Regardless of Alaric's thoughts, the mercenaries set forth to hunt the vampires. Lynn and his companions could not allow their fear of discovery to deter them from entering the valley; after all, they had their own objectives to pursue.
However, the journey into the valley proved to be less than straightforward for the adventurers.
Many of them arrived without adequately surveying the terrain, recklessly wandering about. Although Lynn possessed a map, he preferred to remain inconspicuous, deliberately slowing their pace, allowing other parties with superior scouting or magical abilities to forge ahead.
This strategy soon proved to be prudent, as they had not traveled far when ominous roars echoed around them. The valley was not solely inhabited by vampires; winter wolves also dwelled here, likely allied with the vampires and serving as guardians of their domain.
The first party to encounter the winter wolves clearly failed to detect their presence, unwittingly walking into the wolves' trap. The cunning wolves utilized the advantageous terrain, leaping down from higher ground to swiftly eliminate the party's spellcaster, before subduing the warriors and overpowering the rogue.
Then, faced with the onslaught of the remaining fighters, they swiftly retreated. Using their knowledge of the terrain to engage in guerrilla tactics, they inflicted severe losses on the small adventurer parties.
Some groups began to congregate, hoping to intimidate the winter wolves with their numerical superiority. However, not all parties were willing to do so; some harbored their own secrets and preferred to remain distant.
For instance, Lynn's team opted for solitude.
"Those transporters failed to inform us of such beasts in this area."
They had prepared in advance, yet it was glaringly insufficient. The team assisting the smuggling operation could not perceive the full extent of the valley's dangers; these winter wolves were a critical oversight. Now, as the wolves roamed freely, Lynn's group found themselves vulnerable targets, unable to join forces with others due to their hidden agenda.
"Be vigilant in your reconnaissance; fear not. Our strength is considerable; six of us can easily handle four of these beasts."
Finn remained remarkably composed, yet it was difficult to persuade his comrades. While their group numbered six, Matty, being a coward, might not perform to his potential in a fight. Howard, a monk who favored grappling, found the winter wolves slightly too formidable for his style.
Nonetheless, the presence of three spellcasters provided a firm foundation. Lynn wished to utter some words of encouragement to bolster morale but noticed Imory, the drow elf, raising her hand.
Drow elves often favored sign language to communicate, and although Lynn could not decipher her gestures, he sensed imminent danger.
Suddenly, a winter wolf lunged from above, directly targeting Matty. Startled by the unexpected assault, Matty instinctively cast a spell, enveloping himself in a protective shield.
The sorcerer's life-preserving incantation proved invaluable; Matty's swiftness in casting it thwarted the wolf's attack. Their habitual strategy of neutralizing spellcasters had failed, while the fastest monk charged at the wolf, colliding with it. The spiked armor pierced the wolf's flesh with painful precision, forcing it to abandon its pursuit of Matty and redirect its focus toward the monk.
In that moment, Lynn sprang into action, casting a spell to enlarge Howard. Now significantly bulked up, Howard evaded the wolf's jaws and seized its leg, forcefully slamming it to the ground.
Their struggle was far from graceful; Howard skillfully restrained the wolf, preventing it from landing a bite. Yet, his strength alone could not deliver a decisive blow, relying instead on the armor spikes to inflict damage as they tumbled across the ground.
Meanwhile, other winter wolves revealed themselves, with the barbarian Gonda charging heedlessly into the fray. Uninterested in strategy, he instinctively knew that slaying the wolves was the right course. He confronted two of the wolves head-on, attacking with ferocity.
In stark contrast, Finn and Imory remained the most composed. Finn occupied a winter wolf attacking from the rear, not yet wounding it, as he withheld his spells, reluctant to waste energy on the creature. Nevertheless, bolstered by his enhancements, he adeptly managed to fend off the wolf before him.
Imory chose not to engage directly; instead, she stood protectively in front of the two spellcasters, guarding them against any surprise attacks. Brandishing a rapier without a shield, it was clear that frontal confrontation was not her preferred strategy.
This was Lynn's first opportunity to observe his companions in battle, and he wished to better understand their capabilities. At that moment, Matty seemed to regain his composure; upon realizing the immediate danger had passed, he grew incensed by the earlier assault.
"All of you beasts deserve to perish!"
Matty raised his hand and unleashed a vast web of sticky threads. Both the barbarian and the two winter wolves found themselves ensnared, and without hesitation, he began to cast a fireball.
Although Gonda remained in a berserk rage, the instinct of a barbarian alerted him to the impending danger. With a mighty roll, he exerted all his strength and narrowly escaped the grasp of the web. However, the two winter wolves were not so fortunate; they were unable to evade the flames and were consumed by the fireball's blast.
The spell proved exceedingly effective—though Matty's character was lacking, his magic delivered formidable results.
Seeing the two winter wolves fall, the remaining pair sought to flee. The winter wolf pinned by Howard unleashed a breath attack, pushing him back and attempting to escape.
However, Imory stealthily approached; her rapier slashed out, piercing through the wolf's neck and severing its spine, extinguishing its life force in one swift motion.
The drow's swordsmanship had been rigorously trained, and her penchant for ambushes dictated her use of precise techniques for the most despicable of stealth attacks.
The last remaining winter wolf attempted to flee, but witnessing the impressive performance of his companions, Lynn resolved to eliminate it. Amidst the chaos of battle, no one noticed the small beetles that had discreetly approached the wolf, now landing upon its back.
With a pained howl, the winter wolf collapsed to the ground. In that fleeting moment, it felt its bones dissolving, as if its flesh had encased itself in solidified resin. It realized it had fallen victim to a spell, struggling to rise and escape, yet Finn would not grant it that chance—the priest's flail crashed down, shattering half of its skull. To prevent any retaliation, he followed up with two more crushing strikes.
It must be noted that during his blows, he felt none of the familiar sensation of shattering bone; instead, it felt akin to striking a mass of cartilage.
He glanced back in confusion at Lynn, who merely nodded in acknowledgment.
The bones had softened—this was a second-circle necromancy spell, one that Lynn had indeed cast. Such malevolent necromantic arts were rarely known among the general populace.
This obscurity was one of Lynn's advantages.