"How are they? They are on a completely different level from the scraps of Niconya, our first spoils of war, aren't they?"
Nafız slapped her friend, who was hanging around in a depressed mood, hard on the back and spoke in a tone everyone could hear.
"Of course, you wouldn't know since you were just a glint in your father's eye back then. Chief Alyon buried the Purple Rhino Warriors of the Niconya army into the Orc Steppes with the few hundred wretches he led!"
The gasp of astonishment that rose when she finished her words surprised Nafız the most; even though she remembered it like it was yesterday, it was obvious the others had forgotten what a badass Alyon was.
"A few hundred wretches! If only I could be with warriors like them again!"
After muttering a few words, Alyon started walking towards the mechanical vehicle that had thrust its matte black steps into the bosom of the cracked earth. Shaking her head a few times, Nafız didn't answer his reproaches but let out a deep sigh and went after her hulking friend.
The two friends were digging into deep issues within themselves, making them indifferent to their surroundings, but the others couldn't remain indifferent to the mechanical vehicles.
Maybe they never saw the scraps of the Niconya army, but it was impossible for them to have seen anything this good either. Amidst the dark crimson color of the continent's lands abused by the volcano, three black rocks stood tall with their unshakable wills.
Unlike their previous versions, the parts referred to as wheels were covered with a metal band around them, and right now the vehicle could comfortably stand on a rather large piece of rock thanks to it. The place where the stones providing its energy were placed was no longer behind the passenger cabin like before, but at the front of the mechanical vehicle.
The cabin section was separated from the undercarriage by mechanical parts and springs. Even if the vehicle hit obstacles and jolted, with this new system the area where the passengers were located remained stable, and thanks to the shock-absorbing mechanical systems and springs, the journey was more comfortable than ever.
This wasn't the only change in the cabin section; the windows, which used to be only wide enough for a head to look out of - and not even as big as Alyon's head at that - now looked like they were designed to enjoy the scenery.
Although it was impossible to see inside through the dark black glass, someone sitting inside could comfortably watch the outside. In fact, in the models designed to be used in the Orc Steppes, there were features that provided the passenger with a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree field of vision.
The emblem on the mechanical vehicle had also taken its share of the winds of change. Around the symbol of the red orc fist wrapped by a green thorny vine, there were now ice-blue lightning arcs. Leonardo didn't neglect to put his own signature under the symbol of the Orc-Druid alliance, and the orcs who got into the vehicles and enjoyed the comfort had zero objections to this.
Along the road leading up to the Great Fishbone Mountain Range, Nafız and Alyon were in the front vehicle. The others had settled into the two vehicles in the back according to their seniority. Han's family was in the second vehicle, while the Elite Ten and the Elemental Ten traveled at the end of the convoy.
Over the past five years, since the Holy Blood and Holy Bone forces had ruthlessly wiped out the other power centers on the continent and assimilated their disciples, there was no danger that could threaten the three-vehicle convoy. When the hot weather, which could have been the biggest challenge, was repelled thanks to the insulation in the cabins of the mechanical vehicles, Nafız had completed her beauty sleep in her comfortable bed for the duration of the trip to their destination.
When twilight fell, the red-haired orc warrior slowly opened her eyes, and upon seeing Alyon's sour face—the first thing to appear in her blurry vision—she jumped right where she was.
"Damn, there's no shit I haven't been through across three continents, but you still manage to scare the crap out of me with that mug of yours!"
The hulking orc responded to the accusations with a massive yawn that revealed his giant front teeth; his excuse was worse than his crime.
Before long, the vehicles first slowed down, their speed dropping to a pace a running human could catch up to, and finally they stopped without causing the slightest jolt. The steps of all three vehicles thrust into the soil at the same time, but until a person from the front cabin decided to step out, the others didn't budge an inch from where they were.
"Finally! It's time to set sail for a new adventure. What are you waiting for, get out!"
When Nafız shouted, everyone appeared before her within ten seconds, not a single one missing.
"Bookworm, it's on you from here! Take us to where you went!"
"I must insist. While I'm here, I won't allow anyone else to act as a guide, absolutely out of the question!"
Before the Blood God could close her mouth, a voice coming from underground gathered all attention, and an interesting event occurred within a few breaths. The cracked earth gently parted, five small vortexes surrounded the orcs, and dozens of people in snow-white robes emerged from underground.
"Who the hell are you?"
Along with Nafız's question, the orcs reached for their weapons, and the druids' staves were covered with the colorful glows of the elements. The Raiders were ready for their first battle.
"For shame, didn't you recognize me Nora!"
When addressed by the fake name she hadn't used for a long time, the red-haired orc looked more carefully at the face of the man in front of her, and her eyes widened to twice their normal size.
"No way, it can't be you! Holy shit, you really are that grave-dodging bastard."
"The very same. How about it, I've cleaned up nice, haven't I?"
There was no room for error anymore, the man inside the snow-white robe without a single stain on it could be none other than Hueso, the Leader of the Holy Bone Sect, but it was impossible to recognize him at first glance. The old man whose rotten teeth showed through the misshapen gap in his cheek when he smiled was gone, and in his place came a very young man with snow-white skin possessing the radiance of porcelain.
"I've seen a lot of before-and-after videos, but I've never seen anything like yours. What the hell did you do to yourself, did you take the last exit before the grave?"
The Leader of the Holy Bone Sect remained silent for a while as he didn't understand what was said. He thought while stroking his gray hair that wrapped around his neck like a choker, and judging by the trembling of his drooping red lips, he finally found something.
"After killing the enemies who resisted surrendering, I couldn't bring myself to just leave their corpses. I saw fit to use the vitality and life essence hidden in their marrows for my personal grooming. Good thing I did, the results speak for themselves!"
Every movement of the man who started laughing radiated light, and the vibrations of the sounds coming out of his mouth brought peace to hearts. Nafız couldn't resist this transformation any longer; she neither mocked nor found it odd, the Leader of the Holy Bone Sect had literally reinvented himself.
"If your beauty pageant is over, can we hit the road?"
Everything was fine, everyone was cheerful, but at times like this, there was always bound to be a buzzkill, and this time Alyon had taken up the mantle. The hulking orc speaking with his head down represented the side of ugliness with his suffocating aura complementing his facial expression.
"Orc Chief Alyon, please forgive this chatterbox. I didn't know you were in such a hurry!"
There wasn't the slightest mocking tone in the Holy Blood Sect Leader's voice, but just calling him Orc Chief while pointing at Alyon was enough to show the place he had put him in his head.
"Actually, my purpose for being here was to help you with your journey. You can be sure that I will make up for the time I made you lose due to my blabbering tenfold. Blood God Nafız, won't you lead the way?"
The Leader of the Holy Bone Sect, who looked to be in his early twenties, drew an arc with his right arm and then pointed his index finger at the gray mountain rising right beside them, the Great Fishbone Mountain Range.