The Innkeeper

Lex found it hard to believe that the giant in front of him could be so profound, but it was exactly that giant’s life and his words that gave him goosebumps. Dying was easy, living was hard. At first it was a strange thought, but it reminded Lex of all the struggles he’d ever had in life. He recalled the worst and toughest parts of his life. Although his life up till now was very ordinary, no one could claim there weren’t parts of it where he felt very miserable. Living truly was difficult sometimes, but it was worth it. He was ready to go through harder difficulties for an even better life.

“Now one by one, introduce yourselves. Give as much or as little detail as you want, it doesn’t matter.”

“Ladies first,” Larry quickly said as he looked towards Matilda with an honest smile.

Her lips twitched but she controlled her annoyance and focused on Marlo.

“My name is Matilda Ross. I am 22 years old and inherited my cultivation method in my brother’s will. I want to continue on this path and not only survive, but also flourish. But first I need to focus on survival, so I am here to learn how to do that.”

Marlo gave the woman an accepting nod, his expression still serious. Lex almost found it unusual to see the man without some manic expression.

“I guess I’m next huh?” said Larry with a hint of reluctance. “I have a bit of ambition you could say. I want to do big things, and for that I need a solid start. Going through this class will really help with that so I’m here.” He smiled weakly at his fellow students, as if trying to portray a weak determination. “My name is Larry Dershaw,” he finished, his volume lowering almost to a whisper, yet its effect was drastic. Marlo’s expression changed to that of surprise, as if he had heard something truly unexpected.

After a moment though, Marlo’s expression returned to its former serious state, and he made a short comment, “A man can be defeated but he cannot give up. Your journey may be long but every breath you take is a victory against your enemies.”

After that all three of them turned to look at Lex, who was slightly distracted. It seemed Larry had a story behind him, and Matilda too for that matter. But thinking about that was for later, right now he had to focus.

“My name is Lex Williams, I am 23 years old and I was only just introduced to the world of cultivation. I don’t have any grand ambitions or anything like that. I just feel like the world is very dangerous, and that if I am not prepared for it I won’t even know how I died. The difference between what the world is really like and I used to think it was is too big. I want to be better prepared.” Lex’s words were very simple, and he tried to downplay his life as well as himself so that no one would think anything interesting is going on in it. He thought he had done a good job. The look on Marlo’s face, however, said otherwise; he had a knowing smirk on his face as he eyed Lex up and down. It was quite a contrast to how he responded to the previous two, but he made no comments.

Eventually, he addressed all three together. “Matilda, Larry, Lex, the three of you have an admirable will to show up here after last class. You have also demonstrated a knowledge of your current weaknesses, as well as a desire to improve. To me that is admirable, but actions are the best way to communicate. Take these and sign them to officially start your classes. The training period will be a total of three months, during which you are not allowed to miss any classes. If you cannot attend a class or need to miss an activity you will have to inform me prior with a good reason, otherwise it will be deemed as a violation of your contract. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, I have a reputation to uphold. Anyone who has attended my class has a 87% better survival rate compared to other cultivators in up to level Blue danger situations. I won’t have that number drop because a student is too lazy to complete my training.”

Marlo handed the three contracts and gave them time to review them. The contract only had a few main points, first about the payment and the forms acceptable. The preferred method was actually 1 bloodline stone, after which were 5 spirit stones, after which was cash and finally an employment contract if you were unable to pay. It also accepted sponsorships from any organization that might be backing the student. The second clause was that if a student were to miss a single class without sufficient reason he would be immediately expelled and could not claim any relation to Marlo or his self-defense class under penalty of law. The third clause was an unusual one; it stated that so long as a student attended even a single paid class with Marlo, even if they did not continue with the full course, the student was not allowed to join an organization called Ultimate Fight Fortress, and if this clause were to be violated Marlo reserved the right to challenge the student to Legal Trial by Combat (LTC). Lex didn’t know what that meant, but a quick search on the Bluebird portal told him it was basically a government sanctioned death fight. Whoever participated could kill the opponent in combat if they wished, suffering no convictions or punishments. The rest of the contract was pretty basic, and covered stuff like Marlo would not be responsible for injuries caused during training etc.

After going through it Lex signed it, only to realize everyone else had already done so and were waiting for him. Finally, once the formalities (signing, setting up payment plans or methods etc.) were completed Marlo brought them back to the arena where 3 minions were waiting for them.

“As of now, for the next three months, we have officially established a relationship as students and as a teacher. Before we begin training practically, I would like to impart some of my experience onto you. The most important thing to teach you is what self defense actually is, and what it looks like for you now, and what it will look like for you in the future.

“Some of you may have an image in your head that we will be learning martial arts, or some form of hand to hand combat, but that is a misconception. While combat skills are absolutely essential, you must realize that combat between cultivators and mortals is very different. Right now you are basically just a slightly stronger mortal, if you will. This is because in the Body Tempering stage there aren’t really any cultivation skills you can use. Later on, however, you will learn them and be able to use them. That doesn’t, however, mean that right now you won’t encounter an enemy that can’t use cultivation skills.

“How do you deal with a situation where you encounter an enemy who can use cultivation skills? How do you deal with an enemy who is in the same realm, but higher level than you? What do you do if you encounter a beast? How do you deal with a hostile mortal carrying a gun? How to survive if you are being targeted by a spirit formation? If you are being poisoned? How to defend yourself when suffering from legal persecution? I will cover the basics on everything I have mentioned so far, and teach you with varying depths how to react in those situations. Everything that is a part of your syllabus is a result of my direct personal experiences and I will do what I can to teach you how to react in those situations. Of course, this is only a beginners course so I will only cover stuff to a certain degree. If you wish to learn to a greater level, you can take up my intermediate and advanced courses later as well.”

Lex had to admit, he was fairly impressed by Marlo. The man was extremely professional, and had not let his hysterical tendencies loose during the class so far. It was no wonder he was so reputable.

“Let me ask you all a question. In any given situation, what do you think self-defense looks like?”

The three students looked at one another, before Larry hesitantly answered, “Ensuring your own survival…”

Before Larry could finish his answer Marlo let out a deafening roar “WRONG! Self defense means to kill your opponent as quickly and efficiently as possible! If the source of your danger is dead, then by default you are safe!” Marlo burst into a loud and hysterical laughter after he finished saying.

It was extremely brief, almost as if Lex had imagined it completely, but it seemed as if the minions looked at the three students with eyes full of pity. Lex felt like beating himself up for believing Marlo was professional. The man was a giant child hopped up on a dozen energy drinks. Lex was once again worried for his future.