Snippet #2411114

Yun nodded as he listened to Zhi, a feeling almost of pride in his chest. The boy had been paying attention to his lectures, at least. Of course, the feeling may have also been more akin to relief that he would not need to constantly repeat those lectures. The Avatar was young and honest, now he needed the wisdom of experience to process what he had been taught. And the battles to come would be a bloody lesson indeed.

"The hills and our earthbenders are our best advantage. It is a fairly simple matter to earthbend a landslide as they travel through a narrow pass, then wipe up the remnants. We must strike swiftly and surely. We have the initiative and we must not waste that advantage." He paused for effect, letting his point settle among the group before continuing.

"But, you must not be hesitant to take a life, young Avatar. You have come into a hard world, and the hard men that inhabit it have little respect for mercy and peace. The warlords will respect strength. They must fear you and respect you. There is a place for mercy, naturally, but many a statement can only be shown at the point of a sword. And we do not have the men to guard any prisoners, nor the time to keep them. The Sages are a neutral party, they cannot aid us in battle or it's aftermath. Our best choice is to slay or rout the mercenaries, then depart from the temple before a larger force arrives. We cannot become trapped here in a siege. Your destiny cannot wait any longer."