A wave of crushing ice slammed onto the platform Vale had just leapt from, shattering it into frozen shards. He barely escaped in time, landing hard on the next stretch of safe ground and continuing his sprint. Behind him, the creature's breath of frost pursued relentlessly, closing the distance..
He gritted his teeth as a larger shard of ice erupted beneath his foot, throwing him off balance. He tumbled through the air, crashing painfully against the ground.
Above, the dragon hovered—watching and waiting for the right moment.
And finally it came. The instant Vale fell, it dove, jaws wide open, aiming to end him.
Vale summoned the dark knight, who appeared in a blur of shadows. The knight raised his longsword just in time, intercepting the blow. The force of the impact sent him skidding across the icy floor. Despite his imposing presence, the knight looked tiny beside the massive beast, his strength no match for the dragon's sheer weight.
