Sokka was not afraid to admit he was way out of his depth this time. Following Xing and his band into the metal airship, the gang were kept well back from the fighting and only faced the aftermath of it as they passed by smoldering or mauled corpses. Only Toph with her tremorsense had the clearest picture of the brutality that went on ahead in the narrow corridors, and the girl’s face was tight and pale as she clearly fought to keep her resolve.

Occasionally, a threat would come close enough for Suki to intercept before it got to Azula who was right in front of the group. Sokka still couldn’t help being shocked at how lethal the Kyoshi Warrior was in her movements compared to when they first met. It was a good thing that his stupid first impression of them hadn’t really pissed her or her fellow warriors off.

They’d pause every now and then for Xing to check on everyone. Katara was asked to help heal bleeding wounds or charred flesh. She did so without complaint, though her face too was fixed with tense grimness.

Disconcertingly, Xing and his soldiers were far more lighthearted about being bloodied. Kai traded friendly insults with a man who had suffered a serious burn on his arm. “It’s always the left side for you, Lu-Fang. Just because you only need one hand to jack off doesn’t mean the other’s useless.”

“Fuck off,” Lu-Fang retorted through gritted teeth, doing his best to grin as the pain was tended to by Katara. “I need both hands, not like you who only need your finger and thumb to get the job done. Poor Ren has to put up with your shit…wonder how you got her pregnant in the first place.”

Similar…risque conversations were exchanged between Xing’s men and women, with even Azula joining in at one point.

“Private, when Kai asked you to take point, he meant to keep a lookout for danger, not run straight into enemy fire like a serving girl looking to make extra pay.”

“Ah, that’s too harsh, your highness. Those girls are doing it for the money. Jiuzhi’s a plain slut for damage.”

The princess rolled her eyes at the other soldier’s remark, and glared at the unfortunate private who was still smoking from his charge. “If you’re really looking to get fucked that bad, wait until after we’re done here and keep being useful. After that you can get reamed until you stop shitting solid for all I care.”

Sokka and Aang broke down into coughing fits at that, while Katara sputtered with second-hand embarrassment, and Toph innocently asked aloud how’d that work. Xing and his troopers though just chuckled and applauded Azula on her choice of words.

Beyond the short breaks, they continued navigating the airship’s hallways at a brisk pace, and after a while Sokka noticed that the encounters with enemy resistance petered out. “They’re likely regrouping,” Xing said, “probably in the next large room we’ll find, so they can bring their numbers to bear.”

The prince then turned to Toph with a quizzical look. “Can you pick up the enemy movements any better now?”

She shook her head with mild annoyance. “No. There’s too many moving parts in this ship, so the vibrations are giving me all sorts of weird images. I can’t pick up anything clearly beyond maybe a dozen feet or so.” 

“Well, it’s better than nothing.”

It didn’t escape Sokka that Toph was enjoying the respect that Xing and his soldiers were giving her. She served as the group’s early warning system to pick up on arriving or hidden threats, as well as a most convenient navigation aid by just bending the metal walls and doors in the way to clear a path. As is, they’d already bypassed four decks by Toph simply tearing the roof down to create a ramp to the next level, and were now advancing towards the bridge. If not for the steam or water-filled pipes that could spill into the hallways to inconvenience everyone, the earthbender might’ve just gone ahead to bend a tunnel straight to their destination already.

“That big room you mentioned?” Toph suddenly commented as they walked on. “It’s up ahead. And I think it’s filled with a lot of people.”

“How ‘a lot’ is a lot?” Azula queried lightly, staring at the closed door ahead.

“More than us? Weird furniture arrangement too…”

“Their armory perhaps?” one soldier speculated.

“Or their mess hall?” another offered.

Xing cut in and pushed his way to the front. “Doesn’t matter. It’s not the bridge, or the Fire Lord’s quarters yet.” Through the armored bodies in the way, Sokka could barely make out the Scorpion taking a wide, rooted stance. “Toph, open up the way please.”

“My pleasure,” the Blind Bandit answered with a grin, and stomped her foot as her arms lunged out at the direction of the door. A faint wave rippled through the metal surfaces all around them, coalescing onto the doorway. By now, Sokka and the others had already learned to cover their ears. And then, as had happened several times already, a horrific shrieking sound sent everyone cringing as the entire wall housing the doorway was pulled apart like a cloth curtain to reveal a simple canteen.

The skull-helmed firebenders on the other side were caught entirely off guard, some bent over with hands over their ears (or the sides of their helmets covering their ears), while others were clearly startled and out of their stances.

Unfortunately for them, Xing’s boarding party, already accustomed to the experience, were already advancing with flames leading the way. The dragons swooped in with raspy roars, bursting through the sheet of fire to pounce on the nearest royal guards. And with most of the enemy unobstructed and unengaged, Xing quickly slid into a stance to do his ludicrous invisible firebending, and the defenders quickly started screaming as they struggled to take off their sizzling and glowing armor. Even at the back of the group Sokka and his friends felt the wash of furnace-hot air that sent the wooden tables and benches in the room cracking audibly.

No surprise that the 11th overwhelmed the royal guard in no time, and the room’s temperature was quickly brought back down to…room temperature with a quick flick of Xing’s hands. Sokka and the gang didn’t hide their relief when they saw that none of the defeated men were killed, only deprived of their armor and quickly bound up.

The exited to another hallway after that, and just as they rounded a corner unopposed, Xing, Azula, and the other soldiers stumbled almost as one. Many looked down at their hands with wide eyes.

“Did…do you feel that?” someone remarked with an edge of fear.

“We’re late,” Xing curtly replied in an authoritative tone, placing a gentle hand on Azula’s shoulders to get her attention. “Come, we already expected this. Blades up, soldiers.”

The 11th rallied quickly, unsheathing axes and short swords and daggers as they hurried onwards. Xing gave a glance over his shoulder towards Aang.

“Can you firebend?”

The other boy looked down at his own open palms for a second and then a small flame flickered to life. Aang looked back up at Xing and the few soldiers staring at him. “It’s a bit hard, but…yeah.”

“Good. Now, let’s get the Avatar to the fight.”

They took another turn and shot through a junction unopposed, and with Toph prying the next door open, the boarding party finally came across the bridge.

To Sokka’s immense relief, amidst the crew and royal guard standing about in confusion, there was a robed man dressed far too gaudily compared to everyone else. The gilded headpiece on him identified him as the Fire Lord.

Unless someone else was supposed to wear something so ornamental.

Interestingly, Ozai did not look as panicked as the men around him were. He was worried, yes, but still exuded a cold, imperious calmness as he glared at their direction. “Azula. I should’ve known you’d-”

“Shut it, father. Surrender, now.”

The Fire Lord’s eyes narrowed with utter contempt that made Sokka scowl. “Foolish child, you’re still outnumbered, and I doubt even the vaunted prince…” The contemptuous gaze turned to Xing, who didn’t react at all. “...and his flames are of any use now, are they?”

Xing shrugged his shoulders before raising the daggers in his hands. “Maybe. But that doesn’t mean I’m helpless, unlike you and your people.” The dragons behind him hissed threateningly, smoke trailing from their snouts. “Plus I have dragons, and they look capable enough.”

“Fire Lord Ozai,” Aang announced, pushing his way to the front and filling his voice with as much authority as he could, “You and your men will surrender.”

Ozai sneered. “Or what?”

Aang was about to reply, but one of the 11th gave a cry and stepped in his way, lashing out with his sword to barely bat an arrow off that would’ve struck the Avatar right in the head.

“Or die,” Azula stated coldly, and that was the signal for both sides to charge at each other. Ozai’s royal guard filled the bridge and outnumbered them by a bit, but it was more than balanced out by how fiercely the 11th were fighting. Even at a glance Sokka could tell that the royal guard, without their firebending, were getting culled. They were like an angry colony of otter penguins trying to swarm a just as angry pack of owl wolves.

Some had their ceremonial swords up in time, but it was clear that their skills with the blade were barely up to par with the men and women of the 11th. Still, their numbers were making up for it to some degree, especially after the momentum of the charge on both sides faded. Killing blows were fouled by last minute interventions, and coordinated attacks pushed back some of the 11th’s aggression.

Xing called out after jamming his blades into an opponent. “Avatar Aang, while the sun’s still out!”

That broke Aang out of his hesitation, and the airbender shot through the air towards Ozai who managed to keep snarling menacingly as he backed away from the melee. His royal guard tried to stop Aang, but powerful blasts of wind knocked them prone. Those that tried lunging at the Avatar as he sped past them found themselves targeted by Katara and Toph, who utilized their ice and metal to keep Aang’s flanks clear.

Sokka’s gaze was torn away from his friend’s pursuit when he spied Kai fighting for his life. The giant of a man expertly fended off two opponents at first, but as a third and fourth joined in, Kai was isolated and surrounded. Three of his attackers pressed him from the front and sides, and the fourth took the chance to sneak around the lieutenant colonel’s back.

The man went stiff before he could fully raise his weapon, a black metal blade skewering his armpit and exiting out his neck.

Sokka killed his first human at that moment. The realization of what he had done didn’t hit him until he glanced up at his gurgling victim and saw the blood dripping from underneath his helmet. And then he noticed more dark blood dribbling down his blade, pooling a little at the handguard. He didn’t feel any resistance when he drove his sword through leather and cloth…and human skin and bone.

Instincts pushed the shock away, as Sokka quickly slipped his blade free to parry a strike from one of Kai’s opponents. A light slap with the flat of his bloody blade knocked the enemy’s sword out of the way, and without thinking the Water Tribe warrior lunged in with a stab, his sword clipping the chin of the skull-mask and sliding straight into the man’s neck. Once more, the back of Sokka’s mind noted how he barely felt anything as his sword pierced through armor and flesh.

“Thanks,” Kai curtly said as he pushed back against his remaining opponents and tore into them with his short sword.

Sokka blinked and nodded dumbly, and then saw the enemy trying to harass Toph and Katara He ignored the shocked look from his sister and darted forwards, plunging himself into the melee and slashing into the backs of the preoccupied enemy. No hesitation, no time for thinking.

Grandaunt Kilin was right, he’ll worry about the blood on his hands later. Right now, he had to keep his friends safe.

A quick glance at the edge of his vision found Aang casually sending the royal guard flying as they tried to swarm him. Xing and his bodyguard Koshi was with him, keeping the Fire Lord’s minions from fully surrounding the Avatar. Sokka was struck by how contrasting the scene of the Avatar and the Scorpion fighting together seemed.

Aang was ruffled but otherwise grim and untouched by the enemy, not even a bruise or a cut landing on him as he floated above his enemies. His bright blue tattoos and orange outfit marked him out clearly from everyone else in this scrum. On the other hand, Xing was a nightmare made real, his red armor darkened and dripping with splotches of blood, and behind the gore-stained chainmail veil Sokka could catch the Scorpion smirking as he ducked and weaved under his opponent’s attacks.

Sokka was forced to return to the present to intercept a charging foe, bracing his own armored form to knock the man away from Katara. Toph dealt with the matter with a distracted stomp of her foot, causing the metal floor to tear up and wrap around the prone victim.

It was more or less she dealt with the royal guards in her ‘sight’. The floor, walls and ceiling came to life to swat and then capture, though with how the claustrophobic battlefield was now pockmarked with holes that threatened to trip both enemies and allies alike, she soon resorted to a more conservative metalbending by yanking out a piece of piping and swinging it like a club at any targets of opportunity.

Azula and Suki pushed ever onwards, blood somehow avoiding the girls’ faces even though their weapons and sleeves were heavily stained. The princess formed the anchor that the 11th rallied around as they murdered their way across the bridge. Every step she took brought the boarding party ever closer towards Aang, paved with more corpses of the Fire Lord’s followers. Arrows occasionally sung from either side, but Sokka couldn’t see if they did anything.

A few of Xing’s soldiers dragged their wounded fellows out of the melee, depositing bleeding bodies that Katara immediately rushed to tend to. Sokka and a couple of soldiers kept the royal guard from getting close to her and the wounded, while Toph picked up the slack to help keep Aang clear.

Not that she needed to carry that burden for too long.

With Xing’s help in tackling the bodies, Aang managed to reach Ozai. The Fire Lord was sent flying up into the ceiling with a strong gust of wind, and then dropped to the floor with an audible gasp. The fighting was paused when he gave a pained cry as Aang placed a knee on Ozai’s neck.

“Surrender, Fire Lord Ozai. You’re defeated.”

The downed tyrant growled with defiance, until Xing stepped in front of him, daggers smeared with gore. “Either you surrender as a prisoner of the Avatar, or your fight is with me.”

By the time the eclipse ended mere minutes later, Fire Lord Ozai and his men were sat by one corner of the bridge, their wrists behind their backs and ankles both bound with strips of metal courtesy of Toph. Cloth torn from the uniform of the dead blindfolded the captives as the unwounded 11th kept an eye on cooperating bridge crew to bring the airship down.

Azula stood by the bridge’s throne rather than sit in it, yanking the speaking tube towards her to carry her voice out the airship’s external speaker funnels and into the ears of the masses below the descending vessel.

“People of the Fire Nation! Fire Lord Ozai has been defeated by the Avatar, and is now our prisoner! As princess of both Ba Sing Se and the Fire Nation, I, Princess Azula, call on my father’s supporters to lay down their arms and surrender, to put an end to the needless suffering. Your cause is lost, but the Avatar will be merciful…unlike me.”

It took a while for the airship to land, and at Xing and Azula’s insistence, Aang was the first to disembark, followed by the bound and blindfolded Ozai, and only then the boarding party and their prisoners.

It was over then. The Fire Nation would be brought to talks as expected, and the long war would be over. Sokka felt some relief at the end of the whole thing.

And then he saw Zuko standing by the palace gates, bloodied sword in hand, with the nobles gathered behind him and the soldiers of both armies surrounding the airship, and that relief threatened to melt away.

“Avatar, the Fire Lord’s fate is for the Fire Nation to decide, not you. Hand my father over.”