"Why...? Why you?" Will stood frozen, bewilderment etched across his face as he stared at the innkeeper clad in a flowing robe of deep violet.
"You are forbidden from interrupting the ritual—this is the moment of culmination." The innkeeper abruptly raised his hand, aiming a ring at Will. A surge of violet energy erupted from the ring's embedded Morlust crystal, slamming into Will and rendering his body utterly paralyzed.
"Argh!" Will cried out in agony.
"Ending your life is no more troublesome than squashing an ant," the innkeeper sneered coldly.
"Just a little longer... once the Old God enters his vessel, he shall awaken from this husk!" the innkeeper exclaimed with manic delight, his eyes gleaming as he watched a dark emerald tendril stretch down from the clouds toward Johnny's open mouth.
"Damn it...!" Will groaned, struggling to turn his head and witness the horror unfolding before him, powerless to intervene.
The innkeeper burst into laughter.
Seizing a brief lapse in the innkeeper's attention, Will's trembling fingers reached for the wooden board resting against the corpse behind him. Summoning the last vestiges of his strength, he broke free from the crystal's grip and hurled the board toward the innkeeper with all his might.
The innkeeper swiftly turned, redirecting the crystal's power toward the incoming board. A violet wave of energy splintered the wood into dust.
"Hmph. A futile effort," he scoffed.
But at that very instant, as the innkeeper focused on destroying the board, Will had already broken free. Sword in hand, he sprinted toward Johnny with blinding speed.
"No!" the innkeeper roared as he realized too late. He frantically unleashed volley after volley of energy blasts, but Will's speed made him nearly impossible to target.
"Stop right there!" Will shouted, his voice ringing with fury. He reached Johnny, leapt high into the air, and swung his short sword down with all his strength at the tendril inching toward his friend.
In a flash, the emerald tentacle was cleaved clean through. A torrent of dark green ichor sprayed from the wound, splattering Will and Johnny both. The severed limb writhed violently as if electrocuted, then recoiled into the clouds above, the small storm dissipating soon after.
"No!" the innkeeper shrieked, now unhinged, hurling a storm of violet blasts at Will. But Will, now agile and determined, dodged each with fierce precision.
"Looks like he's starting to lose his grip," Will muttered smugly as he danced between the attacks.
"You've ruined everything! You will pay for this!" the innkeeper howled from the platform, firing recklessly. His mind was consumed by rage, the entire hall now ravaged by his blind onslaught.
"Just a little closer… once I have the crystal, this ends," Will murmured, advancing steadily toward his frenzied foe.
The innkeeper, now beyond reason, made no effort to retreat. He continued to bombard Will with desperate attacks.
"Let's finish this!" Will roared, leaping into the air. He raised his short sword high, aiming for the ring on the innkeeper's hand.
"Die!" the innkeeper screamed, launching a blast that struck Will's right hand midair, sending his weapon flying.
"Argh!" Will bellowed, then clenched his fists and, with a mighty cry, crashed down upon the innkeeper's face, slamming him into the wall. The man collapsed, unconscious.
Panting heavily, Will dropped to his knees, gasping for breath. After a moment, he straightened up and walked over to Johnny.
Johnny lay unmoving, mouth agape, his expression twisted in pain—but he still breathed, faint and fragile. Will called his name, but there was no response. He glanced around at the fallen figures in purple robes, then approached them.
He knelt and pulled back the hoods.
"What...? They're… they're old men?" Will whispered in disbelief.
Dark circles loomed beneath their eyes; they looked utterly exhausted.
"Perhaps… like Johnny, they've been tormented by nightmares, unable to sleep," Will murmured to himself.
"The innkeeper… he mentioned the people of Remm Town. Could it be… these men were once townsfolk?" he wondered aloud.
Just as Will turned back to question the innkeeper, he realized the man had vanished.
"Damn it! The Morlust crystal is still with him!" Will shouted, furious. Without hesitation, he lifted the unconscious Johnny onto his back and raced down the corridor.
He knew exactly where the innkeeper would go.
...
After nearly an hour of relentless running, Will arrived at the inn. But it was no longer as he remembered. The once lively place now lay in eerie silence, the shutters all sealed despite the absence of glass.
"This time, I'll end this for good," Will growled. With one swift kick, he blasted the barred door open.
"One drink, no—make it two," he said with mocking cheer as he stepped into the inn, echoing the words he had spoken that morning. He laid Johnny gently on a bench, then began to search.
As he rifled through the innkeeper's belongings, he didn't notice the shadow creeping behind him.
Suddenly—
"Argh!" A piercing blast struck him. Will cried out as the crystal's energy coursed through him, paralyzing his limbs once more.
"Hahaha! Pitiful mortal. Grovel beneath the power of the Old God!" the innkeeper cackled with triumph.
"This... this is no divine power... you deluded fool," Will gasped through clenched teeth.
"You dare insult the Old God?! He was moments from descending into this world!" the innkeeper shrieked, his ring pulsing with even greater power.
Will screamed as the energy intensified. The innkeeper approached, drew the short sword from Will's belt, and raised it to strike—
But Johnny, revived by sheer will, hurled himself at the innkeeper, knocking him to the ground.
"Will, now!" he shouted, locking the man in place.
"Got it!" Will roared back, summoning the last of his strength. He leapt through the air, fist clenched, and with a furious cry, brought down his blow on the fallen innkeeper.