220 - Out of The Box

A land card.

It sounded so obvious that Lexie was kind of surprised she didn't think of it instantly. The Mountain had said that Lexie could not exist as what she was in the human world.

But what if she did not technically exist in the human world?

Land cards had initially been created and used to give humans access to mana from Fae mana wells. Lexie had used it as a way to get around the limitation on Earth-made magic cards, to provide a more favorable ambient mana environment needed to create the cards that she wanted to create. She linked the land cards to the blank cards that she worked on, essentially temporarily anchoring them somewhere outside of Earth until she was done.

Could she use a land card in a similar way for herself, but instead of linking it to a card, she would link it to her body instead? And have it simply be on permanently?

Technically, that way, she would be on Earth, but her entire essence would be attached to the landcard, making her not technically a part of Earth, so Earth rules would not apply to her.

Would that work?

“Lexie?” Cecilia ventured after Lexie had been silent for what was presumably a long time. “Is that your thinking face, or are you still dizzy from the fall?”

“It’s my thinking face,” Lexie said. 

“It’s different from the usual,” Ryn commented. 

“Because I’m thinking harder,” Lexie said.

She was trying to work out the possible pathways for such a card. The land card nodes were typically used to link the card she was making to whatever land she was in. So Lexie would probably have to link herself to this dungeon, after getting permission from the owner of the dungeon, like she'd done with the V'Sala and her first land card.

Or she could link herself to Belshyct’s dungeon if she could manage to get back there, or any other dungeon except this, because she was pretty sure Neqal would fight her vehemently if she’d tried to link to it again. 

On the other hand, she knew she could beat Neqal. She’d almost done it back there, and she was sure that was the only reason he’d given her access to The Mountain, because he'd known that if their tug of war had continued, Lexie would have won.

So he'd given her the mountain as a distraction.

That was why, despite Lexie already having visited the Mountain, the environment hadn't changed. Lexie's win wasn't legitimate, and the level had not been cleared yet, so they could still see the Mountain in the distance.

Something was happening.

Naem was planning something.

Lexie needed to figure this out quickly, so she decided to connect the land card to this dungeon instead.

After all, thanks to Neqal and Naem’s deal, Neqal could not kill her, but she could certainly kill him. That put her at an advantage.

Once the dungeon was her land card, she could go wherever she wanted and be whoever she wanted anywhere.

So delightfully simple.

Why had the mountain not mentioned that option to her?

It should have been because it was the best option. It gave Lexie the ability to retain everything, to be everything, and exist everywhere.

Had the Mountain been trying to trick her into choosing one of the other two options? Or did it not know that Lexie could create a land card? 

Or maybe there was something Lexie hadn't considered that would present as a problem.

That led her to ask herself the question: why exactly could she not go to Earth as she was right now? The Mountain did not explain why Eldritch could not live in the human world.

"What's keeping the Eldritch from invading Earth?" Lexie asked Ryn.

"Earth is protected by a Fae Oath preventing an Eldritch invasion,” Ryn explained.

“Do you know the exact words of the oath?”

Ryn shook her head. Lexie bit her lip. Which meant that she would have to extrapolate the truth from other details. 

“If an Eldritch were to teleport to Earth..."

"Most Eldritch cannot teleport." Ryn interrupted. "They get to Earth using other means."

"Like what?"

"Dungeons. Summons. That sort of thing."

"Okay, so if an Eldritch were to get to Earth by whatever means, what would happen to them?"

"It depends on the Eldritch. Some are strong enough to last for some time, especially if they're mostly soul form or if they're not so exposed to Earth's atmosphere."

"Like being deep underground?"

"More like if they are nestled within the confines of something else, like a pocket dimension or a dungeon. But being underground might help too, if only to prevent them from being detected. Nevertheless, once exposed, they will be continuously weakened by the Oath and can then be eliminated by Earth warriors."

"There was an Eldritch infestation in Hovelton and another in Hartville." Well, two creatures were hardly an infestation, but it didn't matter. "They stayed in Undeground dungeons until they were released. Those creatures did not feel weak at all. How did that happen despite the Oath?"

"People find loopholes. Necromancers especially find lots of loopholes. Usually, Eldritch that find their way on Earth in such a way are summoned, and they are strengthened through other means. They are likely not meant to last long. They were released to wreak havoc and die."

"Okay, what about other Eldritch who lasted longer? I know one who has been on Earth for centuries."

"It depends on the Eldritch. Like I said, some of them attach their souls to totems and remain dormant until they're called forth by rituals. Then they will need to attach themselves to a human soul in order to continue to exist on Earth. It's a very complex thing requiring advanced Soul Magic, which the Eldritch are naturally good at, but for an Eldritch to achieve such a thing, they must already be able to exist as solely souls with just their soul covering and no body. This type of relationship can eventually weaken the human, though, and when the human dies, the Eldritch must find a new soul or they will be eliminated by the Oath."

"Does every planet have such an oath?"

"Most do, but most planets also have more advanced magic, which ironically gives the Eldritch more loopholes and avenues to bypass the Oaths. Which is why other planets face far more Eldritch attacks. Eldritch also exists as a class on the Fae planet, and a few Lords have their own Kingdoms that they operate. There's actually a fascinating history of Eldritch and Fae, but a few of the Fae elite are against such a–"

"So those are the only two ways Eldritch can appear on Earth?" Lexie asked before Ryn could go too deep into her tangent. "By ritual or by dungeons?"

Ryn thought about it. "I suppose those would be the most common ways. Eldritch can also be contracted by humans for a time, but this is less common as it requires a lot of mana as well as more advanced magic skills."

“I see," Lexie said. "So what you're saying is that, if we simply teleported to Earth right now, I would be weakened and would only be able to last for a short time before I died?"

"Yes."

Lexie thought about it. Maybe it would be enough to take the risk. After all, she didn't plan on staying long and was very powerful and would probably fare well even if Earth halved her power.

But the idea of losing any of the power she'd gotten was abhorrent to her.

Not to mention, she didn't know what Ryn's judgment of 'short time' was. What if Earth's Oath killed her instantly? It was too much of a risk to take.

She also didn't know what kind of trouble Aiden was involved in and how long it would take to get him out of that.

So...back to the land card.

She supposed it worked more like the totem that Ryn mentioned. Ryn said some soul magic was involved.

Lexie didn't know much about soul magic, but maybe if she could DECODE her soul card, she would learn some helpful nuggets.

It might also be helpful for her to voice out her concerns because maybe Pvilycht or Ryn would know something.

"I'm planning on going to Earth with a Land Card," she said. "I want to use that as a totem."

"I'm not sure that would work for you," Ryn said instantly, and Pvilycht nodded in agreement.

"Why not?"

"You are far too powerful," Pvilycht said. "Typically, totems are for minor Eldritch and those farther down in the soul line. It will not be able to contain your essence and your power."

"What if I make multiple cards just for me?"

"It still might not work. It's more about the mechanics of it."

"Also, because you are not primarily soul-based," Ryn said. "I would not recommend it, unless your physical body is no longer important to you. Which I hope is because it took a lot of time and effort to put it back together."

Lexie heaved a sigh. She did not want to give up her Eldritch side or her body. She didn't want to abandon Aiden either.

Come on, Lexie. You can do this. Think outside the box.

She paced for some more time, negotiating with reality.

If there was a solution, a way she could be both, The Mountain would have given it to her.

Unless the Mountain couldn't tell her the solution, because it didn't know what it would be. Because the solution had to do with her strange human magic.

Or perhaps her soul card.

Lexie paused.

What if her soul card could boost her human side?

Calm her chaos and introduce some human light, like it did for the other Eldritch creatures?

So instead of being less Eldritch and losing power, she would simply be more human. If the proportion was all that mattered, then that would work, wouldn't it?

She would present as a possessed human, but nothing else would have to change.

Would that work? Would the Oath ignore her Eldritch side if she were human enough? Or would that cause her human or Eldritch side to die after some time, essentially forcing the choice?

This was certainly going to be messier and more complicated than she thought.

Either way, she had to try it, since she planned on gaining back some of her humanity anyway.

To hedge her bets, she would combine that with the land card.

She could also attempt to use card magic to temporarily suppress her Eldritch side...

On their own, each one of her ideas had flaws.

If she combined all those solutions together...one of them had to work, didn't it?

She told the rest of the team about it, but they were all as doubtful as she was.  

Nevertheless, Lexie sat down and started crafting. She would need at least five cards. She would need a card linked to her mana that suppressed it temporarily while she was on Earth so that she didn't obviously register as Eldritch. It would only deactivate when she was running low on mana and about to die as a result. She would also need a land card that worked even if she were asleep or passed out, and another card that would bring her back into the dungeon if the land card failed.

There were so many things to keep in mind, and this was the most complicated series of cards that she had ever had.

She crafted and crafted and crafted, until she'd addressed every possible concern.

Then there were two things left. To increase her humanity and to link to the dungeon.

The best thing she could do, though, was to be as human as possible. The human here would act as a tether so that even if the Eldritch starved, she would survive, at least long enough to be taken out of there.  

The question was: how exactly could she do that?

The Mountain said it could show her how to regain her humanity, so it was presumably something Lexie could do on her own, presumably with her soul card.

What did it mean to be more human, though, when more human did not translate to less Eldritch?

Lexie had felt her human emotions awakening with Uncle Max and Cecilia, so her humanity was definitely increased by being around other humans.

But that wasn't enough.

She closed her eyes, held her soul card, and activated DECODE.

DECODE did not work well on the soul card, but it worked enough for Lexie to see the links and figure out how to turn the soul card onto herself.

She focused. She meditated.

Then, she was consumed.

She felt...everything.

Everything that had been locked in a cage was abruptly released. All things she hadn't thought about since she'd been here became an avalanche.

It was painful, but Lexie was used to pain.

It was the wonder that surprised her.

The joy.

The happiness.

The love.

She was flooded with love for Aiden and Xena and Dewie and Emma and Max, and Luke, and Stella and Mane, and Tate, and Torin, and Theo and Tamsin and Thor, and Nathan and Mide, and Aoife and Ralph and Jett and Jace and Frank and Rose and Evan and Conrad and Boris and Cara and Abernathy and Top Dog…God, there were so many of them.

So many she cared for.  

She felt everything.

Now she understood why the Eldritch were addicted.

There was so much to her experience as an Eldritch that was limited–light or no light. There was no such thing as joy or happiness. There were very few nuanced emotions. It was all drive.

Even when Lexie had been regaining some of her human emotions, all the positive stuff was muted, always a struggle to be felt.

But this card suppressed the Eldritch drive and showed her everything else.

Lexie saw herself, felt herself entering herself. She felt her intelligence and her need to please and her defiance and her pride and her darkness and her vengefulness, and it all blended, bloating that side of her soul.

She came back to, and sat there for a second, feeling like she was floating in space.

It wasn’t enough.

She felt some of the emotions dissipate, and only a few remained.

She would probably need more sessions to make a real change, but she felt more now than she had felt before.

“Lexie…” Cecilia said. 

“Yeah?”

“You’re crying."

“Yeah,” Lexie said with a tremulous smile. “It’s okay. It’s not a bad thing.”

"Oh." All three stared at her like she'd grown three heads, and Lexie shook her head to snap herself out of it.

Time to link the land card to the land.

Before Lexie could do it, though, Pvilycht froze. 

He turned to her in horror and he said, “The rules changed.”

“What?”

“The rules of this level. Neqal must have changed them. I can sense it, DECIPHER it. He's transporting more monsters into the dungeon, and in this level. The first one to kill you gets to the Mountain. The Old One is here too. He’s back. And there is another. And another.”

“They sent three Old Ones for little old me?” Lexie straightened and stared at her team's appalled faces. "I’m almost flattered."

“Do not be flattered,” Ryn said. “Be afraid.”

She was clearly remembering what happened to Lexie the last time that they’d sent an Old One after her, and how she almost hadn’t survived. Lexie was powerful, but she would almost certainly struggle to handle three Old Ones as well.

Not to mention the dependents she had to look after.

They needed to leave now.

“How far away are these hordes, Pvilycht?” Lxie asked.

"They're here. Approaching quickly."

“Okay then. Cecilia, you and Ryn get out of here.”

“I'm not leaving.”

“You’ll be a distraction, Ryn. I can’t fight and protect you at the same time.”

“I don’t need your protection.”

“I’m not giving you a choice. Cecilia, now.”

“Lexie-”

“I’ll be fine, Ryn. Really.” Lexie smiled at her. “Thank you for everything.”

Ryn seemed taken aback by her smile, or maybe the human-ness within. Lexie might not feel as human as she used to, but she felt more human than she'd ever felt in the dungeon.

“I do not know why you’re thanking me," Ryn said. "I am not leaving.”

“Ryn–”

“You can either spend time arguing with me, or you can finish whatever it is you were doing, so we can all leave. Does that not seem like a better use of your time?”

Lexie sighed. She hated when the Fae was right.

Lexie needed to get all of them out of there.

"Pvilycht,” she barked. 

“Yes,” Pvilycht said, 

“Draw power from me," she said. "Clone yourself as many times as you can and hold off the horde. Protect Ryn and Cecilia."

"Yes."

Lexie summoned V'Sala and the lightning zombies and every other creature card she had. She gave them the same instructions as she gave Pvilycht.

"You're in charge, Pvilycht," she told him. "Control them."

“Happily."

"I mean that more in a delegatory sense, of course, not necessarily a mind-control way...but you know if you need to mind-control them, you can do that too."

"With pleasure."

“Good.” Wasting no more time, Lexie closed her eyes and connected to the dungeon again. 

Get out.

It was a whisper, not a scream.

The dungeon sounded exhausted. Its domain has been invaded, its stories corrupted. It could no longer control the levels or the win scenarios, and it was tired of trying.

It had way too many creatures within it, creatures it did not make, creatures it could not control.

It was angry, and afraid, and tired.

I know what that feels like, Lexie spoke to the dungeon in the language it could understand. I felt like that when I came in here, too. I also know what it feels like to not be in control.

The dungeon couldn't even fight her off, though it tried. It was still also on Neqal's leash, but Lexie just needed a little bit, just a push, so that she could snap the leash completely.

You want those who control you gone. I want them gone, too. Choose me, and I will get rid of them for you. No one will control you again. Not even me. I will just ask for the right to exist in your domain. I swear.

The dungeon could not swear a soul oath with Lexie, as it was a dungeon, but Lexie would have sworn one if she could. She let the dungeon feel her honesty, her certainty, her humanity, and her Eldritchness.

She finally felt it, the little nudge, the dungeon reaching out with its power.

She siphoned more of the chaos and gave the dungeon her light, and just like that, a tenuous bond formed.

Lexie had her land card.

Thank you, Lexie said as she landed back in her body and right in the middle of chaos.

It was raining blood and guts. Lexie could not make out much of the action.

But she looked right in time to see Cecilia jump in front of a shadow ghoul speeding toward Lexie.

And it gored Cecilia through the chest.

"NO!"