Carved In Rock || ATLA

On My Own

Return To Omashu

"In the end I'm realizing, I was never meant to fight on my own." - Ashes Remain

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"I can't believe it." Aang faltered as he stared at the once-great walls of the city. It was hard to see them covered in Fire Nation red. "I know the war has spread far, but Omashu always seemed...untouchable."

"Up until now, it was." Aelita sighed. She had never seen Omashu before but she had heard enough about it to know just how vital the city was to either side of the war. The fact that it had fallen was a bad sign; the Ozai was growing stronger while the world only got weaker. "Omashu controls all of the trade and resources for this entire region, it's been on the Fire Lord's radar for the last two generations. Now I'm afraid Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left."

"This is horrible." Katara agreed, a gentle hand on the Avatar's shoulder. "But we have to move on."

"No." Aang objected without hesitation. "I'm going in to find Bumi."

Bumi, the one hundred and fifteen-year-old King of Omashu was the only person Aang had left from his old life. They had met on one of the monk's first trips away from the Temple and became fast friends. Aang had insisted on visiting the city on the way to the North Pole before Aelita had joined the team, the day he realized Bumi was still alive was one of the happiest he had had since Katara and Sokka found him. He had been everything Aang remembered him to be; kind, wise, a little eccentric, and still downright ornery. Bumi had never given up on Aang, Aang wasn't about to give up on him now.

"We don't even know if Bumi's still..." Sokka trailed off, trying to find the words to make the very bleak possible reality seem so harsh.

"What, if he's still what?" Aang huffed.

"Around." Sokka lied.

Katara interrupted before her brother dug himself into a deeper hole or worse, set Aang off to the point of triggering the spirit state. "I know you had your heart set on Bumi but there are other people who can teach you earthbending."

"This isn't about finding a teacher," Aang argued. "This is about finding my friend." The monk turned and looked to his partner for the reassurance he needed that he was making the right decision.

"Okay." Aelita nodded. She could see just how badly Aang needed this. "If we're gonna do this we have to be smart about it." Omashu was quite literally built going up the mountain, three-tier-like levels until it reached the peak. She glanced back at the city and thought back to everything she knew about Fire Nation tactics. " Watchpoints will have been stationed every ten to twenty yards all around the walls. The entire lower level will be crawling with troops since it's closest to the gates and the only way into the city."

"Not the only way, just the easiest way," Aang assured with a smirk, floating up onto Appa's head. "I have a plan."

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"A secret passage?" Sokka scoffed as he stared at the massive drain pipe sticking out of the mountain well below where the Fire Nation troops could see. "Why didn't we just use this the last time?"

"What did you use the last time?" Aelita asked Katara.

"Painfully pathetic disguises and fake identities."

"They weren't pathetic, they were innovative and they got the job done." Aang defended. Standing beside the drain he jammed his staff between the steal and its cover and pushed. The cover released easily and a burst of thick sludge mixed with water poured out making Sokka gag. "Does that answer your question?" He asked and the other boy nodded quickly. "Stay away from the watch towers and keep hidden." He called back to Appa before stepping into the drain.