The battle was over.
The higher horde, though exhausted, was not broken. It made its way back to camp.
Kano walked ahead, and behind him, the orcs carried looted crystals, broken branches of ents, and even the corpses of flying monsters that had once circled their main enemy.
A heavy silence hung over the warriors, broken only by their labored breathing and the rhythmic sound of footsteps.
They all understood.
This battle was just the beginning.
They had proven their strength.
But their journey was far from over.
As they neared the ruins, the orcs began to scatter, retreating to their tents, tending to their gear, and recuperating.
Kano stayed by the fire.
He watched the wounded orcs rest while Selina, barely able to stay on her feet, continued tending to them.
Kano silently shifted his gaze to the piles of crystals the warriors had brought back.
The purple crystals, the strongest of them all, lay separate, glowing with an eerie light.
Kano took a deep breath.
These crystals were a treasure, worth something truly useful.
He heard heavy but confident footsteps approaching from behind.
He didn't even turn around—Rudgard was coming toward him.
— "So, how did the hunt go, great chief?" grumbled the dwarf, arms crossed over his chest.
— "As you can see, we got some crystals," Kano replied calmly, holding up three purple crystals and a few weaker ones.
Rudgard eyed them closely.
Then he snorted.
— "Not bad. Now you've got a chance to get whatever you want."
Kano extended the crystals to him.
— "Don't come back without the architects."
Rudgard raised an eyebrow and then burst into loud laughter.
— "You're turning into a real merchant, boy."
The dwarf grabbed the crystals, shoved them into his bag, and pulled up his hood.
— "I'm leaving right now. If I succeed, I won't be returning alone."
Kano nodded.
— "Good luck."
Rudgard gave the camp one last look, muttered a quiet grunt, and set off on his way.
He knew it would be a tough conversation with the dwarves.
But he would get the job done.
The sky had already begun to shimmer with orange and red hues when a rumble of wheels sounded through the camp.
Kano, standing by the fire, looked up.
In the distance, on the hill, three heavy carts emerged from a cloud of dust.
The creatures pulling them resembled mutants between lizards and giant ostriches—covered in tough scales, with fierce jaws and disproportionately small wings.
A caravan from Drachensfest.
— "They're already here," Kano muttered, his fingers tightening around the edge of the letter still held in his hand.
The orcs noticed too.
A few warriors standing near the edge of the camp immediately reached for their weapons.
From the direction of the caravan, shouts were heard.
— "Are we sure we're heading there? This looks like a... demon camp!"
— "What are those creatures?!"
— "Damn! I thought we'd find Kano with a few survivors, not a damned orc camp!"
— "Wait... Oh gods, look at that one..."
The adventurer's voice trailed off.
His jaw nearly dropped.
And they weren't the only ones who noticed her.
From her tent, as though sensing the familiar voices, Naira emerged.
The sunlight fell on her figure—perfect, seductive, accentuated by the tight shirt and corset that showcased every curve of her body.
She stretched, gracefully tossing her hair over her shoulder, and upon seeing the caravan, her lips stretched into a familiar predatory smile.
— "Boys, long time no see!"
From the carts, groans, grunts, and some strange choking noises echoed.
Kano barely held back his laughter.
He already knew how they'd react.
But even he hadn't expected this level of shock.
One of the adventurers literally fell off the cart, his eyes never leaving Naira.
The second, still holding the reins of the lizard-birds, twisted his neck so violently it looked as though it might snap.
The third, who hadn't spoken a word, just stood there, staring.
His eyes were empty. It seemed his soul had left his body.
— "You... is it really you?!" one of them finally managed to spit out, licking his dry lips.
Naira took a few slow steps toward them.
— "What, boys, didn't expect this?"
— "You… you look..."
— "Unreal!"
Kano could no longer tolerate it.
He rolled his eyes and coughed loudly.
— "Guys. Did you bring supplies, or did you just come to gawk?"
The adventurers snapped back to reality.
They hurriedly began unloading the carts, but still couldn't stop glancing at the orcs, then at Naira, and then at Kano.
And then one of them pulled something from his bag.
— "Kano, here's a letter. From Lenor and Ragnar."
Kano took it.
He started reading.
And after just a couple of seconds, the corner of his eye twitched.
Meanwhile...
Elgot, barely able to move his legs after the battle but still trying to look dignified, approached from behind.
— "So, what's it say?"
Kano silently handed him the other letter.
Elgot muttered something about "why am I even reading this," then unfolded the letter.
The next scene was quite the spectacle.
As soon as he read the first lines, his expression slowly began to change.
From neutral.
To dissatisfied.
To deeply twisted, as if he had swallowed something bitter.
Kano was already bracing for an emotional outburst.
But Elgot simply burned the letter in his hand and muttered:
— "What kind of nonsense is this...?"
The adventurers exchanged glances.
— "Is something wrong?"
— "Nah, seems fine, it just describes how we'll all get eaten in a few days, and how I should've predicted it because, you know, I'm a mage."
Kano rolled his eyes again.
— "So, they didn't praise you either."
Elgot crossed his arms.
— "I'm not to blame for any of this, by the way."
And then one of the adventurers remembered something else.
— "Oh, old man, they sent something else for you..."
He pulled out a bottle of elven wine.
Elgot immediately grabbed it, like a hungry dragon seeing treasure.
He uncorked it and took several deep swigs.
Then he sighed contentedly.
— "Now that's what I call respect!"
The adventurers were bewildered by everything they had just witnessed.
They looked at the orcs, who had received help from Drachensfest.
They looked at Kano, who commanded them as if this were his kingdom.
They looked at Naira, who seemed like a living legend.
And then at Elgot, who was already sipping wine, unconcerned.
Above the camp, the smoke from the fires rose.
Above the city of the homeless, the first night of the new age began.
Kano glanced over the camp once more.
The orcs were finishing the collection of crystals gained in battle—purple, blue, red.
Everything of value was being carefully loaded onto the carts.
The adventurers continued to watch with obvious astonishment.
— "What are these crystals?" asked one of the warriors who had brought supplies.
Kano casually tossed him a crystal that glowed with a blue light.
— "Currency."
The man nearly dropped it as he realized its worth.
His companion quickly snatched the crystal from his hands and whispered in a panic:
— "Don't touch it! They'll think you stole it."
Kano smiled.
Then he walked up to the two most experienced orcs standing nearby.
— "You two will go with the caravan to the city."
The orcs bowed.
— "Your task: sell all the crystals, buy the necessary materials, and escort the caravan back."
The adventurers exchanged looks, turning slightly pale.
Their imaginations conjured up an image of two giant, demon-like orcs entering the marketplace, and everyone fleeing in terror.
— "Uh... Are you sure that's a good idea?" one of the warriors asked uncertainly.
Kano nodded.
— "You'll have guards. I'm sending my best warriors with you. They're disciplined and know what they're doing."
The orcs grinned hungrily.
The adventurers flinched.
— "Well... alright..." one of them said, his voice strained.
After the meeting, Kano gestured for everyone to join the dinner.
The adventurers were already scared, but they were even more afraid of heading into the night forest, so they agreed.
They sat down by the fire, but immediately felt they had made a mistake.
They were placed right between the massive orcs.
Fear. Panic. Uncertainty.
Kano was in the center.
On his left—Naira, Lianel, Selina.
On his right—Elgot and Grimtar.
The adventurers were squeezed between the orc warriors and didn't even dare to breathe.
The orcs ate meat, tearing it apart with their hands and teeth, without ceremony.
Their strength was felt in every little movement—one strike on the meat could crack a plate, and their growl during conversation sounded like thunder.
One of the adventurers cautiously reached for a piece of meat.
Everything was fine...
Until the orc next to him growled in a deep, low voice:
— "You're a sinful man, adventurer..."
He instantly choked.
An hysterical silence began.
After a few minutes of fear, silence, and constant attempts to avoid upsetting any of the orcs, one of the adventurers, gathering some courage, quietly asked:
— "Umm… am I right in understanding that the girls are sitting with Kano…"
He didn't know how to finish the sentence.
But one of the orcs, who had overheard the question, tilted his head and said in surprise:
— "Isn't it obvious? The chief's women should sit by the chief. It's tradition."
A moment of silence.
— "WHAT?!"
The reaction was instantaneous.
— "Wait, wait, wait..."
— "You mean to say..."
— "Sister Lenor..."
— "Kano's wife?!"
One of them nearly spat out a piece of meat, the second leaned back as if hearing a death sentence, the third just froze.
Naira laughed, glancing at Kano.
— "Well, chief, are you going to explain?"
Kano let out a long, deep breath.
— "It's not what you think..."
The adventurers weren't listening anymore.
One of them grabbed his head and groaned:
— "Lenor. For sure. He's going to kill him."
The second pressed his hand to his heart:
— "I just imagined how Lenor would find out... Oh gods..."
The third began to pray.
Lianel shot a glance at Kano, her eyes sparkling with a cunning gleam.
— "Well then... I wouldn't mind being the wife of such a chief."
Naira shrugged.
— "I'll think about it."
Selina just smiled softly, lowering her gaze to her plate.
The adventurers almost choked again.
Grimtar, who sat to Kano's right, stretched into a hungry grin and rumbled hoarsely:
— "The chief is strong. The chief is real. That's why he has the best women."
The fire crackled.
The adventurers exchanged silent glances.
And one of them whispered:
— "Oh, my gods..."
Kano pressed his fingers to his temples and exhaled.