Based on Nova's observation around the coast, Fire Nation presence around this region is almost nonexistent, with few but small ships patrolling around the villages. With how few they are, one ship has to sail around multiple villages for intimidation. She flew far away from Wolf Cove, finding only one ship going towards our coastline, the one we're going for. Another one was spotted, but she said that it's a patrol ship meant for the villages very far away from here, farther than my former village.
It was hard to understand some of her explanations as they involved numbers and words my mind couldn't figure out, but she just explained it with words that I can understand more.
"H-hey, Haru..." I heard Katara behind me speaking, stuttering for no reason. "Do we really have to do this? I mean, there should be another way, right?"
I frowned. "Then do you want to go back?"
"N-no! I want to be with you... I-I mean to journey and train with you... Please don't send me back."
"I won't, just keep in mind that I won't be able to protect you when the battle breaks out, so do your best," I said, standing up and turning around. Katara was wearing a new outfit today: a lightweight blue cover with white furs on the shoulder, covering all her upper body except the neck and head. Down below, she wore a blue skirt about her knee, though it was cut on both sides, covering her back and front with her blue-clothed legs visible. Then I met her eyes, which, as always, she avoided with a subtle blush on her cheeks. "Do you remember what I told you?"
"Y-yeah. If I could defeat my opponent without killing them, then I should do it. I-If I don't, then I should do what I should do..." Her face started getting paler as she said this. I'm just hoping that she won't be seriously injured at the upcoming battle. I don't think I could face Gran-gran if she did, and under my protection too, though I will just do my best to protect her.
I reached my hand forward and patted her head. "Then prepare yourself. They're coming here any time now."
The truth is, I don't know the exact moment when the Fire Nation ship will show up. Nova was the one who was going to tell me about that, like usual. She was standing on the side, looking at me with a lovely smile. "It won't be long..."
I frowned. 'What?'
"It won't be long until you have a harem of beautiful girls..." Though I don't understand the word 'harem,' when it was connected to the words 'beautiful girls,' then I could get the idea of what she meant.
I blinked at first, then released a long sigh, removing my hand from Katara's head. She, for some reason, touched it instead with a smile.
'Are they close?' I asked Nova, turning to look at the entrance between two ice shelves that probably separated from each other a long time ago. We were currently on top of one, waiting for our enemies that will have to go through the entrance and sail to the flowing cold river between the two ice shelves. It's the only path towards my village, Wolf Cove.
Nova put her hand on her chin, acting like she was thinking something. "Hm. They're about to make a turn, so we should start the preparation now."
It was a simple plan, but it should work with my and Katara's current strength and Nova's support.
I turned to Katara, who still was touching her head, surprising her. I nodded. "They're here."
She gulped and nodded back, walking closer and beside me.
I closed my eyes, breathed heavily in the cold air, then exhaled. My hands reached forward, and with a calm gesture upward, the ground we're standing on shook and made a cracking noise. Then we began our descent. I made a calm pulling gesture, causing the ice we're standing on to crash on its former main body, slowing our descent by a lot. However, with how heavy the thing I was controlling was, I felt a heavy pressure all over my body. Manageable but still pretty heavy.
"Katara, now!" I said without opening my eyes. Katara by now probably made her move. Sure enough, I felt our descent to get a little more slow. This speed should be enough to not break our bones upon impact, nor generally hurt us.
I didn't open my eyes to have my best concentration. However, when we crashed into the body of water, I sensed a wave forming around us. It wasn't a splash, fortunately. The water was extremely cold around here.
Finally, I opened my eyes and observed around, then landing my gaze on Katara. "Take a rest, they are close."
"Yes!"
I nodded. My hand moved forward again, applying some of my chi to the water below. I pulled. The water floated and covered us. I quickly froze it with my ice bending. The ice covering us was cloudy, so it shouldn't be possible for the Fire Nation to spot us here.
--
The Southern Water Tribe's threat today was nonexistent. After the Fire Nation hunt for their waterbenders and very skilled warriors on all the villages, the defense they had crumbled and was now at the mercy of the Fire Nation. If the Fire Nation chose to go their way and conquer this region, they would do it in a day and without any effort or resistance from the other side.
Yet for a reasonable reason, they didn't. Their whole focus was on offense against the biggest nation out of all, the Earth Kingdom. Captain Kuroh didn't know how powerful it was, but they've been holding their army offensive for a hundred years. They're advancing slowly based on the recent reports to him, but holding out their advance military with an ancient one for that long is impressive.
Currently, his ship was patrolling the coast of the Southern Water Tribe. He couldn't help but smirk. It's obvious that they're here just for intimidation. Do something funny and you'll be in a metallic prison, that's the message meant for the Southerners.
He was done writing a report to be sent to the closest Fire Nation outpost between the south of the Earth Kingdom and the north of the Southern Water Tribe. His ship basically had yet to patrol all their assigned locations, but does he have to do it? There's no way that Southerners would still have skilled and powerful waterbenders anymore, and wouldn't probably not try to train one, that is if they still have master waterbenders here.
He released a tired grunt as he got off his seat and left his room with the paper at hand.
His brow raised at the quietness of his ship. "Those brats... Don't tell me they're playing cards while I was writing a report?" Gritting his teeth, he stormed off towards the deck. Even when he was walking to the busiest part of the ship, he couldn't help but notice that there's not a single personnel walking by.
An ominous feeling hit him as he was getting close to the exit. He tensed his body as he prepared for the worst. Even when he had no idea what's going on, the thought of someone or people attacking them at this part of the world is a little bit funny. Though he was hoping that it's not what he thought it is.
He opened the steel door. With how heavy and bulky it was, a metallic and irritating sound was heard. He blinked as he looked around the deck. Most of his soldiers were laying on the cold steel floor. Some had ice covering their head, but most... had their throat and neck sliced by something sharp.
It was obvious that the two people wearing blue Southern Water Tribe clothes are the reason they're like this. The boy had a cold expression as he reacted to his presence, doing a calm waterbending stance immediately and doing a pulling gesture. He looked back. An ice spike formed quickly on his back and towards him with intention to kill. With a quick gesture of his hand, he blast a strong fire towards it, melting the thin ice quickly.
Kuroh slowly turned around, eyes sharp and narrow as he looked at his attacker. This boy is dangerous... Yet there's another one, a girl with a dark expression to her face, trembling a little as she slowly moved back.
"Who are you two?" He asked, hands forward, ready to launch a massive blast of fire.
The boy didn't say anything as his hand went upwards then forward quickly. Something followed his gesture: a large quantity of water moved up on the side of his ship and quickly shot towards him. He quickly dashed back with a bit of surprise. "Damn!"
The water surprised him. Instead of shooting to the side, it stopped in front of him. "How is this possible?!" As he was still dashing back, he shot a flame forward, propelling him back faster. His back hit the steel wall, causing him to release a grunt. In front of him was a vague steam from the mix of his flame and the boy's water.
Just then, a water punctured a whole through the fog and shot towards him. It hits his body except his head, he could feel some of his bone cracked on the impact. Instantly, the water turned into ice, rendering his movements useless, well except his head. He frowned as he felt the coldness around him quickly. He put a bit of his chi on his arm and feel to melt the ice, when a voice suddenly spoke.
Just then, water punctured a hole through the fog and shot towards him. It hit his body except his head. He could feel some of his bones crack on the impact. Instantly, the water turned into ice, rendering his movements useless, well except his head. He frowned as he felt the coldness around him quickly. He put a bit of his chi on his arm and felt it melt the ice, when a voice suddenly spoke.
"Don't try anything. I will crush your body if I see even a little resistance from you..." The boy appeared from the diminishing steam with hand stretched forward as he spoke. His tone was cold. There's no doubt that he meant everything he said.
"Alright. What do you two want?" Trying his best to resist the cold, he said in fake calmness.
"I want you to get me to the Earth Kingdom with your ship." The boy's partner appeared besides him, still wearing her dark expression.
Now, he didn't know why they wanted to go to the Earth Kingdom, but it looks like he doesn't have a say to this at his current state. Any time now and his body will get serious damage from the freezing ice covering him. "I can do that, but can you at least remove this ice around me? I might die any moment now," he said with a forced smile.
The boy looked at him, gaze flat and not saying anything. For a moment, he was thinking of just using his fire bending to release himself. Risky, but he's starting to feel pain all over his body, like thousands of needles piercing him. Might as well die fighting. But before he could do that, the boy made his move and cracked open the ice around him, causing him to fall to his knees, breathing roughly. "Let me... warm myself a bit," he said as he put his hands in front of his, creating a small fire.
Kuroh noticed that the boy didn't even react to his movements. It seems that he had confidence in his skill to put him down quickly. Having warmed himself a bit, he spoke to the two looking at him seriously. "So where exactly do you want to go?"
The boy thought for a bit and looked at his left. No one was there, but he nodded to it anyways. Crazy. Then his gaze turned back to him. "Anywhere in the Earth Kingdom. I would prefer if you drop us off on favorable lands. If not, then I will quickly kill you. And while on the journey, if I see you do anything suspicious then I will also kill you," he said simply, eyeing him with a sharp eye.
This boy talked about killing someone like it was normal. He was definitely not someone not to test with. Even while fighting him, there's no hesitation to the attacks. Just what the hell is this brat?
He couldn't help but laugh at his situation. "I won't, I won't."
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