Luke

Even in the lower decks of the ship, we could hear the waves breaking against the hull of the Earth Kingdom vessel we huddled inside, the crack of the waves sending deathly echoes throughout the warship we waited within.

It was complete darkness below, the few lamps that had been lighting the innards of the ship having since gone dark. No more light entered the ship from above, the fog having already played a major role in shrouding our advance from the Fire nation, covering nearly half of the entire Nip Sea, and, in effect, the sun from us as well. Not that it mattered much. What little tint of orange did escape through the hazy barrier told us that the sun was making its descent, and quickly at that.

Every passing minute meant a minute closer to the night, to the full moon. As the Fire Nation's source of power dwindled, that of the Water Tribe, our allies, grew.

Even still, with a plan, manpower, the elements themselves on our side, there was no shortage of fear below that deck. Soldiers prayed to their guardian spirits, as did some of my own companions.

I witnessed Gordez in prayer, alongside Jadoh, the difference between Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation prayer practices subtle, yet perceivable to those bearing witness, the colonial influence on Gordez certainly being present. I wondered what he prayed for, my best assumption being on our survival and that of Boss who was above, already above deck, ready to lead the assault upon landing.

Zek and Ka'lira were quicker to the point in their prayers, choosing instead to stick close to one another, and allow themselves to take some comfort in their combined presence before hell was let loose.

It was no small relief to see them on good terms with one another again. It was none of my business, but in the 2 weeks that had passed since the destruction of Jingping, I had surmised well enough that the issue had been of Zek's past. I don't know what had happened in Jingping, and I hadn't asked, but what I did know was that the family Ka'lira had been staying with was only partially alive due to Zek's interference.

He had killed his own countrymen for her. If that wasn't a clear enough indication of his intentions and who he truly was, then nothing would be enough.

Apparently, however, it had.

I found myself surprised to see Zare in prayer as well. She had never struck me as the spiritualist type, her prayer habits noticeably belonging to that of more Fire Nation traditions. Likely deriving from the same source that had given her the name she possessed.

Her moment of silence ended quick enough for her to notice my curious gaze, asking, "You don't pray?"

Do I pray to my guardian spirit? My mind went back to Raava, and what she had told me, or rather, what she had failed to tell me. You cannot save everybody, she had said.

"I did," I nodded.

She grinned. "So…for us to win…or…"

"Oh no, for us to die on the shore even before our boots are dry," I joked. "But, you know how finicky those spirits are. Probably misinterpreted what I asked for and we're going to end up winning this entire war here."

Zare chuckled. "Well. Let's hope that their hearing was off today then."

She was not meant to be here, we both knew. Cholla's views on the situation had been clear. He would have much fathered she and Ka'lira stay off the front lines serving as support."

"If that asshole sticks me in a hospital tent, I swear to the Spirits I will botch the surgeries on purpose."

She of course, had been joking. Or at the very least, I had given her the benefit of the doubt. The sentiment was understood, however. She wasn't a doctor. She wasn't a relief worker. I believed her time with the nuns had made her aware of just that much.

She was going to fight, even if it meant she had to sneak aboard alongside Ka'lira.

Some of the soldiers had their reservations, but none raised any complaint, tradition be damned. There was no turning back at this point. Not anymore.

We were nearing total darkness now. I knew the sun to the west would just now be sinking beneath the sea behind a foreground of Fire Navy ships in their unyielding blockade.

We break it today.

Boss was above, ready to lead all those below, over 600 men. Quite the step up from leading a squad of 6, I mused.

But if there's anybody I trust to do it, it's him.

Aboard the other Earth Kingdom warship, Kiu and his force, consisting of other Separatists, Earth Kingdom Soldiers, and Revanchist warriors.

Among the spearhead of Water Tribe skiffs, Chief Karnook, leader of the Revanchists.

3 quarters of our force dedicated to this push, and the other quarter, well, the other quarter waiting for when the time came.

I bell sounded throughout the ship.

It's time.

Soldiers rose, and I offered Zare a hand for her to stand, which she promptly took, the others rising around me as well.

"Remember," Gordez spoke out. "We stick together. Don't be a heroes. Just make it out of here alive."

"Same goes for you."

The ring of the bell again. Troops were moving, gathering now above decks. We did not fail to follow suit.

Upon reaching the open air, it appeared as though we were trapped within a cloud itself, the wall of which was quickly approaching.

Beyond that, the Fire Nation. We drew ever closer to it. The moment we were beyond that, we would be right within their bay, and when that came, so would the assault of the enemy.

Every second, another few feet closer.

My armor beneath my coat was secure. We all bore arms and armor, the Separatists and Jingping militia included, compliments of recent efforts to acquire supplies from the enemy. It would do little good against the HE shell of an enemy cannon, but at the very least, it would have to be worth something.

The bow of our ship reached the fog wall and as we drew ever closer, it dissipated around us, soon passing over me and the others as well, revealing everything ahead—and it was a sight to behold.

Shibi, defended by a defense force of five Fire Nation battleships, and behind them, a seawall packed with defensive positions, artillery, and soldiers.

To my sides, soldiers buckled, some seemed on the verge of puking, but all stood their ground.

There was no turning back now. Not as we faced the fleet, and certainly not as they fired their first barrage of artillery.

And so it began.

The first shell landed off the starboard side of our cruiser, colliding with the empty sea, the second striking our port hull, the other Earth Kingdom warship suffering a similar blow.

We launched our own volleys of flaming boulders in return as the Patriot, to our rear, fired its howitzer, the first of which immediately struck one of the Fire Nation battleships in the bow.

Armored as it was, it did little, but at the very least, drew their attention.

The defense fleet launched their second salvo, this one better anticipated by our own forces. Even as we braced above decks, the shots never reached home. Spouts of water rose from the sea, quicker and stronger than anything else I'd ever seen waterbenders capable of, intercepting these shells as they flew, exploding them mid air, not giving them a chance to land any further, some even furling them back, albeit with decreased accuracy.

That was not their intention, however. Such was only a means of protecting us as we drew closer. We maintained our spearhead position, 9 Revanchist caravels in a V formation with our 2 Earth Kingdom warships in the center, and the Patriot taking the rear.

The sea wall was unable to fire off their own artillery as we were out of range, and doing so would only put their own Fire Navy battleships at more risk than us. As such, it was only the Fire Navy firing acting as our direct opposition.

They continued firing upon us, the intervention of the waterbenders luckily sparing us from facing the full brunt of their brutal onslaught, but only just barely.

5 Fire Nation battleships and the firepower they each represented, it was no small matter. It was thus a relief that they proved to be the only threat at the moment.

That and-

The lead caravel, the one which Karnook was aboard, a red smoke trail came emitting from it.

We all knew what it meant. So the defense fleet was not our only threat.

Mines.

We had prepared for such and so the red flare told us more than the simple fact that naval mines were present, but to brace.

Those on deck sunk to the ground, grabbing onto whatever they could, mostly each other, expecting the inevitable. The 'inevitable' was not the explosion of a mine, however, but the sudden sensation of weightlessness below us as the sea itself rose.

Soon enough, it was no longer the Fire Nation defense fleet we were facing head on. It was no longer the sea wall of Shibi we faced either, but the clouds before us, a wave of water having lifted us into the air, keeping us there above their line of fire, above the reach of the naval mines, having the added effect of exposing their positions. The waterbenders, their heightened senses allowing them to isolate the location of the mines, were none too keen on missing the opportunity.

Using their mastery of the sea to their advantage, the waterbenders in the V-formation isolated the individual mines within bubbles, taking them under their own control, rendering them no longer stationary, but propelling them directly towards the enemy fleet as though they were torpedoes.

Many missed, but many as well struck home, the steel of the Battleship hulls attracting the mines and setting them off in a series of explosions that now erupted from the sea.

Perhaps on a normal occasion, cheers would have erupted from the main deck at witnessing the Fire Navy taking a beating of their own design, having their tools turned back on them in a cruel twist of irony, but those aboard were too desperate clinging to whatever they could in their immediate proximity, too stone-faced in understanding of the trials that yet lay ahead, to allow themselves such levity.

I was no different. Neither were Zek, Zare, or the others. What was an objectively impressive feat of the waterbenders protecting our hides was but one step in what was sure to be an invasion ripe with similar if not worse obstacles.

I wondered just when it was that the Fire Navy crewmen manning those cruisers realized their fates were sealed. Was it when the sea had risen, when their own mines had been redirected back towards them, when first they'd been selected to fight the Water Tribe during the full moon, or perhaps it was now, as a gargantuan tidal wave with the enemy fleet atop it quickly approached, destined to wash over them all in the span of seconds?

They would not survive.

The wave we rode passed over them in one fluid motion, the bulk of their vessels doing nothing to impede our trajectory as the suction of the sea effortlessly brought them beneath the tide, sinking them deeper and deeper by the second, subjecting the crews of those vessels to a death I did not want to imagine the horror of.

I chose not to think about it. Not as the bridges of the vessels sunk beneath the wave, not as the wave moved on without us, setting us down gently as though we were children being placed into our cribs by loving parents, and not as the wave continued its course, directly towards Shibi's sea wall.

They had tried to adjust their trajectories and ranges. Tried to account for the waterbending phenomenon occurring before them, but they hadn't had any time to calculate our course, much less account for it in their firing solutions. Their shots rang out now, desperate, feeble, colliding only with the unforgiving wave that quickly approached, achieving nothing.

It was not long before even those of us part of the Naval spearhead could not longer see the sea wall beyond the ever-growing waterbender wave, larger and stronger now, us only capable of imagining the horror the Fire Nation soldiers would be experiencing now, watching a watery death approach one foot at a time.

All we could hear was the crash, and the sudden roar of the wave breaking, muffled screams filling the air, crying for mercy, receiving none.

It's to end this fight, I tried to reassure myself, knowing that I was witnessing the death of hundreds of my countrymen in one fell swoop, victims of an assault I myself was part of.

Would this have been my end too? Had I not forsaken their banner?

The wave, having broken against the surface and roof of the wall, lost its integrity, but left in its wake a wall clear of all that which had polluted it before—soldiers, artillery, ammunition, traps, everything.

The way was clear.

They would scramble to regain their defensive positions, I was sure, but it would make little difference, I knew. They lacked defensive positions, readied catapult or artillery emplacements, and manpower already entrenched. They would lose the beach.

But how many of us would die to take it?

Already, new waves of men were approaching the walls, and it seemed a reserve rank of catapults behind the wall was beginning to open fire on the beach we hadn't yet touched yet.

Preparing early, I see.

It made little difference to any of us. We had been given our opening, and it was the best we could hope for. The waterbenders had done their part. And now…now it was our turn.

We felt the Earth Kingdom warship cease its movement beneath us, accompanied by a violent jerk forward, which meant only one thing—we had reached the shore.

No speeches had been required. Everything we needed to hear, we had heard it before embarking. Now, it was clear that there was only one thing left to do, and we all knew precisely what it was—to fight.

The Earth Kingdom warships lacked the same amenities that Fire Nation vessels such as The Patriot did, namely a forward-facing ramp. All these ships could afford in their places, however, were hastily lowered rope ladders off to the sides accompanied by the cries of our comrades to "Get on the beach, now! Let's go! Let's go!"

As expected, there was no hesitation to do so. Of the soldiers here, none questioned just what it was they were here to do in spite of contrasting ideas. For some, it was the only tactically plausible move. For others, it was revenge, pure and simple. While each of us may have had our own ideas as to just what it was that placed us here, we were all equally committed to seeing it through to the bitter end. No matter what.

To either side of us, men left the warship, opting either for the ladder, or simply wishing to take their chances in vaulting to the shallow water below. Most followed the former option, the benders the primary ones to neglect such ease, instead descending at their own pace and quickly forming the vanguard of the assault.

The waterbending caravels had made landfall as well, their crews disembarking and joining the earthbenders to formulate a combined offensive position that, I could already tell, just by the way in which the artillery soon adjusted away from our ships and towards them, was proving quite successful.

We were thankful for the combined spearhead they provided, easing the burden of enemy fire from us, allowing us to disembark in relative piece and join the offensive. While I, under normal circumstances, would have wished to use my firebending to break my fall on the quick way down and join the forward assault, I knew such was little more than wishful thinking, of course, and thus settled for descending when my turn at the rope ladder came, amazed that it had not yet broken under the strain of hundreds of other soldiers descending.

The descent down afforded me a view of the field around me, scattered Fire Nation artillery still landing on the beach, scattered, ineffective, totally imprecise, relying on scattered shots more than anything else, but even then, having succeeded in claiming the lives of no shortage of friendly soldiers, scattered archers atop the walls having even managed to hit targets so far out as the ship landings, picking off those who made their descent.

I prayed I would not join their ranks, startled just then by the collision of a fire arrow to my right, tearing into the hull, the flame quickly dissipating however due to the moisture of the ship's hull. I recovered from my shock, making the rest of the way down, eventually reaching the beach.

Solid ground to my feet once again, I was undoubtedly thankful, knowing the earth benders would likely be savoring the connection to their source of power once more. Me myself, the feel of sand beneath my feet, it meant only one thing—another step closer to victory. Another step closer to finishing this.

To my right, soldiers aboard the other Earth Kingdom vessel departed as well, joining the formation of soldiers marching up the beach, the path being cleared by the spearhead of earth and water benders, now having reached the steel sea wall of Shibi.

It made no difference. The wall was made for two purposes—to counter the rising sea, and to counter the enemies it brought. These selfsame "enemies" however, had already reached their shores, and as such, it was no longer of any defensive value as the earth benders promptly bent numerous stairways up the walls to enable themselves access to the wall and what lay beyond.

No time was spared as soldiers charged up, many falling in the process, but eventually taking the position.

Behind as I was, by no means the first to disembark, I could only stand in witness to the clash atop the walls, Fire Nation soldiers dying by the dozen, scattered and disorganized as they were. Even less in number than we had anticipated. They stood little chance.

Who can blame them? We have every advantage.

The others joined me soon enough, having disembarked from the vessel respectively. Gordez, Zek, Zare, Jadoh, Ka'lira, and me. Boss, helping to lead this half of the invading force, would not be fighting on the frontlines such as us.

I knew he himself was least fond of the arrangement, much rather leaving the leadership to the Earth Kingdom command more accustomed to such tasks, or at least in theory. It had been decided that commanding officers of each force, Earth Kingdom, Separatists, and Water Tribe, would be present with each half of the invasion force, working alongside one another to ensure that there was unity in the command, to ensure that all those giving their lives had leaders present who understood how to best use them to their maximum potential.

Aboard our ship, Boss, Cholla, and a Water Tribe Chieftain by the name of Korik. Aboard the other, An Earth Kingdom captain named Faoho, Chief Karnook of the Revanchists, and, of course, Kiu.

Weakened though we were, lacking our leader, none of us failed to remember his training, least of all Gordez who was quick to rally us and direct us towards the fight as it progressed, ascending the earthen stairway long after the battle for the wall had ended, but joining the battle over the artillery emplacements just in time.

Engineers and gunners quickly attempted to abandon their posts upon seeing the hostile force charge over the wall they were ordered to protect, but were very swiftly cut or shot down in the process of fleeing.

I forced myself to focus less on those being killed amidst their efforts to save their own lives, but more on decommissioning the artillery pieces being put to use against our men still storming the beach, knowing that the sooner they were, the sooner we could proceed.

Between the sea wall and the actual town of Shibi, there was a good amount of empty space I could tell had once belonged to grassland with the intent of serving as a pleasant natural boundary between the military defensive fortification, and the far more carefree civilian infrastructure of the town proper.

Naturally, the land hardly looked to be much of a park anymore. Artificial lakes and rivers had been filled in, certain to deprive waterbenders of whatever resource they could, trees had been collapsed to serve as fortifications, but also as tinder for firebenders to derive flame from in the heat of battle. Even the edge of the town ahead, I could see, was being barricaded. It wouldn't save them.

Even above us, I could see the next stage of the battle being fought. Atop the wall, while earth benders proceeded down to engage in the hand to fighting, the water benders held back alongside the archers who utilized their advantage in high ground to pick off the defenders below. The water benders, however, were less focused on direct combat, however, but rather, something the fire benders had cause to fear far more.

Lit by the brilliance of the full moon, the clouds could be seen turning, faster than anything considered natural, gaining speed by the second as they went, spinning in the air, combining with one another, growing in size and strength, darkening so much so to the end that the glow of the moon could hardly be visibly seen through them.

But it was there.

We all knew it was there.

It was its strength that fed the water benders this night, that gave them their strength, that allowed them to twist the sky into the storm that now formed above us all.

On the edge of the town as we were, fighting was fierce, Fire Nation defenders still intent on holding the artillery position by the wall, still deceiving themselves into believing that if they held the catapults, they held the wall. And so they believed they could, even managing to put up a fight, holding the invading force off as they tried to descend, burning the ground beneath their feet, and setting those who attempted to descend aflame.

It seemed they would be able to hold, if not forever, then at least for long enough to severely impede our progress. I knew by the chanced glances thrown to me by Zek and Jadoh that my firebending no doubt would have been of tremendous aid, but there was only so much they knew I could do, surrounded as I was by those who had made it their only intent in life to rid the world of such "ash makers". Sadly, here as I was, I was useless.

So the battle turned, daring to hold us here for an indeterminate amount of time more until that first drop of water could be felt falling from the sky.

It started slowly at first, naturally, but it did not take long for one drop to become ten, and ten, a hundred, coming down in smaller intervals until it was clear that a shift in the tide had come once more.

The advantage then shifted, no doubt favoring those who found the mediums of their power quite literally falling from the sky.

Whether it was the overwhelming and rejuvenated Earth Kingdom or Water Tribe presence, they came to realize swiftly enough that the advantage was no longer theirs. No longer confided to the wall atop which we had been perched, we made our descent in a manner befitting that of a cascading avalanche, sparing nothing in its wake.

Soldiers attempted to run once again, but it made no difference as we crashed downward, making short work of the defenders that still stood. In those few moments, it was easy to discern just what it was that guided the soldiers around us. Some put their energy and effort into depriving the enemy of their artillery support while others took the opportunity of the fleeing enemy to cut them down without difficulty nor remorse, memories of Jingping still fresh on their mind. It mattered little that these were not the same men who had been responsible for Jingping's annihilation. They were Fire Nation one way or another, and this wasn't about logic. This was about revenge.

Others focused on the battle itself, seizing or destroying the catapults and artillery emplacements that had been directed towards the beach men were still landing on. No longer, at the very least, as other friendly forces and myself worked to render them no longer threats.

It all passed in a flash, instinct the only thing guided me then as I fought off the remaining Fire Nation forces, not needing to kill any as most fled, only to run into the sadistic arms of those far more vengeful than I.

I tried not to think on it, my only aim to destroy that which they could further impede us by. The Fire Nation retreated now, behind their fortifications where the actual buildings of Shibi began, back behind where our confiscated artillery would not dare firing on them on account of the human shield of residential abodes that lined the streets.

It made no difference in that moment, however. In just the few minutes of night under the full moon that had passed, we had taken the beach, the wall, and their artillery position, now at a standstill with Fire Nation soldiers waiting away, reinforced by the minute by more and more, the dire reality of the situation finally dawning on them.

And so everything seemed to slow to a halt. Those chasing the Fire Nation soldiers deeper towards the city were either shot by defenders' arrows, called back, or realized on their own that the mission came first. The number of shots exchanged quickly diminished until they stopped entirely, and the realization of the momentary ceasefire settled in.

We knew what this was—a stare down. We could all see one another, them as they bolstered their defenses, and us as we gathered our men, turned their artillery placements around to face them, and rallied for our assault. Before our very eyes, both prepared for the coming storm, except we knew something they didn't.

This was not to be a repeat of what the last dozen of encounters between The Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom had looked like. Today, the Fire Nation truly was in for a fight. And for the first time in what was perhaps years, the Fire Nation would lose at a fair fight.

No. Snap out of it. I shook the thought aside. We were but only a couple of steps into a plan of so many in. I couldn't allow myself to believe that the fight was already won. There was yet much to be done. Much blood yet to be shed.