Raik led the way as we walked through the portcullis and into the open space in front of the keep. I was busy looking around at the yard, the earth dried out and dead with the black sand piling up against the buildings. It was a barren looking yard, there were some buildings scattered around the yard, butted up against the keep's wall. Nothing living seemed present, I was not sure if I was glad or not about that.
“Here we are,” Raik spoke in a quiet tone of voice. “The main floor will be the first challenge, I am not sure what it will be but.” Suddenly Raik stopped and began to sniff the air, “Do you smell that?” He asked. “It smells, it smells great, I mean it smells delicious. Like the best meal I have ever had.”
Sniffing the air, I too could smell it, it was the smell of bacon and eggs with toast with jam, a fresh brewed pot of kavaa. Tantalizing was the aroma of fresh peeled potatoes onions and butter being cooked. I could smell sausages cooling off in a pan, and pancakes. Suddenly my stomach growled, and not a gentle little grrrw. It was a loud and demanding sound with a feed me now intonation that could not be ignored.
Looking over at me Raik smiled and said, “I think I know what the first temptation is, I do not know how this will all play out, but damn it smells good.” I nodded it did smell good, “What do you think it is Raik?”
“Gluttony,” he replied, "after all who can resist these smells, I am drooling as I stand here. Let’s get this over with if nothing else we will respawn with a full tummy." Reaching out Raik pushed open the double doors and we entered the keep itself. The light was dim and dust covered the floor, no sign of life but down a side passage we could hear pots and pans banging and smell the food.
Right, I think I will go first, I spoke as I began to walk down the hall. “Right behind you,” Raik replied. After walking for about 20 paces we came to a set of swinging doors. Pushing my way through the doors I saw a large kitchen, very similar to what the Inn had. Standing at the far counter buttering toast was what looked like a dwarf, rapidly spreading the butter and grabbing another piece of toasted bread.
Raik and I looked at him, and then at each other. Stepping up I waved my hands and then spoke, “Hello are you the chef who is cooking all of this great smelling food?” Looking startled, the Dwarf glanced over at Raik and I. “An imp and a human, what in the world, you yes you two, what are you doing in my kitchen?”
Suddenly my stomach growled and rumbled, it was clearly not happy that the food was on the counters and not going inside of me. I felt myself blushing; it is embarrassing when you tummy yodels like that. “Sorry sir, we smelled the aroma of your fine cooking and we ended up here.
We are here to make our way through the keep, defeating each challenge as we progress.
“Interesting, very interesting, are ye boys’ hungry?” The dwarf looked at us with a gleam in his eye. I have been cooking and baking and it would be a shame for it to all go to waste, what do ye say will ye sit at the table and try some o my cooking?” Glancing at Raik I saw him give a small nod and with that I addressed the chef.
“Sir it would be an honor to partake of some of these treats to the palate.” I could not help myself, I love food. The Dwarf looked at me and nodded. Gesturing towards a small table in the corner he quickly ushered us over and then began to fill up two trenchers, with more food than even I thought I could eat. As we began to gobble up the food the Dwarf came over and joined us with the largest cup of kavaa I have ever seen.
“The name is Gluzzie and I have been cooking here for a long time, you two are my first visitors in a few thousand years. I nodded politely and continued to eat; walking long distances in a desert with no food had given me an appetite. As the Dwarf spoke Raik cocked an eye at him and then asked, “Hey why are you disguised as a dwarf?”
Gluzzie laughed, and said, “Dwarfs are great in a kitchen; they do not mind the heat and hard work does not bother them. Believe me cooking is hard work, I love it now, but the first hundred or so years, will I would burn the water I was so green and the dishes, the damned dishes. Even now after all these years, I still hate doing the dishes.”
Slowing down the take a sip of my kavaa, I asked “If you are not a dwarf what are you? You look like a Dwarf; if that is a disguise it is the best I have ever seen.” Having asked my question and contributed to the conversation I went back to eating several maple flavored sausages. After gulping two of them down, I briefly told Gluzzie, “These are the best sausages I have ever had.”
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Gluzzie looked at me and gave a big smile, “Thanks lad it means a lot to me to have someone appreciate my cooking, it truly does.” “To answer your question, I am a demon, much like the imp here. Not physically or in this realm of course. But believe me lad I have tentacles on my body and a beak my head. I sometimes miss the old body and swimming in the lakes of fire. Good times those memories.”
“So why are you a dwarf here, I mean I can see that it would be useful as you said to work in a hot kitchen, but how did this come about?” I glanced around at the kitchen, still full of baked items and cooked entrées all cooling on the counters. Shaking my head I went back to eating.
“I will till you lad, it makes for a fine story, but before I begin, ye don’t have some tobacco and a spare pipe?” Gluzzie had a sad look on his face as he asked this, and once again, I stopped eating. Reaching into my bag I pulled out the makings and began to roll six smokes. Gluzzie stared at me dumbfounded as I lit one up for him and one for Raik. Seeing Raik inhale and then blow three smoke rings one inside the other as he exhaled Gluzzie began to smile. Taking a puff he let out a contented sigh.
“Boys if I was not commanded to tempt you by gluttony, I would happily let you pass on by. You have complimented my food, shared a cup of kavaa with a lonely old fellow and now this marvel, this tube of smoke. Looking at us with a tear in his eye he said, “Thank you.” This has been the best day in ages, and I mean that literally.”
Having finally ate my fill I also lit up and taking a deep drag I blew out a puff of smoke. We sat in companionable silence as only smokers can, each one of us intent on nursing the tobacco down to the last drag. After a few minutes I asked Gluzzie, “Why do you stay here, it sounds like your story is the same as Raiks, stuck here in this instance waiting for challengers who will never come again.” Were you put here by the Gods?”
“No lad, it was the Dragons that brought me here, this place was made to help determine the character of the offspring of the Dragons. They would come in human form and try to pass all the temptations that availed themselves to all who pass through the keep. All of the folks working in the castle are demons I had heard long ago; I guess we met the needs of the Dragons and Gods when they set this place up.”
“What do you mean,” I asked as I grabbed another piece of apple crisp from the counter. Looking at me a little strangely, Gluzzie responded. “Well lad, we are eternal, we will be here forever. We being demons of the lower levels had not the power to fight off the beings that brought us here. And once here there is no escape for us, all we have is the keep here and the endless desert outside.”
“Where do the supplies come from,” I asked “does someone deliver them?” Both Raik and Gluzzie shared a look and then laughed. “Boy it is just a minor miracle that the Gods set into motion. Gluzzie pointed to the cupboards hung on all the walls. “Each morning these cupboards are full.”
I slowly nodded my head, the Gods had thought of everything. Looking over at Gluzzie, I cleared my throat. “Gluzzie” I began, “I want to thank you for the food and drink, I clearly needed to eat. I am not sure why but I don’t feel like a glutton, maybe cause I stopped eating when I was full.” Gluzzies eyes widened at that as he looked at the table and calculated how much food I had eaten.
“Regardless, I do not want to fight you; I would rather befriend and hire you.” “What do you mean befriend me and hire me? To do what? How are you planning on hiring me, where would I work?” His eyes staring at me Gluzzie spoke again, “If you can get me the hell outta here I will work for you, but really all I know is how to cook.”
“My friend,” I began, "I work at an Inn and we are very busy but a little understaffed. I will have you cooking in the kitchen the day we get back home. Let me tell you something, you are one of the finest chefs I have ever seen. I would be honored to work with you at the Inn."
Staring at me with the beginning of hope in his eyes, Gluzzie said “if you get me out of here I will follow you to the worst soup kitchen and cook there.” Grasping hands we sealed our deal.