Chapter 44: The Rewards
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Please gimme 🙏🙏🙏🙏 Dem stones.
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(Aden's P.O.V)
The pain and agony faded away. The fear for the future and the regrets of the past followed right behind and for the first time in ever, I felt… weightless. A whole new world opened up to me and I cursed myself for being so blind before.
The air was alive. Not in the sense of sentience but something so… authentic, free, temperamental and connected to everything couldn't be anything less than alive. I floated serenely with barely a draft ruffling my clothes as compared to my previous Flight skill. The air carried me of its own volition. I was in the state of weightlessness, a form I maintained by detaching myself of all worries.
This was what Zaheer had. The epitome of Air bending. The Grandmaster level. I flew over the Southern Air Temple and across the numerous tall mountain tops. My speed had increased but the best part to all this was the free movement. I could stop and accelerate to my full speed almost instantaneously.
On top of that, all my air bending skills had become easier to use and more efficient. My control had really gone to Aang's level. I spent hours learning about what I could now do, before I sat down, maximized the text box display and clicked Exit.
My last sight of the place was the lone temple, abandoned but intact and majestic. I opened my eyes and found myself on my bed. I got up and stretched, waving away the numerous text boxes in my vision to the corner of my sight. I gulped down a glass of water and looked at the time. Only an hour had passed, showing that time was not relative while I was in the Advancement Trial grounds. Inside, it had felt like days. By all rights I should be exhausted but despite the arduous fight with Aang, I felt…fresh. Free and light.
I waved a hand and a soft breeze followed the direction of my hand. I chuckled in glee at what I was feeling. I had never felt so in sync with air before. It was eager to jump to do my bidding. As if I wasn't a separate component but a part of it. I snapped a finger and instantly all the air in the room was sucked into the form of a ball. It was the size of a basketball and swirled in my hand. I kept the vacuum up by restricting more air from flowing into the empty space. splitting my attention into two fronts, even that felt easy.
A blinking icon at the corner of my eyes brought my attention back to something equally interesting as my new and improved airbending control. There would be more time to experiment but now I had something else to check.
There was supposed to be a reward for completing the Advancement Mission as well as a new System Function. I went over to my bed and sat on it before maximizing the full system display to hover in my vision.
(You have successfully completed the Advancement Trial. After comprehending the intricacies of Weightlessness, a high level understanding of air, your proficiency has gone up to Grandmaster Level. These efforts have been rewarded with a new Perk:-)
Dragon Fist (Air Variation) - Combine Air Bending with Chi Blocking to send a small shockwave through a target's body, successfully knocking them out. With each unlocked Element, Variations of the technique can be acquired upon completion of the Advancement Trial to Grandmaster Level.
Wow. Excitement coursed through me as I read through the workings of the technique. This…this was good. Especially for disarming goons without the need for zip ties or hitting them on the head, which had a risk of head injury. The excitement wasn't because of the technique per se, but the possibility of getting an even cooler variation of the technique. What would be a Water Dragon Fist Variation? I couldn't wait to find out. The problem was how I would practice the technique. Truth be said, I was wary to test out a new move on my friends or anyone who didn't deserve it. Luckily, the New System Function had the perfect solution for that.
(A new System Function has been unlocked:-)
Training Points:- Are you running into the trouble of finding appropriate opponents? Opponents with the same power system and skills that can help you push your bending to it's pinnacle? Worry no more! After every successful mission you complete in the real world, you can get points that can be used to purchase Sparring partners from the Avatar System's database.
(P.S:- Only benders for unlocked elements can be purchased.
Current unlocked elements include:-
Air Element( Grandmaster)
Weightlessness
Sound
Fire Element (Beginner) (unlocked)
LOCKED
LOCKED
P.P.S:- Avatars will only be available for access after unlocking all the 4 elements.
P.P.P.S:- Upto one rank above your current element proficiency will be available for purchase.
P.P.P.P.S:- Upon purchase of a character, your spirit will be transported into the training ground, a place that will match the elements being used where you will face off against your chosen opponent. )
I whistled in appreciation. The New Function was a godsend. My battle with Aang showed me that although I knew the general forms and stances of Airbending, I didn't possess the battle knowledge or experience needed to seamlessly flow from one move to another. By purchasing different sparring partners I could atleast go up against other benders like me and perfect my battle forms.
The way the Function was set was also in line with the Avatar System's guidelines to not make it easy for me. I would still be the one risking my life to get the Training Points just to use them to buy sparring partners. Not to mention the limitations imposed upon the function. Wouldn't it be easier if I just fought supervillains with elemental powers like the numerous Ice villains around? Not really. It wasn't efficient as having your own opponent on call. Plus it also carried the threat of death.
I looked at the bottom section of the display and felt my mood plummet a little.
Training Points: 0.
I'd hoped that the points from my previous missions had been accrued and stored but apparently not. No use in fretting over that though. On other matters, I jumped from my bed and settled in a basic horse stance.
'Think hot. Think combustion. A heat wave rising from the core of your being. My mouth opened and steam came out of it. Think of a blaze, consuming everything in its path. My body grew warm. Think of Fire. An unquenchable inferno.
I stepped forward and threw my hand out. A few licks of flames escaped my palm and were quickly snuffed out.
'what?'
I looked on disbelief. That's all I had? A few licks of flames not even enough to light a candle? When I started practicing Airbending, my first try was much more impressive than that! I sighed and straightened up.
"What am I doing? I have a mission tomorrow for Chrissake. Though it's thankfully in the evening, i should still get some sleep."
I resolved to try out Fire bending in the morning and settled inside my sheets. Tomorrow the Team was going to fight T.O. Morrow and his androids. Earlier, I hadn't known what to think of that except for the fear of Red Volcano but now? With my new proficiency along with Red Tornado coming along as an overseer, something the others were not particularly happy about, we could take them on. We could do this. I closed my eyes and quickly fell asleep.
(Santa Prisca)
A shadow sped through the thicket, undetectable to the men with guns patrolling around. The shadow took a leap, jumped of the bark of a tree, swung on the branch and in the same motion, an arrow with a cord was released towards the other side of the river. The arrow dug itself onto a branch and Red Arrow swung across. His landing was soft and silent. Just like it should have been. No wasted movements whatsoever.
He allowed himself a brief smile upon catching glimpse of the factory that was supposed to be destroyed, looking whole and freshly rebuilt from the bushes he was hiding in. A chopper was parked out front before the building and Red Arrow's eyes widened upon seeing who it was. Lex Luthor's assistant. Which meant... Luthor was involved. Somehow.
Red Arrow hid behind a tree as a patrol team of two, passed by his position, smoking while conversing in Spanish. He swallowed a scoff, so far Bane's security was turning out to be child's play. Especially considering how far they'd gone to keep the island itself inaccessible. Heat sensors, motion sensors, drones, hidden cameras, numerous patrols and active traps. So far, the Patrol teams were the failing part.
Though Red Arrow couldn't really blame them. He was good at his job. Really good. Good enough to notice the shadow creeping up behind him, just as undetectable as he was. Good enough to give no indication that he knew someone was behind him. A kunai came to rest on his neck but he already had an arrow clutched in his hand, above Cheshire's Solar Plexus.
"Drop it or we both die messy deaths."
The Kunai was withdrawn and the Supervillainess flipped away.
"Oh, you say the most romantic things."
Cheshire replied while twirling a deadly Sai.
Red Arrow would have never let anyone else get that close to him. However, he wanted to reinforce whatever notions Cheshire entertained about their relationship. Sooner or later she would slip up and then...he would strike. Normally Red Arrow was straightforward and direct but no one said he couldn't be cunning if he wanted to.
"Cheshire, At this point, I'm starting to think you're stalking me."
He said while on the lookout for her partner. Sportsmaster. They were usually seen together. Cheshire cocked her hip to the side.
"Guilty as charged. What else is a girl supposed to do to get your attention?"
Red Arrow jumped away in time to avoid a long metallic javelin from skewering through him. An arrow escaped his bow and dug itself on a tree, missing the intended target. Sportsmaster landed on the ground next to Cheshire and faced off against Red Arrow.
"Do you always have to play with your food?"
He asked Cheshire.
"What do you expect? It's in the name."
She quipped smoothly.
"Trust me, this is a meal you don't want to play with Kitty Cat."
Red Arrow interrupted while notching an Arrow but before he could release it, Sportsmaster spoke up.
"Broken Arrow."
Red Arrow stilled, going into a trance. His eyes grew blank and he lowered his weapon. From the shadows, a new individual appeared.
"Excellent. I have so many questions I'm dying to ask our friend here."
Lex Luthor said.
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