A bitter struggle between benders and mutated equalist continued as fires roared, rocks smashed, and electricity crackled from equalist shock batons. It was good that we heard those sounds; while it was loud, people were still alive and fighting the equalists. The hallway shook as the fighting intensified, and I felt my blood pumping. If we hurried, I might have a little bit of fun on our way out.

King's cocktails could make normal humans stronger for a price. The drug ran through their bodies quickly, and they needed to eat a high-protein diet and drink plenty of fluids to compensate. If a lot of meat wasn't available, they would find it. Eventually, it wouldn't matter, animal or human, especially during the adjustment period. It didn't make them inhuman monsters; they were starving to the point where eating other humans became viable. I doubted King told them much about the consequences of using his drug.

To King, these guys were food. After all, once someone fully adapted to the drug, a dense blood qi called ichor replaced their blood. King could extract their ichor-rich blood to make a pill. Those pills could then increase King's personal qi to new heights. But, of course, King probably made the equalists pay for it to add insult to injury. They were probably starting to peddle it on the streets, despite the situation that brought a smile to my face.

Wiping out the equalists had become a legal possibility. No one would support them now that they were outed as cannibals. The protection under the law they had enjoyed, and support from other civilians may dry up immediately. Amon was the real issue. It could be a problem if he learned more about the injections or started feeding on other addicts. A blood bender who hit the PL limit of 1000 that I couldn't sense would be a workout, but the city wouldn't survive.

I looked back at Korra; she was still shivering even in my white ape cloak. The old hide could shrug off armor-piercing rounds and make the addicted warry. Its stores of light qi gave me an extra-strong qi beam a day. And Korra looked adorable in it. The white fur practically swallowed her up and made her soft dark skin stand out even more. I could bend her over and take her here, but I would hold back for now.

She walked around the equalist body on the floor, careful to keep the blood off her cloak's white fur. Not that there was much blood or muscle anymore. Even after I crushed its head, the serum continued to work its crazy magic. Small black vines poked out of the equalist's body as they soaked up her blood and moisture in preparation for searching for a place to take root and produce more seeds. It would have attempted to escape if not for the white ape cloak.

Really, I should have had Korra fire bend it into ash, but the thing had about as much qi as Korra did now. It could handle direct fire and regenerate just fine. A strong punch from me could obliterate it, but that much power might collapse the tunnel. I needed a flame thrower or a fire bender who cultivated tier 2 fire spells.

We exited the underground corridor just as the sounds of fighting died down. The qi above us was all but gone. The usher that tried to stop the equalist from entering the underground had been stripped down to the bone. Dried out roots clung to his body from the feeding addicts. Those who couldn't keep up with their dietary needs often mutated to make hunting easier. In most cases, those addicts lost their minds.

"How could something like this happen?"

"There was a tree that drinks blood and wears the skin of its victims over its bark. My friend took a seedling of that tree and reengineered it to collect and purify blood qi. As a byproduct, the hosts of the plant become stronger and faster. Don't let its benefits fool you; they are food and nothing more."

"What is it that I smell? Dark meat, I smell your fear and how it sweetens your flesh." A bulky equalist said as it struggled to get down the stairs.

Long roots extended out of its body, covered in thorns with dozens of tiny red eyes lining the black bark. I held my palm out, and a green qi ball collected at its end. The arena lit with emerald light before I extended my hand and let the blast fly.

The mutated equalist's face contorted into surprise and terror as my blast ate through its chest. I clenched my palm a moment later. The light exploded, burning through the equalists body before blasting out behind it.

Behind the equalist, green light swallowed up the stands, shattered the arena's wall, and vaporized every equalist in its path. Everything in front of my initial blast was destroyed like a giant opened fire with a proportional shotgun. There was a reason why I didn't use my light beams. Even a small one stretched far beyond my control. All I could do was keep the attack localized to just behind the creature. Letting the attack extend in all directions would have killed Korra.

A hotkey placed my sword in hand while I held Korra's hand. Lights on top of the arena fell down, crushing anything beneath it while the equalists all around us fed. Black roots moved away from our path as I stepped forward as they finally sensed the difference between their prey and me.

The second we stepped out of the building, Korra sighed in relief. "Hold your hands up; no sudden moves, or we will put you down." Chief Lin Beifong said from the line maintained by the police. Metal spikes hovered in the air, and I nodded my approval. Damage to the creatures, especially a young one of any kind, would be fatal.

I dropped my sword and held my hands up. Korra did the same she was too tired from what happened today to do much else. Two police officers moved in and checked us over before giving the ok to Lin.

"Can I pick up my weapon?" I asked.

One of the men nodded to me, and I scooped it up and held it at my waist as if it were sheathed. "Korra, thank goodness you're alright." Tenzin said and hugged Korra. "I rushed over as soon as I heard something happened." Tenzin glared at me. "Why didn't you get her out sooner?"

"That's enough, Tenzin," Ling Beifong said before turning to me. "Did you see any other survivors?"

"We were the last ones out. Only the addicts remain." Vines crept up and around the arena, searching for more flesh. I raised my hand and held it out.

"What are you going to do?" Korra asked.

Her eyes were so large and blue. Korra was so far out of her depth that she was drowning, and here I was, falling back into a set of familiar shoes. The police could handle it; they had a line around the building and plenty of metal benders. My hand lowered, "nothing, let's go get something to eat; you have air bender training in the morning."

I looked over at Lin Beifong. "I suggest you get a team of fire benders to burn those vines away," I said in passing.

"Tell me something I don't know." The police chief said.

"Avatar Korra, is there anything you want to say to the public?" A reporter asked.

Korra looked at me, then the reporter. "We will get through this. The equalists have turned themselves into monsters and exposed themselves for what they really are."

"Is this the work of a spirit?"

"No, it was caused by a drug the equalists injected themselves," Korra said.

"One more question, what do you plan to do to help the citizens of Republic City."

A water tribe councilman stepped in. "That's enough out of you; she's just survived a catastrophe and needs space. If you have any other questions, then you can ask me." He turned to Korra and looked at her like a starving wolf. I instinctively placed the edge of my blade against his throat. Korra gasped before focusing on the man.

Some strength returned to her voice. "You don't speak for me. I am the Avatar, and I will address this crisis officially another time."

"Chief Beifong, arrest this man." The councilman yelled.

"Civilian lower your blade, and you know better than to crowd someone who was just attacked, councilman Tarrlok," Lin said.

Withdrawing my sword was more difficult than I thought. Killing Tarrlok would have been convenient, but maybe it was better to let them handle things with the addict. I turned my attention back to the building. It would be better if I destroyed it. The equalists would run out of food soon and need to hunt. If they couldn't escape, they would feed on one another. The resulting creature would be far more powerful and mindless.

We left the crowd, and I returned my weapon to my inventory. Some white lotus guards walked with us while we headed to a water tribe restaurant.

"Hey, welcome to Yin and Yang, your very own little slice of the spirit oasis here in Republic City. How many are at your table?" The waitress Masa asked. As for authenticity, the tables seemed to be made from old longships with small spinning black and white fish in a bowl at the center of the table.

Compared to the hell earlier, this place was another world. "It feels weird knowing that so many people are dead just a few blocks away," Korra said.

"You get used to it. There isn't much of a rhyme or reason to it. We live in a world of limited resources, and people want power. Sometimes they want it enough to get it from someone they don't understand."

The waitress brought out some steamed dumplings stuffed with different fish. "What would you like to drink?"

"Wine, do you have a good bottle?"

"We have a southern tribe blueberry bottled 65 years after the war. It is a little expensive."

"Listen, I'm the Avatar; I was there when the equalists attacked the arena. So I need a good drink, and my boyfriend is paying." Korra said as she shakily grabbed a steamed bun.

"Jasmine tea for me; I can't get drunk even if I wanted to," I said as the Masa wrote down our orders and headed out.

"You seem fine that so many people died because of your friend. I don't care if you've been through this before; this must bother you. I don't know if I can be with you if I have this to look forward to in my future."

"This wasn't my plan, and it wasn't supposed to happen. Maybe I need new friends if this is how they treat me."

"Do their deaths bother you at all? What if I had died?" 

We hadn't known each other long, but I knew what I would do. "I would wipe out every addict on the planet, kill anyone who has any knowledge of the and then fight King using my full power. Millions would die."

I pulled a blank card from my inventory and handed it to her. "What's this?"

Among the cards in my possession, I had Katara, Toph, and Azula from the day of black sun. I purchased them at an online auction. Those captured in the cards could be infinitely revived and evolved so long as their wielder lived. But unfortunately, those system users also found the dead users and auctioned off their stuff.

"It's immortality and freedom from this world. So place the card against your forehead, don't fight it, and death will never stick while I'm around."

"What happens when you leave?"

"The world will no longer have an Avatar, and the cycle will end. After all, you will never die or age beyond this point."

"You can't mean to do this, Avatar Korra. The world needs the Avatar now more than ever." One of the white lotus guards said.

"You don't have to say yes now, but think about it. I don't make this offer often." I said.

"All everyone talks about is what I can and can't do. You're the only one who cares about my decision."

"That will change if you say yes. You have to see that."

"Hey, sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I have your drinks here. Are you ready to order?"

I nodded my head at Korra. "I'll have the Puffin Seal Sausage Sokka Grand Slam with a side of Sea squid soup and a whole Arctic hen."

"Katara's clam and seaweed noodle pasta fully loaded to the sea bucket and a deep-dish pizza topped with Crab, flounder, and octopus," I said without hesitation. 

"We are out of octopus."

"You could substitute with squid if you're dying for that chewy goodness," Korra said as she turned up her glass of blueberry wine. "I don't care if it doesn't get; you can't feel it; you should have a taste."

I took the glass from her hand, turned it to where she drank and tasted it. My eyes closed, and I could practically feel the cold arctic air and the little patch of blueberries growing in the chilly summer. Their sweetness and the chill I could still feel on my skin differed. Still, I didn't even feel the ghost of a buzz. Korra had grinned at me and for a second, what happened not half an hour ago seemed to fade.

"We should go dancing or something after this." The words left my mouth, and Korra raised an eyebrow.

"Neither of us is dressed for it; they probably wouldn't let us in."

"You need to get back to Air Bender Island. Dancing in a club isn't something the Avatar should be seen doing." The white lotus guard said.

"You're right; we should crash a party."

"Don't ignore us."

"Are you gentlemen ready to order." Masa, our waitress asked.

The men ordered, and the waitress was off.

"So, what are other worlds like, and what's your job?" Korra asked.

"Some are just like this one with people going about their daily lives with varying levels of technology. The world I'm from is more advanced than this one, over a hundred years. There are vampires, werewolves, good and evil spirits, and dangerous monsters. For a while, I've worked as the deputy of a sheriff like chief Beifong. Well, it's more like he tells me there is a problem, and I'm free to solve it anyway I see fit. Sometimes it's a missing person, a crazy cult leader, or some dumb kid flashing people. As a system user, my job is a bit different. I'm sent to various worlds that may not have humans at all on them. I'm given overarching challenges, from defeating local leaders in one-on-one duels to killing gods. Lately, I've been searching for a world to help me exceed the 1000PL limit."

"So, if I joined you, I would help you with these jobs."

"I would love to have you, and I could also get the resources needed to help you cultivate your qi further. I started at 0 and made it to 1000, so from 40, you should be able to reach my level much faster. About three years' worth of harsh training and the right potions." I said.

"What would you consider harsh training?" Korra asked.

"After I gave you the potions, taught you the proper breathing technique, and found a world where qi is plentiful, we would spar daily and feast like kings for every meal. Once you reached the limit, we could search for another world with more sophisticated cultivation techniques. Unfortunately, the ones I currently have are rather primitive."

"Why only take Korra if you're already robbing our world? Why not also take the best benders as well?" One of the white lotus guards said.

"This offer was only given because I know Korra. My cards are expensive, and using them on someone I can't trust would be a waste."

"Then I can't accept your offer right now. We're dating, but I don't know if I can commit forever yet. I'm confused, and I need time."

I grabbed one of the cooled steamed buns, took a bite, and slurped my tea. "You only have a few years to decide, maybe a decade since this world's time flows differently. I used 8 weeks' worth of my vacation days for this trip. And a week in my world is a little over a year here." I took the card back and placed it in my inventory. There was no reason to leave it in her possession and risk it being stolen.

Masa returned with the food placing a steaming bowl of squid soup in front of Korra and a massive platter of meaty sausage. Large fluffy cakes drenched in syrup and grease rested in front of her. In front of me, the waitress delivered a massive bowl filled with green noodles swimming in alfredo sauce with chunks of clam, crab, and whole shrimp nearly overflowing from the bowl. A massive deep-dish pan covered in different cuts of fish was placed in front of me. It was so thick I had to eat it with chopsticks. The cheese was still bubbling, filling the air with a deliciously buttery and cheesy scent. I broke apart my chopsticks and dug into the noodles. So many flavors danced on my tongue I could hardly keep up as they took me back in time and sang a symphony of their creation. Every bite was like experiencing dozens of new places, whether the deep sea or the Arctic. Masa placed Korra's whole artic hen in front of her, and the girl ripped off a wing and stripped it to the bone almost instantly. I drank some jasmine tea before I tucked into my meal. Since coming to this world, I felt like I was really on vacation for the first time.

"Korra, maybe you should go easy on the wine." One of the guards said as the girl finished her third glass.

"No way; I'm sick of being a failure, so I'm going to forget about it."

"You didn't fail; less than a hundred casualties aren't the benchmark for failure," I said.

Korra glared at me. "Then how many have to die for you to care?"

"I would care if Penma, Meelo, Ikki, or Jinora were hurt. If one of the addicts killed one of your guards, I would feel highly offended. As for the normal people, if my heart bled for everyone who died, it would cripple me."

Korra looked away from me. "I don't want to be like you," Korra said.

"Then you'll have to care enough for the both of us. I'll listen to your concerns." I said.

"I'm the Avatar, and you must deal with it. These are my people, and I want to help Republic City. Maybe Tenzin will let you be his assistant, and you implement your plan to stop the equalists."

"He doesn't like me."

"Yeah, it's probably a bad idea, and I'm drunk. So let's get out of here. I want to dance."

I paid for the expensive meal, and we headed to the nearest shop to buy Korra a last-minute dress, and I put on an old suit. The suit stretched around my bulging muscles. My shoulders were clearly larger than the tailor envisioned when this suit was designed. Unfortunately, one of the seams split, so I changed to something less formal. Korra chose a light blue dress that looked stunning against her dark skin.

"How do men propose in the water tribe?" I asked as we finished getting ready.

Korra grinned. "What brought that on all of a sudden?"

"It's just a question," I said.

"Normally, you would go to my father and ask to arrange the marriage. If he agrees, you would dive into the cold arctic waters of the north or south pole and search for a bluestone. Then you would carve the stone and present it to me. If I graciously accept your gift, then I'll wear it." 

I knew a little about the custom already, and we barely knew each other, but it was something to think about. Korra recently came here from the Southern Water tribe, so there was a good chance her father was there. Of course, I could always jog over and ask the man with a bottle of blueberry wine.

"What if I wanted to propose to you? Why does the man always have to make the first move?" Korra said.

"Because I know what I want. Do you?" I asked.

"Right now, I want to dance and forget about the pro-bending arena. I want you to care about my people like I do. And if dad was able to arrange a good marriage for me, I know that would make him happy. But he might reject you."

"I can be persistent."

We approached one of the clubs and could hear the music from outside. "I've never done this before," Korra said.

"Neither have I clubs never really interested me. So many people around make me feel uncomfortable."

We made it inside thanks to our white lotus guard to see the crimson of fire nation colors as the wealthiest of republic city danced. A pouty rich girl with tied up ebony hair and pouty lips looked at us and blushed. I looked down at my sports jacket to see a few old bullet holes I hadn't noticed before. I really did look like a pauper. Korra grabbed my hand as a song started playing. The white lotus guards waited on the walls watching the party.

"Come on, I know this dance; it's based on water bending; let me show you," Korra said, and I let her take the lead.

My perception flipped back and forth to time my movements to match Korra.

Korra smiled. "You're getting this pretty quickly."

"I'm just copying you."

She raised her hand; I copied her and slowly got into the dance rhythm. Our feet were in sync despite my numerous micro stumbles. Without superhuman perception and reflexes, I would have blundered several times. Korra moved about, spinning her blue dress as people watched. Red seemed to be the dress of the wealthy, and Korra's blue dress and my holey jacket made us stand out like a sore thumb.

The pouty-lipped girl moved dancing with her partner and man from an equally wealthy family. "Hey, I'm Asami; my father is the owner of future industries."

"Korra, I'm the Avatar."

"Red I'm; you could say I'm an outer one."

"Mysterious. Is that how you pick up, ladies?" Asami asked.

"No, I have card tricks for that," I said.

Korra's eyes widened for a second then she snorted. "Yeah, his card tricks are out of this world."

"And our Avatar has the heart to care for a street performer; how noble." Asami's date said.

"Yes, I would say noble describes her very well. She can even care about someone like me." I said, knowing they wouldn't get the context.

Korra fluttered her eyes at me, and I knew I had earned brownie points. I could stare at her glittering pools of blue forever.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you choose to come here. He isn't exactly dressed for the occasion. I don't think it's a very good fit either." The sports jacket hugged my skin, always one overextension away from falling apart. The holes only exacerbated the problem.

"We should find a table if we're going to continue this conversation," I said.

"Sure, sounds like fun," Asami said.

I looked at Korra, who had barely had an hour of dancing. "Yeah, I'm starting to sweat; let's take a break."

"Yeah, the way you two were going at it, I'm surprised Red didn't pass out from exhaustion,"  Asami said.

I raised an eyebrow and gave Korra a look. "Normal people can't sustain that much movement for very long without getting tired." I opened my mouth and closed it.

Had I lost touch with normal humans that much? "Are you ok? I didn't overwork you did I."

"I'm fine; I like to sweat."

"By the way, Avatar, my name is Hao Meng of Meng industries; we build some of the fastest planes globally."

"And the second-best race cars," Asami said with a grin.

"We'll catch up to you; we've built a promising engine that runs off a new formula."

"He means the engine doesn't explode anymore, but the pistons are still flying off."

"Do you sell your stock publicly? I would love to invest?" I asked.

"Are stock might be a little out of your reach? But if you want to make money, we're always hiring, and someone who knows the Avatar has a place with us. Are you a bender?" Hao said.

"No, not at all. I'm more of a problem solver from missing people to terrorist organizations."

"How would you fix our engine?" Hao asked.

"I would consult my engineer friend and get back to you. He's great at building things when he's not dealing drugs." The man across from me laughed.

"Spirits, I ran right into that one. I think I get your worth; you're like a recruiter or a talent scout. I have a problem you find someone who can solve it for me. You have contacts or will build them for me. That's a very specialized skill. Do you want a job?"

"I'm putting my foot down. You aren't going to bring that guy back here. Republic City barely survived when he was just passing through. But, I'm the Avatar, and you have to deal with it." Korra said.

I powered up a lust-touch spell and grabbed her hand. "Alright, I won't ask my scary drug-dealing friend for help. I'll just invest in real estate or something." Korra moved in and kissed me fully, and it was damn good, and she tasted like blueberry wine and lemon peppered artic hen.

"Wow, you two are very close," Asami said dryly.

Korra cupped the side of her mouth and whispered. "He's going to brave my father's wrath to arrange a marriage between us. Red thinks I don't have him wrapped around my finger."  Asami giggled.

I sighed and looked over at Hao Meng. And cupped my mouth. "I don't think she cares if I hear her."

"Yeah, I've read about northern water tribe engagement ceremonies. Have you trained yourself to swim in frigid water?"

"That isn't an issue. Coldwater doesn't bother me." I said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"You're going to die and make the Avatar cry." Hao Meng said.

"Nah, he'll be fine. Dad will run him through the wringer and probably make himself sick." Korra looked at me. "Watch out for him; he's getting old."

I lifted my shades to let her see my glowing blue eyes and nodded. Korra smiled and lunged for another kiss, and turned away. Korra gulped down a few shots of some rice liquor and the rest of our night became very interesting. And it seemed Asami and Korra were quickly becoming fast friends. We went back out on the dance floor a few more times before leaving the club. We took a boat back to Air Bender Island, where Tenzin was already waiting on us.

"Korra, where have you been? You should have come home hours ago?" Tenzin asked before looking at me, then the white lotus guards.

"We were already out on the town, sir; a little dancing never hurt anyone." One of the guards said.

"Tenzin, can Red stay over? I don't want him out on the streets tonight."

"You're drunk; why would you do something like that during this situation. Do you care about your own life?" Tenzin looked at me. "You're a bad influence on her."

"Nothing would have happened to her; I never let my guard down."

"I made a friend Tenzin a girl my own age, talk about girl stuff. We'll plan my wedding together to talk about girl things." Korra said.

Tenzin pinched his brow. "I'm very happy for you, Korra. But maybe it's time you went to bed." 

"Sleep with me. I don't want to be alone tonight." Korra said and passed out on the spot. I caught her before she fell and gently held her in the crook of my arm. Really, she weighed almost nothing at all to me.

"We should get her to bed so she can sleep it off. She'll have one hell of a hangover in the morning." I said.

Tenzin sighed and shook his head. "I'll trust the two of you to keep your hands off her if you sleep in the same room," Tenzin said.

"We won't let you down," I said and carried her towards her room.

The scent of Korra was more than enough to find her room. While my nose wasn't quite at dog level, I could track with it. I slipped Korra into bed on her side if she puked in her sleep. Dying from choking on her own vomit would have been an embarrassing death.

I wrapped my arms around the girl and pressed my crotch against her warm butt. Spooning with Korra was something I never thought I would be able to do. She laid in the crook of my arm as I let the day's events fade in and out of my mind. My version of sleep was far more aware than most people. Some parts of my brain shut down while others remained very active. My wakeful sleep and semi-awareness washed over me as hours slipped away. Soon the sun was up, and Ikki rushed in to see us in bed.

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