AVATAR: EMPIRE OF ICE
BOOK 3: JUSTICE
CHAPTER 8: MUD PART 2
THUNDERCLAP
Rain. Rain falling in large bushels from the clouds.
Rain falling on the broken cobblestone.
Rain splattering on the bodies and the body parts.
Batua is standing underneath an enormous ice umbrella, biding his time. He turns to see Kuatak, his #2 for the mission, staring him down.
Kuatak is chewing on something, wordlessly staring at Batua.
Finally, Batua sticks out his hands.
Batua
Hello? Anybody in there?
Kuatak keeps chewing, then he finally spits it out and addresses Batua.
Kuatak
Emperor.
Batua
Yes?
Kuatak
You like being the Emperor?
Batua scratches his head in thought, before he turns indignant.
Batua
What kind of stupid question is that?
Kuatak
(Shrugs) It's just a question.
Batua
Who wouldn't like it? Huh? Who wouldn't want to have all that power? An idiot, that's who.
Kuatak shrugs again, seeming to agree.
Batua side-eyes Kuatak once more before opening up a pouch and retrieving a piece of fruit tart. He chomps down on it and turns to the battlefield.
Batua
(Chewing) No more questions, alright? (Crumbs fall out of his mouth) Just do your job.
Kuatak
Yes, sir.
Batua
(Grumbling under his breath) …Finish this pointless mission as soon as possible…
Shamo looks over.
GALLOPING
The Kamakoi soldiers finally make it to the surface of the town. They locate the trap-doors and kick them open, funneling down into the catacombs.
The drums and the strings swell up as they and their eelhounds make it down to the real Tang's Fortress.
Captain Nuruk
There they are.
The apartment complex is lit up, indicating full and stationed apartments. He leads his men to them, cautiously, until one of them pipes up.
Tonro
Sir… (Trembling) What if it's another trap door?
Nuruk
Really? You think they dug even under-er ground than this?
Tonro
Maybe?
Nuruk
(Narrows his eyes) I don't like cowards on my team. Are you a coward, cadet?
Tonro
No, sir.
Nuruk looks at him for a while.
Nuruk
I don't believe you… (Fishes something out of his pocket) Eat this.
Tonro takes it from Nuruk's hand. Some sort of bright red berry. Tonro pops it in his mouth and then immediately squeals in pain.
Nuruk laughs heartily as the kid chokes it down with tears in his eyes.
Nuruk
Well, I guess you're not a coward. (Slaps him on the back) Now, let's go! No mercy! You understand me?!
Soldiers
No mercy!
Nuruk
(Louder) WHAT DO WE SAY?!
Soldiers
NO MERCY!
Tonro
(Choking) No mercy...
We cut to the inside of one of the apartments. The light that they saw wasn't from a candle, it was from a fuse, coated with combustible powder. As it burns, the powder sparks with a yellow glow.
-The door flies off its hinges. In stride 2 soldiers atop an eelhound, bearing daggers.
S1
SHOW YOURSELF-
BOOM!
They get blown to bits. Nuruk pulls on the reins and signals the rest of them to stop.
Nuruk
PULL BACK!
The apartments are full of blasting jelly, and they all start going off.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Gyan flies up to the surface with Ziri on his back. She looks down at the apartments and notices that the majority of the soldiers managed to stay away from the blast radius. Then she frowns.
Cut to a close up of Ziri and Yamani's apartment blowing up.
Gyan and Ziri land on the surface from below and Ziri finds Yamani, who is setting something in place on the ground.
Ziri
Yamani.
Yamani
Ziri.
The two hug each other tight.
Quiet booms from below…
Then Yamani pulls back with an inquisitive look.
Ziri
(Shaking her head) They went off too soon. Only a couple got caught.
Yamani
…Our apartment?
Ziri nods.
Ziri
Well… Phase two.
Then she gets moving-
Yamani
Wait!
Ziri stops, looking back.
Yamani
We should wait. There's only a hundred men down there, maybe less.
Ziri
What? We can't wait!
Yamani
Ziri, we have to make the most of this! Lead as many down there as possible! Take them all out!
Ziri
…This is all of them. Right?
Yamani looks Ziri in the eyes and then shakes her head. Ziri steps back.
Ziri
More… Ships?
Yamani nods.
Ziri
A lot more?
Yamani nods.
Ziri
We-, we-, we do it anyway! Self destruct. And then we run!
Yamani
They won't buy it!
Ziri
What else can we do?! Those men will come back up and tell everyone it's a decoy, and then the search for the real fortress begins! And from what you're telling me, Yamani, they have enough soldiers to leave no stone unturned!
Yamani
(Blinks) …You're right. POSITIONS, PEOPLE!
Kato and Jinhai get into position, uneasily, amongst the rest of the earthbenders. They all form a circle around the surface town.
Cut to one of the citizen's faces. She has a tear rolling down her cheek.
Woman
Goodbye…
From a bird's eye view, the surface town collapses, crumbling down onto the real town.
Nuruk looks up at the falling ceiling in fear.
Nuruk
Looks like you were right!
Torno can hardly speak with a swollen face.
Tonro and Nuruk bend muddy water out of a puddle and make a shield with it. The first chunk smashes into the shield, breaking it.
Nuruk
…Sorry, kid!
Nuruk then grabs Tonro and uses him as a human shield, saving himself from the remaining impact.
Kamui is watching from the surface, staring at the hole from a distance. He watches as the earthbenders scurry away, heading off somewhere, and then he narrows his eyes.
Kamui
No… You wouldn't. (Smirks)
Suddenly a rock wall shoots up, and several projectiles are punched out of it. Kamui makes a water whip out of the rain and destroys them, then he shoots a blast of water at the wall, blowing it apart.
The attackers start to hightail it, until Kamui uses the water whip like a lasso to grab one of them. He yanks the earthbender towards him, then he puts a dagger to his throat.
Kamui
Where is Tang?
The earthbender points to the hole in the ground.
Earthbender
He's dead-
Kamui angrily pokes the dagger into the earthbender's throat, making him flinch. Kamui looks him in the eyes, and then slowly retracts the dagger.
Kamui
You don't even know, do you?
Earthbender
Know what?
Kamui stabs the guy through the throat and then drops him to the ground. He signals his eelhound to keep going.
Yamani, Ziri, Kato, Jinhai and the rest of that earthbending team run from the approaching army towards the mountains. Ziri suddenly stops.
Ziri
We can't do this.
Yamani, Kato, and Jinhai stop, while the rest of the earthbenders keep running in panic.
Yamani
Why?!
Ziri
We're just leaving the rest of them to die.
Kato
They have enough food and water for a few weeks, right?
Yamani
Right.
Ziri
But what if they find them? What about Tang? What about Jang?
Yamani
Jang is in no state.
Kato
What? What happened?
Yamani is suddenly wide eyed.
Yamani
Oh, nothing.
Kato raises his eyebrow, and then walks towards Yamani.
Kato
What happened to Jang?
Yamani
He's fine! He'll be fine, and it won't help him to worry!
Kato
I'm going back.
Jinhai
What?
Kato
I can't abandon him. Not again.
Jinhai grabs Kato by the arm, and then they both suddenly look at each other with a surprised expression, before looking over Ziri's shoulder.
Ziri
What?
Ziri turns around to look, and then sees that all of the earthbenders are running back towards them.
ASCENDING STRINGS
Beyond the earthbenders, another Kamakoi squadron is approaching from the west. We cut to General Ato, leading the charge atop his eelhound.
Yamani
They're coming from both sides.
We see a bird's eye view. The Kamakoi are approaching from the east and west, and there's nowhere to run. The earthbenders huddle together and form a phalanx, using the earth as shields. Meanwhile, Yamani takes off in her glider.
Ato
Come on, boys! Are we gonna let these savages get away with this?!
He forms an ice dagger, and the rest of them do the same.
Ato
ATTACK!
Yamani flies by and attempts to dole out a controlled stream of hot pepper powder, but the sack slips out of her hands.
Yamani
Forks!
And it lands on Ato's head.
Ato screams and falls off his eelhound. He lands in a coughing fit, trying to claw the sack off of himself. Then he gets crushed by the stampede.
Yamani nearly gets a dagger through the lung, but she swerves out of the way. The earthbenders in the phalanx are shooting rocks from inside, while the Kamakoi are shooting them with ice daggers. It's a madhouse of projectiles.
Kato can barely see, save for a tiny eye hole in the rock. A piece of shrapnel hits his wrist and he nurses it. Jinhai looks over at him and they nervously hold hands.
Ziri is also inside the phalanx. She looks around in desperation, wondering what she can do.
Rain falls down on the rubble below. Kamui is peering down at the ruined fortress with an unsure expression. He looks around and sees the scuffle to the west. And then he looks at the shore to the east.
He narrows his eyes and then rides off.
Below, the dust has settled. The rain quietly drips on the slabs of rock and debris. The camera slowly zooms in, before Captain Nuruk's hand reaches out from beneath. He fully emerges, coughing up soot.
His whole squadron is defeated. He looks around him at the destruction, and then looks up towards the surface.
FRANTIC STRINGS
Eelhounds are chomping at the structure, going for any uncovered limb, getting some fingers—And some stone projectiles in the eye.
The last of the Tang's Fortress earthbending warriors, Kato and Jinhai included, are stuck inside the stone phalanx, desperately trying to fend off a Kamakoi assault three times their size. All that separates them from death is a foot-wide layer of rock. They are constantly trying to fling projectiles out, but this means exposing their arms to the attack.
The Kamakoi are all around them, shooting ice projectiles and ramming their eelhounds into the sides of the phalanx, trying to break it down.
General Ato's body lies on the ground, broken. His eelhound whimpers and licks his face.
Yamani is still flying above, trying to figure out some way to salvage the situation.
Inside the phalanx, Ziri shakes her head.
Ziri
No.
Then she starts to move her way to the top of the structure, but Jinhai grabs her leg.
Jinhai
Don't get crazy!
Ziri
I have to do something!
Jinhai shakes her head.
Jinhai
Ziri!
Ziri shakes her head, then she continues climbing. She removes one of the stones, making her way out, then she stands on top of the structure.
Yamani sees her climb out. Ziri looks up and waves.
Yamani
What are you doing?
Ziri takes a deep breath. We can see her fingers are trembling and sweaty. She looks out at the circle of Kamakoi surrounding her, and then she closes her eyes.
She gets into position, and begins to feel the positive and negative energy around her. As she circles her hands, an arc of electricity forms.
She gets ready to send the energies crashing back together…
And then her foot slips on the wet stone.
Ziri loses control and the energy comes crashing together as a blast of fire, which shoots towards one of the eelhounds.
BOOM!
Now all of the Kamakoi have spotted her. Yamani's eyes widen.
Yamani
Ziri, no.
The eelhounds are running up the side of the phalanx, heading towards her.
Yamani
NO!
Ziri manages to lower herself down in time. She covers the hole back up, but the eelhounds are on top of it, putting strain on the structure.
Yamani lands on the ground and rubs her hands together.
Yamani
What do I do, what do I do?!
Dust is falling from the ceiling of the phalanx. The seams are starting to wear out. And then…
BOOOOOOOOM!
Lightning drops from the sky, striking the center of the phalanx. Some Kamakoi are blown up, but more importantly, the structure explodes in a fountain of burning rocks. They're completely exposed now.
Yamani shakes her head.
STRINGS BUILD
Once the Kamakoi get their bearings again, they start heading for the prize.
Yamani
Laghima's bones…
Yamani snatches gallons of air, collecting it as fast as she can. The earthbenders raise their weapons. Kato and Jinhai watch as the horde zeroes in.
The Kamakoi raise their ice daggers.
Yamani compresses all the air she can into a tiny ball. The sheer force of containing it causes a vein to pop out of her head.
(Represented by the sound of a violin string getting tuned so tight it's about to pop)
The Kamakoi are just about to meet our heroes, and then-
In a sound-shattering moment, Yamani smacks the ball of air, blowing everyone's ears out.
Silence… Everything goes black…
BARKS, WHIMPERS
The eelhounds are running around in circles, throwing Kamakoi off their backs and going in all directions just to get away from the source of the ear pain.
Kato and Jinhai rise from the ground, clutching their heads, as do the rest of the earthbenders. Gyan grabs his glider and opens it up, moving his jaw around.
Gyan
I'm gonna find Tang before they do.
Ziri nods and Gyan takes off. Kato then turns towards the forest.
Kato
I need to find Jang.
Jinhai
What?! Mushi!
Kato
I'm sorry! You know I would never ask you to come with me!
Jinhai anxiously looks at the battle, then back at Kato. She punches him on the arm.
Jinhai
Of course I'm coming with you!
He nods, and then Kato and Jinhai run off to the north.
Then the earthbenders turn towards the remaining Kamakoi. It's a much fairer fight now. The Kamakoi raise their weapons and the earthbenders raise theirs.
Meanwhile, Ziri makes her way through the crowd, setting a Kamakoi's hair on fire, before finding Yamani sitting atop a rock on the outskirts of the battle.
Ziri shakes her head.
Ziri
I'm sorry. I don't know why I tried something so reckless and stupid. I just… I felt so powerless…
Yamani looks up at Ziri, not saying anything. Ziri grabs her hand.
Ziri
Talk to me. Please.
Yamani still says nothing. Ziri raises her eyebrow and then looks into Yamani's eyes.
In Yamani's POV, Ziri mouths her name but it doesn't get through.
Nothing gets through. All Yamani can hear is a loud RINGGGGGGGGGGGG-
Kato and Jinhai are heading north through an underground tunnel, running at top speed, before Jinhai grabs Kato by the arm and stops him.
Kato
What?
Jinhai
We need to talk.
Kato
About?
Jinhai
You want to go all the way back to save this guy? I mean, who is he? Why does he mean so much to you?
Kato shakes his head and starts to pace.
Kato
He's been through a lot…
Jinhai
Mushi.
Kato looks up at her.
Jinhai
I bared my soul for you. Give me something.
Kato shakes his head again.
Jinhai
Please.
Kato
...Jang taught me everything I know. And he sacrificed his whole life to do it. His whole life… (Sighs) But they all do, I suppose…
Jinhai narrows her eyes.
Jinhai
I don't understand…
Kato looks back at her, tears forming in his eyes.
Jinhai
…But I want to trust you.
Kato looks down.
Kato
We should keep going.
Jinhai nods, and then grabs Kato's hand.
A little later, Kato and Jinhai come across a hatch. Kato climbs up the ladder and gently opens it. The hatch leads to the inside of a decrepit house on the edge of the forest. Kato looks around and determines it to be safe.
He motions for Jinhai to come up, then he hears footsteps-
Creak…
A pair of boots walks around the corner, and Kato is suddenly face to face with a Kamakoi.
But not just any Kamakoi, the alleged leader of them all; his brother Batua.
Their mouths both drop open.
Beat.
Jinhai
(Whispering from below) What is it?
Kato slowly looks down at Jinhai and puts his finger to his mouth.
She nods and climbs down the ladder. Then he turns back to Batua, who is so red in the cheeks he can hardly even face Kato.
So he looks down at his feet instead.
Batua
(Shaking his head) I… I…
Kato, in turn, becomes irate. He grabs Batua by the collar.
Kato
What did you do?
Then they hear the front door open.
Creak…
More footsteps—A lot more.
Batua
Go back down. Quickly!
Kato nods and climbs back down the ladder, shutting the hatch above him. Batua quickly slides a rug over it, then turns to face his crew.
Shamo
What was that?
Batua
(Flop Sweat) Huh?
Shamo
Were you talking to someone?
Batua blinks, and then adjusts.
Batua
Yeah. Myself. Got a problem with that?
Shamo
Nope…
The camera pans from Shamo over to Kuatak, who is still chewing something. Kuatak's eyes flick over to the rug.
Cut to Kato and Jinhai, underneath. Kato has his hand over Jinhai's mouth, and vice versa. They wait patiently until they hear Batua's team walk away from the hatch. Then they both sigh in relief.
Jinhai turns to Kato.
Jinhai
Who was that?
Kato gulps.
Kato
I don't know…
Quiet, twisted strings…
We cut to a close up of Gyan, lying on the ground and moaning in pain. The camera pans over to an ice dagger sticking out of his chest.
An eelhound strides over, and Kamui jumps down from it, looming over Gyan with an intrigued look.
Gyan
(Weak) I can't… The children…
Kamui
Oh, I don't care about them. You, however,-
Kamui's hands lower, gripping Gyan by the temples.
Kamui
You know things, don't you?
Gyan
Wait-
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
A dragon-beetle flies by, bathed in electrical blue light. Kamui gets up close to Gyan and speaks slowly.
Kamui
Where is your leader?
Gyan desperately tries to resist, but he can't fight it.
Gyan
(Monotone) Under the forest.
Kamui's eyes widen.
WAR DRUM
Kamui
Where? Where in the forest? How do you find the entrance?
Gyan
I have a map.
Kamui lets go and starts rifling through Gyan's pockets.
Gyan
(Woozy) No…
Then Kamui finds a scroll. He opens it and smiles with satisfaction, before rolling it back up.
Kamui
Yamani adores a good map, doesn't she?
He rises to his feet.
Gyan
Please…
Kamui
Please, what?
Gyan
Don't do this…
Kamui rolls his eyes, before he bends the dagger further into Gyan, causing him to scream and then go silent. Kamui wipes the blood off on his coat and jumps back on his eelhound, pointing him in the direction of the forest.
RISING STRINGS
Kamui kicks the eelhound in the side. The eelhound roars and starts galloping.
The camera looks up at the treetops as the rain falls down.
Yamani flies overhead with Ziri on her back. They land on the forest floor and Yamani closes her glider.
RINGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Yamani looks at Ziri, then she looks over at a spot of ground. Ziri rubs her shoulder in support.
Ziri
(Mostly to herself) The medic will know what to do. Yeah. Yeah…
They walk over to the spot and Yamani blows the foliage out of the way, revealing a hatch. She is just about to open it when Ziri hears something behind her. She turns to Yamani and points, and Yamani nods.
The two quickly cover the hatch again and hide behind a tree.
They watch for a moment, and then they see Kamui make his way through the forest on his eelhound. Ziri turns to Yamani and Yamani nods.
Yamani
(Whispering) Kamui.
Ziri looks back at him and narrows her eyes.
Ziri
But how is he…
Kamui rides up to the spot of ground and then stops.
Kamui
I know you're there.
Ziri's eyes go wide and she pulls Yamani back.
Kamui takes the rain and slices through the entire trunk in one swing. The top half of the tree tips over and falls to the ground, revealing Yamani and Ziri.
Kamui gazes at Yamani, and then turns his attention to Ziri.
Kamui
Hello, I don't think we've met.
Ziri ignites her hands. The rain causes them to steam.
Ziri
Stay away from us.
Kamui smirks and then looks back at Yamani.
Kamui
You know what I do with people who don't comply?
Kamui steps off of his eelhound. Yamani puts Ziri behind her.
Kamui
I could kill your fiery little friend right now. And then, (Gestures to the hatch) I could go downstairs and kill all of them too.
Yamani blinks.
Kamui
I want you to know that I could easily do that. (Shrugs) And who knows, maybe I will after this is all over!
Ziri grits her teeth.
Kamui
But all of that is nothing compared to the true prize.
Yamani doesn't react to this. Kamui raises his eyebrow in confusion.
Kamui
Um… Hello?
Ziri
She can't hear you.
Kamui narrows his eyes, then he starts walking towards her. Ziri squares up, but Yamani doesn't even flinch. Kamui takes the map out of his pocket and displays it for Yamani, pointing right to the hatch labeled 'Tang'.
Yamani closes her eyes and lets out a big sigh.
Ziri looks at the map and then at Kamui.
Ziri
You took that from Gyan.
Kamui
(Shrugs bashfully) Oops…
Ziri
What happened to him?
Kamui
What do you think?
Ziri growls, and then she forms a blast of fire, winding it up to throw. Kamui turns the rain into an ice shackle and drags Ziri by the wrist, trapping her against a nearby tree.
Kamui pats Yamani on the head before jumping on his eelhound and riding off.
Ziri
YAMANI!
Yamani blankly watches as Kamui disappears behind the foliage.
Ziri
YAMANI, DO SOMETHING!
Yamani turns to Ziri, before looking at the ground. She falls to her knees.
Ziri
Yamani?
Ziri lights up her hand, melting the shackle from her wrist. Once she falls back down to the ground, she runs over to Yamani and grabs her by the face.
Ziri
Wha-... What are you doing?
Yamani looks up at her.
Ziri
You understand the gravity of this situation?! Right?!
Still, Yamani says nothing.
Ziri
Tang practically raised us, and ever since you had that meeting with him, it's like-... It's like there's something that you're not telling me! You can tell me anything, you know that!
Yamani bursts into tears.
Ziri almost seems alarmed by Yamani's loud sobbing, but she pulls her closer.
Ziri
Hey…
Yamani lets it all out. And then…
Wind-chime…
Yamani sends a spiritual signal to Ziri, and Ziri's face blanches over. She lets go of Yamani and takes a step back.
Ziri
He did what?
An eerie string turns into a languid groove over war drums…
20 Earthbender soldiers are standing inside the palace, pointing their weapons at the door. Tang is hiding behind them desperately searching for the last of his smokeables. He finally finds it and stuffs it into his pipe, but the door blows open, causing the smokeables to pop out again as he jumps in fear.
Kamui lands on the ground, spinning an array of ice daggers around him. The earthbending team is shaking in their boots, but they go into formation and raise their weapons.
In one continuous shot, Kamui takes out all 20 of them in a ballet of blood and fingers. The camera pans over to Tang, who is now utterly calm. He lights up.
Tang
Welp… (Puff) I still consider this a victory.
Kamui
(Tilts his head) Is that so?
Tang
Just picture it, Kamui, picture it. All the fish-heads who died here today, under your watch. (Puff) Broken and bloody and weeping for their mamas. (Shakes his head, takes another puff) But they'll never see their mamas again…
Kamui chuckles sarcastically, and then he raises his eyebrows, genuinely surprised at the words coming out of Tang's mouth.
Kamui
You take pleasure in it.
The smoke rises slowly in front of Tang's face.
Tang
And you don't?
Kamui
Not in the killing, no… Not even in the pain.
Tang raises his eyebrow.
Kamui
It's the domination.
Kamui raises a stream of water, turning it into a sphere and then forming the ATLA world landmass over its surface.
Kamui
The world is mine, Tang. All mine. And do you know why that is?
Tang
Tell me. (Puff)
Kamui
Because I've taken it.
Kamui crushes the globe into a fine snow. He lets it sprinkle down to the floor, and then he looks up. Tang's face hidden behind a cloud of smoke.
—Tang bends a rock out of the ground, aimed directly at Kamui's groin. Kamui jumps out of the way. Then Tang throws his lit pipe at Kamui's face, hitting him in the eye.
Kamui
AGH!
Tang makes a dive for it, but he already has a vice around his neck. Kamui smirks as he pulls the line, dragging Tang back like a fish out of water.
He turns Tang around and looks him up and down.
Kamui
You are a fine specimen.
Tang spits in his face. Kamui wipes it off of his face with a handkerchief and then tilts his head.
Tang
Listen, buddy.
Kamui
Uhuh?
Tang
(Manic) No matter what you do to me or my people, nothing can change the facts.
The camera slowly zooms in on Tang as he pontificates.
Tang
Nothing can change what happened here today! You lost half your army! Maybe more! You think the world isn't gonna notice?!
Kamui
Do you know how vast my empire is? A thousand Kamakoi babies are born every day.
Tang
Destined to die. Listening to a man who got bamboozled by a teenager! Oh, the humiliation!
Kamui
(Sigh) You clearly weren't the brains of this operation.
Tang
(Smirks) That's right. You may have me, but you will never have Yamani. She'll always be out there.
Kamui's eye twitches.
Tang
Plotting.
Kamui
(Sighs) She's something, isn't she?
Tang
She may hate me forever, but… I know her little secret.
Now Kamui's face changes. He raises his eyebrow with intrigue.
Kamui
Her secret.
Tang
Yes. Do you know who her mother is?
Kamui shakes his head, but it suddenly dawns on him, and his eyes widen. Tang nods his head.
Tang
Yes.
Kamui
Her hair.
Tang continues to nod his head, chuckling maniacally.
Kamui nervously looks over his shoulder at the door. Then he looks up towards the surface—A single drop of sweat forming on the side of his head. The camera slowly zooms in on Kamui as he composes himself, and then he looks back into Tang's eyes.
Kamui
She's never coming back. Daughter or no.
Tang
Typical fish-head arrogance. You have NO IDEA WHAT KIND OF-
Kamui tightens his grip on Tang, choking him.
Kamui
No more talking. You're mine now.
He shackles Tang's Hands and drags him out of his palace. Tang can barely breathe as he stumbles out.
Yamani is underneath the forest, in the bunker along with all of the other citizens of Tang's Fortress. Everyone is staring at her.
RINGGGGGGGGG-
The medic is inspecting her ears. Ziri is sitting next to her, muttering under her breath.
Ziri
I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna kill him-
Yamani suddenly looks around.
Yamani
Where is Jang?
She looks over at the medic and tries to read her lips.
Medic
He said he was okay. I disagreed, but I couldn't exactly stop him.
Cut to Jang, on the battlefield. He is limping around, blowing soldiers out of his way, and throwing pepper powder in their faces.
Cut to Kato and Jinhai, in another part of the battlefield. Jinhai finds her friend Sana, holding down the fort against a battalion of soldiers. She looks at Kato and gestures for him to join them.
Kato
I still need to find him. I'm sorry.
Jinhai looks concerned.
Kato
You go ahead. We'll meet back up.
Jinhai nods, pulling him in for a hug.
Jinhai
Good luck.
Kato
You too.
Jinhai
Goodbye Mushi.
Kato separates from Jinhai and deploys a stream of sand as a soldier approaches him, whipping him in the face.
The camera pans across the massive battle. The rain has turned the earth to mud, and both the earthbenders and the waterbenders are trying to harness it, but they end up in a tug of war. As the mud becomes useless to them, the fighting changes.
—It's as if the lion-turtles never even bothered. The two sides are fighting in the mud with their fists. Punching each other, choking each other, gouging each other's eyes out.
Cut to Batua, walking alongside Shamo, trying to make it back to the ship.
Batua
I don't care what my uncle says! I'm not getting dragged into this shit!
Suddenly, somebody grabs Batua by the hair and drags him back.
Batua
AGH!
The guy slams Batua down on the ground and starts choking him. Shamo tries to push the guy off, but he punches him in the nards, and Shamo goes down. Batua punches the guy in the face, but he's relentless, getting Batua back in a chokehold.
Batua can't even see who he is, the guy is covered in mud.
Cut to Jang, fighting off a horde of waterbenders. They go down, but Jang is clearly not at 100%. He looks tired.
Kato
JANG! JANG!
Jang turns his head and sees Kato. Kato looks back at him and lights up. He runs towards Jang, but he is ultimately unsure about whether he should hug him or not. Jang sticks out his hand and Kato shakes it.
Jang
I was wondering if I would see you.
Kato
What happened to you? Yamani said-
Kato looks down at Jang's leg.
Kato
Oh, koi…
Jang
It's fine.
The camera slowly zooms in on the wound.
Cut back to Batua, getting choked out.
The sound starts to go out and his vision becomes blurry.
THUNK!
The guy coughs up blood.
Batua managed to get an ice dagger through his neck at the last second. The guy falls on top of Batua, who pushes him off and he lands on the ground. Batua stands up, in shock, filling his lungs with air again. Then he looks down at the guy with suspicion. Batua leans down and wipes the mud away from the guy's face.
The assailant was Kuatak, his number 2.
Batua blinks, a numb expression crawling across his face. He looks over at Shamo. Shamo doesn't know what to say.
—Kamui drags Tang out into the rain, gazing at the chaos.
Kamui
Was it worth it?
Tang looks down, then he smirks and nods his head.
Kamui
Defiant to the end. But here's the truth… You haven't even heard the best part yet.
Tang looks back at Kamui.
Kamui
See, I know where you're hiding the rest of your people. I know you've got them rat-squirrelled away beneath the forest. And I've got something truly special planned for them. (He leans in to whisper in Tang's ear) Saltpeter, brimstone, egg whites…
Tang's eyes suddenly widen.
Kamui
Sound familiar?
Tang starts to breathe heavily. Match cut to Batua hyperventilating. He looks at everything around him, and then looks back down at Kuatak's body.
Batua
He… He set me up.
Shamo
Batua-
Batua
My own… Uncle…
Batua walks around in circles as he tries to make sense of this. His eyes dart from Kuatak's body to the countless others surrounding him. An angry tear falls down his face.
Batua
No…
Shamo slowly walks up to him.
Shamo
Batua?
Batua
No more…
The camera slowly zooms in on his face as he looks back up. And then his expression turns to furious anger.
Batua
No more of this carp.
Batua takes the war horn out of his bag. He climbs to the top of a rock and puts the horn to his mouth.
BRRRRRRMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM-
This gets everyone's attention.
EathBender1
What is that?
WaterBender1
It's the war horn!
WB2
It's the Emperor…
-MMMMMMMMMMMM!
Batua
STOP THIS! EVERYBODY STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!
Kato and Jang look over, stunned. Kamui looks over, sighing with annoyance.
Batua
(Slowly and powerfully) I AM THE EMPEROR! AND AS EMPEROR I COMMAND YOU ALL TO STAND DOWN!
The waterbenders pay this respect and put their fists down. The earthbenders do the same.
Batua
FOR KOI'S SAKE, LOOK AT YOURSELVES! LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE BECOME!
Cut to a few Kamakoi soldiers at the edge of the battlefield.
K1
What's he saying?
K2
I don't know, It's kinda hard to hear…
Batua
AND DO YOU KNOW HOW THIS ALL STARTED?! DO YOU KNOW WHY WE'RE ALL HERE?! (Chuckles) MY WIFE WANTED A NEW PAIR OF EARRINGS!
Kamui rolls his eyes.
Batua
IS THIS WHAT THE IMPERIAL ARMY HAS BECOME?! IS THIS THE GLORY THAT THEY TOLD YOU ABOUT BACK AT THE ACADEMY?! SNIFFING OUT EARRINGS FOR A SPOILED PRINCESS?! AND DYING BY THE THOUSANDS?!
Jang places his staff down and then sits on the ground. He looks at his own wound.
Kato
Jang…
Jang
(Gesturing) Join me.
Kato sits down next to him.
Batua
NO! THIS HAS GONE TOO FAR! AND I'M DECIDING THE FATE OF OUR EMPIRE RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW! THIS WAR IS OVER!
Hopeful strings rise…
Kamui is shocked.
We see the faces of the Kamakoi soldiers. Some of them look incredulous, but many others look relieved, even thankful.
Kamui looks around at them, narrowing his eyes. The camera pans over to Tang, who does the same.
Jang grabs Kato's hand.
Jang
If I don't make it, I need you to pass a message along to Yamani.
Kato
Come on, you're gonna be fine. Isn't that what you always say?
Jang rolls his eyes.
Batua
I REMEMBER READING A HISTORY BOOK…
Everybody's eyes are on Batua. All except for one, an ice dagger in his hand.
Kato
Just stand up. We'll go back to the medic.
Jang
Wait. Listen, listen. I never told her this… About her mother.
Kato raises his eyebrow.
Jang slowly sighs, shaking his head.
Jang
It wasn't… It wasn't what Yamani thinks. Miyuki just couldn't-
He emerges from the crowd, screaming.
Hakoi
AAAAHHHHHHHH!
Jang turns around in shock as Hakoi plunges an ice dagger into his chest.
…
Everything slows down as blood flies past Kato's face.
…
Kato gasps, and then he looks up in a blind rage, but another earthbender beats him to it. The guy takes a big chunk of rock and throws it at Hakoi, knocking him to the side.
Hakoi goes to attack Jang again. Kato squares up, ready to fight, but another Kamakoi soldier comes to Hakoi's defense, raising a chunk of mud.
The soldier goes after Kato, who evades the attack. He tries to get to Jang, but it's too late…
Hakoi tackles Jang to the ground and stabs him again and again until Kato pries him off. Kato raises a rock out of the ground and slams it down on Hakoi's leg. The same leg.
Hakoi
AGH!
Kato is about to go after him some more, but his eyes widen and he turns around, looking back at Jang. He runs over to him, his boots splashing in the blood.
Hakoi
YEAH, RUN AWAY! (Looking at Jang) THAT'S WHAT YOU GET! THAT'S WHAT YOU GET! WHO'S THE WARRIOR NOW?!
The Kamakoi soldiers and the earthbenders surrounding them look on with surprise, then they look at each other and start to murmur.
Hakoi
ANYBODY ELSE WANT SOME?!
Batua
-THE MONKS HAD TOLD THEM- (Squints his eyes) …Huh? What just happened?
An earthbender goes for the Kamakoi, then another Kamakoi defends him, then another earthbender defends the first, and it's like a domino effect…
Batua
Wait!
The crowd descends into fighting.
Batua
People, please! Stop!
Punching, kicking, strangling. Mayhem.
Batua
Listen to me! Hello?!
Batua grabs the war horn and blows on it
BRRRRRRRMMMMMMMMMMM!
He blows a couple more times, falling on deaf ears.
Batua
HELLO?! CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME?!
Some earthbenders are coming for Batua. Shamo grabs him by the arm and leads him away from the battlefield.
The camera slowly pans over the insanity as a quiet drone emerges.
Cut back to Kato.
Kato
Jang…
A tear falls from Jang's desperate face.
Jang
My… My love…
Wind-chime…
As Jang lays limp, a spiritual signal bursts forth from his head, cutting through everything, past Kato, and reaching up into the sky.
—Meanwhile…
The birds are chirping. A quiet wind blows through the trees.
Avatar Miyuki is hovering in midair, in a large, open room in the southeast Air Temple. Behind her is a stained glass window. It depicts a sleepy air bison, lounging at the watering hole.
Miyuki's face is like granite. Unblinking, unmoving.
And then…
Wind-chime…
Jang's signal hits Miyuki, and she lets out a small gasp.
In an instant, Miyuki's features, her personality, her intensity, all spring to horrific life.
Miyuki
No.
Cut to a low shot of the room.
—Miyuki's feet drop into frame and land on the floor.
SCREAMING DISTORTED ELECTRIC GUITAR
TO BE CONTINUED…