Chapter 54

It was morning. Haru had a good night cuddling with Suki and Kyoshi. It satisfied his physical and spiritual needs. 

When Haru and Suki walked around, they noticed that the soldiers had already taken their position. 

They were in high morale as they had achieved something no one had done in the hundred years of wars. To the Earth Kingdom Citizens, their battle against the Fire Nation had always been defensive. With Ba Sing Se not sending their unites, the situation was only getting worse and worse. Omashu and a few cities, which are under generals, were the ones to fight back. 

Moreover, 400 earthbender had joined them, and a thousand healthy man showed their intent of joining Omashu's army. 

It was a huge boost in their strength. 

But to Haru, that didn't matter. What matters now is assuring they won't be ambushed again by the Fire Nation. That's why he had ordered them to build walls. It was to protect them when he wouldn't be here. 

Today Haru would leave for Ba Sing Se and cross the large Si Wong desert. It will take weeks. That's why it was essential to leave strong defences while he isn't here. 

But before leaving, Haru thought about a few ways to increase his stats. Other than fighting beasts, there are quests. 

He had decided to have a talk with the soldiers and the citizens about anything they want. It will trigger quests, and he always has the option to reject or accept them. 

Some citizens and soldiers had been shy, some were bold and asked Haru for quests, such as uniting the Ba Sing Se and Omashu. Some said that they want him to be the king. Some said that they wanted Haru to remark his name in the desert. 

Haru ended up triggering three main quests. 

The rest had been rejected as their rewards lacked temptation. 

The total rewards would: 

300.000 exp points 

5 Gift Boxes,

4 Item Boxes

3 Epic boxes. 

The quests were the next. 

-Uniting Omashu and Ba Sing Se. 

-Becoming the King of Omashu. 

- Defeating the giant Buzzer Swaps nest. 

The last quest would be deadly for any bender. It is in the desert above that, and Haru wouldn't find earth to bend. 

Luckily, and just luckily, he had a system with 220 slots. Many of them were full of compressed metal he had stored. 40 of them were full of water bottles and food, in case something bad happened in the desert. 

Haru cracked his neck. This trip to the desert should be worthy. 

-x-X-x- 

"So, we are going to cross The Desert." Suki, who was standing next to Haru, said as she put her hands on her hips. 

Currently, she was wearing a white outfit, and her Kyoshi Warrior make-up was there. 

Haru cocked his eyebrows when she appeared. He looked at her clothes, and he said. "Why are you dressing like that… you know, white clothes can be transparent." Somehow, he was looking for any transparent spot to cover. He would hate if anyone gave her a glance. He was a man and a jealous one about that. 

She giggled and said. "No silly, but I have read that in the desert people tend to white outfits. It will help them deal with the sun's rays. You are a tanned native to the Earth Kingdom. Your tanned skin can resist heat."  She then titled her head and looked at him teasingly. She seemed to be happy that he is trying to cover her. 

"I wonder if you will get an after crossing it." Haru put his hand under his chin and stared at her. 

"Probably she won't." Kyoshi, who was examining Suki's body, said. "You aren't going to stay for too long in that place." 

Haru was about to Kyoshi why was she examining Suki. But for two reasons he didn't. One, he didn't want to appear as crazy.  Second, he realised it. To Kyoshi, it may be a fantasy to have a threesome. 

"I wonder too." Suki shrugged her shoulders. "So, are we going." 

"Yeah." Haru bent down and lifted a heavy bag on his shoulder. 

Next to him, there was an iron cub. As Haru extended his hand toward it, the iron reacted as a liquid. It compressed and sneaked under his clothes, forming a shield under them. 

It looked heavier than it is. The armour weighed 300 kilos. It indicated how much metal is there when he decompressed it.  

This way, he will have iron for instant use. He won't waste time summoning it. Sometimes, one second can make difference between life and death in battles. 

As for the armour getting hot because of the sun, it wasn't a problem for Haru. 

Just like he can heat the earth, he can even cool it. As he had figured out the principle to do that, Haru can even cool water. It's all about imagining the speed of the atoms. 

"So, we are ready to go," Haru said. Lifting his hand, a board, 3 meters wide, appeared. Since he had used it to travel 2 days in the past, and during his week conquering the bases of the Fire Nation, Haru levelled up to level 8.  At his current level, Haru could manipulate the shape of the Earth Board. 

Suki jumped and sat on it. It was comfortable for her. She smiled and waited for Haru, who sat in front of her. Kyoshi's spirit sat at the back and she kicked her long legs in the air. Her look changed to a casual one. It meant that she wasn't in a serious mood. 

Without even having to point with his hand, Haru nodded in the direction that he wanted to move in. 

The board then flew. It was a lot faster than usual thanks to the level-up. At this rate, it will take him way less to cross this desert. 

After some time, Suki seemed to feel bored. The wind no longer amused her. Pushing herself forward, she hugged Haru from his back. Her chest pressed into his back, and she asked. "So, are we heading directly to Ba Sing Se? How much time is left for us to arrive? Can't we take a break… Hey, just noticed, you aren't using a map." Suki raised her eyebrow. 

Haru chuckled. "I have memorised the maps of the Earth Kingdom. I can navigate the directions very well." Thanks to his high wisdom, Haru could create an imaginary map. It told him approximately where they are. 

"Mm… so, about where are we heading." 

"We aren't in hurry," Haru said. "We will settle on some oasis first, trade for more food and water, and I will train for a while." 

"Train." 

"Yes." Haru nodded. He still has a quest to finish before heading to the Ba Sing Se. 

Haru noticed that his earthbending sense was quite weak here, as he couldn't sense what was below the sand. 

Now, that should be fixed. 

Suki, who seemed to find hope in the desert, hugged Haru from behind. "I will tell you, I should take part in whatever you planning to do. I can't leave you without observation." 

"And why is that?" Haru asked. 

"Hehe… I remember when I let you slip off my eyes, and you fought Unagi." 

"Man." Haru sighed as he looked at the sky. "Unagi was a total beast, we helped each other to train. Too bad that I had to end his life up." 

"Do you have any fear for colossal beasts?" Suki asked. 

Haru shook his head. 

"Haru, be careful, a beast is coming for you."  Kyoshi, who hadn't been a part of the conversation, finally spoke. 

"The jinx." Haru stood up on the board and looked behind him. 

The sand was splashing as something was heading in their direction. 

When he slowed his board, a giant beast appeared. It was colossal, ten meters in length. It looked like a red brownish shark that had an awkward wide open mouth. 

Suki freaked to see such a creature for the first time and hugged him. 

Haru extended his hand in its direction 

<<Spears Rush>>

From under his clothes, metal sorted and formed three 4-meters spears. 

Glowing in red colour, they dashed at a swift speed, and they pierced the callosal shark. 

The Shark fell, creating a large wave of sand. Haru extended his hand forward and waved to the side, focusing on the earth substance within the sand. 

[+6000 exp] 

[+ Associated Skill discovered: Sand Bending level one] 

[Spear Rush up to level 14]

'Nice,' was all he could think when he heard the notification. It appears that sand bending wasn't that hard skill to master. He should play with it later. It doesn't seem hard to level up. 

"Nice reacting speed," Kyoshi said, waving her hand in front of her face. "But I would have done better." 

Haru raised his eyebrows. When he felt a strong hug on his back, he turned to Suki. She put her chin on his shoulder, and she said. "That was amazing! I see why you kept that armour under you. By the way, your armour should be too small to create such spears." 

"They are empty from inside," Haru said, extending his hand at the beast's body. The metal from the spears floated and compressed, getting smaller. It went under Haru's clothes, forming an armour around him. 

'So Hot!' Haru almost screamed. He had heated the metal to attack the beast, and it seems that it was still hot. Quickly, he cooled it down. Haru's skin shivered now. It felt cold as if he was at the peak of the mountain on Kyoshi's island. 

"I see… Your metalbending is amazing." Suki nodded. Haru had told her about his metalbending when he crossed the sea from Kyoshi Island to the Earth Kingdom. 

"Metalbending. I have seen you using it, but I never asked you how?" Kyoshi said. But Haru couldn't answer her, not now at least. "Well, let's talk later about that. By the way, I sense a presence of spiritual force coming from these two directions. One seems for a large group of people, and the other seems for spirits… weird, why would spirits live in the desert." 

Haru's ears twitched. He put his hand on his chin and pretended to wonder. "I wonder, where can I find many people now." 

He was talking to Kyoshi. 

Although he remember the maps, they weren't precise. 

Kyoshi, without wasting time, pointed in the east direction. "Go in this way." 

Suki raised her eyebrow. "Didn't you just say you know everything?" 

"I know, I was just teasing you." Haru smiled at her. He pinched her nose. 

Blushing slightly, she gave an elbow to his chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack. Don't say that again, it's scary." 

"I know, I know." Haru wrapped his hand around her neck and hugged her to his chest. 

.....

A/N: In case someone is interested, I have started a Legend of Korra fanfiction. Feel free to check it on my profile