Since the climate inside the shield provided the most suitable conditions for living, the duo, tired from the journey and the council decision, had fallen asleep under the tree they sat under all night.
Although their dreams passed in peace, their waking up as a result of druids, who saw orcs for the first time in their lives, gathering around them wasn't so pleasant.
"Look at those; what strange colors they have!"
"While one is as thin as a twig, how can the other's arms be as thick as an adult tree?"
Although the sound of the conversations they had among themselves wasn't at a disturbing level at first, as the crowd increased, it would make it impossible for the two orcs to continue resting.
"Damn your yapping..."
Nafız was the first to wake up; the presence of many people almost entering inside her mouth was making her nerves do morning gymnastics.
"Are we making a bear dance here; why have you gathered around us like pigeons with wheat thrown in front of them?"
The group of men and women wouldn't be able to make sense of what they heard, but understanding that the orcs they were watching were uncomfortable with this situation, they had retreated a few steps.
"Pah, are these our so-called saviors?"
As a shrill male voice advanced by echoing in the air, the druids in the places it passed were immediately separating to two sides, opening a path for the voice's owner to pass.
There was a group advancing through the formed gap; a male child at the front who had obviously just stepped into youth, and a female and a male druid taking their places on his two sides were walking toward the duo who had just woken up, along with the sharp looks they cast around.
"Know your place, Ainle; how can you speak like this with our guests?"
There were people from many age groups in the crowd gathered around Alyon and Nafız; a druid among them appearing in his middle ages scolded the leader of the newcomers.
"What happens if I don't? Will you punish me?"
Clear contempt was sensed from the attitude of the youth speaking by trembling his shrill voice; while speaking by tossing his hair falling on his shoulder, he wasn't even taking the elder opposite him into consideration.
In contrast, the duo next to him had started laughing out loud; they seemed to have enjoyed the situation the middle-aged man fell into in front of everyone.
"Come to your senses, young ones; are you not afraid at all of the punishment the Council will give?"
Some druids were ashamed on behalf of these people showing excess and had started scolding them to dissuade them from their actions.
"What will come of the punishment those geezers will give; at most, they will order us to meditate under isolation for a month!"
The fair-skinned boy had an answer to give to all warnings; while talking back to those around, he wasn't cutting his speed either; they had already arrived at the place where the two orcs were.
"Sir, we apologize to you on their behalf. This person is a Harmful Sapling; please do not take his actions into consideration!"
The young druid, who hadn't gotten angry at anything said to him until this moment after making an entrance, would suddenly start shouting as if he caught fire.
"This name is a fabrication of cowards like you; we are supreme druid warriors!"
The man who spoke a moment ago had panicked after the reaction he received; when he bumped into Alyon stretching with his mouth open while stepping backward, his heart would jump into his mouth.
"Uncle, I understood what I needed to understand; there is a saying where we come from, it fits this situation perfectly!"
"One who does not learn by advice should be reprimanded; one who does not learn by reprimand deserves a beating."
When the saying fell into the environment, its effect had been great; everyone could understand the speaker's intention, especially due to the word "beating" at the end.
"This is not the Orc Steppes; don't get too high and mighty!"
"Say we will have some fun!"
The duo standing behind the long-haired young druid would immediately dash forward; they were indicating with their looks that they would make a move any moment.
"Smack!"
"Smack!"
Two consecutive ringing sounds echoed in the ears; while the image of the druids in the air completed this, only Nafız had been able to see what happened.
Alyon, pumped up since last night, was on the job; as soon as he raised his right hand, he had landed one backhand and one forehand slap on the insolent ones.
The hulking orc didn't stop with this; grabbing the shrill-voiced druid by his throat, he would cause a heartbreaking moan to come out of his larynx.
The young man, whose feet were cut half a meter from the ground, was struggling in pain; seeing this, the other druids were desperately pleading with Nafız.
"Master orcs, please forgive this ignorant youth!"
"These youths were born and raised inside the shield; they are this arrogant because they don't know the cruelty of the outside world!"
"We beg you, brave orcs, forgive him!"
As the gray-haired orc squeezed the child's throat, the pleas increased; the elders looking at his purple-turning face were kneeling and starting to beg.
"Arghhh!"
For Alyon, it wasn't important who said what; he had no intention of releasing the young man unless he heard a word from Nafız.
Since his two slapped friends had fainted, there was no one left to run to the aid of the show-off druid; finally, the druid seeking salvation in himself found the solution in joining his hands and murmuring.
While his movements caused Nafız's eye to shine for a moment, roots emerging from under the feet of the orc shaking the young man like a grocery bag were wrapping tightly around his wrists.
Before even a period of five breaths passed, the roots had extended first to the knee and then to the waist of Alyon; these whip-like herbaceous extensions wrapping his body tightly were almost mummifying him where he stood.
A minute later, the gray-haired orc was no longer visible; in his place stood a supreme tree in the middle along with the druid resembling a ripe fruit trying to fall at the tip of its branch.
While these were happening, the two fainted druids had also come to their senses; while watching the magic their friend performed, their hearts felt like flying out of their chests from joy. They couldn't suppress their excitement any longer; they were merry like children while running quickly to the side of the druid named Ainle.
"This is it; did you witness the power of the Druids?"
"Now it's the other orc's turn!"
When they arrived next to the person they saw as their leader, their self-confidence had exceeded its limits and overflowed from their bodies like a flood; when they hunted the female orc with the same magic, they would prove that they also possessed the ability to fight.
They were looking at Nafız, but the female orc didn't seem very interested in them; upon this, getting carried away by the enthusiasm of their unbridled ambitions, they would practically roar.
"Come on big brother, do the same magic one more time!"
They had said this sentence almost simultaneously; they had even started saying the magical words to support him, but unfortunately, the answer they expected wouldn't come.
They turned toward Ainle in astonishment; judging by the shape their faces took, they weren't expecting to find him still hanging in the same place.
"Alyon, how much longer do you plan to stall?"
The female orc, who had been watching the events without getting up from her place since she woke up, had finally spoken; she didn't hesitate to show that she was bored while calling out to her friend who had become a tree.
"I waited thinking maybe he has another trick, but I guess this is all the tiny ones can do!"
Alyon, starting to break the branches surrounding him, would hurl the druid he held in his hand for a long time like a paper airplane; by inflating his body, he was destroying the trunk restricting him.
"What is happening here?"
Just as the gray-haired orc was dealing with getting rid of the herbaceous whips tangling his feet, five people had come running to where they were with their robes made of the leaves of The Divine Tree.
"Ainle, is it you again?"
While a woman standing out from the group headed toward the young druid lying on the ground, she grumbled in a tone full of disappointment.
The Five Roots forming the Druid Council had moved rapidly after the news coming to them; they hadn't yet forgotten the aura Nafız released the previous day.
"Friend orc warriors, some youths may not handle the stress given by the siege; we apologize to you on behalf of all druids for the rudeness they did!"
The Fourth Root, having just reunited with his son whom he hadn't seen for a long time, had taken the initiative and considered it a duty to make the necessary explanation to the orcs who were their guests.
"No need for this much excitement; please calm down!"
Nafız was extremely relaxed in the face of the old man's attitude; after slowly getting up from her place, she walked toward the side of Alyon who was still struggling.
"I was going to come to you to talk about some matters too; it seems meeting here was in destiny!"