First Steps 8

"You lied to me!" Zuko snarled, jumping up onto the boat as Azula stepped back, with a laugh.

I caught sight of him moving in my peripheral vision, moving so fast he was like a blur, he jumped up into the ship lashing out with a flame enhanced kick and punch at the exact same time, slamming both Shen and Ako in the face, and bringing them down hard, with a single blow each.

Then he was roaring and chasing Azula back onto the deck of the ship, and out of my view. I turned to face Iroh fully, to see him dusting off his hands, in just a few seconds while I was busy, he'd already dealt with all the fire bending soldiers.

I opened my mouth to say something to him, before forcing it closed myself. This wasn't the time for talking, I had to sell actions to Azula here.

I thrust two fingers out in front of me, firing a flame burst, a rapid bullet of flame that closed the distance between Iroh and I in all the time it took to blink, before jumping after it.

Iroh slapped the small flame bullet out of the air easily, while I came down, cupping both hands over my head and igniting them with flame for a flaming overhead hammer blow.

Iroh raised both arms up and easily blocked my hammer blow with his forearms, and didn't even flinch as flames burst outwards from the point of impact.

​

(Technique Created!)

(Flaming Hammer Blow: A double handed hammer blow enhanced with fire. Standard Cost: 50CP)

​

I ignored the notification. I expected this after all. I lashed out with a double mule kick while Iroh held me aloft with a blow and flared the flames in my hands, through the bottom of my connected fists.

Iroh thrust his belly out and met my kick with just his stomach, yet it was me who was sent flying back through the air. Not quite what I was expecting, but it worked for me. I saw Iroh's eyes widen lightly as he caught sight of the streams of flame coming from the bottom of my fists, wrapped around his wrists. A pair of Flame Whip's.

"Hoh?" He hummed, "Not bad young one." he complimented me casually, not at all threatened it seemed.

I heaved with all my strength, only to find myself getting pulled back through the air when he heaved right back.

I cut off the flame whips in an instant, and with a shout, through two fists forward just as I fell into his range a split moment later from the momentum he pulled me towards him with. "Ra!" I unleashed a pair of flame streams, charging them with twice the amount of chi needed, together, when I was at a lower level, these had instantly defeated an Imperial Fire Bender.

I found myself choking and spluttering in pain though as a flaming fist punched right through my attack though, and Iroh with a grin on his face and his cheeks a little scalded stepped through my attack, he twisted his fist and suddenly, a stream of flame easily a bit bigger than my combined one erupted from his single fist and I was flying through the air.

I slammed into the deck of the ship a moment later, hard, and coughed and spluttered even harder as the wind was knocked out of me. 'I should have worn the armour and not just equipped it.' I groaned in pain. It took me a few moments to regain my bearings enough to even move a bit.

I heard a massive boom, and the sound of rocks falling and flopped onto my stomach, looking across the ship to see Iroh with one hand wrapped around Azula's hand, holding her aloft, while his other was pointed out towards the mountain, where I could see what looked like a literal rock slide raining down the side, tens of dozens of tons worth of rock just raining towards the ground.

Azula lashed out with a quick rapid kick, only for Iroh to step into it and drive an elbow into her get, doubling her over it, drawing a hacking couch from her. I got up, just as he spun and lifted her a bit into the air, delivering a powerful kick into her stomach that sent her flying towards the edge of the ship.

On instinct, I flared fire from the bottom of my feet and propelled myself forward. I got there just in time for Azula to slam into my stomach, and me to slam into the hard railing of the ship. My last sight before darkness took me, was of Azula slumped against me, Iroh and Zuko dashing off of the ship, and a pair of notification screens popping up in front of me.

​

(Technique Created!​)

(Flame Jet Propulsion: By blasting fire from the feet or hands, the user can use the explosive force to move faster and even fly through the air. Standard Cost: 30CP per second.)

​

(Quest Completed!)

(Option 3: Help Zuko and Iroh escape without alerting Azula and risking your position with her.)

(Rewards)

(750 Experience Points)

(1 Gacha Token)

(Chi Crystal(rare))

(You have levelled up!)