Steven spun, but Bullwinkle had completely vanished into the snow.

“Group up on me!” He shouted. As he did, he reached out to his Anchor Shield. He had slotted it with Shield Pull. With a thirty-minute cooldown, he needed a way to maneuver the thing.

“Give a call out when you see the moose,” Markus said as he stopped next to Steven, the amber light of his Skill fading.

He grimaced.

That Skill dropping took a toll on the old man, and he hadn’t been refreshed by passing a Threshold like Steven.

Micheal’s buff gave a burst of energy now, but Markus couldn’t have much left in the tank.

They all gathered around Steven, the green glow of his shield washing over them.

Steven could feel them standing in the shields domain, six points of pressure in his mind.

Six charges he would protect.

The wind began to pick up, causing the snow to flurry, further distorting their view.

The wind bit at his skin, numbing his cheeks and lodging snow in his lashes.

He blinked, trying to ignore it and focus on the snowbanks.

His heart thudded a steady rhythm in his chest, in tune with the thuds from his Class.

Was the Class syncing to his heart, or was it the other way around?

Thud thud. Thud thud.

Wind howling in his ears, cold on his skin, and the steady pounding in his head.

He breathed out.

Del’s voice cracked through the quiet. “STEVEN, RIGHT SIDE!”

He didn’t turn, couldn’t turn, not if he wanted to be fast enough.

His Tower Shield was already gathering.

It slammed into place, and he immediately activated Bulwark.

The green shield turned into a proper wall, completely blocking his view.

Impacts slammed into the shield one after another, over a dozen of them.

The shield shrank, snapping back to its original size, and then Bullwinkle was there.

The moose didn’t bother going around. He cleared the shield in a single bound, forcing them to duck to avoid catching a stray hoof.

He landed and spun, his hoofs crunching the snow as he bellowed, and everything went to hell.

Markus and the hounds rushed in, the old man’s Skill kindling to life.

Steven called shields, and Del snapped her fingers, causing black and white light to flair.

The moose stomped at Markus. He slipped around his hoof to drive a punch into Bullwinkle’s chest. At the same time, Noodle and Buford leaped, their jaws flashing.

Blood flew, and Bullwinkle bellowed. He charged, forcing them to scatter. He ignored Steven’s shield, gathering more mist as he did.

Del and Margie barely dodged the charge, and then the ice launched.

And this wasn’t a concentrated volley like before. Each ice chunk flew at a different target.

Steven reacted instantly, throwing himself into a run toward Margie and Del.

He pulled on his Anchor Shield as he did, bringing it between them and the ice, then he turned his attention towards Markus and the hounds.

Two shields appeared before Markus, cracking under the force of the ice blasts. Two more covered Noodle, but he was too slow for Buford.

Ice slammed into his shoulder with a crunch and the dog went down.

Steven’s stomach lurched, but Buford was the only one who had self-healing, he’d be okay.

Micheal dodged the ice sent his way, a flash of blue covering him as he ran across the attack's path.

The moose wheeled around, more mist gathering.

On reflex, Steven sent Hand-Shields tearing through it. To his surprise, his shield slashed the mist apart before it could condense.

Steven smiled. Well, that was something.

~<>~<>~

Margie swore as the moose closed. He hurt Buford.

Her chest filled with fury, the fact she could see Buford pulling himself to his feet doing little to lessen the effect.

She started running. Noodle and Markus were chasing after the moose, but he was faster than all of them.

She glanced at Del as they ran. “I’m going to try something. Give me some durability in case it doesn’t work, eh?”

The woman nodded, her breaths fogging in the winter air. White light settled over Margie, mixing with the cocktail of buffs already swirling through her.

With all this combined, she wasn’t even sure how much a direct hit would even hurt her, but she wasn’t eager to find out.

“You go right. I’ll go left. I’m going to draw its attention.”

“What are you going to try?” Del puffed.

Margie grinned and started to charge Hop Scotch Hound. “I’m going to be sneaky.”

She sucked in a breath and shouted. “Get ready, Noodle!” She didn’t need to look at the dog. He’d heard her.

The moose closed in, Steven’s shields swiping through the mist trying to gather at its antlers.

The thing really was huge. It was like watching a living, snorting wall charge at you.

Margie waited, her hand and head tingling with the strain of holding the charged Skill.

Not yet.

Not yet!

The moose lashed out with a hoof, and Margie activated her Skill.

The Skill didn’t have any flashy effects from her end. She clenched her fist, and then she was elsewhere.

It was a bit showier for the moose, though.

Black light flashed, and the hoof whistled over where her head would have been.

And didn’t come close to striking the basset hound.

Del snapped her fingers, black sunk into the moose, and Noodle leaped.

His teeth tore into its shoulder. Blood flew, the moose bellowed, and ice began to form faster over its head.

But Noodle didn’t overstay his welcome, dashing away as soon as he touched the ground.

The moose turned its gaze to Margie, and she gave it a feral grin. “Come get some.”