Cutscene: Air is the Worst Element

Thursday, Mar 24, 2011

7:10 AM

Greg let out a long shuddering sigh as he stepped out of the shower, the ice-cold water clinging to his skin making him tremble.

Cold Resistance Lv Up!

5→6

Ducking into the shower had been his first thought as soon as his mom finished grilling him about his potential use of steroids. Then that conversation had led to questions of whether or not he was getting testosterone injections, something he honestly had no idea existed. Shortly after that, he excused himself to go take a shower. It had been in that shower itself that an incredible idea had come to him.

Although, in hindsight, maybe taking a cold shower simply to level a minor ability wasn't the best idea he'd had. Still, he wouldn't call it a bad idea.

Greg shivered again, his hands clasping his sides as the frigid liquid chilled him to the bone. Okay, not exactly a good idea either. Never again. As he took another step out the stall, Greg reached for his towel on the wall only to feel nothing but air in his grasp.

He glanced over at the towel rack, only to wince as he saw it empty.

Did I not give Mom my laundry?Letting out a sigh, he slapped his palm to his forehead. "I didn't give Mom my laundry." He sighed once more. "Frick on a stick, what am I supposed to do now?"

Greg glanced at the mirror and couldn't resist snickering as he saw himself clutching his body, huddled in on himself as he shuddered for warmth like a sheep without wool. "I l-l-l-look ridiculous," he muttered, laughing as he continued to tremble. "G-guess I'll have to air dry, huh?"

A moment later, the blond teen stopped laughing, suddenly struck by an idea. "That's it! Air dry!"

Grinning, he snapped his fingers. "Goddamn, Greg, you're a genius. Never change, Veder. The world needs your gifts."

Facing the unfogged mirror, Greg did his best to stand perfectly still, his eyes tracking a few water droplets as they trailed down his now-toned chest. "Let's do this."

Greg raised both hands up to his chest and let out a slow breath. "Aerokinesis."

Instantly, Greg felt a change. He gasped, taking a few steps back out of pure shock, blinking as the feeling hit him out of nowhere. A cool, steady pulsing that started in his chest but seemed to spread throughout his body, almost like a… like a…

A second heartbeat... but cold. He grimaced, mulling over the sensation. Huh, so that's what using "mana" feels like, huh? Greg thought to himself, eyes wide. He glanced at himself in the mirror, big blue eyes staring back at him. The experience was new to Greg, his first time using mana in a calm environment. Let's do that again.

Greg let out a long breath and stared at his hands, directing his palms toward the mirror. "Aerokinesis." Again, the feeling suffused him, this time much more powerful, almost like being dunked in a pool of water but… not exactly.

He could feel something strange in his hands, the sensation seemingly coiling around his fingertips and pooling in his palms. "Okay, let's try this then." Guided by what he could only call instinct, Greg stretched out his hands and pushed.

There was no actual physical movement involved, simply a mental command, but it worked all the same. A weak burst of wind surged from his hands, blowing into his face and hair with the force of…

Huh, so this a summer breeze. Greg grimaced as his hands blew cool air into his face, the wind itself barely strong enough to do more than rustle his hair. Wow, I'm so impressed. So impressed I could fucking die.

Scoffing at the weakness of the power, Greg shook his head slightly. Lame.

Skill Level Up!

Minor Aerokinesis Lv 2

All the power of a summer breeze

Exert the force of a gentle breeze over a range of 5 meters. (10 mph)

Cost: 6 mp per second of sustained use

The instant the pop-up appeared, the stream coming from his hands doubled in power, blowing his hair back and pushing droplets of water away from his face. Greg blinked at the sudden burst, surprised by how quickly the skill leveled up. Wow, 5 mph to 10 mph just like that, huh?

Greg stood in front of the mirror reading the pop-up for a few moments more as if trying to figure out a puzzle. Wait, this thing says 'Exert the force of a gentle breeze over a range of five meters' but it doesn't say anything about using my hands, though. He raised an eyebrow, a finger coming to his chin. Maybe…

Clenching his fists, Greg tried to grab hold of the weird airy feeling he could feel in his palms and push it out. For a few seconds, he stood there, teeth gritted as he tried to make the air move. Come on.

His mouth opened in a soundless snarl, teeth on display, as he tried to push the air from his palms to the rest of his body. "Come on!"

For a moment, Greg gasped, his expression brightening as he felt the air drift up from around his palms to the rest of his arms. Water flew off his arms and chest, splattering against the walls and floor as they blown away by the sudden rise of wind. "Yes!"

The moment the word left Greg's lips, the stream of air snapped back to his hands, the stream of wind dissipating around his forearms instantly. In the same moment, wind surged around his palms far more intensely than before, nearly pushing his open hands back with the raw force of it, the twin streams of air blowing harmlessly against the bathroom mirror. "No!"

Minor Aerokinesis Lv 3

All the power of a summer breeze

Exert the force of a gentle breeze over a range of 5 meters. (20 mph)

Cost: 7 mp per second of sustained use Mana: 81/165

"What the frick is this?" Greg pouted, annoyed by how quickly the control over his new skill vanished. With an idle thought, Greg pulled back the energy from his palms, the aerokinesis dissipating harmlessly. "Already at 80 MP, too. Maybe I should have gotten that advanced mind perk instead."

Greg clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes in annoyance at his new skill. "Just a load of crap. I was trying for… well, something else. Something cooler. I can't even send people flying with this." Letting out an annoyed sigh, Greg pushed his thoughts of master airbending to the side, deciding to work on making his new skill actually usable in a fight. "TFW no awesome magic tattoo monk skillz from the get-go."

Scooping up his dirty clothes from the floor, Greg shook his head as he threw them in the hamper. As his hand curled around the doorknob, the blond frowned, letting out a slight groan as he realized he was still sans towel.

"First, I get shot, then I get brain all over my ass-kicking outfit, and now I don't have a towel," Greg muttered to himself, still nude as the day he was born.

"Not my day."