Pol says "You saved us, we will follow you anywhere!"

"No! I saved you on behalf of the rebellion, if there is any debt you can pay it to them!"

Pol says "Even if there is no debt, we who heard your roar would still follow you."

"Um, yeah, sorry about that. I was a little angry."

Pol says "No need to apologize. We were acting childish. But we believe that roar marks you as the one foretold in the prophecy."

"Wait, what? What prophecy?"

Pol says "The prophecy foretells one who will break all the tribes."

"That doesn't sound too good."

Pol says "It tells of a warrior so strong no beastman can defeat him. He will break all the tribes with his strength and forge them into something new."

"Something new?"

Pol says "Yes, he will forge us into a nation."

"You are speaking of the beast king?"

Pol says "Yes, has someone told you of the prophecy?"

"Not exactly, but I was told something similar."

Pol says "Some of us saw how you fought the soldiers, and the tale has spread amongst all of us."

"Are you sure this breaking and reforging will be a good thing?"

Pol says "It can't be worse than all the death we suffer fighting tribe against tribe. The humans should fear us but they don't because they are sure we will never stop fighting amongst ourselves."

"Do you know what demons are?"

Pol says "I have heard a few legends."

As dinner is served I tell Pol about the shadow demons and the normal demons and the war to come. As I finish the story and look up all I see are beast eyes glowing in the firelight. That's when I remember just how good most beastmen's hearing is.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Pol doesn't say a word, he just goes off and as he does I see all the beastmen gather around him. I am sure I will hear more about it in the morning, for now it is late so I find Lizzy and go to sleep. I am just dozing off when I hear the flapping of wings, it sounds close so I sit up and look around.

Brother Raven says "Relax, it is just me."

"Welcome back, how'd it go?"

Brother raven says "It went well, but by morning they may be able to send reinforcements."

"Thanks for the warning, we will be ready if they show up."

Brother Raven says "Do you need anything else from me?"

"No, you have done plenty. Thank you for your help."

Brother Raven says "No need, I didn't do much."

"Oh, you can take the beasts with you. They can chow down on the corpses before they go, if they haven't already."

Brother Raven says "Alright, goodbye for now, little Ash."

"Goodbye, Brother Raven, stay well."

With brother raven gone I go back to trying to sleep, this time I don't wake up until dawn. The first thing I see when I open my eyes is Pol sitting patiently waiting for me to wake up.

"Ugh, morning Pol."

Pol says "Goodmorning, Master."

"Why are you calling me master?"

Pol says "Your servant Drog said that is how those who join you call you."

"No, that is not how you need to address me. You can either call me Lord or Lord Ash."

Pol says "Alright, Lord Ash. We have discussed it and every single beastman here wishes to swear loyalty to you."

"I prefer to travel alone, I am not interested in leading an army."

Pol says "That is fine, we don't need to follow you around everywhere. But when the time comes that you need us, we are yours to command."

"What about in the meantime?"

Pol says "Those of us that are fighters will help the rebellion. It is a good chance to become stronger. Those who can no longer fight will find ways to make ourselves useful."

"Alright, then I accept."

Pol says "Excellent! We will devote our lives to you!"

"Let's just take things easy for now, I don't need fanatics."

Pol says "As you wish. So what would you like for us to do today?"

"For starters we need to deal with all the corpses."

Pol says "So they can't be used to host demons right?"

"Exactly. Aside from those here there are five hundred above the road and four patrols that we wiped out. We also need to keep a lookout in case reinforcements come."

Pol says "I will get the locations from the heroes and see it done. I will also send out scouts. Anything else?"

"No, that should be it for now. Oh, wait. I wanted to ask about the western mine that is all boarded up."

Pol says "Ah, that one leads under that big mountain there. They say it broke into a cavern where a massive beast sleeps. The commander killed all the slaves who saw it and ordered the mine sealed so as to not wake it up."

"What kind of creature? What was he so scared of?"

Pol says "That I don't know, only the commander and a few guards ever saw the thing. As I said they killed everyone else who saw it, but whatever it is it must have terrified them."

"Yeah, now I am kind of curious."

Pol says "Are you going to go take a look?"

"Maybe, I hate being underground, but my curiosity might get the better of me."

Pol says "Well, if you do and want help I am sure I can find a few brave warriors to accompany you."

"That won't be necessary. If I go, I will go alone, I am fairly sneaky when I want to be. I will just go for a look, I don't plan on waking it up or anything."