Storm slowly opened his eyes to Aurora desperately trying to shake him awake.
"I-am-fine-now- would-you-stop-that!!" Called Storm.
She released him, only to smother him a moment later as she embraced him.
"Thank the Elders!! What was wrong with you!! You wouldn't wake up and I couldn't reach into your mind?!!"
"Mmmmmphhhmm!!" Was Storm's only reply.
"Ohh!! Sorry!!"
She released her grip and Storm was able to breathe again.
"She's quite an energetic one, isn't she?!" Replied Mimereus with amusement.
Storm ignored the old dragon and focused on Aurora.
"You had me so worried about you!! You didn't wake up!! And you seemed distressed!!" Exclaimed Aurora.
"Must have been more exhausted than I realized, I'm fine now though, was just in pain" replied Storm.
"Speaking off 'pain', we'd best have a look at..... your..... wounds?" Replied Aurora.
She had a dumbfounded look on her face as she saw that there was no trace of his injuries left.
The scales around his right arm was still stained red with blood, but apart from that it was exactly the way it was before he got injured.
"Ohh, I already tended to my wounds when I first woke up." Lied Storm.
She eyed him suspiciously, but chose not to enquire about it further.
Storm started getting up, but Aurora pushed him back down again.
"Where do you think you're going!! You're staying right here to rest for the night!!" Yelled Aurora.
"There's no need for that Aurora! I can..."
"YOU'RE STAYING HERE!!" Yelled Aurora.
Her shout echoed down the abandoned tunnels.
"Quite assertive!!
Reminds me of my own mate!!" Mimereus said fondly.
They left the former greenhouse and went to the area where they planned to escape and leave the mountain.
They slept there overnight and continued their journey at first light.
As they flew through the air, Storm could feel Mimereus using his eyes to study the landscape below.
"It seems the warding rituals I devised while I was alive is still holding!
This is good to see." Said Mimereus.
"You were the one who created the magic that kept the corruption from spreading!?" Asked Storm.
"I was the one that cast the enchantment, yes.
But others helped with the final design.
The elves carved the wardstones and connected them to each other to form a wall.
The Fey anchored the Stones and enchanted them to draw magic from the air to power the wards.
Without their efforts, we never would have succeeded and the entire region would have been overtaken. " Explained Mimereus.
"Tell me about this enchantment you used? How does it works?" Asked Storm.
"During my studies, I discovered an type of magic that was especially potent against the dark magic that formed the base of the corruption.
The same magic that was used to form the Greenhouse artificial suns, like the one you used in the battle against the construct.
This magic acts like a repellent that pushes dark magic back. I enchanted the wardstones to absorb regular magic and convert it into this repelling magic, then release it out.
By connecting the stones together, we created a wall that dark magic could not cross. Even dark creatures like the Dark Fey couldn't get close to it without being destroyed. " Explained Mimereus
"If that is the case, then shouldn't Omen still be trapped in the Dark Forest?" Asked Storm.
"She 'should' have been, but she isn't.
After the wards were set, we kept hearing about sightings of her all over the continent.
Somehow, she found a way to bypass the barrier.
We've searched for years, but were never able to determine how she did it." Explained Mimereus.
They finally reached the border to the Dark Forest just before noon.
In order to avoid being seen by the people traveling along the main road, Storm and Aurora landed in an abandoned village at the Border of the Dark Forest that was destroyed ages ago.
Mimereus was deeply troubled by the sight.
"This shouldn't be possible!! We built the Ward barrier to keep these creatures trapped!! How do they escape to do this?!
Forgive me, Storm. I know you're busy, but as soon as you get an chance , can you investigate one of the wardstones for me? I need to confirm that the spell is still working as intended.
I'd do this myself, but I'm trapped in your body and unable to move around as I would have liked." Begged Mimereus.
Storm agreed with an mental nod.
"The roads will be busy from here until Northburg.
In order to avoid detection. We'd better shift to human form and proceed on foot from here." Explained Storm.
Aurora nodded in confirmation.
Storm shifted into his human form, then waited for Aurora to do the same.
She began to glow brighter, as the magic took effect.
After a moment, the light died down and revealed her form.
She was a pale woman with hair as white as snow that flowed down her back before ending at the small of her back.
Her eyes were bright blue and her body was lithe and graceful like a huntress.
She wore a tight fitting leather armor, which was dyed white that revealed her graceful form.
The armor was clearly designed for a region with a colder climate as there was a short cloak of white fur that ended at her waist that covered her shoulders and neck.
She had an pair of tight fitting leather pants and a pair of knee high boots.
On the top of her head was a transparent circlet that almost seemed to have been made from ice.
In her right hand was an ornate spear and in her left was a shortsword.
Both were made from a similar, ice like, transparent material as the circlet and both seemed to be glowing from within.
She spun around and showed off her form.
"How do I look?" Aurora asked.
Storm just stared.
"She's going to attract the attention of every male human in a 100m radius with that look!!" Exclaimed Mimereus with amusement.
"Where did you get that outfit?!!" Asked Storm.
"The Matriarch gave it to me. Said it would be more appropriate for where we're going and that it will 'open doors for us', why?"
"It will open more than just 'doors' I'd wager. She looks like an 'Ice Wolf'." Said Mimereus.
"Is that going to be a problem? What's an Ice Wolf?" Asked Storm.
"An all female group of warrior huntresses from the Northern kingdoms. They earn a living by hunting many of the animals in the frozen wastelands before selling the catch to people in the towns."
Storm looked down at his own basic robes and appearance.
"I feel somewhat under dressed for this mission. "