"Wait!" The orc screamed again as Hoplite charged toward him, blade drawn and ready to skewer the now-peaceful Fiend.
Twindil rushed forward, stepping into Hoplites path with her features firmed. "Calm yourself and let me explain!" She shouted across the span between them, her voice echoing across the bridge.
Hoplite slowed his advance, coming to a hesitant stop yet not sheathing his knife. Once he was within a few paces of her, he stopped, though his helmet never turned away from Halm. She couldn't blame him for his caution of course, even with lucidity restored, a talking Fiend was still a Fiend.
"Michael, Lance, by me now!" Hoplite shouted suddenly, "Stay clear of the infected!"
Michael, without even an instant of hesitation, rushed to his superior's side, a slight grimace on his face. Lance did not seem as eager to leap at Hoplite's word, but after a quick glance at Halm, she too ran over. Twindil briefly wondered if her hesitation could have something to do with what Hoplite had said to her earlier, right as this conflict started.
No one wanted to be told they'd be useless at anything, much less a warrior like Lance. Yet, Hoplite had been correct to tell her (and by extension, the party) to retreat into the tunnel. Had they not done so, they all would have been subjected to the curse for sure. The thought of the Death-Spiral made her grimace, a hand reaching to her now-bare shoulder that Halm had shattered earlier. It had been several minutes since then… but still the curse had not taken hold. Could it have something to do with her lineage? Was she immune to the curse because of that?
It was hard to say, but she'd need to keep an eye on herself. It could have just been slowed down by her divine blood, not stopped. Only time would tell… Besides that, she knew that Hoplite would be loaded with questions for why she hadn't been turned into a Fiend. It hurt her to do so, but she'd need to lie or feign ignorance, she could not allow the Outworlder to suspect that she was a Godling.
That would surely cause segregation or outright conflict, and as of this moment, they could not afford to be apart from one another. Hoplite's nigh-invulnerability ensured that he'd never be cursed, and his ability to crush entire armies of Fiends would spare her friends unnecessary risk. She also didn't want to lose Lance's trust… Twindil and her had built a steady rapport during their time together, she didn't want to lose that.
The Watcher was terrified of Godlings, as all mortals were. Just her description of Tuji painted the half-orc as a horrific demon from myth, she had no doubt that she'd think of Twindil in that exact same light if she ever learned the truth.
"Sir," Michael said after a moment, "I expended half of our ammunition…"
"The assets were used properly private, at ease." Hoplite replied, "Why is it not hostile?" He continued, tilting his helmet toward the orc.
"I…" She began, removing her hand from her shoulder, "I healed him right as he was about to hurt me, and he joined our side in the battle."
"But you do have an injury." Hoplite pointed out, "Your armor is compromised."
"I-" She hesitated, "I healed myself before the curse could spread." She lied, averting her eyes as shame filled her. Oh how she hated lying…
"It must be true," Lance said, "It would have spread over her within a minute, and she looks completely normal."
"I see." Hoplite replied, "We'll keep that in mind for the future, in case any more injuries are sustained."
Twindil's eyes widened a fraction at the outright acceptance of her explanation. She had expected far more scrutiny than that from him. For a moment she had been nervous that he'd open up a line of questioning that would have somehow led to her revealing her lineage. She looked to Lance, pursing her lips in thought. Was it because he trusted her word? Seeing the Outworlder put that much faith in someone that wasn't from his own realm was surprising to say the least.
"I am indebted to you, small one." The orc said suddenly, his head tilting down toward her, "You have… you have given something precious back to me. My agonies are gone now, as is the fog that occluded my thinking. I am a beast no more, and thanks to you I can resume my quest."
"A quest?" Elum asked, making sure to maintain a good distance from the Fiend, "You had a quest in the Fiendwood?"
"Yes… It was around… say, two-hundred years ago now. I desired to burn the Rotting Ilum and end Kazon's reign once and for all… but I was arrogant, and became cursed soon after crossing the bridge." The orc said with a frown, looking past Hoplite and into the distance, "I did not lose my faculties then, rather, the pains of the years piled on, unceasing until I became little more than an animal, no different than the poor creatures twitching at our feet."
"How did you find your way back to the bridge?" Alistair asked, hammer still drawn. Even with how exhausted he looked, he still appeared ready to lash out at Halm in an instant.
"That monster, Tolak, found me and made me into his pet, for lack of better words. He promised a way to alleviate my pains, but only if I followed his every word… and with my mind and will diminished, I complied. He never let me inflict enough pain to become sane again, only enough to keep me from collapsing… I'll never forgive myself for cursing the brave souls who sought to follow in my footsteps…" His fists then clenched, his yellow eyes becoming steel as they glared toward the horizon, "Now I can burn the Rotting Ilum and end the curse!"
"What are you called?" Nolvi asked, eyes firmly locked on the ground near the orc's feet.
"I am Halm, the next in line to be the Mouth of Zodd." The orc replied, puffing out his chest to emphasize the strange growth on his right pectoral.
A sort of tumor perhaps? What did that have to do with being the Mouth of Zodd, and what even was that title? Kid'ka gasped audibly, taking a cautious step towards the towering Fiend with awe.
"You… the Tongue is in you now?" Kid'ka asked, raising the back of his hand to reveal the tattoo of Zodd's tongue.
Halm's expression went from dour to cheerful in an instant, "Yes my boy! Are the rest of you Tongues as well?"
"Just me," Kid'ka replied quickly, "W-we've been without a M-mouth for centuries," He stammered, "Because we'd lost The Tongue."
"That was my fault." Halm said with a sigh, "I was next in line, but still I decided to take on this damned quest, and in doing so deprived the Tongues of proper leadership. Zodd hasn't spoken to any of the new Tongues since my departure, something I hope to rectify once I lift the curse."
"I will lend you my aid." Kid'ka said in an unwavering tone, slamming his fist into his chest, "Our goals seem to align, would you like to travel with us?"
Before Halm could reply, Hoplite interjected, "Negative. He is a risk to the squad and I won't let the infection spread among us."
"But he seeks to lift the curse and slay Kazon!" Kid'ka shouted, "And he is mighty, you should have seen him in there-"
"You can have him be in your squad, but we will be leaving if you do." Hoplite interrupted again, "It can't be trusted."
Michael didn't react to his superior's words, simply standing beside him to see how things would play out. It almost came as a surprise, but Lance also raised no opposition to this idea, her hands still clutching her blades firmly as she stared at the towering form of Halm. It looked like she didn't trust the Fiend either. Twindil did, but she had to admit that was only because he'd helped them fight. Everyone else likely still had reservations about being near any kind of Fiend, even one with lucidity. Well, everyone except for Kid'ka apparently, whose face reddened a slight margin as he glared daggers at Hoplite's helmet.
"Fear not. I understand." Halm said with a sad smile, "I know what I am. But allow me to grant upon you all a boon…" He then pointed across the bridge, past Hoplite, "Allow me to clear the bridge ahead of you, my kindred will not attack me, and I do not have the need for rest."
"You'll be controlled by Kazon the instant you step out of bounds." Hoplite countered, "Twindil is projecting a… magic," He struggled to say, "Aura, to protect us from his influence."
Halm then waved a dismissive hand, "That is a misconception that Faelanders have about Fiends… Kazon does not actually control us. We're just as likely to attack him as we are anyone else, for he doesn't bear the curse. He can guide lesser-minded hordes to locations he wants assaulted, and he does have a few particularly powerful Fiends under his control, but his power is not absolute."
"Tolak seemed able to control you and these others just fine." Hoplite argued, "You're lying."
Halm shook his head, "Tolak promised them all reliefs to their pains if they bound themselves to him, I was one of them, but now I am free."
"These other mutants couldn't knowingly consent to an agreement like that." Hoplite replied curtly, "They can't even form basic sentences, it's impossible that they'd be able to understand any sort of deals."
"Tolak didn't offer this deal with words…" Halm said with a frown, eyes seeming to grow distant a moment before his vision refocused on Hoplite, "Believe me or not golem, it is the truth I speak."
Hoplite didn't reply, but there was still an air of danger about the Outworlder. One wrong move and he'd try and destroy Halm, Twindil was certain. The orc rubbed at his face, clearing away some grime before again he sighed.
"Before I continue my quest, I would like to give you some forewarning about what lay within the Fiendwood." He said, his yellow eyes seeming to take in all those present.
Hoplite seemed to perk up at this, the air of danger still present but mitigated, "Affirmative."
"It would be nice." Twindil nodded, "Aside from what our guide knows, we are ignorant of the greater dangers within."
Her brows knit together as she thought of Theopalu. Where had he been when they were fighting for their lives? Had he run away? It didn't seem like him to abandon them outright, it was more likely that the elf had simply been asleep in the wagon. Knowing Theopalu, the sounds of combat likely didn't keep him from his slumber. The man could sleep through an earthquake, and that was no exaggeration.
"Take what I say with a grain of salt," Halm said with an embarrassed shrug, "Much of my time spent wandering those wastes was during my insanity, I can only recall impressions at most, aside from what lay within the Fiend-City of Akan-Var, which I had to pass through to reach the Fiendwood."
"Please, anything you can tell us will be of great use to us, even if it's just scant rememberings." Twindil said with a smile.
Halm smiled back, "Stay clear of any trees you see, especially those with limp branches. I vaguely remember something stripping the skin off around those…" He said with a shudder, "The water is tainted, that was what cursed me once I ran out of my supplies. Preserved food can be found in the ruins of Akan-Var, but it's hard to find and could also bear the curse, I do not know for sure." He continued, pausing to clear his throat, "Akan-Var is a ruin infested with countless Fiends, many of which are Greater-Fiends, tread carefully and never stay in the open, take back alleys even if it sends you on a longer route. Your goal should be to get out of the city as soon as possible, if any Fiends see you, take them out before they can make noise or you'll be doomed."
"How large is this city?" Hoplite asked, "Are there any routes we can take to avoid it?"
Halm shook his head, "Unfortunately not, I had looked for a long while, but unless you intend to swim ashore from the Shot, it's impossible. Akan-Var's high walls surround the other end of the bridge, passage is impossible without passing through its gate, and thus through the city itself." He explained, his face grimacing, "As for the city itself… it is massive, I cannot give you an exact estimate, but I would have to say that it is about half the size of the Faewood, assuming it hasn't expanded in these past centuries."
Lance goggled, mouth hanging slightly agape before she said, "The Faewood takes up at least a fourth of the Faelands, that is even larger than Akan-Dar!"
"Indeed, it is so." Halm replied, crossing his broad arms, "In terms of circumference, that is, there were no floating Blocks in Akan-Var, it is… traditional in its construction. It is where the survivors of the Ninth Godling war rebuilt after Ankoriss ascended."
"Then it's also infested with the infected from that time-period?" Hoplite asked, "How many Fiends do you estimate? And what are these 'Greater-Fiends?"
Halm bit his lip as he thought, eyes rolling up to the sky before finally he replied, "To start, most of those poor wretches who were cursed at the beginning of Decuma are hardly capable of moving, you'll see them twitching and moaning on the ground, but other then that they won't be a threat. There will still be thousands, if not tens of thousands within the walls that are still active, so again, tread carefully." He then sighed, pointing a thumb at himself before he continued, "A Greater-Fiend is someone who is about as dangerous as myself and Tolak, dangerous foes, be warned."
This information almost caused Twindil to shudder. An entire city infested with Fiends about as strong as Halm and Tolak? Even if it was only a hundred Greater-Fiends, that was still too great a challenge for her party to face alone, at least not yet. Besides, it was possible that no conflict with these creatures would come to pass, assuming that they could find a safe way through.
"We have someone with us that was in the city before the curse had taken place," Twindil said, "Hopefully he'll know a safe passage through, relatively safe of course, I'm sure that there's no place in Akan-Var that'll be totally void of danger."
Halm's yellow eyes widened in surprise, "Must be an elf then, don't know any other race that long-lived, he'll be invaluable." He then turned his broad back to the party, facing the horizon and squaring his shoulders, "But that is all I can truly remember, there isn't much time for you to finish your quest, you can only last as long as the supplies you brought with you."
She didn't know for sure, but Hoplite's shoulders seemed to ease, ever so slightly as Halm said that. There was no doubt in her mind that the Outworlder agreed with the Fiend.
"I have one more question." Hoplite said, "Did you see any crashed escape shuttles, or any…" He hesitated before saying, "Falling stars." He almost sounded strained saying it that way.
Halm then turned back to Hoplite, squinting before replying, "Stars don't fall golem…"
"I agree." Hoplite said curtly, "Answer the question."
He sounded on the border of being irate, the formerly sturdy pillar of monotone straining beneath the great weight of his annoyance. She remembered back when they'd first met, he'd claimed that same exact thing, that stars couldn't fall and that it was idiotic to think such. Looking back on it, it was a bit silly of everyone to think that, but it had truly seemed that it had been the case at the time.
"Well… I did see dozens of comets falling a while ago, I didn't put much thought into them at the time, but they did seem to come crashing down into the Fiendwood. Strange times we live in. Anyway, it is time that I be off." With that, he turned his broad back, bracing himself to run.
"Uh…" Twindil started slowly, "Halm, that's the wrong way, if you want to go to the Fiendwood, its back that way." She finished, pointing in the opposite direction with her thumb.
Halm's back then shot straight up, and he about faced back toward the party, a deep frown on his face, "I knew that!" He shouted, "I was just testing the young Tongue here to see if he would speak up about it!"
Twindil could swear that there was an intense shade of red shining through the purple on his cheeks, but surely that could not be the case. Kid'ka then placed a hand to his forehead, bowing before muttering apologies.
"Speak up boy!" Halm shouted.
"I wasn't paying attention sir, please f-forgive my lack of perception!" Kid'ka shouted back.
Twindil frowned at the towering orc, unimpressed with his excuse. Kid'ka had to be the most perceptive man in the party. It was just a simple mistake, it wasn't something to try and cover up with claims of some asinine test. Perhaps he simply didn't want their perception of him to change, or maybe just Kid'ka's perception. He was the first Tongue Halm had seen in centuries, so it was likely that he wanted to seem impressive. Especially after saying that he was next in line to be the Mouth of Zodd. She wasn't quite sure what that entailed, but it sounded like a position of high status amongst the Tongues. She'd ask her friend about it later, when they were all settled in for the night.
"Well, just remember that next time we meet, I may test you again, young one." Halm said with a light huff, "Alright, now I'm off, I will clear the bridge for you all, I will see you on the other side, and you elf," Halm paused, staring directly at Twindil, "Thank you again for bringing me back from madness, I'll not forget it."
"Afina's tranquility touches all who need it, good luck Halm." Twindil replied.
Halm smiled, "Farewell."
With that, he took his leave, running down the bridge toward the decapitated Tolak. They all watched as Halm grappled the headless body, tearing the arms clean off the torso before throwing them aside, the whipping chains bouncing off his steel body without leaving even a dent in his skin. As the arms landed on the stone, they slowed, seeming to become lethargic as they were detached from their master. They were quite powerful magical weapons, surely there was one among them that could make use of them? One's spirit had to be compatible with the item before it could bind itself to them, so the only way to find out was to go and try to claim it.
Now that things have calmed down, it seemed that this was a prime opportunity just for that. She looked away from Tolak's arms, and waved at Halm's retreating back, hoping that she would see him again, despite their first meeting. She did not blame him for his actions, suffering through hell for hundreds of years would drive anyone to madness. She was amazed that he'd managed to come back to near-perfect sanity after having his pains washed away… such torture surely had to leave a mark on his psyche, but it didn't appear that it had, at least, not outwardly. Such a strong will…
She only hoped that she could stave away madness like Halm could.