A half an hour later, we, the trio of girls and myself made our way up towards the building platform, the scaffold built around the ever growing tower of Ozai being built, where the trade was to take place. I'd made sure to linger back just enough so that when Azula, Ty Lee and Mai left the throne room behind, all the guards escorting us out, I had enough time alone to swipe the throne and store it in my inventory.
Mai's twat of a father didn't deserve to sit on a throne. I totally did though.
When we reached the top, I could see three figures at the other end of the massive scaffold, easily one hundred feet of distance I'd guess just be estimate. I focused on them, checking their levels.
(Avatar Aang – Level 48/Level ???)
(Meat And Sarcasm Guy, Sokka – Level 6)
(Water Bending Master, Katara – Level 32)
'By pure level alone, they aren't that big of a threat.' I noted. Aang was a only on par with Azula and with Ty Lee only a single behind, our overall average is greater than theirs, while neither Sokka or Katara were even close to breaking level their levels, Sokka especially. The level was probably pretty good indicator for Sokka, since he was untrained for the most part and a complete weakling, but Katara? She was no trained warrior or fighter, but her talent with Water Bending superseded that, making up for her crappy physical abilities, which was probably why her level was around the same as Mai's. And the levels really didn't account for the fact that Aang was the Avatar, and true threat from him should he be provoked far enough, the Avatar State which I assume that level with question marks denoted.
"Have you brought my brother?" Mai asked.
"He's here." Aang replied, gesturing to Sokka by his side who was holding the giggling baby in his arms, "We're ready to trade!"
My eyes lingered on Katara, even from this distance I could make out her features quite well. My like for the character flip flopped a lot, sometimes she was great, other times she was just a pain in the ass. But it didn't change the fact that she was an exotic, dusky skinned beauty And I would enjoy breaking a bed by pounding her into it.
"Where is Bumi?" Aang shouted, breaking me from my thoughts.
In response, Azula coolly raised her hand into the air and snapped her fingers. And a moment later, a crane whirled around on a scaffold above, and from a pully attached to it, a large metal coffin lowered down, "Hey everybody, did ya' miss me?" Bumi giggled from where his head stuck out of the top of the metal coffin like contraption.
(King Of Omashu, Bumi – Level 94)
Damn, the dude was at a freaking higher level than Iroh. Then again, this is Bumi I'm talking here, crazy and a hundred and twelve years old or not, the old dude is swoll as fuck.
I looked at Azula, and the smirk on her face. She was so blissfully ignorant here. But I knew that Bumi could break out of that metal coffin whenever he pleased and then he could proceed to beat all of our asses like we owed him money. Now that I think about it, I guess Aang really was never truly in any real danger canonically, because if things did go wrong and he was about to lose his life, Bumi would have broken out and kicked Azula's shit in.
That just made Option 2 on the quest that much more appealing really than it already was. Ignoring the fact that Aang despite being the Avatar, was a nice, kind twelve year old kid being reason enough for me not to want to really hurt him, there was also the reason that picking Option 1 definitely meant I'd have to deal with Bumi.
Yeah, no thanks man.
'Status.' I thought, bringing up my stat screen.
Name: Zan
Race: Human
Level: 5 (452/512)
HP: 2500/2500 (125 Regen per minute)
CP: (2000) 2400/2400 (100 Regen per minute)
Strength: 27 (29.7) (31.7)
Endurance: 25 (27.5) (39.5)
Dexterity: 23 (27.6) (28.6)
Luck: 8
Stat Points: 0
Gacha points: 1
While I couldn't equip any more pieces of armour for the most part, the only slots being left jewellery slots, one per hand and one for my neck, I did have another equipment slot open. One for arrows. So I equipped the iron headed arrows I'd stolen from the armoury, which gave me an extra one in my dexterity stat.
'I should look into finding some rings and a necklace or something and see what kind of bonuses they give me.' I mused as I mentally closed the stat screen.
"Let's do this then." Aang said and he made to take a step forward.
But just as he did, Azula turned to Mai," I'm sorry, but a thought just occurred to me, do you mind?" she asked.
Mai in response dipped her head ever so slightly, a show of respect and a show of submission, "Of course not Princess Azula."
Azula nodded, "It's just that, we're trading a two year old for a king," she mused, "A powerful, earth bending master of a king. It just doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?"
Mai hesitated for a moment, before looking away from her, "You're right, as usual," she agreed and stepped forward to face Aang, Katara and Sokka, I saw a smug smirk appear on Azula's face, "The deals off!" she declared, raising her hand into the air.
"Whoooa! Weeeeee!" Bumi laughed as the crane began lifting him back up into the air at her signal. "See you all later!" he bid Aang and his friends goodbye as he was lifted, laughing and snorting all the way up.
"Bumi!" Aang shouted, and then sprang into motion, wind swirled into existence and he sprinted forward at blinding speeds.
"Haaa!" Azula sprang forward, slicing her arm in in an upwards motion and launching a wave of bright sapphire blue flames at him.
She was totally unprepared for him to shoot right through the flames, wind coating around his form as the hat he was wearing went flying.
"The Avatar!" Azula gasped, eyes going wide. She only had time to through her arms up in a cross guard as a wind enhanced mule kick slammed into her chest and sent her flying back.
And with a shout, Aang used the force behind his own kick to launch himself high into the air, landing on Bumi's metal coffin prison.
It was hard not to smirk as I stepped into Azula's flight path and caught her by the hips, the force of her flight still being enough to push me back a few feet.
She didn't say a word for a moment as she shook out her arms, that kick must have hurt, eyes on Aang and Bumi's metal coffin. Then she looked at me from the corner of her eyes, "Throw me up." she commanded.
I was tempted to tell her not to tell me what to do. But I relented, for now, "Alright then," I nodded, and before she could react I grabbed her by the arm with both hands, and then spun, using a quick jet propulsion from my starting foot to swing me around faster and build up momentum and pulled Azula around with me, and then I let go, and sent her flying up through the air like a bullet towards Aang.
She lashed out with a jet of blue flame, only to miss as Aang smashed the chain pully holding Bumi and they plummeted below to the mail shoot system. Azula would have went flying right over the top of the scaffolding if she didn't latch onto one of the poles at the top.
"Well what now?" I asked the two girls still left beside me, casually eyeing the other two at the opposite side of the scaffold. I could see Sokka blowing into something white. Appa's whistle I think. So their get away plan would be here soon.
A moment later, Azula was shooting down the mail shoot system in one of the concrete delivery boxes, and out of sight as well.
"We may as well take care of these two then." Mai stepped forward, fingering a pair of knives.
I rose my hand, "Or we could not?" I said, "You go throwing shit out and your little brother is probably gonna die. I'm not a fan of killing babies."
(Gained 1 Affection With Ty Lee.)
"..And?" Mai asked blandly, ending the discussion. She rushed forward then, throwing her knives out with pinpoint accuracy towards Sokka, one towards his head over the babies head, the other at his legs.
They were blocked by a large whip of water lashing out and through them both, "We've gotta get the baby out of here." Katara shouted.
"Way ahead of you!" Sokka shouted back, taking off and running towards the other end of the scaffolding.
"What should we do?" Ty Lee bit her lip and asked me.
"Go help that stupid girl, try and save the kid," I said, "I'll go help Azula before she gets herself killed when she has to deal with an earth bending master and the Avatar together."
"Alright!" Ty Lee nodded, and then she took of running and man was she fast. Mai had already crossed about seventy five feet in the few seconds we'd spent talking, but in just a couple, Ty Lee was already catching up with her even with the head start.
'Right, I delayed them just a little bit more than they would have, Appa should be here soon,' I smirked. Turning, I ran towards the end of the scaffolding and with a jet propulsion enhanced leap through myself a hundred feet through the air and down.