Seth withdrew into Illusionary Emptiness and started feeding aether into Fog Shroud's grooves, all while keeping his eyes on the colossal Fishlord Lancer.

'We can't face him head-on,' Seth said, moving away from the prisoners. 'Especially not with all these Fishlords around.'

A collective murmur rippled through the crowd of enemies, and the three-finned leader lunged forward, thrusting his trident toward where Seth had been seconds before. A blast of water exploded from the weapon's tip and struck the hut beside the prisoners, obliterating the thing and sending jagged pieces of wood flying in every direction.

'I'll make a diversion,' Nightmare said, dropping his invisibility.

A second later, the direwolf pounced at the neck of a one-finned Fishlord, and crushed its throat, killing it on the spot. He then vanished again, leaving the rest of the weaker Fishlords shrieking in panic. Incensed, the Lancer let out a furious roar, his gaze frantically darting from one shadow to another.

Seemingly unable to pinpoint Seth or Nightmare, the large humanoid beast whipped around and took out its rage on the captives. Thrusting his trident forward, it impaled one of them—a dark-haired woman. Her agonized scream tore through the night as the Fishlord raised her in the air and left her hanging from the gleaming prongs.

"P-please…" she croaked through mouthfuls of blood. She gasped and her body wriggled for a brief instant before going limp, dangling from the weapon.

Gritting his teeth, Seth cursed internally and raised his fist in the air, casting Fog Shroud. I can't let all of them die.

The dense gray mist rose and rolled over the village, engulfing everything in its path. Wasting no time, he let his core guide him and dashed toward the Lancer, dark lightning wrapping his dagger. Sensing something amiss, the three-finned Fishlord threw the woman's body aside and attempted to parry but was a second too slow.

Seth's blade connected, slashing its flank, though the attack ended up barely leaving an inch-deep cut. Black lightning arcs then surged across the scaly hide, yet the Fishlord hardly seemed fazed. Snarling, it swung its trident at Seth, who dodged just in time, feeling the rush of wind caused by the weapon.

Copper spells have their limits, he thought, retreating a dozen feet and slipping back into invisibility. Dark Shocking Strike won't be useful here.

A sudden cry rang out, followed by a guttural growl—Nightmare had taken down another one-finned Fishlord. The Lancer violently swiveled its head before spotting the direwolf and charging at him.

'Free the prisoners,' Nightmare urged Seth, pouncing onto another Copper Fishlord nearby.

Seth nodded and took off toward the captives. The moment he passed the dead woman's body, a lump rose in his throat. The metallic smell of blood hung thick in the air, reminding him of his own weakness.

Shaking his head, he kept running and reached the prisoners before pulling out the black key. One by one, he unlocked the shackles of the remaining captives. Just as he reached into his Endless Pouch for Escape scrolls, though, the ground rumbled.

'Seth, look out!'

The Lancer lunged, his massive trident aimed straight for Seth. He instinctively activated his Protecting Belt, and the shimmering layer of aether materialized around him just in time to block the prongs. The impact still launched him through the air, sending him crashing into a hut dozens of feet away. Pain surged through his back, and dark spots danced in his vision field.

Groaning, Seth clambered to his feet while his belt's aether flickered and vanished. Through the haze, he locked eyes with the Lancer, whose lips curled in a vicious snarl, thick saliva dripping from its crooked fangs.

Dread surged in Seth's chest and he immediately melted into the surroundings, disappearing again. But just as he did, the three-finned Fishlord turned yet to another prisoner and skewered the man. Blood-curdling screams pierced through the fog, halting seconds later as the captive drew his last breath.

Rage burst out within Seth, and aether surged violently through Haste, tearing through the grooves like a roaring torrent. His muscles burned with the sudden influx of energy as he exploded forward, his dagger slicing toward the massive Fishlord's torso. Just before his weapon made contact, a protective layer of coral materialized across the Lancer's body and the blade bounced off—it felt like hitting solid stone.

The Fishlord countered with a savage swing of its trident, forcing Seth to dodge before retreating back into the fog.

Meanwhile, Nightmare went in and out of Illusionary Emptiness, tangling with the remaining one- and two-finned Fishlords. But his assaults were gradually meeting growing resistance, the humanoid creatures now coordinating their attacks and defending against the direwolf every time he appeared.

Following his core, Seth weaved through the Lancer's relentless charges, desperately ducking and twisting to evade each deadly strike. We can't win, he realized, the truth hitting like a punch to the gut. That thing is too damn strong—but I can't leave those people behind.

As he ducked beneath another trident thrust, Feral Instinct flared through his body, yet before he could move, the large humanoid creature lashed out with a powerful kick, ramming its foot into Seth's stomach and sending him sprawling a few feet away.

With a loud growl, the Lancer lunged in for the kill, but Nightmare sprung out of its shadow and clamped his jaws onto its large back. Shadow Bite melted its coral armor and dug into its flesh, buying precious seconds. Despite the pain screaming through his body, Seth forced himself up and rushed toward the prisoners again, trying to not look at the two corpses on his way.

Upon reaching them, he quickly plunged his hand into his Endless Pouch when suddenly a voice—resonating not with sound but with aether—thundered across the village's central square.

"Not leaving alive!"

In a flash, the Lancer's trident whistled from the right and impaled the closest prisoner, continuing on its path until it embedded itself into the hut behind. Blood gushed out of the gaping hole in the captive's chest, and he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

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"Piece of shit!" Seth screamed, eyes blazing with fury as he sprinted toward the sole remaining prisoner.

The three-finned Fishlord charged as well, drawing its fang-like dagger and snarling.

Running purely on instinct, Seth stepped into its path, flooding his arm with every ounce of aether he could muster to block the massive creature. But the Fishlord's overwhelming Strength bore down on him like a hammer; each clash with the Lancer's blade and claws sent jarring shocks through Seth's bones, pushing him back and causing his boots to scrape long trenches in the muddy soil.

Behind him, the last prisoner, panic-stricken and trembling, spun around and bolted away, his bare feet slipping with each leg's kick. The three-finned Fishlord let out a guttural roar, its bloodshot eyes flaring with rage as he dashed to the left, wrenched out its trident from the hut, and took aim.

Aether surged around the weapon in an instant, wrapping it in a spectral blue glow. The aura intensified, pulsing with blinding radiance as the Fishlord hurled it. Water erupted around the trident mid-flight, twisting and transforming into a massive projectile aimed directly at the fleeing prisoner.

Seth dashed forward, crossing his daggers in an attempt to deflect the spell. But, as the spell coating the trident hit the blades, it violently pushed his arms to the side, and rammed into his shoulder, sending Seth hurtling.

'Seth!' Nightmare shouted, dashing toward them before being blocked by a pair of the two-finned Fishlords.

Seth crashed into another wooden dwelling, a large circular wound gouged into his shoulder and upper chest. Dazed, he instinctively activated Illusionary Emptiness and his form blurred out. Hand on the deep bleeding wound, he scrambled to his feet and trudged to the side while suppressing a grunt of pain. His eyes bolted toward the distant figure of the fleeing prisoner. He'll need a Escape scroll to get out of the—

Several drops of his blood spattered onto the muddy ground, the Lancer's head snapped toward him.

"No hiding," the large humanoid creature snarled through aether, rushing to pick up its trident.

Seth glanced down at the growing pool of blood by his feet, cursing under his breath. Damn it…

The lancer retrieved its weapon and leapt toward him, forcing him to quickly dive to the side. With an earth-shattering crash, the Fishlord plunged its trident into the ground, sending shards of rocks flying and dirt surging into the air. Seth lowered his head and turned, wincing as debris battered his back and legs.

Standing in the middle of the new crater, the Lancer yanked his trident free. In that momentary lapse of attention, Nightmare pounced out of invisibility and sank his fang into the creature's back again. The three-finned enemy roared in pain, trying to grab the direwolf with his free hand.

Seth looked at them, then at the lifeless bodies of the prisoners. Weeks of relentless hunts, pushing himself and Nightmare to their limits, and in the end only two had made it out alive—assuming the one who fled hadn't been caught and killed yet.

'Let's get out of here,' Seth said as Nightmare also moved into Illusionary Emptiness. 'There's no point in fighting that thing.'

Nightmare prowled around the roaring Lancer. 'We can't. They'll just track us through your blood.'

Seth clenched his jaws, going through all their options, then dug his hand into his Endless bag and pulled out a scroll with a brown-and-red seal. 'Just buy me enough time to get close to that thing.'

'Huh, alright. But try not getting killed.'

The direwolf lunged forward again and bit through the Lancer's corroded back once again. Growling, the Fishlord whirled with his trident, and Nightmare leapt back as Seth dashed in. Sensing something amiss, the massive creature shot a glance over its shoulder, but Seth was already only a few feet away.

"Eat this!" Seth bellowed, crushing the scroll.

In a flash, almost all the remaining aether in his Well vanished, then an explosion of aether surged through his arm, igniting the surrounding air with an explosion of flames. The fire flared outward, transforming into a fierce inferno storm. It engulfed the three-finned Fishlord in its intense heat, scorching its skin and flesh before blasting it away. The tornado of flames quickly expanded and whirled, sweeping over the other Fishlords, setting the nearby huts ablaze and forcing Nightmare to Shadow Step to safety.

'We have to move!' the direwolf shouted through Link as the fire cyclone started fizzling out.

Gritting his teeth through the pain and aether-depleted nausea, Seth nodded and darted away while stealing glances at the chaos behind them: huts consumed by roaring flames crumbled to the ground, one-finned Fishlords, being burned alive, shrieked in agony while the three-finned Fishlord struggled to stand with its trident amidst the debris.

After using Professor Reat's pocket watch to disappear, Seth followed Nightmare out of the village, pressing hard on his wound to stop blood from dripping. The moment they left through the gate, they found a cluster of trees and took cover.

Seth wasted no time and retrieved one of Marcus' Healing Potions. After uncorking the vial, he downed it in one single gulp. The warm, soothing liquid slid down his throat, bringing immediate, but only partial, relief to the pain. He then took off his academy gray jacket and rolled it into a ball to press down onto the large crater on his torso. As minutes passed, the wound began to gradually close, and blood stopped oozing out from underneath.

Seth eyed the small cuts and gashes covering Nightmare's body. 'Need a potion?'

The direwolf shook his head. 'No, I'll be—'

A distant scream sliced through the air, cutting him off and causing both of them to snap their heads to the left. Without wasting a moment, they dropped into Illusionary Emptiness and began moving. Seth, with his wound, trailed slowly behind Nightmare, struggling to keep up because of the pain.

As they advanced, a faint but unmistakable whimpering reached their ears, growing louder with each step. Then, moments later, Seth's golden eyes landed on the horrific sight ahead and a surge of rage erupted within his being.

The escaped prisoner was standing in the center of a dry patch of land, impaled from side to side by a spear. The weapon's tip was buried deep in the ground, keeping the man's body in place as blood spurted from his mouth with each gasp. In the distance, the silhouettes of three Fishlords faded into the swamp, heading back to their village.

Seth and Nightmare crept toward the injured man, remaining hidden until they were next to him. Emerging from Illusionary Emptiness, Seth cursed under his breath. "Fucking hell," he hissed, staring at the spear's shaft sticking through the prisoner's chest.

The man's voice was weak, trembling with pain and despair. "Pl-please... I don't wa-want to die. She's—she's waiting for me…"

Seth fumbled for a Healing Potion, but Nightmare's voice cut him short. 'It's too late, just like with the Seralp Elementalist. The potion won't save him.'

Seth's throat tightened as he clutched the vial. 'I can't just watch another one die.'

Just as he was about to uncork the potion, the prisoner's eyes glazed over, and his head slumped back.

For long minutes, Seth stood there, staring at the lifeless body. All the struggle, all the suffering—killing Fishlords over and over, barely stopping to eat—and in the end, he had saved only one person. One person out of five. And the worst part was that the one who survived was the least deserving of them all. A coward whose selfishness had led to the deaths of the others.

His lack of strength was certainly to blame, but deep down, he also knew who the real culprits were: the Black Hounds.

'Let's get out of here,' Seth said, placing the Healing Potion back in his velvet pouch and taking out an Escape scroll.

'What?' Nightmare exclaimed, facing him. 'What about that Lancer?'

'Going after it won't change anything,' Seth retorted, looking back at the man's corpse and the spear still pinning him upright. 'We can't kill that thing. We should spend the two remaining days to track those Black Hounds.'

Nightmare's crimson eyes widened. 'You want to hunt down and kill humans?'

Memories of the prisoners surged through Seth's mind: their agonized screams, the desperation in their face, the regret lingering in their eyes as they took their final breaths. The Fishlords had treated them like nothing more than disposable playthings, stabbing and cutting them without a shred of mercy. It was ignoble and cruel, but the concept of right and wrong probably didn't exist for creatures like them. But for the Black Hounds it was different—and they had sold the prisoners while knowing exactly what awaited them.

Seth's golden eyes turned cold. 'Like you said. Those bastards aren't humans.'

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