The Innkeeper

Even though Ragnar was not loud, as Lex was paying extra attention he clearly heard the term ‘Devil’. Were these the leaders of the zombies? Did they get the keys? That was the only explanation.

The atmosphere was extremely tense as the 600 Jotun soldiers immediately got in position for battle. The humans from Earth were dumbstruck watching these supposed fictional horror story creations appear. When they noticed the soldiers gearing up for a battle they started backing away quickly, so as not to get caught in the crossfire. Unexpectedly it was the Beasts who had no affiliation with the humans and should not have known the demons who showed the greatest hostility. In fact, were it not for the quick reminder by a few smart Beasts about the Inns non-combat rules, they may have already attacked.

The Devil did not seem to notice the ridiculous hostility pointed at them, and took a look around the Inn as if they were truly admiring their latest vacation destination. They were amused by the holograms that took on the shape of the kind of Devil they were, as they did not believe real Devils would ever work here.

Lex did not make any early announcements or reminders. After he calmed down from his initial shock, he did not panic either. He was still in a state of flow, and his mind and body were reacting perfectly to his intentions. His guards seemed insufficient to handle the situation should a battle arise, simply because he had not planned for them to deal with a battle. They were supposed to stop random fights and minor incidents. Individually or even in small groups, his guards could handle most situations that could arise. However, an organized fight between hundreds of soldiers and demons that not only outnumbered them but were also stronger than them overall was not something they could face.

Yet what allowed Lex to remain calm was the knowledge that his bodyguard should be able to handle any of the leaders here. He did not need to fight the entire army, simply intimidate the leaders. Yet while intimidating them, he still had to maintain the facade of the strong yet mysterious Innkeeper. If he reacted preemptively to prevent a fight it could be viewed as him acting out of fear for the situation to deteriorate. He had to wait for someone to take the first step, and then he would react. He was very grateful he hadn’t been a miser and spent lavishly on his bodyguard.

Yet it was not as if Lex did nothing at all. He identified the Devil as well as the man that looked like leaders of the two armies and checked their statuses.

Name: Ragnar Asulf

Age: 3574

Sex: Male_.

Cultivation Details: ???(Too high for host to view)

Species: Human

Midnight Inn Prestige Level: 1

Condition:

Remarks: *Knock knock* Who’s there? It doesn’t matter, because Hells Butcher does not crack jokes, he cracks his enemies’ will to fight!

Name: Loretta Pendal Val Kilger

Age: 971

Sex: Female

Cultivation Details: ???(Too high for host to view)

Species: Devil

Midnight Inn Prestige Level: 1

Remarks: Don’t look into her eyes, she’s very shy. She may just blush and kill you!

Lex’s flow almost collapsed and the strict control he had on his twitchy lip almost broke when he read Loretta’s status. That was because while the status clearly stated Loretta was a female, and even had a femanine name…sort of…he was clearly looking at a man! Or maybe the difference was curtailed in Devils, he was not sure, but if Lex had to guess he would have clearly guessed that this was a man wearing cosplay horns! Even the black, leathery wings behind his…her back looked like a mans…eh, looked masculine? Maybe Loretta was just wearing a disguise. Yes, that must be it.

Not that he needed any new reasons to discriminate against Devils, but seriously if that’s how female Devils looked he knew a lot of anime crazed humans who would be seriously disappointed.

The silence was going on for too long. Lex decided to proceed with the event as planned and deal with any situation that arises as it happens.

The holograms for all the guests appeared simultaneously and said, “Now that all the guests are here, the event will begin shortly. Please make your way to the coliseum.”

Somewhere on the other side of the Inn in a forest a sloth was woken up from its slumber, only to see a whale staring at it directly in the eye. Holding onto the whale’s tie was a turtle that seemed to be whispering something to one of the trees nearby.

Back at the Inns entrance the tension could be cut with a knife, yet no one dared to be the first one to act. It was one of the Devil’s who finally chuckled and said, “Oh children, why don’t you take a seat while papa goes for a round with the boys. Don’t do anything naughty while I’m gone.”

The zombie’s, as if taking his instructions very seriously, sat down on the ground – taking a seat on the dirt.

Lex looked at this Devil’s information, curious to see if he could get any information on how he ordered the zombies. Was it something all Devils could do, or this specific one?

Name: Warheil Heil Fendal

Age: 12100

Sex: Male

Cultivation Details: ???(Too high for host to view)

Species: Devil

Midnight Inn Prestige Level: 1

Remarks: Don’t be fooled by appearances, the clothes he’s wearing are worth more MP than you’ve ever collected! Quick, offer him some cake!

This was by far the oldest guest Lex ever had so he naturally assumed he was probably very strong. For a moment, he started feeling doubtful – would his bodyguard be enough? But the doubt was momentary. He spent 1 million on a single individual. Whatever his realm was, Lex was sure that it would be enough.

Warheil may have started first, but he was careful to stay one step behind Loretta – something that everyone noticed. Ragnar was struggling with a decision. His instinct was to immediately take this opportunity to kill the Devils, yet logic told him that they would not have appeared in public unprepared for an assault. Furthermore, he had yet to learn anything about the Midnight Inn. If the owner of the Inn was able to contact him directly, as well as others all over the world without leaving a trace he was not a simple man. Not to mention, even the Jotun Empire did not lightly use interplanetary teleportation, yet here it was being used casually to teleport random Beasts and people over.

But Ragnar was not an indecisive man. He hesitated but for a few moments, before he ordered his troops to march towards the coliseum. The holograms guided everyone, but the building was massive and clearly visible so they really didn’t need any help.

Seeing that both the Devils as well as the soldiers were moving without incident, the Beasts as well as the Earthlings decided to do the same.

“Alexander, listen to me,” said Brandon seriously. “Go call Marlo, tell him to come to me immediately. Once that is done, you and Helen both return to Earth immediately. Once there, I want you to seal yourself in the safety bunker, don’t let anyone know you’re back. I will summon you out once I return to Earth.”

“Marlo’s in the meditation room, I don’t think I’ll be able to go in,” he replied.

“Do what you can. He’s faced zombies before in combat, his experience will guide us if things take a turn for the worse. Not to mention, it isn’t only for us. If something were to happen and he was meditating then he would be gravely injured.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Alexander said, and started sprinting towards the manor. He planned on getting Helen first, then going to fetch Marlo.

Everyone moved towards the coliseum, the original jovial mood changed drastically. Even Will and Hera, who originally planned on attending the meeting, returned back to Earth. Will briefly considered sending Hugo, but then decided that to be safe he would wait until tomorrow. At that time he could directly ask the Innkeeper or some of the staff the details for the event.

Soon, nearly 2700 guests were seated in the coliseum, leaving large empty gaps between each group. Even with this many people, most of the seats were empty so it wasn’t really a problem to find a suitable seat. Sam was filling the Queen in on what she missed, and her follower who had been sent to observe was greatly shocked to hear about the Devils. It appeared as though he knew of them. The five Nascants naturally noticed his reaction, and looked towards him, waiting for an explanation.

The follower, noticing this, cleared his throat and said, “You don’t need to know much. Just know, the Devils are our enemies. The weakest Devil is still far beyond what your planet can handle, so it is in your best interest to turn the other way should you ever encounter one. If something happens here, don’t wait to see how things turn out. Escape back to Earth directly.”

Before anyone could ask him any questions, a man finally appeared on center stage. His casual smile and relaxed demeanor did not match the tense atmosphere at all.

“Welcome guests to the Midnight Inn.”