With very little time to prepare, the centaurs, beastmen and demons went to work immediately in dismantling the encampment. They kept the illusion hoping it would conceal their intentions long enough for them to finish their preparations. During the dismantlement, Colet and Zulgar were amazed how the encampment was put together. Magic played a huge role in the assembling of the encampment but the dismantlement required a lot of muscle power which they thankfully had a lot of. The entire process took an hour and Ilumin reported that both the undead and Ides loyalists had closed in on their position. The demons stored the encampment materials in one of their storage portals before the group transitioned to the next stage.
“What now?” asked Colet.
He knew they would be spotted as soon as they stepped out of the illusion. With the encampment disassembled, they no longer held a defensive advantage over their enemies. Without a plan, they would be easily chased down and executed by either of their enemies.
“This is where I need your help,” responded Kagarath.
The demon leader smiled upon seeing Colet’s puzzled look. He went on to explain that, during Colet’s venting session, the centaur exhibited incredible potential for earth elemental magic. While it wasn’t possible for the centaur chieftain to master his abilities in such a short period of time, Kagarath could serve as a proxy for the time being and take advantage of his ability with his spell mastery. Upon inquiring further, Colet got a complete picture of the plan and agreed to it, not that he had much choice. Like him, Kagarath was aware how vulnerable they were when faced against two enemies boasting both better quality and higher quantity. With no time to spare, the two of them got to work. The others would assist with hard labor as they raced against the time to prepare for what could be their final battle.
An hour later, Ilumin descended onto Colet’s shoulder. The centaur chieftain was exhausted as the spellcasting proved to be very draining. Kagarath reassured him that, with more practice, he would find casting spells as easy as swinging an ax. Until then, the centaur chieftain was merely going through the difficult path to becoming a spellcaster.
“You don’t believe me?” Kagarath asked when Colet let out a skeptical look. “I can see why after you centaurs have lost your connection with the earth itself. The price paid by your ancestors has really cost the centaurs’ ability to thrive today.”
The demon leader sighed after he studied Colet’s expression.
“We can talk about it after the upcoming battle if we survive it.”
Colet couldn’t tell if Kagarath was optimistic or pessimistic about the upcoming battle. They prepared the best they could with the time they had. The rest would rely on luck because the centaurs had long lost the blessing of their gods.
Could the loss of the blessings be the price Kagarath was mentioning? Maybe the demons do know more about what happened that fateful day.
Knowing where his duties lie, Colet joined the centaurs in one of the tunnels they dug earlier. While none of them were too fond of being underground, no one was particularly interested in meeting their enemies out in the open field either. Between the options, the discomfort of the tunnel was preferred, at least until they were trapped inside forced to fight to their death.
How did Skostaer and the dwarves enjoy tunnels? Maybe their short stature helped.
The centaur chieftain put away his thoughts. This was one of those moments where he had to lead. Morale dropped to rock bottom following their exile. None of the centaurs opposed staying with Colet but the idea of being wanderers had a massive impact on their morale. The centaur chieftain wasn’t sure about the combat effectiveness of his centaurs and, after his exertion with the spells, he also doubted his own abilities due to low stamina. When he turned to his sister, Sofice offered a smile.
“Thank you,” said Colet as he forced a smile.
The centaurs all hesitantly headed deeper down the tunnel until they came to a large chamber. Their tunnel was one of the four tunnels that led into the chamber. The beastmen entered through their own tunnel and, from their expressions, Colet knew they were as enthusiastic as the centaurs when it came to being underground. The two races were far more comfortable out on the wide open plains. The remaining two tunnels were left for the demons as the plan for their survival depended heavily on them.
Never thought there comes a day when I wish dwarves are here assisting us.
The thought never crossed his mind when aboveground but, down in the underground chamber, he trusted the dwarves to know what they were doing. Colet searched the chamber until he spotted Zulgar doing the same. When their eyes met, they approached one another greeting the other.
“The earth won’t crash down on us, right?”
Colet had never seen a beastmen afraid before so Zulgar’s tone caught him off guard. He did his best reassuring the beastman leader but, given that he wasn’t familiar with his abilities, he couldn’t be certain. For the sake of everyone’s morale, he had to put up a confident act. They were destined to lose if they ran from combat the moment they encountered any enemies. If the plan went as planned, they wouldn't see any enemies. However, that was assuming everything went according to plan.
“The demons at least offered some of their high quality weapons and armor,” said Zulgar.
The new armaments didn’t escape Colet’s attention. The centaur chief was very impressed and was slightly envious that the centaurs didn’t get any. Unlike the beastmen, the centaurs lacked experience with swords due to their reliance on axes. Large axes provided centaurs with a longer reach and their strength made axes devastating weapons. With mobility as their primary defense, the centaurs had little reason to go with a sword and shield combination which the humans have mastered. Due to the need to be adaptable, the beastmen were the better candidates to receive the swords and armor. Zulgar and many of the veteran beastmen didn't hesitate to equip themselves.
