As Rasmus and the Pale man exited the fog, they found themselves in a long corridor. Pots, dishes, rows of sausages and seasonal vegetables were hung along the wall. It took Rasmus a few seconds to orientate himself since he had expected to appear in a room, but he soon recognized this was near the kitchen and the pantry. As an apprentice he was often served in his own residence, the library, or the laboratory, and seldom ventured on this level of the tower but even he recognized the domestic environment. It would have given him a comforting feeling, except that these chambers were now empty and deserted and that did not seem right.
He recalled this place bustling with Halfling servants, guardsmen, and even his favorite maids Vetta and Vandia, but now it was just empty. Rasmus recalled that he thought he had been trapped for weeks and months, and quickly checked the dust on one of the tables. He frowned when he found none, not because he wanted to think he had been trapped for a long period of time, but was disappointed in himself for his mental collapse in misjudging the duration. It had all been in his head after all.
This was the third time Rasmus had entered the fog. While he was still disorientated from the experience, he didn't feel the freezing choking feeling he had earlier, and more importantly he definitely did not feel his life being drained away. He was getting so accustomed to it, he almost felt that the earlier draining he felt might also have been all in his mind like the time distortion he just disproved. A touch to his gaunt face and even a glance at a rough mirror proved otherwise.
Damn, I'm starting to look like Master Lero, frowned Rasmus as he examined his gaunt features. While he wasn't the most handsome of men, his family was of rugged stock from the Menador mountains. Now he started to look like a thin old man, which was probably why Dwen had confused him with Lero earlier.
"I suppose your residence isn't near here is it?" asked the Pale man whose shrug showed that he already knew the answer.
"This is close, but we're not quite there. "
"Oh well, at least you're still safe. I can still fulfil my contract."
"Speaking of which, for a powerful fiend…"
"Gelugon, fiend is so generic of a term."
"For a powerful Gelugon, you didn't help out much back in the barracks. Dwen threatened to whack me with a club, and I'm sure that Halfling would have gutted me."
"Yet here you are unharmed. I think you underestimate the power of the shaft of my spear to that Halfling's face. As for the guard captain, I could sense he was all bluster. He would not harm you. I know the terms of my bargain, and it's to free you from this tower. I could if I wanted to, render you unconscious to cease your prattling, then stuff you in one of those nearby potato sacks, and find my own way out of here. I don't think either one of us wants that. I am a professional and have a reputation to think of. "
"Errr…point taken."
"Also, I've yet to secure payment for my services since the pickings at the laboratory were not satisfactory for one such as myself. I for one, would like some form of consideration to be given before I fulfil my portion of the contract. It's just good business to handle these transaction one self, rather than ….releasing Infernals that specialize in contract collection."
"Okay, I get it. I'll let you handle your own work," chuckled Rasmus. While the Pale man was certainly threatening, he detected a hint of sarcasm in his voice and thought it was a bit of whimsy on his part to act so dramatic, or at least he hoped it was an act.
As they conversed, the Pale man grabbed a plate and picked a wedge of cheese, some cured meats and a few tomatoes from the wall.
"Err, are you thinking of eating. I mean now?" asked Rasmus.
"Now would be a good as time as any, since this place appears secure. Or would you rather fight hungry when we meet more crazed denizens of this tower, or those Reclamation knights your friend mentioned. In addition, you are correct about your earlier hypothesis. You have been the victim of a drain attack, and recently too. It will recover in time, but nothing like a good meal to speed that process up."
Any arguments about the urgency of the situation were foiled when Rasmus' stomach growled. He didn't even pretend to protest as he selected some bread and wine to go with his meal.
Though he started eating first, to his surprise the Pale man joined him, eating a bit of bread and cheese along with some wine.
"I thought as an Infernal err Gelugon you dined on ….umm…souls."
"I do, though not as much as most people think. Besides, over the aeons I've grown accustomed to this particular body, but more importantly its mannerisms. While this body doesn't need to be sustained by mortal food either, I find it helps the guise and I've developed a fondness for certain tastes and textures."
"Ahh , that is why you have a wine skin. You enjoy the taste."
"Partially. To be honest I have very little taste buds, and it takes stronger stuff than wine to get me even slightly inebriated. However, my most frequent cohort Amirah enjoys the taste. So I often carry some around, to lighten the mood between us, especially when she gets into a killing rage."
"Well, killing rages are something that one should avoid."
"Aye, yes it is. Also, it's a good prop to use to put my victims at ease before I slay them," he said with that thin sarcastic smile again.
Rasmus laughed. "Well, when we get out of here. I'll have my sister give you a dozen bottles of my manor's finest. I'm sure they'll be to your …cohort's liking…. wait….something's wrong."
"Eh? Did you hear something? An attack?"
"No…I …I just can't seem to remember my sister's face. I…I can't even recall her name. It's on the tip of my tongue, I can see her visage, but I can't recall her name. What's happening? Is it the draining spell?"
The Pale man grabbed Rasmus, and studied his thin face, pulling up his eyelids and peering into his mouth. The mage struggled but was powerless against the fiend's infernal strength. Luckily, the Pale man released his grip before he broke something.
"I detect nothing unusual beyond that of a standard energy drain. I'm no cleric or healer, but if I recall, the only memories a negative energy attack drains is a portion of one's magical power. Unless of course this is some type of special attack developed by your master. If such is the case, I definitely have no idea how to treat it."
Rasmus ran through his other memories and found there were lots of holes in it. He could recall things such as where he grew up, how many serfs were employed in his land, the length of the winters of the last ten years, but he had trouble seeing faces, remembering conversations, basically of anything dating back a few years ago. They were like pages in a book, words and simple thoughts, but not something he truly experienced. It was truly frightening to the mage especially if this destruction of his memories continued.
"We need to find Misa," said Rasmus in a panic, fearing he would soon be a blank slate. "She's a healer, she'll know what to do."
"Sorry to intrude into your thoughts again, but she's a Halfling right? What makes you think she won't attempt to stab you like the guy in the barracks. People say tough times show who your friends are, I take that axiom one step further. A war shows who your friends are, and believe me while it doesn't seem like it currently, right now there's a war in this tower."
"Misa's kind and gentle. She's always been a mother to me while I've been here. She won't do that…..at least I don't think she would."
As Rasmus considered his next course of action, a roar and a crash echoed from near the pantry. The Pale man was the first to hop to his feet and marched with his spear in hand to investigate this threat. Rasmus wasn't sure if he should stay back or follow, but a few seconds alone in the room with his slowly vanishing thoughts was enough to convince him to follow the Gelugon.
