Long lay sprawled on the bed, his muscular body now trembling slightly under the heat from Lia's palms pressed against his skin like tiny brands of fire, causing every muscle fiber on his back to twitch instinctively.
"Mmm, gently please... ugh... um."
He gritted his teeth, his hands clutching the bedsheets so tight the fabric crumpled. Long's face was flushed crimson, his breath coming out hot and ragged, sweat beading on his temples and trickling down his neck. This skin-on-skin contact, combined with the wet, ticklish sensation repeating over and over, sent an electric current running down his spine.
"Stop it... hic! Don't lick there anymore..."
Long hurriedly used his strong arm to block the small head trying to burrow into him. He exhaled sharply, trying to affect a serious tone to drown out the embarrassment rising all the way to his ears:
"Stop it, that's completely unscientific, miss!" He raised his voice, though his eyes still dared not look straight at the spirit girl's blood-stained lips. "You think licking a wound makes it heal faster? Saliva is full of bacteria!"
Lia looked up, her large, round violet eyes blinking innocently, her lips trembling slightly as she spoke in a tearful voice.
"I'm sorry, my bite must have hurt a lot."
Long didn't answer with words immediately. He slowly raised his thumb, gently placing it on her trembling lips. He rubbed lightly, wiping away the streak of fresh red blood still lingering there, his gaze boring into her teary violet eyes.
"I'm not in pain," Long said softly, his voice low and vibrant. "So, for what reason do you desire the position of Spirit Queen so much? Just to revive the Mother Tree?"
Lia lowered her head, her small fingers clutching Long's pants until her knuckles turned white. A long silence stretched, leaving only the sound of wind whistling through the door gap.
"I want to save my mother..." Her voice was as fragile as a cicada's wing, dyed with a deep, abyssal sadness. "Mother was imprisoned for violating the great law of the ancestors... and I am the proof of that disgrace."
Lia hesitated, her shoulders trembling slightly as she uttered the secret:
"I am a hybrid... between a human and a spirit."
Lia's small shoulders shook violently, she tried to sink her gaze deeper, avoiding reality like an abused habit ingrained in her marrow. The feeling of fear and cold from the dark past was like thick black tentacles, slowly invading, suffocating the little girl's heart.
Just as Long reached out, Lia instinctively shrank back, her eyes squeezed shut, waiting for a beating or a cruel dismissal. However, what touched the top of her head was not roughness, but a gentle, soothing caress, carrying intense warmth.
"You've been through a lot of hardships, it must have been very sad and scary, right?" Long's voice was low, gentle like ocean waves soothing the shore. "I understand. I will help you get the crystal."
As if mesmerized by the strange warmth, Lia slowly opened her eyes wide, looking up. In a moment of dizziness, the image of the teenager in front of her suddenly blurred, replaced by a great, towering silhouette. A muscular man with white hair flying in the wind, clad in brilliant golden armor radiating the aura of a conqueror of all things.
"Alex..."
The name had just escaped her trembling lips when reality came crashing back. The majestic figure vanished, leaving only Long there.
...
Standing before the pulsating violet light of the gate, Long's figure now loomed like a small tower. He wore his grandfather's thick coat—the only thing wide enough to encase his muscular shoulder frame at this moment. Behind that coarse fabric, patches of pitch-black snake skin from the giant python had been cleverly inserted, hissing softly every time he moved, creating a layer of durable and cold soft armor.
A motorcycle helmet completely covered his face, the light from the dungeon gate reflecting on the dark visor. His right hand gripped the spear shaft, a long wooden pole fitted with a steel blade sharpened to the point it seemed capable of slicing the air in half. On his left arm, a shield crafted from a piece of the snake's skull was firmly attached, gray bone veins surrounding a flash lamp, ready to burn the retinas of freakish monsters accustomed to living in darkness.
Lia stood beside him. She was clad in lighter gear: a rough leather belt carrying pouches of sharp steel nails, her hand gripping a nail gun reinforced with a spring, ready to embed sharp nails into monster heads. The flashlight on her shoulder vibrated slightly with her rapid breathing.
Long let go, allowing the mountain bike to tilt toward him. He cracked his neck, the sound of joints popping echoing in the quiet space. The violet light from the dungeon gate reflected on the visor of his helmet.
He clenched his fist, then decisively lifted the bike as if it were weightless. A decisive nod of signal.
"Let's go."
Without a second of hesitation, both charged straight into the twisting violet halo. The darkness of the old basement was left behind, replaced by the screaming of wind and the coldness of a place not meant for humans.
...
Just recovering from the nausea, a whoosh tore through the air straight toward Lia, who was still clutching her stomach and feeling faint. Without a second of hesitation, Long swung his left arm hard, the skull shield blocking the arrow's trajectory. A dry clack rang out, the steel arrow bouncing off, shattering into pieces under the terrible impact pressure of the shield.
Long looked up, his pupils now constricted, glowing with a magical emerald green. With eyes capable of penetrating even the dense darkness of the deep ocean, the gloomy darkness of this dungeon was nothing. Immediately, the gaunt silhouette of a Goblin holding a bow hiding behind a distant rock appeared clearly.
Gripping the wooden spear shaft, Long stomped hard on the ground. Boom! The ground seemed to shake under the terrifying explosive power. He dashed with wind-tearing speed, strong air buffeting the motorcycle helmet. The shield on his left arm was constantly raised, swatting away arrows frantically rushing in like annoying dust motes.
The distance between him and that hideous creature narrowed in just a few breaths. Long rotated his shoulder, putting all his weight on his pivot leg, the spear in his hand whistling, preparing for a piercing thrust. In a state of high concentration, everything around suddenly slowed down like a slow-motion film. He could clearly see every yellow-stained tooth gap, every drop of filthy saliva dripping from the corner of the Goblin's mouth.
And then, Long's pupils contracted. He saw it... smile. A twisted, triumphant smile.
"ABOVE YOU!"
Lia's desperate scream tore through the thick atmosphere. Long's entire body froze, survival instinct screaming in his brain. He twisted his body, his gaze scanning quickly up to the dark dungeon ceiling.
There, two gaunt black shadows had let go of the sharp rock protrusions at some point. They dove down like two devil bats, the cold steel glint of rusty knives flashing in the air, aiming straight for the crown of the inexperienced teenager's head. These Goblins didn't act on instinct; they knew how to coordinate, knew how to use bait, and they had waited for the moment Long was most vulnerable to deliver a fatal blow.