Zuko eventually returned to the Jasmine Dragon, sitting at an empty table in the silence of the after hours. It wasn't long before Iroh and Cadence came out of the kitchen with cups and a pot of tea. Zuko was actually grateful, thinking a cup of tea might actually help him rest and focus for what he expected would be the hardest confrontation of his preparations for the upcoming end of the war. Before he could enjoy his tea, however, he noticed that Cadence was looking a bit put out. He glanced at Iroh curiously.
Iroh chuckled indulgently. "She went out to meet the special squad, too," Iroh explained. "She had an...unpleasant encounter with two of the Swamp Benders."
Zuko couldn't help but smirk. "I saw the aftermath," he pointed out. "How'd that happen, anyway?"
"I'd had fun meeting everyone," Cadence explained. "Especially Teo's group. But two of the Swamp Benders tried to eat me!" She snorted in frustration. "One said he thought I'd taste like 'possum-chicken'. Do I look like a chicken to you?" She kicked out at the back of her chair in frustration before flaring her wings. "These are eagle or albatross, not chicken!"
"So you kicked them both and stormed off?" Zuko asked, struggling not to let his amusement at her antics show.
"The fat one got a headbutt," she admitted. "They were coming at me from in front and behind."
Zuko winced, unsure if a horned headbutt to the stomach or a hoof kick to lower down was the worse injury. Taking a sip of his tea, he decided to change the subject. "There's...one more meeting I have to get through before I'll be ready for the assault," he admitted. "And...it's not one I'm looking forward to-"
"Wait on talking with Mai until after you fight your father," Cadence suggested, causing both Zuko and Iroh to turn to her.
"Really?" Iroh asked, shocked. "That...doesn't seem to be the best of plans as far as their relationship..."
"I have to agree," Zuko confirmed. "Wouldn't it be better to get everything resolved before going into battle?"
"There are only three outcomes of meeting with Mai," Cadence explained. "Possibility one, she loves you enough to forgive you, and then you have a love triangle on your hands between her and Jin, which is the last thing you need going into a major battle against your father to decide the fate of the world...not to mention creating a confusion of motives. You're doing this for the world, after all, not your own personal happily-ever-after." She carefully took a sip of her tea. "Second possibility, she doesn't love you anymore, and you go into battle with half your heart broken. Not a good possibility, since you need all your strength - physical and emotional - to face Uncle Ozai."
She leaned back in her chair, specially designed for her shape to be more comfortable when doing so. "The final possibility is that she doesn't know how she feels about you anymore, leaving you both confused for the confrontation. She might be able to handle it, but you can't afford it. Your mind needs to be clear." She gave a shrug of her wings. "She's already signed up alongside Ty Lee to be part of the assault, so you know she's on our side. Anything else can, and should, wait until after you know if you'll be talking with her from the throne, the prison, or the grave."
"Your confidence in our chances is so refreshing," Zuko groaned, his face falling to his hand.
"See? You've got enough to worry about," Cadence explained. "Last thing you need is more worries."
"Speaking of," Iroh spoke up, "I will not be joining you in the assault."
"You won't?" Zuko and Cadence both asked shocked.
"This upcoming battle isn't just about saving the world," Iroh explained. "It's about setting the scene for the future. How history remembers your confrontation with my brother is just as important as the confrontation itself. If I am present with you, history might to easily twist things to say that you were a pawn in a power struggle between brothers...but this battle must be father and son. As such, I can not be a part of any aspect of this endeavor beyond planning."
"I...I see," Zuko admitted worriedly. He could see the logic there, but knowing he wouldn't have his Uncle at his side suddenly made the whole endeavor seem much more reckless, and the shadow of failure seemed to loom much larger.
"Does that apply to me, too?" Cadence asked worriedly.
Smiling, Iroh shook his head. "You never had any official place in the Royal Succession," Iroh explained. "As such, historically you have no stake in the outcome in that regard."
"Good!" Cadence proclaimed as Zuko visibly relaxed. "I'm not about to be left out of this!"
"Speaking of this," Zuko began, deciding to change the subject, "when's the first assault?"
"Already underway," Iroh replied. "A force of Earth Benders is already prepared to crack the Boiling Rock. That will convince my brother that the remaining assaults are serious, and not just distractions, meaning he'll be forced to commit his reserves."
"How can Earth Benders alone break the Boiling Rock?" Zuko demanded.
"Sokka's plan," Iroh explained. "He called it...the Brick and Break..."
The platoon of Earth Bending soldiers arranged themselves carefully on the outside of the caldera. Directly opposite was the boiling lake, and in the center was the prison itself. It was long thought to be impossible to breach...but with enough Earth Benders, Sokka had come up with a way to do it.
The Earth Benders at the top of the Caldera broke the stone directly in front of them into blocks, thrusting it forward before stepping into the space left behind. The ones below them then did the same to the stone they were standing on, while those above held the stone they were controlling in front of them, pushing it forward. This pattern continued until the stones held by the Benders at the top were directly over the top of the prison's metal walls, the signal went back and the blocks were brought down, fusing them together into a ramp the exact width of the prison walls. As the first wave of Earth Benders moved forward to battle with the prison guards, the second wave of Earth Benders called the stone from the bottom of the lake to brace the bridge and maintain it.
Once inside, the Earth Benders had the major advantage. While the walls were all steel...the ground was stone.
Why didn't they think of that in the series?
6916564
Well I remember in the how Ba sing say fell and that would include their entire army devision so a attack like this can't be cannon since the sokka would be lacking in resources to pull something like that off
Oh man, the prison guards are gonna get owned so badly. It's like that one episode where those other earthbenders used coal to take the firebenders down
6916564
They didn't have enough earth benders left after the invasion, remember the invasion used the remaining earth benders, after the fall of Ba Sing Se, as a combat force which stayed behind with the the water tribesmen and swamp benders to make sure the kids got away alive.
because despite acting like an idiot Sokka is very clever
6916564 Because they did not have Tatsurou on there team.
6916564 (if talking about the Boiling Rock) Not enough Earth benders ? if i'm right it was Sokka's "alone time" with Zuko
Stage 1 complete, proceed to stage 2
6916564 At least they weren't as stupid as the Earthbenders in the movie. Then again, who's dumber, the Fire Nation for imprisoning them in a MINE or the Earthbenders for not thinking to use it against them?
6916583 Not to mention, they never planned to hit The Boiling Rock. The entire breaking in and busting out plan was a major improvisation, much of it relied on winging it.
Guess the Earth Benders really... Dropped on in. I wonder if calling the plan London Bridge would have worked too.
Sokka's plan really... Rocked the prison's world.
Guess Cadance couldn't... Stomach the idea of being possum-chicken.
6916758
*Gets spray bottle and starts spraying sans*
No sans...Bad sans...No puns
6916758 dude oh good lord that's all I can say
brilliant
You know... I think it's about time that I closed the book on this. That's not to say anything bad happened this time around, it's just... well, it's that instance of Benefits vs. Consequences again. On the one hand, I could put my faith in you that you'll eventually do something incredible... but on the other, it could end up like that time I watched School Days or Death Note.
{Tatsurou: Wait, you don't think I'd actually-}
It seems good, then stupid stuff starts to happen, I'll think there's some big pay off for all the stuff I sat through, but all that's left at the end is a bitter pit of pointlessness.
{Tatsurou: Well that's... markedly better than you could've thought.}
Then again, it isn't too tough to imagine Cadence writing people's names in the Death Note... Anywho, even if there's some mythical Homestuck-style pay off awaiting my diligence, it just doesn't seem all that worth it. Everything, from what you've said in previous comments, to how characters interact with one another, to how people perceive reality... it tells me that continuing may be a grievous error on my part. And if that wasn't enough, this was the only time that I actually AGREE with those idiots who say the original Cadence is a Mary Sue, except it's your Cadence who seems to fit the bill, and she's the lesser-liked variety. You know, the kind that messes with things not needed to be messed with, only grows as a more powerful combatant and never a more likable character, that sort of thing.
But don't worry, it's not you, it's me. This just isn't really my cup of tea. Sorry for wasting your time with random comments and clips of Avatar videos. It looks like, in the end, I wasn't the one who didn't see what they were supposed to see. Sorry about that...
OK, here's a two more.
This is Heart of the Dragon General
cdn-img.fimfiction.net/story/6ks4-1442944933-286996-medium
This is you on Heart of the Dragon General
(Interpret that however you like, I'll go with the more positive version... 14YEARSOLDMWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!).
story idea for you.
Sombra and Zach van tech.
6916956
One, story ideas should go on my user page.
Two, Sombra's already got a story slotted for him.
Let the revolution begin.
Dude your on the front page
http://www.fimfiction.net/
6917080 yeah...he's always on the front page.
6916758 Careful there, Sans. Your puns are causing tempers to reach the boiling point, and things might start to get rocky from here on out.
I mean, it might just be a good idea to bone up on other forms of entertainment soon. I'll have to pick a bone with you if you take up music, though.
6916758 ...Referee?
Brick by Brick
Tock by Tick
No matter how thin
No matter how thick
Papa told Mama
And Laura told Nick
You can move a mountain
If you do it brick by brick
6917330
Yes, he changed his name.
6916564
1) Because all the Earthbenders were captured after the invasion of the Fire Nation failed. In the show, Ozai predicted an invasion on The Day of Black Sun, and so thwarted the Avatar's plans. The entire invasion force is captured, save for a handful of people escaping on Appa (Team Avatar plus a few of the other kids). Additionally, Zuko sides with Azula against Iroh and the Avatar in Ba Sing Se, so there was no one to even tell the Avatar and co about the prison
2) Sokka finds out about the Boiling Rock and tries to sneak off on his own, but Zuko joins him. The two of them alone infiltrate the prison, and neither of them are Earthbenders.
Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.
If I could like again I would. That name(*lego mania*) just too perfect.
That was fun, may I have another? Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
6916973 great
6916758 The new username really fits your comments...
Indeed.
There, there.
They both suck in their own ways.
I'm with Zuko here.
Fair point.
... Dark.
Eh?
Gotcha.
One word away from a Pokemon reference.
Clever Sokka. This is reminding me of something, though I can't remember what for the life of me.
Oh yeah.
LEGO! That's what it reminded me of.
(Sorry for taking so long to do this, I had some account troubles. Anywho, remind me real quick, how old is Cadence here? In her teens?)
6919183
Thereabouts, yeah.
6919402
Around 16ish?
6916758
Papyrus: SANS!!!!!
Tori: Pfffffft
6919450
Physically, yeah.
I don't think Cadance was very pleased with her encounter with those Swamp Benders.
You might even say...
that she was...
vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/adventuretimewithfinnandjake/images/9/99/71458_-_rainbow_dash_sunglasses.png/revision/20120731040356
swamped by the situation.
Nice plan, Sokka.
your story is strong keep it up.
6924191
lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZitVehCTQk03tA8vGv0PEO4e8Er2m8zIKaAZ1bo8b16UZA_I6Lj9goStiCqtF4lNgufFZ_U1MuY_kEZvJa4BmyvHzHHKcvddqryzCCX9ETWiUTCXEkxkXfxnTQ1OeDIplnkJDtVYDMrS2nGecoPfzmsg5utmTIjEaMQ32FdMPAyPfqSpxqtbCS0ySVZ8esbjqnx9nVk3hF3ONGo_-_lJLl4L0NdcU-mJFKY9mDORKGfd_2m9dSXR-7ueSu5D879U4D0ylHhUiMuShxHLUjwRLFXTsgbUm1SgA4lsR31UdEudHrPmBA5RC8Ytj1eEeKIHV9pSh-PZXZ8fE4uVIqf0c9Cnjq2fYnTPq5wZOmZ_wku8D9XMKFlIYythHpusIhdn3Obg3GJAy34V7CCR4rqbcMB0c6VQ9qnrcwYSTClWyBoWy-7R4tTQmRAAw0tRRDfMvbLMbQt2AXXYDklogckMqNk2GHVc-qoBbrwbYYRYQIRwEUUHLaL670GUgpO7Iz1aVApyNsLKzbRP2PHxMXc-QIQKMtL9gbUqBH_LTsXvs7_UIWHFR0z7_YUFtXZLNc-oagA=w765-h691-no
This is starting to heat up! :D hahaha, the battle begins~
Goood show man, good show!
Why is it that she never realizes that there's a fourth option! I mean, come on! First in Sunset Reset, now this one? She's supposed to be the Princess of Love for crying out loud! Unless...she just doesn't see ppolygamy as being a form of love...in which case, I take offense to that! But seriously, though. It's kinda annoying how she never even considers polygamy in both of the examples that I used, seeing as how it would totally solve the respective problems that she's facing in each of them.
7108276
That actually is covered under the first option, as that's one possible resolution to the love triangle mentioned that they don't have time to resolve.
6920865
Sokka is awesome! Sokka is cool with an Earth Bending team! Sokka is awesome! When he's fulfilling our dreams!
6920865
YEAH!