Feya stood with the rest, watching Nathan place Auryn down onto the grass beneath the tree. The sight was inspiring, beautiful. A moment later, they would almost describe it as heroic as they watched Nathan pull a weapon from thin air. The majestic black bow that seemed to grow like a sapling from his hands, the string pulling from the bow, they had the aura of a divine weapon. Feya felt an urge to grasp the bow. It was a sincere desire that all of them held.
It seemed that Nathan could tell, as the instant he saw the hungry gazes, the bow vanished from sight. Many guards and soldiers snapped back to attention, feeling embarrassed.
Feya felt such her cheeks flush, knowing she should have restrained herself as well. She was a princess with countless hours of military training, not some kleptomaniac layman.
Nathan came over to the group, his eyes landing on Feya.
"Feya, Lee, Ameria and Kai. Care to walk with me?"
His words were soft, a smile on his face as he eased their minds. He lead them away from the group. It was time for a serious discussion about the future, and he had high hopes for these four, as well as the currently unconscious Auryn.
"Just some questions. Since this place is a rather nice location, we need to discuss supplies, current population and the delegation of tasks."
He said this without any force, indicating that he wanted to let them be the ones to decide on these matters. While he could use a heavy hand and just give out tasks, he knew it was better to allow people to take responsibilities naturally. Though, in the end, he would still have to hand out the more disliked tasks.
He looked to Feya first.
"How many people do you have, and what are the supplies looking like now?"
Feya slowly pursed her lips, knowing that out of the two groups currently, hers was the weakest. It was impossible to give a good report, so she decided to bring it out.
"Bad. Our supplies are gone, and we have been eating carrion meat for the past few days. People are tired and sick, and our water supplies are almost gone..."
She stopped herself from getting into more details, thinking about the numbers roughly.
"Including the guards and a recent headcount, we have eight hundred and two people. That includes the guards who are most likely going to go back to normal work with the soldiers being here."
Nathan nodded his head as he turned to look at Lee Shee. The general understood the look and began to speak, his voice calm as he gave the information to him.
"We have one-thousand one-hundred and thirty-two troops, including my daughter's elite unit of knights. Our rations are not great, as we could only take a small amount. Most supplies are taken on a supply train by beasts which are with the retreating army. I'd say we have about three days of food, and the same for water, as we have a water crystal with us."
Nathan nodded his head as he thought to himself. The supplies would not do too much. They would last only a short time. He looked to both groups as he asked the next question.
"What about this valley? Has anyone taken a good look around?"
Ameria stepped forward as a smile covered her face.
"Sir, my knights scoured the area when we arrived. It's a perfect oval basin with one entrance on the north-west side. It's an ideal area for shade. We have found a few cave entrances, and what appears to be a dried up river bed running through a place that is slightly south of the centre."
She thought for a moment, remembering that Nathan had only just arrived.
"In the vortex, most areas struggle for food. This is because we have nearly no farming land. This area has no land suitable to farming, no water, and no wildlife. We have yet to explore the caves, but I doubt any resources will become available."
Feya felt ashamed. If she had Auryn with her, then she was sure the woman would say the same things, but right now she could only bite down on her pride. Her group was the least useful for now. She had one card now, though, since Auryn had her gift.
Nathan took all this in, sighing as his shoulders relaxed.
"That is a relief. If we can go to the source of the water, I may be able to find whatever happened and resolve the issue. With my own power, and now Auryn, we can resolve the soil fertility issue. It only requires time."
He continued to ponder as he looked at the group. He could still feel some tension as he gave out commands.
"Well, Ameria, you seem good with the scouts. I need you guys to keep looking around. Find any sources you can see in regards to food. It's vital to our future plans."
Ameria nodded her head and saluted. "I will not let you down!"
Lee looked at Nathan.
"What about my group?"
Nathan nodded again as he held his chin, thinking as he sighed.
"Tension between your groups is still rather high. We need to build cohesion. I want you to get your soldiers to start sharing food. Get them to make the food then come over and start sharing meals, stories, and mix in together. I do not want any group divides. I also need you to be careful with all the food."
Lee nodded his head, Feya just blinking as she looked at Nathan.
"What about us?"
"Just rest for now. You have had it rough, so take some time to relax. Eat and drink as well."
As he was about to break the meeting up, he saw Ameria come forward.
"Sir, what about yourself? I know you are strong, but you should take some of my girls with you, as well as some men for protection who can also carry some water back if you do find a source."
Lee cheered his daughter on internally. This was a good idea to increase her value to him. He knew that the Demigod was capable of transferring powers, and his daughter would become stronger with Nathan's power mixed in.
"That is a good idea. Send a small group with me, then. Let's start this. Remember to make no mistakes, and if an army shows up, hide and wait for my return. I shall not be long. Oh, also, make sure Auryn does not use her powers yet without me around."
Everyone nodded before breaking up, they all had a job to do.
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