Growing up in the South Pole meant that there were some things you simply had to learn, like how to survive in the wilderness. Even if you never went out yourself, you had to learn how just in case you ended up stuck in the frozen tundras. The very cold could kill a man or woman if unprepared, to say nothing of needing all the other niceties of life like food, safe drinking water, and protection from the weather to sleep.

Which, Korra realized as she finished drinking down the contents of another waterskin, was something she should have remembered for the desert. By the late afternoon of their first day into the desert they all had sunburns and they were going through their water far faster than they had expected.

"I knew the desert was hot, but I didn't think it'd be this bad," Korra muttered as they had stopped to take stock of their water - running dangerously low. Have we been drinking that much? she wondered.

"Tell me about it," Bolin said as he wiped sweat from his brow. "Hey, Jinora, aren't you hot?"

"Airbenders can, with proper breath control, keep their body temperature normal," she answered as she looked around, glancing to Mako as he was feeding the horse some of the grain they had bought. "I'm guessing firebenders can do something similar?"

"Still better to bring a winter coat, but yeah," Mako answered as he checked his scarf - he had taken it off, and none of them were wearing their body armor due to the heat. "We'd better get to Shibal Zumr soon."

Korra nodded. They had planned on making pit stops for their trip in the event this happened, and the village of Shibal Zumr was one of them. "Jinora, you want to scout ahead and make sure we're going in the right direction?" she asked as she turned.

Jinora nodded and twirled her glider, deploying the wings before grabbing it and launching into the air.

"And to think that in a few hours, it'll be freezing cold," Asami said as she was wiping her face with one of the clean rags. "You'd think it'd stay warm."

"Yeah, in the South Pole it's 'cold' and 'very cold'..." Korra put her hand over her eyes as she glanced into the distance. All she could see was sand, and in the far distance to the west mountains. "Though, I suppose if all else fails we could try for the mountains. There has to be shelter there. Think we'd be able to?"

Asami shook her head as they waited for Jinora to return.

"How's Naga?" Bolin asked as he walked over.

Korra glanced at the polar bear dog, who had flopped over in the sand. "Not great. I mean, Republic City has a hot summer, but nothing like this."

"Plus she could just jump into the ocean for a swim," Asami added. "Can't do that out here."

"Just sand, sand, and more sand…"

Jinora came back a minute later, dropping gracefully. "There's a sandstorm nearby," she warned. "To the south and closing."

Korra grit her teeth. Well, we can earthbend and hope we can make something solid enough, she thought as she realized they needed to move. "Alright. Are we at least on track, though?"

"I think so; I saw buildings to the southwest. We might be able to make it there by nightfall."

XXXXXXX

It turned out that they were not there by nightfall as Jinora had underestimated the distance from her glider and how badly their unfamiliarity with desert travel was slowing them down. But as they reached the tops of sand dunes they were able to see the buildings and the oasis, which reassured them enough to camp for the night as it was too far to make it with how tired they were and if something happened, Jinora could fly there and get help. The sandstorm also missed them, and oddly enough faded once it reached the village.

They had reached the village early in the morning, setting out before the sun rose completely to try and get there before it was too hot, hoping to avoid a repeat of their disastrous day trip. The village itself was built into a rocky outcropping, sheltered from one side by the rocks with covered wells and irrigation channels making up a small valley. A large number of tents had been erected on the other side of the village itself, across from this lowland, with men and women alike making their morning routines as a few villagers were talking with rather well dressed men.

"We should probably just hire a guide at this point," Korra said as they approached the large well itself. Some of the villagers were staring at them - Furry-Foot and Naga in particular - but overall ignored them.

"Probably," Asami said before someone tapped Korra's shoulder.

Turning, Korra saw a man wearing loose fitting beige-on-white clothes not unlike what some of the Sarranid villagers were wearing as they were tending to their work outside. He wore no head protection, though she was relatively sure the bundle he had in his hand was the turban. And he was young; easily as young as she was.

"Excuse me," the young man said, "I do not wish to be rude, but I need to ask: Are you the Avatar?"

"Uh, yes, how did you…?"

"My name's Shi-Ru," he supplied immediately. "One of the sandbenders of the Si Wong desert. Or at least, I was."

Korra nodded. "My name's Korra. Is something wrong?"

"No," he said. "Other than maybe your preparation for the desert. I saw you coming in this morning." He glanced at Naga and the others, and the extra waterskins that they had pulled out. "Though, I have to say, you did better than most outsiders."

"What do you mean?" Bolin asked as he frowned.

"You remembered to bring extra water. Though, it's not the only thing. Your clothes are all rather heavy for the desert or doesn't cover enough; you might want to get some desert fatigues from the caravan while it's here. You need something that breathes easy but also protects you from the sunlight, like those Air Nomad robes, since… well," he gestured vaguely and Korra understood what he was implying. Their sunburns.

"Thanks for the suggestion," Korra said. "So, what're you doing?"

"Making my way around, taking on courier jobs," he explained. "This desert's actually rather gentle compared to the Si Wong, but that doesn't mean it's any easier to travel. If you'd like, I could show you some basics since you don't have a flying bison or sand-sailer."

"Much appreciated," Korra answered as she glanced towards the wells. "Oh, uh, anything we should know before getting more water?"

"I'd just speak to the village elder. The custom here is similar to the one I'm used to - water is the right for all travellers - but it's still polite to talk to those who live here first before using their water. Especially since well, you'll need a lot," he made a gesture towards Naga.

"Hospitality and all, yeah," Asami said as she pulled out a rag and wiped her forehead again.

A half hour later after they had spoken to the village elder, topped off their water supplies, and after Korra tended to some of the sunburns to speed along the healing process, they sat around just outside the village under the palm trees that grew around the area. The lack of a visible water source certainly made it confusing for Bolin, but Asami had quickly figured that the roots likely went to the underground water source and drew from there.

Shi-Ru had his own tent set up, but what it was set up on caught Korra's eye more than the fact it was set up: it was set up on a sand-sailer.

"It's a lot smaller than most of the ones we used in the Si Wong," the sandbender explained as he opened the tent to reveal a small chest and a travel pack. "But it's good enough for desert travel and good for the lone wanderer. Do you need any extra food? I can spare some to spare if you need it."

"Thank you, but I'm fine," Korra said as Mako pulled the rucksack with their food and started passing it around as they sat down near the sand-sailer.

"Same," Bolin said as he grabbed his food and passed it on. "So, uh, mister Ru…"

"It's not a surname," the sandbender answered as he pulled a waterskin from the sand-sailer's compartment and a small cup.

"Sorry. So, what's it like around this 'Sultanate'?"

"Hard living, but that's nothing unusual for the desert," Shi-Ru answered as he filled the cup carefully. "Many don't understand how the desert can give life, and underestimate how easily it can kill. Still, hard living as it is, it is home, and those who understand the desert can find wealth."

"So, any sandbenders here?" Korra asked. "As in, Sarranid ones."

"A few, but none of them very good. The most I've seen them use it for is dusting off crops at oases or just kicking it up to obscure something. They don't have any sand-sailers either, so I've earned a lot as a courier since I can outrun all the local brigands."

Asami perked up. "No sand-sailers?"

"None. Why're you asking?" Shi-Ru raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.

"Well," Asami said as she reached for her rucksack and pulled out the Future Industries manual. "I had this when I arrived in Calradia, and I've been keeping an eye on Calradian economics, seeing if I might be able to rebuild Future Industries. A thought, but…"

"... introduce sand-sailers to the Sarranids?" he asked as he rubbed his chin. "I had that thought too, in fact that was my first idea when I started considering my options, but I never actually built one - I was always more of a scholar than a builder."

He jerked his thumb towards his sailer. "Plus, I'm having a hard enough time keeping this one working; no way I'd be able to make another one even if I had the materials. On top of that, Sarranid benders aren't quite good enough to do it. Though, if being a courier doesn't work out I'll probably hire myself out as a sandbending instructor."

"There's an idea," Mako said as he looked around. "What do you think, Korra? I mean, we're going to need more money eventually. I bet we could teach the Calradians a few things about bending."

"I'm not sure if teaching them bending is going to do a lot of good, I mean we'd probably make plenty of money, but how long until those lords try to make us exclusively train for one of their armies?" Korra asked, shaking her head. "Hiroshi made a lot of amazing things, but we saw what Amon did with them."

"Bending isn't just military, though," Asami cut in, "I mean, firebenders do a lot of the power generation for Republic City, earthbenders help a lot with engineering work, your healing skills have been getting a lot of mileage the past few weeks…"

"And then Triad goons use it to threaten people," Mako noted. "That's part of why Amon had so many recruits."

"It's your choice," Shi-Ru said with a shrug. "But just as the Earth Queen cannot dominate the desert itself, bending cannot be controlled by the Avatar."

"Now that sounds like a story," Bolin said as he leaned forward eagerly.

"It is! And one that I think has a lot of applicability in Calradia," Shi-Ru looked around. "As I mentioned, I was more of a student of history, but I did live when it happened. A child, but I can tell you of Hou-Ting's failed subjugation of the Sandbenders."

Korra frowned. "Hold on, I thought you guys already owed the Earth Kingdom loyalty and I never heard anything about a rebellion."

"I'm not surprised, it was an embarrassing debacle. The sandbenders always had an understanding with the nearby Earth Kingdom nobles and rulers: we'd pay our taxes collectively, they'd leave us alone in the desert. We all won; they got money, we had our freedom. Hou-Ting saw the existence of groups who do not directly owe loyalty to her as a threat."

Korra knew where this was going, eating her breakfast as he continued.

"So, she gathered up a large army. Lots of troops, all heavily armed and armored, and loaded it onto a bunch of airships to send into the desert on a campaign to stomp every Sandbender tribe into the ground. Now, in fairness it would have been ten times the amount needed to beat us had we fought them head-on. We didn't; we just aimed to knock out the airships with sandstorms."

"Cabbage Corp airships, right?" Asami asked.

"I couldn't tell you, but once the airships started to fall they had to march through the desert. In armor."

Korra winced; they had all taken their body armor off and lugged it as baggage exactly because of the heat. Having to march through the desert with armor heavier than anything they were wearing? "Did they at least bring enough water?"

"No, they did not. They were so confident in their airships that they didn't bother to prepare. So, they're all marching through, and we just hit them on the march. Skirmishes to keep them from resting in the dusk, dawn, and night, then let them march through the desert sun during the day. It wore them down; many actually died marching."

"And that happens here?" Jinora asked, eyes wide in horror.

"Exactly. The Sarranids are looked down on for their light armor. But they stay light not because they can't make heavy armor, but because the desert makes marching in it difficult."

"So why do they waste lives?" Jinora asked. "I mean, they have to realize that they gain nothing by having men die as they march. At least let them get to the senseless battle alive if you're going to throw away people."

"Who knows why those in power do anything? But the lesson here is to never dismiss a group because on paper they seem weak. I'll be perfectly honest, if it weren't for the desert I might not have even survived Hou-Ting's assaults - her men were not kind to those they got their hands on. But if it weren't for the desert, we would have fought warfare differently."

"And if the Sarranids lived in grassy plains, they wouldn't be wearing thin armor?" Korra asked as she noticed Furry-Foot and Pabu climbing all over Naga as the polar bear dog was sleeping in the shade.

"Exactly," Shi-Ru finished with a nod. "Common misconception is that people who don't wear much armor are either poor or backwards."

"Rather silly, given that United Forces naval crew don't wear any armor," Asami noted as she shook her head. "I mean, they wear helmets and the uniforms offer some basic protection, but it's more for shrapnel than anything. I wouldn't rely on it to stop a sword."

"That's how some Triad goons get the upper hand against the police," Mako added. "They act weak until the police drop their guards, then hit as hard as they can. Doesn't work against experienced officers, but I've seen a few fellow rookies fall for it."

"Anyways, don't underestimate anyone here in Calradia just because they don't have the modern stuff you're all used to from Republic City," Shi-Ru finished. "I mean, sometimes they will just be terrible, but if they're a power player chances are there's a reason for it."

"Thanks for the advice," Korra said as she finished her breakfast. "So, you interested in guiding us to Shariz?"

He paused, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, but Shariz itself is actually outside of the desert. I can take the sailer close, but I can't actually reach the city. On top of that, I'm on a job right now bringing a message to Bariyye."

"Oh," Korra said as she curled her lip. "Well, I don't suppose you could recommend a guide or some good desert gear at least."

"Certainly, one guide I know is in the village right now, though you will need to pay him yourself."

"We can cover it," Bolin said as he glanced over.

"Good. Now, as for clothes, the caravan resting here should have some. I'd recommend that you go for something that covers the whole body, then get some sort of head protection." Shi-Ru glanced towards their helmets attached to the saddlebags. "Mind, those helmets of yours aren't too bad, though you can skip the face protection as long as you aren't in a storm. I'd actually recommend that; easier to breathe that way."

"We should probably rest today," Asami said. "I mean, we did just get chewed out by the desert."

"Doesn't mean we can't make the preparations to continue, though," Mako noted.

XXXXXX

"And here we are, Shariz."

Korra nodded to their guide, a Sarranid man named Garegin. "Thank you," she said as she reached into the saddlebag until she had grabbed the small pouch and pulled it out, taking out five denars and handing it to him. "Here's the last of the pay."

"Appreciated," he said with a nod as he pocketed it before patting his horse's neck. They had paid their guide in pieces - five denars up front, ten when they stopped at Rushdigh to rest for the night, and the last of it now. "Anyways, I'll accompany you inside, but then I'm off to find work."

As they made their way towards the city, Korra noticed that the temperature had become much cooler. Shariz was right on the border between short and presumably steppe-like grasses similar to that they had crossed in Khergit territory, and the desert they were leaving. Further to the west, they could make out trees - a forest. Shariz itself was still effectively in the desert, but it was on the border enough that they would be able to change out of their new desert gear once they were there.

Their new desert fatigues were all of Sarranid make, light browns and beige for the most part, loosely fit but covering most of the body. The improvement over their normal clothes was like night and day, though: their sunburns had not gotten any worse, they were sweating less from the heat, and as their body temperatures weren't being driven so high they were going through less water. Jinora was the only one who hadn't gotten herself a new set of fatigues, but that was more a matter of her robes already providing enough protection from the sunlight and her airbending than anything.

"Don't worry, we'll find someplace shady to sleep in," Korra said as she patted Naga's head. The polar bear dog barked weakly. She was healthy, but there was not much to be done to help her fur, even if she had started shedding, so she had still gone through most of the water. Korra was relatively sure Naga was drinking more water than the rest of them combined, horses included.

Note to self, see if I can't find a sitter for her next time I have to come here, she decided as they approached the city itself.

"What the hell is that?" a guard, wearing a thin layer of mail around his chest with some sort of scale cover over the torso, while the rest of his armor was mostly baggy cloth. A sword, two handed axe, shield, and throwing spears were holstered across his body at various points.

"I've got no idea," the other guard in similar kit answered as he shook his head. "Oh, hey Garegin. Travellers?"

"That they are," the guide said with a nod. "Not to worry, I don't think they'll cause problems."

"Good, the guilds here are getting antsy. Last thing we need is more trouble from foreigners," the second guard shook his head.

"Aye, but at least they had the decency to garb up for the desert. Not like that lot of Geroians! Hah, knuckleheads insisted on marching through in that armor! I mean, it was just a caravan…"

"Can we head in?" Mako asked, cutting into their commentary.

"Aye, head on in, just don't cause trouble."

"Thanks," Korra said as she nudged Naga forward and, once they were inside the city, slid off the polar bear dog's back. Asami followed suit as they headed for a tavern to make arrangements for the night.

"Next time we hire a guide from the start," Mako said as Garegin was talking to a stable owner.

"Agreed," Bolin answered as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Those burns really sucked."

XXXXX

"I'm sorry, but I cannot offer aid. I wish you luck in your search."

Asami, wearing her normal clothes again, glanced over as she saw a red haired man with a full beard nodding to a Sarranid noble who went deeper into the castle where they were not allowed to go that afternoon. Sultan Hakim was holding a feast at the time - apparently the Sarranids had gained the upper hand against the Rhodoks and taken Jamiche and Almerra Castles from them with both sides now licking their wounds. The man spotted them and walked over.

"Ah, I recognize you from the rumors," he said as he nodded to them. "My name is Lethwin, also known as the Far-Seeker."

Korra paused and turned from the tapestry - one of a large scale battle in the desert - to face him. "Uh, nice to meet you. Can we help you with anything?"

Why does this seem familiar? Asami thought as she remembered the last time they had been approached by someone. Mako and Bolin were looking for a bathroom, while Jinora was looking at another tapestry the floor above them. Naga, Pabu, and Furry-Foot were all back at the tavern they were going to stay at after they had spent some time looking around Shariz before turning in for the night.

"Perhaps," Lethwin asked. "I am the rightful King of the Nords, but fate left my throne open to Ragnar's treachery."

How did I guess? Asami silently remarked as she raised an eyebrow. "And you're wondering if we could help you take it back?"

"I would appreciate such greatly, but actually I was seeking knowledge. I am called 'Far-Seeker' because even by Nord standards I travelled far and wide in pursuit of knowledge," the Nord would-be king explained.

"Kinda like what the Avatar was supposed to do," Korra muttered.

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh. Well, back where we're from, I was supposed to go to different nations to learn the art of bending, to actually immerse in the culture while learning each element. I ended up getting trained in a military compound near my home," she explained.

"A shame, there's wisdom in searching for knowledge," Lethwin explained. "Regardless, I know that you are foreigners to this land. I was wondering if you had any knowledge you could teach? Perhaps the bending arts?"

"Are you a bender yourself?" Korra asked. "If not, I can't really do much more than maybe explain some basic principles underlying it."

"I am not. However, the basic principles would be more than enough," he said with a smile. "I can compensate you for your time."

"How much are you offering?" Asami cut in immediately. This fundamental knowledge might be too valuable to let go for chump change, she thought as she looked towards Korra, hoping to warn her off. Korra glanced back and nodded.

"Unfortunately, my sum is limited by my travel as Ragnar did not let me leave as a prince should. I have mostly been making my way employing skills like surgery. Would a hundred denars be enough?"

"Probably not," Asami said before Korra could answer. The waterbender frowned at her, but eventually shrugged.

"A shame, such knowledge would be very useful."

"Sorry about that," Korra said as she glanced at the tapestry. "So uh, why did Ragnar usurp you anyways? Wouldn't a very well educated king be a good thing?"

"That is a tale that may take some time," Lethwin said as he gestured towards some of the cushions lying on the floor. They sat, Asami leaning against one of the pillars while Korra leaned forward. Across from them, Lethwin sat with his back straight.

"Throughout the Empire's history, the Nords have been raiders. We're not native to Calradia, as you may have heard," the Nord began.

"Yeah; you were invited to crew the galleys for it, right?" Korra asked.

"Indeed, Emperor Daryush - who, interestingly enough, was of the House of Sarran - invited men from the Nordlands over, and we settled, though there had never been many of us. That is, until Gundig Hairy-Breeks attempted to forge a Nord foothold here, to claim part of the old empire. The Vaegirs stopped the plan, though, so his son forged a new kingdom here to salvage that dream."

"Kinda like the Fire Nation colonials," Asami said with a nod. "They might not have been the original people, but they found a home."

"I'm sorry, Fire Nation?" Lethwin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"One of the nations where we're from - they had a lot of firebenders," Korra explained.

"I see," the Nord said with a nod. "Anyways, my father King Hakrim - Gundig's grandson - he knew that we Nords could not be content to battle, plunder, and drink. If we were to take our birthright of Calradia, we must learn to govern as Calradians with knowledge of letters and law. So, as a child he sent me away to universities across the seas. Even by Nord standards, I travelled far, learning the arts of engineering, the writings of Galerian and alternative medicine, and of course the strategies of old."

"That's a real good start for being king," Asami remarked. "I mean, it's not the only measure, but a well educated ruler is better than one who's only good at fighting."

"True, but he should be able to fight too," Korra responded. "I mean, if not personally, then at least have the sense of mind to provide clear goals and let the professionals work out the details."

"And that was why I was sent off - we must know something of laws and letters. As the Nords are now, we are too content for battle, not too content at ruling. My father knew this was his weakness, and sought to have the Nords in a position of strength when I took the throne. Unfortunately, the Rhodoks cut his reign short when the Nords attempted to take Dhirim from them."

"Hold on, isn't Dhirim part of the Kingdom of Swadia?" Korra asked.

"Probably conquered," Asami guessed as she looked around. "And I'm going to go out on a limb and say that your father tried to take it, died in the attack, then the Swadians knocked out the victor?"

"Actually the Khergits ended up holding it for a brief while afterwards, but the Swadians did take it back eventually. Regardless, when I received word I immediately began to sail home, but was shipwrecked off the coast of Ballion by a storm. One of the Jarls, Ragnar, decided to spread word that I had died in the shipwreck and took the throne. I only returned to Calradia a year ago." He paused. "Actually… a year ago to the day. April 16th, 1256, the day I returned to Calradia to find my throne usurped."

"Why didn't Ragnar step down?" Asami asked as she frowned. "I mean, if he really thought you had died and once you proved who you were, then what justification does he have to seize the throne?"

"None, and that is why he exiled me immediately, having his Huscarls drive me from Sargoth before I could even challenge him to a duel for the throne. He had spent the time between my shipwrecking and return to consolidate his power. So, I wander, looking for warriors and other military knowledge. Ragnar doubts my ability to be a warrior. I will prove to him, as we stare at each other over the rims of our shields, that one can be both a warrior and a scholar!"

So he wanted to know bending for war, Asami realized. Korra seemed to have come to a similar conclusion as she frowned and looked concerned.

"Well… good luck," Korra said. "I'm not sure if there's anything we can do to help besides the knowledge right now."

"I will be in the Sultanate for some time, if you change your mind…" Lethwin shrugged. "Well, it is a hope of mine. If you decide to share the knowledge, I would be eager to learn."

"Good talking with you," Asami said as she leaned forward and offered a hand to shake. He paused, then nodded and shook.

"And with you. I hope you enjoy your stay here in Shariz; I take it you're here looking at the tapestries?"

"It's one way to learn history," Korra answered as she gestured to the tapestry. "So, any idea which one this is?"

"Ah, Ayn Assaudi. One of the finest battles of Calradian history, and perhaps one of the most significant. It was in the small village to the north that Alixenus the Great broke down the best that the Calradic Empire could throw at him. Ayn Assaudi, 1049… that is the battle where the Empire began to fall. The fact that their Lord of Geroia could rebel, successfully, and then conquer chunks of the Empire's territory?" Lethwin shook his head. "It was from this defeat that the Vaegir and Swadian revolts began, and when the House of Sarran began to seek its own power."

Lethwin looked deeper into the castle, towards where the sounds of the Sarranid feast could be heard. "Of course, if you want to be technical that house died with Ayzar. Hakim is only very distantly related, even then it was mostly through who was chosen to marry Ayzar's chosen successor…"

Before either of them could ask for more details, Jinora came up from behind and tapped Korra on the shoulder.

"Something wrong?" Korra asked as they both turned, noticing the dragonfly bunny spirit hovering behind the airbender.

"Furry-Foot mentioned there's a disturbance near the tavern we're staying at."

Asami put a hand on her forehead. Oh boy...

Korra sighed. "Great. Sorry to be abrupt, but…"

"I understand," Lethwin said as he nodded, though he stared at Furry-Foot strangely. "Good fortune in your travels."

XXXXXX

"Feel anything yet?"

"Nothing more than I've had," Korra answered as she went through the basic forms again, small wisps of flame coming out of her fists and feet as she and Mako were sparring just to the west of the city, not far from the trees.

The disturbance the night before was an attempted robbery, but Naga had scared the robber off. It had taken some explaining with the guards - who were busy trying to make the other person go first in approaching Naga even with their two handed axes - but they were happy that it was at least one robbery averted. And from the sounds of it, it had been something going on for some time.

But for now, Korra was focused on her firebending. She had to restore it next, and given the effort it had taken for her earthbending, she wanted to get as much time with it as she could before something else like the spirits at Kedelke came up.

"Well, let's keep trying," Mako answered as he came at her again, sending several fireballs her way. Korra was able to stop most of the blows, but she could not quite fully disperse it and was pushed back a little bit each time.

Still, there was something reassuring about it as they parried blows and traded off. It reminded her of happier days before Unalaq had begun his schemes in full. And the fatigues they wore breathed extremely well; it was almost like she was in exercise gear again when she went through dozens of strength building exercises in the South Pole growing up. And then doing more on her own time because she really wanted to be strong enough to be the Avatar.

The nostalgia had distracted Korra - not that her firebending was up to snuff anyways - and Mako got under Korra's guard. He quickly knocked her to the floor and she looked up to see a fist aimed towards her as he smirked.

"Well," Korra said as she glanced around with a shrug. "Looks like you won that round."

Mako stepped back and offered a hand, pulling her up. "Not really a fair fight considering your firebending isn't ready. Though I have to say, these desert fatigues work great as workout clothes."

"For firebending, sure," Bolin commented, watching them from the sideline with Asami, neither of the two having put their desert fatigues back on. "But when I'm chucking rocks at you you might want something else."

"There's more to bending than fighting, you know," Jinora commented, standing a few feet away with Furry-Foot. "Firebending isn't aggression, that was the twisted version that the Fire Nation bred during the war."

"No it's not just aggression, but I didn't get that lesson about being the leaf until I actually had stuff shot at me," Korra retorted as she dusted off the sand and dirt from her clothes. "Besides, I don't need to rely on anger to fuel it. I just need that spark to reignite it."

"You can't game bending, Korra. Trying that is what gave you so much difficulty with airbending in the first place. And didn't you try that with earthbending and get whacked for your trouble?"

"I didn't mention that to you," Korra said as she frowned and stared at Bolin. The earthbender fidgeted, edging away the rock he had sat on with earthbending.

"The point stands, though. You can't force your bending back just by setting yourself up in situations where you push it. You have to actually do it."

"Maybe," Korra admitted as she looked at the young airbender. "I know bending is more than just having the physical ability to do it, but it can't hurt to at least practice."

Jinora nodded slowly.

"Uh, guys?" Asami said, looking up from the Future Industries manual as a man was riding towards them, flanked by two horsemen who were well armed and armored like the guards that had greeted them.

"Good day, ladies and gentlemen," the man in the center said, wearing a loose robe with a stripe pattern, alternating between a dull orange and brown. "My name is Narek, the guild master here in Shariz."

Korra looked up towards him. "Something we can help you with?"

"Yes, there is. I've been having problems with night bandits. Normally the guards can handle them, but sometimes we get a particularly troublesome group. I tried to hire some freelancers to deal with it a few days ago, but we found them dead in the alley the next morning with burns and one had his head crushed and a piece of the street was missing."

Mako frowned immediately. "What do you know about these night bandits? Any idea what they look like?"

"Well, the three ringleaders were described as half or quarter Khergit, and a merchant who was ambushed by them said that they had a leader wearing a grey coat and some sort of hat, like a glass with a solid top and a wide rim."

"Hang on, people use 'half' or 'quarter Khergit' to describe people like us. And the clothes sounds a lot like…" Bolin started.

"Viper," Mako finished as he grit his teeth. "Sounds like you've got a Triad infestation. Bending criminals where we're from," he added as Narek was frowning in confusion at them. "They must've ended up here too."

"I see… well, the merchants put together a bounty on them and if the rumors are at all accurate, I imagine that you'd be up for this task. Four hundred denars, with a bonus if they're captured."

"We'll do it," Korra said immediately. "I think I need to give those yahoos another lesson about picking on innocents." And this time I won't tear up the whole block, she silently added.

Narek smiled. "I'll await word of your success. However, I'll warn you: normally night bandits attack lone travellers or those in very small groups without armed guards. These men have been much bolder, but if they know you they will probably be more cautious."

"We'll keep that in mind," Asami said as she leaned forward.

"Thank you. I wish you the best of luck."

As soon as they left, Korra frowned. "You know, is it just me or are people actually starting to approach us rather than us having to find trouble?"

"It's not just you," Asami confirmed. "I guess people are just paying attention."

"Though," Mako cut in as he rubbed his chin. "You know, Korra, this reputation your building… you might be able to do something with it. Just a thought, but being known for reliability in handling problems and having power isn't a bad thing."

"What are you suggesting?" Jinora asked as she tilted her head towards him.

"Nothing specific," the firebender said. "But it's something to keep in mind going forward. We keep doing things like this, people will talk about us."

"Well, we can worry about that later," Korra said as she looked towards the city. "Right now, we need to figure out how we're going to snare the Triads."

"Oh oh! I've got an idea!" Bolin said eagerly.

XXXXX

"Hey, Viper! Check this out!" Two-Toed Ping called. The leader of their triad walked up, looking irritable as usual as they were stalking the night streets.

"What is it, a mark?" the waterbender asked.

"Some big lady with a bag of coins," Ping explained as he pointed towards the rather large woman wearing very loose clothes that concealed most of her rather large figure. Her head was mostly obscured by a hood, a hood of the same kind that many Calradian women wore. "Jeez, how does a woman get that fat without being ridiculed?"

"Well, she's no Ginger that's for sure. Still, keep your eyes open. The Avatar's in town, and we don't know just how much of her bending is back to top notch."

"Hey, has to be less than when she wrecked us."

Viper nodded. "Yes, and she has friends. We can't leap in half-cocked this time, back up or not."

"I know, I know!" Ping answered as he shook his head and gestured to the woman. "I'll keep casing her, see if she's got friends. You want to follow with Badger and the others?"

"Yeah, let's not miss a mark that isn't a trap. These yokels want way too much money to stick around with us…"

Ping shrugged as Viper headed back towards where the others were hiding as Ping began to follow, keeping to the shadows and watching the woman closely, particularly the bounce. Not my type, but… he could always appreciate the fairer sex.

The woman paused every minute or so, glancing around before moving on. Where is she heading? Ping wondered. Badger was always better at figuring out tracks; the earthbender had a sixth sense about when someone was almost to their destination.

"But when you want something done quiet, call Two-Toed Ping," he muttered to himself as he hid behind a barrel. Something scurried on the roof above, but he saw nothing and wrote it off as someone's cat wandering around.

Viper eventually slid into view, Badger and the other six Sarranid thugs with him and gave Ping the signal, the index and pinky finger of his right hand held up like horns. Ping returned it and stepped out of the shadows.

"Evenin', miss," he said, trying to put as much charm as he could into his voice. "What's a fine young lady like you doin' out at this hour?"

"Nothing, just taking a stroll," she answered, her voice rather strained and high pitched. Ping frowned as he glanced towards Viper, who seemed just as confused. Ping put his unease to the side, but glanced towards the rooftops as he walked towards the lady. He thought he saw something dark, but whatever it was it dropped out of sight immediately.

Can't be a mirage… he thought as he approached the woman and noticed that she was extremely stocky… and muscular.

"Well, might I join you for the stroll?" Ping asked as he put a hand on her shoulder as Viper and the others came out of the shadows. "Or maybe you'd like to give me the money? Ya'know, before I have to burn that face off and my buddies get angry?" He held his other hand open and lit a flame.

He turned 'her' around and his eyes went wide as a furry red and white tail popped up from her dress. The tail obscured the 'woman's' face, but he recognized it even then. The tail just made it even clearer.

"What the - BOLIN?!"

"Surprise sucka!" the earthbender shouted. The next thing Ping knew, the earthbender's fire ferret leapt out and bit him in the nose.

"Get it off get it off!" Ping shouted as he grabbed the fire ferret and threw it to the side. Before he could do anything else, a meaty punch sent him flying backwards and he rolled into the others.

"Ping you idiot!" Viper shouted as the firebender pushed himself back up. As he did so, he heard the distinct sound of electricity charging and turned.

"Evening gentlemen," a woman wearing red with a brass gauntlet on her left hand said, spinning a bola in her right. "There's a small matter I need to discuss with you about Future Industries property."

"Thanks for walking into our trap," came another woman's voice and they turned to see Mako and - worse - the Avatar walking out of the alley they had come from.

"Thanks for leading us here, Avatar," Viper muttered as he shook his head. "Ready for a rematch?"

"It won't be much of a rematch," Korra said as she adopted an earthbending stance.

"Let's crush 'em!" Badger shouted, the earthbender kicking up a piece of the street and launching it towards the Avatar.

XXXXXXX

Mako leapt forward as two of the non-Triad bandits rushed towards him, maces in hand as the others shouted and the fighting started.

The one to his right swung high, but Mako ducked under it with a roll and took his legs out from under him. The other one swung down, but Mako knocked the blow to the side, fire surrounding and protecting his hand as he knocked it away. The bandit grunted in pain as he lost the grip on his mace, and Mako immediately kicked him into the wall. The other one pushed himself back up, but the ex-cop quickly knocked him out with a fireball to the chest.

"Well well well, if it isn't Zolt's old protege," Viper snarled. Mako turned towards him and noticed that the bola Asami had launched at him had been sliced open. As he did so, he had a good look at the brawl, which was going in their favor. Korra had Badger pushed back and on the ropes, Bolin was taking care of the other goons, while Asami was locked in a close quarters clash with Ping, grabbing his scarf and using it to launch him into the wall.

"And look who took over for him," Mako retorted as he shot a fireball towards the waterbender. Viper easily blocked it with the water from his waterskin before he counterattacked. Mako rolled to the side and rushed forward, blocking another stream of water before another punched right past him and Mako found his hand frozen against the wall.

"Yeah well, business is business," Viper answered as he followed through with several more streams. Mako snapped the ice off, using his firebending to melt the points of contact between the ice and the wall. The ice fell to the ground as he rolled forward and avoided the water. Viper brought the shattered ice and the other streams back towards him, returning it to liquid form and spinning it in a circle around him. "Now, let's see just how good you are!"

"You don't have a lot of water, Viper," Mako warned as he shot another pair of fireballs. "This won't go like the sting!"

Viper grimaced as he blocked both fireballs with the water, dispersing the flames into the air harmlessly. He glanced behind him as Bolin was bearing down on him and ducked, the earthbender sailing over him. Viper grabbed him by the dress and dragged him to the ground. Bolin hit the ground with a grunt and Viper brought a pair of icy blades to his throat, the unused water flowing along his arms and leading into the blades.

"Hey, watch the face!" Bolin shouted as he noticed the blades as Mako held his stance, staring at Viper.

"One move and I slit your little crossdresser's throat," Viper warned as he began to edge way. "Ping, Bager, get scarce!"

The other two triad goons did not need telling twice, running away. As he made the order, however, Pabu came by and bit Viper's foot. The Triad leader looked down, and as he did so Bolin elbowed him in the chest and grabbed both hands, forcing them out of the way and falling forward.

"Get him Mako!" Bolin shouted as he cleared Viper as Pabu was kicked away. Mako immediately attacked, launching multiple fireballs after the waterbender as he did not stand and fight, instead just running and ducking under them. His top hat went flying off as one of Mako's fireballs caught it.

As the Triad goons ran away, Badger stopped to knock Korra back with earthbending, the Avatar landing on her feet and sliding a few inches before joining the other three as they sprinted after them.

Asami grabbed another bola from her belt and spun it up, launching it after the Triads. Viper saw it first and turned, drawing the last of his water from his waterskin to catch the bola and redirect it back towards them. Mako ducked, but he suddenly noticed Asami drop out of view.

"Asami!" he shouted as he turned and saw the bola wrap around her neck and the two balls at the end hit her in the face, causing her to drop to the ground and trip Bolin as he was right behind her, hands around her throat. Several fireballs from Ping hurtled towards them as Korra leapt in front and blocked them with earthbending and what firebending she had.

Mako immediately crouched next to Asami and lit a small dagger of fire, using it to quickly slice the rope off. Asami coughed as it came off, red marks on her neck.

"You okay?" Korra asked as she punched the upper part of her makeshift barrier back at the Triad goons.

"I'll be fine, get 'em!" Asami answered as she cleared her throat.

"You heard her, let's go!" Mako shouted. Korra and Mako took the point in the chase as Bolin staggered back to his feet behind them. Rounding a corner, they found the Triad goons in the back of an alley with Badger trying to make footholds in the city wall for them to climb.

"You know, Zolt may have taught you to lightningbend, but he never taught you to run a Triad properly," Viper taunted as he glanced up, and drew water from a clay jug that had been left on a townhouse balcony above. Someone screamed, probably whoever lived there.

The two groups of benders attacked each other, Ping going for Korra, Bolin for Badger, and that left Mako and Viper to duel again. The waterbender closed in on him, and Mako quickly found himself on the defensive as the two dropped into a fist fight.

Mako dropped to the ground, spinning around on his hand to knock Viper onto his back, but the waterbender used the water to make a slide and crashed into his hand, knocking Mako onto the ground and pinning him down as Viper melted, then froze the water behind him again.

"Heh, what, no lightning? I thought Zolt taught you better," Viper taunted as he walked forward and raised his boot. Mako inhaled, then spat fire at him as the boot was coming down, causing the waterbending criminal to stagger back as his foot was burned.

Mako melted the ice around him as he had a chance and pushed himself back to his feet. Ping crashed into a wall as Korra drove an elbow into his face, and Bolin body slammed Badger. Viper was staggering to his feet, but Mako shot forward, using his firebending to boost the jump, then tackled the waterbender. Viper's head rose as the two hit the ground, and Mako put a hand on his forehead and slammed it back down.

"Yeah, he taught me well enough," Mako muttered as he pushed himself up. Viper was either unconscious or close enough to it. Korra and Bolin were making sure their opponents were beat down, and glancing towards the main street he saw Asami going through the knocked out bandits and making sure they were down.

XXXXX

"I must say, I didn't expect you to do it so quickly."

"Happy to be help," Korra answered as they were sitting at a wooden table near the main gate the next morning.

Jinora, who had stayed out of the strike to make sure no one else walked into it, was sitting towards the end, trying to look inconspicuous. Korra sat across from Narek, Asami to her right and Mako to the left. Bolin was sitting on the other side of the table, two seats away from Narek so he could turn and look at him. He had his club in hand and was fiddling with it. Bolin had wanted to bring it to the fight last night, but he had no where to hide it in his disguise. Korra wrote it off as him wanting to rub the Nuktuk mover into the Triads' faces.

And speaking of the Triads; they had been thrown into the city's dungeon by the guards once they were turned over, as were the thugs they had recruited.

"You've done the guilds a great service," Narek continued as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of coins. "Here is the bounty, four hundred denars. I'll need to haggle with them for the bonus, but I'd expect another hundred or so denars by the day's end."

"Much appreciated," Asami said as she leaned forward. Narek nodded and slid the bag towards Asami, who opened it and started checking the money.

"Now then, if there's nothing else I'd imagine that you'd like to celebrate your victory."

"What'll happen to them?" Mako asked. "The bandits."

"Oh, they'll stew in the dungeon for a few days. Hakim doesn't like to oversee trials while he's hosting a feast. After that? Who knows what justice will entail."

"Be careful with them," Korra warned. "These men have bending skills greater than what you're used to. Make sure that you use metal cuffs at least, and have an increased guard when you're moving them."

"We'll be careful, I already warned the guards to watch them closely and to have extras on-hand. Anything else?"

Korra paused, then nodded. "Actually, there is. So, who actually runs these towns, the guild masters or the local lord? It seems like this was something Hakim should have been taking care of."

"Hakim is our lord and protector, sometimes resides here, and collects the taxes, but most day-to-day matters are handled by the guilds and other representatives. As the guild master, I can answer many of the basic needs in running Shariz, and occasionally provide advice to Sultan Hakim, as any loyal subject should."

"So why can't you just put them on trial yourself if you run most day to day matters? I mean, if Hakim's busy with the war or a feast or whatever, shouldn't you be able to handle it yourself?"

"Justice is the purview of lords to mete out. After all, if you left it in the hands of the guilds, you'd see them convicting their competitors to get them out of the way."

"Just like what my dad and Varrick pulled," Asami muttered as she glanced up.

"Yeah, but, he's not always going to be around. What if he has to head off for a long time?" Bolin asked, going past Asami's remark and looking at the local guild master.

"If, in his wisdom, Hakim decides to appoint a judge, it is well within his right to do so. In fact sometimes lords will send a representative to pass judgement in their name when circumstances keeps them abroad. Of course, he prefers to handle justice personally, as such is the honorable course of action. I mentioned that Sultan Hakim is honorable, yes?"

"Relax, I'm not questioning your loyalty," Korra said as she shook her head. The fact he was being careful to say the 'right' thing struck Korra the wrong way. "So, if you don't mind me asking further, what's the root of all these Calradian wars? I mean, I know the current one the Sarranids are fighting is the Rhodoks pushing for a castle, but where do the rest come from?"

"I can answer, but I first must stress that the guilds have nothing to do with politics. We merely run our mercantile activities under the wise rule of the lords. But to the point, all the Calradian kingdoms claim authority on the ancient empire. Some by long forgotten dynastic marriages, others by promises, and the Rhodoks like to invoke the Empire's unwritten constitution. In theory, this gives them casus belli at any time, and has since King Frederick of Swadia destroyed the last vestiges of the Empire, oh, just short of two hundred years ago. Calradia has been locked in conflict since."

"Two hundred years of war?!" Jinora shouted in horror.

"I'm guessing it involved a lot of on-off campaigns," Asami cut in. "I mean, two hundred years of fighting would be impossible to sustain."

Narek nodded. "Indeed, often the wars are a bit of fighting, a fortress or two is taken in siege warfare and some villages burned down, then a truce is shored up before other kingdoms get any ideas. And so the cycle repeats, and no kingdom has been great enough to subdue its neighbors entirely. Sometimes one kingdom reaches a nadir, losing much of its lands. Then the victors squabble as to how to hand out the new fiefs, risking instability and often destroying their cohesion and allowing the former loser could regain their strength. Not the Sultanate, of course, other kingdoms with less wise rulers with false claims to the old Empire."

He's lying, Korra realized, at least as far as the Sultanate not having instability went.

"Then why fight these wars?" Jinora asked. "I mean, if they never actually make any gains that last, why kill each other instead of seeing to their people's needs?"

"Ah, you have much to learn, young girl," he said as he shook his head. "You all seem rather young for her to be one of yours..."

"No, she's not," Mako cut in with a frown.

"I mean, Mako's my brother," Bolin cut in, "but otherwise none of us are related. Just friends stuck in Calradia."

"I see," Narek said as he rubbed his chin. "Well, that I can't answer. Still, the wise lord knows that there are times when a claim on the ancient empire's domain is advanced not from drawing the sword, but sheathing it. An honorable claim like that of Sultan Hakim needs armed men to defend it, who need to be paid, and money comes from trade... If you catch my drift."

Korra frowned, but nodded. Just like the Fire Nation had to consolidate its gains in the Earth Kingdom, the Calradians have to ease off and rebuild their war chests.

"Now then, I should talk to the other merchants about your bonus for your efforts," Narek said, glancing side to side as he did so.

Korra nodded as she stood and held out a hand. "Thank you, and let us know if they try to break out."

"Of course, of course," Narek said as he gestured towards the street out. They left the guild master's makeshift outdoor office, Naga looked up from the shady spot she was sleeping in with Pabu and Furry-Foot perking up as well. Korra gestured for them to follow and they made their way back to the tavern.

"So," Mako asked. "Now that we've taken care of that, what're we going to do?"

"I'm not sure," Korra admitted as Naga nuzzled against her arm. "But I do think it's time we started seeing what we can do about helping people out. I mean, I don't think we can stop the wars now, but we can at least deal with the things that aren't getting handled with the fighting." The comment that Tim had made weeks ago in Praven about how justice waned in war rang through her mind.

"Plus," Bolin said, "people are approaching you now. You could probably just wander around and we'll find people looking for help."

"We could try freelance work," Asami suggested. "If nothing else, it'll help us build up some money for when we have a set plan and it could help us get the connections we need. I mean, with this bounty we've pretty much covered the costs of the desert gear, but we might have to grease some wheels to get things done."

"The Avatar isn't a sword for hire, though," Jinora cut in with a frown. "I mean, I'm fine with taking care of bad people, but we shouldn't do it just for money."

"No, the Avatar isn't a sellsword," Korra admitted, "but Calradia doesn't really have the concept, does it? And we can always turn down the reward if the people we're helping need it more than we do."

"Oh, also, Calradia is where you'd set all those stories of wandering heroes and such," Bolin added eagerly as Jinora shrugged. "Enough conflict that the law can't handle it and needs that hero to help." Bolin put a hand on his chin. "You know, if we ever get back I think Varrick could make a few movers out of this kind of thing…"

"How about no," Asami answered coldly as they approached the tavern itself. "Anyways, freelancing isn't a bad way to help people, especially since it'll give us a chance to hear about things that we might not hear if we took up steady work somewhere like joining an army."

"Which I don't think any of us are interested in," Mako noted as they paused at the tavern's door. "Well, we've got until tonight at least since the guild master is gathering that bonus."

"Something wrong?" Korra asked as Mako shifted side to side.

"Just something Viper said about Zolt… maybe it's time to see if I'm able to lightningbend."

"We could head out later, I need to keep practicing my firebending anyways. But right now, let's eat. I'm starving."

XXXXXX

End Chapter

Author's Notes:

- A bit more of a breather chapter, but fleshing out Calradia is something I wanted to do in more detail and part of the reason why this chapter came a little later than usual was that I spent time sitting down and ironing out a very broad history of Calradia. I had to fill in a lot of gaps, so as this goes on there will be 'fanon' going on. For example, Emperor Daryush for the old Calradic Empire is an original character with no canon basis, but has some basis in the Guild Master explanation for the constant wars (every king has a claim on the throne somehow). I chose the name after Darius of the Persian Empire, but actually used the Persian spelling of it (well, Persian spelling with the Roman alphabet). I've ironed out a lot more details, so I'll try to have them crop in, but I don't intend to do pure infodumps. The game, I've found, tends to use thinly disguised versions of real life characters for historical individuals. IE, Alixenus the Great is a knockoff of Alexander the Great.

- On the Sarranids, the whole thing with Shi-Ru was to basically put an answer to that while drawing a parallel and doing a little Avatar worldbuilding as well. Basically, the game abstracts a lot of concepts like logistics. Sure, we need to bring food and money, but otherwise our men march through snow, desert, and gentle plains without complaints in-game. Given that, the Sarranids really are the punching bag faction in most circumstances. Armor is just too light and they don't quite have enough oompf to make up for it. So I tried to rectify that and give them a reason for being so fragile in comparison to their neighbors: they evolved for the warfare of their homeland, and when taken out of that warfare of course they suffer, just as Khergit soldiers suffer when fighting in cities where they can't use their mounts. It's just that in-game, attrition isn't properly portrayed. Not that I blame them; how annoying would it be to lose your high tier troops just because you were marching through the desert?

- That's also why I gave the Krew desert fatigues. They already had winter clothes, but none of them ever had a desert kit. One thing I always liked about Avatar was that other than the Air Nomads, if they went somewhere cold (intentionally) they wore winter clothes. The punchline is that you also need clothes for the desert, just of different design. The fatigues they got would roughly correspond to the Skirmisher Armor in-game and is admittedly the mental image I mainly had with them.

- For those wondering, Badger is meant to be the nickname for the earthbending Triad goon that Korra beat up in "Welcome to Republic City". He never received a name (or if he did the Avatar wiki never recorded it), so I just gave him a nickname the way Viper had his.