Hello, People.
This is chapter 5 of the story, it's a really important chapter so if you are really invested in this story, you are gonna love this.
I might (or might now) write another chapter and go away for a while, so I hope you forgive me for this, as I'm incredibely busy.
Have a good read :)
After the meeting with Katara and Sokka was concluded, both parties decided it was time to retire, Zuko had a good night's sleep as he finally got to speak with his friends again, he felt like he was missing something without them, Mai was the reason he didn't feel completely alone, but sometimes he just feels like he wants to go back to being a teenager once more, just out there in the middle of a war, hunting the avatar or helping the avatar defeat his father, or roam the earth kingdom in disguise, or infiltrate the northern watertribe to capture the avatar, or defeat a band of thugs terrorizing a small earth kingdom town, wouldn't that be something to admire?
As he was having a good dream about the good old days, he heard it, it terrified him to the core that he jolted awake and jumped out of bed, running to the place he heard it from.
A huge explosion was heard in the courtyard, he had to check the scene himself.
As he got out, he found that Mai has beaten him to it.
"Mai, what's going on?!" Zuko asked his girlfriend as she was standing there, staring at the fire, but appearing to be on her guard.
"I don't know, but I don't think it's an accident." Mai said, still appearing to be alert, which prompted Zuko to do the same and take a fighting stance.
At this, Sokka and Katara rushed out of the palace.
"What's going on?!" Katara asked with panic in her eyes upon their arrival.
"Sokka, do you have a weapon?" Zuko asked.
"I don't go anywhere without it. Why?" Sokka responded, as he brought out his club and his boomerang.
Zuko looked ahead as he said, "Looks like we're destined to fight side by side forever."
Sokka and Katara took a fighting stance as well and waited, they waited until they heard faint screams, Zuko and Mai recognized the sounds and who it belonged to, they ran towards it, with Katara and Sokka followed close by.
It was the palace garden caretakers; someone is attacking them.
When they arrived at the scene, they only found blood everywhere, with the caretakers and beside them the guards thrown to the ground, their necks slit open, it was a gruesome scene to say the least.
"Hello, Firelord Zuko." Someone said from the distance, with a couple of soldiers behind him.
A hideous man whose brown face was filled with scars, his lazy eye looked at Zuko funnily, he had two swords tied to his back, which Zuko knew it was his weapon of choice, and his hair styled in a ponytail.
Suddenly, the soldiers disappeared from behind the man, and he stood alone in front of the firelord and his friends.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Zuko asked.
The man smirked at him menacingly, it sent shivers down Zuko's spine, "the name is The Berserker, as for what I want you can't afford to lose, but I'll take it nonetheless..." He said, as she pulled his swords from the sheath on his back and took a fighting stance, he noticed the firelord's friends taking a fighting stance beside him, the berserker smirked again at this and he continued to speak,
"You can't fight alone, can you? Alright then, Firelord Zuko, I challenge you to an agni kai." The berserker said as he pointed his sword at the firelord.
"Are you that afraid to fight us?" Sokka asked.
The Berserker laughed at this, everyone was confused by his reaction to Sokka's words, but he just found them so amusing he kept laughing for almost a minute, after the laughter subsided, his expression completely changed, his face became menacing,
"You don't get it, do you? I'm not afraid to fight you, I'm just sparing you, my mission is to murder the firelord, no one else." He said this as he kept looking at Mai.
Sokka was furious by this, "Is that why you murdered all those innocent garden caretakers?" He said, and they could swear they saw a look of guilt come across the berserker's face, before he straightened up again and looked as if he didn't care.
"They were on my way, just like you are right now." Berserker said, threatening the watertribe warrior.
Katara took a step forward, "You dare threaten my brother, you worthless scum?"
Berserker laughed at this, "Oh, Firelord Zuko, you have some feisty friends, me likey."
"Enough of this! Where did your goons go?" Zuko asked.
"What?" Berserker asked.
"The soldiers that were standing right behind you, where did they go?"
"Oh, the boys? They went that way…" Berserker said as he pointed to the palace behind him, "They have a mission of their own, they are currently carrying it out." Berserker said.
"Stop them!" Zuko said, as him and his friends tried to run towards the palace, only for the berserker to use his swords to create some firebending and block the way behind him.
"You're going nowhere…" He said, as he stood in front of them, He then sighed and looked at Mai once more, "Final warning for the rest of you. Stay out of the way." The criminal said, still looking at Mai as if telling her specifically to get out of his way.
Mai then looked back at him with determination, "We're going nowhere." She said and she lunched a bunch of her knives at him.
Only for the berserker to smoothly deflect them using his swords, everyone was looking in shock as his speed was out of this world.
Berserker sighed again, "Alright, don't say I didn't warn you." He said, before using his swords to lunch a firebending attack on the firelord and his friends.
The attack was so immense, it was going to turn them all to crisp, if it wasn't for Katara who used waterbending from the turtle-duck pond beside her to create a shield to protect the party but they were all knocked back nonetheless.
Berserker didn't give the party a chance to stand up, he used his two-handed sword to launch another attack, but Mai was able to match his speed this time as she sent two daggers his way, Berserker widened his eyes as he didn't see the two daggers coming, and so he decided to delay his attack and used his swords to protect his face, he immediately deflected the daggers, but it was enough time for Mai and her friends to stand up and take cover.
"This guy is very good, none of us can beat him one on one, we have to stick together, god help the poor souls inside the palace, the fact remains that the firelord is more important." Mai said.
Zuko expected an objection from one of their friends, Katara especially, but what she said completely caught him off-guard.
"An older version of me would have said that's bullshit, but this version of Katara agrees with you, Mai. Zuko's life is more important than any of ours, we won't let this bastard take it no matter the cost." Katara said with determination, looking at Sokka who nodded in return.
Zuko found their sentiment very touching, but he was about to object to it, as he didn't find their words to be true, he wasn't worthy of their sacrifice.
He didn't get the chance to speak though, as The Berserker continued to launch all out attacks.
"I'll distract him. Sokka, ready your boomerang." Katara said, before she came into view of the berserker and launched waterbending attacks at him.
Sokka understood exactly what she meant, he then took out his boomerang and started to point it in the right direction, the direction that it would take to get to the berserker's face, Sokka took his precious time to aim as Katara was taking heavy hits,
"Hurry up, Sokka!" Katara shouted in fear as the berserker was sending huge fire balls at her.
Sokka then threw the boomerang, after taking his time to project Berserker's angle with his boomerang, the weapon then orbits around the room, The boomerang eventually finds its mark and hits the berserker in the head causing him to hit the ground, before it returns back.
Sokka smiled at this, as he grabs his boomerang, everyone then came out of hiding to attack the berserker, with Sokka leading them.
But out of nowhere, the berserker stood up, taking them all by surprise, he used his swords to launch another firebending attack that knocked everybody away, especially the unsuspecting person in the lead which is Sokka, it knocked them all away, with Sokka getting his arm legitimately burned.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Sokka screamed in agony.
"Sokka!" Katara shouted as she grabbed her brother and took him to safety.
"Heal him, Katara. We'll cover you!" Zuko said, as him and Mai launched themselves at the berserker.
Katara took out her water pouch and used the water to heal Sokka's arm, the burns were too severe, had she waited a couple more seconds it would have stayed on her brother's arm forever.
Sokka sighed in relief at the touch of his sister's healing water.
"Ah. That's the stuff." Sokka commented sarcastically.
Katara narrowed her eyes at his irresponsibility, "Do you ever take any situation seriously? You just got severely burned and you are making jokes?"
"I make jokes when I'm uncomfortable." Was Sokka's response to that.
Meanwhile, Mai and Zuko were having a difficult time fighting the berserker, he was too strong and fast for any of them, but they almost managed to corner him,
"We make a really good team." Zuko said in the middle of the fight to his girlfriend.
Mai smiled as she sent a dagger Berserker's way, "I guess so." She only responded.
Firelord Zuko wasn't to be underestimated as well, people forget that he's learned from the original masters of Firebending, he was fighting like a one-man army, deflecting the berserker's shots, and because he knows a couple of things about sword fighting as well, he was able to counterpart the firebending shots that were launched from the berserker's two-handed sword, he was making the assassin furious.
"When did you get so good?" Mai asked, completely impressed by Zuko's technique, raising an eyebrow.
"Ever since that life changing field trip with Aang." Zuko said with a smile on his face as he still cherishes that day.
Mai was confused by this, "Okay…" she merely responded.
They kept fighting the berserker who was getting tired by Zuko's technique, he got really angry which was the trap Zuko wanted him to fall in, the berserker then shouted and launched an all-out Lightening attack on both Zuko and Mai.
It didn't surprise Zuko at all that The Berserker knew how to lightening bend, someone this strong and this composed with his bending would know for sure how to lightening bend.
Zuko waited for the chance, the berserker generated the lightening and shot at the firelord.
The Firelord took a deep breath before that, and then he extended his fingers to catch the lightening, his uncle's teaching still echoing in his brain,
A waterbender lets their defense become their offense, turning their opponents' energy against them. I learned a way to do this with lightning. His uncle once said while teaching him his self-made technique.
The stomach is the source of energy in your body. It is called the sea of chi. Zuko remembered as he let the energy linger in the stomach while the lightening drove him back a little bit, with the whole room turning blue from the ordeal,
From the stomach, you direct it up again, and out the other arm. And he did as his uncle taught him, he let the energy flow out the other arm and the lightening followed it, he directed his fingertips towards his now frightened and shocked opponent, but then Aang's words came to his mind,
"Soon, you'll understand why it would have been better to have left your father alive."
He saw firsthand what his father's death brought upon that nation, it made Zuko unable to murder anybody again unless necessary, Zuko then decided to follow Aang's advice and spare Berserker, but he used the lightening to shoot at Berserker's feet, which completely knocked him away and the assassin fell on his back, semi-unconscious.
Mai looked at Zuko and completely understood what he was feeling, she knew exactly why he didn't kill the criminal, so she decided not to comment on that.
"Have I ever told you how great of a technique that is? Remind me to thank Uncle Iroh once we see him." Mai said.
Zuko chuckled, "Duly noted."
They were about to subdue the criminal, when Zuko sensed a firebending attack from behind.
"Mai, watch out!" He shouted as he brought his girlfriend away from him when he jumped.
Zuko took a good look at the attacker, only for him to recognize her immediately.
"Azula?"
The crazy firebending laughed at this, "Hello, Brother." She said menacingly, making both Mai and Zuko shiver.
"That's who you are after?" Zuko asked The Berserker.
The criminal just kept smiling at Azula, "Yeah, it is." He responded.
Azula smiled back and got to his side to pick him up, she extended a hand and the berserker immediately took it and stood on his feet, he got very close to her, looking her in the eyes, and she was doing the same, Azula realized this and immediately looked away as they had too much on their plate at the moment, the berserker did the same.
Azula then smiled menacingly at her brother, "Now, we are even." She said, as she stood beside the berserker in front of Zuko and Mai.
"No way…" They heard a voice from the distance, they looked back to find that it's Katara, with Sokka beside her, "How did she get out?"
Azula immediately got angry as soon as she recognized her.
"Hello, filthy waterbender. It's been two years, did you miss me?" Azula asked.
Katara immediately took a fighting stance, "Not one bit." The waterbender said.
"Oh, you break my heart. It appears we are not so even after all but… I'm just too excited to stop myself right now!" Azula shouted as she immediately sent a firebending attack at Katara, who rolled out of the way and retaliated with an attack of her own, which Azula easily deflected.
The fighting ensued between the crazy firebender and the waterbender, Sokka joined the fight and he immediately attacked Azula with his club to help his sister.
Now it's Sokka and Katara versus Azula.
The Berserker was in shock at this, as the situation got back to him versus Mai and Zuko.
He knew the technique to beat them, he just didn't want to risk burning down Azula and his soldiers, Azula has come out but his soldiers are still in there fighting the palace guards.
He decided to give them more time so that he gets to use his technique on all of them without harming any of his.
Also, because he didn't want to harm Mai, Lord Ukano's daughter, but her actions are making him slightly angry.
Berserker then sent a firebending attack at Zuko and Mai, who dodged it and the fighting ensued once more.
Back to Azula versus Sokka and Katara, the firebender unleashed all her anger on the watertribe siblings, especially Katara who made her lose her throne and put her in prison in the first place.
"You filthy waterbender! I'm going to kill you!" Azula shouted as she kept unleashing blue fire on Katara, who was trying her best to avoid it.
"Keep dreaming, you crazy bitch. I'll put you back in prison where you belong." Katara responded, using water from the pond to attack Azula.
As Sokka was fighting right beside her, he noticed them, a group of three firebenders coming from behind Katara to attack her.
"Katara, watch out!" The warrior shouted, and launched himself at the firebender behind her, he attacked him with his club, the club landed on his head, making him fall to the ground unconscious, Sokka was now standing back to back with Katara.
"Hello, Sis." Sokka greeted as he was holding his club, facing the other two soldiers.
"Hey." Katara responded, as she was facing Azula on the other side.
The other two soldiers, witnessing the scene, decided to take care of Sokka first before coming to the aid of Azula, they attacked the warrior with their firebenders and Sokka engaged them with his club and boomerang, taking on both of them.
"Who are you, people?" Sokka asked in the middle of the fight, but no one answered.
It was an all-out battle now, Zuko's personal guards appeared from the distance to be fighting some firebenders, Sokka engaged a couple of firebenders himself, Katara was fighting Azula while Zuko and Mai were fighting the berserker.
"Azula, the police are coming any second now, we have to get out of here!" The Berserker shouted at his companion.
"Not before I take the life out of this piece of filth." Azula responded, referring to Katara, who was at the moment struggling to keep up with the deranged firebender.
"I'll take care of her and everyone else in here, I'm gonna use The Technique if you get everybody out." Berserker said.
Azula's eyes widened, "No… Don't!" she shouted all of a sudden, getting completely distracted, making her vulnerable in front of Katara who decided to capitalize on the opportunity.
Katara used Azula's distraction against her, she encased herself in water, forming two tentacles along her arms, one water tentacle captures Azula's hand as she struggles to attack her, Azula tried to attack her with her foot but Katara beat her to it as another water tentacle captured her leg, Katara then lifted Azula up, who yelled in fear, Katara right then and there had the ability to snap her in half.
The Berserker saw this, and his eyes narrowed, his eyes turned red and he shouted, "No!", and without any further words, his body was encased in fire, he then extended his arms fiercely to launch the fire everywhere.
The Fire formed a dragon figure, and it was launched at Zuko and his friends.
Zuko noticed what he was about to do beforehand, he took Mai and jumped into the turtle-duck pond, while Katara used the water she was attacking Azula with to cover herself and Sokka, the fire was so immense, it vaporized the water, and knocked Katara and Sokka on the ground, they both laid unconscious.
Azula laid on the ground, completely untouched as she threw herself on the ground to avoid the fire.
She looked at the berserker who came to her side and took her hand,
"Are you okay?" Berserker asked.
Azula coughed as she looked at him with furious eyes, "I told you not to do it, you idiot."
"I didn't. that was just a fraction of it." Berserker responded.
"Never mind. You are right, we have to get out of here." Azula said.
The Berserker nodded and took Azula's hand, he helped her up and took her in his arms, he looked at Zuko and Mai who were currently on the other side of the turtle-duck pond, Zuko was staring blankly at the berserker, astonished by his immense power.
"We'll meet again, Zuko." Berserker said, before he took Azula and completely vanished.
"Katara!" Mai shouted from beside Zuko as she ran towards Katara and Sokka's unconscious body.
"Zuko, we have to help them." Mai said to her boyfriend, who was currently just staring at the palace garden.
Zuko was unable to speak, he merely looked around to notice that the entire garden was on fire, Katara and Sokka laid on the ground unconscious, and Mai was sitting beside him.
What was that power? And he just said that this is just a fraction of his true power? How did his eyes get so red with flames? And that dragon? What was that? That was the most powerful firebending I've ever seen in my life. And if this is just a fraction of it, then spirits help us all. Zuko thought, fear completely consuming him.
His train of thought was interrupting by Mai shaking him roughly.
"Zuko! Zuko! Wake up." Mai shouted at him.
Zuko looked at her calmly, and he only responded with three words.
"We need Aang."
Thank you for reading.
Stay tuned for more.
Don't forget to review, and have a good one :)