The Stranded Barbarian
AN: And here's the second installment of The Stranded Barbarian. Thankfully I was able to get this one out quickly. In this chapter, Conan will get more familiar with the land he is in and what he could expect for the future
1 Things that creep in the night
Conan was sitting cross-legged on the grassy ground in front of a fire he started and secured with rocks so it doesn't cause wildfire on accident. He was currently chewing on a piece of cooked meat. It was already dark and he recently finished hunting a few rabbits. So far, nothing was different about the wildlife here from what he was used to so it made hunting easier.
He left the beach a long time ago and got into the forest in which he was walking for hours on end. Wherever he was he was certainly far from civilization. He didn't come across any clear path that could lead him out of the forest so he settled for hunting for food.
After cutting off some branches and sharping the ends into makeshift spears he set out for his hunt. After a while, he found some rabbits and quickly speared them. He only wished he could have found some more before dark fell. He soon started the fire and cooked the rabbits.
And here he was, eating the said rabbits and still with no answers on where he is. He hoped that at least tomorrow he would come across at least some sort of civilization. He needed a ship out of this place, not wanting to stay longer than necessary.
But then he stopped mid-bite, his ears picking up the rustling of some bushes behind him. Not noticeable by many, but Conan's great senses were able to pick it up. He slowly went for the hilt of his blade, preparing for the seeming surprise attack by whatever was located in those bushes.
The barbarian's fast reflexes kicked in, his head swiftly moving to the side as an arrow whizzed past him. The barbarian quickly rose to his feet and turned toward the bush, his trusty sword at his side, his face narrowed in a glare, ready to take on whoever was attacking him.
The arrow showed that it was clearly not an animal, but a person, and he was more than prepared to fight whoever was foolish enough to try and ambush him.
But what came out of the bush surprised him. It was several small ugly green-skinned creatures, with long noses, pointed ears and warts on their faces, dressed in nothing but loincloths. Conan gained a slight look of surprise. Those things definitely weren't human, but even the monstrous look they weren't very intimidating. What were they? Imps? Goblins? He also saw that they were armed but their weapons weren't anything to brag about. Small clubs and blades, very light weapons clearly made for their size and build since they obviously couldn't use regular-sized weapons. One of them also carried a small bow, indicating he was the one who tried to shoot Conan from behind.
They pointed their weapons at him as if threatening him. Conan just let out a small smirk; this was like children trying to act tough in front of an adult man. And Conan was even less convinced considering they tried to take him out by shooting him from behind.
Conan then pointed his blade towards them. "I don't know what you are, but I swear to Crom, unless you leave me alone you'll be slaughtered without mercy. If you have any kind of intelligence then you would leave while your heads are still attached to your little bodies."
The small creatures either didn't understand him or outright ignored his threat as they tried charging at him. Conan let out a scoff, these creatures were obviously too stupid for their own good. The way they ran towards him showed that they were not really fast either.
The moment the first one came in range a flash of glistening light could be seen and the creature found itself without a head. That caused the other creatures to freeze in place, surprised that they couldn't see the huge man move at all.
The man stood there, smirking at their confused expressions. He then lifted up the blade so they could see the blood on it. "Feeling any regrets about your decision?" he mockingly asked.
Before any of them could make any sort of response, Conan once again swung his blade with speed and ferocity of a panther and cleaved another one in half. Another followed soon after, causing the others to try and run away.
But Conan wouldn't let them as he quickly caught up to any fleeing creature and quickly killed them with his sword. The one with the bow tried shooting at him but Conan just caught the arrow in his hand and sliced his head off before he could fire any more arrows.
Not even a minute of slaughter and Conan was surrounded by small green corpses, the scent of blood not bothering due to his constant exposure to it, and he flicked the blood off his blade.
He went to scout around the area to see if there were any more of them, and despite it being dark he could still tell when other creatures are around due to his experience, but he found none. When he returned he picked up the dead creatures and threw them into the fire, not wanting to deal with the decaying corpses of these little monsters. He could handle it but still, the smell would be an annoyance.
He sat a bit away from the fire, not wanting to deal with the annoying smell, and the night air actually being pretty pleasant, and wondered what on earth these creatures were and will he encounter more on his journey. But if he does he wasn't worried. They incredibly easy to deal with, the children in Cimmeria would have given him a greater challenge.
After a while sleep slowly started to overtake him and he lay on the ground with his blade next to him. And in sleep, he dreamt of his homeland and awaited the arrival of the next sunrise.
Conan awoke with a groan and quickly got to his feet. He stretched his mighty limbs with the grace of a tiger and went further into the woods.
After an hour of walking through the thick woods, he finally arrived outside. He was now in a clear meadow of small grass that stretched a good distance. Not too far from his location, he saw a road. After a quick walk to the road, he saw tracks of what seemed to be a carriage, taking it as a sign that he was nearing some sort of civilization.
He then walked in the direction the carriage tracks went, hoping that the place it was going to was near.
After half an hour of walking he was able to see some houses in the distance and put more speed to his walking to arrive faster. He even saw a wooden board that said 'Farmer village'. Conan raised an eyebrow at the strange name but shrugged.
As he walked he saw that the houses were mostly farmhouses. He guessed that's the reason for the name. And there weren't many of them, only about half a dozen or so, and they were located some distance from each other. So far nothing was unlike in his home.
However there appeared to be no inns anywhere so he would have to visit at least one of the houses so he could get some food and rest.
He arrived at the house nearest to the edge of the village. He saw a man dressed in simple clothes of brown pants and a white shirt. He was decently built with brown hair and beard.
Conan slowly approached the man not noticing his arrival, and called out. "Hello there."
That caused the farmer to stop what he was doing and look towards the source of the gruff voice that called out to him. He turned around and saw a well-muscled tall man dressed in nothing but a loincloth and boots, with a sword at his side. The appearance has the farmer somewhat intrigued. Was this man an adventurer? He didn't know if anyone in the village put out a contract. "Um, yes, can I help you?" asked the farmer.
"I'm but a simple traveler. I just need a place to stay for a while and perhaps something to eat," he said.
The farmer nodded, not being the one who would refuse to help a man in need. "I see. Very well, inside," said the farmer as he gestured towards his house. "You have some good timing, stranger; my wife is just about ready to make lunch. I think we'll have enough for one more."
Conan just nodded and the two of them went towards the house. The house was a simple one, made of wood, with two stories. They entered the front door. "Honey, we have a guest," exclaimed the farmer.
Then a beautiful woman with long brown hair and green eyes showed up. "Really? Who?" she asked. Then she got a good look at the guest her husband mentioned. "Darling, who is that?"
"Oh, he is just a traveler in need of food and a place to sleep," explained the farmer. "Speaking of which, we haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Farmer and this is my wife."
Conan once again raised an eyebrow at the introduction. What was with this place and the strange way of naming? "Those aren't names, those are titles. Are you not going to tell me your real names?"
The married couple looked at him strangely until Farmer came to a realization. "Ah, I see you are not familiar with the customs of this land," said Farmer with a small smile of amusement. "You see, in these parts people don't say their real names, it's something very personal and revealing your name would usually be a sign of deep affection. People are usually called by their title or occupation, hence why I introduced us the way I did."
Conan was still baffled by this. He has been to many lands and visited many tribes with different cultures and beliefs but none of them had the customs where you didn't give someone your name unless you are trying to purposefully be rude.
Unfortunately this also confirmed his suspicion of not being anywhere near any places he knew.
"It is a strange custom you have there. Where I come from knowing someone's real name is a common occurrence, so I'll introduce myself with my real name," said the barbarian. "My name is Conan of Cimmeria."
The two of them were not too surprised he gave them his real name since it appeared to be common from where he came from, but still it was still a bit strange considering their own customs.
"You don't have anything else to go by?" asked the Wife as being one of the people used to addressing people by their title.
"If you're speaking about titles and such then nothing I personally go by," Conan explained. "Though, other people have often called me a barbarian."
That caught the couple off guard. This man was actually called Barbarian? That caused them a bit of dilemma since they could either use the unusual route of calling him by his real name or call him Barbarian which was definitely something rude to call someone. So they either go against their customs or they act rude.
"Well, then how about you join us for lunch, um… Conan?" asked the Wife.
"I would appreciate it," he said with a small smile.
The meal was a simple one. A bowl of soup and some cooked meat. The family of two ate their food at a normal pace while Conan ate his food more quickly. He would have eaten it even quicker and messier but these people have shown him enough kindness without asking anything return so he decided to at least act in a more civil manner.
"So tell me… Conan," started the Farmer. "Where do you come from? You told us you were from Cimmeria, but we never heard of such a place." That also caused his wife to listen with interest.
Conan stopped eating and looked at them. "I would honestly be surprised if you did, considering where this place is located," the Cimmerian said causing the two of them to look confused.
He then decided to tell them the story of how he got here. How he was a man from a different continent that was hired by a captain to protect his crew while they were on a voyage to unknown lands, how they got attacked and then being hit by a storm which lead to them trying to escape and Conan eventually landing on a beach a miles away from here.
Once they heard his story the two of them looked at Conan with sadness evident on their faces.
"We are very sorry to hear that," said the Wife with her voice cracking a bit. This man was probably the only survivor of that crew and now he was stuck in a land far away from his home.
"And no doubt you would want to find your way back," said Farmer. "But unfortunately, we don't know anyone who would undertake such voyage. All of our trades are from inland, not across the sea, and not many people would just go to unexplored lands for a place they never even heard of."
"Yes, I hold no illusions towards that," said Conan. "But that doesn't discourage me from trying. If there is someone who will be willing to bring me back then I'll find that person eventually, even if it takes me a while."
The two smiled at the man's word. He was nothing else if not determined.
"Very well, then. Until that day comes we can at least give you a place to sleep," said Farmer and turned to look at his wife. "What do you say, dear?"
The woman gave a smile. "Of course, it's the least we can do after what you've been through," she said. "Come with me. I'll show you the guest room. That's where you'll be sleeping."
Conan was lying on the bed in the room given to him by the kindly couple. He had to admit he wasn't used to this kind of generosity. Usually, people would want something in return, but these people just saw a man in need and were more than happy to aid him.
Conan didn't hold any naïve views on the world, knowing how dark and unfair it can be. However, that didn't mean he was also unaware that there were genuinely good people out there, like those two.
Conan even offered to help work in their fields or even do all the work himself as a way to repay them but they adamantly refused, saying that it didn't feel right for him to do so and they were just helping a man in need.
If Conan was being honest, if the world had more people like them then it would probably turn for the better.
But he put those thoughts aside for now and closed his eyes for a much-needed rest. He wanted to be energized to continue his search for a way back.
But before sleep could claim the blue-eyed barbarian he was shaken awake by a sound of some object crashing and that of a woman's scream. With the swiftness and grace of a panther, he sprang up from the bed after he recognized the voice belonged to the Wife that offered him the room.
He quickly descended from the second floor where the guest room was located and towards the source of the scream. He could hear familiar sounds of weapons piercing flesh and some sort of laughter, which didn't really sound human. He hurried his steps until he almost became a blur.
When he arrived at the kitchen he was met with a horrible sight. He saw those green-skinned creatures from before, no doubt a different group, at least over a dozen of them.
Then he saw the Farmer who had a spear stuck in his bleeding leg and one of those green imps had a knife lunged in his throat. The man was dead The woman was laying on the side of the room with two of those creatures over her, tearing off her clothes, their intentions obvious to the Cimmerian. Though now all of their attentions were turned to him because of his sudden arrival.
Rage filled Conan. His face narrowed in glare that would freeze even the most experienced warriors, his mouth showing his gritting teeth. His Cimmerian blood was boiling, screaming at him to slaughter those pathetic vermin.
He let out a scream sounding like a roar of a tiger and with great speed, he started attacking those creatures, without any thought of mercy appearing in his mind. He slashed and stabbed, and no matter what those creatures tried, attacking back or trying to flee, none were able to react to Conan's great speed and savagery as his blade took them out one by one.
No creature made a sound other than guttural choking of blood as they were being slain by the bronze-skinned man. The two that were about to violate the woman tried to run as far as their little legs can carry them, but they didn't make it more than a few feet before Conan sliced one's head of before grabbing the head of the other one and crushing it in his iron-like grip, hardly bothered by the bloody remains in his hands.
There were others that ran out of the house until Conan let out a large grunt and ran after them, easily catching up to them and killing them one by one, they didn't make it far before the last one of the group lay dead on the grass.
With his rage subsiding Conan let out a small sigh. He turned back and ran towards the house to check up on the woman.
He quickly arrived at the house and saw her crying over her now dead husband. Conan also looked remorseful; the cruel reality has once again taken a life of a good man. Conan approached them and crouched next to the woman. His mighty hand found its place on the woman's shoulder for comfort.
She didn't flinch at his touch, if anything she accepted it.
"Cursed creatures," Conan grunted out. "Damn them all to Hell."
The woman let out a few sobs before turning to Conan with red eyes from the tears "Did you take care of them?"
Conan then also faced the woman. "Yes, I have. None of those little demons made it out alive."
The woman then once again closed her eyes and hurled herself at Conan, wrapping her arms around him and crying into his muscular chest. Conan was caught off guard at first but he slowly wrapped his arms around the woman, allowing her to let out all the grief she had.
The next day people of the Farmer village held a funeral in the afternoon for one of their own. The Farmer knew everyone from that small village so everyone came. Even Conan was there to pay his respects.
The villagers came sometime last night when they thought they heard some sort of commotion at the house and saw the dead bodies of the green creatures, of which they had every single one disposed of.
The woman explained the situation to them, where Conan learned that the creatures were called goblins, and many were grateful to Conan for killing the goblins. They explained that goblin attacks were not uncommon and that those two were just the unlucky ones, however, they also end up much worse as the woman would also be taken as breeding stock for the goblins, but Conan stopped it and killed the goblins.
As the ceremony was done and everyone went home, Conan and the woman stayed at the grave. There was a pregnant silence that prevailed in that spot. Conan was the one who broke it.
"I'm sorry," he said in a soft tone. "If only I was a bit faster-"
"Please don't speak that way," the Wife interrupted him. "There is no point in discussing 'what if' scenarios. The attack came from nowhere and there was no way you could have reacted faster. Do not blame yourself for not doing the impossible."
"After the kindness you and your husband have shown me I feel like I should at least do something to repay you, especially after what has happened."
She then who put her hand on Conan's shoulder. "There is no reason for you to do so. If anything I should be the one to repay you in some way. You saved my life, Conan, from a fate dreaded by every woman."
Conan gave a sigh. Normally he would have nothing against being paid in some way, but considering the situation, it didn't seem right. Perhaps these people were already starting to rub off on him.
"Conan," she once again said, gaining his attention. "I don't care what people from where you came from are calling you. You are a hero in my eyes."
Conan then eyed her at the explanation she gave him and saw her genuine smile, despite the sadness she felt over the loss of her husband. "I'm hardly a hero. I'm still a man who enjoys the thrill of battle, killing my enemies, having alcohol in my belly and the feeling of women's flesh in my bedroom. I'm not exactly a prime hero model."
The woman gave a little chuckle. "You know, you're not the only one who does," she said. "Many heroes also enjoy the things you enjoy and they aren't considered any less heroic. Even the biggest paragons have some personal desires." The woman then looked back at the grave. "Heroes aren't perfect despite what many may lead you to believe. We are all human, after all. We have our flaws. And I'm sure my husband would have considered you a hero as well," she explained as tears started welling up in her eyes despite the smile she was wearing.
They didn't say anything else from that point and stood there for a few more minutes before going back towards the woman's home with Conan staying there for one more night.
When morning came Conan was already ready to go. He was pointed in a certain direction where a town with the Adventurer's Guild was located. From what he understood there are people there called adventurers and maybe they could assist him. And even if they can't the place is also a good source of information and Conan could join the Guild if he wanted to make some money.
Conan was now standing outside the house; all set for his little adventure. The woman has arrived outside with a bag in her hands.
She approached Conan and offered him the bag. "Here are some provisions you'll probably need for your journey."
Conan took the bag and put it on his shoulder. "Thank you for that."
"I truly hope you find what you're looking for," she said. Conan nodded and turned away to leave. "And my I have at least one request?"
That caused the Cimmerian to turn back and look at her. "Very well. What is it?"
"When you do complete your quest," she began. "Will you at least make sure to pay one last visit here?"
Conan looked at her for a moment before grinning, knowing that the request wasn't because she desired for him to lay with her, but to have a friend visit her one last time. "I will."
That brought a smile to the woman's lovely face. "Thank you. And may the gods be with you on your journey. Farewell."
"And farewell to you," Conan said before turning away and walking.
The woman stood there and waved at him until he was out of sight and she went back into her house, hoping to see her hero at least once more before he finishes his quest. Until then she would pray for his success.
AN: And that's a wrap. I used the explanation for people not using their real names from another story I've read called Deathtrooper, a Goblin Slayer/Star Wars story. I just thought it made sense.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. In the next one, Conan will meet more of Goblin Slayer cast. See you then.