Interlude: The Fugitive Ben Huang
Run!
I must run! Faster, even faster! Don't stop, just run and keep running!
These were the thoughts swirling in my mind as I sprinted through the forest trees. My legs were tangled, quickly pushing off the ground, tripping over bumps, holes, and thick roots. Weaving between the trees, I ran without looking back, without thinking, just trying to get as far away as possible. Fatigue began to take over, my thoughts were muddled, and my chest was burning with pain, but I didn't have time to rest! I needed to run a little more, a few more kilometers.
I couldn't relax!
That accursed monster is surely sending a chase after me! That bastard princess, that bastard inspection, that bastard day, and those bastard spies! How I hate you all!!!
And it all started so well! The bitch wasn't supposed to sail to my colony for another couple of months, busy with the islands near the capital, where those old geezers hold power! But everything that could go wrong went off-script. And the fear of the princess, especially her reputation, gave me strength like never before. Curse the spies who betrayed me! And there was no doubt about their existence; the bitch didn't just sail to the borders so quickly, straight into my territory, for nothing. I don't even want to think about what she might do to me if she catches me. But that won't happen, I thought everything through!
Leaving my palanquin, deceiving the servants and guards by saying I wished to relieve myself. I escaped from the foolish puppets. They couldn't be trusted, not even the most reliable ones could be trusted now. That monster didn't decide to visit my city so early for no reason. I had been running for hours through the thick forest. Not looking back, not thinking, just running. The escape plan was far from ideal. Everything happened too suddenly. All I could do was rely on my caches of gold and some connections in the Earth Kingdom. But first, I had to get to a safe place. Greed was always my vice, but this time it really almost put me in the grave. That damn mayor, he could never stop my vices, only agreed and corrupted me. And my subordinates are weak-willed nobodies, carrying out every order without questioning the reasons, idiots in a word.
But there is no time to dwell on the past, just as there is no time for empty contemplation. My vision is darkening, I need to conserve strength and keep running. No matter how much it hurts, no matter how much I want to stop, I have to run. My legs are getting tangled, I can't feel my feet, my lungs are on fire... I have to run.
Don't think, run! I can curse out the mayor, who convinced me to stay and grab more, later; right now, I need to survive! However, I had no more strength to move my legs. The belly I'd grown didn't allow me to exert myself for long, though my body still remembers army training, and I have covered quite a distance!
Running... still running. But no, the steps are getting slower, I'm walking, I haven't been running for a long time. I just thought I was still running, an illusion of the mind. Ha-ha. Funny. That's it! Enough. I can't go on, I need rest, or I'll just collapse to the ground and become prey for local predators. I can only hope they don't find me.
With these thoughts, I lean against a tree trunk, breathing deeply and trying to catch my breath. I didn't have the strength to stand, so I had to sit down by the tree. Rest, long-awaited rest. My breathing is gradually recovering. Birds are singing somewhere far away, how beautiful.
It is especially wonderful to realize that I have won after all. I got away, now I just need to reach a safe place, visit my cache, and then life will go as planned. It's always easier to settle down in life with money, I learned that back in my impoverished childhood. No one will pay attention to one of the countless refugees, and the walls of Ba Sing Se are impregnable. Li (the mayor) is probably thinking the same thing. Maybe we'll meet again and discuss our success.
— Ha-ha. Cough-cough, — I laugh at my own thoughts, how good it is.
I succeeded, I will succeed...
A whistle.
A sharp jab of pain. Opening my eyes, I saw an arrow piercing my knee... my knee.
— A-a-a-A-A-A! — A tearing scream of pain filled the area.
A whistle.
Another arrow pierces the second leg. The hunters have tracked down their prey.
***
— That's all I know. My assistant, the city's mayor, handled the connections with the gangs. I provided anonymity for his work and covered everything that happened in the lands entrusted to me. So that no one in the capital would become interested in us. Cough-cough. I beg for your mercy, Princess, — coughing up blood, the man with the burned face looked with desperate hope through his one eye at Azula.
After a little torture, the caught fugitive was ready to tell everything about everyone. And what Azula did to him, I wouldn't even call torture. The Princess merely reminded this lowlife of his place, in the best traditions of her father. She gave the man a burn almost exactly like her brother's: covering half his face and burning out an eye. She also let off some steam, and none of the soldiers present even winced or looked away, silently supporting the girl. Azula was right in her own way, and the laws in the Fire Nation are extremely harsh.
In combination with the other injuries he sustained during his capture, this was the last straw. The captured criminal was ready to confess to anything. It was at this moment that Ty Lee and I arrived in the room. The girl didn't understand why she was there with Azula, but I insisted on her presence. Azula also needed support, especially in such moments, and as her friend, she should support her during difficult or controversial times. The good-natured acrobat shed a tear for her own selfishness and ran ahead of me to her friend.
Since the criminal was from the Fire Nation, I easily possessed him, learning and confirming everything he said. It didn't take long, but the sheer volume of work that needed to be done was staggering. The Governor turned out to be quite the scumbag.
— Of course, I will lighten your sentence, Governor, — Azula began with a gently affectionate voice, only to speak in a completely different tone the next moment, issuing an impartial command: — Hang him in the square.
— My Lady... you promised, you promised to lighten the sentence! You promised!!! — the wounded man sobbed, crawling on the floor and staining the expensive carpet with his dirty blood, while two strong guards grabbed him, rushing to go and carry out the sentence.
— I promised to lighten the sentence, not to revoke it. Now you will simply be hanged instead of being impaled. Treason is punished with maximum severity; the gallows is too merciful a punishment for you. Be grateful, — the Princess replied softly with a hint of sadism, smiling as she watched the despair on the face of the man condemned to death.
— No-o-o! — The soldiers led the Governor away amidst his desperate cries and attempts to evoke pity.
— Hope. It is such a bastard that it makes you believe in the best even in the most desperate situation, — I speak up, beginning to philosophize with pleasure after the scene ended.
Internally, I felt a wicked satisfaction at the justice served. I don't even know if it's because of my past life, due to high corruption, or Azula's influence on my character and worldview. In any case, it wasn't particularly important right now.
— By giving him hope, you encouraged his cooperation and made him believe in his own survival. Thanks to this, he was much easier to approach. And then you tore out his hope by the roots, keeping the death sentence he so desperately wanted to avoid. Nice, well done, Azula, you managed to restrain your bloodlust. I thought he'd still be burned or impaled, — I praise the girl, who paid no attention to me because of the other people who were waiting for her further orders.
Besides the guards, the Princess's soldiers, and the YuYan archer squad, both of the girl's friends were also in the room. The impassive Mai and Ty Lee, who had turned away and was looking out the window. Despite the much milder interrogation, the girl was not pleased to witness such a scene. Azula, however, watched the criminal's desperate screams with delight, clearly enjoying the emotions of absolute despair in the condemned man's voice. The escaped mayor had hit the girl quite hard; she still hadn't fully released all her anger and was acting somewhat more aggressively now.
However, none of this prevented her from thinking, and when the man's screams died down in the corridor, the Princess spoke confidently.
— The city and its vicinity are infested with many pirates, deserters, marauders, and other rabble, — Azula said, not taking her eyes off me, looking straight into my eyes as if trying to say something. — Ty Lee, you will lead the YuYan archers, take the maps, they mark the criminals' suspected hideouts. I want the city's prisons overflowing and crime eradicated!
— Ah... — the girl instantly became flustered. — Me? Are you sure? I mean...
Stopping her intense gaze at me, Azula turned to Ty Lee, rudely interrupting the girl's hesitant babbling. She was the commander now, and only a friend later. The commanding tone screamed its presence in every word the girl uttered; the acrobat had no choice but to obey.
— Only you can perform this task perfectly. Take the papers, law enforcement agencies have already been informed of my presence; anyone who stands in your way will be declared a traitor. Show them no mercy. Your squad is entirely under Ty Lee's command, don't fail me, again... — the last was addressed to the dozen archers who were kneeling before the Princess, admitting their guilt. They failed to catch the mayor, only the governor, and by the Princess's tone, everyone understood that the punishment for another failure would be terrifying.
The general meaning of the Princess's hints finally dawned on me. Accepting the Princess's unspoken request, I flew over to the acrobat to explain everything to her. This really was the best option available to Azula; she is a genius after all. It's time to stop being surprised by her tactical skills.
— Don't worry, I'll be with you, we'll handle this easily! — Placing my hand on the girl's shoulder, I encourage the hesitant acrobat. She won't be alone; I will be with her on this mission, as Azula's words were probably meant more for me than for her.
— Are you still here? Command your squad and clean the dirt out of this city!
— Yes, that is, yes, Princess, — after which Ty Lee hastily moved towards the exit, along with the archer squad assigned to her. All I had left was to follow them and help in every way. After all, I sympathize with this girl, and Azula probably calculated that too. And testing the acrobat in action wouldn't hurt. So many goals for one mission, astonishing. And when did Azula manage to come up with all this? However, I now had more important concerns.
— As for the other problems... block all exits from the city. Anyone who leaves will be killed on the spot. It is necessary to conduct an inspection among all officers and officials... — I heard Azula's other orders as I left the room where the girl was working. The role of the super terrifying inspector clearly appealed to her.
On the way out of the mayor's mansion, I managed to talk to Ty Lee, explaining Azula's words to her. For this, I had to briefly possess the girl, because a commander talking to an invisible person is strange, to say the least. The girl reacted to my mission and her role in it much better than I expected. If it must be done, it must be done; she is the Princess's subordinate first and a friend second. And only she can see me besides Azula herself, so there were no other options.
While inside her, I even felt a certain excitement and anticipation. As if she wanted to show off or even boast a little in front of me. What was even more surprising, I didn't immediately believe it, but Ty Lee was indeed eager to go and show her hand-to-hand combat skills, which, according to Azula's memory, were top-notch. The acrobat's character had many more facets than I had imagined.
Finding lawbreakers would be no problem, and we already had all the tips on their hideouts. All that remained was to prevent the villains from escaping the city, and their capture was only a matter of time. And my immateriality was supposed to play a key role in this.
A dozen archers and one acrobat, that was the entire punitive squad. Perhaps someone would laugh at the strength of such a small squad. But their number and not-so-formidable appearance was just a deceptive facade for fools. The professionalism, skill, and power of every member of the squad were at the highest level. Even ordinary elemental masters and soldiers would be helpless against the squad, let alone simple criminals. For us, they were just easy prey. After all, this is not my usual world, where technology has replaced skill and personal power. Here, a single sword master can easily wipe out a small army, as proven by Piandao, and there's no need to even mention the elemental masters. And soon I was about to be convinced of this from personal experience.
After listening to my plan of action, Ty Lee relayed it to the other members of the squad. And then we arrived at the first point where the bandits were hiding.
— Seven of them, all behind this door. We act fast, — I tell the girl, flying out of the warehouse where the bandits, who were engaged in stolen goods trade, were hiding.
— What a big door, — Ty Lee said thoughtfully, examining the thick door, which was probably impossible to break down without a battering ram. — How should we proceed?
— Well, why don't you try knocking, maybe they'll open it? — I suggest with a slight hint of sarcasm, but the girl took my words too seriously.
— Knock-knock-knock!
— Hey, open up. I've come to put you all in jail! — Ty Lee says loudly, silencing everyone inside.
As expected, no one was in a hurry to go and open the door. Rather, they would rush to arm themselves and prepare for a fight. Damn, Ty Lee has absolutely no experience in this. I feel stupid, I should have insisted on possession, I wouldn't have made such silly mistakes. And while I was chastising myself, covering my face with my hand, the girl came up with her own way of entry.
— Hmm... I read something similar in a book! Its main character liked to kick down doors.
— Lee, you won't have enough... — I try to tell the girl, but it's too late.
Raising her leg, Ty Lee kicks the door with all her strength.
CRASH!
The huge door flies off its hinges with a nasty crunch of wood. After which it lands on the floor with a loud bang.
— It worked! — Ty Lee cried out joyfully, while I was in a daze from the demonstrated strength of the seemingly fragile girl. Even those inside were greatly surprised by the identity of the vandal who had come for their heads.
— Hey, surrender, maybe it will lighten your sentence! — the girl confidently suggests, stepping inside the building and allowing herself to be surrounded by a dozen dirty ragged men.
— Never! Guys, what can she do to us? She's completely alone!
— Stupid little girl, you came to the wrong neighborhood.
— What rack she has! Huge!
— And that butt! What a butt!
— She's a real beauty! I haven't seen a more beautiful woman!
— What are you saying, I'm not that beautiful, — the girl was slightly embarrassed, quickly assessing the enemy's strength.
The enemies were armed with melee weapons and posed no threat to Ty Lee. And judging by their words, all the blood in their brains had drained down to their lower parts. Because I would at least be wary of a girl who can kick down thick doors.
Starting to approach the girl, the bandits intended to use their numerical advantage, but the entrance was open, and they were all perfectly visible. And while the acrobat smiled awkwardly, looking at the arrogant faces of the criminals, the archer squad was choosing their targets. When all the enemies became perfectly visible, the bowstrings were released, and the arrows flew towards the men with a slight whistle, easily bypassing the body of the calmly standing acrobat without even cutting her clothes, as if by magic.
The YuYan archers lived up to their reputation. Only a few moments, about two seconds, and seven men fall to the floor, beginning to groan in pain. None of them died, but they won't be able to fight for a long time. The arrows hit precisely the most vulnerable spots; people won't be able to do anything with both hands for quite some time from such wounds.
— You should have surrendered, — the girl said kindly, ignoring the curses and profanities from the wounded brutes.
— Order them to tie them up, inspect the premises, and then they can be handed over to the guards, — I tell the only girl in the squad.
Neutralizing the criminals turned out to be quite simple and fast. The villains paid for their crimes. Handing the wounded bandits over to the guards, we continued to clean the city of various gangs and other criminals. And the acrobat finally demonstrated her fighting skills to me. She beat up more than a dozen sturdy men, each a head taller than her, thereby clearing a bandits' den single-handedly.
By the end of the day, a couple of hundred people had been added to the local prison population, and the particularly brazen ones became companions to the hanged. As I expected, this was an easy task for our small squad. In most cases, we followed a proven pattern: Ty Lee draws attention, and the archers shoot everyone. The city wasn't very large, but it had enough criminals to fill the local prison. And it wasn't just us who worked; Azula also put some soldiers and officials in the city on trial, simultaneously hanging the particularly insolent and guilty ones.
The whole day we were busy cleaning out the secret or not-so-secret criminal bases. There were plenty of them in the city. Fortunately, it wasn't difficult; no one could escape from me; my invisibility is invaluable in such matters. Even if clever individuals decided to run, I would track them down, then possess them and make the person break their leg on the nearest corner. Experiencing joy and satisfaction in the process. The sadism I inherited from Azula was still making itself known, so sometimes I had to restrain myself. But overall, we cleaned the city without problems.
However, even with the sunset, our work did not stop. The map given by Azula had markings outside the city, places that also needed to be cleared. But I decided not to act presumptuously and entrusted the matter to professionals. Tracking criminals at night... neither I nor Azula had enough skills for that. Unlike the YuYan archers. Reporting this to the Princess, Ty Lee received the order to rest, the archers permission to leave the city, and I stayed with the Princess, to cheer her up and help with the city's problems.
And the city had quite a few problems...