Accidental Avatar 3.5: The Burn Book

Battle Stations!

We rose to Periscope depth, and I was fortunate enough to be the one to take a look through it.

"Two guards on the door, two on the roof, and two on the pier," I said to Muteki. "What we gonna do?"

"Go home?" He smiled back at me.

"You watched that movie too?" I gasped.

"Well, duh," he said, moving towards one of our tanks. "It's only the best musical after Les Miserables."

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is better than Less Miss," I shrugged.

It was then that Sokka grabbed the back of my neck and dragged me to where the infantry was ranking up.

"Dad said to get in position!" He growled at me.

"Sorry, dad," I waved my war-pick at Hakoda.

Then we started weaving. If I wasn't seasick before, then I am now. We were probably dodging stuff, but with my limited sight and everyone else crowding around me, I couldn't see much.

"Ready the torpedo!" Hakoda called. "Launch!"

There was a rumble; then we were in the harbour.

"TWENTY SECONDS!" I yelled, checking my bow one last time. "TEN SECONDS!" 

My hands ignited. "Go!" 

The door dropped.

We all yelled and charged forward into the unknown.

It felt like a regular D-Day landing, except we actually made it off the boat. Our allied forces weren't taking such a beating this time. Turrets were attempting to pick us off from the top of a massive sea wall, but our Earthbending Artillery fired at the towers as our soldiers and tanks rushed forwards. We were gaining ground quickly, and our blitzkrieg tactics were working perfectly.

"Tanks Ahead!" I called as a gate split, revealing a column of Fire Tanks.

I ran next to the caterpillar-tank housing the little flying kid from the air temple. Teo must have taken great pride in crushing a defence turret with his tank. I charged to the front of my column of troops and dispelled a fireblast. Then I charged up onto the tank, shooting into its fireport with my own blast. One person got out of the tank, but my soldiers quickly cut them down.

"Tanks Behind!" Someone else called.

Our swamp-benders took care of the ones behind us with the help of a familiar swamp monster. The tank crews were escaping in pairs as their machines were destroyed.

Another load of Trinos showed up at that point, launching fireballs from mounted catapults before charging. Sokka's soldiers countered that by charging straight back. The young water tribe warrior then broke from his pack and charged directly at the leading trino. Stepping on its front horn, he ran up the beast, his sword cleaving the soldier's spear in two before throwing him off and taking his place. Meanwhile, my men charged a line of infantry. I fired three arrows during my charge before switching to my pick.

My pick slammed into an armoured plate, followed by a fire blast to someone else's face. My men locked shields and started pushing the fire nation soldiers back. I swept fire over the top of the shields, and we advanced again. I piked another soldier with my pick, caving in his helmet a little. Blood spattered everywhere as we stepped forward. An explosion blasted the ground behind us, and I instinctively pushed at the explosion.

"We need to deal with those towers!" I called.

"I just said that," Hakoda confirmed.

"I have an idea!" Sokka shouted back to me.

"Great, Ivan. What's the Idea?"

"I'm not even gonna," Sokka shook his head, then ran for Appa. Hakoda and I followed.

It turns out our fearless leader lead us back to Appa, where Katara was playing on the defensive at our rear. Katara took the reigns, Sokka hung off one side of the saddle, Hakoda on the other, with me calling down lightning like I'm Thor from the top. We flew past the turrets, Sokka slicing their cannons, Katara freezing some solid while I blasted a tower like I was Darth Sidious, only less hideous. I could feel the unlimited power coursing through me as my lightning caused an entire bunker to explode. We landed between some turrets and split into groups.

"You two take out that one," Hakoda commanded his children. "And watch each other's backs."

The two watertribe kids nodded then headed off to their turret.

"You take this one, and I'll get the one beyond that," he said.

"I think we should work together," I countered.

"Divide and conquer, son," he gripped my forearm.

"Don't get hurt, old man," I returned the not-quite-a-handshake.

"You worry about yourself," he smiled. "Those bunkers will be full of explosives, so careful with your fire."

"No worries," I hefted my war pick.

I bashed in the door to the turret with a hefty strike. It made me grateful to Muteki for making me work out with him. Next in my line of sights were the two operators, who looked so stunned to see me. A loader stood on the ground floor of the turret, halfway through handing another bolt up to the one who actually did the shooting.

"Sorry," I smiled. "I was looking for the bathroom."

They almost dropped the warhead. I darted forward, grabbing the bolt with one hand and swinging my pick into the legs of the guy on the firing deck. He went down with a cry of pain.

"Don't drop that," I said, turning the explosive bolt in my hand. "You might set it off." 

Then I stabbed the loader with it. It did go off, but again, I contained the blast with firebending that I still didn't understand but was grateful for anyway. The other guy... Not so much... I ran out of the bunker in time to see Hakoda on the roof of the next one over.

He nodded and smiled at me, then jumped through the opening. He must have barely hit the ground when the explosion went off, but it blasted smoke a good ten feet out the shooting port.

"Dad!" Katara and Sokka shouted in unison.

We all ran to his turret for him to fall through the doors at our arrival. He staggered a few feet, clutching his side, before collapsing into my arms. I slung him over my shoulders, and fireman carried him back to Appa.

"I'll fly Appa," I ordered. "Katara, get to healing him. Yip yip!"