Conan The Adventurer, Episode 5

From Hyborean Apocrypha

"The Siege of Ahl Sohn-Bar"

After the departure of Volkar the rest of the crew continues on its way. Passing through a town They get into an brief altercation with one Baiyu or Axechotl. He knows that Conan's wanted by Hissar Zhul, and wants him to leave before the soldiers get there. This is diffused quickly however, as neither him nor Conan really want to fight. But before long it turns out Baiyu might have been in the right or it, as Hissar Zhul's men attack the town. They escape, and they seem to have quickly replaced the missing Volkar with a new, if less agreeable companion.

Observing from his magic pool, Hissar Zhul observes the companions ride into the haunted city of Ahl Sohn-Bar, a place that makes even the skin of Hissar Zhul creep. He decides to have his soldiers surround the place, but let the evil within do his work for him. Soldiers are expensive and he dosen't wish to lose any. This caution seems to be well founded as the companions rescue a girl from a Slime/tentacle monster.

Conan feels this is an evil omen, but realizes he's trapped in the city upon seeing Hissar Zhul's men. So while the companions wait it out in the city, the General of the besieging forces meets with the headman. He explains that they can get rid of Conan, or he will burn the city to get the barbarian. The villagers decide it best to kill the barbarian themselves and attack him and the companions. But villagers armed with pitchforks are little use against road hardened fighters like Conan's companions. They manage to overwhelm Zzeben and Baiyu through numbers, and Othli runs to get Conan.

Conan manages to convince the headman to let his companions free, And turns the villagers against him by saying he sided with Hissar Zhul's men. While this is going on the slime monster has returned and is menacing the girl once more. Conan decides this time it must be destroyed and leaps into action. He rescues the girl again, but the slime monster grows larger. It begins to attack Hissar Zhul's army too, leading to them losing many men. Their general opts to flee the beast leaving it up to Conan to stop it. He finally slays the one monster, but then it becomes obvious that the girl is herself one of the slime monsters who has been pretending to be human. Baiyu and Zzeben come to this conclusion and rescue Conan from the poisoned sleep the creature has put him in. They burn the house the new slime monster is in and then decide to leave. Baiyu now fits in among the group marvelously, quickly falling into the banter between them and decides to journey with them for a while.