Inheritor Of Magic: The Magi King

Once the Witches were unloaded, Wolfe got to work on the modifications to the truck, filling one fuel tank with Mana Crystals, and charging them with mana. That brought the truck up to functional status for use by others, and Wolfe rejoined the group.

"There we go, all ready. Now, has everyone gotten the chance to say hello? I hear the river boat coming, so it's almost time to leave again." He asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence between the soldiers and the witches that they viewed as traitors to the United World Government.

"I guess I should mention that none of the Witches you will meet have ever been to another Continent. They're all born right here in this area, so there's no need to hold a grudge against them, unless you're really devoted to seeing everyone here as an enemy." Wolfe added.

"Seriously? They're not rebels?" The seemingly perpetually angry Sergeant asked.

"Nope, these two are from Myrrh Coven, just to the west of us on this continent, born and raised. They came here this spring after the Monster Tide was over and the battle against the invading armies from the Grand Dutchies, the human nation next to where your people were camped, wound down this spring.

You see, in the spring it is too muddy for anyone to easily get around, so most of the big battles happen in the winter. Then they spend the summer making more munitions and getting ready to do it again."

The Sergeant just shook her head. "You're all insane. Did you know that when we first tried to advance, they used forbidden weapons against us?" 

"The Null Stone ammunition? Yeah, they use that for everything. Just wait until they start getting into the truly dangerous stuff."

The Sergeant looked confused, as she wasn't well versed in the various weapons of the Great War. The witches on guard decided to help clear her confusion instead of letting her suffer in silence, though.

"Well, from the Null Stone ammunition, there are Null Stone artillery shells, then the high explosives, the deliberately herded monsters, and finally the nerve gas that destroys a Witch's mana system and renders her magically impotent. That one is nasty because only a high-ranking Demon or the Magi can clear it, and there aren't any Magi left." The guard explained with a wink to Wolfe.

"They wouldn't dare." The Sergeant gasped.

"Wouldn't dare? They used them against us just last winter. Your army is in for a horrible time if they don't have proper training and preparations for living under a cloud of nerve gas while being shelled by artillery." The witch laughed.

The witch that Wolfe had magically whipped the day before placed a hand on her Sergeant's shoulder. "They were blocked from all communications ever since the war. To them, the war never really ended, and nobody won. They're in a perpetual stalemate, the same as the last days of the war before the Saints asserted their dominance and took over the world.

I don't know why they were isolated, other than the curses, but it seems pretty clear that they haven't moved on. If there is a chance to negotiate, I hope that the leaders take it, or we are going to lose countless friends back in the camp."

Any response that the Sergeant might have given was cut off by the arrival of the boat, with Priya and three armed guards on board, all with their hands on the hilts of magical blades.

"Relax ladies. These fine young witches aren't going to try anything stupid. They've been exceptionally well-behaved all the way here, so I think that we can trust them to keep it up for the duration of the trip." Wolfe requested, with a gesture, that the hostile approach wasn't necessary.

"Well behaved? We had the impression that they were all going to be aggressive and obstinate, like the ones that showed up in the village before we put up the barrier to keep them out." Priya remarked with a skeptical look at the witches.

The security guards both began to laugh. "I think they're terrified of Wolfe, and I'm not quite sure what he did to them to make them behave so well. But if they keep it up, they might actually be a pleasure to be around and not a nuisance that we will have to keep isolated, so they don't harass the locals."

All the prisoners looked at the one witch that Wolfe had disciplined, and she shuddered at the memory.

"We can behave. Mister Wolfe promised that if we're well-behaved, we won't be caged, and we can go about our lives under supervision, as long as we don't try to leave or harm anyone." She muttered.

"Well, I suppose that's true enough. If Wolfe thinks that you can behave without being chained or caged, then we will trust his judgment until you prove otherwise. Don't make me regret it." Priya sighed.

The guards that Priya had brought ushered everyone into the boat, and had them take a seat on the hard aluminum benches, but she noticed that one of them decided to remain kneeling between the rows instead of sitting.

"Oh, I see that this behaviour was not an immediate reaction. Alright, let's get going." Priya laughed.

Wolfe hopped on board and kicked the boat away from the shore, giving it a slow spin to face back the way it came, lined up for the trip back home.

They had only made it a few dozen metres when they gained another occupant of the boat, as a small Forest Sprite jumped out of the trees to land on Wolfe's shoulder and inspect the new arrivals.

"What happened to them? They're the darkest of Black Witches, but they're not natural. It's creeping me out. Can't you awaken them properly or something?" The small creature asked.

"You want me to awaken them?" Wolfe asked, confused.

"Yeah. If they were real witches and not fake ones using a Divine Beast's Curse to cast spells, they might be a bit less creepy. You know the Faeries are going to torment them until they go insane if you bring them to the village, right? The Faeries and the Mana Beast don't get along at all, since it likes to eat Fae."