Chapter 11: The Oracle of All Knowledge


The Group walks down the stairs, while the homunculus sneeks behinds them. At the bottom, they see the black figure gaurding a well.

Lazlo: Is it the oracle?

Theodorus: No, the guardian, the keeper to whom we shall present ourselves.

The Group walks down to the well, the homunculus spies on the group.

Theodorus: I bring you a token, a sign from the Kings of Tamhil. (He give tablets to the Keeper.) We come humbly seeking the oracle of all knowledge. Three golden tablets that fit as one.

The Keeper studied the tablet. [Anguished Chanting ] [ Grunting ] [ Shouting, Screaming], the Keeper has summoned the Oracle of All Knowledge from its well and before Sinbad and his comrades, surrounded by licking flames, appears an image of a face like a bearded man with horns like a ram growing from its head, a thick mane of hair and a demonic smile that shows its rotting teeth.

The Oracle of All Knowledge: Three tablet brought forth to the light, yet a fourth remains from sight.

Kika: A fourth?

The Oracle of All Knowledge: A final place must still be found, a place that lies deep below the ground...

Lazlo: It speaks in riddles!

The Oracle of All Knowledge: No race is lost until in fact it's won, and close behind you comes the black and evil son spawned by the devil, suckled upon black milk of human form... (Komaru comes upon the temple listening to the Oracle.) Clad in robes of silk... Destiny... Destiny... Destiny is invisible and yet visible, and men may try to hide yet it's waters mark it clearly like a rainbow in the sky. (Komaru walks up to the entrance.) Destiny is a place where both good and evil wait, and yet their very equality that bates their power, for it is the deeds of weak and mortal men that may tip the scales one way or the other, and then the WORLD shall KNOW and YOU shall KNOW which way the fates have chose you shall GO... GO... GO now...

Lazlo: Go?

The Oracle of All Knowledge: Go north... North to barren lands of pagan places... The pagan barrens... Before a goddess cast with many limbs and death to all intruders is their whim. (Komaru pulls out his potion box, picks out a few unstable chemicals to place on the doors.) In that sacred place HID from the eyes of man is the fourth gold tablet that completes the plan... GO now... GO now... Go north... Go north...

The voice and image of the Oracle fade away and returns in a burst of light into the well below it. The group started to leave temple, Then Tal took a look at the Keeper, and saw that he turned to ashes.

Komaru finish the chemicals and closes his potion box, returns back to his group to take cover.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

Just in time for suddenly there is a tremendous explosion within the cracks of the doorway. Lazlo & Co. reacting to the explosion above them - they freeze as smoke and dust pours into the opening above and rocks drop from the roof.

Lazlo: Back! Back! Go back!

Kika: But Lazlo...

Lazlo: GO BACK I SAY!

Kika & Co. turn and run back down the steps retreating towards the ORACLE's well as more rocks fall from the roof.

Kika: Go! Go! Down here! Inside!

Arista Whimpers as Lazlo pushes her into protection away from the fallen debris. Then the façade of the temple starting to collapse with a mighty roar, collapse and bury the entrance as the temple collapses. As Lazlo shepherds his party into the floor of the Well. Over, there is the continuing roar of the collapsing Temple. The destruction almost complete, the dust and noises dying away, and then one last column falls, and suddenly all is still, the entrance is buried from sight. Now, as the distant rumble has died away, Lazlo lifts his head, so do the others, they choke on the dust that fills the cave.

Keneth: Lazlo!

Lazlo and Arista moves to try to examine the entrance.

Keneth: The entrance is blocked!

Lazlo reacts as he finds it is utterly blocked from top to bottom with rubble, they are entombed.

Lazlo: Dammit!

He turns grimly to regard the others.

Komaru & Co. are about to move away, Komaru glances back.

Komaru: Farewell, Lazlo.

Lazlo and Men are now tearing at the rocks and rubble that entomb them, but making very little progress with clearing it. Finally Lazlo gives up and turns back into the cave, he meets Arista's terrified eyes, he forces a smile, and encouragingly grips her for a moment. Then he moves away, making a close inspection of their tomb. He comes close to Theodorus.

Theodorus: Perhaps it is our destiny to be buried alive.

Lazlo's eyes flash angrily.

Lazlo: Man's destiny lies in his own hands.

Kika stops dead, as she is aware of sunlight shafting onto Theodorus's silver head, she follows the shaft of light up to the vaulted roof high above them, the narrow opening at the top.

Lazlo: A live dog is better than a dead lion.

Kika is looking up, and then spins away towards her men.

Kika: Ted, your bow. All of you, your belts and sashes... make a strong rope.

She whirls away to upend the brazier, sends coals spilling across the floor, and then she works with ferocity, tearing off the iron handle of the brazier/ cauldron. The others watch her in astonishment.

Jeppe: I knew she'd go mad down here eventually!

Ted: But not quite so soon!

Kika works on, with great strength she tears the handle off the brazier, and then Lazlo holds the curved metal in his hands. And the sweat standing out on his brow, he begins, very, very slowly, to bend it straight endeavouring to fashion a long shaft-like arrow. Arista steps closer, watching, and then the metal is almost straight, and Kika begins to hammer it with a rock. she glances up, meets Arista's questioning eyes.

Kika: An arrow. A straight, sure arrow.

Jeppe reacts, Lazlo glances up, Jeppe follows his gaze to the opening in the roof, and then he realizes Kika's intention.

Jeppe: A strong rope.

Jeppe reacts, quickly takes off his sash, and of course, immediately his trousers start to fall down! He holds them up with his hand.

Jeppe: Come on, men. Trust in Leknaat!

Keneth laughs.

Lazlo: But tie up your camel.

Keneth: Hey, come. Do as he says. Your belts and sashes. Hurry! Hurry!

From here on, Jeppe and the crew have to work hard to keep their trousers up! Some invent make-shift ways to keep them up, with torn strips from their shirts or pieces of turban.

Keneth: Tie strong.

Jeppe takes the initiative in making the rope.

Keneth: Strong.

Jeppe's hands tying sashes and turbans together.

Lazlo and Kika's hands holding the straight arrow and testing it to the string of the bow.

Jeppe tying the rope to the shaft of the arrow.

The task completed, the make-shift rope tied to the arrow, the arrow at the bow string, and now Kika moves to the centre of the cave, look up at the opening above him, and then starts to lie on the her back, and to brace the bow with her feet. The others now all watching tensely as Kika pulls the bow experimentally a few times, and then tenses, and begins to pull the bow with hands and feet, drawing the bow string back, back, creakingly tense, a prodigious pull. the bow is at its limit, Kika gently moves his feet until the arrow points up at the opening in the roof above. And then, she releases the arrow. It flies straight and true at, and through the opening. Jeppe holds the rope loosely in his hands, it pays through his hands at high speed, and then hangs free, hangs from the roof above.

Jeppe: Kika, you've done it!

Lazlo takes the rope and, ever so gently, hardly daring to breathe, he begins to draw it back toward him in the cave. Where the opening in the opening in the roof emerges outside, onto rough, rocky ground, we can see the arrow lying nearby, the silken rope slowly drawing it back to the opening. Then the rope sticks against a rock and he has to jerk it slightly, to overcome the rock, and then he draws it more, more until the arrow finally lies length-wise across the opening.

Lazlo: It's stuck!

He stares up at the rope - relaxes, get his breath - then Jeppe steps in.

Jeppe: I'm the lightest.

Lazlo: But I'm the most foolhardy.

He braces himself - and then begins to climb up the rope.

Tal: Easy, Lazlo.

Arista: It's holding fast.

Arista and Co. watching tensely as Lazlo climbs higher and higher up the rope. The rope taut now - but we see the arrow is slipping a bit. Arista & Co. gazing up fearfully as Lazlo is now more than halfway up the rope - and still going - he is well over the danger point now. If he were to fall now, he must be seriously wounded.

Jeppe: On you go!

Keneth: Go on, Lazlo.

The tension and effort beginning to tell - but he climbs up. The Homunculus in the shadows - now comes out - gazing up and off at Lazlo - and then, in a flurry of wings - it flies up.

All: Lazlo, Lazlo, Lazlo. Down!

The Homunculus enters shot and attacks him with fangs and claws - scratching and biting his arms and face. Arista and Co. watching in horror as Lazlo, clinging to the rope with one hand, tries to fend off the Homunculus. But in doing so, he is swinging and agitating the rope quite a bit and the arrow - jerking to the movements of the rope - is slipping - only an inch or so keeps Lazlo from plunging down below. Lazlo fights off the Homunculus - and then, it was struck by an arrow - it falls down to the ground. Komaru can feel the death of the Homunculus.

Maximilien: What is it, master?

Komaru: Nothing, nothing at all.

He remains puzzled for a moment - and then, still disturbed, moves on.

It was Jeppe who fired the shot with a bow.

Lazlo continues his climb. He appears through the opening and pulls himself to safety, holding arrow and rope. Arista and Co. react with relief to the spectacular success of Lazlo's climb to the top of the cave and into the jungle. Lazlo regains his breath - wipes the blood from his face - and then makes the rope secure - peers down and off through the opening of the cave and shouts:

Lazlo: All of you, up you come! Arista and ladies first. Hurry!


A/N: Two days ago, I bought the script of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973), this helped me.