Wandering Firebender
Eighteen: The Scholar
"Wow, this town looks way bigger than the ones I've seen so far." Cindra commented as they entered into the next town. Her eyes went up to a big house on top of a hill; it appeared to be the epicenter of the small city. However, Elio's eyes were focused down on their map of the Earth Kingdom.
"Eh, I've seen bigger." He said with a shrug. Cindra rolled her eyes.
"So what's the plan? Do we have anything we need to grab? Or are we just passing straight through?" She asked.
"That's actually what I was trying to figure out. According to this map, this is the last city before we hit the big bend of the trail that will turn us back towards Ba Sing Se. Once we hit that bend, we won't see any more settlements until we get to the other side of it."
"The end of the bend?"
"The end of the bend," Elio nodded. "So I think we should stock up on some more food and supplies just to be on the safe side." He recommended.
"Sounds like a plan. Let's get going," She said, taking the map from Elio and rolling it up. "You can have this back once you've relaxed a little bit." She stuffed the map into her bag before they began walking through the city.
"Well, it's kinda hard to relax. Apparently I'm a wanted man now." He pointed out.
"Yeah, we still need to figure that out. But overthinking it when there's no Fire Nation around us is not going to help." She said, tapping him on the arm. Elio nodded.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right. But I have to remain on edge. I'll ease up when we get out of town." He promised.
"Okay. We'll be quick. I promise." She said with a smile. He nodded and smiled back appreciatively.
Elio and Cindra quietly did their shopping in the market, picking out food to take with them on their journey. They also spent money on supplies that they would need for when they set up camp. Elio noticed that his money was starting to run a little low; he had about half of it left.
"We might have to take on some work when we get up on the stretch to Ba Sing Se. Our funds are about halfway drained now." He informed her.
"That's not good... We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." She decided.
"Alright. Let's just try not to spend money on anything we don't need."
"You say that like we were wasting our money before." She said with a chuckle.
"Oh no, that's not what I meant. I was just saying-"
"I know. I'm teasing you, dork." Cindra said with a smile. Elio brushed his hair back and shook his head.
"Right, yeah. Sorry, just feeling a little off." He apologized.
"I can tell. It's okay, let's get out of here." She said, gesturing with her head.
They began making their way through town with the intentions of passing through and exiting out the other side of the city. As they made their way towards the center, they passed by the entrance to that big house on the hill. They found a handful of people waiting in front of its outer gate.
"Whoa, that's quite a crowd." Elio observed. Analyzing each person waiting outside the gate, they all looked able-bodied and physically fit. He definitely wouldn't want to get into a fight with any of these people.
"What's going on here?" Cindra asked curiously. A young man heard her question and turned towards her.
"You don't know? Surely you must be joking." He said in disbelief. They both shook their heads.
"Enlighten us, please. We're just travelers passing through." Elio explained simply.
"Oh, I see. I guess that makes sense. But still, everyone knows about the House of San!" He said. Both Elio and Cindra looked up at the house on top of the hill.
"Is that San's house?" Cindra pointed to it.
"Yeah. It's not 'San's house', it's 'the House of San'," He repeated. "It's the estate of this guy. He's, like, an amazing fighter. Some people say he used to fight in underground earthbending tournaments. No one can beat him."
"Okay... But that still doesn't explain why you're all crowded outside his gate." Elio said.
"San welcomes any who are strong enough to face him. He's promised to take anyone who wins under his wing and teach them everything he knows. Apparently he has a whole library of fighting styles up there. And he knows all of them!"
"Wow! That's crazy!" Cindra exclaimed, "So...do you know if his knowledge of fighting styles only has to do with earthbending or...?"
"Oh no, not just earthbending! He can do hand-to-hand, he knows how to fight with a ton of different weapons; they say he's incredible! Just imagine how much you could learn from that guy!"
All three of them turned their heads at the sound of the gate being opened. An older gentleman dressed in plain clothing made of quality material cracked the gate open, letting another man go through. They watched as this man led the next challenger up to the house.
"Wow. Well, thank you for filling us in! Good luck with your challenge or whatever!" Cindra said, taking Elio's hand and pulling him away from the crowd.
"Oh yeah, thanks!" He waved back in response. Cindra took Elio back around the corner so that they could talk.
"What's up, Cindra? The way out of town is that way." Elio said, pointing back across the front gate.
"Yes, I know that, but I'm thinking maybe we should go and see this guy." She suggested. Elio's eyes narrowed with an odd expression.
"Why would we do that?" He asked. The whole idea of challenging a random guy in hopes of learning something from him seemed pointless to him.
"Because he's apparently really knowledgeable in fighting! We could probably learn a few things from him! Things that will help us!" She said.
"But we're doing fine with fighting as it is. Besides, we shouldn't stay here any longer than we need to." Elio shook his head. However, Cindra continued to plead with him.
"Please, Elio, can we try? I don't know as much about fighting as you do. I need to learn. With this, at least I'd know that I can confidently defend myself." She insisted. Elio sighed, nodding in understanding.
"Okay. Alright, fine. We'll go see this San character." He agreed.
"Thank you," She said, hugging him. He rolled his eyes and hugged back with a smile. "Well, we better go get in line." She said as she let him go.
As the two waited in line to see the fighter San, they watched as the men in front of them made their way up and down the hill. Those who went up the hill walked with confident strides and their chests puffed up. Then they would soon come back down looking beaten and defeated.
"This guy really doesn't mess around." Elio commented. At first he'd been intimidated by the men waiting in front of the gate. Now he was more nervous to meet the man who was taking all of these other men down one by one.
"Yeah...but I think I have a strategy for how we can get this guy to let us in." Cindra said to him as they made their way to the front of the gate. The older gentleman escorting the challengers up and down eyed them.
"Which one of you will be fighting the master first?" He asked.
"Oh, uh, we both would like to go up together." Cindra answered.
"Only one at a time can see the master." He shook his head.
"Ah, well that's okay." Elio said. However, Cindra spoke up.
"No, we're both going up. Either we both go, or neither of us go!" She stated.
"Then would you kindly step out of line, please? There are others waiting."
"It's okay, Cindra. I'll go first." Elio decided, stepping forward.
"Right this way, sir." The man opened the gate and stepped aside.
However, before he could close the gate, Cindra pushed her way inside and grabbed Elio's hand, pulling him to run up the hill. The man jumped to chase after them, but more challengers tried to force their way through like Cindra had, so he was forced to focus on closing the gate first.
"Come on!" Cindra kept pulling him along. Elio stumbled and pushed himself back to his feet.
"Cindra! I don't think this guy is gonna like us breaking his rules!" Elio pointed out.
The two of them reached the top of the hill and the entrance to the house. They noticed two different paths: the front doors of the house and a set of earth steps leading underneath the house. Elio and Cindra looked at each other and chose to go downstairs.
The path was dimly lit, but soon they found themselves in a huge underground room that stretched out the same length as the house above. In the center of the arena sat one person. Elio and Cindra nervously made their way towards the center to see him.
"A-Are you San?" Cindra asked the man sitting in front of them with his back turned to them.
"I am," He answered in a calm voice. He sounded younger than they'd expected. "Are you here to challenge me, miss?" He asked politely.
"Well, uh, not exactly. You see, we actually-"
"We? There are two of you," He hummed, standing up and turning around. He had lighter skin, flowing dark brown hair, and bright green eyes. "You don't intend to gang up on me, do you?" He asked.
"No." Elio shook his head.
"Really, San, we aren't here to fight. I... We humbly ask that you allow us to see what knowledge of fighting you have learned. I mean, we'll fight you if we need to, but, uh, we'd rather just humbly ask politely...?" She explained. Elio and Cindra exchanged a look and he followed her lead.
"With all due respect to you, fighting is not the way that we would like to go about things. But for the sake of defending herself, she would like to learn whatever you are willing to offer." Elio explained.
"Only she?" San asked, his eyes going from Cindra to Elio, "What about you, good sir? You do not wish to learn?" He asked.
"I know enough already. But she doesn't. She's more of a blank slate than me." Elio answered.
"Excuse me?" She gave him a look.
"That's not an insult. Just a fact." Elio quickly clarified. San chuckled a bit.
"Both of you! Get out of here!" The man who was escorting the challengers stormed in, "Forgive me for this, sir. They slipped past me." He said apologetically.
"It's okay, Ket," San held up his hand. His eyes scanned over Elio and Cindra again. He smiled. "Show them to my living room. Let them get settled into the estate." He decided.
"What?" Elio and Cindra both said in surprise.
"Sir?" Ket said in confusion.
"These are to be our guests. Please, feel free to relax in my home until I am finished with the remaining challengers for the day. Then I will come and see you again." He decided.
"O-Okay! Thank you!" Cindra said with a grin.
"My first name is Alger," He introduced himself, bowing respectfully. "What may I call you both?" He asked.
"My name is Elio." He bowed in return. Cindra awkwardly did the same.
"And my name is Cindra. Thank you, Alger." She said with a polite smile.
"You're quite welcome, Cindra, Elio. This is Ket, my head servant. He will show you to the living room."
Elio and Cindra were in awe of Alger's home once they were brought in through the front doors. The ceilings were tall, the stonework was masterfully done, and the furniture looked more expensive than all of their possessions ten times over. Ket led them to the living room and invited them to sit.
"Please do not stray from this room until the master comes for you." Ket requested, eyeing Cindra especially before leaving them.
"Wow. This place is incredible." Elio commented, looking all around them again.
"I've never been anywhere this nice before. I feel like if I break anything, I'll have to work the rest of my life just to pay it off." Cindra commented and joked. The two of them laughed. Then they felt the floor beneath them shake.
"Oh... There must be a battle going on underneath us now." Cindra realized.
"That must happen often here." Elio commented.
"Oh my goodness! What beautiful guests we have here!" Another voice spoke. The two of them turned and saw a gentleman dressed in traveling gear hurry over to them and look them over, "How interesting. A young man and young woman.
"My dear, your clothing! You must be from the water tribe, no?" This man asked her.
"Uh, y-yeah?" Cindra answered without thinking, completely caught off guard by this man.
"Wow! Such a far away place! Such harsh conditions! And yet such a radiant beauty emerges from it. Please, you must tell me what the north pole is like!" He insisted, getting down on one knee by her. He pulled out a pencil and a journal to write in.
"Um... I'm sorry who are you?" Cindra asked.
"Oh, forgive me! I get ahead of myself," He apologized, putting the pencil and journal away. He stood up straight and dusted off his pants. "My name is Igor. You see, I am a traveling writer; I have been journeying all over the country searching for my next masterpiece!"
"Your next masterpice?" Elio repeated in confusion, "So you like...write stories?"
"Yes! But not just simple little tall tales and children's nursery rhymes. No, I only seek out the most gripping stories! The most captivating!" He described, raising his hand up dramatically.
"Uh...nice. We're waiting on Alger right now. Some peace would be nice." Elio requested. Igor's expression dropped in disappointment.
"Fine. But please, my dear, promise me that you will tell me about the Northern Water Tribe." Igor requested again, getting down on one knee and taking Cindra's hand. She leaned away and retracted her hand.
"Sure. Yeah, maybe later." She reluctantly agreed.
"Igor, please don't harass my guests," Alger said as he entered the living room. "They have politely requested to see what wisdom I have acquired in my collection."
"Really? No one's ever made a request before. But then again, no one else knew that was an option," Igor chuckled ironically. "Very well, cousin. But I do wish to speak with them later."
"You'll have your chance. Elio, Cindra, would you be so kind as to join me for dinner tonight? This will give you both time to find whatever it is you came to see and peruse it in detail." Alger offered to them. Elio and Cindra looked at each other, unsure what to answer.
"I suppose there'd be no harm in it." Cindra said slowly. Elio nodded in agreement before turning his attention back to Alger.
"Yes, we will join you for dinner."
"Wonderful. In the meantime, I will show you to my library." Alger said, walking down a hall and gesturing for them to follow. Elio and Cindra fell into step behind him.
Alger led the two of them into his library: a private study room with two sets of shelves that were filled with books. As Elio and Cindra curiously sifted through the different titles, they found that every book was related to some form of martial art, whether it was instructional or historical.
"This is quite the collection you have here." Elio complimented. Alger smiled and nodded.
"Thank you. Feel free to go through anything you see on the shelf," He invited. "Cindra, it is my understanding that you would like to learn how to defend yourself better. Is that the case?" He asked. Cindra looked up and nodded.
"Yes. Um, I'm a waterbender, but I'm not very good. I'd like to learn how to do without it too, just in case." She explained. Alger's head tilted back a bit and he looked at her with a new interest.
"I see! Well then, I'd be happy to teach you a little hand-to-hand. In the meantime, perhaps you would be interested in this," He said, walking around her and picking a book off the shelf. "This book gives a general overview of waterbending principles, stances, and attacks." He said, handing it to her.
"Really?" Cindra took it, her eyes widening in shock as it was placed in her hands. "I didn't know that books like these were out here." She said.
"They're rare, but I like to collect information from all four corners of the world. Take your time and look it over. When you're ready for your lesson, come and find me in the backyard. I'll be doing some reading of my own," He invited before nodding to the both of them. "Happy reading." He smiled and exited the room.
"Wow. How nice of him." Cindra smiled at Elio, opening the book and turning through its pages to confirm that it was what it said it was.
"Yeah, strangely nice," Elio commented, looking towards the door. "Keep your guard up when you go, alright?"
"I will." Cindra promised.
Elio and Cindra sat down and did some reading for awhile. Cindra carefully read through each page of the waterbending book. Elio found nothing to do with firebending in the library, so he chose to read a book about the art of the staff. After awhile, Cindra decided to break off and meet with Alger.
She made her way out to the backyard. From the top of the hill, she could look out and see the city stretched out all around them. Alger was sitting back in his chair reading his own book. He set it down on his table as soon as she stepped out, standing up to greet her.
"Ready for your lesson?" He asked. Cindra swallowed nervously and nodded.
Alger began directing Cindra. He showed her how to stand, how to throw punches, different ways to react. It was new to her, the feeling of actually being taught. But Alger directed everything in a kind, patient manner. When she did something wrong, he would help her readjust and not let her move on until she got it right.
"Watch your front foot." Alger said, attempting to sweep her front leg. Cindra lifted it up to avoid being swept. She pushed Alger's head away with her palm, making him stumble back. He chuckled and nodded, standing straight.
"I think you've got a good handle now, Cindra. You can rest now." He decided. Cindra nodded and dropped her hands down.
"Thank you, Alger... No one in my tribe was willing to teach me how to defend myself. Only you and Elio have been patient with me and allowed me to grow." She said appreciatively.
"Well, I am glad that you have found your confidence. You seem much more comfortable now," He observed with an approving smile. "That's good."
"Thank you again," She nodded. "I'm going to go back inside. Will we be having dinner soon?" She asked curiously.
"It'll be ready soon." He promised. He watched as Cindra went back inside. Once she was gone, he cleared his throat and scooped his book up off his table, going back inside to make the last preparations for dinner.
"Hey, how'd it go?" Elio asked as Cindra found him still in the library.
"It was good. Really good actually. Alger's a really good teacher." She answered. Elio nodded and hummed.
"Alright, well good."
"Yeah. How's your reading been going?" She asked.
"Fine. It's weird though. There's nothing from my home in this collection. Nothing at all, no bending, no history." He said as he stood up and placed his book back on the shelf.
"Maybe he couldn't get any?" She reasoned with a shrug.
"It's just a weird thing for a collector to be missing. He did say earlier that he collects information from all over the world." Elio pointed out. There was a knock on the door that interrupted him. Alger entered into the room.
"Come with me. Dinner has been served." He invited them.
They followed him to the dining room. They all sat down at a table: Elio, Cindra, Alger, and Igor. Once their plates and drinks were served, they all began to eat.
"Did you enjoy your time in the library, Elio? Come across any insightful information?" Alger asked curiously. Elio nodded and sipped his water.
"I did, thank you. I spent most of my time reading about how to fight with a staff." Elio said.
"Right, yes. I did notice that odd staff that you had on you when you first arrived. Did you not know how to use it before?"
"No, I did. I just wanted to expand my knowledge." Elio explained.
"I'll never understand your obsession with marital arts, Alger. There's so much more to life than fighting." Igor said. Alger nodded.
"I agree. But Elio, I'm curious. Did you have someone teach you the art of the staff?" Alger continued to question. Elio's eyebrows furrowed oddly.
"Yes. I did."
"What was your instructor's name?"
"Why do you-"
"Please. I would like to know." Alger insisted.
"Rala. Rala was my instructor's name." He answered.
"I thought so," Alger nodded, sipping his water. "Only Rala carries such unique staffs."
"You know him?" Elio asked in surprise.
"Wow, that's neat. Small world, huh?" Cindra chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, "You both had the same staff teacher."
"Actually, we didn't," Alger corrected her. "I sought him out and asked him to teach me what he knew. He turned me away, saying that I did not need it. He said that I did not have the balance required to be taught by him. I was forced to teach myself."
"Oh...never mind then." Cindra said awkwardly.
"Which makes me wonder... Why would Rala refuse to teach me only to pass on his knowledge to you?" Alger thought aloud, staring at Elio. Elio leaned back a bit, uncomfortable with his eyes piercing at him.
"I don't know. Guess I can ask next time I see him."
"Surely he knew that you were from the Fire Nation." Alger said. The air suddenly became heavy in the dining room.
"H-He's from the Fire Nation?" Igor stuttered nervously.
"His clothing makes that obvious enough. I'd even go out on a limb to say he's a firebender, based on the ashes coating his staff." Alger added. Elio swallowed.
"Maybe I've just faced firebenders before." He pointed out.
"Perhaps you have. But considering you haven't cleaned your staff of said ashes, it stands to reason that you're used to the ashes. So either you fight firebenders on a daily basis, or you're a firebender." Alger reasoned.
"Alright...fine. You caught me. I am a firebender... So why did you let the two of us in here? Why did you agree to teach Cindra how to fight?" Elio asked in confusion.
"Curiosity. I was curious to find out why a waterbender and a firebender would be traveling together. Almost sounds like a good story, doesn't it, Igor?" He chuckled and glanced at his cousin. As all of this information hit Igor, he began to get excited.
"You-You're right! I must know the circumstances behind this! This could be golden!" Igor exclaimed, struggling to pull his pencil and journal out of his pocket.
"Of course, knowing what you are, I can't possibly allow you to stay, Elio. Respectfully, I have to ask you to leave after dinner." Alger said.
"Wait, what? Why? I've been nothing but respectful." Elio pointed out.
"I can only assume that you've been deceitful since you arrived. But because you have been respectful, I'm giving you the chance to leave quietly." Alger stated, rubbing his fingers together.
"That isn't fair," Cindra objected. "But fine. We'll leave after dinner."
"You don't need to leave so soon," Alger responded. "You can stay longer and continue to learn from my collection. But for the safety of my home, Elio cannot stay with you." He stipulated.
"Um, definitely no! I go where Elio goes, whether we stay or not." She refused. Alger closed his eyes and nodded slowly.
"Very well. I'm willing to let you both stay as long as you like, overnight even, but under one condition."
"What's that?" Cindra raised an eyebrow.
"Elio must beat me in a fight. We can head down into my arena after dinner." Alger stated his terms.
"What? Are you stupid? We don't need to be here that badly!" Cindra quickly shut him down. However, Elio spoke up to the contrary.
"I accept your terms. We'll fight after dinner." He agreed.
The rest of the dinner was eaten in silence. Alger and Igor left the room and made their way down into the arena to wait for Elio to join them. Meanwhile, Cindra was trying to talk Elio out of this fight.
"Elio, come on. We should just get out of here. We don't need to be here!" Cindra argued.
"You're right. We don't need to be. But you've seen the gates around this house. We'd be safer here than camping outside. Even if just for one night." He pointed out.
"That's what this is about?"
"Yeah," He nodded. "I don't know about you, but I like sleeping in a bed more than in a tent."
"Elio..."
"He's waiting for me," Elio said, standing up. "This guy's a weirdo, but he seems honorable at least. If I didn't trust him to keep his end of the deal, I wouldn't have agreed."
"Fine... Just don't lose."
"I know you'll have my back if I do." He replied, looking back at her and smiling a bit.
"Finally," Alger said as Elio and Cindra made their way down into the arena. He stood up from his seated position and turned towards them. "Digested your food, Elio?"
"Do you want me to fight with or without my staff?" Elio asked. Alger chuckled humorlessly.
"Firebenders are always so direct. I wish to fight you as you are; pit all of your skills against my own. So you may keep your staff." He decided. Elio removed his extraneous clothing, stripping down to just his training vest. He stepped into the arena with his staff in its sling.
"I assume you want this fight to be on equal terms. Yet we're fighting in your arena surrounded by earth. I'm at a disadvantage." Elio pointed out.
"You agreed to my terms. Surely you considered these things before doing so."
"I did. Just stating a fact." Elio said, pulling his staff out and holding it in his right hand.
"Um, cousin? Where should we stand?" Igor asked nervously.
"If you wish to spectate, go to the steps and sit there." Alger answered.
Cindra and Igor quickly shuffled over to the steps. As they took their seats, Alger got into an earthbending fighting stance. He twisted his foot and the entrance to the arena closed, shutting Cindra and Igor out of the room. Elio looked back in surprise.
"Hey!" He exclaimed.
"Respectfully, Elio, I don't want your ally to step in and interrupt this battle. This is between the two of us now." Alger stated. Elio looked back at him.
"What's your deal with me, Alger? I've done nothing to you... Don't tell me this is about Rala?"
"Rala's decision to pick you over me is his business. But I don't understand why he would; you come from a nation of radicalized murderers. The kind of men who prey on people who cannot defend themselves... People like my mother."
"Your mother?" Elio's eyebrows furrowed.
"My father was a general in this region. He fought to keep peace in the land. He and my mother were killed simply for choosing to stand up in the name of balance and peace!" Alger said in a louder, more aggressive tone.
"I'm sorry, Alger... But that has nothing to do with me. I'm not a part of the war!" Elio defended.
"Even so... This will still be satisfying for me."
Alger made the first move, stomping on the floor to create a rising wall of rock. Elio quickly sidestepped several of these, twisting in small circles to dodge his attacks. He turned and threw a fireball with his left hand. Alger created a wall to shield himself.
Sliding the staff back into its sleeve, he continued to pelt the wall with fireballs. Alger held firm before punching the wall, shooting chunks of it back at Elio. Elio ducked down to the ground and awkwardly slid back to his feet, jumping and throwing a fire kick.
As Elio's fire burst through the holes in Alger's defenses, Alger was forced to take several steps back. Elio shot fireballs out of both hands. He crossed his arms in front of him, curving the fireballs around the wall to hit Alger from the sides.
Seeing this, Alger raised up two rock columns on either side of him. He felt the heat blasting around him. He moved his right foot forward and twisted it at the ankle. This created a column that came up from the ground diagonally, slamming into Elio's chest and knocking him back.
"You're more innovative than most firebenders I've seen. I'll give you that. You must have had a good teacher." Alger presumed. He extended both hands out and raised them upwards, creating a large wall underneath Elio. Elio quickly used a fire kick to slide backwards before he could be crushed against the ceiling.
"You'd be surprised how much I had to figure out on my own." Elio said as he got back up. He took his staff back out as the wall came back down into the ground.
Elio spun his staff and swung it towards him, creating curved firebending slices. Alger used a column to block the first one, but it was too volatile of a blast. As the fire broke through the column and swirled around him, Alger was forced to use his footwork to dodge Elio's barrage of attacks.
Elio continued keeping up his offense, putting more power behind his staff swings. Alger stumbled back before getting his footing and stomping on the ground, twisting his foot again. Having seen this before, Elio quickly jumped into the air to avoid being buried in the ground.
In midair, Elio used his firebending to boost himself forward, suddenly shooting forward quickly. Alger's eyes widened and he bent backwards as he fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding getting tackled. Elio slid on his knees and turned back around, swinging his staff again.
Alger rolled sideways to avoid being hit. As he got to his feet, he extended his hands outwards and began moving them inwards and outwards again. From the walls all around them, Alger pulled boulders towards Elio. Elio clutched his staff tighter.
Flexing his arms, he began swinging the staff to bat away and break the incoming boulders. He continued to step around in small circles, avoiding some attacks and breaking through others. Elio noticed one coming at him from a certain angle and jumped into the air, flipping backwards over it.
Alger's eyes widened as he realized he'd unintentionally pulled a boulder towards him. He took a step forward and punched through it. As it broke open, dust scattered in the air. Before Alger could prepare himself to attack again, he suddenly felt something smack him in the forehead.
"Unh!" He grunted as he fell backwards hard. The object that had hit him clattered above his head. Elio had thrown his staff somehow and struck him right in the head. He could hear Elio's footsteps quickly getting closer. He reached out and grabbed the staff, using his earthbending to sink into the ground just as Elio tried to jump on him.
"What?" Elio's eyes widened in shock. He could hear the ground rumbling beneath him. He quickly turned around and jumped backwards.
Alger popped up from the ground just behind Elio. As Elio turned around, Alger swung the staff at his head. Elio ducked under it; he was forced to continue taking retreating steps backwards as Alger used Elio's staff as an offensive weapon.
Elio took a step forward, taking a hard hit on the arm. As the staff hit him, Elio grabbed it with his other hand. He caught Alger by surprise with this and was able to follow up by spinning on his foot and throwing a backwards kick into his head.
With his staff now back in his hands and Alger off balance, he quickly put the staff back in its sleeve and advanced to punch Alger. Alger saw this and blocked it, countering with several punches of his own. Elio swiped them away with his hands.
Alger switched to throwing a kick, which Elio blocked. Alger attempted to use earthbending again. Elio quickly swiped his foot before he could stomp on the ground. This awkward move caused them both to stumble, but Elio was able to close the distance between them again.
Alger threw another punch at Elio. Elio caught his arm with his left hand. He balled his right fist and extended out his middle knuckle. He hit Alger with an uppercut right in the elbow. Alger screamed out in pain and pulled himself back.
Alger clutched his arm and realized that he couldn't move it. He looked up in shock, "What did you do to me?!"
"I took away your bending in your right arm." Elio raised his fists, ready to continue fighting.
However, Alger seemed more focused on his arm now. He grunted as he tried to move it on its own unsuccessfully. He grabbed it with his other hand and slowly moved it, hissing in pain. His clenched teeth slowly softened into a smile and he began to laugh.
"Haha, wow! That's really cool! Do you think you could show me how you did that?" Alger asked. Elio gave him an odd look.
"We're in the middle of a fight!"
"Not anymore. This fight's over," Alger admitted. "With my arm out of commission, it's only a matter of time before you take me down. The chances of me pulling an upset are very slim considering how unprepared I am. I am willing to accept my defeat." Alger decided.
Extending his left hand out, he reopened the entrance into the arena. Cindra raced in and ran over to Elio. Seeing that he was alright, she was relieved. But seeing that Alger was also alright, she was confused.
"What happened?" She asked.
"It seems that I have misjudged you, Elio," Alger realized. "When I saw you, I thought that you were like the many other firebenders that I had seen: stubborn and set in your ways. But seeing Cindra with you, I considered the possibility that you might be different.
"Now I see that you and I are alike in ways that I wouldn't have expected. Like me, you have acquired wisdom from different sources, and today you came out the victor. For that, you have my respect." Alger said, bowing respectfully. Elio, although he wasn't fully sure what he was talking about, bowed in return.
"So that's it then?" Cindra asked.
"Yes," Alger nodded. "I will keep my end of the deal. You both are free to stay in my home for the night. I will have bedrooms prepared for both of you."
"Just one with two beds is all we need." Elio said.
"It'll be done." He nodded.
"Now that all of this nonsense has been dealt with, we can finally get to what really needs to be addressed!" Igor said, pulling out his pencil and journal again, "Elio, you must tell me about the Fire Nation! Tell me about how you met Cindra!"
"What?"
"I can see it now: the story of two lovers brought together by fate! Though the world says that they should be enemies, not even war can break the bond between them! Like yin and yang, they are two opposite halves that complete one another! Beautiful!" Igor rambled, writing all of this down in his notebook.
"Yeah, I don't think so." Elio said, extending two fingers out and shooting a small fire blast at Igor's paper. It quickly burned a hole through it.
"Ah!" Igor's jaw dropped...
Later that night in the bedroom Elio and Cindra were sharing, after they had both freshened up and gotten comfortable, Cindra drew some water and brought it over to Elio, "Let me see your arm." She requested. He rolled up his sleeve, showing her the bruise that he had received from being hit by the staff.
"What ended up happening with that fight?" Cindra asked as she began to heal his arm with her waterbending.
"I chi-blocked his arm. It was enough to stun him and make him stop the fight. I agreed to teach him how to do it, which is part of the reason we get to stay here tonight." Elio briefly explained.
"Chi-blocking? What is that?" She asked.
"I thought I told you about that...?" Elio said, looking at her. Cindra shook her head.
"Nope. Pretty sure you didn't."
"Oh. Well, my bad."
There was a knock at the door again. Cindra paused what she was doing to answer the door. Alger came into the room again with his hands behind his back.
"I hope that the accommodations are comfortable for you two. If you need anything now, tell me, please." He requested. Both of them shook their heads.
"No. But thank you for opening your home to the two of us. We might actually get some good rest now knowing that we're safe here." Cindra said.
"Of course. I'm a man of my word. Elio, if you would be so kind, I would appreciate if you showed me that form you used before." He requested.
"Right now? Yeah, sure." He agreed, standing up and rolling his sleeve back down.
"Thank you. Before that though, I have a gift that I would like to give to you, Cindra," Alger said. He held out the waterbending book that she had been reading through before. "I would like you to have this. Take it with you and learn all you can from it." He said with a smile.
"Really?" She took it from him and looked down at it, "Thank you! This will be a huge help!" She said with an appreciative smile. He chuckled.
"I'm sure it will. And you're quite welcome. Come with me, Elio." Alger gestured with his head. Elio followed him out of the room, and they made their way to the backyard.
"Alright. Chi-blocking is kind of a weird strategy. The points you have to hit are very precise, but I can show you a few easy targets." Elio began as they stepped outside. However, Alger turned around and interrupted him.
"Before you begin this lesson, Elio, I have something that I would like to ask you. Earlier, you told me that you are no part of the ongoing war. What did you mean by that?" He asked. Elio cleared his throat.
"Uh, well... I ran away from my home to avoid taking part in the war. Even though my father wanted me to serve and become a great soldier, I knew that I would be fighting on the wrong side. So I became a deserter and snuck into the Earth Kingdom. Now Cindra and I are just trying to get to Ba Sing Se; safest place in the world right now." He explained.
"You looked at the propaganda that your country was telling you and you saw it for it was; in fact, you saw through it, didn't you? You knew that it was wrong." Alger deduced. Elio nodded.
"Yeah."
"I know the feeling," Alger sighed. "My father, before his untimely death, had deep-rooted feelings of hatred towards the Fire Nation. Not without reason, of course, but he dedicated his life to the fight. More often than not, he was away from home. Mother and I always worried over whether or not he would make it home...
"When a Fire Nation squad killed my mother and father, I held onto that anger for a long time. But as time passed, I came to a realization: part of the reason my father died was because of how hard he had fought. Making enemies is a dangerous game, and my mother's death was a consequence of his choices.
"I promised myself that I would not allow myself to be swept up in emotional propaganda like that. I've sought out information all over the world to expand my views. I've learned different styles and cultures and histories. But I never could bring myself to look at the Fire Nation as anything other than what my father said it was.
"It makes sense to me now why Rala chose you. When I came to him, I was unbalanced. But it wasn't because I lacked the skill to learn from him. It was because I couldn't bring myself to be objective. Even now, I struggle to look at someone for who they are, only what I think they are."
"What do you mean by that?" Elio asked.
"Well, take you and Cindra for example. I saw her as friend and you as foe. When I accept challengers, I don't see them as people. When they enter my arena, I see them as targets and opponents. But Rala...he just sees people. I wasn't ready for his philosophy." He admitted.
"I get what you mean," Elio said. "Long as I've been here in the Earth Kingdom, I've constantly been getting attacked by earthbenders. I was growing to hate them too... You're only the second earthbender who's ever been willing to speak to me in a civilized way."
"It's a true shame, and that dangerous thinking is what made me want to avoid these conflicts. But I see now that I have much to learn, and things within me that I need to change," Alger acknowledged before looking at Elio. "So I thank you, Elio, for opening my eyes to that."
"You're welcome, I suppose." Elio said, holding a hand out to him. Alger shook hands with him.
"Perhaps in the future, as time passes, I might even be able to call you a friend one day."
"Maybe." Elio agreed.
"Now please, teach me how to do what you did." Alger said with an excited smile.
"Haha, alright." Elio said with a chuckle...