4 Chapter 4: The Thirst
New Quest:
THE CAPTURE OF OMASHU
Main Objective: Claim the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu from King Bumi
Secondary Objective: Complete the Quest before the Fire Nation Siege Corps arrives
Rewards:
Massive Reputation increase with the {Fire Nation}
Massive bonus exp
Secondary Rewards:
Perk Points x4
+ R +
It was night by the time we returned to the encampment.
With flames in our hands, the raiding party looked like a long religious procession in the darkness of the Earth Kingdom wilderness. Meanwhile, the Kyoshi Warriors- still in their full armoured regalia- stayed silent as they walked beside me the entire march back. The gravity of what they had just done was undoubtedly still weighing heavily on them. Their painted faces were set in stony expressions as they digested the fact that they had essentially defected to Fire Nation, or more specifically, to me.
Companion acquired: Suki
* Raise Reputation with Suki to unlock the recruitment of more {Kyoshi Warriors}. *
+ R +
For besting Kyoshi Warriors in both direct combat and subterfuge; and being their only hope for clearing their name...
{Suki & the Kyoshi Warriors} Reputation : 30 - -10
{Suki & the Kyoshi Warriors} Obedience : -25 - 25
+ R +
I was down to negative Reputation with them, but I had finally brought their Obedience up to the positives. I'll consider that progress! After all, I honestly expected it to be a lot lower. Negative ten Reputation was impressive considering that I framed them for a horrendous atrocity that I committed and was now in the process of making them fight their former allies for me. But apparently, I was growing onto Suki...
"I'll be making the announcement to the troops." I told them. "Let me do the talking, but don't show weakness."
"We don't plan to, Khan." was Suki's icy response.
... Yes, it was clear that she was really warming up to me.
I gave the order for the entire division; and soon, the entirety of the camp was assembled before us. The platoons of spearmen in their red and black armour, the squads of Firebenders and the growing number of mounted scouts. All standing at attention in neat, disciplined blocks as they looked up to me and the Kyoshi Warriors as we stood on a wooden platform overlooking them all.
"Proud soldiers of the Fire Nation." my voice boomed loud and clear to the gathered division, "This band of Kyoshi Warriors have formally defected to the 41st. Yes, I know what you're thinking; and no, I'm not expecting you to treat them as equals. The type of bond that you have with the Fire Nation soldier standing beside you cannot be replicated. The Kyoshi Warriors did not spring from the volcanic bosom of Fire Islands of our homelands, nor do their blood burn hot with the stock of the fabled dragons' disciples as yours do. They will never truly be Fire Nation."
Suki's blue eyes momentarily glanced at me- unsure where I was going with this, but she and her sisters stood firm regardless. I continued my little speech to the troops.
"Instead, you will look upon them as the first Fire Lord did look at the disparate and warring tribes of the Fire Islands which he forged into a nation: As your newest allies! After all, the Kyoshi Warriors have come to us bringing a most handsome gift of friendship... in the form of a great heap of our enemies' corpses and the Earth Kingdom's second largest stronghold for the taking. They have given you a most generous gift; where are your manners?!"
In perfect sync, the men and women of the 41st bowed low at the waist and put fist to palm, and as one, their voices rang out as they thanked them in a customary Fire Nation manner.
"Your gift sparks joy in our hearts, Kyoshi Warriors!"
"41st Division, Hone your skills and sharpen your blades." I ordered them, "We will march to take Omashu in three days! Our arrival will be directly preceded by Omashu choking itself on that special Gaoling rice, and such is our generous nature that we will come to bring them a traditional Fire Nation dessert, nice and fiery hot. Dismissed!"
There was an atmosphere of excitement when I made the announcement. Morale had naturally high after we burned and looted those eight villages, and repelled those Earth Kingdom response forces. Both the 41st's war coffers and the coin pouches of my troops were fat with Earth Kingdom money. The servants that we captured were also put to good use. We had the gold, and the women... Now all we hungered for was glory. A big target to win us the admiration of the Fire Nation, and that target was Omashu.
Alright, that should be enough to cover the Fire Nation side of this potential friction between the Kyoshi Warriors and the 41st Division. Now, I have to ensure that Suki and the others didn't.
"So, how will this work, Khan?" Suki questioned with lips in a thin line, likely referring to their current servitude to me.
"For now, I'm assigning you an officer's coach to share." I began with a small olive branch of peace to them, "Get settled in and requisition whatever you need from the quartermaster. Afterwards, come to my private quarters so that we can discuss your duties."
"... Okay." The redhead nodded- and with one last wary glance at me- walked away with her sisters-in-arms.
Meanwhile, I walked back to my personal quarters. I needed some time alone as I considered the next order of business.
Level up Achieved!
[Khan's Abode]
The metal door to my quarters shut behind me and I sighed, "Okay, game. Before the Kyoshi Warriors arrive, hit me with that flood of notifications."
[Quest - Raid and Pillage] Completed!
Main Objective: Completely disrupt the Gailong-Omashu trade route
Rewards Granted:
Large Reputation increase with the {Fire Nation}
Massive bonus exp
Legendary Item x2
+ R +
For disrupting the vital Gailong-Omashu trade route that fueled the Earth Kingdom defence...
{Fire Nation} Reputation : 6 - 26
+ R +
Level up Achieved!
Name: Khan "The Giant"
Level: 4 - 5
Level exp: 81/2000
Rank: Captain. 41st Division, Fire Nation Army.
HP: 780/780
Strength: 53 - 54
Dexterity: 51 - 52
Constitution: 57 - 58
Intelligence: 4 - 5
Spirit: 37 - 39
* 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.
Furor of Furious Fury (Active): Angry caveman powers, activate! For the next 4 strikes you make, your strength is doubled.
Flex it off! (Passive): You feel a lot better after you pose and flex your muscles. On top of your Constitution, add 25% Strength to your Health points and Resistances calculations.
Overpower (Passive): Hit 'em hard when they're not looking, but hit 'em even harder when they are. Gain 20% 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.
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:
Iron Gut (Passive): Not to be confused with iron abs. Double 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%).
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% bonus stats more at 1% HP.
Lvl 20 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).
Spirit Rush (Active): Yes, overconfidence is now a power! Once a day, double your Spirit. Spirit Rush' duration in seconds is half your Spirit stat.
* 1 Perk Points Available.*
+ R +
14 perks, 1 perk point at my disposal.
Once again, the importance of Intelligence could not be overstated: It was the stat that amplified every other one by virtue of these powerful perks. Every level that I went by with low Intelligence was a couple of perk points that I permanently missed out on. And the bad news kept coming as it was only going to get worse as I levelled up. Like with all games, the required exp to level up increases. Perk points should have been more abundant in lower levels, but since I was an idiot and made Intelligence my dump stat- I was now paying the price dearly.
At this point, I should start saving up perk points- they're about to get a lot rarer as time goes by.
In the meantime, I needed both an offensive edge as well as a safety net, and the [Berserker Rage] perk served both purposes nicely. Practically a power up that scales to the difficulty of the encounter that I'm in. Very useful.
The Perk [Berserker Rage] Purchased!
* 0 Perk Points Available.*
+ R +
My current build was forming up nicely though.
The added misdirection stemming from the disconnect between my height and my build was very welcome, and it will never stop being amusing how people keep underestimating me because of my height. It always happened in the clashes with Earth Kingdom forces, and it also happened when I first fought Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors. My enemies always assumed I'd be a slow, lumbering giant from my size; when in actuality, I was a mostly Dexterity build with a focus on speed and mobility. The vertical mobility given by [Parkour Prodigy] coupled with the pure speed of [Power Move] meant that I could move around the battlefield like a speedy acrobat on the level of Ty Lee or the Kyoshi Warriors.
Oh, the looks of horror on their painted faces when I utilised my full speed against them was one for the ages.
Not that I was a slouch in terms of damage dealing either. The [Meteor Hammer: Wind Up] skill was my most reliable source of damage; meanwhile, my Firebending offered a decent, versatile backup in a pinch. Finish off my current build with the reduced physical fatigue of [Relentless], and I literally could do acrobatic combat all day. Side-stepping the rock throws of my enemies, parkouring away from area-of-effect attacks... all while staying outside of their weapons' reach and hammering away with charged up strikes of my meteor hammer.
All in all, the [Berserker Rage] perk is a really good fit. But now came the moment I've been looking forward to: the items! And they were...
(Legendary) [Mysterious Egg]
A red egg almost as large as a volleyball, similar in size and shape to a normal ostrich-horse egg. It seems to softly hum a song that it is just too faint to hear.
(Legendary) [Flask of Refillment]
A metal flask that dispenses an unlimited amount of whatever popular drink you desire. Self-cleaning.
+ R +
... How incredibly useless. I was hoping for a legendary-quality meteor hammer or a magic item that increased my stats. Instead, I have a big egg and unlimited free refills. I would definitely have felt cheated if it weren't for the fact that I was going to raid and pillage anyway. These rewards were pretty much just bonus rewards than actually incentivising me to do stuff. Still... Pouring myself a cup from the flask, I found that it was at least nice to have access to modern drinks that I normally wouldn't have access to, like soft drinks... Huh, it even has the rarer drinks like Cherry Vanilla Coke and Mountain Dew Cake Punch.
As for the egg though, I simply set it aside. I'll have to wait and see what comes of it.
(A few minutes later)
A crisp knock on the front door of my quarters resounded just as I finished changing into casual robes.
"Sir, the Kyoshi Warriors are here."
"Send them in." I beckoned as I sat down behind my desk, and my six new companions filed in- still wearing their armoured green kimonos, and their painted faces set stony expressions. Suki stepped forward with a frown- arms crossed over her chest.
"Alright, Khan. We're listening." She prompted.
For being incredibly attractive in casual clothes...
{Suki & the Kyoshi Warriors} Reputation : -10 - 0
{Suki & the Kyoshi Warriors} Obedience : 25 - 30
... I had been expecting them to be in casual clothes as well. But if they were going to make this easy for me, I may as well take advantage of [Pretty Privilege] perk as much as I could.
"You're surprisingly cooperative." I couldn't help but point out, and Suki's red painted lips frowned deeper.
"We gave you the most sacred oath that the Kyoshi Warriors could make. We aren't about to forswear it." Suki explained before sighing with a resigned expression, "Whatever you order of us, we'll... perform to the best of our abilities. That said, it doesn't mean we have to like it."
The other Kyoshi Warriors beside her nodded grimly as well.
"I see. Then I'll cut straight to the point." I nodded as I took off my helm- setting it aside as I looked the ladies in the eye one by one, "You are to be my honour guard."
That announcement seemed to have caught the Kyoshi Warriors off guard. Their painted faces glanced at each other with bewildered looks before Suki stepped forward- her blue eyes searching my green ones as she voiced their collective confusion, "You have a division of dedicated Fire Nation soldiers and you're choosing the Kyoshi Warrior defectors you have to be your honour guard?"
The question confused me as well before I promptly realised what they were concerned about: They must think I was looking for perfect, lockstepping soldiers rather than the nimble ninjas that I actually wanted.
"Ah, I see why you would be confused." I said smoothly, "But the reality is that it has only been a few weeks since I've taken command of this division; and despite training them well, the soldiers of the 41st Division are not what I'm looking for in an honour guard: They're too rigid, too slow, and altogether lacking in lethality. What I do need in an honour guard are those who can keep up with me in terms of speed and agility. And you, Kyoshi Warriors, are all that and so much more: trained in stealth, speed and acrobatics since early childhood; and a natural skill with blades that have been nurtured well. Oh, if only your tutors hadn't perished from that great storm a decade ago, I would confidently say that you'd have been more than a match for even Imperial Firebenders by now..."
I looked at the Kyoshi Warriors with an evil grin on my lips. The gathered women warriors shivered before me.
"I want the best as my honour guard- as my personal executioners. And you're it, Kyoshi Warriors... Whether you like it or not."
Another shiver. That was a 10/10 villainous monologue in my completely unbiased opinion. And yet, the Kyoshi Warriors just shared yet another bewildered look with each other.
"That's not what we meant..." Suki looked me in the eye, "I'll say it out loud: You're not actually going to take advantage of us? Sexually? Hand us out to your officers or to your men as toys? Or keep us around just to be your personal sex slaves?"
That gave me pause.
"... Suki, did you just make me waste a good villainous monologue, because you were thinking with your vagina?"
"Well, it's a valid concern!" She defensively cried out, "You spent the last week bending my body to your cock! We've fucked on every surface in this quarters at least once, I've sucked your cock enough times that I can taste it in my dreams, and I even gave you titjobs while answering your stupid history questions for your book!"
Surprisingly, it was one of her sisters-in-arms who took my side in this matter- giving Suki the side eye.
"Suki..." She said lowly, "That last one wasn't part of the plan: You were supposed to distract Khan with sex to slow his writing of the book. Not have sex with him while helping him write..."
The redhead just looked away with a blush, "I got a little carried away sometimes, okay!?"
"... not that we can blame you."
The last part was just a whisper between the Kyoshi Warriors, but I still heard it. I massaged my temples, I wasn't even angry about the deliberate distraction- it was to be expected.
For having a reputation for being an insatiable and capable lover, and nice biceps...
{Suki & the Kyoshi Warriors} Reputation : 0 - 2
{Suki & the Kyoshi Warriors} Obedience : 30 - 32
I stopped massaging my temples and placed my hands back onto the table- much to the thinly hidden disappointment of the Kyoshi Warriors.
"Look..." I sighed with exasperation, "You've all been my captives for more than a week. It should be very clear which kind of evil Fire Nation warlord I am. I'm trying to burn down the world and build something greater on its ashes. I can let the men have Earth Kingdom girls all day long, but doing that to you? Not a chance. You're going to be my honour guard."
Suki just adopted a sour expression like she'd bit into a lemon, grumbling at me, "I hate how- out of everyone who has encountered the Kyoshi Warriors- you are the one who actually takes us seriously the most... Fine, we're in no position to refuse: We will be your honour guard."
"A verbal agreement on top of a binding oath is always appreciated." I nodded. "We'll begin our joint training tomorrow. The troops will respect you more if they actually see what moves you have. For now however..."
I was about to berate Suki for the misinformation I encountered in our book, but I paused as an idea came to me. I needed to raise Reputation and Obedience with the Kyoshi Warriors; and judging by their thirsting... I had to wonder if it could actually be so simple as to just keep them sexually satisfied and farm Reputation and Obedience? There was only one way to find out, I suppose.
The Kyoshi Warriors stiffened as I turned my eyes towards them.
"For now... Suki, come here."
Suki was very familiar with that specific look- it was the look I gave her when I had a long day and I was about to take it out on her willing nubile body. And despite her still being in full Kyoshi Warrior regalia, Suki's body language still immediately fell back into the meek and submissive posture that she had gotten used to for the past week- pushing her generous bust out, hands down to her sides, and just looking away with a deep blush as she gingerly walked to me. Looks like the [Trainer] skill extended to training girls into becoming obedient bedroom pets as well, good to know.
"y-yes master..." She shyly whispered as she went to her knees, and the gasps of her sisters-in-arms could be heard as Suki's gloved hands expertly fishing my hard shaft from its confines. She wrapped her gloved fingers as much as she could before pumping it in well-practiced motion.
For having a big cock...
{Suki & the Kyoshi Warriors} Reputation : 2 - 5
{Suki & the Kyoshi Warriors} Obedience : 32 - 35
+ R +
"Did you really think I wouldn't find out that the information you gave me for the book was all wrong?" I told her as I pulled out the book we had been working on, A single cross reference was all it was needed! The entire first manuscript of the book is worthless! This won't even impress a casual reader at a library!"
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to- Urghk!"
There was something viscerally satisfying seeing a Kyoshi Warrior clad in full regalia and wearing the full traditional Kyoshi face paint, almost choking my cock.
"Mmmm~ 3"
Only almost, because after the initial surprise wore off, Suki was already expertly bobbing her head up and down in well-practiced motions. The proud Kyoshi Warrior leader kneeled on the floor, her gloved hand holding my cock steady at the base as her red-painted lips smeared lipstick all over my shaft. Black mascara ran down her snow-white cheeks as she enthusiastically continued her oral service. And everytime my grip tightened on her auburn locks, she sucked hard in lustful gratitude as her blue eyes looked up at me and silently begged for me to do it again.
I obliged her, and she shivered in pleasure from the rough treatment.
For a few whole minutes, my quarters was silent save for the wet sounds of the redhead's enthusiastic fellatio- guided by my hand on her head. I turned my attention to the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors who were hypnotically watching their team lead act like the submissive sex pet, and I posed a question to them, "I assume you're all able to read and write in traditional Earth Kingdom script?"
"Yes." they chorused in unison as they reluctantly tore their eyes away from the lewd display that Suki was putting up.
"Good. The rest of you are going to be fixing her mistake then." I growled before tugging Suki's hair forcefully enough that she moaned uncontrollably around my cock, "And Suki? Don't spill a drop."
"M-mmm... okay..." Suki whimpered before going back to swirling her tongue around the tip of my cock- coaxing out her prize that came gushing forth. Her gulping was audible, and so was her sisters' nervous gulps as well while they watched Suki as opened her mouth to show off her prize that filled her mouth and submerged her tongue in white. Closing her mouth and her eyes, Suki obediently swallowed thickly until- with a breathless pant- She opened her mouth and showed a spotless tongue.
I gave a brief nod- resting my shaft on Suki's face for her to lewdly stew in her desires before I looked over to the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors watching with rapt, dumbfounded attention.
"We're going to go over the same topics that I did with Suki, and I want them right this time." I told them as Suki attentively cleaned my large shaft up with soft licks and kisses.
The Kyoshi Warriors gave a dutiful nod.
"You can cock on us." the Kyoshi second-in-command said with a serious expression before her sister-in-arms lightly elbowed her side. It was only then that her eyes flew wide as she realised what she said, "Count! You can count on us!"
I rolled my eyes as I lifted Suki off the ground onto my lap- my large hands lifting up her green kimono's skirt until it was bunched up on her lower back. Her toned panty-clad ass was exposed to the warm air right before I tore her plain white panties off of her, and it fell to the ground with a soft splat.
"Okay, Suki. Get to work."
"No, not in front of my sisters!" Suki pleaded, but a meaty *thwack* resounded as my palm met her bare ass, and immediately, all the fight left the submissive Kyoshi Warrior. "o-okay..."
Steadying my cock with one hand, Suki bit her lip as she poised her dripping wet pussy right on the tip of my spit-covered cock. Her blue eyes momentarily met eyes with her thoroughly dumbstruck sisters-in-arms, and she shamefully screwed her eyes shut before dropping herself down to the hilt.
"O-oohhh~! Cumming already! Please don't look!" She immediately cried out- burying her face against my chest as her hot insides squeezed down tight in uncontrollably pleasure- her hot girl cum dripping splattering as she shivered from pleasure. Her blue eyes glazed over in pleasure. "Shoo goo~ood..."
"Keep moving." I told her with another thwack to her firm ass, and Suki was obediently back to frantically fucking her soaking cunt up and down my shaft- moaning and mewling in pleasure. The fuckdrunk leader of the Kyoshi Warriors lewdly dragging her tongue across my pecs in full view of her sisters-in-arms.
"She's going to stay like this for the entirety of our interview." I stated in no uncertain terms to them, "She deserves it."
Flat looks aimed at me, and envious ones at the redhead fucking herself with all her might on my hard shaft. The Kyoshi Warriors apparently disagreed, but not in the way that I expected.
"No, she doesn't... Suki was always bad at history."
"She definitely doesn't deserve this over something like a fluke."
"Yeah, especially when she made it out that having sex with you was the worst thing ever."
"Getting reamed for a full week straight by a Fire Nation hunk was a 'great sacrifice,' huh, Suki?"
"So, really... please don't punish her anymore with your large throbbing cock."
"You- you're all the worst!" Suki whined as she wildly came again, and the envious looks from the other Kyoshi Warriors were clearly evident on their painted faces.
I figured that fucking all six of them would probably raise their Reputation and Obedience, but there was chance they they'd react poorly to that specific order. So, why leave it to chance when I can just make them watch and stew in their own sexual frustration until they themselves surrender to me? If they're going to just give me a reliable way of farming Reputation and Obedience from them, then I'm just going to keep farming thirst from these girls until they surrender completely...
"I'm going to cum, Suki." I told the girl on my lap.
... And that means that they're just going to stand there while I creampie their leader.
"In me, master! Sow your thick seed IN MEEE~!" Suki just begged- her hot, silky folds squeezing down around my cock to milk me for every last drop. The Kyoshi Warriors just watched hypnotised as Suki's moan grew higher and louder as with each thick spurt of cum I shot into her fertile womb. Atomic blushes on their faces, biting their painted red lips, wringing their hands, squeezing their thighs together and nipples almost hard enough to poke through their breastplates.
Just as the fully-armoured Kyoshi Warrior leader on my lap started to catch her breath, I began to move her up and down myself.
"N-no, wait, I'm still so sensitive!" Suki half-heartedly pleaded with a moan as her still shaking legs rested limply on either side of my waist. "So deep! Ahhnh~!"
"Alright, grab that pen and paper and take a seat." I told the gathered Kyoshi Warriors over Suki's moaning. "We'll start the interview."
"Y-yes, master." they breathed before following my orders.
For being virile and sexually insatiable...
{Suki & the Kyoshi Warriors} Reputation : 5 - 7
{Suki & the Kyoshi Warriors} Obedience : 35 - 37
+ R +
... Being hot was living life in easy mode, I see.
(Later that morning) [41st Division Encampment, The Training Yard]
Under the heat of a noon sun and amongst the shouts of exertion of sparring Fire Nation, my voice's loud command resounded clearly.
"Again!" I barked. And at my word, six Fire Nation Spearmen with blunted practice spears charged forward at their opponents: The Kyoshi Warriors.
Fully dressed in their traditional uniform of an armoured green kimono and painted faces, Suki and her five sisters-in-arms drew their katanas to engage. I noted with an approving nod as I saw how quickly their draw was: Drawing steel at such speeds that their blades looked like they were just flashes of light. Wood thwacks sounded out as the spear shafts were parried by katana blades, and the Kyoshi Warriors closed the distance in less than a heartbeat- their katanas poised against the necks of the spearmen.
When this first happened, there had been an incredible tenseness as the Kyoshi Warriors had to visibly hold back from giving into their reflexes of killing Fire Nation soldiers, and vice versa. But now, my troops merely gave a professional nod of acknowledgement- like a fencer acknowledging a point to their opponent. With this, that made the score 9-15 in favour of my troops.
Trainer Level 10 Reached - New Skill Perks Unlocked!
Group Comprehension Lvl 2 (Passive): Monkey see, Monkey do. Train up to (12) students at a time without suffering training speed penalties. Training (6) students or less at a time now trains them at double speed.
About time. That was more than good enough.
"Good form, everyone!" I told them, "We'll conclude weapons training for today. Dismissed."
"Sir, thank you, sir!"
The Fire Nation soldiers bowed before walking on wobbly legs to their respective tents. I shook my head, we'll be sieging Omashu soon, but it was still a tall order to fill. It would appear that my plan will have to hinge on the newly recruited Kyoshi Warriors.
"This... this has a lot harder than I thought it would be." Suki panted as she and her sisters took a seat on a wooden bench to catch their breath, completely exhausted after training for the last four hours.
"It is necessary though." I said to her, "You fell into the age-old trap of only training against the same weapon you wielded. When was the last time you even sparred with someone who was using a spear or a sword-and-shield?"
"Honestly? Never before this." She replied as she drank deep from her flask of water, "It's not like we had any other sparring partners on Kyoshi Island, and we all used war fans and katanas. It's actually kind of disheartening to lose to regular Fire Nation soldiers who aren't even benders."
"Ha! These aren't normal Fire Nation soldiers." I told her with a bark of laughter., "These are the 41st Division, I've been training them very well. They're leagues faster than the average soldier on the field. But I do find it interesting that even with your slight Dexterity advantage, you can't overcome the disadvantage placed on you."
"Dexterity?" Suki repeated, "I guess you can call it that. And what disadvantage?"
"Katana wielders are at a marked disadvantage against thrust-type weapons with good reach."
"Har har. Nice pun, Khan." Suki drawled while the other Kyoshi Warriors looked away with a blush.
"It's also true, and worth training for. Particularly because Earth Kingdom armies primarily favour the spear."
Suki stayed silent at that- just taking a rag to wipe clean and oil her Kyoshi Katana and saying nothing. Her painted face conveyed her contemplative mood as she looked up to the blue sky. The reality of her now fighting for the other side must still be sinking in. I was confident that she and her sisters will keep to the Oath they swore to me when the time comes for her to actually strike against my enemies. But it can only help my case if her Obedience was high enough to secure her loyalty to me on its own, I had a feeling that I'll need it for the eventual showdown she'll have against the Gaang.
"Are we really going to try and take Omashu?" Suki calmly asked in a serious tone of voice, "It has withstood the Fire Nation for a hundred years. What makes you think your attempt will be any different?"
"With or without our intervention, Omashu's surrender to the Fire Nation is already carved in stone." I revealed to her, "By taking the surrounding towns and disrupting trade with Gaoling, we have already begun to starve them out. And once that dedicated Siege Corp from the Fire Islands arrives in a few weeks, King Bumi will have no choice but to surrender the city to the Siege Corps if he wants to spare his citizens from the brutal siege."
The reality of the situation came crashing down on Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors- specifically, the reality that the war was not going in their favour. Their gloved hands gripped their Kyoshi Katanas tightly.
"So, why even attack Omashu?"
Because the [Quest:The Capture of Omashu] says that if I take it before they do, It'll give me four whopping perk points for me which I sorely need right now. I had a really bad feeling about how the Gamer System was affecting the power scaling of this world, and I needed all the advantages I could gather before the avalanche arrived. Of course, I wasn't about to reveal that massive piece of information to Suki, so...
"Because I refuse to let someone take credit for my work." I answered instead, "And they'll undoubtedly mismanage the city."
"Mismanage?" Suki quoted with narrowed blue eyes, "And you can do better?"
"Oh, I already have. But it'll be easier to show you." I grinned, "Prepare to march soon. We'll be arriving in town to buy the supplies needed for the siege."
At that statement, Suki raised her eyebrows in surprise as she disbelievingly said, "There's an Earth Kingdom town that's willing to trade with you?"
"Of course!" I laughed, "They can hardly refuse the people who had the town built in the first place, can't they?"
"Wait, you built a Fire Nation town on Earth Kingdom territory?!"
I laughed even harder.
(The day after)
The noon sun was up and shining gently when the 41st Division marched into the town flanked by two rivers.
Suki had expected the worst out of the town that Khan boasted about constructing. In her mind, she had vividly pictured dark metal towers that speared up at a darkened sky- belching black smoke and mucking the rivers green with industrial filth. Its prisoner-denizens with sunken eyes and starving bellies as they were trodden into the ground for the sake of the Fire Nation war machine. Everything she had heard about the usual operations from the Fire Nation, she expected from Khan's town.
"But this... this wasn't what I expected at all." Suki murmured as she craned her head with her sisters, their painted faces looking this way and that to take in the town. A neat row of white stone buildings rose on either side of the boulevard they walked down on. Young trees were planted on both sides of the road, and under their shade, unshackled Earth Kingdom citizens drank tea and ate food from the cook-shops. It was almost idyllic.
Her sisters voiced their disbelief.
"We had passed through a couple of Earth Kingdom towns, but none were like this..."
"This looked more like Ba Sing Se from the stories we've heard than a Fire Nation town."
"Yes, welcome to the town of Yellow Palace." Khan presented to them as Suki and her sisters-in-arms followed in the shadow of his large armoured frame, "Population about four thousand. It's not much, but it's something. Just built it a few weeks ago after all."
"This is surreal. You built all of this?" she asked with an incredulous arc of her painted brow. "This place looked even better organised than all the towns we had passed by before you made us your captives."
"Why do you look so surprised?" the giant asked, "A team of Earthbenders can build a stable house in under half an hour including logistical consideration. With proper training and motivation, I was able to get it down to about five minutes. And I have more than a dozen teams working right now. It's almost like having infinite money in Cities: Skylines..."
He extended a large arm out to point locations out to Suki and her sisters.
"Anyway... Marketplace/Commissary should be at the centre of town, but shops of the various guilds are scattered about. For food, you should be able to find small tea places and cook-shops in every neighbourhood; just don't expect much from their menus- the farms have only been built a few days ago after all. Clean water should be in ready supply everywhere without going to the river. I had aqueducts built to divert river water into a bare-bones water treatment plant which supplies the city with clean, potable water. Basic drainage system is also in place so that waste won't run on the streets. Other town utilities include a postal office, a police station, a fire department, and a clinic... All of which should be here in the town square. Oh, and the newly formed Yellow Palace Troupe also performs at the open air theatre every weekend."
They stopped as they reached the centre of the town square. A great stone obelisk at the centre acting as a sundial for the people glancing out their windows.
"What's that place?" Suki pointed at the largest structure thus far- a monolithic stone structure with green roof tiles that dwarfed all the other structures in the area. She fully expected it to be Khan's palatial home, so it came as a surprise to her when instead he said...
"Oh, that's the immigration centre." Khan shrugged. "With the war in full swing in this area of the Earth Kingdom, we're seeing a constant stream of refugees from the small nowhere hamlets trying to escape the war or just general poverty. Poor things had their hamlets razed by the Fire Nation. In response, I've ordered the town to take a more welcoming stance towards refugees. Seamstresses and carpenters, hunters and medicine women, acupuncturists and artists... Everyone is sorted and sent to their respective guilds for gainful employment."
Just as he finished his explanation, Suki watched as Fire Nation soldiers from the 41st led a parade of miserable-looking Earth Kingdom refugees to the immigration centre, and she immediately figured it out- rounding on Khan with her suspicions.
"That Fire Nation force going around raiding, pillaging and razing villages wouldn't happen to be the Giant and his Horde, would it?" She accused him with narrowed eyes.
"Naturally!" He laughed without shame, "These people have nowhere else to go after we had taken everything valuable they have, claimed their sisters and daughters as concubines and razed their sorry, poorly-located and poorly-governed hamlets to the ground. Of course we'll graciously welcome the homeless refugees into my town."
He led them to take a seat outside one of the inns where other people were apparently eating their breakfast. Unsurprisingly, the other patrons- seeing the warlord that forcibly resettled them- hurriedly ate their food to excuse themselves. Khan didn't seem to mind at all.
"They're better off here anyway." He unapologetically said with a shake of his head, "Zero homelessness, zero unemployment rates, and better standard of living. Before, the average starving Earth Kingdom citizen lived in single room homes where entire multi-generational families slept, cooked and bathed in the same room. It was barbaric. So, I made the two-bedroom home with a common room and shared bath as the minimum standard. Small, but a massive improvement to living conditions."
Suki glanced at her sisters for a moment before looking back at the Fire Nation giant.
"Khan, are you... a Fire Nation noble by any chance?" Suki couldn't help but ask, "Because that's how it is everywhere. The only places that have those lavish multi-bedroom places and dedicated baths are the manor's of nobles."
"I see..." he said dumbly, "So, that's why even the troops were looking at me so strangely when I commanded it. Regardless, this is the new standard that I'm aiming for. And no one is stopping me."
Suki just looked at the man strangely. "... I'll be honest. Building a village and making sure its inhabitants live comfortably flies in the face of the image of the conquering Fire Nation Warlord I had of you in my head."
Khan's skull-faced helmet just nodded in understanding.
"If it makes you feel better, It is in the 41st Division's best interest to keep the citizens in Yellow Palace." He explained, "This town is our primary source of supplies in more than just supplying food and water. Uniforms need to be mended, arrows fletched, weapons replaced, tents weaved, carts constructed. All from the Earth Kingdom citizens themselves."
"The skills and expertise of eight villages concentrated into one place..." Suki muttered in realisation. "Was this the Fire Nation's plan all along or did you come up with this by yourself?"
Despite his helmet covering his face, Suki just knew that Khan was smirking.
"I did. We all stand on the shoulders of giants- learning from their wisdom and adding our own to it." He solemnly told her, "Just as you strive to emulate your Avatar Kyoshi, I strive to emulate the likes of Chinggis, Ogedei, Mongke and Kublai... Conquering the world, connecting the once isolated kingdoms, uniting them under one system then refining it to perfection."
Suki didn't recognise those names- it really didn't sound like Fire Nation to her ears.
"Burn the world down and build something greater on its ashes... This is it." He said to her- gesturing to the town around them, "This is the start of that 'something greater.' This is what I could build from the ashes of eight tiny villages within a month. Now, imagine what I could do with the whole world across the decades."
Suki could see the determination in his words, and the indomitable look in his eyes. And she knew that if anyone could actually pull it off, it would be him. And it turned her o- scared her, it scared her knowing that one man could have that kind of immense impact on the world.
"But aren't you afraid that the Earth Kingdom will send an army to this town?" She couldn't help but ask.
"The Earth Kingdom?" He asked with a light chuckle as if she had told a joke, "And they'll do what, exactly? Raze this town to the ground while it's filled with their own citizens? Send them back to the smoldering cinders of what remains of their respective villages? March them leagues upon leagues away to Ba Sing Se where they can beg and starve on the streets? Even the citizens here know that they have a better shot at life in this place than anywhere else. The Earth Kingdom will have a better chance at unfucking the daughters that my troops have taken as concubines and regenerating their maidenheads than convincing the citizens here to leave."
"Now excuse me for a few minutes..." The giant of a man muttered as he stood up, "I'm going to cook us some food." "Likely the last proper hot meal that we'll have on the march to Omashu."
Now that caught Suki off guard.
"You, the Fire Nation Giant, cook?"
"Yes, I cook." He said- his green eyes staring at her pointedly through the eye slits of his helmet, "After some unnamed assassin tried to poison my tea, I don't trust anyone else to prepare my food anymore. Also, no one in this blasted country knows how to cook. So, stay right here; I'll be back in a few minutes with something actually edible. I should be able to squeeze in the experience to increase my [Cooking] skill..."
Without another word, his armoured bulk marched off into the inn. Suki and her sisters watched him off with various thoughts running in their heads.
"Khan is full of surprising skills..."
"I thought he was a noble, and they don't cook their own food."
"Maybe he just learned it during his time in the Fire Nation Army? His view on the world is skewed like he hasn't been outside his mansion until now..."
"Khan, a noble?" Suki echoed the running theory. She had thought Khan to be a barbarian rather than a noble... but shifting her perspective a bit, she could see it too. His brutish methods that Suki once attributed to barbarism... they were just typical arrogance of the nobility directed towards a war. His selective cluelessness that she thought was from a lack of education... they were now just the misconceptions of an out-of-touch noble who never had to mingle with the rabble before. Even his looting of books that she thought was just a thief's eye for value... it was now an actual educated nobleman with a passion for books. It all made sense now.
"Spirits give me strength to endure the giant in my kitchen." A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts, one that Suki immediately recognised.
"Uncle innkeeper?"
"Yes." The old gray-haired man with the liver-spotted face grinned at them, "The spirits have deigned for our paths to cross yet again, it seems... With me as an innkeeper in his new village, and you as his first set of concubines."
"We're not his concubines..." she answered for the group, "Khan has decided to make us fight for him instead."
"More's the pity..."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Suki pointedly said with narrowed eyes. She really wasn't in the mood for remarks about how the Kyoshi Warriors aren't good enough for this war.
"It is always a great tragedy..." the old innkeeper began with a weary sigh, "...whenever one who is capable of great good, willingly chooses to walk the path of destruction instead. Even a simpleton can look at this place and know that Khan could bring about such peace and prosperity to the realm, but he chooses instead to focus his energies towards this wasteful war. I had hoped that with lovers by his side, he could be persuaded to the wisdom of hanging up his weapon and living a peaceful life."
Suki's blue eyes glanced at the town around them before settling back at the elderly innkeep.
"I know what you mean, but... Khan retiring to a peaceful life? I don't see it."
The old man just gave her a broken-toothed grin as he replied to her, "For someone who doesn't wish to be judged by her appearance, you are swift in doing the same..."
"Get better chefs, old fart." Khan grumbled as he walked back from the kitchen with a bounty of food on a tray. It was surreal for them to see the warlord Giant of the Horde acting as a waiter. A brown apron barely covered the front of his red and black Fire Nation armour, alongside his skull-faced helmet as he placed a dish of baked fish in brown sauce down in front of Suki and her sisters... followed by steaming bowls of rice.
"I did have a better chef in my employ before he was burned alive." the old innkeeper pointed out, but Khan just scoffed- tossing his apron at the elderly man.
"If his cooking was as good as his Earthbending, then he wasn't that good of a chef."
"Pardon me... I must calm down the staff." the wizened old man just sighed before walking into his inn.
"Wait a minute..." Suki murmured- eyeing the food he cooked, "Is this... elephant koi?!"
"You recognise it that easily?" Khan asked as he sat down with them, "Yes, it is actually. We had sent our own caravans to start trading with Chin village down south. They, in turn, trade with Kyoshi Island who supply the Koi. Well, not your village in particular."
Suki took a bite of the food and frowned at the giant.
"Okay, but why is it better than what we have at home?"
"One of the first things taught to a Firebender is the precise control of temperature." Khan smugly hummed, "And precisely controlled heat is important for cooking proteins. Also, you all need to learn how to season and spice your food properly. And no, I don't mean just dumping spice onto it like in the Fire Islands."
That only reinforced the 'Khan is a noble' theory for Suki as she glanced at her sisters-in-arms.
"Heavily seasoned food is a noble's luxury, Khan." She pointed out to him, "Not everyone can afford that many spices from so many parts of the world."
"Hmm... I must have been underestimating its rarity then." He muttered, "Well, ea, drink and be merry, Kyoshi Warriors. Because tomorrow, we march for Omashu."
Suki watched as Khan took off his helmet to eat, immediately drawing the eyes of her sisters and some of the Earth Kingdom women nearby as well. The man seated before her was definitely some Fire Nation noble... a 7ft tall Fire Nation noble on the opposite side of the war with a handsome face, an amazing body and a really nice cock. That can also cook really well... Her ovaries screamed at her to lock him down.
Suki chewed her lip as she stared at him with undisguised lust.
Although she didn't know it yet, she would look back on this as the moment when she sealed her fate, and it all started with just one dangerous thought that was the height of feminine hubris and thirst.
'I can change him.'
[Lake Laogai, Earth Kingdom Capital of Ba Sing Se]
Long Feng sipped on a cup of Jasmine tea as he sat in his favoured study in the base. The fireplace before him contained a green flame that he always found conducive to his meditations. The deep underground nature of the base lended a certain feeling of solitude that granted him the strength and wisdom to correctly manage the Earth Kingdom from the shadows.
"Grand Secretariat, sir." A Dai Li knelt in respect behind his seat- the quiet flow of his robes the only other sound he made, "We have a new report from Turquoise Team regarding their mission to tail that relentless assassin... She has now infiltrated a Fire Nation Cruiser heading for the Capital Island of the Fire Nation."
Long Feng hummed- stroking his long black beard in consideration. As protectors of Ba Sing Se's cultural heritage and the latest generation of acolytes to the legacy bestowed to them by Avatar Kyoshi herself, he personally believed that it was only right that they were the ones to guide the Earth Kingdom- leagues more so than the short-sighted royal bloodlines. After all, they preserved the soul of the Earth Kingdom itself, but bloodlines still held some modicum of importance... and not just to them either.
"She has travelled to every corner of the Earth Kingdom and now she steers a course for the Fire Nation as well?" He pondered out loud, "Someone is going through great lengths to extinguish this particular bloodline despite its fall into irrelevance... Do we have any news on the identities of her clients?"
"Malachite Team have not reported any significant progress on that front, sir. The Garden stubbornly holds to their policy of client discretion."
"No matter." Long Feng replied as he took another sip from his tea, "We will ferret out the truth with or without their cooperation. For the moment, however, send word to Citrine Team to see if they can identify the poor fool who is her latest next target. That may shed some light on this matter from a different angle."
"And what shall be their rules of engagement, Grand Secretariat?"
"Against the Fire Nation? Whatever they deem necessary." Long Feng specified, "Against the Thorn Princess Yor herself? Avoid and evade. Do be certain to stress that in the message, the Dai Li can scarcely afford the loss of another team to that monster."
"As you command, Grand Secretariat."
Quiet as the wind, the Dai Li stood up and promptly left to execute his orders.
He had to prepare Ba Sing Se. Long Feng could feel it in the bones buried beneath his feet, taste it in the waters of the lake, hear it in the wind's whispers ... and see it in the emerald fire. There was a storm brewing in the distance.
