~The Newly Refurbished Chamber that was once bad~
Aang woke up the next day to the sound of muffled voices. As he quickly remembered where they were he sat up quick and alert. But by then it was too late. Luna, Sokka, and Momo were gone, leaving him alone with the guards in the doorway.
"Where are my friends?" Aang questioned, angry.
"The King will free them if you complete your challenges." the guard explained stoically.
"And if I fail?" Aang asked with raised brows. It's not that he was planning on failing the challenges but he just needed to know the risks.
"He didn't say. Your staff, please?" the guard said, holding his hand out for Aang to place his staff in.
Aang picked his staff up from the ground and tossed it into the guard's hand.
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Aang walked into a room with a guard on each side of him leading him to the old King.
"First, Avatar, what do you think of my new outfit? I want your honest opinion." the King questioned placing his arms outwards so that Aang could get a good look of his purple colored robes that went all the way to the floor.
Aang was silent trying to figure out what this had to do with anything and the sound of someone coughing could be heard in the dead silence.
"I'm waiting." the King said patiently.
"I.. guess it's fine." Aang said but it sounded more like a question since he was so confused.
"Excellent. You've passed the first test." the King said in a cheerful tone.
"Really?" Aang asked surprised with the fact that the simple question about his outfit was his first test.
"Well... not one of the deadly tests. The real challenges are much more... challenging. " the King said sheepishly.
Aang was starting to get fed up with the King. First he takes his friends then he acts like this is all some game.
He ran from his place between the two guards causing the air around him to move with him and by the time he stopped in front of the crazed King a big gust of wind followed and blew towards the King.
"I don't have time for your crazy games. Give me my friends back! We're leaving!" Aang demanded in a hard tone that made the King raise his eyebrows at the determination in the young Avatar's voice.
"Oh, I thought you might refuse. So I will give your friends some special souvenirs." The King declared with a smile as the wall on Aang's right went down creating a doorway to reveal Sokka and Luna being held by 2 guards.
"Those delightful rings are made of pure genomite... also known as the creeping crystal. 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." the King explained while the guards each placed a ring on one of Sokka and Luna's fingers.
Sokka tried taking it off with no luck as it was completely stuck on him. While Luna just stood there looking kinda bored with the turn of events.
"Agh! It's already creeping!" Sokka squealed in a very unmanly tone when he saw the crystal expand on his finger.
Aang looked at Luna who made eye contact with him and he asked her the silent question on whether he should do what the king says or not but Luna just gave him a small smile and nodded her head encouragingly.
"I'll do what you want." Aang said seriously as he turned towards the King after getting the confirmation that he needed from Luna.
"Hmm!" the King hummed, smiling at the cooperation of the young Avatar.
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~In a cave like room~
They had moved from the room they were in and now it looked like they were in an underground cave. Aang stood at the bottom of the cave near a waterfall while everyone else was standing at the top on a balcony.
"Hahahahahaha!" the King laughed crazily before looking back at Luna and Sokka who's right hand was completely covered by the crystal now.
"It seems I've lost my lunchbox key, and I'm hungry." the King declared as he looked to the waterfall causing everyone else to follow his line of sight only to see a key attached to a chain in the middle of the waterfall.
"Oh, there it is! Would you mind fetching it for me?" the King said point to the key.
Aang's first thought was that he could use his airbending to get it so he jumped from his spot using his airbending to give him more bounce and he jumped to the spikey rockets that were near the bottom of the waterfall. Using them as some sort of steps to get closer to the key.
He hopped from spike to spike until he was close enough then he launched himself at the water fall to where there was a large spike in the middle of the falling water along with a ladder at the top of it.
He made it to the ladder and grabbed onto it. But the fact that water was fall on him trying to push him away from the ladder made it much harder not to mention the fact that he had to hold his breath too.
"Ooh, climbing the ladder. No one's thought of that before!" the King taunted in a sarcastic voice.
"I'm getting thirsty. Do you guys have any lemonade?" Luna asked from behind the King, causing the guards and Sokka to look at her weirdly.
But the King only turned around and smiled amused at the girl. It seemed that she had no doubt in Aang's ability to beat the challenge and wasn't worried at all.
"Guards fetch the girl a chair and some lemonade for us." The King ordered one of the guards to bend a chair from the ground for her to sit in while another guard went to grab them some lemonade. He came back not 20 seconds later holding two glasses and a pitcher of lemonade.
The King bent a table to form from the ground and the guard set the two glasses on the table then proceeded to pour them each a glass of lemonade.
"Thank you." Luna sait politely as she picked up her glass and took a sip before grimacing at the fact that it was room temperature.
She placed her cup near the other one and blew out cold breath using her water bending to chill the lemonade to a slushie.
Then she picked up her glass again and sipped it happily as she turned to continue to watch Aang from where he was still struggling to hold onto the ladder.
The King picked up the other glass of lemonade and drank it with a smile on his face. This girl was special. He knew all about how much power she held and how she would change the whole world for the better.
Iroh had already sent him multiple letters concerning Luna changing his nephew for the better and how she was in possession of a dragon who seemed completely loyal to her and her alone.
Meanwhile Sokka was looking gobsmacked with his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open at the fact that Luna simply asked for some lemonade and the King had it brought to her plus a chair and a table.
"Want some?" Luna asked holding the glass out to her brother who finally seemed to come out of his trance and accept the glass in his hand that wasn't covered in rock.
"Ahh!" Aang screamed as the waterfall finally pushed him away from the ladder.
He was pushed away to the spikey rocked and pushed his legs out to press against two spike while his hands pushed out above it trying to stop himself from falling onto another spike that was pointing directly at his private parts. He let out a big sigh of relief as he finally was able to stop himself.
Then to try a different technique he pushed himself off the spikes from the bottom so that he could land on the spikes on the roof. He jumped to two spikes that were close together and used his hands and feet to push against the rocks so that he could hold himself there to get a look at the waterfall from the top.
Getting and idea he launched himself from his spot and put his arms out in front of him to make a diving motion as he spun his body to cut through the water better thinking that he would have enough force to get through the waterfall.
Unfortunately he was wrong and the waterfall just pushed him down and out sending him flying into the side of a spike which is had to wrap himself around like a koala to stop from falling into other spikes.
"That's right, keep diving head in. I'm sure it will work eventually" the King said tauntingly with a smile as he sipped his lemonade.
Getting a new idea, Aang turned his head to look at the key and brok off the top half of the spike that he was hanging off. Then he stood on the now flat surface of rock and launched the spike at the waterfall where the key was hanging.
Then to make sure his plan worked he sent an powerful slice of air with the spike making it cut through the water right before the spide took the chain that was holding the key and sending them both up to embed itself into the roof right about the balcony so that the key was hanging right above the King.
"There! Enjoy your lunch! I want my friends back now! Aang shouted.
"Uh, not yet. I need help with another matter. It seems I've lost my pet Flopsy." the King told him setting down his now empty glass on the table.