Chapter 234: Twilight (4)
Scuffed, Nik and Zuko look at the 'legendary' Golden Egg once more.
"This isn't over," Zuko scoffs while wiping away the smudge of blood slightly above his lips. Nik shrugs in response. Both of their clothes do look a little disheveled but they didn't seem to have any great injuries— credits to healing through waterbending.
"What about the egg?" Nik questions, "I still want to eat it."
Zuko rolls his eyes, "Maybe it's just made out of pure gold."
This could be true so Nik steps forward and picks up the Golden Egg while knocking on it. Instead of the Egg being cold like metal, there is some warmth to its surface but... unfortunately, it's a solid egg of gold. The oval egg has four lighter golden molds shaped in the form of a swirling pattern with a zigzag mound on top of it. These molds are spaced at an equal distance that gives the feeling that the egg has four edges.
"So?" Zuko raises his brow.
"It's kind of weird to be gold alone," Nik concludes. He's a metal bender and even if this 'feels' like gold, there is not a shred of mineral in its composition.
"Then what is it?" Zuko observes the egg, too.
"Did you not just hear the confusion in my tone? If I knew, would I be confused?" Nik looks at Zuko strangely, making the fallen prince scowl due to the sass but before they could argue about it, the pedestal on which this egg sat shoots a geyser of green slime from the hollow opening in the center. Zuko and Nik look at it strangely. A trap, clearly. This stone could be valuable, too.
Nik didn't even blink as the entire structure and the egg disappears from his hand and the duo is now standing on the top of the hill once more.
The building has a better structure and knowledge to form traps. It's an architectural ingenuity of the past and since his Library has a deficiency of information about the Fire Nation, Nik intended to understand the structure's mechanism in his free time and supplant his knowledge.
After all, he's a skilled earthbender. He can make such structures once he learns about them.
"Let's keep on moving," Nik looks toward the valley as Zuko nods, realizing that their 'adventure' would have been a lot more dangerous if Nik couldn't just make everything 'disappear.'
Even now, Zuko wasn't made aware of the entirety of Nik's skills but then again, if he is to be a bit truthful to Ursa and Azula, adding Zuko to the roster wouldn't hurt him. It doesn't take a genius to realize that breaking apart a family would only breed dissatisfaction.
The two keep on moving, sometimes stopping to observe a few weird plants or animals.
Of course, this meant Nik HAD to stop in front of this glorious beast.
*Snort*
A heated snort escapes the giant lizard's nostrils in the form of steam as Nik observed the cautious beast with an amazed expression. Of course, it wanted to attack. Nik's 'love' and the natural charm of animals don't always work but it is held down regardless using some bloodbending.
"Holy shit, Zuko! Look at it!" Nik gasps as he hurriedly walks around the bull-sized green-scaled lizard with a long scar over its right eye. The yellow eyes of the lizard instantly reveal a sense of fear as Nik grows closer and struggles against the formless binding of bloodbending but Nik is quick to gently trace his hand over the side of its neck, "Look at you, all injured."
A blob of water emerges from his left palm and he heals the shallow gash near the beast's neck.
"We're wasting our time like this. A giant lizard like this one could heal itself, you know," Zuko groans but Nik ignores the uncultured prince and heals the lizard as much as he can before nodding in satisfaction.
"There. See? Wasn't so hard, right?" He chuckles and the lizard suddenly feels free. It quickly backs away with a threatening hiss and baring its sharp fangs but doesn't run away. Instead, after getting healed, it feels more comfortable and observes the duo with a watchful gaze.
Not the least bit afraid, Nik instead crouches in front of the lizard and questions Zuko, "Say, do you know what kind of species this is?"
"You're the one who told me about various flowers and plants," Zuko leans against a tree and crosses his arms, "To be honest, you know a lot about flowers for a guy."
"Maybe you should learn from me and note down all that information then," Nik smiles and chuckles, "Believe me, knowing things only raises your own value. But, like that Golden egg, I don't know about this lizard. Look, it has two slightly fleshy protrusions over its head and a pair of fleshy appendages on its back," he observes the unusual lizard. He did know a lot more because of the Limitless Library but he couldn't hope to know everything in this world.
Maybe only Dhi, the spirit of cognition, could hope to claim that it knows everything that this world has to offer.
"Hey, you hungry?"
Nik questions as he produces a freshly cut slab of meat from his manor's kitchen. The giant lizard is instantly stunned but its gaze entirely 'drools' over the meat.
Chuckling, Nik tosses the portion of meat toward the Lizard. It instantly steps back. To be honest, it is simply weird seeing a lizard 'reverse' but Nik doesn't think to question much in this world. If it exists, it exists. Plain and simple.
Seeing that Nik and Zuko aren't making a move for it, the lizard slowly steps forward once again. It lowers its head and opens its mouth but instead of biting on it, it 'coughs' a hiss.
A plume of dark smoke instantly blows over the meat but then, the Lizard exhales loudly once again with its hissing sound making it seem as if it's coughing and the next moment, both Nik's and Zuko's eyes go wide and round.
*Whshh*
A small peal of reddish flames sizzles over the piece of meat. The heat from the flame is hot enough to cook the meat with practiced ease and the Lizard instantly bites into the cooked golden brown meat and tosses it into the air before accurately gulping it down.
"Woah... this right here is a legendary lizard..." Nik mutters softly and even Zuko's lips are hung open in shock.
"I want it."
"What? You can't pick fights with spirits left and right before expecting to get distracted by a novelty lizard!" Zuko berates.
"I want it... but you're right," Nik sighs and stands up, "Everything done at an appropriate setting works out the best."
He waves at the Lizard and chuckles, "I'll be seeing you around. Don't get hurt again quickly, alright? Rest."
He doesn't care if the Lizard understands him or not and starts to make his way toward the valley with Zuko. As they get closer to the valley, the vegetation grows denser and denser. But Zuko whispers, "Hey..."
"I can't stop it from following us, right?" Nik shrugs.
After all, the giant, fire-breathing lizard wasn't discreet as it followed the duo from a distance. However, the closer they got to the valley, the slower it got before stopping entirely and seeing the duo off with its pale yellow eyes.
---
"Halt!"
An arrow pierces into the path not far from Nik and Zuko as they raise their heads to look at the dark-skinned youth in a rather tribal outfit with a naked torso and a leather skirt aiming his bow in their direction.
At this moment, many other men and women in similar attire with battle paints covering their faces at times walk out from the surroundings and create a semi-circular formation. Of course, Nik isn't surprised.
He 'saw' it coming— from his feet.
Among them is an older man. Unlike the rest, the top half of his face is covered in red paint. The top of his head is covered by a mane-like fur hat with golden fur dropping past his shoulder as he keeps his slightly substantial beard tied with a golden band. Around his neck and over his shoulder is one, thick golden bracer, and like others, his upper body is naked, revealing an aged but still tough body.
As Nik and Zuko observe him, this man and others observe the duo, too. One of them, not far from this aged leader, finally couldn't keep it in his belly and sneered, "You've really got no understanding of how precious life is... to anger our Masters this much."
He shakes his head with a smirk but Nik instead bows to them slightly, "I'm here to gain recognition of Ra's descendants. The Ancient Sun Warriors are merely Ra's followers. Let us pass. What I'm seeking is beyond the valley, I can sense that much."
The supposed Leader raises an eyebrow while the gazes of the other tribesmen and women converge on the duo, "Recognition of masters? Before that, what did you do to the sunstone?"
"The what?"
Nik blinks and Zuko adds, "Maybe the Golden Egg you wanted to eat."
Nik lets out an exhausted sigh and he berates the ignorant prince, "My good sir, you need to learn how not to speak. You think I wouldn't know that the mysterious item he's asking COULD be the same thing we have no clue about?"
Looking at the old tribe leader, Nik flipped his hand an oval gold egg appeared on his palm. But it disappears just as quickly as Nik inquires calmly, "Was that the Sunstone you're talking about?"
Instead of the leader, another one of the Sun Warriors snarls with flames instantly flickering around his arms, "That's not yours to take!"
Yet, the moment Nik looks at the youth, the Sun Warrior gasps for breath and clutches his chest while falling to his knees. Others are instantly cautious while even Zuko is secretly shocked by Nik's action.
He knew of Bloodbending to some degree but he did not remember Nik being THIS passive-aggressive. If it was before, a few jokes would have escaped Nik's lips but instead, he calmly takes a stock of everyone and then glances at the leader, "Pray to Ra and question if your tribe can really take me on. He's near. He'll answer."
The Leader, however, smiles, "Bloodbending is a rare form but even rarer is to do so without any movement of the body to rouse the chi. The only method known to us for this 'recognition' from our masters is yours to use. Sunstone is valuable and we are tasked to protect it, but my responsibility toward my civilization comes first. Follow us."
This instantly removes conflict for the time being as Nik and Zuko follow the Leader while Zuko is glaring back at the tribesmen who have already gained a dislike for Nik.
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Alternate Title: Big Lizarrr! Good!; Second Coming of Ignit
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A/N: Any idea what the Sunstone could be?
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