“So, what seeds do we need?” Darius asked. He was currently touring Akira’s portable greenhouse workshop. The inside was quite big. Tons of raised planters in the center along with shelves lining the walls for potted plants. the backrooms contained the herbalism workshop, the composting room, and even a leather working station, though Darius wasn’t sure what leather working had to do with a greenhouse. The few power tools it contained ran on Divine charges, along with the general ability of the workshop, Blessing of Growth. If they funneled all the Divine charges the shop had into just that ability, then whatever they grew would grow five times faster for twenty-four hours. That meant, just growing potatoes, according to Akira, they could cut down the two to three month growing time to just over two weeks, though they would need a massive amount of compost to keep the plants from draining the soil of all nutrients in that time.
“Zumu asked that we plant Bok choy, mung beans, snow peas,” Akira said while reading from a list. “cucumber, yard-long beans, yam, lentils, daikon, Nappa cabbage, tatsoi, peppers, eggplant, Lotus root, ginger, garlic, and of course, wheat and or rice.”
“That’s a lot. Can we grow all of that here?” Darius asked.
Akira looked around the large greenhouse with a thoughtful expression. “Growing grains in sufficient amounts may be difficult in here. But with sufficient space, water and compost, we can cultivate an area to grow them. As for the greens and vegetables, we have plenty of space. I think it is a good idea to grow potatoes as well, and possibly some corn. If we grow the corn along with squash and beans, like the Native Americans, then we can grow even more outside.”
“Well, I don’t even know what half of all those plants are. Why don’t you go ahead and use the System Marketplace and see if you can find seeds and stuff you need to get the ball rolling? Oh, stop by the Library too. David has some books for you to study. We got the research think sorted out, and there are some farming bonuses available. You just have to study the books to get it.”
“Yes, we need everything we can get right now. I will study the books immediately and then get what seeds I can. With Amaterasu’s blessing, we will have a bountiful and rich harvest.”
“Let me know if you need anything else, and feel free to recruit anyone you need to help. Aside from our defense, growing enough food is our highest priority.”
“Understood, thank you.” Akira gave Darius a short bow before turning and leaving the greenhouse.
Darius looked up at the glass panes that made up the walls and ceiling, wondering how this place got sunlight when it was one of those extra dimensional spaces. The doorway was attached to a two-foot-thick wall, with another portal on the other side of it. After pondering for a moment, he just shrugged. Magic was a thing after all, so why bother thinking about it?
As Darius stepped out into the bright daylight, he caught sight of his uncle hobbling over as quickly as he could manage. A pit formed in Darius’s gut as he instantly began to worry about what had his uncle moving that quickly. Breaking into a jog, he met his uncle and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I just heard over the radio,” Marcus said. “That girl, Mei Ling. She’s done gotten herself hurt pretty bad. Carlos and Javier are bringing her back in his van and should be here any minute. She’s gonna need some of that miracle healing some of them folk have.”
“what about Chad and Connor? Are they okay?”
“They’re fine. Carlos said that they’re continuing on with their scouting mission.”
“Did Carlos say what happened?” Darius asked.
“Yeah, they found one of them small towns on their way to Albuquerque and were goin to do some scavenging, but they found a big ‘ole monster they needed to take out first. Apparently, it shot a mess of spines, and Mei Ling didn’t dodge fast enough. She’s stable, but one of them spines got her in the eye. They’re afraid to take it out without some major league backup.”
“Makes sense. They didn’t have anyone on the Path of Faith with them. I think they’re all cultivators except for Connor, and he doesn’t have any healing magic. I’m going to go wait by the gate for them to get here. Who do we have with the strongest healing magic? We can call over Avery, but I’m not sure if his magic can help with a punctured eyeball. But he was studying to be a doctor before the world ended.”
“Farida is a good woman; she has that Lay on Hands thing that gives instant healing. She was with me when I got word. She’s gathering some help and will meet us by the gate.”
“Perfect. Then-” Darius was interrupted by the sound of a horn honking in the distance. “shit, they’re here already,” Darius said, then sprinted to the gate. With a heave of effort, he lifted the crossbar and slid it to the side, unbarring the gate. Then he pulled on one side before letting go and grabbing the other. In just a few seconds, he had both doors swinging open. It was just in time too, as Carlos’s van was rolling up the bumpy dirt road and passed through the gates.
The Van came to a sliding stop, and before it finished settling down, Javier was out of the passenger door and was already sliding open the side.
Moments later Farida, Sylvie and Avery arrived and were directing people. Not wanting to get in everyone's way, Darius took a step back and watched the scene unfold. They placed Mei Ling on a makeshift stretcher and carefully carried the young woman away from the van and into the Headman's hut. It made sense to Darius; they could lay her on the counter like his uncle had been and work on her there. The front office had plenty of natural light, and they would be in easy reach of the City Core if they needed anything specific that they didn't have on hand.
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Darius followed them inside and observed their actions. The three of them carefully looked over the girl, assessing any potential injuries before moving on to the most obvious one. What looked like an extra-long cactus spine stuck out of her eye. From what Darius could see, a solid five inches of spine stuck out from between her closed eyelids. Avery had to pry her hands away from the wound and hold them down against the counter while Farida carefully peeled Mei Ling's eyelids apart. Her eye was a mess. Instead of being firm and round, it had a shriveled, sunken look, like a partially deflated basketball. Farida tutted under her breath before warning the girl that she didn't want to risk healing her with the spine still stuck in her, and that she had to brace herself. Once Mei Ling confirmed that she'd understood with a pain filled grunt, Farida gripped the giant needle and swiftly pulled it out.
Almost immediately after the spine was removed, Mei Ling was awash in two different waves of golden light. One from Farida and the other from Sylvie. the tissues under Mei Ling's skin seemed to ripple and writhe for a moment before everything settled down.
Even from where Darius stood, he knew the healing didn't do what they'd hoped. Even though her eyes were still closed, Darius saw the left eyelid was sunken in. Darius saw Avery frown. after releasing her hands, he moved to her side. "Mei, can you open your eyes for me?"
Mei Ling took a deep breath, then opened her eyes. Well, her eye. Both eyelids opened normally, but while her right eye looked perfectly fine, the other was just a hollow socket. There weren't even any remnants of the sunken eyeball in there.
To Darius, it was the weirdest thing he'd ever seen. Her eyelid opened and closed like normal, even without anything filling the space. It was a little flattened, but otherwise worked completely normal.
"I- I can’t see. I can’t see out of my left eye! Oh my god, I can’t see!" Mei's voice rose in a panic as her fingers fluttered over her face, trying to feel for her eye, but not willing to actually touch where it had been.
"Mei… Mei Ling!" Avery said, trying to get her to focus on him. It didn't work, she seemed to be spiraling further into panic.
Sylvie stepped up to stand by the girl's other side. "Mei, listen to my voice." Sylvie's voice seemed to take on a strange weight as she spoke. Everyone's attention was drawn to her, like there was something magnetic that grabbed onto them and pulled on their minds and made it nearly impossible to focus on anything else.
Sylvie placed her hand on Mei Ling's shoulder. ""I can't begin to imagine the pain and fear you must be feeling right now. Losing an eye is a profound loss, but I want you to know that you are not alone on this journey. God is with you, now and always."
Sylvie then paused for a measured moment before continuing, a look of profound caring in her eyes. "In the Bible, it says in Psalm 34:18, 'The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.' It’s natural to feel brokenhearted right now, but take comfort in knowing that God draws near to you in your pain. He is here, wrapping you in His love and care."
Farida nodded along with Sylvie's words. Her brow, that had been creased in concern, smoothed out and a look of peace settled over her.
Speaking softly, but with supreme confidence, Sylvie continued trying to give comfort. "There is a story in the New Testament about a man named Paul who faced immense suffering. He spoke about having a 'thorn in his flesh,' a constant pain or struggle. Yet, through it all, he found strength in his faith. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9, 'But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."' Even in our weakest moments, God’s grace and strength shine through."
Mei Ling's frantic finger movements slowed down as Sylvie's words managed to sink in.
"Your value, your beauty, and your strength come not from your physical form, but from your spirit, your heart, and your faith. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, just as you are. This loss does not diminish your worth in God’s eyes, or in the eyes of those who love you."
"Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we come before you with heavy hearts. We ask for your healing touch upon this dear one who has faced such a difficult loss. Grant her peace that surpasses all understanding, and the strength to move forward with courage and faith. Surround her with your love and the support of those around her. Remind her each day of her incredible worth and the plans you have for her, plans for hope and a future. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Even though Darius thought that Mei Ling wasn't a believer, he heard her mumble along with Sylvie's prayer. He saw tears leaking from under both her eyelids. Feeling uncomfortable with all the emotions in the room, and Sylvie no longer drawing his attention, he quietly took a step back, turned and went back outside.
"Como ela tá?" Carlos asked.
"I'm sorry what?" Darius asked.
"Oh, sorry, um… how is she?"
"Oh, right? Well, I think she's going to be okay. But apparently they couldn't save the eye."
"Damn, que pena. I feel terrible. I should have done more to proteger a garota."
It took Darius to parse out what the man had said, but he managed to get the gist of it. "Don't blame yourself. That's the risk we take when we go out there. I mean, just look at my uncle. He's missing a whole damn leg. Don't worry, she's a tough girl and will pull through this. Hell, there's magic, and gods, apparently. I'm sure there's something out there that can fix her eye, one way or another."
Carlos nodded in response, though he still looked like he was shouldering a burden of guilt. Darius understood. the man was around forty years old, only a little younger than his own uncle. As a man, a guardian for his own nephew, he probably felt that he should have taken the injuries than someone he probably thought of as just a kid, and a girl at that. Darius knew several women that could fight as well, if not better than he could, so he didn't have the same hang ups about keeping women protected, and only sending out men into harm’s way. But he also knew that the older generations held on firm to those ideals. He figured the best thing he could do would be to distract the man and give him something to do instead of dwelling on what ifs.
"Mei Ling is taken care of right now. You did great getting her back here so fast, and safely, too. But Chad and Connor are still out there. Why don't you head back out and meet up with them? If all goes well, you will meet them on the way back. I'm sure they'd appreciate the ride, instead of having to walk through the desert."
"Sim, sim senhor. I can do that." Carlos looked around and spotted his nephew. After calling out to the boy, and saying some gibberish that Darius couldn't understand, they both headed back to the van, Carlos giving Darius a wave as he left. Then they drove off to find the rest of their party.