Chapter 423 423 The Incredible Journey
Chapter 423 423 The Incredible Journey
“We should head for the village soon, but it was good to see you all enjoying your time here at the border. Have we had many visitors since I left?” Wolfe asked.
“Not too many. Three visits from the border village, and then the rest were all of us going out to the locals to drop off more supplies for them. It’s a bit ahead of schedule, but we’re growing way faster than our estimations and our storehouses were starting to get full, so we had to move it out as fast as we could to make room for the next harvest.
We’ve also arranged for the villages inside the Forest to come more often to get supplies so that this problem doesn’t happen again.
It’s not so much that they can’t use all that we produce. We’re just short on people to get it all moved out.
The trip down the river is nice and smooth, but after that, we have to find all the villages in the woods, and it is taking time. So, we’ve improvised. The fan boats now go back and forth twice a day, and the villages that need supplies flag us down for a ride. Then we load them up with supplies and drop them back where we found them for their friends to help them get the supplies to the village.
There are a few that still need to come to the gates, but with the river running at an angle, only the ones nearest the southwest and northeast corners can’t conveniently get to it.” Jenna explained.
“Not bad. We will work on the distribution network as we go, but if it is working for now, it is good enough. When is the next boat leaving? I will catch a ride back with everyone else, and we can show our new arrivals around town.”
The boat will be back here within the hour. Did you want to get something to eat in the meantime? We’ve got a lot of frozen meals from the main kitchen with us.” The border guard suggested.
“Well, there’s no need to turn down your hospitality, and I’m sure that some of us are hungry again. It’s been a bit since breakfast, after all.” Wolfe agreed while the witches led the others inside.
“Wow, this is nice. How did you build this all the way out here?” Christa asked.
“With Witch Magic, of course. The whole building is Witch Magic, except the beds, which Wolfe laid an extra enchantment on for comfort. This is fairly similar to a lot of the treetop apartments that we have in the city, where the people who aren’t afraid of heights can stay and navigate the village through suspended walkways.
It’s a beautiful place, and I’m sure that it will live up to the standards of even a Coven Council Member’s daughter.” The border guard replied.
Christa looked embarrassed as she pulled the witch into a hug.
“I’m really sorry if I was mean to you at the start of the school year. A lot has changed since then, and I can assure you, life humbled me pretty hard.” She replied.
The girl looked between her and Grok, who seemed much stronger than before with a lot of doubt in her eyes.
“She was hit with the gas and cursed so that she couldn’t resummon her Demonic Familiar after it was killed. Wolfe was the one that sorted her out when we found her at the Academy.” Ella explained.
“So, you lost your power? That is close to the worst fate ever.” Mollie agreed.
“Not entirely. I still had a bit of an aura, but it put me at the very bottom of the regular class’s power ranking with no prospects of improving.” Christa replied.
Sophie looked a bit lost, but then she had been locked in her parents’ house for most of her life, and the village didn’t send Witches to the Academy to start with.
“The school has a hierarchy based on who has the most power. It’s a bit silly since a lot of it is determined by the Familiar that they managed to get, but that’s how things are there, and going from the top to the bottom is a big hit to your social status.” Wolfe explained quietly.
Sophie just nodded in understanding, recalling the day that she had lost her siblings and her normal life along with them.
“Sorry, that might have been a cruel memory to dredge up,” Wolfe whispered.
“That’s alright. You didn’t mean any harm. I’m not going to just forget and forgive. I don’t think I could forget, but this place is beautiful, and I just want to put it all behind me.” Sophie replied.
“That’s a good attitude. This is a fresh start, and there are more people here who would prefer not to talk about their past. Plus, if you’re really feeling down, find a bunny. They’re usually up for a hug, and they’re very friendly people.” Wolfe agreed.
“Bunny people?” She asked in confusion.
“Oh yeah, we might not have covered that. Many of the mutants in the Frozen Wastes were humans whose lineage was blended with the local animals by an extremely powerful curse. So, they’re mostly humanoid with animal properties. The Bunny people vary form in appearance from just having bunny ears to being fully covered in fur, but they’re very social, and from what I’ve seen, they all love meeting new people.
We will introduce you to them when we get inside, but don’t be shocked by nonhuman workers all over the city. They do all sorts of tasks and run a lot of the skilled trade workshops here. The other villages, the ones that Jenna and Mollie just got back from dropping off supplies to, are also full of them, with some humans and the occasional witch.
Outside the Fae Forest, you can’t speak to them, though. There is a curse in place that turns your voice to shrieking in their ears and theirs to animal noises.
It’s a bit of a difficult situation, but inside the Forest, it’s not in effect, so people are just people.
Also, some of the new students that you will be learning with have animal features, like Katerina. She was a scout for her village most of the winter, and when she was healed, she awakened the powers of a Witch, so she’s got the best of both worlds. Powerful magic and fluffy ears.”