Battle at the Northern Air Temple

Pov Jefh:

I have to admit, I'm getting used to riding a shirshu, Nyla's ability to simply climb walls or make gigantic jumps is something only an animal like her can do.

June and I are already in the area where the Northern Air Nomads lived, luckily I knew a route that led to a Fire Nation military base where they were concentrating on building weapons and vehicles for the army, or to put it more simply, a secret base. How do I know this? I can tell you that Huzo sometimes leaves his office with the door open.

- Are we far from this military base? - June asked, knowing that Nyla was tired from walking on such uneven terrain.

- We're not far, if I remember correctly, the person in charge of this place is Minister of War Qin, he's responsible for overseeing new technologies and weapons. - I held on to Nyla's saddle to keep my balance. - OOOooooooo!! Let's take it easy!

- We've been riding at top speed for 12 hours, Nyla is already tired and stressed! - June said, trying to keep her pet's wildness under control.

- No need to worry, look! - I pointed to a military base with the Fire Nation crest. - We are close.

It took us another 15 minutes to reach the northern military base, but we could finally rest. June and I did several stretches as if it was a daily activity for both of us, I even felt my legs tingling with a little muscle numbness.

- I'm actually going to take a few weeks off after this mission. - June blurted out, snapping her fingers.

- Seriously? I know a great place for a vacation. - In the last 10 minutes, June and I have been talking about places to take a long vacation. - There is a private island in the Fire Nation with great beaches.

- I'm interested, I'd like to get a good tan. - June posed like a model.

Some soldiers pointed their spears, wary of an attack, but others with more attentive eyes noticed the symbol and the golden crest on Jefh's arm and quickly understood that they were allies.

- Identify yourselves! - ordered a soldier with a wrinkled face.

- I'm Jefh, I belong to General Kai's special forces. - I replied with a military salute, noticing how surprised the man was.

- Open the gates! - At the soldier's command, the iron gate slowly opened, revealing a courtyard full of war tanks.

June was impressed by the amount of weaponry in one place, as if whoever was in charge of this place had a small private army.

- I have to admit, I'm surprised. - June admitted, admiring the large amount of weapons.

- The arsenal here is larger than normal for weapons construction and testing. - I said, seeing a soldier approaching with a more serious expression than usual. - Has something serious happened?

- I can tell you that you have come at a bad time, we have heard rumors that we might enter battle in a few hours. - said the soldier with obvious seriousness.

- What happened? - I asked, noticing how tense the soldiers seemed.

- Lord Qin has an agreement with a mechanist who uses the Northern Air Temple as a workshop, where our best weapons of recent years have been designed. But the mechanist dared to break the agreement, questioning the honor of the Fire Nation. - The soldier replied quickly.

- What an idiot. - June said, chiming in. - Have you seen a bison with the ability to break the laws of physics lately?

- A bison? - The soldier raised an eyebrow. - Hmmmm... now that you mention it, I heard that a squad that arrived earlier reported something like that.

- A squad? - I asked, curious about this information. - Who is the leader of that squad?

- He's right behind you. - The soldier suddenly tensed when he saw the man behind Jefh and June.

Jefh's skin turned pale as he turned to see the person with his arms crossed behind him, June repeated the action and unconsciously began to sweat as she felt her instincts warning her of a great danger.

In front of the duo was none other than Huzo, with a very angry face, his eyes seeming to reflect pure hell towards Jefh.

- You better have a damn good excuse, - Huzo said in a falsely friendly tone. - I hope you've made your will, because I really want to kill you.

- Uncle Huzo! - I jumped in fright and ran behind June, using her as a human shield.

- You are unbelievable... - Huzo massaged his head with his fingers. - You leave your military post, go on a trip with a stranger and just leave a simple letter!

- I didn't want to worry you! - I was afraid because Huzo looked like Ayumi when she got angry.

- If something bad happens to you, YOUR FATHER WILL TEAR MY HEAD OFF! - Huzo shouted comically and punched Jefh in the forehead, causing him to lose consciousness.

Huzo stared at June, seeming to recognize her from rumors of a mercenary using a shirshu to carry out her missions.

- You must be June, right? - Huzo raised his hand in greeting.

- It's a pleasure to meet you, Jefh has spoken a lot about you. - June wisely ignored the unconscious Jefh on the ground.

- I hope he said only good things about me. - Huzo sighed, relieved that Jefh was safe. - Even if you are only a mercenary, thank you for protecting him.

- He helped me several times, despite his age, he is not to be underestimated. - June admitted, but did not want to give Jefh too much credit.

- He takes after his father in that respect. - Huzo looked at Jefh and remembered how he was as a child. - How can I repay you for gluing his head to his neck?

June smiled evilly, as if she were a demon trying to collect the soul of her victim, and quickly pulled out a paper with all the notes and fees Jefh owed her, much of which would be discounted by other people.

- That's the bill! - June handed her notes to Huzo, who quickly opened his eyes in disbelief.

- It can't be... - Huzo almost broke into a sweat, incredulous at the exaggerated expenses generated by June and Jefh.

- I like to get my money within 3 days, but since Jefh is a good friend, I'll give him two weeks. - June smiled, a smile that hid her hunger for money.

- Excuse me, miss, I'm going to kill someone first. - Huzo set Jefh's ass on fire and he woke up with a scream of pain. - HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO SPEND ALL THAT MONEY AND PUT THE DEBT IN MY NAME?

June just watched as Jefh was comically punished by Huzo, receiving the anger of a person who had just lost a good portion of his money, the anger of months of accumulated finances thrown into the trash.

After a few hours of civilized dialogue and many apologies from Jefh, Huzo now explained the plan to invade the Northern Air Temple.

- As long as Qin makes efforts to defeat the Avatar, we will invade through the back doors. - Huzo explained, signaling the points for the invasion that would soon take place.

- I'm sure the Avatar can't defend this temple with all this arsenal. - June listened to the plan, watching as Huzo's soldiers listened intently, even noting some of the details of the execution. - A long battle is a guaranteed victory.

- You're right, but I'm only here for two reasons: One is to find this idiot. - Huzo signaled Jefh. - The other reason is a rumor that the Mechanist has created something new and revolutionary for our world. Since I had heard the rumors that the Avatar was heading north, I volunteered to come to this military base.

- Did you know that the Avatar could come here? - I asked curiously.

- No, but it was something logical to think about, besides this temple being used as a workshop, it would be disastrous if our scientific advances were destroyed before they were even put into practice. - Huzo explained calmly and wisely. - All of you, prepare yourselves.

The soldiers quickly gave Huzo a military salute and everyone left the room to prepare for the attack, leaving only Huzo, Jefh and June.

- What kind of technology are you looking for? - June asked curiously.

- You know I'm not supposed to tell you, right? - Huzo asked ironically.

- I'm still under contract with Jefh, who finances me with his money. - June smiled wickedly. - That means I have a confidentiality agreement.

Huzo looked at Jefh and instinctively shuddered in fear, knowing that the punishment would only increase the longer June was under contract.

- There were some rumors that the mechanist was developing and advancing air transport technology. - Huzo admitted seriously. - We are finally talking about the ability to tame the sky.

I couldn't help but widen my eyes, the idea of flying was something I envied Ty Lee for developing, But now this means that one no longer needs to depend on elemental power to fly in the sky or even animals.

- This is truly revolutionary. - June admitted, not hiding her interest.

Before the conversation could continue, they heard someone knocking at the door, a man in notoriously elegant clothes, the Minister of War Qin.

- Vice General Huzo, or should I call him General Huzo since Kai was presumed dead. - Qin expressed himself neutrally with a hint of arrogance. - I hope that your fighting skills will allow us to achieve a quick victory.

- I am absolutely certain that Kai is alive, accusing him of being dead is an arrogant rashness, Mr. Qin. - Huzo replied with a subtly threatening tone in his voice.

- Don't get me wrong, but I don't want you to take command of my troops. - Qin said, seemingly irritated. - This mechanist dared to disrespect me and break the agreement, so I want to finish my business with him.

- I understand that your pride was hurt, but killing him would be a hard blow to the technological development of the Fire Nation. - Huzo said, putting his hands behind his back. - There are several ways to make this man work for the Fire Nation, use his weakness.

Qin smiled, his eyes reflecting an evil edge in his soul as he planned how to force the mechanist to always create weapons for the Fire Nation.

- Thank you for your cooperation. - Qin left the room, accompanied by his own bodyguard.

- I have a bad feeling about this guy. - I said suspiciously.

- He's going to attack the Northern Air Temple with all his might so that we can bypass the enemy's defenses. It will be a great theater. - Huzo looked at Jefh and June. - I hope you're ready because the show is about to begin.

- This is going to be fun. - June admitted, playing with a coin between her fingers.

The attack on the Northern Air Temple had begun with a bang, with War Minister Qin using his tanks to climb the steep terrain with the help of climbing harpoons. At first glance, anyone with common sense would have fled the attack as quickly as possible, but that wasn't the case for those defending the place.

Team Avatar assisted the mechanist and temple dwellers by taking advantage of the high ground. It severely hampered the advance of heavy vehicles and troops over the mountain. With most of the inhabitants using gliders to simulate temporary flight, they threw bombs to compromise the passage and create avalanches of snow over the Fire Nation soldiers.

- You know the plan, we divide and conquer. - Huzo climbed up the mountain on a rope, accompanied by other soldiers from his squad.

June and I held on to Nyla, who used her strong grip to climb the steep mountain. Some ropes were tied to Shirshu so that some soldiers could climb safely, but only Huzo and other veterans climbed without backup security.

- Huzo, don't forget Bison, he's the most problematic. - I said seriously.

- Attention soldiers, the avatar is here, use lethal force to protect yourselves. - Huzo ordered, not wanting any of his soldiers to die under his command. - The bison is a priority target, the Avatar cannot escape without his mount, but remember your main mission, do not destroy the workshop.

Everyone nodded at Huzo's words, entering the temple from the other side of the mountain was dangerous, but the large cloud densities allowed them to advance easily without being noticed by the enemies.

Team Avatar had been very successful in defending the northern temple, but their resources were not infinite, and in a long-term battle, the Fire Nation had the overall advantage. The armored vehicles had breached the Avatar's first line of defense, forcing everyone to climb even higher to the top of the mountain where the temple was located.

- Katara, we couldn't stop the tanks. - Teo said, landing his glider beside Katara. - The armor is very strong.

- I'll hold them off as long as I can. - Katara went into her fighting stance, turning the snow around her into water. - Tell Sokka and your father to hurry up with the plan!

Teo nodded earnestly and entered the temple he called home as quickly as he could with his wheelchair. The effort to speed up his limited movement was noticeable, as he had never been in such a critical situation as he was now.

Katara created a pillar under a war tank, causing it to fall to the ground with no chance of returning to battle, but his action did not go unnoticed, and now she has become the main target of the glowing fire shots.

Katara quickly created a large wall of ice, but the structure shattered easily and without any real resistance, only delaying the damage the temple would suffer.

Aang was on his glider and quickly saw that Katara was cornered by the Fire Nation, so he quickly swooped down at high speed with his staff in hand to create a large wave of flames along with his native element, creating a powerful explosion of flames that managed to push some tanks into the abyss, causing those tanks to explode on impact from hundreds of feet away.

- You did it, Aang! - Katara was surprised, her eyes widening at the ease with which Aang was able to defeat the tanks.

- I think so... - Aang breathed heavily, having used more power than he expected.

Before the couple could celebrate, several harpoons embedded themselves in the ground in front of them, revealing that more tanks had just reached the top, only this time they were accompanied by dozens of soldiers marching in formation, spears in hand.

- Where did so many soldiers come from? - Katara asked indignantly.

- We can't give up. - Aang took a fighting stance, his trusty staff in his hand. - Let's trust Sokka's plan.

- You're right! - Katara bent more water around them, creating more ice walls to protect the temple from the armored vehicles' attacks.

With Aang and Katara serving as the final front line, Teo was halfway to the workshop where his father and Sokka were finishing the balloon that would be the key to winning the battle.

As he raced through the corridors in his wheelchair, Teo was quickly tackled to the ground, pinned down by a soldier, and gagged before he could scream.

- I feel bad seeing this. - I said, not liking the way a disabled person was restrained.

- This kind of work sometimes requires certain actions like this. - June said, stroking Nyla who was ready to use her venom.

Teo was desperate, having no idea that the Fire Nation could have infiltrated the temple from the other side of the mountain, which was practically impossible to climb. He tried to resist, but quickly cowered when he saw Huzo crouching down to look at him at eye level.

- I'm only going to give you one chance, where is your father? - Huzo said calmly with an air of authority in his voice. - If you want your father or your friends to survive, you better cooperate with me.

Huzo removed the gag from Teo's mouth when he noticed that he had calmed down, but as he did so, Teo spat in his face to show rebellion and contempt.

- I don't want to hurt you, boy, or even your father, but the other man leading the attack intends to make your father a slave for the rest of his life. - Huzo put his hand on Teo's shoulder without threatening or squeezing. - What do you prefer? To resist or to never see your father again?

Teo's eyes widened as he felt a great pressure in his heart, not knowing what to do to get out of the situation, completely vulnerable, knowing that he could be killed at any moment.

Huzo felt his senses go on alert and quickly moved his hand to grab an object that was moving towards the back of his neck with an unusual reflex for humans. He looked at the object and saw that it was a kitchen knife; if he hadn't reacted in time, he would have been murdered.

After realizing what had just happened, everyone turned around in alarm to see a girl holding two metal fans, one for each hand. The girl was in a fighting stance, but there was a small layer of sweat on her skin.

- You must be a Kyoshi warrior, what's your name? - Huzo asked, impressed by the girl's courage to challenge an entire squad alone.

- We don't need to introduce ourselves because I'm going to kill you all. - Suki threatened.

- You are persistent! - I say, standing in front of the squad, impressed by the girl's resistance. - My blow should have killed you on the beach, but I'm surprised you're still standing.

Suki was surprised to see the boy who could bend air just like Aang, but quickly regained her fighting composure, only now she felt she was at more of a disadvantage than she wanted to be.

- You can go, I'll take care of this Kyoshi warrior. - I take a few steps to get into fighting position.

- Don't you dare die. - Huzo decided to trust Jefh, grabbed Teo who was lying on the ground and put him on his back. - Let's find the workshop and end this useless resistance!

All the soldiers nodded in unison and moved quickly through the temple corridors to take control of several strategic points as quickly as possible.

- You are arrogant if you think you can defeat me. - Suki said, holding her favorite weapons tightly.

- My blow must have broken one of your ribs, you won't last long against me. - I slowly approached to start the fight.

- Don't you dare underestimate me. - Suki frowned indignantly.

- I don't underestimate your willpower, but you are in no condition to fight me. Therefore, I don't need to use my powers. - I smile provocatively to irritate the girl.

Suki quickly launched a blow with her metal fans to cut Jefh, but his agility allowed him to easily dodge and return the blow with a kick to the Kyoshi warrior's stomach.

Suki gritted her teeth, feeling how her broken bone prevented her body from fighting in its ideal form, but she was not willing to lose this fight and used more agility and precise movements to make some cuts on Jefh's body.

I couldn't deny the fact that she was a good fighter, but I wasn't fooling around. I kicked her in the knee, causing her to lose her balance, and caught her with a left hook to the chin, knocking her to the ground.

Suki quickly does a spinning sweep to knock Jefh down, but he jumps out of pure reflex and moves far enough away to not be caught off guard by another attack. She gets up from the ground and begins to use vertical and horizontal strikes to cut Jefh, who dodges skillfully, adapting to the weakened Suki's rhythm.

I begin to force the duel into a dangerous approach for her, giving her quick blows to her face and arms. At one point she tries to strike my neck with the weapon she was carrying, but I manage to immobilize her arm and twist her elbow into a completely unusual angle, breaking her right arm.

Suki couldn't help but scream as she felt her right arm break due to her carelessness, now she could only rely on her left arm to offer resistance. Her body shook, even under the effect of adrenaline, the pain was excruciating and clouded her concentration. She took a step to try another attack, but received a kick to the chest, knocking her to the ground again and causing her to lose the air in her lungs.

- You are strong, but this was never a fair fight. - I said seriously, creating a blade of air between my forearm and fingers. - I will end your pain now.

Just as I was about to crouch down and slit the girl's throat, the wall next to me exploded into flames, pushing me hard against the other wall and disorienting me for a moment. When my eyes focused on the person responsible for the explosion, all I saw was the Avatar himself, staring at me in earnest.

- Don't you dare touch my friends! - Aang ordered, entering the temple through the hole he created when he blew up the wall.

Aang used his Airbending to push Jefh to the other side of the hallway so he could see Suki's physical condition more calmly, understanding that his friend was badly injured.

- Aang... - Suki whispered, in pain from the damage to her body.

- I'm here, nothing bad will happen to you! - Aang grabbed Suki's left arm to lift her off the ground, his other hand holding the bison whistle to call Appa.

The flying bison quickly heard the whistle and understood that he had to hurry to help his long-time companion. With great speed, he arrived at the same spot where Aang had blown up the temple wall and made a strange noise with his mouth to signal that he had arrived.

- Very good, Appa. - Aang carried Suki until he placed her on the back of his flying bison and made a quick signal to fly to the top of the temple.

My back felt sore, an irritating burning sensation in my flesh and bones, I got up from the ground with a little dizziness, luckily it only took me a few seconds to recover, but it was enough time for the Avatar to place the Kyoshi warrior on the bison's back.

I slowly walked up to the Avatar, who seemed to be waiting patiently for me, staring at me earnestly. I just smiled, spat on the ground, and straightened my shoulders until I was a few steps ahead of the Avatar.

- I see your eyes have changed. - I noticed the new look of determination in the Avatar's eyes, as if the childish personality had disappeared. - Let me guess, one of your friends died on the beach. Was it that Earthbender?

I noticed that the Avatar's body tensed for a moment, serving as an answer to my question even though he didn't want to answer me with his own mouth.

- Do you think you can protect your friends this time? - I asked honestly, not wanting to sound arrogant with my words.

Without responding to Jefh's comment, Aang uses a move he learned from Jeong Jeong, the basic firebending move. However, his flaming blow, meant to surprise, was deflected with a simple movement of Jefh's hands, with complete naturalness.

- It's quite ironic. - I gripped the Avatar's wrist tightly and smiled. - I've trained with Firebenders all my life, this amateur move is practically insulting to me.

I kicked the Avatar in the chest with the maximum speed I could use at the moment, pushing him out of the temple through the hole he had made earlier.

Aang regained his balance and used his glider to land safely next to Katara, who held off the Fire Nation army on her own.

- Aang, are you okay? - Katara asked, simultaneously using a water whip to knock 4 men to the ground in a single motion.

- I'm fine... - Aang groaned in pain, placing a hand on the spot that had just been hit.

Jefh used his powers to perform a series of acrobatic jumps to get to the position where Aang and Katara were once again in their battle stance. When Aang used the Battle Stance, he raised his arms in his old airbending position, except that the stance of his feet was firmer than normal.

The Avatar wanted to use air and fire against me at the same time, well, this proves that he is indeed becoming a true Avatar, I'm curious to see how much he has improved.

Next Chapter: Battle at the Northern Air Temple Part 2