Heria shook Ares awake. Ares rubbed his eyes then rolled from his furs before finally hopping out of his tent to embrace the day. The sun had yet to come out, though it would be peeking out soon enough. Ares looked out to see the humans were still in their camp, and considering no one had woken him up earlier, he doubted they had made any suspicious movements in the night.

Heria yawned and stretched beside Ares as he went around jogging, partaking in some calisthenics to warm himself up, and then finally carrying around a cart filled with some items, before shifting everything away.

He splashed some cold water around himself, changed, and then slipped into his armour. He adjusted his helmet and then hopped onto a fort wall to take watch, lazily relaxing on his side. After a short while he pulled out his furs and then laid on that as the wall was too rough on his body.

Heria sat down nearby, Ares offered her a blanket and she graciously accepted.

“No movement was seen in the night.” Heria said as she looked out to the large tents ahead of them. “Are you sure it’s wise to have our army sleeping?”

“No, it’s not wise at all. The best time to attack would have been a short while ago, so it seems the humans aren’t here to fight… well, that’s not their main goal.”

“What are they here for?”

“That’s their business, though I’m wondering too…” Ares shrugged though. “We’ll figure it out when I meet with their representative. Speaking of which, maybe I should send for them?” Ares said as he looked to Heria.

“Would you prefer they continue to rest?” Heria asked.

Ares shrugged. “Whether they are rested or not doesn’t make much of a difference to me, but I suppose we would lose less soldiers… though ours will be as equally rested… let them sleep for longer, so their morale is high.”

Heria didn’t respond, instead they looked out to the distant camp. Ares would peek towards Heria, though only to look passed her to the oxfolk that remained nearby. There were thousands of them too, and they had taken a similar stance to Ares as most slept, though a hundred or so remained awake and alert. Heria would catch him looking at her and grin, swaying her tail to and fro.

“Are you mesmerised by my beauty?” She asked.

“Sorry, it seems as though I’m not.” Ares chuckled and she scowled, her ears falling down, but Ares kept laughing. “Though you are a beauty.” Ares said as he then lay down again, yawning. His body felt restless, he wanted to go out and fight, but it would be best for his soldiers to see how casual he was about the situation so they wouldn’t panic.

Finally the sun encompassed the area and then Ares sat up. “I guess I should go and tell them I’m ready to chat.”

“I’ll do it.” Heria said as she hopped off the wall and then leapt up onto her wolf, who quickly stood up and bolted away eagerly towards the human camp.

Ares wondered what it would be like to ride on a wolf like that. He thought to the black wolf and then realised that his plan to bring it meat every day had already been ruined.

‘Fuck.’

Ares watched as Heria paced in front of the human’s camp. The same man he had seen before appeared, and Ares was surprised he could see their features so clearly. ‘Do I have 200/200 vision?’ He wondered. No, he had vision that was even better.

Finally Heria returned, her wolf bounding towards them, though eventually slowed as they approached him. Heria jumped onto the wolf’s back and then somersaulted onto the wall.

“They said they will create the meeting area.”

Ares nodded as he looked out to the humans before finally getting up. He dropped down and then walked out to the front of his army’s camp and then clapped his hands. He motioned to half of his watchers and then motioned to half of his army. “Wake them up please.” Ares said as they went about waking the army up. Once they were done, Ares then had them return to their watch duties and had the other half of the watchers wake up the other half of his army.

It didn’t take long for them to get up and form themselves. Ares stepped back and then motioned for them to step forward before then he started to form his army. He had six companies to work with, one whole Battalion. He realised this meant he was currently a Colonel, but the thought passed right away.

He had two Companies of each type of unit, light infantry, heavy infantry, and cavalry. He realised that the way he had structured his units would be fairly inefficient, and he should have made the block of units the size of half a Company. Oh well. He’ll change that later.

He then ordered the units so the wolves were on each flank, and then it alternated between heavy infantry and then infantry. The left flank would be the flank that he would fight beside, and then eventually would swallow the enemy from left to right when he eventually won.

Once he had formed his army properly, he watched to see what the humans were doing. They had sent up an open tent, with only a roof as well as four poles and some cloth over the top.

The young man that had come to speak with Ares earlier made his way cautiously towards the wall of beastfolk soldiers. Ares stepped forward to meet with them.

“Commander Nevro asks for an audience with King Ares.” He said as he stood as tall as he could.

“Tell Commander Nevro that I will soon come. I shall have some meat cooked for us.” Ares nodded.

The soldier nodded in return. “I shall inform the Commander.” He said before he turned and then left as Ares then summoned some meat to be cooked by the cooks of the area, quickly frying the meat over a hot pan that was atop a flame. When the meat, liberally spiced and salted, was cooked to completion Ares transferred it onto a large metal sheet and then carried it with him. He noted the Commander was flanked by two warriors and so Ares turned to face his army.

“I need two soldiers willing to die for me.” He said as he glanced between the soldiers. Many of them stepped forward, but Ares motioned his head to a pair of oxfolk women. “Very well, come along then.” Ares said as he walked with them to the trio waiting for him.

The man that had spoken to Ares had returned to the camp some ways away and so the six were left alone. The Commander stood as Ares placed the large sheet of metal on the table that had been set up, it was made similarly to the open tent, though actually was made of wood. Four poles with a large sheet of wooden planks, with the legs being shaved at the top to fit into the holes near the corners.

“I thought perhaps you may have been hungry.” Ares said.

“I am Commander Nevro.” He said in a slight accent Ares didn’t quite recognise.

“I am King Ares, Master of Waters, Kin of all Riveans.”

Commander Nevro nodded. “I heard that you did some work against a legion to the West.”

“If by work you mean I completely decimated a few thousand of your soldiers, then yes, I did some work against your legion.”

“That is indeed what I meant. We are not here to fight.” Nevro said as he motioned a hand to the seat and then Ares took it, nodding his head. “We are here to talk.” Nevro said as he sat down.

“Then let’s talk.” Ares said as he summoned out a dagger and then cut into the meat, slicing it up into many pieces. The soldiers tensed up and reached for their swords, causing his own oxfolk to grip their spears but the pair of leaders raised a hand to stop them. Ares then stuck both knives into separate pieces of meat and then leaned back, motioning a hand for Nevro to pick a knife.

Nevro picked the one to his right and then examined the meat. Ares took the other knife and bit into the large slab of meat, feeling the rich juices and tasting the various spices and herbs.

“We are merely wondering if perhaps you have seen a group of dark skinned peoples about the area. We have heard reports that they had been spotted nearby.”

“You are speaking of King Abdan of Otee?”

“The very same.”

“Yes, I did see his group. They came by not long ago.”

“How many days ago?”

“A couple.”

“Do you know where they have headed to?”

“Yes, of course.” Ares smiled.

Nevro waited.

“What’s it worth to you?” Ares asked as he leaned back and then took another bite of the meat.

Nevro took a bite as well, slowly chewing it as he chewed on his thought. Then he swallowed. “He is with you.”

“He is.” Ares said with a smile. “How did you know?”

“A lucky guess.”

“I’m sure.”

“A human King as a captive is very useful. I would be willing to offer a full pardon against you and your people in exchange for the King.” Nevro said as he took a bite of the meat.

“You expect me to pay you to hand you over a King?”

Nevro narrowed his eyes and Ares laughed.

“This war is quite profitable for us. The armour, the slaves, the rimar that they possess. Quite profitable.”

Nevro continued to eat the meat. “We would be willing to offer you a full pardon, as well as five thousand rimars.”

Ares laughed. “That does sound like a good deal, though I don’t have much faith in your integrity. My price is much more. Also, I can’t hand him over.”

“You are housing an enemy of the Imperian?”

“Indeed. King Abdan is my honoured guest. He will leave when it pleases him, not when it pleases the Imperian.” Ares said with a smile. “Rivea is a home to all.”

Nevro continued to eat the meat. He looked out to the beastfolk and then the oxfolk at the side. Then he looked behind him to the wall before he then looked back to Ares.

“We will not be able to come to a deal, I fear…” Nevro said.

“No, unfortunately not.” Ares smiled.

“Then we will retreat.”

“Finish the meat, if you want to, you can offer it to your soldiers. However, I shall expect you gone by noon. If we ever see a group of several hundred soldiers within a day’s march of here, we will take it as a hostile force and will engage it as such.”

Nevro paused. “What of a tentative truce?”

Ares pulled back and crossed his arms. “I am listening.”

“Six moons. The Imperian will not come to send a force here for six moons. However, if we are met in your territory, you will not engage us, and we will not engage you.”

“As long as my scouts will be able to follow them as we please, unmolested, I will accept such a deal.”

Nevro nodded his head. “Very well.”

“I want it in writing.”

Nevro’s brows raised in surprise for a moment before they fell. “If it would please you.” Nevro said pulling out a sheet from his small pack that had been rolled like a scroll, and then from the same pack took out a quill and a small vial of ink.

Ares watched as Nevro wrote on the scroll and then signed his name, stating the terms that they had discussed.

“I would like a copy too.” Ares said as Nevro pulled another piece and repeated everything. Ares looked between the two and then Nevro signed his name on both sheets.

Ares wrote his own, though made it like half a symbol, and then the rest of his name. “Thank you very much, Nevro.”

“It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“I do hope so.” Ares nodded as he then stood, shifting away the scroll before he then left.