========== 24 - Perfection ==========
Tattered grey clothes, real fear in their eyes. Omasu's usual prisoners were not treated in the most appropriate manner: after all the horrors of war and the piles of corpses, it was understandable. But King Bumi did not simply keep these people isolated from the outside world; he arranged for them to be housed in the most comfortable prison possible. As it happened, my request completely changed the attitude, if not of the whole world, then at least of King Bumi, towards the prisoners. Now they were not sent to the jammonoite mines to replenish the halls of crystal statues, nor did they clean the sewers until they died from the stench. Having been treated in a civilised manner, they became a separate class of workers, their experience being used to develop metallurgy, design more advanced furnaces and purifiers, and, of course, to prepare the infrastructure. At first, there were certain problems with their motivation: if they worked, it was only because of the possibility of dying. Still, this is not a prison in my world, where guards and superiors would face certain problems due to unexpected deaths. Here, the prisoners were treated very harshly, threatened with violence, and everyone considered this normal. Understandably, this did not motivate some of them, but only drove them to despair. However, not long ago, all the prisoners heard the piercing screams of their neighbour, the most feared authority figure, who, according to rumours, could escape from here and take everyone else with him. The explosion mage. The last news they received was that I had come to his cell, after which the fearless man cried quietly in his corner, lamenting the horrors he had committed.
I was not told how this affected their motivation, and I had no use for precise details, but when I periodically visited their cell, I took four specific mages and locked them in a separate punishment cell. Those who were locked up there for disorderly conduct reported that the room was surprisingly spacious for simple solitary prisoners, but the walls, floor, and even the ceiling were all covered in soot... When they returned, the mages were silent as the grave, which frightened the locals even more.
But in fact, it was not only Boomy who found a use for them, but I did as well. The small room to which I again led several magicians was an excellent place for an ambush. It would have been really difficult to deal with all of them at once, but here, surrounding them, they could achieve victory. They were simple training mannequins, capable of reproducing various situations — for example, they fired a concentrated volley of large fireballs — my enemies' most powerful weapon was always within easy reach, and any hit could cause excruciating pain, knock someone off their feet and make them scream from at least second-degree burns.
Flash-boom-fsh*
But when it hit the shield in my hands, the fire only caused a flash. Without using a drop of magic in response, I quickly dealt with them one by one. Then they got up, and the situation repeated itself:
After that situation with the mercenary, I became even more convinced that the human body is too fragile. Of course, it would be foolish to think that I had discovered some miraculous secret to defeating everyone: it was obvious to everyone that spinal damage was a very serious injury, and if you could knock out one of your opponent's weak points, then you were strong enough to hit them in the first place. What bothered me more was that it was possible to completely deprive a person of magic without using any miraculous energy or draining all their qi. In that case, all achievements in the field of magic could be considered... complete. If anyone else could return to a peaceful life after that, I would, at best, resign and retire. For it would be practically impossible to fight the world without magic. However, since I was able to anticipate the most negative outcomes and made every effort to ensure that this would not happen, I spent my last days focusing on very human pursuits: the combat aspect of the Kioshi style and, of course, Chin's strategic experience.
The months that passed since moving to Omasha were excellent in terms of productivity: all the standard movements remained in my subconscious and were reproduced with excellent accuracy. I had to give up training with the katana, preferring to replace it with a regular stick, even an iron one, to make it heavier — not only because I didn't want to kill anyone, but also because of the techniques involved in building up strength. The nomads demonstrated perfectly how they could disperse the wind with their sticks, and besides, an ordinary pole does not stand out as much as a katana sharpened to a razor's edge. But, strange as it may sound, I mastered the techniques with a shield to perfection. It was a revelation to me how ordinary defensive manoeuvres combined with earth magic - Kioshi, who developed them, clearly did not like to wait for an opportunity to strike. Got muscles and can take a punch? Then become a tank and hit until your opponent runs out of breath. In short, everything suited me, and I had already learned everything there was to learn.
Not only did I give the prisoners a new home and see that their potential was not being wasted or destroyed, but I also mastered the art I desired, which took me a total of three and a half months. Yes, during that time, I could have found a master of qi and even memorised all the knowledge — at least, I hope so; I could have found the lost works of Laghima and set about restoring them, but... no one could take Kioshi's skill away from me, unlike magic, so there was nothing to regret.
"Get ready, we're leaving today," I said, nudging Afka, who was reading, and quickly dressed in the monk's outfit that Lya had sewn for me, then slung my bag over my shoulder.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye to anyone?" asked the fox, innocently jumping onto my neck.
"I'm afraid Boomi won't be able to control himself, and after all my training, he'll still want to see who's stronger. I'm not eager to treat bruises the size of rocks that will appear all over my face. I need to look perfect to go out into the world," I said, standing in front of the mirror and opening a jar of ordinary mascara, which I used to cover the scars on my face and hands that stood out more than the rest. After closing the door to my room and heading outside, I realised that I wouldn't be able to avoid saying goodbye to someone... Standing opposite the secret exit was Suyuki herself, looking as if she had been waiting there for me on purpose.
I could have avoided meeting her by hiding underground or finding another passage, but if anyone deserved a farewell, it was her.
"I knew it," she said, seeing me in my travelling clothes with a bag on my shoulder, and she lowered her hands. "The girls said you've completely adopted their style, so there's no reason for you to stay." And Afka confirmed that you're planning to leave," Suyuki's finger dug into the traitor's side, after which the insolent redhead turned away from me and snorted arrogantly!
"You two have become good friends," I couldn't help but notice how no one respected me.
"Let me walk you out," and yet Suyuki didn't ask me to take her with me, nor did she complain about how difficult their classes were. During all the time we had spent together, we had built a decent relationship: no love, just exceptional respect and complete obedience to orders. The Kioshi warriors knew what they would be used for, and Bumi had told them a little more about the Lotus's goals, so they gladly agreed to become my weapons of delayed action. So now she just smiled softly and spoke in an understanding tone, "I won't say how grateful I am for the opportunity to develop and strengthen my leadership skills. A person like you understands that even without words.
A genuine military confidence appeared in her eyes. The absence of fear strengthened not only her skills... it made her a brave leader, which she would hardly have become in such a short time in the canon.
"But since I am not only a soldier but also a girl, I want to thank you on behalf of the residents... you fulfilled my wish, even though you didn't have to," as soon as we reached the town square, Suyuki paused briefly in front of a street theatre. Against the backdrop of her sincere smile, the villagers I knew appeared. They were parodying Kioshi's fight against crime — not the one that was happening now in Omasu, but the very origins of it, when the Avatar herself fought the enemies of the people. They performed the scenes with all their hearts, and a huge crowd gathered in front of them. All that remained to the villagers after a hundred years was the memory of their mistress and, of course, their respect for her, which they had learned to make good money from! "Such help will remain in my heart forever... and if you want to lie low now, without showing any magic, I think this might come in handy.
Before saying goodbye, she handed him her folding shield and set of fans. It was a compact metal device that I was quite skilled with and could even hide in my sleeve — but it was different from mine! The metal was visibly pure, apparently made in a local forge. That meant it was as strong as it could possibly be by the standards of the people of this land. In fact, all the weapons of the Kioshi warriors used to be made from purchased iron, which hit their wallets even harder, but without it, it would have been simply impossible to defend themselves. However, such cool improvised weapons were hard to find in the village, so what I had in my hands was a real upgrade. Lighter, stronger and sharper.
"This is the first batch, they haven't been tested yet, so if they break, it's not our fault," she said innocently, scratching the back of her head.
"I'll fix them even if they break," I replied confidently. "Without quality tools, I won't survive. So I'll say it... Thank you."
The metal items quickly spun around me and hid inside my clothes, so that it was impossible to tell that I was armed. Just an ordinary monk, walking barefoot simply because he was too poor. Even my ring was gone, except for one.
Turning around, still watching the performance on stage thanks to my senses, I moved along a safe alley in the city and soon disappeared from Omasu. It was possible that my feet would return here sooner than I wanted, but at least I would be sure that the city was safe and that Boomi would no longer surrender it at the request of the invaders. For now he knows that there is a chance of winning the war.
"Well... let's head north, along the sea. Maybe we'll be lucky and join a travelling circus. According to my secret sources, the master of ci shouldn't leave there.
"You? Lucky? Ha ha ha.
"Laugh while you can. But I'll be the last one laughing. By the way, we should learn a couple of circus tricks together.
"What do you mean?
========== 25 - Circus Performer ==========
Bright colours and cheerful laughter intertwined to the accompaniment of several musical instruments: trumpets, drums, cymbals, all of which entertained children and adults alike, while the musicians carried their sound along the soulless patterned tents located next to the wooden houses of some settlement. The residents of what appeared to be an ordinary village flocked to the tents with great joy, children and old people begged for sweet cotton candy, women begged for soft toys, but among the civilians dressed in completely different clothes, the military stood out the most. Dressed in iron armour, the soldiers of the Fire Nation were closely monitoring the safety of one of their colonies, but they were just as happy to wander around the circus.
Because of this event, it was not surprising to meet new travellers or even wandering magicians in the colony; circuses like this attracted unusual people from all over the world. But less often, simple homeless people flocked to the sounds of fun and noise: here, stepping on the ground that had not yet dried after a recent rain, a very dirty man, leaning on some kind of staff, was dragging his bare feet through the mud. He was tall, muscular, but had obviously not eaten for a long time and was terribly tired from his journey. But he was happy. His eyes, burning with life, scanned the colourful tents, and then he caught his breath.
"Gypsies are unlikely to have reached this world, so... I'm obviously in the right place," I thought, surveying the magnificent sights of my new surroundings, all the happy people, and breathing in the smell of popcorn. I noticed a fox running along the street stalls, which was quietly pulling skewers with various meats, fish and sweets off the stands. Returning with a few gnawed sticks, slightly embarrassed, she shared them with me." "Instead of foxes in a henhouse, you're stealing ready-made food and books. Evolution is an amazing thing."
Turning slightly away from a person in a black raincoat passing by, so as not to reveal my delicious, sweet, divine chicken in sweet and sour sauce, I quickly devoured everything in one gulp. More than a week of travelling in the dark, without knowing where to go, having to fast intermittently to follow the instructions for opening the fourth chakra, brought me back to life as a real person with no fixed abode. Just like that, trading my cosy palace in Omasha meant that I loved nature more than material possessions... well, yes, well, yes.
"I never stole live chickens! An uneducated bald monkey, I have conscientiously taken only books from homes since birth, and exclusively for the benefit of the library. And food is necessary so that you don't die of hunger. I'm looking out for you, snort! - At the same time, when I realised that against the backdrop of beautifully dressed and adorned people, I looked no better than a swamp mound, I had to go into an alley and remove all the lumps of dirt from my clothes and skin. "In any case, let's rest a bit and attend one of the performances," I said, turning the convenient iron stick back into a necklace and allowing the fox to jump onto my neck, and headed towards the most beautiful and largest tent, where people were being actively lured in. A ticket inside cost a couple of silver coins of the people of the land — despite the fact that I was literally in a colony of fire, and there were guards everywhere who carefully guarded their territory, the money of the kingdom of the earth was still accepted here. Moreover, the fact that this was a colony should have kept me on edge, wary that I would be caught and forced to either run away or organise a liberation campaign for the poor inhabitants! But this was not the first or even the second colony I had visited during my search for the circus. No one recognised me as the famous sand magician, and if I behaved modestly, the soldiers would not even look in my direction. Few people here wanted conflict; everyone was tired of it.
There was little point in saving these villages either, as new soldiers would come to replace the old ones, only more vicious and ready for cruel measures. But as long as they lived in relative peace, it was acceptable.
"How spacious it is here," he thought as he entered the large, round tent and took his seat in the amphitheatre in front of a round platform, which was about fifteen metres in diameter. People walked along the rows offering hot food, and in the "arena" there were already strange inflatable balls and a rope walkway. Anticipating the performance of a master of qi, he waited for the arena inspector, dressed in an elegant uniform, to come out and announce the next act.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure you all know that man is the most intelligent creature on the planet.
"Pfft," Afka rolled her eyes.
"But I assure you, soon this statement will be open to debate. I present to you the most intelligent animal, the armoured tiger, who can count to ten! To the applause of the enthusiastic crowd, a tiger encased in a strong armour was led out onto the round clearing, where it roared loudly, causing the local population to tremble. Several people from the Fire Tribe who had come out with him tried to repeat the roar, letting out a stream of flame from their mouths, but it was far from impressive." "Now, show us. Two plus two!"
And at that moment... the menacingly roaring tiger cub began to simply push the balls with the required numbers around the arena, jumping on them and rolling around to the amusement of the audience. When he was finally led away, the smiling people laughed heartily, while Afka snorted indignantly:
"So what if he can count to ten? Can he subtract and multiply? He can't even calculate the length of one side of a triangle!
"Maybe you can show off your skills instead of him?" - eating nuts bought from a girl in a red dress passing by, he quietly laughed at the disappointed Afka.
"And now for the next act! The strongest man in the world will demonstrate the power of his muscles! But then a tall, broad-shouldered man with a curled moustache appeared in front of the amphitheatre. He showed off his muscles and began lifting barbells with people hanging from them and breaking horseshoes. The crowd was equally enthusiastic, the women swooned, and the men wanted to train until they were in the same condition.
"I can lift a stone twice his weight," I said, indignant at his title of strongest man. "I can twist a horseshoe into a ring without a drop of magic. Everyone from the tournament arena of earth mages is capable of more."
"Then go and show everyone how good a clown you are!" Afka decided to cheer me up, patting me on the shoulders. In the end, we stayed until the very end, watched all the acts, including the acrobats, but... we were deeply disappointed. There was no sign of Tai Li anywhere.
Maybe she just didn't come out, or maybe there are actually a lot more circuses, in which case the search would turn into a real hell. We would have to run even more, hoping to find the right one, and knowing my luck, Tai Li could be on the continent of the fire people. In short, Afka and I were extremely disappointed, and, leaving the tent, we trudged dejectedly along the dirty street. Anubis was silent for some reason, apparently wanting everything to go its own way, while I unfolded the map, wondering what to do next.
"A-a-a!" And at that very moment, my senses picked up a distant cry in one of the side streets. A crowd of children had been cornered by some soldiers. It was a common theft — such situations were not uncommon in the colonies, but they were punished in different ways, sometimes even with brutal beatings.
"Let's take a look," I said, hiding in the shadows, and quickly moved closer to my targets until I sensed another person. He had reached the guards before me, remaining completely invisible to them. If it weren't for my senses, I would not only have failed to realise that something was happening, but I would not have seen his swift movements. Nimble hands flashed across people's bodies like machine-gun fire, making light touches and simply knocking them out. When I was already at the alley, the situation resolved itself...
"Phew, you again? " a person in a black raincoat spoke in a girlish voice. Throwing back her deep hood, the young circus performer looked cheerfully at the little kids. "I told you yesterday that taking food from our circus counter can be dangerous, the guards are watching everyone closely! You're lucky I have the day off.
"Cool, you knocked out the guards with your bare hands!
"Sis, we just learned to move our hands as fast as you! - The three children looked admiringly at the smiling girl with a ponytail on her head, under whose raincoat a red acrobat's costume was clearly visible.
"Well then... do you want me to show you a couple more tricks?
Watching the lady entertaining the simple children, who probably couldn't afford a ticket to the circus, I gradually blinked in amazement. Those magnificent movements, a certain naivety, superb acrobatic tricks and an amazingly kind attitude towards others... it was definitely Tai Li. She was happily entertaining the children, right next to the fallen bodies of soldiers. She didn't care who she was performing for.
"We're at the right circus.
"She's a martial artist? Well, to bend your body like that, you need to know something about your own anatomy, so maybe you're right," the fox snorted thoughtfully.
"Choose:
1 - Circus performer (Become a member of the circus to gradually gain Tai Li's trust. Listen to her and help her overcome her own insecurities. Note that thanks to her open joy chakra, you have an increased chance of getting closer to her, but you must joke and tease others more often. And don't try to show off.)
2 - Freak (You're used to choosing the less honourable options. Attack Tai Li and kidnap her like a princess. Remember, when a woman says no, she means yes. Make her work for you until she accepts the situation. Be careful, to trigger Stockholm syndrome, you need to keep her away from other people.)
3 - Supervillain? (Does your target like to walk the streets and help the locals? Become her personal enemy, whom she will be forced to fight while saving citizens. Let her feel needed and, using your charisma, gradually get closer to her. Be careful, your new image will take on a villainous tone. Find the right behaviour to get closer to your target.)
"What nonsense? Each option is crazier than the last, and to be honest, I found it hard to believe that the last two would work. The second one literally described what I would become if I did that, and becoming a kind of joker who messes with Batman was just as crazy. No, even the first option was written as if with real mockery. Clown around and annoy others? NOT FUCK UP? So, the normal me has no chance of getting closer to her?
"Or maybe..."
A moment quickly flashed through my mind when I had slightly strayed from Anubis's choice and learned new information: Afka had just told me about this fog in the spirit world, and Wang Shi Tong had promised to become my friend. In other words, the dog god's election wasn't detailed; he only pointed out the direct path, without mentioning that it was entirely possible to stray from it in order to broaden one's horizons and not follow only one set of instructions. Considering this... I could try not to act like a clown and make a fool of myself.
"I have to try," I nodded, quickly disappeared from the alley and headed back towards the circus. To get a new job.