Book 2: Earth

Chapter 28- The Value of Honor

The soldiers on the walls and rooftops of Yu Dao were still cheering when the next orders from Prince Zhenjin reached them: reform, and sortie from the city. Mako himself watched with quiet satisfaction as his squad of Southern Raiders and Yuyan archers secured the last of the Earth Kingdom soldiers as prisoners. Indeed, all around the city, Giam's men that were still fighting in the streets, once they saw the lumbering behemoth which was the Earth Kingdom's last best hope crash to the ground, many lost the will to fight. A few fought it out to the bitter end, while others escaped, but the majority simply dropped their weapons in silence, with nothing but a vacant and horrified look in their eyes.

"It's over, give up now, and your lives will be spared." Mako said firmly to the last holdouts, a group of heavily armed spearmen who were cornered in the middle of the street. Firebending Southern Raiders flanked them, while Yuyan archers had each one covered from the rooftops.

The Earth Kingdom soldiers, seeing no further point in resisting, complied, dropping their weapons. Many of them had the same blank stares, lowering their heads in defeat, while a few remained defiant, glaring at their captors.

"Take them to the palace grounds." Mako instructed Hide and On Ji. That seemed to be where the prisoners were being hoarded together at the moment. The two Southern Raiders nodded, and with a group of other Fire Nation soldiers, led the group of prisoners away with gentle prods of their swords and spears.

That was when Mako saw Prince Zhenjin, astride a Komodo Rhino as he led the vanguard of the Crimson Lances to the breach.

"Mako," Zhenjin nodded firmly with a genuine smile. "I'm glad to see that you made it through the battle alright.

"Barely sire." Mako gave a cocky smirk as he brushed the dust from his armor. "So it's over?"

Nodding grimly, Zhenjin pointed his sword towards the assembling formations of Fire Nation soldiers who were marching out the breach, past the debris of the previous battle. "We're taking the offensive. I want the remnants of the enemy army taken out of the fight."

"I doubt they have much fight left in them." Mako offered, gesturing at the surrendering Earth Kingdom troops that were being sullenly marched towards the royal palace courtyard. "If we move fast, we should be able to bag the rest of his army."

Zhenjin agreed. "Take a squadron of my lancers, we'll rendezvous at the crash site. I want to make sure Korra and Asami have made it through alright."

Mako tensed up slightly, nodding in agreement. It wasn't easy for Zhenjin to order their friends into the fight with the riskiest mission, but Korra and Asami were their big guns, if anyone had a chance of surviving that, it was them. Zhenjin obviously agreed, and he quickly called up a spare Komodo Rhino for Mako; wasting no time, they joined the rest of the Fire Nation army as they sortied out of the city.

To defeat what was left of Giam's army.

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The first thing Korra felt and breathed was the dust, swirling harshly around her, blocking her sight and trapping her in a suffocating prison. It wasn't until her vision came to her that she also noticed the burning pillars of flame and twisted steel around her. The air was dry and unrelentingly hot, and she gave a dry cough. Reaching upwards, she felt the grip of a steel panel above her, and she tried to pull herself up.

As she stood up, she gave her fingers an experimental grip and winced, there was warm stinging wetness forming around her back and shoulder, one that was all too familiar, but aside from that, and a stinging headache, she was otherwise fine.

She took a step forward, and instantly felt the burning pain in her ribs and sides. okay, maybe NOT completely fine. She groaned as she sat back down, it was obvious that she needed rest for a while.