AtLA Rewritten: Edition 1

Chapter 38

Dai followed Athlea through the door. "My staff!" she yelled. She lunged forward, grabbing the icy staff from the wall and kissing it. She grabbed her bow and arrows, slinging them over a shoulder. "Okay," she breathed, twirling the water from her staff's crystal around her and back into the crystal. "Dai is back."

Zuko burst into a room, Sokka at his side. Sokka's weapons were hung on a wall, and... "Dai! Athlea!" Zuko ran forward and hugged Athlea, holding her close. "Are you okay? Where are Katara and Toph?"

"Yeah... I am alright, are you guys okay?" she asked, concerned as she looked at him.

Zuko buried his face in his neck. "Yeah, we're okay." He pulled away, his hands on her face. "Are you okay?" he asked again. "Do you feel sick?"

At that moment, the other women broke through another door. Dai whipped around, an arrow nocked. "Katara!" She threw her arrow back in its bag and hugged Toph. Athlea smiled.

"My canteen!" Katara rushed forward and grabbed it. She turned around and glanced at the room, and her face fell. "Aang?" She glanced at Sokka, her eyes wide.

Sokka was busy admiring his weapons. "My weapons," he mumbled.

Suddenly the earth between Athlea and Zuko split. Katara grabbed Dai's chestplate to keep her balance. Zuko yelled as he was jerked back, almost falling back. Delun was standing at yet another door, three earthbenders on either side of him. "Well done," he said, smirking. "Unfortunately, I'll have to kill you now."

Sokka spun around. "Hey, it's you!" He pointed at Delun, his gaze moving from annoyed to angry.

Katara took a step forward, pointing at Delun. "Where is Aang?!"

There was a whirring sound, and Aang himself spun his way behind Delun on an air scooter.

Delun whipped around. "How...?!"

Aang smirked. "I'm the Avatar. Did you really think you'd keep me in place?"

Katara's eyes lit up. "Aang!"

Delun frowned. "I don't care who you are; you're going down!" The earth benders attacked.

Zuko's eyes narrowed and he began to throw flames, his actions harsh with anger but strategic. Katara pulled some water from the crack in the floor and sealed the hole with ice so nobody would fall through.

One dashed forward, raising pieces toward Sokka and Dai. Athlea's head whipped toward them. "Dai, Sokka, be careful!" Dai yelped, shoving Sokka out of the way of a rock. She leaned forward, surrounding the rock with water and launching it back at the benders. She looked down, her eyes wide as the spikes launched toward them. Athlea rushed over as spikes started flying toward them, shooting a burst of flame toward the earth bender. One spike nicked her cheek, slicing it open, and another hit her in the torso, opening up a deep wound below her ribs.

"Sokka, go with her," Dai ordered quickly, pushing him toward Athlea. Dai lunged forward, throwing a layer of ice beneath the earthbenders' feet. One fell, yelling.

Aang faced off with Delun. "You won't win, Avatar! One of you is done already, and the next will come soon!" Athlea had fallen to one knee, gritting her teeth, one palm against the wound in her side. She glanced at it, seeing it was covered with blood, and cursed. Sokka stood over her, defending her, one hand on his spear. Aang glared at Delun, using his staff to send a gush of air at Delun.

Toph, however, wasn't struggling at all. She was smirking. "Ha! Is this all you've got?" She slammed her foot down, raising the ground and turning it into a ball around one of them, shutting them inside.