The Bearkin's grip on Lux's clothes was so tight that no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free.
Eiko, who was perched on Lux's head, glared at the Bearkin and then spat a Water Ball on the Bearkin's face, making the latter lose his balance which, in turn, allowed Lux to drop on the ground, coughing.
"Oi! What do you think you're doing?!" Cai, who had been frozen due to shock earlier, finally regained its senses and stomped its feet in anger. "If you want to fight, let's fight!"
Keane frowned and remained on his spot, but his hand was now gripping the handle of his sword. If the Bearkin attacked any of them again, then he would no longer hold back and draw his blade.
Boss growled, but Cai and Keane didn't back down. Eiko was already glaring daggers at the Bearkin, and tendrils of crimson flames escaped her lips. She was on the verge of unleashing a Dragon's Breath, not caring whether the Adventurer's Guild would be destroyed by her attack.
"Everyone, please calm down," Lux stated after he regained his breath. "Boss, I think we should all sit down and discuss this in a civil manner. If you don't want to cooperate, that's fine. But, I would appreciate it if you don't get in our way later. "
The Bearkin's rank was that of an Initiate. Although he was stronger than Lux and the others, the Half-Elf and all of his comrades were not afraid of a showdown.
After all, Lux could easily summon two Initiate Assassins of his own, and when that happened, even the Bearkin would find it hard to defend against their all out assault.
Boss then took a deep breath before taking the chair that was blown away and sat down on it. His table had been destroyed when Eiko blasted his face with a Water Ball since his body crashed on top of it.
"First tell me, Did HE send you?" Boss asked. His gaze never left Lux's face, looking for the slightest change in his expression.
"First, who is this HE?" Lux asked. "I was sent here by Sir Nevreal to investigate the cause of the drought. I don't know if he's the one you are referring to, but I'm here because of his request."
The Bearkin heaved a sigh of relief after hearing the Half-Elf's reply. He was referring to a different person. If that person was the one that sent Lux, then the Bearkin would definitely start packing and flee the Wolfpine Barony in haste.
"Then, how did you know about the Creature of Ruin?" Boss inquired.
Lux crossed his arms over his chest before he held the Bearkin's inquiring gaze.
"I'm a Foreigner, we have records of this stuff," Lux replied.
Cai, who was listening by the side, glanced at Lux in surprise.
"We do?" Cai asked.
"Yes," Lux replied. "You're just too lazy to ask your Elders for information."
Cai pondered for a moment before nodding its head. It was too lazy to read any information regarding Elysium and preferred to just explore at its own pace.
The Half-Elf was just b*llsh*tting his way through this because he just wanted to get this mission over with. But, deep inside, he wanted to slap his pig teammate who didn't know how to support the people on its own side!
The Bearkin still looked at Lux with suspicion, but since he didn't know much about Foreigners, he decided to put the matter aside for now.
"Okay, what do you know about the Creature of Ruin?" Boss asked.
Lux shook his head. "I don't know anything about it. However, I have a feeling that it is an incredibly strong creature."
"Hahaha. Incredibly strong creature?" Boss laughed out loud after hearing Lux's reply. "You have no idea how strong this creature is. There's a reason why it is sealed in the first place in the Dark Plai–"
The Bearkin immediately shut his mouth because this was an information that he didn't plan to say. He just got carried away when he found out that Lux thought that they were just dealing with an ordinary strong monster, like a World Boss.
Lux knew that the Bearkin still held a lot of information, so he tried to try a bluff to make the latter spill the beans.
"I already know that the Creature of Ruin is sealed in the Dark Plains," Lux replied as if it wasn't a big deal. "Actually, the seals have already been destroyed. The Monster is even on his way to this town as we speak. However, even if we leave, we are already under the Curse of Ruin, so even if we run to the ends of the world, nothing can save us. However, the situation can still be salvaged if you cooperate with us."
The Bearkin's face became extremely pale after he heard the words "Curse of Ruin".
He immediately took something out of his storage ring and held it in the palm of his hand. The thing he took out was a purple orb and, at first, there was no immediate change on its surface, but several seconds later, a golden eye appeared in its depths, and started to look around, making the Bearkin drop it in shock.
"It's true!" the Bearkin exclaimed as the purple ball rolled on the floor until it hit Lux's foot. "I am cursed!"
The Bearkin covered his face with both of his hands, as he started to mutter something very quickly in a language that Lux was unable to understand.
Although he had no idea what the Bearkin was saying, he felt like it was a prayer to protect him from harm.
A few minutes later, the Bearkin sighed before looking at Lux with a fearful gaze.
"Is there a way to break this curse?" Boss asked.
Clearly, he knew from the start what this curse was about, and he wanted to break free from it as soon as possible.
"I know how to break it," Lux answered. "But, before that, tell me everything you know about the Creature of Ruin. make sure to not miss a single detail, or none of us will be able to make it out of this alive."
The Bearkin clenched his fists as if he was fighting a great internal struggle inside his heart.
However, this lasted only for a few minutes before he finally unclenched his fists with a sigh.
Now that he had confirmed that he had indeed been cursed, he had no choice but to believe the Half-Elf's words, or else, he would risk receiving the entire condemnation of his Clan for failing to do his duty as the Guardian of the Seals of Ruin within the territory of the Wolfpine Barony.
