The Outpost – The Mistress and The Worm

By: Patience Kapfer

After unintentionally summoning a demon and discovering that the plagueling virus may be spread through a common drug on last week’s episode of “The Outpost,” you might be wondering what this week’s episode could possibly bring. This week’s episode begins with Janzo (Anand Desai-Barochia) being paid a visit by our favorite Blackblood, Talon (Jessica Green), Garret (Jake Stormoen) and Kell (Thor Knai) who previously attacked Garret after becoming a plagueling. Janzo is absolutely appalled that they would bring a plagueling inside the wall, even if it is a dead plagueling. Garret explains to Janzo that he was human who turned into a plagueling while inside the walls, which is something that’s never happened before. While Janzo examines Kell, Garret peruses the items in Janzo’s basement and asks what exactly he does down there. Janzo wittily replies that he mostly just dismembers bodies and makes magic potions. When Garret responds that’s what he figured, Janzo gives him a disbelieving look and says deadpan that his basement is a brewery as he makes ale. Janzo is tasked with determining why some people get stuck by a plagueling and turn and others get stuck and don’t turn. Perhaps, most importantly, how did it happen to Garret’s friend right there in The Outpost. Talon told Garret to bring Kell to Janzo after what he did for her with the powders, which makes him the closest thing she knows to a scientist or a healer. It also bolsters his ego enough to follow through with the rest of the job. While examining Kell’s mouth closely, the tongue-like creature in his throat that they all thought to be dead, springs from his open mouth almost sticking Janzo with the pointed needle-like end, but luckily Garret stabs the tongue before it can get Janzo. Garret wants immediate answers to how plaguelings work, but Janzo tells him that could take years of research and he needs more specimens. While the three of them are at work examining Kell’s body, an unknown man is sneaking inside the Outpost with another man following close behind him. The man following him grabs the unknown man from behind and slits his throat before the intro music begins.

Later, when Garret and Talon are together she thanks him for saving her life, but he tells her it’s what Gwynn (Imogen Waterhouse) would have wanted. Gwynn gave her bond to set Talon free, which means that if she breaks the law Gwynn is equally guilty. Withers (Andrew Howard) will cut off both of their heads and there is nothing even Gwynn’s father can do to lawfully pardon her. When the Prime Order comes to investigate, it will put Gwynn in mortal danger. However, when Talon asks why the Prime Order would care about Gwynn, he won’t give her a solid answer other than that she should move on from the Outpost. Obviously, Talon is offended thinking that Garret believes she can’t stay out of trouble, but he says the further away she is the less likely something would befall Gwynn. Before Talon can excuse herself from the discussion, she is met with an invitation from a girl who tells her that Gwynn requests the pleasure of her company the following day for tea. As Talon heads up to her room in the bar, the demon she summoned is seen creeping around the rooftops following and watching the girl who just relayed the invitation to Talon.

Talon goes to Gwynn’s chambers covered in mud for tea, to which Gwynn asks when the last time was she took a bath and kindly asks her servant to draw her one. But Talon is adamant that she doesn’t need a bath or any new clothes and is quickly talked into the bath by Gwynn. Gwynn thanks her for her inestimable service, but Talon says it pales in comparison to what Gwynn did for her. When asked why Gwynn risked her life for Talon’s she said she couldn’t let her die for actions that served her purpose, even if Talon had ulterior motives. Talon explains to Gwynn that Magmoor murdered her whole family. Gwynn has all of Talon’s old clothes burned, but allows Talon to keep her jacket that clearly has some type of sentimental value. Talon says that now they can call it even, but Gwynn says they’re friends now, two women in a world of men. Together they have it all; Talon has the brawn, while Gwynn has the brains. Begrudgingly, Talon accepts Gwynns friendship. Gwynn kindly gives Talon some clothes to wear to supper, but clearly they are not the type of clothes that Talon is used to – a dress designed for a wealthy lady. Outside, Talon is greeted by a common townsperson who greets her as if she’s a lady, but Talon is quick to correct her saying that she is just like her. She “has no money, no title and nothing much in life to look forward to.” The demon is watching from around a corner throughout the entire transaction and once Talon walks away the demon launches itself toward the townsperson and attacks her.

Talon enters the bar to many catcalls and whistles about her more feminine appearance, but the dress does nothing to change her surly demeanor. Talon manages to secure a job waiting tables in the bar from the bar owner and is instructed that she will pay back all the damages to her wall and window. The bar owner is met with an extremely unpleasant surprise when her son Munt (Adam Johnson) brings in a bag containing her other son Bill’s head. She knows that this is clearly a message from the Worm, that he’s cutting them off.

Withers finds the town person’s body and assumed a greyskin killed her and dragged her body all the halfway across town and then it runs off back to the Outlands. It appears that Withers doesn’t believe that it was merely a greyskin that killed the woman, especially since it was able to go unnoticed. He begins throwing stones at Talon’s window to ask if she can explain why there’s a dead body underneath her window. He thinks that somehow Talon has something to do with this murder and wants her to leave the Outpost and never come back.

After her encounter with Withers, Talon pays the blacksmith (Kevin McNally) a visit to tell him that the demon killed someone last night. He isn’t surprised that it killed, just surprised that the Lu-Qiri only killed one person and it’ll happen again if Talon doesn’t banish it back through the portal. That’s the reason Talon came to see the blacksmith, so he can teach her how to banish it so it won’t kill again. He tells her that she doesn’t need a teacher; she already knows everything that’s necessary to do what’s required. Talon doesn’t take this as a logical answer and asks the blacksmith to tell her in one sentence how she can do what is required. He tells her very matter-of-factly to “command the demon Baphnoro to return to the plane of shadow and ash.” However, there’s always a catch and the catch this time is that even if she tells it that, it probably won’t listen because it hates her. It hates her because the plane where it is banished is full of pain and anguish and needs to be commanded forcefully by a blackblood without fear or hesitation or self-doubt to return there. The reason the demon would obey Talon is because her black blood comes from the Gezzekhan, their Lord Emperor. The Lu-Qiri follow an absolute line of authority so it has to listen to Talon. It is imperative that she controls her impulses and is patient with a clear mind in order to banish the Lu-Qiri.

While working as a barmaid, Talon checks all the arms of the men ordering drinks and Janzo happens to take notice. He asks what specifically she’s looking for because maybe he can help. She explains that she’s looking for a tattoo, a double cross of bones, the same one Magmoor had. Janzo assures her that if he sees the tattoo he will let her know, but that she isn’t allowed to kill the man with the tattoo. Meanwhile, the Worm pays the bar and the bar owner a visit and tells her she’s been cut out of the colipsum business. After the bar owner humiliates him, he turns and fires an arrow at her only to have Talon save her life with a serving tray.

After Withers corners Gwynn asking what secrets she has that her father would defer to her, she rushes in to see Garret. She tells him that Withers suspects something, but Garret assures her that Withers would never cross Commander Calkussar (Michael Flynn) and just hates an unsolved riddle. When Gwynn goes to kiss Garret, he tells her they can’t keep doing this as they can never be together because he is a common soldier and no pleading by Gwynn can dissuade him.

When Talon is asleep the demon wakes her as it’s creeping across the roof. She dresses quickly and follows it outside and climbs after it onto the rooftops and to the wall of the Outpost. Unfortunately, the demon escapes as Garret catches Talon on the wall. Garret says he’s still unsure how she was able to kill Magmoor because he’s twice her size, but also because she’s a woman. As Talon offers to show him how she did it she manages to take his sword and says “men like you underestimate me” and convinces him to be her sparring partner. In the last moments of the episode, Ambassador Dred (Philip Brodie) holds a meeting with another man and shows him the letter from Withers saying “tell Dred one remains.” Dred tells the man to gather the bones and ride at once for Gallwood Outpost and if a Blackblood remains, he is to kill it and bring him the head.