Avatar: Awakened Gamer

Chapter 76: Arts and Deals

A/N: Chapters in advance in Patreòn
Pa treon.com/HolyJoker
(20+ chapters in advance)
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Chapter 76: Arts and Deals

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'Dead, they are all dead. Every single one of the warriors that I had sent is dead. My naivety got everyone killed. Not only the elders but also some of the promising younger generation were dead. Hahn was amongst them too. Yue must be devastated at her betrothed's death. How can I face her now?'

Arnook beat himself over the decision he made. His body felt like it was falling apart from the stress. While he had been worried about pleasing everyone, he failed to take into account people's lives and that this was a war, not a political battle.

Only Pakku now in the Northern Water Tribe could be called a true waterbending master. While he was the best amongst any of the Elders, one man could only do so much. 

Arnook held hope that maybe they were still alive, but he had learned better. The experience of dealing with a war was quickly dawning on him.

While walking down the road, he almost felt sick to his stomach when he stumbled into Sokka who was waiting for him in a secluded place, with very few people.

"Hello~" he greeted the Chieftain cheerfully and waved. "I see that you're troubled, chieftain. I can deal with all of your problems."

Sokka's words and gentle smile were meant to disarm anyone, he was like the helpful neighbor boy. "You know, I have some knowledge on situations like these. If you leave everything to me, then I will take care of it."

Have someone else do the bothersome things for you, they will help you, and they will be your comrade, with seemingly no benefits to them. Sounds good right?

Sadly reality wasn't that bland, people were complex, and everyone had their ambitions. Sokka was taking advantage of the depressed and sleep-deprived Chieftain. Even Arnook knew, if he didn't know now, he would in the future.

The chieftain stared down at the ground, he wanted to sleep, he wanted to be with Yue, and help her through this hard time. His heart clenched at the thought of his daughter, she was scared. 

'This guy is either having mental degradation due to the lack of sleep, or he was that desperate. Maybe both.' - Thought Sokka, playing the act of a helpful young man. Whether Arnook could see through this or not didn't matter, desperate people sometimes clouded themselves to believe what they wanted to believe. There was a reason why so many people fell for scam calls.

"Then, fix it," Arnook muttered, his voice filled with a strange optimism in them. 

His reaction made Sokka suspicious, but he didn't think about it too much. He clapped his hands, to bring the attention of the chieftain to him. "Well, I am not your dog though. So how about a deal that is beneficial for both of us. You didn't listen to my plan the first time, so now I have no reason to listen to you for free."

"What do you want?" The chieftain inquired, he didn't act like he was here to negotiate but just compromise. It unnerved Sokka a little at just how vulnerable people could become when desperate.

'Will I one day end up like that too?'

Everyone could end up as shit on the side of the road one day. Sokka didn't want that to happen, especially since he knew that his situation wasn't as good as it appeared and he knew that. Still, he played it as everything was okay, and the smile on his face didn't falter. Though he promised himself to not act like a fool when the time came.