1
||Temperature: 58||
As the moon lurks into the night sky, the trails of smoke have finally dissipated leaving a visible flat ground zero across beyond the palace’s gates. The refugees have somewhat adapted to the conditions of the palace while feeling the withdrawal of their usual homes now gone from oblivion. Few of the thirty-nine refugees have adapted quickly and briefly participated with Kilian as they were motivated by him and others training at the front lot.
Huo and Selina decided the front lot was the option as one way in hopes of gathering motivation from the refugees and getting them into the game. As to how it went, they weren’t disappointed. To no surprise, one of them was an older lady from the BBQ. She grew to take training as her way of coping with her loss and dragged Lang. Kilian found out the red-haired lady was Lang’s younger sister. She was dragged into it too.
Not cooking or being in the restaurant environment, they are extremely lazy and atrociously negligent in a rebellious fashion. Huo grew very concerned, especially since this reminded her of Qian. She and Kilian have that moment weeks ago very vivid in the back of their heads.
Huo glanced at Kilian with her head shaking left and right.
He looked at her and sighed, “That attitude of theirs can cost all of us. This isn’t a peaceful time. We are in the middle of an intermission.” He muttered before his eyes turned directly to the two followed by the eyes observing like a predatory beast.
According to Huo’s perspective, she just briefly backed his personal space, and in a blink, he was already over the other side of the lot. Leaving behind a trail of ruined grass on his path, he grabbed the fists of the two. Unamused, they were about to brawl with each other. Kilian tightens his grip on their knuckles. He then tossed the two to the floor, and both landed at the right time where their corresponding hands landed on top of each other’s. He then put his right foot on top of their hands, pinning them down in pain.
“So this is the real you? What a shame,” Kilian disappointedly said. His eyes glow blue. The red-haired siblings cringed as they innately tried to block their faces with their other hands. That infuriated him even more as he took that as cowardness weak reaction. He reacted by lifting his foot before kicking the two to the other side.
“I don’t understand. What is wrong with you all? Do you not want your restaurant life again?”
Moment of silence as the two coughed.
Wow. Kilian thought. He went dumbfounded at the silence. He turned to the older lady and saw her shaking her head. Great. Now she is disappointed.
“Wow. You guys are ungrateful. You do realize a few are watching your embarrassment right now?” Kilian pointed at the main entrance, and they looked.
The eyes widened, and they reluctantly stood from the ground up.
"Where did all the initiative approach hours ago? Was that all an act? Is your happiness during my restaurant visit an act? Either way…" Roland came with a pair of swords. He handed it to Kilian before departing. Kilian threw the swords right in front of Lang and his sister. "I want your motivation. If you don't have it, you are never able to relax till you're dead."
He leaves the two to themselves and rejoins with The older lady and Huo. Kilian was about to proceed with the final basic teachings before he heard a commotion outside the gates. His OLRS picks up as well the next second.
Kilian directed his focus to the gates and moved closer. He heard a familiar voice followed by screeching slices, various howls, and screams. Sounds of blood squirts, and he notices the puddles of blood right in front of him. Then, all of a sudden, a rain of scarlet blood pours in front of him. All around, specifically at the gates and the entrance pathway.
Everyone braced themselves including the older lady, and Kilian gave everyone a look before thrusting pressure from his clenched fist at the distance, giving a punch motion.
BOOM.
Smoke and dust burst into the air surrounding the gate’s opening, blocking the visibility of what’s out there.
“Hmm?” Kilian wondered as it followed with a crash into the debris, so he did hit somebody.
“Damn, you took my last kill.” The familiar voice said. Sounds of footsteps crossed through the smoke, revealing a silhouette at the gate. Kilian can hear swords about to withdraw from behind and orders them to stand down as he recognizes who it is.
“Fredrich. What a surprise.” Kilian eases at his arrival.
||Name: Fredrich ??// HT: 6'4"//WT: ~210 lbs//Age: 55//OLRS: N ||
Fredrich’s silhouette still holding the grip of its katana, swiftly sliced through the smoke and debris, revealing himself as he walked through the gates, “Likewise.” He replied.
“Who’s this?” The older lady said
“Oh, right,” He forgot that nobody actually knows who owns the store and how the gears get manufactured all anonymously. The only worker was the receptionist and some staff. That could be said the same for Kilian as he bought one pack of gears a while ago before the raids. He also went there for a second visit with no origin disclosed. It was the third visit days before the raid, where he was met with him because he figured he was making weapons for the Hong An sect. It got confrontational only for it to end with Kilian breaking Fredrich’s blade in half. Few hard words, and he gave Fredrich a barrel of the forbidden material as he originally had intended from an anonymous recording. “That is how it was. How we got our weapons or the necessities,” Kilian pointed at Fredrich, “You can thank him.”
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Huo invited Fredrich to the throne hall which he politely denied. He considered training the red-haired siblings under his league.
“What made you get that idea?” Kilian asked.
“I was watching earlier in the distance. So may I?”
Huo and Kilian didn’t sense any presence earlier and were astonished. Kilian is more curious about what he can do beyond their first meeting and when he crafted his new sword. Huo joined in with curiosity as she insisted Kilian finish the final basics for the older lady. He nodded, and both finished up with the older lady.
2
“Hmm.” Kilian evaluated the older lady’s characteristics following the training’s completion. Since finishing the first volume, the inaccuracies and outdated styles of teaching became so obvious that he established [Die Drachenkrieger]. All who discovered their use of qi and with the Hong An are naturally admitted as Drachenkreiger. The teachings and discoveries update collaboratively, improvising on an individual basis. Adding all together creates an overall updated fundamentals of qi manipulation. He hasn’t come up with a name for qi manipulation yet.
“That’s interesting…” He muttered, “Madam, Where’s your menu, I may ask?”
She pointed it at the table she sat at earlier. Kilian flash-stepped into the throne hall and came back with the menu. He flipped to the page to find the rice and pork plate he ate the first time.
||Total entrees: 205||
“Try to make this.” Kilian then says his favorite plate.
The older lady’s eyes were directed to her right hand as she extended her palms flat as if she were holding something. Light generates around it and slowly the plate visibly appears on her palm.
“You're almost there,” Kilian observes more closely. It got all dark. Kilian looked back, seeing a couple behind him watching the situation. “Uh, can you not, please,” He took a step back. “If it’s worth it, you will do a taste test later, deal?”
They nodded, and Kilian told them to spread out so they could see for themselves but not to intervene with the red-haired sibling’s training nearby. As he watches, a pop-up containing a bar appears at his uppermost visuals. Ugh.
||Level 0 [450/4000]||
||Rewards for Level 1 - Disclosed until nearly reaching the required EXP.||
What a pain. He mentally shook his head before his attention returned to the old lady’s hand.
In a flash, the bright light dissipates like sparkling glitter, revealing the dish.
“My god… No fucking way!” Roland yelled with both hands over his eyes departing momentarily.
“Incredible,” Selina murmured and observed the specific characteristics of the meal.
The aroma is exquisite. The pork's burning grilled smell overtakes the nostrils of ones nearby and is visibly appetizing. One difference is that on this plate, the pork is cut and organized into cubes. At the restaurant, instead, it’s one big piece that a knife is needed.
“Any of you, pass me one?” Kilian said.
One of the butlers standing inside the Throne hall watching threw a spare fork.
||Rice and Pork
Health: +++
Stamina: +
Status: Cooked||
“Thanks, Vivian. Now let’s see…” He took one of the pork cubes and gave a bite. Selina went on guard in case he got poisoned. He starts breathing through his mouth as he chews the pork and swallows. He gestured to Huo, and she summoned water into his mouth. Selina checked his vitals:
||Vitals Normal||
“So?” one of them said.
Kilian coughed, “If you like some spicy food, here you go," he said, pointing to the dish, letting anyone willing to try it. He moved away from the older lady, and Kilian stood there watching all unfold.
While everyone gathered to taste the dish, Kilian headed to where Fredrich was still training the red-haired siblings meters across the front lot, he walked to the scene and found them struggling, scattering across the ground.
“That’s very unfortunate,” Kilian commented on the two, in fact dismayed. He scratched his head and both stepped aside with Fredrich giving an opinion. Funny the OlRS ain’t even providing its output.
“They are so stubborn. The older lady accomplished it in hours.” Fredrich glances at the two, “They haven’t even grasped the simple philosophy of their souls.”
“In that case, within a few days from now, if they don’t pass the basics, they are done. They are placed at the bottom at the same level as Qian. I don’t know about you but pretty much all of us here took hours to a day to be able to grasp the basics.”
Sounds of breathing and whistling followed by a groan coming from under Fredrich’s mask. He was clearly at a loss for words when he observed the older lady, and after being told she was just a veteran chef and achieved the foundation in hours.
“What are you gonna do now?” Kilian asks his last question.
Fredrich just shrugged rather than considering different options. Selina called from afar with the intent of Kilian heading over, but he quickly followed with a gesture telling her to come in his direction instead.
She expressed a non-verbal response. Kilian shook his head and gestured his palm to come over.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. Just adapting to the OLRS. How are you adapting to it?”
Selina took one deep breath, rubbing her eyes.
“I’m ok. When I put that mindset as being part of me, my OLRS blended in without issue,” Selina said while also curious about Kilian. “You look discomforted. Is adapting the OLRS a different experience for you?”
Kilian nodded, “My eyes need to stop involuntary squinting once in a while. Even a little is a little disturbing when I can still see everything.
Huo yelled for Selina, and she grabbed Kilian, pulling him to the crowd. He talked with the refugees and hung out with the rest of the Drachenkreiger. The old lady began the food meeting as all sat down with her summoning large meals. Kilian and Roland assisted by providing her with a small amount of qi as a precaution.
Fredrich glimpsed at the red-headed siblings, then ditched them to join everyone else, who was now having a food meeting with the older lady.