AN: Hey there, here I am again with another chapter, and I'll admit it's been a while. But ah well real life gets in the way and I managed to update eventually.
That said, I'll admit I'm not one hundred percent happy with it, but I'm tired. I'm sure I'll make a few tweaks here and there in the future depending on the response and feedback. Mainly though I am starting to think I have messed up the pacing of the story, I feel like I am dragging stuff out to long with character interactions and dialogue.
Either way, here is chapter 15, I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review etc. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to PM me, or if not join my discord. The link is in my bio, and at the bottom of the page.
Also I've had a couple of people PMing me about this, so decided why not. So, if you'd like to become a patron just head on over to Pat re on and add a /Greed720 after the . com. There's no real pressure for this, and there won't be a paywall or anything like that. Just giving the option if people fancy contributing. Either way, whether you do become a patron or just remain a casual reader it's appreciated.
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or Avatar the Last Airbender.
( - )
(Last Time)
"Oh that's clever!" Ty Lee gushed enthusiastically.
"Yes, it is rather." Azula acknowledged with a smirk. "What is even smarter, however, is that I've also now positioned a number of Fire Nation agents in Omashu too. Once we've dealt with the Avatar, our agents should also hopefully have finished sabotaging Omashu's defences, poisoning their water sources, and destroying their food. Once the Avatar is dead, the city will soon follow."
"You don't do things by halves, do you?" Mai smiled.
"No, not normally, and especially not when things are personal." Azula replied, standing up now as she proceeded to leave the palanquin. The first stage of her plan was completed with little in the way of casualties, or inconveniences. Now it was time to prepare for the second stage.
( - )
Chapter 15
( - )
(With Percy)
Percy let out a sigh of faint relief as he felt the shadow of Omashu's large gates slowly enveloped him, even as he felt the wagon he was resting on begin to slow down as they approached they joined the large queue to get into the great walled city.
He was tired.
No, that was an understatement. He was exhausted, more so than he could ever remember being before. He was weary to his very core, far more so than he had been after fighting the armies of Kronos all those years ago, back during the battle of Manhattan.
Likewise, he was even more worn-out than he had been after the eruption of Mount St. Helen's, and back then he had been at the centre of the mountain, and had actually been the catalyst that had set the eruption off. An unfortunate occurrence, but one he had only survived due to the grace of the gods.
This though, if possible, was worse.
Though, that might also be because he ended up leaving the scene of his most recent battle lying injured, and in pain in an uncomfortable wagon; with his equally injured girlfriend clutched to his side, and not on a warm, exotic beach; bathed in sunlight and being looked after by an exotic immortal beauty, like he had been after the Mount St. Helen's incident.
His entire body ached.
He had exerted himself too much, he knew that.
The storm he had summoned to quench the fires, it was far bigger than anything he had ever summoned up before.
The sheer size of the storm he had summoned had been colossal, after all he had had to make it large enough to douse hundreds of forest fires, spread across many thousands of acres of woodland, in minutes before they could grow too large to easily put out.
The effort of summoning the storm had drained him.
Which had only gone to make him sloppy and clumsy in the fight that followed.
The results of the fight he had engaged in after allowing the storm to disperse was evidence enough of the condition he had been in.
He'd managed to defeat the remaining firebenders and soldiers in the end, but it had come at a cost.
His chest was currently bare as he had had to rip off the sodden, dirty remains of his shirt so Suki could use it to bind the nasty gash he had received across the forearm of his last remaining arm. The wound was deep.
The sword that had struck him had taken off a good hunk of flesh, even as it sank nearly to the bone.
If he had been anyone else, then he might have lost the arm, or might've needed to have it amputated.
Fortunately, however, he did have enhanced healing, and so the wound, although serious, was not as debilitating as it could have, should have, been.
The wet shirt he had wrapped around it, initially to stifle the bleeding, had already clotted the wound, and as time passed he could feel the familiar tell-tale tingle in his limbs that told him it was healing as his body naturally absorbed the moisture from the sodden rag and used it to heal him.
It was slower than it would have been had he had more water, or had taken a dip in the sea. But it was working.
It would definitely leave him with a nasty scar, but he would recover.
The same could be said for the shiny pink burn that covered the upper half of his torso, the right side of his neck and his lower right jaw.
His minor fire resistance had protected him for the most part, but not entirely.
Still, it had at least stopped the fire from slewing off his flesh like melted wax.
Instead of serious third degree burns he should have received, he just had minor first degree burns in the areas where the flames were at their most potent.
Those burns too would heal.
Once they returned to the inn they were staying at, he would find some water and wash himself down and scour the muck, sweat, and ash from his body even as he healed the injuries he had picked up.
Still, it had all turned out alright in the end.
The forest fires had all been distinguished, both Suki and himself were alive, and the Fire Nation patrol they had run into had been defeated.
The fight had been short, sharp, and brutal.
But at the end, he'd been the only one left standing, the others had been slain or incapacitated.
The incapacitated one was bound and gagged in the back of the wagon, not far from where the pair of them were resting, even as the wagon driver, a friendly charcoal maker called Po, gave them a lift back to the city.
Letting out a hum at that, Percy glanced down at Suki.
She was currently sleeping, but not peacefully.
Between the two of them, they had also bound her wounds and burns. It was a temporary fix, one that would hopefully last until they could get to a proper medic, and have her injuries seen to by a professional.
Still, she had done an amazing job.
She had faced off against nine trained, armed and armoured soldier, three of whom had been firebenders, and not only had she managed to survive, but she had taken four of them down, and dealt wounds to several of the others.
It was an incredible feat, and as her teacher, he was prouder of her.
As her lover, though, he was concerned.
The burn she had received was serious, as she didn't have his resistance to fire, nor did she have his inbuilt ability to heal. The wounds she had received would definitely scar, but worse than that they could have more serious effects in the future.
Several of her wounds were deep, and in an age without advanced medicine, they could become infected, especially if some dirt or ash had gotten into them.
Fortunately, he had used what little energy he had had left to clean the wounds, and to clot them to stop the blood flow.
But still, it made his heart hurt.
If the firebender had gotten a better hit on her, or if one of the soldier's had dealt a more grievous blow, he could have lost her.
She could have died.
At that thought, he instinctively pulled her closer to him. Her body shifting naturally as she let out an unconscious moan and moulded her body to his.
He didn't know what he would have done if that had happened.
He'd never really thought about it before, but then again, in all their other battles and skirmishes so far, she hadn't been seriously injured, neither of them had.
In all honesty, it made him worry.
Suki was strong and skilled, he knew that without a shadow of a doubt.
But she was also a normal mortal, and thus fragile, or at least compared to him or element benders. She didn't have the strength or durability of a demigod, nor the elemental powers of a bender.
Instead, she just had her skill and her wits, both of which were formidable in normal circumstances.
But a warzone was not normal circumstances, nor was fighting against firebenders.
Or at least, not for the two of them.
Back on Kyoshi they had only had to worry about pirates and bandits.
Easy, unskilled opponents that could be dominated in a fight.
Here, though, they were against both well-armed, trained and seasoned soldiers, and highly experienced, well armoured firebenders.
It wasn't the same.
Percy frowned at that thought.
He would need to up their training.
Over the years of relative peace, he'd gotten lazy.
He didn't train as much as he used to, nor did he try to develop his abilities as much.
He'd gotten used to the peace and tranquillity of Kyoshi, he'd lost his edge.
Suki too, to a lesser extent, had done the same.
She had been one of the most skilled on the island with a blade, and in combat.
When they were still living on the island she had had few proper challengers, and without proper challenges she'd stopped growing and improving as much as she initially had when he first arrived.
Their occasional bout had been useful to her, but she'd long since gotten used to his style of combat, just as he'd gotten used to hers, especially since she'd started to absorb some of his fighting style and moves into her own developing style.
They both needed to up their training, especially when it came to fighting against benders.
Once they were recovered, he would mention it to her, not that he was concerned about her having a negative response.
He knew her well enough by now to know that she'd take his suggestion as a challenge and rise to the occasion.
A fond smile spread across his face at that thought, even as he gently moved a lock of her hazel coloured hair behind her ear.
He really didn't know what he would do if he lost her.
Percy frowned at that thought, he knew what else he needed to do.
Waterbenders, or at least the more skilled and spiritually open waterbenders, were apparently able to heal.
The traders at Kyoshi had told him that much.
The exact hows and whys of how they did this, he wasn't sure of, but it had something to do with the Spirits and the unique way waterbender's wielded their water.
If both he and Suki were to continue their travels than he needed to learn how they did it, after all if he could heal himself with water, then surely he should be able to heal others?
That said, there was a chance he might not be able to, after all he had already seen from his brief training session with Aang and Katara how their techniques differed; the way they controlled water, and the pool of energy they used to manipulate water were nothing like what he was used too.
But there was still a chance he could learn the skill.
Either way, there was only one way to find out for sure, and that was by going north.
He would need to find a waterbending master.
Then again, that had actually been one of the reasons they had been travelling to the North Pole and the Northern Water Tribe resided there.
Ever since he had first learned of waterbenders, he had had an innate curiosity about just how they did what they did, and about how he might learn from their techniques to refine his skill set.
Before, however, it had been due to curiosity.
Now, though, it was a necessity.
Unfortunately, the North Pole was many hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away from where they were now.
Percy rubbed his eyes at that thought, frustrated.
They had a long way to go, and a lot of land and an entire ocean to travel across.
Still, he smiled wryly, at least it would be an adventure.
"Hold!" One of the guards at the gate suddenly shouted out, breaking him from his thoughts, even as the wagon trundled to a halt in response.
Carefully relaxing his grip on his girlfriend, Percy slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, his eyes narrowing slightly as he scowled over at the familiar guard blocking their passage.
It was the same asshole guard as the other day, only now he was backed up by two dozen fellow soldiers, all of them earthbenders from the looks of it, and all of them barefoot and wearing dome like green helmets, and green tabards with the golden sigil of the Earth Kingdom stamped on the front over the tops of their beige uniform.
Glancing around, he could see that the gates to Omashu were busy, far more so than they had been before.
Hundreds of people were currently queuing to get into the fortified city. Many of them, he could see, were driving wagons, but others were also on foot and from the looks of it were carrying as many of their belongings as possible as they fled to the city with their families.
Just looking around, he could see that there was an air of danger and desperation in the area.
The people at the gates looked scared and frightened.
From where he was kneeling he could see adults comforting their children, even as they themselves often looked back over their shoulders at the dozens of dark plumes of smoke in the distance, all of which were still very visible despite the fires that caused them having long since extinguished.
"Who's in the wagon?" The guard demanded, his coarse, impatient voice dragging Percy's attention back to him.
"Percy?" Suki asked from beside him, blinking her eyes blearily as she woke up.
"It's okay, we're about to enter the city." Percy said, gently brushing some of her hair out of her eyes, as he sent her a tired smile.
Suki nodded, even as she gingerly pushed herself up and into a sitting position.
Both of them were now in view, and judging by the reactions of the guards eyeing them, their injuries, including their burns, had been noticed.
"Found them stumbling along the road, and gave them a lift." Po piped up cheerfully, sending Percy a jovial, gap-toothed smile, before looking back at the guard and gesturing over his shoulder at the bound Fire Nation soldier. "And they caught themselves a little flamer too on the way. Looked in a right state, they did. Thought it only right that I give'em a ride to town. The pair of them were in a right sorry state that they were, they could barely walk, so I thought hey Po you're headin' this way anyway, so why not?"
"You have a prisoner?" The guard asked sharply, his eyes narrowing as he ignored Po's rambling and stomped up to the wagon.
"We ran into a Fire Nation patrol." Percy said, pushing himself up and out of the wagon, his booted feet hit the damp ground with a wet thud. As he landed, he could feel his entire body sag, another wave of exhaustion flooding through him, even as he forced himself to appear strong and fit.
The city guards, from his past experience, were assholes.
If they saw a hint of weakness, they'd likely try and throw their weight around.
"We were putting out some of the fires and were attacked. We fought them off and captured one, thought he'd be useful to interrogate." Percy said, leaning casual against the side of the wagon as he tried to retain his strong façade.
From his periphery, he could see Suki slowly climbing off of the wagon too.
"Take him." The guard said, gesturing at the bound man. At his command, two of his fellow guards moved to secure the man. "This man is now a prisoner of Omashu. Your assistance has been noted."
"Thanks," Percy replied dryly, his hand clenching into a fist at the man's attitude.
The man gave him a curt nod in response, his eyes narrowing in recognition. "I remember you."
"Well, it was only the other day." Percy shot back sarcastically.
Suki grabbed his arm in response, partly to still his tongue, and partly, so she could lean on him.
"I see a lot of people each day," The guard replied dismissively, before he waved to one of the other guards, even as two of his men bungled the prisoner off the back of the cart. "Let them in!"
Forcing a smile on his face, Percy gave the man a curt nod, before turning to Po. "Thanks for the ride."
"Ah think nothing of it, happy to help. You gave the flamers a good beating, the least I could do was give you a ride." Po waved him off cheerfully. His hands tugging on the reigns of the ostrich-horse pulling the cart as he slowly manoeuvred the wagon around, so he could head off again, idly ignoring the grumbling and complaints of the other people trying to get into the city as he did so.
Giving another nod, both he and Suki then headed into the city, the gigantic walls ahead shifting and moving in front of them as the earthbenders opened the wall so that all those approved for entry could enter.
"Huh, so you helped the Avatar put out the fires, then?" One of the guards asked as he led them through the cavernous gateway, his expression curious as he looked them up and down.
Percy imagined that the two of them didn't look all that impressive right now, considering they were both injured and covered in both ash and grime.
"In a way. I'm a waterbender, and so thought I could be useful. So, after we met up with him, the Avatar gave us a lift out there on his sky bison, and then headed off to the furthest fires." Percy said after a moment. "We split off from each other pretty early on."
"Have they returned, though, the Avatar and his friends that is?" Suki chipped in, her voice filled with concern.
"Yes, and they've already caused chaos." The guard grumbled, rolling his eyes,
"How so?" Percy frowned.
"They were caught using the city's delivery system," The guard gestured at one of the many stone chutes that criss-crossed the city, on each of which Percy could see ran a number of goods laden stone carts, each of which were rapidly propelled around the city through, what he guessed, was a combination of eartbending and gravity. "As a slide."
"As a slide?" Suki asked, craning her neck up as she looked at the colossal slide like structures which ran from the very top of the city, which sat at the peak of the mountain many hundred metres above them, all the way down to the lowlands where they now stood. "Impressive."
"Stupid, more like," The guard shot back with a scowl. "Those idiots caused mayhem. Things were already bad enough with the number of parasitic refugees we're having to clothe, house and feed. But then the Avatar decides to play around and disrupt the flow of goods and supplies. It's caused a logistical nightmare, and we're all having to do overtime to catch up."
Percy had to hold back a grimace.
Although the network of stone chutes did look like a very fun, if also very uncomfortable, slide. He could also emphasise with the guards and the city administrators.
Considering the crowds at the gates, and the sheer number of people in the packed streets, the city was obviously nearly at capacity. The sheer amount of work that was needed to direct, feed and house the sheer number of refugees must have been staggering. Which is probably why the guard, and probably many others for that matter, were pissed off after Aang and his friends, through ignorance not malice, had just added to the workload.
He was all for having fun and messing around, but over the years he had learned that things like that had their time and place.
Now wasn't that time, though.
"Sounds annoying." Percy muttered.
The guard gave him a sideways glance, even as they finally entered the city along with several dozen other people that had been vetted.
"Yeah, but fortunately, they got caught and sent to see King Bummi. I doubt anything would happen, what with the brat being the Avatar, but it still sends a strong message to the rest of the filth. If you cause trouble in the city, prepare to be punished for it. I just hope the king makes an example of the two brats with the Avatar. He might not be able to do anything to the 'world's last remaining hope'" The guard spat on the ground at that comment. "But the other two are just Water Tribe savages. Give them a good flogging, I say, and send them on their way, that'll send a message."
Percy felt his hand tighten into a fist as at the guard's words.
He was very tempted to punch the racist shit in the face.
"That's not very tolerant of you, you know?" Suki spoke up, her voice cold. "Especially after those 'Water Tribe savages' just helped to put out the fire threatening your city."
"Like I give a shit." The guard shot back dismissively, his gaze resting on Percy for a moment as he no doubt remembered that he was a 'waterbender'. "For all I know, the Avatar might've set those fires himself just so he can put them out and play at being the hero. The Avatar's suspicious as hell if you ask me. He ups and disappears for a hundred years and then waltz back into our lives like nothing's changed, and the moment he does, suddenly everything goes to shit, very suspicious."
"Well, luckily no one is asking you." Suki said, her voice practically artic as she grabbed Percy's hand, her grip tight as she started to tug him away from the guard.
"Hn, whatever," The guard grunted, turning away. "Hey you filthy, mud-grubbing bumpkins, move your illiterate asses, I've not got all day!"
"What a horrible human being," Suki muttered as they two of them quickly joined the crowd, her expression thunderous as she pulled them towards the inn they were staying at.
Percy nodded.
The guard might've been stressed and having a bad day, but there was no justification for his attitude.
It seemed things here weren't as rosy as people seemed to believe.
They were certainly worse than he had initially thought.
From what he could see, the pressure from the influx of new refugees was already beginning to take its toll on the city's resources and its residents, and that pressure was only going to get worse as more and more refugees were driven into the city by the Fire Nation.
He could already see it.
There was only a finite amount of space in the wall city, especially with its natural defence, the gigantic chasm that surrounded the city. Omashu could only physically spread out so far before it hit the edge of the mountain, at which point the earthbenders would then either have to start eroding the cities natural defences in order to create new space for buildings, or the newcomers would have to be turned away.
Neither option was palatable, and that wasn't taking into account the impact on food, water and medicine, which he imagined were already stretched thin, or the increased threat of disease spreading within the massively overcrowded and densely packed city.
It wasn't sustainable.
Something would have to give, and unfortunately judging on what he had seen of the guards and city administrators so far whatever did happen wouldn't be in the best interests of those seeking safety behind the city's defences.
He already dreaded to think of what the future held for Omashu and its populace.
He could only hope that the king, this King Bummi, wasn't as cynical, twisted and ignorant as those who ran the city for him.
A thin hope considering what little he knew of his own world's history when it came to kings and emperors.
Power corrupts, and absolute powers corrupts absolutely.
"What do you reckon will happen to Aang, Katara and Sokka?" Percy asked, his mind flicking back to the trio of well-meaning but foolish kids, at the thought of the king and his possible incompetence or corruption.
His knowledge of this world and its culture was not all that expansive.
He knew a lot about Kyoshi itself, and bits and pieces about the Northern Water Tribe and the other Nations from travelling merchants that visited the island. He knew the absolute basics. But that was as far as his knowledge went.
Unlike Suki, he hadn't grown up in this world, nor had he had an official education.
Everything he had picked up from word of mouth at the docks, and from conversations he had had with Suki and the other islanders.
He wasn't all that knowledgeable about the culture or politics of this world, though, aside from the broad strokes in regards to the war.
"I'm not sure, but I really don't think anything serious will happen." Suki replied after a moment of thought, slipping her arm beneath his as the two of them started to walk uphill, the pair of them still hobbling as they pushed their way through the thronging crowds.
They both definitely needed a trained healer to look over their injuries.
"You reckon?" Percy asked.
"He's the Avatar, and despite what some people think, that title is highly respected, practically worshipped by some. I mean, people have been waiting for generations for him to return to the world and bring balance and peace. If the king ordered him imprisoned or executed, there would be riots on the streets. He wouldn't have the guts to do it, not if he wanted to stay in power." Suki shook her head, her voice full of confidence.
"Let's hope he doesn't punish the other two in Aang's stead then." Percy muttered. Like the guard had said before, sometimes examples were needed in order to keep the populace in line. He just hoped that Sokka and Katara didn't become this example. "We're not in any shape to help break them out."
"Would you even bother if you could?" Suki asked suddenly.
Percy blinked in surprise at the question. "Yes of course."
"Huh," Suki hummed.
She looked pleasantly surprised by his answer.
He felt his stomach sink slightly at her expression.
Did she really think so little of him?
Did she think he would just stand by and watch as two young teens were cruelly punished?
Especially two young teens who were obviously integral to helping the Avatar to become his best self.
"Did you think otherwise?" Percy asked after a moment.
"Well, I mean, I know you don't think much of Aang. You think he's childish and immature, and in a way you're right. But you also don't seem to think much of the title of Avatar either, you seem to think it's ceremonial, that he's a figurehead only. So, I guess yeah, I didn't think you'd stick your neck out for Aang and his friends, not unless they were in very real danger of being killed." Suki said, her voice soft and her words carefully chosen.
"I don't dislike Aang. I think he's can do a lot of good once he grows up and becomes strong enough to actually make a real difference." Percy said with a frown, and he was being honest. Aang seemed like a good kid; if a little overeager and excitable. He was immature definitely, but he meant well, and probably would go on to do a lot of good. "I don't resent him, but I don't like the idea of the Avatar. I think it's flawed to rely on a single person to solve all the world's problems. Not only because that amount of pressure would crush anyone single person, irregardless of how powerful they are."
Suki frowned, but didn't outright dispute his words.
Heartened by this, Percy pressed on. "But I also don't like the idea of the Avatar because reliance on just a single strong person has a negative impact on the development of society. If you rely on one person or group to solve all your problems and never take on the responsibility yourself, then you grow fat, lazy and weak. You stop growing and developing, as what's the point when the Avatar is there to solve all your problems. And when he doesn't show, well, you just have to look around and see the results. The Avatar disappears, and then not long after, one Nation throws the entire world into a war that has lasted a hundred years and killed countless people. That wouldn't have happened if people hadn't been so reliant on the Avatar saving the day. Instead, if people had been stronger, and hadn't stagnated back then, and if they were better trained and prepared and had just stood up and fought back as hard as they are doing now, well, then things wouldn't have gotten as bad as they are."
"While I don't exactly disagree with everything you've said, I do don't agree with all of it." Suki said after a moment.
Percy nodded at her words, it was an opinion he suspected many would share, after all he wasn't born into this world or its culture, and as such he was an outside observer looking in, one who was maybe a little biased due to his own personal experiences back in his original world.
"The Avatar's job isn't to solve all worlds' problems or disputes, nor is he supposed to be a mighty warrior who uses force to ensure peace among the Nations. From what I was taught of Avatar Kyoshi, her prime purpose was to ensure the balance, both among the Nations and between the Spirit World and the human world using diplomacy, and force only when necessary. Violence and force was never her first option. It is why Kyoshi Island was created. Back then the village, her village, was threatened by a tyrannical warlord who brought his armies to invade Kyoshi and to force her to bend to his will. Avatar Kyoshi though, instead of slaughtering the army that threatened her home like she could have, instead broke Kyoshi Island off of the mainland and created the island." Suki explained as they came to a stop, and rested against the wall of a nearby building.
"But didn't that still leave the issue of the tyrannical warlord though?" Percy asked confused. That sounded more like avoiding a problem, then facing it head on and sorting it out.
"After that failure he never caused trouble again, and instead faded from history even as his army disbanded, and his general fell to infighting. She didn't use her power to slaughter his army, but instead brought an end to his threat in a different way. Which is why I've always viewed the Avatar as a symbol of balance, someone that is beholden to no Nation or Kingdom, but who is instead neutral, and whose duty it is to bring balance and peace to the world. I don't see the Avatar as god-like warrior, nor as a leader. But instead as an advisor and symbol of peace and hope." Suki continued. "And a lot of people think the same. Which is why Aang is needed, not because he's powerful, but because of what he represents, hope. His return has brought with it hope; hope that the war will end, hope that things will start getting better, and that same hope is lifting people's spirits and giving them a renewed reason to fight and die to bring about peace."
Percy frowned.
He could see the point she was trying to make, but at the same time, it was difficult to separate Suki's view of the Avatar from his own view. All too much he was reminded of how he was treated as the child of the Prophecy, of how he and the Seven were treated by their fellow demigods, and in some ways be the gods themselves.
He was biased, he knew.
But so was Suki in many ways, after all she had been brought up on glorified stories of Avatar Kyoshi, the person her village was named after. Stories that obviously showed her in the best of lights, and probably skipped over the murkier aspects of her history.
Letting out a sigh, Percy nodded. "I think I understand a bit more now. I can't say I fully agree, but… well, I don't disagree either, some of what you say does make sense."
Suki smiled at him. "We don't always have to agree, you know. We're not joined at the hip or anything."
Percy sent her a wry smile at that, even as he looked down at how they were both propping one another up.
He was exhausted and bone-weary, she meanwhile was also tired and badly injured.
As they were now, neither of them were able to stand, let alone walk without the aid of the other.
"We should get going. We need rest." Percy said as he broke her gaze and instead looked around at the crowd streets. The sun was setting and twilight would soon be upon them.
Suki nodded her agreement. "And what about Aang and the others?"
"As you said before they're probably not going to execute him, and I honestly doubt they'd execute the others not just for causing a bit of trouble, so if they're not free by the morning, we can see what' happening, and if necessary try and break them out then." Percy replied.
"And the Fire Nation? We never did get to scout out their position?" Suki pressed.
"We took a prisoner, though, and I'm sure the army is competent enough that they can extract the location of the Fire Nation forces from him." Percy shrugged. In the end he had decided that putting out the fires before they spread too far, or became too uncontrollable, was more important than scouting out the enemy. In hindsight though, that might have been a mistake, after all despite taking out a patrol, there was still probably an enemy force out there, and if they could set fires once, then they could almost certainly do it again.
"Well, considering the state of the city guard, I'm not so sure." Suki replied dryly.
"Well, I suppose that's something we can look into tomorrow too. Once we find Aang, we'll try and get some answers. The best case scenario though, is that they've retreated after their gambit failed." Percy said as he pushed himself off the wall, and the two of them continued on down the busy street.
Thankfully, the inn was now in sight, and hopefully the room they had rented was still theirs.
"We should be so lucky." Suki muttered, before giving him a sideways look. "I thought we were going to leave the city soon?"
"And we will, but we need to get Aang first, after all he did offer us a ride north." Percy sighed.
He'd initially forgotten about that little titbit.
"Oh yeah, with everything that's happened, I forgot about that." Suki laughed weakly. "Yet another reason to spring him if he does get imprisoned, I suppose."
Percy nodded at that, even as they made it to the inn and stumbled inside.
"Oh my!" Suu Min, the landlady, gasped as she caught sight of them. "What happened to you two?"
"We were putting out all those forest fires and got into a scrap with the Fire Nation." Percy smiled stiffly. What else could he say considering the state they were in?
Suu Min blinked at that for a moment, before she turned and shouted for her husband, Lee. "Well, come in, come in. Lee will help you to get comfortable, and I'll try and get you a healer, it looks like you need one!"
Smiling at her concern, Percy allowed Lee to put his arm beneath his own and take his weight, even as Suu Min went to help Suki.
From around them, Percy could see several of the other occupants of the inn already standing to help as well.
The inn was packed, he could see that there were certainly more people here than there had been the night before.
Despite that, however, the people still moved to help several of them helping the two of them into seats at the bar, even as Suu Min bustled around looking for fresh bandages, and her husband returned with a bowl of steaming hot water.
Letting out a sigh as he grabbed a nearby towel and dipped it in the hot water, Percy slowly began to wipe the sweat and ash off his body, even as Lee unwrapped the makeshift bandage around his arm.
The cut was still deep and was covered in crusted blood, but it had healed a lot now. So much so that it had already pretty much scabbed over, even as an older woman, a complete stranger to him, came up and started to gently wash it for him.
"That's healed fast." Lee muttered, as he put a strong glass of spirit down in front of Percy.
"Waterbender." Percy replied with a tired shrug. "I can use water to heal myself, not sure how to use it to heal others. It's why you should focus on helping, Suki"
"Huh, handy. I didn't know waterbenders could do that." Lee muttered, his brow furrowing as he glanced over and saw his wife and a couple of others tending to Suki
"Lee, I thought I told you to get a healer. Lin should be back home by now, and she's always happy to help." Suu Min called as she felt her husband's eyes on her and looked up. "Get another bowl of hot water too if you can, they're both covered in ash and dirt and blood and all manner of other unpleasantness."
"Oh you really don't have to, you've already done so much for us." Suki tried to say, only for Suu Min to wave her away.
"Nonsense, the two of you are heroes for trying to put out those fires." Suu Min waved her away.
"Looks like you got in a fight too, though." One of the other patrons at the inn said.
Reaching out with his injured but now cleaned up arm, Percy grabbed the cup of strong alcohol and downed it with a single gulp, before gasping as he felt the burning liquid slide down his throat. "We ran into a patrol of Fire Nation soldiers and firebenders. They were probably the ones who set some of the fires. They didn't take well to us putting them out."
Those around them muttered at those words, several of them sounded frightened.
"Fire Nation, you say?" Suu Min asked abruptly, her dark eyes gleaming with interest. "Did you beat them?"
"All but one, him we took prisoner and dropped off with the guards at the gate." Suki answered.
Those around them let out a slight cheer at that, the mood buoying up slightly at the revelation.
"Wait, you two managed to beat a firebender?" The same man as before asked, his tone filled with doubt.
"Three of them." Percy said, raising three fingers as he did so. "None of them survived."
Yet more muttering followed that statement.
"Lee, Lee, you'll never guess what happened!" Suu Min erupted in response, her attention no longer on Percy and Suki as she instead looked to the doorway, even as her husband re-entered, a wizened old woman with a small canvas bag on her shoulder following behind.
Grimacing as he heard Suu Min retell what she had just heard, Percy could hear others in the inn, doing the same. Some of the occupants he could see were cheering and drinking to their victory, even as others continued gossiping about what they had just heard.
Watching as the old woman, presumably Lin, bustled her way to the exhausted looking Suki, Percy could only hope the word of what happened didn't spread too far.
( - )
(With Azula)
"He's not coming," Azula said coldly as she looked out at the distant forest.
She'd had waited been at the wall for several hours now, watching the horizon, her golden eyes trailing across the smoke plumes and over to the distant city of Omashu.
There had been no sign of the Avatar yet, nor of the Earth Kingdom's armies.
It was possible news of Quinlan's capture had not spread yet, after all, the Earth Kingdom's forces were nowhere near as advanced or well-trained as the Fire Nations. They were practically a local auxiliary made up of farmers and potters. They were the complete opposite of the trained soldiers that made up the Fire Nation's forces. But still, she had expected at least some modicum of competence, especially after she had sent several of the Fire Nation's newest citizens loose to spread the word of the town's fall, and yet there had been nothing.
"No, princess, the scouts have found no sign." The captain behind her bowed his head. "There's been no word from them at all, in fact."
"They're missing?" Azula asked, shifting her gaze to the captain, the intensity of it forcing him to take a step back.
"I-I suppose, but it's n-not been that long. T-they might still return." The captain replied nervously.
"Maybe," Azula said softly, her gaze once again on the forest. "Or, maybe the Avatar is both smarter, and more ruthless and cold-blooded than I at first thought."
"Princess?" The captain asked, his voice holding a faint tremor.
"It seems the Avatar is not rushing to take the bait. Which only means that we will need to try harder to lure him in." Azula continued, speaking her thoughts out loud as she looked back at the town. Her soldiers had pacified the residents and set them to work on reinforcing the defences. Mai and Ty Lee she could see were currently dining outside what had once been the town hall. Her firebenders, meanwhile, were running through drills, even as her pet earthbender and three pet waterbenders did their own drills.
"What are your orders, Princess?" The captain bowed.
"I know how to force the Avatar's hand. Bring me Temujin, Ling, Xiou and Mako." Azula said, a slight smile playing around her mouth as her idea slowly evolved into a plan, and a very wicked one at that. She'd need her colonial soldiers to pull it off, but if the plan was successful, not only would it force the Avatar to face her, but it would also sound the death knell for the great walled city of Omashu as well.
( - )
AN: So what did you think? Please leave a review, comment etc. If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to PM me. We'll probably be leaving Omashu in the next chapter or two and then heading north as the journey starts again, so that'll be good. So if you like the story, you've got that to look forward too.
Also I am on a discord with a load of other writers, so if you fancy popping over to ask questions or offer suggestions about this story, or any of my other ones, or to find new authors you might not have come across yet, please feel free to use this link: ueJFynDNGG
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you later.
Greed720.