Chapter 74
The Fire Nation, its original territories, were truly one of the most attractive for the prosperity of the nation. The soil near the volcanoes is extremely fertile, and the climate is quite pleasant, not to mention the abundance of various resources. And, unfortunately, the Fire Nation does not have a single adequate justification for the war they have unleashed. For almost a hundred years now, they have been terrorizing other nations and have not stopped trying to subjugate them.
What are these thoughts for? They came to me because of a small village located on one of the islands of the country of fire, through whose market I was now strolling.
I watched as these people, unburdened by war, chatted happily with each other, looking at me with interest. After all, it's not every day that you see a real cat -girl, and in such an unusual outfit. They were surprisingly friendly, and even when I approached the counter with vegetables and fruits, instead of the logical fear because of my animal features, they greeted me with a smile and even gave me a discount on the apples that I bought with the money I got from the fire mages I killed.
However, saying that everyone was chatting happily, I still lied a little, because while walking and biting into an apple, which, by the way, was very tasty, especially considering how long I could only feed on blood, I also heard sighs full of anxiety and sadness. Sadness of people who lost their loved ones during the full moon. And also the approaching onset of darkness.
Full Moon Monster. Unlike these civilians, I know exactly who it is. An old woman who owns an inn and plays the role of a sweet housewife. An embittered water sorceress, the first blood mage who invented this magic while being held captive by fire mages, who kept her in extremely unpleasant conditions, and taking into account the reality of the uncensored cartoon, everything was most likely much worse. This drove her so crazy that she no longer cares whether it will be a soldier or an ordinary innocent farmer, as long as he is part of the Fire Nation, she will subjugate him with blood magic and lock him in a cave under the hill, where she will force him to experience the same thing that she experienced herself.
As for her title, the Full Moon Monster, it is related to her magic. Water magic, for some unknown reason, is strengthened during the full moon and due to this strengthening, she is able to subjugate a large number of people single-handedly, who, under the influence of her magic, without seeing the culprit, walk into a trap themselves.
Actually, this is my goal. After all, despite the fact that I can already control blood, I am still interested in the possibilities of water magic, and since I am stuck in this world, why not collect goodies from this world, after all, I have already relaxed too much, for which I ultimately paid when I met Incognito.
- But... I don't want to gain strength too quickly, it will be boring. - I sighed sadly, ignoring the strange way the people around me looked at me because of the thoughts I had voiced out loud.
- Okay, let's go greet the local monster . - I grinned before finishing the apple with the seeds in one bite and disappearing, leaving only the tail of the eaten apple in the place where I had been, scaring those around me.
I appeared opposite a small hotel, which was made of wood and quite well-kept. It is true that even in this building, which stood at a distance from the rest of the settlement, there was something creepy, which made one instinctively wary. Well, if I were an ordinary person, I would definitely be afraid to go in here.
And so, with an anticipatory smile, I raised my hand to knock when suddenly I was twisted with pain. Another attack from damage to the soul. I hated this with all my heart. It made me remember my past life, when I had health problems that I simply could not do anything about, and this awakened in me the desire to kill.
- Mffffff - when the attack passed, I took a deep breath in and out to calm down, then, putting a sweet smile on my face, I finally knocked.
Not even a minute had passed when the door opened and I was greeted by a seemingly friendly gray-haired old woman, who, unlike most of her fellow tribesmen from the south, had a light skin tone, while the rest, including the Cathars, had more of a bronze skin tone. Her face was full of deep wrinkles, which spoke of how old she was. And if I remember correctly, this old woman Hama, in her youth, was quite a beauty, but alas, the years do not spare mortals.
- It's been a long time since I had guests. You must be looking for a place to stay? Please come in. - She invited me into the house, ignoring my cat-like features that stood out so much.
- Thank you for your hospitality. - I accepted her offer and went inside. - True, I didn't come exactly for a place to stay overnight.
- Really ? What are you looking for then? - She asked with interest, feeling how the Sun gradually gave way to the full moon, which filled her with energy.
"I heard you can find a tasty dinner here," I answered carelessly, looking around the hallway, not embarrassed to expose my back.
- Ho-ho, you were not lied to, girl. - the old woman chuckled. - However, I wonder where you are from? I don't remember such clothes among any of the peoples.
- I am a fire mage. - With a slight smile on my face, I lit a small blue flame with a click. It's funny how sometimes a minimal knowledge of physics allows you to achieve what many consider possible only with natural talent. But this is just a slightly hotter flame that can be achieved with more efficient combustion, and in this case, the fuel is energy.
- So that's how it is. - the sweet smile on the old woman's face began to turn into a real grin.
- In that case, everything is fine. - She began to make sharp movements with her hands, apparently planning to subjugate my blood. But wouldn't it be funny if her magic was stronger than the ability I received from the centuries-old vampire?
- What's wrong, it's not working? - I asked curiously, while my smile became more and more bloodthirsty, while she, having completely stopped smiling, began to pull water out of the air for an attack.
- How aggressive. - I chuckled, easily breaking the ice needles sent at me. She was simply at a disadvantage without blood magic, and also being so far from water. After all, there is also an extremely limited amount of moisture in the air, and she did what she thought was the best option, she ran out of the house surprisingly quickly and ran towards the flower field she carefully cultivated.
I didn't bother her and followed her calmly. After all, it's impossible to escape from me. Wherever my prey hides, I'll always find it.
When I caught up with her, she was waiting for me in the middle of a field of red flowers. The water was floating next to her, and the flowers around her, forming a dark circle several meters in diameter, were completely dried out.
"What are you?" Hama asked, squinting.
"Just a hungry kitty," I answered playfully.
- ... - after a short silence, she suddenly moved, and the water she had collected rushed towards me at great speed in the form of icy blades.
" splash " - the clearing was stained with fresh blood
- Sorry, but I won't play with you for long. - I whispered in her ear, standing behind her back and tore the heart out of her pierced chest.
"I don't- hate you , " Hama moaned before life left her body, which fell powerlessly to the ground.
Her body lay in the very center of a black circle in the middle of a field of beautiful scarlet flowers, illuminated by the full moon.
"It's even beautiful in a way," I admitted after a few moments of looking at the resulting picture.
- And now. Enjoy your meal. - I sank my fangs into the bleeding heart. Memories of her life flashed through my mind, and the qi inside me began to undergo further changes, adjusting to the new element.
It's funny. I chose her because I thought that I wouldn't feel sorry for her, unlike most other waterbenders, because many innocent people suffered and died because of her. But now. When I saw her memories. I can't help but feel sorry for her. At first, she grew up in her home at the South Pole and her life, despite the seemingly difficult conditions of the cold region, was quite happy. She had a family, friends, dreams and even a lover. Until one day, the Fire Nation came with the intention of capturing all the waterbenders. After all, according to the Avatar cycle, after the supposed death of the Avatar, a Waterbender was supposed to be born among the Airbenders.
She fought desperately, giving every drop of strength to protect her home until one day, being surrounded by fire mages, she came to the realization that she was the last water mage of the southern tribe, then she did something she regretted many times, she gave up.
Her beauty played a cruel joke on her, as on many of her other sisters. In the prison created specifically for water mages, there was a rule prohibiting the rape of captives. However, there was one big BUT. In order for the rule to be followed, someone had to monitor it. In practice, it turned out that the most beautiful captives were used by those of higher rank, and those who were not interesting to them were allowed to be used by their henchmen as an incentive. It is not surprising that sometimes thirsty captives, who were given only the minimum amount of water required for life, did not experience this or even simply bit off their tongues to stop the suffering.
Hama held out the longest, supported by hope born from her invention of blood magic, which she trained on mice. And she was also supported by hatred. She endured for a long time, until one day during the full moon, a guard came to her, who decided to break the rules and, bypassing the permission of his elders, try to have fun with her. This was his last mistake in life. Using blood magic, she forced him to stick a dagger in his eye, ending his life, and then she used his body as a puppet. She subjugated every soldier she met, increasing her mini army, with which she hoped to free her fellow tribesmen. But disappointment awaited her. All the women except her either died of exhaustion or committed suicide, and the men were simply beaten to death after numerous attempts to escape. Then the burning flame of hatred finally took root in her. She no longer cared. Be it a child, an old man or a woman, as long as it was part of the Fire Nation, for her it was an enemy. She did not return to her homeland. And she hid among the people of fire, quietly traveling between settlements, remaining unrecognized, every full moon, she kidnapped people, after which she held them captive until her death, pouring out her grievances on them. She simply went crazy. And only recently, when old age began to limit her more and more, she settled in this hotel. For some reason, she was absolutely sure that here she would be able to wait for her successor, still kidnapping travelers every full moon, although not in such large numbers.
- Okay... as thanks, I will teach Katara your techniques. - I sighed before moving to the base of the mountain near the village, where the entrance to the dungeon built by Hama was .
I broke down the metal door, which for some unknown reason no one had found, and went inside. The smell of blood, excrement and decomposition immediately hit my nose. In complete darkness, completely naked people were hanging on the stone walls, chained. Some of them had festering wounds, and their eyes seemed to have gone out, having lost all hope. Others were already dead and their corpses were simply cheerful, and finally there was a third that reacted to my arrival. In their eyes, there was hatred hardly less than what Hama herself felt, but when I lit a fire in my hand, illuminating the room, this hatred was replaced by hope.
- Please help me, - the young man croaked.
"I will free you, but you will return on your own," I did not refuse, and, strangely enough, when I saw these people in real life, and not from memories, any drops of pity for Hama evaporated.
- You don't have to worry about the old woman anymore, she's dead. - I added, tearing the chains that held the nearest man with my bare hands.
They cried, thanked me and cursed Hama, but I wasn't particularly interested. When I freed the last captive. Without even thinking of staying any longer, I disappeared, appearing on top of one of the mountains on which the Southern Air Temple was built, literally a couple of meters from the camp set up by the avatar team.
- ... and then he felt someone's hand squeeze his shoulder, with the words... - Sokka said , trying to create an atmosphere.
"I'm back," I said calmly, placing my hand on his shoulder.
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