October 25, 2022
Day 5
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"This is a bad idea."
Neha shouted to Zoya who was carrying her through the fields at a brisk jog, simultaneously holding two bows in one hand and a chair in the other.
Zoya shrugged, unaffected by the weight of Neha on her right shoulder, and spoke.
"It's the only idea I have. We can't have you cooped up in the castle while everyone else levels up. There are only three bastions left, if you don't get any experience now, you'll never catch up!"
Neha protested.
"Who said I have to get experience? I don't need levels. The steward said there are non-combat classes for those who can't fight. Or won't fight."
Zoya raised her eyebrows.
"And what was the thing they said next?"
Neha sighed.
"That you need to fight and get to level 10 first."
Zoya smiled, victorious, but Neha went on.
"But that doesn't make any sense. Why would people need to fight if they eventually want to choose the non-combat classes!"
Zoya shrugged.
"I don't make the rules."
And that was that.
A minute later, Zoya set down the chair in an open area not far from the Cobra Bastion and spoke.
"Out of the three remaining bastions, one has berserker rabbits, one has iron-beak pigeons, and one has venom-spitting cobras. I felt that the rabbit and pigeons both look somewhat cute despite mutating into ravenous monsters, so I brought you here. With a bow and at a distance, all three beasts are equally harmless, so it shouldn't be a problem. Also, Ajay agreed to come here and help us, as part of a leveling program or something. I'm hazy about the details, but what's important is that he's level 13, and can deal with any threats."
Level 13, must be one of those elites.
Neha thought to herself, and as she waited for Ajay, recalled the strategy that all the stewards had advocated during their first one-hour consultation.
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"We must invest in talent and develop at least half a dozen elites."
The director had been in a daze after the shock of finding out that the students would be fighting dangerous battles, that injuries would be common, and that death was a real possibility. But the steward's suggestion to introduce a disparity between students by preferentially cultivating a few elites hit him like cold water.
He immediately shot back to his senses and argued relentlessly.
"We would not discriminate between our students. Everyone will be provided equal access to our resources, and that includes the opportunity to gain experience."
The stewards listened to all his arguments patiently before pointing out the problem.
"Okay, let's say we do that. After wiping out the thirteen bastions, you'll be left with an army of almost 4000 students, which, even in the worst-case scenario, would consist of all level fives. If we are blessed with high-level beasts and overflowing bastions, the students might even reach level 9. Likely, you would have a mix of levels 6 and 7 with a small number going further. That sounds like a strong force, one enough to deter any threats to the settlement, doesn't it?"
The director had nodded, and all stewards shook their heads in unison.
"It's not. Any level 20 elite will wipe out that force within an hour. A strong one might only need minutes. And an elite equipped with the right presence and skills would need only a single strike."
A hush passed over the entire room at that. The director and all present professors and staff stared with wide eyes at the steward who had spoken.
"And getting a level 20 elite within the first week of the integration is not hard at all if a large settlement goes all in on developing a single talent. I don't advocate going that far, putting all your eggs in one basket and all that. But we definitely need elites. We should have at least half a dozen level 15 fighters by the time we finish dealing with our 13 bastions, even if that means starving the rest of the students of experience and leaving them stuck at level 5."
The director was not easily convinced, and the stewards followed with a graphic description of how a mage, an archer, and a melee fighter could each kill humans by the thousands at level 20.
That finally swayed him, and so it was decided that ten students were to be chosen to be the potential elites, based on their aptitude and performance.
Of the chosen ten, 6 crossed level 10 within three days and unlocked their classes. They kept receiving support.
The other four had failed to keep up with the burden of fighting day and night while living on stamina and mana potions and were put back into the regular group.
Among the professors and staff, one each had been selected and they were in fact leading the elite pack, both at level 16.
Not a few among the administration of the college settlement had doubted the steward's tall claims, particularly the ones pertaining to people reaching level 20. But they hadn't voiced their concerns in that first meeting given they knew nothing about how easy or hard leveling would be beyond the vague explanations the stewards had given them.
However, when they saw the elites level and noticed the exponentially growing XP requirements, they voiced their concern.
The stewards were unfazed by the allegations and simply told them to think about a leveling leaderboard. And just like that, one appeared in front of them, showing the top 1000 individuals on the leveling ladder across the earth.
The ladder gave precious little information - levels were hidden to all but the ones on the leaderboard, and the names were visible but most people had chosen pseudonyms. Still, it told them just what they needed to know.
The two elites that had reached level 12 three days into the integration were not in the top 1000 rankings. The same held true even as they reached level 16 on day five.
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Since that day, the settlement has been much more receptive to the steward's suggestions.
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Neha thought.
And then Ajay arrived and startled her back to the present.
"Ah, you must be Neha. I'm Ajay, nice to meet you. Zoya told me about your, uhh, condition. Don't worry at all, you'll level up in no time. Without much effort or danger to your life. I am also carrying a stamina potion should you need one, though I'm sure you won't."
Ajay smiled at Neha, who stood speechless, overwhelmed by that sudden blast of conversation.
There is no turning back now.
She thought, gathered herself, and forced some excitement into her voice.
"Okay. Let's go!"
Ajay nodded and looked at the bow lying at the base of Neha's chair.
"While it's good that you brought a bow, snakes are usually not easy to shoot and require a lot of practice first. Lucky for you, I know a way to get around that issue. Please follow me."
Then Ajay remembered the chair and added.
"With Zoya's assistance of course."
The trio took off, Ajay leading them toward an area with a large ditch into which the cobras were being harried by the elites.
Upon reaching their destination, Ajay reported to Professor Singh, the level 16 elite and the designated commander of their group.
"Professor Singh, I'm here with Neha and Zoya. Neha hasn't got an opportunity to level even once so far. I'm here to assist her in reaching level 5."
The professor looked behind Ajay at Neha, who was embarrassingly still flung on Zoya's shoulder, and nodded.
Neha wasn't the only student who couldn't level without special assistance, and this area had been created only a few hours ago to enforce whatever parity they could and get everyone to a minimum level before all the bastions were eliminated.
The professor pointed toward a raised platform and Zoya placed Neha's chair where the professor indicated and helped her friend sit.
Ajay spoke.
"Just fire arrows into the pit. Every arrow is bound to hit a snake or two, and you'll be at level 5 before you know it."
The pit of snakes looked slimy and greasy with all the snakes slithering on top of each other, which made Neha want to puke.
But she gritted her teeth and fired the arrows, remembering everything Zoya had taught her.
And as she fired, she realized that Ajay was right. The first level-up took only two arrows.
You have killed a Level 6 Venom Spitter Cobra. 60 experience earned.
You have killed a Level 5 Venom Spitter Cobra. 50 experience earned.
You have advanced to level 2.
10/250 experience to the next level.
You have 5 free stat points available.
The second level took 5.
You have advanced to level 3.
30/500 experience to the next level.
You have 5 free stat points available.
It didn't take Neha long to reach level 5, and she announced the same.
Ajay smiled.
"Great. Feel free to allocate your stats as per your wishes, or talk to any of the guidance counselors. The new ones I mean."
Neha nodded and spoke, surprising both herself and Zoya.
"Can I get a few more levels?"
Ajay's smile waned a bit.
"I can request Professor Singh, and he might agree to one more level. But level 6 is the average across the settlement and we can't facilitate more than that. We are rationing these beasts for the remaining low-level individuals. And for the elites."
Neha looked at her status and saw that level 6 required 2500 XP. She realized that someone else could go from level 1 to 5 with that experience, and shook her head.
"I changed my mind. Thank you for all the help!"
So saying, she took leave of the two elites, and Zoya carried her back to the castle, complaining the whole time.
"I only managed to reach level 6 after 3 days of fighting and you're already level 5. And so easily! When I was fighting the damn Bile Rats, they fought back and one even bit me. And those pests were low level so I had to kill hundreds in the later levels. You got your first level with just 2 kills. I'm relieved you didn't insist on leveling up further. If you had reached level 6 just sitting around, I'd have pulled my hair out!"
Neha giggled.
"I've changed my mind, take me back to Ajay. I want that level after all!"
Zoya good-naturedly cursed at her friend, and the two laughed as they went back to the castle.
"Seriously though, levels are great. Assign the free stat points you got and you'll notice the difference right away."
Neha smiled ruefully.
When she had heard about the health potions at first, she had dared to hope. But the potions had failed to fix her paraplegia.
Neha had even managed to get hold of a steward who remorsefully told her that some conditions were almost impossible to fix. Only the highest levelled healers with specialized skills even tried to tackle congenital or neurological disorders.
And Neha had both. A congenital neural malformation.
Still, Zoya was right. Having a superhumanly stronger upper body could compensate for her paralyzed lower body in some ways.
Maybe with enough strength, I could move around without having to be carried everywhere. Or maybe someone would take a crafting class and build me a wheelchair. Maybe I can do it myself.
These were Neha's thoughts as the two girls approached the castle.
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Shahid Khan and Aadil Khan sat alone in a room and waited for the crowd of well-wishers to disperse.
After making sure no one was within earshot, Shahid locked the door and began speaking animatedly with his father.
"This was the third attempt on your life in as many days and the assassins knew exactly when and where to find you unaccompanied and defenseless on all three occasions."
His father nodded, and Shahid went on.
"Jafrabad Haven is being targeted and you are not safe. The assassins are clearly dissuaded by Imran's high level and his army of sycophants. They see you as a softer target. I intend to show them the folly of their ways. But until I can arrange proper security rotations for you, I will be guarding you myself."
His father was thoughtful.
"I'll be happy to have you around, but things aren't as simple as you seem to think. As you pointed out, all the assassins knew which castle and which room I sleep in every night, despite changing them every night since the first attack. They also know when I'm alone and vulnerable. Not a lot of people are privy to that information."
Shahid nodded encouragingly.
"Exactly my point, you.."
His father cut him off before he could finish.
"I wasn't done speaking. The knowledge that the assassins possess can be explained in many ways. A mole in our camp or a skill that we are not aware of are the first two that came to my mind. But there is something else much more concerning."
The middle-aged man looked uneasy, and his voice was noticeably lower when he spoke again.
"All three assassins surreptitiously left behind clues to their origins. To be exact, the first two did. The last one gave up all pretenses of subtlety. And each assassin was killed before we could question them."
The young man shook his head.
"You're being paranoid Dad. That's only good if you channel that paranoia in the right direction. Instead of increasing your security, you are leaving yourself wide open to more attempts and wasting time on conspiracy theories!"
His father explained patiently.
"The first time was a mistake, the second an unlikely coincidence, but a third time? That's a pattern. Every assassin points to the same person, the same organization. Every assassin is killed despite our instructions to catch them alive. There is more to this plot than just an enemy settlement trying to kill me."
Shahid lost his patience.
"An enemy settlement? We know exactly who hired the assassins. The whole corridor heard his name - Loknath Pandey. It's hardly surprising, he's been known to stir trouble time and again."
Aadil replied.
"I certainly wouldn't put it past Loknath to attempt something like this. And maybe you are right, and that is all there is to it. But don't you find it unusual? Assassins are supposed to be silent. Why did the third one shout out at the top of his lungs? I understand whispering something in the ears of a dying man, so I would know who it was that killed me and why. But that's not what happened."
Aadil winced at the recent memory of being stabbed and caressed his stomach as he recalled the assassin's screams while he lunged and stabbed.
"Die you Muslim scum. Die and regret ever going against Loknath Pandey."
The healing potion had already fixed the injury and Aadil found nothing but young tender skin on his stomach. He continued.
"The assassin risked his own life as he screamed loud enough for the entire floor to hear. But that's not all. The two pieces of evidence that the earlier assassins dropped weren't palatable either. The first one left behind a pamphlet of Loknath's election pitch last summer. Why would the assassin be carrying that around in his pocket while on a mission? The next one left behind a piece of paper containing instructions on where to find me, signed with the initials LP followed by a Hindu religious slogan toward the end. None of this adds up. And honestly, seems rather sloppy."
His father kept going, and the more Shahid listened, the more confident he grew that his father had drawn exactly the conclusion he wanted him to.
Good.