There were five criminal outposts built on the border of the Orc Steppes and the Wild Swamp in the region controlled by the Mercenaries. Right now, Nafız was waiting for the orc warriors to arrive so she could torch this last one, just like the four they had burned down before.
Although only a month had passed since its founding, the Druid Liberation Army was advancing at full speed; they had managed to strengthen their ranks while demolishing the forward outposts one by one.
Of course, since most of their captive kin had died before they could extend a helping hand, and the majority of the survivors weren't willing to fight, it had been difficult to reach the numerical level they wanted.
Inside the outpost where every single soldier had been executed, Conlaoch stood on high ground, addressing the druid warriors who had lined up properly to listen to him with rapt attention.
"Heroic druid warriors! Today is the day we destroy the last obstacle preventing the reunion of our holy motherland with the lands of our ancient friends, the orcs!"
The hulking druid, the leader of the army with his leather armor and iron club, had changed quite a bit after a month of struggle. The aura of calmness peculiar to his race had dissipated; in its place came the eerie charisma of a hawk gliding, ready to dive for its prey at any moment.
This was exactly what Nafız and Alyon wanted. Even if humans got stronger with outside help, you couldn't compare that to the determination fueled by clinging to a hero rising from their own ranks.
"Shortly, a team led by elite orc warriors will come to pick up some of our wounded kin. This time, we will be the ones to greet them. We must make the best of this opportunity and learn as much as we can from their experience and techniques!"
In the three outposts they had captured with the Druids, Nafız had handled things a bit differently than what she was doing today; usually, they would take the druids who chose to fight and leave immediately, leaving the rest of the work to the team coming via the Orc Steppes.
Actually, the orcs wanted to use the same method again, but this time they had received news that made them wait. The message stated that an important person would be accompanying the incoming team.
This development caused the druids to get overly excited. They knew that the elite warriors of the orcs had been present in the Great War, a name they heard often. To them, nothing was more valuable right now than hearing the experiences of warriors who had walked the hard path toward the goal they aimed for.
Their wait didn't last long. After half a day, a group of five on a giant bird entered their field of view.
Everyone in the eighty-strong druid army had their hearts beating like crazy; their ears were ringing due to the pressure of the blood rushing through their veins.
Then, three figures appeared in the air. When these warriors, having jumped from the bird circling above, landed on the ground, the earth shook slightly.
The arrivals were three members of the Elite Ten; they had undertaken the destruction and evacuation mission due to their Power Animals. Although they looked like they were trying to straighten up under the curious gazes of the watching druids, a moment later they were on one knee before Nafız, their fists placed over their hearts.
"Blood God Nafız!"
Their voices were booming and contained melodies of terror dipped in plenty of respect sauce. This shout was enough to make the heads of the druids spin, who had only been seeing the brutal face of war for a few tendays.
It didn't look like the poor bastards' suffering would end here. Another shadow approached the earth, but its landing wouldn't be as silent as the previous ones. The shockwave created by the female orc landing with her heavy metal armor reflecting the sunlight like crazy caused the surrounding buildings to collapse all at once.
Fortunately, the spot this orc chose to land was an area cleared beforehand. Although there was no loss of life, the impact she created was enough to make a few druids faint.
"Ölümün Rüzgârı, I couldn't have even guessed you'd be the one coming!"
Almost all druids knew the name of the highest-ranking commander of the Orc Tribe. Even though they couldn't believe she was the one walking before them in the flesh, her majesty and the giant glaive she carried left no room for doubt.
"Dad, you look damn good! The Wild Swamp has treated you well!"
While the orc walking with heavy steps in her magnificent armor approached, a gray-haired orc walked towards her, grinning involuntarily.
It was obvious these two knew each other. After their banter, everyone started expecting a warm reunion scene.
"Bammm!"
With the sound of two fists hitting each other, the druids who were expecting a cheerful hug just a moment ago were struck dumb. Two giant orcs, one male and one female, were punching the living daylights out of each other.
As the power and speed of the blows slowly increased, almost twenty breaths had passed. It was clear from their satisfaction-blessed facial expressions that the duo had no intention of stopping.
"They say a bear kills its cub with too much love, but shit, this cub could squeeze water out of a stone!"
Nafız was perhaps the calmest person in the environment while watching the father and daughter catch up Orc-style. While Alyon was trying to show he was getting back to his old days, his daughter, overwhelmed with joy because of this, wanted to push him to his limits.
Even though two hundred breaths had passed, the two orcs' tussle wasn't ending. Nafız started thinking she should slowly intervene. Just as she shook her head side to side as if saying 'What am I going to do with you two' and took a step, her eyes caught the silhouette of the last person standing on the bird in the air.
A purple cloud was slowly drifting down from the sky. It was neither fast nor slow; it was dancing unhurriedly, letting itself go with the flow of the wind.
The landing of the person inside the purple cloud was very plain. Barely visible inside his pitch-black robe, he was walking with small steps toward the duo who were still fighting.
The eighty druids who had come under Conlaoch's command when he spoke realized today was very special, but none of them could have even imagined the emotions they would experience would be this intense.
The three warriors clad in leather armor from head to toe had made their hearts jump. Besides not being able to see their movements, the war auras they released were like nothing they had seen before.
The female orc who came after them was like the embodiment of savagery. Except for furtive glances, the druids were too scared to even turn their eyes on her.
Maybe they thought this would be the last trauma they'd suffer in the same day, but the big surprise was always saved for the end.
This time, the extreme reactions their bodies gave evaporated into thin air. All emotions proving they were alive were looking for a hole to hide inside their helpless souls.
They weren't even aware if they could breathe. It was as if they were living their final moments under the soil where they had been buried alive.
This situation, which felt like days or maybe months to them, had actually happened for only a period of two breaths in real life. The person walking inside the purple fumes had retracted his energy, which he had spread uncontrollably for a brief moment.
Even if they weren't as affected as the wasted druids, the struggle of the two frantically fighting orcs had to stop because of the situation.
"Baba!"
When Ölümün Rüzgârı stepped aside from between Alyon and the person walking towards them, only a single word was heard from within the purple mists.
The speaker's voice wasn't loud; truth be told, it was quite puny by orc standards. However, because of this, it was impossible to find anyone—not just in this subdued outpost but in the entire Wild Swamp continent—who could underestimate its owner.
Undoubtedly, everyone understood that the person being addressed was the gray-haired orc, and confirming this deduction, he started walking right into the purple mist.
Upon this move of Alyon, the purple veil wrapping the person in the black robe expanded twofold. Not only that, but as the density of the mist increased, it became impossible to make out the silhouette that was visible just a moment ago.
Today was going to be a first for some orcs as well as the druids. Even though no one could see it, for the first time in all those years, father and son were embracing each other with love.