SWNOVELXO Chapter 5: Chapter 5
While swimming, I used my waterbending to push the water around me forward, rather than using my hands and feet to propel myself. This gave me a higher speed than the ship that was chasing me. However, I intentionally slowed down a bit and changed direction instead of moving aimlessly.
There was a reason for this—it was to trap them.
As the Fire Soldiers continued chasing me, occasionally a fireball would be launched in my direction.
But since we were in the South Pole and there was no sun at this time of year, their power was minimal, and taking me down from a distance would be difficult. Not to mention, it was easy to dodge their fire by sinking a bit deeper into the water.
"Alright, honey, let's keep going," I muttered to myself as I turned my head.
They were still chasing me, and the one in the lead had a determined look in his eyes, as if he were a hunter and I was the prey. Well, I was.
As I moved, I opened the system's screen and checked the log.
[Killing a weak, old woman]
[+100 accumulated EXP]
Accumulated experience was a good thing, I guess. But such a pitiful amount wasn't very useful in my current situation.
Anyway, I poured the 100 experience points into Chi Bending. Hopefully, it would help me in the future.
As time passed, the cold seeped into my bones. Although I was a native of the South Pole, there was a limit to how much I could handle. Luckily, moving my body helped warm me up, and I could control the temperature of the water to a certain degree. After about an hour, I was freezing to the point of near death.
I spotted land ahead and jumped onto it. We were still in the South Pole, but I had led them into an isolated area where no one lived.
As soon as I got out of the water, I felt my body burning—literally.
Luckily, I was a waterbender, so I could control the heat of the water around me.
Had it been anyone else, they would have kissed their limbs, if not their life, goodbye.
Being exposed to the cold water made the air feel warm, but it didn't stop me from shivering.
"I might play with the firebenders a bit," I muttered to myself, already thinking of a risky plan. Maybe they'd give me more accumulated experience than that old lady did.
Thinking about her, I knew her well. She had always acted like a sweet grandmother, asking about everyone's well-being. But who knew she was a traitor?
I had flashes of our time together. Sure, I was originally from Earth, but that didn't erase the 17 years I had spent living here.
Although it was a shame she ended up dead, I had no regrets. If I hadn't killed her, she might have told them about Katara or me. But it didn't matter now. All she got from this was death.
'Lucky me. She didn't tell them about the gender of the waterbender.' I rubbed my forehead.
It could also be that the Fire Soldiers thought Rakasha was lying and leading them into a trap. Who knows? Since I had demonstrated my waterbending skills, I would be the one to take the blame.
The ship reached the land and stopped. They didn't give me any time to prepare mentally. Some of them jumped off the ship and began shooting fire streams at me.
All I could do was raise my hands in defense and bend the ice upward.
[Waterbending +50 XP]
Apparently, bending ice was more rewarding than bending water at this point.
Usually, I shouldn't have been that good at bending. But I guess the fear of death was making me discover new things about myself.
All I had to do now was wait for them to release the anchor.
As soon as I heard the anchor drop, I jumped back into the water and sank deeply.
As I swam around the anchor, I froze the water around it, turning it into ice, all while wearing an evil smirk on my face.
[Freeze: +50 XP] [Freeze: +60 XP] Freeze ++++
[Freeze up to Level 2]
[Freeze up to Level 3]
The more chains I froze, the higher my skill level became.
Not only that, the ice I could create grew larger and larger.
And with each level-up, the ice felt colder.
Maybe if I reach absolute zero one day… who knows?
With that thought in mind, I turned in another direction, swimming as fast as I could, heading back to the tribe's location.
I needed to deliver a message to Katara and Sokka: find the Avatar and leave the South Pole as soon as possible.
Katara had made a stupid move by kissing me in front of the enemy, which meant she could be taken as a hostage. A stupid move, but one that provided me with enough heat while swimming in the freezing water for so long.
Though, I wondered. In the Avatar show, they never seemed to use hostages… but that could be because Iroh and Zuko were the ones chasing after the Avatar.
I had no idea if other Fire Soldiers shared the same level of morality, so I needed to get the message to Katara and Sokka.
Man, I was getting tired of all this. I now knew I would become a wanted man. The Fire Nation would chase me wherever I went. And I wasn't that good at fighting or bending. After all, I could only bend water in front of me. I had limited reaction speed and no battle experience… well, no break-dance fight experience, at least.
'If someone from the "Step Up" movies or Bollywood were to reincarnate in this world, they'd be OP.'
With that thought in mind, I arrived at the tribe's location. Some elders were gathered around Rakasha's body, discussing her funeral. When they spotted me, they didn't shoot me hateful glares or anything.
Katara, who had been in shock when I left, saw me and ran toward me.
Sokka gave me a sharp glare as he approached.
Katara hugged me, her voice filled with concern. "You shouldn't have come back. You should have run away. They'll catch up to you in no time."
"Don't worry," I replied. "I froze their anchor. With the weather the way it is, their ship will be stuck for a few days." That's what I hoped. They'd have to wait for a long time, and I doubted the firebenders would have enough tolerance for the cold to come here on foot or by swimming. Even if they did, they'd be in a weakened state.
Wait, this gave me another idea.
"But they'll catch up anyway," she stressed, placing her hands on my shoulders.
"You know, usually, I'd get angry if something were going on between you two. But I have to thank you for taking the blame for my sister," Sokka said. "For a second, I thought I'd lost her."
"We should escape together," Katara suggested.
"We're not in a hurry to escape. Well, not today," I shook my head. "Anyway, guys, I have something urgent to tell you."