"Is it a good idea to include the supposed 'Man-Eater' who roams the outskirts of Agna Qel'a?" a female voice asked. She was a tall woman with visible muscle definition. She was dressed in clothing that indicated her place of origin: the Earth Kingdom.
On her back, she carried a large, sealed ceramic gourd. From her footprints in the snow, one could infer that the container's contents were heavy. However, given her apparent lack of discomfort, it was clear that she was physically strong.
Next to her stood another woman who, unlike the first, was shorter with dark skin and blue eyes. Her clothing style indicated that she was from the Water Tribe, though it was unclear which tribe she belonged to. Her response was immediate.
"Of course! Her actions have earned her such a reputation. Don't you think it would be good to have her support? After all, we'll be dealing with a man," the brunette replied, causing her companion to slap her.
She had left the warm hotel room where she was staying and was now walking through a desolate, snowy wasteland with the girl beside her, all because of such a ridiculous explanation.
"Would someone like that join us? She doesn't seem to fit in with our ideals. She just seems to kill for the sake of killing. I don't think someone like that is suitable, Availuk," said the tall woman. Availuk looked at her with a cold smile and strong murderous intent.
"That's why! Wouldn't it be better to let a monster like that face the so-called Sage and kill each other? We can get rid of the survivor. They'll be wounded and exhausted, which will make our job easy," replied the brunette before waving her hands and dragging the surrounding snow with her Waterbending.
She created a shield of ice in front of her and her companion to protect them from an incoming attack. A huge spear of water crashed into the defense Availuk had built, causing her to recoil from the impact.
"It looks like we've found our target, Mei Qi. She doesn't seem entirely human," said Availuk. She looked at the woman with raven wings who had descended from the air and was now hovering several meters above the ground. The woman stared at the duo with an expression of disdain.
"You were looking for me?" asked Hama, who had sensed two strangers approaching her self-proclaimed 'hunting ground.'
Initially, she wanted to vent her frustration by draining the life from those who dared enter her domain. However, she did not approach immediately, intrigued by the women's deliberate actions. They seemed to be searching for something.
They wanted to find her. But, sensing the Waterbender's murderous intent, Hama decided to attack her as a warning. Although she feared no normal person in her current state, curiosity made her want to know the motives of these women.
"Of course I have. You've made quite a scene," replied Mei Qi. She stomped hard on the frozen ground, causing pebbles hidden in her clothes to emerge and transform into rock spikes that pointed at Hama but did not attack. They simply remained suspended in a threatening manner.
"With your new appearance, especially, did you mix with a spirit or something? I can't even tell you're human!" Availuk said, causing Hama to smile and reveal her sharp teeth, a result of her body's transformation.
"You ask too many questions, little bug," growled Hama. She waved her hands slightly, causing the snow around her to melt and rise in a wave that rushed toward the women.
"If we want to chat, it seems we have to fight a little," said Mei Qi. She fired rock spikes at the woman when she saw Hama's attack, while black dust came out of the gourd on her back.
Availuk took care of the attack coming toward the duo. She transformed the shield and water spear that Hama had used to attack them at the beginning into a large wall of ice and pushed it forward to face the wave.
"Hmp!" Hama snorted and created a wall of ice with the moisture in the air to protect herself from the stone projectiles flying toward her.
However, she took flight when she saw the black dust controlled by the earthbender. She knew it was one of the Earth Kingdom's new strategies to fight the Fire Nation:
Gunpowder. Although she had grown stronger and could control the blood of those women, she did not want to face the "gunpowder bending" devised by the earthbenders of Ba Sing Se.
She could easily take them down; her bloodbending had long proven its power to those unable to stop it. But she didn't kill them because Vaatu had asked her to test them only, promising that she might need something from them.
Since Vaatu empowered her, allowing her to properly merge with the crow spirit without ruining her beauty, she decided to listen to him on this matter because she was genuinely interested in anyone who wanted to find her.
The isolation caused by her capture and imprisonment by the Fire Nation took a toll on her psyche. Except for the people she killed to regain her youth, she had spoken to very few people.
Yakone was just a whim. When she saw that he could do bloodbending like she could, she decided she could teach him a thing or two. Yes, she treated him like a slave, but she also gave him advice on how to improve his strength because she wanted someone to talk to.
The other person was Shisui through the man she controlled, but the result was terrible. Hama felt angry and sad again just remembering the words of the man who had charmed her. Black energy surged from her body, visible to the naked eye.
"It seems she's afraid of you." After stopping the wave with the ice wall Availuk had created, she looked up at the sky with a cold smile, but instead of attacking again, she took a Pai Sho token out of her clothes.
"Hey, we were there when you used that strange ability to control that guy. We know Shisui offended you. Do you want revenge?" the Waterbender asked, waving the object in her hand before covering it with ice and raising it toward Hama.
"And you can give me that? I can get it myself!" Hama said, taking the frozen token and noticing that Availuk had drawn a red lotus on it.
"I doubt you can enter that form. After all, Yue, the princess of the Northern Water Tribe, won't let you in," Mei Qi commented. This caused Hama to frown, but she didn't deny it. That was a fact.
She had long wanted to approach Agna Qel'a, but she knew that if she did, she would come face-to-face with the Spirit of the Moon. Even with the power she had gained, she did not dare set foot in that city.
"We can help you. We intend to kill Shisui and Yue because they hinder humanity's progress," Availuk added, ignoring the effect Shisui had on global society. After all, he did not fit in with the ideals of her organization.
"I don't need much help. I have someone on the inside," Hama replied, knowing there was another person influenced by Vaatu in the capital, a man able to enter because, unlike her, he was not completely fused with a spiritual entity.
"Ah, but your past actions imply that you want to make a big impression and cause pain to the inhabitants of the North Pole. With our help, you can fulfill that purpose and make yourself known worldwide," Availuk explained sincerely, although her intentions were different.
'If you were human, it would hurt me a little to kill you after it's all over. But since you're a spirit's creation, we'll just use you.' Due to her years of social experience, Availuk kept her thoughts to herself, and they didn't even cause a physical change.
Hama only noticed a slight dissatisfaction toward Availuk, very different from the murderous intent she had recently unleashed. However, she kept that in mind.
'I won't forget that you wanted to kill me. When I get rid of the woman who seduced Shisui, and when I have him under my feet, I'll kill you,' Hama thought, imagining how she would take the life of this insolent waterbender.
Thus, under false smiles and hidden murderous desires, these people organized their next actions. They never thought things would go wrong, trusting in their abilities.
But were Shisui and the people around him mere prey?
...
"Your mother is quite funny," Azula said after returning to reality, clinging to Shisui's arm and causing the Sage to roll his eyes.
"Two hours, Azula! Two hours of gossiping!" Shisui resisted the urge to hit his forehead with his hand, but his grimaces made his fiancée laugh quite a bit.
"That's why! She has a very young mindset. I hope to talk to her more," Azula said, making Yue, who was sitting next to her, smile.
"Then keep meditating. In time, your consciousness will be able to enter the Spirit World on its own, and you'll be able to explore it," said Yue.
Azula nodded enthusiastically.
"I know! I'd also like to try some things in the Spirit World with Shisui," Azula replied, looking at him. He didn't quite understand what she meant.
"Um, anyway, shouldn't we be doing diplomatic stuff?" Shisui asked, looking at his grandfather. He looked a little out of place, but his face looked much more relaxed than before.
Meeting his daughter after decades and having a heart-to-heart talk with her had done him a lot of good, loosening the knot in his heart that had kept him up for so long.
"Hm? Yes! I suppose I should deal with Princess Azula and her brother, Prince Zuko," Arnook replied, causing Shisui to stroke his chin.
He didn't have a beard, but gestures like this helped him concentrate, so the sage had adopted this habit when thinking. After a few seconds, he replied.
"I'll go with them. I suppose my opinion can be taken into account," said Shisui with a smile, making Azula feel like her fiancé just wanted to cause more trouble, and now it seemed he wanted to get involved with the Northern Water Tribe.
Yue also sensed this playful vibe in her nephew but decided not to comment on it. After all, she also intended to participate and begin taking power from her father, something Arnook was already aware of. He even looked at his daughter after hearing his grandson's words.
"Yue, this is an excellent time to begin your adaptation. Although you will surely have some contenders, which is inevitable, I will treat you as the new leader of the village, so be prepared," Arnook said to his daughter. She nodded. She really wanted to start taking the reins of the nation as soon as possible.
"Then, let's go to the castle," Yue concluded. Her blue eyes shone with excitement as she thought about making herself known to the officials of the Northern Water Tribe and seeing the expressions on their faces.
What about potential challengers? They would realize that fighting against her, the embodiment of the Moon, was futile. They were more concerned about the hidden enemies in the city. However, with the plan involving the spirits of the Water element discussed with Shisui, everything could be considered under control.
The plan was incredibly simple, after all. If enemies attack, they must be killed. If hostiles approach the Spiritual Oasis, they must be eliminated. It was simple, but according to Shisui, the best plans had the fewest variables.
With that in mind, part of the strategy was to warn trusted people of the possible conflict in the city to avoid misunderstandings and unnecessary casualties.
They had turned Agna Qel'a into a trap for their enemies!
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AN: TheAnPlayer2 gave me a tip: Promote my original stories every 5 chapters. So, read my original novels: Steam and Heart, and Witch's Adventure. You may or may not like them, but give them a chance. c:
Availuk means "Sweet," and Mei Qi means "Jade Beauty"