Chapter Nine

Second Wave

As the Juns pull back to their leader's position, the Akira quickly set to shoring up their defenses. Several of their able bodied adults begin throwing logs of dry wood onto the ring of fire which surrounds the village. As the flames increase in size and intensity, they also begin adding green wood to the fire, increasing their smoke screen. Meanwhile their dead and injured are moved to a storehouse which has been converted into a make shift hospital. Subotai comes up to Conan as the Cimmerian surveys the situation. "How many did we lose?" asks Conan.

"Of the seven of us?" replies Subotai, "Only Malak. Of the Akira? There are fifteen dead. Another seven were badly injured. They will live, but they're out of the fight."

"Twenty three," says Conan, "Nearly a third of the adults in the village."

"We killed at least seventy of theirs," says Subotai, "That's at least three of their dead for each of ours that falls."

"True," agrees the Cimmerian, "But another couple of victories like this one and we'll lose the war."

"It has been said that superior numbers do not guarantee victory."

"You and I have both witnessed the truth of that statement," concedes Conan, "But we both know that superior numbers do tend to help."

Conan leaves his old friend to his business and heads over to Malak's body. Kneeling next to the slain thief are Kura, her brother Sawa, and a handful of other Akira children. The children are all crying. Conan kneels down next to his slain friend, across from the children, and rests the tip of his Atlantean sword in the floor. Kura looks up at the Cimmerian with tears streaming down her cheeks. "They killed him!" she cries, "He was my friend and they killed him!"

"He fought well," says Conan, "No one could ask for a better death than that."

"I hate them!" she cries, "When I grow up I'm going to become the greatest warrior ever! I'm going to hunt down the Juns and kill them all! Every last one! I'm going to cut off their heads and set them on spikes!"

"You cared a great deal for him, didn't you?"

"He was my friend," she says again.

"And mine," agrees Conan, "Malak was a friend to all orphans, even older ones like me."

"You are an orphan too?"

Conan nods his head in the affirmative. "I was born in a village not unlike this one. Like you, my people lived off the land. We mostly lived off of what the forest gave us. Fish, game, wild fruits and berries. Then when I was not much older than you are now, men not unlike the Juns came to my village and killed everyone. The children were sold into slavery. The boys were made to grind wheat into flour so that others might eat. And the girls . . . the girls had a worse fate. I know well the anger that you feel, and the desire for revenge."

"The Juns will pay for what they've done here," she says.

"They will," agrees Conan, "By my hand. Malak would not want your life to be consumed by hate. He liked to pretend that he was an uncaring person when it came to the suffering of others. But when we rode together, he was always careful to only take jobs that would not hurt the poor, or leave children hungry. And he would secretly tithe one fourth of all of his earnings to a local orphanage, so that the children who lived there would be given good food and clothing. He thought I didn't know. But I have always found it best to know everything about the men and women that I ride with."

"I still want them dead," says the girl.

"I know," says Conan. Then the Cimmerian reaches behind his back and pulls a leather bundle from his belt and hands it to the girl. "Here," he says, "I think Malak would have wanted you to have this."

Kura unties the bundle and opens up the piece of leather it is wrapped in. It's Malak's daggers. She looks up at Conan. "When you are old enough," he tells her, "If you still wish to learn how to fight and seek your vengeance, then come and find me. I will see to it you get the training which you will require." Then the barbarian gets up and walks away, leaving the girl to grieve in her own way.

Shad walks up to the Cimmerian. "Are you really going to teach her how to fight?" he asks.

"If that is what she wants," says Conan, "When this is over, I want you to have some people prepare Malak a meal. Full course. The best food you have. And then have it buried with him."

"Cook him a meal and then bury it?"

"That was our deal. A meal and a place to hide."

"As you wish," replies the farmer, "What of our defenses?"

"Karak is likely devising a counter strategy to the defenses we have set up," replies Conan, "He was smart in only sending his horsemen. He may have lost a significant number of his best warriors in that attack, but he also managed to weaken our defenses in the process, and see our strategy at work."

"What do you suppose he'll do next?"

"He will send in his Infantry to back up his cavalry," says Conan, "They will likely try and get through the ring of fire. That is where we are weakest. We haven't the manpower to protect the entire perimeter, and he knows it."

"So why didn't he just do that in the first place?"

"If he had, and lost, we would have wiped him out. Now he can guide his men to where we are weakest, and at the same time hit us where we are strongest."

"I don't understand."

"I don't understand," says Dak, one of Karak's Jun lieutenants. He is looking at a rough model of the village which Karak had set up on the ground. Several fist sized stones are arranged in an approximation of the locations of the various houses in the village. Twigs are stuck in the ground forming a perimeter around the stones, representing the spiked trench around the perimeter of the village. Around that he had drawn a line in the dirt to represent the wall of fire which surrounds the spiked trench. Karak sighs in exasperation.

"It's very simple," he says, "The bulk of our remaining horsemen will attack here, at the main gate," and he points with a stick to the area meant to represent the entrance to the village, "While at the same time our warriors without horses will be joined by our gray beards and attack them from the south, right here," and he points to the opposite side of the village. "They will use their spears to scatter the fires fuel and provide a breach through which we can enter their village."

"But the villagers. . . ." begins Brog, Dak's identical twin brother.

"The villagers will be busy stopping our cavalry from storming their gates," explains Karak, "The bulk of their fighting force needs to be stationed on either side of the gap that they had left us to enter by, in order to spring their trap and divide and conquer us. That means that most of their perimeter is left unguarded. Most of those sentries we see standing guard are in fact the bodies of our own brethren."

"And these farmers call us barbarians," says a third Jun lieutenant, a large man named Kassar.

Karak smiles at his lieutenant. "I would say they probably hired other barbarians to help them fight us. What better way to fight a barbarian than with the aid of a barbarian?"

"So we have to battle the Beastmaster and his animals, at least two archers, and a barbarian?" asks Dak.

"You're assuming that the barbarians and archers are different people," says Karak, "We use bows and crossbows as readily as swords and axes."

"I always preferred the sword," replies Dak.

"And the ax," adds his brother.

"The point is, even with their hired help they don't have the manpower to cover every inch of their perimeter. It will take their fighters time to run across the village to try and stop our infantry from entering the village once their fire wall is breached."

"Then we will overwhelm them and their new friends with our superior numbers," concludes Kassar.

"Exactly!" says Karak.

"But why did we not try this earlier?" asks Brog.

"We needed to know their full strength," replies Karak, "Now we know."

"So why are we not sending in our entire force?" asks Dak.

"Because I won't make the same mistakes my father did when he attacked Aruk!" shouts Karak, "Now prepare your men or it won't be the Akira impaling you! And you won't be dead when it happens! Understood?"

"Understood!" say the brothers in unison.

Conan and his five fellow mercenaries watch as the Jun Horde begin their second charge. Deathstalker and Subotai head over to the entrance of the village to lead the Akira archers in their defense. The others spread out, waiting for their chance to cut down the invading barbarians. They don't say anything, but all of them know that their defenses aren't likely to hold against this next attack. They will be fighting far more Juns this time than they had previously.

Kassar, Dak, and Brog lead the charge of horsemen towards the village's main entrance while the gray haired veterans and beardless youths charge across the Akira fields towards the defensive wall of flames. As before, the Akira defenders allow the first fifty or sixty Juns to enter the village before coming out of hiding and letting fly with arrows and crossbow bolts. Deathstalker's powerful Dragon Bow sends an arrow straight into the throat of a Jun's horse, exiting the other side and continuing on to bury itself into the chest of a Jun rider who is just behind and to the right of the horse that was shot. The horse collapses into the dirt road, throwing the rider to the ground where he lands on his head at an awkward angle, breaking his neck.

Subotai uses speed in place of brute power, firing arrow after arrow into one Jun barbarian after another. Every arrow finds a target, and even if the wounds aren't mortal, they're at least severe enough to keep the injured Juns out of the rest of the fight. The Akira do their part as well, raining bolts and arrows down upon the invaders as quickly as they can. As before, the horses and riders caught in the deadly onslaught fall and trip up the riders and mounts behind them. And as before, the Akira quickly move carts loaded with firewood into the road to block the Juns from following their companions. And thus the remaining members of the Jun Horde spread out, circling the village and firing their own crossbow bolts or throwing javelins at the defending farmers.

As the Juns ride through the town square, they come across a group of four Akira armed with crossbows. The farmers fire their weapons at the approaching Juns, killing or wounding a few of them, before turning on their heels and running away. Kassar spurs his horse into a gallop in order to give chase, as does several of his fellow riders. As the Akira run, they split up with two swerving to the left and the other two swerving to the right, while there are three more Akira just ahead with crossbows who open fire. The crossbow bolts miss Kassar, but kill one of his men and badly injures another. The Jun warrior spurs his mount onward towards the waiting farmers when, almost too late, he senses the trap. Realizing that the initial attack was merely bait to get them to follow, he recognizes why they gave this patch of ground a wide berth at the last second. Kassar gets his horse to make a mighty leap, difficult to do without any visible barrier for it to leap over. The horse' front hooves touch down on what appears to be solid ground. Unfortunately the poor beasts fall through the thin branches and blankets that are covering a deep pit filled with wooden spikes set in the bottom, their sharpened points aiming up at the sky. The blankets were covered with dirt, making the simple pit trap look like solid ground.

While Kassar's horse didn't quite clear the pit, it did get far enough to the other side to slam chest first into the far end. The momentum of the leap and the sudden stop threw Kassar from the beast's back to go tumbling on the ground past the pit trap. Unfortunately, his mount was less fortunate and fell into the pit where it becomes impaled on the wooden spikes. Joining the poor animal are several of the Juns who had accompanied Kassar in his charge after the Akira archers, along with their mounts.

The Juns' gray haired veterans and untested youths arrive on the other side of the village. Those of them armed with halberds and spears use their long reaching weapons to attempt to dismantle the fiery barrier which stands between them and the Akira. The heat is unbearable, and the smoke makes breathing a chore as it simultaneously burns their lungs and forces them to work blind as it gets in their eyes. Some Akira archers, no longer guarding the gates, fire their arrows and crossbow bolts at the Juns, slowing their progress. But the Akira are not the only ones with crossbows and the Juns fire back, forcing the defenders to take cover in their trenches. Soon the Juns manage to pull down and scatter enough of the burning logs to create a sizable gap in the fiery obstacle, big enough for the barbarians to run through two at time, or for riders to enter single file.

On come the Juns, with swords, axes, and spears ready to spill blood. The Akira are ready to meet them in the trenches. Led by Kaylar and his son Shad, the farmers unleash a hail of bolts and arrows. The first several Juns fall, many of them pierced by multiple projectiles. Unlike with the gates, however, this only aids the invaders behind them. While the fallen Juns and their mounts tripped up the riders charging the gates on the other side of town, the bodies of the slain Juns charging through the breach in the wall of flames end up covering the scattered logs, smothering the flames and making the charge easier for their brethren. A mounted Jun blows a note on a signal horn and spurs his mount through the gap in the flames. Shad shoots the Jun in the chest with his crossbow, knocking the barbarian from his mount and into the burning wall. Despite not having a rider, the horse continues its charge and tramples many of the wooden spikes set in the dirt barrier around the trench, creating another breach in the defenses of the Akira. A gray haired Jun comes charging at Kaylar with his battle ax raised to strike. The Akira elder shoots a crossbow bolt right through the Jun's heart, killing him instantly. Following right behind the veteran Jun is an untried youth, barely more than thirteen years of age, charging with his spear aimed right at the old man's heart. With no time to draw a melee weapon for close combat or reload his crossbow, Kaylar knocks the spear aside with his crossbow and then slams the butt of the weapon into the boy's temple.

Another veteran Jun tries to attack Kaylar as the retired soldier is engaged with the youth, but is intercepted by Shad. This Jun fights with a sword and shield, and although no longer in his prime he has lost little of his skill with a blade. Shad hadn't been a warrior for very long, but he has proven to be a quick study in martial skills. What the young farmer lacks in experience, he makes up for in tenacity and determination. Shad's shield deflects the slashing attack of the older Jun, and he retaliates with a thrust of his scimitar. The Jun veteran blocks the thrust with his sword and then counters with a thrust of his own. Shad parries the attack and slashes at the Jun's throat. The veteran blocks the attack with his shield and slashes at Shad with his own blade.

Shad ducks under the attack and slashes down low, aiming for the back of the Jun's knee. The young farmer's scimitar bites deep into the Jun's flesh. The veteran barbarian thrusts his sword at Shad's belly, but the younger man parries the attack with his own blade, side stepping it and countering with a thrust of his own. The Jun tries to maneuver his shield in front of the attack, but with his injured leg he can't move fast enough. The curved blade slips between the older man's ribs and punctures his lung. The Jun makes a weak slash at the young man's head, which is promptly blocked with his shield. Shad pulls his blade free of the Jun's chest an stabs him again, this time through the heart. The Jun tries once more to lift his weapon, but his arms no longer have any strength. He just looks Shad in the eyes as his own vision fades, a glimmer of respect for the young farmer's skill at combat.

Kaylar shoots down another Jun with his crossbow. He quickly goes about resetting the bowstring. As he does this, the young Jun he had knocked out earlier regains his feet and draws a dagger from his belt. As Kaylar sets a fresh bolt onto the crossbow, the young Jun comes up behind him and plunges his dagger into the old man's back. Shad looks on with horror as this child is murdering his father while his own sword is stuck in a Jun's heart. "NO!" he screams.

The Jun pulls his dagger from Kaylar's back and turns at the sound of Shad's scream. The young farmer places a foot on the chest of the veteran Jun he had slain for leverage and pulls his scimitar from the barbarian's chest. Screaming in rage, Shad raises his bloodied sword and charges at the boy. He slashes at the young Jun, aiming for his skull. The young barbarian gets his dagger up and parries the attack, but Shad follows up immediately with a shield punch. The blow knocks the boy back a couple of steps, putting him off balance. Had he been older and more experienced, he might have been able to recover his footing and defend himself. Shad doesn't give him the opportunity. He steps right in with a slash across the boy's throat, followed by a thrust to the belly.

As the Jun boy lies in the dirt, his life's blood pouring into the earth, Shad kneels next to Kaylar and cradles his father's head in his lap. Tears stream down his face as he looks upon the lifeless form of his father. A gray haired Jun comes up behind the grieving farmer, a battle ax gripped in both hands and poised to strike, completely unnoticed by the young Akira. A dagger whistles through the air just over Shad's head, startling the young man out of his grief. He looks over his shoulder and sees the Jun veteran standing there, a dagger buried to the hilt in his chest. Madmartigan leaps over Shad's head and kicks the Jun in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. Another veteran Jun attacks Madmartigan with a greatsword, who deftly parries the strike with his own blade, sweeping the larger weapon aside and then cutting down the gray haired warrior wielding it. The man from Tir Asleen takes a moment to turn and glance at the Akira farmer. "Grieve later," he says, "Now we fight."

Shad grabs his father's crossbow and points it in Madmartigan's direction. The knight's eyes widen as for a moment he believes that the young farmer means to kill him. Shad pulls the trigger on the weapon and the crossbow bolt whistles past Madmartigan's ear. The knight follows the projectiles path and sees it bury itself up to the fletchings into the chest of a Jun charging Madmartigan on horseback. The horseman topples from his mount and lands on the fiery barricade. Shad takes up his scimitar and shield and stands next to the knight. "Lecture me later," says the farmer, "Now we fight." Madmartigan smiles at the young man's choice of words, and the two of them fight shoulder to shoulder trying to stem the flow of Juns through the breach in their defenses.

Kassar pushes himself up to his knees, trying to shake off the after effects of his terrible tumble off of his horse. As he shakily gets to his feet, Subotai watches as an Akira farmer comes running up to the Jun wielding a wood ax, prepared to split the warrior's skull in two. At the last second Kassar delivers an amazing thrust kick, driving his heel into the poor farmer's throat and crushing the man's windpipe. The farmer is lifted up off of his feet by the force of the blow, falling back to the ground where he lies there desperately trying to breathe through a windpipe which no longer works.

Kassar stands over the fallen farmer, completely indifferent to the man's suffering. With his right hand Kassar draws a scimitar from the scabbard belted to his hip, while at the same time with his left hand removing his helmet. As the Jun's face is revealed from behind the helmets visor, Subotai's jaw drops in surprise. Kassar is no Jun at all, but is in fact Hyrkanian. Another farmer charges the large Hyrkanian, this one armed with a pitchfork leveled at the big man's chest like a horseman's lance. Kassar slashes through the shaft of the makeshift spear, severing the forks, and then slashes the man twice across the chest.

A third farmer charges Kassar, this one armed with a spear acquired from a slain Jun. This time Kassar simply sidesteps the clumsy attack and counters with a slash across the neck, decapitating the poor farmer. Subotai knows right away that these simple farmers are going to be no match for this Hyrkanian riding with the Juns. The archer reaches for an arrow, hoping to put this warrior down before he can slay too many of the Akira, but finds that his quiver is empty. He had fired all of his arrows at the Juns. The Hyrkanian thief removes his helmet and quiver, tossing them aside along with his bow. He then draws his own scimitar and dagger, mentally preparing himself for the fight ahead. While highly skilled with the blade, this Hyrkanian masquerading as a Jun appears to be no less skilled. And what's more, he is every bit as big and strong as Conan. Subotai is not looking forward to testing his mettle against this opponent.

As Subotai begins striding towards Kassar to engage the larger man in combat, he is attacked by a Jun wielding a great ax. Subotai ducks under the clumsy swing and slashes the barbarian across the belly with his scimitar, and then stabbing the Jun in the base of the spine with his dagger. As this is happening, an Akira wielding a bastard sword attacks Kassar with an overhead downward two handed slash. The Hyrkanian parries the attack with his scimitar and then disembowels the farmer with a counter attack, slashing him across the belly. A Jun charges Subotai with a spear, which the thief sweeps aside with his scimitar as he sidesteps the attack, and then slashes the barbarian's throat with his dagger.

An Akira armed with a broadsword and a shield comes at Kassar. He slashes at the Hyrkanian with his blade, but the experienced barbarian parries the attack easily. He then counters with a slash of his own, which is blocked by the Akira's shield. The farmer quickly retaliates with a thrust, attempting to run Kassar through. Kassar side steps the attack and pivots, slashing at the farmer's back. This particular farmer had paid attention during their combat drills, however, and was able to turn around and get his shield in place to block the attack. Kassar then tries his own thrusting attack, which the farmer successfully parries with his own blade. The farmer comes back with a thrust of his own, which Kassar parries in an upwards sweep. Then the Hyrkanian's scimitar comes immediately down, severing the farmer's sword arm at the shoulder. The Akira's eyes widen in shock and horror as he watches his own arm fall lifeless onto the ground. Kassar immediately spins and delivers a powerful thrust kick to the farmer's shield, sending the mortally wounded man sprawling in the dirt. The Akira farmer lies there as his life's blood pours out of the stump of his shoulder and into the dusty ground. By this time Subotai is now within striking distance of his fellow Hyrkanian.

"You are no Jun," says Subotai.

"And you are no Akira," replies Kassar.

"I am Subotai, of the great order of Kurlik."

"I am Kassar, of no particular order."

"How is it that you have come to ride with the Juns?"

"When I returned home from The Walk, I found that my village had been destroyed by the soldiers of Khitai. I had nowhere else to go. The Juns took me in. They accepted me as one of their own."

Subotai nods his head in understanding. The Walk is a Hyrkanian rite of passage that adolescent boys must accomplish in order to be considered men. They are sent out into the wild with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They must survive on their own for a year with nothing but their wits and what the land provides. Those who last thirteen lunar cycles and return home are welcomed as men of the clan. Those who do not are never spoken of again. Hyrkanian nomads are known for raiding the settlements of neighboring Khitai, stealing crops, livestock, steel weapons, even women. And the larger cities of Khitai have been known to retaliate, often wiping out entire Hyrkanian villages in the process. Subotai holds up his weapons in a salute, and then assumes a ready stance. "I cannot allow you to continue to subjugate these farmers," he says.

"I'm not here to subjugate them," says Kassar, "I'm here to eradicate them."

"And I'm here to stop you."

"You're here to try."

Subotai immediately goes on the attack, slashing with his scimitar and stabbing with his dagger. Kassar backs away, parrying every attack with his own blade. Despite his incredible size, Kassar moves with cat like agility, and none of the smaller man's attacks come close to causing damage.

Kassar then turns things around, going on the offensive with a flurry of slashes and stabs with his own blade. Subotai uses his smaller size to his advantage, ducking and dodging more than parrying. Kassar grasps his sword in a two handed grip and brings it down in an overhead slash, aiming to split Subotai's skull. The thief is unable to dodge to the side and parries the strike with his own weapons, crossing his scimitar and dagger up over his head and catching his opponent's blade where his own two blades meet. The force of the blow makes Subotai's arms tingle from the impact. The smaller man quickly strikes, delivering a thrust kick to his opponent's abdomen. The two of them back off a step and eye each other warily, both having gained new respect for the other.

Subotai whirls his two weapons about defensively in front of him. While this has the effect of keeping his opponent at bay, it also buys him time to come up with a new strategy as well as work the feeling back into his arms. He hides his feelings well, but the truth is Subotai is worried. Kassar had already matched him move for move with steel, and that kick would have had most men doubled over in pain. But the big man had shrugged off the blow as little more than a nuisance. Kassar circles Subotai, whirling his own blade about as he searches for a hole in the smaller man's defenses. The large Hyrkanian is actually quite impressed with how well his fellow countryman is doing in this fight. This has been the first time in a long while that he has met anyone who can match his skill with steel. And it's taking a great deal of self discipline to keep from showing any pain from that kick to the gut. The truth is that the kick is excruciating. But he can't show any weakness to anyone. The Juns are highly xenophobic, and the only reason he was allowed to live among them is his perceived near invincibility. If they were to ever have reason to doubt that perception his time with them, and likely his life, would come to a swift end.

The two Hyrkanians clash once more, their steel weapons flashing in the fire light. The two warriors move about in an elaborate dance, as beautiful to watch as it is deadly. Steel rings against steel as their blades clash together over and over. The two men duck and dodge, spin and kick, jump and twirl. The two of them step back from one another. A deep gash runs across the bicep of Kassar's sword arm. The Hyrkanian warrior grips the wound with his free hand, and then tests the injured arm's range of motion. Subotai holds his blades up in a ready stance, the blade of his dagger dripping blood.

"Congratulations," he says, "You've drawn first blood."

"Last blood counts for more," replies Subotai.

With that the smaller man leaps to the attack. Sword and dagger are a blur of motion, stabbing and slashing at the larger opponent. Despite his injury, Kassar is up to the challenge of defending himself. He successfully brings his scimitar to bear against every attack, parrying sword and dagger with lightning quick reflexes. Then Kassar goes on the offensive, forcing Subotai onto his heels. The larger man thrusts his blade at the thief's belly, forcing Subotai the parry the attack by crossing his own blades down low and causing his opponent's weapon too low, resting harmlessly between Subotai's knees. Kassar responds to this with a powerful roundhouse kick, which connects solidly with Subotai's jaw and sending him sprawling into the dirt.

Kassar raises his sword above his head and brings it down upon the prone Subotai. The smaller manb rolls out of the way, causing the curved tip of Kassar's scimitar to bury itself into the earth. In an incredibly acrobatic maneuver, Subotai springs up on one hand and delivers a spin kick to Kassar's face, staggering the big man. The thief quickly retrieves his dropped blades, and when he brings them to bear Kassar has also recovered from that kick to the face. Blood is now pouring from Kassar's nose as well as the cut on his sword arm. Meanwhile Subotai's lip is split open and his mouth is filling with his blood. He spits out a mouthfull of bloody saliva as he eyes his opponent.

Subotai charges at Kassar, slashing and stabbing with his sword and dagger. Despite his injured sword arm, Kassar manages to get his scimitar in line to block each attack. Subotai lunges with his own scimitar, attempting to run Kassar through the belly. Kassar side steps past the attempt and slashes down low, cutting deep into the outside of Subotai's thigh. Had the strike been full force, the archer would have lost his leg above the knee. But with his injured arm, the strength of Kassar's attack was limited and as such the cut not nearly as deep as it otherwise would have been.

Subotai staggers back out of reach, his weapons up before him in a defensive position. He tests his injured leg. It hurts to put weight on it, but it's still functional. The Hyrkanian takes a moment to think back to the last time he and Conan had fought such overwhelming odds together. The two of them had fought off an attack by the wizard Thulsa Doom and his elite guard. Subotai had been injured in that battle as well, and as luck would have it in the exact same leg. The twor Hyrkanians circle each other, both fighting with a handicap. Subotai's injured leg restricts his mobility, while Kassar's injured sword arm limits the force behind his sword strikes, as well as the angles which he can attack from. The two men clash once more, both determined to eliminate the threat posed by the other. Steel rings against steel as they both furiously stab and slash at one another. Subotai attempts to drive his dagger through Kassar's heart, but the large man catches the archer's wrist in his off hand and twists it, snapping the bones like they were twigs.

Subotai cries out in pain as he drops his dagger, but at the same time manages to slash the larger man across the forearm. Kassar releases Subotai's wrist and quickly backs away, his arm tucked protectively against his chest. Subotai similarly backs away, holding his injured wrist tight to his body. Kassar grips his scimitar with both hands and holds it in a ready position while Subotai holds his own scimitar in a one handed ready stance. The two men clash once more, both slowed by their injuries. Subotai slashes high and low with his blade, attacking at seemingly random angles. Even with both of his arms wounded, Kassar manages to get his own sword in line to parry each attack. The larger man takes a chance and launches a low kick at Subotai's wounded leg. His foot connects with the injured limb, forcing the archer to a knee. Kassar quickly follows up with a spin kick to Subotai's jaw, sending the smaller man tumbling to the ground. He comes at the archer with a double handed downward slash, but Subotai manages to roll out of the way causing Kassar's blade to sink into the earth. The thief snatches up his own scimitar and gets back to his feet, but Kassar pulls his blade from out of the dirt and drives the curved point into Subotai's belly. Conan's old companion's eyes widen in shock as he feels the blade cut through his intestines. Grimacing in pain, the smaller man grasps his opponent's blade with his injured hand and pulls it deeper into his gut, and then immediately slashes Kassar across the throat. Kassar releases his grip on the hilt of his scimitar and grasps his throat with both hands as he desperately tries to stem the flow of his life's blood. The big man collapses on the ground, the earth soaking up his blood like a sponge. Subotai too falls to the ground, knowing that he will soon see his ancestors in the afterlife.

While Subotai and Kassar are having their epic one on one duel, elsewhere in the village another battle rages on. Dak and Brog lead the horsemen who had avoided the pit trap towards the town square. They see Red Sonja standing in the open with her bastard sword held in both hands in a perfect ready stance. The twins spur their horses into a charge. At the last possible second Sonja jumps up and over to her right, coming down on the butt end of a long pike leaning across a heavy stone block. The ten foot long spear raises up at a sharp angle, using the stone block as a fulcrum. Dak's horse gallops right into the weapon, impaling itself and throwing it's rider. At the same instant Ruh pounces on Brog's horse, clamping it's jaws on the beast's throat and taking it down.

Being expert horsemen, both Dak and Brog manage to jump clear of their mounts before they could be trapped beneath them. They both get immeditely to their feet, ready for battle. At almost that exact same instant, Conan, Dar, and Deathstalker come charging at the Juns with whatever villagers are not defending the perimeter. The defenders clash with the Jun invaders, swords, axes, and spears driving into flesh and banging against weapons and shields. The twins advance upon Sonja simultaneously. Dak is wielding a battle ax in one hand hand has a shield strapped to his other arm, while his brother Brog wields a bastard sword two handed. Dak swings his ax at the she-devil, only to have her parry it with her own weapon. Brog immediately slashes at Sonja with his sword, aiming for her neck. The red haired woman ducks under the attack, forcing Dak to bring up his shield and block an inadvertant attack from his own twin. "Hey!" shouts the Jun, "Watch it!"

"Sorry," replies his brother with a shrug.

The two brothers eye Sonja with caution as they circle the warrior woman. The red haired warrior whirls her sword in front of her defensively as she sizes up her opponents. The twins also size up their opponent. She has clearly been well trained and is an impressive physical specimen in more ways than one. Dak glances over at his brother. "What do you say, brother?" he asks, "Do we kill her? Or breed her?"

An evil grin finds its way to Brog's face. They had been given orders to kill every man, woman, child, and beast in the village of Akir. But the Juns needed new blood. And this red haired wench would surely birth some truly mighty Jun children. As if reading their thoughts, Sonja speaks up. "If you can beat me," she says, "You can have me."

Now both of the twins are smiling. Dak holds his ax out to Brog, who taps it's blade with the blade of his own sword as though they're toasting each other with tankards of ale. Then the twin Juns charge at Sonja, bellowing out a war cry. The two of them slash at her at every possible angle. High and low, individually and together, both looking to cripple rather than kill. Sonja dodges and parries every attack, sometimes appearing to escape Death by only a hair. Finally the three combatants break away from each other, the twins breathing heavily but Sonja having barely broken a sweat.

"Seriously?" she says, "That is the best you can do?"

"You haven't seen anything yet," replies Brog.

"I'm just getting warmed up," adds Dak.

"Then give me your best shot," taunts Sonja.

The twin Juns come at Sonja once more, hacking, slashing, and stabbing at her with their weapons at every side and angle. Just as before, Sonja ducks, dodges, and parries every attack with apparent ease. An attack from Dak's ax comes dangerously close to Sonja's shoulder, the blade grazing her skin and leaving the slightest of cuts. Brog thrusts his sword at the red haired woman, who parries the attack with her own blade, but receives a minor cut on her thigh for her troubles. The three of them step back to assess the others, the twins grinning with confidence.

"We're wearing you down, Red Hair," says Dak.

"You'll soon be ours," adds Brog.

"Our duel isn't to first blood," replies Sonja, "I'm a long way from defeated."

"Our victory is closer than you think!" declares the twins, and they charge forward to attack once more.

The battle between the three warriors is as fierce as ever. Sonja appears to be on the defensive, dodging and parrying more than attacking. Yet despite their best efforts, neither of the twins seems able to break through Sonja's defenses. Then with barely a shift in her footwork, the She-Devil (as she is sometimes called) goes on the offensive. She stabs and slashes with her sword, at seemingly random angles and patterns. The two Juns are forced to fight defensively, on their heels more often than on the balls of their feet.

Sonja slashes across Brog's belly, opening a deep gash across the Jun's abdomen. Brog backs away several steps, clutching the wound with his off hand. Sonja takes the moment of reprieve to focus her attacks on Dak. Her sword comes at the twin in a blinding flurry of lightning fast strikes. The Jun warrior is kept on his heels as he works his ax and shield desperately to keep the warrior woman at bay. Brog charges at Sonja from behind, his sword poised to stab her through the shoulder of her sword arm. But her warrior senses detected the attack, and at the last possible second she knocks Dak's shield out wide with her sword while simultaneously side stepping the sword thrust from behind. Brog's sword passes by Sonja's bosom by mere inches as its blade drives deep into his twin brother's chest.

Brog's eyes widen in shock and surprise as he sees what he has just done. Sonja uses that moment of distraction to slash upwards with her own blade. The sword cuts into Brog's arm, severing the limb just above the elbow. The barbarian cries out in pain as he staggers back once more, the hand of his sword arm still clutching the sword which is buried in his brother's chest. With two quick slashes of her sword, Sonja takes the heads of the two mortally wounded twin brothers.

While Red Sonja was occupied with the twins, Conan, Dar, and Deathstalker made relatively quick work of the remaining Juns that had been allowed to breach their defenses. Madmartigan, Shad, and the villagers were also quite successful in stemming the flow of Juns through the breach in their fire wall. Sonja and Dar each grab the head of one of the twins and climb on top of the largest building in the village. They face the northern mountains and raise the severed heads high into the air. Sharak swoops down and perches on the heavy leather gauntlet The Beastmaster wears on his left hand. Ruh climbs up onto the roof and joins the two warriors, letting out a victorious roar. Up in the hills, watching through an Eagle's Eye, Karak scowls at the scene below. The Jun Chieftain lifts a horn to his lips and blows a signal to retreat. The Juns down on the battlefield surrounding the Akira hear the signal and retreat to their encampment. Karak turns to one of his lieutenants. "Bring forth The Berserker," he says with a snarl.