Once everyone was gathered at the stables and ready to go, Wolfe cast a five-layered armour on all of the travelling witches, plus their mounts, so that they could make use of the Wind Magic and run more easily.
The horses would instinctively adapt to the ease of running, with the magic making their steps lighter, and the Gravity Magic would make it feel like they had no burden at all instead of a fully kitted-up soldier on their backs. Even without using stamina magic, that would greatly increase their range at a trot and reduce the need for extra stops.
They made good time through the paths of the forest, heading for the western border of the Frozen Wastes and the northeastern villages of Myrrh Coven territory, with the Forest helping them leave. They didn't even run into any of the monsters that lived there, at least not if you didn't count the rabbits and squirrels, who were all over the place and couldn't really be avoided.
Wolfe was sure that he had seen a large snake at one point, but it was gone again before he could verify, and even [Detect Hidden] didn't show him anything.
The temperature dropped rapidly once they left the protective embrace of the Fae Forest, and they were out into the spring air of the Frozen Wastes, where it was barely above freezing, and everyone was reminded that they were leaving an anomaly of nature, like a tropical vacation in the middle of the foothills of the mountains.
It was a strange experience and an unpleasant reminder that the warmth they were enjoying was not destined to last once they made it home.
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With resigned sighs, they kicked the horses to a trot and began to make their way across the frozen grasslands and out of the hills where the Den was located. The mountains ran northwest from their location, so a straight western path would be mostly flat and open grassland along the top of a ridgeline, other than a few small river valleys that they would inevitably have to cross.
The group let the horses relax and trot as they pleased, impressing the witches with how much of a difference a change in armour spells could make to their performance. They were tempted to ask Wolfe to make a second magical item for their unit to keep this spell effect up, but the worry about what he would ask in payment was enough to keep them from saying anything about their desires.
A few hours after they left the forest, they came across a checkpoint set up along the trail, much like the defensive camps that were set up to stop the Monster Tide.
"This is the border of Myrrh Coven territory. There might not be as much action here as usual, but they keep the line up all year round, with more widely spaced camps just in case of a monster attack. That way, we don't have to drive them back from the closest villages when we finally notice the monsters coming into the territory." The team leader explained.
The checkpoint sent out a team to inspect them all, making sure that they were who they appeared to be and that they hadn't brought back anything dangerous from the Wastes, like forbidden equipment from the mundane armies or, perhaps, a rather large Demon Lord in a very snazzy business suit.
"What exactly is this? Have you been forced to comply with his will?" The leader of the inspection team asked nervously as she brought out a wand.
"We're just escorting him. There is no coercion or spell in effect." The witch responded, and the wand lit up with a pale white light.
It must have been some sort of lie detector designed to detect both willing and unwilling traitors attempting to enter the Coven's Territory. It was actually a very good idea, with all of the wandering rebels and bandits in the Wastes. They would all want something from a civilized area eventually, even if it was a mission to kidnap people for the human nations in the east.
"Demon, do you intend to harm anyone while you are here?" The inspector asked.
"No."
"Why are you seeking entry into Myrrh Coven Territory, and who is your Mistress."
"I wish to recover a relic, and as to who is my mistress and who is my wife, that is a rather complicated question."
Wolfe's answer made the witches of the convoy laugh, and one of them leaned over from her horse to whisper a quick explanation of the situation in the Fae Forest to the inspectors.
"Alright, we will radio ahead to let them know that you are coming home for your break. Enjoy your time off, and we will see you in a few weeks." The inspector agreed once the witches had explained the situation to her satisfaction.
The horses had enjoyed enough of a breather that they were ready to go again for the last hour to the village, and the closer they got to home, the more excited they became. The horses knew that the paddocks at home meant comfort, plenty of food and no work for some time.
By the time they got in sight of the village, the trot that the leader had set was nearly up to a run, and the witches actually had to reign in their mounts to keep them from running straight to the stream and feed buckets before they could have their gear and saddles removed.
"Well, at least someone is happy to see me." The stablekeeper laughed as the first horses came to nuzzle her hands and beg for treats.
"Oh, and you captured yourself a man. Excellent work, ladies. He looks like a good catch." One of the other stablehands laughed.
"I take it that you have the same problem as Sylvan City? Too many witches, not enough men?" Wolfe chuckles.
"Worse. They have human villages all around the city. Myrrh's population is just witches. All Witches, all the time. But the imbalance isn't as bad as it was in the last generation, maybe six to one, so there is hope that it will get normalized in a few more generations.
Wolfe sighed. "I could grow to like a place like that. But the Den isn't half bad either."
The team leader just shook her head at the Demon. There weren't any other men at the Den that she had seen, so he was already outnumbered by two hundred to one. They just needed time to settle in and start thinking of family.
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