Seth, concealed by Illusionary Emptiness, stood on the crest of a large dune, a Detonating Bomb clenched in his hand and his eyes locked onto the two dozen giant Desert Snakes dancing not so far before him. Their colossal bodies glided in and out of the golden sand with a predatory grace, the red crystal encrusted in their head gleaming fiercely under the sunlight. Nightmare's voice rose from inside the teardrop necklace. 'That's a terrible idea.'

Seth couldn't suppress the mischievous grin tugging at his lips. Rearing back his arm, he infused a wisp of aether into the tin orb, and a red '5' flickered to life on its surface. 'Let's see about that.'

Dropping out of invisibility, he cast Intermediate Identify to confirm the Ranks of the three closest ones.

Desert Snake

 

Potential: Iron Tier

Rank: 60 (Peak-Iron)

Affinity: Earth/Poison

 

Strength: 144

Arcane Power: 68

Toughness: 195

Well Capacity: 132

Agility: 85

Regeneration: 129

Desert Snake

 

Potential: Iron Tier

Rank: 60 (Peak-Iron)

Affinity: Earth/Poison

 

Strength: 142

Arcane Power: 67

Toughness: 197

Well Capacity: 128

Agility: 89

Regeneration: 131

Desert Snake

 

Potential: Iron Tier

Rank: 60 (Peak-Iron)

Affinity: Earth/Poison

 

Strength: 126

Arcane Power: 74

Toughness: 215

Well Capacity: 122

Agility: 82

Regeneration: 119

Snapping his arm forward, he hurled the bomb toward the three Peak-Iron serpents slithering close below him. The orb sailed and landed with a muffled thud before erupting in a deafening blast. The explosion rocked the desert, causing the golden sand to billow skyward. The trio of legless reptiles recoiled on themselves, hissing loudly as the rest of their horde whirled around, their large, emerald eyes zeroing in on Seth. As a single unit, the two dozen beasts all surged toward him, a living avalanche of scales and wrath barreling forward.

Wasting no time, Seth spun around and bolted toward the distant Gnolls' stronghold, the serpents' massive forms blasting the dunes of sand in his wake. Deep in his chest, his core flared to life and flooded him with instinct, pushing him to veer sharply to one side as a large Desert Snake sprang from beneath, its mouth snapping shut where he had been a heartbeat before.

"I'm not your meal!" Seth shouted over his shoulder, pushing aether into his Huntbound Rush's grooves.

The moment Seth neared the Gnolls' bastion, its defenses sprang to life and the two arcane cannons perched atop its walls swiveled in his direction. The air around the artillery blurred for an instant, then a loud boom erupted. Anticipating where it would hit, Seth dashed to the left, causing the shell to sear past him and strike one of the Desert Snakes on his tail. The Mid-Iron beast stood no chance, and the impact obliterated half its body in an explosion of flesh and green blood. The other snakes immediately hissed in rage and accelerated.

Seth threaded a deadly dance, weaving around blasts that cratered both the desert and the giant legless reptiles erupting from the sand. Up ahead, the stronghold's always-open gate suddenly began to close. With a smile, he delved into his Endless Pouch and retrieved one more detonating bomb. Estimating the distance with a glance, he set its timer at '7' and flung it toward the entrance.

The ensuing explosion was cataclysmic; it tore through the rusty wall as if it was nothing, sending smoldering debris flying in all directions. Dodging the jagged fragment of metal, Seth charged through the newly carved breach, evading the clubs and axes almost immediately coming his way. The two dozen Desert Snakes, still hot on his trail, followed him inside.

Without slowing, Seth fished out two additional bombs in his pouch and hurled them to the side. Their blast erupted, destroying the base of the crude tower-dwellings lining the street and causing them to collapse behind him. Still in pursuit, the Desert Snakes smashed through the rusty structures, and he watched their colossal tails slam against and reduce adjacent buildings to ruins in a maelstrom of dust and debris.

As Seth broke into the stronghold's central courtyard, he caught sight of Ronard and the Black Hounds discussing something with the large Gnoll Barbarian. With a sly smile, he slipped into Illusionary Emptiness, disappeared, and darted to the side.

"What the—" Ronard started shouting before stopping abruptly, his eyes widening.

The enraged snakes on Seth's heel crashed into the gathering. Before the dust had even settled, they began attacking everything that moved or breathed. Seizing the opportunity, Seth conjured Fog Shroud and caused the spell's veil of thick, dense mist to swiftly blanket the open area. Momentarily bewildered, the Desert Snakes hissed in confusion, lashing out their tails and launching Gnolls into the air like ragdolls.

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Amidst the chaos, Seth whipped out one of Toren's single-use wands from his jacket pocket and aimed at the Rank-60 Gnoll Barbarian, who was locked in combat with a massive serpent. The large hyena-like beast was blocking the reptile's fang with its club, which meant it was caught unaware when Seth snapped his wrist and unleashed a torrent of flames that struck its back in a fiery blast.

The Gnoll Barbarian roared in pain, desperately trying to fend off the colossal snake in front of it. Just as Seth's finger reached the cold ebony of his last wand, aether started pulsing erratically on his skin—the distortion field was back up.

Damn it, he cursed, scanning the battlefield. His gaze landed first on Selena, still chained to the pillar, then shifted to Ronard and the four other Black Hounds who'd accompanied him here. 'We need to take them out if we want her to be able to get away.'

'On it,' Nightmare answered, emerging from the necklace with fierce joy. 'Give me that sweet, sweet Strength and Agility.'

Rolling his eyes, Seth drove aether into Beastmaster Rage's grooves within his Well, and to his surprise, it filled almost instantly. A thin, crimson veil dropped in his vision, and a crackling aura of aether appeared around his body before spreading through Link to cloak Nightmare as well, enhancing both their power and speed.

Sprinting through the fog, the direwolf charged at one of the two Black Hounds' women—a Rank 25 Rogue—currently battling a High-Iron snake alongside three Gnolls. Black smoke dripped from Nightmare's maw as he pounced at her neck. The woman never saw the attack coming; the direwolf's fangs tore through her flesh and opened her throat before she could scream for help. Two of the Gnolls turned toward him and tried to retaliate, swinging their axes, but Nightmare jerked his head, using the woman's body as a gruesome, makeshift shield.

Simultaneously, Seth launched his own ambush from the fog and slammed his fist into the back of another Black Hound member, sending him straight into the gaping maw of a Desert Snake. The creature didn't hesitate and snapped its jaws shut, swallowing the unfortunate man whole. Two down.

"Regroup!" Ronard bellowed, his voice cutting through the mist as his two-handed ax, shimmering with aether, decapitated a Desert Snake.

But before he could rally his men, Nightmare launched another shadowy assault. The direwolf leapt at one of the two remaining members while Seth channeled Phantom Punch into his arm. His eyes locked onto the key dangling from the belt of the Rank-60 Gnoll Barbarian, who was currently grappling with a pair of Peak-Iron Desert Snakes.

Seizing the opportunity, Seth charged in through the fog. As he ducked to dodge a venomous spray from one of the serpents, he snatched up the key and used the opening to strike with all his strength. His fist, sheathed in the massive, spectral arm of Phantom Punch, slammed into the Gnoll Barbarian's back, its spine audibly creaking under the blow. The humanoid beast let out a loud, pained howl and dropped its weapon while staggering forward—right in front of the Desert Snakes.

The two legless reptiles struck without mercy, their fangs tearing through the Gnolls' leader. As they ruthlessly devoured the Gnoll, Seth dashed through the chaotic battlefield in Selena's direction. Around him, Gnolls were flung in the air by High- and Peak-Iron snakes like leaves in a storm, their dying gurgling and cries echoing through the fog. Reaching the red-haired girl, Seth immediately knelt and unlocked the chains binding her tiny wrists and ankles, then handed her the Escape scroll he had stashed in his jacket. "Go! Get out of here. I'll win you some time so you can leave the distortion field."

Selena nodded and took off without a word, running through the fog while clenching her broken ribs. A nearby Gnoll somehow noticed her form through the mist, so Seth sprang forward and punched it away, clearing her path.

Ronard, facing another Desert Serpent, cursed as he parried the beast's fangs. "Fucking get over to me, guys! We need to find a way out!"

"Boss, everyone is—" Before his last man could finish his sentence, Seth materialized like a specter behind him and drove his gauntlet into his side.

The Rank-26 Rogue's Toughness was clearly not enough to withstand Seth's current hundred-and-ten Strength with Beastmaster Rage, and the blow shattered the man's ribs, crushing the liver hiding behind them before sending the man crashing into a massive Desert Snake.

Ronard screamed in rage. "You piece of shit!"

The man charged toward Seth, but before he'd made it within striking range, Nightmare emerged from the leader's shadow, sinking his teeth into his back in a dark, corroding cloud. With a ferocious growl of pain, Ronard flung the direwolf aside and whirled around to face back Seth once again—but no one was there.

"Quit hiding, coward!" Ronard's voice thundered as he swung his ax aimlessly through the dense mist.

Stepping away, Seth focused inwardly, scanning his Well; he had only about fifteen percent aether left after using Beastmaster Rage, Fog Shroud, and Phantom Punch. 'It's time to pull back, Nightmare. Fighting him right now would be stupid.'

'Grab all their Endless Pouches,' Nightmare said through their bond before casting Chains of Darkness.

As shadow wolf struck Ronard and the inky tendrils coiled around his limbs, Seth sprang into action, moving swiftly to collect the pouches from the three dead Black Hounds who hadn't been eaten by the Desert Snakes. On his way back, he spotted a beaststone glimmering beside one of the reptilian corpses amid the chaos—perfect for his gauntlet recipe.

After picking it up and tying the velvet bags to his belt, he lifted his head. His gaze landed on the two prisoners still chained at the far end of the courtyard.

Shit. I forgot about them.

Rushing to them, Seth weaved through the ongoing battles between the Gnolls and the Desert Snakes. The moment he reached the captives, he freed them in a hurry while shooting frequent glances over his shoulder to ensure no one was coming their way. Both young men were covered in bruises and crusted blood, pieces of tattered clothes covering their privates and torsos. In their darkened eyes, Seth could only see a faint glimmer of hope amid the deep fear.

"Follow me," he said, waving them along. Since all his remaining Escape scrolls were in his Endless Pouch, he had no choice but to escort them himself out of the distortion field. Once they were freed, he could give them each a scroll. "I'll get you out."

As the fog thinned around them, they navigated through the ruins, then dashed down the alley leading toward the stronghold's gate. Before leaving the open area, Seth shot one last glare at Ronard.

The man was screaming in pain, still ensnared by Chains of Darkness, his two-handed ax clashing with the fangs of the Desert Snake before him. If ever he made it out alive, the man would sooner or later pay. For everything. And everyone.

His hands tightening into firsts, Seth turned away and led the prisoners through the crumbling fortress. Darting ahead of them, he cleared the path while Nightmare guarded their rear. Whenever a Gnoll spotted them and gave chase, the direwolf tore through it with brutal efficiency.

The moment the giant breach that had replaced the stronghold's gateway came into view ahead, Seth could almost hear a sigh of relief from the two prisoners behind him—their freedom was within reach.

But just as he dared believing they were out of trouble, Seth's instincts flared, and he halted abruptly. A massive club swung into view from behind a rusted shack, whistling inches away from his face before slamming into the ground. The prisoners, blindly driven by what seemed to be hope, pressed forward and ran past him.

"Wait—" Seth began before dodging another club swing. Four Gnolls—the three Copper and one Iron Gnolls—surrounded him.

Still under Beastmaster Rage, Seth easily sidestepped their attacks and unleashed a flurry of punches as Nightmare sprung from the shadow. With seamless teamwork and coordination, he and the direwolf took them out one by one, like two grim reapers. While Nightmare crushed the last one's skull, Seth spared a final glance at the stronghold's interior, where buildings shuddered and collapsed in the distance.

The moment he turned around, a strange and intense exhaustion washed over him. He could feel his muscles all of a sudden losing a big chunk of their strength—and hardness.

Beastmaster Rage's effects ended, Seth concluded, a shiver crawling up his spine at the thought of having just lost nearly half his Toughness.

'Let's go,' he told Nightmare before starting to run toward the two prisoners. 'We need to catch—'

A thunderous bang cut him off and Seth's eyes widened before snapping toward the prisoners in the distance ahead—The arcane cannons!

"Dodge!" he screamed.

But Seth's voice was drowned out by the cannonball's devastating explosion. Time seemed to slow as the shell crashed between two men, unleashing a tremendous burst of aether that sent sand, blood, and limbs flying skyward. Paralyzed by the macabre sight, Seth stood still until Nightmare shouted at him.

'Move!'

The urgent cry—and the ominous sound of another cannon blast—snapped Seth back to reality. His core ignited, instincts taking over as he dove to the side. An explosion erupted just several feet to his left, a thick cloud of golden sand billowing into the air. Scrambling back to his feet, Seth raised his head and his gaze locked onto a distant, darting figure weaving through the desert—Selena.

But just as a sigh of relief was about to escape his lips, a massive Desert Snake slithered into view; its massive form cut through the dunes and headed straight for her.

Shit!

Seth sprang forward, his stomach churning as he darted past the scattered limbs of the two prisoners he'd tried to save. The cannons kept roaring, raining down on him and Nightmare and forcing them to weave through a relentless barrage to reach Selena.

The closer they got to her, the more daunting the Desert Snake on her tail became.

It was a titan, a monster among the sea of golden sand, its scales marred by battle scars, and the crimson jewel atop its head pulsing with a sinister light that outshone even the desert sun. Every part of its monstrous body spelled doom, destruction, and death.

Clenching his jaws, Seth cast Intermediate Identify.

Thick-Scaled Desert Snake

 

Potential: Iron Tier

Rank: 62 (Low-Silver)

Affinity: Earth/Poison

 

Strength: 184

Arcane Power: 118

Toughness: 295

Well Capacity: 152

Agility: 105

Regeneration: 159

Oh, shit—wait, Silver with an Iron potential?!

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