The battlemages marched onward, their boots crunching over the snow-covered ground as they pressed deeper into the frozen wilderness. The frigid air bit at their skin despite the heavy armor, and the tension among them grew palpable. Lukas, still disguised as a simple earth mage, walked in the middle of the group, his senses on high alert. The skirmish with the ice dragon moments earlier had been more than just a random attack, it was a prelude to something far more sinister. He could feel it.
The Captain, leading the battlemages from the front, clutched his chest with labored breaths. His wound from the ice dragon's claws hadn't healed, and though he tried to keep up appearances, it was clear he was suffering. Lukas narrowed his eyes. There was more to the Captain's injury than met the eye.
