"We seem to have lost him", Maya said to Matt and Charlie in mock anguish, as they all saw Rahul, lost in his thoughts, grinning and mumbling inaudibly.
"Alas! The pressure of leadership was too much for our young friend! ", Charlie added with a dramatic flourish.
All three nodded jovially, their narrow escape failing to dampen their spirits. Rather, taking on about fifty crocodiles at once and killing more than half of them had them filled with confidence. They had individually killed between six to eight crocodiles, twice the number they thought themselves capable of.
They all remembered getting into the fight with about fifteen crocodiles, but had gotten lost in the flow of battle and no one could recall exactly when or how the crocodile numbers had been reinforced. There was a sneaking suspicion that the rolling ball on Rahul's shoulder had something to do with it, but Rahul hadn't even told them its name.
In that merry mood, as Maya patiently waited for answers, the sight of Rahul covered in red triggered a certain memory. A happy one for a change. She thought back to her childhood in India. She remembered celebrating Holi, and how she and her friends would be drenched in colors not unlike how Rahul was drenched in red. Granted, the colors were a lot more vibrant. Who would want to play Holi with just red?
God I miss the festival of colors!
Maya thought to herself and reminisced, until a breeze carrying the distinct metallic smell of blood forced her back to reality.
This red was neither the delightful natural Gulal nor was it the toxic chemical color that some of her less considerate friends used. This was blood. Actual blood.
Unhappy thoughts tried flooding Maya's mind unabated, but she held them back. Not again, she resolved to herself. The sun was setting, and they were all out of time.
Because of me. I'll be strong now. I have to be.
So reassuring herself, Maya deliberately looked back at the smiling idiot in front of her. That helped soothe her nerves.
How long is he going to gloat to himself? I want to know about the presence! I need to know exactly what he did to get such a dull looking one, so I won't repeat his mistake. My presence has to be a unicorn!
Maya didn't have to wait long, as Rahul spoke a few seconds later. Just not the words Maya was expecting.
"Give me a minute. I'll be right back. "
So saying, he ran towards the marshes, carrying a smile that had changed from an idiotic-looking grin to a disturbingly gleeful one.
Sometimes Rahul looks rather scary. Well, maybe he just felt an intense urge to take a bath. I can't blame him, that blood is disgusting, but will that muddy swamp water even help?
Maya had to reconsider once Rahul slung his bow and nocked an arrow.
Okay... Definitely not taking a bath
Maya shot confused glances at her remaining companions, but they just shrugged off Rahul's antics. After Rahul killed a few crocodiles but gave no signs of returning, they casually strolled in his direction.
Then, suddenly and without any apparent cause, Rahul stopped shooting and went absolutely still.
Now I'm really concerned.
This time, there was no joviality in Maya's thoughts.
No word passed between the three friends, but they all picked up their pace till they were running full-speed toward Rahul, worry evident on their faces.
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Looking at his dilapidated state would have evoked a visceral reaction from Rahul on any other day, but today he didn't even notice. Rahul's undivided attention was on his stats screen, and he spared no thoughts for the bloody rags adorning his body.
Character Overview Name Rahul Sharma Race Human (F) Class N/A Level 9 HP 220/220 MP 270/270 Stamina 40/270 Strength 28 Endurance 27 Dexterity 27 Vitality 22 Intelligence 27 Presence
Name Momentum Level 1
Rahul's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.
I finally got it. My own presence!
It's just a rolling rock though. I would have preferred a wolf or a dragon.
That's okay... Ivan's panda may be cuter, but Momentum sounds more powerful than Inertia. Yeah, I'm sure he's a lot stronger.
It's pretty good that I was the second in our group to get a presence. Must mean I'm pretty good with intent magic or something.
I wonder what all I can do with momentum thought. Will he make me faster? Maybe I can...
The gush of excitement had turned Rahul's thought rather juvenile, and Rahul half thought and half mumbled completely aloof of his patiently waiting friends. That went on for a while, but eventually the energy faded, and just as Rahul was about to address his friends, he remembered something else. His friends would have to wait just a bit longer.
Earlier today, when he was talking to Ivan, Rahul remembered having been just 7000 XP short of level 10. 7140 to be exact. And Rahul could swear, between the dozen or so trips they took to isolate crocodiles, and this one last attack, he must have killed close to a hundred crocodiles.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
49580/50000 experience to the next level.
As he had expected, he was almost there, just 420XP to go.
Rahul's eyes gleamed with madness and excitement, and his smile turned hungry. When Rahul had come to the US and joined his dream company, the sense of accomplishment had driven him to contentment and he had lost his competitive streak. The integration had brought some of it back, and now that he was on the precipice of level 10, the hunger was back in full. He couldn't wait.
Rahul checked his remaining stamina. 40 points. Enough for 8 arrows.
That'll have to do.
Too impatient to give a helpful explanation, Rahul tersely spoke to the waiting group.
"Give me a minute. I'll be right back."
Then he ran back to the area they had just fled.
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Rahul reached the location of their fight and counted the bodies. As expected, they had killed more than 30 crocodiles.
More importantly, he saw many stragglers who still hadn't returned to their floats.
I'll need to find the higher level ones. Two level nines and three level eights should get me to 420xp.
Rahul caught sight of a relatively large reptile, leisurely crawling back toward the water. A perfect candidate. He immediately nocked an arrow and fired.
You have killed a Level 9 Saltwater Crocodile. 90 experience earned.
Exactly the start I needed!
He fired at the next crocodile he spotted, but the first arrow bounced off without doing any damage. The second one hit the mark.
You have killed a Level 7 Saltwater Crocodile. 70 experience earned.
Not a level 7, damn it! And it took two arrows.
That was a setback, a little bad luck, but he would overcome it. 25 stamina remaining. He could fire 5 more stamina-enhanced shots before he would have to rest. 260 XP in 5 shots was doable.
Rahul spotted another large crocodile, but the first shot missed again. The second hit the mark, but it appeared as if luck had abandoned him completely.
You have killed a Level 7 Saltwater Crocodile. 70 experience earned.
190XP and 3 shots left.
That was almost impossible. Just as Rahul was about to give up and wait to recover some stamina while he explained the situation to his friends, he noticed something.
Rahul held his breath. He felt energy coursing through his veins. He felt momentum rolling rapidly above his shoulder.
Rahul closed his eyes. He went deadly quiet and still, and the entire forest went quiet with him. And then he heard it.
The music.
The moment he heard it, it all clicked. Memories came to life with details he hadn't even felt when he had experienced those moments for the first time. But his brain had held on to even those mysterious details, should they become meaningful later. And now they had.
The same music had been playing in his mind the entire time while he was caught in the albatross's hallucinations. The music played and played until it had reached a crescendo, and then his presence spoke, and Rahul was set free.
The same music had been playing when he and his friend did a dance of death with the crocodiles, completely unaware of the tune they danced to. Now Rahul knew, and as he did, he became aware of so much more. He understood the pace of the battle, the direction it was going. Rahul could feel the momentum that had built up during that fight as something tangible.
This battle flow was similar, yet completely different from the low stamina trance he had gone into with the frogs.
The momentum, the song, it had been building up to something. But due to Rahul's decision to retreat, that energy started dissipating. Now, as Rahul got back into battle, driven by an intense desire to level up, the music returned.
And Rahul could hear the crescendo.
The build-up and the energy gave Rahul an idea of what his presence could do. A theory he immediately put to test.
He spotted three crocodiles lounging on the shore, his unwitting test subjects. They had perhaps decided that a bit of sunbathing was in order before they returned to the mud. A costly decision.
Rahul took one deep breath and steadied the excited trembling of his hands. Then, without any fanfare, he rapidly shot at each of them. All three arrows were in the air even before the first hit its target.
Rahul's stamina immediately hit zero, and he had to hunker down to catch his breath. Momentum ground to a halt next to him. They were both exhausted. As he rested his palms on his knees and took in huge gulps of air, Rahul lost sight of the crocodiles and the arrows.
But he had felt the power streaming into the arrows and knew the result even before the three notifications flashed in quick succession.
You have killed a Level 8 Saltwater Crocodile. 80 experience earned.
You have killed a Level 9 Saltwater Crocodile. 90 experience earned.
You have killed a Level 8 Saltwater Crocodile. 80 experience earned.
My Presence is AWESOME!
Rahul was over the moon as he turned to look at momentum, his new companion. It had no eyes or mouth, but Rahul could feel his presence's attention, and the guy deserved all the positive reinforcement in the world. Rahul whispered to momentum, speaking between breaths.
"Sorry for getting you guys so worried. I get like this sometimes, it has been a long-running bad habit. But that's no excuse. I'm sorry, my behavior wasn't one befitting a team leader at all. "
"We thought you'd lost it. But I guess you're fine, so it's okay. You have to tell us what actually happened though. And tell us about your presence. ", Matt said to Rahul.
Before Rahul could reply, Matt added one last thing.
"And find yourself a better designation than team leader, it sounds weird"
Rahul smiled and replied.
"Okay, one at a time. I ran off to kill those crocodiles because I was just a few kills short of level ten. I almost ran out of stamina, since I ended up killing mostly low level crocodiles. But it all worked out in the end and I'm level ten now! "
Then he pointed to his presence and smiled wider.
"This is momentum, and he's awesome and OP."
Finally he ruffled his hair and shrugged.
"Well, what about Captain? Captain Rahul sounds better. "
All three made nauseated faces at that last suggestion, and then congratulated him and crowded around momentum. Though regrettably, he didn't receive as many 'aww's as Inertia had. Rahul facepalmed as Maya reminded him that the inspect skill would have told him the level of crocodiles before he shot at them.
Then everyone started pestering him about what class choices he had and what momentum could do.
"I haven't taken a look at the class choices. I was totally spent and needed to recover first. And about momentum, it'll be easier to explain his powers the next time we fight. For now, I'm still a bit tired, so let us all sit down first. "
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Daniel and team spent half an hour having food and discussing everything under the sun, until they fully recovered their stamina.
Then he led them over the marshes again, which they crossed apprehensively, remembering what happened the last time. However, this time the crossing was uneventful, and when they finally set foot on the island, they found it deserted.
Daniel spoke.
"I saw many crocodiles leaving the marshes around this island to join the previous attack. The rest must be guarding the alpha. We need to find it. Let's circle the island first, the alpha is unlikely to be inland. In case we don't find it, we can move toward the center of the island knowing that our flanks are safe. "
No one had any objections, and so they circled the island. But there was no sign of the alpha.
"Towards the middle then?", Ivan asked.
"Yes", Daniel replied, as he led them into the island, watching the setting sun.
The waves of attacking crocodiles and the following rest had cost them a lot of time. But it had brought everyone that much closer to a level up, and resting had let them keep one and a half bottles of stamina potion per person. Reserves that would prove vital in case they got into a prolonged fight.
Daniel just hoped to find the alpha soon.