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Avatar: Two Brothers

Chapter 24

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Escape

The chieftain laid on his back with his eyes open after such an attack. He could feel some of his broken bones that would take time to heal. Instead of forcing himself up, he looked at the air bender that had beaten him.

“You let up on that attack. Why did you do that?” He asked Da-Wei.

“I could ask you the same. If you really wanted to, you could have ended the battle much sooner.”

Nacnud laughed in response. “Ha, you are a lot more perceptive than I gave you credit for. However, if I had gone all out from the start, I wouldn’t have been able to figure out something very important.”

“And what would that be?” Da-Wei asked curiously.

“That the reports about the air benders don’t apply to you.”

Hearing those words from Da-Wei gave him relief. Nacnud confirmed that he would have Chloe healed and to keep the avatar safe. To show his gratitude, Da-Wei reached out his hand to help Nacnud up.

The chieftain smiled and he was reaching for his arm. As this was happening, the entrance door of the room was opening, Dilraj was just entering the room. “Chieftain Nacnud, there is something of importance we need to discuss. The visitors, I believe they are…” before he could finish his sentence, he saw an enemy intruder raising his blade to strike down both Nacnud and Da-Wei.

However, both of them were oblivious to the enemy’s presence until Dilraj shouted to get their attention. Nacnud, knowing he had nearly no mobility, pushed Da-Wei to safety, leaving himself vulnerable to the enemy. Both Da-Wei and Dilraj could only watch as the assailant drove his blade through the chieftain’s heart.

After the wound was inflicted, Da-Wei pounced up and tried to strike back at the enemy but he jumped away from his victim. While he jumped away, Da-Wei got to see the face of the assassin. It was a face he could never forget, the same one from Ba Sing Se, the infamous Laghima.

Da-Wei demanded an explanation for his action and Laghima gladly replied. “All I have done, I did in order to bring glory to the Air Nomads. You being an air bender should be excited for this new age that will be ushered into the world.” But Da-Wei did not share in Laghima’s joy. He argued that the Air Nomads would never achieve their potential through pointless murder.

“Weak. Just like my brother. No matter, the plan is nearly in full effect and there is nothing you can do to stop it.” After those words, Laghima began to flee from the scene with Da-Wei about to follow him. “Are you sure you want to follow me? I would be more concerned about your friends.”

His words caused Da-Wei to stop. Realizing he had no idea where Chloe and Isabelle were, he grew worried. In his hesitation, Laghima escaped.

“No!” Dilraj immediately ran to his chieftain to heal him but the wound was too fatal. Upon hearing Dilraj’s cry, Da-Wei turned to him and asked if there was anything he could help with. Dilraj was still in anger and he told Da-Wei to leave him and the chieftain alone.

Seeing that he would be of no help, he listened to Dilraj and walked out the door. Before he left, Dilraj told Da-Wei where his friends were being kept and that he should hurry.

After Da-Wei left, Dilraj held his master’s hand, reminiscing of all memories he had with him. He remembered all the great moments of triumphs through his development as a water bender and how Nacnud was with him for all of it. As he continued thinking through all the memories, he heard his voice gasping for air.

“Master Nacnud? You are still alive!”

“I’m sorry Dilraj. I wish there was more I could do for you.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. Just hang on, I will get you help!”

As he was about to leave, Nacnud grabbed his arm tightly. “I don’t have much time left. Please listen to me.” Dilraj stopped, sat down to listen attentively.

“I have made a terrible mistake. Upon hearing the news of what happened in Ba Sing Se, I assumed all air benders were to blame. But not Da-Wei, he is a good kid. Please, help him before they come…”

He began coughing out blood mid-sentence and Dilraj urged him to stop talking but he continued. “Dilraj, you are the hope of the water tribe. There are going to be trying times and everyone is going to need your strength.”

Dilraj shook his head. He kept telling Nacnud that he wasn’t ready and that he still needed much help. But there was no reply coming from the chieftain as his body now laid still and his eyes closed. Dilraj took the time to hold on to his master in a moment of silence.

Da-Wei rushed to the room where Dilraj said Isabelle would be but when he arrived the room was empty. He wasn’t sure where else in the palace to search and he couldn’t risk getting caught by all the water benders lurking around. Feeling confined, he thought it would be best to pop outside onto the courtyard, to get a better sense of where he was.

However, right as he appeared onto the courtyard, he was met with a face he did not expect to see here in the water tribe, General Gursehaj, and he wasn’t alone. With him were Gurshaan, Arsh and a squad of soldiers behind him.

“How kind of you to save us the trouble of finding you. Now, you can make this even easier by surrendering yourself to us along with the avatar!” Gursehaj threatened.

Of course Da-Wei wasn’t going to give into his threats. Instead, he began to hold up his palms, to rebel against his foes. Unfortunately, he was still suffering the effects of a hard fought battle against the water chieftain.

“Don’t be a fool. I can tell your body is weak from battle and you are heavily outnumbered. I will give you this chance to surrender.”

“Ha, I won’t need my full strength to handle you boulder heads. Look around you, we are in the Northern Water Tribe, you got nothing to bend!” As he spoke, the general snapped his fingers, and the soldiers wheeled in a giant cart that was filled with coal, rocks, and mud.

A few of the guards engaged Da-Wei for battle. The air bender put up a great fight knocking out at least five of them but battling with the weight of the basket and avatar on his back along with his wounds from previous battles proved too much. Eventually, both Gurshaan and Arsh overpowered the air bender. When Da-Wei tried to get up, the general used his earth bending to encase Da-wei’s arms and legs into a rock, preventing him from moving.

The airbender struggled to break free but it was of no avail. The general was about to proceed forward and take the backpack away from Da-Wei but a rock was thrown right at the general’s head. Finding the action intolerable, he looked around to find the one responsible. It didn’t take him long as standing a few feet away from him was the long awaited return of the sleeping earth bender, Chloe was awake and well.

She also brought Isabelle along who was now the one unconscious instead of her. Gursehaj was so infuriated by Chloe’s actions that he ordered his soldiers to go after the blonde girl.

All the lower rank soldiers used their earth bending to hurl a giant boulder at Chloe. The giant stone was flung at a great velocity but Chloe stuck out both her hands and caught the attack. Not only that, she sent the boulder right back at the soldiers and knocked them all out like bowling pins.

The general was absolutely shocked by Chloe’s sheer strength. He had never witnessed any earth-bender take out a whole squadron of earth kingdom guards. While he was still baffled by what happened, Chloe jumped in front of Da-Wei with a big smile on her face.

“Come on Da-Wei this is no time to be lying on the ground. We got work to do!”

“I don’t want to hear that from you! I’m not the one who’s been asleep for half our journey!”

Their bickering continued until Gurshaan and Arsh both launched two giant rock columns towards them. Chloe could sense the attack, and when the columns were close enough, she spun around and kicked one of the columns into the other, nullifying them in just one strike.

“Hey! I’m busy talking to my friend here! It's very rude to interrupt!” Chloe shouted. But the general was in no mood for games. He had Gurshaan and Arsh stand to her right and her left while he stood in front of her, leaving Chloe no room to escape.

There was no way Chloe was going to back down from the fight. She already proved how much raw strength she had. The only problem was that she had too many people to protect. Da-Wei was still exhausted from his previous fight and Isabelle was still unconscious. She had to be cautious of how she fought or her opponents could use her friends against her.

However, the tension between the fighters was interrupted as someone else had appeared into the courtyard. Both Chloe and Da-Wei looked to find that Dilraj had arrived. The big question that floated on Da-Wei’s mind was if Dilraj was his ally or his enemy.

Gursehaj had a big smile on his face. “Ahh it appears the water benders are starting to arrive. Quick, arrest these fools who have stolen the avatar!”

Dilraj took a breath before drawing water from around the area and encircling it around Da-Wei and Chloe. The two benders were both outnumbered and trapped. This appeared to be the end of the road of their journey.

But in the turn of events, the water suddenly froze over and then it broke off into icicles that scattered and shot at the general and his two elite guards. Catching them completely off guard, they jumped away to avoid sustaining major injuries. As the general and his guards were getting back up, Dilraj used all his energy to create a giant ice wall, preventing the earth benders from reaching Chloe, Da-Wei and Isabelle.

“Grab your firebender friend and get out of here!” Dilraj ordered Chloe. She immediately made her way to grab Isabelle. Chloe put Isabelle over her shoulders and began to reconvene to where Da-Wei was lying down.

While Chloe was still tending to Isabelle, Dilraj had a moment to speak with Da-Wei.

“You know the man who killed the chieftain?” Da-Wei replied by nodding his head. “Then I shall be accompanying you and your friends. That man has much to answer for the crimes he had committed.”

Da-Wei could sense the anger deep within his tone. He was afraid of the path that Dilraj was taking but he also couldn’t pass up the chance to have extra help on their journey. With all the craziness going on at the moment, he accepted Dilraj onto their team.

“Get off your lazy bum, we gotta get out of here!” Chloe urged her air bending friend. Da-Wei scrambled to get back up as he could hear the general and his minions trying to smash down the icy wall.

“Alright let’s go everyone!” Da-Wei announced.

“Whoa hold up? He’s coming with us too?!” Chloe asked in a shocked manner.

“You got a problem with that blondie?” Dilraj retorted.

“Guys! Now is not the time. Let’s get out of here first!”

Putting their differences aside, Dilraj guided them out of the palace as he knew the place from inside out. Through his guidance, they made it out of the palace and out into the vast ocean where Dilraj quickly grabbed one of the boats on their dock and prepared it for their escape.

Back in the palace, the earth benders finally broke through the icy wall. General Gursehaj commanded his guards to quickly make their way towards the dock. When they arrived, they saw that one of the boats had already left the dock.

All the soldiers were ready to board their ships and pursue the avatar but the general told them that it would not be necessary. Instead, the general decided that he could use the current situation to his advantage.

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