Avatar - Conquering the Elements-Chapter 163

Earth Kingdom. City of Taku.

Where the once-ruined city of Taku stood, a well-fortified fortress now rises. Five years ago, a couple hundred earthbenders arrived and, within just six months, cleared the land and erected new walls. The only place that preserved memories of the past was the herbalist school.

Perched atop a high cliff, a curious traveler could discover an ancient pagoda-like structure. It was there, in peace and quiet, that the last resident of the city—also the last representative of the once-famous herbalist school—passed away. All her belongings remained untouched, though it was clear someone periodically cleaned the place. The school itself had been restored and listed in the nation's heritage registry, placing it under the country's protection. Vandalism against the site would be severely punished.

Two hundred meters from the cliff where the herbalists once studied stands a large fort, nearly a full-fledged fortress. Narrow streets were mostly populated by Earth Kingdom warriors, though occasionally members of other nations could be seen. The long-term coexistence of former enemies, especially soldiers, could become its own story, but the key point is that they somehow managed to get along. A significant factor in this was the contraption located right in the center of the fort, one meter above the ground. A large hole, encircled by cracks, gave the impression that the Creator himself had struck it with a hammer.

They quickly realized their main enemy was dark spirits, with whom negotiation was impossible. Like rabid animals, these spirits craved only blood and flesh. When an earthbender faced a challenging opponent, a firebender would step in to save the day. And if you were on the other side, a waterbender would rescue you. The phrase, "The best friendship is one against a common enemy," takes on a literal meaning here.

Moreover, "Defenders of Humanity" sounds quite impressive. They'd been told that such breaches would increase the world's magical energy, leading to more benders. They themselves noticed that mastering the elements had become much easier. Even experienced benders, who had long forgotten what it was like to reach new heights, suddenly realized that years of stagnation were behind them. So, despite the danger, there were plenty of volunteers worldwide willing to stand guard. After all, the pay was good, there were other perks, and abilities improved—gathering so many benders in one place, not to mention the direct "channel" to the Spirit World, heightened particle activity. As a cultivator might say, "One day of training here equals a whole week elsewhere."

On the second floor of the main building were the quarters—or rather, the office—of former General Zen, now the head of defense for Interworld Base Number Eight. After years of service, Poppy Beifong's father had retired. Yes, retirement existed in this world, though only in its early form. The general's active nature couldn't endure being cooped up indoors, especially after his health was restored by the best healers of the Northern Water Tribe. So, he eagerly seized the chance to feel the heat of battle once more.

"When will someone strong finally show up?" the spry old man grumbled to himself. If he'd said it aloud, his subordinates wouldn't have understood. After all, even a battle with a low-level spirit here could mean death. But over the years, only mid-level spirits had emerged from the hole. Occasionally, several mid-level spirits appeared at once, but other officers handled them easily, leaving him to watch with a hint of envy. Occupational hazard—it seems even he doesn't realize his behavior isn't normal.

"And Base Six has encountered a high-level spirit for the second time this year," he muttered barely audibly. But apparently not quietly enough, as his assistant shot him an annoyed look. Fair enough. All the paperwork meant for the base commander had been dumped on this smart young man. Zen was no good at such writing! He preferred throwing rocks, that's all!

"Is something wrong, Ms. Miyuki?" he asked the herbalist's cat, whose fur was no longer snow-white, and whose whiskers drooped sadly. Oddly, an ordinary cat had outlived her owner! Stranger still, considering this cat was nearly as old as the herbalist herself. Zen was absolutely certain of that. Years ago, when Zen was still a teenager living near the already-ruined city of Taku, his parents had intended to send him to study under the last herbalist. It didn't work out. But after spending nearly a year with her, he couldn't mistake the cats. Miyuki was the same Miyuki from many years ago. He suspected Miyuki had become an unintended victim of one of the herbalist's experiments. As far as he remembered, the teacher loved creating potions but often left her creations lying around the house...

Miyuki's raised fur spoke louder than words: something was breaking through from the other side. Unusual, but true: ordinary cats are highly sensitive to approaching spirits. That's why every base always had several feline representatives.

"Who's coming to visit us?" the former general asked excitedly, rubbing his hands together.

Five minutes later, as half the base's personnel gathered near the breach, they sensed a faint aura of spiritual energy.

"A high-level spirit!" the general exclaimed joyfully, but quickly composed himself. "Er, I mean—it's bad that a high-level spirit is coming," he added. Unfortunately, no one believed this battle-crazed man...

"I need to stretch my old bones. Who's ready to learn from my experience?" he began looking around for "sparring partners." It would still take some time before the spirit could break through to this side.

*

Spirit World. Valley of Two Worlds. Wan. One Month Later.

Watching someone work brings a special kind of satisfaction. Watching it from a lounge chair while sipping a cold fruit drink is even better.

We'd been thinking as a family about how to rein in the girls. No one wanted a repeat of that situation. So, we had to come up with something. Since they craved battles and adventures, we decided to give them what they wanted—enough to make them beg for mercy. For a whole week, they helped defend a settlement in the Spirit World. Seven days of nonstop fighting, not even an hour to sleep, with barely enough life energy to scrape by. It was exhausting, both mentally and physically. By the end of the prolonged clash, they looked like zombies. I felt sorry for them then, but it was time for them to see the world through adult eyes. The lesson, I think, was effective. But the activities didn't stop there.

Next came Shiki's suggestions. Oh, she knew where to apply pressure! Most likely, she was upset that she hadn't even been invited on the adventure. Before, it was always, "We invite her, she refuses—everyone's happy." Knowing her sisters well, she devised a way to teach them a lesson.

After they recovered from the prolonged battle, each was given a task. For example, Kushi was ordered to become a teacher on Kyoshi Island. A regular school had recently opened there, and they were short on competent instructors. It seemed like a simple task, but Kushi hates noise. And there would be plenty of it—after all, she'd be surrounded by children. The irony is, Kushi herself loves creating chaos, but she can't stand it when she's not the source of the "fluctuation."

Tomoko had to spend some time in a village. Obsessed with fashion trends and born into an aristocratic family, she felt repulsed by the mundane tasks of "commoners." After a week, she seemed to adjust to rising with the sun, herding and milking cattle, working the land, and embracing other rural delights.

Hime was given a task suited to her, so to speak. The tanned beauty, somewhat resembling Avatar Korra, hated monotonous work. We found her a dozen jobs involving repetitive actions. Cruel? Maybe. But if we didn't set them straight now, it would only get worse. They don't realize that even their father treads carefully in the Spirit World. There are countless other spirits there, with abilities that inspire terror and helplessness, and for some reason, they're all dark...

Overall, when the girls are apart, they're charming, but when they're together, all rational thought shuts down, and trouble finds them. It's best to keep them occupied.

"Cow," Shiki muttered from her nearby lounge chair, observing her sister's struggles. Tomoko had decided her bust needed enhancement, so using life energy, she'd grown herself a considerable asset—definitely a size five. It would be fine, except her slender, almost graceful figure now looked slightly comical. Her "balls" were getting in the way. Whenever she flew toward the crystal wall and didn't stop in time, her ample bust bounced her back...

Hime and Kushi weren't faring much better. Without airbending, they relied on climbing gear. Let them experience firsthand that crystals aren't obtained just because they want them.

After finishing my drink and moving farther away, I began practicing firebending. White flames danced along my wrist, soon joined by sparks of lightning. The next second, a fireball shot toward a nearby rock, its surface ringed with lightning.

"Not bad," I thought. Before, combining lightning and fire required channeling them through separate pathways in the body. For example, such a technique needed both hands. After reaching the ancient level, these "tricks" became much easier. The lightning obeyed even better, as evidenced by the electrical discharges on my fiery source. Plus, I could now alter the lightning's configuration: adding life energy not only changed its color but also gave it properties similar to green fire.

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Next, I launched large-scale fire techniques into the air, stopping only when thunderclouds appeared in the sky. It wasn't done for nothing...

"Alright, let's go!" I thought, as lightning struck my body. I vanished from my previous location, reappearing thousands of kilometers away... on another continent.

"Distance doesn't matter; conditions do," I muttered, using my aura to ward off other spirits. The ability I'd gained recently still held surprises. In a way, I'd acquired a limited version of teleportation, with a host of restrictions. The main requirement was thunderclouds overhead. Somehow, I could sense other thunderclouds worldwide. In daily life, they didn't interfere, but when I focused, a sort of "marked map" appeared, showing where I could pull my body. Something similar was felt in the space between worlds, so this aspect of the ability wasn't very necessary now. Especially since it didn't allow jumping between planes—only within the same world.

*

City of Tienhai.

"What's even happening?" Aang's head spun.

Let's rewind about twenty-four hours. That's when the no-longer-young Avatar finally mustered the courage to confess his feelings to Senna and Jin. The girls, as if they'd been waiting for Aang's words, quickly took him under their wing. After all, Avatars aren't exactly lying around on the street—they're one of a kind.

Due to his upbringing, Aang hadn't noticed the "hungry" looks from other girls, but Jin and Senna saw them all too well. Interested parties knew Aang was wealthy, thanks to Uncle Iroh. Aang was strong—of course, he was the Avatar. And the tattooed man was kind and compassionate, with rumors spreading worldwide about how Aang helped people, even in the smallest ways. For Aang himself, helping those in need had become a simple "grind" to raise Raava's energy level. But to anyone else, Aang seemed like the very embodiment of kindness and assistance...

At some point, Jin and Senna decided not to compete with each other but instead form a team to ward off other "chicks." In the girls' defense, they genuinely had feelings for Aang, though how deep those feelings ran remained to be seen.

Now, their first date was underway, which Aang thought was going horribly. No one had taught him how to court girls! There was no such training in the Air Nomad culture, and Uncle Iroh's advice had slipped his mind. But the girls didn't see it that way. Aang's shy and nervous demeanor was adorably charming, nothing like the stern airbending master they'd expected.

The girls were no longer teenagers, and seeing that Aang wasn't opposed to their company, they decided to end the evening in a very interesting way...

"What should I do?! What if we have kids?! Uncle Iroh, save me!" Aang's head buzzed with thoughts. He understood perfectly well where things were headed but was simply unprepared to accept the situation. Yet, he didn't really want to escape either. "And why do they know where I live?" The girls calmly led him through the streets toward his home. He'd probably forgotten, in his nervousness, that he'd blurted out all sorts of information. Luckily, his tongue hadn't slipped about the most important things—otherwise, Yuki's daughters would have another offender to deal with...