Ascension of the Primalist [A Tamer Class, LitRPG]

As the first light of dawn painted the Desert of Misery's sky with gold and red streaks, Seth readied himself. Tightening the straps of his combat gauntlets, he could feel his heart pounding like a drum in his chest. For the past ten minutes, haunting visions of all the captives getting slaughtered by the Lancer Fishlord a month and a half ago kept surging vividly in his mind.

'Stop being so tense,' Nightmare said beside him. 'Things will be different this time. We're stronger now.'

'I know,' Seth replied, drawing deep, steadying breaths to calm his nerves before taking off into a run toward the colossal stronghold that loomed on the horizon.

With all Toren's devices, he believed he could prevent any casualties—and, if everything went as planned, they'd be out of the Rift in only another hour or two. That meant he'd only miss a day of classes, and Elena wouldn't be even more mad at him.

'Nope,' the direwolf said, reading his thoughts. 'We are hunting in here for the whole week.'

'What if I fail my midterms because of that?'

'Then the Direwolf God will have finally answered my prayers.'

Seth stifled a chuckle as he slowly neared the fortress' weathered metal walls, dashing from shadow to shadow without using any spells. Upon reaching the imposing structure, he moved Nightmare into the necklace, then activated Illusionary Emptiness and blended seamlessly with the surroundings.

He had switched Share's bridge from Shadow Step earlier, meaning he couldn't teleport out of danger anymore. He'd have to be careful.

Staying low, Seth made his way to the gate and retrieved a small, intricate metallic cube—one of Toren's devices—from his pouch. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the thing out and sent it skittering next to the Detecting Pillar within the fortress. Instantly, the ward's hazy aether above the ground instantly vanished, clearing the path. Heart thudding against his ribcage, Seth stepped inside, bracing himself, ready for the blaring alarm to ring out.

But it didn't.

Hugging the fortress' inner wall, he found a set of narrow stairs and climbed them silently. Upon reaching the top of the ramparts, he froze mid-step, holding his breath while two Gnolls passed in front of him. They were so close he could smell their putrid breath, yet they didn't see him.

Being brainless Warriors with awful aether-sensing abilities clearly has its downsides, he thought.

Seth's eyes locked onto his target to the left: one of the giant arcane cannons. After waiting for the two hyena-like humanoid beasts to walk away, he crept closer.

In the shadow of the large piece of artillery, Seth carefully reached into his pouch and pulled out a tin orb not much larger than his fist: a Detonating Bomb. With a delicate touch, he placed the orb next to the cannon's base and channeled a thin stream of aether inside. The sphere then came to life, and its surface flickered before displaying a glowing red '100.'

Just a little under two minutes.

Seth retreated swiftly, descending the stairs in a blur before slipping back into the stronghold's labyrinthine streets. He moved in silence and navigated through the maze of towering, makeshift dwellings that stretched skyward, nearly bumping into a few clueless Gnolls along the way.

The moment he reached the wide-open area at the center of the fortress, the bomb went off. The explosion was deafening; fragments of the arcane cannon and metal shards flew in all directions with a thunderous roar. The ground trembled, and all the makeshift buildings nearby shook violently. Gnolls from every corner rushed toward the blast, their cries and howls turning the place into absolute chaos.

But much to Seth's dismay, two figures remained steadfast near the captives: the Artificer Gnoll and next to it, a new co-leader.

This newcomer stood out with an aura of command, its armor heavier and more imposing than any of its kin. Thick metal plates wrapped its torso and thighs, and it held in its hands a large, well-worn shield and a double-headed axe. Unlike its frenzied, restless predecessor, this Gnoll seemed to be far more calm, its calculating gaze sweeping over the area. Trying to lure that beast out of the stronghold would be completely pointless; even if it took the bait, it wouldn't have the speed to follow him away from all the other Gnolls.

It replaced the Gnoll Barbarian with a fucking Guardian, Seth thought to himself, narrowing his eyes. 'I take out the brain while you go for that thing,' he then said to Nightmare.

'Understood,' the direwolf answered, standing up in the necklace.

Seth edged closer while gradually infusing aether into Phantom Punch's grooves. Then, with a burst of speed, he dashed forward. Almost simultaneously, Nightmare sprung out of the teardrop necklace; both Gnolls spun around, eyes flaring in surprise—the Guardian one instinctively raised its shield and ax to face the direwolf, while the Artificer turned to flee.

Before it had even taken three steps, Seth had caught up to it. Dropping the veil of Illusionary Emptiness, Seth swung his fist, and the colossal, teal, skeletal arm surged into existence. His gauntlet along with the ghostly spell crashed into Artificer Gnoll's chest, shattering its sternum and ribcage. A loud crack echoed out, and the beast spewed a mouthful of blood before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

It damn worked.

The Guardian Gnoll snarled and pivoted toward Seth, yet before it could charge at him, a shadow struck it and black tendrils spread around its body. The hyena-like beast howled in pain, thrashing violently in a fruitless attempt to tear the spell apart before Nightmare pounced, sinking his canines into its upper arm and corroding its flesh with Shadow Bite. Seth seized the occasion to cast Intermediate Identify on the new foe.

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While struggling to shake Nightmare off, the Guardian Gnoll cast a defensive spell, enshrouding itself with a layer of dark rock. Seth immediately reached into his pouch and pulled out one of Toren's single-use wands—they didn't have any time to waste. Holding out the slender rod of black ebony, he aimed it at the beast.

'Nightmare, let go!'

As the direwolf released its grip and leapt away, Seth activated the wand. A surge of aether boomed through the device; in a flash, a sea of flames erupted, striking the Gnoll's back. The beast let out a visceral roar as the fire scorched and devoured both its protective carapace of rocks and plate armor in seconds before burning the dark fur beneath.

It whirled to face Seth, its yellow eyes seething with rage, and charged. But as it did, Nightmare pounced again, snapping its jaws shut on its leg. Dark smoke billowed from inside his maw and began to feast its way through the Gnoll's flesh. The hyena beast's roar turned to high-pitched screams, its body writhing in agony as it desperately tried to dislodge the direwolf.

Amidst the chaos, Seth joined the fray, throwing a barrage of punches, each strike chipping away at the remaining stony plating covering the beast. As he fought the large Guardian Gnoll with Nightmare, he couldn't help but notice the striking difference in speed between them. The beast, both burdened by its armor and entangled by the shadow tendrils, lumbered around, making it seem almost motionless compared to them.

Funneling aether into Huntbound Rush, Seth easily darted around the Gnoll's clunky attacks and repeatedly hammered the exposed parts of its huge body with his gauntlets. Casting a glance at the curling smoke in the distance, Seth began filling Phantom Punch's grooves for a second cast.

'We need to end this quickly,' he said, delivering another powerful punch to the beast's gut before stepping away.

'Oh, sorry. I was taking my time,' Nightmare growled, dodging the Gnoll's ax before vanishing from view. 'I have an idea. Buy me thirty seconds.'

'Alright.'

Seth charged forward, capitalizing on his speed advantage and enhanced instinct to weave between the Gnoll's heavy swings. Dancing around the beast, he split his attention among avoiding the double-headed ax and channeling aether through the complex furrows of his new spell. Just as Seth finished, Nightmare pounced at the Guardian Gnoll from behind.

The inky smoke seeping from his gaping maw was so dense that every ray of light appeared to be devoured, vanishing within its depths. The direwolf's spell was a death sentence—the black cloud swallowed the Gnoll's charred back, melting its flesh like it was candle wax in a flame. Howling in pain, the large beast immediately whirled and thrashed, which knocked the direwolf off, but also turned its exposed and corroded back to Seth—a terrible mistake.

Seizing the opportunity as a predator, Seth lunged forward. His gauntlet, now encased in the massive skeletal limb of teal aether, rammed into the Gnoll's liquified muscles, buckling and shattering half its spine. The impact sent the beast hurtling forward and crashing into a nearby metallic shack, destroying the building, shards of rusted iron flying in all directions.

Not wasting even a second, Nightmare charged at the now-crippled Gnoll, his fangs sinking into its throat with corrosive smoke. Jerking his head violently, he ripped out its windpipe in a gruesome display, blood spurting forth and painting his black fur.

The distant sounds of uproar grew louder, and as Seth glanced to the left, a swirling cloud of dust billowed up from the main alley leading to them. His hand plunged into his Endless Pouch, and he quickly yanked out another Detonating Bomb. After channeling just enough aether to set its timer to five seconds, he threw the metal sphere next to a towering scrap-metal building that loomed over the narrow alley.

A horde of Gnolls appeared in the distance, growling and charging toward Seth and Nightmare—only to be greeted by the bomb's devastating explosion. The blast tore through the adjacent building's foundation and the entire structure crashed down, engulfing the surroundings in a maelstrom of dust and blocking off the path.

Seth immediately spun around and sprinted toward the prisoners while scanning his surroundings; his eyes quickly caught sight of a key dangling from a rack near the cell. After snatching it up, he wasted no time and inserted it into the lock before turning it with a loud click. When he pushed the cell's door open, Theodora recognized him instantly. She rushed toward him, her shackles rattling against the ground, face streaked with tears.

"S-Seth!" she cried out, voice trembling.

Seth knelt beside her without hesitation, his fingers working quickly to unlock the chains around her wrists and ankles. The heavy shackles clattered to the ground, then he rose to his feet and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Everything's going to be okay now," he said, his golden eyes moving to the remaining captives: a trio of men and another woman. He scanned their faces, then stepped to the side, trying to see if someone was behind—someone tiny and easily missed. "Where's Aran?"

Theodora's face lost all its color, and a heavy silence followed. She slightly opened her mouth, but no words came out. One of the prisoners behind her, a bearded man with dark-cropped hair, took over the burden of answering. "They killed him."

Seth's breath hitched and his chest grew tight.

"To make an example," the man continued with a heavy voice. "He was injured, and… they decided he was useless."

A surge of anger swelled within Seth, and his hands involuntarily clenched into tight fists. Jaws locked, he shook his head and forced himself to focus. I need to get them out.

Quickly, he unshackled all the remaining prisoners and handed each of them an Escape scroll. "When you get out, head straight to the Adventurer Outpost and find Celine, the administrator," Seth instructed. "She'll keep you safe until we deal with the bastards that tricked you."

Almost immediately, three of the captives activated their scrolls, vanishing in a swirl of aether. However, Theodora remained in place, tears trickling down her cheeks. Seth turned to the bearded man next to her. "Can you make sure she gets to the Trogan?"

The prisoner nodded and glanced down at his hands before suddenly halting and looking back up. "Wait… are you also from Trogan Academy?"

Seth frowned. "Yes, why?"

"There was another student here," the man answered, his mouth twisting to the side. "A small red-haired Rogue. She... she got sold off to a different Gnoll clan along with another prisoner."

"Did you learn her name?" Seth asked, going through all the Rogues he knew in his mind. Only one fit that description. A young woman who had saved him and Renwal from bandits near Arthuri.

The man shook his head, but then Theodora looked up and her weary eyes met Seth's. "Selena… her name was Selena."