Buff 3.4

The figure crossed his burly arms over an equally burly chest, pale flesh rippling with tight cords of muscle just beneath the skin. Even beneath his mask, he seemed to give off an air of confusion. "Something wrong?" Yet again, that deep voice seemed to carry, almost echoing in the alleyway.

Greg considered the question. "Something wrong?" he echoed, humor evident in his tone.

"Yeah, that's what I said." The cape's mouth tilted up at the side in a slight smile, visible below a partial face-mask. He tilted his head, his gaze clearly noting the gory figure that Greg stood next to. "After all, I see you got a little bit of a mess on your hands."

Greg abruptly let out a snort of laughter, his hood falling off as his head dipped back. Said snort quickly turned into an uncontrolled high-pitched laugh at the absurdity of the statement, as well as who it was coming from.

[Hysteria] negated by Gamer's Mind.

"On my hands, yeah," Greg inhaled as the urge to laugh left him immediately. As he felt the calm return to him, he nodded slightly, eyes locked on to the cape. "I... I guess you could say that."

Health: 123/250 (PowerBar: +5 HP per 5 seconds for 1 minutes and 45 seconds)

Will: 92/111

The cape stepped forward slightly, the chains around his pants jangling somewhat as he moved. His smile morphed into a vicious grin. "Don't worry. That can happen sometimes when you're taking out the trash." His grin widened enough to border on a grimace, causing Greg to blink at the sight.

Taking out the trash? Who actually says that? Greg nodded slowly as he kept his eyes on the cape's body, watching for any sudden movement. This was not someone he wanted to fight. At least not yet.

His eyes widened as he realized the cape was patiently waiting for him to say something. Blinking, he hurriedly spat out, "I-I-I… I guess so."

"The name's Stormti-"

"I know who you are," Greg interrupted, words leaving his mouth in a rush.

Greg really didn't need the introduction, already knowing plenty about the cape in front of him. Stormtiger, like the majority of capes in the Bay, was a villain and a rather high-ranking one. One of Kaiser's right-hand men in the E88, he was relatively popular on PHO but neither as well-known, feared or as dangerous as Hookwolf, Kaiser's other right-hand. In fact, the only reason Greg knew so much about him was because his powers were kinda cool. After all, he was pretty much a discount Airbender.

The cape tilted his head slightly, the smile under his white mask shifting to something much less predatory. "You've heard of me?" The hint of pride in his tone was more than a tad obvious. "What am I talking about? Of course you've heard of me." Now, it was super obvious.

Those Wacky Nazis

Details: Survive an encounter with one of the Empire 88's best.

Success: Highly increased reputation with the Empire 88, +2500 XP, + 1 Stat Point

Failure: Conscription into the Empire

Bonus: Complete the quest without fighting

Are you fucking kidding me?

"...Kinda hard not to," Greg replied, eyebrows shooting up at both the quest alert and the cape's words. "I mean, I live in this city. I have the Internet. I just like to keep up-to-date on capes."

"Well," The villain unfurled his arms and took a few steps forward into a ray of light, allowing Greg to note that buff was a bit of an understatement when describing Stormtiger. "It's nice to meet a fan."

Blue eyes widened behind his hockey mask as Greg processed the words, his shock powerful enough to make him take a step back. "A f… fan? Wow… uhh," Greg let out a hiss of air, one hand moving up to rub the back of his head as he tried to find something to say, "no offense but… uhh, fan is a really, really strong word."

Greg swallowed, nervous sweat forming under his mask as he waited for Stormtiger to say something.

Stormtiger's head tilted to the side, his arms moving to his sides. "Well, I just assumed…" he began, his voice tinged with slight confusion.

"Assumed?" Greg echoed again, only to flinch the moment the word left his lips. Why do you keep interrupting him?

Stormtiger let out a short bark of laughter. "Your hair, your eyes… I only assumed you would be a fan of the Empire," Greg's eyes widened, "and by extension, me."

Greg blinked, surprised by the statement. Shocked as he was, his mouth simply said the first thing that came to mind. "Wow, that's kinda racist."

The warmth in Stormtiger's smile dimmed, the tiger-masked cape gaining an intense look in his eyes as he took a few steps into the alley. "What?" the cape snarled, his voice little more than a growl.

Frick on a stick. "Uhh… well, the thing about that is… uhh, what I meant to say was," Greg took a few nervous steps back, nearly stepping on a few downed Merchants in his hurry. "It's just kinda weird that just 'cause I'm a tad Aryan-looking, you assume I'm down with the Empire and the 'Hey Hitler' and all that."

There was silence between them for a good five seconds as Stormtiger simply stared at the younger cape. Sensing that he may have gone too far in the wrong direction, Greg tried to pull back his statement. "N-n-not that I don't think you guys aren't cool or anything, cool names, cool costumes, really cool powers, especially you, Mr. Tiger. Just... wow, you know, real awesome air-bending and stuff, right?"

Blinking furiously, Greg tried to get his thoughts in one place. "Wow, okay, so not that I'm not in awe of your, you know, skills, It's j-j-just… that… uhh… the whole Nazi shtick is kinda… you know... " Greg's sentence trailed off as he noticed that Stormtiger's muscles seemed to tense, the Nazi cape's fingers twitching slightly as they curled inwards.

Think of something, you idiot. Greg shook his head before continuing again, words flying out in a flurry. "I mean, you see, I'm a fan of 80's music, I'm a fan of Frosted Flakes cereal. It doesn't mean I still d-d-don't listen to other stuff, you know? Or eat other b-breakfast foods, right?" What are you saying? Shut up!

After a few tense moments, Stormtiger let out a sort of grunt, folding his muscular arms over his chest again. "Well, fan or not, it's always good to meet a cape that's friendly toward the Empire, especially one who shares the same…" his head tilted slightly, gaze moving over the field of fallen Merchants, "understandings about the trash infesting this city."

Unconsciously, Greg's fingers curled tighter around the handle of the bat. "Understandings? If you mean the Merchants, then yeah, not a fan." Underneath his breath, Greg let out a whispered "[Observe.]"

Stormtiger Lv ?

HP: 450/450

"So, kid, you got a name?" The bare-chested cape asked as he moved forward, stepping just a bit closer to Greg while wearing that same feral grin.

Greg, in turn, scrambled backward, never lowering the bat in his hands or taking his eyes off Stormtiger. "A name? Not.. really." His voice came out in a squeak even as he did his best to stand his ground.

"Relax, kid, " Stormtiger let out a belly laugh, the sound almost making Greg jump. "I can't even see your face and I can tell you're damn near about to piss yourself. I'm not gonna hurt you." He let out another booming burst of laughter, the loud sound forcing another flinch out of Greg.

Right next to my ear, again! He has to be doing that on purpose! Rather than say that, Greg replied with a simple, "Really?"

"Really." Stormtiger gestured at the headless corpse with his chin, the movement so subtle Greg almost didn't notice it. "You might be green as all hell but you got a killer instinct." He flashed Greg a grin again, this one far more predatory than the last. "If you weren't one of us, I'd have to take care of someone like that before they make trouble."

One of us? Greg blinked, nearly taking another step back as he realized what the older cape meant. Oh. Ohhh. Huh, I've never been so happy to be white. He blinked again. Does that make me racist?

Unaware of Greg's internal dilemma, Stormtiger gave Greg a wink before turning his gaze to the three remaining Merchants with their heads intact. "No one really heads down here other than Merchants but I wouldn't recommend hanging around just in case, especially after all this..." The cape let out a deep chuckle before gesturing towards the headless corpse still slumped against the dumpster. "I'd take care of that if you don't want the Protectorate on your ass."

Greg spared a glance at the body before pursing his lips beneath his mask. I mean, it is an object now, right? Not a person. He turned back to Stormtiger. "I… think I have something for that."

"Do you, know?" There was that grin again, stretching wider than it really should. "Well then, I don't have anything else to do here."

Without warning, Stormtiger leaped up and over Greg's head, forcing the younger cape to duck in fright a sudden burst of wind kicked up in the alley. Whipping around, Greg's mouth dropped behind his mask as he saw Stormtiger's motions. Twisting mid-jump, the cape's feet made contact with one side of the alley wall before kicking off as a miniature tornado around his feet propelled him further. In a burst of motion and a flurry of air around his legs, he bounced off the alley walls one by one like some kind of… Nazi ninja.

In no time at all, Stormtiger had landed gracefully on top of the building to the right of Greg. The cape brought two fingers to his head, giving Greg a sort of weak salute and flashing him another grin. "See ya, newbie. I'll let you off easy this time but a friendly warning; Next time, I'm gonna make you an offer. I think you know what it is. It'd be in your best interests to take it." Just like that, the cape vanished over the mouth of the roof, the sound of rushing wind a sign of his exit.

After a few long moments, Greg let out a tired sigh, his shoulders slumping as he lowered his bat. "That guy was such a drama queen. I'll make you an offer," Greg mocked, rolling his eyes. "I'll make you an offer. My foot. In your face. I'll make you take that. Stupid Nazi Ninja."

Quest Success!

"Those Wacky Nazis" Completed!

Gained 2500 XP.

Gained 1 Stat Point

Bonus Objective Completed: + 1 Stat Point, + Skill By using words to resolve a potentially dangerous situation, you have earned 1 CHA. Skill Obtained!

Minor Aerokinesis

All the power of a summer breeze!

Exert the force of a light breeze over a range of 5 meters. (5 mph)

Cost: 5 mp per second of sustained use Level Up! You are now Level 5.

You gained 5 Stat Points.

You gained 1 Perk Point

Welcome to Level Five

Every five levels, you will be granted five stat points as opposed to the usual two. You will also be granted a perk point. As you are now Level Five, you will be granted access to Titles. Titles can increase your stats in certain ways as well as grant you temporary perks, skills or abilities. You can switch out a title during any non-combat situation.

Titles: None Earned

"Oh, thank God," Greg swallowed thickly, nodding his head as he closed his eyes. "A level up, a new skill and a buttload of stat points. No premium loot box could compare. Thank you, Gamer God, up in your Gamer Heaven, for granting me this Gamer Goodness. In any game of any genre, buff me with thy glory. Grant me plus one to all attributes, as I pwn in thine holy name. GG no re, Amen."

"Now, let's get this over with." Opening his eyes, Greg grinned widely under his mask. "Stats."

Spoiler: STATUS Greg Lucas Veder Age: 15 (and three-quarters!) Level 5 Experience 1434/6180 Health 196/250 (260) Mana 130/130 Willpower 114/114 STR 16 SPD 14 (+1) VIT 15 INT 18 WIS 8(-80%) CHA 3(+9) (-90%) Stat Points: 7 Perk Points: 1 Cash: $718.50 Traits

Nerd-Geek Hybrid: Your obsession with video gaming, computers, fantasy/sci-fi literature and 80’s/90’s pop culture has left you in the rare middle of two circles; the obsessive fandom-loving geek and the intelligent, knowledge seeking nerd. Sadly, your hobbies have left you with an aversion to physical exertion. (50% bonus to INT gains, -50% penalty to STR, SPD & VIT gains.)

Ambiguous Disorder: Ever since you were a little kid, you’ve always been a little bit off. Impulsive, obsessive, socially obtuse and emotionally needy, you’re a bit of a weirdo. It was easily written off as normal behavior when you were younger but now you’re fifteen. Yet, you still come off as someone over five years younger. Maybe Mom should have had you tested like Dad said? (-80% reduction to overall WIS, 90% reduction to overall CHA.)

Casanova Bloodline: As a Veder man, you have a great smile, natural charm and a confident approach to life that draws the ladies in like a moth to a flame. Your great cheekbones don’t hurt either. It’s how your dad got your mom to go out with him while dating at least three other girls and sleeping with two others, at least that’s what he always told you - even when you didn’t ask - all the time. (+9 CHA)

Greg nodded, raising a hand to his chin. "Mmmmhmmm. Okay, fuck WIS and CHA. Bullshit stat modifiers make them a sunk cost anyway." Scratching his chin, Greg raised a hand as he began to mentally calculate what he was looking at.

"Okay, I can easily train VIT so fuuuuck that, too," he continued with a flourish of his finger. "SPD, oooh, SPD looks good but I was way faster than those Merchants, anyway. Plus, I have Power Sprint so… that leaves INT and STR. INT… yeah, " Greg nodded to himself. "Can't really do much with INT right now. I can probably study harder stuff to level INT faster anyway."

Other than the new Aerokinesis skill he got from not getting murdered by Stormtiger and that Weapon Charge one from earlier, Greg didn't really see what use he had for more MP right now. On the other hand, more MP meant he could level that Aerokinesis skill faster and… Being an airbender does sound pretty dang cool. So, yeah.

His eyes fell back on STR, a grin still strong on his face. "You, my little buddy, are getting the biggest bonus. Okay, I have fourteen points so how about… eight to STR, three to SPD and three to INT?"

Are you sure about this point allocation?

[Yes] [No]

"Yes."

Stat points allocated.

+8 STR

+3 SPD

+3 INT

Greg shuddered slightly, his body overcome by a tingling sensation as a flash of blue light emanated from him for an instant. "...Ugh, super weird." Greg glanced down at his free arm, bending it forward as he flexed. He curled the other arm, lifting the suddenly much lighter bat and giving it a test swing. "Wow, I feel waystronger. Holy crap, I can see a bicep!" Greg flexed again, feeling brand-new muscle where there was little before.

His arms weren't exactly bulging with muscle but the gains were… well, they were visible, that's for sure. He was still the same size and everything and he hadn't really bulked up or out, but the definition was definitely visible. "Wow, if this is 24 STR, what the heck is 100 gonna be like?"

With a grin, Greg looked back up at the screen, "Let's get on with it, then. Perks."

Perks

Acrobatics Lv 1 [Ability]

Parkour!

An ability that enables you to pull off backflips, frontflips and any manner of jumping-based ground-movement technique with greater ease.

Cost: 1 Perk Point

Danger Sense (0/10) [Ranked Skill]

My common sense is tingling.

You gain a sixth sense that allows you to sense the presence of incoming danger.

Cost: 1 Perk Point

Darkvision Lv Max [Skill]

It is pitch black but that doesn't matter to you.

Allows perfect night vision, regardless of the level of light.

Cost: 1 Perk Point

Growing Boy Lv Max [Ability]

It's just a little snack.

All food and drink items double in recovery capability and extend recovery time.

Cost: 2 Perk Points

Lifegiver (0/10) [Ranked Ability]

Health is more than just not getting sick.

Every time you gain a level, you gain an additional 5 HP for each rank of this perk.

Cost: 1 Perk Point

Developed Mind (0/10) [Ranked Ability]

Every time you gain a level, you gain an additional 5 MP for each rank of this perk.

Cost: 1 Perk Point

Growing Will (0/10) [Ranked Ability]

Every time you gain a level, you gain an additional 5 Will for each rank of this perk.

Cost: 1 Perk Point

Pulling Out All The Stops (0/10) [Ranked Skill]

Go beyond the limits... Limit Break!

For 1 minute, your Will and MP is unlimited. However, your HP drops to 0 after exactly sixty seconds.

Cost: 2 Perk Points

Blinking in surprise, Greg stepped back, unsure of what to choose. "Oooookay. I have two points and a buttload of perks to choose from." As his eyes roamed the list again, Greg found himself with nothing to say, overwhelmed by the multitude of choices in front of him. "Maybe I'll just… take care of this later."

Closing the screen, Greg turned to face his current problem. He stared at the headless body, the thing still splattered with pieces of brain, skull and blood, much like his own body. "Now, let's see if this works."

A pensive frown formed on his face behind his hockey mask as he cast another glance down at the dead body. Thank Gamer God for Gamer's Mind.

"Inventory."