Luckner yanked his belt free from the loops and threw his jeans at the goblin leader’s face. He knew he needed to slow this green shorty down if he wanted a chance to fight off her giant knife. The weapon disadvantaged him. He was also surrounded; the lesser goblins hooted and cackled while gathered half a dozen paces behind him.

A sane person would feel deeply troubled and/or afraid. But the fire in Luckner’s chest was all-consuming. If he were going to feel anything, it would be rage or glee. While surfing the heavy waves generated by those emotions, Luckner plotted his moves to come out on top rather than focus on survival. His fiery half hyped him up in response.

By the time the gobbo leader slashed new rips into his pants and knocked it aside, Luckner circled backward and to his left. Best to maximize his stride and keep the space, because his only weapon at the moment was his belt buckle. The moment she turned to give chase, her knife swiping lightly at the air between him, he whirled the belt.

She got closer.

He whipped the buckle at the side of her face, his fist holding fast to the other end. “Eat it!” he yelled, which she might do. He did not put his hopes on it, though.

Just as he expected, the goblin leader showed more of her nimbleness and ducked under the buckle swing. Since Luckner put his back to a wall, she had him pinned with a clear lane between them. The point of her knife glimmered under the sunset’s dark-orange light as it aimed for his stomach.

Taking a knife to the stomach was the worst possibility, so Luckner made the quick decision to sacrifice his leg instead. He snapped up a front kick as he had seen in karate movies.

He timed it to catch her chin just like he got the female goblin with the inferior razor blade. A trail of blood was drying on the planted leg from getting nicked earlier, and Luckner imagined his current attacking leg would get a worse cut. But it would be well worth it if he knocked the goblin leader’s face into orbit.

The bedazzled-up greenie skipped a few inches to the side. She twisted her torso out of the way of his kick and continued her merry way to his person. By the time Luckner got his leg back down, she had her knife up and poised to slash the side of his torso. It was at that moment a tiny instinctive fear broke between the broiling feelings heating his chest.

“Shit!” Luckner sidestepped away before she could slash him. He swung his belt around even though she was too close for the buckle to impact her head.

She ducked under it again. She matched his longer steps with two quick lunges of her own. She held out her big knife to the side, now angling it for a cut at his stomach. Luckner watched it like a deer watching the headlights of a car, unable to do anything but stare at its incoming⁠—no!

Luckner pulled in his free arm tight against his torso and prepared to block the blade with the limb. The savage bite of a blade and the blood spill to come never happened.

A thwack along his jaw happened instead. Something struck him from the blindside. It shot a lance of pain through his chin, knocked him off balance, and sent him staggering to the side. For a moment, he lost sight of the blade.

Then he saw it again. The big shiny blade. She was holding it up, catching sunsetting rays along its length. Luckner responded by holding his belt by both ends. If he could time her slash and catch her knife arm, he would have her where he wanted her.

Again, the knife never swung home; Luckner realized too late she was feinting him. By the time he looked away from the knife, the goblin girl had whirled into the air. The sole of her bare foot smacked the side of his dome from her perfectly thrown jumping wheel kick.

Luckner staggered to the side again and tripped over his feet. He collapsed into a pile of garbage bags and metal trash cans. A burst of disgusting odors rose into the air, swirling around him, as a trash can lid clattered next to his hand.

Luckner shook away his daze and sat upon the squishy mess under him. One hand raised to fend away further attack, but none arrived for now. Instead, the goblin leader pointed and laughed at his downtrodden form. Her gang joined her, their screechy voices bouncing around the alley.

“Stoopid hooman,” cackled the bedazzled greenie. “I can feel you’re low adept. I’m high adept. You’re just a dum-dum to kick around for me.”

Luckner started to push up when the gang leader stopped laughing and thrust her knife in his direction. That stopped him on the spot.

“I was going to [Backstab] you for hurting my group,” she said menacingly. “But you spared them from more of your hooman cruelty. I watched.”

She pointed up at the rickety fire-escape above. Luckner made a note of always examining what was above him from now on.

“Okay, I can dig the mercy, fine, but those little bastards took my stuff!” Luckner pointed. “Some people would’ve killed them.”

“Cruelty,” she spat. “A goblin must take to live. A goblin must take to rise.”

One of the male goblins, who probably took Luckner’s stuff, spoke in their gobbo language. The leader nodded her head at him before turning back to Luckner.

“You were dead-dead! Then you rise after he takes. Not fair!”

“Well, shit, that’s just how the cookie crumbles, I guess.” Luckner slowly shifted into a kneeling position. His head throbbed a little from repeat kicks to the face, but he was mostly fine. At least physically. Dignity wise…

“Yo, I take issue with you putting your dirty feet on my face,” Luckner grunted.

“Better my feet than my knife, hooman.” She had a wide mouth on her and pillowy lips, which intensified her sneer. “Now, I must take and leave you.”

“Take what? Your gang got all my stuff.”

She pointed her knife at his waist.

Luckner held his gaze on her rather than look down at his last article of clothing. He could feel it ripping apart already from his added dimensions in physique and rapid movements. It was practically trash at this point. He was, however, not ready to part with it and have a bedazzled goblin girl own it as her trophy.

That was a hell naw.

“Little girl, we need to run back this fight,” Luckner hissed.

The leader raised her nose. “I will kill you if you don’t stay down.”

Luckner stood. He held the belt by one end with the buckle dangling. In his other hand, he held the handle to a metal trash can lid.

She had tricked him by using the knife as a distraction. Now that he had a moment to think, he could see how she had multiple opportunities to slash him apart. He could not count on her being merciful again now that he was up for round two.

Honestly, he should count his blessings and take the L.

But his flaming heart roared from the mad disrespect. His blood boiled more than ever before. His pride was on the line here, and he couldn’t see himself backing off. Who the hell would let their ass get kicked by goblins and walk away?

Besides, it finally occurred to Luckner that he had more than just his new physical abilities under the surface.

As the goblin shook her head at him and flipped her knife from one hand to the other, Luckner checked his Hunter’s… no… it was different now, he felt. He still pressed for his mind to reach out and open up his script. He hadn’t been sure it was still a thing, or if it was part of a feverish dream before his death, so he was more than glad when it came up.

⁠—

[Halfhearted’s Name: Luckner of Lylyth]

[Origins: Halfhearted Earthling]

[Sub-Species: Tiefling (Mythic Humanoid)]

[Rank: 1st Circle - Low Adept ]

[Singularity: Incubus]

[Skills: Zeal, Athletics, Fighter]

[Spells: Flame Up, Mythic Bond]

⁠—

“Stoopid hooman!” The goblin leader dashed in faster than before, her gang cheering her on. “I did not take your life. Now I will take it!”

She was a streak of green flesh and glimmering rhinestones. When her blade flashed in his direction, Luckner braced himself behind his impromptu shield.

Clang!

The first real strike had more weight to it than he had suspected. The momentum of her speed transferred into the hit and pushed him back a little. Then she followed up more hard slashes⁠—clang, clang, clanging away⁠— and forced him on his heels.

Before he could respond fully with an attack of his own, the goblin girl followed up the appetizers she was serving with a big entree.

Somehow, she jumped over him. Kicked off the wall. And thrust her heel at his face before he could take a step in retreat.

Luckner raised his trash shield. It absorbed the strike with a metallic thump and pushed against his face, forcing him into a slight stumble.

He heard the little patter of feet touching down right in front of him. She was going to slash his exposed legs⁠—he knew it as truth because the [Fighter] in him felt opened down there.

She had him off-balanced, shield up, and positioned right where she wanted him. There was little he could do to stop her.

Maybe he should’ve taken the L. Maybe he still could if he screamed for her mercy and hopefully received it a second time. Pride be damned.

Or maybe he should try something super unexpected that would throw her off her killer game. Go balls to the walls with no regret. Fuck it all if he failed.

Obviously, his heart burned for the latter. So, Luckner burned up before the goblin leader slashed him down.

“[Flame up]!”

He had no idea what would happen. If he remembered correctly, his last magical spell had been [Compulsion]. But one glance at his script told him much had changed with his rebirth. So, he focused on the inclination that this magic could occur anywhere on his body.

He felt the wellspring of power inside of him cracking open and pouring out just like before. He quickly guided it with the intent to channel it at a specific area:

His crotch.

A bright orange fury of flames burst from his groin area. The sudden conflagration wrapped around his upper thighs and hips. It even appeared as smoldering coal-red tails that covered his ass. The fire seemed to replace his undies, turning his hips and groin area into a wearable bonfire.

Call him the hottest trend in fashion, sure, but he did not expect that result. He thought it would blast flames out of his crotch and at the goblin leader’s face. He did like how it totally surprised the goblin girl mid-stab. She hesitated just enough for him to take advantage.

Luckner swept his trash shield down. He connected against her knife hand with a thwacking blow. The weapon flew out of her grasp.

She mistakenly backed up and placed herself in range for his belt. This time he swung really low, so there was no room for her to duck underneath. The belt lashed around her side and smacked the metal buckle against her rear.

The goblin leader loosened a squeal. Her eyes widened with surprise. Then they squinted with detest and anger. Luckner, of course, responded with a big grin.

“Hah! How you like getting your ass whooped this time, gobbo girl?”

“I hate it!” she cried earnestly. She was on the verge of throwing a tantrum, it seemed. Instead, she straightened up defiantly and regathered her poise.

Luckner whistled, impressed by her self-control and coolness. He couldn’t help but reexamine her now under this new light.

She looked up to his fiery form, appearing more like a little green woman than a child now. With the flaming light dashing away from the twilight shadows, he saw more of her appeal despite her alienness. Her eyes were large and almond-colored. Her nose was pointy but small, which made her pillowy-wide lips seem larger. Within her mouth were straight, if a little sharp, teeth that weren’t piss-colored or rotten. They were actually well-off.

This one really did take care of herself. She had the strength to feed herself well enough, too. It showed in her little curves, the smoothness in her skin, and how her hair hung to her shoulders with a vibrant raven sheen.

Uh-oh.

Something different was awakening inside of Luckner the more he observed her. He did not know what to make of it. It did not compete with his [Zeal]. Instead, it seemed to be riding on the coattails of his insatiable passion.

It didn’t help that she was starting to study him, too. Her eyes roved his towering body, taking in his partially aflame appearance quickly. Then their eyes met and locked, and for a brief moment, he saw something particular in her gaze⁠—curiosity⁠.

Something formed in the pit of Luckner’s stomach.

A guttural voice cried unintelligibly to Luckner’s left, interrupting the moment. One of the goblins had grabbed their leader’s knife. They tossed it her way.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Luckner yelled.

Luckner rushed her this time. Sure, she was nimble, but he was certain his [Athletics] could compete with her speed and beat her in strength. All he had to do was catch her now, destroying whatever difference existed between their tiers as Low Adept versus High Adept, whatever that meant.

Despite his zeal to kick her ass, he slowed down a bit to avoid thrashing her heavily. It was stupid, yeah. It might get him killed, yeah. But he couldn’t ignore this nudging sensation rising from the pit of his stomach and mingling with his [Zeal]. This quickly revealed itself to be both a mistake and a boon.

“[Dash].” The goblin girl blurred a few feet to the side of Luckner. Right out of the path of his charge and into the arc of the sailing knife.

She snatched it out of the air, spun it around, and skipped into his blindside while he skidded to a stop. She was going to channel [Backstab] and kill him, he predicted. No matter if they shared a brief moment, she had him again.

It was up to him to stop her. Thankfully he hadn’t moved full-tilt, or he would’ve been picking himself off the wall while stunned probably. He could instead channel the other mysterious spell with his belt holding hand aimed behind him.

“[Mythic Bond]!”