The Innkeeper



Alysha trembled a little when the Innkeeper held her hand, but she quickly steeled herself. Back at his office, after she had recovered, they had hashed out the details of what to do. Alysha would first try to become an employee of the Inn, for she felt this place was much safer, as well as more interesting than her town back home. If she became an employee, her sister could live with her as well. The two of them would live happily ever after here.

If she couldn't become an employee of the Inn, the Innkeeper would sponsor her stay long enough for her to raise her cultivation, so that when she returned to the desert, she could easily escape on her own.

Moreover, the Innkeeper informed her that he had already placed a request for someone to find 'Sebiline' based on her information about her planet and town. Regardless of what happened with her job, she would soon be reunited with her sister.

So that only left the matter of removing the system from her. To be honest, now that she was about to lose the system, she was able to admit that there were parts of it she would have missed - if she kept her memories. If things had been even slightly different, such as if the system allowed her to teleport to the desert and then back home, she might have actually relished it.

But there was no might when it came to these things. Despite the delicious food it gave her, and the water which, to be honest, was also quite delicious, it was not worth everything it took from her.

It had barely been a minute since the Innkeeper took her hand, and Alysha hadn't even had time to complete her musings, when he took his hand back. A small, shining speck appeared on the tip of his finger, barely larger than a grain of sand.

"Is… is that it?" she asked, mesmerized by the sight. How could something so small have caused her so many problems?

"Indeed, it is," said the Innkeeper, his eyes fixed not at the spec, but at something in the distance. How was Alysha supposed to know that he was reading a system notification of his own?

But the next moment, the speck disappeared from his hand and the Innkeeper looked back at her.

"When you leave this place, you will lose all memory of the system. You will remember your time spent in the desert, and everything else you did there, but the system's involvement will all be erased from your mind. This is for your own protection."

"I… I think it's better like this anyway," she said, looking down at her feet.

"Good luck on your test. You may find me again if you need anything else."

The Innkeeper disappeared, leaving a platinum key in Alysha's hand. For a moment, she found it hard to believe she was free of the system and its endless quests. She tried to pull up its panel, but nothing appeared. She tried again, and only when she was certain it was gone, a smile grew on her face. She crushed the key and disappeared.

When she appeared again, she was standing in what looked like a small guest room. For some reason, she had forgotten everything about her previous life. She forgot her system, the Inn, the Innkeeper, John, her sister, and everything else. But she also did not notice that she had lost her memories.

The next moment, a man stumbled into the room, bloody and injured. Whether it was by design or luck, the man fell right into a nearby chair.

"Guest, you're hurt," she said, alarmed, and quickly walked up to him to inspect his injuries.

As if by magic, a towel, a bottle of water, a sewing needle, and some thread appeared beside her right hand. By her left hand appeared a bell, which she could ring to call her. Behind her appeared a door - a bloody man walking into a room could be scary, and prompt some to escape based on fear of any danger they might bring. Right above her head appeared an ax, poised and ready to chop the man's head off - even in his present condition, Alysha could see some of the jewelry he was wearing. It was worth more money than she'd had her entire life.

Though she did not look around, she instinctively knew all the items that surrounded her and their purposes. Yet she did not hesitate to grab the towel and pressed it against the man's bleeding wound. She took the bottle of water and used it to wash off the other bits of his body covered in blood so she could get a better look to see if there were any more injuries. She was so occupied, she didn't notice that the rest of the items in the room disappeared, besides the sewing needle. She had, miraculously, also forgotten that she was originally very shy and timid.

"Let me be, woman," the man said gruffly. "I'll be fine."

"You're injured and bleeding, with possible concussions. So hold still and do what I say. Keep talking, tell me your name. How did you end up like this?"

The man struggled to get out of her grip, but despite his inhumane strength, for some reason, he was unable to escape her hold. Eventually he gave up, and listened to her.

"My name is Zagan. Some people came into my house and showed a severe lack of decorum. A fight broke out, one thing led to another, and now I'm on a quest for some magic beans that'll lead me to a realm of wonder."

"Your arm is dislocated," interrupted Alysha. "I'll have to pop it back. Here, bite this." She bunched up the towel where it was clean and shoved it into the man's mouth. Before he had an opportunity to protest, she had already popped his joint back in its place.

The man did not release the scream, or even the groan she expected. Instead, he was looking at her with an irritated look.

She shrugged and grabbed the needle and put the thread through it. A strong tolerance meant he wouldn't squirm when she stitched him up.