Conan the Adventurer 7

Major Characters

 * Conan (Previous appearance CA-6; next appearance CA-8).

Minor Characters

 * Skalla (First full appearance; previous chronological appearance, unnamed, in CB-3). Chooser of the Slain.
 * Hylda (First full appearance; previous chronological appearance, unnamed, in CB-3). Chooser of the Slain.
 * Malachi (Previous appearance CB-3; no further appearances to date).
 * Dunlang (Previous appearance CB-3; no further appearances to date).
 * Borri (Previous appearance CB-3).

Location

 * Mountain pass between Brythunia and Zamora.

Time Frame

 * One day.

Synopsis
Conan continues to travel to Zamora through the mountains but is thwarted by a waterfall of melted snow. He tumbles down the mountain and lands at the feet of a yellow-skinned girl who claims to be a daughter of the Grey God Borri, who Conan recently encountered. She reveals that after a recent battle Borri decided to abandon mankind and return to his own realm, and many of his Choosers of the Dead went with him, but not her, Skalla. She has chosen Conan to introduce her to the passions of mankind. Conan's barbarian soul drives the last vestiges of death within her as he introduces her to the mad lust that is...Conan. Later, Hylda, another Chooser of the Slain, arrives on a winged horse to retrieve her sister. When Conan tries to protect Skalla, Hylda summons the bodies of slain Hyperborean and Brythunian warriors, including some from the battle in which Conan met Borri. Skalla enters the combat on Conan's side. Conan manages to defeat the corpses but loses Skalla when she decides to return with her sister, revealing she would have sucked Conan dry of vitality eventually, anyway. As the Valkries fly away Conan can see Borri's face in the clouds before Skalla commands him to forget ever knowing her. Conan turns back towards the mountains and begins his ascent.