Ace of Capes [Superhero LitRPG] [Isekai] [Card Crafting]

The dungeon was closed.

The trolls were coming.

Nevertheless, Lexie refused to panic. She suppressed fear with sheer willpower and thought about what she could do right now.

Tapping into her Eldritch mana was inevitable at this point, but she had to be careful with it. She didn't know what her limit was yet, and she didn't know what long-term use would cause.

Plus, the dungeon might have other tricks up its sleeve.

The void card would be the simplest, most effective way to get rid of the trolls, but it sucked out too much mana. Nevertheless, given that it was dark, and the marshy ground made it difficult to move, that might be the best thing for her.

At least, once she adjusted the activation.

"V," Lexie whispered, pulling up the card as the first set of trolls burst from out of the tunnels. "It's your time to shine."

She activated the void cards' second setting, which unleashed a holographic version of V the V'Sala as a creature from it. The shimmering ghoul creature targeted one of the trolls and leapt onto its face.

As it started to suck out its essence, Lexie barely felt the mana drain. Instead, she felt the unsteady emotions, like laughing and crying at the same time.

Her Eldritch mana had been activated, and V was having the time of its life with it. It let out a mad cackle as the troll's roar turned into girlish, high-pitched screams that made Lexie almost pity the creature.

The other troll was barrelling towards Lexie, and Lexie screamed, but before it reached her, V jumped on its head, crawling around to look into its eyes.

That creature started screaming, too.

It seemed like V, or the combination of V and Lexie's Eldritch mana, was able to take on more than one creature at once.

Lexie also twisted the dial to activate the V'Sala's strongest attribute. Possession.

That was the last stage of the torture, so even as the first troll dropped to its knees, it wasn't quite there yet.

Nevertheless, Lexie felt intrinsically that V could only handle the two trolls at a time, and more were coming, bursting out of the tunnels. She had to do something else.

It occurred to her that she had a weapon in her inventory.

Of course.

She opened it and pulled out the lighter that Uncle Max had crafted for her, unfolding it into a gun. She had no idea if the bullet would work on trolls, but there was no time for hesitation.

Shoving herself back on the ground, she began shooting into the dark, yelling as she did.

Though the bullets were silent as they pierced flesh, the screams of the trolls let her know that something was happening.

Yet more were coming.

Lexie had to run.

She had a plan, but it was foggy at best, and she needed not to die in the meantime.

Luckily, by the time the next set of trolls arrived–three of them–V had succeeded in possessing two of the trolls.

The shimmering ghoul was no longer there, as his essence had disappeared into the trolls.

They got up and charged at the other three, attacking in a slow, clumsy, but effective way. The trolls, confused, began to fight each other.

Lexie tried to get up, but she fell, her hands shaking.

Something was wrong.

Lexie's body felt jittery, like her cells were shaking, like they couldn't contain the power within her. Like her skin was coming apart.

She felt heat at the base of her belly, as murderous thoughts that she couldn't control flooded her mind.

Kill.

Destroy.

Everything.

It was a pounding in her skull, a genuine resentment that was turning into a river of rage within her.

How dare they attack me? Do they know who I am? What I'm capable of? I will destroy all of them.

Rend their flesh from bones.

Turn the ground into a river of their blood.

All must die.

The thoughts echoed, taking over her psyche. They weren't apart from her. There was no Eldritch voice.

These were all Lexie's thoughts, her true beliefs, her feelings.

Lexie stared at the trolls, and she knew in that instant that she would not leave them alive.

Before this, she'd wanted to kill them simply to escape.

Now she wanted to kill them for its own sake.

The heat of a pendant against her chest was the only thing that reminded her of her plan before this.

To call Naem.

He'd said she could contact him with the necklace he'd given her at the start of their dream adventures, and with that, he could find her anywhere in the world.

Though she wasn't sure how to activate it, she pushed mana into it to alert him that something was wrong. He likely knew where she was, and the dungeon also probably wasn't technically on earth anymore now that she'd disappeared, so hopefully this was in his domain. He could appear and rescue her.

The thought of her rescue was only a flash in her mind, as everything in her refocused on the battle ahead. She would not fall. It didn't matter if they hit her or bludgeoned her.

Like Ganor had taught her, she would not fall.

She activated <Can't Touch This> as the next set of trolls arrived. They barrelled right past the skirmish, reaching Lexie in a few steps.

She was swept back by the card, and as she shot at them one-handedly, the other hand was used to simultaneously activate <All Around Protection> and <True Windkiller>, sending them flying, sending them flying. .

If she added a fire to windkiller, it would make the fire bigger.

But the fire wouldn't burn them. Smashing their brains in would do the trick.

She wished she had the strength for that. She would enjoy playing ping-pong with their heads.

God, what is wrong with me? That quiet, appalled part of her spat out, but once again it was only a flash of a thought. Lexie didn't care about the weak, horrified voice. This was war, and she could only think like a warrior.

This is terrible.

This is fun.

War is fun.

Lexie was jolted from side to side, as <Can't Touch This> kept her away from the monsters. Lexie's possessed trolls had fallen, but not before smashing one of their brethren to smithereens. They themselves had been decapitated somehow.

Lexie smiled. It looked beautiful.

The rest of the trolls came for her, and Lexie tried to activate the fire card, but something happened. Her body jerked, the heat in her stomach gushing up, and she was on her knees, coughing out blood.

"It seems your body had reached its limit of simultaneous activations," she heard from behind her, and when she turned, she was filled with relief. Naem was there, somewhere in the dark, though she couldn't see him.

"Don't lose focus," he warned just as another troll threw their club aimed at Lexie's head. <All Around Protection> blocked it, but two other trolls threw clubs at almost the same time, and one of them smashed into her midsection, sending her skating into the wall.

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Shit. It had broken something. Her entire body was flooded with pain.

She saw the card glitching around her, and the rage inside her grew.

"Get up," Naem said. "Fight."

Lexie got up. She fought.

Rage filled her as she activated fire and void at once. It was combined into one card, a raging flame that stretched from corner to corner, climbed above their heads.

It burned the creatures, as their screams became like a sweet melody.

It's a cleansing flame, Lexie thought loopily. It erases vermin from existence.

Lexie laughed as V, the flame ghoul, rose from the ashes. It possessed another troll, and via Lexie's control, the troll started smashing himself on the head even as he was scorched to nothing.

Lexie laughed some more. It was just so funny when she thought about it. Lexie was imposing her will on the creature imposing its will on the trolls. She was dominating it. She was better than it.

She was better than everyone here, and for that, they would die.

But Lexie wasn't going to get away scot-free. Her body collapsed, and more heat swelled in her intestines, surging up to her throat.

She dropped to her knees and vomited. Even in the dark, she could tell it was blood splashing on her hands.

Something was happening. She was dying.

Even if I die, at least they're dying too.

The void flame had swallowed up the trolls and continued to rage, about to engulf Lexie herself, and Lexie couldn't stop it. Even if she could, she didn't want it to stop.

The fire was pretty. It was the truth. It was light.

It took a second for the rage to recede enough for her to acknowledge Naem, now standing in front of her.

The dungeon was grumbling, getting ready to unleash more monsters. It wouldn't stop until Lexie was dead.

She needed to get out of here.

"Can you get me out of here?" Lexie gasped.

Naem thought about it and shook his head.

"Why not?" Lexie asked. "You have more authority than this dungeon, don't you?"

"Authority can be funny when it's not a creature in your soul line. Yes, I have more authority than it, but this denatured creature is of a different soul line. On top of that, it's quite stubborn. To get you out of here, I would have to negotiate with the owner of this soul line. He will ask something of me that I'm not willing to part with."

"Oh."

Lexie was waiting for him to propose an alternate solution, but Naem was silent, staring down at her. The dungeon rumbled again, and Lexie thought she heard more roars.

Yet she wasn't afraid. She almost welcomed it.

"Maybe this is the only way," Naem murmured as though talking to himself.

"What?" Lexie asked.

He squatted to look into her eyes with his dark orbs. "Aiden says that human children require something called 'gentle parenting'. That's the best way to bring them up, he thinks. I have been attempting that method with you for all our time together. I will admit that it does have its advantages, and it has been enjoyable. But you are not a human, Lexie. And I am not a gentle parent."

"What are you saying?" Lexie wasn't in the mood for riddles.

"That perhaps you are meant to be here and stay here, for as long as possible. Perhaps forever. I am not meant to assist you in this endeavor, as my assistance may have hindered your growth."

Assistance? Huh? What was he talking about?

"I will withdraw my mana as well," he said. "Put a blockade in place, so you will draw only from yourself and the Chaos mother."

"I don't understand what you're saying, Naem." Lexie's eyebrows ruffled. "If you leave me in here, I'll die." Already, her body felt like it was breaking down, shaking like a bomb about to go off, and the fire she'd started was about to consume her. She wasn't sure if the flames would get her before she coughed up a lung, but either way, she would be gone.

"Not necessarily," Naem said. "You simply won't exist as a human anymore."

"That's as good as me being dead," Lexie said, and the bit of her humanity that had receded as a response to her fear fought back, expressing dismay at what she'd become in these last few minutes. A sob tore out of her throat. "I…I'm struggling, Naem. I can't hold it together. I feel like something's happening and I can't control it."

"That is the problem. You humans and your obsession with control. There is no control, Lexie. You must accept the truth and live with it."

"What are you talking about? You told me you would help me control my Eldritch?"

"I told you I would help you retain personhood and agency," he said. "You have that. Everything you've done here, you did because you wanted to. There is no Eldritch-Lexie controlling you."

Lexie heard the implication he didn't state outright. Because you have become the Eldritch-Lexie.

"What about the contract?" Lexie demanded, desperate and heated. "It explicitly said you would teach me to suppress the growth of my Eldritch."

"Contractor will teach Contractee how to use her Eldritch soul shard for her own benefit and how to control growth as best as she can," Naem said. "You have controlled growth the best that you can, even to your detriment. But maybe this is the only way for you to be what you need to be. For you and your father to finally stop denying what you are."

Lexie didn't entirely understand what he was saying, but she felt a cold fear seeping into her heart as she gazed at the fathomless eyes of Naem… the eyes that she'd become so familiar with, to the point where she'd started to trust them.

She'd been warned.

Oh, she'd been warned by her father not to trust Naem.

"Naem is not human. He can pretend better than most others, but always remember he is Eldritch."

Xena had warned her, too, but Lexie hadn't listened. Why had she not listened?

When she had been in Naem's soul, she hadn't been able to sense any deep desire there. Was it because he wanted nothing, or had he just hidden it from her?

"You said you would protect me," Lexie told him.

"I did."

"You said you would keep me from turning Eldritch."

"Did I?" he said softly, no guile on his face. Lexie was about to say yes, but then she realized he'd never told her that. He'd told her he would help her control her metamorphosis and that he would train her, but he'd never said he would keep her from being Eldritch.

She'd just figured that they were on the same page and had the same goal, because he was helpful and she'd wanted to believe him.

It's just as easy to deceive with the truth as it is to deceive with a lie.

"You said you wouldn't hurt me."

"I will not hurt you, soul spawn," he said. "And you will not die in this dungeon. That I can assure you. Your need for survival will enable you to stop fighting yourself. This is the only way to ensure that you become what you're meant to be, what I need you to be. I was hoping you would get it with Ganor, but alas, that did not work."

"I don't understand," Lexie shook her head. "I don't understand what you're talking about. What do you need me to be?"

"Think about it." He leaned in, and she finally got a hint of that deep-seated hunger he was so good at hiding. "What do you think I need from you?"

Lexie took a second. She believed Naem had helped her father all this time for a chance to reap his soul.

"You want my soul," she guessed.

She sensed she'd disappointed him, as he shook his head.

He stood. "I will leave now."

"No, Naem, wait–"

"There is no cure for madness, Lexie Sparrowfoot," he said. "You can either let it be your superpower, or you can let it destroy you. But there is no stopping your metamorphosis. This dungeon may be your home forever, or it may not. Whatever the case may be, your life as a human is over."

"No!" Lexie shook her head. "I won't accept that! I'm not gonna become a nightmarish creature!"

"You will become what you must become," he said, "When I see you next, you will be changed. You may hate me, or you may finally comprehend me. Either way, I will understand."

"Naem, if you leave me in here, if you let me become a monster, I will never forgive you!"

He stared at her and then repeated. "I will understand."

And with that, he disappeared as Lexie's heart sank to her toes and she screamed with all the heartbreak she could muster.

"Naem!!"

***

He won.

Vulcan almost couldn't believe it.

He'd been squeezing his stress ball since the second he'd watched Lexie enter the dungeon, and his stomach had been in knots ever since.

He, of course, had other plans in the books, plans that would activate if this dungeon did not manage to take Lexie out.

But by the Guardians, this was the closest he'd ever gotten to getting rid of her. It had to work. It just had to.

Vulcan wasn't a religious man.

But he prayed fervently every second as the timer counted down to zero. So far, everything had mostly matched his model. In it, though, Lexie had come here with a Firebringer bodyguard, not with the Torin Firebringer, but it didn't matter who she was there with.

They both had to perish.

This dungeon had a contingency for fire powers, and it was great at evolving to find new weaknesses.

It was one of the strongest of all the UD's.

Lexie Sparrowfoot was going to die today. She had to.

Yet, a part of Vulcan still hadn't believed it would happen. After what felt like years of stress and hair-ripping frustration, he couldn't believe it would all end like this.

As the timer counted down, his heart raced so fast he got dizzy. He squeezed and squeezed the life out of the ball.

Then it finally happened.

The Firebringer boy was spit out of the dungeon, and the portal disappeared.

"No!" The boy, covered in black mud, got to his feet, staring in horror and anger at the deadspace. "Lexie!"

Yes! Vulcan wanted to crow and pump his fists, but he kept himself from moving even as his heart pumped with joy.

"NO!"

Yes! His echo of triumph contrasted with the screams of denial from the boy who cried out for a dead girl.

Lexie Sparrowfoot was dead.

Vulcan had won.

Tears filled his eyes.

He'd finally gotten rid of that pest. Finally! He couldn't help but chortle.

It was a mistake.

Torin froze, then spun around, searching wildly in the air as though sensing his presence.

Oops, time to go.

Vulcan briefly debated killing Torin, but the boy was strong, and frankly, Vulcan hadn't yet factored that into his calculations, so it was best not to risk it. Better to deal with him later.

But even knowing that Torin lived couldn't completely dull Vulcan's shine. He was so ecstatic that nothing could get him down. He'd finally gotten rid of the thorn in his side, Lexie Sparrowfoot, and in doing so, he'd turned Aiden into a tool of vengeance unlike anything the world had ever seen.

That was exactly what they needed for the final stage of their plan, and though things had been touch and go for some time there, it was amazing how it all came together.

Now he could finally breathe and dedicate the rest of his visions to taking out the person who had been his primary target before Lexie Sparrowfoot had derailed him.

It was time to get rid of the strongest of the Chosen himself.

Dominic Vacek.