Hunter's Castle

"I have just what he needs," Hunter said while laughing.

"Follow me inside," he added.

My eyes kept wandering around to capture the full scale of the property; his house was what I had envisioned a castle to be like! The orc who was standing at the door promptly opened it as soon as we were close and his butler ran to greet us.

"Go look around while Jasper and I choose the perfect clothes for you," Hunter said to me.

"Okay, I'll do so."

"Mek the little one feel at home," he said to the butler.

After the duo disappeared into one of the corridors, I began exploring the place. The room we were in was the main living room; a brick fireplace was heating up the area in front of the opulent velour sofas. The teal couches contrasted beautifully with the beige cotton rug underneath them; the walls were adorned with hundreds of paintings and trophies.

"Please sit down and enjoy a cup of tea before visiting the residence."

My body sunk into the couch as soon as I laid my weight on it; my body was engulfed in the fleecy material.

"Here is your tea."

An elegant tea set was placed on the table in front of me. The breathtaking art that was meticulously painted on the white porcelain caught my eyes. Even though the butler was busy pouring the drink into the cup, I couldn't help myself but try to satisfy my curiosity.

"Who do these represent?" I asked while pointing at the tea set.

"These, young man, are the depictions of the great Emperor Azule. They show his general life and his epic fights," he replied as he handed me the cup and saucer.

Even a small whiff of the liquid gold was enough to make me salivate and crave for more. As my lips made contact with the tea, a warm sensation emanating from my mouth spread all over my body as the flavour coated my palette; my eyes were sparkling as I gulped it all down.

"What kind of tea is this?"

"This is a secret that I can't reveal," the butler said while laughing.

"Where do you want to go?" he added.

"I want to go to the library to read a bit while waiting for them."

"Follow me."

The sharply dressed orc walked in front of me as he led me down a series of corridors; walking on the lush carpet that covered the floor was akin to moving on a cloud. The butler pushed a humongous door and as it swung open, my eyes almost popped out of their sockets. There were around a thousand books neatly organised on metal shelves; chandeliers dropped down to illuminate the reading areas which were currently empty.

I browsed the endless aisles and looked for books that peaked my interests and settled on three martial arts manuals. I sat down at one of the table and immersed myself in the sea of knowledge. The amount of things I was learning was extraordinary; these books contained details that the average person would not noticed.

One of the manuals was focused on feints. I thought that they were an unimportant part of combat, but after going through the publication, I could admit that my initial assumptions were wrong. Feinting was a key aspect of fighting as it created openings and could sometimes even be used to keep opponents away.

A hand tap on my back elicited me to turn around. The happy faces of Jasper and Hunter looked at me.

"We've found something for you," Hunter said.

Jasper lifted a coat hanger with a white garment draping off it; the garb was constructed of even better material than that found at the shop.

"Go try this on."

I removed the rags I had on as fast as I could and put on the new clothes. Moreover, the sizing was just right and the colour went well with my complexion.

"You look dignified and noble, which is very far from reality," Jasper.

"Funny coming from someone like you," I replied.

"Let's get going," I added.

As the exit came into view, I faced Hunter and had to make a request.

"Can I use your library from time to time?"

"Of course you can, but you can use the tribe's library; it's multiple times bigger than this one. There's a fee to be paid to enter, but I'll give you a token to get free access," he replied as he handed me a silver badge with an emblem embedded into it.

After carefully placing the item in one of my pockets, we headed out. Thankfully, the restaurant was only a couple blocks away and it wasn't hard to spot it because of the huge sign at the front. The clouds above us began darkening and a heavy downpour was looming.

"I'll pick you up in two hours. Have a good time Jett."

"Okay, be careful on your way back. Don't want you slipping and embarrassing yourself."

Following a couple of deep breaths, I mustered my courage and entered the building. A waiter was at the front door and ushered me in.

"Good evening, your name please."

"Greetings. It's Jett."

"Very well, accompany me," he said.

The decor was irreproachable; everything was thought of so that the place exuded a luxurious vibe. The high ceiling and the marble pillars running up the walls gave the interior an even more spacious feeling.

The restaurant was packed; the amount of orcs in there was mind-boggling. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed three young orcs waving at me.

"Jett over here," Charlie said.

Even though introductions were not needed, it was still polite to do so. After the pleasantries were over, we asked the waiter to see the menu.

"I was deeply impressed by your fight," I said to Adriana and Martin.

"Thank you. It must have been nice seeing me kick his butt," Adriana replied.

"You ugly piece of-"

"That's enough from you two," Charlie interjected.