Too Many Avatars Chapter 1 (Patreon)

"Yeah know... Aren't you supposed to flip four-wheelers? They are rather lopsided in their weight." My sponsor teased me helplessly.

To which I shrugged and said likewise in a helpless manner. "Hey man... That mud hill was so steep and with a jump right in front of me. I had to try."

To which he said with flatly. "Yeah and look who got a thousand-pound machine dropped on your chest and died."

I raised an eyebrow and asked in turn. "So how did you die then?"

His flat expression died out before he said sheepishly. "Ran away from a catfish of a blind date... She also crushed me when she tripped and fell on me why I was trying to escape."

I nodded and said with pride. "So... I died failing a Red Bull challenge-worthy video. You died from Moby Twat falling on your face."

And my sponsor gave a shake of the head as he said. "Fine, fine I get it." He then pulled out a file and said calmly. "Anywho, you had normal amounts of karma, not anything bad for sure. So you aren't going to warhammer or a plane that is being invaded by another hell plane of some sort."

He took a breath and continued. "You will be going to an alternate version of Avatar basically. The loooong gist is that the first Avatar Roku basically did a Korra but worse... Now the spirit world and the mortal world are completely fused with ZERO separation."

I raised a hand and asked quickly. "Wait! So I am not going to Korra's time right? Because Korra fucking sucks in all manners of the word."

My sponsor nodded and said blandly. "Correct, in terms of timeline entry you WILL be entering during the event's of Avatar the Last Airbender, however, things will be very different."

He looked at me more seriously and said. "You need to understand this. Chi in the Avatar world is... Very alike typical qi in cultivation worlds to begin with besides aimed at the four main elements and the energy of creation."

"So in that world which is flooded by the spirit worlds natural chi and the mortal worlds natural chi. Every single person is a bender. Everyone can bend an element, but the actually talented people can absorb more chi to unlock more acupoints within themselves. Allowing them to channel other elements then the ones they are born with."

I blinked and then said in realization. "Wait... So people can just become the Avatar basically. Master of all four elements then?"

My sponsor nodded and then said helplessly. "Correct. Not only that, but the power ceiling itself is much higher and the more acupoints you open within yourself. The longer your lifespan is as your body would run more on chi which would naturally stop your bodies degradation with age."

"And... Of course there is also the spirits. Many more spirits then in canon, because many of the 'avatars' who reach the peak of normal bending decide that dying of old age even after five hundred odd years at most is fucking gay. So they shed their mortal humanity and become spirits which are ageless." 

He gave me a look before he said. "Spirits, are not human. They do not think like humans at all. To put bluntly, they are completely alien and most have no qualms eating you to enjoy a mortals perspective as they read your memories while digesting your soul."

Then he took a breath and said. "Anyway, that's my major warnings out of the way besides Aang himself not being THE Avatar obviously as there is no 'single' avatar. So let me just throw this into you."

He took a weird-looking green orb that hurt my eyes to look and then, before I could react it shot into my chest with him explaining what it was.

"It's basically a training realm filled with especially dense chi. So you can transport yourself and others into the realm where you can train all four elements and when are ready... Train the element of energy itself."

With that he waved a hand with a large swirling portal forming beside me with him saying. "Any last questions bud? Take a minute to think if you need."

I paused... Before I said sheepishly. "Wait... So what waifus are even around? Aren't the cast still like young teens?"

To which my sponsor just laughed and said easily. "Yeah don't worry dude. They are older in this timeline right now anyway. But oh yeah. One last bit before you leave. The fire nation are still assholes and the world STILL is at war but it's not just with the fire nation. They are all being assholes equally to each other."

I blinked, blinked and asked in confusion. "Wait what about the air nomads? How are they conquering people with how they live away from the 'mortal world?" I sai,d making finger quotes.

To which... My sponsor gave me a dull look and said.

"Yeah and that literal entire culture of air benders who do in fact prefer to stay in their temples and mountains. Obviously needs an ever larger population to farm their grains and collect the materials for their fancy temples to grow and prosper... Do you think they themselves go down into the forests and collect their own treated wood to make incense in massive bulk?"

His sarcasm rang out all to clearly so I just nodded in understanding. But with that, I could feel the training space in my chest so I asked one last question.

"So... Where am I getting dropped off at? You aren't like dropping me off at the South Pole are you?" 

My sponsor snorted and said flatly. "Yeah and get my ass beat by other Jake's for throwing you into an instant loss scenario. Hell no, nope enjoy making up a new asian name as you are going to the Earth Kingdom."

With that I was then sucked into the portal with myself grunting in pain as I could feel my body shifting as I was pulled through void between worlds.

-

After a good long while I fell out of the twisting void between universes and I swiftly walked forward to bleed the momentum of my drop off point as I muttered to myself. "Isn't the Earth Kingdom the biggest kingdom in the world? I could be in anywhere from the deserts to mountains, to the foggy swamps."

But after doing a quick little look around, I first realized that I was in a rather fertile fields-like area. I had landed in a small patch of tree's and surrounding me was farm land, along with a larger road that looked like it was made out of rough stone in the near distance.

'Well that road isn't anything subtle now is it.' I mused before I almost tripped on something.

I looked down and there was a canvas bag with a note on it. Obviously, the bag was for me so I picked it up and looking at the letter it quickly read. [Here is some money for you to get a Earth Bending teacher in that town and also take care of yourself for a couple of months... You don't have any backing, and in this world that is a very bad thing so I gave you more money then we normally give someone."

I exhaled a bit in annoyance as it was clear that things were a bit more complicated that. But as I had been transmigrated, I had also been changed a good bit so I no longer had my western features.

Which meant I also needed a new name to fit this world.

"Either way... I gotta find a teacher. Also, apparently, I am an Earth Bender?" I muttered thoughtfully before shrugging as I got going while checking the bag.

The larger canvas bag simply had a change of clothes, so documents describing where I came from. And lastly, another smaller bag that was filled with copper, silver, and gold coins. With the silver coins being the most dominant of coinage.

Soon enough, however, following the road I reached a town past a line of tree's that separated the farms from the town.

And the entire town was surrounded by a twenty-meter-tall wall with a large metal and stone gate that opened up at the road.

The gateway itself was empty of merchants and there was four guards who stood in green and bronze outfits with one of the guards hailing me with a hand. "Declare yourself traveler! What have you come to Gaoling for?"

I blinked at the name of Gaoling, it... Tickled my brain. Obviously I had forgotten something but I still took a breath and spoke.

"My name is Hayato Long. I am here to look for an Earth Bending teacher!"

The guard who was seemingly in charge of this watch gave a hum of thought before smiling and saying. "Aye you came to the right place then Long. After all, the Earth Rumble happens here in Gaoling with the best Earth Benders in the world coming to take part in it."

I nodded and asked. "Yes! With such a great tournament. I was hoping that this town would also have skilled Earth Bender's I could learn from as well." 

To which the guards shared a look before they smiled wryly and the leader said helplessly. "Well, you aren't wrong Long... There is one school of Earth Bending here in Gaoling who has a powerful maste,r but they are-"

He drew off with another guard whispering. "Super difficult! They are a storm of rage! A merciless beast who beats men, women, and children alike for any perceived slight!'

My lips twitched as I asked helplessly. "Uhhh, then I will try to avoid that master then. May I enter then?"

The head guard nodded and held out a hand and said more formally. "Yes citizen. Entry into the town of Gaoling for travelers without intent of mercantile actions is a single copper coin."

So I passed over the money and entered the town within any issue.

After entering the town and looking around for a bit at the older style asian buildings with no power lines or anything to point towards modern life styles.

I went to an inn to get some local information hopefully.

The old man running the bar of the thankfully mostly empty inn gave me a nice smile as he said. "What rock slide brought you into Gaoling young sir?"

I gave a helpless smile as I said. "I am looking for an Earthbending teacher. I heard that with the Earth Rumble happening here. There would be skilled Earth Bender's I could hopefully learn from."

The bartender gave me a knowing look so I rollled my eyes and ordered a bowl of soup and some bread to fill my stomach before he cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Gaoling does have a powerful lineage of Earth Benders here indeed. The Beifong's have a history of fighting the Fire Nation and Water Tribe in their history. But as for teachers, you are obviously here for the Mountain Breaking school."

He took a breath and with a smile spoke. "The Mountain Breaking School has a lineage and recorded history of over a thousand years. They are the guardians who keep the spirit-filled horrors of the Misty Swamp at bay. Along with patrolling the northern mountains from raiding Air Benders or worse... Even the dragons who live within the mountains!"

Although I felt a part of this guy's words were bullshit. I obviously couldn't prove that.

Still, he cleared his throat and said a bit helplessly. "Ahem, as for the school. Well its... You need to pay to join the school. And however much you learn is up to you. Their days of glory are-"

He couldn't finish, still I asked with a sigh as I knew I hadn't been dropped here for no reason. "Uhm... How much does it cost to learn at the school?" 

He blinked and then, with a sigh he said. "It costs a gold coin a month lad. More than what most commoner families make in a year or two. So despite their lineage and past honors. I can't recommend them."

A sigh escaped me as once again. I doubted my sponsor would throw me here for no damned good reason. Maybe the Mountain Breaking School had some insane potential?

'Hell with this town being the town where Toph is supposed to live... If the Beifongs are the same as from Avatar anyway. Maybe she is part of the school as well?' I mused to myself.

Still I passed over a copper coin to pay for my meal and the drink of clean boiled water before I headed off towards the Mountain Breaking School.

The school itself was in the back of the large town, built into the walls that surrounded the town, it had its own walls around it as well along with being built onto what was clearly a fake mountain of sorts with how sharp the angle upwards towards the pavilions that covered up the small mountain.

I looked up the large set of stairs that led up the small mountain and I muttered. "Oh jeez... I hope they have a service elevator or something heading into the mountain."

Then I made my way up the large staircase... Slowly but surely, where it took a good almost five minutes to make it up the stairs by the time I went up several hundred stairs, that made my ankles burn by the time I reached a large gate.

Seeing a large rope in front of the gate that led to a bell. I walked up an,d with an exhale I pulled on the rope with a loud gonging noise ringing out on the other side of the gate.

I was left thinking about what kind of big burly earth bender was going to come out... For only a couple of minutes before that idea was utterly washed away.

Because as the large door swung open... A fucking massive walking upright panda wearing ornate clothes walked out and so casually said. "Ah hello young man. May I help you?"

The polite panda made me blink but I just cleared my throat and said with some confusion, "Uhm... Yeah, I am trying to join the Mountain Breaking School to learn how to Earthbend?"

The large panda's face was just so expressive as he sighed with utter relief. "Oh, thank the spirits. He isn't a debt collector."

Then he hurriedly shook his giant ass panda head and said. "Ahaha, sorry young man. It's just been a while since any prospective disciples have come outside of recruitment drives. Come in young man, let me speak with you."

I slowly followed the giant panda past the gate, which he closed, and he led me over to a nearby open pavilion with two seats on the floor for us to sit across from one another.

After sitting across from the giant panda, he gave an expressive smile before he said. "My name is Yin Panhua. I am one of the Senior Disciples of the Vice-Headmaster of the School. May I have your name, benefactor?"

I cleared my throat and took out from my bag my paperwork and said. "My name is Hayato Long, and as I said before. I traveled her to learn Earthbending."

Yin took my papers with a hum escaping him as he read it thoughtfully before nodding. "I see no problems with your paperwork, Long. Would you like me explain how your discipleship would work within the School?"

I nodded and he took a breath before explaining. "Good, so you would be joining the Outer Sect as a paying disciple which mean you woudn't have a long list of laundry to be done super early or late in the day to earn your stay. Likewise, the school will provide three meals a day, and for two hours a day you and other paying disciples will be offered lessons in groups for general Earthbending." 

I raised an eyebrow as that seemed... Rather shitty in terms of service before I realized what it meant.

I smiled helplessly before I said. "I am not some noble's child, senior. I am here to become strong and be able to support myself. Not just waste my time and keep out of trouble."

The large panda chuckled and said sheepishly. "I meant no insult Long. And you shall see, for those who are just starting out as Earth Bender's especially, our bending style will exhaust you more than anything."

I could only nod as I just needed to get started. And then I smiled as he said that if I wanted to learn more... And if I even had the energy for it. The school's library was open to paying disciples so long as we didn't attempt to take the scrolls out of the library.

Which meant I would be able to use the training space soon enough anyway!