Resignation

"Resignation" is the sixteenth chapter of The Shadow of Kyoshi.
== Overview ==
Kyoshi tries to prevent a battle between the Saowon and Keohso clans after discovering a mysterious message with Nyahitha. Rangi beats up Koulin to defend her mother's honor. Kyoshi and Jinpa try to establish order between the rivaling clans. Kyoshi discovers Yun with Hei-Ran and is unable to stop him from sinking a stone spike into the firebender's throat. 
== Synopsis ==
After discovering the mysterious message formed in a nearby melonyam field, Kyoshi and Nyahitha rush back to North Chung-Ling in a panic. Kyoshi pokes at Nyahitha for claiming minutes earlier that the spirits communicate in subtle ways. Nyahitha assures her that the words "Hail Fire Lord Chaejin" carved into a field are not a spiritual message, but rather a declaration of war as soon as either the Saowon clan or the Keohso clan discover it. By the time Kyoshi and Nyahitha reach the town, many residents have already emerged from their houses and discovered the controversial message. Nyahitha warns Kyoshi that they are too late.
Kyoshi advises Nyahitha to go find Rangi, Hei-Ran, and Jinpa, and fill them in as she deals with the aggravated clans who are starting to gather. Sanshur Keohso and his group of battle-scarred men stand together on one side of the town square; Huazo packs the other side with her Saowon force. Huazo shouts to Sanshur, pointing out what the spirits have done. Sanshur screams that the spirits are not responsible for the message, the Saowon are. Sanshur signals for the Keohso battle line to begin pressing forward. Huazo is unfazed and smirks at Koulin. The Saowon leader calls for Avatar Kyoshi to interpret the symbols in the field.
Kyoshi is unable to find an answer that will make her sound spiritually authoritative without stoking the flames of the upcoming battle. Kyoshi races into the empty space between the two front lines and shouts for them all to stand down; she orders both sides to return to their houses immediately. An angry Saowon man yells at Kyoshi, along with Sanshur who advises Kyoshi to get out of their way and mind her own business. Sanshur tells her that the Saowon's treachery will not go unanswered, regardless of it being the Festival of Szeto. Kyoshi realizes that since Agni Kais are impermissible during Fire Nation holidays, the clans will have to satisfy their honor through more violent means.
Huazo stands still as Koulin and the Saowon army races toward the Keohso side. Rangi, who looks as though she had a restless night, races to Kyoshi's side and defends her. As the two clans close in on each other, Rangi barks for them to respect the Avatar's orders. Rangi pleads for her former classmate Koulin to help them stop this conflict. Koulin raises her hand, promoting the Saowon side to halt their advance. Alone, Koulin steps toward Rangi and Kyoshi with a warm smile. She kindly addresses Rangi as her dear friend, then lowers her voice to viciously insult Rangi's mother. Rangi blinks and nods as she processes Koulin's wrenching words. Before Kyoshi has a chance to stop her, Rangi strikes Koulin across the jaw.
Aggravated by Rangi's violence, the Saowon begin to charge at the Keohso; both rival clans attack each other without firebending or the use of weapons. A man slams into Kyoshi's back, prompting her to spin around and throw him to the side. Kyoshi airbends at a large group of people and knocks them to the ground.
Kyoshi struggles to reach Rangi and Koulin. She notices that Huazo is no longer in sight. Rangi raises her hand at Kyoshi, signaling for her not to interfere. Koulin wipes the blood from her smile and suggests they follow their academy's "After-Curfew Rules" of no burns or closed fists. Rangi agrees; the two girls approach each other and begin a vicious fight using their knees and elbows. Kyoshi notices a blast of heat coming from their brawl, which she realizes is not a violation of the rules but instead is caused by the concussive force of their powerful strikes alone.
Koulin punctures Rangi's cheekbone using her forehead, just barely missing Rangi's eye, her intended target. Rangi's knees wobble as she stumbles away. Koulin falls for Rangi's trap and pursues her. Rangi turns her back to Koulin and propels herself into a powerful pinwheel maneuver using a jet of firebending from her foot; Rangi's knee slams into Koulin's head, knocking her unconscious. Rangi breathes heavily from exhaustion but remains emotionally calm. She crawls over the girl and raises her first to strike a helpless Koulin. Kyoshi stops Rangi and pulls her off of Koulin. Rangi struggles to form an answer as her mind catches up with her body, finally regaining control of herself. Kyoshi orders Rangi to take the still-unconscious Koulin to Sifu Atuat. Still in a state of shock, Rangi throws Koulin over her shoulders to get medical help.
Trying to establish order, Kyoshi begins to pull the Keohso and Saowon clans apart using brute force. Kyoshi notices Jinpa heading her way; the Air Nomad's presence alone is enough to prompt several of the fighters to stop. Those who do not pause due to Jinpa's presence are forced to quit fighting after being smacked by his staff. He tells Kyoshi that Atuat has set up a field hospital in a restaurant to treat those injured, including Rangi. Though she wishes to assure Jinpa that their team has done well, the view of the violent brawl just starting to fizzle out prevents her from offering him any encouragement.
Kyoshi is filled with an uneasy feeling as she realizes that she does not know where Hei-Ran is and asks Jinpa who is with her. Jinpa swears as he tells Kyoshi she is currently unguarded in their inn. Kyoshi fears that Yun has used the distracting fight to his advantage and that she is already too late as she races to the inn. She walks in and sees Hei-Ran and Yun sitting with a Pai Sho board between them. Yun warns Kyoshi not to move, informing her that Hei-Ran is currently in danger. Kyoshi realizes that Yun is forcing Hei-Ran to play against him. Hei-Ran subtly reminds Kyoshi of their plan to use her as a bait to trap and capture Yun.
Yun makes a final play and announces that there is no need to continue as his victory is assured in eighteen moves; Hei-Ran nods in agreement. In an instant, Yun transforms the Pai Sho stone pieces into a long spike and holds it against Hei-Ran's neck. Kyoshi screams and tries to pull the stone dagger away from Hei-Ran's neck using earthbending. The two earthbenders compete in a tug-of-war over the threatening spike. However, Yun's superior bending strength allows him to plunge the dagger into Hei-Ran's throat.
== Production notes ==
=== Series continuity ===
* Hei-Ran follows through on the secret plan she divulged to Kyoshi in "The Ritual" to lure Yun away from the Fire Nation Royal Palace and use herself as bait to give Kyoshi an opportunity to capture him.
=== Trivia ===
* Rangi and Koulin's ability to deal extreme damage through concussive force by generating blasts of heat that produce shock waves instead of fire bears resemblance to combustionbending, as first seen in the "The Beach", whereby the firebender superheats the surrounding air to produce a beam of explosive energy rather than flame.
== References ==
Category:A to Z
Category:Real world
Category:Kyoshi novels chapters
Category:The Shadow of Kyoshi chapters