Kyana
"Kyana," Zane explained something alien to me, "badgermoles aren't aggressive. Don't fight them, that's a sure way we'll never see that key. We need to gain their trust, and they will show us the way."
Zane could be dumb sometimes, but when it really mattered, he could pull it together. He had a lot of reverence for his ancestors, and at some point in time, his ancestors learned from the badgermoles. When they approached, they waited. They did not strike. Zane took a deep breath and moved into a stance I'd never seen before.
"Follow my lead."
I copied his stance, and the badgermoles reacted. We bowed and waited until the badgermoles approached us further. When they put their claws together, they turned around and walked away from the shrine. I was suspicious of this, but what was I gonna do? These were the keepers of the vault.
They took us around the back of the landmark and underground. There was a labyrinth of pathways. Even if someone found this place, they would never be able to get to the key without help. There were places where the badgermoles lowered secret passages and things of that nature.
Eventually, we came to a giant room. There were multiple trials for an earthbender to pass before reaching the key, which was at the top of a giant, pure platinum pedestal. I just stood there and watched as Zane made his way to the top using dozens of moves like making rock shelves, climbing vertical walls, and metalbending. Before today, I'd never seen him use metalbending. I didn't even know he could bend metal.
When the hell did that happen!? It was all I could think about until we were halfway to Tunisia with the key. "Kyana, it's not a big deal. It was forever until you told me about your bloodbending."
"Yeah, cause I thought you'd freak out and never talk to me again!"
"That's ridiculous. I was scared as fuck, sure, but I'm still here, aren't I?"
Guess so. Good to have one true friend. "Right. But you metalbending could've been so helpful in the past."
"What's done is done."
"Alright, alright. So when we get to Africa, we're just gonna lay low and wait for Zero and his dumb friend to show up."
"Sounds like a plan."
We were walking through the southern part of Saudi Arabia when I realized we were doing just that. Walking.
"Do you have a problem with bending us the rest of the way there," I ask.
He shot me a look. I guess that meant we were walking all the way there. It was about 8 hours later when finally reached the Red Sea, and I could take over. By the time we got across and into Egypt I'd had enough. I was so tired of walking, and really tired in general that I would've bothered Zane until he gave in, but then I saw an even better option. Last time I'd checked, Africa wasn't exactly leading producer of sports cars, but when I saw one unattended on the beach, I didn't question it.
"Zane, can you bend the ignition so the car starts?"
Nodding signified that he could, and did.
"See how helpful your metalbending is?" I smiled for the first time since seeing the waterfall in Xinjiang. Driving this stolen car was one of the most exhilarating feelings. Going about 95 over the terrain in Africa wasn't a difficult feat.
"Do you always drive like that?"
"Only when I'm bored."
"Well, lets hope you don't get bored when you're near any cars in the future."
Finding the monument in Tunisia wasn't the easiest thing in the world. Knowing the coordinates meant nothing without a map. We drove for another 5 hours before finally coming to the consensus that this museum must be it, despite looking nothing like a secure vault. Either way, all that was left to do was wait, and I was glad because I was so damn tired it wasn't even funny.
Sleeping in a sports car in a bright parking lot is surprisingly more comfortable than you might think. It was the perfect place to think about how to get Zero on my side. I would have to if I wanted to get the key from the Monk's Vault. I'm sure only Zero could get that information out of his friend. I'd think of something before it was too late. But for now, I let myself try to rest.
I woke up without a clue, aimlessly watching the sun rise. The sun. I had a feeling Zero would show up sometime soon. That kid was at least smart enough to face us during his time of day. I decided to put the key from the vault in a place nobody would find. I would've told Zane to hold it, but he wasn't the best with important stuff. I sat there waiting, knowing today was the day.
This should be interesting.
