Ascension of the Primalist [A Tamer Class, LitRPG]

Purple aether erupted in violent streaks around Morsh's daggers as the shadows at his feet coiled and snapped like a releasing spring. The assassin vanished into a blur of motion that turned the forest into a smear of dark green and violet. Seth's eyes tracked a flicker of steel, but his body lagged behind.

Death closed the distance in a heartbeat.

Seth tried to summon Dusk Scythes, yet the violet blades were already at his throat. Just as the weapons were about to cut, the hazel teardrops of his necklace flashed. Colossus surged out and intercepted Morsh's attack with Quartz Armor.

The assassin barely flinched and adjusted his grip mid-air. In nearly the same motion, he slashed his weapons in a cross-pattern; the enchanted steel tore through the stone armor of the scorpion with almost no resistance.

Large chunks of shattered rock sprayed into the air like shrapnel as the blades bit deep into the chitinous shell beneath. Colossus let out a pained screech, and his tails lashed out in a furious counter.

At almost the same moment, Nightmare burst from his teardrop necklace and pounced, fangs aimed for the assassin's throat. Morsh spun in place, his body bending with impossible fluidity to evade the strike. In a display of fluidity, he slipped beneath Colossus's stabbing stingers and closed on Seth with twin daggers leading the charge.

Dusk Scythes surged along Seth's forearms at last, shimmering with hungry light, yet Morsh's smile only widened. Sensing something amiss, Colossus unleashed Chitinous Taunt. The compelling screech rippled outward with the intent to seize the assassin's focus.

Morsh vanished in a puff of violet smoke before reappearing a dozen feet away, safely within the jagged shadows of a moss-covered boulder.

'No!' Colossus roared through Link, the bond trembling with a surge of frustration as the scorpion realized his spell had been dodged.

Seth lunged after the assassin, boots digging gouges across the forest floor. He caught the subtle drop of Morsh's shoulder—the telltale sign of retreat. The assassin began to slip into invisibility, ready to disappear and cause the entire duration of Dusk Scythes to go to waste.

Shit. Seth's thoughts raced as Morsh's outline began to dissolve.

'As if I'd let him do that.' Nightmare threw back his head and released the deafening howl of Predator Hunt.

The sound tore through the clearing and sank straight into Morsh's ears.

The assassin had finished turning invisible, but the sound tethered him to Nightmare. Through his bond with the direwolf, Seth knew the intruder's exact position and lunged forward, sweeping a shadow blade through seemingly empty air. The strike met solid resistance with a jarring thrum.

Morsh had been forced to block. His cold daggers appeared out of nothingness, having caught the scythes in a shower of sparks.

In the same heartbeat, Nightmare used Shadow Step and appeared directly behind the assassin. He bit down with bone-crushing force, but the blue barrier of a Protecting Belt flared to life and absorbed the attack.

Morsh hissed beneath his hood. A flash of emerald light burst from the bracelet on his wrist, and something shot into the sky. Seth glanced up.

It was an eagle with giant wings spread wide and translucent feathers that shimmered with a venomous green glow. He instinctively triggered Intermediate Identify.