Currently in the Land - Field of Reeds.
The woman stood up from where she was resting, her face showed a look of irritation, she had golden eyes and red hair, a crop top only showing her belly button and neck lines, and baggy pants.
Both Larvan and Nax faced her.
"You guys! Have been talking for an hour now!! Can't I get some rest!?" -The woman yelled.
The group looked at each other with a confused expression, letting their guard down as she shouted.
Sizzle!!
The flames around them intensified as she abruptly put out her palm towards the group, the flames getting closer to them.
Larvan and Nax jolted in panic for a moment.
"Ok! Ok! C-calm down! Please?!" -Larvan requested in earnest, raising both his hands.
"L-let us talk this out." -Nax said, raising both his hands as well as putting away his crossbow.
Both stuttering their words as the flames closed in, the woman paused for a moment and glared at them, then mobilized her will to investigate them.
"Alright then." -The woman said.
She waved her hand and dispersed the flames, her look of irritation lessened.
"Come on then, talk!?" -The woman exclaimed.
Sigh....
Both Larvan and Nax sighed and felt relieved after the woman listened.
"Well!?" -The woman said, crossing her arms.
"We're sorry for disturbing you, miss, we're just teaching my friend here the basics of The Ever Plains, since he is new here." -Nax said, bowing a little to show respect.
"I can see that." -The woman said, glanced at the guide, then glaring back at the both of them.
"A-and we were just taking a quick break after all the running, hehe" -Larvan said while scratching the back of his head.
"And?!" -The woman said with skepticism.
Gulp...
Larvan swallowed nervously, trying his best to figure out a way to calm her down.
"First of all, my name is Larvan, a newbie, this is Nax, a friend that I just got to know today, and this--" -Larvan tried to explained.
"I know who! or what she is! Your point being?!" -The woman said in an irritated tone.
"We really aren't bad people.. We were just trying to rest and then be on our way." -Larvan explained nervously.
Still on her guard, the girl squinted her eyes.
"I've heard that before, many times actually, fools that know only killing, and newbies that are hasty and greedy." -The woman said, while reminiscing.
She remembered the times when she was kind and naive, her father's warnings, and her mother's reassurance that there are still kind people out there, and at that moment, she made a decision.
"I've heard their conversation, the guy named Nax, is the only one of them that has an item that is a weapon type, plus his item is ristricted with the adds he had placed so he could not use it for a while, is what I remember hearing, so there is no real threath about them, but he might have something his hiding as an ace up his sleeves, I can't be too careless, so this is the only way." -The woman thought.
She took out something that looked like a popsicle stick and snapped it with her fingers, and a spirit like being appeared next to her.
"What's that?" -Larvan asked while squinting his eyes.
"A limited use item or what you would call a consumable item, it is something that is the most common to find in the Ever Halls and Everplain." -The guide explained, while smiling and watching things unfold.
Larvan looked at the guide with a serious, questioning face, and Nax was on high alert against the woman.
"It's common alright in the Ever Plains maybe, common enough that many people find them easily, and that's what makes it rare as well in the Ever Halls." -Nax scoffed.
"Relax, just as the guide said, this is an artificially created limited use(ACLU) item, a one time use one at that." -The woman explained.
Nax's eyes were wide open in shock, Larvan, on the other hand, had a face full of questions and curiosity.
"Let me introduce myself, my name is Serree, so now that that's out of the way, this consumable item,
//
ACLU: Item - Spirit Tell(Rare ranked) =1 time use
Ability: Create temporary contracts and can distinguish the truth from lies.
//
with this, I don't have a reason to doubt you guys' words." -Serree smirked, explained, and pointed her thumb to the spirit.
Gulp..
Nax swallowed nervously.
"Go ahead!" -Nax declared, resolving himself on anything that could happen.
Serree respects Nax's bravery and proceeds.
"Ok then, our contract only last until we part ways, but first, I need to ask you guys some questions, and I have something to ask the guide that only they know the answer too since finding a guide after a Keyholder finishes the tutorial is quite difficult, why not take the chance right?" -Serree explained and smiled.
Larvan looked at the guide as she had a question for her as well, and then looked back at Serree.
"Ask away." -Larvan stuttered.
"Alright, for my questions, do you guys have malicious intent towards me?" -Serree asked, pointing at them.
"No." -Both Larvan and Nax said without hesitation.
Serree looked at the spirit beside her, it didn't react, meaning they were telling the truth.
"Alright, then, do you guys plan to trick me?" -Serree asked.
"No." -Again, both Larvan and Nax said without hesitation and shook their heads slowly.
As Serree's questions continued, both Larvan and Nax answered truthfully, Serree's evaluation of them both, rose a little.
As Serree's questions ended, she prepared the contract and pen with the spirit's power.
"Alright then, here's the contract,
/
Spirit Temporary Contract -
No malicious intent or harm is to be done to the parties involved in this contract.
No thoughts of malicious intent or harmful thoughts are to be done to the parties involved in this contract.
No party involved in this contract shall be left behind, regardless of circumstances.
Parties involved in this contract shall resolve disputes in a fair manner.
No party involved in this contract shall betray each other.
Parties who signed and agreed to the contract shall adhere to it or face death.
The contract only lasts until the parties involved take their separate ways.
Signatures of parties above this.
/
well? Do you guys have anything else to add to the contract?" -Serree said and explained that the contract manifested and is floating between them.
"This is?!" -Both Larvan and Nax mumble to themselves.
Both Larvan and Nax read through the contract, their look of both seriousness and confusion evident on their face.
"This woman is way too cautious." -They both thought.
They both signed after confirming that the contract was an insurance for Serree's distrust of people.
"Good, now I can trust you guys." -Serree said.
After the contract was signed, it floated towards the spirit and devoured the contract, but it remained.
"Now, for my question to the guide." -Serree said, while pointing at the guide.
Both Larvan and Nax looked at the guide as Serree pointed.
"Is it true? That the pioneer's World Ranked items were Source level before?" -Serree asked, with a look of conviction.
Stunned for a moment, both Nax and the guide's eyes were wide open to the question.
"Yes, yes they were, but I thought your father told you of this? Is this the reason why you came to the Ever halls? To find a guide for confirmation." -The guide said.
Her father did talk about it to her, but she could not believe it, thinking that finding a world rank item is the only way to gain one.
Serree looked at the spirit next to her, and there was no reaction, even though guides don't talk if they can't say something, and everything they say is the truth when they do talk.
She still could not believe it, knowing this, she finally had a goal in mind.
Nax, on the other hand, looked at all of his items in disbelief.
He only knew that the 100 pioneers had world rank items, he only thought the items were found, not nurtured from Source level.
"Umm.. Ex-excuse me, what is the ranking system of the items that are ranked?" -Larvan asked nervously, while raising his hand.
All of them were looking at Larvan, forgetting that he was a newbie, except for the guide, of course.
"That's a good question, mister Larvan, then to begin, let us start with the clean slates being the Source Level, then comes the Ranked items being from lowest to highest,
Common rank
Uncommon rank
Rare rank
Oddity rank
Anomaly rank
Collector rank
Legend rank
Ancient rank
Mythical rank
Transcendent rank
Divine rank
World rank
*********
this is the item's ranking system." -The guide explained, pointing her finger showing something that looked like a hologram with the ranking system.
As they all listened and watched, Larvan had a thought.
"Is this all the rankings? Or is there more to it?" -Larvan asked unconsciously.
The three of them looked at Larvan, Nax with a forrowed brow, Serree with her eyes open, the guide with her innocent smile.
"What are you talking about, newbie? That is the ranking system, the guide already put it out, and she doesn't lie, right?" -Nax said, looking at Larvan while pointing at the hologram.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Hehe.." -Larvan said awkwardly.
"I can't believe a newbie is asking this question, when even Father didn't know of it until much later, I wonder what the guide would say?" -Serree thought, looking at the guide.
The guide stood silent, smiling innocently at them, not answering Larvan's question.
"So, now that that's over with, why don't we go on our way to Land - HSH? That Land is a neutral zone, a safe place artificially created Land, and is owned by one of the 100 pioneers.
Master the bartender there, has many delicious things to offer." -Nax said, breaking the awkwardness.
"Fine by me, I'm done with my goal here anyway." -Serree casually said.
"Goal?" -Both Larvan and Nax mumble.
"There's such a place?" -Larvan asked innocently, changing the topic.
"Yes, Uncle Og, a pioneer who created that place for the Serfers of the Ever halls, an amazing place to relax, and it is comparable to a 5 star luxury hotel in the outside world with a fantasy theme, complete with rooms, swimming pools, bars, and the likes" -Serree remarked.
"There it is again, 100 Pioneers and Serfers?" -Larvan thought.
As the group was talking, the guide slowly looked at the door through which they came from.
Bang!!
A cleaner barges into the Land, Larvan's ring automatically triggers, showing an arrow pointing in the direction of the loud sound.
The group started looking in the direction of the sound, finding a huge black mud like creature entering from the door, a cleaner.
They were all shocked, eyes wide open, even though they were far away, they could tell this cleaner was a big one, as big as a regular high rise building.
The guide was still smiling innocently as it entered.
"Run!!!" -Nax shouted as he pulled the two of them together.
As the three of them ran to the door on the opposite side with all their might, gritting their teeth, the guide followed behind without much effort.
Continue...