Sleet-Storm Sanctum (2)

Nanzhi moved swiftly, narrowly avoiding the icicles. She didn't flinch and continued to avoid them.

It felt like hours before she reached the edge of the forest.

The path ahead narrowed into a fragile bridge of pure ice, spanning a dark, frozen chasm.

The bridge was barely wide enough for her to walk, the wind howled through the cavern, threatening to shove her off balance.

She crouched low, gripping her walking stick tightly. 

Don't look down.

She murmured in her mind.

She inched forward, her steps painstakingly slow. The ice creaked beneath her weight, and her heart thumped every time it groaned. Halfway across, the wind picked up, howling like a beast.

She flattened herself against the ice, clinging to it. 

Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed through the bridge. She stayed still until the ice beneath her began to the crack too.