Seth stood alone amidst the golden expanse of the Savage Grasslands north of Trogan, the wind tugging at his jacket. Far away on the horizon, the dust cloud behind the Champions of Chaos' caravan was just a fading smudge. The sun hung midway down the sky, painting the endless waves of tall, hardy grass in hues of red and orange. The air smelled earthy—it felt good to be out here, away from the confines of the cave or the academy.

  With several hours of daylight remaining before he needed to go back to his dorm, Seth had asked Orwen to leave him here instead of bringing him all the way back to Trogan. Colossus needed experience and to learn how to fight. This was the perfect opportunity for his first hunt.

  'Finally!' Nightmare materialized beside Seth, shaking out his dark fur, crimson eyes gleaming with anticipation. 'Let’s find a strong prey! Something at least Mid-Iron.'

  "No," Seth retorted before focusing on the hazel teardrop resting against his chest. "We need to find a Copper beast for him to start with."

  Colossus appeared with a soft brown light, his stony carapace contrasting with the golden grass. His three tails twitched as he took in the landscape.

  Nightmare scoffed, circling the newly hatched scorpion. 'I can’t watch him fight a Copper beast. That’ll be incredibly boring. Think about it, almost all his attributes are in Toughness or Aether Well, so… he’s basically a walking fortress. How’s he going to kill it? Sit on it until it suffocates?'

  Seth pressed his lips together. Nightmare had a point. Colossus’s defense was leagues above other Rank 12s, but it would take him an hour to kill one of them. Yet at the same time, throwing him against a standard Iron beast, even a Low-Iron one, would be reckless. The scorpion lacked combat experience and could get killed if they weren’t careful. Unless…

  An idea formed in Seth's mind. 'Okay, you may be right. Let’s make him face an Iron defensive brawler. Something with high Toughness but low Strength and Arcane Power, so he won’t get killed.'

  'Like what?' Nightmare retorted.

  For a moment, Seth went through all the beasts he knew lived in the Savage Grassland. Four-horned Rhinoceros? No, too much Strength. Giant-claws Ferrets? Probably too much Agility—oh! Ironhide Warthogs! Yeah, those would be perfect.

  "Nightmare," Seth said. "Find us an Ironhide Warthog. A Low-Iron one, preferably."

  The direwolf seemed to perk up at the prospect of hunting something new before vanishing into Illusionary Emptiness. 'On it.'

  They didn't have to wait for long, since this area seemed to be brimming with life. Within about ten minutes, Nightmare called Seth through their bond from a hundred yards away. 'Found one. Rank 23. Alone.'

  Seth nodded and moved forward with Colossus through the tall grass while Nightmare kept an eye on the Ironhide Warthog.

  'Okay, Colossus,' Seth whispered through Link, crouching beside the scorpion. 'That thing is way stronger than you, so I want you to use Desert Aegis and Quartz Armor as soon as the fight starts to minimize the risks. Understood?'

  Colossus swiveled his armored head, his multifaceted eyes looking at Seth. He then gave a distinct mental nod. 'Okay.'

  'And listen,' Seth added, 'if things turn bad and you're in danger, don't worry. I'll pull you back into the necklace immediately.'

  'No.'

  The refusal was instant. Colossus stepped forward, positioning himself between Seth and the Ironhide Warthog. 'Want to fight. Fight with you. And protect you.'

  A faint smile touched Seth’s lips. 'Alright, let’s fight together, then.'

  Still crouched, Seth drew his combat gauntlets out of his Endless Pouch and slipped them on before tightening the straps. Together with Colossus, he crept forward, the tall grass swaying around them. When he parted a thick row of grass, Seth got his first clear look at their prey.

  The Ironhide Warthog stood grazing placidly, unaware of the imminent ambush. It was aptly named. Roughly the size of a pony, the beast’s body was low-slung and powerfully built, covered not in hair but in thick, plate-like skin that resembled dark, rusted iron. Two curved tusks, stained brown and chipped from use, jutted out from its broad snout. Small, dark eyes scanned the surroundings perpetually while coarse bristles ran down its spine. Even standing still, it radiated stubborn, brutish strength.

  Colossus didn't wait for a signal. The moment they were within about thirty yards, the scorpion surged forward, eight legs churning, which made him move surprisingly quick over the uneven ground. As he charged, stones and glittering crystal jutted out to cover its carapace while the hazel light of Desert Aegis pulsed to life, creating a protective zone that encompassed both him and Seth, who was following close behind. Seizing the occasion, he cast Intermediate Identify.

  The warthog snorted, clearly startled by the sudden appearance of the giant scorpion. Its small eyes locked on the immediate threat, then it lowered its head, pawed the ground, and charged. Colossus met it head-on.

  There was a dull thud as the Warthog’s armored snout slammed into the scorpion’s Quartz Armor. Neither creature gave ground, a stalemate of thirty-nine Strength against forty-five Toughness.

  Nightmare flickered out of Illusionary Emptiness nearby and snuck forward, dark smoke coalescing before him. A wolf formed of roiling shadow, then shot toward the warthog. The Iron beast noticed it and tried to sidestep, but the smoke-wolf slammed into it. Instantly, black tendrils covered in thorns erupted and wrapped themselves around the warthog’s thick legs and torso.

  The beast squealed, hindered by both the intense pain and the drop in its Agility.

  Colossus seized the opening and snapped his giant claws, trying to find a weakness in the warthog’s iron-like hide. He managed to inflict shallow gouges, but the beast’s plating was incredibly resilient.

  The warthog, clearly enraged by the scorpion’s attack as well as Chains of Darkness, thrashed and tried to catapult Colossus away with its tusks. But the scorpion, anchored by his weight, held firm, locking claws onto the beast’s foreleg.

  Seth watched, fists clenched, ready to intervene when needed. He could end this quickly if he had to—Phantom Punch would likely kill the warthog in a single blow.

  Maybe I should use Beastmaster Rage to boost Colossus’s Strength and Agility, he debated inwardly.

  'Don’t,' Nightmare immediately answered, reading Seth’s thoughts. 'Save it for later. When we find a stronger one. Let Small Bite learn.'

  Seth nodded. He needed to give Colossus room to grow, to push his limit. Still, Seth moved closer to flank the warthog just in case and activated Iron Fist, causing the rough stone to appear over his gauntlets and forearms.

  The battle ahead became a grinding stalemate. Colossus, incredibly durable thanks to Quartz Armor and Desert Aegis, stubbornly held onto the Ironhide Warthog. His claws scraped and snapped while his tails occasionally darted forward in probing strikes, testing his opponent’s defenses. The Iron-Tiered beast, slowed and harried by Chains of Darkness, focused its fury on the scorpion, its tusks glancing off the layer of stones with a loud screeching sound every time.

  Nightmare danced around them for a bit before using Shadow Step to appear behind the warthog, delivering quick, harassing bites to its hindquarters to draw its attention, then melted back into Illusionary Emptiness. It helped keep the pressure manageable for Colossus.

  Seth mirrored the direwolf’s approach, using Huntbound Rush to dart in and out, landing solid punches with Iron Fists on the warthog’s flank whenever it overcommitted against Colossus. The strikes thudded against the iron plating, rocking the beast.

  Minutes crawled by and Colossus kept learning, adapting his movements and using his bulk more effectively. But the warthog, despite its wounds, was not giving up. Then, the rocks of Colossus’s Quartz Armor fell off and dropped to the ground, the spell’s duration reached.

  Almost immediately, one of the warthog’s tusks slammed hard into Colossus’s natural carapace, which was thankfully still covered by Desert Aegis. The scorpion hissed and tumbled back, a visible crack appearing on one of his shell’s stone plates.

  Before the scorpion’s opponent could press its advantage, Seth stepped in. He met the beast’s next charge, his Iron-Fists-clad gauntlet crashing against the large tusks with enough force to halt it in its tracks. Simultaneously, Nightmare reappeared directly behind the Iron beast and sank his fangs deep into the tough muscle between its shoulder plates. Black smoke billowed from the direwolf’s maw and ate its way through the tough hide.

  Taking over the fight, Seth blocked the warthog’s next attacks, keeping all the focus on him while Nightmare repeatedly tore off pieces of flesh. Yet just as Seth prepared to throw another series of punches, Colossus surged forward again. His claws clamped onto the warthog’s snout, trying to wrench its head aside in a clear attempt to draw its attention back.

  'I can still fight!' the scorpion exclaimed, ramming into the beast.

  A fierce desire to protect flowed through Link, and Seth couldn’t help but smile. 'Then fight with us!'

  Seth adjusted his footing, letting his own Iron Fists take the brunt of the warthog’s next furious head-swing. The impact was jarring but manageable thanks to the Earth spell and Colossus’ Desert Aegis.

  The deflection gave the scorpion the opening he wanted. Colossus lunged again, his large claws finding a better grip on the warthog’s thick leg, which that time immobilized it. Simultaneously, his three tails lashed out, hitting corroded spots in the iron-like hide.

  Nightmare reappeared from the shadows to strike again. While Seth kept the warthog’s head and tusks occupied, Nightmare focused his attacks on the beast’s already-melting back and neck, Shadow Bite corroding and deepening the gaping wounds.

  The warthog squealed in pain and fury, thrashing wildly, but caught between Seth’s solid defense, Colossus’s relentless grappling, and Nightmare’s vicious harassment, it was quickly losing ground. Seth saw his opening. Parrying another tusk swipe, he stepped in close to deliver two rapid and powerful punches to the side of the Warthog’s head. Bones cracked under the impacts.

  As the beast staggered back, momentarily stunned, Nightmare pounced at its throat. With a violent jerk, the direwolf ripped out a large chunk of flesh. Blood gushed forth and sprayed the golden grass while the Ironhide Warthog collapsed. Its eyes widened, then slowly closed as its massive body turned limp.

  Silence descended, broken only by the whistling wind and the three companions’ panting breaths. Colossus released his grip on the dead warthog, clicking his mandibles in what Seth interpreted as satisfaction through Link. 'I fought… and protected you!'

  Seth dismissed Iron Fists, rubbing his knuckles. 'Yeah, good job, Colossus,' he answered with a pat on the scorpion’s sturdy carapace. 'You did really well.'

  Nightmare sniffed at the warthog’s corpse, then tore it apart to harvest its beaststone before tossing the gem dismissively in front of Colossus.

  Seth’s brows knitted together. "Don’t you think it’s dangerous for him to eat an Iron one?" he asked, speaking aloud so the scorpion couldn’t understand.

  'No,' the direwolf answered, shaking his head. 'He ate one indirectly while in his egg. With his Gold potential, he can certainly handle it.'

  "Umm, okay." Seth turned toward Colossus. 'What do you think, Colo—'

  Before Seth could finish, the scorpion snapped up the brown crystal in his mandibles and crushed it without hesitation. A surge of aether erupted from the shattered beaststone, flooding through Colossus’ body and causing him to tremble violently.

  Seth quickly projected his consciousness through Link while bracing for the worst… but after a few tense seconds, he exhaled in relief. There was some discomfort, and a bit of pain—but the scorpion was managing the sudden influx of aether surprisingly well.

  Once the twitching finally stopped, Seth cast Intermediate Identify.

  "He skipped Rank 14," Seth said, rubbing his neck before facing Nightmare. "Give him a few months and he’ll overtake us."

  'Great,' the direwolf grumbled before turning away.

  Seth glanced up at the sun, which was still a good distance above the horizon. They had a few hours of daylight left.

  'Alright,' Seth said, looking at both Colossus and Nightmare. 'Let's find another one.'

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  Thank you so much for reading!

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