Chapter 15: The Fire Nation Camp

Monotonous training, the kind that forces you to repeat the exact same actions over and over, certainly didn't make a madman out of me. I’m ready to repeat those words ten thousand times.

Through all these repetitive exercises, I freed my mind and left room for reflection. Back during my two-year sprint through the caves, I had to learn how to distract myself to keep from truly losing my sanity. Living without human contact, like a hunted and battered vagrant, I usually spent my time contemplating the benders of this world.

Ever since that sandstorm where I nearly died, I had been interested in the amplifying factors of this world. A sandstorm is an objective power-up for Sandbenders; due to the volume of the grains and the velocity granted to them, one can easily manipulate far greater amounts of matter. Most likely, it improves Airbending as well, simply due to the wind currents.

But what about the others? What kind of miraculous force does Sozin’s Comet carry that makes Firebenders many times more powerful? Or even the solar eclipse, the date of which I plucked from Wan Shi Tong’s Library. In reality, the sun is simply obscured by the moon. At night, it disappears entirely to light the other side of the planet. What then, do Firebenders consistently lose their powers for such a large window of time every single day? Of course not. Perhaps they feed on light reflected from the moon? If so, their power would rapidly diminish throughout the day and vanish almost completely during a new moon.

And what about the full moon, which gives Waterbenders their greatest strength yet has no effect on Firebenders? In reality, the moon is always "full" at night; its degree of illumination depends on the sun. There are no tricks or divine providences here – the satellite reflects light, that’s all. But for some reason, it fundamentally affects Waterbenders. I wouldn’t be surprised if, upon the appearance of the planet Nibiru, the locals awakened a fifth type of bending – the bending of friendship and stupidity.

I would have continued my snide remarks if I didn't have two hunches: Benders derive power from mentality and blind faith. People of the Water Tribe subconsciously cannot unlock their full potential without an INCREDIBLE event like a full moon. It’s as if they are subconsciously linked to something that grants them inner confidence during specific events, loosening the blockages in their chakras. And here, leading into my second hunch, all eyes fall on the spirits. Is it not they who compel people to be so steeped in faith that it partially clears their congested chakras? Spirits enter full contact with humans, releasing their inner potential. It follows, then, that there is some kind of spirit within Sozin’s Comet as well.

Actually, do these so-called "chakras" even exist?!

"Phew." Taking a sip of water to keep from going crazy with theorizing, I sat before the fire and thought seriously:

What are Chakras? Most likely, they are mental barriers that every person possesses – personal or natural limitations, complexes, or a poor education that prevents benders from opening up fully. Spirits might just help cope with this, like a priest granting absolution and making a person believe they have become better or somehow changed. In reality, the person must change themselves.

Perhaps bending is much more closely tied to personality. Still, I don't think I could have just taken my fear and "switched it off" before; it works a bit differently. But now I had hunches regarding the second Chakra, the Water Chakra, or the sense of guilt, to speak more plainly. I need to take actions that gradually overwrite my limitations, just as I did with fear. And at the end, just a little push to break free from the frame.

"This is going to be difficult. Feeling guilt is normal; the conscience wakes up if you’ve done something wrong. But this is likely about not letting yourself be perpetually hounded by it. The question is, how do I look guilt in the face?"

"Grrr..." Before I could sink into the abyss of contemplation, Afka’s sharp little teeth snagged the hem of my shirt, as if she were once again determined to get my attention.

"I wish I could start understanding you faster. Otherwise, all my clothes will be full of holes because of your teeth." I had to stand up and follow the fox, who led me to the edge of the mountain plateau. Once again, I realized Afka never nudged me for a useless reason: marching across the mountain ridges were people bearing the insignias of the Fire Nation. A whole procession, dragging siege ballistae designed to assault fortified structures. Behind the army, in the distance, black smoke rose from the camp they were currently vacating.

Crunch. Thud.

Picking up a piece of stone from the ground, I smothered the fire to avoid giving away my position. I pulled on my mask and hood. I had to press myself into the earth and surround myself with sand to blend in, tracking where this army was heading.

"Hmm, are they actually planning to march on Omashu?"

[Choose:]

[1 — Observe the army from afar and follow secretly (Training will be temporarily interrupted. You can help repel the siege of Omashu. You may gain access to the city as a reputable Earthbender.)]

[2 — Attack right now (Your training will transform and gain an increased level of difficulty. You will not feel guilt for allowing the Fire Nation army to attack the city. No one will know of your deeds.)]

[3 — Sabotage the Fire Nation base (You will deal a significant blow to the Fire Nation's positions. The enemy will be unable to launch frequent attacks on Omashu. Training will gain the highest level of difficulty. You will not feel guilt for the deaths of several hundred people.)]

"Guilt? No one actually captured Omashu until the canon events. Although..." Looking at the number of ballistae, I frowned. A synchronized volley of that many projectiles against the walls would likely overwhelm some benders, and what if something landed directly in the city? The second option involved genocide against the Fire Nation, deserved, frankly, but I had no doubt it would be a direct violation of my oath to Wan Shi Tong, causing Afka to stop following me. I had to maintain a position of relative pacifism.

In the end, it turned out to be a difficulty selection, where the most suitable option for me was the hardest.

"Well, I'll just have to find another way into Omashu later. With my luck, it’ll definitely be a headache." I stood up, took a short running start, and leaped from the cliff into the army's blind spot. Sand erupted from my gourd and immediately began to swirl around me, forming a vortex that allowed for a comfortable descent. Just like a true Airbender.

The pursuing Afka was curious about what I had planned, but the suspense remained until the very end. Before her eyes, I bypassed the entire army, merging with the yellow background, and carried by swift currents, I found myself in close proximity to a genuine Fire Nation camp... An ordinary person would likely imagine rows of tents stretching to the horizon, or given the Fire Nation's advancement, a massive palisade with constant surveillance, tanks, and dinosaurs with "machine guns" in the form of firebenders on their backs.

But it was far more massive. The entire camp was encased in metal. Giant metal plates were bolted to the walls; instead of simple dirt, they walked on a metallic field secured by gargantuan rivets. The madness peaked when you realized that even the houses and watchtowers were built of iron. The Fire Nation clearly didn't suffer from a lack of materials and spent them freely when they had to fight Earthbenders, especially if they had been here a long time and it was a vital necessity.

A premium-class outpost.

Labor-intensive, yes, but it meant no random group of Earthbenders could fully sabotage the camp's operations. I almost felt like turning around to go genocide the army instead... but things weren't as bad as they seemed.

"Afka, can you give me a lead? I need to know if the Captain is still here or if he left with the army." The little fox, pressing herself to the ground, gave a quiet nod. She vanished into a mirage and dutifully set off to fulfill the task. She was clearly pleased that we had decided to disable a base to prevent a whole slew of people from dying in the end.

I clenched my fists and prepared. If I hadn't unlocked the first chakra, I’d be shaking like a chihuahua right now; all my thoughts revolved around survival. This was decompression and compression training with an asterisk. It was a good thing I didn't need to actually defeat the Captain – I didn't know if I could, since I'd only trained for two years – but because the bulk of the army had left, only the guards remained.

As soon as Afka reappeared, I learned through her cues that the Captain had indeed remained in the camp, and she showed me his approximate location.

Standing up, I ripped several large stones from my cliff.

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh.

Acting as a human catapult, I began hurling boulders toward the camp, boulders as large as I was capable of lifting. This wasn't a particularly impressive feat, as I had to use rocks the size of my own body just to reach the target. Seven of them formed a ring, concentrated around the Captain's presumed quarters.

The rest was a matter of skill. I tensed my arms and lifted the stone right beneath my feet, launching myself. Becoming a projectile is, understandably, not the safest idea, but cloaking myself in sand armor and then jumping to hover in the air just before landing, I demonstrated the most spectacular touchdown these soldiers had ever seen. Sustaining myself with a sandstorm, I surveyed the terrified and unsuspecting benders.

"What's happening here? An Earthbender attack?" But the main boss had only just appeared. The door to the metallic bunker opened, revealing a grim man followed by a pair of eerie companions who had been conferring and developing attack plans. But seeing the storm in front of his house, he slowly raised his head and focused on me.

"...Sand?"