The rest of the story

One thing I never liked about traveling in this world: It takes so fricking long to get anywhere.

We arrived in Mitrik at last. I can't even begin to tell you what this city is like. And I thought Verbobonc was impressive.

As we entered the city, it was a scene straight out of Lord of the Rings. Thrommel looked like Aragorn, riding into the city on a white horse as people threw flowers in his path. Where all the flowers came from I can only guess. People cheered loudly. Most seemed poor by my standards. They wore torn clothes and pants that had not been washed in months. Their shoes seemed okay, but many had holes in them. The stench of unwashed humans filled the city, a smell I remember vividly from Verbobonc. I commented on all of this to Anna who rode beside me. She nodded grimly.

"You should see those in actual poverty," she said.

Apparently, many of the ones I saw were considered lower middle class. She then went on about how here people were clothed and taken care of. Elven standards seemed more like American standards. You bathed every day, unless you didn't care about socializing with others. If your clothes had holes you got new ones (unless holes in your clothes were part of the local style).

On the plus side, most of the people looked healthy. I saw no one with any obvious open sores or disease. Everyone stood up right and seemed to be relatively healthy. Even those who looked a bit thin did not look as if they would fall over from starvation. Clerical magic did wonders to stop the worst of human suffering.

Overall, the people and the city looked better off than Verbobonc or Hommlet.

After about half an hour of riding, we made it to the palace. I'd seen pictures of castles before, but nothing like this. The architecture was astounding. Sections of the palace were supported by a handful of pillars, while other sections hung out over ledges precariously. It seemed as if parts of it were ready to fall at any minute, but they remained steady as the ground beneath it. And all of it was geared to perfection. Earth architects would have been hard pressed to create such a thing.

Marc noticed my astonishment. "Dwarven architecture is a thing to behold."

I nodded absently. I wish these guys were building cities back on Earth.

The guards stepped behind us, blocking the crowd from entering. The crowd did not press against the guards, and the guards did not make any attempt to push them back. It seemed there was an understanding between them, as if the had known each other for a long time. I didn't know if that relationship was good or bad, but based on their reaction to Prince Thrommel I'd have to say it was mostly good.

I felt someone tug at my sleeve. I turned away from the crowd on the other side of the palace gates. Audry was on her knees, gesturing at me frantically. I looked around. I was the only one standing. I dropped to my knees quickly, looking around to see what the fuss was about. The palace ahead of us had only one door, a very big one that was now open when it was closed only moments before. Three dozen men in plate armor stepped forward. Plate armor is bulky, but they moved with uncanny grace. They lined up in positions that were both defensive and ceremonial. Behind them, appeared the emperor of Veluna.

He was elderly, perhaps sixty or so, but he moved with confidence. He dressed in fine but practical attire. He wore no crown.

The emperor walked straight toward his son. Thrommel stood, and they embraced. Tears formed in the emperor's eyes as he looked at his son. Soon after he shook all of our hands. The guy had a grip like a vice and his hands were calloused. Probably from years of using a sword.

What followed were a bunch of ceremonies. They went on and on. Marc and Audry knew exactly what to do. Saul did for the most part, but he had to be politely reminded by the chamberlain. Anna and I were lost. A forest girl and a middle class city boy among royalty--we were Connecticut Yankees in King Arthur's Court. We both kept asking, "What do I do now?" The Chamberlain (and others, who kept calling me "sir" or "My Lord") politely told me. After a while I just wanted tear my hair out. Look, I wanted to say, I'm glad we found your son and all, but couldn't we just get something to eat and hit the hay? It's been a long ride.

That's when the shocker came.

The emperor drew a sword as we knelt before him. My first instinct was to reach for my own sword, which of course was not present. I steadied myself. He wasn't just going to cut me here in front of everyone. Of course, he was the emperor. He could do whatever his imperial heart wanted.

He pointed the blade at me. I just looked at him, which no one had told me not to do. He then tapped each of my shoulders with the blade. Without a word, he did the same to Anna next to me, and then Saul, Marc, and Audry.

I wanted to dance a jig on the throne. I had just been knighted!

That night, the party went on and on. Oh, man was it long. There was music and fireworks (mages make great fireworks). There were girls and food. There were girls and ale. There were also many drunken men singing.

It's a ratatatatt on the nucleus of your brain cell
came to rock the funky joint so I might as well
get on the one
and have some fun
and drop a break in the barrel of my shotgun
boom like a bolt of lightning goes my shotgun
I pass the mic to cause I like to
Back on a mission and ready to ride
if we don't get you now gonna get you on the b-side

coming at you live monophonic lo-fi
were cutting up rugs where the beats will never die
in it to win it no matter how skin it
no holdin back loading breaks to the finish
boom like a bolt of lightning goes my shotgun
I pass the mic to cause I like to
Back on a mission and ready to ride
if we don't get you now gonna get you on the b-side

"But, what does it mean?" Thrommel asked.

Well, that took some explaining.

Oh yeah...and there were girls. One of them actually tried talking to me. I wanted to ask her out, but I was hammered. I opened my mouth and I don't remember anything else after that. God, I hope I didn't puke on her shoes.

Now my head hurts. Saul woke me up a little bit ago and said the cleric was making his rounds. I didn't know there was an anti-hangover spell, but apparently so. I wonder what Saint Cuthbert thinks of that. I think he's taking his sweet time on purpose. So, until he gets here I figure I better pick up where I left off.

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The curtain of light rose up and then collapsed again. We were no longer on the node of water. The air was drier and easier to breath. I inhaled deeply. No smell of salt or humidity. Nothing but air. I could have cried.

We stood in a pitch black room. I heard Marc dig through his pack and pull out his lantern. He unhooded it. The continual light spell spread through the massive room. The room itself was completely plain. Rectangular, stone walls surrounded us, including a stone ceiling above. After weeks and weeks of open sky, I felt claustrophobia creep in. I shoved it aside.

The only distinguishing feature was the floor. We stood on the triangle rune. The other three runes were nearby.

"We made it," Anna whispered.

Told you, the golden skull said in my mind.

Hell. I thought I forgot about that thing.

"Let's figure out where we are," Saul said. "Then see if we can get out."

I remembered part of this place. There were only two ways here: through the runes (how we got here) and through the circular door. There was no way out of the nodes except via the runes (and that only brought us here), so that meant we had to break down a door. Not a pleasant prospect. Those doors kept her Majesty, Queen of Pond Scum, Zuggtmoy, from going topside and wreaking havoc.

You see, I do remember that much from the old pen and paper game. She is here on this level. In the game, we saw her and ran. We managed to open one of the doors, but I don't remember how.

"Looks like there's only one exit," Saul said. "Anna?"

She nodded, a big grin on her face. I couldn't blame her too much. The poor little forest girl was stuck on the ocean for god only knows how long. Her shoes went squish as she walked. All of us were still wet. My hands still looked like prunes.

The hall leading out of the rune room didn't go very far. After twenty feet or so it opened up into a large room. Mold and lichen covered the walls and ceiling. Their stench was ungodly, and the further into the room we went the worse it got. I imagine this would have been heaven for the goddess of molds and slimes (man, there's a portfolio). To my left were a large set of golden doors covered with arcane runes--the very door that lead to the surface. Ahead was a large set of stairs leading down--down was definitely bad. To my right--

A sense of understand overwhelmed me. I caught my breath with the shock of it.

Audry put a hand on my shoulder. "John?"

I tried to speak, but the words would not come. I knew what was before me. It looked like a large column of carved rock protruding into the ceiling. That wasn't the good part. The good part was what was on top of that column of rock.

There it is, fool, the skull said. Our freedom is eminent. We do not need these fools. How much help have they been? Have they found the way out?

I wanted to tell the skull to shut up, but the words would not come. I wanted to order the pillar of rock to descend. The skull could do it. It gave me the power to control the throne that rested on top of that pillar. It gave me the power to raise and lower it, and to get us the nine hells out of here.

But my mouth would not work.

"Something's wrong," Audry said.

"You don't say," Marc said.

I felt her presence. I felt it through the skull. It was her that kept me from speaking. She manipulated me through the skull. Against my will, my body jerked around like a puppet and faced the stairs. My legs jerked forward, pulling me toward the stairs. My body wobbled back and forth, throwing me off balance, but I didn't fall. I stopped at the top of the stairs.

The others followed me. "John, what's going on?" Audry said. I couldn't answer. I continued moving like a puppet toward the stairs.

Standing a few steps from the bottom was...well, H.P. Lovecraft himself would have gone insane.

"Gods," Anna whispered. Her arm wrapped around mine and she pulled. I remained rooted to the spot. Audry started to pray, her teeth chattering as she did. Saul drew his weapon and I heard Marc mumble something that might have been preparations for a spell.

Mistress, the skull whispered in my head.

Zuggtmoy stared at us, her large green face was featureless and unreadable. Her dark eyes blinked and I got the distinct impression she was amused. She stood on legs with no feet. She shambled from out of the shadows. Every inch of her green skin on her ten foot high frame was covered in blisters and zits the size of my fist. Her skin rippled as she moved, and as it did a few of the blisters burst. Milky white puss spewed across the floor. It reeked of rotten eggs.

"At last," she said. Her voice was feminine, but distorted as if she were speaking under water. Or through muck. "At last, you have returned to me."

It has been so long.

"Indeed," she responded to the voice in my head. "Now, come to me."

One of her pseudo pods reached for me. Hands formed on the ends of them. Those hands that reached for the skull, the Orb of Golden Death that rested in my outstretched hand. I was going to give it to her. I couldn't help it.

"Get a hold of yourself, man," Saul said. "Marc, can you help."

"I can--" he stared, but didn't finish. The air rushed out of his lungs as a force pushed him away. I heard him land hard on the floor. Audry rushed toward him. Saul rushed the other way, his sword drawn. I would have told him how foolish it was if my mouth worked. This time I felt the blast of air that picked up Saul and tossed him aside. It would have knocked me aside as well if I hadn't been rooted in place.

She laughed. Milky white pus bubbled from her toothless mouth. "John Carter, I presume." Her tone carried a demeanor alien to her appearance. "My lovely Iuz spoke of you, the one who killed Hedrack."

I managed a faint smile.

"It matters little," she said. "He thought he could deceive me, use me to help his friends in the Pomarj. I was willing to acquiesce so long as plans to free me continued." She hovered over me, looking me over like I was a steak. "I wonder how long he had the skull and said nothing to me."

She glanced at Anna standing next to me. I could feel Anna tremble as she tugged at me. My feet felt like roots that dug deep into the earth.

"I wonder how long my beloved Iuz would keep the truth from me?" she said. "He is beautiful, and I love him, but he lies to me when he thinks I will not notice." Her lipless mouth smiled. "But I know more than he does."

She gazed at the Orb of Golden Death. My hand was outstretched, but my fingers clutched it tightly. She took her time, toying with me. Whatever compulsion she had me under, she knew I would do what she wished.

"Ah, but I reveal myself through the villain's exposition." She reached for the skull once more. There was nothing to stop her. "And now--"

There was a rush of air from behind me, followed by tremendous heat. A jet of flame passed over my head and engulfed Zuggtmoy's head. She lurched backward, swiping at pseudo pod at the fountain of flame. In seconds the spell ended, but the flames continued to lick at her face. She stumbled as she backed down the stairs.

"John, we gotta move now!" Anna kept tugging at me. "What the hells is wrong with you?"

"He is compelled," Marc said. He came up behind me. "It's her doing. I don't know if I can undo it."

"Then we carry him," Saul said. He reached down to pick me up. He struggled for a few seconds, but I was most definitely rooted to the spot. Ahead of me Zuggtmoy had put out her flaming head. From what I could tell, there was almost no damage.

"He's being held magically," Audry said. "Marc, can you--"

"A moment." Marc mumbled an incantation. Zuggtmoy began ambling her way up the stairs again. Whatever he planned, he wouldn't have time. They all had to know that, but they wouldn't leave me. I wanted to tell them to leave me, to save themselves, but even if I could I knew they wouldn't listen. There are certain things that are acceptable back home that are not here. Here, honor is very real and is not a misguided concept. Here, you never leave your friends in a bind. Ever.

My friends would die living up to that honor.

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Ah, the cleric is here. I'll finish up this later.