"I've carefully thought out our travel plan," I said, looking at Kafka sitting on the railing of the boat, and opened the map, holding it so that the sandstorm wouldn't blow it away into the vast sandy expanse through which we were speeding.
Taking anything from the library was not really allowed, and Shi Tong did not issue any tickets or passes — if you stole something, he would come after you at night and eat your eyes out. Well, at least that was how I imagined the revenge of this frightening bird. However, if the knowledge was not unique, like a modern map, which used to be in my parents' house, it was a different matter.
"I need to bypass the peoples from whom I can learn something useful. If we go this way, we can get to Omasha, which interests me the most. Books about minerals say that they learned how to extract and use abrasives. Crushed to the consistency of sand, it is a very hard mineral used for polishing, cutting, and many other things.
He whispered the last word into the fox's ear, who was looking intently at the map.
"Ah-ah-f!
"Of course, we'll add the technique for producing it to the library.
But I found it interesting from the point of view of a new controllable material. In short, it was a very advanced sand, its particles were very sharp, providing good protection and attack. And most importantly, I was going to learn about the culture and principles of the earth mages. Guru Patik wrote that the first chakra, the Earth chakra, is firmly tied to their worldview. It is responsible for survival, but is blocked by fear. I want to learn about it.
"But since I am not the Avatar, it will be difficult to open this chakra within myself.
My first stop should be a few dozen kilometres from my home, not far from the Misty Oasis, where there is an arid area with a flat village.
At some point, when the sand on the road began to disappear and was replaced by lifeless earth, the boat could no longer travel at its former speed. The bumps and frequent rocks caused the boat to shake. One misstep and the ski cracked, turning the boat around. The crack spread, immediately splitting the mast in two and tearing the sail under its weight. It was impossible to go any further.
"Ugh...
"Oh, I was hoping to at least make it to the settlement to sell it. So much money down the drain," I said, looking at the boat, which was completely beyond repair, and hung my bag with my belongings on my belt. I gathered the sand scooter from the ground and rode with Afka towards the settlement on the horizon. The distance between the villages seemed short, but this was a new world! The population, however, was just as poor...
Entering the outskirts, I stepped into the city, where the sand didn't rustle under my feet. Buildings were constructed along the road, and there were already dozens more than in any settlement of the sand tribe. One might think that since the sand mages built their houses out of sandstone, everything here would be made of stone, but no. Through the peeling plaster and cracks, I could see imported bricks, while the roofs and supports were made of wood. A real rarity in my eyes.
"Unusual. No one is trying to undress me with their eyes, no one cares about the presence of a stranger." Was this the difference in character that I needed to know? Intrigued, I found the nearest merchant standing at his usual dilapidated stall and met his gaze. I had a good feeling... which was shattered by the shadow on the man's face.
"I just gave you part of all my profits yesterday, why are you back again? - he grimaced, aggression appearing in his eyes. But as soon as he clenched his fists, a fox jumped onto the counter, scaring the merchant. I nodded understandingly.
"Are you being harassed by bandits? They're a constant problem in the desert.
"Ah..." The man looked at my clothes, and a realisation dawned on him. "So you're a desert traveller? Not a bandit?" He looked at me suspiciously and shook his head. "Phew, you came up to me like you were going to rob the whole shop. I was ready to part with my last penny."
"I apologise.
"It's all right. You nomads have it even harder than I do. So, are you a merchant or have you finally decided to escape from the desert?" His voice trembled slightly, betraying his unease at talking to me. It was obvious that he was a simple man, the kind you find everywhere, just a little worn down. He tried not to look me in the eye. Only the fox calmed him with its well-groomed appearance.
"I'm leaving to wander in other places.
"Heh, then I'm happy to tell you that we have a war going on here. You probably can't feel it in the desert, but even here, problems sometimes fly in," he said, pointing to a couple of destroyed houses. Large stone discs were visible around them, used by earth mages to throw at targets. Due to their smoothness, they must have a good momentum.
"These projectiles... are there earth mages in the settlement?" Turning back to the man, I saw fear. The guy was pretty scared and immediately lowered his voice:
"You'd better not talk about them. All earth mages are taken into the army. A single squad is responsible for gathering them, but in reality they are bandits who roam around and profit from the plight of others," I stared at him intently, "There is an earth mage among them.
"Thank you," the man looked at me, hoping to get a coin. But living in the desert, you learn to save and be greedy, so I left him to his sadness. As for finding the target, Afka took on that task. I only had time to look at her before she vanished like a mirage, carefully studied the city, and then appeared around the corner. Her open mouth, emitting a snorting sound, beckoned me to come and take a look.
Grabbing the shabby corner of a house and poking my head into the alley, I saw a crowd of men. They were pumped-up, strong guys, among whom was even a giant, a mountain of muscles, pressing some man against the wall. I recognised what was happening. It was a mugging, only carried out by members of the army. At least that's what the merchant said.
"Guys," seeing the smirks and taunts directed at some civilian, I entered the alley. My gaze focused on the muscleman, presumably a mage of Earth, as indicated by his lack of shoes. They would have prevented him from feeling his element. They stared back at me.
"What do you want here, smartass? Mind your own business," he took a few heavy steps towards me, shielding the frightened boy with his back. "We are carrying out orders from the Earth army, identifying spies."
"I see. So you're not robbing people, you're collecting taxes.
"You're asking for trouble," he frowned and peered through the crack where my eyes were visible. He flinched for a second, his feet digging into the ground, which began to vibrate. Stomping his foot, he pulled a stone rod out of the ground, along with a piece of rock. He created a hammer.
"Seems like simple movements, but the result is not bad. Earth mages are strong," I said honestly. I may have studied tricks in the library, but such tricks can cause me real difficulties. But now it was worth watching his behaviour. The Earth mage was terribly stern and relentless, perhaps this was exactly what would allow me to unlock the Earth chakra within myself.
I gathered a small amount of sand from the ground and surrounded myself with it like a shield.
"... Ha, so you really are a desert nomad! - The faces of all the soldiers were filled with joy." Sand is just dust, it can't cause any significant damage! It's just annoying.
"I want to learn all the ways of earth magic. Every one of its subtleties, and sand is just the most convenient and adaptable structure," the sand swirling around me contracted and turned into a mace. It may not have been very strong, but it could be used to attack. The mage and all his friends tensed up.
"Really? Then why aren't you in the army, if you're so confident? Let me get in touch with the right people, and they'll send you to the front lines. You can show your sand tricks to the fire mages," my words hit him hard, as they did most of the poor wretches. He raised his mace and, accelerated by magic, struck near my feet to break my weapon.
Yes, a heavy mace swinging at such speeds would clearly tear any man apart. But how slow it was. And I had to put in extra effort myself.
My club turned into a sandy tentacle and wrapped itself around the handle of the stone weapon. Clicking the tip against his fingers, it forced the weapon out of his hands.
"Ah!" He grimaced in pain and almost stamped his foot. But as soon as he was turned upside down, all his strength disappeared. Without direct contact with the ground, many earth mages are useless — only in the fairy tales read in Shin Tong's library could mages control boulders while in the air.
But could a stubborn earth mage give up so quickly? They had to cling to life and endure blows - for the sake of victory, he swung his pale body and knocked the other bandits down with it. The soldier's head hit the wall a couple of times.
"P-please let me go!!!" the magician, hanging by his leg, cried out sharply. Holding his slightly bleeding head tightly, he cried, "I won't do anything to you, don't kill me!"
"
"If you continue, the soldiers of the Earth will not let this go so easily! - Survival was blocked by fear. This is not worthy behaviour for the enduring and steadfast mages of the earth, and it is not a matter of public morality. He not only blocked the first chakra, but also interfered with his own magic. Hoping that I had interpreted the guru's teachings correctly, I decided to go the opposite way.
"Phew* - my feet dug into the ground. Magic must flow with the body, be used together with the muscles.
"Hey, lad, what are you up to?
The sand that rose from the ground followed the firm movements of my legs and arms, solidified and encased the magician and his minions in a coffin. My own muscles tensed like ropes - for the first time since I had been in the cave, I felt that physical strength was needed for something. It allowed me to make the sand stronger than ever before.
"Such a combination is difficult... but that's what makes earth mages such strong-willed people, right? "Coming to understand the nature of things, I looked at the trembling civilian. The bandits taken hostage could be handed over to the village, and they would decide the fate of these worthless creatures. But... he was so scared that he soiled his pants. And when he met my gaze...
"A-a-a-a! - he jumped up and ran like a coyote, on all fours. My intimidating appearance, combined with my magic, had a completely negative effect.
"Choose
1 - Outwit him (Less honourable option. Claim that the civilian was a bandit. You will be able to extort money from the villagers for your journey)
2 - Let him go (You will be unlucky. The misunderstanding will reach its peak. Face the consequences. Your relationship with the villagers will deteriorate, and long-term conflicts are possible)
3 - Stop and try to explain (You are too scary, but if you beat him up, you will be able to minimise the consequences of the misunderstanding and avoid responsibility. You will cause serious harm to the man. Your relationship with the villagers will not deteriorate).
***
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