Unaware of the scheming elders, Jack's party followed their guide in silence. They admired the view of the city as they exited the grand manor and were led towards the outskirts of the city.
'Um… Madam Lunara…'
'Yes?'
'Are you truly stronger than Head Raztol?' the guide asked, turning two of his three heads toward her with pride flowing from his eyes.
Not wanting to admit it yet unable to deny it thanks to Jack's early comments, Lunara nodded without a word.
'That… Madam, you don't know what this means to some of us…'
Touched by the softness of the hydra's words, the small party listened to his words as they neared a fenced area far smaller than any of the manors at the city center.
'If that's true… Can't you help us?'
'I…'
'You're from here, right? From long ago? Wasn't it worse back then?'
'Is this the place?' Lunara questioned, changing the subject as they descended into the decent-sized yet humble manor with no sculptures or intricate workmanship.
'Y-yes… This is the place… Please, follow me…' sighing, the three-headed hydra guide entered the building and led took them through a small corridor leading to giant double doors. The hydra opened the way and the party was immediately speechless at the sight within the room, and drooling in Lina's case.
'Please, there's no need for decorum!' Raztol chuckled, sitting at the head of the table and motioning toward the two cushions on either side of him. 'I hope that Jack and the little miss won't mind sharing a seat as I have nothing their size.'
'Not at all,' laughed Jack. He and Lina shared a seat yet were still far from sitting close together due to the cushion's great size.
Following Raztol's suggestion without batting an eye, Lina attacked the food on her plate. Lunara and Jack followed suit but Lina made no effort to hide her hunger.
'It must've been quite the journey to reach us down here,' commented Raztol. 'Eat all you like! There are plenty more dishes waiting to be brought out of the kitchen.'
Getting a nod from her mother, Lina gladly picked up the pace to Raztol's surprise and Jack's laughter.
'For a human, you eat quite a lot. Is that how you all are?'
'No,' Jack answered, letting Lina have her fill without a need to speak. 'Lina is a special case. A human's diet normally can't compare with a hydra's.'
'Lina… What a beautiful name…' Raztol sighed, momentarily revealing grief in his aged eyes.
'Thank you!' Lina stated, pausing her next bite into what she thought was a type of meat. However, her expectations were proven wrong as she hastened appetite was confused.
Noticing the look on her face, Raztol chuckled, 'That's our newest crop, saltrop. It's purely vegetarian yet has an appearance to fish meat and the texture is similar as well. The flavor is unique and different than what you expect, but it will grow on you.'
Nodding despite her slight dissatisfaction, Lina continued eating at her usual pace.
'So you're eating less meat now? And that's the cause for your booming population?' commented Jack.
'In a way. With controlled crops, we can better supply our people with food and guarantee survival when our previous food sources were dwindling,' Raztol mentioned. 'I imagine things were different for you, Lunara?'
'Yes…' Lunara replied between bites, not showing much care for the conversation and where it was leading.
'If you left at the time I believe you did, our food supply was heavily reliant on our ability to hunt. Also… Three-headed hydras weren't commonly offered shares of the meat our hunters gathered… A sad fact of our history…'
'What do you mean?' asked Jack. 'Care to explain? I've heard little to nothing about how things are here in Glacier Reef, let alone how things were so long ago.'
Nodding, Raztol scarfed down his current portion of saltrop and explained, 'The political stances on inequality here are heavily skewed beyond the favor of my multi-headed brethren, especially in the past.'
'I thought nowadays the populace was mostly multi-headed?'
'It is… But that doesn't mean the council properly represents them,' sighed Raztol. 'Entering the council is done through votes, as is becoming an elder to gain more responsibility and influence. However, elected elders hold the position for life and our long lifespans have led to a divide of interests…'
'Basically, your elders no longer represent the common people nor do they wish to represent the common people?
With self-mocking chuckles, Raztol nodded at Jack's deduction. 'What's your opinion of Artrat?'
'He's a politician through and through. He reacts perfectly to any political situation he's placed in. Hence, my lack of trust for the man.'
'Good… I'm glad you can look far enough ahead to understand this…'
'What do you mean? I thought he was quite nice…' Lina commented as she swam out of her seat to gather more food from the giant table.
Raztol stated, 'Just as any politician prefers, Artrat also has his own goals. I assume that he's after a consul seat, something he believes will be accessible should he successfully change how the council views multi-headed hydras.'
'Isn't that a good thing?' questioned Lina.
Lunara sighed in response, 'Not necessarily…'
'Precisely. Just because Artrat acknowledges that multi-headed hydras need better representation doesn't necessarily mean he's offering it,' suggested Raztol. 'It merely provided Artrat a means to rise in popularity and absorb the followers of less popular radicals who better supported the inequality beyond the scope of words. His plans would bring us closer to true equality but it may also lead to one-headed hydras gaining a tighter grip on society's leadership positions.'
'No matter what someone may say, it's their actions that prove their cause, not their words…'
'That's right!' Glad to hear Lunara's thoughts on the matter, Raztol asked, 'Lunara, why are you against living among us again yet so cordial toward the council despite your ability to overpower us? Be honest, please. I have no desire to even attempt forcing you to stay, nor would I have the capability.'