Seth plunged his hand into the cold corpse to retrieve the Rank-41 beaststone and store it in his Endless Pouch. He then turned to find Nightmare pacing impatiently and Colossus tapping a massive pincer on the cavern floor.
Seth cast Intermediate Identify on all three of them, just as he had done after each fight since entering the Cave of Elemental a week ago.
Seth then focused on Nightmare's affinities.
The direwolf's affinity had broken through the Silver Tier a little less than a week ago, and he had already reached the mid-point of that Tier. The aether-rich environment was a paradise for him. It was hard to tell whether his progress came directly from a more profound comprehension and attunement to Darkness, simply from the place itself, or the Tear of Ebony Snakes in Seth's necklace. Either way, the direwolf's spells had improved drastically. The quality of Chains of Darkness, Danger Sense, Illusionary Emptiness, and even Shadow Bite had all increased steadily, fight after fight.
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The last one had now reached a Flawless state, and its effect was absurd even if it was only an Iron-Tiered spell. The Undead Giant lying dead at their feet had suffered its full potency. Each of the direwolf's bites had left horrific, corroded wounds—even through the thing's hundred points of Toughness.
Seth couldn't help but remember how, when they were still Copper, he'd wrongly believed Nightmare's spell qualities couldn't improve. The direwolf didn't just need to fight: he needed the right environment and good challenges to truly progress.
Colossus's growth had been equally impressive. The relentless slashes from the Dark Elementals had forced him to strengthen his defenses, resulting in a twenty-point increase in Toughness within a single week—along with both Quartz Armor and Chitinous Taunt advancing in quality.
Seth's own attributes had also improved quite a lot, but he still felt a pang of jealousy as he reviewed his spells. While Night Veil had improved, the others had remained stagnant, no matter how hard he pushed himself. It was probably tied to his deepening Darkness affinity like Nightmare's.
Pulling out a piece of meat and tearing through it, Seth looked at the distant city of shadow. 'It's strange that their leader hasn't sent any squads after us,' he said. 'We've taken down ten of their mines. That's nearly half their operation.'
'He probably thinks it's not worth the effort,' Nightmare replied, his mental voice carrying a hint of frustration. The last time the direwolf had scouted the city's heart, that drop of pure Darkness still hadn't fallen—which was good, but would still leave a bitter taste once it did. 'His entire focus is probably on claiming that thing and keeping the other Elementals from swarming it.'
'And there's no way we can lure him out before that,' Seth replied.
'Let's keep trying. Even if we fail, we'll still have made plenty of progress here,' the direwolf answered before turning to Colossus. 'Right, Small Bite?'
The scorpion—now nearly four feet tall at the shoulder and stretching almost seven feet from head to the base of his tails—nodded eagerly. 'Yeah! I like to train here!'
Seth sighed and shook his head. 'Why do you let him call you Small Bite when you're practically bigger than he is?'
'He's still taller than me, isn't he?' the scorpion asked, shuffling closer to Nightmare as if comparing their height.
But you're far larger, dummy, Seth thought while stopping himself from facepalming. "You're right," he muttered, before turning to the direwolf.
He could feel some satisfaction through their bond, but beneath it lingered something else. A primal hunger for the drop. The direwolf wanted it. He needed it. But what could they do? Facing hundreds of Elementals at once would be ridiculous, and they also couldn't force the drop to fall before it was ready.
"Alright," Seth said aloud as he pushed himself to his feet. "Let's go for another mine."
His golden eyes locked on a small mining outpost tucked within a rocky alcove half a mile away. If we keep hitting them, the chief will have to come out eventually. Won't he? he thought. Otherwise, they won't get any more of that liquid.
Seth recalled Colossus into the teardrop necklace, then he and Nightmare moved like ghosts through the twilight cavern. The glow of fluorescent mushrooms cast long, wavering shadows that swallowed their forms whole.
Their target was a small operation, guarded by only three Dark Elementals that stood like sentinels around a herd of trembling, Lunar-Hide Moles. The plan was the same as before: strike fast, strike hard, and leave nothing standing.
They had become a perfectly coordinated unit now; caution felt unnecessary. Seth would trust their strength, just as he had done for the past days.
The moment he burst from the shadows, Nightmare vanished into Illusionary Emptiness to flank to the side. Colossus sprang out of the necklace in a thunderous crash of chitin on stone, immediately drawing the attention of the closest Elemental. At the same time, Seth cast Intermediate Identify and activated Huntbound Rush.
Seth charged the second-closest Elemental; he and Nightmare would eliminate the two weakest ones before helping Colossus with the other.
The direwolf dashed forward and pounced on the target at the back of the group. The two Elementals barely had time to react. Nightmare's jaws, wreathed in the devouring energy of Shadow Bite, clamped down on the dark creature's left arm—with a violent jerk, the direwolf ripped off the smoky limb. The Dark Elemental hissed in agony, trying to retaliate with the claws of its other hand, but before it could hit him, Nightmare had already teleported out of the way with his favorite spell.
Seth's own assault was even more decisive. The moment he began to charge Phantom Punch, his opponent, as if taking the bait, dissolved into a streak of darkness to dodge and attack him from behind. Seth easily saw through the move and spun in a flash. The fully formed Undead spell slammed into the creature's chest just as it rematerialized, causing it to explode into wisps of shadow.
As Seth turned to help the direwolf finish his opponent, he glanced at the third Elemental, the one facing Colossus. It gave off an aura that didn't quite match its Rank.
The moment the scorpion's large pincers clamped the creature, it let out a guttural, vibrating hiss. The shadow composing its right arm writhed and collapsed in on itself, then rapidly expanded in a ripple of solid darkness. The limb morphed into a heavy mace, its surface swirling with captured gloom.
The weapon moved down—not with the slicing speed of its claws—but with the unstoppable momentum of an avalanche. It crashed against Colossus's Quartz Armor with a bone-jarring thud. The crystalline and stone shell spiderwebbed with cracks, splintering under the sheer concussive force, and Colossus staggered back. The scorpion's entire body was shuddering from the impact.
'I'm coming,' Seth said, rushing to assist his companion.
They had encountered these aberrations before: Elementals that had consumed a large amount of refined aether and had somehow acquired unique and terrifying weapon-forming abilities. At first they had been a serious threat. Not anymore.
The mace-wielding Elemental completely ignored Seth and Nightmare as they charged, locking its hollow eyes on the scorpion who had dared to challenge it. The creature advanced and swung its crushing weapon in wide, devastating arcs that Colossus tried to deflect with his tails but failed. Seth darted in, Iron Fists glowing under the nearby mushroom's glow, and hammered a series of blows against the Elemental's flank. Yet his attacks seemed not to have an effect; the creature didn't stagger, and its shadowy form merely fluttered under the punches.
The moment the Dark Elemental reared back, its featureless head snapped toward Nightmare, who had just pounced its way. A low, guttural roar rippled from its form before it swung its brutal mace.
Seth darted in to intercept, crossing his gauntlets to meet the strike. The impact rang out like a mournful bell, and a painful shockwave jolted through his arms—the strike drove him down to his knees.
Having recovered, Colossus rejoined the fray and slammed into the Elemental's back to draw its attention once again. The shadow-creature paused, as if it were torn between all the threats. That single moment of hesitation sealed its fate.
Nightmare phased out of Illusionary Emptiness and cast Chains of Darkness. The spell's wolf of pure shadow struck the Elemental, and black tendrils snaked around its legs and torso before digging into its arms. Not giving it any time to breathe, Seth lunged in, and his fist ignited with the teal aether of Phantom Punch.
He then swung it forward, smashing it into the same spot he had been hammering since the beginning of the fight. The Elemental's shadowy body finally fractured, and deep fissures ran through its torso like cracked obsidian. It let out a silent, pained scream, and the shadow constituting it fluttered violently.
As it realized its impending defeat, the creature shattered Chains of Darkness's binding with a violent burst of aether, then immediately dissolved into a streak of pure darkness—it was trying to escape toward the distant city.
Not a chance, Seth thought, using Shadow Step to appear in front of it and block its path.
The moment the creature rematerialized, it skidded to a halt and raised its mace-arm defensively. Its featureless face seemed to hesitate, as if it was calculating its chances of getting past Seth. Then, it decided against it.
In a blur, it pivoted and dashed toward a different tunnel branching off from the main cavern.
'Can it stop trying to flee!' Nightmare growled through Link.
Ignoring the complaint, Seth pushed aether into Huntbound Rush to give pursuit; just as he did, Nightmare let out a howl. It was unlike any sound the direwolf had made before—it resonated with a peal of pure, predatory intent that surged through the cavern and seemed to make the very stones vibrate.
'What are you doing?' Seth sent, taken aback. 'You'll alert—'
He stopped, his senses reeling. The howl wasn't just noise; it was a spell. He felt the soundwave ripple through the air and plunge into the fleeing Elemental. Instantly, a new layer of sensory information flooded Seth's mind through Link: a perfect, real-time map of the creature's position. He could feel the creature's panic, its desperate intent to escape, every twist and turn it made. It was as if a spectral thread had just tied his and Nightmare's minds directly to the Dark Elemental.
'It can't escape now.' Nightmare snarled and shot forward, disappearing into the tunnel to finish this prey.
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21 24!! advanced chapters on !