The God Phixth (Patreon)

Waiting for the meeting to start, the stone god Phixth already wanted to sigh.

Up until recently, who led the various meetings the gods would have amongst themselves was constantly switched on a rotating pool to give anyone who wasn’t expressly disinterested a turn. No matter how well they worked together, they were all beings who had ruled their respective worlds either alone or in small groups after all, there had been a level of pride that hadn’t allowed it to look as though one among them was acting as a permanent leader and that way of doing things had served them well over the last few thousands of years, only for the invasion to destroy that order and force the role on him.

With everything going on, consistency made things easier for everyone and despite his own lack of desire for the role, some of his dealings with others in recent times had been enough to shine a light on his skill in the matter, with one other fact making him taking over that particular responsibility more palatable for even the most stubborn among them. He didn’t want it.

A hard worker and holder of principles who was respected by both the mortal and the divine, worrying about something as silly as who would handle the discussions among them all had always come off as nothing but a waste of time, with him only stepping in when it seemed others couldn’t manage to hold a cool enough head when dealing with certain situations. It had all been for the simple goal of facilitating smooth and productive discussions, but it seemed it had made a good enough impression on those around him that he’d had no choice but to have the task thrown on him, leaving him nothing to do but think about the coming discussion points as the divine slowly trickled into the shared space.

Usually, there’d be stragglers and no-shows among them, there always had been in the past, but now that things were well and truly on the line even the laziest of them had no choice but to get their acts together, letting the meeting start on time.

“Alright,” Phixth began as he silently wished for things to go smoothly. “You all know what gates you’ll be assisting and I’m assuming you’ve all been managing your faith properly given what’s coming up, so let's focus on concerns first. Does anyone have any issues or has discovered any problems that might lead to difficulties down the line for this coming wave?”

It was a question that got answers every time it was asked as the various gods all spoke over each other to answer, with some new problem always cropping up since the prior meeting. Minor interpersonal conflicts that needed to be resolved, problems with gathering faith and issues on how to spend it, there was always something that needed to be discussed or mediated to keep their small society functioning as the world fell down around them.

Phixth heard it all out, offering what suggestions and advice he could while guiding the others offering their own to try and keep things moving in a constructive manner, doing his best to keep tempers from flaring as they all moved towards their shared goal as the conversations pushed on.

“What’s it even matter?” One groaned out as they all carried on. “We all know how this is going to end anyway.”

Here we go.

It didn’t happen often but every now and then, someone among them would voice their doubts about the coming wave, leaving the room to explode in noise. Those who had their own hidden worries and those secretly dealing with their own depression against the more positive and boisterous, with the ones who’d normally be more than content to let the others argue mostly joining in themselves. It was a contentious topic that all among them had a stake in and was always guaranteed to fan the flames when so many were already doing their best to control themselves, forcing him to try and get a handle on them all once more.

“Where there’s life there’s hope,” He told them all firmly, trying to force others to silence and eyes back to him. “Yes, this was always going to be an uphill battle for us. Every one of us here is proof of how easy it is to lose and fail in the end but giving up now and accepting defeat after all the efforts we’ve put toward our goals is simply not a viable option. However anyone here feels, we are fighting to win. That is the only acceptable way of approaching things and we’re not going to harbour any ideas that we can do anything else. There is nowhere else to escape to and we all know there’s no negotiating with this threat. I understand plenty of you are worried, I am too. We all remember the final days of our old worlds but if we don’t want a repeat then the only choice is to not give into despair. We have advanced warning of what’s to come, our believers have strength and skill unlike any world in the past and all of our efforts will not be for naught. Whatever concerns there may be, our only goal is to overcome them. Does everyone understand?”

He got a round of quiet nods for his small speech as things began to settle down, letting him breathe a small sigh of relief. Every time something like that happened it was a pain but at the very least it seemed he’d managed a good enough job averting it to keep from having to deal with it going on for hours and hours. As much as he’d have hated to admit it, he’d gotten rather good at handling things which was exactly what made him ideal for the role he so very much didn’t want to begin with.

Something he continued to show as he directed things from there, not letting anyone fall back into the same trap that was despair.

“That should cover all of the major concerns for the time being. For now, go off and confer with the members of your faiths and let them know about any relevant discussions we’ve had here and we’ll meet again in a week.”

Clearly dismissed, the rest of them slowly made their way out until Phixth was alone, letting him hang his head back without any prying eyes.

Despite the length of his existence, his most recent years had felt the busiest by far and he swore to himself that should they win in the end he’d be taking a break from everything. The world's problems, the demons, prayers, and interfaith conflict.

A small vacation huh? Why not, it’s important to have things to look forward to.

Author's Noteynote

Gonna be honest, I'm not the most satisfied with this chapter. I didn't feel like I could make what I was originally thinking work and struggled with it for the last while, ending up with this.

Well, everything is practice so hopefully I can pull off something a bit better for next month, with the poll for that going up tomorrow so be prepared for that then. And that's enough from me, as always, hope you guys have a good weekend!