I gave up and decided to just rent that Alric. At 5.95 DEC per day, it is definitely worth it to unlock better rewards. No more credit rewards for the rest of the season, hopefully. If it is a quest that can allow the use of Alric like the Water Quest or the Snipe/ Sneak/ Neutral quests, then I should be able to reach Silver II.
With an Alric, this lineup wins. With Bortus or one of the other Water Summoners, this will end up losing. So if all it takes to earn more DEC and get better rewards is to sped 5.95 DEC a day, it is definitely worthwhile to rent it.
I got 1 DEC today and a Heatsmith. Not the most exciting rewards but tomorrow brings a chance of better rewards and hopefully I will get some before the end of the season comes.