Ascension of the Primalist [A Tamer Class, LitRPG]

"That's the most ridiculous plan you've ever suggested," Elena whispered as she shook her head. "If my timing is off by even a single second, or if they possess some spell that can shatter the ice, we'll get killed in a matter of seconds."

Seth adjusted his stance, eyes locked on the shimmering blue spirits patrolling the cavern. "You told me yourself that no Silver-tier should be able to get through your spell. As for the timing, I trust you. Worst-case scenario, I'll buy enough time for both of us to trigger our Escape Scrolls and leave this place."

Elena let out a sharp breath. "Fine. But if I die, I'm going to haunt you for the rest of eternity."

"I'd die first, but sure," Seth answered, a small, confident smirk playing on his lips. "Now let's go."

He didn't wait for her to reply before he paused Illusionary Emptiness and lunged out of the tunnel's shadow, boots kicking up crystalline dust as he sprinted toward the center of the ice village.

The reaction was instantaneous. Several Astral Wraiths let out discordant, metallic shrieks, their featureless faces snapping toward him. Almost ten of them detached from their patrols, gliding across the cave like cerulean streaks of lightning as they gave chase.

Seth pivoted on his heel so he could race back toward the narrow entrance of the tunnel, the high-pitched hum of the pursuing Wraiths growing louder behind him.

"Now!" Seth roared upon crossing the threshold.

He felt the sudden, massive surge of Ice aether behind him. The ground groaned as a towering wall of translucent, jagged frost erupted from the floor, sealing the tunnel entrance with a violent thud. Three of the chasing Astral Wraiths had managed to slip through the gap just before the barrier reached the ceiling, effectively cutting them off from the rest of the hive.

Seth smiled. "Perfect!"

Not wasting a second, both teardrops of his necklace flared. Colossus manifested in the cramped space and unleashed a Chitinous Taunt. The compulsion ripple slammed into the three trapped Wraiths and forced them to focus their erratic aetheric blades and lances on the scorpion's shell, now reinforced by Desert Aegis and Quartz Armor.

Almost simultaneously, Nightmare materialized beside Seth, dark, corrosive smoke already dripping from his maw. Seth didn't hesitate, and the shadowy blades of Dusk Scythes appeared as he lunged forward.