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Burn the World Down by Infonticus

Cartoons » Avatar: Last Airbender Rated: M, English, Adventure & Fantasy, Words: 395k+, Favs: 5k+, Follows: 6k+, Published: Jan 30, 2023 Updated: Mar 13

2,585Chapter 11: A Slaughter on the High Seas

Chapter 11: A Slaughter on the High Seas

= G =

Dear Gardener Hyacinth,

We hope this letter finds you in good health. I am writing to discuss an important matter that requires your attention and immediate action as it falls within your Garden's area of operations.

Our humble organisation has recently been made aware that the Thorn Princess not only persists in her existence, but has decided to... pursue employment within a company in a similar industry, namely the Fire Nation's now infamous 41st Division. This is unfortunately a flagrant breach of our mutual arrangement with her. Moreover, she has discovered the location of her non-liquid asset, and her arrival at port to retrieve her is now imminent.

Given recent developments in the political landscape, our organisation cannot accomplish asset relocation within Fire Nation borders inside this demanding time frame.

To address this, we hereby instruct you to engage reputable (or equivalent) third-party contractors who possess the necessary expertise in maritime operations. These contractors should be capable of skillfully delaying the arrival of our beloved Thorn Princess' ship at the designated port, providing us with the additional time required (seven more days at minimum) to complete the relocation of our non-liquid asset and regain the necessary leverage for the Thorn Princess' continued employment with us.

Let us make ourselves very clear:

Confidentiality is paramount.

Your Garden's involvement is not to be discovered until the non-liquid asset is relocated.

We shall trust your judgement in selecting the appropriate contractors for this task, and in your Garden's abilities in ensuring that discretion with the contractors is thoroughly maintained at the conclusion of this operation. Also, kindly note that Captain Li's fleet and all souls aboard (including but not limited to, Commander Khan and the Avatar's former associates) have all been appraised to not only be acceptable levels of collateral damage, but encouraged levels of collateral damage for the purpose of maintaining a high level of confidentiality regarding our involvement in this matter.

We understand that this task may pose certain challenges, but we have full confidence in your Garden's abilities to handle this responsibility promptly and diligently. Thank you for your commitment and professionalism in handling this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Director Shopkeeper

= G =

Dear esteemed director,

The third-party contractors have been dispatched with the appropriate precautions for discretion in place. We hope to send flowers of good tidings to you soon.

Respectfully yours,

Gardener Hyacinth

= G =

[Mo Ce Sea - East of Fire Islands]

The sun was warm, the sky was blue and the seas were calm as their Fire Nation cruiser sailed across its waters, passing lush islands by. And it was on this beautiful day that Suki shambled onto the main deck like the walking dead.

"Ah... hello, mister sun." She squinted blearily up at the sky, holding up her hand against the sun's gentle rays, "Your rejuvenating glow is too powerful."

Her ceremonial Kyoshi Warrior regalia hung messily on her slender shoulders, and with every tentative step she took, Suki winced- her legs still feeling like jelly. Her Kyoshi Warrior sisters were in no better shape either: all five of them were also squinting, shuffling and wincing in their armoured green kimonos as they followed behind her. The two whole days of staying inside with Khan had pushed their bodies to the limit; and Suki felt that if the first sex-filled month they had travelled with Khan hadn't ruined them for other men, the last two days of sheer animalistic mating had definitely sealed the deal.

"Sisters..." Suki mumbled, her voice still raspy from last night's exertion, "... focus together... ugh... we need to do at least some training."

Her sisters could only muster a half-hearted groan in response.

"Why can't we still take on Khan? I thought that stupid sex manual we read would give us the edge..."

"I don't think the author accounted for someone with Khan's stamina... or girth."

"And I'm pretty sure we invented some positions that we can add to it."

"Yeah, sex for two days straight sounds great in theory, but that's been just disproved... my source: my sore pussy."

"Worth it."

"Definitely worth it. I'd want a repeat performance... After my everything stops throbbing."

"Same. Sex on a ship is really, really good. I might just get hooked on this..."

"Yeah, I'd go again if I could..." Suki glanced back at the ship's towering superstructure. Even now, there was the tiny lewd voice in the back of her mind, telling her to go back inside, shake her dripping holes in her insatiable lover's face and keep on going until her mind breaks and her belly is packed full with his seed. Suki shook her head clear and glanced at her sisters, "But we're Kyoshi Warriors- Avatar Kyoshi's deadly blades in the dark- not bed pets. And we should not and will not allow ourselves to dull. Sisters, as one!"

Her sisters nodded, standing up straighter and prouder.

"As one!"

They drew their [Kyoshi Katanas]. The slender blades keened as if in a chorus, then glinted in bright arcs of polished metal as Suki and her sisters practiced their bladework in perfect synchronisation. The Tiger-Shark's Jaw, the Swooping Crane-Fish, the Rising Antlers of the Sabre-tooth Moose Lion. Kata after consecutive kata, they executed even with weak legs. Small injuries that distract and sap focus could prove lethal on the battlefield, and that's why Suki and her sisters trained for it. Ironically, Khan was their main advocate for that little tidbit of wisdom, pushing them to be better and training them accordingly.

And just as they finished the last kata, a slow clap filled the air.

Suki and her sisters turned to see the bounty hunter, June, walking onto the main deck with her massive shirshu. Dressed in her usual dark red riding leathers and with her black hair curtained over one eye, the older woman cut a distinct figure as she approached.

"The big bad Kyoshi Warriors..." June smirked at them, "I'm surprised you're all up and about with pelvises intact. The boat's been rocking all day yesterday from your celebrations. Tea?"

"Says the coward." Suki shot back. "We could have taken on Khan if you'd have just joined. And yes, tea would be nice."

"Not my thing, those... 'group activities.'" June shrugged, laying out cushions on the metal deck for them to sit on, "I like having a man all to myself."

"Pfft. You always act so tough." Suki rolled her eyes as she and her sisters helped set up the table and kettle, "But I saw you cuddling with him in the afterglow- practically purring in his arms. For a big bad bounty hunter with snake tattoos, skull motif and heavy eyeliner, you really can't get enough of that lovey dovey stuff, huh?"

June's coal black eyes narrowed at Suki and her sisters as they sat down. She hissed, "You didn't see anything."

"Sure. Whatever you say, June~" Suki imitated the laid back vibrato of the bounty hunter back at her.

June just leaned back onto the furry flank of her Shirshu- using it as a backrest as she half-heartedly glared at Suki.

It was a... cordial working relationship. But it was less about how both of them were sleeping with their boss, and more about how they simply don't like each other's guts. Suki believed that bounty hunters like June were just opportunistic buzzard-wasps with not an ounce of loyalty in their entire bodies, meanwhile June thought that the Kyoshi Warriors were just 'young, naive fisherwomen with delusions' for the war. But Khan said to 'get along'; so, 'get along' they did. As much as they could at least.

"Your form is decent." June mentioned off-handedly- making Suki raise an auburn eyebrow.

"You use a whip. How would you know?"

The bounty hunter smiled her usual smile of smug self-confidence into her teacup, "When you've ridden across the entire Earth Kingdom twice-over like me, you pick up a few things; and one of those is an eye for bladework. And I gotta say, Suki, your master must have been one tough mother. I wouldn't have guessed there'd be a hidden master all the way down in Kyoshi Island."

Suki shared a glance with her sisters before looking back at June. "We didn't have a master- Khan taught us."

"Khan taught you? In just a month or two?" June raised a thin dark eyebrow, and Suki nodded back.

"Yeah, and he's scarily good at it. With a lot of weapons." She said, with her sisters adding on after.

"And it's already so much more than we had ever hoped to learn."

"We had given up hope that we'd ever find a katana master to teach us."

" The katana is already a rare weapon, and living masters of its arts are rarer."

"But our variant, the [Kyoshi Katana], is even rarer than that!"

"But ancient orders like you Kyoshi Warriors... didn't you have a previous generation to teach you all that?" June brought up, and Suki and her sisters looked down into their tea cups.

"Most of them..." She said sadly, "...passed away in a great typhoon a few years back before they could finish teaching us."

"...I'm sorry for your loss." June raised her teacup. Suki appreciated the sentiment.

"I had been worried that our ancient ways would die with us." Suki admitted in a small voice, "Even the previous generation of Kyoshi Warriors were already no experts on it- the martial arts and traditions handed to us by Kyoshi herself had already faded so much over the centuries..."

The Kyoshi Warriors... ending not because of some honorable battle where they made a heroic last stand, but because they had let their traditions and way of life be forgotten. The most shameful end to any culture.

Suki pursed her lips, "That's why the Kyoshi Warriors owe Khan more than we could ever repay."

"So, Khan pieced an entire fighting style together from the thousands of books he's read?" June said, adding an impressed whistle at the end.

"Yup, that's the power of books, I guess!" Suki laughed for a bit, and her sisters laughed alongside her.

"Not like Suki would know. All her text scrolls are covered in her own drool from when she fell asleep reading them!"

"Hey! Don't tell people that!"

"But yeah, Khan often even practises with a [Kyoshi Katana] with us!"

"Pretty embarrassing to get our butts kicked by a guy with our own weapon!"

"But we win most of the time though!"

"Khan's a good sport when it comes to sparring with different weapons."

"Yeah... The Kyoshi Warriors owe Khan a lot..."

"He spoils us a lot too..."

"Maybe we should start a library back on Kyoshi Island in his honour!"

Suki smiled. Who knew that their captor would be just the teacher they needed to revive their traditions? Yeah... It was good that they were captured. If it was anyone else, they would not have tried to steer Khan to be a force of good as much as she had.

"You girls have it bad for him." June shook her head, but her words lacked any bite. Her small smile said to Suki that she couldn't blame them for liking Khan- betraying her own fondness for their employer/lover.

"Yeah, we could have gone for worse Fire Nation Captains to get captured by." Suki replied with a fond smile as well. "So, what about you, June? How-"

"- How'd I get into bounty hunting?" the older woman just rolled her eye- the one that wasn't covered by her dark bangs- at what was no doubt a question that she was asked far too many times, "Raised by my old man, took me with him while he hunted bounties, taught me everything I know, kicked the bucket a decade-and-a-half back, and left me nothing but Nyla here. Good heart-to-heart talk, Suki."

She scratched the furry orange and brown bulk of the Shirshu she was leaning on. And the shirshu snorted as if laughing- kicking the metal deck like a massive dog getting its belly rubbed.

Suki just smiled again as she sipped her tea. She guessed that was the most she was going to get from the prickly bounty hunter. But stopped when she noticed someone standing in the corner of her eye.

"What's her story?" Suki asked, her blue eyes settling on the cloaked figure standing at the bow of the ship. The sun's golden rays bathed the mysterious woman, accentuating her red silhouette against the vast expanse of the blue ocean.

June stopped petting Nyla as her gaze followed Suki's, and she nodded slowly.

"Do you know why she targeted Khan?"

"You mean Khan was her target?!" June hissed, her voice in a slightly hysterical glint. "He actually fought the Thorn Princess, and he's still alive?!"

Suki furrowed her brows in confusion, "Of course, he's still alive. He fought her during Omashu, and won with only a small scratch on his chest. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal..." June said slowly like explaining to a child, "...is that she's an assassin that's become infamous."

"I don't know what that means-"

"Kid... To get that famous in that line of business, you either have to have been doing it for a long time, killed someone very important like an Earth King, or..." June paused, her coal black eye glancing back to Yor, "...Killed enough people to build a mountain with their corpses."

Stunned with disbelief, Suki couldn't imagine shy and gentle Yor being that, and even Suki's sisters couldn't believe it either as they spoke up.

"But Yor sounds so sweet and gentle!"

"We know Khan is tough, but Yor doesn't even seem to be a very good assassin."

"Yeah, we thought she was just forced into the business or something!"

"She doesn't seem that good at hiding either."

June just scoffed at that last comment.

"Yor is the type of assassin who's stealthy because no one is left alive to say they saw her. And the places that she's hit..." The well-travelled bounty hunter stopped herself, shaking her head as she cradled her teacup. "Trust me, the Thorn Princess is the stuff of nightmares, and her reputation is well-earned. Khan must be made of some serious bullpig if he can fight her off."

Suki pursed her lips as she turned her attention back to the enigmatic figure at the ship's bow. The Thorn Princess remained motionless, red cloak swaying in the breeze and her eyes fixed on the distant horizon. It was just hard to see Yor being that person.

*boom!*

An explosion reverberated from the bowels of the ship, abruptly halting the Fire Nation cruiser's speed until it was dead in the water. The shrill wails of alarm bells pierced the air, signalling imminent but unknown danger.

"What's going o- No..." Suki stood up, her blue eyes wide and her hand subconsciously gripping her katana until her knuckles were white. looking over June's shoulder, Suki could see them too: A stolen Fire Nation Cruiser followed by a couple of wooden ones. The signature black flags of pirates waving high atop their masts. Suki knew them well, "The Black Koi Pirates..."

"You know them?" June arched her brow.

"They usually operate in the southern seas." Suki ground her teeth, "We had a run in with them before we left Kyoshi Island. I thought that was the last we've seen of them, but..."

"Here they are again... definitely not your lucky day." the older woman snorted. "We need to warn Khan."

"Sounds good." Suki nodded before shouting at the resident assassin, "Yor! We're under attack by pirates, we have to find Khan!"

"Those are pirates?!" Yor briefly glanced at the ships in the distance before nodding, "I understand!"

Suki nodded before glancing at June, "We'll regroup with Khan and he'll know what our next move is. Yor can- Wait, where'd she go?!"

The bow of the ship where she was standing just a moment ago was empty.

"Forget about her! The Thorn Princess can handle herself" June barked, her tone commanding. "Our priority now is finding the boss!"

Suki nodded with a determined look, "Khan's probably up on the bridge with Captain Li by now!"

Let it not be said that the Kyoshi Warriors hesitated from a fight. She and her five sisters broke into a sprint, green kimonos fluttering as they sprinted back inside to climb the stairway to the bridge... only to be greeted by the red-armoured form of the Lieutenant as she headed down the stairs with the contingent of the 41st Division that was stationed on this ship.

"Lieutenant!" Suki urgently called out, hopeful desperation tinged her voice. "Khan's up on the bridge with Captain, right?"

"No, he wasn't!" the Lieutenant hurriedly responded. "The Commander was in the engine room when the boiler exploded!"

Suki's blue eyes flew wide open. "Well, what are we waiting for?! We have to go help him!"

Without a moment's hesitation, they rushed down the stairs below deck- deeper into the iron belly of the cruiser. The metallic corridors pulsed with an eerie red glow, intensifying the urgency of the situation. The incessant shrill of alarm bells echoed through the passageways, serving as a constant reminder of the perilous circumstances they faced.

'Spirits, don't let him be hurt...'

(Two hours ago) [The Engine Room]

Deep in the iron belly of our Fire Nation cruiser, my seven-foot-tall armoured bulk stood, staring at the great coal-fired steam engine that was the roaring heart of the ship.

The [Chei Steam Engine Mk. IV] was a massive thing, a great rumbling metal barrel perforated with a sprawling network of pipes and practically the size of a small suburban home as it took up the entire midship. The grumble of its boiler and the pound of its pistons echoed throughout the entire hold. Long years of shovelling coal into the boiler's ever-hungry gullet had stained the metal floor black with soot and coal dust, and filled the engine room with the pungent scent of machine oil. And I could feel the floor vibrate through my armoured boots each time a gas-masked engineer fed a shovel-full of coal into the engine's metal mouth.

The steam engine was a marvel of technology, the brain-child of a Fire Nation inventor and a Southern Water Tribe shipwright back in the days of Avatar Roku. It allowed the Fire Nation to make a journey across the seas in half the time it took for ordinary sailboats, and ultimately, was the reason why the Fire Nation was even able to wage its war of conquest.

This was the invention that had- without exaggeration- changed the face of the world forever...

My armoured fist seized the brass speaking tube from the wall, "Captain Li, we're going too slowly! How do I make this ship go faster?"

"But, commander, we have already made excellent time!" the captain's incredulous voice echoed from the tube. "If we maintain this speed, we can resupply at Toujin Island and arrive at the Imperial Capital in eight and a half days!"

"Not good enough. I want us at the capital in eight days flat." I growled into the speaking tube. I did not come all this way just to fail this quest of mine, all because I was a little tardy.

Quest:

A HERO'S TRIUMPHANT HOMECOMING

Main Objective: Arrive at the Imperial Capital within (8) Days

Secondary Objective: Have at least 75 {Fire Nation} Reputation upon arrival

Rewards:

Large bonus exp

Large Reputation increase with the {Azula}

Secondary Rewards:

Perk Point x2

Large Reputation increase with the {Firelord Ozai}

[Fire Nation War Hero] You're like a rockstar, but with war crimes! All entities with loyalties or sympathies for the Fire Nation start with +15 more Reputation; and +50% to Reputation and Affection gains with them. Stacks additively with [Siren's Voice]

+ R +

"Sir, I regret to inform you that the speed you demand is impossible from this proud vessel. The boiler simply doesn't burn hot enough to produce the steam required for that, sir."

"So, you're saying this engine's output is too weak?" I furrowed my brows.

Captain Li, feeling compelled to defend his ship's honour, replied in a measured tone, "Sir, with all due respect, this vessel is one of the fastest in the Western Fleet. You will be hard-pressed to find another class of cruiser in the Fire Nation that can perform as admirably as this one already does."

"... Very well, captain." I conceded with sigh, "You know the limits of your vessel best. Maintain our current speed and heading. Notify me once Toujin Island is in sight. I'll see if I can't lend my expertise here in the engine room."

"Will do, commander."

I glanced back at the boiler. I can't wait to peruse the military archives. Hopefully, I'm high ranking enough to be able to request all the blueprints and user manuals of all the Fire Nation war engines. Our momentary stop at Toujin Island to pick up Yor's daughter and resupply our coal bunkers might be my chance to make some minor improvements to the boiler. Maybe I can do something about it with my {Smithing} skill? Except, as I looked at the boiler, the skill didn't activate- nothing that made a window pop up to enumerate details like it did with armour and weapons. Odd, but it was also possible that it was governed by a different skill-

Intelligence Check failed!

11/20 Intelligence required to unlock {Engineering} Skill

Damn it all! Of course, the skill that I desperately needed was locked behind the Intelligence Stat.

However, I knew it was possible to do it without the {Engineering} skill. I wasn't a stupid man, not in my previous life and certainly not now. I can still recall both my fluid mechanics and material sciences. If I put my mind to it, there is a good chance that I can engineer the next technological iteration and upgrade coal-powered steam engines to oil-powered ones. The world of Avatar would be one step closer to the modern age. But, there was one big caveat: I had to do it like a regular human and put in years of research and development to hammer out the engineering the hard way. No Gamer System to fill in the blanks, give me easy answers and enhance my items like {Smithing} does.

Unacceptable, I needed to pick up Yor's daughter and get to the capital within 8 days. But then, an idea struck me: If I cannot use my Intelligence Stat to hasten our voyage, then what about my other abilities?

I grabbed the speaking tube again. "Captain, can we supplement the coal with firebending?"

"That is... not unheard of, sir." his voice echoed with a pondering tone, "However, that would need a complement of powerful firebenders to maintain a high enough boiler temperature all throughout the voyage. It is exhausting and monotonous work. The Fire Nation Navy has deemed Navy Firebenders too valuable to be assigned to such drudgery."

Under my skull helm, I rolled my eyes at how Fire Nation Navy Firebenders were so pampered compared to their Fire Nation Army. But I could somewhat understand: The Fire Nation Army had an almost monopoly on firebenders. Powerful soldiers should be out there fighting the enemy, Fire Nation Command reasoned. Not cruising around and sitting on their rears for months on end. The scant few Firebenders that the Navy did have were a valuable commodity. Fine, if those dainty Navy Firebenders were too spoiled and feeble to step up, I'll just call upon my own.

"The firebenders of the 41st Division are both numerous and strong enough to propel us day and night." I informed Captain, "We'll accept them onboard as soon as we make port at Toujin Island. By royal decree, I am to personally arrive at the Imperial City post haste."

"By my honour, you will, Commander." Captain Li respectfully replied through the brass speaking tube, "Toujin Island should be appearing over the horizon by tomorrow, sir. We will conduct the transfer then."

"In the meantime, I'll try my hand at supplementing the boiler myself."

"Sir, this work usually requires more than one Firebender to effect-"

But my great armoured frame was already stepping away from the speaking tube. I passed by the gas-masked engineers to stop in front of the reinforced metal mouth of the boiler. The intense heat radiating from it in palpable waves as roaring flames consumed coal at a staggering rate.

For being an unkillable badass and earning her respect...

{June} Reputation: 65 - 70

{June} Obedience: 50 - 70

... I'll have to ask what that's all about later.

Aiming my focus back towards the flames, I inhaled deeply and focused all my Spirit on the flames... cradling it with my will and folding the heat into itself.

It was an obscure type of Firebending exercise. But I knew for a fact that Aang had performed it with Jeong-jeong: Holding a leaf with a smouldering hole at the centre, he had to keep the fire from burning outwards. The principle was the same here, but on a larger scale: keeping the heat inside the boiler to ensure that it doesn't radiate outwards. And as I performed the exercise, it seemed to work- the rolling waves of heat seemed to stop while the rumble of the engine grew louder.

"Commander Khan, sir?" A gas-masked engineer holding the speaking tube called out to me, "Captain Li wishes to relay that we're getting an extra knot of speed."

"Tell him that I'll hold it for as long as I can." I smiled in relish. When technology falters, the spirit will prevail.

Spirit Check Failed!

42/75 Spirit Required to unlock [Sozin Style]

+ R +

[Firebending: Sozin Style]

A fabled and long lost Firebending style from 99 years ago. With no living Fire Nation practitioner of this style remaining, and mysteriously, no manuals left to describe its nature or training, this style has receded into the realm of myth and legend. Each of the Fire Islands have their own folklore of this firebending style, and each one contradicting another. However, there is only one detail that they all agree upon: That the [Sozin Style] was one of the most feared and powerful Firebending styles to ever scar the face of the world.

Bending Style Proficiency: Locked

+ R +

Now, that is interesting.

Once again, the Gamer System supplies me with information that I would otherwise not have gotten. The description of [Firebending: Classical Azulon Style] had hinted to the Sozin Style's existence, but I had been struggling to find the right bending manual to unlock it or even find a history book that details its existence. I had thought that it was because none was to be found in the Earth Kingdom, but apparently even in the Fire Islands, it has gone extinct. For mysterious reasons nonetheless.

A firebending style borne from the power of Sozin's Comet. And the first steps to learning it was from an obscure firebending exercise described by Jeong-jeong, a member of the White Lotus... I wouldn't be surprised if that exclusive club of ancient, Pai Sho-playing old geezers had bending manuals of the [Sozin Style]. But right now, the style lay far beyond my Spirit Stat. But still... that firebending style must be incredibly powerful if I needed almost twice the amount of Spirit I had just to meet its minimum requirements. Perhaps-

*thump*

-Wait. That sounded like something hit the hull. I didn't have any more time to react before the steam engine began rumbling and squealing and-

*BOOM!*

* Critical Hit! * [Water Tribe Tangle Mine], -157 hp

HP: 1050 - 983

The steam engine exploded in my face, blowing me off my feet and making my steel armour scraped against the soot-stained floor with a shriek of metal. Alarms bells rang as the world around me blurred in a haze of smoke and chaos. The sound of rushing water filled the air. My instincts kicked in, and I swiftly climbed to my feet and barked out orders to the crew.

"Someone, damage report!" I shouted... to the shredded corpses of the engineers, their shirtless frames torn up from the shrapnel of the exploding steam engine. I had likely only survived because I was wearing my armour. "Should've worn some helmets."

Growling in frustration, I rushed over to the brass speaking tube and bellowed into it. "Captain Li, I believe we hit a Water Tribe tangle mine! The steam engine exploded from overpressure!"

"Commander Khan?! That sound... Are we taking in water?!"

I glanced back at the new holes in our ship's hull and down to the half-inch of water around my boots, "Yes, about two breaches the size of a human fist. All well below the waterline."

The captain was silent for a moment, but I could hear the sounds of panicked shouting heard in the background before he returned with graver news, "Sir... we have a new development just now. We now know who was responsible for the mine: we're spotting a pirate fleet on an intercept course with us!"

"Pirates?!" I repeated in sheer disbelief, "We have the most powerful naval fleet in the world. How are there still pirates in Fire Nation waters?! Attacking a navy warship of all things?!"

"They've become bolder, sir!" He shouted back, panic in his voice as he undoubtedly watched the pirate fleet draw closer, "Between Admiral Zhao's muster for the Siege in the North and our main battle line advancing from the fall of Omashu in the west, our supply lines and patrols have been stretched dangerously thin for the past month or so!"

"Bah! Do we have the tools and resources to repair the steam engine quickly?"

"Sir, the pirate fleet is approaching with a hijacked Fire Nation Navy cruiser and four junks! I believe we have more pressing matters to-"

"Damn the pirates! We'll be slaughtering them to the man anyway! Can this ship still make the journey?!"

"I'm sorry, sir. But no." Captain Li mournfully replied, "The chain pumps can keep her afloat, but she's dead in the water and she'll need to be towed into a dry dock for repairs. You will need to wait for the rest of the fleet and continue your voyage back to Imperial Capital on one of their ships."

If I fail this quest, Sokka and Katara will have to mourn for their dead father after I kill him for both inventing these tangle mines and making enough of them to proliferate on the black market. But then, a spark of inspiration hit me! I spoke into the speaking tube again, "Wait... Captain Li, did you say that the pirates have a 'hijacked Fire Nation Navy cruiser?'"

"Sir... you can't be thinking of..."

New Quest:

AVATAR'S CREED IV: THE BLACK FLAG

Main Objective: Hijack the pirate's hijacked Fire Nation Navy Cruiser

Secondary Objective: Hijack the (0/4) Pirate Junks

Rewards:

Large bonus exp

Slight Reputation increase with {Yor Briar}

Secondary Rewards:

Rare Item x 1

Slight Reputation increase with {Admiral Zhao}

Slight Reputation increase with the {Fire Nation}

+ R +

What a way to make what I was already thinking of doing is very worth it!

"Captain, make ready all the riverboats you have." I said, feeling an eager grin grow underneath my skull-faced helm, "Now... where are my Kyoshi Warriors? We have a ride to catch."

And as if on queue, they arrived, storming into the engine room in their armoured green kimonos.

"Khan!" Suki greeted me with a relieved smile on her painted face, "I knew you'd be okay!"

"And so are you all." I observe, sweeping my gaze across the gathered forces streaming into the room: The Kyoshi Warriors, June, and a squad of {Fire Nation Raiders} led by the Lieutenant. "Where's Yor?"

Suki answered, "We don't know where she went!"

Wonderful. The super assassin was running around, undetected and with unknown intentions.

Yor swam under the tranquil waters. A school of playful koala-otters frolicking underwater beside her- twitching their curious snouts at her as they mistook her black dress for a friendly puffin-seal and were mesmerised by the shiny brass roses of her headband.

The sun shone through the surface of the calm seas, illuminating well into the inky black depths below.

She was grateful that it was so sunny- swimming underwater in the nighttime seas often ended with her getting on the wrong island or ship. Now, she could see her target clearly in the distance- a ship hull, partially visible beneath the waves. She figured that she only needed to hold her breath for only three more kilometres and she'll reach the ship without being spotted. Because if these pirates were an obstacle that were stopping them from reaching Anya, then there was really only one thing to do: Remove them.

From the mortal coil.

I shook my head.

"We'll search for Yor later!" I muttered before turning my attention over to the rest of them to dispense their orders, "June, we'll come back for you, your shirshu is too large for this maneuver. Lieutenant, gather the entire 1st Infantry platoon, and meet us at the aft docking bay! We'll be claiming our new ships from those pirates!"

The lieutenant raised her hand, "Sorry, sir. They didn't teach us navy talk in bootcamp. The 'aft', sir?"

"Yes, lieutenant, the ass of the ship! Now, get your ass moving!"

"Yes, sir!" She saluted before relaying her own orders to her squad, "You heard the Commander! Spread out! Round up the rest of the platoon in the hold, the mess hall and the three barracks. Tell them to double time it to the aft docking bay! GO!"

With everyone having their orders, we made our way to the rear of the ship- rushing through the cramped, red-lit halls of the cruiser until we ended up in the aft docking bay. Sunlight streamed in as the entire aft of the ship had been opened up to the sea. Four squat riverboats with their blocky silhouettes were already lowered and afloat in the waves. The rest of the 41st Division contingent soon arrived behind us: An 'infantry' platoon of {Fire Nation Raiders} with the bows and dao swords that I had crafted back in Omashu.

"1st Infantry Platoon, all present and accounted for, sir!" the Lieutenant saluted as all fifty of them stood at attention. The Kyoshi Warriors were standing at the sides as well.

My voice boomed as I addressed them.

"41st Division, we've struck a water tribe tangle mine and the ship is now dead in the water. However, the friendly neighbourhood pirates have been thoughtful enough to bring us a replacement ship. We only need to sail out to them and take it from their corpses. I know I haven't trained you all in marine operations outside of river crossings. But with luck, this can be the time for all of us to get some valuable and much needed [Experience]. 41st Division, I want all of you to come back alive, and to make sure those pirates don't. Understood?!"

"YES, COMMANDER!"

"So, here's how we're going to kill them and take their stuff..." I nodded, jabbing an armoured thumb to the four riverboats behind me. "Each squad will take a riverboat and board a pirate junk. This ship's still-functioning deck trebuchets will knock out the weapons of the hijacked cruiser, so all you'll have to worry are arrows and possibly some bending. Sweep the boats' interiors like you would an Earth Kingdom keep, and you'll have no trouble with killing everyone on your respective junk. Once they're dead or captured, converge on the cruiser and we'll be on our way to Toujin Island four pirate junks richer. Now... 41ST DIVISION, CAST OFF!"

Hurried footsteps drummed on wooden decks as we all embarked onto the stocky metal riverboats. The Kyoshi Warriors and I boarded one as well with a squad of {Fire Nation Raiders} accompanying us, bows already knocked. I rested my gaze on the Kyoshi Warriors. Kyoshi Island has always been a fishing village, and their experience with boats was extensive...

"Suki, take the helm and steer us up alongside the biggest junk, the one closest to the pirate cruiser."

"Uh... I don't know how to make a steamship run?" She replied, staring cluelessly at the daunting puzzle of rumbling pipes, valves and gauges.

... But steamships? Apparently not as much.

"Alright, everyone who doesn't know how to make a steamship run, huddle over here so that I can give you all a crash course." I grumbled, the [Trainer] skill activating as I gave a running commentary- pointing out the purpose of each lever, knob and gauge as the engine rumbled to life.

"I think I've got the hang of it! Ahead full!" Suki proudly announced as she spun the wheel- steering us out of the docking bay and into the endless open water of the Mo Ce Sea. Nothing but a scant three kilometres of open seas stretched between them and the incredible violence that we were about to inflict. All around us, not a single landmass interrupted the line where the seas met the sky. Whoever was going to lose this battle was going to drown in this nameless spot of ocean... and it wasn't going to be us.

Soon enough, the Kyoshi Warriors were operating as a well-trained group of engineers, their coordination proving invaluable in keeping the riverboat balanced at maximum operability.

"Ease up on the coal! The water gauge's low!"

"Adding more water! Listen to it chug! We're going so fast now!"

"Aahaha! This beats normal sailboats by a long shot!"

"Hey Suki, it's my turn on the wheel!"

"Get your own riverboat to assault pirates with!"

"Wait, I see them!"

Everyone including myself looked to the horizon to spot our targets. Their ships stood out from the endless blue of the sea- their red sails looking like a fish's fins. Short, broad hulls of dark wood making them look almost like barges. Strangely enough, they were all converging on the hijacked cruiser flagship, huddled together in a defensive little circle, and offering my meagre strikeforce an easy advantage.

Stranger still was how the pirate flagship hadn't even used its trebuchet even once.

With a small huff of effort, Yor's slender frame the twelfth man overboard the hijacked cruiser, hurling him high into the air before he landed with a big splash. And as the man flailed in the water, attracting tiger-sharks with his wounds, she gave a smile of satisfaction.

This way, the other boats will all sail over to pick up the men thrown overboard and make it easier for her to board them as a result. Having to swim out to each of them to kill their crews was really slow even for her, so she was glad that she had found out about this trick a few months back. It was around the time when she had assassinated a Captain Kan and a Captain Kahan before she figured out that it was Captain Khan she was after... and it was also before she learned that there was a difference between a Navy Captain and an Army Captain. That was really embarrassing for her... How was she supposed to know that there was more than one kind of captain?!

But at least, she had learned something new. And now she had a go-to trick into making the ships come closer together!

Wait, Anya liked trains and ships, so they should definitely take a cruise together! Yes, that will be the perfect mother-daughter reunion! Maybe she can even ask Khan to make Anya a boat plushie to get her excited for it and everything!

Distracted, Yor didn't notice footsteps thumping on the metal deck out behind her until they turned the corner right behind her. She whipped her head around just in time to go face to face with another pirate. Grey-bearded and wearing a shaggy set of mismatched rags and a broadsword at his hip. His squinty eyes looked at her before he inhaled to scream...

"INTRU-uuuh?! uh?! Uh?"

... And he stammered, incapable to form words now that Yor's stiletto knife had skewered him through his left eye and straight through the back of his skull.

Yor's blood-red eyes widened in surprise as she glanced over the twitching pirate's shoulder and to the stairway that he came from.

How could she have forgotten about the below decks? There must be a lot more of them than just the twenty-two she had killed! She pouted- it was just like her to lose focus and Her mind had wandered off, lost in her memories again. as she glanced back to their ship that floated in the distance, a black speck in a sea of blue. Everyone back on the ship must be waiting for her to finish up here and kill everyone! She needed to work fast.

But still...

She knew that this wasn't a contract for the Garden, but after this, she should definitely ask Khan to make a ship plushie for Anya! That ostrich-horse plushie he made was just too cute!

Well, if our enemies were going to gather themselves together in a small convenient killzone without fighting, I will take what I can get.

The pirates were on the move. Even at this distance, I could see their bright orange sails shifting. Looks like they had spotted our smoke trail of the small fleet of Fire Nation riverboats that were about to ruin their day. It was clear that the earlier engine room explosion had made them write us off as no longer a threat, and I was about to do more than disabuse them of that notion.

My seven-foot-tall armoured frame climbed to the roof of the cockpit, standing like some metal statue atop a pedestal.

"Khan, what are you doing?!" Suki shouted as she stuck her head out of the cockpit window, red hair fluttering in the rush of salty sea air.

"Distracting them with my firebending!" I shouted back. At this range of almost a kilometre, the firebolts of the [Modern Azulon Style] would dissipate into thin air long before they reach their targets, but fortunately for me... I was an expert of what I firmly believed was the superior firebending style: [Firebending: Classical Azulon Style]. Then I activated the perk that I bought last level up.

Spirit Rush (Active)

Yes, overconfidence is now a power!

Once a day, gain 20% bonus Spirit. Spirit Rush' duration in seconds is equal to a half of your Spirit stat.

I felt my chi pathways surge with newfound strength. My steel-encased arms swung in graceful swirls in the salty sea air... before rushing forward into a furious punch! A white-hot bolt of flame- almost as thick as a man's torso- seared through the sea air, closed the distance between our two ships and...

Aim check failed! (52/62 Dexterity Required)

...flew right by three pirates, close enough to scorch their eyebrows. They stood there, dumbstruck and with what was no doubt freshly-shitted trousers, as everyone on that ship realised that instead of hapless Fire Nation Navy mooks, they were faced against Fire Nation Elites.

Chaos immediately erupted among the pirate crews, their panicked figures resembling a desperate scramble of ants as they attempted to maneuver their vessels for a battle that they were ill-prepared for. Meanwhile, I ensured that they were too distracted to do that, blasting firebolt after furious firebolt at the crews. A particularly unlucky pirate rushed out of the junk's quarterdeck just to run headlong into one of my shots. The entire upper-half of his torso, utterly obliterated as it was struck with a firebolt meant to be powerful enough to blast through boulders; and charred pirate bits pelted his horrified crewmembers.

Defeated {Pirate Reaver}, +28 exp!

"Nice shot, Khan!" Suki laughed.

"Just a lucky one!" I laughed as well, following up with more firebolts- keeping the pirate crews' heads down and wreaking havoc as our riverboats barreled closer and closer towards them.

Now, the pirates were starting to look really worried.

It was always a great boost on troop morale to see their enemies panic before them. Also, it was around this time that everyone drank their favourite stimulant, courtesy of [Flask of Refillment] and a bit of my [Herbalism] skill. Pops of cans being opened were followed by hurried gulping of the sweet liquid within. The squad of {Fire Nation Raider} practically vibrated where they stood, eyes dilated and fists gripping their bows tight. And the Kyoshi Warriors practiced even less self-restraint.

"I'm totally going to get the high score this time!" Suki laughed, slightly manic from adrenaline and Red Bull. Her Kyoshi Warrior sisters were no less eager either.

"Less empty promises and more steering!"

"We were too lenient with those Black Koi Pirates the first time around!"

"Faster to battle! My blade hungers!"

"More coal! More steam! Get this metal box moving faster!"

"The high score is going to be all mine!"

An atmosphere of bloodlust filled our little riverboat as we surged onwards at full speed. 200 metres... 150 metres... 100 metres. Bow range. Arrows arced overhead as my {Fire Nation Raiders} loosed their barbed arrows. A few of the pirates managed to retaliate with their own bows, their arrows clattering harmlessly against my steel plate armour. An unwise move for them- standing still for just a second too long.

Defeated {Pirate Sailor}, +12 exp!

Defeated {Pirate Reaver}, +28 exp!

Defeated {Pirate Sailor}, +12 exp!

My searing firebolts found their mark, blasting skulls and torso apart in burnt little bits. The pirates were proving to be pushovers, when suddenly, a goddamn iceberg the size of a van rose from the waves!

"WATERBENDERS!" Suki called out the obvious, but I was already reacting to the incoming iceberg- swirling my arms as my firebending chi built up... Then I released it all out of a sharp punch! The incandescent [Classical Azulon Style] firebolt shattered the iceberg into tiny ice cubes. The steam cleared and it was then that I saw the six-bender team of pirate waterbenders on the pirate junk: Dressed indistinguishable from their nonbender counterparts, they were led by a scruffy, hard-eyed man in a great coat with a dagger-shaped beard. The captain of the junk, no doubt...

... and they were already cycling through a waterbending stance!

I exploded into the fast-paced [Modern Azulon Style], punching out smaller firebolts at breakneck speeds to try and interrupt whatever they was stirring. But that was all for naught as a great roaring wave rose between our ships to push or possibly flip our boat over.

"Suki, flank speed ahead! Right at the wave!" My voice roared.

"What?!"

"Just trust me!" I shouted as the wave rumbled towards us closer and closer. "On my mark, we jump as one onto their ship... Ready... Steady..."

Gathering my firebending, I loosed reducing the wave just enough for our riverboat to able to crest over it, and for a split second, the boat seemed to leap upward.

"... JUMP! [AS ONE!]"

{Suki & the Kyoshi Warriors} 100 Reputation Companion skill

[As One!] - When fighting in close proximity with allies, you gain an instinct of just how to coordinate well with them, and them with you. Whether it's timing simultaneous attacks or competently fighting back-to-back or just synchronising dance choreography, you will gain a keen sixth sense on how your allies will move or react- allowing you to function greater than the sum of your parts.

+ R +

With preternatural timing, we all jumped at the same time; and as one, we landed exactly where we wanted to be: in the middle of the enemy crew. And the crowd stumbled back in terror of us.

To this ragtag crew of pirates with their sun-baked skin and shaking sword hands, we must have been something out of a children's fairytale: A heavily-armoured giant with a leering skull for a face, six girls with white-painted faces exuding an otherworldly grace like ghosts in old tales, and Fire Nation soldiers with crimson armour so fearsome that looked like they had risen from the underworld to take revenge.

What was supposed to be a meagre force of less than twenty facing against their hundred. Now, they knew just how badly the odds were... for them. And for a full few seconds, there was only silence between us; then I whispered three words.

"Kill them all."

The Kyoshi Warriors dashed forward, first into the fray, the sunlight gleaming off the razor-sharp edges of their [Kyoshi Katanas] and [War Fans]. Against pirates with little to no armour, Suki and her sisters easily scythed through them with their deadly dexterity. My honour guard was practically a green blur as they weaved and dodged around the pirate's strikes that seemed clumsy in comparison before severing arteries and tendons with lightning fast cuts.

Bleeding and helpless, they were easy prey as the line of {Fire Nation Raiders} crashed into them like a red armoured tide. Our relentless training shone in each swift flash of their [Dao Swords], the broad blades hacking off hands and cleaving deep into skulls.

And then, there was myself- their leader. A skull-faced obelisk of spiked metal and muscle towering above the crowd, swinging what was essentially a solid, spiked cannonball on a chain at the pirate's backline, pulping skulls and caving in chests with the flanged metal head of my [Meteor Hammer].

Even as more pirates rushed out from the hold to meet us, we were winning, and my forces knew it.

"O' Honoured Kyoshi, gaze down from the heavens and witness your greatest warrior do battle!"

"Excuse me?! You, Miss Five Kills, are Kyoshi's Greatest Warrior?!"

"You're both wrong! *I* am Kyoshi Greatest Warrior!"

"Well, if you- WATCH OUT!"

Suki's shout of alarm came just a moment too late. A sudden deluge of water like a raging river swept across our side of the deck, washing over my entire force with the force of a storm wave. But where weaker Fire Nation soldiers would have been swept away and drowned in the sea, my crimson-clad soldiers stood firm...

... Except the Kyoshi Warriors, who were swept along but managed to cling on onto the railing at the last second. And they didn't look happy.

"It's those damned waterbenders!" Suki roared as she and her sisters lifted themselves up from the railing. "Sisters, gut them all! As One!"

Just as the soaked redhead said, there stood the waterbending team and the captain from earlier... Acting fast, I sent my [Meteor Hammer] came rocketing down on the captain, and they stopped whatever fancy waterbending move they were about to perform. Instead, they solidified a great wall of glistening ice in front of them. Standing against my meteor hammer, the icy shield column cracked but held steady against the powerful blow. However...

[Furor of Furious Fury]

Angry caveman powers, activate!

For the next 4 strikes you make, your strength is doubled.

... I just grinned beneath my helmet as I swung again.

[Furor of Furious Fury]: 3 of 4 Charges left

*crack*

The flanged metal ball struck the shield of bluish ice with a bone-shattering impact. Large cracks spider-webbed across its face, and the waterbenders hurriedly reinforced their frosty wall.

*CRACK*

[Furor of Furious Fury]: 2 of 4 Charges left

... Only for me to continue hammering it again, the impact sending icy splinters flew in every direction.

*CRACK* *CRACK* *CRACK*

[Furor of Furious Fury]: 1 of 4 Charges left

And again, the cracks were growing so great that it threatened to shatter the whole thing.

But the last one was my real move...

With a loud thwoomp of rushing air, the flanged metal head of my weapon flew in like a whistling arrow from the side- bypassing their ice wall entirely. Only the veteran waterbender captain managed to see it- raising a smaller ice shield to try and block it. But with [Furor of Furious Fury] active? It wasn't enough: the meteor hammer smashed straight through his piddly ice shield and collided with the surprised waterbender's unarmoured cranium.

* Critical Hit! *

[Furor of Furious Fury]: 0 of 4 Charges left

His skull exploded into a mess of gore and shattered bones- splattering the horrified faces of the other waterbenders standing behind him with brain matter.

Defeated {Pirate Veteran Waterbender}, +56 exp!

"Hey, that was my kill!" Suki whined, having been sneaking up behind them. At the sound of her voice, the other waterbenders whipped their faces around to face the six Kyoshi Warriors who were suddenly behind them. My attacks were 75% distraction to allow the Kyoshi Warriors to sneak around the sides, and 25% kill steal.

"Just gut the rest of them!" I laughed back.

The six waterbenders tried to fight back, but when they were already within the katana-range of Kyoshi Warriors? The razor sharp edges of Kyoshi Katanas skated over their unarmoured necks before they could even start waving their hands.

With the pirate's benders bleeding out on deck, the rest of the pirate crew crumbled against my raider's merciless advance, cut down in a flurry of dao swords. The crimson armoured raiders charged down into the ship's holds looking for more... before climbing right back up. A {Fire Nation Raider} saluted me, "The hold is clear, sir! We got them all!"

"No, that can't be all of them!" Suki cried out at the bad news. "I barely got twelve!"

"I got thirteen!"

"Hey! That fat one still only counts as one!"

"Aw! Fine, twelve then! Same as Suki!"

"I only got nine, but I got the most assists!"

"The battle isn't over. There's sure to be a lot more of them on the cruiser." I reminded my honour guard, looking over to the cruiser that loomed a short distance away. "Kyoshi Warriors, you're the sailing experts, pull us in to the side."

"Okay! We're already on it!" Suki nodded as she and her sisters ran around the junk and expertly adjusted the sails just as the winds picked up. With a slight lurch, our new pirate junk drifted up to the side of the hijacked cruiser. The cruiser's freeboard, a towering wall of black metal loomed over us.

We hurled some grappling hooks up to the side and climbed aboard the hijacked cruiser to find... ourselves standing on sticky red floor. Bodies of pirates littered the metal deck, some torn up as if wild animals had ravaged them. I didn't have time to appraise the situation more before the three other 41st Division squads joined us, their crimson armours clambering aboard on their own grappling hooks.

The Lieutenant marched over to me.

"All pirate junks cleared, sir! No casualties on our side." she saluted before briefly glancing at the bodies, "We'll try to be more punctual for the battle next time, sir!"

"This wasn't our doing." I told them, readying my meteor hammer, "Everyone, eyes open! Whoever or whatever had massacred the pirates is likely to still be on the ship. Or this entire ship may be a trap. Be ready to fight or flee at a moment's notice!"

"Sir, footsteps from the bridge!"

My forces's swords rasped out of their sheaths in preparation for another battle. But instead of a horde of pirates, it was Yor, our missing assassin, who walked out... leaving bloody footprints behind. And we all thought the same thing as we saw her: That was a lot of blood. From her black leather dress and brass rose headbands and to her hands, she was covered head to toe in red liquid, but none of which seemed to be hers.

"Yor?" I greeted her, having a sneaking suspicion how she got here before us, "Did you... swim all the way here?"

"I did! You didn't have to worry about me!" Said Yor, her blood-splattered smile couldn't be any more chipper, "I killed them all! That means we don't have to delay our voyage now, right?"

The broken bodies of the pirates around us lay in silent apology for the inconvenience.

"You... you killed all these people?" Suki said numbly. "All by yourself?"

She tilted her head with a confused expression, "Yes, why?"

I frowned. On a regular Fire Nation cruiser, there were more than 500 crewmen aboard. It stands to reason that this hijacked cruiser would need around the same number. Yor must have slain twice as many pirates as the rest of us combined!. Sure, the pirates may have been poorly-trained former fishermen handed weapons; and the cramped close-quarters of the ship may have been ideal for her choice of weapon. But that didn't change the reality of it...

Five hundred pirates were trapped on a ship with this woman, and she brutally murdered them all within a single hour.

"Yor! Please teach us your ways!" Suki and her sisters bowed in deference.

"Eh?"

"Let's not waste anymore time, everyone." I said with a sigh. I glanced back at my gathered squads. "41st Division!"

Armoured heels clicked together as the platoon stood at attention.

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"I want us to be at Toujin Island before noon tomorrow! Lieutenant, send a messenger hawk over to Captain Li to tell him that we can start ferrying crew aboard. Kyoshi Warriors, gather up all the documents and papers you see in the captain's cabins of the junks- I want to know if anyone was behind this attack! Everyone else... start hauling bodies and gather them in a pile! Our Ostrich-horses will be eating well for a long while. If anyone needs me, I'll be down in the engine room running the maintenance that the pirates likely never bothered with!"

I watched as everyone rushed off to fulfill their orders before I looked back at Yor, an innocent smile on her pretty face.

"You had us worried, Yor. Rushing ahead like that, but...Good job." I told the woman in the blood-stained black dress. But internally, I was bemoaning how she solo'd the ship. So much wasted XP... but I suppose that was worth preventing the possible losses of {Fire Nation Raiders}. Not to mention the rewards and the time saved. Even got that long-awaited and much needed level up.

Her red eyes widened, as if not expecting me to praise her, then her lips widened into a happy smile, "A-ah... Thank you!"

[Quest - Avatar's Creed IV: The Black Flag] Completed!

Main Objective: Hijack the pirate's hijacked Fire Nation Navy Cruiser

Secondary Objective: Hijack the (4/4) Pirate Junks

Rewards:

Large bonus exp

Slight Reputation increase with {Yor Briar}

Slight Reputation increase with {Admiral Zhao}

Slight Reputation increase with the {Fire Nation}

Secondary Rewards:

Rare Item x 1

+ R +

Level up Achieved!

Name: Khan "The Giant"

Level: 8 - 9

Level exp: 192/3500

Rank: Commander. 41st Division, Fire Nation Army.

HP: 168/1050

Strength: 54 - 61

Dexterity: 52 - 59

Constitution: 58 - 65

Intelligence: 11 - 12

Spirit: 42 - 50

* 1 Perk Points Available.*

(Increase Intelligence to earn more Perk points per level!)

+ R +

Lvl 50 Strength Perks Available:

[Lvl 2] Power Move (Passive): You don't 'run.' You kick the ground until it takes you where you want to go. On top of your Dexterity, add (25% - 50%) Strength to your running speed and jumping height.

[Lvl 2] Furor of Furious Fury (Active): Angry caveman powers, activate! Twice a day, for the next 3 strikes you make, your strength is doubled.

[Lvl 3] Flex it off! (Passive): You feel a lot better after you pose and flex your muscles. On top of your Constitution, add (50% - 75%)Strength to your Health points and Resistances calculations.

[Lvl 3] Overpower (Passive): Hit 'em hard when they're not looking, but hit 'em even harder when they are. Gain (40% - 60%) bonus Strength against enemies that you're not outflanking.

Lvl 50 Dexterity Perks Available:

[Lvl 2] Parkour Prodigy (Passive): Running? On the ground?! Like some peasant!? (Double - Triple) your Dexterity bonus while performing parkour.

[Lvl 2] Riposte (Passive): A skill distilled from a billion hours in Soulsborne games. Attacking directly after a successful parry now carries a guaranteed crit.

Pickpocket Prodigy (Passive): Yes, you can actually steal equipped items; yes, that includes their underwear. Double your Dexterity bonus while pickpocketing.

[Lvl 2] Bullet Time (Active): Dodge the bullets that haven't been invented yet. Three times a day, slow time to (80% - 70%). Bullet Time duration in seconds is equal to a tenth of your Dexterity stat.

Lvl 50 Constitution Perks Available:

[Lvl 2] Iron Gut (Passive): Not to be confused with iron abs. (Double - Triple) your Constitution bonus to resist Poisons, Toxins and illnesses.

Clench! (Passive): Brace your glutes! You gain 10% damage reduction for all attacks that you see coming.

[Lvl 2] Relentless (Passive): Be the Party Animal as told in the legends. You no longer require sleep, and all physical fatigue gain is now reduced by (25% - 50%).

[Lvl 2] Berserker Rage (Passive): Your incredible anger is your weapon, you are... Karen Incarnate. Gain bonus Strength, Dexterity and Spirit proportional to your missing HP. Up to (200% - 225%) bonus stats more at 1% HP.

Lvl 50 Spirit Perks Available:

It's not a Dance! (Passive): ... But it just might be a sex position. Double your Spirit bonus when learning/experimenting new bending styles and forms (and sex positions).

[Lvl 2] Spirit Rush (Active): Yes, overconfidence is now a power! Once a day, gain 20% bonus Spirit. Spirit Rush' duration in seconds is equal to a half of your Spirit stat.

Greater Chi Paths (Passive): For when it takes you too long getting your 'bending' up. Your Chi flows 25% faster. Allowing bending with fewer wind-up movements, or more powerful bending with normal wind-up movements.

Audacious Spirit (Passive): Is something draining the metaphysical life energies of your body? Just walk it off, lol! Whenever you're suffering from a debuff that affects your Spirit (e.g. Poison, blocked chi pathways, nighttime, cold temperature, etc.) Reduce that debuff's effectiveness by 33%.

* 1 Perk Points Available.*

+ R +

"If you need anything else, Yor, just ask." I said, but I didn't really mean it- I was all too eager to start agonising over the decision of where to put my only Perk Point in. Before I could march off however, Yor spoke up.

"Actually... I was thinking..." She murmured, twiddling her fingers and acting like a cute and shy woman when I knew that she was anything but, "... Can you make another plushie for Anya?! A ship just like this?"

I spared a brief glance at the cooling caracasses of the pirates and thought of how many hundreds more were lying in the dark below deck.

"I-I just want to get Anya excited for something like this!" She blushed, and I was slightly taken aback by that request.

... She wanted to commemorate how she ruthlessly massacred five hundred people by herself? If I had any doubt that her cheerful, airheadedness was an act, I no longer had them. There was no rhyme or reason behind this. No greater purpose driving her desire for this plushie aside from a secret homicidal thrill in collecting her macabre trophies. And to give to her own daughter to train her to take pleasure in bloodshed as her, no less! Without a shadow of a doubt, Yor Briar was a deranged butcher who revelled in her senseless slaughter. So...

"...Of course, I'll make Anya a ship." I smiled a friendly smile.

"You will?!" She beamed, and wrapped her blood-coated arms around my waist in a hug."Thank you! You're the nicest!"

For always being nice to her...

{Yor Briar} Reputation : 53 - 57

"Don't mention it." I waved it off, patting her slender back. Whatever can keep this loose cannon assassin happy.

"I'll get cleaned up!" Yor said with a happy grin before she rushed off, and I released the breath. I looked to the horizon- to Toujin Island and the port town where Anya was being held.

"Spirits, I just hope we get there soon..."

"I hope so too..." She whispered, also looking out to the horizon. I was smart enough not to say the rest of what I was thinking.

Spirits, I hope we get there soon... before someone astronomically stupid enough comes along and harms the bloodthirsty psychopath's daughter.

- A Slaughter on the High Seas End -

AN:

This chapter occurs during the episode... (ATLA Book 1, Episode 17 - The Northern Air Temple). Taking place after (The Deserter) and right before (The Waterbending Master).

I'd love to show you all the Anya reunion scene, and the Khan and Azula meeting but... that would make the chapter tick at 17k. Also, it's been too many chapter since both Gamer System Level Up and the last action scene came along. Action-heavy chapters may not be popular, but their absence from the story would have been very noticeable.

Just binged ATLOK... really shows how the show creators were relying heavily on staff writer Aaron Ehasz's skills in ATLA, but damn if they didn't make Korra/Asami waifu-bait. I wish the author would hurry up too.

Had to nerf Spirit Rush... Otherwise, Khan finds the identity of his stalker immediately and the story isn't ready for all of that fluffy tail.

Time to vote on The Lieutenant's identity... However, she'll remain as 'The Lieutenant' until ATLOK, because we already have too many characters around Khan that need to be developed. Choices I've heard suggested are... Maki Oze from Fire Force. Higashiyama Kobeni from Chainsaw Man. Lieutenant Visha from Youjo Senki.

Chapter 217 - 11