Beast Hide

After capturing Thunder Axe Fortress, the Forsaken should be allowed to rest. This rest refers to their mental well-being. Time was of the essence, Veronalara assumed Nathanos would only grant them one day of rest after capturing Thunder Axe Fortress. However, to her utter surprise, they had been resting for almost four days. During these days, Nathanos frequently went out with Belmont, leaving before dawn and returning late at night. Veronalara was eager to know what they were doing.

On the fifth day, Nathanos prepared to go out as he had in the previous days, but before he left, he gave Veronalara a task: to find some tailors among the Forsaken.

"The Witherer have gone out again?" Enya asked, frowning. "We've been here long enough. If we don't take action soon, I'm worried the Alliance will send people to investigate the situation in Wailing Caverns."

"That's true, but I believe Nathanos must have thought of that too. He might be... planning something," Veronalara reassured her. "Perhaps we'll find out tonight."

Enya looked at Veronalara with a puzzled expression. The fact that the Dark Ranger had said this meant that they would have to stay in the Orcs' fortress for another day.

For the Forsaken, letting a day slip by aimlessly is not difficult. After escaping the Lich King's control, almost every Forsaken has fallen into a state of confusion, wandering back and forth in some dark corner.

The wait wasn't too long, but a day had indeed passed, or rather, been wasted. This wasn't the case for Nathanos; he returned, and unlike before, he carried a dirty animal hide. Belmont, however, carried three animal hides.

"Veronalara!" Nathanos entered Thunder Axe Fortress. The two Forsaken saluted him, but whether the Witherer saw him was another matter. He was only concerned with the owner of the name he spoke of, and whether she had completed her task. This was important, because they would be facing four Centaur races next.

Nathanos needs a tailor; he needs someone skilled in this craft to complete the most crucial step in his plan.

Where are they?

The moment Nathanos shouted his question, Veronalara emerged from the crowd, followed by three female Forsaken.

"I'm here," Veronalara replied. "Everyone you need is here!"

The Witherer showed her a satisfied expression, but then a hint of disappointment. Veronalara had completed her task, but there were too few of them—only three.

Not enough, far from enough. But there's no other way.

"Well done!" Nathanos casually praised, then walked up to the three Forsaken, who bowed in respect.

The Witherer Belmont. The Forsaken then laid out the animal hides he carried on the ground. Nathanos also unwrapped a hide and casually placed it on the ground. The other curious Forsaken gathered around, discussing Nathanos's strange behavior.

Veronalara examined the hide closely. Judging from the material, it appeared to be the hide of Kodo Beast, covered with incomprehensible patterns that resembled totems or symbols.

"Can the three of you make something exactly like these?" Nathanos asked the three tailors.

They exchanged glances and nodded to Nathanos with smiles. It was an easy task, anyone could see that, so Nathanos wanted to add a little more difficulty.

"I don't just need you to make the same ones, I need a lot. I need at least twenty hides for each different pattern."

The three tailors hesitated for a moment after hearing this, and one of them asked, "When do you need these things, sir?"

"The sooner the better, it must be finished by tomorrow night at the latest!"

Veronalara didn't know anything about tailoring, but she knew how difficult the task was—time was extremely tight. The Witherer seemed to be deliberately making things difficult.

"We will expedite the completion of this task."

"There are plenty of Kodo Beast hides in the armory of Thunder Axe Fortress, and as for the pigments..." Nathanos stroked his chin, "We'll use charcoal ash."

Veronalara blinked. "What exactly are we supposed to do?"

"Veronalara, you have another task." Nathanos glanced at the puzzled Dark Ranger. "Summon all the Dark Ranger and all the Forsaken carried out reconnaissance missions in their previous lives. Gather them together, and Belmont will tell you what to do." After speaking, the Witherer turned and walked into the fortress, patting his right shoulder as he did so.

"The Witherer should not show favoritism to anyone," Veronalara said to Belmont after Nathanos left. "His trust in you surpasses that of all of us."

"If you said that to an adult, they would think you're an idiot." Belmont's face contorted into a grimace.

Veronalara knew it was mockery. The Dark Ranger roared, "Speak your mind!"

"The Lord trusts no one!" Belmont replied. Veronalara's anger was gradually overshadowed by surprise. "He only needs our trust, or rather... that we don't betray him."

The Dark Ranger took a deep breath and said, "What if we don't trust him?" Veronalara immediately tensed up as soon as she spoke. Showing Nathanos's suspicion to Belmont was ambiguous; the Undead might report her to Nathanos at any moment.

"I asked him the same question yesterday when I was out with the adults," Belmont said, his expression growing increasingly smug, as if he was enjoying Veronalara's bewilderment.

So what was his answer?

"You can leave at any time. These are his exact words."

"So does that mean he doesn't actually need us and can abandon us at any time?"

Upon hearing this, Belmont's smile vanished, replaced by a dark rage. He warned, "Betrayal is a bitter pill to swallow, Veronalara! You should know what Lord the Witherer has been through. His loved ones betrayed him; who can he trust? I can't understand the pain of being betrayed by one's closest kin, but I know that those two words are the most taboo for Lord Belmont. He himself would never commit such a despicable act, so he won't abandon us. As for us, if we choose to leave, it's solely our Will. As long as we don't pose a threat to Lord Belmont's cause, he won't stop us from finding another path. Do you understand, woman?"

"It seems you are very loyal to him," Veronalara commented. "But your reaction is too strong; I was merely expressing my concerns."

"I hope so." Belmont looked at her coldly. "Now, you should go and carry out the Witherer's mission."

"Do you understand the details of the mission?" Belmont shouted from atop a crate at the mixed forces of Dark Ranger and Forsaken below. Normally, only Nathanos would assign missions this way.

"I have a question," Liana's voice rang out.

"If you want to know why we need to complete this task, there's no need to say more."

"I believe we have the right to know," Liana pressed on relentlessly. "We are not puppets. The Witherer should tell us what those animal hides are for, after all, we are going to the Centaur camp."

"You care about the reasons too?" Belmont looked at Liana with a mocking expression, who nearly exploded. "Don't you only care about the results? The Witherer will satisfy your needs. Those hides will allow us to eliminate the Centaur threat without bloodshed. Then, you'll have to Consecration your loyalty to the Lord."

"If that's the case, I will swear allegiance to Nathanos. But can these graffiti-covered animal hides really defeat Centaur?" Liana's face was full of skepticism, as were several other Dark Ranger. "Are we going to use these things to bribe those beasts?"

Belmont jumped down and took a few steps to stand in front of Liana. "I can only tell you that these patterned animal hides are the flags of the Centaur Horde!"