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[Dragon]

This is a story I wrote for a friend that was a huge ERB fan of the original Tarzan stories.  I always enjoyed reading REH and Conan stories as a youth... so I wrote a story where I could combine the two characters..

Hope you enjoy!


THE CAVE OF CRIMSON LION ~ A TALE OF TARZAN AND CONAN.

~BY Dragon

PART 1


Tu-dul watched the giant warrior with careful eyes. Many a traveler had he pocketed a copper talent for the long trip down the banks of the Styx, but never had he recalled one of this size and visage.  The man was from lands that were unknown to Tu-del, his skin was bronzed but of a different hue then the Stygians; His skin appeared to have been painted by broad strokes of the sun over many years. His long unkept hair was black as the river and underneath were sullen eyes that were as blue as great seas in which the river emptied into one hundred leagues away. A Cimmerian; he had called himself when questioned, Conan was he name and no further would he say after pressing the copper into the small man's hand.

Tu-dul was able to pull his pole in due to the increasing current of the mighty river and used it for a tiller. Conan fumbled into his girdle for the “Magic Stone" that was given to him by the Nemedian wizard; Toman-tomor.  The mage claimed it would be useful for him to earn the remaining twenty gold talents owed him to kill the Stygian mage; Zesoth-Amon!  Conan distrusted magic as a whole, as his reluctance to use it before had lead to him being in this small craft still days from his destination. He held it in his hand and recalled what the Nemedian mage had told him. “The Stygian sorcerer is master of space and time. To keep him from casting you forever into oblivion simply concentrate on this clear stone and think of a place and you shall be transported there no matter how far"! Conan still distrusted all mages but the Nemedian had paid him well to slay the Stygian cur and he decided it was worth a try to get him out of this leaking little vessel and closer to his destination.
Staring at the "Stone of time"; as Toman-tomor had called it, he thought of the castle fortress in Stygia and the location of Zesoth-Amon as the Nemedian had described it. 
The stone started to warm in his hand and his mind felt dizzy and he could not help his thoughts wandering on other places he had recently been…Nemedia, Koth, the Black Kingdoms…..POOF! Conan vanished! Tu-dul stared with mouth agape; and then passed out as his small boat continued its lazy journey down the river Styx.

Conan did not realize that besides being thousands of miles away, he was also thousands of years from his home…

A flash of light appeared in the shadow covered jungle, and Conan appeared. He was instantly alert standing on the balls of his feet, his hands on his sword and dagger. This looked like the jungles of the Black Kingdoms he had visited before, but something was different. The sounds, the smells, the fauna all seemed a ‘touch’ different to Conan.

The sounds of struggle alerted the Cimmerian. He ran as quiet as a panther towards the sound… In a clearing he watched a fight unfold. On the ground were two lifeless black painted warriors, whose dark life fluids were pooling underneath them. A tall black warrior who appeared to be a lesser chief or shaman of his tribe Conan figured due to his brightly colored, but modest head-dress; was fighting a white man whose was naked save for a loin cloth made of a great cat’s skin. The black warrior made his spear blaze a spinning dance as he deftly fainted and stabbed at loin clothed man who held a dagger in his hand. The loin clothed man ducked and moved as fast as Conan had ever seen a man move he thought to himself. In an instant it was over. The warrior chief had made a desperate final stab at the man after a low faint. The man not only avoided the spear but ducked underneath its length and came up to close upon the warrior and drove his dagger to its hilt under the chief’s ribcage. The loin clothed man bent over the dying chief and spoke to him;

Tarzan: Where is your shaman Zumba? Where is the dark fiend Tobonka?

Conan could make out a few words of this language that sounded like others he had heard in the black kingdom, but it was not clearly any he had heard before. Zumba looked up into Tarzan’s eyes and spat blood in his face as his dying words escaped him;

Zumba: Tobonka will slay Tarzan….you white ape…from the cave of the crimson…aaaarrrr…lion….arr…his power will slay…aahhhhhhhhhh

Zumba uttered no more as his last breath was in defiance of his sworn enemy. Conan watched as the man he believed to be called Tarzan wiped his dagger on a long feathered plume from Zumba’s head dress.

Tarzan startled after the fire in his blood cooled from the battle. He stared in the direction of Conan as if he could see through the darkness of the surrounding shadows that Conan had hidden himself in. Tarzan smelled the air again… there was a new smell in the jungle; He demanded boldly;

Tarzan: Who is there? Come out from the shadows and show yourself!

He repeated his demand again is three different languages used in this area of his jungle kingdom. Conan not fully understanding every word that was said, none the less understood the meaning…

Conan: I am Conan of Cimmeria.

Conan stated plainly as he came out of the shadows and stood several paces away from the lord of the jungle. Tarzan’s eyes could not hide his shock as a giant man stepped from the darkness of the hanging vines. Blood covered his torso yet he had no wounds, and a giant broad sword hung from his hip. The giant’s hair was black and longer even then his, and even though his skin was bronzed as deep as his own, his blue eyes gave him away as a white man. He was a master at picking up languages and this giant slayer spoke an alien tongue, but one that was not too hard for Tarzan to decipher.

Tarzan: Conan is it? Giant one; I am Tarzan and this is my home! (Spreading his arms wide to encompass the entire jungle) I welcome you if you are here to do no harm.

Conan: Tarzan, you fight well. I am nigh famished and should like some food if you would have any, and I wonder if I may ask where this place is?

Tarzan held his hand to his mouth. He understood the giant man was hungry.

Tarzan: Food? Yes, come with Tarzan.

Tarzan sprung up to a branch that was well half his length off the ground then quickly made his way up to a branch that’s girth easily supported his weight. Conan in all his life had never seen another man who moved or could climb that well. What manner of man is this? Conan wondered to himself as he jumped up and started to climb the same jungle tree….

[Dragon]

PART 2


Conan marveled at the man in front of him. Using branches and vines Tarzan made his way speedily through the jungle. Conan was able to keep up with some effort; but never had he thought to meet a person that was adept to climbing as effortlessly as he himself was. He noted Tarzan made his way from tree to vine to tree with nary a glance at the jungle floor several paces below them. Conan had no doubt this was Tarzan’s home, and he started to study the man himself. Surely he was a Hyborian as his grey eyes attested, but by no means a pampered noble. He was visibly younger then Conan and his body, although smaller in overall stature then Conan’s was heavily muscled and bronzed from many days under this land’s sun. I shall have to ask him from whence he came to this place, when we stop; Conan thought to himself.

Tarzan: we are here friend Conan, if friend you be.

Conan stopped on the large branch next to Tarzan. The branch was large enough to hold two war horses side by side, and the tree itself must have been here since the dawn of time Conan thought to himself.

Conan: I am a friend unless you give me reason to be otherwise.

Tarzan nodded his understanding of the giant’s words and pointed the way to his dwellings here in the great tree. The shelter was little more then the skins of great beasts stretched out to block out some of the beams of sun that made their way through the thick jungle canopy. Inside were dried leaves in a pile that must have sufficed for a bed Conan thought. A roughly carved log sat in the center of the shelter and there appeared to be food stuffs underneath large fronds of some jungle tree. Tarzan pulled off the fronds and pointed to the selection of food stuffs on the make shift table; There was fruit, both dried and fresh. Meat was also there in dried strips, but what caught Conan’s attention was the raw appearing meat on the end of the table in what appeared to be an empty skull of some long dead predator.

Tarzan: Eat Conan. Always more food, eat your fill.

Conan grabbed up hand full’s of dried meat and some of the fresh fruit. All of it was satisfactory to help curb his hunger. To wash it down Tarzan handed Conan a dried out husk that appeared to be made of tree bark full of clean water. Conan was a little disappointed that this Tarzan did not have any wine available, or even some sour ale, but he said nothing. Tarzan grabbed a small handful of the raw appearing meat from the hollowed out skull. He ate it as easy as Conan would eat a fig. Conan thought this strange, but said nothing.

The sun was going down as Tarzan built a small fire right there in the shelter. There was a circle of rocks, and the wood underneath it looked petrified, so Conan figured this spot had held fire before and they were in no danger of burning down the entire tree. As both men sat near the fire Tarzan asked the first questions.

Tarzan: Where have you come from Conan?

Conan: That is a story unto itself, but I come from Cimmeria far to the north.

Tarzan: I have not heard of this “Cimmeria”, is it much like here?

Conan: No, it is dark and cold most of the time. Where do you hail from Tarzan?

Tarzan: I am from here. I am apart of this jungle, it belongs to me and I to it. I am Mangani as is my family.

Tarzan at this time was only about twenty years old and had yet to visit Europe or meet the love of his life. To him, his whole life was the Mangani, and his jungle.

Tarzan: I was fighting warriors of the Mbonga today because they kill Mangani for dark magic that there wizard; Tobonka uses to try and control the beasts of the jungle. It will never work no matter how many of us they kill, for the beasts of the jungle obey the laws of no man, they wish to slay this wizard and end the fear of their offspring being stolen in the night.

Conan: How do you know the beasts wish such a thing?

Tarzan: They have told me.

Conan shocked said nothing. For some reason his instinct told him to believe this “jungle savage”. Be it that they seemed to be very much alike, or for some other reason Conan could not fathom, he knew this man could be trusted.

Conan decided to ask no other questions this night. The stress of the long journey from Nemedia to Stygia and the physical exertion he felt after being teleported by the stone of time had used up more energy then a hand full of dried meats and fruit could overcome. Yawning he stretched out his mighty frame. Tarzan jumped to his feet and pointed at the dry leaves in the corner.

Tarzan: Conan, you may sleep now. We will talk more when the sun is up in the sky.

Conan laid his broad sword next to the pile of leaves and laid down himself. He watched as Tarzan went towards the opening of the shelter and lay prone upon the bare bark of the great tree. The sounds of the insects as darkness totally consumed the jungle were a symphony of sound. With a grunt, Conan closed his eyes.

[Dragon]

PART 3

Conan felt revived again after his uneventful night of rest and now bathing in the creek not located too far from the great tree. Conan had awakened before the first light and lowered himself to the jungle canvass trying not to awaken his host. Tarzan still laid on the bare bark of the great branch that made up his shelter. “What type of man sleeps as an animal in the trees and eats raw meat as a predator” Conan mused to himself as he stepped out of the creek and gathered up his belongings. “I have never seen one such as he” He continued, and where is this “family…the Mangani he mentioned? I have seen no other like him around here”? Seeing to his broad sword and resting assured he still had the “stone of time” in his possession he made his way back to the great tree and decided to let these questions dwell on his mind no longer.

Many leagues away drifting up from the great ravine an inhuman scream could be heard... Long trails of multiple waterfalls fell like tresses of a damsel into the great ravine from the jungle floor where many tributaries started their journey to the river of snakes far below the mists. The mists hid the bottom of the ravine from man’s eyes and it was said they would for all eternity. Upon close inspection a man could see a large cave entrance a quarter league from the top of the cliff, inside that cave was madness! The young Mangani would have grown to become one of the great bull apes of the jungle. The four black warriors had little trouble holding his limbs on the altar, for in the span of his life he was only a babe. Less than three months old was Toko, he still suckled from his mother and was just learning the ways of the jungle and his family; just like any young child was his wont to explore and discover his surroundings. His mother; Nahara had scolded him not to go beyond the area of the fruit tree grove that bordered their home… Not unlike a human child he was full of mischief and frequently disobeyed his mother. He longed for her to chide him now, he longed for her caress and the sweet smell of her milk, he thought of the safety he had felt in her arms when he slept there… his mothers image was what he clinged to as the serpentine dagger started cutting into his breast… He screamed! The man stopped after cutting open the ape’s chest and smiled looking at the innards and the chest wall anticipating the beating heart within that he would soon carve out. The infant ape had passed out but was now coming back around with the help of burning herbs the shaman shook above his head. Tobonka wanted him awake, he wanted to look in the infant’s eyes, and he wanted him to know what was coming… Toko looked upon the man who was to be his harbinger of death and screamed his mother’s name in the language of the Mangani, as his still beating heart was ripped from his chest!

Conan’s hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he spied a huge shadowed figure climbing the thick branches of Tarzan’s great tree.
His slow walk back to the tree became a sprint as he pulled out his sword of fine Hykranian steel and leapt to the first branch and made his way to the thickest one that housed Tarzan’s shelter. He stopped dead in his tracks as the beast from a nightmare came out of the opening of animal skins. The beast was an ape, which Conan had seen plenty of in his travels, but of no normal size was he. His head was as great as the size of any bull that grazed the plains of the Boarder Kingdoms; and his girth was the size of four large men standing side by side! Conan looked into its face as it bared it terrible fangs that could crack open a man’s skull as it were a ripe melon. The beast came towards him, its arms outstretched… both of the ape’s hands were covered and matted in blood, and it still dripped from its fingertips… Quick as the ape moved Conan was quicker. He lifted his sword arm as swiftly as a striking serpent and started forward to cleave the great beast’s skull!

A grip of iron grabbed Conan’s wrist from behind and halted the blow before his swing could start!

Conan: What?!

Tarzan: Stop my friend! Let no harm come to him!

Conan turned quickly and looked at Tarzan as he released his wrist. On one hand Conan could count the number of men he had met in his life that could have stopped his sword arm… And a number even lower then that counted the men that lived to tell of it.

Conan looked to Tarzan and back to the huge ape and watched as Tarzan walked up to the ape and held the beast’s hands in his own. Tarzan spoke to the ape, but the sounds and “clicks” coming from Tarzan’s mouth was of no language Conan had ever heard. Turning from the ape, Tarzan looked again at Conan;

Tarzan: He is not here to harm us. He came to tell us the tale of a great black cat he slew not too far from here. His name is Korok… He is my Brother!

Conan: ………?

Conan was not aware of the look on his face that made Tarzan and even the great ape start making noises in their throats. Conan felt heat on his face as the noise they made could not have been mistaken for anything but laughter.

[Dragon]

PART 4


The southern sun was at its zenith as Conan and Tarzan made their way from the great tree. The shafts of light shown like spears cutting through the canopy above them. They had spent most of the morning gathering provisions for their journey to the cave of the crimson lion. Tarzan had sat with Korok for a good part of time while the great ape communicated all that had befell him and the tragedies that had befallen the young of the Mangani since the new wizard had aligned himself with the Mbonga. During their trek Tarzan related all he had learned to Conan;

Tarzan: My family has been fearful for their young these past few moons. Only the stoutest of males have ventured out to hunt or forage for their families. A young one named Toko had disappeared from beyond the fruit tree grove four nights past. Korok my brother had tracked the prints of a giant cat he had found by where Toko was last seen to the endless ravine near the great eastern water. He did not find the child but was attacked by warriors of the Mbonga who cast spears in vain as he took to the tree tops. No sooner had he outrun the savages that he was set upon by a great black cat! He said the cat was “no longer inside himself”, that his soul had been taken; No doubt by that fiend Tobonka. That evil shaman is stealing the souls of the beasts with his awful magic, and is no doubt killing my families young to make his evil work.

Conan: How would “your brother” know the animal’s soul was missing?

Tarzan: We of the Mangani can feel such things, but he said before he even sensed it he could see it. The eyes of the great cat where milk white with no sign of life, save the animation of his movements. He said the predator fought beyond its normal kin, and it was not until he had ripped the beasts head from its torso did the battle finally end.

Conan had no doubt what Tarzan’s ape brother had told him. If any beast could rip the head from a giant cat, it would have been that behemoth!

Conan: How is it that Korok is your brother? Did you share the same parents? (Conan hoped asking this question did not make him seem to ignorant of this land, or say anything that was taboo with Tarzan’s people).

Tarzan shrugged off the question like it was obvious.

Tarzan: The entire son’s of the Mangani are brothers! Kala was my mother. Kerchak is the leader of the Mangani, he has sired many sons.... Regardless of your parents, if you are Mangani then you are my brother none the less.

The Cimmerian nodded his understanding; it was similar to stated bonds between the Kozaki hill men, or a member of the Red Brotherhood, only the bonds appeared much deeper and not dependent upon the next pot of gold. He continued along with Tarzan on their swift gait towards the cave of the crimson lion which was described as being a two days march. Both bronze giants were silent as they quickened their pace towards their destiny.

Many leagues south and east in a great lodge made of hardened earth and animal skins, tempers were flaring!

Mbonga: I care not what magic you seek witch doctor, or how powerful you have become if it does not end in the death of the white ape and his flea ridden family of giant monkeys!

Mbonga threw his spear down in the middle of the lodge within inches of one of his lesser war chief’s feet. The warrior did not flinch, for to do so would surely leads to a coward’s death.

Tobonka: Oh great leader and noble chieftain of our land, the death of the white ape is foremost in my mind. I have stolen many beasts’ souls and absorbed them into my own by using the powerful magic that only the hearts of the young foul apes can provide. Soon every beast and crawling thing and foul of the air
of our jungle kingdom shall be mi… yours to command as me your humble servant only acts as your divine tool of justice against those who oppose us.

Mbonga: Words! I grow sick of your flowered words. Since you came among us from the tribes of the south that is all you have given me! I long to have the white ape’s lifeless body beneath my feet and his skull as my cup. All of his tribe of mangy pests will serve as a warning to others of my power when their heads adorn the trees of the jungle for one hundred leagues! No more talk! If you bring me the carcass of another worthless infant monkey I shall use your head for a bowl and your skin as a dress for my next bride!

Tobonka and the warriors assigned to assist him bowed low as they backed out of the lodge without speaking another word. Soon, the shaman thought… Soon I will command all of this tribe and all of the lands to the end of the great eastern water! I will take moons to kill that windbag chieftain and those loyal to him. I will serve up his innards in a bowl set before me, to devour before his very eyes! The warriors did not say anything to the witch doctor as they made their way back to the cave of the crimson lion… for to bother him while he was deep in thought, obviously chaffing at the words from Mbonga would mean a death unimagined.

The shadows grew as long as the trees themselves and the sound of the night slowly started to build as Tarzan and Conan finally stopped.

Tarzan: We stop here, rest, eat.

Conan: I do not mind continuing on Tarzan, I can keep up this pace another two days if need be.

Tarzan at first ignoring the comment sat on the ground and started to undo the animal skin that held his provisions…

Tarzan: I too could go on Conan, but it is best we wait. The night predators will surely scent our passing and give chase. Korok too has need to join us after he has given word of our journey to our family; and he is still leagues behind us.

Conan swallowed the thought of traveling with a giant ape at their side, but figured if Tarzan can be trusted his family should be as well and gave it no more thought.

No sooner had the bronzed warriors set out their provisions and drank from their water skins did the earth below them come alive! Both men were quick to spring to their feet; Conan sword in hand, and Tarzan his foot length dagger. The ground was moving beneath them, but it was no mere earthquake. Something big was coming; something big enough to make the jungle itself tremble in its wake! A flash of white caught Tarzan’s eye, and before it came through the hanging vines of their clearing he was taking to the trees. Conan watched as his traveling companion leapt into the air twice his own height to grab an overhanging branch.

Tarzan: Watch friend! A one horn fast approaches!

Conan did not have to be warned for he was already gauging the speed of the charging white rhino that was on a collision course with him. Conan sprang forward directly at the beast and bounded up and over! Landing he turned around in time to see Tarzan fall on the Albino from above, his long dagger flashing in the setting light. Conan had seen albinos before, like the great bears of Khiti; but never before had he seen a pure white rhino in the land of the Black Kingdoms.

Tarzan was stabbing his blade in the softer neck of the armor like plated beast, and the beast took all its effort to stop its charge and turn around to face the Cimmerian once more. Two dozen score were the wounds that Tarzan had inflicted before the rhino picked up its return charge and still it did not fall. Conan leaping to the side swung his mighty arm low and a long red gash appeared on the soft underbelly of the albino as he stormed past. This time the rhino screamed an unearthly sound as it pulled up to slow itself down… Tarzan had not faltered in his assault on the beast and now entrails could be seen beneath the beast dangling on the jungle floor below it. The one-horn screamed again and collapsed so hard that even Tarzan was thrown clear of it massive frame.

Tarzan: It was dead already (he said looking at the beast’s still open eyes), the soul is gone.

Looking closer Conan bent over the great horned albino. Both eyes were the milky white of its skin!

Conan: Crom!

[Dragon]

PART 5

The grizzled hands of the witch doctor wrung the mango sized heart; He needed every ounce of blood squeezed from the latest sacrifice if his spell was to work. If a man were to wander the land of mist's between the living and the dead he would of heard Toko's last scream as the final drop of his life's essence dropped onto the obsidian tablet. The witch doctor planned not to fail, he knew if he could spy upon the movement of the white ape and know the future of his plans he surely could plot his demise. Katumbo and the others watched the dark mage as he strangled the small heart of the Mangani they had held down the day prior. Katumbo cursed his luck for being assigned to this bringer of dark magic. He thought of the young girl Ktala back at the village who had watched his every move during the last ritual moon dance. She would be of age soon to be wedded off, and he longed to be the first to cast his spear for her favors. There was nothing in the world he loved better then ushering a virgin to the ways of woman hood; except maybe for the taste of a freshly slain foe! His day dreams faded as the shaman started his unearthly chant over the glass like tablet, a silent wish for deafness crossed his mind; as these mutterings of the evil witch doctor were not meant to be heard by any sane man.

Tobonka: Teruk daadona mroku tanetha! Teruk daadona mroku tanetha! Teruk daadona mroku tanetha!

The witch-man chanted the same words for what seemed an eternity to the Mbonga warriors that stayed on purpose what they felt was a safe distance from his magiks...

Tabonka: Ah, It is working! The white ape, who shall soon beg me for death shall reveal his next move to his master!

On the dark tablet, in the fist sized puddle of Toko's blood a swirling mist started to appear. At first it was hazy as one would look through the morning mists; then the object of the witch doctor's hatred appeared. He watched his every move as if he stood no further than a hands breath away....

Tabonka: What is this? Another white has joined our prey?

The shaman saw before him a vision of a clearing in which two men appeared. Tarzan sat on the ground conversing with another man of his same hue. As big, if not bigger as Tarzan himself but with the appearance and eyes of someone the mage had never seen. His hair was black as the night, and his eyes reflected the blue of the clearest sky. His frame from his broad shoulders to his lower extremities were crisscrossed with scars, and he shared the very likeness of Tarzan to the witch-man except for the lengthy scar that laid its claim to the white apes face. The giant broad sword did not go unnoticed by the shaman either...

Tabonka: So, the white ape brings another of his kind to the fold. This one has seen the battle fields of man and will surely be as wily as that white ape. No matter, It shall make my victory celebration all the more extravagant as we feast on two white apes instead of the one. All the Mbonga will follow me after I have brought these two’s head on a platter to the feasting dance. Oh ho...Mbonga himself may even bow down before me and my power! The men of the tribe may even drive him from the village to make way for his betters! Hahahaaaaaaa!

The witch-man's laugh echoed through the long abandoned cave as Katumbo and his fellow warriors looked on in stone silence. Surely this evil mage has gone mad, he thought to himself...


Conan and Tarzan were ready to move on; only the appearance of Korok and any other brother's of the Mangani who would join them to avenge the young was belaying them. Conan watched the young jungle man as he would size up any man before battle. For the first time he noticed the young man's mannerisms and even the slight twitches when scanning the surrounding jungle or sniffing the air was ape-like. A feral youngster raised on the back of an ape mother; Conan thought to himself. Is he even aware that he could not be born of apes, but is a man like I? Conan mused these points of his companion but thought better then to ask them. Noticing the spear the "ape man" carried with him, the Cimmerian queried:

Conan: What is the strange inscriptions on the shaft of your spear friend Tarzan?

Tarzan finished gnawing on the dried fruit and picked up his spear and handed it to his black haired friend...

Tarzan: It is the inscriptions by the Mbonga that used to own it. They are man-eaters which is unnatural in nature. I care not what it means, only that his soul burns in anguish in whatever hell he is in by the fact that I use it to slay his brothers!

Conan: So you hated this cannibal for his acts against fellow men?

Tarzan: Nay Conan, I hated Kulonga for he slayed my mother.....

Conan thought better than to say anything further as he saw the melancholy shadow Tarzan's brow. Handing back the spear his instincts picked up a strange feeling as if they were being watched.
He looked at Tarzan as if to communicate with expression rather than words...

Tarzan: I too sense it Conan. We have been watched for several moments, but no harm shall come to us. Those who watch us plot from afar for nary their scent do I sense.

Conan after sniffing the soft jungle breeze agreed with Tarzan's assessment. The longer he stayed with this man of the jungle the more Conan liked and respected him. He would make a worthy foe by Crom; Conan thought..But even better as allies they would be, he summarized.


The sounds of the dried jungle leaves gave away the presence even before the slender shudder in the earth. Korok's arrival was not ceremonious. He made his way to Tarzan who stood before the great ape and they began to communicate as only the Mangani can. After several moments Tarzan nodded his head slowly in understanding, gave Korok a portion of the raw meat he had not eaten and turned towards Conan as the giant Mangani swung up to sit in a wide branch and devour Tarzan's gift.

Tarzan: We shall fight alone Conan...even if all the hoards of the Mbonga rise against us with this evil witch-man to strengthen their spines, we will fight...or die...alone.

Tarzan made a guttural growl and he shouted a curse at the rising moon barely visible from the canopy above.

Tarzan: Curse your jealousy Kerchak! Does your throne of pride mean more than those of the Mangani? Conan (he said as he turned towards the Cimmerian), The leader of our kind has denied us aid. My brother has told me that Kerchak says the infants would not of been taken if they were to grow into great hunters and leaders of our tribe. He told him they were fated to die as the weaklings they were....Someday Conan; Someday I will take that imaginary throne his ego sits upon and shall show him who is truly "King of the apes"!

Conan stepped closer to Tarzan and looked him in the eye...


Conan: We shall destroy this wizard of the black kingdoms together my comrade. With your brother's aid we shall crush his dreams and destroy his will as his lifeless body is cast down before us! We shall make him and his tribe beg for the mercy that your lazy monarch would so give them.

With new determination the men waited no longer. Without a word they gathered their belongings and prepared to journey onwards to the land of the great eastern waters. Korok sitting above them could sense their determination and he sensed their intentions. An almost human joy claimed him as he envisioned the future slaughter of the enemy of his brothers!

[Dragon]

PART 6


So they are aware of my spirit eyes on them and yet they fear not; good. Their arrogance will be to my advantage; Tobonka thought to himself as he watched them continue their journey towards their certain death. He was about to cancel the spell and plan for their arrival within the next moon, when a powerful “magical wave” coursed through his body!

Tobonka: What is this? (He could not help but exclaim aloud), I sense an object of great magic on the dark haired white monkey’s person!

Upon further study of the tablet that saw over great distances, he found what he had sought. There is an object on the white ape’s person that is hidden from site… It has great power fore I can feel it even through this mystical eye that bores me to their location. I must have it the witch man glared… He soon demanded his servants, the unwilling volunteers of the Mbonga tribe to leave him. After he was alone in the darkened cave his chant began anew… He would have that powerful magik, whatever it was!


Korok made his way vine to vine and branch to branch through the jungle towards their destination. The great ape was a league in front of Tarzan and the new white man. Korok knew that Tarzan would have kept pace with him, but the dark haired one even with his mighty thews was not as adept at this mode of travel as the brothers of the Mangani were. He still saw the faces and remembered the playful nature of the young Mangani that were no longer with him. If this man, this witch man as Tarzan called him was the reason for their disappearance and possible death, then he would taste the flesh of man for the first time… for surely he vowed in his own way to devour this evil man.

A league behind the anxious ape was Tarzan and the Cimmerian. Never had Conan traveled in such a manner, but he could see the benefit of it right away. If vines grew like this in the land of the Picts I should swing about and slay every last chief and shaman before they knew what had befallen them he mused to himself. Conan felt he was learning this method of travel quicker than any man he could of met from Asgard to Kush, and even had the childish notion of over taking the “ape man” when the vine he grasped next moved in his hand and gave way! Ten paces above jungle floor Conan thought as he plummeted earthward.
Hitting the ground with a jarring crash the Cimmerian was wont to lay their until his breath fell to the ground with him, but the “Vine” had other thoughts.

A great python was what Conan had held in his grasp. So thick the girth that he could barely close his hand around it… and that was just the tail! Tarzan saw Conan’s dilemma and came back to the scene of the struggle on the juggle floor. Fearing a wayward cut or slash to his companion he stayed in the branch above the contest and watched it unfold until he could spy an opening to slay the behemoth snake. Conan was an old hand at serpents. From the giant serpents of Stygia, to the earliest he faced in the land of Zamora; he and snakes were old nemeses that battles never ceased. As the mighty python twisted in a fashion to get a hold of the Cimmerians torso, Conan had a cruel thought that the serpent had an intelligence beyond its brethren. His sword arm pinned he used his left hand to grab the upper jaw of the writhing monstrosity, careful to place it between its dagger like fangs. Pulling back with all his might he glared into the python’s eyes… The whiteness of sow’s milk stared back at him! His skin felt the sudden chill of sorcery but it only spurred him on to greater effort. Never before had Conan met a constrictor with fangs like this, when normally they choose to squeeze the life from their victims. But in the same vein of thought, neither had the reptile met a man such as the Cimmerian. In pain the serpent tried to retreat and uncoiled himself rapidly from the Cimmerian. Tarzan saw the opportunity and buried his spear so hard in the giant snake’s cranium that his very eyes popped from their sockets!

Conan: Many thanks friend Tarzan. That is not a damsel I wish to dance with again.

Tarzan: It was the least I could do Conan; I am only sorry I could not have slain it sooner.

Once again Conan thought that for such a “feral” child of nature as this man was, how also he was very the same as himself with his way of beliefs and his manner. Maybe he was also born in the dark cold skies of my homeland; Conan pondered. No; for even Crom would not be so cruel to one of his son’s to forsake him to this far off land.

In the cave of the crimson lion the witch man fell back away from the alter and the tablet of visions. The strain on taking over a being of such a “small brain” was a stress he did not wish to repeat. The larger jungle beasts and especially the mammals were much easier to possess. Exhausted he still had a grim smile on his continence; for he knew that even though slain by the two white apes the practically brainless serpent had full filled its mission.

A small multi colored bird stirred in the trees atop the canopy of the dense jungle. Eyes sharper than any man, it could spy small insects to feed its young even in the dimmest of light. As it thought to take flight after the small leaping morsel it spied, its heart fluttered and it was still as a statue. Moments later the colorful fowl gazed upon something of more interest than its young’s next meal. A small stone set upon the carpet of the earth. A stone that held great, great power… With eyes of milky white it flew down to fetch it in its beak. Without haste it took to the sky once again and sought out its new master with its prize.

[Dragon]

PART 7

Korok looked upon the great ravine and the vast distance between the western ridge upon which he stood and the eastern side that held the cave of the crimson lion… and the evil witch-man he longed to destroy. Gazing down into the mists of the bottomless crevasse he thought better then to try and reach his destination. Best to wait for his brother and the Tarmangani that now traveled with him; he concluded. Only one with wings could make it to the far side without vine or bridge… pacing, he awaited Tarzan.


Turning the “Stone of time” over in his hands, Tobonka felt its power course through his veins! He knew not, nor could guess the true use of the small magical item… He did not care though; like any good man of dark magic he could sense that having such an item in his possession would enhance any magic he wrought! Placing it on the alter; where many a Mangani youth cried their last breaths, he now felt unlimited courage and power to obtain any of his lofty goals. Unknown to the shaman, the stone; originally apart of dark evil from thousands of years before his time absorbed a small measure of the blood that had been sacrificed there. Its power now grew to levels even unimagined by its owner several millennia before.


Katumbo: Master! A great ape appears on the other side of the ravine… A Mangani!

Tabonka came to the entrance of the cave and scanned the far ridge where Katumbo had directed his gaze. Shadowed in the rose light of the sitting sun he saw the ape. A grin that made Katumbo and the others on the ledge cringe; appeared on the shaman’s face. Katumbo also startled at the appearance of the mage’s face… No longer were the lines of his timeless face deep as the crevices that bespoke of many lifetimes. A youthful look was not only on the witch doctor’s face but his whole frame appeared invigorated. Standing more erect then Katumbo had ever seen him, he feared for not only his life now but for the future of the Mbonga. An evil man such as this who gains power through magiks may out live the usefulness of his fellow tribesman. Shivering despite the heat of the jungle, Katumbo watched the mage turn and head back into the cave with a laugh that made his bowels turns to water.

Katumbo followed his master in the cave after giving instructions to the others to maintain the whereabouts of the Mangani. Once back in the cave he froze in his tracks as he saw a spectacle that he would take to his grave. Tobonka had the serpentine dagger in his hand as a violet mist swirled around him. He had taken off the long robe with many colored feathers and his black chest glistened from the few lit torches about the cave. This was no ancient mage from the dawn of time; as the witch man had claimed about himself. His deep chest and his taunt torso no longer that of an old man. His appearance was now of youthful hardness like a young warrior at his first courtship dance! Be it the river of Mangani blood he had spilled or the small stone that the ensorcelled bird had brought him that begot this power; Katumbo did not know. But he felt a whimper escape from his lips as the swirling mists picked up speed and the dark magician disappeared!


A smell like burning sap from a tree assaulted Korok’s senses. He was hailed as one of the bravest of the younger Mangani males but as he turned at the smell and saw the witch doctor appear out of the thin air, and felt the evil in the air that crackled around the ebony man’s frame he could not stop the feeling of fear that latched onto his animal senses. Laughing at the fear he sensed in the great ape, the newly invigorated shaman approached the giant ape with his curved dagger raised high over his head. The last glimpses of sunlight reflecting off its golden hilt as he sprung forward to meet Korok in battle!


Conan: How much farther is this cave in which we seek Tarzan?

The bronzed duo had stopped on a wide branch as the last glimpse of daylight had bid them farewell.

Tarzan: Even though the jungle will now be swallowed by darkness we must go on; the great ravine that precedes the eastern waters is only less than a league and a half away.

Conan’s grim face was emotionless as he shrugged in agreement and took a pull from his water skin. Tarzan did likewise before they renewed their journey. The Cimmerian’s hand also fell to his girdle to ensure his dagger and the “stone of time” was still on his possession. With a gasp he knew he no longer possessed it. Damn snake he thought; I must have lost it in the struggle to kill that cursed son of Set. “No matter”; he thought to himself, it was not like he did not know the way to Hyborian lands from the Black Kingdoms. Adjusting the grass rope over his head and shoulder Tarzan turned to Conan:

Tarzan: It would be best if we made the rest of our trek on foot.

Conan agreed and they both dropped stealthy as panthers the several meters to the jungle floor. Conan had no wish to swing into a tree full speed in the dark the Cimmerian laughed to himself. With nary a further word, they continued their journey to meet up with Korok and face the evil Mbonga witch-man. Neither of them knew that Korok was now face to face with death!


For the second time in as many moments Korok picked up a stone the size of a man’s head and cast it with his mighty arm at the ebony mage. Again, the mage laughed as the rock deflected at the last moment and did not even touch his skin. What magiks were these? The large ape fought to understand how his enemy was not crushed by his cast, neither had he raised a hand to deflect the stone… Curling his lips back Korok barred his massive white fangs and launched himself at the shaman! If he could not crush him from afar he would tear his head from his shoulders! Laughing, the now youthful appearing sorcerer stood his ground as the Mangani slammed into him. Jaws slavering, death only inches from his face and the hot putrid breath of a jungle beast mixing with his own; and still he moved not! It was like an invisible shield kept the beast at bay and even though the spittle from the ape’s maw covered the mage’s face, the giant arms of the Mangani encircled him but could not crush him…

Tabonka: Hahahahaaaa! The dark Gods have blessed me foolish monkey! The blood of your worthless kin and a magic unheard of delivered to me has made me invincible!

Korok continued to squeeze the laughing mage with all his beastly might! The Mangani's arms were long enough to encompass the entire man and he felt resistance but did not hear the cracking bones or the screams his bestial mind expected…

Tabonka: I tire of this, and the white ape you think your brother will be upon us soon and I wish to greet him in all my glory and not smelling of ape spittle and blood… Yes blood! For as surely as you, or no one else can ever lay a hand on me again does not mean that I cannot touch you!


Drawing back his daggerless arm, he pushed his clawed hand onto Korok’s chest… And through it!! The Mangani’s eyes widened as he still did not realize he was dead. The shaman’s hand had burst through the back of the giant ape, and clutched in his fist was the still beating heart of Tarzan’s brother!

[Dragon]

PART 8 (Final Chapter)


The clear night sky allowed the moon to cast its ambient glow and revealed the great width of the great ravine before the two men. Conan spied the other side of the rocky cliff of the ravine even in the shroud of darkness and knew that a bridge had better be nearby or else he and Tarzan had better sprout wings if they were to get to the other side in this darkness. Even though he could not see the bottom of the ravine, his keen Cimmerian senses told him that not even a full days worth of climbing would take them to the bottom and up the other side.

Tarzan was sniffing the air for signs of Korok. He sensed at once the scent of death and blood and hoped against the dread that rose in his throat that it was not the loss of another brother to the black hearted witch-man; Tabonka. As Tarzan used his jungle sharpened senses to find the small clearing where Korok made his last stand he called Conan to his side. Conan walked over to the crouching ape man and looked upon the area of Tarzan’s attention; A dark puddle of what could only be blood still fought against the thirsty lips of the jungle floor and glistened in the light of the moon. Tarzan pulled back his finger’s and put them to his lips… Slowly the white Mangani stood as a low bestial noise issued forth from deep inside him…

Tarzan: Nooooooooo!!!! KREEGAH HLSTAH! Tarzan is coming for your head! (Tarzan screamed into the dark sky).

His scream of sorrow and vengeance was a terrible thing to hear; Conan thought to himself. Conan still did not fully understand this man before him; he did not know of his plight as an infant, orphaned at one year of age only to be adapted by Kala and shunned by most of the tribe of Mangani. He knew not that this feral young man standing in the light of the moon would someday be discovered to be the one true Viscount of Greystoke; a land that had yet to be named in Conan’s time. He knew not of the ivory breasted woman that would soon meet him and become his one true love… None of this Conan knew; but of these facts he had no doubt: This bronzed man that stood before him would no doubt usurp his jealous leader of the Mangani and he would surely someday be Lord of the Apes; if not the Lord of the Jungle itself!


Tarzan tarried no longer. Looking north and south along the ravine, he looked to the Cimmerian.

Tarzan: Come Conan, a quarter league north of here the great crack is closest to touching. It is there that we shall cross.


In the cave of the crimson lion Tabonka gloated of his new found strength while he stood near the altar. Katumbo and the three others of the Mbonga huddled around the small fire on the far side of the cave. “He is surely mad” Katumbo thought. He watched as the shaman grasped the giant ape’s heart in his hands and held it over his head!

Tabonka: What need I of conjuring beasts anymore? I am invincible now and I will soon rule this land for time immortal!

The Mbonga witch-man squeezed his hands together as a torrent of blood issued forth from the dismembered organ that used to reside in Korok’s breast. Letting the blood, already starting to clot cascade upon his head he opened his mouth to drink his fill. Katumbo wanted to tear his gaze away but what frozen to the spectacle. At last when the blood flowed no more, Tabonka brought the emptied heart to his mouth and tore a huge portion of it off with his teeth to devour it whole! Katumbo forced himself to turn away and forced himself to think of other times or other people… he found himself covering his ears as he closed his eyes to block out the sounds of the human hyena that now stood at the altar. The shaman after finishing the drained organ, made his way to the other side of the cave where the carcass of giant slain Mangani lay. Part of the springs that flowed from the cliff walls also made their way into the cave and the witch doctor stripped off his remaining garments and proceeded to bath. Noticing the Mbonga warriors all turned from his sight near the small fire he called out;

Tabonka: Yes, rest men of Mbonga; for tomorrow begins the final battle with the white ape. He shall not dare come here in the night, and I shall be at my strongest when he ventures forth to meet his death. I shall rest soon too, because tomorrow I will not only end the threat of all the apes, I will also be the leader of all Mbonga when my power is unleashed before them.

Laughing as he bathed naked in the trickling water, Katumbo pressed his hands even harder against his ears. His thoughts soon started to drift to the legend of the cave they dwelled in; the Cave of the Crimson Lion was a tale now a generation old. A man-eater, he was and king of all the jungle. The great lion not only ruled over all the beasts of the jungle, but in turn feed upon the men that would feed on others. The Mbonga feared this beast as no other; at least once a moon another of their tribe will fall to its slavering fangs and its massive claws. On the rare occasion a tribe member would see the lion and live to tell about it, they would scare the young ones before the evening fires that it’s mane and fur was covered with the blood of the humans and beasts it had slain. So many were the numbers it killed that its coat was forever crimson! Legend had it that the great slayer lived for one hundred years, and on the day the men of the tribesmen followed it on its death trail, it jumped down the eastern cliff of the great ravine and disappeared in this cave forever. It was also shortly thereafter that Mbonga was born… Several of the elders said the spirit of the lion was inside Mbonga fore no one before or after him had such a taste for death or blood. Katumbo had believed this myth as well until meeting the dark sorcerer… surely if anyone had a blood lust like the long dead lion it was this evil spawn of hell. Katumbo forced himself to think of brighter thoughts as he drifted off to sleep. He saw Ktala dancing naked before him… her firm breasts bounced with the sway of the drums in his dream and her sweet hips were inviting. Her deep brown eyes called for him to follow her out into the jungle… and the last dream Katumbo would ever have was a happy one.


Conan stared at the distance between the cliffs on each side of the ravine. Even with the greatest Aquilonian war-horse under him and a half leagues running start he could not have leaped this gap. Tarzan unfurling his long grass rope searched the eastern side for his target. Tying a noose around the spear tip of the long spear that still bore the marks of Kulonga, he handed Conan the end of his grass rope. Hefting the spear up and behind him he ran four paces to the edge of the western cliff and threw the spear with all the strength of his thews behind it. Conan watched at it founds its target. A small sapling that the spear not only hit, but went through. The grass ropes free end, with only one or two meters left to spare was tied on a tree on the western side. Tarzan pulled the slack out as he tied it. Conan could see the barb on the spear head caught on the far side of the tree where it was pierced.

Tarzan: We shall make our way hand over hand Conan; the grass rope is strong enough to lasso a Buto, it will not fail us.

Conan had no idea what a “buto” was, but his trust for this man of the jungle had grown since their first encounter. Taking the leather belt and scabbard off his waist he strapped his broad sword to his back.

Conan: Lead on Tarzan. I grow weary of travel and wish to slay some foes this night.

Tarzan went first and Conan followed shortly thereafter. The length of tightly woven grass roped bowed, but did not break. Cautiously they made their way over the thought to be bottomless ravine.

After performing one last evil bit of magik, Tabonka had laid on the very altar where he had slain so many and drifted off to sleep as well. No dreams came his way.

Conan and Tarzan stepped silently into the mouth of the cave. No man inside heard their stealthy foot pads as they made their way inside. A small fire still glowed brightly to the far left side of the cave. Conan spied four warriors of the Mbonga asleep there. To the right side of the cave was the sound of trickling water and the blackness of shadows. To the far end of the large cave were three dimly lit torches that made eerie shadows on the cave wall. Tarzan took all this in at once as well, but his eyes rested to the farthest reaches of the cave and the demon of a man that lay on the altar. Looking at each other and with a deft motion Tarzan pointed at Conan and then the four sleeping warriors, then without further jester he stalked like a jungle cat in the direction of Tabonka!

Conan was not one to kill sleeping men, but he thought he might disarm them of their long spears and knifes before they awoke. A terrible growl solved him of that problem and Conan saw the four warriors, still groggy from sleep sit straight up. Conan turned also to look in the direction of the growl to see Tarzan facing the shadows. Out of the shadows stepped death!

Tarzan: Korok…….?

No sooner had Tarzan noticed his brother Mangani, then he knew it was no longer him. Bulging milky white eyes glared at him as the giant ape was upon him. Several times in their lives Tarzan had wrestled his brother in sport and almost always bested him; but this was not the brother he knew and the giant ape grabbed him by the throat and hurled his body into the shadows and Tarzan came to a jarring halt as his body smashed full on into the cave wall! Conan had his hands full on the other side of the cave as the four warriors came to full alertness faster then any civilized men and bore their spears as they rushed the Cimmerian. Lopping off the tip of the first spear he sheared the Mbonga head from his shoulders on the return swing of his broad sword! One of the warriors dived beneath Conan’s next swing and grabbed at his leg in the attempt to bring the giant man to the ground. Lifting his foot his heel came down on the back of the man’s skull and crushed it into the cave floor like an over ripened melon! One Mbonga warrior thinking better of facing this berserker ran for the entrance to the cave while the other cast his spear at Conan’s chest. Swifter then a striking cobra the Cimmerian grabbed the spear from the air and spinning it around in one hand gave it back to its owner through his lower jaw. Screaming his Cimmerian war cry he hefted the already dead warrior and pushed the spear through the man’s skull and pinned him to the ceiling of the cave. Conan snatched the Mbonga’s long knife from his loin cloth and turned and cast it in one smooth motion. The dagger found its mark in the fleeing man’s back just as he cleared the entrance. Staggering to edge of the cliff Katumbo looked over and down into the mists of the ravine. Stepping off he felt the warm night air caress his body as his life slipped away. His last thought was of the young girl he would never have.


Tarzan recovered from the blow to the cave wall faster then any normal man would have dreamed. He still had his spear in hand and pulled out his dagger as the shell of his former brother approached him. Casting his spear he hoped to bury it in the aberrations chest. Shock came over him as the spear went through his chest in the hole where his heart used to be. Tarzan ducked and rolled out into the lighted area of the cave as the dead ape was too slow to grab him. Springing up he saw the man he had vowed to kill. Tabonka stood now at the altar and was yelling an incantation at a fevered pitch! Seeing that Conan had dispatched the Mbonga warriors he called out;

Tarzan: Conan, belay this dead shadow of my former brother. I am going to avenge my family of this demon spawn.

He did not wait to hear Conan’s reply but sprinted at the mage who was now surrounded in violet mists that swirled about him. He could not believe his eyes as the body of the witch-man started to fade. With a feral cry he leapt the remaining distance and collided with the shaman… Conan watched it all unfold in the blink of an eye, and his mouth went agape as both Tarzan and Tabonka disappeared!!


Conan turned his broad sword in the direction of the shell that used to house Korok’s soul. The beast looked dim witted at it turned towards him and Conan knew in this state he was not as half as formidable as he would have been before. With blood lust still welling up inside him the Cimmerian charged the beast and with one mighty swing sent the head of the great ape tumbling towards the cave entrance. Catching his breath he looked around the cave remaining on guard incase other magik created horrors loomed. Seeing none his wiped off his sword on the fallen carcass of the ape and made his way to the exit. A small glimmer caught his eye in the shadows; bending over he found the small medallion that was worn by Tarzan. Inspecting it he found it opened revealing a picture of a man and lady; puzzled how such a small painting could be done Conan closed the medallion and vowed he would find where the mage had transported them and return it to its rightful owner.


Almost a league away and mere meters from the edge of a cliff Tarzan and the witch doctor appeared. Tarzan sprung back at once and realized they were overlooking the beach were his true father’s cabin was. Tabonka wasted no time in foretelling the outcome of this battle.

Tabonka: White ape today you will die by my hands! I need no longer use ensorcelled beasts of the jungle to slay you… Why, I no longer even need my powerful magik! I will crush you with my bare hands and skewer you head on a spear to set before my throne after I kill Mbonga!

Howling with rage the shaman threw himself at Tarzan. Fast though his was Tarzan was faster and brought up his long knife to feast it in the evil mages breast… But, with speed that caught Tarzan unaware Tabonka twisted in mid-air and grabbed his wrists. Falling on top of Tarzan the witch-man pinned him to the rocky ground. Using all his new found strength the mage slammed Tarzan’s knife arm to the ground over and over until the long dagger fell from his grasp! Never before had Tarzan faced a man or beast with the strength to knock him loose from his weapon! Snarling the shaman brought his head swiftly down to smash heads with Tarzan again and again...
The faces of his brother and the other slain young Mangani flashed before him as his vision began to cloud from the blows as his own life's blood from a wound to his head trickled into his eyes. With a last inhuman burst of strength and willpower Tarzan’s mighty thews flexed and he flipped the mage over and reversed their positions. Screaming in anger the shaman’s eyes were wide with disbelief and a small glimmer appeared deep within them. Tarzan knew this glimmer... It was the glimmer of fear! Tarzan redoubled his efforts to hold the witch-man down and gain more advantage.

With a scream out of the pits of hell the Mbonga witch doctor bucked one last time and in desperation started a evil incantation with the hopes that his evil magiks would again turn the tides… He did not know that Tarzan had already seen his death in his eyes and with a bestial snarl he bent down and his teeth closed around the mage’s throat cutting off any further incantations. The scar on Tarzan’s face glowed red with rage and with a growl more ape then man Tarzan ripped open the throat of Tabonka and his dark blood jetted high into the night sky! Lifting the now lifeless form of the witch-man high over his head he screamed an ape-like scream that echoed through the jungle for many leagues!

.........................

Seven days later Tarzan and Conan had completed the oversized canoe. Conan had found Tarzan that night sitting on the edge of the cliff looking out into the mirrored eastern ocean. Returning the medallion they had both just sat there in silence until the sun had crested the horizon.

Locking hands and arms the two men said their farewells;

Tarzan: Good journey to you Conan, I would be sad if our path’s never crossed again. I head back to my village; I believe it is time that I put Kerchak’s ego to rest. You had best leave and hug the coast, I sense a storm coming.

Conan: Thank you for your help Tarzan, your knowledge of the wood of this jungle has helped me build a fine little vessel for my travels back north. I too would be poorer if we never met again. Farewell.

With no other words spoken between them Tarzan stood on the shore and watched Conan as he paddled his way out of the surf and hugged the coast going north. The small sail of giant jungle leaves catching the wind.

Tarzan made his way up the trails of the cliff face.  He touched the medallion that hung on his chest, and he thought of the changes he would try to enforce when he arrived back with the Mangani.  A thin confident smile crossed his youthful but scarred face.

Conan watched the approaching storm and tried to make as much distance before he would have to pull back into land.  Thinking he would find a way back to lands where he could head once again towards Stygia and complete the task his was paid for.  He still did not realize he was ten thousand years from home…

Later that evening, unseen by either man; a ship rode the storm waves that crashed about its hull as it headed for the eastern shore of the great jungle. A young American girl was onboard……


~The end