240 - Girl Interrupted

Lexie noted the buzzing sensation, even as Professor Madswick gestured to her, “Ms. Sparrowfoot? You were saying something.”

“Umm…yeah, just give me a second.” Of course, she could step back through the portal and return to the dungeon to answer little Fae's summon, but she didn’t want to waste mana going back and forth.

She simply opened the door to his office and peeked out the hall to make sure it was empty.

Then she stepped out herself and pulled out the card that connected her to Little Fae. 

Upon activation, she was in the Little Fae’s domain. It looked like some sort of dollhouse, where everything was white and spotless, and Little Fae was sitting on a mountain of blankets and pillows. There were all kinds of animatronic-looking things in the dollhouse, moving around on wheels, interacting with each other. Most of them were Fae, but a couple were different species, like humans and elves.

But when they talked to each other, they all spoke in a mixture of Fae dialects and also in that skittering sound that Little Fae often used. 

“Zu-Lo-Ya?” Lexie called out, and Little Fae began scrambling down her blanket-mountain to meet Lexie. 

When she got to the ground, she ran to Lexie and tried to hug her, but her thin arms passed right through the hologram. She backed up and tried to do it again, but once again it didn’t work. She looked up at Lexie with a puzzled look that seemed to signify: Fix it.

“I can’t come there right now,” Lexie said. “I’m in the middle of something. Did you need anything?”

Zu-Lo-Ya opened her mouth and made sounds that Lexie did not understand. When she was done, Lexie shook her head and told her, “Yeah, I didn’t get any of that. Can you try using gestures?”

Apparently, Zu-Lo-Ya didn’t understand Lexie either because she continued to communicate and also kept trying to hug the hologram of Lexie, but it wasn’t working.

Lexie bit her lip. She didn't want to spend the mana it would take to teleport here or make herself more solid. Mostly, she wanted to know why Little Fae had called her in the first place.

She looked around her to see if maybe it would give her a clue. The room was large enough to possibly fit Lexie's entire house inside it, but there was no other living creature in the space. She noted that the animatronics kept moving in a loop, and they would stop and have the same conversations with each other. One of them bumped into the other, then executed a formal bow while kneeling. An orc said something to a Fae, and the Fae used the sword to chop its head off.

Lexie also saw a big, black blob that she thought might be here to represent the Eldritch. She was a little offended by it.

Hmm.

Ryn had said something about little Fae children being isolated from most of society and taught the proper behaviors. Was that what these animatronics were doing? Teaching Little Fae the right behaviors?

She figured that Little Fae had been somewhat influenced by Lexie and Ryn's actions in the dungeon. Did the animatronics have to work extra hard to teach her that violence was not the solution to all her problems, and she shouldn’t blast VOID holes into the first thing that crossed her path or place her enemies under a curse-prison?

Probably.

Speaking of which, how come Zu-Lo-Ya still had this card? Lexie had thought that the Fae would confiscate it to prevent her association with Lexie, the big bad human Eldritch hybrid?

Why did Zu still have it? And why had she summoned Lexie?

In the background, Lexie could hear voices coming from down the hallway of the academy, so she told Zu-Lo-Ya, “I have to go, I’ll catch up with you later.”

"Lex-EE!" The Little Fae cried out, and Lexie hesitated.

“Yes?"

Zu-Lo-Ya opened her mouth and closed it again. Then opened and closed once more. She gave soft huffs, like she was frustrated that she wasn’t able to get out what it was that she wanted to say.

She's probably just bored. Lexie thought. I mean, spending all day with nothing but toys can't be stimulating, even for children.

Lexie decided to call Ryn later and ask about it.

"I'll be back later, Zu," she said as she gave Zu-Lo-Ya a virtual head pat and disappeared.

She came back just as a group of students turned the corner.

Second year, they looked to be. They were laughing about something as they walked, but that abruptly stopped when they caught sight of Lexie.

A boy with a mohawk saw her first, and his eyes went wide as saucers.

“It’s you!” he pointed, drawing the rest of his companions' attention to Lexie. They all reacted similarly, shocked gasp, then tittered excitedly with themselves. 

"It's her! Oh my gosh, it really is her!"

"She looks like the picture!"

"No, she looks taller."

“Yes,” Lexie said awkwardly. “Hello.”

“Oh my God, can we get a picture?” a platinum blonde girl said. “Or at least an autograph or something? Look, I bought a card deck because of you.” She whipped it out of her inventory in a jiffy, and it was a martial arts starter deck, one of the first ones Leixe had ever seen in her research. “Can you sign it?” 

“I guess,” Lexie didn’t see why not. But as she signed the first girl’s deck, she was quickly surrounded by the rest of them and a PHORB whipped out of nowhere, taking pictures. They also wanted her to sign other things, and Lexie was doing it before the door behind her opened and Professor Madswick poked his head out with his usual smile. “Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Sparrowfoot, but I thought you should know that your portal will be closing soon.”

“Oh, right.” Lexie nearly forgot about that. She waved at everyone and said, “Bye, guys. Do me a favor and don’t mention that you saw me here.”

"Sure thing,” Mohawk-boy said, but Lexie didn’t need her charades card to know that he was lying.

Oh well.

She planned to be out of here soon anyway. 

She stepped back into the office, closing the door to face Professor Madswick again. 

“It looks like you're collecting a little fan club,” he said. “Word of advice for next time: you should make your autograph a little shorter and sharper.”

“Noted. So where were we?”

“You were going to offer me a deal that’s somehow better than a soul contract with you.”

“Ah, yes. So, in lieu of a soul contract, how about I let you study my soul instead?”

He raised an eyebrow. Lexie activated the card to soundproof the room and told him, “I know it doesn't sound like much, but believe me, this is the deal of a lifetime. As you can probably tell with your soul-sight, my soul has changed. You see, while I was in the dungeon, something happened. It got mixed with enough Eldritch that I’m not entirely human.”

His eyes widened. “You mean you’re...”

“Equal parts human and equal parts Eldritch. I guess I'm the first of my kind.” 

“I see." He stroked his beard, interest glinting in his gaze. "And you’re sure this happened only after you entered the dungeon? Because I seem to recall you being particularly adept at and interested in Eldritch matters from the time you were a student here.”

Lexie didn’t feel like lying, so she shrugged. “Believe whatever you want. Anyway, there are many things that are unusual and peculiar about my soul, things that could help you, and that cult that you're probably a part of." The cult that thought they could ascend human limitations by being more Eldritch-like. "So, you help me, and I’ll let you study my soul and use whatever information you garner from it in whatever way you see fit.”

“That’s tempting. But I’m not sure that’s better than a soul contract.”

"The soul contract is likely not going to happen,” Lexie told him honestly. “Frankly, I’m quite particular with who I form contracts with, and I don’t trust or need you enough to offer you one right now. There are plenty of other necromancers I could talk to about this; it would just take me more effort to figure out if they're trustworthy. I already know you, so it's easier.”

"Knowing me makes you think I'm trustworthy?"

"I guess. You haven't told anyone my secret yet."

"So you trust me, but not enough to sign a soul contract with me."

"Think of it this way: if I were to offer a soul-contract, it would be with non-essential components, which is not a complete guarantee of compliance. Whereas the deal I’m offering you right now guarantees knowledge. I would take the deal if I were you.”

“My, you sure have changed.” He chuckled. “You’ve become a tough, fearless little thing, haven’t you?"

She shrugged. She was happy about the label except for the word 'little'.  

“Okay then," he said. "I will take your deal."

"Great. We don’t have time right now, so forgive me for my rudeness."

"What rude–" He didn't get to finish the sentence because Lexie used a gust of wind to blow him through the portal.

She followed after him quickly enough to guarantee him a soft landing on his feet.

Then she made a gesture to Pvilycth, whom she introduced only as her assistant. Pvilycht had even conjured up a lab coat for the role, much to Madswick’s amusement.

The coat didn't do much to hide that he was an Eldritch, though.

Lexie didn’t answer Madswick's questions about where they were or how they were there. She simply told him briefly of her plan to make living soul cards. 

“This is where you come in,” she said. “I know Eldritch souls and human souls are very different things, and trying to get an Eldritch soul to mimic or work with a human one's and figuring out intent will be difficult.”

“Actually,” he said. “I’m not sure the difference is as stark as you might imagine.”

“What do you mean?"

“Well," he spoke while he looked around, clearly curious about his environment. "There were stories about the Guardians being genetically close to humans, or more like being the first humans that ever existed. And they were likely certainly closer to Eldritch in nature than they were to any other species. A very small number of people thought the Guardians might have been children of the first humans and Eldritch combined, but the logistics just never made sense, so that religion never quite caught on. Although..." 

He paused for dramatic effect, waiting for Lexie to ask, "Although what?"

"Ancient stories,” He waves his hand. “You know every culture has its creation myths, and as I said, certain cultures believe that Guardians were really just more powerful humans. And that they also believed that we humans can elevate to the level of Guardians simply through hard work and effort. One of the more favorable views of the Guardians hinged on this very notion, and it stipulated that the reason the Guardians would select champions or groups of champions and give them powers was that those humans were supposed to be their replacement or become part of the pantheon. The champions had to pass through gruesome tests because the powers needed to be earned and the soul transformed for them to become this way.”

"Huh." Lexie's brain wheels began to turn. She shared a look with Pvilycht, who did not look like he had known about this either. Then again, Pvilycht seemed to have very little experience with humans.

She wondered if Naem had known.

“Anyway, that’s only one belief, though, so I would take it with a grain of salt," he said. “Let me get a look at your soul, Lexie. Since you are a human-Eldritch hybrid, you can be the very example of what we’re trying to make here.”

Lexie nodded, and she sat while he scanned her soul. He used more than just regular soul sight. He also used what Lexie could only describe as virtual hands reaching in and touching the soul particles.

She could feel him doing it.

"Well," he said, rubbing his chin after he was done. "It's all very confusing, but what I will say is that your pathways are very damaged. It seems that it cannot keep up with the force of the magic you're using."

"Yeah," Lexie already knew this. "Is there a way to fix it?"

"Perhaps, but I wouldn't know how. As to your second question, I believe that you will need some sort of balancer between the human and Eldritch pathways. Or a converter perhaps. For effect and especially for ability cards, you need to ensure that the effect flows correctly and translates well to the human body." He straightened. "When the Fae first arrived on Earth, they gave us access to the magic realm through the system. The pathways are the access point. Of course, through extremely painful trial and error, we found that our pathways were not totally congruent with theirs, even if we used the same kind of magic and effects. So the human-Fae alliance adjusted the system to limit the type of magic we could use and built a sort of converter to translate or eliminate the more dangerous skills." He nodded. "I can look into it in my free time, but if you want to figure out how to do the same, I suggest you start by asking the Fae."

Lexie closed her eyes and sighed. So it all came back to the Fae. It seemed dealing with them was inevitable, and she doubted they would help her for no reason. 

She wondered if the oathbreaker would be enough of a trade.

Madswick took a look at her potential living card pathways and helped her adjust a few of them. He also gave them some more questions that they needed to ask themselves.

At the end of the day, Lexie knew more than she did before, but it still wasn't enough. She was a little disappointed, but she reminded herself that nothing good ever came easy.

Before she returned him to his office, she also asked Professor Madswick about how he stayed alive while knowing about the chosen program.

"Sign a soul contract, and I might tell you," he responded with a wink. Lexie figured then that she didn't need to know just yet.

Besides, her father seemed to have made himself forget all about the chosen stuff, so he was probably safe for now.

When Lexie was done, she got in contact with Ryn.

Though she hadn't talked to her since the Hero Association meeting, she knew Ryn was still on Earth.

She got as close to the ambassadorial islands as she could (basically sitting at a coffeeshop at a reef on the mainland) and sent out the telepathic signal. Are you alone?

It took some time before Ryn answered. Now I am.

Little Fae called me today. 

She did?

Yeah. 

Why?

I don’t know. I was hoping you would tell me. 

Lexie could feel Ryn thinking. Well, I was told by the Ambassador that Zu-Lo-Ya was calling for me as well, but I was under strict instructions not to visit her yet. They are trying to undo our influence on her first.

I figured as much. So why didn’t they take away the card I made her?

I’m not sure. Would you like me to find out?

No. It might be some kind of trap. 

It would be best to ignore her the next time she calls, Ryn said. She is safe, simply missing the familiarity of our company. 

I suppose. But how would Lexie know if she was actually in danger?

She is safe now. Ryn reiterated. She is back at her home planet.

She was on her home planet when she was taken the first time, remember?

Yes, but the circumstances behind that were complex.

Meaning?

It's sensitive political Fae business. I cannot get into it.

Speaking of Fae business, Lexie pivoted. I want information from the Fae. Would I be able to trade the oathbreaker?

It would depend on how valuable the information is.

It pertains to the system they built for humans. Classified information.

Hmm. That would depend on the nature of the information as well. But it is unlikely that it would be enough.

Can you help me figure out just how much Ambassador Raz-Ro-Nan wants the Oathbreaker?

Alright. In other news, I'm told it's rude to leave a planet without saying goodbye to the friends you've met here.

Are you leaving?

Yes. After the next three human days. You should have dinner with me on the Island. To say goodbye.

Okay. I'll bring my Dad and Tate too.

Who is Tate?

He's...it's kind of hard to explain. But I guess he's my friend. It felt a little cheap to call Tate just that, but it would have to do for now. Actually, you might recognize him, even if you don't exactly remember his name.

How?

Lexie didn't want to spoil the surprise. You'll see.

***

"When was my birthday?" Lexie asked, swinging her legs while sitting on the kitchen counter, as Aiden baked snickerdoodles. He must have been in a good mood. Lexie had eaten about eight of them already, and her father hadn't stopped her, only sent her indulgent looks.   "Did it pass already?"

"Yes," he said. "A few weeks before your return."

"Did you do anything special for it?"

"No. Couldn't even bear to think about it. I let it pass like any other day." He smiled. "Emma baked a cake, but Luke convinced her not to give it to me. I saw it in her fridge, though. It looked hard as cardboard and just as edible."

Lexie snorted. "You know it's great that she keeps cooking even though she's bad at it."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you had to eat it," he said. "What would you like? As a late birthday present?"

Lexie thought about it.

"I'm not sure," she said. "That's the weird thing, I'm not really sure what I want anymore. Life just feels like a series of random side quests." She'd been sure when she was an Eldritch and before that when she was a human. But as a hybrid, all her wants felt a little muted. Like Pvilycht's. "I probably need to do a little soul searching. What about your birthday? Did that pass too?"

"Yes."

"I didn't get you a present, so you don't have to get me one."

"Your return is the only present I wanted," he said. "My dream is to just be together with you."

Lexie smiled sadly. "And Lara. Right?"

Aiden didn't respond. He only kept kneading the dough.

"I dreamt of her a lot, you know," she said. "And I dreamt of you, too. I dreamt of stuff I had forgotten, like us playing in the kitchen and you throwing me into a bubble and holding me there above your head."

"Really?" Aiden's voice was thick, his eyes shiny as he turned to her. "You remember that?"

She nodded. His smile trembled at the corners.

"Cecilia thinks Lara's still alive," Lexie said. "What about you? What do you think?"

Aiden turned away and shook his head. "I think...maybe I should be focused on protecting what I have, instead of chasing after what I don't have."

"But you don't understand. You'll always have me. Even if you wanted to chase after Lara, I'll go with you. I need to return to the Eldritch realm anyway. We can go dungeon-hopping until we find her."

"Would you like that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It sounds kind of fun."

Aiden gave her a soft smile. "You want to know my wish, Lexie?"

She nodded.

"I wish for a world we had once upon a time. It would be you and me, and I'd take you to school and bring you home. You'd tell me how your day was while I make dinner. We'd watch TV while we eat. You'd brush your teeth and go to bed, and you'd wake up in the morning, and we'll do it all over again." He smiled sadly. "That's what I want with all my heart. For everything to be how it used to be."

Lexie felt nostalgic at the thought, but there was no real desire for that anymore. "I'm not sure I want that anymore."

"I know," he said. "So I'll just settle for you being safe." He took out a rolling board, transferring the dough onto it. "If you could only stay somewhere for the rest of your life, would it be the dungeon?"

Lexie thought about it. "No, it would be our home."

"I was hoping you would say that." Aiden stopped, and then his face rippled with something quick, a heat and hatred that shocked Lexie.

"Dad," she asked. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head and tapped to answer the system call. "What do you want, Vacek?"

The other man said something that made Aiden's face tense as he turned to Lexie. "They found Vulcan's hideout."