Playing Waterbending (Avatar: Last Aibender SI)

I stood up, drained of Chi energy. But the roars of victory gave me the strength to at least remain on my feet.

I smiled, seeing how happy everyone was to have won.

It was also a relief that none of them had died.

Sure, there were a few who had been caught by the fire beams and had burn marks on their bodies. But those injuries weren't anything that a little healing couldn't fix. Besides, Katara was here to help me, and she was exceptionally talented at that.

"Ryuk."

"All hail Ryuk!"

The earthbenders surrounded me and lifted me forcefully before throwing me into the air.

"Guys… stop…" I said, but my voice was drowned out by their cheering.

'Damn,' I thought.

You see, using double speed and power while bending came at a cost. Combining two powerful skills—one of which allowed me to push past my human limits, while the other was above what any human could pull—had left me feeling utterly drained. But seeing them so happy, I endured.

'A bunch of middle-aged and old people throwing me around,' I thought. 'I feel like some washed-up singer at a reunion party.'

Finally, they put me down.

"Okay, guys. You've had your fun," I said, standing up as normally as I could. I didn't want to show any weakness, so I acted as if nothing hurt.

"So, what's next?" one of them asked, and the rest turned to me, waiting for an answer.

"First things first," I said, pointing to the battlefield. "You'll finish your job."

I was pretty sure most of them would understand why I asked them to do this, but not all of them.

They started talking among themselves.

"But they're already dead."

"He's talking about burying the bodies. You know, the rot, the smell, the diseases. Even if the village is far away, with so many dead, the stench alone would knock us out."

"I see."

"That's a good point."

"But there are too many of them."

"Ugh…"

A few of them groaned.

Seriously, these guys were earthbenders, not ordinary citizens.

"Just divide the work among yourselves. Ten of you work for an hour, then switch out until it's done," I said. "But if you don't like it, figure it out yourselves."

"Sure, we'll figure it out."

-x-X-x-

Unlike what I had expected, the work was done very quickly by just ten earthbenders. They simply walked around, made a few movements, and the blood and bones were buried beneath the earth. To anyone looking at the battlefield now, it would seem like a farming field.

That's what I thought as I stood atop the wall and looked down. However, farming here was out of the question for now.

I gazed over the horizon, realizing that we hadn't killed all the firebenders. There must have been scouts who had witnessed the battle, and they would have reported it—not just to other bases, but to the Fire Lord himself.

We had done something unprecedented: defeating an army forty times larger than ours. We had used explosive powder, something this world had yet to discover. More importantly, we had revealed two new types of bending. If you included me, that made three. But I wasn't as significant since I was just one man. The earthbenders' new abilities, however, would be a major concern for the Fire Nation.

The Fire Nation had always held a significant advantage over earthbenders, whose strength lay in the earth, thanks to their advanced technology, which relied heavily on metal. Now that we had shown the world that metalbenders existed, the Fire Nation couldn't afford to sit still. If more earthbenders became metalbenders, the Fire Nation would lose everything they had fought for.

They would prioritize us above all else. We couldn't defeat them if they launched an all-out war against this village. We wouldn't be able to gather enough materials to create the explosives needed to wipe them out. Not to mention, now that they knew we had explosives, they could adjust their strategies.

If I were them, with a massive army and knowledge of explosive powder on the ground, I would divide my forces and send small squads from different directions. I would also force captives to wear Fire Nation armor and masks—sacrificial lambs. Once the lambs were dead, I would confirm that the enemy's ammunition was depleted, then send another squad to verify. Once certain, I would unleash my entire army.

You know what that means. Even with a hundred metalbenders or dustbenders on steroids, they wouldn't be able to withstand attacks from all directions.

"Chief, now that everything's done, what's next?" Kamu, a young man who acted as a scout, approached and asked.

I sighed heavily.

They were still treating me as their leader, even though the battle was over. For now, they should focus on preserving their lives. But I didn't want to ruin their moment of happiness by telling them what might come next. That would make me a killjoy.

I turned to Kamu and said, "Obviously."

"Obviously what?" he asked.

I forced a smile. "Drink and party all night."

"But where would we get drinks?" he asked.

I pointed toward the horizon.

"You see, when a large army like this comes to conquer a small village, I believe they set up supply tents along the way. I also think they brought drinks to celebrate their victory. Go and collect everything."

"Do you think the drinks survived the battle?"

"There's only one way to find out," I said, pointing. "Now, go."

"Ugh… I shouldn't have asked," he grumbled, but he did as he was told.

Surprisingly, I was right. The firebenders had brought all kinds of tobacco, alcohol, cigarettes, hookahs, and even different herbs to smoke. I was tempted to see if they had marijuana or coca plants. If they had coca plants, taking down the Fire Nation would be too easy. Just grind it into powder, supply it to the Fire Nation, then cut off the supply and only give it to the Fire Lord's palace. That would spark a civil war.

I shook my head, dismissing the idea. There was no way that would work in the short term. The Sozin's Comet would arrive by then, and the Fire Nation would send their squads to conquer any city that hadn't fallen in the last hundred years of war.

---

Some played drums, while others drank heavily and danced. I sat in a corner, watching them.

I guess ignorance really is bliss.

We had won a battle, but not the war. Still, I supposed it was alright to enjoy what we had, even if it was temporary. After all, life itself is temporary, yet we still party and try to be happy in the time we have.

'Why do assholes like the Fire Nation have to ruin people's happiness?' I thought. 'The Fire Lord wants to be the Phoenix King, all to satisfy his ego. He's willing to do all of this just for that.'

Kings were the ones who caused people's misery, and for a very simple reason.

You see, before becoming a king, one had to be a prince. Princes were raised with inflated egos from childhood, taught that they were above everyone else. And that wasn't even the worst part. Most of those who became kings had to use dirty tricks—poison, schemes, and betrayal—against their own family to achieve their goals.

Someone capable of that could only be a psychopath. And the royal system of succession favored such individuals—those who could kill their own family for power. If Ozai was a psychopath who became king that way, what about his father, grandfather, and so on?

'Anyway, I'll tell them to pack up their stuff tomorrow. No… I'll need to hear their opinions first,' I thought.

"What are you overthinking about?" Katara's voice interrupted my thoughts.

I looked at her. She was wearing a light blue dress and holding two bottles of wine.

I raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Didn't think you'd get hooked," I said.

"Wish it were more private around here," she replied, handing me a bottle. "But we can enjoy what we have."

"I'm not sure it's the right time for me to celebrate," I replied, looking at the bottle and wondering if I should drink or not. I had too much to think about. No, I had one thing to think a lot about: what to do next. I needed a clear mind for that.

If I got drunk, I wouldn't be able to think straight. You might say I could use waterbending to remove the alcohol from my body, but I was too exhausted to heal anyone, let alone myself. I needed real, natural recovery. And since Katara was planning to get drunk, I couldn't trust her with my entire body—just a part of it, if you know what I mean.

She placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Ryuk, I know you're thinking about what happens next," she said. "But trust me, you're not the only one. How about loosening up a bit?"

"Everyone else isn't thinking about it because they trust me to handle it," I said, exhaling in frustration. "They're literally putting everything in my hands."

"Guess that's because you're overqualified," Katara said, holding my hand. "Come on now."

"Fine," I replied, opening the bottle and drinking half of it in one gulp. It was a good way to let the stress out.

"Ryuk, how about this?" Katara said, glancing around. Her eyes fell on her brother, who was talking to some woman. "You'll pretend to have hurt your hand, and since you're too drunk to heal it, I'll take you to your place and fix it."

"My hand! It's paralyzed!" I grabbed my left hand and pretended to be in pain.

"You caught on too quickly," Katara whispered, forcing a smile.

"I need some healing," I groaned. "But I've used up all my energy."

"I'll help you. Let's go somewhere quieter. The noise will interfere with the healing," she said, helping me up.

I turned to the soldiers and said, "Don't worry. It's just a quick check-up, and I'll be back."

They'd forget about me in five minutes anyway. Most of them were already drunk.

-x-X-x-

Later that night, a messenger falcon crossed the sea and arrived at the royal palace. That night, an uproar began.