Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

In a world where the Avatar wasn't found, the Fire Nation took over two nations and they strive to overcome the last one. Water Tribe warrior Sokka seeks to fight for his people's rights, but he's captured by his enemies. His life is no longer in his hands as he fights as a Gladiator, and his fate will eventually depend on the Fire Nation Princess, who needs him for her own ends...

300. Chapter 300: Taking Omashu 3

Taking Omashu

3

"You irresponsible, mindless fool! You're as much of an oaf as that Gladiator of yours!"

It wasn't the first, or the worst, of the insults Jeong Jeong had hurled at Piandao during the daily meeting in the private hall in the topmost floor of the fortress's tower. Just so, the spree of offensive words wasn't affecting the swordsman as much as his fellow Grand Lotus wanted it to: the typically cold-blooded, tempered firebender seemed to flare with fury, with outrage… but Piandao could see one more emotion, deep in Jeong Jeong's amber eyes:

Fear.

"This mission is fated to fail! It always was!" Jeong Jeong, at the head of the table, raised his voice while glaring at Piandao, sitting at its other end. The other members of the council were distributed across the rest of the table: Sokka and Anorak's seats remained noticeably empty. "Prince Zuko went with them… and the Avatar, as well! If the blasted Gladiator was to immolate himself in this tantrum, he could have sacrificed his life alone in this mad endeavor!"

"He has no intentions of sacrificing himself, let alone immolating others," Piandao said, firmly. Jeong Jeong's wrath only seemed stronger upon hearing those words. "I suspect that's the crux of the problem for you, Jeong Jeong: you see operations and missions as situations in which success hinges on what you're ready to sacrifice. Thus, we have sacrificed much across the last ten years, longer than that, to no avail. He, however…"

"He believes he can succeed. Of course the miserable whelp would believe so," Jeong Jeong hissed. "But you, Piandao, should have had better sense than to send him off on this ordeal with no opportunities, no chances to survive against the likely tide of Fire Nation forces that will swarm him and his allies the minute they dare make a single move against Ozai in Omashu! You've sent them to their deaths!"

"I… did no such thing," Piandao said, curtly. Jeong Jeong huffed, waving a hand dismissively.

"By giving your fool free rein to do as he pleases, you effectively have," he said. "At the very least acknowledge your responsibility in this disaster, a disaster I intended to avert…"

"Must you continue playing the victim?" Piandao sighed, shaking his head. "We both know you wanted him to commit to a martyrdom, the only reason why it bothers you is because he took Zuko and Aang with him, and you expected them to be useful for the Order's purposes in the future…"

"Accusations of this nature do nothing to strengthen your position, Master Piandao."

"And yet your very words confirmed as much, mere moments ago," Piandao said, firmly. "You said he ought to have immolated himself alone, didn't you? How is that not an outright confession of your true intentions?"

"Arguing… is pointless at this stage," Iroh chimed in. His intervention might serve no purpose, but he hoped to quell the troubled waters between Piandao and Jeong Jeong all the same. "They are gone, they have been for five days now, and we have no choice but to hope for their success. Unless, of course, you'd rather we bolster their numbers by sending reinforcements to…"

"To a suicide mission? Are you out of your mind?" Jeong Jeong hissed. Iroh raised his eyebrows.

"Offering our support could be crucial in ensuring it won't be a suicide mission," Iroh said, frowning. "If their survival is what concerns you, we should focus on solutions rather than complaining about how far from ideal this situation is."

"It's not as though anything has ever been ideal in our resistance against the Fire Nation, to begin with," Piandao said, firmly. "But I agree: if this course of action is quite so disagreeable, tossing blame back and forth will get us nowhere. It's the sole thing our meetings have been composed by for longer than the Gladiator has been among us. How can we pretend to have any say upon how this world will be freed, upon how we will take the fight back to the Fire Nation, when we waste as many hours as we do debating aimlessly instead of taking action?"

"And here I thought time had tempered your thirst for crossing blades with the enemy," Jeong Jeong said. "Who will answer for this madness, for this clumsy attempt to strike back against the Fire Nation if it backfires, Piandao?"

"Nobody. For those responsible have already made their choices, and they knew all too well what the consequences of failure would be," Piandao said, simply. Jeong Jeong scowled. "Only Anorak is a member of the White Lotus… the rest of them are free to make whatever choices they cared to. They're not children, no matter if you may see them, or everyone, that way. If they surprise you and succeed, perhaps you'll finally understand as much."

"I have always believed that taking action is a necessity," said Commander Fong, arms folded across his chest. "I know you have taught me many lessons when my poor judgment led me astray in the past, Master Jeong Jeong… but I do believe there was merit to the Gladiator's plan. As it is… my sole regret is not being there to add my strength to theirs. Together, we could storm that city and conquer it without giving the Fire Nation any opportunity to hold Omashu for a day longer…"

"But it is not an attempt to storm the city," Iroh said, firmly. "It's an infiltration mission, we know as much. It's a strategic one. We may not know all the details… but the Gladiator is not rushing in blindly."

"You're quite so sure of that, aren't you?" Jeong Jeong huffed. "And here I thought you saw matters clearly when it came to that man… but now you're just one more fool willing to dance to his tune?"

"I used to believe I did see things clearly… and look at where that brought me. Where that brought all of us. In thinking him blind, the one blinded was actually me," Iroh said, with firmness and remorse alike. "I… I underestimated him many times, in the past, in various ways. In doing so, I made him pay an underserving price for crimes that were no crimes at all, not in the end. But… even long ago, he was more than a puppet, more than a tool for Azula. He was not some empty vessel who could be manipulated at will. They stood together as one unit, as the team they were… and they strengthened themselves through their bond, as well as through all the experiences that brought them together. I failed to see it, clouded by my judgment, by my mistaken assumptions… I refused to acknowledge the truth even when it stood before me. It is my fault, in the end, that the Gladiator and his sponsor were torn apart from each other, that they no longer can change this world without violence, all because I refused to believe that was their goal. If I had only given her a chance, if I had only set aside my pride, my fear, none of this… none of this would be happening at all, Jeong Jeong."

Iroh fell silent, gritting his teeth. It seemed a fitting moment for one voice to rise, once he seemed to falter. One voice that seldom had resounded within these halls… but her presence had been demanded by Jeong Jeong on that day. All be it to assign blame, to condemn her… and just as Piandao had refused to accept his choices as sins, neither did she.

"You saw something in her that you felt a need to crush," Ursa spoke out loud. Iroh froze on his seat, eyes wide as the Fire Lord's wife, who was not welcome to sit with them, stepped forward, standing next to Piandao. "Something you identified as dangerous, something troubling… something that was not allowed to exist."

"Ursa…" Iroh said, eyeing her warily: there was no compassion in her eyes… and yet there was a hint of understanding that Iroh found utterly perplexing.

"It is, indeed, your greatest sin. Just as it is mine," Ursa acknowledged. Jeong Jeong frowned heavily as every set of eyes in the room fell upon its sole female occupant. "We made mistakes when it came to Azula, Iroh, mistakes neither of us can take back anymore. Her strength scared me… for I knew I should have had similar strength inside me, but the world around me ensured that I'd never acknowledge it. I was restricted by everything I then tried to restrict her with, as well. And now, upon knowing she has fallen from grace, I realize… I realize I was mistaken to try to hold her back at all. Just as those who held me back were wrong to do so. And that awareness… that's what you perceive as guilt. You saw yourself in her, the sides of yourself you never wanted to accept existed, for accepting them was terrifying: it could have meant our choices, those we were so certain of, may have been the wrong ones. It could have meant we destroyed parts of ourselves that, perhaps, could have thrived and made us better if we hadn't attempted to wean them out of us. But we failed to understand this, and so, we failed her. You can't take back your mistakes anymore. Just as I can't."

Iroh gritted his teeth, and silence reigned in the room briefly. Ursa raised her head, standing tall, eyes glowing with purpose and strength that had been absent from them for far too long.

"The only choice left now… is to do better. We may acknowledge and assign blame solely for the purpose of learning better," Ursa said, glaring at Jeong Jeong. "If it's true that you attempted to murder him in the past… then perhaps it is time you, as well, rethink your choices. That man… he may be the undoing of thousands if he fails. But if it doesn't, he will be the salvation of millions. Can we truly let fear stay our hand now when it didn't, before? Why were we so unafraid to make the choices that hurt them, that broke them, and yet we hesitate now when it comes to supporting them instead, when doing so might just save this world?"

"I thought you cared little to see this world saved. That nothing mattered to you other than returning to your husband and children," Jeong Jeong said, bitterly. Ursa frowned.

"My family is the most important thing in my life. That has never changed," she said. "I refused to see the truth for a long time, but I do now: my husband must be stopped. My son intends to fight. My daughter needs help… and the man who truly deserves to be her husband is the one who intends to save her. It has been a long time, yes, I have truly been… in the longest of denials, for almost twenty years. But running away from reality… it never served any purpose. My pain is meaningless compared to hers, and yet I was so lost within my grief that I couldn't see anything but myself. Is your fear clouding your judgment the same way my grief clouded mine, Master Jeong Jeong? You seek Ozai's downfall, and yet you won't step forward and take genuine action for yourself to see it done. If you truly regret anything you've done, any mistakes you've made… then make something out of those regrets. Turn them into action. Help them succeed. Ensure that this is but the beginning of a campaign that will see this world freed from Ozai's tyranny. Otherwise... what good is there in an army that stands by, waiting for the perfect opportunity that will never arrive? What use is there in a leader who refuses to command his forces unless victory is guaranteed? What purpose is there in a gladiator who won't be allowed to fight?"

Jeong Jeong glared, more fiercely upon realizing the would-be Fire Lady's words were affecting many of his companions and supporters. Iroh, particularly, appeared susceptible to his sister-in-law's words. Shiju, unsurprisingly, showed no sign of being moved by Ursa's speech, but the others…

"I couldn't agree more," Fong declared, nodding and bowing his head towards Ursa. "It may be rash on the Gladiator's part, but I cannot say it is wrong: we have resisted for a long time, waited for the ideal opportunity to strike, and the time is now! Holding back at this point will seem nothing short of a surrender on our part: what have we been waiting for, if not a sign that we can and should continue to fight for our people, for our freedoms? This is the sign, I have no doubts of it! We can offer aid to the Gladiator in whatever manner he requires it: if it's troops he wants, we should be willing to bring them to him. If the White Lotus's intent truly is to set the world on a better path, perhaps it is time we prove it."

For once, it seemed a majority vote would yield unwanted results for Jeong Jeong: Anorak's absence had seen to that. Where Fong usually agreed with him, too, this time he appeared to firmly support Iroh and Piandao. Ursa, of course, didn't truly belong in the council and wouldn't be part of a vote… but her words had certainly given pause to some of them, to the point of even swaying Fong completely.

And so, for the first time in many years, Piandao saw Jeong Jeong relenting, rather than pushing forward.

"We will not bring troops to Omashu. A stealthy, small advance team, at best. We do not want to alert nearby towns or villages of any manner of massive troop movements," he declared. Piandao's hands trembled upon realizing that, as much as he was setting boundaries, Jeong Jeong had capitulated, for once. "Therefore, you shall stay in the fortress with the bulk of the troops, General Fong. We will send a message if the way is clear and safe for you to lead our forces to Omashu… though if the Gladiator's overconfidence has any bearing on reality, those movements may not be necessary."

"I… are you certain, Master Jeong Jeong?" Fong asked, uneasy. "We've amassed a strong enough army to…"

"Indeed, we have. And moving an army of that size will alert the Fire Nation that something is amiss unless we do it smartly," Jeong Jeong cut Fong off, and the man grimaced but relented. "Iroh… you should stay, as well."

"I… I will, if I must," Iroh said, eyeing Jeong Jeong warily. "I do have contacts within Omashu. Friends of the White Lotus…"

"And they should be clever enough to join forces with the Gladiator without needing you to send any messages to warn them of what's happening or reaching out to them personally," Jeong Jeong declared. Iroh gritted his teeth.

"I… I suppose so," he conceded, frowning.

"The rest of us will go, with a small group to bolster our numbers should trouble arise," Jeong Jeong determined, his eyes shifting towards Ursa. "Do you intend to come as well?"

"I do," Ursa said, firmly. Jeong Jeong's eyes narrowed.

"I suspect you do not belong in a battlefield," he remarked.

"My son is there. I have no intentions of waiting meekly at a distance without knowing whether he succeeded or failed," she said, stubbornly. Jeong Jeong sighed.

"All things considered, Ursa has been escaping from the Fortress effectively across the past years, without being caught or intercepted," Piandao stated, surprising everyone in the room. "She certainly won't be a burden for a stealthy group."

"So we shall see," Jeong Jeong said, frowning. "Prepare to move out, then. Captain Shiju, can I entrust you with recruiting the adequate forces for this task?"

"Of course, Master Jeong Jeong," Shiju replied dutifully, bowing his head in Jeong Jeong's direction.

Fong and Iroh didn't appear all that enthusiastic about their assigned duties, but they didn't protest. Ursa's eyes flickered between the council members, uncertain: she had no doubts about Piandao's loyalty to Sokka, to her, even… but the two of them would be outnumbered in whatever group Jeong Jeong meant to assemble. It was far from a promising scenario, but she hadn't had any allies whatsoever for a long time, before Piandao arrived in the fortress. She feared standing her ground wouldn't be easy by herself, but at least she'd have the swordsman…

Iroh rose to his feet, marching towards Ursa. Piandao stood up as well and bowed his head in Iroh's direction. The older man nodded in acknowledgement.

"I thank you for making the right choice," Piandao said. Iroh hummed.

"It isn't something I should be thanked for. Not when my wrong choices have played a major part to set us on this dark path," he said. "But… I suppose I truly have much to learn still. Your words were wise, Lady Ursa."

"They are my genuine convictions," she said, earnestly. "Though they change very little regarding how either of us feels about the other, or am I mistaken?"

"Certainly, they change nothing regarding how you must feel towards me," Iroh remarked, lowering his gaze. "Though they only convince me further that I am as distant from atonement as can be. Making remorse useful, then…?"

"It isn't up to us to choose whether our actions earn forgiveness or not," Ursa said, softly. "It's entirely possible that no one will forgive you for what you did."

"I understand. And yet we seek atonement all the same," Iroh said. Ursa nodded. "It is only when we stop seeking it that we truly prove ourselves undeserving of forgiveness, whether it is given to us or not."

"It's not quite so difficult to grasp, is it?" Ursa asked, breathing out slowly. "There are those we cannot forgive, just as they cannot forgive us. But… but if we are to be any different from Ozai, it is by proving we hope to be better than who we've been so far. It's by offering them every bit of support we can and seeing them off as they fulfill their destinies."

"Different from Ozai, is it?" Iroh said, eyeing Ursa with uncertainty. "After all these years… finally you see him as many of us did?"

"No. Certainly not," Ursa said, closing her eyes. Iroh frowned. "He is my husband. A… a part of my heart will always yearn for him as such. And that… that is why forgiving him is impossible for me. Because he matters to me… because I believed he could be better, because I saw for myself that he could be, and now I know for certain that he has chosen otherwise. You… you never cared much for your brother. You don't know what it means to lose what's most precious to you in this way. You know the cruelty of fate, the horrors of a violent world like ours… but you don't know what it's like to see the horrors someone precious to you has committed against others you loved as well. You will never understand that pain, that outrage… that betrayal."

"I suppose… and yet it is a betrayal I have inflicted upon others," Iroh said, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. "It is wise indeed to use that remorse for the better. I do not know what I can do to help Zuko now… I do not know if my presence in the fortress will serve no purpose while the two of you aid in the reconquest of Omashu. But whatever is needed of me, whatever I can volunteer to help… even if it's but a vote against Jeong Jeong in these meetings, I will offer it. Nothing I do will suffice… but perhaps I have to accept that nothing I do ever will. And that is no reason not to choose to do what's right, regardless."

Ursa nodded, as did Iroh: it seemed to her that this was their first genuine conversation ever. Having common ground with Iroh hardly was surprising, no matter how uncomfortable she might feel about it… but it pleased her to hear sensible words, and a reasonable resolve, from a man she had written off as a selfish monster upon learning he was part of the White Lotus…

Iroh marched off then, and Ursa breathed deeply before raising her gaze at Piandao. He offered her a weak smile.

"I know you're worried. It's your son, after all," he said. "But somehow, I get the feeling any efforts we make at this point will be, well…"

"Pointless?" Ursa asked. Piandao smiled and shook his head.

"Unnecessary, I'd say, for I believe they will fulfill their purpose," he said. Ursa's eyes widened. "At any rate, we will spend several days on the road, so… we'd best be ready for anything, Ursa."

"They will succeed," she said, her voice trembling. "They must. This is… this is what everything has been leading up to. It's not an opportunity any of them will waste."

"I believe so, too," Piandao confirmed. Ursa breathed out slowly and nodded.

"Then… we're on our way there to rejoice in their success. They will be triumphant… they will be triumphant."

Speaking the words aloud did not make them real, Ursa knew so… but her convictions strengthened all the same: every new step forward Sokka and his friends took was guaranteed to bring them closer to saving Azula.

Warmth drifted through the balcony, smoothly falling upon her figure. She rested on her side, painlessly. That could have alarmed her… but it didn't on that day. For there was another source of warmth, one she laid her head upon, her hand sensing the soothing heartbeats that had served as her lullaby so many times, in the past.

It was peaceful. It was perfect. It seemed solid and true… and yet a twinge of awareness threatened to break the spell upon her senses. Yes, perhaps it was but a dream… but it was a dream she wanted to prolong for as long as possible. She needed to do so, for the storm upon her heart had calmed for once. The despair, the strife… it had faded from existence in that marvelous moment where it seemed as though none of the burdens of the past could drag them down. If anything, those burdens were out of focus, as good as gone… as they should be. In their place there was only this warmth, the one that surged in her heart as her senses sharpened gradually, as she breathed in his scent, as she felt the scars across his skin with her fingertips, as she heard his every drawn breath…

"What time is it?"

His question, so innocuous, seemed to suggest he was expected somewhere, elsewhere. Her grip upon him strengthened.

"I don't know," she answered. He let out a soft laugh.

"Well, if you don't know… I guess we'll stay timeless," he declared. She smiled against his chest.

"We should be. Timeless, forevermore," she decided. He laughed again, and sparks of bliss sprang inside her heart for it.

"See why I'm no good at being the responsible one between us?" he said. "Just one word out of you, and everything I'm supposed to stand for fades away in the blink of an eye…"

"Are you… blinking?"

"What?"

"Have you opened your eyes yet?"

"No… I think something else will fade away, once I do."

"Hmm. I think so, too."

His grip around her tightened. His hand found hers as she pressed a kiss to his strong chest.

"I don't want to wake up," she said. "I like it here."

"So do I," he whispered: his lips brushed the top of her head, and she tucked herself comfortably against his neck. "But… we did say we have to take better care of ourselves, right? Staying in bed all day is… well, not exactly conducive to looking after ourselves at all, is it?"

"It's not," she agreed. "And yet you don't want to open your eyes either, so… clearly, neither of us is on a higher moral ground when it comes to this."

"Of course. We're always even… always equals. Even when we probably shouldn't be."

"We shouldn't be?" she asked, smiling a little. "Do you think one of us would have the strength to stop this, whatever it is, if we weren't equals, then?"

"Hmm. Yeah, that's not likely, so point taken. Maybe I should just shut up and rest here instead of saying anything stupid…"

"No, no, no… keep talking."

"Huh, you want me to keep talking? Me alone? Want me to recite some lousy poetry for you, too?"

"Oh, absolutely. Give me your best shot, right now."

"With no preparation? I'm not sure I'm thinking straight, I might mess up the structure of a haiku…"

"It'll be the best messed-up haiku of all time. Just keep talking to me."

"Only if you keep talking to me, too."

"Ah… then, we'll be composing haiku together now? I suppose it won't be our first foray into artistic collaboration, but…"

"We'll do half a line each. How about it?"

"This sounds…"

"Like failure?"

She couldn't contain a slight snort. She nudged him, and he smirked, lips curving against her scalp.

"I know that…" he continued, stopping halfway there. She hummed before replying.

"You like nonsense," she decided. A laugh left his lips next. "I love you…"

"For it?" he finished. She chuckled again.

"Well, maybe we can pull this off. If we danced like fools and drew utterly shameless art together… we can come up with lousy poetry too."

"Sounds ideal to me," he whispered, kissing the top of her head again.

She breathed deeply before speaking anew:

"I long for your smile. I live on, but I miss you. I yearn for your warmth."

All amusement seemed to fade as she spoke those words without hesitation. He gritted his teeth, tightening his grip around her just as well.

"On a long journey… shortcuts are in short supply," he whispered. She shuddered against him. "I run to meet you."

"My heart is torn by… fears and hopes, dreams and nightmares. Please… stay safe from harm," she spoke earnestly. He groaned softly, rubbing her back gently with one hand as the other brought hers to his lips: the kiss upon her fingers sent jolts of joy through her very soul.

"This is not the end," he said, earnestly. "You and I were meant for more. Now rest… while I fight."

The urge to open her eyes nearly overcame her. She raised her head, as though to do so… and his breath brushed against hers. His lips loomed closer, and they claimed her own without restraint, with earnest devotion and pure intent.

How easy it was to forget all fears and nightmares only because he was here… her heart raced as she kissed him back, willingly giving herself to the blissful joy he had evoked in her heart and soul, a stronger and more overwhelming joy with each moment they shared with each other. Her every uncertainty seemed dispelled for she had him, if just for now. If just for an instant that should have encompassed eternity, for only then would their overflowing, overwhelming, unconditional love thrive freely…

Though the overwhelming power of their affection could be utterly fragile as well.

Azula's hand gripped the bone necklace tighter as the illusion of dreams shattered and faded into nothingness.

She laid in her bed, alone. Darkness still reigned outside. It couldn't even be close to dawn… her dreams were never quite as vivid and powerful as to wake her this way, in the middle of the night – or perhaps at its earlier half, she truly couldn't tell right now…

Her chest ached with longing, with conflicted, chaotic feelings that stormed within her heart once more. That brief window of peace was now replaced by desolating desperation. Her latest realizations, the slow awareness of everything she'd done to wrong him, every promise broken, every weakness exposed, every failure to rebel and instead, her helpless submission against her father's designs… all of it had been eating away at her, even if she pretended otherwise. By now, the hope of seeing him again, of being with him again, filled her with dread and insecurities she didn't know how to field. Would he be disappointed? Disgusted? Would he think all his efforts were worthless after she had proven to be as spineless as she had…?

And she was so shameless, so foolish that she couldn't draw back from him, regardless. So needy, so selfish, so lost in her own misery that she would cling even to the smallest kindness he might offer her, even to the subtlest gesture he might make in her direction. She was unworthy of it all, she knew she was, and yet she couldn't bring herself to let go… no, not if he wanted her still. Would he always feel the same way? Would he continue to love her if he knew all the truths she had failed to share with him so far, whenever their souls converged?

He would… of course he would. And that wouldn't change that she didn't deserve him.

She brought the necklace to her chest, sobbing silently in darkness, curling into a small ball as his absence stung harder with every second they were apart. How she cherished their brief encounters, inexplicable and ethereal, impossible and yet so real they could tear her to pieces whenever they ended…

And how she dreaded and feared his recklessness and determination. How she struggled to conciliate her heart's mandate and her rational thinking, her knowledge that this was not the time to encourage him to act on emotions and impulse…

When she let herself imagine he might break their promises in his own way, by rushing out of the South Pole in a bid to save her somehow, her anxiety would increase tenfold. He had to stay safe… she had begged him to. She had asked so much of him, she knew she had… but he had told her he'd wait. He meant to return to her… but that didn't mean he would return right away. Yes, he fought for her, he'd come for her… he had said those words, but she could only hope their meaning was as distant from literal as could be.

For what would she do, if it wasn't? What on earth could she possibly do if Sokka tossed aside all promises, forsaking all his patience, and set out to rewrite the stars for her?

"Please… please, stay safe," she uttered, tears spilling down her face. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess, but please… just visit me this way. Just… just come to me, like this. And then… wait. Please… wait. Whatever it takes… just wait for us."

Her free hand fell upon her growing womb as she cried herself to sleep… suspecting she wouldn't find him in her dreams this time around.

The rocks around him became solid again. The noise outside, the cool chill of the night, briefly before dawn broke… all of it came back to him gradually, and he resented it for returning at all. He snarled as he forced his eyes open, and he was back in his reality again. Curses… had he truly connected with her anew? It wasn't like most his other dreams, where even the most placid of moments had been interrupted by cruel reminders of the darkness that encroached around the woman he loved.

This time… this time it had been quiet peace, smooth belonging with each other. She had sounded like herself, felt like herself… just like in their connection, back in the swamp. His heart ached as tears threatened to spill down his cheeks… as he held up the necklace, gazing at it with disbelief. He had clung to it upon sitting down for a nap while everyone prepared to begin mobilizing: Aang had taken to stealthily scattering their remaining apple supplies by now, hoping they'd guide the moose-lions into visibility once the creatures woke up. Jet was going over the maps with Zuko and Kino, explaining where each key location would be found and how they'd access each of them… and Katara had only just marched up to Sokka, extending a hand towards him, with a sad smile.

"Got any rest, Sokka?"

He thought to answer earnestly, but he chose against it quickly. He offered Katara an insincere nod as he clasped her hand and she hoisted him up to his feet.

"Sokka?" she called him softly – of course he hadn't fooled her. Her brother sighed.

"I dreamt of her," he said. Katara grimaced.

"Another nightmare?" she asked. Sokka shook his head.

"No, it felt a lot like when we met in the swamp… though it was certainly a dream this time. I… I wonder if she felt it, too."

"She might have," Katara said, with a weak smile. "I know it's a poor replacement for what you both had in real life, but… isn't it almost like she's with you now, just before you march into battle?"

Sokka gritted his teeth, closing his eyes once more: the connection between him and Azula lingered, no matter if the dream had ended. Perhaps Katara was right to interpret that moment in such a positive light.

"I can only hope so," he responded, with a small smile. Katara grinned back. "Is everyone ready?"

"Almost," Katara said, merely instants before Aang made his appearance on his glider. He buffeted the siblings with a gust of wind as he drew it back into its staff form upon landing on the ground.

"All done with the trail of apples," he said. Sokka nodded.

"Everyone else?" he asked, glancing across the small encampment they'd set up… or what was left of it, anyway: their supplies were safely loaded on Appa's back anew, for the bison wouldn't accompany them into the city.

"Everything's packed up, yeah," Kino answered, as Zuko rose to his feet and closed the map anew.

"We're ready when you are," he said.

Sokka glanced at Anorak next: the waterbender carried multiple waterskins strapped to his belt, and as apprehensive as he might have been, now he appeared more determined than doubtful… though the wary gaze of the man suggested he was still doubtful, anyway.

"All done preparing?" Sokka asked him. Anorak nodded firmly.

"Let's… do this as best we can," he said. "I don't know if your plans are ironclad, they probably aren't… but I'll follow as long as it makes sense to do so."

Sokka smiled and nodded, letting his gaze travel across the rest of the group. They were waiting for his lead, and so he stepped forward, jerking his head towards the direction of the chasm.

"Let's go."

The group marched ahead towards the chasm, leaving the animals behind – Aang had instructed Appa and Momo to stay safely hidden by the mountainside until he could come fetch them. It was hard to say if the creatures would obey, but they had no time to confirm they understood Aang's words: the sun would rise soon, and they had to deliver their first strike at the city's defenses before that happened.

This time, everyone remained silent as they crossed Toph's bridge. While it was unlikely for soldiers to notice them, the night had almost drifted away completely at this point, and any chance glances might reveal that there was an unexpected construction in the chasm where there had been none before…

Thus, Toph ensured to tear down the bridge once all of them were safely across the chasm. It meant they'd have no way out… but an escape route would not be necessary as long as they succeeded at retaking the city on that day.

The newcomers to the sewers were appalled by the stench, and Aang apologized for it a few times, seeing as it had been his idea to access the city this way. While Toph knew what to expect, the earthbender still winced and gagged at the revolting smell, relieved upon returning to the resistance's hideout once they did: Sokka clapped her back when he and his team stepped into the central area of the underground village. About twelve warriors and earthbenders welcomed them: they had waited by the fireplace, furnished with armor and weapons. The gear's low quality suggested it had seen much use, and that the resistance members couldn't hope to find better equipment than that these days.

"This city used to create and export weapons all across the Earth Kingdom, but… ever since the Fire Nation took over, we've been unable to get our hands on anything better than what you can see," Bojun explained. Sokka let out a deep breath and nodded.

"It's not your fault. If we have a chance to search the prisons thoroughly, we could take some of their guards' equipment and make matters better for your warriors," Sokka said, nodding in their direction. "But, for now… we can go ahead with the first stage of our plan, right?"

"Right," said Bojun: his wife clasped his hand firmly, resolve clear across her emerald eyes. "Then, these are your forces, Blue Wolf?"

"I know we don't look all that menacing but trust me… we've got a lot more power here than it looks," Sokka smiled, gesturing at his allies.

Oddly enough, it didn't appear as though he needed to convince the resistance members at all: even those who wouldn't join them in the prisons appeared dazed by the group of fighters who had presented themselves seemingly at random in Omashu. As disgusted as they might be over the stench of the sewers, it was apparent that they were powerful allies – hopefully, powerful enough to overthrow Ukano and the Fire Nation's hold on the city…

"If you're all set, we'd better get moving now," Sokka said to Bojun. He nodded, glancing back as some parents said their farewells to their children, urging them to be good and stay safe while they took off to fight.

"We're with you. It may just be our last chance to fight for Omashu… so let's make sure it doesn't go to waste," Bojun said, with firm determination. Sokka nodded approvingly.

"None of us can afford wasting this opportunity. This city will be free," he said, eyes sharp and cold as steel.

Once everyone gathered by the cavern wall, Toph opened it anew. The stench of the sewers compelled everyone to cover their noses before marching into different tunnels from those they had visited thus far. As uncomfortable as the experience was for the small group, everyone endured the stale stench until they reached what Toph sensed as the entrance square of Omashu, the very place where the Race had ended so long ago. The walls, and the bridge that connected the city to the outside world, stood right above their heads.

"Alright, Kino. You're ready for this?" Sokka asked, turning towards the former Fire Nation soldier. Kino nodded firmly.

"Just get me a uniform and I'll be right on task, right away," he confirmed. Sokka smiled as they stood in wait: Toph waited patiently for the right opportunity to procure what Kino needed to pull off his spying mission.

Said opportunity arrived within two minutes: one of the soldiers above ground stepped into what the Blind Bandit sensed to be a small alley, on his way to patrolling other areas of the city. She breathed deeply before raising her hands: a crack spread above their heads briefly before the earth seemed gave way quickly, violently… bringing a soldier with it, of course. The man fell right into the sewers, but Toph was far too busy repairing the very ground she had cracked open to worry about the man's immediate, hysterical reaction.

Said reaction didn't last very long: within an instant, Jet had slammed the hilt of one of his swords against the man's forehead, knocking him out instantly.

"U-uh… oh, gross. He fell into the shit, literally?" Kino grimaced. Jet shrugged as Katara groaned, using her bending to reel the fallen soldier closer and out of the sewers' contents.

"I may not be able to rinse out all the smell," she clarified. Kino ran a hand over his hair before shaking his head.

"Oh, joy. Well, just do whatever you can, it's just my luck…" he groaned.

Katara and Aang took care to not only strip the soldier down to his underwear, but to cleanse the outfit as best they could from the fetid stench that clung to it. A mix of air and waterbending proved powerful enough to smooth the smell into being mostly unnoticeable, though Kino was still squeamish as he fit the occupation forces' uniform over his body. It seemed odd that he'd been dressed in Fire Nation uniforms so often as of late, but he voiced no more complaints about it as he placed his helmet upon his head.

"All ready!" Kino confirmed.

"We'll see you soon, Kino. Be careful," Aang said. Kino nodded.

"You guys as well. Let's make sure we have plenty of stories to share over dinner tonight, huh?" he said enthusiastically. Aang smiled warmly.

"Let's," he said, stepping back as Toph walked forward anew.

"Brace yourself," she said: he only had about half a second to do as much before she catapulted him above ground anew, opening and closing the ground quickly behind Kino. She let out a deep sigh before nudging Sokka with her elbow. "I hope you know what you're doing. Or that Kino does. Sounds like a dangerous mission for someone who seems as threatening as a house pet."

"You'd think so, but it's not the first time he deceives Fire Nation troops," Sokka said. "And speaking of which…"

The soldier they'd captured remained unconscious, now nearly naked. Katara bit her lip, hands on her hips.

"Not a good idea to leave him here, is it?" she asked Sokka. He shook his head.

"He could find his way out of here before most our plans are executed, so… it might be cruel, but can I ask you to bury him to the neck in here, Toph?"

"She doesn't have to be the one to do it," said Wenna, snarling before moving her arms in a much more rigid earthbending display than Toph's.

In moments, the man was effectively buried to his neck, right next to the stream of sewers content. The earthbender glared at him coldly, clearly not satisfied with just this small revenge.

"He should suffer plenty here… once he wakes up," she told herself, glancing back at the group's current leader. "And by then we will have executed all your plans, right?"

"That's the hope," Sokka nodded, stepping forward, past the unconscious Fire Nation soldier. "So we better get moving: to prison it is."

"Ah, finally the actual fun's about to start, huh?" Toph smirked before stepping up to Bojun and Wenna. "Can you guys help us get there? I could find the square on my own, but there's way too many buildings in this city…"

"We know the undercity fairly well. We won't lead you astray," Bojun said: as hopeless as he had sounded back when they had first met him, he seemed utterly thrilled to be here now, ready to take action to save his people.

The journey through the sewers took longer this time, for it seemed their destination was quite remote, in one of the secondary pyramids of the city. Sokka's heart raced as he wondered if the distraction was working yet, if all was going according to plan or if Kino had bumped into obstacles along his path. There was nothing to be done other than to trust their expert spy had succeeded at his task, though: they were too far away to offer him any assistance, and in the end, there was no better way to help him than by breaking out the rebels that Ukano's regime had kept behind bars across the past decade.

After about half an hour of progress, they finally reached a portion of the tunnels that connected to the prisons. Toph frowned as she pressed her hand to the wall, sensing further into the ground a layer of thick metal: the walls that hugged and secured the entire prison, she suspected.

"Feels like this prison's partly underground," she said, tightening a fist. "If I break the wall right here… I'll find one of the cells right away."

"Can you see as well in metal as you can on the ground?" Katara asked. Toph grimaced.

"Not entirely. Metal's full of echoes, it's a bit trickier. Doesn't mean it can't be done, though," she clarified, taking a calming breath – as calming as it could be when drawn in such an unpleasant location. "Alright, want me to go for it now, Sokka?"

"Go on. If you're sure this is it, the sooner we start, the better," Sokka confirmed, stepping away from the earthbender to give her room to work.

Toph nodded as she raised her second hand. All her fingers dug into the solid rock with ease, molding it quickly and smoothly as though it were butter instead. She pushed earth and rock aside with ease until she reached the anticipated metallic barrier. She smirked as she let her fingers sink in the metal, as the echoing reverberations within the building reached her in a distorted cacophony. Still, those were breaths… and further away, footsteps. A little more probing revealed this was but one section of the prison, a single block occupied with jail cells, all of which were fully populated – some even had more than one person in the same cell.

So she breathed in, timing her bending perfectly: once the footsteps felt unequivocally distant, she slid her hands through the metal and squeezed it. The loud, whirring sound was inevitable, but she didn't slow down even if she sensed the prisoners were reacting to her actions.

"I'm going to make as big a hole as I can… but it's possible the guards will come back over the noise," Toph warned. Sokka nodded. "Be ready."

The resistance members watched in utter awe as Toph bent the metal expertly, splitting it down all the way to her feet and pulling it apart with enough strength to allow even the thickest member of their group across the gap. Toph marched through the hole first, and Sokka made to follow: his eyes fell upon a frightened man, shrunken and trembling against a corner of the jailcell.

"W-wha…? W-who…?!" the older man whimpered as Toph marched up to bust the jailcell's metal door: heavy footsteps could be heard marching back towards the cellblock already.

"Guard incoming!" Toph warned Sokka as she tore down the lock on the door with ease.

Sokka snarled, returning to the threshold of the tunnel, a hand raised to prevent the rest of the group from marching into the cell. Toph herself retreated into the tunnel quickly, in hopes of keeping any guards from noticing anything was amiss, but ready to attack, regardless.

The cellblock's wooden door swung open and a guard in Fire Nation apparel stood at its threshold. He frowned as he scoured the dark cellblock with his gaze, leaving the door open as he stepped towards the furthermost cells. Most the prisoners appeared frightened, confused… and the man frowned when his eyes fell upon the damaged door on the prison cell.

"Wha-…?" he started: he couldn't finish the sentence before a sudden projectile flew at him, sliding smoothly through the cell's bars and striking his helmet violently.

Sokka, at the very entrance of the hole in the wall, watched in utter astonishment as the sudden blast of water froze the head of the soldier with no warning, knocking him out quickly over a mix of suffocation and temperature shock.

Sokka dashed forward instinctively, shoving the damaged cell door open to catch the man as he collapsed. The ice around his helmet melted anew after a moment, returning to its source: Anorak's waterskin.

"W-what is this…?! W-who are you…?!" the old man in the cell gasped, gaping at the sudden surprise visitors in his cell: Aang shushed him, bringing his fingers to his lips as Sokka removed the officer's helmet carefully, confirming the man was out cold… literally, in this case.

"Someone… the door," Sokka called back at the rest of the group, gesturing at the door the guard had left open.

Jet hummed in acknowledgement, stepping subtly across the room. He slithered through the shadows and pushed the door closed silently before any of the guards beyond that corridor was the wiser. Their group found more privacy now, once the inside of this cellblock was blocked from the view of any guards who might glance in its direction.

There were about fifteen prisoners distributed unevenly in their cells. Toph took to opening cell doors forcefully while Sokka set the unconscious guard on the prison's filthy floor.

"Who are you people?" a freed woman asked, eyes flickering between all members of the group that filed into the prison cell. "W-what are you doing? W-why are you here…?"

"We're here to help, nothing more, nothing less," Sokka said, as reassuringly as possible. He rose to his feet as the others filed into the room, his eyes shifting towards Anorak. "That was a good technique, by the way. Thanks."

"When you're in unfavorable conditions, you waste no water. Not even a drip," Anorak answered as he closed the waterskin anew, eyeing their surroundings.

Sokka nodded approvingly: the old man in the cell had stepped out of it too, quick to hug the other prisoners Toph had set free so far. The Gladiator breathed deeply as he drew his sword, making Toph's job easier by cutting across the locks in the cell doors: each prisoner within appeared utterly amazed and simultaneously terrified by what was happening.

"I will need you all to stay calm," Sokka said, upon slicing off another door's lock. "Calm, and quiet. The plan is to set free as many of you as possible before the Fire Nation soldiers notice what's happening, alright?"

"Y-you're breaking us out? All of us?" asked a teenager behind bars.

"If possible, yes," Sokka said, slicing the teenager's lock next. "Those of you who are in no condition to fight, just leave through our tunnel. The ones who want to fight alongside us, we welcome your aid-…"

"Yung is in another cellblock," said a middle-aged man as Toph broke him out of his cell. "I don't know where, but not here… Captain Yung can help you, he'll want to…!"

"Okay, that's good to know," Sokka said, breathing deeply as he turned towards the closed door.

Behind him, two of the resistance members hugged someone they had recognized and who had only just been set free. The Gladiator overheard their excitement and breathed deeply as he pondered the best way forward…

He stopped pondering when he sensed footsteps behind him: Bojun appeared ready to kill the soldier they'd defeated in cold blood.

"Hey," Sokka hissed. Bojun stopped, shooting Sokka an accusatory glare. "He's already unconscious and restrained. There's no need for more than that, is there?"

"These bastards have been tormenting our city, us, for ten years," Bojun growled. "A little payback is more than warranted, damn it."

Sokka breathed out slowly before marching up to the resistance leader. The man trembled with unease, no doubt fearful that the Gladiator might judge him for his rashness, but Sokka only clasped his shoulder firmly.

"I know they deserve no sympathy, let alone mercy, after everything they've done without questioning their orders…" Sokka said. "I understand the way you feel, because I felt that way for a long time, too. But they are not the core of the problem: their leadership is."

"And their leadership will be enforced through their actions unless we get rid of the vessels that promote their order and ideology. If we have a chance to cut them down…" Bojun hissed, and Sokka shook his head.

"Killing them when they're already defeated… that's easy," Sokka said. Bojun frowned. "Killing them now means they get to pay for none of what they've done. Killing them means they die as martyrs for the Fire Nation, proud of having given their lives to the Fire Lord's cause, and then Ozai gets to pretend we're the ones who threaten peace because we killed his supposedly innocent troops. Leaving them alive, to witness as we tear down their control of this city? Keeping them powerless, incapable of stopping us? That's a much better revenge, one that will even see them losing their Fire Lord's favor, becoming traitors in his eyes, due to their failure to stop us."

Bojun blinked blankly but his frown seemed less adverse now. Sokka cast a glance at the unconscious, buried soldier.

"If you have no choice, if they give you no choice, yes, be lethal," Sokka said, closing his eyes. "But if they're already powerless, incapable of doing anything to defend themselves, you can avenge your fallen by making them watch as we take back everything they stole from you while they lack the power to do anything to stop us."

Bojun gritted his teeth but nodded in acquiescence. Sokka let out a deep breath before turning to check as Toph unlocked the final cell. The group of freed prisoners appeared to rejoice in their unexpected rescue, but there was reluctance in many of them. Not all of them appeared to be rebels, imprisoned for attempting to defend Omashu from the invading Fire Nation… some seemed so young or old that it was hard to imagine them posing a threat of any kind to Ukano's rule. Sokka snarled at that realization, but he forced himself to focus.

"Toph… can you tell how many soldiers are out there?" he asked. She hummed, stepping up to the door.

"If everyone quiets down in here, maybe," she said. On cue, the occupants of the cellblock fell silent, giving the earthbender a chance to focus on what lay behind the closed door. She clutched the metal wall next to the door and waited for a moment, focusing on the vibrations beyond… and then she had her answer. "Four in the big central room this corridor leads to. Feels like there's a couple more patrolling the cellblocks, but I'm not sure. Too much echo."

"Do you sense a staircase?" Sokka asked. Toph nodded. "They might try to escape through it when we step out of here…"

"And alert everyone else, I bet," Toph hissed. Sokka nodded.

"Can you sense anything like an alarm system?" he asked. Toph frowned. "A bell, a gong…?"

"I think there's something dangling off a pole, near the wall to the right," Toph said. "The other cellblocks are to the left. Six blocks, I think."

"Alright… alright," Sokka said, breathing out slowly. "What else can you sense to the right? Is it maybe some small office, or so?"

"Nope. Just plain metal wall," Toph said. Sokka nodded.

"Makes one thing a little easier, then. No need to worry about the supervisor walking out into the fray while we're fighting," he said. "Can you build a metal wall that blocks the stairs between this floor and the next one?"

"Ah, closing all exits from sneaky bastards who want to escape? Sure thing," Toph smirked.

"Zuko, Anorak, Katara…" Sokka said: the three benders stepped forward quickly. "You three and I will take out the four guards in the next room. Aang, you'll take down the alarm bell. If the two guards in the cellblocks try to step out while we're fighting, Jet, Bojun, be at the ready to defeat them."

"And the rest of us?" asked a nervous, freed prisoner.

"The rest of you will wait for now. You may play a bigger part once we reach the higher levels, but for now, you'll focus on helping us free prisoners once the floor is clear of Fire Nation soldiers," Sokka said. The man nodded in compliance. "Everyone ready?"

The group nodded in response and Sokka breathed in. The possibility of using the guard's outfit to distract the other guards crossed his mind… but they meant to strike quickly, and a deceit that would come undone in a matter of moments would be an unnecessary waste of time. He let out his breath and turned the doorknob.

"Go first," he said to Toph. She nodded just before he pushed the door open.

The corridor that led to the central room was metallic, just as everything in this prison seemed to be. Their cellblock stood diagonally to the nearest staircase, close to the left wall where the bell hung off at a pole, nearly out of sight.

The guards seemed to sense movement, but they didn't react to it right away… not until they heard more than one set of footsteps coming from their cellblock. By then, one of the guards gasped, raising his spear… and it served as little protection against a spinning boomerang that struck his helmet effectively just as the other three guards reacted, one after the other.

"What is…?!"

"Stand back!"

"Who…?!"

Twin freezing attacks hit two of the guards, wrapping around their heads: Zuko rushed to the last one, punching him hard in the stomach before knocking him out with a blow from his sword's hilt. Toph had snuck off all the way to the staircase by then, and she busied herself with bending a sheet of metal out of the wall and as good as welding it on the archway, blocking its access fully.

Sokka recovered his boomerang, confirming the guard was out cold as Aang, Jet and Bojun rushed out of the cellblock next: the Avatar removed the clapper from the bell, ensuring it would be useless. Anorak and Katara reeled back the water they had knock out their foes moments ago – the northerner eyed the southerner with intrigue, and she smiled weakly at him.

"It looked like a handy trick. I hope I did it well, too," she said. Anorak nodded.

"Far too well for your first time doing it. Good work," he said. Katara's smile strengthened.

The two remaining guards didn't appear simultaneously: the first one was easily taken out by Jet's swift attacks, and it took about two more minutes before the next one emerged, confused over the noise: Bojun raised his sword towards the soldier and the man gasped before rushing back into the cellblock.

"Come back here…!" Bojun growled: Zuko rushed after him too, both moving as quickly as they could.

The guard bent a blast of flames at Bojun and Zuko fielded it effectively: Bojun had the perfect opportunity to rush the hostile firebender and crash the hilt of his blade right into the man's helmet. The mask of the helmet cracked inwards, splinters of it digging into the enemy's skin. Incapacitated over pain, the guard whimpered and wailed: Zuko snarled, knowing the man's noise might carry through the corridors, up to the next floor… a risk they couldn't dare take: Bojun wasted no time running the guard through to silence him effectively.

Zuko sighed but nodded: deaths had been inevitable in the South Pole too, far more of them than the ones they'd seen in Omashu so far. He understood Sokka's intent, he knew he didn't want more carnage than strictly necessary… but blood and violence were the language of wars, and deadly decisiveness could be the difference between triumph and catastrophic failure.

"All done in there?" Jet asked. Zuko nodded.

"This one's… dead," the Prince said. Unsurprisingly, Jet seemed unaffected by the news.

"Search him for keys to the cells," Sokka advised Zuko: the prince nodded and got to work right away, just as the others did the same thing.

Explaining the situation to the many prisoners they set free was far from easy: many were desperate to be free, others were wary, but most of them appeared thrilled to reunite with familiar members of the resistance. Bojun's thirst for blood seemed to fade away over the relief of seeing so many familiar faces he had feared he might never see anew… but his most visible reaction was his genuine joy when a bearded man stepped out from a cellblock in which Aang had been unlocking all doors with the guards' keys.

"Yung… oh, Yung!" he exclaimed, smiling as he wrapped the older man in his tight embrace. Yung laughed softly, patting Bojun's back.

"There, there, little brother. I'm okay," Yung said, smiling as he pulled back. "You're all grown-up now, huh? Damn, but it's good to see you…"

"It's good to see you too. But… we'll have to save the reunion for later," Bojun admitted, casting a quick glance in Sokka's direction.

"Who's this?" Yung asked, stepping towards the unfamiliar man.

Sokka raised an eyebrow upon recognizing the way the majority of the newly-freed prisoners flocked towards the bearded man. He nodded in acknowledgement of the likely leader of the resistance before answering the question directly.

"I'm Sokka. Also known as the Blue Wolf, but I doubt that'll mean anything to most of you," Sokka said. "I take it you're the resistance leader?"

"I am. Or I was, before I was imprisoned. I'm Yung," the man said, extending an arm that Sokka clasped in a gesture of respect. "Don't take me for an ungrateful bastard, nothing further from that, but… what is the meaning of this? Why are you setting us free now?"

"Because it's well past time for Omashu to be free, and I'm sure you all agree," Sokka said. Yung raised his eyebrows appreciatively. "We're not out of the woods yet, though. Can you sense what awaits us upstairs, Toph?"

"Not really, there's too many folks here now and they're all noisy," she said, grimacing. "But I'm pretty sure there's got to be about as many guards as there were here, if not more."

"How many more floors do you feel above us?" Sokka asked.

"The prison is five floors tall, total," Yung answered. Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Two floors below ground, the other three above it. I can't say for sure that all floors are filled with with rebels, but… they might be."

"Do you know if there's an armory for the guards?" Sokka asked. Yung frowned.

"I believe so, but… it must be on the ground floor," he said. Sokka nodded.

"We should find enough weapons there for those of you who can use them," Sokka announced, gazing at the rest of the group. "Though I suppose a fair number of you are earthbenders, too?"

"I am one", Yung said, fists clenched. "And that's why I'm as good as useless while we're in here. I'm sorry for that."

"Don't be," Sokka said, shaking his head. "If anything… you and the other earthbenders can help by starting the evacuation of the more vulnerable prisoners. There's a hole in that cellblock, it'll take you to the sewers…"

"Resistance members should know where to go from there," Bojun said, reassuringly. Yung nodded.

"I can do that, but… do you really mean to take Omashu back? Right now, or…?"

"We're carrying out the whole operation today. We have no choice," Sokka said, firmly. "It's rushed, hasty, yes… but this is a golden chance I refuse to squander. We're doing it now."

"Then I'll send off the others… but I'll rejoin you once you're done with this place," Yung said, firmly. "If you will fight… I will fight alongside you."

"As will many of us. Most of us," said Bojun, firmly. "Though… I'm sure there's more people upstairs, too."

"We'll break them out next. The ground floor should be the main problem, from the sound of it," Sokka admitted, frowning. "Though we have to be wary of the upper floors, anyway. Are there prisoners up there, too?"

"I expect as much" said Yung, frowning.

"We need to keep this entire operation as quiet as possible. Maybe our distraction is working already… but if it isn't, we can't afford being caught or noticed before we've set every prisoner free from this place," Sokka said. "So, earthbenders, stay here and ensure to evacuate those who are in no condition to fight. Those of you who want to stay and fight, wait at the tunnel, because we'll use it as our way out once everything else is said and done. The rest… let's get ready to attack upstairs."

A number of new non-benders, as well as the ones who had crossed the sewers with them, would stay in the cellblocks, helping others evacuate: their ranks of capable fighters seemed to rise to a number of forty by now. Sokka breathed deeply at that sight, knowing they were still not numerous enough to pose a significant threat to however many troops were stationed in Omashu… but if all went well, they'd gather far more allies as their operation continued, not only within prison but later on, in the city itself.

"What's the layout upstairs?" Sokka asked. Toph shrugged.

"Basically the same as here, from what little I can feel… though I'm feeling more now than I did before, now that the others took off to the hole," she said, placing a hand on the metal plate she had extended over the archway. "I'm sensing… five guards in the area this time. One's pretty close to the bell."

"Then we'll have to target that one first," Sokka frowned. "Is it possible for you to block the way upstairs, just like you did here? Me and the others would march in first, so…"

"While you beat them up, I close the way out? Sure thing," Toph said, cracking her knuckles.

"Anorak… can you take care of the one near the bell?" Sokka asked next. The waterbender nodded. "The rest of us can split the others among ourselves, right?"

"No problem," Katara said, cracking her knuckles.

"Aang, you'll go first: go for the bell immediately," Sokka told the Avatar, who nodded promptly. "Go fast, but… no airbending, if you can help it."

"Uh, I'll try… but how about imperceptible airbending?" he asked, with a weak smile. Sokka sighed.

"If you really can make it imperceptible, fine, but no overt airbending displays," he said, breathing deeply. "We ready to rush? Everyone set?"

"Ready," a few of the others answered. Toph took a deep breath of her own.

"Then let's get cracking," she said, raising her hands to spread the metal out of the doorway.

Aang climbed as subtly and imperceptibly as ever, followed by Anorak, whose footsteps were slightly heavier than Aang's. The others went next, with Toph slipping into place behind Zuko, followed by the non-benders who would offer support to fight any other guards who might try to catch the group unawares. Aang breathed deeply as he climbed while shrinking in his frame, crouched in the hopes of not catching the eye of the enemy before he was ready…

Only once he reached the fifth step before the next floor did Aang catch sight of the bell, as well as the man standing near it. He gritted his teeth before reaching down to Anorak, who was imitating him so far… and he urged the waterbender to go first. Anorak frowned but nodded, understanding Aang's misgivings better once he caught sight of the soldier's proximity. The guard might ring the bell before Aang could do anything to stop him, so…

The waterbender and the Avatar exchanged a look and nodded.

A blast of water sloshed out from Anorak's waterskin and rushed at vertiginous speed towards the guard near the bell: the water froze his head anew, and he was so close he tripped right in the direction of the rudimentary alarm…

Aang had rushed past Anorak, not as fast as the waterbender's attack, but almost keeping in time with it: shooting himself forward with slight, unnoticeable gusts of wind in his feet, Aang caught the bell, sliding a hand underneath it to catch the clapper before it could make any noise over the collision of the guard's body against it.

The guards in the room, so far perfectly placid while keeping watch, gasped in unison when they saw Anorak's attack and heard Aang's approach. It had happened in a blur, and while they understood very little of what was going on, they were ready to fight back…

Or so they thought, before a boomerang flew fast and slammed one of them over the head, violently. Moments later, the head of another one was frozen by Katara's attack in yet another imitation of Anorak's technique. Zuko rushed in towards the last one, a man with a spear who jabbed it in the Prince's direction for an instant before shouting:

"Intru-…!"

A blast of firebending caught him in the chest, cutting off his breath. The man failed to compose himself before Zuko's sword slammed hard against the helmet, causing it to ring violently and for the man's helmet to as good as spin around his head over the violent attack. He didn't appear to be unconscious yet… but before Zuko could gear up to attack anew, a flurry of blades caught the guard's armor with the hooks of twin blades: the powerful attack tossed the man on the ground backwards, falling head-first on the floor.

"Didn't mean to get yours, but…" Jet said. Zuko hummed.

"Thanks," he blurted out, simply, before focusing on the unfolding fight anew.

Two more guards had showed up from the cellblocks, and Bojun and his people engaged them next. The soldiers wound up running back into the cellblocks for safety, somehow, only for the prisoners to offer assistance to their saviors by clutching the guards, restraining them against the cell's bars so the fighters could pummel them into submission.

"Be quick about that… damn it," Sokka grimaced, watching as the prisoners and rebels appeared, once again, far too invested in their personal vendettas to pay much heed to the urgency of the situation.

He glanced over at the next flight of stairs: Toph had effectively blocked the archway while they fought, but she seemed bothered by something, frowning with displeasure.

"I don't know if… if we were too loud before I could block it properly," she said, hand pressed against the metal wall of her creation. "I'm sensing movement upstairs."

"We're closer to the ground floor… closer to their likely main operation area," Sokka snarled. "So, whatever we do here, they'll be more attentive to it."

"They seem to be done with one guard…" Katara said, grimacing. "Not sure about the second one."

"Done as in…?" Sokka asked, before rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "At this point, unfortunately, I don't have the luxury to tell them to keep them alive. Can you tell them to focus, though? We have to set those prisoners free. They should busy themselves with getting keys off all these guards and opening every cell as fast as possible."

"I'll let them know," Katara nodded.

"Go, quickly," Sokka said, startling his sister. "We may not have a lot of time to spare before we have to charge upstairs."

"Right… okay," Katara nodded, stepping towards the ongoing pandemonium in one cellblock, followed by Aang and Zuko.

Sokka allowed them to sort out the situation themselves while he focused on unraveling the best strategy to follow now… a task best done by once again learning the layout of the area from Toph.

"It's a longer room. I'm sensing about ten… no, more than ten guards up there, all distributed across the hall. The front door is... over towards that direction, but it's too far away from the stairs for me to reach it as fast as I reached everything else so far."

"Do they have a back door?" Sokka asked. Toph frowned.

"Maybe… hard to sense it from here. But you did ask earlier if they had some armory or dressing rooms? I think they're right behind the bell's wall, in the upper floor."

Toph walked in that direction, placing her hand on the metal wall. She focused on what she could sense before nodding approvingly.

"There's no one in there right now," she told Sokka. "And yeah, there's a backdoor. I can't reach that directly, but what I can do is seal the door that leads into the dressing room and armory from here by welding it into the wall. Should make things a bit easier, I think. I can always break it open later when it's time for us to arm the prisoners, right?"

"Right," Sokka nodded. "Go ahead, then. The less exits they have, the better. Once we're up there, focus on blocking other every way out. I know you'd love to get a good fight but…"

"I'll have better chances for that later, right?" Toph smiled, as she started bending the metal across the building carefully. Sokka nodded.

"Many chances, in all likelihood," he said, glancing at the rest of his specialized team while Toph kept working on her stealthy blocking of doors: Anorak and Jet waited for them to finish preparations for the next assault, and Katara, Zuko and Aang had just returned from getting the rebels to focus on freeing more of their allies.

"Most guards are still alive… though in bad shape," Katara said, grimacing. "I didn't think healing them would be a priority, though…"

"Unfortunately for them, it's not one just yet. We need to move fast," Sokka said, glancing at Aang next. "I know this might go against what I've been telling you to avoid doing so far, but… I need you to deal with the bells, in all the remaining floors, as fast as possible."

"Uh… what, all of them? We're not clearing floor by floor anymore?" Aang asked, puzzled. Sokka shook his head.

"There's too many soldiers upstairs. We can't expect to take them out as quick and silently as we have so far…"

"And we weren't that silent to begin with," Toph growled, stepping closer to the group. "I'm done blocking that door from below, I hope the guards didn't notice… but it feels like someone's coming downstairs right now."

"W-wait, what?!" Katara gasped. Sokka gritted his teeth.

"Shit… can you trap them?" he asked. "Erect another metal barrier right behind them, once they're close to this one?"

Toph didn't answer: she pressed her hands to the metal walls at either side of the blocked archway. They waited in tense silence, hearing the clinking of the jail cells bursting open as the next group of rebels left their imprisonment… and then Toph pressed her hands harder against the metal: only a slight vibration gave away that she'd done something.

"Soldier's trapped now," she said, swallowing hard. "What do I do with him?"

"Lower that first archway. I'll take him out quickly," Anorak said, drawing out his water anew. Toph raised her eyebrows, as though waiting for Sokka to confirm the orders, and the Gladiator nodded.

"Do it. He's pretty good at knocking out people before they know what hit them. Literally, too," Sokka said. Anorak couldn't hold back a proud smile before Toph shrugged.

"Alright, then."

The guard emerged suddenly, startled when one of the metal barriers seemed to melt away: he didn't even have a chance to accuse them of being intruders before his head was frozen solid.

The group watched as the man stumbled awkwardly, not yet unconscious: Jet was the one who dashed forth, slamming his swords into the side of the ice, shattering it violently and knocking the man out effectively with the blow.

"Sorry for intervening," he said, smirking at Anorak. The waterbender blinked blankly but shrugged.

"Don't think we're keeping score or so, are we?" he asked. Jet chuckled.

"Maybe we should be," he said.

"Or maybe we should be focusing on the mission instead?" Zuko said, raising an eyebrow before glancing at Sokka. "What do we do next?"

"Next, we rush out and attack the ground floor," Sokka said. "Toph, keep blocking windows and doors. I'm betting there will be several of those on the ground floor, and I'm pretty sure they'll try to escape through them if they have a chance. Focus on blocking every escape route."

"Heh… no fighting for me. Sucks," Toph huffed in resignation.

"Aang, head upstairs at once," Sokka said. "Remove all the clappers from all the bells, as you have so far. If you don't see any dangerous windows upstairs through which the guards might try to escape, feel free to come back down here. If there are windows, you'll have to try to keep the guards inside the building and make sure they don't escape."

"I'll be on the lookout if they try to escape, anyway," Toph said. "I can probably sense what's going on beyond the prison once we're up there, any random people dropping from a first or second floor will probably fall loudly enough for me to hear them."

"Good, then," Sokka said, breathing deeply. "The rest of us… we have to take out the guards within the entrance hall. Once we do, we'll head upstairs and clear out the remaining floors. After that, we'll break out the remaining prisoners and leave through the tunnel again. Alright?"

"Got it," Anorak said, breathing deeply.

"This had better work," Zuko said, frowning.

"Let's hope our distraction is paying off so well that, even if we make some noise, it won't draw the eyes of the other soldiers in the city," Sokka said, breathing deeply as he guided the others to the second metallic blockade Toph had erected over the archway that led upstairs.

The upcoming fight would be crucial: any missteps and their overall plan would be likely to crumble. Success was the only way forward… so, even if it meant deviating from whatever guidelines they'd abided by so far, such as Aang's limited use of airbending, they had to take advantage of the element of surprise for as long as they could do so.

Toph lowered the second blockade, and once again, Aang took the lead. He crept carefully up the stairs anew, hoping not to be noticed: his eyes immediately sought the alarm bell from this floor, finding it slightly higher on the wall than the previous ones: the ground floor's hall was larger, at least three times as spacious as the central rooms they'd been fighting in so far. Everything was still metal, and the guards appeared to be a thorough mix of firebenders and non-benders… both of which Aang could handle if any attempted to catch him while he rendered the bells useless. He had pocketed all the clappers so far, and he hoped to continue doing that next.

One last glance over his shoulder at Sokka: the Gladiator nodded.

Aang dashed out of the stairwell, boosting his mobility with firebending rather than air, rushing over the wall before the slowly focusing eyes of at least fifteen incredulous Fire Nation soldiers.

"What in the…?!" the closest man exclaimed: Aang ran so fast the guard couldn't even raise his spear when the Avatar jumped and stepped on the man's head, hoisting himself higher in order to reach into the inside of the bell. "Ack! Stop him!"

The guard's authoritarian voice sounded like that of a man accustomed to being obeyed, and the other soldiers certainly attempted to fulfill his commands… but the ones nearest to Aang failed when a heavy club and a swirling boomerang knocked them out of combat just as Aang removed the clapper successfully.

"Go! Quickly, now!" Sokka shouted, dashing forward to serve as a barrier between the Fire Nation guards and the Avatar.

Anorak and Katara froze the heads of two more guards while Jet shot off towards the windows and doors, anticipating escape attempts before Toph could do anything to block them. The metalbender had already sped her way to the window closest to the stairwell, blocking it with a new sleek sheet of metal before moving on to the next one. The Avatar only waited to confirm Toph was already closing off every exit before speeding his way to the next staircase alone, while everyone else continued to fight on the ground floor.

A firebender aimed at Anorak, who was ready to defend himself with an ice shield, but Zuko charged forth, splitting the enemy's attack by the middle with his packed fist. The firebender attacked anew, and Zuko blocked and defused each array of flames until Anorak resorted anew to his favored technique of freezing water around the enemy's head: Zuko spun in place and kicked the iced helmet with a flaming kick, sending the foe spiraling towards a nearby wall.

Two more guards attempted to attack the benders, one of whom shot a blast of fire at Anorak – Zuko stopped it once again. The other one raised his spear… and then froze on the spot, shaken.

"P-Prince Zuko…?!" he gasped.

He had no time to confirm his foe's identity: Sokka rammed into the man's flank, knocking both him and his ally off their feet. Anorak snarled before repeating his frequent maneuver, this time freezing the foes' heads to the floor long enough to knock them out before reeling back the water into his waterskin. The two guards were out of it, but several more remained.

Katara froze one to the wall, just as it looked as though he'd escape through the window. When one attempted to dash to the door, his ankle was brutally cut into by the tip of Jet's hook sword: the guard fell on the ground as Jet leapt into position by the door, ready to fight any soldiers who might attempt to escape while Toph continued building the metal blockades across every window in the wider hallway.

"Pull back! Attack as one!" one of the guards shouted: he received a boomerang to the head for his troubles.

Another of the guards seemed to consider the fight a lost cause already: he rushed to the doors that presumably led to the dressing rooms and armory, and only then did Sokka confirm Toph's earlier efforts to block them from the lower floor had paid off. He smirked before approaching the desperate soldier, who struggled to jerk the door open: the man almost wailed, shooting a fire blast at him when he was upon him. Sokka responded by swiping it away with his club and cutting the man's armor off, cleanly, with his sword. Another yelp, as the helmet fell apart next… and then he almost seemed relieved when Sokka kneed him on the stomach, causing him to double over in pain and helplessness: with one hit of Space Sword's hilt, the man was out cold.

By then, only five guards remained on the ground floor and the prison was almost fully secured. Sokka scanned the battlefield quickly, instants before a group of eager fighters rushed upstairs from the lower floor: the prisoners were free, and it seemed they were eager to help defeat the remaining Fire Nation guards.

"Bojun!" Sokka called the man before gesturing upstairs. "We need to clear the upper floors next!"

"Got it!" Bojun responded, urging his people to follow Sokka up to the next levels while the benders and Jet finished the final five guards.

Sokka ran quickly across the stairs, but he stopped cold a few steps before reaching the next floor: guards were on their way down, it seemed, and they hadn't expected to come across numerous intruders rather than their own fellow guards.

"Stand back!" exclaimed one of the three guards: Sokka raised an eyebrow before rushing in.

The man's bending failed to find its target when Sokka dodged the flames with ease. The one who raised his spear, over the bender's shoulder, tried to jab Sokka with it, only for the spear to wind up shattered by Sokka's blade. His club swung hard into the armor of the firebender, into the non-bender next, and the last man that had attempted to charge downstairs raced back into the upstairs central room anew, horrified upon seeing his fellow warriors falling quite so easily.

The stairs were clear by then: Sokka shoved both the wounded soldiers back into the central room just for the remaining guard to fall on his knees, trembling.

"Y-you're… y-you're… p-please, don't kill me. Please…" he whimpered. Sokka frowned as he glared at the guard.

"Sounds familiar," he said, scowling. "And I killed the last bastard who tried to trick me with that plea, so…"

Sokka stopped on his tracks upon noticing a stain that darkened the soldier's trousers. He grimaced with disgust, but while he certainly felt uninclined to cut down someone frightened enough to wet themselves, the man's next words gave him pause all on their own.

"B-Blue… B-Blue Wolf. Y-you're the… y-you're the…!"

Sokka frowned as the man collapsed without another word. He grimaced as he stepped forward, removing the man's helmet forcibly with the blunt end of his club: the man truly appeared to be unconscious.

"You scared him to death?" Bojun asked. Sokka hummed. "Well, shit. Guess you really were that famous and we just had no idea, huh?"

"You could say that," Sokka said, frowning. "A few of your men ought to stay here, in case this one wakes up. But Aang… he's got to be upstairs. Come on."

"Right on," Bojun answered, singling out three men to keep watch over the fallen soldiers while Sokka began the charge to the next floor.

Sokka's suspicion regarding why there were so few guards downstairs proved correct once the final floor came into view: at least half the guards had charged after Aang upon seeing him dashing through their building, rendering their alarm system useless. Right now, the Avatar was showcasing his extraordinary agility as he dodged countless attacks, rushing across the room and tricking the soldiers into attacking each other – Sokka wouldn't have berated him for airbending while being in a ten-to-one disadvantage, but it seemed Aang had chosen not to use his full bending arsenal anyway.

Thus, Sokka and his group rushed the distracted soldiers: they had no time to process what was coming as the non-benders poured down on them like a tidal wave. Spears weren't enough to keep their foes at bay when their tips were quickly severed by that fearsome black blade, one after the other. The firebending guards attempted to focus their fire on the highly armored warrior who had disabled their allies, but Sokka's agility, even while wearing armor, was almost as terrifying as Aang's.

Switching from weapon to weapon, Sokka proceeded to defeat every fighter that attacked him: one of them, volatile and furious, attempted to strike at Sokka with vicious, poorly tampered firebending that almost hit one of Bojun's fellow resistance members: Sokka shoved the guard into a wall, but the flames of the furious firebender didn't fade even then. The man would stop at nothing to fulfill what he thought was his destiny as a citizen of the Fire Nation… and just so, Sokka would stop at nothing to ensure his operation's success.

The man's erratic firebending was extinguished by the merciless black blade that sliced painfully into his fist, severely harming his fingers and palm.

He wailed over pain and fear as Sokka repeated the procedure with the man's other hand: before he could shout loudly enough for the noise to be overheard all across Omashu, Sokka slammed the hilt of Space Sword violently against his helmet and the man stumbled before another blow made him go limp.

His scuffle with that particularly ferocious firebender had taken more time than most his fights so far: the non-benders had already overcome the rest of the guards, overwhelming them with superior numbers. The common room was littered with bodies of unconscious or dead guards, and Sokka breathed deeply as his fists tightened around his weapons: nobody ought to die anymore over this damned, senseless war… but it was far too late to prevent deaths such as these, for the Fire Lord who had committed his nation to this course of action had wanted it this way.

"Search the bodies for keys. Get to setting the prisoners free at once," Sokka told the group before stepping towards Aang. "You okay?"

"Uh… I'd say I am but that was a lot more violent than I wish it had been," Aang grimaced. "But anyway… all clappers were removed! The bells are useless, so even if we missed anyone, they shouldn't be able to get help and no one outside the prison should know that something's going on…"

"We ought to check the rest of the building thoroughly anyway…" Sokka said, breathing out slowly. "But we've gone through every floor by now. I think all guards are incapacitated, one way or another, so…"

"S-so we're getting out," said one of the prisoners who had helped in the battle, interrupting the conversation with a wild grin. "You guys… you came to save us and set us free! You really did!"

"Well, that was the plan," Sokka said, with a lop-sided smile. "And we're not done yet. The prison is just the starting point: the rest of the city comes next."

His words were the preamble to a wild battle, and the eyes of many freed prisoners brightened upon hearing them. Sokka nodded, confirming he'd meant every word, and most faces nearby broke into smiles. He couldn't help but offer them a weak grin of his own, while Aang smiled much more enthusiastically.

It took another half hour for them to break out every prisoner, even with Sokka and Toph making the most of their respective specialties – Space Sword, in Sokka's case, and metalbending in Toph's – to quicken the process. Some keys from the lower floors hadn't been found, but after a thorough check of the prison – as well as a raid by the non-bending fighters into the enemy's armory –, they were finally ready to leave the same way through which they'd arrived. Only…

"The guards who aren't dead… they're loose ends," Anorak told Sokka, just as he was about to prepare everyone for the next stage. The Gladiator frowned. "I'm not saying we have to kill them… but we can't just leave them here and hope they won't be a problem eventually."

"Imprisoning them here isn't a great idea now, we broke a ton of doors," Sokka said. Anorak shrugged.

"Maybe we don't imprison them here at all. Didn't you have the Blind Bandit burying that guy in the sewers?"

Sokka blinked blankly at Anorak's suggestion. The man raised an eyebrow, uncertain of how to read Sokka's reaction… until Sokka smiled.

"Heh. The earthbenders outside should be fine with doing that, actually," he said. "Alright, then, we'll do it your way. Tell the earthbenders to get ready to do some digging."

Thus, their time in the prison extended even further: another half hour was spent burying each soldier in the tunnel, one after the other, side by side. It seemed unlikely that any would wake soon, but if they did, they were certain to be mortified and appalled by how violently their luck had changed in a matter of moments.

"You know… I didn't know if you were right when you told me not to take my revenge by killing them?" Bojun told Sokka. "But leaving them buried here, like this… you definitely have a point. Guess sometimes there's really worse punishments than death, huh?"

"We can only hope so," Sokka said, clapping the man's shoulder. "Alright, then: we're ready to go?"

"Ready," Yung confirmed, clapping to brush the dust off his hands after his hard work burying unconscious soldiers. "What now?"

"Well… first, we'll block this tunnel and make sure no one can go in or out of that prison until our battle to retake the city is over," Sokka said. "After that, we'll split in three groups. Katara and Aang will lead the forces that will strike at the frontlines, as in, the soldiers stationed at the wall. Zuko will lead another group to Governor Ukano's residence and inform him a change of management is well overdue. I will go to the Communications Office."

"And so… we have to choose which of the three teams to join?" asked Bojun, raising an eyebrow.

"Well… we could use even numbers of earthbenders in each team," Sokka said. "How many do we have?"

"There's about twenty earthbending prisoners, give or take?" said Yung, glancing at Bojun. "How many came here with you?"

"Five earthbenders," Bojun confirmed. Yung nodded.

"There were eighteen in prison. Twenty-three, total."

Sokka whistled, running a hand over his hair. Yung raised an eyebrow.

"Is it too little…?"

"Little? I thought I'd be taking this city with just eight people," Sokka clarified, startling Yung. "I welcome bigger squads, that's for sure. At any rate, that means we ought to have eight earthbenders per team, except for one team that only will have seven."

"Mine," Toph said, smirking. "I'll more than make up for the difference."

"So proud of yourself, are you, metalbender?" Sokka smiled. "Alright, then. You'll be in the squad with the least earthbenders…"

"And I'll join you in wrecking heads in that office of whatever," Toph declared, but Sokka shook his head: she frowned upon perceiving the movement. "What? Want to correct the name I gave it?"

"No, call it whatever you feel like calling it, but… I don't think you should go with me," Sokka said. Toph's frown deepened. "I'm not saying this to upset you, but…"

"Explain yourself, Dog," she snapped. Sokka huffed.

"Well, here's the deal: Zuko's team has to travel further away, up to where the Governor's residence stands, right? The reasonable way of going about this concept of splitting the teams is to attack simultaneously, so that the Fire Nation forces will be even more disorganized than usual when they don't know which front to commit to in order to defeat us. But for us to attack simultaneously, we need… a sign. Something that will ensure we'll take action at the same time, without fail."

"Alright, I'm following so far…" Toph said, crooking an eyebrow.

"You're the best suited person to make that sign, Toph," Sokka said, and she crooked an eyebrow. "What I'm asking… is that you make an earthquake. A light one, but still… a sudden, strong tremor that shakes the city enough that those of us by the Communications Office will feel it, same as those at the walls. You'll just have to do it once you're there and once the team is ready to take action, alright? The last team to arrive at their intended destination would be Zuko's because their destination is further away, so, in order to ensure we're all ready to strike simultaneously…"

"Ah… what you're saying, then, is that I'm going to the Governor's place because I'm the greatest earthbender in the world. I guess I see now," Toph smirked.

"Right," Sokka smiled weakly, unsurprised by Toph's arrogance. "I know you wanted to fight alongside me, but Ukano has plenty of guards you'll likely enjoy taking down. Moreover… once Ukano is secured and you guys are sure he won't be a problem, you can move on to the next objective in that vicinity."

"And what's that?" Toph asked.

"Freeing the king and tearing down Ozai's statue, of course."

If Toph had any complaints left about joining Zuko's team, they were dispelled immediately upon hearing those words.

"Hell yeah," she smirked, hands on her hips. Sokka chuckled before turning to the rest of the large group – not quite big enough to be called an army, but certainly much bigger than what he had anticipated he'd lead.

"As for the others… well, choose whoever you'd like to join, I guess," Sokka shrugged. "I only advise that we try to keep all teams relatively even, we really don't know what kinds of challenges we'll be facing going forward… but I trust that we can do this. If no one came to the prison to help the guards and we spent about an hour dealing with that, it means nobody noticed what was going on…"

"And we weren't as stealthy as we hoped to be, all in all," Zuko remarked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Which suggests that our distraction paid off," Sokka concluded. "They won't see us coming and, with any luck, more of Omashu's people will choose to join forces with us to defeat the Fire Nation and break their hold on this city. That's what matters most."

"It is," Yung said, nodding and stepping up to Sokka. "I've only known you for about an hour… but you're a man of deeds, you proved it through this prison break already and I'm certain you'll continue to do so over the completion of this mission. So… I'm going with you."

Sokka smiled and nodded, accepting Yung's support immediately: little by little, the available fighters were distributed into three groups that marched back into the sewers. From there, all distinct teams were ready to split up: Toph, Zuko and Jet waved at Sokka before marching to the depths of Omashu's tallest pyramid while Katara offered him a tight hug before they parted ways too. Her team had been bolstered by Bojun and Wenna, as well as many nonbenders and a few more earthbenders.

"Be careful, okay?" Katara said, squeezing her brother. "I know this is going well so far, and it might just keep going well, but… it's hard to say with stuff like this, right?"

"It is, so you'd better be careful too, Katara," Sokka said, firmly. He patted his sister's shoulder before pulling back his hand. "Don't be afraid to do some, uh, unorthodox things, alright? The sewers are disgusting, I know that… but that's why it's something that can be weaponized against the Fire Nation's soldiers."

"Uh… huh. I mean…" Katara frowned, extending a hand towards the accumulated waste: as disgusting as it was, it seemed she could control the sewers' content effectively so far. A nervous laugh left her lips. "Well. It really is unorthodox… but it might just be a brilliant way to truly hit them where it hurts, huh?"

"Definitely," Sokka smiled, hugging Katara again. "Go on, now. Good luck, make sure Kino's fine… and do your best, Katara. We both know we're barely getting started, so… let's make the most of this opportunity today."

Katara nodded firmly, patting Sokka's arm before walking to where her team waited for her: Aang waved at Sokka as well before they took off, following Bojun and Wenna across the sewers, in the opposite direction to where Zuko and Toph's team had gone.

Sokka breathed out slowly before turning to his own group: Yung seemed quite eager to march to the Communications Office right away… and surprisingly, so was Anorak. Sokka had almost expected to work exclusively with the city's locals, but the waterbender had chosen to be part of his squad rather than anyone else's. It was odd, but Sokka wouldn't reject the northerner's help at such a delicate time.

"You can guide us to the Communications Office, then?" Sokka asked Yung. "I take it you know where it is? No idea if you were imprisoned before or after it was constructed…"

"After," Yung confirmed. "I can get us there just fine."

"Then lead the way," Sokka said, handing the reins of the endeavor to Yung for the time being: the bearded man, much older than Sokka, bowed his head respectfully in the Gladiator's direction upon being given a position of authority in their group.

They marched forward, just as the rest of their allies had earlier. Sokka's heart had been deceptively calm so far, but now it seemed to roar with pride and determination, with the overwhelming need to push forward and reconquer this city for good. He knew better than to underestimate the enemy, but as outnumbered as they might be, their odds were certainly better than he had anticipated they might be back when he had first pitched his plans to the White Lotus.

Jeong Jeong would be shocked once he learned about this, that was for sure. Perhaps Iroh would be, too, though he might just continue to diminish himself over his guilt, as that was all he ever did as of late. Shiju might just express an actual emotion, for once, and General Fong was sure to rejoice in what they'd done…

But the very residents of Omashu were the ones who mattered most: the people who had endured the Fire Nation's invasion, resented it and waited impatiently for a chance to strike back against those who had meant to destroy their city, their spirits, their whole nation. Today, the Earth Kingdom would be reborn… today, their voices would rise and cry out for freedom, once their lives belonged to themselves again. Little by little, they would break away each individual all across the world from Ozai's control… until they reached the Princess who beckoned Sokka to return, the Princess he knew needed him just as badly as he needed her.

Whether the White Lotus cared to join them in the future or not, Sokka wouldn't waste much time pondering that right now: their quest to free the whole world from Fire Lord Ozai's corrupt clutches had finally begun.

A/N:

So… ten years, three hundred chapters. A lot of people joked years ago about how I'd take forever to tell this story if I stuck to my projected ideas for it, and they weren't wrong :') it's genuinely hard to believe that I've spent this long doing this sometimes. But I have stuck to it, and I intend to keep going until Gladiator's story is fully told.

The first battle to set the Earth Kingdom free began in this chapter, and it will continue into the upcoming double update, next week. I pondered doing the double this time, but I figured I'd let the 300th chapter stand for itself. Next week, two chapters from this wild battle will drop, and I hope you'll enjoy them.

All in all, I'm very grateful to have come as far as I have as a writer. I know all too well that in some ways, people might think spending this long telling one story, and that writing so many chapters, isn't exactly a great thing… just as there may be others who thrive in stories of over four million words? At any rate, this isn't a milestone I take for granted. There's still so much story to tell, so many complicated developments in the horizon, the return of beloved characters, the payoff to many storylines... so I hope that seeing things kicking into high gear over the course of the upcoming chapters will ensure that those of you who have accompanied me so far remain as eager as you've always been to see the next developments in this story.

Thank you for reading thus far, and as I said last time, feel free to join in on Kigozula's tumblr event to celebrate the 300th chapter!