“Insane benefactor, you’re back.” The first person to greet the trio when they arrived was the four-armed centaur. He was sitting on a pile of blankets by the entrance with two spears and two shields lying by his side.

Raea climbed out of Palan’s embrace and stretched her wings, ignoring the centaur while looking around. The corner of her lips turned down as she peered at the mineshaft. “So I was right,” she said. The centaur’s ears perked up when Raea spoke. “They did have tunnels. How come I didn’t find any in the first sector?”

“Because we didn’t make any,” the centaur said and stuck his chest out while folding his arms. He bowed while standing. “My name is Mathias. It is a pleasure to meet you. May I have the honor of knowing your name?”

Raea stared at the centaur and took a step back. Her brow furrowed as she faced Pyre. “Can I kill him?” she asked and bit her lower lip. “There’s something off about him.”

“Eh?” Mathias asked and scratched his head. “What’s off about me? Aren’t I the picture of a valiant gentleman?”

“I think I figured it out,” Raea said as a shiver ran down her spine.

Palan snorted and took a step forward. Danger Noodle darted through the air and crashed into the centaur, embedding Mathias’ lower body into the wall of the mineshaft. Dust fell from the ceiling as the entrance trembled, and a few alarms went off as halflings were affected by the impact. The centaur roared and burst out of the wall, picking up his shields and spears. “What was that for!?” he asked while stabbing towards Palan. The ground underneath Palan’s feet distorted as Mathias attempted to throw him off balance.

“You didn’t introduce yourself to me when we first met,” Palan said as he caught the spear with his torso-mouth. The metal snapped, and grinding noises echoed through the cave as Palan chewed with his stomach. “But you introduced yourself to her? What’s mine is mine. Keep your eyes off of her.”

Raea blinked twice before staring at Palan and Mathias. They were glaring at each other, ready to attack at a moment’s notice. “Wait,” she said and furrowed her brow. She narrowed her eyes at Palan. “When did I become yours? You’re mine, not the other way around.”

Palan furrowed his brow and glanced at Raea. The centaur used that chance to summon an earthen spear from the ceiling, directing it towards Palan. An oily sheen covered Palan’s head, and the spear shattered upon contact with the light. “We’ll talk later,” Palan said to Raea before turning on the centaur. He leapt forward and slashed downwards with his hand. The centaur raised his shield to deflect the blow, but his eyes widened when Palan’s hand passed through the metal like it was butter.

A scream resounded through the cave as Palan tore off one of the centaur’s arms. Palan’s stomach grumbled, and his torso-mouth started to smack its lips. A tongue shot out of his abdomen and wrapped around the arm. Seconds later, the limb vanished, leaving behind a few traces of blood on the ground. The centaur’s body trembled as he clutched his bloody shoulder. “I, I’ll kill you!” he shouted and stomped his hooves against the ground. Thousands of spearheads emerged from the ceiling, walls, and earth, pointing at Palan.

“Stop!”

The spearheads quivered and stopped their progress towards Palan, freezing in place. Footsteps echoed through the entrance, coming from deeper in the mine. Solra appeared behind the centaur and furrowed his brow at Mathias’ bloody stump. The archangel turned his head towards a dwarf. “Bring Dinah here,” he said. The dwarf nodded and scurried away. Cory’s head popped up from behind Solra’s back and peered over his shoulder.

“What is the meaning of this?” Solra asked Pyre, ignoring the trembling centaur.

“I’m not quite sure,” Pyre said and shrugged. He gestured towards Palan and Raea. “Ask them.”

Palan snorted and crossed his arms over his chest when Solra looked at him. “If I want to kill him, do I need a reason?” he asked. “What are you going to do about it?”

Peals of laughter rang throughout the mineshaft, coming from Cory’s mouth. She smiled at Palan. “So arrogant,” she said and licked her lips. “I like it.”

“Who is she?” Raea asked, snapping her head towards Palan. A small flame seemed to burn in her eyes.

“Who am I?” Cory asked and observed Raea. The red harpy hadn’t even noticed Raea because she was focusing all her attention on Palan. “Who are”—Cory’s eyes widened as she gasped—“are you the harbinger? My name is Cory.” She lowered her head and stared at Raea’s feet.

“I’ve been called the harbinger before,” Raea said and nodded. “I’m not sure if I actually am though.”

“Wait,” Solra said, cutting Cory off. “Before we discuss anything else, why did you attack Mathias? Depending on your answer, we may or may not have to reconsider our cooperation.”

“He attacked first,” Palan said with a straight face. “I was just repaying the favor.”

“That’s not true!” the three-armed centaur shouted. “I merely introduced myself and you tried to kill me!”

Cory rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. “I think I understand what happened,” she said. Everyone fell silent and stared at her. “Everyone knows Mathias is a huge pervert.”

“Hey!”

Cory ignored Mathias’ outburst. “He clearly hit on someone he shouldn’t have,” the harpy said and nodded. “It’s not the first time he lost a limb because of a mistake like that.”

“Not the first time?” Solra asked and furrowed his brow. He glanced at the centaur who had turned paler than a sheet. A whimper escaped from the centaur’s quivering lips.

“Mm.” Cory smiled at Mathias. “I ripped his fifth leg off once.”

Solra’s expression turned odd as everyone turned to stare at the naked centaur’s lower half. “I had it repaired!” Mathias shouted as he sat down and buried his face in his remaining hands.

“Forgive my subordinate’s behavior,” Solra said as he sighed and fixed his expression. “Are you Palan’s friend?”

Raea nodded. “You’re Solra, right?”

“That’s correct.”

Raea’s eyes narrowed as black flames sprouted into existence around her body. Cory’s eyes widened as she confirmed her suspicions. She wasn’t going to fight over a mate with the harbinger. Solra frowned and took a step back when he realized his powers didn’t work on Raea.

Raea smiled a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “What’s your relationship with Madison?”