AoP | B2 | Chapter 56: Limits (Patreon)

Seth's eyes widened. Volantis. The name made him jolt, pulling him back to his visit to Asethka with Marcus—the meeting with the Oracle Guild's Earl and the casual mention of his mother's homeland.

Was that why Seth's parents had come to Kastal? Had his father chosen this kingdom not because it was weak, but because it was a puppet of his mother's nation? A poor colony forced to send back all its valuable resources?

Or was that some sort of sanctuary, a place Draeria's soldiers wouldn't follow? Maybe it was the only place Volantis would have allowed his mother to go?

The storm of questions surged through Seth's mind, each one raising three more. Worse, he knew none of the answers were within his reach—at least for now. 

A brief smile flashed on Kaelen's scarred face as the Dark Assassin's voice brought Seth back. "It seems you know that country."

"Yeah," Seth answered before looking away and staring up at the dark ceiling of the cavern.

Kaelen let out a scoff. "I'm guessing from your face that fighting for them instead of Kastal doesn't fill you with patriotic joy either."

"Not really," Seth admitted. "But it's not like it changes anything."

He glanced at the Dark Assassin, and a tense silence settled between them once again. Neither of them would be fighting for a cause they believed in, or for people they felt deserved their sacrifice. For all their differences, in this, they were the same: vulgar pawns.

Would that be the case for everyone I'll face in the Warfare Rifts? Seth wondered. Are they all just trapped, forced to fight by masters they despise?

He thought of people like Elena, who seemed to serve with genuine honor. Odds were they were a dwindling minority.

Seth closed his eyes, letting the frustration surge through him and feed the fire in his chest. This was why he fought—why he pushed his limits every single day. Without taking risks, nothing would ever change. Thousands would die with the same hopelessness that had been filling him back during his time in Sunatown.

Finally, he forced the thoughts aside and grounded himself in the present: in what they had achieved so far and what still needed to be done. He turned his gaze toward Nightmare.

Seth could still see the direwolf's final bite from that previous fight in his mind—the black smoke, darker and more concentrated than ever before. Instead of corroding every piece of the Elemental's body, it had bored inside and focused only on a single point. It was strange, though. The direwolf had somehow made the spell even more potent, even though it was already at Flawless quality. 

A smile touched Seth's lips as he cast Intermediate Identify.

    Nightmare (Tenebrous Direwolf)

    Potential: Silver+ Tier          Rank: 47 (High-Iron)

    Affinity: Darkness 

    Bonded to [Seth]                 [...] 

    Strength: 113                      Arcane Power: 140 (122+18)

    Toughness: 79                    Well Capacity: 69

    Agility: 121                          Regeneration: 71

    Spells: 

    - Illusionary Emptiness [Silver〜Epic (Decent)]

    - Shadow Step [Silver〜Epic (Decent)]

    - Predator Hunt [Silver〜Epic (Crude)]

    - Danger Sense [Silver〜Rare (Standard)]

    - Mantle of Terror [Iron〜Epic (Standard)]

    - Chains of Darkness [Iron〜Epic (Refined)]

    - ??? [???〜??? (???)]

What?

Even though he saw the direwolf had jumped three Ranks, that wasn't what had caught his attention. Shadow Bite was gone.

A series of question marks had replaced the spell. It was as if Nightmare had evolved his spell into something even Intermediate Identify couldn't quite comprehend. 

That's weird, Seth thought. Marcus said that when the spell has no reference in its knowledge base, it just invents a name. So why not this time? Is it because the spell is in a transitional state? Maybe it still needs refinement. Or maybe Identify simply can't process beast-specific evolutions. Hard to say.

Time would tell if a name appeared at some point in the future. If it didn't, Seth would have to ask Professor Reat or Celine for their insight.

'My spell is just too strong for your human magic to understand?' Nightmare said through Link, pride evident.

'I don't think so,' Seth answered. The spell's new strength had definitely played a large part in killing the Ice Elemental… but it wasn't that powerful. 'Try refining it, making the grooves more potent, during our next fights. We'll see if a name appears."

'Easy to say,' Nightmare retorted. 'I don't have something in my chest that tells me exactly what to do with your aether like you do.'

"Oh, come on," Seth shot back. "Your instinct basically does the same."

As the direwolf huffed beside him, Seth glanced down at his hand to cast Intermediate Identify on himself.

     Seth

     Class: Primalist                       Rank: 42 (Mid-Iron)

     Subclass: Beastmaster              

     Core: Feral Instinct    [...]

     Strength: 117 (100+17)          Arcane Power: 113 (91+18+4)

     Toughness: 110 (90+20)      Well Capacity: 81 (66+15)

     Agility: 119 (103+16)            Regeneration: 82 (69+13)

     Spells:

      - Link [???〜??? (???)]

      - Share [???〜??? (???)]

      - Dusk Scythes [Iron / Silver〜Epic+ (Crude)]

      - Phantom Punch [Iron〜Legendary (Exceptional)]

      - Beastmaster Rage [Iron〜Epic+ (Refined)]

      - Night Veil [Iron〜Epic (Standard)]

      - Iron Fists [Iron〜Uncommon (Exceptional)]

                                    [...]

A grim smile crossed his lips. He had finally broken through the frustrating Rank-40 barrier, where he'd been stuck for several days. Considering he was only mid-Iron and had just taken down a Silver-Tier beast, anything less would have been a true injustice—even if the fight had been three on one.

Seth's gaze fell upon his list of spells, pausing on Night Veil. Using the spell hadn't been an option during the fight because of its aether cost. In a distortion field, cut off from his Fine Storing Ring, every drop of aether was precious. Phantom Punch, Beastmaster Rage, and Dusk Scythes were all aether-hungry spells, each consuming a significant portion of his Well; he'd needed them all for direct offense, especially against a high-Toughness beast.

If he had cast Night Veil on top of everything else, he wouldn't have had enough for that final Phantom Punch.

Seth felt a brief pang of disappointment seeing the Undead spell had remained the same quality, even after the empowered cast. But then again, it had only evolved a few days ago. The grooves were still new, with barely any time to adapt and refine themselves.

But even if it had become Flawless, the aether cost would still be an issue, Seth thought with a sigh.

The Undead spell was a devastating finisher against weaker foes, but its massive consumption made it inefficient against tougher opponents who could survive the blow. In a large-scale battle—like the war ahead—it would be even worse. Spending a sixth of his Well just to take out one person wasn't exactly a winning strategy. Unless that target was someone crucial, like a Priest or a leader, it simply wasn't worth it.

Would be nice if there were a lesser version that didn't burn through everything at once, he thought. 

Something that didn't hit like a cannon but burned like a steady flame—a persistent enhancement able to sheath his fists in power for a longer duration, like Iron Fists. If such a spell existed, he could alternate between it and Dusk Scythes, keeping the pressure on its opponent at all times.

However, the odds of finding something like that outside Draeria were slim to none. If Phantom Punch had been locked with a bloodline requirement, any evolutions or similar spells probably would be too. Seth let out a slow breath. It was another dead end.

Just as he pushed the thought aside, he glanced one last time at his own attributes, his eyes scanning the numbers out of habit. 

He froze. 

Something didn't add up. He quickly cast the spell again on Nightmare, checking the direwolf's stats, then immediately looked back at his own. A flicker of disbelief surged in his chest, then hope.

The bonus from Link for my Toughness was 19 just minutes ago, Seth thought with a smile. Now, it's 20. 

The one-point difference meant only one thing: Colossus was alive. And somewhere down in that dark abyss, he was getting stronger.

*****

The fire was hot. Hotter than what Colossus remembered from the thing humans called sun. It washed over his shell, yet Quartz Armor held, the flames parting on both sides of his body like water around a stone.

Colossus ignored the Fire Elemental and focused on the other creature, the windy one. It threw sharp things, invisible blades that screamed in the air. He didn't like those.

With a deep rumble that was more feeling than sound, he cast Chitinous Taunt. Both the creatures of flames and swirling air turned their glowing eyes toward him. Good. That meant the woman was safe.

Your turn, Colossus thought as he saw her move. 

She was so fast—nearly as fast as Big Brother Nightmare.

One moment she was there, the next second she was gone, leaving a flicker of shadow behind. Dark aether swirled around her daggers as she appeared behind the Wind Elemental and drove both blades into its back.

The creature shrieked and looked like it wanted to turn, but Colossus' taunt prevented it from doing so.  Furious, it gathered aether between its palms, yet before it could release the spell, Sandstorm Dome exploded outward from the scorpion.

The swirling barrier met the blast of wind and tore through it with ease. A heartbeat later, Colossus whipped his tails forward, the barbs at their tips glistening with a dark venom. He struck with blinding speed, piercing the bodies of both Elementals.

A dark trail spread through the creatures, sapping their durability. The Fire Elemental's flames dimmed, flickering weakly, while the Wind Elemental's vortex lost some of its fury.

The woman saw the opportunity and dashed forward. The next second, she plunged her dark daggers deep into the Wind Elemental's chest. The creature let out a final hiss before dissipating into the cave, causing its green beaststone to clatter to the ground.

Freed from the taunt, the Fire Elemental turned toward the woman—yet Colossus was already charging forth with a surge of aether. He struck like a falling mountain and tore through a third of the creature's body, which caused the rest of its body to sputter. The woman darted in to follow up and unleashed a flurry of dark slashes that sliced clean through the remaining Elemental.

In only a few seconds, it collapsed into a cloud of glowing embers that faded with the cave's passing breeze.

Colossus lifted his pincers high and clicked them together in triumph. They had done it again—a win without the woman sustaining any injuries. A perfect outcome.

Overjoyed, the scorpion turned toward her, eager to share the moment. He focused, channeling aether through his neck until sound rumbled out of his maw like grinding stone.

“Go-od… fight…” The words came out rough and broken, just like they had the first time, but he hoped she'd understand.

The woman scoffed, swiping a streak of soot from her cheek with the back of her hand. "Yeah," she muttered, not meeting his eyes. She then turned away and began to clean her daggers. "You're making it too easy."

Colossus lowered his pincers, confused. He had helped. He had protected. Why wasn't she as happy as Seth would have been? He didn't understand humans. Especially her.

Before Colossus could try to say anything else, the woman began walking, so he followed. They moved along the riverbank in silence. The pale light from patches of glowing fungi clinging to the rock guided them as the steady roar of rushing water echoed off the cavern's walls.

Colossus stayed close to the woman, every sense on edge. She might not have wanted his protection, but that didn't matter. He was her shield right now whether she liked it or not. He—

A tremor ran through the ground. 

Dust drifted down from above, followed by a rain of pebbles that clattered against the stone. Colossus froze, his eyes scanning the shadows overhead. A loud rumbling groan, seeming like the death cry of some giant, reverberated through the cavern; high above, a stone bridge spanning the cavern gave way.

The entire structure crumbled, and enormous slabs of rock crashed into the raging river below, sending water into towering plumes.

Then came a shadow. 

A single, massive boulder, far larger than any of the rest, fell right ahead of them. It struck the cave floor with an impact that shook the entire cavern, sending both Colossus and the woman tumbling away from it. A cloud of dust rolled over them and blotted out the faint light.

The moment it began to settle, the shape before them moved. Slowly. And deliberately.

It isn't a boulder, Colossus realized.

The thing unfolded, rising to its full, terrifying height. What emerged from the debris was an Earth Elemental—not like any the scorpion had seen before. It was a mountain formed with jagged pieces of granite and crystal. White veins ran through its body and pulsed with each of its movements.

Its two large, glowing eyes locked onto them, and the woman beside Colossus let out a sharp gasp. "Silver… shit."

Colossus felt the terror in her words. Even with that thing's size, he knew it would be faster than them because of its Tier. There was only one thing he could do: buy her time.

His protective instinct flared and burned all traces of fear in his body. He turned his head toward the woman, his mandibles clicking a single word.

“Ruuuunnn…”

He didn't wait to see if she complied. He was the fortress. And the fortress would meet the mountain head-on. With a defiant hiss, he lowered his head and charged—but then the sound of light and quick footsteps echoed right beside him. He glanced over. The woman was running with him, daggers drawn, face set with a terrified determination. 

She was staying. To fight alongside him.