"What a stunningly beautiful creation. Just looking at her throughout this journey has been making me unbearably eager!" a gaunt mage leered lasciviously.
The scarred man shot a disdainful glance at him."If you want one, go and capture it yourself. This one has to be taken back to report our mission's progress. If anything goes wrong, you'll be the one to bear the employer's fury, Eric."
The gaunt mage's expression immediately turned sheepish. He put away his lecherous look and said,"I was just indulging in some idle fantasy. I didn't say I'd actually do it."
"Hmph! It'd better be that way."
As he spoke, the scarred man sauntered nonchalantly towards the cage.
The elf's eyes remained fixed on him, filled with intense hatred.
"Although I can't defile her, yet..." The scarred man sneered, and suddenly a whip materialized in his hand. He lashed out violently at the maiden's body!
The sharp crack of the whip rang out, and a red welt instantly appeared on the elven maiden's arm.
However, she merely shuddered slightly and gritted her teeth resolutely, refusing to utter a single sound.
"Again, Miss Elf. Capturing you cost me quite a number of men. So, please scream out loud! Let me vent my pent-up anger, and I'll give you something better to eat on the journey!"
The scarred man grinned menacingly, whipping the air repeatedly. The mages and several novice guards nearby couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear.
Their leader was of such a disposition. Whenever the losses during an operation exceeded expectations, he would go to great lengths to find someone to take his anger out on.
Sometimes it was his subordinates, sometimes it was hapless passersby, and this time, it was the elven captive.
The whip in his hand was a specially crafted magical implement. It inflicted little physical harm on the flesh, yet the pain it caused was doubled.
He had spent a considerable amount of money on this whip, which clearly demonstrated his eagerness for torturing others.
After whipping for a short while, the scarred man exerted great self-restraint to stop.
It wasn't out of compassion, but rather a fear of shattering the elf's spirit.
Although this whip didn't cause physical damage, the double pain it brought was more than most could endure for an extended period.
He once overused this whip on a subordinate, resulting in the latter's mental breakdown and subsequent madness.
Since then, he had learned his lesson. Unless absolutely necessary, he would never push someone to the brink.
Moreover, this elf was intended as a gift for the employer. If she went mad, he would surely be held accountable.
He assumed that such a petite and delicate elven maiden must be extremely vulnerable, so this was already his most restrained behavior.
However, he was extremely irritated that she remained stubbornly silent.
The red welts on her body gradually faded, yet the lingering pain continued to sear.
The elf curled up tightly, her body quivering.
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"What a stubborn race. Lacking the ability to judge the situation, they will only meet with a more tragic end!"
The scarred man snorted in disdain.
Unexpectedly, the elven maiden in the cage spoke up. Her voice was slightly tremulous and hoarse, yet incredibly resolute:
"You... all of you deeply sinful people. Our Mother has witnessed all the atrocities you've committed against our race. Sooner or later, there will be retribution."
In the language of the forest elves,"Mother" specifically referred to the forest that had nurtured them.
The scarred man knew precisely what she meant by "Mother" and laughed mockingly:
"Hehe... What Mother? It's just something you're so full of yourselves about. Come and exact retribution on me? If she dares to show up, I'll deal with her on the spot, hehe..."
The people around him joined in the laughter. Only the maiden in the cage felt overwhelming anger and despair.
They had insulted the sacredness of the forest elves, yet she was powerless to punish the blasphemers.
The scarred man and the mages left together, chatting and laughing merrily.
A single tear of sorrow trickled down the maiden's face as she buried it in her arms.
The boisterous mercenaries continued their revelry until one o'clock in the morning.
The moon shone brightly, with only a few stars twinkling. The melodious song of the nightingale was the only sound in the town.
A lithe black silhouette flitted between the rooftops of the houses.
It was none other than Glen.
The decision to take action at night was also made with the potential impact in mind. Overpowering the mercenaries, who were perceived as powerful by many, in the full view of the public would undoubtedly bring him fame.
Yet, he harbored no desire for fame, for it would render him a target, particularly for some powerful figures beyond his ability to handle.
Although he was confident that his strength placed him among the upper echelons in this world, he was well aware that it did not equate to invincibility.
Glen was acutely conscious of this fact.
From a distance, he had already spotted the tavern where the mercenary group had taken a rest. The veteran members of the group were inside, indulging in drinks, while the new recruits were stationed outside, keeping watch.
This demonstrated the group's wariness. Even in a town patrolled by law enforcers, they had not completely let down their guard.
Standing on the rooftop of a relatively tall building, Glen did not take immediate action.
He naturally did not regard these novice sentries as a threat.
What gave him pause were the three mages. He was certain that they had set up some form of alarm magic.
As someone with no understanding of magic, Glen had no means of detecting it.
However, this did not pose an insurmountable obstacle for him.
His eyes were fixed on every change within the tavern. By observing the still-active mercenaries, he attempted to deduce the rooms where the mages might be resting.
Once he had formulated a plan, he bent his legs, causing the muscles in his legs to bulge and stretching his loose pants to the point where they emitted a sound as if on the verge of tearing.
The next moment, with a thunderous crash as the roof collapsed, Glen's figure shot into the night sky like a cannonball!
"By the gods! Who is it!"
Beneath the collapsed roof, a man's voice bellowed in anger.
However, when a bag fell down, and those below opened it to find a bag of silver coins, they immediately fell silent.
Under the cover of darkness, no one noticed as a dark shadow descended towards the tavern at an astonishing speed.
Glen plummeted headfirst. Just as he was about to hit the ground, he extended his hands, which had transformed into wolf-like arms, to cushion his fall.
With only a powerful gust of wind that sent numerous items flying, Glen completed his descent.
Almost simultaneously, the three mages who were resting in certain rooms of the tavern all opened their eyes at once.
They sensed a slight disturbance in the magic they had set up. Uncertain whether it was an accidental trigger, they did not immediately sound the alarm.
The first mage to rise from his bed just opened the door, intending to investigate.
But a hand shot out and grasped his neck. With a swift twist, he was killed on the spot.
A second-level mage, in essence, was only marginally stronger than an ordinary person, and their life was just as fragile.
The other two mages were completely oblivious to their companion's demise. They too got out of bed and opened the door.
One of them was the gaunt mage who had previously conversed with the scarred man. He and his companion opened the door almost simultaneously.
They only felt a gust of wind sweep past, and after the clear sound of a broken neck, they lost consciousness.
Disposing of these three second-level mages, who were regarded as unassailable by others, was a trivial matter for Glen.
He chose to break their necks to avoid causing bloodshed that might alert the mercenaries with a heightened sense of smell for blood.
He was certain that there were such individuals in the group, given that they led a life fraught with danger almost every day.
In truth, with his strength, he could easily eliminate everyone present in a very short time.
However, that would undoubtedly cause great trouble for Sheriff Dogli. After all, they had known each other, so he decided to show some consideration.