Exit

Code Vein (Closed)

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__Howling Pit · [&.FunnyGuy] [&.PigeonOfAstora] [&.Daxam]Howling Pit · @FunnyGuy @PigeonOfAstora @Daxam ______________________________________________________________________________..... . . . . . . . . . . Before the other thrall could recover, a hole suddenly opened up in its chest. Its rot smeared all over the flat of a blade as it dug into its flesh, rendering it visible. After a moment or two of struggling against its invisible aggressor, what remained of its life gave out and the thrall eventually stopped thrashing about. The blade was removed smoothly from the cavity it had left in its chest just as the body began to decompose. The knife too began disappear into the ether, slipping into transparent swirls of dust until it was no longer visible. Dirt on the ground depressed into a footprint and then another and another with each step connecting a path that lead up to and stopped next to one of the remaining thralls on the ground. The one at her foot was missing its leg. Within a few seconds, it had been pierced through the back and had begun turning to dust.

ᵀʰᵉ Last Avatar & ᵀʰᵉ Red Lotus.

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Outside the tower · |@Exit], |@Fiber] & |@Mistress Dizzy] CollaborationOutside the tower · @Exit, @Fiber & @Mistress Dizzy Collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. Exit    "Carefully..." Nelu clasped his hand around Yi's wrist and slowly pulled the pilot out of the cockpit. Despite the damage sustained to the Firefly, Yi remained mostly unharmed. True to his skill, he'd managed to land the craft without seriously injuring himself and would be walking away from the landing with only minor cuts and bruises. The bird however was inoperable and could not be salvaged, which if Yi was being honest, hurt him more than any physical injury could. By now, any surviving Benders had been cuffed and were lined up against the toppled tower and on their knees. The restraints around their wrist restricted their use of chi, removing the threat of bending for the time being. The Vanguard patrolling nearby made sure that none of them entertained the notion of trying to flee although the explosive collars around their neck was deterrent enough. All in all, about fifteen people had been captured. They would need a whole other transportation vehicle to take them all back. The group didn't have to wait for long. A second aircraft similar to the Firefly arrived to take Katakuri and Yi back to HQ to be seen for their injuries. 141 joined them as well, obediently collected in yet another cage without fuss. Although not injured, he'd need a good wash to get the blood and sinew cleaned off his armor. Jin, Zhen and Nelu stayed behind with their prisoners to ensure no more were lost and more importantly, to keep an eye on a certain, still unconscious Earthbender. "Did they give you a hard time?" Nelu asked Zhen after joining her from the line of prisoners. Fiber    Zhen paced back and forth in front of the line of prisoners, ignoring her minor injuries. Her tattered cloaked blew in the wind, and she said “One subject was notable, the rest were not. The earthbender in question displayed abilities indicative of some level of self-study, competent but not overtly familiar to any of the classical earthbending tradition, along with an as-of-yet novel ability to manipulate glass. If he was still with us I would love to see what the Old Man would have to say. Remember when he used to break our bones as fast as the medics could fix them?” ”Made us learn fast.” Nelu replied. ”Although I think I just learned that I don’t like my bones being broken. Which one was the Earthbender?” Zhen silently pointed at Chae-Won in the line up, the only one of the prisoners had the marks of having been in a prolonged fight. Mistress Dizzy    Jin had Mifeng dismantled and slung around their back, and was beside Captain Nelu, simply waiting. They had their sidearm, a modified standard synergy pistol, within easy reach. Just in case one of the benders decided to get cute. Though they hadn’t said anything, their head was starting to throb. The speed calculus on the second airborne shot from earlier had set a pain going just above their left eye. All that for a whiff. Things were dying down, and with them, Jin’s focus was starting to drain. Even though they had practiced and trained and practically beaten their brain into submission, there was a limit to how long they could narrow the scope. “Hey, ma’am?” Jin gestured to Zhen, not wanting to use her name in front of the prisoners. Even if it was a fake one, info was info. “I’ve been thinkin about that thing you said earlier.” Fiber    Zhen saw Jin and was glad that they were mostly unharmed. Exhausted, sure, but there would be time to rest. More importantly she was excited that Jin had showed interest in their earlier conversation “You have? Would you like to talk about it more?” “Yeah. I think I get it. Sorta? Maybe there isn’t a measurable center of momentum between knowing, and not knowing. Like. Maybe it’s just binary. You know, or don’t.” Jin shrugged. “What I really wanna know is: who’s writin the definitions, and why?” Their thoughts tumbled out, a bit disjointed, like a kinked hose. “Every time I run into people who wanna box stuff up like that, it’s not ‘cause they wanna know what’s in the box. They wanna leave stuff outta it. And that stuff is usually people they don’t think measure up.” Fiber    Zhen said “So, the concept of knowledge is irreducible, that is to say that it cannot be decomposed into individual component concepts? I don’t know if I would take the same stance but I must commend your approach. There are so many problems in philosophy that just dissolve when you think rationally and refuse to give in to nonsense and imprecise definitions. Those snares can destroy the greatest minds and condemn whole civilizations to ignorance. New growth cannot exist without first the destruction of the old.” Mistress Dizzy    After listening to Zhen, Jin piped up again. Their hand dove into a pocket, pulling out the metal ball from earlier. “I know that line. Guru somebody or other, forever ago.” They began to roll the ball over their fingers without dropping it, a quick handed trick. Their other hand dangled loosely around their pistol. “Hey, you know what I don’t get?” It seemed Jin was on a new topic. “When the people who write these phil-o-sophy books are writin, who’s doin the real shit? Like. The cookin, the cleanin, the laundry. Fancy thought is great and all, but what about the people who actually make the world work?” Fiber    Zhen paused before answering “I think everyone can benefit from the knowledge of philosophy, even if they cannot create new works themselves. It is very important to see the world without lies, no matter who you are. We are better than we were in the past, our meritocratic system ensures that even intellectuals must show aptitude and produce work that benefits society, otherwise they will have to find another profession quite shortly. Modernity has eliminated much toil, we have far more excess resources to support these endeavors than our ancestors did, and further progress will see machines capable of even more of those laborious tasks. We’re far removed from the days of Guru Laghima and his cohort of air nomads living a life of pure intellectual speculation from birth while the serfs in the foothills spend their lives laboring in the fields.” She was a flustered by Jin’s question, wishing she could talk about her own works or her foundation without revealing too much about her identity. Mistress Dizzy    The ball picked up speed over Jin’s gloved knuckles. “Huh. I don’t know what a surf is, but I can guess it’s a fancy word for a poor bastard who has to work for a living.” Jin’s green eyes narrowed, squinting at Zhen. For several moments, there was an intense focus behind the gaze. “We ain’t as ‘removed’ as you think. Plenty of people work for other people. Y’ever think about food?” They gave Zhen a slow, up and down searching look. “No, you probably don’t. Someone has to grow that shit. It ain’t easy. It comes from a seed smaller than a BB,” Jin’s fingers pinched together “-and if anythin fucks with it - bugs, too wet, too hot, too- you get the fuckin picture, it’s dead. You don’t eat. Multiply that times about 10000, no one eats.” Jin scowled, the ball finally stalling in their palm. “What if one of those surfs is breakin their backs out there, but they have the right answer to your question?” It would be clear to anyone who knew Jin’s background where that argument had come from. Fiber    Zhen had a long answer, the kind she loved to give at the start of a lecture. “I think a lot about food. I think about how one acre of those seeds used to produce about four hundred and fifty pounds of food, and how modern techniques allow us to produce twenty times that. I think about how they had to save almost a third of their seeds merely to have enough to replant for the next year, now it is below ten percent. I think about how many in the Lower Ring subsist on inadequate diets, how lack of protein cripples the brain, how vitamin A deficiency blinds children. I think about how the agricultural sector covers less than a tenth of the city and is expected to feed the rest, and to keep pace with the ever growing population. I think about how over seventy percent of the Earth Kingdom’s population used to be farmers, barely managing to sustain themselves and the rest of the Kingdom; today the majority is free to pursue other endeavors. I think about how all plants must ingest Nitrogen, and how our pitifully inadequate natural sources Nitrogen have been replaced by massive plants running on the Yang-Li process, how eighty percent of the nitrogen inside us comes from that, and how that technology was unknown until less than two hundred years ago and not feasible until the advent of synergy. I think about how all plant life must feed on the sun, but our traditional staple crops can only manage to capture one or two percent of it’s energy, and even under laboratory conditions have never been able to get above five percent, while some Algae species have a photosynthetic efficiency of twenty percent. I think about how prototypes show that a single tank of algae the size of a water heater could feed thirty seven people a nutritionally complete meal every day, and how we could fill towers full of them, blanketing whole blocks, feeding them Synergy powered lights instead of the fickle sun. I spend a lot of time and resources to try and make that one happen, but isn’t even my only cause. I’ll have to discuss some of the other initiatives further some time, but make no mistake, just because I can’t plant or harvest doesn’t mean I don’t think about where food comes from. I want to liberate us from what has held down a thousand generations before us, not to perpetuate old notions of higher and lower statons.” Mistress Dizzy    Jin silenced as Zhen spoke, eyes half closed. The metal ball went back into motion as they gently tossed it up and down. Once the woman's soliloquy wound down, there was a silence from the smaller soldier. Then their eyes flew open, the green irises bright with emotion. "Ma'am. I actually believe you wanna do somethin good. And I'm willin to give you a pass cause we're on the same squad." Then they paused, a distinct look of disappointment flashing across their face. "If you took a quarter of the time you spend thinkin about a problem, and put that into doin something real about it, we might actually be somewhere." With that said, Jin walked off. It seemed the conversation was over.

_Prompt:

The second transport arrives soon after to pick up the prisoners and the remaining LSF. Chae-Won is taken to The Duster Hotel. End Chapter One.

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

Maybe we meet halfway and have a shouting match.

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

@Prisk Updated my sheet with the new info.

I just wanted to know: Is it okay to keep to one element or would you like me to pick two more?

ᵗʰᵉ Last Avatar.

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In the Sandstorm · A TLA collaborationIn the Sandstorm · A TLA collaboration ______________________________________________________________________________. vietmyke    "Hooly fuck." was all Jin managed to get out as the Kyoshi threw itself headlong into the sandstorm. His hand gripped the wheel as he slowly eased off the gas pedal and reached over for the injector dial. He didn't want to slow down too much, but barreling through the storm would just end up with them wrecking and then they'd be in all sorts of trouble. Already, a warning light had begun blinking on his dashboard, and too much more would likely wreck their engine- or at least render it requiring maintenance at a dedicated shop, which they didn't exactly have the luxury of accessing at the moment. To make things worse, the sandstorm was one of the biggest Jin had ever seen, much less drive through. The Kyoshi's haze filter was meant for the general sand whipping around them, but it wouldn't let them see through such a large storm, his visibility was barely a few yards past the nose of the car. "I don't think they're gonna follow us. " Jin said, his chest heaving as he continued driving them forward, "Everyone okay?" canaryrose    Just then, Chu Hua started to scream. There were no words to it- just a high, keening wail of horror as she saw Kanna slump to the ground, a fist-sized hole punched through her neck. Instinctively, she leaned forward to catch her head in her hands, keeping her off the ground, but there wasn’t much she could do. Her hands were slick with blood, her eyes wet with tears that she didn’t realize she was making, and all she heard was her own awful screams and the gurgling of a person drowning in their own blood. It had been so fast. One moment they had been afraid of the monster ahead but together and alive, and then… where had that come from? Why? WHY?! Chu Hua gripped Kanna’s skull in her hands, trying to staunch the bleeding with her thumbs, but all she got from that was sticking her hands right into the viscera of Kanna’s throat. She gagged, just barely keeping from vomitingNononononono- She couldn’t lose Kanna, the woman who had just saved her life. It wasn’t right. “HELP! SOMEONE FUCKING HELP, PLEASE!” KillamriX88    Weiyuan had the misfortune of having to witness the fortune of their escape be further soured as the hot bolt of energy cut through the armor of the vehicle, and then Kanna. Screaming was not an option for him, just stunned silence, as his exhausted mind refused to accept the horrific reality before him. Chu Hua’s scream snapped him out of that. He couldn’t think of what to do, though. He frantically turned his head, scanning the interior of the vehicle to see if anyone else had noticed, but of course not. Chu Hua’s scream had been eaten up by the roar of the engine and the whistling of the wind coming through the hole in the armor. However, the moment his eyes passed over Vasra, a glimmer of hope was born. They had a doctor on board. Not worried about manners, he almost violently grabbed Vasra’s shoulder and shook her while pointing into the back of the vehicle at Kanna as Chu Hua began to explicitly call for help. No. No, everyone was not OK. Abstract Proxy    Vasra didn't think. She didn't hesitate. Patting the hand that shook her shoulder, she nodded at Weiyuan and moved towards the trunk of the car, stumbling, tumbling, and then rolling as the Kyoshi bumped across the sand dunes. Crashing into the side of the trunk, almost slipping on the blood as she rose to her knees, Vasra grabbed hold of the young woman, Kanna, with one hand. The sight that greeted her was horrible. Worse than she had expected. The wound was obvious. Kanna's throat had been savaged by whatever strange round round had torn through the Kyoshi. There was too much blood. She couldn’t see. Steading herself, she opened up her medical bag with one hand, retrieving a loop of dressing as she shifted closer. “Move your fingers, please, just for a second,” Vasra said, gently moving Chu Hau’s fingers away from the wound, as she tried to mop the blood out of the way and then applied pressure. She had a second before the blood returned, streaming out faster than she got. Carotid artery, Vasra noted clinically, fighting off the surge of adrenaline that raced through her. A mortal wound. A hopeless wound. They couldn’t burn it. They couldn’t tie it off. They didn’t have surgical tools. They were in a bumpy buggy racing through a storm. She didn’t have time to go digging through ravaged flesh. Five seconds. Ten seconds. Fifteen seconds at most. “Driver! We’ve got a casualty,” Vasra shouted, her voice full of urgency, “I need a moment, I need you to keep the car stable, as stable as you can.” “You!” She said, pointing at Weiyuan, “Grab hold of her legs!” “And you!” Vasra continued, grabbing Chu Hau’s hand, “Hold her head! Please, take a deep breath, I need your help!”

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Si Wong DesertSi Wong Desert ______________________________________________________________________________. Weiyuan clambered into the trunk of the vehicle, not exactly happy about the situation they were in, but more than happy to have someone directing him. Thinking for himself right now was too hard. Looking at Kanna was even harder. He wedged himself into position, using his bodyweight to hold her legs in place. He could still hear the awful whistling from the accursed hole and feel the sting of the sand flying through it. It would make a great distraction, and jt would be no good if the sand got into the doctor's eyes as she worked. He held a hand up to the hole and did his best to push the sand away before it could fly through. He couldn't do that forever. He then tried to bunch the sand up in the hole, but the wind was making it hard. Why did everything have to be so hard? He was exhausted, lonely, and one of the few halfway familiar faces he did have was bleeding out right next to him She'd lied to him. She'd said she'd be right behind him. He always told himself he existed to take care of his more fragile half, but that was bullshit. Chae-Won had taken care of both of them. The whistling had stopped, allowing him to hear the sudden creaking and groaning of metal. He realized he'd effectively compacted the sand into solid stone, plugging the hole. Still, he didn't want to look away. He was afraid of what might be behind him.

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In the Sandstorm · |@Fiber] & |@Theyra]In the Sandstorm · @Fiber & @Theyra ______________________________________________________________________________. vietmyke    The Kyoshi slowed to a gradual crawl, the storm was moving against them, so he doubted the RSF would keep chasing them when they had aircraft. Keeping the car steady as Vasra suggested wasn't exactly a thing the Kyoshi was capable of at the moment- what with the sand and wind buffeting the car, but at least at a slower speed there wouldn't be any sudden jostles. A quick peak in the rearview mirror told him that there was an injury they were taking care of. It seemed bad, but there wasn't much Jin could do besides keeping them moving forward. "Mire, you hurt? " Jin murmured quietly, so as not to disturb the doctor and the others. Sumire merely shook her head no. With a small sigh of relief, Jin placed a sandy glove on her head. "Good. Reman, how're you holding up?" Theyra    “How am I?” Reman made a nervous chuckle and looked back at the truck. At the crowded trunk. ”I feel like we should be concerned about the group on the trunk but, me?” Looking down at his case that was on his lap. Looking at the two bullet holes in it and wondering if anything in there is broken. Then taking a couple of deep breaths before speaking again. “I think I am fine Jin, do not worry about me.” Now looking out of the window and only seeing flying sand and not much else. “I will be better once this storm ends or we get out of it. So I can gauge how far we are from the Tu Zin and get us to true safety.” Or at least Reman hopes that for their sake and that there will not be any other surprises or near death encounters. But, it will be a long trip to Tu Zin and hopefully the worst is over but, that is something that Reman hopes for very very much.

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Si Wong DesertSi Wong Desert ___________________________________________________________________________. Vasra let go of the dressing she had been pressing against Kanna’s throat and dove her blood soaked hands into her medical bag, rummaging with maddening haste until she found a carefully wrapped vial. Tearing the thick paper away, Vasra pulled the cork out with her teeth, spitting blood away, as she carefully shoved the vial into Kanna’s throat, placing the edge as close to the carotid artery as she could manage with the woman’s predictable flailing. Pouring the precious liquid out, she slowly moved her hand further from the most critical areas of Kanna’s throat, trying to ensure spirit water spread out as much as possible. There would be only one chance. Waterbending. Healing. Healing using water as a catalyst. She didn’t believe it. She didn’t think it was possible. But in a world of nightmares, surely there had to be dreams. There had to be hope. She had to try. “We have to try,” she said, turning towards the other, “We can’t stop the bleeding in time. We can’t cauterize the wound. The spirit water…probably won’t work. But it will ease her pain. It’s something, at least.” Closing her eyes, Vasra took a deep breath, placing both her hands over Kanna’s throat. She could almost feel it, the life flowing out of the woman lying beneath her. She tried to remember the anatomical drawings. She tried to remember the exposed throat of the cadavers they had used for practice. No, not like that, she thought with a shudder. She thought of the water. She thought of the spirit water shining bright with ethereal energy. She thought of energy. She thought of the energy flowing through Kanna. She thought of the energy flowing through herself. She thought of the energy flowing between them. All of them. From Weiyuan, to the dying Kanna, and to the panicked Chu Yuan. Her hands felt warm and then cold. Numb, as she imagined how Kanna’s throat should have been. She imagined the pain fading. She imagined her wounds healing. She felt a strange sensation, a rolling wave of energy as the spirit water reacted, and then evaporated in a burst of steam. She didn’t dare to open her eyes.

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Two Weeks AgoTwo Weeks Ago ____________________________________________________________________________. "Mom! Would you just listen to me?" Kanna jumped around the couch as she chased after the woman into the kitchen. "We can go. We have the money. We can get supplies. They said-" "And do what, Kanna? Run? Forever?" "We wouldn't have to. There's a place where it's safe." "We are safe." "What are you talking about? We are anything but! She saw you, mom! And at the worst possible time! Maybe if we were some random fucks in the Lower Ring it would be different but you're not just anyone! You think she's not going to talk? Do you know how much that information would be worth to the right people right now? Like say, I don't know, your opponent?" "It's been weeks, we're fin-" "I don't care how long it's been! We're never going to be safe!" "Kanna..." "You don't get it!" Kanna nearly screamed. Her frustration had boiled to a point where she could barely contain it. The fact that her mother continued to be so nonchalant about the ordeal only made things worse. She watched as she began pouring herself a glass of wine as if it were any other evening. "People don't just let this shit go, and even if... even if she doesn't report it... how long before you slip up again huh? Or maybe years from now she has a change of heart and then what? I can't... we can't live looking over our shoulders for the rest of our liv-" "When you were born..." Kanna's mother interrupted. She was looking into her wine glass. "I was... afraid." She looked at Kanna. "I was afraid because I knew what my life had been like the twenty years before you arrived. I knew what it was like to live with this secret and I was afraid I was bringing you into that. And every year, as you got older, my fears only got worse. But... then we found out you weren't a Bender and you have no idea how relieved we were." She smiled and looked down at her glass again, watching the red liquid inside spin in slow circles. "And yet... it felt wrong. Bender or not, I would have loved you more than anything and I would have wanted you to live any life you wanted." She motioned with her glass at the house they were standing in. A place in the Upper Ring that they could call home. Her mother had taken the time to design the interior and too discovered a part of herself that she learned to love. Walls were an off white with furnishings made of a pale wood finish, accented sparingly with small foliage that seemed to grow out of the framework itself. A stone fireplace built into the wall stood vigil in the main living space that was adjacent to the kitchen, and where the two women stood, large windows provided a clear view of the horizon sitting upon the outline of a wall. "This. Everything we have is built on a lie because they say it is. And why? Why is that? Why do we need to run from this? I've been a Firebender all my life and yet, I am doing what I've always done and every night, I come home to this. I come home to you. Who said that's wrong?" "They did." "And who said that they're right?" Kanna's mother replied, taking another sip from her glass. "It doesn't matter who's right. They'll kill you." "But it should matter... and maybe.. maybe bending is bad, but there's a big difference between what I think is wrong and what I know feels wrong. Being afraid for the life of my child when she's barely taken her first breath... before I can even celebrate her life... that is wrong. Somebody has to change that." "That's not going to be you! Not when you're a-" "My daughter is the best stickball player in the world. She fought tooth and nail for that crown. Where do you think she got all that fight from huh? You think I can't?" She raised an eyebrow at her daughter. Kanna shook her head. "Mom, that's not... I just don't-" But before Kanna could say anything else, her mother had put down her glass, walked around the counter and put both hands on the side of her face. "I will not run and leave my child to live a life in fear for the people she loves. I'll fight, the same way you're fighting right now."

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In the SandstormIn the Sandstorm ______________________________________________________________________________. Kanna continued to struggle against every pair of hands holding her down, her body moving involuntarily as it tried to cover the hole in her neck where her life was spilling out. But as the seconds ticked away and her consciousness began to slip, her mind devolved from desperate attempts at preserving her life to a numb acceptance of her pain. Fire had spread from her neck that began eclipsing all her other senses until it was all that she knew. She couldn't hear anything anymore. Couldn't feel anything else. She could only smell iron in the air and in that moment, all she could see was the fear in Chu's eyes. There it was again. That fear. Kanna was so tired of seeing it. The brief flash when her mother had been caught. The way it stared back at her in the mirror every day after. Even now, out here in the middle of nowhere it had found her. Someone. Fearing for her life. She wondered if it had been the same way for her mother on the day she was born. What sin had she committed bringing her daughter into a world only for both of their lives to be plucked like the petals of a flower. What sin had she committed saving Chu? Was it really wrong for her to have done this? It looked wrong. She seemed upset. Maybe running was wrong, but then who decided that? Kanna didn't know anymore, but she did know that this... felt right. Maybe in the end, that was all that mattered. Her neck began to warm slightly. The pain faded away. Her fingers tightened around Chu's wrist as she looked up at her and smiled. ...I'm still the best Stickba-...

_Prompt:

Kanna eventually stops moving and her hand over Chu's wrist slips free. Although her eyes are still open, it's clear to all that she has passed away. Over the next hour or so, the sandstorm will settle. There will be no tower in sight and no obvious pursuers. Everyone within the Kyoshi is safe. End Chapter One.

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

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_{DAY 1 《》 STEELWATER [RD-PRS] 《》 After Noon 《》 @Prisk}

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This had been a mistake from the start. Since the drop, nothing had gone to plan and now here she was standing in a building where she did not belong, crossing paths with the weary faces of other Aeons. She recognized all of them although there was one who stood out more than the others. BlackRock had always been a force of strength backed by its wealth. A corporation waging a war against invaders with numbers and logistics rather than its much smaller by comparison private military. To this end did they take from those around them and in many ways, indirectly affect the lives of those they did not. Everything was done for the 'greater good' of course, but it didn't always feel that way and because BlackRock never bothered to explain or apologize if they felt it a waste of their time, offended parties held grudges they seldom forgave. The other faces she'd recognized included Aaron Nyles, Errikos Rigas, Eun-Ji Park and Robert Hernandez. All of them were Aeons, but none of them bore the presence of Scylla Fleurane or her history. There was a nation out there who had tried to shutter themselves away from the rest of the world, sitting on a throne made of rock and warriors. BlackRock had moved in with the rest of an impatient world, encroaching upon a land that was not their own and in the name of defense. The actual truth of their move mattered little and in the end, all BlackRock walked away with was a piece of a mountain. Dragoons were worth more than any amount of carved stone and an Aeon of Fleurane blood arguably more than any other weapon conceived. There was history in the room and again, Christina was reminded that she was not meant to be here. So when Emilia found her in her contemplation some time later, she'd already asked herself the questions she was about to be given. "So, what happened? Why are you here?" "Emilia Clark pointed a gun at me with no ammo." Christina began, but then immediately shook her head. She shifted around in her chair to better face the other woman. The acknowledgment of just that statement alone hurt her pride to some degree but it was shadowed by the real shit she was in. She knew she'd answered the wrong question and that her response was not what Emilia wanted. She also knew that saying the real answer out loud meant putting truth to the images she'd been sorting through in her head for the past hour and she hated knowing that. Christina took a deep breath as she tried again. "I'm here because I was sent with my team to find and secure an HVT. However, what we found wasn't what we were expecting. At all. Our HVT ended up being an archon. He... killed my entire team and being the only survivor, I did the only rational thing which was to run... into your gun." She sucked her lip as she looked down at her wrist, noting the time on the digital display. Her lip slipped from between her teeth making an audible pop. She seemed half annoyed, a little impatient, but very eager to make conversation if only to get to the bottom of the situation. "It's obvious to me now this entire situation is UDF involved and to make matters worse, there is a new strain of Stigma." Christina turned briefly to where they had taken the child and then looked to Emilia. Her eyes shifted from an inquisitive concern to a curiosity that was directed. "So that's what happened. But, I guess the better question now is 'What happened to Benjamin?'"

Summary

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Emilia approaches Christina and begins to interrogate her. Christina asks a question of her own.

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

I'm partially through with my post. I'll have it finished up after work tomorrow.

ᵀʰᵉ Last Avatar & ᵀʰᵉ Red Lotus.

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Outside the towerOutside the tower ____________________________________________________________________________. The sands that were blowing around at their top speeds felt like sandpaper along with the shards of glass stabbing into his exposed flesh – he only began to realize the pain after influencing the swirling winds of the tornado. Seconds of pain registered, his nerves felt shot, and he stopped scorching the earth with his ghostly flames. He didn’t want to look at his hand… they hurt… it felt like a heartbeat. BUDUM The sound was getting louder while his eyes fell to the blood stricken parts of his body – BUDUM BUDUM BUDUM! – His hands looked almost similar to scrapped leather, at least in his mind, and they stung. The more he moved them, the more they ached from the glass that was placed into his muscles. Only snapping out of these thoughts while he heard something shifting near him, turning around, he noticed the tower was falling directly close to him and quickly, "Well…fuck me…I guess" he whispered while looking at his best option. His one hand was worse off than the other, so he kept it close to his chest. It was the one that was being hit the most from how the winds turned, so he did a few quick calculations in his head. Stepping about five or six feet to the one side and standing there. He placed himself right where a window was going to fall, his reinforced armor would take the majority of the impact – if any was to be done – and he waited for that impact without hesitation. His calculations were perfect when the multi-ton tower came crashing down into the hot sands. Feeling the pressured winds, dust, and sand force its way against gravity, up, he breathed out – trying his best not to breathe in any of the hot dusk. Was his mask filtered? Did he replace the filter the last time he came back from a mission? He was going to need to change the filters. Exposing his dark eyes for a moment, he couldn’t handle the build up of dust and minimal sand particles forced their way into his mask. CLICK, chhhhh… the uncompressing sound of his helmet. Taking off the protective-gear his face was covered by a black undersuit, holding his helmet in one hand – blood crawling across the metal. Simply sliding down to where it could drip off into the world. His other hand pinched the fabric around his nose before pulling it at it. A couple dry-chesty sounds could be heard from him as dust flew off from his under mask. Blood began to soak into the darker fabric and the movements of his hands shot electricity through his body. A piece of rubble fell from the ceiling, or what was once a wall, near him. Making sure that his fabrics were not full of dust, he replaced the protective-helmet before moving around in the dark building. He was going to have to figure out how to get out of this ruined maze, so he began to look at the weakest points. There was a possibility of being able to kick a weakened wall out or find another window or doorway somewhere to the outside world.

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Outside the tower · |@Mistress Dizzy]Outside the tower · @Mistress Dizzy ____________________________________________________________________________. As the tower was collapsing and Jin was in freefall, she didn’t have to time to keep an eye on where Kata or the Earthbender might be. At the precise moment that the trajectory would be right, Zhen jumped up into the air with an airbending aided jump and grabbed Jin as they fell, cushioning both of their landings on the way down. As she set Jin down she saw another person falling out of the sky, having jumped from the tower. She caught this one too, bracing them on her shoulder. When the person began to thank Zhen she spun him around and slammed him face first into the sand. Before he had time to recover she had already handcuffed him and affixed a strange collar with a blinking to his neck. “Please remain where you are. Venturing more than five feet from your current location will cause the charge inside to activate, resulting in fatal damage to your carotid arteries, your trachea, and your brainstem. It will be removed once additional personnel arrive. Wait for them, and you’ll survive this. Or don’t. It’s your choice.” After that it was time to focus on finding the Earthbender.

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Outside the tower · |@Fiber] & |@KillamriX88] collaborationOutside the tower · @Fiber & @KillamriX88 collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. KillamriX88    The sand opened up like a mouth, allowing Chae-Won to crawl her way back out of it. She’d thought about trying to tunnel away underground, but… air was still a problem. She needed it now. And what if her bending finally began to weaken again while she was down there? No, for the moment, being above ground seemed like the better of her options. Two, very, very unappealing options. She had felt the crash of the tower coming down right before she surfaced, so she knew where to come up so as not to be crushed. She only had a few seconds of relative safety now. The tower’s collapse had thrown quite a bit of dust and sand into the air, but it would clear soon. She wasn’t sure what to do. There wasn’t enough time to make a run for it. If that sniper was still around, tower or not, she’d be an easy target if she just ran. Then she heard one of them calling out to her. Fiber    “If you surrender now I can guarantee safe passage back to Ba Sing Se and a fair trial. The longer you resist, the greater your chances of dying here become.” Zhen walked slowly, circling, remaining light on her feet. KillamriX88    Chae-Won just sighed as the dust began to settle around her, resigning herself to the cards she’d been dealt. “Funny. A murderer asking me to stand trial?” Chae-Won chuckled wryly. “You know despite all the stuff I’ve done you could arrest me for, I don’t think I’ve actually killed anyone.” She held her hands up. “But sure, come get me I guess.” That said, she didn’t move from her spot. Fiber    Zhen kept her distance and circled around with precise, mechanical footwork, just like the drills had taught her. She spoke. “Killing in the service of public order isn’t murder. Before you defend your clean conscience, I have a question: Was that tower empty? I know the answer, but do you?” She sent some low kicks as she walked, never disrupting her stride, each integrating fluidly with the circular motion. The kicks carried a windblast towards Chae-won, sweeping sand off the desert floor. Earthbenders needed a connection to the ground to get power, so that was the natural point of attack for her. All of this was an exercise in watching, measuring, probing; never expending much energy. KillamriX88    Public order? They were in the desert after being chased out of their homes! Well it wasn’t like she’d expected them to suddenly have an eye opening moment. They knew exactly what they were doing. As for the tower? She didn’t have the luxury of worrying about that. She could say it was their fault for taking that luxury from her, and maybe to some extent that was true, but in the end she knew all she cared about was Weiyuan. She’d made her choice and more than likely she was about to pay for it anyway. As the kicks came, she quickly drew the sand up and over her lower legs, anchoring herself to the ground and just bracing herself. The first one or two blasts of wind mostly broke around her, but by the end she had lost her balance and stumbled back, falling to a knee. So this one was a bender too!? There was some serious hypocrisy at foot here. “OK, and why is my existence a crime and not yours, huh!?” There was no reason to expect fairness, but this was ridiculous. Fiber    Underneath her mask Zhen was smiling, content that she had gotten the bender to talk. She said “Neither of us belong in this world, not in this era. I don’t take pride in what I am, I don’t enjoy what I do, but I do what must be done.” Once Chae-Won stumbled, Zhen picked up speed and started running, tumbling, never spending too long on the ground between jumps as moved towards Chae Won, throwing out jabs and punches in the air as she went. They were a mix of high and low attacks, done at different points in her jump, and her path arced around, making them come multiple angles. KillamriX88    “Right. Brainwashing. Got it.” Chae-Won grumbled to herself under her breath. Definitely no point in talking to her then. She Tightened up her stance, just trying to absorb the first few hits, still too off balance from the last barrage to dodge. However… as much as it kinda hurt, she realized it really wasn’t doing much damage. It was just air after all, and it would take more than that to do any lasting damage. More than that, the air bender was moving in. While Chae-Won really didn’t want to know why they wanted to get closer, it did make fighting back a lot easier. Chae-Won grit her teeth and then jammed both her arms into the sand, letting the blast of air hit her. It still hurt, but she was too anchored to be moved. Then, the sand between them began to almost bubble and shift. Should her opponent step into it, they’d almost immediately sink into the soft, loosened sand. Fiber    The next time Zhen landed she felt her foot sink deeper than it should have. It slowed her for a moment. KillamriX88    Chae-Won… almost couldn’t believe that had worked. She quickly focused in on the sand around her target, trying to pull them down just a little deeper before compacting the sand around them. If they didn’t break out soon, then a moment later they’d see two, towering waves of sanding rising up around them to bury them completely. Fiber    As she felt the sand get tighter Zhen summoned an air blast from her hands and her feet to escape, first it stopped the sand from closing, then it propelled her into the air. At the height of her jump she feinted launching another blast then added a flip to make her landing unpredictable. The waves were tall, one came just shy of brushing her head during her descent, but she paid it no mind. Zhen just continued to make a waving motion with her hands, summoning a ball of air that grew, positioning it below herself as she landed. Now standing on top the ball of air, she rode the airscooter around Chae-Won, gathering speed and holding her hands to her side, gathering air for some kind of attack. KillamriX88    Chae-Won grit her teeth. Of course an airbender would be able to loosen the sand almost as easily as she could. Mind you, she’d never fought another bender before, not really. Not unless one counted Weiyuan and… he wasn’t much of a challenge for her. She was almost dumbstruck, watching them fly around her on a ball of air. However, she couldn’t waste time just watching. She set her feet beneath her as she ripped her arms from the sand, in one motion pulling up the sand with them and swinging her arms out. The sand to her left and right jumped up with the motion and then she again focused on solidifying it as much as she could, creating two, admittedly thin, walls of sand, hoping to cut off the runway of the Airbender and make them crash. Fiber    There was no need to adjust course when the airscooter could scale sheer walls just as easily as it could move across flat terrain. Few knew that, but Zhen loved to give her opponent little surprises. She had to admit that even she had learned something this fight, combat in sandy environments was something she had only limited experience with. Upon crossing the top of the wall Zhen intentionally overshot, gaining height, hoping to attack Chae Won from above. She thrust both of her hands forward and unleashed a crescent shaped blast of air straight at the Earthbender. KillamriX88    Chae-Won… was rather upset. They hadn’t even really had to try to deal with that one! Unfortunately, she was left too surprised to have any real answer for the counter attack. She was able to raise up some sand, but for the most part that just meant said sand was blasted right into her face as she was flattened to the ground. She coughed, spitting out a bit of sand in the process. Laying there on the ground, head spinning, she had a moment to think. This really was going poorly. Did it even matter if she won? There were still more of them. Her luck would run out if nothing else. Fiber    After knocking Chae Won over, Zhen landed on her feet and went towards her. She grabbed Chae-Won’s wrist tight, preparing to wrench it into position. She said “It doesn’t matter, but the tower wasn’t empty. You’re ahead of me in terms of people killed today. If you want to count up our sins and our good deeds over our entire lifetimes, I’m afraid you would also come up short.” KillamriX88    “Never claimed to be a good person,” Chae-Won choked out. “But I’m not here to compare cosmic score cards.” She chuckled. “But hey, speaking of the tower, I figure you must’ve been the one who blew the windows out earlier. Remember that?” From her position laying on the ground, it was easy to see the little pinpricks of light from the half-buried shards of glass lying in the sand. Chae-Won furrowed her brow and then, even as she lay on her back, lifted her leg up and stomped it back down. A pulse shot through the sand, and suddenly dozens upon dozens of glass shards of glass jumped into the air like scared fish, filling the air around them with the razor-sharp fragments. Before Zhen could grab her other hand, she directed all the shards inward and then clenched her fist. “Get fucked.” Fiber    Zhen’s eyes went wide when she realized what Chae-Won was doing. In an instant she let go of Chae-Won’s wrist, the sent out a jet of air, more to propel herself away than to hurt Chae-Won, but it only gave her a little bit of space. Already the first of the shards had whizzed by the side of her head, and so she summoned the only defense she had left, spinning around to summon a shield of air. That gave her temporary safety, but it took energy to maintain, and she didn’t have a boundless reserve to keep it up, let alone try to get out of the maelstrom. The shards were beginning to slip through, they were tearing her cloak to shreds, scratching her visor, lodging in the lightly armored torso of her combat suit. If she had to stay at the center of this, death was certain KillamriX88    Chae-Won flipped back to her feet, propelled by a burst of sand against her back and then focused all of the glass in on the air-shield. The spinning current of air would attempt to deflect the shards, but her own bending pushed back, allowing them to slip through. The moment the resistance was gone the shards would accelerate toward the woman again. Judging by the lack of blood and screaming, she had armor under her cloak. Well, sooner or later she’d hit a soft spot…

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Exiting the collapsed tower · |@Fiber] & |@KillamriX88]Exiting the collapsed tower · @Fiber & @KillamriX88 ____________________________________________________________________________. Katakuri traveled through the broken maze, sc-lurp, an eerie sound to be made when you’re in a desert within a ruined tower. His feet felt something wet, he knew it was not water, and he could tell he was leaving the footprints of a forgotten soul behind him. Coming into a room, he noticed that he found himself at a dead end – a broken dead end. Knocking on the walls, he found a spot that sounded hollow compared to the rest and kicked through it easily. Once a floor, this new wall fell down without much effort and some of the old wall which was now a ceiling collapsed on him. Dust went everywhere, and he found himself with light raining from the ceiling, "Finally, a window." he muttered to himself before boosting himself up. Quietly, he went through the window and landed on one of the sides of the cracked tower to see the outside world – it was comforting to see the outside world. Allowing his eyes to gaze, he spotted the aftermath of Zhen and this unknown earth bender. Underneath his protective gear, his eyes sharpened seeing Zhen in such a position. Focusing his sights on Chae-won, he began to move his arm up and back. Allowing his pointer finger and middle finger on each hand point together as the other fingers curled back into his wounded palms. Breathing in deeply, the pain caused his hands to become shaky – they hurt. Focus… Focus or you could kill Zhen… His eyes staying locked onto Chae-won, he needed to stop focusing on the pain or he could kill both of them with this ability. Purposefully moving each hand on the opposite side of his body, he was building up energy, and he could feel this power coursing through his veins – drip… drip… drip… - The more he moved in this way caused red droplets from his hands to fall onto the concrete, metal, and whatever other material there was to build this forsaken tower. Turning his body to the side, he pointed his dominant hand towards Chae-won as his other hand pointed the other direction. A crackling roar of electricity came from his direction before heading towards the oblivious Chae-won.

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Outside the tower · |@Fiber] & |@KillamriX88] collaborationOutside the tower · @Fiber & @KillamriX88 collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. KillamriX88    A few more shards slipped through, one shattering against Zhen’s mask. She couldn’t focus on just forcing a few through quickly, she needed her opponent to remain surrounded or they’d just slip away. And then Zhen might see one or two particularly worrying shards of glass starting to worm their way through the wind barrier, seeming like they just might be in line with her throat. CRACK! Suddenly Chae-Won’s entire world lit up. In the same moment, all the glass fell back to the earth. Chae-Won dropped like a stone, twitching and convulsing. Every nerve ending was on fire, but at the same time she was barely aware of it. When her mind finally caught back up, it was like needles were stabbing into every part of her body, overwhelming her and robbing her of her ability to move. What the hell were these people? Fiber    The shards stopped and Zhen lowered her shield for a moment. Nearby she could see Chae-Won writing on the ground. Someone had come through and given her the opening. She was close enough now and there was no point in hesitating. She made large, circling and pulling motions with her hands, aiming towards Chae-Won’s head. It was working now, the subtle flows visible to one trained to see them, the current of nitrogen forcing it’s way into Chae-Won’s lungs. Once initiated all there was to do was watch Chae-Won slowly slip off into oblivion, her body going limp while Zhen stood over her, silently clapping as a way of acknowledging a grand finale. KillamriX88    Chae-Won looked up at the Airbender, seeing them do something and then immediately feeling something… off. It was hard to place it with the searing pain coursing through her, but she could also tell it was something new. It was over and she knew it. She couldn’t fight back anymore. It didn’t matter, though. The kid was safe. Even if her sad, little story was over, as long as he was safe, it was fine. As long as that light kept on shining, she could accept the coming darkness. And then it overtook her.

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Outside the tower · |@Fiber]Outside the tower · @Fiber ____________________________________________________________________________. Taking a few steps closer to the edge of the building, closer to Zhen, he pressed on his intercom, in a quiet voice with a sound of shortness of breath, he asked, "Are you okay, Master Lun?" He felt his blood pressure dropping, was it from the pain? The loss of blood? Most likely both. Kata stumbled, trying to catch himself before falling off the edge and onto the ground. He thudded hard, it sounded like something in his armor broke over the intercom. Katakuri fainted under all the stress and energy he used, and he was out cold before hitting the ground. _

ᵗʰᵉ Last Avatar.

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Approaching the Sandstorm · A TLA collaborationApproaching the Sandstorm · A TLA collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. Exit    ”Hey! Are you okay?” Kanna asked Chu, her voice layered in barely contained panic. As they pulled away from the rest of the cars, she tried her best to secure herself in the bed of the truck, stuffing her backpack into a corner and bracing herself against it with her arms anchored onto anything solid she could hold on to. With no seat available to her, it was the best she could do to prevent herself from bouncing around the interior of the truck like a ball. canaryrose    “I haven’t been okay for the last twenty-four hours, Kanna,” Chu Hua snapped back, still wide-eyed and, frankly, afraid. All six feet of her was stuffed into the trunk of the Kyoshi across from Kanna. She had managed to wedge herself and her meager things in between some cargo, but it was a tight fit and she felt every single pebble the truck ran over. And, frankly, they were running over a lot of pebbles. Everything hurt, and at this point, the adrenaline caused by the fight couldn’t mask it. She gulped, raising her head to stare out the front windshield. She couldn’t see much, but she did see that awful thing ahead of them. Oh, we are so dead. That Earthbender girl had bought them some time with her life, but whatever that was wasn’t stopping for a measly glass tornado. Exit    Kanna followed Chu’s gaze to the shuttered windshield where a digital display was painting the road ahead in lights and letters. Already, whatever had destroyed the first car was halfway between it and them and showed no signs of slowing down. ”What the FUCK IS THAT?!” canaryrose    “The horrifying thing that’s going to eat us alive if we don’t drive faster. Keep up.” Chu Hua’s words were nonchalant, but her voice was high and anxious. She turned her head from the windshield as it ripped off someone’s face, focusing on anchoring herself in the trunk. vietmyke    "If someone wanted to jump out of the car and take one for the team we'd be going faster." Jin quipped back through gritted teeth. The Kyoshi was meant to be a workhorse, but the weight of half a dozen passengers rendered it more sluggish than Jin would have liked- or was used to for that matter. "Fuck me, that thing's fast." Jin cursed, staring down the huge creature as the Kyoshi sped across the sand, the car rattling as the shocks took on dozens of bumps and impurities on the 'road' at once. Jin gripped the wheel with an iron vice as he controlled the vehicle through the rough, but ultimately open terrain. Ahead of them, the sandstorm loomed above like a massive wall of sand and wind. "We can lose them in the storm!" Sumire called out, pointing at the growing curtain. "We need to get past that thing first. " Jin said grimly as he threw the wheel to the left and broke the Kyoshi out of its current trajectory and into a wider turn to try to keep away from the monster. He shot an eye at his rear view mirror. The driver named Tikanni was close behind them. Maybe the beast would go after them if Jin could shake them. KillamriX88    The whole time the Kyoshi sped across the sands, all Weiyuan did was twist and contort his body, trying to look out whatever window gave him the best view of the chaos behind them. He searched for any glimpse of Chae-Won he could find, but saw nothing. The dust and growing distance robbed him of any evidence of her presence, no matter how frantically he sought it.

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Chasing the KyoshiChasing the Kyoshi ____________________________________________________________________________. As soon as the Kyoshi broke left, Tikaani’s vehicle broke right in an attempt to further confuse 141. In the middle of the turn, the mounted gun chimed again, signaling that it was ready to fire. He immediately pulled on the trigger and held it down, coaxing a charge into the weapon and aiming it at the approaching beast. 141 hesitated only momentarily when the two cars split, but ultimately decided to keep following its original target. However, when It swung wide to try and match the Kyoshi’s turn and then tried to reach for them, that short pause was just enough to put a few inches of space between them and its outstretched hand. For its efforts, 141 lost its footing and stumbled forward a number of steps, slowing down considerably and becoming an easy target for Tikaani. He adjusted his aim, but before he could release the trigger, he felt something hot press into his back and then heard something smash into the front of his vehicle. Confused, he looked down to see a gaping hole in the hood of his car that was now spewing thick black smoke… and noticed another hole just above his stomach. The gun in Tikaani’s hand slipped free as he fell unconscious and slumped over the truck. As it swung away, it fired a charged bolt of electricity into the ground just in front of them, erupting the sand underneath and flipping the entire vehicle over. 141 gave the downed truck one look, turned back to the Kyoshi, and took off in their direction. It didn’t take long before it was already gaining on them.

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Approaching the Sandstorm · A TLA collaborationApproaching the Sandstorm · A TLA collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. Theyra    Reman was busy inside the Kyoshi trying to stay calm but utterly failing. Seeing how they are being chased by some kind of monster. What is that thing, is the dominant thought in his head right now as all he could do was to trust in Jin’s driving. Nothing he could do and he hated it. Feeling helpless in this situation, looking out what could count as a window and seeing the monster catching up to him His voice alarmed and concerned, “we need to move faster Jin, that thing is gaining on us!” vietmyke    "I'm working on it, I'm working on it! " Jin said through gritted teeth. The Kyoshi wasn't by any means a slow car, but it wasn't a supercar. While they would probably start pulling away from the RSF's attack dog in the straightaway. The dog was already on top of them and they needed to get out now. The storm was growing close- in any other situation, Jin would call it mad to just drive headlong into a massive sand storm with little to no preparation, but the storm offered them everything they needed. The sands and winds provided them cover from the RSF shooters, and would hopefully deter any chase. They didn't appear to have any ground vehicles of their own, and flying into it with aircraft would be suicide. They just needed to lose the behemoth and cross the last few miles. "Uh Jin!" Sumire quickly interrupted, "Jin! Booster!" "Booster? What the hell do you mean-" Jin barked as Sumire grabbed the bobblehead on the Kyoshi's dash and yanked the base off, revealing a small panel that flipped open to reveal a small set of dials. "Where the fuck did that come from?! " Jin yelled incredulously. "Later! Hands on the wheel! It pulls to the left a bit!" interrupted as she quickly turned back to everyone in the back of the vehicle "Everybody grab onto something!" Jin flipped the dial and the Kyoshi went airborne for a half second as it rocketed off a sand dune. The Kyoshi hit the sand with a harsh thud, sending a wide spray of sand into the sky as it rushed forward, jumping the Kyoshi from 70 to well over 100 in a second. Exit    Just as sand from the storm began to envelope the vehicle, a white hot bolt of energy slammed into its side, chewing through the outer layer of bullet resistant plating as if it were made of paper and punching a hole through it the size of a ping pong ball. It made a similar sized hole upon exiting the Kyoshi... after also passing through Kanna's neck.

_Prompt:

The Kyoshi has successfully escaped into the storm. Despite being buffeted by strong winds and sand and despite the hole that has been punched into the exterior, the vehicle is holding up well to punishment. All instruments within are working as intended, including the optical system allowing visual through the shuttered windows and the hidden 'boost' system which has increased the speed of the Kyoshi well beyond its normal limit. The engine seems to be straining. Sand is also pouring in from outside through the hole. Outside, visibility is poor. Sand moves in thick, dense clouds that dance around the Kyoshi in a chaos that is both unpredictable and violent. There is nothing all around but sand and dust and sun light filtered a deep red. Every now and again, a flash of light will illuminate a part of the surrounding storm and the sound of thunder barely audible over roaring winds will fill the Kyoshi. Additionally, a well placed shot has seen to Kanna being seriously wounded. It's fatal, and what with the way her eyes widen, it's obvious she knows it as well. She tries covering the hole with her hand but blood continues to pour through her fingers, staining her borrowed clothing and beginning to pool on the bed of the Kyoshi beneath her. Her breathing is also drowned in blood as every lungful of air bubbles to her lips in crimson. This next posting round will allow closing thoughts on what has just transpired as well as any final banter between characters for this chapter.

ᵀʰᵉ Last Avatar & ᵀʰᵉ Red Lotus.

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Outside the tower · |@Exit] |@Katakuri] & |@KillamriX88] collaborationOutside the tower · @Exit @Katakuri & @KillamriX88 collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. Katakuri    Katakuri was currently occupied with the individual that he was in hand-to-hand combat with – a weak earthbender who seemed more surprised the masked figure in red protective gear was only using martial art techniques. No synergy weapons, no bending, pure physical aggression to go against his opponent. The one in the red suit seemed to prepare before quickly moving on his left heel, pressing into the sand while his body weight shifted – torso matching the horizon – his right foot swinging upward. He was balanced during this attack, swift, and strong. A strong force was placed behind his structured movements, placing the attack to hit the man in the upper throat or lower chin area. His opponent fell to the hot sands and he allowed himself to swing all the way around. Placing his right foot beside his left, he was securely standing on the sand facing a tornado. TINK! TINK! TINK! TINK! TINK! TINK! Grains of sand and shards of glass began to peck at his body armor, causing small scratches to dig into the red paint. He was barely able to hear his commanding officer over all the noise, the winds were not like a natural storm – there was a stronger bender in the area. Catching most of what his commanding officer said, he got that there was a glass bender – an Earthbender. Seeing the bender-made tornado, he noticed that the artificial storm was aimed for the tower – Master Zhen. Jin. – looking back to see if his commanding officer was covered enough. Kata made the decision to help the others on the team. Making a quick movement with his feet – CLICK! CLICK – his boots decompressed from his lower legs and feet. Slipping right out of his boots, he began to stride against the sand with ghostly-white fire. As he rode these flames, he took off his gloves allowing them to be taken by the artificial winds. Becoming close to the whirling wings, he realized that this tornado was weaker in speed than he thought. "Let’s see who else can play with tornados," he was smirking under his mask. Being a man of research, especially about his own abilities, Katakuri knew that tornados could be influenced by the heat and pressure of thunderstorms. At a blink of an eye, storms can change because of heating or cooling within the surrounding area. Confidently placing himself in front of the tornado, Katakuri began to bend heat towards the base of the whirling winds. Feeling the grains of sand and shards of glass cutting into his exposed flesh. Glancing down to see his hands, dots of red were beginning to swell from the material punctures. Taking a deep breath, he chose to continue focusing the ghostly-white flames onto the tornado to disperse or change the danger's direction. Without his gloves, his hands were in danger of the sands and shards of glass, but they were in danger of his own abilities. Anyone with knowledge of what color a fire burns would know that his flames are reaching degrees of 1,730 fahrenheit. Getting over 1,700 degrees would cause glass to melt. Holding such high temperatures to keep this tornado from touching the tower. KillamriX88    Chae-Won’s eyes widened as a scorching hot flame invaded her swirling sands. A bender? Was she being attacked by one? That… made no sense. The sand itself began to melt, raining down in tiny, molten droplets all around her, singing her clothes and stinging her skin. Any longer, and it’d be a lot worse than a sting. Exit    ”I want that Bender alive!” Nelu yelled over the comms, watching as the strength of the tornado was sapped from its rotation. Although it was growing weaker thanks to Kata, Nelu still chose to keep his distance and moved away from it and the tower. He hoped the dust cloud in the twister’s wake would soon settle and he’d be able to see past it to the situation beyond. Although there were still plenty of retreating Benders in play, he was less worried about them running to what he assumed would be their deaths in the desert and more concerned about Yi. He needed to know if the Firefly landed in one piece or as a ball of fire. KillamriX88    Once more, those nearby would see the sand kick up, but beyond that, the swirling sand split apart, as if cleaved in two, pushing the burning grains of sand to the side. However, as the dust began to settle… there was no one there.

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Inside the tower · |@Mistress Dizzy] & |@Fiber] collaborationInside the tower · @Mistress Dizzy & @Fiber collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. Mistress Dizzy    The whirling sand tornado was enough to scare anyone. Unfortunately, the young sniper couldn’t get a good enough bead on the earthbender to shoot. Too much sand in the way, and with their teammates in the same area, it wasn’t worth the risk. Jin had come quite close to packing their gun and getting gone, when she saw the mysterious masked firebender simply shoot across the sand in a lightning-white arc. They wondered, in an unoccupied corner of their brain, just how hot those flames were. This was all going south, too fast. First Yi got tapped, now this. As soon as their commander said that the Earthbender got to live, Jin rolled their eyes. That had been the next one on Jin’s hit list. “Boo. Oh well. You’re the boss.” A new target, then. Green eyes flicked from target to target below. Mentally, they rewound the image of Yi and the Firefly dropping out of the air. “Lessee. From that angle, and the speed, accounting for air friction…” They adjusted again, scowling as the shot they were calculating was obscured by sand. “Really, really wanna pop that bender’s head off.” Perhaps there was a different equation that would allow the same answer. Jin removed one of their tools from their belt. It was a personal grappling hook that they had built themselves - in fact, the first thing they’d ever built. Of course, now it was upgraded with LSF tech and probably cost more than a house in the Lower Ring. Strapping it around and attaching it to their back, they realized this wasn’t going to work without assistance. “Hey!” They spoke sharply into the comms; hopefully Zhen hadn’t gotten too far. Fiber    Inside the stairwell, out of view from any windows, Zhen heard the noise of the commotion outside, all of them clashing together in a giant cacophony she said. “What is going on out there? Is Yi still in the air?” Mistress Dizzy    “I need a boost.” With their thumb as a ruler, they scraped a rough diagram on the dirty floor. The tower was a single line. Jin’s target, an X below. “I need to be… here.” They circled an area and stood, grappling hook at the ready. Fiber    With Jin’s request she started running the calculations inside her implant. The most difficult part was converting thoughts into numbers, once it had those it could work rapidly. Zhen said “Jin, tell me how high you need to be, which side of the tower you are jumping out of and when you make the jump. I’ll direct the blast based on those.“ as she ran up the stairwell to head back to the top of the tower. Mistress Dizzy    “If it helps, I weigh maybe 130.” The second Zhen appeared, Jin started talking. “5.73 feet up, southeast, on a parabolic arc. Count of 5.” They took several steps back to get a jump start, then strode for the edge of the tower. Jin leapt into open air without a hint of fear, pressing a button on their belt. The grappling hook on their back shot upward, catching and securing on the roof. They swung forward, already starting to aim at the retreating car that had taken down the Firefly.

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Under the towerUnder the tower ____________________________________________________________________________. KillamriX88    Chae-Won gasped for breath, but quickly each breath felt less refreshing than the last. Before her cover had completely fallen away, she’d had the desperate idea to bury herself. She’d created a small pocket of air for herself, but that was quickly running out. The only air she had was that which had slipped through the sands with her on her way down. This was bad. She was supposed to be protecting the Kyoshi and Weiyuan within it, not hiding in a literal hole in the ground. Well, it wasn’t like she could hide there for long. That said, while she was down there, she might as well take advantage of it. Back above ground, suddenly, the entire tower would shake and shudder, suddenly listing dangerously to one side. Toward Katakuri, for that matter. Underground, Chae-Won was holding in the final breath afforded to her, straining to pull and twist the tower’s foundation apart. She could feel the more solid earth and the tower that sat atop it. She could feel it ripping apart under her influence, but she was also beginning to see spots as she strained with her oxygen burning away. Could she actually do this? Maybe she didn’t have to. Maybe that fancy ass truck would be just fine without her. She’d already distracted them. While they’d lost sight of her, maybe, if she was careful, she could get out of this herself. Maybe. But maybe wasn’t good enough when it came to his safety. “You’re… not… taking…my… kid!” She remembered the feeling of power she’d felt in the city, and with one last, almighty effort completely shifted the entire foundation at an angle. At this point, gravity would do the rest of the work for her. She could already feel the vibrations through the earth around her intensifying. Now she just needed to dig herself out before she suffocated.

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Jumping outside the tower · |@Mistress Dizzy] & |@Fiber] collaborationJumping outside the tower · @Mistress Dizzy & @Fiber collaboration ____________________________________________________________________________. Fiber    Zhen had arrived at the top of the tower just as Jin jumped out. When the time was right she motioned with her hands and sent an airblast behind them, giving them more momentum to carry through the upswing, ready to soar high. Even as she was doing this she felt the tower rumbling underneath, and made a graceful dive out the window, headfirst then relying on her wingsuit to bring her speed to a safe level. As she saw the tower shift and crumble, she said “Jin, a word of caution about the landing: the tower won’t be there. I will be. If you get a good eye on the Earthbender as you come down please alert the team. Don’t worry about midair adjustments, I can predict your trajectory.” A quick calculation confirmed she was out of the path but she still moved quickly to avoid standing too close to any falling debris as she hunted for the Earthbender. Mistress Dizzy    Jin swung out high and wide, gun secured against their own body. They aimed quick and fired, the white hot bolt of energy streaking down towards the desert. As they heard Zhen’s warning in their ear, they made a split second decision. At the press of a button, the thick cord attached to the crumbling tower released and retracted back into the belt. Jin's mind worked as their momentum carried them further from the tower, watching the shot fly and the second car still retreating. Jin held in a breath. They blinked, once, and it was like the world reappeared in numbers and symbols. The laws of physics were simple and immutable. They could not be bent or broken - but they could be used. There was a point of an object in motion, where the momentum vanished. On a normal day, this simply meant hitting the ground. What went up, came down. Today wasn't normal. There was a point, a single moment, where the object going up stopped going up - but it did not yet go down. This was the second that approached, as everything seemed to slow and figures flew behind green eyes. 3 seconds out. Not yet. 1 second out. Jin’s finger slipped into position. 0.5 seconds out. Squeeze. The center of momentum. The sniper was no longer swinging out. But not on the way back in. Gravity had yet to pull down. In this blink of an eye, everything was absolutely still. 0 Bang! As the world blurred back into motion and Jin free fell towards the hard, hot ground, they smiled.