While the mountains were known for their abundance of monsters we had a hard time finding anything else. Bernd refused to lead us too deep into the mountains and the prey we did come across fled. Maybe it was the size of our group, or maybe some of the local monsters knew to avoid undead.

In the end we decided to call it a day and return. Apparently at night these mountains were even more dangerous. Certainly something worth exploring in the future. Our break had only just begun.

The second day was less successful. All we got were some minor snacks for Nyx. On the third day things got interesting. It was almost lunch time when we heard something. Hooves.

Bernd grimaced. "That sounds like a herd of white ibex."

Helena grinned. "Maybe it's time for some joint spellcasting."

Bernd shook his head. "The ibex are not even the problem. Listen! They are moving fast. Something is likely hunting them. And they are coming this way."

We could not see the herd yet. We were on a path that was roughly four metres wide and led deeper into the mountains. Towards our left was the mountain, towards our right was a slope. The noise was coming from the plateau ahead of us. Since it was on a higher elevation our vision was limited. But if a herd was chased towards us it might be bad.

Bernd started cursing. "There is no way to avoid this. They are faster than we are. We are screwed. We need to get close to the mountain and try to not get crushed. Then hope we survive whatever has them spooked."

"Time to go all out then." Skadi said while Cassie handed her a potion.

Even Helena looked serious now. "Koyuki, we will open with our joint spell. We need to slow the herd so they don't trample us. Cold is not the best against them but we can hinder their movement."

"What about an ice wall?" Cassie suggested.

Helena shook her head. "They can jump pretty high. We would need a big wall. No, let's slow them down enough that our front line can stop them. Afterwards, what explosives do you have?"

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"Oh, I have some nice things. Actually, I have this incendiary cloud potion…" Cassie said, while she was grabbing a few vials.

"Perfect." Helena replied. "We slow them with the ice, then you throw the clouds in front of them. It might make them hesitate and it will soften them if they charge through. Then we hold them with Nyx, Skadi, Frank and Hatsumi."

While we were talking, Skadi was preparing her own spell. "Ready? She asked Cassie, offering her hand." Cassie nodded and took it. Skadi was covering her body with blood. It meant Cassie would be exhausted after the spell. That was fine, she had the potions. The sound was coming rapidly closer, hopefully we would be prepared in time.

Nyx was already big. Interestingly, Ivy and Yoru sat on her back. Chariot was standing next to her. Hatsumi had her blood claws, she refused a weapon, for now. Frank joined them, covered in his own ice armour.

Helena and myself were already covered in ice armour. We had prepared that before the hunt. She took my hand and focused on the joint spell.

Bernd, the guards and our mule were behind us. They might be guards but they had no magic, nor magical equipment. They would do well against bandits, or simple monsters. But not against a herd of white ibex.

It was strange. This situation was dangerous, but while I felt a little concerned, I was not that afraid. Maybe it was Helena's presence. Holding her hand, looking at her confident face, it felt reassuring. We were senior mages. We were powerful. We could do this!

We barely managed to finish our preparations when the first ibex appeared. They did not seem to care about our presence and kept running. But Helena was ready and unleashed her spell. The ground froze. Sure, it was already below freezing. But now the patch was covered in smooth ice. The rocky ground, which usually provided some grip, was gone.

The first ibex started to slip and tumble, which led to others crashing into them. Some even fell down the slope. Then Cassie threw her potions. A black cloud formed where the ice stopped and it started searing their skin. It did not kill them but it certainly softened them.

At this point the ibex were panicking. Although, I guess they were already panicked before. Their charge had been interrupted. Before they could reorient themselves our frontline was on them. Our people made sure to avoid the incendiary cloud but they attacked anything that left it.

Skadi was now coated in blood. Even her axe was part of it. She hacked into the first monster and I could see its blood joining Skadi's defence. Hatsumi expertly avoided the horns and hardened head, then she plunged her claws into the side of an ibex. Nyx demonstrated her agility as well, she ducked underneath the horns, even shrinking a little to help, then she went for the throat. Once it was in her mouth she grew again.

Frank… Frank was not that clever. A horn managed to shatter his ice armour and pierce his shoulder. But he hacked at it with his sword as a response. I mentally commanded Chariot to help by launching blood spikes into the ibex.

Ivy and Yoru were interesting. They were still on top of Nyx. Ivy took advantage of any bleeding wound that was caused in her vicinity. She poisoned them with necrotic mana, if they got too close. It did not kill any outright but it weakened them. Yoru seemed focused on the ice. Ibex tripped in his vicinity as the ground shifted.

Helena was throwing ice darts into the mix, while keeping her spear ready in case our front line was breached. I stood next to her but we were no longer holding hands. It was time for my speciality. Necromancy. When the first ibex fell, I was ready. I focused on the corpse and cast my spell. Soon after the dead body hit the floor it rose again, as a zombie.

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