Chapter 56: Double Trouble
Dreece and Lambadack circled to the mountain’s base, having searched everywhere but the summit for a second entrance and found nothing.
They doubled back to the only one they knew — the front. They’d barely covered any ground into the cave before a wall of solid rock stopped them cold, looking as though it had always been part of the mountain itself.
Dreece glanced at Lambadack, who met her gaze with the same puzzlement. It had been nearly a decade since they’d last explored this cave, but neither remembered it dead-ending here.
"Something’s hiding behind this," Lambadack said, one hand under her chin. She stepped closer and rapped it with her knuckles. "Thick. Very thick. Definitely something back there."
She glanced at Dreece, a smile forming. "So — want to dig further?"
Dreece considered it. She’d come for the dragon, and if something else was holed up in here, chasing it seemed beside the point — but a wall this deliberately built practically begged to be broken.
"Let’s go."
Lambadack slammed her fist into the wall, and a large chunk shattered away, revealing a depth far greater than either had anticipated. For a moment she just stared into it, half convinced there was nothing on the other side at all — that she might punch clean through to open air.
She glanced back at Dreece, whose expression mirrored her own confusion. Lambadack studied the wall a while longer, then went back to breaking it apart.
---
Earlier that day, Niel had left on an adventuring job with Lydia, who’d taken the chance to gather her own things and settle fully into the mountain. It offered more space than her old hut ever had.
Though she’d never admit it aloud, Draken had turned out to be far better company than she’d expected.
She’d been arranging her belongings to her liking when the first punch shook the entire structure.
Lydia stepped out into the main hall where Draken already stood, staring toward the source of the noise.
"Did you hear that?" she asked, eyes fixed on the wall.
"I certainly did," Draken answered without looking away.
They waited in silence for it to repeat. When it did, this time it didn’t stop.
Both rose and crossed to the source, standing before it just as the final punch broke through. Dreece and Lambadack froze on the other side of the new opening, and Lydia and Draken stared back at them.
Dreece’s gaze swept the space before settling on the pair in front of her. "Where’s the dragon?"
"What do you need a dragon for?" Lydia asked.
"Dinner, obviously. It’s been ages since I had a proper dragon mea—" Before she could finish, Draken had already closed the distance, claws aimed at her face. Lambadack caught his wrist mid-strike and hurled him back.
"He’s fast," Dreece muttered. "Who are you?" she asked, watching Draken push himself back up, already stalking toward her again. Lydia stepped between them, one hand raised in a clear signal to stop. He held for a moment, though his expression still simmered with barely restrained fury.
Lydia stepped forward, hands settling on her hips. "The horns say demon. That reaction speed says S-class, maybe demon heir. Am I close?"
"And why would we owe you an answer?" Lambadack cut in. "Point us to the dragon, and we’ll spare your lives — we’re feeling generous today."
"Spare my life?" Lydia burst into laughter, long enough that the demoness’s irritation began visibly rising. Then it cut off entirely, her smile vanishing, voice dropping cold. "Spare me? You’ll be hoping *you* survive this. Who exactly do you think you’re talking to?"
The shift caught them both off guard — even heroes didn’t usually take that tone with them. Heroes classified demon heirs as calamities in their own right, and here was this girl treating them like an afterthought.
"Sharp tongue, girl," Lambadack said, closing the distance until she stood a few feet away. "Like I said, we’re in a good mood. Point us to the dragon and we’ll let you live. We’re demon heirs — mercy isn’t exactly our nature."
She paused, letting it settle. "Last chance. Or I’ll pull it out of—"
Before she could finish, something slammed into her, sending her crashing straight into Dreece. Both demonesses climbed slowly back to their feet, staring at Lydia’s flat, unreadable expression.
She raised a hand toward Draken. "That’s the dragon. He can pass as human too, for what it’s worth. And there will be a dinner tonight — except the ones on the menu are you two."
Lambadack’s smile returned as she planted her hands on her hips. "Confident little thing. What’s your name? Arrogance like that, paired with zero survival instinct, usually earns a girl a reputation somewhere."
A smug look crossed Lydia’s face. "Of course it has. I’m Lydia Grey."
The name landed, and both demonesses went utterly still. They’d heard whispers of the S-rank disaster over the past four months, but this was their first time actually crossing paths with her.
The shock on Lambadack’s face melted quickly into her own smug grin. "A mere S-rank disaster thinks she can take on a demon heir?"
Lydia stepped forward, stopping a foot from Lambadack, eyes locked on hers.
"Mere S-rank, huh. I find that mildly amusing. I do hope your power lives up to the attitude."
Draken drifted closer, stopping a few feet from Lydia. "I’ll take the brat," he said, nodding toward Dreece.
Dreece burst out laughing once she realized he meant her. "Whatever upgrades you think you’ve picked up won’t mean a thing against me, dragon. You’re still far too weak."
Lydia cut through before anything more could be said. "Then there’s no reason for small talk. Show me what you’ve actually got."
She smiled, eyes fixed on Lambadack. "I’ll hold you to that. Show me this power you’re so proud of — all of it."
Lambadack glanced at Dreece. "That leaves you with the dragon. Have him ready to serve by the time I’m through with her."
"Don’t order me around," Dreece shot back, falling into step beside her sister. "Now — shall we begin?"