Ascension of the Primalist [A Tamer Class, LitRPG]

The air in the forest was thick with the scent of pine, sunlight filtering in dappled patterns through the dense canopy. Seth crept silently out from behind the rough trunk of a massive oak, Nightmare invisible by his side. Colossus remained safely inside the teardrop necklace; his stony bulk wasn’t exactly suited for stealthy approaches.

Ahead, in a small clearing, a Thorn-Legged Mantis was cleaning off the blood from its last kill. The beast was an unsettling sight—roughly the size of a grown man, its slender, emerald-green body was a collection of sharp angles and chitinous plates. Its triangular head swiveled constantly on a surprisingly flexible neck, multifaceted eyes glinting with predatory awareness. Two powerful forelimbs, serrated like wicked saws, were held ready, while its other four legs, long and spiny, dug into the ground each time it moved. A faint, almost imperceptible shimmer of aether clung to it, and Nightmare’s Danger Sense tingled noticeably.

It’s at least Mid-Iron, Seth guessed.

'Alright,' he said through Link to the others. 'If it’s Mid-Iron, I’ll let you two take it alone. If it’s High-Iron, I’ll jump in.'

'Perfect. Let’s go, Small Bite!' Nightmare’s eager thought was immediate, and the direwolf blurred forward, a ripple in the undergrowth.

Simultaneously, Colossus sprang from Seth’s necklace, materializing with a thud in the center of the small clearing. The sudden appearance of the massive, three-tailed scorpion startled the Thorn-Legged Mantis, its head snapping toward the new threat, forelimbs rising defensively. Seth, still concealed, instantly cast Intermediate Identify.