The girl could hear the grass rustle beneath her feet. She moved slowly, trying to maintain the distance, all without breaking eye contact with the vicious beast mere feet away from her.

She cursed beneath her breath. “Dangit, I knew I shouldn’t have entered this dungeon alone...” She'd gotten overconfident. The enemy was way above her skill level, and both she and her opponent knew it. The beast snickering down at her, mocking her in her silent fear.

A chill crept down her spine as the severity of the situation started to set in. She was at a big disadvantage here. One wrong move and it might prove to be her downfall. Her grip on her weapons tightened as her mind ran into overdrive, desperately looked for an opening - any opening - that would give her a fighting chance. Or flee, even if it seemed like the coward's way out. Anything that could save her sorry life. She didn't want to die - not here, not now.

The beast, as if reading her thoughts, grinned ever more widely at her. The glint of sharp teeth from within its maw ignited some primal fear within her, and she had to force herself to try and calm her breathing. The entrance was nearby, but not near enough for her to make it before the beast caught up with her. She had to fight, at least distract it enough that it wouldn't catch her before she could reach safety. Her hand slipped into her bag, drawing out her last healing potion. It was do or die.

'Hey, need some help there?' An unfamiliar voice echoed through her mind, and she startled, losing her grip on the red vial. It rolled through the grass, away from her.

"Oh shoot!" she yelped, and her focus diverted from her opponent for a split second, but it was enough to prove fatal.

The beast lunged towards her. She tried to back away, but in her haste, she stumbled and fell, looking at the beast, inches away from her, and automatically shut her eyes in fear. She raised her arms to cover her head, even though it was futile.

Yet seconds passed, and no pain came.

Then she heard the beast let out a pained yelp. Warily her eyes opened, peeking to the familiar sounds of battle before her. A tall man stood before her, locked in battle with the beast. He wielded a sword as long as his height, yet it didn't seem to hinder him in the slightest. The girl watched in awe as the swordsman swung the obviously heavy sword around as if it were light as a feather. His movements were swift and precise, and it didn't take long before the beast fell to the ground, motionless.

“You alright there, miss?” The man sheathed his sword across his back, before turning to her. Her eyes widened when she heard his voice. It was the same voice who had spoken into her mind, and the cause of her almost-fatal distraction.

"You...!" she hissed.

The man frowned at her in confusion.

"You almost got me killed!" she bit out angrily.

"Oh, I did?" he looked at her nonchalantly. "Yet if I didn't step in, you would have died anyway."

"NO!" she denied immediately. "I-I had it covered! You were the one who ruined my concentration, what with you suddenly speaking into my mind!"

The man laughed and flashed her a charming grin. "I see what you mean. But I saved your life too. Will you forgive me, my sweet little pleb?"

A blush filled her face at the sudden suaveness. "I guess so... Yes, thank you..." She pushed herself back up to her feet, brushing the remnant dirt off her. Then she paused. "Wait... what did you just call me?"

The man looked at her innocently. "A pleb?"

Blood rushed to her head as he casually said the word again. "A 'PLEB'?!" she gaped at him furiously.

He looked at her, grinning that same annoying grin. "Something wrong with that?"

'I'm really tempted to throw a rock into that smug face of his,' she mentally grumbled, 'But he's right. I am a 'pleb', as he so nicely calls it. I'm still a complete beginner at this whole adventure thing. But that will change.'

She shook her head, trying to dispel the boiling anger within her. “Oh, nothing much. I am still a pleb, after all. Thank you so much for your help.," she bit out the words through gritted teeth; plastering her best smile on her face.

He nodded, seemingly pleased at her response despite the strong sarcasm laced through her voice. The man then knelt down to examine the loots that had dropped from the defeated beast. "So, what are you doing here all alone?" he asked, brushing off the blood and dirt that caked some of the loot. "Did it escape your notice that this is not a dungeon you can solo at your current skill level? Or perhaps..." he looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze. "...You don't have a death wish, do you?

"Of course not! Nothing like that!" she protested vehemently. The girl tried to calm herself before she spoke again, in a more level tone. "...I just made a mistake, that's all."

Much to her chagrin, that only prompted the man to break out in thunderous laughter loud enough to raise the dead.

"A mistake?! Good gracious, you almost got yourself killed, and you call that a simple mistake? You really are a pleb, aren't you?" he gasped out in between breathes.

That's it. She's had enough of this guy. "Fine, call me whatever you want! I don't care anymore! Thanks for your help, I'll be heading on my way now!" She turned around started to stomp towards the entrance.

"Hey, wait up!" he dashed forward and grabbed her hand, and she jerked to a stop.

She glared at him, shaking off the offending hand, but stopped and turned back towards him. "What do you want?!" she growled.

He simply grinned in response and dangled a small bag before her face. She could glimpse the crystals and gold ores peeking out from the brim. "Not gonna grab your share of the loot?"

A mental war waged within her, pride and need battling against each other, but in the end, the latter won out. She grabbed at the bag, only for him to pull it away at the last second, leaving her grasping at thin air. She turned her glare back onto him. Was he gonna give that to her or what? Or was he just taunting her again?

As if he'd read her mind, he laughed again. "Not so fast, pleb - not so fast!"

Her hand clenched into a fist, and she tamped down the urge to punch him in the face. Then again, considering the obvious difference between their skill levels, she'd probably break her hand rather than hurt him in any way.

He continued to speak. "I'll give you this - if you give me your name. Not your common name, but your True Name."

It was a big thing he was asking, and they both knew it. True Names were important and unique to the individual, and should only be given to the people you trust the most. With it, one could freely enter the person's subconscious and send them telepathic messages from regardless of distance. With common names, the distance was limited to a few meters, give or take. But what made True Names truly dangerous was the sheer power they held over the individual. It was like a free pass into the other person's mind. If the other was strong enough, they could even take over the weaker person's body and mind and bend them to their will.

It was not something she would ever give out freely - especially not to this rude, self-entitled snob!

"I may be just a simple 'pleb'... but I'm not so foolish as to give out my True Name to anyone, particularly to someone I just met five minutes ago!" she declared, standing her ground.

He let out a mirthful chuckle at her defiance. "Oh, really? Not even when that 'someone' just saved your life?"

She scowled - this was going nowhere. She didn't bother to respond this time, spinning on her heel and making a beeline for the dungeon exit, when his voice suddenly barged into her subconscious yet again.

'The name's Zeke - Zeke Valdez. Believe it or not, I'm just trying to help you, little pleb. Give me a call anytime if you need my help.'

From the sound of it, she knew that was his True Name. Did he trust her that much? Or was he that confident of his own abilities? She spun around, only to realize that he was standing right behind her. 'And I didn't even hear him move...'

He simply grinned at her, and plopped the small bag of loot onto her head, before dashing out ahead of her. "See ya around, little pleb!" He called out as he passed by her.

She was too busy trying to catch the bag to do anything more than glare at him.