Sete, the Spring:
Total power recovered [12%/100%]
Total divinity recovered [9%/100%]
Corruption of the world dispelled [0.17%/100%]
Heirs of deities saved [8%/100%]
Coins from the seed store: 560
Agriculture [lv. 1]
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The reddish rays of the four o'clock sun covered the gray vegetation above with a hot mantle of flames, which passed through the tangle of leaves and branches to fall on the peculiar group of people like a harmless drizzle of magma. The gentle wind swept Sete's light brown hair away from her green eyes, exposing her delicate and fierce face to the splashes of hot light.
Minutes before, she had bought and cultivated some vegetables around the temporary camp, leaving the task of harvesting to those who remained there, whether to look for water and collect firewood, erect tents or roll out sleeping bags. The income of coins for the seed store had been constant due to the creatures of Chaos and servants of the End that always crossed the group's path, even though Spring easily exterminated them with the help of the heirs.
By now, after about a week's journey, they had settled in a corrupted forest at the base of a mountain range. They were all more familiar with each other, and decided to spend the night there after a bit of pondering. After all, they needed to have a decent meal and get some real rest, as the routine of walking without a break to the east was exhausting them. So the young deity and Reed — who had offered to help her — went out hunting.
Crouching behind a parched gray bush, Sete peered over the dead leaves to watch the vegetation rustle in the opposite direction. She exchanged glances with Reed, who nodded to confirm that he had also noticed the suspicious movement — the muscular, tanned young man had a more outgoing and warm personality, his amber eyes were very trustworthy and he was always willing to carry Agatha on his back when the little girl got tired of walking.
Yes, Spring felt the boy's sincerity, and she liked him. He was someone she could trust. However, even if they weren't evil, Reed, Hiroshi and Lillia were hiding something, or some important information that made them exchange glances whenever they saw Sete in action.
The same expression of doubt and a hint of guilt crossed the red-haired man's face when Sete controlled the root of a tree to hit the mutant boar, taking the animal's life in an instant. The two of them walked over to the carcass, Reed waiting off to the side as the girl crouched down with her hands outstretched and purified the huge chunk of meat. It was clear that they would need her strength to face the E.G.O., but Hiroshi still had some doubts.
— Let's carry this back to camp. — Sete gave a predatory smile that made Reed shake his head in silent, helpless laughter. The young deity really loved food. — This fatty shank will make a great barbecue, the ribs will be delicious, the loin super juicy...
She continued muttering about the meat as the two of them carried the huge purified pig back, her voice a mixture of excitement and anticipation, which made Reed's stomach rumble with the same feelings. Sete seemed as human as any of them in those moments...
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In the temporary camp, Thomas was in charge of supervising and helping the children — Kai and Agatha — pick cherry tomatoes and oranges. The trio soon got to grips with the task, so you could hear the three of them laughing and joking as they did it. Over the week they spent together, Agatha began to act more like a curious child, overcoming some of her shyness.
Next to them, Bianca and Lillia were in charge of collecting and cleaning up some orange pumpkins scattered on the floor, vegetables that would make a delicious and nutritious broth to accompany the meat. The young girl had shown herself to be sweet and caring to the extreme, so that offering help and sharing some of her supplies with the others was almost instinctive, which is why everyone had such a good impression of Lillia.
Hiroshi and Ethan, on the other hand, advanced through the corrupted vegetation to look for enough firewood to burn while they cooked and, later, during the night. The pile of sticks and larger pieces of wood grew bigger and bigger in the center of the circle of camouflaged tents, which allowed Hiroshi to determine that they had already collected enough fuel for the flames.
So they stopped what they were doing and went to help Sete and Reed with the gigantic pig. Bianca instructed them to clean the animal away from the camp, removing the skin and internal organs and separating the meat into smaller pieces. Throughout the service, Sete noticed that Hiroshi acted as a kind of natural leader, perhaps because he was the eldest of the heirs. In addition, the narrow-eyed, unshaven man was a bit moody most of the time, but his temper didn't seem to bother the others, which was great.
"Setee~" — Vez interrupted her ramblings in a disgusting coquettish voice. — "Your [Agriculture lv. 1] skill has gone up a level~" — He seemed to expect some kind of response from Spring, but received only an annoyed frown. — "With [Agriculture lv. 2] you've unlocked three new crops in the seed store, then check which ones they are to plant more delicious things~"
"Ugh, right..." — She agreed. — "Now shut up or I'll sting you the same way I'm stinging that pig."
— Done! — Reed exclaimed, wiping the sweat from his brow with his defined forearm. — Now we can start the barbecue!
Sete nodded cheerfully, followed by murmurs of agreement from the others, who split up to carry the boar parts back to camp.