Disclaimer: Namco owns ToL and the characters and places and what not. They always will own it.

The Rare Raynard Monster

One fateful day, Will Raynard was exploring the Great Hollow with Senel Coolidge and Shirley Fennes. Will had received a report of a rare monster from Kaz of Werites Beacon and, with his fascination, decided to search for it himself.

The trio was exploring the B1 level of the Great Hollow. Will led the others, holding the Sorcerer's Scanner in front of him. Senel and Shirley trailed behind him, uncertain.

"Any luck, Will?" Senel asked.

"No, the Sorcerer's Scanner isn't picking up anything," Will said.

"I wonder if we have to go deeper?" Shirley asked.

"Most likely," Will said. "Let's head for the next level."

They took the elevator down to the next level of the ruins. Will checked the Sorcerer's Scanner again and gasped as the machine began to beep.

"Wait...I'm getting something."

Will walked slowly down the treacherous paths, keeping his eye on the scanner as the beeping sound became louder and faster. "This is great...I'm definitely going to catch this monster..."

Senel and Shirley still followed him, shaking their heads.

"I wonder why Will is so fascinated with monsters?" Shirley whispered.

"Beats me," Senel responded. "I just wonder what he's going to do with that monster if he catches it."

Will stopped at a particular spot in the center of one of the flower-like platforms. "This is it! I've found it!"

He pressed a button on the Sorcerer's Scanner, and a blue ring of energy descended around him, then the monster was revealed. It looked like a silver beaver.

"Wow!" Will gushed. "I've never seen a beaver of this color before. This is truly a rare specimen. It even looks small enough to capture without harming it."

"Will, be careful," Shirley said.

Will knelt down in front of the beaver and slowly reached out towards it. "It even has a soft fur coat. That's unusual among the beaver species."

"Hmm...it looks harmless enough," Senel commented.

"Easy..." Will said to the beaver, as he inched ever closer to it. "We won't hurt you..."

Suddenly, the beaver's eyes glowed red, and it lunged forward, biting Will's hand. Will screamed as he quickly pulled his hand back. The beaver hopped off the platform, down into the hollow below.

"Will!" Senel called as he and Shirley rushed up to him.

"Are you all right?" Shirley asked.

"Damn..." Will turned to face them. "It got away..."

"Never mind that!" Senel said. "Look at your hand!"

Shirley looked at Will's bleeding hand as well. "Oh no, that looks horrible!"

Will suddenly grabbed his arm with a groan. "Arrgh...my whole arm suddenly went numb."

"We'd better get you to a doctor, and fast," Senel said. "Let's head back to town."

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Meanwhile, in the Oresoren village...

"Jay, we just received a letter for you," Poppo said.

Jay took the note and read it aloud. "Dear Jay. Will and Harriet are out of the house. Meet me there right away."

The note wasn't signed, but Jay knew who the note was from.

"So I'm to go to Will's house..." Jay said. "All right, I'll see you all later."

"See you later, Jay!" the Oresoren called.

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Jay used the duct to get to Werites Beacon, then went over to Will's house. He knocked on the door and waited.

A moment later, the red-haired bandit opened the door. Jay immediately noticed the pair of shackles that Moses held in his hand, with one end already secured to his wrist.

"Jay. You're under arrest!" Moses seized Jay's arm and quickly secured the other end of the shackle to his wrist.

Jay looked at his shackled wrist, mortified that he was actually chained to Moses. "You stupid bandit! What the hell are you doing!?"

"You've been a naughty boy, Jay," Moses said. "I'm gonna have to take you in and spank you!"

Moses yanked on the three-foot-long chain, pulling Jay into the house and slammed the door.

"All right, Jay, get upstairs," Moses said. "Up, up, up."

He took Jay by the shoulders and led him up the stairs, shoving him into Will's bedroom. Again, he closed the door behind him.

"Wh...what are we doing in here?" Jay asked.

Moses grinned. "I'll give you three guesses, and two of 'em don't count."

Jay covered his face. "You called me here just for that?"

"Hey, no protests! You're supposed to enjoy it!" Moses took Jay by the waist and slapped his rear end three times. "Bad boy, bad boy, bad boy!"

Moses then tossed Jay onto the bed. Jay quickly sat up, but it was already too late as Moses began to climb onto the bed as well.

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Will immediately went to the hospital with Senel and Shirley upon their return to Werites Beacon. The doctor examined Will's hand, then bandaged it up.

"There you are, Mr. Raynard," the doctor said. "Just soak your hand twice daily for twenty minutes each, and it should be all right."

Will looked at his bandaged hand, flexing his fingers. "Thank you. But what about the numbness in my arm?"

"The creature that bit you must have hit a nerve," the doctor told him. "It should be all right after some time."

"Ah...I see." Will stood up.

"So what will you do now?" Senel asked.

"I'll just head home and take a nap," Will said. "You two may do as you please."

He turned and left the doctor's office.

"What should we do?" Shirley asked.

"I think I'll take a nap as well," Senel said.

"I'm still worried about Will."

"Look, the doctor just said he's going to be fine. But if you want, we can check up on him later."

Shirley nodded. "Okay."

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Will returned to his house and walked over to the couch sluggishly. He stood for a moment, feeling the strength draining from his body. He pulled off his glasses and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Finally, he dropped the glasses on the table and fell onto the couch, falling fast asleep.