The contrast hit like a slap. Outside had been dead silence. Inside was life, loud, messy, warm. The smell of roast, bread, and ale rolled out first, thick and comforting, almost obscene after the stench of sulfur and fear. A festive atmosphere far different than the dreary one outside.
And then, houses, wooden houses, people. Ogres mainly. With a few lizardmen, a troll here and there, and even goblins and some orcs all inside this settlement.
It wasn't just one tribe. It was a refuge, mixed races moving around as if they had agreed, somehow, not to kill each other here. Ludwig's eyes tracked details automatically: weapons stacked rather than raised, laughter that didn't repeat in the same cadence, lanterns burning steady, the relaxed posture of people who believed the walls held.
Once a couple of ogres noticed Ludwig and Dedal, they pointed their large mugs toward them, "Welcome to the safe lands! Congratulations on making it here!"
