The first two days passed without much more than wind, cold, and silence.

They had stopped twice to feed their Nyraxes. The group previously settled to pass through the Frostpass and they had prepared cloaks to keep them warm. They weren't prepared enough. 

The Frostpass lived up to its name — white ridges, cracked stone, and winds sharp enough to bite through the thickest of cloth. Every few miles, they passed ruins half-buried under snow: toppled watchtowers and old outposts from the War of Scales, now nothing but stone and memory.

Kael was the first to break the quiet.

“You ever notice,” he said, “that the colder it gets, the quieter Eryx becomes?”

Eryx, riding just ahead, didn’t turn around. “Cold doesn’t bother me, my rune protects me from the cold,” he said while tapping the bag on his back. "Benefits of being a mage I suppose." He smiled, pleased with himself. 

“Yeah, I figured,” Kael muttered. “You probably eat snow for breakfast.”

Seraphine snorted. “Better than your cooking," she was shivering too. 

Kael gasped in mock offense. “My cooking has character.”

“Rotten fish has character too,” Elira added, without looking up from her reins. She had also been quiet. Her face had gone white with cold, her lips pinched and her breath was visible in the chill air.

Cassian smirked faintly, but his eyes stayed on the horizon. The humor was good. It meant they were still at ease. He’d learned long ago that laughter kept men alive longer than courage did.

The path narrowed and the air shimmered with faint mist, and the sound of the wind changed, deeper now, like something breathing beneath the ice.

Eryx halted suddenly. His Nyrax stamped the ground, uneasy. The hooves almost buried in snow. The other Nyraxes also winced. They could smell danger in the air. 

Cassian frowned. “What is it?” he was curious. 

Eryx dismounted slowly, crouching near a patch of snow. He brushed it aside with his leather-gloved hand, revealing faint lines carved into the frozen earth.

“Runes,” he said "Wasn't here when I passed." 

Seraphine leaned over her saddle. “Fresh?”

He shook his head. “Older. Worn. The kind used for sealing.”

Kael frowned. For an assassin, he had a very expressive face.

“Sealing what?”

Before Eryx could answer, the wind shifted. A low, guttural rumble came from below. The snow around them trembled. 

Cassian drew his sword. “Positions!”

Kael and Elira leapt from their mounts, their movements swift and practiced. Kael drew twin daggers from his belt, the blades glinting in the pale light. Elira nocked an arrow in her bow, her eyes fixed intently on the horizon. Both positioned themselves protectively in front of Seraphine as she began to prepare her magic.

Seraphine's hands moved with a quiet confidence, selecting gems from her pouch and fusing them with her staff. The air around her seemed to vibrate with anticipation as she readied her healing magic.

Meanwhile, Cassian sprinted towards Eryx, his voice low and urgent. "Where are they coming from?"

Eryx's response was calm, his finger pointing towards the distance. "Not they," he said, his voice measured. "Just one."

As he spoke, a dark shape emerged from the horizon, its massive silhouette stark against the snow-covered landscape. The ground shook beneath their feet as the creature began to sprint towards them, its footsteps leaving deep impressions in the frost.

Cassian's eyes widened as the shape drew closer. "IT'S A WILDROSS!" he bellowed, his voice carrying across the frozen terrain.

The Wildross loomed before them, its horns gleaming like twisted ivory. The beast's eyes seemed to burn with a fierce inner fire, its massive body propelling it forward with a speed that belied its size.

The team stood firm, ready to face the challenge. Kael and Elira stood guard, their weapons at the ready. Seraphine's staff pulsed with a soft blue light, her magic poised to heal any wounds they might suffer. Cassian flexed his muscles, his eyes locked on the charging beast.

As the Wildross closed in, the air seemed to vibrate with tension. The team waited, their breathing steady, their movements coiled and ready to strike.

As the Wildross charged towards them, its massive body barreling forward like a freight train, Eryx raised a hand. The air around him began to hum. The Umbral Concordance appeared beside him. He used arcane magic to open the book to the page he wanted. When it finally got to it, he smiled. Symbols flickered across his arm, glowing faint blue. He pressed his palm to the ground, and a burst of cold energy rippled outward.

Walls of shimmering ice erupted from the ground, forming a ring around the team, transparent but solid.

Cassian stared, stunned. Almost afraid. "That....you can do that?"

Eryx didn’t answer. His eyes were brighter now, almost silver.

He whispered something, a word none of them understood and the ice twisted. Spikes shot forward like spears, piercing the creature through its chest.

The ice shards struck the Wildross with the force of a hammer blow, shattering on impact and encasing the creature's heart in a tomb of solid frost. The beast's charge faltered, its legs locking up as the icy grip tightened around its vital organs.

The Wildross howled once, then fell to the ground with a thud, leaving a little crater.

Kael blinked. “You… killed it. In one strike.”

Eryx lowered his hand. The glow faded from his runes, and his breathing slowed. The grimoire disappeared from thin air and returned to his bag.

For a moment, no one spoke. Kael's mouth hung open, his daggers still poised for battle. Elira's bow was still drawn, her eyes wide with surprise. Cassian's face was frozen in a mixture of awe and shock. Seraphine's staff still hummed with gentle blue light, her eyes fixed on Eryx with a mixture of wonder and curiosity.

A few hours later, after many mishaps and battles with monsters, the group stepped onto the Crystal-edge, a narrow winding road that sliced through the mountains, leading them out of the icy grip of the pass. 

It was almost nightfall now. 

They set camp beneath an overhang of rock. The fire crackled weakly, smoke curling into the dark.

Cassian sat apart, polishing his blade while watching Eryx work. The rune warden sat cross-legged, sketching small glowing symbols in the dirt — each one flickering before fading.

Seraphine retired into her tent. Even Kael and Elira left to sleep.

 

"Good sleep makes the mind sharp" Kael had muttered earlier. 

After a while, Eryx brought out his map, eyes fixated on it.

 

“So,” Cassian said, breaking the silence. "After Shatterpeak, we head east toward Sunbeak Valley, right?”

Eryx nodded without looking up. “Yes. The valley follows the old riverbed. Quicker path, but rough terrain.”

"We would be able to resupply on water and probably hunt some game," he said without looking up.

“Rough I can handle,” Cassian muttered. “It’s the cold I hate.”

“The cold keeps people honest,” Eryx said quietly. “And things hidden.”

Cassian glanced up at him. Eryx was still staring at the map, he hadn’t blinked once since the conversation started. His eyes barely moved, just fixed and unblinking, pale in the firelight.

“You always read maps like that?” Cassian asked, half joking.

Eryx looked up then, slow and deliberate. “Like what?”

Cassian hesitated. “Like you’re trying to burn holes through it.”

A faint smile crossed Eryx’s face. “Old habit,” he said. “Where I’m from, blinking means losing sight of what matters.”

Cassian gave a short nod, though the answer didn’t quite settle right with him. 

Eryx finally closed the map. Even he yawned now.

 

"Go to sleep, I'll stand watch" Cassian said. 

"What about you, boss?" Eryx said with a smile.

 "Kael will come and take over the watch later."

"I wouldn't be too sure." 

Both of them were laughing now.

"Goodnight," Eryx said before finally retiring to his tent.