Harpies are female demons with the body of an eagle but the face of a human. Notably, they have the ability to speak and possess an above average level of intelligence. Instead of arms, these birdwomen had wings with which they took to the skies and swooped down to rip apart their prey with their razor sharp talons.
They loved raw meat and were natural born bandits thanks to their extreme speed. Their human face had a beauty that rivalled some of the peerless beauties in the human race. This coupled with their mesmerizing voices, allowed them to charm their prey and even caused them to hallucinate.
However, their beauty only extended to their face and voice. Outside of that, these harpies possessed a litany of vices which includes, cruelty, promiscuity and bloodthirstiness. They were essentially the representatives of chaos.
They were notorious for capturing males of other races and forcing themselves on them. These unfortunate creatures would not be allowed to rest until they were thoroughly drained by the harpies. If a male child was born as a result of this, the harpies would kill and consume these babies; only females were spared this fate.
—-From <<The Common Enemies of Humanity—-An Encyclopedia on the Cruel and the Chaotic>>
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Was I dreaming just now? In that dream, I seemed to be singing <<I Miss You So Much>>, and then…and then when I opened my eyes…
Devils, hellhounds, demonic werewolves, demonic half-orcs, medusas…wait, why are there medusas here? Weren’t we fighting with them?
And there’s not just one of them either, let’s see…one, two, three, four, five…I don’t think I have enough fingers…
What’s with their lack of clothing…exactly what are you guys plotting by showing me those weapons on your chest. Bunch of savages…I scorn you…now, let me count how many medusas I have to scorn, one, two , three, four, five, six, seven…I think I need to use my feet as well…
“Master, what’s with that strange expression on your face and why are you panting?” I was suddenly pulled out from the tumultuous peaks of the medusas by that little potato, No.5. Having regained my senses, I gave the corner of my mouth a wipe despite there being nothing to wipe off.
“Ah, what are you all doing here?” Exactly what are these medusas doing here, what happened while I was sleeping?
“Master, were you the one singing just now? It was beautiful, please allow your lowly servant, me, No.5, to kiss your toes as an expression of my loyalty and humbleness.” Without even waiting for me to respond, he pounced on me, his arms and legs spread eagled in what looked like a toad stance as he reached out for my calves.
*smack*
Before his face got the chance to hug my legs, it was met was a painful flash of black. The Grimoire of the Dead smacked him loudly on the face, sending this lascivious guy rolling away like a gourd.
“Your singing wasn’t bad.” Violet Snow trotted up to me and laid her front paws on my calf, her face betraying a hint of disbelief. “It’s just, I have a question for you.”
“What’s that?”
Violet Snow glanced at me with a serious look on her face, “Why do you tiptoe when you reminisce?”
“…”
I actually did that…it’s probably because of that song…how I should know, it’s not like I’m the songwriter, why don’t you ask that guy instead…
As if on cue, her rival, Habona stepped out to answer her question. With a pat on my head, she said: “That’s because this fellow is too short.”
“…”
I really want to cry…
However, this comedy skit didn’t last too long; I still wanted to know why were the medusas here. It turns out that after the werewolves retreated, the medusas left to look for Harlow and Mojasha but instead found out that they were captured by the harpies…
Aren’t those the second-tier dungeon faction units from Heroes of Mig** and Mag** III. I remember those birdwomen well…They had a human face and an eagle’s body. When you upgraded them, they could attack without retaliation and even flew back to their original spot; perfect against those immobile factions.
Oops…I went off track again.
Basically, the lovebirds were ambushed by the harpies and Harlow ended up being captured. In actuality, he was safe for the time being but as time passes, the risk of him being drained by these promiscuous harpies increases.
A couple of beautiful medusas…beautiful if you ignored their snake bodies and earthy smell…stepped out from the crowd of medusas.
…I just don’t get what that werewolf saw in these medusas…just their stench alone could burn his sensitive nose…don’t tell me he’s in this for Mt. Everest?
Truth be told, I had some difficulty telling all these creatures apart. Thankfully, the devils under me all had their own unique features and devils had their own unique way of identifying each other so I didn’t suffer much in that respect.
As for the others, that old werewolf was like the old hobo from down the street;definitely easy to recognize. Habona was three meters tall and even towered over her kinsman.
Baccarel was on the plainer side but thanks to the bone headband I gave him, he was one of a kind among my subordinates; not only did it satisfy his need for honor, it made things easier for me as well.
As for the Medusas…other than their tail color, I was basically unable to tell them apart. It’s kinda like when a human looked at a bunch of apes. To him, they all looked the same. It was probably the same for the ape as well…
To me, they all had the same face, hair, nakedness, lack of clothing…even the short, tall, fat and skinny ones looked the same to me. If their tails were the same color as well…that would be a nightmare for me.
A slightly puffy-eyed medusa slithered over with her companion, her posture slightly diminished. Judging from the redness around her eyes, she must’ve just stopped crying. She had a brownish yellow tail while her companion had a black tail.
The puffy-eyed medusa bowed before coming up to me, remnants of her tears dripping to the side as she did so. As her golden snake eyes gazed reverently at me, I could actually see the lingering grief in her eyes. She said, a pair of fangs revealing themselves as she opened her mouth: “ Greetings, honored Soul Bard, this medusa, Majosha, requests for your aid.”
Majosha spoke in slightly husky voice that while wasn’t awful, wasn’t that great either. In light of my race, her request was delivered in the language of the devils.
I carefully evaluated the bowing medusa in front of me. Her tiny snake hairs laid dormant at the moment, significantly reducing my aversion to them. Right below them was a pretty, delicate face that would’ve been a solid 90 even among humans. That valley below her neck was extremely perfect, even in the entertainment industry, her melons would’ve been top-notch.
Especially that lack of clothing…ahem, for an honorable person like me, I absolutely despised those women who didn’t wear clothes. This is my judging stare…so beautiful..ahemm… as for their lower half, let’s not talk about that.
“Soul Bard? Are you referring to me?” I pointed at my nose. She nodded in response to my question, yet my eyes still had the same confusion it had before: “Are you sure you’re referring to me?”
“Yes, honored Soul Bard.”
This time, I was sure that Soul Bard referred to me.
“About that, can you explain to me what’s a Soul Bard?”
“There’s no time for that, I already told you that Harlow has been kidnapped. That’s why Majosha is here with us right now. All you need to know is that we need your help in order to find him.” Her voice was unable to contain the anxiety she felt at the moment. It was to be expected after all, this concerned the safety of her own brother.
Without waiting for me to respond, she lifted me up with her furry claws and set me down upon her shoulders. After confirming that I had settled down, she took off.
“Wait, I still don’t understand how does this relate to me.” As I sat atop her shoulders, my field of vision expanded significantly. Not only that, her fur was surprisingly comfortable to sit on. Even as she sprinted along, her steady gait ensured that it wasn’t a bumpy ride for me.
However, being whisked without any reason still irked me. Even more so since I still didn’t know what she wanted with me.
In place of Habona, the other medusa came up to explain the situation to me, seeing as Majosha wasn’t in a great shape either.
“My name is Manasha, Majosha’s older sister. My younger sister has just lost her loved one and is shaken by it. I’m afraid that she’s unable to answer your questions and so I’ve come to answer them in her stead.”
Manasha was the black tailed medusa accompanying Majosha a while ago. As she supported her sister, she began to explain in a voice that seemed slightly more mature than Majosha:
“Soul Bards are individuals with a special ability. They are able to use their songs to overcome any language barrier and communicate directly with the soul. Even without knowing their language, a soul bard is able to use his or her song to transmit her words, her thoughts. Even the blood thirstiest of monsters aren’t immune to this effect, just by listening to her songs, they will form an empathetic bond…”
Based on what she said, Soul Bard must’ve been a rare job. Soul Bards are able to use their songs to tame creatures, soothe pain and even communicate with all living things in this world. Of course, that last point seemed a little far fetched to me but as of now, it was the best tool I had to communicate with the harpies.
The harpies were the most notorious bandits in Abaddon. With their mighty wings, they were able to soar to heights the naked eye couldn’t perceive. They came and went like the wind and loved to swoop in and snatch the creatures they set their eyes on.
They had a degree of intelligence that while wasn’t exceptional, it didn’t lag that far behind a human’s intelligence either. However, they had no hands and so weren’t able to create or use tools.
Every harpy possessed a flawless singing voice with which they used to lure their prey into their trap. Because of their rapid speed, their hunting zone was extremely vast. As it stands, it might be extraordinarily difficult to locate their tracks.
If we aren’t able to locate Harlow soon, he must just end up being violated and drained after which they will consume him. As for how long it took to do so, that depended on Harlow’s stamina. It was a fascinating ability but now was not the time to research it.
In order to find them as soon as possible, the medusas needed to lure out the harpies which then brought up the question, how do they so? Both parties discussed this for a while but were unable to come up with a solution, at least till they stumbled onto a semi-conscious me singing <<I Miss You So Much>>…and so I was drafted.
Do you know what I’m thinking right now?
Hmph, do those black widows even care if their husband was eaten? Fine, I guess they will be troubled by it. After all, that was still a piece of meat.
“I know the fact that we eat our husbands after procreation is difficult for the other races to comprehend but we have a difficult reason for doing so.” It might’ve arose because she noticed my disdain or perhaps she simply felt that the matter required explaining, either way, she took the initiative to explain it to me while sighing regretfully.
Seeing her sorrowful expression, a thought suddenly occurred to me. Don’t tell me they did so in order to nourish their child?
I cautiously broached the subject: “Is it because the fetus requires nutrients?”
“No…”Manasha shook her head and slowly explained it, word by word, all the while looking extremely hurt.
“It’s because they’re afraid of us.”
“…” Sister, can you be a bit clearer about this. What’s up with “Because they’re afraid of us and so we eat them?”
