The Mechanist

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Mountains... I had never been to the mountains. Even from afar, I had never seen their beauty. Huge, towering, snow-capped giants that have stood unwavering for thousands of years... or maybe more.

"Azula, I'll take a look around, don't lose me," I wink at the princess and catching her sceptical look in return, I fly off into the expanse of the heavens. At last I waved to Tai Li, the girl gave me a glance and smiled back.

- Tai Li, don't get caught up in the clouds," I hear Azula's somewhat jealous eyebrow twitching at the acrobat for her actions.

- Huh? Yeah, sure.

Separated from the squad, I flew among the clouds and cold wind, from afar enjoying the natural beauty of the surrounding expanse. The beauty of the area was mesmerising to my eyes.

I even had a sudden desire to climb the biggest mountain and look at the world from a great height. A silly, incomprehensible, but unexpected desire, a whim that I suppressed, knowing full well about the limited time and the possibility of getting lost among the many mountains. But even so, looking at the mountains from afar was a pleasing thing to the eye. Ah, and what a picture would open up on top of the mountain... I even wanted to start drawing the surrounding scenery, but alas, there was definitely no time or opportunity for that. It's even a pity that I don't plan on staying here much longer. As soon as I get a body, I will definitely visit all the interesting places of this world, and perhaps transfer their enchanting beauty to the canvas as a painting.

After enjoying the cold wind and the beauty of nature, I decided that I had had enough and it was time to return to the princess. To watch another session of bossy boot licking performed by the officials and officers of the army.

I glanced down and saw Azula's squad entering the city that was next to the mountains, and in the distance I could see a fortress with the flags of the Fire Nation on it.

From the princess's memory, I knew very well that this city was the northernmost city of the Fire Nation among the mainland territories. This meant that nearby was the Guan Lau Mountain Fortress, which was famous for its Colonel Bu Qing, who was also a good inventor who brought many innovations to the Fire Nation's army.

However, according to canon, I didn't remember such a person. An inconsistency? Or was he simply not shown? Or maybe I just don't remember the events of the series that well? Either way, I wanted to see a look at the Fire Nation's Leonardo Da Vinci. Smart people always have something to discuss. Except I'm a spirit, and that creates a lot of problems for communicating with living intelligent beings.

For me, the last city close to the border with the kingdom of earth was no different from the dozens of other cities I had already visited while travelling with the princess. The only novelty was the mountains, but I had already seen enough of them.

It was a bit of a misnomer to say that about the city, though. It used to be the border with the air mages, and now the entire expanse of the mountains was considered Fire territory, but even though it was many weeks of travelling through rugged mountain trails to the borders of the earth kingdom, it was still considered a border town. There was nothing of value in the area, and the hostilities were very far away, so this kind of backwater looked pretty solid for wartime and being so far away from the capital. The geographical barriers of the mountains made it impossible to fight in this area. The war was somewhere out there... far away, while here the locals lived their lives in peace.

However, this place was not particularly well suited for a research base, due to the good chance of successful sabotage by the enemy. And if I had realised this, then the people in power on both sides of the military conflict must have realised it as well. However, there were no signs of ambushes and sabotage. No landslides, no cave-ins, no chaotic traces of battle with earth mages, nothing like that I saw in the neighbourhood. And that was very strange, perhaps the base is secret? No, that's unlikely, more information is needed.

Meanwhile, Azula was busy with the inspection. Her friends accompanied her most of the time, while most of her subordinates were busy scouting and replenishing the squad's supplies. I, on the other hand, was loitering idly in the meantime. Having quickly completed my tasks, I only had to wait for the princess to finish hers. I couldn't talk to the supposed scientist and inventor myself without someone else's help. To observe once again the sycophancy and crawling of an official in front of the imperial personage was surprisingly boring....

After about four hours, Azula finally went to the fortress to watch the ingenious inventor colonel. And... he disappointed me almost immediately.

Bu Kin had welcomed her with open arms, expressing full deference and offering any assistance he could. However, all his deference and subservience gave off a kind of nasty feeling. The officer gave the impression of a slippery and unpleasant type, but very loyal to the Fire Master. It wasn't what I'd expect to see from a scientist and pioneer, and the impression was that he'd been stabbed in the back more than once in his career. The princess didn't like him much either, though he tried very hard to do so. Another sycophant, lying at his feet in vain dreams of promotion and a higher position.

Almost immediately after meeting him, this individual began to brag about modernising old weapons and inventing new ones that he had invented personally. And it was already interesting. Perhaps I had formed the wrong opinion of this person?

Meanwhile, the conversation between Bu Kin and the princess continued.

- Would you like to take a look at the latest development, Madam? Just tell me, I'll order my subordinates and they will immediately prepare everything to test the modernised tanks.

- Of course, Colonel Bu Kin. My father is always interested in anything that can increase the strength of our people. And while your subjects are busy making preparations, tell me about the size of your garrison....

The number of soldiers and their armament were not very interesting to me, I only noted a pretty good power for such a backwater, a couple of thousand soldiers and a hundred tanks with the support of two hundred such mages, not the worst army for the defence of no one needs the edge of the world. Though the same Berkut or Azula would have no problem genociding these defenders, whose skill leaves much to be desired.

While the soldiers were preparing the demonstration tests for the princess, the colonel continued to blather on about how he was doing a good job and serving the Fire Nation by hunting saboteurs, spies and bandits. It seemed as if he wanted to show off for the princess, and that would be all right, I'd seen it many times before, but the colonel's insistence was striking, as was his insolence. He wasn't very clever and was too easy prey for a schemer like Azula.

Boo Kin embellished his exploits too often. There were no bandits in this area, and spies with earth magic were almost impossible to catch among the mountains. They are too well behaved in the mountains, and have no problem getting out of sight by digging a tunnel of another. But at the same time, thanks to the same presence of the mountains, there's no way for an army to pass unnoticed, flank the front, and hit the rear of the main armies of the Fire Nation.

And when I could hardly contain the desire to go far away, so as not to listen to this insolent sycophant, the colonel together with Azula went to a small balcony, from which opened a beautiful view of the training ground, where the improved tanks were waiting.

And not just any tanks. The rollers were enlarged and equipped with spikes, successfully digging into the hard ground, they themselves became smaller, and their location now resembled ordinary steel wheels. The hull of the tank was raised and even visually it was lighter and more graceful. But this height... It could topple over from any sneeze. And earth mages just love to "sneeze" stalagmite under the bottom. That's why all Fire Nation war machines were heavy, with a low-slung hull and very thick armour. Yes, their speed was not to their liking, but it was a difficult task to pull off such a tank even for a few sorcerous mages.

- It doesn't look very stable," said Azula, from whom I had learnt so much about equipment and weaponry.

- Madam," Boo Kin smiled slyly, "believe me, these machines are much more stable than they look. But you'd better see them in action.

The colonel waved his hand, and one tank crashed into the other, flipping it easily onto its roof. But not even half a minute passed, as the hull of the overturned tank with a slight hissing twisted like a drum, and the technique began to look exactly the same as before the collision.

Interesting turned out to be "vertushki" that broke several laws of physics familiar to me. Only tanks did not know physics, and calmly raced across the parade ground. And their speed was not slow at all. And they were capable of more than just spinning. The colonel proudly demonstrated all the abilities of these monsters. I watched with interest as the machines stormed the steep walls with the help of boarding cats on steel chains. Crawling up a vertical wall or even a negative slope was no problem for them. Puffing and defying gravity, the tank stormed any heights. A great improvement, both for mountainous terrain and against earth mages.

- An interesting modernisation. How did you achieve such results? - Azula asked when the performance was over and the tanks had shown all they could do.

- Oh, the secret is the hydraulic system and the balancing system. This system not only allows the tank to roll over, but also distributes the resulting impact across the entire surface of the armour, which proportionally reduces the force of the impact and allows the tank to ignore most attacks, as well as manoeuvre very rigidly, - said Bu Kin confidently, while I was thinking.

He didn't look like a man who invented such a thing, he didn't.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it's all too suspicious. In fact, in the arse end of the world, such a man created such a marvellous piece of technology. And Azula seemed to share my suspicions. A few dropped phrases immediately showed that Bu Kin wasn't as knowledgeable about mechanics and engineering as he wanted to show. And there Azula pressed the man, and he admitted that he was not alone in the creation of shifter tanks. Though at first he was talking about a completely independent project. As soon as it became clear, the conversation between the princess and the colonel turned into a very subtle mocking of the soldier by the girl. However, the conversation didn't last long after that either.

Azula shot me a glance and then asked the colonel where the bathroom was. Stammering at the sudden change of subject, he pointed the way. And already in the lavatory we were able to talk quietly.

- Follow him and find out as much as you can. I want to know who invented those tanks," she whispered to me as soon as we were alone.

"I want to meet this genius myself, don't worry, I'll do my best. Now, I could use some of your chi."

- Make it quick. I'll be waiting for you at the inn," she said goodbye, then waited a little while and left the privacy room.

After another hour of empty verbiage with the colonel, the princess left the fortress. Boo Kin promised to introduce Azula to the second inventor, for tomorrow afternoon. She and the girls went to the city, while I continued to follow the colonel as an invisible shadow.

The time was already late, and the blood-red rays of the sunset illuminated the mountains, giving them an appropriate hue. The colonel's behaviour immediately changed once the princess was out of his sight. The respectful smile was replaced by an angry face. Quietly muttering something to himself about the overly guessing bitch, he ordered his soldiers to move out to a certain mechanic at sunset.

"I wonder where the squad is going," a thought flashed through my mind as I started to follow the squad of soldiers that had left the fortress

(***)

- Here I am," Zula says to me instead of greeting me, as I enter her room in my signature style: through the wall.

"It's been a long, arduous and insanely lonely journey."

- Don't waste time, it's late enough as it is. Say what you've learnt.

"Ooh, we're demanding. All right, I can see you're not in the mood for jokes, and neither am I. "The colonel is a big liar. All his alleged inventions were created by the Mechanist, a refugee from the land of the earth. He settled with a few other refugees in an abandoned air temple. The same temple is also home to gas deposits. The entire mountain could explode at any moment from the tiniest spark, and the world would lose a very remarkable genius."

- Are they mad? - Azula inquired in surprise.

"Genius and madness have always been sides of the same coin, but in this case, I suppose the refugees don't have a particularly wide choice. They've been intimidated by the soldiers and have nowhere to go. I suggest you execute Bu Kin, that individual is beating the hen that lays the golden eggs for silver dust."

- That's for me to decide. Is that all you've learnt?

"I can still tell you what 'flattering' words the colonel used to describe you when you weren't listening, or how the soldiers discussed your arse and pretty face, missing their wives," I answer the girl in a snide tone, lying down next to her on the bed.

"But on the useful side, Mechanist is an extremely good inventor, one best kept to himself. He did a great job of fixing up an abandoned air temple, heating it, and making a lift system there. There were many other inventions unknown to me. I'll find out more information on the temple tomorrow afternoon, it was a bit difficult to do it at night."

- Good.

"So-and-so?"

- Thank you for your work, Yoaru.

"You're welcome. Also, I'd like to talk to you about Tai Li, and your feelings about her. What do you think about unconventional relationships?", I decided not to put my interest in the matter in a drawer, abruptly changing the subject.

- What? You mean sodomy? - The princess gives me a dubious look.

- Ugh, how could you think of such a thing? No. Briefly my idea is that I could take over your friend's body and do that to you... - I glance carnivorously at the girl's figure, - I think Tai Li won't mind, she herself has not quite friendly feelings for you, as well as you for her. I can see that.

- Hmm? It seems to me that you just want to take two of them at once," the girl replies sceptically, glaring at me with a look full of suspicion.

"You don't think so, but that doesn't invalidate the tender feelings you have, for each other. Talking to you both, I've become more aware of that."

- Ah, okay. I'll think about it, now let me sleep, it's late, and tomorrow we still have to decide the Colonel's fate and look for clues.

"Good night..." - Giving the princess a light kiss before going to sleep and listening to her grumbling, I leave the girl alone to gain strength before tomorrow's day.

The next day began swiftly. Azula ordered more dirt on the colonel, and the soldiers presented it to their princess. Lies are always destroyed by true facts. The situation was as follows: Bu Kin wanted to pass off other people's inventions as his own in order to get a respectable place in the capital, a large pension, promotion, and other benefits that would bring him a reputation as an innovator and inventor. The colonel had been exposed as a liar before the princess, and Zula had no intention of showing pity. She told him that she would decide on the measure of execution depending on what she learnt from his dirty deeds. However, evidence could always be forged and witnesses intimidated, after all, no one dared to help or defend the Colonel when the girl was handing down the death sentence for attempting to deceive the Fire Master himself.

After checking if the eggs were in place and realising that they were, Bu Kin took the desperate step of summoning the princess to Agni Kai, where he died safely from the heat of the blue flames. He was a mediocre mage, and his old body wasn't as strong as it had been in his younger days. A decent fight was not possible, the difference in skills was simply colossal. However, with that, he saved his honour by dying as a warrior, not as a prisoner in a zone or an executed criminal. A lengthy investigation showed that there were enough sins behind his soul for the cruelest execution, but the man decided to die in a duel. It was his right.

After a small duel, the princess began to restore order in the fortress, intimidating the soldiers. The latter were afraid of her to the point of trembling in their knees and were constantly walking on a string afraid to stutter in the presence of the main bosses. Too much Zula knew how to be scary, and the reputation was still ahead of the girl. And how not to be afraid, when for any misstep, the bosses have the right to execute on the spot. Perhaps with any other inspector and had a chance to agree, but with the princess, no, it was considered simply impossible. Azula had a peculiar reputation that wouldn't disappear so easily in a couple of months.

She quickly finished with all the affairs in the city and the fortress, appointed a temporary colonel and went to meet the scientist. The acting colonel himself began to stammer at such a promotion. And the fact was that the girl quietly hinted that she would skin him if she did not like his work. The man took it all too literally, no one could blame him for that.

Meanwhile Azula, along with a small but very efficient escort, had reached the northern air temple.

- Good evening, Mistress. You must be the princess? - Almost at a glance the mechanised man determined, once he had walked through the late arriving girls along with the guards. One glance at the headdress was enough, the old man must be well versed in Fire Nation culture to recognise the special hair comb at once.

- That's right. Before we begin our conversation. I want you to know that what the late Colonel did was illegal. He won't bother you again, don't worry about that. I have heard and even seen some of your works in action, I would like to discuss a lot of things with you as soon as possible, - the princess did not make unnecessary verbiage, immediately began with the main topic and the main question of their meeting. It was an approach I could only fully approve of.

- Ahem. Of course. Ahem, ahem, please follow me. I want to apologise in advance, the temple is a bit untidy, - the scientist was confused by the girl's pressure.

- That's all right. As far as I know, it was not me you expected to see.

- Yes, yesterday I was informed about the arrival of the escort and the meeting with you, please come here....

That's how Azula got to know the Mechanist by opening the door with her foot, appreciating his inventions to the fullest. The old man himself, with the appearance of a standard scientist with a touch of madness and partially burnt eyebrows, regarded the princess with some apprehension. However, she had always had a knack for finding an approach to people. Not just through intimidation and fear, it was just that she rarely used other methods. This case was one of them.

With my little help, the princess offered to move him and all the refugees to Yu Dao, one of the very first colonies of the Fire Nation. She didn't promise a house for everyone, but she could provide a flat without any problems, as well as work, food, security, citizenship and other benefits of the civilised world. It would be no problem for Yu Dao to take in a hundred other refugees. All of this was offered to both the Mechanist and anyone who decided to go with the scientist. The old man, of course, had his doubts, but he didn't have much choice. Because of the same deposits of explosive gas in the depths of the mountains, it was simply dangerous to live in the temple.

But Zula liked the scientist's various inventions so much that she decided to act for sure.

- I couldn't help but notice your son's unfortunate health. He's holding up quite well, considering his ailment. Flying in the middle of the sky like that is... very brave," she said, glancing up at the sky where the local brave men were flying hang-gliders.

Why brave? Simple, the genius invented hang gliders, but he didn't invent parachutes. And to fly in the sky without insurance... here either don't value life at all or have the strongest balls in the world. Azula, too, had noticed such fearlessness. The mechanic then explained that thanks to the ever-thick layer of snow, no one had ever died from such extreme sports.

- Yes. Theo..." the scientist looked up at the sky sadly, "a lot of water has passed since then. He stopped walking since the flood in our village. Bandits destroyed the dam and we all lost our home. I couldn't give my son back his legs, but I was able to give him wings! Of course, some would find it dangerous, but when he first took off, I could see the smile on his face again! - With a great mass of feelings, the interlocutor replied, impressing both Azula and me.

- Ahem. That's an impressive invention. But that's not what we're talking about now. Have you heard anything about fire healing?

- Ah. I'm afraid not. I've never heard of fire magic healing.

- I can try to cure him. For free. It would be a small proof of the best intentions on my part, - oh, these words affected the old man like a bomb! The mechanist simply exploded with emotion.

- Yes? Really? The treatment will be painful? Do you need something for that? Can we try it now? Can I be present during the treatment? - The old man immediately bombarded the girl with questions, coming impermissibly close, he grabbed the princess by the shoulders, completely forgetting about status, fear and manners!

The soldiers were about to twist the insolent man, but Zula gave a slight sign with her hand and they stopped. It was good that I had time to suppress my instincts, I'm afraid he wouldn't have survived the fire in his face. After calming my grandfather down a bit, they discussed the matter and came to an agreement. I was beside myself and understood that part of Azula's words were meant for me. Because she can't heal such serious wounds as leg paralysis. Knowledge is simply not enough, and neither is skill, control, or anything else.

The Mechanist called his son, Theo, over to him. I wonder how he heard his father, being quite high in the sky? But I didn't have time to think about it. The treatment wasn't very complicated, but I had to run my hands over the boy for half an hour. Treating the nerves and spinal cord was an unusual challenge, but I managed it. When the boy recovered, he could not believe what had happened for a long time, and afterwards he thanked me, so that I had no words to describe the depth of his feelings. The man was cured when he had no hope that he would be able to walk on his own two feet one more time in his life. For the former invalid, the princess will forever be associated with a miracle. And such sincere gratitude was to Azula's liking.

Of course, this was not an empty charity, but a play on the feelings of the scientist, who in his son soul did not want to. Getting him back on his feet wasn't particularly difficult, but rather tedious and boring. Our combined forces with Zula could do more than that. The mechanist was ready to give all the drawings and all the developments right here and now, at the same time enrolling in the army of fire, but Azula and I had other plans for the brilliant scientist.

After resolving all the issues, the Mechanist with his men and a number of Azula's edicts, travelled to Yu Dao. The princess's squad continued the inspection, and I still did not talk to the scientist. However, it was for the best....