Chapter 236: Twilight (6)
"The Chief was right about these flames being a little more technical to handle," Nik looks at Zuko who finally managed to control the flickering flames into one gentle flow of fire as the latter nods with a frown, "This fire is too quick to shift based on any form of excitement."
That's what the Chieftain meant about exerting too much or too little 'force.' He directly hinted at their mental and emotional state instead of just the chi used to support the flames.
"But they are much easier than blue flames," Nik hums as he lets the fire grow and then recede constantly. The staircase is quite long and it wouldn't do to just waste his time so he decides to get used to this new variant of fire.
"Is it true... can you really bend blue flames?" Zuko questions after a moment of silence.
"I can."
Hearing Zuko's sharp exhale, Nik doesn't add anything to it to make him feel better. At this point, Zuko just needs to accept a few things like this, and to be fair, Nik, too, has constantly forced himself to work. If he doesn't have Aang around, he will train in Lavabending and Metalbending. If he runs into a motivational blockade for that then Waterbending once again or trying to bend Earth without movement.
If not that then training with Suki, June, and even Michi, Poppy, and Ursa at times for simple spars. He does get to spend time with others in a more intimate manner but all that barely leaves any time for personal relaxation. Even now, Nik sought out Ra and Raat to try and assimilate their essence and move on to the next thing he could gain from this world.
After all, this would be the best time, no? When even the most notable of primordial spirits back him up due to his accomplishments. With no one trying to devour Mokshi and thus bringing no form of life-and-death pressure on him, he needs to make the best of this timeframe.
While the duo silently climbs the stairs, the Sun warriors spread out around the clearing in a spacious circle. Drums were set on the ground as women beat them, and men stood in between the women and constructed circles of fire. Another few sun warriors began to raise their voices in tribal music in tune with the beats of the drum.
*Thchhk Thchhkka*
*Thchhk Thchhkka*
*Thchhk Thchhkka*
Hollers and wild howls echoed as the drumming noise reach beyond the clearing of the valley and spreads into the forest. The implication of this noise, as if rooted within beasts and spirits alike causes them to feel anxious and flustered as they move away from the region near this clearing.
*Aooo*
A pack of wolf bears migrates away temporarily and one of these large greyhound variants of bears catches a verdant image flash past the shrubbery through the corner of its eyes.
*Ssss*
The soft slithering hiss is filled with a sense of fear and undeniable excitement as a giant lizard with a pair of appendages on its back and a pair of thin stumps growing out of its head moves as quickly as possible towards the settlement of the Sun Warriors. Sparks of fire would escape its scaled mouth every time it hissed out softly or tried to 'cough'.
---
"You've been awfully quiet," Nik notes once they reach the top of the stairs and stand upon the bridge connected to the entrance of two caves situated on top of the two hills forming this valley.
"It's nothing," Zuko tends to his eternal flame while questioning, "What are we fighting?"
"Dragons."
"No, seriously," Zuko huffs, "I'm just feeling a little tired of the jokes right now."
"No, seriously, Dragons," Nik asserts as they both feel a tremor pass onto the bridge from the two caverns.
"Dragons are extinct," Zuko frowns, "Uncle killed the last living Dragon."
"Dude, I'm not making the rules. There are dragons inside," Nik rolls his eyes and tries to calm his nerves while speaking seriously, "Be ready to defend yourself. I can't bring you back if you're half-cooked."
Zuko looks into the dark depths of the cave as a pair of red eyes open within, glowing like crimson torches as Nik, too, focuses on the pair of golden glow staring at him from the cave.
At this point, the drumming comes to a stop while the Chieftain proclaims loudly, "Those who seek Master Ran and Shaw will now present their fire to them."
Zuko and Nik stay still as the former whispers, "I don't feel bowing to dragons who seem keen on attacking us is a great idea..."
"It's not," Nik whispers, "But I'm here to ask for a favor. Showing respect is a natural courtesy irrespective of our situation... you still have time to go back."
"And let you have the honor of battling two dragons?" Zuko scoffs, "Besides... having a grand story of confronting dragons is quite attractive. Don't you think so?"
"Hey, you're learning," Nik smiles while keeping his gaze locked on the pair of golden pupils within the cave.
Both of them breathe deeply and simultaneously bow while extending their arms out to present the eternal flames to the two masters.
"Sound the horn!" The Chieftain commands and a tribesman blows through a tremendous horn. All the tribesmen, including the chieftain, knelt on the ground and kowtowed with deep reverence blooming in their hearts.
Not too far away, in the cover of vegetation, a large lizard with a large scar over its right eye viewed everything excitedly through its pale yellow irides.
*Thud*
Another tremor ran through the bridge as Nik and Zuko maintained their positions. Yet, their emotions could be seen through the flickering flames in their palms. Even Nik felt his heart drum to the beat of the tremors passing through the cave.
It's at this point both Nik and Zuko realize that they 'felt' fear with an extraordinary sense of it for some reason.
*Kksshhhaaaaa*
With a sharp call, a nimble and gigantic red beast tears out from the cave entrance that Nik had his head bowed towards and he instantly looked up to see a long, winged red dragon with a cream-white mane and two sharp horns on its head.
*Swish*
*Swish*
The eternal flame in his hand suddenly berserks out of Nik's control and turns into a stream of fire that is swallowed by the red dragon as it flies around the bridge in dexterous twists and turns.
Before Zuko could speak anything, a blue dragon with a similar look but red eyes alongside golden irides emerged from the cave that he faced and his eternal flame is swallowed, too.
Like the red dragon, this blue one begins to fly around in nimble twists and turns over the bridge, making both Nik and Zuko back into each other till their backs came into contact.
*Whoosh*
*Whoosh*
"You're really going to fight them?" Zuko questions in a louder voice with the whipped wind causing the need for it as Nik has to reevaluate things for a moment... sure, he figured dragons are supposed to be big but they did look damn terrifying!
"Only if they want that!" Nik groans.
"They look like they're dancing," Zuko observes and Nik's mind blinks an idea before stomping on it completely.
"Maybe we were supposed to do the 'dance' we saw in that temple but... we shouldn't follow convention— look out!"
Nik stomps his foot and raises a pillar of the earth underneath him and Zuko to alleviate both of them as the blue dragon's tail swipe away at the pillar and tears it away!
This shocks everyone kowtowing on the ground while a few are quick to note something else.
"He can bend fire and earth?"
Their surprise turns into Chieftain's horror as he recalls the conversation between Nik and Zuko.
'They intend to battle with the masters...'
While Nik and Zuko once again began to fall, Nik pulls Zuko by his collar but the red dragon's giant snout was already upon them and they both felt searing heat.
*Kshhhaaaaaa*
A large burst of fire swept the duo only for Nik and Zuko to sweep their arms to the left and right respectively and dissect the large breath from the center as it dissipates in the air, raising the temperature around them.
Landing on the bridge barely, Nik huffs with bullets of sweat flowing down his temple, "This is way too dangerous!"
"Superb observation, dumbass!" Zuko hisses as he watches the two dragons fly around 'peacefully' once more.
They don't attack constantly but rather give the duo a moment of a breather.
"What are they doing?" Nik frowns but Zuko looks at his own hands and clenches them into a fist, "Nik, hey... did you feel it?"
"Feel what?" Nik readies himself for another attack, "Do you think they are about to attack?"
"Feel... it..." Mokshi's soft voice blew over in Nik's ears and his brows furrow harder.
"No, not that," Zuko, meanwhile, replies, "It's nothing, probably. I just felt weird for a moment."
*Ksshaaaa*
The red dragon this time snaps its mouth wide open with four terrifying fangs sticking out more so than the rest of its sharp teeth toward Nik as the Blue Dragon blew a breath of fire from the top of the duo!
"Focus on the red one," Zuko punches out a large wave of fire from his left fist while Nik suddenly felt a moment of hesitation born out of a strange sensation that gripped his heart the moment he locked his gaze with the red dragon. This hesitation came with dire consequences as the giant maws of the dragon alongside its fishy scent bit onto Nik like the delectable treat he was only for Nik to finally jump on the Dragon's snout while bringing out a metal rod from his personal space and smashing it on the dragon's face...
Bending the rod out of shape in return and the dragon barely felt fazed.
The two dragons retreat once again and fly about as Nik looks toward Zuko and finds him safe to an extent.
"What was that? You almost died!" Zuko scowls.
"I don't know... I just felt something, too."
But Nik felt this sensation slightly more familiar... like another dance he performed in far north with someone else.
'Like when Yue and I performed the Dance of Ocean and Moon...' Nik realizes this belatedly while the two dragons attack once again. This time the Blue Dragon once more attacks using physical force as it coils around the bridge and lets its shorter claws swipe against them and the red one opens its mouth with Nik and Zuko in the aim of another fiery breath!
"You take care of the fire," Nik looks at the rending claws and gulps while Zuko readies to deflect another wave of fire. By now both of them came to the understanding that both the dragons would switch their methods of attack with one being physical and the other one using the element.
'Damn, should I use Lava or Bloodbending already?' Nik raised chunks of rocks from the staircase to stop the blue dragon from coiling and stopped the claws in their tracks while feeling that somehow... the dragons are still going easy on them.
After all, they still gave them a chance of respite with every single attack. Like a game of patterns.
And yet...
*Whoosh*
"I feel it again!" Zuko growls as a sense of frustration fills him up and Nik is no better.
'It's as if a fire within me is going hardcore... similar to how La's essence filled me with the concept of pure aggression.'
The two dragons circle the hills again as if chasing each other's tails while Nik looks at Zuko to confirm something.
"Hey, do you think... the fire breath from the red dragon was slightly more intense this time around?"
Zuko's eyelids twitch and he nods, "Frankly, yeah."
"Chase that feeling," Nik advises.
"What?"
*Ksshhaaaaa*
The Red Dragon flicks its tail against Nik and the Blue Dragon this time aims its blast of fire at Zuko... as if they came to understand the two human's patterns, too.
"I said!" Nik finds the tail tearing away a large boulder brought out from personal space, confirming that the dragons are getting more intense with each round of attack, and completes his words while jumping over the tail and simultaneously pushing Zuko away from the attack by sliding him over the bridge, "Chase that feeling! The attacks are getting stronger each time! We have to keep up with the momentum!"
While Zuko did not understand what was going on, he knew that Nik is ground zero for every weird advice after Iroh and decided to follow his words.
Instead of trying to suppress this sense of frustration building within him, Zuko lets out an angered snort with flames flickering in the corner of his lips for a moment as he deflects fire from the Blue Dragon.
"Chief... are they..." A sun warrior next to the Chieftain questions with a surprised expression.
"Hush, don't disturb me. Everyone... just watch. This is a blessing." The Chieftain speaks softly, not caring if the majority can even hear him or not.
And in the corner, the slitted pupils of the large lizard are lit with its frustration as it watches the two dragons enviously. The lizard 'coughs' constantly and only rarely would it let out a small burst of flames from its mouth as no matter how much it tried... the appendages on its back would not move and take it to the sky.
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Alternative Title: Nik and Yue Dancing? *Avoid*
Nik and Zuko dancing? *Sum Gud Shit*; The Classroom of Dragons; How to Breath Fire 101; When the Substitute Teacher is the Coolest; A Class Iroh Would Love; The Chunky Lizard
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A/N: Let's hope that Zuko doesn't get a permanent burn now after evading that fate for so long already lol.
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