'Please turn back!' Akmei said. 'There's still time. Maybe Zolt will turn up anyway, so he won't be able to attack anywhere?

'He'll just go attack somewhere anyway. This is our best bet.' Lai said as she walked up the hill.

'It could be a trap, or a distraction. What if he doesn't turn up?'

'Then we're back where we started. It doesn't matter.'

'But you're putting yourself at so much risk! What if'

'No. Stop. I'm going to do this.' Put yourself on a path, and then don't move from it. Akmei, while looking nervous, stayed quiet.

They walked up towards the area of the mountain they were told to reach. The night's sky was already red with the distant comet. The hot air seemed to be filled with the smell of smoke, and the sound of thunder blazed in the distance.

'They say you'll be able to see the comet in the islands in the Mo Pei Sea.'

'Hmm.' Lai wasn't paying attention. For the last fortnight she'd been doing nothing but practising. Akmei had been fighting more aggressively – perhaps realising then the uselessness of trying to convince her out of it – to try to adapt to Zolt's style. It had been hard, and intense. But tonight Lai's breath seemed to be on the verge of combustion. She didn't feel anything could prepare her for tonight.

The location was below a large cliff up on the mountain side. As they got close, Lai stamped her foot on the ground. 'See anything?'

'There's some people there – maybe half a dozen. And some big metal things with them – some kind of machinery?

'They have mecha suits, maybe? Or perhaps some kind of vehicle?'

'Doesn't feel like that –I don't recognise it. It's too far away.' Lai looked at Akmei, and Liko who was standing behind her. 'Zolt told me to go alone. I have to go on his terms, or he'll disappear. I can't let that happen again.'

Akmei sighed. 'Okay. But take this ear piece.' She handed it over. 'At least that way you can contact for help.'

'Thanks Akmei.' Lai gave her a hug. 'I'll see you later – stay safe.' And then she turned away, and walked towards the cliff.

Lai felt her surroundings with her feet as she saw them. Around the cliff she saw what the machines were – giant lamps, attached to electric engines that looked like they'd been cobbled off cars. Around them she could feel six people, but they were all standing away from the metal, and in long grass, so she couldn't feel or see much about them. The only person she could make out was Zolt, standing in the centre of a wide area of sand below the cliff. Unlike the rest of them, he made no attempt to hide his face or body.

'Welcome, Avatar. We are honoured by your presence.' He made a mock bow.

'Let's get on with this!' Lai said. She didn't have time for his pretentiousness.

'Alright then, rock chewer. Hit the lights!' Around the cliff, the lamps lit up the area of the sand with bright yellow light. This must be what the lights Lee was telling me about were. 'They make it less obvious we're fighting. Not that it'll make much difference tonight.' Zolt grinned, and then breathed out a huge tower of flame. The flame seemed to sear Lai's brow – it reached up half the length of the cliff.

'So, this is going to be a normal Agni Kai. No earthbending, no Avatar state. Just fire against fire. You able to handle that, Avatar?'

'I'll be fine.' Lai breathed in, and breathed out, igniting fire in a column in front of her. It reached up to over her head. Zolt smirked at it.

'Let's begin, shall we?' Zolt said, and took up a stance. Lai took up a stance in response.

And then Zolt leaped forward, releasing a fire blast towards Lai. Lai was almost smashed back by the force. Zolt then leaped forward, rising on a bolt on jets of flames, kicking forward as he slammed forward. The circled around Lai as she blocked it. She routed herself into the ground, but could feel the intense heat around her.

As Zolt continued to attack, Lai routed herself into the ground. Each attack was blocked and slammed into the wall, causing heat to scar the side of the rock. But Lai found she had no time to attack – she could barely hold back the attacks.

'Where's your friend? Doesn't he have anything to say in the flesh?' Lai asked.

Zolt grinned. 'Oh, he'll be along soon.' And then he smashed forward with a flaming whip, as twice as wide as Lai. Lai dived to the side, and responded with her own attack. With two punches forward, a huge fire blast engulfed forward. Zolt was smashed back into the dirt by the attack. 'Eat dirt yourself!' Lai released streams of fire from her hands, pushing herself forward, and then breathed out a giant burning blast from her mouth. Zolt, struggling to his feet, blocked the fire, but Lai could feel he was losing the initiative. Lai slammed out fireball after fireball towards Zolt, pushing him back further and further.

Zolt tried to respond with his own attacks put Lai dodge them, and didn't let them stop her. Attack, and don't stop. That's the way to master fire! Never had she felt so one with her fire, as the power of the comet flowed through her.

Lai moved her arm around in a circular motion, and caught a fire blast in her hands. Try to control the intense heat, she swung the fire around in a whip. It caught and blasted Zolt off his legs, slamming him down hard on the floor. 'Had enough?' Lai asked.

Zolt growled. 'I wanted this done before my friend arrives, but you're making it take too long. Kill her.' And with that, three of the masked benders released intense fireballs at her.

Lai ducked to the side, and rose up a protective wall of earth, to find it smashed apart by another fire blast. She felt herself knocked into the cliff. 'I thought this was just you and me? No honour in you, is that it?'

Zolt growled. 'The time for honour has passed. You have to die.'

Lai growled in response. Earth armour appeared around her, leaving only holes for eyes. She realised a fireball to knock out an offensive one, but was knocked out of her armour by another. Wherever she was, she found herself caught by the intense heat of half a dozen comet fuelled firebenders.

A couple of intense blasts trapped, and another slammed towards her. She tried to block, but the defence she raised wasn't quick enough. She was hurled onto the ground and struggled to get up, but was too hurt. Zolt stood over her smiling. 'Died this young – such a terrible Avatar.'

'Zolt!' came a shout from up the top of the cliff. Lai forced herself to turn to see. It was Akmei. 'You want fire against fire? How's this for fire?' And as she said that, Akmei seemed to pour fire into the earth around her.

The earth started to glow. The intense heat of the comet drained into the earth, and it began to run. Down from the cliff, lava began to fall. Around her, the firebenders were running, but Lai, with new found energy, launched up and rolled the lava around her. And she sent it towards Zolt.

'How's this for an Agni Kai?' Lai said as she rolled the lava around Zolt. He was trapped. From behind her, Lai felt Akmei come down the cliff with jets of flame, with Liko walking up behind Zolt. 'We;ve got you.' Akmei said, breathing heavily.

'Have the others all gone?' Lai asked, as she slammed down, wrapping Zolts legs in earth. With nowhere to go but the lava around him, Zolt was caught.

'It looks like it.' Akmei said, wiping her brow. Liko simply nodded.

'That feels good.' Lai breathed in relief, releasing fire as she did so. 'Whoops.' She said, stopping herself again.

'Look – something's coming.' Liko said, pointing in the sky. I the sky, a bright orange trail burned along the red backdrop, in their direction. After trapping Zolt's legs – she wasn't that stupid – Lai starred at it. As it landed, she felt the person hit the earth. It landed just behind a crack in the cliff, and was walking in this direction. 'It's coming here,' she said. 'Well they are. It's a person.' They probably figured that out, idiot. But neither of them reacted to the comment.#

The figure walked around the cliff. They wore a thick robe, and a mask, hiding any details of their body. All that was visible were their eyes, which were golden. The figure bowed as they approached. 'Avatar, we meet at last in the flesh. And now you will learn.' It was the man from the power plant.

'What?' Lai was taken aback. 'Learn what?'

'Learn many things. Learn the wrongs you have committed, and the rights that I must do. Your future. The truth that all things balance. And you will learn my name.'

There was silence. 'So what is your name?' Akmei asked.

'My name is Conduit,' the figure said, 'for I am the Conduit through which the numberless legion scream.'