Chapter 2531.1: Dangerous Truth (Part 1)
The solution to Lith's problem came in the form of a group of women who were having a much more heated argument than the guards in the back of the building. For some reason, the warg guards steered clear of them and no one seemed bothered by the noise they made.
The group was comprised of several orcs, Hati, six-eyed Balors, and one Fomor.
"You have no right to keep us out, Ryla." A female Hati dressed in a rich golden dress that complemented her silver fur snarled. "It's our future they are discussing and we need to voice our opinion!"
"As Glemos' high priestess, I have every right to do so." The beauty of the Fomor's figure and features was further emphasized by the loose toga she wore that left her back fully exposed.
Her furled multi-colored wings looked like a soft mantle that went from her shoulders to the ground.
"It is my duty to protect you all, even from yourselves. Each one of us has demonstrated the highest evolutionary potential and is irreplaceable. Those whose standing is safe have no right to decide the fate of those who are expendable.
"A cull will be necessary before we move out. Our men and children will die to leave us with as much food as they can. Do you really think they can find the strength to make such a decision while looking you in the eyes?
"That they can muster the resolve to end their own blood and themselves while you lot scream and cry? Our god Glemos taught us that the future is more important of the past and that only through sacrifice can our races prosper.
"The whole Mogar is our enemy. Our own bodies have betrayed us and try to kill us every day. This is the only way we have to survive."
"Bullshit!" A reverted female orc-elf said, her light brown skin reddened by the blood rush in while her golden hair whipped around due to her mana outburst. "We could ask our unfallen brethren for help.
"There are still pure-blooded elves out there, but we never tried to find them. We could barter with the Awakened Council to share the Harmonizers and Glemos' lab in exchange for a cure to our condition!
"If the Tyrant bloodline alone could achieve so much, imagine what the four Awakened races could do for us if they join their resources."
"Blasphemy!" Ryla slapped the orc-elf to shut her up. "Our savior isn't a mere Awakened. He is a god who took pity on our ancestors after their fall and created this paradise for us."
"You call this paradise?" A six-eyed Balor stepped forward, forced to look up at the taller Fomor. "We hide deep underground like rats. We can't expand our borders and are forced to constantly cull our own blood just to survive.
"This is no paradise, just a sick lab and we are the test subjects. Glemos is no god, otherwise he would have healed us already. He exploited our short lives and ignorance to rewrite history as he saw fit.
"We pretended to believe his lies only because we were scared-"
"How dare you?" The Balor knew the slap was incoming and tried to stop it, but Ryla was faster and stronger than her.
The hit sent the Balor to the ground and was quickly followed by a furious kick.
"Glemos is a god! Without him, you would be a hideous monster. Without him, I would have never been born. Without him, there is no hope. If you despise his gifts so much, then I'll gladly take them back!"
The Fomor lifted the Balor by the neck and was about to rip her heart out when the Hati with the golden dress grabbed Ryla's wrist.
"Enough. I get your point and I'll promise you that we'll behave. Now let her go." The Fomor tried and failed to break free from the iron grip of the Hati that became tighter until Ryla was forced to bend or suffer a broken arm.
"I'm the high priestess, Syrah. You can't order me around." She gritted her teeth to withstand the pain, refusing to submit.
"And I'm the Queen. If you want, we can go back inside and ask which one of us can be more easily replaced." The Hati emphasized the concept by taking a step forward so fast that Lith could barely see her.
Syrah grabbed the Fomor with such strength that not even the combined power of her eyes was enough to break free from the choke hold.
"Fine. I'll forgive her transgression." Ryla said and the Hati released her. "But if Br'ey keeps spreading her poisonous lies, our society might crumble. Only the faith in our god and the hope that it brings us have allowed our people to endure such cruel hardships.
"Are you willing to take responsibility for her?"
"I am." The Hati Queen nodded. "Now let's get inside. I don't trust the scum from the Undead Courts further than I can throw them."
"You know that I'm not lying, Syrah. We've all seen the records of the times before Glemos stored inside Br'ey's crystal." The Balor pointed at the orc who nodded in agreement. "Our species existed before Glemos. He-"
"Now it's not the time, Urhen." The Hati cut the Balor short. "We have lost countless good people today. We are about to lose our homes and cull most of our neighbors and friends simply because they were born with a lesser evolutionary potential.
"Even if everything we witnessed is true and not the delusion of an ancient orc, do you think that our people could survive discovering that everything they know is a lie? That there's no merciful god looking over us but just a cruel dictator who bred us like animals?"
Urhen opened her mouth to answer but no word came out. She lowered her gaze and clenched her teeth before shaking her head in resignation.
"The truth is a luxury we can't afford, my friend. Not today." Syrah said. "Lies are the only thing that will allow us to see tomorrow."
The Voidfeather Dragon exploited the moment when the women hugged each other and the high priestess bolted inside in outrage to compress his body as much as he could and split it between their shadows.
'Luckily for me, Traughen have six arms and every one of them is damn tall. Between that and their puffy dresses, I've just enough space to hide.'
The group of women walked briskly through the door and then an ample corridor, reaching an open balcony from which they could witness and hear everything that happened inside the room below.
Also, they brought Lith so close to Solus that she could perceive his exact position even without a mind link. She had left Eryon's pocket right after he had been summoned to the palace and had been spectating from a safe position all along.
She turned her stone body into a liquid state, slowly crawling out of her hiding space while also making sure to constantly adjust her color so as to always match her surroundings.
It took her a few minutes to reach the balcony and what she found there left her gaping.