"I hope you know what you're doing." Tenzin placed his hand on Korra's shoulder as Li Feng stared at the ageing airbender inquisitively. "There are still a number of things that Lin and I have to sort out, but we can offer you some of Republic City's finest officers."
"Thank you Tenzin." Korra grabbed at Li Feng's collar and pulled him upright, frowning at his bemusement at the situation. His grin was displaced with a sombre mood, even Bolin was maintaining silence; holding his finger to his lips to allow Pabu to do the same.
Korra didn't remember every person whose bending she had returned, but she could certainly recall her encounter with Li Feng and his ex-partners in crime. The three of them, having been earthbenders before Amon's strike, decided to blend in with Kehn and his men; some of the first to regain their bending along with Lin and Tahno. Whereas most people were still, quiet and reserved, Li Feng grinned and smirked the whole time. Now the revelation's victims had turned against her under the voice's commands, and Korra knew that she should have stopped it before it began. That is why she had to go with Mako.
"Mako. Brother, old pal, we were wondering if we could come along with... you know, you and Korra." Bolin shrugged, trying to hide his burning desire for more action with his old probending team. He also made Mako aware to the presence of Semak and his younger brother behind him.
"I need to recover the pendant and make them pay for what they did to Katya and Lahna." Estak was reserved, not yet comfortable with the strangers he had heard so much about.
"I'm only a junior member so I'm not sure what I can do. But we will need all the help we can get." Mako smiled confidently, enjoying the new responsibility that came with his job.
They took the boat over to meet with the other policemen and follow Li Feng. Semak saw Korra sat alone as Mako wasn't sure whether she needed her space or a helping hand. He sat next to her, clutching at the emptiness around his chest.
"How are you feeling?" Korra raised her head and peered through his dark hair into his revealing eyes.
"I'm sorry Semak. I don't think I can do it. I can't return your bending."
"I know, but we have to get back to the spirit world to find the other Avatars."
"I don't think I can. I hate to admit it but I've always struggled with the spiritual side of bending. No one else understands. Not my parents, not Tenzin," she paused, "not even Mako."
"I understand," Semak raked the hair from his eyes and allowed half of his mouth to resemble a slight grin. Korra turned away once more.
"But its not just you that is in trouble. This person can remove bending. Last time Aang helped me but I can't even contact him, letalone use the Avatar State. This time it was only Li Feng, if he continued like Amon did... I would be powerless."
"Everything is going to be fine." Semak's stomach ached as he slowly found himself moving closer to the Avatar. Her soft skin's complexion, though darker than his, still reminded him of his childhood. The fonder memories. He found it hard to avert his gaze from Korra. "You should talk to Mako about this."
Once they had met the police it was a case of following Li Feng. He was restricted with handcuffs and escorted tightly by four metalbenders so he couldn't escape. However, he seemed harmless, occasionally snorting and grinning whilst stumbling along the rocky paths of Republic City's backstreets. Eventually they reached a large wooden fence, ten foot high and ten foot across, not far from Kuang's Cuisine.
"This is the place." Li Feng looked around, terrified of who may find out what he had done. "I believe that all of the voice's followers will be there. I can help us get in."
"Okay," Korra grabbed Li Feng again, "We'll go in first, and if we're not back in ten minutes then you follow."
The policemen waited, trying to avoid suspicion by dispersing to fully surround the hidden building. Korra led her boyfriend inside a dark, dilapidated room, followed by two earthbender's and a non-bender. Estak was not used to this drama. His skin was flushed and he as stayed close to his brother possible. They followed the narrow corridor until it opened out revealing a large room filled with around a dozen hooded figures. They were still. Waiting.
The five vigilantes hid at the back, looking at eachother in an attempt to converse without the use of words. It was clear that they needed the policemen to round up these hooded people. Their power and intent, despite unknown, was sure to pose a threat to the safety of all of Republic City's inhabitants. Mako crept away before ascending into a swift sprint to call the other officers, after rubbing his hand over Korra's.
The moment Mako was gone there was a gentle shudder as the voice reappeared, clearing his unseen throat and approaching his disciples.
"I have gathered you all here once more to express my disgust. While we have not been here long I would have expected more of you to turn up." His invisible lips parted, resulting in a clammy, abhorrent noise, "You have come to me because your fear losing your bending once more. I can help you."
"You mean like you helped Li Feng?" The man lowered his hood revealing his fedora.
"Li Feng was a traitor Yu Kun!" The voice continued, "He put your life at risk and the task in jeopardy. You'd do well to remember that."
"Yes, very well sir." Yu Ken lowered his head once more, visibly quivering.
"Now Amon is gone the Avatar is the only one that will take your bending away. So long as you stay on my side I will protect you."
Before Bolin could pull her back Korra leapt forward, revealing herself. There was a frantic roar as the hooded people turned to face her; their saviour turned nemesis. The voice began to laugh as Bolin, Semak and Estak ran to her defence.
"Korra I hope you have a plan. Mako and his police pals won't be here for a few minutes." Bolin tugged on his collar whilst swallowing the last ounce of moisture from his mouth.
"I'm improvising." Korra leapt forwards, unleashing an air punch which pushed their enemies back off their feet. Bolin and Estak trapped the legs of several men with their earthbending, working together fluidly to topple their opponents. Semak on the other hand was helpless. His eyes trained on the battle which evolved in front of him. Looking for the pendant. Searching for his pathway to salvation. He remained hidden, focusing both on the fight and Li Feng.
A couple of trio's of waterbenders were trapped by the ground beneath them, starved of a source for their bending in the poorly lit room. Despite this, the earthbenders and several remaining firebenders were putting up a fight, targeting Estak's lack of experience and forcing Korra to go on the defensive. Flame's flew into Estak's direction, scorching his sleeves and scarring his arm. There was something ominous about the hooded men, their faces shrouded in darkness. But Korra and Bolin battled on, encasing the remaining firebenders within a wall of stone, leaving just two men standing. Yu Ken and the third man from Li Feng's old team.
The voice was temporarily gone and the two men were outnumbered, facing two fellow earthbenders and a confident Avatar.
The men whispered to eachother fiercely, spitting and waving their arms in the air. They were frightened.
"She will take our bending away unless we do it."
"But if we do it then he will."
"We have no choice!"
The two men grabbed Estak who was on the floor, writhing in pain, and placed him on their side of the room; which at this point was obliterated. The taller of the two, Yu Ken, reached deep into his pocket and produced the pendant. Semak's eyes widened and his heart pumped harder and faster than it had ever done before. He took his eyes off Li Feng for a moment, attempting to jump to his brothers aide. But there was nothing he could do.
They had seen the power of the pendant before when Li Feng used it to enhance his earthbending, creating an seismic wave which tore the ground apart like ripping paper. They knew its power from when Semak, despite not having any bending, managed to deflect an almighty wave of fire. Korra looked towards the exit, praying for Mako and the policemen to apprehend them. Yet no one came.
The ground beneath them began to tremble and with little struggle Yu Ken was able to free all of the hooded men from their personal rocky prisons. They crept away, bruised but determined, each bowing towards Yu Ken before vanishing down a passageway. The ground continued to shake, even Bolin was having trouble keeping his balance.
"You need to stop now Yu." The other man tugged at his sleeve, urging him to retreat unscathed. But, as if their was a shadow of a veil covering his eyes, Yu Ken looked through his partner. His friend. He clenched his fists and knocked the smaller man to the floor. "Please Yu Ken, please. We need to bring the pendant to him."
Yu Ken paused, staring at the bewildered faces in front of him. "Why should I?"
He dug his feet into the ground and opened it, as Li Feng had done before him. The building appeared to be collapsing; rubble dropped onto the heads of Korra, Bolin and Semak whilst Estak's blurry expression grew pained as he lay on the hard floor. Estak tried his utmost to pull himself upwards, to escape the growing chasm, but his arms were heavy and his vision was faint and weak.
Semak let out a shriek as it seemed Estak would slip into what would be certain death. Half of his body was over the edge, but he didn't fall. A gloved hand grasped onto him, pulling him up. The glove was connected to a dark robe which joined neatly with a black mask.
Estak's hero raised his arm towards Yu Ken, holding something in his clenched fist. Yu Ken instantly dropped to the floor, the pendant falling off his neck and down centimetres from the drop. Semak darted towards it, aware of the risk and stretched a long arm out towards it, holding onto it firmly before it would have disappeared forever. The dark figure scowled deeply, staring at Semak through tiny eyes holes. Semak placed the pendant on his neck and found his place next to Bolin and Korra.
"Give me my brother back." There was no answer, "Thank you for saving him, now return him." Yu Ken raised his head and smashed a right hook into the air. "Give him to me!" The pendant began to glow and Semak's feet began to rise off the floor.
"Everything is going as planned." The dark, masked figure spoke in a dull, gut-wrenchingly familiar tone. It was the voice. He had shown himself and even saved Semak's brother, but why? "We will meet again. Sleep awake." There was a loud flash, the room illuminated with thunder, and he had vanished. Semak could barely breath. He looked around desperately, unable to believe that truth of the matter. Estak was gone too.
Yu Ken was sat, quietly sobbing. His bending removed, the same fate as Li Feng. Korra shared a glance with Semak, knowing full well that with the pendant back in their grasp she could re-establish her connection with her past lives. Although even that wouldn't be easy due to the monster in the Spirit World. Mako and the policemen arrived minutes later. All the triads were gone. The reinforcements were too late.