A/N- I must, I feel, begin with an apology (again). I actually just forgot to upload this. My bad. My fault. Entirely mine. As for a consistent upload schedule, I will upload the next chapter in two weeks(please remind me on the discord if I mess that up- here's a link- di sco rd. gg/ nh uJ Ftn Z (remove the spaces), and the next one after that two weeks after. Two releases in a month seem fine to me. Of course, you could skip all the waiting and read the next two chapters on pa-treon (same username as up here and the link's in my bio). Don't feel pressured, though. Everything will come up here soon enough.
XXXXX- COLONEL SHINSUKE
Shinsuke had lived his life on the edge for most of the time since he'd left the Academy. His father had been an Admiral in the military, and he was trained for years to follow in the footsteps of the Great Admiral Rensuke, scourge of the Water Tribes. Of course, that didn't come to pass, but he'd been trained for it nonetheless. Trained by a man who had no idea what the word "mercy" meant, needless of the utility of utilising it when training one own son.
But for all of that, for all his time at the front lines, nothing compared to facing off with the Old King. Shinsuke sent two powerful bolts of fire, but both of them were ignored as they washed on the stone that covered the older man's form and just like with everyone else's flames, they did nothing. Nothin at all, failing to even mark the stone.
Another powerful blast of fire left his fist as he grunted at the exertion. King Bumi slammed a foot against the ground, creating a powerful effect that tossed Shinsuke off his feet. He had no idea what had happened, except for the ground beneath his feet throwing him upwards and sending him sprawling.
He struggled to rise as he noted that his opponent was marching towards him. In his mind's eye, he saw the image of the Mountain superimposed on the one of the Old King. This was the second time in the span of a single year that he was coming this close to death. And this time, he wouldn't even have Amara with him in his final moments. The King marched slowly, taking pleasure in knowing that he was defeated and done for.
Shinsuke resolved not to close his eyes this time. He would welcome death like a man, and would do his absolute best to not dishonour his family in the last moments. His thoughts turned from them to Amara almost instantly. She was back at the camp, he thanked Agni. This attack would be a failure, but he was sure that whoever had been left in charge of the reserve would have the good sense to retreat once news got back to them that the brat failed to contain the Old King. From Amara, his thoughts turned to the Brat as the gauntlet of stone around the old man's fist reached down and grabbed him by the neck. It spoke of the earth bender's control that he hadn't snapped Shinsuke's neck from that moment alone. The brat had failed. Shinsuke had seen it coming- because who in their right mind expected a teenager to beat the strongest earth bender in the world-he still cursed the fool boy for the failure either way.
"Are you the one in charge of this lot?" The Old King's voice was surprisingly human for a being shrouded in stone. It was light and calm and airy like Shinsuke remembered his Grandmother's being. It had an undercurrent of persistent amusement in it. This was the voice of a man who laughed, and did it often. The thought of Bumi the Butcher laughing was preposterous to Shinsuke, and he actually chuckled at the absurdity.
It was clearly the wrong thing to do as his opponent- if you could call what unfolded between them a fight-reared a stony fist backwards and prepared to sever Shinsuke's tie to this world. Against his will, he flinched, closing his eyes as the fist came for him.
That was why he was surprised to still be able to think a second later. Another second passed, and he chanced opening his eyes to find the fist that had been about to kill him blocked by a clear transparent liquid. A watery wall. He breathed a sigh of relief, while cursing Amara for interfering. She didn't belong in a fight like this.
"Oi. I'm here for my rematch old man" A voice he'd never expected to hear again rang out. His eyes tracked the source as he stepped into Shinsuke's field of view. The boy looked like shite. His face was purpled, and what must have originally been a clean, immaculate outfit made of the finest materials had clearly seen better days. Mud dripped off his form as he walked forwards, getting closer and closer to the old king.
The Behemoth clad in stone merely grunted before tossing Shinsuke away with nary a care. He was sure the fall would have killed him if he didn't find himself caught by a watery hand.
Once he was sure he wasn't going to die anytime soon, he returned his attention to the confrontation taking place. "How did you even manage to survive that?" The Old King grunted with what Shinsuke would have mistaken for amusement had the voice come from any other source.
Suddenly, with no warning, the Old King stumbled forwards. "How fucking thick is this thing?" Shinsuke heard before he saw the reason for Bumi's shift. Right on his back with a spear stabbed into the nape of the King's stone armour stood the Zenin boy. The one who spent all his time around the brat. What was his name again? Jojo? Toni? No. Todo. It was Todo. Todo Zenin.
"You had a clear shot. How did you miss?" The brat shouted up at his friend who remained on the back of the imbalanced giant. Struggling to drive his spear any deeper.
"First of all, you were the one who said there'd be an opening right about here. It's nothing but solid stone best I can see." The Zenin boy said, still straining with all his strength as the Old King began to regain his balance, ending his stumbling and beginning to stand up straight.
"That's impossible. He wouldn't be able to move his head otherwise." The brat disagreed.
"I'm an earth bender, idiot boy. Why would I need to create gaps in my armour when I could just as easily bend the entire armour to move with me." The Old King said, making Natsu pale in a way that Shinsuke had never seen before.
"Get away from there, Toji" The brat shouted in alarm. Huh, so that was his name.
Credit where it was due, the other boy jumped out of the way almost immediately. Still, it was a second late, Shinsuke noted as he saw the blood dripping from the boy's wounds. The armour had shifted form in a split second as a thousand spikes now littered its form.
"Go get healed. You can't help much with this guy. I'll deal with him" The brat said.
"Bold words, boy. Especially considering what happened the last time we fought, not even two hours ago." The Old king said.
"I'll have your last words now, Bumi." He ignored, the Butcher's words like he did not care about them.
XXXXX- TOJI
"Will you now, boy? Come take them then" The Old King replied. Toji moved quickly to ensure that he would be in position for when the time came, and he got the opportunity, but he also made sure to keep an eye on the battle as it begun.
The old king was the first to move, covering the ground with a boost from his earth bending that meant that he was at Natsu's throat before the man could do more than inhale. Instead of exhaling air, his friend breathed out an actual firestorm that forced the King to stop in his tracks and bend up a wall to block him from the flames. Toji's vision was not blocked for long as the wall was cut in twain with a knife hand from his prodigious friend. Bumi, the crazy fart, was nowhere to be seen. Natsu suddenly jumped into the air, aided by two jets of flame from his feet.
The ground all around him turned into deceptively still sand. Quicksand, Toji guessed. The king tore through the sand and surfaced with several spikes of stone aimed at Natsu. He angled himself to dodge the attacks as each spear sailed past him with no effect. When he landed, it was with a roll into a flying kick that sent a massive wave of fire at his opponent. Bumi just allowed his stone to absorb the non-concentrated attack with no difficult.
Natsu's fingers twitched as his stance changed for a second. There was virtually no forewarning as in a second, Toji was forced to clean out his ears. Where Bumi had stood was a massive hole that tore through most of the city. It traced a clear path. A powerful lightning bolt. But one that had done nothing to help in the fight in the first place.
The next two spears sent at his friend were crushed with quick punches. He trusted his friend to have a hand on things as he walked deeper into the city to get a vantage point. He couldn't see the fight anymore, but the whooshing sounds made by massive waves of fire and rocks sent flying at speeds that would put the fastest ostrich-horse to shame reassured him that the fight was still ongoing. There was also the old king's insane laughter that had begun after their first exchange and hadn't stopped since then.
For better or for worse, Natsu was excellent at keeping the mad man's attention on him. Bumi hadn't even looked into his blindspot. A strange choice considering it was an attack to his blindspot that had allowed them to stall him for long enough for Natsu to get into the fight. Toji worked to make sure he was set up as he pulled out the bow and began notching an arrow. This was the second part of their plan. Even though Natsu was confident that he could take the Old King now, there was no point in risking it unnecessarily.
The fight had shifted in form in the time he'd taken his eyes from there. There was a massive wedge shaped shield of stone that was being battered down by attack after attack. Natsu was pummelling the King's position with heavy artillery in the form of powerful fire bending attacks. Natsu made him rethink just how dangerous a bender could be. Barely even old enough to drink and strong enough to put the Butcher of Omashu on the back-foot. Suddenly, the earth dome exploded outwards in a barrage of smaller stones.
Natsu dove at the area where the King had previously been to find nothing. Toji could see the earth shake as Natsu jumped away. Where he had been, a series of spears poked out of the ground. Each of them detached from the ground, and Toji turned to the side to see the Old King with his hands raised and body trembling from the exertion. The spears shot at Natsu as one, and he retreated, practically flying into the city to get out of the way of the attack or find something to put between himself and the spear.
Toji watched his oldest friend stumble as one of the spears clipped his shoulders, but he kept moving nonetheless. The Old King made pursuit, shoved forwards on his raised stone platform that tore apart the ordered cobblestone streets of Omashu as he moved. Natsu jumped into a house but was forced to jump right back outside through a different window as the entire house came crashing down. The Butcher of Omashu clearly had no qualms about property damage. Only Natsu's youth, agility, and fire bending skill allowed him to keep ahead of his opponent as they tore through the village in their fight.
Bumi chased him across a corner and was forced to bend over backwards to dodge out of the way of a flame enhanced dropkick. Natsu landed on his feet and continued his run. His opponent stabilised himself and wasted no time continuing the pursuit. Suddenly, instead of jumping through another building, Natsu adjusted the angle of his jump. His foot planted itself on the window sill, and he jumped right backwards, aiming for his pursuer. This fake-out was less effective than the first, as a wall appeared in his path. The Earth bender didn't even flinch. Natsu used the rock wall as a platform to jump forwards and onto the system of chutes that marked the city.
"Stupid plan" Bumi laughed and then steadied his stance. Once again, the man's surprisingly old and muscular frame shook as he brought the entire chute system to a halt. And then he cackled further as the carriage Natsu was riding began to reverse its course. This was the best opportunity he would ever get. The man was focused, tired and had sapped most of his energy on grand displays of power.
Toji silently nocked the bow. He took a deep breath to steady himself. His aim was impeccable. All he had to do was kill an old man. One arrow to the base of the skull. That was all he needed. He drew the arrow and then exhaled as he let it loose. It sailed through the air with all the force of his strength and Toji let out a breath he didn't even notice he'd been holding as he saw it was about to hit. And then the impossible happened. Somehow, the ground Bumi was standing on rotated itself, and he was face to face with the arrow. He lifted both his hands and clapped down on the arrow. The force made him take a step back, but that was the best Toji was able to achieve.
"Hahaha. I knew you'd try another sneak attack. You're a sneaky one aren't…" His voice cut off with a gurgle. In his celebrations, the old man had failed to take account of his enemy.
The left side of Bumi's chest had a hand sticking right out of it. A hand that glowed red-hot. Natsu smiled at him from his position and he smiled back. Just like clockwork. Natsu pushed the body off his hand and then fell on his arse. Toji hastened to get to him. Amara hadn't been able to perfectly heal him, and the other small wounds he'd accumulated in his second fight with Bumi had to add up.
XXXXXXX- MASASHI
He'd come to discover over time that he quite liked his job. Working as the cupbearer to the firebird meant that he had access to some of the most interesting briefings and news. He was basically a god in the palace when it came to access to information. Everyone tried to be in his good graces because he had all the best gossip. He was also watched over by a guard at virtually every instance to make sure he didn't do anything stupid like conspire to poison the Firelord. He also, technically, served as the FireLord's winemaster. Having the person who served the drink take the first step of tasting it was just the kind of efficiency that the Fire nation would promote.
That meant he got to have all the best gossip, taste all the best wine, and walk around like a lesser noble with a guard. All for the small, minor risk of being killed if he managed to irritate the Fire Lord. He was the third to be appointed to the position in as many years, but he'd already lasted as long as both of his predecessors combined.
He knew just how to deal with Fire Lord Ozai and his moods. He knew how to prevent the Fire Lord from turning any negative intentions on him. The secret, as his mother had taught him, was a combination of honesty and arse kissing in the right ratio. That was beside the point, however. A meeting like this was just what made his job so enjoyable. Other than the healthy salary, of course.
"So what is the report from Sung's division?" The Fire Lord asked, talking to High General Hiro. The wizened old man nodded to acknowledge the question and then took a deep breath. He was measured with his words, the High General. He never spoke more than necessary and so was careful to choose his words for maximum impact.
"The flag of the Fire Nation now flies on the walls of Omashu. Colonel Natsu took the head of the Butcher of Omashu." He said, giving the report in a cold tone, like he was discussing the weather and not the greatest military victory the Fire Nation had enjoyed in over a decade. Applause sounded out as the entire command council applauded the news. He walked forward to refill the Fire Lord's cup and noted that he was smiling. Even the Fire Lord was happy with the news. Of course, he was. This was the kind of Victory that cemented a reign as a success.
"Beautiful" he said, ending all the noise with his voice. None would dare interrupt the Fire Lord as he spoke.
"This is great news. Have it sent out at Midday tomorrow, when Agni is highest in the sky. This victory is worthy of celebration. Send it all across the Nation" He commanded. The smile on his face was audible in his voice. All the Generals and members of the Command Council were smiling as well. The Fire Lord's mood was infectious.
"And Zhao's plan? How is that coming along?" He asked, still pleased.
Now, it was one of the Admirals who answered, "Word is being sent across the military of a massive operation, but the specifics are still kept secret. We are freeing up resources all across the board to join in on the assault." He said.
"Perfect. Have Sung and half his battalion reassigned to join Zhao. The two of them working together might be just what we need for this to come to fruition."
"Yes, My Lord. I will have it done".
"Also grant Sung a promotion. Sign it in my name. He has proven himself." He said.
"And the remnants of General Sung's battalion, My Lord?" One of the Generals asked, while taking notes on the scroll in front of him.
"Grant a promotion to the one who killed the earth savage. He will take command of the force under strict orders to consolidate our hold on Omashu while a Governor is assigned for the province. Your grandson is doing splendid work, is he not, Natsu?" The Fire Lord said, turning at his last sentence to address another member of the Council. Lord Wu.
"Yes, My Lord. He is bringing honour to the family name."
"Splendid. Maybe if he continues to perform beyond expectations then wedding bells might ring across the palace soon" The old man looked about to have a heart attack from sheer joy. The entire council was silent at that, several of the older Lords looking confused. One in particular, Lord Shibai, looked mutinous. But no one said anything. The Fire Lord had spoken. It took Masashi a few seconds to parse the hidden message of what had been said and remember the right context.
The Fire Lord had just hinted at lifting a punishment placed by his own father. And even more than that, he'd hinted at lifting the punishment with a marriage to his own daughter. That was something else. Something more.
XXXXXXX- NATSU THE ELDER
"Is there any truth to the reports?" East asked. Hesitant and sceptical as always.
"There is. Numerous sources have confirmed it. He was last spotted on Kyoshi Island off the coasts of the Earth Kingdom's mainland." South replied.
"So the Avatar walks among us again. And in the form of a 12-year-old child. The spirits are cruel to force a burden so large on the shoulders of one so young." North's voice rang out from his position at the table.
"All the better for our plans, I think. He is not yet fully realised and will be even easier to kill before that happens" He said, offering his own thoughts on the matter.
"And the Prince's position? We had assumed his banishment to be permanent, with the thought that the Avatar was dead and gone. Now, there is a path for his return. His return could ruin all that we had worked for" South put down his cup of tea to offer his concerns.
"The Fire Lord has no interest in seeing the return of his 'failure of a son'. If Prince Zuko somehow succeeds in the capture of the Avatar then his reward shall be a knife in the dark" He replied, putting an end to that train of thought.
The rest of the room nodded, not particularly surprised with the reality of things. Azula was the presumptive heir as things stood now, and they doubted that Firelord Ozai would go through all the trouble of training her as such and then abandon her in favour of another for the role. And then there was no reason for him to do so. Zuko was older, but Ozai himself had set precedent when he inherited over Iroh, the elder.
And then if the matter of Azula being a woman becomes a thing to be mentioned, then he would be the first to point out that Fire Nation had never been barbaric like the other nations on the matter. All Children of Agni were equal under him, man or woman. All that mattered was that she was blessed with the gift of fire. None could contest that fact about the Princess. The only prodigy he could have compared her to was his Grandson, and even then, he had difficulty determining which of them was the greater prodigy as things stood.
Surely, she had the blue fire. A great gift from Agni himself. But his Grandson had called upon the cold fire. The only one outside the royal family to display the power. It had not been so long ago when Firelord Hideko called upon the cold fire to show the nation that he was the rightful heir and not his grasping cousin. The cold fire was a sign of royalty. The fact that his Grandson had shown that gift without any royal tutelage was a sign that their course was the rightful one.
"It is good to see that our prospect remains active and capable. He shows great promise, West. I am pleased you did not lie to us" North said, fixing him with his gaze.
"Not a word from these lips were exaggerated. The boy is gifted by Agni. Our cause is a righteous one" He replied.
"Indeed. To kill the Butcher of Omashu at such an age. It beggars belief" East commented, adding his own two cents.
"I agree. But how shall we use that to our advantage?" South asked, keen to keep moving forward as always.
"It is easy in the end. West must impress on the Firelord that the present orders are not palatable. Convince him that the boy must expand. He is to take the Earth Kingdom and cover himself in glory while the Princess remains here, sheltered. In the end, the Firelord will be the one begging for a match to be made. And then our plans can truly begin. "
"I will do my duty, but it will be difficult to convince him to change his mind."
"Do what you must. I have a feeling that the conquest of the North Pole will not go as planned. Subsequently, intensify your efforts. He will agree with you. Now, our time has come to an end." North said, and so the meeting began to disperse. He was the first to leave, making sure that no one noticed his movements as he left the room.
A/N: Finished. I sincerely hope that was good. I've agonised over writing this fight for so long. I actually had to rewrite it three times, and this is the only version I've been able to say that I am even vaguely comfortable with. Like I said earlier, you can either wait till Thursday, the 29th of August, for the next chapter or skip the waiting and read as I write on pa-treon (same username as up here- link in bio). Both are equally valid actions, so no rush.