Happy new year!

I did this in the third person this time. If you prefer it this way then just tell me.

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Metal bending itself wasn't that complicated. It was still technically earth bending. Just on a smaller scale, and with a lot more individual objects to bend.

But that was where the similarities stopped.

Earth bending involved moving very substantial things. An earth bender could feel the earth beneath him and interact with it as he forced it from the ground. But metal bending involved forcing so many... particles... rather than large stones. And that was very out of Cheng's, and every earth benders, element. There was no feeling of the earth moving to his will on objects so small because they hardly required force to move. And the same way he couldn't feel the air around a stone, Cheng couldn't feel the metal around the particles of earth for hints on how to exert his will on them. So without being able to see the earth, or feel the earth, bending was difficult.

Sure it could be done. But finding the particulates in the metal took moments of poking and prodding with his will until something responded. Moments that would cost him if he tried using metal bending when hunting down bounties.

Sure he had shown off a bit in front of June, but that had taken a ton of concentration that caused him to nearly lose track of the conversation.

And so Cheng stood surrounded by individual chain links littered on the ground around him. The sabertooth moose lion charging towards him all but ignored.

When the angry mother finally got within range. The scraps of metal scattered about the clearing all came to life.

'Come on...' sweat trickled down Cheng's nose as he focused on the metal swirling around him in the air. In front of him was a chain of six links. Not nearly long enough to tangle up the angry mothers legs and have it stop charging him. "Fuck!" He rolled to the side with an exclamation and ducked behind a tree until the moose lion had passed through the clearing.

It's attention apparently directed towards the patch of grass it was chewing on. Cheng gathered his things dejectedly at another failed attempt.

"If this is how it's going to be then I might as well stick to earth bending..." Metal bending, as Cheng had dubbed it, was just too difficult. It needed too much precision and focus to be practical in a fight. Too much feeling around, searching, and testing before any successful bending could be done. Especially if he wanted to change the shape of the metal.

He gathered the rest of his belongings , but decided to leave the dismantled metal chain rather than carry the weight on his back.

A grumbling stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten since the lop-eared rabbit he caught the day before. With that thought he started the long walk to the inn he was told about by a passerby.

It came into view after not long walking. Hardly even an inn. It was a small building with smoke billowing from the chimney, surrounded by near twenty small tents.

Inside the building looked much better. Animal heads, skin pelts, weapons, and tools lined the walls. And tables filled the room, nearly every seat taken by burly men with weapons on their belts, or chubby merchants in fancy and well kept clothes that didn't belong. Yet every man laughed loudly with the one next to him.

Since all the chairs at the tables were taken, Cheng sat on a stool at the front counter where a small woman cleaned glasses and conversed with a man who he thought was in too formal a uniform for a place like this. "Please let it be known known that I am looking for someone well versed in the ways of the spirits. Senlin has already lost a number of it's citizens, this cannot continue!"

In a small lapse in their conversation he asked for food and drink and got back to listening. The man looked Cheng up and down before turning back to the woman. "Just... if you could ask around. I know you left senlin, but please...?"

"What is it you're looking for, old man?" Cheng had turned in his chair to face the man.

"I doubt you would be able to help. I've hired a number of very capable mercenaries. Be they benders or not, they were all just abducted to spirits know where."

"Just... humor me."

He sighed and gave cheng a tired look before he started speaking again. "My village. Senlin is a ways up this path and is in dire need of help. A spirit beast has been terrorizing us for weeks now. A giant, six legged, black and white monster. It has already kidnapped some of my citizens. So I have come here personally to ask the help of anyone who can communicate with it."

They sat in silence for a moment before Cheng slapped his knees. "That's some tough shit. Yep, you were right I wouldn't be of any help"

The man threw his hands up in exasperation and pushed on his eyes with the heels of his palms. "I don't know what to do! How rarely do you come across a spirit adept!"

After silently watching for the entire conversation, the bartender decided to speak up "Very rarely, father. But I will ask every person who I come in contact with. At least one person has to have some information."

Between bites, Cheng spoke up as well. "I'll keep an eye out for you. Send anyone I might find your way."

"Thank you, stranger. What is your name?..."

Cheng wiped the grease from his hand onto his shirt before sticking it out. "Cheng. And yours?"

"Lingdao, leader of senlin village. But you probably deduced that already..."

"And you, daughter of Lingdau, leader of senlin?"

"Oh don't do that. My name is Niu, bartender." She dried her hands quickly and gave one to Cheng.

"My daughter never liked being the leaders daughter, even if we were such a small village. So she came here and started this inn all on her own. Clever idea, using tents in this warm climate rather than building an entire complex."

Niu flicked a bit of water at her father with a grin on her face.

"And I couldn't be more proud of her for it!"

"So, where is senlin exactly?"

The bartender spoke up before her father could get a word in "It's about about days walk east of here. You'll go left at the only fork you come across, and then left again at the next turn you encounter. It's a fairly secluded village, so you won't see anything but trees for an while."

"Oh no. I'm not asking for directions there. I want to avoid it. People are getting abducted into the spirit world? I'll stay away from that, thank you." They both deadpaned ant Cheng for ant moment before he felt the need to continue "look, I'm sorry about what's happening to your village. But we already established that I won't be any help, right? I'll go somewhere else, and look for spirit adepts on the way. Senlin wasn't my destination to start with."

The man sighed again and rubbed his face, loosening some hairs from the bun on top of his head in the process. "What is your destination, cheng?" Cheng looked at him with a raised eyebrow for a moment. "I'm only trying to make conversation. An excuse to stay away from my village for a few moments longer"

"Makes sense. I don't really have a destination. The spirit world just isn't one I'm headed towards. I picked up a skill recently, along with a hefty bounty, so I'm travelling for a while to hide and practice."

The man seemed to recoil at the mention of a bounty, but calmed down when his daughter didn't react. She seemed to rifle through something under the counter for a moment then placed a paper in front of Cheng. "This you?"