Penalty Zone... to the rescue?

[You failed to fulfill your daily quest. You are penalized. Penalty severity: high.]

Travis saw the notification appear right before the earth shook lightly. Was it an attack? Or was it the quest's doing? Travis didn't know much about the questing system yet, but he felt it was safe to bet on the latter. As the woman got a grip on his arm, another one appeared confirming his thought.

[You are being sent to Penalty Zone. 'Penalty Quest' will begin shortly.]

The floor beneath them two broke apart into complete darkness, and they both fell. Wait, what?!

'Why's she here?' he looked at the woman, who was falling with him into nothingness, eyes wide open with fear. She looked like she wanted to scream, but was seemingly too shocked to do even that.

[You are entering Penalty Zone.]

A new panel appeared and disappeared after a short moment as something appeared all around them both. Before they could realize what was happening, both of them landed on the ground. Surprisingly enough, the fall didn't hurt much; it felt like he fell off a chair. A multitude of trees was all around them, nearly 60 meters tall at least, with lush vines all over their surfaces. Wide branches intersected on many layers, blocking out most of the light and creating a little dim atmosphere.

Travis quickly started getting hold of his situation. He got to his knees as soon as he could and was surprised at how squishy the ground was. He placed a hand and pushed, and it sunk right into the thick moss that made the mire. Just where was he?

The woman was also on her legs, looking around frantically. She had both her hands up like she was about to enter a brawl, prepared to cast magic at a moment's notice. Soon, she looked at him.

"Don't move from where you are," she commanded. "I don't know what's around. Where the hell are we?"

Travis didn't answer. Instead, hearing some sounds from up above, he looked to the sky.

On the sides of the trees, there were 4 humanoid creatures, each holding a vine with one hand. They had the heads of boars, a posture similar to humans, and short fur on their bodies, mostly on their legs, crotch area, and heads. However, a thing that made Travis' heart sink, was the fact that they wielded weapons. They were primitive javelins and axes, but they were surely viable weapons against him and this woman who came down with him. As if waiting, the weird boars poised their hands backward.

A new panel appeared.

[Penalty Quest: Survive.

Objective: Survive for a set duration of time.

Optional: Protect the person you brought here.]

Time remaining: 4:30:00

Reward: 4 stat points.

Optional reward: 3 stat points.

Failure penalty: ****.]

[The penalty quest will now begin.]

As if on cue, all 4 enemies threw their weapons. Travis bolted toward the woman and bashed into her. As she tumbled away a little, he **** himself up. They managed to avoid the initial attack. But he knew it wouldn't be so easy. No, in this unknown environment, he and the interrogator woman would need to cooperate soon to be able to live.

He rushed to her before the boar monkeys decided to go down. Before she realized what was happening, he got hold of her and threw her over his arm, rushing away.

"Heyheyhey wait! What do you think you're--" suddenly, she looked at the weapons they were getting away from. "W-What the hell?" then, she noticed the first monster land and pick its weapon up. "W-What are those?!"

"No idea!" he replied loudly, going into the overgrown forest.

Rushing between the trees, Travis started to search for anywhere to hide. Finding any kind of shelter was a priority. If they were to survive for the duration of the penalty quest, they would need to get somewhere safe and evaluate their situation.

The woman was not helping him much, either.

"Hey! I know we're running, but I have my legs! Stop touching me there, you pervert!" she hit him in his back when his hand ventured a little up her hip, trying to get a better hold of her as he made a sharp turn. "I'm a goddamn Inspector, and to be treated like that--!" her rant halted as Travis jumped almost 2 meters down a small cliff, landing on the side of a river. He let her down on her own two feet.

Quickly, he turned and pushed himself and the woman to the wall, placing a hand on her mouth so she couldn't give away their position to the weird monsters they were chased by just a little while ago. Looking around, he made sure that there were no immediate threats nearby and sighed with relief.

"…I think we lost them," he said, concentrating on the woman again. Her eyes were going all over the place, her mouth trying to speak. Thankfully, she wasn't biting him. Yet.

He took away his arm, and immediately, she started her rant again, "W-What do you think you're do--!" she didn't finish as he placed his hand back on her mouth.

"Shut up!" he whispered to her loudly. "In case you haven't noticed, we are in quite a tough situation, so unless you want to die, you better calm down, lady."

The white-haired woman looked around a little and, as if understanding her situation, nodded slightly. Slowly, he removed his hand again and was relieved to see that she wasn't screaming again. Her questioning look became apparent.

"...w-where are we?"

"I wish I knew," he replied hesitantly, taking a good look himself.

The plants all around were of a kind he'd never seen before. The trees were extremely thick, at least 3 meters across, and pioneered to the sky like some kind of towers. Many smaller plants were scattered all over them, creating beds of flowers and different plants all over the place. Hundreds of vines were hanging many meters down, dandling and inviting to use them as ropes.

The situation near the river was not much better. On the side where he and the woman were, there was a 3-meter or so-tall cliff above a rocky beach just next to a very wild current. The river was at least 30 meters wide, the surface calm as the water slowly moved about.

Suddenly, there was rumbling above them both. Hugging the wall with their backs, they both looked above themselves and heard the 4 boar monkeys grumble something that resembled speech. The language was incomprehensible to Travis and the woman alike, but the ones who chased them were undoubtedly communicating.

After seemingly a few dozen seconds of some talk, the four of them must've decided to move. The sound of their speech started dying off in the distance.

Travis sighed with relief, but the Inspector didn't seem too complacent.

"You," she growled lowly at him. "What the hell is going on?"

"Do I look like I know?"

"You started escaping as soon as those things showed up."

"It's called instinct. Besides, I'm only level 1. What do you expect me to do? Fight them?" he asked, a tinge of aggression seeping from his tone.

She closed her eyes and massaged her temples. Yet, no further words left her mouth.

"I have no idea where this is or how to get out. All I know is that if we want to survive, we need to do it together," Travis said, and immediately, he cast a <Suggestion>.

<Maybe he's right. Those things looked dangerous. Cooperation is probably my best bet.>

This time, the spell sunk into her mind much faster. Travis could swear that it disappeared the instant he let it out of his mind. Was this woman thinking like him right now?

"…alright," she nodded. "If we are to survive, we should find some shelter from those things. This place seems good for now."

Travis nodded. However, as if to contradict her words, a new panel appeared in front of him.

[No part of the Penalty Zone is safe for long. There will always be something hunting you, and in case you kill it, more will be lured toward you over time. Always be on guard.]

This message wasn't good. Travis didn't know much about the Penalty Zone yet, but he understood the implications. His gaze turned to the river. The ever-moving surface was still quiet, but he knew it, sensed it. Something would jump at them if he didn't hurry.

"It's not safe here," he said quickly, grabbing the Inspector by her wrist.

Just barely able to fidget with her feet fast enough to not fall, the woman asked him with an angered tone, "What do you mean? It's sa--" she looked behind herself and noticed how some kind of a monster had emerged from the water and made its way to where they had just been. Had they been just a few seconds late they would've both died. "Oh shit, it's not safe, it's not safe! Faster faster faster! RUN!" she suddenly urged him.

The monster looked like a kind of reptile. It had four short, powerful legs attached to a log-like, long body with a large, long jaw, all covered in greenish scales. Its long tail swayed as it turned around at them. The distance was 30 meters but the thing seemed intent on getting to them regardless. It started going on the land, surprisingly fast for its size.

"Shit!" the woman cursed again. "Have a taste of this!" she pointed her hand at the reptile. Two bracelets on her right hand lit up with pale blue light, and a sizeable icicle, about 40 cm in length, materialized in front of her hand and zoomed at the monster.

The projectile hit the reptile clean in the head. However, its flat surface and scales made the woman's attack bounce right off, seemingly more annoying than damaging.

She attacked again and this time, she shot a few smaller icicles, aiming for its legs. She did inflict visible harm onto it, as the reptile seemed unable to use its front right leg properly. Suddenly, it stopped, and deciding that getting hurt wasn't worth the hassle, it backed off a little before turning to the river and disappearing within.

But neither Travis nor the woman stopped running for a few more minutes. After getting their hands on some vines, they both climbed and sat down near a tree to catch a breath.

"This place is ridiculous," she said. "I've never seen things like this."

"Neither did I," he shook his head. "For now, we need to find a way to defend."

She looked at him and then slowly nodded. **** survival must've quelled her wariness toward him a bit, as her gaze softened.

"Are you alright?" her white hair waved slightly as she tilted her head, scanning him with her emerald eyes.

"I'm fine," he shrugged lightly. "You?"

"Me as well," she replied. "You're saying that we need a way to defend?"

"That's probably the wisest thing to do now. I don't know about you, but I'm not looking forward to seeing how strong those animal-like things are with nothing but what I have. Survival should be a priority if we want to get out."

"Get out? How do we even get out?!" she asked, her hands shaking. "A-All communication is severed. I can't contact Silvana or anything from Forna. Hell, not even Moliv Kingdom or Chis Empire are in range! I have no clue where we are, so how are we to get out?!" she seemed quite angry all of a sudden.

"Calm down!" he urged her quickly. "I don't know how it happened that we are here, but despairing won't do us any good, will it now?" he placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling her tense at the contact. However, it seemed to have the effect of stopping her despair, at least for now.

"…hands off," she shrugged his hand off her shoulder. "We need to assess the situation. No matter how, when, or if we get out of here. If we're dead, then getting back will be pointless," She seemed to gather all her mental strength. "So I will need you to be on the same page as me. Travis, right?"

"Yes."

"I'm Aria. My class is 'Mage', and I specialize in elemental magic. What about you?"

"Classless," 'Maybe I can pull this off…' he thought, trying to connect another Suggestion. However, he forgot about one thing.

[Not enough MP.]

'Dammit.'

"Classless?" she raised an eyebrow.

"I…" 'DAMMIT. Quick, something!' "I was a Rogue yesterday but decided to change my class."

Aria squinted her eyes, visibly having trouble believing his words. However, after a few short seconds, she sighed with resignation, "I hoped you'd at least be a swordsman. Well… that's not good. Have you any experience with weapons aside from daggers?"

"A bit," he replied. "But I'm not sure if there is anything to use as a weapon here. I doubt branches and leaves will do much."

Aria looked to her side and started walking quickly.

Travis followed her without a word of compliance. First of all, he didn't know what she wanted to do. Second of all, he did feel that they needed to move. After all, they needed to take care of their safety. Talking could be done in the meantime.

He summoned his status and noticed how he regained 3 MP. He remembered his recharge rate from when he was a Rogue. Back then it was roughly 60 MP every hour, and now it appears to be 1 MP every 2 to 3 minutes. Or maybe he lost his sense of time? He looked at the timer for the quest.

[4:22:51]

'Taking into account 5 minutes I got earlier, it seems to be 1 MP every 5 minutes. It's a horrible rate.' he thought with a bit of dismay. Still, that hardly mattered at the moment.

Aria walked between the trees with wariness, soon stopping next to a wall of vines. Taking one in hand, she measured its thickness quickly and attempted to yank it. However, surprisingly enough, the plant was excessively enduring and somewhat springy as it suddenly pulled her back. She frowned for a moment before changing her expression into a small smile.

She stepped back about 10 meters and pointed her hand upward. A single bracelet lit up on her left hand as she aimed high above, and a blade of wind shot forward, cutting 2 or 3 vines with ease. A thumping sounded as the pieces of plant landed on the ground, each about 15 meters long. Aria looked at Travis, who had a questioning expression on his face.

"Better any tools than none," she explained. "With vines this thick, maybe we can use them as makeshift ropes."

He nodded before walking and getting a hold of one. It was somewhat light but thick enough to be called a rope. He only could have hoped it would be strong enough if he wanted to use it in this place.

"Anything else we need to get?" he asked, seeing how Aria was about 5 meters from him, rolling one of the vines and getting it over her shoulder. She bent her knees a little under their weight. 'They are so light, so why is she acting like they're not… Oh shit.' he noticed how the end of the vine was dripping some purple fluid. It was most definitely not the same breed as the vine he had. "Aria… get away from there." He whispered.

"W-Why?" she felt the hair on the back of her head stand up. This man was suddenly urging her to get away. Why? He did save her twice, so she had no reason not to listen to him, but what was the cause?

"That vine… it's not a plant." He finished his thought.

"H-Huh?" she looked at the thing tied around her. No, it was most definitely plant. "What do you mean?"

*Drip!*

A big drop of purple liquid splashed on her shoulder, falling from above. Startled by the sudden stain that appeared on the side of her head, she yelped and jumped backward.

"Aaah!" she sounded, leaning into the wall of vines. "W-W-What the hell is this?!" her voice quivered as she dropped the vine to the ground.

Unsure how to react, Travis looked around quickly. It appeared that they were alone, for now at least. This did not put his mind at ease, but it did allow him to focus on the white-haired woman.

Aria's hands shook as she raised one to her cheek and took some of the purple liquid onto her fingers. It was thick, adhesive, and… warm? No… why would a plant have warm liquid inside?

"Aria," she heard the man speak to her. "Look at me," the urgency in his voice was palpable as he **** himself not to raise his voice.

Fright was reflected in her emerald orbs as she met the gaze of his golden eyes.

"We need to remain calm," he urged her. "Quiet and collected," 'Lest whatever lurks near has good hearing.' "Walk to me, calmly," he said, his gaze escaping left and right.

Aria nodded unsteadily. Doing her best to not begin crying out of fear, she made a short step forth, stepping onto the grass. However... she suddenly felt something around her left shin stop her in her trek. Her already bright face turned completely white. Her lips quivered uncontrollably as she felt tears form in the rims of her eyes. Yet, her vocal cords could not squeeze out a word as she saw Travis looking around.

He scanned the surroundings for anything that could jump at them, and thankfully, he saw nothing. Or maybe it was bad? Maybe there was an enemy around that could use stealth? Hell, in Penalty Zone, anything like that was on the table of possibilities, and Travis was realizing that. He could only scoff slightly whilst taking his steps closer. Suddenly, he stopped, noticing the immense fear within her emerald eyes.

"Aria? Are you alright?" he asked carefully, his own orbs darting all around

Her jaw trembled as she shook her head vividly. "T-Travis…" she started, with her voice shaky. "R-Run," Aria didn't dare budge from her position, feeling the creepy feeling over her left calve rise slightly higher with each word. Atop this, she realized something more.

"What? W-Why? Come on, we must get away from--"

"RUN!" she pushed him with surprising **** and felt the vine go up her leg quickly. As it reached her hips, it constricted strongly and pulled her.

"Aria!" he shouted, mostly out of surprise, trying to get to her. But it was too late. She was already gone behind the thick plants, pulled away by something. From within the grove, her screams carried over through the forest. "Aria!" he yelled again, trying to get between the growth.

Suddenly, a thick vine shot from within the wall, just barely missing him. Then, a second one came, pushing at his shoulder and throwing him several meters back.

Feeling the pain reverberate in his body, he **** himself up. This wasn't supposed to go this way! Why couldn't anything work out in his favor for once?! He gritted his teeth as he ran at the wall of vines. Having no weapon, he resorted to simply punching the plants that now blocked his passage.

"Aria!"

Suddenly, her screams went silent. No sound came from behind the wall anymore. Travis went to his knees, closing his eyes.

This was the worst. Without Aria, his chances of survival got dangerously close to 0%. Slowly, he got up and stared at the vines. He needed to save her. He was sure she wasn't dead yet. If it was anything like the killer plants he read about in the past, it would take several hours before Aria would die at best. At worst... perhaps one.

But this was an opponent way above his league. If even Aria, who was presumably around level 40, couldn't fight it at all, it must've been at least level 100, possibly more. Then… wasn't there anything he could do?

Meanwhile, the clock was ticking.

[4:17:22]