Seth's golden eyes widened as he stared at Nightmare. The pup had talked to him… through his mind.

'I… I can hear you,' Seth thought, delving into the strange connection that stirred and pulsed between them. He could feel Nightmare's excitement and gratitude flooding through the bond they now shared.

'I too!' the direwolf replied, his thoughts a chaotic jumble of emotions surging into Seth's mind.

The pup's voice sounded like a toddler's, yet what Seth heard weren't actual words. Rather, it was the senses and the meaning behind them, conveyed through emotions and desires—as if they were sharing each other's thoughts. Nightmare being a part of him, and him being a part of the pup.

'I'm not sure how to explain it,' Seth said through their bond. 'It's like if we're speaking with our own language through Link.'

Nightmare tilted his head to the side. 'What's Link?'

Seth shared his memory of casting the spell, showing the pup images of what he had seen back then. 'The spell that binds us together.'

Nightmare's response was a surge of joy and eagerness, his emotions bubbling over like an excited child discovering a new game. Seth could feel the direwolf's overwhelming desire to explore the world together—with him. His new friend.

As Seth smiled at the pup, a thought crossed his mind. Could Link even be cast on another human? The spell was tailored for Primalists, and the more he mulled it over, the more obvious it became: it was designed to bond with arcane beasts.

Seth turned to the snake's lifeless body and picked up both severed halves to examine them closely. The emerald scales shimmered softly in the sunlight filtering through the trees' leaves. He could sense remnants of aether that had once coursed through its body gradually fading away.

Green Robber

 

Potential: Copper Tier

Rank: 7 (Mid-Copper)

Affinity: Earth

 

Strength: 4

Arcane Power: 21

Toughness: 16

Well Capacity: 8

Agility: 12

Regeneration: 7

That's some serious Arcane Power and Toughness, Seth thought after he'd read through the attributes. No wonder it was so damn hard to slice through its scales.

He hoisted the snake's body over his shoulder, keeping its head in his hand. He wasn't sure where the beaststone was located and had no intention of staying in the Wicked Forest any longer to find out.

'Let's get out of here,' Seth said, glancing at Nightmare.

As they made their way out, the pup's tongue hung down from his mouth, drool dripping on both sides. His red eyes remained locked on the snake's body swinging on Seth's shoulder, and his nostrils twitched whenever it came close. With a low growl, the small direwolf nudged Seth's leg, his tail wagging and slapping the surrounding bushes.

Seth smiled and ruffled the fur on the pup's head. He could sense the beast's stomach grumbling through their bond. 'Hold on, buddy. Two minutes and I'll give it to you.'

'Eat snake,' the pup answered, licking his chops.

Seth chuckled, pushing a branch aside. 'Two minutes.'

They continued walking, with Nightmare eagerly following behind, trying to snap at the limbless reptile every few seconds. Soon, the tall, sturdy trees began to thin out, and the familiar landscape of the forest Seth had grown up in came into view. Once they reached a clearing near the edge, Seth set the snake down on a tree stump and drew out his hunting knife. He then channeled aether into his arm, wincing as his injured arm throbbed in protest. Gritting his teeth, he carefully cut through the beast's tough scale. After slicing about a foot, he felt the low-aether nausea begin to churn into his stomach, forcing him to halt for a moment before continuing.

Seth then plunged his hand inside the snake's flesh and, with some luck, found the walnut-sized beaststone just beneath where the head had been. Plucking it out, he examined it briefly and turned to Nightmare.

'This is a beaststone,' he explained to the pup, holding the brown crystal out for the pup to see. 'You can have them for now, but I'll need some of them later for coins.'

Nightmare sniffed the stone then gobbled it up just as Seth was about to continue.

'Oh, come on, Nightmare,' Seth groaned. 'I was going to give it to you anyway. You could've waited.'

Through their bond, Seth couldn't feel an ounce of regret—just pure excitement as the pup cracked the crystal in his jaw and released the aether stored inside. The energy flooded through the young direwolf's body, causing his legs to jerk violently for a few seconds just like last time.

Nightmare's head snapped toward Seth, and his red eyes seemed to glow. 'I stronger?'

Seth sighed, filling Identify's grooves. There was no point in being upset over something trivial like that. 'Let's see. Give me a second.'

Nightmare (Tenebrous Direwolf Pup)

 

Potential: Silver Tier

Rank: 3 (Low-Copper)

Affinity: Darkness

 

Bonded to [Seth]

 

Strength: 5

Arcane Power: 7

Toughness: 5

Well Capacity: 2

Agility: 7

Regeneration: 1

Spells:

- Illusionary Emptiness [Silver〜Epic (Crude)]

- Danger Sense [Silver〜Rare (Decent)]

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'Two points in Arcane Power and one point in Agility and Toughness!' Seth exclaimed, doing his best to convey what it meant to the pup through images and emotions. 'That's amazing, Night! You'll become strong in no time.'

'Stronger than brown wolves?' the small direwolf asked, jumping around him eagerly.

'Way stronger,' Seth answered with a smile, as he cast Identify on himself.

Seth

 

Class: Primalist

Rank: 6 (Low-Copper)

Subclass: -

 

Core: Feral Instinct

 

Strength: 12 (+1)

Arcane Power: 5 (+1)

Toughness: 8 (+1)

Well Capacity: 6 (+0)

Agility: 11 (+1)

Regeneration: 10 (+0)

Spells:

- Link [???〜??? (???)]

- Identify [Copper〜Common (Refined)]

- Quick Step [Copper〜Common (Crude)]

Seth grinned, looking at his own attributes. Nightmare was currently giving him one point for each attribute he had five or above. Did that mean the ratio was one for five? Or perhaps one for ten, and they were just rounded up? Well, either way, he wouldn't complain. Giving those beaststones to the direwolf was definitely worth it.

The stronger he gets, the more attributes I gain, Seth thought before pulling out the last beaststone from the Boreal Wolves and holding it out to Nightmare. 'Here's another one.'

To his surprise, the direwolf pup merely sniffed the thing before turning his head away. 'No.'

Having expected him to devour it, Seth frowned. 'What's wrong, buddy?'

'Full,' Nightmare replied, sitting down.

Seth's golden eyes widened as he sensed what Nightmare was feeling through their bond—the pup's aether channels were throbbing and aching as if they were on the verge of breaking apart. Another beaststone would bring nothing good. That was for sure.

'When do you think you'll be able to eat another one?' Seth asked, kneeling down to rub the pup behind the ears.

'When empty,' Nightmare answered, his eyes closing and his tongue lolling a little as he enjoyed the scratch.

I'll figure it out on my own I guess, Seth thought with a sigh before glancing at the sun halfway down before the leaves. 'How about we hunt small prey until sunset?'

Nightmare sprang on his paw and yipped. 'Yes!'

Pleased by the pup's enthusiasm, Seth smiled, then crouched down and led the way. This will be a great opportunity to learn to hunt together, he thought, taking a peek at the small direwolf trailing close behind.

'Keep your senses sharp,' Seth said, creeping forward. 'Don't just rely on your eyes and ears—use your nose too. Any scent could help us track prey.'

Nightmare sniffed the ground, quickly stumbling upon a pile of feces. He recoiled, shaking his head. 'Smells bad.'

Seth suppressed a laugh and kept moving. After a few minutes, a soft rustling of leaves nearby caught his attention. Signaling Nightmare to stay put, he inched toward the sound. As he got closer, he immediately spotted a small cottontail rabbit nibbling on some greenery; its brown fur rippled in the breeze and its short tail trembled.

Seth quietly unsheathed his hunting knife—there was no way he'd waste an arrow on such a small catch. Taking a deep breath, he closed in on the cottontail, using the trees and foliage for cover. Once within striking range, he lunged forward.

But just as his knife was about to reach the rabbit's neck, a sharp pain shot through his injured arm, causing him to miss. Shit!

The tiny cottontail jumped away from the blade in panic and bolted to the right. It bounded over roots and weaved between the trees, racing toward the safety of the distant undergrowth. But just as it was about to escape, Nightmare suddenly pounced out of nowhere, his jaws snapping shut onto the rabbit. The small animal squeaked and jerked, trying to pull itself free, until the direwolf finally crushed its neck.

Seth watched the scene in awe. Even if the pup was an arcane beast, the stealth of his ambush was far more impressive than Seth expected. It was as if Nightmare had been invisible until the very last second. Yet there was no way he could have pulled off something like that without… a spell.

'Hey, buddy,' Seth said as the direwolf approached, the cottontail still locked in his jaws. 'How'd you become so stealthy?'

'Focus,' Nightmare answered, sitting next to Seth and dropping the lifeless rabbit on the opposite side, almost as if he wanted to make sure no one could steal it. 'Then disappear.'

Curious, Seth quickly scanned the pup's Well through Link—fifty percent of the aether was missing. The direwolf only possessed two spells at the moment, Danger Sense and Illusionary Emptiness, and judging by their names, it was likely the latter that had allowed him to vanish. 'How long did you disappear?'

Instead of answering with emotions and words, the pup showed him through their bond the entire scene—from Seth drawing his knife, then slowly creeping through the bushes and circling around to flank the rabbit, right up to the moment the direwolf's maw clamped down on the prey.

So, about four minutes, Seth noted mentally. Not bad for half his Well.

With a sigh, he then shifted his attention to his freshly carved spell, Quick Step. He had completely forgotten to use it earlier. As he examined the grooves, he noticed that some sections were quite rough, especially when compared to Identify. It was as if the one who made them had been unsure where to go—which was kind of true—and certainly explained why it held a Crude quality. His core had somehow helped deepen those grooves, though now it was up to him to refine and polish them.

Closing his eyes, Seth drew aether from his Well and channeled it inside. Focusing on precision, he guided the energy through the network of routes until it plunged into his legs a dozen seconds later.

Unlike before, Seth could feel how the aether stayed inside his muscles and nerves even after he cut the supply. Without wasting a beat, he began counting in his head—almost immediately Nightmare gave him a confused look.

'What you doing?'

'Counting.'

'Why?'

'To know the duration of my spell.'

'Why?'

'To be better prepared.'

'Why?'

'So, we beat the brown wolves.'

'Wh—brown wolves! Are we going back to nice forest!?'

'Let's practice a bit more here first,' Seth answered, trying to not lose his count.

'Okay, practice!' Nightmare jumped around before dashing into the undergrowth. 'Go! Now!'

'Just wait a—' Seth began, but was forced to stop as the aether in his legs vanished. Twenty seconds. That was far longer than he had expected. 'Alright, Nightmare, I'm coming!'

Bursting into a sprint, Seth quickly caught up with the young direwolf.

For the next several hours, they continued hunting together, focusing on building their teamwork. It wasn't long before Nightmare's sensory skills significantly improved; the pup could now almost pick up unusual sounds and track footprints in the mud like a seasoned hunter. More importantly, they learned to move as one, using their bond to communicate seamlessly through words and shared emotions.

Together, they developed several hunting techniques that utilized the direwolf's strengths. One of their favorites, which they named 'flush and pounce', involved moving silently through the underbrush, and once they spotted a small animal, Nightmare would sneak to the opposite side with Illusionary Emptiness to prepare for an ambush. Seth would then flush their prey out by making noise or tossing a rock, driving it straight into the direwolf's waiting jaws.

If that tactic didn't work, they would then switch to 'chase and shoot'. Nightmare would chase after their prey and guide it toward a clearing, or any open area with fewer trees, giving Seth a clear shot to take it down with an arrow.

The evening passed in a blur as they honed their teamwork through small hunts. Yet despite their progress, something kept Seth from being truly pleased: attributes. Neither of them had gained a single one that entire evening. It seemed like arcane beasts and a Primalist were more alike than he had thought. Neither of them could grow stronger in the normal forest.

As they returned to his campsite, Seth gathered twigs and branches to set up a fire for the night.

'Do you remember your pack?' he asked the pup, stacking the larger pieces of wood at the bottom of his firepit and crisscrossing the smaller sticks on top. They were bound for life, so learning more about the direwolf wasn't a bad idea.

'Never pack,' Nightmare mumbled, his voice barely audible in Seth's mind. 'Only mother. But dead.'

'I'm sorry,' Seth said, placing a comforting hand on the pup's head before lighting the fire with the help of dead leaves and two rocks.

He certainly understood the grief and pain of losing a parent, but he couldn't fully relate to Nightmare's situation. Through Link, he could see and feel that the small direwolf had only left his mother's den two days ago and had been hiding ever since. At least when Seth's own mother had passed, he had been old enough to be self-sufficient and fend for himself.

'Become strong. And revenge,' Nightmare added, staring into the crackling flames, red eyes gleaming.

'We will,' Seth promised, sitting down beside the pup and leaning against his shelter.

Tomorrow would be his last day before leaving for the academy's selections, so he couldn't afford to waste it. If he wanted to maximize his chances, they would have to go back into the Wicked Forest.

'Tomorrow, we'll get stronger.'

Seth woke to birds chirping and the warm weight of something on his legs. Groggy, he sat up and rubbed his face to shake off the sleepiness. When his eyes finally opened, he found Nightmare curled up next to him, his large head resting atop Seth's legs.

The pup's eyes were still closed, but his nose twitched as if he were already awake. Seth smiled and gently stroked the direwolf's black fur, marveling at its softness. 'Morning, Nightmare. It's time to go hunting.'

Slowly, Nightmare opened his crimson eyes, blinking a few times before finally shaking his head and getting on his paws.

'Beaststone.'

Taken aback, Seth used their bond to feel the direwolf's aether channels. To his surprise, they were almost back to normal. Judging by the sun's rising rays, it had been a little more than half a day since the direwolf had consumed his last one.

So, one every twelve hours. Or two a day.

He pulled out his last Boreal Wolf's beaststone and tossed it into the air. 'There you go.'

With a swift leap, the pup snapped up the grey crystal mid-air, then let out a soft growl when he bit it down. Almost instantly, his body began twitching and aether surged through his channels, flooding his muscles, bones, and organs.

Seth could feel the pup's excitement as he sat back to eat some leftover meat from the previous night. Once Nightmare stopped shaking, Seth activated Identify.

'Stronger?' the pup asked, his eyes shining with joy.

'One in Strength and one in Well Capacity,' Seth answered, ruffling the direwolf's head. 'Now, let me eat so we can get going.'

But Nightmare clearly had other plans. Ignoring Seth's suggestion, the pup started running circles around him, jumping on him every few seconds. 'Go now! Eat later!'

With a sigh, Seth decided to go, ignoring the growls of his stomach.

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