After Ardiel revealed they were not from this planet, Iroken didn't pry further, only motioning them deeper into the forest.
The road to the natives' camp was eerily quiet, save for the occasional chirping of birds and distant growls of hidden beasts, their sounds resonating through the thick canopy. The soft rustle of bushes and leaves beneath the shadowy greens hinted at smaller creatures scurrying about, unseen but ever-present.
"S-so, I assume you're enemies with the Orcs?" Ardiel ventured, his voice careful, as if testing the waters.
"We've been at war with them for 300 years," Iroken replied, his tone heavy with the weight of history. "And things are... grim for us humans."
"Three hundred years?" Reno muttered under his breath. "That's... a long time."
"Long enough to decimate 85% of the human population," Iroken said grimly, the words hanging in the air like a curse.
