MTLNOVEL Chapter 34: Chapter 34
After the envoy from the Fire Nation had left, I was left alone with the earthbenders and the villagers who had attended the meeting.
As people gathered, I turned to Tyro.
I asked, "Is there a reason why killing an envoy is frowned upon?"
"Besides being labeled a war criminal, there's a reason no one kills envoys. All-out war is something you want to avoid in the future. Moreover, if you kill every envoy, the enemy would feel justified in launching sneak attacks without facing criticism. Honor is something the Fire Nation values, so it's better to use it against them."
"Hmm… Makes sense. We want them to warn us every time they send a unit," I said, rubbing my chin and nodding. "You're wise, old man."
"When you spend more than a decade in prison, you think about all sorts of things," he said with a smile.
"Don't dwell on it. Let me ask you," I said, "if you could go back in time, would you still escape the prison when I asked you to?"
"Yes. Every single time, without hesitation," he replied firmly. "To spend time with my family after so long, I would kill every Fire Nation soldier."
I pondered. I had been feeling quite guilty as well, since the villagers and the earthbenders were caught in a mess of my own creation.
But knowing that they were following me of their own will made me feel less responsible.
They weren't so different from me—I was doing this to save my home from facing a punishing army. Now, this village would face that same threat.
A lot of people had gathered around us.
They were talking among themselves, and the earthbenders who had joined us looked furious.
"Now they're angry. They won't even spare the grass."
"They're going to kill all of us."
"Shouldn't we have just surrendered?"
"And then what? With the number of soldiers we've killed, all of our families would be dead anyway."
"It's fine. We have time. If we gather our things and run away today, we can escape now."
I looked at the villagers and the earthbenders. It was needless to say that all of them were worried. The fear of death was palpable.
"Everyone!" I stomped my foot. "Attention! I'm going to speak!"
They fell silent and glared at me.
I continued calmly, "I know everyone is afraid, and I'm not blaming anyone. From now on, I will not take responsibility for anyone's life or death. There are three large ships next to the prison rig, ready for you to escape by sea. The land is there for you to escape on foot. But what I want to remind you of is this: we can't win a naval battle, and the Fire Nation's fleet has numerous bases across the islands that we don't know about. On land, they may have scouts and spies ready to catch you if you escape. And we know that for every soldier we've killed, they want two of us dead."
I wasn't going to give them a motivational talk. I was just stating facts.
"Your chances of survival, if you escape, are much lower than if you stay."
An old man stepped forward and voiced his opinion. "So, you're saying that if we stay and fight, we'd have a chance to win? Do you know what weapons they have? Have you ever seen a tank in your life? Do you know their numbers? Not to mention, we don't have enough benders to counter them. I've seen numerous battles during the Hundred Year War, and I can assure you, they are furious. No one can stand in their way!"
Soon, the rest of the villagers nodded in agreement.
"We do have a chance—a very high one, practically—because they love metal. Haru, get over here."
When everyone turned their heads, Haru made his way through the crowd.
I grabbed something I had prepared in advance: a leather bag from a lumberjack and a Fire Nation soldier's armor.
"Excuse me for a second," Haru said as he stood next to me.
I handed him the armor. "Show them."
Stomping on the ground, Haru pointed his hands at the armor and clenched them.
The armor squeezed and shrank, compressing on its own.
The villagers were shocked.
The earthbenders, however, were astonished.
They had just witnessed metalbending—something they never thought possible. Metal was something they had lived with, something that had taken their bending away and forced them to live as powerless prisoners.
"Haru, bend the dust in the bag," I said politely.
Haru moved his hands.
Compared to bending metal, bending dust was lighter than bending water. The dust rose into the air and drifted a short distance. At that moment, I wished there was a firebender to show them what it could do.
"Everyone, step back," I said. "And wait for me."
I went into Haru's house and soon returned with a candle in my hand.
I threw the candle into the air.
As soon as it made contact with the dust, a small explosion occurred. Since it was far away and the amount of wood dust was small, it was nothing major.
"We can add a few things to mix with the dust to make the explosion more powerful. With these things filling the air, firebenders won't be able to bend fire," I said loudly enough for everyone to hear. 'Some charcoal, sulfur—we have earthbenders to dig. Saltpeter should be found in caves. I didn't want to resort to this, but if they send an army, it's my best option.'
Even in this world, it wasn't a big secret that dust could explode.
While some were shocked by the dustbending, others began sharing their ideas.
"You know," Tyro said, "if you want to make an explosion, you can simply create friction. Charcoal or coal dust would help if you add it to the mix."
The expressions on the people's faces changed.
A new element had been introduced: hope.
I heard them speaking.
"Metalbending? Is this possible?"
"You've seen it with your own eyes. It's possible for an earthbender to learn it."
"I feel like an idiot for spending 17 years in the prison rig without knowing I could bend metal."
"But most of us here are old. Can they learn it?"
I raised my voice. "You will learn metalbending! If you don't, you'll master dustbending! I know a trick with waterbending to accelerate your training. So, please, for the next week, give it your all. Those who wish to leave, leave. But if you want to stay and defend your home, together, we have a chance. I, too, am a waterbender, and if I wanted, no one could catch me in the sea. But I'm staying here to fight for you. (Not really—I'm taking responsibility for my actions.) So, fight with me."
"Will you fight, or will you escape? Who wants to join me?" I looked at them, waiting for an answer.