The Dark Continent (Underdog, #3)

Eric Bergman used to be treated like an outcast, cripple and freak. Some pitied him, others squirmed in his presence, while others still mocked him to his face. He himself even thought he was born cursed by the gods. But bit by bit, all that changed. That which was once considered a flaw or defect transformed into an advantage. And Eric slowly learned to use it to his benefit.

Eric and his friends escape Master Chi’s Hive, journey over the orcish steppe and through the Stone Forest, which tempers them and makes them a lot stronger.

During his travels, Eric discovers that his elder brother never went to the Wastes, and that his parents were lied to about what happened to him. Eric promises himself to uncover the truth about his long lost brother.

Beyond that, the more he encounters the grim heritage of the Order of Monster Hunters, the more he realizes just how perilous a game the foxman has drawn him into.

Moving through the borderlands toward his home city no more than a few days ahead of the orcish Horde, Eric still has yet to guess that his adventure is just getting started.