Ascension of the Primalist [A Tamer Class, LitRPG]

Seth, Nightmare, and Colossus became bringers of death in the cavern's gloom. They fell into a deadly rhythm, ambushing every patrol of Earth Elementals that strayed too far from the giant tree and its dozing guardian; in less than half a day, the remains of more than three dozen Elementals lay scattered across the cave's floor.

In no time, groups of three became groups of four, then groups of five, all huddled together, clearly aware of the threat and trying to stay safe. It made no difference. Each time Colossus's new corrosive spell was off cooldown, they struck again. Seth and Nightmare would draw the Elementals' attention and drag them toward the scorpion, who was hiding behind a cluster of rocks or a sharp curve.

The young beast would then surge forward with Scorpion Charge before taunting all of them and unleashing Deathcoil-Venom-imbued attacks to sap their Toughness and Strength. While the Elementals were staggered and weakened, Nightmare and Seth would descend like vengeful spirits and rip through two or three of the golem-like creatures before they could escape from Chitinous Taunt.

At first, the Elementals had fought with stubborn resilience, but soon they tried to flee systematically after the initial clash. Who could blame them? That was pretty much their only chance of survival, even with their terrible Agility. Of course, it was all for naught: Seth and Nightmare effortlessly caught up and slaughtered them every single time.

By the end of the second day, the vast cavern felt eerily empty. Only about twenty Mid- or High-Iron Elementals remained out of the initial hundred, all clustered nervously near the ancient tree and the colossal keeper.

Seth looked at the sleeping beast from the shadows. Does it even care if I kill all the Elementals?

Moments like this made the absence of his bow painfully obvious. With it, he could have picked the Elementals off from afar, dragging them away from the tree and the slumbering mountain next to it. Instead, Seth and his partners were forced to improvise, relying on Nightmare's Chains of Darkness to bait them out.

It was a crude tactic that would have failed against cunning beasts, as the spell inflicted no real damage, but against these mindless constructs, it worked flawlessly. The direwolf would appear just long enough to lash out with thorned shadow vines, then the sharp sting would drive the Elementals into a frenzy and send them chasing blindly after him.

The strategy wasn't without risks. The worst moment came when Nightmare accidentally pulled six at once. But even then, they managed to prevail without resorting to Beastmaster Rage, though the fight had been dangerously close.

The real struggle was the constant drain on Seth's aether. With the distortion field continuing to deny him access to his Fine Storing Ring, he fought with one eye always on his reserves. He hadn't dared to cast Night Veil once; the cost was simply too high. Between Phantom Punch, Dusk Scythes, and the essential Shadow Steps, he had to make the hard choice of sacrificing the concealing spell for attack power.

The last two Elementals of the final group thrashed in front of Colossus as the scorpion fought to hold their attention despite having no aether left to taunt them. Behind, Nightmare ripped through the foes with Shadow Bite while Seth hammered them with regular punches, gritting his teeth in frustration. He kept scanning his Well, waiting, almost praying for it to replenish faster so he could once again summon his shadow blades, which had been off cooldown for an eternity now.

In the end, it was Nightmare who delivered the killing blows, his fangs piercing the Elementals' chest as Seth and Colossus fended off their last, desperate barrage of stone spikes.

The moment the two creatures crumbled into lifeless piles of debris, Seth cast Intermediate Identify on his partners out of habit.