Once Colet and Zulgar led everyone further from Orisa, they compared notes on the local geography. The centaurs might have lived in the region longer but the beastmen were far more familiar with various features like caves due to their need to find food and shelter. The two were shocked at how different their knowledge was, clearly due to different priorities when scouting out the land. As the two leaders discussed the best location for camp, Ilumin flew down and landed on Colet’s shoulder.
Sofice coming! Sofice coming!
Upon hearing the name, Colet looked in the direction Ilumin pointed her wing at. A small group of centaurs galloped towards them and he could recognize the centaur at the front. The centaur chieftain excused himself so he could join up with Sofice. The two of them embraced before Sofice introduced Colet to the other centaurs. Then, Kallosa joined and embraced Sofice. One thing that always brought a smile on Colet's face was their close friendship and their shared interest in healing magic. The three were slightly teary-eyed due to the reunion. As soon as they got their emotions under control, they walked over to Zulgar.
“Zulgar, this is my elder sister, Sofice.” Colet turned to his sister. “Sofice, this is Zulgar, leader of the beastmen.”
Once the two of them exchanged greetings, Colet asked his sister what happened in Orisa and why she was outside the city. His sister said that they should talk once they reached a safe location. She claimed that their enemies had eyes and ears where they least expected it. Colet and Zulgar exchanged looks before following the female centaur.
“Maybe that’s what your nose was telling you,” whispered Colet.
“Could be,” said Zulgar as he went into deep thought while keeping up with Colet.
The large group moved at a canter pace until they arrived before a valley. Dark smoke limited their visibility and made it impossible for them to see across the valley. The fierce blaze in the valley made several beastmen and centaurs back a step or two. Fires weren't rare during this season but the magnitude of the blazes exceeded what they had seen in the past.
“Let’s go,” said Sofice.
Before either Colet or Zulgar could say anything, Sofice walked down a path towards the blaze. The two of them looked at each other and the blaze. When Sofice disappeared into the smoke, they both sighed and followed after her. The beastmen and centaurs all hesitated before following their leaders into the fire and smoke. Colet took a deep breath before he walked down the path. Holding his breath, the centaur chieftain entered the smoke expecting his eyes to start watering. To his surprise, the smoke and fire vanished. Instead, a medium sized encampment stood before him. The earth walls were two meters tall with centaurs and demons standing atop them. During his hesitation, Sofice already reached the encampment gates where she spoke with a centaur.
“That was all an illusion?” inquired Zulgar.
“If there are demons here,” said Colet, “then that must be the case.”
“Demons?”
The question puzzled Colet briefly before he recalled the demons lived on the other side of the continent to the beastmen. The odds of them encountering one another was unlikely at best. The centaurs, despite having heard of the demons before, had no contact with the other race until recently when the demons presented the offer he accepted. The sight of them on the encampment walls gave Colet confidence the demons kept their end of the bargain. At the time, the demons could have double-crossed the centaurs and he couldn’t have done anything about it. Trustworthy allies were hard to come by, especially when the list of potential allies grew smaller and smaller.
“The demons were allies we made against the humans,” said Colet. “They offered Orisa protection in return for our support on attacking the humans.”
“So they kept their end of the bargain but you failed yours.”
“We promised we would support them. Victory was a bonus if we got it.”
“As long as they can be trusted, I’m fine with working with them.”
The centaur chieftain was relieved with his beastman ally. He never liked promoting cooperation between different races because there were too many factors to account for. The coalition was a perfect example of what happened when some races barely tolerated one another. More than once, he had to mediate between the races so the coalition wouldn’t fall apart before reaching Torpin Stronghold. Dezzi helped where she could but, as the youngest leader in the coalition, it wasn’t surprising to see most not taking her seriously. Zulgar at least expressed the willingness to work with the demons which, given the circumstance, was a must. However, even he didn't know what agenda the demon had with the activation of the Purificator and the Orisa situation.
“Come on, you snails! We don’t have all day!”
“Never thought I would be called a snail,” muttered Zulgar.
“Get use to it,” replied Colet. “My sister is the fastest centaur I know of. Good luck beating her in a race.”
Not wanting to be called snails again, Colet and Zulgar joined Sofice at the gate. There, they were greeted by three demons in gray robes. Following greetings, the demons welcomed them into the encampment. Despite the size of the encampment, there weren’t very many inhabitants within it. Colet counted a few dozen centaurs and around the same number of demons. The illusion served as the primary defense because, if anyone got past it, they could easily overwhelm the puny garrison. Large plots of land within the encampment were still empty, though that was suitable given the beastmen and centaurs who would soon live in the encampment. Enough tents were set up for the current inhabitants along with space allocated for an armorer and a blacksmith. As the large group walked past, the two of them were busy with their work. Even though the armor and sword were work in progress, the demons’ craftsmanship had already impressed Colet. The centaurs weren’t known to be the best craftsmen in the north. Given their pace, Colet suspected they were racing against the time to arm everyone within the encampment.
