The construction of the shack got the attention of a few of them, as the building was quite sturdy but cunningly crafted to look dilapidated on the outside, as the homes of rogue witches usually were.
They spared envious looks for the supplies that were stocked in the spare room and then followed Wolfe down inside the Den. It occurred to him as they walked that he hadn't told them just how many people were in the Den. They likely assumed that it was only a dozen or so witches gathered at a scouting location, so their response to the number of supplies that they had amassed was even better than Wolfe had hoped for.
"It looks like you're not in danger of starving to death, and you've got enough weapons here to take out half a regiment." One of the rescued witches laughed.
"There's enough to take out half a regiment without enchanting them. But we use [Fireball] and [Chain Lightning] inscriptions on all of the rifles, so we can effectively use magic from hundreds of meters away without them being able to trace it back to us easily.
You wouldn't believe how easy it has become to take out the mundane army units now. Even Wolfe alone can take out a thousand soldiers and a dozen tanks before they can form an effective defence against him." Ella laughed as she moved forward with Cassie to join Wolfe.
They realized that he was preparing to see the look on everyone's face when they reached the enchanted regions of the Den, and they didn't want to miss anything by being in the middle of the group.
When they came around the corner to the living quarters, where the disguise spells began, Wolfe stepped to the side and began his prepared speech.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Den. We have plenty of sleeping quarters, a community kitchen and dining room, an alchemy lab, a garden and a recently finished hot springs sauna. One of our residents will lead you to your quarters to freshen up before dinner, or you can take a nap and wait for breakfast.
ƥαṇdαηθνε| The kitchen serves meals at set times, but the cook is kind, and she keeps leftovers in the fridge for anyone who is off the usual schedule."
Even Mary was in awe at the opulence of the Den, and she had just come from the luxurious quarters of the Third Year student dorms at the Academy.
"Is this a Palace that you happened across by chance?" the little witch gasped as she ran her fingers over the smooth stone floor tiles.
"No, I decorated it myself, and the Witches carved it from the stone. Everything you see here was made by the ones living here." Wolfe explained.
"Look at that. There is a table made of solid rubies. What level of Earth Magic did you guys use here?" a witch gasped as she looked into a bedroom whose door was left open.
"That's actually solidified Fire magic hiding a regular stone table. I know some of our witches can use Earth Magic well enough to do complex transmutation, but it didn't seem like the most effective way to decorate." Wolfe explained.
The returning patrols began to giggle from behind the rescued group, and the witches blushed as they realized that they were behaving like clueless hicks from the lower levels.
"It was our response the first day, too, don't feel bad. Come to the kitchens and eat before we lead you to your rooms. There is a dorm room ready for you tonight while you decide what you're doing.
Many of you might just want to go home to your families now that the war is winding down, but you're welcome to stay here as long as you want or until you are redeployed." The patrol witch told them.
"This place is beautiful. I get that it's in the Frozen Wastes, but it's underground anyhow, so is it really that different from being in the best suites inside the Fortress Cities? I'm from a small village, where we deal with attacks by the Monsters on a Weekly basis anyhow. It might be in the fresh air, but it certainly isn't as nice as this." One of the witches fawned over the surroundings.
"There's no real rule about going outside if you want. We just try to keep a low profile so that the mundane army doesn't find our location. We could fight them off without too many issues, but we would rather not have to, and the collateral damage to the villages around us might be severe if they kept at it." Wolfe explained.
"In that case, sign me up. I'll stay here until I'm redeployed, and maybe longer. Unlike Sylvan and Morgana, Myrrh's public service duty is more commonly paid in extra taxes. Those of us in the military usually chose it as a career, not a way to pay our debts.
But that also means that we're not under contract like the others, so we can retire when we want, and if the food is any good, it might be hard to get rid of us." Another one of the rescued witches laughed.
Cassie smirked at her reaction. "Have you seen the gardens yet? Follow me, everyone, and I will give you the grand tour. These hallways are all private bedrooms, either single or in small groups, for the scouts who prefer to stay with their units.
But next, we have the dining hall. Remember the Ruby table in the bedroom? You will love the dining room."
Their tour was gaining an audience, all eager to welcome more helpers to the Den. They had expanded a lot lately, and it felt like everything was short-handed, even though most of them only worked two or three hours a day.
A small body rushed through the crowd, and Wolfe saw Mary headed straight for the ovens, where he could smell some sort of cake baking.
"Keep your hands off that, little one. The door is hot." The cook on duty reprimanded her, then did a double take when she felt Mary's aura.
"Sorry, you're so short that I thought you were a child. But the door is still hot, and the cake won't be ready for another half hour. It will be served with the dinner service in an hour, but if you need a snack, there are some cookies left over from breakfast." She apologized.
"Cookies will do. Do you have any extra meat? The spells I put on Pup to get here in a hurry leave him really hungry."
The Pup in question had reverted back to normal size, but he was still massive, even compared to when he was summoned. Wolfe wasn't sure what sort of breed that was supposed to be, but if he had to make a wager, he would want to check the library for species of long-eared bears first.
Pup's head perked up at the word meat, but he didn't have time to head for the kitchen before a small black form crashed into him and then began yapping happily while circling his feet.
Ember the Hell Hound, Cassie's new Familiar, had smelled another dog in the area and had come to say hello. It appeared that the puppy had found a new best friend, and Pup didn't really get a say in the matter.
"Both of you, come get something to eat so you're not begging at the table while the witches are eating. I know how you are, Ember." The cook laughed while the puppy gave her a dignified look of denial that was clearly false. He still had cookie crumbs in his fur from earlier.
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