Battle in the Northern Water Tribe
2
The fear in Zhao's eyes only fed Sokka's need for vengeance. A powerful, righteous rage of the sorts he hadn't felt in a long time seemed to overcome his every rational thought: where the firebender before him trembled in fear, he did in anger, struggling to restrain impulses that he scarcely remembered why he had to restrain…
Most his allies had joined him on the small island within the Oasis, though Aang remained on Appa's neck now, having guided him down once they caught a glimpse of the enemy's invasion of the sacred oasis. Katara's chest tightened with a foreboding dread: they were surrounded, with no support or potential reinforcements to rely on… and even so, the soldiers before them had backtracked. The leading military officer Sokka had attacked appeared to be entirely terrified…
Was there any chance that they could win this fight? Could Sokka's daunting reputation, the fear he instilled into his enemies to the marrow, provide a sufficient advantage for victory to be within reach?
Behind her, Kino had jumped off the saddle too: the Northern Water Tribe's Princess inched back instinctively from the strangers, but that didn't stop the new arrival from checking her quickly for any wounds.
"Did they hurt you?" Kino asked, urgently. Yue shivered, meeting his gaze with utmost confusion.
"N-no, I… w-what is…?" she asked, trembling as the scene she had nearly lost her life to changed in nature shockingly quickly.
All the menacing soldiers seemed to dread these new arrivals, whoever they were. Was it because of the large creature that landed beside her? Or was it because of the people who had been riding it…?
Perhaps the man who had leapt off the saddle first? The one with the bloodied boomerang in his hand?
"T-the Gladiator…!"
"It's the Gladiator!"
"Back down! Pull back!"
Some soldiers even lost their footing in the narrow surfaces of the oasis, falling into the surrounding water and splashing their way to safety clumsily afterwards. Zhao seemed close to being one of them, backing away from the central pool of the Oasis warily and onto one of the bridges again as his chest heaved with his every breath: he clutched his wounded hand with his uninjured one, shaking his head lightly, face contorted by pain, fear and rage.
"You… you…!" Zhao snarled: Sokka was ready to respond in kind, but Zuko's hand clasped his arm.
"Sokka… remember what we spoke about," Zuko said, gritting his teeth. "I understand how you feel, but…!"
"Ah… right," Sokka said, his voice charged with sarcasm. "Do you surrender, Zhao?"
"W-what did you just…?!" Zhao snarled.
"Say no, go on now," Sokka said, with a cruel smirk, waving his sword dangerously. "Tell me you refuse to stand down… say it now, Zhao, so that I can bleed you out myself!"
His voice thundered in the Oasis: the hostile forces couldn't seem to back away fast enough, but Zhao remained in place, no matter how violently he might shiver.
He had never seen the Gladiator like this. He hadn't met him in well over a year… but in their previous acquaintanceship, the man had appeared to be so innocent that Zhao himself had needed to talk him into accepting his innermost darkness. There was no such innocence in sight anymore: the man before him was no longer the helpless fool who would cower and tremble over the fear of having nearly killed a man. Instead, he was ready to kill him… of course he was ready to kill him. Of course…
"You're too… too late!" Zhao exclaimed, backing down still as he glared at Sokka. "This battle… it's long over, Gladiator! I'm sure you've waited for so long to enact her plans… but both of you have failed! I have seen to that!"
His words sank in with an unwelcome sensation of dread intermingled with a naïve hope: her plans. Did she have plans? Had she plotted anything after all… or was Zhao simply unhinged?
Going by the crazed look on his face, the bags under his eyes, the newer wrinkles and the thicker strands of gray hairs over his temples and sideburns, perhaps the second option was more likely, hard as it was to accept it.
"Her plans? What's that supposed to mean?" Sokka said – triggering Zhao into ranting might just give him more insight on what was happening with Azula…
"Don't act dumb!" Zhao roared. "From the moment this began, the two of you have schemed and plotted to destroy the Fire Nation! We're all puppets in your hands, aren't we?! You manipulate and control everyone as you please…!"
"Zhao…" Sokka snarled, raising his sword defensively: it looked like the man was about to lash out with violence, and he certainly would not be caught unprepared.
"She uses people! She used you too, replaced you as soon as she heard of your demise!" Zhao said, with a crazed laugh. "Did you know that?! Surely not! One day was all it took for her to mourn you! One night, and she was back to her conniving self… you meant nothing to her! You mean nothing to her! Do you know why I'm here now?! Because she sent me!"
"She did, did she?" Sokka said, with a slow smile. "I definitely owe her for that. If only she'd sent her father too, this would be over a lot sooner."
"You… you admit it, then!" Zhao exclaimed, outraged. "You treacherous bastards… the both of you, all along…! And you stand against the Fire Nation now, among traitors and filth...!"
"My loyalty… was to Azula. Not to the piece of shit you call Fire Lord," Sokka growled.
"If so… then I suppose you're as fickle as her, aren't you?" Zhao smirked, eyes shifting towards Zuko. "Or have you not taken your loyalty to her and granted it to the two royal traitors too?!"
"Shut up or drop dead, Zhao. You're not getting out of this unscathed if you keep this up," Zuko snapped – even so, he stepped forward as though to stop Sokka from doing anything reckless.
"Considering how many people him and his forces must have killed by now, he sure as hell shouldn't get off easy!" Katara rebuffed, raising a hand and preparing to bend the nearest source of water…
"Standing side by side with the banished prince…" Zhao laughed, shaking his head. "How low you've stooped, Gladiator!"
"Zhao…!" Sokka snarled, but his focus shifted away from the conversation upon noticing the firebender's hand…
His bleeding hand, still drenched in red, suddenly moved easily, as though it was unharmed.
Sokka's eyes widened as his confusion rose… but he couldn't speak, couldn't ask another question, couldn't even threaten the man before him:
"MEN! KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!"
The first to fire was Zhao himself… through his wounded hand.
The others joined in Sokka's confusion just as the battle was joined: Zuko stepped forward splitting Zhao's attack in half as Aang used the water in the outer pool of the Oasis to defend their group from the soldiers that obeyed Zhao's command chaotically – there was no rhythm to their attempt to strike against them, overwhelmed and confused as they were.
Katara was ready to do the same, following Aang's example by seizing the smaller pool's water, when the woman they saved clasped her hand mid-motion.
"Stop!" she exclaimed. Katara frowned.
"What do you mean…?!"
"Not that water!" Yue said. Katara's eyes widened. "Don't use the water of the spirits' pond! The one outside it is fine, but not this one!"
"I… don't really get it, but okay?!" Katara nodded, dropping the water she had begun bending before reaching for the much larger mass of it, surrounding the island.
Once Zhao's fire was out of the way, though, Sokka lunged through the flames, roaring with rage as he made to stab the firebender. Zhao jumped forward on the bridge, shooting new bursts of wild fire towards Sokka that Aang muffled this time, providing the non-bender with further opportunities to strike away at Zhao…
Opportunities that he failed to seize when soldiers, hellbent on defending their superior officer, rushed in to serve as human shields for the man. Such was Sokka's rage that he could muster no mercy as he swept away the fire with his sword before sliding it through the gut of the first soldier, then cutting an arm off the second one.
Screams echoed in the Oasis as the battle grew more violent: Yue gasped and trembled behind Kino as the blood splattered over the grass and the bridge through which Zhao was making his escape, aiming to run out of the Oasis as soon as possible, Sokka suspected… and the fools defending him would provide him with every opportunity he needed to achieve that.
"Out of my way, you idiots!" Sokka shouted: he even shoved some of them into the water, clearing the way for himself before tossing his boomerang violently…
It struck Zhao on the back of his neck. If only his armor hadn't been so tall, Sokka could have chi-blocked him fully by targeting the weakest spot in his body…
Even so, blood gushed out, and Zhao screamed with outrage… and before he knew it, he was caught in the deadly clutches of an ice construct that pressed him into the Oasis's wall.
"Got him!" Katara exclaimed. Sokka would have thanked her for it under any other circumstances: never before had any of his friends witnessed Sokka seeing red as violently as he did right now.
But the walls of human shields stopped him from reaching his actual target: firebenders, non-benders, all attacked Sokka recklessly, attempting to stab at him, to burn him, and whether he fended off their assaults himself, or his friends helped him in the process, he still wasn't fast enough to reach Zhao before the man, in pure fury, evoked as much power as he could to melt the deadly ice he had been restrained by.
He screamed as he burned his way out of the ice, shooting a barrage of fire at Sokka that caught Zhao's own allies as well: they screamed, turning in shock and outrage as the fire singed their uniforms… Sokka shoved a few of the men on fire into the water pool before lunging for Zhao anew: this time he failed to catch skin, managing to cut across the back of his armor rather than anything noteworthy.
"Get back here, you cowardly piece of shit!" Sokka roared: even in his heavy armor, he was faster than Zhao, and certainly far more reckless than him…
Katara attempted to freeze Zhao anew: this time, Sokka was attacked by soldiers on the other side of the Oasis, the ones who had attempted to flee through the second bridge. It was up to his friends to strike away at them, while defending the helpless Princess as well.
"Get her! At least her!" shouted Lieutenant Li, aiming for the young woman – he didn't quite understand that killing a fish could be particularly valuable even after the earlier demonstration of its power over the skies, but the woman's political value was unquestionable, and her death certainly would be a powerful blow against the Northern Water Tribe.
Aang managed an airbending flourish that knocked the man off his feet, but that didn't stop the few remaining members of the invading group to make other attempts on Yue's life, going against all logic that indicated that they had to make a run for it now.
Yue shuddered as the young man near her drew a sword, with which he lopped off limbs and even one head with no sign of remorse. His sword cut across the enemies with difficulty at times, it even got stuck in one's gut at one point, but he was slippery and fast enough to dodge their attacks as he delivered killing blows as best as he was able.
"Still okay?!" Kino shouted back at her. Yue shivered, hugging herself as she shrank in place: yes, she was being protected… but she had never been part of a battlefield before. She had never witnessed violence on this scale quite so close to herself…
Wild tears of anguish and confusion spilled down her cheeks as she dropped to her knees, hugging herself as she prayed to the spirits in that pond, on and on, to ensure that this wouldn't be the end. To ensure that these strange allies would succeed… for as deadly as they were now, the Fire Nation surely had been just as merciless and ruthless against her people. Those hiding in the tunnels needed to be safe, to stay protected… her father, her children, needed these strangers to succeed. Even if it broke her heart to witness this degree of violence, they needed to succeed.
"Uh… maybe not, but she's alive so I'll count that as a victory!" Kino exclaimed, kicking away at the fire from another firebending soldier – the flames lightly charred Kino's outfit, but his unforeseen response allowed him to reach the enemy's helmet with his blade… then, he swung the sword even harder, striking the enemy's neck violently. Others, however, were escaping successfully by then… and Zhao would be one of them, at this rate.
"The exit! Block it!" Sokka's voice roared through the oasis once more: both Aang and Katara reacted to him at once, noticing Sokka's main enemy appeared moments away from escaping through the broken walls of the oasis's entrance.
Katara roared as she raised a wave of water, freezing it over the way out. Zhao, running clumsily after the wounds he had sustained thus far, turned around, intending to attack the Gladiator one more time, now that his immediate way out was barred…
Sokka was faster.
A sudden coldness bloomed in Zhao's stomach, where Space Sword had cut through metal, fabric and flesh at once.
His dying yelp was almost as loud as Sokka's roars had been thus far. For the second time, Sokka found himself cutting into a foe's body in this way… a man he hadn't even thought of as an enemy, for a time. A man who had once been an ally, even, in entirely different circumstances. He had always known Zhao was a warmonger, capable of feats of great cruelty, such as the executions of innocent slaves, as well as leading the Fire Nation in its war against the Northern Water Tribe… but that hadn't stopped the man from showing what Sokka had thought was true respect once. It hadn't kept him from offering to aid him and Azula, back when matters had fallen apart. He had learned of Sokka's feelings for Azula and kept it a secret… he had realized what the truth of their relationship was, and he hadn't given them away.
How had it come to this? How had a man who had been shockingly helpful once turned into this disfigurement of a human being, entirely overcome by this hatred and rage? How was it possible to reason with so many other Fire Nation leaders they had dealt with so far… but Zhao, the one Sokka had known best, the one who had sworn vows to protect the woman he loved, had proven entirely beyond reason?
"You swore…!" Sokka dared say, his face marred with emotion as he glared at Zhao. "You swore you'd stand by her! You swore you'd protect her! You stood in that prison cell… and you swore! Why, Zhao?! Why…?!"
Why had it come to this? Why was the man beyond any salvation? Why had he laid waste on the Northern Water Tribe as he had…?
Why had he broken every promise he had vowed to Sokka?
Why had he hurt Azula?
Zhao opened his mouth, and Sokka thought he meant to respond to his questions. That perhaps this sudden emotional outburst on his part would get through to him…
"She… was never worth it."
Sokka's eyes widened at Zhao's response: so shocked as he was… he failed to notice the man had raised his right fist.
It was too late for Sokka to react beyond pulling back… and even then, he wasn't fast enough.
The fistful of flames struck him straight in the face.
Sokka screamed.
Even as he pulled back, he didn't relinquish his handle on his sword: it slid out of Zhao's body cleanly, and blood spilled from the wound… but not as much as it could have. Not as much as it should have.
Sokka, however, failed to notice any of that, as the flames singed his face briefly before he fell on his back, into the pool of water.
"SOKKA!" Katara's voice, tinged with despair, was the last thing her brother heard before he sank below the surface: the water would muffle the fire, immediately soothing the feeling of fire upon his skin.
"Fucking…! ZHAO!" Zuko roared: he launched a long-range fire attack, but the bleeding Admiral jumped out of the way, somehow.
Zuko's fire crashed against the ice: Zhao had vainly hoped that it might suffice to melt the blockage of ice by the entrance of the oasis… but it didn't matter. He could deal with it himself… though by now, it seemed the rapid healing was beginning to falter.
He snatched his stolen waterskin, uncorking it and downing many more gulps of the water quickly to regain his strength: the effect was immediate as he felt invigorated, as the pain in his stomach decreased…
He reached for the nearest crevice in the ice, hoisting himself up with help of his firebending, and jumping out of the oasis as fast as he could go. All of the enemy's bending attacks, leveled in his direction, failed to find their mark.
For Zhao wasn't Katara's priority at the moment: she jumped into the water, bending it underneath her as she rushed in to help her brother. Sokka hadn't fallen unconscious, but the sudden attack, followed by winding up in a pond of cool water, would take its toll on him.
"Sokka!" she called him again as she fished him out with her bending, quick to drag him towards the island, where their group still stood, among the bodies of Fire Nation soldiers: no one but their group and the mysterious white-haired woman remained alive or conscious within the oasis anymore.
"Is he alright?!" Aang asked, panicking as Katara and Zuko helped Sokka out of the water and into the shore again.
His face was red, most of all his cheeks and the area of his mouth. He winced at the pain… his right eye had been affected by it too, if just by a few sparks.
"Fucking… h-how did he…?!" Sokka coughed, as he felt a charged and cool water touching his skin gently.
"I don't know, but you were reckless…!" Katara said.
"I killed him!" Sokka exclaimed, crouched beside her. Katara's eyes widened. "I…! I drove my sword through his gut, Katara, I…!"
"You… I didn't see that," Katara said, frowning as she glanced at the others. Zuko gritted his teeth.
"He did. I saw it, I… I don't understand either, but he didn't die, Sokka. He got away…" Zuko explained, and Sokka growled with frustration.
"If he's still alive… then I'll kill him again! Why the hell not, might just make me feel better…!" Sokka said, still wincing over the pain that stopped him from so much as opening his eyes…
Katara gritted her teeth: Sokka was going nowhere like this. Of all fights in which he could have taken a serious wound, this was probably the one he wasn't likely to forgive himself for…
"Use… use the pond's water. The spirits' pond."
The white-haired woman's voice interrupted everyone's musings. Katara frowned as she glanced at her, finding she had barely looked at her so far.
"Didn't you say I shouldn't do that just a moment ago…?"
"Use it for healing," the woman said, earnestly. Katara's eyes widened. "That's… what he's doing. It's how he survived."
"You'll have to explain a little more thoroughly than that," Zuko told her, frowning as Katara obeyed the woman's suggestion, raising the inner pond's water to Sokka's face.
It glowed even brighter than her usual water did once she began using it upon her brother. Sokka's pained snarl as he sat still, allowing Katara to heal him more comfortably, eased slowly as the redness of his skin receded…
"It's… it's working," Katara said, eyes wide. "It's working! I…! I've treated burn marks before, but even if I get to them right away, it never faded in full like…!"
"The oasis's water is special," the woman explained, a hand by her chest. "Perhaps… perhaps even more special than I ever realized it was."
"What do you mean?" Kino asked, confused.
"You have… you have to stop that man. Admiral Zhao," she said, looking at him pleadingly. "I… I hate violence, but there's no other choice. He's stolen water from the pond… he made me do it for him, s-so that he could use it to restore his wounds every time he suffers any. The waterskin he carried? He made me fill it with the spirits' pond's water, and he drank it. He drank it! I… I've never heard of anyone drinking it, b-but after he did, his wounds started to heal fast and…!"
"How is that possible?" Katara asked, eyes wide. "How…?"
"I don't know," the woman answered her earnestly, terrified. "S-so he… he should have died from that stab wound, yes, but he didn't because of the water. He…! I don't know what's happening, I don't know how he did this, I…!"
"Hey… breathe," Kino said, gritting his teeth and raising a hand to touch the woman's shoulder. "It's okay. We're here now… we'll find a way to stop him. I don't know how, though, but surely Sokka can… think of something?"
Sokka, brow furrowed, rose to his full height now: his face, now seemingly unscathed, felt refreshed, though his heart certainly did not. The rage latent within him only seemed to strengthen now… most of all upon hearing of the means through which Zhao had cheated the death he had been so sure he had inflicted upon him.
"You…" Sokka said, glancing at the white-haired woman with a prominent scowl. "Why are you here? Why were you alone in this place in the middle of a battle like this one?"
"I… I had to come," she said, shivering violently. "I thought… I thought I would be needed. The Moon Spirit could have been slain… slain by that man. He meant to do it, b-but he realized that I could bring back the Moon Spirit if he cut it down, so he meant to kill me instead, and…!"
"The Moon Spirit?" Zuko repeated, casting a glance at the fish in the pond – as much as the pond was emptier than before after Katara used it, the two fish continued to circle each other safely. "You mean one of those is…?"
"Yes… the Moon Spirit, and the Ocean Spirit," the woman explained, breathing deeply as she dabbed at the tears streaking her face. "I… I am Princess Yue."
Sokka's eyes widened. The words meant more to him than they did to the others: he had heard of her before. He knew exactly how Zhao had learned of this place… whether it was by the Library's doing, or Hahn's betrayal.
"You're…?" Sokka said, his heart sinking. The woman met his gaze, fearful… was she afraid of him after what she'd seen him do? Perhaps. She had no idea who he was… she didn't understand why he hated Zhao as deeply as he did. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Katara repeated, glancing at her brother in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, I… I don't know if Zhao came up with the idea of drinking this water by himself," Sokka said, snarling as he turned towards the blocked entrance of the oasis. "Maybe… maybe that's what Hahn told him to do."
Yue gasped: she hadn't expected the name of her former husband to be spoken by any of these strangers. Her reaction surprised the rest of them, too.
"You… you knew him? You knew Hahn?" she asked.
"Unfortunately," Sokka hissed, eyeing her remorsefully. "I wish I'd killed him when I had the chance. Maybe if I had… he would have never given Zhao the idea of seeking some sort of immortality, if he's the one who told him that. But it just sounds like that's what he has to be trying to do, the unforgivable bastard…!"
"You knew them from… where? I…" Yue said, puzzled.
"I'm sorry, but all those explanations have to be left for later," Sokka said, eyeing her meaningfully. "I have to get to Zhao now. I have to…"
"Sokka, we talked about using him for information," Zuko said, sternly. Sokka snarled. "I know you don't want to anymore, I can't even blame you for it considering what he's done to this city, but he's your one chance to learn more about what's happening with Azula…"
"No, he's not," Sokka said. Zuko frowned. "He's… he's lying. He's making up shit, jumping to conclusions, claiming things that make no sense. He accused me of orchestrating a plan with her, somehow? He's delusional, Zuko. He'll lie to me while deceiving no one but himself. And after what he's done to her? What he's just done to the Water Tribe?"
"He doesn't deserve to live," Kino agreed, frowning heavily.
"I… don't know about that," Aang mumbled, though he kept his voice quiet. Sokka glanced at him with a prominent scowl.
"I understand what your beliefs state… but now that I'm here, I feel like I can't be above this," Sokka said. "I don't have it in me to put aside my hatred for him this time. I've done that with enough people as it is."
Zuko winced, all too aware of who Sokka spoke of. Zhao wouldn't be a great loss in terms of human quality, of course… but his potential usefulness still gave the banished prince some pause.
"Who are you, though?" Yue asked, glancing about them in confusion. "I… I don't understand anything. I'm grateful that all of you arrived on time to stop the Admiral, but…"
"Well, this is Prince Zuko, banished from the Fire Nation," Kino said, pointing at the scarred man. Yue's eyes widened. "And this one over here is Katara, last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. The bald guy? That's the Avatar. And our leader is Sokka… the Gladiator. The Blue Wolf?"
Yue blinked blankly: clearly, she had no understanding of Sokka's titles, but the others had floored her all the same. Her eyes shifted towards the bald man, who gazed at her with compassion.
"Y-you're… the Avatar?" she asked. Aang nodded confidently.
"We're here to help. We're sorry we were late, though…" Aang said. Yue shook her head.
"Whatever you can do, I appreciate it. I didn't think anyone would come to help, but please… please, save my Tribe. Save my people…"
She bowed her head submissively, in a gesture no one found necessary. Sokka gritted his teeth upon hearing those words: he didn't expect there would be common ground between this woman and Azula… but it was, of course, the worst possible common ground: the willingness to do anything to save their people, down to sacrificing their own lives to prolong theirs.
She hadn't explained why she had been needed in this oasis exactly when Zhao attacked it. She could have died… she almost had. Even so, as scared as she might be, it was clear that she could only think of saving her people.
"It's what we came here to do in the first place. We'll do everything we can to help the Water Tribe," Sokka said, firmly. He drew in a deep breath before turning towards the others. "This is not looking promising, though. Zhao has a head start on us right now, hell knows how many forces are at his beck and call…"
"We need to find the waterbenders…" Katara said, shivering. "I-if there are any left still, that is."
"Master Pakku has to be alive. He's the tribe's master waterbender…" Yue said. Sokka nodded.
"We've heard of him," he said, surprising Yue anew. They knew things about the Northern Water Tribe… but Yue felt she knew nothing about any of these people. "I… I'm sorry, everyone. You'll have to go find him and the waterbenders… I'll join you as soon as I'm through with Zhao."
"Wait, you'll just go after him? Sokka…" Katara asked, eyes wide.
"If he escapes now, with the spirit water? He may not be invincible forever, his supply will run out, but he's bound to come back to this oasis to refill it when he has the chance," Sokka said, sternly. "I have to take him down, now."
"Then we should all go help you…"
"No. The Water Tribe is your priority," Sokka cut off his sister, turning towards the entrance of the oasis again. "You and Aang… build a solid ice dome, or a thicker ice wall than that, to keep the oasis safe while we're gone. We can't let anyone get in here again."
"You can't just chase after Zhao blindly," Zuko said, firmly. "You just took a serious wound, and it's not your fault that you did, Sokka, but you'll be risking that happening again! Even if Zhao had a lot of his forces here, he may have more beyond this point…!"
"I'll cut them down too if they stand in my way," Sokka said, firmly.
"You can't do it alone!" Kino said.
"I can't do it if I stick with all of you either," Sokka said, casting a glance at Yue. "You're not a bender… not a warrior either, are you?"
The perplexity on her face upon hearing that question spoke for itself. Sokka shook his head.
"She needs to be protected: you guys can take care of that while I get rid of Zhao and put a stop to this madness," Sokka hissed. "Maybe once he's dead we can use his damn corpse to make the rest of his fleet stop attacking. That's the only usefulness he's likely to provide for us going forward."
"Sokka…"
"Let's go, Katara. Now."
His voice wasn't cruel in its demands… but its authority was firm and stern. The waterbender gritted her teeth, wondering if the foreboding feeling permeating her gut was in any way similar to how Sokka felt whenever Azula had made her own, unreasonable demands. Had he also felt that nagging sensation that, as unsettling as the situation was, perhaps there truly would be no other choice but to follow suit with whatever plan Azula had laid down for them? Had he felt this same despair and need to find a solution, any other way, only to draw blanks and fail to find any alternative paths forward?
It seemed as though no one could stop him from doing what he meant to today, though: Zhao had successfully angered him more than anyone else they'd faced. Where he could muster mercy for others, Zhao had ensured otherwise… and in doing so, he had made certain that the Gladiator, ever willing to allow his enemies to surrender, would find the notion as good as unthinkable when it came to Zhao.
"Come on, then. We have no more time to waste," Sokka said.
"Then… let's go on Appa," Aang said. Sokka gritted his teeth. "I know you wanted to give Zhao chase, but this way we'll make up whatever ground we lost…"
"Can he keep going?" Kino asked, patting Appa's large paw – Momo, still on the saddle, seemed to worry for the creature's health too.
"You can, can't you, boy?" Aang asked. Appa grunted a positive response, and while it wasn't all that reassuring, Aang nodded before glancing at the rest of the group. "Climb on, everyone."
Nervous and confused, Yue didn't seem to know whether or not she should join them, but Katara and Kino helped her climb aboard Appa's saddle anyway. Aang breathed deeply as he gave his animal companion the command to take flight, but they didn't leave the area just yet:
"Katara?" he called. The waterbender nodded.
Together, bending as one, the pair raised a thick ice wall right outside the oasis, careless about breaking the large vases nearby, all be it to ensure that even an assault of multiple soldiers would fail to breach the oasis this time. It was a necessary precaution, one that also provided Sokka with a chance to judge the circumstances in which they would be fighting again shortly. That first confrontation with Zhao should have ended with the man's death, but his trump card had kept him alive… and it might continue to do so, for he had a waterskin filled with the spiritually charged water. He would take advantage of that power to return whenever it suited him, Sokka knew so… the Admiral would stop at nothing to ensure he destroyed the Water Tribe and secured the victory he had been vying for across well over ten years.
He had never truly forgotten who Zhao was, not after Azula spoke of him and revealed him as Ozai's closest friend. Zhao's own confessions had given away just how close that bond was, and his actions during the takedown of the Slave Riot had been damning enough regarding the true human quality of that wretched, disgraceful man. But even though that was true… even then, Sokka had spoken with him calmly once. He had shared a carriage ride with the man that had revealed more about the Admiral than Sokka had ever expected to learn. He had forced Zhao to backtrack on his beliefs about Sokka… he had proven him wrong to assume Sokka wasn't strong enough to be Azula's gladiator. And as terrible a man as he was… Sokka had been able to change his mind about a few things, long ago. He had regretted his treatment of Azula, apologized to her… he had been considerate, even, allowing Sokka the chance to mourn Rhone properly, even if Sokka had rejected that chance, and he had also suggested he could learn the truth regarding the Southern Raiders, responsible for Kya's death.
How was that the same man he had come across today? Sokka could barely believe it was. His lips drew into a snarl as he tightened his fists, regretting every instance of foolishness that had ever led him to believe there was more substance or depth to Zhao than Azula believed there was…
She had been right about him all along. She had warned Sokka not to trust him too much, she had been wary of him, she had despised him openly and sought Sokka, not only to defeat her first suitor's gladiator, but to prove her true worth to Zhao once Sokka defeated Combustion Man…
Was that it? Could that be part of why Zhao had become this twisted, revolting individual? Had he decided Azula's greatest sin had been her ability to prove herself better than him through gladiatorial combat? Was that too childish? Or was Combustion Man's life worth far more to Zhao than Sokka had ever known it was?
It didn't make sense to mourn some of what had been lost, it made even less sense in this case than with Rhone … and yet Sokka's damnable heart appeared to do exactly that, aching and longing for the times when he had been able to get through to his enemies with means other than a blade and violence. They had listened, once… but they listened no more.
Perhaps they had never listened at all.
Perhaps he had only ever been means for entertainment, a jester, a laughingstock… just as she had been. That was just what had outraged her… what had brought her to hate Zhao throughout her teenage years. It was why she had never felt fully comfortable around the man, even when their relationship had improved.
She knew they would never treat her as her equal, not until she represented a threat.
The same had been true for Sokka: the condescendence of the past wasn't something to misinterpret, to read depths into when there had been none. Ozai and Zhao had found him amusing, at best… and now, they found him deadly, dangerous, the biggest hazard to their nation in the history of the Hundred Year War.
There would be no reasoning with men like them. There would be no compromise with men like them. There was nothing to be done but to hunt them down if they fled, just as Zhao had… and to put an end to their sorry existence.
The past had to remain in the past: Azula's freedom would only be realized once the shadow of that revolting man, the one who had dared claim the role of her husband without earning it, faded away forever.
Appa's flight was nowhere near as steady as it often was: he had been pushing himself as hard as possible, all be it to fulfill the Avatar's needs, but even the creature had his limits. His speed didn't allow them to progress past the Palace's long stairs all that quickly, and for a moment, it seemed as though they'd lose Zhao altogether.
"There… there! Master Pakku must be there!" Yue exclaimed, pointing towards the bay.
A fierce battle appeared to be in full swing by the city's entrance: ships were disembarking, their occupation forces attempting to swarm the fighters that continued to defend the Water Tribe. But fighting against so many foes, while catapult projectiles were launched in their direction, could never be easy for Master Pakku and whoever continued to fight by his side, formidable as their bending might be.
"There's so few left…" Yue said, covering her mouth with a hand and shaking her head in sheer horror at the reduced numbers accompanying the waterbending master.
The men accompanying Pakku now wouldn't have been sufficient to fill a full table at one of her father's feasts. Whoever they were, whether all had been his students or no… they were too few. Without help, they would be certain to lose.
"Those are all the remaining waterbenders…?" Katara asked, shivering: it was almost as though she were witnessing the destruction of her own Tribe, but at a much faster pace. Instead of the gradual disappearance of every waterbender in the south, the genocide the Fire Lord's forces attempted to inflict upon the Northern Water Tribe would be immediate and effective if they couldn't overcome that massive navy.
But airships and hot-air balloons continued to loom in the distance. Occupation forces waited to rush in once the last bastions of defense for the Water Tribe had fallen. And as much as they worked as hard as they did, short of a miracle, there would be no way to put a stop to the massacre the Fire Nation had set out to create in the Northern Water Tribe.
"They're… they're going to destroy everything," Kino said, shuddering in horror as the truth of their gargantuan task grew more apparent with each passing moment.
Sokka snarled: if they had arrived a few days earlier, this outcome could have been slowed… it could have even been reverted. But Ozai had set his forces on this assault so much sooner than he had anticipated: there didn't appear to be much of a strategy involved other than overwhelming the Water Tribe through numbers.
How many Fire Nation lives had been lost by now in this latest assault? Sokka wondered if they might be more than those of the Water Tribe, if simply because the Fire Nation boasted of far higher population… he even hoped there had been more Fire Nation casualties, simply because that would mean the Water Tribe was holding its defenses better than it appeared.
But that wouldn't be enough, even so. Nothing would be, at this rate… Sokka snarled, shaking his head: the visual before them was strong enough to shake his previous determination. Whether he hated to admit it or not, Zuko was right. There was only one way to stop this madness…
"I… I won't kill him," Sokka said, frowning heavily. They glanced at him in confusion upon hearing those words. "I… I'll make him surrender. I'll make him give out the command of surrender. This won't stop otherwise."
"His death would make him a martyr that his forces could use to further their campaign… wouldn't it?" Katara asked. Sokka snarled. "Sokka…"
"There!"
Kino's voice cut across their conversation: he was pointing west to where they flew… and Sokka noticed, too, the shadows that were streaking downhill, rushing across the wrecked streets of the Northern Water Tribe.
One of the men running was hunched, even if he retained his footing.
The moonlight's glare highlighted the golden hairpiece upon his head.
Again, the urge to kill Zhao wrapped around Sokka's heart with a firmness he had hardly known before… and this time, he knew he had to contain it. He had nearly killed the bastard… he couldn't do it now, though, even if he deserved a million deaths for the betrayals he had incurred in, for the damage, the pain he was responsible for: this was bigger than his vengeance, no matter if his heart resented that truth.
"I'm going after him," Sokka said, breathing deeply. "I… I'll do everything I can to hold back."
No one was quite so gullible as to blindly believe that Sokka would succeed at that task, not even someone who had only known him for around ten minutes. Yue watched with astonishment as the man rose to his feet, as his companions appeared to dread letting him go…
"I'll go with you."
The sudden announcement in the Avatar's voice caught everyone off-guard: Katara yelped as Aang stood up too, by Appa's neck, raising his glider firmly. Kino paled visibly, and Zuko scowled.
"You can't just…!" Zuko started. "Aang…!"
"We'll need you at the front!" Katara said. "Aang, you're the Avatar! Your bending could…!"
"Katara… you're strong. Stronger than you know," Aang said, with a kindly smile. Katara's eyes widened. "I'll join you soon, okay? You three just have to help hold the line until Sokka and I get back. I… I don't know what I'll do to put a stop to them, but whatever it takes, I'll do it then. For now… I'll go with Sokka. We'll keep each other safe."
Sokka eyed Aang with uncertainty: was this meant to be a way to ensure that he wouldn't derail the mission by letting anger and vengeance speak through him? If it wasn't, then Aang was surprisingly good-natured… but Sokka wasn't sure it wouldn't come to that. Even when he knew how much was at stake, he couldn't be certain that he would be able to hold back from killing Admiral Zhao… or rather, killing him again.
"Remember the waterskin!" Yue exclaimed, startling them both. "If he hasn't used it fully yet, take it from him, or break it. I don't know how much use he can make of that power… but if you take that away from him, he will be vulnerable again. It will be your only chance to…"
"To force him to surrender," Sokka concluded, even if his heart longed to say different words. Yue nodded. "I'll do that. Stay safe, all of you. Aang and I… we'll be back soon."
"Sokka…" Katara said, gazing at him in deep dread. Sokka offered her a pained smile as Aang leapt onto the saddle… handing the reins to her. "Aang, you… promise you'll be back. Promise you'll bring him back too! Aang…!"
He nodded, cupping Katara's cheek briefly as he bridged their brows for a small moment he dared steal, careless of who might see them.
"Our energy is one and the same. I'll always be by your side," Aang said, earnestly. "You're stronger than you know. Stronger than they know. So… show them the might of the greatest waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe."
Katara gritted her teeth upon hearing those words: she couldn't resist the urge to take his face into her hands and kissing him boldly, recklessly, before everyone.
For the first time, none of the occupants of the bison's saddle had any certainty that they would survive the upcoming battle.
For the first time, their plans felt so unsteady that the way out appeared non-existent.
For the first time, it was possible that this might be the last goodbye.
Begrudgingly, Aang pulled away, but not before whispering softly, while holding Katara's gaze:
"I love you."
He stepped towards a shivering Sokka, urging him to grab onto him as firmly as could be. Katara watched them powerlessly, tears spilling down her cheeks as Aang spread the glider open with one quick motion…
The two men jumped, and Aang steered them expertly away from Appa, away from the frontlines… and towards the enemy Sokka had singled out. The enemy that represented the only possible salvation for the nearly annihilated Northern Water Tribe… for only by his word, only by his command, would this assault end. Only Zhao had the power to stop that massive fleet of warships, airships and hot-air balloons, the occupation forces, the Yu-Yan archers… and the relentless firebenders, eager to lay waste to the nation that dared defy their Fire Lord's rule.
Katara snarled as she unwillingly leapt to straddle Appa's neck: Kino eyed her apprehensively, shaken by the brief exchange she had shared with Aang, while Yue and Zuko watched the pair on the glider fade from view… which they did all the faster as Appa carried on forward, aiming towards the chaotic bay of the Northern Water Tribe.
The warriors and waterbenders were holding their own, but only barely: the invaders had been mostly restricted to a chokepoint in the broken main wall, and many of those who had broken free from it had been killed deeper inside the Tribe, their corpses scattered around the area near the wall. Even so, the fire raining down on them from the hot-air balloons ensured that even the most seasoned waterbenders would be kept in check by fire, be it from the airship's weapons, bending or through deadly accurate arrows. They were stuck defending, it seemed, judging by the main kind of waterbending in sight: large barriers of water and ice would rise and crumble under the weight of firebending and arrows alike.
"Master Pakku!" Yue gasped, once they were close enough for her to recognize the leader of their forces: an older man, with long white hair save for the bald crown of his head, waved his hands powerfully, commanding the ice and water with apparent ease… but even his tall, sturdy barrier would not suffice to withstand the full power of the attack the enemy was massing now.
An airship was looming closer. The jaws of its mechanism would unhinge soon, just as they had done frequently throughout the battle. It took aim at the waterbenders, intent on firing relentlessly against the final stand of the Northern Water Tribe…
Katara rose to her feet at Appa's neck, spreading her arms out towards the last barrier the master had bent.
It melted before the waterbenders' eyes, to their utmost confusion, before reforming into massive ice spikes: with desperate screams, Katara kicked and punched forward, and the spikes flew at alarming speed at an airship unprepared to defend against the unexpectedly strong waterbending move.
The northern waterbenders watched in utter shock as the ice pierced the hull of the airship successfully: the massive airship appeared poised to collapse right atop the warships that had docked in the bay… screams by Fire Nation crewmen and soldiers alike were echoing in the night as the inevitable collapse of the airship resulted in a chaotic explosion, shedding brightness upon that dark, unsettling night.
"Anorak…?" a dazed Pakku said, frowning as he glanced about himself in utter perplexity – no one else was quite as prone to reutilizing water so quick and effectively, at least no one he knew…
He turned on his heels when he heard a groan, unfamiliar and beast-like, behind himself. His jaw dropped, as did those of his companions, when they glimpsed a rare, massive six-legged creature mid-flight, descending gradually towards them.
"W-what is…?!" gasped one of the waterbenders, as Pakku stepped towards the new arrival at once.
"A sky bison?" he said. "Is this…?"
Appa landed, providing the waterbenders with a full, easy view of the people aboard the bison's saddle, as well as the woman who leapt off the bison's neck, a heavy scowl upon her tear-streaked face. However, the waterbending master had no chance to ask any questions, for a familiar voice stopped him even before he could:
"Master Pakku!"
"What?" Pakku frowned, as the only person on that saddle who wasn't a stranger leapt off the creature's back, rushing towards him at haste. "Princess Yue?! What are you doing here? You should be in safety with…!"
"The Moon Spirit was in danger!" Yue explained. Pakku frowned upon hearing those words. "The enemy's leader, Admiral Zhao, he reached the Oasis…!"
"And you were there to greet him, were you?" Pakku said, disapprovingly. Yue winced. "You see, Princess Yue, there is such a thing as being too eager to fulfill your destiny. Whatever the Moon Spirit expects of you, I'm sure it wouldn't want you to die needlessly just to return the debt you owe. Your father was foolish to let you do it… but you're here. You're alive and… you brought allies? Is Anorak here?"
"Anorak?" Kino repeated, having leapt off the saddle after Zuko followed Yue.
"That move just now looked like his handiwork…" Pakku spoke to Yue still, as his eyes glided over the three strangers before him. "But I see he's not? Then who…?"
"It was her," Yue said, pointing at Katara, who stepped up to Pakku with a stern frown.
"What's the situation? What can we do to help?" she said. Pakku's jaw dropped.
"You… what? Currently, the situation is…! Well, the airship that crashed is now blocking the Fire Nation's only way into the Tribe, so I suppose matters are not as alarming as they were a moment ago!" Pakku said, perplexed as he stared at Katara intently. "But who… who are you, exactly?"
"I'm Katara," she said, simply.
"And I'm Kino," the former soldier said, with an awkward grin.
"I'm Zuko," spoke the banished Prince, and only then did Pakku react with something other than confusion.
"Zuko…?" Pakku repeated, staring at him intently. "Prince Zuko? Your face is scarred… it is you, isn't it?"
"It is," Zuko confirmed immediately. "We're here on behalf of… of the Order of the White Lotus."
It felt wrong to word things that way, but Zuko knew that was what Pakku would respond positively to. The man was a high-ranked member of the Order, he was the one Jeong Jeong had told them to seek out, to deliver a letter to… specifics regarding who was actually the leader of their forces right now, and the actual name of the Gladiator Army, would be best left for the future, if there was any in which they weren't entirely destroyed by the Fire Nation's fleet.
"The White Lotus… they've sent aid? Well, I would have been much more pleased it if you had arrived sooner, but it makes no matter: you're here now and that will do," Pakku said, releasing a deep breath. "All three of you are members of…?"
"No. Only Zuko is," Katara said, firmly. "We're in an alliance with the White Lotus, however, and we were coming here to help you fight off the Fire Nation's invasion…"
"We hoped to get here before they attacked, but clearly…" Kino said, gritting his teeth as he watched the smoking airship in the bay – a dreadful stench permeated the air, of burning fuels and oils as the airship's collapse took its toll on the Fire Nation's fleet.
"Whatever answers you need, we'll give them in due time, but for now we have to fight back and make sure the Tribe survives," Zuko said, the words aching in places he hadn't thought they would: as different as the situation might be, it suddenly felt terribly reminiscent of the battle to save the Southern Water Tribe, many months ago.
"R-right…" said Pakku, though his eyes remained focused on Katara. "Nevertheless, I… I don't know you, do I?"
"No," Katara said, eyeing him warily. "Why would you? I'm from the Southern Water Tribe."
"Ah. I see," Pakku said, blinking blankly. "I suppose they train female benders in the arts of warfare there, do they?"
"Uh… what's that supposed to mean?" Katara said, with a dangerous smile. Kino winced and Zuko eyed Pakku with confusion… though it was Yue who stepped forward, placing a hand on Pakku's shoulder.
"Considering she has just saved many lives with her actions, including my own in the oasis? I cannot see the harm in the Southern Water Tribe's practices if that's the case, Master Pakku," Yue said. The man grimaced, eyeing her warily. "This is not the time to worry over traditions, Master."
"Oh, please," Katara said, with a skeptical smirk, shaking her head as she walked past Pakku. "Focus on what actually matters, will you? How do we defeat this fleet?"
"How?" Pakku said, turning towards her with confusion. "Well, if you are even more formidable than you were just now, be my guest and destroy the entire fleet at will, young lady. But I'm afraid that, short of that? I am as clueless as to how to stop them as any of you."
"So… you have no plan?" Kino asked, gazing at the man in utter despair. Pakku laughed.
"I would like to meet someone who could build an effective victory plan when, in the blink of an eye, he finds himself facing the end of the world," he said. "We have never been assailed by the Fire Nation's forces in this manner. Those airships with barrages of flames… I have not seen anything like it in the past ten years. We were not prepared, for we had no notion that we would be facing this kind of enemy force."
"We were supposed to get here before this began," Zuko hissed, fists tightened as he glared at the burning airship ahead. "But it looks like we underestimated the Fire Nation's possibilities. We didn't think they'd be ready to strike so soon…"
"You knew of this weapon?" asked Pakku.
"Our leader and some of our forces stopped them from installing the weapon in all the airships," Kino explained. "But unfortunately, we couldn't stop them from doing it with… five, was it?"
"Five only…?" Pakku said, breathing out slowly. "Well, it doesn't make matters that much smoother, but we have taken down multiple airships as it is, and at least two were loaded with this deadly weapon, counting that last one too. If only three remain… curses, but one of those is surely the Admiral's airship."
"So?" Kino said, raising an eyebrow…
Pakku huffed, pointing a finger towards the easternmost side of the city: hugging the wall, a large airship appeared to hover dangerously close to land, and the occasional bursts of flames by its catwalks gave away that they were attacking the buildings, perhaps in the hopes or the assumption that they would be able to kill hiding civilians that way…
"They entered the city while we were struggling to fight off the invasion forces," Pakku explained, with a snarl. "I can only imagine they disembarked and made for the oasis… Hahn's doing, I wager?"
"It seems so," Yue said, her face contorted with anger and disgust.
"The wretch," Pakku hissed, shaking his head. "Well, far too late to do anything but hope he dies ten times as painfully as our warriors have. We lack the forces to put a stop to that particular airship, I fear… and the airship you tore down also won't suffice to hold off their invasion."
Katara snarled, turning towards her handiwork to find that Pakku appeared to be right: moreover, the airship's flaming chassis was sinking in the bay and, once it was out of the way, more soldiers would take its place… more ships would sail in, bringing their occupation forces down on the Water Tribe once again.
"My… my brother's on his way to find the Admiral," she said, startling Pakku. "He might be able to stop that airship."
"Your brother?" Pakku repeated, perplexed. "Another waterbender?"
"No. He's the Gladiator," Katara answered curtly instead, unconcerned as to whether Pakku knew who she was talking about or not. "And he has the Avatar with him. They… they can do it. If anyone can, it's them."
"The… the Avatar?" Pakku gasped: that certainly had meant much more to him than Katara's initial declaration. "You have the Avatar with you? In your traveling group?"
"They're hunting down Zhao now," Zuko confirmed. "Katara's right: they'll be facing the airship soon. For now, our duty has to be to take a stand here and block them from doing any more damage to the city. I know it won't be easy… but we can try."
"We will try," Kino confirmed, nodding and standing firmly before Appa: Momo, aboard the saddle, chirped down at him, and Kino shook his head in his direction. "Stay with Appa, Momo. We've got serious trouble to fend off here, okay?"
"A firebender on our side…" Pakku said, eyeing Zuko intently. The Prince winced, but he didn't back down. "Never thought I'd see the day, but it's good to know some flames won't be aimed against us. You and your companions are more than welcome to join us… Yue is correct to say it's not the time to worry about propriety, of course."
Katara shot him a dirty glare: she certainly was in no mood to deal with old-fashioned concerns regarding the appropriate duties of her gender. If they survived, she'd ensure to give the foolish old master a piece of her mind, but for now…
The sinking airship was almost fully underwater. Katara breathed deeply, stretching out her arms and allowing the cold water to engulf her limbs. Zuko unsheathed his swords. Pakku and his waterbenders took up their own bending stances… and Kino stepped forward, hand on his blade as he trembled with uncertainty.
"What do I do?" he asked Katara, who shot him a quick glance. "Where do you want me to be? I…"
"You can't fight ranged. You don't have the weapons for it," Katara said, immediately. Kino winced.
"I know that, but…!"
"Stay back," Katara said. Kino's heart clenched until she gave him a clearer order: "Protect Princess Yue."
Out of everyone in the frontlines, Yue hadn't stepped forward with any intent to join the battle. Kino glanced in her direction, taking in her features much more clearly now that the fire of the exploded airship was slowly drifting into the sea… his brow drew together as he studied her carefully. Was he entirely out of his mind… or was she familiar for him, for some strange reason?
He swallowed hard, shaking his head and stepping closer to her. Yue gritted her teeth, eyeing him warily – she too appeared to only just be growing to understand who her allies were.
"I'll… I'll keep us safe," Kino said to her, earnestly. "I might not need to do much, the others are way stronger than me… but I'll do my best to protect you."
"You… you told me who the others were. But you didn't say anything about yourself," Yue said, startling him. Kino blinked blankly.
"I… oh. Well… I'm Kino," he said, simply. "I'm a deserter from the Fire Nation army. And I fight… I fight to end the Hundred Year War."
"You… turned on your people?" Yue repeated. Kino winced.
"It's not the best time to talk about it… but my only true home so far as been the Southern Water Tribe," he said. Yue's eyes widened. "That's where I met them, that's… that's where I learned to live. And now I fight to protect them, just as I want to protect you and your tribe too. I know I'm not as good as, well, all my friends, but… I want to do right by this world."
Yue gritted her teeth upon hearing those words: in truth, anyone who turned their backs on the Fire Nation in favor of a humbler life would be a rarity… but this particular young man had taken her by surprise. She felt tempted to ask if he had abandoned a family in doing so… to confirm he had never done anything as cruel as what Hahn had. But just by looking into his eyes, Yue found herself trusting this total stranger along with all his allies, far more deeply and earnestly than she had trusted Hahn in almost a decade of marriage.
"Then… then please do right by my tribe. Help protect my people, Kino," Yue said, her voice ringing with sincerity. Kino tensed up, shoulders squared as he nodded promptly, all motivations to protect her strengthening further over her last words… over the confidence she offered him, the willingness to trust him regardless of how dangerous and difficult the coming battles might be.
"Stay close to me, then," Kino said, turning to face the bay once more: new ships were pouring in, hot-air balloons descending towards the chaotic, broken ice shores… "I'll stand ready to help them, too, but for now… for now we stay here, and we wait until we're useful."
Yue sincerely doubted she'd be able to provide any usefulness to the situation anymore, for she was no warrior, no bender, nothing like Katara, who was ready to fight off the occupation forces right away. But even if just to support those among her people who now stood strong against the Fire Nation forces, she would ensure to stay and offer them whatever encouragement she could…
For no one knew how this battle would be won. At the time, much as was the case for Pakku, none of the new arrivals, including the Princess, had the faintest idea of how to turn the tides on as many ships as they had to defeat in order to save the Water Tribe. For even if a miracle happened now, the death toll would have been too great. Whatever happened in the next hours wouldn't change the sinking, damning truth that Yue hated to acknowledge: the Fire Nation might not have won this battle yet, but the Northern Water Tribe had certainly lost it.
The glide towards the location where Zhao had presumably run off to didn't take too long: Aang sped their way towards him silently, heart pounding over fear, over adrenaline, over that brief exchange with Katara mere moments before they took off. How he wished he had the time to properly process it… but the danger he and Sokka were about to face deterred him from those thoughts quickly.
"There!" Aang exclaimed, veering past a building, though many others still stood in their way.
Zhao was on his way to the only airship that had made it past the barrier's protectors and into the city. His airship, surely… he would retreat there, find strength in numbers, for his companions in the oasis had been killed unceremoniously already, but he'd surely seek reinforcements here. Zhao himself had solely survived due to the water… the same water that had healed Sokka from the wound Zhao had inflicted upon him. Sokka snarled, knowing he had to restrain himself this time… knowing that, regardless of Zhao's behavior, he'd have to hold back from killing the man, no matter how much he deserved it…
Rather, killing him again.
The feeling was still so vivid, more so than with the other soldiers he had successfully slain before him. Zhao had nearly crumbled, he had bled, his legs had been moments away from buckling… and all the while Sokka had been unable to think straight. He had failed to accept that he needed Zhao alive for the sake of their mission… he had failed to realize the man was the only answer, the only way to stop this battle and the relentless bloodshed. For his heart had been overtaken by his hatred… by his grief. By the knowledge that everything he had experienced in the Fire Nation had been as vivid and true as his slaying of the man he had once vouched for, the man to whom he had addressed his most helpless plea…
The man who now ambled through the Tribe's streets, accompanied by around twenty soldiers, vying for the airship that hovered lower still, in an empty area of the city's districts.
The same fury from before threatened to take over him, but Sokka snarled and shook it quickly: from this angle, the waterskin at Zhao's waist was perfectly in sight.
"Land on that rooftop, Aang!"
"W-what?" Aang gasped. Sokka shot him a meaningful stare: he had something in mind, and Aang had no choice but to trust that Sokka's new plan would pay off, whatever it might be.
The Gladiator let go of the Avatar once they were close enough to the roof in question: their landing wasn't entirely silent, but only one or two soldiers seemed alerted by the sound as Sokka ran to the edge of the roof, just as Aang dropped altitude and touched the ground as well, a few steps behind him.
Sokka withdrew his boomerang from its sheath, eyes quick to glare in the darkness of that night… though that darkness lifted suddenly, turning to brightness, when an ungodly noise and a flash of light, born from an explosion in the direction of the bay, seemed to spread towards them.
With that, Sokka had the perfect opportunity to deal the damage he had intended to: Zhao and his men stopped, taken by surprise by the destruction of that one specific airship… providing Sokka with the opening he sought.
He threw his boomerang powerfully: it soared past most the soldiers, only alerting them of its presence through the whistling sound of it cutting through the air…
"What is…?!" exclaimed one soldier, but his voice alerted the overwhelmed, wounded Zhao too late:
The boomerang spun at full speed, cutting across the top of the waterskin and causing the bag to drop cleanly on the ice.
The loss of that weight saw Zhao freezing on the spot: the edge of the boomerang had scraped against his armored leg, and he had sustained no damage by it… but a single glance at it gave away who was responsible for this new attack.
Zhao snarled, watching the boomerang's flight pattern… finding the man it belonged to was jumping off a rooftop and, in doing so, avoiding and dodging the fire blasts leveled in his direction by the soldiers accompanying Zhao.
"Sokka!" Aang called, shooting an array of airbending to disperse the fire that Sokka had almost leapt into.
The Gladiator didn't intend to slow down: his choice had been tactical, though his heart remained as troubled as it was before. He needed to restrain himself, and yet he found he barely could fathom doing so. He bolted past the soldiers, many of whom attempted to attack him as he gave chase to the man who, upon recognizing what was happening, had forsaken the destroyed waterskin and fled…
With Aang's help, the soldiers who sought to defend their leader failed to land any attacks… but most soldiers took off with Zhao anyway, intent on helping him reach the airship while those who stayed behind, hoping to buy time, fell quickly to Sokka's blade and club.
"Sokka, take it easy!" Aang exclaimed: Sokka hissed, knowing he'd have to deal with a moral reckoning for his actions eventually… one that he knew these soldiers wouldn't feel. One that he knew Zhao, in particular, would read as a sign of weakness, a source of mirth.
He shook his head as he approached the waterskin: three more soldiers had taken off in a hurry by then, allowing Sokka to kneel next to it… to find no water had spilled.
It was empty.
More fury and wrath surged in his gut at the realization. He snarled, fists clenched as he rose to his feet again, shooting a quick look at Aang.
"He drank the whole thing already!"
As much as he had wanted to protect the lives of the soldiers by not killing them needlessly, Aang's stomach sank upon learning Zhao had done such a thing… that he had attempted to strengthen his durability, to lengthen his lifespan, even, through the oasis's water. Was it even possible to kill him, at this point? What was the effect the water was having on him, anyway?
Perhaps the best way to keep Zhao's soldiers alive, and away from the carnage Sokka was inflicting recklessly, would be to allow Sokka to do as he wished: if Aang was understanding the water's properties correctly, the likelihood was that Sokka wouldn't be able to kill the Admiral anyway, even if he attempted to.
"I… I'll split them up. I'll take care of the soldiers, you handle Zhao!" Aang exclaimed. Sokka nodded, relieved by Aang's choice to not make a bigger fuss over Sokka's last kills. All that reckoning would indeed be left for later, once their mission was finished successfully…
There was a chance that it would be, provided Zhao didn't push Sokka's buttons to the point where the Gladiator lost all sight of what needed to be done, for a second time around.
Their next rush towards the escaping soldiers was led by Aang instead: the Avatar took to bending the ice underneath the Fire Nation's troops, almost as a warning of what was to come. Slowly, he guided the soldiers away from Zhao, even when many sought to stay by his side at all costs. Aang and Sokka ran side by side, on an elevated area of the tiered city streets, while Zhao and his men continued to run downhill, through a city layout they didn't know or understand. From his vantage point above them, Sokka could tell that none of the stairs that led down to the next tier were anywhere nearby right now. Only tall drops off the side of the streets stood ahead in Zhao's way.
Even so, the man kept running as the Avatar succeeded at weaning out soldier after soldier gradually: the time came, however, when Aang's patience wore thin: once Zhao sped up faster than the rest of the soldiers, taking advantage of their willingness to defend him, Aang stepped forward and crafted a tall wall between Zhao and his allies. The firebenders attempted to melt the freezing wall, but Aang breathed deeply and leapt among them: his own firebending stopped that of his foes first, before pushing them away from the wall, away from Zhao, with his airbending.
Sokka, however, kept running on the buildings, jumping from one rooftop to the next. His feet didn't slow down, his racing heart only seemed to beat faster: Zhao hadn't even bothered worrying about his fellow soldiers. He continued to run, hunched over, towards what Sokka could tell would be a dead end…
By Sokka's side stood ornamental ice pillars, no doubt cultural manifestations of the Northern Water Tribe. He only felt a smidge of guilt as he made up his mind to take advantage of his surroundings, just as his sword master had taught him to, so long ago.
He sped up further, running faster than Zhao just to enact his latest plan: using the horn-like ornaments that sprung out of the sides of the pillars to climb over it, Sokka sliced the thick column diagonally, breaking it effectively with Space Sword.
The pillar began sliding down on its own, but Sokka aided it further by kicking it violently: the massive projectile fell into the lower street… and it would land just at the place Zhao was about to reach with his clumsy, awkward gait.
He noticed the pillar's movement: Zhao screamed before jumping forward: the broken pillar struck down heavily, and Sokka didn't know for sure whether it had hurt Zhao or not… but he'd figure that out soon.
Without hesitation, he leapt from the base of the pillar to the broken part, to find Zhao struggling to stand… his leg had been squashed under the weight of Sokka's latest move, but it seemed the magical water he had consumed would still heal him, for he pushed himself back to his feet after a while, hands raised in a defensive gesture.
Sokka's stern glare bore into Zhao's own. Cold fury mixed with passionate, righteous anger appeared to clash with crazed rage and heartlessness.
Regardless of their needs, regardless of the purpose Zhao could still serve them, Sokka raised his sword in his direction. Zhao raised his arms, taking up a firebending kata, even on unsteady footing. Neither meant to surrender: neither one would relinquish victory to the other through anything short of death.