Wandering Firebender
Fourty Nine: Strategy & Emotions
Yesterday's events were still on Elio's mind as he and Alger rode their eel-hound down the beaten path. Sensing that he had some things to work out in mind, Alger didn't try to engage in conversation with him. Elio certainly appreciated that silent understanding that they had developed.
After that battle, it was all too official now: Elio was now a part of this war, and he was fighting against his own nation. Even though he knew he was in the right and they were in the wrong, the thought made Elio's stomach queasy, especially considering what was soon to come.
It was going to take everything in him to stand with the people of the Northern Water Tribe. He could only hope that when the time came, and he could see his nation's flag approaching, he'd be able to go through with it all.
"Elio. Hey, Elio! Look ahead!" Alger said, tapping him to get his attention. He pointed forward. Elio lifted his eyes and looked ahead. He saw a familiar looking little coastal town. His eyes widened.
"No way! We're here! We made it!" He exclaimed happily.
Elio and Alger rode into the port town. Immediately, Elio was greeted by a number of sights he still recognized: the inn, the market, the dock by the beach. It wasn't as decorated as it had been before, but this was where Elio and Cindra had spent that last day together.
"I can't believe we made it to the northern shore this quickly!" Elio commented.
"Well, we've been traveling quite diligently. This eel-hound is likely much faster than however you were traveling before." Alger reasoned. Elio nodded and ran a hand on the back of Sai's neck.
"Nice job, boy. I know just where to go from here, Alger. I'll get passage to the North Pole, you should circle back and gather some supplies here in the market." Elio suggested, pulling the reins to bring the eel-hound to a stop.
"Alright. I'll meet you there soon." Alger said as Elio slid off of the saddle and proceeded on foot. Alger took the reins and rode back into town...
Elio was disappointed to learn that the ship that could have taken him further north had already left, and wouldn't be returning until the late evening. That meant that he would have to wait until tomorrow to leave. Nevertheless, he paid in advance for safe passage north.
Elio made his way back to the market and started walking through, looking around for Alger. As he made his way through, he started reminiscing about that day with Cindra. He remembered the smells, the food, the music. It was months ago, but considering all that's happened, it felt like a lifetime ago...
"Hey, I remember you, kid! Come over here." An old man called to him. Elio turned his head to look and walked over to the man when he recognized him.
"Hello again, sir. How are you?" Elio asked pleasantly.
"Can't complain, kid. How about you? You're looking strong! Did you get like 3 years older?" The old man asked with a laugh. Elio chuckled a little.
"Feels like it. Hey, how come there's not as many people here as last time?" Elio asked, referring to when he was in town before.
"Oh, that was just for the festival. Rest of the time, it's pretty quiet around here. Even more so now that word's spread of the Fire Nation planning an attack. Most people either ran off to help or just ran away." The old man explained.
"I see." Elio nodded in understanding.
"What about you? You running away too? I wouldn't blame ya." The old man inquired.
"Well, not exactly...I'm going to the North Pole."
"Oh, so you're chasing that girl you were with before!" The old man realized and started to laugh again.
"Huh?"
"Trust me, kid, I know a water tribe girl when I see one. I've had the pleasure of getting to know a small few in my life. But you know, the Northern Water Tribe doesn't take too kindly to outsiders." He informed Elio.
"I'm aware of that...but still, I have to go." Elio said.
"You know what you want and you're willing to chase after it. I respect that. Well hey, let's hope it all goes for you!" He gave Elio a thumbs up. "Ah, young love. What a funny thing." The old man said to himself, chuckling and shaking his head.
"Haha, well you take care of yourself, sir. Stay safe." Elio said with a smile.
"I'll be just fine! You better worry about yourself, kid! I hope you got something warm to wear once you get up to the North Pole!" The old man laughed again as Elio walked away.
"I'll keep that in mind!" Elio called back to him.
"Elio, there you are! What did they say about sailing to the north?" Alger asked as he brought his eel-hound to a stop right in front of Elio.
"Oh, Alger! So, the ship already left. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to go. So we might as well get comfortable." Elio suggested.
"Ah, I see. Well, I've already gotten some food. Why don't we take advantage of that nearby inn and get two rooms for the night?" Alger suggested.
"Perfect." Elio agreed...
So Elio and Alger spent the rest of the day getting accommodated in this little town temporarily. Elio helped Alger buy food for his journey back. For Elio, they bought a parka as well as food for the trip north. Once all that was done, they booked two rooms in the local inn right next to each other.
Now, as afternoon was starting to bleed into early evening, Elio and Alger found themselves with some downtime, so they decided to go to a little restaurant to have dinner. As they sat down at their table, they discussed what their next moves would be.
"So you and Koda set up a place to rendezvous?"
"Yes," Alger answered with a nod. "Back in that small city that we liberated. She agreed to wait there with her two companions until I return. From there, I'll have to discuss with her where we'll go. I imagine she'll want to act quickly, considering the short amount of time left until the summer solstice." He expressed his thoughts.
"Hmm, yeah, probably. Hey, what do you think of her?" Elio asked curiously.
"Of Koda?"
"Yeah!"
"She's...interesting. She reminds me of you, I guess, since you, all of you, have similar stories," Alger shrugged. "But I trust them. They proved themselves well enough for me."
"Yeah, right. Well, you be safe when you start traveling again, okay? I know you can handle yourself, but still, just be careful." Elio said.
"I will. And you do the same. The conditions in the North Pole, I imagine, are quite harsh. You will need time to...acclimate to the temperatures." Alger said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, I'm not looking forward to that," Elio chuckled. "I had considered asking you to come with me, but I know that your fight is here, so I won't take that away from you." He brought up. Alger hummed and nodded.
"Yeah. Sorry, Elio. Even if I did go, I wouldn't be much help at all."
"Really? Why not?" Elio asked.
"Well, I'm an earthbender. The Northern Water Tribe is built on top of ice caps. There wouldn't be much for me to bend, so..." Alger shrugged.
"Ohh, see, I didn't know that. Yeah, you'd be better suited here."
"I'm glad we're in agreement," Alger said with a smile and a chuckle. "Despite the circumstances, I've enjoyed this brief time traveling together, Elio. I'm glad that we can truly call each other friends now." He said sincerely.
"Me too," Elio smiled. "Where did this sudden sentimentality come from?"
"I guess it's just been on my mind now, considering we'll be parting ways tomorrow." Alger said.
"Yeah...you know, this is the second time I've had to say goodbye to a friend here."
"Ah, yes. You did mention before that this is the same town where Cindra left from. Have you been thinking about her as well?" Alger asked curiously.
"What do you mean by that?" Elio asked, raising his eyebrow.
"Well, when you get to the North Pole, it is highly likely that you'll be seeing her again," Alger pointed out. "I'm sure you two will have much to catch up on." He commented with a smile.
"I guess so," Elio said with a fond smile, looking down at his cup. "I guess I should think about what to say to her when I see her. I'm sure she'll be surprised." He chuckled.
"I'm sure it will be a welcome one." Alger replied, smiling and sipping his tea.
Elio smiled in return, but his attention was diverted by someone else coming into the restaurant. A taller gentleman was walking towards the bar. They made eye contact, and Elio found himself becoming uneasy. He was about to say something to Alger...
Suddenly the man shot a large fireball at both of them! Elio reached awkwardly across the table, throwing his own blast of fire sideways to divert the attack away from Alger. Alger jumped back in shock, completely caught off guard. Elio slid off the chair to his feet.
"Cheap move, buddy!" Elio said, getting into a fighting stance.
"Finally! You're a slippery little runt, Elio. The Fire Nation sent us to give you a little message!" The man grinned sadistically, shooting another fireball at him. Elio deflected this one with a quick kick.
"Us?"
Another blast of fire burst through the windows behind Elio, breaking the glass and throwing Elio off balance. Alger yelped, ducking underneath the table. As he was crawling forward, Elio took a careless step forward to move away from the flames.
The man in front of Elio closed his fist and hit him across the cheek with a backhand, knocking him to the ground. Elio grunted out in shock, dazed by the hit. The man put his foot on Elio's back and raised his hand up.
"How disappointing. I thought you would put up way more of a fight." The man said.
"Try me." Alger said, stepping in quickly. He threw several chi-blocking jabs into the man's chest and rib cage. The man gasped in shock as his body locked up. He collapsed to the ground on top of Elio.
"Nice job," Elio grunted as he crawled out from underneath the large man. "Maybe a little faster next time?"
"The building's starting to catch flames!" Alger said, drawing Elio's attention to the growing fire all around them, "We need to make sure the place is empty and get out!"
"There'll be more of them waiting outside." Elio warned him.
"I'll go out the front and hold them off! You get him out." Alger said, referring to the man on the ground. Elio nodded quickly.
"Go. Go!" Elio said before crouching down and pulling the man away, "What do you want with us?" Elio asked the man as he dragged him across the floor towards the back of the restaurant.
"Why...can't I move?!" The man struggled.
"Why are you here?!" Elio shouted at him.
"Urgh! Isn't it obvious? The Fire Nation wants to kill ya." The man chuckled.
"A kill squad," Elio's eyes widened in realization. "Alger! Be careful out there!" Elio shouted to him.
"I got it!" Alger shouted back, hurrying towards the bar. He found one gentleman crouched down behind the counter, shielding his head and neck with his hands, "Hey! Sir! The building is catching on fire! We have to evacuate now!" He shouted to him.
"Huh?! I-Is the Fire Nation gone?!" He asked fearfully, looking up at Alger.
"I'm afraid not, but it's not safe here! Come! I'll get you out safely!" Alger held his hand out to the restaurant owner. The man took it, getting up and climbing over the front counter, "Stay behind me!" Alger said, running first out of the front door.
As soon as he stepped out, he noticed two more men in dark clothing waiting for him. They both shot fireballs at Alger. Alger quickly raised up a shield of earth around him. He stretched his arms out and started throwing quick punches, shooting rocks towards both of them.
Elio dragged the large man out the back door of the restaurant. Setting him down on the ground, Elio ran around the corner to help Alger out. As he was coming around to the side, he saw someone in dark clothing with a flame blazing from his right hand, ready to attack someone.
Elio jumped up and got into a firebending stance, shooting a continuous blast of fire out of both hands. The inferno circled through the air and struck the man in the back, knocking him down and burning through his clothes. Elio took a breath and kept moving.
"Sena! You'll pay for that, you brat!" One of the men attacking Alger shouted at Elio after seeing him take down his partner.
Alger took advantage of this distraction, throwing a kick that sent a stone flying towards the man's head. It struck him right in the face and knocked him onto his back. He was down for the count. This allowed Alger to regroup, stepping out from his shield.
"I got your back, Alger!" Elio said, running to help him. Their opponent, another man, shot fireballs at both Elio and Alger defensively.
"I need backup here!" The man shouted in the direction of the market.
Elio used his own flames to jump over the attack, flipping forward and shooting fire out of his feet. The man dodged the attack and was preparing to counter, but Alger got in close first. He threw a hard punch directly into the man's side.
The man stumbled back with a groan. He spun around and pulled out a knife, swinging it at Alger. Alger leaned back to dodge it, but felt it nick the bridge of his nose. He bent his knees and twisted his foot, causing the ground beneath the man's feet to shift.
The man fell awkwardly and put his hand down on the ground to catch himself. While he was bent sideways, Elio ran up and kicked him in the stomach. The man groaned in pain again, crumbling to his side. Elio growled as he lifted his foot again, stomping down on the man's head and knocking him out.
"That was a little aggressive." Alger commented.
"Good," Elio said. He looked up towards the market and saw that more fires were starting to form. "They're burning the shops to draw us out."
"Any idea how many more there might be?" Alger asked.
"No idea..."
"Okay. Let's stay together." Alger suggested.
"No, split up but stay close. There's definitely more of them than us. We'll slow each other down." Elio argued.
"You're right. I'll go this way, you go that way." Alger said quickly picking a street to run down. Elio nodded and ran down the street next to it.
Elio saw three more firebenders on the other side of the market. Unfortunately for him, he had left his staff back in his room at the inn. He was going to have to rely solely on his firebending and fighting skills.
"There he is! Get him!" One of the three men pointed out. Elio quickly ducked between some of the little shops to hide his approach.
Behind the line of shops, one of the firebenders jumped out and shot a huge fireball at Elio. Elio shot himself into the air with firebending again, flipping back onto the street and landing on his feet. He slid forward into one of the men and bumped into him awkwardly, hitting him with his shoulder.
"Got you now, kid!" A second, skinnier man said as he threw a fire kick towards Elio's face. Elio fell backwards to dodge it. His back hit the ground abruptly.
Elio grunted awkwardly, losing his breath for a moment. He sucked in a huge breath of air before pushing himself into spinning on his shoulders and shooting fire out of his feet to force his opponents to give him some space. He slid onto one knee and rolled forward to dodge a fireball being shot at him.
"Got you now!" The third firebender shouted. Elio looked up and saw that the man was attacking from above, and he was just about to land on top of him.
Elio was barely able to sidestep him, but when he stepped back, he was punched in the back of his head. He stumbled forward and quickly grabbed his head, making sure his hair wasn't on fire. The third man who had come from above quickly stepped in, throwing a kick to Elio's face.
Elio turned his shoulders and used his elbow to block the kick. The man hopped back awkwardly, his leg flaring up in pain. Elio stepped forward and crouched down, throwing a chi-blocking punch into his leg. The skinnier man behind him grabbed him and pulled him back into a choke hold.
"Come on, finish it!" The man shouted to his partner, the one who could still use both of his legs. Elio struggled against the man's hold on him, grabbing his arm with both hands and squeezing tightly.
The first man stomped towards Elio, creating a blaze of fire out of his right hand. He reeled back to throw a fiery uppercut into Elio's stomach. Elio's eyes widened. He shot fire out of his feet, throwing his body upwards to dodge the attack.
He pushed the man choking him to the ground using his momentum. Once the man was on his back, Elio threw a punch down into his neck. Next, Elio shot a blast of fire up into the first man while he was still off-balance from the uppercut. He threw several chi-blocking jabs into his back to finish him.
Elio stopped for a moment, his chest heaving from the fast-paced battle. He stroked his neck with his fingers, as if making sure he could still breathe. He swallowed and took one deep breath before running again, this time to find Alger...
Meanwhile, Alger had only two men that he needed to contend with. He created two thin, smooth shields out of stone and cuffed them to his forearms, holding them up to block the fire being shot at him by both men.
"You men should be ashamed of yourselves, destroying innocent people's livelihoods! It's criminal!" He said angrily.
"We're just doing our duty, same as you, kid." One of them said, jumping up and throwing a kick that partially broke off the top of one of the shields and caused Alger to stumble back.
"Your duty is deplorable," Alger said as he regained his footing. "You're the type of men I hate the most, justifying your heinous acts." He said as he let his shields drop to the floor.
Both men shot continuous blasts at Alger. Alger caused a thick wall to rise up in front of him, hiding behind it as fire consumed the air around him. With one quick push, he sent the wall crashing down on top of one of the men.
Alger stepped forward and twisted his foot, trying to trap his opponent who had answered him underground. However, the man jumped into the air and flipped sideways, sending a fire kick downwards. Alger pivoted on one foot to sidestep the blast.
The man stood up and tried to elbow Alger in the head. Alger blocked the attack and punched the man in the back. The man jumped back and turned around, getting ready to shoot another fireball. Alger quickly brought one hand up, using a pillar to launch the man into the air.
The man flailed his body in the air. Alger made the pillar sink back into the ground before pulling two large chunks of earth out of the ground. He launched both of them at the man while he was still airborne. The first one missed, but the second one hit him square in the chest and caused him to land with a hard crash, sliding across the dirt.
"Alger!" Elio shouted as he ran over, "Hey! I was coming to help, but it looks like you didn't need it." Elio said. Alger nodded, but was interrupted by another voice before he could speak.
"Help! Help, please! There's firebenders everywhere!" A young woman ran over. Her clothes had been partially burnt in the skirmish. She ran over and grabbed onto Elio's arms, "Please, protect me!" She pleaded.
"Whoa! Hey, relax. You're safe now. If there's anymore, we'll take care of them," He said to reassure her. "Right, Alger?" Elio asked, looking at him with a ready smile.
It all happened in a split second. There was a moment where Alger saw the woman turn her body, reaching for something. His first instinct was to step in, pushing Elio away from her, "Look out!" He shouted.
"Agh!" The woman growled, missing her window. Alger realized that she had a knife in her hand, but he had no time left to react...
The woman plunged the knife into Alger's stomach.
"Guh!" Alger gasped in shock, grabbing onto the woman's wrist with both hands to hold her firmly in place.
"Let go!" The woman growled.
"Alger!" Elio realized what was happening as he got to his feet.
"You two will pay for taking out my team!" The woman spat.
Alger twisted his foot again, causing the ground to shift underneath the woman's feet. She stumbled and fell, crying out in pain as she felt her ankle twist out of place. Nevertheless, she quickly got back up on her good foot and shot a fireball at both of them in retaliation.
Now fueled by anger, Elio rushed forward. He sidestepped the fireball aimed towards him. He grabbed Alger with one arm and got in front of him, using his hand to deflect the other fireball. Then he closed his hand into a fist and shot a widespread blast of fire towards her, causing her to fall back.
"How many are left? How many are left?!" Elio yelled at her as he started stomping towards her. The woman threw another fireball at him, but Elio punched through it and chi-blocked her with quick jabs to the body.
"Agh! No!" She grunted in pain.
"How many are left?!" Elio yelled at her.
"None!" She gritted her teeth, "But don't think you're safe. More will come and finish the job. You and your little friend." She said, forcing a grin and a laugh.
"Oh yeah? Give them this message for me." Elio stood up straight and kicked her in the side of the head, knocking her out immediately.
"Elio! Elio." Alger called out to him, now sitting back on the ground. The pain was starting to rise, and it was coursing through his body like poison. Elio quickly ran over and knelt down by him.
"Oh god, Alger! Y-You're gonna be alright!"
"Don't worry, Elio. I-It isn't lethal yet. But we need to act quickly before it gets worse. Get me to the inn. I have first-aid in my room." He said.
"Will it be enough?!" Elio asked as he helped Alger get to his feet. Alger stumbled and held back a pained groan.
"Let's hope so. Go. Go." Alger urged him.
"W-What about the knife?!" Elio asked.
"We have to leave it in until we can treat the wound."
"We can't just leave it in!" Elio panicked.
"Stop wasting time! Agh!" Alger groaned in pain again, "The pain's getting worse."
"Okay. Okay, let's go!" Elio nodded, getting Alger to his room as quickly as he could. He kept having to put his other hand on Alger to keep him from falling forward. Slowly but surely, they stumbled their way to Alger's room.
"My supplies are in my pack by the door. In a little green sack!" Alger instructed as Elio laid him on his back. Alger took in careful breaths as he laid back, making sure the pillow was under his head.
"Okay! Ok...I got it!" Elio exclaimed as he frantically pulled the sack out of Alger's pack.
"Good! Okay, take out the rag and come here," Alger said. Elio took the rag out and hurried back to his friend's side. "Wrap the rag around the blade and press down. We need to stop the bleeding."
"Right! Okay, what's next?" Elio asked after doing it.
"Take a deep breath. We need to stay calm to avoid making a mistake." Alger instructed.
"Right! Right." Elio nodded, taking in a deep breath and trying to calm his nerves.
"Okay. Keep pressing. I'm going to take the knife out now."
"You said not to take the knife out!" Elio pointed out. Alger ignored this and continued.
"When I pull it out, you press down on the wound to keep blood from coming out. Ready?"
"Y-Yeah, yeah." Elio nodded.
Alger took in a breath and reached over with his other hand. He took hold of the hilt and yanked the knife straight out, being careful not to cut himself further. Immediately, Elio pressed down on the wound. Blood started soaking through the rag.
"Is this right?!"
"Yes! Agh...Elio...how precise is your firebending?"
"I-I can manage. What do you need?"
"We can close the wound...with your flames."
"What?! Are you crazy?!"
"I don't have a choice! I don't have anything to clean the wound on hand. Just do it quickly!" Alger urged him.
"Okay. Okay..." Elio said, kneeling down slightly. He pressed down harder with his left hand and slowly snaked his right hand down to the edge of the rag.
"Elio...you got this." Alger said, trying to motivate him.
"I got this. I got this..." Elio swallowed and took in a breath. With two fingers, he lifted the edge of the rag up. Once he saw the wound, he sent fire out of his fingertips...
Alger ended up passing out from the pain. Elio panicked again, but he quickly found that his friend was still breathing. Elio was able to get help after that. The innkeeper had more experience nursing experience. She was able to clean Alger's wound and bandage him up.
The whole town was a wreck after the attack. Somehow, no one had seen Elio firebend; perhaps because they were all too busy hiding. Elio wasn't able to sleep that night. He was up all night staying by Alger's side while he slept, making sure that he was okay.
Much to his relief, they both survived this attack...
