Chapter- 4

{Minor Coercion

Grade - E

Durability - 15/15

Type - Mental Suggestion

Stat - Mind - 1}

{Nimble Foot

Grade - F

Durability - 10/10

Type - Body Augmentation}

{Defensive Ring

Grade - F

Durability - 10/10

Type - Stat Increase

Stat - End - 3}

{Odor Repellent

Grade - E

Durability - 15/15

Type - Deodorant}

I looked at the four Rings I had obtained from the fat thief, wondering absently at the Stats that a few had. One Ring seemed entirely devoted to the Endurance Stat, but when I put it on no change occurred in my own stat screen. The Nimble Foot Ring seemed to just augment what your body could do. It didn't do anything for me, but it seemed geared toward people like the fat thief, those to large to be good at moving.

The one I was most intrigued by was this Coercion Ring. I frowned absently, wondering at the concept behind something allowing you to take control of another's mind, or their thoughts. It didn't increase my Mind stat like the Defense Ring. I was also curious as to why the man had not used it on me. Had he and it simply failed, or had he been so sure that as a child I would simply obey? Another question to ask of Griss.

I ignored the Odor thing, I had no doubt about what that one was actually for. Depending on how hygiene was in this world, it might even be something that everyone either had, or desired. Ultimately there was to much to learn, and I had only been here a couple of hours at most. I turned from the Rings toward Griss, now untied.

He stood there, turning his body away from Rose as if it would save him if I allowed her to kill him. Those ropes had been tight, I could clearly see the scraped skin on his wrists as he rubbed them. He'd been trying to undo them, obviously. You only really damaged your wrists like that when actively trying to loosen a too tight binding.

I took a good look at him this time, more than my cursory glance previously. He really did look like a rat, narrow face, a too long nose, beady little brown eyes that seemed closer together than they should. He was tall, lanky, but seemed to hunch ever so slightly. Other than that, he wasn't an ugly individual, just rat like. "Griss" He jumped when I said his name, nervously looking at Rose as he haltingly responded. "Y-yes?"

I snorted lightly. "Calm down, you work for me. Rose won't eat you now, will you Rose?" Griss got a very strange look on his face, regarding me as though I were insane for talking to a Guardian as if it could respond. "No, my Lord." came her raspy voice, even as her milk-white eyes stared hungrily at the man.

Griss paled when he heard the voice, whipping his head around to stare in abject horror at the woman. He all but fell on his ass trying to scoot away from her. "No! H-how can she s-speak!? Only...Only Growth Guardians can speak! Oh Gods, your Ring doesn't show the Growth type, WHAT is it?!" Alright then, future note of only having her respond aloud if needed.

I moved toward Griss, hissing when I moved my broken arm without thinking, and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at me, pure terror evident on his face. Seriously? I took a deep breath, planning a way to calm the first man to be placed under my thumb. "Calm down, Griss. Everyone has their secrets, I just have a few more than most. Rose is special, and that is all you need to know. Speak of this to anyone, and she gets to eat you...alive." I added the last more as an afterthought.

Looking at the suddenly hungry look on Rose, it was even proper. Griss started stammering about, unable to string anything resembling words together. I slapped him then, the sound echoing out among the corpse filled area. "Pull yourself together! I don't need useless people, are you useless now Griss?"

"N-no! I swear, no one will know! Please, please don't kill me!" I frowned, thinking a bit. I admit I was thinking slower, more sluggish, my stomach gnawing at reason. Even my oversight was a bit much though. How exactly did I ensure his silence? It wasn't like Rose would always be around me, I had plans for her.

I hmm'd before asking a question. "How can I trust you now, Griss? You broke so easily in the face of something unexpected. How can I know you will remain silent?" I saw him pale visibly, realizing that he might very well die at this moment. He started fumbling around his waist in a mad rush.

Bringing my dagger up to his throat, he stilled. "N-no! I, I ain't pulling nothin'. I have a way to show you!" I frowned, not trusting him in the slightest. "Slower, do anything I don't like and I find a replacement."

He moved slower then, each motion very visible, deliberate. The obvious shaking of his limbs aside at least. He pulled a Ring out from his pouch very slowly and showed it to me. I brought up the Rings status, forcing myself to make it a habit.

{Contract Ring

Grade - C

Durability - 1/1

Type - Forced obedience}

I stared at it, shock plainly written on my face. "I hid it from him, I knew he'd take it, and wanted to try...it doesn't matter now. It, it works like an enslavement Ring, but without adding the Slave status!"

"Explain" I said simply, not caring if he found it odd I didn't know about the Ring. It was a plan thing, copper in color and a small little quill engraved along the edge. It was also the highest Grade Ring I had seen yet, with one durability.

"Y-you wear it, and think of the contract you wish enforced. It requires you to give something in turn but it makes your conditions primary. Breaking of the contract, by either party, will end in death."

I frowned, but slid the Ring on and thought about activating it. A display came up again, it had two blank sections. Contractors Offer and Contractors Demands. I filled both out, feeling this was better than Slavery by far, it seemed balanced and would make my life easier with clearly defined benefits to serving me.

{Designated Target - Griss

Contractors Offer - The individual Contracted will be under the Contractors protection, and receive training designed to make them stronger, better at what they do. The individual will be designated as the Contractors ally.

Contractors Demands - The individual Contracted will never speak a word of anything he sees the Contractor do, unless verbal permission is granted. The individual being Contracted will remain loyal, in all aspects, to the Contractor. The Individual being Contracted will always place the Contractor and his goals before his own.}

Interesting concept. I looked at Griss, forcing the image of him being granted the contract in my mind. His eyes moved slowly, widening somewhat before looking at me. He gulped again before doing something. The Ring on my finger suddenly turned to dust, I looked on in curiosity, and mild frustration at the Ring being a one off.

The dust from the Ring drifted in a lazy arc toward Griss, landing on the inside of his palm, forming a piece of paper in detailed Ink, a portion landed on my own bony forearm and became a quill. "Fascinating, good. I suppose you can be trusted for now. A question before we start moving toward this town. Your accent, is that the common one for this area?"

He nodded mutely, looking for all the world as if he had signed a deal with the Devil. In a way, I suppose he had. I'd use him without remorse to get what I wanted after all. I closed my eyes, mentally shoving my tone, inflection, and speaking habit toward a more British accent. To me it was British at least, for all I knew it was only coming across that way to me.

"Let's go then, Rose will take rear guard. You will be answering more questions as we move." I took a moment, reminding myself to keep the accent and tried the Ring to mend bones again. It still didn't work, which had me pull up my own Status screen to eye the Mana number. It hadn't been long, but it would create a reference point. Griss was rising from where he had fallen in a vayne attempt to escape Rose as I did, dusting himself off quietly.

{Name: Crispin

Alias - Monster

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Social Standing: Slave laborer

Patron Deity: Hekal, Goddess of War, Fire, and Rebirth

Mana: 4/70

Str: 0

End: 2

Dex: 1

Mind: 5

Contracts - 1

Injuries - One broken arm, suffering from malnutrition.

Rings -

Soul Forge - Perfection, Devour, Mask of Deceit, Location, Translation

Death Knight - Guardian

Ring of Healing - Mends Flesh, Repairs Broken Bones.}

It increased by two, that meant the usage of this thing was above four. Perhaps at five it would become usable again. Judging by the sun, if it went by normal standards, it had been about an hour. So my Mana regenerated at one every half hour. Good, I'd be useless at low Mana levels if I were injured, but other than that I could eek it out longer knowing a time frame.

I briefly toyed with the idea of turning the armor set I'd scavenged for myself into a Ring. Griss being bound to secrecy with that Contract was the only reason I contemplated it. Ultimately I threw the idea away though, I had no idea if he had a method of removing the Contract so opening myself up that much and showing all I could do seemed relatively silly. I'm sure the man suspected that I could create Rings. The way he described the light that led them to me without too much shock showed it wasn't curiosity that led them, but an odd knowledge about how Rings are made.

That led me down the thought process of if the method, effects, or general idea behind creating Rings was fairly well known, perhaps I had no need to hide my ability to create them. Unlike the others, if Hekal was to be trusted fully, I was the only one who would always create 'growth' Rings. That would end up with me either truly enslaved, or killed. So a secret, for now. I'd pump Griss for more information and then see how things faired. Eventually he'd learn of it, I promised to train him in the Contract after all.

That promise made keeping it from him permanently rather impossible. I'd have to trust him, and others like him, at some point in this new world. If I didn't I'd end up having a short life. I'd play it safe for now though. Work toward that trust.