Gr-r-r*
"I thought defeating these old men in Pai Sho would be a difficult task," I said, breathing heavily and covered in sweat, looking at the pile of funnels I had created. "However, recreating Chin's techniques based on some board game... you might as well hang yourself.
As always, there were significant differences between the game and reality. In Pai Sho, it was indeed possible to learn to understand people or give orders correctly, but recreating magical techniques... that was a whole separate task, for which I had to write a separate book. Having made it out of the village where I had spent more than a week, I repeated the most cunning and frightening tricks that had allowed Chin to outmanoeuvre his rivals.
It could take me, with only two open chakras, a whole day to learn just one technique. That might not seem like much, but not when Chin had so many techniques for every situation, so many that it was impossible to count them all.
There was one significant problem with creating them: The locals did not have a scroll with the movements or even a description of the poses from which something could be reconstructed, so just as the first conquerors who left the lion-turtles studied the capabilities of their magic by copying them from the mole-badgers, I had to create everything from scratch, with only an idea of the end result.
"Okay, one more time..." Closing my eyes, I firmly planted my foot in front of me. At that moment, vibrations spread out, giving me precise information about my own posture and its effect on the ground. Detailed information about the layer of earth beneath my feet, what stones were there, how deep the clay began, how far the roots of the nearest trees reached. And in the next moment... the ground sank, forming a karst sinkhole.
Looking inside, he saw a large funnel going down five metres. Creating all this required the correct infusion of qi, as well as the creation of a weak spot in the earth's crust. Just as Chin was skilled at building defences, he was equally skilled at breaking down those of others — this was the basis of all strategies in Pai Sho. Create a dozen traps for the enemy, prepare a weak spot in their defences, and launch the process of your own victory all at once.
Since I had reached a dead end in games with older people, where my skills were not developing solely because my opponents were many times better than me, I came up with a wonderful idea to train in reality. Sooner or later, I would have to repeat it all anyway, so the integration process took place as follows:
Early in the morning, I would go to the community centre, where I was brutally humiliated by old men who couldn't even lift a stone the size of themselves — where I learned new techniques. In the evening or at night, thanks only to my developed senses and my second open chakra, I was able to rapidly improve and record the movements on a scroll, and then transcribe the knowledge into a book.
Thus, my rapid progress in practice allowed me to become better at the game, and vice versa. One problem... some techniques seemed so complicated that it seemed impossible to repeat them with only two open chakras. "Listen, Afka... this technique is dripping with arrogance and domination over the enemy," I said, sweating as I looked at the description of the technique that ALWAYS ended our games with the old men. It was like it was a signature move that had become a favourite among the locals, and for good reason," I doubt that's even possible without the third chakra open.
"You did that in the arena, but on a much smaller scale," the fox girl muttered thoughtfully, looking at the scroll. "If Chin really could do that, then he was a master of defence. There was no one better in the world.
"Don't you think this technique is only suitable for fighting earth mages? "To seize control of the enemy's troops/magic and turn it against them. Just as I pulled small stones from the walls of the earth mages in the arena, dominating the enemy's Qi, Chin could subdue even the entire wall. Literally a conqueror. Of foreign magic.
"Undoubtedly. But am I the one to say that this ability can make you the master of the field?
"And win in Pai Sho," I curved my lips into a heavy smile. The time had come for the magic of the fuckers.
***
The longer I stayed in this small, crazy village, the more I noticed the ordinary citizens' hatred for the Avatar. Walking around the square or talking to simple old people while playing Pai Sho, I couldn't help comparing Chin to the Avatar. Not in terms of magical achievements or ancestral experience, but from a purely human perspective, which was deeply ingrained in the locals. That one long-time commander, through his own hard work, arrogance, experience and cunning, had become not stronger, but smarter than the user of the four elements.
They even had a special holiday that fell on the day Chin died at the "treacherous" hands of Kioshi. Preparations for it began several days in advance: candied plums and deep-fried meat began to appear on the shelves, and some businesses simply closed to devote all their time to this day.
I can't say that I was particularly lucky to be in the village on that day — it wasn't difficult to find out the date or to arrive at the settlement a few days in advance. As it happened, I managed to pull it off, and now my feet were walking through the stalls with delicious food, buying up all the good stuff.
Children bought wooden Kiyoshi fans and broke them playfully; sellers took beautiful dough figures in the shape of Kiyoshi and threw them into hot oil; they made piñatas in the shape of Roku and smashed them with delight. It was like Judgment Day.
After a while, we even arrived at the main venue.
"What barbarism," said Afka as we stood among the crowd in the main square, looking at the two statues of the Avatars, Kio and Roku, towards which a boy ran up wearing traditional Kio makeup, which was supposed to scare away criminals and, most importantly, spirits. It was not difficult to predict what would happen to these scarecrows. They were set alight, and joyful cries rang out, while some of the old men I had played Pai Sho with clapped their hands merrily.
"They all have perfectly acceptable reasons to hate the Avatar. I'm more sorry that no one is playing Pai Sho during the holiday,"
Afka sniffed irritably but said nothing more. I, on the other hand, was more taken with the idea of the White Lotus — wishing that the problems of the world could be solved not only by the Avatar, but by people like this Chin, who had risen up against the dictator and taken matters into their own hands. It's no wonder that you often hear people say that a local hero could have overthrown the Fire Lord, as he had once rebelled against the Earth King. If the Lotus took the matter seriously, there would be no question as to who was worthy. They would combine all their knowledge to train the necessary person... but in over a hundred years, they have not deigned to find anyone.
And I can't become the new Chin either. If I take all the angry people around me and lead them into battle, I will break my promise to Wang Shin Tong. I should rather continue to prove myself in what I am actually good at.
"Oh, Dagoth," at that moment, a couple of old men noticed me. They came over and shook my hands. "How are you? Not all visitors try to find out so much about the slain hero. Isn't it a joyful holiday?
I felt like I was between a rock and a hard place, with the expectant gaze of my acquaintances and Afka's condemning look. Is this it? Is it even worth thinking about bowing to someone else's opinion? This is my best chance to show my willpower...
"Honestly? It's kind of depressing," he said, now easily seeing an opportunity for fun, cracking his neck and making his acquaintances look at each other. "I thought a holiday should show objective things that make the local hero better than Avatar. The best mockery is when your opponent can't counter with anything. When they're lying at your feet, defeated with no chance of retaliation... In short, everything needs to change.
Willpower is not only the ability to look your enemy in the face, strive for the desired result and fight until you win. It also shows your initiative. It's no coincidence that the third chakra is called the Fire Chakra — these people are so passionate that they ignore shame to achieve any result. They pay no attention to the opinion of the crowd, which may ridicule them, so they should make good speakers. Of course, this does not apply to everyone, just as not all inhabitants of the Earth Kingdom are stubborn. In short... I should not be ashamed to do what I have planned.
"Knock..."
"You don't have to offer anything, Anubis. I know how the crowd will behave," I understood him so well that I knew what choices he could offer. But for the first time, I deliberately refused this help, because if there was one thing I could be sure of, it was my understanding of the people around me. Yes, they all loved Chin for the same reason I respected him. They wanted to show it with all their might, but for some reason they did it by burning straw dolls.
"Ladies and gentlemen..." - passing through the crowd, pushing aside those who were in his way with his powerful arms, thereby provoking disapproving glances, he stopped right in front of the burning statues. It was actually inconvenient to interrupt such a jubilant crowd — to run out in front of them and offer something would seem so shameful to many that they would sink into the ground. Initiative is the worst enemy of many people, but it is also the best way to achieve the results YOU want.
At that moment, sand flew out of my pumpkin and enveloped the half-burnt Avatars, extinguishing the fire.
"Who are you?
"What is he doing?
"Aren't you ashamed to interrupt the celebration?
It got even worse when people didn't understand you. They wanted to shut you up and not let you show yourself. Either they didn't want you to be better than them, or you simply made them uncomfortable. If you're unlucky, the crowd will even want to do something to you... So I frowned and silenced everyone who shouted with a glance.
"Don't you want to humiliate the Avatar?!" My cry immediately drew the crowd's attention and silenced them. "Look at them! Behind me stands the embodiment of the best magicians, who, let's be honest, couldn't care less about acts of burning.
"Shut him up!" shouted some old woman, and at that moment I stamped my foot on the ground, rising up on a large pillar.
"There's no Avatar, but there is Chin's legacy, which can actually help people. It would be the greatest humiliation if you defeated him like humans, with tactics and strategy. In front of his eyes, in a Pai Sho tournament!
There was silence. There weren't even crickets chirping in the background. It was impossible to describe how ashamed I felt at that moment. Only Afka understood me well enough to cover her eyes with her paws, feeling what is known as Spanish shame. But my gaze remained fixed on the people, so haughty, as if I were the second Chin. That's the most important thing.
"Not a bad idea.
"Let the Avatars see how Chin's legacy is progressing. That it can be destroyed even with human skills.
"Hey, kid..." An old man who had come out of the procession raised his voice. A crowd of grey-haired, swaying men who were coughing violently came out into the square. The crowd began to press forward even more, a barely discernible threat hanging in the air... and at that moment, the old men threw off their shirts, revealing their muscles. "Want to challenge us to Pai Sho? We're always ready.
They cracked their knuckles menacingly, quickly regretting it due to the pain in their joints.
"I'm surprised you got them to do what you wanted so easily," the fox blinked.
"You know... I've lived my whole life knowing that if I don't take the initiative, I'll never achieve anything. For me, it's the easiest thing in the world.
***
You can read the full story at:
patreon.com/posts/avatar-139933426