The three Dreadfang Wolves had positioned themselves in a classic pack formation, and the party's improved coordination showed as they immediately adapted their strategy to account for the multiple threats.
"Standard pack tactics," Ironstride called out, raising his shield and moving to intercept the primary wolf while keeping the flanking positions in his peripheral vision. "I'll take point, everyone else focus fire on the lead wolf first."
The battle began much like their spider encounter—controlled and tactical. Lunessa opened with Shadowstep to get behind the lead wolf, her Venomshade-coated blades finding purchase between its matted fur. Nira's flames washed over the creature while Serein's healing kept Ironstride healthy as he absorbed the wolf's initial attacks.
But this fight immediately proved more complex than their previous encounter.
Howl's That for Backup?
The lead wolf threw back its head and let out a bone-chilling howl that echoed through the forest. Within seconds, the two flanking wolves came bounding through the underbrush, their eyes glowing with enhanced aggression as they converged on the party's position.
"Here they come!" Spudicus called out, deploying electrical nets to slow the approaching wolves while Widget's lasers provided covering fire. "Formation tight! Don't let them separate us!"
Teeth of the Many
With all three wolves now engaged, their pack synergy abilities activated immediately. Each wolf became noticeably more dangerous as their proximity to each other enhanced their damage output, creating a escalating threat that required constant adjustment of tactics.
Ironstride proved his worth as a tank, using his improved skills to maintain aggro on multiple targets while positioning himself to protect his more vulnerable party members. His shield work was masterful, deflecting strikes and using his body to control the wolves' movement patterns.
"They're getting stronger the longer this goes on!" Nira shouted over the chaos, her flames streaming in controlled bursts to avoid hitting Ironstride as he danced between the snarling predators.
The wolves' Bloodthirsty Lunge ability activated whenever someone dropped below half health, forcing Serein to work overtime keeping everyone topped off while the damage dealers focused on burning down the pack before their synergy became overwhelming.
Lunessa darted between shadows, using her mobility to strike at weak points and apply stacking poison effects. Her Shadow Flurry ability proved devastating when she could position herself behind a wolf, the rapid strikes leaving deep gouges that bled shadow energy.
Widget's consistent laser fire and Spudicus's arsenal of gadgets provided crucial battlefield control, keeping the wolves from executing coordinated attacks while adding steady damage to complement the party's primary damage dealers.
The fight was longer and more resource-intensive than the spider encounter, requiring multiple ability rotations and careful management of cooldowns. By the time the last wolf fell, everyone was breathing heavily and several party members had burned through significant portions of their mana and stamina.
"Okay," Ironstride panted, leaning on his hammer while his health regenerated slowly. "That was more like what I expected from elite dungeon content. We're going to need a few minutes to recover before pushing deeper."
The loot from the wolves was impressive—Packleader's Fang, Moonlit Pelt x2, and another Elite Combat Trophy. But more importantly, they'd gained valuable experience about how the dungeon's encounters scaled and interacted with each other.
While her party rested and recovered their resources, Lunessa activated her Fade ability and conducted a careful reconnaissance of their immediate area. Her enhanced stealth and keen senses revealed details that would have been invisible during their previous visit.
"There's a cottage about sixty meters northwest of here," she reported quietly when she returned. "Looks abandoned but structurally sound. Could be useful if we need shelter."
She paused, studying the forest around them with increased wariness. "I also spotted another Widowspine Spider off the main path to our right, maybe forty meters out. And I'm seeing movement patterns that suggest there are more mobs scattered throughout this entire area."
"That explains why the forums never mentioned people just sneaking around the entrance spider," Spudicus observed, Widget's sensors corroborating her observations. "The whole forest is probably populated with elite encounters. You can't just bypass the content—you have to fight your way through."
"Smart design," Serein noted approvingly. "It prevents people from skipping to later encounters without proving they can handle the progression."
They spent several more minutes resting, allowing their health and mana to fully regenerate while discussing their approach to the deeper areas. The cottage Lunessa had spotted might be valuable for tactical purposes, and knowing about the additional spider would help them plan their route.
Just as they were preparing to continue their advance, reality shifted around them.
🌙 System Alert: The Red Moon Rises 🌙
Vaelith's Gaze falls upon this place.
All hostile entities have become more aggressive under the moonlight.
⚠️ [Status Effect: "Under Vaelith's Gaze"]
+15% to enemy stats Increased patrol range and awareness Enhanced mob coordination
The story deepens. The night sharpens. Players beware: not all safety is light-born.
Duration: 10:00
A countdown timer appeared in each party member's interface, ticking down from ten minutes as the crimson glow that had always suffused the Hollow Vale suddenly intensified dramatically. The red moon overhead seemed to pulse with malevolent energy, and shadows that had been merely atmospheric before began moving with obvious intent.
The change was immediate and terrifying. Howls erupted from multiple directions throughout the forest—not just the wolves they'd been fighting, but creatures they hadn't even encountered yet. The sound of rustling leaves and snapping branches suggested that every mob in the area was becoming active simultaneously.
"What the hell is Vaelith?" Nira demanded, flames already springing to life around her hands as she scanned the treeline for threats.
"No idea, but we need to move!" Ironstride barked, his tactical instincts immediately recognizing the danger they were in. "If those mobs are getting stat buffs, we don't want to be caught in the open when they start converging on our position!"
Already they could hear the distinctive skittering sound of a spider dropping from nearby trees, and the howls were getting closer from multiple directions. Widget's sensors were lighting up with threat indicators as the enhanced mobs began moving with purpose toward their location.
"The cottage!" Lunessa shouted, pointing toward the structure she'd scouted earlier. "We need shelter—they might lose their buffs if they're not in direct moonlight!"
The party immediately broke into a sprint toward the cottage, but the enhanced mobs were already moving to intercept them. Behind them, they could hear the spider crashing through the underbrush, its movement noticeably faster and more aggressive than before.
As they ran, Widget's sensors detected movement from their left flank—another wolf pack, enhanced by Vaelith's influence and moving to cut off their escape route. Spudicus deployed smoke canisters and caltrops behind them, creating obstacles to slow their pursuers while the party pushed toward safety.
Just as the cottage came into clear view, Spudicus let out a sharp yelp of surprise and pain as something wrapped around his ankle. A massive root had erupted from the forest floor—one of the dungeon's environmental traps triggered by their panicked movement.
"It's got me! IT'S GOT ME!" he screamed, Widget immediately diving to provide covering fire as the root trap attempted to drag him down.
Lunessa was already moving, her enhanced Finesse allowing her to react instantly. Her Curved Fang daggers sliced through the grasping root with two precise strikes, freeing Spudicus just as more tendrils began reaching for the party.
"Move! Move!" she shouted, hauling Spud to his feet while they continued their desperate sprint toward the cottage.
They reached the structure just as the sounds of pursuit grew dangerously close. The cottage was small but sturdy, with thick wooden walls and a heavy door that Ironstride immediately began barricading as the others piled inside.
But the Hollow Vale wasn't finished with them yet.
The moment Nira stepped through the doorway, a massive ceiling beam—weakened by age and rigged as a trap—came crashing down directly onto her head. The impact sent her sprawling, her health bar dropping to dangerous levels as she hit the floor unconscious.
At the same moment, a swarm of Bone-Chewer Bats dropped from the cottage's ceiling beams where they had been roosting, their Veil of Wings ability immediately filling the small space with disorienting chaos. Being inside the cottage, they remained at normal strength, unaffected by Vaelith's influence.
Outside, the spider had reached the cottage and was already attacking the door with enhanced fury. The sound of claws scraping against wood filled the air as Ironstride braced his shield against the entrance, the barrier creaking ominously under the assault.
"Serein! Get Nira up!" Ironstride shouted over the chaos, his voice strained as he fought to keep the door closed against the empowered spider's attacks. "We need her AoE damage for these bats!"
The cottage interior became a whirlwind of activity. Serein immediately began casting his most powerful healing spells on Nira while Lunessa and Spudicus fought to control the bat swarm in the confined space. Widget's lasers proved invaluable in the enclosed area, its targeting systems able to track the erratic flight patterns of the enhanced bats.
Hollow Sip drained their health steadily as the bats maintained proximity, forcing Serein to split his attention between healing Nira and keeping the rest of the party alive through the sustained damage over time.
"Door's not going to hold much longer!" Ironstride warned as the sound of splintering wood grew more pronounced. The enhanced spider's attacks were systematically destroying their barrier, and they could see its glowing eyes through the growing cracks.
Just as Nira's eyes fluttered open and she began to regain consciousness, the cottage door finally gave way with a thunderous crash. The Widowspine Spider forced its way through the opening, its movements noticeably faster and more coordinated than their previous encounters.
But Ironstride was ready for it.
"Come on, you eight-legged nightmare!" he roared, his war hammer crackling with electrical energy as he engaged the creature in the cottage's main room.
Almost immediately, they could see their theory proven correct. The moment the spider entered the cottage and left the direct moonlight, the crimson glow faded from its eyes and its movements became noticeably less aggressive. The stat bonuses from Under Vaelith's Gaze were tied to exposure to the Red Moon's influence.
"It's working!" Lunessa called out as she joined the attack, her daggers finding purchase in the spider's now-vulnerable carapace. "The buff is gone—it's back to normal strength!"
With Nira back on her feet and the bats finally controlled, the party was able to focus their full attention on the spider. The confined space actually worked in their favor this time, preventing the creature from using its mobility effectively and making it easier to contain the spiderling swarms when they spawned.
The fight was intense but brief. Without the enhanced stats from the Red Moon event, the spider fell to their coordinated assault in less than two minutes. As its corpse dissolved into loot particles, the party finally had a moment to catch their breath and assess their situation.
"What the hell was that?" Spudicus gasped, Widget settling into a defensive patrol pattern around the cottage's interior. "Nobody on the forums mentioned anything like this!"
"Nobody's probably survived long enough to experience it," Lunessa replied grimly, studying the countdown timer that still showed over seven minutes remaining. "And those who did probably kept the information private, just like we did with the spider encounter."
"Smart," Ironstride admitted grudgingly. "Information is a strategic advantage. No point in handing it to your competition."
They positioned themselves defensively within the cottage, Ironstride taking up a position near the destroyed doorway where he could monitor the outside area for additional threats. The Red Moon's influence was still active, and they could hear enhanced mobs moving through the forest around them, but none seemed interested in approaching the cottage itself.
"Who or what is Vaelith?" Nira asked, flames still dancing around her fingertips as she remained ready for further combat. "The alert mentioned it like we should know the name."
"Probably part of the dungeon's lore," Serein suggested, his tone thoughtful. "A deity or powerful entity connected to the Red Moon. The name sounds like it could be from the same mythology as the story elements we've been seeing."
They waited tensely as the countdown continued, watching the forest through the cottage's broken windows and listening to the sounds of enhanced creatures moving through the darkness. Occasionally they caught glimpses of glowing eyes or heard the crash of something large moving between the trees, but nothing directly threatened their shelter.
The timer seemed to tick down with agonizing slowness: 4:32... 3:17... 2:08...
Finally, as the countdown reached its final seconds, another system alert appeared:
⚫ System Alert: The Moon Turns Away
The crimson glow fades. Shadows retreat to their hollows.
Hostile entities have returned to normal behavior.
🟢 [Status Effect Cleared: "Under Vaelith's Gaze"]
Vaelith's Gaze lifts—for now.
Survival Bonus Awarded!
No mobs slain under the moonlight: +0 exp 30 seconds spent under moonlight (Bonus!): +200 exp 5/5 party members survived Red Moon cycle (Bonus!): +300 exp Total: +500 experience points
The change was immediately noticeable. The oppressive atmosphere that had gripped the forest lifted, the howls and movement sounds faded to normal levels, and the red moon's glow returned to its previous intensity.
"Well," Serein said, his voice carrying an uncharacteristic note of surprise and excitement, "that was definitely not in any of the beta documentation we reviewed."
The party looked at him with amusement—their usually calm and composed healer rarely showed such obvious emotion about game mechanics.
"Did Serein just get excited about a world event?" Nira teased, though her own expression showed she was equally impressed by what they'd just experienced.
"I have to admit," he replied, studying the bonus experience notification, "that was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. I've never experienced anything like that in a game before."
They settled in to rest and recover from the intense encounter, but everyone remained alert. The Red Moon event had shown them that Fabledeep was far more complex and dangerous than they'd initially realized, and they were still deep in hostile territory with unknown challenges ahead.