Savage Sword of Conan 177

=Well of Whispers=

Creators

 * Writer: Chuck Dixon
 * Pencils: Luke McDonnell
 * Inks: Tony DeZuniga
 * Letters: Diana Albers

Major Characters

 * Conan (Previous appearance in SSOC-98; next appearance in SSOC-186).

Minor Characters

 * Ali Achmed Kharki (First and only appearance to date; dies in this issue). Shadizar crime lord
 * Daria (First and only appearance to date). Shadizar dancer
 * Nhemed (First and only appearance to date). Shadizar war chief
 * Bakii (First and only appearance to date). Shadizar crime lord

Location

 * Shadizar

Time Frame

 * One day

Synopsis
Daria dances for Sheik Ali Achmed Kharki of the Tannimahr cartel, but when he makes a move on her, she resists. His anger is abutted by the arrival of assassins and he is slain, but Daria escapes, scratching the lead assassin in the face in the process. She makes her way to a tavern to find help and settles on Conan, asking him to escort her back to the Tannimahrs so she can tell them what she knows. After surviving an ambush, they reach the Tannimahr headquarters and Daria is brought to Nhemed, their war chief, but he turns out to be the lead assassin and Daria is taken. Conan is waiting in the courtyard for his promised reward but Nhemed bursts out claiming that Daria admitted Conan was Ali Achmed's killer and he is quickly outnumbered and held. Meanwhile. a suspicious Bakki, second in command of the Tannimahr cartel and in line to become sheik with Ali Achmed's death notes the scars on Nhemed's face. Once alone with only a few guards, Conan easily overpowers them and escapes and is on his way over the castle walls before her hears Daria's screams as Nhemed begins to torture her with man eating crabs. Sighing, he returns to the dungeon and fights his way through the guards to Daria, now realizing she didn't betray him. Bakki's soldiers join the fray but are slaughtered as easily as Nhemed's until Bakki calls for a halt in the fighting, having noted that some of Nhemed's men wear garb of the assassins guild. Daria tells Bakki that Nhemed was the one who slayed Ali Achmed, and the traitor is thrown down a well along with a barrel of flesh eating crabs. Bakki lets Daria and Conan go, and she leads him to her chambers for his promised reward.