Chapter 458 458 Lumix Airstrip



The clearing that served as the airstrip came into sight past the edge of the mountain, still surrounded by destroyed fighter jets and abandoned vehicles but without any sign of the Grand Dutchies' army.

The grass growing through the cracks in the hastily created airstrip showed that it hadn't been used in a while, but Wolfe made a slow pass over top anyhow to make sure there wasn't anything hiding that could be a danger to the plane.

The wildlife had cleaned up even the bones of the soldiers, but the damage Wolfe had done to the runway remained. It wouldn't be an issue today, as he had damaged it closer to where the planes were parked, near the far western end of the runway, so he circled around and came back for a landing.n.-0velbIn

The twin-engined plane glided down the pavement to a stop just short of the damaged pavement near the plane graveyard that used to be the staging area.

"We did a number on the gear here, so I'm not sure how much is salvageable, but we can always haul it out of the way and replace it with our own." Wolfe smiled at Cassie as they got out of the plane.

"Who is 'we'?" Cassie asked, confused.

"Me and Ella. We were the ones who went last winter to investigate the situation here. I should introduce you to the spells inside as well. I activated them when I was here, so they should still be up, and the butler magic seemed interested in meeting you as well."

Cassie looked confused but let the comment slide. She knew Wolfe well enough to know that he would get around to showing her once they had finished searching the area.

"It looks like whatever happened. The monsters didn't touch anything but the bodies and the food. All of the ration packs are torn apart and cleaned, and I only see a few bits of bone around, no sign of a massacre.

If I hadn't been the one that did it, I would think that the Grand Dutchies had just up and left everything behind when they fled." Wolfe remarked.

Even the weapons and gear that had been stored in metal containers alongside the runway were intact and undamaged. Wolfe popped a few of the doors open to check and found that the interior was still neatly organized, with weapons and gear in orderly rows on racks or packed in boxes.

The Containers had been placed on logs to lift them off the ground and prevent flooding, an effort which seemed to have worked splendidly, as there were no signs of water damage or mould in any of them.

"Well, we've got some more supplies to enchant for the cause, it seems. Did you find anything good?" Wolfe asked.

"Not much, but it looks like the army prepared to fight against us to some degree. Look over here at this helicopter. It's completely different inside than the other planes." Cassie called back.

She wasn't joking; the interior was full of mechanical gauges instead of the fancy digital screens that the fighter jets had, and it didn't even have GPS. There was a paper map in the console between the front seats.

"I wonder if it's just old technology? But it looks like it's all functional. We should make sure this one doesn't get any more damaged so that we can show it to the design team." Wolfe agreed as he inspected the interior.

There was no guarantee that this style of gauges would work in the Fae Forest, but it was very different than the high-tech vehicle screens that stopped working when exposed to mana. The basic things on the simple military vehicles, like the speedometer, still worked just fine, so Wolfe had high hopes for this.

If they could reverse engineer this using magic, they could finally have a helicopter. Assuming that this thing wasn't too hard to fly or understand anyhow. They didn't exactly have any aerospace engineers on staff.

The rest of the area was basically empty, just some abandoned barracks tents that had seen better days and abandoned trucks that could be converted when they were brought back to the Forest or a team was brought here to do the work.

"Well, that covers the outside. I will set a barrier over the plane, just in case, and we can go inside. Hopefully, the spells are still active and remember me." Wolfe told her with a wink.

Most of what they had at the Den when he first started upgrading it was directly pulled from the arrays here, so it would look quite similar to Cassie, though outwardly, it was all completely different.

Wolfe led the way to the main doors, where the remnants of the soldiers had been trapped when the monsters came for them, and politely tapped on the massive golden double doors.

"That's not going to..." Cassie began, and then the doors silently swung open, and a man in robes appeared in front of them.

"Welcome, Lord Noxus. Congratulations on becoming the Family Head. Might this lovely young lady be one of your consorts?"

Wolfe smiled at the magical butler. "Indeed she is. This is Cassie Noxus, the first of my Consorts. We were planning to tidy up the mess that the humans left outside and set up an airstrip to supply the villages in the region. Would that be acceptable to you?"

The butler paused for a moment and then smiled and nodded.

"The spells won't allow anyone inside without a suitable escort, but the area around the existing airstrip should be fine. Will you be building a new structure outside or perhaps underground?" The magical construct asked.

"Possibly both. I don't suppose that you have any tea left, do you? We have to spend some time planning our work here, and it is thirsty work." Wolfe asked.

"Of course, forgive my rudeness. Please follow me this way, and I will get you settled in for a cup. Unfortunately, we still lack any form of food, as the spells in the pantry collapsed with time."

"I could reconstruct them for you if the pantry itself is still standing. I have become fairly adept with preservation magic." Cassie suggested.

"Thank you, Madam Noxus, that would be greatly appreciated. I will ask one of the staff to come talk to you after tea."