Ascension of the Primalist [A Tamer Class, LitRPG]

Chapter 27: Market Brawl


Seth rose to his feet, tossing the fish bones in his hands aside, and glanced at Nightmare, who lay beside him. He didn't need their bond to know the direwolf was still mad at him—fish was clearly not the meal the wolf had dreamt of after starving in the cave for several days.

Once they had confirmed the Inferno Bear was no longer nearby, finding food had become their top priority. And between roaming the woods for an hour to locate a prey or sending a Shocking Strike into the river and scooping up dead fish, the choice had been simple.

'Ready to go?' Seth asked, scanning their surroundings

'Yeah,' Nightmare grumbled, standing up and turning away from him.

'Oh, come on,' Seth said with a weary sigh. 'You can hunt on your own to eat something else while I go see Marcus.'

'No, it's fine.'

Seth shook his head and followed the direwolf as he dashed away. Together, they tore through the forest, their agile forms weaving around the large oaks and dense bushes. The wind whipped past them, scattering leaves and twigs in their wake.

Emerging from the forest, Seth moved Nightmare into his necklace and strode toward Sunatown's distant wooden walls. The moment he neared the eastern gate, a strange sense of unease churned in his gut; his eyes darted around in search of Rick, the kid who took himself for a watchman, but he was nowhere in sight.

Something's wrong.

Seth stepped through the gate and was immediately struck by the cacophony of panicked voices. The distant shouts, muffled at first, grew louder and more frantic as he quickened his pace toward their source—the marketplace. A lump rose in his throat. What's causing such chaos?

Meanwhile, Nightmare stirred within the necklace. 'Should I come out?'

'No, not for now,' Seth answered. 'But be ready. I'm not sure what's going on.'

Rounding the last corner, he finally arrived at the town's central fountain—his fingers clenched into tight fists. Three men were standing in front of Renwal's smithy while Sunatown's citizens were cowering in fear around them, averting their gaze. In the middle of the crowd, Mael lay on the ground, blood dripping from his chin and hands clutching his face. Wooden splints still strapped to his injured arms, Renwal was swinging punches at the largest assailant but each blow was effortlessly deflected.

A half a head taller than the blacksmith, the man was at least six feet tall with broad shoulders and a thick brown beard. His modest tunic and brown trousers contrasted with the beautifully crafted sword sheathed at his belt, the sky crystal embedded in its hilt gleaming in the sunlight. His two associates behind were also well-built and armed—one with a woodcutting axe and the other with two daggers—but unlike him, their weapons didn't seem enchanted.

Seth immediately cast Identify on them.

Henrik

 

Class: Merchant

Rank: 8 (Mid-Copper)

Subclass: -

 

Trading Rank: 13/20 (Mid-Copper)

 

Strength: 19

Arcane Power: 11

Toughness: 16

Well Capacity: 7

Agility: 15

Regeneration: 9

Allerand

 

Class: -

Rank: 2

Subclass: -

 

Strength: 5

Arcane Power: -

Toughness: 5

Well Capacity: -

Agility: 4

Regeneration: -

Ferid

 

Class: -

Rank: 2

Subclass: -

 

Strength: 4

Arcane Power: -

Toughness: 5

Well Capacity: -

Agility: 5

Regeneration: -

The large Merchant, Henrik, glanced around nervously. "There's a Wielder among them. Someone Identifi—"

"Seth!" Mael yelled from behind his hands, cutting off the man.

Every head turned in unison toward Seth, following Mael's gaze. All eyes instantly widened in shock, and a ripple of fear and disgust spread among the crowd, causing some citizens to even take a step back.

Stolen novel; please report.

Seth frowned, puzzled by their reaction—until he looked down. His previously pristine leather jacket and trousers were now tattered shreds, stained with both his own blood and the undead's. It made him look like a fierce warrior fresh out from a battle... or a madman who had just butchered a whole town.

Henrik's hand hovered above his sword's handle as his two partners moved closer to him.

"What the hell is going on here?" Seth asked, his voice cold and sharp as the familiar sensation of Identify prickled in his chest.

One of the non-Wielders stepped forward, raising his axe. "That's none of your—"

Henrik slapped his shoulder, interrupting him before clearing his throat. "Well you see, Seth, we were just having a… discussion about trade prices. And things got… a little heated."

Rick, the aspirant watchman, spoke up from behind Renwal, "He's lying, Seth! They've been robbing everyone through force since this morning!"

The man wielding the axe turned whirled toward the youngster. "Shut your mouth, little liar, or I'll—"

Before he could finish, Seth closed the distance in a flash with Haste and drove his first into the man's stomach. The blow crushed his lowest ribs as if they were nothing and sent him flying backward before crashing to the ground a dozen feet away. Clutching his abdomen, the man groaned in pain then threw up violently.

Seth's golden eyes glinted like two deadly blades as he turned to face the Merchant named Henrik. "You got five seconds to give back every single thing you stole."

The other unawakened man, Allerand, gripped his daggers' handles. "Boss, we—"

"Shut up!" Henrik blurted out, cutting his associate short before quickly swinging the bulky bag off his back and upended its contents onto the street. Jewelry, sculptures, and tools fell out, scattering haphazardly across the ground as Henrik's bearded face twisted and tightened, barely concealing his anger. His associate briefly glanced at him before mirroring his actions and emptying his own bag.

"There you go, Sir Seth," Henrik said while the duo slowly backed away toward the third man, who was still retching on all fours. "Everything we… traded for."

"Stole," Seth spat, grabbing Mael's arms and helping him to stand up. "And what about his broken nose? Who'll pay for that?"

"I will." Henrik bit his lips and fumbled with his money pouch before handing over three common coins.

"Are you kidding me?" Seth hissed, anger growing once again. "He's a non-Wielder. That won't even cover half of the Copper healing prism."

'Kill him,' Nightmare said from within the necklace. 'And take all of his money.'

Seth found himself seriously considering the option before answering, 'I can't.'

Henrik grimaced, reached back into his pouch and pulled out a single copper coin, giving it over with a forced smile that fooled absolutely no one. "This should be enough."

Seth took the coin and stared at the duo as they helped their comrade to get on his feet. Sparks of lightning then surged across Seth's forearms, sizzling and crackling. "If I were you, I'd stay away from this town."

Henrik swallowed hard and tossed the last bag of stolen goods at Seth's feet. "Understood."

As the three men scurried away, casting nervous glances over their shoulders, the tension in the marketplace began to dissipate. Seth exhaled deeply, his shoulders slumping back, and turned to Mael and Renwal. "Are you both alright?"

"I'll live," Mael answered, wincing while gingerly touching his broken nose. "Thanks to you, Sir Seth," he added, a grin spreading on his bloodied face.

Seth returned his friend's smile then shrugged. "Apparently I inspire respect."

"No, your fists do," the blond youngster laughed. "We should call you Seth the Cruel Primalist."

"Oh, come on, he stole—" Seth began before pausing abruptly, raising an eyebrow. "Wait… you already know about my class?"

"Yep," Mael answered, looking briefly in Renwal's direction. "He already told everyone. We were just waiting for you to tell us yourself."

Seth's lips tightened together as he pointed at his ragged clothes. "I was going to, but then… a few things happened."

"I can see that," Mael answered, eyeing him from head to toe and grimacing. "Those four weeks must have been brutal—but you could've at least taken a bath."

Seth opened his mouth to retort but then Mael's words hit him. Four weeks.

"What day is it?"

Mael's blond brow furrowed. "The twenty-second of August. Why?"

"Shit," Seth muttered, rubbing his forehead "I'm supposed to be in Trogan tomorrow morning."

Mael's eyes widened. "Trogan? Don't tell me you got…"

"Yep… a month ago."

A huge grin appeared on the youngster's face and dug deep into cheeks. "Hell yeah! That's awesome!"

Seth smiled, then glanced at the crowd who were still watching him and turned to Renwal. "Mind if we go inside?"

"Uh, sure," the blacksmith replied with a faint nod.

Seth and Mael followed him into the forge, where the furnace bathed the room with a warm glow and filled every bit of air with a strong smell of embers. Near the entrance, Renwal and Seth took seats at the large wooden table, which was cluttered with empty bottles of Pure Alcohol and mugs, while Mael headed to the old sink in the back.

Renwal broke the silence first. "Seth, I—I'm sorry for everything I said back then… I was in so much pain."

'He's just being respectful because you're stronger now,' Nightmare hissed inside the black teardrop.

"It's fine," Seth said, brushing off the direwolf's comment as he glanced at the man's wooden splints. Even if it was true, he still felt partly responsible for everything that had happened. "If I hadn't participated in the selections, you wouldn't have given me those arrows... and that bastard wouldn't have broken your arms."

Renwal waved his hand dismissively. "No, no. I—I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You were just trying to help."

"No worries," Seth said, before tossing the copper coin to Mael, who was wiping his bloody face with a rag. "Here—to fix your nose."

His friend caught the coin and examined it briefly before shaking his head. "Thanks, but I'd actually rather buy an awakening stone with it."

"You sure? You won't attract any girls with a crooked nose," Seth said with a smile, already knowing he would be paying for his best friend's awakening anyway.

"I'll do just fine," Mael retorted, rolling his eyes and sitting down.

Seth smiled and stroked his chin theatrically. "How? That face is currently the only thing you've got going for you."

"Oh, go to hell," Mael replied, nudging Seth's shoulder away. "Instead of talking nonsense, tell us what happened to you."

Chuckling, Seth began his tale and gave the duo brief explanations on how he'd ended up trapped in the cave and had to fight undead creatures to get out. Mael's curiosity was instantly piqued, and he started peppering Seth with questions about every aspect of being a Wielder: beast-hunting, using aether, casting spells, gaining attributes—everything.

Seth took the time to answer, recalling his own frustration when Marcus had refused to talk about those things. But as soon as he finished, his friend jumped to different topics, from how he got into the academy, to the number of hot girls he had met in Arthuri. With a sigh, Seth broke down his encounter with Professor Reat and the special selections for Primalists before finally halting Mael's next barrage of questions.

"I'd love to keep chatting, but I need to get going or I'll be late on my very first day," Seth said.

"No worries," Mael answered, flashing a smirk. "Just promise you'll find me a cute and rich girl to marry at the academy!"

"Rich? Since when is that one of your criteria?"

"Since the last tax hike," Mael said, throwing his hands up. "Desperate times, man."

Seth's smile faded as he pressed his lips into a thin line. He knew all too well how bad even a small increase would be for everyone in town; he had been in their shoes two months ago, struggling to make ends meet. It wouldn't take much to tip the fragile balance and push people over the edge. "Are people managing?"

"For now." Mael's mouth twisted to the side. "But the mutual-aid fund's running dry. At this rate, it'll be empty in a couple months."

"I'll make sure to give some coins to Marcus before that happens," Seth replied.

Even though using his earnings to grow stronger was Seth's top priority, he couldn't simply ignore Sunatown's needs. That fund, held by the old Alchemist, had once helped him pay for his mother's pain treatment when she had fallen sick. Now that he could, he knew he had to give back.

"You don't have to," Renwal interjected. "What you did out there was more than enough."

"That was nothing," Seth answered. "By the way, do you both think those guys were sent by the Faertis House?"

The blacksmith shook his head. "No. I've heard other towns got raided by them too."

"But those nobles sure aren't doing shit to protect us," Mael added with a shrug.

"I won't be able to help much while I'm at the academy," Seth answered, rubbing his neck.

Mael clapped his shoulder and winked. "That's fine, word will spread. Every bandit will think twice before coming near the Punch-Throwing Primalist's town."

"Alright," Seth sighed, pushing himself up. "I'll get going, then."

"Have a safe trip," Renwal said with a nod.

Mael stood up and shook his hand. "And don't forget about my girl. "

"Sure," Seth laughed before heading for the door. As he grabbed the handle, he turned to the bald blacksmith. "Oh, and Renwal, I haven't forgotten my promise: I'll bring you the prism and the coins to pay for a Priest when I come back."

Renwal's face brightened for a moment, but that quickly gave way to a fierce expression, anger flashing in his eyes. "Break that noble's arms for me when you see him there."

"Count on it."

With a smirk, Seth left the forge and headed to Marcus' shop, keeping his interactions with the townsfolk on the way as brief as possible. He couldn't waste a minute if he wanted to reach the academy on time, but he also couldn't leave without selling the Domain Flower to the old Alchemist first. Damaging the thing by accident would be catastrophic. With its Epic grade, the flower could probably fetch enough to upgrade his weapons—and maybe even buy a spell or two.

As he arrived and stepped into the old, dusty shop, Seth found Marcus behind the counter, hunched over a large, worn scroll, his fingers tracing its faded lines. Without lifting his gaze, the old Alchemist spoke up: "Well, well, well, look who finally decided to return."

"I'm sorry, Marcus," Seth apologized, sensing the irritation in the Alchemist's tone. "I have a good reason. "

"A good reason for leaving for four weeks without saying a word?" the old man retorted, tossing aside his reading and rubbing his face. "I highly doubt such…" his voice trailed off as he gazed upward and caught sight of the state of Seth's clothing, "...thing exists."

"How about getting trapped in a domain… cave?" Seth tilted his head with his palms up.

Marcus' expression immediately shifted from annoyance to excitement. "Did you happen to find a shimmering flower in there?"

"I sure did!" Seth answered proudly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the sapphire flower, its iridescent, glimmering petals shining in the light. "It's a—"

"An Iron Domain Flower," Marcus interrupted, grabbing a glass jar and opening it. "Put it inside, quickly."

Seth placed the exotic bloom into the container, then leaned against the counter. "From your reaction, I guess it's worth a lot."

"Indeed," Marcus replied as his wrinkled eyes scrutinized the flower from every angle. "But you're not going to sell it to me."

"Why not?"

A crooked smile appeared on the old Alchemist's face as he lifted the jar high above his head to inspect the flower from underneath. "Because it's the main component to craft an Endless Pouch."

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