Ascension of the Primalist [A Tamer Class, LitRPG]

Seth's fists clenched tightly, and his muscles tensed as he stared at the Black Hounds' leader, standing just a few dozen feet away. 'Wait for the right moment to come out,' he said to Nightmare before casting Intermediate Identify.

'Understood,' the direwolf answered.

"Aren't you going to run away like a coward again?" Ronard said, his voice dripping with contempt.

"Says the man who targets Coppers," Seth shot back, his core igniting in his chest and flooding him with its energy.

Without another word, Ronard roared and leapt forward, a burst of red aether encasing him as if he was a fiery comet. Every fiber of Seth's body screamed for him to dodge. Trusting his core, he vanished into the shadows, reappearing beside a nearby rock; Ronard slammed into the ground, his ax sending shards of rock and dust billowing skyward.

The Barbarian's eyes widened, and he whirled around to face Seth. "Who the hell are you?"

Ignoring the question, Seth dashed forward. Ronard swung his massive ax in a deadly arc, flames of aether dancing on its surface. The intense heat grazed Seth's skin as he ducked under the weapon before lunging forward to deliver a solid punch into Ronard's face. Before the man could counter, Seth quickly followed up with a flurry of blows that made Ronard stagger backward.

His face contorted by rage, the Barbarian let out a deafening scream empowered by aether, creating a sonic shockwave that caught Seth off-guard. The spell knocked him from his feet and sent him tumbling across the ground.

Wincing, Seth barely had time to stand up before Ronard's large figure loomed above him, the large ax descending down like an executioner's blade. Seth twisted sideways at the last moment, narrowly dodging the deadly strike, the sizzling aether grazing his chest. Meanwhile, Nightmare took care to counter and sprang out from the confines of his teardrop.

Maws filled with Shadow Bite's smoke, the direwolf lunged toward Ronard's throat, but the Barbarian partially evaded, causing Nightmare's fang to plunge into his shoulder instead. As the black cloud ate away at Ronard's armor and seared through his flesh, a scream of agony escaped the Barbarian's lips. With a furious grunt, he violently twisted his torso and shook off the direwolf.

Then, a giant ram's head of swirling crimson aether materialized around Ronard and he charged toward Nightmare, crossing the distance in a blink. Yet before the spell could hit, the direwolf vanished and reappeared in the safety of a nearby rock's shadow.

Caught off guard, the man whirled toward Nightmare's new location, only to meet Seth's fist squarely with his face. The impact snapped the Barbarian's head back. Yet almost instantly the man roared and swung his ax, forcing Seth to leap backward to evade the strike.

Blood trickled from Ronard's nose as his eyes darted between Seth and Nightmare, then his gaze hardened. "Play time's over."

A wave of aether surged through the man, casting a fiery glow as it dove into his body and caused muscles to bulge beneath his leather armor, threatening to tear it apart. Seth's hand twitched, the thought of using Fog Shroud coming up in his mind.

It would allow him to wait out the rage spell, yet something deep in him rejected the idea instantly—it didn't feel right. Surviving wasn't enough anymore. He had to thrive, to push forward, and forge his Path through grueling challenges.

This man and his spells… they were nothing but steppingstones.

Seth clenched his fists and activated his own rage spell. Aether erupted from his Well and radiated outward, spreading across his body and dyeing his vision red while also strengthening Nightmare through their bond.

A strange smile crept onto Ronard's face, and he lifted his ax. "Ready to die?"

Without a word, Seth exploded forward with Huntbound Rush. Just as he was about to reach him, the Barbarian grinned and shouted once again, but this time instead of pushing Seth away, the aether-cloaked sound plunged directly into his ears. Winding its way into his body, the spell grasped Seth's muscles and forced him to move forward like a marionette.

Some version of Provoke, he realized instantly.

Before Seth could clash with Ronard, Nightmare cast Chains of Darkness from where he stood nearby. The black illusionary wolf sprung at the Barbarian and shadowy tendrils ensnared him, stabbing his flesh with countless small thorns. Roaring in pain, Ronard began spinning rapidly, turning himself and his ax into a devastating whirlwind of steel and aether.

Seth immediately activated his Protecting Belt. The artifact's blue layer of aether appeared around him while his body, still ensorcelled by the Barbarian's spell, dashed toward the whistling ax. Because of the spell, Seth knew he couldn't dodge—so the best he could do was to minimize the damage.

As the ax swung toward his torso, Seth dropped low, sliding beneath the blade, then sprang up, holding his right arm by his face to protect himself. The weapon's wooden handle crashed brutally into Seth's armored gauntlet, sending a jarring shock through his arm and shoulder. Bones creaked under the blow, and an intense numbness spread rapidly through his limb—it felt as if a massive bull had hit him. A pained roar escaped his lips while the protective barrier covering him flickered, then vanished completely.

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Shit. With a single hit.

Ronard's grin broadened, and he leaned onto his weapon as if trying to send Seth flying. Yet before that could happen, Nightmare quickly intervened. Phasing out of Illusionary Emptiness, the direwolf pounced at the man, his maw brimming with nebulous dark smoke as he clamped onto the man's back thigh in hope of crippling him.

Screaming in pain, Ronard tried to fend him off, but his efforts were cut short by Seth, who unleashed another barrage of punches. His fists hammered the man's head left and right, and at the same time Nightmare viciously shook his head, ripping away a chunk of corroded flesh from the Barbarian's leg. Blood sprayed across the ground.

"Argh!"

Ronard's face twisted in agony, then rage swarmed him in a flash and his mouth snapped wide open. A powerful scream infused with aether beamed out, hitting Seth and Nightmare head-on; the blast swept both of them off their feet and sent them hurling backward, Seth slamming against a large stone while the direwolf tumbled even farther away.

Gritting his teeth, Seth struggled to push himself upright with the pain that seared through his back. As he finally raised his head, he saw Ronard activate his own Protecting Belt while crushing an instant spell-scroll to heal his leg. The layer of blue aether had just finished covering him, when a crimson aura started spiraling around him, morphing into the head of a wild ram. Before Seth could even blink, the Barbarian charged, closing the distance in four powerful steps.

Feeling himself freed from Provoke, Seth immediately glanced to the right and used Shadow Step to teleport himself into a bush's shadow. Ronard, who seemed unable to change directions, crashed into the large stone which had been behind Seth and instantly shattered the thing, sending shards flying.

How the hell does a Barbarian have so much aether? Seth shouted inwardly, his heart and core beating furiously in his chest.

'His ring,' Nightmare said, circling Ronard while invisible. 'It's feeding him energy.'

Seth's eyes narrowed and scanned the Barbarian's hands before pausing on the silver ring around his index. Through Link and Nightmare's superior sensing, Seth could feel the aether leaving the piece of jewelry and plunging into the man's arm—the direwolf was right.

'We can't afford to let the fight drag on,' Seth said, channeling aether into Phantom Punch's grooves. 'We need to end it now.'

Ronard spun around, eyes blazing, and charged once more in a blur of rage and aether, his ax slicing through the air with a whoosh. Seth surrendered himself to his core's primal instinct, activated Toren's bracelet, and swiftly moved aside. The Barbarian immediately whirled and began to swing his ax again when Chains of Darkness' dark tendrils appeared around him, ensnaring his limbs. Undeterred, the man roared and kept whipping his large weapon. The blade flashed in the morning's light, seeking Seth's flesh.

However, having the upper hand in terms of Agility thanks to Nightmare's spell, the Swift Eagle Bracelet, and Beastmaster Rage, Seth easily wove through the barrage while filling Phantom Punch's grooves. Once he'd finished, he moved closer and stepped directly into the path of Ronard's ax.

At the last possible moment, Seth then ducked under the weapon and lunged forward while rearing back his right gauntlet. A massive skeletal arm of teal aether surged around his own limb, glowing with a bone-chilling aura that sucked life out of the air itself. Ronard's eyes shot wide, and he tried to twist his torso to dodge the blow—but it was too late.

The skeleton fist of aether smashed into his chest with a tremendous impact. In a flash, the blue barrier of aether enveloping him vanished, allowing the massive spectral knuckles to continue forward on their path, crushing the man's chainmail and shattering the sternum underneath with a loud crack.

Staggering backward, Ronard clutched his chest and gasped for air, trying to squeeze breaths in. Nightmare seized the opportunity and pounced yet again, targeting the other leg and biting off a large piece of flesh in a dark, corroding cloud.

With a scream of agony, the Barbarian spun toward the direwolf and raised his ax. "Fucking piece of shit!"

As the blade whistled down, Seth stepped forward, crossing his arms to protect Nightmare. The ax, shrouded in aether, struck the armored pad of Seth's gauntlets with a crushing force—but to his astonishment, the pain wasn't as terrible as he had expected.

With a glance, he noticed a thin aura of brown aether hovering around both his body and Nightmare's like a protecting veil. Then, a deep and intense desire surged in his mind: a fierce determination to protect, to shield them from all danger at any cost. This burning resolve… It was from Colossus.

The beast had accomplished something Seth hadn't thought possible: learning a spell while still in its egg.

Disbelief flashed across Ronard's face, then quickly gave place to anger as the man put all his weight onto his ax, trying to chop through Seth's arm. "Do you really think you can wi—"

Before he could finish, Seth shoved the weapon aside and lunged forward, planting his fist into the man's face. Almost simultaneously, Nightmare joined the assault, sinking his large teeth in the mercenary's already-corroded leg and ripping through the muscles with fierce, repeated jerks of his head.

A loud, guttural scream rippled out of Ronard's throat, and before the man could retaliate, Seth threw another series of powerful punches. His fists rained down the Barbarian's face like hammers, each blow striking with more force than the last, drawing out pained grunts.

In a desperate attempt to fight back, Ronard flailed his ax, but Seth's enhanced instinct—combined with his currently-amplified Agility—allowed him to easily dodge the sluggish swings. The few strikes that somehow connected merely inflicted superficial wounds thanks to Colossus' barrier.

Seth kept attacking with Nightmare, who phased in and out of Illusionary Emptiness to launch assaults with a perfect synergy. Face bloodied and battered, Ronard let out a defiant roar, raising his ax high above his head. But before he could bring it down, Seth lunged in and delivered a devastating uppercut. His fist bashed the man's mouth shut and launched him in the air.

The moment Ronard crashed to the ground, Nightmare was on him, and his jaws clamped down on the man's throat in a cloud of black smoke. In a flash, Shadow Bite feast its way through Ronard's flesh, while the man futilely tried to push the direwolf away.

"Wait!" Seth said, stepping forward. "Don't kill him yet."

Nightmare growled and paused just as he was about to crush Ronard's windpipe. Then, the direwolf took a step back while glaring at the man, who winced and gasped in pain. Each of the Barbarian's ragged breath wheezed through his shredded throat, blood gurgling and bubbling over the black, mangled flesh.

Seth, eyes still red from Beastmaster Rage, stepped closer and stared down at the man. "Did you really think you'd deserve a quick death?"

In a desperate grasp for survival, Ronard's trembling hand moved toward the pouch at his belt. Without hesitation, Seth infused aether into his leg and slammed his boot down onto the man's wrist, shattering its bones and drawing out another agonized scream. Ronard's other hand twitched toward his fallen ax, prompting Nightmare to pounce and clamp his powerful jaws around his forearm.

Excruciating pain washed over the Barbarian's face as he writhed weakly beneath Seth, his chest heaving in desperate attempts to draw air into his lungs. The man's eyes, wide with terror, locked with Seth's, silently begging for mercy.

But Seth's expression remained frigid.

Memories of the screams and anguished cries of the prisoners who had been tortured and used like training dummies because of the Black Hounds surged in his mind. He could see the Fishlord Lancer slaughtering them and hear the desperate pleas of the man who'd been impaled in the middle of the swamp.

Did Aran meet a better end than them? Probably not. And all that for what? Enhancers? Coins? Seth thought, clenching his fists. This man doesn't deserve mercy.

Time stretched, and Ronard's frantic gasps gradually weakened, turning into feeble twitches. The man's eyes fluttered shut, then widening in panic occasionally as his consciousness flared a little each time a wisp of air somehow managed to slip through. Eventually, after a final effort to draw in a breath that never came, the Barbarian's body went limp and life vanished from his eyes.

Silence fell over the plain, and Seth stared blankly at the man's corpse for long seconds, feeling absolutely nothing. No joy. No guilt. Nothing.

He had merely carried out justice for those who had suffered. And now, it was time to shift focus onto his next target.

The Faertis.