Chương 55: Chapter 53: Aquamancer

Seth was seated cross-legged by the extinguished campfire as the rising sun crested the horizon, a skewer of roasted fish in his hand and Nightmare lounging on the ground beside him. Minutes earlier he had put out the fire, reducing it to smoldering embers to avoid drawing unwanted attention. Over the past ten days, they had learned that smoke was a beacon to curious Fishlords—especially during daylight, when the protective cover of mist was absent.

The first time they'd been ambushed for that reason, their Well had been barely half full, forcing them to flee. Back then, he had to use Professor Reat's Vanishing Pocket Watch on top of the Nimble Ring. Something that unsettled him a bit was that over all those days, he hadn't seen a single human. Not even one. But that probably meant the Seralp House—and Lucius—had no idea he was here.' How're your channels?' Seth asked, tossing a chunk of fish to Nightmare, who caught it in his maw.

Each Iron beaststone the direwolf had eaten so far had strained his channels for twenty to thirty hours—which was great money-wise since he could consume less of the stones.' They should be fine in another hour or two,' Nightmare answered. Seth glanced at the mound of stones they'd acquired beside him in his bag: fifteen were from Irons and seventy-something from Coppers.' Want us to wait so you can eat one before we start today's hunt?' Nightmare shook his head.'

No, I'll hold off in case we happen to get a stronger one today,'he replied before looking at a column of smoke in the distance.' So … when are we raiding one of those villages?' Seth grimaced.' Facing an Iron and a few Coppers at once is still our limit. Giving that a try right now would be a terrible idea.'' Listen to that thing in your chest. It's begging you to do it.' Rolling his golden eyes, Seth kept eating.

Sure, his core and a large part of him wanted him to fight stronger opponents, crush them, and thrive through challenges, but he still had a brain to bring him back to reality. There was a difference between being courageous and being reckless.' Don't you want to break through?'

Nightmare pressed, his red eyes meeting Seth's.' I bet there will be resources in their vault that could help you. Like that strange water the Fishlord drank yesterday.' Seth hesitated, his brow furrowing as envy bubbled within him. The image of the humanoid creature breaking through instantly after gulping down the glowing blue liquid replayed in his mind. He himself had reached the Copper Tier's cap five days ago, yet his Well showed no hint of nearing a breakthrough despite all the fighting.

Sure, Elena had taken a month and Brandon two, but he'd thought—and hoped—that nearly killing an Iron Fishlord alone would've been enough. An achievement worthy of pushing his Well to ignite again in less than half a year. But it hadn't. Nightmare's tail wagged, seemingly sensing Seth's desire to raid the village.' And there's also the lost girl? Remember?'' Those adventurers were probably right,'Seth answered with a sigh.' She's likely dead. This place isn't forgiving.''

Wow, where did the optimistic Seth that first walked in here go?'' He died with our last Iron Fishlord.' Seth closed his large leather bag and hid among the bushes to avoid fighting with the extra weight. Hopefully, I'll soon become Iron and be able to use my Endless Pouch.

"Alright, let's go." By mid-afternoon, Seth and Nightmare were trudging through the large swamp, quite satisfied with that day's fights so far. They had managed to slay two more Iron Fishlords and a dozen Copper ones. The loot was good, but it further weighed Seth down in his pockets. Nightmare was already invisible and far away, looking for their next targets as Seth harvested the beaststone of the last Copper Fishlord they'd killed.' Seth!

'Nightmare exclaimed, his body tensing in the distance.' There's a human along with a Fishlord.' Seth frowned and extended his senses into Link to see through the direwolf's eyes. What he saw froze him in place: the man was a wretched sight. His hair and beard were nothing more than a tangled mess, snarled with leaves and dirt, and his clothing, that Seth assumed had once been a leather armor and probably a linen shirt, had been reduced to ragged shreds.

The rusty shackles on the man's ankles and wrists clanged as he moved, the chain connecting them held in the hand of the two-finned Fishlord escorting him. It wasn't the appearance of someone who had been captured a few days ago—or even a few weeks. But why would they enslave humans? Seth wondered, hurrying over to join Nightmare, clutching his dagger's handle.' Are there any other Fishlords around?'

'No, but…' Nightmare hesitated, his mental voice tight.

'Danger Sense isn't just tingling. It's poking me. Sharp, insistent stabs. I think this one's stronger than anything we've fought.' Seth gritted his teeth, looking at the prisoner stumbling over some roots.

'We have to give it a try. We can't just leave him to die.'

'We better don't get killed,' the direwolf huffed. As Seth snuck closer to the man and the humanoid beast, he hid behind a rock and unsheathed his dagger. The more he fought as one with his core, the less he was drawn to using his bow. It didn't allow him to be himself. To thrive. It was too safe to fight from a distance. Sure, it was still useful from time to time, but with the decreasing number of arrows, he had to keep them for special opportunities. And this was not one of them.' I'll charge alone first.

You should find a good ambush to stop it from casting Ocean Armor.'' Understood.' Seth activated his Protecting Belt, and thousands of shimmering particles spun around him before condensing into a thin layer of blue aether. Core throbbing in his chest, he left his hideout and charged toward the two-finned Fishlord, channeling Identify as Nightmare stayed invisible and dashed to the side.

Fishlord Aquamancer Potential: Iron Tier Rank: 35 (Low-Iron) Affinity: Water Strength: 54 Arcane Power: 121 Toughness: 41 Well Capacity: 91 Agility: 52 Regeneration: 82' It's an Aquamancer!' Seth exclaimed, pouring aether in Haste's grooves.' And its Arcane Power is through the roof—watch out for Torrent Wave!' The moment it saw him, the Fishlord shoved the prisoner aside and raised its webbed hand.

Aether swirled for a fraction of a second around his limb—faster than Seth anticipated—and a condensed spear of water shot out from his palm like a cannonball. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Seth didn't have time to dodge. He braced himself, trusting his Protecting Belt.

The Water Spear slammed into him, and the sound of explosion boomed through the air. The impact lifted Seth off his feet, obliterating the barrier covering him in a single strike. Seth stumbled back, gasping for air and hand clenching his ribs. Freaking hell. Sneering, the Fishlord flicked its wrist again. Seth threw himself to the left and an heartbeat later, another Water Spear struck the tree behind him, blasting its trunk into an explosion of splinters.

After rising to his feet, Seth barely had the time to cross a few yards when the Fishlord cast the spell once more, forcing him to dodge.' Whenever you want!'' On it!' Nightmare phased out of Illusionary Emptiness and sprang at the Fishlord's unguarded back. His teeth sank into the green skin, which allowed Shadow Bite's black smoke to tear through the Fishlord's flesh. The creature let out a guttural shriek, its bulging eyes widening in pain. Seth also lunged in, his dagger ready to strike.

Yet before the blade could connect, a surge of water erupted from the Aquamancer, catapulting both he and Nightmare through the air like ragdolls.

They crashed and tumbled across the ground, rocks stabbing into Seth's back and sides, and Nightmare yelping as he slammed into a half-submerged tree. Anger contorting its face, the Fishlord lifted his arm skyward and bellowed. Within seconds, the air grew heavy, moisture condensing into a soup-thick fog. Visibility plummeted—Seth strained his eyes but could barely see more than a few feet away.' Nightmare, go back in Illusionary Emptiness!'

As the direwolf complied and vanished, Seth's core ignited and turned into a small storm, releasing waves of its mysterious energy and forcing aether into Haste's grooves. The next second, a low hum echoed from the white void ahead. Seth spun around, trying to pinpoint the sound, but the fog distorted everything. Suddenly, a high-pitched hiss tore through the silence to his left. Too fast! Seth pivoted, his boots slipping on the wet mud, then dove to the side. Pain flared along the side of his head.

He stumbled, touching his temple, his fingers coming away slick with red: the Water Spear had grazed him, slicing the skin. An inch to the right and it would have punched a hole straight through his skull. Gritting his teeth, Seth ignored the blood trickling down his cheek and sprinted toward where the attack had come from as lightning arcs flickered to life on his dagger.

No section on Aquamancer Fishlords in the encyclopedia had ever mentioned a spell creating fog, but it wasn't the case for the Torrent Wave; a spell with a cooldown, like Nightmare's Shadow Step. There was no time to waste. Seth kept running through the fog, his sense on high alert, ears straining for the splash of the Fishlord's footsteps. Another low hum rippled through the air, and he instinctively dashed to the side as another Water Spear flew past him.

The Fishlord's veiled silhouette gradually appeared ahead, turning to flee, but Seth lunged forward, his dagger slicing its back, sending black lightning coursing through its green flesh. The Fishlord roared in pain and swung its razor-sharp claw. Unable to dodge in time, Seth took the blow. The razor-sharp claws raked across his shoulder, shredding his leather armor like paper. He hissed through clenched teeth as the keratin tore through his skin and ripped into the muscle beneath—but that didn't stop him.

Without missing a beat, Seth retaliated with a rapid flurry of slashes, each cutting through the Fishlord's torso. Howling in rage, the humanoid creature began mustering aether around his arm when Nightmare suddenly burst out from Illusionary Emptiness, jaws snapping shut around the creature's limb. Thick black smoke engulfed it, and flesh melted to the bones in a heartbeat. Pouring aether into his arm, Seth buried his dagger into the Fishlord's belly and unleashed another surge of dense, black lightning arcs.

A visceral cry left the hideous creature's throat as its body jerked, writhing under the combined assault of the electrical current and Shadow Bite's corrosive smoke. Blood spurting from its maw, the humanoid creature raised its uninjured arm to aim its palm at Seth, but Nightmare immediately vanished and sprung from its shadow on the other side, biting into its thin bicep.

With a grunt, Seth wretched out his dagger and threw it in the air to reverse his grip, then plunged it hilt-deep into the Fishlord's chest, right where its heart should be. Letting out a strangled gurgle, the creature collapsed to the ground. For a moment, Seth and Nightmare stood still in the dissipating fog, both panting. That was the highest-Rank beast they had slain so far, but thanks to it being a caster with low Agility and Toughness, they'd made it alive. Seth winced, glancing down at his right shoulder.

Three deep gash marks had torn through the leather pauldron, and blood was oozing freely from the jagged wounds, soaking into the fabric of his tunic. He flexed his fingers, grimacing as a sharp bolt of pain shot up his arm. The claw had torn into the muscle, but it hadn't severed anything vital. It was just messy, not fatal.

"I'll need a potion for that, " he muttered. Seth quickly switched his dagger to his left hand and knelt to slice the Fishlord's chest open before yanking out the blue crystal inside. Then, after glancing at the chained man still on the ground in the distance, he pocketed the beaststone and walked over to him.

"Th-thank you," the man muttered with a rasping voice, tears welling in his eyes as Seth approached.

"It's nothing," Seth answered before pointing at the man's shackles.

"Any idea where that Fishlord kept the key—"' Seth!

'Nightmare bellowed through their bond.' We gotta go! There's half a dozen two-finned coming our way!'

"Damnit!" Seth cursed, glancing to his right then at the fresh wound on his shoulder. The next instant, he looked back at the ravaged man and clenched his left hand in frustration. He couldn't fight those things. Certainly not with this injury.

"I'll come back for you! I swear I won't let them kill you!"

"No, please!" the man begged as Seth turned and dashed away.

"Don't go! Don't let them take me… kill me instead! Please, just kill me!" Seth's throat tightened and his stomach knotted, but Nightmare's urgent cries kept him from stopping. A second later, he pushed what little aether he'd regenerated so far into his legs and simultaneously activated his Nimble Ring and Professor Reat's Vanishing Pocket Watch. In a burst of speed that blurred the landscape around him, he bolted away, following Nightmare ahead.

Each thunderous step pounded the ground beneath him, his breaths coming quick and shallow as he tore across the swamp's dry patch. The Fishlords' howls behind gradually turned to distant whispers, and just as the five-minute effect of the ring was about to come to an end, Nightmare spotted the cluster of rocks jutting out like crooked teeth from the ground around their campsite.' Let's hide there for now,' the direwolf said.' Alright,' Seth answered.

He trailed after his partner and slipped into the small space between the rocks and the tree. Almost immediately, he dropped to the ground, his heart pounding against his ribcage. Snatching his bag from the bushes, Seth felt rage flaring his chest. His hands rolled into tight fists, nails digging into his palms until blood seeped out. He could still hear the man's voice imploring to kill him. What had he gone through to be so desperate? Probably hell. And I left him there.'

Stop blaming yourself,'Nightmare said, lying beside him.' It wasn't your fault he was captured.' Seth grimaced and uncorked his last Healing Potion before gulping it down and leaning against the rock behind him.' Yeah, but… he was right there. The key was probably on that Fishlord's body. I could have got—' The direwolf nudged him with his muzzle.' You're not responsible for every human's well-being. And you can't save anyone if you're dead. The group of two-finned Fishlords was closing on us.'' I know.

'Seth sighed, pushing all the aether he regenerated into the Nimble Ring to fill it back.' But this is… different.'' We'll rescue him later. Let's refill our Wells first. And heal your wound.' Seth didn't answer and instead stared at the sunbeam hitting the rock in front of him. He hadn't been able to save the man because he wasn't strong enough. It always seemed to come back to that. Power. As he finished replenishing his ring, pocket watch, and belt, a thought surged in Seth's mind. Elena's orb!

Without wasting a second, Seth reached into his pouch and pulled out the communication orb the noblewoman had given him a little over a week ago. He then infused aether into it, watching the smooth surface intently. But nothing happened. He frowned. Am I doing something wrong… or it simply doesn't work inside Rifts? Either way, there was no light, no vibration, no signal coming from the orb. Not that it would've changed much, he thought bitterly.

Elena's father wouldn't send troops into a Rift for a mere adventurer captured by some humanoid beasts. With a sigh, he slipped the orb back into his pouch and closed his eyes, letting his Well slowly fill up. The hard ground and jagged rock underneath felt surprisingly comfortable. For a moment, he allowed his muscles to relax and his mind to drift. Nightmare would warn him if there was any danger. Just as he teetered on the edge of sleep, something stirred into his chest.

A strange warmth suddenly bloomed inside, as if he was growing a second heart made of pure aether. The feeling swelled outward until it enveloped him completely, radiating through his torso and branching into his limbs. Within his core, a storm seemed to awaken, unleashing torrents of its mysterious energy into his veins, merging with the waves of aether and flooding every fiber of his body. Seth's eyes shot open, and a feeling of profound clarity washed over him.

He could feel everything surprisingly well: his surroundings, the faintest vibrations of aether, and even the intricate network of grooves coursing through his body. His Well, once hazy and distant, now pulsed vividly in his chest, as if a veil had been lifted and had granted him a new level of awareness.

"Did I just...?" he muttered, though the answer was already clear. Seth quickly looked down at his hand and cast Identify. Seth Class: Primalist Rank: 21 (Low-Iron) Subclass: Beastmaster Core: Feral Instinct Strength: 65 (58+7) Arcane Power: 59 (52+7) Toughness: 48 (44+4) Well Capacity: 43 (39+4) Agility: 73 (65+8) Regeneration: 48 (44+4) Spells: - Link [??? 〜??? (???)] - Share [??? 〜??? (???)] - Dark Shocking Strike [Copper〜Rare (Standard)] - Haste [Copper〜Uncommon (Refined)] - Identify [Copper〜Common (Refined)] Seth's eyes went wide. Somehow, he'd obtained a subclass—Beastmaster—which he'd never even heard of, and along with it a new spell through a Revelation. Share.

See author note for the total attributes gained