Hi guys! Sorry it took so long to update I've been going through some stuff but here's a chapter! I hope you guys like it I had some help from a friend To write this.
Chapter 6
"Guys, we present you-" Liling started
"The Earth Kingdom city of Omashu!" Aang said as he stopped on the edge of the hill, his arms outstretched viewing the city. Liling smile grew wide looking at the city.
Sokka and Katara stared at the large city residing in the middle of the massive rock, their eyes widen in awe.
"Aang and I used to always come here to visit our friend Bumi. " Liling said staring at the city of Omashu. 'Fun times...Bumi was always a mad genius, I remember always getting into trouble with Aang and Bumi around the city, my parents were so mad...' she thought.
"Wow" Katara said in amazement. "We don't have cities like this in the South Pole."
"They have buildings here that don't melt." Sokka commented.
"Yep, I'm sure it's quite a culture shock for you guys." Liling said
"Well let's go, slowpokes." Aang said full of excitement he turned to face the two siblings standing behind him and Liling. "The real fun is inside the city!"
"I wonder if inside changed, the outside looks the same." Liling said looking at the city.
"We can't just stand here and watch, lets go!" Aang said
Aang leapt down, about to slide the hill when Katara called out to him.
"Wait, Aang, it could be dangerous if people find out you're the Avatar." She said
"She's right, what if they capture you or worse." Liling said worriedly.
"You need a disguise." Sokka suggested, earning a nod from Liling and a confused look from Aang.
"So, what is kind of disguise?" Liling said " Just what is he supposed to do?"
"Grow a mustache?" Aang said drily.
The look that appeared on Sokka's face gained a curious look from Liling wondering what idea the watertribe boy thought of.
Liling couldn't help but laugh on the inside she covered her mouth trying not to laugh as she looked at Aang. Sokka had used some of Appa's hair to create a wig and mustache for Aang as a disguise it did work on covering the blue arrow on his head.
"Ugh, this is so itchy." Aang complained, scratching at his head under the wig then turning to look at Appa, "How do you live in this stuff?"
The sky bison turned his huge head toward Aang and snorted at him.
Liling glanced over at Katara, who was standing beside her with a small smile on her face and her arms crossed over her chest, then she looked over to Sokka on her other side. He was sitting on a rock with one arm resting on his knee as he looked over Aang critically.
"Great!" Sokka said, "Now you look just like my grandfather."
"Technically," Katara started, glancing over at Sokka with amusement, "Aang is a hundred and twelve years old."
"So technically he is kinda your grandpa."Liling concluded.
Aang kicked up his staff and twirled it around his body then in front of him before placing the end on the ground and hunching his back.
"Now, let's get to skipping, young whippersnappers." Aang said in a fake but convincing, old man voice, "The big city awaits!"
"Okay gramps!" Liling giggled following after Aang as he used his glider as a walking stick. Katara and Sokka exchanged glances before following after the two.
"You guys are gonna love Omashu." Aang said, glancing over his shoulder at Sokka and Katara, "The people here are the friendliest in the world."
Sokka and Katara grinned at Aang, both eager to see the city their friends had been talking about on their way to the city.
"Rotten cabbages!" A harsh male voice shouted suddenly, "What kind of slum do you think this is?"
Aang, Liling, Sokka and Katara paused and watched as a guard harassed the cabbage merchant, first smashing the cabbage in his hands then kicking the other cabbages out of the merchant's hands, and then finally Earthbending the cart full of the cabbages into the air and off the road.
"No!" The cabbage merchant cried out waving his arms. "My cabbages!"
Liling, Aang, Sokka and Katara looked over the side of the road before turning back to face the guards.
"Should we just keep going?" Liling whispered out of the corner of her mouth,
"Yeah, Just keep smiling." Aang said out of the corner of his mouth as he began to shuffle closer to the guards in front of the entrance to Omashu.
Katara gave a nervous chuckle while Liling began to shake off her nerves. They followed Aang who was grinning nervously.
As Aang approached the guards, the middle guard stepped forward and Earthbending a large boulder to come up from the road and hover above his head. At that moment Liling was extremely nervous not knowing what her friend could say would either Crush him with that bolder or two will be them tossed over the cliff like those cabbages.
"State your business." The guard demanded harshly
Aang used Airbending to rush towards the guard, poking him in the chest.
"My business is my business, young man and none of yours!" Aang scolded in his old man voice while Liling, Sokka and Katara looked on with wide eyes as the boulder fell back to the road, "Why I have half a mind to bend you over my knee and paddle your backside."
Both girls shook their heads slowly and Sokka's mouth dropped open and his eye started twitching.
"Settle down, old timer." The guard said "Just tell me who you are."
"Name's Bonzu Pippinpaddle-Oppsokopolis the Third!" Aang said, giving a ridiculously funny false name to the guard, "And these are my grandkids."
Katara and Liling stepped forward with a sweet smile on their faces, while Sokka stood behind the females and Aang watched the scene with a raised eyebrow.
"Hi!" Katara greeted the guard enthusiastically, "June Pippinpaddle-Oppsokopolis, it's nice to meet you."
The dark-haired girl clasped her hands under her chin and smiled innocently up at the guard.
"Hello!" Liling greeted "I'm Jill Pippinpaddle-Oppsokopolis, I'm sorry about my grandfather he's a bit cranky from all the walking we did."
The guard looked at the girls then at Aang in his disguise.
"You both look like responsible young ladies." The guard said, pointing at Katara and Liling, "See that you're grandfather stays out of trouble. Enjoy Omashu."
"We will." Katara said with another smile as the four walked past the guards only to cringe when the guard called out.
"Wait a minute." The guard snapped, grabbing Sokka by the shoulder and turning him around, "You're a strong, young boy show some respect for the elderly and carry your grandfather's bag."
"Good idea." Aang said with a cheeky grin, hiding by his fake mustache as he tossed his bag over Sokka's shoulder and into his arms.
Liling turned back around and let out a sigh of relief that the disguise worked. She glanced at Aang and Sokka as the walls in front of them were Earthbended open. The foursome walked into the city, the walls sealing shut behind them as they passed.
The four stared at the inside of Omashu with excited eyes, watching as carts made of stone shot past on stone chutes.
"This is the Omashu delivery system." Aang explained, gesturing to one of the passing carts, "Miles and miles of tubes and chutes."
"Earthbending brings the packages up." Liling added "And gravity brings them down."
"Great, so they get their mail on time." Sokka said drily, looking over at Aang and Liling.
"They do get their mail on time." Aang confirmed, looking away from Sokka to stare up at the chutes "But our friend Bumi found a better use for these chutes."
"Yeah...way better."Liling confirmed. 'Although mom and dad weren't too happy...hehe.'
Liling started to remember about that idea.
Flashback
It was an ordinary day visiting Omashu there Liling and Aang looked at a young boy with spiky reddish hair with a wide smile a tooth was missing on his front teeth.
"Look around you! What do you see?" The boy asked gesturing the chutes.
"Um...the mail system?" Aang said
"Uh...a nice view?" Liling added
"They'll see you what you want to see." Bumi said waving his finger he then pressed his hand under his chin, with a smile. "You've gotta open your brains to the possibilities."
"A package sending system?" Aang said
Liling looked at the chutes dropping down at a rapid pace, her eyes widen at the idea.
"Bumi...no..I'm not doing that!"Liling said
"Ah, come on Liling you've got to live a little."Bumi said
"Um guys I don't get what's going on."Aang said
"The worlds greatest super slide!" Bumi said
"Bumi, you're a mad genius."Aang said realizing that it could be a slide, he smiled. Bumi smiled and laugh a few snort sounds was heard as he kept laughing.
"Fine...if you're doing it...I'm doing it too."Liling said "But if I get in trouble I'll roast you guys over the fire."
The trio smiled enjoying the ride although Liling was scared and shouted all the way down.
End of flashback
The two siblings looked at each other unsurely before following after the two excited benders.
"One ride...just one ride." Liling said from her spot in between katara and Aang.
"Then we're off to the North Pole, Airbender's honor." Aang finished for her from his spot in front of the mail cart the four of them were sitting in.
"This sounded like fun at first, but now that I'm here, I'm starting to have second tho-AH!" Katara started only to be cut herself off by screaming as the cart tipped forward and started racing down the chute.
"Whoo!" Liling cheered throwing her arms in the air while Aang laughed and the two siblings screamed.
The foursome become silent when they see the cart in the chute next to them is full of spears. This time they all scream in terror as the two chute merge and the spears come up behind the cart.
Sokka gasps as he looks back and ducks just as the spears nearly impale him. Liling panics and taps Aang on his shoulder alerting him of the situation.
"I'm on it!" Aang said confidently as he began to rock the cart they were in until he's able to launch it out of the chute and they slide down the curved roof of a building below them.
"AH!" the four scream again as the cart bounces on the ground in front of a group of Earth Kingdom soldiers, causing Aang to kick, Liling ducked and his kick hit Katara in the face, Liling who was crouched down grab the front of Sokka's clothes to keep him from falling out of the cart and past another chute. They slide across a couple more rooftops before landing back in one of the chutes going downward.
"Aang, do something!" Katara screams as they fly down the chute, "Use your Airbending!"
"Yeah! Good idea!" Aang said happily, "That'll make us go even faster!"
Aang extended his arms in front of the cart which causes them to go even faster down the chute.
"That's not what she meant!" Liling screamed.
The four start screaming again when as they slide down a steep part of the chute and there's another mail cart in front of them, sighing in relief when the Earthbender pushes the cart to the side only to start screaming again when he brings up another cart from the chute below.
The cart slams into the second cart, sending the four teens flying and Momo flying through the air. Thankfully, Aang twirls and uses his Airbending to bring the cart in front of them. They slide across a few more roofs before flying through a window, into what looks like a pottery shop then out the other window.
"Sorry!" Aang shouted behind them as the cart soars over a balcony and into another, thankfully, empty house except for the cat that was now fighting with Momo on Aang's head.
Momo pushed the cat off of Aang just as they crash sideways through a wall and land on the cabbage merchant's cart. Liling groaned quietly from her spot underneath Aang and Katara on top of Sokka.
"My cabbages!" The cabbage merchant screeches, "You're going to pay for this!"
"Two cabbages please." Aang comments as the four are surrounded by Omashu's guards.
"Uh-oh..."Liling said
Liling, Aang, Sokka and Katara were lead into the throne room. The two guards behind them pushed on their shoulders until the tiny group sat on their knees in front of the king.
"Your majesty," The guard in front of the group began, "These juveniles were arrested for vandalism, traveling under false pretenses, and malicious destruction of cabbages."
"Off with their heads!" The cabbage merchant demanded, practically jumping in place and waving his fist over his head, "One for each head of cabbage!"
'All his shouting for cabbages?' Liling thought
"Silence!" the lead guard snapped at the man, "Only the king can pass down judgment. What is your judgment, sire?"
Everyone in the room turned towards the aged kind while he looked over the four perpetrators. Sokka stuck out his bottom lip and whimpered slightly, Katara had her hands clasped under her chin her blue eyes wide and innocent while she smiled sweet. The king looked at Liling was pouting slightly and looked back at him curiously, he looked at Aang he glanced at the king looked away and started whistling innocently.
"Throw them…"The king started, pointing a finger at the four teens, "A feast."
The guards gaped while the cabbage merchant slapped his hands over his face with a groan. Katara, Sokka, Liling and Aang looked first at the king then at each other in utter confusion.
"Huh?" Aang said
"What?" Liling said
"The people in my city have gotten fat from too many feasts." The king said, then picked up the chicken leg on Aang's plate, "So I hope you like your chicken with no skin."
"Thanks but I don't eat meat." Aang said
"How about you? I bet you like meat." The king said to Sokka, he then shoved the chicken leg into his mouth before Sokka could answer.
"Mm." Sokka muttered as he began eating the chicken happily.
"Is it just me, or is this guy's crown a little crooked?" Katara asked, looking over at Aang and Liling while twirling her finger near her forehead.
"It's not just you, I think he was smoking a bit too much."Liling whispered
"So tell me, young bald one," The king began as he took a seat at the large chair opposite the four teens, "Where are you from?"
"Uh, I'm from…Kangaroo Island!" Aang answered.
Liling let out a sigh.
"Oh, Kangaroo Island, eh? I hear that place is really hopping." The king said with a completely serious expression on his aged face as he leaned forward.
The four looked at him with a blank expression until Sokka started to laugh, causing Aang, Liling and Katara to look at him.
"What?" Sokka asked, "It was pretty funny."
"Some sense of humor you got." Liling muttered
The king yawned.
"Well, all these good jokes are making me tired." The king said as he shifted in his seat, "Guess it's time to hit the hay."
What Liling saw happened so fast she yelped slightly and jerked to the side when the king launched a chicken leg at Aang, Aang caught it with his Airbending. The guards in the room gasped while the four teens stared at the king with wide eyes.
"There's an Airbender in our presence." The king said, a hint of smugness in his voice, "And not just any Airbender, the Avatar!"
Aang gaped at the king and jerked his hands under the table, causing the chicken leg to fall to a plate. Liling, Sokka, Aang and Katara stared at the king nervously as he retook his seat.
"Now, what do you have to say for yourself Mr. Pippinpaddle-Oppsokopolis?"
Aang swallowed thickly before standing and holding his hands up in the air.
"Okay, you caught me." He said cheerfully, "I am the Avatar, doing my Avatar-thing, keeping the world safe. Everything checks out, no Firebenders here."
'Well...technically I'm one by my fathers side but I don't want to get into trouble.'Liling thought thinking that she'll stay quiet about that information. As Aang continued to ramble on after checking under the table. The king continued to watch the display with his hands folded in front of his mouth.
"So good work everybody. Love eachother, respect all life and don't run with your spears. We'll see you next time!" Aang said as he, Sokka, Liling and Katara walked backwards towards the entrance only for the guards to cross their spears and block them from escape.
The four froze and looked up at the spears then back to the king.
"You can't keep us here." Katara protested, "Let us leave."
"Lettuce leaf?" The king questioned, picking up the lettuce leaf on his plate and taking a bite out of it.
"We're in serious trouble." Sokka whispered to the others, "This guy is nuts."
"Like I said I think what he was smoking just went in his head." Liling whispered not taking her eyes off the king.
Finished with the lettuce leaf the king began to speak again, "Tomorrow the Avatar will face three deadly challenges but for now, the guards will show you to your chamber."
"My liege," the guard standing beside the king asked, "Do you mean the good chamber or the bad chamber?"
"The newly refurbished chamber." The king responded, looking up at the guard.
"Wait, which one are we talking about?" The guard questioned, holding up a finger.
"The one that used to be the bad chamber," The king explained, "Until the recent refurbishing that is. Of course we've been calling it the new chamber. We really should number them…Uh, take the to the refurbished chamber that was once bad."
Liling let out a sigh and shaking her head. " Seriously? Just our luck…" Liling mumbled. "I feel a headache coming..."
Two guards lead the four teens out of the dining hall and to their chambers.
"Ow! Hey! Be gentle! " Liling snapped when the guards pushed her, Sokka, Katara, and Aang into the room they would be staying in after using Earthbending to create a doorway, which was shut as soon as the four were inside.
"This is a prison cell?" Katara questioned, looking around the nicely decorated room with four comfortable looking beds with green linens in the shape of a square with a small circular, yellow table in the middle, "But it's so nice."
Liling looked around and walked further into the room, taking in the drapes above them in various shades of green and the green glowing crystals on the wall that served as lamps.
"It is nice, but not as good as what my mom decorated back home I like more a red and blue type of color." Liling said "I'd give it a six out of ten."
"Well, He did say it was newly refurbished." Aang added helpfully as Momo leapt off his shoulder and onto one of the beds.
"Nice or not, we're still prisoners." Sokka stated pessimistically.
Liling leaned at the wall looking around the room once more.
"I wonder what these challenges are gonna be." Aang said, looking at his staff nervously.
"We're not sticking around to find out." Katara stated confidently with her hands on her hips, "There's gotta be some way out of here."
"The air vents!" Aang said excitedly pointing to the small holes in the wall.
Sokka, Liling and Katara looked at the tiny hole then back at Aang.
"If you think we're gonna fit through there, you're crazier than that king." Sokka snarked at Aang with a scowl.
Liling looked at the Air vent and an idea popped into her head.
"Momo! I bet he can fit through there!" She exclaimed, gesturing to the flying lemur laying on the bed with a hand on his slightly bulge belly and licking an apple.
Aang walked over to the bed at Momo. "Momo, I need you to find Appa and bust us outta here."
The lemur looked up at Aang with wide green eyes and chirped quietly.
Liling leaned at the wall next to the air vent as Aang stood on a chair and attempted to shove Momo through the air vent.
"Go on boy," Aang said encouragingly as he continued to push the lemur into the small hole, "Get Appa."
But Momo somehow couldn't go in any further as Aang sighed and stopped pushing.
"Eh, how was Appa supposed to save us anyway?" Sokka asked from his spot laying on the bed.
"Sokka isn't it obvious." Liling said
"Appa is a ten-ton flying bison." Aang finished what Liling was going to say next."I think he could figure something out."
"Well, no point arguing about it now." Katara said as she climbed into one of the two vacant beds, "Get some rest, Aang."
"I think that would be a good idea, there's no point in doing anything rash in the moment. " Liling said walking to one of the beds. "We'll wake up early tomorrow to think of a better escape plan."
Aang sighed and climbed into the last bed."You're right."
A few hours into the night Liling couldn't sleep. She heard the snoring of Sokka, and she got up looking around as it was too dark to see. Noticing that her friends were in a deep sleep she moved her hand using her index finger to spark a small fire having her bed bright but not enough to wake anyone up. She glanced at her necklace on her other hand seeing the amber color glow near the light.
'I miss you and dad so much...' Liling thought 'I don't think I can tell Katara and Sokka about my heritage yet...it's still too soon. I'm afraid that if they find out they would hate me too...' Liling let out a sigh extinguishing the small flame. 'It might be best to hide my firebending...'
After a few minutes she was fast asleep. A few more hours later it was morning The sound of the wall being Earthbended to create a door for the room woke Aang up.
" Sokka? Katara? Liling? " He called out, looking around the room only to see the guard. "Where are my friends?"
"The king will free them if you complete your challenges." Guard stated.
"And if I fail?" Aang asked hesitantly.
"He didn't say." The guard responded, then held out his hand, "Your staff please."
Aang used his foot to kick up his staff and grab, twirling it for a moment then he tossed it to the guard.
'I hope you guys are alright.' He thought to himself as he followed the guard out of the room.
"First, Avatar," The king began as he stood a few feet in front of Aang, "What do you think of my new outfit? I want your honest opinion."
Aang remained silent and someone in the room coughed.
"I'm waiting." The king said insistently, holding his arms out.
"I guess it's fine." Aang said, scratching his head and shrugging his shoulders.
"Excellent!" The king said happily, "You've passed the first test."
"Really?"
"Well…" The king said sheepishly, "Not one of the deadly tests. The real challenges are much more, uh, challenging."
Aang suddenly rushed forward, using Airbending to make his run faster and he skidded to a stop right in front of the kicking, wind blowing past him from his sudden movement.
"I don't have time for your crazy games!" Aang snapped, glaring at the king, "Give me my friends back. We're leaving!"
"Ooh, I thought you might refuse." The king drawled darkly, with mischievous smile on his wrinkled face, and a section of the wall was Earthbending away which revealed three guards holding Katara, Liling and Sokka captive, "So I will give you friends some rather special souvenirs."
"Those delightful rings are made of pure Gemanite, also known as creeping crystal." The king explained, watching as the guards slipped the rings onto the fingers of his friends, "It's a crystal that grows remarkably fast. By nightfall your friends will be completely covered in it. Terrible fate really. I can stop it, but only if you cooperate."
Sokka yelped suddenly, looking at the dark blue crystal on his index finger as it grew, "Ah! It's already creeping."
Liling glared at the bright orange crystal on her finger as it grew an inch more than it originally was.
"I'll do what you want." Aang agreed, looking away from his friends and back to the king with a serious look.
The crazy king laughed, standing at a balcony that overlooked the cave he had brought the four in for the first challenge. Aang was standing on a flat pillar a few feet from the giant waterfall in the middle of the cave, where a ladder was perched on another flat pillar with a key on a chain hung above it. The king glanced over his shoulder at the three teens, taking notice that the jemanite had already crept to their elbows.
The king turned back to Aang and began to speak, "It seems I've lost my lunch box key and I'm hungry."
"Oh, there it is!" The king pointed to the key in the hanging in the middle of the water fall, "Would you mind fetching it for me?"
Aang glared up at the crazy king for a moment before jumping from the flat pillar he'd been standing on, jumping and flipping from stalactite to stalactite on his way to the waterfall.
Finally reaching the waterfall, Aang dove right in and ran up the stalactmite in the middle, grabbing the bottom rung of the ladder with one hand then he struggled to grasp the run with his other hand.
"Ooh, climbing the ladder, no one's thought of that before." The king said sarcastically as he watched Aang.
The force of the waterfall was too strong and his hand slipped from the ladder, sending him flying out of the cascade of water, towards the sharp stalactites.
"Aang!" Liling shouted panic etched onto her face watching her friend a second later she let out a sigh of relief when he reacted quickly and caught himself between two stalactmites using his hands and feet.
Aang breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the balcony where Katara, Liling, and Sokka gave him encouraging smiles, even though the Gemanite had already reached their shoulders. Taking a deep breath, Aang once again jumped from stalactmite to stalactmite, this time though he moved upwards towards the stalagmites at the top of the cavern. With his hands and feet pressed against two stalagmites, Aang looked down at the key in the middle of the water fall with his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth as he judged the distant. Taking another moment, he jumped away from the two stalagmites and dove towards the waterfall, using Airbending to spin and propel himself rapidly.
Sadly the plan didn't work, since the force the water was falling with sent him off course and he was tossed out of the waterfall and into a stalactite, which he quickly clung to so that he didn't fall on the pointed tips of the stalactites below him.
"That's right, keep diving head." The king drawled, "I'm sure it will work eventually.
"Aang! Come on! Use your head!" Liling cheered, watching intently at the situation he was in.
Aang clung to the stalactite for a moment before an idea hit and he gasped, looking back at the waterfall where the key was. Aang broke off the sharp tip of the stalactite he clung too then perched at the now flat top and throws the stalactite tip like a dart at the key, then used the moment from the throw to spin himself around and send a crescent of air to propel the stalactite tip even further and slice through the cascading water, which revealed the key.
The stalactite pierced the middle of the chain holding the key before embedding itself in the arch above the entrance into the cavern where the key dangled right above the king's head.
"There!" Aang shouted, "Enjoy your lunch. I want my friends back now!"
"Oh, not yet." The king denied clasping his hands together, "I need help with another matter. It seems I've lost my pet Flopsie."
"Okay." Aang called out to the king standing in the area above the dirt pen he was in, where a white rabbit was sitting on a rock, "Found him."
"Aww! He's so cute!" Liling exclaimed
"Bring him to me!" The king demands, then coos in a baby voice, "Daddy wants a kiss from Flopsie."
"C'mere Flopsie." Aang said and smiles slightly and started tip-toeing towards the rabbit with his arms outstretched only to freeze when a sudden thumping sounds from behind him.
He turned around slowly with a nervous chuckle and smile and looks up at the massive goat-gorilla standing behind him, the rabbit jumping away. The goat-gorilla growls and attempts to grab Aang, but he jumps into the air and flips so the massive beast only crushes the rock the rabbit had been sitting on.
The cute rabbit hops past Aang with a terrified squeak.
"Flopsie, wait!" Aang calls out, chasing after the rabbit with the huge goat-gorilla right behind him, "Flopsie, wait!"
"Flopsie!" Aang shouts and turns sharply right after the rabbit, glancing over his shoulder at the goat-gorilla before looking forward again just in time to see the rabbit head towards a hole in the wall.
Aang dives forward in an attempt to grab the rabbit but the rabbit was quicker and ducks into the hole, his arm still outstretched Aang hits the wall face first.
"Wait a minute…" Aang mumbled as something dawns on him and he turns to look at the goat-gorilla after digging in the hole for the rabbit.
He jumped to his feet and faced the charging, slobbering goat-gorilla who had almost reached him.
"Flopsie?" He asked hesitantly, then cringed backward and lifted his arms to cover his face when the monster was about to crash into him.
The goat-gorilla paused in his tracks and he looked down at Aang standing in front of him, his thin tail wagging happily. The beast took a step forward and scooped Aang up in a tender embrace and licks him happily.
"Flopsie!" Aang laughed and rubbed the goat-gorilla's head when a sudden whistling caused Flopsie to drop him and run towards the king.
Flopsie flopped onto his back in front of the kick, his arms and legs spread as he laid on the ground.
"Oh that's a good boy," The king cooed and stepped towards the goat-gorilla, rubbing his belly, "Yes, who has a soft belly?"
Aang jumps onto the railing around the pit where Katara, Sokka, and Liling are. The crystals now covering the three from neck to ankle.
"Guys are you okay?" He asked, smiling slightly.
"Other than the crystal slowly encasing my entire body?" Katara snarked, "Doing great."
Aang turned to Liling and Sokka just in time to see one side of the crystal encasing Sokka grow, causing him to tip over form the uneven weight.
"I'm not worried, you've got it under control Aang." Liling said completely confident that Aang will pass the last challenge.
Aang nodded once and jumped down to where the king was, hands on his hip.
"Come on, I'm ready for the next challenge." Aang stated confidently, his voice firm.
A grin spreads across the king's aged face as he looked at the young Airbender mischievously.
"Your finally test is a duel." The king states after leading Aang to a large arena, "And as a special treat, you may choose your opponent."
Two scary-looking men armed with weapons and armor appeared on either side of the king, vicious smiles on their faces as they looked at Aang.
"Point and choose." The king says with his hands folded in the long sleeves of his robe.
Aang looks at the two men with wide eyes before looking at the ground contemplatively, "So you're saying whoever I point to, that's the person I get to fight?"
The king cocked his head slightly, "Choose wisely."
Aang thinks for a moment, looking at the ground, then back to the men.
"I…choose" Aang starts looking at each of the men before his gaze stops on the king, "You."
The king chuckles and smiles darkly, "Wrong choice."
Aang, Liling, Katara, and Sokka all watch as the king cracks his fingers then straightens his stooped back with a crack, his robes falling off him to reveal a startlingly muscular body.
Aang's eyes widen slightly in fear as he realizes his mistake while Sokka, Katara, and Liling stare with wide eyes
"What the heck?"Liling said "I guess looks are deceiving."
The king suddenly slams his foot down on the stone balcony he and Aang are on, causing a crack to appear which then shoots up a small geyser of dirt, launching Aang into the arena below the balconies.
"Ah!" Aang yelps as he flies through the air, hitting the ground then flipping over and skidding a few inches with a groan.
With a harsh laugh, the king jumps from the balcony and lands in front of Aang, the force of his landing creating a small crater around his feet while Aang looks up at him with a scared gasp.
"Aang!" Liling shouted wishing she could get out of the crystal to help him.
"You thought I was frail old man," The king mocks, looking down at Aang, "but I'm the most powerful earthbender you'll ever see!"
"Can I fight the guy with the axe instead?" Aang asked after getting to his feet and point to the warrior back on the balcony.
"There are no take-backsies in my kingdom." The king points to the guard standing by the trio almost encase completely in the crystal."You might need this!"
Aang catches his staff that the guard threw down to him and started dodging the boulders the king began tossing at him.
"Typically Airbender tactic," The king taunts, stopping his attacks "Avoid and evade. I'd hoped the Avatar would be less predictable!"
The king stomps his foot and a large boulder leaps from the ground which he quickly launched at Aang. Aang jumps in the air with a small yelp spinning his staff above his head rapidly.
"Don't you have any surprises for me?" the king demands, "Sooner or later, you'll have to strike back!"
The king kicks up another boulder then jumped up and kicked both his feet towards it, sending it up at the ceiling which caused it to break and small rocks to fall on Aang, knocking him out of the air. Aang fell to the hard ground, a small rocky hole forming around his body as his staff fell a few feet away.
"Aang! Come on! I know you can do it!" Liling cheered. "Think of the game we played with Kuzon! Hide and explode!"
Aang nodded and took a deep breath he jumps to his feet and starts to race towards the king, dodging the sharp rocks that started to shoot out of the arena's floor by the king's Earthbending. The king causes a large rock to shoot out of the ground and hits Aang in the stomach sending him into the air.
"Aw, you'll have to be a little more creative than that." The king taunts again, watching as Aang jumps from the rock and creates an air scooter.
On his air scooter, Aang charges the king, dodging the rocks sent his way before directing his air scooter of the wall and continuing towards the king. Once he was close enough, he pulls his arm back and sends crescent of air at the king, but the king pulls up a thick sheet of rock that blocks the air.
"Did someone leave the windows open?" The king jokes as he looks around the sheet of earth, "It feels a little drafty in here. Are you hoping I'll catch a cold?"
"Seriously?" Liling mumbled
The king knocked the slab of earth over and created a wave of rocks underneath it which he sent at Aang. He tried to avoid it but the wave lurched upward and knocked him back to the ground, causing him to bounce a few times before landing on his feet. The king slammed his fist into the ground and sent a stream of earth at him and Aang flips backwards, kicking off the wall then grabbing his staff as he flipped past before landing on his feet again.
"How are you going to get me from way over there?" The king asks jeeringly.
Aang had a determined look on his face as he begins to charge the king, holding his staff like a bat but the king Earthbends the ground into sand, causing Aang to sink up to his waist. Then the king brings two of the larger boulders around the arena towards where Aang was stuck, slamming them together. Liling held her breath and saw the two boulders smashed each other luckily, Aang used his Airbending to spin out of the sand. Liling was relieved that he was okay. he swung his staff downward, sending a power gust of wind at the king and knocking him and the flat piece of rock her was standing on into the wall of th wall below the balcony.
Suddenly the king jerks the large rock he'd created when trying to crush Aang between two smaller ones towards him in an attempt to hit the bald boy, but Aang saw the attack and leapt upward, curving his body around the rock so that he practically slide along it. The king gasped and was just able to turn the large boulder into harmless dirt before it him in.
With a grunt of effort the king began to Earthbend the middle balcony from its place in the wall and moved it so it hovered just above him.
"Ah!" Aang shouts and began to run in a circle with his staff held diagonally across his chest, using his Airbending to increase his speed and until he creates a tornado. The king launches the massive chunk of earth at Aang but the tornado redirects it back at him. With a gasp the king slams his hands together and cuts the mound of earth in two but Aang leaps out of the dust created by the tornado and rock and points the end of his staff at the king's throat, effectively pinning him.
Aang looks at him with a smirk but the king grins back at him and looks up. A pebble falls on his head he looks up and saw the large boulder hovering above the king and him.
The king chuckles lowly, "Well done, Avatar. You fight with much fire in your heart."
The king turns and tosses the boulder away then falls backward through the earth, only to appear on the balcony a crystal covered Liling, Katara, and Sokka were standing on. Jumping and twirling his staff, Aang lands on the balcony in front of the king, his glider behind his back.
"You've passed all my tests." The king states, placing his hands on his hips as he looks at the young Avatar, "Now you must answer one question."
"That's not fair!" Aang protested glaring at the king, "You said you would release my friends if I finished your tests."
"Aw, but what's the point of tests if you don't learn anything." The king smiling mischievously.
"Seriously?!"Liling snapped "You're lucky I'm in this giant crystal! If not then I'd beat the living spirits out of you!"
"Answer this one question and I will set your friends free." The king said, gesturing to the three crystal covered teens. "What…Is my name?"
Aang bit his lip.
"From the looks of your friends, I'd say you only have a few minutes." The king noted as he walked away from the four teens.
Aang turned to look at his friends, his expression full of confusion, "How am I supposed to know his name?"
"Think about the challenges." Katara suggested, "Maybe it's some kind of riddle."
"I got it!" Sokka exclaimed suddenly and the other three turned to look at him.
"Yeah?"
"He's an Earthbender right? Rocky!" Sokka explained excitedly, "You know because of all the rocks!"
"I haven't even met an earthbender with that name!"Liling snapped
"We're gonna keep trying, but that is good backup." Katara stated, feeling desperate.
"Okay, so back to the challenges." Aang said, looking at his staff as he thought, "I got a key from a waterfall, I saved his pet, and I had a duel."
"And what did you learn?" Katara asked.
"Well…" Aang muttered, "Everything was different than I expected."
"And?" Katara encouraged just as a part of the crystal grew and began to cover her face.
"Well, they weren't straightforward." Aang muttered, placing his fist against his chin as he thought, "To solve each test, I had to think differently then I usually would."
"Think differently than you normally would..."Liling repeated "Each challenge was so random that you had to think outside the box..."
Aang snapped his finger and said, "I know his name." He said
Liling' eyes widen coming to the same conclusion.
"N...No way!" Liling said
"I solved the question the same way I solved the challenges." Aang stated as he stood in front of the king—who was wearing his robes again—back in the throne room, "As you said a long time ago, I had to open my brain to the possibilities."
The king started to laugh loudly, snorting and hiccupping.
"Bumi." Aang said before grinning widely at the laughing king, "You're a mad genius."
Aang rushed forward and hugged his old friend around the waist.
"Oh, Aang," Bumi mumbled, hugging his friend as well, "It's good to see you. You haven't changed a bit. Literally."
"Uh, over here!" Katara called out, the Gemanite crystals having almost complete encased her, Sokka, and Liling.
"Little help!" Sokka added.
"Come on! My nose itches!" Liling piped in."Let me out of here!"
Bumi jerked his hand and the crystals shattered, Bumi catching one of the piece that came flying towards him.
"Gemanite is made of rock candy." Bumi stated and took a bite out of the piece of crystal in his hand, "Delicious!"
"Bumi!" Liling exclaimed, rushing forward and throwing her arms around the old king, causing him to laugh, "I can't believe it's really you! I missed you!"
"Liling!" Bumi laughed hugging Liling. "I missed you too. You haven't changed a bit either."
Liling smiled up at him and moved to stand beside Aang.
"So this crazy king," Katara started, "Is your old friend Bumi?"
"Who you calling old?" Bumi demanded before sighing, "Okay, I'm old."
"Why did you do all this?" Sokka questioned confusedly, "Instead of just telling Aang and Liling who you were?"
"First of all, it's pretty fun messing with people." Bumi said with a snorted laugh, "But I do have a reason."
Bumi turned to Aang and Liling, looking at them seriously, "Aang, you have a difficult task ahead. The world has changed in the hundred years you and Liling have been gone. It's the duty of the Avatar to restore balance to the world by defeating Fire Lord Ozai. You have much to learn, you must master the four elements and confront the Fire Lord and when you do, I hope you will think like a mad genius."
Aang smile up at Bumi then he bowed to the king of Omashu.
"And it looks like you're in good hands." Bumi comments looking of at the two siblings then back at Aang and Liling."You'll need your friends to help you defeat the Fire Nation."
Momo suddenly leaps onto Aang's shoulder, wrapping his tail around Aang's head.
"And you'll need Momo too." Bumi added, nodding to the lemur.
"Thank you for you wisdom." Aang said with a smirk and cocks his head to the side, "But before we leave, I have a challenge for you."
"Whoo!" The three friends yelled as the mail cart Liling, Aang and Bumi were sitting in raced down the chute, laughing and cheering even when they crashed into the cabbage merchant's cart again, enjoying it just like they did a hundred years ago.
Once they were done Aang and his friends were in town getting a few supplies together while Liling was setting up the bags in appa's saddle.
"Liling. " Bumi said Liling turn to see Bumi with a serious expression on his face.
"Bumi." Liling said "It really is nice seeing you again...I just wished I could see my parents again..."
"I know it's hard, especially since the years passed and everything changed." He said "Just be careful around a few people since you have two different bendings, one of water and other being fire..."
"I know...I haven't actually firebended since I got out of the iceberg with Aang, Aang obviously knows that I firebend but..."Liling stopped midway staring at the ground."I haven't even told Sokka and Katara since both of them were affected by the fire nation and think that all of them are bad...I know I'm not like them. I'm a child from both nations, different cultures it's hard not telling them that..."
Bump patted Liling on her head looking at her old friend.
"Don't worry Liling, I'm sure they'll understand."Bumi said
"I hope so Bumi..."Liling said with a worried look on her face. "I'll tell them when the time is right..."
There you guys have it! Please leave a review and tell me what you guys think! Any comments or suggestions Pm me!