Private Valley of the Sun Running Frozen

[Ueno Mizuki]

Cleo had managed to rouse Mizuki's curiosity, so even as the lancer began to channel her magic she motioned for her packmates to remain where they were. The red anklets made the wildling raise her eyebrows, but other than that she just watched as the crimson creations then spread out across the ground, following the shapes and curves as if forming a new layer which hovered just above the land. It also spread out a fair distance, Mizuki carefully turning her head without moving her hind paws, taking note of how Cleo's magic layer spread out evenly in every direction.

Her two packmates seemed a bit less happy with the red stuff surrounding their paws, but they followed Mizuki's command and remained as they were, even if they looked at her as if they were asking her how long they had to stay like this.

So you can detect when something disturbs your magic. (Mizuki nodded.) Out in the fog that would be useful, since it doesn't rely on sight.

There was the chance that whatever they were hunting could also fly or pass through objects, but you couldn't realistically prepare for everything. As it was being able to detect anything that tried to move close to Cleo would already be very helpful if the standard forms of detection weren't sufficient.

It's a bit like a spider's web, isn't it? (She glanced towards her packmates.) Could you also do something like that? It'd be less precise, but if our prey is in a hurry it wouldn't have the luxury of moving around the threads.

If Cleo could accurately sense when her arcane constructs were disturbed or destroyed then laying down thin lines everywhere might be easier and faster than creating a whole layer like this. Seeing how her packmates were sticking out their tails while their ears went flat against their heads she gave them a reassuring whine, the two canines shaking themselves as they stopped trying to stay still even as around their paws Cleo's arcane layer cracked.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

The layer of magic that she'd spread across the mood was wafer thin, or even thinner if she was being honest. It had to be that way, both so that she could tell when it was disrupted and to make sure she wasn't wasting a lot of her energy by doing this kind of thing. Like sugar glass, it spread and cracked at the smallest possible physical disturbance. A gust of wind would do nothing, but even the small footfalls of a rodent would cause it to break.

She left it there for a moment or two, before allowing it to fade away and shatter itself, small little shards falling into the snow, where they broke apart further and scattered into the wind. Cleo let herself breathe a sigh of relief at that, shaking her legs a bit.

"A web? Well I could, but it probably wouldn't be much good for catching things. Just for detecting them. If I had the ability to do animal things, I could maybe make a web that was more functional."

Alas, if it wasn't a spear, she was fairly limited in what she could actually produce with her Arcanamancy. That was the life of somebody who had chosen to specialize heavily. For her, the cost of one spear was about as equal as a flat plane of energy.

"I could also set up walls of it too, to catch flying things, but that'd be a little bit more wasteful, in terms of energy expenditure."

She paused.

"If you think it'd be worth it, I can try the walls or the web thing. I do worry the technique is a bit noticeable, though."

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki frowned thoughtfully as Cleo explained her perspective, the wildling watching as the infinitesimally thin construct shattered into countless pieces which disappeared into thin air.

That's true... But our first priority is figuring out what is going on and tracking down whatever is responsible for the disappearances. A web might be useful for that part of the hunt, and you can switch to creating walls for trapping our prey once we've got it on the run.

While she greatly appreciated Cleo's assistance (and company) Mizuki wasn't planning to make the lancer do all the work. If the web also worked for bypassing the issue of tracking their prey in the mist it would already help a lot, and they could think of how to capture their quarry afterwards.

Stepping closer she gave Cleo a small smile as she placed her front paw on her partner's shoulder.

I think I've got enough animal things for the both of us. As for being noticeable, once the chase begins we won't have to worry too much about being stealthy, so you can pull whatever trick you can think of as long as it'll help capture our prey. (She blinked.) Although now that you mention it... invisible barriers would be like traps, but I'm guessing you'd also need illusion magic to pull that off.

Strangely illusions weren't as commonplace as Mizuki remembered them being... or maybe she just remembered wrong. Given how useful illusions could be she'd expected it to be popular amongst those who were interested in sorcery and wizardry, but it seemed raw offensive power won out in the end. With a light shrug she gave Cleo's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

If you can use planes and lines to help detect things inside of that fog it'll already be helpful enough, trust me. (She smirked, revealing a little fang.) At least, for the first part. For the second part I'm expecting you to put those spears of yours to good use as well.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

"A web might be slightly more useful, just in case whatever is behind this doesn't touch the ground. There's every possibility that it could be airborn."

And that was if there really was something behind the disappearances, and not just a bunch of NPCs deciding to leave or something like that. There wasn't enough known to say for sure, so it was best to at least consider the possibilities that there was an assailant and that this mystery assailant was capable of flight, or at least ascending off of the ground. She had no clue if there had been footprints at the sites of previous vanishings or not, but it was better to be safe than to be sorry.

She shrugged when Mizuki mentioned illusion magic. It wasn't something she had access to, or had even seen anybody else do, for that matter. As far as she was concerned, her skillset was solely just creating and throwing spears. Even if she spiced it up a little bit, it was still a massively simple and limited skillset. Developing proficiency in lethally dispatching foes had been the number one goal when she'd first logged in, after all.

Right. I'll use what I've got. I'll try and reduce the red glow a bit, too, so it's harder to see through the fog. Hopefully the fog hinders the assailant at least half as much as it hinders me.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

We don't know what exactly is going on here, so it's a good idea to keep that in mind. I trust you to make the right call.

Mizuki didn't think it was very likely that their prey could fly, but she couldn't rule the possibility out either. Looking over at the mass of fog that was obscuring their destination she narrowed her eyes, trying to judge how tall it was by comparing it to the adjacent mountains.

If there is something in there it'd have to fly low to remain hidden inside the fog... but that doesn't say much.

Shaking her head she looked towards her packmates, the two wolves looking back at her silently as they awaited their packleader's call. Now that the red plane was no longer hindering their movements they were content to remain as they were, their ears turned towards Cleo and Mizuki as they listened to the two bipeds making up their minds.

With some luck, yes. (She patted Cleo's shoulder.) We'll find out sooner or later. For now, let's head out.

Their short break had lasted long enough for them to get used to this altitude, even if Mizuki was still keeping an eye on her partner to make sure she would be all right. A short bark alerted her two wolves to start following as the wildling led the team of four down the mountainside and towards the valley proper, at the same time heading further to the west where their destination lay. Even after minutes of waiting there the fog hadn't moved, currents of air making the surface swirl but otherwise failing to touch anchored cloud.

As they came down from the mountains that formed the edge of the Hylands the air got warmer around them, but as they got closer to the fog the cold crept back in: sharper this time, turning their exhalations white as if trying to add yet more mass to the fog before them.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Well, given the lack of information, she'd just have to settle for whatever the best all-around option was, rather than try to pick one possibility and hope she'd picked the best one. A trap or detection system that was decent at detecting something on any plane was better than a perfect system that would only detect something when it made contact with the ground. Specializing was good if you had good information, but being a generalist would keep you alive if you were going in blind.

Probably best to at least entertain the idea that it can fly or hover or something. I'd rather not rule it out just to get blindsided because of it.

And damn it, she was determined to keep her survival streak going. No way in hell was she going to die to some stupid side thing that was doing nothing but inconveniencing a few worthless NPCs. And sure as shit, she was going to make sure Mizuki didn't put her life at risk for something so dumb either. They could investigate it, sure, but risk taking for something so inconsequential was a big no.

Still, she followed after Mizuki as they started up their movement again, this time traversing down the mountain and towards the valley they were actually aiming for. Biting cold winds nibbled at her skin and she huffed at the feeling, shaking her head.

Why can't you ever take me anywhere nice? If the next destination isn't a tropical beach, I might get upset.

She huffed in amusement, her words not serious, though they did underline a discomfort with the cold.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

The two wolves followed behind Cleo and Mizuki, like before walking carefully so their footsteps overlapped. Anybody who followed them would know that there was at least one human and one wolf, but not that there were actually three wolves.

Not that Mizuki expected them to be followed, but it was standard practice for them to confuse any potential trackers this way.

As they got closer to the fog and winter's chill set in Mizuki's fur and lupine constitution kept her comfortable, but unsurprisingly Cleo had something to say about the weather. Looking over her shoulder Mizuki shrugged.

There aren't any tropical beaches in the Hylands, but maybe we can find something in Falderen. (She grinned.) I'm sure there's pirates or somesuch we could hunt.

While her metabolism could keep herself warm she couldn't really warm Cleo up while at the same time moving forward: body heat wasn't easily shared on the move.

As they kept walking eventually the fog would envelop them: there wasn't a distinct edge to the blanketed area, so the world around them would simply become fainter and fainter until it was like they were trapped in a white space, only able to see each other and the frozen grass underneath their feet.

Mizuki sniffed the air and swivelled her ears as she led the way, her eyes now practically useless as she was instead forced to rely on her other senses. Fortunately those were just as reliable, so as they kept moving eventually they'd come across a wooden wall which turned into a house.

Even within the village the fog held strong: each house was like an island, and to reach the next they had to abandon the previous, the white world swallowing what they left behind to begrudgingly yield their next waypoint. Eventually they came across a bigger building, Mizuki motioning for Cleo to come closer before settling right next to the door.

This fog is definitely not natural... with how thick it is it should've spread out long ago.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

She'd live. She wasn't going to freeze to death unless she remained still here for some time, or if she was doused with ice cold water or something. She had no intentions of going for an arctic swim, so she was probably fine, even without that natural resistances to such conditions that Mizuki and her furry companions had. There was little that could be done about it, so it was better to just make fun of it all rather than be upset or allow it to ruin her mental state. Focusing on the cold would just make it worse.

Does it have to be a hunt? We could always just go and lounge on a beach or something like that, right?

The further they traveled, the worse the fog got, getting thicker and thicker until anything that wasn't directly next to them or underneath them was nearly impossible. Rather than look around, Cleo chose to focus her gaze on Mizuki, making sure she didn't lose her in the thick fog. Her own senses were useless for locating things in this kind of situation anyway, so there was no reason for her to keep on alert for anything other than Mizuki's location.

Well, natural or not, it's certainly an impediment. I can only sense things if I'm remaining still, so we'll have to get into position somewhere and hope this thing will go after us.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

I could also make you a thick fur cloak for the next time we come up here.

Even if Cleo wasn't blessed with a biology suited for colder climates she could still make use of the biology of others: a good cloak would already help a lot with keeping the cold at bay.

Mizuki blinked as her partner suggested that they could also go somewhere to rest and relax rather than hunt. It was, of course, a perfectly reasonable suggestion: it just wasn't something that had occurred to the wildling, and if she hadn't been looking forward Cleo would've seen that the caenis was looking a bit sheepish.

...You've got a point there. If you'd like to just hang out somewhere we can also do that.

Not everybody was constantly hunting, an obvious truth even if it sometimes slipped Mizuki's mind when she was on her own for a while. Her adoption of a much wilder lifestyle in Arcia was, perhaps, doing things to her perspective.

Focusing on the present she nodded as Cleo pointed out that they'd probably have to draw the thing's attention instead of finding it themselves. Whatever it was they were exactly trying to find: that was still not entirely known. The caenis frowned while the two wolves flanked the two Travelers.

It'd help if we had some way to draw it towards us... and find out what we're dealing with. I haven't heard anybody moving about yet, so I'm guessing all the villagers are staying put for now. (She indicated the building behind her.) We could ask if they know more.

There weren't many smells in the air, unfortunately. Wood, thatch, her companions... and frozen grass. There was also a faint smell of burning coming from inside the buildings, which she imagined was the villagers trying to keep the cold at bay. All the windows they'd come across had been barricaded shut as well, so the people living here really were trying to just outlast the problem.

Unfortunately, that might also make them very uncooperative if the four outsiders forced their way inside to ask questions.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

If we come back up here again, I wouldn't say no to having some kind of special outfit made for me.

Even a fur cloak would be a bit more help than her usual gear, which was honestly better at dissipating heat than it was at storing and maintaining a temperature. Still, at least Mizuki wasn't against the idea of just hanging out and enjoying themselves, rather than needing to hunt something or do some kind of question just to go somewhere.

The woman was getting far too used to the idea of constantly doing things like this. She'd have to try and wrangle Akemi into an actual vacation or something at some point.

Well, I'm pretty loathe to ask these people since I'm pretty sure they'll know just about as much as we do. Plus it doesn't exactly look like they're looking for outside business.

With the place boarded up, it wasn't exactly a welcoming atmosphere. Cleo shook her head and instead looked at Mizuki.

We have to think more like a local. What would you be doing out in such a thick fog if you live in the area? Some sort of task or situation that can't be held off, even if visibility is zero.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

I do come here often, so if you continue to hang out with me you'll probably end up here again. (She smiled.) I'll see if I can hunt something big to turn into winter clothing for you then.

Normally she mostly hunted for the meat, but she certainly didn't mind dedicating a hunt to getting her love some better attire for the climate of the Hylands: while this freezing fog was far from normal, the Hylands were still on average colder than the lands below.

Even if it was a bit of a shame if Cleo's beauty was hidden behind thicker clothes. Not that Mizuki would say that out loud whilst they were busy with more pressing matters. On the other hand, that was another argument for going to a tropical beach sometimes.

She nodded in agreement as Cleo noted that the villagers were unlikely to be very helpful. The caenis peered into the distance, even if the fog made sure that she couldn't actually see anything of use. All there was around them was white, white, and more white, the only exception being themselves, the frozen ground underneath their feet, and the wooden building behind them.

Something you'd have to do even in this situation... (She frowned as she considered the question.) Gather firewood, tend to the fields, and collect water, I guess? But the river is frozen, so they'd have to go to the well...

Her packmates were looking outwards as well, sniffing the air and swivelling their ears to try and figure out their surroundings. The fog didn't dampen sounds and smells as effectively as it blocked sight, but the creeping cold still made it difficult to get a solid grasp of the area.

I look the most like the villagers, so maybe I should try to act as bait?

They weren't going to find anything in this situation unless they happened to stumble upon a clue. If something was hunting the villagers it had to be lured, rather than making a futile attempt at chasing it down.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Well, that felt like a threat rather than a warning. Cleo rolled her eyes, but took it as good naturedly as she could, nodding. Jokes aside, she wasn't going to turn away some better cold weather clothes. If Mizuki really intended to spend most of her time in such frozen places, she'd need to do whatever she could to adapt to that kind of thing, if she wanted to spend time with her. And she absolutely wanted to spend time with Mizuki.

Though she definitely had an ulterior motive or two in wanting to get the wildling onto a tropical beach of some description.

Gathering firewood or fetching water from the river, both sound like potentially good suggestions. I'd think the river might be a good first investigation.

That being said, the idea of using Mizuki as bait made Cleo a little uneasy. It was true that Mizuki looked the most like the villagers, but at the same time, Mizuki relied on her traditional senses more. She hummed, looking at Mizuki.

You do look like better bait, but I worry a little that you might be a little easier to take off guard. Do you think you can manage it?

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki turned her head towards the direction where the river should be... even if she couldn't be certain at the moment. With the current frozen she couldn't even hear it, so finding it would require some work.

Fair enough. We might be able to learn something from it as well: it takes a lot for a river to freeze, and while this fog is cold I don't think it's cold enough to do that. (She frowned.) It's better than nothing, anyway.

It was, unfortunately, a bit of a leap, but it was worth trying. She was pulled away from her thoughts as Cleo expressed some hesitation regarding the plan. Her ears twitched before she looked back at the lancer, the wildling shrugging.

I do have sharp senses, so as long as it doesn't use some trick I should be able to react. (She motioned towards Cleo and her packmates.) And I'll have the three of you to watch over me: even if we end up dealing with some strange magic I imagine you'll be able to do something about it.

Cleo's mastery of chronomancy meant there were few things she couldn't at least try to counteract. Combined with her precise and fast offensive potential Mizuki doubted that anything that would jump at her here would be able to do so without getting into trouble.

I'm not planning to get caught, at any rate.

With those words Mizuki would step away from the building, sniffing the air before carefully making her way through the fog. For the bait to work she had to keep her distance from the other three, so the wildling would move far enough away that the others were only barely visible... and even then it might just be a trick of the imagination, her mind translating swirling mist into familiar shapes.

Fortunately she at least had her hearing to reassure her that Cleo and her packmates were still there even as she made her way towards the river, an arduous process as she had to study the ground closely. Even with the river being practically right next to the village it still took longer than she'd have liked before she came upon the frozen stream, moon-eyes blinking as she studied how it truly looked like the water had simply stopped mid-current.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Well, if you're confident, I'll trust you. You'll have to be loud if something does actually happen though, since there'll be no way in hell I can see what's happening through this kind of fog.

Still, she stepped closer to Mizuki and pressed her lips softly to the wild woman's cheek, nodding to her partner. It made her nervous, but she'd trust in Mizuki's senses, just in the same way that Mizuki would trust in her own sensory capability with her magic.

She watched the wolf woman step away and vanish into the fog, a sense of nervousness welling up inside of her, following from a distance alongside the wolves that accompanied Mizuki.

She settled into place, waiting on a hair trigger to leap into action if she needed to, remaining as still as possible. Out there in the fog, somewhere, Mizuki was putting herself in peril, even if she was confident. She had to remain vigilant, just in case something about this was more dangerous than either of them had planned for.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki blinked at the kiss, then smiled and nuzzled Cleo briefly in response before taking her distance so she could put the plan into motion. Compared to the chilling fog they were surrounded by Cleo's warmth was very welcome, but they had work to do.

As Cleo followed the wildling she'd be flanked by the two packmates: the two large wolves stuck close to the lancer, sniffing the air and moving their ears as they remained on guard while they followed a bit behind their leader. Anything that tried to approach Cleo would most likely encounter one of the wolves first, and their big physique meant that it'd be quite the hassle to get past them without alerting the rest.

Once she reached the river Mizuki squatted at the edge for a moment, studying the ice in the hope that she could figure out what was going on. However, despite her experience as a hunter, she didn't have the magical expertise to understand what she was looking at: the waters were frozen, and that was more or less it. If she peered hard enough she thought she could see something underneath the ice, but even then she wouldn't know exactly what.

Reaching forward she moved her front paw across the surface, brushing aside some snow that had formed on top of the ice. Her claws made a faint sound as they moved across the hard surface, leaving behind thin white lines when she put a bit more pressure on her fingertips.

However, that neither broke the spell nor told her anything more about what was going on, so the wildling resigned herself to the next step of the plan. Slowly standing back up she walked onto the ice, her claws granting her the purchase to move about relatively safely as she slowly approached the middle of the stream, where she once again sat down on her haunches.

Around her the world was white, and even the edge of the frozen river was barely visible as she started to scratch away at the ice. It was hard and unyielding, like permafrost, which made her frown as she thought about how unnatural this entire situation was: if she didn't know better it was as if this river had always been like this. Growling softly to herself she dug harder, strengthening the muscles in her arms while her claws grew larger until she almost looked like a mole digging away at the frozen surface.

Minutes had passed before she realised that around her the fog had gotten even denser: now anything beyond her own body was practically invisible, and each breath that passed her lips was white enough to only add to the obscuring mists. Frost was quickly forming on her fur, and as she looked up her ears twitched in response to an ominous sound: a shrill screech like claws dragging across ice.

Shifting her paws back Mizuki pushed herself back up on all fours, her eyes narrowing as she stepped back just in time for... something to fly right through the space she'd occupied just moments ago. A figure whose features she had a hard time discerning as fog clung to it like a cloak, drifting and shifting but never dispersing enough to reveal its host.

Although she could see the sharp, pale claws and the almost equally long fangs.

Balancing on all fours, Mizuki seized up her opponent as it flowed across the surface of the frozen lake and turned around, freezing blue eyes focused solely on her as it remained where it was for a moment. Mizuki bared her fangs and growled, but the creature before her didn't appear to be intimidated. raising itself up it flowed towards her once more, carrying but fang and frost as it bore down on her.

Charging forward as well Mizuki snarled, white breath flowing out of the corners of her mouth. The creature didn't relent in the face of her charge, and as she got closer a deadly chill wrapped around her.

Forcing her metabolism to speed up even further to keep her body from slowing down, Mizuki kept a low profile. When the two of them were about to collide she ducked yet lower, practically sliding across the ice before grabbing it with her front paws. Sharpened claws dug into the hard surface to grant her purchase as she kicked her legs into the air, hind paws striking the creature squarely in the... whatever its body really was. Even through the adrenaline she could feel that same deadly cold eating at her paws for but a moment before the creature was launched away by the impact, letting out another shrill screech.

Taking the brief respite to look at her hind paws Mizuki saw how even that brief moment of contact had been enough to make ice form all over her legs. Pumping warm blood into the affected limbs was answered by a stinging pain all over the area. The wildling growled again, then raised her voice to call out to Cleo while enhancing her shout with her Primal Aura.

It's here!

The fog-shrouded creature had already recovered, its gaze once again solidly focused on her as it advanced.

At Cleo's position she'd hear Mizuki's voice but moments before both the wolves ran onto the ice, heading for their pack leader without hesitation even as frost began to form on their fur as well.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

There was a flurry of action in the fog, but Cleo really had no way of telling until Mizuki's voice rose through it to greet her. She couldn't see a thing, after all. And she lacked the refined and powerful senses that Mizuki had, so she'd been working blind. It also made it disadvantageous for her to join the fight, since she preferred to throw weapons but couldn't see her target. The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally hit or inconvenience Mizuki.

She allowed both of Mizuki's wolves to charge off onto the ice, but she herself stepped up and onto a platform of arcane magic, riding it as she moved it forwards, rather than risking slipping on the ice. Rather than immediately approach the fight, though, she kept on the outskirts of it, skating in a radius around it.

Her hands, outstretched, formed a wall of arcanamancy that grew as she moved, as she slowly began to wrap the combat area in a crimson barrier. Once it had grown large and thick enough, she moved her way inside and sealed it shut.

It's trapped in here with us now! But I can barely see!

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

With her wolves joining her Mizuki did feel a bit safer facing down this strange threat, although her rational mind told her that her packmates wouldn't necessarily be much help here: whatever they were facing generated frost like an oven generated heat, and if even her own thick fur couldn't completely ward off that unnatural chill the other two lupines wouldn't fare much better.

But it still meant that she could coordinate with them as the frost-shrouded monster charged again, its shrill screech filling the air as it surged forward like a wave of deathly chill. With her Primal Aura Mizuki swiftly directed her packmates' movements, the two wolves spreading out while Mizuki guarded herself, hind paws digging into the hard ice of the frozen river as she awaited her quarry to reach her.

Or, at least, that was the impression she gave: when the monstrous thing was almost upon her one of her wolves suddenly tackled it from the side, sending it flying as the dire wolf proved to be much heavier than whatever it was hidden underneath that eternal white mist. With a grim smirk Mizuki quickly stepped forward to help brush off the ice that had almost immediately formed on her packmates's fur once he came into contact with their prey, for but a moment ignoring said prey as it bounced across the frozen surface to quickly leave her field of view in this thrice-cursed fog.

That same fog also meant she couldn't see what Cleo was doing: she wasn't magically attuned like dedicated spellcasters were, so while she trusted that the red-haired lancer was coming up with some clever plan to help deal with the threat she had to do so blindly. That, and keep the creature busy for as long as Cleo might need.

Thankfully her partner worked fast, and even as she and her wolves surrounded the freezing monstrosity Cleo's clear voice resounded, announcing that all five of them were now trapped within a barrier of her making. That meant that the creature couldn't escape... but they still had to capture it somehow, and Cleo couldn't rely on her other senses to compensate for the whiteness that covered everything.

The creature hissed and screeched, but before it could strike again the growling of two dire wolves made it hesitate, lashing out at them with its large pale claws while they kept their distance for now. Taking the opportunity Mizuki moved towards where Cleo's voice had come from, her nose quickly leading her towards the tall beauty floating on a platform of crimson magic.

I don't know what it is, but it freezes everything it touches. Is there a way to help you locate it?

Mizuki did have some methods for fighting something she couldn't safely touch, but Cleo was the ranged specialist: if the lancer could skewer the creature with her spears this confrontation would soon end, as she doubted that the monster's frost would do much to halt a barrage of arcane weapons.

One of her wolves howled, drawing Mizuki's attention as she pointed to where Cleo should go before dashing forward. Her packmate was limping back, one of his front limbs almost completely frozen. The creature was advancing, but before it could resume its assault Mizuki turned her own front limb into a large treant arm, smashing it into the shrouded screecher to send it flying once more. With how quickly her treant arm froze over she was getting the feeling that its cold was only getting stronger as time passed: all warmth was quickly draining from the area.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

It had been a big expenditure of energy to create a barrier big enough to encompass the entire battlefield, especially since she'd made it strong enough that something wouldn't be able to just shatter it without putting some serious effort behind their attempt. It wouldn't stop anything that was determined to get through, but until something was THAT determined, it wasn't going anywhere and she'd be able to tell when it decided that it was time to leave.

Unless whatever this thing was had some kind of ability that allowed it to slip past. It was far from an impossibility, so it was worth considering nonetheless.

More important was the fog, or rather, her inability to do anything about it. Maybe she could use Chronomancy to reverse or accelerate the fog until it dissipated, but that would guzzle her magical energy something fierce. It'd probably take all of her concentration to achieve that kind of effect too. Dealing with the fog itself wasn't going to be a viable option, it felt.

If you can make it glow a weird color or something that might work!?

She called into the fog, a spear forming in her left hand, though she didn't throw it yet. She was loathe to just blindly launch one of these things, given the damage she could actually do with her spears. Dealing with the fog itself was a no go and she didn't have the enhanced senses needed to locate the creature through the fog. Meanwhile, the cloying coldness just continued to grow and grow.

@Ueno Mizuki