Back in the library, I had read stories about such a legendary figure as Kioshi, and now it seemed that my training would be based on her great legacy. Reading about her real achievements, some magical tricks that were described not even by magicians, but by ordinary people — so little information could be gleaned from this — I understood... Kioshi had achievements that allowed her to stand above all other Avatars.
To be honest, Avatars are not creatures to be admired — their power is unmatched, and there is no point in expecting to reach their level of magic, because it is impossible. Kioshi herself separated an entire island from the mainland, which sets her apart from her peers; she can easily lift piles of rocks that would seem impossible even for Boomer at his peak. But Kioshi's fighting style is quite human and, most importantly, does not require the amount of chi of a firstborn spirit - a real treasure. Even more surprising is that, until now, no one except air mages has used items to enhance their magic.
"Can I have this fan?" Stopping at a very ordinary street stall selling various accessories, including some in the style of Avatar Kioshi, I got a couple of flimsy wooden instruments that could be used at most to fan myself in hot weather.
Thoughtfully recalling the simple images from the books he had read, I stood in a special pose that allowed my legs to take a firm position, and waving my weapon, I quickly realised... that the force of the swing simply shattered them in the air. The flimsy sticks tore the fabric, and the cosplay object said "bye."
"I won't give you your money back," said the seller when I looked at him meaningfully, after which I had to leave. I wasn't upset; I've been in a great mood lately, and I didn't expect anything else. I needed real, combat-ready ones, and I was unlikely to find them here.
A few days' journey brought me to the westernmost edge of the mainland, with nowhere else to go: a cliff, the sea, and its inhabitants, who would be happy to feast on a human. If I didn't encounter the latter, I might be lucky enough to stumble upon the ships of the Fire People — in short, the Kingdom of Earth's territory practically ended there. And this place would have been of no interest to me — there was a separate island right next door, where I need to go, but while studying the history of Kioshi, I simply couldn't help but learn about the great conqueror Chin, in whose honour the place where the village was built was named, and individual stories about him also often flashed through my mind when I was trying to learn strategy and tactics.
Chin invented methods of fighting traps and landslides that Shen Guan now uses; the elders of the White Lotus told of the great battles in the south of the Earth Kingdom, and each time they mentioned Chin; there are only a couple of places he didn't capture, and those are Ba Sing Se and the territories of Kioshi; Even Bumi, according to some stories, learned strategic techniques from this man, so if there was anyone worth emulating in terms of skill, it was him.
Just as the Avatars subjugated the world with magic, Chin conquered it with his skills as a commander. And there is a subtle difference here: he did not win through numerical superiority or powerful warriors, but through his approach to magic, because covering half the map with defensive techniques is a more difficult task than separating an island.
"Fyur-fyur, Chin combined the defensive skills of earth magic and attacked while defending himself," said Afka, who was wrapped around my neck, reminding me of a grumpy librarian who had memorised all the books on the dusty shelves. "The village was built by soldiers who had nowhere to return to, his skills may well be passed down through the generations. Look for them.
"You don't seem to like offensive strategies, am I wrong? I spoke to her as I walked through the village streets, occasionally attracting strange looks.
"That's cruel, I prefer not to cause harm. But the library doesn't see the difference between life and death, it just stores the knowledge that you are obliged to provide it with.
Afki's nose poked me in the forehead. In any case, I had to understand what it meant to "attack while defending." It sounded contradictory in itself, but if I could turn the skills I had acquired during my indirect training in Shen Guan into a new fighting style, I was willing to spend half the time I had planned to devote to learning Kiochi's techniques.
"Excuse me," I said to the first elderly passer-by who clearly knew this place better than I did, and smiled broadly. "I'd like to know something about the great Chin. His willpower must have been as great as Kioshi's, so I'm interested in his skills. Maybe there's a club or at least a museum dedicated to him around here?
"Ha-tfu* - but as soon as I finished speaking, someone spat at my feet. An oppressive atmosphere arose, during which the old man looked at me with contempt," - Don't compare this cheap, painted woman to the great Hero! Honest Chin was brazenly deceived! If they had fought fairly, Kioshi would not have stood a chance.
At that moment, my Afka narrowed her eyes seriously.
"If he were alive now, even the Lord of Fire would regret attacking us, heh-heh, heh," the old man's emotional outburst was interrupted by a coughing fit. He leaned on his cane and took a deep breath. Now it wasn't just Afka who was serious, but me too. "You've got carried away. You want to know more about Chin, don't you? Many people here can tell you about him — in the square, they talk about his achievements, and in the cultural centre, people use his skills in the game of Pai Sho. It's the best way to preserve his memory.
At that moment, the mustachioed man and I exchanged glances. Indeed, a single game can accomplish great things: teach you to understand your neighbour, build relationships, and even preserve the memory of your ancestors. I immediately followed the directions and arrived at a beautifully decorated wooden building hung with tapestries that had once been used by the local hero himself. And when I opened the gates to this kingdom of Eden, which held great secrets and countless treasures in the form of knowledge...
"Ha ha, bingo! - I saw a crowd of old people gathered together. They sat at long tables, shaking with fatigue, illness or simply old age, playing Pai Sho with each other. Everything inside smelled of old age and apple juice, and there was nothing to suggest that in such a lovely and kind place, which could be called a second almshouse, the teachings of the Chin strategy were being held.
Taking just a couple of steps closer, I quickly realised that everyone here knew each other well. The old men smiled and talked about something of their own, and they cared so little about some tourist that they only noticed me when I approached one of the tables and looked closely at the game. And that's when... it hit me.
"Want to play?" asked a kindly old man with a large bald spot as soon as the game between two people ended before my eyes. It was quick, as if there had been a collapse. The man who lost didn't even seem surprised that his chips had fallen like dominoes. And all thanks to a well-thought-out plan.
"Um. First tell me, was that Chin the Conqueror's strategy? "My finger dug into the board.
"One of them," they nodded in response. "He had many techniques that are not easy to demonstrate in such a limited space, but we pass them down from generation to generation.
"And can they be repeated in real life?
The old men looked at each other and nodded confidently. Nothing could hold my legs back anymore, I sat down in the vacant seat and placed the chips in their original places. Afka sat down at the table and began poking her nose at the board.
"Oh, by the way, one condition," the old man began good-naturedly, "A maximum of ten seconds per move.
The game began.
My experience playing with the fox meant I was no longer a novice, and I was sure I could even give the old men from Zaofu a run for their money. Even if I encountered a stronger opponent, my ability to "read" my opponent should have helped me significantly... or so I thought.
In reality, however, it was my first time playing a timed game, and my opponent moved as if he wasn't even thinking. The old man set traps and slowed my progress. Taking advantage of this, he created a strong line of defence, forcing me to lose some of my fighters and retreat. And when I was completely surrounded, and the advancing wall of enemies prevented me from running anywhere... I lost. About as quickly as Afka lost. No matter how hard I resisted, no matter how I changed my playing style, my enemy won, who would have thought, with defensive tactics...
"What? - I thought I had been tricked. Defeated using the techniques I was good at. So quickly that... my army, my training and my structures collapsed like dominoes. If we had been in a real battle and a mage using all these techniques had stood before me, I would have lost without a chance.
"Anything else?" the old man asked with an amused smile. Afka answered for me, nodding her head and growling threateningly in my direction. Because if I refused... she would tear me to pieces. And what the hell, I couldn't say no myself.
***
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