He is getting kind of frustrated at Wenduag, the plan was to convince the crusaders to help them, not to scare them away!

"One begins to wonder if you do not wish to see your people rescued," Occlus observes.

"I'm being realistic, and trying to do you a favor."

She really is doing them a favor, Savamelekh will slaughter the crusaders if he happens to be around.

"The vrolikai is reported to have fled," she tilts her head. "If that is your concern."

"Is that a demon with four arms, whose very gaze holds death?"

"I'd want to double check with one of our wizards, I'm not up on the more obscure greater demons, but I think so."

"How did you survive seeing it, Wenduag?"

He had kind of imagined her sneaking around carefully, but if this demon is so impressive it would be quite a feat for Wenduag to get away unnoticed...

"Don't be dense, boy, there is an obvious answer. Have you never spoken to your friend on even a vaguely related topic before?"

Though on the other hand, if her lies were never tested before, perhaps that is why they are so obvious.

"I..."

She's suggesting that Wenduag was, what, secretly working for the demon cultists this entire time?  Maybe trading her life for luring others of their tribe to their deaths?  But she normally warned people off the maze!  Unless she was playing the demon cultists while actually working against them?  He would like to believe that version of the story, but confronted with things directly he thinks he knows the real truth...

"How..."

He can't get the follow-up question out.

Okay, she needs to avoid Lann turning on her long enough for her to be in an advantageous position against him.  And she needs enough ambiguity that these surfacers don't try to kill her outright as a demon cultist.

"I did what I had to do to be able to bring back a warning to the rest of the tribe to keep them away from the Shield Maze."

She starts backing away slowly.

She isn't sure if it's worth the effort to capture this mongrelwoman neather.  She'll let Darth Occlus take the initiative on this.

Effort? What effort? Holding the neather in place is as simple as breathing for Occlus.

"Surely if that were true, you would not be running from your best opportunity to rescue those you couldn't save."

It takes her a moment to realize she is being prevented from moving and it isn't fear paralyzing her.

"Do you really think Savamelekh has fled?  What does he have to flee from, he could kill you with a glance!"

"Greater demons can all teleport away and the Abyss doesn't exactly cultivate bravery or commitment in demons.  As opposed to fleeing at the first sign someone might outmatch them."

"That insect creature, what was its name," Occlus says, deliberately casual. "Deskari? That one fled."

"The Demon Lord!?"

"She cut off 5 of his legs earlier!  He had to fly back through a Gate he opened to the Abyss because he didn't have the legs to walk!"

Anevia breaks her cool demeanor to hype Darth Occlus up a little.

That sounds like bullshit.  But she evidently isn't in a position to argue.

"I can guide you through the Shield Maze if you're so confident you can fight Savamelekh."

"I am sure your cooperation will be appreciated." Occlus smirks privately at Wenduag.

She gets the message, this woman is Wenduag's master now, and whoever the victor is between her and Savamelekh will be Wenduag's master thereafter.

"So you'll help?  I mean, once you get the reinforcements?  If you're going to help with my problem, I could stick around and help guard the Wardstone, I'm pretty good with my bow!"

Aenvia thinks the trusts this guy enough for that, but she gives a glance to Darth Occlus in case she picked up anything extra with her abilities.

"I see no reason to refuse that." Apart from his evident naivety, but he will not be on shift alone and others can make up for that deficiency.

"Sure, we can give someone else on shift a break early.  And we didn't actually exchange names.  I'm Anevia, this is Darth Occlus."

"I'm Lann."  Is Wenduag going to introduce herself?  And should they tie her up or something?  He isn't sure if she actually means to cooperate.