Colet was offered an alcoholic drink but he refused. As an occasional drinker, he never drank during important meetings like the one he was currently attending. While he waited, the centaur chieftain pondered over the previous night and all the unanswered questions. The uncertainty gnawed at him constantly because his instincts screamed at him to take action. During his travels around the continent, Colet’s instinct had never let him down and saved him on multiple occasions. He wasn’t going to ignore all the warnings but, until he had enough information, he had nothing to act on. For the time being, he should listen to what Skostaer had to say. The dwarven leader might not be reliable but the dwarf still had a head on his shoulders. Skostaer might underestimate the humans but he would never intentionally put his dwarves in harm's way.
The next to arrive was Nath, the leader of the Sacnit. The Sacnit was a treefolk race that minded its business in the northern boreal forests. The Sacnits woke from their slumber when they detected a terrible power originating in the human kingdom. During their journey south, the Sacnits came across the coalition and agreed to join them in the fight against the humans. Despite traveling together to Torpin Stronghold, the other races knew next to nothing about these treefolks. The Sacnit kept to themselves and only shared the reason for their awakening. Beyond that, their abilities or combat capabilities remained unknown to the coalition. Despite knowing nothing about the treefolks, nobody could deny the soothing aura they emitted did boost morale.
“Centaur leader, Colet.” Nath greeted with a wave of its branch.
“Sacnit leader, Nath.” Colet waved back. “It’s good to see you in good health.”
The centaur leader noticed the Sacnits’ initial discomfort when they entered warmer parts of the continent. His travels revealed to him the disparity between the boreal forests and the plains the centaurs roamed. The disparity only grew once they reached temperate rainforests. He feared the Sacnit would grow ill upon reaching an unfamiliar environment. The worries proved unfounded as the Sacnits never once hindered their journey towards the stronghold.
“We may be slender but we are sturdier than we may appear. Nature has also treated us fairly.”
Nath then exchanged greetings with Skostaer who had begun drinking without Colet realizing it. The dwarven leader gestured to an empty plot of land in the tent specifically reserved for the Sacnit leader. Colet watched in fascination as Nath went over and planted his roots into the soil.
“I heard about last night,” said Nath once he was settled down. “What odd behavior by humans?”
“Not odd,” interrupted Skostaer. “Humans are soft and stupid! This is just another display of their incredible stupidity.”
“I fear they have a reason for what they did,” said Colet.
“Never try to reason stupidity,” said Skostaer with a tone indicating he wasn't interested in discussing the matter further.
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Colet turned back to Nath who didn’t comment on Skostaer’s view. He then felt a shiver down his spine when he noticed the Sacnit leader studying him. Hoping to break the Sacnit’s concentration, he resumed the conversation that was rudely interrupted by the dwarven leader.
“As I was saying, the humans are plotting something. They don’t generally throw away human lives unless they can get something out of it.”
“I agree.” Nath drew on the dirt two rectangular shapes. “Torpin Stronghold is now a lot weaker with those humans dead. Are they inviting us to attack? Or were they scouting out our strength before launching an actual offensive?”
Colet was about to select the first option when Dezzi entered the tent. Dezzi’s entrance was made obvious by the light gust blowing past everyone. As the leader of the Oneans, Dezzi belonged to the harefolks who were neighbors to the dwarves. While the dwarves lived underground, the Oneans were content with their shallow pits directly above the dwarven tunnels. Through cooperation, the hares kept a lookout for danger above ground as the dwarves dealt with the dangers deeper underground.
“How is everyone doing?”
Dezzi dashed towards all the leaders to say hi. Even Skostaer replied in an amicable manner, a rare scene for the dwarven leader. Once Dezzi made her rounds, she inquired about the absence of Ruazk and Gabs.
“They were fighting last night so they might still be waking up,” offered Colet.
“Fighting last night?” Dezzi’s mouth opened wide. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
Oneans’ poor eyesight at night came to Colet’s mind but he didn’t feel the need to be so blunt.
“I took a wrong turn and reached the Uxlut and goblin camps last night.”
“Wrong turn? You centaurs need us Oneans as your guides! We are great with directions!”
The centaur chieftain politely agreed and offered to get some Onean guides next time.
“Let’s begin the meeting,” said Skostaer.
“But Ruazk and Gabs aren’t here yet,” complained Dezzi. “We cannot start until all the coalition leaders are here. A great leader like you surely has the patience to wait until their arrival, right?”
Colet couldn’t suppress his smile. Skostaer wouldn’t hesitate to start meetings without everyone present. Dezzi, a weak spot of the dwarven leader, always managed to convince him to wait longer. Somehow, the easygoing Onean served as the glue holding the coalition together. Colet always enjoyed the optimistic attitude of the Onean leader that balanced his more realistic view of the world. As Dezzi and Skostaer talked among themselves, Colet turned to Nath.
“Nath, I have a question about what awakened your people.”
“Go ahead and ask. I’ll try my best to answer.”
“Originally, we thought the Purificator was what awakened your people. Yesterday, our centaur Magus discovered someone with possible dark powers. Could that have been the actual cause?”
“Dark powers?” Nath said before entering deep thought. “Possibly. Dark powers disturb nature and corrupts it when given a chance. I too wondered how the Purificator could have awakened us if it’s nothing more than a mechanical super weapon still in construction.”
"What do you know about dark powers?" asked Colet cautiously, the warning from Eupoos still fresh in his mind.
"Dark powers are dangerous and should never be sought out. Just as light is associated with life, the dark is often associated with death and destruction."