"HUFF, HUFF..."
Colin ripped off his helmet and looked down to check his injuries.
His flesh and clothes were stuck together. When he tugged lightly on his sleeve, pieces of charred debris flaked off onto the snow, making it look like he'd been tossed into a fire and roasted for hours.
Also, when he'd ducked to avoid the scythe, his elbow had been scraped open, and a layer of white frost had formed on the wound.
A few sets of footsteps approached from a distance.
"Sir Colin! How are you feeling?!"
Orelia's serious voice came from his side. The forcefulness in her tone made her sound like a completely different person from her usual gentle self.
"It doesn't hurt. It's just a bit numb," Colin said, his lips feeling sticky as he spoke. "But the surface of my skin feels a little hot."
