S17 - Toph Vision

What separates man from beast? He thought of that woman's words. That man was the only species so conceited as to ask the question. What he felt here, now, was a painful addendum to that answer. Just as only man could take such pride in being above beasts, all the more biting was the shame he felt when reduced to the beast. Here he was, crawling on all fours, retreating into some dark corner, concerned solely with survival instead of the craft of war. It was pathetic. Shame and resentment and bile in his mind as he took cover behind a large tooth.

He thought of the girl. Now, with her near-omniscient sight, could she see him cower? He spat blood. For the longest time, he assumed her to be the weakest link. But now, she was their greatest credit. It revealed his greatest weaknesses, his carelessness, his hubris, his insistence on underestimating his enemy.

Able closed his eyes. The cat, the girl, the ninja… each of them had made him a fool. And he only had himself to blame. He clenched his fist. He vowed to himself that, from this moment forward, he would treat each and every opponent as if they were the strongest he ever faced. Each and every one was a threat to his life. And he would treat them as such.

His cover exploded and he fell deeper into the shadows. He slammed his fist against the sand. His first shot was aligned perfectly. And nobody had noticed him. His aim was true and precise. He would have killed the cat— an integral part of their strategy— if only the girl hadn’t noticed.

The girl… how did she notice?

He racked his brain. He fired the shot. And somehow, she reacted before it reached them. But his bullets were faster than sound. If she relied on hearing to see, then how could she possibly see a bullet as it was fired?

He thought on this for a moment. Perhaps he had been thinking about her capabilities all wrong. He leaned low to the ground and placed his fingertips against the sediment. He tossed a rock into the air and let it fall. He focused as it hit the ground—and he felt it. The slightest tremble of the earth. Followed by the light tap of the rock as it fell.

He sat up. So that was it. Sound traveled faster through the ground. He knew she was impressive, but only now did he fully grasp the extent of her abilities. The Earth knew all. One could move as silently and stealthily as possible, but the Earth still knew. It whispered secrets to the girl, it was her informant. That traitor Earth.

He turned back and a sniper round hit him in the eye. He fell into the sand and with half-red vision stared up. Up.

Up.

He had fought the Avatar before. An Airbender. Who had the tools necessary for flight.

Able sat up. Anything man could do, so could he. This whole time, he had confined himself to the earth. But he needn’t tether himself. If he took to the skies, then he would be invisible to that girl. And with that, he could kill her.

He stared into the distance. They were a long way away, and underground. An aerial view would be a great advantage. He just needed a means…

- Season 17 Round 4, /u/Ragnarust