Harpers (IV)

"Where is this...?"

Abier slowly opened her eyes, feeling weak all over and unable to concentrate.

But she quickly became alert, recalling her last memory—being held tightly in the claws of a terrifying dragon and strangled unconscious.

"Damn it!"

Abier instinctively reached for her waist, but couldn't find the familiar dagger. Even the Emerald Green Cloak she was wearing had vanished, leaving only her undergarments.

She sat on the ground, looking around warily. The surrounding palace was unfamiliar, and everything inside seemed like an enlarged version of itself, so empty it was almost frightening.

Suddenly, a huge shadow enveloped her.

"Elf, you're awake."

She turned her head stiffly and saw the Red Dragon's enormous body and ferocious head.

Abier was immediately terrified; the nightmare of the Red Dragon about to devour her was still vivid in her mind. But she still mustered her courage, clenched her sweaty fists, and stammered, "Dragon, what... what do you want to do?"

Keosius grinned slightly, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

What do you think?

Abier's delicate body trembled uncontrollably as she suddenly recalled some rumors gathered by the Harpers:

In the descriptions of the Northern Nobles, this Red Dragon is both Tyrannical Dragon and Lustful Dragon. It can transform into a monstrous human form several meters tall, wantonly humiliating beautiful young women, before reverting to its original form and swallowing them whole.

Abier was only in her thirties, which was undoubtedly a budding age for Elf long-lived elves.

Such humiliation was far more terrifying than death! She had thought of dying a heroic death, but she never wanted to become a tool for the dragon to vent its desires.

Thinking of this, Abier gritted her teeth and said, word by word:

"I... will not let you manipulate me!"

Abier slammed her head against the hard wall, trying to end her life.

This was her last struggle, and her only way.

However, in the face of overwhelming power, even death becomes a luxury, something that is both desirable and unattainable.

The Red Dragon merely clenched its claws slightly, and the giant claws formed by the shimmering magical energy field gripped the Elf tightly, imprisoning her as if she were in a cage, unable to move at all.

She didn't even have a chance to struggle.

"No..."

"You evil dragon, you will be punished."

Abier's eyes were filled with despair. She lowered her eyelids, her amber eyes closed tightly, and crystal tears streamed down her cheeks.

The Elf girl could no longer imagine what she was about to encounter, and could only close her eyes tightly, her shoulders still trembling.

In the darkness, Abier felt the stench of Sulfur Scent waft towards her.

Could it be...?

Is this the end of everything?

In her final moments, she thought of the lofty ambitions she had when she left the Elven Kingdom, the solemn oath she had taken when joining the Harpers, her rather coincidental first meeting with Richard, their infiltration of the Red Robe Mage Tower together to gather intelligence, and even the tranquil beauty of watching the sunrise in the Kadaven'er Forest ...

"I'm so unwilling to accept this; I want to experience more."

Abier thought to herself.

However, she did not experience the pain she had imagined.

"Elf, do you want to live?"

A deep, resonant voice came from the dragon, accompanied by the scorching smell of sulfur.

Abier did not breathe a sigh of relief, because she knew that the Red Dragon probably had other plans for her.

Perhaps it was lust for its own body, or perhaps it wanted to obtain information about its allies. However, the former was readily available to the dragon in front of it, while the latter was more likely.

She thought of the vow she made when she joined the Harpers:

"Seeking no reward, acting solely for justice."

The Harpers is a loose organization, but it still hides many crucial secrets.

Abier's only thought was that she must never let the Red Dragon know anything about the Harpers, nor could she allow it to serve the evil forces; this was the resolve she was willing to give her life for.

"I will not continue to live such a wretched life."

So the Elf girl gritted her teeth, closed her eyes tightly, and sealed herself completely.

She was determined not to reveal any information, even if it meant being eaten alive! But the Red Dragon's next words made her panic, and all her defenses crumbled involuntarily.

"Don't you want to know Li Cha's whereabouts?"

Abier suddenly opened her eyes and asked nervously, "What... what did you do to him?"

"He's in a very good position right now, it couldn't be better."

Keosius merely grinned coldly and created a Magic Image in front of the Elf, in which the figure of the Half-elf Ranger appeared.

"Thankfully, he's still alive."

When Abier saw that familiar face, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief and felt much more at ease.

Immediately afterwards, the Red Dragon's voice rang out on the screen. "I want you to return to the Harpers and become a double agent for the kingdom."

Abier's heart leaped into her throat again, and she prayed silently, "Li Cha, you won't agree."

But then the Elf began to worry, fearing that the next scene would be Li Cha being brutally killed by the Red Dragon for refusing orders, which made her emotions extremely complicated.

Not long after, Li Cha's familiar voice rang out again.

"Yes, sir."

"How is that possible?"

Abier murmured to herself, her pretty face filled with disbelief.

"Evil dragon, have you bewitched him? Or is this all just a deceptive illusion?"

Abier glared angrily at the Red Dragon, still unwilling to accept it all and attribute it to the enemy's lies.

How could Li Cha, his close companion, betray the Harpers without hesitation and become the very person she despised, willing to serve the dragon?

Keosius looked down at the Elf with a mocking smile on his face and slowly approached her.

"Do you think I would need to lie to you? Snack."

"I just want you to let go of those meaningless fantasies and step out of those ridiculous fairy tales."

"This is the stark reality. The so-called beliefs and oaths of you Harpers are utterly worthless. People can easily sacrifice everything for their own lives. Even your glorious Elf and gods have countless blood debts hidden behind them."

"You self-proclaimed Harpers, who claim to be righteous, have you ever investigated these past events?"

"No, that's absolutely not true."

Abier shook her head in a fluster and quickly tried to explain.

However, as the Magic Image played back again and again, and faced with the Red Dragon's deep voice, her explanations seemed so pale and powerless.

The Red Dragon's head drew ever closer, its scorching heat causing the Elf to break out in a cold sweat.

"So tell me, Elf."

"Do you want to live, or die?"