Avatar: The Last Airbender: Legend

3 patreon subscriptions = 10 bonus chapters

200 gems = bonus chapter

Fully support the story at:

patreon.com/FanFictionPremium

***

-Em... I thought the plan would be a little different, Yu-san.

Remembering the chain of command, Petty Officer Kon politely addressed his commander, glancing suspiciously at the pair of savages that accompanied them on their new trek. Clad in bone armour, the Mulu soldiers were remarkably silent. Holding a smouldering broom made of various plants, they waved it all along the path of the troop, warding off the local inhabitants. Outside the stinking veil, Yu and the others had already met the eyes of various predators, who were watching them with hungry stares.

-Me too, Elder Con, me too.

In general, the conversation with the savage king was hectic and quick. Having received the simplest terms from Yui, the man quickly organised the delivery of the rest of the squad to the settlement. Only a couple of hours and the warriors of the Land of Fire were already standing on the edge of the village, frantically clenching the reins of rhinoceroses and groping for the handles of their weapons.

The staunchest of the soldiers tried to look nonchalant, but the nervous twitching of their moustaches and the edges of their lips gave them away. Only after meeting Yui were they able to relax more or less as much as possible in a potentially hostile camp. In contrast, the orphan felt quite free. The savages who didn't show open aggression didn't seem dangerous to him. He might regret it later, but right now he was more concerned with Sun Tse's survival, and if he had to trust Mule for that, he would do it.

The king himself did not hide his positive attitude. According to the man, he couldn't kill Shamoku himself, because then all the other tribes might turn against him, but if the tribe leader died in battle with the enemies, that was another matter. It was best to eliminate the enemy leader quietly, so as not to provoke all the people of Baru.

Supplying them with provisions, ointments, and a couple of escorts, Mulu admonished the squad to succeed. Leaving the village, Yu felt a vague doubt that the king had something more serious in mind than simply eliminating a rival, but dismissing the intrusive thoughts, he continued on his way to his goal.

With his guides, the way through the jungle was much easier, and once he was sure of the aggressive flora and fauna, it was much safer. The soldiers huddled together, forcing the komodo to walk almost closely. Everyone was afraid to leave the range of the stinking herbs and be alone with the creepy creatures of the forest.

The journey ended near another entrance underground. The two guides called Yui aside and told her that the path through the tunnel led directly to Shamoki's camp. They could either go that way or continue travelling through the forest. The two big men, after clarifying how to proceed, broke the news.

-We're not going any further. It is better for the others not to know that King Mulu is helping you.

Without listening to Yui's reply, the two guides swiftly went back into the forest, leaving the group alone with the jungle and its problems.

After telling the foreman about the dilemma, it was decided to stick to the old plan. While most of the team would go by land, the only land conqueror would drag himself through the tunnels. Good thing at least they wouldn't have any prisoners with them this time. The three they captured a couple of days ago, Mulu's got them for himself.

-Huh, I hope it goes better this time.

As Yu mentally praised Agni and all the gods as he stepped into the dark abyss. The few torches that the elder had provided remained unlit for the time being, and the young man himself was more oriented to magic, having a rough idea of what was going on beneath his feet.

Several hours of wandering in the darkness ended in cursing and falling. Cursing the stupid tunnels and the Baru tribes, Yuu still lit a torch and nearly screamed with fear. His sense of the ground allowed him to more or less navigate, but he couldn't fully feel anything that touched the stones, so the sight of hundreds of skeletons polished to a shine scared him into a silent shriek. Clamping his hand over his mouth, the teenager shifted his gaze from the walls to the ceiling, marvelling at the number of remains. Carefully hung and covered in ointment glistening in the light, the bones were held together by rocks and earth. Rows of the dead stared at the man walking down the corridor, as if testing him and weighing his soul.

Feeling the fear growing, the young man tried to concentrate on his goal, but the unblinking stares of the skulls prevented him from even thinking calmly. Holding back the urge to bury all the remains in the ground, he walked slowly forward, trying to keep his eyes on his feet.

The long corridor of the dead ended as abruptly as it had begun. First he heard rough male voices in the distance. Quickly extinguishing the torch, Yu squatted down and slowly walked forward. After a hundred metres, a light began to appear from behind the turning tunnel. The torchlight swaying in the wind cast eerie shadows on the bones, making one cringe every time he looked at these 'decorations'.

As he came round the bend, he could make out the savages chatting about nothing. Three men were sitting at a table and throwing pebbles of different colours. All the attention of the local guards was focused on a game unknown to the teenager. Not taking the risk of coming closer, Yu turned to his conqueror power in one dash and sent stone stakes at the guards' heads. Two of the projectiles successfully penetrated the heads of their targets, but the last one managed to react and knock the stone with his hand, but the stone pillar that jumped out from behind sent the poor guy flying. He fell in front of Yu and before he could utter a sound, the blade of the halberd cut off his head.

Such a quick massacre of the enemy mages made the guy much more suspicious. He had defeated tribal mages before, but it was so easy.... Without lowering his vigilance and hiding in the shadows, the young man continued his search. It was worth finding some lonely inhabitant of the underground village first, and then he could make some noise.

As he made his way through the dimly lit corridors, he repeatedly came across old men and children. A few women were minding their own business, but that was all.... Not a single warrior or mage, it seemed as if everyone had simply gone away, leaving their kin and the infirm at home.

Not immediately denying this theory, Yuu continued his search until luck smiled upon him. A young boy, about his age, was rummaging around in a remote room. A couple of blows, and there before Yu sat a bound and frightened child who looked at the armoured and armed invader with tears in his eyes. Realising how he looked from the outside, the young man decided to go from the given image.

From the first question the captive sang better than any artist. The information was pouring out, but the most important thing was that in all the rubbish Yu was able to extract....

-...There's no one here. They've gone to war with the water city!

Swaying in the saddle of the stolen komodo, Ce had mixed feelings. On one hand, he would soon be free, and on the other, his father would be forced to make a deal with the shrews.

'If I had more strength, this wouldn't have happened.'

Surrounded on all sides by hundreds of savages, Tse didn't even try to escape. Ever since that conversation with the local leader, he had been constantly kept surrounded by a dozen fighters. Silent and loyal to Shamoke, these warriors were the best of the best, so expecting to defeat them all alone was not worth it.

'There's also this one.'

The gaze of tired eyes rested on Shamoka's back. The large man was happily riding the stolen animal, enjoying the ride. He often exposed his face to the sun's rays, and in the mornings he could stand and sunbathe for long periods of time, as if absorbing the power of the great sun.

In general, his captor was very strange. There was a certain madness in him, and he was a fire mage. And quite skilful and strong. Without movements and techniques, Shamoka could set fire to objects at a distance by sheer force of will, and his control over the flames was incredible. One day, the Aboriginal leader showed Tsé his skills by simply practising with his guard. Masterful, honed movements, nothing superfluous. Complete focus on the fight, only a slight smile walked on his face, but his eyes.... His eyes always remained serious and cold.

Sun Tse tried to think of good things, but Shamoki's back looming on the horizon always brought all his thoughts back to this creepy and dangerous man. During the few days of travelling, the savage leader never raised his voice or used his fists or magic to punish the wrongdoers, but everyone in the tribe obeyed him unconditionally. Even the most loyal warriors bowed their heads and hid their gaze when the fire lord passed by. Of everyone present, only Ce was the only one who spoke to him face to face.

'I wish he hadn't even spoken.'

The Lipin heir tried a couple of times to elicit from his captor what they wanted to achieve and what they would demand in exchange, but each time he was met with a slight, polite smile and penetrating eyes. Abandoning his attempts, Tse decided not to provoke the madman and just go with the flow, hoping that it wouldn't be too much to ask for his life.

On the evening of that day, as he was about to go to bed, Shamoka approached him and with his velvet voice he frightened him more than any army of shrews.

-I will need your help, dear friend. Tomorrow we reach the end of our journey and I want you to write something for me.

As if by magic, parchment and ink and quill were in his captor's hands. Carefully placing them in Tse's fingers, he never took his eyes off the heir's face. After a few seconds of inactivity, the man only nodded his head gently towards the writing utensils.

This whole situation made one feel uncomfortable, but in submission, Tse tried to pull himself together under the leader's creepy gaze.

-This will be a small message for your father. I hope you will write it neatly and correctly, so as to fully convey my thought. Leave a little detail in the message that only he can know about, and invite him to meet us. For the sake of such a matter, I will even withdraw my troops from the city so that we can talk.

As if mesmerised, Tse wrote out the symbols at Shamoki's dictation. The writing hand trembled slightly as the captor made him add references to kinship and phrases like 'honoured father' and 'your loving son' to the message.

While Tse had no problem with the former, he only added the latter when he was a child, and after adulthood he signed his name only when writing messages to his parent.

-Thank you, this will make our task much easier.

Clutching the piece of paper reverently, Shamoka gave a polite nod and went about his business, leaving Tse surrounded by his men.

Seeing the savage leader's back with an unreadable stare, Tse realised that there was more than mere negotiation behind the letter. Clenching his fists helplessly and cursing his own weakness, the clothed youth plumped down on his sleeping bag, trying to ignore the stares of his guards.

Looking up into the darkening sky, the heir hoped that tomorrow would bring no new problems.