Thrax looked out the window of his moving carriage, at the streets of Elderan. The sky was covered with grey clouds. There were few pedestrians walking about. About half of them were werewolves and the other half were humans. The vast majority of the city’s residents were humans, but most of them stayed indoors. The expressions of the human pedestrians were grim. Moving slowly, they looked as though they had no energy. He could understand why they looked so depressed - they lived in constant fear of being eaten and didn’t have much hope for the future.

Few werewolves were sympathetic toward humans. Most of them believed that it was only natural for the strong to devour the weak. However, the discovery of not one, but two humans who were more powerful than clan leaders threatened to shatter that type of thinking. If word got out about their existence, then the conquered humans might feel hopeful and rebel. The way werewolves viewed humans would change as well. They may even come to fear them. Perhaps it was time for werewolves to wake up. When would they realize that their continued conquest of the human race would eventually lead to their own downfall?

Werewolves didn’t even need to eat humans to survive. They could subsist on other animals, so why make an enemy of such a dangerous race? If the roles were reversed, and the werewolves became the conquered ones, then would they still accept the belief that the strong devour the weak?

The carriage stopped at the gates of his residence, the former mayor's manor.

Upon disembarking, a werewolf in bronze armor kneeled before him. “Welcome home, Clan Leader.”

“Please rise, Valco.”

Valco was the strongest pack leader in the Firesong Clan. Each pack leader led a large group of werewolves. Their strength and authority was second only to the clan leader.

Valco stood up. “How was your trip?”

“There’s a lot on my mind. Let’s discuss it later. More importantly, how’s your family?”

“My wife is expecting.”

“Congratulations!” Thrax patted Valco’s back. “Have you picked out a name?”

“No, not yet. We’ll still deciding.”

“Take your time and make sure you choose a good one.”

Valco smiled. “I will.”

“How’s the city? Any issues since I’ve been away?”

“No, there haven’t been any rebellions.”

“Good. Let’s hope it stays that way. Take the rest of the day off. I’ll handle the rest of the administrative work.”

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“Are you sure?”

Thrax gestured for Valco to leave. “Yes, go spend time with your wife. She probably needs you more than I do right now.”

“Thank you, Clan Leader!” Valco bowed before leaving.

Thrax’s mood improved after he learned about Valco’s unborn child. As one of the leaders of his race, he felt that it was his sacred duty to preserve a future for the next generation.

He headed to the courtyard of his residence.

A one-armed, shirtless human stood at the center of the courtyard. Drenched in sweat, he was repeatedly swinging a huge sword. The sword was not only taller than he was, it was also wide enough to be used as a shield. It had no cross guard, because its wide and thick blade functioned as one. Most humans would have trouble lifting the sword with two arms, but he held it with just one. His muscular body was evidence of the endless hours of harsh training he had endured to achieve such a feat.

"Dugu, your dedication toward your training is admirable."

The human didn’t reply. He continued swinging his sword.

"I have a task for you. Upon its completion, I'll let you see your wife. How's that?"

Dugu stopped swinging his sword and turned around. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to find two humans in the Dominion for me. Once you’ve found them, arrange for them to meet with me. One is a male warrior who wears an unusual black armor. The other is a female mage with golden hair."

"You want me to look for other women? My wife isn't going to like that." Dugu shook his head.

"What your wife likes is irrelevant! Do you accept the task or not?"

"Sure, but it might take a while. There’re probably many people in the Dominion who match your description."

"True, but how many of them can defeat a clan leader? With just the two of them, they wiped out the pre-invasion force that the werewolf lord had sent into the Dominion. A clan leader was among the casualties."

Dugu glowered at Thrax. "Ferdania isn't big enough for the werewolves anymore? How much space do you guys need?"

"For once, we agree on something. Kreed is invading the Dominion to secure sacrifices. He plans to use them to set the Demon Lord free. We cannot let that happen. If we can bring the two humans to our side, then, together, we may be able to defeat Kreed and put an end to his ludicrous plan. Once I become the next werewolf lord, I'll stop the invasion and set you and your wife free. No more werewolves or humans should die in this meaningless war.”

“Why would Kreed go through the trouble of conquering another country to get sacrifices? He could’ve just sacrificed the people of Ferdania.”

“The spell that the Demon Lord planned to use, to free himself from the black orb, requires the sacrifice of millions of lives. Even the entire human population of Ferdania would not be enough.”

“That’s crazy.”

“Now that you understand what’s at stake, are you prepared to accept the task at hand?”

Dugu sighed. “Fine. I’ll help you, but where do I even begin? The Dominion is a large country – much larger than Ferdania.”

"They were last seen at a village. I don't know its name, but I can show you its location on a map."

"Sounds good."

Thrax handed Dugu a ring. "Take this with you.”

“What is this? A slavery ring?”

“Call it whatever you like. You can use it to communicate with me. Just focus mana into it whenever you want to talk.” Thrax pulled out a small bottle from his pocket. "If you ever find yourself in an emergency situation, drink this."

"What's inside?"

"It's a special concoction I made. Use it only as a last resort. Its benefits are potent, but so are its side effects."

Dugu took the bottle. "Great, when do I start?"

"Tomorrow. I'll have everything you'll need prepared by then. I'll be expecting regular updates from you. If you don't want your wife to end up in a werewolf's belly, then you would be wise to do as I say."

"I find that hard to stomach." Dugu winked at Thrax.

Thrax shook his head, before turning to leave.