Larvan was shocked at the scene he was facing.
The beast died from an arrow to the head, before it could even bite Larvan's hand off, with blood all over its face, and the beast flopped to its side.
He looked in the direction from which the arrow came, It was a man standing on top of the tree branches.
The man wore a trench coat with gloves on his hands.
He had green eyes like nature and black, haggard hair.
Larvan felt something briefly.
"You shouldn't have let down your guard, newbie, you're lucky I was passing by, I wouldn't have interfered and passed by had you finished the Everbeast." -The man said with a wide smile.
The man came down from the top of the tree and walked towards Larvan.
Larvan backed up a little.
Wary of the stranger, he was ready for a fight that might happen at any moment, knowing that he can't win.
"Woah! Calm down, newbie, I was really just supposed to be passing by. The names Nax, nice to meet you." -Nax said.
Nax held his crossbow with his right arm next to his right shoulder.
"How am I supposed to trust you? How would you even know I'm a newbie?" -Larvan said cautiously.
Nax smirked and shook his head slightly.
"Firstly, you have a guide with you, second, you only have one item on you, and finally, based on your outfit, you look like you just came straight out of the office." -Nax said, pointing out his observations.
"Uh, well, you're not wrong, but how can you tell that she was a guide, and I only have one item? In fact, how do I know you wouldn't kill me and take my item?" -Larvan said.
"Haa..." -Nax exhaled while holding his head with his left hand.
"Well, for starters, newbie, I wouldn't care about your item, it's not what I'm looking for, and besides, you've already bound with it, it can't be taken from you, if I kill you with the item bound to you, it would've just disintegrate and become nourishment to The Ever Plain's world." -Nax explained.
Larvan listened but was still skeptical of how much was what he said was the truth.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" -Larvan asked.
"Just ask her, she can't lie since she's a guide, and if she can't answer anything, she will say so directly." -Nax said.
"Is what he said true?" -Larvan looked at the guide and asked.
"Yes, everything he said is true, I would have told you this had he not interfered." -The guide said, while turning to look at Nax with a grim smile.
"Ehehe... Sorry about that." -Nax said.
"I see." -Larvan said, relieving some of his concerns.
Larvan looks back at Nax while searching him from head to toe.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Larvan." -Larvan said while holding out his hand.
Nax grabs Larvan's hand for a handshake.
"Nice to meet you, newbie.
You were wondering how I knew you had one item, right?" -Nax said.
Larvans was shocked and nodded in response.
"Didn't you feel something for a moment?" -Nax said with a smirk.
"Yes, I did, was that you just now?" -Larvan asked.
"Indeed, what I did was I probed you to see if you had more items on your person or within your will, but I only felt one, and that was your ring that had your will bound to it." -Nax said.
Larvan was momentarily lost in thought as to how he could prevent people from finding out.
Larvan also attempted to probe Nax, but failed somehow, as though he was trying to push through something jelly like, and Nax widened his eyes and smirked at Larvan.
"Nice try, newbie, but that won't work, those who are experienced enough have ways to make sure that no one can know how many items they have bound." -Nax explained.
"I'll teach you one of many ways to do so, then, as a gift for our first meeting, it is the way of thickening your will around you, consciously making sure of resisting any external thing that isn't apart of your will like facing a wave on a beach and resisting it not letting it move you from your spot.
Just like what I am doing right now, it is as natural as breathing to me." -Nax said.
Nax swayed his hand outwardly to show Larvan how it's done.
Larvan then applied what he had just learned from Nax.
Larvan concentrated on himself with the intent to repel all external will, Nax then scanned Larvan again to see if he had succeeded.
Nax's will was repelled.
Larvan then smiled at his success, but Nax focused his will, penetrating Larvan's will, Larvan caught off guard by the sudden bombardment of will, like being opened like a can of tuna.
"Caught off guard now, are you?" -Nax said with a smile.
"Hehe--" -Nax laughed.
"Sorry about that, I was just testing it." -Nax said.
With Nax's playful tricks, Larvan did the same, but to no avail.
Larvan then thought of concentrating his will like a needle to penetrate Nax's will.
Succeeding in doing so, Nax was shocked as he just let Larvan be, not knowing that he would succeed.
Larvan managed to see two items, the coat and gloves, he tried to look for more, but was stopped by Nax, and his will was expelled.
"That was enough, don't you think?" -Nax said with an eager smile.
"Sorry, I got carried away, Haha--" -Larvan said.
Nax was intrigued by Larvans' imagination.
"He would be a nice friend to have." -Nax thought.
Noticing the smile of the guide becoming eerily dark.
Nax could read the guide's face clearly saying, are you the guide or am I, Nax quickly tried to remember what he was doing.
"Alright, I'll continue on where I was planning to go now." -Nax said.
Nax took out a map out of nowhere.
It was another item, an item stored within his will
"Where was I." -Nax said intently looking at his map.
"What were you looking for?" -Larvan curiously asked.
"Hmm?" -Nax said slowly, looking at Larvan.
"Well, you see, I'm looking for an item that grants me strength, It's kinda hard without it, as you may already know." -Nax said.
Larvan, looking at his map curiously, Nax humored him.
"Well, if you're that curious, this item is a ranked item, one I found in the Ever Halls closest to the entrance of the Ever Plains.
It was once common ranked item, but thanks to the various conditions and restrictions I placed, it became a rare ranked item." -Nax explained.
The guide looked at Nax with the same look, but then quickly looked in the direction of where the door Nax used to enter this place.
"I was planning for mister Larvan to experience this after I explained more.
Oh well, he needs to experience this sooner rather than later." -The guide thought.
Larvan listened intently, when suddenly.
Boom!!
Grawl!!!
A huge sound accompanied by an inhumane growl was heard.
Larvan's ring showed a pointer in the direction automatically, he looked towards where the arrow was pointing with his eyes wide.
Nax also looked in that direction, eyes wide open.
"What was that!?" -Larvan asked hurriedly.
"Damn! This is Bad! Cleaner! Run!!" -Nax said with certainty.
Nax ran as he did, and Larvan followed suit.
"Cleaner?!" -Larvan asked.
"Yeah! No time to explain! Just run!" -Nax said.
Both of them headed to the door where Larvan and the guide entered. Larvan looked back to see the guide right behind them, striding as fast as they were running.
Larvan was worried, for even Nax, a veteran, would run from something and not do something about it.
As they got close to the door, Larvan again looked back and saw it closing in, a creature of indistinguishable form, it was like a moving mud or tar, you could distinguish where its eyes right away, it kept shifting, trying to form into various creatures, some recognizable like animals, or humal like combined with animals.
It walked in twos or sometimes grew another limb to do so, its arms or what looked like one were trying to reach the group.
Larvan then continued to look in front of gritting his teeth, shaken by what he saw.
But then, another limb grew, it was different from the others, through sheer instinct, the limb that grew was forming into something sharp like a needle.
Nax reached the door first, opened it, and waited outside holding the door for them.
As the cleaner moved towards them, the sharp needle like limb pulled back like a bow, then stretched to reach them.
Larvan noticed the arrow pointing from behind him, grew in size faster, he looked back and saw the guide's figure blurred, he was focused on the incoming limb, eyes wide.
"Look out!" -Larvan shouted.
He jumped and took the guide to the side, barely reaching the guide, dodging the attack.
The guide's eyes were wide open in disbelief, both lying on the ground, Larvan on top, clearly still exhausted, pinning the guide, looking back at where they were.
Boom!!
The needle like limb pierced the ground, wriggling.
The cleaner drew closer and closer towards Larvan and the guide.
Bam, bam, bam, bam--
Bolts were shot at the wriggling limb and at the creature, and the cleaner's attention was taken by Nax for a moment, causing the cleaner to pause and shield its face processing the attack.
"Idiot! What are you doing? Hurry up!" -Nax shouted.
Larvan stood up and took the guide's hand, both running towards Nax, the guide still eyes wide open, with a smile that looked like it was still processing what had happened.
The cleaner continued on and powered through the bolts.
Nax, still shooting at the creature til they finally reach him.
Nax quickly shut the door.
"Come on! Run!!" -Nax shouted as he ran.
Larvan followed, still holding the guide's hand, then Nax looked back and matched Larvan's pace.
"Dude! What were you doing back there?!" -Nax asked, bewilderedly.
"Saving her life! Wasn't it obvious?" -Larvan replied.
Nax looked at Larvan with eyes and mouth wide open, with an astounded face.
Nax then looked at the guide, and the guide, whom was looking at Larvan with a disbelief smile, looked at Nax.
"You didn't tell him, did you?" -Nax asked.
"I was going to tell him, but I kept getting interrupted." -The guide said with an innocent smile on her face.
Larvan looked at both of them questioningly, eyebrows reaching each other.
"Tell me what?!" -Larvan asked.
"Dude, she is ignored by every creature, she won't die or can't die." -Nax explained.
Larvan is shocked, looks back at the guide, who was smiling innocently, and his hand holding her, quickly letting go, he looked away from them with his face all red, and embarrassed.
Nax teased Larvan about it, but then.
Boom!!!
Grawl!!
The loud sound and growl caught the group's attention, and they looked back at the cleaner chasing them once more.
Nax, gritting his teeth, raised his crossbow behind, targeting the creature.
"Set, reload time, one day!" -Nax said.
Click!
Swoosh--
Boom!!
Rawr!!!!!
He shot the creature, greatly blowing it backwards, he then put away his crossbow.
"I have to lay low for a while after this." -Nax said.
Larvan was surprised at what Nax did, what he shot was more powerful than back then, and he heard Nax say something before shooting.
The guide looked at Larvan's questioning face.
"It was rules and conditions." -The guide said.
"Huh?" -Larvan questioningly said, looking back.
Continue...