Chapter 2

Ben lay panting on the water, drained. His little chest rising up and down like he'd run a marathon. Beads of sweat fell from Ronin's chin unto their levitating platform as he stood hands on knees, panting.

"I think... that's... all of it!" he said in between gasps.

It was grueling work. To carry a ton worth of metallic parts from the ground unto their water support was no easy job. They had to be quick too since there was no telling when a guard would decide to play sentry and stumble upon them.

"You good?" Sean asked the two, casting his light upon them. Ben was literally heaving, but he still managed to give a thumbs up. It had been his and Ronin's job to get the stuff while Roth and Sean provided them with light and Trice kept their support afloat.

'Trice' thought Ronin.

She'd been so quiet that he'd almost forgotten she was there. He turned to see her as she kept her place at the rear. She looked fourteen or fifteen with dark hair running wild in all directions. A stark contrast to her white skin. In the light of the two flames, Ronin could make out her chapped lips and her dark, distant eyes. Eyes too serious for a fifteen year old girl to have. Eyes that seemed to have seen the unthinkable.

She didn't look tired though she'd been keeping them airborne for more than thirty minutes. The only parts of her that moved was her outstretched fingers and arm. Forwards, side ways, down, up... It seemed like he was watching a small stream make its way through rocks. He'd hear that water benders needed to make their own energy flow to manipulate water. Maybe that's what she was doing.

'But still...' he thought 'she's too strong! She's taken down multiple masters at a time. If she's already mastered her element, at such a young age, how'd she end up with a bunch of thieves?'

Ben suddenly shot up. His blonde bangs falling into his eyes.

"What is it?" Roth asked.

"There!" he replied pointing. Ronin followed Ben's finger and saw...

"Those are..." he began.

"No way..." breathed Sean.

"Sky walkers!" Ben cackled.

"Those are not supposed to be out yet. Probably a prototype." Roth said.

The walkers lay at the top of the staircase surrounded by little pieces of plastic, some coins and a discarded pack of food with grains of rice littered all over the place.

"They're too far away." Sean said as he beheld the shoes of legend. "Besides, we've got what we need so let's move out."

"Nuh Uh!" Ben answered as he crouched low. "I'm getting me some walkers!"

"No! Ben wai..." Sean began but his words were lost in a gust of wind which propelled Ben towards his goal.

"You idiot! " Roth hissed as Ben sailed towards his target.

Ben spun around in midair to face them as he still moved, almost parallel to the floor towards the shoes. He called the air at his feet to slow him down as he sailed over the walkers towards the wall behind the stairs. Just before he made impact with the wall, he pushed off violently with a column of wind and was sailing back towards the others. On his way, he snatched up the walkers in his fingers.

"I got him. I got him! I got him!!" Ronin said hurriedly as he hopped about trying to find where Ben would land so he could catch him.

"Umf!!!" was the sound as Ben crashed into Ronin, slamming him down unto the water which bobbed up and down.

"Got 'em!" exclaimed Ben, raising his prize.

"You imbecile!" spat Sean almost shouting as he clobbered Ben on the head. "You could've ruined everything!"

" Owww... " he mumbled rubbing his head sorely." Relax. No contact was made and I got a cool prize. Its a win - win. " he finished smirking as he pulled off his shoes so he could put the walkers on.

" Tsk! Trice get us outta here." Sean said fuming.

"Uhh... guys?" Ronin said.

"What now?"

He couldn't bring himself to reply but merely point. Fear clawing it's way up his throat as he stared at the spot where the walkers once lay.

As one they saw and froze. Ben may not have made contact with the earth, but his gusts of wind had created enough force to disturb the smallest of items which could bring about their downfall. Near the edge of the stairs spun a coin inching nearer and nearer to the precipice of the stairs.

A bead of sweat made its way down Ronin's chin as he stared at that round piece of metal as it fell, almost lazily, down the stairs unto the floor with barely a sound.

"Get us outta here! Now!!" Sean screamed.

They zoomed out of the warehouse into the waning light of the moon. Zipping over the grass at breakneck speed.

"Hurry up! Quickly!!"

But it was too late. In the distance, six pillars of stone rose uniformly into the air. Each propelling a member of the most elite earth bending force the world had ever seen, into the sky.

"Oh my God!" whispered Ronin, instinctively backing away as he grabbed hold of the contents in his pockets.

The six figures began their descent, gravity acting as their ally, towards the invaders.

"I guess we won't need our magic carpet now." Roth said casting a glance at Trice.

She let the water fall to the ground landing then all unceremoniously unto the ground. Ronin felt the grass and earth beneath his feet. The cool sensation it left on his feet as it hummed almost imperceptibly with life.

"Here they come!" he said, his voice quivering.

The six landed around them in a perfect circle. Shaking the ground with a heavy tremor. Their metal armour gleaming in the moonlight with faces shrouded in shadow by their wide brimmed hats.

"Back to back!" Sean said. They closed in on Trice who seemed unaware to the situation they found themselves in.

"This is your first and final warning." resounded a voice that shook like thunder. "Stand down."

"Here they come!" whispered Ben as he crouched down.

"The Terra." said Trice.

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"Ack!"

Screamed the boy in pain as he was sent tumbling and rolling unto the ground.

'Just a quick break...' but he rolled to the side as a foot came crashing down at the spot where his head once was.

He got up quickly but painfully in a fighting stance blinking blood from his vision.

"Now, come at me." said a voice. "Or you'd rather be killed by a bender?"

'No more... I've had enough...' he wanted to reply, but he steadied his breathing and stared daggers at his opponent.

"Yes. I like that look in your eyes, boy."

"Ronin!" Sean shouted, jolting him back to the present. The Terra gave no second chances. Surrounding them, they crouched low preparing to attack.

"You're with me, you hear?" he continued. "We'll take out that bastard." he said cocking his head to the one right in front of him. He nodded in assent.

The grounds had turned silent so much so that one could hear the rustling of the grass. Even the crickets seemed to have gone quiet. His trembling hands balled into fists as a bead of sweat fell off his chin.

"Attack!" Roth bellowed.

Chaos erupted on the now declared battlefield as they all dashed toward their opponents.

A massive rumble split the earth as sharp spires of rock jutted out to impale them. Ronin dodged them while Sean blasted off a column of flame into the sky.

Running with his torso parallel to the ground, Ronin charged towards the Terra.

Stamping his foot, the Terra fired a rock into the air and kicked two at Ronin. He jumped out of the way just in time as one whistled beside his ear and the other grazed his forehead leaving a line of blood.

The sounds of battle resounded all around him but he dared not look away. He faced a member of the Terra.

"These guys aren't your everyday earth benders, huh?"

The precision and force of that first strike alone would have killed Ronin if not knocked him out.

"Damn it!" cried Sean as he landed beside Ronin cradling his left arm. "He got me!"

"We've gotta settle this fast!"

"Yeah no kidd..." he cut himself short as he and Ronin dove out of the way as a salvo of pebbles shot right where they'd been a second ago.

"Go 'round him!" Ronin heard Sean say. They ran in opposite directions encircling the guard and came to a stop on opposite sides of him.

'A pincer attack . If this doesn't work, nothing else will.' He thrust his hand behind him and took out an item to end this battle.

They charged at their foe. Sean called fire to his right arm while his left hung limp beside him. Ronin charged, ninja style, with his hands behind him concealing the weapon.

Then, large triangular slabs of rock as big as tables shot out from either side of the guard towards them. Sean began to blast off with fire but it was too little too late. It slammed him square in the chest and flung him away like a rag doll. He rolled to a stop on the grass and didn't move again.

"SEAN!"

Ronin threw his whole body out of the way as the rock sailed past him scratching along the length of his leg as it did so. He rolled to a stop onto his knees and dashed towards the adversary. Fear and hatred boiling in his blood, clutching a handful of stones he'd picked up as he rolled.

"Yield." the guard said. "You cannot win."

Hot tears trailed past him as he poured all his strength to his legs and let lose a guttural scream.

"Very well. I'll make this quick." he answered as he prepared his next attack.

Something flew towards the guard hitting him on his wide brimmed hat.

"He's throwing stones at me? Very well."

Another stone flew straight towards his face but disintegrated just before impact. Then another and another as Ronin quickly closed the distance between them.

"Kid. Give it a..."

Another projectile sailed towards the guard. He began to disintegrate it but it was still moving towards him at the same speed as some dirt fell off it it revealing a shiny, mettalic knife.

In a last ditch effort, he ducked to avoid it but came face to face with Ronin who stood beneath him.

"You're mine!"

He struck the guard with his fingers at his arms and torso. But he lurched back in pain cradling his unnaturally bent fingers.

'The armour!'

"Unfortunately..." the Terra said as Ronin looked beneath his hat to find the scarred face of a man staring at him with amused eyes. "... that won't work on me."

The next thing he knew, Ronin was face first into the ground with dirt in his mouth. The Terra's sturdy hands held the back of his head and pushed him in deeper.

The sounds of battle raged on. Gritting his teeth, he forced his head upwards despite the hand on his head, hoping the others were doing better.

Roth was staggering as he punched fire at the Terra but they were just too skilled. A rock hit him in the chest and sent him stumbling backwards unto his knees as a trail of blood slowly escaped his lips.

Ben stood unmoving further away his feet knee deep in nto the ground.

But Trice..., she skimmed over the earth with water. Somersaulting, ducking and weaving between the Terra as she attacked. She was completely surrounded with water which vaguely resembled an octopus. Three of the Terra took her on as they stood atop patches of dead grass. She shot a tentacle at one who raised a boulder to block it. Midway, the tentacle turned to ice, pierced through the rock and cut a gash in his thigh even through the armour.

A rock sailed out of nowhere towards her which she crushed to dust with another tentacle. The ground opened beneath her in a crevice, but even that didn't faze her. Grabbing unto a ledge with water, she hoisted herself out of the courageous after and attacked with stone vigour. A lethal, eight armed monster.

"She's a tough one." said the guard whose hand still rested on Ronin's head. "I'm gonna need you to sleep now."

There was a sharp jab to his neck and then..., his consciousness began to slip away. Before him, a spinning vortex of water, ice and stone which chilled the air was attacking the Terra.

'If only I could've been... '