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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 2905549" data-attributes="member: 143">Meanwhile, back on Occipitus...* * * * *Chapter 607Graz’zt was gone. A terrible quiet returned to the great hall.  Arun fell to his knees in front of the iron throne, his body shaking.  Dannel and Mole stood, a bit unsteady still from the aftereffects of the power of the Heart.  Lok slumped to the ground, freed from the grip of the terror that Graz’zt had cast into his heart, replaced by an overwhelming weariness.  Callendes lay where he had fallen, amazed to still be alive. But for the others, there would be no respite.  The Voice, torn asunder by the Prince’s black blade.  Umbar, returned now to his natural size, lying in a pool of his own blood, his heart pierced by a deadly thrust.  Beorna…  Their gazes did not linger there, until Mole mercifully covered her head with a spare cloak.  Cal came forward.  The others turned to him, all save Arun, who did not move, his head bowed in grief.  “It’s gone,” Cal said.  “The dimensional lock on Occipitus.”“So we can go home?” Mole asked.Cal nodded.  “This was supposed to be the end,” Arun said, not lifting his head, his voice pitched low so that the others had to strain to hear.  “It was supposed to end here.”“Arun…” Dannel began.“This was supposed to be over!” Arun shouted, his rage exploding out of him as he leapt up, his hammer springing into his hand.  “It was supposed to be over here!” The paladin lashed out, slamming his hammer into the throne.  The iron buckled before the holy power of the blow.  The companions could only watch as the paladin unleashed strike after strike, with all of his strength behind each impact.  Within moments, all that was left of the throne was wreckage, until there was nothing left to destroy but a misshapen lump of metal.  Arun sagged to the ground, his hammer falling from his fingers to clatter on the ground. “We can raise them,” Cal said.  “Umbar and Beorna…”A faint tremor shook the chamber. “Uh oh,” Mole said. The tremor returned, building in strength.  The floor began to shift beneath their feet, and a loud creaking of protesting iron sounded all around them as the movements of the Skull tormented its iron skin. “What’s going on?” Dannel asked. “This place,” Cal said.  “It too was held together by the epic magic… it’s coming apart!” Dannel helped Callendes to his feet, and turned toward the exit.  But the iron plating surrounding the spiral stair was already beginning to buckle.  “No time… we need to get out of here right now!” the elf cried. “To me!  With the lock broken, I can teleport us out of here!” Cal shouted. “Not without them!” Arun said, gesturing toward the limp bodies of Umbar and Beorna.  The noise around them was becoming defeaning, until even their shouts could barely be heard.  One of the iron balors toppled over, crashing loudly upon the floor. “I cannot take everyone!” Cal replied.  “The bag of holding!” Lok exclaimed as he rushed over to rejoin them, already holding the large cloth sack.  “Quickly!” Dannel urged, as Arun and Lok slid Umbar head-first into the bag.  He barely fit, but once through the mouth of the sack he quickly vanished into the extra-dimensional space within.  They turned to Beorna, but were nearly crushed as a large plate fell from the ceiling, smashing into the floor a few feet away. “Never mind!” Cal shouted.  “Hold her... I think I can get all of you!  Mole, get back, join the circle!” The gnome rejoined them, dragging Aludrial’s Shard behind her.  She’d also grabbed a black gem that had emerged from the ruins of the throne when Arun had destroyed it; that prize vanished into a pocket as she reached the others, touching Lok just as Cal was summoning his magic.  “If this doesn’t work, we’re going to have a real big problem,” Dannel said, looking up as a massive segment of the ceiling buckled and began to collapse downward. The air shimmered, and they disappeared just as thousands of pounds of metal came crashing down, obliterating the chamber.</blockquote>

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