After I dealt with the second ship, Appa came down and enjoyed an hour-long feast of whatever food we could find on this ship, which was quite a lot, but more than half was dried meat, which was not our diet; if push came to shove, I could eat meat, but Appa physically couldn't, his biology didn't allow for.
Anyway, there were still plenty of vegetables and fruits for us to dine on, though I ensured I kept Appa's diet strict; I couldn't have him letting himself go. Once we finished eating, I stored some food on Appa before we took to the skies, heading North as we traveled toward the Earth Kingdom, specifically Omashu.
'I just hope there is still a city when I arrive; they've been receiving the brunt of the Fire Nations attacks for multiple years.' Thought Aang softly as he crossed his legs and closed his eyes before meditating while Appa flew through the air.
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'Wan Shi Tong.' Thought Aang lightly as he gazed at the spire sticking out from the middle of the Si Wong Desert.
Giving Appa a slight pat on the back, I leaped off and soared through the sky with my glider as I rapidly descended towards the ground before swiftly slowing myself with a vortex.
Lifting myself into the air, I stepped into the top of the spire and jumped down the ladder, breaking my fall with another vortex as I landed in darkness, prompting me to create a small flame to light up the surroundings.
However, the instant I did so, I swiftly thrust both of my palms, creating a mighty gust of wind that pushed my hidden attacker and me backward. Landing a distance away, I waved my arms around, creating a storm within the library as the wind violently circulated around me, making it nearly impossible to reach me.
Though the point of this action was to sense my surroundings through the airflow, a very demanding technique, yet it allowed me to 'see' everything, just not with great detail; still, it was more than enough for me as I was able to make out everything, including who had attacked me.
"Wan Shi Tong… It's Aang… The Avatar." Stated Aang softly as he eyed Tong in the distance, his eyes trailing his every move through the darkness.
After a few moments, Tong flapped his wings, causing distant thumps to ring out as torches lining the wall lit up, illuminating the library and allowing me to see Wan Shi Tong, who, despite looking calm, was very upset.
"You're not going to attack me again, are you? I'd prefer not to damage this library." Asked Aang lightly as he skeptically eyed Tong, who narrowed his eyes before lightly shaking his head, prompting him to drop his guard.
Sighing in relief, I lowered my arms, causing the miniature hurricane that filled the library to dissipate as the air returned to normal.
"I saw fire and attacked out of instinct… I apologize." Said Tong lightly as he gazed at Aang, who nodded with a faint smile.
"I shall accept it, though I will admit, in hindsight, using fire without announcing my presence was a bit foolish." Said Aang softly as he gazed at Tong, who silently looked at him skeptically.
"What is that supposed to imply, Aang?" Asked Tong with furrowed brows as he looked at Aang.
"It means, I presume, you've already received a visit from the Fire Nation?" Replied Aang lightly as he eyed Tong, who quietly cawed in anger while spreading his wings.
"They destroyed a whole section of my library! Hundreds of precious books, destroyed, burned into an unrecognizable mess!" Stated Tong furiously as he glared at Aang while flapping his wings, creating gusts of wind.
"Haa, so I'm too late? I thought the Fire Nation destroying any information about them would be possible; I just didn't think they would move so fast." Muttered Aang with a sigh as he lowered and shook his head, ignoring the gusts of wind that ruffled his clothes before glancing at Tong.
"Can I see the damages?" Added Aang curiously as he looked at Tong, who heaved a deep breath of anger before nodding while furling his wings.
Following Tong, we silently walked through the library with only his talons echoing against the walls was audible. After several minutes and multiple staircases, we arrived at the spot where a large bookshelf, identical to the hundreds of other bookshelves that were more than capable of storing two hundred plus books, had been entirely engulfed in flames and destroyed.
It wasn't even slightly salvageable, nor was there even remnants.
"426 books, all regarding the Fire Nation, have been destroyed." Stated Tong viciously as he glared at the burnt bookshelf with hatred while Aang remained silent.
"The Fire Nation has declared War on the world and is simply ensuring no one else can learn anything about them without their knowledge… I'm sure you've heard the saying, all is fair in love and war." Remarked Aang lightly as he glanced at Tong, who barely managed to control his anger before shaking his head.
"No… No, I haven't." "Really? Well, that is surprising." Remarked Tong and Aang, respectively, as the former lightly shook his head while the latter raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Anyway, I came here to warn you about his, but seeing as I'm late, I shall take my leave, Wan Shi Tong." Remarked Aang softly as he shifted his gaze to Tong before collapsing his hands and slightly bowing.
"If I find any books on the Fire Nation, I will bring them to you." Added Aang as he leaped into the air, flying through the library with his glider while his voice echoed against the wall before entering Tong's ears.
"Hmm, thank you." Muttered Tong lightly, his voice too quiet for Aang, who was already leaving the library, to hear.
Exiting the Library, I closed my glider and holstered it on my back as I landed onto Appa, who flew beside the spire before continuing to head toward Omashu; we did happen to take a bit of a detour, which would cost us a few days, but considering I planned to stay in Omashu for a long time, it was necessary.
"Okay, now I promise we're heading to Omashu, Appa." Said Aang as he gently patted Appa's head, causing him to growl lightly while shaking his head.
"Haa, fair." Muttered Aang with a wry smile as he returned to meditating.
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As we neared Omashu in the distance, I saw a massive Fire Nation Encampment about a kilometer out; there were massive tents littered across the ground along with numerous siege weapons meant for taking down large fortresses, which nearly every prominent city within the Earth Kingdom was.
Shifting my gaze to Omashu, I gazed at it, noticing they were beaten and battered, with a few sides nearing destruction; to make matters worse, given the geographical location of Omashu, there is only one exit and entrance, and the Fire Nation's encampment is blocking any possible supplies from neighboring cities.
'They're exhausting them.' Thought Aang with a deep frown as he gazed at the encampment below, only to thrust his palm downwards, deflecting several flaming arrows.
Seeing how my presence has been discovered, I created a spherical vortex surrounding Appa and I, causing any arrows to be deflected, blocked, or torn to shreds. After a minute, we exited their range, though I saw several trebuchets, so I didn't risk lowering my guard; only when I neared Omashu did I finally dissipate my spherical vortex as I landed near the ground in front of the battered wall where multiple injured guards stood.
"An Air-Nomad?" Muttered one of the guards skeptically as he and another eyed Aang, who clasped his hands before bowing.
"I'm Aang, a survivor of the Air-Nomad Invasion six years ago… I've come here to assist Omashu in repelling the Fire Nation." Stated Aang lightly as he projected his voice throughout Omashu, reaching every corner of the city, causing a confident madman to smile wildly.
"Aang?" Muttered the guard with a raised eyebrow before glancing at his fellow companions.
After a few moments of quietly talking, they nodded while one of them stepped forward.
"Prove your identity, and you'll be allowed to enter." Stated the guard solemnly as he and his companions skeptically eyed Aang, preparing to attack him if necessary.
Nodding, I touched my fists before expelling a colossal amount of air, creating a dust cloud while flinging the four guards into the wall behind them.
"O-OKAY!" Yelled guard loudly, his words barely audible amidst the torrent of wind, though Aang promptly stopped with a faint smile.
After they removed themselves from the wall, they stomped on the ground and pulled their arms to the side, opening the entrance to Omashu and prompting Appa and I to enter. However, I could barely take a few steps before the person known as the 'Mad Genius', ran towards me with a crazy grin.
"Hahaha, Aang!" Yelled Bumi with a grin as he leaped towards Aang, who wryly smiled before stepping to the side, dodging Bumi at the last second.