Episode 4 Beyond the River of Darkness - Part 2

 As soon as he saw his friend next to him, who had been talking cheerfully and guaranteeing the safety of the fort, instantly turn into a cold and motionless mucus, the black knight standing in line stood still as if spellbound.

"Watch out! Behind you."

 Remus shouted. By this time a stone axe had been brought down from above and smashed into the unfortunate man's head. He screamed and fell on top of his colleague, who was shot dead. On top of him, from the ceiling, brown barbarians, as if dozens of them had come out of the stone wall at a time, came flying down, shouting strangely with their mouths.

 A rickets jailer is raving and trying to escape. An arrow was shot at his back. But the rickets, who were almost as tall as the barbarians, didn't care about the arrow that pierced the mass of his back like a needle, and tried to run down the stairs, dropping the key. His feet stopped as if he had slumped.

 Countless ape-men came up the stairs like a cascade of water, emitting a strange smell and shouting.

"Help! Help!"

 The jailer let out a scream of exhaustion, and as if a stone wall would protect him, he rubbed his protruding back against the wall and flattened himself. But the apes did not mistake him for one of their own.

"Aye! Aye! Aie!"

"Eey, eey!"

 The jailer turned his back and prevented the axe from striking his flesh a couple of times, but at last one of the axes struck his turtle-like head and plunged it into the middle of his forehead.

 The jailer fell without a sound. His body rolled down the stone steps like a lump, and he fell on the landing at the bottom of the first floor, with several of the barbarians in his wake. Immediately the dirty bare feet of many Semites trampled over him as he tried to climb the stairs.

 A fierce battle was going on upstairs. The Shemites immediately drew their swords and fought back, but were quickly cut down by the knights. The advantage went to the knights. They had been caught off guard, but it was their castle to begin with, and the narrowness of the corridors prevented the Semites from overwhelming them. If they fought one against one, or even one against two, the Black Knights, who were superior in size, were sure to defeat the barbarians.

 But the strength of the barbarians was their overwhelming numbers. Even when their comrades fall in a puff of blood, even when they fall,

"Aye! Aye!" The ape-men, who kept shouting "Aye!", stomped on the bodies of their comrades as if they did not know how to flinch.

 The others took the keys from the dead body of the jailer, and began to open the doors of the prison here and there. When they opened the heavy doors, they cried out and danced inside. And if there was a prisoner inside, he fell down at once with his head split open by the barbarians. Some of them crawled under their beds to hide, and others raised their chairs to fight bravely against these half-humans who were invading human territory. But Shem and his men dragged out those who were hiding and bent over those who were defying them, disposing of them one by one as if they were large insects that had been swarmed and devoured by ants.

 Some of the chambers inside were already ablaze with arrows shot through the windows. The corridors of the tower were filled with the burning and crackling of the fire, the screams of the prisoners being slaughtered, the strange voices of Shem, and the billowing black smoke.

 It was a scene that could be called a living hell. Remus just stared at the horrible scene, shaking and clutching the chair as a weapon in his hand.

 But Guin was far from it. It was only for a short time that he did not act. When the knight who had come to fetch him and the prince was struck down by Shem's arrow, the leopard-headed warrior was momentarily taken aback, but in a moment he had Remus by the hand and was driving him behind the stone door.

"Stay where you are."

 He ordered them to bark, and then, holding up an agile tool - a jar of honey wine he had grabbed - he dashed into the corridor, blocking the arrows.

"Guin, look out!"

 Remus screamed, but the Leopard warrior's aim was on the greatsword at the fallen black knight's waist.

 When Guin stepped through the door and revealed his strange appearance, there was a sudden uproar among the Semites.

"Alfetu!"

"Liard, Liard!"

For a moment a startled voice, which seemed to say "Leopard","Leopard", overtook the voice of the strange moment.

 Immediately, however, the one who was the head shouted something and pointed at him, and the Semites regained their composure and rushed at the Leopard-headed warrior.

 The momentary hesitation of the Shemites was enough for Guin. He crouched and tried to pull the greatsword from the dead black knight's waist. The hilt snagged on the scabbard.

 Gululu ... and Guin growled in his throat. And then he strained his whole body to pull it out by force.

 Then Shem's archer, cawing like a crow, shot an arrow at him. Guin looked up.

"Caw!"

 Remus threw back his chair and screamed. The arrow was right between the eyes of Guin's Leopard head. But..,

"Keke!"

 It was Shem's archer who let out a strange cry of astonishment.

 The leopard man shook the handle of his sword from side to side without a care in the world, and finally cut off the scabbard and grabbed up the great sword with joy.

 A grunt of satisfaction escaped from his mouth. He swung his sword to check its balance, and then stood up easily, stretched his hand over his forehead, and with his left hand carelessly pulled out Shem's poisoned arrow and threw it at the barbarian.

 The arrow buzzed like a dart and struck the archer in the throat. For a moment, Shem might have thought that the poison of the arrow had faded. But the archer immediately scratched his throat and fell to the ground.

 There was visible unrest among the Semites.

"Alfetu!"

"Alfetu!"

 The ape-men chanted the names of their gods in their mouths.

"Leelala, mur, strat!"

 The leader shouted as if to say, "Don't be afraid, take cover," and the Semites, somewhat hesitantly, shouted at the prisoners again.

 But Guin was not waiting for them. As soon as he had the long-awaited great sword in his hand, his warrior's blood was on fire and he had turned into a giant fighting machine. He rushed forward, and with a single stroke of his bellowing great sword, he swept away five apes in no time. He swung his sword again.

"Guin!"

 When he heard Remus' scream, he turned his head and saw the ape-men trying to sneak into the prison.

 With a yelp, Guin flipped himself upside down and cut the barbarian, who was about to smash his stone axe into Remus, in two right in the middle of his body.

"Follow me. We'll be outnumbered here, someday. Listen, don't ever walk away from me."

 Guin ordered the prince to roar, and sheltered his slender body behind his huge frame, wielding the stone axe of Shem that he had picked up in his left hand, and wielding the sword in his right hand steadily, he scoured the ape-men two or three at a time, looking for an opportunity to leap into the corridor.

 Meanwhile, in the corridors and on the narrow stairways, the Black Knights and a few of the more skilled prisoners continued to fight, but they were cut off one by one, and it was obvious that they would eventually be overwhelmed by numbers, exhausted, and succumb in vain to the barbarians.

 As he swung his sword in all directions, Guin saw it quickly. His leopard's head, with the cunning of a man and the determination of a leopard, worked quickly, and he suddenly shouted out loud.

"Black knights, prisoners, come to me. You'll only get beaten if you fight them one by one. Together we're stronger. Gather round and stop Shem in one place or another!"

"No!"

 A cry of grief answered. It was one of the prisoners.

"No matter how hard you try to cut them off, new ones keep coming. No one will ever get there!"

 And he fell with a thud, his leg broken by Shem's axe.

"Chi."

 Guin spat. In the meantime, his sword flashed and blew a small hairy head from his body, much like a monkey.

"Prince!"

"Yeah, Guin!"

"We can't do anything about it. Besides, the fire's starting to turn."

"Guin, it's Linda!"

"I know. Let's save the princess before the monkeys fill the tower to the top. In truth, the best way to cut through them is to fight down... not up.

"Look out! Behind you!"

"It's okay!"

 Guin lurks behind him and leaps up high, knocking the barbarian away from him and slamming him against the wall.

"I'm gonna count to three."

 He whispered.

"Hold on to my belt. The three of you jump out and cut a path to the stairs. I'm gonna run up and find Linda."

"Yes--Guin."

"Look, one, two, three!"

"Three!" And at the same moment Guin bows his head, sword and axe outstretched, and runs out into the stone corridor full of Semites.

 Remus quickly ducked behind Guin and followed him. Guin's great sword cut through the Semites with a dizzying speed, splashing blood from side to side. Guin's mouth let out a Leopard-like cry, his yellow eyes blazed with fire, and his whole body, like that of a mighty god, was drenched with blood.

 Even the bravest of the dwarves faltered before his rush and gave way. Guin sliced open the stairway with his sword and swept up the stone staircase, three steps at a time. The prince followed.

 The first floor above was already occupied by the Semitic advance guard. Again, Guin used his sword to cut down the barbarians.

"Find my sister. Call her."

 He said while he was making his sword dance. Remus nodded,

"Linda--Linda!"

 I raised my voice.

"Linda! It's me! Linda, where are you?

 There was no answer, and Remus ran to each room to check while Guin took his place at the top of the stairs and warded off the barbarians who were trying to attack him. But he soon returned,

"He's not on this floor," I told him.

"All right, all right. Let's get up there."

 Guin said, and after a great stroke he drew his sword and went up the stairs, Remus first. There was hardly a Shemite left on that floor.

 There was no room on the other floor where Linda was being held.

"Guin!"

"Get up there. Hurry up."

 Guin said, an ominous light in his eyes. The round Leopard's head was cocked, and he seemed to be wondering something.

"Guin--?"

"Don't you notice . The courtyard and outside have grown strangely quiet. It's only in this tower that you can hear the crack of sword fights. If Shem and his men have overwhelmed the fort's defenders and taken most of them out, even I'm not sure I'll make it out of this castle alive."

"Guin..."

"Don't look at me like that. Shem's gonna catch up with us, so run."

 In a panic Remus ran up the stairs. Gradually it became narrower and steeper.

"Guin, this is all that's left."

"That's the top of the tower."

 It was very dark, even compared to the other floors, and the ceiling was low and intimidating. There was only one door.

 Remus shouted expectantly.

"Linda, Linda--please answer me!"

 There was an immediate response.

"Remus! I'm here, I'm here! Let me out!"

"Guin!"

 exclaimed Remus in a frenzy.

"Good."

 Guin shook the stone door. But it seemed to be made of solid monolithic rock and did not budge.

"Umm."

 Guin growled and was about to hit him, but decided against it. If he hit the monolithic door, no matter how strong he was, he must be raw, and it would be his shoulder bones that would break.

 Guin was about to slam the stone axe into the door, but suddenly stopped himself.

"I wonder what happened to the key that the little jailer had."

"I've been watching you."

 Remus replied immediately.

"I dropped it in the corridor in front of the room where we were locked up, and the savage Semites kicked it out and dropped it unknowingly into the depths of the corridor. It must still be there."

"Ho-ho."

 Guin looked at Paro's heir, whom he had thought to be weak and timid, with some surprise. He thought for a moment,

"Good."

 He said.

"Listen, prince--I'm going to go downstairs and get a bunch of those keys. At the top of the stairs leading to this floor I'll bring the stone door from the floor below and build a barrier that will hold them for at least that long. Not many people will be able to get through that, but when they do--"

 Give the axe to the prince's trembling hand,

"If you're a boy too, somehow you've got to hold on for that long."

"Yes--yes!"

"Alright."

 Guin clapped Remus on his frail shoulder with a large hand, then firmly reinserted his blood-soaked sword.

"Listen to me. You have to protect your sister.

"Guin, don't die!"

"I'm fine. I'm--"

 Suddenly, something like a strange understanding flashed in the yellow eyes of this mysterious man with a leopard-head mask.

"I'm not destined to die here, that's why. Which means you must be, too."

 The leopard-headed warrior said in an almost gentle tone. Then, while Remus was still trying to figure out what he meant, he swept down the stairs like a whirlwind and set about the rough work of building the barricade.

 When he was satisfied with the result of the temporary fortification, he drew his sword and ran without hesitation into the midst of the barbarians who were now close at hand.

 Immediately there was a scream and the sound of a fierce battle. It reached even beyond the makeshift barricade. Grasping the stone axe in his sweaty hands, Remus kept his back against the stone door that stood between him and his sister, praying in a muffled voice (--Guin, don't die ... Guin! ) in a muffled voice.