- Third POV -
"This is the Omashu delivery system. Miles and miles of tubes and chutes" Explains Aang. Not to far away are four earthbenders standing beside a platform where one earthen cart slides in front of them. As the cart passes the first earthbender, he uses his bending to change the cart's direction and pushes it to the front, where another earthbender bends it up a tube to two other earthbenders standing at the ready to receive it. One earthbender quickly bends stone lintels undernearth the cart so it would not fall down again, while the other one thrusts it off the platform, where it slides down a chute at high speed.
"Earthbending brings the packages up, and gravity brings them down" States Aang. Mizuki looks at the delivery system in awe.
"Great, so they get their mail on time" Says Sokka unimpressed. Mizuki glares at Sokka who raises a brow at her.
"What?" Asks Sokka.
"Nothing" Sighs Mizuki as she rolls her eyes.
"They do get their mail on time, but my friend Bumi found a better use for these chutes" Says Aang as he squints his eyes mischievously, Mizuki looks curiously at Aang.
- flashback -
Somewhere in Omashu, a hundred years ago, Aang was watching the city with his friend Bumi.
"Look around you! What do you see?" Exclaims Bumi.
"Uhm...the mail system?" Replies Aang unsurely.
"Instead of seeing what they want you to see, you got to open your brain to the possibilities" Says Bumi as he leans towards Aang.
"A package-sending system?" Mumbles Aang, who doesn't understand what Bumi means.
"The world's greatest superslide!" Beams Bumi who starts smiling and laughing.
"Bumi, you're a mad genius!" Exclaims Aang who smiles broadly at Bumi. Bumi and Aang get into a 'cart' and ride down the 'superslide' laughing happily.
- end flashback -
Mizuki, Aang, Katara and Sokka are sitting in a mail cart. Aang's sitting in the front with Katara behind him while Mizuki's sitting in the middle. Sokka's sitting in the back of the mail cart. Aang looks excited, while the others look slightly frightened.
"One ride, then we're off to the North Pole. Airbender's honor" Says Aang as he raises one finger to emphasize his words.
"It sounded like fun at first, but now that I'm here I'm starting to have second-" Says Katara uneasy, but before she can finish her sentence Aang leans forward, tipping the balance of the box, sending it down the slope at tremendous speed. Aang's laughing happily as Momo sits in Aang's wig, holding on to the hair, squinting his eyes due to the wind. Katara is screaming in fear while Mizuki is laughing and throws her hands in the air out of excitement. Sokka holds onto Mizuki in fear and screams loudly.
The mail cart makes a turn, the chute they are riding pulls up next to a parallel one, where a cart with a rack of six spears is racing down. The teenagers race past the other cart but suddenly both tracks join together. Sokka screams loudly as the two chutes merge into one chute with the spear-cart behind them. Mizuki quickly turns around to look at the spear-cart who's gaining speed. Sokka quickly ducks and pulls Mizuki along with him to advoid being skewered by the spears. Katara turns around and screams in fear as she sees the weapons so close. Aang who's still smiling turns around as well to see what the commotion is all about.
"I'm on it!" Shouts Aang excitedly as he begins to rock the cart, hitting each side once, the cart flies out of the chute and onto a roof, where it continues its descent.
"Men, you'll be going off to combat soon. It's important that you be prepared for anything" Says a soldier who's talking to his men. Suddenly, Aang, Katara, Mizuki and Sokka come in riding the cart between the soldier and warriors. The warriors gasp in surprise as the cart ricochets and continues moving. The cart with the teenagers breaks throufh the railing closing off the other chute and crosses the track, knocking over one of the supply carts. Spilling a load of pumpkins all over the ground. The knocked over cart lies on the track, where another incoming cart crashes into it.
"Aang, do something! Use your airbending!" Shouts Katara who's terrified.
"Yeah! Good idea! That'll make us even go faster!" Exclaims Aang who starts airbending. The teenagers pass by a restaurant, where a couple is eating together. They look up in surprise at the kids flashing by while the waiter dashes over to see what is going on. An earthbender soldier is waiting for the arrival of the next cart, as the cart of scrolls stops in front of him the teenagers cry out in alarm as they are a few seconds away from colliding with the motionless cart in front of the bender. The earthbender on duty at the station sends it on its way, briefly relieving the trio in the speeding cart.
Much to the teens horror, another cart instantly pops up from the tube below the bender. Before it can be moved, the teenagers cart crashes into it, catapulting them and their cart into the air. Aang airbends the cart in front of them as they fall, making them drop back into the cart. The teens ride down several roofs, leaving damaged tiles in their wake. Suddenly they ride into a craftsman's home, where he whistles serenly as he puts the final touches on a vase. The cart flies through one window, ricochets off of the floor where the vase is, smashing it and making the riders grunt, and flying out the opposite window. The craftsman peers out the ruined window as a dust cloud emerges, revealing that the cart has crashed against something else.
"Sorry!" Shouts Aang. The teens land on a balcony and slide through another house. Emerging on the other side, a bearded cat chases Momo around Aang's wig until the lemur pushes it off. The cart smashes through a parapet and falls down.
❀❀❀
The cabbage merchant's hugging a cabbage at a replacement cart. He looks up as he walks from underneath the cart's roof to see what's happening. He gasps in horror as he sees a few teenagers in a cart fall onto his cart filled with cabbages. The cart smashes the replacement cart to pieces. Katara, Aang, Sokka and Mizuki are in a tangled heap by the remains, while Momo elegantly floats down.
"My cabbages! You're gonna pay for this!" Shouts the cabbage merchant as he grasps his head in despair. A few guards walk up to the still dazed group of teenagers. Aang sits up, his disguise pretty much gone, revealing his youthful face and airbending tattoos.
"Two cabbages please" Says Aang sheepishly.
To be continued
Word count: 1140
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The dualbender (atla) book 1
Fantasy[completed] [currently under editing] Mizuki is a girl who lost her parents to the Fire Nation when she was twelve. After two years of hiding, escaping and trying to survive she found the Avatar with some help of the two Water Tribe siblings. She de...
