Take out enough spokes and the wheel crumples. Same principle.
No one contests her. We need to get a move on.
...
"We're not locating the command centre, either," Dionu says. "We can't chance discovery like that before Kaito destroys the engine. And once he does, there's little point in taking out commanders."
The drill is not empty. It's an exercise in stealth as we find our way to the engine room. It is, thankfully in the middle, as we suspected. We place our cloth balls along the way, but we decide not to take any soldiers down until we have the structural plans of the drill and I have sabotaged the engine. We're just not taking chances.
But that is easily done. The drill's walkways are eerily quiet. Probably the soldiers are waiting where they will be deployed from the side hatches that we saw coming in. And those we do evade, we easily sidestep by getting on the support beams.
It's really only a matter of damaging the vital parts of the steam engine. Not even an engineer is in sight. All I do is slice apart the fiddly bits and open all the hatches to let the steam out. Then I bend it to cling to my stone armour and also my boots. Gorou had the right idea.
We're on our way to the front to meet Yranna, Thera and two of the explosion experts when in the back of the drill, an explosion goes off. It sends harsh groans through the metal. It's too early. They must have gotten interrupted, setting the kits.
Our footsteps, though soft, are too loud on the metal floor. We pause on our way to block more of the communication pipes. I'm out of cloth balls. Soon, Gorou and Dionu are as well.
And then, where I estimate is a third down the front of the drill, footsteps alert us to enemy soldiers coming our way from behind.
We duck outside into the support beam area at the next doorway, like we did to evade enemy soldiers on our way in. We can surprise them from behind. On the next beam to the front, I see a still body in Fire Nation uniform. At least it's not one of our people.
The drill groans, and the beam beneath our feet shakes with the force of the impact on the side we're standing on. We stumble a little, just as the enemy is going past. It's a matter of split-seconds where Gorou sends his tattoo-disks flying for a beheading and blue fire is shot our way. That means most likely Azula. I did not miss her.
I yank Dionu and Gorou behind me, cutting the flames aside with water from the air. Then, before we can be attacked again, I get a grip for the fluids inside the mouths of our two opponents and yank.
"Ow! Fuck!" a man swears.
Azula only grunts in pain. Then she ducks, evading Gorou's attack again. But he's found his feet and keeps her on the move. She's good enough to send attacks even while dodging, but those are easy to block for Dionu who brought armour like Gorou made for me, only covering his whole body. This leaves me free to try to regain my grip on the man's spit, but before I can, he shows that he's a firebender, too.
Which is unfortunate for us, but nothing we can't handle. His flames are a nice, normal organe.
It's just too much actual moving around on his part that keeps me from his body fluids. I need to practise more. But who'd volunteer for that? Which sounded just as wrong as it probably is.
But I gather moisture from the air, there is enough of it, and I brought a waterskin for emergencies. Then I begin to slice at him in places where the armour is weak. Which is the neck. The armpits. He wears a helmet, which is sensible.
But it doesn't save him from letting blood.
He retreats back into the inner tube, a hand on his neck, staving off the bleeding.
Azula sends a particularly strong blast at us. I coat the beam with ice, and trap her feet for the few moments necessary for Gorou to send his other disk at her. She bends out of the way just in time to save her head, but that allows me to trap her, folding ice around her limbs even as she melts it. Now it is a battle of how quickly I can cool the water and she can melt it. She looks about to roar flames at us.
Thankfully, Dionu forms a rock-ball and uses it to knock her out.
Gorou makes to kill her, but the other firebender sends a large blast at us with a yell.
We duck, just in time, but he's already dragged Azula inside the tube with him. Seems like he managed to close the wound, probably with a little fire. That must have hurt. He didn't make a sound while he did it. I sniff the air. Yeah. That's definitely burnt flesh.
When we rush in, the corridor is empty.
Great.
"Let's move on," Dionu says, wary.
And we do. Gorou guards the back.
None of us notice the archer before she's loosed the arrow that punches through Gorou's shoulder. He goes to one knee, Dionu and I whirl.
She retreats before my water reaches her or Dionu's own disk.
"Guard us," I say and crouch next to Gorou. Dionu covers, and knocks several more arrows aside.
I bend water around the wound and freeze it, keeping a grip and breaking off the arrow. It's gone right through. I seal off the wound. It didn't nick major blood vessels. We don't have time for more treatment.
Three explosions go off in front of us. Then Yranna, Thera and the explosion experts crash into the corridor. We dash towards them. "We need to get out of here!" Dionu shouts.
Yranna leads the way.
It's really good to have competent allies. None of them are injured badly, aside from a burn on Thera's calf. But she doesn't limp, so it must be alright.
It is, aside from knocking a few arrows out of the air, and Thera returning fire as quickly as she is able while running, a smooth exit.
Dionu digs us down and out. "Can you fight?" he asks Gorou.
"Yes," he bares his teeth. Looks eager.
We emerge. The Fire Nation tanks are getting destroyed, one by one. The Pah are doing good work, joined by Dionu's benders. Yranna heads towards Latih. "I'm going to tell them where to focus the attack!"
And we go and join the fray. Outside of the metal, Gorou and Dionu are much more versatile with their bending. I never want to face benders in their natural territories. They're just too scary. And some people are just scary all the time, I think as I watch Yranna behead a man in passing.
I am free to freeze the few still-moving tanks, slicing apart the joints like butter once they're cold enough. The Fire Nation builds them to withstand heat from the benders inside. Not ice attacks from waterbenders.
The drill, finally out of steam, rumbles to a stop.
Yranna and Latih coordinate the attack on the drill's weak point. The first huge bolt of earth makes a dent. They prepare for a second when a side hatch opens. It's Azula again. Thera is ready, and fires.
Azula dodges the crossbow bolt just so, but she zeroes in on our group. With two huge fire attacks, she propels herself at us.
I let Dionu and Gorou handle her for the most part. We're surrounded by their element, after all.
The last tank goes down. I freeze the hatch shut. It's good to have someone to interrogate. The City Guard will pick them up.
The second earth bolt pierces the drill's hull with a mighty crash. They pin the drill, the bolt exits the hull on the other side.
A cheer goes through the yakuza and the City Guard, who look relatively battered. They would've been dead if not for our interference.
Azula shouts, frustrated, "Retreat!"
But she herself sends a bolt of lightening straight at us. I know the bending pattern by now, so I manage to intercept, using the ice on my armour as a shield just in front of Gorou. The lightning cracks it down the middle. It's a good thing I remembered to connect the shield to the ground.
The hind part of the drill opens. It reveals a train-like thing. The Fire Nation soldiers who still can, rescue themselves into it as quickly as they can. But the yakuza take no prisoners. A lot of the soldiers die during their retreat.
Gorou was right. It is a bloodbath.
And I didn't even really do that much.
...
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