Side Story: Helori

Wars were never small, simple things. A fact that was true no matter the scale but only became more challenging as it rose, with the one their planet was trapped in all the more so.

Really, calling it a war was generous of both the gods and the mortals of the world. They were one planet against a galaxy, the only reason they could call it anything more than a last stand was because of the pure inefficiency in how their enemies chose to act, attacking sub-optimally to such a point that it let them all feel like they might have a chance despite countless lost worlds acting as examples to the contrary.

But perhaps that is the point. Helori mused, alone in her realm as she fulfilled the tasks she’d taken on as a knowledge goddess, measuring victories and casualties while appraising mortal supply lines and a million other small factors using the information she had. Maybe they like making it look like we might have a glimmer of hope. It’s not like the demons don’t have endless bodies to waste, maybe they’re fine losing so many numbers due to inefficiency just to make us believe we might have a chance. Maybe feeling any at all was foolish in the first place…

As the thought trailed off she felt herself become aware of how her pessimism about things had slowly grown. By all accounts, things were going extraordinarily well. At that point on her original world, she’d already had to abandon her planet with the few survivors she could get her hands on until she’d heard news of her current home from the void gods but their present success didn’t leave her with the hope that she would have expected from such a turn out when the points were first marked. All it did was remind her of the past and leave her to look at the other gods of the world who’d gotten farther back in their own histories, with none of them having confidence despite just how well things were going.

There had only been a few among them who had made it to the third wave and seen it with their own eyes but it had been so bad that none of them had been able to last through its end, with the opening of that wave and the terrors that had made their way through enough for them to realize they had to leave immediately, giving them at most a few days to witness the sort of devastation that would come from the powers they’d saved for last and their own doubts from that experience felt almost contagious.

“But I still have to work,” She muttered to herself, even as her desire for a break was reaching a new high point. “Just another hour, then I’ll give myself a bit of time to rest.”

She’d lost count of just how many hours she’d been telling herself that but something new would always end up popping up, be it a new piece of information or a message from another god asking for details on a topic or trying to arrange a meeting, or in the newest case, an earnest prayer forcing her to pause, even as she sighed.

While far from Myriad’s level of poverty, she was still a smaller god compared to others among them despite her best efforts which conversely meant she had less time than any of the more influential among them. A larger god could more easily get away with ignoring things to focus on other matters if they deemed it more important, if they lost some potential faith for it then that was simply the cost of having priorities, but when it came to ones like herself, even if she wasn’t going to answer every little thing like a certain cube, she needed to at least take the time to make sure she was aware of what they were saying and then intervene if anything really was important. Loss was inevitable during an invasion but she didn’t want to lose her believers due to any neglect on her part on top of any of their inevitable deaths.

But thankfully, for what small mercy it held, the prayer that pulled her eye wasn’t the last thoughts of a dying believer like she and so many others had gotten by that point but instead, someone much closer, leaving her to put her work to the side for a moment to pull them to the realm, leaving her apostle before her while she did her best to hide her doubts and exhaustion, having an image she wanted to maintain.

“Xizle,” She greeted her tentacled follower. “What brings you by, are you well?”

“Honoured Helori, I am, thank you.”

“And your wife and children?”

“They are all as well as anyone can be right now, thank you for your grace,” Her apostle told her in a deep bow. “My apologies for bothering you when you're so busy.”

“No need, you're my priority and I can always spare the time for one who works so hard for me. Now, what was it you wanted to discuss? Let me hear your worries.”

“Ah, it's really such a trifling thing but… I fear I'm failing to fill my role to the extent I should.”

“You, failing?” She asked, the confusion making its way to her voice from the surprise of such a thought. Unlike some other gods who either intentionally or subconsciously only chose members of their original race, she viewed herself as mostly meritocratic. Mostly being the key word. There was undeniably some strategy to recruit believers from other faiths by showing that she didn't place preference on her original people which in turn meant she would first look to others for suitable qualities whenever one of her core believers would pass but she had no doubt that the ones she’d picked would always be exceptional enough for the role. The idea that Xizle would be failing at anything seemed unlikely unless the issue was extreme.

But it seemed it was less some new, great issue than it was the same constant one over and over again, haunting them all as he explained.

“I can't do away with all of their building stress,” He explained, apology thick in his voice. “I know this is a common issue, I shouldn't be bothering you about it when this is a global problem but whenever the believers come to me for guidance and I can give them nothing but empty words on the value of hope… I was hoping you might have some idea on what else I could possibly say to give them just a little more?”

Perhaps the hardest request she could have gotten when she felt her own faith waning but undoubtedly a problem he'd been right to bring her. As the goddess of her faith, helping and guiding those who gave her their worship was in essence her born role but she had the same issues as her apostle. It felt like the world was going to end like countless had before and everyone on the planet knew that.

But what could any god give them, let alone her? They were all doing their best but to tell them all that their victory was a certainty would be nothing but a blatant lie and in the end, that was all anyone really wanted to hear.

Too much for anyone. She thought to herself, suddenly all of the more exhausted. How would any other god answer this?

It made her mind flash to the gods she knew, finding failings in all of their approaches, even if a single one in the crowd was able to inspire her, just a bit despite the hesitation that came with it.

…There’s some risk involved but no more than any mortal has to deal with in their day-to-day lives, and besides, just how many long years has it been since I’ve done something like this?

“Xizle, don’t worry about saying any more than you already do,” She said, feeling her apostle’s thoughts fall but not holding him against the subconscious whispers to pop up in the confines of his mind before she went on. “Because I will. I’ll inform the other two as well but you three will be telling any who give me faith to make their way to my head church in a month’s time.”

“Alright, and what shall I tell them is the reason for it?” He asked, getting an approving nod for the question. As reasonable as it was to ask, there were plenty on the world who wouldn’t dare question a deity no matter their position but as a knowledge goddess, she couldn’t have those who gave her faith too obedient to ask any questions, even if the answer she was going to give was less than what most would hope.

“For anyone who asks you? A surprise that they’ll find out should they show up. For your own curiosity though? I’ll be picking a believer to descend on to talk and give you all my company. I may not be able to say anything that will truly help in the end but I hope my presence will be able to raise some spirits among any who need it.”

Xizle practically lit up at the notion at first before shrinking back down, the implications of such a thing taking him back.

“But the risk-”

“Is nothing I can’t handle,” She said, being fully aware of it herself. If she was going to descend on a believer then she could be killed, it was as simple as that. Sure, she’d almost certainly have the power to handle whatever problems could potentially pop up but the danger was still undeniably there.

But it’s no more risk than any mortal has to deal with any time they walk the streets these days, and besides, even though this is my home now I’ve never stepped foot onto the world. This would be a good time to change that. There’s plenty of other ways to protect myself too, I’ll just need to prepare appropriately.

But she’d have time to plan all of that out later and besides, that would be yet one more way to strengthen her relationship with her believers, a thought that was echoing around her very apostle’s mind too, even if it was far too closely tied into his own idlings as he wondered if the company she’d been keeping might have helped inspire such a thing.

“...If that was all I’ll send you back down. Spread my word and be well Xizle, you can call me if you need anything.”

“Thank you, honoured Helori. I will do my best for you.”

Parting words said and he was gone, leaving her to rub her head in the end.

“Have I really been influenced to a point where my apostle can even notice? He may have helped inspire the idea but it’s not like he can even do such a thing himself anyway. It’s just…”

Growing closer to mortals can be surprisingly nice.

She sighed again, tired for a whole new reason but with a new desire for a change of scenery. She still couldn’t put off her work but there was no reason she couldn’t do it somewhere else and with everything in order she decided to do just that, off to enjoy a bit of company from the cube who spent more time with his people than any other god she knew.