With a shing, Luke took Whispering Edge out its scabbard.

The blade had fully repaired, Onelius’s Tenacity having mended it. Luke invigorated Sooty and Xera with Infusion. Due to a rookie mistake, he hadn’t applied it to himself earlier. To cover that, he decided to wait to strike until the second round of Infusion could be applied.

Air stilled around him, except for the minor amount displaced by the Dire Moon Wolf’s powerful howl. Dozens of yards away, a thin tundra forest with white mist covering its floor served as the wolves hunting grounds. Starlight dimly shone into the cavern through the hole in its roof.

Luke strained his senses, shrubs rustled, and leaves crushed. Paws pounded against the bare soil. The pack had begun to gather. A small clearing existed between the forest and the entrance to the third floor.

“Mangy mutts. If I can’t ambush you, then I’m certainly not going to let you ambush me in your territory.” Luke dragged Whispering Edge behind him as he paced, slicing into the ground. He stopped midway through the clearing, “I’ll be waiting, dogs.”

Dire wolves gathered, keeping to their forest. Their eyes gleamed in the night. Stealth tactics of this mastery level were useless against Luke. His vision stat too strong for the thin veil of night to do anything practical. Two howls reverberated around Luke, a mental effect attempted to put Luke in fear.

[Amarok’s & Wenla’s Dire Howl attempts to put you in fear. Spectral Heart resists the effect]

[Through Reaver’s Link, your companion, Sooty, resists fear]

“Spectral Heart can resist fear? Or is it dependent on something else? Reaver’s Link shares other things as well? So much I don’t know,” Luke said.

Following the howls, the white mist spread before circling Luke, leaving a three-foot radius.

[The Ice Horde’s territory expands]

Frost crept up around Luke, coming from the white mist. The stagnant air turned into freezing winds, the arctic temperature moderately cold to Luke. While these creatures enjoyed an advantage against frost, the same could be said for Luke. Unfortunately, Sooty was the most affected in the cavern, even with ten points in frost resistance. Dire wolves growled, united as they prowled out the tundra forest.

A brown-coated specimen sported a deep scar over its right eye. Paired with the unique wolf was another, the largest out of any wolf revealed to Luke thus far; blue streaks lined her white coat, both wolves had gray eyes. A faint frost rotated around their paws. The mist melded to them, instead of displacing at their steps. A yard behind them, a dire wolf legion followed; by his guesstimate, Luke believed there to be roughly thirty. The Reaver inspected the brown-coated specimen.

[Twin Moon Dire Wolf, Amarok Scar Eye] (Dungeon Boss)

Level: 25

HP: 2300/2300

The aggressor of the Twin Moons. Often comes alone, pairs with Wenla the Denmother only when conditions are met.

After he inspected the beast, Luke pulled up the other specimen, half-sure of who it was.

[Twin Moon Dire Wolf, Wenla The Den Mother] (Dungeon Boss)

Level: 25

HP: 2500/2500

Appears when three or less challengers confront the pack.

“A hidden boss? No, these conditions must be public.” Luke refreshed Infusion to himself and Whispering Edge. He muttered under his breath, “Knew I should’ve studied at the library.”

He tapped Sooty on her wing, “We’ll not take our time here. They’re more resistant to frost than you are. Time isn’t on our side.” He pointed up to the sky with Xera, “You’ll have company there in a second. Go greet them.”

Sooty flapped her wings, flying up to the aerial domain, ready.

The Reaver ripped open an Essence Fissure, precisely placed to expose its pressure upwards; Ruinous Echo spread to the area. Each wolf rocketed up into the sky, floating. They stared down at Luke. Sooty spiraled, Luke placed an Essence Bond on her chosen target. She Reaver Beaked it, and her mighty screech spread the empowered bond to the rest of the pack. The crow dragged her talon across the original target’s neck, and it died.

Luke scolded himself internally Didn’t place it on Xera first; all this watching what to use when others are around is messing with my efficiency.

Shaking his head, Luke threw Essence Lance, merging it into Essence Fissure. Ice shards sprang up, rotating as they bore into the Dire Wolves above. Sooty vanished and appeared outside the fissure’s range, avoiding potential friendly fire.

“This fight was mine the moment you entered the sky, dogs.”

The two boss wolves howled, struggling against the pressure to land back down.

“Stay awhile for round two.”

The Reaver used Wayfinder’s Temporal North. He shot another Essence Lance into his created fissure. The Dire Moon Wolf pack experienced a second bombardment from below. The weaker members damaged to the brink of collapse.

“After you, Sooty.”

Sooty’s shade appeared next to her body; its screech rang into the wolves ears. A minority hung limply in the sky, dead. The two flying menaces split, hunting down the most injured dire wolves in the sky. As they began to fall, both crows ripped monsters apart.

Luke stood ready, right below where the wolf pack would land. He transformed Xera back into a sword. Frost coated both his blades. Luke’s legs tensed, and he traced Amorak’s falling trajectory. White mist parted where he stood.

As the dungeon boss fell, inches from landing, Luke brandished both blades at its face. Amarok tried to lean back, but Luke’s momentum closed the distance, and two blades sunk into its head.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Amarok landed its paw, about to gut Luke. It stopped in horror. Luke had pulsed Wraith Wail through the wolf. Two frost waves emanated from Luke’s blades inside the boss. The wolf pack resisted the slow from the frost, but were helpless against Wraith Wail’s AOE effect.

Luke ripped the blades out. Wenla growled, about to pounce on him. Sooty sundered Wenla’s hind legs with Talon Strike, Shadow Wing’s shade beat back the other pack members.

The Reaver inserted each blade into a separate eye of Amarok’s, the wolf whimpered. Its jaw opened, and Luke kicked it closed. The upward shock jolted his blades up out its skull, along with Luke’s muscles straining to force them through.

He rolled to the side, and Amarok’s attacks missed. A few Dire Moon Wolves chomped on Luke’s right arm, trying to restrain his attacks with Xera. Frost spread from his arm into their mouths. Luke funneled frost essence into the bitten arm, making their teeth brittle.

“You’re like any creature in this dungeon, tough to frost on the outside, weak on the inside.”

Luke grunted and tore his arm out, damaging himself in the process. With his full mobility back, Luke began to dodge, accelerating his speed from Shadowmeld Spaulders. Jaws snapped, trying to close on his face.

Sooty kept Wenla busy, but the dungeon boss stubbornly struggled toward Luke.

“Wraith Wail’s about up, next…”

The Reaver sucked all the frost essence out from his swords and arm, funneling it to his feet. The wet ground froze instantly, and wolves slipped or slowed down considerably.

“Might not be able to freeze your coats with the frost, but ruining your stance is another story.”

Amarok forced its claws through the ice. A white sheet of frost spread from its body down to its claws, regaining its poise. The Dire Moon pack members were not as adept and continued to slip.

After a second to adjust, Wenla came closer to Luke. Sooty’s interference had become more effective, with the wolf having to concentrate on an additional task.

Luke slid with his ice, Xera punched into Amarok’s exposed belly. He used Whispering Edge to parry its jaw. With frost essence already on his feet, Luke’s left foot met Amarok’s claw. Frost clashed and strained, unable to quickly conquer the opposing side.

Infusion refreshed, Luke cast it on himself and Xera. He cleaved the blade through Amarok’s neck. Its flesh put up a strong resistance. His strength had grown far beyond normal for his level, and Xera managed to slice through.

Blood spilled from Amarok’s neck. The grievous wound would kill it sooner rather than later. Luke let the boss swipe the side of his torso. In return, he kicked Amarok, causing the beast to slide far away from him.

Luke swerved with his created ice, avoiding Wenla’s charge. Its coat thick enough to rebuff any half-concentrated attack from Sooty. Essence Bond dissolved.

Wish Frost Fall was…no stop, since when did I become so reliant on one ability?

“Watch for the moon, it’s coming.” Wayfinder noticed the less immediate detail.

“The moon? What good will that do for us?”

“Use your peepers, lad; notice their coats; they’ve gotten thicker since the start.”

Once it was pointed out to him, indeed, Wayfinder was right. Fewer attacks worked on Wenla; if he had taken much longer on Amarok, he’d run into the same issue; the wolves started to shrug off regular attacks.

“Sooty, don’t worry about this one. Focus on the pack members before they become a bigger headache.”

The crow ripped Reaver Beak through a nearby Dire Moon Wolf. Their mobility ruined by the frosted floor. She used Spatial Feather, and targeted vulnerable points with less fur.

Frost blasts arced out of Wenla’s paw swipes as she attacked Luke. He dodged most, with a few miscalculated dodges allowing partial blows. Luke shoved Whispering Edge into its sheath. He hovered his left hand over Xera’s hilt and grasped.

Luke redirected his frost again, coating Xera. He split a portion off to his eyes; in his haste, he didn’t convert it to standard essence. Yet found it only slightly stung his eyes. Luke kept his eyes open wide, afraid of what would happen if he closed them.

His cold gaze caught each frost blast coming toward him. Luke detected Wenla’s patterns with growing accuracy.

I’ve almost adapted to this essence type altogether. The extra resistance has got to be helping with that.

A dreadful howl interrupted his thoughts.

[Amarok’s Death Howl has brought the moon to bear]

A concentrated moon beam spread across the cavern through the hole at its top, and Amarok passed into the mist with a whimper. Wenla began to morph.

Luke looked at Wenla incredulously, “You really thought I’d stand here while you power up?”

He sunk Xera into Wenla’s face, then hacked his sword repeatedly. The boss’s health drained rapidly with each frost-coated swing. Dealing over a hundred damage and double that with a lucky critical strike. Luke enchanted Xera with Essence Bond. His swings spiked further in damage.

Xera swept across Wenla’s neck, penetrating through the reinforced coat. His blade went through ghost steel plate before, this fur wasn’t a match. He wrenched Xera into Wenla’s neck and attempted a death blow, dealing over 500 damage.

Wenla’s form became enclosed by moonlight and frost essence. Luke was knocked back, Xera coming with him.

Blood painted the area all around the last Dire Wolf standing, covered by white mist.

Sooty circled above the moonlight cocoon, releasing frustrated caws when she was knocked aside from her first attack.

Luke kept mum, focused on what was to come. A clawed hand pierced through the gathered moonlight.

A body sprang out, blue marks emblazoned on its skin. Clear eyes stared back at Luke; the standing figure swiped her claws at Luke, air slashes coated with frost clanged against Xera.

The Reaver ducked, and Wenla, in a more humanoid form, pierced a frost-coated claw right where he previously stood.

[Conditional Quest Accepted, Wenla, The Remade]

Another screen for Wenla’s adjusted state popped up, but Luke swept it aside, too occupied to read anymore. He noticed a fresh stitched scar where Xera had gored Wenla’s neck. The moon ceremony was unable to heal all the damage.

An image of a silver moon stood behind Wenla. She punched with an arm, and three stars appeared, smashing into Luke. Blasting him a dozen yards back into a tree. The spell had practically teleported, and he couldn’t process the speed in time to react.

Sooty belatedly bestowed Luke with an Iron Feather. She Essence Screeched in Wenla’s ears, causing her to stumble. The crow capitalized on the stagger, and a shadow-powered beak tore into Wenla’s neck.

While deadly, Wenla’s flesh had upgraded, and Sooty’s ability did not decapitate the boss. Sooty flapped back, avoiding an arm attempting to skewer her.

After he extracted himself from the tree, Luke spread Essence Bond over the boss, weakening its dominance. Wenla’s aggression turned toward Luke. She stomped a foot and zipped past the distance between them.

Luke took advantage of Sooty’s Iron Feather. Wenla’s arm ripped into Luke, but with Iron Feather’s mitigation, his bones remained intact. Keeping the arm from shredding his organs.

The same could not be said for Wenla’s neck. As planned, Luke cleaved with Xera, his strength paired with the sharp sword, and he beheaded the boss. Wenla, The Remade, fell to her knees, and pressurized blood spouted out her neck. Luke sealed it up with his frost, then casually slid Xera into Wenla’s barely beating heart.

“You assumed one power-up would win this quickly. Instead, you lost the fight early with overconfidence. Try and remember that the next time you respawn.” Luke kicked the body away, creating space.

The mist invading the area receded, returning to the tundra forest behind Luke. Moonlight reflected off Xera as blood dripped off the blade. One dark gold flash and several dozen white orbs entered Luke’s inventory.

“Now, that was exciting. Knew the greater world would be worth waiting for!” Xera said.

The Interface revealed a short screen.

[You have completed the follow-up quest: Clear Orlan’s Ice Horde. You and your companion have been awarded 5 frost resistance]

The slightly cold feeling left Luke. The frigid temperatures in the cavern now entirely temperate. Sooty landed on her typical shoulder perch spot.

[Bonus reward for completing the hidden third quest in the chain: Wenla’s Execution]

[You and your companion have acquired two skill points]

“Not much of a bonus,” Luke said. Another message came, provoking Luke for his impatience.

[A randomized exceptional quality skill book has been placed in your Inventory]

“I take back what I said.”