Han Yu continued walking, slower than before. His robe fluttered in the wind, its patched side cracking slightly as ice formed along the seams. He brushed the frost away.
Another growl shook the mountains.
This one was closer.
Han Yu's face remained calm. He steadied his breathing and extended his spirit sense carefully, probing the land around him. Only jagged rock formations appeared at first. Then the faint heat signature of something massive lying down.
Han Yu narrowed his eyes.
"Something is waiting."
He did not turn back.
Instead he moved along the narrow ridge, boots crunching the frost underfoot. His every sense sharpened. His instincts hummed. He knew that once he crossed this ridge, he would truly be inside the Inner Ring and there would be no backing out without a fight.
He adjusted his robes again and muttered:
"Let us see what greets me tonight."
The mountains answered with silence.
Then another rumbling growl.
Han Yu smiled faintly.
