Ascension of the Primalist [A Tamer Class, LitRPG]

Four weeks.

For four weeks, the image of Renwal’s shattered arm had been fuel for Seth's fire. For four weeks, the face of Lucius had been the target he saw every time he killed a beast. Day by day, the sharp, blinding heat of his rage had turned into a cold resolve that settled in his chest like coals waiting for air—ready to ignite again at any moment.

Hidden in the shadow of an oak tree, Seth watched two Red Foxes circling each other, growling and spitting out sparks whenever one dared to move closer to the glowing berry between them. The yellow and orange fruit shone brightly even in the afternoon light while its vibrant crimson petals sparkled like a fire in the sun. A Redsun Berry.

The two orange-furred beasts had been locked in that little dance for quite some time, and Nightmare, crouched a few bushes away to Seth’s right, was starting to lose his patience.

'If they don't fight in the next five minutes, I'm gonna lose my mind,' he grumbled, digging his claws into the dirt.

'Let's wait four more minutes, then,' Seth answered, unsheathing the long enchanted dagger he had bought from a Wandering Merchant one week prior. 'I don't want to waste our last Healing Potion just because we rushed in.'

Despite gaining a lot of maturity over the past weeks, Nightmare had grown more prone to bouts of impulsivity and recklessness as his Rank had increased. But there was a deeper change occurring beneath the surface. Through Link, they shared a constant stream of senses, emotions, and perceptions. Without realizing it, Seth had transferred some his own humanity to the beast, granting Nightmare a grasp of complex human concepts far beyond what any wild creature should possess.

Still, Seth didn't hold the occasional recklessness against him—even though he was now as large as a full-grown Boreal Wolf, the direwolf was barely an adolescent and had a few months to go before reaching true adulthood.

Suddenly, the foxes leapt into action.

Nightmare sighed. 'Finally.'

The larger of the two foxes lunged at the other, its claws outstretched, aiming for the other’s neck. The smaller reacted swiftly, dodging to the side, and countered by sputtering out a burst of fire that scorched its opponent's fur. The larger fox wasted no time striking back, imbuing its claw with vivid red flames before pouncing again.

'Wait for my signal,' Seth said, spinning the hilt of his dagger in his hand. 'When you're done with yours, come help me.'

'I'll take the bigger one,' Nightmare answered as the foxes continued their battle, each trying to gain the upper hand.

'Taking the winner of their fight would make more sense, but sure,' Seth teased before channeling aether through his Quick Step’s grooves as well as into his enchanted dagger. 'Try not to eat the beaststone this time.'

'It was an accident! I know you need them for—' Nightmare paused abruptly as the foxes began pulling away from each other, both panting heavily.

'Now!' Seth ran out from his cover, shouting to draw all the attention to him while Nightmare vanished to the side. Both foxes spun toward him then took a few steps back, sensing something amiss.

Seth's lips curled up into a smile. They don't see him.

Nightmare pounced at the larger one, phasing out of Illusionary Emptiness before going for a Shadow Bite. His large, sharp fangs dug into the fox's neck, and dark smoke billowed from his maw. The red-furred beast let out a piercing howl as its skin blackened around the bite, flesh melting away in only seconds.

Meanwhile, Seth closed in on the smaller one, swerving to the side to dodge a wild burst of flames from the beast. As red particles began shimmering across the fox's fur, Seth lunged forward and threw a powerful kick that snapped its head back and interrupted its casting of Ember Shield. Grabbing the fox's neck, he then spun the glowing dagger in his hand and quickly drove it twice into the beast's underside before plunging it deep into its neck to end its life.

The moment the limp corpse hit the ground, Nightmare arrived beside him and dropped a small, vivid red crystal at his feet. 'You should’ve Identified them before we sat around waiting that long for such weak prey.'

'I don’t want to take any risk,' Seth answered, harvesting the beaststone of his fox before Identifying both crystals in a heartbeat.