Before they had a chance to argue, Wolfe continued. “All of the intelligence gathering that the locals are doing is at my request. They wouldn’t do that for any witch.
The meals you are eating, the uniforms that most of you are wearing and the blankets on your beds all came from the raids I ran on the mundane army. Show a little respect for your host, would you?”
The Myrrh Coven Colonel nodded her head in agreement. “He has a point. Though his witches are citizens of both Morgana and Sylvan covens, as a demon, he isn’t.
Sylvan doesn’t discriminate as much, but Morgana Coven banished him from the city. We all accepted his offer of hospitality, so it is only right to abide by his rules.”
“How can a witch take orders from a familiar?” The Morgana officer complained, making the Sylvan Army’s ranking member at the table chuckle.
“Can you even call yourself a witch right now? If you went home like that with no aura, they would strip you of your position and title. But Lieutenant Priya tells me that Wolfe can fix the damage that medicine hasn’t been able to.” She taunted the Morgana officer.
“If that was true, wouldn’t he be surrounded by powerful witches?” The Morgana officer replied, then frowned when she realized everyone was silently laughing at her.
“If we’re talking pure power, he’s the strongest one here by a lot. Followed by the pair of witches he is bound to, his pet cat, and the five who were with him for the rescue mission, and they have a pact with him as well.” The Myrrh officer laughed.
Everyone else did a double take, turning to stare at Stephanie, who gave them a casual shrug from her perch on his shoulder.
“I’m not a bad guy. I also reward loyalty and integrity.” Wolfe announced, then placed a hand on the shoulder of the Myrrh officer.
Her mana veins were heavily damaged and only allowed a small amount of aura to form, so he quickly cleared the worst of the blockages, causing the witch to gasp in shock from both his work and the sudden influx of mana to her aura.
“It will take dozens of sessions to finish the process, but that should be enough to get you started on the path to recovery,” Wolfe told the witch with a wink.
“Her aura is coming back already. It’s faint, but I can feel it increasing while she stands here. That is incredible.” A Sylvan officer cheered.
Wolfe could see that the Morgana officer was about to demand he do the same thing for her, but at the last second, she closed her mouth with a grimace.
She hasn’t gotten off to a good start with him. The chances of him healing her right now without asking for something extreme in compensation seemed rather slim.
Those who witnessed the event all began to consider what it would take to get him to bring them up to the standard of his inner circle. It would make them some of the strongest witches in their home cities and villages, which would give them political power and prestige. But, most importantly, help them fight off the next invasion by the mundane armies.
ƥαṇdα-ηθνε|·ƈθm
That could mean that it changed course toward their homes in Myrrh or Morgana Coven territory, which would be a disaster. Only the Sylvan scouts knew that the army was gone, but intelligence hadn’t passed in the news yet, as they wanted to verify it first.
Ella ducked her great into the room. “If you’re done fighting about the impossible, we’ve got enough rooms ready to bring everyone inside. It’s not luxurious, but it’s warm and secure. Once they are in, we will be building the garage.”
Then she turned to Wolfe. “It looks like the Den is becoming an actual village. At this rate, we will have to send out hunting teams to keep up with demand for food.”
“I will get someone on it. We have enough for a while, so we can start hunting once everyone is settled in, and the retreating forces are dealt with. If anyone is free, have them make extra rooms, both for beds and for things other than sleeping. We will likely need them over the next few days.”
Ella left the room and headed back for the new areas they had been building while the gathering in the main room broke up to inform the crowd that there was space for them inside now.
Once the news began to spread, witches from outside rushed in, guided by Priya and the unit to their new quarters.
The rooms were shared, as were all the other facilities, but it was comfortable and cozy thanks to the heat that the ground held. That alone was enough to call it an improvement on the camps that they fled or the back of a transport truck.
“Demon, I have a question for you. Were the mutants only nice to us because you told them to be?” One of the witches asked as she passed Wolfe.
“Not entirely. I have an agreement to have the witches from my unit go to their villages once a week to heal the sick. So as long as they’re associated with me, the locals will see the witches as potential friends.” Wolfe explained.
While they talked, Wolfe noticed that she walked with a cane, so he woke up Stephanie to heal the witch.
“Just wait here a second, and I’ll get your leg healed. I noticed that you smell a bit like a wet dog. Did you make a new friend on the way here?” He asked, which made the witch blush bright red all the way to her ears.
“Oh, you did make a friend. You can pass letters with them. The curse only blocks verbal communication. Not all of them can read, though. It’s not a high priority for those who live out here, except the scout teams.” He whispered while the Familiar Cat healed her injuries.
[All done. It was just a sprained ankle and a cracked rib. I think she fell out of the truck, or it rolled.] Stephanie explained.
“If I see him again, I’ll remember that. Thank you, Demon.”
“Wolfe. You can call me Wolfe. Welcome, and I hope you enjoy your stay.”