The mountain chilled everyone to their bones. James had already prepared a torch and handed it off to Wes. He had traded for the spear and strapped it to his back. Leading in the front was James followed by Ian, Naomi, Wes, and finally Derek.
The snow constantly shifted underneath their feet from solid and packed to soft and fluffy making it hard for them all to gain a hold on the mountain. The cold was abated by their fires to a point, but the wind made things ever colder. As soon as they started to adapt to the current temperature the wind would tell them otherwise.
James was at least happy that no one was currently injured as they approached the bridge. Balance and dexterity were just as important as the strength and endurance required to endure the cold. Frost coated the entire bridge and underneath that were occasional patches of ice. James led the way and was followed by the others. The bridge constantly shifted as they all gathered on the bridge. Once they were all on the bridge it continued to sway and move as they stepped but less so.
They shivered as they walked. Each time they took small steps. James took another step and his foot slid on the ice. Already starting to fall he leaned forward to avoid falling into the others and he grabbed hold of the ropes. The bridge bounced up and down at his actions and everyone froze. As James tried to get himself back up his bags shifted. James felt a churn in his stomach as he felt the spear he had hastily strapped in the cold to his back fall. The cold had frozen the straps and they fell to the ground and then into the cloudy darkness below.
“Shit,” James said.
It took a minute for him to compose himself and continue walking further along the bridge. The others looked down below into the darkness. The temporary weapon Wes had held was gone and nothing could be done by them.
“Let’s keep going. We may be able to find you another temporary weapon on the next floor but for now, you should return to your role as a shield tank. The rest of us will just have to pick up the slack.”
It didn’t take much longer for them to find the end of the bridge. With the end in sight, their pace ticked up slightly. As they stepped off the bridge James also reminded them of the dangers of the paired floors.
“We will soon be faced with frost giants and eventually their pets. This floor is set up in a way that they will be tossing projectiles at us but will not be able to truly fight with us until the next floor. The path from here is pretty simple but littered with traps and the frost giants. Ian, you will be in charge of taking out the snow attacks that come to us. It will be a test of your skill and accuracy to explode the projectiles in the air. Minimize the use of your fire in every attack and we should be fine. Naomi pelted them with arrows in the moments before they throw. It may be able to disrupt them possibly. Wes, you will hold a torch and may be called upon to take a hit or two. Derek same thing with the torches. You won’t be able to do much here but just stay warm. Keep us warm and be ready to play a more active role on the next floor. In the meantime, I will handle the traps.”
‘I’ve already identified all of them during the previous runs so I will be able to assist as well if they fall into trouble. While Wes may be able to take one of the frost trolls’ hits it won’t be fun.’
“We understand,” said Naomi.
Their group heard the trolls before they saw them. The falling snow matched the troll’s fur and bodies allowing them to camouflage themselves somewhat. James saw them first and pointed them out as they entered the range of their attackers.
Up on the hill, the trolls started throwing. Boulder-sized snowballs and blocks of ice fell from the sky. With the warning given Ian had his fire prepared for his defense. Fire met the ice and snow mid-air and exploded in a shower of mist which fell harmlessly onto them. Naomi fired arrows at the enemies she now recognized hidden on the mountain. The arrows did little damage, but they did slow their attackers as they continued onward.
James led the novices forward and up the mountain path. Though calling it a path was generous. In the area, they walked the snow was compacted more and easier to tread. While it was possible to walk outside the path they would be met with a slow tread through waist-high snow and more traps than they could deal with if they tried.
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As James disarmed the traps parts of the snow path collapsed displaying rocks and jagged ice. They carved a wide path around the dangerous obstacles all while dealing with objects from above. As they hiked Naomi and Ian became more comfortable with the pace and the attacks in coming. James checked back on them regularly to make sure things were good.
They occasionally could take a break as uncomfortable as they were in the cold thanks to ice-sculped caves that separated them from their attackers. Within the caves, they rested briefly and kept their torches well-lit.
Ian fired off small jets of fire and was improving his aim. Instead of hitting the sides of the ice rocks and snowballs, he hit closer to the center which caused the projectiles to crumble more effectively. He threw out a few more fireballs, checking how much mana he had left along the way.
Ian exploded the projectiles and saw another rough block of ice coming his way. He started to summon more fire, but he was crashing toward him too quickly.
“Help!” Ian shouted simply.
James turned and saw what was going to happen. Wes was already on the move as James also called out for Wes’s assistance. Wes pushed Ian away and held up his shield while activating his skills. Wes dropped his torch leaving it to fizzle out in the snow. He gripped his shield with both hands and held it up in line to meet the attack.
Wes’s feet slid in the snow for a minute before he fell backward. The ice block shattered on his shield into a million pieces as he hit the ground. James stepped back and spun to help Wes. He had already taken care of the traps in the immediate area, so he had some time. James grabbed one of Wes’s arms while Derek took the other and hoisted him up while Naomi and Ian provided cover. Wes’s shield still lay in the snow while they checked on him.
“He’s got a minor concussion but should be fine. We will have to go a bit slower for this last mile. Just help him walk for now and I will stay close.”
James pulled back his bowstring and started to fire off repeated volleys of arrows tipped with different kinds of points. The trolls bled and sometimes staggered back when their footing wasn’t great. With Derek helping him, Wes shuffled along the path and everyone else followed. James took out another stick wrapped in flammable moss and had Ian relight it before handing it off to Derek.
Together they reached the end of the hike and saw the portal. It looked like a stone archway, and it glowed a faint blue that radiated outward. The snow falling gave it an aethereal feel and for a moment they forgot that the portal should be a bit smaller in size and have a matching pair.
The dungeon was still keeping them trapped inside its floors and miniature worlds.
When they stepped through the portal they were met with more rock than snow. It was still just as cold but there was no longer snow actively falling. The place they entered looked like a plaza made of carved stone from the mountain. They looked upward and saw a short path snaking its way up towards a castle main of the mountain stone covered in snow and ice.
At the top of the steps, they were met with two frost trolls. Ian noted that they seemed much larger in person than when fighting from far away. The troll’s white fur and shaggy coats made from the pelts of animals kept them insulated from the cold.
James didn’t let them raise their weapons before he fired. The others followed behind him and got into a fighting position. The two trolls took their clubs and swung at Derek and Wes. Ian’s fire was of great help to them as they pushed back the trolls and burned them alive. As Wes defended he changed from shaky to more stable. The effects of his injuries still lingering on him.
Derek swung his sword breaking one of the troll’s clubs to pieces. His feet slid a bit as he fought on the icy ground. Together they finished off the two trolls before continuing into the castle.
The place was a bit warmer inside now that the wind could not get to them, and the fire’s heat spread through the enclosed castle walls.
James led them forward and through the passageways that he had already mapped out. As he predicted they ran into three trolls who were patrolling the area. James fired a volley of arrows as they charged slowing them down in the process. He then got behind Wes and let them take over while he assisted from behind.
Wes’s shield rattled as the club concussed his shield. Ian’s fire kept them a step away for the most part and forced them to avoid up-close fighting. As such the swings they took were from farther away.
James first noticed something was wrong when he went to check on his quiver. It was all out, and he would have to summon more but as he did, so he heard the snapping of wood. Wes’s arms broke along with his shield. The frost troll’s club came down again more quickly this time as it ignored Ian’s fire attacks to get in the final blow. Wes was smashed into the ground.
“Fuck.”
‘I’ve been away from these novices for so long I forgot and now fucked up. The spear was always a temporary solution and now it has killed him again. I need to rethink his placement on the team among many other problems I will need to test out in future loops. For now, though. I need to end this quickly and as painlessly as possible.’
The living novices were stunned and slower in their movements at the realization that one of their own was now dead. Ian had stopped attacking and was backing away entirely.
James paid them little attention and he got the attention of one of the trolls. The troll wound up a swing and James got himself against a wall and tried to relax. The club hit his head and the wall almost simultaneously ending James’s time in the current loop.