At the face of the cliff, the drop was steep and short. The snow stroked the rocks, wind whispered in his ears, while the cold was growing more severe. Confused and panicked, Sky leaped off the edge. The cold cut through his robes and bit at his armour. A mound of soft, fresh snow awaited him at the foot of the cliff. He stuck the landing and jumped up. His eyes darted to the peak of the cliff where the woman was behind him. She had her back to the edge and began walking away. Sky's focus returned to the area he now occupied. It was a narrow cavern between two mountains with only two directions to move. Sky noted that the path to his right had a slight rise above the left path. Uphill would send him straight back to the cliff, so he set off down the left. He found himself in a field of snow and ice, the size of a large village. He approached and heard the crackling of ice. It was a frozen lake. He glanced down and saw the ice separating beneath his feet. He raised his head to see a rock platform in the centre. The winds were growing harsher and the air was getting thicker. The strange woman was approaching. Sky bolted across the frozen water, his feet leaving the ice as soon as they met. His forest green robes caught the winds and raged fiercely behind him, exposing his bright emerald and dark sapphire cuirass. His shady hood seemed frozen to his black mask as the wind struggled to hook it into the breeze. His armour was covered in a blue tinge as the cold stuck to the steel plating. The ice weakened the further into the centre Sky got. He ran faster to limit his time on the ice, leaving him no time to check if the woman was behind him. The ice thickened as he approached the rock until it converted into soft stone and solid snow. Once Sky arrived at the rock, he made a quick turn to see if the woman had emerged from the cavern, but the wind and snow had grown so thick that he couldn't even see the mountains in the distance. If not for the steel plating along his arms and greaves, the snow would be slicing through Sky as it made contact with the skin. A weak tremor rocked the lake while the snow was still billowing down. Sky drew Tempest, a beautiful pattern welded bow inlayed with emerald and sapphire in the Nordic engravings. The highlights flushed a dark purple, indicating the bow was charged for combat. The tremor strengthened and ice could be heard cracking and breaking. Sky was confused, but kept calm as the winds blared in his ears. The sound of the wind was nothing compared to the loud snap that followed. Sky made a swift turn and knocked his first Damascus steel arrow in the blink of an eye. The noise bellowed across the gorge and the wind gave one final blast before disappearing entirely. The flash of wind took Sky's hood clean off, revealing his snow white mane. His engraved mask was frosted over. The air was crystal clear now, but the sky above was blackened from the clouds. The snap had come from a mountain close to the cavern Sky had emerged from. It made another loud crack that rumbled the whole lake. The snow rained off of the mountain as it split down the centre and formed two. Sky lowered his bow, astonished and petrified at the sight. Never has he seen a woman with such power. Snow and wind flooded out of the breakage, along with the woman. Sky drew Tempest again and released his first arrow. It sliced through the air, splitting snowflakes in two, heading directly for her heart. She raised her head and caught the arrow with her bare hand. Sky hadn't seen this woman so clearly before. She had always been in the centre of a storm or blizzard, shielding the fact that it wasn't a woman at all. Its face was of pure ice, similar to the blue of its eyes. It wore light black armour and held a lance of ice. It dropped the arrow and continued walking towards Sky with a storm behind it. Sky knocked three arrows and set them with the magic of Tempest. Red blazed from the centre piece of his cuirass and down the engravings of his arms. Fire passed from his fingers, down the shaft of the arrows and into the inlays of the bow. He released the arrows into the lake just ahead of the ice creature. They exploded on contact and shattered the ice. It strolled right over the hole as the water froze beneath his feet. Sky knocked his arrows and released them, one by one, in quick succession. The creature raised its lance and deflected each arrow as it came. Ranged combat was not working, so Sky sheathed Tempest and drew Storms End, his dark blue steel long sword. Storms End was a twisted pattern weld with ocean blue layers. The triple fuller radiated an ominous purple shade while the edge bevel beamed a sky blue sheen. He threw a few practise swings to test his confidence with the weapon. The beast stepped onto the platform and took the first swing. It dropped a heavy downward slash toward Sky's shoulder, with the force of 10 men. Sky quickly raised Storms End and parried the attack. The blow sent Sky off balance for a moment while the ice creature looked shocked that its first swing didn't kill him. Sky threw the next flurry of swings. He attacked with confidence and prowess. The swings were fast and light but strong enough to cut through armour. The creature blocked each attack as they came and threw a kick to break Sky's stance. The kick sent Sky to his back but he quickly jumped back to his feet before the creature's lance reached the ground Sky was laying in. Sky threw another burst of attacks, this time, slower and harder. The creature blocked with more difficulty this time, as each blow sent him back stepping. It threw another kick which Sky anticipated and swiftly dodged. He spun to the side and kicked the beast off balance. It bent over, revealing its back for a finishing blow. Sky raised his sword to strike when the wind finally caught up with them. It hit so hard that it disarmed Sky. The sword flew out of his hands and smacked against a rock to his side. The creature re-established its stance and thrusted its lance forward towards Sky's abdomen. Sky moved to the left and used his hands to shove the tip of the lance away from his body. His hands burned from the cold and he jumped back from the creature. Sky was losing. He was unarmed and the beast was clearly stronger in a storm. So he raised his hands and sparks formed in his palms. The creature approached and towered over Sky. He raised his lance for a quick execution but Sky put his hands together and released the power of the storm. Lightning spewed from his hands and disarmed the ice beast. The lance was swept from the creature's hands and went flying across the lake. Its eyes widened and glared down at Sky. He stepped forward and released a bolt of energy into the creature's chest. The force stumbled it and Sky drew his trusty dagger. While stunned, Sky threw the dagger directly into the beast's neck. He sprinted to the right placed his foot on a rock and sprung towards the beast. He planted his foot on the pommel of the dagger and pushed it deep within the beast's throat. Sky turned, grabbed Storms End placed his sword into the side of its head. The creature dropped to the ground as the wind weakened. Sky walked away to attend to the cuts he acquired. Ready to treat his wounds, he felt the wind picking up again. The snow began to fall harder. He heard movement behind him and turned. The beast swung Storms End at Sky and connected with his shoulder. If he hadn't noted the change in weather, Sky would be dead. Instead, he rolled and grabbed Tempest. He knocked an arrow and released the power of the storm. Lightning travelled down his arm and into the arrow. The arrow pierced the beast's chest and blasted in an explosion of sparks. A hole had formed in the centre of its chest as the creature dropped to the floor. Sky stood, reclaimed his weapons and sat on the rock. He removed the mask concealing his face. A light, white beard bordered his jaw and his eyes glowed sky blue. He examined the creature to find his ice-like skin thickening and covering its body like a shell. The snow around it began to move and buried the body. Sky dug at the snow but the creature was gone. He sent a bolt of lightning directly into the snow hoping that the blast would finish it if the previous one didn't. He re-equipped his mask and hood and ran across the lake towards the cavern he came from.
