Guild Iahweh - For the Honor of the Elfs

The guild responsible for Westland, like any other that may exist, carried in its name the Goddess responsible for the region and mainly reminded us of the mission to fulfill.

When I asked Cass about religion, the only thing she told me is that the goddess everyone loves here is Iahweh, the Goddess of travelers, the desert, the hungry, and sometimes, vengeance. It was a complete package, just needed some polishing and shine. But it had its functionality, just like on Earth, it restrained morality. I could disagree with her on some personal aspects, as I had just had an unpleasant experience with a fanatic, but, truth be told, it made sense.

“Maybe that bastard thought of my dogs as a divine gift.”

The guild, as a structure, was by far an easily distinguishable place. Despite appearing to have only one floor, I would say it could accommodate many people. Everything in it seemed to be too big or too exaggerated. The door that was presented to me by Vidar was about 6 meters tall, it looked like I had returned to Gildor's house. In the meantime, my biggest concern would be whether I could open it or not.

"Get out of the way."

In my stupor, I didn't realize I was standing in front of the door of the busiest place around here.

"Sorry."

"You must be a newbie. Welcome to what will kill you one day. Hahaha."

The being, not much different from me in height and build, passed me with a mocking face, but I didn't pay much attention. My eyes were focused on figuring out how he would open that gigantic door. Imagine how shocked I was when I saw that he only needed one arm to do it.

"Are you gonna stand there like a scarecrow, farmer?"

I found myself running inside the establishment out of fear of being crushed. Looking closely at that new environment, I began to realize that having a larger space on the inside than on the outside was common in the physics of this place. Once again, I was surprised by a vast space, filled with tables, and at the back, what seemed to be several counters.

"If you're gonna stand there like a door, I suggest you at least stop at that counter. There you'll find all the information you need."

As the being moved away, I could see that he resembled the succubus that almost killed me. As he headed to a table that was shared by others of his race, I could see many other tables that also, like the first one, had beings of the same race sitting together. However, even with a quick glance, I could identify that there was a clear separation between races.

My first impression was that they didn't like to mix, and that was bad, after all, there were no humans in this place. It didn't take long for me to become the center of attention. Well, I was a novelty there, so everyone focused on me and, even more, on my beasts. However, this time I noticed that after a few seconds of looking at my dogs, the interest simply vanished.

"Thank you very much, Cass," I thought.

Nervous, I didn't realize I had gone to the wrong counter. Stubbornly, even though I knew I had made a mistake, I asked,

"Hello, is anyone here?"

I tried to crane my neck to see what was behind the counter, but before I could see the other side, I was surprised by a seemingly normal woman. My eyes widened as she surpassed the closest human being I knew. However, to my disappointment, this impression didn't last long; her tail wagging behind her back and her fox ears gave away her true nature.

"I apologize for the delay. Pleasure to meet you, my name is Fritz. What do you need today, sir?"

"Jonathan. I've come to register and request the initial funds for my stay."

During our conversations, I asked Cass numerous questions about how we could survive in the dungeon with only the resources we brought. To my surprise, she informed me that during the guild registration process, we would receive a substantial amount as initial aid. However, she warned me multiple times about the importance of using that money wisely because once spent, we would have to obtain resources by killing creatures. "Focus on investing the money in strategic weapons," Cass emphasized. "Don't buy anything just because it looks cool."

Amidst my nervousness, my appearance didn't seem to bother her, or if it did, she didn't show it. It seemed like she wanted to finish the process as quickly as possible and get back under the table.

"I see that you've been informed about how it works. Very well, place your hand on this stone so we can identify your status and find a skill book for you. Hmm, wait... Do you have beasts with you?"

At least her interest was piqued again. When her eyes met my beasts, what I saw wasn't greed but uncontrollable curiosity.

"Yes, I do. Guts and Themis, say hello to Fritz."

They barked at Fritz, who seemed astonished by the situation. Her previously distant and uninterested behavior was destroyed by the two dogs that now held all her attention.

"Friends, come here. We have a beast tamer."

The counter that was empty a few minutes ago was now occupied by five women equally interested in my beasts.

"Now that I've placed my hand on the stone, I need to recite something?"

I started to feel uncomfortable being completely ignored. It seemed like I had disappeared from Fritz's and the others' concerns. It took a few loud coughs to regain their attention.

"Here's your card. Would you like me to introduce you to an available team?"

The guild provided everything, even a group if requested to the attendants who would find someone with the same requests.

"I'd like an open team, no commitments, and no racial restrictions."

A closed team was stronger and ensured more safety, but it came with disadvantages. You were required to sign a contract with almost enslaving clauses, and worst of all, there was no possibility of it being revised. An open team was formed by a hastily gathered group, and for that reason, the partnership clauses were lenient and egalitarian, but no one was responsible for anyone's safety, so you had to overlook safety to gain something in Westland.

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"The restriction of Filo is a very relevant factor for most groups. I won't be able to find a group for you now, I'm sorry."

Filo restrictions were quite common, most of the time limited to bipedal beings or those with the same appearance, but some groups, when mentioning the same Filo, literally wouldn't accept anything that didn't live on the same street before the upheaval. Thinking about the tables I saw, I realized that I would indeed have difficulty in this regard.

"But don't be discouraged, with your beasts, I believe someone will be interested in you soon."

I could only think that maybe I was a joke to her. But my questioning remained only in my mind, and besides, I needed to know a few things.

"Are there any rules I should follow?"

"Hmm, here we have some rules written on that big board. If you follow what's written there, you won't have any problems."

Looking to where she was pointing, I could see a board, and even without being able to read what was written, I understood. There were 10 simple rules, and as I quickly read through them, I realized that even if I wanted to, I couldn't break half of them. At least not without dying in the process. The sound of coins hitting the table snapped me out of the trance of reading.

"Sir, here are your 500 coins. Would you like to check the skill books for your beasts?"

"Do you have skill books for me?"

My question seemed to confuse Fritz; she really didn't understand why I needed skills when I had beasts. But it made sense, to her, I was privileged, so I preferred to ignore her subsequent insistence.

"Our skill books are here. Would you like to take a look and choose some skills for your beasts?"

What she put on the table while trying to convince me was a book with several pages marked, tied together with something like a shiny string. However, upon closer inspection, it was clear that the pages were made of some creature's skin. Usually, skills were extracted from the monster that was killed and transcribed onto its own skin so that the effect would be valid. Unfortunately, the skill acquired from the monster was random and would never be the intrinsic Gift, so there was a risk of it being worthless. But at the moment, for me, the important thing was to know that simply tearing the page gave the inscribed skill to the one who tore it. It was information I knew in advance, but seeing it live gave me chills and a sense of a horror movie.

"No need, thank you very much..."

I was going to refuse again to check the skills for my companions, but something spoke in my mind stubbornly, forcing me to be heard. The connection we had was very strong, but I didn't know it was a two-way street. I was forced to listen to what my two dogs wanted, and it could help in my endeavor. I could feel the desire, the stubbornness, and, most importantly, the courage.

I could simply ignore them, but what Cass told me made me reconsider the matter. It wouldn't hurt to take a look.

"Let me see the beast skills as well."

Fritz's happiness was visible, and it seemed like she knew something. I didn't try to fish for information; I preferred it to come to me willingly.

As I put the two little ones on the table and we examined the books in search of something good, we found interesting skills. However, most of them required mana, something I didn't possess. So I focused on the skills that only required water affinity. Cass told me that Aquanaga was a high-level class and its potential could only be seen at higher levels. But what was known from the beginning was that this class had a high affinity for water and, primarily, had some healing power. Some beings from aquatic worlds possessed this power, and even though it was rare, it wasn't unique; the beast tamer was ahead in terms of rarity.

While searching for something that would bring me damage and safety, I found a few that interested me:

Water Sword (Normal) +2 Strength

Passive: Even if destroyed, it can be reconstructed with body water

Requirement: Low water affinity

Note: A common sword found in a level 1 beast with water Affinity

Water Lance (Normal) +1 Strength +1 Dexterity

Passive: Even if destroyed, it can be reconstructed with body water

Requirement: Low water affinity

Note: A common lance found in a level 1 beast with water affinity Water

Whip (Normal) +1 Strength +1 Agility

Passive: Even if destroyed, it can be reconstructed with body water

Requirement: Low water Affinity

Note: A common whip found in a level 1 beast with water affinity

Jellyfish Chain (Uncommon) +1 Strength +1 Dexterity +1 Endurance

Passive: Even if destroyed, it can be reconstructed with body water

Requirement: High water affinity

Note: An uncommon chain found in a level 2 beast with high water affinity

I was certainly interested in the Jellyfish Chain, especially when I discovered that it had the same price as the others. The reason was that, despite being uncommon, it required a high affinity, which was hard to find.

"Fritz, I'd like to know how the Jellyfish Chain ability works."

"Sure. I need you to look at the same stone you touched before and concentrate."

That seemed strange to me, but I obeyed anyway. When she touched the page to the stone, I was sucked into a cold and eerie place that resembled a cave but was much larger. Not far ahead of where I was, I could see a battle taking place.

As I watched the fight, I couldn't help but think how convenient it was to be able to see the chosen ability live in action, especially when used by someone born with it. However, my thoughts were soon interrupted by the battle cries just a few meters away from me.

"Rkam, damn it, grab the aggro from that thing!"

"Leader, I'm trying, but I can't get close to that crap. These chains keep repelling me if I get near."

"Lily, throw a fireball. If we can't win up close, we'll win through attrition."

"I need time to cast. Protect me!"

"Everyone, fall back! Let's form a barrier to protect Lily. Damian, be careful!"

The fight seemed to be going in a difficult direction, and a significant part of the problem in killing that monster, which looked more like a giant slime, were the chains that, as unique as they seemed, gave a clear sense of acting like chains from Andromeda. The battle dragged on for a long time and was solely a battle of attrition. In the meantime, the disadvantage of this weapon became evident: it required the bearer to stand still while generating a 20-meter protection field and a 30-meter attack field. However, anything beyond that made the owner of the weapon a living target.

When it was all over, I already had a clear explanation of how it worked. Now, my doubts were even greater because, despite being an offensive and defensive ability, it had a highly exploitable weakness. But when my two dogs approached me, each holding an ability in their mouth, an answer seemed to form in my mind.

"I see you've already chosen your abilities. Let me see."

Gigantification (Rare - Epic) +5 in Strength, +5 Endurence

Passive: While the Beast possessing this ability is a pure Tank, the additional attributes are doubled

Requirement: Companion Beast

Note: Rare among level 7 Adult Tartarus Minotaurs

Fly (Rare - Epic) +5 agility

Passive 1: While a beast, the attribute Fly is Applied

Passive 2: While a beast, eagle vision is incorporated

Eagle Vision: Enhanced vision up to 8 kilometers

Requirement: Companion Beast

Note: An uncommon ability of level 6 Ancient Tartarus Bats

"These abilities are not too powerful?" I asked, impressed.

Fritz's excitement became clearer when she caught me reading the abilities aloud.

"Crazy, right? But if you understand how rare someone from your class is, everything becomes easier. The last time I met someone with something similar to what you have was 9 years ago."

Finally, I understood why both Cass and Fritz insisted that I see the available abilities for my beasts. Since the abilities were random, there could be things that only the beasts could use. But what do you do when no one wants to buy something you desperately want to sell? Simple, the prices plummet, and what used to cost as much as a house becomes as cheap as a new harvest could afford.

"The price for all three abilities is 400 bronze coins. Can I get a discount?"

"As for the chain, there's not much I can do. The demand exists, but I can talk to the owners of the beast abilities and try to arrange a payment plan. Since each one costs 200 bronze coins, you can pay me 100 for the two now as a promise of payment and 200 for each one within 2 months. That would total 500 coins, but you would only pay 300. What do you think?"

It made sense for her to offer this proposal since, if what she said was true, these abilities had probably gone without being acquired for years. However, paying 500 bronze coins, even in the future, would mean that I would have to go to the dungeon many times, which would definitely bring more risks.

I found myself thinking about all the possibilities that would arise from my decision, but the fear that began to consume me was quickly pushed aside by two barks. Looking into the eyes of Guts and Themis, I understood that to achieve what we wanted, we needed to risk everything together.

"I accept."