Novel Full 206 206 Aftermath
Wolfe stood up, still carrying Priya, and began to head for the dining hall, which had become the natural spot for all group meetings. All of the witches who had a bond with him were already headed in his direction, eager to find out what had just happened and why, so his bedroom simply wouldn’t do for a meeting of this magnitude.
So much had changed all at once that it had to be a big thing, but from their end, it was impossible to tell what exactly had transpired.
Wolfe took a spot at the head of the table and set Priya down on his right. Ella took the spot to his left while Cassie frowned at the full seats before smirking and taking a seat on Wolfe’s lap with her arm looped over his shoulder to keep herself upright.
The others who had a bond and some who were simply curious joined them soon after, so Wolfe began the announcements.
“As of today, Reiko Morgan has taken over the leadership of the Morgana Coven. That appointment broke her blood pact with me and removed her from the pentacle I had formed.
Lieutenant Priya has graciously accepted my offer to fill that position, so there will be no reduction in the benefits gained by all of you with a bond.
In addition, Miss Katerina, our friendly scout under the bush by the entrance, has awakened her aura early and has entered training here in the Den. If you see her around, be sure to congratulate her and make her feel welcome.
But the part that many of you noticed would be the change in the markings for the servant bonds. Today I completed my third Mana Focus and advanced to the Fourth Rank.”
The announcement brought shocked gasps and whispers to the room. Everyone with a bond had felt the drastic increase in his power, but to openly announce that he was at the Fourth Rank was incredible.
According to the old texts, a magic user at the fourth rank was qualified to lead a continental army. Of course, that standard was meant for witches during the Great War, but it said a lot about how uncommon they were, as there were only seven continental armies at the start of the war and six at the end after one continent was lost to the sea floor.
“I would also like to announce that a number of our witches have reached the Second Rank. Lieutenant Priya, Cassie Noxus and Ella Mariel, as well as Reiko Morgan and Miss Mary, the lover of all things fluffy, have become Second Rank Witches.”
While the Witches had been too shocked to really say much when Wolfe announced that he was at the fourth rank, the announcement that the witches bound to him had started to reach the Second Rank was cause for Celebration.
The Second rank was more than just a mile marker. It was a qualitative change to the Witch’s aura, with the compressed aura returning as a remarkably dense field after the mark was completed. It was more than the density that changed, though.
A Second Rank Witch could invoke a number of charms with pure willpower, as she was more in tune with the flow of nature. Simple charms like activating disguises, illusions or making plants grow became second nature to them after the advancement.
With the improved witches, their garden would only need minimal tending to keep everything growing at the perfect rate, and only the most finicky of magical plants would ever wilt or fail to grow properly. Their innate magic would also activate more easily, needing less input from their aura to accomplish the tasks like Hexes and complex Charms that they struggled with at the First Rank.
When it came to defensive wards, entangling vines and spike traps, the Den would be unparalleled among their peers.
“Do you think that more of the Witches will be able to make it to the Second Rank?” One of the spectators asked eagerly, looking around at the nearly two dozen neck tattoos present in the room that marked the witches who had formed Servant Bonds.
“It’s only a matter of time. They’re not that far behind where Cassie and Ella were yesterday, so I would think that in the next few weeks, we will see those with the highest potential reach the Second Rank.
I will work with them to make it happen as well. The more Second Rank Witches we have, the safer it will be to visit the villages to do healing work. Not only will it be safer, but it will also be easier once you get there.
To my knowledge, there aren’t many things that a Second Rank Witch can’t heal as far as injuries and illnesses go.
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The witches at the table shared a conspiratorial smile. Many had considered going home after the last attack that the Den had launched but had decided that staying here was the better option for one reason or another. Now there was no question. Staying here was the right choice.
Their numbers might be small, but it was likely that there wasn’t a military unit in any Coven or mundane army that would be a threat to them. They could remain safely in the Frozen Wastes without worrying about hardship or starvation.
“So, now that we’ve got some of the first witches in generations to reach Second Rank, do you have new goals?” One of the witches joked with a wink at Wolfe.
“Certainly I do. Now that we’re getting more witches ready to advance, I’m going to set up a second layer to the Mana Gathering Array so that they will have a more mana-dense sleeping area to build their power in.
They might be getting close to the Second Rank, but I’m at the Fourth. If they fall any further behind, I will risk overloading them if I need mana in an emergency.”
The original five Servants shuddered at that memory. It had happened to them exactly once, and that made it about twice too many times in one lifetime.
What exactly could cause Wolfe to need that much mana now that there were twenty of them with the Servant Bond was another question, but the memory of having been overloaded was enough to distract them from that question for now.