Crowley House [DESTROYED]

Crowley returned soon, carrying a large pan of fried sausages. They crackled with oil, and emitted a mouthwatering scent. He placed it on the table, and left to retrieve a large pot of stew. Strangely enough, he seemed to have no trouble carrying the heavy iron pot as he walked out from the kitchen and placed it on the table. He set the table with five bowls, and beamed at Eli.

"Alright, Eli. Please, help yourself."

The pot contained some sort of thick beef stew with potatoes and carrots. The sausages still sizzled, and the bread was still warm from the oven. As Eli got her food, three other guests walked in. They all looked rather thin and malnourished, with glassy, vacant stares. They sat down at their spots and wordlessly began ladling themselves some stew. The mouse began to shiver again, hiding deeper under Eli's shirt.

Eli would immediately feel a magical aura around the inn, permeating the walls and flowing through the floorboards. However, it wasn't the clean, natural magic she might have felt in forests or other friendly areas. It felt sickly, cold, and draining. Clearly, something was very wrong about this building. Meanwhile, Albert squirmed and scurried until Eli's burst of energy calmed him. He tucked himself into her chest and relaxed, warm and safe. Meanwhile, the other guests ate slowly and quietly, aside from the odd cough. Meanwhile, Crowley chewed on a sausage and smiled at Eli.

"Come on, Miss Eli. Don't be shy, I know you're hungry. Go ahead, eat your dinner!"

He seemed somewhat more energetic than he'd been before, but who could blame him? Everyone loved dinner time, after all.

The food was delicious, and seemed completely free of any ill effect. Albert sniffed and squeaked, clearly interested in the food but still unwilling to emerge from his hiding spot. Crowley nodded as she ate, seemingly pleased that she was enjoying his food.

"Do you like it? I do love cooking for my guests. It's one of the few small pleasures I get out here. Finding ingredients can be tricky, but it's easy enough if you know where to look. I have a root garden out back, you know. I grew all the onions, carrots, and potatoes myself! It's such a struggle to keep carrots, though...the mice chew holes in all of them as soon as I dig them up and put them in the cupboard."

The mouse scurried its way down Eli's body, eating the crumbs of bread happily. Crowley beamed, pleased to be appreciated.

"Oh, I'm glad you can taste the difference! I work so hard on my garden, you know. It's hard on my back nowadays, but it's all worth it. As to why I live here...well, who else would run an inn out in the middle of nowhere? People need a place to stay, and I provide that. After all, like you said, when was the last time you had a good meal? If it weren't for this inn, you may have gone many more days without a hot meal. But thanks to me, here you are, with a hot bowl of stew, fresh bread, and some fried sausages!"

The other guests nodded dully, chewing on their food. They didn't seem to appreciate how delicious it was, simply chewing slowly as though they were eating turnips.

Crowley paused for a moment, considering. He seemed to be deep in thought for a few moments, then nodded.

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Go ahead and do that, I'm sure the poor fellow will appreciate the gesture, at least. Yes, go ahead and do that. The room should be unlocked."

The other guests finished their food and shuffled out just as quietly as they'd entered, without so much as a word. However, Crowley seemed more energetic than ever, with almost a spring in his step as he cleaned up the dishes.

Albert sat on Eli's shoulder, squeaking happily as she walked away from Crowley. As Eli walked up, however, he began to shiver again. The higher she walked up the stairs towards Room 3, the more the little mouse shook, until finally he scurried down into the front of her shirt to hide, warm and secure. He seemed to calm down a bit once he was nestled in, but Eli would still feel him twitching about nervously.

Once she opened the door, the first thing she would notice was an overwhelming aura of despair and decay. There was magic in this room alright, but it felt draining and sickening. Depending on how magic-sensitive Eli was, it may have actually made her ill. In any case, the man laid on his bed, wrapped up in blankets. All the young witch would be able to see was his face, sunken and skeletal. He didn't look up when she came in, or even do so much as cough. This was not a man who was fighting for his life. Clearly, he'd already given up and was waiting for death.

Albert the mouse panicked as she approached the man, burying himself as deep inside her chest as he could to try and keep himself safe. The man, meanwhile, didn't so much as twitch when she touched him. His skin was cold and dry, without the clamminess one would expect from such an ill person. It would seem that he no longer even had the strength to raise a fever. However, when she channeled her energy into his body, she would feel a massive draining force, as though her energy was being sucked out into the man's body much faster than she wanted. Despite the inflow of energy, though, the man barely twitched. Meanwhile, the lamplight sputtered and went out.

The man didn't react, and not even the slightest hint of color returned to his skin. However, if she listened closely, Eli would hear the faintest whisper of a telepathic voice. It was almost imperceptible, but strained, as though it took a huge amount of effort.

L-leave...

Meanwhile, Albert's shivering would weaken, until he barely moved at all. His little furry body would become noticeably cooler, and his squeaks were soft and strained. Clearly, staying in this room was having a serious effect on him as well.

Albert crawled out, squeaking softly. He seemed to have been somewhat revitalized by the energy, although the little mouse was still clearly weak from the draining room. What could have possibly been in there? The man was little more than a husk at this point, a barely-breathing corpse. Crowley could still be heard banging around downstairs, cleaning dishes. Meanwhile, one of the other guests stepped out of his room and shuffled quietly down the hall and down the stairs. He didn't seem to notice Eli, as she was standing near the end of the hall.