Outsider Chronicles: Elemental Shenanigans
Honestly, I'm not sure what I was expecting. I mean, getting reborn into the world of Avatar was one thing, but finding four gems in a cave and unleashing a horde of stupidly powerful Elemental Spirits and finding that I apparently have more power over the Elements than the Avatar himself? That was unexpected.
Golden Sun is awsome. Just thought I'd say that and get it out of the way. I've ben trying to come up with a way of doing this for a while, but now I've got it! Just to be perfectly clear, the Golden Sun events happened thousands of years ago in this story, although there are still a few remnants floating around, including a few Artifacts. Right, lets get this party started. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
You know, when I died, the very last thing I ever expected was to wake up again in the body of a baby. A baby in a world that was decidedly not the same one I died in. How do I know? Well, considering that there are a few people in town who can control rocks with their mind and kung fu moves and others who can shoot fire from their limbs, you tell me. Oh yeah, and lets not forget about the talk of a war that had been going on for the past century and a few bedtime stories about a guardian who could control all four elements. I'd been reborn into the world of Avatar!
Growing up was rather...interesting. The town I lived in, called Vale, was one cut off from the Four Nations at the northern edge of the Earth Kingdom at the base of a massive, extinct volcano that looked like someone had set off a few kilotons of TNT inside at some point. It was a peaceful place, cut off from the war by massive mountain ranges and protected by skilled warriors from all four Nations who left their homes in search of peace away from the war. It was easy to tell those who came later from the natives though as the Village as a whole seemed to have a more western style to it than the rest of the World. The building style made it seem more like a village from the English countryside, all thatched roofs and solid wooden structures and the names used matched as well. My friends were called Garet, Felix and Jenna while my name was…
"ISAAC!"
Yeah, that. I groaned as my mothers voice yanked me from my sleep, helped along by the almighty crash of thunder.
"Isaac, wake up!" shouted Mother as she frantically shook my shoulder, "The storm shook the mountainside loose! Theres a landslide coming this way, we need to evacuate!"
I shook the last dregs of sleep from my mind and scrambled out of bed as Mum hurried away, returning a moment later to shove my tunic into my arms.
"Hurry!"
She shepherded me outside where my Dad was staring up at the mountain top through the driving rain. As we left, he turned to us.
"Hurry up Dora, they won't be able to hold it for much longer!" he said, "You two need to go and take refuge in the Plaza."
"What about you Kyle?" asked Mum.
"I still need to help the rest of the villages evacuate," said Dad.
"Oh no you don't," said Mum, "I'm going with you!"
"Dora please, just look after Isaac," pleaded Dad.
Mum shook her head.
"Isaacs old enough to make his way to the Plaza on his own," she said, "Right?"
I nodded.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," I said.
Mum nodded.
"Right, lets go," she said and marched past Dad.
Dad gave me a helpless look and followed her. Despite the situation, I couldn't help but snicker at my parents antics as I started heading towards the Plaza. Said good humor was almost immediately dashed however as a large boulder dropped down in my path, blocking my way.
"Well, thats a pain," I groused as I turned and headed back up to find a way around.
Vale was built into the side of the mountain on a series of small platous connected by stairways cut into the rock. It made defending it easy, but it also meant that trying to get around could be a right pain in the rear. The river running through the middle of the town certainly didn't help matters. I headed up a layer, intending to cross the river and make my way down on the other side, when I came across my friend Garet, who seemed to be trying to get a heavy looking chest to shift. It must have been incredibly heavy as Garet was incredibly strong for his age. He was one of the biggest kids in the Village with his spiky, red hair only adding to his height. Despite his size and strength, he was a nice guy, always laughing and joking.
I rolled my eyes as I passed him and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him away.
"HEY, whats the big idea?!" he spluttered, "Isaac, I need to save my stuff!"
"Stuff can be replaced, your life cannot," I said.
"You sound like my Mom," grumbled Garet, but didn't protest as I pulled him up the stairs and across the bridge.
As we crossed it, we could see a number of Earthbenders attempting to hold back the incoming landslide, but they were barely slowing it down. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that something was pushing it on and through the Benders powers, but the only things capable of something like that would be Badgermoles or Spirits. And since Badgermoles didn't live in this part of the world, I really hoped it was something else or we were all dead meat. We hurried down a level, but were stopped by a loud yell.
"FELIX, NO!"
Garet and I looked at each other, before running around the house to see Felix had fallen in the now swollen river and was now holding onto a bit of wood that was all that was left of the dock that used to extend out into the river. My parents, Jenna and her parents were stood on the remains of the dock that was still intact, trying desperately to find a way to help Felix, although it was apparent that none of them had any idea how to do it.
"ISAAC, GARET, GO GET HELP!" shouted Mum when she spotted us on the bank.
"GOT IT!" I shouted back and dragged Garet away.
"What should we do?" asked Garet as we sprinted towards the plaza.
"A Waterbender would be best," I said, "I just hope Master Rief is there…"
I was cut off as peal of thunder shook the town, causing the very air to vibrate around us.
"We'd better hurry before the way is blocked," I said.
"Good idea," said Garet.
We quickly broke into a run, dodging the rocks that were still falling. It didn't take us long to reach the plaza where most of the villagers had already gathered. The resident Waterbenders had set up a temporary clinic area where they were treating any injuries the townsfolk had sustained, directed by a tall man in white robes and gray hair.
"Master Rief!" I called as we ran over.
Master Rief turned, looking more than a little haggard from all the work he'd done.
"Whats wrong Isaac?" he asked.
"We need help," I said, "Felix has fallen into the river!"
Master Rief closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I see," he said, "Very well, let us go."
He quickly informed another Healer where he was going and followed us as we started heading back to where Felix was fighting for his life. Fortunately, it didn't take us long to reach the river and Master Rief was able to get Felix out of the water with little trouble.
"Excellent work Isaac, Garet," said Mum as Felix clung to his family, all four sobbing with relief.
"Would you expect anything else?" asked Garet with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes and smacked him upside the head.
"Not the time," I said.
"Isaacs right," said Dad, "Frank, Alice, we need to move."
The two adults quickly pulled themselves together and nodded, guiding their children to their feet so we could get away from the danger zone. Unfortunately, we were a tad to late.
We were just crossing the bridge over the swollen river when, with an almighty crack, a monstrous lightning bolt struck the mountaintop, blasting the entire rock face to pieces. Almost immediately, the ground started to shake violently, as a bright, golden light that had appeared at the peak of the mountain and released a pulse of energy that caused the laws of physics to apparently break. Everything seemed to freeze in place, from the falling rocks, to the raindrops. Then, a beam of golden light shot out the peak of the mountain and split into four orbs, one red, one yellow, one blue and one purple. For a moment, they remained above the mountain, slowly orbiting the peak, before they suddenly shot off in different directions, taking the storm clouds with them.
Then, time started back up and the mountain top simply exploded with such force that I'm pretty sure pieces of it would land in the Northern Water Tribe. However, I had more important things to worry about. I'm not sure what made me do it, but my body moved before I could react, shoving Felix and Jenna, who still hadn't let go of each other, out of the way, just in time to take a thin sliver of purple crystal that the explosion had sent flying at us through the gut.
This probably goes without saying, but it HURT. I staggered a few steps and fell to my knees, blood leaking from my lips as I stared down at the stone spear. I'm not sure if I was hallucinating, but it almost looked like it was glowing. The world around me seemed to fade away as slowly slumped down. I could hear someone shouting, but it sounded muffled. I felt so tired... maybe I should take a nap…
"Huh? GAH!"
I barely had time to close my eyes before my body was flooded with energy, jerking me back to full consciousness as the purple stone in my gut glowed brightly and vanished, taking the wound with it. It was so unexpected that everyone around me stopped panicking and just stared.
"Er, what just happened?" asked Garet.
"I...have no idea," said Rief, "I've never seen anything like this! How do you feel Isaac?"
"Surprisingly good," I said as I probed my stomach.
There wasn't even a scar. I looked up and opened my mouth to suggest we get moving, but before I could, my companions all recoiled in shock.
"What?"
"Ah, Isaac, your eyes are glowing," said Jenna.
I blinked.
"Glowing?"
Jenna nodded.
"Glowing yellow."
"Huh…"
"INCOMING!"
The mystery of my glowing eyes was wiped from all of our minds at the yell as we spun around to see that the landslide had finally managed to overpower the Earthbenders holding it back and was now barreling towards the village at incredible speed. It seemed that the damage done by the lightning strike and explosion hadn't helped matters either and now it was clear that the landslide would easily bury the entire village.
"MOVE!" roared Dad, grabbing Mum by the hand as everyone bolted, trying to get out of range of the mass of earth.
However, for some reason, my legs decided not to move, instead turning me to face the wall of rock that threatened to crush my home.
"ISAAC!" shouted Mum.
I ignored her, instead lifting my arms as if to stop the landslide, something that would be impossible, even for a fully fledged Avatar at this point. Then, the power I'd felt earlier made another appearance, surging through my body and causing the glow in my eyes to increase until they were like twin stars. I gritted my teeth as I felt the power surge out of my body, causing the bridge under me to buck and the wood to start to grow branches and leaves. I felt my power sinking into the rocks and mud that made up the landslide, bending the force of nature to my will. My knees buckled at the huge weight I was somehow holding, but I didn't fall, instead I pushed back. I knew I couldn't stop it completely, that was impossible, so I did the next best thing. I let out a wordless roar of effort as I flung my arms wide, splitting the landslide down the middle and forcing it to flow around the village instead of over it. Fortunately, the falling earth had lost a good deal of its momentum in the short time I'd been able to hold it, so it wasn't long before it settled and I was able to release my power. The moment I did, I wavered and fell on my ass.
"Ohhh, that was exhausting," I muttered.
"That...wasn't Bending," muttered Felix.
"Indeed it wasn't."
I was to tired, but everyone else, still on edge from the chaotic night, nearly jumped out of their skins and spun around. Stood at the other end of the bridge was an old man with long, white hair and a short, pointed beard. He was wearing brown robes festooned with pockets and pouches. His sharp, gray eyes were covered with round glasses and were currently taking over our group. Despite my tiredness, I couldn't help but notice he seemed surprised by something.
Flanking him were two taller individuals completely concealed under floor length, hooded cloaks, although I could see the tip of a sheath emerging from under one of them.
"Master, are you sure this is wise?" asked the one with the sword.
His voice was deep and held the vaguest hint of a growl to it as if its owner wasn't quite human.
"Very much so," said the old man, "I came here to discover the reason for the spikes in energy upon the remains of Mt. Aleph. I'd say that explosion proves that my theory was correct. However, I wasn't expecting to run into the side effects quite this soon."
"What are you talking about?" asked Garet as he stepped forwards, "What side effects?"
"That power your friend used was far older than Bending," said the old man, "A power that I truly believed would never again be seen in the world, outside my friends in the Mars Clan."
"What power?" I asked, feeling an uncomfortable sense of doom rise in my gut.
The old man fixed with with an amused look, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
"A power that was once wielded by the people who lived in this area," said the old man, "A people sworn to defend the Mountain and the secrets it hid…"
"Look, I get that old men like to be all mysterious and all, but my head feels like someones split it with an axe," I growled, "Get to the point already!"
"Why you little…" growled the man with the sword, taking a step forwards.
"Calm down Saturos," said other cloaked person, a woman with a deep, sultry voice, "He didn't mean any disrespect. Besides, do you really want to agitate a Venus Adept powerful enough to stop that landslide without training?"
The cloaked man, Saturos apparently, let out a very draconic growl, but stepped back. However, I was much more interested in what she had referred to me as. Now why did the term Venus Adept sound so familiar...my eyes widened and I snapped my eyes back to the old man, then to his bodyguards. Despite having stepped back, Saturos was gripping the hilt of his sword, allowing me to see that his hand was covered in blue scales.
"Oh dear," I muttered as my headache doubled in size.
Then, everything that had happened over the night caught up with me and I fainted.
And done. I'll be honest, I'm not entirely pleased with this opening chapter, but it hits all the marks I wanted so lets go with it.
Just to reiterate, the events of Golden Sun happened thousands of years ago and the use of Psynergy and Alchemy has almost completely died out, with the only remaining users being the Mars Clan from Prox...at least, that was the case before this little event thats triggered the reemergence of the powers.
In other news, an Adept is much, much stronger than a Bender. Thats not to say that Benders are weak or helpless against Adepts as a skilled Bender could beat an Adept through more experience, clever tactics and so on. Plus, Adepts have a limited pool of energy to draw from to use their techniques while a Bender doesn't.
And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!