The dragon's harem

"Stay close to me. We will find the thoughts source and leave." Arad said, pointing at the horizon in the direction he sensed the thoughts coming from.

"If it's only one, then the other two are dead," Nina looked at Arad, "It isn't worth risking everyone's life."

"She's right." Zephyr said, sitting on Eris's head, "Won't you agree?"

"Why ask me?" Eris glared at her, "But she's right. That thing could one-shot us with his blood. We risk a total party kill by just staying here."

Jack scratched his chin, "As a rogue, I should say we retreat, but I doubt that's right," He looked at Lydia.

"True, a difficult decision. Should we abandon one life to save the majority?" She looked at Arad.

"Arad," Aella stared at him.

"It's not about saving a life," Arad looked back at them, his eyes panning toward Nina, "You say we abandon the last one, but would that sit well with you?"

"What?" Nina gasped.

"If we weren't here, you would dive head first, searching for the last survivors." He took a step toward her, "I might be weaker than you, but I'm the one knowing where the last survivor is. That thing can't kill me in one hit, and I already blew his throat open."

Arad glared at her, "Doma said that's an extreme life form that only seeks to feed and survive. But last I heard, we dragons were at the top of extreme life forms." Arad growled, scales flashing on his skin as his eyes glowed purple. "Let's see who survives natural selection, me or a bloody gator."

"Do you even have a plan?" Nina glared at him, "I'm not letting you kill yourself."

"I find the last one, and I teleport away with him. If that gator attacked, I would teleport the last one away, and then blow the monster from the inside out and burn it with a void expansion." Arad stated a simple plan.

"Your expansion won't kill it," Nina stared at Arad, "I'm taking you and everyone away."

Arad smiled, "I got something interesting in my stomach. Five hundred tons of cursed metal, I wonder what would happen if I shoved it down its throat,"

"Wait? Cursed metal, that much?" Nina gasped.

"Got it as a payment for a red dragon," He replied, "I can kill that thing. We only need to find the survivor,"

Nina stared at him in silence for a minute.

"What? Raw strength isn't everything," Arad tapped her head, "You're stronger than me, but that doesn't mean I can't help you."

"Still too risky,"

Arad sighed, "Listen, a certain fairy said relationships are based on compromises. What's wrong with me being weaker than you?"

Zephyr hid behind Aella's head.

"You cover my weakness, and I cover yours. It's complimentary. You have raw strength, and I have a countless arsenal of tools and spells that could help us escape different situations." He put his hands on her head, "I'm weaker than you, but for now, you listen to me, got it?"

Nina stared at him, thinking about it.

"Strength isn't everything, relax. In this mission, I'm stronger." Arad turned around. "With that out of the way, let's hurry and get that last barbarian out of here."

Eris tapped Nina's back, "Let him handle it. You would be surprised to see how much power he can pull when needed."

They jumped from the hill and ran across the forest, reaching the massive crack in the ground after a few minutes. "It's inside. Several meters on the other side in a cave at the side wall."

"Guide the way," Zephyr waved her hand, "You know the location,"

Arad looked at her, "What I'm saying is that we're getting underground. Stay close to me."

Jack walked forward, firing his hook and swinging down with Lydia in his arms, "It's this cave? Right?"

"Yeah," Arad jumped, and the rest followed him. Moving across the terrain isn't hard.

Landing inside the cave, they looked out into the ravine. "This thing is deep," Aella said.

"It's get too dark down there, but I can see the bottom," Arad looked, his eyes glowing. "I would say it's about nine hundred to a thousand meters deep,"

"Your eyes are sharp," Nina said, looking down but seeing nothing past a few meters.

"Elves have better sight than humans, and dragons surpass that," Lydia tried to look but saw nothing as well. "With his eyesight and thought detections, Arad would make a terrifying scout,"

"Can you sense that thing?" Jack asked.

Arad shook his head, "I'm still looking for low intelligence, but that thing isn't thinking at all. It's a mindless monster. We better hurry,"

They rushed inside the cave, following Arad as he led them to where he sensed the last barbarians, and it didn't take them long to find him.

"Bin!" Nina shouted, rushing toward the bloodied barbarian leaning on the cold stone wall. Blood poured from his back, and his heart barely held a beat.

"Bin! Bin! Wake up!" She screamed, and Lydia reached to her side, "Let me handle this,"

Lydia started healing him, "It's bad," but she then growled, "A jagged stone punctured his stomach, and the content spilled on his organs. His whole body is inflamed. His lower spine was also crushed. I doubt he would walk again,"

"At least he's alive. Let's get him out of here," Nina said.

Arad approached, and the moment he was about to touch Bin, the man mumbled.

"Run, Shi, Monster..." his eyes didn't even move, devoid of life even though his body still held with a hairstrand. But the man's thoughts reached Arad's mind, and his eyes opened wide.

DRIP! Aella heard something. And she turned back, seeing the massive crocodilian creature staring at her, his eyes as big as her whole body. It grew twice as large in the span of minutes.

"ARAD!" Zephyr was the one to scream, and Arad turned in the blink of an eye, about to blast the beast, but he hesitated.

BAM! Bin's dying body moved, lunging forward and grabbing the monster by the jaws.

"RUN!" He screamed, and Arad expanded his wings, teleporting everyone away.

Thud! The moment they landed, Nina stared at Arad. "We left Bin there!" She cried. Turning toward the crack, "I'm getting him out, even if as a corpse."

Thud! Arad grabbed her, "No, you aren't going." He glared at her.

"Let me go," She growled.

"I said you aren't. It's end here," Arad pulled her closer.

"What's with you now? You're the one who was eager to beat that monster." Nina shouted at him.

"Arad," Zephyr stared at him, "Is it what I think it is?"

"Yeah," Arad growled, "Bin's mind was active in his last moments. I got a rough idea of what happened, and it's ugly,"

"What are you two talking about? We just left Bin to his death," Nina glared at them.

Zephyr glared at her, "He was already dying," She then glared at the blood swamp in the distance, "And it's not that Arad couldn't save Bin or repel the beast. He hesitated to do it,"

"Why?"

"That monster," Zephyr glared at Nina, "It's Shi."