The wind changed again. This time it did not simply shift direction like before. It transformed completely. What had been a steady, cold breeze became something else entirely. The air pressure dropped suddenly, making Naviga's ears pop uncomfortably. Her breath, which had been visible in the cold but normal, now came out in thick clouds that fell to the ground like smoke instead of dispersing naturally.

Minerva noticed it too. She stood up abruptly from where she had been sitting, her hand instinctively moving toward her storage ring. Her eyes scanned the sky with growing concern. "Something is wrong. The temperature is dropping too quickly to be natural."

She was right. Naviga could feel it through her clothing. The cold had been constant since they entered this section of the dungeon, a steady chill that required attention but was manageable. Now, in the span of perhaps thirty seconds, that chill transformed into genuine, dangerous cold. The kind that could kill even a magus if they were not careful.

Naviga looked down at Selira. The girl was still unconscious, her breathing steady but her body completely vulnerable. The red glow of her Bloodfire Element provided some internal warmth, but it was focused on healing her injuries, not protecting against environmental threats. If the temperature continued to drop at this rate, even that innate protection might not be enough.

The sky, which had been a pale blue with scattered clouds, began to darken rapidly. The clouds thickened and descended, moving with unnatural speed. They were not normal weather patterns. This was something else, something artificial or magical in nature. Within minutes, the clear visibility they had enjoyed was replaced by a gray haze that made seeing more than a hundred meters difficult.

Then the first snowflakes began to fall. They were not the gentle, drifting flakes that might fall during a normal winter storm. These were hard crystals of ice, small and sharp, that stung when they hit exposed skin. They fell fast and thick, accumulating on the ground at a visible rate. What started as a light dusting became a layer, then multiple layers. The frozen ground, already covered in ice, gained a blanket of white that grew deeper with each passing moment.

"We need shelter immediately," Minerva stated, her voice carrying urgency but not panic. She was a trained heir of a powerful family. Crisis management was part of her education. "This is not a natural storm. The dungeon's environment is shifting, probably as a defensive mechanism or scheduled event. We cannot survive this exposed."

Naviga's chip had already begun scanning their surroundings for potential shelter options. The mental interface displayed terrain data, calculating distances and analyzing structural integrity of nearby formations. Several possibilities appeared on the display, each with calculated pros and cons.

" I think there is a rock formation sixty meters to our east, Miss," Naviga reported, reading the chip's analysis. "It has an overhang that could provide basic protection from the storm. Not ideal, but it is close and we can reach it quickly while carrying Lady Selira."

"That will have to do. We do not have time to search for something better." Minerva moved to help Naviga with Selira. Together, they carefully lifted the unconscious girl. Minerva supported her shoulders while Naviga held her legs. The position was awkward for combat if they were attacked, but it distributed the weight better for faster movement.

They set off toward the rock formation, moving as quickly as they could while maintaining their grip on Selira's limp body. The snow was already ankle-deep and climbing. Each step required more effort as they pushed through the accumulating powder. The wind picked up further, howling across the frozen plains with a voice that sounded almost alive. It pushed against them, trying to force them back or knock them off balance.

The temperature continued its precipitous drop. Naviga's fingers, exposed to grip Selira's legs properly, began to ache with cold. Her face felt numb despite her cultivation providing some protection. She channeled a small amount of universal essence to her extremities, warming them just enough to maintain function. It was a drain on her reserves, but necessary. Frostbite would be deadly in their situation.

The falling snow grew even thicker. Visibility dropped to perhaps fifty meters, then thirty. The rock formation they were heading toward disappeared into the white curtain of the storm. Naviga had to rely on her chip's directional guidance to maintain their heading. Without it, they could easily have become disoriented and wandered in circles until exposure killed them.

Something large and dark moved in the snow to their left. Naviga caught the motion from the corner of her eye and immediately turned her head to track it. A shape, roughly the size of a large dog, loped through the storm parallel to their path. She could not make out details through the falling snow, but the way it moved suggested predatory intent.

"Miss, we have something shadowing us on the left side," Naviga warned, raising her voice to be heard over the wind.

Minerva's eyes flicked in that direction, then returned to watching their footing. "Can you identify it?"

"No, Miss. Visibility is too poor. It is maintaining distance for now, but it is definitely tracking us." Naviga's free hand moved closer to her storage ring, ready to summon Black Death if the creature decided to attack.

The shadow paced them for perhaps twenty meters before another shape appeared on their right. This one was slightly larger, its movement pattern similar to the first. Then a third appeared behind them. Whatever these creatures were, they were pack hunters. They were coordinating their approach, waiting for the right moment to strike when their prey was most vulnerable.

"We are being surrounded," Minerva stated flatly. "Can we make it to the shelter before they attack?"

Naviga's chip calculated trajectories and speeds, factoring in their burdened movement rate and the distance remaining to the rock formation. The result was not encouraging. "It will be very close, Miss. They will likely attack before we reach safety."

"Then we prepare for combat while moving. Stay alert." Minerva's jaw set in determination. They had already fought serpents while exhausted. Now they would fight unknown predators in a blinding storm while carrying an injured person. The situation kept getting worse, but surrender was not an option.

The rock formation finally became visible through the snow, a dark mass rising from the white landscape about fifteen meters ahead. The overhang Naviga's chip had identified was there, a natural shelter carved by ancient weather into the stone. It was not large, perhaps three meters deep and four wide, but it would get them out of the direct assault of the storm.

The creatures shadowing them seemed to realize their prey was about to reach safety. The pacing stopped. All three shapes converged simultaneously from different angles, charging through the snow in a coordinated attack. Naviga finally got a clear look at them as they closed the distance.

They were wolves. Not the dual-element monster they had killed earlier, but more conventional ice wolves. Each stood about a meter tall at the shoulder, with thick white fur that made them nearly invisible in the storm. Their eyes glowed with a pale blue light, and frost formed on their breath. All three were at the peak of the third phase core level—powerful, but not as overwhelmingly strong as the serpents had been.

"Set her down and fight!" Minerva commanded. They were only ten meters from the shelter now, but they would not make it carrying Selira while under attack.

They lowered the unconscious girl as gently as haste allowed, laying her on her back in the snow. Naviga immediately placed herself between Selira and the nearest approaching wolf while Minerva moved to intercept the other two. Black Death appeared in Naviga's hand, and Scorching Tyrant blazed to life in Minerva's grip.

The first wolf reached Naviga and lunged without hesitation, jaws aimed at her throat. She sidestepped using Phantom Moon Step, her speed enhanced by the technique despite the difficult footing. Her counter-slash caught the wolf along its ribs, drawing blood. The beast yelped in pain and skidded past her, sliding on the icy ground before regaining its footing.

Minerva engaged both of the wolves attacking her simultaneously. She could not match their speed in this terrain, so she used power instead. "Flame Vortex!" Her technique created a spinning column of fire around her body that forced both wolves to retreat or be burned. They circled her warily, looking for an opening, intelligent enough not to throw themselves suicidally into the flames.

Naviga's opponent recovered and attacked again, this time more cautiously. It feinted left, then darted right, testing her reactions. She did not fall for the feint, keeping her guard centered and ready to respond to the actual attack when it came. The wolf's ice breath attack came next, a smaller and weaker version of what the serpents had used but still dangerous. She dodged rather than blocking, not wanting to waste universal essence on her defensive technique for such a manageable threat.

Behind her, she could hear Selira's breathing. The girl was still unconscious, still vulnerable. That awareness sharpened Naviga's focus. She could not allow this fight to drag out. Every second spent here was another second exposed to the worsening storm.

She pressed her attack, using Lunar Edge techniques to drive the wolf back. Crescent Moon slashes created arcs of silver light that the beast struggled to avoid. It took several shallow cuts across its face and legs, blood staining its white fur. The injuries were not serious individually, but they were accumulating. The wolf's movements became less confident, more defensive.

Minerva, meanwhile, had maneuvered one of her opponents into a mistake. The wolf lunged through a gap in her Flame Vortex, attempting to bite her arm. She deliberately allowed it to close distance, then drove Scorching Tyrant through its open mouth and out the back of its skull. The blade's fire element cooked the beast's brain instantly. It died before it hit the ground.

One wolf down. Two to go.

The remaining wolf attacking Minerva howled, a mournful sound that cut through the wind. It was calling for help or expressing grief at its pack mate's death—Naviga could not tell which. But it did not retreat. Instead, it fought with increased ferocity, as if rage had overcome its survival instinct.

Naviga saw her opening. Her opponent had divided its attention between her and Minerva, glancing toward where its pack mate had fallen. That momentary distraction was enough. She executed Eclipse Thrust, her fastest technique, driving Black Death through the wolf's shoulder and into its heart. The beast's legs gave out immediately and it collapsed into the snow, dead before it finished falling.

Two down. One to go.

The last wolf finally showed fear. It backed away from Minerva, eyes darting between the two human fighters and the bodies of its dead companions. Pack tactics required a pack. Alone, it was vulnerable and it knew it. The creature made a decision and turned to flee, bounding away into the storm. Within seconds, the falling snow swallowed its form and it disappeared.

"Let it go," Minerva said before Naviga could consider pursuit. "We have more important concerns than one fleeing wolf."

She was absolutely right. The storm had worsened during their brief combat. The snow was now mid-calf deep and still rising. The wind had reached a point where it actively pushed them around, requiring constant attention to maintain balance. The temperature had dropped so far that ice was forming on their hair and clothing despite their universal essence providing protection. This was becoming genuinely life-threatening.

They grabbed Selira again, lifting her between them as before, and half-carried, half-dragged her the remaining distance to the rock overhang. The shelter was even more welcome than Naviga had anticipated. The moment they moved under the overhang, the direct assault of wind and snow stopped. The temperature was still brutally cold, but without the wind chill factor, it became manageable.

They set Selira down carefully in the deepest part of the shelter, positioning her against the back wall where she would have maximum protection. Naviga checked her pulse and breathing. Both were stable. The girl had somehow slept through the entire fight, her unconscious state so deep that even combat sounds had not roused her.

Minerva moved to the front of the shelter and looked out at the storm. What she saw made her expression grim. The visibility had dropped to almost zero. The snow fell so thickly that it looked like a solid white wall. The howling wind carried ice crystals that would shred exposed skin in minutes. And most concerning, the accumulated snow on the ground was already past knee-height and showed no signs of stopping.

"This is worse than I thought," Minerva said quietly. "This is not just a storm. This is a dungeon event, probably designed to kill or drive out intruders. It will likely continue for hours, possibly days."

Naviga joined her at the edge of their shelter, looking out at the hostile environment. "We have food and water in our storage rings, Miss. We can survive here for several days if necessary. The question is whether Selira can afford that kind of delay in receiving proper medical attention."

"Her Bloodfire Element is keeping her stable for now, but you are right that she needs more than what we can provide." Minerva turned away from the storm and moved back to where Selira lay. She knelt beside the girl and placed a hand on her forehead, checking for fever or other signs of complication. "The healing is progressing, but slowly. Too slowly."

They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the storm rage outside their small bubble of safety. The rock walls around them blocked the worst of the wind, but they could still feel cold air swirling in. The temperature inside the shelter was survivable but uncomfortable. They would need to take measures to stay warm through what promised to be a long wait.

Naviga began gathering loose rocks from around the shelter floor. They were small stones, weathered smooth by age and exposure, but they would serve her purpose. She arranged them in a circle near the center of their space, creating a makeshift fire pit. She had some dry wood remaining in her storage ring from their earlier camp. It was not much, but it would give them heat for a while.

Minerva understood immediately what she was doing and assisted, using her fire element to ignite the small pile of wood. The flames caught quickly, growing from a small flicker to a respectable fire that pushed back the cold. The light and warmth transformed their shelter from barely adequate to genuinely comfortable. Both of them moved closer to the fire, extending their hands toward the heat.

Selira remained unconscious, but Naviga and Minerva repositioned her closer to the fire as well, hoping the warmth would help her healing. The red glow of her Bloodfire Element seemed to respond to the external heat source, growing slightly brighter as if drawing strength from the flames.

"How long do you think this storm will last, Miss?" Naviga asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

Minerva stared into the fire, her expression thoughtful. "I didn't know, Normally Dungeon environmental events typically last between six and twelve hours. This one seems particularly severe, so I would estimate closer to twelve. We should prepare to shelter here until at least tomorrow morning."

That meant a long night ahead. Naviga settled herself more comfortably, positioning herself where she could watch both the entrance to the shelter and Selira. Her chip continued its passive scanning, though the storm was interfering with its sensors significantly. She instructed it to prioritize detecting any approaching life forms over analyzing the storm itself. They needed warning if something decided to share their shelter.

Outside, the storm continued its assault on the frozen landscape. Snow piled higher and higher, burying the dead wolves they had killed, covering their footprints, erasing all evidence of their passage. The world became nothing but white and wind and cold.

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