Bīng Xuě stepped back, his breath forming a cloud of frost.
"It's closing in layers," he observed. "Physical weapons won't get through anymore."
Gerald nodded, his face hardened by the effort. The cane struck the floor, and the green circle of light beneath his feet didn't just glow brighter—it began to emit a high-frequency hum.
Two new figures emerged from the shadows. They weren't the heavy trolls or the restless goblins. They were slender, with pale, almost translucent skin and long fingers ending in sharp points. Their eyes were pits of emerald light. Gerald called them Mages, though their nature was more that of environmental energy processors than traditional sorcerers.
They took their positions in the rear with a calm that contrasted the frenzy of the front line. They made no unnecessary gestures, waiting for Gerald's direction.
"There," the bespectacled young man indicated, pointing at the exposed rift.
