"I won't make it in time following behind them, I have to intercept…" Ludwig muttered, his eyes narrowing on the distant figures. Far ahead, the scattered group of adventurers fled across the snow, their frantic silhouettes dwarfed by the stampede of creatures that poured after them. He could see the dark shapes loping faster and faster, their malformed limbs tearing through the frozen drifts with unnatural speed. Each heartbeat brought the monsters closer. The slope itself seemed to shudder under the thunder of their pursuit. Ludwig clenched his jaw. His stride lengthened, but even at his fastest, he knew the gap was too wide.
"Sure, say you intercept…" the Knight King's voice rumbled at his side, sardonic and cool, "you think it wise to be using that?" His hand gestured casually, yet meaningfully, toward Ludwig's back.
