Burning Hearts
Being the thirty-ninth chapter of Stackman’s adventures
In which the bard sings heartsongs, in which the valkyrie makes sure that a pledge is kept, and in which Missy Hissy prepares the local delicacy for the party.
Having almost fried Missy Hissy the party and her soon got into step (as explained in Bungleau’s
fourtieth chapter of the Solo Warrior Saga). The valkyrie let Missy have the lich’s heart and soon they were on their way back to G’Ezzered Ra. The valkyrie sometimes looked anxiously at the heart, but Missy had always been her great role model, and the rumours of her insensitivity seemed ill-founded at the moment since Missy Hissy seemed even more eager to burn the heart than the valkyrie.
The seven strode along side by side regaling each others with tales of their exploits and working together in dispatching the foes they encountered. Eventually they made it back to the chamber where the lich stood shackled. “We have retrieved your heart”, the valkyrie said looking at the lich and expecting him to beg her to put him out of his misery as usual. “So you found each other”, G’ezzered Ra said writhing in agony. For the moment he said no more and looked at Missy Hissy. She was also silent, and the situation was becoming a bit awkward.
Remembering why Missy had wanted the heart, the valkyrie wised up and said with feigned interest: “Why, look at those wonderful hieroglyph-adorned panel”. She looked beckoningly at the rest of the party who eventually got the message and walked with her to the other side of the room to look at the, to say the least, fairly uninteresting hieroglyphs.
While they stood there they could see Missy Hissy growing more and more agitated as she was talking to the lich. They talked for quite a while and during that time Missy Hissy went through the whole gamut of emotions. At one point she was so infuriated that the valkyrie feared that Missy was going to slap the lich, but she calmed down again. Eventually Missy Hissy just looked wondering and sad with a tad of desperacy in her looks.
Stackman’s party rushed over to her and tried to consolate her. They did not want to ask her any questions. “The heart”, the valkyrie said pointing at the hand in which Missy Hissy held it. Missy looked up. “And put that… that… that… THING there out of his misery?”, Missy ranted pointing at G’Ezzered Ra and frothing from her mouth. “Yes”, the valkyrie said calmly.
“You promised…”, gasped the lich looking desperatly at Missy Hissy and the valkyrie. For a while the two headstrong women stood looking at each other. “All right”, said Missy Hissy slowly nodding, “but here… You take the heart”. “No”, said the valkyrie, “you promised him”. She pointed at G’Ezzered Ra. Restraining her anger Missy Hissy grabbed the heart from the small bag and walked towards the fire.
“Just a moment”, said the warlock and grabbed the Tome of Legends and started reciting the old heart-burning procedure. The bard started strumming a few chords on one of his lutes. Missy Hissy threw the heart into the fire and the lich dissolved thus performing the deed of the valkyrie (as explained by Sazerac on
Page one of the Best Tips). “It was good deed you performed there”, said the valkyrie placing a hand on Missy’s shoulder. They embraced each other, and they both had difficulty concealing a tear or two.
The party spent a few minutes consolating Missy, but eventually she looked up and said: “There is something I must do”. The valkyrie nodded; “There are also some areas of the pyramid we need to explore”, she said”. Missy Hissy and the zenmaster exchanged a few secret handshakes from the Lodge of Zenmasters, and then Missy went out of the room. The party members paused for awhile to enjoy the pleasant smell of the local delicacy: “Lich’s heart fried in black fire and served in own ichor”. Then they set about their business again.