Wandering Firebender
Ninety Five: Traitor
Elio was expecting to have a little more of a break before their next mission. However, those plans took a sideways turn when he got an urgent visit from Alger one morning.
"Elio? I need to speak with you. It's important." Alger said while he was still knocking on the door.
"Alger? Mm...is everything alright?" Elio asked, slowly turning and sitting up on the edge of the bed.
"I'm afraid not." Alger answered in response.
Elio opened the door to his room to find Alger standing on the other side with a letter in his hands. His eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth was curved downwards with a scowl-like expression.
"Hey, what's up, Alger?" Elio asked, now showing more concern for him.
"I just received a letter from Ket. He says that a group of men in Ba Sing Se – marauders – attacked my home a few nights ago. No one was seriously injured, but some of my servants were hurt...and every single one of them were displaced and have been staying elsewhere.
"I'm requesting permission to return home at once to survey the damage and make necessary repairs to my home. I'm sorry but I will have to step down as a member of your team until then." Alger explained.
"Oh...oh wow...o-oh my god, Alger, I'm so sorry. Did Ket get into the details of how much your place was damaged?" He asked.
"I'm afraid not but based on his wording it sounds substantial. I worry about what awaits me back home." He admitted.
"Yeah I bet. I'll talk to Zuko. We can take an airship down to Ba Sing Se to see what's happened." Elio said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Alger immediately raised his eyes and shook his head in protest.
"Elio, you can't. You have duties to attend to here with the Fire Lord."
"He hasn't given me anything yet. I'll run it past him and see if he'll let us come with you. I'm sure there's some way we could help you." Elio insisted.
"I'm not sure...I know that things are still rough for you after what happened on that mission in Omashu. I doubt that the Fire Lord would even allow..."
"Alger," Elio interrupted him. "Let Zuko be the one to decide whether or not I can go with you. If he says yes, I'm going to come. And I'm sure the others would say the same thing." Elio said definitively. Alger couldn't help but smile appreciatively, although it was a weary smile.
"Thank you, Elio. I really do appreciate it." Alger said...
Elio didn't waste any time. He went straight to the throne room to speak with Zuko and plead Alger's case on his behalf. When he went inside, Zuko was by himself taking some time to meditate. Elio approached the throne and knelt down before getting his attention.
"My lord, if I may interrupt for a moment?"
"Hm...Elio? I wasn't expecting you today." Zuko commented.
"I'm sorry for coming in unannounced, but I need to speak with you on behalf of Alger. He needs help." Elio began.
"Alger? What's going on with him?"
"His home in Ba Sing Se was ransacked a couple days ago. According to a letter he received, his entire staffing has had to leave home and a few of them were injured in a direct attack. He's requesting that he be allowed to return home to survey the damage and handle it." Elio explained.
"I see...I can grant that request, of course, but I'm wondering why you came to ask me rather than Alger coming himself." Zuko pointed out curiously.
"Because, if you'll allow it, I would like to go with him and take members of my team with us." Elio revealed.
"You want to take a crew with you? That is a big request." Zuko said.
"I'm aware, but I would feel guilty if I didn't at least try. After everything he's done for me personally as well as for the Fire Nation as a whole after the end of the war, it's only right that we pay some of that back to him, especially now when he really needs it."
"I agree...please keep me posted on the progress. Write to me directly." Zuko requested in response.
"Yes sir, thank you." Elio said appreciatively as he stood up and began to make his way out.
"Elio."
"Yes?" He stopped just short of the door to look back at the Fire Lord.
"Be careful out there. Tensions with the Earth King have been gradually rising lately. Ensure the safety of your men." Zuko recommended.
Elio paused for a moment to consider what Zuko's intent was behind that. Was it a reference to what had happened before in Omashu? A general warning as the Fire Lord? Or the concern of a friend? It felt like all and also none of the above.
"I will keep a close eye. Thank you for allowing me to help my friend." Elio said sincerely before leaving the room...
Without hesitation, Cindra and Sri also agreed to come along with Alger back to Ba Sing Se. The four of them quickly packed their bags and set off on Elio's airship to travel to the Earth Kingdom. Quite a few people in Elio's crew came along too to offer their support the best they could.
On the way there, both Elio and Alger spent most of their time keeping to themselves in their rooms. Elio chalked it up to working on some personal writings that related to his position as captain. Alger, on the other hand, offered no explanation nor did he spend much time speaking to anyone else on the ship.
Finally, the ship arrived in Ba Sing Se and touched down in the agricultural district. The four of them were escorted by Dai Li agents to the train station. With the four of them all gathered together privately in the train car, Sri took the opportunity to check up on Alger.
"Hey, Alger. How're you feeling? You seem tense...are you nervous?" Sri asked him in a soft tone. Alger, who was staring out the window, answered her without looking back.
"Anxious, I'll say. I worry about Ket and the others. I have to take responsibility for them if they were hurt because of me." Alger said.
"Why would that be your fault?" Cindra asked.
"B-Be...because Ket strongly indicated in his letter that the attack was motivated primarily by my affiliation with the Fire Nation." Alger revealed.
"Whoa whoa whoa, wait a second...you didn't tell me that before." Elio pointed out.
"It was not my original intention for you to come with me, Elio." Alger said in response.
"So you were planning to just keep that detail a secret?" Elio asked.
"My plan was and still is to handle this as quickly and discreetly as possible." He clarified...
The train soon reached the Middle Ring. The four of them exited the train and started walking on foot towards the Upper Ring. The group garnered quite a bit of attention and curious eyes since there were several Dai Li agents accompanying them and Elio had his Fire Nation uniform on.
"Your home is at the edge of the Middle Ring, right?" Cindra asked.
"Yes, right up against the wall between the Middle Ring and Upper Ring. We'll get there soon." Alger said, doing his best to put on a reassuring tone.
Finally, they reached the end of the road and turned left at the wall. They were now in a part of the city that Elio and Sri both recognized from their own time living there. Even from a short distance away, they could already see some of the damage to Alger's manor.
It was a lot worse than any of them were expecting.
In addition to the many parts of the building that had been chipped, smashed, and broken with rocks and with weapons, there was also a slew of defacing graffiti all over the front of the building: Fire Nation insignias and messages such as 'TRAITOR' and 'SMOKE EATER' written on the walls.
"Oh god...Alger..." Cindra covered her mouth with her hands and looked to him worriedly, knowing that all of this was meant for him to see.
Alger, however, did not show much of an outward reaction aside from an obvious expression of anger and distaste. And yet, he remained silent as he opened up the gate and made his way onto the grounds to survey the damage.
"Could you help me take a look around?" He asked in a low and quiet voice.
"Y-Yeah, sure thing buddy." Elio agreed with a nod.
So the four of them entered and split into two groups: Alger and Sri went upstairs while Elio and Cindra wandered around the main floor of the manor. From the looks of things inside, the men involved had taken time to desecrate every part of the house.
The rubble and split pieces of what was once furniture and décor was now splintered wood and shattered ceramics spread across the floor. Cindra especially had to watch her footing in the living room and the kitchen while there was a near constant crunch under Elio's boots with every step he took.
"This place was so nice...poor Alger. This must be awful for him." Cindra commented to Elio under her breath as they went into room after room only to find more of the same.
What struck Elio as the most haunting image was the dining room where Alger had once had him and Sri over as guests. The entire table and all the chairs had been beaten down to the floor with signs of dried blood scattered about from an apparent struggle.
And displayed high above it all on the opposite wall was a Fire Nation insignia painted in black with the word 'TRAITOR' written underneath it again.
"Ah...who would ever wanna do something like this?" Cindra wondered out loud, shaking her head at the scene with a saddened expression.
"Some heavily misguided people." Elio replied in a regretful tone as he stared up at the symbol and the word. He fully resonated with the message being conveyed here and he could only imagine how it was impacting Alger.
"Are you ok, Elio?" Cindra asked quietly, putting a hand on his arm and looking up at him.
"Hmm...yeah...just don't like seeing this. I can't help but feel partially responsible for this happening to Alger now." He admitted.
"Elio, there's no way you could blame yourself for this. This isn't your fault." Cindra was quick to dismiss that thought.
"I was the one that convinced him to join my team. It's not just some coincidence that the community associates him with the Fire Nation now. That's because of the work he's doing with me." Elio pointed out.
"They aren't the actions of the entire city, just a few idiots...let's just focus on helping Alger right now. Ok?" She suggested to help get his mind off of what he was expressing.
"Yeah...alright. Let's finish looking things over and then I'll talk with Alger privately." Elio decided...
After doing a walkthrough of the house, the four of them left Alger's mansion and started making their way back into the the neighborhoods of the Middle Ring. As they walked, Alger questioned the Dai Li agents accompanying them if they had any idea who did this, but they were not privy to the investigation.
Alger and the others met up with Ket and the rest of his servants that had been displaced at one of the local inns. They all gathered in the lobby to greet Alger and update him on the situation.
"It's good to see you, master, even under these circumstances. I'm sorry that you had to be pulled away from your work because of this." Ket said. Alger gave him a quick hug before replying.
"It's alright. I'm glad to see that most of you are alright. How are Marina and Eunice doing?" Alger asked.
"They're being well cared for at the hospital. The rest of us have been laying low here the past 13 days." Ket answered.
"We're here to help you however we can." Elio said to both of them.
"Elio, it's good to see you as well. I see the whole gang is here to support. Thank you for coming." Ket said, managing a faint, half-hearted smile.
"I'm sorry about everything that's happened. Whatever you need, it's all hands on deck with me and my entire crew." Elio promised with a nod.
"Thank you, Elio." Ket said again.
"Tomorrow, I will start bringing in cleaning crews and everything to help with the repairing process. I want to restore everything as soon as it can be done. I won't be wasting any time." Alger decided.
"Right away then, sir." Ket replied in agreement. The others with Ket also nodded although they seemed less enthusiastic about it.
"What do you need us to do, Alger?" Elio asked.
"For tonight, I'm going to visit with everyone on my staff and see what they need. You and the others can go back to the ship if you want. Just bring the crew back in the morning for when we start working." Alger instructed.
"Got it. You sure there's nothing else we can help you take care of tonight?" Elio asked just to confirm.
"I don't believe so. But thank you. Go and get some rest, and please, if you could get everyone on the ship to come and assist, it would make things a lot easier." Alger requested.
"Consider it done. G'night, bud." Elio said, patting Alger on the back before stepping away. Cindra and Sri bid Alger a quick goodnight as well before going back to the ship with Elio...
The next day when Elio and the rest of the ship's crew arrived at Alger's house, they were surprised that the work had indeed already started. People were already working on the outside of the home cleaning up debris and washing the graffiti off of the walls.
"Oh wow, they didn't waste no time at all getting started." Sri commented.
"I guess we shouldn't be surprised...but I am a little bit, haha. Where did Alger manage to find these people on short notice?" Cindra wondered aloud.
"Let's go ask him. See how we can start pitching in." Elio elected.
The other three were quick to discover that they had underestimated Alger's resources as well as his resourcefulness. He had taken charge of the situation almost immediately and knew how to delegate and where everyone should go.
It was a lot of hard work. It had been a long time since Elio had done this much physical labor. But from what he could tell, it seemed that the others were just as happy as he was to be able to get their hands dirty to help Alger recover from this.
Morning turned into afternoon and midday dipped into evening. The hired workers all began to wrap up their work for the day and go home. Alger's staff also began to head back to the inn where they were staying, just leaving Elio and the crew inside the manor.
"Whew...I'm beat. Construction work is a lot harder when you can't just waterbend the structures." Cindra said with a breathy laugh.
"Thank you for being willing to help me. It means more than I can say," Alger said appreciatively, smiling for the first time in a week. "I'm going to be continuing the work at the same time tomorrow morning whenever you're able to join." He informed them.
"We'll be here." Elio said, patting him on the arm.
"You don't have to keep thanking us, Alger. We know you'd do the same thing for us." Sri pointed out, nudging him playfully with her shoulder.
"Of course, but I still feel it's important to express it." He said in response.
"That's just your manners," Cindra commented with a giggle. Then her face grew serious. "Who are those people?" She asked.
The four of them paused the conversation to look out the window. They saw a group of about 8 men gathering in front of the house seemingly scoping the place out to see if anyone was inside. Their eyes widened in surprise as they watched one of them men force the front gate open.
They were all armed.
"Looks like trouble. Guys! We got a situation outside!" Elio called to the other crew members in the house.
"You think those are the same guys that did all this damage?" Cindra wondered.
"It would make sense. They'll wanna make their point now that the owner of the house is home. We got your back, Alger." Sri said, preparing for a fight.
"There's no need. I will go out to speak with them myself. Please instruct everyone else to stay inside until I am done." Alger requested.
"What...?" Elio's eyebrows furrowed in surprise.
"You are all in my home. Please allow me to be the one to stand up for my property and my guests." Alger requested before making his way to the front door.
"You don't want any backup?" Elio asked.
However, Alger ignored his question. He proceeded to silently step outside and close the door behind him, walking down the front steps to meet with the group of men that had gathered at his front lawn.
"Good evening. Is there something I can help you with?" Alger asked them.
"You're Alger San, aren't you? You finally decided to show up."
"Well yes, this is my home. Is there a reason why you all are trespassing on my property?" Alger asked with annoyed sigh as he began to wring his hands together.
"You sold your soul to Fire Nation. What is it that they're giving you to make you turn your back on the Earth Kingdom?" They demanded.
"I haven't turned my back on anyone. I do what I do for the betterment of the Earth Kingdom and the rest of the world. Perhaps word hasn't reached you yet, but the war's over." Alger said sarcastically at the end.
"Maybe someone like you just doesn't understand what kind of scars the Fire Nation has left on all of us. Or have you forgotten why Ba Sing Se is the biggest city in the country."
"I understand far more than you seem to. I will only ask once that you leave me in peace and go home, which is far more grace than what you deserve." Alger spoke to them firmly.
"We'll consider it...if you give us the Fire Nation soldiers that are inside your house right now." The men suddenly changed their demands.
"What is it that you hope to accomplish with this?" Alger questioned.
"The Fire Nation needs to be shown that they are not welcome here, not now and not ever."
"Hmph, you can cling to your ignorant stance all you like but these men and women are under my protection. If you want to get to them, you'll have to get through me first." Alger said as he brushed the sleeves of his shirt up behind his elbows.
"You're really willing to take a beating for these people?" One of the men asked, looking genuinely surprised that Alger was challenging them.
"Are you?" Alger asked in response as he bent his knees and got into a fighting stance.
"There's 9 of us and only 1 of you, kid. Just move aside and-WHOA!"
Without warning, Alger, twisted his front foot, causing the ground to shift under the men. A few of them fell on their sides, the others were only briefly stumbled. Two of the men were evidently earthbenders. As soon as Alger made the first move, they attacked in sync.
Both of them pulled boulders from the ground and shot them at Alger from close range. Alger stuck his arms out and struck the two boulders with his palms. They shattered on impact, sending a lot of dirt and sand flying everywhere.
One man lunged forward with a sword, aiming the tip for Alger's left shoulder. Alger moved to the side to avoid it. He spun around and struck the man in the side of the head with his left elbow then his right fist, knocking him to the ground.
The man dropped his sword behind him as he fell to the ground. Alger tapped his foot against the ground, launching the sword into the air. He caught it in one hand and stepped in a big half-circle. When his other foot hit the ground again, the man's body was buried in the earth so only his face was exposed.
Three more men, one armed with a sword and the two earthbenders, all jumped in at the same time to come to their friend's aide. The man with the sword swung at his head. Alger ducked under it, ignoring him completely and choosing to engage the earthbenders first.
Both earthbenders created pillars of earth and sent them towards Alger at an angle so that they would push him away and knock him off his feet. Alger was struck in the shoulder as he tried to sidestep it since the pillars were wider than he was expecting.
However, he still managed to get around it. With his free hand, he took hold of the pillar and pushed it upwards. He broke off a piece of it, lifted it over his head, and slammed it down onto the earthbender closest to him, crushing him with it.
The man screamed in pain as the weight pinned him down. The other earthbender exclaimed in shock, quickly pulling up another boulder, "Brother! I'll get you out!" He said before sending the boulder flying towards Alger.
Rather than dodge it, Alger caught the boulder and redirected it in midair, sending it flying into one of the other men surrounding him. Caught completely off guard by this, it hit him square in the face and knocked him out.
Alger then took the pillar pinning down the first earthbender and pushed it with his foot, sending it flying into the legs of his brother, the second earthbender. There was a loud, nasty crunch as it took out both of his legs and then caused him to fall backwards.
"You maniac!" The man with the sword came up behind him and swung at him again.
Alger spun around and deflected the sword with his own. He took a few cautious steps back as their swords clashed. With a quick feint, Alger got the man to attack and leave himself open. As the sword went across his body, Alger was quick cut him on the right side of his ribcage area.
The man's arms went inwards protectively as he yelped in pain. Alger immediately took the sword in his hand and swung the blunt end of it into the man's neck. With his other hand, he used metalbending to curve the sword around the man's neck. He then forced the man to the ground by yanking on the hilt.
With both of the opposing earthbenders taken out, the other 5 men were quickly realizing that they were outmatched. Even now that the first man to feel Alger's fury managed to get up from being buried, 6 normal men didn't feel like nearly enough.
"I hope that you aren't considering running away now. I expect each of you to answer for the destruction of my home." Alger said in a serious tone.
"W-What do you want from us? We don't have any money!"
"I'm not interested in money." Alger said. He was getting ready to earthbend again but was interrupted by Elio shouting from the front door.
"Alger! You proved your point! Let the Dai Li agents handle this!"
"Dai Li agents?!" The men looked at each other worriedly.
"Then go and get them!" Alger barked in response, "They can collect them when I'm finished."
Alger got into an earthbending stance again, this time creating four walls to enclose all of the men and keep them from running away. Now they were trapped with a vengeful earthbender with nowhere to go.
"Collect your weapons. I will finish what you started." Alger said, switching into his fighting stance.
The men looked at each other nervously. They clearly had no choice here but they still wanted to find a way out. Nevertheless, 2 men decided to approach first wielding clubs. They both took a tentative step forward. Alger glanced at them before advancing.
Alger attacked first, throwing a few punches at the man to his left than the other two his right. They both stepped back to dodge his fists. The first man then swung his club at Alger's head. Alger blocked the man's arm with his own then thew an uppercut into the man's elbow.
The man yelled out in pain, his arm making a cracking sound from the punch. Alger took his club and kicked him in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground. The second man tried to slam into him to push him away but Alger regained his footing right away.
Two of the other men grabbed onto his arms to try and restrain him. They struggled and yelled to each other as they tried to immobilize him, "Get him on the ground. Hold him still!" They shouted frantically.
Alger only had a couple seconds to plan out his next move now that his arms were being restrained by two men. The other three men that could still fight were rushing over to try and help wrestle him to the ground.
With a grunt, Alger managed to push back and press his foot into the ground. A thin pillar of rock came out from behind them, slamming into the backs of both of the men that were holding his arms. The impact caused their grip to loosen as they tried not to let themselves be knocked down.
Alger then slipped his hands free and broke both of the pillars off of the ground. He then slammed them down on top of the two men holding his arms. He had managed to free himself just in time to deal with the last three men.
As they ran towards him, Alger quickly resorted to chi-blocking now, incapacitating 2 of the 3 men with just a few quick jabs. As they crumpled to the ground, Alger grabbed the shirt of the last man and pushed him back against the rock wall he had created to entrap them all.
"Ah! Please!" The last man held his hands up in front of his face protectively.
"Every crime comes with due punishment. Don't shy away from it now." Alger said in a low tone.
Alger then proceeded to strike the man in the side of the head with a hard punch. Then another punch with his other hand. The man's feet slid on the ground and he started to slip down. Alger grabbed him and hoisted back up then punched him again.
At this point, the man was too dazed to try and protect himself. Two more punches was all it took to finish the man off. He fell unconsciously to the ground. Alger let out an irritated breath and finally lowered the rock walls he had created.
Everyone in Elio's crew that had been inside the mansion was standing around waiting to get in and help Alger but their hands dropped when they saw that the situation had already been taken care of.
"Alger! Are you alright?" Cindra asked worriedly.
"...where are the Dai Li agents?" Alger questioned.
"I-I, uh...Sri went to go get them."
"You sure you're okay, bud?" Elio asked, placing a concerned hand on Alger's back. Immediately, Alger shoved his hand off and turned towards him.
"Don't touch me." Alger said with a surprising amount of aggression still present in his tone.
"Whoa whoa, relax." Elio said, raising his hands up.
"These men attacked my staff, ruined my house, and desecrated my family's legacy. I am all that remains of my family. It is my responsibility to protect-" Alger continued to speak forcefully to Elio before the two were broken up by other members of the crew.
"Take a breather, Alger. Take a breather." Delun said, pulling him away from Elio. Alger shook himself free and shook his head.
"Alright alright..." Alger said, letting out an irritable sigh before storming back into his house. As he went inside, Sri returned with two Dai Li agents.
"Hey guys...I, uh...I'll go check on Alger." Sri said awkwardly before hurrying inside after him.
"I guess he's leaving us to explain what happened here." Cindra said under her breath...