Chapter 229: The Battle of the Candidates (4: Final)

The sun was already up and over the hills, but it was still trying to impoverish a certain darkness—the only places in the area that wasn't covered by its rays of sunlight: the great walls of the Wizard's unnamed colony. 

Now, rays certainly got over a certain part of the wall. But not the entire colony. The rest of the place was left in shades of darkness though not radical. Forbye, there was a certain one who used this time of the day as the perfect time to get a particular deed done. 

This certain one was West, a Hunter's Tournament apprentice candidate. 

He was shocked after seeing a particularly familiar figure.

His eyes were fixed upon the Innkeeper, towering over him with clothes of a butler. He felt relieved that it wasn't Jin since that would have meant his comrade was dead and so too was he.

Stevan was paralyzed. He laid, sprawled out on the floor, unable to even properly breathe. With every second, the poisoning only exacerbated, spreading to the rest of his untainted body. He would die soon. Or even sooner should West finish him off. All in all, he could have only depend upon Innkeeper — his life was in the Innkeeper's hands. Though, truth be told, Stevan was utterly doubtful. 

"Hello there," the Innkeeper said.

West smirked. 'Pathetic. I doubt he even owns an ability. I suppose I'll just kill him before the sun comes out, finish off Stevan, and go meet up with Errick. Knowing Errick, he probably left without me,' he scoffed, 'the man never liked.'

"Thinking," the Innkeeper said, "about your life decisions? What brought you to this very moment? Standing before me? Any remorse, youth?"

West scoffed. He clutched his hands to his knees and used them as aid to help himself up to his feet. He returned his gaze to the Innkeeper and immediately smirked. "You wanna play too, don't you?"

The Innkeeper looked his nose down at West. "Haven't you heard? Adults don't play games."

"They do when they're with the fire," West said, "what kind of fire do you play with?" He leered at the Innkeeper.

"Actually," The Innkeeper said, "when I think about it," he crossed his hands across his chest, "adults do play games. We like," he smirked, "danger. Children games," he scoffed, "to hell with that. Children can't indulge in that sort of danger at all."

"Mind telling me what those games are?" West took a few steps toward the Innkeeper.

The Innkeeper didn't move as West drew closer. "Like hell I'd do that," he said. "They're dangerous, these games. It has been a while since I've last played them but I—"

Stevan coughed, interrupting the Innkeeper.

The Innkeeper looked down at him, and frowned. 'The boy could be losing his life. I have to get this over with and quickly too.'

West stepped in closer, clasped his hands behind his back and cocked his head. "You were saying?"

"It's been a while since I've played the games is all," The Innkeeper said, "but," he glared, "doubt not my skills."

West smirked, and stepped in closer to the Innkeeper. The Innkeeper was tall from up this close. He was nearly twice as tall. Still, West wasn't intimidated. All he knew was that the Innkeeper was, say, a bit "rusty"—a good thing on his part. 

"I'd like to see your skills," West grinned. "You see," he jerked thumb back, "your friend back there is kinda nearing his death right now and I'd really like to go and finish watch him die or just finish simply finish him. I'd much like to watch him die a painful death though. Could we make this quick?"

The Innkeeper furrowed his brows. "You're clearly only a child, youth. And children shouldn't play with adults—but," he threatically mulled, sweeping his eyes away and then bringing back to West, "why n—"

Suddenly, West raised a hand. He was about to attack. It was an opening. The Innkeeper was thrown off by the chat. He quickly thrust a hand forward and clutched at ...

air. 

The Innkeeper was oddly gone. 

Before West could even finish his attack, the Innkeeper was long gone. His eyes widened. "Teleporta—"

Suddenly, the Innkeeper hit him from the back.

West staggered forward. 

The Innkeeper appeared in front of him, and hit him to his head.

West staggered backward.

Before West knew it, he was getting hit from behind and to the right and to the left and head on. 

He staggered forward again. Then, the Innkeeper's appeared in front of him, scoring a blow to his face.

West was knocked to the ground.

But then he quickly kicked off the ground, and made it to his feet again. Immediately, he dashed backward, dodging the Innkeeper's swooping fist. The hand went right in front of him. He smirked widely as he clutched at the hand, getting ahold of it.

The Innkeeper immediately vanished.

He reappeared atop a random building in the village. Groaning, he looked down at his arm. West's touch had burnt through his shirt, and the acidic poison had gotten into his bloodstream after West dug nails into flesh.

The Innkeeper frowned. 'A poisoning ability, huh? I see. Could that be the reason for Stevan's neutralization? Could he be paralyzed?' His tongue clicked. 'That would mean I'd be paralyzed soon too. There are healers in the village. They're not awake it. But I must get Stevan to one of them before it's too late for him. He's at a poisoning state beyond mine right now.'

West had some how taught of going near Stevan, and that he did. The Innkeeper didn't seem malicious. And so, he could only hope that he was merely intent on rescuing Stevan. 

West looked around in circles while standing next Stevan. He quickly grabbed ahold of Stevan's leg in the nick of time when the Innkeeper had also touched West. 

The Innkeeper's eyes widened upon recognition.

They all vanished.

They reappeared amidst a white bedroom; a woman slept on the bed in this room. 

Both the Innkeeper and West met each other's eyes. 

The Innkeeper quickly kicked West to the chest, shoving him away from Stevan with a leg and got ready to teleport away when Stevan grabbed his leg. 

The poison fed into the Innkeeper's leg. He groaned.

West gritted his teeth as he squeezed on the leg.

The Innkeeper released Stevan, and teleported away along with West.

They reappeared atop the Great Wall of the colony.

West's hand was still locked to Stevan's leg.

The Innkeeper quickly hammered a hand into his head with all his might. He grunted.

West fell to a knee after the hit. His eyes had burst but he kept hold of the Innkeeper's leg.

The Innkeeper wailed as the poison rushed into his body.

'I can't die now .... not now!'

He hammered both his hands into West's head like a gorilla. 

West had finally released the Innkeeper's leg, and collapsed. 

The Innkeeper had immediately collapsed as well. He remained on his side, holding his poisoned leg and trying to not groan as best he could.

West then started climbing his knees. "It's not ... over ... it's not over yet it's not!" He snapped.

The Innkeeper quickly teleported to his feet, right next to West, and pushed him.

West staggered closer to the edge of the wall. 

The Innkeeper furrowed his brows, and teleported closer to West again, and pushed him once more.

West was lurched at the edge, swooshing his hand about in attempt to catch balance. He furrowed his brows. He quickly grabbed hold the Innkeeper's neck.

The Innkeeper's eyes widened.

"Killing a kid? Are you serious?" West scowled. "I can't go down without taking you with me!"

The Innkeeper's eyes bulged as West sunk his nails deeper into the his neck. Veins started at his neck and trickled up to his face. His face turned green. Ultimately, he leaned forward with West. The lurched and lurched until they feel off the wall.

They soared through the air, and kept nearing the ground. West kept hold of the Innkeeper's neck. The Innkeeper's face was getting worst; the poison was rushing into his head. West raised his other hand, and punched the Innkeeper to his face.

The Innkeeper also grabbed hold of West's neck and punched him to the face. They started wrestling in the air. Punches. Slaps. Scratched. The Innkeeper's back was facing the sky, and West's back was facing the ground. 

West gritted his teeth. "You old, fool! You have to teleport!" He looked down. "WE'RE GONNA DIEEEE!!! TELEPORT!!!!"

They neared the ground. The Innkeeper's eyes rolled up in his head. 

West's eyes widened upon recognition. "Stage three ..." he trailed off, "he's paralyzed.

They were going fast toward the surface.

The Innkeeper coughed up blood. Instead of falling it went up as they went down at great speed.

West started to panic.

"TELEPORT!!!"

"TELEPORT, YOU FOOL!!!"

West quickly dug his nails into the Innkeeper's neck again. Instead of putting poison into the blood stream, he sucked it out. They were too close too the ground but he kept sucking the poison out. He looked down. It was pointless. He was dead.

He quickly squeezed his eyes shut.

'I'm dead ...'

His hair and clothes was no longer rippling in the wind. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Only a sky was before him. A big, blue, bright sky.

Then, the Innkeeper fell into sight, limping on a leg.

"Am I going to heaven?"

"No," The Innkeeper said, "you're going to solitude."