Deep in the canyon forest.
A group of gnolls were cutting the throats of several captured antelopes, letting the sticky liquid spray across the altar.
As they moved, the originally dim ground gradually lit up with crimson patterns.
The blood seeped into the granite floor as though a huge mouth were greedily drawing in nourishment.
All the gnolls present bathed in the crimson, ominous glow. Humanlike expressions of "enjoyment" appeared on every face, their eyes unfocused, as though they were taking some great tonic—or had fallen into a blissful, hallucinatory state.
Just as the gnolls were immersed in their "enjoyment," snowflakes began falling from the sky.
At first, none of the gnolls cared about the abnormal snow.
A few occasionally raised their heads, but quickly looked away again.
That continued until the snowfall gradually intensified.
A layer of snow covered their heavily muscled bodies. The bone-chilling cold melted through their skin into their burning-hot bodies, causing wave after wave of stinging pain. Only then did the gnolls let out anguished screams one after another.
"Enemies!"
"Watch out for the snow!"
Amid their yowls, the terrified gnolls hurriedly scattered from the clearing.
They tried to hide beneath the trees to reduce the damage caused by the wind and snow.
But.
The temperature dropped faster than they had expected.
Blue, cutting winds wrapped around rain as fine as tiny blades and swept wildly through the den.
There was nowhere to hide from the magical damage brought by the bitter cold.
"Run! Get out!"
There were wise ones among the gnolls as well. They quickly realized that if they remained on this rapidly cooling land, members of the tribe would soon freeze to death.
Even if they survived, their bodily functions would rapidly deteriorate, and they would ultimately be wiped out by that