Avatar: Mage of All Elements

«Called?» I asked as I entered the commander's tent. He was smart and experienced, so we had almost no problems.

«Yes, come in. As you probably already know, each of you will be assigned a group of five. Since you're the last of your team, you don't have much to choose from.» He held out five pieces of paper. I sighed and quickly took them and began to study the cases of my future subordinates.

«In short, what are they like?»

«They are aristocrats», wow, what succinct words.

«Eh, there are no others?» I just shook my head. «What are my credentials?»

«Two ranks higher and so, the usual», I raised an eyebrow in surprise. «We're at war, and discipline should be appropriate.»

«At least that's a good thing. Shall I go then?»

«Go.»

Well, it wasn't that bad. It could be worse. We'll get through this.

As I left the tent, I looked around and found my charges, already mine. They were not far from the others and stood out from the crowd. I sighed heavily.

«Follow me», I said as I approached them.

«Why on earth would you say that?» at these words, my entire, now former, squad fell silent and looked in my direction. Yes, they knew how I strong. Seeing the reaction of their commanders, their subordinates also stared at me with interest.

«Because I'm the one giving you orders now, and I'm your commanding officer.»

«Prove it with what? Maybe you're a Fire Nation spy in disguise», the same guy asked with a challenge. I don't need to be challenged for long. A light kick of my foot on the ground and the whole five of them went headfirst into the ground.

I held them there for about twenty seconds. Another kick and all five of them flew up like a rocket from a mine and fell to the ground. All panting like hunted horses, pale and eyes darting around.

«Need more proof?» my head is waved in denial. «Follow me. Anyone who doesn't keep up, I'll organize a repeat of the underground swim.»

And I turn around, nod goodbye to my colleagues, and head for my tent. Still, we're practically in the center of the camp now, and it's not a good idea to start their training here. As I approached my tent, my subordinates began to forget what had happened and walked more confidently, though cautiously.

My tent was an ordinary one. Four walls, a double-pitched roof, a window and a door. All made of compressed earth. Once inside, I threw all my stuff into a large bag and stepped outside. A kick of my foot and the momentum completely compressed the house to the ground.

«Did you bring your stuff?» an uncertain «No» was they answer. «Then let's go get our stuff.»

And we took the winding path to their tents. It was a sight to behold. Huge, wide, two-story houses with a bunch of servants. It looked like they weren't there for the war, they were there for a picnic. And everybody had one of those houses.

The funny thing is, each one had three to five servants who carried all their bags for us. Heh. It took us about two hours to pack, which was a long time for me and not long enough for them.

Five of my subordinates and twenty of their servants stood in front of me. And their faces were all grim. «Then let's go.»

And we all moved with the rest of the group toward the exit of the camp. We went in the opposite direction from the front. There's a bend in the road that leads deep into the earth realm and straight into the mountains. It's about seven hundred kilometers to get there.

When we left the camp, the comedy began. As soon as the fifth disciple crossed the border of the camp, I closed the gate and cut off the servants from those clowns.

«Hey, what are you doing?» the other guy asked.

«The practice is closed, so there shouldn't be anyone but you.» I replied calmly.

«But they have our stuff!» he continued with increasing panic.

«And who prevented you from carrying your things?»

«But there are servants for that!»

«No, there are your hands for that, and the servants are only here because of your good life. Any more stupid questions?» they were angry, blushing, but they didn't say anything else. «Fine. Let's go then.»

And I turned and walked in the direction I wanted to go. Originally, I had copied the water steps from a similar earth magic technique from the anime. Now, I've learned the same in Earth Magic from scratch, so getting to my destination isn't a problem considering my huge reserve of power. But I'm not alone.

I can take five other people with me, but I can't be responsible for their safety. Once I had to run away from an ambush of fire mages with three colleagues on my shoulders, and it was difficult for me. And there were only three of them. So I have only two choices, either run or teach them this trick.

 Of course, not knowing their abilities, I chose the first option, because I do not even know the limit of their strength, and when they get tired, it will not be very good.