Penalty

Tonight is a full moon and the night breeze blows cold while carrying the faint smell of blood in the air.

Two figures are standing in front of the half dead person. Gio ,the younger Alexander, is the first one to move and pick up the book in front of them.

". . ." He silently looked at the bloody book then glanced at the girl.

"Is this enough?" They weren't surprised at Konrad's appearance like they already expected.

Konrad walked past his sons and knelt on one knee, he laid the girl's head in his arm and grabbed something out of his pocket, a blue liquid in a glass container. He poured the blue liquid at the girl's throat and the wound in her neck. The blue liquid only stops the bleeding in her neck and does not heal the cut. Her face is still pale and colorless.

Konrad saw the girl's badly beaten condition.

'She held out for hours,' he thought. He picked her up and held her in his arms.

Konrad turned to his sons again. They are not saying anything and just staying still.

". . ."

". . ."

Konrad passes by his sons again and disappears in the shadows.

****

It's been five days since the fight and the girl is still unconscious. She had been placed in a new, blue and gold colored room. The furniture is light blue with orange threads.

Theo has been standing outside her room for awhile now. Her bloody face was stuck in his head these past days.

"Wa. . . was it. . . fu . .n to see me. . . cling to life?"

Her defeated smile is haunting him. Until the end she didn't show any fear.

"Kaleena, What should your brother do?" He whispered.

A pat on the shoulders was given to Theo who is drowning in his thoughts.

"Brother"

"You're back"

Gio removes his hood. The dark circles below his vibrant blue eyes became visible against his pale complexion and his long silver hair were braided and pushed back.

"She still hasn't woken up?"

"Not yet. What about the book?"

". . . She is telling the truth. It's a Map that activates when it is inside the forest." Gio dropped his eyes.

"Then why didn't she use it?" Theo sighed.

"She said she can't use it before. Didn't you hear?"

". . . " Theo and Gio's eyes met, then Theo sighed and said. " You are guilty as I am."

"I am not the one who slash her neck" Gio put back his hood and lowered his head.

" Take some responsibility, you jerk. " something snapped in Theo's head and his left eye was twitching.

". . ." Gio stepped away from his brother who is producing mana sparks.

****

'Ugh.' She woke up in a different room, again. The ceilings were white but the walls were blue and gold. She reaches and touches her neck, there is something wrapping it.

"After life? Why can't it be in a beautiful garden or open field? I am sick of rooms." She closed her eyes again.

"If that is what you want, I'll lay you in the garden next time"

She flinched. She didn't know someone else was there. She looked over and saw Theo sitting in a chair near her bed.

"Hell. I am rotting in hell. Dammit" She sighed and said as sit straight up and looked over at the man who slashed her neck. Seeing her killer even in the afterlife. She is convinced she is being punished.

". . ."

Something soft landed on my lap.

"Luna? Why are you here? " She was confused why Luna is here. Did they kill him too? She glares at the sitting Theo and notices the slight flinch in his shoulder.

"HEARTLESS BASTARDS. . . I . . . I. . ." She put Luna down and got out of the bed and approached Theo and threw a punch at his face.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!!" She gets on top of him and punches him continuously.

"I. . . I. . . I just wanted to find those motherfuckers who did this to me!! You jerk!!! you should have let me die in the forest if you stupid brothers will just . . . . . "

*Crack*

"Arghhhhhhh!" She broke her hands. Just how hard is that bastard's face? 'Arghhh. ughh'

'Wait the pain. . . the pain is too ----. '

The door opened and Theo's father entered with the usual expressionless maids and an unfamiliar man in white.

'That sly old man just watched me get killed. I should have at least kicked his balls. '

"You're still alive." He said coldly.

The first thing that she thought was "Why?". Multiple thoughts flow in her head.

'Am I still alive? Did they decide to save me after slashing my neck? what is your purpose?' Instead of these questions she mutters other questions instead.

"Have you checked the book?" She asked as soon as she saw the familiar hood behind Konrad.

'Is he hiding?'

"Yes it was----"

"I died because I was weak, not because I am a liar." She cut Konrad's words.

She decided to treat them with the same hostility she received.

"Are you going to fulfill your end of the deal or did you just want to prove that you won? You took the map." She glared at Konrad.

"You look fine." Konrad dismissed the people following him and sat on the couch with two of his sons standing behind him. Dé và ju.

Theo, who she rained down punches, is quietly looking at her. His face is not even bruised while she suffers from the cracked wrist. Gio is looking somewhere far.

She remained standing while supporting her broken wrist.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Konrad asked.

"No, but your son slash my throat, remember?" It's a disgusting feeling that they stood here like nothing happened.

Theo, who opened his mouth, was about to say something but closed it again. He keeps his sight away from her.

Luna jumped on the table beside her. He tensed up and ferociously hostile to them but he slowly calmed down after she put her hand on his head.

Konrad pulled out a shining blue box out of his coat pocket . The box looks like it was made of the shiniest sapphire she ever saw. The more you look at it, the more beautiful it gets.

"Inside this box is a code. I will give this to you once you complete your training."

"Training? "

" You have to be worth it. You owe it to the previous owner of this code." She senses a faint hardness in Konrad's voice. The tension in the room has risen up by multiple levels.

'Previous owner? Is she dead? Something tells me that I shouldn't ask that.'

"I see, but before that, I want to know why your sons tried to kill me." The atmosphere is tense but Konrad has talent on changing the subject but she is determined not to let it go.

"Those are tests."

"Do I look that stupid to you? Is it fun?" she can no longer mask her agitation. She wanted to tear them apart but she was far too weak. The broken wrist is proof.

"Their bloodlust is real. They wanted me gone." she pathetically admitted. if they seriously want. . . they can.

"You. . . you don't know who's code you are taking." Gio responded, shaking with anger. Their eyes met and his eyes were burning with hostility. She bit her lips knowing this situation might go awry again.

"Gio." Theo grabbed Gio's shoulder and the sparks around him slowly died down.

"That code belongs to someone important to you." She didn't ask and instead I stated what it is obvious.

She was seen as a thief.

"She must have been a very amazing person." To be this special to these three monsters. Konrad gazes at the box like it's fragile. Theo and Gio can't look at the box but their reaction showed how much they hate her for taking this code.

"Give me another co--- . . ."

*Ting*

~Emergency Quest FAIL~

[EMERGENCY QUEST: Kill The Alexanders Brothers]

0/2

"huh?"

[Preparing Penalty for Quest Failure. . .]

"Dammit!" She jumped out of her seat while looking at the screen and cursed out loud. She forgot about the penalty.

[Penalty]

Level: 1

- Poison Tolerance will be suspended. The player's body that had been exposed to poison will start to rot.

Time Limit: 3 hours

Scorching heat traveled from the pit of her stomach to her throat like it was on fire. Her heart feels like it is being squeezed tightly. She felt someone's touch her back while she hugged her body.

"ah. . Ar. . . ahhhhh" she roared in pain. The burning sensation all throughout her body becomes unbearable. Her muscles are twisting and getting torn.

She starts throwing out blood. A pair of cold hands touch her cheeks.

'Theo? What is he doing? '

He was saying something but she couldn't hear it.

'Why can't I hear him?' There's a high pitch ringing sound in her head. Her brain feels like it's splitting.

She can't think of anything except that excruciating pain.

****

It's been an hour since she collapsed. She is writhing in pain and sweating non stop. Her face and lips are losing their color.

"Your Grace." One of the doctors approaches Konrad and bows.

"Speak"

"The patient's body is rotting from the inside."

". . ."

"This might be hard to explain but her body has stopped resisting poison."

When she first came here, her medical records showed multiple poisons found inside her body but it was kept under control.

After being trapped in a forest with poisonous air, fruits and monsters, Konrad had an idea how she lived.

"We tried administering an antidote but her body is killing it. "

"Are you saying you can't save her?" Konrad looks down at the sweating bald doctor. Their eyes met, the doctor shivered and immediately got on fours and begged.

"Your Grace, have mercy on this poor doctor. I believe she is forcing herself to resist the toxins by coughing bad blood. There's a limit to what I can do. In this case a High Priest can, they . . . they are. . . "

The doctor realized his mistake and trembled more and hit his head on the floor.

"Take that clown away." Theo said. The guards drag the doctor away while he is shouting and pleading for mercy.

Konrad and his sons wear the same expression. They are watching her cough mixed red and black blood. Her nose and ears are bleeding too, the servants wiping her blood nonstop but the blood keeps soaking the sheets.

'This is all I can do for you ,child, it is up to you to survive.'

Konrad turns to leave the room.

****

She woke up with heavy eyelids and took a few minutes to see and saw a familiar ceiling white ceiling and light blue walls.

*ting* ting

[Penalty Completed]

- Restoring Poison Tolerance.

[Skill Tolerance will now be activated.]

[Multiple Poison Tolerance is reactivating . . . .]

She closed her eyes again and finally she could feel her body feeling lighter.

' Damn. . . . this system.' she cursed before drifting away again.

****

"The doctor said that her condition is stable." Theo reported to Konrad, who is busy looking over some documents.

"Are you going to continue?" Count replied without looking.

"No." Theo and Gio answered in unison.They both know what their father is talking about.

"Train her after she recovers."

Both Theo and Gio bow down and leave the office.

Konrad massaged his head and sighed. He looked at the heavy dark curtain with a securely hidden portrait underneath.

". . ."

Outside the office, Gio and Theo walk in the corridor without their cloaks showing thier tattooed arms. Servants bow in their presence.

"You look relieved for someone who slashes her neck." Gio opened his mouth.

"You tried to cut her in half."

"Tried. I didn't actually cut her. You did."

"This jerk. Are you still not taking any responsibility?" Theo is smiling to control his anger but his eyes are twitching. He sighed and decided to let it go.

"Is it alright with you to give Kaleena's code to her?" Gio stopped and looked beyond the huge window and saw the sun shining brightly outside.

"No." Theo also looked outside.

They are both looking at the garden where they used to take the young Kaleena to play.

Kaleena's long black hair she inherited from their mother was beautiful in her brothers' eyes. Smiles that fill them everytime. How can they let someone replace her?

"Make her give up the training, brother " Gio said

"She will give up."

****

"Three days. I can start training in three days." She responds to Theo after saying the training will start after she fully recovers, which they estimated at least a week from now.

"Yes?" Theo looked at her with a questioning look.

"I can start in Three days."

*Ting*

~New Quest has Arrived ~

[QUEST: Complete the Training]

Rewards:

- Acquire New Skill

2x Small Healing Potion

3x Medium Healing Potion

1x Book of Monsters

1x ???

Theo is staring at her and a small frown creases his white forehead.

"Suit yourself, Don't complain you are sick when we start."

"I will not. . . I will appreciate it if you return my spear."

"After you pass your training." Theo gave a fake smile and She gave it back too.

"Do you have questions?"

"Yes. What are you still doing here?" She really likes risking her life to do some trivial things like pissing off someone who can kill her anytime.

"Brat." He said and left.

She is alone in a huge room. Luna has been violent lately. He attacked anyone who tried approaching her. That's why she was taken to another room for a while.

'Do I really have no choice but to stay here?'

Even if she denies the feeling of security here compared to outside, it is still the truth. She would rather stay here than be caught codeless outside but this doesn't mean she has to be polite to them.

'If they didn't try to kill me or if only they controlled their bloodlust I wouldn't suffer from the penalty.

"Haha. Who am I kidding?" she talked to herself. She sighed.

"I am just trying to blame someone for my weakness."

The truth is they saved me but to them I am an unknown person who is stealing something precious to them.

She lay down and glared at the ceiling.

'Why give that to me, if it is so precious?'