After finishing their meal at the cafe, surrounded by the warm farewells of patrons who treated Anasha like family. Reinhard, Marie, and Joseph made their way toward the inn with Anasha guiding them. They moved through streets lined with buildings whose gas lamps were beginning to flicker to life.
The inn called Misty Life occupied a corner building with decorative stonework and tall windows framed in brass. A wooden sign hung from wrought iron brackets, creaking gently in the evening breeze.
"This is the best place to stay." Anasha said, pointing at the entrance. "It's pretty quiet and the bed are pretty soft."
She waved goodbye energetically before running back toward her parents' cafe. Her small figure disappeared around a corner as her laughter echoed off the building walls.
Inside the inn, Marie approached the front desk where a clerk with a neatly waxed mustache reviewed a leather-bound registry. The lobby featured polished wood paneling and furniture arranged around a fireplace where logs crackled warmly.
"Three rooms for the week." Marie said, producing 105 gold coins that glinted in the gaslight.
The clerk counted the payment carefully before handing over brass keys. "Second floor, rooms twelve, thirteen, and fourteen. Evening meal service ends at nine if you're interested."
They climbed a carpeted staircase, passing oil paintings of local landscapes in gilded frames. Their rooms were modest but comfortable with each featuring a single bed with crisp linens, a washstand with a basin and pitcher, and a window overlooking the street below.
Reinhard settled into a wooden chair beside his window and watched the evening of Mensis Town. Residents moved along sidewalks as they headed home after long workdays.
Shopkeepers emerged to close shutters and lock doors, while gas lamps created pools of warm light at regular intervals.
Three hours passed as the streets gradually emptied. The moon rose full and bright, casting silver light across rooftops and creating sharp shadows between buildings.
Reinhard observed the town guards in dark uniforms carrying swords and spears, moving in pairs along predetermined routes.
It seems they are starting the night patrol.
A clock in the town square chimed ten times, its sound carrying through the quiet night air.
"Alright, let's go." Reinhard said quietly.
Marie and Joseph nodded, then all three moved to Reinhard's window. The inn's second-story position provided easy access to the building's slate roof, which they reached by climbing out carefully and pulling themselves up.
The rooftop offered a view of Mensis Town spread below. Chimneys rose at regular intervals while windows broke the monotony of slanted surfaces. They moved carefully across the slate tiles, their soft-soled boots making minimal noise.
When they reached the roof's edge, Joseph leaped first to the adjacent building. Marie followed with graceful agility, while Reinhard followed next and they continued this pattern. Moving from roof to roof toward the older section of town while avoiding any loose tiles that might clatter to the streets below.
Each time they spotted patrolling guards below, they froze and waited for the men to pass. The guards moved, their attention focused on ground-level threats rather than potential rooftop infiltrators.
After twenty minutes of careful progress, they reached the perimeter of the older section. Here the buildings showed clear signs of damage on most buildings while some others had some parts repaired.
They dropped down to street level in an alley between two partially restored structures, landing silently on cobblestones worn smooth by age and weather.
"No guards around," Joseph whispered, scanning the empty streets.
"Makes sense," Marie replied softly. "No construction work at night, and everyone should be inside."
Reinhard nodded and began moving deeper into the restricted area with the others following close behind.
The older section revealed itself as a maze of damaged buildings in various states of repair. Some showed signs of recent work such as new walls and floors, window frames, and fresh timber for the roofs. Others remained as fire had left them years ago and haven't been touched yet by the workers.
Reinhard stepped into what had once been an inn and over the collapsed wooden sign and broken glass littering the entrance.
Inside he saw the charred ceiling beams cast strange shadows in the moonlight that was streaming through empty window frames.
The floor was covered with debris mixed with fragments of furniture, pieces of pottery, and ash that had somehow never been completely cleared away.
Reinhard moved carefully through rooms where wallpaper hung in blackened strips and doorframes stood empty of their doors. The structure felt unstable, with occasional creaking sounds suggesting the building was slowly settling further into ruin.
The next building might have been a house with its kitchen area still identifiable by the remains of a stove and metal fixtures too damaged to salvage. Tables and chairs had been reduced to charcoal and ash while broken crockery crunched underfoot.
The next building was a burnt shop with empty shelves and display cases with their glass fronts shattered. Whatever merchandise had once filled this space was long gone, leaving only behind debris.
The administrative building proved to be in better shape than the others as its stone walls weren't as damaged. Reinhard explored room after room, finding the remnants of desks, filing cabinets reduced to twisted metal, and papers that had become nothing more than ash.
In what appeared to have been a records room, he discovered something that made his eyes widened. It was a small door which was like a cellar, leading him to lift it up and he saw stone steps leading downward.
The entrance was narrow but there was enough space to show that it did lead down into a lower level.
Reinhard's eyes lit up with excitement as he turned to leave the building and locate Marie and Joseph. As he stepped back onto the street, the sound of breaking glass echoed from somewhere nearby.
Reinhard froze, listening intently for any sign of the others or potential danger.
When he looked around, he paused and then blinked as his surroundings had changed. The buildings that moments before had shown signs of repair and restoration now appeared as complete ruins.
Fresh timber had become blackened beams, new walls had crumbled away, and recently installed windows were gone.
Everything around him looked like ruin and fully burnt down.