"That's your mother? I thought you were sisters!" exclaimed Rasmus before he fell into a coughing fit.

Vetta remained silent as she looked downwards.

"So all this time, you two…you two were using me as your plaything? Some Succubus' pet?" Rasmus' mind was filled with horror. Though far from the mightiest fiends from the Abyss the elusive Succubus was one of the most famous. Shapeshifting temptresses that made fools willingly give up their souls for a sample of forbidden delights. Was that it? Was he like some vampire's blood pet, a deluded sod kept on a leash of his broken will, just to be feasted on at their cruel master's leisure. Was that the true explanation of his draining? Was it not a curse after all?

No, that wasn't it. There was a curse, he confirmed it at the library, but that still didn't make it right. He had been surrounded by ..by…lust demons and he didn't know it. What terrible things did they do to him when he wasn't aware. He could only recall the occasional kiss by Vandia, but that didn't mean that was the extent of their depravities. He could have been used like some kind of stud when he was sleeping by Vandia or Vetta or maybe both at once! He shuddered at the extent of their debauchery, imagining himself helpless against these two succubus ( or was that succubi, Rasmus wasn't sure) while he was asleep, placed in various compromising positions, abused at the whims of his captors.

"Hey snap out of it," said Sylgja snapping her fingers in front of his face. Rasmus turned red at the memory of his own thoughts. The paladin then faced the bound Vetta. "I want you to explain this situation to me again. Rasmus, Leroung, you, your…mother. Tell me how you all relate to each other. This time no lies, just the straight truth."

Vetta said not a word.

"Look, you might think you're tough, they all do, and you might even hold your tongue for a while, " said Sylgja as she slowly took off her glove. The paladin then searched through her pack and retrieved a pair of knuckle dusters. One was silver the other looked like iron. She examined the pair of them, glanced at Vetta before nodding and slipping on the iron one. "Look, I don't want to do this, but I use to be a Hellknight."

The whole room grew deathly silent at the mention of that feared caste of warriors.

"That was a different life, a long time ago, but it did teach me a few things. For one, we didn't just work with fiends we caught and …punished the wayward ones. Everyone thinks that demons are immune to pain well let's just say they weren't trying hard enough. From hungry Larvae that feast on some farmer's harvest, to Mezzoloths that prey on merchants and didn't think anyone would notice, even to oh too smart Contract devils that skimmed off the top and were caught. They all screamed and begged that they would change their ways when we 'confronted' them."

The paladin then walked towards Vetta and raised her fist to strike her. Vetta winced, but Sylgja simply patted her head.

"I didn't take delight in my work, which is why I left the order, but no one could say I was bad at it. I even earned a few medals and service ribbons for my endeavours. Torture however was not my forte, but I did reserve a special kind of zeal while pursuing Succubus. "

Sylgja remained silent and let the threat linger.

"My partner and I were on the trail of a particularly deadly Succubus. I won't get into the details, but let's say my partner was slain and I was captured. For a week, she did terrible, unspeakable things to me, before I was rescued. The Succubus escaped however, but let's say I've held a grudge against her kind since then."

To accent her point she bent her neck slightly revealing a light jagged scar near her ear.

In his mind's eyes Rasmus imagined the proud Sylgja at the mercy of some half naked Succubus. He saw the demon do all sort of unspeaking things to the paladin. Clawing, biting, kissing, licking…

"Oh check out my new ensemble ," said Reinhardt as he returned with a student's robe and a short cloak. He also sported an eyepatch which looked like a converted doiley. "I'm not normally a robe guy, but this beats the hobo clansman look."

"Umm, sorry about your eye."

Reinhardt shrugged. "It will regenerate, besides it's not the worst blow I've ever taken. I was once stabbed in the back and had my tracheal cluster removed."

"Trachael what?"

"It's basically my heart."

"Do you mind," said Sylgja. "I'm in the middle of an interrogation here."

Reinhardt rolled his eyes. " Look, I'm a telepath. Admittedly not a great one, but I do skim surface thoughts, even when I'm in the other room. I'll make this easy for everyone from what I've gathered. Let's start this off by saying there are no Succubus in this tower, or at least not that I've encountered. Vetta here is an Alu fiend, one of the lesser half fiends. Not quite a Cambion but more than a tiefling. Her 'mother' is also not a Succubus, though close. I mean, c'mon guys, she had tentacles. Succubus don't have tentacles unless you're in the lands of the Emerald Throne. She's a Lilitu, one of the highest orders of corruption demons from the Abyss. Something I didn't expect in this tower full of rebel Halflings, animated shields and gargoyles. She's practically one step below a Balor in terms of power roughly equal to a Marilith though her powers are not focused on melee."

Alu fiend, Lilytwo, Maryalisp, Balor? The first two he never heard of. The mage recalled something that a Maryalisp had the head of a human and the body of a snake, or it could be the other way around, and a Balor is some type of fire spirit created when dwarves dig too deep and too greedily. Rasmus was not following Reinhardt, but nodded his head knowingly in an attempt to appear knowledgeable.

"I would also like to add that Sylgja here was never the pleasure pet to any Succubus, she got that scar from trying to cut her hair while drunk."

"Hey, get out of my head," pouted the Paladin. "I was just trying to scare her by playing bad constable. "

"I didn't get a read on that Vandia creature, but I'm assuming her and Vetta were placed here to keep Rasmus put. Probably charmed him in thinking he was the favored apprentice. When the wards were triggered, he got lost in the fog and escaped their grasp."

Rasmus winced. He was charmed? While he had little knowledge of demons he did have a fair knowledge of the schools of magic. If he was actually charm, he would have considered his captors his best friends, which was probably why he had such favorable opinions of the two sisters, err mother and daughter. The mage frowned as he recalled the tender feelings he had recently for Vetta. They had all been lies, forced into being by magic.

"It's not like that," said Vetta in a small voice.

"Oh? Then what's it really like then," demanded Sylgja, back into her bad constable routine."Explain to us mere mortals, err two out of three of us are mortals, but don't make me explain. You get my point."

"It's true that we were assigned to keep Rasmus safe. For what purpose I do not know. My mother wanted to devour him but was forbidden to, so she did the next best thing, at least for her tastes. She placed him under a charm and delighted in playing the innocent while she flirted and teased him as much as she can. When the tower was invaded, my mother went to investigate, and that's when I saw the 'curse' as you call it take hold. I'm not sure if it was planned or the invaders forced Leroung's hand but Rasmus was being drained before my eyes and I couldn't stand for it. Though my magic is not as strong as Vandia's, I placed suggestions in his mind to escape. To flee the tower and run away from whatever magic was taking his life."

"Why would you help me?" asked Rasmus. He felt ashamed at the harsh judgements he laid on everything Vetta said could have been a lie, somehow it felt truthful.

"You may be proud and foolish, but you are also kind and innocent in a way. I value our talks together and I consider you a friend. To befriend a fiend, there is beauty in that. I would rather preserve that friendship rather than to corrupt and despoil it like my mother."

Reinhardt grunted. Rasmus wasn't sure if he approved her statement, or if he was confirming her narrative.

Sylgja's hard expression softened as she listened to the explanation. "Why didn't you escape together?"

"I couldn't leave my mother…."

Rasmus considered her statement and wasn't sure what to think. In his rapidly fading memories he though Vetta a friend and Vandia a possible love interest. Now that it has come to light they were both fiends playing him as a dupe, he was even more confused. With the illusion of his happy apprenticeship shattered could he trust either again? Certainly not Vandia, but Vetta? He saw in her eyes there was no malice towards him, not like Vandia. When her eyes locked onto his in battle she regarded him as something small and easily controlled. Though he believed her, could he be safe around her. She did have her claws ready to rip his throat out. Could she have done it? Did it matter? She cost them Reinhardt's and Sylgja's chance to slay the Lilitu.

"So what now," asked Reinhardt.

"We can take her prisoner, or give her a quick death," said Sylgja. "We can't leave her here. She'll get free in no time and attack us again. I have sympathy for her tale, but let's face the facts. She attacked me earlier and she threatened to kill Rasmus just now. We barely held our own against the top maid earlier, I certainly don't want to fight both of them together."

Vetta made no protest as she awaited her fate. Rasmus wasn't sure if he could be so calm in her situation. Facing death, he would fight and scream, he wouldn't just do nothing. He had so much to live for; his sister, his fiefdom, and if he survived his aspiring career as a wizard. Still given her appearance and the fact she was only a half demon, she was probably an outsider to both mortals and fiends. She could have escaped this tower or attempted to, but stayed with the only person that truly cared for her, her crazy sadistic mother. Under those circumstances, Rasmus though he too might await his death calmly.

"We could let her go," said Rasmus.

"Eh?" asked Sylgja. "Did this draining get to your short term memory now? She just tried to kill you."

"She only threatened because of her mother. I'm sure she wouldn't have done it," said Rasmus who hid the fact he actually wasn't sure. "Besides we can release her on the caveat that she make no contact with her mother and never return. "

"You can do that?" asked Sylgja surprised.

"No, but I can," said Reinhardt as he produced a parchment and then began scribbling down a rough contract. "Blah blah, the undersigned proclaims blah blah to remain a specified distance of fifty miles blah blah blah if she finds herself within such boundaries blah blah blah to immediately vacate the area blah blah blah less the following penalties shall occur blah blah blah these penalties shall be meted according to the severity of the infraction blah blah blah conscription to the Black Legion, loss of magic use according to the length of the infraction, the granting of a favour to one who holds blah blah blah no remuneration shall be accorded blah blah blah Witnessed by Gelugon Reyzenhart Paladin Sylgja Mage Rasmus. Signed by…X"

"Read this, tell me if there are sections you disagree with or need clarifying. Know this contract will be enforced by Infernal Justice, the Primal Pact, specifically the Black Legion. I'm not sure if you heard of them, but they make the Hellknights look like the Harpers of the Realm. You do not want to mess with these people, my people."

"I understand," replied Vetta in a tired voice.

Reinhardt offered her his quill which was appeared to be made from the feather of some great reddish bird. Rasmus expected her to be untied first but she simply grasped it with her tail and signed where the X was. Satisfied, the Pale man sliced her ropes with his spear.

Vetta flexed her arms, legs, and wings before she fled into the fog. Before she did however she glanced back at Rasmus, and said "I'm sorry."

"Well, I truly hope we see the last of those two," said Sylgja.

Rasmus agreed or at least partly.

"Have you secured my payment," asked Reinhardt. Rasmus nodded and threw him the small locked box. Reinhardt easily caught it, shook it and seemed to count the clanging from within. Satisfied he waved towards the fog. "Well, our enemy is most likely alerted, but we're halfway through now. It is best we move on."

As the trio left Sylgja paused. "Wait, I have one more question. Well two questions actually."

"Go on," said Reinhardt.

"First, why did Vandia take the shape of the fiery haired elf with the glowing eyes. Is that her natural form?"

Reinhardt rolled his one good eye." Baator no. A Lilitu is similar to a Succubus in that it can take the shape of her target's desires or memories. It makes getting close to their targets easier when they see someone they love or desire. Also they hope their foes would hesitate when striking them. Kytons, chain devils, have similar powers I might add. In some ways a Lilitu's telepathy is stronger than mine, though channeled only in certain aspects. As for that elf, her name is Amirah. She is actually a Bralanni Azzata, a frost spirit from Arborea. She took her from my memory."

"Ooohh….a lover?" said Sylgja excitedly. "A forbidden romance between an Ice Devil from the great pit and a fairy princess from Arborea. You must tell me more!"

Reinhardt sighed and pointed to his back,"There's not much to tell. Remember when I said I was once stabbed in the back and had my Tracheal cluster removed, well that's the culprit," he said with a knowing smirk.

"Okay…well my second question is why in the Abyss did her second form look so much like me. Well a younger, blonder, smaller version of me…."

"With a straighter nose and a fairer voice.." added Reinhardt.

"Yeah, explain that."

Reinhardt simply pointed to the mage who suddenly grew red.

"Let's press on," replied Rasmus as he evaded her question. He threw his companions their guiding rope and quickly marched into the fog.