Dimitri, who began walking, received no response other than the sound of footsteps. He was free to interpret this as he wished, and being a man eager to talk, he did not hesitate to do what crossed his mind.
"Would you believe me if I said that once upon a time, the entire World of the Six Civilizations was ruled by orcs with the druids at their backs?"
Dimitri made a swift entrance. The twenty people, who anticipated hearing something about the Mercenaries' Home, hesitated, but Sasha and the two behind him did not seem affected.
"No matter what, keep walking. If you stop, you're dead!"
Though he interrupted his master, the golden-haired apprentice could not help but give his warning. The twenty mercenaries sped up and reached their required positions within a few breaths.
"Yes, as surprising as it may be, this is the truth! The whole world was theirs; they ruled it as they pleased, even dividing it into regions as they saw fit. The Orc Steppes and the Savage Swamp were in their current locations, but the remaining massive landmass was quite different from its state today.
Now stop; take as many steps as there are people in front of you until you reach me, then take two large steps to the left and continue walking!"
Dimitri stopped after finishing his words; he took two steps to the left and began to advance. His apprentice Sasha, Dona Gracia, and the dwarf servant did as they were told. It was easy for them to make this calculation, but the Mercenaries who had entered in the darkness fell into hesitation while doing what was told, partly due to the previous pause.
The sound of footsteps was distancing; they could not stop.
Those close to the lead four were luckier and managed to do as told, but for those remaining behind, it was left to mere luck. There was no failure until the last two rows, until two screams echoed one after another, gliding into the void.
The two people in the last two rows of the twenty-man Mercenary group were no longer continuing the journey; they were advancing rapidly in another direction. Their screams became inaudible within five breaths, but the sound they would make upon reaching the floor was not heard either, as if they were still continuing to fall.
"What was I saying? Yes, the continents where the orcs and druids are currently located always existed, and there was no abyss that was the only obstacle between them and the rest of the world. On the massive landmass, there were humans forced to live under their dominion and the Golden City we are currently in.
When the orcs had no one left to fight, the Golden City, the capital of the system they found, was a gathering place that took its brilliance from the shine of the gold paid for the heads brought in. The only place on the World of the Six Civilizations where trade never stopped and all races could wander freely.
Did you know that the Golden City was the only place—outside of the orc and human homelands they called the Mainland—where killing each other was forbidden?
This rule was monitored so strictly that it is whispered from ear to ear that the Orc Lord of that time sent an army consisting of millions of warriors to destroy a large group that violated it and wiped out the criminals' lineage!"
Dimitri had to break his long speech several times. He had to tell those behind him what they needed to do; this command was sometimes to change direction, sometimes to stop, or sometimes to crawl, but finally, they managed to escape the captivity of darkness.
When they saw the ground they stepped on, the surviving mercenaries began to let out shouts of joy. If they had the means to protect themselves, they believed they could do it, but their leader seemed doubtful about this.
"Five losses, not bad at all. I had heard that a whole army entering here back in the day was destroyed without a single person surviving. You are lucky to have me with you; follow my steps or you know what will happen!"
The tone of the warning was harsh; they were unaware that they had lost a quarter of their original power because they survived.
"We will rest here for a few minutes before continuing. Meanwhile, let me continue telling the rest of the story. As I was saying; the Golden City was the only shining point of the vast landmass unofficially named the lawless realm.
This area was the only place where humans had a chance to oppose the Orc-Druid dominion, and the Orc Empire did not hesitate to finance the order it established. For the orcs, whose numbers already exceeded billions at that time, making a name for oneself was the most important thing. If they wanted to have a place in their own homeland or if they wanted their ranks to rise within the Orc Empire, they had to prove themselves here.
They came in parties and fought with humans, and the Golden City was where the spoils turned into value. Due to the obligation to bring the head of the enemy you killed, there had to be a counting, then a destruction point within the city."
Dimitri slowly rose from where he sat; his apprentice took his place a step behind him as usual. The others did not dare to be far from him either; they advanced in a single file and stopped when another door appeared before them.
This time Dimitri opened the door without a ritual; the Mercenaries, who fell into the trap of darkness the previous time, were cautious; they wanted to prepare themselves by squinting their eyes, but this action served them in a different way.
"Gold!" "Treasures, mountains of treasure!" "Master, fortune. We've all become owners of fortune!"
Three Mercenaries, breaking ranks, ran toward the golden mounds. In the newly entered area, there were dozens of mounds like the ones that drove the three people out of their minds, reaching up to the ceiling, which was more than ten steps high.
"Come back, you fools!"
Sasha shouted, but it was too late. The wretched soldiers, hypnotized by the yellow color of the gold, threw themselves into the gold as if jumping into the sea. They weren't exactly wrong; most likely the others wanted to do the same, but their sense of duty came before their passion for fortune.
They realized how right a decision they made shortly after. Their three brothers-in-arms died without even being able to scream, accompanied by foam overflowing from their mouths. Dimitri did not say a single word from beginning to end, but he continued to speak only when the last breath of those who died after separating from the group of twenty was cut.
"So that everyone could be sure of their honesty, the orcs wanted to do everything in plain sight. First, they thought of opening a giant pit, and they did it. Even if you wanted to lift the world with the labor force they had, it was possible to gather enough orcs.
Regardless of whether it was an Orc, Druid, or Human, every head was thrown into this pit, and the person bringing it received their points indicating their reward. With these points, you could either earn gold, earn the right to reside within the Golden City for your family, or raise your rank within the Orc Empire!"
Dimitri Balsici finished his words until they passed through the massive hall filled with golden mounds. The only danger in this area was to win the battle of will against the dazzling mountains of gold.
The first area tested the travelers with darkness, the second with the bright yellow of gold, and the community, unaware of what awaited them when the door they stood before opened, grew tense. Everyone had a weakness; they feared they would die if there were a trial targeting their weak point.
"If you do what I say and do not act according to your own whims, nothing will happen to you."
Dimitri was an experienced merchant, enough to notice what was happening behind him. He spoke as if scolding his soldiers, but he actually did nothing but give confidence. His words were not empty; all those who survived were people who acted as he said.
"Shall I complete the story before opening the door? Or shall we put the final point when we reach our old friends waiting for us behind the next door?"
Dona Gracia could not hide her eyes shining when she learned that only the penultimate door and one area to be crossed remained. Although the question seemed to be asked to everyone, she was the only addressee; what she would say by parting her elegant lips would determine the progress of the journey.