It was decided that they wouldn’t be challenging the approaching strangers; not yet. At this moment a simple order of observation was in place, after all, he didn’t know them and needed more information.

The Spider King was sitting on his throne and listening to the report coming from a spider scout.

“Did you manage to confirm their numbers?” He asked again just to be certain.

“Yes. We estimated. A strong thousand.” It chirped.

“And do they carry weapons?”

“Mostly spears.”

“Hmm, how about any bags or other things that could be considered as trade goods? Any pack animals?”

“No pack animals. No bags.”

“Hmm…” it was still too early to jump to conclusions, but anyway he had another question. “Can you describe their appearance? Are they human? Or elves?”

“Hmm.” This time it was the spider’s turn to ponder something. “Not human? They walk on four legs. Have hands. Have arms. Human faces. But not human. Not elf. Something different.”

“So they aren't like anyone we've seen so far.” He tapped at the armrest with his fingers. “An unknown race?”

“Yes. New race.”

“Curious… Do they look strong?”

“Very. Big and fast.” The spider tilted its head to the side. “But. Some are small. And slower. But yes. They look strong.”

An interesting piece of information, then, “Can those smaller people, be considered as children?” And if so…

“Unknown.”

“Unknown…” He sighed. “Well, those might be servants. Like Lamia servants are much smaller compared to Lamia warriors.” The same was with spiders.

“Yes, King. That could be. The case. Small strangers. Had no spears.” It recalled.

“Everything points to an assault force or a raiding party.”

The spider scout nodded as if in agreement.

“King, if I may.” The Trusty Advisor bowed. “I do not suggest assaulting them.”

“I know what you’re thinking. We have the numbers and the power here. A thousand isn’t even enough to put a dent in our combined forces. We should let them come to us right?”

“Right. And we can resolve this with diplomacy.”

“You are completely right.” He agreed with the Trusty Advisor wholeheartedly, well not quite because... ”That is, if they won’t decide to run away once they realise our real size and numbers.”

“Remember, It’s better not to assume the worst. But still plan for it.” The Spider Advisor reminded sagely.

“I know, I know. They might turn out to be a delegation from a faraway land or something like that.” But somehow that didn’t seem like it, since according to scouts they had no baggage.

“We shall wait and see.”

“Thank you for your advice, Trusty Advisor. We will do as you say.” He looked at the small and sneaky spider. “Scout, you did well too, keep us updated.”

“Understood.” It turned into a shadow and disappeared.

Spooky! But it was a good idea to Imbue them with Dark magic and then force Mutate their forms to be sleek and slender. If anything they were thrice as effective now.

…

The ever-diligent spiders continued to give their reports. The strangers were two days away from the MegaFarm, then a day, and then only a few hours. From the reports, it was clear that the unknown group was travelling with purpose. They didn’t stray or walk in circles, they beelined straight to the location of MegaFarm.

Of course, the spiders weren’t idling or waiting like some unsuspecting fools. They did make the preparations to meet these people either as an enemy or as a friend.

In that very unlikely scenario, where they were friendly and came here to parley, he had the temporary accommodations all set up for them. The spider crafters just finished making some basic tents out of Blue Cloth and if it came to feeding such a large group, it wouldn’t be a problem because the farm was ever-expanding and the food stores increasing.

And if they looked for trouble, then they would be fools! That is because he assembled 5000 strong army of spiders and they waited at the farm border at the ready. If anything the number itself was intimidating.

The jungle wasn’t bordering the farmland directly, between the two was a clearing of no less than five miles. Now and then there would be a patch of IronOak, but those were well-spaced and didn’t block the vision.

A spider scout manifested in front of the King. “They’ve reached the clearing.” And then it popped back into the shadow and zoomed away.

He strained his eyes, but the distance was too great to see clearly.

“Huh, only in these moments do I realise. We need a tall tower and if possible a telescope.”

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“I don’t like hights-sss.” The Lamia Queen standing beside him hissed.

Finally, the strangers got close enough for him to get a vague impression. Indeed, they preferred longs spears for their weapons. Some were even clad in greyish armour – very much like knights. However, there was no flag or banner, and everyone looked quite rugged. It wasn’t an organised force, mostly they resembled something akin to bandits.

“But, aren't those centaurs?” He saw it but still struggled to believe it.

“Centaurs, sss?” The Lamia Queen asked with curiosity. “What is that?”

“So you don’t know. It’s a mythical creature with a body which is half horse half human.” He explained.

“I’ve met a human, sss, but what’s a horse?”

Yeah, he asked around, he asked in Human Kingdom too, but apparently, there were no such creatures as horses here.

“It’s hard to explain. A horse would be an animal. And… it’s the same with Lamia, right? You are half snake half person.” He gave a relatable comparison.

“Sss! Lamia aren’t snakes.” She hissed offended. “Snakes are just food.”

That’s right, it was like comparing a human with a monkey. And yeah, they had snakes here so…

“A bad example. Forget it, I take it back..”

Whatever offence she had it must have been a pretend one because it disappeared in an instant. “Ah, I sss-see. I can be your food if you want. S-s-s, you can eat me anytime.” She winked.

This was neither time nor place for bad jokes. The centaurs continued approaching.

“They don’t seem intimidated.”

“Is-sss that good or bad?”

He didn’t reply because he didn’t quite yet know.

“Let's trust in Trusty Advisor’s judgement. I doubt they will make some crazy suicidal charge.” He looked at the tight ranks of spiders with reassurance.

The centaurs stopped in the middle of the clearing.

“Ah, so they’re hesitating.”

And then they remained there for a while.

“Shouldn’t they send someone to parley? Or is it me who should do it?”

“Don’t ask me, sss.” She just shrugged.

“Right…”

Since they didn’t have bows or other ranged weapons, he considered it safe to approach them. Of course, he won’t go alone, “A few bodyguards should be appropriate. Call me the Spider Leader.”

A small spider ran to fetch him his royal mount, and the second will be a spider mage. With the two at his side, and with multiple hidden potions and scrolls, he had no worries.

He climbed atop the Spider Leader and into the newly crafted saddle.

“Let's go my noble steed. Let's see what these ruffians want.”

“Understood.” The Spider Leader began his quick sprint towards the group.

“Understood.” The form of the spider mage blurred becoming cloudy. Somehow he was just as quick as the Spider Leader. Good!

As he approached closer he got an even better look at centaurs. They were rugged and worn by the obviously long travel and their spears were in a sorry shape, looking like they would snap from the lightest touch. The knights' armours were tarnished and bent, and evidently missing pieces here and there. No, the gear didn’t look so because of just poor maintenance, it was in a sorry state because it had seen too much use; and by the looks of it, not too long ago.

He stopped not too far from the group, but still at a respectable distance.

“There’s blood on their armour and clothes. They were fighting. But who?”

As far as he knew the rest of the jungle was sterile, not even a living soul there for miles and miles.

“They might be here. To ask for the King’s help.” The Spider Warrior suggested.

“To fight whatever they could not, I see.” It kind of made sense. “But let's not speculate. Stand at the ready.” He asked his bodyguards and then shouted, “If you’re here to talk! Let's talk! Send me your leader!” He invoked his aura perk.

The mismatched ranks of centaur cavalry parted ever so slightly and a knightly figure emerged. The knight was clad in full armour, both upper and lower body. The armour was more splendid and less tarnished but still bent in a few places. Regardless it still had that aura of nobility. But what caught the eye was the design itself, it conformed to the female form quite neatly.

The noble knight strutted towards him proudly and without a single bodyguard. She was either very arrogant or very trusting. She stopped only metres away from him.

“Champion!” She made a horse equivalent of a curt bow. “I am… I’m the last remaining Champion, and hence the leader of Centauri. Or whatever remains of us.” She spoke firmly to project authority but the hints of anxiety were there and poorly masked.

She clearly had a long story to tell, but he had to ask something first. “And why are you here, in The Dreaded Place, in the Spider Kingdom?”

“We are here to ask for aid… No, to seek protection.”

So, indeed, the Spider Warrior was unto something.

“Someone attacked you… and you want protection from whom?”

The Centauri Champion bowed again, but this time lower. “I beg for your understanding. We have nowhere to go, no one else to turn to. Please take us.”

She was dancing around the question. “You must understand. I need to know at what I’ll stand against if, If we take you in.” He stressed.

While still in low bow she raised her head to meet his eyes. “The Demon Lord. Against his Majesties wishes.”

Wow! That’s one strong enemy. Well, at least, allegedly strong.

She wasn’t finished. “Champion, as you can see we are desperate. Then I say there is no other place for us, I mean it.” And then she added, “Our males all slaughtered, only us and children remain.”

He looked at the ranks further away, he couldn't see the children because they were probably secure in the middle, but indeed judging by the shapes they must be women.

While he was just trying to wrap his head around all of this, the Centauri Champion continued her plea. “We’ll pose no challenge to the Spider Kingdom, and we’ll work our keep. We promise will make good vassals. So please, give us respite.” She straightened finishing her plea.

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” He had his mind made. “I’ve heard your plea, and you’ll get the help. After all this Kingdom is prosperous.” He smiled. “We can work together to make it even better. But Demon Lord, eh…” That’s one hell of an enemy to make.

“Champion of Spiders,” she addressed, “I wouldn’t worry about that too much.”

“Why? Isn’t he formidable and terrifying?”

“True. But… it’s a long story, and I and my people are weary…” She implied heavily.

“Right, yes. Please follow, we have tents for you already. Rest, feel safe and then we’ll talk.”

Centauri Champion made a thumbs-up sign and then waved for her people to follow her.

She turned back to him, “Thank you. We owe you a great debt.”

The Centauri were escorted to their tents, now known as Centauri Camp. Spiders moved to bring food to famished and tired travellers and he observed from the sidelines.

Surviving this long trip must not have been easy. It wasn’t monsters which were the biggest threat, but starvation. He saw bundles of BitterVine tied to the backs of the centaurs, probably the only reason they didn’t starve. They were lucky their bodies were able to digest something that bitter, but clearly that diet didn’t do them any good. Their otherwise human-like faces were gaunt and had that sickly appearance. Well, nothing that a healthy amount of the nourishing TomGrape couldn’t solve.

Hidden in the shadows, he continued eyeing the centaurs with curiosity. They were getting themselves ready for the meal.

The centaurs and especially their children remained wary of the spiders; clearly, they were afraid. But he hoped that with time the apprehension will disappear.

“I’ll give them time to rest. But then I will drill them properly.” After all, there were more questions than answers.

“SSS!” Someone hissed and poked at the shadow he was hiding in. “Sss-stop ogling at the women!” The voice admonished.

His camouflage spell broke making him fall out. “Hey!” He was quite surprised she was able to detect his hidden presence. She must have developed a spell just for that…

“I’m jealous-sss.” She slapped her tail. “And…” She grabbed him by the arm. “Your payments are long overdue!”

She was dragging him away from the Centauri Camp and that precious sight of centaurs cleaning and bathing their fatigued bodies.

“Hey, I’m doing important reconnaissance!” He defended himself.

“…”

He was dragged away anyway.