The Innkeeper

There was a crisp morning chill in the wind that blew in the Midnight Inn, cooled endlessly no doubt while flowing gently over the untouched snow that covered much of its grounds. The wind felt invigorating, rather than uncomfortable, and was even better than coffee at waking up someone who woke up from a nap.

A clear, perfect 'crunch' could be heard as a figure walked through one such untouched field, leaving behind deep but clear footprints. A few of the trees the figure passed were bare, and some showed a hint of green needle like leaves topped with the white of snow. Most of the trees, though, were quite colorful. The trees with leaves of purple crystal had spread quite fast across the Inn, and remarkably, changed colors with the season. Now, various shades of red, from deep scarlet to blood red, to the soft blend of hues occasionally found in the rising sun, dotted the endless Inn grounds.

The visage was quite picturesque. A figure garbed in all black moved across an ocean of white, with various colors around, some bunched together and some far apart, like an abstract painting of the cosmos.

Parveen, who watched the figure get closer, took another sip of her extremely rich, smoldering hot chocolate. Her thoughts wandered like smoke through the wind, comparing the figure to everything from a solitary hero through a field of pure happiness, brought about from his own noble acts, to a desolate soldier, walking not through lands but through his happy memories moments before he succumbed to the final embrace of death. As an avid reader and perpetual bookworm, she had an overactive imagination and most of her social interactions usually involved her imagining her compatriots in various interesting scenarios.

"Am I late?" the dark figure asked in a gruff voice, unwrapping the gray scarf around his neck. He hated the cold, yet always found himself attracted to it for the pure bliss it delivered in terms of excellent naps.

"A little," Parveen replied. "But don't worry. Everyone is already used to it."

The dark figure made a sound to acknowledge the statement as he finally finished unwrapping the scarf. The dark, furry face of a Neko, or commonly known as a cat-human, was revealed. As it turned out, the figure was dark not only because of the dark clothes he had worn, but also all the black colored hair his stocky build was covered in.

"There are some new members though. I told you the Midnight Inn would be a good place," Parveen said absent mindedly, her thoughts once again preoccupied with various scenarios as she fueled herself with more hot chocolate.

"I will be the one to judge if there are any new members," Gladius, the Neko, said harshly. He was strangely strict in admitting new members, as he should be. After all, joining his book club was no simple matter.

Silently, the duo retreated into a small clearing in the middle of a few dozen trees. It seemed as if the trees had protected this place from the snow, and somehow the chilly winds did not enter past the furthest tree, forming a safe haven from the elements.

In the middle, there were a number of small huts, some simple log stools and a burning campfire. Alongside the few dozen members of the book club, parrots and peacocks rested there, as if completely unafraid of the nearby gathering.

"You've finally arrived," said a monkey who was seated nearby, a pair of hipster glasses resting on its nose as it read an incredibly thick book. Even as the monkey talked, he could not look away as if the story he was reading had gripped his very soul.

"Keep reading your dictionary and don't talk to me," said Gladius, completely irritated by this member who never seemed to read the correct book.

The monkey, as if unable to detect the irritation in the voice, said "I most definitely will," while murmuring as he tried to pronounce the new word it was reading.

"Be nice," said another member, who similarly had her eyes locked onto her book. She was a demon, a zombie to be exact, who had somehow retained the consciousness of her body before she became a zombie. Having lost almost all of her senses, except the desire to eat meat filled with spiritual energy, preferably raw, she now took all her pleasures from reading.

"I don't want instructions from someone reading the manual for a squatting toilet," murmured Gladius, but not too loudly. For better or for worse, the zombie was pretty powerful and he didn't want to antagonize her.

"Are you the leader?" asked another new potential member, excitement bubbling out from every corner of his being. "How did you discover such excellent books? We must talk after the meeting, you HAVE to give me more recommendations!"

This member was one of the spirits who had survived death by giving up his entire wealth, and now lived permanently at the Inn. It was only in death did he have the time to discover the wonder of books, and he did not want to miss out on a single one!

Gladius interacted with each of the members, or prospective members, before he finally made it to his designated seat in the center. All the others also found their seats and a hush fell over the area as eager eyes all focused on Gladius.

For many here, the book club was the main source of social interaction, but even for the rest it was the one they looked forward to most. After all, it was so hard to find like minded people, let alone an entire club full of various races all dedicated to, and in love with the same thing.

Gladius cleared his throat loudly, as if attracting everyone's attention - though that was unnecessary.

"We have some prospective members here, so let me go over the rules of the Catnip Book Club (CBC). We meet once a week, though attendance every week is not exactly necessary. However, if someone misses four consecutive meetings they will be considered removed from the club until further notice.

"Each week, I provide a list of reading materials. There is one main focus, which we will discuss the following week, and several suggestions that members can discuss amongst themselves…"

Gladius spent a good amount of time explaining the rules, his posture perfect and his voice loud and clear, as if declaring that he was the one incharge. No one really contested his position, because not only did he recommend excellent books, everyone loved to play with his incredibly silky and soft hair. He was the perfect reading companion.

Once he was done explaining the rules, he opened his satchel and from within removed a massive book with an extremely colorful cover, depicting a magnificent hero wielding his sword, ready to take on the universe, and behind him his endless wives. The title of the book: 'Ultimate King Emperor: All the Gods call me Daddy'!

"This… this book…" he said, his voice trembling, though no one could tell if it was from excitement or some other emotion, "was selected last week through popular demand." Gladius paused for a moment to glare at Parveen, the oldest member of his book club, before he continued, "and it was… well it was definitely a unique read. As much as I pride myself as a quick reader, I was only able to read the first thirty one thousand chapters during this past week…" his voice trembled again.

"Before we begin to discuss the book, let's ask everyone how far they've reached, and limit our discussion till the earliest point a member has reached to avoid spoilers."

One by one, the members only said what chapter they had reached, though at some point Gladius became distracted. A notification grabbed his attention.

New notification: Congratulations on gathering 50 members for the Catnip Book Club, and unlocking the achievement - The Budding Book Club.

Reward: The Haunted Book Mark

Excited, Gladius began investigating his new reward, and began checking out the new features of his 'Book Readers Club System'. At the same time, he received a new quest as well.

New Quest: As a budding book club, you should also begin to develop a collection of rare and valuable books to show off your achievements. Find a signed copy of the comic 'The Innkeeper vol. III Love is an ocean of fire and I am the lifeguard' by author 'Rachel'.

Gladius could not keep himself from grinning, though his members mistook his actions as a reaction to the amount of progress they had made in their reading, and felt highly motivated.

The reason he was smiling was because he had heard a rumor that a signed copy of that exact comic would secretly be auctioned deep underground in the reading circles of the Midnight Inn.

The one who told him this rumor was his good friend Velma, and she always had good information so he trusted her deeply. Soon, he could see his book club growing even further.

WIthout realizing it, Gladius began to purr.