Hey everyone.
I am here again with another update.
I want to say thanks to everyone that reviewed, favorited and followed since the previous update.
As usual, if you find the story worth following. Please, consider doing so as we go along.
And with that, I hope that everyone enjoys the chapter.
The Strings of the Puppeteer – Chapter Eighty-Eight
The sounds of explosions of fire continued to sound off underground while the young assassin watched from where she stood on her tree branch.
Just as the ground let out a thunderous rumble while Naoki gazed down with stony brown eyes.
'I don't care what happens to those aristocrats. But I need Elle alive.' Naoki thought as she jumped off the branch with her clothes lightly flapping about in the breeze.
Meanwhile underground…
The sound of the mighty captain and the hooded puppet's clash continued to resonate throughout the massive cave.
An enormous blue inferno lit the walls of the quaking cavern just as the princess elegantly back-flipped to the cave floor below.
Azula dropped to the ground on her booted feet as she lightly panted for air with her callous amber golden eyes glaring imposingly out into the azure blaze.
Her injured comrades stood behind her gazing up at the collapsing cave in a rising panic.
As a dense smoke blew ominously into the air.
Just as they all turned to stare through the smoke at Silah's fractured mask with their eyes agape in frustration.
"This is bad Azula! No matter what we do she doesn't go down!" Mai exclaimed in a rightfully unnerved voice while Azula gritted her teeth as she wiped blood from her lips.
"I am aware of that Mai!" Azula hissed as she turned to stare piercingly back at Silah's concealed face with her amber golden eyes boiling in fury.
"No matter how many we cut down there's always more!" Saro complained in a pissed off voice as he stood panting at the rear.
"I…can't even chi block them because they're already dead!" Ty Lee shouted in aggravation as she struggled to remain on her feet.
Nako stumbled forward with her frightened but intelligent brown eyes gazing out across the blazing cavern.
Before she turned gaze up at her princess's glowering face with a thoughtful look in her eyes.
"Princess…" Nako began as she cleared her throat in an apprehensive voice while she winced when Azula's harsh eyes bared down at her.
"What?" Azula snapped with bite in her angered voice while her frigid eyes stared down at her pilot's skittish face.
Just as she rose an elegant brow when the shorter woman leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"You…you should try to capture one of the Fire Twins. Perhaps we could take a closer examination than we did with the other one. We may be able to decipher how she controls them." Nako explained in a hushed voice while her princess's callous eyes flashed in approval.
"Hm. I was thinking the same thing myself. But still…good thinking pilot." Azula spoke as she straightened herself with her serving girl's little body under her powerful arm.
Nako's fearful face momentarily brightened after being praised by her princess.
"A-any time Princess." Nako answered with a hand over her wounded belly while Azula turned her glacial gaze back to her enemy.
Just as hunter stepped out of the smoke with the two Fire Twins leaping down beside her.
She gazed back at the seething princess with her lips curving into a sadistic smile while all but the princess shuddered.
Before she ran her tongue along her lips once more while the princess's amber golden eyes grew even wider in prideful rage over the blatant show of perversion.
"You're welcome to try and run away Azula. I do find the sight of fleeing prey…quite stimulating." Silah purred in a deranged voice with her bloodied blade in hand as she smiled back at the enraged princess.
"I will not run from you freak! And it's the opposite. You are my prey!" Azula snarled with fire spewing from her beautiful lips while she held her handmaiden's small body under her arm.
"No matter how hard you try you cannot escape your fate in my workshop." Silah spoke in a horrifying voice with her tongue running along her stained blade.
The group could only stare on in a unanimous shudder over the way the twisted woman said 'workshop'.
Just as the proud princess smashed her lovely lips together in a beyond furious thin line.
Before she turned around to shove her servant into Mai's waiting arms.
"Hold her and this time do not let anything happen to her." Azula commanded in a frightening voice with sweat in her eyes while she glared back into Mai's intimidated tawny eyes.
"I…won't Azula. I promise." Mai assured in an intimidated voice with a flash of regret in her eyes while she held Elle's unconscious form over her shoulder.
Ty Lee stood protectively beside her with her brown-gray eyes also staring down at the unconscious girl.
All three of them inwardly continued to ponder why Elle had yet to awaken.
But unfortunately, they had no such time to worry about their young friend's meditation.
And soon enough they all gazed around in alarm as more boulders plummeted down from the towering cave ceiling above.
All along while fires burned throughout the cavern as the princess pursed her lips into an imposing glower.
Zoi and the hooded puppet continued to swipe at one another as the soldier's golden eyes flashed in curiosity once more.
Before the captain narrowed her eyes as she glared back at the puppet's shrouded face.
'I am going to find out…just whose face lies beneath that hood.' Zoi thought as she slid back along the cave floor with her katana gripped in hand.
Just as she sprang forward with great speed while lifeless light green eyes stared out from underneath the cloak.
And not a moment later Azula sheathed her katana while her companions gazed at her in unhidden curiosity as she sunk into a combat stance.
And then her wrathful lips creased into a gorgeous snarl as she stared imposingly back at the hunter's disguised countenance.
Before the two siblings broke out into another sprint while their master gazed on with perverse dark green eyes.
And then the princess slid one booted foot back along the ground with her lips still entrenched in a callous glare.
Only to burst forward with terrifying speed while her subordinates stared on in astonishment as the princess ran with her sheathed blade.
The two puppets leaped at her with their trademark flames spiraling over their outstretched limbs.
And then mere seconds after that…
The princess swiftly drew her blade with her thunderous roar echoing all throughout the cavern while she glared furiously at the two twins as they descended down from above.
Just before she thrust her katana upwards with a tremendous flame sparkling from its razor-sharp edge.
Before a luminescent explosion of azure fire ruptured into the air while the group shielded their eyes from the blinding blue light.
Only for their eyes to widen in awe as they gazed out into center of the cavern to see the center of the cavern now completely ablaze with blue fire.
And the princess and the twins were nowhere to be seen!
It was the same technique that they had seen the princess use to down the Avatar's waterbender.
Only that this time Azula had used a much cruder explosive flame!
"I…can't believe it. She made her sword explode!" Mai exclaimed in shock with her mouth ajar as Ty Lee also gaped on in shock beside her.
They shivered over their friends now seemingly limitless power.
Just as they gazed out into the inferno with amazed eyes to see the mighty princess standing unharmed in the center of her flames now with two swords in hand!
One made of steel.
And the other in her left hand made of pure azure flames!
And the two twins now were being held at bay by the princess's duel blades while she glared at their expressionless faces through the corner of her unforgiving amber golden gaze.
Nako stared out with her awestruck brown eyes observing her leader's power in admiration.
Just before Azula gracefully sidestepped as she slammed her elbow in Toro's face.
And then she swiftly struck Yoa in the chest with her burning sword while the two twins stumbled backwards.
"Clever tactic Azula." Silah commented in an entertained voice as she licked her lips once more while Azula's domineering eyes glared back at her.
She idly flicked her gloved fingers in a barely perceivable fashion just as the two puppets sprang forward in rebound.
The princess let out a haughty scoff as she rolled her cruel amber golden eyes as she nimbly dodged the sibling's swings.
"There are only so many movements that a lifeless doll can make Silah. Your toys are but a shadow of their former selves." Azula sneered in a frigid voice as she seized a hold of the boy's arm while her boot connected with the girl's jaw.
Just as Yoa skidded backwards with tiny specks of paint chipping to the ground below while the group shivered in revulsion.
Azula dug into the cave floor with the balls of her booted feet while she began a rapid probe with her free hand.
Her eagle hawk-like amber golden eyes scanned the puppet's body with her gaze narrowing as her fingers brushed about in a grope.
"Oh, I beg to differ. But I should expect as much from someone with no understanding of true art." Silah remarked with her gloved fingers lightly coiling before her smirking face as she dropped into a crouch.
The princess glared at her through the corner of her callous eye just as she quickly gazed over her shoulder when the other puppet made a burning swipe for her back.
Only for Azula to evade the blow while her boots slid along the cavern floor.
Just as her fingernails fell through midair while Toro flipped out of reach of her fist.
And then in that very moment…
The princess's cold eyes flashed with a catlike gleam when she almost felt her fingers touch something unseen.
She slid backwards with her merciless amber golden eyes narrowing as she watched the two twins leap onto the ground side by side one more.
'What…was that! Was that a wire?' Azula thought with her icy eyes glaring back at the hunter's concealed face while emotionless dark green eyes met her gaze.
As Nako watched with her brown eyes scanning the movements of the puppets.
Only for her amber golden eyes to widen when she could have sworn that she saw the puppeteer bend her fingers!
Just as the sound of another explosion of rocks flew into the air while the captain leaped away with steam rising from her body.
Her amber golden eyes furrowed in annoyance when the puppet reflexively bounded backwards to avoid the swing of her sword.
And then she dropped to the ground in a crouch beside her standing princess while she acknowledged her with a momentary cold glance.
The two powerful firebenders stared on closely as the foreboding hooded puppet dropped down behind his master.
And then not even seconds later the entire cavern ground began to quake once more.
All the while as the princess's forces gazed around in fear as they watched more rocks rain down from the ceiling above.
"Azula…this is getting dangerous!" Mai called out in a distraught voice while the princess clenched her jaw with a tight scowl on her regal lips.
"It doesn't matter how many rocks rain down overhead. I am still going to kill you." Azula spoke in an utterly tyrannical voice with her mighty fist crushing her crown.
Just before the two of them gazed on with closely narrowed eyes when another smoke bomb was thrown into the air.
They all coughed as they hid their faces in their sleeves as they watched in paranoia as the puppets vanished slipped into the dense fog.
"Captain! She's trying to bury us!" Saro yelled out as he leaped backwards just as a boulder crashed down where he had been standing moments prior.
The two noblewomen and the pilot jumped back with their fearful eyes gazing around in a panic.
As the princess spun about with her teeth bared with a burning fist clenched at her womanly hip.
Just as the seductress's distant cry echoed into the air while the captain reeled around in alarm with her golden eyes gazing in the direction of the collapsing tunnel.
"Jiao!" Zoi called out as she shot her line into the air while she swung past plummeting cave structures.
Before the younger woman stumbled out of the caving tunnel with her blue eyes agape in a panic just as she found herself gazing up into concerned golden eyes.
Eyes that she would never openly admit stirred something unknown from deep within her.
"Zoi! Why did you bring me to a fight with a homicidal maniac!" Jiao snapped as she held onto the warrior's sleeve while Zoi quickly lifted her onto her back.
"I apologize Jiao. I didn't know that she was this demented. But I promise you. I will get you out of here alive." Zoi assured as she bent over while her partner climbed onto her back with her arms wrapped around her neckline.
"You better! And the next place you take me had best be somewhere pleasant." Jiao complained with a huff as she pushed her face into the noblewoman's dark hair.
Just as the warrior sprang into the air while she nimbly evaded falling boulders.
The others jumped out of range of the many giant rocks that were falling down from above.
"When I get a hold of you Silah I am going to peel the skin from your bones!" Azula bellowed in an outraged voice with her lips in an enraged snarl while her azure flames exploded a boulder overhead.
Just before her cold amber golden gaze rapidly swept about as she watched her childhood friends safely dodge the falling rocks.
Her dominant amber golden eyes passed over her young girlfriend's dozing face in relief to see that her handmaiden was unharmed.
Just as the thunderous sound of collapsing rocks split into the air while they all spun around to gaze behind them in alarm.
Only for all of their eyes to widen in shock when they found themselves staring back at a now open pit with Nako's shouts echoing up from within.
"A-Azula! Nako fell!" Ty Lee hollered out in a fraught voice while Mai gazed over her shoulder in worry.
The princess ran forward with her callous amber golden eyes widening faintly as she gazed down at the pit.
"Nako!" Azula bellowed in a booming voice with her words echoing throughout the cavern as she clenched her teeth in her fury.
She tried and failed to tell herself that she didn't care what happened to her pilot.
But she knew by now that it was not so.
Her pilot…was her friend.
'Curse these commoners for making me feel such weakness!' Azula thought with fire escaping her angered lips while she scowled deeply.
Somewhere further down in the cavern.
Pieces of rock fell down into an open pit.
Nako yelped as she slowed her fall with her blade digging into the jagged rock before the blade was knocked loose.
And then she shouted in fear as she fell into the pile of rocks below.
She groaned as she sat up holding the back of her head only for her brown eyes to widen after she processed her fall.
"Oh shit! Shit!" Nako exclaimed as she stared up in the blackness of the pit with horror in her eyes.
Just as she stumbled to her feet with her hands shaking at her hip while she watched rocks fall down overhead.
Only to find herself jumping out of the way not a moment later when a giant rock broke off from above and then swiftly plummeted down the hole.
Thoom!
The loyal pilot leaped out of the way with her arms shielding her face as she coughed in the dark.
"C-can anyone hear me! Princess! Captain! Ty Lee! Mai! Saro! Someone please help!" Nako cried out as she staggered backwards with fear flashing in her wide eyes.
Only for her stomach to drop when her pleas failed to elicit a reply.
"I…have to get out of here…if not…" Nako trailed off with a terrified swallow as she listened to the earth continue to rumble overhead.
Before she began to make her way through the everlasting darkness of the pit with her frightened brown eyes gazing into the seemingly endless darkness.
She held onto the wall with her bare hand.
As she tried her hardest to refrain from having a nervous breakdown.
And so, she stumbled through the perpetual blackness in hopes of distancing herself from any falling boulders.
And even though it had been only minutes.
It felt more like an eternity.
That was when she froze in her tracks when she thought she heard something…mechanical in the distance.
And then she gazed around in the dark with her brown eyes agape in fear while she took a startled step backwards.
Only to find herself jumping in surprise when she felt her arm brush up against…a wire of some kind.
'What…what was that?' Nako thought with sweat dripping down her cheek as she struggled to make out the object in the all-consuming darkness.
Just as she tentatively reached out her hand with her finger now lightly brushing against the hidden wire.
Her brown eyes grew as wide as humanly possible as she stared down at the concealed line of metal.
'Is…that a wire? It…it is!' Nako wondered with her fingertips hovering above the wire while she stared down at it with her eyes agape in realization.
And just like that she remembered when she saw Silah coil her fingers in a subtle manner.
And now she understood that she had somehow stumbled upon a secret of the puppeteer.
And just like that an even greater sensation of terror flooded throughout her veins.
'She'll…kill me if the princess doesn't make it down here soon!' Nako thought with panic rushing through her as she took a startled step back.
Only for her brown eyes to squint when she saw the thin wire begin to slowly rise into the air above her.
She watched with her mouth ajar in shock.
Make no mistake she understood the risks.
And yet…if she investigates further.
'If…I can ascertain the mechanics behind these wires…then I could bring the information back to Princess Azula…and…' Nako thought with her eyes wide in indescribable loyalty flashing in her dedicated eyes.
And that was all the deliberation that she needed to make her decision.
And then not a second later she grasped the wire in her clammy hand.
Just as the wire was suddenly raised into the air while she cried out in surprise as she found herself being pulled up along with it.
All along while the wire soared into the air as she gulped with her hands grasping it as tightly as she could.
Just before the wire came to a stop at long last while she now hung from it gazing around her in disbelief.
There was a faint light source emanating from in the distance of the vast lower cave.
And all around her for as far as the eye could see were nearly invisible wires!
'It's…it's like a spiders web! She's…she's using these wires to control the puppets! And she's shifting their locations with every attack that the princess and the captain make!' Nako thought as she hung from the wire gazing ahead with stunned golden eyes.
She listened to the mechanical sound as it grew louder and louder.
And it seemed to be drawing closer and closer with every passing moment!
The princess's forces stood in the crumbling cavern with their eyes gazing down into the pit.
Only for their eyes to flash in relief when they just barely heard Nako's voice shout up from below.
Silah listened from behind the rock with her emotionless dark green eyes narrowing beneath her mask as she gazed down in the direction of her web of wires.
"P-Princess! Captain! Can you hear me! Get down here quickly! She's using-" Nako screamed out only to be silenced by the wire as it wrapped around her mouth.
Their eyes grew wide in unison as they gazed down into the dark in an unnerved silence.
And soon after that they listened closely as they heard the sounds of puppets scuttling behind the cavern walls.
Their eyes grew even wider when they heard the puppets making their way underground.
They heard the sounds of distant mechanical machinery rushing towards somewhere unknown below.
And not a second later the captain fired her line down into the pit while the princess moved to follow her.
"Quickly! It would seem that Nako uncovered something about Silah that she wasn't supposed to. And I have a feeling that she doesn't plan on letting her leave alive." Zoi declared with her hand clutching her utility line while she dropped into the pit.
"Damn that commoner for being so careless!" Azula spoke in a prideful voice while she rushed after her captain.
Before she turned to face Mai with her greedy amber golden eyes glaring down at the smaller girl in her arms.
Mai fought the urge to roll her tawny eyes when the princess held out her arms as if she was a child eager to repossess her puppy.
"Give her to me. I can't risk you dropping such a rare warpower." Azula ordered in a callous voice with her toned arms held out while her childhood friend almost rolled her eyes.
"If you say so Azula." Mai stated in a monotone voice just as she set her adopted sister in her friend's arms while the princess glared at her through the corner of her eye.
Only for Azula to make no comment as she now held Elle's petite frame under her left arm.
Just before she leaped over the edge of the pit with fire bursting from her boots to glide her down in her fall.
Saro swiftly grasped onto Mai's hand before he fired his line into the depths of the hole.
As Mai pulled Ty Lee after her as they jumped into the open pit.
And the seductress tightened her grip on the warrior's back while her blue eyes still into the blackness with great paranoia in her gaze.
And with that the group bounded off the walls of the pit as they descended below.
Nako trembled in terror when a gloved hand slid over her face while her heart continued to beat thunderously.
Just as she turned to gaze out of the corner of her widened eye to find herself staring back at the puppeteer's fractured mask.
While she shivered in fear with a blade pressed against her throat.
"You're too intelligent for your own good Nako." Silah whispered in an eerie voice with her mask pushing into the other woman's hair while Nako cowered in fear.
Silah held her gloved hand over her mouth as she let out an audible gulp.
"Perhaps I should pay your family a visit…how does that sound?" Silah taunted in a pitiless voice with her unfeeling eyes staring over Nako's terrified shoulder.
The only response from the shaken woman was a muffled whimper that only served to bring a demented smile to the puppeteer's lips.
Before the hunter gazed out from beneath her mask with cruel dark green eyes when she saw the two firebenders leap into view.
Which was followed shortly by Saro, Ty Lee and Mai.
Team Azula landed on a large boulder that was blocking their entry below only for a blast of blue fire to swiftly shatter it into pieces.
Just as they dropped to the dusty surface below while they gazed listened in unease as the ground continued to thunder above them.
Before they broke out into a run into what seemed to be a lower chamber while they lit flames to guide their way.
Only for the group to come to a stop as they all gazed out through the dark to find themselves gazing at masked puppeteer with her blade against Nako's trembling throat.
And the three deadly puppets flanking her on all sides while the princess's eyes once more seethed in vengeful fury.
"Release my comrade! Now!" Zoi ordered in a frigid voice as she pointed her blade up at the puppeteer's concealed face.
Nako listened with grateful brown eyes as she stood trembling under the hunter's hand.
Only for all but Jiao to stare up with narrowed eyes when the twisted woman let out a demented chuckle.
"Your pilot is impressive Azula. Her intellect is really quite remarkable. Unlike you…her intelligence is not blinded by a gigantic ego. And there is nothing more dangerous than pure unencumbered logic." Silah spoke in a twisted voice with her blade pushing into the woman's skin while the princess's amber golden eyes boiled over in anger.
"Return my subordinate now and I might consider commuting your sentence to only one decade of torture instead of a lifetime." Azula commanded in a monstrous sneer with a malevolent curve of her crimson lips while her childhood friends shivered beside her.
"It really is a disappointment Azula. I have been searching for a killing partner to make things more interesting in my life. I once briefly considered if you could have been the killing partner that I was looking for. I felt that we could have committed such beautiful bloodshed together. It would have been such lovely carnage. But it simply cannot be." Silah admitted in a wistful voice with her dagger digging into Nako's cowering neck while the group gazed up at her disturbed by her words.
Azula could only stare up with disbelief in her cold amber golden eyes to hear that the woman was so depraved that she had once considered if she could be her 'killing partner'.
And the rest of Team Azula were horrified that the depraved killer had once wanted the princess to be her killing partner.
"Because I realized that you were not a worthy partner. You are not a partner, you are prey." Silah stated in a sinister voice as she shook her head in dismissal.
As the others flinched now when the princess nearly exploded in returning rage.
"I'll show you who is prey!" Azula snapped with her hair hanging in her furious eyes while blue fire burned at her fingertips once more.
"Azula…watch it or you'll get Nako killed." Mai spoke in a hushed voice with her blade in hand while Azula clenched her jaw in her ire.
"But I must say that you certainly have…filled in. But that is to be expected…considering that the last time I saw you was when you were a child." Silah purred with her tongue running along her lips as Nako shook like a leaf in her arms.
And now the princess's forces stood in a baffled silence as they stared up at Silah in confusion.
Mai and Ty Lee both shuddered with their fear in their eyes over how the woman said that Azula had 'filled in'.
The princess took a step back with her boot crushing the rocks below while her lips trembled in an outraged line.
"Yes. It was when I met with your father." Silah taunted in a sadistic voice with her lips entrenched in a grin while group gaped up in disbelief.
"When did you meet my father?" Azula questioned with an edge of paranoia to her voice as she glared murderously up at woman's bone masked face.
"It was eleven years ago when Ozai hired me to complete an assassination." Silah revealed in a cold voice with her gloved hand on Nako's fearful shoulder while the others grew wide eyed in shock.
"Fire Lord Ozai…did business with her!?" Ty Lee exclaimed in a stunned voice while Mai stood in disbelief beside her.
The princess's amber golden eyes grew even wider with her handmaiden's body tucked under her armpit.
'Father…knows about her? Does he also know…that she has been hunting me for all this time!' Azula thought with even greater rage flashing in her prideful eyes as she gritted her teeth.
There was much that he had to answer for!
And she will make him tell her everything as soon as she returns to the Fire Nation Royal Palace!
"An assassination…eleven years ago?" Zoi pondered with peculiar emotion in her voice while her golden eyes gazed up at the hooded puppet.
The princess also scowled up at the puppet with a narrowed amber golden eye.
'Could it be…is that…' Azula thought with her foot sliding across the wet ground of the cave while her blue fire illuminated the tunnel.
"That's right…you were such a wicked little child…shooting apples off your friend's head." Silah chuckled with cruel amusement in her voice while the princess glared up at her with narrowing eyes.
"You…were there when Azula did that?" Mai blurted out in disbelief while momentarily glaring at her remorseless friend through the corner of her eye.
"I was. Your father…called me to meet with him in Hari Bulkan." Silah spoke in a strikingly cold-blooded voice as she smiled down at Azula's unfathomably enraged face.
The whole of Team Azula could only gaze up in shock to learn that the deranged enemy that has been pursuing them for all this time had not only conducted business with then Prince Ozai.
But that she had ventured onto the grounds of the Royal Palace gardens!
Eleven years prior.
In a hidden chamber in the city Prince Ozai stood with his hands clasped behind his back while he gazed at the flame lit wall with cunning amber eyes.
He listened to the sound of soft footsteps approaching up behind him as he turned around to face the masked criminal.
"Silah the Pale." Ozai began with a smirk while the woman stood below an arched passageway.
The woman now gazed out from underneath her mask with emotionless dark green eyes as her gloved hands hung at her hips.
"Ozai." Silah replied with a smirk of her own while the man's amber eyes now narrowed in offense.
"It is Prince Ozai to you assassin." Ozai reprimanded with large flames flaring to life behind him while the hooded woman gazed back at him.
"I am well aware. But I don't use titles. If you have any problems with that then go hire someone else. And I am much more than a mere assassin. I am…both an artist and hunter of the highest caliber." Silah stated with her silver hair hanging before her concealed face while Ozai's cold eyes shone with both anger and amusement.
Until for whatever reasons may be the prince chose to let the matter slide.
But only for the moment.
"An artist and a hunter? If I understand correctly, you have a penchant for collecting human remains." Ozai commented with a twinge of sadistic entertainment in his eyes while he studied the cloaked artist.
"Indeed. I create eternal art. The human body rots and withers away but my art…is everlasting." Silah declared in a proud voice as she gazed about the lavish decorations with a bored dark green eye.
Ozai stared back with perplexed amber eyes while his fires lit the walls of the chamber.
Before he spoke once more.
"Then you know why I have called you here." Ozai continued in an aristocratic voice as his gaze followed the strange woman's movements.
"You intend to claim the throne for yourself…and eliminate all political obstacles that stand in your way." Silah responded in a cunning voice of her own while Ozai's lips curled into a devious grin once more.
"In the coming weeks' time there will be a change in the Fire Nation leadership. When that happens…I want you to kill every name that I provide you. And if you do your job flawlessly…I will pay you richly." Ozai instructed with vast flames accentuating his features while he watched the woman pace past an ornate pillar.
"I have no use for money. Even if I wanted it, I could simply take it from nobles on the road. No. There is something else that I desire." Silah remarked with her gloved fingertips brushing against a pillar while the prince gazed at her in curiosity.
"And what would that be?" Ozai pondered in a low voice while Silah's dark green eyes peered back at him.
"I require fresh bodies for my art…but not just any bodies. Formidable benders. And I am aware that you have a great many waterbenders and earthbenders in the Fire Nation labor camps…" Silah trailed off in an unfeeling voice as she turned to stare back at Ozai's ruthlessly smirking face.
'She wants prisoners from labor camps? That is even simpler than coin…' Ozai thought with a cruel pull of his lips before he turned to face the woman.
"Done. Take as many as you want. Once I possess Ba Sing Se you can even browse the city to your hearts delight." Ozai purred with monumental fires burning behind him while he smiled devilishly.
What better than an assassin that he can pay in prisoners from labor camps!
It was but a trivial price to pay to become Fire Lord!
"It is unwise to get ahead of yourself. You may not possess Ba Sing Se as soon as you think. It has been nearly six hundred days and your brother has yet to pierce the Inner Wall." Silah advised in an unconvinced voice while the prince's eyes now narrowed in renewed anger.
But not just towards his detractor.
But also, towards his foolish brother as well.
"I caution you to watch yourself Silah. My brother may be a fool. But we are the Fire Nation. And I will rule Ba Sing Se. And the Fire Nation throne will be mine." Ozai insisted in a threatening voice with giant flames roaring to life behind him while dark green eyes surveyed him with an ominous tint.
"Think whatever you like Ozai. But your brother will not defeat Jaran." Silah answered with a gloved fist now resting against her masked cheek while she smiled back at the prince's scowling face.
"Then I will handle the Earth King myself when the time comes. And my brother as well." Ozai spoke in a tone of malicious intent while Silah's dark green eyes flashed in interest.
"Perhaps if your brother should fail. I could assist you with that matter as well…" Silah purred with a fingertip trailing down her concealed face while the prince's lips creased up into another pleased smile.
"And what would you want in return? More prisoners?" Ozai inquired in an almost amused voice with the heat of his flames touching his cheek while the woman smiled as she shook her head.
"No. Not prisoners. I want…" Silah began in a chilling voice with her monstrous eyes gazing back at Ozai's intrigued face.
Before she whispered out the words not a moment later while the prince's cruel smirk grew even larger.
Sometime after that outside in the Royal Palace gardens.
The sound of water splashing echoed into the scene while two children cried out in indignation.
Just as the other two children laughed in amusement as they stared down at Mai and Zuko's reddened faces.
"See I told you that it would work Ty Lee!" Azula taunted with her hand on her friend's shoulder while Ty Lee smiled in agreement.
"Aww! They're so cute together!" Ty Lee giggled as she pointed down at her two friends' livid faces while Zuko stomped to his feet.
"Shut up Azula!" Zuko hissed as he stormed past his smirking sister while Azula's smug amber golden eyes watched him walk off.
"You two are such…ugh!" Mai yelled out with her fists clenched as she too stomped out of the water.
"Dum-dum." Azula snickered in a mocking voice with a spoiled smile on her lips while the young Ty Lee smiled beside her.
Only to find herself turning her head in surprise when she caught sight of a robed figure striding down the walk path.
The woman's cloak swayed in the wind just as she turned to gaze back at the young princess with a predatory dark green eye.
All it took was a fleeting moment for Azula's proud amber golden eyes to spark in anger over the hooded woman's disrespectful stare.
Who was this woman and just how did she get in the royal gardens!
"How did you get in here commoner? And who do you think you are looking at me like that?" Azula sneered in a haughty voice while Ty Lee shivered uncertainly at her side.
Silah's painted lips curved into a smile as she gazed back at the pompous child.
"Azula…you shouldn't do that. We don't even know if she's a commoner…I mean she could be someone important." Ty Lee spoke in a hushed voice while her controlling friend rolled her amber golden eyes.
"Please Ty Lee. I know commoner robes when I see them." Azula snorted with her callous eyes narrowing as she glared back at the hooded face.
Only to spin around when she heard her mother's voice call out to her.
"Azula! I have a letter for you and your brother from your Uncle Iroh." Ursa called out as she approached with her hands folded over her waist.
"I don't care about that Mother! Who is this commoner and who does she think she is looking at me like that!" Azula exclaimed in an irate voice as she rounded to glare at the woman once more only for her amber golden eyes to widen in puzzlement beside her baffled friend.
"What commoner Azula? There is no one there." Ursa stated in a confused voice while the two children gazed at the empty clearing in surprise.
"She's…gone." Ty Lee mumbled in a bewildered voice while Azula still scowled where the woman had been standing just moments prior.
"Humph. She ran away because she was scared. Well, she should be. Because if I ever see her again, I'll take her head." Azula grumbled in a prideful voice only to scowl when her mother sternly took hold of her shoulder.
"I don't want you talking like that ever again Azula. That is horrible." Ursa lectured in a chiding voice while Azula just huffed with her little arms folded stubbornly over her chest.
Azula seethed with her beautiful lips in an even more furious glower than before while she exhaled fire through her wrathful nostrils.
She glared frigidly up at the chuckling hunter who still held her blade against her cowering pilot's throat.
Ty Lee shivered in renewed terror beside her.
"S-she…she was watching us Azula. She…could have easily killed us before the guards even took notice." Ty Lee breathed in a horrified voice while her fellow noblewoman shuddered in agreement.
As the princess seethed with her regal lips still bared in a ferocious snarl.
But even Azula knew that there was no doubt that Ty Lee was right.
A woman of this much power could have effortlessly slain two little girls.
But what infuriated Azula more than anything else.
Was knowing that this…woman had been under the Fire Lord's service and she still dared to presume that she was prey!
That she had served the Fire Nation once prior and she had the gall to stalk and hunt the Crown Princess!
That she had the nerve to organize rebels to kill her soldiers and leave her stranded on that wretched island!
That she had the boldness to entrap her in a death match in the depths of the Earth!
And on top of all that the Fire Lord…her father possessed intimate knowledge of this puppeteer's activities and he never saw fit to inform her of Silah's existence!
"I demand that you tell me every detail that you discussed with my father! Now!" Azula roared in a voice of long since boiling rage as her luminescent flames flared towards the cave ceiling while the hunter's chuckles finally died down.
"Answer the princess when she speaks to you." Zoi stated in a furious voice with her katana in hand while her golden eyes lingered on Nako's terrified face.
Azula glanced at her loyal captain in approval through the corner of her cold eye before she returned her glare to her amused enemy.
"I helped your father ascend the throne by killing everyone at court loyal to former General Iroh. By the time he returned…he was so demoralized by the deaths of his father and son that he didn't even resist his brother's will." Silah announced with her lips adorning a twisted smile while the stunned group gazed up at her in disbelief.
Her sword continued to press into Nako's skin while the cavern rumbled once more overhead.
And Azula's lips fell into an even deeper glower as she stared up at her audacious enemy with infuriated amber golden eyes.
She was beginning to see that Silah was far more involved in this war than she first took her to be.
And that made her blood boil.
"You served the Fire Nation…you served my father and now you assault me with the rebels. I will see to it that you die brutally for this treason Silah." Azula hissed with fire escaping her enraged lips while she clenched her fist over her sword.
Only for her callous eyes to grow wide in bubbling rage when the hunter's psychotic cackles echoed throughout the darkened chamber.
"I did not serve the Fire Nation. I used your father…just as he used me. It was only a job. Just as it was only a job when Iroh's sympathizers hired me to kill you. I have no loyalty to either side…to anyone." Silah remarked with her lips in a smug smile while the princess's eyes burned in ever rising fury.
"So…she is playing both sides." Mai muttered as she stood in a stance with her knives in hand.
"The only way I will ever submit to the will of another is if I am crushed in battle under my own terms!" Silah taunted in a deranged voice with her palm crushing Nako's trembling lips while Azula's eyes seethed up at her.
"Well then…should you survive your defeat today. I trust you won't have any qualms when I send the entire Fire Nation military after your head." Azula sneered as she tipped her head back with her merciless amber golden gaze never leaving her enemy's fractured masked countenance.
Just as she turned to gaze at her captain through the corner of her eye when the noblewoman stepped in front of her.
Her brows arched in fascination as she watched the steam continue to emanate off the warrior's body.
"No. We are not leaving this to the troops. I said that I was going to kill you Silah and that is a promise. And unlike the princess…I keep to my promises." Zoi spoke in a determined voice with her golden eyes narrowed into slits while Azula let out a conceited scoff.
"Don't get ahead of yourself soldier. She's mine!" Azula declared in a spoiled voice as she stepped forward with her pet under her arm.
Only for Silah's amused soft laughter to float into the air once more while the two women turned to stare hatefully up at their masked enemy.
"You firebenders kill me? Your firebending is undeniably powerful. But it is not art." Silah stated in a critical voice while the two stared up at her with deadpan eyes.
But before either Zoi or Azula could say another word they watched as the two twins' flames flared to life at their lifeless fingertips.
As emotionless dark green eyes stared back down at them with cruel intent in her gaze.
"Even the strongest flame will burn out like a flickering candle in the wind. But my art is eternal! A thousand years from now my art will still be standing while your fires will have long since faded to the passage of time!" Silah called out in an increasingly psychotic voice with her dark green eyes shaking in passion while she waved her gloved hand in the air.
While her unfortunate hostage cowered under her arm.
And then just like that the unnerved group watched as the flames died out just as quickly as they had come.
And the princess and the captain could only gaze up with their eyes shaking with anger at the implication as they stood side by side prepared for battle once more.
"A thousand years? She thinks that she is going to live for a thousand years?" Saro questioned in puzzlement while the two noblewomen shuddered beside him.
And Jiao swallowed in fear once more as she stood at the back behind the warrior with her blue eyes growing even more paranoid of death at Silah's hands.
"You won't be living for another day much less a thousand years. Now then. I'll be taking my pilot back now." Azula spoke in a still confident voice with her fires raising into the air while her comrades stepped back to avoid the heat from her flames.
Ty Lee gazed on in amazement as she almost smiled when she saw that Elle was never was harmed by the princess's fire.
There was no doubt about it in her mind.
Azula truly cared for Elle.
"I must say that I am disappointed in the two of you. I thought that you would provide a much greater challenge than this. As it stands now…neither of you are worthy of seeing the true nature of my body." Silah sighed as she casually walked forward with Nako trembling under her wrist.
Just as the group backed up as they readied themselves for renewed conflict while the princess and the captain's eyes glared back up at her.
"True…true nature of your body?" Ty Lee asked in a rightfully unsettled voice as she swallowed while Silah's masked visage continued to step down the slope.
"Now isn't that ironic coming from someone hiding behind a hostage." Azula scoffed with her young companion dangling at her womanly hip.
"You are telling us that you will not fight with your full strength? Is that right?" Zoi inquired with an insulted edge to her prideful voice while Nako gazed at them in a pleading silence.
"In order to earn the privilege of seeing my true nature you must first get past all of my puppets. But I don't believe you have time for that…" Silah trailed off in an unfeeling voice as the cavern shook above her while the worried group gazed up in a returning panic.
"Azula…if we get buried in a cave in it won't matter if we won!" Ty Lee advised in a fright while the princess's amber golden eyes bristled in her anger.
"We won't ask you again Silah. Surrender our comrade now!" Zoi demanded with her haze eyes taking on a ruthless gleam once more while she glared at the other woman's masked visage.
And then not a second later…
The ground quaked audibly beneath their feet while the princess's team spun around with alarmed eyes.
Only for a thunderous explosion of earth to suddenly shatter beneath their feet that launched them all flying backwards in surprise.
The seductress cried out in fright only for a strong hand to catch her once more.
And then she clung to the warrior's neck as they dropped safely to the ground before they turned to stare up at the towering silhouette in shock.
Mai landed with her arm around Ty Lee's shoulder while the two noblewomen gazed up at the enormous shadow in speechless astonishment.
Saro landed beside them with his hands at his sides as he gazed up at the mechanized creature in disbelief.
Just as Azula gracefully landed on booted feet with Elle laying underneath her arm while she gazed up with her amber golden eyes widening in incredulity.
Rising from the ground was the enormous head of a mechanical monstrosity with its vestigial eyes staring back down at them.
And then its eyes lit up with an artificial gleam while they shakily stood up as they balked at its huge claws slammed into the ground before them.
The ground shook with even greater velocity while rocks began to rain down overhead once again as they stared up at the badgermole's metal countenance as it rose majestically above them.
Silah now stood atop its head with Nako still restrained in her grip while the pilot gazed down with widened brown eyes.
Before their amazed eyes was a completely mechanical badgermole!
"Feast your eyes Azula! Upon my genius! This is the power of true art! I converted this creature it into a war machine! You may be the master of blue fire but I…am the master of death!" Silah boasted as she dramatically swept her gloved hand to the side while the princess glowered up at her with vengeful rage in her amber golden eyes.
"Please. So, what if you turned an overgrown weasel into a tank!" Azula snorted as she gently set her young servant on the ground before she stood up with her blue flames surging once more.
"That's…that's insane. She built that thing?" Saro marveled in awe while the princess scowled as she turned to glare up at the looming mechanical beast.
"I…can't believe that she was able to construct such a war machine all on her own." Zoi spoke in a taken aback voice as she stood up with her sword in hand.
"Your father got his throne and in turn I received rare metals that I used to construct my own underground armada. But that's not all Azula. Your father gave me other gifts as well." Silah taunted in a cruel voice with her silver hair hanging in her eyes underneath her mask.
She took great delight in watching Azula's face contort into a gaze of pure murderous fury.
"Your father armed her…how wonderful." Mai stated with a dour countenance while Azula looked as if she was about to explode in anger.
'How dare she use Fire Nation weaponry to attack me!' Azula thought with her fist clenched at her womanly hips while her lips pursed into an enraged line.
"Your father actually thought that he was getting the better end of the deal. It's rather sad isn't Azula? Who is pathetic enough to spend their entire life fighting to claim a mere chair? Oh…that's right…you." Silah chuckled as she rose up upon her mechanical puppet's head while she smirked down into the princess's livid amber golden gaze.
"You shut your mouth you disgusting peasant. You want power…I'll show you power!" Azula snapped as she took a step forward with her fires flooding into the air while her companions gazed up in fear behind her.
Only for the heat of the intense azure flames to splash harmlessly against the steel of the enormous badgermole.
They balked in shock when it failed to penetrate the war machines interior.
Just as the badgermole's eyes glowed once more while the Fire Twins and the hooded puppet now dropped down upon its large back.
And then not a second after that its great paws tore through the wall which sent numerous rocks crumbling down over the cornered group.
As the startled fighters leaped out of the way of the deadly attack.
Before the massive beast stunned them once again by opening its mouth to reveal a large cannon!
"Azula!" Ty Lee cried out in a frightened voice with blood on her cheek while Azula jumped down in front of them with Elle under her arm.
"Calm down Ty Lee. I'll handle it." Azula hissed as she rounded to stare imperiously up at the cannon while Silah laughed from atop her metal beast.
Just before the captain dropped down with the seductress under her arm while she hastily pushed the younger woman back.
"Get back Jiao." Zoi commanded with her hand pushing her partner back while Azula's eyes twitched in annoyance when Jiao swatted at her arm.
"I am not going to die here Zoi!" Jiao shouted in a distraught voice as she stood behind Zoi's tall back while red steam exuded from her muscles once more.
"I won't let you die Jiao. I promise." Zoi assured as she stepped forward in a combat stance with her hardened eyes glaring up at the mechanical monstrosity.
"You have two choices available to you. You can turn around and run…possibly save yourselves. But if you do…Nako will die." Silah spoke in an eerie voice with her palm pressing down hard upon the other woman's struggling lips.
As all but Jiao glared up at her in response.
"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go." Jiao huffed while the two noblewomen glared at her in aggravation.
"Or you can die trying to save her before I snap her neck." Silah declared in an utterly inhuman voice with her arm smashing into Nako's muffled throat while the team watched in a growing panic.
"That's not going to happen. We're not leaving." Zoi snarled with her hands over her sword while Jiao glared at her back.
"She's such a loyal subordinate Azula. After she fell in the pit. She risked her life in an attempt to uncover my secrets in the hopes of serving her Crown Princess well. And look what it got her…sad." Silah sighed as she began to crush the pilot's throat while Nako futilely began to beat on her arms.
The princess stood with blood on her lip with her amber golden eyes taking on an unfamiliar emotion after hearing those words.
Her beautiful lips fell into regal glower as she gazed up at her struggling subordinate with a flicker of unmistakable anger in her callous eyes.
"Let my subordinate go. Now!" Azula barked with her eyes agape in authoritative rage while the hunter pushed her lips into Nako's cowering cheek.
"What are you going to tell her family Azula? Well…I suppose you'll think of it should you live to see it." Silah purred with her gloved hands crushing Nako's throat while the group bristled in fury.
Just as the captain fired her into the ceiling of the quaking cave while the princess's magnificent flames burst forth from her enraged body.
Mai and Ty Lee stared up at the hunter in utter revulsion.
There was no question in their minds that the woman was even crueler than Azula on her worst day!
And then an explosion of rocks sprayed into the air when the furious Zoi was sent leaping backwards by a swipe from the creature's claw.
The hooded puppet slid down the side of the mechanical badgermole with his lifeless light green eyes gazing back down at her angered face.
Just as the two Fire Twins descended down the other side while Azula quickly glanced about the chamber with a cold amber golden eye.
Only for Azula to raise her intelligent eyes in confusion when she watched her pilot weakly raise her right hand into the air.
In that moment Nako and Azula met each other's gaze while the pilot extended her hand into the air with her fingers outstretched.
As the princess's hardened eyes flashed with confusion as she gazed up into the commoner's frightened eyes.
The intent of the gesture was clear as day to Azula.
It was Nako's attempt at communicating a dying message.
The princess could only gaze over her shoulder in puzzlement when she was unable to see what her subordinate was pointing at.
'Nako…thinks that she is going to die…so she is trying to tell me something critical! She…. believes that her death is at hand and yet…she still serves me!' Azula thought with her domineering eyes agape in untold recognition while she swiftly gazed around her in search of something unseen.
Before her callous rapidly turned back to her subordinate's rasping face while her lips pursed in an uncharacteristically protective manner.
She had already made up her mind long ago that she wasn't going to let her pilot die.
And now her decision was solidified.
'I can't strike with lightning generation…or I will risk killing Nako.' Azula pondered with great rage in her amber golden gaze while she exhaled fire through her nostrils.
That left her only one option.
Without speaking a word Azula sunk into a swordsmanship stance with her sheathed blade at her hip once more.
Her companions gazed up in fear at the deadly cannon.
And then the captain landed on all fours beside her once more while she momentarily regarded her strongest soldier through the corner of her gaze.
"We need to act quickly." Zoi stated in a rushed voice with her katana in hand as she slid back while she aimed her line up at the head of the mechanical badgermole.
"I know that Zoi." Azula spoke in a glacial voice with fire spewing from her wrathful lips as she slid back along the cavern ground.
As the unfortunate pilot continued to turn blue underneath the puppeteer's crushing arm.
Just as the two firebenders took their position side by side as they arched their bodies in preparation to attack.
And for the most fleeting of moments the captain's stony gaze fell upon the hooded puppet once more.
'Could that really be…no. That's impossible. She…couldn't have!' Zoi thought with her prideful eyes narrowing into focused slits while her boots stepped into the ground.
And yet in all her life the only other person that she has seen wield such unnatural earthbending was Earth King Jaran.
But she knew that now was not the time for such deliberations.
Right now, all that mattered was Nako.
And just like that the cannon exploded into the air of the confined lower cavern.
While the two mighty women leaped into the air with blinding agility while their comrades jumped out of the way of the thunderous assault.
The explosion echoed throughout the cave while Mai rolled with Elle's motionless body in her arms.
Azula and Zoi now soared side by side with their blades rapidly descending above the smirking Silah.
'I see. So…they are putting everything they have into one rapid assault in the hope that they will make it in time before I can break her neck. It's a shame that it isn't going to work.' Silah thought with her painted lips pulling into a smile as she tightened her grip on her hostage's flailing neck.
Team Azula's forces watched the event happen in horror as their friend gasped with her brown eyes agape in despair.
Mai and Ty Lee swallowed in fright as they observed the two firebenders drop down above the mechanical badgermole's head.
Just as the three puppets bounded into the air to defend their master while the hunter perversely licked her lips once more.
"I want you all to know. I do this. Not for a crown…not for a throne…and not out of revenge. I do this…because I…enjoy it. This is nothing but a game. And I love it." Silah announced in a demented voice with a heartless smile on her lips while the group listened in a state of speechless shock.
Before she rammed her elbow into the gasping woman's throat.
The princess and the captain seethed as they dropped down above the attacking puppets with their bending sparkling alight.
And then with great force the two warriors plunged downward to save their comrade while Silah lapped at her lips.
And then…
Without any warning an explosion of tree roots burst through the walls of the cavern while the group turned their heads in surprise.
Azula and Zoi fell through the air with their eyes agape in astonishment while a large tree root took the hunter off guard.
And then not a second later it swiftly seized Nako from her arms while Silah's dark green eyes widened in realization.
"Mava!" Silah shouted with noticeable rage in her voice only to be knocked into the cavern wall by an enormous root.
The hunter hit the wall with her hair nearly spilling out from beneath her mask while her hostage was lowered safely to the ground below.
Nako dropped onto all fours as she hyperventilated with a hand over her chest while her brown eyes remained wide in trauma.
Even Ty Lee kneeling behind her in sympathy did little to assuage her terrors.
Just as the princess landed in front of her subordinates with her cold amber golden eyes gazing down at the trembling pilot in something akin to relief.
Before she turned her frigid gaze back to the mechanical badgermole while her eyes continued to widen when the roots rapidly consumed the entire cavern.
Zoi leaped down onto the side of the cavern as she gazed on with awestruck golden eyes.
It was the same tree that was destroyed before her very own eyes!
And yet somehow…it was back.
Mai and Ty Lee gazed on with wonder in their eyes as they stood over Elle's unconscious body while a large root lowered over them.
Saro and Jiao also watched in fascination as the tree bark deposited a form onto the floor before them.
And out from it came the old sage herself.
They all stared on in disbelief as Mava landed with her staff hitting the hard floor.
And then she gazed on with weathered golden eyes before her staff began to glow once again.
AN:
So, before I get to the afterword. Allow me to briefly address the reviews.
Thank you both atkinsondonovan and Agent Banana for your reviews.
It really means a lot to me that you feel that way Agent Banana, that is truly a high compliment. Especially, considering that there are so many stories out there. Sometimes, I get self conscious that other stories have thousands of favorites and follows. In comparison to those, it can seem like mine grows much more slowly.
However, it is growing all the same. And when I hear comments like that it really makes me glad that there are people like you who love it so deeply.
As for your question. What made me decide to write about Azula, was that I realized that there is so much to work with in regards to her. Before writing this, I wrote around forty to fifty stories that I never posted.
Most of them, only lasted a few chapters before I abandoned them. Some were terrible ideas, others good. But all of the characters that I tried to write just didn't resonate with me.
I like strong female characters, and as such I tried my go at writing many of them. I began to realize that most of the canon characters I had been writing about were either just too generically evil, as I ultimately started to feel was the case with Esdeath. Or there were just pure good, like Erza from Fairy Tail.
I also tried to writing about several DC comic heroes, like Supergirl, I also dabbled a little bit in RWBY. However, I started to feel like there was nowhere I could take these characters. As I said, there were either all good, or all bad.
That was when I realized the potential of writing about Azula. She isn't all bad, or all good. She actually feels human, and her character on ATLA really connected with me. I felt like and I still do, that she is greatly neglected by the fandom. So many people want to write about Zuko this, Zuko that.
I wanted to read about Azula going on a long journey to resolve her inner turmoil and follow her own personal road to becoming Fire Lord. And this is ultimately what I came up with. It was Azula's morally gray personality that drew me to writing about her and that hasn't changed.
I feel like there are so many amazing places that I can take her, that are not possible with other canon characters. And I really enjoy writing her relationships with people.
And of course, I wanted to give Azula a companion to love her that she never had in canon. And that is Elle. I ended up falling in love with Elle's character, and now I couldn't imagine writing about anyone else with Azula.
Throughout the books we'll also follow Team Avatar and especially Zuko. As well as my own original characters, large and small. But the core of the story will remain focused on Azula and her personal journey with Elle.
Now then, as for the afterword.
In this chapter we got to see Azula's strategic wit in action when she came close to discovering Silah's web of strings.
And we also saw how having to focus on protecting her team was hindering her battle efforts.
Also, Nako once again proved her strategic worth to Azula. She showed Azula that she is truly irreplaceable as both her personal pilot and her inventor.
Even though she only came upon the web of wires by chance. If it had been Mai, Ty Lee, Saro or Jiao that fell down there they likely would not have found Silah's secret chamber. And even if they had seen it, they wouldn't have deciphered its meaning as quickly as Nako did.
In many respects, Nako is a genius. And Azula is starting to realize that. It also shows that Nako is likely Azula's equal in intellect. And that if they put their minds together, the rebels will have a difficult time countering their moves.
As for Silah's wire chamber. Silah's mechanized badgermole was deploying a mass of wires all throughout the caverns from its mouth. This granted Silah a seemingly endless supply of wires that she was able to use to control so many puppets all at once.
However, there is more to Silah's technique than her wires and discover more as her character continues to take a more prominent role in the story.
I also included several clues about Silah's strength and durability throughout the last few chapters. We saw that Silah is shockingly durable when she walked through Azula's blue fire.
And we also saw in this chapter that her grip is surprisingly strong when she almost choked Nako.
And finally, we also learned that long ago in the past, Silah and Ozai once formed a partnership to take down both Earth King Jaran and Iroh's allies at court.
I know that in Iroh's grief he abandoned his claim to the throne to Ozai. However, while Iroh chose not to fight for his right to the throne. I felt like it would be natural that he would have some supporters that would prefer to see him crowned over Ozai.
And that is why Ozai hired Silah long ago. He wanted to make certain that he took power without incident. And the universe that I am creating. While Ursa is indeed the one to poison Azulon. This shows that Ozai was plotting a violent rise to power long before in advance.
He simply used Ursa as a convenient scapegoat. But it also fits Ozai's insidious nature to have a backup plan in case Iroh should fight for his claim to the throne. Having a few of Iroh's supporters vanish under mysterious circumstances simply compounded to Iroh's grief and made him even more likely to back down.
And in the end, Ozai was probably expecting more of a fight and was likely surprised when Iroh so easily abandoned his claim.
The short flashback also showed us that Silah has been hunting Azula for longer than we first thought. And in my view, only serves to cement how terrifying she is as a hunter. She had Azula chosen as a desired hunt long before Azula even knew who she was.
And that is essentially what Silah does. She follows targets that interest her and follows them throughout the years as they grow stronger. And then she strikes when she feels that their power is ready for 'harvest'.
And of course, there was also the problem of Earth King Jaran. We'll touch more on Jaran as we go along, and we'll eventually find out why Jaran left Ba Sing Se on a personal mission to kill Ozai at all costs. It is safe to say that Ozai provoked his sense of honor. But as for what Ozai did, we'll have to wait to find out.
I do however, want to clarify right now. While Ozai may be a horrible, monstrous father. He didn't sanction Silah to hunt his daughter. Ozai isn't stupid, but like Azula his is immensely arrogant.
He thought that he was the one getting the better end of the deal. Ozai didn't know about Silah's power, if he did. He wouldn't have given her earthbending slaves and materials to convert into a puppet army.
And he most definitely never would have let her near such a powerful bender as Earth King Jaran if he knew that Silah had the power to weaponize the dead.
Ozai simply made the erroneous assumption that Silah was sort of like Ed Gein or other another necrophile of some kind. He thought that she simply had a gruesome fascination with corpses and was looking for an easy way to acquire body parts without attracting public scrutiny.
It wasn't until it was too late, that he started to realize what Silah was doing with the dead.
As for the current status of Ozai and Silah's relations, we'll touch on that in the next arc.
However, one thing has been made clear with Silah's assault on Azula's party and her past meeting with Ozai. Silah doesn't respect any authority, unless they prove themselves capable of crushing her completely in battle.
Unless she faces a crushing defeat, she has no intentions of remaining loyal to anyone. All and all, she has shown that she does as she pleases.
It should be noted though, that Silah is open to following someone, they just have to prove themselves her superior in power. And she has yet to meet such a person.
And of course, even if Azula were to prove herself as such to Silah. I think it is safe to say that Azula has no interest in employing Silah in her service anytime soon.
Silah's refusal to address Ozai, Azula, and Jaran by their titles alone is proof enough of such thoughts. It also shows her predatory nature in that she openly calls royalty by their name to their face without honorific. It is a subtle hint that she considers everyone she meets her prey.
But also, Silah proved her mechanical genius when she revealed that she killed a badgermole and mechanically converted it into a war machine. I wanted to give Silah a method of getting around and that is what I came up with.
One detail is apparent though, and that is regardless of Ozai not knowing that Silah was openly hunting his daughter. There is much that Ozai has not told Azula, from his Phoenix King coronation plans that he held in secret behind her back, to his past alliance with Silah. It shows that Ozai never truly considered an equal partner in ruling, but instead a pawn that only needs to be told enough to keep Azula loyal.
And finally, we saw that Mava has returned and next chapter we'll get to see more of her. And we'll be wrapping up the battle with Silah shortly over the next one to two chapters.
And lastly, next chapter Elle is finally going to awaken from her meditation ritual.
That will be all for now though.
Stay tuned for next time.
For chapter eighty-nine! The Potential Within!