Chapter 23: Chapter 23
-[Aroh]-
It wasn't difficult to get the information he needed from them after his brutal display. Speeding through the corridors, his blade crackled with lightning as he disposed of every opposition.
As he made a turn, he found a soldier staring at him with wide eyes. Before the man could react, his sword had pierced the armor and speared through his heart.
Ripping it out, he continued without pause as he found himself in the inner courtyard where the rest of the denizens of the temple were gathered on the floor with a handful of soldiers surrounding them.
"Stop where you are!" One of the soldiers ordered.
Another soldier picked an elderly man from the pile of captives, holding a flaming hand near his head. "Come any closer and he's toast."
Aroh's eyes quickly scanned them. Seeing that his target wasn't among them, he set his eyes forward, deeper into the temple.
"Take care of this." He said to seemingly nobody as he leaped high into the air, going above all of them and continuing deeper into the temple.
The soldiers as well as the scared crowd were confused by his actions.
The soldier who held the elderly man captive was the most confused. "What?" He wondered out loud.
Barely a second later, a torrent of water shot out of the corridor Aroh previously emerged from, carefully avoiding the civilians as it crashed into the soldiers.
The elderly man who was held hostage was released as his captor found himself engulfed by the powerful pressure of the water.
The water warped their armor and sent them crashing into the walls and floors, knocking them out cold.
Aroh watched this from the corner of his eyes, a tiny smirk forming as Katara, emerged from that corridor, showing her to be the source.
He didn't see Sokka and Aang behind her but that was the least of his concerns at the moment.
The number of soldiers had more or less thinned out as he entered the main areas of the temple. The fire nation clearly didn't expect their captives to have enough power for them to warrant more soldiers than were currently stationed.
If he had to guess, the only reason why there were even this many soldiers was because of the importance of the man who was making weapons for them.
He soon arrived at a room that looked more like an office than anything else. More importantly, seated at the desk was a grey-haired middle-aged man in fire nation garb that indicated that he held a high position.
"Don't do something you'll regret boy. If the fire nation gets word of this, this place will be destroyed." The man threatened calmly but Aroh's keen eye could see the fearful twitch in his expression.
"You know me." Aroh stated, rather than asked.
The man stayed silent, only nodding after Aroh's grip on his blade tightened. "Yes." He said reluctantly.
"Then you must know you're most likely the only one left. Dead men tell no tales." Aroh said as the man grit his teeth.
"Why do you do this?!" The man demanded. "These are not your people! You betray your homeland? For what?!"
Before he could continue, Aroh's lightning-coated blade was embedded in his chest, the teen pushing it in without resistance.
"You wouldn't understand." He said, pulling out his weapon as the man quickly died.
Immediately leaving the office, he went in search of the mechanist. He found a few soldiers splayed across the floor, their armors wet and warped and their bodies unmoving.
Checking a few of them and finding no pulse, he didn't need to think hard to know who was responsible.
Following the trail of bodies, he soon found himself in a hallway with an open doorway at the other side. It would be more accurate to say that the door that was supposed to be there was smashed to pieces.
As he was about to enter, Katara emerged from the room.
"Good job." He praised, causing her to preen as she walked to him.
"Thanks. These were the last guards in the temple and I found something else too." She said, gesturing to the room as a middle-aged man who was partially bald with singed eyebrows and a bushy beard walked out.
He pushed a wheelchair in which a dark-haired boy sat.
Aroh looked past them, seeing an array of weapons and machines with fire nation insignia inside.
"I take it that you're Pao, the mechanist?" Aroh asked.
The man nodded gratefully. "Yes, I am. This is my son, Teo. Thank you for freeing us."
"It was nothing." Katara deflected.
"How did all this happen?" Aroh asked.
The man had a sad look on his face. "The fire nation found us here years ago. They wanted to destroy everything. I pleaded with them to spare us and they agreed. They spared us but they enslaved us."
"They forced my son and I to make weapons for them while they held the rest of us captive."
Aroh hummed for a moment. "You and your people are free now. I'd advise you to start working on defense mechanisms in case they return."
"That would probably be for the best but I'm afraid we don't have enough time to do that. By the time they inform their superiors, reinforcements will come." The man argued but the teen shook his head.
"They won't be reporting anything to anyone, ever." He said as the mechanist realized the implication of his words. "By the time any fire nation official gets word of this, you would have had enough time to strengthen defenses."
The man was an invaluable source of technological and mechanical growth. Even the fire nation would recognize that seeing as how he was responsible for a large number of their advanced weaponry.
"I see." The mechanist said. "Then I guess I better start thinking of something."
His son had been silent so far, not knowing what to say or having anything to add.
Seeing that the man was taking his word seriously, he was satisfied. "While you're at it, there's something else I want to discuss with you." Aroh said, confusing the man.
-[Later]-
As Katara and Aroh made their way to the temple's exit, they saw the former captives giving them appreciative looks while cleaning up the effects of the slaughter that had occurred.
Not long after, they finally exited the temple, seeing Appa still waiting for them and a worried Sokka leaning standing on the saddle.
Upon seeing Katara, he rushed towards her. "Have you lost your mind?!"
"Coming from the guy who didn't lift a finger to help at all?" Katara asked sarcastically.
Sokka groaned in frustration. "In case you didn't notice, Aang is unconscious! If the fire nation kills him, they win! Besides, you had your boyfriend over there to look out for you." The mocking tone he spoke the last part with was not missed.
"And in case you didn't notice, he just saved these people! Cut him some slack!" Katara shot back.
"He just killed all those people!" Sokka argued.
As Katara wanted to counter that, Aroh stopped her, turning to Sokka.
"If that is your reason for hating me then you must also hate your father. After all, he's doing the same thing wherever he fights." He said, causing a furious look to form on Sokka's face.
"What did you say?!"
"This is war. People kill and people are killed. You praise your father and your tribesmen for the exact same thing yet you condemn me for it. That is why I called you a fool earlier." Aroh said, his tone unwavering. "I honestly don't care if you hate me so if you're hell-bent on doing so, grow up and face the facts. Don't be a hypocrite about it."
There was a tense silence as Sokka glared daggers into him before turning back to climb on Appa.
Katara grabbed Aroh's arm, pulling him as they got aboard the bison to Sokka's silent displeasure at his presence.
Aang still lay in the saddle, unconscious throughout the whole encounter.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone