CHAPTER 97: TO DO WHAT’S NEED TO DO!

"I’ll be the one killing that bastard!"

Lyra snarled, her hands clenched into trembling fists.

"No, I will be the one to do that."

Bryce shot back, teeth bared in a grin that was all malice.

"Ha! You just wish, you pompous shit. I’ll rip his head off with my bare fucking hands!"

The two of them circled the bed like a pair of rabid wolves, each one looking for an opening to lunge.

They were healed now, at least, their bodies were.

Alice’s technique had burned the darkness right out of them in no time flat.

But no amount of healing could scrub the humiliation from their minds.

Their egos were still raw and bleeding.

That stupid goblin, that little nobody, had marked them, humiliated them, broken their composure in front of everyone.

And that, they had decided, was a sin that couldn’t be forgiven.

Even if this whole war ended tomorrow, even if the rest of the goblins were somehow pardoned, that young goblin wouldn’t be spared.

No chance. No way.

Everyone on the team knew it.

The thought that the heroes who had toppled the unbeatable Goblin King had been defeated by a no-name upstart?

What a sick joke.

And they were going to erase that shame, one broken goblin bone at a time.

"How are you gonna rip his head off when you can’t even reach him?"

Bryce mocked, sidestepping just in time as Lyra lunged across the bed, her fingers curled into vicious claws.

She swiped at him like she was trying to peel his face off.

And the worst part was that even if this was all just fun and game, if she actually landed a hit, it was over for him and his health.

"I don’t care how fast he is."

Lyra growled, planting her feet and glaring daggers across the mattress.

"But when I get my hands on him, I will show no mercy."

She crouched low, coiled like a viper about to strike.

Bryce mirrored her, smirking. They both leapt at the same time, only to end up at opposite sides again, perfectly out of reach.

"But how, Lyra?"

He demanded, spreading his arms like he was appealing to some invisible jury.

"How are you gonna catch him when he’s faster than all of us put together?"

That was the real question, the one none of them wanted to say out loud.

They were all in their forties—level-wise, at least—except Celeste, who’d already broken past fifty.

If they wanted to level up now, it wasn’t as easy as picking daisies.

No, they had to fight, had to grind for every last drop of experience.

Meditate for days on end.

Choke down rare pills and herbs that tasted like boiled socks.

But even after all of that...

They’d hit a wall. A plateau that refused to budge.

And the ugly truth was that unless something drastic happened, they’d stay stuck here, watching that smug little goblin dance circles around them.

But what?

That was the maddening question rattling around all their heads like a deranged moth.

No matter how hard they trained, no matter how many bitter elixirs they gagged down, their levels didn’t budge an inch.

"I don’t know, Bryce, but when I get my chance, I’m gonna flick his balls. Just like this."

She let out a wicked little laugh and pretended to leap across the bed again, crouching like she’d spring at any second.

Bryce reacted instantly, throwing one leg across the mattress, ready to counter-lunge—

Only to realize, too late, that she hadn’t moved an inch.

His leg was stuck out wide, the other planted firmly behind him, his whole stance as wide open as an invitation to disaster.

Lyra let out a shrieking cackle, her face bright with triumph as she darted forward.

"Wait! WAIT—let me tell you something! Let me tell you someth—!"

But it was already over.

"I got you now!" she crowed.

Flick!

Her fingers snapped forward with surgical precision—right into Bryce’s vulnerable little peanuts.

"AAARGHH!"

What came out of Bryce’s mouth was not a scream, not a curse, something far more cursed and ungodly.

A wretched, strangled howl so horrifying that not even Alice’s cleansing magic could ever wash it away.

His precious pearls, his priceless heirlooms, had been flicked.

Bryce collapsed face-first into the mattress, hands clutching his violated jewels as he whimpered into the blankets.

Lyra started cackling in a shrill, unhinged pitch, toppling sideways onto the mattress,though she was careful not to let any part of her body actually touch Bryce.

God forbid she chip off any last shred of his dignity.

"Ha ha ha! That’s what you get, you dumb goblin!"

She howled, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.

Bryce just kicked his legs like a mortally wounded maiden, face buried in the blankets, making muffled noises of anguish.

A moment later, the chaos finally ebbed.

Lyra lay sprawled on her back, panting from laughter. Bryce rolled onto his spine, still clutching his violated pearls with both hands.

"You know, I can understand all of us hitting a bottleneck, but you..."

He turned his head to look at her.

She didn’t glance back, just kept her eyes fixed on the fabric above them.

"You’re not supposed to be stuck like this. You’re different. You’re half succubus, half vampire."

He pointed a shaky finger at her, his voice rising in exasperation.

"Honey, your bottleneck is supposed to be up around, I don’t know, level two hundred and fifty, not freaking forties! What the hell is this?"

And honestly, it was a fair question.

Bryce had heard all the old stories.

Tales about vampires whose levels had crept past two-fifty, monsters so powerful they were classified as walking calamities.

Thank every benevolent god that those ancient bloodsuckers hadn’t taken an interest in their kingdom.

And the succubi, gods help them, there were succubi so ridiculously overpowered they could slip inside anyone’s dreams, drain their souls to a shriveled husk, and never even lay a finger on them.

Compared to that, Lyra’s plateau made absolutely no sense.

So there had to be something wrong here.

If a being who was an amalgamation of two of the most broken, overpowered races in the world was bottlenecked in the low forties, something was seriously off.

"Why aren’t you leveling up?"

Lyra paused. For a heartbeat, she looked almost embarrassed.

Then she finally turned her head to meet his eyes.

"I have."

"...What?"

Bryce’s eyebrows shot up.

"When did you level up?"

"I leveled up one level. Recently."

She shrugged, trying and failing to look casual about it.

"I don’t know how...but one level is one level."

"Oohh!"

Bryce practically sat up, wincing when he accidentally tugged something sensitive.

"It must have been from the fight! You must have leveled up while we were battling that little bastard!"

His voice was bright with relief.

Even a single level meant her potential was still there, lurking just under the surface.

But Lyra bit her lip, looking away.

No. It wasn’t from the fight at all.

She knew exactly when it happened.

Her mind drifted, completely against her will, to his face.

That stupid, infuriating, adorable goblin’s face, the one she wanted to punch and...

Ugh.

The day he’d massaged her.

The day she’d felt something bloom in her blood, something hot and terrifying and exhilarating.

Her succubus heritage had stirred awake, just for a moment.

And she’d leveled up.

She had craved more of his touch.

’O-of course! Only because of the blood. And nothing more... nothing more at all.’

Her cheeks flushed scarlet.

She didn’t know how or why, but she’d leveled up just from his hands.

And if that happened just from a massage... then what if he went all the—

’No. No, no, no. What am I thinking.’

’But the levels...’

’No! No levels. Shut up.’

Lyra shook her head sharply, as if she could rattle the treacherous thoughts right out of her skull.

No matter how much she—ugh—craved his hands—

Well, she meant she craved the levels, obviously. Obviously.

She could never do that to Bryce.

Beside her, Bryce finally let out a sigh.

"Whatever you did, honey... just keep doing it. Because we have to level up as much as possible before we face that goblin again. Or else..."

He went quiet, his expression darkening. He turned his gaze to hers and took a slow, steadying breath.

"Or else I don’t think we’ll survive next time."

Lyra closed her eyes. She hated that he was right.

What were they going to do when they are fully healed?

They’d be the same as before.

The same pathetic team he’d swatted around like children.

No.

They needed strength. They needed it fast.

She drew in a deep breath.

She knew exactly what she had to do.

She knew where to find the power that was needed for this task.

Her eyes glowed again, but of course, she didn’t feel it, neither Bryce who was looking up the ceiling, thinking deeply.

...

Outside their tent, two people were talking.

"Where were you, Adrian?"

"Oh, just taking a stroll around the forest, looking for that stupid goblin. Why, Celeste? Why do you ask?"