New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

The stench of blood quickly pervaded the entire cavern, mixed with the smell of burnt flesh and decay.

On the harpy\'s right side, right under her breasts, an enormous gaping hole, burnt closed by god only knew what, as if something had bit out a part of her body and seared it closed with magma.

There was still blood oozing from it, but it was easy to guess it was infected beyond fixing by its yellowish hue alone. To think that the harpy was circulating that infectious blood all over her body made Cory shiver.

"You\'re dying…" Kary mumbled.

"Yes. I am not long for this world," the harpy replied.

"Good riddance," Alex spat, his empathy for monsters freshly run out.

The harpy queen huffed what sounded like laughter but ended up in a fit of coughing, with blood spattering out her closed beak.

"You may think me only a dangerous invader, human. But I never intended to hunt past these hills. When I first came to your world, it took me days before my mind cleared up from the feeling of rage, and I went back to my usual self.

"It\'s a miracle I didn\'t send all my children on a rampage through the nearby settlement while the unknown rage clouded my mind…" the harpy said, a sigh following her words.

"Hah. As if I\'d believe the words of a monster. Even if you act sentient, your harpies have already proven you are far from the benevolent kind. People already died to them, and your \'children\' attacked us on sight up on the volcano," Alex growled.

The harpy looked at Alex with a tinge of anger, but it faded away as fast as it appeared, replaced by a weary gaze.

"I don\'t have the strength to argue with you, angry little man. Our conversation is done. Child of the hunt. If you wish to have the gift I offer, step forward," the harpy said, ignoring Alex\'s angry gaze.

Kary walked up to him, elbowing him in the ribs and whispering in his ear.

"What\'s gotten into you? The harpy hasn\'t taken a single hostile action, and yet you treat her like a threat. I\'ve seen you interact with monsters in New Eden before, and you weren\'t this hostile…"

Alex looked at her from the corner of his eye and shrugged.

"Even if she isn\'t hostile right now, what is to say she wouldn\'t have been if she were in a fighting condition? How could I trust the words of a monster on the verge of death? For all we know, she is trying to get Jin-Sil close so she can eat her and recuperate," Alex said, keeping his eyes locked on the harpy.

However, Jin-Sil wasn\'t so worried about the harpy queen. Just as the queen had claimed, she could feel a kinship with her. She started walking forward, only stopping beside Rì-Chū when he touched her arm.

"Be careful, please," he asked her, his eyes filled with worry.

She smiled at him warmly, placing her hand on his.

"Of course," she replied, giving his hand a little squeeze before brushing it aside softly.

When she walked past Alex, he jerked his head toward her.

"Hey! Stop! You can\'t trust her words!" he snapped.

Jin-Sil stopped walking and looked at him with a disapproving look.

"You may be our guild leader, but you don\'t get to choose for me who I trust. I trust your judgment, but you seem more hostile than usual. I don\'t think you are right about the situation; therefore, I choose to ignore your recommendation."

After saying her piece, eliciting a wide-eyed look from Alex, Jin-Sil resumed her walk forward.

It wasn\'t long before she stood directly before the harpy queen, who gazed at her softly.

"Thank you for your trust, child."

Jin-Sil nodded at her, looking directly into her eyes. She could see the love of a mother in her gaze, and was almost reminiscent of her own mother\'s gaze.

"Forgive our leader. He may be hostile towards you, but he\'s only looking out for us. He is a good man," Jin-Sil said, smiling softly at the harpy. Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn

The harpy queen gazed back at Alexander, who was eyeing her like a hawk, watching her every movement down to every breath she drew.

"Protective like a father. Arrogant like one, too," the harpy chuckled, now speaking only to Jin-Sil\'s mind.

Jin-Sil chuckled lightly.

"So. What is it you wanted to offer me?" she asked, brushing away the subject of Alex and his temper.

"Yes. As I already said, my body isn\'t long for this world, and I know you came here to deal with a threat. But I no longer pose this threat. I stopped being the threat when my mind came back to normal.

"It became even truer when this dungeon formed, with as its core the egg of the great one…" she said, a tinge of rage flashing past her gaze.

Alex\'s grip on his sword clenched tighter when he saw that, as he couldn\'t hear her words, but he saw it leave as fast as it appeared and almost sighed in relief.

Jin-Sil was standing mere feet from the harpy, and no matter how fast he could react, he doubted he could get to her in time if she suddenly attacked her.

It was nerve-wracking…

"The egg of the great one?" Jin-Sil asked, curious.

The harpy nodded.

"Yes. A dragon egg, with inside it a dragon that would spell doom if it ever hatched. But you still have time to defeat it. And my gift will help you do just that if you take it."

Jin-Sil\'s curiosity was thoroughly piqued, and she had to force herself to remain calm, reminding herself she was still in a dangerous dungeon and at risk of dying at any second.

"Anything that can help us defeat this threat would be welcome. I would be grateful for anything you can offer us. But before you do, may I ask you something?"

It was the harpy queen\'s turn to look at her with curiosity.

"You may."

"How much are you willing to sacrifice to take down the dragon?"