Leaving the two of them from there, Ben left the church of Foast’s goddess where the man was being cared for to make his way back to that city’s gate, feeling the comforting expression he’d tried to wear for his fellow third tier slip away as he did.
One third-tier down.
And one of the combat-oriented ones at that. While so might have been inclined to see it as akin to a change back to the status quo of the world before Ben’s recent awakening to that level, he knew that was far from the truth. He himself was not aningfully a fighter, the powers he’d gained would pose no replacent for the shifter’s role and no matter what good would co of the other acting as a healer from there on out, Ben doubted it would be enough to replace what Foast would have been able to accomplish in the third wave, leaving the entire planet worse for what had happened.
It’s fine though, there’s months left before the next wave for Yuzu or Elvat to awaken another third-tier or two and with how much Thera is being worked, it’s not an impossible dream that she’d awaken her life magic as well and as for … well, I’ll just keep going.
The odds of everything he was trying to reassure himself with felt too low and left him pinching his brow by the end as he went. Even if more were awakened, any new third-tier wouldn’t have the decades of experience behind them that Foast did. They’d be too fresh in their skills.
“It’s just not enough,” he muttered to himself.
Every benefit they found felt like it would end up being balanced by a different loss. For every strength they’d gained, the fact that there were other demon contenders on the world was a big strike against whatever hope he could let himself feel. Myriad may have told him that a couple of other ones had been killed by that point but the three he himself had t had all been nightmares and with no knowledge of how many might have still been hiding away on the planet, it could potentially only get worse.
Myriad ntioned before about entire villages going missing too, and I doubt that had anything to do with the one Foast was taken over by. I’ll have to ask if that one was ever found or if it was more than one, or-
Oh, hey Myriad, perfect timing. You told before that there was a suspected demon contender clearing out villages without leaving a trace. Were they ever found?
“Yeah, can do,” he said as he directed a part of himself to that higher realm, finding two others there that weren’t among the expected crew, even if he still tried to politely greet them. “Phixth and Velt, what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I’ve co to thank you for your work in this matter, Ben,” the stone god told him. “For all that’s going to co of this, well, how you managed to wrap it up was a better outco than many here could have hoped for.”
“You an the part where I one hundred percent managed to save the world from disaster and likely saved plenty of you lot too, given that killing him would have ant so godhood where he then could have tried eating all of you up here? You guys were all watching, right? Probably heard what he said about eating the world and its gods?”
“Yes, your work in the matter is deeply appreciated, by so more than others.”
Phixth glanced at Velt as he said it, the goddess already bowing her head. “Thank you for saving Foast and the risks you’d had to take to do it rather than just sealing his soul away. I won’t forget this.”
“Mmh, a guy willing to work so hard for the world deserves to be saved, there was no other option.”
“I agree, but I’m aware plenty of others wouldn’t have seen the sa,” she told him, lifting her head and focusing back on his eyes. “He’s a believer I cherish. All I want for him is to get the chance to rest and that’s only possible thanks to you. I’m not the sort of ingrate who won’t reward soone for their work.”
“Since Abel and your lover both helped as well, they’ve both been rewarded too,” the goddess went on. “Consider this my sincerity but with that done, I’ll be on my way. Until the next ti, be well.”
She vanished before he could respond, the thoughts in her head telling him she wanted to go back to watching over Foast and he wasn’t going to try to stop her, instead focusing on the two still in the realm.
“Damn, that was super nice of her. Who’d have thunk, a god trying to properly reward for my hard work and she even knew the right way of going about it too. And all because I saved one of her believers, nothing else. Wow, I sure do wish I’d done sothing worth being rewarded by the other gods. Maybe having saved the world for a second ti would do it but oh, who am I kidding, what’s the odds of any one guy saving the world twice?”
“Very subtle,” Myriad muttered, even if both gods had expected as much.
“I’m not going to deny your work should be rewarded, Ben,” Phixth sighed. “And I’m even willing to discuss it, if you’d at least hear out.”
“I’m all ears.”
“If you’re willing to take sothing small for now as a reward from us for what you’ve accomplished, when the war ends, if things go in our favour and whatever invaders are left on the planet are in a manageable state that isn’t going to threaten to destabilize the world then when that ti cos, I will argue on your behalf for sothing you’ve ntioned wanting before. I will do my best to get you the blessings of the world’s gods.”
“Their full blessings?” Ben asked, his eyes lighting up, even if Phixth tried to lower his expectations.
“That’s the argunt I’ll make but given how I’m sure others will fight it in the end, it’s a lot more likely that it will be knocked down to what any one would put into a tower blessing. Still, there’s many of us on this planet, what you’d get would easily be worth ten tower blessings and I will do my best to rally the others to get you more than that.”
“Mmh, admittedly not actually bad, even if putting it off till after things get better is currently useless to . Tell you what, I’ll take that deal but given the fact I might be dead even if we win, I want that blessing passed on to my next of kin in the event I’m not around to take it. Either split it evenly between Thera and Delair, give it to one of them entirely if the other dies too, and if they’ve both died then split the blessing evenly between whatever remaining humans are on the planet. And if they’re all dead too, then Myriad can choose who in my life that’s still alive can benefit from it, deal?”
“That’s acceptable and given if you die and join up here in arguing for it, I’m sure you’ll be able to make quite the compelling case,” Phixth told him, wearing a thin smile at the thought of how the others would react to the new god of sacrilege arguing for proper paynt with them, ignorant to Ben’s worries that his death might not end with his godhood for what he planned to do. “And then what reward would you like for the ti being?”
“In a few days I’m modifying the souls of everyone on the planet who wants to and that still depends on what attributes I have for myself, so at least try to raise my mana regen by a couple hundred more points. You were all cheap enough the last ti because, not to put too fine of a point on it, I’m literally about to change the world in a significant way.”
“Very well, I will talk to the others and see about getting you properly compensated soon.”
“Cool, and as for one more minor thing… Myriad, would you say this guy’s cool?”
“I’m sorry?” Phixth asked, not understanding the question while the cube focused in on Ben.
“Why, what are you thinking?”
“I’m considering giving him a small heads-up about sothing.”
“...Well, he’s not going to try to kill you and from all I’ve seen, he tries to be a reasonable man, but I believe you’d have a better idea than .”
True.
He’d asked for his god’s opinion but he was already discreetly in the stone god’s head, looking around for anything to worry about but getting nothing. While a bit more rigid than the ones he normally gave his ti, Phixth wasn’t secretly plotting behind his back and any complaints about him the god had seed directed to the fact that through no fault of his own, he’d managed to beco Ben’s diator of sorts when it ca to dealing with the gods.
“Okay, so there’s one more thing I’d like you personally to do for and to hear out on.”
“Sothing about that little exchange you had makes think I probably don’t want to.”
“Okay, and so you’d probably be right but my request is about doing your best to smooth things over for the next ti any gods of this world decide they need to kill and if I’m being honest, that’s going to probably be happening sooner than later.”
The statent instantly made the god’s face fall, looking like he was deciding if he should leave then and there before he could hear anything he didn’t want to before ultimately deciding that if he was going to have to deal with it anyway, it would be better to get any warning he could.
“What is it then?”
“Okay, so part of it has to do with my evil god of sacrilege-”
“Which is still causing headaches up here.”
“-Being at its second level.”
A look of disbelief on his face, Phixth turned to Myriad, the cube nodding while they both gave off the sa feelings of despair for how much of a headache that inevitable reveal would be.
“Should I even ask how that’s possible?”
“...Okay, so the how of it is the sort of thing I think we’ll all be happier with the exact details not getting out, even if eventually so of the other gods are going to be able to start making guesses.”
“...Alright, fine, fine,” Phixth told him, pinching the bridge of his nose. “So, you expect the reveal to co out tomorrow then when you’re going to attempt to finish the rest of the third tier’s jobs? I’m sure your teacher has so warning about looking at your soul but Verbum can be curious despite his fearful nature.”
“You know, I’d considered giving Falk so sort of warning by popping into his head before he could see the next ti he ca ho but he hasn’t actually been back in Stonewall in weeks so he doesn’t even know I’m a third tier yet unless Sonya ntioned it when she’s gone off to see him-”
“But Nare’s already ntioned to suppress his soul sight if he goes back, as well as during tomorrow,” Myriad cut in. “We don’t exactly want this coming out so soon either.”
“Okay, cool, then it’s just Verbum and I should be able to deal with him unless I get a bit unlucky.”
“Alright, and dare I ask the other part?”
“Secret, but you can consider it to be on a similar scale.”
Phixth looked at Myriad, wanting more now that he’d heard such a ridiculous thing but got to see instead the cube’s despair deepening.
“What do you an a secret on a similar scale and why haven’t I heard about it yet?”
“Because I’m not sure it’ll work out so I’m just giving this warning to try and prepare him. And you, I guess, but it will be fine.”
“No part of that sounds fine, Ben!”
“Listen, if it works, I’ll tell you and if it doesn’t, well, I’ll try and find another way to make it work. It will be fine, though. Not to put too fine of a point on it but I’ve saved the world twice now, I’ve clearly got its best interests at heart.”
“Its best interests or yours?”
“Considering I live here, I’m sure you won’t be surprised to know that the two coincide. Enough of that now. Phixth, that’s a bit of warning to you, free of charge so if you want to try and do any pre-emptive smoothing over, that would be great.”
“It doesn’t sound like I have a choice but to do so if I want a chance at peace in the next few months. Can you at least give a tifra of when this might co to a head?”
“Well, I’m going to try and keep as many eyes up here from seeing it as possible for as long as possible but odds feel pretty good that everything will get out within the week.”
“Then it seems I must be off. I suppose I’ll thank you for the bit of warning, but for now-”
“Don’t forget my attributes either, please.”
“...I’ll be off. Check your card in the morning to see however much you end up with.”
“Thanks, Phixth.”
The other didn’t hear, having already left the realm in his despair at everything he’d just been told, leaving only the two of them remaining.
“Are you sure that was a good idea, Ben?”
“At least I don’t think it was a bad idea. Part of the issues I have is dealing with reactions when the things I do are sprung on anyone up here. I’m hoping a sowhat neutral party working to smooth things over beforehand might make reactions a bit more manageable.”
“And whatever the other insane thing you’re going to do is?”
“Sothing you’re going to need to wait and see.”
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