Conan the Barbarian 28

Major Characters

 * Conan (Previous appearance in CB-27; next appearance in CB-29).

Minor Characters

 * Thutmekri (First appearance; next appearance in CB-108). Stygian thief.
 * M'Gorah (First appearance, dies in this issue). Zembabwei warrior; possessed by the wizard Dalboor.
 * Helgi (First and only appearance to date). Slave girl.

Location

 * The desert south of the Vilayet Sea.

Time Frame

 * One evening.

Synopsis
Conan, pausing to drink from an oasis in the desert, encounters a giant snake. The snake is killed by the Stygian Thutmekri, but Conan himself is stuck in quicksand and Thutmekri, citing his disdain for barbarians, declines to help him. Conan uses the body of the snake to drag himself out and goes after the man who left him to die. He encounters Thutmekri's bearers, but they have been slaughtered and the Stygian himself tied to a tree. Conan frees the man and in return,Thutmekri reveals he had stolen a religious idol from Zembabwei. Conan decides to retrieve the golden statue, and begins to hunt through the rainforest-like oasis. He comes across another of Thutmekri's party, M'Gorah, who explains that the Witch-Dancers of Zembabwei have kidnapped Helgi, Thutmekri's slave girl, and plan to sacrifice her. Never one to let a beautiful, buxom blonde slave girl go to waste, Conan tracks down the Witch-Dancers and discovers Helgi chained to a tree. It turns out to be a trap, set by M'Gorah, who is actually possessed by Thutmekri's enemy Dalboor. The natives of Zimbabwei come forth, and M'Gorah/Dalboor begins the sacrifice ritual around the golden ape idol. Conan manages to crawl free from the pit he has fallen in, only to encounter a giant fanged ape. A battle occurs, and Conan manages to kill the monster with a poisoned dagger, but not before, it its rage, the creature kills M'Gorah. Conan takes the opportunity to free Helgi, intending to get to know her better...

Reprinted

 * Conan Saga #65
 * The Chronicles of Conan Volume Five: The Shadow in the Tomb and Other Stories