Witch of purple pagodas

[sath]

One of the many of my stories about Сonan


“In a limitless cold void, the Black Star Yit is flickers where the great Zhagg-Nabb is dreamed in complete silence. Eones rush while he is asleep: motionless, invisible, inaudible, indifferent to all living things. He who wants to calling Zhagg-Nabba should be likened to him, become indifferent to human passions, rise in a spirit, getting rid of everything earthly, carnal, low-end ... "


- SSSET !!!


The old grimoire with a thoroughly darkened cover, slammed against the wall and fell apart, scattering many pages on the floor. On one of them was a drawing of an ugly creature with countless tentacles and one convex eye at the end of a long sprout, reminiscent of an elephant trunk.


- So that the demons take this Zhagg-Nabb! And this is a teaching! And this whole damned city!


A young girl, not stopped cruing to pour curses, irritably pulled out several jade studs from her hair. A complex hairstyle is fall as a velvet-black waterfall, and the girl shook her head, scattering her hair along impeccable shoulders. With hatred, she looked at the cell, which had now show to her with a prison camera. Only small lamps from skulls, too small and too ugly, for humans, scattered a little the pitch darknesss. They burned by the fat of Jen-Yu, fish-men from the South Sea. The flame illuminated the idols of the beast -like gods, bared teeth from niches in the walls. A small table was littered with books and scrolls of snake leather covered with hieroglyphs drawn by the blood of virgins. Between the books on a gold stand stood a crystal ball in which a slightly noticeable haze swirled. Altar made of black stone was near the wall, and on altar lay a knife with a handle from a dragon bone. The sharp blade covered dried blood spots. A few candles from human fat burned nearby, and a huge mirror hung on the wall above the altar.


The girl untied the belt of black robe with red tigers and dragons and, leaving the robe over the floor, went to the mirror. A young woman looked at her with delicate, marble-white skin. The features of her face were distinguished by rare beauty, dark eyes were burned with rage and passion. Thin fingers voluptuously stroked the rounded hips, a flat stomach and elastic breasts, between which was a birthmark in the form of red, like blood, a crescent.


- All this should not rot in the damned tower! - she whispered.


The knock of the door from behind forced her to turn around. On the threshold, a yellow -skinned young man in a black robe stood, holding a tray with a rice cake and a jug of water. Narrow eyes widened at the sight of a naked girl.


- Excuse me, mistress, - he muttered, - I did not know ...


- Do you like what you see, Hao? - the girl said insinuatingly, coming closer, - you have long wanted to see that under this stupid robe&


- Yes ... but no ..., - the young man shook his head, - that is, forgive me lady. I will go.


- Well, what are you, - the girl licked the punts-scarlet lips, - then the most interesting.


A thin hand with extraordinary force wrapped around the neophyte’s neck and the girl's lips dug into his mouth with a passionate kiss. On the face of the neophyte were distrust, pleasure and, finally, fear and pain. He mooing, trying to push off the girl, but she clung to him like a leech, trembling with her whole body. Suddenly, she pulled away and a stream of blood spilled out of the neophyte's mouth. The girl with contempt spit on the floor a bloodied tongue.


- Go away! - she ordered, and the young man, clasping his bloodied mouth with his hands, ran out of the door. The girl raised his tongue from the floor and laid it on the altar. Taking several pages that fell out of the grimoir, she went to the mirror.


- So the teaching will go more fun, - she said, dipping her finger in the blood and drawing in the air a patterns indicated on the page. The flame in the lamps flashed when the words of the spell fell from the bloodied lips. A lump of flesh was stretching and wriggling like a worm, obeying the witch's fingers.

[sath]

The full moon illuminated the rustling bamboo thicket and a hill towering above it with a bare peak. On it, frozen like a statue, stood a tall broad -shouldered man, in a leather sleeveless jacket and leather pants tucked in high boots. The dense black hair was held by a bronze hoop, a long straight sword in shabby scabbard was hanging from his belt. Bright blue eyes contemplated the view opening from the hill, not missing a single detail. In the west, north and south, the same endless forest extended, but in the east the thicket was broke off the tape of a wide river. Behind her were the cultivated fields interspersed with villages. And even further the towers and roofs of the majestic city, overflowing with many lights, rose. The warrior grunted rather and, turning around, again ducked into the thickets.

The path leading from the hill was looped like a snake, but a warrior, even in the moonlight, easily found the way. The forest was overwhelmed by night sounds: in the thicket there were rustles from crawling snakes, a night bird screamed loudly, and a roar tiger was heard from afar.

Soon man heard the murmur of a small river flowing from under the hill. The warrior leaned over to scoop up the water with his palm, when a quiet rustle forced him to turn sharply, taking his sword out of the scabbard. Almost immediately, he grunted embarrassedly: from the thickets, not the beast or the robbers, according to rumors, rioted in these places. A slender young girl, dressed as a peasant woman, with her hair, stacked in an uncomplicated hairstyle of the common people.

- I am alone, - a trembling voice came, - do not touch me, a stranger.

- And he was not going to, - the warrior lied, - what are you doing in the forest at night?

- The girls and I followed the berries, - she said, - and I got lost. Only at night I went to the hill and wanted to get up and see how far I was home. Did you go upstairs for this?

- Yes, - the man confirmed, - for several days we widened through the damned bamboo! When I saw this hill in the evening, I decided to get up to see how far Paikang.

- Are you going to the capital?

- Yes, - the man nodded, - I am Conan, a mercenary in the army of Ildis, the King of Turan.He sent the embassy to Khitai, and I am the commander of the embassy guard.

- I have been in the capital, - the girl said delightedly, - if you allow me to spend the night in your camp, in the morning I spend you to the city.

- Good, - Conan nodded, - let's come with me.

- Give me leaning about you, - the girl pulled her eyes with naive coquetry, - I will feel calmer next to such a strong man.

- As you say, - Conan grinned.

The girl stepped forward and at that moment, the trunks of bamboo swaying from the wind parted, opening the night sky. Out of the corner of his eye, the warrior noted how the shadow swayed in the moonlight - the shadow did not resemble human at all. The sword with a whistle cut the air and Conan brought the blade on the girl who was throwing towards him. There was a vile sound, reminiscent of the whimper of the baby and Conan, became colder with horror, seeing the vile creature hiding behind the girl's appearance. The monster resembled a black lizard, at least twenty feet in length, but instead of scales, she had a warty mucous skin, like a frog. In a huge mouth, small but sharp teeth were visible. The first hit of Conan cut a flat head, but the creature was surprisingly tenacious, trying to attack with hissing. In frenzy, Conan chopped and pricked, not paying attention to drops of caustic mucus, burning the skin, until only a pile of slightly stirring flesh remained from the creatures. And in death, the gigantic salamander did not accept the human form - Conan already knew that the local werewolves are not people who turn into animals, but animals who could turn into people.

Frowning his shoulders, he wiped his sword and trotted down the path, desperately hoping that on the way he would not encounter another such creature. Soon, he was relieved to see the light from the bonfires in the night jungle, he heard their voices in Turanian. A moment later, he had already entered a vast meadow, where among the high tents there were many horses guarded by a dozen warriors in pointed helmets.

- Conan, - the black man stepped forward, - what happened? You are all in the blood!

- The empty, Juma, - the Cimmerian waved his hand, - this blood is not mine. The leopard tried to attack.

- You climbed the hill? - The Cushit asked him.

- Yes, - the Cimmerian nodded, taking a wineskin with wine and taking a greedy sip, - Paikang is very close. I swear by Krom, if we go out at dawn, we will spend the evening under the roof!

[sath]

- Go away! In the name of Yanwan, perish, disappear, damned spawn!

Acolite half -dead of fear pressed into the cell of the cell, watching a huge shapeless carcass squeezing in the doorway. The monster that knocked out the doors resembled a gigantic slug or worm with a obscene pulsating funnel of the mouth. Long tentacles, eagerly reaching for the neophyte, wriggled around her.

- No! - The young man choked with a cry when flexible processes gently, almost lovingly closed around him, pulling to the open mouth. Bones crunched from terrible pressure, blood sprinkled and creature, like python, swallowed the unfortunate. Having finished the meal, the monster crawled out of the cell into the corridor. Every now and then it stopped at the closed doors, looking for neophytes and feeling the door with processes, as if trying on its strength.

The monster almost crawled to the end of the corridor, when a tall man appeared in a black robe with a hood. The worm soared, like a cobra, ready to the throw, but the man was faster: a hand was shot up, holding a blackboard from a black tree, a spell was heard from under the hood and the staff hit the hole between the wriggling tentacles. There was a quiet cotton and instead of a huge worm on the floor, a torn human language was now lying on the floor.

The sorcerer threw off the hood, opening the thin face, covered with yellowish skin. An irritation flickered in narrow eyes, thin lips grimaced squeamishly.

- Diyu would have taken this huzzy girl, - he muttered, - only troubles from these barbarians.

The Golden Tower, the monastery of the sorcerer Zhang Shi, was considered the highest in the Paikang. From other pagodas, it was distinguished by a gigantic gold dome, according to which she got her name. The dome was supported by jade columns, between which there was an open hall. In the center he was blazing the eternal flame lit from gas supplied through special pipes. Over a bright blue flame stood an idol made of black gold, depicting a demon in two human heights, with a horned head and a fanged mouth. One clawed paw of the monster held a large knife, the second - a whip. Feet with goat hooves trampled human skulls. For the holidays in front of the idol, the crying slaves were sacrificed to Yanwan the god of death. The screams of the unfortunate people spread throughout the city and residents were afraid to even look at the Golden Tower at these nights, when the eternal flame burned especially strongly.

However, the next holiday of Yanwan was not expected soon and the terrible place was empty. The black -haired girl standing near one of the columns did not even look at the monstrous idol: she snuggle up to the bizarre building of gold tubes and convex lenses. Thanks to this, a huge city appeared before it as in the palm of his hand: multi -tiered purple pagodas with bizarre roofs, the marble palaces of the noblors, drowned in the greenery of gardens and surrounded by a transparent haze from beating fountains. Behind all this splendor, merchant and craft quarters, noisy bazaars and dirty slums were almost not noticeable, where the mains of brothels and opium -smoked were found.
But not this, long -familiar appearance, attracted the attention of the girl. She peered eagerly at the procession moving along one of the main streets. The cunning design allowed her to see foreign banners that cut over the procession, a closed wagon, a four magnificent horses and the dark -skinned horsemen with orline predatory faces. Next to the low-growing Khitans, the hump-nose strangers looked like real giants. But even they were lost against the background of two warriors traveling at the head of the procession. One of them was a broad -shouldered black giant, in chain mail and a pointed helmet. The black face was illuminated by a white -toothed smile, at the sight of the sincere surprise of the townspeople, who never saw people with such a skin color. The second warrior aroused no less interest: his skin, albeit tanned, was no doubt white, his hair was black, and his eyes - with blue and height he even exceeded his black companion, and the armor could not hide the broad shoulders and mighty muscles. Looking at him, the girl felt a voluptuous languor cover her body, accumulating treacherous moisture between her hips. Her tongue licked her lips and she involuntarily lowered her hand, pushing the folds of the dressing gown.

Someone's hand grabbed her shoulder, turning to her and a sonorous slap burned her cheek.

- I'm unhappy, Yao Jing, - said Zhang Shi, - didn’t I tell you to be in your room?

- I'm sitting there all the time, - the girl snapped, rubbing the burning cheek, - you hardly let me out of the golden tower. I'm not going to spend my youth in ...

She fell silent when tenacious fingers squeezed her chin, attracting to her. Girls glowing with anger met with motionless sorcerer’s eyes, like a snake.

- You will spend as much time here as it takes, - said Zhang Shi, - if necessary - to gray hair until you fulfill the purpose of gods. You will learn from books and scrolls that I gave you until you find, finally, a power worthy of your vocation.

- I know enough, - Yao Jing said with a challenge, - your neophyte was convinced of this.

- The creation of demons from the parts of human bodies is so low magic that the genuine master is ashamed even from mentioning it, - the sorcerer said with contempt, - and certainly it is not worth the lives of my acolites. Although it is better than when you just seduced them. Why, by the way, did you not do this now?

- They got tired of me, - the witch said capriciously, - everything masculine has long faded in your acolites for a long time.” I want a real man, not these puny unless. Such as strangers that entered the city today. Teacher, I know that you will be at the reception of the emperor today. Take me with you and I swear that I will always ...

She fell silent when a new slap burned her cheek.

- Even under the threat of rebirth in the body of the garbage rat, - the sorcerer said impassively, - or getting to the demons of all eighteen, the underworld, I would not give lust to overshadow your mind.” You should be above this, above all the desires of human ...

- But I do not want! - Jao Jing cried out and immediately frightened her insolence. The sorcerer's eyes darkened: it seemed to be embodied in the darkness of those lifeless expanses that she had read about in today's treatise.

- When I found a crying baby in the desert, - he said, - and picked up, saving from imminent death, I received all the rights to you. The sign on your chest is a symbol of your purpose - to become an empress through which I will rule the peoples. I can make you the queen of earthly hell, into which the world will turn, but I can at any moment cut off the thread of your life. Therefore, you will continue to read the "Treatise of the forces of the Overskies" and you will not leave your room until I allow. Do not try to disobey: I will impose a terrible spell on your door, which will kill you in place, try to go out without demand.

He turned and headed for the stairs going inside the tower. Following him a young sorceress walked, staring at a sad look at the full temptation of the city.

[sath]

This day Konan seemed the longest in his life. They got to Paikang in the evening, as he planned, but the embassy was not allowed into the city, citing some superstition. Only in the morning several dignitaries appeared in order to spend the Imram Khan, the ambassador of King Ildis to the forbidden city, the residence of the Khitanian emperor.
The city itself was stunned by Konan - he saw Agrapur and other Turan cities, spent several years in Shadizar and Arenjun, but Paikang surpassed them all. It was the innumerable human anthill, swarming between narrow streets, on the bazaars, near the walls of temples and palaces. The polyphonic noise of a huge city, was interrupted by the ringing of silver bells coming from the pagodas, interspersed with monotonous muttering of priests.

According to the next custom, they could not go directly to the palace, choosing the road almost around all of Paikang. Returning to the gates to which they entered, the procession, under the noise of drums, pipes and other musical instruments, finally moved to the forbidden city. The palace, composed of marble and porcelain, guarded the statues of lions, dragons and huge turtles with a lion's mane and the mouths of dragons. The walls were covered with a bizarre painting, interspersed with hieroglyphs, from which it was rippled in the eyes. Having gone through the main gate, for which they had to kneel before the next dignitaries, the guests from the west was in the courtyard, where the regiments of the imperial guards stood in plate armor and spicy helmets, armed with halberds and short swords. Above them were reached banners with the image of different animals and birds. And behind them the internal palace rose, in which a small Haiborian city could fit. At the four corners of the curved roof stood statues of horn and fanged gods, the patrons of four side of the world. Their presence on the roof of the Imperial Palace meant his claims to power over the whole world.

Entering inside, the embassy wandered for a long time along the corridors and climbed the stairs. Every now and then, they stayed in the halls trimmed with jasper and jade in order to go through the cleansing ceremony before the next gold idol. Finally, the embassy went out to the huge bronze door, on which there was a dragon laid out of gold and silver, with precious stones instead of eyes. A silver hieroglyph was visible above him in a black circle, indicating the public name of the emperor, unlike the secret name of which no one knew no one except the priests. Imram Khan, kneeling, made nine earthly bow in front of the door, and in the hall where the audience took place, this tall and heavy man, crawled on all fours. Fortunately, the guards were eliminated from such humiliation that the mission from failure saved - the patience of Konan was already at the end. Together with Juma and other warriors, he stood outside, while the presentation of the gifts was presented in the hall, statements about intentions and other ceremonial idle talk were made.

Finally, Imram Khan left the hall. The official part of the reception ended: the ambassador and several guards from the Turan nobility were invited to a solemn dinner with the senior dignitaries and priests of Khitai. The guards were placed in one of the Paikang’s palaces, but they were not going to sit there: the ambassador gave the mercenaries a salary for all months of travel and they already looked at the pir in the best tavern of the city promised by them.

[sath]

Yao Jing rushed around the room, possessed at the same time fear, anger and lust. She knew well what her mentor was capable ef he was angry and that he never throws words into the wind. But even a thrill in front of black power Zhang Shi could not tame her passionate nature. Each cell of her young thirsty flesh was opposed to reclusion. Her blood boiled in the memory of strangers, so dissimilar to the men that she had seen so far. In order to distract from sad thoughts, she took the first book that came across - reading about the “Forces of the Overskies” was already higher than her own forces. The book turned out to be "a description of the barbaric peoples and countries on all the parties from the Celestial Empire." The girl at random opened her and plunged into reading:

“The kingdom of Yamatai is gained on the sunrise from Khitai in the Khitanian Sea on the islands left from the deceased Lemuria. The Witch-Queen from the Shimiko dynasty rules them. Her will is a law for the inhabitants of Yamatai, who revere it as a goddess, domineering over them in life and death. By her whim, she converges with every man and every woman who will appeal to her and no one dares to refuse her, because he knows that three demons come from the witch Shimiko: a spider with a female head, a skeleton of winged fish And a bald boy with one eye. To the same one who is especially angry with the witch, she is go herself in the guise of a white fox ... "

- Coniting with whom he wants,- muttered the witch, - does not kill the flesh, does not root day and night over the old books. Great Set, why can't I?!

She fell silent, illuminated by a sudden idea. Getting up from the table, she gathered from the floor the still lying pages of the "Treatise of the Overskies", went to the altar and looked into the mirror.

- Spell on the door, right? - She winked at the reflection, - Well, we will go the other way.

She threw off her clothes and, standing in front of the mirror, lit candles. Taking a knife from the altar, she resolutely slashed herself on the arm. Drops of blood dripped onto a black stone, while Yao Jing, holding the page that has fallen in front of she, read the spells. Pulling her finger into the blood, she drew bizarre patterns on the mirror. And the mirror began to change - it no longer reflected the room, candles and the sorceress itself. Instead, a cosmic abyss, strewn with myriads of stars, opened in it. As if a gigantic flickering whirlpool circled in front of the girl’s eyes, hypnotizing and tightening her. The sorceress felt that her body seemed to be easier, looked at her hands and saw how altar and candles were shining through them. The inexorable power pulled her forward and she, losing the remnants of bodily, introduced white-skinned stranger from the west, his muscular arms, wide shoulders, harsh, scarred face. Almost ethereal lips pronounced the last word of the spell and the universal whirlpool pulled a ghost into which Yao Jing turned. She was surrounded by impenetrable darkness, cold, incredibly alien ... but not empty. Something moved nearby: something shapeless, spreading in the darkness with an even more black blot. The extraterrestrial undead held out the tenacious tentacles to her, and what seemed like a scattering of stars turned into an innumerable many hungry eyes. Fear declared a sorceress: in panic horror she darted towards a light spot flickering somewhere ahead. The tentacles almost touched her when the darkness around suddenly disappeared and the bright light hit her eyes, so that she closed her eyes for a moment.

- Well, why you sit? - There was a thick bass above her.

Yao Jing opened her eyes-she sat naked on the plank floor, in the middle of some corridor, along which there were many doors. Drunk exclamations and squealous female laughter were carried from somewhere. In front of her, sticking out a huge belly, stood a fat man in pants made of leather. A gold chain stretched through the oily chest, a seven -faced lap hung from the belt. Narrow, swimming fat, eyes looked at her with a mixture of contempt and indifference.

- Novice? - He asked, - no matter. The guests have already gathered and demand girls. Dress some rags and start working.

He rudely lifted her to her feet and, did not have time to be offended by Yao Jing, as he sent her to the nearest door with a slap in the ass. He no longer saw how confused on the girl's face was replaced by a satisfied grin.

[sath]

- Hey-hey, don’t drink all Conan, - Juma said with a laugh, - leave me a little.


- Hold it, - Conan took a large sip and, putting a jug with wine Negro, attacked a fried pork. In the morning, вarbarian did not have crumbs in his mouth, so now he swept away fried duck and carp in a sweet and sour sauce and stew from the turtle in wine. However, he did not dare to try some dishes, as, however, Turanians. But Juma did not disdain either the dog or scorching scorpions on his teeth, nor the cat and snake meat cooked with rice.

- We eat some like this in Kush, - Juma explained, dealing with a dish from the newborn rats.
All this was washed down with local wines - light yellow and stronger white, which would have long been dumped from less experienced people. Imram Khan was a good boss in his own way: being at the reception under the protection of the imperial guards, he not only released his own guards, but also took care to be given an escorted from the courtiers, who took them to the best Tavern of Paycanga. Conan, Juma and others, sat on the summer veranda, lit by colored lanterns and decorated with floral garlands. Musicians with flutes and reed pipes sat around the edges, playing something melodic and unobtrusive. The fountains grunted everywhere, and in the middle of the veranda there was a large transparent pond in which mirror carps and turtles floated.

- Hey, tracterer! - the drunken voice of one of the Turanians was heard, - they promised us whores ...

- In fact, - Conan supported him, - we were told that there are girls for every taste.”
The owner - a puny Khitan with a long gray mustache - quickly nodded and disappeared inside the building. The musicians changed their melody and lovely creatures, dressed in transparent fluttering robes made of silk and bird feathers, suddenly spun between the tables. As if exotic birds, they fluttered between the guards. The floors of their clothes were reached, exposing either an elastic thigh, then a small sharp chest, then a slender leg, decorated with a gold bracelet. Most of all were Khitai women - similar to porcelain dolls with slanting eyes and yellowish skin. However, the cheekbones dark -skinned Vendians and the stocky low-growing Hyrkanians with magnificent shapes came across here. There were miniature slender girls, with curly hair and skin, almost as dark as Juma’s and high gray -eyed women with white skin and blond hair, in which Conan recognized the natives of northern shores of the Vilayet Sea. There was no one of the western edges - apparently the slaves were not taken from there so far.
However, the choice could already satisfy the most demanding taste and Conan, already saturated with wine and meat, chose with whom to spend the rest of the night. The beauties were little by little on the knees of the Turanians, but about a dozen of the most beautiful girls were still spinning at the Juma and Konan table, taking seductive poses and throwing flirty looks. Conan was about to put black -eyed Vendians on his knees, when another flexible figure suddenly appeared at the entrance, wrapped up with head to feet.
For a moment, everyone fell silent, taken by surprise by a sudden appearance. Taking advantage of the general confusion, the new dancer fluttered into the nearest table and graceful feet instantly scattered all the eat. Resent cries were heard, but the girl, not paying attention to them, stirred her fingers, showing the musicians that were understandable only to them. Almost immediately, a new melody began to play - the faster and more sharp and the girl, raising her head, froze in place. Only her waist came in motion, bending excitingly.

There was an approving rumble from all sides, when the girl pulled the top of the dress and a black veil, like a huge bat, flew into the air. The eyes opened a narrow strip of flesh stretching from armpits to waist: just a little bit to tease male imagination. Here the white hands fluttered to the shoulders and the second veil fell to the ground, which exposed an elegant shoulder and a flat stomach, sensually bending into the rhythm of music. The navel was decorated with a shiny black pearl. The girl’s face covered the bandage from black velvet, but through the slot, eyes sparkled with a tiger brilliance, looking inseparably at the Cimmerian. Conan himself has already forgotten about the rest of the girls, captured by the witching dance, becoming more fast and frank. Another cape flew, opening slender legs and the girl, as if taking his wings on the feet, was on the table of Konan and Juma. Conan looked back at Kushit and was amazed at how his face changed: his full lips stretched out in a voluptuous grin, his eyes burned truly animal lust. Conan flickered an alarming thought that he also looked so, but these fears melted in a surging wave of lust. The dancer's eyes burned with genuine passion, the tongue flickered between the pearl-white tooth, like a snake sting, constantly licking the purple lips. Like black birds flew the veils, exposing a perfect female body, entwined with precious jewelry. The tight hemispheres shuddered excitingly from the diamond necklaces that were beating over them, rounded hips covered a belt strewn with rubies and emeralds. In the light of multi -colored flashlights, precious stones sparkled, like a scattering of stars on a body wet from sweat, gold earrings with a “tiger eye” gleamed with a proudly raised head during the slightest movement of a proudly thrown out. Seductive elastic flesh, wicked by aromatic resins and fragrant oils, which tart smells spread the crazy.
There was only one left, it is not clear how was holding, the veil covered the hollow between the breasts, part of the back and the back. The dancer turned her back and the black fabric fell onto the table, opening excitingly trembling buttocks. Conan got up to put the girl on his knees and immediately, overturning the table, jumped Juma. Dark eyes were filled with blood, a hand fell on the hilt of a sword. Conan turned to him, flaring up with anger, when a heart -rending scream suddenly heard.

- My best dancer is dead! Killed! Who will pay for her, devils from the West?

The Khitan made his way to the table of Konan and Juma and now shook with anger, spraying saliva to the dancer standing in front of him.

- She is dead! - he shouted once again, - And you! Who are you so ...

[sath]

The angry scream was interrupted in the midst and the face of the owner of the tavern was distorted, as if from terrible pain. He screamed desperately and his body suddenly soared into the air, arched with an arc. There was a crack of bones, there was a demonic laughter, mixed with the squeal of the Khitanian. And then his body was broken in half. The fountain of blood hit, but not a drop of it fell to the ground: the stream stopped in the air, and the hellish laughter was replaced by champing sounds. The owner’s body wrinkled, was dry and fell to the floor without signs of life, while something red, flowing, jelly -like, swelled in the air. It grew, taking the form of a gigantic ball surrounded by countless tentacles, suction cups, joints and toothy mouths. Throughout the ugly body, like a terrible constellation, eyes flickered, similar to precious stones - green, red, blue. All these eyes looked blind, with the exception of one - a huge facet eye at the end of the longest and most thick process, reminiscent of the elephant trunk.
The wriggling tentacles stretched to the girl frozen with horror when a mighty hand threw her to the side and a Cimmerian, a mesmerizing with anger, stood in front of the creature. Good steel cut off a dozen tentacles at once. The terrible howl broke out at once from many mouths and the monster rushed menacingly on Konan. But the Cimmerian was not on the teeth of even an extraterrestrial creature: he pricked and chopped, as an obsessed, not letting to the him hellish spawn/ The Turanians were less fortunate - several guards who tried to attack the monster were immediately captured and torn to pieces. Conan, who rushed to the rescue, himself lost his vigilance for a moment and a huge tentacle entwined his leg, dragging him to clattering his mouth. At that moment, a warlike Kushite cry was heard and a crooked saber in a black hand cut a terrible process. The creature hissed in pain and several tentacles at once, hit in blind rage, discarding Jumu. The giant-kushit hit his head and powerlessly slipped along the wall of the tavern. A lot of tentacles rushed to him immediately - and again met with steel in the hands of the Cimmerian. With a vengeance, he fell on the monster and soon the rest of the guards came to the rescue of Konan.

Nevertheless, many Turanians, who did not have the strength and dexterity of the Cimmerian, were captured and died a terrible death. Other tentacles rummaged along the veranda, turning tables and benches, in the search for hiding servants and dancers who did not have time to run out. Here is the Wendian, which Conan noticed before the mysterious dancer appeared, jumped out from under the table and tried to jump out into the street. She almost succeeded - the monster caught her in a jump from the fan of the parapet. Konana, in an incorrect furious impulse, darted forward, cutting a thick tentacle. Tentacle, like a decapitated snake, it released the girl, but Conan himself, being too close, hit the deadly rings. The hand with the sword was so tightly pressed to the body that the Cimmerian, as he did not try, could not release her. Hell pain pierced his body, like a hundred hot nails, when suction cups and grazes of creatures dug into his flesh.

Something reminiscent of a rising cobra was shot over his head and a huge eye approached the Cimmerian. In this terrifying Eye, Conan saw a mighty alien mind, which contained the eras and darkness of endless spaces in which the creatures like this live. It seemed to Konan that he was standing on the edge of a bottomless abyss, that he was sliding and falling into the abyss of darkness and pain. But he covered his horror: monstrous tension of strength barbarian freed his left hand and hit his fist in a pulsating eye.


A terrifying cry of pain hit his ears, which nearly torn the membranes. The vise unclenched, Conan rolled on the ground and jumped up, holding a sword and ready for battle. However, the creatures were no longer up to him: she fought in agony, blindly waving the tentacles. A smelly Ichor whipped from a monster's eyes. The blind eyes, which dotted the body of the monster flared up more and more, until they swept it with a continuous multi -colored radiance, overflowing sickening unearthly shades. And then something flashed brightly and the monster disappeared, leaving only puddles of smelly liquid on the site of chopped tentacles.

Conan examined himself: from head to toe in blood and stinking mucus, on his skin terrible wounds from his teeth and suction cups, but there seems to be not serious injuries - of course, if this abomination does not turn out to be poisonous. He gloomily looked around the battlefield: the surviving guards looked at him with fearful respect. Juma stood on his feet, hit which struck him on the walls, would have broken all the bones to a less strong person. The dancers peered out of the windows scaredly, among whom the Cimmerian noted the Vendian saved by him.

The beautie with which all of this began was nowhere to be seen.

[sath]

- By Set, teacher, I did everything as you taught! I uttered all the words, did not make a mistake in a single sign - otherwise how could I have passed the Path of the Void? How could I know that this creature will follow me?!

Zhang Shi was silent - and it looked more terrible than his open anger. Cold eyes impassively looked at the justifying Yao Jing, and it was impossible to understand from the impenetrable yellow face what the magician was thinking about.

- You called on forces that were always beyond your comprehension, -he said when the witch finished her confused explanations, - powers subject to powerful magicians, and not lust-ridden flirty randy. You are lucky that it turned out to be one of the weakest inhabitants of the Outer Abyss - some of them could destroy the entire Paikang. I'll have to explain to the emperor: the tavern keeper was his nephew's father-in-law, and the Jade Lord will want to know where the demon that killed him came from. But this is nonsense: much worse is that I was wrong about you, Yao Ching. There is too much earth in you for you to master truly great powers.

- What are you going to do with me, Master?" the witch asked with unusual timidity.

Zhang Shi got up and went to the window, looking thoughtfully at the city stretching below him.

- Yao Ching, - he said suddenly, - what do you remember about the first days of your life?

- The same as always, - the sorceress shrugged her shoulders, - hot sand, burning like a hellish flame, the damned sun, which burned down as if it wanted to turn me into ashes. Others get hell after death, but I got it right after birth. I would like to know who condemned me to all this ...

- I have always said that I do not know how you ended up in the desert, where I found you, when I returning with a caravan from Stygia, - said the magician, - but this is not true. Your real name is Salome, you are the crown princess of Hauran, a kingdom in the West. There, to this day, they talk about the curse of the Askhaurid dynasty, the first queen of which met with the demon of Darkness. “Once in a century let a witch be born” is the curse that the symbol on your chest reminds you of. I thought that you were worthy of a higher calling, but I was mistaken - you are only earthly undead, not suitable for my plans. And now I'm letting you go, Salome. Hauran is now ruled by your twin sister: you can go to her or somewhere else - I will not hinder you. But remember that there is no more room for you in the Golden Tower.

Salome listened to him half-heartedly, dumbfounded by the news that had fallen on her. It turns out that she has a sister who has enjoyed all the benefits from birth, which gives wealth and high position, while she pored over old books. And, not yet seeing her sister, the witch hated the queen of Hauran with all her heart, swearing a terrible oath to return her privilegie.

Conan and Salome left Paikang in different ways and at different times: if the witch did this immediately after talking with the sorcerer, then Conan spent a few more days in the capital, under the supervision of the best healers of the Forbidden City. After that, he, together with the embassy, left through the western gate, in order, after passing the jungle, to get into the Great Steppe, stretching all the way to the Vilayet. Salome, on the other hand, proceeded through the southern gate, wishing to visit Vendia, about the wonders and horrors of which she read a lot, before a long journey. Both have already forgotten about the existence of each other, full of their own plans, not suspecting that the threads of the fate of the warrior and the witch will converge years later in a small kingdom in the West.

[themirrorthief]

goodwork but wasnt salome the name of a agod awful story by that french guy

[sath]

One short story


The price of eternity


- All living things are afraid of time! But time also trembles before the eternity of these walls!

This was said by a young woman with marble-white skin and black eyes lined with antimony. His blue-black hair was wrapped in a silver hoop in the shape of a snake biting its own tail. The only clothing she wore was a bejeweled silk headband, but otherwise nothing about her flawless body was left to the imagination. In the girl’s hand she held a large goblet in the shape of a golden skull with two emeralds in the eye sockets.

“No matter what happens north of Styx,” she continued, “no matter how many kingdoms collapse under the onslaught of an all-consuming monster, no matter how many kings are crushed in his merciless mouth, the black pyramids of Kemi and the tombs full of secrets under them will remain eternal. Let us drink to the feasts that the rulers of Stygia will always hold in these dungeons!

A roar of approval was heard as the participants in the celebration rose from behind the large ebony tables. The young men wore gold and silk, their laughing girlfriends, imitating the hostess of the table, wore only precious jewelry that did not hide the charm of their elastic bodies, anointed with exquisite incense. All these youth were holding gold and silver cups filled with wine as red as blood. Partly it really was the blood - in the center of the hall, surrounded by tables, stood an altar made of black marble, on which a fair-haired slave from the distant North was writhing, chained hand and foot. The powerful body was covered with deep cuts, from which blood oozed, flowing down grooves carved into the stone. The young people brought full cups and, mixing wine with blood, savored the resulting drink.

Only one of the guests did not join the general rejoicing - a tall man in a black robe. He was thin - so much so that his face resembled a skull, covered with dark, parchment-like skin, and he himself looked like one of the mummies, similar to those that lay in the adjacent rooms inside the marble sarcophagi.

No matter how drunk the feasters were, the girl could not escape the fact that the man did not join her toast.

-Do you think I’m wrong, honorable Balhoset? - Her voice was gentle, like the murmur of a stream filled with poison.

“You’re right, Princess Akivasha,” the man bowed his shaved head, “time has no power over Stygia, guarded by Father Set, whose symbol is a snake biting its own tail, a sign of eternal return.” But even though Stygia is eternal, can the same be said about its rulers? Before the Stygians, the Titan Kings reigned here, whose blood flows in your veins, before them, the snake people who conveyed to us faith in their great ancestor, and even earlier, the Black Messenger ruled, about whom even the most ancient legends retained only vague hints . They all left - we know the names of only a few rulers, and we know even less about their affairs. Who knows - did they spend their time in feasts like this, or indulged in prayers to the Great Serpent, or did other, now forgotten, deeds? Time devoured them, not even leaving a memory - can anyone living claim that a different fate awaits them?

He fell silent when he saw Akivashi's face turn into a mask of alienation. The feast continued, but nothing in it pleased the princess: not the exquisite wines diluted with the juice of the purple lotus and the blood of black slaves; nor the bodies of baked babies served on golden platters, stuffed with tree frogs from the southern jungle; nor the dancing of naked courtesans holding large snakes with golden scales and green eyes. Feeling the mood of the hostess, her guests tried to leave the hall unnoticed. Lost in gloomy thoughts, the princess did not seem to notice their departure, but when the priest tried to say goodbye, she suddenly pulled him back.

-Stay it!


By that time, almost all the guests had left - except for the princess and the priest, only a few slaves remained.

“I know that you are right, Balhoset,” said Akivasha, “I thought a lot about what you said just now.” Time devours everyone - and the same fate awaits me. But I don’t want to, do you hear, I don’t want to! I am young and beautiful, I enjoy every moment of my life and I want this to continue forever! I don’t want to fade, I don’t want to see my face become wrinkled and my body dry out like a tree with rotten roots. You are the most powerful sorcerer of the Black Ring, you know many secrets - tell me, is it possible to avoid this? I'm ready to pay any price!

She looked up at Balhoset, full of hope, and saw approval in his snake-like cold eyes.

“There is a way,” the priest nodded, “some of the gods are ready to bestow favors on mortals especially marked by them.” You are extraordinarily beautiful - just like those women whom the gods chose for their bed. Are you ready to take Darkness as your lover - in order to receive in return eternal life, devoid of old age and decay?

“I said I was ready!” the princess said impatiently, “what should I do?”

“Nothing that is not familiar to you,” the priest smiled.


Later, in an empty hall, naked Akivasha lay on the altar, inside a witchcraft circle drawn in the blood of slaves. The black marble was covered with hieroglyphs, known only to a few priests, and the flames of black candles cast bizarre shadows on the walls. Balhoset stood at the princess’s head, monotonously reciting an ancient, terrible spell.

-Come, O Eternal Chaos, creeping among the pyramids! Through the gates of the Abyss, let my voice rush towards the ringed darkness! You, O Night Bringer, let your hungry lust respond to the call of the daughter from the Titan family and grant her the greatest mercy that the immortal Darkness can give to mortals!

He spoke, and behind him a Shadow grew - blacker than the darkness that reigned here, at once formless and embodying many forms, changing with kaleidoscopic speed. This shadow rose to the ceiling - and suddenly separated from the wall in a cloud of swirling darkness. In the pitch darkness, eyes flashed with yellow lights, burning with inhuman malice and universal lust.

Belhoset hastily retreated when the darkness behind him suddenly reared up like a hump, immediately opening up with an opening like a gigantic vulva. A tall man with the face of a Titan King and skin black as night emerged from it. He suddenly opened his robe and a huge snake covered with sparkling black scales burst out. A mouth with needle-thin teeth opened and a long forked tongue dived between the involuntarily spread female legs. An unbearably sharp pain pierced the princess’s vagina, spreading throughout her entire body, but it was immediately replaced by an equally acute pleasure, many times greater than anything Akivasha had ever experienced. The next moment, a face of inhuman, divine beauty appeared above the princess, writhing in paroxysms of pleasure. Huge eyes flashed with a yellow flame, impeccably contoured lips parted, revealing sharp fangs that greedily pierced the snow-white neck.


The huge hall was full of people - the priests and high nobility of Stygia with mournful faces looked at the large sarcophagus standing on the black altar. The lid was decorated with an ivory bas-relief, on which was a woman’s face of extraordinary beauty. In front of the sarcophagus stood a tall man in a black and gold robe studded with precious stones. His head was decorated with a golden diadem in the form of a cobra raising its head. The stern face, full of grandeur and sorrow, was striking in its resemblance to the face of the girl in the bas-relief.

“There is no reason to be sad, Lord Tutkhamon,” said Balhoset, who stood at the sarcophagus, “your daughter has gained honor, which no mortal has ever received. The gods made her the mistress of the higher spheres, in which she, like a star, will shine as a symbol of eternal youth and beauty!”

He raised his hands, shouting a short spell - and at the same moment the lid of the sarcophagus flew off, torn off by an unknown force. A single gasp of amazement echoed throughout the hall when those gathered saw a completely empty coffin in front of them.

[sath]