Mary rode up on what looked like a large, shaggy horse, and it took Wolfe a moment to realize that it was Pup, under the influence of some spell designed to increase his size. With [Detect Hidden], he could see the magic on the horse-sized dog, but that was as much as he could tell. Unlike an Elemental inscription that lingered while the spell was in effect, witch magic and potions just showed lingering signs of magic use.
"It's a potion of Giant Growth. He will revert back to normal size in a few hours, but for now, he's large enough that the wandering monsters don't attack us, and it's much quicker than travelling on foot.
You should have seen how happy Professor Ashcroft was when I actually managed to obtain the materials to make a stockpile of them for her. The Academy finally had enough of the political meddling just before everything that was going on with the Coven Council went public, and they were preparing their own defences against the monster tide and the threats in the wilderness.
I brought a whole lot of copies of library books too. Like a lot. The Professor said that we would need them eventually, and it sounded like she didn't expect you to be coming back into Witch territory anytime soon."
Mary was just as energetic as usual, and Wolfe couldn't help but smile at her rapid-fire comments, even while he was checking the area for survivors. The ground had fallen, but you never knew when someone would get lucky.
"The others will appreciate it. They didn't get to finish their time at the Academy, so they're working on first-year knowledge and combat experience. We've got a bunch of trained witches with us now though, and they're working together to learn what they can, but not all of them were strong enough to have graduated before they arrived." Wolfe explained.
"Which means that they likely are now. Not surprising if they're hanging around you. You should have seen the ceremony for Reiko in the city. I mean, before you messed with the bond and made her husbands into pets.
The whole Coven was gathered and fawning over her like she was the second coming of the saints just because she reached the Second Rank. I can feel already that it isn't going to be the extent of our growth, but they were going so crazy to see her. I'm still getting mana for my aura from you at a pretty steady rate, so moving forward in the Second Rank doesn't seem like it will be an issue." Mary added.
"I am told that most of you will reach your soft cap soon, and the growth will dramatically slow. But until then, enjoy the free power." Wolfe chuckled.
One of the rescued witches cleared her throat. "I hate to interrupt, and thank you for the rescue, but who are you two? Where are we, and where did you come from?"
"I'm Wolfe, and this is Mary. We were originally from Morgana Coven. I was expelled and cursed as a Demon, and Miss Mary here just reached the Second Rank and decided to come back to join my growing little village in the Frozen Wastes."
Wolfe's comment was too much for the Witches to process. They just stared blankly at him for a few seconds and then turned to Mary for a better explanation.
"No, that pretty much covers it. We were drafted out of the First Year of the Academy during the initial stages of the Monster Tide, and I share a Blood Pact with Wolfe that lets me grow my power using some of his mana.
Wolfe here has a knack for undoing the bloodline curses on Witches, and it lets us grow to our natural potential, even without a bond to him. That just speeds it up. Where did you come from?" Mary asked.
"We've come from Myrrh Coven. We were captured by those two traitors and dragged along with the retreating army units. They intended to use us to curse someone to death today, only it looks like their plan didn't work, and the attack came much too soon."
One of the other survivors nodded. "They cast [Divination] this morning, and saw Wolfe packing his bags for a journey, then calculated when he would arrive. I think something threw off their estimation, though."
"It's the nature of the Frozen Wastes. Trying to cast spells that affect anything out of your line of sight is difficult, and the lingering traces of shattered magic slightly warp everything that is cast. Even my Earth Magic didn't work quite right, and I was only a kilometre away." Mary explained.
"You mentioned that Wolfe stays here in the Frozen Wastes. Does that mean there's a settlement or some sort of safe spot?" The witch asked.
"Of course there is. There are settlements all through the Wastes. They're usually just not friendly to Witches. I've built a rather nice one if I do say so myself. Or rather, the witches built it, and I decorated it." Wolfe told her with a smirk.
The look on her face when he showed Mary the new state of the Den was definitely going to be worth the effort of coming all the way out here to meet her.
"Follow us, and we will bring you back. There are others there from Myrrh Coven, and we have a high-powered radio, so they can confirm your status as survivors and let your leaders know when you are fit for duty again. Myrrh treats our location as a forward scouting point, so you're not doing anything against regulations."
"In that case, we will be in your care. How far are we from your base? We've been tied up for a while, and I'm not sure how long we can run for." The witch explained.
"Never fear. I have a plan. I will lay out a tarp and build a sled for you. Then I can stabilize it with magic and drag you back." Wolfe explained.
Mary shook her head. "I will do you one better. I will make the sled, and Pup can pull it. He loves to drag them around when he's big."
Wolfe looked to the Pup for confirmation, and he had a goofy grin on his face, with his tongue hanging out. That sounded about right for him. If he was going to get up from in front of the fire, it would definitely be to play, and dragging a sled around was just the sort of thing that he would like.
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