man while he gazed heartlessly back at their frustrated faces.
As countless guns were aimed their way as the team quickly tried to figure out what to do.
And far too many than they were comfortable were pointed at Ty Lee's apprehensive face.
Azula ground her teeth together as she stood rooted to her spot in the snow while her eyes never once left her childhood friend's frightened face.
"I said stand down! You have till the count of ten!" Reynolds shouted in a ruthless voice with his blue eyes narrowing while Azula glared murderously back at him.
Only for a sensitive voice to cry out before the highborn women could even say a word.
They watched with defeated eyes as Elle ran out with her hands up in submission.
"W-we surrender! Just p-please don't hurt my oneesan!" Elle begged in a distressed voice while Ty Lee's eyes glistened with emotion.
And not a second after that.
Mai dropped her knives to the snow while the noblewoman grudgingly lowered her hands in defeat.
And soon enough Zoi did the same while the warrior stood with a humiliated look in her eyes as the foreign soldiers stormed to apprehend her.
Azula bit her cheek in such rage that a drop of blood dribbled down her lip as she lowered her hands.
Her proud regal eyes shook with indignation when she met the gaze of the now smirking Reynolds.
As more and more soldiers ran in through the broken tunnel.
The highborn women stood rigid as they were swarmed by the soldiers.
And then soon it all faded to black when they found themselves slumping into the snow.
AN:
Regarding uploading all of the chapters at once. I simply cannot do that. As of right now, I have six of eleven of the arcs for book one written. I still have approximately 75 chapters to write for the remainder of book one. Which means that book one will cap around at around 190-200 chapters in length.
For book two, I have around 17 story arcs planned out, some are smaller events that will only take 4-5 chapters to show. Others are huge events, that are part of an overlapping saga. For book three, which will likely be the final book I have 14 story arcs planned out including the series epilogue.
This truly is a monster of a story, and I ask that everyone be understanding of how much sheer time I put into making these chapters. I write ahead to protect myself in case I get writers block.
I cannot post it all at once, as if I were to do so. It would eventually lead to me feeling playing a highly stressful game of catch up. An over stressed writer eventually leads to writers block, which leads to feelings of frustration trying to keep up with updates. Which in turn eventually leads to a story being put on hiatus or worse, abandoned.
If I wasn't an arc ahead of where the story is posted right now, I simply would not be able to keep up and that would very likely lead to no updates for three to four months while I get caught up.
Being a little bit ahead keeps me focused and free of writers block. This is a long running series, and I estimate that it will run for three to four more years before it is completed. And that just wouldn't be sustainable if I posted everything at once.
For that reason, I will continue to post a chapter every 7-10 days.
Now, onto the afterword. So, in this chapter we learned that it is probable that the people from the Avatar world have interacted with the people of Elle's Earth at some point in the past.
We also got our first glimpse of what the Pseudo Space is like. Think of it as like a net with very little gravity between the worlds and the exit point on each end is the World Gateway on each end. While Team Azula were not able to enter from their gateway on their end, they were able to enter the net by taking a detour through the fissures in the Spirit World.
Moreover, by this point in the story we saw that all of Team Azula has a strong bond with Elle. So much so, that they were willing to work together to hold onto Elle's hand. This really shows that Elle is the glue that holds the team together, and that none of them want to take the chance of losing Elle.
And now Team Azula are getting their first view of Elle's world and it is much colder than they were anticipating. In this arc, Team Azula will receive their introduction to Elle's Earth and several key characters who will have large roles in the second and third books.
I was originally going to call this arc the Rosewood Trio Arc, but I decided to call it the Porta Base Arc instead. The name 'Porta' means gateway in Latin, and it is named as such after the northern military base that was set up solely to observe and monitor the World Gateway on Elle's Earth.
The reason why I chose to set the World Gateway of Elle's Earth is because I thought that a buried gateway in the frozen north would be much more likely to go undiscovered for thousands of years than if it had been located in a warmer climate.
Much of this arc is about Team Azula facing situations that are foreign to them, such as guns, the Spirit World and now the arctic. It goes without saying that this will be a major hurdle to Team Azula, especially to Azula and Zoe.
While they will still be able to firebend, they will have to do so conservatively, and they will have to take careful intakes of air as they adjust to the cold climate. They will also be able to firebend better when they are near a source of warmth such as a fire.
And finally, Team Azula were captured by Reynolds. We found out that he is not above taking a hostage, and even if Azula had been willing to risk Ty Lee's life in an attempt to attack Reynolds. Elle is simply just too kind to ever knowingly put one of her friends lives at risk.
If Elle had not been there to surrender, Azula, Mai and Zoe may have been able to devise a quick tactic to rescue Ty Lee. But Elle herself would never chance that, as she is just not that sort of military minded person to take such a risk.
And while Reynolds is not a huge villain on the level of say Rieko or Silah. He is the first true enemy for Azula from Elle's Earth and because he had Ty Lee at gunpoint, he now has Azula and the others in his custody.
This is an important role change for Team Azula. Team Azula are used to being the ones standing on the outside of a cell, and Azula is used to always being the one in charge. Now, they will see what it is like to be held in chains behind bars.
In a sense, Reynolds is going to give Azula a much needed ego check. Though his capture of Azula and the others had more to do with lucky circumstances for him than remarkable military strategy. He still managed to capture them all the same, and now he is going to be the first enemy to lay the Princess of the Fire Nation low.
For Azula, these are shameful circumstances, and now she will have to strategize an escape while dealing with an enemy military commander who has absolutely no morals. These events will also make Mai, Ty Lee and Zoe think about what it must be like for the rebels to be in chains under Fire Nation custody.
As for how Team Azula will handle their capture, we'll find out next chapter.
That will be all for now though.
Stay tuned for next time.
For chapter ninety-eight! On the Other Side!