33 First Flame 11

It had occurred to me back when I fought Azula. If it was Ty Lee in my place that were hit with those flames, she would be dead. While it was advantageous that I had the body of a video game character and my enemies didn't, it also meant my allies didn't have one either.

Except for my tamed beasts. Because they were linked to my very soul, and the system itself through my soul was linked to them as well. While they didn't gain as big a benefit of being a game character like myself, they did receive it partially. They gained bodies that were close to say, Npc game followers. The closest that comes to mind being say, the followers from Skyrim, like Lydia.

They got all the benefits of the health bar and energy bar systems, and the rapid recovery ability that came with it. But here was the only real problem. My Beast Tamer skill only worked on beings that fell under the non-human, beast-like category. It would work on spirits I had confirmed with the system, which was what made me believe my plan for Vaatu was possible, but it couldn't work on humans​

But then a thought occurred to me. What if, just what if I connected the Beast Tamer skill itself to a human through a tamed beast, rather than trying to tame the human? Quite frankly, I wasn't sure it would work at all, but when I saw the heartbroken expression she was making when she was questioning her own worth, I felt that it was worth a try. So, I tried it out. And somehow, it worked. I'm betting that it's the system itself at work. The interface might be toggled off, but I know it's still there, I can feel it. I'm still the gamer.

"This is really neat!" Ty Lee was all smiles now a few minutes later, the tamed Sparrowkeet, still unnamed as of now resting on her forearm as she tickled it under its beak, "Who's a good boy huh?" she fussed over it gently.

I felt myself smiling as I watched her. It wasn't just about wanting her any more. At some point, she'd gone from my favourite Avatar waifu, to a real person and seeing her happy, made me happy in a way.

God what a sap I've become. In my past life, I was the type of guy who stopped dating altogether because it was easier to just pay a call girl and fuck her then go on my way. I hated being in a relationship before, I hated the fact that these annoying chicks could have a say in my life and I couldn't just go constantly at my own pace because of them. Like, if I wanted some me time, but they wanted to go on a date and I refused to go, I was a bad, uncaring boyfriend and blah blah blah. I'd never cared about a relationship in that life, all I'd cared about in regards to girls was fucking them and then moving on.

It could be the game has suppressed those lazily selfish characteristics of mine enough. Or it could be that I just like Ty Lee that much that it supersedes all the problems I had with girls getting in the way of my peace and quiet when it came to relationships. But honestly, I'm not complaining. The system has done really well by me as far as I'm concerned.

Still, as I watched Ty Lee, I could feel a connection with her. It was hard to describe. It was kind of like a sixth sense. Or explaining the colour purple to someone who has been blind from birth. It was something I couldn't truly put into words. But I could feel Ty Lee through the connection I'd made with her with the Sparrowkeet, just the same as I could feel the sparrowkeet itself or Mong, Simba and Buzzy.

Buzzy was totally named by Ty Lee by the way.

I could tell where she was even with my eyes closed, feel her with my back turned, and had a feel for her general physical condition. And what I could feel made me very happy. Because, I could feel the same kind of pseudo connection to the system within her now as well.

Now, thank to this, she had the benefits of a partial video game characters body and would be much harder to kill and would recover much quicker from injuries as well.

"Oh look!" Ty Lee's excited squeal brought me out of my thoughts. I looked over to see her with the green feathered sparrowkeet on her shoulder and looking down over the basket of the hot air balloon. "It's the Gates of Azulon, we're not far from the Fire Nation main land now."

I looked over the basket myself and peered down the massive, massive drop below us. Yet, I didn't even find myself swallowing back fear or feeling any nerves in my stomach at all despite the fact that in my last life I was terribly afraid of heights. The system really was a great buddy in that regard. Sasuga System!

And Ty Lee was right. There, towering hundreds of feet up from platforms in the ocean was a massive statue of Fire Lord Azulon, placed right in the centre between two islands on the way into the Fire Nation seas.

It was really well crafted, I have to admit. And the gold trimming on it was beautifully done. 'I wonder if I can steal it and stuff it in my inventory?' I wondered, a massive grin spreading across my face. I could just imagine the sheer bafflement and terror everyone stationed near it would go through if it just suddenly disappeared.

And dropping the statue of Azulon on Ozai might be an even funnier choice of action than dropping the corpse of the sand shark on him. It sure would be a really ironic way for him to die as well considering just how he got his current position as Fire Lord.

The image of Ozai shouting, 'Daddy no!' as a giant statue of Azulon falls on him and crushes him to death in my head is almost enough to make me burst into hysterics.

I shook my head and kept my laughter contained. The possible cruel and humiliating deaths Ozai can go through are for later, right now, my eyes settled on the direction of north. 'Only a few hours more.' my fingers twitched excitedly. Only a few hours more until I reach the Sun Warriors ancient ruins, and have the chance to meet with Ran and Shaw and learn the true ways of fire bending.