"How did you get up there?" Karl asked, wondering how she reached the second-story window, "Never mind! We have to warn everyone before the fire reaches the inn!"
He quickly threw on his tunic and belt and headed out into the hallway, beginning to knock on doors to wake people up. If the approaching sound of battle was not already enough to get them up, that is.
Once he reached the ground floor, he found at least a few other people were awake. A couple men were actually just on their way out the door, evidently intending to flee. Another was at the window, watching outside. In the corner, a scraggly old man was drinking and moaning.
"They didn't believe me... oh, the fools! I knew they'd come one day! I knew the dwellers in the deep would return to DOOM us all!"
"The dwellers in the deep?" Karl asked, looking at the man.
"Aye... the things that live at the bottom of the lake! I've warned people for years of their existence, but nobody listens to me! HA! Now we all will die, but it won't be my fault! HAHAHA!"
Karl was going to respond, but he then looked to his left, as though someone there was addressing him.
"You won't die, but I will!" he told the wall.
"Eh?" the old man blinked in confusion.
Karl was still looking at the wall.
"Well no, I'm not worried about burning to death... I mean, I suppose I could die of smoke inhalation..."
"Son, who are ya talking to...?" the old man questioned.
Karl turned to respond to the old geezer, but whatever invisible entity he was talking to apparently still had his attention, as he turned right back toward them.
"What? No, this man is not our father!"
"Uhhhh... and they called me senile..." the old man looked at his drink, set it on the table, then stood up and stumbled toward the door.
