"Eh, what did you say...?" the dwarf exclaimed, his voice filled with suspicion as the young man's words trailed off. "You think you can order us around? You devil spawn!" The dwarf's face contorted with anger, his eyes narrowing at the apparent threat. A frigid shiver ran down his spine, contrasting sharply with the heat radiating from the clustered people.
The room, once filled with tense voices, suddenly grew colder, an unsettling shift in the air that seemed to freeze both time and breath.
The atmosphere was charged with an otherworldly energy, and an eerie silence descended as everyone felt the weight of impending doom.
The dwarf's face contorted in a sudden and unsettling realization of the rapidly unfolding situation. The anger that had twisted his features just moments ago was now replaced by an unmistakable fear, his eyes widening as if comprehending a dire threat.
In a swift motion, he pivoted around, his intention clearly to alert the others to whatever peril he perceived. However, his attempt to voice a warning was abruptly silenced by an inexplicable occurrence.
A sensation as chilling as death itself began to crawl over his feet, its icy tendrils winding their way upward. It was as though the very ground he stood upon had turned against him, morphing into something cold, wet, and unwholesome.
The dwarf's breath caught in his throat, his voice dying before it could escape his lips. His gaze darted downward, fixated on the creeping frost that now clung to his legs like a sinister shroud.
A hushed, uneasy murmur spread through the room as the others caught sight of the dwarf's predicament. Their initial hostility and certainty seemed to waver in the face of this uncanny phenomenon.
The fear that gripped the dwarf now began to take hold of them as well, a sense of foreboding settling in their hearts.
The dwarf, who stood at a mere four meters in stature, proved to be little obstacle for the relentless advance of the ice that had manifested. It wasn't a matter of climbing, for the ice seemed to possess a malevolent sentience of its own.
It swiftly and effortlessly encased his feet, crawling upward with an insidious determination that defied the laws of nature. The frosty tendrils of this arcane force wrapped around his legs, creeping past his knees and ascending further still.
The once defiant and outraged dwarf found his voice reduced to anguished yells, each cry punctuated by a mixture of panic and pain. His struggles to break free were futile, as the ice held him in its unyielding grip, constricting and immobilizing him.
The room reverberated with his desperate shouts, which now bore an edge of genuine terror. The dread that had seeped into the hearts of the onlookers was now palpable, as they gaped at the unfolding spectacle in a mixture of horror and disbelief.
The chaotic scene unfolded as a chorus of alarmed voices overlapped, their tones ranging from sheer terror to panicked desperation.
"What is happening?!"
"It's the demon!"
"Run!"
"Let go of him!"
"He's a mage!"
Within mere seconds, all the frantic movement came to an abrupt halt as the ice extended its dominion, encasing the panicked individuals in frozen restraints.
The once-chaotic room now resembled a tableau of frozen fear, with people suspended in various poses of desperation and terror.
The ice's relentless advance had ensnared them with chilling efficiency, leaving them immobilized and helpless.
Faces that had previously contorted with anger and accusation were now frozen in expressions of shock and disbelief.
Limbs that had thrashed in panic were now locked in icy grip, rendering even the most vigorous struggles futile.
The air itself seemed to have surrendered to the ice's cold embrace, carrying with it an eerie stillness that contrasted starkly with the previous tumultuous commotion.
Amidst this frozen tableau, Damien stood as an enigmatic figure, his gaze steady and unyielding. The extent of his power had been laid bare before the captive audience, their initial aggression and hostility now overpowered by a stark realization of their vulnerability.
As the room fell into an eerie silence, the only sound that remained was the soft crackling of frost forming on surfaces, a testament to the otherworldly influence that had brought the chaos to an icy standstill.
Amid the frozen tableau, Damien's voice cut through the tense silence, resonating with authority and determination. His words were like a resounding clarion call, piercing through the frozen air and the hearts of those immobilized before him.
"I don't care where you are from or what you think I am," his voice carried the weight of his identity and purpose. "I'm Damien Von Zadkiel, second son of Duke Zadkiel of the Spring Kingdom, newly appointed apprentice of the Grandmaster, and a hero to some people." He allowed a moment of pause, letting his proclamation echo in the minds of his captive audience.
"I have no idea how you came to the conclusion that I serve that necromancer when my sole purpose here was to obtain a mana potion, replenishing my energy so that I can face that unholy creature head-on." His words were clear, his gaze piercing through the icy stillness. "That creature, I'm certain, is lurking in the cemetery just a wall away from us. If you believe you can survive this dire situation without my assistance, then by all means, remain here and be consumed by the undead horde."
His voice held a mix of stern authority and undeniable confidence, challenging those frozen in place to reconsider their stance. The frozen tension in the room seemed to mirror the internal conflict of those held captive by both ice and circumstance.
As Damien's words hung in the air, a collective realization seemed to wash over the immobilized group. Their fear, anger, and confusion mingled with the chilling air around them. Some eyes darted around, seeking confirmation from their fellow captives, while others simply stared at Damien, their expressions wavering between doubt and consideration.
In the midst of this frozen tableau, the tension seemed to shift. The initial hostility that had gripped them began to thaw, replaced by a growing understanding of their predicament. Damien's words had cut through the haze of panic and suspicion, offering a stark choice: trust his words and potentially find salvation, or remain defiant and risk becoming food for the undead.
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