The Innkeeper

The aura disappeared just as fast as it appeared. It was but a single moment of pure suppression but it had completely stopped the flow of battle. Each participant eyed each other warily, as if to determine if the others knew the origin of the aura, yet they were all equally surprised.

Lex considered making a statement. A simple one liner to let them know that he was displeased or that he would let the matter stay so long as they ended their battle. But the move didn't feel right.

As the Innkeeper, if he gave excessive explanations while in the Inn, it would still make sense since he had to provide an explanation to his guests. Outside, however, he did not need to explain.

Since he was playing the role of a powerhouse, no matter how down to earth he made his personality seem, some things would be beneath him. In such a situation, the fact that he supposedly flashed his aura at them was already enough of a warning. Giving further explanations would make him seem weak.

So, with arms folded across his chest and an impassive face, he just looked up in the air and watched everything. Whether or not the battle continued would determine his follow up. In fact, he was already preparing for the battle to continue.

After all, while he was using the mindset of a powerful overlord to judge the situation, he had to live in the reality where he was pathetically weak in front of those up in the sky.

A single second went by since the aura disappeared. For Lex it was a miniscule amount of time, barely enough to form a couple of thoughts, but for the immortals in the sky, a single second was akin to a lifetime. The speed at which their minds worked was not comprehensible to mere mortals and so, a single second of indecision was actually an immense deal. It showed just how much of a deterrent that aura had been.

Zagan understood that the target of the aura had been him all along, since he was the one who came here and started making trouble. Since whoever released the aura marked this place as his territory, he surely had an understanding with the humans. The only question that remained was if he was willing to risk fighting whoever released the aura for the treasure.

After all, it need not be explained that for a being of such level to reside here, the only attraction was whatever that treasure had been.

Zagan was confident in his own strength, but if he had to fight the owner of that aura, alongside these humans, it would be a little difficult. Zagan hated things that were difficult, for he was somewhat lazy by nature.

Letting out an irritated groan, Zagan turned around and returned to the watery depths.

The immediate threat of the beast was gone, but the humans remained frozen in the air. This was because they did not understand where the aura had come from. Was there some ancient monster sleeping in the area from long before they ever even arrived? It seemed like it.

Yet even as they waited, nothing happened. No monster arrived. There was no follow up.

When they were convinced that all was well, Bertram and Joseph Noel, the patriarch of the Noel family, finally turned their attention to the battlefield that had once been Babylon.

Bertram was especially hit hard by the town's current state because he had visited it so recently. It was hard to believe that there would be a single survivor.

Then they turned to look at the Midnight tavern.

Amidst the broken land, filled with monster corpses and the burnt up remnants of what might have once been houses, a single, three story wooden building stood pristine. The small garden at the front had the sheen of freshly cut grass but other than that, it did not seem like it had even suffered from strong winds. They even noticed that, by a particular window sill, a robin had made a small nest.

It was safely nestled on top of its tiny eggs, asleep without fear or concern of the carnage that had struck the lands. It was too peculiar. If there was any chance of survivors, it would be there.

Suddenly, Bertram was struck by a memory of a visit on his passage through the town.

"Midnight tavern…" he mumbled, softly remembering the place where his brother had last partied.

But, before he even had the time to reminisce, a hole was blown open in the ground, and Pvarti emerged.

"There are survivors," he yelled up into the sky, uncaring that his family would treat him as a stranger. "But the entrances have been buried, and the formation isn't working properly, it's been too badly damaged."

The family that did not expect a reunion so soon quickly began excavating an entrance to the underground bunkers. Finding survivors would help them understand what exactly had happened here, and what exactly that one building was.

Back inside the tavern, Lex descended from the rooftop in a jolly mood and clapped his hands loudly to attract everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen I have excellent news," Lex said slightly formally, forgetting to step out of his Innkeeper persona. "The town's formation has returned to functioning normally, and all the monsters outside have been taken care of. For safety reasons, I suggest you still stay indoors for a bit longer but someone should be visiting us soon to let us know it's safe outside."

The crowded tavern was frozen still, unsure if they believed what they were hearing. The problem had been resolved? That was… easier than it should have been, right? Though they were crowded, they were never hungry or bored.

They realized long ago that some kind of illusion had been cast on the windows for they could never see a single monster outside. Even now, things seemed exactly the same if they looked outside. But the tavern owner had no reason to lie to them for this was a lie easily exposed. That must mean it was true.

Cheers erupted altogether, and even those who weren't in the hall quickly found out what happened. The kids especially were the happiest, and some started crying. It had been too long that they had been away from their parents, and they were too afraid to even think of what had happened to them.

In the jubilation and merrymaking, no one besides Lex noticed that the front door softly opened and a single man stepped in. He was holding, in his hand, a remarkably familiar looking plastic fork and he was looking directly towards Lex.

The two exchanged glances before the man turned towards the bar and, after hesitating for a moment, went and sat down.

Lex went and sat beside him.

"What can I get you?" Roan, the barkeep, asked.

"The strongest drink you have," the man answered.

"The strongest? You sure? It's expensive."

"Yeah, yeah, I can afford it," he said casually.

Roan looked at Lex who only nodded, before he retreated towards the kitchen. He had to go to the Wine cellar to bring out the truly expensive drinks.

There was silence between the man and Lex, as neither said anything first. A few minutes later, Roan returned holding a small jade bottle sealed by a cork. After showing the man the bottle, and clearly stating the price just to be sure, he poured him a drink.

This single bottle had been worth 1 million MP and held only two servings worth of spirit. Which meant the drink the man was having was 500,000 MP in value.

When he heard the price the man almost thought he was being ripped off, but when the bottle was opened the man went into shock. The plastic fork dropped from his hand and his attention was solely focused on the small white bowl in which the drink was poured.

A milky white drink with chilled fog hovering around it appeared in his eyes, and became the only thing in his world. As the drink poured from the bottle he observed its flow like he was watching the most beautiful woman in the world.

When the bowl was ready the man reached forward with shaking hands, but when he held the cup his hands became steady. In his world silence descended as he brought the cup near his face and took a deep sniff.

Even with eyes closed the man saw an explosion of colors in his mind. Waves of red clashed with yellow and green, forming a tempest of raging beauty. The colors changed form and became a river flowing from the highest peak, filled with fish swimming up and down the stream. Birds chirped as they flew over the river and rainbows bloomed. Grass spurt from the ground along with the most fragrant of flowers.

The man was lost in his own world, for he had gotten drunk just from the smell - the cup still full in front of his nose.

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