The Innkeeper

On a continent covered in perpetual darkness by a thick curtain of clouds, the orange glow of molten lava illuminated an area clear of any and all vegetation. Only dirt, broken rocks and massive, pointed boulders protruding from the ground itself could be seen.

To call the region barren would be to praise it too highly, for this was a place abandoned even by death for countless years. Only recently, due to the intense conflict, had living creatures once again crossed this plain of desolation, and the reward for their transgression was to be hunted down mercilessly.

What followed then… was a war that gave even the most experienced soldiers nightmares. Whether it was the elves, the treants, the werewolves or the vampires, they all looked towards a particular battalion from only the corners of their eyes, almost flinching at the sight of them. They dared not look at them directly. They did not want to offend them. They also did not feel worthy.

There, on the precipice of an ocean of magma, stood 999 soldiers radiating an aura of pure and utter annihilation, purely honed and kept in perfect control. As ash and soot rained from the sky, they stood perfectly straight, their attire lacking even a single wrinkle or speck of dirt.

Whether it was when they laid siege to armies much bigger than their own, or as they ended a drought that had lasted many millennia by watering the ground in rivers of their enemies blood, or when they walked through flames or brought down behemoths that shook the ground with every step, their appearance remained pristine, as if to say that they were not putting in any real effort.

On this planet where everyone should have had similar power levels, so as to not destabilize the planet itself through too much destruction, they were an exception that totally destroyed the concept of power levels to begin with.

As if rising to the challenge that this battalion of impossibly strong soldiers presented, the Fuegan revealed a plot both sinister and malefic. Having prior knowledge of the valuable resources on this planet, and anticipating that the fighting parties would not want to sacrifice the planet, they populated the planet with deadly, artificially created aliens.

But the threat of those aliens, who were devouring and destroying the planet itself, was merely a curtain of deception to hide their true intentions.

Due to the Midnight Battalion's relentless assault, they chased the parasites of this planet even into these lands that should have been out of their way, followed closely by the allied forces. Here, they discovered a solitary temple, seemingly built out dirt and dead wood.

Within the temple they discovered a larva in the form of some kind of a vile deformity, still being nurtured in an amniotic sac made from the skin of beasts.

Surrounding it were numerous formations, feeding it with the aura of death, of pain, of agony, of catastrophe, all accumulated during this genuine world war.

But it was already too late. Although still not completely mature, upon being discovered the sac burst and the deformity was released into the world. With a wail that sounded like the misery filled screams on a trillion souls, the… the thing announced its arrival.

The planet itself seemed to almost fracture under that terrible cry, and suddenly every living being on that planet somehow knew that the planet was heading towards destruction.

Panic, fear, confusion spread not only on the surface of the planet, but also through the many ships surrounding the planet. Immediately the superiors decided to give up on the planet, and extract all their soldiers. They could not afford to lose all their elite. Once the soldiers were evacuated, they would kill the creature by destroying the planet by using weapons of mass destruction.

But, as if the creature's cry had opened Pandora's box, a meteor shower suddenly appeared out of nowhere, crashing into countless ships. After the initial strike, alien forces appeared in space, resulting in an impromptu space battle, leaving no ships free for evacuation.

Hopelessness and desperation spread through the surface of the planet. All the soldiers deployed on the planet were Foundation realm, but the newly born creature was already in the Golden core realm. Moreover, as it quickly burrowed down into the ground, eating everything in its path, its aura was rapidly growing.

The creature's destination was the core of the planet, its intentions clear. Perhaps this was only the first step in an elaborate plan the Fuegan had long prepared. The aliens, which had so far shown a distinct lack of unified intelligence, began coordinating impeccably to slaughter all the so-called 'elites'.

Although it was unlikely, since the creature had been born prematurely and wasn't at full strength, clearly the mastermind behind the scenes didn't want to take a chance and so wanted to occupy all the forces on ground in a fight for survival. This way, none could target the newborn.

It was then, during that most hopeless hour, when death was near certainty and all their efforts seemed for naught, that some noticed this single testament of indomitability. It was like a sword that would cut through the world itself if it came in its way. It was like the first ray of sunshine, pushing back the darkness even of the abyss. It was an unstoppable force that would tear apart any immovable object that came in its way.

It was the Midnight Battalion, and their increasingly fast march was their response to the wail of a trillion souls. They were making their way to the tunnel that creature had dug towards the core with the spirit of warriors that could not be defeated, could not be deterred, could not be swayed.

Just as some thought that perhaps there was hope, a tremor shook the planet, and molten lava erupted from the tunnel, like a volcano long stewing. The ripple of that explosion could be seen by the naked eye and the shockwave killed thousands.

But the battalion was not stopped for even a second, as they changed from 1000 soldiers into a single undefeatable mech. With noble purpose the mech dove into the lava itself, disappearing from view.

Across the planet armageddon seemed to have arrived. Tremors, storms, tidal waves, volcanoes and every other kind of disaster seemed to strike all at once. Scans from orbit seemed to show that the planet was on the path to exploding.

All hope was lost. This would be a grievous defeat for the allied forces. But then, the tremors seemed to slow down, their might waning. Then, shocking every living creature that saw the scene, the ground erupted once again. Yet instead of lava, a mech and a massive insect-like creature emerged from the ground.

With tens of thousands of small limbs the creature smashed the mech, and with a maw that could eat through planets the creature bit at it. Yet the mech was not only strong, but had deftness one could not expect from its massive frame.

Dodging each and every attack, the mech fought back, in plain view for all to see. Very literally, this was a fight to determine the fate of a planet.

The fight was devastating, to say the least. Even without the creature purposefully trying to destroy the planet, their fight seemed to put the planet in that direction. More and more lava erupted as the shockwaves from their fight seemed to break the tectonic plates, ultimately forming an ocean of lava.

Yet there was no reprieve or respite. There would only be victory or death, and clearly the result had been a resounding victory.

Once the creature was finally slain, the mech vanished in a cloud of smoke and the battalion was once again revealed. But, instead of the 1000 soldiers that had formed the mech, only 999 emerged.

With such a result, who would have cared. The price of a single life for such a victory was one any commander would be willing to pay. Yet it seemed everyone had misunderstood the situation. The 1 that was missing had not died, but had dove back into the lava as soon as the mech was dismissed.

No one knew his purpose, and when anyone asked, the battalion did not respond. Long gone were the amicable and friendly workers of the Inn. These were now the battle hardened soldiers who dared to steal life back out from the jaws of death itself, and they would not reveal the purpose behind one of their soldiers actions.

Eventually, even as the planet was cleared and evacuations once again began, they chose not to move, and not to retreat. Even the allied command, who had sent them onto this planet, ordered them to reveal what they were doing, but one of the soldiers, Gerard, simply told them to mind their own business.

It was only an entire day later that a single, still suited figure emerged from the lava ocean. The outsiders could not tell who it was, for all the members of the battalion had their faces covered, but they themselves knew who it was. It was Luthor, and when he emerged from the lava, he was radiating a much more powerful aura.

Clearly he had restrained himself and kept himself from entering a higher cultivation level, but even still stuck at the Foundation realm, he felt much stronger than before.

"Let's go. The next battlefield awaits."