Playing Waterbending (Avatar: Last Aibender SI)

The Fire Nation soldiers took the injured, unconscious firebender inside, ignoring me.

I followed them into the village. Although my face appeared calm, my heart thundered in my ears.

'Isn't this happening way too fast? I haven't even recovered from dragging that ridiculous cabbage cart with Cai.' I thought. 'But at least I got three cabbages for free. They'd make a good salad or could be cooked with eggs and cheese.'

'What am I even thinking about? Focus, Ryuk. You should be thinking about the firebender, not food.' I shook my head. 'Whenever I'm nervous, I think about food. At this rate, I'll develop an eating disorder. But if I keep thinking like this, I'll end up dead.'

I was too distressed to think rationally. My plan had been to kill the firebender before he could give a report. But since he was here and injured, it might buy me some time. Still, being in the heart of enemy territory without experience made the situation feel suffocating.

'It's not the worst outcome, though. At least he's injured, so it'll take time for him to recover and describe the waterbender's face. The moment he wakes up and gives his report, I'll know, since I'm here. I just need to stop them before they reach the South Pole. That'll buy time for Katara and Sokka until the Avatar shows up.'

'Man, if that bald kid doesn't wake up soon, I might have to become the strongest creature in this world just to survive.'

I scoffed at myself. Becoming the strongest was absurd—I didn't have that kind of physical strength. Still, chi-bending could help me overcome those limitations in the long run.

"What are you doing here?"

I turned to see Haru standing nearby, watching me from the entrance of a building.

"I'm just taking a break," I replied.

"Are you planning to sleep outside?" he asked. "It gets pretty cold at night."

'Pretty cold? It feels hot.' I thought. 'I guess my pretty cold to him is the same as freezing to death.'

"Don't worry. I'm used to colder weather," I said.

"Where are you originally from?" he asked. "One of the islands between the continent and the poles?"

"You could say that. I'm from the South," I replied.

"Is it interesting there?" Haru asked.

"If you think eating dried fish every day is interesting, be my guest." I shrugged. 'And there's literally only one girl there,' I added mentally.

As for Sokka? Poor guy. The only girl around was his sister. Leaving was a necessity.

"At least it's peaceful. The Fire Nation soldiers didn't try to occupy your home," Haru sighed. "That's something to envy."

I let out a mocking snort. "Peaceful my ass. Whenever a waterbender appears, they come, kill them, and then leave. Most of the adults went to your continent to join the rebellion."

"Killing them? That's harsh." Haru looked down. "I guess I should be grateful my father is alive, even though I haven't seen him in years."

Sensing the conversation was taking a depressing turn, I decided to shift gears.

"Forget it." I patted his shoulder. "How are you doing? Taking good care of your family?"

"My mom is sick, and I'm working at the shop," Haru replied. "But the taxes are so high, it's hard to make a living."

"I know what you mean," I said. "Anyway, is there a place I can stay? Can I rent a room?"

"Sure. Do you have any baggage?" he asked.

"Do I look like I have baggage?" I deadpanned. "We literally dragged a cart together."

"I thought you might have forgotten your stuff inside the carriage," he chuckled.

"Do I look like an idiot?" I rolled my eyes.

"No, but you look like someone who could easily get scammed," he said. "Besides, you seem frustrated."

"That man literally wasted half a day guiding me to a 'near' place."

"Half a day? That's a lot."

"Finally, someone with common sense," I muttered.

"You seem exhausted. Rest for the night, and we'll talk about the rent tomorrow."

"How much is it per week?"

"Two silver coins. Sorry, I can't give you a discount because of the taxes," he said apologetically.

"That's fine," I nodded. The price wasn't an issue—I wasn't planning to pay with my own money anyway.

Haru guided me to a two-story building with a small shop in front. He led me to a back room with a bed, a table, and a window. It was a far cry from the comforts of my previous life.

'Guess I'll have to shower outside,' I thought. 'Well, I can always bathe with waterbending.'

"Anyway, I'll leave you to rest," Haru said.

"Wait, Haru." I stopped him. "You're a local, so you probably know the area well, right?"

"Yeah, sure. What do you want to know?" he asked.

"I was wondering about the dangerous places around here. I've heard there are bizarre monsters everywhere in this continent. I want to know which areas to avoid."

That wasn't entirely true. I wasn't looking for places to avoid—I was looking for a good place to grind my skills and get stronger before my identity was exposed.

"That's actually a smart question," Haru said, tapping his chin in thought. "I don't know much, but about four hours northeast, there's a forest with massive trees. The monsters there are enormous, and some are so dangerous they require teams of benders to deal with them."

"Four hours?" I grimaced. That was a lot of time. And coming back would take another four hours, making it an eight-hour trip. I sighed heavily. It seemed like I'd have to exhaust myself physically before I could even start training. 'Nothing comes easy, huh? I'll just have to work harder.'

"At least you'll have plenty of time to think while walking," Haru said with a grin. "But don't stress yourself over it tonight. Get some rest."

With that, I made up my mind. I'd head to the forest first thing in the morning to start hunting beasts.