Like the dusty door of a garage that hadn't been opened for years, the two eyelids opened slowly but noisily, revealing the blood-red irises hidden behind them. The vision was blurry for a second but then achieved crystal clarity. The dark figures standing aside, the white protrusions hanging from the ceiling, the bone fragments on the ground, and the damp air reminded Nafız where she was.
"You finally woke up. For a moment there, I thought you were never going to get up!"
When the owner of the head resting on his back opened her eyes, the hulking orc chief slowly sat up and began to stretch, spreading his two arms out to the sides.
"It's been so long since I curled up in a corner and slept like this. What happened, did a lot of time pass?"
"It's been quite a while, but I couldn't tell how much. In the tunnel of the former freak, new pretty-boy Hueso, keeping track of time is a bit tough."
While listening to Alyon, her friend was also watching the Raider Unit squads, each scattered to a corner, and judging by their movements, they were all ready to hit the road. Their energies were like sharp blades; they were waiting to fight, ready to respond to an attack at any moment.
"Well then, what are we waiting for, let's hit the road. Let's see what kind of pleasant surprises the Sheikh of the Holy Bone Sect has prepared for his enemies?"
Even though she was talking to Alyon, Nafız yelled on purpose so the others could easily hear her too, and within ten breaths, she found everyone standing ready before her. Not a single one was missing; the orcs she had heavily wounded had also taken their places, and the determined looks in their eyes said there wasn't a trace left of the incident they'd been through.
"Since I know the locations of the traps, I will bring up the rear."
Hueso said his piece and stepped aside; Hammerstriker, Bookworm, and Wind of Death, who formed the command echelon, were also waiting where they were. There was no way the Nafız-Alyon duo was going to take the point; one of the remaining three groups had to lead the Raider Unit.
"We, the members of the Orc Military Academy, will take the point!"
As the ten orc warriors stepped forward with heavy steps, the dust rising from the bone remains on the ground mixed into the air, forming a transparent curtain of fog. All those years of training were paying off; even though they had been beaten to a pulp to the brink of death, they had recovered their mental states as quickly as their physical ones and were ready for a fight.
"Who would've thought that orcs, the symbol of mental weakness, would turn out like this; if your ancestors saw you, they would be proud!"
Nafız was both beating and loving them, like a father who only loves his children while they're asleep. The orcs, graced with praises, understood this too; after the Elite Ten behind them and the Elemental Ten behind them took their formation, they started marching in lockstep.
"Alyon, I'm kind of jealous of you. You've got your son-in-law and these ten handsome young men with you; the girls won't leave you alone wherever you go now."
Since the harsh, lecturing teacher act had passed, it meant the biggest danger for the group had been dodged; now they could only worry about the traps the Sheikh of the Holy Bone Sect Hueso had set for the enemies coming from the Homeland of the Mercenaries.
Before long, they showed themselves too; piles of bones filling the massive hollow were blocking their path like a dam. When Hueso saw his handiwork, he wanted to step forward and explain, but a dry cough rooted the handsome man to the spot.
"Just watching is enough, they can handle themselves!"
Even though her attitude had softened, she hadn't given up on her decision to put them through a tough test, and Nafız's words also included the orcs in the command echelon. Alyon, Hammerstriker, and Wind of Death, who possessed original lineage powers, weren't going to interfere, and Bookworm, who was a terrifying power animal, had to stand by her side.
As the bone warriors, practically tearing themselves away from the dam made of bones and hitting the ground, attacked the Raiders whose numbers barely exceeded thirty, they would just settle for watching. Within a few seconds, hundreds of bone warriors formed, and their targets were the Elite Ten, the Elemental Ten, and the other orc warriors who had positioned themselves side by side to form a single line.
This time, all the warriors belonging to the three groups drew their weapons; visibly, there was no evidence pointing to the use of either a power animal or lineage power, but clearly, they weren't going to hold back from using their equipment and skills.
The two Chakrams that shot out from the front of the Elite Ten resembled a comet with the golden glow they left behind. Even though the sight laid bare might be seen as an opportunity to make a wish in other worlds, on the World of Six Civilizations, it was a sign that your last rites were being read.
Right behind them, a spear that left dozens of afterimages with a single swing took the stage; every strike was accompanied by bones scattering into the air, and it was so fast that, like fireworks going off one after another, the bones in the air never dwindled.
Then, a whip passed over the front lines with the speed of lightning, leaving nothing but bone dust behind. The valiant orc of the Elite Ten made three more swings in a row, and not a single bone warrior was left in the area between them and the Bone Mountain.
Even though they met the first wave with three people, the Bone Mountain had only lowered by the height of a human. The clumps of bone that broke off its top and rolled down were reshaping the moment they hit the ground, attacking the Raiders group as Bone Warriors.
"Rain of Arrows!"
Three orcs jumped a step back because their comrade right behind them had nocked five arrows to his bow, waiting for them to clear the way. The bright metal tips shooting non-stop from the quiver, whose number of arrows never decreased, were pinning the milk-white bones back to the wall they had broken off from.
Number ten of the Elite Ten was very fast, but no matter how fast he was, it was impossible for him to match the spawn rate of the bone warriors. He needed a little help, and number eight, who roamed like a silhouette among the enemy, was starting to show off his skills right on time.
If someone else, maybe a human, had used the orc steps technique, it would be impossible for the others to see them, but with his massive frame, Number Eight of the Elite Ten was leaving green trails behind him. The green lines, which were one or two at first, were multiplying by the second, and the interesting thing was, not a single one of his comrade's arrows even came close to him, let alone hit him.
Each of them was special on their own and possessed superior destructive power, but when they worked together, their effectiveness increased manifold. Even back when they set out with Nafız to hunt down the rebel tribes, they were successful at forming duos and fighting; their current level was truly commendable.
"Fall back!"
The moment the five members of the Elite Ten fighting on the front lines heard the order, they returned to where they started, to the side of their other comrades, without hesitation. Following this move, the Bone Warriors, their resistance in front of them gone, were advancing by stepping on each other.
The Elemental Ten and the ten orcs who Graduated from the Military Academy were watching what was happening carefully, ready to intervene at any moment, but number one of the Elite Ten, who gave the order, was about to show that she was someone who could back up her words.
"Grow and Destroy! Ten Thousand Captives!"
The surroundings of the totem that suddenly rose inside the cave stretching out in the shape of a massive hollow were sparkling. The wild beast spirits shooting out from the totem every second were setting out to stand against the enemy rush that resembled frothing, raging waves.
Soulstealer, after showing the destruction her five comrades created with their weapons to the others and especially to Nafız once again, took matters into her own hands. The Leader of the Elite Ten was challenging the enemy, who was using their numerical advantage, on the same playing field, and the trap Sheikh of the Holy Bone Sect Hueso had prepared was quite mediocre for someone of her caliber.