Lander had remained quiet the entire morning. After having a small breakfast, he readied his satchel with some extra supplies, mostly fresh Ravencrest which he knew he would not find in the higher elevations of the mountains. The small, sweet-smelling plant grew late into the early winter and acted as a natural remedy for a variety of ailments. Even though he knew they had healers in their group, he still didn't trust anyone completely and if he were to find himself alone and suffering from ice fever, he would be prepared. He did accept a potion from a human woman named Emilia, but only after watching as others drink it first.
 
"Thank you," he said, slightly bowing his head to Emilia.
 
They traveled for a while before reaching the foothills of the mountains when they came upon some old ruins and Lander knew something was off. The birds were acting strangely, alerting Lander to an unnatural presence. His suspicions were confirmed when a arrow sliced through the air, banging off of Aldred's armor.
 
[b]"Get behind something! Keep moving towards the entrance!" Aldred yelled.[/b]
 
Everyone darted for cover behind rocks and tree stumps. Lander rolled into a stone and he winced as his shoulder took the brunt of the hit. He could still hear the arrows flying through the air and he saw the rest of the company ahead of him. He couldn't pinpoint where the source of the arrows was, but he thought it might be multiple archers.
 
Lander placed both his hands in the snow and closed his eyes. Surrounding his hands the snow melted from the ground and immediately refroze into a thick sheet of glass. He removed one of his hands before the thick circle of ice hardened. Standing up he heaved the giant slab in front of him and crouched down. The thick disc covered his entire body and he began to make his way toward the front where Aldred was. Arrows stuck into the ice, but could not penetrate it. Eventually he made it to where Aldred was taking cover.
 
"What now?" he asked, arrows still flying above their heads.