Colet stood near the fire opposite Zulgar. The last two days of traveling allowed the leaders of their respective races to bond. As they warmed themselves with the fire due to the chilly conditions of the plains, the other centaurs and beastmen stayed in their groups with limited mingling. On a continent cleansed by the Purificator, they weren’t certain what they would encounter and the uncertainty was enough to convince the centaurs and beastmen to work together. There weren’t any more hostilities between them but, unlike Colet and Zulgar, they also saw no need to know the other party that well. The centaur chieftain and beastman leader agreed that such interactions took time. They merely had a lot in common due to the responsibilities they shouldered and the fight they shared against the abomination.
“Here,” said Zulgar as he handed over the freshly cooked hare.
The centaur chieftain gave thanks before digging into the meal. The beastmen were very proficient at hunting the small animals on the plains. Despite facing food shortage at one point, the coordinated hunting between the beastmen and the centaurs yielded enough meat for the rest of the journey to Orisa.
“I don’t understand why you beastmen needed to raid when food is this abundant through hunting.”
Colet became more interested in the beastmen and their ways of life since he traveled with Zulgar. He could see how the knowledge would benefit the centaurs if they were ever forced to escape into the plains. A mass exodus might happen if the undead ever marched towards Orisa.
“That’s simple to understand,” said Zulgar. “Too many beastmen and not enough food to go around. Kill enough beastmen off and the plains can sustain the remaining.”
Can the plains sustain all the surviving centaurs?
Colet subconsciously looked up at the sky. A small cloud floated above him and, even if he couldn’t see her, the centaur knew Ilumin was asleep atop it. From time to time, his companion would make a cloud to serve as her bed. During those times, he couldn’t get her attention unless he was in danger. Since the centaurs and beastmen joined forces to defeat the giant beastman, they hadn’t encountered any dangers. The plains were only filled with the animals that either wisely stayed away or got caught as food. Knowing Ilumin worked hard on keeping an eye of the battlefield from above, Colet had no issues with Ilumin taking well earned rests on consecutive nights.
“What are humans like?” Zulgar asked.
Colet smiled as he recalled himself asking Konstite the same question before they left for Torpin Stronghold. Humans didn’t go past the stronghold because nearly every non-human race was hostile towards them. The few humans who did venture too far would be dead pretty quick. There were far too many dangers and they weren’t suited to survive in those conditions. For instance, the plains experienced temperature extremes that were considered too harsh for humans. Once you threw in the beastmen and other nomadic races, humans had no chance to survive. The centaurs learned that the humans, having learned their place, built the Torpin Stronghold to separate themselves from the threats they couldn’t handle.
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“Some claim humans are soft and weak. The image of them hiding behind a massive stronghold does support that claim. They are also not to be trusted as they fight among themselves quite often over petty things. I would say they are a dangerous adversary because they have Xemir backing them. With a god behind them, they have become more arrogant and are more emboldened to take riskier actions. I learned recently they have mastered necromancy and their undead soldiers are marching towards us right this moment.”
“Xemir? That’s a god I’m not familiar with. We the beastmen have many gods watching over us.” Zulgar gestured to the dark sky. “Recently, they have grown silent despite our shamans' best efforts. I wonder if Xemir has a hand in all this.”
Colet admitted that he knew little about Xemir. The centaur chieftain explained that he heard the name from those who had some interaction with humans in the past. According to them, Xemir was worshiped by all humans and was believed to have saved the human race from annihilation multiple times in history. He also shared his recent discovery of Xemir granting powerful blessings to humans with the Soul of Xemir being responsible for the coalition’s defeat.
“Who sent that hawk?”
Colet shook his head. He had been asking the same question every night following their defeat. He always wondered about the what if scenario of him heeding the warning and turning back.
Could I have saved more centaurs that way?
“What’s that?” shouted a beastman.
The shout got the attention of many including Colet and Zulgar. Everyone turned to see a creature some distance away.
“That isn’t a creature native to the plains, is it?” asked the centaur chieftain.
“No.”
From where he stood, the creature could be mistaken for a bear. Bears were far more common in mountains and forests. Colet had encountered them in his travels and learned firsthand to not mess with them. Yet, even he could sense the creature wasn’t a bear. It might be built like one but his instincts screamed at him to run if the creature moved any closer.
“I bet I can take that creature down!” shouted a beastman that ran towards the unknown creature.
When he first traveled with the beastmen, Colet questioned Zulgar about the beastmen’s apparent lack of fear. He saw beastmen often facing dangers as if they were addicted to the adrenaline. The beastman leader explained the harsh reality of the beastmen. Due to their fast reproductive cycles, beastmen herds had many mouths to feed. If they didn’t take risks, they would all starve to death. Therefore, it was not only common but encouraged for beastmen to take risks. If they failed, they would perish leaving more food for the others. If they succeeded, they would earn status within the herd. After learning that, Colet realized how fortunate many other races were compared to the beastmen who had to face death every single day. He knew his upbringing was pretty tame and he even had a chance to travel to many parts of the continent. He doubted most beastmen even left the plains.