Picking himself up from the undignified exit, Aaralon felt his reluctance to visit Grand Magus Serith growing. Suppose the Grand Magus already knew of his run-in with Clara? It was unlikely that anything happening inside the tower would pass completely unnoticed by a sorcerer as powerful as the Grand Magus. Despite the instructions imparted on him when he entered the tower, Aaralon supposed he could now make the plausible claim that Clara had mistakenly directed him toward the basement.
And then, of course, there was the mention of Clara's sister. In the dungeon. Without prompting, Aaralon's mind conjured up a vision of beautiful Clara spread-eagled on a rack, mewling for her captor to grant her pleasure. The image seemed far more immediate and inviting than thoughts of far off daughters of mayors and gnolls.
As Aaralon hurried down the winding stairs, the sudden clatter of footsteps from below approaching rapidly elicited flashes of guilt and alarm at abandoning his initial task. Fortunatley as the source came into sight, rather than a livid Grand Magus, the bustle turned out to be Gladys with a comely, young, and completely terrified girl in tow.
"Just be glad you've been summoned to entertain Goliath today. For her next set of lessons, Clara will be servicing Moaroi the centaur in the stables."
Aaralon stepped aside to allow the two maids to hurry past. Neither one spared him so much as a glance. He looked after the petite form of the new maid who would be "entertaining" Goliath with a bit of consternation, the enormous size of the beast's member still fresh in his mind.
The air of the ancient tower became drafty and slightly chill as he descended below the entry level. Shadows lengthened and flickered on the grime caked stone walls as the magical lanterns, the sole source of illumination, quickly became torches, mostly unlit and sparsely placed at that. The air smelled of stale mildew and in the growing darkness, Aaralon felt the distinct prickle down his back of eyes watching his descent.
At last, the stairs ended. The very base of the tower was deep underground. The enormous granite blocks that composed the tower were flawed here at the foundation, cracked from generations of bearing the tower's weight. Aaralon gingerly picked his way over the filthy uneven floor to the single door that adorned the bare stone wall. The door was not particularly large, but was set in heavy steel, and reinforced with such thickness and array of locks that a battering ram would have been hard pressed to breach it. However, on careful inspection Aaralon cleverly noted that the massive crossbar and exposed hinges on the outside revealed that the door was not intended to keep occupants on the outside at bay, but rather those on the inside. Nor had the powerful runes of warding inset on the door itself escaped his notice.
Aching with curiosity, Aaralon grasped the massive handle and prepared to pull. But then, muffled to near inaudibility though it was, Aaralon heard a clearly femenine shriek, followed by a powerful and unmistakeably demonic roar. It had come from beyond the door.
And suddenly, with the prospect of powerful demons at large, seeking out Clara's sister in the dungeon didn't seem as inviting as it had before. |