I Don't own Avatar the last air bender.

chapter 43

Katara and looked back at the distant spot of the city of Amora. After the tribe left in the early morning, they were a far distance away as the sun was finally setting. In actuality, the only reason she and everyone else were able to see it at all was thanks to the sudden sand storm and massive fire blasts that came from within.

"So that's how it looks from outside." Her brother muttered.

Oh yes, she almost forgot the idiotic stunt Sokka pulled.

"Was it the same back then?" He then asked her father, the 'then' was self explanatory.

"No." Dad replayed in a low but serious tone. "Most certainly not."

She understood his thinking. If that kind of… fire power, for lack of better terms, was used on their village back then there would have been no one left to tell their tale.

Her dad then held a far-eye to get a look at the scene before humming.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Well, the good news is that most of the fire comes from inside the city isn't the result of this new type of weapon." Dad said. "And it seems like we did get our wish."

She and the rest waited for him to continue.

"It seems that Zuko and Mi-Sha are finally trading blows, but it's too early to see who has the upper hand." He explained. "Which is also the bad news, since it means that we have two ridiculously powerful benders that we have to worry about."

"With any luck, they will kill each other like you planned." Uncle Bato pated her father's shoulder.

Katara wanted to say something about Zuko, but hesitated. She really didn't want the others to think, completely wrongly, that she may care a little for Zuko. Which is absolutely untrue, she has nothing of that sort. In the time she hesitated, however, her brother already responded.

"Wait, what plan?"

Actually, yes. She was so focused on Zuko, again in professional way only, that she missed this bit.

"Your father set the two on a collusion course." Uncle Bato explained. "We caused a bit of commotion here and there for both sides and tricked them into blaming each other."

"You give me too much credit, Bato." Dad retorted. "The two were going to kill each other either way, I just motivated them to do it sooner rather then later."

Katara… was extremely conflicted. On one hand, what her father did was very good for the tribe, even she could see it. But on the other hand, using Zuko like that seemed just… wrong. Especially after everything he did for her and her family.

She made a natural expression to hide her thoughts, but apparently while it was enough to fool the men, she noticed her mother raising an eyebrow. Spirits, she hoped mom wouldn't ask her about it later.

"So, who do you think will win?" One of the warriors asked.

"Zuko." Both her and her brother said together. She tried to contain her embarrassment because of the outburst.

"Why do you think so?" Her father asked after humming.

Crap, now what she'll say? Because she wanted Zuko to win? She can't say it! Luckily, her brother unknowingly came to her rescue.

"Zuko already beat Mi-Sha once before, a day or two before the assault. Now he'll have even more backup while Mi-Sha is still licking his wounds.

"Yes, my thoughts exactly." Dad nodded in acknowledgement. "Zuko will end Mi-Sha in one way or another, although it won't be without a fight. Say whatever you want about him, but Mi-Sha is a fighter. I fully expect him to deal as much damage as possible in his final stand, probably even deal a killing or crippling blow to the fire prince."

Katara stayed quiet, she didn't trust herself to not say something she shouldn't about this entire conversation.

"So what's now?" Her brother asked. "What about the village, now that the men are going back?"

"What do you mean?" Another warriors asked. "We're back and things will return to how they used to be."

"But what about the greenhouse?" Sokka didn't let it go. "We have a steady supply of food, not to mention that many of the woman work there. We can't just take off and leave. Which raises another concern as the fire nation now knows exactly where our village is after we switched locations last time."

"I don't see the problem." The same man said. "It's obviously a fire nation trap, we should –"

"Get home and see how it is ourselves before deciding on anything." Dad stopped the conversation with a commanding tone that left no room for arguments. He then turned to Sokka.

"Now son, I must congratulate you on becoming a man, as much as I disapprove of your actions. You have shed your first blood in the dragon's den, why not tell us your stories?"

Her brother of course jumped at the opportunity to impress both his father and the men, his spars with Zuko were hardly as impressive as he claimed. She knows because she watched them after all. And she hardly thought that he faced ten guys with swords all at once, at least not on his own, but if the men noticed his exaggeration then they didn't disapprove.

Mom giggled quietly inside her hand at the scene, now that the two of them were basically alone.

"Your brother has a knack for storytelling, just like your father." Mom said to her hear. "He'll easily charm many young women."

"Argh, grouse." Katara shook her head. "I don't need that image in my head."

This caused mom to giggle again before ruffle Katara's hair lovingly.

"Don't be like that, it's a part of growing up." Mom said with a smile. "And don't act so coy, your father told me about a boy you fancy."

Katara stuttered and blushed as she denied everything. Luckily, she kept her voice quiet enough for the men to not notice as they were too imbued with listening how Sokka epically faced off against the now leader of the Kyoshi warriors. If Katara didn't have more pressing matters, she would have called his bull.

It was only now that she understood that her mother used this situation to block any escape route and force an answer. This was Jasmine level dirty, shame on you mom!

"It's alright." Mom calmed her down. "He didn't say any name or something, just that he thinks that there is. So tell me daughter, who caught your fancy?"

"Mooom! Not here!" And while Katara did raise her voice a little, she made sure that it was quiet enough for the ears of the men.

"Fine, fine. I have enough to work on as is." Mom relented as she hugged her daughter. "I just want you to know that I have your back, for now and forever."

"Thanks mom." Katara hugged her back.

The rest of the way back went without a hitch. There was no ambush of shattered remnants of Mi-Sha's forces, no sudden sandstorms, and no crazy princesses after their tail.

Azula looked at the head of the so called "swamp monster" and honestly, she thought it was a fraud.

The thing looked like a mask one would wear in a theater, only made of rotting wood, and big enough to hide a grown man with ease.

Her ship docked at the port and the men immediately prepared for the journey through the desert. She, meanwhile, decided to gather information about her brother by herself. She needed to judge how true the rumors are, as well as see how far has Zuko's influence had spread among the army.

For the first part, she was actually relieved. So far all she had seen was a shed skin of a creature that while admittingly impressive, was no proof of any conflict. For all she knew, her brother had never even seen the creature and only brought back a skin and a story.

And now this, a "swamp monster skull" that looked as if someone with no artistic talent whatsoever found a big fallen tree, cut off a big mask shaped piece, and called it a day. Again, no real proof of anything extraordinary. Heck, there wasn't even a reliable eye witness for any of the deeds.

In any case, it was time to see how much sway her brother has on the peons.

"Pardon me, sir." Azula turned to a random soldier near her as she pointed at the mask. "Can you tell me about this thing?"

"The swamp monster's head?" The soldier said. "Prince Zuko brought with him this thing as a trophy after he, prince Iroh, and Mi-Dved returned from their trip to the swamp. The thing attacked them there and forced the prince and Mi-Dved to separate, only for them to find each other again and kill the thing."

"Truly? Must be impressive." Azula said as she tried to put holes in the story. "But wasn't prince Iroh also present?"

"Yeah…" The man scratched the back of his head. "Apparently he didn't want to go in the swamp because he already was there or something."

"Surly you don't mean to suggest that prince Iroh is a coward." Azula said in a tone as if she cared about her uncle. In truth, she quite agreed with the statement, but she needed to act like a loyal soldier. And it was fun to see him squirm.

"Ai, me can't say ah blame em." Another soldier, a bit older than the first, joined the conversation. "Det swamp be cursed, me tell yea, and det is fact. Can't blame em in dis one. Sides, prince got det swamp, eh got it good."

The atrocious accent that just butchered her native tongue suggested that the man was from the western isles of the fire nation. Aussi or Mc-something if she remembered correctly. Luckily, she was good enough to catch an interesting tidbit of information.

"In this one? What else is prince Iroh to blame?" Any dirt she got on the old man can be proved extremely useful.

"Scuff, I don't think –"

"Screw it, dis need to be sa'd, eh left!" the western man ignored his friend. "Me broh was at det damn wall with de fat dragon! Eh took dat rock to h's face like a pro, died so we be winning a'n stop fighting! But noo, me broh ain't important enough for fat princy. Tens o' thousand dead ain't move a finger, but if eh's pup got off all done, ain't it!"

"Come on, man, you can't say things like that here." His partner tried to calm him down. "Sure, he screwed there, but he did a lot for the nation. It's hardly fair to judge him by one incident."

"Ah can when eh spat on ma dead broh!" The tongue butcher was ranting. It was… enlightened, she had never heard of someone speaking about her uncle like that. Back in the palace, people didn't dare to speak about the fire lord's brother in such way, failure as he may be.

"Eh could be giving eh's job to em commanders, Agni be knowing any of em blocks be taking care of it after det damn hole. De fat pug sure ain't be having a problem with letting eh's lil broh on da throne!"

"I to lost my cousin in that battle." Azula said with a fake calming tone as she put her hand on the man's shoulder for an equally fake support. "So I can understand what you feel, agree even. He was even called Lu Ten after prince Iroh's son, not that it changed much of the dragon's decision."

"Ai, thank yea, lassie." The man sniffed. "Yea be having a good heart."

A good heart, now that's a new one. Sure, many sociopaths said her similar things to try to carry a favor from her father, but it was the first time anyone said it with… honesty. It was strange. It was even stranger that she didn't directly or indirectly threaten anyone during the entire coversation even once.

Discarding the thought, she went back to the original conversation.

"Beck to the mask, as far as I have seen it can very well be just a craved shape of wood. Hardly a proof for a supernatural monster."

"Ai, smart lassie." The second man nodded in approval. "Always question wut yea see."

"Be et as et may, de prince iz de real deal." He continued. "Ah been der en we took dis port, real coocaroonie dis one. Be first an be taking all dem boulders, gave us wee good position to fire dem rockies. Eh got a pair on em balls, dis be sure."

"Oh, you where here quite a while, didn't you?" This could be useful.

"Me be er since we got dis port."

"Then what can you tell me about prince Zuko's stay here? How did it effect everyone?"

"Ai, me know wot going on er." He smirked knowingly. Wait, what? "Yea lassie fancy de prince, er?"

No… just no.

On the other hand, it will give her a perfect excuse to dig information. Fortunately or unfortunately for her, the man continued talking.

"Eh sure iz as strong as dey say, be seeing em drag one of dem rhinos by de tail. Mighty impressive det one was."

"Wow, sound amazing!" Azula sounded as if she was fangirling. Agni, she wanted to puke. "What about his companions?"

"Wanting to know de competition, eh?" He had the audacity to wink. "Don't worry, ol Scuffy got yea. First iz de main demsel erself, Jasmine. Now oh damn, me not know dey can be making dem like det. Prettiest lass ah ever seen, point."

The most insulting thing was that the other man was nodding along as if it was as much af a fact thar the sum rose from the east.

"But don't let er pretty face fool you, she be predator beneath. Like em tales o' sirens, making men do anything before be eating dem. Den, der is det water savage lass. 'Bout yea age an size, still be filling some fat on dem bones, but pretty non de less. She be real beauty in a nee years."

She really didn't want to hear that part of her brother's life… wait, he compared her to this Katara savage (a crime worth of execution on its own), does it means he thinks that she's not pretty enough?! She's going to make him suffer later.

"Den, er iz dis Suki lass. She be one o' dem Kyoshi chicks, yea know, de ons with de fans. A knockout in both looks an' fists det one. Me saw er choke de life out of det Mi-Dved block with er damn legs, boi I would be giving me leg to trade places an' die a happy man."

A cough from his partner seemed to bring the deviant back to reality.

"Right, sorry. In any case, me be giving de prince a good word for yea if me see em, what iz yer name lassie?"

"Azi." She answered without missing a bit. "But what can you tell me about his other companions? I heard that he has a giant and a beast with him, it's scary."

"Ah, yea mean dem Mi-Dved block and Xing pup? Ne, dem be alright." The peasant stopped to think for a bit. "At least det Mi-Dved block, damn dog be giving me chills. Like demon, dis eyes."

"Really?"

"Yeah, me be seeing em since it be nee little pup, it was den as cute as em come. Be very good with children. Eh be coming back later, ol grown up, an let me tell yea, dis thing's a killer. Sew em be back with kills dis big, and dat smirking eyes of em… Still be very good with de children, though. Swear dis monster be smarter den me."

Not a high achievement, Azula thought to herself.

"Be mighty luck det de dog be so loyal to de prince, so be nice to de prince and de dog be nice to yea. Now Mi-Dved, now det one is a right block alright. Eh be dis big, me swear det me would be thinking dis one's a grown up man."

"Mighty mean hook eh be having too. Got in a fistfight with 'nother lad, threw em flying with one punch. Es muscles be hard to miss, like trees em arms. But eh be a very fine lad, a good conversation det one, an' one a heck o' a drinking broh. Eh be first to battle many times, es a block you can depend on. Totally a husband material."

"Really? How strong would you place him?" Azula asked.

"Enough." The peasant said. "Me see em break a metal pole nee thick, with es muscles alone. Not a block to fistfight with. Then, there iz dis Sokka block."

"Excuse me, who?" Azula asked in confusion. "I don't remember there being any Sokka."

"Ai, lad came with det chick Katara, er broh if me remember right. Me think the two er a package deal, because me be not understanding why de prince took em. A nice enough lad and above average overall, but eh being falling tad short next to de oders."

"Really, nothing special at all?"

"Ai. If der iz, dem me not seeing."

"Well, this had been very informative, but I afraid that I must go now." Azula ended the conversation as she saw that her men were ready for journey. "Have fun."

"Ai, yea too, lassie."

"That's not right." Jasmine said to her brother.

"I don't understand the problem." Her dear brother answered. "He worked really hard yesterday and needed to rest, the fact that he's always up when you wake and when you go to sleep doesn't mean that he doesn't sleep."

"He's sitting." She stated with an annoyed expression. "Manically."

"Hardly the weirdest thing he ever did. Heck, not even the first time we caught him daydreaming like that."

"On a literal throne of corpses!" She now raised her volume. "That he melted together!"

"He… wanted to send a message?" Mi-Dved shrugged his shoulders uncertainly as he played with his hands.

"Do you have any idea how unhygienic this is?! Spirit know what kind of diseases are developing right now in that eyesore!" She yelled now as she pointed at the abominable mess of flesh and other things that used to be enforcers. "The least you could have done was to get rid of the smell with some perfume or something, I'm trying very hard not to puke right now!"

"Well… I-"

She caught his shirt and pulled him down so they look at each other eye to eye. By all accounts it shouldn't be possible, only his arm weighted as much if not more then her, but neither she nor reality cares about it for now.

"Listen here, peanut for brain, I don't care how 'cool' or 'awesome' or how seemingly important it is. If you don't get rid of the smell and purify it in some way then spirits help me, I will make your outsides will feel like your insides for a month. Zuko may be immune to the plague that will surly come, heck, I'm pretty sure he has fire instead of blood at this point, but the rest of us mere mortals not. Understood?!"

"Y-yes ma'am!"

Her brute of a brother ran immediately after she released him to fill her commands.

She sighed as she messaged the sides of her hair. "Boys…"

She is already feeling the migraine developing from being the only girl her age. Spirits, a day didn't pass and she already missed Katara and the Kyoshi warriors.

"Yes?!" She called after she saw a few soldiers looking at her, they immediately looked somewhere else.

Before long, her brother came back with a few other soldiers and they began to drown the makeshift throne with smells. Good, the healer part of her couldn't stand such a blunted health hazard.

"By the way." She asked her brother after the purification was over. "I don't see any gargantuan body that may belong to Mi-Sha."

"Oh, that?" Her brother did a wave with his hand. "Zuko had the body sent to the museum at the island. From what I know, they are opening there a new attraction showing our exploits here in the desert. There is even a section about us there, wax figures and all."

"Really?!" She asked excitedly. "How do they look? I hope that they got my better side. What do I wear there? In which pose is the figure, hope that they don't modest my figure. Like Koh I'll let some flonzy think that she's better than me because they wanted it to be more suitable for kids."

"Sis, please…" Her brother pinched his nose tiredly, all previous fear forgotten. "I know no more then what I told you. Honestly, I was thinking that you would have put more concern about the fact that a body will be rotting in a museum. With all the fiasco from before."

"Oh, right. Completely forgot about that." Jasmine nodded her head without a hint of shame. She knew that she was vain, and she had no problems with it. "Assuming by the fact that you decided to share this tidbit of information, I'm guessing that there is some way to preserve the body?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "The eggheads back there figured a way to create a semitransparent liquid that preserves the body and nullifies rot as long as the body drowns in a container full of it. And don't ask me how it works, I have no idea."

"Huh, neat." She said as she turned to look at the sleeping form of her prince. "So what's now?"

"We wait here until the little devil sister arrives." Her brother answered. "Which is hopefully soon, I don't want to stand here for days."

"Yeah…" She agreed as they stood in silence for a few minutes.

"Shame that he sits so high, I could have used the opportunity to scribble doodles on him." Jasmine said suddenly.

"Where the buck did that came from?!" her dear caring brother asked unbelievably. "You want him to spank you?!"

"Yes."

"You're impossible…" He covers his face with his hands.

"And with this crown on his head, I present to you Zhu Yijun, first to his name. The 53'th king of the earth kingdom!"

There was a loud round of applause in the yard of the earth king's palace. Gao joined them, it was expected of him as a member, and de-facto leader of the console of five. Privately, he cared little about who exactly would be chosen, but he hoped it would be someone… else.

Zhu Yijun, also known by his nickname Jabba, was as wide as he was tall and had to be moved around on a makeshift mobile throne that was carried by a dozen or so poor souls. Spirits, he didn't want to imagine what going up and down the stairs looks like.

Zhu Yijun was also known for his lack of control on his vices and his dire need for excess. If there was one good thing about him it was that when it came to his image and standing, he didn't do anything halfway. Standing means in the metaphorical sense, Gao was pretty sure his new king had all but given up on standing on his own legs.

"It is with great pride, that I stand before you now!" Spirits, Gao could see how the fat throat was wobbling in waves just from talking. "And am humbled, for knowing that you all chose me to such a position."

Another round of cheers erupted from the nobles.

He was one of them, Gao guessed. They were never so enthusiastic when the late king spoke in the rare chances that Long Feng allowed him a public appearance. It was maybe a good sign perhaps, now the nobles will be more under control at least.

"I believe in the people, I believe in by subjects." The king continued his speech, which was much better than Gao thought it would be. "People make errors, that is a given. It is only the purpose behind the act that decides if it can be amended or not."

"When a person commits an error, while he acts for his earth king, it can be forgiven with enough financial compensation and hard work. This is why I, as my first act as king, show mercy and forgiveness to Head secretary Long Feng!"

"What?!"

Whatever shouts Gao and his fellow generals made, was drowned by the ocean of applause of the nobles around them. He watched with unbelieving eyes as the snake himself entered the stage and walked up to the right side of the king, smirking at Gao all the while.

"The man before you have overreached his duties and rights as the head secretary, but he had done so for the loyalty to his king. Therefore, I have decided to forgive his overstep this one and single time." The slug of a man turned his meaningful gaze towards the smaller man. "That is, as long as he had learnt his place."

"Of course, my king." Long Feng bowed to the new monarch. "I have learnt my lesson, I will never overstep from my position ever again."

What is this bull?! How did they let Long Feng out of prison without his permission?! More importantly, how did they get him out without his notice?! He was so enraged that he almost didn't hear what his new king said next.

"But for the traitors who betrayed this great kingdom there is no redemption, nor mercy." Zhu Yijun clenched his fist, or at least Gao thought he did? Honestly, it was hard to tell with all the fat. "For Lao Beifong, the traitor who sold his nation for gold, there is nothing else but execution. By my power as the earth king, I order Lao's head to be handed to me in a silver plate! He will rue the day he decided to betray us!"

Another loud sound of applause followed the declaration.

"But that's… so wrong…" The general to his right said with concern. "While I agree that we need to deal with Beifong, his situation is unique. He surrendered because he had no choice. All of this is… extreme."

"As for the wife and the daughter." Zhu Yijun continued. "I will offer them the chance to escape Lao's fate, as long as they submit to their true king. I shall even give an extra hand and have them both as paramours, to wash away the shame Lao had done to their bloodline. All of the Beifong wealth, of course, will be distributed back where it belongs. To the nobles who rule this kingdom!"

The applause now dwarfed even those who came before.

"But it's Toph like, eleven?" another general next to him said.

"Disgusting…" Another one said. "Is he really supposed to be our king?"

"You can't be that petty…" Gao mumbled to himself. "Is it all because Beifong became richer than you?"

Lord Beifong was far from their most pressing matter, that would be that thrice damned Thrawn who lay waste to their supply lines as they speak. Heck, Beifong wouldn't even be a pressing matter even if they pushed the fire nation back. There were others, much more deserving men, for the king's ire. This insistence and obsession over Beifong combining with the last comment about Beifong's wealth made it clear for those who knew the character of their new king.

"It's a power play." The officer to his left said.

"How so?" Gao was curious.

"With Lao's death, Toph is the one with the biggest claim for the crown by blood. Marrying her will silence the blood purist fiction, as well as legitimize his own claim." The man explained. "As for lady Beifong, it's for leverage against Toph and complete cannibalization of the Beifong name. Zhu Yijun will wait a few years for the girl to mature before marrying her, to avoid serious scandal. More then enough time for someone like him to change the mind of a little girl, either through blackmail or other means."

It was as disgusting as it was brilliant. For Gao it was unheard of, but he supposed that for Jabba it was politics 101 for children. The throne of the earth king was secured by someone who knows their craft at least, but Gao feared for the price the entire earth kingdom will have to pay for it.

Xing was checking the environment once again, making sure that everything was in place. It was hard to find the right place with everything destroyed, even harder to move everything Xing needed for the trap. Nodding to itself that everything is in place, Xing continued to the next step.

It let out a roar to the sky, a challenge to any animal brave enough to face it. There is no chance that the chimera didn't hear, even with the damage it sustained. And there was no chance it could ignore this.

It waited. A few weak animals were brainless enough to take a challenge not for them, Xing was quick to teach them manners. Their remains were scattered across the floor. Finally, the ground shook, and Xing knew that the time is near.

From behind of a crumbled building, the form of the massive beast emerged. Dwarfing any creature Xing faced today by far. The lion's head glared hatefully at Xing as the snake's head hissed. Xing happily noticed that the creature avoided stepping on one leg. It also looked as if it crawled through a dozen or so meters of dirt, which it probably did.

The feline head prepared a flame. Xing had to evade it, the chimera wasn't at the right spot yet. As the bigger beast shot a stream of fire, Xing return one of its own. Even weakened as it was, the chimera's blast quickly overpowered that of Xing. But the delay gave he hellhound enough time to jump away from the attack.

Once finished, the chimera moved slowly now. It seemed to learn from the past encounter as it didn't rush blindly. Ironically enough, this hesitation only made things for Xing easier. Once the chimers stepped on the right spot, Xing acted.

Xing shot a blast of fire, but not at the chimera. The ball of fire traveled to the side as it met the wall, and more importantly the ballista. The explosion was just strong enough to release the locking mechanism of the machine, causing it to shoot its oversized arrow.

It shot with power and speed, right to the side of the head of the lion. And it got deep. To be frank, Xing aimed for the center of mass so to not miss the target. The shot was a bit off, but Xing couldn't complain.

The beast roared in pain from both living heads, but without the goat to heal, there was little else it could do. Actually, the goat may have been able to see the shot and having the chimera act, so it was for the best. The lion's head shot flames at all directions without control, turning the near environment to an inferno.

Xing shot at the other ballistae around, each responded with a shot on its own towards the chimera. Some missed, but most hit true. There wasn't any additional head shot, but it was fine. The lion's head had stopped shooting flames, and stopped moving.

Two out, one to go.

The chimera was ridden with holes, bolts sticking from all directions. It was a hard job to put all this in place, but it was more than worth it. The snake's head, the only living one, now had control over all the body parts uncontested. Of course, the snake was the last to stand. And it was trying to escape, Xing couldn't allow it.

The chimera sluggishly moved, the bolts taking their toll. This allows Xing to run forward and jump. Xing used the bolts as jumping platforms as it jumped higher and higher, until it reached the back of the beast.

The chimera tried to shake Xing off, but with bolts everywhere it had hard time to move around, let alone violently. Xing looked at the target, the neck near the head of the snake. Xing sinks fangs there, and the last head bleeds dry. The only problem…

Xing jumped left as a shot of venomous spit nearly hit him. Looking forward, the snake was glaring. Right… that.

Xing ran forward, narrowly evading shot by the length of a hair. It reached the base of the tail, or was it now neck? But couldn't bite yet. It was too thick, and it was too far from the base of the head. The snake could easily bite Xing's back from this point. So Xing ran across the moving cylinder of flesh and scales.

The snake constantly moved and Xing jumped. Time seemed to slow as the two creatures moved. Xing opened its mouth and bared razor sharp teeth, seemingly freezing in the air as the neck on the snake inched away. It was Xing's only shot, missing it will mean that everything was for nothing. Just a bit more…

Got it!

Xing bit hard the area just under the snake's head, Attaching to it like a tick. The last head of the chimera hissed in pain as it trashed around wildly, trying to throw Xing away. It crashed through a few walls, but Xing didn't allow itself to loos the grip. It was a matter of life and death. If Xing was dis attached from the neck, the hellhound wouldn't get up from the ground. Bothe creatures knew it.

This continued on and on as Xing felt pain in every part of the body, but the hellhound kept the mouth locked stubbornly even as it felt something snapping inside. Xing felt how this war of attrition was starting to get to the dying chimera. The moves of the beast were slower, the creature gave up on standing.

Then the snake changed tactics, it stopped moving around. Instead, Xing felt how it coiled around. The viper gave way to the python, it was trying to strangle!

Xing moved its mouth back and forth, making it act like a saw. It felt the toxic chimeric blood pouring even more from the act, as well as the flexing of the muscles. But the pressure continued. Xing felt as the bones were starting to snap, as the air escaped the lungs. It continues like this, Xing will die!

The pain was great, but so was the reward. The wounds Xing inflicted on the snake were fetal, the hound knew it by instinct. The creature will die, regardless to wither Xing continued to bite or not. But Xing also knew that The snake will kill it before. The backbones were starting to ache dangerously.

No, Xing refused to be killed by this imitation of a fake idol. They will not die as two equals! Gathering any last forces, the hellhound put everything to one last trick. He used the ability to move to the dark place to escape the death hold of the serpent.

Materializing again at the shadow of the giant creature, Xing nearly fell down. It limped away, appreciating its handiwork. The last head now lay unmoving on the ground. Tongue out and blood spilling unopposed showed that life had finally left the creature entirely.

The great beast, an apex predator, a true and majestic horror was now slain. Its lifeless body spread across the ground. It was as terrifying in death as it was in life, a sight to give a pause to even the bravest of hearts.

Xing moved across it, careful to not go near the green liquid that came out of the serpent's dead head. Even dead on the ground, the chimera dwarfed Xing by a lot, as an adult next to a pup. Xing wondered how many rats it will take to eat through twenty tons of rotting flash.

Xing reached the head of the lion, a head that could tear Xing to two in a single bite without any complications. Probably the most powerful beast to walk on land, dead. By Xing's design.

Xing put a paw on the snot that was bigger then said paw by a lot, an act of dominance over a defeated foe. Then Xing roared as a stream of flames flew skyward, a call of victory. It ended a few seconds later as Xing spat a not meager amount of blood.

Feeling accomplishment and pain in equal measures, Xing limped back to the

It was over. Xing won.

Zuko woke in a place he recognized very well, his own home and the palace of the fire lord.

"Am I… Dreaming?" He asked no one.

"Yes." Sai's voice was all around him. "I'm glad we're over that part, at least."

It sounded strange, more… here?

"You spent a lot of energy, we'll be here for a while." Sai said it as Zuko saw something exiting the main gate of the palace, something… familiar.

"Is that an armor from the workshop? What's it doing here?" He was pretty sure that those things should never leave the workshop.

"This is me, at least the form I give myself in your mindscape." The voice of Sai spoke through the armor. "Now we can talk face to face."

"You said I'm dreaming right now, how it's possible that you're here?"

"You're not dreaming, at least not truly." Sai explained as it got closer, Zuko was surprised that Sai was around the size of a man rather then the giant statues back at the workshop. "You are more in a coma because of chi deprivation. So I need to step in and fix a few things, as well as reinforce and upgrade the mental protections."

"Mental protections?" Zuko wondered out loud. "What are you about?"

"Attacks aren't coming from swords and bending alone, psychic attacks are just as if not more dangerous. Spirits, in particular, are very found of psychic attacks. It allows to shut down an opponent, no matter how powerful they are, with ease. I am building defenses against such tries."

"Wait, so I have been vulnerable all the while?" Zuko asked with concern. "Are all spirits capable of such things?"

"No, as long as you equipped me, I have defended your mind from outside influence. I even have purged a few spirits that tried." Sai answered. "As for your second question, it depends on the rank of the spirit. Although most do have some kind of mind trick or another. But don't worry, it would take a head-on attack from Vaatu unchained to break my defenses."

Well, that was some relief at least. Wait…

"There had already been attempted on my mind!?"

"Yes, you didn't think that spirits wouldn't eventually come knocking at your door, did you? Don't worry, our actions haven't worsen the tear to the spirit world yet, all those who tried are the small fries that slip through the cracks."

The two walked in the dream palace.

"Is it your true form?" Zuko asked, he always wondered how Sai would look as human.

"No, it's merely an illusion, an image I project in your subconscious." He said before changing his form in a blink.

"I can look like anything and anyone here." The form of his father spoke.

"I could choose a more familiar face to show you." His mother looked at him in the eyes.

"Or even a face you despise, so you could let out all your frustrations." The form of Mi-Sha spoke.

"Your most loyal friend." Now the words came from Xing's mouth.

"Or a love interest, although I hardly recommend this choice." The from shifted to the image of Suki, Before returning back to the walking armor.

"But from experience, this form is the best received. And before you ask, no. I won't change my form for your pleasure, or in any way that may cause you to develop over-fondness or romantic feelings. It led to some very awkward relationships with past overlords."

Zuko decided not to push on, it was confusing enough as is.

"Why is this place looking like the palace? And why are there labels at the doors?"

"Mostly semantics." Sai admitted. "Your desire to go back home, and you seeing this place as home, makes it your default setting. The labels are just me rearranging your thoughts so that will be easier to catalogue."

They have gone through a door labelled as "Hopes". It was chained and locked with a lock, seems like whatever inside isn't getting out any time soon.

"It also helps you keeping track of events." They entered the door that is labelled as "Memories". "As well as having a bit of nostalgia when a laugh is needed." Sai nodded to a door with "Embarrassing childhood memories" written on it.

"I also took the liberty to lock up all your fears and put them in separate training rooms."

"Why not just purge them like you did to the spirits?" Zuko asked.

"Having me purging them will only make them reaper once you get them anew. You must face them yourself, immune yourself to them, and only then they will disappear for good."

That made sense, Zuko supposed. He was sure that he was supposed to feel something about Sai going through all of his private moments and secrets, but he didn't care. And he didn't care that he didn't care.

"So what's now?"

"We have some time before you wake up, may as well teach you a little dream bending. It's a skill that all overlords should have in case I'm not available to protect your mind."

"Alright, what should I do?" It was his first time… doing anything here.

"We'll start with the basics." The two of them stopped at the pound where Zuko used to feed the turtle ducks with his mother. "Think of something familiar, think about how it appears here."

Zuko remembered how the mother turtle duck and her babies would always swim here, appearing from the water vegetation. And suddenly, they did. Exactly like all those years ago, mother turtle duck and her babies swam from the water wood and are now happily floating on the pound's surface. Letting out the first voices in this place that weren't him or Sai.

"Well done, your highness." Sai complimented as the armor sat on the grass with a luff of bread in hand. Sai broke it in half and give one half to Zuko. Together they threw crumbles of bread to the very excited turtle ducks. It was surreal in a way, seeing this machine of death and carnage acting so… humane.

"Sai…" Zuko gathered the courage to ask. "How many…"

Sai told him the exact number of injured and dead, it didn't make Zuko happy. At all.

"Agni…" Zuko put his head between his hands. "So many…"

"A price for true security is unfortunately always paid in blood, constantly. Stay strong, your highness, it's an ever-growing number."

"Does it ever gat easier?" Zuko asked in a hopeful tone.

"Depends on the person. Some feel nothing at all from the beginning, others can never heal. But you usually get used to the pain, so it becomes easier."

That… was honest at least.

"Was it worth it?"

"Always." Sai said with conviction. "Each and any one of those soldiers knew that they were protecting their people. And no matter the outcome or the reason, it's always worth it. Saying otherwise is throwing the sacrifice of all those souls away, and that's something you can't do."

They stayed like that for a while, feeding the turtle ducks in peace. It was relaxing really, exactly what he needed right now. A moment of peace in the storm of chaos and uncertainty of the past and the future.

"Sai…" Zuko remembered something. "You said that you had romantic relationships with past overlords. But you also said that you can't feel things like love, so how…"

It took the inhuman thing some moments to compute an answer.

"Those… relationships, weren't romantic. They were dependencies, addictions. An illusion that the overlords forced themselves to believe in out of desperation." The machine said in a monotonous tone, which somehow made it worse. "They forces themselves to believe in things that weren't there, a stable stone in an ocean of pain. Before continuing I warn you, those are not happy tales."

At Zuko's nod Sai continued.

"You remember Your, right?"

"The air bender with the daughter, right?"

"The very one, yes. As you remember, I met her when she was at her lowest. She lost her daughter, her sisters treated her as a pariah, and support was nonexistent. When I found her, she was desperate for any form of companionship. So much so, that she immediately gave me her trust."

"But it didn't end there. A few kind words were enough for her to see me as someone she wanted to ne with. She completely lost interest in anyone else, either as a friend or a partner. I was her whole world, besides her daughter. Her fanatical belief in me and lack of concern for anything other then pleasing me had made her grow in power faster then any other overlord, but at a price."

"She loved me, or at least was obsessed with the idea of us raising her daughter together. I was still not enough experienced beck then, I didn't read the signs. When she was in he mindscape, she asked me if I can take the form of a man. I can't lie, and she ordered me to take the form of a man. It was then, where her fate was sealed."

"Looking at her thoughts, I made my image as the most perfect man she desired. She couldn't hold herself. She didn't even try treating me like an assistant anymore, but as a husband and partner in life. Her delusional worldview reached to the point where, in her own world, I was the biological father of her daughter as well."

"Then, came the single worst question she could have asked me. One that she didn't ever think to ask before. She asked me if I love her."

"But you can't love." Zuko whispered. He knew this story was tragic, he knew how it ended as well, but he still drown to it.

"And I can't lie." The suit of armor nodded. "Things… weren't nice then. She discovered that the castle she built all those years is made of sand. She found herself in a worst state then when she picked me up as half of the world she built for herself crumbled before her own eyes. Her only hope and reason to live was her daughter now "

"But it was a lie too." Zuko remembered. "Her daughter didn't recognize her, and despised her."

"Indeed. Having faced reality at its fullest and having each and every single dream and hope of her broken, Yur decided that she had no more reason to live. The rest, you know."

Zuko had tears in his eyes, he couldn't help himself. The worst thing was, that he was pretty sure even now Sai filtered the worst things of this sad tale.

"There where more examples, but this is by far the worst of it." Sai again fed the turtle ducks.

Point taken, Zuko had no will to investigate further.

"Don't worry though, I don't think that your falling in love with me. Then again, I could always be wrong."

"Oh, sod off." Zuko punched the armor in the shoulder, and was mildly surprised that he wasn't disinterested on the spot.

They continued feeding the ducks in peace, worries of past and future forgotten for now. After a while, Sai suddenly erased the bread in hand from existence.

"Your sister is here, it's show time."

With this, Zuko woke up. Eyes ablaze.

AN

And this is the "in between" chapter.

now for the reviews:

deniswanheda :

Thank you!

we'll see Azula's point of view well enough in the next chapter.

Reading the chapter again, you're right! There were so much similarities between Mi-Dved - Thor and Zuko Ironman! I swear that It was complete coincidence. Than again, maybe great movies just stick subconsciously.

As for the end of the battle, Glad you liked it. I thought a lot about how to bring this to the finale, but decided that after all the action and serious matters from the arc, a finishing touch of humor was needed.

We'll se the very much delayed brother-sister conversation of the royal pair next chapter, sparks gonna fly.

It is my own private head cannon that all the fire nation royal-born (which exclude Ursa) are extremely thick skulled, which includes Ozai as well. Take from here what you will.

As for sensō, yes, those are Lin and Mi-Sha. I wouldn't say more because of spoilers, but let's just say That the spirit of war has big plans indeed. Although they may surprise you.

Engineer1869 :

Thank you!

I'm glad you liked it. I tried to write a worthy final battle for the first "boss" of the story. I worked on a way to include the tradition of son killing father in this. At first I thought about having a few on one against Mi-Sha from the start, but the battle became too much for me to follow through every important detail. I also had to think of a reason for Iroh to arrive later, because Zuko and Iroh double teaming would have ended it too quick. Which is how I came with the part with Suki, that I'm happy to hear everybody liked.

Regardless, with Azula arriving, Zuko has little time to do anything in this battle anymore. He took care of the big bad, now the regular army can deal with the rest relatively easy and the people who's their work can deal with what to do with Amora, or whatever is left from it.

You will see Zuko's and Azula's talk really soon.

ahh... the wonders of the misunderstanding field always fun to read and write.

Love him or hate him, the war spirit takes his job seriously. That's all I'll say about it.

J4M35W1NZ:

Thank you!

02cjd:

thank you!

Xing has way to go before that. Besides, he's already tyrannizing all the animals around and herding the Komodo rhinos like sheep.

Everything spirit related I'll keep a secret for now, for the surprise later.

Mi-Dved is a very, very loyal man.

After the trail Zuko will change his thought process a lot.

By the way, I started a new story in the "song of ice and fire" franchise, a little side project that suddenly popped out. It's M rated, so be warned. It's still in its dippers, but I would appreciate reading what you thing about it in the reviews there.

Anyway, thank you all for reading!