Post by Teяa253 on Apr 8, 2009 5:22:45 GMT 1
The Tower saga continues of course... it's far from finished.
The gang commences in an epic battle, and Tenoko, Azula, and Katara are still nowhere to be found.
This is a leadup to a battle that I had planned out for a long time... I once time even theorized that it would be Chapter 79 which bore the title "The Fury of Kimiko"
but that'll be chapter 79... this is chapter 78... enjoy.
CHAPTER 78: THIS IS MY FINAL TEST
The trip to Xin Shing’s Tower was otherwise normal. Seeing “The Blazing Phoenix” docked at a certain point meant that this was where they were to dock as well. After they all got off, everyone was accounted for: Alzar, Shinon, Aiku, Zinjamyn, Zakura, Cheng, Taki, Lehran, Altina, Kimiko, Koara, Mulan, Royota, Sokka, Katara I, Zuki, Meili, Vigo, Sanaki, Maric, Malak, Iresu, Zeruda, and Reyson: the Avatar, the best benders in the world, and 18 of the greatest warriors the world could provide her with [and a child who was bound to grow into a master].
“This is it,” said Zakura, “there’s no turning back now.”
“And we don’t plan to,” said a deep voice, belonging to Vigo. This was a shock to everyone but Meili, for they had all never heard Vigo talk up until now. Nonetheless, everyone immediately agreed with him.
The road to the tower was empty, though it looked like there had been a battle all the way up tom the tower itself. Everyone stayed close, but there was no problem all the way up to the tower.
“Spirits have mercy,” many of them exclaimed upon reaching it, for it was enormous. This was a black, intricate tower reaching into the heavens. It was built into the side of a mountain that was actually a volcano. There were huge swirling black and orange clouds all around, likely from the enormous volcano.
“Why would Xin Shing want to be in the most volcanic part of the Fire Nation?” Alzar exclaimed,
“Because he’s insane,” Mulan replied, “and such a hostile, unforgiving place like this only matches his nature.”
“What I want to know,” said Iresu “is what happened to Tenoko and her gang. I don’t see any evidence that they were killed...”
“Then they are probably alive,” Zakura replied, “this is certainly going to be a series of battles to remember. I’m pretty sure that the leaders of the other three nations are probably here too, and are probably determined to kill Orzon and Ayumi just as much as they want to kill me or the rest of us.”
“This is it,” said Zinjamyn, “there’s no turning back.”
“That’s my line,” Zakura chuckled, and then turned opt the enormous doors of the tower. Even they looked ominous.
“What if there’s a trap,” Shinon asked, “what if the first one in gets killed or something?”
“Then The Order is stupid,” Zakura replied, “and that gives me all the more reason to go first. I die without The Avatar State; I’ll just get reincarnated again.”
“But that’s the thing,” said Alzar, “We don’t want you to die. None of us do. The bond every one of us standing here shares with you... even Tenoko and Katara, wherever they are right now—we love you, Zakura. You’re a good person.”
“Thanks,” Zakura shrugged, smiling. She then turned to the doors.
“Right about now,” she said, “I reckon I’d ask anyone if they wanted to turn back. However, seeing as I’ve asked it so many times, I think it’s a bit redundant by this time. Therefore, I’m about to give Master Xin Shing a little bit of welcome—The Avatar way.
The Avatar guard watched to see what Zakura would do. She lined herself up with the double doors, took a few steps backwards, and then charged forwards, flying through the air. One of her bare feet hit one door, and her other bare foot hit the other door, and they swung open with a loud creaking noise; This was it; they were in the heart of The Order’s operations—Xin Shing’s Tower.
The room they came into was huge and tall. Elaborate columns and wall designs were everywhere, and it looked very intricate—almost beautiful, but the dark nature of the place combined with the demeanor of the designs made it seem twisted and evil—seductive.
The room was eerily quiet, and other than the torch lights, which, though they clearly illuminated the place, gave it an eerie series of shadows, there seemed to be nothing here except a few very wide stairs leading up towards the next room. The Avatar Guard all felt small compared to the sheer immensity of this room alone. None of them knew what to expect, and the absence of any enemies made it only worse.
It wasn’t until Sanaki’s ears perked that they all stopped.
“What is it?” Kimiko asked, since she was good friends with Sanaki, and the closest one to her.
“There are enemies in the room up ahead,” Sanaki replied, “lots of them: Zuroc Sensei and Kyoshi Warriors.”
“Is there any sign of Tenoko or any of the others,” Zeruda asked, gently placing a hand on little Sanaki’s shoulder, “concentrate, Sanaki; concentrate, and you should be able to tell.”
Sanaki did as she was told. She concentrated hard, and then she noticed something familiar.
“I hear something,” she said, “nobody move.”
Sanaki scampered towards the wall of the next room, almost on all fours. Upon reaching the wall, she started scampering up the side of it, using the elaborate carvings in it as footholds. When she was about 15 feet up, she paused, pressing her ear to the wall. She overheard a Zuroc Sensei next to the wall, communicating with another.
“We need reinforcements,” he said to his comrade, “they don’t know we’re here, but if we strike we’ll be destroyed—they outnumber us with warriors of the same or greater caliber than us.”
“We just need to hope that Captain Tenoko’s message got out to the avatar,” the other one, a female, replied, “two or three of Zakura’s elite would be more than enough to help us finish this fight.”
This was all that Sanaki needed to know. Jumping down, landing on her hands and rolling to avoid destroying her wrists, she scampered back to the others and told them what she heard.
“They need our help,” said Sanaki,
“Then what are we waiting for,” said Zakura, “we charge.”
Zakura charged the door the same way she did the entrance and she blasted right through them, rolling and landing on her feet.
“Game time,” she said darkly, grinning, and with a snap of her fingers, the rest of The Avatar Guard charged in and the fight began.
“Play the game,” Zakura shouted, “for there is no sympathy for the losers this time.”
“The game” which Zakura spoke of was a defensive one. She didn’t want any of her comrades to die, and so she wanted them defending themselves well. However, this fight seemed to be proving easier than they thought. The group of Zuroc Sensei that was part of Tenoko’s crew joined in, and some of the most elite bending were going on in this room.
This apparently was where The Order’s airbenders were, for there were powerful Kyoshi Warriors blended in with the rest of them.
“I’d personally have to say,” said Taki, who was dueling with another Kyoshi warrior, who, though she had a range advantage on Taki’s fans with her sword, Taki was still overpowering her, “that Kyoshi Warriors have to be some of the most frustrating people to ever walk this world”
“What makes you say that?” Royota chuckled, who was in the middle of chucking huge rocks back and forth with an earthbending Zuroc Sensei,
“Well,” said Taki, finally overwhelming her opponent and cutting off her head with one fell stroke, “they’re strong, fast, violent, and don’t know when to quit.” She chuckled, for she knew that this also applied to her, rendering her a “true” Kyoshi Warrior by that standard.
“That’s certainly true,” said Sokka, chuckling, and fighting off two Kyoshi Warriors, one a firebender and the other an earthbender; but then again, there are the type like Zuki, who don’t even need to be in uniform to know how to fight.”
Zuki was a few feet away taking on some of the strongest warriors single-handedly. As they had gone in, Meili had given her explicit instructions to fight as hard as she could and make sure that no one touched her. Zuki followed her daughter’s orders with strict obedience, since Meili was not sure that she would be able to be by Zuki’s side the entire fight, and naturally, she was correct.
Nonetheless, insane, hectic chaos was erupting from this chamber, with water, earth, fire and air, all exchanging locations and hitting various people. Many of The Avatar Guard members were hurt once all was said and done, but none of the Order members were left alive. A few of Tenoko’s Zuroc Sensei had perished, but their deaths were honored. Much to Zakura’s relief, none of her comrades had been killed, but some were pretty badly wounded.
“Sanaki, Alzar,” said Zakura, “what’s in the next chamber?”
Alzar and Sanaki darted forward, pressing their ears against the door. They heard nothing, but could sense a solitary figure.
“There is a man,” Alzar replied, “probably high-ranking; he seems to be waiting for someone.”
Kimiko stepped forward, and opened the door a crack. Inside the next room she could see an arena, and a man that she recognized at once.
“It’s Feng,” she warned, “and I think he’s waiting for me.”
“You want any of us to be there?” Cheng offered,
“No,” Kimiko replied, “I guess you can watch if you want, but I think this is where I find out why I was allowed to live when the rest of my family was not. I believe that he too wanted to challenge me later on in life, and I know for a fact that I want to do the same. This is the road which my destiny has led me to, and I thank you all for helping me. If I die, then so be it; it just means that I was again defeated by someone stronger than me. This Is My Final Test.
~Azula~
The gang commences in an epic battle, and Tenoko, Azula, and Katara are still nowhere to be found.
This is a leadup to a battle that I had planned out for a long time... I once time even theorized that it would be Chapter 79 which bore the title "The Fury of Kimiko"
but that'll be chapter 79... this is chapter 78... enjoy.
CHAPTER 78: THIS IS MY FINAL TEST
The trip to Xin Shing’s Tower was otherwise normal. Seeing “The Blazing Phoenix” docked at a certain point meant that this was where they were to dock as well. After they all got off, everyone was accounted for: Alzar, Shinon, Aiku, Zinjamyn, Zakura, Cheng, Taki, Lehran, Altina, Kimiko, Koara, Mulan, Royota, Sokka, Katara I, Zuki, Meili, Vigo, Sanaki, Maric, Malak, Iresu, Zeruda, and Reyson: the Avatar, the best benders in the world, and 18 of the greatest warriors the world could provide her with [and a child who was bound to grow into a master].
“This is it,” said Zakura, “there’s no turning back now.”
“And we don’t plan to,” said a deep voice, belonging to Vigo. This was a shock to everyone but Meili, for they had all never heard Vigo talk up until now. Nonetheless, everyone immediately agreed with him.
The road to the tower was empty, though it looked like there had been a battle all the way up tom the tower itself. Everyone stayed close, but there was no problem all the way up to the tower.
“Spirits have mercy,” many of them exclaimed upon reaching it, for it was enormous. This was a black, intricate tower reaching into the heavens. It was built into the side of a mountain that was actually a volcano. There were huge swirling black and orange clouds all around, likely from the enormous volcano.
“Why would Xin Shing want to be in the most volcanic part of the Fire Nation?” Alzar exclaimed,
“Because he’s insane,” Mulan replied, “and such a hostile, unforgiving place like this only matches his nature.”
“What I want to know,” said Iresu “is what happened to Tenoko and her gang. I don’t see any evidence that they were killed...”
“Then they are probably alive,” Zakura replied, “this is certainly going to be a series of battles to remember. I’m pretty sure that the leaders of the other three nations are probably here too, and are probably determined to kill Orzon and Ayumi just as much as they want to kill me or the rest of us.”
“This is it,” said Zinjamyn, “there’s no turning back.”
“That’s my line,” Zakura chuckled, and then turned opt the enormous doors of the tower. Even they looked ominous.
“What if there’s a trap,” Shinon asked, “what if the first one in gets killed or something?”
“Then The Order is stupid,” Zakura replied, “and that gives me all the more reason to go first. I die without The Avatar State; I’ll just get reincarnated again.”
“But that’s the thing,” said Alzar, “We don’t want you to die. None of us do. The bond every one of us standing here shares with you... even Tenoko and Katara, wherever they are right now—we love you, Zakura. You’re a good person.”
“Thanks,” Zakura shrugged, smiling. She then turned to the doors.
“Right about now,” she said, “I reckon I’d ask anyone if they wanted to turn back. However, seeing as I’ve asked it so many times, I think it’s a bit redundant by this time. Therefore, I’m about to give Master Xin Shing a little bit of welcome—The Avatar way.
The Avatar guard watched to see what Zakura would do. She lined herself up with the double doors, took a few steps backwards, and then charged forwards, flying through the air. One of her bare feet hit one door, and her other bare foot hit the other door, and they swung open with a loud creaking noise; This was it; they were in the heart of The Order’s operations—Xin Shing’s Tower.
The room they came into was huge and tall. Elaborate columns and wall designs were everywhere, and it looked very intricate—almost beautiful, but the dark nature of the place combined with the demeanor of the designs made it seem twisted and evil—seductive.
The room was eerily quiet, and other than the torch lights, which, though they clearly illuminated the place, gave it an eerie series of shadows, there seemed to be nothing here except a few very wide stairs leading up towards the next room. The Avatar Guard all felt small compared to the sheer immensity of this room alone. None of them knew what to expect, and the absence of any enemies made it only worse.
It wasn’t until Sanaki’s ears perked that they all stopped.
“What is it?” Kimiko asked, since she was good friends with Sanaki, and the closest one to her.
“There are enemies in the room up ahead,” Sanaki replied, “lots of them: Zuroc Sensei and Kyoshi Warriors.”
“Is there any sign of Tenoko or any of the others,” Zeruda asked, gently placing a hand on little Sanaki’s shoulder, “concentrate, Sanaki; concentrate, and you should be able to tell.”
Sanaki did as she was told. She concentrated hard, and then she noticed something familiar.
“I hear something,” she said, “nobody move.”
Sanaki scampered towards the wall of the next room, almost on all fours. Upon reaching the wall, she started scampering up the side of it, using the elaborate carvings in it as footholds. When she was about 15 feet up, she paused, pressing her ear to the wall. She overheard a Zuroc Sensei next to the wall, communicating with another.
“We need reinforcements,” he said to his comrade, “they don’t know we’re here, but if we strike we’ll be destroyed—they outnumber us with warriors of the same or greater caliber than us.”
“We just need to hope that Captain Tenoko’s message got out to the avatar,” the other one, a female, replied, “two or three of Zakura’s elite would be more than enough to help us finish this fight.”
This was all that Sanaki needed to know. Jumping down, landing on her hands and rolling to avoid destroying her wrists, she scampered back to the others and told them what she heard.
“They need our help,” said Sanaki,
“Then what are we waiting for,” said Zakura, “we charge.”
Zakura charged the door the same way she did the entrance and she blasted right through them, rolling and landing on her feet.
“Game time,” she said darkly, grinning, and with a snap of her fingers, the rest of The Avatar Guard charged in and the fight began.
“Play the game,” Zakura shouted, “for there is no sympathy for the losers this time.”
“The game” which Zakura spoke of was a defensive one. She didn’t want any of her comrades to die, and so she wanted them defending themselves well. However, this fight seemed to be proving easier than they thought. The group of Zuroc Sensei that was part of Tenoko’s crew joined in, and some of the most elite bending were going on in this room.
This apparently was where The Order’s airbenders were, for there were powerful Kyoshi Warriors blended in with the rest of them.
“I’d personally have to say,” said Taki, who was dueling with another Kyoshi warrior, who, though she had a range advantage on Taki’s fans with her sword, Taki was still overpowering her, “that Kyoshi Warriors have to be some of the most frustrating people to ever walk this world”
“What makes you say that?” Royota chuckled, who was in the middle of chucking huge rocks back and forth with an earthbending Zuroc Sensei,
“Well,” said Taki, finally overwhelming her opponent and cutting off her head with one fell stroke, “they’re strong, fast, violent, and don’t know when to quit.” She chuckled, for she knew that this also applied to her, rendering her a “true” Kyoshi Warrior by that standard.
“That’s certainly true,” said Sokka, chuckling, and fighting off two Kyoshi Warriors, one a firebender and the other an earthbender; but then again, there are the type like Zuki, who don’t even need to be in uniform to know how to fight.”
Zuki was a few feet away taking on some of the strongest warriors single-handedly. As they had gone in, Meili had given her explicit instructions to fight as hard as she could and make sure that no one touched her. Zuki followed her daughter’s orders with strict obedience, since Meili was not sure that she would be able to be by Zuki’s side the entire fight, and naturally, she was correct.
Nonetheless, insane, hectic chaos was erupting from this chamber, with water, earth, fire and air, all exchanging locations and hitting various people. Many of The Avatar Guard members were hurt once all was said and done, but none of the Order members were left alive. A few of Tenoko’s Zuroc Sensei had perished, but their deaths were honored. Much to Zakura’s relief, none of her comrades had been killed, but some were pretty badly wounded.
“Sanaki, Alzar,” said Zakura, “what’s in the next chamber?”
Alzar and Sanaki darted forward, pressing their ears against the door. They heard nothing, but could sense a solitary figure.
“There is a man,” Alzar replied, “probably high-ranking; he seems to be waiting for someone.”
Kimiko stepped forward, and opened the door a crack. Inside the next room she could see an arena, and a man that she recognized at once.
“It’s Feng,” she warned, “and I think he’s waiting for me.”
“You want any of us to be there?” Cheng offered,
“No,” Kimiko replied, “I guess you can watch if you want, but I think this is where I find out why I was allowed to live when the rest of my family was not. I believe that he too wanted to challenge me later on in life, and I know for a fact that I want to do the same. This is the road which my destiny has led me to, and I thank you all for helping me. If I die, then so be it; it just means that I was again defeated by someone stronger than me. This Is My Final Test.
~Azula~
