Chapter 5 The Mad Mountain King.
As Korra sat up on top of Appa's head, she looked off into the distant sky. "Well that sucks." Korra said.
"What sucks?" Katara asked.
"There's a huge storm over the swamp to our East." Korra said, as she scootched back onto Appa's neck.
"Why's that a problem?" Sokka asked.
"Well we can't exactly fly into a lightning storm safely." Korra said back to Sokka. "Guess that means we're not looking for any water benders in the swamp just yet."
Sokka looked over the saddle and saw the dark and murky marsh on the swamps west coast. "Yeah, I wouldn't want to go down there anyways." He shrugged.
"Are you sure there are actually water benders in there?" Katara asked hesitantly.
"Positive." Korra said as she tuned to look where Appa was flying.
"Have you met one?" Katara continued.
Korra pouted. "Ok, fair point… I guess since we're still flying, there is somewhere else we can go."
Appa landed along a ridge within the low mountains of the western Earth Kingdom, and to everyone's awe, they saw the great mountain city of Omashu. "Wow!" Katara said.
"It's huge!" Sokka said, having never seen a settlement so large.
"You think this is huge, wait for Republic City to be built." Korra said under her breath, as she slipped her Kyoshi Warrior overcoat on, fastening the four centerline buttons. "Come on you two. Appa, stay here." Korra said, before she started walking down the path to the city's gate, her staff serving as a walking stick.
Momo glanced at Appa, who grunted as he laid down. The Lemure jumped off of the ground and landed on Katara's shoulder.
"Wait, Korra, are you sure we should be exposing ourselves in a place like this?" Katara asked. "After what happened on Kyoshi I don't think this is a good idea."
Korra kept walking. "Are you kidding, Omashu is like the second safest place in the Earth Kingdom. What could possibly go wrong?" She asked with a shrug.
Upon their approach to the main gate, the three came to a halt as they heard the two posted guards shouting at a man in front of them. "Rotten cabbages! What kind of slum do you think this is?" The leftmost guard asked, as he slapped the vegetable out of the older man's hand. The second guard went the extra mile by using his earth bending to spike the cart behind the old man up into the air, and off the side of the narrow pathway, where it crashed at the bottom of the ravine.
"MY CABBAGES!" The old man shouted as he knelt down near the edge of the path.
"I swear I've seen this man before." Korra said, as she passed the merchant, approaching the two guards. The forward guard raised a rock over her head, and Korra came to a halt.
"State your name and business stranger." The guard ordered, looking Korra in the eye.
"Woah, easy with the rocks." Korra said, holding her hand up as she stepped out from under the boulder, and stood up tall. "I'm… Senna, and these are my cousins… Uh, Kya and Desna." Korra said, throwing around familiar names. "We're from the… Northern Water Tribe, heading to our sister tribe in the south. Just stopping at a safe city along the way." Korra said with a grin…
The guard looked between Korra, then Katara who smiled and waved with Momo on her shoulder, and finally Sokka, who maintained a deadpan expression. "Hmmmm." The guard hummed. "What's with the rodent?" The guard asked.
"Oh, that?" Korra asked, looking back at Momo. "Just my cousin's helper monkey. She's got a bad arm, needs it to get things for her sometimes." To make her point, Korra grabbed Katara's left arm, (as she was actively waving her right,) and lifted it up before letting go. Playing along, Katara let it go limp and slap her hip.
The guard hummed again, before stepping aside. "Alright then… Enjoy Omashu."
Once the walls of the city were opened by the earth benders on the bastions above, the three entered the city, and Katara turned to look at Korra. "How did you know our mother's name?" She asked.
Korra stopped walking for a moment. "Oh… Uh…" How could Korra tell Katara that she didn't think of her mother's name, but her and Aang's daughter's name, when it was entirely possible that she wouldn't have that daughter now that Aang was gone. "Coincidence I guess. It's kinda common in the future."
The three visited several vendors in the city, though refrained from buying anything but breakfast. "So why exactly did we come here again?" Sokka asked.
"Well, I need to learn earth bending eventually, and I know that Aang used to be friends with someone in Omashu who was an earth bender. I met a man named after him actually, but I can't remember why." Korra said.
"So we're probably looking for a dead guy then?" Sokka said with an eye roll.
Korra shrugged, and not paying attention to where she was going, bumped into a soldier posted on the street corner, causing him to stumble forward, and trip on an uneven stone. "Oh! Sorry!" Korra said, as the soldier tried to turn around, he fell backwards over one of the nearby railing, where he fell into a canal. Katara covered her mouth, as Korra leaned over the rail, cringing. Sokka smacked himself in the forehead.
The six other soldiers that watched the accident happen, all pointed their spears at the three. "STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SCUM!"
Korra gave an unconvincing innocent smile, willing to choose diplomacy over violence, as the Earth Kingdom was on the right side of the war.
The three were marched at spear point deeper into the city, until they were taken into a grand chamber under the mountain, where they were forced to stand in front of an elderly man on a throne. Momo chittered in Katara's ear, as they were forced to kneel.
"Your Majesty, these three teens were arrested for assaulting our Commanding Officer." The soldier said, as the CO in question limped up beside the other guards.
"I said that I was sorry." Korra said under her breath, as she crossed her arms.
"What would you have us do with them, Sire?" The CO asked.
The king looked between the three, and took notice of the staff one of the soldiers had confiscated. He hummed, spotting the lemure on Katara's soldier. He squinted, looking at the green overcoat Korra wore. "Throw them…" He paused for dramatic effect. "A feast." Korra, Katara and Sokka looked between each other, confused, before Korra shrugged.
A table was brought into the King's throne room, and plates upon plates of food, and drink were delivered to the four people seated on either end of the table. The King smiled as he watched both Korra and Sokka chow down. He chuckled as Korra took the pitcher of wine and filled the goblet beside her plate. "The people of my city have grown fat from too many feasts. I hope you like your chicken without any skin." The king said.
Korra nodded, and spoke through a full mouth, before she washed down the skinless chicken with a sip of wine. "Sorry." She apologized, cleaning her lips with her sleeve. "I said, that must be a good sign with the war going on if your people can eat so well."
"Hmm, yes." The king hummed. "So tell me, where are you three from again?"
"The south pole. Wolf Cove actually." Katara said honestly.
"Ahhh, I see. I've heard that place has really gone to the dogs." The king said. Silence permeated the room at his bad joke. "And where might you have gotten the coat of a Kyoshi Warrior?" The King asked.
Korra stopped chewing on the biscuit in her mouth, before she swallowed hard, and coughed into her fist. "I… Uh… So I sort of trained with them when we stopped on Kyoshi Island last, and I didn't exactly get a chance to return it before I had to leave." Korra said.
The King yawned, as he turned in his chair. "Hmmm. All very interesting. But all these stories have made me tired." The king said, before pulling something out of his robe sleeve and throwing it at Korra. Reflexively Korra ducked her head to the right to avoid the flying chicken wing, and punched with her left fist, sending a gust of air across the room, and upending everything on the table.
"Ah ha!" The king said as he stood up. "I knew something was fishy." The king said, as a baked cod fell off the ceiling and landed on his head. "You are an airbender… But not just any airbender. You are The Avatar."
"Yeah?! Well, so what?" Korra asked as she stood up.
"You've been born again into the Water Tribes I see. Very interesting…" The king said, as he sat down again. "Avatar, I'm willing to let you and your friends go, however, you must face three deadly challenges."
"Well bring 'em on then." Korra said, as the guards behind her grabbed the gang by their shoulders.
"I must take time to prepare them. For now, you three will be my guests." The king said, looking at his guards. "Take them to their chamber."
Before Korra was walked out of the room, she grabbed a chicken thigh from off the table, and bit into it as she walked. "Crazy old man." She said to herself.
When next Korra awoke, she found that the two other beds in the prison cell (swanky as it was) were empty. "Sokka? Katara?" She asked, before turning towards the wall as an earth bender created an opening. "Alright, what did you do to them?" Korra asked, jumping out of bed and putting her forehead up against the guard's circular helmet.
"The king is keeping them separated from you until you pass the three challenges he's created." The guard said, as Korra used air bending to pull her staff into her hand.
"Alright, then, let's get this over with." Korra said, before the guard took her staff, forcefully, and turned to usher her out the door.
Korra was first taken to the King's throne room, where she found him waiting for her, covered head to toe in purple robes. "Your first test, Avatar… What do you think of my new outfit… And I want an honest opinion."
Korra crossed her arms, and pulled her head back. "It looks like something my grandmother would wear."
The king somehow seemed pleased with that response. "Excellent. You've passed the first test… Though I should tell you it's not one of the three deadly tests."
"So we're just making up new tests now?" Korra asked, looking down at the hunched older man.
"Au contraire, I simply didn't tell you about the two less than deadly tests." The king said.
"Uh, huh…" Korra said. "And the three deadly tests would be?"
The King snapped his fingers, and boh Katara and Sokka were shoved into the hall from a side room, hidden behind a wall. "Come along." The king said. Leading everyone deeper into the mountain.
Korra was pushed into a giant cave beneath the city, where a raging waterfall flowed into an underground river. The King with his guards, Sokka, and Katara, all stood on a balcony overlooking the cave. The King laughed as Korra walked deeper into the cave. "It seems I've lost my lunchbox key, and I'm hungry… Would you fetch it for me?" The king asked, pointing to the waterfall.
Looking at the raging flow, Korra saw a chain and a ladder within, and sighed to herself. "Great time to not have any water bending." She said to herself with an eye roll. "Oh this is gonna' suck."
Getting a running start, Korra jumped off of the only flat piece of earth in the cave, and then bounded with the assistance of air bending from stalagmite to stalagmite, before jumping high towards the base of the ladder, sucking in as much air as she could before she hit the water. To say the feeling of being caught under a waterfall was unpleasant would be an understatement. However, Korra drove on. Eyes kept screwed shut, and with her hand bladed to cut through the water, she was able to pull herself up a few rungs, before getting a foothold on the ladder.
The old king looked on as Korra trudged on up the waterfall, impressed. "Not too bright is she?" He asked Sokka.
"Believe me, she's plenty strong enough to make up for it." Sokka said, crossing his arms, as Korra reached the top of the ladder.
Now guiding her hand around blindly, Korra brushed a finger up against the key above her, then gripped it as hard as she could, before she stopped resisting the flow of the current, and let it pull both her and the chain above her. Falling down Korra came tumbling out of the waterfall, and landed in the river below. Opening her eyes, and shaking the water from her hair, Korra gasped for breath, and then looked down at her left hand, and held it high. As she held the key, and several feet of chain, with a stone lodged in the end over her head. "Got it!" She said, as she sat up on her knees.
The king grinned. "Excellent. But… It seems I've lost my pet Flopsy."
Korra was dropped into a wide pit within another chamber, as the king looked down on her. Glancing around, Korra saw a single lop-eared rabbit sitting on a rock. "This is?" Korra asked, turning to face the king.
"I don't know, you tell me." The king said.
Korra looked at the Rabbit, and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck harmlessly. "Fat little guy, aren't ya, Flopsy." She said, before the ground shook as something landed behind her. Pouting, Korra turned around, and saw a goat-gorilla that was easily twice her size. "AaaaaAAAAAAH!" Korra yelled, as she backed away from the goat-gorilla, dropping the lop-eared rabbit, and running away.
The King cackled at Korra, as she ran around a rock, and tried catching her breath. "You are a sick twisted old coot!" Korra shouted at the king, before she backed up, and tried to earth bend the rock at the animal currently charging her, only for nothing to happen. "Ok, you know what!? Forget it! STOP!" Korra shouted at the goat-gorilla, which caused it to come sliding to a halt in front of her. "Sit down!" She ordered, and the giant ape planted it's rear. Korra crossed her arms as she maintained eye contact, like she would when scolding Naga for bringing severed penguin-otter heads back to her house as a child.
"You stay right there, and wait." She said, pointing at the ground, before walking away and looking for the rabbit she dropped. "Where'd you go, Flopsy?" Korra asked, before she heard the goat-gorilla walking up behind her, tongue lolled out. "I thought I told you to…" Korra trailed off, before she raised an eyebrow, and then smacked herself in the forehead. "Crazy old coot has a pet goat-gorilla. Right…" Korra said, before she pointed up at the king. "Go back to your dad, Flopsy."
The giant goat gorilla bounded along, before jumping up out of the pit, and rolling over beside the King, who rubbed the animal's belly as he giggled to himself.
Korra sighed, and fell onto her butt. "Alright. Next challenge." She said half exhausted.
Korra was led into a subterranean arena, and the king stood before her. "Your last challenge will be a duel." He said, before two men stepped onto the observation booth beside him. One was bulky, the other slim. Both carried menacing polearms. "Pick your opponent." The king said with a smile.
Korra raised an eyebrow, and then groaned. "This is some sort of honor thing isn't it?" She asked. The king just grinned. "You think I won't choose you, because that would be the easy answer." Korra said, pointing at the king. "I'm onto you, you crazy king." Korra said with a smirk. "You're an earth bender aren't you?" The king kept his grin. "And if that's the case, you'd be the strongest opponent here. So old man, it'd only be fair to choose you to be my opponent."
The king chuckled. "Not too bright." He said, as he tossed off his purple robe, revealing the physique of a man still in his prime, despite his age. "But plenty strong." The king said, as the other two fighters left the booth.
The old man kicked at the floor, but before a rock could pop up beneath her feet, Korra jumped back with the assistance of air bending, and landed in the arena. The King jumped down to face her, before he snapped his fingers at a guard standing in a separate booth. "You might need this." He said, as the guard tossed Korra her staff.
Korra smirked, as the moment she caught the staff, she spun a full rotation, and swung it, slapping a wave of air at the king, only for him to create a wall of earth from the ground to block the attack. "Ha ha ha. Excellent!" The king said, as he knocked the wall down, and kicked it forward on a surge of stone from the ground.
Korra jumped clean over the attack, and twisted in the air, before swinging her staff again and pounding the king below her with a gale, the force of which kept her off the ground for a second longer. Long enough for her to deploy the wings of the glider, and gain speed as she flew in a tight circle around the king.
The king pulled rocks from the ground and threw them into the air with several punches and a kick, only for Korra to collapse her glider as she flew towards a wall. Sticking the landing, she jumped away with all the force she could create, and used the extra momentum to swing her staff harder. Slamming a gust of wind with the strength of a storm into the king.
The King lost his footing, and fell onto his back, where he fell into the earth, creating an outline where he'd hit the ground and disappeared. Punching up through the dirt behind where Korra had landed, The king was unprepared for Korra to back kick at him with the assistance of air, blowing loose sand into his face. Rounding on the king, Korra held her staff to his chin, as he pulled the dirt off his face, and found Korra looking at him smugly.
The King chuckled. "If it wasn't for the air bending and the eclectic combination of clothes, I'd have figured you for a fire bender with how fiercely you fight." He said, before loosening his stance. "You win Avatar."
Korra lowered her staff, and stood up. "So… Are my friends and I free to go?" She asked.
The king hummed. "Not quite… I have one final test for you, young one."
"Right, the other not deadly test." Korra said with a sigh.
"What… Is my name?" The king asked with a smile.
Korra blinked twice, her prior laziness in studying history coming back to bite her in the ass again. "Oh, I know this, I know this!" Korra said, holding her head. "Something something, Avatar Aang knew you in my past life. Old friends… Introduced to…" Korra trailed off.
"The answer is closer than you might think." The King said.
Korra snapped her fingers as she thought back through all the challenges. "There is only one man I know who's as crazy, and wacky as you." Korra said. "Because he has the same name as you. You're The Mad King Bumi!" Korra held her arms out.
Bumi smiled. "It's good to see you, my old friend." He said, holding his arms out. Korra gave the elderly man a hug, and lifted him up off the ground, before dropping him. "I knew as soon as I saw you air bend that the last airbender must have passed, and reincarnated into the water tribe some time ago. I apologize for the challenges, but I needed to know if you'd mastered the elements by now. I can say that for once in my one hundred and twelve years spent in this world, I was surprised by your display. Every challenge was met exactly as I would have expected, by the kind of bender it was meant to challenge, but you did it all with only air… Both impressive and curious."
"It's a long story." Korra said with a shrug.
"One I'm sure I'd love to hear… But the world needs you, Avatar Korra, just as it needed Aang. You must master all the elements, and defeat the Fire Nation to restore balance to the world." Bumi said.
"Trust me, I'm way ahead of you." Korra said with a chuckle.
"Of that, I'm certain." The Mad Mountain King said with a grin. "Now then… Let me show you something that Aang and I used to do when we were kids."
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Korra whooped and hollered, as she and King Bumi raced down the long and curving earth slides of the Omashu mail delivery system in a basket of stone, and only a carpet to cushion their ride.