Dustbender 008 (ATLA)

After dropping Toph off, Terrah had found his way to the mini-mansion that Old Man had been staying at, and he had stared at the ceiling recounting the loss of Star, Old Man's actions, and Toph's kindness. 

Ultimately, his depressed spirit had been soothed by Toph's considerate touch. 

Honestly, she was a bit of a brat, kind of a slob, and generally speaking, an asshole. A tomboy who could kick his ass through and through. Yet for all that tough exterior, she had dropped some of those walls, and revealed to him the sensitive young woman that she had underneath that bodacious exterior. 

Terrah had been touched, and swore to himself that he wouldn't mope, or be a downer. Not only for himself, but also for both Toph & Old Man. 

The two of them had placed a lot of faith and trust in him. Old Man had come out of retirement, and Toph claimed he was her first friend. 

At an age around 20-22, Toph didn't have a single friend. 

Just thinking about that made Terrah equal parts sad and mad. 

Every child should have at least one friend growing up. Terrah himself didn't have too many friends, but he had a couple, and as an adult, those were some great memories to look back on. 

Now, he found himself as her only friend, and possibly more. Toph had been quite handy at the dinner table, and Terrah figured if given a little more time, he could make a move on her. 

One day, he'd have to give her parents a piece of his mind. He understood sheltering a blind girl from the world with how ugly these people had shown themselves to be. But not one friend?...tch. 

After internalizing such thoughts, Terrah had eventually fallen asleep. 

The next morning, his body woke him up like clock work, yet it felt weird not having the annoying crystal light shining on his face. 

His sheets were silky soft, his mattress soft yet firm. He didn't like it. 

Old Man's underground living area was much more homie, and lived in. This fancy attire meanwhile, felt fake, as if whoever had put this decor together was trying too hard. 

Shaking his head, Terrah figured maybe he had grown too comfortable with the status quo of the farm? Change was scary, and keeping to what was known was what he preferred. Transmigrating to a feudal society was crazy enough as is, now he found himself leaving some lazy-safe-dusty old farm, and was living in the very seat of luxury. 

It was weird. 

The experience would be like suddenly becoming a dictator's son-in-law. Thrust into a position of heavy responsibility/expectations, Terrah welcomed the challenge, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. 

Taking a deep breath to centre himself, Terrah thought about what he would do next. 

Obviously he would still follow Old Man's arrangements, but if he was on the farm right now, he would be feeding the animals, watering the crops, then preparing breakfast. 

That was a boring set of tasks, but it helped grind exp for [Animal Handler] & ‘water the fields’ was his land-skating technique that he only really practiced when irrigating the crops. With those two actions diminished, Terrah was feeling a little antsy with all this wasted time. 

Nothing was explicitly said, but he had noticed the people of the town were a little on edge. The fact an army regiment was drilling outside the city, and Guan Yu was in town must mean something. Terrah didn't know what was going on, but he smelt war on the horizon. 

As such, he wanted to beef up his skills as much, and as fast as possible. 

He exited the manse, and got a good look of the property as the sun rose on the horizon. The Beifong estate was a fancy property full of mazes, hedges, gardens, ponds and all sorts of fancy ornately crafted structures. 

Honestly, Terrah could live here for the rest of his life and be satisfied. Whilst the interior design felt a little gaudy, whoever built the exterior was an artist. 

Getting lost in this scenery, Terrah found a nearby flat rock surrounded by a bed of pebbles. Jumping on top of the rock, he sat down in a meditative pose, and began to practice the breathing technique he had learnt from the Airbender scroll. 

Closing his eyes, he reached out to a clump of nearby dirt, and turned it into a fine sheen of dust. 

Curling a finger, he brought the dust up to him, and had it cling to his skin. 

What he was about to attempt was perhaps foolish, but it was an idea that couldn't leave his head. 

Bending the elements in this world typically required the movement of a body party. Usually, this was done by waving an arm or leg. Sometimes, a head nod or wiggle of fingers/toes was employed too. 

Knowing that bending could be achieved through the movement of the body, it got Terrah thinking. 

What if he tried dustbending with his chest? The Airbenders and Firebenders could breathe out air/fire from their mouths due to this movement. Why couldn't Terrah then mobilize minute particles of dirt? 

Thus, he began to experiment. 

Visualizing the movement of the dust with the rhythm of his breathing, Terrah tried to move the dust off his skin. 

[+1exp] 

Maybe a single particle of dust was bent off his chest, but this single exp point was an incredible boost to his morale. 

Doing what he was doing, it felt like he had made no progress, that he was just some idiot breathing deeply on a rock. 

But that couldn't be further from the truth! 

He was in fact, an idiot who discovered he could Earthbend with the movement of his chest! 

Terrah excitedly continued this training, and after an hour of hard work, had seen tangible results! 

Every exhale of his had all the dust on his body gently flinging itself outward about a foot. Then, upon inhalation, it would return, and cling to his skin. 

So far, this was all he could do with the skill. He wasn't going to be flinging any boulders at someone strictly through heavy breathing. 

However, it was a start. 

Besides, even if it was practically useless at the moment, this new method of grinding exp was going hard! 

With little thought, he was grinding [+25exp] every single time he breathed! 

Due to his new level of 20, and requiring 100k+ exp for 21, this wasn't an insane amount of exp on the surface. But then the average person took twenty-two THOUSAND breaths a day, then suddenly, this training method was kind of crazy! 

Now of course, Terrah wouldn't be able to train in this 24/7 or when he slept, so realistically, he'd probably get 3-8,000 of these dust breaths off in a day. Aka, that was 150-200,000 exp in a day, just from breathing! 

At that rate, Terrah figured he would reach the next threshold level of 29 within two weeks tops! 

He was so excited in this discovery, he didn't want to stop! 

However, a pebble struck him on the forehead between the eyes, and left a stinging sensation. 

Snapping his eyes open, he saw Old Man toss a pebble into the rock pile. 

“Make breakfast for myself and the Beifong's. We are guests, and shall share their table.” Old Man commanded, and then turned to walk away. 

Terrah was annoyed by Old Man's antics, but he wouldn't let this surely old coot from detering him. What he had witnessed the other night was nothing short of supernatural. He simply had to learn Old Man's skills! 

“When will you teach me the bow?” Terrah questioned. 

“After breakfast, we will inspect Gaoling's military commandery. Perhaps I shall instruct you today, or tomorrow. It depends on the amount of work that needs doing.” Old Man stroked his beard, and grumbled. 

“Thank you.” Terrah stared at Old Man's back, and sincerely expressed himself. 

“Hmph. Remember not to serve me flax, it upsets my-” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Terrah waved him off, then ran off the rock towards the kitchen. 

“Cheeky brat.” Old Man grumbled. 

~~~~~~~

Assuming control of the kitchen, Terrah made pancakes, and scrambled eggs. He also showed the twins how it was done. 

The only thing he was missing was some maple syrup. 

Afterwards, he served breakfast to the Beifong family, and continued to feed Toph her food. 

Honestly speaking, it was kind of awkward doing something like this in front of Toph's parents, but they were all about safety. Because who better could you trust than the big bad General's number one disciple? 

“These are called pancakes?” Lao asked. 

“Yes, Governor, they are a common on-the-go street food for the citizens of Gaoling. Of course, the flour used in yours is the best. The only thing missing from this dish is maple syrup. The sweetness compliments the dryness of the pancakes, transforming them into a superior product.” Terrah lamented. 

“Don't we own a maple forest, dear?” Lady Beifong tittered. 

“Why yes we do. Young man, would you be able to acquire this syrup from our forest?” Lao enquired. 

“...it should be possible.” Terrah eventually replied. 

“Wonderful! Then please fetch it for us. Your skills as a chef are simply superb.” Lao declared without even looking at him. 

Terrah glanced at Old Man for guidance. 

“Terrah will serve as my adjutant for the day. His skills are needed at the commandery.” Old Man spoke up. 

“Oh.” Lao slumped his shoulders in disappointment. 

“However, I too am curious about the flavor of this syrup. Once we have sorted things out, he will make the trip.” Old Man grinned as he saw Terrah's spirit deflate. 

“Yes, master.” Terrah sighed. 

He really shot himself in the foot with that one. Yeah, he wasn't making anime tier orgasmic food, but it was something worth being proud over. Of course the richest man in town would want to acquire something he didn't own. 

Toph hid a snicker behind her hand, but was silenced as Terrah shoved a piece of pancake into her mouth. 

“You know, if you keep shoving things in my mouth, I'm going to-oomnamoh!” Toph began with a scowl, only to be interrupted with another mouthful. 

Toph curled her finger to raise a pillar-one that would strike him in the balls-but Terrah had grown wise to her game. Pivoting to the side, moved from her side to behind her chair. 

Working his thumb and knuckles, Terrah began to massage Toph's back. 

[+500exp -> Masseuse lvl 34] 

Back on Earth, Terrah had seven Aunts, and three grandmas. The forbidden art of back massages had become his secret trick to hetting things he wanted as a kid, and now it was the perfect tactic to lessen Toph's ire. 

“Oooo, lower, lower, no higher, theeere.” Toph directed Terrah's hands, and just about melted into his touch. 

“Oh my!” Lady Beifong covered her mouth. 

“Huang Zhong, explain, now!” Lao fumed. 

Old Man merely stroked his beard with a twinkle in his eye. 

“Would the governor and her ladyship enjoy a massage?” Terrah asked with a grin. 

“Hey, don't you dare go so soon.” Toph bent over the table to hide what was going on, grabbed tightly onto his arm, and placed it somewhat close to the top of her breast. 

For the very briefest of seconds, his finger tip felt a hard nipple tip. 

Like electricity coursing through his system, Terrah felt a hardon pressing into the back of Toph's chair. 

“Oh? How curious, I accept.” Lady Beifong clapped, and nodded. 

“Nonsense. I am much too busy for trivialities.” Lao crossed his arms, and disagreed. 

“Of course, just let me finish up here first.” Terrah chuckled. 

“Oh, he's going a little hard, mom. I don't think he'll be coming anytime soon.” Toph said in an innocent tone. 

“Is it true, Terrah? Are you pent up?” Lady Beifong-who was genuinely clueless-asked in worry. 

‘Frickin cocktease!’ Terrah raged to himself. 

With her sonar-like vision, she 100% knew how erect he was at the moment, and she was playing with him! 

“Yes, sorry, I'm a little out of practice. It's best if I give Toph everything I have. It is my mission to care for, and protect her.” 

“My, my, how chivalrous! You have raised a most dashing gentleman, General Huang.” Lady Beifong complimented. 

Old Man almost spat out his drink, but made sure to nod. 

Terrah ignored the byplay, and focused on the string of [+500exps] which let him know Toph was enjoying this. 

Leaning down, he whispered in her ear. His voice was low, hot, and husky. 

“Next time we're alone, I know something that feels even better.” 

“Pervert.” Toph whispered back. 

Terrah grinned, squeezed her shoulders one last time, then saluted Old Man. 

Old Man sipped his tea, then stood from his seat. 

“We had best see what the state of Gaoling's military is in. Farewell, Governor, Lady Beifong, young lady.” Old Man cupped his hands, and then stepped out of the room. 

Terrah said his goodbyes, and then followed after Old Man. 

“Where to next, Old Man?” 

Old Man turned, and directed a terrifying grin his way. 

“Do you know the best part about being a General?” Old Man asked. 

Not liking where this was going, Terrah wracked his brain for a nonstandard answer, but nothing came up. 

“Fame? Power? Women?” 

“Delegation.” Old Man said with much joy and revelry. 

Terrah looked at Old Man in confusion. 

“Ah Vagabond, many a leader complains about the horrors of paperwork, but they, my dear disciple, are idiots. A true leader only makes the decision, all the minutia, all the busy grunt work, and handling of paperwork, that is handled by the officers and adjutants.” Old Man pulled ahead of Terrah, and had a spring in his step. 

Terrah-with slowly mounting horror-realized what Old Man was getting at. 

‘Good God, what have I signed myself up for?!’