Wandering Firebender
Eighty: Hot Pursuit
To all my Wandering Firebender fans, I have a special treat for you all. Recently, I have partnered up to collaborate on Twitch with a vtuber that goes by the name of Iashiaya. Together with a couple of her friends, we have been doing live readings of Wandering Firebender! As of the night before this chapter is being posted, we have made it up to chapter 13, and the intention is to do the entire story little by little.
This has been really fun for me, as I get to voice Elio while the other lovely folks on stream get to react to each chapter for the first time in real time, while also voicing different characters such as Azula, Cassian, and Elio's family! It's a ton of fun, and I often get to give insight into what went behind writing this long story.
If you are interested in checking these out and having fun with us, go to /iashiaya where you can find the VOD's of all 4 of our Wandering Firebender streams thus far. I hope you do. It's a lot of fun for all of us, and Iashiaya is fun creator to work with. Thanks for reading as always, and now on with the show!
Elio's airship landed at the shore of the Earth Kingdom late at night. It was after dark, when the nearest shoreline town was totally asleep. The ship came in for a quiet landing in a clearing beside the beach. Once it touched down, a few of Elio's men stepped out to set up a formation around it.
"Sound the alarm if you see movement on the beach. For now, we'll let the crew get some rest. I'll be on top of the ship as well during the night." Elio said to the guards.
"Yes, captain. Would you like us to keep an eye on the town as well?" One of the guards asked.
"Yeah. I don't expect to see or hear anything from them until the morning but just keep an eye out. When the sun comes up, I'll swap you out so you can get your rest too." Elio said before sending them off.
Elio went back inside the airship and climbed up to the stairs until he reached a ladder that went up to the very top of the airship. He was about to go up but then he heard movement behind him. He turned around to see that Cindra had followed him.
"Hey. What's up?" Elio asked, surprised to see her.
"Where ya headed?" She asked.
"Up top. I wanna keep an eye on the shore myself." He said.
"I'll come with you." Cindra offered.
"You don't have to. Aren't you tired?" He asked.
"I've already slept too much," Cindra said with a little chuckle. "And talking might help keep you awake." She pointed out.
"Heh, alright." Elio agreed finally.
The two of them climbed up to the top of the airship together. Opening the hatch door, Elio was greeted by a cold breeze and chilly wet air. He stepped out then turned and reached down, taking Cindra's hand and helping her to step up to the top.
"Thank you. Ooh, this is higher than I thought it would be." Cindra giggled nervously.
"What exactly were you expecting?" Elio teased her and chuckled in amusement.
"I guess I wasn't thinking." Cindra admitted. The two of them sat down facing the beach, although they were barely able to see it since clouds were covering the moon.
"It's cold up here." Elio commented.
"Coming up here was your idea." Cindra pointed out.
"Yeah, I know. I mean, I can keep my body warm. Are you alright?" He asked, looking at her.
"I'm good. I've lived in the North Pole all my life, remember? This is nothing." She answered with a laugh. Elio chuckled and nodded.
"Heh, alright." He said before looking forward again. The two fell silent. After some silence, Cindra scooted over to sit closer to him.
"Hey, Elio. Can I ask you something?" She requested.
"Of course."
"What do you plan to do when you find Azula again?"
"Honestly? I'm not sure," He admitted, shaking his head. "I guess I can try to reason with her, but if that doesn't work, we'll have to corral her and keep her from getting away." He shrugged.
"Do you think she can be reasoned with?"
"I don't know. I don't know where her head's at right now, but if she's as bad as Zuko says then...she needs help." He said that last part in a quieter voice. Cindra looked at him.
"You sound pretty worried about her." She noticed.
"Kinda, yeah. The Azula that I met and what Zuko described to me sound like two different people. I guess you've never met her so you wouldn't know."
"Explain it to me."
"Well...she's one of the smartest, most driven people I've ever met. She's always been on top of things, and she's the type to never make mistakes. I don't know, she's always seemed so...in control. But when the war ended, it must have all come crashing down for her." He said.
"The Fire Lord is her brother, right? Is that why he picked you to be the one who finds her? Because you know her so well?" She asked.
"Well, I can't even say I know her too well. But we do have something of an understanding, so maybe he's hoping that I can get her to come back willingly? He didn't say that, but I've been trying to wrap my head around it." He shared his thinking.
"I only ask because it seems like you're really confused. I've never seen you like this before," Cindra shared her observations. "I do think it's admirable that you're wanting to take the soft approach with her though, considering how she's treated you." She added.
"Heh, yeah, I don't know...Azula always had a way of looking right through me, even when we first worked together. It's not like we have an extensive history, but at least I know that she will know when she sees me that I'm genuinely trying to help her." He reasoned.
"We've got your back however you wanna handle this, Elio. This is...more your mission. We're just here to make sure things don't go south if it doesn't work." Cindra said, rubbing her hand on his forearm.
"I appreciate it. Hopefully it does work out. It all depends on what Azula does whenever we find her." Elio said. Cindra nodded silently in agreement...
Neither of them realized that they had fallen asleep. When they came to, it was morning. The sky was covered by an overcast of thick, light gray clouds. The sounds of shouting woke Elio and Cindra from their dull slumber. He lifted his head first and started to look around.
The town nearby was on fire, and so was part of a forest just by it. Down below, Elio could hear his men yelling for him over the shouting of unfamiliar voices. He quickly stood up and shook Cindra awake.
"Hey, wake up! We got something going on down below!" He said.
"Huh?! What?!" Cindra lifted her head and pushed herself with her arms to sit up.
"Get down quickly. Grab the others and go!" Elio said before hurrying to the edge of the airship.
He took a deep breath before jumping off the edge. He flipped forward and shot fire out of his feet. He grunted from the sharp feeling of the fall before landing on the ground. Using the fire to slow his descent, he landed on the rocky floor and rolled forward, getting into a wide fighting stance.
Apparently, he had landed right in the middle of a battle between his men and earthbenders from the nearby town. His abrupt entrance was enough to temporarily halt the battle. Elio stood up straight and looked at them.
"What's going on here?" He demanded.
"Captain! Where did you come from?!" One of his soldiers exclaimed.
"Are you in charge? You're just a boy!" One of the earthbenders said.
"Not important. Your town is on fire and it's spreading to the forest. We can help you put it out." Elio said.
"Your girl is the one that caused it! This is on you!" A younger earthbender among the group shouted at him.
"What girl?" Elio questioned.
"A firebending girl came through town and ransacked us, setting everything on fire when we wouldn't give her what she was demanding." They explained.
"What color was her fire?" Elio immediately asked.
"Blue."
"Which way did she go?!" He asked urgently.
"She took everything into the forest." The young earthbender pointed to the trees on fire.
"Crap. Okay, men! Help them put out the fires in town! When Cindra and the others come out, let them know that I'm going after the princess in the forest!" Elio shouted.
"You're going alone, sir?" One of his soldiers asked.
"There's no time to waste! Just go!" Elio yelled, removing the outer garments of his uniform and sprinting towards the forest at full speed.
Elio huffed loudly as he ran to the burning trees. He passed right by them, weaving through trees, "She can't have gotten far." He thought to himself as he continued.
"Azula! Princess! Where are you?!" He shouted ahead of him.
He noticed a clearing in the trees coming up in front of him. He slowed to a stop just before it, taking a moment to catch his breath. He stood up straight, and that's when he noticed a bright flash coming at him. He turned just in time for a single blue flame to whiz past his face.
Elio turned and hid behind a tree to his left, pressing his back against the truck. He looked down at the grass and saw the blue flame burning. It quickly turned orange as it lost its heat. Elio let out a sigh of relief before calling out again.
"Azula! It's me, Elio! Zuko sent me!" He said, speaking in a loud voice over his shoulder. There was silence for a few moments.
"...I should've known it would be you. So you've come to take me back to the madhouse, have you?" Azula said back to him.
"I'm only here to help you. I don't know what's happened since we last spoke, but I'm here to bring you back home." He said. He could hear Azula let out an ironic scoff.
"Home. Nice to hear you finally acknowledging your roots again. I'm assuming you came here in that airship? That would explain how you got here first." Azula said.
"You don't sound crazy," Elio noted, starting to carefully sneak his way through the trees. "What happened? Why did you run?" He questioned.
"I'm tired of everyone telling me what I need and what I'm supposed to do! My mother, the doctors, and now Zuzu thinks he can lock me away just because he's sitting on the throne where I should still be!" Azula shouted in a gravely voice.
He was getting closer to her now. He could tell.
"What is it that you want, Azula? What do you expect to find out here?" Elio asked. Azula didn't answer him right away.
"I don't know...but there's nothing left for me back home now."
Suddenly, Elio saw Azula passing between the trees as he was. She still had on her clothes from the facility with a stolen cloak over it. They noticed each other at the same time and their eyes went wide. Azula immediately shot a fireball at him. Elio ducked to the side to dodge it.
Azula turned and shot fire at him again. Elio jumped towards a tree, pushing off of it with his foot to move back the other way. He weaved under a blast of fire and grabbed Azula's wrist. He tried to chi-block her arm, but she scratched at his face and kicked him back.
"No! Not again!" She growled angrily, shooting fire wildly with both hands. Elio raised his arms up to block it, taking several steps back.
"Why are you attacking me?! Let me help you work things out with Zuko!" He tried.
"Do you think I'm gonna fall for that?!" Azula spat, speedily generating lightning. Elio's eyes widened as she prepared to shoot it at him. He didn't have enough time to try and redirect it, so he simply threw himself to the ground while she fired it above him.
"Azula!"
"Stay away, Elio! I won't warn you again!" Azula yelled as she started running through the trees again, launching herself up to jump through the branches.
"Elio! We're here!" Cindra called to him. Elio looked to his right and saw her coming with Alger and Sri right behind her. He scrambled to his feet.
"Guys, she's in the trees going that way! We gotta keep up!" He said before running after her again.
"Wait up!" Sri yelled, but it was pointless.
"We're right behind you!" Alger shouted to Elio as he went ahead.
Elio broke into a sprint again. Then he launched himself up into the trees the same way Azula had. He awkwardly kicked his legs as he flew through the air, crashing through some thin branches covered in leaves before landing on the sturdier limbs that she was using to move.
Elio jumped from limb to limb, moving forward in a straight line. He didn't realize that Azula had moved to the side until she hit him with a fireball in the back of his leg, causing him to nearly fall out of the tree. He tripped and had to catch himself by wrapping his arms around the tree limb.
"Ow! Really?!"
"Tell me, what exactly has my brother promised you if you bring me back?" Azula asked quickly, shooting another fireball at him. Elio pulled himself up and wrapped his legs around the limb he was hanging from. He felt the fireball graze his back.
"I'm here on orders, but I want to help!" He said as he got back on top.
"Oh, because you're just so kindhearted! Still playing the fool, aren't you, Elio?" She spat. Elio looked up and managed to catch sight of Azula making a break for it again.
"Guess so." Elio muttered to himself before pushing to chase after her again.
Approaching at an angle, he blasted fire out of his hands to propel himself forward at a faster rate. Azula saw this and tried to stop herself, but Elio crashed into her from the side. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him.
The two of them crashed on the ground and tumbled around awkwardly before Azula pushed him off. Elio got on one knee, sliding back with one hand on the ground. Azula grunted in pain, rolling on her side before twisting her body to get in a crouching position.
The two of them looked up at each other. Azula glared at him with wild eyes and gritted teeth. They paused momentarily before Elio spoke, "You need to go back to the Fire Nation, Azula. This is no place for a princess." He said.
"I'm not even a princess anymore," Azula muttered. "I lost everything, Elio. And now you want me to accept pity from the people who embarrassed me and put me here? You must be joking!" Azula laughed humorlessly, hints of bitterness present in her tone.
"Surely there's another solution here, if you would just be open to hearing it." Elio presumed.
"Didn't you hear me? The only thing I have left is my pride!" Azula roared before shooting another fire blast at him. Elio blocked it and stepped back, pushing the fire away with his hands.
"Maybe the pride the problem!" Elio said in response.
"It's not like you would know anything about that, Elio." Azula said sarcastically, getting into her fighting stance and gritting her teeth at him.
"Why do you have to make this so difficult?"
"Come down to the asylum with me, you'll figure it out fast." Azula quipped before throwing several fire punches at him. Elio dodged one and blocked the others.
"We can talk to Zuko! Get you better accommodations." Elio pointed out, attempting to chi-block her. She moved back and hit him in the leg with a fire slice. He cried out and dropped to one knee.
"I can take care of myself, thank you very much." She responded, swinging her arms out confidently before throwing a kick to the side of his head. Elio brought his arm up to block it, but it still knocked him to the ground for a few seconds.
Just then, Alger caught up with them, landsurfing towards them. Azula turned in surprise, taking a few steps away from Elio. Alger jumped to Elio's defense, landing in front of him and getting into a wide stance, "You alright, Elio?" He asked.
"Oh, so you brought your friends with you this time! Good to see you learned something after all!" Azula said with widened eyes, cackling as she started to generate lightning again.
"Azula, stop!" Elio shouted at her.
"Oh don't worry, Elio, I promise I'm feeling merciful!" Azula spoke rapidly before shooting lightning in Alger's direction. Elio got up to redirect it, but Alger created a rock wall in front of them to block it.
The lightning struck the rock wall, causing it to explode and burst open. Alger and Elio were both thrown to the floor, allowing Azula to turn and flee again. A boulder slammed into Alger's shoulder, making him cry out in pain after he hit the floor.
"Alger! You alright?!" Elio asked, leaning over him.
"Ah, yeah. I'm alright. A stray rock hit me. I'm fine," Alger nodded, rubbing it with his hand as he sat up. "She's formidable." He said.
"Yeah, unfortunately for us." Elio commented...
Meanwhile, Azula had already started to distance herself from Elio and Alger. She weaved through the trees and jumped into the air, leaping over a large rock plateau likely left behind by earthbenders. In midair, a stream of water wrapped around her ankle, pulling her back to the ground.
Azula landed with a grunt, growling irritably. She turned and kicked up to her feet. Cindra landed on the other side of the rock, bending her water back into her pouch, "That's as far as you go, princess."
"Another water tribe peasant," Azula's eyes narrowed on her. "I'll admit, I don't have much experience fighting waterbenders, but I've been paying very close attention." She taunted.
"I don't want to have to fight you, princess, but if you keep attacking my friends, you'll leave me no choice." Cindra said, getting into a fighting stance. She was nervous, and Azula could see that. She tilted her head and smiled again.
"I know you. You're Elio's little friend from the North Pole, aren't you? The one he likes." She presumed.
"Yeah, what of it?"
"Oh, I'm gonna have fun with this. He might just hate me for hurting you, but wait until you see what I do to him." She said in a threatening voice.
"You won't touch him." Cindra said, preparing to fight her.
"I'll do far more than that now. I'll make him hurt in a way he'll never recover from!" She spat.
Cindra attacked first, turning some of her water into ice spikes and shooting them at Azula. She created a surging disc of fire in front of her that quickly melted the spices into steam. She turned the disc into a sawblade and shot it at Cindra.
Cindra yelped and ducked to dodge it. The fire sawblade cut into a tree behind her, making it topple and catch on fire. Azula quickly ran at her, flipping forward and throwing a fire kick at her. Cindra dodged the attack and attempted to grab her with her water again.
Cindra pulled Azula towards her. Azula stumbled forward before cutting the water off with a chop from her hand. Cindra got in close enough to try and chi-block Azula. She missed and punched her in the shoulder. Azula grunted and scratched at her face with her nails.
"Ahh!" Cindra clutched her cheek in pain. Azula kicked her in the side, making her stumble back. Cindra nearly tripped, but then she caught herself and smacked Azula in the face with a stream of water. Azula growled at this, glaring at her.
"I'm not going down without a fight, Azula. I'm not afraid of you." Cindra said defiantly.
"Oh, yes you are. You just don't want to be." Azula said, wiping her mouth with her arm. She brought her hands up and let wild blue flames shoot out of them.
Cindra brought up the last of her stored water and created two tentacles extending from her arms. She attempted to slash at her. Azula blasted a huge amount of fire out of her palm, causing most of the water to evaporate, although some still smacked her and made her spin.
Cindra swiped her legs out from under her, making her fall on her back. She hit Azula with another stream of water and made it freeze around her. However, Azula already had her hands up, so even after being frozen, she was able to shoot out enough fire to free herself.
Cindra's eyes widened as she realized she was close to losing the fight. She slashed one more time at Azula from above as she got up. Azula grinned as she shot fire up into the air, creating a huge burst of a steam cloud.
For a moment, Cindra lost sight of Azula completely. She shuddered nervously, raising her hands up to fight. Azula started to laugh wildly as she suddenly jumped at her. Cindra flinched and tried to punch her. Azula swiped her hand aside and grabbed her by the neck, forcing her down to the ground.
"Cindra! Are you up there?!" They heard Elio calling from below.
"Up here!" Cindra shouted before grabbing Azula by the hair and pulling on it. Azula growled in pain and pulled herself free, her hair falling out of the ponytail she had tied it into.
"You're lucky I'm in a hurry. But don't worry. I'll keep my promise." Azula vowed before rushing off.
"Come down here! Alger needs you!" Elio said. Cindra swallowed and rubbed her neck with her hand before coming down to meet with Elio and Alger behind the rock formation.
"Azula went that way. She almost killed me." She said.
"Are you alright?!" Elio asked urgently.
"I'm fine. She let me go and ran off when she heard you were close." Cindra said, pointing in the direction she had gone.
"Alger's shoulder took a nasty hit. I need you to heal it. I'll go after Azula." Elio said.
"She's taking us all on by herself, Elio. We should regroup." Alger suggested.
"We don't have time! If we lose her, it'll take forever to track her again! Cindra, can you heal him?" He asked.
"I-I ran out of water fighting her." Cindra answered.
"You can use mine," Sri said, running up next to them. "Sorry it took me so long. I'm not as fast as you." She said before giving her water pouch to Cindra.
"It's okay. But I need you to run back to the airship. Gather the men and let them know where we are. We're gonna need backup." He said. Sri huffed tiredly before nodding her head.
"Okay. I'll go as fast as I can." She said before turning and running back again.
"What about us?" Cindra asked.
"Once you're done healing Alger's arm, catch up with me. I'll try to slow her down until you catch up." Elio said, turning and starting to run.
"Be careful!" Cindra called out to Elio. As he disappeared into the trees, Azula's sadistic promise came to her mind, and she became extremely nervous.
She had to trust that Elio would be able to hold out until she could back him up...