The Barrier

The Lizard return rather quickly, and told me they were busy at that time. Someone would visit me, and I should wait in the room they provided. I nodded, and returned to my room. It was better not to pry, they would become suspicious again and I wouldn't get anything useful out of them. 'I wonder how they are doing' I thought. Harlin and Crow should be able to take care of Sedon, but I was worried that Eterians might simply overwhelm them. 'Fox should be fine in Olrad. Hopefully she can recover soon' I thought.

There were a few questions I needed answers to. Some about Hatmandor, while others about Eterians and other races. I needed to understand the history. I had a feeling that Northern History was the key to this war. 'For one Vanauts fight this war, because they have no other choice. Wherever they went, they were not accepted. Vanauts can still switch sides, if I show them we can coexist together' I thought. There was also another thing I needed from Grey Lizards.

To be precise, it was a way to access Land of Mirages. Removing that mist would be even better, but I wasn't sure if the Grey Lizards would be able to achieve that. Especially since they wouldn't move away from their base. That was a vital reason for my search of Grey Lizards. If we couldn't expose Eterians, the war would never end. I took a look at myself, the set of leather clothes I received from Suly and Fox was tattered already. My own armour was also badly damaged. I needed a replacement, or rather an improvement.

Time slowly passed. I sorted all the information I had, until someone knocked on my door. I opened them and stepped outside. "I'm here to take you to see the leaders. Follow me". I nodded and followed him to the same tunnel the other Lizard pointed out. We made it to another open area, where a few Grey Lizards dressed in various clothes awaited. I also saw the guy I spoke with earlier, the one who told me about Hydra and other things.

The leader I already met, said "Follow us, we will discuss everything in private". He and a few other Lizards walked towards the doors at the back of the open area, while I followed them. Inside, I saw some chairs and a large table. We all took a seat. The first to speak was the Lizard who told me about Hydra. "The Elements you told me about, they must exist. We already tested some stuff, and we can improve our Formations. We are grateful for such knowledge".

I waved my hand, "It's nothing much. I never treated it as a secret. Can I get some answers first?". They looked at each other, and nodded in unison. I said, "Tell me about the Hydra and the Barrier". One of the Lizards replied, "People of the North believe that the barrier was created to protect them… That is not entirely true. It's true that due to Humans waging wars left and right, the minor races escaped towards the North. That was when the barrier was created, Hydra was the biggest reason, but Hatmandor had someone who cared for minor races. That person added a condition for the barrier. Humans, Eteriand and Furians would need to pass trials, before they were able to enter the North. This was more of a trap for Humans, as Eterians lived in the North, and they could easily go past those trials".

Another Lizard continued, "There was one drawback to all of this. The minor races were not allowed to leave. Only later did we the Grey Lizards learn that the barrier is a huge and complicated Formation. We can leave the North, if the barrier allows for it. Of course, that can only be decided by Hatmandor. As far as we are aware, no one was allowed to leave". I nodded while asking, "How does that tie in to Hydra?". The guy who told me about Hydra, replied "I told you already, we don't know how Hydra appeared here. Although we have some guesses. Hatmandor obviously didn't bring it with them, otherwise they would retrieve Hydra a long time ago. If they had a way to control it, why would they seal it? There are a few other possibilities. Hydra came here by itself… From where, we don't have a clue. Someone might have brought Hydra here, to destroy this continent… or perhaps Hatmandor".

Another Lizard added, "There is also one more far fetched possibility. Bramans were responsible for Hydra". I was a bit surprised. "Bramans? Weren't they extinct before the barrier formed?". The leader replied, "So you know about them. Well, that depends on who you ask. It is possible not all Bramans died, and supposedly they indulged in some darker form of practices". I narrowed my eyes, "What sort of practices?". He sighed "They worshipped something, as to what that thing was… We don't know. This idea is far fetched as we said. It certainly is possible, but very unlikely".

This was indeed interesting. I asked, "What about the war between Bramans and Humans? You know something about it?". He replied, "No, not much really. Perhaps we might know even less than you do". I asked a different question, "Eterians. What can you tell me about them?". One of the Lizards asked in reply, "What exactly do you want to know? I'm sure you are aware of their abilities, do you mean their history?". I nodded, "Yes. I need to understand why they waged this war. I'm aware that Humans fought Eterians here in the North, but why did the Eterians fight Humans in the first place?".

They shook their heads. "We don't know. The history of Humans and Eterians go way beyond our records and knowledge. We were a minor race during that time, a race considered to be simple monsters. We have no access to such information. My guess is, only Humans, Eterians and Furians know". That was another thing I wanted to ask, "Furians, why are they helping Eterians?". They shook their heads again. I asked, "In that case, what about you guys? The Royal Lizards wrote betrayal, but I don't buy it".

The leader replied with a scoff, "Then that means you have a brain. Betrayal? They wanted to use Hydra as a weapon. They somehow learned about Hydra, and that we were supposed to keep it sealed. They wanted us to control Hydra, and use it to take over the North. Let me tell you, the Royals were always shady, and it didn't change with time". I asked, "Does that mean you ran away?". He replied, "We didn't have any other choice. Grey Lizards were always a minority in our population. They didn't banish us, we left by ourselves. The Royals are rotten, but there are good Lizards there as well. They look past the lies Royals spouted, and accept us".

I laughed, "This reminded me of something. The Royal Lizards are searching for some non-existent relics. It just shows they would go far for powerful weapons". They looked at each other, while the leader asked. "Relics?". I replied while waving my hand, "It's just some stuff I made up on the spot. I wanted to access their records, and needed a reason. I gave them one". The Grey Lizards shook their heads in response.

I continued, "Anyway, it didn't make sense to me either. What about other races? Shades, Voltars or Atols?". Another Lizard replied, "Shades usually cared for themselves… Not that we blame them. We did help them out in the past, but the Royals also gained a lot from that. It's not like Royals would do something for free. As for Voltars? They were always arrogant, thinking they were above other minor races. As far as we are aware, they are only truly scared of Hatmandor".

Another Lizard said, "Atols are good people. They have those Fractions and whatnot, but their ancestors cared for peace and preservation. They also designed the base for us, but we decided not to involve Atols. It was before we left the Obsidian Mountains though, but we already planned to leave by that time". The Lizard next to him, chimed in as well. "As for the other races, they stayed a minority in the North. Conquered by others usually. They never reach a status of a major race, and are treated like we were in the past".

I became a bit more serious, "We should discuss your help in this war now. I don't know what's the situation out there, I was busy searching for you. As far as I know, anything might've happened". Our conversation moved towards the Formations and the help Grey Lizards could offer.