Wolfe took most of an hour to chase down the bus on foot, but John had kept to the road, and they were all still in one piece when he arrived. That was all that Wolfe could have asked for, and once he got to the driver's side window, John brought the bus to a stop.
"Good to see you back safe and intact. How much ti do you think we have?" John asked, ntally calculating if they could make it to relative safety on ti.
"We probably have all day. The city's residents had turned against the army when I left. There is no more heavy artillery to be found, no tanks, no mortars, nothing. So, the civilians started to capture the soldiers as they fled from the battle, and then they surrounded the Auction House before I left.
That should be enough for whatever reinforcents they managed to get. If they focus on the city for the rest of the day, we will be long gone. But honestly, I think that they have bigger issues right now than a bunch of escaped prisoners who aren't even in their territory anymore.
They wanted you all gone, and that's what you are. Gone and out of their faces. But I also broke the prisoner Chains that they had on the Witches who were working for them, so there is a good chance that they will also be running wild in the city, getting their vengeance for all of the humiliation and degradation that they suffered at the hands of the Army and their forr compatriots." Wolfe explained.
"What about the witches in the keep? Did they intervene?" John asked.
"Not at all. They didn't even send guards up onto the walls. They just sat inside and let the army take a beating without lifting a finger to help them." Wolfe shrugged.
If they had decided to help out, it might have gone differently for Wolfe. Not by much, as he still had an overwhelming advantage against a bunch of disorganized Rank One Witches who hadn't had any defences prepared in advance outside of their own keep walls.
"That's good enough for . Where are we going?" John asked.
He swung the side door open so Wolfe could co inside, but Wolfe waved him off. Running beside the bus was a more pleasant experience than riding inside it at the speed John was driving.
"There is a village not far ahead. It is run by Gormana and the local Witches working together, and they took great offence to the suggestion that they might be part of the Grand Dutchies army. So, any of you who are from Gormana can go there and report your continued survival. I'm sure they will appreciate knowing all that you have experienced since they seem to be holding a grudge against the Grand Dutchies back ho." Wolfe explained.
"But we're in the sa boat, out of food and in need of help. How much better could things be in the other village?" One of the other n asked.
"Well, for one, they have decided to just work with the Witches to farm larger plots of land and sell everything they can spare back to Gormana. The two groups working together are doing pretty decently from what I can see, and I heard that they control a large part of the Swamps as well, with intentions to farm it.
They're not taking any slaves, or sending anyone back to Gormana. They're treating this more like a business arrangent, where the soldiers provide labor, and the witches provide Magic. Together they're creating working villages, and not that ss of a city where they could barely feed themselves."
John smiled back at Wolfe. "I'm glad they ca up with sothing. Do you think it will work?"
Wolfe nodded. "From what I can tell, they should have entire plane loads of food ready to send ho every month, and at a profit for the ones who are here. That seems like it will work out wonderfully for everyone involved, and they are keeping a patrol in the area, so it's not as dangerous.
The only issue is that the army is doing the patrol, since all the Witches are farming or working in town, so they don't have the ability to easily take down magical beasts. I will hunt one for you before I send you back to them. It's a traditional gift to the city, and they will pay you for it to get back on your feet."
One of the witches gave Wolfe a sad smile.
"What about the rest of us?" She asked.
"Headmistress Peach has reached Rank Two, so I am taking the rest of you to the Academy. She can get you all sorted out, healed and such. After that you can decide where you're going, whether it's back to the City, to one of the friendly villages, or back with to the Frozen Wastes to try your luck in my ho village." Wolfe told her with a wink.
They always needed a few more Witches, but it was best if they were all there voluntarily and not because they thought that they didn't have a choice.
"Do you think that the Headmistress will take in Nomads? I was living in the southern forests when I was captured by the soldiers, using the Prisoner Chains that the witches made for them. It's not like I can go back to the city, and I'm not big on trying to get along with the village witches who ran out either." One of the won asked.
"If there isn't work for you at the Academy, then you can co back to the Frozen Wastes with . The city is safe and tucked inside a Fae Forest. It's basically all witches, but the curse that keeps them from talking to the mutants that live in the Wastes is broken in the Forest, so we also brought in so of them to help out with the trade skills that none of the Witches had."
The witches in the bus gave Wolfe a confused look for a mont, trying to process what he had said, then they finally decided to just shrug it off and see what it was like if they decided to go. It certainly couldn't be worse than where they were, and it was a long way from anywhere that the Grand Dutchies and the Covens would contest.
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