Getting back down to Lithia hadn't taken too much time, what with how fast Jason could run. Once they were upon that open steel door, Lance had to actively hold back her lashing tongue before it sealed her doom. The old corpse cackled in an oh so satisfied tone, wriggling her wretched leathery digits together with glee as Hoplite set Lance down on her feet. Nolvi looked away from them both, either from shame or to avoid seeing their state of dress, she couldn't say.
"That was marvelous, dear, an exceptional performance!" Lithia clapped, "Why it was nearly perfect, the only thing missing was the kiss at the end, but otherwise it was superb!"
Jason sneered, taking the Fortis from his teeth, "What is wrong with your brain?"
Nolvi and Lance both stiffened as Jason glared at Lithia, open revulsion on his face.
"What did you say…?" Lithia asked after a moment, spiralling eyes locking onto Jason, "Isn't it obvious!? You damn moron, I'm a bored old lady."
"That doesn't give you the right to treat people like playthings." Jason told her firmly, crossing his arms.
"Fool," Lithia spat, "Do you not know who I am? I am Lithia, the Spiral-"
"I don't care who you are, you put my friend through danger for no reason. I hate you." He told her flatly, golden eyes glaring.
Well, it was a good run, but it looked like Lance and Jason's lives would end here. Nolvi's jaw fell open as she goggled at the man, clearly flabbergasted that he would say such a thing. Lithia opened her mouth to speak, likely to utter a curse that would leave them suffering for eternity, but instead, what Lithia said shocked her.
"Oh I do like a man with an attitude, if only I were a younger woman…" She said with a grin, "You better claim him now while you still can girl," She said, turning her attention to Lance, "When I'm restored I may just have to add him to my harem."
"Grandmother!" Nolvi shouted before promptly clasping a hand over her mouth.
Jason wore open revulsion, not even trying to hide how he felt. His eyes read much the same. "I would rather be dead."
"I had men of all kinds at my beck and call in my day, why do you think I have so many descendents, including this one here?" Lithia asked, gesturing to Nolvi, who looked away, "She must be from Javel's line, oh he had magic hands…" Lithia smiled, eyes growing distant, "Never had a Dragonling though." She mused. "Such a novelty."
"Enough." Jason said with the shake of his head, "I need to learn more magic, I had a run in with a vampire I couldn't beat. Teach me how to disrupt spells once I return."
"You do not order me around, boy." Lithia warned, "I don't like your attitude."
Jason blinked, "You just said that you did?"
Lithia paused, "...I did?" She asked, turning to Nolvi.
"Uh, yes you did, Grandmother." Nolvi confirmed.
"Well whether I said it or not, I will not bow to your demands, not until proper respect is shown to me." Lithia told him firmly.
Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, "Lady Lithia," He said in a suffering tone, "Can you please teach me to disrupt spells?"
"Of course deary, just sit down right there and listen carefully." Lithia told him in a sweet tone, apparently forgetting just how rude Jason had been just a moment ago.
Lance clutched her arms, curling in on herself as the cold of the cavern began assailing her once again. Nolvi, upon seeing this, approached Lance, moving to unbutton her cloak before Lithia stopped her with a gesture.
"Keep your cloak on girl! What if you catch a cold!?" Lithia shouted, concern clear in her tone, "I can't let you get sick."
"But Grandmother-"
"No buts!" Lithia cried.
Nolvi grumbled, but acquiesced, stepping back beside the throne while shooting Lance an apologetic glance. She shuddered, cursing the throne-bound corpse for her lack of decency. Jason's jaw clenched, frustration clear in his eyes.
"Can't you change the ambient temperature here?" He asked through clenched teeth, "There's no reason for Lance to be cold."
"I like it like this, it soothes the joints." Lithia reasoned, "She'll survive, the elf will just have to curl up into a ball for a while."
Lance hated Lithia with every fiber of her being. She moved to go to a corner of the cave, but Jason grabbed her elbow, "I have an idea." He said, indicating his disassembled armor, "Sit down over there, I'll place the breastplate on you, it's big enough that you can just stand up to leave it."
"But it's just a hunk of metal, that won't keep out the cold." Lance noted.
"Metal?" Lithia asked, "Girl, do you not know what that armor is made of?"
"You've asked me that before." Jason said, turning back to the corpse, "It is metal, in my dimension it's known as Adium."
Lithia shook her leathery head, "No boy, that is not metal. Whoever told you that was a liar, it is made from Dragon-Bone."
Jason's eyes narrowed, but he did not counter Lithia's claim outright. Lance glanced at the armor… could the Phalanx suit really be made from such a thing? It hardly seemed possible, but then again, nothing about the last few days had seemed so either. If what Lithia said was true, then where was it harvested from?
"I see…" Jason said after a moment, eyes looking somewhat disturbed, "Lance, the armor has Kelvinite piping, it's a flexible metal that puts out heat or cold depending on its environment. I'm sorry I didn't think of having you wear it sooner, but as you know I was in a compromised state of mind."
"It's alright." Lance told him, "Let's go before my skin freezes off."
Jason nodded before they both walked over to the armor, with him indicating for her to sit down before he lifted the massive breastplate into the air, setting it down carefully. Lance was shocked to feel the cold vanish as she was surrounded by the armor, drawing her knees to her chest. It wasn't too warm, it merely made things feel… normal, but that was a thousand times better than merely braving the frozen air here head on.
Jason seemed to stare at the armor a long while, his emotions in a brief turmoil as he stared down at the black armor. Likely he was considering Lithia's words as well, if the Phalanx suit was truly made from Dragon Bone, then where had the materials been sourced? Had Jyn himself sectioned off pieces of his own bones to make this? It was still entirely possible that Lithia was simply lying or was outright wrong, but with the power of her eyes, who was to say?
After another moment of mulling, Jason turned away from his armor, approaching Lithia before sitting down before her throne cross-legged. She heard Lithia take on a more firm, serious tone as she described how to counter an enemies spell.
From what Lance could pick up on, he needed to keep some Foundation reserved to lash out with. To counter a House spell, he would need to channel Foundation through that same House, or he could forgo the Houses and counter with raw Foundation. More time passed, until eventually, Lithia cast a spell at Jason.
It looked to be an orb of glass, shooting through the air straight for his face. Jason ducked his head backwards, the orb missing his face by mere inches before it crashed into the wall outside the chamber. The stone cracked beneath the force, the orb immediately vanishing afterward.
"Not like that!" Lithia scolded, "That was Kyria, if you can't use the right House then you'll be doomed. Either learn the differences between the Houses, or use raw Foundation instead!"
"You couldn't use something less deadly?" Jason questioned, tone irritated.
That was another difference Lance noticed, Jason's voice, while it hadn't changed, was far less monotone than it used to be. Jason was more willing to show emotion through tone now. He and Lithia then began to bicker between what Lithia claimed were 'baby shots', each aimed straight for Jason's head. The stone wall cracked further and further until finally, Jason managed to dissipate one of the spheres right before it hit his head.
Sweat beaded at his brow, and he exhaled, "Will that suffice for other spells?"
Lithia shook her head, "If it were a third rate spell cast by a fourth rate mage perhaps, but against the foes you will be facing, your Counterspell would be worthless." She told him in an honest tone, "We will move up from there, boy. Stronger spells first, then I will show you how to dispel several weaker ones. This will take much time, far longer than the other spells you have learned, even for a genius like you."
"Very well." Jason said, standing, "I also need to learn to cloak myself in my armor, but first, I must retrieve supplies from the city."
He turned to leave, but paused right at the door, his brow furrowing. Realization filled his eyes, followed by intense dread and annoyance both.
"I can't use the same path. I left a trail, the dwarves will know where I've been coming in from." Jason said, turning back to Lithia, a deep frown on her face, "I need to find another place to make ingress."
"So they found your rathole, getting your cheese will prove more difficult now, little mouse." Lithia replied, "But don't fear, they will not dare come into this cave, they're far too afraid of a potential encounter with me."
"Would they assume that I'm working with you, then?" Jason asked, "Otherwise they might think it's safe to come in here."
"Well you should hope that they don't make that assumption, I would hate to clean dwarf off my walls, the place will smell of coppery moonshine for days!" Lithia complained, shaking her head. "Ugh, regardless, you might need to put on that bone-suit of yours to drill a new way in again. Silence the space around you so I don't have to hear it." She waved dismissively.
"I would have done that anyway." Jason glowered, "I don't want them hearing me."
"Yes of course," She waved again, "Now begone, I need my beauty rest."
Lance rolled her eyes. Beauty rest for a corpse? Ridiculous. She supposed that would mean she'd have to leave Jason's armor for a while while he dug out a new entrance. There was nothing to be done about it though, he needed his armor to get through the solid rock blocking the way, else he'd be forced to use his own bare hands. She stood as he approached, however, he grabbed her by the shoulders, sitting her back down in the chestplate.
"Don't you need the armor?" She asked with a furrowed brow.
Jason shook his head, "It would be useful, but it will take hours of punching to dig my way back in, if I'm unlucky. I'm pretty sure I know which spot I will need to strike, and where it will take me, but if I'm wrong in my estimates it will take longer. You could freeze to death in that time, so I'll only put on the gauntlets."
Lance shook her head, "I'll be fine, it'll take longer without the strength of your suit-"
"Negative, I need you alive." Jason told her firmly, crossing his arms, "You're important to this operation, and to me."
"You've become quite a sweetheart, you know that?" She said, suddenly feeling embarrassed.
Jason blinked, "I'm just being honest. Sit tight, I'll be back if everything goes well."
He then put on his two gauntlets, the armor covering his arms up to the elbow, right before he ran back up the incline, leaving her behind. She drew her knees closer, until they were touching her chin.
"You had better…" She whispered.