Day Forty-Three, Ruins of Omashu
I gestured to the exit and Zuko followed me out. Once we were safely
out of the effect range (I hoped) of the array I spoke up. “That
girl who went off on her own, let's see if we can catch up to her.”
“Ty Lee?” Zuko frowned and crossed his arms. “Why?”
“She might know something.”
He snorted at that. “You drag me down here to check up on that
feeling, and then run away from it?”
“Listen, I'm just trying to do my best...”
He held up a hand to stop me and shook his head. “Whatever. Let's
get this over with.”
I frowned and started moving quietly through the halls. Locating the
girl was going to be difficult, the corridors down here were like a
maze, with lots of dead ends and blind turns. When in doubt I headed
up, since she was supposed to be heading for fresh air. Plus it put
us closer to the exit.
I will admit, seeing the homonculus bound up like that had freaked
me out. I was about two seconds away from choosing to bolt from this
place. Only Ed kept me here. I had to know where he was, if he was
okay. The amount of death that was happening around this city made me
feel on edge for his safety. I stroked the metal belt around my
waist.
Zuko held up his hand. I glanced at him. “Ahead, someone moved
through the corridors.”
“Good as anything.” I gestured him forward, trusting his vision
to follow a distant target more than my own. He moved in front of me
and started stalking through the halls. His motions were smooth and
quiet, his footsteps sure. He was a natural hunter, his expression
intense. Even with his scar there was something almost primal and
compelling about his movements and the shifting of muscles under his
loose shirt.
Of course, if I said anything, he'd probably punch me. Great, now I
was worried, freaked out and depressed.
Time passed slowly in the silent corridors, until eventually even I
could see the occasional flash of pink ahead of us. I was tired of
waiting, so once I saw the woman turn a corner I sprinted ahead. Zuko
paused and then followed me quickly. I spun around the corner, just
in time to see the girl spinning to face me, her expression wary.
The corridor continued behind her, and there was a doorway to her
right. No sense letting her escape. My hand snapped against the wall
and the floors and walls reconstructed to seal off any route but the
one that led straight through us.
“Wha!” The girl stared. She glanced left and right to see her
escape routes sealed off. “An earthbender?”
“Worse than that,” I said. I grabbed the belt and reconstructed
it into a boardsword which i pointed at her. “An alchemist.”
“Alchemist?” She stared at me, then over my shoulder. “Zuko?”
“Ty Lee,” Zuko returned in a controlled voice.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“We're asking the questions,” I pointed out, stepping forward.
She turned to me, and her face firmed up a little. Her stance
loosened and her arms rose up. “There are two of us.” I snapped
my free hand against the wall and the corridor sealed up behind us.
“And no escape. No one will even hear you scream.”
“I don't want to hurt you,” she said.
I paused and raised and eyebrow. “Think about what happens if you
win. You've knocked out the only person who can lower these walls.
Are you willing to do that?”
She blinked twice, her head tilting to the side. “Oh,” she said
in a small voice.
“Just cooperate, Ty Lee. He won't hurt you.”
I glared at Zuko. “Not helping.” I turned my attention back to
the girl. “First question, where is Ed?”
“Ed?”
“Looks like me,” I gestured to my face. “One leg. Loud.”
Her eyes widened and then narrowed. “I don't know.”
“You know something,” I said. She shook her head vigourously.
“Nu-huh!”
How old was she? “You've seen him before, I can tell from your
eyes.”
“No you can't!” she insisted.
I resisted the urge to rub my face in annoyance. “I just want to
know where Ed is,” I said. “Tell me that, and I'll let you go.”
She took a deep breath and put a comically exaggerated frown on her
face. “No. I can't betray the Princess.”
“So she does have him,” I said.
“Wah!” Her frown dissolved. “How did you know that!”
“...this is getting us nowhere,” I said. I stepped towards the
wall. “I'll leave you an airhole, I'm certain someone will find you
eventually.”
I laid my hand against the wall behind us but before I could do the
transmutation Ty Lee called out. “Zuko, wait!”
“What is it?” Zuko sounded annoyed.
“That man... why are you with him?”
“...because he can help me avenge my father.”
“But his aura...” I stiffened at her words. “It's not... its
weird.”
“Weird?”
“It's just like-”
At that point the wall under my hand exploded. I remember screaming
in pain, but not much else. Time flickered in and out, then slowly
resolved back into a world of coherent pain. I was covered in bits
and pieces of rubble, which I shifted off myself with a groan.
My ears were ringing and my vision was clouded with dust. I climbed
unsteadily to my feet, using the broadsword as a makeshift crutch, as
the dust settled and the ringing in my ears lowered to a persistent
keen that only partially dulled all other sound. My hand was numb and
I looked down at it, seeing that the metal gauntlet had been shredded
and cut into the skin beneath it, leaving blood dripping to the
ground in pools.
“Azula,” Zuko snarled. As the dust cleared the young woman
stepped through the hole that had been blasted in my wall. Behind her
was the pale-faced Mai, her eyes scanning through the dust until they
latched onto Zuko and narrowed.
“Ah, Zuzu, so good to see you again.” Azula crossed one arm
behind her back, the other raised to the side of her face. “See?
Get it. I made a joke.” Her smile was cold. “How is Uncle?”
“He's...” Zuko was shaking.
“He's dead,” I stepped in. Zuko jerked his head to face me, his
eye widening. “His injuries became infected.”
Azula was staring at me, her expression unreadable. She finally
turned back to Zuko. “Is this true?”
“...yes,” Zuko said slowly, not taking his eyes of her. One of
his hands was on the hilt of his swords, the other was raised up
before him as he assumed a fighting stance.
“Well, one obstacle down, one to go then.” She smiled at him.
“How can you refer to Uncle that way?” Zuko spat.
“Oh please, he was old and broken. The Fire Nation needs someone
young and powerful, with conviction to follow in Father's ideals.”
She smiled at him. Her good eye flicked to me and then back to him.
“Though I think maybe you do have that conviction. Who is your
friend?”
“His name is Nin,” Zuko said. “He's a foreigner. He knows how
to defeat the homonculi.”
“You really have no clue what you stumbled across, do you?”
Azula laughed. “Oh, little Zuzu, always trying so hard and never
quite understanding what is going on around him.” She smirked at
the both of us. “I'm feeling generous today,” she said. “So I
will give you both one chance to surrender.”
All good cheer vanished from her face, her eye narrowed dangerously
and her voice became cold. “Do not tempt my good will. I do not
need you alive.”
[ ]Demand to know what she did to Ed.
[ ]Try to escape, even though your stone transmuting gauntlet is
destroyed...
[ ]Surrender.
[ ]Fight.
---------------
Epsilon
I gestured to the exit and Zuko followed me out. Once we were safely
out of the effect range (I hoped) of the array I spoke up. “That
girl who went off on her own, let's see if we can catch up to her.”
“Ty Lee?” Zuko frowned and crossed his arms. “Why?”
“She might know something.”
He snorted at that. “You drag me down here to check up on that
feeling, and then run away from it?”
“Listen, I'm just trying to do my best...”
He held up a hand to stop me and shook his head. “Whatever. Let's
get this over with.”
I frowned and started moving quietly through the halls. Locating the
girl was going to be difficult, the corridors down here were like a
maze, with lots of dead ends and blind turns. When in doubt I headed
up, since she was supposed to be heading for fresh air. Plus it put
us closer to the exit.
I will admit, seeing the homonculus bound up like that had freaked
me out. I was about two seconds away from choosing to bolt from this
place. Only Ed kept me here. I had to know where he was, if he was
okay. The amount of death that was happening around this city made me
feel on edge for his safety. I stroked the metal belt around my
waist.
Zuko held up his hand. I glanced at him. “Ahead, someone moved
through the corridors.”
“Good as anything.” I gestured him forward, trusting his vision
to follow a distant target more than my own. He moved in front of me
and started stalking through the halls. His motions were smooth and
quiet, his footsteps sure. He was a natural hunter, his expression
intense. Even with his scar there was something almost primal and
compelling about his movements and the shifting of muscles under his
loose shirt.
Of course, if I said anything, he'd probably punch me. Great, now I
was worried, freaked out and depressed.
Time passed slowly in the silent corridors, until eventually even I
could see the occasional flash of pink ahead of us. I was tired of
waiting, so once I saw the woman turn a corner I sprinted ahead. Zuko
paused and then followed me quickly. I spun around the corner, just
in time to see the girl spinning to face me, her expression wary.
The corridor continued behind her, and there was a doorway to her
right. No sense letting her escape. My hand snapped against the wall
and the floors and walls reconstructed to seal off any route but the
one that led straight through us.
“Wha!” The girl stared. She glanced left and right to see her
escape routes sealed off. “An earthbender?”
“Worse than that,” I said. I grabbed the belt and reconstructed
it into a boardsword which i pointed at her. “An alchemist.”
“Alchemist?” She stared at me, then over my shoulder. “Zuko?”
“Ty Lee,” Zuko returned in a controlled voice.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“We're asking the questions,” I pointed out, stepping forward.
She turned to me, and her face firmed up a little. Her stance
loosened and her arms rose up. “There are two of us.” I snapped
my free hand against the wall and the corridor sealed up behind us.
“And no escape. No one will even hear you scream.”
“I don't want to hurt you,” she said.
I paused and raised and eyebrow. “Think about what happens if you
win. You've knocked out the only person who can lower these walls.
Are you willing to do that?”
She blinked twice, her head tilting to the side. “Oh,” she said
in a small voice.
“Just cooperate, Ty Lee. He won't hurt you.”
I glared at Zuko. “Not helping.” I turned my attention back to
the girl. “First question, where is Ed?”
“Ed?”
“Looks like me,” I gestured to my face. “One leg. Loud.”
Her eyes widened and then narrowed. “I don't know.”
“You know something,” I said. She shook her head vigourously.
“Nu-huh!”
How old was she? “You've seen him before, I can tell from your
eyes.”
“No you can't!” she insisted.
I resisted the urge to rub my face in annoyance. “I just want to
know where Ed is,” I said. “Tell me that, and I'll let you go.”
She took a deep breath and put a comically exaggerated frown on her
face. “No. I can't betray the Princess.”
“So she does have him,” I said.
“Wah!” Her frown dissolved. “How did you know that!”
“...this is getting us nowhere,” I said. I stepped towards the
wall. “I'll leave you an airhole, I'm certain someone will find you
eventually.”
I laid my hand against the wall behind us but before I could do the
transmutation Ty Lee called out. “Zuko, wait!”
“What is it?” Zuko sounded annoyed.
“That man... why are you with him?”
“...because he can help me avenge my father.”
“But his aura...” I stiffened at her words. “It's not... its
weird.”
“Weird?”
“It's just like-”
At that point the wall under my hand exploded. I remember screaming
in pain, but not much else. Time flickered in and out, then slowly
resolved back into a world of coherent pain. I was covered in bits
and pieces of rubble, which I shifted off myself with a groan.
My ears were ringing and my vision was clouded with dust. I climbed
unsteadily to my feet, using the broadsword as a makeshift crutch, as
the dust settled and the ringing in my ears lowered to a persistent
keen that only partially dulled all other sound. My hand was numb and
I looked down at it, seeing that the metal gauntlet had been shredded
and cut into the skin beneath it, leaving blood dripping to the
ground in pools.
“Azula,” Zuko snarled. As the dust cleared the young woman
stepped through the hole that had been blasted in my wall. Behind her
was the pale-faced Mai, her eyes scanning through the dust until they
latched onto Zuko and narrowed.
“Ah, Zuzu, so good to see you again.” Azula crossed one arm
behind her back, the other raised to the side of her face. “See?
Get it. I made a joke.” Her smile was cold. “How is Uncle?”
“He's...” Zuko was shaking.
“He's dead,” I stepped in. Zuko jerked his head to face me, his
eye widening. “His injuries became infected.”
Azula was staring at me, her expression unreadable. She finally
turned back to Zuko. “Is this true?”
“...yes,” Zuko said slowly, not taking his eyes of her. One of
his hands was on the hilt of his swords, the other was raised up
before him as he assumed a fighting stance.
“Well, one obstacle down, one to go then.” She smiled at him.
“How can you refer to Uncle that way?” Zuko spat.
“Oh please, he was old and broken. The Fire Nation needs someone
young and powerful, with conviction to follow in Father's ideals.”
She smiled at him. Her good eye flicked to me and then back to him.
“Though I think maybe you do have that conviction. Who is your
friend?”
“His name is Nin,” Zuko said. “He's a foreigner. He knows how
to defeat the homonculi.”
“You really have no clue what you stumbled across, do you?”
Azula laughed. “Oh, little Zuzu, always trying so hard and never
quite understanding what is going on around him.” She smirked at
the both of us. “I'm feeling generous today,” she said. “So I
will give you both one chance to surrender.”
All good cheer vanished from her face, her eye narrowed dangerously
and her voice became cold. “Do not tempt my good will. I do not
need you alive.”
[ ]Demand to know what she did to Ed.
[ ]Try to escape, even though your stone transmuting gauntlet is
destroyed...
[ ]Surrender.
[ ]Fight.
---------------
Epsilon