"My name is Orska. It seems you have come just in time for the half-elf to come out of his meditation. Why don't you take a seat while we wait as he comes out." The old orc graciously replied, motioning us to sit down. "Bring our guests some food and water. They must be hungry and thirsty from that long, arduous journey." He motioned towards Orska.
Orgo nodded, he then clapped, motioning the other nearby servants to come forth. Then he commanded the others. "Move your butt in gear! The Stargazer and his guest are hungry and thirsty!"
The Orcs started to the hustle and bustle around them, coming into life.
Tart sniffed once, coughing as he disliked the numerous smells that congregated around them. "Young mistress, it smells bad in here." He held his hand up to his nose. "It smells like old socks," he whined.
Tart was right. It did smell like old socks, and a strong one too. My guess was because these Orcs didn't have the luxury to shower, making this whole no bath smell pungent. I had to hold in a couple of breaths to take in a short breath, so I didn't inhale too deeply.
"Why is Phil here in the first place?" I asked this thought was always on my mind throughout the whole journey. From my understanding, he wasn't the type to do things without reason.
"That, young dragon. Is the answer why you are here." Orska gave me a warm smile that an Orc could give, but reminded me more of him scowling then smiling. If I didn't know any better, I thought he would be cursing at me or something, but the tone of his voice told me otherwise. "He came here because of the Titan's awakening."
"I'm sorry, come again?" I thought I heard him wrong. There was no way that there was another Legendary Creature alive.
"The Titan has awakened."
I was shocked when I heard him the second time. Now two out of six Legendary creatures were walking around in the world, still not killed. The worst part of it was that it wasn't even a thousand years that had passed. The heck is with that?! Don and Ginger were out hunting down the Black Gryphon, but so far, they didn't have any luck tracking him down.
"I had called upon the aid of the half-elf."
I looked at him strangely; the thought of Phil helping out didn't seem like him at all. There definitely must be more to this. "Wait, what can he do? He's not a Titan slayer."
"I know who I was specifically looking forward to meeting was you." Something about the way Orska said that gave me a weird chill. It was as if he was expecting us the whole time. "When I heard that you were asleep, I knew that time was of the essence. I had contacted the half-elf to bring him here in the hopes of drawing you out, and like my vision had stated. You have come."
"So, you tricked Phil?" I asked, confused.
"No. Phil is here for another reason."
"And that would be?"
"To learn about his destiny."
Once again, I felt a shiver going up and down my spine. The way he said destiny made me instantly think about his Demon Lord status that he was meant to be. I didn't like that at all; his life was always somehow intermingled with mine, making this a very precarious situation.
I let out an inward sigh, knowing full well that the plan to make Phil not into a Demon Lord was failing. Maybe, to meet his destiny was to meet his wife. That could definitely be a different way of thinking, in which case it made my mood sour.
I pushed aside such dreary thoughts and watched the Orcs bring in quite a lot of meat. They were giant boars the size of a horse, plucked roasted chicken that was even bigger than the boars, and many other animal dishes. Not a single dish had a single vegetable on it, making me wonder where they even get all these animals from. The whole dessert was a wasteland, and I haven't seen a single animal come crawling out of the sand once.
"Blue feathered Bird. The Tri Horned Boar. Even the speckled cat horse! This place is teeming with rare monster ingredients!" Tart looked dazed, his mouth already salivating as he watched them bring out the food.
The smell of meat was gratifying as my stomach grumbled in hunger once again. I realized that I haven't eaten since breakfast. Reaching over, I picked up the large chicken leg and bit down. All
I could think of was the juiciness of the chicken's flavor that I had never tasted before. It wasn't as good as Tart's food that he makes but was pretty decent.
Both Tart and I devoured the food given before us, while Moca took his leisure time eating. Styrd just stood there, watching us eat. I looked over towards him to come over, but he shook his head.
"Come here, Styrd. There is enough for all of us." I said, checking on the chicken breast.
"I-I-I am not allowed too." Stryd was ashamed at what he said and seemed to shrink in size.
"What are you talking about," I asked, he was once again spouting some weird nonsense.
"He is not a full Orc to dine alongside us," Orska stated. "A halfling isn't given the same privilege as a full Orc."
I gave Orska a funny look that stated that Orska and his Orc people had a stupid custom. Just when I was going to say that it's full of crap and Styrd could come sit with us to eat, Orska said something first.
"Though, I don't personally mind if he comes and dines with us." Orska waved his hand for Styrd to come over. "The mindset of an Orc is usually short-sided, mostly because of the short lifespan from war that they can't see beyond their own kind."
Styrd shifted from one leg to the other, unsure if he should come or not. I had to growl at him to come over. He sped up his actions and sat down with a straight back staring at me with slight nervousness.
"When you get as old as me." Then Orska stopped, looked over towards me, realizing what he said. "If you don't mind answering how old are you?���
I thought over what he said. I really wasn't sure how old I was. Let's see, five years of sleeping, a year or two staying with Phil, and possibly when I awoke sixteen or eighteen years maybe? "Um, I think I'm about 23 or 25?"
Orska raised his eyebrows at my question. "You don't know your age?"
"Amnesia." I quickly replied. That was the best excuse I had. It worked every time.
"No, matter. The concept is the same. When you have experienced many things in this world, you start to understand that the Orc society are very selfish creatures."
Styrd snorted and coughed. He was shocked to hear Orska say something like that without a single care in the world. "E-elder?" He stuttered, gazing at him with a newfound respect.
"What, pup? It's true." Orska snorted, waving his hand in front of him. "These days, the younger generation are getting stupider and more selfish as time goes by. Staying in this country is rotting their mind."
"Then what can we do to make it better?" Styrd asked, hoping that he would know the answer.
A sour expression appeared on Orska's face. He then shook his head. "Things are not going to get better right this moment. Not when the Titan is reborn, again. That is why you are here, young dragon. You will lead this world through the chaos, where the world will be ripped asunder by the creatures of calamity. Destruction shall reign from the legends that live again. Seven stars shall be born anew to rid this world of darkness, and from their destruction herald in a new age."
His words brought chills to my body. I wasn't sure how I would lead anyone into the future when I have my own set of problems. Especially if I can't turn a Demon Lord into a civilized being, in which case that could be a lost cause entirely.
"But beware for the Demon King shall rise. Chaos shall follow behind, creating jealousy and strife, turning family against family, friends against friends, and even loved ones among each other. For the Demon, King will destroy this world." His voice echoed, giving it a powerful feeling.