Colet, Zulgar, Sofice and the three demons entered a tent in the center of the encampment. With plenty of space, the six of them picked a spot to get comfortable. The demons first introduced themselves. The leader of the group was Kagarath. His left hand and right hand demons were Jukoxad and Ogmoth. They were sent by Eglallin to protect the centaur capital, Orisa. Colet recalled his last discussion with Eglallin who hinted that, should their invasion fail, the demon capital would be vulnerable to human retaliation. Therefore, he was surprised to see them remaining behind with his sister. Sitting across from him, all three wore dark robes with the hoods covering their heads. The demons easily towered over the others and, with the hoods over their heads, they gave off a mysterious vibe, making them difficult to read.
“You demons need more meat in your diet,” said Zulgar. “We beastmen will provide you plenty so you can get some meat on your skinny frames.”
Colet quietly agreed with Zulgar. Given the demons’ tall frames, their skinniness only became more apparent. They reminded him of the human slaves he saw during his travels. Those humans suffered oppression and starvation. He knew the centaurs wouldn’t treat their guests with such disrespect. Yet, it was obvious their bodies were in terrible states.
“We appreciate the gesture,” said Kagarath, “but there’s no need.”
The demon leader took off his hood revealing a sickly complexion. While Colet couldn’t tell if the paleness was natural for demons, it was clear to even him the demons looked unhealthy. While their eyes possessed a fire from those with a strong will to live, their bodies looked shriveled up much like what one expected of one close to death. He couldn’t help but wonder if the barrier they placed on Orisa was the cause for their current conditions.
“Our powers are very taxing on our bodies.” Kagarath gestured to his chest. “As long as our core remains intact, we cannot die. We accepted that we have no hope of restoring our bodies to their physical peaks.”
“That’s a shame,” replied Zulgar. “I was hoping you demons could contribute to the battlefield. War is around the corner and every individual can make a difference.”
Colet agreed with the beastman leader’s assessment. They needed help on the battlefield due to them being sandwiched between two dangerous forces. On the one hand, undead forces were marching towards them in large numbers, eager to add more to their ranks. Colet knew Igar couldn’t tell conclusively from his ability if the Soul of Xemir marched with the undead but the numbers of undead soldiers were enough to dispatch their forces with ease. On the other hand, the centaurs in Orisa had turned on him for unknown reasons. Ides became their chieftain creating a mess of the situation. With his group labeled as exiles, the centaurs in Orisa could view his group as too dangerous to be left alone. Therefore, there was a good chance for centaurs to be killing one another, much like what happened during the civil war.
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“I assure you that our appearances can be misleading. We three can be valuable allies both on and off the battlefield. In addition, our expert demon blacksmith and armorer are busy preparing for war. We are aware conflicts will arise between us and the centaurs in Orisa.”
“Who are the weapons and armor for?” Colet asked to satisfy his curiosity. “I noticed there aren’t that many in the encampment and I doubt you were aware of our arrival until earlier today.”
“The weapons and armor are for the reinforcements. Given our current predicament, we cannot hope to fend off attacks with our current numbers.”
At the mention of reinforcements, the centaur chieftain felt very puzzled. Following the Purificator activation, any allies, in the best case scenario, would be in terrible shape. If it weren’t for Eupoos’ sacrifice, the only centaurs left would be those in Orisa and they weren’t exactly ready for war. Unless the demons had a massive reserve, he hardly expected their reinforcements to have much of an impact on their current situation. He then felt the stare from the demon leader and looked back.
“However, our interest lies in the exiled centaur chieftain. Your return with beastmen allies will certainly aid in our survival. I’m sure you have much to share regarding your journey home and your unconventional alliance with the beastmen.”
“There is much to share,” replied Colet. “I do think it’s more imperative I learn of what happened in Orisa. I’m still struggling to accept what I learned as it seems too absurd to be true.”
Sofice offered to get her brother up to date with what happened in Orisa. She began with the mysterious return of Ides two days earlier. All the centaurs knew the young centaur headed out with Colet to attack the Torpin Stronghold. Not only was his return to Orisa alone surprising but he somehow got the backing of all the centaur elders to become the new chieftain. Naturally, those like Sofice were fiercely against the idea. A day later, Sofice found the support for Ides overwhelming and those with the same beliefs as her became a small minority. Before she knew it, she and centaurs loyal to Colet were kicked out of Orisa and were labeled as exiles. The demons were also chased out of Orisa. Since then, they established the encampment where they were plotting their next move. While debating their options, she and the demons did consider marching to Torpin Stronghold on the off chance some members of the coalition survived the Purificator.
“I didn’t expect to see you alive and return so soon,” said Sofice. “We can certainly use centaurs and beastmen to aid us in upcoming battles, even if some beastmen move like snails.”
Zulgar wasn’t pleased with the teasing but he kept his mouth shut. The beastman leader seemed more interested in what Kagarath had to share.
“We were suspicious of the powers Ides wielded,” said Kagarath. “He removed us so we couldn’t interfere with his plans. I fear he knew we learned too much.”
“Powers?” asked Colet with concern in his voice.
“Ogmoth is pretty certain he’s wielding dark powers. That’s how he got so much support in such a short period of time.”