Chapter 3684: It’s Molting Time (Part 1) “The Trolls are not innocent victims of fate.” Baba Yaga said. “They never were. They were all volunteers born from the high castes. Those allegedly closer to perfection, and hence the easiest to push toward evolution. “I ran away before the so-called recruiters came for me. I was lucky enough to Awaken soon after crossing the borders of the Odi empire, and the rest is history.” “High castes? Volunteers?” Quylla echoed. “The Odi was the most talented light mages’ society I’ve ever seen. How did the experiment fail?” “It didn’t.” The Mother shook her head. “It was a resounding success. Trolls were stronger, faster, more magically talented and beautiful than the Odi, lived longer, and were stable. There was no flaw in their life forces.” “Then how did they fall?” Syrah dared ask. “What do you think?” Baba Yaga scoffed. “To sane people like you and me, the Trolls were a success. The next step on the evolutionary ladder. To insane degenerates obsessed with perfection like the Odi, however, they were an abomination. “Trolls were limited to only darkness and light, whereas the Odi could use all six elements like the humans. It was a temporary setback for a new and powerful body, but an unforgivable sin for the Odi. They saw the loss of the other four elements as an involution. An affront to the Odi’s alleged perfection. “Instead of giving the Trolls time and generations for their life forces to settle and evolve further, the Odi turned against their own children. They imprisoned them. Experimented on them. “And the trolls deserved every moment of agony for what they had done to my people!” The Mother snarled. “Once everything failed, the Odi decided there was no point in wasting more time on rejects. “They went to Roghar, who, of course, gave them sensible advice that the Odi twisted to their perverse logic. They put Roghar’s suggestion into practice with haste, ruthlessness, and uncaringness. “The result didn’t advance the Trolls’ evolution, but was still deemed a success. The Odi turned what they considered an abject failure into a biological weapon.” “Are you telling me that-” Syrah’s eyes widened in shock and disgust. “Yes, the Odi did it on purpose.” Baba Yaga nodded. “The Trolls’ fall was no accident. The Odi used their new pets to cause famines and swarm the neighboring countries before sending their armies to invade them. “Trolls were developed as a weapon, and they were used as such. They are the secret to the Odi’s conquest of Garlen. They were meat shields who spawned faster than the enemy could kill them, immune to darkness magic. “They devoured the supplies the invaded countries needed to fight and terrorized their people. They were the perfect weapon back when fake mages were limited to tier three spells and the reason I made Dawn into their bane.” The Mother took a long pause to let her words sink in. “And now you ask me to help bring those monsters back?” She glared at Quylla, her jaw clenched. “To help the accursed Odi to further their project? To bring the Odi back? Because make no mistake, the ability to use all six elements and have the Trolls’ longevity is what the Odi wanted.” “You are talking about the old Trolls.” Quylla objected as meekly as possible. “I’m asking you to help their descendants. Innocent children born to crazy parents who never had a voice in the matter.” “She’s right.” Urhen swallowed hard. “The Tyrants captured us monsters, and it took them generations to make Trolls sane again. Like the Hati, they were consumed by hunger and bloodlust, but once they regained their mind, they were horrified by themselves.” “My answer is still no.” Baba Yaga remained as cold as ice. “Best of luck in your endeavor, Quylla.” Then she turned to Kamil,a and her face regained its warmth and kindness. “We’d better leave while we can, dear.” She said while offering her hand to help Kamila stand up. “I’m fine, Yaga. We are all friends here.” Kamila said in confusion. “With Salaark here, I’m sure of it.” The Mother chuckled. “I’m talking about-” Kamila sneezed and then started to cough. “Too late.” Baba Yaga took a few steps back and gestured for everyone to give Kamila space. “What’s happening to me?” Red, black, and silver fluffy feathers popped out of her skin, making her look like a giant plushie bird. She felt her toes turning into talons, her arms into wings, and her mouth into a beak. The cough and sneezes never stopped as the colors of her plumage became drenched in a black tar-like substance. The smell was bad enough to knock down a horse from thirty meters (100 feet) away, but before it could waft through the room, deep green Origin Flames erupted from the small Phoenix’s body, burning everything into ashes. The corrupted feathers burned as well, leaving the pink of her skin visible. New ones grew at a speed visible to the naked eye, and with their arrival, the cough stopped. Follow new episodes on the "N0vel1st.c0m". “Thank the gods.” Kamila sighed with a chirpy voice. “I was starting to fear I had become allergic to myself.” Then, the plumes disappeared below her skin, and she shapeshifted back into human form. “Can someone please tell me what just happened? I’m pretty sure I can’t turn into a Phoenix.” And she would have rather died than share with her friends how she had come to that certainty. “You can’t, but I can make you.” Salaark chuckled with a knowing look. “Congratulations on reaching the deep green core, dear.” “That was a breakthrough?” Kamila asked. “I didn’t feel anything. Wait, did you help me because I was in danger and Raldarak with me?” “Of course not.” The Overlord scoffed. “With Lith’s anal-retention attention to detail and your diligent training in both magic and combat, you had a perfect body for the breakthrough. “There was no way things would go wrong unless someone attacked you in the middle of it.” “My core must have progressed faster than I expected due to Ral.” Kamila nodded. “If I were safe, though, why did you step in? What was the point of the shapeshifting?” “It was still a breakthrough, dear.” Baba Yaga said. “And from the yellow to the green core at that. It would have been safe, but painful and unpleasant.” “There’s no way in Mogar I’m letting one of my Featherlings experience fear and pain as one of their first memories.” Salaark scoffed. “No matter how many people I have to kill.” *** After the breakthrough, Kamila went to share the news with Lith while Quylla proceeded to examine Zelex’s representatives. Once she was done, she accompanied them back to the underground city, where they vouched for Quylla to the other fallen races and ensured her safety. “Thank the gods you are alright.” Lith hugged his wife tight. “No problem! Just look out for the old lizard or we’ll have another Dya situation.” Salaark’s voice echoed in the room. “Dammit, Grandma. We are having a moment here!” “Don’t call my name if you don’t want me to answer!” She replied. “Actually, we are not.” Kamila chuckled. “Nothing happened. Grandma was right beside me, and I didn’t even notice I was having a breakthrough until Yaga told me. This is hardly a moment.”