November 3, 2022
Day 14
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Martin looked at Rahul appraisingly.
"Your world has settlements with thousands of bastions and millions of people. When you had first spawned on this island, you guys had no chance to compete against those forces. But thanks to a series of fortuitous events, you have a real chance now. You in particular have done exceedingly well, growing to level 22 in such a short duration."
Martin continued.
"Unfortunately, that high level is now your biggest problem. Your current stat allocation is unbelievably lopsided, and the three remaining levels and seven free points won't be enough to fix that imbalance."
Rahul winced as he heard Martin's verdict.
That's exactly what I was hoping not to hear.
Then he opened his character sheet and did some calculations.
Character Overview Name Rahul Sharma Race Human (F) Class Melee Level 22 HP 220/220 MP 270/270 Stamina 720/720 Intent Points 0/7 Strength 50 (55) Endurance 72 Dexterity 30 Vitality 22 Intelligence 27 Perception 28.5 (31.35) Presence
Name Momentum Level 1
My total allocated stats as of now sum up to 202 points. More than a third of that is invested into endurance, and that single stat alone has almost as many points as dexterity, vitality, and intelligence put together. That's bad, I just hope Martin has a solution. I don't want to be locked out of picking specializations altogether. What will I do if that happens?
Rahul stopped his dangerous chain of thoughts and focused his attention back on what Martin was saying.
"You should see your face. I'm fucking with you. That imbalance is bad, but it will block you out of only a few odd specializations. I am getting at something else."
Rahul's ears perked up as Martin continued.
"Why fix the imbalance when you can use it? There are powerful specializations that exploit the weakness of one stat to enhance the others, and that's the direction I think you should go. The least extreme of such specializations requires one of your stats to be less than a tenth of the total stat points, and as long as you avoid investing any further points into vitality, you'll satisfy that condition by the time you reach level 25."
Rahul did the math in his head.
I have 202 total points now, and will have 224 by the time I reach level 25. So my 22 vitality satisfies the one-tenth requirement, though only barely. But I still would have the option of investing more points into vitality after getting the specialization, don't I?
Rahul had an inkling that he won't like the answer, but he had to ask.
"Will I be able to increase my vitality to a more reasonable number after getting that specialization?"
The steward shook his head.
"You can increase your vitality, but it will be capped at a tenth of your total stats so long as you have that specialization. There's the complicated matter of how your stat effectiveness bonuses figure into the calculations, but I don't have time to explain that now. You have time for one question."
So, I'm now stuck being a glass cannon forever.
Rahul thought sullenly and asked two quick questions.
"Can I grind some stats with physical exercise and meditation and try to get the total to 251, then use intelligence as the capped stat? Can I get a completely different specialization altogether? This one is rather limiting. Not to mention risky."
Martin smiled.
"Of course not, you have to sacrifice a stat relevant to your path. And no, not unless you want to give up an excellent specialization and make do with an adequate one instead."
The part of Rahul that looked down on mediocrity scoffed at that.
Make do with a barely adequate specialization? Not a chance.
But before he could prod Martin on how powerful this excellent specialization was, the steward disappeared.
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The five Laysians discussed their future specializations among themselves, but it was clear their heart wasn't in it.
Daniel finally poked the elephant in the room.
"What do we do about the quest purchase?"
His question was met with silence.
Everyone must have suspected something shady was going on with the whole Order of Illumination thing, and by now, I think we have all reached the same conclusion. We are under surveillance.
Rahul thought.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
It was Neha who eventually answered Daniel.
"Why don't we wait for Shahid's return? The other three members of your team would be back too, and so would be the majority of Jafrabad's remaining fighting force. We can then summon a small steward council and make an informed decision."
It was again Daniel who spoke up.
"I don't want to question your integrity, and as Rahul's sister, you have our complete trust."
After casting an apologetic look at Rahul, Daniel continued.
"But, we have extremely unpleasant memories when it comes to trusting our leader blindly. Moreover, once the five of us go to the dungeon, the island will be without any member of the original bastion."
The former manager added.
"And that worries me."
After an uncomfortably long silence, Neha spoke.
"Everyone here has been through a lot, and I understand your concerns. I really wish there were a way I could assure you of my sincerity, but there isn't. I would be more than happy to return the role of the representative to you, but I doubt that'll be enough. When the five of you leave, The Hundred would be peerless on the island, head and shoulders above the others in strength, at least in terms of levels, and you would be leaving your families at their mercy."
Daniel nodded.
"I can promise they will guard your families with the same dedication with which they protected Jafrabad. More than anyone else, those women will never let any injustice happen to the helpless on the island. They will stand against any oppressor, even if it's me or Shahid himself. But if my word's not enough, I can prove my sincerity the same way Shahid did."
What is she talking about?
Rahul wondered, and then his face lost color when he recalled how Shahid had convinced everyone that he was an ally.
By a show of sheer strength.
As if on cue, the eight elites came out of various hiding spots near the group and aimed their bows at the five.
Then, as one, they all projected their stat screens at the group.
A second later, they left again.
I didn't expect Neha to do this, but there was no other way she could have earned Daniel's trust in one day. What she should certainly prove to be effective.
It was easy to forget, given how helpless those eight appeared as pawns in the chess battle, but all those elites are all above level 30. And that disparity in level is hard to overcome, even with better skills and specialization, as Shahid showed us toward the end by continuously getting faster and faster and matching our increasing speed and numbers.
I don't think he ever ended up fighting at his full potential.
As he thought, Rahul looked at the faces of his friends, to make sure no one took the display of power as a threat.
He needn't have worried, as Daniel smiled and spoke.
"I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this certainly wasn't it. But I guess this is as good a proof as any, and has the added benefit of saving us all a lot of time. You are, of course, right. If Shahid wanted our settlement, he could have taken it the moment he appeared up above. Apparently, so could his elites. I'd say it's good that we are all on the same side."
Then, in a much less jovial tone, he added.
"Despite the overwhelming leverage you have over the settlement, I hope you won't make any decisions unilaterally, and wait for us before spending those settlement points."
Neha nodded, almost immediately, and Daniel seemed satisfied by that, as he spoke no further on the matter.
Rahul, however, had noticed Neha's hesitation and was getting increasingly concerned about what his sister had gotten herself into.
I hope you know what you are doing, Neha. I feel like I'm way out of my depth here, and I don't like that feeling one bit.
His worries were forgotten just as suddenly as they had appeared when he heard Daniel speak again.
"Time to buy supplies for the dungeon. This time, we will pack as many stamina potions as we can."
Then, the former manager said something that lit up Rahul's face even further.
"And with the bag of holding that the company sent with my wife, I'd say we'll be able to pack quite a lot. Now, I just have to make sure to ask her nicely, and my wife will let us borrow the bag for our dungeon dive."
Matt laughed.
"Didn't the company send that bag for us?"
Daniel joined his old friend in the laughter.
"Yes, they did, but she has grown rather fond of that bag and has styled it up to look like a small purse, a magical one with infinite capacity. I don't think telling her to hand it over just because the company sent it for me will work. I'll have to resort to good old charm and chivalry."
Matt started guffawing.
Daniel made a comically offended face.
"What, you don't believe I can pull it off?"
God, I missed these antics.
Rahul thought, as he looked at his team, who were all smiling. Then his eyes shifted to Neha, and he found his own grin broaden.
Despite everything else that was happening, the mood on the island is certainly a lot better now that everyone has reunited with their families.
After noticing Maya walking alone, Rahul corrected himself.
Almost everyone.
He made up his mind to join her.
I think she could use some company.
With that, Rahul walked toward his sister, picked her up from the chair, and then moved to intercept Maya, chatting with his sister along the way, promising to introduce her to his friend.
The moment they came close, Neha gave up all pretense of wanting to be introduced to Maya and spoke up excitedly.
"You must be Maya. Rahul talks about you all the time. As in, you are all he ever talks about. How gorgeous you are, how impossibly smart, and how you two have this cute dynamic where Rahul can tell when you have an idea but are hesitating to speak..."
Rahul's face turned red as Neha kept on speaking.
You little minx.
Then he just smiled.
I guess I do deserve it. I really should have thought this through!
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After several embarrassingly long minutes, the conversation turned to small talk, and eventually, Rahul excused himself. Getting a minute alone with his sister, he felt a strong urge to ask about everything that happened during the discussion with Martin.
But he thought better of it and instead asked about something for a long time.
"You know, when I had first used a healing potion and saw it magically heal my injuries within seconds, I had hoped that it'd have helped you too. It isn't that simple, is it?"
Neha nodded, giving Rahul a half smile.
"No, it isn't. Do you want the details?"
Rahul shook his head.
"You have obviously got this whole integration business figured out much better than any of us here. I know you'd have done everything you could. I don't need to know the details, unless you want to talk about it. I just want to know if you are okay."
Neha seemed distant for a while.
"I'm not. Not really. But it isn't about my paralysis. The failure of the healing potions... that had hurt for a time, but the events that followed ever since Shahid and the refugees came in..."
Rahul felt his sister shiver in his arms.
"I got to see the worst of humanity. That too in the city I had started thinking of as my second home."
Rahul could see that recalling these events was painful for his sister, and did not interrupt her when she took long pauses between sentences.
"I only came to know about most of the horrors second-hand. Shahid kept me and Zoya under heavy protection, and I have a few skills that allow me to get away in case of an emergency."
Neha took another pause.
"One day, the enemies found the room where the two of us were hidden. On Zoya's insistence, I used my skill to teleport away. She must have tried to fight her way out, but was caught."
Neha was in tears now.
"Shahid never blamed me for leaving his sister behind. Not even after she returned and told us about everything she went through."
As she narrated Zoya's harrowing experience, Rahul felt the last bit of animosity toward the man evaporate from his heart.
If it makes me strong enough to protect my sister from such a fate, I'll go through that torture a hundred more times and even thank Shahid for it.
Rahul thought, clenching his jaws.
"Zoya has been my closest friend since I joined this college. With everything that's been going on, neither I nor Shahid have been able to spend enough time with her. But that changes now. I'm going to visit her, will you stay outside for a bit, before I call you in? She's feeling better, but still has seizures in the presence of unknown men. "
Rahul nodded.
After a few minutes, Neha called for him to enter.
For the next part, Rahul wanted to hold her sister's friend's hand but decided against it. Instead, he looked into her eyes, projecting gratitude, and spoke with utmost sincerity.
"You and your brother treated my sister as family when she was all alone, putting your own lives on the line to help her. I can't promise much, but I can promise one thing. Next time someone even thinks of harming you, they would have not one, but two over-protective brothers to contend with."
Rahul did not notice any discernable response from Zoya, but apparently, Neha did, as she whispered thanks and then motioned for him to leave.
"You have made a bold promise. Now go beat the hell out of the dungeon, and don't come out without getting as strong as the man whose sister you have sworn to protect."
Rahul gave his sister a broad smile.
"Don't worry about that, I have my target set a lot higher. After all, I owe the guy a few friendly punches."