Yet the frosthearts embedded in the orich’s staff and belt were almost entirely drained, their faint glow reduced to a dying flicker. Midnight had watched him deplete them drastically during his earlier assaults, expending their power with unrestrained abandon. Now, only two shards retained the faintest glimmers of residual energy. From what she had observed, they could sustain no more than a few fleeting ice shards or spears. He should not be able to conjure anything substantial, let alone the scale of magic she could sense building around him.
Despite the rising tension, Midnight did not intervene, yet she also did not turn away. Her loyalty to her wizard, the failed pursuit of the fiator, and the continuous erosion of her essence by the light clawed at her thoughts, yet she stayed. There was too much to unravel here.
The golem continued along the Snowtrail, its broad feet pounding against the frozen path in grand strides. Its advance came to an abrupt halt as the trail was completely blocked by a singular boulder. Midnight examined the obstruction. She had been too far away during the earlier chaos to perceive what had occurred here, but her senses discerned that it was fresh; shattered stone, still raw and jagged, a result of a recent avalanche. Her focus drifted alongside the golem as it reached the obstacle, though she took care to stay in motion as to not let the light catch up and reveal her presence again.
Upon reaching the boulder, the golem moved with methodical precision. It dropped the avian beast onto the ground, rotated its torso with the wizard back to its original position, and hammered away at the ice encasing the familiar. Each strike was a concussive burst of power, sending splinters of frost scattering into the air. Within moments, the avian beast was freed, its lifeless form now light enough for the golem to carry along with the lizardkind in a single massive arm.
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