"Village Chief," Etor rumbled respectfully as he stopped before the largest figure among them. He inclined his massive head in deference. "This is one of the three humans who arrived in our settlement this time."
The figure that turned to face Max was older than the others, his presence heavier and more commanding. His hair was long, white as polished bone, and his beard flowed down to his chest, braided with rings of dull silver. His frame was immense even by the standards of his kind, though he carried himself with a solemn dignity rather than brute strength. By human reckoning, his face resembled a man in his sixties, yet his eyes betrayed an age that stretched far beyond.
Those eyes locked onto Max, and the weight of the gaze was immediate. It felt sharper than the pressure of the cave, piercing through his defenses as though every secret of his body lay bare. Max's heart tightened, and for the first time since entering the wasteland, a chill ran down his spine.
