Conan the Barbarian 170

Major Characters

 * Conan (Previous appearance in CB-169; next appearance in CBA-10).

Minor Characters

 * Unnamed mage (Previous appearance in CB-169; no further appearances to date)
 * Unnamed wench (Previous appearance in CB-169; dies in this issue).
 * Fafnir (Previous appearance in CB-167; next appearance in ??).
 * Kx'Ulthuum (First and only appearance to date; dies in this issue). Demon

Locations

 * Nemedia

Time Frame

 * Several days

Synopsis
The mage in the scarlet robes (although now a purplish color), babbles madly about the demon Kx'Ulthuum and the infernal sword the mage stole that Conan has retrieved. Conan's companion tells Conan to ignore the mad mage, but the mage recognizes her as a servant of the demon, and as she begins to transform into a monster, the mage blasts her with a magical fire. He then begs Conan to help him, offering Conan the vast treasure of gold and jewels he has accumulated. As Conan picks through the cavern of riches, he notices his hand has been branded with the mark of the demon Kx'Ulthuum, whose sword Conan had wielded. The brand brings with it a curse and the horse Conan rode in on collapses and rots away in seconds when Conan touches it. The mage explains that Kx'Ulthuum forged the sword to penetrate deep into the earth, releasing magical fumes to turn the world's living into soulless dead, but the mage managed to hide the sword inside an oak tree. Now the demon, who senses the sword's release, has sent his minions to fetch it. Conan and the mage make their way to town, where Conan is shocked to find a drunken Fafnir in combat with some thieves. Fafnir joins the pair, but his drunkenness, belligerent attitude, and inability to easily fend off some winged demons that attack their party cause Conan to tell him to turn back. Fafnir refuses, though, and after they make camp during a rainstorm, the ground beneath them splits open and wraiths in the form of the thieves Conan had just killed rise. Although they are impervious to Conan and Fafnir's steel, the wizard uses his powers to destroy the creatures. Conan questions Fafnir's recklessness and Fafnir reveals that in falling from the cliff, he was bathed in the magical egg's longevity fluid, and is now fated to live a thousand years. His lust for life is gone, knowing he can't be harmed, and he spends his time drunk and getting into fights. When the group reaches their mountain destination, the wizard finds a secret door and they enter Kx'Ulthuum's cavernous lair. They are confronted by monsters and then the demon himself, who, as he has removed his heart, cannot be harmed by the cursed blade Conan wields. As the creature begins to suck the life out of Conan, Fafnir leaps forward, and Kx'Ulthuum realizes Fafnir has a dozen lifetimes in him and quickly drops Conan in favor of a heavier meal. The wizard, meanwhile, finds the demon's heart and Conan plunges the sword into it, killing the demon, but not before Fafnir dies and Conan mourns his friend once again.

Reprinted

 * The Chronicles of Conan 22 - Reavers in the Borderland and Other Stories