Chapter 145: Urgent no More
Hugged from behind, his hands not aiming for her weak spots but just intending to hold her, Michi let out a comforting smile. It was hard not wanting to like being wanted and Nik made her feel so many times in a single day. They weren't alone, however. Yet, the girls that trained and sparred only glanced at Nik and the adorably sweet mature woman once before diverting their attention away.
They had taken a break from their travel and everyone had come out of his personal space. But their schedule didn't change. Even Yue had grown to enjoy physical exercises once she wasn't out of breath every few minutes.
Michi, on the other hand, still looked at the scenic foliage in front of her with a brush held by her fingers and smiled, "Now, now, you promised not to distract me while I demonstrate my artistic skills."
Unlike Mai who took to life and death battles before subsequently finding enjoyment in providing pleasure at greater sensitivity, Michi was a proper noble woman. Usually calm and demure. Even if her exposed abdomen that Nik began to eventually grope made her feel hot in all the right places, Michi would 'humbly' accept everything provided to her. Not because she was like Yue, whose essence was accepting of Nik's. But because she was educated to do so from a young age.
Enjoying the ticklish feeling of him prodding her belly button, her meaty butt that stretched the confines of her pants had already begun to rub against him playfully. Chuckling in reply, Nik pecked her neck, "You knew full well what type of painting I was talking about... but this is nice, too. I can provide you with some whitish refills, too."
As enticing as it sounded, Michi kept her silence. Knowing full well that she wouldn't push him away despite not feeling it, Nik eventually just let it be and enjoyed the hug instead, something she did, too.
All of them were out for another reason. Once everyone had gone through a portion of their routine, Nik pulled out the map of the Earth Kingdom. At first, his gaze trailed over the desert for a specific reason but then he pointed at the large swamp close to Omashu.
"Going from within the swamp is dangerous... but if we go around it, we need to be prepared for bandits. They surround the swamp to try and plunder occasional travelers that aren't protected by the budding escort and mercenary services."
Mai would have suggested killing them, but one glance at her curious mother and she held back.
Although the two shared a man... quite passionately so, Mai felt that she couldn't let her mother see her's... bloodier and colder side... just yet.
"Bandits?" Suki groaned, "I remember some pirates shoring up to Kyoshi Village... these guys can be worse than the fire nation soldiers at times. If they see any of us, they would want to force themselves on us."
Yue gulped, "I opt to stay inside then... the last thing I want to do is be a burden."
Nik didn't expect the girls to always fight and readily accepted Yue's decision. Heck, he was happy that she would be safer inside his personal space.
"Hmm... I haven't encountered bandits like these ever..." Arguably the weakest, Michi still decided to look at Nik, "Do you think it would be problematic if I decided to stay beside you?"
Unlike the young women around her who never minded getting more personal space since they felt they had a lot to do... Michi felt the need to stay by his side. He had already shown that not being near her wouldn't change how he felt about her but something about wanting her man to protect her made her lions wetter. Smiling a toothy grin, Nik shrugged, "Of course, not. We have these ladies to protect both of us."
Nik pointed at Mai, Suki, and Katara who rolled their eyes at him while Michi smiled, "Hmm... I see. I am grateful but..." she leaned towards him and whispered, "I can't show them the same amount of gratitude as I have provided you with now, can I?"
"Mom..." Mai finally mumbled... a little embarrassed.
"Yes?" Michi lit up and beamed at Mai while pulling Nik close to her, "You will protect mom and our man, right~!"
"I opt to stay inside, too," Mai replied the next second causing others to break into a fit of giggles. Always seeing Mai embarrassed by Michi, then later at night, by Nik was a sight to behold. But there were quirks of being close with Mai... her energybending skill, to be precisely... was quite popular amongst the girls. Normal sex was great, but once in a blue moon, going four or five times the sensitivity was rocking, too.
Soon, it was decided that Nik, Michi, and Suki would make way together.
With Nik there, Katara didn't find herself being as useful until the number of opponents exceeded them greatly. And Suki would stick to Michi and protect her at all times.
For this, Suki elected to change into her Kyoshi Warrior outfit, uncaring of others' groans. She was protecting someone and it was her duty to do so in her warrior's attire.
Just like that, a woman in green armored kimono and a golden headdress with her face clad in white paint and red streaks over her eyelids rode the ostrich horse and had a mature, constantly smiling woman on her back. Despite her smile, the woman's grace and elegance couldn't be hidden as her thin but soft lips constantly tickled Suki with her intentionally warm breaths and her hands hugged the proud warrior around her tight waist.
Nik was next to them, keeping his senses strained to avoid any ambushes.
"So... Suki, Nik told me that Kyoshi Warriors only accept females. What is that like? I'm sure you girls have a lot of fun, right?" Michi chuckled. Being from fire nation didn't stop her from opening her eyes to other cultures. In fact, it was only at this age and her experiences that Michi realized that, unlike the propaganda, Phoenix King wasn't as great as advertised. Not when his own subordinate— her husband— made sure to control her mind without her will... in some ways, Mai was a bit controlling like her father. But at least, Michi got a kick out of what Mai can control.
"It is fun at times, why, do you want to join?" Suki's slightly excited tone made Michi feel a little self-conscious.
"Can I? Don't get me wrong... I would like to be a part of this tradition and learn how to defend myself, since that is the main agenda of the warriors, right? But... I am old... and from Fire Nation."
"Nonsense!" Suki scoffed and looked over her shoulders, "I'm still the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors of my tribe. When we return, they would be thrilled to have you... of course, I don't have an additional set of our attire at the moment but say the word and I will start training you!
Isn't that right, Nik?" Suki glanced at Nik who nodded calmly, "Yeah. She trained me and Katara when we began our adventure. She is such a great teacher and taught me so well that I can easily defeat her now."
The smug grin on his face made Suki's lips thin as she responded to the challenge with her usual vigor, "Oh, yeah? How about we keep a time limit then? And limit the number of times an opponent can be thrown on the ground."
Hearing the conditions, Nik coughed for a second. He may still lack a little in technique and these conditions would prove difficult for him.
"That's no fun..." Nik smiled and changed the subject. He was willing to get his ass handed by Suki but that didn't mean he would advertise the fact. "The point is... she is a great teacher." He then further supplied with something that sealed the deal, "Besides, this will give you a perfect excuse to spar with Mai. I know you want... to get even closer with her. And besides, we have Yue who can heal you perfectly and at times when Suki is busy... maybe you and I can paint some pretty... exciting sceneries."
His smile at the end only served to make the delicious mother lick her lips and she nodded, "Hmm, Suki... I don't know how can I ever repay such debt."
"Easy," Suki grinned, "stop tickling my ears, please..."
Michi chuckled and finally stopped teasing the young woman who was having it harder by the second.
Nik snickered at that. It was a little gratifying to see Michi enjoying herself like others.
The trio traveled around the swamp.
"Your future... awaits you..."
"Unimaginable strength... all for you..."
"World's greatest pleasure at your beck and call..."
"Cookies..."
Needless to say, Nik ignored the haunting calls from the direction of the swamp that wasn't only spiritually sketchy but also alerted Mokshi. He was the only one who could hear it and he paid it no heed. There could be a chance that he may gain some great or weird essence but...
Why would he want to enter an icky swamp for that? Heck, they were willing to face bandits just because they didn't want to go through the shortcut of the swamp.
After all, it is Swamp. It's wet, slimy, and gets everywhere.
The terrain was rocky but it wasn't something the Ostrich Horses couldn't weave through.
---
"Stop right there! Leave the horses and the women... Nah, take that painted bitch with you. Leave her," a brawny man with his dark hair tied back and his clothes stretched over by his rippling muscles pointed at Michi.
A group of five bandits... didn't even surround them. Or in this case, they didn't need to as the leader of the group stomped his leg in a show of power and caused a small piece of rock to tear out from the ground and float in front of him.
Which eventually smashed into the leader's head itself.
"..."
Nik rolled his eyes. He could bend such small rocks himself so why wouldn't he take the chance to send the man unconscious?
"What?"
"Boss, wake up!"
"Damnit!"
But not the least bit pitying the group now that they had demanded Michi and even called her a bitch outrightly, Suki jumped down her steed and held a pair of metal fans in her hands while a dark expression clouded her face.
"First thing to learn... Michi," Still not used to calling Michi by her name, Suki hesitated but eventually regarded the woman calmly who was stunned by how quickly the battle was coming to an end, "Never pity those who tried to harm you or revealed their malicious intent. As Avatar Kyoshi laid down for us... the best defense is an offense. The best self-defense is... offense."
With that, Mai blazed through the remaining bandits and her words caused Nik to recall Kyoshi.
What a tall beast she was... he shook his head.
---
While Suki and Nik didn't kill the bandits, they did tie whomever they found on the free ostrich horses within his personal space to lead them to the governing party of the nearest town to have them apprehended. With that, the remaining three Ostrich horses were quickly put to use and five beasts now made their way to Gaoling with multiple bandits with at least some bounty to their names.
The Colony of Gaoling welcomed the trio happily without an ounce of suspicion... given that they were wearing Fire Nation Soldier's attire. Seeing a large number of bandits on their backs, some of them who were said to be Earthbenders themselves, the colony was thrilled.
Nik's earlier encounter with freedom fighters and a few odd colonies had already revealed how the two cultures could co-exist but there would always be a few trying to disrupt such growth out of personal reasons, selfishness being the most common trait amongst such fellow. These encounters had also served to reduce Katara's ire over the fire nation and their civilians, too.
So, seeing men and women clad in green, brown, jade, gold, crimson, and grey filling the streets of the Colony that had green-tiled houses as well as rather imperial-looking ones that made even Suki gasp in awe... Nik couldn't help but him thoughtfully. This is just the kind of place where nobody would think a cruel underground prison exists.
Nik's gaze then darted over to the center of the colony where a giant statue of the Phoenix King was erected.
This was his first time seeing the features of the Phoenix King Ozai... and Nik couldn't help but admit that the sternly staring, sharp-featured man was in a class of its own... given that he stood over dozens of meters higher than others and was clad in grey stone.
"He... is the Phoenix King," Michi whispered softly and added, "Now that I see him... I cannot help but admit that it is probably the fate of men like him... and Ukano to lose their families."
"What do you mean?" Nik looked at her. His voice was muffled due to the white skull mask.
"Hmm? Oh, right before then-fire-lord Ozai was appointed as such, his father, the previous Fire Lord had died due to mysterious circumstances and his wife and children disappeared, leaving the royal lineage without an heir.
When Fire Lord Ozai did achieve victory over Ba Sing Se alongside his elder brother, Ozai coronated his elder brother as the next Fire Lord and claimed himself the ruler of this entire world..."
"Hmm," Suki mulled over it silently as Nik frowned for a second. He felt... he had seen something of similar interest back when he was looting Ukano's office... before proceeding to plunder his marital life, too.
First, there was a rather creepy declaration where Ozai wanted to rebuild this world from its ashes. Even now, Nik hadn't revealed the disturbing contents of that declaration but Bumi knew about it all too well. The constant effort to control the next generation could have something to do with this.
But there were other parchments, too. He hadn't really devoured these odd documents so he took out a yellowed-out parchment that attracted Michi's attention.
On the parchment was a figure clad in a blue devil mask alongside the figure of a handsome, short-haired youth.
But Michi's gaze was attracted to the beautiful, middle-aged woman that had proclaimed vibrant golden eyes similar to most fire nation civilians.
Under the figures, in finer prints, was a stamped document.
Her former husband's seal, to be exact.
— Traitor Ursa is sighted around the underprivileged section of Ba Sing Se. My network reveals that she has something to do with the Blue Devils around the region that keep inhibiting the lasting peace under the providence of you, My lord Phoenix King. I'm sure your children are with her.
I hope that Admiral Zhao promptly delivers this urgent news to you.—
"That her?" Nik questioned. He hadn't really cared about this until now. After all, he had robbed Ukano blind just before Zhao's arrival.
Michi continued to stare at parchment sluggishly, not knowing what to think. She had expected Ukano to be many things but efficient wasn't one of them... maybe she treated him too harshly. Then again, she didn't have any particularly fond memories so she let it be.
"Indeed, that is her," Michi nodded.
What a strange turn of events.
"Let's get some funds by taking these scums to the barracks," Suki cut into the conversation. As much as this was interesting... what really could they do about it except gossip?
They were far from Ba Sing Se and needed to find the prisoners before arranging for them to leave for the southern or the northern tribe as soon as possible.
Once they had turned the bandits in, they found a rather eager tavern owner welcoming them soon enough and found a room to rest.
***
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