The Innkeeper

The glaring red letters screaming danger were telling Lex to run, but he suddenly found himself unable to move. It was not his body that refused to move, but his mind that was frozen. It was like his mind was dipped in sludge, where he was unable to complete even a single thought.

He could only stand there, a silent observer of his own impending demise. Of course, even with his eyes open, he had to wait for lightning to flash before he could even see anything. Would he even have enough time?

As it turns out, yes. Whatever was holding him captive made no moves, and after a minute, when lightning finally flashed, Lex was able to see a ball of black goo with broken bones jutting out in a crater in front of him.

Whatever it was, it was severely injured, which was fortunate for him, though that was a concept he could not comprehend currently. He was stuck, staring into the dark, with brief moments of light occasionally. In a way, his inability to think may have been a good thing, because every flash of light revealed the blob moving.

It was inching towards Lex, bit by bit. After what felt like eternity, the ‘goo’ had moved close enough for Lex to better observe it. It was not really some kind of goo or slime being, just that its flesh had been completely destroyed by whatever attack it suffered, leaving it in poor shape.

Perhaps originally the creature had distinct features, as the various bones sticking out of its flesh indicated, but currently it was a disgusting ball of slimy black flesh, moving towards him. If Lex’s mind were working, he may have been thinking of a way to escape, yet now, he only stood still, drenched in the rain.

Up above in the air, the fight continued, either oblivious to what was happening down below, or too preoccupied to be able to help. The creature started to gain momentum as it closed in on Lex, and soon was only 20 feet away. The next time lightning flashed, it was at 10 feet. Soon, even in the darkness, Lex could identify a vague shape moving towards him.

Suddenly, Lex’s protective talisman covered him in a blue light, illuminating the black blob that was pressed against the shield generated by the talisman.

2 feet right in front of Lex, the black blob monster was right in his line of sight. There were no eyes, but anyone observing from a distance may have assumed the sight to be two lovers, staring each other in the eyes – a scene directly out of a romantic horror movie.

The next moment a sword fell out of the sky and eviscerated the blob, freeing Lex from his prison. All the emotions that Lex was unable to feel suddenly hit him like a tsunami, overwhelming him and dropping him to his knees.

“Good job holding the Kraven back,” a man said as he touched Lex’s shoulder and scanned his body for injuries. “The light attracted my attention, otherwise it would have been too late by the time I noticed. Just hold tight child, we’ll be done soon.”

The man quickly went back into the sky, but Lex barely noticed. His body felt extremely weak, and his mind was so tired he struggled to stay awake. In the back of his mind, he could hear Mary calling out to him, but he could not focus.

Soon, the rest of the group that had been dropped to the ground surrounded him. They too had been stuck wherever they stood, but since Lex was the closest to the blob, he took the brunt of whatever attack it unleashed.

In the end, he was unable to hold out, and fell unconscious.

He woke up with a jolt, panic and fear gripping his heart, but there was no danger around him. He was in bed in a large hall, and his sudden movement attracted some attention, but not much.

A nearby nurse came up to him and smiled softly.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, her voice sweet like honey. “You’ve been unconscious for almost a day, so you’re probably hungry, but it’s best you don’t eat anything until we know your condition.”

“I…uhh…” Lex was trying to recall what had happened, but his memories were slow to return. “My head’s killing me. What happened? I can’t remember.”

“Headaches and memory loss…” she murmured as the nurse pulled out a strange looking device and put it against his forehead. “No concussion… seems like… yes, probably a mild destabilization of the spirit. Very impressive.”

Once the nurse was done examining him and jotting down her findings, she turned to Lex and said, “You suffered from the coercion of an adult Kraven. Even though it was almost dead itself, it’s very impressive you were able to stay alive under the circumstances. You’ve suffered some damage to your spirit, which explains the memory loss, but it’s not enough to cause permanent damage. But, you don’t need to worry. You’re at the Academy now, we’ll take good care of you.”

“The… academy?” Lex asked, confused. Slowly his memories were coming back to him, but he did not recall anything about any academy.

“Yes child, the academy. Take some rest today, I’ll send you some food, and check up with you in the evening. That should be enough time for your spirit to recover, and then I can answer any questions you still have.”

The nurse left and soon brought Lex some porridge, which he slowly ate. The nurse’s assessment of Lex’s condition was accurate, but what she didn’t realize was that had it been anyone else, their mind would have already been shattered. Since the nurse did not know the power of the Kraven, her assessment made sense. The only reason Lex’s mind had been seemingly frozen, instead of directly shattered, was the impeccable defense of Regal Embrace.

Lex ate the porridge in a seeming haze and, instinctually, drank a bottle of Botlam Dew before falling back asleep. When he woke up a few hours later, he was feeling much better. All his memories came back to him, and the haze around his mind disappeared.

“What the hell was that?” was the first thing Lex asked, not really expecting an answer. He quickly played back the events in his mind, and the horror of having his mind frozen was something entirely new to him. It wasn’t even frozen because of fear, or locked in a struggle. It was like someone poured tar into his mind and he became completely unable to formulate a single thought.

Lex closed his eyes, took a long, deep breath, and released. He could not eliminate his fear, it was still there in his mind and his heart, but he could choose not to dwell on it. He needed to understand what that creature was, and more about this world, as soon as possible. Fortunately, the nurse said on her own initiative that Lex lost his memory so he could ask her questions without seeming suspicious.

A short while later, when the nurse started doing her rounds again, Lex waved at her like a child at an amusement park and called her over. Giggling at Lex’s antics, she came over and said, “I see someone is feeling better.”

“Better? No! Not at all! I feel miserable. What the hell was that black blob thing?”

“Oh, still some memory loss?” she questioned as she observed him, but when she didn’t notice anything else off about him, she shrugged and answered.

“According to the report I was given, you were injured in an encounter with a Kraven, so I’m assuming you are referring to that.”

“What’s a Kraven? Are there a lot of them?”

At this point the nurse giggled, and felt like she was explaining the world to a child.

“A Kraven is a Kraven, you saw it. What more am I supposed to explain? As for if they’re a lot? You’re from Gristol county, right? I don’t know if you know this yet, but, Gristol county was overtaken by Kraven. Very few people managed to escape, with you being one of the lucky few. The neighboring counties of Mendelay and Farwa have strengthened their borders, from what I hear.

“I’ve never been far away, but from what I hear, all 7 nations have a problem with Kraven. So yeah, I’d say there’s a lot of them. But, you don’t need to be worried about that, for now at least. You’re at the Academy now, far from any border and extremely well protected, so you’re safe.”

“What’s the academy?”

“Oh dear, you really did go through a lot to have even forgotten the Academy. This is the holy land of the Hum nation, the holy land of all humans. This is where the epitome of humanity lies, the dream destination of countless people. Whether it’s in terms of crafting, woodworking, medicine, science, cultivation, politics or anything else in which humanity has even a modicum of success, it’s taught here.

“For hundreds of years, all people who have been displaced by the Kraven war are relocated to the Academy, where they are taught whatever skill they can best use to contribute to the nation. In times of war, even a single free hand cannot be spared. So, prepare yourself. Once you’re feeling better, you’ll be off to the assessment center. I know it can’t be easy for you, suffering from so much loss, which is why it’s even better to focus on something positive.”