The remaining guard grew more nervous as Skye landed, but he would stand his ground. The guild had to be defended! He readied his lance and shield, preparing himself for his death.
Plonk!
Instead, a person jumped down from the bird's back and landed. When the guard saw this, he took a deep breath of relief. This bird was only the mount of someone. That meant that it wouldn't attack. Yet, he was still impressed by it. How powerful would someone have to be to have a high-grade Energy Beast mount? Only someone in the Spirit Forming Realm or someone with a relative in that Realm would have such a powerful mount. The guard wondered who came.
Gravis walked forward, dusting off some dirt from his white-gold robes. By now, he had gotten used to wearing those, even though he still wanted to change to his old style. Yet, he had to wait for a couple more days. In the public's eyes, he was still part of the Heaven Sect, and he should look that way.
The guard noticed Gravis get-up and realized who had arrived. He was quite surprised because he didn't know why someone from the Heaven Sect would come here. The disciples of the Earth Guild were always respectful and never aggressive. It was supremely rare that anyone from the Heaven Sect would come. It was not in the earth disciples' nature to commit atrocities.
When Gravis walked closer, the guard hit the floor with his lance. "Welcome, Heavenborn!" he shouted with respect.
Gravis looked at him and nodded nonchalantly. "Hello. I came to visit the Earth Guild," he explained.
The guard nodded. "Good. Please follow me," said the guard as he started walking into the cave. Gravis followed.
They walked for a couple of minutes until they saw several people at the ninth level of Energy Gathering charging towards them. Gravis was not sure what this was about, but the guard knew. One of the new arrivals, who was still at the eighth level, looked at the guard in surprise. "Why are you here?" he asked loudly.
The guard hit the ground with his lance again, making them stop. "The bird outside is the Heavenborn's mount. There is no danger," he reported with a powerful voice.
The eyes of the guard at the eighth level revealed some recognition and relief, while the others looked a bit annoyed. They had been called for nothing. Yet, surprisingly, they didn't give voice to their discontent, even though the two guards were weaker than them. One of the guards stepped forward. "That's good! Even though it was a false alarm, you still did well in acting cautiously. Don't let this false alarm give you a false sense of security!" he also shouted imposingly.
Gravis found it rather funny. Everyone from the Earth Guild talked slowly with a lot of impact behind their voices. He wondered if everyone was like that. Another thing that surprised him was the reaction of the new arrivals. This was not the reaction that Gravis had expected from them.
If this happened in the Wind Guild, the disciples would probably groan in annoyance and whine about the situation. If this happened in the Fire Guild, they would probably aggressively insult those guards or even beat them up. The Lightning Guild would probably chew them out for judging the situation incorrectly. Yet, the disciples from the Earth Guild even praised the guards for the false alarm. That was new to Gravis.
By now, Gravis had seen the disposition of four different guilds, and they all acted very differently. The Lightning Guild was disciplined, correct, and defensive. The Wind Guild was unfettered, free, and casual. The Fire Guild was aggressive, uncensored, and hot-blooded. The Earth Guild was respectful, stalwart, and taciturn. Gravis wondered how the other guilds were. He still hadn't met the Light Guild, Darkness Guild, and Water Guild.
The leader of the stronger guards looked at Gravis. "Heavenborn, welcome to our Earth Guild," he, basically, declared imposingly. "What has brought you here?"
Gravis only smiled a little. It was kind of weird talking to someone this serious while not readying up for a battle. "I am not here on official business," he waved his hand dismissively. "I am only here to look around."
The guards were somewhat surprised but also relieved. No one of their brothers would die today. Yet, it was also weird that Gravis just came for a visit. The Earth Guild might not be far away from the Heaven Sect, but that was only according to the map of the whole Middle-Continent. It would still take over a week for someone to travel here. He had traveled for a cumulative of two weeks just to visit? That was weird.
The guard hit the ground again with his lance. "Then, we are happy to welcome you, Heavenborn," he shouted again. Gravis reflexively bored one of his fingers into his right ear due to the loudness of his voice. "I shall lead you around our home. You all," he turned to the others, "return to your posts!"
Multiple lances hit the floor, creating a loud and imposing sound, and they all walked off to their previous positions. 'Fuck, why are they so loud?' Gravis thought in annoyance. His decision to not scam the Earth Guild was basically already set in stone. They seemed respectful, direct, and honest, even though they were on the loud side. There surely were other guilds, with a less pleasing disposition. Yet, since he was already here, he might as well look around.
The leader of the guards walked off, and Gravis followed. "We pride ourselves in our physical strength and our willpower!" the leader started explaining loudly. "Our Earth Guild believes that only a strong will can bring them to power. A strong will includes the persistence in following your path, even if everyone else thinks it's wrong!"
Gravis was interested in the topic. "Yet, do you not learn from your path forward? Wouldn't that change your beliefs?" Gravis asked.
The expression of the leader of the guards didn't change. "If your beliefs change, then your will was not powerful enough. In that case, you must start from the beginning again. Your will must be forged so that no one can sway your path!" the disciple explained.
Gravis was a little unsure. "What do you mean with starting again from the beginning?" he asked.
The expression of the leader still didn't change. It seemed like nothing could change his serious look. "You must recultivate from the beginning of the major realm you are currently in."
Gravis' eyes widened. "Wait a minute," he stopped walking. "If someone's will and beliefs are swayed, you will cripple his cultivation? Did I get that right?" he asked for confirmation. This was madness!
The leader also stopped and turned to Gravis. "That is correct! Your will defines your way, and if you can't keep hold of your will, you will not rise!" he explained in the same tone as previously. "Progressing with a broken will will not allow you to reach the peak! Our every step must be secure, with an unshaken foundation! Only then can we progress securely!"
'Interesting,' thought Gravis. 'In other guilds, changing one's beliefs is a sign of growth. It is being seen as someone looking from a higher place than previously and understanding the world in a more harmonious way. It symbolizes flexibility and adaptability. Yet, in the Earth Guild, it is being seen as a weakness. Though, I can understand why. Flexibility and adaptability are not attributes that earth and stone have, normally. I can see how that would impact the control of their element.'
"What do you think about the disposition of other guilds?" asked Gravis. He wondered if the Earth Guild was looking down on changing dispositions because of their ideology.
"The others have their way, and we have our way!" shouted the earth disciple. "We have many different beliefs in our own guild, and even though we disagree with them, they are valid ways! It is unimportant if your belief is wrong or right! It is only important that you remain stalwart! With a powerful enough will, you can transform a false way into a correct way! Everyone has their path forward, and that is how it should be!"
Gravis squinted his eyes in interest. 'Interesting. Even though they don't change themselves, they still accept other ideologies. I guess I found another aspect of the earth disciples' disposition. Just like earth, they are all-encompassing and accepting of all life with their different paths.'
Gravis nodded a little to show his respect. "Thank you for explaining," he said and continued walking. The disciple also nodded and continued to lead the way. After several minutes, they reached a part of the cave where it suddenly widened into a large space.
Now, Gravis could see the whole Earth Guild.