There was one established fact that all the people of the avatar world agreed on, as if unwilling to test and refute this misconception: metal magic was impossible in any form. Although in reality there was nothing surprising about this, earth mages, the only ones capable of subjugating this element, rarely use simple metal in their designs. Of course, some have metal armour, they understand what nails are, I personally spent more than a day learning how to work metal properly, but as for reaching the level of metallurgy of the fire people... well, yes. However, it would be a mistake to think that metal mages control metal itself — if that were the case, the Earth's people would have long since learned to lift it from the ground and use it in battle; they would have easily subjugated electricity itself, which is inextricably linked to metals, and would have become the most advanced civilisation and conquered the entire world. But it is not for nothing that its mastery requires sensory perception that tries to cling to the impurities in metal, to the earth on which our magic works.
Earth mages continue to search for earth even in metal.
There are two sides to this coin: the worse the metallurgy, unable to process impurities, the easier it will be to learn magic. But the worse the metallurgy, the less metal there is around you, and therefore the fewer students.
This was difficult to understand in theory, but easy in practice. I had a coin from the Earth Kingdom in front of me. They had three varieties, but at that moment it was silver. It had a lot of impurities, I could grab any end and control every millimetre of its surface. But around me was the cabin of an iron ship, with giant steel sheets and steam pipes running under the ceiling and along all the corridors. It would seem that iron is a very common metal, which always has a lot of impurities, but the earth content in all of this was many times less, because the metallurgy of the people of fire was disproportionate to the backward technologies of the kingdom of earth, and I couldn't even begin to try to control it all. Of course, everything depended on control - in the canon, metal mages controlled such huge, and surely very pure, structures that you inevitably come to the question in your reasoning - how many impurities must there be in metal to control it? Where is the minimum threshold? Well, that was yet to be understood.
Now, sitting in front of Suyuki, who was stunned by my antics and couldn't believe her eyes, I raised my hand and suspended a coin in it. The poor silver coin steadily tried to fall into my palm, but kept rising into the air, as if pulled up by the thread of an invisible spider. It was clear from the look on her face that even on this isolated island, people had heard that metal magic was impossible. And no wonder, since their founder, the legendary Kioshi, who was first and foremost an earth mage, had conducted extensive research on the control of foreign materials. She conducted research, but never understood that metals were also part of the earth and, as the guru Patik said, part of a single whole. Of course, he was being a little disingenuous; after all, an uneducated hundred-year-old man was unlikely to understand anything about iron, and as a typical guru, he mentioned metal just for the sake of a nice phrase, but his words now fit the situation like nothing else.
"I've already told you that disunity is just an illusion. Even metal is part of the earth, which can be controlled if you open your mind. My philosophy allows me to see the world more broadly, and unlike the works of other people who have achieved nothing, my results can be seen with your own eyes," After my words, a shiver ran through Suyuki's body, she looked closely at the coin and rubbed her eyes. To impress someone and make them believe in your idea, you had to not just talk a good game, but, as strange as it may sound, brag. So yes, what I had always done could now bear enormous fruit.
"Did your philosophical approach allow you to subjugate the metal itself?
"Exactly.
The girl blinked incredulously and focused on me with a deeply impressed look. And I wasn't lying. Metal required persistence and stubbornness, even more than stone. There were two ways to achieve its submission: like Tof, develop steadily and comprehensively, and also be an unyielding magician. Or, by opening the three chakras and hardening your heart with fire, you yourself would become a suitable user of metal — you would not forcibly change your character, but simply begin to look at the world without rose-coloured glasses, and thoughts of retreat would not even enter your head. Unless it was necessary for survival.
"I'll do anything for you," Suyuki took my hand briskly and nodded boldly. But as soon as we were in the cabin, silence fell, and the girl realised the meaning of her words and blushed sharply, as if from something sharp. But she didn't take her hand away. "I meant..."
"Thank you. It's important to me," I nodded confidently, making Suyuki float away. Well, from that moment on, double training began. It would be a big mistake to think that you can master all the tricks of the Kioshi style in just a couple of days, which is how long I managed to train, and this detail was shown very clearly in the canon. Kyoshi warriors could single-handedly destroy small squads, while Sokka, who had trained a little, may have learned a couple of useful but not particularly remarkable techniques, but he continued to rely on his tricks, boomerangs, swords, and distractions. He did not become a master, because that would have taken... well, definitely more than a month. But I really needed to incorporate metal magic into all of this. Fortunately, the two types of training could be combined.
I went out onto the deck with my fans, scattered coins around me, and began to repeat the movements I had memorised and drilled into my subconscious. Nevertheless, fate always found ways to throw a spanner in the works. Within an hour, the already strong waves, which the ship had been holding steady, began to rock our barrel, and a downpour descended from the heavens. A storm began.
"Everyone get off the deck! The strong waves could knock you into the sea," the soldier quickly ran up and warned us.Choose:
1 - Go rest (until you are knocked down by a wave, you can regain your strength with a good sleep - training will slow down, but you will adapt more easily to the new conditions)
2 - Kioshi's training ground (A rocking ship and a convenient place to train that once belonged to the fire soldiers - the best way to hone your acrobatics)
3 - Go to your cabin (Warmth and food are close at hand, and thanks to your polyphasic sleep pattern, you have learned to optimise your training time - the quality of your training will improve in the long run).
There was nothing else to do, and the waves were already washing over my heels. Still determined to train, I headed to Kioshi's private field, which had previously belonged to the soldiers of the Fire Nation. Yes, the ship had almost everything, especially popular were places with iron mannequins where you could constantly keep in shape. Kioshi practised his punches here, and I threw coins, but as Anubis said, because of the strong rocking, I had to keep my balance.
"It's difficult... but difficulty allows you to develop quickly," I grinned, and without hesitation, I gave the coins speed, and with each swing of the fan, I sent them into the metal dolls, making a steel clang... One such coin bounced off a steam pipe under the ceiling and left a hole.
"Attention, everyone is advised to leave the training area, we have ten pipes bursting with hot steam! Soon it will be impossible to train here," said another soldier, who chased everyone away from that spot.
Choose:
1 - Go rest (While you're not getting cooked by the intense heat, you can recharge with a good sleep - training will slow down, but you'll find it easier to adapt to the new conditions)
2 - Hard worker (You don't know how to compress metal without leaving any crooked marks yet, but everything takes time to learn. You will learn to compress first, and then smooth out the metal)
3 - Mermaid (You are starting to get angry because of your failure and have decided to fight back. Climb onto the deck and continue training there, despite the high probability of being washed into the sea - defeat the water with steel)
"H-h-h... - clenching my teeth and fists, I didn't immediately notice how I had crushed the coins in my hand, turning them into useless slag. But there was nowhere to go, so I approached the soldier and asked him to point out the damage. Due to pressure drops, several pipes burst at once, from which hot steam poured out horribly. Wrapping myself in crystal gloves, I somehow managed to squeeze the pipe crookedly to keep the steam out, and then began to try to smooth it out, while the mechanics looked at my repair methods with wide eyes, foam at their mouths and a prepared sheet of paper with swear words. All because the amazement at the magic wore off quickly, and the crooked seams remained, and seeing the pipe with fingerprints on it, people realised that such half-measures would not lead to anything good.
Not surprisingly, smoothing metal is much harder than just compressing it, impurities be damned! But it was good practice, which quickly became a habit for me
"Attention, the engine has failed, we will be stationary for a while. Do not touch the pipes, they are not stable.
Choose:
1 - Cool down (until you've calmed down, you can recover your strength with a good night's sleep - training will slow down, but you'll find it easier to adapt to the new conditions)
2 - Mechanic (Apparently, repairing metal structures is your destiny. Go down to the engine room and fix the breakdown. You'll get used to controlling small parts with the magic of metal)
3 - Accept your fate (You've already realised that even Anubis can't prevent unfortunate circumstances, so maybe you should just go ahead and fix things that are going to break? Leave the engine to the mechanics. You won't be able to fix anything).
"No, I will never accept my fate! - grabbing the soldier by the collar, looking him in the eyes with red eyes," - Show me where that damn engine is.
"Yes, sir.
Oh, who would have thought that a metal mage would be good at fixing engines! Damn fate surely didn't know that thanks to sensors, it was possible to scan all the internal parts without having to disassemble the engine itself. And bad luck didn't foresee that it would turn against me!
"He's angrier than usual. And he's laughing maliciously for some reason, it's scary," whispered the men standing behind me.
"Shh, he can hear everything...
"Heh-heh-heh, I beat you, you hear that? I'm better than you!" Having repaired the engine, after struggling to learn how to control the small parts from a distance, he wiped his hands of engine oil with a malicious smile.
"Attention, we have a hole in the hull...
"Fuck!
***
"Maybe taking me on board is as dangerous as sticking your mouth in a hornet's nest," I said, walking wearily down the corridor of the burning deck, scattering sand on various fires, and leaning listlessly against the door of my cabin. Training through failure is dangerous and difficult, and in a situation like this, you can't concentrate on learning anything specific, the situation is throwing you from side to side! "Okay, I'll take a break. Just tell me straight away, no one will distract me, right?
"Dagot!
"Tsk..." With a sharp grimace, I looked at Suyuki, who had run up, her eyes darting around, and she instantly shuddered at my frightening gaze. "What is it now? Have the rhino pimples returned? Did the rats steal the dynamite again and blow themselves up, causing a fire? Or did the wasps attack our ship and want to tear it apart?!"
"...I wanted to bring you something to eat because you're very tired today," Suyuki took a step back on her wobbly legs. Her lost eyes darted around the corridor in search of an exit. Putting his hand to his face, he instantly felt guilty.
"What an idiot I am. I'm sorry for that. Twenty-four hours on my feet don't do anything good for my peace of mind, especially when there's a high risk of going down at any moment. I hate ships
Approaching Suyuki and stroking her tousled hair, he gratefully accepted the dinner she had made with her own hands.
"Yeah, I didn't know travelling on modern ships was so dangerous. We should have taken a wooden one.
"I'm afraid even God wouldn't have been able to help us in that case," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. But Suyuki just giggled, stood on tiptoe and, jumping up, wiped the soot from my cheek.
"You would have saved us even if the ship had started to explode, I believe you. Go to sleep, I'll keep watch so that nothing else happens," she nodded confidently and watched closely to make sure that I really went to my cabin and didn't fall through the floor, as had already happened once. Once inside, I wolfed down all the food in an instant, then lay down on a hammock stretched between the walls of the ship. In such a violent storm, it was the only place to sleep.
"She's a good person after all.
Closing my eyes with pleasure and placing both hands under my head, I drifted off into the realm of Morpheus. Just then...
Bang
The ship rocked on the waves, and the hammock was thrown up, almost hitting me against the ceiling of my own cabin, like...
"Hop," Suyuki, who had somehow gotten inside, grabbed the rope of the hammock and calmed the swaying bed on which the man was lying in a deep sleep. "As I said, I'll make sure nothing happens.
Sitting down on her knees next to the hammock, her hands folded on her knees, the girl dressed in Kioshi's uniform completely calmed her emotions and began to guard her master. Like Dagoth's personal bodyguard.
***
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