Lance's head shot up from the chestplate when she heard heavy footfalls, seeing Jason fast approaching with a bundle of cloth in his arms. She'd been right on the border of falling asleep, the exhaustion of the day having worn her down to the point that she was ready to sleep on this rock floor. Jason immediately came to her, handing Lance a large gray blanket.
"Thank you." She told him gratefully, pulling the blanket over her shoulders.
Oh sweet modesty, how I had missed you.
She was certain that she looked like a head poking out of a large dark egg, but she could hardly bring herself to care.
Jason then handed her a couple other identical blankets, "Use these for bedding, you can sleep in the chest-plate if you want." He told her, "I have a few other things I need to do before we retire for the night."
Lance blinked, "You want to sleep?" She asked him, surprised.
He nodded, "I haven't slept since we arrived here. I'm at my limit." He said, his eyes looking heavy.
She could read the weariness in his eyes, Jason was as bone-tired as she was. It had been a hellish three days, not just for her, but for him too.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm worried about Michael and Cat, but I have to be in optimal condition to rescue them." He said, his eyes becoming serious, "Otherwise Wurmdring might kill me."
Another emotion appeared, one that took Lance a second to process. His pride had been wounded? That was the closest she could describe what she saw in him. He had apparently taken his loss against the vampire poorly, hopefully this wouldn't mean he'd seek out this Wurmdring for another encounter.
"I need to relay some intel to Nolvi, her friends managed to escape." He said, "Apparently they teleported out somehow."
"Truly!?" Nolvi shouted from the open door of the throne room, voice choking up, "Oh thank the Pillars…"
She must have been listening the whole time. Lance averted her eyes, shame filling her as she remembered how she'd betrayed Twindil by exposing her godly parentage. She didn't choose to be Pillar-Born, Twindil had done nothing to Lance but be kind to her, and she had repaid that kindness by ratting her out. They may have been monsters, but so were the Romai, Lance should have just kept her mouth shut… at least Twindil had been on her side, the Romai on the other hand, were enemies.
"That's great deary." Lithia nodded sweetly, "But teleportation? How could they have been capable of such a feat? They had poor mastery over Foundation, it must have been that rat Theopalu."
"You know him?" Lance asked, curious.
"He was a fling, a sweet one at that." Lithia said with a sigh, "Things between us got sour though, I won't go into details but-"
"When was this!?" Lance questioned, "You were imprisoned in the Third Age if I'm not mistaken, are you saying that Theopalu is-"
"Not really an elf?" Lithia asked, "Of course not."
"...I was going to say 'that old'." Lance told her, "But you are saying he's not an elf?"
Lithia cackled, "Oh no, he's something much more than that. If he's here that must mean he wants to guide the Pillar-Born again, I thought he would have given that up by now-"
"We never mentioned him to you." Jason pointed out, narrowing his eyes, "How did you know that he was in New Romai?"
"My eyes can see far when I really concentrate. Those stinking dwarves have been my only source of entertainment for years, I was ecstatic to have seen him among your group." Lithia replied with a dismissive wave.
Lance winced as she saw a vein on Jason's temple begin to bulge, "So you can see the whole facility, and could have this whole time?" He asked, a dangerous edge to his voice.
"Of course I can, I am Lithia, the Spiral Queen." She replied casually.
"Why can't you ever be helpful?" Jason asked with a small growl, "I could have used that intel earlier."
"You didn't ask, nor did you say please nor bow at my feet, don't be silly." Lithia told him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Hold on," Lance cut in, "What is Theopalu then, if he isn't an elf?"
Lithia grinned, "Oh, he wouldn't want me to tell you, or anyone for that matter… which is why I will. Teach him to leave me, the fool." She cackled with glee, "Oh how he will hate this. Theopalu is a Demi-God."
Lance gasped, "He's Pillar-Born!?"
Lithia cackled again, "No, he would have gone mad long ago were that the case. Do you know how it is that the Pillar-Born are created?"
"A child is selected by a Pillar-God before being cursed with divinity at birth." Nolvi said.
"Exactly right, after a child is made Pillar-Born, they are doomed to go mad, not Theopalu though." Lithia said, sitting up in her throne, "He is a Demi-God in the truest sense of the word, the result of a mortal and a God lying together. He was born to a human mother, but his father was the Unbound himself, he who is separate from the Pillars."
Lance goggled, "Mazeek?" She asked, shaking her head.
The old foolish elf she'd worked with for centuries? The one with the endless appetite and irritating attitude? No, it just wasn't possible that he could be the son of The Unbound! It made no sense!
"How has he not gone mad then?" Lance questioned, not believing the claims, "Divine and mortal blood cannot mix, that is what drives the Pillar-Born mad."
Lithia waved a finger, "A common misconception, it is true for the Pillar-Born, because they aren't conceived with divinity, rather divinity is implanted upon them. It is alien, their body inevitably rejects the 'gifts' of the gods, manifesting in madness. For Theopalu, it is different, his mortal and divine blood exist in perfect harmony." She explained, right before pointing at Jason, "Why do you think this one doesn't go mad? Well, not madder, I suppose." She grinned at him, "Dragons are the children of Pillar-Gods, so they are essentially gods themselves, even if they are susceptible to death. Yet little Jason here was born into divinity, it wasn't implanted upon him by his father."
Jason's jaw clenched, but he didn't say anything. Something about what Lithia said had bothered him though, that much was clear.
"But then why implant divinity at all?" Lance asked, shaking her head, "It doesn't make any sense, if the Pillars can have offspring with mortals and they don't go mad, why do they insist on making Pillar-Born?"
"First of all," Lithia began, "Those bound to the Pillars cannot mingle with mortals as the Unbound can. Mazeek, being free of the Pillars, can basically do as he wishes. Secondly, this harmony that divinely mortal offspring are born with means that they could never ascend to a Pillar, there is quite literally a method to this madness. Once a Pillar-Born's divine blood destroys everything about themself that was mortal, all that is left is divinity, resulting in their ascent to godhood, provided all other Pillar-Born are slain, of course."
"I see.' Jason said, his eyes looking troubled, "...And what if mortal blood was implanted into someone with divine blood?"
Lithia paused, "I haven't a clue, that isn't something that's ever happened before. And why would it?" She scoffed, "A ridiculous notion."
That troubled look didn't leave Jason's eyes. It must have had something to do with the question he'd just asked Lithia, Lance would ask him about it later.
"I'm sure you despise Theopalu don't you?" Lithia asked Jason, "You probably had no idea why either, yes?"
Jason blinked before nodding, "That's true, but how did you know that?"
"Dragons have always hated Theopalu, be they half-dragons or no. From my understanding, it is all instinct, not reason. On the basest of levels, you see him as competition, a threat to your hypothetical rule, so to speak, even if you command nothing. I've seen this hatred first hand, back when we first knew one another. Dragons and the children of Dragons had never liked him." Lithia sighed, shaking her head.
Hoplite let out a sigh, Lance actually reading relief in his eyes. It seemed this unexplainable dislike for Theopalu had been bothering him. Having it rationalized must have put his mind at ease.
"So Theopalu could be from the Second Age?" Nolvi asked, "He is that old?"
Lithia nodded, "Indeed, he's almost as old as I am. I've been around since the First Age, ever since I was given the responsibility of managing Death. That still is my duty you know, everyone who dies on Ahkoolis can only make it to an afterlife via the Spiral, those poor fools known as the Fiends are unable to pass on as intended, leaving them stranded in their bodies for all eternity, unless every scrap of flesh is burned away at least. Thank that wretch Kazon for that, ignorant fool thought he could claim Godhood by taking my amulet, pah!" She waved dismissively, "I should have left him for dead in his mothers entrails!"
Lance frowned, sharing a confused look with Jason as Lithia began to ramble.
"I taught him everything he knew, and how does he repay me!?" Lithia shouted, the spirals in her eyes thinning, "Thousands of years as my underling, building up my trust before trying to usurp my station!" Her leathery hands tightened on her throne, "The fool truly thinks he can attain Godhood if he takes the souls of the Pillar-Born as his own, can you believe that? Idiot, making them hate him so they'd come try to take his head, ridiculous!"
"Grandmother, is that true?" Nolvi asked, tone serious, "That's why he's been tormenting us? Why would he not just take our souls as soon as he had found us? It makes no sense."
"He thinks that the stronger you become, the better his chances of ascending to become the Pillar of Death." Lithia laughed, "Ridiculous, he has no idea how any of this works. He is a fool playing pretend after stealing one of mommy's toys, nothing more."
"I still want him dead." Nolvi told her, "After what he did? I won't ever forgive him, I don't care if he has half of your power, or if he's luring us into a trap, we will take his head."
Lithia grinned, "I know you will, but only when you are ready deary… and that will be soon."
Nolvi returned the smile, "Really?" She asked, "You really think that I've gotten stronger?"
Lithia nodded, "You are a quick study sweetheart, you and your companions are destined to defeat him, I'm certain."
Lance sank back into Jason's chestplate, trying to process everything she had just heard. Theopalu was a Demi-God from the Second Age, Kazon was doing all this to try to ascend to a Pillar, and Lithia had a fling with Theopalu!? Her brain was going to explode at this rate, she was too exhausted to process all of this, and from the look of it, so was Jason. He let out an audible yawn as Lithia and Nolvi continued to speak, sitting down beside her.
"Tomorrow is the day I'll try to save Michael and Cat. The Long Lords are going to sleep for a long time, so I'm going to take the Phalanx and go rescue them. I'll bring them back here once the operation is complete, then we'll head for the surface. We'll make sure to get your gear back first, of course." Jason told her. "I have a few more things to bring down here before I rest, I stole some food and retrieved some water from the cavern earlier, are you hungry?"
Lance nodded immediately, "I could eat five horses if I put my mind to it… say, do you still plan on helping the Pillar-Born slay Kazon?" Lance asked him.
Jason hesitated, "I'm not sure. I feel like it will be necessary, but I can't say exactly why."
Lance took a deep breath, "Well I'll follow you, whatever it is you decide to do. Speaking of which, your fellow Outworlders, do you think any others survived?"
Jason's features became grim, "I doubt it. I still intend to search as far as I can, but otherwise I think that they've all been cursed by now. I suspect that any other survivors are on the other side of the world, along with surviving Final Kind forces."
Lance nodded, "That makes sense, it's been a while since you've arrived to our world, your allies that landed here have been stranded for two weeks. I do not mean to seem pessimistic, but the odds are good that they are no longer with us… at least mentally."
His head hung, "Exactly my thoughts." He whispered.
"But there might be more that crashed in the Blastlands, that is the continent besides this one, it is a harsh land, but infinitely more survivable than the Fiendwood, not to mention Galga, the realm of Legolanthas and the Steamlands also. They aren't all dead, I assure you." Lance told him in a consoling tone.
"I hope so. I might not be a part of that life anymore, but that doesn't mean I want them dead." He replied with a sigh.
"Jason, you must remember that you, as well as all your allies, are Outworlders. They are beloved by most- if not all Ahkoolians. They'll be treated well." She assured him.
He smiled, "You're right, I'm more concerned with the Final Kind, they would shoot them on sight, along with any other humans they came across, Ahkoolian or not."
"I'm sure that they are powerful foes, but you must also remember that our world is one filled with strong warriors, ones that can wield horrible magic and powerful weapons. We would not simply be trampled over by such creatures, no matter how advanced they are." She told him, "They may already be taken care of by time you reach those continents, there is no way to reach the Blastlands from here, as no Greatbridge connects the Fiendwood to it, we would need to take the long way around, a journey of several months at the least."
"Damn." Jason replied simply, brow furrowing, "That throws a wrench into my plans. I wanted to get to the next continent as quickly as possible, but if there is no way to cross it then we have no choice. I don't suppose boating across the Shot's is an option either."
"Not unless we built one ourselves." Lance shook her head, "I don't have to tell you why that isn't feasible."
Jason chuckled, an alien sound that she hadn't heard since the Death-Day celebration, "You're right about that." He said, standing back up, "I need to bring everything else back down, try to get some sleep, alright?"
"You certainly don't need to tell me, even learning everything I just did, all I can think about is how heavy my eyelids are." She said with a yawn, rubbing her eyes.
"Didn't you sleep earlier this week?" Jason asked, quirking a brow.
"I did, but I feel I've earned a short nap after all the trials we've gone through." She told him, curling up on herself and tucking her head beneath the blanket, "Just a short nap…"
"Affirmative." Jason told her, his heavy footsteps growing distant.
To Lance, it felt as if she had just blinked, waking up immediately when she heard Jason returning once more.
He smiled at her as he set a sloshing barrel down beside the chestplate, "It's been two hours now." He told her.
She blinked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. He was right, she felt much better now, the exhaustion having finally left. Her legs were still sore of course, but that was to be expected after that uphill marathon yesterday. There were other items in the cave now as well, more blankets, some assorted cooking utensils, as well as two barrels , including the one he'd just sat down beside her.
"Water and food." He told her, opening the top before retrieving a dwarven mug, the cup comically small in his hands.
It looked like a teacup in his grasp, Jason only able to hold the handle by pinching it between his index finger and thumb. He dipped it into the water before immediately sipping it down, immediately dipping the mug in for more afterward. Lance stood from the chestplate, blanket still covering her from neck to foot. She awkwardly stepped out, making way for what must have been the food barrel.
She was thirsty, but after days of eating nothing but prison gruel she was ready for some actual food. Jason immediately moved over to her, pulling the lid off with one hand to reveal dozens of pale sausages and purplish bread.
"That's not mold, is it?" She asked, pointing to the bread.
Jason shook his head, "Negative, that's just how it looks."
Lance shrugged, that was enough for her. She grabbed the bread immediately, splitting a loaf open with her hands before stuffing a sausage into the opening, making herself the most sloppy sandwich she'd ever seen in her life. It didn't matter to her, it was all going to the same place, dammit all. She pulled the blanket over her head so Jason couldn't see her tear into it like a feral animal. When she was done, she instantly began work on another sandwich, then another, then one final time before she sighed, filled to bursting.
Jason looked into the barrel before back to Lance, "You'll get fat if you keep eating that much."
Lance glared, "I haven't eaten a proper meal in days, I won't get fat."
Jason drew his lips to a line, but wisely didn't retort. He sat down instead, running a hand down his face before laying down on the rocks.
"What are you doing?" Lance asked, brow furrowing.
"Sleeping." Jason replied, "Tomorrow I'll ask Lithia to give me the intel I need to find Michael and Cat, but first I need rest."
"Go use the blankets then," Lance pointed to the chestplate, "Hells, there are dozens you've brought beside that, just use them."
Jason shook his head, "What if you end up needing them?"
Lance stared, "You cannot be serious. I have more than enough already."
"I will be fine, I don't need blankets." Jason replied firmly.
"Are you really doing this right now?" Lance asked, "There is no reason for you not to be comfortable."
"I am comfortable." He yawned, "I've slept in far worse places than this."
"At least pad out the rock." Lance insisted, standing up before approaching him.
"You might need them all, I'm fine." Jason told her firmly once again.
"Do you really think I'm that cold?" Lance asked, "Jason, lay a few out for yourself, you are allowed to be comfortable."
"No." He told her, finally shutting his eyes.
Lance drew her lips to a line, "Don't be absurd, uh…" She hesitated, "Think about how much more optimal your rest would be if you had some blankets." She told him, appealing to his reasoning.
"I can sleep like this. Those extra blankets are in case you need them, not me." Jason nodded to himself, not opening his eyes.
"Don't be ridiculous." Lance told him, squatting down beside him before poking a finger into his cheek.
His golden eyes opened, mild annoyance clear in them, "Quit that."
"Sure, get yourself some blankets first." Lance ordered, steeling her resolve.
Why was he being so ornery about this? Was this some strange mannish pride that she couldn't comprehend?
He gently brushed away her hand before turning away from her, small pebbles falling away from his frame as he did so. Lance continued to pester him, but Jason simply ignored her, keeping his eyes shut. Lance rounded to the other side, sitting before him once again when a horribly immature idea crossed her mind. She reached a finger forth silently, aiming right for his nostril. Once she was close enough, she shoved the finger straight up his nose. Jason's eyes immediately shot open, his hand grabbing her wrist in a vice before removing the offending finger.
"Quit that." He told her, clearly annoyed.
"Sure, get those blankets and I will." She replied curtly, "Otherwise I will dig for more of your draconic gold."
Jason gave her a withering glare for a long while before finally, he released her, grumbling as he retrieved a few blankets for himself. She used to use the same tactic on her cousins, they always jumped when she threatened to shove a finger in their nose. She'd need to remember that this tactic would also work on Jason, apparently. He grumpily laid out the blankets before laying down, crossing his arms as his eyes shut once more.
"Hold on." Lance began, "Before you go to sleep, why did you ask Lithia about mortal blood being implanted into divine?"
His eyes opened again, hesitation the prime emotion visible.
Indeed it took him a while to reply, "I'm sorry. I can't tell you. I'm not sure what will happen to me if I do, and I don't want to risk it."
"Will you die?" Lance asked, genuinely concerned.
"Not me, but great lengths have been undertaken to ensure my secrecy regarding this. I may not be able to control myself if I reveal it. I'm sorry, but don't push this… I would tell you if I could Lance, I trust you, but I can't risk you being hurt either, especially not by me." Jason said, eyes genuine.
Lance hesitated before saying, "I understand, I won't press you."
Jason smiled, "Thank you, goodnight Lance." He told her, shutting his eyes.
What could this secret be that it's that dangerous to tell anyone? She burned to know, but Jason's warning should not be ignored. Perhaps some things were better left unknown, she'd not force it out of her friend.