For the couple (Farrynelle and Xander) and Eldrigan, they were fighting Sheer Cold's Grip, a massive golem of ten meters that turned the entire city of Volxane into ice so cold it caused extreme hypothermia.
And avalanches.
The city of Volxane was unrecognizable. It was a sprawling white graveyard buried under endless snow and frost. The once-bustling streets were drowned beneath waves of snow that surged like ocean tides, cascading from the skies in relentless avalanches. Above it all, it was caused by the monstrous golem standing ten meters tall, its body carved from what seemed to be durable ice and ancient frost. It radiated a power so overwhelming it felt like the very air was freezing their lungs.
Farrynelle, Xander and Eldrigan were locked in a fight that wasn't just physical but psychological.
Every moment stretched their limits. The golem didn't move, didn't swing its massive fists or stomp the ground like they expected. It just sat there, exuding an oppressive aura that turned the snowstorm into a living, draining entity. Every flake of snow sapped their essence, leaving them weaker with each breath.
Farrynelle was darting across the snow, her superspeed the only thing keeping them alive. She dodged falling waves of ice and snow that would crush a mountain, but her steps barely left an imprint on the frosty ground.
"This is insane!" She shouted, voice strained as she zipped past Xander, narrowly pulling him away from another avalanche. "It's not even moving! Why is it so hard to get close to it?!"
"Because it doesn't need to move," Xander growled, his sword glowing faintly with the last remnants of his energy. He swung it in a wide arc, shattering a wall of incoming snow, but the effort nearly brought him to his knees.
"It's the damn snowstorm itself. I's alive. It's... him! He's the snow itself!"
Eldrigan stumbled, his massive shield slamming into the ground to stop him from collapsing completely. His breathing was ragged, each exhale visible as a thick mist.
"This thing's a God Rank," he spat. "We're out of our league! The snow... it's sucking the life out of us. I can't... I can't even feel my legs anymore."
Farrynelle zipped back to his side, catching him before the next wave of snow could bury him alive.
"Keep moving!" She barked, hauling him upright. "If we stop, we die. Simple as that!"
The avalanches were a nightmare. They didn't just fall. Each wave was a churning, sentient tsunami of ice and snow, twisting and shifting like they were alive. Farrynelle had to run faster than she ever had, weaving through collapsing buildings and surging waves, her speed creating sonic booms that cracked through the storm.
But even she was struggling. Every step felt heavier, her boots dragging through the snow as if it were quicksand. Her superspeed could only do so much when the snow itself was actively working against her.
Xander, meanwhile, was fighting with sheer brute force, swinging his sword like a madman. He carved through the ice, his silver aura flaring with every strike but for every path he cleared, another avalanche buried it moments later. He gritted his teeth, his muscles screaming in protest.
"Damn it! It's like we're fighting a ghost! I can't even land a hit on the thing!"
"It's not a ghost," Eldrigan said through clenched teeth, his shield raised as he braced against another wave. The impact sent him skidding backward, his feet carving deep trenches in the snow.
"It's worse. It's a Forgotten. This is what they do. They make you feel powerless."
The three strongest Minafallen Students were suffering. If this was the opponent in Adelasta's group, they would have handled it easily, but none of them were long range fighters.
The golem's icy eyes glowed faintly, as if mocking them. It sat motionless, its massive arms resting on its knees. Farrynelle clenched her fists, frustration boiling over.
"If it's not going to move, then let me—"
"No!" Xander cut her off. "You're the only one fast enough to keep us alive. If you go charging in, we're done."
She glared at him but knew he was right. His instincts were always right. Her speed was their lifeline. Without her, they'd be crushed in seconds. But it didn't make it any less infuriating. She wanted to fight, to do something other than run and dodge like a scared rabbit.
Another avalanche roared down, larger than the last. It crashed into them like a tidal wave, splitting off into smaller torrents that chased them like hunting dogs. Xander planted his feet, swinging his sword in a desperate arc that cleaved through one of the smaller waves using his energy, but the effort left him staggering. Eldrigan threw up his shield, the impact slamming into him with enough force to make his arms go numb.
"Move!"
Farrynelle screamed, grabbing both of them in a blur of motion as the larger wave collapsed where they had been standing. She barely managed to outrun it, the edge of the avalanche clipping her shoulder and sending them sprawling. The snow felt like ice spikes, cutting into her skin even through her armor.
"How are we supposed to beat this thing?!" Eldrigan shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. "We can't even get near it!"
"Then we make it move," Xander snarled, forcing himself to his feet. His golden axe flickered, its glow nearly gone. "If it's not going to come to us, we'll make it react!"
Farrynelle shook her head. "It's draining us faster than we can fight. One mistake and it's over."
"We're already dying!" Xander snapped. "Might as well go down swinging!"
Before anyone could argue, the ground beneath them trembled. The golem's eyes flared brighter and for the first time, it moved. Slowly, it rose to its full height, towering above the city like a mountain brought to life. Its deep, rumbling voice echoed through the storm, a sound that sent chills down their spines.
"Your struggles amuse me," it said. "But they are meaningless. You cannot defeat the storm."
And with that, the avalanches doubled in intensity. The waves came faster and harder, the snow crushing anything in its path. Farrynelle pushed her speed to its absolute limit, barely keeping ahead of the onslaught. Xander and Eldrigan fought with everything they had, their movements sluggish and heavy, but they refused to give up.
The fight dragged on, every second feeling like an eternity. They weren't just fighting the golem. They were fighting exhaustion, despair and the unrelenting cold. Their bodies screamed for rest, their minds teetered on the edge of breaking, but they kept going. They had to.
Because if they didn't, Volxane would remain buried forever, and they'd join it in an icy grave.
If the snow wasn't absorbing their power, they would be doomed.
"Alright! I have a plan, but you need to trust me on this!" Farrynelle shouted, her voice cutting through the deafening roar of the storm. Snow and ice swirled around her, the freezing wind biting at their faces.
"We only have one shot and if we fail, we're all going to be buried in this damned snow! Do you trust me?"
"YES!" Xander and Eldrigan answered in unison.
Farrynelle skidded to a stop, her boots carving thin tracks in the frozen ground as the golem began to shift again, preparing another avalanche. She turned to face the two men.
"Here's the plan," she said quickly. "Eldrigan, you're the bait. You're going to use everything you've got to keep the snow busy. Distract it, pull its attention away and keep it off balance."
Eldrigan blinked, his face twisting in disbelief. "You want me to go toe-to-toe with a storm?! Are you out of your mind?"
"Yes!" Farrynelle snapped, her hands clenching into fists. "But I don't care! Listen! You're the only one with the defenses to hold out against that snow long enough. Use your shield, use whatever you've got left, just keep it busy! Xander, you're with him. Hit it with everything you have, keep it on its toes and try to break through its defenses."
Xander frowned, his sword resting heavily on his shoulder. "And what about you? What are you going to do while we're out there getting crushed?"
Farrynelle's lips curled into a smirk, though there was no humor in it.
"I'm going to end this Minor Forgotten. That's what. You two are going to throw me as high as you can. I'll gather elemental energy from the atmosphere and focus it all into one strike. That golem has a weak spot. I saw a core is in the center of its chest. I'll give you a signal and you two need to hit it with everything you've got to weaken it before I finish it off."
"Are you insane?!" Eldrigan barked, stepping forward. "That's suicide! We don't even know if it'll work! And calling this thing a Minor Forgotten doesn't make it any less dangerous!"
"I don't care if it's insane! It's the only plan we've got! We're dying out here, Eldrigan! Do you want to just stand here and let it kill us?!"
Eldrigan gritted his teeth, his jaw clenching in frustration. He glanced at Xander, who gave a small nod.
"Fine," Eldrigan muttered, turning his axe into a shield. "But if this doesn't work, I'm blaming you."
"Deal," Farrynelle said, her smirk returning. "Now let's move. We don't have time to waste!"
The golem began to shift again, its massive icy frame creaking and groaning as it summoned another avalanche. The snowstorm intensified as swirling frost that stung their skin and blurred their vision.
"Go!" Farrynelle shouted and the three of them sprang into action.
Eldrigan charged forward, his shield raised high as he plowed through the snow. The ground shook beneath his feet as he bashed through the smaller waves of ice, drawing the storm's wrath toward him.
"Come on, you overgrown ice cube!" He roared, slamming his shield into the ground with a deafening clang. "You want a fight? You've got one!"
The golem's glowing eyes turned toward him, its body radiating a bone-chilling cold that made the air freeze around him. Snow surged toward Eldrigan in massive waves but he held his ground, using his shield to deflect the worst of it.
Meanwhile, Xander was a silver blur, his sword slicing through the avalanches with brutal precision. Each swing sent shards of ice flying but the storm seemed endless, constantly regenerating and pushing him back.
"I'm giving it everything I've got, Farrynelle!" He shouted over the howling wind. "You'd better make this count!"
Farrynelle zipped between them, her speed creating streaks of blue light in the storm. She was everywhere at once, pulling Eldrigan out of the path of a collapsing snowdrift, shoving Xander forward when he stumbled and dodging the ice with precision that defied logic.
"Hold out a little longer!" She yelled, her voice fierce and commanding. "Just a little more!"
The three of them reached the base of the golem, its towering form casting a massive shadow over them. Farrynelle skidded to a stop, planting her feet firmly in the snow.
"Now!" she screamed. "Throw me!"
Eldrigan and Xander didn't hesitate. Xander made his weapon vanish and cupped his hands, Eldrigan doing the same. Farrynelle took a running start, her boots barely touching the ground before she leapt into their hands. With a combined heave, the two men hurled her upward with all their strength.
Farrynelle shot into the sky like a blue comet, her body spinning through the storm as she ascended higher and higher. The air around her crackled with energy as she reached out, pulling the elemental forces lightning toward her. Her body glowed with a blinding blue light, her hair whipping wildly around her as she gathered the energy into a single, concentrated point.
"Three minutes," Xander said trusting his Boon. "We have to distract it. Don't waste your energy, Eldrigan! We need it for the final attack!"
"I know!"