Goan. The Transferred Power. Vol 1.

Chapter 12. Prisoners.

In the wilderness.

A large group of minotaurs flanked the cage containing Leiza, Zaz, Seip and the two giant animals. A few meters away from them, it seemed to be their leader, since he was the one giving instructions to the other warriors that listened to him attentively. He was also the strongest of the group, with muscles much more bulky than the rest of the minotaurs. His name was Tenyto, and despite his intimidating appearance, he was a calm and thoughtful being. Leiza and the others could realize this as they listened to part of his conversation with his fellows.

-I hope that with this woman's delivery we can finally end this war. I am tired of losing the lives of my comrades in useless battles.

-But, Tenyto, how can you take the word of this guy? What if he turns out to be worse than the one hunting us?

-We have no choice, we have ceased to be one of the dominant species a long time ago. We can't settle everything with punches, we must resort to negotiation. You have just seen what that human with red arms on his back could do to many of our warriors. Imagine what a whole army of people like him would be capable of doing to us. We must be realistic and recognize our limitations. Only our ally is capable of dealing with them... because he is one of their own.

-I wouldn't trust a human. That' s insane, Tenyto.

-The only reason we were not banished earlier was because we had the protection of that man and his red-armored friend. There is only one of them left alive now and we owe him gratitude. We will rely on his word.

Seip deduced that Rioya had to be the human who protected the minotaurs before his death. That reddish armor always resulted in an unmistakable feature on him. Which meant that his alive partner had to be the person closest to him before the foundation of the rebel group: Prince Dorba. The two were once inseparable colleagues on quests and objectives. They recognized each other as valuable people who sought to help those in need. Although their relationship failed to be perfect; at the conclusion of the Great Revolution, their differences distanced them. However, their ideological disagreements never provoked animosity between the two. In Rioya's eyes, his friend Dorba was always an impeccable man. -Rioya never heard about the rumors of the Prince's personality change, he died before they arose, so his reaction to such claims could never be known.

Seip was not sure which person they were going to meet, whether the generous fellow fighter of the Great Revolution, or the vile being that was rumored to be his current version. Therefore he was confused, he did not know if it was a stroke of luck to be on the way to him or if he should be worried after finding out about their upcoming reunion. Preferring to reduce the risk, he opted to try to negotiate with his captors.

-Listen, I know you spent time with Rioya. I was a close friend of him, we shared many causes in common and I can help you. Release us and we will find a way to contribute to you.

-You say you knew Rioya well? How odd, we never saw you by his side, human.

- You probably interacted with him in his younger days, when he was dedicated to taking care of the forest and the beings that inhabited it. I met Rioya some time later, we were fellow combatants in the Great Revolution, and afterwards I joined his rebel group.

-Mmm, I can't take your word for it. Rioya is no longer here to intercede and validate your version. On the contrary, I think it's a bad thing to know that you were his battle partner in the past. The terrible King Moal was also one of them, Rioya always admitted to be regretful for having fought alongside some despicable people in that period of his life. Maybe you are one of those persons and are trying to deceive us. Moal is desperate and feels menaced by our ally, that is why he has made unthinkable alliances with other species. The snake men sold themselves to the highest bidder to ensure their survival. At this moment we can't trust anyone, the decisive moment may be coming in a short time... And it seems that it will arrive from the hand of your partner in that cage.