Chapter 26
The Soldiers standing on both sides of the battlefield couldn't help but freeze in the face of such audacity. To come crashing down from who knows how far above, shooting out an enormous amount of air to knock down a bunch of Fire Nation soldiers in a fearsome display...and then ruining it with a corny joke.
It was almost awe-inspiring, in a way, but that didn't stop them from reacting.
"It's the Vengeful Oni, get him!"
"Yeah!" Another soldier yelled in agreement, hefting his sword up as he charged forward, followed by many of his fellow soldiers all with the singular intent of bringing Feng down.
In reply, Feng just smirked, knowing that the plan was working, as Aang's presence hadn't even been noticed as he landed among the Erath Kingdom forces, all of the Fire Nation soldier's eyes being focused solely on him.
Unlike the last time this had happened however, there weren't many Firebenders among the crowd, and the ones that were present couldn't fire at him without risking their fellow soldiers. This meant that, while there were quite a few foes coming towards him, the only threats they possessed were in the swords and spears they carried, far more mundane weapons than Feng normally faced.
Which was the worst matchup possible against him due to his enhanced ability to feel the wind around him, as even when he wasn't actively using the skill, it was still on. Not nearly as far-reaching of course, but all benders possessed an inherent connection to their element that helped them even when they weren't consciously using it.
It's why strong bouts of emotion could temporarily strengthen a bender's abilities at the cost of their control, and by practicing certain actions, a bender could almost subconsciously use a subtle aspect of their own. For Firebenders, it was fuelling any flames near them, like candles or firepits.
For Earthbenders, it was possessing an unnatural level of stability in everything they did, sure footing being one of their staples.
Waterbenders were naturally better swimmers and Airbenders? Part of their training was embodying the wind, to feel the eddies and currents of the air around them. Aang himself was quite good at it, but Feng was even better.
So, when a soldier swung his sword down at an angle in front of him, and a spearwoman thrust his weapon at Feng's side, he didn't struggle as he dodged the blows, swinging around the spear while using his leg to push it upwards, the spearhead catching the sword straight on as it was knocked out of the soldier's hand with a clang of metal.
The swordsman barely had time to blink as Feng latched onto his now free hand, swinging him up and over his shoulder to collide with the spearwoman as both were sent tumbling to the ground, leaving Feng open to deal with a short but concentrated blast of fire from an approaching Firebender.
He did so by simply exhaling a strong blast of wind, one that pushed the flame outwards as Feng dived face first through the fire swinging a closed fan up and into the pit of the bender's arm as it suddenly went limp.
"What did you do?!" The woman yelled, only to receive no response when Feng ducked under the swing of her other arm, performing a pressure-point strike there as well before finishing up the motion by tossing the temporarily disarmed Firebender into the small pile behind him.
Swinging his gaze across the battlefield, Feng noted that the other Fire Nation soldiers were all warily standing back, staring at Feng like he was some kind of monster as they hesitated on what to do. Some even looked to be considering fleeing but knowing that the Earth Kingdom was at their back they didn't go for it.
They should have, as this allowed Feng to go ham on them, disabling them one by one as Aang dealt with the soldiers on the outskirts, waving a glowing hand to create holes under the entire line of the perimeter, all of the soldiers falling down before being covered in dirt up to their necks.
"Ahhh!"
"What?!"
"Do you have any idea how hard this will be to clean?!"
Between Aang's wide-ranging shifting of Earth and Feng's fierce assault, it was like barely any time had passed before the defending soldiers had been dealt with, all of them looking like heads lying on the ground.
A bunch of complaining heads.
Without being told to, Aang moved them out of the way, the earth shifting much to the soldier's concerned yelps to leave them stuck next to the Earth Kingdom soldiers. This left the area just below the staircase free to capture the other Fire Nation soldiers.
"I would get out of the way if I were you," Aang hummed at Feng as he held both hands up, splaying them in a graceful arc before lowering them, the darkened earth liquefying under his command as Feng raced out of the area, just barely outpacing the instant swamp that Aang had created.
He would have let out an annoyed curse at Aang's lack of communication, but he was not left the time to as a rumbling from above drew his attention.
…
"Well, it seems like the dynamic duo has done their part," Toph grinned as she sensed the earth below, receiving surprised but happy glances from the people standing around her. "I guess it's my turn then."
Toph let his legs shuffle outwards, digging her feet into the earth of the wall as she took a horse stance, her hands at her sides.
"Hang on Toph, are you sure you can do this? It's not too late to back out now if you can't," Sokka voiced with caution, only to receive an annoyed snort from Toph as she twitched her neck, making Sokka tip over because of a wedge of earth appearing beneath him.
"Don't go doubting my abilities pretty boy. Just sit back and watch the magic happen."
Fortunately for Sokka, he did, because if he hadn't shut up, she would have sent him over the wall to fall into the swamp below.
Left to her silence, however, Toph focused intently on her seismic sense, letting all of her other senses fade away as she brought her might down to bear, mentally grabbing hold of the earth along the staircase starting from the front of the Fire Nation assault group, and quickly moving it down, the very earth around her shaking due to the forces involved.
"Hrraaaaaggg!" Toph groaned as she pushed her hands forward in a single sharp motion, a thunderous crack splitting the air as a kilometer-long and 3-meter-high section of earth shoved itself forward, punting the extremely surprised forms of the Fire Nation soldiers off the walkway and into the air where they entered freefall.
"Ahhhhh!"
"We're all gonna die!"
A not inconsiderable number of them started screaming even as a tired grin forced itself onto Toph's face, the girl proudly beaming at the ground below as she shakily remained on her feet.
"There, now no one can say I'm not the greatest Earthbendier in the world."
Sokka would have made a smart comment about Aang still being a thing, but he was just as awed as everyone else was. It wasn't every day that the very earth beneath your feet shook like an earthquake as if a mighty spirit had taken control of the earth.
It hadn't been a mighty spirit though.
It had been Toph.
…
"Keep pushing! Their will is crumbling!" Azula yelled desperately even as she held a palm upwards, spending a few seconds concentrating and then condensing a bright blue flame in her palm, the intense lick of fire causing the air to roar around them.
Satisfied that it was done, Azula punched forward with a closed hand as she unleashed one of her more powerful techniques, the firebomb. Normally it wouldn't be advisable to unleash it in such close proximity, but through careful control, all of the technique's energy could be focused in a single direction.
This is why the earth barricade in front of them exploded apart in a shower of dirt and rumbled, unable to cope with the intense energy of the technique. Seeing this, the soldiers near Azula pushed forward, unleashing streams of fire to harry at the retreating earth benders as they made it up another flight of stairs, now eighty percent of the way to the top.
It had been a hard fight, Azula wouldn't lie, and a break wouldn't go amiss right about now. But she couldn't stop, not when it would mean total defeat when she was so close to the victory she so desperately wanted. The victory she deserved.
So, taking a few seconds to regain her breath, Azula followed her soldiers, rushing up behind them before pausing in surprise, looking at the flat earth to her left and finding it shaking slightly.
Was she just imagining things?
Placing a hand on the wall, it vibrated along with the wall, filled with untapped energy as Azula stared at it quizzically, taking her hand back off.
Nope, not imagining things. It went to show just how tired she was that her mind didn't put it together until it was already too late. With a grunt, Azula felt the air being forced out of her as her arm smashed into her side, the rest of her body traveling sideways as she was left flailing in the empty air, looking around in shock at the falling forms of her fellow soldiers.
"What happened?" Azula said softly, staring around in confusion even as she continued to fall through the air, the suspiciously dark earth of the ground below moving ever closer to them as they fell to their deaths. Looking back up at the wall, Azula saw that there was now an irregular-looking barrier over where they had previously been standing, undoubtedly the work of what was probably a squad of earth benders to shove them off.
So that's what happened, she thought, even as dread pooled in her stomach. All that fighting, all the risk that came with it…and she was going to be no better than Zhao. The architect behind a failed invasion that cost them countless soldiers.
Lifeless golden eyes stared at the approaching ground, the earth ballooning in size in her vision as if it was waiting to swallow up her ambition. Before she could complete her untimely journey however her training kicked in, with intense blue flames emitting themselves from her feet as her flight was slowed down to a bare crawl.
She was not the only one to think of it, but of the fifty Firebenders with her, only 10 of them even used the technique, and only three aside from herself slowed themselves more than a fraction compared to their brethren.
As for the rest of her men and women…Azula at least found it in herself to watch as they fell to their deaths. It was the least she could offer them after following her orders so diligently.
A mere second later, her first soldier touched down to the dark earth, having been the lowest on the staircase, but much to the princess' surprise…he didn't die. Instead, it was like the earth had turned to liquid right before him as he was swallowed completely by the earth, a splatter of earth shooting up from his entry point.
"What…I don't…"
More and more of her soldier splashed down as one after another they were enveloped by the earth's cool touch, their screams ending the second they did. Even Ty Lee and Mai weren't spared, the two girls clutching onto each other as they too splashed down into the earth.
A finger of fear touched upon her psyche at the sight, but this was soothed as some of the first falling soldiers started to appear again, standing upright in the shoulder-deep pool of mud with barely any signs of injury to speak of.
Relief flowed through Azula's mind at the sight, as it meant that Ty Lee and Mai would be all right. A few seconds later revealed this thought to be true as the two earth-stained girls surfaced, joining the hundreds now awkwardly trying to waddle out of the mud.
Before they could though, the movement of a glowing figure at the edge of the dark pool made itself known, shining blue light drawing the princess's eye as she watched in awe as the earth that so many people were wadding through hardened around them, leaving them stuck in place.
It didn't stop there though, as the immobilized forms of the Fire Nation citizens seemed to sink lower, the earth going up to their necks before it stopped so even the trapped Firebenders were now left defenseless, unable to swing their arms.
Which meant it was just Azula and the three Royal Fierbenders floating in the air alongside her against the combined forces of the Earth Kingdom, the Avatar, and the Vengeful Oni. Not good odds for anyone.
"Follow me down!" Azula ordered as she directed her slow descent to the area in front of where Aang and Feng were standing, aiming to land in the free space of Earth between them and her trapped soldiers.
As she did this, the glowing blue tattoos and eyes of the Avatar stopped glowing, the boy returning to his normal state much to Azula's confusion. What was that? That…state. Was it the Avatar state? Is that what allowed him to trap her forces? These thoughts assaulted her mind, but she did her best to push them back, there were far more prevalent things to be focusing on she mused as she touched down, releasing her flame jets to help preserve the little bit of chi she had left.
It looked like Aang wanted to step forward, but a hand in front of his chest stopped him as the boy looked up at his taller companion. Feng gave him an indescribable look that made Aang sign and nod before stepping back, leaving just Feng facing her and her soldiers.
"So, I just have to ask, Azula…are you here to surrender? We both know that you won't win this fight," Feng said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Azula scowled at the statement but didn't deny it. She wasn't delusional like her brother; she knew when she was beaten. But some small part of her didn't want to give up without a fight. A small part that said, even if she lost, at least she'd have tried.
At least she had fought.
"Not so much, no. I thought I'd much rather fight to the last man, if you would be so kind to indulge me," Azula snarked, letting some of her playful side out despite so many eyes being placed upon her, from both sides.
A side that Feng seemed to appreciate, Azula noted at his snort. She would have to remember that.
"Well, if that is what you wish, I would not deny you. Do me a favor though, don't just come at me yourself, I'd hate to break your chest again," Feng replied in acceptance, lowering himself into a defensive stance as fury ran through Azula.
The cheek of this man, she thought, a snarl dotting her face. Well, if he thought he'd be able to fight off all four of them, who was she to deny him the chance to prove it? Turning her head, she looked at her three benders and revived nods in return, their faces set in stone.
Like her, they knew what their fate would be today, but she was proud they would face it with dignity. If she was ever in command of them again, she would make sure they were honored with promotions.
"Delta Formation on me!" She yelled as she punched out at Feng, her azure flames ripping violently into existence towards him as she was joined on either side and behind her back by the three guards, forming a formation with the three of them in a line and the last behind her.
Feng seemed to be expecting the attack, as in a split second he withdrew his fans to create a rising wall of air, one that redirected the fire upwards before he kicked towards them, a stream of air moving through the bottom of the pillar to shoot towards them.
It covered the short distance quickly, and due to her limited reserves, Azula chose to jump over the attack rather than deflect it, her tired legs barely managing to clear the top of the air column.
"Gahh!"
A smile graced Feng's lips however when the bender behind her failed to do the same, as the man was caught by his feet, causing him to be sent spiraling through the air and landing headfirst on another guard as a crack filled the air, the pair of them knocked out.
Azula put it out of her mind as she swung her arms out, letting tendrils of fire roll over her skin as the pair on either side of her kicked to the point in space right in front of her. A spit second before they collided, Azula unleashed her swirling streams, the pair of them colliding with the more common flames to fuse into a single, drilling existence, one that was far hotter than normal flames at the cost of a smaller size.
She smirked as she watched the attack travel through the air, a panicked expression flickering on her opponent's face as it did. In her last fight with the man, she wouldn't have dreamed of unleashing this technique, not when he had the room to dodge it with an Airbenders legendary evasion skills.
But right now, he didn't have the option, not with the collection of Earth Kingdom soldiers and the Avatar behind him. Well, not if he wanted to risk them getting hurt, but Azula was willing to take that bet. Most people were sentimental and didn't like it when their allies and friends got hurt.
"Crap!" Feng cursed as he brought his arms out and then into his chest in a sharp motion unlike the normal flowing motions present in Airbending katas. A move Azula recognized as the air around Feng condensed into a single, flattened barrier.
Her attack collided explosive with the shield, the outer layer exploding to create a counterforce against it, and the two flames burned each other out as Feng remained standing, perfectly healthy behind his barrier.
"Now I have you right where I want you!" Azula snarled with victory as she began to move through the full kata of lightning bending, ready to use her deadliest attack with the last dregs of her chi. Like they had planned this, the two Royal Firebenders at her side unleashed their own Hail-Mary attacks, throwing their heads forwards as they breathed out enormous swaths of fire.
These attacks were extremely deadly in their own right, but in this particular instance were merely meant to delay Feng while she prepared her own attack, the crackling blue energy already concentrating around her arms and creating a high-pitched buzzing sound that filled the air, some of her hair began floating around her.
…
This was it, Feng thought as he stared wide-eyed at the two streams of fire flying toward him, Azula preparing herself to unleash a nasty-looking blast of electricity. All he had was his stripped-back Air Fortress technique, with no time to do anything else lest he let the compressed air expand rapidly and throw him backward.
It was a weakness of the technique that he had known about, and accepted, but found to be quite inconvenient at this moment.
"Feng! Look out!" Aang yelled from somewhere behind him, his worry for Feng clearly present in his voice with the boy sounding just about ready to intervene.
If this exchange had taken place a month ago, he might have taken the boy up on his offer. But it wasn't a month ago. No, they were in the now, and in the now? Well, Feng had something special for this.
"Wait!" Feng shouted as he prepared himself, hyper-focusing on the fire traveling towards him It was like time had slowed down, the fire inching towards him as small tongues of lighting flew off of Azula's arms, the girl practically frozen in a victorious expression.
Not today, Azula, Feng thought as he breathed in deeply before breaking his arms apart, splitting his barrier in two and leaving his middle uncovered.
"Hah!" Feng shouted as he pulled his arms back, his elbows facing behind him as he geared up for what looked like a double punch. Probably because it was, a small part of his mind thought, as he continued the motion, clenching his fists tightly as he compressed the two halves of the shield into swirling balls of air the size of his head.
The intense forces involved strained his control, the air desperately seeking to free itself of it, but Feng stubbornly kept it contained. No, instead he doubled down on his attack, compressing it even further to the point it felt like the tendons in his fists were about to pop, his hands white from the tension present in them.
Even now, with the blasts of fire now a third of the distance away from him, Feng saw Azula's eyes widen, clearly surprised at what he was doing.
That's right girl, prepare to be amazed.
His technique ready, Feng didn't hesitate for a split second as he punched forward, roaring as he did.
"Rarrgghhh!"
His fists hit the back of the swirling balls of melon-sized air, the air momentarily deflecting around his knuckles before the small pinprick of freedom he allowed on the front did its job, the super-compressed air shooting away from him and into the center of the fiery breaths of the two supporting Firebenders of the princess.
The fire immediately collapsed in on itself as Feng's attack pierced straight through the attack, traveling closer and closer to Azula's side of the battlefield, but the aim of Feng's attack wasn't the two Firebenders, it wasn't even Azula.
No, his attack was aimed right at their feet, and as the last remnants of his shield left his control, it decompressed enough to be set alight, the tips of the breath attacks alighting the trailing end of the air in an explosive manner as a series of explosions traveled towards Feng's foes, covering the ground as fast as lighting as the fire was dissipated, the explosions in their center throwing the fire out sideways were it dissipated.
The end of Feng's attack though…that was where practically half of his air had gathered before it had been set alight, the greater pressure having sent out more air in the first second of the attack. The instant the fire touched them, a thunderous crack filled the air as an explosion of white light filled the air, smoke and dust covering the area.
A split second before it did, Feng watched as Azula's eyes widened in genuine fear, even as she was bringing her arms forward to unleash her attack. By Feng's reckoning, she needed less than a second to complete the technique, but that second was a second too late as she was swept away with explosive force.
"Ahhhh!" All three of them screamed, the sounds of their pain filling the air even over the popping noise of displaced air. Feng was close enough to be affected by his attack, but the second before he did he spun an Air shield into existence, a swirling barrier of air that dissipated the force all around him before it died down, the shield disappearing as he laid eyes on what he had unleashed.
This allowed him to see the downed forms of his three opponents, and the dazed and disorientated expression of many of the closest trapped Fire Nation soldiers. Feng didn't let them distract him though, not when his eyes couldn't leave the downed and maimed form of the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation.
Sure, a quick look at the two Royal Firebenders showed they were just knocked out. Beaten to hell and sporting a few scrapes of course, but mostly alright.
Azula though…Feng swallowed as a small amount of disgust made itself known to him as he rushed forward to make sure he wasn't seeing things. The princess was lying in a small crater where she had landed, her previous positions being just about the epicenter of the explosion, so Feng suspected at the very least, she would have re-injured her ribs.
If that was all though, Feng wouldn't have cared, because, in a lethal fight like they had just engaged in, anything that would heal in time was fair game in his eyes. What he could see though fell outside of that scope, because covering her exposed skin was a Lichtenberg, a lightning scar, that traveled up her left arm, along her neck, and up the side of her cheek, ending on her forehead.
He could even see it winding around to the back of her body a little, which meant that the entire upper left side of her body was now scarred.
Her reddened skin seemed to burn the air, and when Feng reached out to check her pulse, he could feel just how hot they were. She was alive, yes, but just the sight of her scaring was enough for his own face to burn, a pit of regret forming in his stomach.
He hadn't meant for it to end like this, not even close. Regardless of his wishes though, it had happened, and now he would just have to deal with it.
Almost silently, Aang walked up beside him, the boy looking down on both Azula and Feng as he spoke, his concern clear in his voice.
As would she.
"Is she alright?" Aang asked quietly as he walked up behind Feng, his voice unusually soft.
"Well…she's alive," Feng said even as he stood up, knowing that there was nothing he could do. "Alright though, not even close. She's knocked out, and as you can probably tell, got some serious burns. Nothing life-threatening, however, so she should be fine to be transported."
"That's good," Aang said quietly, standing beside Feng.
Looking around the battlefield, Feng looked at the countless soldiers all buried up to their necks in the earth, not a single one of them making any noise as they digested the situation they were in. They were all prisoners now, and that was not a lifestyle anyone wanted.
"Would mind getting Katara to give her a quick check-up? I don't think I did anything too bad, but it would be nice to have confirmation. I don't want to have missed something like internal bleeding or anything," Feng asked Aang, receiving a nod from the boy as held out his glider, a blast of air ruffling Feng's clothes as he leaped away from the ground and began to perform lazy circles that took him higher and higher.
With Aang leaving though, Feng was left to his own thoughts, his mind running through the possible directions they could go now. He'd like to think their group had at least some pull with Long Feng, what with Aang's existence as the Avatar, so they'd likely be able to direct the situation as they wanted.
Starting with the easiest of the bunch…Feng would be quite happy for the regular soldiers to just be imprisoned or put to work somewhere. As long as they were both kept in relative health, and out of the way of the coming fights in the next few months, he truly didn't care what they did, just so long as they weren't his problem.
The Firebenders would be a little trickier though, as their ability to bend fire made them dangerous, and there wasn't really any easy way to deal with them. Like Airbenders, they always had access to their element.
Deprive an Earthbender of earth, like in a metal prison, and they were just like anyone else. Well, excluding Toph at least. For a Waterbender, there was the Fire Island Prison which, while cruel, still dealt with the problem by depriving them of excess water.
But there was only one place Firebenidng could be hampered, and Feng didn't think that the Northern Water Tribe would be willing to house so many prisoners, even if the leaders of Ba Sing Se could be bothered to transport them there.
The easiest solution would be to just kill them, but the thought of doing that left a bad taste in the back of Feng's mouth. Most of them wouldn't be deserving of such a fate, to be struck down simply through the circumstances of their birth.
Like the Air Nomads had. Like his ancestors had.
No, Feng downright refused to accept that as a solution. They'd just have to keep looking. Although that did give him an idea as he walked towards one of the awake soldiers who was looking quite disgruntled with just his head sticking out of the earth.
"Hey, you. Answer me, are any of those near you Firebenders?"
"The hell do you want to know that for?"
"Because I do? You're not exactly in a position to bargain, and there's nothing stopping me from just asking someone else. Really, it would be in your best interest to cooperate."
"Yeah? And it would be in your best interest to go jump off a cliff."
The soldier's comeback forced a chuckle out of Feng as he turned his attention elsewhere, looking for a more cooperative-looking soul.
"Did you not just see what I just did? I believe that the top of Ba Sing Se's walls could count as a cliff, so it wouldn't really do anything. Nice try though."
Scanning the heads as he walked, Feng found a young woman who looked particularly irritated with the situation, her eye twitching underneath her helmet.
"What about you? Do you feel like answering?"
"I don't know, what's in it for me?" She asked, staring at Feng with amber-colored eyes even as some of her entrapped hair rubbed against her nose, making it twitch.
"If you help me, I'll take off your helmet and scratch your nose. A minute's worth of time for an hour less of irritation. Your call."
The woman wavered for a second, but as her hair kept twitching against her nose, Feng saw her resolve crumble, her loyalty to the Fire Nation seemingly failing due to an astray piece of hair. Although if he was being honest, he may have been subtly causing the air to flow around her head to increase the hair's movement, not that he'd tell her that.
"Okay fine," The woman sighed as she closed her eyes in defeat, "just get this dammed thing off me, stupid Earth Kingdom hat never fit right anyway."
Quick to oblige, Feng reached down to unclip the straps holding the hat on, lifting it off and tossing it away as the woman's features revealed themselves, almost making Feng step back for a second.
Her hair was long and black, its luster glinting in the light over a striking face, her high cheekbones and expressive eyes giving her a sought of beauty Feng knew to be rare no matter where you went. If he'd met her in a bar, he was pretty certain he'd start flirting with her, but as it is, he had more important things to focus on.
"So, before I finish fulfilling my bargain, how about you tell me where the closest Firebender is?"
"And why do you want to know that?" The woman asked doubtfully, frowning up at Feng. "You're not going to do anything bad to them, are you? Maybe get some revenge?"
"Nah," Feng shrugged, amusement tickling his fancy as he saw her twitch at his nonchalance, "I just need a few questions answered about Firebending. If I can, it's much more likely I can talk the Earth Kingdom forces into more lenient sentences on them because as it is, there's a chance they're going to go straight to execution, which is something I doubt either of us wants."
"No," She replied weakly, "I don't think we do. Alright, fine. I'm a Firebender. What are your questions?"
Feng smiled victoriously as he ceased his control over the wind, crouching down beside her to get a better look into her amber eyes.
"Nice of you to cooperate. First question, Firebenders draw energy from outside sources, right, primarily the sun but also natural fires?"
He could see her pause for a second as she considered the question before deciding it wasn't exactly a hidden piece of information, just a confirmation.
"…Yes," She nodded slowly, almost hesitantly as her eyes darted back and forth to the soldiers trapped close to her as if she was afraid that there would be consequences from it. Actually, that forced Feng to pause for a second as he considered it.
They very well might retaliate against her, if the dogma they had been indoctrinated with was strong enough. Sure, it wouldn't be all of them, but all it would take is one or two people slipping through the cracks and his little informant would be toast.
He'd have to make sure she was held with separate Firebenders, if not outright by herself…although that could also be a bad thing depending on who her guards were.
"Thank you for confirming that. Now, what happens if you're cut off from those sources of energy, like say…underground in a cave. What happens then, can you still bend?"
"Underground?" She voiced in confusion before shaking her head as best as she was able to, her black her swaying back and forth and actually making her problem worse as it brushed over the skin of her nose. "Not important. Yes, we can still bend when separated from the sun, it's just that it relies on our personal stores of chi to do so. If we run out, we can't bend any longer until we are given time to recuperate."
Feng nodded once more, glad that he had had that suspicion confirmed as already a plan was coming together. Now he just needed one more piece of information.
"And how do Firebenders react when they have low stores of chi? Do they get ill, maybe cold, or any other adverse reactions?"
The woman's eyes widened in surprise as she cottoned on to just what she was asking, a hint of fury filling her eyes, but before it could take hold Feng held a finger in front of her nose, close enough that she went cross-eyed trying to looking at it as he used his other hand to irritate her nose again though his air, earning a violent twitch from the soldier's nose.
"Answer the question and relief will be yours," Feng stated in a singsong voice, playfully smiling even as her eyes darted up to glare at him.
"That's coercion!" The woman said in a hint of disbelief even as his smile broadened.
"It is," he confirmed proudly, "the question is, will it work?"
A few seconds passed as Feng sped up the movement of her hair, her eyes almost watering until she broke down with a heavy sigh.
"I don't know about the long-term symptoms of heavy chi usage, but in the short term, as long as we still have a little, we just get a little cold, and that's it. It doesn't have to be much either, enough to light a campfire at the lower end will do."
"Excellent," Feng grinned as he finally closed the remaining distance between his finger and her nose, using his neatly trimmed nail to scratch it all over as the woman's eyes flickered up into the back of her head.
"Mmmmmnnnnnnnn!" The woman moaned in an extremely suggestive manner, unable to contain the sounds of her pleasure at the action in a way that made Feng shift awkwardly.
"Wow, I'll have some of what she's having!" A trapped woman to Feng's left heckled, raising her voice enough to be heard as a round of chuckles erupted around Feng, making his face flash a touch red in embarrassment as he ceased his motion, making his way to his feet even as the woman below him erupted in a bright red, sinking down slightly and looking as if she wished she was still wearing the Earth Kingdom hat if only to hide her face beneath.
It was not the most embarrassing situation he had ever been in though, so Feng kept his head held high as he walked back to the base of the stairs, watching as Aang and Katara lead the rest of Team Avatar and the Earth Kingdom soldiers to their trapped prisoners.
Walking with them, however, much to his surprise, was a high-ranking Earth Kingdom official. Specifically, it was the Council of Five member, General Duanmu, who was eagerly looking at all the trapped Fire Nation soldiers.
In their talks, Feng had always liked Duanmu, the man coming off as straight-laced and honest, making no attempt to hide his distaste for Long Feng. Needless to say, they had got along swimmingly.
"Ah, Feng, good to see you, my friend. And with such a kingly gift too!" General Duanmu grinned, his rams held wide in an open stance to show his friendliness. "My, how am I going to repay you for this?"
"I can think of a few ways," Feng smirked in return, nodding in greeting as he walked up to the group, and past them as he moved toward where Azula was still lying. "Come, I'll tell you as we work. But first, Katara, if you would be so kind?"
"Yes? What do you need? You're not injured again, are you?" Katara replied, an accusatory look appearing on her face as she stepped into Feng's personal space, poking him for any sign of injury much to the other's amusement.
Even Feng was a little amused if a touch offended by her lack of trust. Still, he was just glad she was so concerned for him. For years he had been by himself, so the fact that he had such a trusted group of people with him was…nice.
Yes, Feng decided. It was nice.
AN: And now we have Feng vs. the Fire Nation take 2, with a much better result in his case. We'll see the faultout of it next chapter, so stay tuned.
Ervin.