So I hope most you are all liking this story. I am very happy I have an editor as she is very helpful. Chapter 9 is one of my favorites and the look of the Gambing Library was inspired by the Royal Library in Demark. Well here is another great chapter I think. Enjoy :D
Chapter 10
The Waterbending Test
We all walked slowly up to them on the platform. It was a lot higher than it looked, perhaps twenty-five feet.
"Well, if you haven't figured it out already Hyriu, not only will your water bending test be here and now in front of the Court as always, but also before Master Sonam, your friends, and your brother," Pakku said.
"Yeah, I figured that out when Chief Arnook made the announcement at the Grand Hall," I said to him as we got onto the platform.
"Good, you're not completely unintelligent," he said, and to my questioning look he added, "Your little incident with Taruk. I think that qualifies as unintelligent."
I looked at Wei and Chief Arnook. By their expressions, he must have told them what had happened earlier.
"Wait a minute. Taruk?" Lamara said. "Isn't he that aggravating, stupid little-"
"Yes!" I cut her off quickly. "Yes he is."
"Is that why he was covered in scratches?" Koluk asked. I nodded. "Ha ha nice-" He was about to give me a high five when he glanced at the court. He cleared his throat. "Uh, I mean…you shouldn't have done that, Hyriu," he said questioningly and glanced at the Court to see if they bought it. Their stern, annoyed faces said they didn't.
"Well, I say we get this over with as soon as possible," Pakku said taking a stance.
"You mean, like, right now?" I asked my nerves unsettled.
"No, I mean two days from now," he snapped.
I smiled. I liked Pakku's constant sarcastic and aggravating comments.
"Well now, let's stop for one second. I still have to formally start the test. We are gathered here today to witness the third-" Arnook began.
"And hopefully the last," I heard Pakku mutter. I let that fuel my determination, but I kept the nervous look on my face.
"-water bending test of the Anzen, Hyriu Jingshen. Now let the test-begin!"
Pakku and I took a stance. I still had the worried look on my face. Seconds passed by.
"Well, it seems you did learn one thing in the past two years.
Never attack a worthy opponent immediately if you can help it," Pakku said with a smile. "Or you're just scared."
"What makes you think you're a worthy opponent?" I said to him slyly ,then continued my worried-face act.
We stood there for a second, and he launched a calculated stream of water at me.
I easily redirected the water to my left only to see Pakku had launched two more attacks, one at my feet, the other at my head.
I jumped and made myself parallel with the ground, so I dodged both attacks. When I landed on my feet, I whipped my hands forward lifting up a small wave and sent it to him. He stopped it and let it fall to the ground.
He shot a sphere of water at me; I spun around and shot it back at him. He launched it back at me, and I once again turned it back toward him. We kept shooting it back at each other until we had built up tremendous power and speed in the little sphere of water. Adding more water to the sphere, I launched it at him once again, barely able to control it. When it came back towards me, I knew I wouldn't be able to turn it away, so I prepared to block it. I spread my feet apart and bent my knees a little. Everyone looked shocked and scared at what would happen next, even Pakku. As the water rushed toward me, I firmly positioned my left arm in a way that would block the water. Just as it looked like the water would hit my arm and most likely break it, I pulled my left arm back some and then shot it forward in a blocking motion. The ball of water exploded and sent drops of water in all directions from me. Pakku looked dumb founded, so I took advantage of his shock.
In a quick motion, I drew up a wall of ice and sent it hurtling towards him. It ripped up the ground as it moved. Pakku quickly recovered and waited for the wall to reach him. Then, he clapped his hands in front of him, and the wall collapsed into snow that flowed harmlessly around him.
I had a determined and confident expression now, and Pakku noticed the change, "Well now, that's what I'm talking about. This should be a challenge finally. I think it is time to take it up a notch."
He wasted no time doing just that. Right after he uttered the last word, he attacked. He sent three tendrils of water at me. One of the tendrils slid along the ground like a pytho-canda stalking its prey. The second snaked through the air searching for a victim to strangle. The last waved widely around like the tentacle of a crazed shark-squid, nearly crushing me in the process. I had to jump, run, duck, and even throw myself to the side to avoid the tendril.
The other one in the air kept getting closer and closer to snapping my arm. With those two to deal with the third was unnoticed in the back of my mind and somehow got a hold of my leg. I was holding the first and second at bay while it cleverly snuck up from behind me. It was already too late before I even noticed.
It wrapped around my right leg and pulled me toward Pakku while the other two followed behind. My hands searched for a hand hold but to no avail, so I made one of my own in the ice and grabbed it tightly. The other two tendrils still had to catch up to me and were racing to do so. The third still had a hold of my leg. I kicked around wildly trying to loosen its hold, but it only held on tighter. I kicked again, and this time, I used water bending to shake my leg free. With a thrust of my foot, I sent the tendril toward Pakku. That would distract him long enough for me to get my bearings before other two attacked.
I was still lying on the ground clutching my hand hold. I flipped forward and landed on my feet. Using their momentum to my advantage, I grabbed a hold of the water with my bending sense and thrust them past me and right at Pakku. He dodged them with an agility that someone his age wouldn't normally have.
He then swirled up a large amount of water and launched it at me. I focused on the water , and when it got close to me, I flipped my left hand up, rising the temperature in the water until it turned to steam in the air. I then lifted up a rectangular piece of ice and shot it to him. He dodged it again with amazing acrobatics. He then in return lifted up several blocks of ice and sent them to me at different speeds and at different times. I used my own acrobatics to dodge some of them. The others I melted and then evaporated, but some still nicked me here and there. Then, he swirled around a cloud of snow and shot it toward me. I moved my hands in a circular motion and swirled the blizzard into oblivion.
"Well it seems you have gotten better," Pakku said. "Lets see just how skillful-"
I didn't wait for him to finish his sentence; I shot a stream of water at him catching him off guard. It hit him and knocked him to the ground. Everyone gasped, even me. I had not expected my attack to actually hit him. It was just supposed to be a distraction, so I could shoot another attack at him. The water I was about to throw at him fell to the ground as I stood there in shock.
He got up very angrily. "Well someone is impatient!"
"What can I say," I said smugly, "I-" I stopped mid-sentence in fear of what I saw.
Pakku had lifted up a tsunami of water and launched it toward me. My mind went black at what to do, and the wave crashed onto me. I was completely submerged; my feet were no longer on the ground. I flailed around wildly in the water panicking. I steadied myself and focused. I started to spin around pulling the water with me. I then shot skyward and broke the surface of the water, shooting to the sky in a humongous waterspout. I stopped rising and looked down at Pakku. I had gathered all the water he had launched at me, and I used it in my water pillar move. I smiled knowing what to do next. I dove down, bringing the water with me. I landed on the ground and used my momentum to launch all the water at Pakku. He swirled the water around him and sent it back to me. I separated the water into two large spheres on either side of me. I swirled them together and made a wave which I rode right at Pakku. He froze, and I slid on the ice toward him, gathering water around my fist. I aimed a punch at his face. He dodged it, grabbed my arm, and threw me to the ground.
I got up and kicked some water at him, and he dodged using more acrobatics. He sent ice daggers at me, and I dodged using my acrobatics again. The fight began to escalate in that way. Both of us trying to out-do the other. Eventually, it got to the point where we were both using the most complex and skillful moves we knew. I even improvised a few.
I spared a look at our audience, and they were completely awestruck, even Wei who had private lessons with me to advance my water bending. Lina had never seen me water bend outside of practice where I pretended to suck, so she was very shocked.
The wind had really picked up and there were dark clouds overhead. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and it seemed the sky had shattered, and between the pieces, a great light shone through. The cracks resealed themselves as quickly as they had appeared. Immediately afterward, there was a thundering boom that shook the ground.
Members of the court cried out in shock. I, too, was caught off guard. I had heard of thunder storms, but never this far north. I had never experienced a thunderstorm before, nor, I think, had anyone else here. As far as I knew there had never been any thunderstorms in the Northern Water Tribe.
Pakku saw his chance and took it. He knocked me off my feet with a decisive water whip. He then launched a large wave at me. A brilliant idea occurred to me. As the wave drew near, I took control of it and spun around slowly, bringing the wave with me. I went in a complete circle and then had the wave hit Pakku and suspend him over the twenty-five foot drop off the platform. I then froze the water but kept his head, hands, and feet out of the ice in a very awkward position, so he wouldn't be able to angle around and melt the ice. Even it he managed it, the twenty-five foot drop was not enough room for him to stop his fall, so he would hit the ground, hard. I had won.
Pakku sat there calculating his options. I could tell by the look on his face that he had come to the same conclusion.
"I submit," he said quietly, and I melted the ice and moved him to the ground. The Court stood there in shock.
Chief Arnook got over his shock first and said, "Uh, um, well uh…that's it then. I, Chief Arnook of the Northern Water Tribe, declare this test over. Hyriu Jingshen, son of Hirook Jingshen and Koriu Tsuyoi, brother to Hiko Jingshen, raised and taught by Wei Buluo, I grant you the rank of Master. You now have the right to be in the Hydronia and Royal Court if chosen, and you have a say in our politics."
I smiled, and my friends ran over to me.
"That was incredible!" Koluk exclaimed.
"I must admit, when Koluk said you were a fantastic water bender, I was a bit skeptical, but I have never seen anything quite like that," Lina said.
"Eh, I always knew you were that good, Hyriu," Lamara stated, and we all laughed.
Princess Yue came over to me. "Hyriu, I have never seen anyone with the water bending skills you have in all my life."
"Thank you, Princess Yue," I said and bowed respectfully.
"Hyriu," Wei said as he came over to me with a speechless Hiko,
"You put on quite a show, and I am so proud of you."
I blushed, a little embarrassed, but glad.
"Well, it took you long enough," Pakku said, "a few years in fact, but I have to say you are very talented."
There was another flash of lightning and a deafening boom.
"Why don't we continue this celebration inside," Arnook suggested, glancing at the sky nervously.
We all walked inside with everyone telling me how amazed they were.
Well that was something I think. I really enjoyed writing the detailed descriptions of water bending. Please continue reading and follow and favorite if you want. And pretty please review they are what I enjoy most since I get to actually know your thoughts. Stay tuned for Chapter 11 coming either the end of this week or early next week. :D