1
Relieved that the battle is over but ain’t settled down yet. Weapons still drawn, the group of six heads up the stairway. This stairway is more grand than the one heading to the arena from the first floor. Matter of fact, the entire room setting for the stairway is more mannered and a frequent feature found in luxury environments. The stair runner is directly placed proportionally from the center of the stairs. Wooden paint on the metallic handrail, much wider stairs to fit three per line.
Kilian takes the first step with Selina and Roland, and the other three follow behind. They went up the stairs slowly with him looking up through the stairway, seeming a long way up. Once all made it past the first part of the stairs, “Did you count how much more left to reach above?” Hirko asked.
“I count seven,” Kilian said, glancing through the center again. The right side of the stairs connects to the wall, leaving the left onto the handrails. The stairway mimics a spiral, so there are a lot of turns to deal with. “We can go slow and cautious or go entirely all out like maniacs.”
“The second option feels more pleasant than bruising our knees,” Hirko said.
“Ain’t that ironic because we often leap high in battles to our desires.”
“The functionality of our bodies is strangely complex. We can get worn out from such simple chores but not from the hypeness that overrides our adrenaline,” Selina added, supporting the second.
Kilian stopped at the first landing, “Put our auras on, in case anything barges out.” A Burst of qi from each of the six exerted out of their bodies, partially cracking the landing of the stairs. Immediately, Kilian runs off, signaling others before the stairs collapse.
The sprint among the multiple stair treads, disrupted the stair runner, staining it with burn marks and threads from the constant footsteps.
||Automatic Documentation Updating…
Ongoing Documentation
* Head up through the stairway.
* Knock off the entire security protocol
||
“I knew it,” Kilian murmured. Delayed, Selina and Roland received the update.
Kilian placed his sword over his shoulders with his right-hand firm on the hilt. Thrusting his left hand outward, generating qi midair forming around his fingers, redirecting to his palm. Qi turns crystal white when a couple of metallic devices appear from above. Revealing a large spherical ball, and rolling down the stairs, he lifts his feet inches above the stairs, before blasting out excruciating ice. He jerked through the wrist of his hand to the right momentarily. The ice simultaneously summons spikes outward, countering the spherical ball, cutting through the metal, and slicing it into piles of chunks.
All braced from the upcoming debris, boosting the defense through their auras. “Stick close, if we lose the flow, one of us is toasted,” Hirko exclaimed, directing a bit of his qi for a boost behind the second row, pushing their sprinting stamina.
||Hostile Threat↑↑||
What a pain. Selina, growing annoyed, cast herself up midair, flying alongside Kilian. All raged through the stairs anticipating the worst.
2
Boom!
Bang!
Piles of mini meteors spew across the floor. Yells of skeletal figures crashing to the walls. Constant exploding a blaze of piles combined with the deafening burst of shockwaves, shook the entire tower. The commotion reached the uppermost floor. Furniture, including sofas, lie in ruins. Glass shards are angrily scattered everywhere. Ain’t look like a luxury for all the cosmic chaos.
Screech! Kilian made it first up to the uppermost floor, skidding among the wooden paneling paint. He dashed through the piles of glass shards, shattering or disintegrating upon contact with his aura. Pressuring through his thighs, the burning sore escalates as a positioned back angle, dragging the speed down.
<< Hurry piece through the floor >>
Hearing his sword commanding, he did what he said, slicing through the fooling paint into the metal, screeching from its blades. The sword enlarges the space with its aura, raising the friction, and coming to a complete stop. Kilian spins himself around, meeting up with a trail of blazing flames generated by the friction from his black sword. Shoots an ice among the trail, racing towards the finish line at ease. Just in time before everyone else reaches up to the floor.
||+316 XP
[Level 1: 4089/5000]
Level 2 info perks Unlocked ||
Fortunately, the uppermost floor was dead end by the dual door behind Kilian, while facing at the stairway. He spins around the lobby, finding a vending machine on his right. He went up to the vending machine, viewing the massive menu of canned and bottled drinks.
||Root Beer - 2 Bronze Coins|Yun Cola - 2 Bronze Coins
Orange Soda - 2 Bronze Coins|Suanmeitang(酸梅汤) - 3 Bronze Coins
Heiße Schokolade - 5 Bronze Coins|Black Tea - 2 Bronze Coins
Kaffee Kirsch - 5 Bronze Coins|Green Tea- 2 Bronze Coins||
Interested in the root beer, Kilian dives his fist through the glass, shattering the vending machine, taking one can of root beer. “Want anything?”
“I’m good, thanks,” Hirko said, not feeling the thirst. “I’ll get one later.”
Selina and Roland sprinted towards the vending machine, deciphering each of the drinks like a seminar. While waiting for the two, Kilian sees Vessa, asking her if she wants a drink, which she denies as well. Unfortunately for her, she can only drink water. Recollecting all of her memories at her birthplace, never has anything other than water in terms of drinks at any events. Baffling Kilian, wonders if she has attempted to drink besides water. To her agony, it caused her body to weaken, making her unflyable for a certain time. She has to walk on all her fours and wishes to never go through that annoying physical suffering.
“Hmm. Very agonizing to hear. Now you are here, have you wished to do something beyond what Veschwarz can reach?”
“Wishful talk?”
“Sometimes wishing can be motivating. The results could be more satisfying.”
Selina came back with her glass bottle of Heiße Schokolade. Whipped cream staining her lips and around her mouth. Roland wanted to burst laughing but kept himself quiet with his hand, shutting it. Almost choking on a phantom laugh got her attention when she stared at his face with his cheeks tensed up. He bent himself down momentarily.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
“What’s so funny?!”
“That whole cream made you look older than me,” Kilian gestured his hand in front of his mouth, hoping she would catch on.
Oh! Selina stopped. Everyone except Vessa, not comprehending, collapsed to laughter when Selina's cheeks blushed after sensing something soft among her lips and chin. She swiftly rubs her palms over her mouth. Placing the glass on the table, pulling a napkin from the container, wiping her palms. “You didn’t see that you hear,” she seriously said, switching topics, returning to sip the Schokolade. “What? I don’t have it anymore!”They were staring at her once more, wishing for another moment. She caught on, ruining their fun.
Reverting to his stoic, “I’ll head through the door, get ready,” Kilian muttered, flipping this sword, gripping the blade with his thumb and index finger. Vessa decides to put herself on hold outside the door.
<< What an unorthodox use of the sword. Did you come up with these ridiculous ideas on the spot? >>
Hey, it gets the job done, does it? So far most of the time has come to completion. Makes things more interesting and less boring. And my mind is having an episode of exhilaration.
<< You have the weirdest mind processing ever. An unpredictable personality. Everything. >>
Aren’t you being hypocritical? Ever since wielding you, the capability is so unpredictable. Now you can talk makes things more complex. Give me a break.
“Ahem…why are you standing blankly in front of the door?”
“Nothing, sorry.”
SLAM!
The dual doors burst open, slamming to the wall, revealing the large office, a spooked man stood up from his seat, and piles of papers plummeted to the floor. “Look, let's settle this calmly, I didn’t set this up!”
||Automatic Documentation Updating…
New Documentation
* Talk to the CEO
Completed Documentation
* Head up through the stairway.
* Knock off the entire security protocol
||
“Quiet you,” Kilian uttered, silencing him. “You’re the CEO of this factory right?”
The CEO nodded, prompting Kilian to sit him down at a spare chair next to the executive desk. He then scrambles the entire desk, for all documents about the forbidden material.
“When is your next shipment of this material?” Kilian opens a folder filled with business transactions. One of which was the cargo shipment that was sold to [The Four Sects] weeks ago at Jinsu. The whole cargo was worth five gold, listed at the total price line below. “Five fucking gold? Are you guys and Yun Empire nuts?”
The CEO, shaken with his hands up, “We were supposed to have one next week…That’s the market price as we speak. Look, that's all they want to keep the profits going. Our job is to refine the combination of oil and steel into powdery substances. The purposes haven’t been disclosed other than to benefit the Yun Empire.”
Kilian lifts the black sword from his back, placing it on the table. “What do you guys call this material as it’s redacted on all these papers?”
“Uhm…”
Kilian thrusts his sword near the CEO’s neck, “SAY IT!” Flaming blue eyes stared directly.
“Ostahlium! Alright?” He yelled, breathing heavily so that Kilian could hear his heart thumping to the edges of his rib. “I’m gonna get fired,”
“No, you damn not, When this is over, this will be under my liege. Not the Yun Empire alliances. Have you been noticing what’s happening outside, there's a whole war going on right now.”
Kilian pulled the curtains away from the window, revealing parts of Cloudburn in ruins. The CEO stumbles off from the chair, heading to the window, flabbergasted that all this occurred. A couple of districts have the highest building raising the flags containing the Hong An emblem. Winds and breeze directed the flag fully open, flapping among the sky.
“Unbelievable…” The CEO dreadfully steps back, leaning towards the table, taking all the view into his mind. Hong An soldiers, moving along the roads, scattered across the town. The town square was filled with protests and soldiers clashing with each other. Under Kilian’s orders, civilians or panic must be dealt with peacefully, and the second option is kept as a last resort, which, unfortunately, was chosen at the district near the entrance. In turn, the first one to raise the flag. Many drunks and mobs are residing over there. “Is that a Tursus?!” The CEO pointed to the right corner of the window point of view, seeing it barged into the same district.
“Yes, the sole Tursus from the legends. I heard the reactions from readers, interpreting it as bloodthirsty and inflicting terror on many of its prey. Mindless predator. But they were wrong. It is way more intellectual and communicative than we are. He’s under my command too.”
The CEO silently turns his head to Kilian, staring blankly with no words coming. His head went down, signaling surrender.
“I said already to not be worrying about your employment, under me you’ll be just fine. However, there is one thing you have to do,” Kilian said, offering him once again. “You’ll have to train in knowledge of qi like many of us, to protect yourself. Deal?” He promised a handshake, opening his left hand.
The CEO is reluctant to take the handshake but goes with it anyway. He felt the stiff, firm hand as almost his bone was about to crack.
Kilian grinned, “Cool, well welcome to Hong An alliance. Jinsu is welcome under your arms.” He dissipates his blue flaming eyes after the deal is settled. Moves away from the table, touring the office.
“Those eyes, that ain’t right…No, no way,” The CEO muttered in disbelief. “I recognize those evil pairs. That’s not possible!”
Oh, brother. Is it just like the bodyguard reaction? Kilian paused. “That bodyguard of yours says the exact same thing! Who is this Duan you two mention just because of my menacing stare?”
“It’s not just a stare. That’s his signature expression. Meaning we should shut the hell up and listen to his howling. If we don’t we are toast…I have the right to ask who the hell are you?!”
“I’m Kilian. I didn’t know I shared the same stare as Duan. Must be a coincidence and news to many here…Enough with these observation Rants!! From what you and your bodyguard said, I offer you collaboration, job protection, and allowing you to train with us. Did Duan sincerely give you those options?” Kilian shrugged, waiting for an answer.
“Afraid…not.”
“Then it’s settled.” Kilian breathed out, continuing his self-tour of the office. One office provides such a high ceiling with an exquisite chandelier, illuminating dim lights. Hirko closes the curtains, not interested in the town’s skyline. The office’s brightness grew warmer with the focus lighting back to the chandelier. “These shelves. Are they for personal reasons?”
“Yes. It would be great to not scavenge it.”
||Automatic Documentation Updating…
No upcoming Documentations
Completed Documentation
* Head up through the stairway.
* Knock off the entire security protocol
* Talk to the CEO
||
Kilian agrees and proceeds to move somewhere else, satisfying his curiosity, heading to the bookshelf part of the office where there are two office desks nearby. Selina skimmed through the book collection it serves. He then hears the doors within the office open inward, one short, styled woman comes out of the door, seemingly about to provide some information to the CEO with the folders she is carrying.
“Oh, apologies for us being here, you may,” Selina gestured her in. The woman went in while the rest carried their self-tour. “Oh, another Dr. Helen book!” Selina excitedly expressed, showing Kilian the cover.
“Never heard of this one. All of her books are offered in-depth with complexity on any of the topics she covers. This looks like a fictional work.” He blows off the dust, swiping it off the hardcover. The vinyls around the corners are unique. Separating from most of her plain-themed style covers where ironically the title is the most customized. Certainly, it stands out from everywhere since Jinsu, her books are present on any shelf or library possible. “I’ll have a look at it in a moment,” Kilian said, heading to one of the vacant office desks, behind the desk of the woman from earlier who walked in.
||[Level 2 Perks Information Unlocked: - View?]||
With such plenty of time where the group waits for the Cloudburn invasion to be complete, they all convene in the CEO’s office to have a quick break and review.