The Innkeeper

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Alexander asked after a long silence. At this moment he was regretting his earlier confidence. He had many contingencies and plans for today, the cloaked ship that hovered above that sent out the 10 Titans was just one of them. At no point during the attack of the chase did he ever feel like he was in any real danger. He truly did feel like he was just watching a play, and was waiting for all the actors to try and attack him one by one. The Gu breaking through his skin was a surprise, but even so he handled it effortlessly. Now however, he felt lost. He had no idea what he should do.

"You were in the Minor realm when I got the orders. I had no idea about Zeus or Greg, I was only told that someone will try to attack you and that would be the best time to poison you. I guess they never assumed that I wouldn't follow their orders, since they thought I'd be too scared to leave the poison in my own body. I didn't want to take any chances, and I didn't want to live with any regrets. I've led a good and full life, I am not afraid if it ends here."

Alexander was once again left speechless. How had he not noticed his friends' peril? Why did it never occur to him that his friends could have been threatened or blackmailed in participating in his assassination?

"Ugh, puppy dog love. It really makes me nauseous," someone said, startling both Alexander and Helen. They turned to see a short girl with blonde hair standing behind them. She was wearing a mask so her identity was hidden, but Alexander recognized her as the mysterious girl from the Minor realm.

"Here," she said, throwing a briefcase towards Alexander. "I've already taken one of the keys, so we can be considered even. If you use the other key, you can take your friend somewhere special. There should be a cure for her there. You don't need to have a dramatic farewell in public like this, it really makes people sick." The mysterious girl sounded irritated, but her immature voice made it difficult for her listeners to take her seriously. She didn't bother waiting for Alexander's reply and turned to leave.

"Wait, how do I use the key?" Alexander asked.

"I'm not sure but you should be able to figure it out, it should not be too complicated."

"If I want to contact you in the future, how do I find you?" Alexander asked once again, hoping to receive a name. The mysterious girl paused for a moment, as if lost in thought, before giving a reply.

"My Tempest username is RussianPrincess77. You can contact me through that."

Before Alexander had any time to ask her any more questions, she ran away. Alexander noticed that her cultivation level had also reached the Foundation realm.

"Who was that?" Helen asked, her voice unusually strained, but Alexander ignored her.

He opened up the briefcase and took out the remaining key. He held it in his hand, and felt a familiar temptation. He hesitated, should he trust the words of the mysterious RussianPrincess77? But the hesitation lasted only a few moments. Alexander took Helens hand but before he could do anything else, as if sensing Alexander's intention to use the key it broke. There was a golden flash and the two kids disappeared, leaving a semiconscious Greg still out on the street.

*****

It may have seemed like Lex was wasting time when he was in a serious predicament, but from the moment he'd decided to somehow get Hugo to exit his room and into the gift shop only an hour had passed. His bath had been warm and relaxing, something he needed to calm himself down so that he didn't take any drastic decisions. The more precarious his situation, the calmer he needed to be.

He had gotten redressed and was just about to exit the Inn to go smoke, but to his much welcome surprise two new guests appeared at the Inn! Ensuring that he looked fine, Lex teleported to the gate to welcome his guests.

Two teenagers stood at the entrance holding hands, bewildered as they looked around at their new surroundings.

The boy was tall and handsome, and even in his surprised state gave off an aura of self confidence. The girl was once beautiful as well, but with the power of the Inn Lex could clearly see that she had been badly disfigured by various rashes all over her body. Ignoring their appearances Lex quickly checked their details.

Name: Alexander Morrison

Power Level: Foundation realm (initial)

Species: Human

Midnight Inn Prestige Level: Not yet available

Name: Helen Sigmund

Power Level: Qi Training (7th step)

Species: Human

Midnight Inn Prestige Level: Not yet available

"Welcome guests, to the Midnight Inn," he said warmly. "The universe's foremost establishment for rest, recovery and anything else you may desire. I am the Innkeeper, your host."

Wasting no time, Alexander said, "My friend has been poisoned and I was told that you have a way of curing her. Is that true?"

'Told?' Lex thought curiously. But instead of pondering on it, Lex turned towards Helen and focused. Normally a guest would have to enter the Recovery Room for him to see a detailed report on their health, but ultimately the Inn was his and if he focused on a guest he could still view their condition.

Name: Helen Sigmund

Condition:

Several poisons absorbed in the bloodstream

Severe rashes all over body

Slight bruising

Report:

Several poisons have affected the patient's system, but the potency of the poisons is not strong. Can be healed with Recover Pod or Botlam Dew.

"Indeed, such a simple request is easily taken care of. You can choose one of two treatments. We have a remedy called Botlam Dew for 200MP, if given to your friend it can easily resolve the issue in a few hours. The other treatment is to take your friend to the Recovery Pod, which will allow the body to naturally overcome the poison. This method is slower and more expensive at 250MP, but it will allow her body to gain a natural immunity to such poisons."

"We'll use the Recovery Pod," Alexander said decisively, not giving Helen a chance to say anything. From his pocket he withdrew a black credit card and handed it to Lex. "You can charge all our expenses on this."

Sensing the young man's urgency, Lex smiled and waved his hand, teleporting the three to the Recovery Room.

"Please lie down on the table, the treatment will begin shortly."

Helen gave Alexander a meaningful look before lying down in the Recovery Pod. The recovery started and Lex felt the sweet, sweet exhilaration of earning some MP. But from the way Alexander didn't seem to care at all about the price, Lex had the sneaking suspicion that he could earn more. He had to play his cards right. For now he didn't say anything, letting Alexander watch as the Recovery Pod began its work, though there really wasn't much that could be seen from the outside. The Recovery Pod pushed the body's ability to heal, so all the work that was being done was internal and would take a while.

Eventually, when he realized that all he could do now was wait, Alexander stepped away from the Recovery Pod and for the first time took a good look at his surroundings. The other Recovery Pod quickly caught his eye, and when he saw who was inside he was startled.

"Is that Marlo? Is he here as well?"

"Oh, do you recognize him?" said Lex, stepping towards the normally sized man. It occurred to him that Marlo looked very different from his normal state, it was unusual for anyone to recognize him.

"Yes, he used to be my teacher once. What happened to him?"

Lex smiled and said, "If you stay here a while, you can ask him yourself when he recovers. It would be rude of me to divulge our guests' affairs."

Alexander nodded, as if what Lex said made sense. He completely did not realize that Lex had already begun his plans to make Alexander a long term guest at the Inn.