AUTHOR'S NOTES: "Vae Victis" is a Latin phrase meaning "woe to the conquered", and it might apply to more than one character in the long run. It's the last Latin title for at least another 74 or more chapters, so no worries there. It goes without saying that Nakkoa's unhinged, but this whole series of events are what first sets Korra off on a very different foot once she returns to Republic City proper. More on that part of the character study as it happens.
Happy Reading!
BOOK ONE: POWER
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: VAE VICTIS
For the moment the Wulong Forest was exactly where Nakkoa and Korra ended up, although it was less of a fight and more an attempted beatdown. Nakkoa was swift and elusive, but Korra kept heavy pressure on her with fast and ruthlessly powerful attacks. Her adrenaline was surging to the point where the pain in her neck, stomach, and right arm were completely disregarded. If the poison was still inside her, it was not working very well. The Avatar State seemed to have broken it down one way or another, or perhaps she was just so focused on her goal that everything else simply took a back burner.
Somewhere mid-flight, Korra tore her headband off and, exploiting her current focused state, began firing off powerful combustion beams at Nakkoa in rapid succession, keeping the firebender on the run. Nakkoa dove down into the rock column maze, zigzagging through the towering formations, trying to shake Korra. Much to her misfortune, however, Korra was persistent, smashing anything that got in her way. Sometime after entering the Avatar State she had also flat-out torn the metal cable from her mouth with pure brute force, and like a small, angry dragon she continued to assault Nakkoa with the same blue fire the woman had taught her; also throwing in blasts of earth, and even pulling moisture from the air into the same kind of sharp, vicious water strikes she had used in the Probending arena.
Eventually Nakkoa knew that she would have to stand her ground, and so after a particularly swift feint, she pivoted around and launched a powerful blast of lightning at the Avatar. Whether it was the Avatar State reacting or Korra's own seemingly microsecond reaction times, she only took a small portion of the hit, and managed to redirect the rest into a rock column, obliterating it.
"If this is where I fall, then so be it!" She chanted, staying evasive, "My blood will be on your hands and you'll be no different from… them!"
Korra's mind processed this statement but in her current state she thought little of it, and instead knocked Nakkoa clean off the column she had jumped up onto, tackling her to the ground. This time it was Korra who seized Nakkoa around the neck, and the firebender knew that she was finished, to the point where she didn't even try to break free.
"The world… doesn't need… another… Interregnum… Cycle…" Nakkoa gasped as Korra all but forced the breath out of her. However, it seemed the wily firebender still had one more defensive trick up her sleeve. With what would have been her final breath, she spewed a blast of blue fire at Korra's face that was forceful enough to knock her back. Korra reeled, giving Nakkoa time to scamper back to the skies, and thus the chase resumed.
Her freedom did not last long though. Right as she started jumping from rock column to rock column, Korra began firing off combustion beams with such ferocity that they cut through columns before detonating, and this threw Nakkoa off-balance. Korra caught up to her again moments later, only to find herself slammed against a cliff wall, a manic Nakkoa right in her face as if unafraid of the enraged Avatar channelling all her energy and hatred into trying to destroy her. Both Nakkoa and Korra knew one of them was not walking away from this fight.
"Tell me, little one," she channeled lightning through her hands, forcefully electrocuting Korra in the hopes of trying to force her into submission, "do you fear death?"
"Tell me," Korra seethed in an unnaturally commanding voice, "Do you!?"
In a moment, Korra had broken free, and formed an enormous ice hook on her arm that she plunged right through Nakkoa's vitals, lifting the mortally wounded firebender off the ground for a moment as a sort of vulgar trophy.
"Blood… doesn't… wash off…" These became Nakkoa's final words as she breathed her last and gave up the ghost. Korra threw Nakkoa's corpse to the ground and for a moment simply seethed. She followed this up with perhaps the most vulgar display of power-abuse and elemental release she had ever performed, but now that her quarry was dead, it seemed that Korra's mind started to shut down, and she began to slow as her pain caught up to her, where her 15-year-old body quickly realized it was more than she was able to properly handle. She sunk to her knees, and then to her hands, before collapsing entirely.
Nobody but Kwan would ever know this for sure, but Korra's vulgar display of power had in fact saved her life. As Kwan crossed the mountain ridge and overlooked the massive maze of seemingly identical stone columns, it was only after noticing Korra's ruckus that she knew where to find the dying Avatar. She charged forward, pushing herself as fast as her earthbending and her legs could carry her, and came across a rather grizzly scene.
Nakkoa was definitely dead what with the enormous gash across her chest that had come from Korra's ice hook, and the bases of the stone columns were flecked with blood that was most likely both Nakkoa's and Korra's. The Avatar was on her side, unconscious and covered in blood, albeit still breathing. It was audibly laboured, and Kwan knew that if she walked away right now, that Korra would die. On the other hand… her eyes weren't glowing, which meant Korra was no longer in the Avatar State. Were she to die, she would safely reincarnate.
Seeing her sister's mangled body actually did give Kwan pause, and she contemplated the potential consequences of her actions. Korra's life was literally in her hands right now.
"No one would know if you just walked away…" Said a voice in Kwan's head, "The Avatar will reincarnate, and you could walk way a free woman—assume another identity and disappear; wash your hands of the Red Lotus and not have to worry about another Avatar for another 16 years—that's plenty of time to disavow the Red Lotus and live another life."
"And yet wasn't it you who argued that there was more to this child than being 'The Avatar'?" Another voice argued, "did you not chastise Nakkoa for trying to dehumanize Avatar Korra by treating her as an object rather than a living human being? You don't just know the Avatar; you know Avatar Korra, and you know her very personally. If you're really serious about turning your life around, are you really going to stand by and watch an adolescent girl die when you know that you can save her?"
Korra was not aware of Kwan's presence, and thus the lavabender was, by all definition, a bystander. She glanced from Nakkoa, to Korra, and then to the sky before knowing at once what she was going to do. She raced towards Korra, checking her injuries and doing what she could to curb her bleeding. The girl definitely needed a healer, and so even with Kwan's efforts, she would have to take a chance. For now, she wrapped Korra's more serious injuries to curb the bleeding, before turning to the remains of her sister. Kwan scooped up Nakkoa's corpse, holding it bridal style as she looked into her sister's lifeless eyes as her own started filling with agonizing tears that she loosely attempted to fight.
"Dammit, Naki…" Kwan muttered under her breath, stepping away from Korra and the bloodsoaked carnage for a moment, "What weren't you tellin' me… Why'd you have to go off and do somethin' stupid like this for? You were so fixated on killin' the poor kid that you didn't even stop to think if it was a good idea, let alone that you picked a fight with not only an Avatar, but one that's stupidly powerful and she ain't even 16…"
She laid Nakkoa's corpse down, realizing that unless she altered the landscape, there wasn't going to be any way she'd ever find this place again. Using a bit of precise bending, Kwan erected a large statue depicting Avatar Korra, and then used a similar movement to place her sister's corpse under the ground at the base of this pedestal. She had originally contemplated putting a statue of Nakkoa, but she felt like that was more likely to be torn down if it was found. No one would suspect a monument seemingly to the Avatar to be what it was.
"Goodbye, sister…" Kwan wept softly, glancing down at the earth where her sister was now buried, "you deserved better… and we deserved to know what you wouldn't share… Korra deserved to know, at the very least…"
As Kwan's mind wandered, it immediately snapped back to Korra, who was still lying there and weakly gasping for breath several meters away where she had collapsed. Every moment Kwan had just spent with Nakkoa's remains was another second where Korra's life drained away. Kwan raced towards her, scooped her up, and began using her bending to propel herself forward, one step at a time.
"Hang in there, kid…" Kwan was tense as she raced west. She didn't know what she would find, but at this point, it would be much safer to try and take her to the nearby Western Air Temple than to try and go back to Republic City. It would be easier to explain what she did to Korra than to try and ask permission to help her. Of course, this was a gamble as well, because the nomadic healers that sometimes made their home in the ancient temple weren't always there, and so if the place was deserted, Kwan had just accepted at that point that Korra was going to die. While she tried to tell herself that she'd be able to shrug it off, each foot she put in front of the other had her more fervently hoping that there would be someone there who could save Korra.
A crude stone boat that she formed out of tightly compacted rock helped Kwan in her effort to cross the small strait between the coastal Earth Kingdom and the Western Air Region. From there it'd be a trip up the sheer cliff, which made Kwan glad she was an earthbender. Korra's breathing became more laboured, and Kwan had to clench her arm to help curb the bleeding. There was little she could do about the wound on her stomach though, or any of the other cuts and bruises she had suffered from in her Avatar State rage against Nakkoa.
"Hang in there, Korra…" she whispered, trying to keep her calm, "we're almost there… hang in there… you've got this… stay with me… stay with me, please…"
The lack of airbenders aside from Aang's descendants (and Korra) meant that the structure was mostly uninhabited. Kwan had heard tales of healers, monks, gurus, or other nomads occasionally inhabiting the refurbished Air Temples, and was sure Avatar Aang would have smiled at the notion that people used these beautiful structures for at least some purpose. Kwan's good fortune (or perhaps her good fortune in Korra's behalf) continued to the point where she found herself one of these nomads: a messy-haired Water Tribe woman who Kwan later learned was named Fukui.
"I'd ask what brings you here," Kwan exclaimed, "but you might notice I've got bigger concerns. Please tell me you're a healer, and more importantly, PLEASE tell me you can save her!"
She held Korra's limp form out to give Fukui a good look at her.
"The Avatar?" Fukui recognized Korra, whether from knowing her from somewhere or from stories, Kwan did not know. "I'd ask you the same thing, earthbender, but you are right in asserting that I have much larger concerns all of a sudden. Come with me"
She directed Kwan into one of the temple pagodas, taking Korra's body and disappearing into another back room. Kwan paced anxiously, hoping for some good news, and trying to keep from simply breaking down. Perhaps she had underestimated just how emotionally attached to Korra she had become over the last year and a half. Nakkoa had been right about her—she had grown soft for Korra, but seeing the teen so close to death made Kwan feel much less guilty about befriending her.
Korra was a fascinating little character, and Kwan felt that the whole sojourn would have lasting effects on her, and not just because of Nakkoa. Other than Asami, Kwan was the only one Korra really considered to be a friend, and the more Kwan dwelt on that, the worse she felt about it. Avatar Korra was taken from the world, sheltered first by the White Lotus and then the Red Lotus, all the while growing up with no actual friends apart from a polar bear-dog.
Kwan racked herself with worry over Korra's well-being, shedding tears over it even, despite her attempts to keep it discreet. Ultimately, it was over an hour before Fukui came out of the pagoda to speak to her again.
"She will live," the healer declared, much to Kwan's relief, "she is badly injured though. The wound on her abdomen was laced with poison, but it seems her body tried to flush it out."
"What else happened?" Kwan put her hands in her pockets, keep her head lowered "she looked pretty banged up when I brought her in."
"The slice across her arm will heal; that one was mundane," Fukui explained, "and in comparison, most of her other injuries are minor. She also had a concussion that seemed to kick in much later than it should have. I suppose that would be linked to something like the Avatar State, because I have no other explanation."
"Your guess is as good as mine," Kwan shrugged, shifting her shoulders to keep her coat on.
"Apart from that, she is exhausted and will need lots of rest. If she was in the Avatar State, it drained her to the point where I would not be surprised if she slept a full 24 hours."
"Then I'm leaving her here," Kwan declared, as Fukui's eyes widened.
"You really can't wait a day for your own charge?" The waterbender gawked.
"She's not mine," Kwan shook her head, "I'm turning myself in."
"Turning yourself in…" Fukui tilted her head.
"Long story," Kwan turned and started walking away. "The Avatar's parents should be coming soon, and they're probably going to bring company as well. I'll make sure they get here."
"You can't just…" Fukui was still flabbergasted, her confusion showing through her sharp words.
"I can, and I am." Kwan dashed outside to the edge of the upside-down pagoda before jumping off, using her earthbending to form a slab of rock against the sheer cliff, which she then rode down and away from the Temple.
=Near the Red Lotus Compound, around the same time…=
As desperately as Tonraq and Senna wanted to see their daughter and ensure she was alive, the Red Lotus seemed to want to be as uncooperative as possible and thus require the attention of everyone to fully subdue them. It was only after Zuko, Tenzin, and Kuvira got them secured away on Zuko's airship that they were removed from the situation, all four of them discomfortingly smug as they were taken away.
Sokka had also taken a small airship to this remote location, and he left it in the hands of Tonraq and Senna so they could hopefully go after Korra. Conveniently, it also meant that they wouldn't have to leave Naga behind, which would have been the only option if they had ridden Tenzin's Sky Bison. Even if she was a polar bear-dog, Naga was by all accounts one of Korra's best friends, and after whatever horrifying ordeals the Red Lotus had put Korra through, both her parents knew it would be for the best if they brought the creature with them.
Naturally, when Kwan suddenly appeared neither Tonraq nor Senna seemed too willing to listen to her, which in turn caused Senna to encase her in a wall of jagged ice mere seconds after she appeared. As angry as Tonraq was, Senna seemed uncharacteristically more furious, because to her, it was personal for reasons that transcended Korra's existence.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't crush the life out of you!" she growled, her hands vicegripping Kwan's neck. Kwan coughed and gasped for a reply.
"Kor...ra…" her tan face had started to turn purple.
"Make it good," Tonraq put an ice spike to the underside of Kwan's neck as Senna gave a foot or two of clearance "Speak."
"So…" Kwan gasped for breath, "three things: Firstly, Nakkoa is dead."
"Nothing less than she deserved," Tonraq's fists clenched.
"Secondly," Kwan ignored their reactions, "I'm turning myself in, which is why I'm here. That said, I'm much more likely to cooperate if I'm not bleeding out or dead."
"You're in no position to make demands, earthbender." Senna kept her death glare fixated on Kwan, "that we are sparing you at all now is a sign of our mercy."
"Very well." Kwan sighed, "Thirdly… Korra is alive. I recovered her from the nearby Wulong Forest and took her to the Western Air Temple, where she is in capable hands. She'll live."
There was a pause followed by a collective sigh of relief.
"That said," Kwan continued a moment later, "go ahead; kill me, lock me up, whatever. I'm done talking, and I accept the punishment for my actions."
It was Kuvira who brandished platinum chains as Kwan was released from the ice and offered her hands willingly. "It's been a while since I've had to use these… and on a lavabender, no less. It's a shame, really… but I digress."
"Just… don't forget her things…" Kwan gestured, "They're in a small green bag by the back of my old truck. I'd love it if you left the truck alone, but I'm powerless to stop you. Just… the kid has some sentimental items in there that she might like to see again. That's all."
Korra had lost her bag after Nakkoa struck her forehead, and in the heat of the battle, no one was too concerned about it or even the vehicles. Since then the battle had raged westward in a loose attempt to follow Nakkoa and Korra, but had obviously been unsuccessful.
"Sokka," Tonraq gestured to Kwan, "deal with her."
"Well, my fair lady," Sokka's slight eccentricism had returned, "I'm afraid even with your cooperation and heroism, a crime's a crime, and we can't just write that off."
"I accept my fate." Kwan resigned, "my sister is dead, my group is in shambles, and the poor Avatar is clinging barely to life in some medical ward at the Western Air Temple. Do what you will with me, and keep me as long as you need."
Sokka frowned and with Kuvira's help, led Kwan back to the vehicles. Tonraq and Senna followed, both to get back to the airship they were going to take to the Western Air Temple, but also to heed Kwan's advice about Korra's belongings. Tonraq picked up the small bag, wondering what sort of effects his daughter had picked up on her 18-month adventure.
She had a rather impressive sack of money. She had won quite a heavy purse from the probending marathon back in Republic City, and even with how much candy she bought, candy was inexpensive and Korra's beloved candy bag was as fat as her coin purse. Apart from that, there was an otherwise ordinary change of clothes, a blue-striped belt from her Probending team, a few souvenir tickets from Blackstone Hotel and Casino, a small red box, a handful of dice, a small framed photo of Korra smiling alongside a girl her age that neither of them recognized, and a small but thick blue book. It was worn and beat-up, and the uneven patterns the pages formed even when closed indicated that this little book had seen some heavy use. On the front in slightly crude handwriting were the words "Korra's Avatar Adventures" coupled with a comical-looking chibi depiction of Korra grinning.
All of these things were stowed away immediately, and Korra's parents both wasted no time boarding the ship and heading straight for the Western Air Temple. Overcome with emotion at seeing Korra's things, both of them wanted nothing more right now than to see their daughter again and ensure her that everything would all be alright.
AFTERTHOUGHTS: As much as I enjoyed her as a character... yes, Nakkoa is dead and she isn't coming back. She is not, however, the Major Character Death I've hinted at (nor is anyone who canonically dies). But, this is the first of several traumatizing events that throw Korra into a very different position over time. We'll see how she copes with it over the next few chapters though, so by all means, let me know what you think thus far.