He glanced at Kaelen, who spun his daggers ahead before briefly looking to his right at the massive Molten Titan. The creature had just finished slaughtering the last of the Elementals and was retreating the way it had come, apparently deciding that neither he nor Seth was worth the effort of crossing the chasm to kill.
Seth's gaze returned to Kaelen, and he cast Intermediate Identify.
Seth thought with a brief relief before charging forward while Nightmare disappeared to the side with Illusionary Emptiness. Beastmaster Rage would soon end; they couldn't waste even a second.
Kaelen responded in a heartbeat, lunging forward to meet him. The Dark Assassin moved like a phantom, his motions so fluid and impossibly fast he seemed to glide over the cave's floor. His dagger became a blur of silver as it sliced through the air, aimed for Seth's throat. Though before the blade could find its mark, Seth's Dusk Scythes surged from his gauntlets to meet it with a high-pitched screech.
Seth tried to follow through, to cleave the assassin in half, but Kaelen was already gone, slipping past the strike with ease. Nightmare seized the opening and pounced at the Rogue, his fangs about to dig into flesh—until he realized it was nothing more than an illusion and his jaws snapped shut on empty air. The real Kaelen had already reappeared at the direwolf's side, his dagger flashing as it carved a deep gash in Nightmare's flank.
The direwolf yelped in pain, and a fresh wave of fury propelled Seth forward, pouring aether into Huntbound Rush. '
Seth's shadow blades lashed out and forced Kaelen back. The assassin's eyes widened for a moment. He made no attempt to block, focusing instead on evasion. Seth's core pulsed like a second heart, a frantic drumbeat that guided each of his savage slashes—but he couldn't land a hit. The assassin was like a ghost, weaving through Seth's onslaught with a worrying and frustrating grace.
A wolf of pure shadow surged from the left and successfully hit the Dark assassin before morphing into a mass of thorny vines that coiled around his body. Hindered by the spell, Kaelen dissolved into a cascade of afterimages as Seth lunged forth.
Hindered by the spell, Kaelen couldn't completely evade as Seth spun. The assassin twisted desperately, knowing no Protecting Belt would save him in this distortion field. Seth’s first Dusk Scythe screeched against a frantic dagger parry; the second blade slipped underneath, bypassing the defense.
Metal sheared through leather. The shadow blade carved an inch-deep wound into the Dark Assassin's side before Kaelen threw himself backward, a hiss of pain escaping his clenched teeth.
As Seth charged once again with Nightmare, the blades of shadow extending from his forearms flickered and died. He didn't care. Seth's core pulsed like a raging inferno that fanned the flames within him, and he poured even more aether into Huntbound Rush, pushing his speed to a breaking point.
He launched himself off the cracked ground toward Kaelen. The assassin slashed defensively, but Seth met the attack with the hard stone of Iron Fist. After deflecting the dagger with one hand, he swung the other in a brutal arc aimed directly at the assassin's head.
Kaelen stepped into the blow, dipping under the punch with finesse while also dodging Nightmare's bite. The wind from Seth's fist rustled the man's dark hair as he drove his own dagger toward Seth's exposed side.
Seth twisted, pivoted on his heel to evade the strike, and channeled his momentum into a second punch that slammed into the assassin's abdomen. The force of the blow sent Kaelen flying across the cavern—he landed on his feet, yet immediately dropped to one knee, a pained grunt escaping his lips.
Seth surged forward as the teal aether of Phantom Punch already coalesced around his arm, using most of his remaining aether.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Nightmare joined the attack and lunged from the right. The assassin dodged the direwolf's snapping fangs, only to meet Seth's oncoming fist. Just as victory seemed within grasp, Kaelen's form dissolved into shadow, and he reappeared in a whisper of displaced air behind Seth.
Seth spun and raised his Iron Fists in a cross-guard just as three empowered slashes rained down. Sparks flew as the daggers gouged deep lines into the enchanted stone, the force driving Seth back a step.
Seth thought, his mind racing.
Dark-purple aether flared around Kaelen as two spectral hands materialized over his own before coating the daggers they held. The blades' edge shimmered with lethal energy.
Almost at the same moment, Beastmaster Rage bled out of Seth's system, bringing with it a large portion of his Toughness.
The Dark Assassin's eyes narrowed, seemingly sensing the drop in Seth's attributes. With a smirk, the young man then charged, and their weapons met—Kaelen's aether-coated dagger slamming into Seth's Iron Fists with a deafening . The stone cracked and blackened under the blow. Seth winced. The force of the blow jarred him to the bone; his gauntlets held, but just barely.
Nightmare tried to intervene, casting Chains of Darkness once more, but the spell struck the illusion that Kaelen had just left behind. Furious, the direwolf used Predator Hunt, and the howl rippled through the cave before plunging into the assassin's ears.
Nightmare growled.
At the same instant, Seth used Shadow Step to appear at Kaelen's side and drove his fist into the assassin's chest. He felt ribs crack under the impact, and the man was sent rolling more than a dozen yards across the stone floor. Immediately, Nightmare seized the opening and lunged.
But just as the direwolf was about to bite his leg to cripple him, Kaelen twisted his body, moving in a way that defied geometry. His frame seemed to turn to liquid shadow when he pivoted on the ball of one foot, his upper body flowing like water around the direwolf's bite. The impossible sidestep caused Nightmare's fangs—which dripped with the corrosive smoke of Shadow Bite—to snap inches from the assassin's hips. In the same fluid motion, Kaelen's arm snaked around the direwolf's neck in a tight clamp, and the still-sharp point of his dagger pressed against the soft flesh just behind Nightmare's ear.
The Dark Assassin looked at Seth. "Stop, or he dies."
Seth immediately froze, more than a dozen yards away, and his hands slowly rose. He then judged the distance.
Just as he began to move forward, the assassin's cold voice made him halt. "One more step and you'll regret it."
The assassin held the struggling direwolf in an iron grip, his blade pricking just enough to draw a few dark beads of blood to drip down from Nightmare's black fur. "I know you want to give him a shadow to escape into."
Seth's jaws clenched. The assassin's skill was undeniable. His strikes had the cold precision of someone who had been raised to kill. It was clear that before Seth could close the distance, Kaelen would drive his dagger through Nightmare's neck.
"What do you want?" Seth asked.
"I heard the fall. It isn't just rock; there's a river down there. That scorpion of yours may still be alive," the assassin answered. Yet Seth could feel something coiling behind the calm fa?ade. "My sister's odds aren't as great, but there's still a chance for her too. I know you can talk to your beast. Tell him to find her and protect her if she's alive." The dagger at Nightmare's neck advanced an inch deeper. "In return, I won't kill your direwolf."
Seth clenched his fists. "And what makes you think I won't kill you the moment you free him?"
"Because of the distortion field," Kaelen retorted. "If you force my hand, I will fight until my last breath. I might not kill you, but I severely injure one of you before I go down. And without working spell-scrolls or potions to heal you, the aftermath will be ugly."
The Dark Assassin's eyes bored into Seth’s. "If your wolf is dragging a severed tendon, or if you're bleeding out from a wound, how long will it take until you can search the lower caverns? You’ll lose hours. Maybe days."
Seth stiffened. He wanted to deny it, but Kaelen was right. The assassin's speed was absolute. Even if they won, the cost would be catastrophic. Without the ability to heal, any single deep wound would bring their search to a halt.
And Seth was in no condition to gamble. Beastmaster Rage was on cooldown for the next twelve hours, and currently the skill’s crippling backlash was leaving him exposed. If they forced a fight, the odds were guaranteed: he or Nightmare would be injured.
The direwolf, still fighting against Kaelen's hold, let out a low, vibrating growl.
' Seth's mental voice cut through Link like a bladethe direwolf's stubborn pride had no place to be in such a moment. ''
Without waiting for an answer, Seth then turned to the Dark Assassin. "You have my word. My scorpion will protect her."
Kaelen looked at him for a moment, then gave him a single and sharp nod before releasing Nightmare. The direwolf's muscles immediately coiled to lunge, and a vengeful growl rumbled in his chest—until Seth's hard glare rooted him in place.
"I don't care about your words," the assassin answered. "If we find them and he hasn't protected her, I'll make sure to drag at least one of you into the afterlife with me."
Ignoring the threat, Seth shut his eyes and extended his consciousness through Link, searching for the familiar presence of Colossus. He pushed his senses outward, casting a desperate net into the black abyss, but met nothing but a hollow void. Still, he still tried to reach for the scorpion. ''
A long, crushing silence answered for him.
"Can you reach him?" Kaelen asked, his voice tight.
Seth considered lying, feeding the assassin a scrap of false hope to buy time, yet the half-concealed pain in the young man's eyes stopped him. "No," he finally admitted. "He's too far away."
Kaelen's expression remained unreadable, but Seth saw his shoulders slump for a brief instant. "Your scorpion… it better not attack her."
Seth thought of Colossus and his protective nature. "No. He won't."
The Dark Assassin gave another curt nod. His gaze then moved to the wreckage and the shattered bodies of the Elementals on the other side. A visible shudder ran through him as he drew in a slow breath.
"Let's go," Kaelen said, turning away. "We need to find a way down there."
Seth fell into step behind him, motioning for Nightmare—who still bristled with barely contained bloodlust—to come.
Seth's gaze lingered on the back of the empire's fighter as they moved. For a heartbeat, every primal instinct screamed to strike, to finish him. But his concerns about Colossus held him back. For now, Seth and the Dark Assassin would be allies, bound by a desperate hope.
The truth was obvious though: the moment they found their partners, this fragile pact would shatter.
Only one of them would be leaving the Rift.
(NOT UPDATED):
------
Thank you so much for reading!
------
21 24!! advanced chapters on !