Movin' on up

Ah. Much better.

A lack of medical technology really sucks. Fortunately, we have clerics and healing potions. It practically makes up for the lack of medical technology. A broken bone can be healed completely in moments. A person recently dead can be brought back.

And best of all, hangovers are cured like that.

I feel like I could go drinking again.

Anna came up after the priest was finished with me (and finished with his speech about indulging in excesses). She sat on the edge of my bed as I sat at the only chair in the room. She just smiled at me.

"Long night, huh?"

"Yeah," I said.

She kept looking at me, kicking her legs playfully as she rocked back and forth. "Just so you know, you missed."

"Missed?"

"My boots," she said, "when you were sick."

"Oh," I said. I thought for a moment. "You know, I passed out at some point."

"Yes, you did." She smiled. "So you don't remember what you said to me?"

Women. They're the same on Earth and in the Flanaess. They're the same whether human or elf. They play games and love to watch us squirm.

Okay, time to apply a little logic. If it were innocuous, she wouldn't bother. If it were insulting, she wouldn't be talking to me in the first place. So it must be something...else.

"Uh, what'd I say?"

"You don't remember?"

"Well, if I did, then I wouldn't need to ask."

She kept smiling. "Well, it was...well...."

"That bad, huh?"

"No, it wasn't bad, I just...."

I waited for her to finish, but she let the sentence hang. "Want to know if I meant what I said?"

She nodded. "Did you?"

"Well, that depends."

She stopped rocking and put her feet on the floor. "Depends?"

"What I said." I leaned forward. "What did I say?"

"Well," she said, and then paused for drama, "if you must know," pause, "it had something to do with how we got away from Zuggtmoy."

Oh boy. "Oh, I see. Well..." I cleared my throat. "It was probably the alcohol talking--"

"Okay, if you say so." She stood quickly. "Well, just so you know, Thrommel wanted to have an audience with us at lunch tomorrow. But we were all going to the tavern later today, so come along, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," I said. I stood as she opened the door to leave. "Anna, I--"

"No, no," she said, holding up her hand. "No worries." She opened the door and stepped outside. "Remember, if you can, to meet us for lunch." She shut the door.

I've fought a dragon and stood up to a power demon. I've fought men and monster alike. I've been in deep, dark dungeons. As an adventurer, I should be a whiz with the ladies, right? You know, like Conan or Darkstalker. But I'm not. I couldn't tell if she was upset or amused. And you know what? That kinda scares me.

We had lunch, and we ended up telling stories to soldiers while we were at the tavern. You see, when there's no TVs, radios, mp3s, internet, and other forms of entertainment we are used to on Earth, people entertain themselves by telling tales of exploits. That and actually going on some exploits.

We got back a little while ago. I never had a chance to talk with Anna about what happened. It's one of those things I'm supposed to know but I don't. So I have to figure it out but I can't ask.

I wish we were fighting monsters. It's so much simpler.

And the incident? Well....

-------------------------------

Take me my love, the skull said.

The skull knew. It belonged to her, and probably Iuz as well. And it wanted to be with her. I knew the power the skull had, and like most magical artifacts it probably had powers I could never hope to understand. In the hands of a demoness like Zuggy....

And I was going to give it to her, no questions asked.

I could feel Zuggtmoy's presence, but I couldn't see her. The world was no longer real to me. In the distance I heard Anna calling my name. I focused on it, trying to allow it to pull me into full consciousness. I heard her swear, and then I felt her. Oh God, did I feel her.

She planted her lips on mine. She pressed against me so hard my lips pinched against my teeth. She shoved her tongue all the way into my mouth and played with mine. One hand pressed against the back of my head as she pushed herself into me. The other hand....

I felt a jolt go through my body. Everything snapped back into reality. Anna's lips were warm, as was her hand. She must have kissed me only a second, but it felt like minutes. She pulled her tongue from my mouth and stared at me, her eyes frantic.

"Do something!"

I glanced up. Zuggtmoy's hands were inches from the globe. I put an arm around Anna and took several steps back. Zuggtmoy cried out, furious. She made to chase us, but something stopped her. It was as if there were a plate of glass kept her from leaving the stairs and entering the large room where we were.

Mistress!

I focused my thoughts on the skull. It hated me for pulling away from Zuggy, but its power was still mine. I called upon that power.

The air over Zuggtmoy's head rumbled. She looked up just in time. Fire rained down on her head from the ceiling. She waved her pseudo pods at the flame, trying to block it. She backed away down the stairs, trying to avoid the gout of fire. It followed her, determined to pour as much damage on her as possible.

Bastard! the skull screamed in my mind. Its anger thrilled me. The little rotten thing was going to help us escape. Then we would destroy it. And I knew how to do it.

"To the throne!" I shouted.

"The throne?" Saul said. "What throne?"

"The one that's going to be right there in a few seconds."

The pillar of rock lowered steadily, just as I ordered it to. The skull couldn't help but share the information with me. It couldn't help but obey me.

Anna and I ran together. I still had my arm around her. Audry and Marc were just behind us, with Saul bringing up the rear. Behind us, Zuggtmoy cried out in pain and anger. From the looks of it, she couldn't follow us, but her powers could still affect us.

By the time we reached the area the throne appeared from out of the ceiling. It lowered quickly and settled into the floor. The purple colored basalt throne looked completely perfect.

"Now, how did that happen?" Audry said.

"The skull, John?" Marc asked.

I nodded. "Quick, stand on the throne." I pointed upward. "We have to go through that hole."

My little flamestrike had long since ended. Zuggtmoy, her anger stoked, moved forward. Her bulbous form moved to the top of the stairs. Her eyes boiled with a brilliant, purplish light.

I called upon the skull again. Angered, it obeyed. The air at the stairs crackled like broken glass, and then the wall appeared from nowhere. Zuggtmoy jerked back as her view was blocked by a wall of solid ice. It didn't phase her. Already, her hand started glowing with a brilliant light as her hands enveloped in magical fire. The ice wouldn't be there for long.

"Hold on," I said. All of us linked arms. The skull in one hand, I called upon its power for the last time. The throne rose slowly into the earth above.

As we entered the earth I heard the ice wall shatter. Zuggtmoy's scream of rage could be heard for a few seconds, and then was quickly muffled when the throne entered the rock tube. We continued to rise steadily.

"How far does it go?" Anna asked.

"Ah, of course," Marc said. "The throne in the upper room."

"Yep," I said. "My friends, we are leaving the elemental temple."

"Well, normally I'd celebrate," Saul said. "But I think I'll wait until we are in the open air."

"We have done much good," Audry said. "We freed the children stolen from Hommlet, we stopped the source of the raids...but what of Byrne and Rufus."

I felt a sense of shame. I had completely forgotten.

"Zuggtmoy said something about the Pomarj," Marc said. "Maybe that should be our next stop?"

"Yeah, sure," I said. "But first, I say we destroy this temple."

"A noble sentiment," Audry said. "One that I fear is beyond our abilities."

"Not at all," I said. I stared at the golden skull. I could feel its fear. Its time was at an end, and it new it. "I know exactly how to do it.