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4 - Lexie Vs The Ghoul
🕑 Added 2025-02-12 10:35:00 +0000 UTCLexie instantly flung one of the kitchen knives at the intruder without wasting any time even looking at what it was.
And then as the knife whizzed through the doorway without the sound of impact, she shifted to the side to take a peek.
Nothing was there.
Through the open doorway, she only saw a manicured lawn with trimmed hedges and her neighbor's cottage in the distance.
But as she squinted, she realized that it wasn't quite nothing. There was something there, a ghostly presence that shimmered in and out of existence with each blink. And then the second she realized, the thing rushed at her.
Lexie squeaked but jumped out of the way in time as it slammed into the couch, sending it flying. She threw another knife, but once again it passed through without impact.
Safe to say that the thing was permeable. But that didn’t make sense; how was it able to slam into the door and also throw the couch? The thought was cut short as it charged at Lexie again and she jolted to the side. This time, she wasn’t fast enough. Her fingers wrapped around a knife hilt, as icy cool digits grabbed her ankle tugging her upside down into the air. A scream remained trapped in her throat but she immediately swung into action, driving the knife into the ghostly film wrapped around her ankle.
The creature screeched and released her. She dropped to the floor with an oomph but ignored the pain of the collision, got up, and ran.
As she got to the kitchen she slammed the door closed, knowing it would only keep the creature out for a few seconds. In the meantime, she needed to process what she just discovered. The thing was both tangible and intangible and could seemingly switch at will. No, not at will. It was kept out by the door and had hit the couch, so it couldn’t pass through furniture. It couldn’t pass through human beings either, so it would appear that physical blockages like that turned it corporeal. And then, once it turned physical, it could be hurt.
Lexie braced herself from when it would come through the door.
She gripped the last knife in her hand waiting at the other side of the door. The second the door flew open and the creature grabbed her she would stab it again, hopefully enough to kill it. Or wound it enough to leave her alone.
She still felt chilly in her ankle where the creature had touched her and the cold rendered her movements a little stiff as she hustled to the other side of the door. She bit her lip, pressing her ears against the walls, trying to hear it coming.
And then finally, the door was sent off its hinges.
The creature had black liquid on it now. Ink? Or maybe that was its ghost blood. No time to figure it out.
As one of its ghostly projections reached for her again, she grabbed it and stabbed, feeling elated when her knife sunk into it. It roared and ripped itself away, with the knife wrenching out of her grip.
But it wasn’t enough and she was out of knives. She barely had time to panic before it grabbed her neck. This time, she could barely move. She clawed at her neck and kicked her feet to struggle but it was no use. Frost iced over her lungs and spread through her limbs too fast. She couldn't breathe. Her movements turned jerky and then stilled. She stared into nothingness that seemed to expand like a gaping mouth around her head.
“Lexie!”
She heard Aiden but didn’t see him until his body slammed into the thing from behind. The creature dropped her and she gasped for breath, feeling like the air was lacerating her throat.
When she turned back it was to find Aiden physically holding the creature off, as it reached out ghostly arms for him. It tried to reach for Lexie too, but Aiden kicked at the projection and it reared back.
His teeth gritted and he met her eyes.
“Card,” he barked. “Get my cards!”
Lexie didn’t hesitate. She ran for the living room where she’d stashed the cards and brought them back.
When she returned Aiden had slammed the creature against the opposite wall, but it was still reaching out for him and his face was turning white.
“Search for the card, <Out of Sight, Out of Mind>” he choked out. “Activate it.”
“How?”
“Follow the…" His words wheezed, like he couldn’t breathe and then she saw that the thing was wrapped around his neck. “Instructions.”
Lexie quickly flipped through the deck looking for the card that he was talking about. The cards didn’t feel like they were made entirely out of paper– they were hard, smooth and glassy. The card Aiden was talking about was slightly thicker than the rest, with the image of a ghost imprinted on it. Immediately, a small blue screen with a system prompt appeared on top of the card reading:
*
<Out of Sight, Out of Mind>
Deck: N/A
Type: Effect Card
Power: N/A
Description:
Excellent card for those who hate to be the center of attention! Once activated, you fade into the background, and become unremarkable, and unmemorable to your target. Maximum active time is twenty seconds.
Activation Prerequisites:
To activate this card, simply flash it to the target you would like to be invisible to.
Make sure the target isn’t looking at you, touching you or otherwise interacting with you during activation or the card will remain inactive.
Avoid too much interaction with the target after activation, or card will deactivate.
No other protocol required.
*
O…kay. That seemed easy enough to understand. But how to tell if a faceless ghoul was looking at her?
She glanced up and swallowed.
It seemed pretty occupied with Aiden but she couldn't be sure since she didn’t know if the thing had eyes in the back of its...head? or not.
Lexie retreated into the living room until she was shielded by the wall, and stuck her hand out flashing the card to the creature. The card suddenly shattered in her grip but she didn't feel it. It became holographic instead and it exploded without making a single sound. Then the shards disappeared in the air, leaving only a mild sparkle in its wake. She felt something move in and through her. It was odd, like a tiny zing that flitted around her body.
She stared down at herself. She wasn’t invisible, but as she stepped back in through the doorway, she did get the idea that the ghostly creature couldn't see her anymore. And to confirm that the card was active, a notification appeared, eventually becoming a timer that was placed at the corner of her vision.
*
ACTIVE TIME: TWENTY SECONDS.
COOL OFF TIME: TWENTY SECONDS.
*
Okay she guessed her invisibility would only be active for the next twenty seconds. So she needed to do whatever she had to do fast. She crept back out to the doorway, and found the Ghoul was still strangling Aiden while he tried to bash the side of its head with a chopping board. He wasn’t strong enough and the thing wasn’t budging. It was no longer even reaching out to her, solely focused on Aiden. Like she was truly invisible but only to the creature.
But how was this going to help Aiden?
Or maybe... Aiden's eyes met her and he gave her a small smile. He also mouthed the word "Go" and that was when, with a sinking heart, Lexie realized what he'd done.
He didn't do this to help himself. He did it so she would escape.
For a split second, she thought about it. About running. But where would she go? And she couldn't just leave him to die.
He was her...dad.
Okay, Lexie. Time to be brave again.
With the gift of invisibility, Lexie ran back to retrieve her knives. She then jogged back and with all the force she could muster, she impaled the creature’s back again and again, not wasting any time even as her shoulders ached.
"No! Lexie!" Aiden screamed but it was no louder than the creatures wailing. Suddenly, it wrapped around her leg again and flung her across the room.
She slammed into the wall and her head collided with a resounding crack. Pain shot through her temple as she slid to the floor. A sickening wave of nausea overwhelmed her. A health bar suddenly appeared in the corner of her vision, the red square blinking an alert.
But before she could pass out, the blue screen flickered to life again with an announcement.
*
CONGRATULATIONS! YOUR STATUS HAS CHANGED.
VIEW CHANGES NOW ON YOUR STAT SCREEN.
[STAT SCREEN]
Name: Lexie Sparrowfoot
Age: 10
Race: Human
Location: Earth 9
Guardian: Aiden Sparrowfoot (Father) click to open family tree.
Status: Pre-awakened.
***
Lexie came around to the sensation of someone gently rubbing her head. It somewhat soothed the pounding in her skull, and she also felt a cool ice pack on her temples. Someone was murmuring in a voice that sounded like they smoked about ten packs of Marlboro a day, but then as her eyes started to open, another voice said, “Shh. She’s waking up.”
She recognized the second voice as Aiden’s which meant that it was his gentle hands that were running through her strands. Gentle but trembling hands. She wanted to keep her eyes closed to enjoy it more, especially when he softly massaged the ache from her scalp. Neither of her parents had been the touchy type growing up. Lexie didn't think she was either.
But this was…nice.
Nevertheless, she had to face reality at some point. Her eyes slowly opened to meet Aiden's smile.
“Wakey wakey,” he said.
“Hi,” she said and then sat up, embarrassed that she was lying on his lap. They were both on the couch that had been righted, and the house no longer looked like a windblown mess. Even the glass had been fixed. She was tempted to think the whole thing was a dream, but she knew it wasn't. “Are you okay?”
His gaze softened. “You were worried about me?”
She nodded and he seemed surprised. Wasn’t it obvious that she would be worried about someone who was going to die? Who had risked his life to save hers? "You saved me."
“I think it was the other way round.” Aiden untangled a tuft of her curled hair from his shaky finger.
“No. You did it first. It was going to eat me before you came around.”
“Well…” He toggled his head mildly. “Not to be pedantic, but ghouls don't technically eat people. They’re pneumatarian for the most part, and sometimes mildly vegetarian. But they only possess bodies and occasionally kill them for fun.” At Lexie’s stunned silence, he nudged her with his shoulder suggesting it was a joke, before he continued, “Besides, I'm your father. I’m supposed to save you from crazed, pneuma-hungry ghouls. It’s practically in my job description.”
Lexie swallowed, feeling touched despite his offhandedness. “Thanks. Did you get hurt?”
“No. You don’t need to be worried. I may not look it but I’m pretty strong, you know. I’ve been exercising occasionally with your Uncle Max too. Just look at these muscles. Feel.” He flexed his arm in a very goofy way that almost made Lexie smile.
Someone cleared their throat very loudly, and she noticed there was another man in the room, a man with an eye patch and a few nasty scars on his face, who was giving Aiden a pretty disgusted look.
His face looked familiar too. Probably one of the character sheets that Logan had sent her. Or maybe Lexie Sparrowfoot knew him too. While Aiden was graceful and lean, this man was stocky and broad with lines etched in his forehead that made him look permanently grumpy. His one exposed eye was blue and he had red hair widely sprouting out of his head.
Lexie jerked when his eye was suddenly fixed on hers, blushing at being caught staring. The large man was kind of terrifying, but strangely she didn't find herself too scared of him.
“Glad to see you back in the land of the living," he greeted. "I'm the aforementioned Uncle Max, by the way. No relation. Your father told me you were having issues with your memories."
That's one way to put it. Lexie nodded to answer his question. She also noticed she didn't feel as bad as she should considering how hard her head hit the wall. She should be suffering a concussion right now. Also, her ankle no longer felt frozen.
She recalled the health bar she saw, when before she'd passed out. Did her health bar automatically refill, or did they heal her?
I guess I'll find out later.
“What happened to the creature?” she asked.
“I killed it,” Max announced casually.
“How?” she asked.
“Well, I started by shooting it and then I sliced off its–”
“Not really sure that’s an appropriate explanation for a child,” Aiden cut in with a warning look to Max.
Max raised an eyebrow. “You realize this 'child’ stabbed that thing twelve times right?” He then turned to Lexie with a small grin, something she could tell came rarely to him. Lexie tried not to be intimidated by the fact that his smile made him look even scarier.
“That was pretty badass of you kid,” he continued. “Great fighter instincts. Most people would have been frozen in fear. You managed to slow it down enough that I only needed a few shots to finish it off.”
Lexie swallowed and managed a weak shrug, the memory of the ghoul attack still haunting her. She had frozen in fear at first, but then she had to think of it as a game so she could gather the courage to attack. The only reason she seemed brave was because she was operating on video game logic. Most of what was happening didn’t feel real to her yet. So it certainly didn’t feel real that that thing could have killed her on her first full day on Earth 9.
Also there was something to be said for the adrenaline pump when placed in a life or death situation. What was that thing her brother liked to say when he played video games? Oh that’s right. Win or die.
“I don’t think I did all that well,” she said, blushing under Max's scrutiny.
“You did good for your age. Took a ghoul down with a kitchen knife. And you definitely did better than your father who seemed to conveniently forget he was holding a gun.”
The accusation was unmistakable and Aiden flushed a little then stuck his nose in the air defensively. “I couldn’t use it. The ghoul had Lexie and the bullet could have hit her by accident.”
“Not if you were a good enough shot. That’s why I always ask you to come train with me, but no. You’d rather spend all your time in that healing house where you’re practically useless because you can’t even use magic anymore.”
“What happened with the dungeon?” Aiden asked and Lexie got the sense Max was itching to continue the argument and Aiden was eager to change the subject.
“One of the Elementals is taking care of it,” Max finally replied.
“Elementals?” Lexie butted in, curiosity taking over.
Max glanced at Aiden. “She really forgot everything, didn't she?”
Aiden nodded solemnly and then Max sighed. “The Elementals are unbound magic users. A race of powerful families most of whom are [Heroes]. They’re also some of the biggest pricks you’ll ever meet.”
“Max!”
“What? She’s ten, I guarantee she knows way worse words than prick.”
“I do,” Lexie admitted, nearly smiling at Aiden’s affronted look.
“Anyway, one of the Firebringers came and they seemed to have handled it. They’ll probably be stopping by for our statement any minute no–”
The front door swung open suddenly without a knock and a man in a red coat walked in. He exuded an aura of importance, like the air around him shimmered just a tad. Underneath the coat, he had a bronze spandex suit, with royal blue trimmings on the chest. The suit matched his copper-colored hair and his angular face as he scanned the room with a faint look of distaste.
As he got closer, he brought a faint, uncomfortable heat with him and Lexie realized the air around him really was shimmering, but less like a sparkle and more like a desert heatwave.
“What did I tell you,” Max muttered as the man walked up. “Absolute prick.”
“If it isn’t Mad Eye Max, the Dungeon Diver.” The man spoke in a heavily projected voice that reminded her of every cheesy superhero movie she’d ever watched. “Keeping horrible company as always.”
His eyes scanned Aiden with disdain. Aiden stiffened underneath his regard, but he kept his tone pleasant when he said, “Hey, Luth.”
“That’s Luther Firebringer to you, Professor Sparrowfoot.” His eyes skipped over me and his lips tightened. “I thought she was sick.”
“That’s why you don’t get paid for thinking, Luth, only for following orders,” Max responded.
Luther narrowed his eyes at Max, flames seeming to flicker in his gaze. Max appeared wholly unconcerned.
“Just ask your questions, Firebringer, and let's get this over with. I have somewhere to be at nine.”
“You don’t tell me what to do, Max. Know your place.”
“Oh really?” Max’s hand rested casually on his holster where he had a pistol tucked. "And who's going to show me that place? You?”
Luther smirked. “You think that little thing is going to hurt me? I’m almost tempted to see you try so I can explode it in your face. Maybe take out your remaining eye while I’m at it.”
“Enough,” Aiden said sternly, rubbing his forehead, while Max grinned sharkishly at Luther. Aiden’s hand still shook slightly like he’d been electrocuted. Lexie wanted to ask if he was okay but he kept talking. “My daughter needs sleep and you’re both being childish and wasting time. Just ask your questions, Luther.”
Luther looked suddenly furious but no longer at Max. He faced Aiden with a deep-seated loathing, animosity vibrating in the air around him. Aiden’s expression though gave nothing away.
“Fine,” Luther spat. “First question. When did you notice the dungeon spawning?”
“Earlier today," Max answered instead of Aiden. "At around evening time. Six thirty.”
“Did you alert the proper authorities?”
“I did as usual.” Max smiled humorlessly. “But we all know that Hovelton is priority ten to the Hero Association, so I had little faith that they would get here in time. And it looks like I was right.”
“And so you acted on your own. Without guidance.”
“I did what all your crisis ads tell us to do. Called the [Hero] hotline like I was supposed to and prepared for the high probability that you might not show up on time. And once again, I was right. ”
Luther’s eyes glittered. He seemed to want to argue against what Max said, but he couldn’t find the right words for it. Uncle Max stared right back at him with the same degree of animosity.
So instead, Luther asked, “Was all your equipment licensed?”
“If it wasn’t, you think I would tell you?”
“What about injuries? Did the ghoul hurt you?”
“A Level 4? Don’t insult me, asshole.”
Aiden gave Max a sidelong look but shook his head without saying anything.
Luther crossed his hands over his chest, chin rising and looking down his nose at Max. There was a challenge in his eyes, a tension that radiated between the two men for several minutes.
“Fine. Then I just need to do one final check before I go. Give me access to your screens, stat and health.”
Max suddenly exploded with a creative string of words all of which were way worse than 'prick'. Lexie’s eyebrows flew into her hairline. Aiden sighed and covered his daughter’s ears.
“For system's sake, it was only a level 4 monster. We don’t need a damn wellness check!”
“It was a ghoul, a possession-type creature. You know symptoms for that can show up weeks later. I need access to your screens to make sure you’re still who you say you are.”
“How does that even work? You’re just doing it because you’re a dick.”
It seemed Max had upgraded the PG rating of his insult.
Luther shrugged. “I can’t help your prejudices against me.”
Max’s jaw clenched and he didn’t say anything else, but he looked like he really wanted to punch Luther in the face. Luther had a superior smirk that reminded her of Robbie, and looked at Max for a few seconds longer before nodding and turning to Aiden.
His smile disappeared when he looked at Aiden. And he seemed to scan him for an even longer time than he did Max, until suddenly it felt like he was in a hurry to look away.
And then he turned to Lexie.
A second after he did, her status window blinked open.
*
LUTHER FIREBRINGER [A-RANKED HERO] REQUESTING ACCESS TO YOUR PRIVATE SCREENS. GRANT ACCESS? [YES] [NO]
*
She glanced at Aiden who nodded at her in approval.
Lexie was resistant to the idea of showing anyone else her screen but she couldn’t find a reason to refuse. She was concerned about that ISTS incognito window, but the manual already mentioned that the ISTS information couldn’t be accessed through her private screen. So theoretically, she was good.
She visually clicked on the [YES] button and then her private window opened.
Luther frown deepened, and apprehension spiked in Lexie’s chest as she had a small crisis of faith.
Did he see her Incognito Window after all? Did she inadvertently break the rules? Was her soul about to be terminated?
“She’s pre-awakened.”
Both Aiden and Max seemed to pause. “What?”
“What does that mean?” Lexie asked.
Luther glared at Aiden. “She doesn’t know what a pre-awakening is?”
“Take it down a notch, Luth,” Max drawled. “That has nothing to do with you.”
“It does if he’s being an irresponsible father and neglecting his child’s education! How can his daughter not know what pre-awakening is? That’s in the basic elementary curriculum. Has she not been attending school? And how exactly did you get her to pre-awaken without a coach? Perhaps, child services need to be called.”
Aiden’s face turned stony, but there was some guilt that flashed in his eyes as he looked at Lexie. Lexie looked back at him not knowing what any of this meant.
Max was the one who finally broke the silence.
“Oh, get off your high horse, asshole. You’re giving parenting advice now? Give me a break.” Luther shot Max a chilly look at the latter's wholly hostile tone. “How he raises his kid is none of your business. Call whoever you want but if you’re satisfied that we’re not possessed by evil spirits, then get the hell out”
Luther glared at Max, whose hand once again was on his holster. Then, the Firebringer ripped his gaze away and stared at Lexie until she started to feel uncomfortable.
He sighed, stepped back and said, “Don’t leave town in the next three weeks in case we have follow-up questions."
“Of course,” Max scoffed.
With a tight expression, Luther strutted out of the house, shutting the door behind him.
The minute he did, the remaining men stared after him with annoyed expressions of varying degrees.
"Why did he look at me like that?” Lexie asked, drawing Aiden's attention. He softened when he looked at her.
“Don’t worry about Luther, bumble bee.” He gave her a comforting head pat. “He was more mad at me than anything.”
“Why?”
Aiden made a noncommittal sound and shook his head but Max was all too happy to answer.
“Well, it's because your father was once his mentor." At Lexie's shocked look, and Aiden’s horrified one, Max continued, "Aiden was also one of the most powerful [Heroes] on Earth 9. Then he did something really cool, but kinda stupid, for the first time in his lame, goody-two-shoes existence and as a result, he became system-marked as a [Villain] for eternity. And then, since he so moronically accepted a [Villain] sentence, he’s now cursed to a life of powerlessness.” Max shook his head and glared after Luther as though holding him personally responsible for Aiden’s misfortune. Then he turned his attention back to Lexie. “You’re pre-awakened, and given who your father was, a lot of people will try to get you on the [Hero] fast track. I’d turn them down if I were you. [Heroes] are a bunch of ungrateful assholes.”
“They’re not all like that," Aiden said.
“You don’t have to defend them just because you were on their team. None of them defended you when it counted." Max turned his scowl from Aiden to Lexie. "I stand by what I said, kid. There are many other roles where you can earn a decent living. As a [Researcher] for example.”
“A [Researcher]?”
“Yes. If you have even half of your father’s intelligence then that should be an easy path for you. You end up with a nice, safe, cushy life; traveling to different planets and maybe even dimensions, and figuring out how the things in this world of ours work. That sounds more suitable for you. Unless you’re somehow thirsty for fame, have an oversized God-complex and a masochistic need to be cannon fodder, stay far away from the [Hero] path.”
A part of his statement caught Lexie’s attention. Figuring out how this world worked? That sounded like a great way to make an 'Revolutionary Discovery', one of the requirements for earning Travel Points. She already knew the 'Unbeatable Leadership' and 'Exceptional Heroism' were probably out of the question for her. It was just way out of her wheelhouse and she wouldn't even know where to start with that.
But research...that she could do.
And maybe if she did it enough, she would get to go home.
Or maybe she was reading too much into what Max said, because she was desperate to go home. She was trying to find the clues she could put together to decipher her path back to her original world. She had to be here for a reason right? It couldn’t have just been random. There had to be a storyline here that she was supposed to be a part of, a mystery to solve. Right? Otherwise, why would she be in a video game?
Unless of course, this was what happened to everyone who died. They just isekai’d into a random video game planet. Maybe this was purgatory.
Her breathing was starting to gallop again at that thought and she reeled herself in. No, don’t go there. Don’t start thinking hopeless thoughts. You’ve been given a idea, you just have to be patient and work it out. Learn how viable it is.
Maybe that [Research] thing Uncle Max mentioned might be her ticket out of here.
And if not, maybe, she could find out more about this ISTS business and find a way home with or without the Travel Point.
“So what does pre-awakened mean?” Lexie asked next.
The men shared another look. Max shook his head.
“You’ll have to explain it to her yourself. I think I’ve fulfilled my godfather duties for the night.” He stretched. “Besides, Flavi is going to kill me if I’m late for our date.”
