We hadn’t discussed what to do if an enemy attacked the avalanche before it had stopped moving… but I wasn’t concerned for the ice cultivators, only for Wulfric and Tetra. They had only the most rudimentary control of the Spiritwind cultivation technique, and the plan had been for them to rely on the House Spiritwind cultivators and me to clear a field of view for them through the billowing snow cloud surrounding us… after we had stopped…

I had as many ice shards prepared as I could manage while still maintaining control over the railing I had built for Wulfric – with Tetra’s speed and ability to manipulate her force field she should be able to run on top of even extremely powdery snow, and balance was kind of her thing, so I wasn’t concerned about her.

In fact, even Wulfric would be alright if he got buried in snow since he didn’t need to breathe in his iron form. Extreme levels of cold might end up slowing him down if he got chilled enough, but worst-case scenario Jesvae and I could find and dig him out after the fight was over.

The leading edge of the snow cloud was far away from us, and moving about half again as quickly as the avalanche itself, so the spread would cover almost the entire valley by the time we reached our target. I didn’t think the wasp-beasts were going to be much of a threat once the entered the cloud… but I also didn’t want to take any chances.

As soon as the wasp-beasts entered into the field of airborne ice particles I felt something pass through the large formation the House Spiritwind cultivators were focusing on, and a number of them (including Jesvae) suddenly snapped their heads around to face the direction of the incursion. Those who were focusing on steering and maintaining the avalanche remained focused on their tasks, while the rest started to move almost in unison, sending even more Spiritwind energy flowing around us.

I was just about to start firing off my ice shards when all the ice and snow near the wasp-beasts started to gather towards them, slowly at first, but then quicker and quicker the more it built up on their bodies. At first they were able to keep flying, but in just a few moments their wings were covered in enough ice and snow that they started to falter – and by the time they hit the ground they were completely encased in ice.

Well… at least now I know why they didn’t mention what to do if any beasts charged at the avalanche while we were still moving, and the formation was still active…

By the time we reached the first hive we had plowed through almost a fifth of the forested valley floor, and I found myself feeling slightly guilty as I watched tree after innocent tree bow down and break before the might of House Spiritwind’s attack. Not that I would prioritize a few trees out in some random valley over the lives of my companions, of course, but given the choice I would probably choose to do as little damage to the surroundings as I could.

Caring about the environment was yet another remnant of my old life, where the biggest danger we faced was ourselves. Here, surrounded by an untameable wilderness that was as majestic as it was deadly, it was nature that threatened us more so than the other way around. And I knew that the forest would recover quickly – this same valley had been ‘avalanched’ a few dozen years ago, and there were no signs of damage that I was able to pick out.

Our frozen chariot of destruction was still nearly twice the height of a tall tree when we rammed into the hive, knocking it over with a barely audible crack (the avalanche around us was still very loud) and leaving it buried behind us as we carried on towards the final target. More wasp-beasts swarmed out of that hive, once it was clear that we were not stopping, and yet again I had the pleasure of watching hundreds of murderous flying creatures fall without a single injury to myself or my allies.

When we reached the second hive, which was also the location that we had chosen to stage out attack from, we had left a trail of broken trees and dead or dying beasts behind us that stretched all the way back to the mountain. The ice formation that the House Spiritwind cultivators were maintaining ensured that we brought a massive amount of snow with us, about three times the height of the trail we left behind (unlike a natural avalanche which tended to spread out a lot more evenly).

The overwhelming roar that we started with had dulled to a low rumble by the time we struck the hive, and the top if it was only slightly higher than our avalanche by the time it struck. This time the resounding series of cracking noises it made as it fell were a lot easier to hear. The thick cloud of snow around us had also thinned considerably, most of it having fallen on the forest around us in a huge area spreading out from the avalanche’s path.

The House Spiritwind cultivators moved in unison again at a command from Jesvae, and with a shudder our ice ledge on top of the moving mound of powdery snow suddenly started to drop as the snow spread around us like a slow-moving liquid. At another command, the airborne snow around us started to rise into the air, clearing our field of view into the surrounding forest while blocking our view of the sky and hiding the sun.

A quad of Spiritwind cultivators continued to manipulate the energy remaining in the formation below us, maintaining the defensive cloud above us to block attacks from the air… and help us escape if we were unlucky enough to encounter a nascent beast.

I hadn’t encountered any beasts that powerful myself yet, but I felt confident that if Jesvae could survive a fighting retreat, and Firebrand could flat out kill one on his own, then I should be able to either defeat or delay anything we come across long enough for us to retreat back up the mountain. Ice was good at both defense and offense (unlike House Flameward cultivators who were more focused on offense and speed), so the warriors who were with us could work together and turtle up pretty good if worst came to worst.

A flash of indigo beside me indicated that Tetra was up to something, but by the time I turned around to look at her all I saw was a purple streak heading off towards the forest. By the spirits, what was she doing!? She was bounding across the loose snow with ease, sending up a spray behind her, and it took almost no time at all for her to reach the forest and vanish from my sight.

“Tetra! Get back here, we stick together!”

All I heard was distant laughter and muted sounds of combat mixed with the roars of beasts. I looked at Wulfric, who was simply staring in the direction Tetra had gone with his metallic jaw hanging open… and then I caught sight of Jesvae, who was glaring at me with a frown.

Well… crap. I know that this was a test of our combat abilities, but having one of us charge off without warning, like an excited child, didn’t seem like the best way to display our grasp of tactics.

So, what now… did I charge after her, or did I stick with Wulfric? He wasn’t in any danger right now, but he also couldn’t leave the massive hill of loose snow we were on without my assistance – he would simply sink, then have to slowly fight his way through the snow, which could take him hours if he went the wrong way…

“Wulfric, stay here and guard this position, I’ll go and backup Tetra, then both of us will come back and pick you up, alright?”

He stared at me for a moment, then nodded and went back to looking in the direction Tetra had vanished. I looked at Jesvae again to judge her reaction, but she had turned her back to us and begun issuing orders to fortify this position as a fall-back point.

I let out a rumbling sigh and let my body collapse into scattered flakes of ice as I spread out around the area rapidly, flying towards the patch of forest that I could still hear sounds of combat coming from. This was by far the fastest and easiest method I had of travel, but being a sentient diffuse cloud of snow meant that I couldn’t bring anyone or anything with me unless I slowed down and took the time to make a solid ice construct.

And right now, Tetra could be in danger, although I highly doubted it. Bloody beast, this was not how I pictured this mission starting…