Chapter 10: Omashu
The gang flew for roughly 2 days, and were currently stopped at a small water basin for a much needed break. Aang and Katara practiced their Waterbending, cycling through various forms that were listed in the scroll Paku had gifted them. Sokka, on the other hand, lounged about in the water. "Sokka", Trunks called.
Lifting the leaf from his face, he looked over at the half saiyan. "Yeah?", he replied.
"You know, you should really do some training instead of lounging about all the time. I could teach you some of the martial arts I was taught you know".
"Whaaat? I train!". His sister rolled her eyes at the notion. Trunks laughed, shaking his head, before getting back to his practice.
He spread his stance, crouching a little, and then kicked an arc of fire through the air. Jumping back, Trunks spun his arm to form a fire whip, smashing it into the boulder he'd set up. Releasing the fire, he took a breath, content with his performance.
'I should probably practice my Waterbending', he thought. "Hey, Katara, can you give me your hand for a second". Trunks held his hand out, motioning for the girl to copy.
Katara looked confused, but complied nonetheless, holding out her left hand. Trunks gave her palm a touch, and they both felt a small jolt pass through them. "Woah", Katara gasped.
Trunks shifted his stance again, moving more fluidly this time, and raising a torrent of water. "Alright! Aang, Katara, let's spar".
"Wait, wh-", Aang barely spat out. Trunks blasted twin streams at the two, practically hosing them, hoping to catch them off guard. Aang dodged the blast, leaping over it, while Katara dispersed it with a swat of her hands.
"Really Trunks? You've gotten rusty", she teased. Sweeping her feet, Katara froze his ankles into the shallow water, allowing Aang to move in with a couple of blasts aimed at the half saiyan's chest.
"Guess I've been so focused on Firebending that I neglected waterbending, Master Paku would be furious". Crossing his arms Trunks blocked the attack, shattering the ice at his feet with a quick strike.
Knowing close combat was his field, Trunks coated his fists with water, blitzing Aang with a burst of speed. With a few quick jabs, Aang's arms and legs were covered in ice, immobilising him. "you're out", Trunks declared.
"Yep, g-guess s-s-so", the Avatar shivered. Trunks chuckled, thawing Aang out of the ice before dunking him into the water.
"Don't forget about me!", Katara shouted. Turning quickly, Trunks narrowly avoided four icicles speeding toward him. Keeping the pressure, she wrapped a tendril around his waist, flailing him into the ground.
"Ouch, that might leave a bruise!", Trunks grinned. "Quick time out!". He got to his feet, cracking his neck, and tying up his lavender hair into a ponytail.
Katara brushed her own hair out from her eyes, smiling. "Finally taking this seriously?".
"Can't hold back against you".
There was a splash. Trunks' foot arched through the water, a spray blinding Katara to create a brief opening. Cooling the water droplets in the air, he created dozens of icy bullets to begin his machine gun fire.
Katara hurried to raise an ice wall, but the attack smashed at her defence, pushing her back against the wall. Trunks watched as the barrier she had was relentlessly chipped away, until she eventually had to call it quits.
"Alright, fine! You can have that one!", Katara huffed, blowing a strand of hair away from her face. "And you said I was going to leave a bruise!?".
"Uh, guys!", Sokka screamed. "Little help?". Looking over, they found Sokka frozen, apparently struck by a stray blast. With a giggle and an apology, Katara unfroze him. "Thank you! Anyway, we should stop splashing and get going".
Trunks' ears twitched, as he turned on his heel. "Wait, do you hear that?", he asked. The sound of an instrument, maybe a ukulele, could be heard getting closer. The source of the music was a group, coming from the mountain path, looking happy and Jovial to say the least
"Hey look, it's river people!", one of them said.
"We're not river people", Sokka said.
"Well, what kind of people are you then?"
"Just people, I guess?", Aang chirped in.
"Same little dude, aren't we all?"
"So where are you guys from?", Trunks asked.
"We're from everywhere and nowhere. As nomads, we go where we please", the man explained.
"You guys are nomads? I'm a nomad!", Aang said.
"Cool. So are we!"
"Yeah...you just said that". Trunks rolled his eyes, suspicious that these guys were...not quite sober, to say the least.
Iroh sat on the ground, hunched over a white flower, staring at it with incredible intensity. From a bush behind, Zuko stomped around, irritated at the lack of food. "Ugh, we haven't had a meal in ages!", Zuko grumbled.
"Well, I may have found the most delectable tea! The white dragon Bush!", Iroh said. "That, or it's the white jade Bush, a deadly poison".
"We don't have time for tea! I'm going to find food". Zuko marched off towards the river, leaving his uncle to meddle with flowers.
"Hmm. Delicious tea, or deadly poison?".
The gang sat atop Appa, who was happily getting his hair braided by one of the nomads. Both Aang and Katara had flower crowns on, while Trunks allowed a lady trim his hair a little. However, Sokka stood over them with a frown, clearly unhappy. "Guys, we should really get going towards Omashu", he groaned.
"Calm down man, relax a little", a nomad said.
"Ill relax when we're in Omashu!"
Trunks got up, smiling at the lady behind him as a thank you. "I agree with Sokka, we do have to go soon", he said.
"If you really got to get their fast, the best way is the secret tunnel", a chubby nomad suggested.
"Nah, we can take Appa. Plus, Appa hates tight spaces, and we've got to keep him comfortable", Aang stated.
The moment the gang took off on Appa, fire nation tanks were launching fire balls at them. Aang weaved through the blasts, barely avoiding being shot down. Trunks and Katara knocked away a few blasts with their water, but the risk of getting shot was too great. They were forced to land.
"Let's go to the stupid tunnel!", Sokka groaned.
Zuko walked back from the river, a huge stick on his shoulder, which bore the weight of a single small fry. "Uncle I'm ba- what on earth!", Zuko yelled. As Iroh turned to face Zuko, he could see that his face was swollen like a blister, covered in rashes.
"As the poison spreads through my body, it will reach my throat, and I will die", he noted candidly. "But I have found some wild berries, that may reverse the effects of the poison... or paralyse me". Zuko smacked the bush out of his hand.
"No more wild plants! We need to find proper help."
"If we go to the earth kingdom, we will be wanted criminals, and If we are caught we will surely be tortured in a dungeon, using methods of inflicting pain that no words can possibly describe, until death inevitably and slowly takes us", Iroh said.
"But, if we go to the fire nation, we'll be handed to Azula", Zuko countered.
They both looked at each other, and agreed on the only sensible option. "Earth Kingdom!".
Back with Aang, the group were headed through the entrance of the secret tunnel. "So, how long is it going to take to get through this cave", Sokka asked the nomad.
"It'll take a while to get through the labyrinth", he replied. Sokka stopped in his tracks, slowly turning.
"What do you mean, Labyrinth!?"
"Oh, I forgot to mention, the secret tunnel was made by two lovers who didn't want to be found, so anyone who enters the cave without love would get lost and die". Ignoring the water tribe boy's shock, they all continued walking.
"Don't worry Sokka, getting through the cave won't be too hard, I'm sure those folk tales are just to scare away kids", Trunks said. "Plus if I'm being honest, I'd take a labyrinth over Fire nation tanks". With a sigh, Sokka chuckled a little.
At the mouth of the labyrinth, Trunks sniffed his nose, noticing the odour of burning oil wafting in the air. He snapped his head around, squinting slightly at the trail of smoke on the bright blue horizon. "They've tailed us!".
Rushing to get inside the cave system, they hurried Appa through the entrance despite his roars of disapproval. "I'm sorry buddy, but we need to get through here", Aang said.
Watching the group go through the cave, a soldier rode his tank forward to enter, only to be stopped by his superior. "Wait. You've heard the stories, let the labyrinth deal with them", he ordered. "seal it off!". Stamping on their triggers, the tanks blasted fiery ballistics at the roof of the entrance, fully closing it off.
Darkness enveloped the group for a few minutes, until one of the nomads sparked a torch, covering the cave in an orange hue. "Well, guess there's only one way to go now", Trunks laughed. He held his hand out, trying and failing to conjure up a flame. "Dammit, I forgot I switched to water!".
"Then we need to use the torches wisely. How many hours do we have?", Sokka asked the nomads.
"Well, each torch is an hour, and we have six", a nomad said, swiping all the torches alight. "So that's six hours!". Sokka gawked, snatching the torches out of her hand, hurriedly stamping them out.
"They don't work if you light them all at once, you idiots!". As Sokka angrily stomped on the embers, the entire cave system rumbled, as though a drill was tearing through the nearby walls. "We've got to move".
"But, what about the curse!", a nomad asked.
"There is no curse! We'll get through the labyrinth by making a map of the directions we go. It's easy, let's get going".
The group all followed Sokka, the nomads happily humming their tunes to the ire of the water tribe boy, and while Aang tried to comfort his claustrophobic sky bison. In order to pass the time, Trunks and Katara juggled around a glob of water.
"Hey, Trunks", Aang suddenly said, getting his attention. "I was thinking, why don't you just take Firebending from me? Technically, I am a Firebender as the Avatar"
"To be honest, I thought of that Aang, but your energy is...weird. It's not as clear as the others, almost like the elements are fuzzed, or kept behind something", Trunks explained. While he was distracted, Katara dunked the glob of water over his head.
"Woops, sorry", she giggled. He pulled the water out of his hair, throwing it back at her with a laugh.
"It's fine Aang, six hours is enough time to get out of here. I trust Sokka".
Abruptly, Sokka stopped, running a hand through his hair. "I don't get it! We've been through here before!", he groaned.
"How's that possible?", Katara asked.
"It's shouldn't be! Unless...the tunnels... are changing!".
Trunks paused, his ears twitching at a distant noise. Suddenly, Trunks pulled Aang to the floor. "Guys down! Somethings coming!", he shouted.
As the group ducked, a swarm of bat like creatures flew over their heads, making Sokka lash out with the torch. Swinging the flame, he struck a bat out of the air, scattering embers into the air around Appa. Startled, the sky bison recoiled, flailing wildly.
"Appa! Calm down buddy!", Aang yelled. Unfortunately, the damage was done. The walls crumbled and began to collapse. Heaps of rocks dislodged above Trunks, nearly crushing him before he rolled out of their path.
"The ceilings coming down!". Trunks ran over to Sokka, grabbing a torch from his belt. "Sorry about this Sokka!". He shoved the boy back before a boulder could crush him, effectively dividing the group in two. Sokka looked on in dismay, as rocks blocked him off from his friends, leaving him with the nomads.
"Trunks, Aang, are you guys OK?", Katara frantically asked. "Where you!?"
"I'm OK", Aang replied. Trunks' response came via a smile, illuminated by a flame sparking to life on a torch.
"Thank goodness! Where's Sokka?"
"We had to separate, there just wasn't enough time to grab everyone, and without Sokka those nomads wouldn't make it", Trunks explained. Katara frowned, worried for her brother, but she understood. "Let's get moving. No point worrying in the dark".
On the other side of the wall, Sokka clawed at the rocks in a futile attempt to escape the nuisance of the nomads. "Hey man, stop stressing. Just believe in love!", a nomad said. Sokka grumbled, wondering if he would've been better off under the rocks.
Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh had walked towards Earth Kingdom territory for hours, the rash on the elderly man's body continuing to spread and swell. "Zuko, maybe we should take a rest", he huffed through laboured breaths.
Shaking his head, he denied his uncles suggestion. "We can rest once we find help", he said.
Marching on, they could make something out in the distance, a hut of some kind. Zuko squinted his good eye, unsure if it was real or a trick of the heat, but at this point it didn't matter. Luckily for them, it wasn't a mirage, and they knocked on the rickety wooden door of the hut.
Swinging open slowly, a young lady peered through before opening it fully upon seeing Iroh's inflamed skin. "Oh my, what happened", she said. Zuko couldn't answer as she cut him off "Never mind, that can wait, let's get you inside first!".
Both of them stepped in to the building, though were quickly rushed to another room where the girl began to mix some herbs together. Looking around, Zuko could see that the family weren't living in the best of conditions, not dirt poor, but getting there. He almost felt bad for troubling them. "OK sir, please let me see the rashes".
Complying, Iroh took off his top garment, which revealed how far the poison has spread, his entire body littered with rash marks. She applied the green goo all over, providing nigh instantaneous relief. "Thank you, young lady", Iroh said.
"Don't worry about it. So, do you have names?" Zuko snapped his head forward.
"Names!? Of course, we have names!". The girl turned around, confused by his sudden outburst. "Yeah, that's my uncle... Mushu.".
Clearly unhappy with the fake name, Iroh frowned at his nephew. "Yes, and this is my nephew, Lee. He's named after his father, so we just call him Junior", he said with a smirk, annoying Zuko.
"Well, me and my mother would love to have you for dinner", she said.
"Sorry, we can't. We have to go", Zuko bluntly replied.
"Oh, that's a shame. My mother always makes too much roasted duck". Without warning, Iroh poked his head in, drooling at the thought of a roast dinner.
"Oh. I think we can stay just for lunch", he said, staring at his nephew with a hungry smirk.
At the dinner table, Iroh made small conversation with the girl's mother, whilst Zuko begrudgingly ate the admittedly tasty meal. He was brought out of his sulking by a question directed his way. "Is your father in the war?", the girl asked him. He looked up, not wanting to answer.
"I guess you could say that", he said with a sigh. "Excuse me". He got up, walking out the door to sit on the porch of the house. Feeling like she's upset him, the girl followed.
"I can tell the fire nation hurt you, but it's OK". She tried to reach out and touch his scar, but found her hand stopped by a stern grip. She retracted the hand, realising she'd pushed his boundaries. "They hurt me too".
She reached down, lifting her dress above her ankles, revealing a large swathe of scorched skin that had clearly been caused by a Firebenders grip. Zuko stared at her, wide eyed in realisation, before looking away. He swallowed a knot in his throat, feeling sick.
After having walked for a while in the cave system, Trunks, Aang, and katara found a circular seal plugging the wall. "An exit!", Katara shouted. Rushing forward, Katara and Aang tried to push it open, succeeding only in getting dust over their clothes. Trunks chuckled, rolling up his sleeve.
"Coming through!", he announced. Charging forward with his fist cocked back, katara and Aang jumped out of his way. Throwing a huge right hook, Trunks blew apart the stone seal, revealing yet another room. "Dammit, I thought we'd found an exit".
Aang looked in, noticing the structures of two people kissing. "Guys, this is a tomb!", he said. They all looked around, finding a memorial to the two lovers who carved the labyrinth. Trunks held up the torch in his hand to allow his friends to read. Whilst they did, Trunks' eye moved to the final inscription.
"Love shines brightest in the dark?", he read. It seemed like a riddle of sorts; too random to be a part of the story. Looking at his torch, he wondered. "Guys, do you trust me?", he asked.
They both looked at him, perplexed. "Sure, why wouldn't we?", they said.
"Good, just don't blame me if this doesn't work". Trunks grabbed the nib of the wick, putting out the fire, and submerging them all in darkness. Katara gasped at suddenly losing sight, and Aang grabbed her hand. They all sat in the dark, waiting for something to happen for what felt like hours, and katara held on to Aang's hand a little tighter.
Just as Trunks was beginning to regret his decision, a dim blue light slowly emerged and bounced off Katara's eyes, illuminating the entire room. An array of blue crystals on the ceiling shone, showing the way out. "Heh, brighter in the dark".
"How'd you know that would work", Katara said, marvelling at the lights.
"Just a guess", he shrugged. "Anyway, let's go".
After a few minutes of running through the cave system, the group finally pierced the light, elated to feel the sun on their faces. Appa happiest of all, immediately falling on his back and basking in the open air.
Inside the cave, Sokka was at his wits end. The labyrinth proved impossible to traverse, and the nomads only served to annoy him, bumbling about like children. When they broke out into song for the 4th time, he'd had enough. "WOULD YOU PUT A SOCK IN IT!", Sokka screamed
As if on cue, the cave system shook again, this time growing in ferocity. "Again!". The boy stared at the ceiling, anticipating another hail of boulders, but was instead shocked by the walls bursting open.
Looking through the dust, Sokka could make out some huge beast, as it lumbered through the hole; a badger mole. They barrelled towards the group, aiming to mow them down for intruding on their territory.
Crawling back in panic, Sokka's arm fell on one of the nomad's Ukuleles, striking a note. As the twang bounced off the walls, the massive animal stopped, curiously sniffing the instrument. Awkwardly trying to appease the massive creature, Sokka struck a note again, and it seemed to work.
"They're music lovers!", a nomad gasped. Pulling out another instrument, he played another tune, to which the badger mole swayed in enjoyment. As Sokka stood up and dusted himself off, a light bulb went off in his head.
"Can't believe I'm saying this but, don't stop playing. Climb on its back and let's go!", Sokka instructed. Following his orders, they climbed on, sitting on the badger mole's thick yet soft hide. He threw the Ukulele back to its owner. "Change the tune, see what makes him go".
Katara paced back and forth outside the cave, anxious about her sibling. "You think Sokka is okay? Should we go back in?", she said.
Trunks sat on the floor, sharpening his sword. "I'm sure he's fine", he assured. "Sokka is a smart guy, he'll probably be out in a few minutes". Going for another stroke of his whetstone, he was interrupted by a rumbling in the earth below him. "Somethings coming!".
No sooner had he sprung to his feet did the badger moles burst through the exit of the cave, kicking up a plume of dust, to Appa's annoyance. "Hi guys!", Sokka shouted from atop the animal. "Like my ride?".
As he jumped off the back of the beast, he was immediately grabbed by Katara, pulled into a tight embrace. "Hey, I'm okay, stop worrying so much".
"Oh, shut up you big idiot", Katara said. Not wanting to intrude in the sibling hug, Trunks simply gave him a pat on the back, as Aang smiled warmly. Meanwhile, the Nomads simply began walking off again.
"Hey", Aang called out. "Don't you guys want to come to Omashu with us?". The group of nomads looked at each other, shrugging.
"Nah. We're good", they said, walking away. Sokka sighed in relief, ready to move on.
"To Omashu we go!", he exclaimed.
Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh stood outside the house of those who had sheltered them. "Thank you", Iroh said with a bow. "We are so grateful for your amazing hospitality, aren't we junior". Zuko didn't reply, turning his back to walk away. "Junior! Where are your manners?". Begrudgingly, the Prince turned back around.
"Thank you" he muttered. "You've been...too kind". The mother and daughter smiled at them, wishing them the best on their journey before going back inside. As they walked away from the house, Zuko's eye caught glimpse of a mount in the stable. Walking over, he grabbed the reigns of the animal and climbed atop.
"Prince Zuko!" Iroh berated. "These people have shown us incredible kindness, and this is your response!?"
He looked at his uncle with his scarred eye, ignoring the statement of disapproval. "Well, they're about to show us some more. Let's go". Iroh sighed, looking away from his nephew, taking the hand offered. The journey forward was basked in a heavy silence.
It was a relatively short walk to the city for the gang, and since Trunks visiting the city for the first time, Sokka was acting the part of tour guide. Walking up the last hill, the water tribe boy motioned to present the city, holding out his hands.
"Welcome to oma-", his breath halted, "-shu?".
A blood red flag flickered above the city.