[Year 10 Month 11: 1 month has passed]

  A month had passed since Gorn had been destroyed, and there had been no sign of the Vexus, having moved on now that the population was so small. If Gorn had been closer to other cities, it probably would have avoided the catastrophe simply because of the difference in people.

  Alas, it wasn’t.

  It had taken a day for the children to feel comfortable leaving their cave; the adults and I understood, considering the situation. I honestly suspected Osbert and the other two were just holding it together for the kids.

  Fortunately, Osbert had checked the area and found no dead bodies, likely having been eaten or dragged away by the swarm. While everyone had wanted to have proper burial rights, it was probably for the best, as the children didn’t directly see anything.

  Having moved to the hill I resided on, I felt considerably more comfortable with them above ground, as my [Sanctuary] skill would be able to protect them in a pinch.

  A few days after they came out of hiding, I tried my new [Totem Pillars] and placed one of each. Curiously, it felt sort of like a tabletop game where I could mentally drag and drop them out into the surroundings.

  When they materialized, they appeared as almost perfect cylinders, two meters tall, and managed to sit perfectly level with the ground. While they shared the same runes I had on my body, they also had an additional rune that glowed brighter than the other three. Each rune was an indicator of the type of pillar.

  Asking Osbert to enter their range (which was several times larger than the smaller totem versions), he confirmed that the [Protection Pillar] increased his health regeneration and gave him several minor resistances, like that of my blessing ability. While the [Warding Pillar] did not affect him, he did mention a brief notification saying his mana was hidden, pretty much confirming it was the anti-detection field version.

  The oddball out was the [Mineral Pillar], as it didn’t have any area effect, and only after a few days did it become apparent. With my almost complete vision in my miniature domain, I was able to see small crystals forming over its surface, creating small nodes of various minerals.

  While it was useless for now, the three villagers confirmed it would be helpful if a trader ever came by. Personally, I found it severely unlikely, but they assured me someone would come along eventually, the surrounding nations taking Vexus attacks seriously. As such, I left the pillar alone, placing two more warding pillars to keep away any creature that may try to harm my survivors.

  [Year 10 Month 12: 1 month has passed]

  With two months of distance, I watched as some semblance of normalcy was restored. The trauma delt would never honestly go away, but it wasn’t constantly on everyone’s minds.

  Salfi had settled into an older sister role for some of the younger children. While she was still considered an adolescent, she was pretty responsible, so no one complained. According to her, she had about four years, and she would receive a class on her twentieth birthday. She was a little sour about humans getting theirs a few years earlier, but honestly? I think she got the better end of the stick. What’s four more years when you live to be four hundred? I guess I will find out.

  Recently, I had grown a little concerned about one of the women named Penelope. It was evident that the baby was arriving pretty much any day. Astrid, the other lady, had assured me all was fine, but I still insisted that both of them stay inside the healing fields of my [Protection Pillar].

  While Astrid herself was looking far along, I think she still has another month or two before a baby shows up.

  [Year 11 Month 2: 2 month has passed]

  I was right on the money. Astrid’s little girl decided to make her entrance right when I thought so. I should have bought a scratch-off ticket. Do they have those here?

  Her name was Audrey, named after her grandmother, who had passed when the Vexus passed through. Her hair was a dark brown, similar to that of her mother.

  Penelope’s own little one had just begun to babble a few days earlier. Named Inca after Inra, he was surprisingly active. Penelope agreed it was a bit odd, but attributed it to the [Blessing of Warding] I had everyone refresh. It took some effort to get the babies to touch the cold runes on the central pillar willingly, but we also managed to get the blessing applied to them.

  When everyone had finally refreshed their blessings, I felt a wave of relief hit me. Not knowing the child mortality rate of this world had me in protective mode, and I was pretty sure my blessing and [Protection Pillar] would be able to handle most sicknesses thrown at it.

  Possibly the strangest thing I received was a natural upgrade to [Sanctuary]. Even when inactive, it now grants additional comfort to those dwelling inside of it.

  That’s the first skill development not caused by death… I need to look into this.

  I knew that humans could receive upgrades by using their skills in various situations, and my actions had definitely influenced mine, but always required an input of experience.

  Something to look into.

  [Year 11 Month 5: 3 months have passed]

  Winter had come a little earlier this time around. While I was a little concerned about food, it turns out there were plenty of forageable plants in the forest, with Osbert able to hunt the occasional animal for protein.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  It seemed that the ‘comfort’ bonus also extended to temperature, so that meant on the more mild days they didn’t require any fire or salvaged clothes from the village.

  As Audrey and Inca grew a little older, their mothers felt more comfortable leaving them with the older children, letting them renovate a nearby house that had been mostly intact. Since my vision had increased in range as I leveled, I watched over both of them and moved a [Warding Pillar] to cover the house while also letting me see even further.

  Penelope had the class [Homemaker], and while I didn’t like the name one bit, it still gave her good abilities to help tend to the children, and even had a skill that let her magically repair small items. Astrid was a bit different as a level 10 [Shopkeeper], and her abilities had more to do with charisma and interacting with customers.

  Frankly, this whole ‘guardian’ role was tiring, and I found myself slipping into [Dormant]’s clutches more often. Fortunately, they were able to make do without me, even if I felt nervous.

  On a more serious note, Osbert had leveled a few times and got to level 25. One night, he approached me when the others were sleeping in the house.

  “Gol? Are you asleep?” He asked, as there had been a few embarrassing times when one of the humans woke me up.

  “No. Although I probably will be soon.”

  He seemed to hesitate for a moment. “Well, I want some advice. I reached level 25 and received a class evolution choice.”

  Oh?

  He continued, “Right now, I am a level 25 [Guard]. I can stick to my current path, and go with [Guard Captain], or choose something I haven’t seen before.”

  Curiously, I asked, “What is it?”

  “[Blessed Guard]” He murmured. “I thought you might know something about it, considering your…” he gestured at me “You.”

  Yeah, no, literally the first time I heard about this. Nobody mentioned it to me in the past. Ah, Osbert was waiting. “No, this is new. Pick what you believe will be best.”

  Osbert seemed to deflate slightly, the older man showing some disappointment.

  They don’t know that I have only been here for about a decade; he probably expected more than that.

  Not wanting to leave him hanging, I continued. “I think the system gave the option for a reason, though. From what I have experienced, it tailors your skills and classes to your choices.”

  The guardsman sighed and rubbed his head at that. “Lean into it?” He didn’t speak for a minute, obviously brewing over the choice. Eventually, he just patted me, “Thanks, Gol, I am going to sleep on it.”

  If I were in his shoes and had decided to leave once I had the opportunity, I would choose [Guard Captain], but if I wanted to stay, I would probably take the riskier bet. I guess we will see in the morning. I wonder if I receive a choice at level 25?

  By the next morning, he had made his choice. He was now a [Blessed Guard]

  According to what he would tell me, it felt more like a cleric than anything else, or maybe a paladin, as he gained some support-related skills similar to my [Blessing of Ward] and some minor healing skills.

  I expect the fundamental differences will make themselves known when he was a higher level.

  [Year 11 Month 8: 3 months have passed]

  [The Invasion Boss has been slain]

  [Congratulations]

  [You have lost 1 Blessed]

  [You have gained 2 levels]

  [You are level 19]

  I suspect that the 1 Blessed who died was Galdric. I couldn’t confirm it, but it seemed Inra’s suspicions were confirmed. Chosen didn’t survive the final battle.

  The notification brought great relief to everyone, and Osbert went out to hunt for a celebratory feast, at least their equivalent of one.

  It was after their little meal ended that I received the final notification for the night.

  [You have gained an additional type of pillar: Nurishment]

  Huh.

  [Year 11 Month 9: 1 months have passed]

  It took 11 months before anyone came.

  I had first noticed the newcomers when they passed nearby one of the mobile totems I had Astrid place on the outskirts.

  Interestingly enough, they weren’t human or elven. Instead, there was a variety of features that were different even among them. There were only twenty of them, but I didn’t know what level they were.

  They all had animal features, with some having tails or different animal ears.

  Quickly, I sent out a warning to everyone to regroup at the hill as soon as they could, and at the same time, asked if anyone knew of these creatures.

  Osbert shrugged as he ran through the forest, having a little totem with him so I could track him. “Dunno, I know some rumors but nothing concrete.”

  Astrid, on the other hand, knew a bit more. While doing a headcount, she replied, “Yes, they are called beast-kin; they are like us but are despised by the main churches. My dad was a traveling merchant and knew a few beast-kin villages. I wonder why they are here?”

  I couldn’t answer the question, so I merely watched as the beast-kin crept through the old village. It had been just about a year since the attack, and with spring just now beginning, it was quickly reclaimed by nature.

  One of them found a totem and curiously picked it up before setting it back down. I wasn’t sure if the anti-detection field was working on them, but fortunately, the little cubes were dismissed, even if they were out of place in the decaying ruins.

  Once they had combed through the first half of the village, they returned to a house where they spoke quietly amongst themselves. One of the larger in stature talked to the group, “I think this could be a good place, I doubt they will check here.” A few nods of agreement. They quickly agreed. “Half of us stay here, and the other half get the rest.”

  Finally, after observing them for a bit longer, I returned to my own people with a question. What should we do?

  Penelope mentioned trying to escape town in the opposite direction, but was quickly shut down by Osbert, “We don’t know if they have a detection ability; we may step out of the warding zone and be found immediately.”

  Astrid listened carefully and then spoke. “Honestly? Gol said they didn’t look particularly aggressive, and they are just people like us. They probably are just looking for a home.”

  They all turned to me, “What do you think, Gol?” Astrid asked.

  I mentally sighed. Why did I have to make the choice? “If you all agree, I can make contact remotely. Worst case scenario, we can probably gather all the totems, and if you stuck together could get out.” It would mean leaving me, but truthfully, I have the ability to go dormant and just skip over whatever happens. Maybe I could use all my pillars to make it impossible to approach my hill.

  Astrid nodded, “I think we should do it.” While the other two looked more reluctant, they eventually agreed.

  With that, I returned my focus to the beast-kin and spoke to all of them at once.

  “Hello there.”