Wandering Firebender

Fourty Eight: Admiration

(A/N: A special thanks to djimenez1246 on Fanfiction for giving me the idea for this chapter)

"Are you ready to hit the road again, Elio?" Alger asked as Elio stepped out of his room with all of his things ready. Elio nodded and fixed his shirt.

"Yep. Once we get out of here, I'd like to talk to you about something."

"Sure. We'll speak about it as soon as we leave town." Alger promised.

Elio and Alger made their way out of the inn. Alger secured their eel-hound and took the reins this time. As they rode out of the city, people on the road stepped aside for them, waving and shouting in gratitude.

"Suddenly I feel like a celebrity." Elio joked lightly, waving back to everyone. Alger cracked a smile and chuckled as he did the same with one hand.

"They're just appreciative." Alger commented.

"Yeah. Well, I appreciate that. I don't always get this warm of a reception." Elio said in reply.

It wasn't too long before they exited the city, and the sounds of the adoring crowd faded off behind them. Alger flicked the reins, beckoning their eel-hound to move faster. Once they were at full speed, Elio spoke up again.

"I was thinking about what you told me last night." Elio started.

"Oh?"

"Yes...I think you're right. I have my work cut out for me, preparing myself for what's ahead. Time still isn't on our side, but I can agree to your terms. If it is within our power, we can uproot the Fire Nation wherever we find it along the way." Elio stated.

"Ah," Alger realized what Elio was saying. He smiled a little. "I appreciate you listening, Elio. I made you a promise to get you to the North Pole, and I intend to keep it whether we stop or not."

"Well then I don't have much to worry about." Elio said, patting Alger on the shoulder...

Under this new agreement, Elio and Alger continued to ride on in relative silence. Like Sri before him and Cindra before her, Elio was appreciative to have Alger as a friend and an ally. It seemed to make everything a little easier for him, having someone by his side whom he could rely on.

That afternoon, they found themselves approaching another Fire Nation outpost, this time one that was connected to a smaller town. Alger slowed Sai down to a walking pace, and they observed from afar.

"What do you think, Elio?" Alger asked.

"This one's smaller than the last one...I don't see as many soldiers crawling around."

"Yeah. So what do you think?" Alger asked, looking back at him.

"We can hit it," Elio nodded. "Let's just take a moment out here to rest. If word of our last attack has spread around then we can expect to run into resistance right away."

"You're quite right. We'll leave the eel-hound back here where it's safe too." Alger added.

"Good thinking."

So Elio and Alger took some time to rest and eat. Alger constructed a small post to keep Sai in place. Once they were ready, they approached the small outpost on foot. Their guard went up as they went in through the gate; they were ready to attack.

"Hey, you two! Stop right there!" A soldier called to them, making his way over.

Elio immediately reacted, closing the distance and knocking him down with a few quick chi-blocking jabs. Several people gasped in shock around them, watching as the soldier crumbled to the ground.