Penalty Quest, part 3: Brains vs Brawns

-25 minutes ago, in the God's Realm-

"Hah, he really is something," Redion chuckled, leaning back in his armchair. "I expected the 'Telinar Plains' to be a challenge for the current him, but... ah, anger really is power."

"...yeah," Beatrice nodded. "Uncontrolled rage does have its upsides," she said, taking a sip of her coffee before getting up from the sofa. Stepping on the wooden floor, she turned away from Redion. Although the tone of her voice was mostly the same as usual - full of its playful tone - the woman's expression was stern, almost like she was trying to distance herself from the situation.

"I can see that. He does remind me of you at the moment," the redhead god said, slowly ascending from his position. As he quickly swiped a hand, his suit changed into less formal clothing, consisting of a large, black shirt with some scribbles on it, and fitting shorts in gray and blue stripes.

"...I guess. Having your world crushed does that to you," she said, feeling some weight on her own heart. The cup in her hand let out a weak sound of resistance as her grip strength increased. A large crack appeared on its side, invisible to either the holder or the god behind her.

"Then again, it's not like he's responsible for his sister's ****," Redion shrugged. "I feel like he's overreacting a little. Don't you?"

Rulebreaker remained silent for a long moment. "No. I think his reaction is adequate," she eventually answered.

"Huh. Didn't expect that reaction from you."

'Maybe you should try losing your family, bastard.' Beatrice thought but didn't voice her inner response. Instead, she let out a small sigh and turned to the man, a smile on her face. "What can I say? I took a liking to him. Besides, I do understand how he feels," 'Unlike you...'

"...I guess that's a reason, too," Redion replied, taking his step into a corridor. "Either way, I'm going to sleep. Have fun watching him."

"Sure," she replied, standing in one spot as the god took his steps away. Within seconds, he was out of her field of view. "...fun," she whispered, a heavy tone of anger seeping from her tongue. Her brown eyes looked up at the display, seeing as Travis was sitting by the altar with Violet, the two of them considering taking the optional part. 'Because it's always fun for you.' she thought, turning toward the front door.

One step, then another, and soon, Beatrice was outside Redion's abode, staring at the level plains before her. A current of wind swept around, carrying with it a scent full of flower pollen. Rulebreaker quickly started walking forward whilst thinking.

'...you're no different from Ardu, Redion... you all are the same.' she thought, feeling a surge of anger rise in her momentarily. 'I bet you laughed when my family died, as well.' a thought appeared in her head, making her stutter in her step momentarily.

...

...

A lone tear appeared in her eye. Beatrice gritted her teeth momentarily and then wiped the watery drop. A sigh escaped her mouth. For now, her feelings were a liability to what she wanted. She needed to control herself.

But it wasn't easy to be tranquil.

'It doesn't help that Redion isn't sincere with me at all.' she thought, summoning a small status window in front of herself.

[RALS statistics:

Current users: 3

All-time users: 117]

'...One hundred and thirteen users between the first Competition and the second... and the version Travis got initially was the same as I did... why? What were you doing during these 430 years, Redion? Who did you test it on... and why?' she wondered for a moment.

She had already tried to see the detailed information about the current users. As expected, what she received was 3 names: Beatrice Hyllen, Travis Salliv, and Kailey Plics (Pier had given up on RALS once he entered the Hall of Fame, but that was another story). However, when trying to access the other statistic, she was greeted by an unexpected notification.

[<Access restricted by administrator. Enter the password.>]

...this was... something Rulebreaker wasn't expecting to see. Given the nature of God of Manipulation, he wasn't likely to hide anything... Or could he be covering for something Tanya did?

'It's not impossible. Introvert as she is, Tanya was definitely interested in RALS's capabilities from the very beginning, at least from what Redion told me. I wouldn't be surprised if this thing contains some of her dirt...'

...but then, why wasn't this data removed? Beatrice wasn't certain. There were many possibilities, and she wasn't interested in listing them all.

However, that was an issue she was already working on. She knew that sooner or later she'd get her answers.

Minutes passed as she walked, every next step becoming just a tad bit lighter than the last one.

...

A stronger blow of wind disrupted her thought process. Beatrice came to a halt, closing her eyes for a long moment.

'...I wonder what you'd say about him, Verin.' she wondered, opening her eyes and looking to the sky. The millions of shimmering stars, while fake, were nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. 'Probably something like 'he'll make a good porter'.' she formed a faint smile.

...

'...I miss you.'

...

Eventually shaking out of her state, Rulebreaker turned on her phone. She noticed how Travis stared at Teleran with nothing but hatred in his gaze. 'My, that does not look good... Telinar commander is not something that can be taken on at his current level of ability. First of all, that guy is a boss monster. Secondly, he's got almost all his equipment of rare or higher rating.'

...

'But that's exactly the type of situation that suits him at the moment, and why I gave him Liam's blade. From his file, he has more experience with swords than with daggers. Use your rage well, Travis. Use it while it lasts.'

...

'Don't waste it like I did...'

-Currently, Back in Penalty Zone-

"VIOLET!" Travis yelled, feeling his heart skip a beat. Without a shred of care for the boss monster, he rushed forth, cutting at every Telinar that came near.

Escaping from the clearing around the altar, the man didn't stop for a split second as he tried to calculate in his mind the possible trajectory of the woman. The trampled grass made his work easier as he quickly closed in on the location.

...

Momentarily, he averted his gaze. It was just... awful.

Violet was lying on her back, covered in blood on her entire left side. Most of her shirt and cloak were done for, exposing her bare chest, but that was the least of the concerns to be had at the moment. Her right arm seemed to be mostly fine, but her left... it seemed that she used that side to shield herself from the explosion. Parts of the skin were burned, but a lot of it was covered in shallow cuts, which formed a serrated pattern extending from the top of her wrist all the way to the shoulder, bleeding slowly. Her left collarbone was definitely shattered and so were at least a few ribs, while the rest of the damage was indescribable at the moment. The side of her head was bleeding, and her eyes were closed as she had lost consciousness from the explosion.

...

...but not everything was lost. A short second passed before Travis shakily pushed a finger to her neck. A wave of relief washed over him when he felt a pulse, weak but stable. Looking behind him, he could only calculate that there was a little bit of time before Telinars would catch up. Without much thinking, he kneeled, pulled out the bandage he had stashed into the pocket of his pants (this was the reward for the Penalty Quest just now), and quickly did his best to tie it around her head, hopefully stopping the most important part from bleeding. However, as he finished, he heard rustling happening somewhere behind.

"...stay safe, please," he whispered, seemingly to himself.

Travis picked up the Thunder Blade, immediately beginning to charge it anew. Turning around, he gritted his teeth. Pulling out the cores he had in his pocket, he consumed them all in an instant. They tasted like walnuts and were about as soft.

A couple of notifications appeared, telling him that Strength, Endurance, and Sense increased by 6 points while Wisdom and Agility increased by 3. Intelligence remained unchanged.

He turned the notifications off.

Travis took a stance, intent on defending the position. That was the best he could do; the moment he left Violet, the Telinars would be sure to finish her off.

...

He stole a glance to his right, summoning the quest panel. '60 left...' he felt his heart beat with a surge of newfound energy.

"Hey, Ocall male!" he heard Teleran shout at him with his heavy voice. "Return here at once if you don't want your mate to die pointlessly!"

'...dammit. If I return, she'll be defenseless... but if I don't, that guy might decide to use that attack again... in that case, we're both dead.'

"I will count to ten! I suppose you can count to that much?!" Teleran asked loudly, but the tone of the question seemed more rhetorical than genuine. "One..."

'...I have to go. Maybe if I focus their attention on me, they won't try to check on her...' he thought whilst taking a step forward. Still, he stole a glance back. 'I'm sorry... I'm sorry.' he felt a tear make its way into his eye. 'RALS, use <Full Recovery>.'

"Five..." Teleran kept on counting. However, seeing Travis step out from between the grass, he smiled. "Good. You do appear to have some common sense. What household did you escape from, huh? Kalla? Geni? Feels like one of these two, since you can talk."

Travis didn't answer, instead gripping the handle of his sword tightly.

The huge rat was not holding the bastard sword anymore, the tool of massacre lying on the ground behind him. 'Something's different about him.' the Apostle thought, seeing that the boss's face seemed to betray something akin to... fatigue? 'Did the orbs debuff him this much...? No. It's probably the aftermath of that skill.'

"Still, to name your mate after a color... tsk, Ocalls never had good taste. I suppose the ability to speak does not make you intelligent after all."

Travis glared at Teleran.

"Oh, but why the long face? She's not dead yet, is she?" the rat-man seemed to smile at his own words. "Listen, I have a proposition for you."

"..."

"Not just anything can survive the <Akashan Techniques>. She is definitely strong. I wanted to kill you two initially for having hurt my Telinar slaves, but... She's clearly not the brains of your escape if you had to give her instructions. That's why I'd like her to survive."

"...what?" Travis asked, taking a short step closer. The Telinars were standing in a large circle around the clearing, definitely at least four dozen in number.

"If you give up your life, I will spare her and help her recover. I'll make her into my personal guard. She'll live a life of luxury neither of you two ever knew from inside of your kennels."

"...guard?"

"She seems easily controllable. If I tell her a story that you are living happily in Ferqis residence, she'll surely love me as a master, no? And under me, she'll be able to grow even stronger and will give birth to a line of powerful guards for me. That's what you want, right, for your mate to be healthy and strong?"

"...so you want to toy with her?" he asked, putting an emphasis on the 'toy'. Remembrance of the last two hours made him hate the word just as much as he used to love it as a child. Right now, this word was a tainted, forbidden thing he would not forgive anyone for using carelessly.

"Do you want her to live or not, Ocall?" Teleran raised an eyebrow, but the question was clearly rhetorical. "To me, it doesn't matter if she dies. She's just a ****, after all, like all Ocalls. If I expend you two, even though you are quite a rarity, I will definitely find some new ones in the future."

"...Teleran, right?"

"Hah, you even have a somewhat good memory. Made up your mind?"

"...You won't get her over my rotten corpse."

"Hahahaha!" Teleran laughed vividly for a moment, leaning on the altar a little. "You have some temper in you. What's your name, Ocall?"

"...Travis."

"...such a mundane name, for such a fierce attitude... Not that it matters. After all..." the huge monster put its hands on the handles of its swords and unsheathed them. "A **** that talks back is useless."

"..."

"Bring it on. Let's see you swing that fancy sword of yours," 'I wonder if this weakling can entertain me more than Telinars.'

'...I have to calm down. If I don't keep at least a little cool, he'll kill me without an issue.' Travis thought before swinging the sword in the air. 'This guy was supposed to be taken down by 2 people. If I want to have a winning chance, I must not let the anger get to me. First, I should gauge his fighting ability and style.'

Swinging, Travis released the mana stored in the blade. Immediately, a lightning bolt sprung forward and hit Teleran, which the Apostle quickly followed up with a stab, utilizing the fact that the boss got stunned momentarily.

The blade slithered between connections in Teleran's armor, managing a shallow stab.

[Thunder Blade's option effect is activated, triggering the skill 'Vein Cutter'. Damage increased by 15%. Bleed effect is applied.]

[You have dealt 142 damage to the target. Target has been afflicted with 'bleed' for 10 seconds.]

The wound gushed out some blood in an instant.

After that, Travis backpedaled a little, narrowly avoiding a strike that would've likely amputated his left arm.

"Hahaha... you even can use magic," the huge rat-man chuckled, ignoring the pain in his abdomen. "You're not an ordinary Ocall, I'll give you that. You've definitely been bred to be stronger than usual. Tell me honestly, which family raised you? Could it be Ertalis?"

"..."

"...perhaps not," the rat-man answered himself, quickly going on an offensive. "They're good at making gladiator slaves, but I've never heard of a magic-user gladiator from them. Then... is it Uliar? Or Piars? But then again, those guys never taught their slaves any tongues..."

'He's constantly talking about some weird things... and yet, there are barely any openings in his technique... I need more power if I want to break through. RALS, increase Strength by 20 points, Agility by 30, Endurance by 10, and Sense by 20.'

Travis let out a small sigh as he felt his movements become faster and more fluid. Likewise, Teleran's swings and stabs appeared to slow down, but only barely. This was definitely far from satisfactory, but the Apostle couldn't be careless about his stat distribution. 'Rulebreaker's advice comes in handy at a time like this. I still have about 40 points I can use. I'll try to adapt as needed.'

A few slashes were exchanged between the two fighters. With every next one, Travis was starting to understand his opponent just a little bit better.

'His focus is on Strength, judging by the numbness direct confrontation sends through my hands. It seems to be... roughly double mine if I were to try and estimate. Our Agility seems to be about the same, but his usage of double swords makes it seem like he's faster. Still, his Sense and Endurance appear to be superior to mine. I can't surpass him in melee... then, should I try gauging his mental power?' A thought appeared in his mind as he just barely managed to slash Teleran's arm a little. For now, Travis was holding his own, but this wouldn't last. Even though his stamina had recovered, his muscles were already starting to protest again. 'This guy is several times more powerful than a normal Telinar. I guess that's what you'd expect of a boss monster. <Suggestion>.'

<LEFT! STRIKE LEFT!>

He formed a hasty <Suggestion> and fired it toward Teleran's mind. Surprisingly, it didn't meet too much resistance on the way, barely even lurking around the rat-man's mind before connecting. Immediately, Travis dashed slightly to his own left, avoiding a strike that would've cut his right arm off. Utilizing the fact that his opponent was leaving an opening, he struck at the place where the breastplate and the leggings connected. After successfully piercing through the boss's flesh, Travis quickly put his other hand to the wound.

'10 <Mana Bolts>.'

Immediately, a powerful flash of light erupted from his palm and injured Teleran, who let out a small gasp of surprise before using his tail to cut down the man's feet.

[You have dealt 81 damage to the target.]

'My output is too low to be feasible. Using some mental magic can be good to create some openings. But the timing of those will have to be impeccable.'

"You're a better fighter than I thought," 'At this rate, he might leave a permanent mark... better to take care of him in one blow.' "Take him down," the boss backpedaled whilst signaling to the Telinars around to engage in the fight.

'...he's escaping? No... he's switching out.' Travis realized, seeing that more than a dozen smaller rat-men rushed at him with their weapons. Without skipping a beat, the man cast <Sprint> to bring himself to a standing position. Just barely able to regain his balance, he quickly slashed at the first target in range. 'They are definitely stronger than the ones before. Earlier, they died in a few hits, but those guys can withstand half a dozen of my blows each. This will be a problem if it drags out for too long.'

And suddenly, Travis started feeling some pressure of unknown origin. No, actually... he already felt it before.

By pure instinct, he turned toward the altar and saw how Teleran was standing next to it, consuming the green orbs like there was no tomorrow, gobbling up several at once. With every next one he ate, the pressure oozing from his body increased further beyond.

...

'...Am I to assume that's my cue that he will use that <Akashan Technique> again?' a question rang in Travis's mind for a moment. 'He's hoping to finish me off in one strike.' he judged nearly instantly.

...

That could be bad. Travis had to make sure he wasn't hit directly by that attack. And moreover, he had to find a way to finish this fight quickly. The longer he spent fighting, the less time Violet had left.

As some seconds passed, the Telinars seemed to attempt to do the same thing they did to Violet. They halted their usage of weapons and tried to grab onto the man with their long fingers. A few times, they scratched his skin, but it seemed that he was able to get away from them just in time. A perfectly timed <Sprint> to avoid another set of fingers trying to latch onto him...

"<Akashan Technique, 3rd form>, <Sky Split>," Teleran swung the bastard sword with might that could've probably split a grown man in two, sending the mana wave toward Travis's position. However... the Apostle was not tied down, quite unlike his companion before.

'<Sprint>.' he commanded his spirit and shot forward. He passed by a pair of Telinars just in time for the explosion to send him flying forward. Quickly recollecting himself, the man got to his feet and looked behind. Barely a sign of the rat-men was left behind. '...they're willing to sacrifice their own lives just because he commanded them to. That's... that's just disgusting.' he felt repulsed. Travis rushed forth and summoned the quest status. '45 left... that's good. Judging by what's happening, they seem to have forgotten about Violet for the time being. On top of that, that bastard tires himself greatly with every use of that skill... is the way to beat this wave to **** him to use it again?'

"Is that everything you have? Even the weakest bastards from Piars are stronger than you," 'Let's play into this weird thing he was talking about.'

"...haha... I knew you were from there," the huge rat-man laughed between his huffs. Finally, he straightened his back and cracked his neck. "No wonder you're this strong despite being just an Ocall. I wonder what did your masters use on you to bring you to this status."

"...you're just weak," Travis riposted, raising Thunder Blade slightly. 'Agitating him is risky, but it will speed things up.'

"...now you're asking for it," Teleran almost hissed, throwing the bastard sword to his side. Without skipping a beat in his steps forward, he took out his double blades and spun them in his hands a little.

"...bring it," 'My MP is too low to keep going. I need to regenerate it. I have to get to my backpack. For that, he needs to get away from there.' "Weakling."

'This bastard... he got a single good hit in, and now he's acting this cocky? I'll show you your place, ****.' Teleran rushed forward, stepping on the ground with a **** that was lifting slight amounts of dirt behind him. With a wide stride, he danced with his blades, creating a flurry of strikes that were nigh impossible to block.

But Travis had no intention of doing so. Instead, he rushed head-on against his opponent, and then, in the last moment, changed the direction of his stride by casting a <Sprint>. Visibly startled, his opponent failed to respond, allowing the man past him. Before Teleran managed to give chase, Travis had reached his backpack and snatched it from its position by the altar. Glancing around, he noticed that he had only a few seconds before his enemy would reach him. Therefore, he quickly undid the tie holding it together and got hold of the jar's lid. Without wasting a second, he got hold of two cookies and quickly **** them into his mouth.

Dashing to his left, he narrowly avoided having his head split in two. 'He alternates between fighting me himself and sending the small fries to kill me. Taunting him broke this scheme of his, it seems. But this only means that I have to finish it as soon as possible.'

With a quick and forceful motion, Travis spun around and aimed his blade diagonally at the towering rat-like figure before him. However, his strike was met with an unyielding metal barrier on the creature's chest. Teleran let out a small chuckle before delivering a powerful kick to Travis's chest, causing him to topple over onto the ground. As he lay there, Travis could only watch helplessly as the contents of his pack spilled out onto the dirt next to him. Struggling to rise to his feet, Travis suddenly felt Teleran's foot press down on his chest, pinning him to the ground. Another foot came down on his right wrist, effectively rendering him unable to wield his weapon.

"Weakling, huh?" the rat-man asked, bringing his face a little lower. "Who's weak now?"

"..."

"You've put up an amazing fight, I'll give you that. Worthy of remembering your name, Travis. But this is the end of the line."

'Shit shit shit! Come on, something, anything...!' Travis thought with desperation, looking to his sides. However, there was nothing-- wait...?

"Rest assured, I will ensure that your mate is in good hands. Farewell," Teleran said with pride in his voice before raising one of his swords and striking at the lying man's throat.

...

*CLANG!*

A sound of metal hitting metal rang in the air. Surprised, Teleran flinched a little, retreating his hand. Immediately, what he saw was Travis, still on his back, his neck fine, and... what was that black thing that blocked the strike?

Without wasting a single moment, the Apostle let go of the frying pan and put his free hand on the boss's knee closest to it. 'All points into Intelligence. 30 <Mana Bolts>.' he commanded his spirit, feeling how the magic power in his spirit first grew, and then disappeared like a lie, forming into a powerful magic strike.

[Critical!]

[You have dealt 542 damage to the target.]

In an instant, a crunching sound rang in the air as Teleran's knee was completely shattered, blood splattering all around.

[You have dealt damage to a vital area of movement. Target's speeds are reduced by 20% for 1 minute. Target cannot walk properly until healed.]

With a scream, the tall rat-man tumbled backward a little, almost immediately going to one knee. After just a short second, his pain turned into fury as he gripped his swords tightly and prepared to strike. However...

"Farewell," Travis replied to his words, taking a wide swing with the frying pan. The tool cleanly struck Teleran's chin, and a quick follow-up with the same weapon shattered the jaw. A shard of the rat-man's front tooth was flung to the side, causing the kneeling enemy to instinctually drop his swords and try to hide his **** face.

He seemed to try and say something; Travis didn't care. Putting all his power into his right hand, he raised the sword into the sky and brought it down, cutting deeply into the boss's skull.

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

[Critical!]

[You have dealt 292 damage to the target.]

A twitch escaped the monster's body, and then another one, but then... it tumbled to the side, finally dead.

[You have defeated 'Telinar Commander, Teleran'.]

[31,234 experience has been acquired.]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

Travis felt his heartbeat relax very slightly at the notifications. While he was disgusted by the sight of such a humanoid creature being treated like that, it put his mind at ease (at least partially) that it was finally dead.

However, his work was not yet over.

[Enemies left: 44]

Glancing around, he noticed the remaining Telinars watching him nervously, unsure what to do. Without a leader to command them, they stood there, confused yet terrified. And then, the first one of them started taking its steps backward. Then another one. Slowly at first, the monsters were starting to retreat. But they didn't know that they couldn't escape for long.

Travis gripped his sword and frying pan tightly.

"Where do you think you're going?"

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