Derek and Ian put on their coats while everyone else made do with their adventurers' vests and armaments. James lit up the torches from his bag and started leading them through the icy mountains of the 21st floor. They were a bit slow moving and grumbles passed between them, but they kept up their pace.

The ice was slick and each of their steps had to dig into the ground to keep hold. James helped them somewhat with that. In each of his steps, he made sure to make deep imprints and carve out a foothold for the others to repeat. Each of the novices behind him followed in the imprints to make their lives easier.

Wes missed the 20th-floor minutes after exiting it. The heat might have been annoying, but it did not exert too much constant pressure on himself and the others. This floor on the other hand felt like it was going to kill him if he even breathed wrong. This was confirmed as they reached the final stretch to the bridge. Wes saw the bridge in the distance between the fog and stepped forward.

His feet did not follow the same steps as James’s and his foot sank into the snow. His toes felt frozen and when he tried to pull his foot out the snow around him started to slide. With a yelp, he fell over. He followed the snow in its slide. The snow getting all over his body. His shield was strapped to his back and was only of help in pulling him with its weight. He instinctively dropped the torch in his hand. Wes struggled to find purchase with his hands as he fell down.

Wes fell a few more feet before his hands felt the solid weight of a rock. His hands were freezing and worn but he held on. He was careful to get his feet on solid ground before adjusting his grip.

“Are you ok down there?” James shouted over the wind.

“I think so. I am just freezing. The snow got everywhere and under my clothes.”

“I am going to lower the rope, and we will pull you up from there once you are secured to the rope. Once you are back up here Ian can warm you up.”

James rummaged in his bag for the leftover rope he had used for the traps. He tied up a few quick knots which Wes could use to secure himself and help James and the others bring him back up. James tossed it down. The rope fell down a bit further past the 20 feet below their current position where Wes held on from.

Wes took a few minutes to warm up his hands and secure himself before he could be pulled and climb up. Derek and Ian held onto the rope as James reeled it back in. Everyone in their group started to feel the effect of the cold more greatly by the time Wes was back with them. Ian was eager to relight a ball of flame to hold and the others waited impatiently for new torches to be lit.

They returned to following the path and no more incidents befell them for a while. The bridge they crossed felt old and decrepit. It swayed with their weight, so they had to be careful while walking. The old ropes on either side made them feel colder than supported under their weight. There was a wave of relief once that obstacle was behind them.

James spotted the frost giants higher up on the mountain before they noticed him. he knocked an arrow and took aim, his heart calm. He let the arrow fly, watching as it soared through the air and struck the frost giant in the chest. But the giant barely flinched, its thick skin protecting it from the arrow's penetration. It roared in anger and brought its fists in the air carrying an ice block. He quickly nocked another arrow and fired again, this time aiming for the giant's exposed neck. The arrow struck its mark, but again the giant seemed unfazed.

Wes was prepared for the projectile, but Ian got to it first and exploded the ice in midair. They hurried along the path as more projectiles went by them. Some missed their mark while others were targeted by Ian and destroyed before they had a chance to do damage. They increased their pace until they could get into a light jog only taking a short break in the cave passes in between.

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James looked up once they were out of the caves. The mountain was tall and imposing, with snow-capped peaks that seemed to reach up into the sky. The higher they climbed, the colder and more treacherous the terrain became. The snow was deep and unstable, and the wind howled around them, making it difficult to see and hear. Only James and Naomi could spot the frost giants before they popped their heads out and attacked. Their only solace was that they only had a half mile to go before the exit.

The small amount of fire that radiated heat to them from the torches fueled their steps. Wes held on strongly while getting hit by ice. His shield gave a little protection against the winds of the mountains, but he was still the coldest member of the group by far. Though the worst of them in terms of fighting capability was James and Naomi. Their hands were slowed by the cold and their fingers a bit blue. Each arrow felt like ice. Their draw time had noticeably slowed by over half.

“Just a bit further. Around this bend and we will be at the exit. There should not be any more giants to deal with until we walk through the portal. We won’t have much time to pause either. We will be accosted by frost giants once we start walking up the steps of the stone castle. They will be guarding the entrance and we will need to make our way down into the basement area where we will find the exit. If it is of any relief once we are inside the heat from the torches will stay trapped pretty well. It may be better to rest once inside though the frost giants will be hunting for us.”

The novices understood and didn’t respond because they were focused on the endpoint. Together they walked through the exit portal of floor 21 and entered the 22nd.

They hurried up the steps to the castle. This side of the mountain gave them no leeway against the cold. James prepared a volley of arrows and Naomi prepared her attack as well. The two frost giants guarding the door spotted them and shouted. One of them stepped back and turned to get reinforcements. James’s arrow hit it before it could get all the way around. Even with the arrow in its back, the monster continued inside with a more hurried pace.

The other frost giant held a defensive posture and held up its weapon. The giant could not defend against the fireball that came it's way. Its weapon split the fire somewhat, but its fur started to smoke. Derek approached the on-guard frost giant while a few more arrows hit it.

The frost giant swung first and went for the head. Derek ducked and slid his sword along the giant’s belly. He backed away quickly before the giant could get a swing on him while they were so close together. Its life ended soon after. The arrow wounds and Derek’s sword slowed it down allowing Derek to cut it up some more. The giant collapsed from its wounds after dropping its sword in defeat.

They heard the sounds of frost giant footsteps shuffling their way and prepared. James led them inside to keep them further away from the cold and took out fresh torches. When the frost giants came up from the lower levels of the castle flaming arrows hurdled to meet them. Fireballs came next. When Wes stood in front to meet the frost giants a quarter of the ten were dead and none were left uninjured. With his shield, he pushed back the initial bashed from the giants. Derek also stepped in and blocked attacks for Wes.

The fire arrows were effective tools for warding off the frost giants, but James knew he need more. Especially when there were still six left alive. James prepared a mana arrow. The arrow cut through two frost giant chests before its power activated. Water was pulled from the monster’s bodies. The two giants hit almost instantly died. The water vital to their life died and shriveled up on the ground and then James’ modification activated. The water taken in by the arrow which was impaled on the wall exploded outward in powerful jets.

The secondary attack knocked the giants off their feet leaving them exposed. Derek cleaved through the exposed necks of two of the giants before they could get up while Naomi finished another leaving Ian the last.

The walk down to the boss room was a little quieter than the last time James was there. Still, they faced off against a pair of giants that protected the boss. The fight against the boss ended soon after the minions were dealt with. Once they died James was assured his victory. With the single boss remaining with injuries all over James ended the battle with another water arrow. While it drained him a lot they could rest for a while on the puzzle floor. They only had a few more steps to complete before reaching a new milestone.