Chapter 24 - The Wise Man Koh
Unprecedented strength, a cunning mind, and a consciousness so ancient that only Tui and La can say exactly when and why the great Koch was born. It is known that there is no creature in the world that knows more about the Avatars than he does - the face thief served as their overseer, punishing the rulers of the four elements whenever the balance was upset. Even the great Kuruk, trying to regain his wife by force, could not compel Koch, let alone defeat him.
For just a second, the thought flashed through my mind that I shouldn't have done it. It was much easier to lock Koh in his world than to fulfil Kuruk's promise and free his wife, which would have required either fighting or entering into a very unpleasant contract... but as soon as this creature glanced at Azula and me, twitching its thousands of legs, the regret disappeared. I couldn't let that vile creature touch Tai Lee. Thank goodness she wasn't with us.
"You have failed in your duty, Avatar. You have allowed a war to begin, you should have been killed long ago," the irritated spirit finally began. In complete silence, during which even Azula held her breath, the coal-marble creature spun around the large stump of the banyan tree, approaching each person and staring into their eyes with empty eyes. In those moments, in those two wells, one could see seething rage, the very abyss of thousands of years lived," "You wanted to start a war, forgetting your place! You destroyed one of the sacred places that was home to countless spirits. Fools..."
"This is a misunderstanding!" Aang frowned at the accusations against him, but the murmur of hundreds of legs abruptly forced him to remove the emotion from his face. A hideous and evil creature stood before him with a twisted, inhuman face. Deformed creatures, their expressions frozen in agony, replaced one another, trying to provoke Aang into showing emotion. But he remembered the history of his people and knew how to deal with spirits, especially IT. "I still believe in the idea of peace between us, great Koh. I came to my friends to negotiate...
"And how are things going?
He glanced ironically at the fallen tree, around which Bison was circling. Squinting, Koh suddenly sprang from his seat, trying to jump up to Appa and the people on it, but he felt something pulling him back to the ground. With a powerful jerk, his exoskeleton hit the tree, and he immediately turned around to see who had just grabbed him. But everyone was sitting with their arms folded, expressing nothing at all.
"I'm just curious, why are you called 'the great one'? Is there an objective reason for that? - I was the only one who looked him in the face insolently and didn't even twitch an eyebrow when he appeared in front of me at an abnormal speed and pinned me down with one of his heliters.
"Don't show off, mortal, I know perfectly well who arranged this whole misunderstanding. You, Yuna's pathetic friend, think you've caught me and trapped me? I'll be able to return when you beg me for mercy and call that spirit devourer again... Wait. You're just like him," Koch moved so close to my face that he touched my cheek. At that moment, I felt something dark... I felt the power of this cuttlefish.
What was the source of his power? Well... to ordinary mortals who hadn't studied hundreds of books on spirits, it might seem that he killed anyone who displayed their emotions. How logical - a creature cannot live without a face, even spirits fall under this statement. The ability to breathe, to eat, he takes away the most important needs, without which a person would surely not survive even three minutes. But this was a misconception - Koch did not kill in the literal sense of the word, he placed the body and soul in a state between life and death, during which a mortal is capable of an infinitely long existence.
He commands souls, he senses and sees them... and now he noticed that there were several of them inside me, all belonging to different useful kikimora, which made him very angry.
"You dared to disrupt the natural order of things and devour those whom you should have obeyed. You humans all commit foolish acts that destroy yourselves. Do you really think that I cannot kill you, since your face shows not a shred of remorse for what you have done? Or maybe..." Koch approached my ear, and at that moment his sharp chelicerae began to penetrate my mouth, nose and ears, hanging menacingly over my eyes, after which a whisper sounded, "Find the girl to whom you have bound yourself? I will not find it difficult to overcome even the entire mortal world to find her. Oh yes... I see.
My soul began to behave strangely, and I inadvertently saw Tai Li. She was wandering around the palace of the great Ba Sing Se, carrying out a secret mission with Suyuki and her friends. She was in no hurry and was preparing very carefully for the coup. Koh seemed to be using my connection to spy on her, he was so skilled at manipulating souls and energy that it was no problem for him at all.
"Oh, so beautiful and so young. She'll probably scream loudly when my claws pierce her body, tearing her soul out. Look how happy she is, not holding back any emotions, at least she's honest with herself, Dagoth. She'll add to my million-strong collection.
"There won't be a trace of you left if you try to touch her," Azula's nasty voice made the spirit turn around. He wanted to know what she meant, and still pressing one part of his body against me, he approached her.
"Elaborate, princess of an unworthy nation. You're next in line, but before I kill you, I'd like to know what you said. What will you do to me if I touch this girl?
"Me?" Azula winked mischievously. She didn't seem to show any emotion, but the tone of her voice expressed the ENTIRE spectrum of emotions. "I don't care about her or what you do to her, you vile squid. Honestly, I'd even watch, just out of curiosity, but I'm afraid I won't have time. Dagoth won't leave you alive for what you said to her.
Grab*
Koh felt something grab his paw again, but this time he turned around in time to see what had happened: the crystal rings on my fingers had dug into his body, trying to break through the joints in his tough chitin. When this opportunity was lost, I simply swung his huge body with all my might, throwing him towards the centre of the stump, hitting the floor a couple of times along the way.
Given the amount of energy in this creature, the crystal grew very quickly, covering the centipede with an additional layer of armour, although it was impossible to move in it. For a moment, when it really turned into a statue, it seemed that I had managed to defeat it with such a simple trick. Aang even managed to push himself off the floor and land next to me, finally expressing his complete horror:
"What have you done, Dagoth? Do you even know that you have not only disrupted the balance, but also summoned the one who has sworn to guard that balance? Koch is known as death itself, no monk is capable of calming him, he will simply kill us all!
Crack-crack*
A frightening crunching sound came from the crystals.
"Just stay calm, haven't you heard what he wants to do to Tai Li? Are you still on the side of these tyrants?
"
"I noticed that he can control other people's souls, and he can probably even absorb my will with Zero's magic. Oh, I wish I hadn't let Hugh go, he would have been useful here with his seventh chakra," I rolled my eyes, ignoring Aang's confused look. "Okay, let's get down to business. His exoskeleton is probably so strong that it can't be broken with simple magic, but since I still need to weaken him, you'll help me.
The crumbling crystal revealed the released spirit, unleashing all its anger. It changed, as if it had shed its outer layer. Beneath the rapidly changing stolen faces appeared an additional mouth... like many spirits, it was able to change its form, becoming even more terrifying.
"H-how do you want me to defeat it?
"You? Sorry, I didn't phrase that right. You don't know how to fight spirits, you'll learn that later, okay?
"Wait, but then what should I do... - before he could finish, he suddenly gasped. Looking down, he saw fingers digging painfully into his chest. It's nothing serious, I just opened my chakra and knocked the spirit out of his body, just like Ty Lee taught me. The vacant spot was taken by the one who had studied and developed methods of fighting spirits, the one who had been with Aang from the moment he arrived in the swamp.
A brutal man in fur clothing appeared in the young man's place. His gaze was fixed on his main enemy, and he was not afraid in the slightest. Our plan was for Kuruk to suppress the souls of others. The fact is that he became the founder of anti-spirit magic, even though he did not have all seven chakras open, he did not need them. Kuruk figured out how to suppress spirits with the three elements, but the only thing he lacked was a certain lethal power.
It was necessary to restrain the body and soul, preferably to suppress the consciousness of this ancient being with each element. The problem was that even then, he could not be killed, but the final part was up to me.
"Thank you," my friend replied quietly. Assuming a fighting stance, he subjugated all the nearby swamp water and even the plants. Frankly speaking, this was one of the best places for him to fight. With one hand, he pulled down a stump and, accordingly, covered Koch himself with a huge tsunami. "Girl, help with your lightning bolts. They will be stronger coming from you.
Knowing exactly what to do, he turned to the somewhat surprised Azule. But there was no need to repeat himself twice. She raised her hands and threw a powerful burst of energy at Koch, who was wrapped in a ball of water. The enemy's body immediately shuddered, and although from my point of view it didn't cause him any problems at all, Kuruk understood everything. He identified the moment when the enemy's will weakened and used his personal magic.
"We've been through this, Kuruk!" roared the spirit as the water literally glowed. It reminded me of the water of the spiritual source where those Koi fish swam, it exuded a similar energy. The excess of positive and negative jing began to torment the very soul, but the Avatar did not stop there. He suddenly brought down a hail of roots on Koh's spine, driving him into a stump, and then breathed fire on him.
And again, the anti-breathing magic that Oza himself had once demonstrated. The concentration of dzings burned the soul — if Kuruk had been even a little stronger as a mage, he could have struck him with an endless stream of lightning, just like Azula, but now Koch calmly withstood it and finally dived forward, rushing towards us.
"He's on you," my partner quickly signalled, as I, already wrapped in solid stone, jerked forward and wrapped my arms around Koh's giant helice. The shock wave and unstoppable power forced me backwards, and I felt as if I had not only stopped a train, but was about to lose my soul. He penetrated me with energy and tried to take control of my body until his vile jaws were covered with a thick layer of sand, sucking out all my life force and causing me to convulse in a fit of desire to break free.
His huge body, capable of bending at any angle, could have prevented it, but it was too late. Kuruk forced his soul out, hovering in front of Koch with a menacing look. No, he did not escape from the Avatar's body; it was an astral projection — an advanced version of air magic. It was also the latest type of anti-spirit magic he had developed.
The power of the projection lay in its ability to amplify any manipulation of energy, which is why even the most useless Avatar was more dangerous than any human or Avatar with their seven open chakras. Upon coming into contact with Koh's soul, he began to fight him, tearing and throwing his energy and soul around. I drained her, while Azula relentlessly drove him mad with powerful electric shocks.
Bang*
My fists pounded his body like a hammer striking an anvil, leaving giant imprints. The centipede's tail and every other part that could reach us were also pinned down with crystals. We brutally tore at its body, beat it and forced it to expend a lot of energy, but as already mentioned, it was impossible to defeat it.
Koh is truly death itself; it is simply impossible to defeat him in a battle of energies. Yes, the four elements and physical blows weakened him, but that was all. However, it was possible to seal him.
"Tell me, can you feel it? It's not just that it's so hard for you to break my crystals. The spirit tree contains a huge amount of qi, even despite its death. I think the jammony will become much stronger if it feeds on it. I will seal you in the crack of this stump and cover you with a crystal that will be able to hold you here for several years. And when you finally get close to the exit, I'll come and restore the destroyed crystal. I'll make it even stronger," looking into Koha's face, I saw his emotions tremble. He was afraid.
"You can't do it. You, you damned mortal, will make a mistake, and when you do, I'll break free and devour your miserable soul!!! - He was extremely angered by the echo of fear he sensed.
But I finally grinned.
"You're right. I'm too lazy to come here every year and check how well you're sealed. I propose a contract," and at that moment, Kuruka's grip loosened and he stepped back. Koch, in turn, also loosened his jaw slightly, stopping pressing me, and Azula began to rest after her Tesla cosplay.
"Do you think I'll fall for your clever tricks, mortal? I am cunning itself, no one has ever been able to trick me into a contract, ever.
"Then you surely won't agree to let me try to guess your true face? What a pity, Kuruk offered his face in exchange.
"Kuruk's face? He finally stopped attacking me and stared intently at the mage who had stepped aside. Yes, we made a verbal agreement beforehand, thanks to which Kuruk is risking his soul. For him, it was a meaningless reward, especially if he could get his wife back in exchange." "No way. I still need your face, Dagoth. The face of this woman and the face of the current Avatar. "...And in return, if I guess your true appearance, you will stop fighting?
"Is that all? Ha! - he cackled devilishly, as if he had caught an infinitely profitable deal on a hook," - Deal! I'll get your faces even without a fight, no need to waste so much time. I'm glad you understand your position.
The cuttlefish surrounded Kuruk and me, revealing the faces of people enjoying themselves. At that moment, I felt the bonds on my soul, the contract was truly sealed. Watching this, Azula couldn't hold back:
"Seriously, are you that easy to trick?
"Do you think this is a good deal for you? Mortals, I have stolen millions of different faces, you will surrender even before I show you the real one. You have doomed yourselves to certain death, and I am very grateful to you. Never has victory over an enemy been so sweet. Well, watch," Koch began to lazily change his faces, they flashed by as slowly as possible, as if he was enjoying stretching out time and making us regret the agreement we had made.
At that moment, I even squinted. The first faces he showed us looked as real as possible, simply because they showed centipedes, beetles and all sorts of other nasty creatures that could well have belonged to him. What was the probability that any of this was real? Quite possibly very high — he could have simply tricked us by saying he wouldn't show us his true face. Still, I could well believe that some spirits were very adventurous. Especially the cunning Koch.
And then, changing his face again, he showed us some kind of terrifying stone mask, vaguely resembling an incomprehensible, twisted monster.
"Stop!
"Ha... So you choose this face? - he stretched out a sweet smile. As if he had tasted nectar from the most delicious fruit," - Good choice. It is clearly not human, but at the same time very, very ancient. Nevertheless...
"Shut up," I said, glancing at him arrogantly, picking up the ashes from the stump and lazily stirring them in my hands. "Considering the speed at which you're showing us your faces, we really won't have time to see them all. Most likely, we'll just grow old and die. You're clearly counting on my impatience and the fact that I want to end this fight quickly.
"...
"But let me draw your real face myself, and the contract will judge us. After all... I really do know what you look like," Koha's expression was clouded with complete incomprehension.
"Why bluff, you can't know my real face! No one in the world knows about it.
"I've opened the chakra of truth, I literally can't lie. And even if I did, you'd feel it, right? - The monster moved back and hissed menacingly:
"I have no idea what you're up to, but you won't be able to fool me! Whatever you draw, you won't be able to give the right answer... I know what you're trying to do! You want to make another contract with some clever condition that will catch me out, don't you? I've been doing this all my life, it won't work. I am the founder of contracts, I know every trick in the book!
"Why are you shaking so much? I have no plans to sign a new contract or change the current one. Let's settle this honestly, like men.
"Then you're just a fool who got carried away and trapped himself!
Kuruk, who was looking at me, cringed, clenching his fists in confusion. No one, not even Azula, could understand what I had come up with. Even if they could read my thoughts right now, they would probably just shake their heads at the reckless nonsense I had come up with. But no, I really did know the answer.
"Are you ready?
"Don't pretend to be so confident! There's no way you can give the right answer!" - An angry Koch stared intently at the ashes I had carelessly thrown at my feet. I didn't even look to see what had happened, but I didn't need to. Koch's face said it all; he froze with an expression I had only ever seen on other creatures. "How is this possible... I don't believe it, the probability of such a coincidence is impossible.
"You know, I'm a bit unlucky, so I never rely on chance or coincidence. Every step I take is a carefully thought-out plan. I came to this meeting and challenged you, already knowing the outcome," I glanced down at my feet and looked at Koch's real face for a second. More precisely, what should be his face — a set of different masks, not one, but five faces with completely inhuman expressions." "Yeah, if you can also combine faces, I'd never wait for you to show me the right combination. To be honest, you're an unreal freak. Both morally and physically."
"But where did he come from? He ran away from me like I was on fire. At the same time, my companions watched in complete shock as I moved towards him with a marching step." Even the keeper of all knowledge, Wang Shi Tong, had never seen me like this. Only one being in the entire universe, the mother of faces, saw me like this at birth. It can't be... did you really...
"I've never seen her," I snapped my fingers, surrounded Koha with sand, and began to absorb his energy. Before, this might not have worked; he would have simply resisted, and it would have repeated itself endlessly, but now... now the contract itself prevented him from fighting back. He couldn't fight," You know, the power of prediction is surprisingly powerful. I lived and survived solely because of it. But recently, I literally subjugated the spirit that worked on predictions.
"What...?" He froze, rooted to the spot, beginning to realise what had happened.
"You've never wondered how they get the right answer? I know the answer — they just look into the part of the future you need, immediately giving you the answer in strange hints or images you need. And if the spirit I subjugated hadn't worked, another one would have helped me. I'm sorry, but with that spirit, I defeated an enemy far more terrifying than some fucking face thief. I bent luck itself.
Click*
The sand crumpled under my fingers, and Koch lost the ability to resist. I simply touched him and whispered:
"Free all those you have captured. And deal with the spirits that have scattered around the area.
I have won.