The remaining four winter wolves, realizing that utter doom is upon them in the form of these five adventurers, withdraw from the Lusty Fools and dart deeper into the glacial rift, howling a fearful alarm!
WWWAAAAAWWWWWOOOHHHH!!!!
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A single mighty swipe with the longsword hacks deep through hide, flesh and bone, and the wounded winter wolf collapses, twitching and gasping its last breath! *THUMP!!* *WHEEEEZE!!!* The Beetleman spins to unleash a lethal flurry of steel that fells the second winter wolf as well! AAAARRRRRGH!!! *THUMP!!*
The ball of lightning glides into the hapless winter wolf....
*BZZZZZAAAAPPP!!!* YYEEEELLLPPP!!!! Fredrick's powerful will conjures a wave that glows blue-green with "St Elmo's Fire", which he directs with a swift manual gesture at the other winter wolf.... the charged wave blasts into the beast, electrocuting it! It's skeleton is briefly illuminated through its hide by the electricity, and its lifeless body collapses in the snow.... *K-K-KRACKLE!!!* *THUD!!*
More by chance than by skill, the winter wolf targeted by Hisao sidesteps his first thrust.... The second thrust with VenomFang plunges deep, nearly to the wakizashi's oval hand guard, eliciting a shrill yelp from the winter wolf! YYYAAAALLLLPPP!!!! Though the beast remains on its feet, its glowing eyes glaze over with pain, and it pants heavily, puffs of icy breath forming small clouds in the Nordic air.... It seems close to death....
Seven winter wolves remain: two flank Fredrick, two flank Nacht (who seems oddly content to feel the sting of their bites and mimic their snarls in an almost metallic, buzzing, insect voice, apparently playing with his prey before killing), and one each facing off against the invisible Hisao, the spinning and shanking Paddy, and the reaping Alphonse.... The two flanking Fredrick exhale cones of frosty breath, catching the undine and also each other in the icy blasts, but the winter wolves are obviously unharmed by each other's cold breath.... The wolf to Fred's left blasts him with icy breath for cold (DC 17 Reflex for half).... The wolf on his right blasts him with icy breath for cold (DC 17 Reflex for half).... The two flanking Nacht also exhale their icy breath on the Beetle Man! The wolf on Nacht's left blasts him with icy breath for cold (DC 17 Reflex for half).... The wolf on his right blasts him with icy breath for cold (DC 17 Reflex for half).... The wolf facing Alphonse blasts him with icy breath for cold (DC 17 Reflex for half).... The wolf facing Paddy blasts him with icy breath for cold (DC 17 Reflex for half).... The wolf facing the invisible (but not scentless) Hisao blasts him with icy breath for cold (DC 17 Reflex for half)....
Stabbing deep into the furry breast of the wounded winter wolf to his left, Paddy pierces its heart with GreenThorne, and it collapses, death-spasms wracking its bleeding body.... *GASP!*....*GURGLE!*
Alphonse sinks the supernaturally sharp blade of Foereaper into a fresh winter wolf's side with a side-sweeping swing.... AAAARRRGHHH!!! The beast skitters back a few feet on the icy ground, staining the snow with a pool of spilling blood, but still stands.... The holy knight follows up with a downward swing that silences the wounded winter wolf's shrill yelping by lopping off its large, shaggy white head, which falls into the snow with a thud!
Wary of the undine's magic powers, one of the winter wolves flanking Fredrick leaps back just in time to evade the crackling ball of lightning summoned by the kineticist!
One of the two winter wolves flanking an unseen target (Hisao) suddenly goes rigid as two geysers of blood erupt from its neck! It falls dead in the snow....
The winter wolves, two of the dozen pack members fallen already, leap up and lope around cautiously (avoiding attacks of opportunity) so that a pair of wolves flank each of the Lusty Fools, snarling savagely and baring long, blood-pinked fangs! Flanking bites vs Hisao: snaps on empty air.... also misses.... Flanking bites vs Paddy: chomps down on nothing.... another miss.... Flanking bites vs Alphonse: clamps harmlessly on his right shin greave.... snaps inches from his trailing cloak.... Flanking bites vs Fredrick: misses the dodging undine.... misses as well.... Flanking bites vs Nacht: dealing piercing plus cold.... dealing piercing plus cold....
The Irishman sinks GreenThorne nearly to its elaborate gilded basket hilt into winter wolf flesh, loosing a spray of cold red blood to stain the snow! YYAAAALLLLPPP!!!
Closing the distance to the nearest winter wolf, which is still twitching from Fredrick's magnetizing bolt, Alphonse feels the magnetic pull of the beast on Foereaper, and the vorpal scythe sinks deep through sinew and bones into vital organs! The winter wolf falls dead, staining the snow and ice with its crimson blood.... YYYEEEAAARRRRPPP!!!
Striking suddenly and unseen, Hisao nearly slays the old she-wolf with his first blow.... His second blow finishes the sickly beast! YELP!!!.....YYYEEEEELLLLPP!!!!
BZZZZZZZAAAAAPPP!!!! Fredrick's magnetizing lightning bolt rips through the body of the nearest winter wolf, causing the beast to yelp loudly in pain, and jerk spasmodically as the current toys impishly with its muscles! YYYAAAAALLLLLPPPP!!!
With Hisao already in position by the old she-wolf, the other four swiftly advance.... Once Alphonse, Fredrick, Nacht, and Paddy are about 60 feet from the nearest winter wolves, the narrow ledge descends to a snow-covered ravine floor with towering glacial walls rising up on either hand, as though the heroes were entering a vast hallway inside a giant ice fortress.... It is also at this point that the pack becomes fully aware of intruders, thanks mainly to the way the clangor of Alphonse's shining suit of plate echoes off the icy walls! AAAWWWOOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!! The winter wolves howl in unison and rise up to face the intruders!
Nigh invisible himself within the swirling fog, Paddy approaches undetected by the winter wolves.... until he is almost upon them....
Floating like a ghost, ethereal and invisible, Hisao positions himself at the back of the winter wolf pack, choosing as his target a scarred and sickly-looking old she-wolf, who sits somewhat apart from the rest of the pack, not sharing in the gruesome repast.... It almost seems as though she was waiting on death.... so Hisao, so often before an instrument of Death, moves to oblige her....
A few of the winter wolves pause, lifting their heads from their grisly feast to sniff the foggy air, as if a mountain breeze had sent a momentary whiff of some strange new scent to their keen noses.... but a moment later, they return to gnawing the frozen remains of whatever beast they have slaughtered....
Hisao perceives a pack of large white wolves lounging in the snow just inside the fog-shrouded entrance to the glacial rift.... He counts a dozen of the beasts, each gnawing the bloody, frozen remains of some beast they have killed, a brown bear, perhaps (it is difficult to be certain, as the beast has been torn asunder and is frosted over with rime)....
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