Chapter 24 · I can... I can pay you! I have crystals! Just let go!

He tried to blast me point-blank with a burst of light. It burned. It felt like my entire existence was being scrubbed with steel wool. But I didn't let go. I dug deeper. I wrapped my shadowy tendrils around his arm, pinning it against the rock.

"Please!" he gasped, his voice losing its arrogance, replaced by a raw, wet terror. "I can... I can pay you! I have crystals! Just let go!"

"I don't want your crystals," I whispered, my voice vibrating against his ear. "I want your experience points."

I gave one final, violent tug. The spike didn't just pull out; it tore. I felt a satisfying rip as I shredded a chunk of his shoulder muscle and a good portion of his mana core.

He collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. He wasn't dead yet, but he was empty. He lay there, panting, his eyes wide and vacant, staring up at the ceiling of the pit.

I slid back toward Lyra, the taste of the Hunter's power still sizzling on my tongue.