Azel blinked as the glow of teleportation faded and the world came back into focus.
His boots crunched into snow, and at once his senses were drowned in noise.
They were in a wide clearing, the kind of battlefield where hundreds could clash at once.
And they were not alone.
Dozens of warriors were already there, locked in combat against something that made the ground tremble with every movement.
Shouts rang across the field, blades clashed, spells roared, and above it all echoed the chilling cry of a monster that seemed carved out of a storm itself.
Snow whipped sideways in violent gales. Ice cracked under the weight of enormous steps.
A swirling blizzard centered around a colossal form that towered over men and trees alike.
Azel's gaze snapped to it.
The monster was like a golem, if a golem had been given the size of a mansion and the fury of a winter god.
