Chapter 8: 7. Shen’s Camp

"It wants us to help the Freedom fighters in the Village?" Aaron said in a low voice as they navigated through one of the darker parts of town. They'd been directed there after visiting half a dozen stores. It was the only store left in town that still carried enough supplies. The Fire Nation was fleecing them so badly they couldn't afford to restock. From what he'd Aaron had heard, the shop owner had an excellent relationship with traveling Merchants. He might be able to find them a discrete charter for their journey to the south.

"Yeah. After I complete the mission, I should get rewards like a boost in learning speed, a recipe for a potion that boosts my stamina recovery, and Spirit power that contributes towards my next level."

"And this level system increases your spirit power, making you a better bender?" Aaron said, repeating what he'd heard.

"It's a lot more complicated than that, but yeah," Igi chirped. "So, do you want to go for it?"

Of course, he didn't. He wanted to get out of town and meet the Avatar before the Fire Nation caught up with them. Antagonizing them would ensure it happened that much sooner.

As attractive as an ancient recipe for a potion of stamina rejuvenation sounded, it wasn't enough to make him go off-mission again.

"You already know my answer. The Avatar is probably on the move already, and I know for a fact that the Fire Prince and the Fire Nation navy have vessels in the south sea. We can't delay  for another day."

Ahead, Aaron could see a silhouette of a shack with a crooked sign and a pale man lazily palming through a book he was half-reading.

"How about this then," Igi said, blocking his path, and eliciting an audible growl from Aaron. He still wasn't over the trick he pulled at the gate, but he let him speak.

"What if we did  manage to aid them somehow before our departure, promise me you'll consider it?"

Aaron pretended to mull it over to be petty before he said, "No." Then he shot him another glare. "And if you even think of trying another trick, I'll tie you up and gag you the entire way to the South Pole.."

"Wow…that's, um, intense," Igi twisted his mouth. "But the thing is, I don't really have a choice. I get a penalty each time I fail a quest."

"Then deal with it. Whatever it is," Aaron waved him aside. Whatever he was going on about sounded awfully like another trick.

"The thing is, I can't," Igi snapped. Startled, Aaron spun around to see the absolute horror in his eyes.

His voice shook as he spoke. "Remember what I told you about my stats. Body, Mind, and Chi. I need a minimum of 1 in each to survive. The penalty removes 1 point from each stat."

"That's completely unreasonable," Aaron said. "What would be the point of the game if your first mission killed you?"

"Second mission," he corrected. "And I think they're trying to force my hand…I act, or I die."

"And if I don't help you, I let you die."

"I can show you my status page. It's proof that I am not lying."

Aaron massaged his brow as he stifled a groan.

"Don't bother. It'll be worse if you're telling the truth."

All Aaron wanted since the first time he'd heard of the assignment was to help the Avatar. Being the only bender in his age range with the skill and disposition to pull it off, he felt he was made for the post almost.

Yet, it wasn't even his first day, and everything was already going wrong. Only his father's teachings of patience and his Chi meditations gave him the patience to think through the problem.

Letting him die would certainly solve his problems, but he had a potentially more dangerous twin running around. He wasn't lying about the dying bit, either. Aaron had seen the fear in his eyes. There was also the matter that less than 24 hours ago, he'd been his student.

Although it sounded foolish, he hoped some small part of him still was.

"Don't make me regret this."

Igi let out a long breath. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I owe you big time, and I promise I'll make it up to you.

Aaron snorted.

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"And I promise that you will," Igi said.

Aaron scanned the empty street for possible listeners.

"So, does your system have any leads for us, or are we going to have to sniff everything out ourselves?"

Igi scratched his head. "Typically, the answers show up as we naturally make progress."

"Typically?"

"Well—uh, my first mission was to find a mentor, and you came to me, and the second mission is to help the freedom fighters, so I figured…"

Aaron knew there was something else there, but with everything going on, he let it go. Instead, he crossed the street and approached the merchant, leaving Igi scuttling behind.

"So, the answers just come, uh?" he muttered more to himself than Igi. "Awfully convenient."

"What are you doing?" the boy half-shouted.

Aaron gestured to the stand in front of him like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "If you're not lying, the answers will come to us as you said."

Igi opened his mouth, but Aaron shot him a look, and he clamped his mouth shut.

The Storekeeper had a darb look about him, his mismatched dark fine robes standing out against the canvas of rural Earth Nation.

"Welcome, fine travelers. Anything, in particular, catch your discerning eyes?"

Aaron pored over the wears with a barely-veiled greed. He saw fire-resistant armor— an Earth Nation Soldier standard when facing firebenders. The storefront also carried dried rations, clothes, daggers, trap wires, a bow, some arrows, batons, swords, spears, knuckle dusters, and a host of other interesting, yet practical weapons.

"That's quite a collection you have here?" Aaron whistled.

"Only the finest," the man said with a sleek smile.

"Got an armor in his size?" Aaron nodded towards Igi, who blinked and sputtered as he searched for words. He was saying something, but Aaron ignored him.

He trusted the boy as far as he could throw him, but he couldn't very well let him die on his first mission.

The man peered down at Igi, who hesitantly looked at the armor. It bore light scorch marks, duvets from crossing blades and had been mended at multiple points.

"A little princess, are we," he mused and then said to Aaron, "they don't fit them that small I have something in about your size. The boy looks like a grower, I bet he'll wear it like it was custom-made in a few months."

"I think I'm good," Igi muttered, but Aaron ignored him.

"He sure is," he smiled at the man. "I barely recognize him day-to-day with how fast he changes. Give me the armor, some knives, a bit of rope, and those batons." Aaron gestured at some short metal studded brown wood batons in the corner. At the very least, the boy would have something to protect himself with.

"All of that will be 35 silver pieces." the man said and then leaned forward. "You've got a pretty good eye. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were gearing up for something big."

Aaron raised a brow and had a funny feeling in his gut. Is this what Igi meant? Aaron thought, but he didn't just rise to the bait immediately. Besides, he was sure there was some Air proverb about trusting suspicious people.

"We have quite the journey ahead of us. We're headed to the South pole to see relatives. I figured it'd be safer to be prepared. You wouldn't happen to know a merchant ship that could spare two rooms aboard, do you?"

"In fact, I do," the oily merchant said. "Although, it'll cost you 20 Silver each."

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Aaron frowned.

"Pricey," The Merchant nodded to himself. "I know, but it's the price of traveling 'discrete' these days, but the captain is a personal friend. If you lend me some muscle for a little something, we're pulling tonight. I could get you back the Silver you lost and a good discount on your trip."

Igi grinned victoriously, and Aaron asked.

"That something wouldn't have something to do with helping the town's freedom fighters would it?"

The merchant's eyes went wide for a moment, and it was all the confirmation Aaron needed.

"Throw in two masks, and I'll join your little meeting."

The man's lips twisted into a wolfish grin. "Glad to hear it. The meeting is at eight. We converge in the Alley you just came from, and we're striking to kill."

"Not a problem," Aaron said. "Hand us 10 Silvers worth of rations and the masks, and we'll see you tonight."

With that, their business was concluded, and they returned with their wears, and Aaron tuckered in for an Afternoon nap despite Igi pestering him for plans and strategies. He'd barely slept in two days and wanted to be fresh for what came next.

Aaron opened his eyes just before sunset and methodically slipped into his armor. A mishmash of fire-resistant clothes and armor he picked up around the Earth Nation with some free-flowing cover for some marital flexibility. He could've gone with his standard-issue ghost armor that was a mix of slash-resistant fabrics and a large hood for Airbending techniques, but that'd draw too much attention.

Igi struggled to move in the armor Aaron'd given him, the leather creasing against his thigh and underarms with every swing of his new batons. Aaron laughed as he watched the kid flail around like Monkey Bird. And in his desperation, Aaron saw his old disciple in the new being that inhabited his body. The eagerness to learn, the stubbornness, and how hard he fought despite being out of his depths.

Peeved though he was about to be lied to, he reminded himself that the spirit was more than a bit disoriented by everything, even though he hid it well enough.

Aaron still didn't trust him, though he pitied him enough to show him how to hold the batons properly and defend himself should he be cornered.

His theory of the boy's mental state proved right when they came to the alleyway that night. Aaron was sure the boy would fall apart if he didn't say something before the fight.

"You'll be fine," he muttered. "Everyone gets nervous before their first time."

"Even you?" he asked with a nervous laugh.

"Ah…well, no," Aaron said honestly, thinking back to the memory. His years learning by his father's feet prepared him mentally for it, and he had no remorse for firebenders, but…

"Every squeak and sound set me off days before the attack," he admitted, "and I still find myself tensing up before a big battle, but it gets easier, or maybe I've become harder."

Aaron gave it another brief thought before noting the Boy's reaction. He was even paler now.

The Merchant received us at the lip of the alley before Aaron thought of anything poignant to say. He took one look at Igi and gave Aaron a questioning look.

"I wouldn't have lost the silver if he'd kept his mouth shut," Aaron said. "It's only right that he be here."

"Discipline him in your own time. We have a Fire Nation camp to raid," he hissed at Aaron.

"And whatever mission you give him and me, I'm sure he'll perform admirably," Aaron insisted though he had his doubts. It was his mission, after all.

The man stared at both of them for the longest moment. He wore all black, with an Oni mask strapped to his forehead and a short blade and dagger on each side. When he spoke, his voice was almost a whisper. "If you mess this up, I promise the Fire nation will be the least of your worries."

Aaron grunted and looked down at Igi, who was still shivering.

"Follow me," he said, leading them deeper into the Alley. Three other men waited for them there, two masked. Aaron almost didn't recognize the last man. His face was the Elder's, but everything from his posture to his Chi felt different.

"Welcome, my friends. I'm glad Ashin was able to convince you to join us," he said with a genial smile, waving them over. "I must apologize for your silver, but at the end of the night, you should have it back and then some."

"I…didn't expect to find you here," Aaron said as he further appraised the man.

The man laughed. "Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't dare oppose them, but these aren't normal times. The war is coming to a close. You must have seen it. Only the great cities and isolationist villages like Kyoshi will hold out till next year. We need to retreat to the Capital, but before that, we need to retrieve our savings, No?"

The man sounded like his Uncle Wang. He was the in-house political expert, but Aaron also thought he was on the mark. The bit about Silver also sounded great. Although, something was off about the Old man. Even his current affable persona seemed like a mask.

"If you hadn't shown up on our doorstep," he continued, " it would've just been the four of us, but now that you and your little helper are here," he smiled. "We can be more creative."

We gestured them over to a map sitting stretched out on a crate to their back. The other men were kitted like the Black market merchant— one thin and wiry, the other thick and larger. Their armor was refitted Earth-Nation fire-resistant armor, and they all carried a Dao, even the large man.

They greeted him with a nod when they caught him staring, and he returned the favor.

"You and the child will delay the survivors. That means sabotaging the tank they have first, poisoning the well, and cutting all the Rhinos free when the fighting breaks out. Then, you can back us up." He pointed to various locations on the map and handed over a vial, which Aaron tucked in a compartment in his shirt.

"Firebenders?" Aaron asked as he mentally marked the locations.

"Only five," the Village Elder said with some relief in his voice, a sentiment that mirrored his. "One of them is part of the Elite Guard, the remaining are Shin's lieutenants. There are 20 men in the camp total."

Aaron's lips curled under his mask. "I can already smell the Silver."

The larger man chuckled, and after going over some more details, they were closing on the camp. The Boy's newly acquired skill at sneaking transferred over seamlessly, visibly improving as they traversed. Even the Village Elder, who'd donned a mask of his own to match the other fighters, gave the boy a look of surprise.

Going over their outfit one more time, Aaron couldn't help but notice they stuck out like a sore thumb and mentally promised he'd make doubly sure to leave no witnesses and save his strength if he needed to fight his way out of the village.

Although Igi's system had blessed their little plan, Aaron didn't trust any of these men. In his experience, if something could go wrong, it usually did, and it would be awfully easy to pin the entire attack on them and set the Fire Nation on their tail while the village leader and his cronies made their escape.

"Don't let your guard down at any point. Be ready to attack when I tell you to." Aaron whispered to the spirit as they entered the Village, but not before he listened to check if anyone heard them.

They encountered a guard by the well, but Aaron made short work of him. He used Air-bending to vacuum a bucket closer to their hiding spot to draw him closer. And with an Air infused dash, he grabbed the man from behind, kicked his legs under him, and opened his neck. He stowed his body behind the tent, where Igi was watching, eyes wide.

Sabotaging the tank was even easier. With air muffling every step he took, Aaron appeared behind the guards guarding the tank and took their heads off with wind blades when he was certain no one was looking their way. With his knife, Aaron sawed off the engine belts, and the boy stuffed the exhausts with some of the coal it used for fuel.

Since it was his mission, Aaron let the Boy poison the well after he threw a well-placed shot that brained an idle guard, and they came to rest in the stable just out of the sights of the Rhinos stabled there. Their minder was not a soldier, so Aaron only knocked him out.

"You said you belonged to the Air Nation yesterday," Igi whispered over from their hiding place. "You're not supposed to exist."

"And yet I am standing here," Aaron said.

"How?"

"Sozin might have been ruthless in his extermination, but my grandfather was more resourceful. He single-handedly brought us back from extinction when the Avatar and the rest of the world failed us." His voice had grown harsh, but then a thought occurred to him. "This is about watching me kill, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I mean, I knew Airbenders were skilled martial artists," he said, avoiding Aaron's eyes. "The way you killed that man… I am starting to think you might be the bag guys." He added an awkward laugh in the end.

"We do what we must to survive," Aaron said automatically. It was his truth. The Airbender's truth. It'd been beaten into him since he started training with his father, and he wasn't particularly ashamed of killing."You do realize you're going to have to kill tonight? There is no middle ground on this?" he said.

"Isn't knocking them out enough?" Igi asked, and Aaron remembered he'd been even hesitant to take the shot at the firebender by the well.

"Kill them now, and you could be saving Earth, Water, and Air Nation soldier lives," Aaron said. " "With the trail of bodies I left behind, anybody seriously looking will know I was headed to the South sea. I'd rather not make tracking us even easier by leaving witnesses.'

Igi let out a long sigh. "I can't really afford a conscience, can I?"

"No, you cannot," Aaron said and was thankful that the Boy was at least pragmatic.

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