The Reds draw their troops from all over what was once a massive empire. Sometimes that means that their troops are extremely well-suited to operate in a given set of terrain, but sometimes it means that troops are utterly out of place.

It's that second option this time, and it's pretty clear from the way that both the sorceress and her guardsman move through the snow that they're not used to moving through the stuff. It slows them down despite the efforts they put into speed.

The guardsman keeps shooting looks over his shoulder, looking for pursuit. His eyes widen and his mouth opens to yell a warning when his foot catches on some unseen obstruction in the snow. He has excellent balance for such a big man, so he doesn't fall down, but the brief stumble slows him and his charge down just a bit while he catches his balance.