25 Chapter 7. Inspector or Is the Inspector Coming to Us!? Part 2.

Here's a chapter for the power stones

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"Now you'll see whether he's a golden boy or not," the general allowed himself a smirk too, although he didn't show it, "let's go, take your weapons and one by one..."

"Let them all go at once," I interrupted, "I've already seen them... let it be a fair fight, considering their hopping around the dummies. Let them take their weapons or use bending, whoever can, and try to defeat me."

Oh, those looks from the "brave soldiers" who looked at me like a "careless child." By the way, their age was older than mine, almost all of them. School, then the army, so they were around twenty, give or take. And here comes this cheeky eighteen-year-old, who dares to challenge them - ha, we'll show him.

The general also seemed slightly flustered, glanced at me for a moment, amusingly twitched his mustache, and gave the go-ahead.

"Here, hold the rapier," I handed it to the guy, and seeing his bewildered look, I said, "what should I do with it against them? I'll make a lunge out of habit, and the guy will end up without a hand instead of blocking. I have an axe," I explained, taking out the axe and standing, literally in the center of the poor things.

About five benders and fifteen ordinary people. They stood up haphazardly, brandished their weapons, and seemed ready to skewer me already.

General Lee counted down, sadly he didn't add something in the style of the unforgettable master of the fey, as the situation begged for it.

Maybe I overdid it with the axe. Their actions were just slow for me, and I couldn't figure out what to do with the axe in my right hand. One spear flies faster than the others, I hit it with my hand on the unsharpened part of the naginata - I finally remembered the name the master drilled into me - and immediately kick it into the ground and move forward to the one holding the weapon. A punch to the stomach - he flies back. A spear thrusts from the side, I simply deflect it again with my left hand - it's just more familiar that way, let the master scold me for it - and intercept the shaft, pulling the "operator" toward me, kneeing him in the stomach, minus one more.

It's always harder with bandits, at least they don't hinder each other, but here dodging uncertain thrusts, fireballs, and counterattacking. All twenty people ended up, literally, in about ten minutes, and I still didn't use the axe. You could say I worked with just my left hand.

Well, it's both funny and sad, what should I do with them? I should probably give them an immersion in the harsh world under controlled conditions. Let them cut some pirates before they meet the earthbenders. I don't know if they've been through "first blood" or not, but I'll watch them in light combat situations, and then I'll think.

I pondered all this while finishing the fight.

As they say, I didn't even break a sweat, ha-ha.

After another five minutes, during which everyone came to their senses, tidied themselves up a bit, straightened their clothes, and lined up almost in formation again, their gaze changed, and they looked at me with considerable respect. Even in the general's gaze, something changed from time to time. Being an experienced observer, he definitely noticed that I still hadn't used the axe and didn't even use their weapons against them, just pushed them away with my hands.

"And what can you say in conclusion?" the general coughed, asking.

"Everything is very, very bad," I summed up, "I didn't even use bending, let alone my weapon. Weak, very weak, but it will do with a stretch," as I spoke about the poor things squad, I looked straight into their faces, which, rather than getting angry, were more disappointed by my words. After all, it's already clear that what I say is not just nonsense... ironically, considering I came from the mountain where Piandao's estate is located.

"Praise Agni, not everyone is like that. These came from the colonies, and there the cadet corps is still very... lax, like everything else on the continent. That's why I'm sending you, after all," the general chuckled, not disputing the assessment and not even focusing attention on the poor things, though it's not legal, but it's a good cause, "and you know bending? I thought Piandao wouldn't take a bender for training."

"All the tests said I wasn't a bender," I easily half-truthed, shrugging, "and fire bending, especially the slightly strange kind, only manifested itself in the middle of my training."

"And the strangeness is that you can't create flame?" the general guessed.

"Yeah," I simply replied, pulling out a lighter I bought in the capital - I wanted to find a typical square one, like a Zippo from my past world, some scenes with it popped up in my mind at the time, but as it turned out, there are none, they make these copper round ones that are fueled by some incomprehensible stuff. But it burns, and that's the main thing. In a second, I lit the lighter and then, literally in a fraction of a second, conjured up a decent-sized blue flame ball.

"I want to retire," General Lee quipped when the ball dissipated, and I found everyone looking at me like they'd seen a ghost, "do you realize that blue flame is currently only wielded by Princess Azula?"

"So what, it's just the color of the flame," I waved it off, "my main weapon in all battles is my rapier. With such a handicapped approach to bending, I can only use fire as an additional tool. No matter how hard I tried to create it, I couldn't. So until I reach the mastery of Princess Azula, it's like... being a crab to the Water Tribe. Anyway, let's get to work..."

"That's the right approach, let's go," General Lee said in a familiar tone.

"I understand: they won't give me others?" I asked. "Give them at least some swords - I plan to have them gain some experience with minor thugs like pirates under my supervision for at least a month or two, and then we'll go to the continent. You can't wave these spears on a ship's deck."

"We'll do that. We'll give these troublemakers swords, and you need to find a Fire Nation officer's uniform," the man nodded.

He's treating me too well. I bet he smells the potential for growth if I walk under his wing, and he wants to butter me up, like I'm almost the big guy here for everyone. Although the latter may not be ruled out, but hardly in the way he's trying to present it. Well, okay, mutually beneficial use without unnecessary kissing up or vice versa - tooth-crushing etiquette - that's what we need. I think he understands, for the most part, what I understand, but for now, everything suits us. Although one check wouldn't hurt later...

Stop.

"A Fire Nation officer's uniform?" if they give me that red monstrosity that everyone around wears with that ugly helmet, I'd rather run away and go pound ice to get the Avatar faster so he can fix this world.

"Unfortunately, it's a requirement that I can't violate. A soldier must wear a uniform... and a helmet. Officers above the rank of lieutenant colonel are allowed not to wear helmets," the general grimaced apologetically.

"Can... can something be worn over the uniform?" I asked desperately. I can't just give up over something so trivial, can I?

"Well..." Lee pondered, "technically no, but I doubt anyone on the continent will say anything to the inspector himself. The main thing is that the uniform is there. The helmet can be slightly personalized, but it must be worn... rules."

In a typical Piandao fashion, I clasped both hands behind my back, firmly holding one with the other and not allowing any more emotions of anger and despair to show anywhere, just closed my eyes.

Okay, I'll buy some kind of traveling cloak to wear over it, it'll be better that way. Maybe I should have spent all the gold on buying myself a ship, hiring a crew, and sailing the ocean myself? Well, that's just fantasies, there are more problems with that approach than pros. And the only pro is clothing choice.

"Let's go to my office, we'll observe all the formalities," after a pause during which the general let me come to terms with what was happening, he interrupted my thoughts.

"Let's go," my voice probably sounded too resigned, so the adjutant whispered to the quartermaster to issue me the armor. Not that it helped, I still heard it, but bending was counted.

As we walked to the office, the general glanced and waved to all those approaching him on various matters, clearly giving me unconditional priority. It's nice when you're appreciated like that - unpleasant when you're just treated as a resource.

By the time we entered the office, the quartermaster had already hurried there with... my uniform. I still can't get used to it.

"Unfortunately, you will leave the office as an officer and must be in uniform and epaulettes," General Lee stated, as if to say put it on right now.

Well, what can you do: I shed the clothes I liked from the master, started slowly putting on the uniform, while Lee briefed me on some details of wearing it. Five minutes later, the clothes were already on me, and they even brought a full-length mirror for me to look at myself.

To be honest, I was expecting worse. The uniform fit me quite well, the thoughtfulness of various details was evident, and overall comfort was top-notch. As an airbender, I tend to prefer freely hanging clothes, allowing the wind to touch my body as much as possible, but I have to let go of that preference.

From another perspective, the uniform looked quite good as well. When I smile, I look like some sort of golden child with epaulettes attached, with aristocratic facial features hinting at it. But when I let all emotions out, my face takes on different, stern colors, emphasizing some purely "noble" traits. I would avoid someone like that myself.

In general, when needed, the uniform gives a golden hue, and when needed, it adds severity. This is very good. Very good indeed.

"Well, how about a cup of tea and a game of pai sho?" I sat down, already in uniform, in front of the general. This way, we can also see if he's in the White Lotus or not.

"Hmm," the general uttered, looking at my transformations in the mirror, "Piandao sure knows how to pick students. You know, Aki, between us, I knew a man who could change just like you in seconds. Under his command, I rose from lieutenant to colonel, despite my humble origins, and I've seen many times how he can sometimes be a kind man who loves tea and playing board games, just like you, and sometimes a fighter from whom you want to hide, even though you seem to be on the same side of the barricade."

"Hmm, and what was his name?" I raised an eyebrow. Piandao absolutely didn't enlighten me about my "colleagues" - he just said to gather information playing pai sho. So the information was very interesting indeed.

"Prince Iroh," Lee chuckled, "they'll prepare tea for us now, of course, but I'll pass on pai sho. I'm not very fond of that game."

Prince Iroh - a member of the White Lotus? Well, maybe he just really likes pai sho, but such coincidences don't happen. Or maybe he's also a hidden airbender? And Azula has blue flame because she cleverly combines fire and air, huh?

Hi, now for every 200 power stones there will be a chapter.

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