A/N: Sorry for taking so long! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!
Chapter Nine: The Chase
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Maya and the Arbiter stood on one of the many rooftops in Republic City, looking down at the street below. It was eleven fifteen, almost time for the death of earth kingdom councilman Yi Ming.
The night was as beautiful as they came, a rare treat for Republic City. Usually the stars were shrowded by a heavy blanket of smoke, a product of the many factories scattered across the concrete metropolis. But tonight, every single luminous orb was visable, dottinig the sky like hundreds of white lamps.
The Arbiter stared up at the moon, which was full and just as bright as the stars around it. Seeing the full moon was almost exhilarating, for him it was the promise of a challenge. The avatar's strongest element was water, and at the full moon she would be more powerful then ever. Perhaps tonight would be the night that she would finally stop him and prove that she is worthy of her title. He took a deep breath, sucking in the night air and calming himself.
Tonight, he didn't need to hold back. His bending ablities were now well known, so there was nothing left to hide. The Arbiter did regret resorting to such measures back at Ulva's manor, but he knew that a direct hit from lightning was never a pleasant thing, even if the pro bender's lightning was weak and unfocused. It was a shame; he did see some potential in the moody firebender. But to master the cold fire, one must be at peace. In the Arbiter's eyes, there were two kinds of lightning.
The first was the type used by everyday powerplant workers, such as the fire bender he had met two days ago. Their lightning was taught in schools, learned quickly, and abused for the sole purpose of powering machines, houses, and other such things. The second was the kind that took years to master and was a skill that you had to be born with. The Arbiter believed that this was true lightning, precice, intense, and deadly. False lightning was nothing compared to the raw and unadulterated power of true lightning.
The Arbiter turned his gaze to Maya, who seemed to be fixated on the people below them. Tonight, she wore a fully black suit of extremely light armor, along with a pair of fingerless leather gloves. Her blonde hair was flowing with the night breeze as she continued to stare down to the streets below. The Arbiter could instantly tell from her expression that she was nervous, afraid of what might happen. He didn't blame her, she probably expected him to drop dead any second now after his recent display.
In her hand, she was clenching a matching black mask, designed to cover everything except her beautiful blue eyes. A couple times, Maya had asked him jokingly why no one was ever freaked out by his eye color before he put on the mask. Every time he would answer with a snarky smile, "No one actually notices you until you put on the mask."
It was true. You could have black, gold, silver, or even bright pink eyes, and no one would be any the wiser. But when you put on the mask, people tend to hold on to the only feature they can see. The Arbiter had just made sure that the single feature his foes could latch on to struck fear in their hearts.
"I have to say, you have an interesting idea of a first date," Maya joked, breaking the silence between them.
The Arbiter chuckled at her remark and retorted, "I garuntee you, it'll be the most exciting night of your life. So, do you have the goody bag?"
Maya nodded and stooped over to grab a good-sized fabric sack that had been lying next to them. She opened it up and pulled out a whole assortment of destructive tools, holding them up so that the Arbiter could see them. They had collected a few explosives, a couple dozen knives, some throwing stars, and two newly developed stolen firearms. The Arbiter took a few of the explosives, while Maya took most of the knives, strapping them to a tight sash that was crossed around her torso. "You know how to use those things?" The Arbiter asked as he continued to pack his belt with the tiny bombs.
"Of course I do. On Kyoshi, they teach you all sorts of fun things." To emphasize her point, Maya drew one of the knives and threw it directly at a bird, which sitting perched on the roof across from them. The knife easily found its target, diving right into the small sparrokeet's chest. She turned back and bowed to the Arbiter, who gave her a small round of applause. "Any more questions?"
"No, mam. Just remember the plan." The Arbiter grabbed for the pistols and was about to grab them when Maya swatted his hand away. He gave her an incredulous look as she snatched up both of them and strapped them to herself. "C'mon, I stole those myself!"
Maya smiled and patted him on the cheek playfully, "Quiet, you have your bending. These are for the people who can't shoot lightning from their hands."
The Arbiter groaned dissapointedly; he really wanted to try them out. But if Maya wanted the pistols, then he figured it was only fair. After all, he was the one dragging her along on this assassination, something he was sure she would rather not get involved with.
"Ronin?"
The Arbiter cringed at the sound of his real name. He had told Maya it to comfort her, but the Arbiter still rathered she not use it. "Please, don't call me that."
"Oh," Maya said, her gaze falling a bit, "I'm sorry. But I just wanted to ask you to spare my sisters. While I may not be on Kyoshi anymore, I still care for them a great deal."
The Arbiter sighed. He knew that holding back against a Kyoshi warrior would be difficult. Anything could happen in the heat of battle, and he knew better then to make a girl a promise he knew he couldn't keep. But the Arbiter sensed genuine concern in her voice. She really did still love the Kyoshi. "Okay," he resigned, despite his better judgement, "I will not kill them. But just know, that not everything is under my control. Things happen in the heat of battle, but I will do my best to protect them from it."
"Thank you," Maya said. She gave the Arbiter a gratious bow and then told him, "I'll be waiting by cycles."
Before she could hop off, though, the Arbiter called after her. "Wait!" She turned back around to see what was the problem. The Arbiter pulled a strange blue mask from his pouch, depicting a blue Oni face, with two large fangs and an unnerving smile. Maya took the mask from him and turned it in her hand.
"The Blue Spirit?"
The Arbiter nodded and gave her a pat on the back. "Chin up, kitten. It's not every day you get to be a legend."
Maya shrugged and slipped the mask on, covering up her beautiful eyes and long blonde hair. Ronin was almost sad to see such a pretty face concealed.
"We should get going, it's almost time," He told Maya as he walked with her to the edge of the roof. "We wouldn't want to break our promise, now would we?"
Right outside the main police station, Yi Ming's escort group was getting ready for the ride of their lives. Dozens of police cars and armored cars were all gathered in front of the headquarters, along with numerous on duty officers, all getting geared up for a fight. Korra had even exchanged her usual water tribe garb for a padded outfit, very similar to the one she used for pro bending. Mako had been outfitted with the same protective gear as her. Bolin had even been equipped with a green combat robe and strange stone gloves, as were the rest of the police force.
Lin had made sure this time that no one was wearing any metal, so that lightning wouldn't be as dangerous to her officers. All the earthbenders looked like agents of the long dead order, the Dai Li. Lin had even admitted to basing the design off of what ex- Dai Li agents had told her. Supposedly, the stone hands would make it easier to restrain the Arbiter if he tried to attack.
The Kyoshi warriors had all arrived on time, for once, wearing their traditional armor, except with all the metal stripped off. They even had to ditch their bladed fans in favor of something a little less conductive. This didn't seem to deter Mai Lee, though. In fact, it seemed as if she preferred fighting with out the fans.
"The fans are pretty and all," Mai Lee had told Korra when she asked her how she felt, "but I prefer to fight with my own two hands, like my mom and her mom!"
Mai Lee was an interesting personality, but from what Korra had heard from chief Beifong, it ran in the family. Korra knew she wasn't one to talk, though. She was sure that many of the people she met thought she was an interesting personality too.
"Korra, Korra!"
Korra was pulled out of her train of thought by Mai Lee, who was standing in front of her with the two other Kyoshi warriors that had come. "Korra, I want you to meet my sisters!"
The two girls didn't seem as enthusiastic as Mai Lee, but didn't seem to bear any resentment towards the avatar, which was increasingly common with each new person Korra met. "Hey, welcome to Republic City," Korra waved awkwardly
Before the two could introduce themselves, Mai Lee stepped in and announced, "The girl to my right is Zula," pointing at an older looking kyoshi warrior with golden orange eyes.
Korra was pretty shocked by the name. She knew it all too well. It was based off of the infamous fire princess, Azula, who had hunted down the Avatar for Fire Lord Ozai many years ago. Zula gave Korra a polite bow. "Avatar Korra, it's an honor," she addressed, "I believe you met my brother, Iroh, a while ago, correct?"
Zula was general Iroh's sister? I guess, deep down, Fire Lord Zuko really did love his sister. "Yes, I did meet Iroh. He's pretty wise for his age," she answered
Zula giggled lightly, "That's Iroh, always an old man at heart."
"Ahem!" Mai Lee cleared her throat, obviously not appreciating being ignored. Once she sufficiently had everyone's attention, she continued. "The girl on my left here is Judi!"
Judi seemed like the more quiet and reserved type. She had pale green, timid looking eyes. The shy warrior didn't say a word, but followed Zula's lead and gave a curt, almost rushed, bow. Mai Lee quickly leaned in next to Korra and whispered, "She's a little bit shy."
"I can tell."
"Hey Korra! Are you almost ready?" Korra looked over her shoulder and saw Mako and Bolin running over to her with Chief Beifong trailing slowly behind. "Are these the other warriors?" Mako asked when he reached the group, eyeing each of them with suspicion.
Mai Lee nodded, "Yep, Zula and Judi, my best friends!"
Mako extended his hand politely to Judi, excpecting a firm handshake, but intead got a couple of nervous whimpers. Zula quickly stepped in to her rescue and took Mako's hand, gripping it harder then he had expected. "So this is the man Iroh told me had won the avatar's heart."
The firebender blushed slightly at Zula's remark. "Well…"
Zula simply laughed at his flustered response and gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs, "Don't worry, you don't have to answer that. Just be ready, you're the only firebender in the group, so we're counting on you to redirect any lightning that comes our way."
"Yep! We all might die if you don't! But no pressure, though!"
Mai Lee, you really have a way with words…
Zula face palmed as Mako suddenly seemed to get hotter and hotter in his uniform, grabbing at his collar as sweat beagn to bead up on the back of his neck. Mai Lee didn't seem to notice though. She just smiled cheerfully and said, "Well, we should probably get to our car! Later!" The Kyoshi Leader cartwheeled away, and the other two warriors followed close behind.
"She really is an interesting girl," Lin remarked sarcastically as she watched Mai Lee go, "But to her credit, she is an incredible fighter. Hopefully it's enough to stop the Arbiter, this time."
"Chief Beifong, do you think we can pull this off?" Bolin asked. Korra was thinking the exact same thing, and was glad that Bolin had been brave enough to speak up.
The police chief's expression turned to stone as she answered, "Of course we will. I refuse to let terrorists run wild in my city, especially after killing more then a dozen officers. This bastard is going to pay for his crimes."
"That's right!" Bolin shouted excitedly, punching the air as if he were shadow boxing, "We're gonna give it to him! After tonight, he won't be a free man!"
Mako put his hand on Bolin's shoulder to settle him down. "Alright Bolin, keep a cool head." He then turned to Lin and asked, "So who's driving us? One of the officers?"
"Nope, me!" a voice answered.
The group turned and saw Asami dressed in what looked like full racing gear, with a pair of goggles, a stylish looking scarf, and a pair of leather driving gloves. She pulled the goggles off her forehead and snapped them over her eyes with a confident smile. "You all ready to go?"
"Asami, you're driving us?" Korra couldn't believe they had actually allowed a non-bending civilian to get involved in something like this.
Asami laughed, "Who else would drive the Avatar? I'd say I'm the best driver in Republic City!"
"You hit me with a mopehead," Mako grumbled under his breath, earning him a whap behind the head from the heiress.
"And I apologized for that. But I know these cars like the back of my hand. I helped design half of them, after all."
Korra couldn't a flaw in her logic. Even though she couldn't really fight, and was a civilian, Asami was an incredible racer. She would feel right at home tearing down the streets in a police car. Plus, it wasn't like any of them could drive, and she didn't quite trust a random officer with her life.
"You all just going to stand around, or are we gonna get going," Asami said, motioning for them to follow her, "The officers are ready to move out, and we want to be leaving with them or else we'll get left in the dust."
"Just how fast are we planning to go?" Bolin asked nervously, most likely thinking back to how car sick he got last time he raced with Asami.
She gave him a reassuring pat on the back and answered, "As fast as we need to, Bo."
That answer didn't exactly sit well with Korra either, but if it meant keeping counsilman Yi Ming safe, then her stomach would just have to endure. The three followed Asami to her sheek black racing car, which had been modified with reinforced plating for combat. Bolin's jaw practically dropped when he saw the beautiful piece of mechanical wonder. Korra was impressed as well, it had to be one of the nicest, most expensive cars she had ever seen. Asami grinned at their reactions and gave the car a pat on the hood. "I've made a couple modifications to it. She should run beautifully."
Mako raised his eyebrow at her. "She?"
"Oh," she blushed a bit. Apparently Asami hadn't noticed her slip up. "Sorry, I've been working on this thing for a little too long I guess. Certainly feels like it's my child."
Bolin shrugged indifferently. "Whatever makes you happy."
"Alright people, lets get moving!" they heard chief Beifong yell from her car, signaling the containment truck to start moving. Korra, Mako, and Bolin quickly jumped in the back of Asami's car, and they sped off along with most of the Republic City police force.
Lin had personally made sure that all roads were clear that night, ensuring that nothing could hinder them as they raced through the city. She had made sure that everybody knew their positions in the protective formation. The Kyoshi warriors were to drive in front of the armored truck, while Korra and the others would stay close behind it. Lin was sitting shotgun inside the armored truck and her police force were to guard both sides, left and right. There wasn't a single hole in their formation, and hopefully, they could keep it that way. Councilman Yi Ming's life depended on it.
Korra nervously watched the car's built in clock as it grew closer and closer to twelve. She could tell both Bolin and Mako were doing the same, anticipating the Arbiter to jump in out of nowhere as soon as the second hand struck that fateful hour. Everything will be fine, she told herself, we're much more organized and much more prepared then we were before. It was true, they had even organized a strategic seating arrangement in Asami's car. Mako and Bolin were both in the back seat, so that if the Arbiter approached from behind, Mako could redirect any lightning and Bolin could create fissures in the road to throw him off. Korra sat in front with Asami, so that she could be closer to the counsilman's truck, just in case something happened.
Out of the corner of her eye, Asami noticed Korra staring at the clock in anticipation. "Stay calm, Korra," she told the avatar, "Don't let this guy get to you. Just keep a level head, and this should all turn out fine."
Korra nodded and took a deep breath, still keeping an eye on the clock. She watched as it began to count down to the final minutes of the hour came to pass.
11:55…
11:56…
11:57…
11:58…
11:59…
Korra took another deep breath. She was ready. She had to be ready.
12:00
As soon as the clock hit twelve, Korra heard Bolin shout up to the escort team, "EVERYBODY! WE'VE GOT COMPANY!"
Here goes everything.
Korra turned around and saw the headlights of two motorbikes heading straight towards them at alarming speeds. She squinted, trying to get a better look at the riders, hoping it might be some sort of badly timed police back up. But the Arbiter's white skull mask was easily visable in the black night, and the dark atmosphere around him highlighted his blood red pupils. He had come for the counsilman, just like he had promised.
Riding next to the Arbiter, Korra spotted another person she hadn't seen before. She wasn't wearing quite as extravagant gear as he was; rather she had on a pair of black combat robes and what looked like the same mask of the legendary Blue Spirit. Great, he decided to bring a friend today. Great.
"Officers, arrest those two!" Lin commanded from the armored truck, "Prevent those criminals from reaching the councilman!"
All the officers who were riding in the front turned towards the two rapidly approaching cycles and began to fire stone hands at them, slowing down to get closer to the incoming agressors. Even Bolin shot off one of his stone gloves at them, forming a fist with it as he did. But, just as Korra had feared, the two cycles swerved past every one of them.
"Bolin, roadblock!" Mako shouted to his brother as he began to hurl fireballs at the incoming assailents. Bolin nodded and rubbed his hands together. Then, with a large upwards push, Bolin pulled a huge slab of earth from the ground between them and the Arbiter.
"Nice job, Bo!" Korra laughed. She and Mako gave the earth bender a high five as they cheered loudly. "Lets see him get through that!"
Suddenly, the rock wall exploded into thousands of little pieces as a bolt of lightning shot through it and traveled closely overhead. Korra could feel the heat singe the tip of her hair as the white energy passed by, letting loose a huge BOOM as it did. Does the universe ever get tired of proving me wrong?
Korra turned back around and saw the two cycles coming at them even faster now. The Arbiter was leading the charge, holding his hand up as lighting began to form around it, leaving a small trail in the air as the bike sped forward. He pointed two fingers forward, aiming right at one of the police cars and let loose another bolt. Lighting struck the back of a car to their right, causing it to erupt into flames and spin out of control, flipping into a fruit stand nearby.
"Shit!" Mako cried out as another streak of lightning passed right over them. The cars continued to slow and change their formation, now forming a line between the two killers and their target. They then began unleashing a barrage of flying rocks towards the Arbiter and the Blue Spirit.
As the two bikers began to dodge around the flying stones, Korra pulled water from the skin hanging from her shoulder and used it to freeze the road behind them. Once she had created a sufficiently large ice patch, she smiled at her work and taunted, "Let's see you get past that!"
Just as she had hoped, as soon as the cycles hit the ice flat, they skidded out of control. As the Arbiter and the Blue Spirit spun hopelessly out of control, the metal bending police ceased fire and watched as the first bike flipped. Blue was tossed up into the air, and was about to become a nasty skidmark when the Arbiter swerved his cycle towards her and grabbed her by the wrist. He then jumped from his back whilst slinging the Blue Spirit onto his back, and used lightning from his hands to propel himself forward.
The two were launched into an unlucky police car to the left of the group. Quickly and mercilessly, the Arbiter killed the driver and two passangers, tossing their bodys off to the side once he was finished. Korra was always shocked by how easily the masked man was able to slay other human beings. He did it as if he was born for murder, cutting through bone and sinew without so much as a second glance.
The Blue Spirit hopped into the driver's seat and began to bump into the cars next to her, attempting to throw off the line.
"They're trying to break up our formation!" Asami yelled to both Korra and Mako, "Get over there and deal with it!"
Korra nodded and looked to Mako, who gave her the thumbs up. Well, here goes nothing! The two benders began jumping from car to car, making their way towards the two assassins. Mako launched two fireballs at the Arbiter, who punched through them easily. He began to return fire with several bolts of lightning, barely singing the tips of Korra's hair.
"I won't let you kill another!" Korra yelled as she lashed out at him with water bending. She managed to graze the Arbiter across the face with one whip, cutting a clean slice through the fringe of his hood. Mako followed up with a wave of fire and managed a solid hit. The flames pushed the Arbiter backwards, almost knocking him out of the car.
The Arbiter snarled angrily and was about to release another bolt when a small knife flew towards him, embedding itself in his shoulder. With a pain filled cry, he tore the dagger from his flesh and threw it aside.
"Now, get him girls!" Korra suddenly heard Mai Lee shout. The three kyoshi warriors jumped gracefully over both she and Mako, landing between them and the Arbiter.
Mai Lee held her fists up, along with Zula and Judi, and demanded the Arbiter surrender, scrunching her nose angrily as she did. The Arbiter merely took one look at them and laughed. "Aren't you three adorable?" he taunted as he drew his katana from its sheath. By now, other officers had already joined Mai Lee and her warriors, standing ready. Other cars had also broken formation to create a mobile perimeter around the Blue Spirit and the Arbiter. Korra smiled to herself. We got you, you son of a bitch.
Lin Beifong herself joined in, signaling to the truck to keep steady. She hopped in one of the police cars next to her, and had the officer slow down so that she could address the masked man. "Arbiter," she snarled as she held her rock gloves threateningly, "You are under arrest for the murder of two council members, along with countless others."
Korra watched the Arbiter intensely, trying to anticipate his next move. Would he stop the car and actually surrender? She doubted it, none of the crazies ever did.
The Arbiter didn't move at first. He stood, frozen, with his katana extended as if he was about to strike. For a few moments, the only sound Korra could hear was the wind whipping through her hair and the motors of the cars as they tore through the streets. Then, he began to speak.
"It looks like you all got me," he spoke calmly, his eyes not betraying any sort of fear, "Blue, keep the car on track. I know that neither of us wants to die in a terrible crash." The Arbiter turned and glared at Korra, who glared straight back at him, unwilling to give the psychopath any sort of sick satisfaction. "I've been keeping track of you, you know. "
"Great, now we can add stalking to your long list of crimes," Korra spit
The Arbiter chuckled at her response and continued. "At first I was watching to see if I could find any sort of weakness, you know, like a bad knee or a weak arm. But it didn't take me long realized that your problems were nothing physical. No, you might as well be the poster girl for fitness."
"Where is he going with this…" Korra heard Lin mutter to herself.
"You act very confident don't you, Korra. You like to believe that you're a strong, independent woman, not like all those other tarts that roam the streets of this city," he taunted as he slowly put away his katana and then raised his hands up submissively. Korra's eyes narrowed. Where is he going with this?
"Somebody cuff him so we can stop the cars," one of the officers commanded. But no one moved from his or her spot. They were too scared that they'd end up like the many others who had tried subduing him. So the Arbiter kept talking.
"You ought to be careful with what you do in public, Korra. Especially with such a short tempered boyfriend."
Korra felt her whole body freeze over, her breath halt, and her pupils shrink. He knew. He had seen her kiss Bolin behind Mako's back. The Arbiter had seen the whole turned around and saw Bolin was just as horrified, his eyes wide with shock. No, no, no, no…
"What are you talking about!" Mako demanded, shooting a fiery warning shot at the masked man.
No, no, no…
Korra knew that the Arbiter was smiling widely under that mask, even if she couldn't see it. Every word dripping with sweet poison, the Arbiter addressed her boyfriend. "Oh, you don't know?" he said, "I was sure Korra would have told you, since you have such a close relationship and all."
"Tell me what you mean!" Mako screamed again, his fists clenched and his brow furrowed. Oh, Yue, don't! Please!
The Arbiter laughed mockingly, only further angering the firebender. "You should really keep leash on your brother Mako! He's a pretty sly dog. But then again, that may just run in the family."
"Don't listen to him," Lin warned Mako. But it was no use; Mako was focused on only one thing, the Arbiter.
"Tell me!"
"To think that they would do such a thing behind your back. Such scandal!"
"Tell me!"
"I guess that the young and voluptuous avatar found out pretty quickly that pretty boys don't have much of a personality."
"TELL ME!"
"You only have yourself to blame. If you weren't off brooding so much, your woman may not have been stolen by your own brother."
By the time Korra realized what was going on, it was too late. The Arbiter had been pushing Mako's buttons on purpose, knowing that he would most likely get a reaction out of him. Before she could stop him, Mako yelled out in anger, swiping his fingers through the air as static began to crackle around him.
"Mako, NO!"
The angry firebender couldn't be stopped. He extended one hand outward and a vicious arc of lightning shot from his fingertips.
"Bingo."
The Arbiter thrust one hand forward, meeting the lightning head on. The blue energy shot into his arm, through his stomach, and out his other hand, straight towards one of the cars. The lightning hit its engine, causing the entire thing to erupt in flames, taking two other cars with it. Trashed vehicles began to swerve into other cars, piling up into what was quickly becoming one of the largest crashes in Republic City.
"Everybody, bail out!" Asami shouted as the debris tumbled towards them. She quickly jumped out of the car and onto the side of the road, landing safetly next to a couple of spectators. Korra quickly pushed two officers out before they hit the wrecked car in front of them, and then jumped out of the way.
In the midst of the chaos, the Arbiter fired a shot at the armored truck and blew out its engine, causing the entire thing to capsize in a flaming wreck. "Time to get out!" Korra heard him yell to the Blue Spirit as more and more cars rammed into each other. The two jumped from the car just as it slammed into another, resulting in a fiery explosion that sent little scraps of mettle flying through the air.
Korra looked out on the scene before her in horror. The smoke billowing from all the sotomobiles made it difficult to see everything in the wreckage, but she could see enough. Every car was both crumpled and destroyed, or in thousands of little pieces. Officers lay around her, groaning in pain and unable to stand. The buildings lining the street were either cracked or had crumbled where cars had hit them. It was all a flaming wreck.
"Korra, are you alright?!" she heard someone call from the wreckage. The avatar looked around for the source of the voice as it continued to call out to her, growing increasingly desperate with each cry. "Korra!"
She spotted the overturned car where the voice was coming from. Korra sprinted over and used metal bending to tear the door open. Inside was Bolin, who was burned all over and covered in soot. His arm looked broken, it bent in an unnatural and painful manner. Korra sighed with relief to see he was alive, though, and pulled him out of the car.
"Oh thank the spirits you're alright," he wheezed as she dragged him to the sidewalk, where he could rest.
"Where are the others?"
Bolin nodded towards the crowd of people gathering around the wreckage. "Some were able to jump out on time. I think I saw Mako and Asami bail out, along with Zula and Judi. I didn't see Lin or Mai Lee, though."
"I'm alright!"
Korra turned and let out yet another sigh of relief as she saw the chief of police limping towards them. Her expression was hard as stone, but at least she was alive, and that was something to be thankful for. "It was stupid of me to let him talk. I should have ended his life right there and then."
"Have you seen Mai Lee?" Korra asked her, hoping and praying that the kyoshi leader had the same luck as Lin.
Lin shook her head solemnly. "I haven't seen her…"
"HEY GUYS!"
The three turned and saw Mai Lee standing on the other side of the street, waving to them. "Are you all alright?! Did you see where he went?!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.
Just as Korra was about to answer, she noticed that the building Mai Lee was standing in front of was beginning to crumble. Before she could warn her, the structure gave way and began to topple forward. "NO!" Korra screamed as she watched thousands of bricks and rubble topple towards Mai Lee.
Right as the kyoshi leader was about to be crushed under the falling building's weight, the Arbiter burst from the smoke and shot towards Mai Lee like a rocket. He seemed to be carrying something as he propelled himself towards her, but Korra was too distracted to notice what it was. Korra watched as he tackeld Mai Lee out of the way, knocking her out of the way before she could be crushed.
"Mai Lee!" Korra called out as she and Lin ran towards her unconscious body. But the Arbiter stepped inbetween them, glaring venomously at her, almost ignoring chief Beifong. Korra gasped when she saw councilman Yi Ming's lifeless body slung over the Arbiter's shoulder.
"You… killed him…"
"Of course I did," he spat, throwing the corpse in front of them, "and this young lady would have died as well if it weren't for me!"
"She wouldn't have been in danger if it weren't for you!"
The Arbiter growled angrily and reached for his sword, but then jerked back in pain, grabbing his right shoulder as he cried out in frustration. "Damnit," he cursed as he gripped his arm tightly, "It seems as if none of us are in the position to fight."
"I feel just fine!" Korra stomped the ground and a three pointed rocks shot up from the ground and hovered above the Arbiter.
She saw him wince for a split second behind his mask, but quickly regain his compusre. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he told her, staring into her eyes unyieldingly.
"Do as he says," Korra heard someone demand from behind her. Both she and Lin turned around to see the Blue Spirit standing behind Bolin, holding a thin dagger up to his throat. Korra quickly threw aside the boulders and backed away as the Arbiter walked over to the new Blue Spirit, giving her a slight nod.
"Sorry," Bolin apologized as he eyed the dagger nervously, "She was really sneaky!"
"You don't ever shut up, do you?" the Arbiter commented in an annoyed tone.
Bolin stuck his tongue out at the masked man, earning him a punch to the gut. "Let us leave, or else we spill his blood all over the pavement," the Arbiter ordered Korra. Obediently, the avatar and the chief of police stepped down, allowing both the Arbiter and the Blue Spirit to back away. Right as they were far enough away to ensure no one would follow, the Blue Spirit pushed Bolin forward and ran, along with Korra's spirits.
I can't believe it. Yi Ming is... gone.
She had failed again. Just like that, the Arbiter had killed his third councilman, and she had done nothing to stop it. Korra felt the weight of her loss crush her soul. She fell to her feet, tears rolling down her cheeks, and began to sob.