Book One: Spirits

The team that entered the temple consisted of Ping, Shiro, Professor Yin and several of her interns in addition to the usual crew. Everyone silently hoped that the large number wouldn’t be necessary. Professor Yin held a torch out in front of her taking the first confident steps into the old structure, requesting that everyone keep close. In the dark, they were greeted by a terrible sound - a mix between a screech and a growl only growing in volume as they moved deeper into the cavern. Intimidating creatures, recognized wolf bats, held their ground. Although clearly angry, they didn’t seem to enjoy the light much. Following Professor Yin’s lead, Kari and Shiro created torches within their hands, easily dispelling the creatures into the black of the cave.
The group loaded into an elevator.

At the bottom of the shaft lay a small room with a very high ceiling - high enough that the torches could barely make it out. Its walls were covered in murals of benders forming objects from the earth. Above the massive doorway waiting for them, a quotation was carved: “And then they use this gift to bring about a new society”. Another entrance might have once been opposite this, but it was completely caved in. Upon further examination of the operable doors, it was recognized that there were no hinges.

“My earthbenders tell me that there is a large room beyond this door. They’ve done a lot of work, but it appears to be safe to enter now.” She motioned two of her interns forward. Taking stances, they began to move the stone.

The ceiling of this room was so high that it could not be seen. For that matter, even with their three torches, the other side of the room couldn’t be made out. In front of them stood four statues, roughly an average person’s height, wearing earth nation clothing: two held swords while two held staffs.

“Wasn’t the earth nation divided?” Kari spoke up, stepping forward, not caring to stay behind Yin much longer.

“These look like two descendants,” Rikkako moved forward as well. “But there should be two others...”

“That is correct.” Professor Yin confirmed, stepping forward as well to illuminate many, many rows of statues. There was a path leading to the center where stone dais was carved into the floor. Carefully, the group moved here, taking in the impressive sight of the surrounding hundreds of identical statues. Two more variations of these descendants came into view as the professor stepped onto dais and the room began to light. Crystals hanging on the ceiling began were illuminating, bathing them all in a ghostly blue light.

“With this gift, Dah Huan unites the nation.” Rikkako read the dais’s inscription aloud, examining more of the room. She could now see that there was water running along the sides of the room leading toward the opposite wall, filling her with relief. She also noticed that four enormous statues stood against the eneding wall seemingly guarding another very large door. These, Rika knew, were considered the guardians of Wu Shi Tu. Above them was an enormous mural of a badgermole with open arms. She assumed this was a depiction of Dah Won. As she glanced toward the doors again, she realized Kari was headed that way, Shiro close behind.

“Kari,” Shu called. “What the hell are you doing?”

“It’s fine,” the firebender shushed her. “If they cared, we’d know by now. They probably won’t mind much as long as we don’t disturb anything.” At that moment, a crash resounded across the room. Karizibi cringed at the horrible timing, turning slowly. One of the interns was picking up the pieces of a statue’s broken weapon off the ground.

“Somebody fix that!” Kari demanded. “Now!” she added a little more frantically when no did anything in response.

“And how, exactly, do we do that?” Shu snapped.

“You’re an earth bender, aren’t you!?” as Kari glanced around, she noticed that all the statues heads had suddenly turned to glare at the intern. “Although I think it’s a little too late for fixing...”

The statues jumped into action all at once, attacking the first intruders they could reach. The professor and interns were doing very little to defend themselves meaning that the team would need to defend, not only themselves, but the but the defenseless employees of the university. This wouldn’t have been too much of an issue due to the statues’ fragile nature except, as Kari and Shiro began pushing their way back toward the rest of the group, two of the enormous statues at the end of the hall began to step forward. With one solid hit to the male firebender, he was no longer moving. Just as Kari dispensed one of the enormous statues, two more took its place. She was forced to retreat, quickly, assisting the others as much as she could as did so.

“That’ seven, Kari!” she could hear Shu calling over cockily. “How many have you knocked down.” She grinned.

“I lost track around 30!” she yelled back, unleashing another fire sweep that took out six statues at once.

The other benders were circled, as best as they could, around the professor and her interns, taking the full force of the onslaught. One by one, they picked off the crowd until only the two large statues remained. As a group, they were destroyed easily. After the proper medical attention was given to the firebenders, the only two that had suffered considerable amounts of damage, Karizibi rounded on Professor Yin.

“You and you’re oafs are staying here.” she commanded. The professor nodded vigorously in agreement. At that, Kari turned on her heel and angrily marched toward the double doors opposite the ones they entered.

Shu granted them access to the next room easily, but the blue glow of the crystals couldn’t penetrate the darkness of the following chamber. The group peered in cautiously. Igniting a fireball, Karizibi sent it hurtling into the darkness, but all seemed clear: it was another large chamber, but the shape of its walls couldn’t be made out. Without another word, Kari started forward, but Shu grabbed her.

“Are you stupid?” she demanded. “Stay with the group.” Kari rolled her eyes before starting forward again. Stone cuffs suddenly snapped shut around her wrists, pulling her arms behind her back, and the firebender was suddenly unable to move. With a growl, she allowed herself to be dragged along with the group under the protective waterbending of Rikkako - she had created a shield which encased the group as they walked.

As they ventured further into the cavern, two large statues in alcoves could be made out: a wolfbat and what the group recognized to be the vague image of Kong Ran Shan - his statue looked deliberately destroyed

“And then Dah Huan gifted the power of the earth to Kong Ran Shan and Wu Shi Tu.” Rikkako read the inscription on the second dias. Hesitantly, the group stepped on.

The room lit up, similarly to the last. However, everything suddenly became blurry. The world they saw seemed to be blending with something else, slowly transforming into a place they didn’t recognize. The dias was all that remained as they stood on the edge of a massive canyon where mountains floated. The sky above them was an eerie green.

“My guardians and my army were supposed to protect this place...” a voice boomed above them. “And you laid waste to both of them.” All heads slowly swiveled to reveal the perfect image of Wu Shi Tu. Ping readied her bow at her side.

“Put it away.” Kari cautioned, her voice betraying a small tremor. The other woman relaxed some of the weapon’s tension.

“What brings you to the temple of the origin of the power of earth?” the spirit demanded. Rikkako stepped forward, Karizibi suddenly finding it difficult to speak.

“We were sent on a quest by the Avatar. We were told one of our friends-”

“I hardly care about the matters of mortals.” Wu Shi Tu interrupted. “However, the avatar has recently been a thorn in my side.”

“Ours too.” Shu could be heard quietly grumbling.

“Why?” Rika asked.

“For eons, it has been the avatar’s job to maintain balance in the mortal realm, but who gave him the power to decide for the spirits?”

“I’m supposed to be the key to this balance.” Karizibi finally found the strength to speak up. The spirit drew his sword, pointing it toward the firebender who straightened her back, anger flooding her. “I don’t even understand what that means.” she spit. “I’ve been dragged into this mess without understanding any of it!”

“What do you have to do with the affairs of mortals?” another voice boomed over their heads. Wu Shi Tu suddenly raised his sword as the group turned to discover another spirit.

“Kong Ran Shan.” the other spirit addressed him, his back to the mountains. “I thought you were no longer permitted in this realm.”

“I don’t need your permission, brother.” Kong Ran Shan’s tone was surprisingly calm, shadowed by the mountains.

“Our father said the spirits of earth ally with Koh on this matter.” at the mention of this new spirit, a few people of the group noticed that Rikkako had become rigid.

“Fuck...” she could be heard whimpering.

“An alliance I do not wish to honor.” Kong leveled.

“Which is the reason your idol no longer stands.”

“A sin that will be repaid in full in time.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it!” the two suddenly launched themselves at each other. The group could only dive out of the way. Sickening, crunching blows could be heard in the flurry of motion. However, a new voice soon brought them to a halt.

“Enough!” this voice was every bit as loud as theirs. A light began to grow at the center of the dias, a strangely familiar figure emerging from it - the avatar. “This quarrel is yours. There is no need to bring mortals into this!”

“The mortal world has enough problems.” Kong Ran Shan maneuvered himself to stand beside the avatar. “Send them back to where they came.” he ordered his brother. As the world began to once more dissolve around them, Aang gave one final, worried expression back to the group.

The team took a minute to sit in silence. Most of the group handled this occurrence well, having dealt with spirits in the past. Shiro and Ping, however, were clearly shocked.

Eventually, they decided to move into the next room, feeling certain they were close to the end. This one was well lit by a large, circular light from the ceiling. Out of this light, water poured onto an enormous statue of Dah One.

“Dah One created earth bending as a gift for his sons to bring good and balance into the world.” a description beneath the statue read.

Around the back, the group noticed what appeared to be an altar. Before anyone could stop her, with one swift kick from Shu, the altar cracked open. Much gold poured out, as well as several other strange items - seemingly one for each of the benders: a scroll for earth bending band, a spirit oasis water vile, a scroll regarding lightning bending, and a scroll instructing an air bender in creating a tornado.

After taking time to clean their mess, the group returned to the front entrance. The archaeologists had disappeared, but the statues had returned. The group moved painfully slowly through this room.

“You were gone for 16 hours. What happened?” Professor Yin demanded.

“Another time.” Kari shook her head, leading the way out.