The Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se was in utter chaos as Toji stood atop the walls that separated it from the Middle ring, watching as clouds of smokes billowed upwards while the Dai Li and earthbenders were trying their best to stop the flames.
It was not just them as Toji could also make out people from the Middle Ring surging through the gates like a wave of desperation and fury. Servants, merchants, fallen nobles and refugees were doing their best to push through the barricades just as he had planned, all of them fuelled with whispers, gold and resentment aimed at the nobles above them.
Fire raged across estates and manors that belonged to bureaucrats and nobles, the guards letting out rallying cries as they clashed with the rioters while the Dai Li fractured and fought amongst themselves.
There were those that still clung to their loyalty to Long Feng as they fought against rioters, those that were trying their best to put out the flames and then the rare few that simply disappeared into the shadows to preserve their own lives.
"Guess Long Feng being the spine of the city was more detrimental to them than they expected," Toji murmured as he looked to the royal palace, which the royal earthbenders had sealed off while also noting the mercenaries June had hired to keep them busy for as long as possible.
"You're late," Toji spoke up as footsteps drew closer, June letting out a huff as she walked closer while tossing an apple up and down.
"Hey, not all of us are a 12 year old that can move at superhuman speeds and can scale buildings like they're nothing," She answered with a frown as she stopped beside him, to which Toji nodded as the two looked over the destruction.
"What took you so long?"
"Had to dodge two squads of paranoid Dai Li agents who thought I was with the group below. They were correct, but still, it was a bit annoying."
"The vault?"
"Already cleared out. Your 'servants' are also protected and written to be raised to noble status as payment for their work. That steward of yours did wish to see you one last time even after I explained everything so I knocked her out."
"Good," Toji nodded as he kept staring at the flames, taking a deep breath and smiling peacefully at the fumes that reminded him of the toxic air in his old world before looking to June as she spoke up.
"So, what now? You going to go down there and be the hero or not?"
"Nah, I've gotten everything that I could from Ba Sing Se. Now is the time to get out of here," Toji answered as he turned and began walking towards the section of the wall that led to the Middle Ring, June raising an eyebrow at the bag he had on his back before catching the satchel he threw at her with a blink.
"That has about another hundred gold pieces and a map that leads to a secret vault that has some artifacts and jewelry. Thanks for the help," Toji spoke before he dropped off the wall, running along the side of it with a grin.
Hopping off of it as he got close to the edge, he grunted a bit as he strained his shoulders to grab onto a flagpole outside of a restaurant before launching himself through the air, smiling as he landed with a roll and began slipping through the streets of the Middle Ring.
The sound of boots pounding on stones and the occasional cracking and rumbling of earthbending filled the air as Toji weave through the alleyways like a ghost, slipping through the clouds of smoke on the streets while his cloak fluttered behind him.
Still wearing his oni mask with his weapons hidden under the cloak, a slow grin crept on his face as he watched people that he had hired in secret to take out nobles now fighting or trying to escape this hellhole.
It did not take him long before he reached the edge of the Middle Ring, but he slowed down a bit as he saw a boy and his older brother huddled in a building, coming to a stop in front of them as the older boy turned to him.
He could see the fear and the flames dancing in their eyes before he let out an eerie chuckle, taking off his butterfly sword and dagger before tossing it towards them along with a sack of gold.
"If you get to the far right, you'll survive," Toji didn't have any reason for doing this other than wanting another reason to sow chaos, smirking under his mask as the older boy caught the items before jogging towards the sewer system and hopping into it.
Time to get his payment.
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With the chaos both inside and outside of Ba Sing Se, it took Toji five days before he finally managed to get to the Agrarian Zone of Ba Sing Se, walking out of the tower while staring at the carnage in front of him.
Half of the field was a mess of giant boulders and earth spires while the others was burning fiercely, the earthbenders doing their best to fend off the raging Fire Nation army that were trying their best to get through.
'Damn, they must have been fighting for a while. Eh, I guess they can do their own. Now, Iroh said he was going to be at Lake Laogai, right?', Toji thought as he ran along the edge of the walls, the darkness of night helping him hide away as he slowly made his way towards the edge of the Agrarian Zone where he would find Lake Laogai.
His boots crunched against charred grass and his dark cloak helped him blend in with the darkness as he avoided both Earth King sentries and Fire Nation patrols.
The former would do their best to kill him especially if they found out what was in his bag while the latter would probably kill him just because they can.
He had to admit that seeing firebenders in action was a fun sight as they hurled blazing arcs through the air, the earthbenders retaliating with jagged stones and giant boulders to fend off their assault before he continued walking.
Rounding the last bent of the wall, Toji caught sight of the lake in the far distance before making his way towards it, passing charred carts, houses and the skeletal remains of corpses.
However, he noted the absence of explosions and sound as he got closer to the Lake, noting how it was only Fire Nation soldiers dressed in regal armour that stood in the camp.
None of them seemed to care to attack as they simply looked up at him before continuing on with their business, a soft hum escaping his lips as he nodded before catching sight of Lu Ten sharpening his jian with a smirk.
"Well, look who grew up. I guess it has been three years since we last saw each other."
"You mean when you gave me that job? Yeah, it is. Where's your dad? I got a few packages for him?", Toji spoke while shaking the bag on his back, Lu glancing at it and humming at the blood stains before sheathing his sword and standing up.
"Follow, I'll take you to him," Toji nodded as he followed after Lu Ten, the two of them walking around the outer edge of the lake until they reached the large red and gold tent with its Fire Nation banners fluttering in the night breeze.
"I thought you all would have been further in by now."
"We would have been, but after your work a few years ago in the Inner Rings, nearly 90% of their fighting force was pushed to the outskirts to fend us off."
"And the army? It's a lot bigger than before."
"Eh, a few troops just happened to be nearby," Lu Ten answered with a grin, but Toji scoffed at the answer before they walked into the tent. The two guards inside stood to the side immediately as Lu Ten nodded while Toji looked to the back where Iroh stood over a war table.
In one hand, he held a cup of steaming tea while the other traced over the map of the Earth Kingdom, Toji's eyes flickering to it and focusing on the red markings on it.
Other than Gaoling, Omashu and Ba Sing Se, every other city was crossed off and had a pin with the Fire Nation symbol on it, but Toji turned his gaze back to Iroh as the general looked up the moment Lu Ten spoke.
"General, your long awaited guest is here," His gaze was as calculative as always as Iroh looked at Toji, who didn't say anything while he simply picked the bag off his back and tossed it onto the table.
Iroh hummed as Lu Ten reached over and opened the bag, the younger letting out an impressed whistle at Long Feng's head and the five different silver crests while Iroh looked at Toji who smirked.
"The Council of Five and Long Feng are dead."
"I can see that considering you have their royal crests that they would not part with easily, not even for an attempt to save their lives. I must admit, Toji, that you have impressed me yet again. Not many boys can do what you did."
"It takes a lot more than just luck and power, but that's for another time. What's the story on payment?", Toji asked and Iroh chuckled as he placed his cup down.
"You're not going to stay first for a cup of tea?"
"Nah, I'm not one for tea."
'That and I don't trust you guys in the slightest,' The quietness was putting him on edge as they were far away from the battles, which meant that he had no backup and was surrounded by a little over two dozen of what were probably the best fighters in Iroh's army.
Yeah, he was strong, but he did not like his odds.
"Very well. However, may I ask you a question first?"
"Shoot."
"Why did you accept the job? Even with the money we offered, the risks were far higher than just for a measly 2000 gold coins, no?"
"I wanted to see if I could," Toji answered truthfully and bluntly, but his answer stumped Iroh while Lu Ten raised an eyebrow.
"You took a mission to assassinate some of the most powerful men in the Earth King…because you wanted to see if you could?"
"Pretty much. Many want to be the strongest or be the richest or show that they're better than everyone else. I just did it because I wanted to see if I could. The money was a good bonus, but it was not just about that."
'That was a total lie. It was always about the money,' Toji wanted to say that, but he also knew that if he said that, they would figure out and prey on his love for money to try and make him work longer so he went with the second best option that was also sure to get him a reputation.
Toji watched as Iroh studied him after his answer for a long while before raising an eyebrow as the man smiled. It was not one of his usual warm smile either, but instead, Toji couldn't help his smirk as he saw the smile of a fellow monster in front of him.
The smile of a man who had recognized another dangerous player to the board that is life.
"Curiosity is quite the rare and dangerous motivator."
"Only for those who cannot control it," Toji answered calmly and Lu Ten chuckled as he clapped with a smile.
"Well, you have not changed in the slightest. You're still the same reckless and insane boy, but perhaps one that will be on our side and not against it."
"That sounds like a recruitment speech beginning there," Toji spoke with a dry look, not hiding the edge in his voice as Lu Ten waved his hand dismissively.
"No need to worry. You're too smart to be drafted like every other idiot, but when the next job comes, we'll think about you."
"Your payment as agreed. No more, no less," Iroh spoke up as he stepped around the table, Toji immediately taking the lacquered box the man put down and tucking it into the pouch on his back that was hidden under the cloak.
"Please sure doing business."
"Before you go, Toji?", Iroh spoke as he turned and walked, the boy stopping at the flap of the tent to see the man smiling.
"If curiosity ever leads you to something…bigger, perhaps something beyond coin or reputation, you may find that you are not as alone in your pursuits as you think."
"Also, try not to die. It'd be hard to replace you," Lu Ten spoke and Toji scoffed as he spoke before dropping the flap.
"No one's good enough to replace me," As he walked out, he immediately turned and began walking to the back of the tent, already hearing a few soft footsteps following after him before dipping into the small forest behind the tent.
With practised ease, Toji slipped into the shadows of the trees before taking out his crossbow, the first bolt slicing through the air and the skull of a Fire Nation soldier before he vanished once again.
Shifting through the shadows and appearing next to the second of the two trying to follow him, his jian sung as he unsheathed it and stabbed the blade through the neck of the soldier, vanishing back into the shadows before leaving the scene of the crime.
After all, he had a certain friend that he needed to bail out before he left.
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"…You being serious?", Toji asked with a deadpan stare as he opened the gate to the komodo rhino, staring at one specific one who looked back at him while a group of female rhinos were peacefully asleep around him.
"I mean, I expected this to happen, but really? I go away for a few years and you start a harem?", Toji whispered as he walked over, rolling his eyes at Iron's snort while the beast in question stood up to his feet with a rumble.
"I know, I know. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't think the mission would be that long," Toji apologized, but he palmed his face when the rhino huffed and looked to the side, pinching the bridge of his nose before nodding.
"Hey, come on. It's almost day time and I want to be out of here before Iroh and his men find me. No, no. No, I'm not taking them," Toji shook his head as he saw Iron glancing at the female rhinos, who were all wide awake to see the master and beast arguing with each other.
"I don't care that you like them. I'm not-Okay, listen. I don't care that they're carrying your children. Whoo, I'm an uncle, okay? Good, now let's go before I leave you here. Oh yeah, I will. I can cross this desert all on my own," Toji spoke with a frown, staring Iron down as the rhino glared back before groaning as Iron turned and nudged his horn against that of every female.
"Of all the…hah, I swear I'm making myself a pair of rhino-skin boots when we get out of this desert," Toji grumbled as Iron finally touched horns with the last rhino, turning back to him with a pleased look while the boy just hopped onto his back and looked at the female rhinos.
"Ladies…I don't know how this goofball got you all to like him, but he is an idiot. Yes, you are. Now, we will see you…never. Of course, I'm not coming ba-Iron! I'm a wanted ma-…We will come back when we need to," Toji murmured and Iron let out a pleased rumble as he charged through the fence, surprising the Fire Nation soldiers while Toji grinned as he pulled himself low.
"Come on, bud! Time to get out of this place!"
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"Whew~That was a pretty fun one, eh Iron?", Toji spoke with a grin as he rode atop the tank, rolling his eyes as Iron rumbled in response while chewing on a leg that he tore off from one of the male komodo rhinos that chased after them.
The others were quickly turned back after Toji killed off their riders, but it appears there was this one amongst the group that wanted to get revenge for Iron getting his girl.
Unfortunately, Toji may have taught his rhino a bit of battle tactics and it worked considering that Iron had bifurcated the rhino, tore off a leg and left it to die while eating peacefully on the leg it tore off.
"I swear, sometimes you scare even me, bud," Toji said softly, smirking as Iron let out another growl before looking and forward to see a carriage being pulled.
That confused the boy considering that they were about a day away from Ba Sing Se and days away from whatever else there was, but as he got closer, he hummed at the sight of a dozen or so men surrounding the carriage that had knocked-out guards on the ground.
"We won't say this again, Beifong! You get out of here or we'll kill you, your wife and that kid of yours!"
"And if I do, you'll still do it!"
"Yeah, but it will be a quick death!", The leader of the group shouted back, but Toji's eyes widened as he recognized the surname they used.
'Beifong? As in the Beifong nobles of Gaoling? The richest people in the Earth Kingdom? In other words…'
"Ohoho~ Iron! Looks like we're eating good tonight!"
A/N: And Ba Sing Se is now done! Toji and June will do some more missions down the line, but for now, we end it off here.
Next chapter: The Blind…Delinquent? Yeah, she's a blind delinquent.
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As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one...
Ba-Bye~!