Chapter 26 - The Steel Threat
Crossing part of the continent to get to the most heavily guarded city in the world turned out to be not as easy as I had initially thought. The spirits had truly declared humans their enemies and seemed determined to show that they had previously interfered very little in our lives. They had decided to change this world to suit themselves: all the usual roads were flooded with mud and surrounded by huge worms that left large trenches right in the middle of the road; plants in the forests twisted and formed areas with impassable vines that had to be burned, and I don't even want to talk about what was happening in the mountains — the sounds of landslides could be heard for many kilometres.
Rain and lightning became another problem. If the previous spirits had merely become angry and decided to live as they pleased from that moment on, this heavenly creature was dangerous — lightning struck human buildings and cascaded down onto the metal parts of their structures. Every now and then, in the villages we visited, barns and granaries were already burning down - even the incessant rain could not calm the raging fires. It seemed that in a little while, the rivers themselves would burst their banks. Such were the consequences of my actions; everyone suffered.
Especially me.
What are the chances that a single loser will calmly walk under an angry sky without getting struck by lightning in the forehead? Well, if I hadn't learned to redirect lightning strikes into the surrounding soil, my death would already be a fact, and a stupid one at that. But even though the spirits tried very hard to kill me, no one succeeded. The long-legged lizards — I had long since named mine Robert — helped me successfully avoid ambushes, escape from strange and incomprehensible creatures, and rapidly approach the capital of the kingdom of the earth.
"Do I understand your plan correctly... - stepping slowly through the cave where we had run into after another hour of travelling, Azula hung her wet clothes on the supports I had made and began to dry them. She stood there in her white underwear, not the slightest bit embarrassed by my presence." "You want to use our IRON drill to defeat the spirit that controls IRON? I don't even know how to describe the disproportionate stupidity and trashiness of such a plan..."
The whole atmosphere was very unsettling and depressing. Azula and I fought like cats and dogs, mostly because we both hated the rain.
"I see that they no longer trust me in the things I know best," I leaned against the cave wall and raised a piece of coal that seemed useless at first glance. "A self-propelled drill would require so much fuel that it would fill entire giant tanks, and you don't have anything better than coal right now. And all of this: the earth, coal, metal, even jammonyte must be under his control, because first and foremost, it is the spirit of the earth. I don't have any weapons that he couldn't take from me.
"I'll bring flowers to your grave," I said sarcastically, squeezing a piece of coal in front of her, making it squeak. At first, Azula narrowed her eyes, amazed at how such a large lump could shrink so much under the grip of my white knuckles. When I opened my hand, I showed her something new. A crystal-clear diamond, perfectly cut.
"But diamonds created by magic are a different matter. They are more of an advanced form of transformation magic, a synthesis of earth and energy. I'm willing to bet that no one in the world has ever created anything like this before, simply because practice alone is not enough... And considering that a diamond is one of the hardest substances you can find, I can say: yes, I have a plan to confront the General of the spirits himself.
Azula called me a nerd and, opening her backpack, began to eat and rest, and only then did we continue on our way. Nevertheless, the closer we got to Ba Sing Se, the more the question arose: how are we going to lure our enemy here? We may be fast and smart, riding lizards, but our enemy doesn't even know that he's supposed to beat us up on the other side of the continent. That's why, in order for him to find out, we had to send Afka to him... no, I'm not a monster, but there was simply no better way to deliver our message.
Despite her screams, scratching, clinging and hugging me, trying to avoid carrying out this task, my order was final.
"You can't! What if he kills me first and then comes for you?
"Would you prefer it the other way around?
Clinging to my head, she somehow managed to mess up her wet ponytail. She looked like she was ready for anything but talking to the leader of a huge army. Well, yes, he wasn't a gingerbread man, but a huge steel monster.
"Let me explain the differences between us: I am undoubtedly intelligent, wise, beautiful, and a stunning spirit who can outsmart any creature in cunning and logic. But he didn't earn his title of General for nothing! You humans get this title for minor military achievements, but spirits have to prove their skill and intelligence to those they serve for thousands of years.
"Who does Old Iron serve? - For a second, I wondered where the General got this title.
"Oh, you fool~~ You know about Lady Tienhai, the guardian of one of the most advanced cities of the past. She loved people and even became mortal, attaching herself to a simple man. Before that, Tienhai waged wars in the spirit world for the very balance that had been maintained for centuries. She was called the Queen of Spirits. Old Iron was her most loyal subject. And the strongest. Remember the mountain spirit that Yoon subdued? That's just one of his minions. When I get there, there will be at least a few of them! They'll crush me like a fly...
"Tianhai, then," I scratched my chin, unable to think of anything better than to bring this loyal subject to her. "Tell her that a celebration is being prepared in Ba Sing Se in honour of this lady. Oh yes, it's the same celebration as Avatar Day in the village of China. A celebration that cannot be missed.
"But... Avatar Day is a humiliating holiday," she lowered her ears, slightly frightened by my gaze.
"Exactly. Make him angry.
***
The warriors of Kyoshi had a special reputation in educated and influential circles; it was difficult to imagine another order that would have the official right to visit Ba Sing Se and meet with the great King Kuei. History buffs approached and launched into long monologues, trying to make an impression; ordinary soldiers felt awe and excitement, wanting to find out how strong the Kioshi squad was at that moment, and all sorts of idiots tried to get close to the squad captain and pass off some dimwit as her, because marrying a child to an elite female squad was prestigious! In part, this respect was deserved by their common creator, Dai Li, and the organisations themselves, in public, treated each other with the utmost respect and reverence. From the moment they met, Kioshi's warriors also took on some of the guard duties, entertaining the rich and influential aristocrats of the upper court. Everyone liked it, but in the shadows...
"How did the negotiations go? - Tai Lee, who had just come out of a small room, immediately ran into Suyuki. For more than a day, they had been engaged in internal intrigues, offering Dai Li, the real rulers of Ba Sing Se, lucrative deals for mutual cooperation, and at the same time looking for ways to deprive them of their power. Until now, their schemes had been successful for two reasons:
caution, thanks to which they had not yet revealed their true intentions, and the threat they posed. The power of King Omasu, the voice of the Avatar himself, and the power of the Sandbender — they had everything they needed to offer deals such as:
"Their leader understands that his power has been exposed," they whispered as they moved away from the door. "All he wants is for the people behind us not to touch him and let him continue to rule. And in return, they will give us some of the soldiers from Terra's platoon - for all our needs and future battles, which will expand the power of the "King."
"Ah, he's only leaving us alone because he understands the danger. And the fact that he tried to hypnotise some of my friends before," Suyuki clenched her hands angrily, but quickly let go. The skills Tai Li had taught them allowed them to do unimaginable things to the human body, and Tai Li even managed to reverse the process of hypnosis. It was difficult to call it simple anti-magic; no, Kioshi's squad had learned something more. Zero's magic," "All it takes is one clear proof of the chaos unfolding in the world for all this to stop. No matter how strong Dai Li is, with your art, we won't leave a trace of them.
Tai Li crossed her arms behind her back, feeling needed. This rarely happened, mostly when she was with Dagoth. But thinking of him, the girl suddenly became serious.
"The chance you mentioned... it will most likely come very soon. We just need to lure the King out of the palace, at least, and throw him a party.
"What, should we bake him some flatbread too? - Hiding in the corridor, the ladies chatted maliciously and gradually came up with a plan of action. The spiritual connection between Tai Li and Dagoth allowed them to make all the preparations for the upcoming event as grand and beautiful as possible, and most importantly, believable.
According to the rumours circulating in the palace, the warriors of Kioshi had a custom of celebrating Earth Day. They praised Lady Tianhai, who was the guardian of the great city of the Tianhaishi kingdom. During the Yangchen era, it was the most beautiful, populous and strongest city in the world, as all educated aristocrats knew. And if they didn't know, the Kiashi were happy to give a history lesson, explaining how important this city was to their world. Often, crowds would gather to listen to their beautiful, theatre-like speeches. But the city fell, and this marked the rise of Ba Sing Se, which is why the warriors of Kioshi erected a giant statue of the guardian Tianhai Shi in honour of the past, and then demolished it in honour of the new era. It was a tradition... well, at least that's what most people thought. To say that this idea appealed to the vast majority of people, who were true patriots of their country, would be an understatement. A few eloquent words from the beautiful ladies, and even King Kuei himself wanted to celebrate this holiday in the main square of his palace.
He ordered dozens of master craftsmen to sculpt a huge marble statue from the most valuable mines, and they built a statue so tall that it towered even higher than the palace itself. Some history buffs noted that the statue could even be compared to the real-life Tianhai. People from all over the upper court flocked to see the resulting beauty. So, one late evening, a big celebration was held right on the street.
While the guards on the outer wall, wrapped in warm trousers and thick black cloaks, witnessed two monstrous events that happened simultaneously. In the north, a giant steel drill was spotted heading towards the walls, accompanied by hundreds of tanks.
And in the west, a huge spirit, shaking the mountains themselves, clad in full steel armour, was advancing directly towards them.
"Fuck it. I quit," said one soldier from Terra's elite unit, throwing off his cloak and trying to make a quick getaway. He didn't make it. An unknown man in a black hood grabbed him by the collar.
"Stop. Nobody's going anywhere, the city needs you!" His cheerful voice did nothing to boost morale, but no one ran.
"Can't you see this mess?! Who are you anyway?
"Who am I? - Throwing back his hood, the man revealed his scarred, grinning face. A girl appeared beside him. Everyone saw them for the first time." "Your new adjutant!
On that day, the outer wall was fully prepared for battle, but even so, the guards of the most protected city in the world could not say that they would be able to withstand such an attack.