did Zoloff. Annie screamed. Two tin men picked her up by the shoulders and carried her away.
Hunter tried to get to her again, but the sheer weight of a dozen guards piling on top of him was too much even for him to handle. Subdued more from exhaustion than anything else, he and Zoloff were bound by the wrists and led through the palace gate to the throne room, prodded all the way by the weakly flaming spears.
No surprise, the throne room was ostentatious to the max. Very high ivory-like ceilings, gleaming golden walls. Shafts of bright light coming from no discernible source.
Hunter couldn't help be impressed by the tacky grandeur of it all—but oddly, it looked a little familiar, too. Almost like…
A guard shoved him forward, breaking his thoughts. "You must kneel before Ping!" was his muffled order.
But Hunter just turned around and head-butted the guy. He went over in a heap. Zoloff did the same with his guard. Like Hunter, he was too proud to bend to anyone. More guards rushed forward, but a flash of light from the center of the room froze them in place. Suddenly, where there had been nothing a moment before, a huge throne had appeared, complete with a hundred or so steps leading up to it and an accompanying bank of greenish fog. Behind it was a banner of sufficiently tacky red and yellow colors, boasting a cascade of crests and scrolls and icons, all proclaiming how great the person seated on the throne really must be.
When the last of the mist cleared, indeed a figure was sitting on the jewel-encrusted chair.
He barely looked human. A long snout face, very beady eyes, pencil-thin mustache, heavily greased goatee. He was pale, with very feminine hands and long fingernails. He was wearing a silver lame robe and womanly sandals.
This was Ping the Pontificator.
He looked down at them with the appropriate disdain, but seemed bored and far away at the same time.
Very weird , Hunter thought. And very familiar …
Ping weakly clapped his hands twice. A new troop of tin soldiers waddled in. Annie was being led behind them. Though she'd only been out of Hunter's sight for a few minutes, she'd undergone yet another wardrobe change. She was now wearing a very low cut, see-through gown, white high heel boots—and nothing else. Hunter got a rush seeing her like this. She was both gorgeous and sexy.
She also appeared to be hypnotized. Eyes wide and unblinking. Blank stare on her face. So stiff, she was having trouble walking. At this rate, the same would be soon true for Hunter.
Annie was led to the bottom step of the throne and left there. A light from behind showed all her natural beauty. Hunter was getting very distracted. At least Zoloff's eyes were elsewhere. He was glowering up at Ping, his archenemy in the endless chapters of this place.
"You have my daughter and her betrothed!" Zoloff thundered up at Ping. But the man on the throne simply waved away his protestations.
"It's your constant meddling that is the cause of all this!" Ping thundered right back at him. "Your noodlings and your science! Once I've eliminated you and your kind, then can I rise to my proper glory!"
Even the tin soldiers seemed to be rolling their eyes at the bad dialogue. Hunter was hardly paying attention though; he still could not drag his attention from Annie. Even in a near-comatose state, she looked very desirable.
Finally he broke out of his own spell and contemplated the situation at hand. He had to rescue not just Annie now but her fiance as well. But how?
"Is Ping not a man of honor?" Hunter suddenly heard himself bellow.
Everything else happening in the throne room came to a crashing halt. Hunter could still hear his words echoing off the high ceiling.
Ping turned his attention away from Zoloff and leveled his gaze on Hunter.
"It is honor which is in such short supply these days," he said to Hunter in a very singsong voice. "What would a friend of Zoloff know of honor?"
"Enough to know that an honorable man would allow
Hunter tried to get to her again, but the sheer weight of a dozen guards piling on top of him was too much even for him to handle. Subdued more from exhaustion than anything else, he and Zoloff were bound by the wrists and led through the palace gate to the throne room, prodded all the way by the weakly flaming spears.
No surprise, the throne room was ostentatious to the max. Very high ivory-like ceilings, gleaming golden walls. Shafts of bright light coming from no discernible source.
Hunter couldn't help be impressed by the tacky grandeur of it all—but oddly, it looked a little familiar, too. Almost like…
A guard shoved him forward, breaking his thoughts. "You must kneel before Ping!" was his muffled order.
But Hunter just turned around and head-butted the guy. He went over in a heap. Zoloff did the same with his guard. Like Hunter, he was too proud to bend to anyone. More guards rushed forward, but a flash of light from the center of the room froze them in place. Suddenly, where there had been nothing a moment before, a huge throne had appeared, complete with a hundred or so steps leading up to it and an accompanying bank of greenish fog. Behind it was a banner of sufficiently tacky red and yellow colors, boasting a cascade of crests and scrolls and icons, all proclaiming how great the person seated on the throne really must be.
When the last of the mist cleared, indeed a figure was sitting on the jewel-encrusted chair.
He barely looked human. A long snout face, very beady eyes, pencil-thin mustache, heavily greased goatee. He was pale, with very feminine hands and long fingernails. He was wearing a silver lame robe and womanly sandals.
This was Ping the Pontificator.
He looked down at them with the appropriate disdain, but seemed bored and far away at the same time.
Very weird , Hunter thought. And very familiar …
Ping weakly clapped his hands twice. A new troop of tin soldiers waddled in. Annie was being led behind them. Though she'd only been out of Hunter's sight for a few minutes, she'd undergone yet another wardrobe change. She was now wearing a very low cut, see-through gown, white high heel boots—and nothing else. Hunter got a rush seeing her like this. She was both gorgeous and sexy.
She also appeared to be hypnotized. Eyes wide and unblinking. Blank stare on her face. So stiff, she was having trouble walking. At this rate, the same would be soon true for Hunter.
Annie was led to the bottom step of the throne and left there. A light from behind showed all her natural beauty. Hunter was getting very distracted. At least Zoloff's eyes were elsewhere. He was glowering up at Ping, his archenemy in the endless chapters of this place.
"You have my daughter and her betrothed!" Zoloff thundered up at Ping. But the man on the throne simply waved away his protestations.
"It's your constant meddling that is the cause of all this!" Ping thundered right back at him. "Your noodlings and your science! Once I've eliminated you and your kind, then can I rise to my proper glory!"
Even the tin soldiers seemed to be rolling their eyes at the bad dialogue. Hunter was hardly paying attention though; he still could not drag his attention from Annie. Even in a near-comatose state, she looked very desirable.
Finally he broke out of his own spell and contemplated the situation at hand. He had to rescue not just Annie now but her fiance as well. But how?
"Is Ping not a man of honor?" Hunter suddenly heard himself bellow.
Everything else happening in the throne room came to a crashing halt. Hunter could still hear his words echoing off the high ceiling.
Ping turned his attention away from Zoloff and leveled his gaze on Hunter.
"It is honor which is in such short supply these days," he said to Hunter in a very singsong voice. "What would a friend of Zoloff know of honor?"
"Enough to know that an honorable man would allow
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