Out With The In Crowd

Astoria is on her hands and knees in the snow staring after the Roach and shouting Artemis! She gets to her feet and runs after him and then realises with mounting horror that he's going to take on Thrunk by himself. The Roach is bigger and stronger than most normal people, he also appears to be indestructible, but Thrunk is still going to squash him like a bug (the pun was not intended, but I can see how it sounds).

All that Artemis can do against Thrunk; a mountainous being made of rock, is bruise his knuckles and feet. Astoria covers her face with her hand, unable to look at the inevitable annihilation. Thrunk kicks the Roach, still hanging onto Elrod in his ridiculous costume, off the mountain. Somehow I think he'll survive it.

Astoria backs up against the wall, wondering how she'll get out of this, when Cerebus clambers onto the same platform she's standing on. She believes that he is somehow going to ruin everything for her. The aardvark begins to run towards the hotel, ignoring his angry former lover, telling her to go away and as he says it, Astoria loses form and dissolves into bubbles.

Thrunk is issuing challenges, proclaiming himself as Tarim. Cerebus gets to the top of the building across from the hotel he held court in and finds a note reading Good Luck. W. Thrunk sees Cerebus standing next to the cannon and goes over, intending to destroy his enemy once and for all. Cerebus lights and aims the cannon and shoots Thrunk's leg off. Cerebus asks Thrunk who Tarim is. Desperate to avoid destruction Thrunk offers Cerebus the gold and then screams that Cerebus is Tarim. Damn right Cerebus says and then blows Thrunk's head off.

Initially the people are pleased that Cerebus has replaced the false Tarim, but soon realise that he was no better when he was running the show. Cerebus crosses the square and goes back into the hotel. He finds Boobah gorging himself, then sends him to get Cerebus food. Things are back to normal.