Pecking Order

"I won't kill them, but I will get them out if I have to hogtie them and send them off in the wagon, but do you know why they are bothering you? Are they even bothering you or is this just you not wanting them in your city?"

"Ah, you see, they are trying to subvert my pretty patrons! Giayadel is a pig and a Lecherous beast. The men he sends are the most handsome that he can find and they are offered wonderful lives, but they are all lies. You know just as well as I do what a god can do to a moral, I can tell, mind-reading, annoying, I know right? Anyway, the moral of the story is, well I don't have to say what he is doing to my people, but If I attack his followers, then he will go crying to the other gods, and they love to start shit," Dyster explained.

"So, then If we do it is just an act of war for Healia against Giayadel?" I asked rhetorically.

"Only if you kill them, and you said you wouldn't. So, it doesn't matter, look I gave you ten rings and knife boy the other Belt Knifer, so just try okay? I will talk to Granvel at the Ground Pounders Guild, you will like him and the boys! They are a good bunch, and I'll let them know about your situation and they will know not to jest! Dyster said while tossing Tim the other roll and then handing us all the boxes.

"What do you mean by our situation?" I asked, glaring at him, forcing my eyes to glow red, but then I stepped back.

"That you don't like dick. Now, remember K, I am not Healia. Watch your mouth with me and don't try to use your cheap party trick on me!" Dyster said in a deep and loud voice that did not match the body that it came from.

I stepped back because both his eyes were completely filled and spilling with a liquid green fire that rolled down his face.

Suddenly tree's started to fall, and the ground started to shake; what was going on? Gloria grabbed both Lesha and me and pulled us back from the angry God.

Then it all stopped, and Dyster's face was normal again.

"Sorry, but I like to get the pecking order in line when it comes to your type! I control disaster, remember that, but I have taken up enough of your time, you still have a couple days to travel! See you back in the city!"

With that, Dyster pulled a flat white stone with a blue circle on it. Dyster touched his wagon and then whispered something, and disappeared. It was almost like he had never even been here, except for the fallen trees.

"That was stupid, K. Why did you accept those things! Now we have to stir up Trouble with Giayadel!" Gloria complained as we got back in the wagon.

"It will be fine, we aren't killing them, but Giayadel is killing girls. Are you okay with that? We aren't nearly strong enough to challenge any one of them right now, but if what he says is true, then I would have done it for free."

That seemed to cool Gloria, but it got me fired up. What a pig of a god, he would be the first one I killed. Lesha put a hand on my arm, and I cooled a bit, but I was still bothered by what I had just heard from Dyster.

It was just past midday and we ate some rations while talking about the new rings we had just got. I went and handed one out to each of the girls and I had given one to each of the boys. I had offered Mark and Kevin one each, but they had both declined and bowed their heads in respect to me.

"No, that wouldn't be right, we should be the ones giving you the rings, hehe. You all have been the ones protecting us, we are only the cooks and night watch! Thank you for the offer, but you should keep them, your Guild will grow large soon. Plus you have those rings so you can get experience for your class outside of the dungeon," Kevin explained.

I wanted to ask him another question, but I was too embarrassed, so I went to Tim instead. He already knew that I was pretty new to most things, so I didn't mind asking him.

"What is experience, like what it means for our classes. I mean I know that I am a tank and I'm supposed to draw the attacks of who we are fighting, right? But, then you said there were skills, and…" I was going to keep asking, but Tim put his hand up to stop me laughing.

"Hold on there! One at a time! Okay, experience is what you gain from fighting monsters. At low levels, it has no effect on you, but after you get into emerald, your Guild Leader should help you get one. Since you skipped a couple steps, I will explain."

"Can you come inside and explain it to everyone?" I asked, and he nodded.

Soon even Corbit was in the back with us as we all piled in. The wagon was moving and the two men sat in the back and the four of us sat in the front, almost. Mei was laying across the three of us, sleeping again, with Gloria playing with her hair.

"Okay, so most of this is pretty straightforward, and K, since you have already used the Guild System, this won't come as much of a surprise to you. For the rest of you, when you put the ring on there will be a blue border that surrounds your vision, don't worry this is normal. Let's just start by putting the rings on," Tim explained to us.

I opened my box and poked Mei in the side to wake her up. Once I had the top of the box off, I pulled the small silver ring band. There was nothing descriptive or notable about them, they were just plain silver bands.

I slid mine on my finger.