========== 60 - Queen of the Earth ==========
I loved this whining during joint training sessions: when someone started to get tired, you kicked them in the butt, forcing them to work twice as hard; or you saw that your partner's arms were already giving out, so you made them think of ways to use their useless legs and mouth, which for some reason, completely unknown to me, were not being used in battle.
And I loved procrastinating even more on my own, because I realised one truth: it's simply impossible to rewrite the method of using magic to pure control in such a short time. It's like trying to create a whole smartphone from scratch: I knew what the end result should be, I understood how it should be used, but I had no way of realising these fantasies.And so it turned out that even though the kids could develop themselves, and my current level was quite enough for simple tasks to challenge the dangers from the canon, the dead butterflies were twisting this very canon, and our enemies were now completely unpredictable killing machines. One General was worth a lot, and that was just the beginning; it always got worse!
So despite the tears, we spent about a day adapting to the conditions on the mountain. Yes, it's hard to call a full day of training normal, so as far as I'm concerned, we just got used to our surroundings before the challenge. The question is, why the hell did we try to summon Kioshi on a fucking volcano, and why didn't we at least extend the training time by a couple of days? Well, it was a little complicated.
Firstly, the volcano was an extremely good strategic location for my plan, and secondly... training was simply useless; it would take months, if not years, to achieve normal results. That's why my only hope for mastering all the secrets of martial arts was Kiochi, who had spent perhaps more than a hundred years developing her style. And it's important to remember that she was over two hundred years old.
So it's more important to prepare than to train. And for that, I used all the techniques Chin had taught me, which only my Afka had heard of — now this could be called a real rematch.
"Aang, are you ready?" The excited boy tugged at the hem of his robe and looked around at the team, hoping that they would come and save him from the treacherous Uncle Dagoth. But my pressure was too great; only Katara could stand up to it.
"I'm worried about him... why didn't we at least prepare the battlefield?!" She threw up her hands and looked at the completely unchanged volcano. There wasn't even any protection from the strong wind, which could be deadly. "You said you used all the tricks of the great strategist Chin, so why can't I see anything?"
"That's true. Maybe we should give up? - Aang tensed up. "I'm only going through with this because Kuruk told you to trust him. But now I'm not so sure.
"Well, yes, he has a point. Our whole adventure is focused on one simple plan: if Kioshi decides to fight, the entire volcano will collapse, and the village at its base will be wiped off the face of the earth, which she will NEVER agree to! I threw my hands up, finally voicing the plan that had shocked the kids. Whether it was Aang or Tai Li, everyone looked at me like I was a madman and a cheap movie villain. But the reason for this plan is completely different," I said. "My dear ones... I didn't train you for battle, but to reduce the chances of it happening to a minimum. Do you understand? Now...
"Choose:
1 - Mighty Conqueror (You decide to summon the spirit of Ki-shi and study how qi flows in her body. Warning: perfect preparation is required. Warning: absolute concentration is required to keep up with the flow of her energy. Warning: you must choose your words carefully. Warning: the help of a water magician is required)
2 - Renunciation of Power (You decide not to communicate with the spirit of Kioshi and not to restore her martial legacy. You still have the opportunity to communicate with Avatar Yangchen).
This is not a choice, it's madness. The first option consists entirely of warnings, like signs in front of a minefield, where it is written in bold letters: "Don't go in, you fool - you'll die." And the second... it's not even a choice, it's a stain on my perfect life.
"Let's go," I said, swallowing hard, and noticed how everyone held their breath. Afka, sitting in front of Aang, waved her tail, and in a moment, a powerful wind began to swirl and rush towards the guy who had agreed to the adventure. The ground began to vibrate as if an earthquake was about to start, but a second later, the little boy turned into a tall, adult woman in a classic green outfit and makeup.
If I had a fetish for girls over two metres tall, I would definitely have been interested, because my senses clearly showed the athletic figure, toned breasts and wide hips of the lady who had appeared... but the realisation that a little boy was hiding behind her quickly calmed all my emotions. Kioshi slowly looked us all over and fixed me with her gaze.
"History repeats itself," the only thing unrealistic about her was her voice, which echoed across the mountain top like the ringing echo of an ancient spirit. Which, in fact, she was," "They consider you the Avatar in place of Aang, and he has come to terms with it — dangerous, childish foolishness. Tell me... what will happen if you decide to kill him to try to take the title of Avatar?
Her gaze was imbued with true wisdom, but there was no anger in her words. She was more like a grandmother looking at the people around her as if they were clumsy children. But as Anubis had advised, I concentrated so hard that I didn't miss a single movement she made.
"Kill Aang? What are you talking about!" Katara immediately intervened, frowning, a lump forming in her throat.
"Even a loved one is capable of betraying you and stabbing you in the back. I know your story well, do you really think I'll let Aang burn himself on this mistake? - Her emotions felt real, and it was terrible. All the principles that Suu taught me, in their maximalism, were embodied before me in a powerful and immortal spirit. Wisdom, courage, justice, and moderation... but what does she consider justice? "But I can't decide on things that haven't been done yet, so don't worry about it for now. Our meeting will most likely happen later, when someone finally betrays Aang. But punishing those who violate justice is my life's goal. Do you know that it was I who shaped Roku's principles, his desire to fight injustice in the form of the Fire Nation?
My pupils contracted, and my sixth sense clearly detected a frenzied flow of chi coming from her illusory fans. It was so fast that I barely realised... someone else was moving towards us at tremendous speed. And Kioshi's magic rushed towards them.
"Who? - Damn Kioshi took all my attention, and when I focused on the approaching objects, I saw a dozen varans rushing up the mountain as if there were no obstacles for them. And if they had been some nameless barbarians, that would have been fine, but the energy of at least two of them was very familiar to me.
"Here we go. Don't touch them!" With an effort of will, I lifted the rock under Kiochi and sent her flying to break her contact with the ground. The technique I had started was indeed interrupted, and it all ended with a strong jolt, after which the monitor lizards and their riders still managed to reach the top of the mountain. Damn fire mages and Zuko with Uncle Airo!
"It can't be..." The leader of my order opened his eyes when the beast standing on grains of sand looked down at him from above.
"What is this?" Zuko asked dejectedly, his body unable to suppress the goosebumps.
"Your goal," replied another woman with black hair and a blind mole dog. She sounded so depressed that she clearly wanted to run away.
"Fire mages and the prince of the country who are destroying harmony itself. I saw how you tried to capture Aang when he just woke up. Since I'm here, I'll finish you off quickly before Aang has to run away from you again.
Kioshi, on the other hand, was extremely cold-blooded and very cruel, which manifested itself in a terrible snowstorm that covered the top of the volcano. Due to the dropping temperature, her eyebrows began to cover with frost, and her fingers and toes began to ache from the cold. She's just crazy! But she was doing it for Aang's safety, so I didn't even know how to look at it.
"A-a-a-a!
One rider, along with his wyvern, was swept away by a powerful gust of wind and snow, sending him flying down the mountain. She didn't hold back her energy, forcing it to move in an extremely unusual trajectory, similar to a very advanced version of the style Kioshi used. She could also control the elements with a single control.
"I told you to stop!
I never thought I'd have to deliberately protect Airo, but in their position, they couldn't do anything at all. So I raised my iron-gloved hand and launched myself at the enraged beauty.
"Hm?" She was surprised when the glove grabbed her head and, with a wild effort, began to press it down to the ground. The storm stopped as quickly as it had started, but the lady clearly didn't like it. She was knocked into the ground, leaving a crater in her place," I am familiar with this technique. However, controlling metal itself... still amazes me.
I didn't even realise how the snow had surrounded me and encased me in an icy prison. Everything up to my neck was buried in a monstrous refrigerator, so terrifying that I had to let go of my control and allow Kioshi to stand up. She smiled sweetly at me and turned her terrifying gaze back to our enemies.
"Just burn her! - shouted Zuko, and a group of soldiers threw burning dynamite into the air. Not somewhere in the direction of the enemy, but straight into the depths of the volcano. I froze, realising that something very bad was about to happen.
Bang!
A series of explosions rocked the crust covering the raging magma, opening up numerous fissures. In an instant, the turmoil intensified so much that geysers of red-hot liquid began to shoot up, striking the air with columns of splashing death.
The soldiers had probably planned to drown her while staying at a safe distance, but they didn't know that lava was no problem for Kioshi. It was unlikely that they had ever read about this type of magic.
"Proving your cruelty once again. Do you realise there are peaceful people down there? - she curled her lips in contempt as a stream of molten rock almost engulfed her head, but froze in the air at the last moment," - But that will make it even easier for me to kill you.
Standing against the backdrop of the raging volcano, looking haughtily at the shocked mages, she displayed incredible control over her energy. I saw the ideal that could be achieved... and I wanted to repeat it quickly.
"Dagoth, I'll help! " said Katara, running up, and although with difficulty, she managed to transform the frozen substance into water. Obviously, she was simply allowed to do so: Kioshi was not interested in us at all and was only looking at the soldiers of the Fire Nation.
"I don't know what to do—attack or not? Sokka stood with his boomerang raised, but he was completely indignant because he saw that she seemed to be attacking the enemies, but I was defending them. And it seemed that we really needed to stop any pursuit to make life easier, but... Zuko was not my responsibility.
"She understands that people need to be protected, but with the current situation, we won't be able to come to an agreement. We need to get her attention and show her that we can handle everything ourselves. That we're not like her former lover."
"Yes... Attack the fire mages. I'll take care of Kioshi," I ordered, and no one questioned my decision. Sokka instantly launched a boomerang in a curved trajectory, Katara condensed the surrounding clouds into water discs, and I grabbed Tai Lee by the arm. "You help me with Kioshi.
"Got it!