At dawn, I decided to wake the Princess a little earlier than she usually wakes up.
— Psst... Azula. A-zu-la. Wake up, beauty, a new day has dawned, — in my joy about the approaching fulfillment of my dream, I even lightly kissed the sleeping beauty on the lips.
— Ugh. Yoaru? What do you want? — the girl quietly grumbled, probably not noticing my actions.
— Azula, I need your clothes.
The Princess's eyes widened; I could see the full beauty of the girl's golden eyes. They were, as always, lovely and mesmerizing.
— What? Is this another one of your silly jokes? Or am I still dreaming? — the girl answered sleepily, not understanding what was happening.
— No, it's not a joke, I need a personal item of yours with a strong scent, socks would work, — I explained to the girl.
However, my actions only provoked more suspicion and questions.
I had to hastily explain everything to Azula in detail. After her initial surprise, she quickly composed herself, and I couldn't shock her again. The girl's self-control was, as usual, at an excellent level. When I explained why I needed her clothing, the Princess agreed to my plan without much thought. Azula, being an intelligent girl—quite the opposite of foolish—knew the power of knowledge in the right hands. In the Spirit of Knowledge's greatest library, one could find a lot of interesting things on any topic. It was not surprising that as soon as the Princess learned about the existence of this place, she immediately wanted to visit it and, if possible, claim it. And while humanity is unaware of where this place is located, spirits are a different matter entirely. With them, we had a considerable chance of finding the library, and the Princess clearly saw the opportunity that I saw as well.
It was fortunate that Azula preferred to sleep in the largest tent, which was regularly guarded by a minimum of six guards. Everyone else had to settle for sleeping bags and the open sky, including her friends. The Princess wasn't very fond of sleeping with them—it was cramped. In any case, no one could interrupt our quiet conversation. And after the conversation, something happened that I wasn't prepared for.
— Azula, there's only underwear here, — rummaging through the backpack the girl pointed to, I found several sets of women's undergarments.
This was not what I expected. I even felt something akin to awkwardness, or even embarrassment. It was as if I had gone completely insane after death, rummaging through the Princess's dirty laundry here. I had never sunk this low, even in the most difficult times.
In search of answers, I turned back to the girl. She lay slightly propped up on the couch, smiling cheekily as she looked at me. It seemed I had fallen into her trap, without expecting it. What game was Azula playing this time?
— Uh-huh... — she drew out the sound imperiously, feeling like she was in control. — So, the stronger my scent, the better? Right? In that case, I have my own choice of clothing that you will take to the spirit of the forest, — the girl lifted herself up from the couch, unfastened her belt, grabbed her trousers, and...
My God! What a disgrace! What shame! What insolence!
Covering my face with my hand, I suddenly realized! It was useless! My hand was transparent, I could still see everything! Azula simply took off her dirty boxer-briefs along with her trousers. Then she held out her dirty undergarment to me with a brazenly cheeky smile. I don't even know what to feel; I'm simply shocked to the core!
— Oh, Azula, you've put me in such an awkward position, — I replied flustered, instinctively trying not to look into her eyes. And where is the emotion dampening when I need it so badly? I want to laugh and sink into the ground at the same time. What move did she pull off so unexpectedly?!
— I'm glad my little revenge bothered you. Perhaps now you'll understand just a small fraction of the shame I felt during the first days of our acquaintance, — Azula whispered to me with pleasure, piercing me with her gaze like an arrow.
Oh, so it's revenge...
— Ha-ha-ha. I'm impressed. You're such a menace, Azula. I could just take your socks and leave, and you couldn't do anything to me, — I accepted the Princess's challenge, meeting her self-assured gaze. There was no doubt that this was a challenge!
— Yes, you could. However, that would be impolite, and my number of socks is limited. And most importantly, the backpack with my spare clothes is outside the tent. Do you really want to cause me problems with things flying around in front of the soldiers? Besides, I think the fox spirit won't care which item it smells. Underwear will do just fine. My scent is the strongest on them, and I have a few more pairs than pairs of socks. I don't need a sock without a match, — she didn't even try to lie convincingly! How funny, funny and calm. My emotions finally subsided.
— Enough. You just want to mess with me, — finally calm, I was not going to play her game.
— Uh-huh. Did you just realize that? It seems my memory hasn't increased your intelligence all that much, — Azula began to needle me in her usual style, but it no longer bothered me. And time was starting to press; it was dawn, and I still had to take the offering.
— It's already dawn. Hand over your underwear, — I approached the girl, taking the item from her hands. This only amused her more.
— Go, the panda is waiting for you, — but no, I think I still have time for one fleeting thing.
Getting even closer to her face, I unexpectedly covered her lips with a light kiss. Yes, she didn't expect that. Her eyes were wide open, her face showing incomprehension, shock! All my training in materiality, this moment alone made it worth training.
— Mmm. My sweet menace, — I told her in a commanding tone, stroking the girl's thigh before stepping away, leaving the girl lying there alone.
— Again... tsk. — Azula said after me with mixed feelings. By the tone of her voice, I even felt her embarrassment.
— We'll talk about this another time, — I took the last word, leaving the Princess's spacious tent.
The only problem was that her underwear didn't have the ability to pass through matter. I had to drag it along the ground, through the edge of the tent, before soaring high into the sky, leaving the camp. I didn't need to attract the guards' attention with flying underwear. In the end, I left the camp easily and unnoticed.
Making a deal with Azula was much more difficult than I initially thought. Compared to that, taking her item to the panda, along with the offering of honey, was simple. Nevertheless, this night was coming to an end. By day, I managed to catch up with the Princess's squad after making an agreement with Hei Bai. All that was left was to hope for luck and continue the journey. The end of the season was still a long way off, but maybe I could get to the library faster than I could meet the Mother of Faces?
The routine of our journey resumed. The squad moved quite quickly; all the soldiers were very resilient. I no longer had to be particularly bored. On the journey, I flew and scouted the area, constantly recharging my energy from Azula. For me, having grown up amidst huge cities and ruined nature, it was pleasant to see such purity and beauty. At the same time, I had more work in the cities and villages Azula inspected along the way.
I had always enjoyed reading books; it was a kind of training for me as an immaterial spirit. Now I no longer read books, no. I write diaries. I transfer everything I know about the technologies of my home world onto paper. This world already has a steam engine. All that's left is to teach people about electricity, create radio, television, and help humanity conquer the sky, as well as other things I was familiar with from a basic physics textbook. To encrypt it from prying eyes, I wrote in my native language, creating two copies at once. One for myself, for the future, the other as payment for the spirit. As soon as I started doing this, I was immediately pleasantly surprised by the perfectly beautiful and delicate handwriting. Azula devoted a lot of time to calligraphy; even those skills of hers were transferred to me.
I rested from such work in the lovely company of Ty Lee. The girl craved my attention, especially in the evenings. I didn't have a conversation or a chance to clarify things with Azula in the near future. The girl was busy with the inspection and travel, while I was occupied with my own affairs, preparing payment for Wan Shi Tong. However, if she had wanted to, she would certainly have found time for our conversation. Fortunately, we did not encounter the horrors of crime like those in the port city again. The Princess managed everything well on her own, very rarely turning to me for help.
Thus, the daily routine flowed; I was mostly busy, paying attention to the acrobat and rarely exchanging phrases with Azula, who seemed to be trying to avoid meeting with me. I decided to give the Princess time to reflect on the situation herself, also immersing myself in work. Recalling the principles of various technologies and the possible ways to recreate them in this world took a lot of time. Especially considering I could only do this when the squad visited cities. On the road, I had other concerns.
Our squad had been moving from city to city for almost several weeks. The Princess inspected everything that crossed her path: cities, villages, trade caravans, and random people encountered on the road. Everything was going surprisingly smoothly and quietly, especially considering the relatively close distance to the borders. Well, for me, a close distance is a hundred kilometers; for the locals, it's a couple of days' travel. Neither spies nor earthbenders were detected. So far.
In terms of geographical location, we had covered more than half the journey when what Azula had feared happened.
An ambush.
Not a particularly well-executed one, but an ambush nonetheless. As usual, flying ahead and scouting the road, I discovered a couple of men in Earth Kingdom bending armor. Stern, silent, muscular men with beards. They were lookouts. They were hidden among the foliage of tall trees, looking out for something in the distance, from where I had flown. Azula's squad was moving in that direction, straight here.
Suspicious.
Ahead, the road abruptly ended with cliffs that had sprung from the earth and boulders scattered everywhere. Moreover, the large stones were scattered so that it was convenient to hide behind them from an attack coming from the road. All of this was perfectly visible from a bird's-eye view. Traders encountered by the squad on the way said the road was safe. People from the city Azula visited a couple of days ago confirmed this. The Princess's inspection had found nothing, so this information could be trusted. And this meant only one thing: such a terrain appeared very recently, maybe a day ago, maybe earlier.
Everything was too suspicious.
There was no point in guessing who they were waiting for. Too many random coincidences. Confident in my invisibility, I flew closer to the presumed ambush. Interesting. No matter how hard I looked, no people were visible anywhere. Only stones, cliffs, and sparse trees. But I couldn't be wrong, there was an ambush here somewhere! As far as I know, earthbenders cannot become invisible.
I was right.
I soon found a third person who was smarter than his two comrades. Having smeared his clothes with sand, mud, and clinging leaves, the third bender simply blended in with the surrounding grass, small bushes, and stones. A phantom of sorts. But three people are still too few. And this "phantom" was more likely an additional lookout, whose task was to ensure that the two lookouts weren't quietly taken out. And the perfect view of the lookout duo from his cover definitely confirmed my suspicions about an ambush. I needed to find the main force, but I had already searched everywhere! There were no people, no matter where I looked!
Again and again, I flew in circles in search of their main forces. I descended lower and lower to the ground, examining every bush and every cliff. I only found suspicious pits in the ground through which the wind was blowing. Approaching one of them, I heard a quiet whisper. And then it hit me!
They are underground, and the pits are a kind of ventilation that prevents the hidden soldiers from suffocating. Clever, but predictable. Where else can earthbenders hide but underground? Flying through the earth, I discovered the soldiers hidden in recently created caves. All that was left was to count the number of benders, non-benders, their total armament, and then I could fly to report to Azula.
(***)
For Wei Huan, the day began like all other days—ordinarily and calmly.
The man was completely satisfied with his life as a soldier and especially pleased with his high rank. He was a firebender serving in almost the most prestigious place in the entire Fire Nation army—the Princess's guard. Only the personal guard of the Fire Lord himself could be better and more honorable. He had attained such an honored position solely through his own merits and combat skills, something he never stopped being proud of. For an orphan, to be in the imperial guard was a great achievement. Higher than that were only general's or admiral's epaulets, but those were too sweet dreams.
It was the third week since he had left the ship to follow the Princess. In all that time, he had only needed to use the power of his bending a few times, and he was completely satisfied with that. Having dedicated over fifteen years of his life to the army, he wasn't going to die due to his own foolishness; he intended to live to see a well-deserved pension. Unlike those youngsters who rush into battle to gain glory or, as is most often the case, to die. You never know when a stray arrow will hit you in the eye. Service under the Princess suited him perfectly. The young girl was an excellent commander who knew how to keep her soldiers sharp. Frequent sparring helped them learn something new, but not everyone was eager to use that chance. The Princess was simply too gifted.
The squad was moving at a normal speed along the road, not rushing anywhere and conserving strength. Nothing foreshadowed trouble. The sun shone brightly in the sky, birds sang in the distance, a light breeze caressed their hair, bringing freshness; everything was ordinary, even routine. Wei Huan had long learned to derive pleasure from such routine days. They were much better than those moments when he, as a soldier, had to do his duty, risking his life in a fierce battle.
The routine promised to live long, when a trio of YuYan archers appeared on the horizon. They arrived earlier than the shift change.
This meant only one thing. Scouts had discovered something on the road. Perhaps another trade caravan, or perhaps an ambush. The army had long weaned Huan off counting on the best. It's much easier to live if you always prepare for the worst; you'll have more reasons to be happy.
However, this time, the guard's worst fears were realized.
Reaching the Princess, the archers reported an ambush by earthbenders. Their squad immediately stopped. After a little deliberation, Lady Azula selected most of the imperial guards, one huge mercenary, and the YuYan archers to eliminate the enemy. He was among the attackers, as were the people who brought the news of the ambush. The rest were ordered to guard the supplies and the komodo rhino mounts.
The squad split up.
What Huan respected the young Lady for was her keen intellect and indomitable courage. She didn't need advice; she handled all difficulties herself. Despite her young age, the girl personally led the attacking squad, leading the soldiers into battle. The morale from this event was sky-high! Feeling the presence of a powerful bender, the warriors were confident in their victory.
The time before the battle flew by like the wind. His task was simple: to keep the enemies away from the Princess and the mercenary. And he intended to execute it brilliantly.
It was terribly quiet.
The squad crept cautiously, waiting for the signal from the YuYan archers. Time flew by quickly and unnoticed; the soldiers moved in tension. Everyone was expecting a quick battle, mentally preparing for the fight.
Suddenly, a beautiful nightingale's song was heard in the silence.
"Strange. All my life, I've always thought those birds only live on one of the Fire Nation islands," a thought flashed through Wei Huan's mind.
But he had no time to think, as the Princess reacted instantly to the bird's singing.
— That's the signal. To your positions!
Heeding the Lady's command, the squad accelerated, occupying the nearest small hill. The soldiers, led by the Princess, took it without any problems. The road spoiled by the earthbenders was clearly visible from the hill. The warriors quickly formed a defensive formation around the Princess, preparing to protect her and the mercenary from any trouble, even at the cost of their own lives.
Suddenly, a prolonged whistle sounded.
The sound was quickly interrupted by a distant, death rattle. Wei Huan managed to see the YuYan archers eliminate another lookout who had blended in with the grass and mud, but it was already too late. Before dying, pierced by a dozen arrows, the enemy soldier managed to complete his task.
The earthbenders heard the signal to attack; they had nowhere to retreat. The earth trembled, beginning to move. Stones flew up, and huge slabs of stony ground opened like deck hatches, crashing down with a roar. Dozens of enemy soldiers began to emerge from underground. They instantly began to erect barriers and build fortifications using bending. The standard tactic of earthbenders: dig in and shoot back.
— Berkroot, aim for the center. I'll need "tongues"; I want some survivors among the enemies, but let there be few of them, — Lady Azula gave the command in a stern voice with notes of sadism and anticipation.
Without saying anything, the mercenary took two steps forward.
Huan was already beginning to guess what he was about to do. He had once witnessed this man's special firebending. Since the moment he taught the Princess his bending, Huan had begun to consider the Lady the strongest firebender in the world. Because he couldn't imagine any way to defend against explosion bending, just as he couldn't against lightning. And his opinion was shared by most of the imperial guards in Lady Azula's entourage.
— Hmm… — the silent mercenary aimed. Then he abruptly clenched his abdominal muscles, leaning forward.
— Hmm!!!
A beam that erupted from the mercenary's head flew towards the enemy with a whistle. It only took him a moment to cover the short distance. And then a flash of light appeared among the enemy fortifications.
Time seemed to slow down.
Wei Huan watched, mesmerized, as the power of Berkroot's bending crushed stones, obliterated fortifications, turning menacing cliffs into small boulders, tearing people apart and turning them into roasted chunks of meat. He could even make out incomprehension and surprise on the faces of the enemy benders before most of them were torn to shreds.
Everything happened in a matter of seconds. Terrifying power. Wei Huan's astonishment was shared by everyone without exception. The soldiers saw explosion bending in real combat for the first time, not just over the lonely ocean.
The roar from the explosion and falling stones sounded for miles around. And then silence, only faint and distant gasps indicated the presence of surviving enemies. But Huan was sure that after this, no one would be able to continue the fight. Not even the Avatar would have survived a hit from such powerful bending.
— A perfect battle and a perfect victory, — the soldiers heard their Lady's satisfied voice.
— Wei Huan! — the Princess addressed him.
— Yes, Lady! — the soldier responded instinctively, immediately stopping his observation of the defeated enemy squad and preparing to listen.
— Take a dozen guards, inspect the defeated; perhaps someone is still hiding or pretending. Also, gather all the survivors in one place. I want to know as many details as possible from the prisoners. And finally, burn the dead.
— It will be done, Lady, — the guard struck his fist against his chest before proceeding to execute the order.