Alright time for the next chapter, hope everyone is having an excellent last couple of weeks. Been going through and doing a lot of rewriting on Broken Angel, trying to clean it up, make the story better overall, so those of you that like to reread this story may notice some changes as things progress. I'm hoping to make the story more cohesive and coherent adding in more story beats, and character development. I have an omake planned for a few days from now. I hope everyone is excited for that. I think the time has come for one, and I think it'll be pretty funny. Anyway, hope you all enjoy this one.
Broken Angel: Rising Demon
Chapter 43: A Revolution, or not?
-Republic City-
Tenzin was not pleased to learn what had happened. The sequence of events that had led to Tarrlok's death was quickly explained, and he was absolutely furious. At Tarrlok, at Korra, at everyone pretty much.
Korra was unable to argue with the man or put up any sort of resistance, when he laid into her. She was still a bit out of wack from watching a man die, and with coming to grips with her involvement in it. This was quickly picked up on by Tenzin, who realized just what it was that was troubling her so much.
"Was there no other alternative?" Tenzin asked with a sigh.
"Plenty of other alternatives, however, the man was dangerous, and showed his willingness to use his gifts on others. It took Aang removing the powers of the last guy who could Bloodbend like this, in order to finally put a stop to him. Aang isn't around anymore, and Korra doesn't have such powers, so the safest option for everyone was to put him down." Riley answered with certainty.
"I wish that death had not been needed. It's always a tragedy when lives are lost, even if the ones losing it, are your enemies. Still though, I trust you did what was necessary." Tenzin consigned himself to the fact that it had happened, and arguing about it, would not change it.
"What happens now?" Korra asked.
"We use it to our advantage. Councilman Tarrlok was a popular figure here in Republic City. It won't take long for people to realize that he's dead. We tell the world that Amon and his Equalists killed him and turn public opinion against them." Riley answered, earning dumbfounded looks from Korra and Tenzin. Toph and Riley had already had a mental discussion through the Gravemind link about what they intended to do about the death of the Councilman, and they came up with a reasonable idea that may put an end to the growing problems around Republic City.
"Th-Thats…" Tenzin stuttered out.
"You're just going to lie to everyone! What happens when people find out the truth?" Korra argued.
"People won't, because the only people who know the truth are standing right here. Tarrlok was one of the biggest enemies of the Equalists, yet he remained a popular figure amongst everyone. Putting his death on them will turn public opinion against them, and cause chaos within their ranks. It'll shake people's confidence in Amon. Remember Korra, he chose not to take away your bending or kill you, because he didn't want to make you a martyr. We can use this to make Tarrlok a martyr instead, and shake the foundation of the Equalist movement, enough so that cracks start forming, allowing us the chance to find them, and more importantly, find Amon." Riley explained the plan to them.
"She's right, we can use this to force a reaction out of the Equalists. They'll have no choice but to respond to the accusations of murder of one of Republic City's highest governing officials. They've got to reply, Amon has to reply, otherwise he'll start losing support from those who see him as a benevolent leader. Murdering a man in his own office, is a bold, twisted, declaration. Some misguided Equalists may even see it as a time to strike, meaning they'll either attack before they're ready, without Amon's approval, causing a rift in his organization, or they'll attack with his approval, forcing them to act earlier than they'd planned, meaning they're more likely to make a mistake. Either way, it gets the Equalists to react, and that will help us find Amon." Toph added in agreement.
"You support this? Using the death of a man in such a way?" Tenzin asked in disbelief.
"It's not pretty, but then again, what is. This city is on the verge of a civil war. We have to do something to stop it, something bold. Your dad always tried to do what was right, always tried to stick to his morals, and if it hadn't been for an ancient Lion Turtle bestowing him with the power to manipulate energy, he'd have been left with no other choice but to execute Fire Lord Ozai for his crimes. People die in war, and if you want to stop that from happening, then we need to find Amon and deal with him before his Equalists are ready to attack. This is a way of forcing them to react. In this way, we don't need to soil councilman Tarrlok's name, or tell people that he's a blood-bender. Trust me, the fewer people who even know that power exists, the safer everyone will be. This way, he gets a be martyr, and we find a way to stop the Equalists. Too many people die for no reason. His death can mean something, can help save Republic City. Even if he intended to hurt Korra with these powers, I don't believe his intentions were ever to hurt the city itself. He wanted to beat the Equalists, and Amon, and his actions led him into conflict with the Avatar, and he revealed a terrible secret because of that. And that secret got him killed." Toph explained her reasoning.
"You don't have to do anything. Neither of you do. Let others dirty their hands with this kind of thing. You're both people that others look to, for guidance, safety, and stability. You don't need to stand behind these decisions, just don't stand in their way, and be ready to act when the time comes. Myself, my wife, and my daughter, we are all of the shadows. Toph is the one who stands brightest, but she knows the score, knows what needs to be done. Don't think less of her for being willing to do it, and we won't think less of you for not having the fortitude to see it done." Riley added in.
"Not having the fortitude? That has nothing to do with it! It's wrong… it's…" Korra began to say, only for Riley to shake her head.
"That's what I mean." Riley stated, causing Korra to blink in confusion.
"You think that one act that goes against your morals makes you an immoral person. You think that going against your beliefs, even once, means that you can never go back. These things change you, there is no getting around that. Some people have the fortitude in their own beliefs to know that stepping outside of their morals to see something done, doesn't mean they can never step back. For some people, that's true. Some people can't indulge in such things, otherwise they'll lose themselves to it. The moral road is often described as the high road. The road less traveled, or more difficult to travel, and that's true. It's hard to stick to your morals. It's hard to take the easy road, and then go back to doing things the right way. Some people believe in themselves enough to know they have the strength to pull back. Others recognize that it needs to be done, even if it damns them. And some… some know themselves well enough to know that if they walk that path… they'll never come back." Riley explained to her, causing Tenzin to let out a sigh, and nod thoughtfully. At the very least, he recognized that was true about himself. It took immense dedication and focus to adhere to the path and lifestyle of a true Air Nomad. There were easier ways to go about plenty of things, but in doing so, he'd be forgoing the teachings he'd chosen to live by.
Korra seemed to reflect on Riley's words for a moment, taking the time to digest them.
"It's not about strength, Korra. You've got plenty of that. It's about certainty, and character. It's about how well you know yourself. Some people are born with darkness in them, and they have to fight, each and every day to be someone better, even if it would be easier to walk a lesser path. Some people are born with the strength to hold true to their ideals, no matter the cost, and no matter the stakes. I'm not telling you what to do. I'm telling you what we're going to do. You can either help, stand by, or get in our way. As the Avatar, it's your responsibility to act in a manner that best protects and supports the people of the world. If you believe that Amon must be stopped no matter the cost, then you'll let us do this. If you think he has to be beaten, but it cannot be done at the expense of the moral high ground, then you'll stand against us, and try and stop us. You have to make that choice. What are you willing to accept? To live with. Can you accept a lie, that helped to bring peace? I know Aang could have. He didn't like to lie, but he would if it meant that people wouldn't fight. To him, peace was everything, even if it was built on a few lies." Riley expressed, causing the Avatar to blink several times as she took in Riley's words.
"Ya know… a thought occurs to me. What if we went about this a different way?" Luna spoke up for the first time.
"Oh? You have an idea?" Riley inquired, glancing over at her.
"Yes. I was curious to hear what you thought of it. What if, instead of claiming that Tarrlok was murdered by the Equalists, he was, an Equalist? What if we told people he was Amon and reveal that he was a blood-bender. That would guarantee a response from the man himself, as he'd have no choice but to reveal himself to his followers. If we worded it right, and acted accordingly, he might be fooled into believing that we actually believe the lie, and so he'd take the chance to prove us wrong by revealing himself to the public. The moment he does that, Riley can go to him, and put an end to this. As an unknown, so long as she doesn't use any power that could be perceived as bending, she can avoid making the man a martyr. Also, if Amon is there, chances are his lieutenants will be there as well, meaning Riley can take them all down at once. The Equalist movement will be left without any of its radical leaders, leaving an opening for people like Tenzin and the Avatar to open a dialogue with them." Luna explained her idea to the group, causing a smile to form on Riley's face as she heard it.
"I actually really like that idea." Riley noted, sharing a glance with Toph who was nodding along with her.
"It's more closely aligned with the truth of what happened. We tell people that the Avatar went to confront Tarrlok over the unjust arrest of her friends. A fight broke out and Tarrlok revealed that he was Amon, and that he could blood-bend. We'll know it was a lie, but no one else will. Blood-benders are seen as an abomination. The whole Equalist movement would find the existence of one appalling. Amon would have no choice but to reveal himself to his followers. And like she said, we act the right way, and we can make the Equalists think that we're fully convinced that he's gone. Meaning he'll have an extra incentive to show himself, to call us out as idiots, on top of being wrong. Then… like she said, Riley can go and put an end to this. Getting rid of the radical leaders in one fell swoop, and if she sticks to just martial arts, then none of the witnesses could claim this was a bender striking back at them. We can just make something up after the fact to explain Riley. Say she was a family member to a bender that Amon had stripped of their power or something like that. It becomes a regular old act of violence, a form of retaliation for his actions, but not the actions of a Bender, so he's less likely to be made a martyr for it." Toph agreed, adding her logic to Luna's suggestion.
"That… seems like a better idea. I mean it leads more towards ending this peacefully than leaving things up in the air. Without their leaders the Equalists will be more likely to listen to reason." Korra offered after a moment of thought.
"Then we have a plan. In order for it to work though, you're gonna have to make yourself a bit scarce Korra. People need to believe you were just in a major fight, and only survived due to the intervention of someone else. Maybe someone like Toph, having returned to the city. No one would doubt she could take on Amon, or even a Blood-bender and win. She's still the greatest Earth-bender alive." Riley noted.
"Okay, right." Korra replied.
With a plan that was reasonably more palatable, Riley, and Luna went to go find Lin and inform her of what had happened and what they were planning. Tenzin and Toph meanwhile got Korra's friends out of jail and sent them all back to Air Temple Island, they then set the plan in motion, informing every one of the lies that had been crafted.
Word spread like a wildfire about the death of the councilman, as well as the allegation that he was in fact Amon and a blood-bender.
A day passed as Equalists took to the streets in protest and in disbelief. Most refused to believe that it was the truth, though with every hour that went by without a response from the real Amon, the lie grew in strength.
Korra and her friends spent most of the day gathered around a radio, constantly listening in on news reports waiting to hear something, anything in regard to the real Amon emerging to counter the claim that he was dead, and a blood-bender.
Riley sat patiently and waited for such an address. With her senses, the moment such a rally was held, even if it was a private rally, she'd know about it. She didn't know the city, or its residents well enough to focus her hearing on any general area to track down Amon's voice or even someone addressing him by name, and she also didn't know the sound of his voice, so she was left to just listen for the start of a rally.
"Hey… you got a moment?" Riley heard Korra's voice.
"Yeah, of course." Riley responded turning her gaze away from the city to glance in Korra's direction.
"Listen… I… wanted to thank you for coming to rescue me. I never did say thank you. I know I shouldn't have gone there, shouldn't have let things get like that. You were right, if I hadn't have gone there, maybe Councilman Tarrlok would still be alive. I just… I've spent most of my life living at the Southern Water Tribe. I've always had people to look out for me, so when my friends were thrown in jail, I felt like it was my responsibility to get them out. I didn't think, didn't realize how bad things could turn out. I don't know what would have happened had you not shown up. So… thank you." Korra said to her, offering her genuine appreciation for Riley's actions, even if she didn't fully agree with what had happened.
"It's easy to think you have all the answers when you have so much power. Being the Avatar, being connected to all of your past lives, it makes it seem like everything should be so much clearer, but that's not how it works. The Avatar is still human at the end of the day. Each and every one of them, no matter how great they were, was human. Humans make mistakes, and often times, can be defined by their mistakes. Few of them get to be as well regarded as Aang is, few get to bear the burden of destiny on their shoulders. For most people, you wake up every day, and do the best you can, and that's all that you can do. My advice to you Korra, is to simply never stop trying to do better. As great as you may be, there's always room for improvement. Just look at me… I have more power than I know what to do with half the time. I can make others' problems appear trivial because of my power, and yet I'm constantly working to improve myself because I recognize that I have flaws, and that I'm not perfect. So long as you recognize that you always have room to grow, I think you'll be alright." Riley offered sagely to the young Avatar.
"You say it like it's so easy. Being the Avatar… it's such a major responsibility…" Korra hummed thoughtfully.
"Well like I said, I'm different from a human. Peoples' problems are often trivialized by my power. Just look at this. This city is on the brink of civil war. A conflict that could test the hearts and minds of the people and be the catalyst for something much larger. And I'm going to put a stop to it with a day or two of my time. Being what I am, changes my perspective, makes things much clearer than they would otherwise be. It also helps that I'm an outsider looking in. I can see the whole of the problem, see its scope, and what it encompasses. Very little escapes my sight, and I'm worldly enough to understand most things. Being the Avatar is a huge responsibility, but it's one that can be carried. Every single one of your past lives has done it, and you'll be no different. Take pride in being who you are Korra, but also acknowledge that at the end of the day, the same spirit that bore the weight of responsibility of being the Avatar, and done it a thousand times before you, resides within you. You have that strength, and you've had it since the moment you were born. Sometimes it just takes longer to find it, but you will." Riley expanded on her earlier point, offering Korra a bit of reassurance.
"I wish I had their guidance. Tenzin has tried to teach me about spirituality, but I've never really had the patience for it. Meditating has always been difficult for me, and I've always been more interested in just doing things." Korra noted with a sigh.
"I'll be honest with you; meditating wasn't easy for at first either. When I was younger, I had way too much energy and I always had to be doing something. I was always moving, always interacting with the world. Slowing down to just reflect on myself, and the events of my life wasn't something that came naturally to me. I had to learn how to do it and make it part of my routine. It's a skill and a state of mind that can be taught, you just have to be willing to endure it." Riley offered to her with a chuckle.
"Yeah, I get that. Sometimes I think I'm too short tempered with Tenzin. He tries to teach me, but it's difficult when I hardly see any progress being made, especially when everything else seemed to come so easily to me." Korra admitted.
"Well… how's about we see if we can't help you embrace that wild spirit. Keep something in mind Korra, as important as spirituality is, as well as inner peace, the spirit of the Avatar is a spirit that is always in motion. It's just like us, always active, always doing something. Finding inner peace is important, especially for the Avatar, but sometimes, in order to find a thing, you have to go looking for it, rather than wait for it, to come to you. So why don't we look into that? See if we can't tap into your connection to you past selves." Riley offered to her.
"Well, I'm not gonna turn down that offer. You have some kind of meditating trick that might help?" Korra asked her, a smile forming on her face.
"Sort of." Riley replied, rising to her feet, and gesturing down to the training yard.
The two made their way over to it and took position.
"I want you to go all out against me. I want you to fight me with all of your might, hold nothing back. Battle itself is one of the purest forms of expression, and the words spoken through it, can carry the weight of the world. Let your spirit sing, as we fight. Throw your best at me. Don't worry about hurting me, I can take whatever you dish out. Just let your spirit run wild. Once we're done fighting, then you'll go and meditate with Tenzin, and see if you can't track down that wily Avatar spirit of yours." Riley explained to her.
"Hmm… alright, that makes sense. I'll give it a try." Korra replied, quickly realizing that if her spirit was being illusive, the best way for her to find it was to make it as active as possible. If she expended a lot of energy than not only would her spirit be more active, but she'd also have expended enough energy that she wouldn't be as driven to activity. Meditation and entering a meditative state might just come easier if she was a bit worn out.
"Okay, just let me know if I go to far." Korra stated as she fell into a fighting stance.
"Don't worry… you won't." Riley replied, creating four black chakra receivers from her hands and tossing them into the air. They floated to the edge of the training yard, and embedded into the ground, projecting a barrier around the two of them. "This barrier will contain our powers and prevent us from accidentally damaging the island, so, like I said, go all out."
Korra blinked at the surrounding barrier taking in the sight of the strange magic. After hearing what it was, and what is was for, she couldn't help but smile. She really could go all out here without having to worry about hurting anyone or destroying anything.
"Begin." Riley commanded, and at her word, Korra launched an attack.
Starting with her preferred element of fire, Korra began punching fireballs towards the demoness. Riley responded by dodging, gliding out of the way of the incoming projectiles by using copied movements.
Korra took notice of Riley's movements after her initial barrage. Riley's foot work and acrobatics, it looked almost like airbending.
She continued her assault, launching more fire at her, before lashing out with water that came from a central pond. Riley continued to dodge the attacks, gliding out of the way of them, with swift movements, and elegant acrobatics. It became obvious to Korra that she was in fact, using airbending movements. Riley knew these moves from observing Aang, and training with him, her movements as pristine as their source, and given that Aang was a master Airbender by the time she had met him, her movements almost mirrored Tenzin's in their clarity and perfection.
Watching these movements, Korra began to anticipate Airbending as a counter-attack, so she was surprised, when Riley suddenly dodged under a thrown rock, and responded with Waterbending. A water whip came rushing at Korra and she had to blast it away with a punch of fire before it could hit her.
She blinked several times in confusion after it occurred.
"Keep in mind Korra, I am a spirit. I'm not human. That Avatar can use all of the elements because it too is a spirit, one that holds mastery over the seven elemental natures of the world. As the Avatar, you can use the seven elements because your spirit has that mastery. I, share in that ability." Riley explained to her with a smirk.
"Right… thank makes sense, but… there's seven elements?" Korra questioned, with a bit of confusion.
"Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, Lightning, Yin, and Yang, or Light and Darkness." Riley responded causing Korra to blink several times in confusion.
"See… you're still young, got a lot of learning ahead of you." Riley responded, punching the air as she did, sending a blast of air racing towards Korra which she dodged at the last second.
The duel continued on, the two trading attacks, with Riley fighting mostly defensively, using only copied bending techniques. Blow for blow, she matched Korra, countering and returning each offensive with one of her own. Riley had copied her bending knowledge from four primary sources. Airbending from Aang, Firebending from Azula, Waterbending from Katara, and Earthbending from Toph. Because of that, despite having never really practiced in the bending styles, Riley fought with incredible skill. Her speed, more than made up for her deficiencies in the art of bending. She certainly didn't fight as well as Korra did, even if it looked like she surpassed her.
The nature of copying a technique with one's eyes was that the copied technique could only then be utilized at the skill level of the person whom the technique was copied from and only if one's body could mimic their abilities. Riley had a body that most certainly could, but having never practiced in the art of bending, it would be obvious to a skilled master that she was simply making motions. As fluid and precise as those motions were, one look at how she moved when changing between styles would reveal her lack of training in them.
Whereas Korra could drift in an out of bending styles in a fluid motion, because she had trained all her life to devise her own fighting style based around the multiple bending styles that she knew, Riley was more obvious in just switching between copied styles. The only reason it wasn't more obvious was because of Riley's speed. She was so fast that this lack of fluidity went unnoticed, even by Korra.
Still, Riley stuck strictly to bending, and began copying Korra's moves, slowly falling into them as they fought until eventually, she was moving like a mirror image of Korra, only striking out with Airbending in surprising transitions. Korra began to take notice of Riley's mimicry of her moves, taking note of just how she began to copy specific actions that only Korra would do, that weren't part of the typical bending style.
"How are you doing that, moving like me?" Korra asked as she sent another fireball at Riley.
"I'm copying your movements with my eyes. My eyes can see the movement of magical energy within the body and have the ability to copy physical and magical movement, meaning I can mimic what I see. I originally copied the bending styles from skilled masters, like Aang and Katara, and then threw their moves back at them so they could see the mistakes in their form with their own eyes. I'm doing the same thing now. Fighting you with your own moves, showing you a mirror image of yourself, and allowing you to see how you fight. I hope you're paying attention." Riley explained as she ducked a second fireball and kicked out with her leg, sending a long rope of fire whipping out towards Korra, forcing her to leap over it.
"That's incredible." Korra noted, as the two continued to trade blows.
"Why thank you." Riley accepted the compliment and continued on fighting.
The two had been at it for many minutes now, and a small crowd had gathered around outside of the barrier to watch the duel. Amongst them was Luna and Toph, whom both assured the onlookers that the barrier had been made by Riley, and that the Avatar was in no danger, they were just trying to keep everyone safe while they dueled.
"I can't believe it. She's using more than one element. How is that even possible?" Asami questioned aloud as she stood along with Korra's friends watching the fight play out.
"She's a spirit, not a human, remember. Riley has access to all of the elements because of her unique inborn abilities." Luna replied from where she watched the fight.
"She's really giving Korra a run for her money." Mako noted.
"Bah, she's holding back big time. Korra has pretty good skill with the three elements that she knows, and Riley's bending is about as stiff as a wooden plank, but her mastery over the elements far exceeds what any of us can come up with. I've seen her do things with the elements that are beyond imagining. She's holding back though because there is some greater lesson in this duel. It isn't about showing off her power, or her skill, it's something more intuitive and introspective. Knowing Riley, this is definitely a teaching moment." Toph spoke up, feeling the battle play out through the vibrations made by the two.
"Wow, you're saying fighting like this is her holding back?" Bolin asked with amazement.
"My mother once fought the progenitor of all magic in the world, and defeated it almost single handedly. The thing that was responsible for all of you having the powers that you do, yeah, she fought in and pretty much beat it on her own. The thing was basically a god." Toph replied with a snort of amusement, causing all three of Korra's friends to gape at her, while Tenzin and Lin who had also come to watch the duel, turned their eyes to Toph in amazement.
"Riley's copying Korra's movements, I think she's trying to show her something by speaking through the fight." Luna noted, as she began noticing Riley's movements mimicking Korra's.
"Yeah. Definitely. Not quite sure what she's trying to say just yet, but if I had to guess, it's probably some way to help Korra with her Airbending problem or maybe it's her spiritual block." Toph agreed.
"They're communicating through fighting?" Lin questioned her mother with a raised eyebrow.
"Yep. Kind of like how you and your sister talk." Toph replied with a smirk earning an annoyed glare from her daughter.
"Riley was raised on fighting. Since she was old enough to walk. Since that moment, her grandfather taught her how to fight. Taught her that battle was a form of expression, in his mind, the truest form of expression. He taught her that all things could be communicated through battle. From simple emotions to complex problems, and feelings. It ties in strongly to the teachings of the Sage of the Six Paths." Luna added in.
"Teachings of the Sage of the Six Paths?" Bolin replied with confusion.
"It was said that long ago, the Sage was the man who taught humans how to wield magic. It was because of him that our ancestors learned such incredible powers. I don't know if he had any influence on bending culture, but he definitely influenced magic elsewhere in the world. Still, he taught his followers that through magic, they could connect with other people. It was something called Ninshū, an art which his spirit taught to Riley. Riley can read people by speaking to them with her magic, and in turn, reading their magic when they speak back. Through the transfer of energy, like in fighting, Riley can read a persons thoughts and feelings, even their memories. The art of Ninshū is deeply philosophical and surrounds the concepts of emotion and thought. It's difficult to truly grasp, but essentially, with Ninshū and Riley's belief in battle being a form of expression, she believes that by fighting a person, she can learn who they truly are through the battle. Not just get a sense of them, but truly know them. The Sage developed Ninshū so that humans could understand one another and see into each other's hearts. He believed that magic connected all of us together, and that through that connected we could find common ground and peace between each other. I know only a bit about how it actually all works, but I've seen it's effect on Riley. She definitely finds it far easier to understand a person after a battle with them. Then again, she's always been that way. Riley's always thought that speaking with your fists, helps to show who you really are." Luna offered an explanation to the gathered audience.
This earned several thoughtful hums from those gathered, especially those more introspective like Tenzin. They watched as the duel continued. Minutes would pass as the two traded blows. Korra grew more and more vicious as she grew more tired. She had to fight harder to maintain the level of combat they were at, and it caused her to weaken faster.
Eventually the final blow came when Korra caught a water whip to the leg that sent her tumbling onto her back.
She was gasping in air as she laid there staring at the darkening sky. Riley soon appeared over her, glancing down at her with a curious look.
"Tired?" Riley inquired playfully.
Korra nodded breathlessly.
"Good. Go meditate with Tenzin." Riley instructed, holding her hand out to the Avatar.
Korra simply laid there for several long moments, before she gathered enough energy to take Riley's hand and allow herself to be hauled to her feet.
"I'm think I'd rather take a nap." Korra muttered as they walked towards the onlookers, the barrier falling as they did.
"You can take a nap later. Remember, the Avatar state is, at its core a defense mechanism. When you are in peril it should activate to try and save your life. Being so exhausted while in an active state should make the conditions more amenable for you spirit to connect to your past selves. Take the opportunity to try and make contact with them." Riley instructed her.
"Alright…" Korra uttered as she made it to Tenzin. "She says we should go meditate now. I have about ten minutes before I pass out, so let's go see if my past lives wanna talk to me." Korra said to him, Tenzin nodded in understanding and helped guide her away from the training ground to a quiet place where they could meditate.
Riley watched them go, hoping that her actions might have helped. She hoped it would have, as it seemed that Korra's problem had nothing to do with her body, or her magic, and was purely emotional and spiritual. Nothing was stopping her from reaching out to her past selves that could be fixed with a bit of perspective and the chance to reflect on oneself.
"Have fun?" Luna asked, stepping up beside Riley.
"I did. Come on, let's go and relax." Riley said to her, draping an arm around her wife and walking with her back into the temple.
"I hope you're enjoying our little detour." Riley hummed as they walked towards their room.
"I find the intrigue to be fascinating, and we're doing a good thing, so that's always a bonus." Luna responded.
"Still though, I am a bit curious, your idea that you came up with earlier, you didn't happen to see something in the future that made you come up with it, did you?" Riley inquired as they made it to their room.
"Maybe." Luna replied turning to face Riley as she backed into the room.
"Ooooh. Planning to keep it a mystery?" Riley inquired as she followed her, her hands reaching for her wife's hips as she retreated further into their room.
"Would it be more fun if I just told you?" Luna asked with a playful smile.
"Nope. I like a bit of mystery, especially when it's coming from you, Luna my love." Riley replied, closing the distance between the two and kissing her lustfully.
Luna returned the kiss, basking in it for several long moments before pulling back and giving Riley a curious gaze.
"After we're done here, and we go to meet Suyin and her family, when it's just the two of us, I wanna try for a baby." Luna declared, earning surprise from Riley.
"Oh? What do you mean by try?" Riley inquired with visible excitement.
"I mean… I want you to give me a baby Riley. I want you to fill me with your love, and together we'll make a baby of our own." Luna answered back.
Riley's response was to immediately sweep her beloved off her feet and place her on the bed. The two had rapturous sex as quiet as they could, with Riley's excitement for the rest of her honeymoon shooting to whole new levels.
It was early the following morning when it came, the first explosion ringing out in the distance.
Riley awoke as she heard the sound of boat engines turning towards Air Temple Island.
"So that's your response huh?" Riley noted as she realized what was happening. The Equalists were attacking. Within Republic City, they were launching coordinated attacks against the city's infrastructure, and no doubt targeting the police, and local government.
Meanwhile a strike team was on their way to Air Temple Island, no doubt with the intention of facing the Avatar directly.
"Luna, go wake everyone up! The Equalists are coming." Riley declared as she shot out of bed, startling her mate awake.
"What? Okay." Luna blinked in surprise and quickly dressed.
Outside, Riley moved to the edge of the island where she saw the troop of boats approaching. There was seven in total, each with a half dozen individuals onboard. Among them, Riley detected a single magical.
She focused her gaze on the lead boat and saw him for the first time. Amon, the leader of the Equalists.
"So that's what you were playing at my love." Riley realized as Amon's fleet rapidly approached the island.
Riley could tell, she now understood, Amon was indeed magical, but more than that, he was a Water-bender. In fact, his magic was very familiar to her. It was almost exactly like Tarrlok. Considering he was dead, that made little sense, unless of course Tarrlok had any family… and he did. An older brother.
Noatak was his name, a brother that Tarrlok had assumed dead for a long time. Now Riley understood why Luna had suggested they finger Tarrlok was Amon and name him a bloodbender. It was because she had seen who Amon truly was due to her gift of foresight and had decided to change the event of his unmasking. Whatever she had seen that surrounded this truth, she found less appealing than the current future. In the current future, Amon was coming here to deal with them.
Luna must have known that Amon, or Noatak wouldn't take kindly to the murder of his younger brother, even if the two had been estranged for years. Plus, he'd probably be pissed at his brother being fingered for his actions and named a reviled Bloodbender before the public.
The clever Ravenclaw suspected that the stoic, and enigmatic leader of the Equalists would have a very human reaction to their plan, and this was the result. He now came to them.
The Equalists him the docks and quickly evacuated their boats, a storm of Chi Blockers rushing forward towards the White Lotus guard post. The guards were already taking position to defend themselves though they were hugely outnumbered. Amon and his lieutenant marched at the back of the horde, Amon radiating confidence and an aura of authority as the attack commenced.
Before the first Chi Blocker could close the distance with the White Lotus guards, he was caught by Riley. She landed right in front of him, seized the man by the neck, and breaking it in an instant.
The surrounding Chi Blockers quickly swarmed her, and a short Taijutsu bout followed.
The Chi Blockers were nimble fighters. Their martial arts surrounded the ability to block Chi points, or Tenketsu points in magicals, disabling their abilities temporarily. They also came armed with shock sticks to aid in disabling opponents, namely the metalbending police force. Some even used bolas to try and ensnare her limbs, though these were easily dodged, or simply torn through if Riley cared to let them land.
They were agile, and highly trained, but in the end, they were just humans.
Tenzin and Lin arrived first, with Toph, Korra, Luna, and Korra's friends not far behind.
They arrived as Riley fought her way through the horde. Using the Red Crescent Assault Style, she mowed down the attacking mortals, gliding through the swarm and dropping them with lightning-fast strikes, shattering bones and rupturing organs with violently powerful strikes.
Many of the attackers were sent sailing into the water, their bodies tearing apart from the force of impact. One was even sent flying, only to land on the roof of the White Lotus guard post, collapsing through the ceiling as he did.
Within moments, the several dozen attackers had been dispatched, leaving only a small cluster still remaining, along with Amon and his chief lieutenant.
Their mistake had been landing at the docks to try and overwhelm the few White Lotus guards, right out of the gate. Had they chosen to swarm the island from multiple locations, Riley would have had a harder time dealing with all of them, but here, clustered together, they were easy pickings.
"Who are you?" Came the voice of the Equalist leader. What confidence he'd had before, had given way to great concern as he'd just watched her cut through his army of Chi Blockers.
"The mother of Toph Beifong, and old friend of the Avatar, a genuine troublemaker, and kind of a rude bitch, I've been told. Unfortunately for you, I happened to show up in the middle of your revolution." Riley answered the man, turning a vicious grin towards him and his subordinates.
"You stand in the way of progress." Amon stated.
"And you're out for revenge." Riley replied, causing Amon to take pause.
"What?" He spoke.
"I have your brother's memories. I know who you are, Noatak." Riley stated, causing Amon to take in a sudden breath, and earning a curious look from his followers.
"I'm also the one who killed your little brother, so come at me and let's see Yakone's vile bloodline ended for good." Riley stated causing further confusion in the surviving Equalists while Amon remained silent.
Riley felt him begin to try and Bloodbend her. She could see his magic flaring as he tried to psychically manipulate her, but just as with his brother's attempt, it failed, and she began to approach the man.
"What? Impossible?" Amon spoke up in surprise as he saw that his powers were failing.
"Not impossible. I simply don't have blood for you to bend." Riley countered, before vanishing in a flash, causing the man's surrounding disciples to violently explode in a shower of blood. Amon's eyes were wide, and fear gripped at the man's heart as the demoness stood behind him.
No words came to the masked revolutionary. His intent in coming here, all but forgotten. It felt for a moment like everything was frozen in time. The blood of his followers held in the air like a macabre art design. Like ink splattered onto paper, his perception of them, was just a gory explosion.
It took him a moment to realize that things were no in fact frozen. As he saw Korra and her friends on the far side of the dock, all four of them visibly retching from the horrific sight of several people exploding violently.
They were moving normally, meaning all of this blood and viscera was held aloft by some unseen force.
Slowly he turned around, and found the demoness standing there, her hand outstretched. He realized in an instant that it was her that was doing this.
"You… you're...!" He began to say, but Riley merely laughed.
"I learned from watching the first, your brother though, taught me how to do it with a greater ease." Riley stated, using the power of Bloodbending to hold the blood and organs of her recent kills in the air around the Equalist leader.
"Wh-" Amon began to say, only for Riley to close her hand. The frozen explosions of blood, all instantly collapsed in on themselves, forming blackish red orbs. They then shot together, forming on orb directly to Amon's left.
With nothing but the ocean opposite of it, the orbs content jetted outward like a pressure hose. The jet of blood was only a centimeter across, yet it blasted out with thousands of pounds of pressure. This was Riley's first time using such abilities, and she was still just copying what others had done, she just added far more power behind it. Even with the lack of skill, and the need for actual bending movements, this still all occurred in only a fraction of a second. Too fast for the human to react.
The jet of blood cut right through his head, blasting through his mask, his forehead, and skull and straight through his brain.
Within a single second, the blood, and all pulverized organs of a half dozen people were forced through a centimeter wide hole in the man's head.
After that second, the blood red orb was gone, leaving nothing behind of those people other than bloody bone fragments.
Amon stood there for a second, still alive.
He reached up at touched his head.
Riley could see him blinking beneath his mask.
"You people are so innocent you know. You think that bloodbending is the most horrific form of bending that there is, not realizing that the entire human body is made of water, not just the blood. Did you know your eyes have far more water in them than your blood does. I'm sure you've at least thought of it… made note of it once or twice. Don't worry… I'll refine this skill in the way it was meant to. I wont let your father's hard work die with you. I can hardly imagine the things I could do being able to control all of the water in a living body. Oh… to think about it." Riley said softly, allowing only Amon to hear her words.
His eyes momentarily flickered to her, and in his last few seconds of life, he saw not a woman, but a monstrous demoness.
He collapsed after that, his body convulsing as his brain began shutting down. A perfect centimeter wide hole bored through his skull and mask.
Riley stared down at his convulsing body for several moments before stepping on his neck, breaking it and putting him out of his misery. She then absorbed his soul, and that of all the other Chi Blockers, confirming that Amon was in fact, Noatak.
She let out a snort and proceeded across the dock, rejoining her comrades who stared down at the sight in bewildered amazement, and dread.
"There, done. The Equalists are attacking so we better go and put a stop to that." Riley said to them.
"You're just as terrifying as she always said you were." Lin noted, earning herself a smile from Riley.
"Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment." Riley responded to her granddaughter.
From there, work began. After helping the others to regain their bearings, the troop headed into the city. Riley took Toph and Lin to the police station to aid the metalbenders in fending off the attacking Equalists. It seems that the Equalists came very well equipped for their revolution. They were armed with steam-punk mecha's and even had a few airships.
If left alone, even without Amon's leadership they'd win the initial battle for Republic City.
Once Lin and Toph had joined the fight at the police Headquarters things quickly turned around. Both of them cut a swath through their attackers with notable ease. While they were busy fighting on the ground, Riley went and took down the airships, knocking them out of the sky and dropping them into the bay, where they could explode harmlessly.
Korra and her team along with Tenzin and Luna went to the heart of the city, where the Equalists had set up a staging area full of captured benders and other political prisoners. There they worked to free them all. With Riley knocking out their air power, and without any leadership to speak of, the Equalists soon lost whatever steam they originally had and began falling back, retreating into the underbelly of the city.
While the benders would soon start to celebrate their victory, Riley took the time to hunt down these violent revolutionaries, killing many of them, and ensuring that too few remained to be a problem in the future.
The battle lasted most of the day, and at its end, the Equalists realized that their whole revolution had been crushed in its opening move.
Riley, Luna, and Toph remained for two more days to help fix things around the city and work through rebuilding. Once they were sure that Korra and the others had things handled, they prepared to leave them to it, though Riley did take a moment to speak with Korra before departing.
"Hard to believe it's actually over." Korra noted, the two of them were on Air Temple Island staring out over the expanse of Republic City.
"Things come, and things go. Sometimes it's in the blink of an eye." Riley hummed in response.
"True. Still, I wanted to thank you for all your help. Watching how easy it was to for you handle all of this, it's led me to doing a lot of thinking. I need to keep working on myself, on my confidence. Taking the time to really meditate, and focus inward, it really helped me. That day, after our duel, I had a vision. I saw Aang and Toph arrest Amon's father Yakone. I saw how he escaped and how Aang took away his bending in order to stop him. I think it was Aang's way to trying to tell me who Amon really was." Korra said to her, getting a curious look from Riley who nodded in agreement with her speculation.
"You're probably right. Luna's plan was perfect, it led Amon right to us. Had we gone with the original plan, he'd have been out there, leading the Equalists, and this probably would have gone on longer. Instead, he came right to us, and it ended in one day. I'd say that was a job well done. Don't think that it's the end of things, you've still got a lot of work to do." Riley warned her.
"I know. I won't give up until Republic City is back on its feet, and I'll work hard to mend the gap between benders and non-benders. It's my duty after all. I'm the bridge between worlds." Korra offered with a smile.
"I think you'll do just fine Korra." Riley offered to the young woman.
"So… when do you think you'll be back?" Korra asked after a moment.
"My grandchildren are here, and I think Toph is going to stick around for a while, and make sure things are all settled here. She hides it well but I know she worries about her family. With that being said, I plan to come back and visit Lin, whenever the opportunity arises. If you're still here in Republic City, I'll definitely swing by to say hello and check on how you're doing." Riley answered, getting a smile from Korra in response.
"I'll look forward to that. And I promise that the next time we see each other, I'll have figured out Airbending and mastered the Avatar State. Once you come back, I'd very much like to if there's anything new you can teach me." Korra promised her.
"I'll keep that in mind. I'll make sure to experiment with bending and see if I can't come up with some new styles and tricks while I'm away. Maybe even begin working on a form of pure Lightningbending." Riley replied, causing Korra's face to light up with excitement at the prospect.
"Hey, you ready to go?" They both heard Toph shout.
"Yeah." Riley called back. "Well, this is where I leave you. Good luck, and farewell. Keep working towards your goals Korra, I know you'll pull through so long as you keep trying and believe in yourself."
"Thanks, I will. Enjoy the rest of your honeymoon!" Korra offered to Riley as the demoness began to head away.
Riley offered her a wave over her shoulder as she made it to where Toph and Luna were waiting.
"Lin didn't want to see us off?" Riley inquired.
"She's wrapped up in her work, like always. She's back on the force, and back to being police chief, so the whole city's problems are now her problems again. She did offer her farewells, and she hopes to see us again soon." Toph explained, earning a soft chuckle from Riley.
"Workaholic. She gets that from you and me." Riley noted, getting a shrug from Toph in reply.
"Probably. Still though… well anyway, time to head for Zaofu the 'metalbending city!' Suyin is there, and we can finally get this family reunion over with, and you two can venture off into the great unknown to stare and turtle-ducks or something like that." Toph stated.
"It hasn't been all bad. A bit of adventure never hurt anyone." Luna offered with a soft smile.
"Yeah, and I am excited to meet the rebellious younger daughter. Can't wait to see what she's like." Riley agreed with Luna' sentiment. They were having fun, and they were doing it together, which was all that mattered. Though Riley was a bit eager to make it to that 'into the unknown' part, as that meant she and Luna could get to making a baby.
Riley took both women's hands and began lifting off into the air. Tenzin's children waved at them as they departed, and made for the home of Toph's younger daughter and her family.
So far, this trip had gone well. Things were returning to being peaceful, and that meant that Riley and Luna could kick back and enjoy themselves.
While they focused on their adventure, far and away, out on the Earth, wars continued to be fought, cities continued to burn, and people continued to suffer. Any hope of seeing peace still seemed like a long way off as people fought for survival. One conflict ends, while others remain, the nature of humans, as it were. Fighting, with the hope for peace, ever on their minds. Perhaps someday the sun would shine upon the world once more, but for now, war would continue. Not unless something incredible happened, would such a war see it's end. So for now, life continued on.
-To Be Continued-
Alright there we go. A simple chapter with Riley making friends. We'll definitely be back to visit Korra and her friends in the future, but for now, Riley and Luna have places to be, and people to meet. Next chapter will feature the big timeskip I mentioned before, so strap in for that, and look forward to the omake I have planned here in the next day or two. I think it's high time you guys got another one and I have the perfect idea. Until next time, ja ne!