322 322 Lost Conscripts
They had been on the road to the Academy for three hours when they encountered their first obstacle. The APC slowed to a crawl as someone inside detected a trap, allowing Wolfe to get ahead again and scout the area.
There was a magically disguised pitfall trap dug into the road, completely blocking traffic but looking like a plain dirt path. To Wolfe’s eyes, with his ability to see mana flows and [Detect Hidden] active, it was a huge trench dug across as if the road had been washed out, but there was no sign of flowing water here.
So, he searched the area for signs of life.
There was nothing close, but they would hear it from kilometres away if a vehicle hit that at cruising speed, so they didn’t really have to be.
Instead of using his eyes and [Detect Hidden], Wolfe focused on the mana flows in the area. Every living being changed the mana flow around it to some extent, and the more powerful they were, the more obvious it was.
To someone with his vision, Wolfe would appear to be on par with a small tornado, causing a swirling of mana in the area as his body naturally drew it in, and Peach was like a swirling storm among the ripples in the flow which were the other occupants of the vehicle.
Interestingly, even so close together, he could tell which ones were Witches and which ones were the Noxus Elders by the way that the Mana flow was disrupted by their existence. That was an interesting fact he would have to memorize for later. The more species he could identify without seeing them, the easier it would be to avoid threats.
Off in the distance, Wolfe could see a ripple in the flow that he was reasonably sure was a Witch and not a monster, so he turned his bike into the trees, following an animal trail, and went to look for the perpetrators.
As he approached, [Detect Hidden] showed him the occupants of the camp, sitting around a small fire, looking much worse for wear. It was mostly women, in the mismatched remains of army uniforms, along with a half dozen men in Morgana Coven outfits.
They might be deserters since they didn’t return to the Coven, or they might be the remains of a rebel group which was driven from the city after they lost the battle against Reiko.
So, Wolfe approached cautiously, then whistled as he was nearly in sight so that they would know that he was coming.
“Hail to the Camp. May I approach?” He called out to the startled group.
They all grabbed weapons, and the leader of the team, the only Witch in the group who had enough aura to cast a spell, called back to him.
“Come on out then. There’s no point hiding in the trees if you’re going to tell us you’re there.”
Wolfe rode right up to the clearing they were in and hopped off the bike, leaning it against a tree and placing his backpack up against it.
“Hello, everyone. My name is Wolfe Noxus. I saw your welcoming gift on the road and thought I would come to say hello.” He greeted them, and the group looked nervously around at each other.
“Wait, Noxus, as in the Noxus Family of the Fortress City?” One of the men asked.
“That’s right. I’m an Elder of the Noxus Family, though I was drafted and sent outside the city at the start of the Winter.” Wolfe agreed.
The man sighed in relief, and the others began to relax just a bit, looking less nervous though still standing at the ready with weapons drawn.
“Looks like we’re in the same boat then. Drafted and left to die. Have you been wandering alone all this time? You look like you’ve been doing pretty well for yourself.” The witch leading the group asked.
“No, I have a group in the Frozen Wastes that I am with. I’m just escorting a group back into Morgana Territory today, and we came across your trap. If you weren’t with the rebellion, you could likely return back to Fortress City now.
Some of you have the look of the lower floors, and the Families are working with Coven Leader Reiko to get things back in order.” Wolfe suggested.
“Wait, what happened now?” The leader asked.
“Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know if you don’t have a radio. Reiko Morgan reached the Second Rank and took over from her mother after the former Coven Leader allied with the Crime Families to take back the city from the witch purist rebels who had rigged the draft in an attempt to overthrow the Council.
Most of the original Coven Council was either killed or run out of the city, and the former Heir to the Coven is now a wanted criminal with a kill-on-sight order hanging over her head. Her whole group of military leaders were tried for treason and fled before they were found guilty.” Wolfe explained.
“So, the war is over, the coven leader has changed, and the whole draft was an attempt to overthrow the Council?”
“That’s more or less it.” Wolfe agreed with a smile. Perhaps he wouldn’t have to kill anyone today.
“Then we have been out here for months, trying not to starve or get captured and thrown to the Sylvan front lines as deserters for no reason?” One of the witches asked a bit desperately.
“Not for no reason. Because you didn’t know that you could go back and plead your case.
If you go to the Academy first, you can speak to the teachers there, and they will advise you on the best course of action that won’t land you with charges since you’ve been gone a while, and they might think you’re dead.
The Academy is generally considered safe territory, but they’re on high alert against rebel attacks, so be careful as you approach, and you should be fine.”
The group members nodded at each other, deciding to give it a go. They were suffering out here in the woods, with no real survival skills and only one magic user, who was barely considered a proper Witch.
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“We should fill in the trench. I hate to ask this, but do you have any food to spare? It’s been a tough time out here.” The man who had first asked Wolfe if he was from the Fortress City pleaded.
“I do. I’ll grab you some from the pack, and then you can start making your way to the Academy. I’m going the same way but in a hurry, so I will warn them that you’re coming.” Wolfe agreed, then went to fetch the bags of dried monster meat and mana-enhanced trail mix that were packed into his travel bag.
No matter where he went, he always needed them, and they were a great gift when meeting strangers in the Frozen Wastes.
The group was so happy to get the food that they didn’t even think to ask Wolfe why he was going to the Academy or why he thought they would let him in before he was gone from their sight.