Standing on the rooftop, there were numerous thoughts running through his head. He was thinking of his tenants, of the people of the town, of the Noel family,of the killer, of the darkness and, most importantly, about himself.
There was a very subtle feeling in his gut, something much milder than any warning he had ever received from his instincts. He could not exactly identify what it was, and it was so mild in fact, that it was only now that he realized that it had been building up for a while now.
He closed his eyes and tried to focus. He could feel the cold wind running across his body, hear it whispering in his ear like a close friend. He could feel weight. It was the weight of his body, but also of responsibility.
He had with him the ability to shelter the entire town should he wish, but in doing so he would paint a massive target on his back. Maybe, during the darkness no one would target him, or maybe he would be targeted by a few greedy people. He wasn’t concerned about that. His concern was the immortals that might become curious if the mysteries surrounding the tavern seemed just a little too far fetched.
With his impressive formation, and the amount of MP he had, he was sure he could survive an immortal coming to the tavern. But if more than one came, or they used some means beyond his understanding, he would be vulnerable. It was best not to enter their sights.
But that more or less meant condemning the town to care for itself. It was a very difficult decision, but fortunately not one he had to make immediately. He didn’t know what caused the issue with the formation, and maybe it could be fixed. Moreover, there were too many variables in this uncertain time for him to account for.
After some consideration, he decided to face things as they came. For now, he would not do anything too drastic. But one thing was certain, he had no intentions of taking a single step outside the tavern.
The feeling in his gut… it was like he had accidentally wandered into the territory of a predator. The signs were around him. But he did not know if he was the target. Moreover, it was not just danger he sensed. It was something… more. Something beyond his understanding that was attracting him. It went beyond the scope of treasure or something valuable. It felt like… a piece of his soul that he didn’t know he was missing.
It was too confusing to actually understand. Instead, he settled for preparing for the worst.
Having made up his mind, he quickly returned to the main hall, where guests had gathered at the windows and began to panic.
“Ladies and gents,” his loud but calm voice blanketed the hall, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Before discussing anything else, I would like to assure you that so long as you are within the premises of this tavern, you are completely safe.”
He stopped talking for a moment as he continued to descend the stairs, his movements marked with a blinding lack of haste or concern. It was as if he was taking a casual stroll in his own home… which, in a way, he was.
“I am not sure why the lights went out, but I’m sure that the issue will be fixed shortly. Even if it isn’t, once again, I have to remind you that the tavern is safe and we have enough food reserves to feed everyone for a long, long time.
“At this time, it is very important that everyone maintain the utmost calm. Have some food, have a few drinks, relax, listen to some music, go take a nap, whatever you want. But do not create a panic.”
At this time, the relaxed demeanor Lex had been nurturing as a tavern owner disappeared and his characteristics as the Innkeeper shone through. He was calm and commanding, reassuring everyone while at the same time taking control of the situation. So long as they were inside his tavern, during this emergency period, they would have to listen to his orders.
While the numerous guests calmed down a bit, and began discussing amongst themselves what they thought might have happened, a few approached him with questions. Based on his performance, many assumed that he might have some information on what happened, but unfortunately, he did not. For now, at least. The Rumor room might provide him with a few ideas of what happened, but that would have to wait.
He went up to Roland, who, despite his young age, seemed to have maintained his composure. Or, at least that’s what he displayed upfront. Lex could tell at a glance that the kid was just pretending, so his friends would feel reassured.
“You guys go sit in the private room from last time,” Lex told him. “I’ll send some food over, and it’s on the house, so don’t worry. I strongly recommend you do not travel anywhere in the dark. From what I understand, it only takes a few minutes for some of the weaker monsters to form during the darkness.”
Roland hesitated, but eventually nodded. It was not obvious to the unobservant, but Roland was actually very proud. He detested taking handouts, and only ever relied on himself for anything he wanted. Even now, he had to struggle to accept Lex’s help, and were it not for his friends behind him, he would have struggled even more.
Sending the kids away, he summoned all his employees and temp workers to the kitchen.
“I know everyone might be worried about their families and friends out there,” Lex said, looking at the triplets. “And I won’t stop anyone who wants to leave, but I don’t recommend leaving the tavern. The mayor is probably working on a solution as we speak, and things might get better soon. But in case they don’t staying here is the best solution.”
Hena and the rest of the spoilt kids had gone completely pale and they were panicking too hard to think clearly. They wanted nothing more than to return to the safety of their homes, but at the same time, they were too afraid to traverse the darkness.
Lex didn’t particularly care for them. It might sound harsh, but while Lex had a newly emerging sense of protectiveness, it only extended to his employees and guests. He would of course not throw them out to fend for themselves, but they would get no pity or leniency from him.
After the triplets, despite their extreme distraught states, decided on staying at the tavern, Lex continued.
“We don’t know how long this will last, but I believe in preparing for the worst. Follow me.”
He led them to a remote corner of the kitchen and moved a table, revealing a hatch in the floor.
He decided to use the system and added a couple of secret underground rooms, pretending as if he had them hidden all along. One set of secret rooms, entered through the kitchen, would be for his employees to live at. He created another one with a secret entrance right in the main hall, hidden behind the bar. It was not massive, but it could accommodate a few more people incase the situation developed to them requiring refugees.
He opened the hatch and climbed downthe dimly lit vertical stairs, revealing a corridor with 5 small rooms.
He assigned one to Big Ben and Betty, and the triplets shared another. Roan and Rick, who had previously been living in the backyard, would also take a room each, to keep up appearances.
Once everyone got familiar with the rooms, they returned to the ground floor and everyone continued with their jobs. Betty began cooking, because it would be lunch time soon and because eating would temporarily distract people.
Lex sent Big Ben to his neighbors bakery to summon Dino and his wife over. Since the street seemed to be empty, of both people and monsters, it took him but a couple of minutes.
The baker and his wife accepted the offer and quickly came over. As neighbors, they naturally heard about the speciality of the tavern, and were too afraid to remain in their own bakery. Strangely though, none of the other shop owners on the street came over. Lex didn’t bother extending the invite either, for he didn’t want Big Ben going too far.
After the first half an hour, which was spent making minor preparations and passing out instructions, Lex ran out of things to do. All there really was to do was wait now. Wait and hope to either see the lights or the town guard patrolling the streets.
Unfortunately, the first person Lex saw on his street was not a guard, but a corpse than had been thrown out of a building. The loud sound of a body crashing through a wall attracted everyone’s attention, just in time to watch a long, bony… thing emerge from a house.
It looked more like an abstract piece of art than a creature. That did not, however, stop it from emitted a howl that shattered countless windows on Bakers street.
The howl was followed by screams.