Chapter 51: Beasts Of Legend
Prince Tyfin sat emotionless across from the leader of the tribe he found himself now in the company of. The tribe of orcs he and the people with him were at the mercy of.
His expression was kept blank by years of keeping his wits in stressful situations, but his mind was certainly troubled by his predicament. A weakness he couldn’t afford to show at such a critical time when so many lives were resting upon his shoulders.
The lion was surrounded by different orcs, but they certainly seemed more civilized than the stories he had heard... They wouldn’t be putting debate on the table if they weren’t. There was a goal here for them, Tyfin just had to figure out what it was.
The orc leader sat on a small pad in the far end of the room, across from where the lion now sat on a similar mat in the center. The prince made note of the differences he saw compared to what he had been told about the species. Assumptions would only hinder him here.
They did have a lighter, greenish tint to their skin, and two large tusks protruding from their larger, bottom jaws as the prince was told, but they seemed surprisingly similar in stature to the average beast in most other ways.
The lion expected them to be much more uncultured, but they all wore clothing, and most even seemed to have their own preferences for that as well. Much like Aster, these creatures mainly had fur on top of their heads, with many having shaved a good portion of that hair close to the scalp.
Some completely shaved the fur, and some grew it long past their waists. These were diverse, sentient creatures. They could be reasoned with. They had the chance to wipe out the entire group of beasts and had instead chosen to meet with the prince.
Tyfin couldn’t afford to squander such a gift in his circumstance and lightly bowed his head forward as he clearly spoke in a well practiced voice, showing all due respect for his opponent.
"My name is Tyfin Tonitrus, I am the crown prince of the kingdom of Alora, but I suspect you are aware of that already per the beastmen you sent to intercept us. If I may ask, what are you hoping to achieve with this meeting?"