Penalty Quest, part 2: Reflections and decisions

-17th day of AC, 15.04.1052-

-Time: 2:33-

Life is not infinite. Such a truth has been known for as long as the world existed. Long or short, filled with happiness or sadness, life will always meet its invariable end, eventually. Humans, elves, dwarves. Even dragons - the fearsome, timeless beasts - would eventually look at their final sunrise and last dawn.

Many learn to cherish their own lives and to live them to their fullest. They are taught, or teach themselves, that every next morning is worth waking up to. Some, on the other hand, decide that life itself is a bind that holds them down, for whatever reason.

Kanya has always been the former type, for as long as Travis could remember. She was a gleeful person who loved to wander around their hometown and help others. She loathed being down and always did her best to find something to cheer herself, and everyone else, up. Be it a simple show of fire magic, or just helping Miss Olman tend to her garden, assisting the old Filon couple or even giving kids piggyback rides. His sister was a kind-spirited person who would do anything to help the people of Holia. Anything at all.

...

*SWOOSH!*

[Thunder Blade's option effect is activated, triggering the skill '2 Joint Attacks'. The attack repeats one time.]

[You have dealt 184 damage to the target.]

[1,251 experience has been acquired.]

...and this made it all the more hurtful when Travis had to say goodbye. Even without the skill for enhanced memory, he still could see her face, years later. The way her golden eyes stared into his, how despite the immense pain she must've felt, she only was concerned about him. The way she **** herself to smile, one last time, doing her best to silently reassure him, to tell him that it was going to be fine. And, the thing he remembered the most vividly, by far, was the final moment, when she mouthed to him the final three words: I love you.

"RRAAHH!" he roared, cutting a Telinar's head off in a clean swipe. Which one in turn was it? He wasn't sure. What wave was he at? He didn't care. All he wanted was for those beasts to be the person who dared... who dared to take away his only family, for their own gain no less.

He exhaled heavily. His tears no longer flowed, but they still left searing-hot marks on his cheeks. Rushing forth, he killed rat-men one after another. All the while, his heart was aching with every beat, just the way it did when the tragedy happened. Every time blood flowed in his veins, it felt like molten iron.

What used to be just heavy pain, a reverberance of lost happiness, now became something much more. It became... tainted, almost, with pure, unbridled rage that stirred up inside of him.

He swung again in a wide arc, lightning shooting from the sword and striking the nearest two Telirans. Before they managed to shake off the momentary shock from the man's weapon, he was already next to them, both of their chests pierced deeply by the very same sword, one after another.

Venting off anger on monsters would normally be... cathartic to him. However, right now, the man didn't feel a single bit different than before. His heartbeat was heightened, had been for a long while actually, but he didn't feel fatigued. In fact, looking at his next prey, he only felt more invigorated, seeing that there were more things to blow some steam off on.

Not that it helped alleviate his emotions.

'Why?' he asked himself angrily. 'Why did it have to be you?' he gritted his teeth, cutting a Telinar deeply. With a quick stab, he perforated its chest, killing it.

Dodging a quick flurry of strikes, he swapped to Pacifist, bunting it at his opponent's face. Using the momentary distraction, he slashed diagonally, slashing through its neck. One more blow was sufficient to finish the monster off, letting him focus on another one.

'What did I do to deserve that?!' he thought, blocking a strike. With a quick motion, he backpedaled and shot a double <Mana Bolt> to disarm the Telinar. 'Why did I have to lose you?!'

Within seconds, he was the only one remaining. Heavy pants that left his mouth were proof of his fatigue. The anger shifting in his veins felt like it might make his heart burst.

He didn't know how to cope. This... wasn't something he could accept.

"It's alright," a quiet voice whispered in his ear. Its melodic tone was just as he remembered. "It's not your fault," a sensation reminiscent of a hand massaging his shoulder appeared for a split second.

"Kan--" he made half a sound, his head snapping in the direction.

However, there was no one. At a small distance, Violet fended off a Telinar who decided to not pay him attention and went for the altar.

...

Travis felt his heartbeat abate slowly. He blinked, first just once, then several times. His panting slowly started becoming more stable.

'...it's pointless.' a thought entered his mind. 'I won't do anything right if I'm mad like this...'

-Meanwhile-

'...it must be around the ninth wave by now.' Violet deduced, taking a seat by the altar again. Seeing the man standing away from her, she couldn't help but feel a little... uneasy. This thing, this 'Penalty Quest'... it was... suspicious. 'He said that this quest would be difficult, but... he's been killing almost everything on his own for the past two hours. Moreover, those things don't seem too strong. Level 35, perhaps a little stronger. They're fast, but very brittle.'

What was the meaning of this? She didn't know. All she could really do was watch and analyze the situation.

'When those things die, green orbs appear on them. Before this began, he packed those orbs into the bag, and the bag onto that altar... this must be the objective of this quest.' that was the thought that appeared in her mind somewhere around the second wave. Since then, she went about and collected the orbs in between the waves, also taking that time to clear up some of the corpses nearer the altar to make space. She didn't feel like asking the man was the correct idea; for all she understood, trying to ask him wouldn't yield any concrete answers. She saw this behavior many times before, after all.

To people like Violet - members of Red Crown, to be exact - dealing with other humans was a thing they had to learn how to do efficiently and quickly. There was a range of ways to go about interactions with a living being of a similar level of intelligence: from a talk to a clash of swords. One type of conversation through another.

However, Violet... was a little challenged in that regard.

From a very young age, she had trouble empathizing with others, and that made her come off as tactless. Although most of the time she was able to avoid the issue by speaking as little as possible, it wasn't always ideal to stay silent. Therefore, when a conversation happened, she wasn't always the type to say things in the proper order or the correct words altogether. She was a genius with her daggers but not with her words.

That was the reason she decided it was better to not ask Travis about the quest. In the first place, she didn't know what words would be able to get through his anger. The best she could do right now was wait for the man to tell her more on his own.

'Though... this is bizarre.' Violet thought whilst gathering some of the green orbs. 'Every next step is supposed to be more difficult, and yet... he's killed almost every enemy so far. If this is supposed to be challenging... what's the catch?' she wondered for long seconds, seeing the man slowly turn to the altar. She wasn't the type that was able to gauge others' emotions easily, but right now, the man seemed to have calmed down a little. 'Will he tell me now?'

-Meanwhile-

[Quest complete: The sacrifice

Cores gathered: 308/300

You have received: 3 stat points, 1 bandage, and 1 thermal blanket.

You may still complete the optional objective. However, if you decide to stay, you can't leave until you finish it.

You have 10 minutes remaining to make your decision.]

He looked to his side.

'Something's off.'

This was the only thing he gathered in an instant.

'It was too easy.' he looked around. About two dozen Telinars were lying, dead as they could be. Most of them didn't have their cores anymore, as Violet had collected the green things and put them into the bag on the altar. She didn't get all of them, but the amount was sufficient.

Slowly, the man looked around and soon located the sheath for the sword in his hand. Spinning it in the air a little, he cleaned it off any dirt and slowly hid the blade inside. While affixing it to his side, he focused on the item, prompting a notification to spring forth.

[Calidan Thunder Blade

Rating: Epic

Attack power: 21-29

Durability: 46/78

*Attack speed will increase by 6%

*14% bonus lightning attribute damage.

*There is a low probability of activating the '2 Joint Attacks' skill when slashing.

*There is a low probability of activating the 'Vein Cutter' skill when stabbing.

*Skill 'Lightning Blade' is created.

A strong blade made of mithril, made in a typical shortsword fashion but with a slightly pointer tip. Trace amounts of steel grant it good resistance when blocking. A thunderstone was used to create its pommel. Its small crossguard allows for a large freedom of movement.

It was made by legendary blacksmith Duncler, who gained enlightenment in his later years. It is a gift to his close friend and a re-iteration of a piece he created in the years when he was still lacking.

Weight: 740 g]

Travis's golden eyes traced along the blade's surface. The lightning arcs that formed piqued his interest. He brought up the information about the latter skill.

[Skill: Lightning Blade

Coat the weapon in elemental mana.

*Adds additional lightning attribute damage, up to 20%, based on the amount charged in the weapon.

*When mana is charged to full, it can be released as a strike of lightning. This strike deals 10% of the weapon's damage + 25% of the maximum charge as damage and has a moderate probability to stun the target for 0.5 seconds. The lightning may chain to nearby enemies at a low probability.

*Maximum charge speed: 3 MP/s

*Maximum charge: 40 MP]

'...Surprisingly, it's an amazing weapon.' he nodded to himself. 'I wasn't expecting a quest to give me something this good... especially when I'm this low-level... no.' he clenched his fist. 'This only proves that I'm too weak. If I'm amazed by a weapon like this... it means that I'm way behind.'

"...the main objective is finished," he said, looking at Violet.

"What do you mean, 'main'?"

"If we want to, we can leave this place, back to our camp. However, we can also stay and defeat the final wave, which will come with a boss."

"..."

"...what do you think?"

"...suspicious. You said this quest would push us to the limit, but I've barely done anything. All of this is... bizarre."

"Yeah, I think so too," 'Those Telinars died far too easily. Most of them could barely take a few hits, and that was mostly to them wearing armor. On top of that, they didn't seem to have good control over the weapons they wielded. This makes this quest suspicious.' "So, do you think we should leave?"

"...That'd probably be a wise idea. However..."

"...?"

"Boss monsters are rather rare outside of a dungeon. It may be suspicious, but it may also be an opportunity."

"Hmm," 'She's not wrong. Especially considering that Telinars have low Endurance, if it's the two of us, their boss will be nothing.' "You're saying we should stay?"

"I am not as informed as you are. You know more of that 'RALS' workings than I do. If you will recognize this as too risky, I will believe you."

'...normally, I'd bail, but...' "What is your level?"

"98," Violet answered. "Perhaps even 99," 'I can't check my MID, but I've been stagnant since I started tailing him. I might be nearer my 1st advancement than I think.'

"...I see," 'I'm too far behind in the Competition to give up on a chance like this.' "I think it's risky, but it's worth it. Given this place's level, I think the boss won't be much of a challenge."

"...I understand. So we will do," she nodded lightly.

"But before that, I need a breather," 'Shit, the fatigue is only coming back to me now... is using <Full Restore> a proper choice?' he wondered, slowly coming closer to the altar and sitting down by it. Noticing his backpack by his leg, he undid the tie on it and took out the cookie jar from Rulebreaker. Checking his status, he confirmed that his MP had almost hit rock bottom, thanks to his sword no doubt. Without hesitation, he took out four biscuits from inside and started munching on one whilst putting the container back.

...

Damn, this was surprisingly tasty. Travis has drunk mana potions in the past, and most of the time they had one major drawback: they were bitter as hell. Unfortunately, this was due to the way refined mana stones reacted with other ingredients making up the potions, so it was difficult to alleviate this side effect without making the potion itself less potent. Meanwhile, these cookies were crunchy, sweet, and definitely rich in mana. Just nibbling one down made him feel like his veins started bursting with more power.

Quickly eating a second one, he glanced at Violet who was watching his actions with a raised eyebrow.

"It's like a mana potion," he explained.

"...I see," she replied with a glint of hesitation, her eyes still looking at him.

"..."

"..."

"...do you want one?"

"...I'm alright," Violet shook her head, standing up and doing a small stretch. "Prepare yourself as you see fit. How much time do we have?"

"3 minutes," Travis replied, glancing at the timer to his left.

After eating the refreshments, he walked over to the altar. Dipping his hand into the bag, he took out the cores they collected above the requirement, putting them in a pocket.

...

Time passed quickly. A stronger blow of wind came forth from the southern direction (assuming the sun was in the west), causing all the grass they could see to bend in a uniform direction. The current was definitely at least twice as fast as the strongest one so far, and it didn't give out for the entirety of the final minute, seemingly acting as a warning.

Finishing their preparations, Travis and Violet made sure that there was some space around them to fight it. Telinar corpses were thrown aside, at least as many as they could handle.

And then... it all stopped. The flow of wind subsided nigh-instantly, and the air became stale and unmoving. The heat beaming from the sun increased, and a vile stench formed in the air.

[The exit is now impossible.

The final wave will begin.

Defeat the boss and all its minions to win.

Enemies left: 101]

"...One hundred and one enemies. That's more than twice the amount the final wave had," he commented before dismissing the panel.

"...It's still doable. Especially since we don't have to protect the altar anymore."

"Let's not be overconfident."

"Understood," Violet nodded. "I'll handle the small fries. You hold down the boss."

"Alright. Let me know if you want to switch."

"Got it," she spun the daggers in her hands, taking a few steps forward.

The man quickly followed in her example, standing next to her and holding the Thunder Blade tightly. He felt his muscles starting to protest, not wanting to proceed with any more fighting, but he ignored them. He knew well that he could still keep going.

A few long seconds passed as the grass around the two started moving, Telinars circling them from all sides no doubt. Within a dozen or so seconds, at least a dozen or so of them came out, each of them holding some small weapon. Daggers, shortswords, there were even a few holding some kind of blunt pipes.

'They seem to be better equipped.' Travis immediately realized. So far, almost all of the rat-men had weapons that seemed quite heavy for them, but these ones... they seemed to have chosen more wisely. Their equipment also appeared to be in a slightly better condition (or perhaps higher-rated) than the ones seen so far. While still somewhat worn down, their armor shone slightly.

"They aren't the same ones we got through so far," Violet commented, seemingly agreeing with his thoughts.

"Backing off so soon?"

"I didn't say that. Just be wary of them as well."

"That being said, which one of them looks like a boss to you?"

"...none."

"...hmm. Yeah, I'm getting the same feeling," 'Will the boss only come out after we kill its minions?'

The two groups had a long time of staredown. The Telinars were slowly circling Violet and Travis, playing with their weapons a little but definitely not letting their guard down. Throaty hisses escaped their mouths at times, seemingly acting as some kind of provocation (which obviously didn't work). Clearly, unlike their brethren before, those ones were using tactics and wanted to separate the two.

Violet hid one of her daggers and took out a throwing knife. As she prepared to throw, a manly voice rang in the air, "Listen up, Ocall bastards."

"??!" the two immediately turned their heads toward the source of the sound.

What they instantly noticed was a large rat-man. He was twice the size of the Telinars around it, nearly 2 meters in height. His body, quite unlike the others, was packed to the brim with muscles visible under its fur, and covered with equipment that shone brilliantly in the sun's rays. His head was very similar to the rat-men around, but the ears were smaller and teeth slightly longer. The creature's fur also seemed a little brighter, taking on a silvery color.

The boss monster was wearing a large breastplate, seemingly made with mithril, and long leather leggings, both created to fit it perfectly. A thick belt went around his waist, holding down two sheats with small swords in each, their intricate handles sticking out and begging to be held.

The monster focused its black eyes on Violet, and then on Travis, before continuing, "I've heard reports of you. Two runaway slaves praying to some god in the middle of nowhere," the rat-man kicked one of the statues around, smashing it to the ground. "I was quite mad when I heard what became of Telinars I sent after you. However..." his hand went to the bowl on the altar. "You obtained quite a lot of those. You must really know what I like. I like good slaves," he took a handful of the green orbs. They emanated a crystalline jingle as they dropped back into the container, glimmers of jade light stirring within.

"???" Travis and Violet looked at each other, both confused by the creature's words.

"But it won't erase what you've done. You will die. Normally, I'd have you hung, but I like how you've gathered those for me. Drop your weapons, and I will give you a quick ****."

The man looked at the woman. They nodded to each other.

"Hmm, good to see you have some--"

"Bring it on," Travis interrupted the rat leader loudly.

"What?" for a moment, the huge beast appeared stupefied.

"Bring. It. On," he repeated, taking a step closer. He fueled some mana into the Thunder Blade in his hand, causing small bolts of lightning to arc on its surface.

"...a speaking Ocall... what a shame. You'd have fetched a great price at the market," the rat-men leader spoke a little softer than before. "Keep them busy!" he raised his voice before grabbing a handful of the cores and eating them quickly.

'He's going to stall for time to buff up.' Travis immediately realized before focusing his attention on the Telinars that started quickly approaching. The way they circled them and skittered just before he or Violet managed to strike them showed that they were trained to fight. Unlike the ones in mandatory waves, those Telinars were strong, and there were lots of them.

"Stop it from doing that," Violet said, dashing at one of the rat-men around. After successfully managing to pierce its arteries, she continued her thought, "There must be a reason it's eating those orbs. I'll be fine here," she said. Violet did not know that the cores were buff items, for Travis didn't care to tell her.

"...got it," he nodded in response, charging even more mana into the Thunder Blade. As Travis felt it maximize its power, he swung the blade, and a lightning bolt came forth, striking four Telinars in front of himself. One of them - the closest one, in fact - suddenly flinched, momentarily stunned from the strike.

Without skipping a beat, Travis cast <Sprint>, reaching the beast, and slashed at it, cutting its arm off. The creature hissed in pain, but Travis cared little for that. Instead, he dashed to another one, and skittered around the remaining two, rushing to the boss. Another bogey rushed at him from his side but was promptly taken care of as Travis cast a second <Sprint> to change the direction of his movement. With a swift strike, he wounded it deeply, and then kicked it, opening the path forth.

It was just a few meters. Without much thinking, he charged double <Mana Bolt> in his left hand and aimed it at the boss's stomach - the largest part of it. Whilst still running, he fired off, but the bolts only seemed to disperse into nothingness on contact.

Meanwhile, the huge rat was... just eating. In short seconds, it gobbled more and more, nearly a hundred consumed since the fight began. It even seemed to ignore Travis as the man was approaching, a wide swing intent on cutting the bag in half.

However, at the last second, its hand moved from its mouth and got hold of Travis's, stopping his momentum. The man groaned in pain at the grip's strength, easily powerful enough to pulverize his bones, should the boss feel like it.

"Courageous. I would even consider keeping you for myself... well, it can't be helped," it took a swing, tossing Travis away. "A disobedient **** is as good as dead," it glanced to its left. "Bring it."

'...bring what?' Travis pondered for a moment, quickly getting up from his position. Immediately, he noticed that any Telinars around him dispersed, leaving him alone. His gaze ventured to the leader of the pack and then followed in the direction it looked into.

Four rat-men were carrying on their shoulders a huge blade. The bastard sword was roughly 1.5 meters long, and undeniably it must've weighed a lot, emphasized by its broad, thick blade. Despite that, however, the four carrying it were skitting forward at a rather fast pace. The huge rat glanced at the man, and a smirk appeared on its long face. Whilst grabbing the handle of the weapon, it said, "Be grateful, Ocall. I, the Great Teleran, will kill you last."

'...last?' Travis thought for a split moment as the boss lifted the blade into the sky. '...how much of a buff did he receive?'

"Violet! Watch out!" he shouted to the woman, who was constantly fighting with a few Telinars.

"...?" hearing the man's voice, she **** herself to diverge a bit of her attention toward him. Immediately, she noticed the boss holding the bastard sword.

"Prepare to dodge!" the man shouted again, lifting his sword and bending his knees a little, intent on charging at the boss.

"Hold her down," Teleran said, his voice carrying an immense pressure that made Travis's heart skip a beat. There was no doubt - the boss was about to use a powerful strike.

"Run!" the Apostle yelled whilst rushing forward. <Sprint>. <Sprint> again. He felt it clearly; the boss COULD NOT use that attack.

However, the moment Violet attempted to make a getaway, three Telinars jumped her at once. They no longer used weapons, instead clinging to the woman with their bodies, doing their best to hold her down whilst putting their lives on the line.

She stabbed the two she could reach, but the third one was clinging to her back, its hands tied around her shoulders in a lock position. And then another two rushed, also unarmed. Violet did her best to try and kick them away, but there were limits to her movements at the moment. One of the assaulters held her legs together, and then yet another one bashed at her, bringing her to the ground flailing.

Travis didn't need to think to know that he couldn't reach her. Instead, he charged all the mana he could into the Thunder Blade. If he could just stun the boss before it managed to strike--

"<Akashan Technique, 3rd form>," Teleran used a skill. Just before he swung the huge sword, a purple wave of mana appeared on it, seemingly setting the blade on fire. "<Sky Split>," and then, he swung the bastard sword in Violet's direction, sending out a furious wave of purple, flame-like mana. It traveled so fast that it almost seemed to be traveling at the speed of sound.

Violet tried to get away, to struggle free from underneath the Telinars that pinned her to the ground. Partially, she managed to get up, but... it was already too late.

The instant the wave of mana reached her position, it exploded violently. A shockwave ruptured the earth all around, sending debris flying far and beyond. The turbulence in the air was powerful enough to imbalance Travis as he watched with terror the destructive power of the boss's attack.

The man saw something get flung back from the explosion at high speed, disappearing in the grass behind. His heart skipped a beat as his legs rushed toward the location.

"VIOLET!"

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/meedrowh