CH 93: Summoning Once More
Although the battle against Apocalypse had delayed Lex's main objective, it hadn't stopped him from preparing to deal with Ultron. He had returned to the Marvel universe with the TVA's equipment, and after examining it thoroughly, he had managed to get it working properly again. In fact, between the Player's Handbook's Dismantle function and Raphael's analytical capabilities, Lex had practically taken the technology apart and understood it inside out. The equipment could display different timelines and provide a means of travelling between universes, but knowing how to use it wasn't the same as knowing where to go. Ultron had escaped into the Negative Zone, and without knowing which location or timeline he had travelled to, Lex had no reliable way to find him.
“So, what's the plan?” Gwen asked, looking around the room at the others gathered for the meeting.
“Well, we already have the equipment to travel between universes and timelines. The problem is that we don't know where Ultron is, and I don't think there's any way to find out where he went just by looking at the TVA's equipment,” Lex explained. He leaned back in his chair, considering the problem from another angle. They had the means to reach an enormous number of possible destinations, but that didn't help much when they didn't even know which destination they were looking for.
“What if we had another Mind Stone?” Gwen suggested. “You know, since they're both Mind Stones, there's a chance we could track one through the other or something like that. I'm not saying it'll definitely work, but it's worth considering.”
“Well, the chances don't seem particularly high, but sure, we could try it if we get the opportunity,” Lex accepted. He wasn't convinced that two objects sharing the same cosmic origin would necessarily be able to locate each other across universes, but it wasn't an entirely unreasonable idea, either. At this point, he was willing to consider anything that might narrow down their search.
“I can probably build something that lets us look into the past,” Regina offered. She had been called back from the Negative Zone to join the meeting, and, as usual, she seemed more interested in the technical challenge than the inconvenience of having to attend a gathering. “It'll take some time, obviously, but if we can work out how Ultron travelled, we might be able to determine where he went.”
“If it's about time, Clockwork could work, too. I can definitely see the past with him,” Ben added from his place among the group.
“Really?” several people asked almost simultaneously, turning toward him.
“Yeah,” Ben replied, looking mildly puzzled by their reaction.
Lex stared at him for a moment before running a hand over his face. “Why didn't you say so earlier? Damn, we had a possible solution sitting right here the whole time.”
“Hold your horses,” Gwen interrupted before he could get carried away. “How are we going to find the exact place where Ultron left? From the Ultron bot, we only learned that he escaped. We don't have the location in the Negative Zone where he made his exit, so even if Ben can see the past, we still don't know where to point him.”
Lex's excitement faded as the missing piece became obvious again. “Ah... so we're back to square one, huh?” he sighed.
“You know, Lex, since you're planning on summoning people anyway, why don't you summon someone who might actually be able to help us?” Sharon suggested, bringing the conversation back to the options they could act on immediately.
“Oh, yeah. Revan has magic,” Donna added. “No offense, Gwen, but I think she might actually be a more powerful mage than you.”
Gwen slowly raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“I did say no offense,” Donna replied with an exaggerated roll of her eyes, apparently considering that sufficient justification for the remark.
Lex decided not to get involved in their little exchange. “I think summoning someone who can help with the investigation is a good idea. Any other suggestions?”
“I still think Albedo would be a good choice for defence,” Sharon said. “She's some kind of Guardian, right? If that's what she is, protecting a base should be something she'd be good at.”
“Yeah, but I'm still curious about that NPC label,” Lex mused. “What does it actually mean? Is she somehow different from the other summons? Why does her type say NPC instead of Character?”
“Summon her and maybe we'll find out,” Gwen suggested. “She's three stars, right? Even if something goes wrong, we should all be able to handle it.”
“I wouldn't bet on that,” Donna countered. “Grayfia is three stars, too, but have you seen her fight?”
“It's okay, guys. I'm pretty powerful now, and my own power makes it difficult for you to actually harm me,” Lex said, dismissing their concerns with a casual shrug. His confidence wasn't entirely baseless; the others had already seen Gwen experiment with his abilities and understood that his protection wasn't something they could easily overcome.
“I'd say go for Hephaestus,” Regina suggested, shifting the discussion toward a different possibility. “Having a goddess of blacksmithing around could be useful. We might get some good equipment out of it, and perhaps she could help me with a few things, too.”
“Or Afureia,” Gwen added. “If we're going for a goddess, she seems more capable in that area. There's also Kurumi, considering her connection to time powers.”
“Well, we already have a few ideas for the time problem, even if we still need to find the right location. And honestly, I think we need better equipment more than additional firepower right now. If we can improve Sharon's and Donna's equipment, that alone would be a huge relief,” Lex replied. “So, let's go with Raven and Hephaestus for now, then Albedo afterward. We'll save Afureia and Kurumi for another time.”
With the immediate choices settled, Lex took out the Raven card along with a Background Creation Card and tore them together. The cards dissolved into light, and a young woman appeared before him, dressed in a dark-purple cloak with a hood that partially shadowed her face. She had pale skin, a slender build, and short, dark-violet hair that framed her features in uneven layers, while her violet-blue eyes stood out against her otherwise subdued appearance. Beneath the cloak, she wore a dark, form-fitting outfit with matching gloves and boots, giving her a practical appearance without drawing unnecessary attention to her figure. She looked to be in her early twenties, and there was a natural seriousness to her expression that made her seem more inclined to observe than to engage in casual conversation.
Her eyes carried a quiet intensity, the sort that made it difficult to tell what she was thinking even when she was standing directly in front of someone. Despite that, she looked perfectly human, at least on the surface, though Lex had long since learned not to judge a summoned person's nature by their appearance alone. He could sense that there was more to her than she was showing, but he didn't need to investigate her immediately. For now, he was more interested in the way she stood there, apparently taking in her new surroundings while seeming entirely absorbed by a thought of her own.
“He's really gone, huh...” she whispered.
The words were quiet, almost involuntary, and for a moment she seemed to forget that anyone else was present. There was no confusion in her expression, nor any sign of panic at having arrived in an unfamiliar world. Instead, Lex noticed something more subtle: the tension she'd been carrying was beginning to ease, as though she were only now allowing herself to believe that something she'd spent years dreading had finally come to an end.
“Donna...” Raven said suddenly, turning toward the Amazon with a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
“Hey! You look even gloomier than usual,” Donna greeted her, immediately picking up on the difference between Raven's outward composure and the relief she was trying to conceal. “Was it really that bad?”
“The usual. Dad got out of prison and started beating my friends,” Raven replied with a shrug, as though she were describing an inconvenience rather than something that had clearly affected her far more deeply. Her voice remained flat, and she didn't elaborate, but Donna knew her well enough to recognize that the answer was a deliberate understatement. Whatever had happened back home, Raven wasn't in the mood to talk about it, and the fact that she had finally been given a chance to leave it behind seemed to matter more than anything else.
“Okay, don't be like that. Everyone here is amazing. You'll love it,” Donna said, stepping in before Raven could retreat further into herself. She gestured around the room and began introducing the people gathered there. “This is Lex. He's good in battle and even better in bed. Sharon is bossy, but you'll love her. Then there's Gwen, who's a magician like you, and Regina... well, she's in heat. That's Ben, Gwen's cousin, and there are a few others you'll meet later.”
Raven looked at Donna for a moment, then glanced toward Lex and the others. Her expression remained restrained, though the introductions seemed to leave her with a few more questions than she was willing to ask aloud. The comment about Lex's bedroom skills earned him an amused look from Sharon, while Gwen appeared to have developed a sudden interest in anything other than Regina's reaction to being introduced that way. Lex, for his part, decided that correcting Donna's presentation of him would accomplish absolutely nothing.
After a few minutes of conversation, Donna seemed to realize that Raven had little interest in making small talk with a roomful of strangers. Rather than force her to remain, she offered to show Raven around and help her settle into a room, giving her the space she clearly needed. Raven accepted without protest, and the two of them left together, Donna talking as they went while Raven listened in her usual quiet manner. Lex watched them disappear down the corridor, hoping that a change of world and some distance from her father would give Raven the peace she had clearly been missing.
Once they were gone, Lex took out the Hephaestus card and paired it with another Background Creation Card. He tore them together, and a second figure appeared in the space before him.
Hephaestus had a striking appearance, with tousled crimson-red hair falling in messy, windswept layers around her face and brushing against her neck. A black eyepatch covered her left eye, contrasting with the visible crimson eye beneath her sweeping bangs, while her delicate features and faint, confident smile gave her an approachable charm. She wore a fitted white button-up shirt with its sleeves rolled to her elbows, the collar left casually open, paired with snug black trousers that suited her practical, no-nonsense appearance. Black gloves covered her hands, and a sturdy leather tool holster rested at her hip, reinforcing the impression of a woman who was just as comfortable working at a forge as she was managing a business.
Despite her attractive appearance, there was nothing particularly delicate about the way she carried herself. She stood with a relaxed confidence, one arm resting behind her head while the other held a long-handled smithing tool across her shoulder, as though she'd simply paused in the middle of a busy day to take a break. The warm light caught the fiery strands of her hair, bringing out their reddish-orange highlights, and the combination of her workman's attire and easy smile gave her an appealing mixture of professionalism and casual charm. To Lex, she looked like a striking red-haired craftswoman who had stepped away from her workshop for a moment, rather than a goddess who had just arrived in an entirely different universe.
“Strange new world this is...” Hephaestus murmured as she looked around.
Lex could feel a faint energy radiating from her, subtle but unmistakable. It was as though she were using some form of magic to examine the world around her, taking in details that ordinary senses wouldn't have been able to detect. He couldn't tell precisely what she was learning, but she seemed calm enough, and he decided to let her finish before interrupting.
“Hi, I'm Lex Everhart, your summoner,” he introduced himself once she had finished surveying her surroundings.
“Hephaestus here,” she replied, turning her attention toward him. Her visible eye moved over him with an appraising look, and then she seemed to reach a conclusion. “So that power must have cost you something, right? How about this? I'll make some equipment for you, as long as you bring me good materials. Other than that, don't expect anything.”
Lex blinked at the straightforward offer, then shrugged. “Don't worry, I won't force you to do anything. If you want, you can explore the world or do whatever interests you. But if you ever need my help, you'll have to join the team.”
“Good idea...” Hephaestus nodded, apparently satisfied with that arrangement. “Well, good to meet you. My offer to make equipment still stands. See you!”
Before Lex could say anything else, Hephaestus transformed into a beam of white light and disappeared, apparently deciding that exploring this new world was more interesting than lingering around for introductions. Lex stared at the space where she'd been standing, momentarily unsure whether he should be impressed by her confidence or amused by how quickly she'd left.
“Well, that was something...” he muttered, watching the last traces of light fade away.
“We'll still have to keep an eye on her,” Gwen said, floating a little closer. “Since you brought her into this world, she's your responsibility.”
“Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. If she starts doing something evil, I'll handle it,” Lex replied, sounding less enthusiastic about the responsibility than the promise itself warranted.
He had summoned Raven and Hephaestus, and both had already gone their separate ways for the moment. Next would be Albedo.