Conan the Barbarian 155

Major Characters

 * Conan (Previous appearance in CBA-8; next appearance in CB-156).

Minor Characters

 * Layla & Rayshella (First and only appearance to date). Wenches.
 * Yadlo (First and only appearance to date; dies in this issue).
 * Baron Vjerzak (First and only appearance to date; dies in this issue).

Locations

 * The Border Kingdoms
 * Ramuda

Time Frame

 * One day.

Synopsis
As Conan flirts with the wenches Layla and Rashella in the Border Kingdom town of Ramuda, he is run over by a fleeing Yadlo, who is followed by Baron Vjerzak and his thugs. Yadlo is captured before he can regain his senses and the Baron begins to slice off his nose until Conan, at first uncaring about the fate of the man who scared off his wenches, but uneasy at slicing off flesh, interferes. When the Baron and thugs attack Conan, he makes short work of them, and Yadlo leads Conan to a safe tavern. Yadlo explains he "accidentally" sold the Baron a fake piece of jewelry, and the Baron, known for experimenting with the dark arts and kidnapping women, has Yadlo in his sights. Meanwhile, Vjerzak punishes the thugs who failed him by summoning a demon and slaying them. He warns the rest of his men to not fail. At the tavern, Yadlo successfully prevents a wench from stealing Conan's purse, and Conan decides to retire for the night. Yadlo waits outside Conan's room, fancying himself as much Conan's protector as Conan is his, and he is ambushed by Vjerzak's men. A scream alerts Conan, who bursts out of the room and slays the thugs, but Yadlo succumbs to his injuries. A furious Conan sets off for Baron Vjerzak's home, and as word spreads a crowd follows to see what will happen. At the Baron's house, the demon is waiting but even it is no match for the murderous barbarian, and as the demon begs for the Baron to return him to his demonic home, Conan kills it. The Baron runs to his spellbook, but can't find the right spell to cast and, while stumbling away from Conan, falls out the tower window to the waiting crowd below, who, seeing the weakened and terrified Baron, get their vengeance for the terror he has caused as Conan watches stoically.

Reprinted

 * The Chronicles of Conan 20 - Night of the Wolf and Other Stories