Inside Icy Cave, Black Lion had finally reached the Boss's room after almost two hours of trudging along the narrow snow paths and cutting down the beasts that lurked in every bend.
They were fewer now—just under forty from the seventy who had entered in high spirits. The cave did not merely punish; it leeched. The monsters inside carried [Freeze], a creeping status that chewed away HP second by second if not treated, and each encounter demanded immediate triage. Worse, the enemies here were not the brittle creatures. Their hides were laminated in ice like iron plates. Most blades and arrows skittered and sparked without purchase. Only the Mages' [Fire] cracked that shell and softened the meat beneath.
Thanks to the Healers and Mages, more than half of the raid still stood. Thanks to the Healers and Mages, many of those who stood were exhausted defending them.
