Ella looked back at her group of starved and malnourished witches with regret. They were so close to meeting up with Wolfe and the bus, but everyone was in terrible shape, and she wasn't sure that they could carry on any longer.
If she pushed them, then many might not make it at all, but asking an entire busload of freed prisoners to wait on them all night long while the group rested was too much.
"What should we do? I don't think that they can press on any further, and we don't have time to wait another full night for them to recover enough to make it to the road." Christa whispered to Ella with worry.
Ella focused her resolve and forced a smile at the other witch. "There is always time. It might not seem like it, but Wolfe will wait for us if we need the time. He's not the sort to abandon his friends, so if we need a night for the group to rest, he will give it to us.
You've got some more seeds in your pocket, so we can grow another meal quickly and see how everyone is after the meal. It's only a few more kilometres, and they might be up for it after they've eaten."
Christa nodded in agreement. "Everyone, find a spot to sit. I will grow us enough for a meal, and then we only have a few more kilometres to the road where Wolfe will meet us with a bus. Once we're there, it's no more walking."
That brightened their spirits some, but the exhaustion was clear in their eyes. It had been too long since they had a proper rest, and no amount of healing magic or stamina spells could keep them moving any further. They had pushed themselves to the limit just to make it this far, and the backlash of the spell was too much to overcome.
[Wolfe, I don't think that we can make it. Everyone is exhausted beyond what the spells can compensate for, and even after we stop for a meal, I don't think that they can move any further for the night.] Ella reluctantly informed him.
[That's fine. I will pull the bus into this clearing near the road and put up barriers to keep anything suspicious out. Do you have the power to keep up a barrier around your group? If not, I can come to you, and you can make a net to carry them while I float it back to the bus.
It's only a few kilometres, and that should be close enough to get everyone back here safely. Then, we can make one camp for the night.]
Ella considered the options for a moment, then sent another message through their bond.
[If your group is safe without you for a moment, it would be better if you came to get this group while they eat dinner. It hasn't been the easiest journey, and we were attacked twice before we got into this strange area with no living things.]
Wolfe moved the bus further off the road and hid it with a [Mirage] spell.
ραΠdαsΝοvel.cοm "I am going to go get the other group. They're in bad shape and exhausted, but I will put a defensive Array around the bus before I go. It's only a few kilometres, so I can be back here in minutes if there is an issue. Just sound the horn, and I should be able to hear it." He instructed them.
"Go get the ones from the Camp. We were in much worse shape when we first got to the city since they had to feed us up to make us more appealing to the auction crowd. We don't mind waiting for them all night if we have to." One of the witches in the front informed him.
Wolfe stepped out of the bus and set an [Unholy Fire] Array around the bus, backed by a [Gravity Array] and a [Lightning Barrier]. If something managed to make it through all those in the time that it took him to run a few kilometres and bring back the other group, he would be very surprised.
He didn't hold back at all, moving through the woods at a magically enhanced full-out run, and reached the spot where he could sense Ella in only a few minutes. The witches in the group were still eating, so he slowed to a walk and pulled Ella into his arms while they waited.
"The bus is safe for now, and I told them to honk if they need us. You know how loud those bus horns are. We should be able to hear them from here." He whispered while running his hands down her sides.
"Later. If your hands sneak under my skirt now, we're not going to get anywhere tonight, and nobody wants to sleep in this place if they can avoid it. There's something really wrong about it, and it's even giving me the creeps." She whispered back.
Wolfe chuckled, grabbing the attention of Christa and Grok, who gave him a smart salute, while Christa only looked for a second before blushing at the scene and turning back to the group to watch for danger.
"Alright, we're about done eating." One of the witches managed, but Wolfe saw how she struggled to get to her feet, and [Detect Hidden] showed him the blisters under her shoes.
"Ella is going to make a long net. You all are going to sit on it cross-legged so that your feet don't fall through, and then I am going to carry it back along the path I took to get here. Once we get to the bus, you can all find a seat and get comfortable while I drive us back into Academy Territory." Wolfe explained to the exhausted group.
"Oh, I could kiss you for that. But I will leave it to our blue-haired saviour." An older Witch laughed.
Ella made the net in an instant, and the Witches slowly pulled themselves onto it. Even moving was painful for them, and Wolfe wondered what level of determination had seen them make it this far under their own power.
"Good work, ladies. Now, off we go. Be sure to hold on tight; I don't need anyone falling off into the dirt and getting hurt while everyone is exhausted."
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