Chapter 209 209 Settling In



The problem of what to do with the summoning circle was quickly solved by Priya, who used earth magic to collect the paint back into a jar, and then used water magic to smooth over the circle that she had etched into the ice.

Her new Jackalope Familiar was happily hopping around the area, exploring the Frozen Wastes and stopping to meet new people so that he could get petted. It was the exact opposite of how they were in the wild, and Wolfe began to suspect that the only reason everything was so monstrous and aggressive was because of the broken spells that made the Frozen Wastes the refuge of the desperate in the first place.

Out in the wastes, the pronged horns on the heads of the rabbit monsters could tear apart a human in an instant, but as a Familiar, it was actually quite friendly and affectionate.

The witches returned back down below, and the Faerie let out a happy whistle when she saw the interior.

"Yes, the Demon did this for us. It really is pretty. I know you can see the magic, but do you see the effect too? Oh, that's handy. Wolfe, she says that your home decorating skills are very good." Katerina rambled, mostly talking to the Fae creature in her hair.

"Thanks. I tried my best to make it look comfortable. I've heard that Fae Glamor is far beyond my level, though, so if you want to make a few improvements, just ask the others and make sure that everyone is fine with them." He responded with a wink for the small creature.

"I like the Magi version better. Fae glamour is just glamour. Yours is actually solid magic that I can touch." The little winged Familiar giggled, barely slowing her voice enough for Wolfe to understand.

"In that case, I think your witch would be happy to show you to her room and get you settled in somewhere comfortable. Tell me, do you like warmer or colder?" he asked.

"Warm. All the warm. I have to use magic not to freeze to death up there, and my people come from tropical forests. This Den of yours is nice. It's deep enough to be properly heated all year round, and nobody will come to bother you here.

At least, they won't after I put up a repulsion ward around the area. Your scouts might have to go a few kilometres to go hunting, but I know a lot of really good recipes that don't need meat. Tell me, do you have bees here? I could go for some honey right now."

Katerina frowned at her new companion. "Why would you want there to be bees? Bees are scary."

"She means the ones that aren't hostile and overgrown like the monstrous ones in the Wastes. They pollinate flowers and make honey." Priya explained as she walked up to the conversation with her Jackalope in her arms.

The young witch looked confused at the concept, then shrugged and dismissed it. "Well, let's go see our room. I think I have the perfect spot for your bed. There is a hanging net, like a hammock, attached to the ceiling above me, and with some blankets, it would make a great bed for someone your size."

Priya accompanied them to their room since she had the skills to make the alterations that they might need in case Katerina's storage net wasn't a suitable bed, and Wolfe went looking for Cassie and Ella, who had both disappeared at some point.

Ella was easy to find, she was in the dining hall going over the day's scouting reports with the Reaper, but Cassie was nowhere to be found. Wolfe could sense that she was close but not quite where. Then he realized it was because she was directly above him, in one of the other hallways full of dorm rooms that were used by the Witches who had Servant Bonds.

The Reaper seemed to have good tactical advice, and Ella was interpreting for it since it appeared that the undead being couldn't speak out loud, so Wolfe went to check on Cassie and make sure that she was getting along well with her new Familiar.

The Familiar who, as far as Wolfe could tell, was doing his best to win the <Worst Hell Hound Ever> competition. He loved attention, people, and the tennis ball that they were throwing for him to fetch. For a fire-breathing species of demonic hound, he was not the least bit intimidating.

It seemed that the day's summoning had gone better than anyone could have expected, and even the original five Servants were much more lively than usual.

Their auras weren't far behind Cassie and Ella, so it wouldn't be long before they reached the Second Rank and would be able to summon a new Familiar for themselves to replace the one that they lost in battle.

Now, everyone knew better than to believe anyone who told them to take their Familiar with them on missions. Except perhaps for the Reaper, since it was unlikely that the creature could actually be killed, they would be left behind the guard the Den while their witches were away.

The concept annoyed Stephanie to no end since she was also treated as one of the Familiars to be left behind, but there were advantages to lying in bed all day instead of going out and wasting energy to attack convoys.

If Wolfe needed mana, she could give it to him from her spot in bed. In Stephanie's mind, there was no reason for her to go anywhere at all unless it might be entertaining, provide tasty snacks, or if he was in actual trouble.

The addition of even a few Familiars also made the Den feel more like a home than a military camp. Ember, the Hell Hound, was especially good at giving off that impression, even while Wolfe could feel the small dog drawing in a huge amount of the ambient mana to bolster his own strength.

It was enough that Wolfe even increased the output of the Den's mana-gathering array a few percent to compensate so that the increased level of mana in the Den didn't suffer.

There was only one challenge for the evening. They now had too many bodies for one bed, and the half meter that separated Ember from everyone else when he was on the dog bed beneath the main bed was much too far for his liking.

Either that or it was because Reaper liked to tease the pup, but that didn't stop even when he was stretched out across Cassie, so Wolfe disregarded it as the likely answer. Most likely, the Hell Hound was just a Momma's boy.