Round 171

The water around them churned violently as the dock structure above groaned under immense pressure. Concrete slabs shifted ominously, sending cascades of water splashing down around Jeane and Silra. The cold was a living thing, gnawing at their flesh and seeping into their bones.

Jeane's shield magic flickered erratically, its pale blue light dimming to near transparency before flaring back to life with obvious strain. Her teeth chattered so violently she could barely form words. "This... this was your brilliant tactical maneuver!" she managed between shudders, directing a glare at Silra that would have curdled milk. "I'm freezing my tits off here—literally—and that coolant system is about to fail completely. Do you have any idea what happens when a magical cooling system designed for engine blocks starts malfunctioning inside a living body?"

Silra kicked through the water with practiced efficiency, maintaining distance while scanning their surroundings for an escape route. The cold was already making her fingers numb, and she could see Jeane's shield flickering worse with each passing second—if that thing failed completely, they'd both be dead within minutes from exposure or worse. "I'm not seeing any other options here," she called back, her voice tight with barely contained irritation. "The maintenance dock is our best chance at getting out of this ice bath before your coolant system turns us into fucking boiled lobsters."