Chapter 243: A brief look back to the past (1/2)

As the wooden gate slowly creaked open upon the constant churning of a wheel somewhere behind the protective walls, a new, previously never-before-seen world slowly unfolded before Aiden's eyes.

Whilst keeping his stoic, cold look on the outside, he was very eager to finally witness another civilization for the first time. Yes, the orcs may have been primitive in terms of their weapons and beliefs compared to the much more sophisticated humans, but at the same time, they were more honest as well.

They didn't hide their nasty secrets underground, away from the prying eyes, they would put it in the forefront and be proud of it. When he visited the goblins, their small tribal settlement felt as if he stepped back in time. Small round, circular buildings, instead of doors they used small separators… Personal Space was an unknown term to them from what the small glimpse he was granted through the eyes of the absorbed ex-leader goblin.

As he got the first glimpse of the inner grounds, the real, first look at the tribe's grounds, Aiden was granted a similar sight, albeit in a slightly larger scale. The same circular, rounded yurt-like designs dominated the landscape from where he could see.

There was little to no planning behind how the village was structured, the small, tent-like buildings made of wood, mud, and a mixture of leaves were placed all over the place.

They weren't sturdy, with a well-placed kick, punch, or strike, the whole 'building' could collapse upon its usually singular resident. In fact, they were so small, that Aiden was even doubting that those robust, bulky warriors could fit with comfort.

Following his young master's gaze, Roas spoke after giving him a few seconds to take in the sights.

”[Orc] These buildings are the Worts, or in other words, wooden tents erected by each warrior. They only come here to rest once they get back from a mission or a shift. They are not given much care and they are not used that often. The warriors often sleep under the sky, or in other places.”

”[Orc] Worts? Interesting… So, you orcs have no real home's to return to at all?” Looking away from these wooden yurts, Aiden shifted his attention to Roas on his right.

While taking in the sights and discussing it, they began to walk at a slow, but steady pace, leaving the still wary guards, and finally entered the tribe's inner grounds.

”[Orc] Home? Once we had those… Before I ruined my tribe and forced them to leave the mountains and join the horde. Ever since then, the horde never settled in one place for too long and was constantly on the move. We had no time nor any reason to erect proper houses since then, and we settled into this lifestyle.”

This information was new and unexpected, Aiden raised his eyebrows as he inquired further.

”[Orc] Huh? I thought the Horde's main purpose would be to find a place for you all to live. What are you all gathered together for if not that?”

With a sour expression, Roas looked at the clear night sky. Letting out a sad, long sigh, he explained.

”[Orc] It's true, my lord, that the original purpose of the horde would be to gather all the races that were hated or disdained by the more civilized ones and wrestle themselves some land they could finally call home under one collective, unified banner.” As if remembering some of the dark moments of his past, Roas heaved yet another heavy sigh before continuing.

”[Orc] In fact, it was this promise, this hope that led most of the other races and tribes to join up. Hundreds of Orc, Goblin, and even Ogre and other tribes joined rapidly growing in numbers and creating a humongous, deadly army.”

While listening to his eager follower, Aiden also kept his attention on his minimap, and also made sure to use his [Dark Sense] ability to map out as much of the tribe's grounds as he could. After all, whilst information gathering was the original purpose of him coming here, he now also had to find out what happened to the prince and hopefully get some additional clues about the true location and entrance of the Demon Grotto.

Surprisingly, the inner ground seemed much more expansive than what one would expect at first sight. They have been trekking straight towards the inner sections of the orcish settlement, but so far, all he could see was a literal forest made out of similar-looking wooden yurts or 'Worts' following Roas' explanation.

Seeing no change in sight, without looking at him, Aiden continued his inquiry.