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Students needed clearance to leave the grounds, so they couldn’t just bring anyone they wanted along on missions, but the teacher had been quite understanding this time, perhaps because the younger students were at the top of the advanced class.
“So, what are you looking for today?” The older of the guards asked as Wolfe approached, and Stephanie moved to sit on top of his backpack for a better view over the top of his head.
“We need Black Elder wand branches for the mission and a bunch of zombie’s hearts for a healing wand,” Wolfe told him without hesitation. His advice on the location of the Spirit Grass had been spot on after all.
“You’ve got some walking ahead of you. The nearest Black Elder trees are near the lakeshore, but you need perfectly straight branches for wands, so you’ll be there a while. Fortunately for you lot, the lake attracts zombies of all sorts, as well as monsters looking for water. It’s a one-stop shop for your group.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Treasure hunts never were my thing.”
The man shook his head at the enthusiasm. “Keep at least two Witches on watch at all times. It can be hard to wake up the group when you’re fighting for your life. And don’t set up camp near the lake, either. You’ll never get any sleep.”
“Got it. Do you need anything while I’m out?”
“If you get a chance, there are some apple trees on your way to the lake. Nothing special, but they should still have some fruit that hasn’t fallen.” He suggested.
“Noted. If there are any good ones left, I’ll grab some for you.”
The process was quickly completed, and they were waved through into the wilderness, with one final reminder that it was safer to follow the road to the lake instead of the river.
The walk should take at least a day on foot, and Wolfe was really starting to miss his bike. Even if he had to buy a wagon to carry everyone behind him, he could have had them there by mid-afternoon, cycling down the road.
If only he could convert the mana gems he made into academy credits, he could buy one for everybody, but the Headmistress only gave him blank stones, so they turned black when he filled them, not an acceptable colour for real mana stones even if he could fake the aura somehow.
Five hours into their trip, everyone was sick of walking, so they began looking for a clearing in the woods to rest for a while.
“Wolfe, I see light through the trees ahead. That should be a large open area.” Curtis quietly notified him, paranoid about attracting attention.
“Everyone, Curtis will stay here with you. I will go ahead with Stephanie and check that clearing to see if it’s suitable to stop at.” Wolfe told the group, then snuck into the trees, using [Gentle Steps], a gravity-type spell from the Adventurer’s Handbook, to move silently over leaves and branches.
At first, Wolfe thought that the sounds he was hearing meant another group was resting in the clearing, but as he got close, it became clear that resting was no longer possible for the people here.
One Armored SUV with the side windows shattered was parked near the road, while five very battered-looking zombies were wandering around the area, returning to bump into the vehicle every time they got too far away.
The doors to the vehicle were open, and it looked to be in good condition, other than the windows, which Wolfe did not take as a good sign. Whatever attacked targeted the windows and may have turned the occupants into zombies.
There was no guarantee that these zombies were from the vehicle, but it was a young woman and four men wearing civilian clothing.
They might have been here since before the entry ceremony, but Wolfe was sure he had heard Dean and the other combat instructors mention that they had swept the roads near the Academy for signs of additional attacks.
“Stephanie, we are going to take out these five undead and check the SUV. If it’s not too broken, we’re not walking anymore during this trip.” Wolfe whispered to the Familiar Cat sitting behind his head.
He interpreted the swat to his ear as meaning, “This is a stupid idea.” so Wolfe decided to make a more detailed plan.
“We will move around the side so we don’t lead them to the others. I will use [Chain Lightning]. You use wind blades to chop their heads off. They’re already dead and can’t use magic. It will only take a moment.”
The noise she made was somewhat less disgruntled this time, so Wolfe moved to the side and prepared to attack.
Before he could, Stephanie hissed and hopped down from his pack. She darted into the trees, chasing after something she had detected, with him close behind her.
There was a thought through the link, but the image didn’t make sense to Wolfe, and there weren’t any other sensory inputs attached when communicating with the bond.
Wolfe chased the Kitten in a large circle around the clearing, then came to a spot where three ragged humans were hiding under a net covered in leaves and sticks, with guns at the ready, and pointed toward the road, waiting for someone to approach.
Stephanie stopped and tilted her head toward them, then tapped her nose. Wolfe didn’t smell what she did, so he improved his [Detect Hidden] ability and found half a dozen bodies in academy uniforms in a shallow grave under their hiding spot.
If they wanted to hunt Witches, it was only fair if a Familiar hunted them.
Wolfe lay down in the brush behind Stephanie, only able to see the target because of the [Detect Hidden] spell, and prepared to dump a quarter of his mana into [Unholy Smite].
Once he had the target area confirmed and his power ready, Wolfe released the Smite on their hidden nest, savouring the short scream before they were burned to ash.
That likely wasn’t what he should have felt, but whoever those people were, they had been hunting students, and they must have done it in the last day or two.