Kapitel 55: Chapter 54 The Journey To Omashu
Southern Earth Kingdom
..... The Journey to Omashu ....
Meilin's POV
It had been more than a week since our incident at Haican.
Our convoy was silent on the road, the only exception being the occasional honks of the ostrich horses under our butts.
It was a transport.
Each one of us sat at the back, behind the Earth Kingdom soldiers steering the animals. Our hands and feet were shackled with chains to restrict our movements.
Traveling at this time of day is unbearable.
My inner thoughts halted as I turned my gaze to my rider. "... Can't we travel at much cooler times of day? Omashu isn't going anywhere."
Observing his facial features as I leaned slightly to the side, I saw him remain expressionless.
"Hmph." I snorted after waiting a while without receiving a reply.
"Damn soldiers," I muttered softly, sweat trickling down my forehead. I wasn't worried if he heard me or not.
This wasn't the first time anyway.
Time elapsed.
Three days had passed since we left the Earth Kingdom Camp. Dandan, Miss Aya (Fenfang's mother), and I had been brought out from the wooden cell to resume travel.
The sight of Mingxia and the others unharmed left me relieved. Alongside them was someone I never thought I'd see again.
That blade-wielding guy from Haican.
I was just as surprised as Peng when I saw him standing alongside us, hands in chains and all.
What in the spirits is he doing here? I wondered.
Just like everyone else, I didn't think we would ever cross paths again, much less so soon. How long had it been? Less than two weeks...
That night during our rest time, I learned the whole story from Mingxia.
We also had formal introductions.
I have to say, though, I did not like him one bit.
My thoughts returned as my gaze wandered to the riding ostrich horse at the front.
I could see him. Dark hair, blue eyes, fair skin. He sat there, hands and feet bound in chains just like us.
He called himself Sasuke when we met.
A weird name I had never heard before.
... Not so tough now, are you?
I snorted both inwardly and out.
Even now, in chains, his expression was still the same as back then—at Haican, the first time we met, after he killed those Earthbenders right in front of us.
... I have no desire to kill some nameless refugees seeking death... Your tension is pointless. If I wanted, you'd already be dead...
His tone and look then: bland, indifferent. Like he didn't take us seriously. It was the same thing now.
How infuriating.
Of course, I wasn't angry. I definitely wasn't holding a grudge because of a past issue.
I wasn't that petty. ... I wasn't.
I blanked out for a moment, grumbling slightly. Upon returning to reality, our eyes locked. He was looking at me with a raised eyebrow and a questioning look.
"Hmph."
Snorting, I looked away to find Mingxia. Turns out, she was looking at him. My face darkened.
In the past two nights, my bestie had spent a while chatting with this bastard. It looked like they were discussing something important, yet she refused to tell the rest of us what was wrong.
Now why was she looking at this hateful guy?
He's not even that good-looking. I've seen better boys back in my village before the Fire Nation came around.
I wasn't jealous. Definitely wasn't.
Meanwhile...
"How much longer?" Mingxia asked, pausing mid-sentence before continuing. "... I mean ... till we get there."
"Not long," the soldier in front replied indifferently. "Less than a day's ride."
"Oh," her eyebrows furrowed at the reply.
It had been three days since they left the camp. During this time, the brown-haired girl had communicated with Luca—or Sasuke, as she knew him.
The result was a mind clouded with constant thoughts.
They had set out at first light earlier today and had been on the road ever since.
Yet the closer they were to Omashu, the more clouded her mind became.
She had been in this state ever since the first discussion three days ago, the first night at the Earth Kingdom Camp.
---
[Three Days Ago]
"Hey, are you listening?"
Luca was snapped out of his daze, realizing that everyone was looking at him weirdly.
He blinked, the panel vanishing as he refocused on the group. All three were watching him.
"Sorry. Just... thinking." He straightened, his tone shifting to calm. "... Did you say something?"
"I did," Dandan, the Waterbender, uttered.
"I said she's right. How can we be sure if what you're saying is true?"
"You can't," Luca's reply left Dandan deflated.
"Then what are you proposing?" Mingxia interrupted. "Because you sound like you want us to break out of here."
"That is one viable option."
"Viable?"
Dandan scoffed.
"Do you know what you're saying? Regardless of whether we succeed or not, escaping means we're guilty."
Luca raised an eyebrow. "Is that more important than your lives?"
"..."
"That's not the point," the former Kyoshi warrior intervened. "We don't know whether this will actually cost us our lives. And the whole point of doing what we did was to stop the plans of the Fire Nation."
"... You blew up the tunnel. I killed the Captain and his men. And everyone found out the tunnel's true purpose. From the way I see it, your job is complete."
"..."
Silence engulfed the atmosphere.
"It's too dangerous," the Kyoshi warrior uttered after a long silence. "They'll have us killed if we fail."
This time, it was Luca's turn to be silent. The atmosphere carried an inexplicable hint of depression.
"I know," he spoke.
"... You know?"
"I was just asking. I never intended to have you actually stage an escape."
What Mingxia could think of, how could Luca not think of it as well?
Currently, they were imprisoned in an earthen room with no visible entrance. Earlier, an opening had appeared in the wall using Earthbending, allowing Mingxia to step in.
Emphasis on the word Earthbending.
It didn't matter to him if he wanted to escape, but the premise was on his own.
After all, he could shift through walls. They couldn't.
That was just the slightest issue. The overall layout of the camp, the number of soldiers, and the guards outside the door were unknown.
Just like back at Haican, it wasn't easy escaping with three people as burdens.
Not to mention the others locked elsewhere—Peng, Meilin, and Miss Aya. There was no way Mingxia would abandon them. Luca was sure of it.
Such an escape wasn't just difficult. It was suicidal.
Luca would have no choice but to flee by himself once things went south.
Whether their lives would be in danger when they reached Omashu was ultimately speculation with no viable proof. But an escape attempt would definitely lead to certain death.
Under such circumstances, it was better to just leave himself.
With Density Shifting, if he wanted to leave, his chances were higher than everyone else's. Much higher.
However...
"... Then what are you saying?" Dandan asked with a frown.
Luca exhaled softly.
Escaping on his own would bring problems. Not for him though, but for them.
Once he left, they would be the ones to bear the brunt of it. After all, Mingxia had vouched for him.
At that point, the truth wouldn't matter. Their situation would worsen at best, and they could be executed directly at worst.
Neither was favorable. And this knowledge left him quite conflicted.
He couldn't take them out, and he couldn't leave them behind either.
After all, they had helped him.
Luca wasn't so uncaring that he would send them to their deaths, nor so ungrateful that he would leave them to fend for themselves.
That was a bottom line.
And so, he didn't answer. Instead, he spent the passing seconds weighing the pros and cons.
Mingxia, Dandan, and Fenfang didn't know his inner turmoil.
Time elapsed.
Eventually, all Mingxia heard was a slight sigh followed by a soft mutter.
"I can't believe I'm about to do this," Luca uttered while staring at the roof in a daze.
"All right then. Listen up..."
.....
(Present Day)
Mingxia frowned heavily at the thought of the possible dangers ahead of them.
Ever since she left Kyoshi Island three years ago, her life had been nothing short of turbulent.
The Fire Nation had done nothing but cause death and destruction everywhere they stepped roamed.
So many people had been forced to flee from their homes. She included.
Her goal when she left the island three years ago was clear. She wanted to see the world, and help as many people as she could.
Now, she was the one in need of help.
Life was much more complicated than she thought.
Her gaze remained fixed on Sasuke. Honestly, there was something about him, she couldn't quite put her finger on.
He felt so …. Strange to her. As unlike everyone else, he seemed so …. What's the word for it? Unbothered by their situation.
And this didn't feel like the forced calmness the rest of them were putting up.
No. She had been observing him throughout the past few days. He didn't act like someone who would soon stand trial and seemed visibly less worried than everyone else.
Almost like he had a plan to escape this scenario.
That last part was kinda funny. Nevertheless, this was how he seemed to her.
'I guess someone with a largely unchanging expression would give off that feeling to others'. She bemused.
'I wonder though what exactly are you thinking now?'
Meanwhile ….
'… I should have left them at the camp…'. Luca(Sasuke) resisted the urge to massage his temples.
Well, it's not like he could. The chains practically prevented him from reaching for his head as it was wrapped around his neck, chest, hands, and legs. Making them feel heavier than they actually were.
For a moment, Luca felt like he was in a straitjacket.
The thought of his decision had crossed his mind countless times, always reminding him of his current predicament.
'Alright. It's fine. There's no need to keep stressing over it. Ultimately, the benefits outweighed the risk'.
Escaping alone would have been easier. Unfortunately, that required him to discard his morals and principles. Only doing whatever was needed to benefit himself even at the detriment of others.
Yeah …. He wasn't willing to tread that road yet. To become an ungrateful asshole.
Not to mention, after thinking it over, Luca felt like escaping wasn't the best choice.
After all, Omashu was his first stop on his long journey, and with good reason.
It was so important that even if he escaped, he would still have to sneak back to Omashu to obtain the necessary materials he needed.
It wasn't just food, water, or a map. No, what he required now was beyond these. It would take too much time and effort to acquire them if he became a wanted fugitive with his posters pasted all over the city.
In that case, he decided to take use this situation to his advantage.
Now, abandoning them wasn't an option anymore. He owed these guys a favor, and hence, he would ensure their survival as long as he could.
Luca's gaze swept over the convoy, noting the positions of the guards, the terrain, and the rhythm of the ostrich horses' steps. Every detail mattered.
Soon, they'd reach Omashu.
And when they did, he'd have to make a move based on the circumstances.
Luca clenched his fists as they were bound tighter with thick iron chains. He would endure—for now. The key to survival, he had learned, was patience.
.....
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