"I told you this would be a mistake!" Mio gasped as he tried to navigate the snowy slope away from the ravine. "I told you! They were only dead for three years! One of them was well known for his repeated resurrections!" He slipped and stumbled, briefly colliding into Arlo behind him. The bigger man grunted and helped Mio regain his balance, before continuing trying to make his own escape. "And now look! The most powerful Korbloxians of our age are-"
"Yes! Yes, I know!" Kaga interrupted, her shriek almost being drowned out by a sudden gust of freezing wind, rocking her on her feet. "I was wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong! It never would've occurred to me that they would miraculously revive themselves before our very eyes!" Tears ran down her face as she desperately tried to navigate her way through the blinding snow. "Arlo! Get us out of here! Which is the way out of this blizzard!" Arlo face-planted in the snow before bursting back up "My Wayfinding does not work like that, you know this! A specific goal is needed to work!" his rapid breathing was occasionally interrupted by a buffet of snow pelting his face. "We're lost! We're lost near death itself!" Kaga abruptly stopped, forcing Mio and Arlo to halt just behind her. Her shoulders twitching, legs quaking, she could not stop the flow of tears. She saw what is now likely pursuing her.
The three were close to entering the ravine itself when they heard it. The sky-splitting roar that shook the very ground they tread upon. Arlo had to catch Mio before he fell into a crevice. Kaga insisted on checking on the noise, much to Mio's dismay, and within the depths of the ravine, saw the horrific figures stirring down below. The one in the center terrified her most of all. It was nothing more than a skeleton, bones blackened and withered, stance unsteady and uncertain. But within, Kaga saw immeasurable power: the likes she was sure she couldn't match. The mere sight of it caused tears to spring to her eyes, and as she moved to clear her vision, Kaga's gait shifted in a way that caused some debris to fall. And she saw, instantly, the skeleton's head twisted around, and its eyes met hers. She recoiled, and immediately made a break for it, and for a second, her panic caused her to abandon her friends. As soon as she took off, Mio and Arlo shared a look, and made a break to follow her.
Damn it all! Kaga cursed herself, hating that her fear made her flee from her friends, leaving them to that thing. She looked around wildly, trying to find some landmark they passed as they made their way through the Frozen Wastes. I've got to save them! She trudged one way, then paused, and lurched the other way. They have no idea what's down there! A sudden gust knocked her backwards, causing her to squeak as she dipped into the snow.
What am I going to do?! Kaga gazed upward into the endless white abyss, flakes of snow slamming into her face, the cold stinging. Her breathing intensified into hyperventilation, and the edges of her vision became tinted with darkness. What would Cazin do...
A hand suddenly gripped her shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts. Kaga's head whipped around to see Mio kneeling beside her, face grim, but resolved. "Hey, it's..." he paused, and appeared to choke for a moment, before continuing, "It's okay, Kaga. We'll get through this." Mio looked toward Arlo standing behind him in the snow, firm, and unyielding, like the sturdiest building weathering a storm. "It's not like we're push overs. Fleeing is obviously not an option. Arlo can't find our path out of here, and the Korbloxians will be able to traverse this terrain better than we ever could." Mio looked back at Kaga, and she could see tears beginning to form in his eyes, and yet, he was smiling at her. "Nothing else we can do but fight. Right Arlo?" Arlo nodded, then beamed at both of them. "You are right, of course! Combat is in our contract, you know. And Arlo is big man! Bigger than those Korbloxians! Hah!"
A sense of calm overtook Kaga hearing her friend's words. She closed her eyes, then wiped her eyes. Taking Mio's hand, she got up from the ground, then flashed them both a smile of her own. "You're right. This is no time to lose ourselves. The fight is part of the adventure, after all! You ready to put those monsters back to sleep?" In answer, Mio grabbed his weathered bow from his back, and Arlo unhooked a short mace from his belt. Kaga lifted her hands, and two balls of fire instantly ignited in her palms. Indeed, Kaga reminded herself, I musn't underestimate us, either. As an Archivist of the Astral Isles, she was a powerful wizard in her own right. Only the Master Wizard, the High Scholar, her old mentor Cazin, and SolarCrane himself were stronger than her in the order. Mio himself was incredibly accurate, predicting his opponent's movements to the point where he can almost tell the future. And Arlo was a seasoned warrior, fighting even an Enchanted Knight from the Knights of Redcliff to a stand-still. The three of them together, having spent years learning each others strengths and weaknesses, made a formidable team. There's still a chance!
