5. Big Bad Evil Guy

[Year 10 Month 0: 6 months have passed]

[The Invasion Boss has arrived]

Everyone panicked when the notification arrived. The arrival was unexpected, especially because of how recent the Vexus wave began. Inra explained that in previous generations of Vexus, the normal duration lasted a decade, with the Invasion Boss only arriving at the very end. This time around, it had only been about seven years.

For a small village like this, it honestly meant nothing had changed much. Sure, people panicked for a little while, but once the initial shock factor passed, the knowledge that the Vexus rarely came for such small populations.

What it did mean, however, is planning, lots and lots of planning. The farmers decided to plant crops that wouldn’t easily be trampled, so root vegetables were prioritized. The villagers themselves seemed to find relief in me, too, which honestly felt like misplaced faith; I can’t do anything offensively.

Nonetheless, people ignored rationality and thus visited me more often, asking for ‘unofficial’ blessings, or even asking for luck. If they looked truly desperate, I would even send feelings of peace or calmness, just to make them feel better.

Eventually, they calmed; however, there was no sign of the Vexus nor an Invasion Boss, and as such, the preparations calmed down in fever.

This calming didn’t mean nothing had changed, however, as many families had decided to ‘temporarily’ move to one of the larger cities. It would be a several-week journey for them, but they caravanned up and left one afternoon, leaving Gorn with just about two hundred people.

Inra had already discussed his overall lack of concern for the village, but it was obvious he was worried for his great-nephew, Galdric. As Galdric was a chosen, he was expected to fight.

According to him, the Invasion Boss took many forms, depending on the variations of Vexus that had attacked earlier. Since this generation of Vexus was an arachnidobia nightmare, it was presumed that this one would be some form of spider-like creature.

Personally, the idea that the boss could be an even larger version of a broodmother made me nauseous, as I had never been a fan of spiders, even when they were smaller than my fingernail.

Other than a potentially world-scouring threat, nothing else really happened. A few more sick people used one of my totems to heal faster, and that was that.

[Year 10 Month 4: 4 months have passed]

[24 Blessed have died]

[You are now level 7]

[Totems of Protection have been upgraded]

[You can now see in the proximity of your totems]

Dang. It had been a few years since I had seen that many deaths at once. Nobody in Gorn had died from my knowledge, so wherever it was happening mustn’t be a great place to be.

Recently, one of the kids stumbled into a small cave, which wasn’t huge, with probably only enough space for the children and a few adults. The entrance was pretty close to my hill and was hidden beneath a large tree root, somewhat disguising it.

Thinking ahead, I asked Inra to place some of my totems near its entrance, with one further back. Just because I am a rock doesn’t mean I can’t make my own preparations. You never know.

The upgrade to [Totems of Protection] was definitely welcome, and now I could see way more than before. It was a bit strange looking through the totems, as I could see through all of them at once.

I wonder how I can even do this? The amount I perceive in a small area is way higher as a Blessing Stone than a human. I bet there is some weird mental brain stuff going on to help me adjust.

Fortunately, with my recent level up, my totem capacity had increased to a nice and tidy 10, meaning I could easily put six in the cave and keep lending the rest to the villagers.

Inra seemed pleased that I had taken some precautions and had a late-night conversation with me, sitting on the small bench next to me. “Thank you, Gol, for being there for the children. Even the adults find comfort in your presence here.” He took a moment to watch the stars before continuing, “Galdric told me about you. He was suspicious that there was something about you.” He felt my surprise and laughed, “According to him, you woke him up. He didn’t think you were hostile, which is the only reason he didn’t shatter you sometime on your journey here.”

I thought he had some suspicion, but damn, I thought I did a better job at keeping down low. Skills are so unfair.

Minutes passed before Inra spoke again, “Galdric won’t make it.” Suddenly, it looked as if he had aged a decade, “As a ‘Chosen of some god neither of us follow.” He spoke bitterly, “He is expected to die. While I hope the Vexus isn’t as bad as the others, there has never been a Chosen who survives the final battle. Sure, they take down the damn devil, but it requires every single life.”

I observed Inra, simply watching as he processed these emotions. “Is it selfish that I wanted to die before it arrived? It would have made all of this much easier.” Inra leaned heavily against the backrest of the bench, seemingly spent. “I have done my best to care for this village for several generations now. I am happy to see you beginning to care for them, too.”

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Do I care for them? I think so. It had been over a decade since I was put into this earthen form, and by now, I have noticed the effects. I am slower to make decisions, and before I was in this body, the type of silence I have gone through would have driven me mad. Now, however, it felt normal.

At the same time, I certainly felt attachment to this place. While it may have only felt like a month or two for me, these were very much real people, and they had all been quite welcoming to me.

While I had been stirring over my thoughts, Inra had managed to get comfortable with his well-worn cloak on the bench. Arguably, being the person who spent the most time with me, often spending long nights talking to a mostly inanimate stone, I felt as if I owed him something.

Suddenly, the old man spoke up, sounding like a child, he whispered aloud. “Gol, I am going to sleep here tonight. I am too tired to stay awake.” With that, he fell asleep.

Sending Inra waves of positive emotions, I watched as his breath grew deeper, and despite the totem buried under the bench working overtime to infuse his body with mana, it couldn’t keep up with Inra, and his body grew cold in the brisk air.

[1 Blessed has died]

[Year 10 Month 5: 1 month has passed]

Inra’s death rattled Gorn, having been a constant figure for pretty much his whole life; everyone had cried when he was found early in the morning. The funeral was a simple one, but ended up lasting all day as everyone had to say their goodbyes.

I was both saddened and pleased when they buried him nearby. His body wasn’t embalmed or put into a coffin, so it would slowly decompose and become one with the earth. Inra would have liked that.