This is probably my 3rd atempt at posting something

Really annoying GHAAaa

Ok guys, here's seven pages of material.

Old characters return and we get to see The End's crazy power. Also, the story from here is going to be A LOT more intense, or at least I hope, because finding the threads will become a much more personal journey for Khuzo after the events of this chapter.

Khuzo, mercenary

Khuzo's group

The Twelve's home temple

--

Khuzo walked quickly down the long, narrow hallway that led from the chamber they had just battled in. Behind him, Scarecrow tagged behind, holding up his crossbow.

"I know where they're at, Scarecrow," he said as he took quick steps down the echoing chamber. Along the walls were massive, detailed pictures of dragons, giant scorpions, and one familiar being, a large, swimming kraken, teeth and all represented perfectly. Scarecrow looked at them in silence, and Khuzo's eyes shifted from wall to wall.

"A testament of things to come," he said. Scarecrow didn't reply. The chamber led to a long flight of stairs, and as they walked down into complete darkness, Khuzo drew his remaining sword. He crept silently towards a large stone door. On it was a carved Fire Nation emblem, which had been placed over a picture of all four elements. Khuzo pushed the door open. Inside, in a large circle over a Fire Nation symbol on the ground, sat the remaining members of The Twelve. Around the room were stone pillars that fit in with the rest of temple's elaborate design.

Inside, a hooded figure stood up and pushed off the hood, revealing wrinkly, pale white skin and a set of gnarled, yellow fang-like teeth.

"Death? What happened up there?!" he snarled.

"Sorry, but Death's not showing for the party," Khuzo said. The man backed up.

"Stand back! I'll warn you, once! I'm a firebending MASTER!" he screamed, but Khuzo continued to approached him. The other figures in the room backed towards the shadows of the surrounding walls. One tried to flee. Scarecrow's gloved fist popped out of the darkness and smacked the man in the face.

The man Khuzo was approaching grabbed a nearby bo staff from a drum of weapons, but after he swung it, Khuzo caught it, and broke it in half with one hand.

"Looks like you're fresh out of luck..." Khuzo said, as he raised his sword high above his head.

Behind him, Scarecrow drew his sword.

Outside, Ridge opened fire on Masquerade, who dodged the arrow and then returned fire with his own.

A massive warship suddenly appeared over the horizon, with a loud horn blaring and a massive sail showing the Fire Nation crest.

Masquerade and Yui turned and saw it, and then retreated back to the woodline, without another word.

Khuzo came down the staircase, holding onto Shungo, and Scarecrow had Devan.

"What's going on?" Ridge asked.

"He's coming. We need to leave, now."

"Where do we go, Khuzo?" Reika asked. "They're coming towards our ship, and even if we got there in time, we'd have to fight them again and then escape from that thing!"

She pointed towards the giant ship, getting closer with every minute.

"Our whole plan went straight down the drain. I can't believe this," Ridge said.

"We'll make for the jungle behind the temple. If we can evade their capture, we can find a way off the island. But we have to move, the sun's come out and-"

"SPRINGFEET!" bellowed a shadow approaching from the sun. Fire came from behind him and Khuzo grabbed Reika, and holding onto both her and her brother, dodged the attack, and as fire swept over their group, he landed hard on the ground. He got up and saw the giant Springfeet standing over him.

"Now, to jump towards that ship and...Khuzo? Well well well, Khuzo, looks like that was YOUR ship! How lucky! I get you, AND I get to take that Fire Nation capital ship as my own! A ship that size will make my fleet UNSTOPPABLE! What a glorious day!"

Springfeet let out a loud, hoarse laugh, it sounded like it was amplified by a hundred war horns.

"AHAHAHAHA! You escaped the Dark Pits, only to be found by good ole' Springfeet once again! You just aren't as lucky as you used to be, huh boy?"

Ridge pulled himself up and awkwardly pulled out his bow. He had been hit pretty hard by the surprise attack.

"This...is the guy who got you to the Dark Pits, Khuzo?" he asked in a tone unlike the one he usually spoke with.

"Aye! I'm the one, but that little toy won't stop me, boy. Even if you are good with it, I'm not the only one who can jump!" Springfeet said between bouts of snickering and then bent back and let out a maniacal kind of laughter. Ridge looked confused, and then a whistle could be heard. He looked up, only to be used as a landing pad for another jumper.

This one made a much more elegant landing, not burning Ridge, as if the fire underneath her had gone out before the landing. She pulled herself up and brushed her armor off. It was the same woman that had gotten Khuzo into his trouble with Springfeet in the first place. She was as beautiful as ever, except now she had a scowl on her face. Khuzo had never learned that she could firebend. She had always avoided conflict at any cost, but now she was wearing a full set of Fire Nation armor probably stolen from some ship now lying at the bottom of the ocean.

Springfeet looked over Khuzo and his exhausted group, and then back towards the Fire Nation capital ship.

"My boys and my fleet will be saying hi soon...so that gives me all day to deal with you, now doesn't it? Sweety, take care of his friends, they shouldn't be much of a challenge..." Springfeet said. Reika immediately turned to face the girl, but suddenly a third figure, larger and taller than Springfeet and wearing a heavy, ornate set of Fire Nation armor and a massive, flowing, ragged tabard erupted from the woodline, with massive jets of blue flame propelling him.

The figure landed just infront of Springfeet's daughter. She turned and a massive jet of impressive fire erupted from her hand. However, with one motion, the figure slammed forward on the group and his new footing split the jet of fire in half as it traveled towards him. He then held out his own hand, and in one swing, let out a humongous blast of blue fire. Her eyes widened when she realized that she had no chance of dodging the extremely powerful attack, but Springfeet landed infront of her, and kicked out infront of him.

A tornado of fire erupted from his leg, and the blue and red fire mixed with each other and made a huge swirling torrent of flame that bounced around, engulfing the entire area. Khuzo pushed Reika down and laid on top of her, in a desperate attempt to cover her from the flames, expecting the fire to disintegrate everything behind Springfeet, including them, but it was kicked up by Springfeet at the same time as he blocked the figure's massive blast of fire.

The figure stood up and from underneath the helmet, where the mouthpiece was, a large stream of blue fire erupted from his nostrils. He removed the helmet to reveal an ancient, decrepit face. His eyes were closed and his mouth in the form of a large, constant scowl.

Again, blue fire erupted from the large, crooked, old nose, and the air seemed to become hotter and hotter simply from his presence.

"Who...DARES...come between me and MY PRAY?" The End shouted, and his voice seemed to make the trees move. Birds from miles away that hadn't been moved by the carnage of the previous battle scattered in every direction. As they cawed and screeched and rose high into the sky, above the clouds and out of view, Khuzo could hear the sound of cannon fire in the distance. A naval battle between the capital ship and Springfeet's small pirate fleet had ignited.

"And who dares attack MY daughter, and come after the one that I have SWORN TO KILL?" Springfeet shouted, and he looked even more insane with rage than he usually did. Fire swept from his mouth with each breath.

"Your daughter was in my way...now, move aside and take your daughter with you, but the mercenary and his group are mine...I will not forgive another intrusion."

"The mercenary is MINE to kill, and mine ALONE!"

"I have no time for this. Stand aside or be washed away, filthy cripple," The End demanded, and he stepped forward, his foot left behind singed grass. Even his footsteps left behind a mark of incredible power.

Springfeet looked like he might explode with rage.

"CRIPPLE? I'LL SHOW YOU A CRIPPLE, OLD MAN! I'LL SHOW YOU A CRIPPLE!" he screamed, and he jumped forward, and opened his mouth. His chest expanded, and seemed to inflate beyond its usual limits, and then he slammed down on the ground and bent forward. For a split second, the air seemed to come towards him like a vacuum, and then the fire shot forth directly from his mouth.

The End lunged towards the blast and then held out both hands. Blue fire shot from the ground, and the fireblast slammed into it. The forces were equal, and after a second, the blast stopped. Even Springfeet could only keep such a blast going for a few seconds at most.

The End shot out blasts of fire that were larger than any Khuzo had ever seen. Springfeet kicked as each one approached him, and the blasts deflected away from his, corkscrewing in random directions.

The End stopped and stared at his new opponent. Sweat trickled down his bald head, and Springfeet panted heavily. The two had blasted at each other with force that shocked even Khuzo.

"This has gone on long enough," The End snarled, and he spread out in a different stance and then held both hands outward.

Khuzo saw what was coming, and Springfeet's face contorted into one of maniacal glee.

Lightning began to circle around The End's fingers, but this was nothing like anything Khuzo had ever seen. The surrounding temperature in the clearing skyrocketed, and the lightning gave off a strange, loud sound that penetrated Khuzo's eardrums. He pushed Reika behind him and pulled out his remaining sword.

The End held out his palms and the lightning went from his fingers to his palms. It grew more powerful, and Springfeet began generating fire around his feet. His daughter had retreated to the sidelines and prepared to run, but had Ridge with her.

The two stared each other down and Springfeet prepared to jump. The End pulled both hands in, and then forced his left hand out. The lightning shot out, and arcs of it bounced off in every direction around The End. It shot towards Springfeet, and moved far too fast for him to jump out of the way in time. Springfeet's eyes grew wide and his maniacal grin turned to an angry scowl, and he tried to jump. His legs went down and he began to move upwards, but the lightning was only feet away. Then it exploded prematurely. Khuzo threw his sword at the last second, and the lightning blew up only a few yards from Springfeet. The fire around him didn't erupt and Springfeet went flying back. He slammed into a nearby tree and went through it, and then landed in the field.

The explosion rocked the clearing and even The End was forced to shield his eyes from the giant dust cloud that erupted from it. Khuzo turned and covered Reika as the metal shrapnel from the sword flew in every direction. A part of it went flying towards them, and Khuzo shouted in pain as he took a piece of the shrapnel in the leg. Scarecrow had taken a piece to the chest, but his armor had saved him. Ridge was fine, he was being held up by Springfeet's daughter. She was bleeding from her right arm, but the rest of the unconscious or exhausted group was fine.

The End looked in disbelief after he uncovered his face, and then shouted upward into the sky. Fire shot from his mouth, and he turned to Khuzo.

"You just can't help yourself, now can you, boy?" he growled, and he grabbed Khuzo by the neck. He didn't have time to defend himself.

Springfeet jumped from the rubble and kicked a fireblast at The End, who turned and blocked it with his own. He dropped Khuzo, who pulled out his shuriken. Springfeet's daughter let Ridge down and she jumped into the fray, shooting a stream of fire from her hands. Khuzo threw his shuriken and The End jumped to avoid the other two and then pulled out his sword. It shined with a strange blackish red shine, and Khuzo knew what it was. It wasn't metallic in nature, and therefore, the shuriken could be blocked by it. It was the Sahari, a sword made from dragon scales. The End knocked the Shuriken aside, and it flew back to Khuzo. He threw it again, and then threw several knives afterword.

The two firebenders kept The End occupied with blasts of fire that he was forced to block, and, cycling fire through his sword, he successfully blocked ever attack. Then, he shot a huge blade of fire at Springfeet, who cut it in half with his own firebending, and then continued his attacks.

"What do you fools think you can achieve?! What can a cripple, a girl, and a nonbender do to ME?" The End shouted, and then he turned to see Reika unleash a giant wave of water over him.

He shot a stream of fire that evaporated it, but through the steamy clouds a grenade flew towards him, and Scarecrow entered the battle. Khuzo tossed his returning shuriken, and the group attacked The End all at once. He blocked every attack with his sword, which now had a consant stream of blue fire flowing through it. The End shouted, and slammed his sword into the ground. Falling back, he shot fire from his legs and mouth as he twirled about over his sword. The fire knocked Khuzo and Scarecrow back, and Springfeet covered himself with fire and his daughter did the same, but the fire twirled around Reika. She began to fall back, but The End suddenly stopped twirling, and as the others recovered from the attack, he slid his sword from the ground and ran at her. She stared him in the eye as he plunged the long sword deep into her chest, right below the heart.

Her eyes grew wide and her head fell back, and The End shoved the sword deeper in. She gasped, and he ripped the sword out of her. She fell back on the ground, and blood immediately began to flow from the massive chest wound. Khuzo saw, and in a flash, he threw the shuriken at him. The End's sword couldn't be brought up to defend him, and The End's stance was off. The shuriken ripped into his flesh and went through the armor. He screamed in agony, and Scarecrow ran towards him and brought his own sword down on his chest. It cut through the armor and The End fell back, where Springfeet shot a blast of fire. The End diverted it, but Springfeet's daughter followed through with an attack of her own.

The End toppled back, ablaze, and screamed as he burned. He shouted again and the fire blew away, and then The End jumped back towards the woodline, but dozens of pirates burst from it with weapons, some shooting fire from their hands, and Khuzo caught the Shuriken. The End stood, encircled, but then an airship burst from the woodline behind the pirates.

Itami jumped down to the bottom, and firebenders onboard laid siege to the ground. The End held his burnt hand up and Itami grabbed it, and at the same time, smiled and gave Khuzo another obscene finger gesture. Then, he pointed towards the ocean. Khuzo threw the shuriken, but The End blocked it with his sword and it flew through a nearby tree and landed in the ground. As The End climbed onboard, a pirate shouted.

"Sir! We took the capital ship, but it managed to send out a distress flare. We've got a dozen warships inbound! We must fall back with the capital ship! Our fleets are on the west side of the island!"

"Understood, prepare to retreat!" Springfeet shouted. "And tend to our new prisoners' wounds! Help the girl, and treat the others, NOW!"

"Yes, captain!" the pirate shouted, and they began to pick up Khuzo's group. Scarecrow dropped his weapons, resistance was pointless.

Khuzo stood by Reika, who was laying on the ground. A pirate was looking over her wounds. She grabbed onto Khuzo's hand and looked at him. Some blood trickled down her mouth.

"Stay awake, Reika. Stay awake," Khuzo said as calmly as he could. She smiled at him, but couldn't find the strength to speak. More blood trickled down her mouth and over her neck. She began to nod into unconsciousness, like many people Khuzo had seen do before. It was that kind of solemn but somehow happy acceptance-the acceptance of inevitability.

"Stay awake. Stay with me, STAY AWAKE!" Khuzo shouted, but she just smiled at him. The blood from the chest wound began to crawl over his knees.

She smiled at him, and her eyes were both full and empty. They were looking at him, but at the same time, looking at nothing. She was in one way complete, and in another incomplete.

"No. NO!" Khuzo shouted. He balled one of his fists and punched the ground. He wouldn't lose her. He had lost everything. His brother had made sure that Khuzo would have no one, but when she came, it was as if he still had some human who cared for him. He refused to be left alone, without family or close companions. Some part of him was begging the spirits of this world to save her, and another was threatening annihilation of them if they didn't help.

She grabbed his hand, and he looked down at her again. Her smile broadened, and then her eyes grew vacant. The remaining life was gone.

--

There will be one more chapter before the end of this season, which will set up the events for the next season and the rest of the series.

Samei-Water Bending Assassin

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Samei stared in horror as gray flakes of ash pured from the coal-powered ships.She couldn't hear the door being kicked in or the men coming up the stairs,all she could do was remember the fire nation raids that took her best friend away from her and killed her master.She was awoken from the trance like state by the sonic scream that came from the scream.She saw them taking Nani away.Did they not see me? she thought.She started to get up when shegot jerked back into the banister.She gasped in surprise more than pain.The men turned around,there were 2 of them,and 1 of her.They laughed and turned back to Nani.Samei took this time to activate the hidden blade,which made short work of the ropes.She kept her hands behind her back.Just as they dragged Nani over Samei jumped up and kicked the men in the chest,one after the other.

They fell back,toppling over each other,their helmets flew off their heads.Samei turned to her frightened friend "Should I cut your ropes?" she pulled in her middle finger,revealing the hidden blade.Nina smiled and bent forward,revealing the twisted ropes.Samei swiped the blade neatly between her friends wrists.The ropes fell to the ground as Nina rubbed her sore wrists.The men were on their feet,but instead of attacking,they ran.Samei laughed and drew her swords."Stay here." was all she said to Nina.She ran after them.Samei created a ice bubble around her that had spikes over every square inch.She ran toward the first ship,than she saw how many ships there were.

"THERES ONLY 2!!!" she laughed at the mini raid.She created a ice bubble similiar to hers,but,their spikes were on the inside.She closed her fists and the spikes went in to the boat,everything that wasn't stabbed was crushed by the ice.Than she saw what was really going on.20 ships at the least were heading towards the island,she had only killed the pawns.

To be continued...

So is my story still any good?

How was the battle?

Is it getting lamer and do you think I should restart or stay down this path. The plot changes a lot after this point.