Sid POV

  Sid retraced his path to the secluded area at the edge of camp. It would give them a private spot to train, where not every Tom, Dick, and Harry could gawk at them or interrupt them.

  Rohan, Varun, and Pallavi followed behind him. Only Pallavi carried her backpack, which seemed diminished compared to the last time Sid had seen it. Rohan held the knife Sid had given him. Varun carried his spear, and Sid kept the magic staff.

  They moved through the camp, with barely anyone sparing them a glance. The folks who had listened to their story were still at the campfire. Their team would guard the camp tonight, while two new teams were being formed to scout the vicinity.

  Sid was glad to hand off scheduling and logistics to Naga. He preferred training to dealing with group dynamics and politics.

  “We should not have given that skill to Aditi,” Varun said once the chatter fell away. He kept his voice low but loaded it with certainty. “I always knew there was something off about her.”

  “There is nothing wrong with wanting to be safe,” shot back Rohan, turning to face Varun. “Besides, she killed that goblin, so the skill should have gone to her.”

  “She did jack shit. She shoved the spear after you, and Sid did all the work.” Varun knitted his brows, taking short breaths.

  “You did not either, yet you got a free skill too,” said Rohan, stopping and meeting Varun’s gaze. Varun furrowed his brow, a vein rising and fading at his temple.

  “Varun, please let it go?” Sid cut in before Varun could escalate. “We have to work with these people. Don’t burn all the bridges.”

  Rohan took an audible breath and cleared his throat. “Why are you so mad? It is not like she did anything against you. She is still our friend.”

  Sid needed Varun to be able to think things through before acting; otherwise, he was a liability to himself and the team. “And we will still need her help when one of us gets injured.”

  “Okay, okay. I get it,” said Varun, raising his hands. “It is just that I thought she would be there with us, facing whatever this place throws at us, standing hand in hand.”

  I didn't think he would be so cheesy, Sid thought, as he nodded. “Leave that aside. We need to get more familiar with our abilities and with our new teammate,” he said, nodding toward Pallavi.

  “Were we really going to train?” asked Varun, arching his brows. “I thought you were lying to get out of that interrogation. Who made those guys the leaders, anyway?”

  “It’s not easy, Varun, being responsible for a couple of dozen people. I, for one, am glad someone else is dealing with it,” said Rohan, sounding relieved.

  Varun clicked his tongue. “And who was that old man? He seemed chummy with Aditi. I wanted to punch him.”

  “That was Sunny. He and his family came here yesterday. Aditi healed his legs some time back.” Rohan turned his gaze from Varun to Sid.

  “Let us walk and talk,” said Sid, turning away from the group and heading back.

  “Where are we headed?” asked Varun, falling into step with Sid.

  “I want us to practice our skills without being a nuisance to others. We will stay on the edge.” Sid kept his tone steady.

  “Alright. Gives us a chance to test whether our new teammate is up to the mark.” Varun’s words carried an edge he didn’t hide.

  Sid had been noticing the passive aggressiveness of Varun toward Pallavi, as well as the unfriendly gazes and loaded remarks from others in the camp. He would check with her in private later rather than discuss it in front of everyone right now. After all, he was grateful that she had shed some light on his situation. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel attacked with everyone questioning her together.

  “This should be far enough,” said Sid, stopping next to the tree he had sat by earlier.

  He turned to Pallavi with a gentle smile. “You have already seen Rohan and Varun in action and have heard about my skills. Could you tell us a bit about your new skill?”

  Pallavi nodded. “It is called Hindkick. I got it from a deer-like creature with a black horn.”

  Sid clicked his tongue at the missed opportunity, then sighed in relief when he realized the others had not noticed. He wanted a particular movement skill from that creature and would likely have to track another down. They were not as common in the dungeon as goblins, boars, or even spiders.

  Pallavi walked to the center of the clearing for a demonstration. She bent to her left and planted both hands on the ground, almost as if she were about to perform a handstand. Midway through the motion, she launched a vicious upper kick with her right leg. A swish cut through the quiet, and Rohan stared with his mouth open. Even Varun watched her with wide eyes.

  “Was that a common skill?” Sid knew Hindkick was a common rank skill, but he asked to give the impression of someone who was meticulous with skills.

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  Pallavi nodded. She kept glancing in Varun’s direction as if gauging his reaction.

  “Alright. Now that we know what everyone’s skills are, I have a few thoughts on how we can level them up,” Sid began, turning his head and holding eye contact with each teammate for a second. “It is based on one question: what can I not do with my skill?” He got blank looks in return.

  “Both times we tried something new with our skills, we were rewarded with level ups,” he said. Noticing Pallavi’s confusion, he added, “Like when Varun leaped using Dash, or when Rohan shot Mana Web from his hands.”

  Rohan nodded to confirm, and Varun wore a smug smile.

  Sid turned to Rohan, giving him a cue to voice what he was thinking.

  “Like whether I can shoot two Mana Webs, one from each hand?” Rohan extended both hands, showing his palms.

  “Exactly. Can you shoot multiple Mana Webs? Can you increase or decrease its size? What path does it take once launched—a straight line or a parabolic one? Does it have weight? If you throw a Mana Web straight up, will it come down? Can you increase or decrease the speed of launch? Can you move a formed Mana Web from one hand to the other before launching it? What happens if someone else touches it before you launch?” Sid paused for breath after the long list. Stunned looks greeted him.

  “Wow. You really gave it some thought.” Varun sounded surprised.

  Rohan cleared his throat. “That is more than a few questions,” he said with a small smile. “What should I start with?”

  “Launching a Mana Web into the air to check weight won’t give you level ups. We can test the properties later. For now, focus on transferring a fully formed Mana Web from one hand to the other without launching it.”

  Sid waited for Rohan’s reaction, then turned to Varun, who was looking at him like a child looking at ice cream.

  “Oh, do mine, do mine.” Varun raised his hands, grinning.

  “You have taken your skill to level nine already, so you should have a feel for what it needs. Tell me, in your words, what your skill does.” Sid said, meeting Varun’s eyes to keep him engaged.

  Varun’s gaze went soft with concentration before he answered. “I focus on the location I want to reach while I am already moving. My speed jumps and I reach the target in an instant, often overshooting it.”

  “When you say focus on a location, do you have to see it, or can you do it with your eyes closed? Have you tried changing direction midway, or running in one direction and triggering the skill toward a different heading? Do you think you will follow a curved path? How about running in place, then triggering the skill? Does your initial speed affect how fast you hit the target? Can you do a partial trigger to speed up only your legs to kick faster?”

  “Stop, stop,” Varun called out. “That is a lot of questions, and I don’t think many of them are useful.”

  “How about this?” Sid said, tilting his head. “You overshoot the target because of momentum. Try to see if you can limit that.”

  Sid did not expect miracles. He knew that to push a skill’s limits three things were required: deep familiarity with the skill, sufficient strength of will, and aptitude. While the first two could be developed through practice, aptitude was something you either had or didn’t. Even the top prodigies at the Institute had taken weeks to probe the limits of common rank skills and evolve them.

  As skill rarity increased, so did the difficulty of pushing their limits and gaining levels. That was why good trainers told novices to grow low-rank skills instead of grabbing higher-rarity crystals. Raising a skill from level one built an intimacy that made higher tiers less resistant, besides the extra stats.

  “Alright, let’s not waste time. You guys can start. I will begin my training once I am done with Pallavi’s skill.” Sid clapped his hands to set the pace.

  Rohan nodded and went to find a quieter spot to train. Varun turned to leave, but not before giving Sid a knowing look.

  Sid turned to see Pallavi watching Varun. “Is there anything I should know? People were glaring at you back at camp, and you don’t seem to get along with Varun,” he asked in a soft voice.

  Pallavi summarized what had happened at the camp over the past two days. Sid didn’t doubt it was a biased version, but he would give her the benefit of the doubt. She had been kind when he was distraught after Rohan and Aditi’s death, and he wouldn’t repay that by letting a crowd decide her place.

  “That is alright. You don’t have to worry about us kicking you out,” Sid said, noting the relief on her face. He figured it was partly his assurance and partly the comfort of speaking in her native tongue. She became more talkative once they switched from English.

  “How do you plan to distribute skills within the team?” Pallavi’s tone wavered, as if she wasn’t sure she should ask.

  “Given to the most suitable person, based on their builds.” Sid paused at her confused look.

  “Based on how people fight. For example, I have a stealth build, so if we get a skill that helps someone hide better, it would likely go to me. Rohan has a control or mage build, so if we get a skill that creates a shield around the user, then he gets it. Are you following?” he asked, though he didn’t trust the nod he got in return.

  “Alright, then tell me how you want to fight on the team. Do you want to stand back and attack from a distance, take the fight head-on, or hide and look for the perfect opening?”

  Based on his memories, he knew she was a frontline fighter and a good one at that. He was just asking to nudge the conversation forward until she took that role again.

  “If I say, hide and look for the perfect chance, would you give up your role?” asked Pallavi, raising her eyebrows.

  Sid gave a small laugh. “No, I have three stealth-build skills. Right now, I’d ask you to fight upfront because of your skill. But later on if you want to, we can transition you to a stealth build.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m not after your spot. I’ll fight in the front.” Pallavi tilted her head to the left and smiled.

  “I wasn’t worried—I could take you in a fight.” He raised his hands in a mock-boxer stance. Only then did he realize he was still carrying the shaman’s staff, which was reducing his field of vision.

  Pallavi imitated his stance but with much better posture. “You’re not the first man to think that.”

  Sid noticed the playful expression she was sporting falter for a second before returning. He lowered his hands and tilted the staff aside. “Save it for later.” He had someone else in mind for her to fight.