Skirmish [Beyond Outer Wall] <Ba Sing Se, EK>

[erlang]

A dozen round balls of smoking wicker sailed over the raging flames. Some sailed low and were set ablaze by the wall of flames while others were blasted in mid air. Despite being charred, the mixtures of reeds tars and certain chemicals still did their job. After only a few seconds the burning contents began to emit a large volume of smoke from each round ball.

Erlang almost smiled as portions of the fire nations were enveloped in the thick clouds of smoke. It’s primary purpose was to delay the troops long enough for the earth benders to form up and starts launching their projectiles. But it also had the effect of exposing the soldiers outside the screen, as they could not effectively back up the exposed men. And one of these exposed men met an unhappy end as one of Erlang’s barbed spears exploded through his face mask and found an unwelcome home four or five inches into his skull.

Moments earlier he had given the simple command “Kill what you can, a new blade if you drop a general.” That said he had ridden out with his second in command Gen and a handful of spearmen while Baek took over directing the marksmen.

Erlang and his group entered into melee with a group that had been portioned off by the smoke screen. The moment he was within range Erlang’s wicked spear came down and impacted the soldiers neck armor, it resisted for a fraction of a second before the blade tore through the soldiers collarbone. As the dying soldier fell a comrade behind his thrust out but caught Erlang’s backswing under the jaw sending his helmet into the air and allowing the brief red spray to stain the area around him. The third man to fall under his spear received a powerful thrust that pierced the armor at his chest, stubbornly the mans armor made it difficult to pull the war trident free.

Seeing an exposed opening a soldier to the left aimed a strike under Erlang’s left arm where there was no armor. The strike would have been successful had the spiked club of Erlang’s second in command not come crashing down on his head, permanently aerating him.

[vu]

Following their captain's lead the other five war crawlers broke off. Veering away from the allied vanguard, perpendicularly after dispersing the previously charging cavalry wing, leaving them to be boxed by the infantry or retreating.

Snapping his forward hatch shut, Vu immediately swung his chair about and slapped open the hatch the was then directly behind him. Under his orders the iron wheels, rather than treads, of his war crawler skidded and scrapped to a halt. The other five followed suit whilst Vu quickly attempted to survey the field before plotting their next move.

"Fire?" The once rear, now forward driver questioned at the plumes of smoke within the ranks of Fire Nation infantry.

"I don't know," Vu replied, wanting to not sound worried as adrenaline was coming to him.

"There!" He spat without pointing. His line of sight tracked pillars of flame igniting across the battlefield followed by boulders traveling in the opposite direction.

"Change gears," he said. "Full steam ahead!"

"The earthbenders?"

"Earthbenders," intoning, iron wheels tearing at the ground once again as one then a total of six war crawlers sped back towards the fight.

[zhi]

Zhi and the others pressed their advance; the trapped cavalry were enjoying less and less mobility and were soon bunching up, trying to defend themselves. With their attackers surrounding them the less experienced Earth Kingdom Ostrich Horsemen were quickly panicking, the true extent of their situation had sunk in.

To the young soldier, though, it seemed that the veteran riders, now trapped by his comrades, had come to grips with their encirclement. They were relatively calm and tried to remain mobile, pushing at the sides of the two parallel Squares.

Shouts quickly rang out through the formations, Earthbenders were on their way. Zhi knew they'd have to finish the trapped Cavalry off fast, then return to the Spearhead Square to form up. If the Earthbenders reached the forward Infantry Squares while they were still in a state of disarray it would surely be a slaughter. A good formation and swift, coordinated movements were really the only things that gave a group of nonbending infantry a chance against benders.

Trotting farther back, Zhi and the other soldiers were soon faced by another weak cavalry charge. Two riders urged their beasts forward, clashing their spears with those held by the Fire Nation Infantry.

One was quickly taken down but the other managed to spear a soldier only feet from Zhi. The rider was a sharp one, he must have known about the unarmored back portion of the Fire Nation GI's uniform. The unfortunate soldier hit the ground with a howl, Zhi knew from a quick glance that the fellow would not survive. There were two 'medics' in his platoon but in all honesty that kind of a wound was assuredly fatal.

He hadn't known the fellow personally... Clang! Zhi found himself tumbling sideways into Shen. What the heck was that? ran through the young soldier’s mind.

"Agni.." muttered Shen, looking over at his friend. Zhi had no time to check where he'd been hit; the second Cavalryman had wedged himself and his mount into the blocking Infantry's line. His Ostrich Horse was wounded in several places but the beast continued to push onward.

Zhi regained his footing, gripped his spear in his right hand and held it up like a javelin. As he turned to acquire his target it became clear that something was pressed against the left side of his neck, something metallic.

Adrenaline flooding his veins, the young soldier didn't waste a second to check what was scraping his neck. He thrust the spear forward as if he were planning to throw it; however, the Cavalryman was only feet away.

As he tossed it forward, Zhi let up on his grip, allowing the spear to slide through his hand. The tip missed its mark, though, and instead of striking the Cavalryman's collar area the spearhead dipped and plunged into the rider's thigh.

The Earth Kingdom soldier grunted and turned his head to face Zhi. As he noticed who had speared him the young soldier gripped his spear tightly with both hands, gave it a twist and tore it back, free from the man's leg.

The Cavalryman roared, more in anger than pain, but was quickly silenced as the soldiers on his other side mobbed him with their spears.

As the group of GIs quickly reformed, Zhi's hand rose to his neck, his armored collar guard had saved his life. The black metal was dented and bent inward on the left side; the paint had even chipped off in places. Zhi quickly realized what had happened, that Cavalryman had caught his collar guard with his slashing spear. An inch or two higher and the young soldier could have lost his head.

Before he could give it anymore thought, though, the acrid scent of smoke was quickly filling the air. Zhi, Shen and others looked quickly back over their shoulders only to find that they could no longer see the Spearhead Square. A thick, black cloud of smoke was rapidly forming. "What is that?" Zhi asked, to anyone who was listening.

"I dunno," replied another soldier, somewhere amongst the group. The smoke didn't smell right to Zhi, it couldn't have been from the Firebenders’ attacks, it was far too thick as well.

"Doesn’t matter, we've got to finish off the Cavalry before we go off that way." came the voice of Corporal Hue, from down the line.

Zhi and the group, now led by Hue, charged toward the remaining trapped Cavalry, it would only take a bit longer, if things went well, and they'd be free to move forward again. It was clear that the boxed in Ostrich Horsemen had only minutes left to live and Zhi could feel the heat from the Firebenders' flames as they seared the riders up ahead.

[zilong]

The battle raged fiercely. What cavalry were left were the tough ones, the survivors. They were putting up a tough fight on the whole, but one in particular caught Zilong’s eye through the smoke. He wielded a kind of war trident, whirling it about and slaying several firebenders in a matter of moments. Zilong felt the adrenaline build inside him. That would be his opponent, his prize. Like the Thunderfist commander before, this one would grant him another war trophy.

Stalking forward, not charging, he stepped through the smoke and pulled back his guan dao. In a low sweeping motion, he sent a small wave of flame at the man’s mount, just above its feet. If nothing else, it would catch his attention. Besides, Zilong was at the point where massive firebending attacks would prove wearisome. His guan dao would have to do, at lease for the most part. The adrenaline flowing through his veins would provide enough strength to send this man to his death.

[zhi]

A last ditch charge to breakthrough the line of infantry proved disastrous for the surviving Cavalrymen boxed in between the Squares.

Zhi's spear met flesh, tearing into the side of one of the mounted Earth Kingdom soldiers. Their thin armor was no match for the razor sharp spearheads wielded by the Fire Nation GIs.

The Cavalryman's mount took a spear hit in the flank from Shen, causing the beast to leap to the side, unseating its wounded rider. The soldier tumbled off his mount, Zhi's spearhead dislodging itself from the man's side as he fell.

Shen just managed to pull his spear free of the Ostrich Horse as it charged off in a random direction only to be seared by a blast of fire from the benders to the right flank. Now the two young soldiers turned to the Earth Kingdom Cavalryman who had managed to rise to his feet.

The soldier clutched his wounded side with one hand and brandished a short-sword with the other; the crazed look upon his face suggested to the two boys that this fellow intended to fight to the death. The man leapt over a dead Ostrich Horse and charged Shen, his sword held up over his head, ready to strike.

The farm boy managed to jump clear of the man’s sword and it now became clear that the fellow was slowing down, his resolve draining away with his blood from the wound to his side. Now, as their opponent slowed, the two young soldiers circled the man, keeping him at a spear’s length.

Killing wasn’t something Zhi enjoyed, not in the least, but this was war and it was necessary. Those who fought back against the Fire Nation didn’t much deserve to live, in Zhi’s opinion. They were the ones prolonging the war; they were the ones hurting everyone. If the soldiers would just surrender and accept the better way of life the Fire Nation was offering, things would be far easier.

But no, Zhi thought, they were brainwashed to serve their Earth King and only by toppling him would peace and victory be achieved. Feeling a wave of conviction grab him and sweep him along he swerved to one side and bounded up to the dismounted Cavalryman while he was distracted with Shen.

As Shen held the man at bay, Zhi came within range from behind him, he plunged his spear down in an arc, the head piercing the man’s shoulder just to the right and rear of his neck. As the man let out an agonized scream of pain, dropping his sword, Zhi pulled his spear free, scowling at the sight of the gore dribbling from its tip.

The man fell forward, face down onto the ground and lay still. Zhi felt confident that he wouldn’t be up and brandishing that sword at anyone ever again. That was an unfortunate fact he’d had to face in the past, even wounded men lying on the ground could still be dangerous if one were to turn their back and the wrong time.

Once the young soldier had caught his breath he looked to his friend, strangely it seemed the area had become relatively quiet. “I think that was the last of them here,” said Shen, looking out across the space between the two infantry squares, now littered with the bodies of soldiers and mounts.

“The Smoke! At the front!” shouted Zhi, the acrid scent once again agitating his nose, “And the Earthbenders too!” he tacked on. Shen simply nodded and looked forward, the Infantry and what sounded like more Earth Kingdom Cavalry were clashing beyond the thick smokescreen that had seemingly cut the Spearhead Square in two. And it was only a matter of time before the Earthbenders reached the lines and the real slaughter would begin.

“You two, c’mon!” shouted the familiar voice of Corporal Hue from up ahead. Zhi gingerly stepped around the face-down Earth Kingdom Cavalryman and, with a nod to Shen, broke into a run for the frontlines, followed closely by his friend.

The two watched as Corporal Hue and several other soldiers disappeared into the smokescreen and faded from view. Now Zhi was only feet away and he took a deep breath and held it before plunging into the smoke, uncertain of what he would find on the other side.

[vu]

"Footsoldiers," Vu disapprovingly muttered. Losing the sound his own voice under the din of his machine. Only feeling his lips form the words that expressed his discontent.

Meandering about the smoke like that, fussing in his head. Running through it!

Vu gripped upon the ceiling handrails as his warcrawler barreled forward, his naked ocher-complexioned knuckles becoming redder. Jaw tightening both from the ride and closing in upon the Earthbenders. Just asking to be plowed through with a spear or rolled over by a boulder. Should have just moved around and let us roar through it ourselves, referring to his warcrawlers and the others alongside him.

"I can see that!" Snapping loud enough to be heard by the forward driver as a scattering of boulders were falling towards them. Not enough to be of an immense concern, nor were the earthbenders' aim either.

Follow the target and hit where they will be, he would have scolded them but grateful that the firebenders and non alike were instead eating up the earthbenders' attention.

"Ready--ready your grapples," clenching the overhead rails as a tremor jostled the vehicle to one side then back upon all four serrated, iron wheels.

Vu's elbows BAD!ed back, fists clenched. "Launch into the crowd on my fire," certain the other five warcrawlers would immediately follow suit in both respects.

Now! arms suddenly thrust forward.

[zhi]

Leaping through a layer of the smoke Zhi found that the screen was far thicker than it appeared. It seemed to be multi-layered and more spread out the farther forward he went. What could be the source of the smoke? Zhi wondered. It just made no sense, unless the Earth Kingdom troops had constructed some sort of trap before their forces had arrived, but no, that made no sense either, he decided.

Slowing to a trot Zhi looked around, the smoke burning his eyes and lungs, where was Shen? Had they somehow gotten separated in the smoke? Spinning around, his spear at the ready, Zhi looked about, trying to peer through the smoke that swirled about him.

“Shen!” called Zhi, “Shen! Where are you!?” The young soldier could hear the mad clash of combat nearby, but he wasn’t sure from which direction it was coming, he’d gotten turned around in the smoke and separated from his friend. The severity of the situation was beginning to set in, Zhi had to reach the Spearhead Square, wandering about alone in the smoke was certain death.

Trying once more, Zhi called for his friend, this time a sound reached his ears, someone was coming through the smoke. Turning toward the source of sound, Zhi realized immediately that it wasn’t his friend; the distinctive snort of an Ostrich Horse came as a warning only seconds before the Earth Kingdom rider and his mount emerged from the smoke, a thick-bladed spear held up over his head.

Wide-eyed and thoroughly surprised, Zhi made an attempt to leap from the path of the charging Cavalryman, his right foot slipped on the blood-soaked earth landing him flat upon his stomach, but mercifully low enough to be out of the rider’s range as he thundered by, only a foot away from the young soldier.

Zhi quickly scrambled to his feet, the front of his armor was coated in dust and the knees of is Uniform Gray pants were stained with blood. He was unaware of this, however, as he was focused entirely on the mounted Earth Kingdom soldier. The rider and his mount wore different armor, thicker, more ornate, than that of the group he’d encountered earlier in the battle and he could now see that the man was determined to finish him off.

The Cavalryman urged his mount into a turn, coming back around to charge Zhi once again. The young soldier readied his spear and considered his options, when the man was only a short distance away; he planed on moving over to his off-side, the side on which the man held the reigns, and hopefully making a strike at the saddle strap.

As the soldier bore down upon him, Zhi took a deep breath, but found himself coughing as the smoke stung his lungs, at the last minute he looked up to see a blast of flame strike the man upon his charging mount. The Cavalryman screamed in pain, dropped his reigns and spear and flailed about as his uniform and armor caught fire.

The Ostrich Horse, realizing it too was on fire, gave a shrill whinny and turned sharply, sending the burning rider into the air. By the time he landed upon the ground, struggling in agony, Zhi was upon him. He plunged the leaf-shaped spearhead into the man several times, finding small gaps in his armor to exploit, these only becoming visible at extremely close range.

When the Cavalryman’s howls of pain ceased, Zhi rose to his feet and turned away from the gory sight. Immediately he remembered the blast of flame, where had it come from? Cautiously, Zhi made his way through the smoke in the direction from which he’d seen the flame launched.

Stepping over the body of a dead soldier, he came upon a man lying upon the ground, one arm behind his back, propping up the top half of his body. The man turned his head to look at Zhi, his eyes peering through the skull-faced mask worn by all Firebending soldiers.

“Lucky shot,” he said matter-of-factly. Zhi carefully approached the soldier, looking him over. He suddenly realized why he was lying upon the ground; the man’s right leg was badly burned, from just above the knee to about mid-shin, a smoldering tar-like substance having adhered to his flesh and the cloth of his uniform.

“What… what is that stuff?” Zhi asked, pointing to the man’s leg. “I don’t know,” he replied, in a voice that sounded as if he was fighting back the pain, “Those Earth Kingdom Cavalrymen lobbed that stuff at us; it’s what’s causing the smoke.”

Zhi knew what he needed to do, this man needed help, he’d also likely saved the young soldier’s life and Zhi intended to do whatever he could for the bender. The burn didn’t seem immediately life-threatening, but being immobilized in the middle of a battlefield was almost guaranteed lethal.

“I see, can you sit up or stand or anything?” asked Zhi, kneeling down beside the man. “Damn stuff’s still burning,” muttered the Firebender as he managed to roll onto his side and get up onto his good knee. “There we go, now you can use me to lean on and we’ll get you back to our lines, alright?” said Zhi, nodding to the man.

“Yeah, I guess that’ll work,” replied the Firebender. Zhi helped him up onto one foot and then supported his right side as the two moved through the smoke toward what they hoped would be the left side of the Spearhead Square.

As they worked their way through the smoke the sound of someone coming toward them from up ahead caused both soldiers to freeze. Zhi held his spear in his right hand, at the ready, his left over the back of the Firebender, helping to keep him steady on one foot. If it was another Cavalryman or the Earthbender he’d have almost no chance of fighting them off.

[zilong]

The man Zilong was targeting managed to dodge his small fireball, but before the two could become locked in combat, a large rock fell in between them. The earthbenders had arrived. Whatever cavalry were left would escape, it seemed. Cursing as the order to regroup rang throughout the Fire Nation lines, Zilong turned and dove back through the smoke in retreat with the rest of his unit. The sound of tanks could be heard in the distance. Had they finished off the mounted archers already, or had they simply been forced to improvise? Whatever the case, it didn’t matter. They were providing enough distraction for the 502nd and their peers to head back towards the main lines where they could gain reinforcements and regroup.

It seemed that plenty of earthbenders were not occupied by the tanks, however, including one that Zilong spotted through the smoke, fast approaching a pair of Fire Nation soldiers. One was wounded and was being carried by the other. As the earthbender assumed a fighting stance, it seemed as though they were history…until Zilong’s guan dao slashed a deep vertical cut into the man’s back. With a cry, the earthbender fell forward and didn’t get up again.

“C’mon! Hurry up!” Zilong said to the two soldiers as he jogged towards them. “We’re regrouping back towards the main line!”

As he came parallel with the two, he looked down at the soldier doing the carrying. He was the same spindly young man from the camp, and it didn’t seem like he’d suddenly grown muscles, judging by how slowly the pair were moving.

“Aw hell with it,” he said after a moment, and then promptly grabbed the wounded man and threw him over his left shoulder in a fireman carry.

The wounded man let out a yelp of surprise, but didn’t protest after a moment. Once Zilong had a good hold on him, he started to jog forward once more, keeping his left hand on the man’s back while holding the guan dao in his right.

“Let’s go, kid!”

[zhi]

Zhi immediately identified the man as an Earthbender as he emerged from the swirling smoke. The classic conical helmet upon his head, that had lead to the coining of the slur “Mushroom Head”, clearly visible, the man’s face was like stone as he stared at the two Fire Nation soldiers.

“What now?” muttered the wounded Firebender, leaning against Zhi for support. There wasn’t much the young soldier could say in return, it donned on him then, that he’d never learned the fellow’s name. He found his mind drifting to his family, what they’d do when they got the KIA letter…

Both knew that the bender would show no mercy and neither had much time to react as the Earth Kingdom soldier dropped into an offensive bending stance. Zhi figured he might be able to push the wounded Firebender to the side, perhaps out of the way of an attack, but it all depended on what the bender was going to do, and time was running out.

But just before the Earth Kingdom soldier could unleash his elemental wrath, a glint of steel flashed through the smoke behind him. The bender screamed in agony and collapsed forward, onto the ground, making no attempt to rise from where he lay.

A towering man stepped forth from behind the, possibly fatally wounded, Earthbender and shouted to Zhi and the wounded soldier. The two were still somewhat frozen from coming so close to death. What was it? The fifth time my life has been saved today? thought Zhi, peering over at the man with the Guan Dao.

As the man drew closer, Zhi recognized him as a Sergeant, the same fellow who’d sent him to deliver the message only a few days before, back at the encampment. Zhi nodded to him and began to turn with the wounded bender back toward the Fire Nation force’s lines; it would be slow going, though.

The Sergeant seemed to realize how limited their mobility was and quickly grabbed up the bender, hoisting him over his shoulder before breaking into a jog back toward friendly lines. With the weight off of Zhi’s shoulder he was free to jog along as well, but paused and looked back through the swirling smoke for a moment.

He could hear the sounds of the Earthbenders, there were likely all over the place. The crush and crunch of rock shattering nearby and a shout from the Sergeant got Zhi moving. He quickly caught up with the Sergeant, leaping over several dead soldiers and mounts on his way. He seriously hoped that the troops of the Spearhead Square, his unit, were falling back as well, possibly moving through the smoke beside him or even ahead of him.

As he ran along he shouted to the Sergeant over the roar of the Earthbenders, “Sir, do you know anything on the status of the Spearhead Infantry Square that was back up there?” he asked, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.

Zhi began to wonder just how strong the enemy force was, a redraw and regroup action wasn’t unheard of but he’d never experienced smoke screen tactics before and he was becoming skeptical. And where were the Crawlers? They’d surely turn the fight around against a bunch of Earthbenders on foot.

[vu]

"Never should you underestimate us dirt!" The low harshness of Vu's tone was lost amidst the voice of his warcrawler's front and rear engines. Having long seen them coming the earthbenders had callously erected a wall before Vu's advancing, mechanized platoon, leaving their attention preoccupied with the Fire Nation infantry in front of them.

If the machines could have gone even faster, or do so without the engines exploding, Vu would have immediately wanted such. But the six warcrawlers of his platoon sped on without hesitation nonetheless and in spite of a sudden obstacle.

"Batten down the hatches!" Closing his forward hatch yet unable to hear his drivers doing likewise but knew they had as the cockpit suddenly darkened. Vu's breathing suddenly became faster. Coming in shorter breaths as he waited for the crash, clutching the handle bars above the the entry hatch while his buttocks clenched.

Separately, each machine of the warcrawler platoon collided with the earthbenders hastily erected wall. Some crashing straight through it while others turned it into a makeshift ramp as the obstacle began to fall over. And yet as a team, the Lucky Eight assailed the Earth Kingdom forces with the ferocity of a tigershark ripping into the side of its prey.

Vu opened his hatch just in time to catch the shocked expression of a cavalryman and his ostrich-horse a moment before slamming into them full force, his machine having not slowed down as they breached the wall. Vu immediately slammed down his hatch again not wanting to see what came next though hearing a loud thump smacking against his hatch and faintly rolling over the top of his machine.

"Damn speed bumps," the rear driver mocked, with repeating crossbow in hand, while something fell off the back of the crawler.

Hatches open, sustained streams of flame and bursts of fireballs targeted and lashed at individual soldiers whilst they tore through the Earth Kingdom formation.

Too many to shoot and too many to clear out, Vu thought to himself. Wanting to conserve his energy though was pushed to furiously work his arms and hands in and out of three different hatches to attack from. Fighting by way of firebending from in front and either side of him, taking only enough time to light one soldier and then another on fire before moving to the next. Too many to fight and carefully brief time had to be spent on them, though earthbenders often needed extra attention to most: a concussive fireball or extended flame to roast them alive, like pottery inside a kiln, if they tried to surround themselves with an earthen barricade or hide inside it like a curled armadillo-snake.

"Damn pedestrian traffic is high today, sir," his forward driver quipped."

[zilong]

Zilong did not slow his jog, even as the young soldier asked him a question. How the hell was Zilong supposed to know about a specific unit? He was just a sergeant, and he was in he smoke the same as the boy.

“No idea, but if they’re smart, they’ll be right behind us,” he replied.

The group emerged from the smoke, and Zilong could see the other lines of Fire Nation troops growing larger, both by their own advance and the retreat of the forward units. Adjusting the position of the soldier he was carrying, Zilong tried to up the pace. The tanks would hopefully provide a good enough distraction to give them the distance they needed, but even so, the sooner they managed to fall back to the main lines, the better. Then, they could turn right around and drive the rockheads all the way back to their wall.

[zhi]

Remaining on the Sergeant’s tail, Zhi ran along, his spear held out in his right hand, held with the spearhead pointed forward in case he were to trip it would be pointed away. He nodded at the Sergeant's reply, though the man was facing away from him and wouldn’t have caught the acknowledgement. It had been worth a shot, asking, hadn’t it?

Zhi couldn’t help but wonder whether or not his friends had managed to fall back in time. Perhaps they were thinking the same thing of him, having been separated in the smoke, he seriously hoped Shen or Hue or the others weren’t still back there looking for him. They’d surely be picked off by the dirt eaters, wandering about in the smoke.

And finally, the three soldiers burst forth from the smoke screen, the last black wisps fading, away leaving a clear view of the battlefield. Zhi took a deep breath of fresh air, the smoke had been miserable, especially while running and now the stinging in his lungs began to lessen. His eyes, on the other hand, still watered and he figured the whites were likely red, but paid the unpleasant sensation little thought when a great sound caught his attention.

Turning his head to the right for just a moment, Zhi caught sight of them, the War Crawlers were moving in, plowing through an earthen wall that seemed to have appeared from nowhere. A feeling of relief swept over him, there it was, he knew, the turning point, the Fire Nation forces would soon be back on the offensive.

“Sir, the Crawlers are engaging the enemy,” he shouted up to the Sergeant, over the din of the vehicles’ chugging steam engines.

Zhi figured it would be best to stick with the Sergeant, who’s name he did not yet know, at least until he could find his own unit again. It seemed that the infantry was regrouping up ahead and would soon follow along with the Crawlers to mop up any strays they might have missed and to guard their flanks.

He also hoped to see the wounded Firebender safely back to friendly lines as well, Zhi made up his mind to thank the Sergeant and the other soldier, they’d both saved him.

[vu]

A mask, Captain Vu wished as his nose crinkled in extreme disgust at the acrid smell of burnt human flesh. Should have thought about it ahead of time, scolding himself, covering with something so it wouldn't come on so strong.

The cacophony around him: the yells, the screams, the clashing, roaring of engines, flush of flames and rumble of earth Vu could handle. He always had to handle. Even after this battle was over and these noises became an indistinguishably dull, ocean roll echoing in his ears, that white noise would further be drowned from memory by the sounds of camp life.

But the smell? That would be with him for much longer. Days even. Enshrined into his sinuses to where even his food would smell and taste like burnt flesh.

"We're in the clear," came the voice of the rear engine driver.

Trying to maintain himself amidst the present, his chair swiveled until he was facing the back of the other driver, head swiveling left and right to see out the other hatches. The rest were no worse for the wear as his owns. Huge dents against their hull, hopefully nothing that breached to the crew within, and one with a shard of earth the size of a man jutting into one of the engine boilers.

"Groundpounders," Vu's head twisted to the forward driver, "location."

"Not on this side of the smoke, they've fallen back on the other side."

Slapping his hands together then pushing his arms forward, a gout of flame erupted from a hatch and held in mid-air, turning into the symbols for his team regroup. Wanting them to pull back from the fight.

"We'll regroup with our arrow fodder," he said.

[zhi]

Nearly there, yes, nearly there, Zhi could see the other troops up ahead now; they were clustering together, trying to regroup into their old formations. Shouts from Sergeants and Captains could be heard now; it seemed the Crawlers had moved farther forward, the roar of their steam engines fading into the distance behind Zhi.

Taking a moment to survey the field to his right and rear, the young soldier spotted many others running along, falling back toward Fire Nation lines. The field across which he viewed them was littered with the bodies of Earth Kingdom Cavalrymen and they mounts. Zhi paid the dead dirt eaters little attention; it was their fault after all, going against the Fire Nation, prolonging the war.

Amongst the green-clad bodies, the young soldier could spot small bits of red as well, a somber expression appearing upon his face at the sight. These bits of red armor marked the spot where a soldier of the Fire Nation had fallen, somebody’s son, or brother, or husband… or uncle, there would be families mourning back home, there always were. Their deaths wouldn’t be in vain, Zhi felt, they would be avenged and victory would belong to their comrades, won in their names.

He couldn’t help but think about his own family, back home, in Hokage. Had they received his letter? He hoped so. Still on the Sergeant’s tail, Zhi continued on, feeling more secure the closer they got to their own friendly lines. Soon, he could pick out individual soldiers amongst the groups, able to, at the very least, determine if they were benders or not, denoted by their uniforms and armor.

He kept his eyes open for his comrades, those from Sergeant Zhuk’s platoon. They should show up at the front, he thought. They had been the Spearhead unit earlier in the battle and it only made sense that they would regroup in the same configuration. Before he could get a good look at the Fire Nation Lines, the terrible crunch of rock breaking into a thousand pieces caught his attention.

Launched over the smoke, several large boulders sailed over, landing short in the field, well away from the regrouping troops. The Earthbenders were blind firing over the smoke, their smoke screen advantage was now hampering their aim and Zhi wondered just how long it would last before a breeze or the like blew the cover away. After several volleys of boulders flew over and crushed into the corpse-littered field, the attacks ceased and a new sound reached Zhi’s ears.

Turning around, he just caught sight of the first Crawler as it emerged from the smoke, likely having come about on the other side. That would explain the abrupt halt to the Earthbenders’ ranged attacks, thought Zhi, watching for a moment as the other Crawlers emerged too, likely moving to regroup with the infantry and whatnot. Perhaps they’ll drive right up past us, thought the young soldier hopefully, he’d yet to get a close look at the machines.

Nearly stumbling over his own feet, Zhi turned his attention from the Crawlers and back onto following the Sergeant, it really was wise to watch where one was going. Zhi picked up the pace, having fallen behind a bit and continued along toward the Fire Nation lines.

[vu]

"And yet your soldiers were the ones who defeated the Thundershaker--Thunderrump--Thunderfight whatever battalion, Lieutenant," Captain Vu Ganesa leaned over the hatch of his warcrawler. His mechanized platoon had come to a screeching halt behind the regrouping footsoldiers, partially intending to keep his retreating comrades from falling back to their allied main force that still stood waiting to participate.

"Unless you would prefer to admit you would have never defeated them if not for my men," haughtily lifting his chin to the firebending footsoldier that commanded the 501st. Trying to ignore the crash of falling and propelled boulders in spite of his sudden flinches they induced from him.

"Then get out of our way and follow, Lieutenants," pulling rack as he continued to argue not with just the firebender but the officer commanding the nonbending spearmen. "You can clean up after us."

Falling back inside, the hatch of Vu's warcrawler slammed shut. "Footsoldiers," he fumed. "They're almost as bad as cavalry--full steam ahead!"

Nearly running over a hapless spearman, Vu's warcrawler sped forth towards the Earth Kingdom soldiers' smokescreen. Immediately giving chase until matching speed and on either side followed the other five war machines.