It wasn't long, however, before their peaceful journey turned into another battle for survival.
The deeper into the tunnel they ventured, the more waves of ice rats emerged. Their numbers grew with each encounter, as though every step brought the group closer to the heart of their nest.
The creatures' tactics also changed. No longer cautious, the ice rats attacked with savage desperation, hurling themselves at the group in frenzied swarms.
But even then, they were no real threat.
The group cut them down with practised ease.
Dain fought with a relentless fury, while Vale moved with a fluid precision, his blade carving through the enemy like wind through grass. Ayla blurred between shadows, seen only when retrieving her daggers from the corpses of her kills. Even Klein was starting to find his rhythm in the chaos, growing more confident and effective with each skirmish.
At last, after one final assault of relentless creatures, the tunnel opened up.
