When they looked at the wild and terrifying creature in front of them, and then at the cliff stretching for meters, it didn't take them long to make a decision. Returning to earth from above the clouds, they were using King Cobra, each holding tightly onto its scales that were the size of a human.
As the sunlight hit the protrusions on the head of Bookworm's power animal, which flowed swiftly between the rocks like a dark green river, golden-yellow sparkles gleamed through the white clouds.
"Son, can I ask you something?"
Since the journey wasn't as bad as they expected, everyone was enjoying themselves, but one person didn't seem like he would relax until he got the answer to the question on his mind.
"Please ask, dad, I'm listening!"
Alyon was a bit hesitant; after the warm response from his son, the tension in his shoulders faded, and his long neck was revealed.
"Even my power animal managed to take on an orc form, but I see that your power animal still continues its life in the form it had when you first encountered it. It's impossible for someone as smart and talented as you to be unable to advance it to the second level."
There were no question tags at the end, but the entire sentence was essentially asking one single thing: Why aren't you leveling up your power animal?
"Actually, if I started talking, it would take hours, but at the same time, it's not like there isn't a very short explanation for this matter; if my power animal transitions to the second level, I'm afraid of what it will turn into!"
What did this mean? Someone who could command the gold element as his lineage power, someone who had gained superior mental strength as the blessing of the ancestors, was afraid of the power that would come out from within himself.
Alyon chose to stay silent upon the answer he received because the mystery of power animals still hadn't been fully solved. Power animals, manifesting themselves in various forms, were the embodied versions of the desires lying deepest within the person they were born from, and even the king cobra's current form showed that Bookworm was right to be worried.
"You're finally here. If you're going to keep me waiting like this all the time, we're going to have a problem!"
The moment King Cobra's meters-long body touched the soil, it vanished, and the passengers it carried set their feet on the ground again. They might have wanted to catch their breath and adjust; the high-speed descent down the rocks might have shaken them up, but the red-haired orc, who had already landed by freefalling, wasn't going to give them that chance.
"We apologize for being late, master. The Elemental Ten, who will be with you from here on out, are at your command!"
When Bookworm took the initiative and introduced them, the ten druids moved towards Nafız without showing any offense. As a general trait, druids could be a bit cold, perhaps even stuck-up to those who didn't know them, but after long years of captivity, they had learned the chain of command.
"Have a good journey! Take care of yourselves, and as we promised, let's meet at the gates of the Golden City in three years!"
Turning her back, the Blood God entered the forest formed by dense trees along with the green-robed companions trailing behind her, and soon disappeared from sight. The Southern Front belonged to her; the moment they set foot in the Mercenaries' Lodge, she hadn't thought for a second about making her move.
"I pity the mercenaries on this front; when they see my master in front of them instead of the denizens of the Hell Realm they've been fighting for years, they'll learn the true meaning of despair and terror!"
As his master's shadow disappeared among the thick branches and broad leaves, Bookworm sent her off with a prophecy. What the Blood God was looking for, what she wanted, was in the Golden City, and he knew very well that she wouldn't stop no matter what until she seized it.
"From this point on, we're going to speed up, we need to reach my sister's point of departure as soon as possible!"
The Orc Empire had been preparing for this campaign for years; if Bookworm, who had a command of the enemy bases, settlements, geographical information, and the continent's latest socioeconomic status, said they would speed up, he definitely had a reason.
Unlike the long cave full of traps, they were like fish in water in enemy territory. Even though they had to slow down a bit sometimes, they were advancing rapidly as if traveling over the Orc Steppes. They didn't need a map or a compass; leading the way, Bookworm could protect those behind him from all dangers in light of the information he had engraved in his brain.
"Sis, our journey ends here!"
Their travel, which took a little more than five days, ended when they came out of the forest formed by dense vegetation and saw a massive desert covered in sand. The dominance of green ended as if cut with a knife, and the seemingly endless dirty yellow covered the earth and sky.
"You can trust the map and the information I gave you, but once you enter that place, everything will be entirely up to you. You must be very careful, anything can happen inside!"
The voice of the gracefully built orc speaking from under his purple robe sounded anxious, but the person he was addressing had full confidence in herself.
"Why don't you just cry while you're at it! We will properly carry out the given task and advance, there's nothing to worry about!"
Wind of Death wasn't compromising her tough demeanor; after casting a glance at her husband who approached to say goodbye, she turned her back.
"No need for goodbyes, we'll see each other in the Golden City in three years. Elite Ten, we're leaving!"
As the Commander-in-Chief of the Orc Empire Armies, she couldn't show weakness; neither her family nor her warriors would ever see her in this state again. The moment they threw the sand-colored cloaks, clearly prepared beforehand, over their shoulders, they advanced toward the calm but eerie picture created by the desert winds.
"Dad, brother-in-law, and the others, let's keep moving too!"
Bookworm had taken a few steps when he suddenly stopped, turned his head, and looked at the ten orcs bringing up the rear.
"Don't you guys have a name of your own?"
The groups of the Elite Ten or Elemental Ten had a name identifying them, but the team formed by the ten orcs sent by the Orc Military Academy hadn't identified themselves.
"We don't have a name for now. Even though a few suggestions came up, we didn't accept them; until we earn our own name, you can just call us 'you'."
When their leader spoke, the others nodded in agreement; it was clear they wanted to be known for what they would do in the Mercenaries' Lodge.
"So be it. You'll have many opportunities, I hope you use them in the best way possible!"
Their superiors could decide what they would do, when they would speak and when they would stay silent, even whether they lived or died, but when it came to getting a name, the Orc Society couldn't reach a decision without seeing the person's deeds. Even Bookworm, who thought about this matter while crossing the desert from end to end, had finally given up and decided to wait for the solution the tides of time would offer.
"Follow my steps and don't ever fall behind. No matter what you see, no matter what you hear, just follow my steps and my shadow!"
When Bookworm, who possessed as much information about the desert they were walking on as the grains of sand it contained, warned them in a serious tone, the others' expressions suddenly changed. With him at the front, his father behind him, Hammerstriker behind him, and the ten-man orc group at the very end, they were advancing in a single file.
Fortunately, it was Bookworm who led the way, and thanks to this, the small tactical unit of thirteen people was able to set foot on solid ground again without taking any casualties. They slowed down when cornstalks two heads taller than Alyon appeared in front of them; the sounds of the mechanical devices' weapons echoed from far away.
"We've come to the final step; once we pass this place too, a city under siege will be waiting for us. Don't wander away from me like in the desert; we'll enter the city through a secret passage no one knows about!"
Bookworm did what he hadn't done in the desert while entering the cornfields, and a gold-colored chain connecting everyone in the thirteen-person group appeared. It was obvious there was no mortal danger here; the frail orc's goal was to prevent wasting time looking for someone who would get lost, and after an hour's walk, they came across a slope at least as high as the one they had descended in the morning.