Chapter 236: The Offer

The old man knew that there was no fixing of this mistake. His people are already gone. They are nothing more than mindless servants of the horde, warriors to be used on the frontlines against the myriad races they will be ultimately used against as nothing more than tools for slaughter.

Nobody will remember their history, their struggles, and their victories. The world will only know that they were bloodthirsty, violent monsters, invaders on their 'peaceful' land, trying to take their life and the world itself away from them. 

They will only know that they were the demons, the brutal monsters, the violent beasts that were nothing more than bipedal pigs.

A completely twisted joke on their legacy. They had so much more to give, just like every other intelligent species they also had their own history, their own unique, special things that could just as easily define them, as to how the future will now ultimately remember them.

Remembering this he let a saddened sigh escape his lips. Looking at the crackling bonfire, the old man remained silent for a while, despite the goblin's surprising urging to continue with the story.

After a long while, he let out one more breath of air, and continued.

"[Orc] You know, there's not much more to say now. I agreed with them, and as I took the staff that you ultimately took from me, I joined their ranks as an agent. I gained the power I craved for, and in the process, I doomed my entire existence and my people. "

A small smirk crept on the edges of his lips. He continued to look at the fire as he raised a rhetorical question.

"[Orc] You what was the funniest? When I walked out to the podium and looked into the eyes of all those that gathered on that fateful day… All the fiery, fervent gazes… When I announced that we joined the Horde, and we will be part of something much bigger to create a new world for ourselves… They actually celebrated this change! They were happy and ready to join in on this adventure of mine, ready to leave their lives, and readily doom themselves. It was at that point when I realized what I had just done. As I looked at them and saw their crazed eyes as they celebrated something that they probably didn't even understand… it just dawned on me then and there. The great mistake I had just made."

Once again, the old man returned to silence, as a single tear began to formulate and fight to break free from his jail cell. Eventually, the little tear won the struggle and escaped its confined space, only to slide through the wrinkled dark grey dry skin of his owner, and fall down to the dusty ground.

"[Orc] You know, at that point, albeit too late, I realized that the only thing I ever really wanted was to be remembered. I just wanted our race to not be forgotten like many others before us. I wanted to make a mark in history, whatever small or insignificant it was."

He raised his right arm, and clenched his hand into a fist, using all of his physical strength. A moment later, as his eyes wandered off from the fire to his tightly pumped fist, he formed a hollow smile. 

He slowly began to move his fist, following his line of sight. As he did so, the outer layers of his hand began to slowly blur, the particles in the air around it started a wild reaction. Slowly, a black hue began to form, and surround his arm, giving it a strange, unique energy-based coating. The black-colored layer of energy formed a glove-like barrier around his fist, a low-tone humming noise could be heard as it continued to linger and possibly protect its wielder.

Looking at his own creation with a wry smile, the old man continued.

"[Orc] I have gained incredible powers, I was and I can be considered quite strong in fact… but what use do I have for all this power? It will all vanish with me, and there will be no traces of my legacy, my people…"

Waves began to form on the surface of the energy barrier and began to traverse towards the fist, gathering coalescing in one singular point at the tip. As it continued to gather, soon the tip of his fist began to distort the very space itself, creating twisted, hazy imagery of the outline of his clenched hand.

The dark, void-colored energy eerily continued to gather, as the old man let his frustration reach a singular point in his body. 

Meanwhile, Aiden was aptly watching all that was playing out in front of him. The old man, this shaman, exiled leader, held incredible powers. He could already feel the weight, the pressure emanating from his fist. If the old man would hit him with all that gathered power, then despite the fact that the old orc was already frail, and physically weak, that punch would cause serious damage to him, forcing him to use every trick up his sleeve to even survive that singular hit.

However, just as the gathered energy seemed to reach a critical mass, the old man heaved a sigh and opened up his clenched fist, revealing his empty palm. In an instant, all that gathered, the incredible amount of energy evaporated, fading back into the nothingness they came from. The black coating also fading, his original dark grey wrinkled skin tone was visible once more.

"[Orc] Just like that… All the power, all the things I have been desperately fighting for all my life, will just vanish with me. What an idiot I was. The biggest of us all…" He sighed again in his melancholy.

After that, a short silence ensued between the two. The old man, seemingly finished with his tale has fallen into a melancholic state, hazily looking at the crackling bonfire, whilst Aiden, the small goblin next to him, was lost in his own thoughts. Although he didn't understand most of the tale he was told, from the orc's mood and his last segments, he got the gist of it. He was regretful, he did not want to end up here.

While his people are now beyond saving, he still has some regrets, some mistakes he was hoping to somehow fix. Maybe his 180 change in attitude towards Aiden was also part of this hollow wish. Still, this gave an opportunity to Aiden.

"[Orc] If you would have the chance, would you want to take revenge on the ones that doomed you?" Breaking the peaceful serenity between them, Aiden abruptly inquired, starting and shocking the old man for the nth time today.

For the first time since a great while, the old man slowly shifted his attention, turning away from the dancing flames and looking at his little guest with creased eyebrows.

"[Orc] What do you mean?"

Already expecting this reaction, Aiden's friendly, kind smile returned to his face, as he matched the old orc's gaze. Nodding, he slowly, calmly responded.

"[Orc] I meant what I said. What if you would get the chance to take revenge on the people that tricked you."

"[Orc] T-that… That's impossible! How could any of us stand up against them? They are beyond this world! They are immensely powerful! Who could do such a thing?!" The old man, as expected, did not believe the little goblin's words, and vehemently denied the idea.

"[Orc] What if I tell you, that I can promise you that? What if I tell you, I'm not just a simple goblin, that you see in front of you, but something else, something more? What if I tell you, that I have the power to do what I just told you, but I would need your help with it? Would you give me... No. Would you give yourself the chance?" Not minding the old man's reaction's Aiden continued with his wide, a gentle, kind smile giving a friendly, harmless expression to the old man.

Taking a moment longer, the old man began to once more slowly scrutinize the little goblin. For several times already, he had vastly underestimated this guy, and now he knew that he shouldn't make the same mistake any longer. Even still, should he trust him? A goblin? How could one, single goblin stand up against the literal darkness and eventually the entire horde? No that was impossible…

He shook his head and was about to respond, trying to politely decline his words when his words suddenly froze in him.

The air suddenly changed between them. An incredible pressure, a brutal weight descended upon him as the seemingly harmless goblin unfolded the full weight of his draconic aura. Aiden's eye suddenly basked in its glorious golden glow, the figure sitting next to the old man was no longer a simple goblin. 

No, as the old orc continued to look at him, he somehow felt something different… something unexplainable… He wasn't sure what it was, but one thing was sure… Whatever was sitting there… wasn't a goblin. It was something ancient… incredibly so...