The Dire Wolf King lunged.
Its massive body tore through the front line of the Iron Vultures, claws carving shields in half like paper. Screams rose as blood sprayed across the clearing.
[System]:Dire Wolf King HP: 100% → 97%
Spells lit the night — fireballs, spears of ice, bolts of lightning. The air shook with power, the forest canopy flashing like a storm. Arrows rained from the Azure Veil, glowing shafts piercing the wolf packs flanking their king.
But the beast was fast. Too fast. It weaved between the volleys, its fangs sinking into a swordsman's neck before the man could scream.
The clearing ran red.
From the treeline, Alexis watched, katana loose in his grip, eyes sharp on the flow of battle.
"They're disorganized," he murmured. "Three guilds, three strategies. They're fighting each other as much as the wolves."
Lyra crouched beside him on a low branch, her grin wicked as her daggers twirled between her fingers. "And isn't it beautiful? Look at them — pretending they're allies, but waiting for the other to fall first."
She tilted her head, watching the chaos. "So when do we step in?"
"Not yet," Alexis said. "Let the Tower thin the herd."
The Wolf King roared, the sound splitting the clearing. Its breath steamed white, the air chilling instantly. Frost spread across the grass, adventurers stumbling as their legs froze in place.
[System]:Dire Wolf King — Frost Howl Activated.
Effect: Area Slow, Stamina Drain.
The Hammered Sun charged through the frost, axes high, shouting war cries. They struck as one, blades carving deep into the King's flank. Blood sprayed, a dark red streaking its silver fur.
[System]:Dire Wolf King HP: 97% → 89%
The beast howled again — and wolves swarmed in retaliation.
The battle fractured. Wolves dragged casters screaming into the shadows. Archers loosed arrows blind into the dark. The Iron Vultures buckled, their front line collapsing as the King's claws ripped through their shield wall.
Casualties piled fast.
[System]:Raid Casualties — 11.
Lyra licked her lips, eyes gleaming. "Oh, they're dropping like flies. At this rate, they'll barely bring it to half."
Alexis's gaze didn't waver from the King. His jaw tightened. "And that's when we strike."
The Wolf King turned its burning eyes toward the remaining adventurers. Blood dripped from its jaws, its breath steaming frost. Slowly, deliberately, it raised its head and howled again — a sound of hunger, of inevitability.
The outpost's future trembled in that sound.
And Alexis's hand tightened on his blade.
Chapter 5 Part 2 : The Battle Fractures
The clearing was a graveyard in the making.
The Iron Vultures buckled under the Wolf King's assault, their shield wall shattered. The Hammered Sun pressed on with brute force, axes hacking deep, but their heavy armor slowed them in the frost spreading from the beast's breath. The Azure Veil held back, firing arrows and spells into the chaos, careful not to spend themselves too quickly.
Each guild fought as though the others were rivals, not allies. And the Wolf King feasted on their division.
[System]:Dire Wolf King HP: 89% → 76%
The beast slammed its paw into the earth. Frost burst outward in jagged lines, roots freezing solid, adventurers screaming as ice crawled up their legs. The Hammered Sun's vanguard was caught mid-charge, their momentum stolen.
The wolves pounced.
[System]:Casualties +7 (Hammered Sun).
From the treeline, Lyra laughed, quiet but sharp, eyes glinting in the frostlight. "Look at them tear each other apart. The Tower doesn't even need the wolves — pride's doing the work just fine."
Alexis's gaze stayed fixed on the King. His hand gripped his katana's hilt, knuckles white. "They'll weaken it. But not kill it."
She cocked her head, smirking. "Which means it's our turn soon."
The Azure Veil seized the moment.
"Now!" their leader cried, and volleys of glowing arrows rained down. Frost-shattering bursts of magic followed, cracking the ice around their trapped allies.
For a moment, hope flared. The Wolf King staggered under the combined barrage, its fur scorched, its flank pierced by arrows.
[System]:Dire Wolf King HP: 76% → 65%
But hope died quickly.
The King's eyes burned brighter. Its jaws opened, breath spilling in white mist. And then it lunged, crossing the clearing in a single bound, fangs closing around the Azure Veil's leader.
Screams. Blood. Silence.
[System]: Guild Leader (Azure Veil) — Slain.
[System]: Morale Collapse Imminent.
The battlefield shifted instantly. The Veil faltered, their formation shattering without command. Wolves swarmed into the gap, tearing archers from their posts. The Hammered Sun bellowed curses, trying to rally, but their numbers were thinning fast.
[System]:Raid Casualties — 28.
Alexis's breath slowed, steady despite the carnage. His eyes narrowed as the King turned, blood dripping from its jaws, fur burning with pale frostfire.
"Not yet," he murmured.
Lyra twirled a dagger idly, her grin feral. "You're waiting for it to roar, aren't you? For the Tower to show us its second face."
Alexis didn't answer. But his grip on the katana tightened.
The Wolf King raised its head. The frostfire in its throat burned brighter. Its howl split the night once more — a sound deeper, sharper, vibrating through the marrow of every bone.
The second phase had begun.
Chapter 5 Part 3 : Frostfire Awakens
The howl shattered the clearing.
Frost spread in jagged veins across the earth, glowing faintly beneath the Wolf King's paws. The false moon above dimmed, as though the beast had stolen its light.
[System]:Dire Wolf King — Phase Two Activated.
HP Threshold: 65%Ability Unlocked: Frostfire VeinsAbility Unlocked: Alpha Command
The change was immediate.
The Wolf King's fur shimmered, streaks of pale blue frost weaving into the silver. Its breath glowed with white flame — frostfire that hissed and steamed as it touched the air.
It stepped forward once, and the ground cracked, ice racing outward like lightning.
The Hammered Sun charged again, axes raised high. One swung down hard, cleaving deep into the beast's shoulder.
The Wolf King's jaws snapped shut around him. Armor crumpled like tin, blood steaming as frostfire consumed it.
[System]: Dire Wolf King HP: 65% → 61%
[System]: Casualty +1 (Hammered Sun).
Wolves answered the King's howl. Dozens more burst from the undergrowth, leaner and faster, their eyes burning frostfire blue.
[System]:Alpha Command Activated — Wolf Pack Reinforcements.
The battlefield collapsed into chaos. Screams echoed through the clearing as new wolves tore into the guild lines. Archers broke, mages scattered, shield walls splintered.
The Azure Veil crumbled without their leader. The Hammered Sun fought like madmen, but their numbers dwindled fast. The Iron Vultures tried to rally, but hesitation had already cracked their ranks.
[System]:Raid Casualties — 41.
From the shadows, Lyra's grin only widened. "Beautiful. The Tower's showing its teeth now." She licked blood from her lip, though it wasn't her own. "If we jump in too late, there won't be anyone left to thin it down."
Alexis's gaze never wavered from the King. His voice was quiet, firm. "Not yet. They need to bleed it further."
Lyra chuckled low. "You're crueler than I thought."
The Wolf King's breath burned frostfire. It exhaled, a cone of white flame that turned adventurers into frozen statues mid-scream. Their corpses shattered as wolves leapt past, the sound like breaking glass.
[System]: Dire Wolf King HP: 61% → 54%
[System]: Raid Casualties — 57.
The remaining guild banners wavered. Men shouted orders, voices cracking with fear. Some adventurers fled toward the treeline, abandoning the raid altogether.
The clearing reeked of blood and frost.
Alexis shifted at last, his hand resting fully on his katana's hilt.
"It's almost time."
Lyra tilted her head, eyes bright with anticipation. "Finally? I thought you'd let the Tower kill every last one of them first."
He said nothing, but the steel in his eyes was answer enough.
The Wolf King prowled forward, frostfire dripping from its jaws, its gaze burning toward the survivors. The fight was breaking — the Tower would claim the rest within minutes.
Unless they intervened.
Chapter 5 Part 4 : Into the Maw
The battlefield was a slaughter.
Frostfire painted the clearing in hues of pale blue and crimson. Wolves tore through broken lines, their howls blending with the screams of adventurers. Guild banners lay trampled in the mud, stained dark.
The Wolf King stood at the center of it all, its fur blazing like molten ice, its eyes burning with cold hunger.
[System]:Dire Wolf King HP: 54%
The survivors were few — a ragged clutch of Iron Vultures bracing behind battered shields, a half-dozen Hammered Sun berserkers swinging desperately, and scattered mages who hurled fire only to be silenced by frost.
Their end was minutes away.
Alexis stepped forward from the shadows, katana gleaming faintly in the frostlight.
Lyra landed lightly beside him, daggers drawn, her grin razor-sharp. "Showtime."
Adventurers in the chaos glimpsed them as they moved, eyes wide, voices rising in disbelief.
"It's them—"
"The ogre slayers—"
"They're insane—"
But Alexis and Lyra heard none of it. Their focus was the beast.
The Wolf King's head turned, its eyes locking on them. A growl rumbled deep in its chest, frostfire steaming from its jaws. It recognized them. Not just prey — rivals.
"Good," Alexis murmured. "Then it will fight us properly."
Lyra's grin widened. "Let's cut down a king."
They moved as one.
Alexis charged first, his katana a silver arc across the beast's foreleg. Blood and frost sprayed as the cut sank deep. The Wolf King snarled, claws swiping — but Lyra was already there, darting low beneath its arm, daggers stabbing into the joint.
The monster staggered.
[System]:Dire Wolf King HP: 54% → 49%
The survivors roared in sudden, desperate hope. The Iron Vultures rallied, pushing their shields forward, spears stabbing into the wolf packs. The Hammered Sun surged, axes hacking at the King's hind legs.
For a moment, the raid lived again.
The Wolf King answered with fury.
Its jaws snapped at Alexis, forcing him back as frostfire licked his armor. He countered, blade flashing, carving a line across its muzzle. Lyra climbed up its side like a shadow, stabbing into its back, but the beast bucked, hurling her through the air. She twisted mid-fall, landing in a crouch, laughing breathlessly.
"Gods, it's beautiful!"
Alexis exhaled, sweat freezing on his brow. His blade trembled faintly in his hands, not from fear, but from the strain of every perfect strike.
They were holding it. For now.
[System]: Dire Wolf King HP: 49% → 45%
[System]: Raid Casualties — 63. Survivors: 19.
The clearing was death incarnate.
But for the first time, the King bled heavily. Its silver fur was streaked with dark crimson, its breath ragged, its frostfire faltering.
Alexis steadied his stance. Lyra's grin never dimmed.
The fight had truly begun.