I stared at the tiny girl across the table as she stuffed a chicken sandwich into her mouth. Looking at her now, with her hood down and helmet off, she didn’t look like one of the toughest opponents I’d ever faced, but she was.

 

She looked completely human, and my friends assured me that she never used magic once, yet she moved faster than anyone I’d ever seen. Faster than people that were receiving an ongoing haste enchantment. I didn’t know if, or when, we might have another chance to face her again, so I needed to take advantage of this time. I needed to know why.

 

“So… Teddy… It seems like you and your golems don’t know any magic, is that right?”

 

She looked at me and cocked her head to the side for a second. “Golems? Oh! You mean my team. Yeah, no magic. I didn’t even know that magic existed until a couple hours ago.”

 

“You didn’t know magic existed?” Kass asked, flabbergasted.

 

“Nope. Never seen spider and snake people either,” Teddy replied casually.

 

Kass and I stared at her for a couple seconds, unsure what to do with this information. Teddy just continued chewing on her sandwich.

 

“I see…” I finally mumbled. “And I don’t want to be rude, but can I ask what race you are? You move unlike anyone I’d ever seen before. You look human…”

“That’s because I am human. I think,” she frowned for a moment then turned to one of the bears sitting nearby. “Nyx, I’m still human right?”

“Of course you are. Even though you’ve had a number of your organs replaced, the bionics were constructed using your original DNA, that’s why your body didn’t instantly reject them,” the bear replied. A moment later the bear shuddered and started smacking itself in the head. “Stop doing that without any warning!”

 

“Well, there you go, I’m one hundred percent human…ish,” the girl declared before going back to her sandwich.

 

“Did that bear just say you had your organs replaced?” I asked quietly.

 

Teddy nodded. “I had to, my original ones kind of got crushed in a fight.”

 

I was at a loss for words. Teddy was saying the most fantastical, and horrifying things possible, yet the casual way she discussed it all made it sound like this was all commonplace to her. I didn’t think she was lying either.

 

“I don’t get it… What could you possibly have been fighting that could do that much damage outside of a dungeon? A feral dragon?” Kass asked. “No, that’s impossible… we would have heard of a feral dragon moving around.”

 

“It was a Model Forty Three. Big, scary fucker, killed a number of my friends before we finally took it down,” Teddy replied. She must have seen the abject confusion on both Kass and my faces, because she finally stopped eating and put her sandwich down. “Oh… I get it now, Lanivia didn’t explain the situation. I’m not from around here.”

 

“Yeah, we got that…” Kass muttered. “Where are you from?”

 

“Earth, the milky way galaxy… ummm… Nyx?”

 

“Another world!” a different bear replied back in the same voice as before.

 

“Right! I’m from another world,” the girl explained, before she resumed eating.

 

The table went quiet, as everyone turned and stared at the diminutive girl.

 

“Beg your pardon?” Chelsea asked.

 

“I fell through an Antithesis portal in the middle of an Incursion, and ended up here. That’s why I came to find Linivia. Someone said she might be able to help me,” Teddy explained, nodding slightly. “Apparently she can, she just asked that I participate in a match in exchange.”

“So when you said you’ve never seen magic before…” Luther prompted.

 

“I haven’t! We don’t have that back home,” Teddy said. “I’ve seen some crazy stuff since I landed here this morning.”

“But what about your golems, and those weapons you’ve been carrying around?” I asked, dumbfounded. “Aren’t they enchanted?”

 

“Nope! They’re good old fashioned technology innovation. Robots, and guns” the girl replied. She paused and squinted. “Well, not old fashioned, super advanced. I guess it would be even more so to you guys. Sorry, wrong phrase to use there.”

 

“Technological innovation,” Kass repeated. “Impossible!”

 

“Nope, there’s solid scientific principles behind it all. I don’t know what they are… but they’re there,” Teddy said. “You know, I had a similar reaction when I first saw all the magic, and magical devices you guys were using. I got used to it once I realized a lot of it was an analog for the shit we have back home. It reminds me of that old saying… Something about advanced technology compared to magic?”

 

The girl scratched her chin, and a third bear turned. “I believe you’re referring to Arthur C. Clark’s famous third law. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

“That’s the one!” the girl declared.

 

“And… who is it you’re talking to?” Sullivan asked. “I assumed Nyx was the name of one of your bears, but they seem to be a separate entity.”

 

“Oh, Nyx is my protector AI. They’re a super advanced thinking machine which provides me with the technology I need to fight the antithesis. They’re kind of like my version of Lanivia, but they’re kind of restricted right now because they’re stuck back in the other dimension.”

 

“Charmed!” the grey bear exclaimed in Nyx’s voice.

 

The entire table went quiet as we tried to process everything Teddy had said. It was a lot.

 

“Do we even want to know what these Antithesis are?” I asked quietly.

 

“Vicious alien invaders that are trying to devour everything, and everyone on my planet,” Teddy replied, equally quietly. “Thankfully the protectors decided to provide advanced technology to a couple of us, the Vanguard, so we could defend ourselves. I can’t even tell you how vicious the fighting could get… You’re lucky you don’t have them here.”

 

“Indeed,” a soft sultry voice exclaimed from the entrance.

 

I turned towards the voice to find Lanivia standing there, wearing her standard dark elf disguise.

 

“Did you know she wasn’t from this world?” I asked before I could stop myself.

 

“I did. That’s why I asked her to participate in a run, to test how well you would hold up against the greatest champions of another world,” Lanivia replied.

 

“You know… I may be one of the stronger samurai in my city, but I’m far from the greatest champion. There are plenty of samurai that are stronger than I am,” Teddy grumbled. “I didn’t even have a great setup. No extra ammo for the guns, and none of my regular backup.”

 

“You did admirably, even without having all your extra gear, or time to prepare,” Lanivia replied.

 

“If you say so,” Teddy shrugged. “Time to go?”

Lanivia nodded, “The ritual has been prepared. Whenever you’re ready.”

“Excellent!” Teddy declared, jumping to her feet. She took a couple steps away before pausing and turning back to the table. “It was nice to meet you all. Thanks for the meal”

 

“You know, you could stay a little longer if you wanted,” Chelsea said.

 

“I probably could… but Calgary was in the middle of an incursion when I was forcibly relocated. Although my friends could probably handle it, I can’t help but worry. Better to check in as soon as I can,” the girl replied, waving over her shoulder as she headed towards Lanivia. “Take care all.”

 

As she crossed the room I glanced at Lanivia. The ancient lich never looked at me, but she still subtly gestured for me to follow. That’s all I needed, and I immediately jumped to my feet to follow the small group.

“Hey Tali, where are you going?” Kass called as George and I rushed across the room.

 

“I have to see the end of this,” I shouted back. “I’ll be back soon.”

 

Even though I ran to catch up, Lanivia, Teddy and the Bears always appeared to be one step ahead. I only caught a glimpse of them disappearing into Lanivia’s chambers when I got to the rotunda, and despite my best efforts I was unable to catch up on the long staircase to Lanivia’s sanctum.

 

It was only when I reached the bottom of the stairs, and approached the endless library, that I finally caught sight of them.

 

Lanivia’s study area had been cleared, and a complicated magical formula had been etched into the very stone that made up her floating platform. The runes thrummed with so much magic that even I could feel it. Teddy apparently still couldn’t, if she could I doubt she would have stepped onto the massive array so casually.

 

“I appreciate the help,” Teddy said as she and the bears wandered to the middle of the platform. “You sure you don’t need anything else from me? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, I just feel like sending me back across dimensions is worth a lot more than a single match.”

 

“You’ve provided more than enough,” Lanivia replied. “I enjoyed how much you shook things up around here.”

I crept into the room, George at my heels and silently watched the exchange. Something told me this wasn’t something I should interrupt.

 

“If you say so,” the girl grumbled, taking the helmet off her belt and fastening it over her head. “You know… it just occurred to me that I got her by falling through an Antithesis rift. If it threw me here, there’s always a chance the Antithesis might try and come through too. You should be careful.”

 

“Do not worry, there are still a few of us that watch the veil, and as long as we do the monsters will never pass through,” Lanivia replied, turning slightly and glancing my way. “Although who knows what might happen in the future. We will remain vigilant, and be prepared if they ever sneak through.”

“Good. Don’t give them an inch!” Teddy declared. As Lanivia started chanting the girl just waved. “Later.”

 

A moment later the array flashed, and Teddy and her squad were gone.

 

“Did they make it back?” I finally asked.

 

“Of course, I never would have misled our guest. I was able to use the faint call coming from her original world, and send her back there. With any luck she’ll even have arrived in time to save a few lives,” Lanivia said calmly.

 

I stared at her for a few seconds, fiddling nervously until I worked up the courage to ask about the one thing that stuck out to me. “You said you monitor the veil, and prevent those things she’s fighting, the Antithesis from coming through. Is that true?”

“Myself and a few others. We do our best to prevent the worst of the universe and other dimensions from intruding on our peaceful world,” Lanivia replied, before turning towards me and fixing me with a deep stare. “However, there’s always a chance that something may sneak through and when that happens, we must be ready.”

I nodded, trying my best to fight the urge to turn away from her unnerving stare. It was like staring into the abyss.

 

“We will be,” I promised.

 

Lanivia finally turned away, a small smile on her spectral lips. “Good.”