The wind picked up across the frozen plains, carrying with it tiny crystals of ice that stung exposed skin. Naviga adjusted her position slightly, making sure Selira remained comfortable in her lap while also keeping one hand free. Her other hand rested near her storage ring, ready to summon Black Death at the first sign of danger. The girl's breathing had steadied somewhat, the shallow gasps replaced by deeper, more regular breaths. The red glow from her Bloodfire Element continued its slow work, mending damaged tissue bit by bit.

Minerva stood a few paces away, her posture alert and her eyes constantly moving across the landscape. The death of the dual-element wolf had created a temporary silence in the area, as if the local wildlife needed time to process the fact that a dominant predator had fallen. But that silence would not last forever. In a dungeon like this, where powerful beasts roamed freely, the scent of blood and death would soon draw attention from other creatures looking for either an easy meal or a chance to claim new territory.

"How is she doing?" Minerva asked without turning around, her voice quiet but clear in the cold air.

Naviga looked down at Selira's face. The burns on her chest had faded from angry red to a healthier pink color. The worst of the blistering had smoothed out, though the skin still looked raw and tender. The frost damage had disappeared completely, her Bloodfire Element particularly effective at countering cold injuries. "She is improving, Miss. The healing is progressing well. I estimate she will regain consciousness within the hour if nothing disturbs her recovery."

"Good. We should harvest the wolf's core and any useful materials before other predators arrive. A beast of that power level will have attracted attention with its death." Minerva finally turned to face Naviga. "Can you manage alone while I handle the harvesting?"

"Yes, Miss. I will watch over her." Naviga's hand moved closer to her ring. Her chip continued its passive scanning of the surroundings, though she had instructed it to prioritize energy efficiency over maximum range. The mental interface showed nothing of concern yet, but she remained vigilant.

Minerva nodded and began making her way down the slope toward where the wolf's corpse lay. The massive body had already begun the process of decomposition that affected beast remains, the magical energy that had sustained it in life slowly dissipating now that death had claimed it. If they did not harvest useful parts soon, much of the value would be lost.

Naviga watched her young lady descend before returning her full attention to their surroundings. The landscape stretched out in all directions, a mixture of ice plains, scattered rock formations, and distant patches of what might have been frozen forest. The dungeon's artificial sun hung in the sky, providing light but little warmth. Everything felt exposed, vulnerable. They were sitting in an elevated position which gave them a good view, but it also meant they could be seen from far away by anything looking in their direction.

Selira stirred slightly in Naviga's lap, a small sound escaping her lips. It was not quite consciousness, but it suggested she was moving in that direction. Her eyelids fluttered but did not open. One hand twitched, fingers curling as if reaching for a weapon that was not there. The instinct of a warrior, even in unconsciousness, to arm herself when vulnerable.

"You are safe," Naviga said softly, though she doubted the girl could hear her. "Rest and recover. We will protect you."

The wind shifted direction, now coming from the north instead of the east. With it came a new scent—something cold and reptilian, with an underlying note of decay. Naviga's nose wrinkled at the smell. Her chip registered the change in air composition, noting increased levels of a particular pheromone associated with predatory reptiles. The mental display updated with a warning indicator.

Her eyes immediately went to the north, scanning for the source of the scent. At first, she saw nothing. The frozen landscape appeared empty. But her instincts, honed through years of assassination work in her previous life and further refined through cultivation in this one, screamed that something was approaching.

There. Movement among the rocks about three hundred meters distant. It was subtle, just a slight displacement of shadow that did not match the wind's direction. Then she saw it again, closer now. Something large was moving through the rocky terrain, using the natural formations as cover while it advanced.

"Miss," Naviga called out, her voice carrying clearly but not shouting. Shouting might provoke a premature attack. "We have company approaching from the north."

Minerva, who had just reached the wolf's corpse and was preparing to cut into it with Scorching Tyrant, immediately straightened and turned to face the indicated direction. Her sword remained in hand, small flames already beginning to dance along its edge. "How many?"

"I cannot tell yet, Miss. At least one large creature, possibly more." Naviga's chip was working to get better data, but the approaching beast or beasts were staying behind cover, making accurate counting difficult.

The movement came again, much closer now. Two hundred meters. Whatever was approaching had accelerated once it realized it had been spotted. The element of surprise lost, it no longer bothered with stealth. Naviga saw a long, sinuous shape slide from behind one rock formation to the next. Her breath caught. Snake. A very large snake.

Then a second shape appeared, following the same path. And a third. Three serpents, each one easily fifteen meters in length, their scales a pale blue-white that blended almost perfectly with the frozen ground. They moved with the fluid grace of water, their bodies flowing over obstacles rather than going around them.

Frost Serpents. Naviga recognized them from her studies in the Akerman library. They were ice-element beasts native to cold regions, ambush predators that could survive for months without food but would attack viciously when opportunity presented itself. The dead wolf and the scent of blood in the air had drawn them, but they would not limit themselves to carrion. Fresh meat was always preferable.

The serpents emerged fully into the open, spreading out to form a loose triangle formation. Their heads rose two meters off the ground, black eyes fixed on the small group of humans with predatory interest. Their mouths opened slightly, revealing fangs as long as daggers. Cold vapor exhaled from their nostrils with each breath, creating small clouds of mist.

Minerva had already started running back up the slope, abandoning her harvesting effort. The wolf's materials would have to wait. Survival took priority. She reached Naviga's position just as the lead serpent let out a hissing challenge, the sound like steam escaping from a broken pipe.

"Three Frost Serpents," Minerva confirmed, breathing slightly harder from the uphill sprint. "All at the first essence core level, same as us. But they have the advantage of numbers and we are burdened with protecting Selira."

"Should we retreat, Miss?" Naviga asked, though she was already mentally preparing for combat. Retreat would be difficult with an unconscious person to carry, especially against enemies that moved as quickly as these serpents could.

Minerva's jaw set in a determined line. "No. Running would expose our backs and make us more vulnerable. We fight here, where we have the high ground advantage." She moved to position herself between the serpents and Naviga, who still held Selira. "You focus on protection and support. I will engage them directly."

The serpents began their approach, sliding up the slope with unsettling speed. Their bodies moved in synchronized waves, the motion both beautiful and terrifying. The lead serpent reached a point about fifty meters away and suddenly lunged forward, its mouth opening wide to reveal not just fangs but a glowing blue energy gathering in its throat.

"Ice breath incoming!" Minerva shouted, already moving to intercept.

The serpent released its attack. A cone of absolute cold erupted from its mouth, the air itself seeming to crystallize as the breath weapon spread outward. Everything in its path began to frost over instantly. The frozen ground became even more frozen. The rocks took on a layer of ice so thick they looked like glass sculptures.

Minerva responded with her own technique. "Blazing Sun Slash!" Her sword swung in a vertical arc, releasing a wave of intense heat and flame that met the ice breath head-on. Fire and ice collided in a spectacular display, steam exploding outward in all directions as the opposing elements annihilated each other. The force of the clash created a shockwave that rippled across the slope, making loose rocks tumble and ice crack.

But the other two serpents had not been idle. While the first serpent's attack drew attention, the other two split to flank from the left and right sides. They moved with tactical intelligence that suggested these creatures had hunted together many times before. They knew how to work as a team.

The left serpent reached a position about forty meters away and launched its own ice breath attack, this one aimed not at Minerva but at Naviga and Selira. The cone of freezing energy spread wide, impossible to dodge while holding an unconscious person.

Naviga reacted instantly. "Moonlit Shield!" Her defensive technique manifested as a translucent barrier of silver light that curved protectively around herself and Selira. The ice breath struck the shield and the temperature dropped dramatically. Frost spread across the barrier's surface, creating intricate patterns as the cold tried to penetrate. The shield held, but Naviga could feel it weakening under the sustained assault. Her universal essence drained rapidly to maintain the protection.

The ice breath finally ended. The Moonlit Shield flickered and disappeared, its energy exhausted. Naviga's core felt the strain of that expenditure. She had perhaps three or four more defensive techniques of that magnitude before her universal essence would be dangerously low.

Meanwhile, Minerva had engaged the lead serpent in close combat. The creature was surprisingly agile despite its size, its body coiling and striking like a whip. Minerva dodged a bite attempt, countered with a slash that carved a burning line across the serpent's side, then had to jump back as its tail swept through the space she had occupied. The serpent hissed in pain and anger, the wound on its side smoking where fire had seared through scale and flesh.

The right-side serpent joined the attack on Minerva, attempting to overwhelm her with coordinated strikes. She found herself defending against attacks from two directions, her sword moving in a blur of motion to parry, deflect, and counterattack. Small cuts appeared on her arms where she could not quite move fast enough to avoid the serpents' speed. Her breathing grew heavier as she burned through universal essence to maintain her enhanced speed and power.

"I need support!" Minerva called out, her voice strained but still controlled.

Naviga's mind raced. She could not leave Selira undefended, but Minerva clearly could not handle three enemies simultaneously. A decision had to be made. She looked down at the unconscious girl in her lap, then at the rocks surrounding their position. An idea formed.

Moving quickly but carefully, Naviga shifted Selira's body off her lap and positioned the girl behind a large boulder that provided natural cover. It was not perfect protection, but it was better than leaving her completely exposed. She arranged Selira so she would not roll or shift position, then placed one of her remaining barrier talismans on the girl's chest. If anything approached, the talisman would activate automatically and provide temporary defense.

That was the best she could do given the circumstances. Now she could fight properly.

Black Death appeared in her hand as she stood, the dark blade seeming to drink in the light around it. She assessed the battlefield quickly. Minerva was engaged with two serpents and holding her own but clearly struggling. The third serpent, the one that had attacked Naviga earlier, was repositioning for another strike.

Naviga made her choice. She would eliminate the third serpent quickly, then assist Minerva with the other two.

"Phantom Moon Step!" Her movement technique activated, and she became a blur of motion. She closed the distance to the third serpent in seconds, approaching from its blind side while it focused on finding an angle to attack Minerva.

The serpent sensed her approach at the last moment and tried to turn, but it was too slow. Naviga's sword flashed out in her Lunar Edge technique. "Crescent Moon!" The slash created a curving arc of silver energy that struck the serpent just below its head, cutting deep into the muscle and spine. The creature's head drooped, its body spasming as neural signals were disrupted.

She did not give it time to recover. "Eclipse Thrust!" Her follow-up attack was a straight piercing motion that drove Black Death through the weakened area and severed the spine completely. The serpent's body thrashed wildly for a few seconds, then went still as death claimed it.

One down. Two to go.

Naviga turned her attention to where Minerva fought. Her young lady had managed to seriously wound one of the remaining serpents, a deep burn running along half its body length. But both she and the beasts were showing signs of exhaustion. Minerva's movements had lost some of their earlier speed and precision. The serpents were moving more cautiously now, wary of her fire techniques but still pressing the attack.

"I am coming, Miss!" Naviga called out, already moving to engage.

Her arrival changed the dynamic immediately. With two opponents, the serpents could use coordination and numbers. With two human fighters, that advantage disappeared. Naviga engaged the less-wounded serpent, forcing it to divide its attention. Black Death wove a pattern of strikes and feints, her moon element techniques creating confusing afterimages that made it difficult for the beast to track her real position.

Minerva focused on the wounded serpent, her fire attacks targeting the existing injury to maximize damage. The creature tried to retreat but she pressed forward relentlessly. "Infernal Burst!" The technique created an explosion of flame centered on her sword that engulfed the serpent's head. It screamed, a horrible sound of pain and rage, then collapsed as the fire consumed its brain.

Two down. One to go.

The final serpent realized it was now alone against two skilled opponents. Its survival instinct finally overcame its aggression. It broke off from combat and began retreating, sliding rapidly back down the slope toward the rocky terrain it had emerged from.

"Should we pursue, Miss?" Naviga asked, breathing hard from the exertion.

Minerva shook her head, also breathing heavily. "No. Let it go. We have wounded it and driven it off. That is sufficient. Pursuing would take us away from Selira and might lead us into more danger."

They watched the serpent disappear among the rocks, then slowly made their way back to where Selira lay. The barrier talisman had not activated, indicating nothing had approached during the fight. The girl was still unconscious but appeared unharmed.

Naviga knelt beside her and once again positioned Selira's head in her lap. She noticed that the red glow of the Bloodfire Element had grown slightly brighter during the combat, perhaps responding to the danger even though Selira herself remained unaware.

Minerva sat down heavily nearby, clearly exhausted. Her arms bore multiple small cuts from near-misses during the fight. Her combat robes were torn in several places. But she was alive and relatively unharmed, which was what mattered.

"That was closer than I would have liked," Minerva admitted, reaching for a healing potion from her storage ring.

"Agreed, Miss. We were fortunate they were only Frost Serpents and not something more dangerous." Naviga's eyes continued to scan the surroundings. Where there were three serpents, there might be more. The area no longer felt safe.

They sat in silence for several minutes, recovering their strength and universal essence through meditation and potions. The bodies of the two dead serpents lay where they had fallen, already beginning to decompose like the wolf before them. More blood in the air. More scent to attract predators.

This location was becoming increasingly dangerous. They needed Selira to wake up soon so they could move to a safer area. But rushing her recovery could cause more harm than good. They were stuck in this exposed position until she regained consciousness.

All they could do was wait, stay alert, and hope that nothing else found them before Selira was ready to travel.

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