Chapter 17: The Legendary Sandbender

I had no idea what I was missing to gain control over the rare and powerful art of metalbending. My control, as evidenced by the number of sand tentacles I could manifest, was excellent; I manipulated the grains of sand with near perfection, if not total mastery. Yet, metalbending remained stubbornly out of reach. There was one ability that might have helped, but I still hadn't mastered it to its full potential: seismic sense.

I possessed only its weakest foundations. I could catch the vibrations of the earth, but I couldn't pinpoint their source. I knew someone was standing nearby, but I couldn't tell how many people. I had honed this ability in the cave just to know when someone was digging around me. Without a teacher, however, I only managed to grasp the bare essentials needed for survival. Books were no help either; it was unlikely Toph would ever bother putting her thoughts on paper… and she couldn't, anyway. That ability would certainly have allowed me to feel metal more clearly, sensing all its impurities and details.

I had to ignore a vast amount of practice material and scout the houses in the camp to find something of value while my reputation spread among the Earth Kingdom people. I searched for everything from strategic data and reports that might aid the Earth Kingdom army to food. Afka helped, greedily slobbering over Fire Nation scrolls as if she wanted to drag every single thing here back to the library. Not surprising, as this data, without exception, was considered lost.

"Give me the map. If you're a spirit, is it really that hard to go and steal some exotic books from the Fire Nation?" I tugged at the rolled parchment, trying to pry it from the fox's greedy maw.

"Grrr..."

"So angry! But what’s your excuse? Ha, gotcha!" Taking a small ball of sand, I tossed it into her mouth along with the scroll. Afka immediately began hacking and spitting, releasing the map, which I calmly unfurled above my head. It was a map of the territories around Omashu, showing my current location, the city, and various Fire Nation garrisons. It was useful… logically, I should have received a choice from Anubis on what to do with it, but nothing appeared. Usually, that means one thing: I can do whatever I want. "We could wait and deal with the garrisons while the rumors about me start to spread. It’ll be easier to get into Omashu that way, don’t you think?"

Looking down, I realized the fox was gone. She was wandering through the house, dragging books into a single pile. When our eyes met, she turned cold and looked away. I had to make amends by helping her pack the books into a bundle for easy transport. Since the Fire Nation had few forms of entertainment other than the works of their own countrymen, the little fox spent a long time debating which books to take, as carrying them all was difficult. The military texts described the history of campaigns by various generals, with some minimal descriptions of the technology used on different fronts, and there were many books on firebending. After all, in such an ideological country, everyone surely wants to master it.

According to the texts, the fundamental difference between firebending and other styles is the ability to create fire independently; they use their own chi, excelling at projecting energy outward. Waterbenders, in turn, know how to work with the chi inside the body. Considering I’ve been quite successful at mimicking waterbenders, I decided, after reading the works of firebenders, to try repeating their release techniques just for interest and fun.

"Fire definitely won't work, but maybe something else?" I repeated a few movements, looking at the rock and sand beside me. "Hoo?"

The effect was entirely unexpected. Hand gestures did nothing; nothing happened at all. But when I repeated a few leg movements, standing firmly on the ground, the rock turned to sand and the sand to rock, creating the simple transformation technique I had been perfecting all this time.

Chi was supposed to be released from the body for this, which I didn't feel, likely due to my weak connection with it. How interesting.

******

To prevent the enemy from reclaiming the camp, I pelted it with stones. The mountains, not too far off, allowed for a "power" workout in long-distance throwing. I managed to leave, if not holes, then serious dents in most of the houses, roads, and walls. Unfortunately, that was all I could do without true metalbending. So, rather than settling for half-measures, I went for a little run and began hunting down Fire Nation garrisons, fueling the rumors about myself. I even went back to wearing the mask and hood; such an image was easier to remember.

Units of varying sizes usually sat in well-observed and protected spots to monitor their surroundings. They had catapults and animals for rapid movement. Dealing with them and forcing them to flee was significantly easier than taking a whole camp; those catapults were completely useless at close range.

My travels took several days while Afka was away. By the time she returned, whenever I attacked a camp for practice, I was being recognized and feared.

"Run! It’s the Sandbender!" the soldiers screamed upon seeing the grains of sand rising from the earth. The cornered soldiers watched in terror as I approached them with bare, dirty feet. The ground shook; pebbles rose into the air even without hand gestures, turning into sand as I continued to experiment with releasing chi through my legs. The movements of firebenders made it easier to swirl the earth and manipulate solid sheets of matter. I hadn't realized that making stone from sand would be so much easier this way, though it seems logical, as direct contact with the earth is the foundation of earthbending. But only the movements of firebenders allow for the proper pouring of chi in abundant flows.

Whether this chi carried any specific "flavor" would only be clear once my mastery increased, but the trend was interesting: with enough will, all the styles of other benders could be adapted. I adapted by participating in battles with firebenders, mimicking their movements in real-time. But when all the opponents vanished and no garrisons remained...

"I’m fluttering around like a moth in a swamp. More details will become clear directly from the lessons of the Water Tribe masters; they understand chi better than anyone else." It’s very difficult to progress without formal lessons. But perhaps it wasn't worth it yet; Omashu surely held something that would occupy all my attention. "Shall we go? Let's go find the secret of the abrasive."

Afka, still sulking, suddenly pricked up her ears and, shifting slightly from paw to paw, followed me. Crossing the peaks via secret Fire Nation paths, we found ourselves on a giant cliff offering a monstrous view of a mountain network. In the center, closely resembling those very mountains, sat Omashu. Its perfect location protected it from outside invasion; it could only be attacked with catapults. A single wide path led forward, where a cart could easily pass, though a squad of soldiers would have found it unpleasantly crowded.

"This is what you should build using earthbending," I said, feeling inspired. Afka was also delighted, her wagging tail giving her away. Moving forward onto the suspension bridge, I sped myself up slightly, turning the stone under my feet into sand. As I drew closer, I realized the city wasn't completely isolated. Guards were inspecting a line of people before letting them inside.

Some, however, were turned away.

"I'll get in next time for sure," an old man said dejectedly, walking back the way he came. When my turn came, the guards looked at the frowning youth in a hood and mask with the highest degree of suspicion. Ripping a couple of stones from the ground, the guards suspended them over me.

"Take off the mask. Who are you?"

"I’m 'one of yours,'" I said, lowering the mask and drawing a small stream of sand from my gourd. The soldiers froze for a second, tensely studying the magical trick, then looked at each other.

"Is he the one the rumors are about?"

"The arriving civilians gave a clear description. Hey, kid... what’s your name?"

"Dagoth." Returning the sand to the gourd, I nodded to the guards. "I am the one you’ve heard of."

"...Imposter!" the guards suddenly shouted. "We have a description from the civilians. The Sandbender is nearly three meters tall, his muscles are like rock, and his body is covered in thousands of scars from endless battles. He is a monster who wiped out most of the enemy garrison. You think a brat like you can pass yourself off as a hero?!"

It seems I overdid the intimidation factor.

"Just admit it, you're an earthbender who learned to move a little dust. Didn't make the army, so now you're mimicking heroes?"

Anubis, you cursed dog, why didn't you tell me it would turn out like this?

"Anyway, go on through. The real Sandbender cleared out all the filth; you should be grateful. Because of him, all civilians can get into the city, especially earthbenders." Spitting on the ground with contempt, he ordered the gates opened. I have no idea what was going in their heads or what logic they were using… but I accepted it with gratitude. Taking a few steps forward, I looked back strangely.

"Why was the old man sent away?"

"Cabbage wasn't fresh."