Inheritor Of Magic: The Magi King

The strange response that he had gotten from Cassie intrigued him as Wolfe flew toward the town they had chosen to bring into compliance first. According to the information that they had, there were still slaves being kept there in the most deplorable of conditions, and the reports indicated that they had immediately attacked the last four potential protectors who approached them.

The fact that they hadn't attacked the witches was an unexpected result, and they had all been prepared to deal with a certain level of violence.

But for some reason that hadn't happened, and they weren't sharing it through the mind link.

Wolfe flew over the town, looking for signs of a struggle, but everything looked peaceful, and while he was fairly certain that he still saw slaves, they were dressed more like servants, and didn't look starved or beaten. At least, not the ones he saw in public.

The only real indication was the metal collars on their necks, which likely locked away their magic, and a level of deference that was shown to everyone that they met.

Cassie and the others weren't in any distress, and Wolfe could sense them in one of the larger buildings, so he approached the city walls and waved to the men on duty.

They acknowledged him with slightly terrified looks on their faces, and Wolfe kept flying.

For a moment, he wondered why they were terrified, then he recalled the incident at the auction a few towns over, and how he had blasted his way out of town with an entire bus load of witches. Add to that the reputation of the Snow Demon, and it was hardly surprising that any of the mundane army forces would be terrified of him.

Wolfe landed outside the building, which he thought might have been a sports arena of some sort, and waited for the guards to stop staring at him and form proper words.

"Snow Demon. I mean, Saint Noxus. We were informed that you were coming. Please follow me." The guard at the door on his right stammered.

That answered his first question. It was definitely his reputation preceding him that had everyone on edge. The people inside the building didn't seem to be nervous, or at least they weren't making the witches nervous, so it was all on him.

The guard led him down a short hallway to a large meeting room, where a round table was set up for nearly forty participants, and a hundred more packed around the edge, taking notes and holding piles of documents for whichever bureaucrat they were working for.

"Saint Noxus, thank you for your timely arrival. We have much to discuss." The General in his full dress uniform, complete with overcoat and medals, greeted Wolfe as he was led into the room.

"General, I appreciate your invitation. Do you have a moment to get me up to speed on what has been discussed here so far?" Wolfe replied.

The General nodded and gestured toward the open seat between Cassie and Ella.

"Of course. Please make yourself comfortable and we can start.

You see, it has come to our attention that while agreements have been signed with many others to bring the conflict of last winter to an end, there are currently no formal agreements between the Grand Dutchies and Forest Grove.

While the ceasefire has saved many lives, it has been brought to our attention that it is strictly an informal ceasefire, and that the two nations remain technically at war. I am certain that you can see how that would be moderately concerning for the residents of the city in this scenario."

Wolfe took a seat and smiled at the General.

"Have you been appraised of the social standards and requirements that such an agreement would bring? They are not particularly extensive, and the majority of the Grand Dutchies have acceded to them already." Wolfe asked.

The General nodded. "So we have heard. There have been some differences of opinion among the leadership here in the Territories, most of whom believed until recently that the old ways would be coming back. But as of now, we are in agreement that a proper treaty and a structured development plan are in everyone's best interest.

The people are still starving at home, or close to it, even with the help of the Fae and the Demons. We're not prepared to leave, but we are prepared to operate in a way that is in compliance with the rules and regulations put forth by the Continental Representatives and Forest Grove."

So that was what had finally changed their minds. Wolfe had started reuniting the Covens, and they realized that they could well be evicted and sent back home to a nation that would be far from pleased to see them again, and into living conditions that hardly counted as better than surviving.

"My first concern would be the presence of slaves. They are not permitted, but I saw a large number of them in the city as I entered." Wolfe noted.

The General nodded. "We are prepared to comply with that law, but we require a bit of assistance in the matter. You see, the ones left in servitude are the ones that were taken in combat. The collars restrain their magic, but as we learned from earlier experience, they have not stopped their growth.

If we remove the collars, they will be much more powerful than when they were captured, and violently upset about the matter. For the sake of continued survival, we have asked your people to have them resettled away from the occupied cities."

Wolfe couldn't argue with that. If they freed the remaining slaves, it was almost certain that they would have an uprising on their hands within an hour.

"I can work on that. In fact, there are a number of villages in Sylvan Coven that require an influx of residents. I suspect that many of these people came from there to begin with, so it should be acceptable to them." Wolfe agreed.

The General nodded and gestured toward the map on the table.

"I represent the leaders of these six towns and cities. The ones along the coast have formed their own alliance, headed by the former members of the Morgana Coven Council, and I cannot say what their reaction will be to your proposals."

Wolfe examined it closely. The six locations that were represented here made up most of Reiko's concern, other than the cluster along the coast and a portion on the far western end of the peninsula. By the time that the battles had ended, most of the Morgana Territory was actually in the hands of the Gormana troops, and Wolfe had already sorted that mess out peacefully.

"Then, let's get to the formalities, and I will move on to more troublesome locations." Wolfe agreed.