Samir sat across from the Firelord, his face as impassive as stone as his interpreter relayed his words.

“As I have promised, I have brought the Earth Nation to its knees and wiped out the Northern water tribe. Only the insurgencies remain now, and they’re not long for this world. The Water shortage guarantees it.”

An imperceptible smile formed on his lips as he delighted in the man's basso voice.

Stringy and short, his interpreter was born to be another faceless dead man in an age of war and strife. Low born, even his undeniable wit and voice wouldn't have been enough to save him. It was why Samir plucked him from the ranks and made him his voice.

In many ways, the interpreter reminded Samir of himself. He'd been written off too.

After his defeat at the hands of the Phantoms, rumors abounded from those he'd not had the time to enthrall and the few slowly waking up from their stupor.

The Firelord was making moves to remove him from his court. Permanently.

Azula's wicked laugh had all but confirmed it. For the second time in this new life, he found himself in an impossible situation.

The walls were closing in, months of careful planning being undone. The entire affair had even crippled his Dragon, and he'd been forced to put it down for an SP boost.

Desperate, Samir cobbled together a skill he wished he hadn't needed to take as his third rare skill.

(R)Chi-Telepathy lv 30: Communicate and influence people with words from your mind. Greatly boosts the effects of Hypnosis and Charm. Telepathy will work regardless of the target's spirit or Chi size or amount.

He'd been set on taking a rare firebending skill like a multi-colored flame or the unique bending form that Zuko and Aang learned, but desperate time called for desperate measures.

He’d gotten the inspiration for the skill in the weeks he spent breaking into Misha's mind.

The first thing he did when he got the skill was shut the princess up with a mental command and re-establish his iron grip on the Fire Nation army.

Samir refused to be done in my one mistake like some cliche villain when he was the true hero of the story.

He'd been so sure that the dragon would've been enough.

He’d had her spar many times with the likes of Jon jon, and she’d held her own reasonably well. Yet, she did not survive a meeting with a Phantom. As painful as the loss of his arm was, it taught him a valuable lesson. Never underestimate your opponent, even when you think you have the advantage, which is why he'd taken every precaution with the two monsters sitting in front of him.

“Be that as it may,” Azula said, batting her eye lid coquettishly. “Your methods to win this war so far have hardly been efficient. Fire Nation People are suffering as much as the insurgents because of your stunt with the fish. There’s hardly a point to all of this if there's nothing left to rule but ashes.”

Samir raised a brow. Since when has the Princess cared for the common people? Wasn’t unreasonable cruelty her shtick? Samir bid his interpreter to speak. “It’s the price of war. It’s hardly the first time the Fire Nation has used an unconventional strategy to secure victory.”

“As you’ve reminded me several times, you don’t have a major stake in our war. The only thing you care about is killing the boy.”

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“And I have dedicated adequate resources to that endeavor as well as placed pressure on the leadership of the insurgents. They know the only way this will end is to bring the boy to me. After I have him, you can decide to do whatever you want with the fish. Heck, you can remove and put it back in the pond as often as you please to whip your subordinates into shape.”

“Still, you could make more of an effort to secure our victory, you’re supposed to be our Avatar, after all.”

Samir looked at her, a bit amused, then observed Ozai, who seemed content to watch them bicker. The man had not spoken directly to him since he approached him with the plan to steal the Moon's spirit.

Back then, he was an insecure level 40 player with too many weaknesses. Since then, he’d advanced to level 46 and had telepathy on his side. Even with that, breaking Ozai and his daughter's minds was a gamble. The depth of the Firelord's spirit seemed endless, and the young Princess somehow had a more robust spirit than him.

That was why he'd spent a great deal of time enthralling every servant, cook, and guard both interacted with. They had poisons, knives, and even explosives at the ready.

Juggernauts like Ozai and his daughter were best handled discreetly. Why risk certain death when he could kill them where they felt safest?

Still, he was loathe to make any moves. With the world teetering on the edge and his target in the wind, he'd be stuck in an imploding capital if he killed them. He'd be more vulnerable than ever, and any number of things could go horribly wrong.

It was easier to keep things as is for now. Killing the Firelord was the nuclear option.

“What else would you have me do?" Samir had his interpreter question. "Lead the charge where I’d be vulnerable to another attack from a Phantom or challenge the Avatar to a duel like some barbarian?”

“It would certainly quell the rumors that you’re weak and a coward,” Azula remarked almost casually, and Samir grinned at the casual dig.

“Was this about the incident at the North Pole, princess?” He had his interpreter say as he leaned forward. “I already apologized. I cannot control myself entirely when I awaken my Avatar powers. It certainly doesn't help that you try to provoke me. As you’ve noticed, they’re quite unconventional.” Samir gestured to the interpreter, and Azula observed him with some distaste. In retrospect, lashing out against her like that was an unnecessary risk. It gave away insights into his technique, and that'd made the princess even more paranoid.

“Yes, yes, they are,” Azula muttered with naked distaste. “And while you ought to be punished for your earlier transgression, Father has graciously opted to assign you a new task instead. Put an end to this war in a month.” Her princess smile turned vicious.

Samir’s eyes bulged. He would’ve balked at her words if he could speak. “You can’t be serious,” his interpreter said.

“Oh, but we are,” Azula smiled. “Your methods, while effective, put us all at risk. You might not be concerned about collateral damage, but we are. The plagues are rapidly approaching the Fire Nation. It’s time for the fish to go back to its pond.”

“You’re asking me to put an end to a hundred-year war in 30 days. Even with the full might of the army, it’s impossible.”

“You’re always bragging about how powerful you are; this is your chance to prove yourself,” Azula said. “Kill the other travelers, spare him, or wipe out what’s left of the Earth Nation army. We don’t care how you do it.”

Samir’s frown deepened, but he conceded that she did have a point. He was powerful. More powerful than they could imagine, but he was not eager to put himself at risk, not after what happened last time.

Why leave the capital where he had thousands of agents and Elite soldiers and bring himself within the reach of the Phantoms?

Distance was no issue for them. Witnessing the battle between Wang and the other benders even made some part of him wish he'd chosen the path of a bender instead of a Mastermind.

They were simply...overwhelming. Even the youngest of them, Aaron, was a monster, from all accounts.

So far, he'd controlled the army with letters to his most trusted Generals.

Couldn't he continue to do just that?

But then again, traveling to the front would give him the opportunity to dominate every last captain, commander, and general in the Fire Nation army, as well as get started on the enemy's army.

With ten of thousands of men under his control, he could easily flush Mark out and pit their mind-boggling numbers against the Phantoms.

It was risky, but he stood to gain everything. And it also insulate him from any plots Azula and her crazy father were cooking up. Plus, she was right about the Fire Nation citizens being on edge. A revolution could break out in 30 days if he didn't turn the water back on soon.

“I suppose you're right," Samir had his interpreter finally say. "The people have suffered enough. It’s time I put an end to this war."