Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

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

302. Chapter 302: Taking Omashu 5

A/N:

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

THIS WAS A DOUBLE UPDATE!

PLEASE ENSURE YOU HAVE READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER (301) BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER! :'D

Taking Omashu

5

Ukano's heart sped up. Even Tom-Tom forgot about his spyglass for a moment, and Michi yelped before rushing clumsily towards her husband.

"Ukano!" she exclaimed, reaching to grab her son and hugging him to herself. "Ukano, it's…!"

"An earthquake?! It's an earthquake!" Ukano responded, hugging both his wife and son to himself as he gazed about himself in sheer panic: the vibrations were so powerful that he feared the walls might crack, the ceiling might collapse, the ground might spread open underneath his very feet…

Whether this was a matter of natural causes or not, Ukano couldn't know. He only clung to his wife and son, hoping for it to end soon, fear paralyzing them while the world continued to vibrate violently. This was a city built by earthbenders, its foundations should have been strong enough to resist the movements of the earth… but Ukano couldn't trust that would be the case. First those moose-lions endangering the merchants and the economy of their city, and now an earthquake? Just how many catastrophes could possibly happen in Omashu in that single, unassuming, perfectly ordinary day?

---

The vibrations resounded powerfully all across the city, the ripples of earthbending motion shaking the foundations of many buildings, perhaps of the mountain itself… and chaos was the natural outcome for it, especially by the walls: Kino and the Fire Nation soldiers took to the usual instructions in case of earthquakes, protecting themselves by standing next to furniture or under the stronger foundations of the walls. Even though their faces were concealed behind their helmets, it was easy to tell all four men were terrified – indeed, Kino included. But no one within the room was quite as scared as the hawks: the three creatures took to squawking and crying out, wings fluttering clumsily in the limited space of the room, no doubt seeking the outside world in order to escape from the violent trembling of the earth.

For a moment, Kino wondered if they'd succeed at getting away. Would it be better if they did? Perhaps they'd simply take off to the northern areas of the Earth Kingdom, or they'd return to the city when everything had calmed down… but for now, it seemed the birds were panicking just as much as the men were.

After about a minute, even if it felt like much longer than that, the vibrations eased. Kino was still shaking even though the world wasn't quite so unstable anymore, and the two soldiers who had been in the room all along took to collecting the hawks, trying to reel them into control while the creatures screeched, their wings fluttering in the air recklessly.

"T-that couldn't have been an earthbender…" the captain blurted out suddenly, forcing himself to his feet. Kino swallowed hard as he followed the man's example.

"C-captain…"

"Send word to… to the Governor now, yes. About this, not about… not about the moose-lions. Just… this earthquake. It's far more important."

"B-but…" Kino gasped, as the spark of an idea took hold of his mind. He cleared his throat, hoping to seem the right amount of nervous for a natural event of this magnitude. "Sir, it was an earthquake! I… I…! Will the city be alright?! Shouldn't we do something, provide help to those within the walls?!"

"We have no time to worry about trivialities!" Captain Tseng growled… only for Kino to jump to hug the man with no warning. "What are you…?! Let go of me, you incompetent fool! Get on with alerting the Governor right now!"

"Captain, I'm scared…!" Kino whimpered… and finally the man shoved him off, his patience well and truly spent.

"Write a message to the Governor, now! That's an order, you green bastard! An order!" Tseng shouted before turning to the door.

The men who had been badmouthing the captain wasted no time following him: one appeared particularly antsy after the earthquake, and the other two comforted him as they left Kino to his own devices. The birds were now perched in inconvenient places, and Kino had to put them elsewhere, of course he did…

The three hawks eyed him cautiously as the only human left in the surveillance room. Kino marched towards Tseng's office and raised his latest steal: this time, the Captain's own set of keys, lifted off him at the most convenient moment, in the middle of the ridiculously unpleasant hug Kino had given him. He had been so harsh about rejecting Kino that he hadn't noticed the sleight of hand at all.

The office was, of course, empty. The sole window was small, and Kino ensured to close it anyway. He brought the water and food he had only just set up for the messenger hawks, placing it carelessly on the man's desk – after knocking everything on the surface haphazardly to the floor – and then he returned to the room with a chunk of meat in one hand, the other outstretched for the nearest hawk.

"I've been bribing way too many animals with food lately. Guess you guys were next in line, huh?" he said, as the nervous creature eyed him with curiosity.

He chuckled as the first bird was swayed quickly: within merely five minutes, all three birds were happily feasting on the captain's desk, and Kino grinned as he closed the door and locked it firmly.

"I'll make sure to come get you guys later, alright?" he said, letting out a happy sigh as he marched up to the room's bell, slipping the clapper out from its spot and pocketing along with the other one. "Oh, boy, I can't believe that worked out. That earthquake was one hell of a lucky hit, huh?"

He had only just blurted out the words when he stepped out of the surveillance room to hear an onslaught of loud cries, swooshing of water and shaking of earth: Kino winced, glancing quickly at the inside of the city, at the central square of Omashu…

And his jaw dropped upon witnessing blasts of sewage, pouring out of a sewer gate, rushing violently towards the soldiers perched at the top of the walls. The very same soldiers who had been watching the moose lions intently when Kino had arrived.

Suddenly, the randomness of the earthquake felt a lot less fortuitous than it had an instant ago.

"Oh, fuck. Oh, shit!" Kino gritted his teeth, rushing to the gates at once: he had the captain's keys, and many other keys worth testing as well.

He expected there might be other bells left to disable, but he intended to find them only after freeing the earthbenders: by the time he got there, the eight men appeared anxious, watching the battle waged from the center of the square and the walls as best they could.

"I'm back!" Kino exclaimed, dropping on his knees right next to the first man he'd spoken to. "Okay, so! Break the bridge if you can, though try not to hurt the moose lions? They're pretty nice, so…"

"Just be quick about it," the earthbender said, anxious. "I… I can barely believe you're the real deal. Your allies have tossed a bunch of them into the chasm already!"

"Eh?" Kino asked, with a nervous smile. "Well, crap. I sure shouldn't go up the walls again or they'll toss me next, looking like this…"

"You shouldn't dress like them if you don't want people to treat you like them," the earthbender remarked, watching as Kino fumbled by testing the keys one after the next. "You have too many keys…"

"I know, I know, but this is difficult…" Kino whimpered, testing the next one, and the next…

It took eight tries for the captain's keys to finally yield results: he unlocked the man's shackles, both those at the wrists and at the ankles, and the earthbender groaned in relief, rubbing his hands and feet to soothe the damage his skin had sustained over the course of years.

"Okay, so, I'm off to the next… ack!"

The earthbender caught Kino's shoulders, keeping him in place for a moment. The threatening presence of the man seemed twice as powerful now that he was free, and Kino didn't do anything other than tremble while the man hoisted Kino's helmet slowly, carefully, revealing his face to the whole group.

Kino blinked blankly, and the earthbender scrutinized him keenly, once their eyes met directly. The earthbender set the helmet aside, and then he nodded.

"I'm Hongyi. You?"

"I-I'm Kino," he answered, blinking blankly. The earthbender patted his shoulders.

"Thanks for that, Kino. Get on with freeing everyone else now," Hongyi said, rising to his feet with firm determination.

Kino swallowed hard and moved forward, working with the rest of the shackles by using the same key: to his relief, it seemed all of them had been crafted with the same lock to make matters easier for the soldiers, Kino suspected. Within the next five minutes, he had knelt with them and unlocked each shackle, giving every tormented man a chance to savor their first taste of true freedom for the first time in over ten years.

"This is it," Hongyi told the rest of his group as they gathered by the side of their platform that overlooked the bridge. "We're breaking it: the next time that bridge stands again… this city will be free."

"Yeah!" said some of the men, and Kino had a perfect view of how the eight men, working in unison, raised their hands and commanded the earth powerfully:

The bridge shook, cracks springing up in its base, attached to Omashu, before the men struck a powerful fist down, legs spread in a perfect square: with that impulse, the end of the structure, purposefully broad enough for the merchants to cross it freely, shattered and plummeted into the chasm into which other Fire Nation soldiers were falling still. Kino winced at the sight of another one, hoping deeply to avoid that fate for he knew that, at a distance, Katara and Aang might just mistake him for an enemy.

"Okay, so… what now?" one of the earthbenders said, turning towards their leader who, of course, turned towards Kino.

"Well… you could always help my friends take out more soldiers?" Kino suggested, with a shrug. "Though I bet reinforcements are bound to show up any second now… across the walls, right? If they notice there's a scuffle going on, they might just try to come here to fight, too."

"Then we'll be ready to welcome them," Hongyi said, cracking his knuckles. "We're going to beat these ashmakers today! And if I can get my hands on that fucker, Tseng, all the better!"

Kino smiled as he followed the eight earthbenders back to the other side of the platform: the battle wasn't becoming any fiercer simply because it appeared as though the attackers within the city had been surprisingly triumphant, quite early on.

"Ah! Katara! Aang!" Kino shouted, waving at the pair as they climbed out of the sewers' entrance cautiously.

The two benders heard his voice and glanced in his direction somewhat anxiously: the sight of him standing with a group of earthbenders brought smiles to their faces.

"And he pulled it off again. He's incredible," Aang laughed as Katara smiled, though she turned upon noticing that the patrolling guards approaching the square weren't all that appreciative of what they had done to their fellow soldiers.

"Aang!" she called, drawing out more sullied water from the sewers. The Avatar turned quickly to find Katara flinging a powerful stream of water that defused a fire blast and she slammed violently into the man who had bent it: he winced and squirmed over the disgusting concoction Katara had attacked him with, but she was already hard at work with the next one.

No matter how revolting they found their current procedure, Aang and Katara worked together with waterbending to strike at every soldier that dared approach them. The Fire Nation forces were disorganized for now, attacking with no sense or logic, only with impassioned recklessness to defend their fallen comrades, and that made them easy pickings for the two benders.

"We're ready to help now, too!" Bojun shouted behind them, as he hoisted Wenna out of the sewers as well. The earthbender took to flinging chunks of earth at their foes too, the solid attacks cutting through the half-hearted flames easily.

By then, more soldiers had started to assemble by the walls, running in the direction of the scuffle from either side of the wall. One of them made for the nearest bell, intending to ring it and alert others of the strange, confusing emergency they were facing right now – a battle fought by the walls, with what looked like waterbenders flinging sewage at their foes? –, but upon attempting to ring the bell, no sound came out.

"W-what…?" he gasped, shaking the bell again before glancing below it… to find there was no clapper in place. "What the…?! Who did this?! Why is the bell…?!"

"A soldier over there!" Kino shouted at his allies: the eight earthbenders growled ferociously, rushing towards the man almost single-mindedly while the soldier continued to look for the clapper, as though hoping it had fallen off the bell by accident.

By the time he noticed the eight earthbenders had rushed in his direction, the man only had a chance to squeak, a hand raised, before being flung off the wall violently, and into the chasm.

"We'll hold the wall!" shouted Hongyi, and his earthbenders echoed the sentiment. "We're clearing it out, room by room, brick by brick, until every last one of them is gone!"

Another courageous, proud roar preceded their thorough search for any and all Fire Nation soldiers to evict from the walls. Kino followed them closely, keeping an eye on Aang and Katara's fight as well: non-benders were joining the fray, as well as other earthbenders who attacked fiercely: they were holding the square and, Kino hoped, drawing enough attention to themselves for the rest of the missions to unfold safely…

His eyes rose towards the two out-of-place, Fire Nation-styled buildings in the city. The closest one was the Communications Office, from what he remembered, and he could tell even at a distance that there was another pandemonium unfolding there. But higher up, the Governor's residence appeared perfectly calm from this distance. Had Prince Zuko succeeded…?

---

Chaos shook the house, and loud voices and cries could be heard from the second floor. Ukano and Michi embraced tightly, almost smothering Tom-Tom between them, as they hoped keenly that their architect's work had been sound enough for their home to withstand the violent earthquake. Nervous tears spilled down Michi's cheeks as Tom-Tom whimpered, clutching at his father's arms hard enough to drive his nails into Ukano's skin.

"It will be over… it will be over," Ukano said, closing his eyes. "Calm down… calm down, just stay calm and it will all be over soon…"

His words did nothing to soothe his nervous wife, who struggled to interpret them as anything but the heralds of certain doom. She whimpered and wept, hoping to survive along with her family, resolving to send a message to Mai as soon as possible, if they did…

Then the vibrations started to smooth over, and Michi gasped in relief and astonishment. She gazed about herself, as though she could barely believe earthquakes wouldn't last forever… and she smiled upon confirming most their furniture and the structure of their home remained intact. She let out a deep breath: the world was no longer trembling.

"It's over…? Is it over now, Ukano, dear?" she asked. The man swallowed hard.

"I… I hope so," he said: the sounds of voices outside continued to seep into the room, and he glanced towards the door. "We should get out of here. Staying indoors after an earthquake is dangerous."

"That was it?" Tom-Tom asked, with a weak smile. "Heh! It wasn't that scary!"

"Oh, Tom-Tom, please…" Michi said, grimacing as Ukano stepped away from them, marching towards the door.

The staff and the guards hadn't rushed to check on them, something Ukano barely registered until he reached the door. Whooshing sounds outside, rushed footsteps, loud cries… the terrible earthquake certainly had done a number on everyone. He swallowed hard as he pulled the door open...

And he was greeted by the sharp end of a hook blade, aimed square at his forehead.

Ukano yelped, jumping back nervously and alarming his wife and son once more. A man with shaggy brown hair, thin eyebrows and a deadly glare stood at the door, his weapons in tow.

"W-who…?!" Ukano gasped. "Who are you?! What is the meaning of this?!"

"Just you three?" the man asked, glancing across the room through the corners of his eyes. "No guards in here with you? That sure makes things easy."

"P-put that sword down!" Ukano exclaimed, standing in front of Michi and Tom-Tom, who gasped and shivered behind him. "Don't you dare threaten my family with…!"

"I've already dared. Pretty damn late to try and threaten me into… well, into not threatening you," the man smirked. "Your forces are already dropping like flies, you're in no position to buy your way into freedom… so do us both a favor and drop the bravado. None of you will get hurt if you cooperate."

"C-cooperate?! With whom?!" Ukano squealed. "Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my city!"

"It's not your city. It never was."

Another male voice drifted into the room as another sudden intruder marched into the room. The first one didn't lower his sword, but he stepped to the side while still aiming its hooked tip at Ukano… and the second man marched into the room.

Both Ukano and Michi gaped at him in confusion at first, in horrified realization shortly afterwards. For those gold eyes were much like those of the Fire Lord, much as his visage and dark hair… though there was a large burn scar across the left side of his face.

He had weapons of his own, sheathed and carried on his back. He stepped into the room without threatening them with fire or with his blades… but the furrowed brow shot a warning sign through Ukano's system, a warning sign he knew better than to ignore: he had seen Fire Lord Ozai's fury a few times in the past…

And now, he saw it in his son instead.

"P-Prince Zuko…?" Ukano gasped. Zuko stepped closer, glaring down at a suddenly diminished, kneeling Ukano.

"We're here to return this city to the king. To restore the Earth Kingdom, city by city," Zuko affirmed. Ukano gasped. "And I'm here, personally, to ensure you and your family remain unharmed in this operation. It's that simple."

"Prince Zuko. Prince…!" Michi gasped. "Oh, I don't know what you're doing, but Prince, whatever you're trying to achieve… it will be sure to fail!"

"I don't see how it'll fail… your forces either surrendered or were defeated so far," Zuko said. "You three are powerless to fight back. I'd advise you to call back your troops and tell them to put down their arms and stop fighting, too… but I suspect you'll refuse to do that out of blind loyalty to my father, and they'd refuse to obey you too, even if you were reasonable enough to do so. It'll make no difference anyway…"

"Why? What are you doing, Prince Zuko?!" exclaimed Ukano, snarling. "Fire Lord Ozai…! If it's a tantrum against him, you have to know he won't stand for it! He will send his troops here to take back the city and he will avenge every life you waste in this pointless endeavor…!"

"Oh, no: he'll spend the rest of his life making up for all the lives HE has wasted and sacrificed for nothing!" Zuko roared, daunting Ukano into silence. "Though I suspect… I suspect the rest of his life won't be all that long at all."

"What are you…?" Ukano asked, trembling violently. "P-Prince Zuko…!"

"I'm saying the war will end," Zuko declared, stepping closer to Ukano, brow furrowed. "I'm saying me and my allies are taking the battle back to my father. I'm saying we will triumph here today, and every day from here onwards, until the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes, and the Fire Nation itself are free from his influence. That's why I'm here… and that's why you'd do best to stand down quietly and not interfere, Ukano."

"You can't be… you can't be serious. Prince Zuko, i-if you want me to intercede in your behalf with your father…!"

"I don't want any petty favors of the sort from you," Zuko said, firmly. Ukano shuddered.

"Please… please, think about what you're doing. I beg you… think on it, for your choices can have far greater consequences than you realize. Mai… she's in the Fire Nation, you know this! If… if you and your allies somehow take this city from us, Fire Lord Ozai…! He might take out his rage on her, he might punish her for your actions…!"

"And that's the kind of man you want to be loyal to?" Zuko asked. Ukano froze in place. "A man who might just hold your daughter for ransom if you displease him? What sort of pathetic excuse for leadership is that?"

"Prince Zuko, please…!" Michi gasped. Zuko snarled and shook his head.

"Mai is far stronger than you," he said, glaring at Ukano firmly. "But even if she weren't… our success will see to her freedom, and that of her family, eventually. I have a family of my own now… one that my father would have gladly massacred over his thirst for revenge. Am I to hold back from protecting my wife and children just for your comfort and benefit, Ukano? You wouldn't even think of doing the same for me, don't pretend otherwise. So… no, I'm not backing down. Not for Mai, not for anything: this city will be reclaimed, the rest of the continent will follow, and my father will fall. Nothing you say now will change that."

"M-Mom…?" Tom-Tom said, startling Zuko. He frowned as his eyes fell upon the boy he had never met before… a boy who had been born while he had been exiled. He was barely a preteen… almost the same age, he suspected, as he had been when Ozai had burned his face.

The boy didn't see the chains and shackles that kept him locked to a nation, to a leader who saw his life as a commodity he could do without whenever he felt like discarding him. He didn't know his apparent freedom was conditioned… thus, not freedom at all. He was innocent, terrified, no matter if he wanted to act strong. In many ways, Zuko felt like he was staring at himself, on the very years before his life took the dark turn it had because of a fateful war meeting…

Today, he repurposed that dark turn. Today, he fought back against the Fire Lord who had attempted to toss him aside and destroy him. Perhaps Tom-Tom's innocence was about to break over a rude awakening, much as Zuko's own had… but the only way to protect the boy who now watched him with sheer terror was by moving forward. Rather than convincing him of standing down, Ukano and his family had only infused him with further determination to see this done.

"It will be over soon," Zuko said, and now Ukano froze as his earlier words to appease his wife were turned against him. "Don't cause more trouble than you're worth, and everything will turn out for the best for all of us. I give you my word."

It was likely that his word barely was worth anything to Ukano, who watched in chagrin as more rebels entered their room, as though to confirm they had been found and kept in check. Yet his heart sank, more than anything, upon spotting a familiar face standing behind Prince Zuko, a sharpened knife held in her trembling hand.

"J-Jiayu…?" he gasped. "Y-you…! D-did you betray us? Jiayu, we…!"

"I am loyal to my nation," Jiayu spoke firmly, and Michi gasped in horror. "And I always have been. Today… today the Earth Kingdom will be reborn."

"And that rebirth will start in Omashu," Zuko said, firmly. "It has already begun."

Ukano whimpered as he watched Zuko with utmost disbelief: he had been a young boy when Ukano had last met him. He was a man now, determined, fierce… as imposing as his father, even. Without drawing either of his blades, without crafting even a small fireball, he had daunted Ukano, Michi and Tom-Tom into utter silence. The earthquake… had he and his people taken advantage of it to strike? How could they have predicted it? How could they be so well-organized, how could they have succeeded at turning their staff against them to easily?

Nothing made sense to Ukano as he dropped on a chair, trying to ignore the sword that Zuko's companion continued to aim at his face. They weren't expecting a surrender… Ukano didn't have enough control over the situation to even attempt to negotiate anything. He was a hostage, plain and simple, by Zuko's designs…

But was Zuko the mastermind behind this unexpected, strategic attack?

Ukano dared venture a glance towards the balcony: where the moose-lions had been everyone's focus not long ago, suddenly he caught sight of what looked like a violent scuffle by the city walls… and an even more violent battle by the Communications' Office.

Zuko wasn't alone in his actions of infiltrating the Governor's Residence, it was clear as day… but was he the leader of this enterprise? Or was he, by any chance, another piece on a board of someone else's design?

---

The earthquake that rattled the buildings nearby didn't scare the group hiding near the Communications' Office, even if some of its members were unsettled by the violent trembling of the ground below their feet. Sokka didn't lose his focus, though, watching as the soldiers working at the delivery system panicked, glancing about themselves anxiously as though expecting to find an explanation for what they would soon chalk down to a natural event… Toph's earthbending talent certainly went far and wide enough to make the tremors perfectly worthy of a regular earthquake.

"Yung, earthbenders…" Sokka called them: the benders stepped forward, slightly nervous but not overly so. "Toss us, now."

"It might be better to wait until the earthquake stops…" Anorak said, but Sokka shook his head.

"They're in disarray right now. They might notice us anyway, but they'll struggle to grapple with the situation…" Sokka said, snarling as another sudden vibration rattled his teeth. "If we go now, their ability to respond to our invasion will be cut down, so let's do it now."

Anorak gritted his teeth but nodded: the eight earthbenders distributed themselves carefully, with enough space between themselves to perform the violent, firm motions that would fling Sokka and Anorak across the space between the alley and the Communications' Office.

"Ready?" Yung asked. Sokka and Anorak nodded, and the other earthbenders did, too. "Then… launch!"

Sokka clenched up as the pillar of earth underneath him shot him violently into the sky: not far from him, Anorak also soared across the air, slightly lower than Sokka himself.

Of course, there was no earthquake up in the air, but a rush of wind buffeted against the two men, threatening to slow down their progress towards the second floor of the Communications' Office. Sokka gritted his teeth: his entry angle might be right, but Anorak's seemed to be too low…

He wasn't sure what drove him to impulsively break his position, reaching out to clasp Anorak's shirt and yanking him upwards. The strength he provided Anorak with sent the waterbender higher… and Sokka, of course, went lower. The wall was near, and Sokka was about to slam right into it…

But Anorak wasn't. Thanks to the impulse Sokka gave him, the waterbender managed to slip into the window and unleash his rapid waterbending moves: he struck down a soldier impulsively before truly reasoning with what was happening within the room.

The messenger hawks were panicking even more than the humans were.

The creatures squawked and screeched, attempting by all means to get away from the shaking building, to the chagrin of their handlers. There had to be about twenty birds, if not more, and none of them appeared to be calm. Not all windows were open, but those that were would have easily allowed the creatures to escape… and they attempted to do as much, only to be stopped by a water whip that caught them and reeled them back into the room, their feathers soaking wet now.

The soldiers, panicking over the earthquake and the birds' reaction to it, barely had any time to notice someone had broken into their building: once they saw the man in question shooting out streams of waterbending to keep the birds inside the Communications' Office, they froze for an instant, wondering whether he was friend or foe. He appeared to juggle the creatures, one after the other, refusing to let them get away through any of the available windows…

"N-not…! Going anywhere…!" Anorak growled, shooting water at the next bird and kicking some as well at one that seemed ready to escape too. "Sokka!"

The Gladiator heard his ally's cry, but he couldn't do enough to respond right away: he was dangling off the ledge of the building by merely the tips of his fingers. He gritted his teeth, stretching out a hand and clasping the windowsill as best he could… and then he sensed the unequivocal heat of fire being cast his way.

"Intruder! Take him down!" a soldier shouted from below, possibly the one who had attacked him.

Sokka snarled as he struggled to push himself up, swinging his body and changing angles however possible to avoid the flames. The temptation to toss his boomerang nearly overcame his common sense… but only briefly: Yung and the rest of their team rushed in with a war cry, tossing earth and rocks violently at the soldier who yelped at the sudden counterattack from an unexpected source.

The rattling and trembling of the building hardly helped, but Sokka did his best to hoist himself up now: halfway up, he gaped at the scene before him in confusion, much as the Fire Nation soldiers appeared utterly perplexed by the wild juggling the waterbender was currently up to. A lot of the birds seemed to want nothing more than to escape the building at once, no matter how wet they were, and Anorak couldn't catch a break, bending continuously to keep them confined to the large room with the large windows the hawks were supposed to reside in.

"Get… the windows!" Anorak shouted. Sokka pushed himself up far more easily now, rolling inside the room before shutting the window, just as Anorak had asked him to.

He rushed through the room in a hurry, closing each wooden window, one by one. One got stuck, and he punched it to knock it loose, fitting it in place awkwardly before moving on to the next one.

The hawks could tell their escape routes were slowly cut off, and to Sokka's chagrin, the same could be said about the soldiers: two of them were no longer watching them with utmost confusion, but with the typical determined fury of men loyal to their country beyond reason.

So Sokka tossed his boomerang at the first one who attempted to attack Anorak, and it struck him painfully in the shoulder, cutting through the skin and making the man cry out. The other soldier meant to jab a spear at Anorak, and Sokka rushed in, crashing into the side of the spear, knocking it off-course before punching the soldier in the face.

"Three windows…!" Anorak told him, still struggling with the birds. Sokka nodded before turning towards a third soldier, one who shot a blast of fire in his direction.

Sokka angled himself out of the way, and the flames singed the feathers of one of the birds: Anorak put the flames out, and the bird tried to escape again anyway. It was up to Anorak to use his bending not only to toss the bird back inside the room, but to take down the window that wasn't closed yet. Only two remained.

Sokka picked up his boomerang, tossing it at the rope that kept one of the windows open. It cut cleanly while he was busy disarming soldiers with Space Sword, slashing across their weapons and then their armor when they persistently attempted to attack him without usable weapons. Another firebender stepped up, and Sokka dodged the attack easily before slicing the man's helmet diagonally. He yelped in fright moments before Sokka punched him square in the face, knocking him out cold.

There was a brief respite from soldiers then, and the Gladiator made his way to the final window. A hawk tried to escape, Anorak flung it back inside, and Sokka shut the window successfully…

Leaving the two Water Tribe men stuck within a small room with a flock of angry, thoroughly soaked hawks, as well as the likely incoming Fire Nation soldiers.

"What do we do now?!" Anorak asked. Sokka gritted his teeth, yanking Anorak by the shoulder. "What are you…?!"

The next foes hadn't reached the doorway yet. Sokka pushed Anorak in that direction, attempting to dodge the hostile birds who seemed ready to retaliate against them over the humiliation they had been subjected to. But the two Water Tribe men managed to dodge them on their way out of the room: Sokka slammed the door violently once the two of them were through. They had to fight a group of Fire Nation soldiers that was now rushing up the stairs, but they could do it far more safely if they could focus on the battle rather than on keeping birds in place.

And so, side by side, Sokka and Anorak attacked: the powerful and efficient waterbending that froze water around each soldier's head soon turned into a different kind of asset when Sokka drew his club, shattering the ice upon its solidification. Within moments, the two warriors fell into a rhythm that saw them climbing down the flights of stairs relatively safely: not even the firebenders that attacked from a distance could be out of Anorak's range fast enough to avoid getting frozen with the water supplies he carried in his waterskins. The spears tossed in their direction were promptly flung off their objective by Sokka's well-timed club strikes or sword slashes: the two Water Tribe men reached the first floor while standing back-to-back to face only a handful of foes by then.

The world was no longer trembling, but the Fire Nation soldiers and their Water Tribe foes seemed not to notice the ripples of the earthquake: a larger man, clad in an armor styled similarly to Zhao's, rushed in to attack with more potent firebending than they had faced so far. Sokka dodged the attack, and Anorak doused it with his water: while he attempted to recover his evaporated water, Sokka rushed in before the firebender could pack a second punch. As dangerous as he might hope to be, the man didn't even hold a torch to Azula's firebending skill. Sokka would be damned if he allowed bending as lacking and devoid of spirit as this one to cut him down today.

His sword sliced across the man's armor and helmet, severing them in uneven parts. The firebender yelped, pulling back before attempting another attack that failed to find its mark: the ruthless black blade cut sharply, as though there were no resistance, in between his middle and ring finger's knuckles, down to half his palm. The man shrieked in anguish and pain when Sokka pulled back his sword, and Anorak froze the shout with his typical technique. Sokka, without waiting for another moment, slammed the man's frozen head with the blunt club, and the commanding officer fell on the ground, unconscious and still bleeding through his damaged hand.

Anorak blinked blankly at the sight of the gory mess they had left in their wake… though he forced himself to snap out of his daze and focus anew, for Sokka was rushing to check every room in the lower floor. It was odd to see the Gladiator had such a merciful streak to him, that he would be so keen on not killing unless it was necessary… but the violent defeat of that leader of the Fire Nation soldiers spoke clearly about how easy it could be for Sokka to slice limbs, to cut off heads, one after the other, with no regard as to whom he was hurting. Instead, the Gladiator made conscious efforts to hold back, refraining from settling every bout with carnage…

And even then, he was successful.

Without needing to resort to outright murder, he had taken down what appeared to be every occupant of the Communications Office so far. Anorak helped him by checking several rooms as well, but it became clear that either the soldiers within the building had escaped through windows or they had already attempted to attack them moments ago… and going by the noise outside, perhaps they had joined the rest of their allies against the earthbenders that had arrived with Sokka and Anorak.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" Sokka shouted at Anorak, making for the building's front door. Anorak followed without thinking twice of it.

The battle outside was fierce, and at least two rebels were injured while five soldiers on the Fire Nation's side had been defeated. Sokka only had a moment to analyze as much before joining the fray directly: he tossed his boomerang powerfully and struck a firebender across the arm just as he attempted to deflect a rock with a blast of fire.

As a result, the rock slammed violently into the man as the boomerang returned to Sokka's hand: his arrival had startled other soldiers, distracting them effectively so Yung and his people could press on further, invigorated by confirming that Sokka and Anorak remained unharmed.

"Take them down! Now!" Yung shouted, hoisting chunks of earth in front of him and launching them at another decorated officer standing near the platforms where the delivery system's chutes and sleds converged.

This was a better firebender than the one in the building, Sokka noticed it right away: he even resorted to condensed fire when the attacks by the non-benders and earthbenders were too powerful. Behind him, though, stood other earthbenders… terrified ones.

"Attack these vermin, curse you! Fight alongside me and defend your city!" the officer shouted, and the nervous earthbenders, clad in no manner of protective garb, did as they were told.

Sokka's eyes narrowed: the earthbenders, with their ankles shackled, were clearly slaves. Most of them appeared to be young, and they displayed no genuine, internal conviction to do as they were told… so Sokka dashed forth, cutting the distance between himself and the delivery system – dodging a few blows and attacks at range, and knocking out one non-bending soldier with a powerful slam of Space Sword's hilt right into his face.

"What in the…?!" gasped the firebender, once his eyes focused on the dark shape of the Water Tribe warrior: recognition crossed his features, as did utter confusion. Sokka ignored both things as he made his way towards the platform. "A-attack the Blue Wolf! Attack, now!"

The earthbenders obeyed, and Sokka pirouetted out of the trajectory of the rocks that were flung at him. Even if all the earthbenders attacked at once, he managed to slip through every opening, to slam his club into the largest projectiles, to slice through the least dangerous ones. His heart seemed to pound harder than before as memories of what felt like another lifetime came back into focus: his training against Haru, his fights against earthbenders in the Arena… all of it would have served to prepare him for battles as fateful and chaotic as this one.

With his weapons in tow, Sokka daunted the earthbenders into stopping their assault, even if the firebender didn't relent: he stepped back to gather impulse, and Sokka recognized the kata right away: a spinning kick of fire was coming his way.

He feinted a dash to the side, only to twirl and move in another direction: the attacker fell for the feint, and he had scarcely regained his footing when Sokka finally reached him, slamming the club into the man's stomach with enough strength to fling him off his feet, tossing the breathless firebender right into one of the delivery carts.

Sokka breathed deeply as he glared at the man, but where the earthbenders expected him to strike down their handler, Sokka reeled back and glanced at them, next. None of them could have been Sokka's age… one was surely around fourteen. His fists clenched around his weapons.

"I have no quarrel with slaves," he said. The earthbenders flinched. "Or with people who have been forced to obey the Fire Nation army against their will. But their control over you ends today. Whether you join us or not… the city will belong to the Earth Kingdom people before the day is out."

"W-what…?" a female teenager asked, gazing at Sokka in disbelief. "W-who… who are you?"

"I'm the Blue Wolf," Sokka said, suspecting once more that his gladiatorial title wouldn't be known in this particular crowd. He breathed deeply, raising his sword threateningly at the firebender anew, for the man was pushing himself up slowly. "And I'm here to liberate Omashu from the Fire Nation, for good."

"N-no, you won't… y-you insolent…!" gasped the breathless firebender, raising a hand only for a pitiful spark to burst from his fingertips. He winced, lowering his hand again: Sokka's sword remained steady where it was.

"You're allowed to surrender," he said, casually: the words seemed to set off a wrathful fury in the injured man. "Stop fighting. You can tell it won't end well for you, can't you?"

"My loyalty to the Fire Nation is…!" the man managed to gasp. Sokka scoffed.

"It's overridden your survival instincts, yes, I'm aware of that," he said. "The Fire Nation will outlive you, no matter what you choose to do today. I'm not on a quest of revenge, but on a quest of justice, of restoring what was lost… and the less people I kill, the better. But if you keep trying to fight, even if you're in no condition to do so… I won't hesitate to cut you down."

The Fire Nation man roared as best he could, raising his hands again. His chest still heaved, and Sokka rushed in, slamming his club hard against the man's chin. The helmet flew off with the blow, revealing the middle-aged man's face, and the rather painful, jaw-shattering attack Sokka had dealt him. His disoriented body flopped over the edge of the cart and off the sled's chutes, toppling down to the distant ground level of the city, at least ten meters below them.

Sokka breathed out, scanning the uneasy earthbenders anew. The rest of the Fire Nation soldiers had been defeated by now, leaving only the nervous, young earthbenders to gape at them in uncertainty.

"The building… it's secure now?" asked Yung. Sokka and Anorak nodded.

"Though I think it's a good idea for some of our forces to remain here, to keep watch in case anyone else picks up on what's going on and they bring troops in to storm this place," Sokka said. "With any luck, we'll recruit a few more people to our cause on our way to the next destination we have to hit."

"And what's that destination?" Yung asked. Sokka breathed deeply.

"The Enforcers are my next goal. We'll go to the slave market, first. It'll probably be the best place to gauge whether the Enforcers will join us or not, if we seek the ones there," he said. Yung blinked blankly, staring at Sokka with utmost perplexity. The Gladiator cleared his throat. "The Enforcers… it's a newer branch of the Fire Nation military. Azula, the Princess, she founded it… she oversaw a lot of its progress until Ozai, well, ruined everything. It's mostly comprised by Earth Kingdom-born female warriors and earthbenders, so I'm hoping they'll be willing to join us if we ask."

"And what about these earthbenders?" another rebel asked, stepping forward to stare at the liberated group by the carts.

Sokka turned towards them, raising an eyebrow. They kept shrinking in place, uneasy and nervous, uncertain about trusting the new arrivals.

"You don't have to join us," Sokka told them, surprising his allies. "I have no idea if you have conflicted feelings about fighting against the Fire Nation, for whatever reason. If you're not sure where your loyalties lie… I'd rather you sit this out and wait for the outcome. But if you'd rather join us… feel free to do it. We'll do our best to ensure your safety as well as the eventual, full liberation of this city."

"W-we… we can't join you," said the teenager who had spoken earlier, lowering her gaze before she raised her left foot, awkwardly: the chains that bound her shackled ankles spoke for themselves.

Sokka eyed her compassionately before drawing his sword again. The girl flinched away, but Sokka raised a hand, showing her his palm to soothe her. The anxious, fearful girl watched in uncertainty, terrified of what he'd do, much as the rest of the earthbenders, chained to their stations, were…

Then, her anxiety diminished once the black blade's sharp edge sliced across the first shackle carefully, without hurting her skin. Sokka cut both shackles as carefully as possible, and he tossed the shattered restraints aside as the young woman stumbled awkwardly away from her station, nearly crashing against members of the group that had liberated her.

Sokka stepped slowly towards the next one, making more soothing motions so the young man wouldn't be anxious… though this one appeared to be eager, instead. He trembled, gazing at Sokka and his blade with desperation.

"P-please, please cut me loose, set me free, please…"

"It's okay, I will. Stay calm, don't tremble that much…" Sokka said, kneeling again to repeat the previous process.

To his relief, each earthbender set free from the restraints at the delivery system would rush towards the rest of the rebels rather than running away. One even seemed to recognize a man in their group as a neighbor from many years ago, and as much as they had never been close, they reunited as old friends might. By the time the final earthbender was free, Sokka smiled upon the six new allies they seemed to have acquired… though he breathed deeply before speaking again.

"You've been through a lot of hardships. All of you have," he said. "I intend to make sure everyone's safe, and I'd prefer it if no more Earth Kingdom blood were spilled today… but I can't predict what the rest of this battle will turn out to be like. Chaos awaits, I have no doubts of that… but we'll all have better odds at success if we join forces. As I said earlier, I understand if you choose not to fight, but if you want to, if you feel ready to…"

"I… I want to help," said the eager young man. The first girl Sokka had freed nodded, too. Little by little, each earthbender agreed to join them, and Sokka smiled warmly.

"Then… thank you for that. Now, though…"

"Now we head to the slave market?" Anorak asked, eyes narrow and cold. "We ought to prepare, then. Will we get there using this delivery system?"

"I'd think so, it should be the fastest way," Sokka said. Yung frowned.

"I don't know where that market is. Or the headquarters of this Enforcers' group," he said. Sokka nodded.

"Right. Well, we do have maps, so…"

"I do know where it is," the young woman spoke up, surprising Sokka. "W-well, I guess all of us would know, right?"

The rest of the new earthbenders nodded positively as well. Sokka raised his eyebrows appreciatively as the young woman stood firmly, as stalwart as the element she wielded.

"We'll take you there, and wherever you need to…"

Sokka frowned and raised a hand to stop the girl from talking when a strange, foreign noise reached his ears. His eyes narrowed as he glanced over his shoulder, towards the area of the city that was on the level of the Communications' Office building. The very area where he and his group had been hiding, too…

An area that was now flooded by an onslaught of Fire Nation soldiers. One or two brigades of them, if not more than that.

Fear floored the rebels right away, both the veterans and the young. They raised their weapons and their fists, nervous about the upcoming assault… until their attention was claimed by Sokka, who stepped forward without fear, wielding his sword and boomerang.

"Follow my lead, and stand strong!" he shouted, raising his weapons menacingly, protectively, over the rest of their group.

His steady voice seemed to soothe the troubled, fearful hearts of many of his allies: they struck their stances as well as Sokka stood before them, assessing the battlefield quickly: the soldiers pouring in didn't appear to be in as much disarray as the previous ones they'd fought, those they'd taken by surprise. Even then, they were running towards them, crossing through the very alleys in which he and his allies had been hiding before attacking when the earthquake began. And so… twin pillars of rock in a rather odd formation stood right there, blocking the path for several soldiers rushing towards them.

The possibilities were as good as unlimited for Sokka now that he had a larger team to his command than before. The Gladiator breathed deeply and, instead of charging blindly into the incoming danger, he focused his eyes on the enemy… and he sought the path to lead his allies to victory.

"Yung! Shatter the pillars with your earthbenders, spray them with debris!" Sokka shouted. Yung was surprised by the command, but he nodded as his group did as they were told: pellets of all sizes and shapes flew at variable speeds at the Fire Nation soldiers, pelting them painfully, knocking some off course, down to even colliding with each other while they ran. "Anorak! Freeze the ground!"

Anorak blinked blankly for a moment before doing as he was told: how hadn't it occurred to him to do something like that after spending so much of his life clumsily slipping on the most polished ice in the Northern Water Tribe?

The effect was immediate: the water from Anorak's pouches flowed into a perfectly spread mantle, frozen into a smooth and thin layer of ice that caused the many Fire Nation soldiers, furnished with boots of metal soles, to slip and fall among themselves, tripping up and colliding with each other. By then, only a handful remained on their feet.

"Earthbenders! Focus your damage, attack the ones by the edge of their cluster!" Sokka shouted. "Don't let them flank us!"

About five soldiers who had retained their footing slowed down, right before attempting to do exactly what Sokka had anticipated they would. The hesitation of a few of them was enough for the earthbenders to take advantage of the opening they presented: some shook the ground, others liquefied it, capturing soldiers in quicksand traps while others launched potent rocks at their foes, flinging them back to where the ones to trip and fall were starting to come back to their feet.

Those by the center were quicker to fall than the others when a rushing boomerang struck them, one after the other, as Sokka caught the weapon and tossed it repeatedly. Foes were starting to rise to their feet, some jumping out of the trap Anorak had set for them, namely those closest to the edge of the ice…

"Keep going! Take the flanks! Non-benders, we'll go for the center!" Sokka shouted.

The non-benders in the group joined him at spearheading a charge into the disorderly, chaotic group that staggered their way to their feet: they were faced by an insurmountable wall when Sokka and his fellow non-benders attacked powerfully, weapons in tow, ready to defeat every foe who managed to overcome Anorak's slippery trap.

With broken formations, men clumsily on the ground, as a result of the organized bending displays, the faction of Fire Nation soldiers that had attempted to stop them crumbled in no time. Space Sword slashed across limbs and armor as though there were no resistance at all, just as Sokka's club slammed into legs and ribcages. The other non-benders with him struggled more than he did – whenever Sokka had the chance to aid them, his weapons would find purchase in their enemies' bodies, throwing them off and providing his allies with further opportunities to triumph.

Anorak withdrew some of his ice anew when a handful of soldiers attempted to escape: as he couldn't take all the ice yet, for some still served its purpose as a trap, he resorted to creating more such traps for those who tried to move away. Little by little, their ranks were thinned out until every soldier was defeated, whether through highly damaging injuries or outright death in some cases.

Sokka's chest heaved, but he glanced about himself warily: holding the Communications' Office wouldn't be easy, going by this first attempt by the Fire Nation's forces to reclaim it. They needed to press on, to find more allies, to claim more victories…

He didn't have the chance begin to discuss the idea of splitting up, so that some of his allies would remain in the office while he sought to gather more forces: another of the younger earthbenders gasped, pointing at the delivery system.

Sokka turned quickly: three carts were speeding their way towards the Communications' Office from higher levels of the city's pyramid… and there were three or four soldiers on each, one of whom bore the unmistakably ornate armor that signaled a high rank in the armed forces. Whether earthbenders were aiding them in their descent, or they were merely taking advantage of gravity, Sokka couldn't quite tell yet, but he stepped forward and glared down the incoming threats once more…

"Yung!" he called. The rebel stepped forward immediately, eyeing Sokka with anticipation. "Stand ready."

"What do you need? What should I do?" Yung asked. Sokka breathed deeply… and he conveyed his order.

The carts sped faster towards them, so close to each other it seemed as though they were linked together. The soldiers seemed courageous at first… not so much upon glimpsing their comrades all across the area, unconscious or dead, while it seemed that the majority of the invaders still stood strong and firm before the Communications Office…

"Be ready! Attack at will when I order you to!" the officer shouted, raising his hand as a signal. Sokka, at a distance, still heard some of the man's words.

"Right before he gives the command. Hold off exactly until then," Sokka said: Yung breathed deeply and nodded, arms raised in preparation…

The officer was only starting to lower his hand, his voice ready to shout the command that would see his underlings torching their foes…

"Now!" Sokka shouted: Yung raised his fists.

A sudden, strong, large rock protruded out of the chute, right into the first cart's trajectory.

The man's order went lost when the cart collided violently with the rock, and all the other sleds followed: the Fire Nation soldiers flew across the air… toppling past the sled's tracks and into the large drop, the same one where the other commanding officer had fallen painfully not long ago.

One by one, the soldiers flew down in an arch, starting with their leader. The ones who managed not to fall down the long cliff-like area dropped heavily on the delivery system's surface, some slamming right into the solid, unmoving carts, others simply falling on the ground. But out of around twelve soldiers rushing towards them, only three landed in their destination… the others plummeted down to nothingness.

Yung breathed heavily, heart racing after taking out so many foes with a single move. His eyes shifted towards Sokka, who stood stalwart and cold-blooded, eyeing the three soldiers who had managed to survive the fall. To no one's surprise, when the ones in better shape tried to sit up, they raised their hands in trembling, inevitable surrender.

"Earthbenders… do what we did in the tunnels, with the survivors from prison," Sokka said. The new members of their group had no idea what those words meant, though Yung and his benders stepped forward to do as they were told. "We won't risk them, or anyone else, turning against us. Non-benders, Anorak, help me drag out every Fire Nation soldier in the building. They'll be buried to their necks too."

The new earthbenders watched in astonishment as Yung pushed one of the recently surrendered Fire Nation soldiers forward with his bending, creating a large hole underneath the man's body afterwards. The hole indeed sealed around his neck, not tightly enough to choke him, but with enough firmness to ensure he wouldn't be able to move. The other earthbenders proceeded to do the same with the other two survivors, and with the other soldiers who hadn't been slain in battle so far. Nervous and uncertain as they might be, the newer additions to the group proceeded to help, just as Sokka and his non-bending squad dragged out the first unconscious men from the building. Some would wake and attempt to fight back briefly… but knocking them out again was easy enough, and sometimes it was entirely unnecessary, as the earthbenders would simply bury the struggling soldiers without further ado.

Thus, the front of the Communications Office became an impromptu prison of sorts, much as the sewers had been one for all the unconscious soldiers in the actual prison of Omashu. The corpses of the dead were piled by the office: there were less dead than captured, a slight relief for Sokka.

"L-let us out! What do you think you're…?!" one soldier tried to shout, but Sokka's icy glare silenced him immediately.

"You're in no position to make demands or requests. Like it or not… you're all hostages now," he said, coldly, stepping towards the rest of his current team.

The earthbenders didn't appear to be too tired, though a few were sweating after the efforts of the past half hour. That they hadn't been attacked since had to be a good sign… but Sokka couldn't be sure that it wouldn't happen again, let alone could he be sure that all new attackers would stop on their tracks upon glimpsing the state their fellow soldiers were in.

"We're splitting up again," he announced, startling the group. "I'll be taking two carts, and at least two earthbenders should help us direct them to the slave market. If you guys think we'll need more than that…"

"As it is, you alone are terrifying enough that you probably don't need backup," said Yung, with a weak smile. "I can stay here and watch over this area. We'll hold this position for sure, Gladiator."

"Good. Anorak?" Sokka called, surprising the waterbender. "Want to join me or would you rather stay here?"

"I think our joint work earlier went surprisingly well," Anorak said, smiling a little at Sokka. "You're giving an extra layer of damage to my attacks by slamming that club of yours into the ice…"

"Shattering Brain Freeze…" Sokka said, casually. Anorak raised an eyebrow and Sokka sighed, smiling a little. "Nothing. Just… figuring out a name for that technique. Someone I know is bound to find it really stupid when I tell her what I've called it, is all… anyway, let's get going. Slaves probably won't be too helpful in battle, but if we can sway the Enforcers…"

"Let's be ready for combat anyway, in case it's necessary," Anorak said: he had already refilled his waterskins with the now filthy water he had used to freeze over the floor underneath the Fire Nation soldiers' feet, and he approached the carts Sokka meant for them to use.

"So… any takers?" he said, glancing at the earthbenders. "We'll need at least two of you who know the delivery system, then maybe two more for backup…"

"I'll go," said the young female earthbender Sokka had freed first. Another one, a man in his mid-twenties, stepped forward as well. Two of the rebel earthbenders freed from the prison were ready to join them too.

"Alright then. We're set," Sokka said, nodding before turning to Yung. "Try to hold this position as best you can. Maybe build a wall around the Office once we're gone, and try to do surveillance from the top of the building to keep watch, in case any other threats approach? As it is, a sudden wall won't be more alarming than everything else we've had to do to hold this place, anyone with a vantage point up over the pyramid will have seen us…"

"It'll help to have barriers to obstruct their paths, for sure" Yung said, nodding.

"Check if there's food inside the office, too," Sokka suggested. "Replenish your strength if you can. I don't know if we'll come back here after recruiting the Enforcers, if we even succeed at it… there are a lot of other crucial points we need to hold in the city to truly reconquer it. I'll be back if I notice trouble around here, but if possible…"

"If possible, we'll sort it out ourselves," Yung nodded. "Even if you can't return for whatever reason, for better or for worse… thank you. And good luck."

"You as well," Sokka said, stretching out a hand to clasp Yung's forearm firmly. "Omashu will be free."

"For once, I truly can believe it will be so, after seeing you in action," Yung smiled. "Go, then. There's no time to waste."

Sokka nodded, marching towards the carts: the two younger earthbenders had already climbed aboard, and Sokka and Anorak stepped on next. The final two earthbenders took their positions last, sitting on the back of the carts, prepared to boost the vehicles with further speed once the young ones began to bend their way through the delivery system.

Together, the earthbenders saw to it that the two carts would rush up through the delivery system, taking paths selectively in order to rush towards Sokka's next destination: his heart pounded fast and hard in his chest as he scanned the city quickly from this new vantage point. The conflict by the walls appeared to still be going strong, but the sparks of firebending hardly seemed to have any effect on large rocks… or on what looked like water, though its color made him grimace guiltily. It seemed Katara had taken him up on his suggestion to make the most of the sewage, after all…

Up across the pyramid stood Ukano's residence, and Sokka glanced at it with a stern frown: no smoke, no fire… with any luck, the man had surrendered quickly. Ozai's statue, lording over the whole city, remained set in place… so Toph's final mission wasn't done yet. He breathed deeply, hoping that all his friends had succeeded at their respective tasks with the least risk possible… but, for now, he charged at full speed towards the slave market of Omashu, his heart set on destroying the foul practice in this city for once and for all.

---

Omashu was in disarray. Most of the population couldn't seem to understand why or how, but something truly terrible was happening, and right after an earthquake, too. Yet if anyone glanced at the Governor's Residence, they might be fooled into thinking nothing considerable had changed, or that the Fire Nation remained in power now…

Where the truth was that the guards tasked with the protection of Ukano and his family were either restrained, injured or dead.

The Governor remained in the balcony where Zuko had found him. Michi hugged Tom-Tom to her chest in a corner, trembling violently while the boy grimaced, no doubt wanting to get out of her arms. Zuko had taken his seat by the table, and he watched the chaotic battles below with a stern frown. Ukano sat at a certain distance from him, eyeing the fallen Prince with unabashed anxiety – some blood vessels in his eyes had popped over the stress in this dangerous situation.

"I… I always told Mai to wait for you," he blurted out suddenly, and Zuko's scowl grew more prominent for it. "I'm… I'm only saying, I had thought… I had thought perhaps you would wed eventually. It would have made us very happy if you had. I thought…"

"The last I saw of her, Mai was happy. Happier than I think she would have been if she'd waited for me," Zuko stated, bluntly: Ukano winced, and Zuko wistfully wondered if the man was more emotionally affected over the downfall of his long-done romance with Mai than either Zuko or Mai herself were, by this point in time. "And I'm happier with Suki than I have been in my entire life, so… clearly, she made the right choice by not waiting for me. Your point?"

"I-I'm only saying…!"

"You want to convince me that you're on my side and that you never harbored any ill-will towards me, no matter if my father thought me a failure and a shame to my family?" Zuko asked, eyeing Ukano skeptically. "Good, then. That means you should be more compliant today, because you value me and you realize that I wouldn't be doing this if I had another choice."

"But… Prince Zuko…!"

"You don't need to call me that. It might help you accept your situation if you stop doing it," Zuko suggested, focusing on the battles ahead once more. "I have no idea who will be Fire Lord when all is said and done, but it might not be me. I might never reclaim my royal titles, for all I know. And while that bothered me once, I've definitely made my peace with it by now. Am I worthless to you if I'm not a prince?"

"I-I didn't say that! Of course not, Prince Zuko, I didn't mean…!"

"Then stop trying to butter me up, if that's what you're doing. Though… if you simply are more comfortable this way, feel free to do whatever you want," Zuko said, with a shrug. "But in the end… I'm here to ensure your safety, and that of your family, for Mai's sake most of all. She would be very cross if I let anything bad happen to any of you… well, if any of us allowed it, I guess. But I'm the one who was sent here because Sokka hoped you would be less troublesome if you saw a familiar face, no matter if nowadays we're as good as strangers…"

"Sokka…?" Ukano repeated, frowning. Zuko shot him a fierce glare. "W-who…?"

"Guess you'd know him as the Blue Wolf, instead?" Zuko said, coldly.

At once, Ukano and Michi gasped, staring at Zuko in sheer shock. The firebender frowned heavily, distracted from his overseeing the battles upon registering their reactions. He certainly hoped this wasn't a bad omen, somehow…

"Y-you're not saying…" Ukano gasped, inching back on the chair he'd taken, his face paling. "No, no, no… no, this isn't… you're not seriously in league with… w-with…!"

"With my sister's Gladiator?" Zuko asked. Again, Ukano and Michi gasped, and this time even Tom-Tom reacted by perking up.

"The Blue Wolf is here…?" he asked. Zuko shot him a glance too. "I know him!"

"Guess you do," he said, simply. "He thought I'd be the best possible handler for you three, due to my history with your family. He knew you too, of course, but…"

"But he knew he'd be in trouble if we caught him?" Ukano asked. "Prince Zuko, Zuko, he is…! I… I don't even know what he is, exactly. The Fire Lord has turned reclusive after closing down the Gladiator League, we've received so very little information about what's happening in the Capital…!"

"So I've been told," Zuko frowned. "Did you hear of… my sister's nuptials, by any chance?"

"To Admiral Zhao?" Ukano asked, before nodding. Zuko snarled. "W-we didn't receive invitations, though I heard Ba Sing Se's Governor Tiang did attend the ceremony. I… I don't know why we were left out. Though I have received no word of… of losing my job here as Governor? So, I mustn't have angered the Fire Lord too much, but…"

"Mai," Zuko said, simply. Ukano's eyes widened.

"W-what…? What about Mai? What does she have to do with…?" Ukano asked. Zuko raised a hand to soothe him.

"Mai has been one of my sister's closest friends for ages," Zuko said, rubbing his brow with his fingertips. "Has she contacted you at all lately?"

"Not once," Ukano said. "T-though… we thought it normal? She seldom sends word, so…"

"That's too bad," Zuko said, breathing deeply. "If only you'd spoken to her at all, maybe we'd have a better understanding of what's going on in the Capital…"

"But then you knew of…?" Ukano said, wincing. "Prince Zuko… this is absurd, I suppose, but if that man is with you then… i-it means you might understand what's happening in the Fire Nation mainland far better than any of us. Please…"

"You want me to tell you what my father has been up to, and how it connects to why I'm here?" Zuko asked. Ukano swallowed hard and nodded. Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Order your troops to stand down and surrender the city quietly and peacefully. After the conflict is over, I'll explain anything you need to know."

"B-but…!" Ukano gasped. "Prince Zuko…! I could be persecuted for this, Mai could be endangered…!"

"Mai won't be endangered. Nobody will know you've turned over the city into our control until we decide the information is fit to be released to the Fire Lord… and by that time, with any luck, we'll have made enough progress that my father won't focus on you or your failings over those of countless other people, instead," Zuko said, simply. "All methods through which the Fire Lord could have gained awareness of what's happening in this city have been disabled purposefully to ensure that he won't learn of our retaking the city until it's most convenient for us."

"T-that's…" Ukano gasped, blinking blankly as he glanced at Michi in confusion. "T-then… the Fire Lord won't think I've betrayed him?"

"No, he won't," Zuko said. "We can even exaggerate matters once he learns the truth, if that would make you happy, and feign your death so that he'll think you sacrificed yourself for his wretched cause…"

"N-no, no, no. If Mai learns of it, it will anguish her… I'd rather not," Ukano shook his head. Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"But you're fine with helping us by defusing matters and surrendering?" he asked. Ukano, to no surprise, frowned.

"I… I can't say for sure," Ukano said. "You have taken me hostage, but… if your allies fail at whatever they're doing in the other fronts where this battle is being waged, you'll hold me as hostage until they surrender?"

"I mean… I guess I would," Zuko shrugged. "But they won't fail."

"How are you so certain?" Ukano asked. Zuko, to the man's surprise, smiled.

"Because that guy is the most stubborn, bullheaded idiot I've ever known. And the smartest, sharpest leader I've met, too," he said. "He's capable of things nobody imagined possible… and with every new crazy path he takes us on, he proves to be everything my father despises, everything he wanted to destroy in this world… his greatest strength is in being all those things. In being something Fire Lord Ozai will never be able to overcome, no matter how many times he tries to kill him. He stands among people who everyone would wrongfully assume are stronger than him, people who wind up looking to him for guidance. At every corner, no matter what kind of dark outcome awaits, he comes up with solutions and leads us out of every hurdle. An army like yours, caught unawares, disorganized after not expecting what we've done, can't hope to stand against him. Moreover… the Earth Kingdom people who always resented your rule are sure to join him. Such as…"

He glanced back at the woman standing by the door: Jiayu seemed anxious, but the blades of the knives she held continued to glisten as she watched and listened to every conversation intently.

"So… the odds that the Fire Nation's control over Omashu will survive this battle are not very good," Zuko concluded. "The most painless path for you would be to surrender. It will save the lives of your men, just as it will protect the members of your family. Do that… and I'll gladly explain everything."

"I… I can't send word to the rest of the forces as I am, though, can I?" Ukano asked, grimacing. "Or… would you let me send a bird?"

"Uh… no, I wouldn't," Zuko said, running a hand through his hair. "I don't trust you enough to think you won't attempt to write some weird codes into a message to try and reach out to the Fire Nation, so, short of parading you in front of your forces while you tell them you've surrendered…"

"T-that's humiliating. Please…"

"Eh… I guess it would be. Fine, I won't do it yet," Zuko said, glancing at him. "I can't even pretend to be sure that this is the best course of action for us all, but I implore you... see reason and minimize the damage. We don't want to kill your forces. We don't want to kill innocent people. We want this city to be returned to the Earth Kingdom, and we want to break my father's control over the so-called Colonies. If you're concerned over the lives that might be lost, please think on the smartest course of action. We cannot be stopped. We won't be stopped, much as no one could stop my father when he took this city, or when he took Ba Sing Se: the only way to minimize the casualties is if you make your people stand down. I'm not trying to threaten you… I'm trying to plead with you, if anything. Don't make this worse than it has to be."

Ukano grimaced, lowering his gaze. It seemed as though he were about to say something that he was struggling to compose…

"I-if you can be sure that… t-that Fire Lord Ozai won't learn of what's happened here, then…" Ukano started: Zuko heard Michi gasping in the corner, but he focused on Ukano alone. "If you can guarantee that my family won't be harmed, too…"

"I can and I will," Zuko said, firmly. Ukano swallowed hard and nodded. "You're an important figure, politically speaking. There's value in keeping you safe and sound, even those who hate everything about the Fire Nation would have to agree with that. Whatever judgment you'll have to face, it will be dealt to you once the war ends."

"The… the war," Ukano repeated, raising his gaze at Zuko. "You intend to…?"

"To end it, yes. For good," Zuko said, glancing at Ukano. "So… ponder whatever role you hope to play in a world without war. As long as you make the right choices for your family and your people, that role might not be beyond your reach."

Ukano gritted his teeth and nodded. His hands trembled as he kept his head low… as he performed a reverence, even if still sitting down, towards Zuko. The exiled Prince's eyes narrowed at the sight: when had he last received an acknowledgement of this nature? Surely back when he had been in the Fire Nation, but he couldn't quite remember if it had happened at all when he had briefly returned after his banishment…

And this time it wasn't a reverence granted over Zuko's status as a royal. It wasn't over anything outside his control, anything as shallow as that… no, it was not only Ukano's surrender, but his acknowledgement of Zuko as a man in his own right, one worth capitulating to. It was also an acknowledgement of Zuko's honor, acceptance of his strength, and trust in his word and promises… all of which he had earned for himself through his actions that day, and through all the actions that had led him here.

A thrill of childish glee almost reared its head within Zuko's soul… but he quelled it quickly. This wasn't the time to bask in his personal triumphs, not when a fierce battle waged outside the building's walls, not when a war still had to be resolved for the better…

"I… I surrender, Prince Zuko," said Ukano, voice trembling. "And may… m-may you be a more merciful man in your moments of triumph than… t-than your forefathers have been in their own."

"I intend to be," Zuko said, nodding in acknowledgement. "Thank you."

Perhaps Ukano would have said something more after that exchange, perhaps he would have pleaded with Zuko, begged him to let him reach out to his forces to make them stand down… but the conversation was interrupted by the sudden, violent opening of the door.

"Finally! We done here, then?" Toph's voice drifted into the room, and Zuko grimaced before glancing at her over his shoulder. "I'm bored already. I only had to beat up a couple of morons and the other ones gave up the minute they knew we had the Governor, so…"

"W-wait… what do you intend to do?" Ukano gasped, glancing between Toph and Zuko. "You said that, if I surrendered…!"

"Nothing that I promised to you upon that surrender will go unfulfilled" Zuko said, reassuringly, before rising to his feet to face the nonchalant Toph. "Look… I know what Sokka told you to do, and I don't disagree that it needs to be done, but with the Governor's compliance…"

"You don't really think that all the soldiers are just going to drop all weapons and surrender too just because he did, are you?" she asked, skeptical.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't, but we should give them the chance to back down, at the very least," Zuko said. "I have no idea how many people there may be up there…"

"There might be none," Jet pointed out, surprising both Zuko and Toph. "The chaos in the rest of the city seems to be on the rise. Might be they've sent whoever was stationed up there to offer aid in areas of conflict."

"And what better way to make them understand this city is ours, and that they're better off not fighting back, than by doing what I'm supposed to be doing?" Toph asked, raising her eyebrows. Zuko swallowed hard. "Besides, how are we going to convince anyone that he surrendered to begin with? With a written surrender or something like that? I get what you're going for, Zuko, but I don't see the point."

"The point is to avoid killing more people than necessary," Zuko said. "The Fire Nation has spilled enough blood in this city so far, hasn't it?"

"Not as much as you might think," Jiayu intervened, surprising the others. "The… the King chose not to fight to ensure it wouldn't be a bloodbath, you see. He told everyone to back down because of that, or so I believe. The resistance attempted to fight back anyway… but we're probably the city that was taken with the least violence because of King Bumi's choice to surrender early on."

"And we should put a stop to the violence now that Governor Ukano has surrendered, too." Zuko said. Toph snorted.

"Sounds very wishful of you to me," she said. "Look, if Jet's right, what I'll do will send the message necessary for everyone else to understand we're not playing around. That the city is no longer in their control. If he's wrong, we'll tell the soldiers their governor surrendered. And if they don't want to listen to us, we'll fight anyway. I'm hardly a nationalist, everyone knows that… but Earth Kingdom people have put up with being treated like trash in cities and villages everywhere by the Fire Nation. Giving them a chance to surrender is already more than they gave a lot of people elsewhere, even if not here. You want me to feel bad for Fire Nation soldiers who, under the guise of following orders, have done far worse than I will to Earth Kingdom people with no remorse?"

Zuko gritted his teeth, lowering his gaze. Toph waited for him to respond, but he seemed to be at a loss for words, even if still strongly disagreeing with her… so she sighed and shrugged.

"Look, I'll give them the chance to surrender, but that's as far as I go. If they won't take it the first time, I will fulfill my mission no matter the cost. I'll do it alone if you'd rather keep everyone we've recruited here to ensure the Governor and his people are under control and properly watched…"

"You shouldn't do it alone," Zuko said, frowning. Toph smirked.

"Don't be stupid now. I quaked the whole city not that long ago and I've been resting for well over an hour since then," she said. "I can handle whatever they throw at me."

"You won't go alone anyway. Because I'm going with you," Jet said, smirking too as he stepped towards her. He cast a quick glance at Zuko. "Is that alright by you?"

"Well… it will do," Zuko said, breathing out slowly. "I know you two are far from the more restrained members in our group, but…"

"Yeah, yeah, no unnecessary violence, you said it already," Toph rolled her eyes. "If they try to kill me, though? I'm getting them first. That's that."

"Not if I get them first for trying to hurt you…" Jet said, with a charming smile. Toph snorted.

"You really think you could be faster than me? You've got to be shitting me, Treehouse Boy. You're never going to outrun me," she said, tossing a fist he received gladly with his chest.

"Now I'm not sure whether we're going to compete with each other or if we're going on a date. Guess maybe it's both," Jet smirked, winking even if he knew Toph wouldn't notice it. She snorted.

"A what, now? A date? Stop talking bullshit, this is a mission and, at best, a way for me to shut down your delusions, nothing else…"

"A mission can be a date…" Jet chuckled until he heard Zuko groaning behind them.

"Now you've convinced me to send you off: get out already if you're going to flirt so weirdly the whole time," he said. Jet laughed and Toph scoffed.

"Jealous much? You always knew you weren't my favorite, Zuko, why would you be jealous now?" she asked. "I mean, Jet's not my favorite either, so for that matter…"

"Oh, now that's harsh…!" Jet gasped, clutching his heart as Toph let out a cackle of devious laughter while marching out of the room.

Zuko sighed, watching them go before glancing at Ukano remorsefully. The man gritted his teeth, lowering his gaze.

"What do we have to do to make the fighting stop?" the fallen Governor asked. "What… what could be needed? I know you don't trust me enough to let me speak to the Fire Nation forces, but if my people are being slaughtered in the streets… your people as well, Prince Zuko, whether you're exiled or not. I…"

"I don't know if they're being slaughtered. Some might have been killed, but… Sokka doesn't want unnecessary violence either," Zuko said, breathing out slowly. "But for now… even if she's as aggressive as she is, Toph might be right. Setting the King free will be a…"

"What? You mean, King Bumi?!" Ukano gasped, eyes wide with panic. Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. He's still there, isn't he?" he asked. Ukano shivered and nodded.

"W-we've kept him alive, but… that's your plan? That's what… what you'll do next? If so, won't he simply decide to have us all executed for having taken his city?" Ukano asked. Zuko shook his head.

"Not if we make sure he understands who he owes his city's safety to," Zuko said. "And like I said… Sokka doesn't want to kill people if he doesn't have to. Once this is said and done… once that statue is gone, the Fire Nation forces should understand they've been defeated and that they won't retain their control over this city anymore."

"Once… the statue is gone?" Ukano repeated, eyes wide: Zuko shot him a meaningful stare, and the man almost yelped. "Y-you really will…?"

"She will," Zuko said, breathing deeply as he glanced out the door again. "As long as her crazy, near-solo mission pays off… she will."

The argument between Toph and Jet regarding the validity of calling their latest mission a date continued as they marched down the stairs: the captured firebenders and soldiers had been buried to the neck, as had been their group's procedure so far, while the injured had been taken by the servants – watched by several rebels, too – to be healed before receiving the same burial imprisonment treatment that had become widespread all across the city. Not many had died over the assault on the Governor's home, but the ones that had were kept out of sight, in an empty room of the residence.

"… I mean, technically, we've never been on a proper date, have we?" Jet smirked. "And I just can't help but think that there's no better date idea than marching up that pyramid, setting an old king free and tearing down a statue of the Fire Lord…"

"What about that sounds like a date, eh?" Toph asked, nonchalantly. Jet laughed.

"The fact that we're doing it together? And alone, on the most part, at least?" he said. Toph smirked and shook her head. "Come on, what's so bad about dating me, Toph?"

"I like doing things my way," Toph said. Jet raised an eyebrow. "And that means we don't need to date to be what we are right now."

"And what are we?"

"Fuckbuddies who overthrow empires, I suppose," Toph finished, with a careless shrug. Jet snorted and laughed, throwing his head back.

"I never really thought I had a type, damn it, but the more I get to know you…"

"Come on…"

"I'm serious!" Jet laughed. "Keep this up and you'll really make me fall for you and that's not fair. We both know you're not going to fall for me too, so…"

"Of course I won't. Who do you take me for?" Toph smirked as they finally crossed the threshold that led past the front door of the governor's residence.

The sound of agitated voices reached Toph's ears. She frowned immediately, raising a hand at Jet to stop him on his tracks. Several rebels and staff members who had turned on Ukano and the Fire Nation stood outside the residence, keeping an eye on their surroundings, but it took them far longer than it took Toph to identify an incoming threat.

"Huh… we've got visitors," Toph hissed, stepping forward and slamming a foot heavily on the ground.

She could sense them before the others could properly see them: about fifty soldiers seemed to be approaching, rushing uphill through the steep streets of Omashu on their way to the governor's residence. Perhaps they hoped to confirm he was safe… or to fight back upon learning that he had been taken hostage already. But Toph had no intentions of allowing their plans to be interrupted or disturbed in any way by the oncoming group, marching towards them with thunderously loud footsteps, disciplined rather than disorderly, unlike most the resistance their group had faced so far.

"Toph…" Jet called her, almost as a warning, when he noticed her stepping forward, arms outstretched.

She ignored him as she moved her hands carefully, extending her earthbending control far from her immediate range. The earth moved at her behest, obeying her call without question, but without cracking visibly above ground, at least, not yet. The group of soldiers, led by a tall, burly commanding officer continued to march forward… unaware of what the Blind Bandit was up to.

She waited patiently, occasionally striking her hands out as to command more earth beyond anyone's sight. The troops approached, the commanding officer gave orders…

And Toph let out a deep breath upon sensing all of them stood now within the area she had singled out for her next move.

Remembering old times fondly wasn't remotely as satisfactory a practice for Toph as it was for many other people. She liked to think of the present, of the here and now, and occasionally of a future that she hoped might be promising. But right then, the memory of how she had upended the entire entrance staircase to Ba Sing Se's Palace returned to mind… and Toph smirked before taking the memory as a challenge for herself: she could do better than that, couldn't she?

The Fire Nation soldiers only briefly glimpsed her jumping into position, extending her arms forward, powerful legs squared and firm as she roared with mad, wild glee: then, all soldiers seemed to lose their footing when the very street underneath their feet took, not to quaking… but to bending backwards. On one moment they had been making an uphill climb, on the next they were scrambling to not fall over as the earth underneath their feet rose into a fully vertical position. Not all of them succeeded at retaining their positions – mainly earthbenders did, the rest fell over each other and dropped heavily towards the ground.

Then, Toph shoved for the last time: the street she had raised turned on itself… and even the few earthbenders, assimilated into the Fire Nation army, could only use their bending in desperate hopes to save their lives before the entire street collapsed atop their squad after sending them plummeting downwards… a deadly fall, at worst, and a crippling one, at best.

Every rebel nearby watched in utter awe and shock as a cloud of dust and smoke rose where the upended street had been broken off. Even Jet, who had long seen Toph's abilities, gaped at her display with lips parted, eyes wide in amazement. The earthbender cracked her knuckles, rolling her shoulders back as she loosened up her tension.

"Problem solved, then," she said, simply, a mischievous smirk on her face. Jet's jaw seemed to drop outright as he gaped at her. She couldn't see his dumbfounded expression, but she could certainly sense his utmost astonishment… and she smirked even wider for it. "What is it?"

"… This is the best date ever," he concluded. Despite being in utter disagreement with her friend-with-benefits regarding the nature of their current outing, Toph let out a loud cackle before urging him to follow her.

They headed up the pyramid: they were only a short distance away from the statue that stood above the city, fortified and constantly protected by numerous soldiers, always prepared to restrain and take down the king if Bumi ever attempted to escape anew. Running quickly while the sun bore down on them, Toph and Jet finally stopped on their tracks when the very first soldiers stepped forward on the street that led up to the statue, spears raised menacingly in their direction.

"Ah, a bunch of Ozai goons! Guess they didn't run downhill like you hoped, huh, Jet? Well then: just so you know, you're allowed to surrender, your governor authorized it!" Toph bellowed. Unsurprisingly, the soldiers answered with a war cry:

"We shall never yield to rebels like you! Stop resisting or you will be slain where you stand!" one of the soldiers shouted, and Toph smirked before shaking her head.

"Well, we tried. Zuko can't blame us if they're too dumb to surrender, can he?" she asked. Jet nodded.

"Want me to do the honors, or is it better if I just watch you weave your magic?" Jet asked. Toph smirked.

"I'll do the heavy lifting. You can take care of the small fries," she said: Jet laughed at her response… and he unsheathed his hook blades, at which the soldiers tensed up, and those behind them, watching from a distance, prepared for battle too.

The peak of the city would see a fierce battle as the two newcomers squared off against the Fire Nation soldiers that ensured Fire Lord Ozai's statue would be safe and sound, and that King Bumi would remain in the coffin he had been imprisoned in since long ago…

Just so, at the very base of the four pyramids, another confrontation carried forward as more groups of soldiers poured in to fight against the rebels in the walls. Kino's group, comprised by the eight earthbenders who thrived in their freedom, had no choice but to shatter the wall at one point to prevent an incursion by another group of Fire Nation soldiers, racing in their direction from across the city's walls. More than once, Aang had impulsively resorted to airbending to push spears away before they found purchase in his allies. Several of the rebels had been wounded, and while Katara could attempt to help them, she scarcely had opportunities to do so. Wenna, fortunately, had avoided most damage, but Bojun had protected her from a firebending blast that had scorched much of his chest and shoulder: his wife wept anxiously beside him as Katara used her clean water, from her waterskins, to soothe the burning sensation and the damage across his skin.

Thus, Aang fought alongside his other allies, counting on Kino and his group to keep the walls safe and hoping the earthbenders and non-benders on his side would help him keep the onslaughts of Fire Nation troops at bay.

They were evidently outnumbered, but every now and then, a sudden surprise would catch Aang unawares when groups of Earth Kingdom natives would rush into the entrance square, whether to back them up and join their efforts, or to find out what was happening. Both were helpful, for the ones who were unwilling to fight still managed to spread word across the city, so that more combat-abled citizens of Omashu would join the fray. The communication systems were clearly disabled, for the majority of the soldiers who arrived were either part of small brigades or even smaller groups, seldom a unified platoon ready to fight as one and overcome their foes through numerical superiority. Aang had wanted to think there weren't too many Fire Nation soldiers in Omashu… but every new wave of attackers suggested otherwise.

"Ready?!" he called, and his fellow warriors answered with courageous cries, weapons brandished, fists raised.

A new group of Fire Nation attackers was coming in… but Aang froze on the spot upon noticing that it wasn't the only one: another group was marching in from the left, and another from the right. For the first time, there were three different fronts in this battle… and this time, it seemed to be a far more prepared defense than before.

"Build walls!" Aang shouted: He wasn't enough of an earthbender himself just yet, but he counted himself lucky to have about fifteen earthbenders on his side now.

The earthbenders with him raised earthen walls to block the way for the Fire Nation soldiers, though the Avatar knew that wouldn't be enough. He breathed out slowly, knowing he had to make a difficult choice that Sokka might be displeased for…

That knowledge cemented in his mind even more when he heard the unequivocal sound of the snapping of bowstrings.

He raised his gaze to find that the third group to arrive was equipped with weapons of a different nature than those they had faced so far: a volley of arrows soared right towards them, above the rudimentary walls the earthbenders had crafted, arrows meant to end the resistance's latest attempt to take Omashu for once and for all.

His brow furrowed heavily, lips drawn into a snarl, Aang raised his hand towards the incoming arrows.

---

The chutes and sleds were complex and difficult to navigate: they hadn't been intended for human travel, no matter if Aang and Bumi had their fair share of fun riding those carts in the past. Sokka clutched at the sides of the cart while he studied his surroundings intently, constantly monitoring the situation both at the walls and the governor's residence from afar. Nothing stood out as particularly catastrophic just yet… but the sooner he could reach his sister's side, the sooner he'd know if she was safe. The sooner he could head up the pyramid, the sooner that wretched statue would crash down, and with it, Ozai's disgusting aspirations to claim a city that would never be broken by the likes of him…

"What's the plan this time?!" Anorak shouted from the cart behind Sokka's. The Gladiator glanced over his shoulder at his waterbending ally, and he frowned with uncertainty.

"Do any of you know if there are… wells, maybe, or any sources of water near that slave market?" Sokka asked the locals. The teenager navigating his cart shook her head.

"I don't know. Maybe, but… I don't remember hearing of that," she said. "We had to send deliveries there sometimes, but…"

"Well… if you can't find any other sources of water if need be, Anorak, the sewers will have to do again," Sokka said. Anorak's grimace spoke lengths of how prissy the man was, and Sokka actually smiled. "You can bend it at the enemies, you won't need to bring it close to yourself."

"Fine, fine…" he said, breathing out slowly. "Good thing I still have some left in my waterskins…"

As much as his techniques to maximize efficiency with his waterbending were quite useful, Anorak couldn't repurpose all his water after the last battle. He had managed to refill two of his waterskins, but the water he had used to make the floor slippery hadn't been fully recyclable, for the firebenders had evaporated some of it, whether deliberately or accidentally. Another source of water would be welcome in order to replenish his supplies.

"We're getting close!" the navigator on Anorak's cart shouted. Sokka's own navigator nodded visibly in acknowledgement.

Sokka breathed deeply as his eyes fell upon the area in question: he had never visited Omashu's slave market with Azula, but he remembered her debates with Governor Ukano about it when they had discussed the Enforcers and their duties after reaching Omashu at the end of the Race. It seemed to be in a rather inconvenient location, inside a dark alley underneath a few bridges and tall chutes of the delivery system. It was practically hidden away from the general city, as though it were shameful for the market to exist at all. Of course, the shame was not in owning slaves, but in their commerce being visible and uncomfortable to gaze upon… he grinded his teeth as the cart moved fast towards the left side of the market, and the earthbenders slowed the carts gradually as they neared their destination.

Sokka leapt out of the cart: the sled was about two meters above the ground, but he landed firmly, knees bent, and he balanced himself with an arm before standing upright. He heard Anorak following his example behind him, and the earthbenders went next… but Sokka didn't approach the very entrance to the dark alley of the market just yet.

Four Enforcers, clad in the very uniform he recalled admiring with pride, the uniform he had seen as a starting sign of genuine progress and greatness in the Fire Nation, stood outside the market's area. All of them carried swords on their hilts, but two of them raised their fists in what looked like a bending kata. Two likely earthbenders, then.

"Sokka…" Anorak called him. The Gladiator frowned heavily as the women retained their menacing glares.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" one of the Enforcers asked. "If you intend to rob the market…"

"I intend to relieve you from your duties," Sokka said, simply, startling the women at what they read as a threat. "It's good to see the Enforcers are still hard at work, and I sure hope you were trained better than most the soldiers I've fought so far… but I don't intend to fight you unless you give me no other choice."

"Nobody needs to fight at all: go home and leave us be," said another of the Enforcers, snarling. Sokka breathed deeply.

"I'm afraid that's beyond my possibilities at the moment," Sokka said: he noticed movement within the alley, and he scowled for it. "Is this place a dead-end? This particular street?"

"It… it is. What does that have to do with…?" answered another woman, only for the first Enforcer to usher her to be quiet.

"We owe him nothing. We don't have to answer whatever he says," she snarled, glaring at Sokka fiercely. His eyes continued to follow the movement within the market, sensing someone was approaching. "Whatever you meant by saying you'll relieve us from duty… we'll fight to the death if we must, but you won't destroy what we've been working for, for all this time!"

"Unfortunately… I will," Sokka said, simply, with a sad sigh. The women gazed at him in horror. "And it sucks because I know how much it meant to Azula, but… if there were no more slaves, Enforcers wouldn't be necessary. You could serve a better purpose instead, I'd say… a higher one, maybe?"

"What are you…?" asked the first Enforcer, shaken by his words.

Sokka finished his thought just as a man clad in a highly ranked soldier's uniform stepped past the stalls and small shops of the market. Undeterred by the commanding officer's presence, Sokka spoke:

"I'm here to recruit you into fighting the Fire Nation so that you may lend your training and power to the resistance that will retake Omashu and break the Fire Lord's hold on your Earth Kingdom," he said. "Well, the offer is for you and whatever able-bodied and willing slaves there might be within your alley, of course."

"W-what did you just…?!" the male officer exclaimed, his outrage rising with every puff of breath that filled his chest. The astonished women around gaped at Sokka and his allies in utmost confusion… and curiosity. Undeniable, genuine, dangerous curiosity.

"So, Enforcers…" Sokka said, with a sardonic smile, standing strong among his allies, ignoring the commanding officer that glared at him in fearful horror. "Care to play a crucial part in saving your city from the clutches of the Fire Nation?"