The gang of card artisans looked worried, their faces ugly. The attack from the wavy snow bats hit them hard, and the mysterious ace had left them covered in a dense layer of impenetrable haze.
Before he had gone far, the lead card artisan suddenly looked on guard. Needing no orders, the card artisans immediately became battle-ready, like birds on edge from the twang of a bowstring.
"An Sa! It's me!"
The resonant voice came from far away before a dark-faced stalwart built like an iron tower arrived in front of them in the blink of an eye. He had 30 card artisans along with him.
When An Sa saw who they were, he breathed a sigh of relief. "How did you get here, Mo Ta?"
"The big chief thought something had happened to you, so he had me bring these people along to find you." Mo Ta spoke carelessly, though he was taken aback when he saw how miserable An Sa looked. "So, something really did happen to you?"