The Rooted Inn

The Rooted Inn was at the northern section of Vesporum. It was an old building, just like the rest of the city, but this one had a hint of greenery around it. A single, old, crooked tree had its branches intertwined with the columns supporting the second floor, and Aoric could spy a few mostly brown blades of grass growing in the cracks on the floor.

Light shone from the windows and the warmth of a fire radiated from the building. Aoric tightened his grasp around the wet, tattered cloak he was holding. He wanted that warmth, he needed it. He reached for his pocket and checked what little money he had left.

Seven silver and five copper coins, he counted. His shoulders dropped, it was probably enough to stay for one night, but anything more was out of the question. He hesitated, weighted his options. It took less than a minute for him to cave in and approach the door.

As he opened the sturdy wooden door, the warm air blew in his face.

"Welcome sir!" A young woman's voice sounded as he hesitantly glanced inside.

The Rooted Inn had a much more welcoming air compared to the Dancing Rat. At least half a dozen tables were full, a cosy flame burned in the fireplace, and the place was well lit. Aoric stepped inside, and immediately felt the heat warm his weary, tired, and cold body.

"What can I do for you, sir?" The same woman spoke again. Aoric glanced at her. He was a redhead, with a beaming smile. She placed two beer mugs on a table, then placed the round wooden tray on the spotless counter. "Perhaps a room and a warm bath? You seem like you've come from a long way."

The thought of a warm bath almost made his heart skip a beat. "That sounds amazing." He muttered, shooting worried looks around. After the hostility he had encountered over at the Dancing Rat, he couldn't help but be weary of the customers here. Not even a single one of them had paused to look at him, however. Sure, he did draw some glances when he first came in, but the overwhelming indifference was quite a welcome change.

"Could you tell me your prices first though?" he showed her his best smile, though he seemed more desperate than kind.

"Two silver for a room for the night." The woman responded with a genuine smile. "Breakfast, dinner and the bathhouse are all free of charge, but any broken items will be priced as well."

Aoric breathed a sigh of relief. "Then please arrange a room for me."

"Right away sir." She took the two silver coins, then ran upstairs. Aoric hesitated for a moment, then leaned on the wall by the door. It wasn't long before she came back down to guide him to his room. "Down the stairs, to your left is the bath house. You can also clean your clothes there," She shot a meaningful look at his soaked, dirty and tattered cloak. "Dinner is served in about two hours, at sundown. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything more."

Aoric thanked her, and she smiled and left. The young man glanced around the room he was given. It was a fairly small room, but it was heaven compared to sleeping on the rooftops or the room he had at the Dancing Rat.

He had a single, small window facing the tree by the front of the inn, a wardrobe, and an end table. All that he cared about was the bed, which seemed incredibly comfortable just about now.

"Bath first." He reminded himself. A warm bath, some hot dinner and a good night's sleep was all he needed. He headed downstairs, into the bathhouse as the young woman had described. After washing his clothes and putting them on the dryers near another, smaller fireplace, Aoric walked into the large sauna.

He lowered himself into the hot water, and immediately felt his body relax. His stiff muscles unwound, and he leaned his head against the stone wall. The steamy air filled his lungs as he took a deep breath. He let his body soak in the hot, steamy bath.

A while passed before he got out of the water, put his now clean and dry clothes back on and walked into the bottom floor of the inn. The tables were just as full as before, though the were some empty seats by the counter and near the windows, where the cold air creeped.

He sat by the counter, and soon dinner was served to him and perhaps a handful of other customers.

"Thank you." He said with a genuine smile. He finished the stew quickly and began sipping his ale as he listened in to random conversations.

"Two more died." Someone's words caught his attention. "I do wonder when they will put a stop to it. The guards just collect the bodies and leave – they haven't even found a suspect yet."

"… The families aren't doing anything either. Do they hope the cathedral folk will handle this?"

Aoric furrowed his brows. Murders in the city, huh? The timing was rather awful, but perhaps he could use the chaos to sneak back into the mansion again.

"Can I get you anything else, sir?" The woman from earlier asked as she took his empty bowl.

"No, thank you." He glanced at the windows. "When is breakfast served?"

"A short while after dawn, but we can always prepare something simple if you happen to wake up later."

Aoric nodded. "Thank you, I think I'll turn in for the night." He got up and walked upstairs, straight to his room. He kicked his boots off and collapsed on the bed as soon as he closed and locked his door.

He didn't hear the loud creaks as the massive city gates closed, and the portcullis was lowered.