The faith management tab was unlocked as soon as I gained my first devotee when I ended up killing the nobleman yesterday, ago... it seems like so long ago. But I left it aside until now for a simple reason, its functions had not yet been fully understood and thanks to that I could only see who among the NPCs were believers, faithful, devout, fanatic or fanatical devotee.
This was its most basic function, which could also be seen in my status, but its real usefulness would be in its ability to assign special positions to my believers as long as they met certain criteria. There are basically 3 of them (with a few more depending on the position), the candidate must be at least devout, have recognition from more than 40% of all believers and finally the most ambiguous criterion, achieve an impossible feat worthy of recognition by the heavens.
My main doubt would be the fact that the sky in this case refers to me particularly or what the game itself would consider an achievement? I have no idea, and besides, why put this kind of thing in a game that's supposed to be idle? Anyway, what I knew was that there was no one who met all the criteria, and so until now this area has been gray and without activity, the key words are "until now".
After this fight with the elite goblins and the imp/goblin, 5 of my devoted and fanatical NPCs achieved recognition of more than 40% and made an achievement recognized by the heavens (which I am very inclined to believe refers to the main AI of the game). Matt, Ivan, Hannah, Sofi and Liem (the guy that Sofi brought back from the dead with the ingredients that cost me 70 $$ but that seems to have paid off on the investment), were now eligible for a few different positions, in fact just one . The position of champions.
The species positions in question would have a small relationship with religious positions typical of fantasy games, but as I would be the god in this case, the number was limited.
[Number of believers: 322
Number of devotees: 4
Number of fanatics: 5
Number of fanatical devotees: 0
Believers eligible for positions: 15
• deacon: 0
• priest: 0
• healer: 0
• cardinal: 0
• bishop: 0
• representative: 0
Believers eligible for special positions: 5
• saint/saint: 0/1
• oracle: 0/1
• herald: 0/3
• champion: 0/3]
Interestingly, even though I was able to elect hundreds of positions, the game still wouldn't let me, probably because I still wouldn't have something like a church or doctrine, or a form for them, every time they talk about me (or what I think would be about me ) a cloud appears with a ray of light coming out of it, I say wue this is the "representation" that NPCs have of me because this emoji appears quite often.
But what would these positions or even special ones have to do with saving Sofi? Simple, in several of the games I've played (mostly RPGs, even though this one wasn't entirely RPG) when you change jobs (or professions or as they put it here, position) it wasn't uncommon for HP and status anomalies to be removed ( Yes, I know this would be more normal with increasing levels, but I've also played games where this happened due to changing the character's class).
And this wouldn't be an ordinary job change, it would be a job change for a special position of a God (it was still strange to call me that, even if it was to me about a game).
Is it a bet without any guarantee? Yes.
Is it based on an assumption and hoping for the best, even though there are times when changing professions can increase stats but reduce HP and/or MP? Yes.
Do I have an option besides betting and praying for the best so you don't waste your money when I helped Sofi? No, not a single one.
So let's bet and be what God wants.
********************
"Sofi!!!, Sofi!!!!, Hey I know you're still listening!!! Keep listening to me and don't fall asleep!!! Did you hear!!!!" Liem, almost screaming, held and shook Sofi's body, which grew heavier every moment, as if life itself was being drained and its weight was increasing.
Sofi had managed to squeeze out as much mana as she could despite her closed channels and managed to perform a 4th ring spell strong enough to give the last necessary blow to the green monster. She realized that he had already taken a lot of damage from both the blows they were giving and the lightning he had sent, and figured they just needed one last strong blow, so that's what she did.
It was irritating that she was in such bad shape after a spell that she previously performed without much difficulty, closing and redirecting her mana channels had been the best solution before but now she faced the consequences in a much more direct way than she usually does. Normally she would only feel the consequences 1 to 3 times a month so when she used it to see the state of Liem's body, now she wouldn't need to do that.
He was alive, breathing, right there in front of her, crying over her increasingly cold body.
She looked around and noticed that several of the villagers were getting close to where they were, for a moment she worried that they might be attacked by the goblins that were still there, but she soon realized that they were already halfway to the hole the monster was in. green had done to the wall.
It was only then that she realized that the bet she made was worth it and the spell took effect, if she was honest she expected him to fail considering the rearranged channels, lack of practice, unfamiliarity with the driver and even the curse she suffered in the last fight in that Liem had basically been killed. The parting gift of a rogue and crazy black wizard, a curse that would prevent her from using any spell above 1st ring under... deadly consequences. Like this one right now.
But what could she do, it was obvious that that monster was too resistant to basic spells, the fireball had already proven that, he was only burned in the chest, more vulnerable yes but it wouldn't be enough to kill him even more considering the time that she took it to recover. Even then she was fighting the feeling of fire in her veins after casting one of the most basic spells even though she had upgraded it to include greater firepower.
"Sofi, please hold on, let's find a way to fix things, please, please!!!" Liem continued to speak more and more quietly around her, no longer shaking her as he knew it wouldn't do any good.
Both the curse and the misuse of mana with the wrongly arranged channels were both acting together to literally alter and eventually destroy Sofi's body from the inside out. After use in overdrive, the channels would quickly cool down, literally petrifying Sofi's body, then even with her body petrified, little signs of life would still remain and would cause the mana to continue being "pumped" to maintain her body.
However, with a body of stone she could not direct them effectively, causing the mana to accumulate until it could no longer take it and finally destroying her own body, and there was nothing she or anyone else could do to fix this.
"The potion quickly, someone go to the village chief's house and get what's left of the potion or to Sofi's house quickly." She heard Hannah shout it a little in the background and struggled to say it.
"No... It's no use... Not anymore... You can..." Before she finished a small ball of white light appeared in front of her and a new full potion appeared, two potions actually one red and one blue. Sofi knew what they were for but she also knew that they wouldn't do any good, not that anyone there cared about that.
Liem immediately took the red potion, removed the cork with his teeth and threw it on her legs and arms. As soon as she touched it, she felt numb again but she couldn't gather strength in her limbs and the coldness she felt in her veins continued. Liem then took the blue potion and carefully placed it on Sofi's lips, she managed to regain enough strength to be able to look better at the battlefield.
By a great stroke of luck the fight was not as devastating as imagined, at least 6 houses were severely damaged but only 2 were actually destroyed although several were hit by the goblins' stones, considering everything and taking into account that the monster that led them It had strength almost equal to that of a Manticore, the damage was really small, even the sacrifices made weren't many, so she was relieved. This gave him the strength to speak to everyone.
"It's okay, you'll be fine, these things are really strong like you said, so you'll be fine." Liem kept repeating this more to himself than to her, but he knew that things never went according to plan, the potions had helped but wouldn't stop the destruction of his body. However, they had time to say goodbye.
"You know that's not how it works for us." She said quietly but firmly.
"Why not!!, haven't we done enough to deserve it? You! You haven't done enough to deserve this. For me. For everyone, then and now, haven't you done enough!!??" He asked with anguish and anger, mostly at himself. After all, even as a body he could still feel her talking to him on the other side of the crystal, he knew from everything she had already been through because of this, and now when the heavens finally decide to show a little mercy and reward.
She was dying now and he was alive, the roles were reversed, with the difference being that he had no idea how to stop her death or reverse it like she had done. Even if he threw himself body and soul, which he was willing to do, for the entity that she had said had helped and delivered the most vital components to bring him back, he knew that it would still depend on what he could do for her. She and Liem weren't sure what they could do.
If he was in his right mind he might have realized that even 'he' couldn't do anything, what he could was already doing by sending even more potions to them. But he didn't even notice the small lights or the clink of the bottles on the floor, neither he nor anyone else, everyone just looked at Sofi and the body that was once again becoming dark and rigid.
No one knew who, but one of the villagers quickly went to one of the potion things and threw it at Sofi's legs again. The rising black retreated again, but not completely like last time. However for Sofi and Liem it didn't matter, they continued to look at each other until Sofi said in a weak voice.
"Do you think you owe me anything?" She asked in a labored breath.
"I owe you everything, life, time, happiness, everything..." He replied
She smiled, thinking about what they could have enjoyed if they had more time.
"So... there's a way to make up for it."
'Nothing I do will be enough Sofianna'
He thought about saying but decided to just ask, he didn't want to waste the precious time he still had with her.
"And what would that be?" He already imagined it, but he still asked.
"Protect them and help them, help Him too, and everyone you can."