The creature rasped another chuckle. "Help you? No, not out of the goodness of my heart," the creature said. "But I'll trade information for something I need."
Alex's hope dimmed a little that there was a catch. "What do you need?"
Its eyes seemed to darken, and it said, voice low and husky, its hot breath washing over Alex. "Mana," it growled, the word full of longing. "I need mana to keep myself going. You give me mana, and I give you information you need."
The thought of this made Alex draw back in his chair a little, since as it was, he was low on mana, and giving any part of it away could further weaken him.
What was he to do, though? He was in a dungeon and had no other options. This creature may know a way out, and if so, then this could very well be his only hope.
"How do I give you mana?" Alex asked, trying to stop the tremble from his voice.
Its grin spread and showed the empty blackness of its maw. "It's simple," he said, "Just focus your mana into your hand and I will do the rest."
Alex was terrified, but that creature was the only thin strand of hope left to him. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes, concentrated, in an attempt to gather what little mana he still possessed. Hard work it was, because his mind was foggy with exhaustion and now filled with fear, but in a few seconds he felt some weak warmth in his hand.
"Good, good," the beast hissed, the excitement alive in his voice. "Now hand it over to me.
Alex opened his eyes and reached his hand toward the creature, the mana dancing weakly in his palm-little more than a spark-but the creature's eyes lit with hunger. It reached out with a bony hand and laid it atop Alex's, and the instant their hands touched, Alex felt a sudden, draining sensation, like the life was getting sucked out of him.
He felt a gasp, his knees buckling as the last of his mana was siphoned from his body. The hold was tight upon him, and for one brief, terrifying moment, Alex thought that it would take much more with it than just his mana.
But then, in an instant, the draining stopped, and the creature withdrew its hand, a satisfied grin on its face.
"That… that should do," it said, its voice more even now, less scratchy. "You've given me enough to last a little longer, anyway."
Alex swayed on his feet, feeling weak as ever. "Now… the information," he said, his voice barely louder than a whisper.
He nodded again; the grin faltered and he grew serious. "Listen," he said. "There is a passage beneath the castle that leads out; there are guards, but the guards change shifts at midnight. That's when you will have your best chance."
Alex's heart skipped a beat. A passage… a way out. More than he could have hoped for. "How do I find it?" he asked, desperation growing in his voice.
Only a glitter of the creature's eyes shone in the poor light. "In the great hall, there is a statue of the very first demon king. Behind him, there is a lever. Pull it, and the passage shall show itself."
Alex nodded, committing to memory what the creature was telling him. "And the guards? How do I get past them?"
The creature now smiled, this time more menacingly. "That is for you to decide, my dear hero," he said. "Let me remind you, though-they are not invincible. Apply your wits, your stealth. If you can, take their weapons-they will come in handy.".
What this creature had just said got Alex's mind running. Finally, an attempt at an escape should be tried. He did not know whether he would succeed mainly in the state he was in, but he knew all too well that this had to be tried. He just had to get out of this nightmare.
"Thanks," Alex said gratefully and with firm determination in his tone.
The creature tittered softly. "Don't thank me yet, hero," it said. "You haven't escaped yet."
With that, the creature turned and limped back into the shadows, gone as quickly as it had appeared. Alex was left standing in the little, lamplit room; his head whirled with plans and possibilities.