Ascension of the Primalist [A Tamer Class, LitRPG]

'Are you alright?' Nightmare asked, releasing the Barbarian's arm.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Seth answered, kneeling down to grab the dead man's Endless Pouch.

Throwing his consciousness inside, he assessed its content; there were numerous pieces of Warrior equipment, five Escape Scrolls, water, food, several enchanted shackles, three communication orbs and dozens of different resources, including seven Desert Lilies.

That's probably the one he used while Rift Diving, Seth thought, tying it with the other Black Hounds members' pouch at the back of his belt. He then snatched the man's Protective Belt from his waist and stowed it into his own velvet bag before pulling off the ring at Ronard's finger and casting Intermediate Identify.

Three hundred uniums. That's pretty much my entire Well.

Even at higher Ranks, such a ring would still remain incredibly useful. It was certainly as valuable as the Protective Belt or Swift Eagle Bracelet that had been lent to Seth by the Champions of Chaos, even though it wasn't Epic.

Acquiring such a powerful artifact would normally fill Seth with joy, yet now it left him with a bitter taste. By taking that ring, he was profiting from the Black Hounds' existence, and indirectly from Aran's death.

Seth stared at the ring, conflicted. Maybe I should give it to Aran's family.

'For what?' Nightmare cut in, hearing his thoughts. 'I doubt any of them are Irons.'

'We don't know that.'

'Oh, come on. Give them one of those flowers instead of the ring.'

'Yeah, sure.' Seth rolled his eyes and put the ring away in his pouch. 'Sorry your son got killed. Here's a flower.'

Nightmare snorted dismissively. 'How is that different from giving them a ring? Both are worth more than what they could earn in a lifetime if they aren't Wielders.'

Shaking his head, Seth pulled out Elena's communication orb. The crystal glowed softly, illuminating his face with the morning rays while numerous messages from the crimson-haired noble floated inside the crystal.

Elena: Hey, tell me when you're out.

Elena: Jenna and Devus are starting to get worried. Let us know when you're heading back.

Elena: Come back to the academy as soon as you see this. The Primalist that you saved had been telling everyone what happened in there. Even if the Faertis are denying it, things are starting to get out of hand.

Elena: Seth? Are you out yet?

Elena: Seth? Please answer.

His lips pressing together, Seth infused aether into the orb and words appeared beneath Elena's messages.

Seth: I just left the Rift. Did another captured student named Selena come back yesterday?

The noblewoman's answer came almost immediately.

Elena: Seth! Are you still near the Rift?!

Seth: Yeah, why?

Elena: Hide somewhere! Now!

Seth frowned, reading the message twice before looking around him. Everything seemed clear of any threat.

Seth: Why?

Elena: The Faertis put a bounty on your head! Hide somewhere, and I'll try to find Professor Reat so he can come get you.

Seth: Calm down. I've had an unofficial bounty on my head for the past five months and I'm doing just fine.

Elena: This time is different. The reward is 20 gold coins.

"Holy fucking shit!" Seth exclaimed aloud, before sending his response.

Seth: Why so much? Can't they just keep denying everything?

Elena: Things have escalated here way more than you think. People are convinced you have some sort of hard evidence to link them to those mercenaries, the Black Hounds.

Seth: What? Why would they think—

The white words stopped appearing in the crystal ball as Seth's eyes widened. Briskly digging his hand into Ronard's pouch, he retrieved one of the communication orbs inside. As he channeled aether inside, lines of messages appeared inside.

Ronard: I'm about to go into the Rift with my men to sell two prisoners and hunt him down.

???: What is taking so long, for Gaia's sake!?

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Ronard: Don't worry. I'll bring you his head to decorate your garden.

???: You better. Because if you don't, it will be your head that will be rolling instead.

Seth's fingers tightened around the orb as he read all the last few messages. Who could those question marks be? Lucius? One of his brothers? Their father?

Skimming through the entire conversation, Seth tried finding something incriminating that could help pinpoint who the nameless person was, without success. Whoever this was knew exactly how to cover their tracks. But then why are they paying so much for my head?

Putting Ronard's orb away, Seth picked up Elena's again.

Elena: Seth? What's going on?

Elena: Did someone find you?

Seth: No, I'm fine for now.

Seth: Hey, if someone hides their name when using a communication orb, is there a way to figure out who they are?

Elena: Um, yes, but depending on the Tier of the Artificer who did the…

The message abruptly stopped, then a second later, a new one shone to life.

Elena: Wait! You have an orb used by the Faertis and the Black Hounds!?

Seth: Yes, but one of the names is replaced by a bunch of question marks.

Elena: That doesn't matter! We just need a high-Tier Artificer. He could break through the concealment and find out who it is through their aether imprint.

Seth: Their aether imprint?

Elena: It's your aether signature. It's unique to each person and links you to any spell you cast. It's mostly useful for recognition of equipment.

Elena: Anyway, with that, we can prove the Faertis are involved and take the case directly to the king's court.

'Wonderful,' Nightmare said with a low growl. 'They'll get human justice for nobles. A slap on the wrist, a couple weeks in prison, and a meaningless fine.'

'As if I'd let that happen,' Seth answered, smirking at the direwolf. 'I'm a Primalist—I only follow nature's laws. And those laws don't include courts and jails.'

'Uh…' Nightmare began, tilting his large head. 'Who are you and what did you do to my partner?'

Seth flashed a half-smile. 'I'm the new Seth. I killed the other one in that Rift.'

The direwolf nudged him. 'Nice to meet you, new Seth.'

As Seth pushed him back, a new message from Elena lit up in the communication orb.

Elena: I can't find Professor Reat.

Seth: No worries, I have a way to contact him.

No more messages appeared for several long seconds, as if the noblewoman was hesitating on the other side.

Elena: Okay, be careful.

Seth: Will do. See you later.

As Seth put the communication orb back in his pouch, he took out his cloak and put it on to hide his blood-stained armor before turning to the sun rising in the sky. "Wait so if it's been six days since rescuing Theodora then that means…" he began thinking aloud. "Shit!"

Nightmare tilted his head. 'What?'

"Let's get going!" Seth exclaimed, spinning toward the distant road.

'Wait, we aren't waiting for that lazy man to escort you?' the direwolf retorted.

Seth shook his head. 'Nope. We got too much to do before my fight against Lucius.'

'Oh I—wait, that's today?'

'Yep.'

'Oh, hell yeah!'

The sun completely raised high above the horizon, casting warm and bright rays across the rugged plain, as Seth ran with Nightmare at his side. In about two hours, he would reach Trogan, which would leave him enough time to pass by the Champions of Chaos' headquarter and the outpost to make sure Selena had made it there without too much trouble. Initially, he had planned to go see Aran's family to express his condolences but finding their location before his duel seemed nearly impossible.

The moment Seth dashed past a distant town surrounded by a wooden fence he noticed a large crowd advancing on the dirt road ahead. Quickly sending Nightmare back into the teardrop necklace, Seth moved closer to get a better look.

A few steps later, his eyes widened in disbelief.

Dressed in stained, ragged clothes, dozens upon dozens of commoners walked together, their bodies shockingly thin. Their skin clung tightly to their protruding bones, stretched so taut it seemed as if there were muscles left beneath to separate them. The nobles' tax had obviously pushed them to their limits, being now a step away from dying of hunger, yet they were cheerfully chatting and laughing together.

At the center was a caravan that carried elderly folks and children packed closely together, smiles beaming on their faces. Some of those people waved large pieces of parchment bearing bold black letters.

Curious, Seth snuck closer without making a sound, and slowly the ink became clear enough for him to read the message: 'Let's go Seth! Beat him!'

What the hell? Seth thought, his eyebrows drawing together just as he began overhearing a conversation between a father and his kid at the back of the crowd.

"Dad, d'you think he'll win?"

"Of course! Kicking the ass of a stuck-up noble is nothing compared to what he's already done."

"But… isn't there a chance people are exaggerating? Fighting hundreds of arcane beasts? Saving prisoners all by himself? That sounds… like one of Uncle Fredrick's silly stories!"

Seth swallowed hard. How the hell do they know about me?

The father shook his head and chuckled. "No, Cael, I'm sure every bit of it's true."

"How?" the kid exclaimed. "He's just a commoner!"

"Well, sometimes Gaia sends a gift our way when we least expect it," the father answered with a smile. "She put a powerful beast on his Path, and now he can stand up to those arrogant nobles."

The boy's face lit up. "I want a powerful beast!"

"Let's talk about that in a few years." The father laughed, ruffling the youngster's hair. "Just remember, all it takes is one moment, one single instant for your life to change forever."

"I want a dragon!" the boy declared enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling as he ignored his father.

Seth stared at them for long seconds, his chest tightening. Seeing these people rally behind him, the commoner who had thrived against the odds, felt surreal. Never had he thought he'd become someone who people looked up to.

But did he truly deserve such admiration?

He had saved a few lives, sure, but nothing fundamental had changed. The nation was still rotten to its core, commoners were still starving because of those greedy nobles, justice was still dictated by how deep one's pockets were.

Their praise is unwarranted, he thought. Without my father's gift and Nightmare I would have never achieved anything. And, in the end, I've still barely made a dif—

'A dragon, seriously?' Nightmare grumbled from within the twin-teardrops necklace, interrupting Seth's thoughts. 'That kid got rocks in his head. He should wish for a direwolf.'

Seth glanced back at the father and the kid before quietly moving away. 'I thought being called a gift from Gaia would annoy you more.'

'I'd much rather have them thinking I'm a God's gift than knowing I was dumb enough to make a bond with a weak human.'

'Hey! I'm the co-leader of the pack now,' Seth retorted, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 'A little respect, please.'

The direwolf let out a heavy sigh. 'I'm already regretting giving you that title.'

'Too late.'

Stepping off the dirt road, Seth started running again, then plunged his hand into his Endless Pouch to pull out the communication orb Celine had given him before he had left.

Celine: Let me know when you're out of the Rift, greenhorn.

Celine: All five prisoners arrived at the outpost in one piece. Great job! But staying behind for the other girl was reckless. You should have left.

Orwen: Hey, don't listen to her! You did the right thing, kid! The fearless Champions of Chaos don't leave anyone behind! Go get that girl!

Toren: Awesome job, newbie! But be sure to come back alive—I've put a lot of coins on your Saturday's fight! And also a few on you getting out of the Rift. Don't let me down!

Celine: We are waiting for updates. Be safe, greenhorn.

Celine: Hey, it's me again. Things got… a bit more complicated. Your Primalist friend has been telling everyone what happened, and a lot of commoners have been expressing their… frustration. It's reaching a point where the Faertis House is losing some face even if there's no proof that they are involved. To resolve the issue, they put a large bounty on your head.

Celine: Don't worry, though. We've made it clear the Champions of Chaos have your back. Oh, and to send a message, we put a counter-bounty of 40 gold coins on anyone foolish enough to target you. That should deter anyone from thinking about it. Also when you see that Primalist tell her to pass by the outpost. I want to give her an escort to protect her.

As he finished reading all the messages, Seth's heart skipped a beat—she didn't mention Selena making it out.

Seth: Hey ma'am, I'm on my way, sorry for not responding for so long. Thanks for everything. Did another captured student named Selena come back yesterday?

Celine: Hey! You're finally out! Oh and stop with the ma'am!

Celine: But no, I didn't hear anything about her. Was she the one you stayed behind to rescue?

Seth: Yes. Because of a distortion field we got separated. She should have come out of the Rift yesterday.

Celine: Maybe she went back to the academy? Let me check with Calvin.

Seth: Could you also see with him if he can find the address of the Primalist who died in the Rift. I'd like to go see his family. His name was Aran.

Celine: Sure! Oh, and also are you okay to fight this—

Orwen: Hey, kid! Hurry back to the headquarters! We're all dying to hear everything that happened!

Orwen: Oh, and about that Selena—don't worry. There's no bounty on her head, so the Faertis probably don't know she's alive.

Seth: Thank you, sir. And I'm on my way.

Seth slid the communication orb back into his pouch and continued to sprint toward Trogan, eyes locked on the distant horizon. They were probably right and Selena was safe. Yet a lingering doubt still gnawed at him.

What if she's not?