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Palan lay on his back watching the yellow moon in the sky. Raea was lying on top of him with her head nestled between his neck and collarbone, facing his shoulder. Her tail occasionally flicked from side to side while Palan’s tails coiled around their legs. “What are you thinking about?” Raea asked as she lifted her torso and gazed into Palan’s eyes. Her hair tickled his neck.

“My goal is almost accomplished,” Palan said and dragged his gaze away from the moon. “It shouldn’t take too long to get to the capital now. After killing Sariel, I can go back to my sister. It hasn’t been that long since I arrived here, but it’s felt like ages.”

“I see,” Raea said and traced her fingers along Palan’s face. “I look forward to meeting this sister of yours.”

“Then you’re really coming with me to Eljiam?” Palan asked.

“Of course,” Raea said and snorted as she sat up, straddling his stomach. “And then I’ll bring all of us back to Div’Nya by recruiting Pyre’s help. Eljiam doesn’t sound like a very nice place to live in. We should get a house by a lake, but civilization has to be close by of course.” Raea nodded as she stared up at the sky.

“When the time comes, we’ll see,” Palan said. Muted screams came from behind a boulder, followed by a cloud of orange smoke. “I think we’ve kept Pyre waiting long enough.”

Raea laughed. “One more time?” she asked and scooted backwards while bending her waist. She licked his neck and giggled at his reaction. Soft cries punctuated the night as the duo forgot their worries.

In contrast to the relaxed couple, Solra was organizing his troops. Shouts rang throughout the night as halflings organized themselves by race and rank. Amongst the army, there were dozens of demons spread throughout the group. Solra had convinced their previous contractors in Elrith’s army to relinquish their contracts and had the demons form new ones with the halflings. There used to be hundreds of demons, but the majority of them had died during the battles. When the infantry had clashed, the demons were always the first to fight.

By Solra’s side, the four-armed centaur and Cory were milling about. As archlings, they represented power, but they really had nothing to do. If Cory had thumbs, she would’ve twiddled them. “I wonder where Palan is,” Cory said and sighed as she flapped her wings and hopped onto the centaur’s back. The centaur let out a low roar as he tried to throw her off, but she scurried around like a rat and avoided his arms.

Solra’s head snapped towards the duo. “Why?” he asked, narrowing his bloodshot eyes. He would usually be asleep at this time, but the fact that his powers couldn’t work on someone greatly affected his mindset. He needed to make preparations because he couldn’t guarantee Palan would keep his end of the bargain. At that moment, he really regretted not creating a contract. Even if Solra couldn’t dispose of Palan, at least the contract would keep him safe as well.

Cory licked her lips and smiled. “Mm. I’ve never seen a male like him,” she said. “He’s the strongest and most interesting one. I wonder if he’d struggle.” Her smile became a bit twisted, and the four-armed centaur shuddered.

“If you’re looking for a mate,” Solra said and furrowed his brow, “you should probably stay away from him. I can’t have you dying at this crucial moment. Why not just have children with him?” The old angel pointed at the centaur, causing the halfling to shudder even harder.

“This blockhead?” Cory asked as she stuck her nose into the air and sniffed. “My offspring need to have at least a modicum of intellect. I’m afraid a brick would hatch from my eggs if he were my mate.”

Solra pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please refrain until after we capture the capital then?” he asked. A dwarf approached him, causing the archangel to drag his attention away from the daydreaming harpy. “How are the archlings coming along?”

The dwarf nodded twice. “Three cocoons opened,” he said and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “The other four have no sign of movement.”

“Which three?” Solra asked.

“Two goblins and a troll,” the dwarf said.

Solra’s eyes lit up. “Have them come to me,” he said. A troll at the level of an archangel would be incredibly helpful to have. Trolls were extremely rare, and Solra had been unwilling to use even one during the fights against the angels. Instead, their massive frames were more suited to excavating new tunnels and aiding with transportation. The angels had their elephants, and Solra had his trolls. They weren’t stupid, but they weren’t smart either. It was a shame their fertility was low; otherwise, he would have more than a handful under his command.

Ever since Igor and Madison vanished, Solra felt like he was lacking bodyguards. Cory and the four-armed centaur just didn’t cut it. They were strong, but they hadn’t been tempered in Eljiam like his two demons had. Sometimes, Solra wondered what happened to them. He had chosen to sacrifice Igor during an ambush on Elrith, so it was understandable that the greater demon was missing, but Madison was different. Where had she gone? She wasn’t under a contract with him, but she had been hand raised by Meffi who told her to treat Solra like an uncle. It was hard to believe she would abandon him like that, but narcissistic demons tended to be fickle in nature. He hadn’t even considered the possibility of her dying.

Solra sighed and shook his head as weariness set in. He had been on edge all night, but Palan hadn’t showed up again. The flaming needles in the distance had stopped, but that didn’t make him feel any better. The silence was like the calm before the storm. He regretted not killing Pyre when he had the chance. That crazy inventor had brought an archdemon to the army, introducing a whole new set of problems he’d have to deal with.

“Commander?” Cory asked and poked Solra’s side with her talon. The old angel flinched and his back straightened as he let out a yelp. “Is everything alright?”

Solra nodded. “I’m just thinking,” he said. “The plan we’ve set in motion so many years ago is nearly reaching its conclusion. I just wish my companions were around to see this.” The world that the four of them had envisioned in their youth, it was almost here. Solra clenched his hands as he adjusted his posture. As long as he could overcome the hurdle of an archdemon of pride and wrath, whether by force or negotiation, their dream would come true.

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