Frostbound

I stood in the wreckage of the wave's aftermath and couldn't help but grimace.

Seated on the fallen boss's corpse, my body worked to seal up the parts of it that were missing and leaking blood onto the floor.

My hammer was lost somewhere among the bodies, discarded after the fight. Empty glass bottles clinked together at my feet with only a hint of red liquid still in them. Missing chunks of my body slowly grew back and healed over.

A massive wound on my side was still leaking blood from where the boss's mandibles ripped a chunk out. I wouldn't have guessed ants to be this strong. When they first spawned in, I thought it was going to be an easy wave. Boy was I wrong. While the wave wasn't hard, the ants were deceptively strong.

If I were still the same level as when I fought the bears, it would have been a much harder fight. All the fighting with Austin had the bonus of leveling me up. My new levels and skill were what made it manageable, if only barely. This wave was easier than the last but I was more injured leaving the fight.

I had reached level 50 before the wave even started and had two new skills to use. If I hadn't had them I would most likely be dead.

[Glacial Presence(R)] made everything Cold-related stronger. My armor was stronger, my skills were stronger, and my body was stronger. My mana flowed easier and lasted longer than before. Skills cost less and my Law came a tad easier and lasted longer.

I was pretty sure that was for two reasons. One being [Glacial Presence(R)] and the second from pushing it so hard the last wave.

Just like muscles, mental strain grew easier with practice. Pushing my Law so hard last wave made it last longer and the same would be true for the next wave.

The only reason I was still standing was because of the new skill I took at level 50. [Frozen Patchwork(R)] held my body together even with chunks of it missing.

The ants had a metal affinity that made their mandibles damn near indestructible. They clamped down hard and tore me apart even through my armor.

It was a fight to remember.