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Post by blindgirl on Jan 4, 2008 13:24:34 GMT -5
That was something odd, a simple phrase putting so much fire into her. It sounded a little corny but he said they needed her. Of course it didn't mean she'd be following them around all day, just until they could take care of themselves. With a smug grin she realized that they did need her, she was a better earthbender than these refugees. If they were half way decent soldiers they wouldn't have let the firenation take control of their city. Biting back the impulsive rude comment that hung on her lips she nodded and followed after them easily keeping pace. Her sightless senses reached out working on finding the path they spoke of. She knew that the men didn't lie, and just as they said the path was there.
Shaking her head a bit she chose to keep her mouth shut and blend into the background, her mind mulled over the thought of metal buildings and cages, it'd be hard for the four of them to lift. She didn't know what water bending could do. She imagined they'd be able to freeze a lock or something like that. If not they might be able to steal a key. That might be the easiest option. Flanking the rest of the group Toph tilted her head back towards the men they'd passed. Maybe they're aid wold come in handy later, honestly she didn't know... There was a lot she didn't know lately, it bothered her.
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Post by airnomad on Jan 7, 2008 15:25:51 GMT -5
Aang was glad that Toph had agreed to staying with them. Finding Bumi would be much harder without her ability to sense things through the earth. The group made haste down the tunnel, bearing left where the soldiers of the Resistance had told them to and then continuing on for quite some time. The path had started sloping upward shortly after the fork, and after what felt like miles the young Avatar felt like his calves were on fire. But luckily, the end of the path was in sight.
By the light of Sokka's lamp, Aang registered a change in the constant darkness that lied ahead. As they neared, he realized that it was a dead-end in the tunnel, which meant that they must have reached the palace. Only...
"There's no way out," he said, swiveling his gaze all around the stone walls and cieling for some kind of ladder or doorway.
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Post by meatandsarcasm on Jan 11, 2008 14:18:12 GMT -5
The trek was a long one, but Sokka was in good shape, and managed to hold up well. He was a little tired by the time they reached the dead end, but more than ready for action. Unfortunately, right now, there was no action to be had. They faced a stone wall that at first glance looked completely normal, but Sokka knew that couldn’t e the case. They wouldn’t have created a tunnel that led to nowhere, and they had been heading in the right direction. There had to be some kind of secret entrance there that lead to the palace, probably one only an earthbender like Toph could open. It was just a matter of finding it.
“There’s going to be an entrance here somewhere,” he told the others as he approached the wall and examined it closely with the lamp. “Look for cracks or stray rocks on the ground, any signs of part of the wall opening somewhere…”
With that, he started to pat his free hand along the wall, looking up and down it for something. Toph could see through earthbending he knew, but he she probably couldn’t find a hidden entrance like this. Besides, if this were an earthbending fortress, you’d think they’d have accounted for any known earthbending abilities, right?
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Post by blindgirl on Jan 11, 2008 14:28:52 GMT -5
Toph grumbled as they moved along the hallway, her only saving grace seemed to be that she could see more than the other three. As the group of soldiers moved out of her range she shook her head. Older bender would probably have been a better idea, still they needed her to come along and take care of their sorry behinds so she complied. At the back of the group she could still see further than the lamp could shine. Her sightless eyes watched straight ahead for lack of a better thing to do, there was no one speaking so nothing to focus on.
The dead end wasn't much problem to Toph she could tell where she was after a well placed stomp on the ground. It was just a thick slab of earth between what was likely the passage to the palace and the tunnels. Still she found amusement in the non-benders groping the wall in attempt to find an opening. Crossing her arms with the amusement evident on her face she simply watched and waited quickly for a few seconds, mulling over how best to open the wall.
Simply sliding the earth over probably, she knew that much but still she wanted to best moment to do so... Technically he didn't ask for her to open the door but since she was such a nice person... When his body leaned in on the wall enough to have him off kilter she held her palms out she threw them to her side moving the earthen wall along with it. She hopped he'd fall forward, it'd make her day honestly. " Ya think we should have knocked?"
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Post by meatandsarcasm on Jan 17, 2008 18:59:29 GMT -5
As the wall slid away from in front of Sokka, it was apparent that he had underestimated Toph’s ability after all. The moment of awkward stumbling and the proceeding fall to the floor, however, made this discovery somewhat unpleasant. Though he had managed to hold the lamp aloft and keep it from hitting the floor, it was at the cost of his face. With a fresh red mark on his forehead, he grumpily made his way back to his feet. Turning back, he shot a glare back towards Toph. Judging by her grin, she had totally done that on purpose. Great. Another member of the “Let’s Irritate Sokka Brigade”.
" Ya think we should have knocked?"
“I think you took care of that…” deadpanned Sokka in response. “Come on, let’s keep moving.”
As Sokka led the way into what he assumed was the prison complex, he gave a small amount of thought to Toph’s abilities. If they were rare enough that even Omashu’s defenses didn’t account for them, that said something about her skill level. Not to mention it was simply a useful thing to have handy. However, he quickly turned back to the task at hand.
“My instincts tell me that Bumi will be on the lowest level, where it’s furthest from the exits. We need to be quiet getting there, though. If we get spotted before we reach him, we won’t stand a chance.”
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Post by airnomad on Jan 19, 2008 15:14:19 GMT -5
"If that's what your instincts say," Katara said, wearing a wry grin, "Then that means he's probably in the highest room of the tallest tower." Aang managed a slight smile at the quip, which was made funnier by the current track record of following Sokka's instincts. Normally he'd have given at least a chuckle in response, but he was a little too focused on finding Bumi to display much amusement.
The Avatar started through the opening in the wall and stayed near the light of Sokka's lamp. This new tunnel seemed a bit narrower, but after only a few seconds an all too familiar smell struck them. In the lamp light, Aang could see the tunnel end and open up to another sewer line running perpendicular to their direction. However, instead of despairing, a smile came to the airbender's face. There were rays of green light passing through grates in the cieling.
"I think we're under the dungeons," he said to the others, recalling the phosphorous green crystals that were used to illuminate the underground chambers of the palace.
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Post by blindgirl on Jan 21, 2008 12:36:58 GMT -5
Toph stared blankly having no idea what they were talking about and honestly she didn't care all that much, her face was blank as she listened to them go on about what should be done. Her eyes focused on nothing and stared straight ahead while her left foot was doing more work than they were doing by arguing.
The small tapping had with her toes sent waves out through the area, it was hard to see too far ahead but she was trying. Her face scrunched up a bit as she concentrated harder. If it was an earth bender they were holding captive then it would be a metal case they'd have him in. Her lips pulled into a pout as she walked past the lot of them and bent a make shift ramp up to the grate in the ceiling with a hand on the earthen ceiling she got the iron grate to come out in her hands.
She set it down near her feet and pulled herself up into the green lighted hallway, honestly she didn't know what color it was, all she knew was that it was brighter. Noticing no one was around she took to fixing her hair as best she could, touch was the only thing she could go buy and for toph it was enough. She'd learned such things when she was younger. Without as much as a shout for the rest of the group she stared off intent on exploring and finding the place best suited for housing an earth bending king.
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Post by meatandsarcasm on Jan 21, 2008 23:10:10 GMT -5
Sokka set the lamp down by the exit before following Toph up tom the next level. With the lighting this place provided, it would only serve to alert the guards of their presence. He let Toph lead for the moment, as she could detect guards, and that would be useful. He liked being the leader, but he wasn’t an idiot. For a short while, the group wandered the halls, avoiding patrols as they went and heading toward the higher level prisons, or to Sokka’s nearest guess. They were heading towards the center of the fortress by his calculations, again, logic would dictate that the highest level prison cells were there. Logic would also dictate that the hallways in this area would be lined with metal, unbendable by earthbenders. That prediction, it seemed was about to come true, as the hallway before them was no longer lined with earth, but metal.
“Metal halls. We’re getting close,” he told the others as he kept walking forward, cautiously peeking around a corner. “Come on. We’re going to need to hurry here.”
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Post by airnomad on Jan 27, 2008 13:49:44 GMT -5
Aang stayed close on Sokka's tail, restraing his urge to bolt ahead and check every cell they passed. As much as he wanted to find Bumi, he realized that one false step would ruin any chance they had of success. The group made its way swiftly through the corridors thanks to Toph's rather impressive powers of navigation. But once they reached the metal lined section of the palace catacomb, Aang was just about done with waiting.
Once Sokka peered around the corner and gave the all clear, the Avatar dashed down the hallway and started looking through the food slots. "Bumi?" he called into the cells, spending only long enough to make sure that the ancient king wasn't in there before moving on.
"Aang," Katara called out after the first few cells. "Aang!" she repeated a little louder when he didn't respond. "We need to keep quiet. There could be more guards." However, the air nomad didn't seem to be listening, and instead he finished checking the last cell on that side of the hall and crossed by a T-junction in the corridor to start looking through the rest.
However, he didn't notice that a pair of soldiers were currently patrolling that side hall. "Hey!" the gruff voice of one soldier shouted, stopping Aang in his tracks. "Stop where you are!" the soldier shouted, quickly starting at a run to catch the intruder.
Aang mentally berated himself for making such a foolish mistake, but that anger was turned almost immediately toward the soldiers. After skidding to a stop, he took one spinning step toward the side hall and swung his staff as hard as he could. With a hushed shout, he unleashed a torrent of air down the hall, ricocheting the flow off the side of the wall. The air created a spinning vortex that filled that hall and stopped the soldiers like a brick wall. For a moment they tried to power through the current, but after just a few seconds one of them was lifted right off the ground and thrown backwards in a painful tumble. The other fell flat to the floor and tried to hold on for dear life.
"Find Bumi!" Aang shouted to the others.
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Post by blindgirl on Jan 27, 2008 15:05:38 GMT -5
Toph halted before she stepped onto the metal. Stubbornly she stayed put refusing to walk onto a plain that was for one, more dangerous considering there would supposedly be cells there, and two, she wouldn't be able to see as well, there was no earth, nothing for her to bend. The blind girl shyed closer to Sokka and Katara relying on them for what was happening, When Aang ran off she nearly growled and shouted after him in the same manner Katara was but she didn't want to attract any more attention to them then they needed to.
The girls face blanched when she felt a small wisp of wind as well as shouts and crashes on the mental. Abruptly she grabbed onto Sokka's shirt keeping her head forward trying to focus and listen for anything important. Her conscience told her this was wrong and this was beyond all else, dangerous. Except for going back down where they came from everywhere else was covered in metal.
Her voice was a little forceful but shaky, it wasn't often she felt like she was well.... handicapped. " I can't see on metal..."
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Post by meatandsarcasm on Jan 28, 2008 21:59:07 GMT -5
Sometimes, there was a real downside to having to work with the Avatar. Like these times. Aang had moved to fast he hadn’t been able to stop him, and by the time he caught up, it was too late. All secrecy was gone. They were in the middle of a metal fortress with narrow halls and firebenders soon descending upon them. Worse yet, they still hadn’t found Bumi, meaning they couldn’t just cut a path out before the Fire Nation soldiers had time to mobilize. They couldn’t be in a worse situation right now. They were straight up screwed. Grimacing, Sokka moved to follow Aang and his sister, but was halted by a tug on his shirt, he turned to find Toph, her gaze even more off target than usual.
"I can't see on metal..."
For a moment, Sokka just stared dumbfounded, and the suddenly slammed his palm into his forehead as realization hit him.
“Of course you can’t,” he muttered. “You really needed to remind us earlier, though…”
Frantically, Sokka glanced after Katara and Aang. He needed to catch up, or they’d get separated. Now, he was proud of his talents as a warrior, but he wasn’t confident about his chances alone in this situation. Plus, he’d need to protect Toph. No, that wasn’t an option he needed to catch up. Looking down at Toph, he sighed as he realized what he had to do. This was ridiculous. Without a word, he turned his back to her, crouched down, and moved her hands around his neck.
“Hold on.”
With that, Sokka looped his arms around Tophs knees and picked her up. Not waiting for any confirmation or complaints, he then started to run after Aang and Katara, hoping to the spirits that he didn’t lose them. Even with the direness of the situation apparent…he felt silly.
“Fire Nation are everywhere, we’re trying to spring a king from prison, and I’m giving piggy-back rides,” he muttered. “Sure, why not?”
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Post by airnomad on Jan 30, 2008 23:34:13 GMT -5
Aang started down the hall to make sure the Fire Nation soldiers didn't persist in bothering them, though he was held up briefly by the sight of Katara darting to his side. With her hand on her waterskin, it was obvious she meant to help him with the soldiers. "No," the young Avatar told her, "Find Bumi. I've got this." After looking at the airbender's serious expression, Katara simply nodded and obeyed the order.
The scuffling of feet on iron brought Aang's attention back to the guards. The closest one hopped up onto his haunches and then performed a spinning heel kick that unleashed an arc of flame down the hall. With a grim expression on his face, Aang spun his staff backward in an uppercutting motion and split the wall of fire with an air blast of his own. In the same motion, he stepped forward and punched his left hand forward. The soldier was recovering from his rotation and got hit full on with a jet of air and knocked him back several yards. He landed beside the other soldier who was just picking himself off the ground.
Aang brought his staff to bear one more and pointed its end at the soldier he'd just knocked down. He swiveled the staff in a tight circular motion and summoned a swirling ball of air to form underneath the man he'd just knocked down. The soldier let out a slight shout as he felt himself start to lift and spin with the force of the current. Aang then breathed out hard, surging more air into the cushion beneath the man while jerking his staff hard to the side. Propelled by the air, the soldier on the ground was hurled into the one that was standing and they crashed into the wall of the hallway. From the force of the impact, it was unlikely either would be getting up soon.
"I found him!" came a sudden call from Katara. Aang spun around on a copper piece, elated to hear the news and the enthused tone it was delivered with. He bolted out of the side hallway and spotted Katara several doors down. She was stepping back from the door she'd been peeking into and pulled a stream of water from her waterskin. After a moment of lining up her strike, she slashed hard at the hinges of the door. The metal protested noisely, but after a few deep-cutting impacts, they finally gave way and the door fell forward from the jamb.
Aang was the first one through the door, already calling for his old friend. "Bumi!"
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Post by blindgirl on Jan 31, 2008 22:06:28 GMT -5
The blind girl stammered trying to attempt a protest, she was going to offer that she head back and get reinforcements but the water tribe boy didn't seem to have the same idea in mind. Without much more than a few shouts she was hoisted onto his back awkwardly and was jostled about like a sack of potatoes. This was honestly worse than being trapt over metal, now she couldn't see ANYTHING. Her arms fumbled trying to find his shoulders to hang onto but once she got it she clung to him trying not to fall, wanting something to hold onto but after a few seconds she realized she may be strangling him.
Hesitantly she loosened her grip. It was all she could do to not lock her legs around his middle but she tried to hold herself back. Unlike before she had no idea what was going on. It was a far cry from being one step ahead of the rest of the group. This was honestly the first time she was so close to a boy her age, he seemed to be strong, enough to lift her, and his skin felt warm. Flushing brightly Toph gripped onto Sokka firmly trying to keep her thoughts on the potential fiery death she might get to enjoy if the boys legs didn't move fast enough.
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Post by meatandsarcasm on Feb 12, 2008 23:12:32 GMT -5
Run faster. That was all Sokka could do at the moment. He only realized once he had started running that his hands were no longer free. He wouldn’t be able to defend himself very well from the Fire Nation soldiers if they attacked him. All he could really do was run. Fortunately, Toph wasn’t that heavy. She was just a little girl, after all. He could carry her and move fairly quickly. He glanced Katara and Aang darting around a corner just ahead with relief. He’d almost caught up, and he allowed himself to relax a little. Well, until the two Fire Nation soldiers entered his view from another hallway, anyway.
They didn’t spot him right away, but they were between him and where Katara and Aang had gone. He had to go through the soldiers, or he’d lose Aang and Katara, maybe for good. So, in a moment of desperation, he didn’t turn and run away, but instead sped up. The soldiers heard his running and turned around, getting into their stances, but Sokka had closed the distance by then. One tried to firebend, but Sokka shot down into a crouch and ducked his arm. The blast of fire went above and behind Sokka, well clear of him and Toph, but he didn’t stop to watch. Instead, he went into a spin kick aimed at the back of the other guard’s knee. The kick threw the guard off balance and caused him to stumble before falling to the ground. It almost did the same to Sokka, as Toph’s extra weight made the spin finish awardly. He stumbled and hopped forward for a moment before finally regaining his footing, and sprinting towards where Aang and Katara were. As Aang rushed into a freshly broken prison cell, Sokka sprinted towards Katara, yelling frantically.
“Katara!” he cried as the guards chased after him. “Hurt them please!”
His sister quickly abloiged, almost instinctively whipping out water from her water skin around Sokka and into the faces of the Fire Nation soldiers, who where thrown into a wall before crumpling into a heap. Sokka slowed to a halt in front of the cell, panting heavily. Toph felt a lot heavier after that workout.
“What is…?” Katara began, quirking an eyebrow at Toph, clinging to Sokka.
“She can’t see on metal,” he answered before she finished and then added sarcastically. “Don’t worry, Katara, I never give piggy back rides out for fun unless it’s you.”
Katara flushed, “What? You…I never…”
“Anoder wide Sokky!” Sokka mocked in a high pitched, baby like voice.
With his sister glaring ice daggers at him, Sokka smirked and stepped into the cell, where he let Toph down off his shoulders and watched respectfully as Aang was reunited with Bumi.
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Post by airnomad on Feb 23, 2008 21:47:44 GMT -5
As Aang stepped into the cell he immediately spotted the unmistakable face of the ancient King Bumi against the back wall. The rest of his body, however, was almost completely covered by iron shackles and restraining devices. Apparently, the Fire Nation was taking absolutely no chances with letting him escape.
"Aang?" came the somewhat confused response of the King of Omashu, "What on Earth are you doing here?" Bumi's raised eyebrow made his popeye look even more exaggerated than usual.
"We're here to rescue you," Aang replied. He glanced over his shoulder for the next moment, distracted by Katara's bending as she dispatched Sokka's pursuers, and then looked back at Bumi. "We should be able to cut you loose," the Avatar said, starting toward the restraints to see how best to break through them.
"I'm sorry, Aang," the old King said, giving Aang a moment of pause, "But you shouldn't have come. You're in too much danger here."
"I don't understand," the young airbender responded, taken aback that his old friend was less than thrilled at their rescue efforts. "What else could we do? Omashu needs you!"
"And that's why I'm still here," the wily old man countered, offering a sly grin to his old friend. Aang stared at him dumbfounded for a moment, and Bumi took that as a cue to elaborate. "Believe me, Aang, it would take more than this cell to hold me if I didn't think that this was where I was most needed."
"But..." Aang started to protest. His words trailed off, as he couldn't quite conjure up a response. He knew full well that Bumi was a mad genius and that you had to expect the unexpected from him, but this... Even Aang's faith in his friend's wisdom was having trouble contending with the apparent reality of his situation.
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