As Seth stepped out of the outpost, the cool evening air brushed his skin and carried with it the lingering scents of burning oil and damp stone. The streets of Trogan had begun to quiet, the rush of merchants and adventurers thinning as night took its hold.

Nightmare's voice echoed in Seth's mind, 'You do realize that the reason you broke through faster than any other humans is probably Link, right?'

'Yeah.' Seth exhaled through his nose.

The moment he plunged a hand into his Endless Pouch to put away his gauntlets, a subtle stir of aether prickled against his fingers. He frowned, pulling out Elena's communication orb. A soft glow pulsed within

Elena: Are you alright? You seemed… distant earlier.

Seth ran a thumb over the smooth surface of the crystal orb before infusing aether inside.

Seth: Yeah. I was just thinking.

After a brief pause, he then continued.

Seth: The Champions of Chaos' blacksmith made me a new pair of gauntlets. I'm going to test them in the Trial Tower. I still got my free entry.

The rewards granted to those who were at the top of the tower's ranking at the end of the session tomorrow was what he was aiming for. Odds were, there wouldn't be much for a Primalist like him… but even then, he could earn things that could help, like extra hours in the Epic Training Chamber—or something that would make him stronger quickly for the war. Something that might finally help him hatch Colossus.

Elena's answer came an instant later.

Elena: Want us to come wait for you outside?

Seth froze mid-step, his grip tightening on the orb. He hadn't expected the question. It wasn't like he needed company for this—

'What's wrong?' Nightmare prodded, his amusement spreading through their bond. 'Don't tell me that Legacy thing doesn't want you to mate? Is that why you're suddenly not interested in her?'

Seth scowled. 'Don't be ridiculous.'

The direwolf's laughter rumbled in the back of his mind as Seth focused on the orb once again, quickly writing his response.

Seth: If you want to.

After slipping the orb back into his pouch, he kept walking toward the academy, losing himself once more in his thoughts. He was all too aware of how much time he'd spent turning things over in his head over the past days, but with everything he had just learned, how could he not?

A Legacy was supposed to push him down a certain Path, not dictate every part of his life. Even if Kreytorus—whoever he was—might not have appreciated being around people, that shouldn't make him feel the same.

Well… I hope so, Seth thought with a sigh.

An hour later, the dark stone of the Trial Tower surrounded Seth as he rushed up the staircase with Nightmare by his side. Over the last dozen minutes, they had just slain three Iron-ranked summons—the Inferno Bear that had previously halted their climb, a Lizard Champion, and a Warrior Gnoll—and yet Seth had barely spent twenty percent of his aether, thanks to his coordinated assault with the direwolf.

His newly crafted gauntlets gleamed under the soft glow of the light-lamps lining the chamber the moment they reached the fourteenth floor. Wasting no time, Seth pressed his palm against the glowing orb on the altar near the entrance and immediately dashed forward.

Two more floors to clear and he'd stand at the top of the rankings… just above Elena.

'Do we go all out this time?' the direwolf asked, slipping into Illusionary Emptiness.

'Yeah,' Seth answered while running. 'I'll just hold off on Beastmaster Rage.'

Nightmare growled in satisfaction as a hulking figure materialized on the white cross painted on the floor across the room.

Coarse gray fur covered its muscular body, and its yellow eyes locked onto them with a sharp, predatory gleam. Its long arms almost reached the chamber's floor, the dark claws at their end inches away from the cold stone. Baring its fangs, the beast let out a deep, reverberating snarl and dropped into a low stance at the same time Seth cast Intermediate Identify.

Mountain Howler

 

Potential: Iron Tier

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Rank: 34 (Mid-Iron)

Affinity: Earth

 

Strength: 104

Arcane Power: 62

Toughness: 72

Well Capacity: 60

Agility: 85

Regeneration: 53

An offensive brawler, he thought, pouring aether into Huntbound Rush's grooves as his core stirred in his chest.

Without hesitation, Seth launched himself forward, his aether-charged fist aimed at the beast's head. Reacting instantly, the Mountain Howler crossed its arms, and compacted stones spread from its knuckles to its elbows. Seth's gauntlets crashed into the rocky layer, splinters flying with the impact.

Iron Fists, he thought while stepping back to dodge the beast's pair of quick, retaliatory punches.

Lunging forward again, Seth tried to hit the creature's face, but the howler quickly twisted to the side with agility that belied its size. It then swung its left rock-covered fist in a wide arc, forcing Seth to block the blow. Just as he did, brown aether shimmered to life on top of the Trial Tower's barrier.

Colossus, he thought.

Before Seth could thank the unborn beast, Nightmare—who was also covered by the brown hue—pounced at the Mountain Howler from behind. The direwolf's predatory snarl rippled through the chamber as his fangs sank deep into the summon's muscular back. Black smoke billowed from his maw; the corrosive spell instantly seeped through the skin, eating its way through the Mountain Howler's flesh and causing the creature to roar in pain.

With a quick jerk, the beast flung Nightmare away and turned to Seth. It then slammed its fists together and aether crackled over its body, pulsing with a raw, untamed energy. Its muscles bulged, and a deep, guttural growl rumbled from its throat as red lines appeared on its thick fur—Howler Rage.

Before Seth could react, the creature charged and rammed into him, sending him flying backward and skidding to a stop a few dozen feet away. Nightmare immediately lunged to bite a second time, but the Mountain Howler spun and slammed its fists down. The chamber's floor ruptured in a straight line toward the direwolf, jagged shards surging upward as if a series of volcanoes had just appeared beneath the stone tiles.

Instinctively, Nightmare leapt to the side and cast Chains of Darkness. The spell's shadowy wolf rushed out from his maw toward the Mountain Howler. The large beast tried to dodge, but the darkness' figure veered to hit it, and thorn-covered tendrils coiled around the summon's large body. With a loud roar of pain, the Mountain Howler attempted to free itself before quickly realizing it was a lost cause, its claws going through the illusionary vines.

Seth dashed forward and immediately unleashed a barrage of attacks alongside Nightmare.

At first, their punches and bites landed more than they had before, leaving trails of wounds on their wakes while the creature thrashed in Chains of Darkness's grasp, but quickly it seemed to regain its composure. Its long claws now repeatedly hit Colossus' barrier covering both Seth and Nightmare.

Stepping back, Seth gritted his teeth. This isn't working. It will take too much time to wear it down. We can let this fight drag us down. We need Beastmaster Rage.

Inhaling deeply, he pushed aether into the spell's grooves. The moment energy filled the furrows, raw power surged out of his Well and filled his muscles. The now-familiar red veil dropped over his vision, drowning everything around him with a feral, blood-soaked blur. The frantic pulse in his own veins became a war drum, and the air around him and Nightmare crackled with shared power.

"Let's finish this!"

'Count on me!' the direwolf growled back.

His core burning in his chest, Seth shot forward while Nightmare flanked from the left, dark smoke trailing from his jaws. The Mountain Howler snarled, shaking the ground, its bulging muscles straining against the tendrils of Chains of Darkness. With a guttural roar, it then slammed both fists down, shattering the ground underneath and sending a shockwave of debris across the chamber.

Seth ignored it, bursting through the cloud of dust. His gauntlet-clad fist smashed into the beast's side, sending a burst of dark lightning crackling across its fur on impact. The Mountain Howler growled, barely reacting as the arcs sizzled through its body, and raised its arms up to smash Seth into the floor—but before it could, Nightmare lunged. The direwolf buried his fangs deep into the beast's thigh and black smoke poured out, ravaging everything on its path.

The Mountain Howler bellowed in agony and turned, giving Seth the opportunity to twist his hips and drive another punch straight into the beast's corroded back. This time, the moment the gauntlet connected a sickening crack of ribs echoed through the chamber.

Letting out a deafening roar, the Mountain Howler spun around and lashed out blindly, its claws slicing through the air. Seth raised his gauntlet, and the beast's stone-covered fist rammed into the protective pads. Colossus' brown aether covering it absorbed most of the blow, but the residual force still sent Seth skidding back.

Nightmare took care of the counter and pounced once more, this time striking the Mountain Howler's shoulder. Locking its jaws, the direwolf pulled and used his weight to yank the large beast off balance while Seth lunged back in.

His right fist directly slammed into the beast's gut, then his left one bashed its mouth shut, shattering his jaw. Staggering away, the Mountain Howler tried to lift its rock-clad arm to defend itself, yet before it could, Nightmare jerked his head, and threw it once more off balance, allowing Seth to strike again the beast's unprotected face.

Seth's fists smashed the beast's skull, one, two, three times, jolting its head left and right. Each strike connected with more strength than the last, bones cracking and breaking under the force, until the final punch crashed square into the Howler's flat nose.

For a heartbeat the chamber fell silent—then came a loud thud as the Mountain Howler toppled backward, slamming into the ground. Seizing the occasion, Nightmare pounced at the beast's throat and tore through its flesh. Raising its long, dangling arms, the summon struggled for a few more seconds before disappearing in a cloud of glowing particles.

Catching his breath, Seth raised his head and through the crimson veil still clouding his vision he saw the massive stone door sliding open at the far side of the chamber. "Go!" he shouted, bursting into a sprint. "We can't waste a second of Beastmaster Rage!"

Nightmare, blood and black smoke dripping from his maw, followed after Seth. 'You should use Phantom Punch in the next fight.'

Seth frowned, mid-stride. "It would use most of my remaining aether."

'But it could allow us to finish the fight quickly enough to still be on the rage effect for the floor after that.'

Seth rolled his eyes while rushing up the stairs. "That's if we win the next fight."

Nightmare let a low growl, his confidence surging through Link. 'We will.'

In the end, the direwolf was right: he and Seth made quick work of the fifteenth-floor summon. The Darkwood Doe, a healing caster, had barely finished its first spell before Phantom Punch shattered the beast's spine. Nightmare's immediate follow-up had left it no room to recover.

Within seconds the doe was gone, reduced to fading particles, and Beastmaster Rage still cloaked their vision with its red haze. Without even taking a moment to catch their breath, they climbed to the next floor—they couldn't waste a single second.

Arriving in front of the sixteenth altar, Seth immediately pressed his palm against the glowing orb and burst into a sprint forward. Even if their previous win had guaranteed him the top spot in the ranking, he still wanted to fight the beast of that floor. For the experience. And for the thrill.

While running, he scanned his Well to gauge his remaining aether and noted that only a third was left. Barely enough for one last Phantom Punch, he thought. We'll have to win without it.

Across the chamber, on the white cross painted over the stone floor, the next summon materialized: a colossal figure with glistening green skin, a horizontal head, a large maw filled with rows of jagged teeth and two large, bulging, yellow eyes. Three red fins jutted from its scalp and one of its webbed hands gripped a golden trident.

The stench of salt and blood filled Seth's nostrils, and memories surged through his mind. He then heard the gurgling screams, saw the captives being tortured then slaughtered by the exact same type of weapon. Rage flared inside chest, setting his core ablaze.

Never would he forget the humanoid beast standing in front of him—a Fishlord Lancer.

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