The inclining chair was still on the spot as if it was ready to be used again. Solomon, Celeste, Sally, and Victoria were standing scattered around the area within the visibility of David’s dead body lying on the floor. Julius randomly chooses one of them, Solomon; he goes off from the site and exits the warehouse space.
“Who wants to go first?” Julius asked. He strolled to the inclining chair, intending to find a spare jet injector or a syringe. There’s a drawer next to the chair that he remembered wasn’t there at the time he got injected.
Pulling open one of the three drawers revealed an entire stash of unopened syringes wrapped in plastic paper and material. He put the tube on top of the drawer and took one wrapped syringe out of the paper wrap. Yep, just about right. He checked the length of the needle as he remembered the exact experience of getting it shoved inside through the eye socket. It has to be correct with little margins due to intracerebral injection being an insanely risky procedure if performed wrongfully.
Carefully, Julius opened the seal cap of the tube and eased the syringe into the tube. For a liquid with high viscosity, it reacted to the syringe pretty quickly as it rose up along the syringe’s gradations. Once filled up, he gave a look at it one more time. Then one odd thing clicked.
<< Hang on. No wonder I didn’t recognize it at first. The one I got was a mix of green and blue. >>
< And I was there the whole procedure, recognizing the smell. Both have the same smell, and the properties are the exact amid different colors. It’s the real deal. >
<< Hmm. I mean... I trust you, but I just wanted to point it out. >>
< I understand. But remember I saved your agony when you got the shot. I even got the effects from it to decipher what it was or not. So, you’re safe. Maybe this time it won’t be as painful if you do it. >
<< That’s too nice of you to be optimistic. >> Julius felt a little uncomfortable from Licht’s positive maneuver.
< Just doing the best I can with my known expertise. >
<< Well, only one way to find out. >>
Perfect timing as Solomon arrived back with Ritter and Lu Yi, walking in. As Julius waited patiently, he watched them non-verbally decide who to go first. Solomon seemed to have told Ritter and Lu Yi the premise as they too, were going back and forth.
Seconds turned into minutes as Julius gently placed it on the tiny table next to the drawer. Celeste immediately went up from the crowd, insisting she would take the first.
“Let me,” she muttered, prompting Julius to pick up the syringe. Everyone else gathered around, curious about the procedure.
“Have you ever done this before?” Sally asked.
“When I was used to being in the military. I had to save one of my comrades, and it was an experimental drug. Chances were low, but it did the job, thank goodness.”
“Any other times?”
“No, but I was well aware of the procedures. I had a time of studying medicine and the anatomy was very important if you want to save or eliminate somebody,” Julius answered.
He then ordered everyone to cluster around and suggested Celeste hold her grip on the reclining chair’s armrest. Julius looked around her eyes to find the safe spot, and Victoria, sitting on the floor, slid herself up directly by Celeste’s feet. Being her second time having to deal with such a situation like this, instead of Thora it was her as she lifted her whole light body from the floor. She proceeded to climb and lay herself on top of her.
“Get off of me,” Celeste said, not comfortable with someone on her.
“Thora did it like this to Daniel. No one else knows how to and I’m the only one left,” Victoria replied in a near-whispering voice.
Julius grimaced, gently placing his hand on Celeste’s left shoulder. “I don’t know what Victoria’s skills are to be exact, but she was by my hand trying to ease my pain when I was receiving Skoltor.” His mind was startled by the pain and seizure-like symptoms experienced on the exact reclining chair. “Give me a minute.” Putting the syringe on the table, Julius contacted Licht.
<< Will this work on anyone other than the wielder? >>
< I think so. If you are willing to allow it, it should come into effect with my qi by touch. >
<< Then I allow it to happen. >>
Licht summoned from Julius’s grip, placing it on Celeste’s side.
“Licht?” Celeste muttered.
“Licht will be the emergency button for all of y’all when getting this procedure. If you experience any temporary symptoms following the injection. He will knock you out, so you won’t have to experience that. By the time you wake up, it will be a little head-heavy. ”
“Let’s get this over with,” Celeste urged, taking Julius’s right arm by surprise. He quickly countered with his forearm, calling her crazy. He stood up from the edges of the reclining chair and found the safe zone. Over prioritizing safety, Julius controlled his qi directly to his whole right arm and the syringe. He thrust it into her right eye socket causing her to silently both grip the armrests.
He pushed the plunger down through the barrel as quickly as he could while keeping the flow stable. It took eight seconds for all the silverish substance to go inside through. As he took the syringe out and put it to decommission, Celeste grabbed his arm again in a spasm. “Oi, relax…relax.”
Victoria’s eyes shined blue as she thrust her palms on Celeste’s torso, seemingly calming her nerves down.
Continuously, Celeste panted and uttered a few words. “I’m good…just a little more grrggaah.” And it went south as she grunted with her teeth clattering like a starving wolf. No more time to waste. Julius forced Celeste’s grip open as the reactions caused her hands to intently resist. He shoved the hilt right into her, and a faint sense of pressure erupted, knocking her out on a whim.
“I don't want to go through what she just did,” Sally commented.
“Licht got your back.”
Celeste woke up in bliss. Julius guided her up from the reclining seat. She grabbed his hand as she lifted herself and brought her feet back to the surface.
“Julius? What’s all this flickering I’m seeing?” she lethargically asked.
“It’s the Skoltor activating through your visuals. It will take a moment to optimize, and you should be able to fully understand once you witness it,” Julius said, subsequently asking Solomon to create a chair for her to comfortably sit on.
A few sounds of clanging. “Here, bring her here,” Solomon muttered while constructing more chairs in the blink of an eye. A few clangs from the sledgehammer generated a chair consecutively.
Julius brought her to a seat. “Relax here for a moment; what do you see now?”
“I’m seeing a wide rectangle. And it’s getting filled with purple colors moving from left to right…numbers too.”
Phew, it’s working. Julius breathed in relief. “Thank the Yinhai. That means it’s working as it should…now rest until the system visuals of yours are finished setting up.”
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He went back to the reclining seat area, preparing the next syringe. The successful injection for Celeste eased the doubt of others as Julius saw more enthusiasm through their eyes. Sally raised her hand while speedily marching to the reclining chair. Solomon urged to be next in line while keeping Celeste in watch for any other problems, so Julius could focus.
25.2
The entire timing process regresses as each subsequent person goes through. There was no certain reason for that to happen. But it possibly could be the expectations set from Celese’s trial, leading them to endure it more effectively. Julius threw all the used syringes in the drawer before kicking it hard from the soles of his boots. He flickered the flames all over the drawer as it rolled away, signaling it’s time to leave.
Victoria, getting out of her lethargic phase, was lifted up by Julius before she picked up the pace leaving with others through the entryway. Julius, being the last to leave, made sure no one was left behind before dashing out and flash stepped to the living area at the window opening where he came from.
“Finally, time to get out of here,” Celeste said.
Julius does one verbal check. “How is y’all’s system going?”
Sally said: “My eyes are getting used to it.”
“I’m okay,” Solomon confirmed, gesturing over to Victoria who silently gave a humming thumbs up.
Celeste didn’t give a direct answer but rather jumped off first. “See you guys down below!”
This woman is crazy. Julius reacted to her jumping off. He went for a dive down from the high up, speeding up to her. “Too slow!”
“Hey! That’s unfair!” she exclaimed, boosting her qi enough for Julius to see her while looking straight. She went from a ball-like pose with her back pointing towards the ground and flipped into a glider position.
The two heard the howling yells from above. Julius swiftly dashed upward and did a free fall the remaining altitude, crashing the pavement of the roundabout. Leaving the entire road smooshed into bits. Celeste landed on top of the edge of the building’s porte-cochère.
“Aw shucks. You wrecked the entire way.”
Solomon, Victoria, and Sally dropped down joining Celeste, staring down at Julius.
“Not a problem for my truck!” Julius asserted, dashing to his truck. He drove it out of the porte-cochère’s shade. The tires and suspension reacted to the irregular pavement and easily climbed and towered over the messy fragments of concrete. “Come on, enough of the power egos. We have to go!”
They leaped off and ran up to the truck like groups of mice, entering inside. Victoria joined in while Ritter and Lu Yi have not changed their minds of sitting on the truck bed.
With the push of pedal, the truck crawled over the concrete chunks, and Julius turned left at the intersection, heading back to the Agora with the city hall and the temple-like structures in the distance.
--
New Feature Unlocked.
↓
Team Party Level 1
--
Level one team party, hmm. Sounds like a convenient communicative feature. Julius gained the impression of more capabilities due to more than just him having a Skoltor-like system. The menu extended below as the visuals automatically scrolled as the words appeared one by one like it was being typed.
--
Team Party Level 1
In order to establish such networks between individuals that have access to their virtual system, the feature Team Party will become existent when more than one person other than the sole individual gains access and adapted to it.
The Team Party was improvised by a ten-level optimization.
The individual started the team party will hold all management and various buffs given. The members within the group have access to invitations and the benefits received according to the ten-level optimization.
Level 1 to 5 Optimization Buffs:
Level 1: HP: +5%; Stamina: +9%; Attack +1%
Level 2: HP: +8%; Stamina: +9.5%; Attack +1.5%
Level 3: HP: +11%; Stamina: +12%; Attack +3%
Level 4: HP: +14%; Stamina: +14%; Attack +5%
Level 5: HP: +20%; Stamina: +18%; Attack +10%.
(+5 Members to the total Team Party limit. 8 → 13)
Level 1 Buff Applied
Team Party Name: _____
--
“What name should we call ourselves?” Julius asked as the truck’s street speed quickly led to the end of the neighborhood.
Celeste hummed. “How about Seelekünstler? Elizabeth mentioned how she was described by someone with the use of qi.”
“Seelekünstler is the generalized term though. Our party needs another word or something to make it stand out from the rest of all of them in this world,” Solomon suggested, offering a few words. “How about the eighth or The Ritter von Seelekünstler?”
Julius gave a slight nod. “Give me more ideas. The Ritter one sounds interesting.” He turned the steering wheel, directing the truck back parallel to the central park. Being in the afternoon there were plenty of visitors, workers, and pedestrians sparsely standing across the vicinity. Most eyes could not escape the alien-like appearance of a moving platform with walls that currently moves as fast as a horse pulling a carriage.
Ritter and Lu Yi eavesdropped as the conversation inside the truck grew louder, adding to their input as Julius lowered the windows. They suggested the name of the hotel.
Vroom!
The truck sped through the entrance gates at the behest of the pressed gas pedal, encountering multiple near misses.
“Skolritter…” Victoria mumbled.
That was when everyone stopped talking, bringing the truck to complete silence.
“What?”
Victoria looked up from her quietness. “Skolritter? I think that’s a decent name, borrowing words from Skoltor and combining it with ritter. Skolritter.”
Huh…I’ve never even thought about that. “Settled.”
“That’s it?!” Celeste blurted.
Julius nodded. “Oh, yes. Not that complicated and we could use Skolritter as the generalized term and the formality is the entire title printed Skolritter von Seelekünstler. I’m in!”
“Ok, as long as we used more of only Skolritter, I accepted it,” Sally said, putting more of her simplicity into the picture.
Ritter just realized his name was being used as the term is being formed, leaning more to agree with Skolritter. While he still held some preference to rather using the hotel name. Lu Yi also preferred the latter.
After a few minutes of last-minute thoughts, all came to agreement with it. Julius would then mentally type out the name through the visuals.
--
Team Party Name: Skolritter von Seelekünstler
Are you sure?
Yes ← | No
↓
Team Party name confirmed.
Ongoing Missions (1):
Leave Kriegshan and enter the world of Raal
(Pinpoint added → 150 Miles)
--
“You guys got that?” Julius asked, referring to the distance pinpoint.
“That’s a damn long way,” Solomon said, leaning back his head on the headrest.
Celeste turned back in reaction to Solomon’s laziness. “Is he seriously out?”
Sally looked right at him and gave a thrusting fist to his arm. Her eyes rolled followed by a nod.
“I’m sorry, I guess you’re doing the rest,” Celeste muttered, sitting herself back down on the passenger seat.
Julius slightly grimaced. “As much as I don’t like this, he’s earned it. My job is not finished for the day. Y’all get some rest. By the time we reach halfway, we will go in-flight.” He leaned out of the window. “You guys too. Get some rest for a while.”
Except for him, the rest of the Skolritters took the opportunity to take a rest. They concede to the hidden fatigue, bringing the vibe of a cozy room putting the essence of relaxation that Julius never had felt in a long time into his restless mind, calming him along the drive.