Mage And Wolf
Chapter 103

Chapter 103: Chapter 103

The High River Sect girls are settled into their dormitory, along with a few hundred other early arriving students who preferred not to rent a place for the few months until classes officially start.

Neisa is one of the Girls Dorm supervisors, and following the lead of the High River ladies, the other students have been calling her Nanny Neisa all afternoon.

She keeps correcting them to Priestess, but the nickname has stuck.

About half the teachers are already here, settled into their residences within the university or choosing a nearby apartment.

Not many students yet, but the official letters, sent to the successful applicants both from our world’s magical community and the Drakon Empire’s told them to try to be here 2 weeks in advance to have proper time to settle in and learn the city. So they’ve got over a month.

For the off world students, we were mostly not their first choice, though some came for the adventure of a new world. Instead, most came for the promise of acceptance, being poor in their home world, but having the talent to succeed.

The universities are all free of charge across the Empire, but there are far more hopeful students than available spaces, so the positions go to the ones whose families can afford the bribes to enrolment officials.

We’re working to avoid that, saving a third of the positions for local students with top marks, like a scholarship program, including dorm space and school supplies, plus uniforms instead of tuition money. The rest are agreed to go on a first come first served basis to qualified students until the individual courses requested are full.

The mundane studies, like accounting, art and literature have been moved to a number of small campuses around the city, as the magical and cultivation courses drew enough attention to fill the university on their own.

After much debate it is determined that university courses, so many of which are focused on career training, will start at 14, as they do in the Drakor Empire. Early schooling will be more focused, either on an academic track or a trade based goal.

In the Pack, High school was a mere formality, few went beyond age 16, we dropped out to get on with our lifelong tasks. Karl, for his part left school at 10 to work his parents farm.

I also learned that Karl’s physical appearance has been stuck in time like a High ranked cultivators. He will be 80 this year. It totally threw my opinions of his behavior for a loop, giving everything a different connotation.

We’re discussing the wasted classes and time in basic education to condense everything important and finish by age 14 when a messenger arrives from the Council, supposedly hard at work.

They want a route cleared for ground trade between here and Spokane, the next city the Empire controls, nearly 700 miles away.

The idea is to make trading posts and rest stops for adventurers and merchants every days travel by a team of Foundation cultivators, the weakest group deemed safe to send cross country on foot.

The task is all but compete in our territory, but Montana will need 2 stops and currently has no cities aligned with the Empire.

Once finished, teams of Drake riders will patrol between Arcana and Drakor City helping keep the road clear of major dangers.

I really can’t see a reason to argue against that. Plus I know some of the Blue Moon and Silver Woods packs who lead the werewolves currently responsible for Montana. Getting them on board shouldn’t be too hard.

"Might as well head out today, I guess" I sigh to Karl, who is giving me his best pouting face about cutting our experiments short.

"You’ll be taking a team" The Black Avatar says from behind me.

"If anyone asks, I’m not here" he instructs Karl and Neisa.

"Who do we have?" I ask, wondering how many I need to walk, or drive a road.

"A Priestess of the white, in case healing is needed, one of the Bronze for agreements, your Acolyte to accompany you, and 4 of the Green to raise and fortify the posts."

"I’m going to miss my Toyota" Karl whines.

Glad he understands, it’s coming with me.

"We’ll leave this afternoon then, take a gate to the air force base that will be the first stop, sort it tonight and then build or find a defensible position every night"

"Good luck" The avatar calls, opening a portal that opens to Room in the resort and stepping through, closing it behind him.

What he neglected to tell me is that getting the Priestesses to work together is like herding cats. They all want a minimum of 2 acolytes each, an additional two days to pack and a laundry list of supplies. Not to forget separate vehicles, with guards and escorts.

It’s not until I pull rank and declare them members of a combat patrol, then threaten to charge them with insubordination that they finally quit the demands. We do end up adding an acolyte from white and 2 from green though.

The garage has a lifted SUV that comfortably packs all the greens and their gear, while the rest of us load into the Toyota truck.

"Is that a gun in the back?" The Bronze Priestess asks.

"It’s a 50 caliber machine gun, made by a company called Browning" Hui’Jin informs her. "High Priest Karl enchants the ammunition to punch through even rank 2 beasts and it’s super fun to use."

The phrases machine gun and super fun to use don’t seem to go together for the tight laced lawyer, but with any luck it won’t matter. They’re all dragons, they can take care of themselves.

"So, what help can you offer?" The base commander asks after an entirely too long and formal welcome.

"You’ve got a fine base, but we can add a solid outer wall with barrier if you have a Mage to activate it."

"We’ve got a couple and we can try to retain more to keep one on 24 hour emergency response." He gives a stiff nod.

"We have an additional document here to treat Drake riders as visiting allied fighter planes with hangar and care agreements."

They hash that out in legalese while I take the greens out to survey the base perimeter.

"If we just raise the natural rock 10 meters, in a 3 meter thick section we can do it at a jogging pace." They determine.

"Is that acceptable as a wall?" I ask our liason officers.

"I’d say so." They all agree.

"Ladies, if you’ll kindly get in the truck box, we will drive at a suitable pace to create the wall. double the thickness when you get to an existing guard tower. They’ll be relocated later"

The wall comes up like a wave rising behind us, grass and dirt turning to solid rock and blending with the risen bedrock below.

In under an hour the wall fully encircles the base, ready for towers and gates.

"I hope they’re all so easy to please" one of the acolytes jokes.

"Most are expected to be small fortresses. A keep with surrounding walls and a few out buildings" One of the Priestesses informs the Acolyte while finishing the main gate. "So we can expect to be stopped an entire day to finish our work."

I didn’t know they were going that far for what they call outposts.

We spend the night at the Air Base and head into Montana in the morning. The road is thankfully still in good condition and there is not much to see.

Just before reaching the first major city we meet up with a convoy of trucks loaded with goods stopped on the shoulder.

"Hail to the convoy from the Priestesses of The Dragon Gods" I call to the group.

A tanned and weathered hand waves me over to where they’re working with a hood up.

"How’s it going cousin?" Kanick calls to me.

"Good old friend. We’re out looking for places to put trading posts with guard garrisons between here and Spokane." I tell him.

"Need help?"

"Blew a hose, spare is the wrong size" he tells me sadly. "We’ll have to tow it home if this doesn’t work."

I wave at the SUV with the green dragons and they send an acolyte over to take my request.

"can you fix that hose and fill the radiator with water?"

The Acolyte bows "Yes Highness, I’ll do it now"

In seconds the blown hose looks good as new and the overflow reservoir is mostly full of fluid. Much to everyone’s relief.

"You don’t suppose the town up the road would like a trading post would they?" I ask looking at the time. It’s a short day, but far enough.

"They might. Let’s ask together, I’ve got a delivery for them. What’s the deal with the trading posts?"

"The big boss thinks merchants need somewhere safe to stop and Adventurers need to turn in goods and sleep in safety sometimes, so they want to build stone forts."

"give it a grocery store and they’ll love you. the city has really raised prices"