CH5: Meeting Azula

They gave me a room aboard the cruiser where I could relax and train. Green light bathed the room, and sweat beaded down my face. This was training, and my heart hammered in my chest from the effort. I ground my teeth in concentration as I struggled to hold my aura in place. When I had it right, my shadows told me since looking at the skill lvl meter threw off my concentration. All I had to do was watch my shadow to make sure it didn't dance.

Another level of qi enhancement brought a broad smile to my face. It was the hardest skill to level up, and I had to dump a lot of time into it. Cold resistance went up by being cold, and photosynthesis let me absorb nutrients from sunlight through my aura. They were passive, and time would level them up without any effort. Qi manifestation was different.

I had to spend my qi and gather my aura around my body in a constant balance. The skill didn't go up if I wasn't in balance, and balancing my aura took a lot of effort.

Qi Manifestation lvl16

Aura Manipulation lvl20

Qi Enhancement lvl12

By my clock, I still had a few hours before I needed to go to bed, plenty of time to gain one more level in one of my skills. Once one hit 100, I would really start getting strong. Qi enhancement strengthened my body, qi manifestation let me make an area my domain, and aura manipulation allowed me to shape my aura into new forms. They were all important if I wanted to develop more than a little speed and strength. Copying bending was only possible with my maxed-out Qi control. Basic skills were important, and I needed to give them time if I ever wanted to max them out.

I once saw Samson punch an army of zombies out of existence. A single blow was all it took for him to wipe out hundreds of high-level revenants. That was the power of basics and what I needed a wise old master for. If I could work myself to the bone under a good teacher, then I could start reaching his level or go beyond.

"Master, you will far surpass that sad werewolf. After all, he never ruled a province, much less a planet." Lu Zhi said.

"We're free, so who knows what we will do. My thread will transform this tapestry in ways no one predicted."

"Karma bends before our power, and soon you'll bend this world over a barrel and fuck it."

Iroh knocked on my door. I sighed, knowing I wouldn't get another level. "Come in. I'm not doing anything important or anything."

"My apologies Avatar but we will soon arrive. My brother has ordered us to immediately take you to his throne room."

I smiled, showing all teeth. "Well, I'll have to try the local food another time. Do I look nervous? This is the first time I've done anything like this?"

"You're the Avatar; you've done this countless times, and you will do so again."

"Until I manage to escape the Samsara, though I prefer the term karma. After this, will you teach me fire bending? Before I arrived at the South Pole, a friend told me I should find a wise old master to teach me. He said those were normally the best teachers. Before, I wanted to join an academy, but it didn't work out. My karma pulled me elsewhere."

"If you would have me as your teacher, I would be honored. But I may be busy after my brother's defeat assisting the new fire lord."

"We'll have to work out a schedule then, with plenty of tea breaks," I said with a smile.

I'm certain he was under the impression Zuko would be the next Fire Lord. That wouldn't happen; why would I go to the trouble of deposing a nation's leader just to let his son take up his seat? I could appoint a governor to care for the nation after I became emperor of the world. Appointing Zuko could work in that regard.

Iroh chuckled. "Perhaps, I'll make that one of my demands as his advisor." Suddenly the mirth left Iroh. "Will you really be able to break the chains and handle my brother?"

I smirked. "I'm more worried about the Fire Nation crumbling into civil war than deposing him. The difference in our physical abilities has already decided the battle. It will be over before he can use his fire bending. He will wake up in a prison cell pissed out of his mind."

Really, I hadn't decided if I would execute him or not. So, I decided to leave him alive and trade his life for his daughter's marriage. It was the imperial thing to do and a dependable method to get the people to follow me. Royal hostages were important, and the soon-to-be fire lord would make four. But, of course, I would never say Iroh or Zuko were hostages; they would be my guests.

After this, I'll have a few friends. So, I'll have to be careful of what I drink for about half a century to a full century while I wait for the old guard to die. Then, when I conquer the rest of the world, the old guard will lead the charge. Depending on how quickly they jump ship to my side and who holds out. Maybe I could allow a day of challenges starting with allowing the Fire Lord a rematch in front of a crowd.

That would tell the oligarchy that I'm not to be fucked with, and by Sol Invictus, they would get the message.

"I understand you feel merciful, but my brother is crazy and needs to be put down," Iroh said.

"That may not be politically prudent. Being known as the ultimate authority because I kill anyone who steps out of line isn't what I want." Benevolent tyranny was better than overt tyranny.

There should be a standard of laws and punishments that are easily understandable. In this case, by not immediately bowing and ceding the Fire Nation and all her resources to me, I considered the Fire Lord in rebellion. It was the type of thinking Majorian would use to justify his actions. By considering the Fire Lord a rebel instead of power all his own, I put him under a different lens. It was a tactic used by the Huns in my world to justify the harshest treatment of their enemies.

Of course, the Huns were great at propaganda. I looked pretty thanks to my charisma stat, and I was alone. My only ally in this conspiracy Zhao was flaky at best. Iroh and Zuko's obedience to me was 0, so I couldn't count on their support. So, I would have to go for shock and awe.

"It's for the world. You've done this countless times, and the world will acknowledge that this is another one of those times." Iroh said.

"I will think about it," I said, and the room fell silent.

Zuko was nearby, and I was certain he heard everything. What happened next would be interesting. If the Fire Lord was the man I thought him to be, then he would go to ground and isolate himself. An isolated Fire Lord couldn't give out orders.

…

Her father was absent, leaving her in charge of this mess. They had gotten the messenger hawk from her brother only a few hours before Zuzu's mini-cruiser arrived. He had done it; the Avatar was captured and supposedly in chains that looked secure. A ploy by her traitorous uncle to seize the throne. It was a cunning strategy to use her brother's desire to get his honor back to lead the Avatar to the Fire Lord. Only the chains he wore wouldn't be secure, allowing the Avatar to strike at her father. Even after capturing the Avatar, poor Zuzu wouldn't get his honor back.

Father wouldn't take back fools who let others lead them around by the nose. His only saving grace was warning the capital ahead of time. Imperial fire benders were posted all around the city, and when the time was right, they would attack the Avatar.

So, Azula waited in the throne room in her father's seat. Scribes, poets, and remembrancers waited in the wings to record this event for all time. It would be a footnote in her great rein as Fire Lord. This was her first step in writing her own history for generations to come. She had cleared it with her father, and he was overjoyed to hear her interest in controlling public opinion. Then he left for his bunker not because he feared the Avatar but to deny him what he wanted. Azula was confident in her ability to handle anyone Zuko could trick.

People cheered, and she endured it even if it was a blow to her pride. Zuzu would have his triumph as the one who captured the Avatar, but she would have the honor of slaying him. With that victory, Zuzu would forever be in her shadow. And it would be good to have the dumdum back.

She had been satisfied with his banishment until he was gone. Then, without Zuko to gather her father's disappointment, it all fell on her. She had to be perfect; even a hair out of line could have consequences. Her father was still more than young enough to remarry and have more children. He often mentioned the fire sages and their fear of crowning a woman as Fire Lord. They whisper when they think no one listens that she will invite weakness.

Azula made sure to sit straight to express her majesty on the throne. She imagined she looked intimidating, surrounded by flames. However, this was her show, and with the imperial guard on her side, nothing would stop her. The triumph ended as Zuko's party arrived.

The doors to the throne room opened slowly, welcoming in another contingent of imperial fire benders. If she was going to fight Uncle traitor and the Avatar, she wanted all the backup she could get.

Zuko stepped forward, showing off the hideous scar covering the left half of his face. Just seeing it filled her with a feeling she would rather not touch. But, she was there and smiled as her only obstacle to the throne was burned away by his own actions. Everything should have been smooth sailing from there, but her father always expected more. She felt that sooner or later, he would ask too much, and she might suffer a lesson just like Zuko. But, Azula wouldn't let that happen.

The throne room went silent as the Avatar walked in covered in chains.

She saw the face of the Avatar and felt her heart skip a beat. Azula had never seen anyone like him. His eyes glowed with an inhuman green gleam, fearless and sure. They swept the room, and a smile spread across his face. It was mocking even as he flashed it her way, like he knew her father wouldn't be here. She watched him move and knew the chains were a prop. Even after ordering the dockmaster to swap them out, Uncle Traitor was more cunning than she realized. Or perhaps the Avatar was the one who orchestrated this conspiracy to defeat her father. Even surrounded by imperial fire benders, the man seemed sure of himself. His chest seemed broad like an empire class battleship where he stood; other ships were empowered. Uncle traitor looked around confused, but the Avatar remained seemingly in control. She guessed that he knew about Zuko and let things play out. Either he believed Zuko would turn traitor, too, or the betrayal didn't matter. If this was a fully realized Avatar, she shivered at the thought.

"Welcome home, brother and Uncle; you brought the Avatar, but I heard he was last sighted near Kyoshi island."

"It appears that there are more secrets to the world than we once realized. Red is an Avatar from ancient times frozen in ice. But for all we know, there could be more. Where is my brother? He would want to hear this news personally?"

Azula paused, and her mind flew through the possibilities. If what Uncle Traitor said was correct, there could be even more Avatars out in the world. After one froze, the cycle didn't seem to stop. Perhaps it was planned, a secret the Avatars kept hidden to bolster their numbers if needed. What if there was one in the North Pole trained since birth? She shivered internally at the possibility. Three Avatars were an existential problem for the Fire Nation.

"Guards take the Avatar to prison along with my traitorous Uncle."

"Why did you do it, Uncle? Why did you betray the homeland? I heard you and the Avatar." Zuzu said with a voice filled with real betrayal.

She saw the Avatar smile and felt unsettled. He knew Zuko betrayed their conspiracy but hadn't made a move to stop him. Azula watched the chains fall away as the imperial fire benders charged forward. Then, in a blur, they were down as a green light blew back the shadows in the throne room. The Avatar glowed with a light like Agni himself, and suddenly he stood in front of her.

Azula moved to end this threat to her homeland once and for all but froze when he gripped her hand. She tried to pull away, but his hand was firm like flesh wrapped around steel. Her blue flames erupted before she struck him in the chest, but the green light that surrounded him swallowed her flames.

"Sorry, natural fire is the easiest element to subdue." The Avatar pulled free a blocky weapon from his side and pointed it at nearby imperial fire benders, and cracks of thunder peeled free. She thought he had used lightning the ultimate form of fire, bending for a moment. Green light had lit up the throne room, but the imperial fire benders were on the ground bleeding from various nonlethal wounds. The Avatar holstered his weapon and turned his attention back to her. With a few remaining imperial fire benders, Zuko continued fighting Uncle Traitor, but her focus was on the Avatar.

"I thought about it, and I've decided the best thing to do about this situation was become fire lord myself." The Avatar said, and to his voice, the title sounded lesser like a consolation prize than the seat of the ultimate power in the world.

The sheer gall of this man; no Avatar had done something similar. They were aloof and rarely cared about ruling anything. He scooped her up, and she let him sit on the throne with her in his lap. It felt like treachery to allow this; she called upon her fire, but the flames winked out. The same green light that surrounded the Avatar stopped her flames before they could ignite.

"How long before your father leaves his bunker?"

"I won't tell you anything," Azula said. She was forced to suffer the indignity of riding in the Avatar's lap on her father's throne.

"Where I came from, there were a people called the celts. When they took a wife, they would either duel the woman's father for the right or offer the man the skull of his greatest enemy. Skulls were a treasure to the celts; they would keep pyramids of them to remember their fallen enemies. Each one had a story, and the celts were proud of them. So I thought about borrowing the tradition, what do you think. Would your father give you to me and make me his heir if I gifted him the skull of his worst enemies?" The Avatar said.

Then he raised his weapon and put down the last imperial guards leaving only her brother. The latter quickly went down against Uncle Traitor.

"You talk about them like they aren't your people. What would your people do?" Azula asked.

"Not an option, and you don't seem too opposed to such a tradition."

"It's barbaric, but it sends a message that I'm worth kingdoms and armies of blood. But, really, I didn't picture you as a romantic. Besides, I'm going to be Fire Lord."

"Fine, then you can rule the Fire Nation while I rule the world."

Azula smirked. "What difference would that make if the Fire Nation finished conquering the world?"

A snort answered her. "Your nation can't rule the world from here. You'll have to move the capital to the mainland to have any chance. I've seen a map of the known world. Your messenger hawks are useful but too slow to run the world. Your system is too inflexible. If you succeed, you'll be up in your eyeballs in rebellions in a decade. There is another Avatar who can fly with his bison; with a few freedom fighters using hit and run tactics, they could become a nuisance to your little empire."

"What would you propose?" She asked and made a play on his weakness. Azula moved her rear in just the right way to cloud the Avatar's mind. His green light surrounded her as it expanded like flames ready to burn the world.

"You are sweet. A-zu-la," he said her name as if he were tasting it. She leaned back against him and continued to grind against him as dozens of imperial fire benders lay on the floor bleeding out. She thought about grabbing his weapon, but Azula was uncertain. Something stirred in her when he wrapped his arms around her.

What she was considering was traitorous.

His breath tickled her ear, making her want to squirm before he whispered. "I'm sorry, it's my power, and I can't turn it off. The more powerful I get, the worse it will be on you. I can only teach you and hope that as you grow stronger, you can resist it."

Azula's eyes widened, and her lessons took over. Where there was power to be had, seek it out no matter the cost. There was only one moral right in the world, and it was power. If she were denied this chance, she would be no better than Zuzu or her weak mother.

…

Azula Obedience +3

Azula Affection +10

+11CHA

Azula Obedience 13

Azula Affection 19

CHA 120

Azula was difficult to impress, and I liked her more for it. Throwing Zhao around was enough to get quite a bit of Obedience, but that wasn't worth much to me. Obedience right in front of me wasn't obedience with me away. Zhao's obedience had declined from 20 to 5 a day after I left. Azula was hard to get obedience from, but she could give some affection with the right buttons. I couldn't help but like her.

She was as conniving as any imperial and didn't seem opposed to marriage, especially with nations as her dowry. An imperial would give herds, captured slaves from distant lands, and powerful accessories as their dowry. That was great when the accessories could be replenished and the goats herded over land. Unfortunately, I didn't have the resources or the time to get those things. Really crushing the Fire Lord would be easier.

I lifted her off my lap, stood up, and placed her sexy butt back on the throne. "By the way, I know where your father is. I've known the whole time."

"One of your powers that we benders of the modern age forgot?" Azula asked.

She was fast on the uptake and adapted at lightning speeds. If I didn't stay on my toes, she might surpass me with skill grinding alone. That would be sad. A smile spread across my face imagining going toe to toe with her in cultivation. It sent a pleasant feeling in my gut, and I didn't want to let her go. I wanted to ask her things about herself and get to know her. It was weird and very against the grain. A real imperial wouldn't care about his wife's past so long as they did their duty like a good imperial wife.

Azula was like fire. I knew she could burn me if I didn't handle her with care, but there was so much potential in her. Her amber eyes were so bright, and the way she looked at me sent butterflies through my entrails. There was so much calculation, expectation, and perhaps the possibility of adoration. If I was careful and treated her like an empress, she could be the partner I never knew I wanted.

Obelisk would crow about how this was the beginning of my great tragedy. Samson would tell me to wear protection, and I never went anywhere without my armor. Majorian would roll his eyes at my young infatuation with a foreign barbarian girl. On the other hand, Swarm would probably be supportive; she was nominally a positive influence on my life.

As the feeling of my party's shades vanished, I returned to reality. Those amber eyes stared at me, questioning, and I felt a little sheepish. "Yes, it's actually related to fire bending. I can sense the world around me using like bouncing off my aura. Those who are strong are easy to sense because they have more qi than other people. For example, your father stands out like a campfire on a moonless night. He should be careful that archers don't attack his camp, leaving them unprepared because his qi is very noticeable."

She giggled at my lame attempt at a joke. "Oh, and how would you hide your campfire?"

"I would build a stove around it."

Iroh walked up to the throne. "You two seem to be getting along. Are you still going to take down the Fire Lord?" Iroh asked.

"No, he's going to strong-arm the Fire Lord, force him to abdicate and assume an advisory position. Then, after our wedding is announced, the fire sages will crown the Avatar Fire Lord shortly before our engagement is announced."

"What the Avatar can't be the Fire Lord that isn't done?"

Azula came up with our running strategy on the fly. It was good enough.

"It's the only way to steer this ship away from a disaster. Once an empire stops expanding, a civil war is inevitable."

"I see, but at least the war will be over," Iroh said.

I glanced back at Azula and rolled my eyes, and her lips twitched.

Azula Affection +1

"So long as we aren't aggressed upon while we wind things down and set our borders, the war will end, and the recession will begin. When the war economy takes a back seat, things will naturally wind down. If we're lucky, it will only be a hard six months. Even if we conquer the world, likely, we'll still suffer from a recession at the end of it. We'll have what we have with no more lands to conquer."

"How much was lost over the centuries?"

"More than you can imagine. Now let's get these fine imperial guards some medical attention."