Standing like he wasn't in the middle of a battlefield, Iroh looked like he wasn't even aware of the position that he's in. Despite that, however, the soldiers tensed up like a dragon just laid eyes on them. And they will be right, though this dragon takes the form of an elderly man.
But as they say, appearances can be deceiving. The soldiers are more than aware that the fragile-looking man in front of them could take them out if they aren't careful. Though it's unknown whether being careful can change the outcome.
One of the soldiers took the first move, planting his feet on the ground with one exaggerated motion. The ground cracked, and a column of hardened stone rose in front of him. Waving his arms in repeated motions, discs flew out like blades in Iroh's direction.
The wind whistled as the discs approached, but Iroh remained unmoving. Gradually, the delusion that they might be able to kill the infamous Dragon of the West entered the mind of the soldiers. Hope filled their eyes as the discs approached.
However, as the discs neared him, Iroh's eyes suddenly sharpened.
He stepped to the right, letting the discs flew past without harming even his clothes. Seeing this, the soldiers once again reinstated the fact in their mind that the man in front of them in a war veteran that harvested lives more than a double of their combined total.
The soldiers did the same thing, this time, it's not just one person. Hardened discs flew like bullets, approaching the elderly man. There wasn't any escape this time—Iroh can't sidestep his way out of this barrage.
Regardless, Iroh remained calm without a change in his expression. He moved his arms out, palms facing the round of stone discs intent on dicing him into a thousand pieces. With a slight tensing of his fingers, an explosion originated from his palms.
The discs shattered and reunited with the ground in pieces. Some even found its way back to the stunned soldiers. Iroh pulled back his arms and exhaled.
Showing their training, the soldiers recovered quickly. They separated and surrounded Iroh in a circle. The man in question simply hummed in curiosity.
One of the soldiers charged forward, eyes steeled at the man in front of him. After taking a few steps, he stomped on the ground.
Iroh suddenly moved a step to the left, just in time for a spike to rise from his previous position.
Just as he finished moving, another soldier found his way behind him. Intent to tackle the general down to the ground, he lowered his body and pounced.
As if he had eyes behind his head, Iroh elegantly moved to the left once more. The soldier missed him and turned in irritation towards his target, only to be met with a palm in front of his face.
Bang!
In an instant, an explosion resounded from Iroh's extended palm once again. Blood and brain matter painted the dirt below as the headless body of the pouncing soldier fell down.
"No!" One of the soldiers screamed before charging towards Iroh with the ferocity of a wild beast.
Iroh turned towards the charging soldier with eyes as still as a lake. The soldier sent a punch towards his face, not even using his Earthbending to attack anymore.
As the man came close, Iroh lowered his body, letting the punch sail above his head. Then, pivoting on his foot, he spun towards the soldier with his right palm open.
The extended palm found itself on the soldier's right chest. Confusion filled the soldier's mind. It didn't last long however, as an explosion similarly followed.
An arm flew in the air, as the soldier fell down with a hole appearing on where his right chest should've been. As the soldier fell down, Iroh had already stepped back when a boulder flew past his previous position.
Conjuring a fireball, Iroh pivoted on his foot once more and threw a fireball at the soldier who threw the boulder. As the fireball sailed, Iroh followed and charged towards the soldiers—still without a change in his expression.
The soldier who threw the boulder saw the fireball coming in his way, and stomped on the ground with his arms raised together. A wall rose from the ground, blocking the fiery projectile heading his way.
The fireball met with the wall, destroying it. Similarly, the fireball fizzled out. Through the dust and debris, Iroh flew through and grabbed the face of the stunned soldier. Before he can respond, an explosion exploded right in front of his face.
Before the corpse can fall down, Iroh had already disappeared from his position.
One of the soldiers unsheathed his sword, wary of his surroundings. There were only three of them left, and they're facing against the infamous Dragon of the West. The destruction of the stone wall had sent dust blowing everywhere, making visibility an issue.
As he surveyed his surroundings for any movement, he felt a touch on his back. Before he can turn around, an explosion resounded once again.
The upper body of the soldier sailed through the air, abdomen reduced to a pile of bloodied mess. As the corpse fell to the ground, Iroh had already ran past him and charged at the two remaining Earth Kingdom soldiers.
"You fucke—" the soldier didn't finish his words as a fireball made contact with his face.
As for the other once, he didn't even get a word out as a palm grasped his face with an iron grip. An explosion, and another headless body fell.
The remaining soldier screamed as his face got riddled with severe burns. Skin sizzled as flesh got exposed.
Standing over him, Iroh simply raised his hand and conjured a smaller fireball. This time, however, it was blazing like a jet. Although only the size of a marble, it let off a more dangerous vibe than his previous fireballs.
He flicked the fireball at the head of the soldier, hitting him at the head. As the small projectile made contact with his flesh, it quickly spread throughout his entire body, setting him ablaze.
The soldier screamed in pain, before gradually dying down together with the flames.
Brutal.
"That would be the last of them." Iroh exhaled, hiding his hands within his sleeves of his robes.
"That's..." I began, "slightly overkill."
"Moving my ageing joints is important for remaining healthy and active!" Iroh laughed like he didn't just break the Geneva Conventions.
I was about to retort, when I heard a whistling sound from my right. I didn't get to turn around fast enough, but my bending is different. The metal tip of the object instantly fell into my control, and I slowed it down just enough to grab it with my hand from mid-air.
Holding the arrow, I turned towards the direction it came from. Meters away, an archer nested atop a tree with his bow out, eyes wide as saucers—probably from he'd just seen.
I flipped the arrow around and—using my bending—sent it hurling through the air towards the archer in a speed twice that of its arrival.
The wind whistled, and the arrow found itself lodged inside the forehead of the archer. It didn't stop, however, as it tore through the skull and exited from behind before embedding itself onto a tree. The archer fell down to the vegetation below.
"Amazing control over bending." Iroh rubbed his beard, and I only smiled in return.
"Years of practice doesn't betray." I replied.
Then, a burning boy was sent hurling towards our direction. We each took a step back, and the burning body landed just between us with the grace of a dead crow.
Iroh and I turned towards where it came from, only to see an exhausted Zuko on his knees, surrounded by corpses of other Earth Kingdom soldiers.
Most of the corpses are badly burnt, with a number of them even missing their limbs. From the sight of it, Zuko must've used his signature fire daggers to cut the appendages.
"They should be the archers." Iroh spoke, gesturing at the bows the soldiers Zuko just killed had.
"That's all of them. I'm not sensing anymore enemies nearby." I spoke. My passive seismic sense gives me a clear view of my surroundings in a 10-meter radius. I don't think anyone would've managed to escape my senses, given my mastery of it.
"Then we need to go." Zuko seemed to have recovered his breath, standing up. "The Avatar could get away. We need to move now."
"Prince Zuko, patience is a virtue that rewards the determined. I assure you, resting first will be better in the long run. You are exhausted from the skirmish just now." Iroh responded.
"Besides, even if you do manage to encounter him, you won't be able to do anything if you're as exhausted as you are right now." I supported.
Actually, I don't care about the Avatar. I just want to loot the bodies for any loot. I haven't been bounty hunting lately, given my situation.
Zuko initially looked unwilling, but conceded, nonetheless. As Zuko grabbed his waterskin from his mount, I began dragging the corpses in the shade of a nearby tree and got to work.
***
"A gold piece and 12 silver pieces? Well, that's at least something." I sighed, putting all the money into a pouch and onto my leather pouch.
I stood up, stretching my lower back. I've spent quite some time crouching and checking the pockets of the dead soldiers. Even after turning them inside out, I only got a pitiful amount. Are they underpaid here, or did they just not bring money with them while on duty? Either way, it sucks, but I'll take what I can.
"Are you done desecrating their bodies Ren? We need to go." Zuko, as snarky as ever, called out from atop his mount. Iroh had also got on his own mount, with my own ostrich horse awaiting beside them.
"For your information, you two killed them all. Besides, you don't pay me. I need to make a living somehow." I replied, getting on top of my mount in one smooth motion.
I glanced back at the scene we're leaving. There are a bunch of burn marks on the ground, with blood and flesh splattered here and there—now a gathering of flies. The corpses are all moved under a tree's shade, stacked on top of one another. A pool of blood had already formed underneath.
"Let's go." Zuko had already moved first, his mount running ahead.
Iroh and I shared a glance and followed. Honestly, it's just Zuko who had a reason for this journey. Iroh and I are simply tagging alone. It would've been nice to just stay and have some tea at the ship without Zuko's perpetual nagging, but I needed to make sure nothing catastrophic happens. I'm sure Iroh is on the same page—making sure Zuko doesn't get labeled as a domestic terrorist within his first interaction with civilization.
The sun had already gone past its peak, which meant it's nearing afternoon at the moment. It's not as hot as I thought it would be, though it's probably just because of the lush vegetation around. I'm sure it wouldn't be as cool once we neared Omashu.
And I was right.
After about an hour of riding, the vegetation got less prominent. The terrain had also became rockier. Thankfully, the path remained pretty level which meant our pace stayed the same. As uninterested as I was with capturing the Avatar, I wouldn't want to be sleeping out in the wild. I can defend myself with any danger, yes, but the comfort level would be a little irritating.
To our left, the Kolau Mountain Range entered our view. The massive barren chain of mountains formed a wall, blocking the ocean. If I remember correctly, the Cave of Two Lovers passes directly underneath it.
I wonder if Aang is still under there somewhere...
Turning to the right, there's a vast collection of hills. They aren't quite tall and isn't completely barren compared to the mountain range on the other side. Occasionally, gaps would appear and a glimpse of a seemingly infinite desert would appear. Seeing it, I inwardly dreaded the future where we would be in the middle of it.
Well, I could always abandon Zuko...
That thought will remain a secret, lest Zuko tries to burn me. Not like he can anyway, heh.