"Right then, suppose we're out of New Romai." The prisoner noted, walking just behind Hoplite, "Don't know your business, but whatever it is you should clear out of here as quick as ya can."
"Negative." Hoplite replied.
"Not gonna argue with ya, if you don't plan on leaving that's your business, me though? Gonna try and find me a way out of here. These caves are new territory for us, not even the Long Lord's dare come through here, don't know why though."
Hoplite believed him, they had been moving through this cave system for nearly an hour, and no pursuit had been given. What was in here that was so dangerous that even those elder vampires wouldn't attempt entry? The Child felt terrified about what may lay in the darkness, what could be hiding just behind the stalagmites, ready and waiting to pounce. The Soldier scoffed at this, reminding Hoplite and the Child that nothing would be able to get the drop on them. It was true, with the motion tracker, multiple cameras, infrared capabilities as well as night vision, there wasn't anything Hoplite couldn't see.
He didn't even have his flashlight on, not wanting to advertise his location to any of the creatures that may inhabit the caves. Interestingly, the dwarven prisoner didn't seem to need light, picking his path carefully. While they wandered through the caves, Hoplite decided to pull some intel from him.
"What are some pure-blooded dwarven traits?" He asked, "Can you see in the dark?"
"Likely not as well as you can, but I can make out what's ten paces in front of me well enough." He said, his eyes narrowing. "Pure-blooded dwarves? What, have you never met one before?"
Hoplite shook his head, "No, all the dwarves living on the surface have interbred with humans."
The dwarf blinked in shock, "There are no pure-beards left, and they've been interbred wi-with slave-stock?" He shuddered, "How horrible to know that we are the last real dwarves left."
"Slave-stock?" Hoplite asked in a neutral tone.
"Back when the Romai ruled the Sixth Age, we dominated the lesser races, naturally." He said with a shrug, "Er, no offense… if you take any, you are a machine right?"
Hoplite ignored the question, "Any other traits?"
"Why do you wanna know so bad?" The dwarf asked, "Wait, are ya planning on killing more of my kindred?"
"If I have no other choice. My objective must be completed." Hoplite answered honestly.
"My life there is done." He said with a shrug, "But I don't want needless slaughter, they are still my people. If I answer your questions, promise me you won't kill any more of 'em."
"Casualties can be kept to a minimum." Hoplite replied flatly.
He hadn't intended on genociding the Romai, just eliminating the ones that were an obstacle to freeing his allies.
"Well, we got perfect memories." The prisoner noted, "I can remember every detail of my life, from the moment of birth till now, every good dwarf can."
Was that why the halls had minimal directions to them? They all had photographic memories? This was good to know… Hoplite turned his head slightly, continuing to walk through the dark cavern.
"I need to know the path to a prisoner containment facility, that is my goal. If you can give me accurate directions, I promise you that I'll keep casualties to a minimum."
As much as he could, anyhow. The Soldier scowled in response to this compromise, best to ring the information from the prisoners neck without tying themselves down to a ridiculous 'promise'. The Child however, insisted that they keep to their word, that a promise was a promise. Before Hoplite could decide which advice he would go with, the prisoner spoke.
"Aye then, well, you know where mine was, that was for shaved inmates like myself, a fate worse than death… living without a beard." He sighed, his eyes looking heavy "But I'm supposing that you want to find the heavy containment prison. I don't know if it's for other automatons like yourself or your masters, but that is likely where you need to go." He said, hesitating, "I first thought you were talking about the low-risk jail, that's the one on the opposite side of New Romai… but the heavy containment one is also over there as well.
"Is this facility overgrown with fungus?" Hoplite asked, "The concrete was cracked from what I saw on camera, and there was water dripping down from the ceiling."
"Aye, they keep it like that on purpose, helps drain the prisoners' wills. Normally that's where insubordinate vampires are kept, sometimes for decades before they're released, either that or powerful mages." The dwarf said.
"That's where I need to go." Hoplite told him, "Give me a good description of how to get there."
"Well for starters…" The dwarf began, launching into an extraneously detailed description.
Hoplite remembered every bit of it, from the turns that needed to be taken to the rooms that would need to be passed. There were smaller details than that he'd have to remember, for example, taking a left down a hall with a hair-length crack in the corner. Once the dwarf was done, he shuddered.
"Damn cold down here, if I can't get to the surface quick, I'll probably freeze to death. At least here I'm allowed to die a free dwarf, I'll regrow my beard as much as I can before then."
"You don't think you'll survive for very long?" Hoplite asked.
"Nah." He replied, "I've given up on properly living a long time ago, but that doesn't mean I should just roll over and die either. I'll try and survive, but I don't like my odds. Ah, just realized I never gave ya my name, it's Heinlet Laret."
"Affirmative." Hoplite replied, "Following me will put you in more danger."
"Aye, I know." Heinlet replied, "But I don't plan on following you for much longer. Gonna try and find a path upward next time we hit a fork. Everything has been flat so far, it's strange… far too uniform."
Heinlet was right, there was something odd about how… manufactured this cave felt. The rock was rough, and there were both stalagmites and stalactites, yet the tunnel itself was uniform, in width and height. After another half an hour of walking, there was finally a break in this uniformity. Or, more like a new uniformity had taken its place. The tunnel entered into a new one, branching right and left. The left path declined, while the right inclined.
"Looks like this is where we part ways, unless you plan on heading up with me?" Heinlet asked.
"Hoplite… down here." A soft, familiar voice whispered, seemingly right in his ear, "It's Nolvi."
"Negative Heinlet, I'm heading down." He said quickly, leaving the dwarf behind, "Good luck." He finished, clutching the Magnus.
"A-aye, you as well." He replied, hesitating a moment before turning around to head upwards.
There was no guarantee that this was the real Nolvi, it could be a trap, so it was best to be prepared for the worst. However, the girl had completely disappeared without a trace, it was possible that she really was down here and-
…And it was likely that she was a Godling, he reminded himself. He'd need to be careful around her, if she showed signs of aggression then the girl would need to be neutralized. For now though, he couldn't turn down a potentially powerful ally in this situation. He quickly descended the tunnel, noting that it seemed to spiral around itself as he went lower.
"I'm at the bottom… I can sense that you're here, but why isn't anyone else with you?" She asked, the voice again appearing beside his ear, "Are they okay?"
"Negative, they are all in danger." Hoplite replied, "The dwarves have them captive."
Nolvi gasped, "By the Pillars… Grandmother said that the Romai aren't to be trifled with, I had no idea you would all end up coming this way."
"Grandmother?" Hoplite asked, "What do you mean by that, is someone else down there with you?"
"It's… complicated." She replied, "But yes, you'll see soon."
Hoplite picked up the pace, his sabatons leaving the stone cracked behind him. Nolvi said nothing else as he continued to descend, reaching the bottom of the cavern in around ten minutes. What stood before him was shocking. A gigantic steel door loomed high over him, a purple spiral etched into its surface. A seam in the center implied that it would swing inward, meaning he'd need to push. Hoplite checked his motion tracker, seeing one figure standing just on the other side, barely moving.
"I'm in here, Hoplite." Nolvi's voice echoed, "Please come in, but please be mindful of Grandmother."
Hoplite didn't reply, instead pressing on the door with his shoulder, still gripping his shotgun. The door opened, the sound of metal grinding on stone echoing through the cave. What stood before him was shocking. On the other side of the door, was a circular chamber of solid steel. Looking up, Hoplite was surprised to see that the ceiling was out of sight, darkness being the only thing overhead. Yet that was of little note compared to the two who occupied the chamber.
Standing there, right in the center of the room, was Nolvi… staring right at him with her spiralled eyes. Next to her was what appeared to be a mummified corpse with wispy white hair and taut, leathery skin. He expected the eye-sockets to be empty, considering the decomposition the corpse had gone through, but no. Eyes that matched Nolvi's own bore into him, and Hoplite felt… he felt like something was looking into his very being.
Those eyes scanned Hoplite up and down, learning everything there was to know about him, at least, that was what it seemed like. The Child wanted to back out of that room and slam the door… and The Soldier felt the same. It was Hoplite that remained in place, staring down the strange mummified being.
"Strong of body, weak of mind, split three ways." A feminine raspy voice noted, seeming to come from nowhere, "Dragon-Son, have you come to free me from my bindings?"
Hoplite shook his head, scanning his surroundings for the source of the voice. "Negative, and I am not a 'Dragon-Son', I am a Hoplite."
"Yes, Nolvi has told me some things about you, some things about others… She had mentioned that you had a run in with a full Dragon, and that the creature had claimed that you bore the blood he himself does." The voice noted, "I see now that this is the truth."
Hoplite's jaw clenched, golden eyes going wide, "I don't." He said flatly, realizing that the voice could only be coming from the corpse, as impossible as that seemed.
"My eyes can see everything about you, even through that armor… tell me, do you have any idea what that material is made of?" The body asked, sounding rhetorical.
"Adium." Hoplite replied flatly, "Nolvi, I need a sitrep- I mean, I need to know what happened to you, and who this is."
"She is my grandmother, in a sense." Nolvi said, "But she is the one you should really be talking to… I- I serve her, now." She finished, averting her spiralling eyes.
"More of a distant relative, given the time that has passed since my imprisonment, though she, along with all Spiral Queens, are my direct descendents. Grandmother will have to suffice." The body said, "I am-"
"Lithia, the Spiral Queen." Hoplite finished for her.
He'd learned about her a while ago. Darax, the Pillar-God of War, had sealed her away at the end of his Godling War, just before he ascended. She had become a danger to the world during the Third Age, the stories he'd heard stating that she had sought to kill the world. Of course, there was no way of knowing that for sure… those had just been stories after all, but now that mythological being was here before him, withered and rotting away.
"I see you're well-read for a brand-new Outworlder." Lithia noted, her mummified eyelids narrowing, "It is rude to be so disruptive, little Dragon. I am in no position to discipline you any longer, but I am the Queen of Spiralling Death, the holder of the seat of Death, you would do well to remember that."
"Nolvi, we need a plan of action… and I need a moment with you, alone." Hoplite said, ignoring the corpse, "There is something I have to confirm with you."
"Oh how far I've fallen…" Lithia mumbled in a miserable tone, "Back in the day men, Dragon-blooded or not, would fall to their knees at my very presence…"
"Hoplite, you just hurt grandmother's feelings." Nolvi said, looking back at him with a light glare, "That was mean, please apologize."
"My feelings are not hurt! I am still powerful, I could kill him this very instant if I desired it, but I cannot discipline him." Lithia complained, "I have lost all subtlety with my gaze ever since that wretched Kazon stole my amulet, you remember the amulet, yes dear?" Lithia asked, waiting for Nolvi to respond.
"Yes, grandmother." Nolvi replied, a tinge of suffering in her tone.
Lithia then sighed, "Well that amulet was a gift from Draoi himself, believe it or not, when I was but a girl-"
"Grandmother, remember our guest?" Nolvi asked, trying to steer the conversation back to Hoplite, "He says there is something important that he must speak with me about, alone… do you mind if I step out with him?" She asked.
"Who… ah, this one. He has the blood of a Dragon and that armor… boy, do you even know what it is made out of?" Lithia asked.
"...Affirmative, it is Adium." Hoplite replied, "Nolvi, let's step outside."
"Do you not know who I am, Dragonling?" Lithia questioned, "I am Lithia, The Spiral Queen."
The Child urged a fake apology to hurry this along, Hoplite conceded, "I am sorry, Lady Lithia, may I please take Nolvi outside to talk with her?" He asked flatly.
The Soldier seethed at Hoplite for caving into this suggestion, it was unbecoming of a Ternan soldier. Hoplite however, saw the necessity of it. Lithia's… condition, had clearly diminished her mental faculties, attempting to argue or dismiss her would just lead to more senile ramblings. There was also what she had just claimed, that she could kill him in an instant… There was no way of knowing if she was truly capable of it, but the vampires back in New Romai refused to tread here for a reason.
Lithia must be why; he needed to be cautious with her.
Lithia's leathery flesh wrinkled as she frowned, "You wish to save your companions from the vampires, yes?" She asked him.
"Affirmative." Hoplite replied.
"I can tell you're strong, but those Long Lords will chew you up in an instant if you go back now." Lithia told him, "You cannot return there, at least not yet."
"Negative, I need to-"
"You need to learn how to utilize Foundation first, Dragonling, or you won't even be able to get through the Gear Door." Lithia pointed out.
Hoplite frowned, "I can't use Foundation, I am an Outworlder, I don't have the blood of Zodd."
Frustratingly, Lithia cackled, "Yes you do, I can see it now! His blood is strong in you, perhaps he is your grandfather, rather than a distant ancestor."
A tinge of panic began to well up in his chest, as the Child, for whatever reason, believed Lithia's words. Geravall the elf had eyes that could pick out DNA after all, who was to say that Lithia couldn't do the same? The Child's reasoning however, was countered by the Soldier's outrage. How dare he think that they weren't of pure earthling blood? It was true that they had been infused with Final Kind DNA, but their base human genetics were of Earth, not Ahkoolis. Hoplite grimaced as he remembered Hect- Hoplite Twenty-Fives words.
That Lord Jyn wasn't human… and more than that… There was a second, more terrifying truth he did not want to confront. His head began to ache, like two icy steel spikes were driven into his temples. He couldn't confront those other words, they didn't exist, they could not exist!
"If you'll make a deal with me, Dragonling," Lithia spoke up, taking Hoplite from his thoughts, "I can teach you how to use Foundation, but you must provide me a service after you finish your business here."
"I can't learn Foundation, I'm from Earth-"
"That you are, I can see that your human blood is so, but you also bear the blood of a Dragon, which itself is made from the Blood of Zodd." Lithia continued, "Also, don't you take that tone with me, do you know who I am? I am-"
"Grandmother, can I please speak with my friend out in the hall?" Nolvi asked, tone pleading.
"Of course deary, just please be quick about it, I am not done with the Dragonling." Lithia crooned.
With that, Nolvi stepped out of the chamber quickly, Hoplite following immediately after her. Once they were outside, Nolvi turned to him, her spiral eyes slightly averted.
"So they've been captured… I had feared they would know where to look for me, though I don't know how it is that they knew of this place, unless Theopalu told them perhaps?" She questioned.
Hoplite shook his head, "Negative, when you disappeared we searched for you, but came up with nothing. We decided to continue the mission and found the Romai by accident, me finding you down here was also not intentional."
Nolvi's eyes fell, "I-I see… did they look long?"
"The squad has been captured," Hoplite said, "They're being held by the dwarves in a high security prison in the city. Can you use Foundation to cloak me?"
"Cloak you?" Nolvi asked, "If you mean invisibility, I'm sorry. I am learning to do other things with my eyes, I cannot focus on Foundation right now. Grandmother's teachings are taking every priority. We do need to save them however… but I cannot help you."
Hoplite paused for an instant before asking, "Why?"
"Grandmother won't let me leave… ever since I found the book she left for me-"
"For you?" Hoplite asked, "How would she have done that? Especially in her condition?"
"Once we passed the bridge, she sensed that I was here. Once we were in that Pillar-Church, she manifested it there for me to find… after I read it, my eyes became this way, and I felt myself being pulled here, literally and figuratively." She answered, "She is- well, she is well meaning, I think. She doesn't think I'm strong enough to be out there on my own and won't let me go until she's satisfied with how I wield the Spiral."
"How did she 'manifest' the book there, that makes no sense." Hoplite told her, shaking his head.
Much to his surprise, Nolvi laughed, "It doesn't! But will she tell me how she did it? No!" She continued flipping her hand up in the air, "One of her little 'secrets' apparently, though she must have used Foundation for it."
"Let's drop that for now, can Lithia help me free our group?" Hoplite asked.
Frustratingly, Nolvi shook her head, "She can't leave that chamber no matter what I've tried, and I can't leave her behind even if I wanted to."
"Not even for your friends?" Hoplite asked, the Child's disappointment seeping into his normally flat tone.
Nolvi's eyes widened, looking surprisingly hurt, "It's not like that!" She protested, "I just- I can't leave, not yet…"
"I'm on my own then." The Soldier took over, turning on his heel. This was a waste of time, a senile corpse that could do nothing and a worthless girl that would do nothing.
"Hoplite wait!" Nolvi urged, "Please, listen to grandmother, if you can use Foundation you might be able to-"
"I can't use it. I'm not from here." The Soldier nearly snapped, turning back to her, "That's it."
The Child however… had his doubts. The Soldier reprimanded him for doubting Lord Jyn, for daring to remember Twenty-Five's lies. The Chair had fixed them, had brought them back to Jyn to serve, as a good Hoplite should. The Child scowled, The Chair hadn't done anything but repress the truth, a truth that The Soldier wanted to remain buried. Hoplite froze as the two of them began battling for control within his psyche, his body going rigid.
"...Well, there is a way to prove it, one way or another." Nolvi said after a moment.
The Soldier, The Child, and Hoplite all fixed their attentions on her, "Elaborate." They all said in unison.
"Just try and genuinely learn to utilize Foundation. If you can feel the Flame, then you have blood from our world, if not, then it is as you say… does that make sense?" She asked nervously, her eyes finding the floor. "At least then you would know for certain."
Hoplite took a deep breath, "It does. But I don't think we have time for a test like this."
He said that, but Hoplite could not deny that the peace of mind would help him to focus on the mission… and perhaps once he found this closure, he could be rid of both the Child and the Soldier. They were distracting him too much now.
"Feeling the Flame is actually the easiest part of learning." Nolvi said, "But Grandmother can speed you through it faster then I can. She has an understanding of the Golden Flame that the most talented of mages couldn't grasp, even with a thousand years of training. You could be done in ten minutes or less, depending on your aptitude of course."
Hoplite hesitated, but finally nodded, "Let's get this over with."
The Soldier knew this was a waste of time, but he wanted to prove to the Child that there was no Ahkoolian DNA to be found within him, it was time to prove that damn Dragon Legolanthas wrong.