Episode 4 Beyond the River of Darkness - Part 3

Guin swept the barbarians to the left and right, cutting them down and knocking them away as he flew down the stone stairs like a yellow and black gale.

 Guin wielded his sword tirelessly, shouting, "Monkeys - Shem! Guin cried, and heaped up the corpses. His sword was as swift as a hammer, his hands were sure to sow death, and he looked like the bloody likeness of Lure, the god of war.

 But the Semites were brave, too--that much I can't deny. In the hairy skulls of the Semites, the brains of the savage pre-humans lacked any part of fear or self-preservation, and they came running at full speed, over the corpses of their comrades, beaten and beaten.

 But Guin wasn't lingering. There was no time for that at all. He turned into a Leopard-headed demon and ran down the stairs, not slowing down at all until he finally reached their prison, which he had just spotted.

 Surprisingly, the number of barbarians in the corridor was decreasing as they went down. Perhaps they had left behind those who had climbed up to kill the leopard-headed warrior, and the others had forsaken the tower and gone in search of other prey. The corpses of the knights and prisoners of the fortress were strewn among the Shemites in the corridors and in the open chambers, for there were no more of the fortress's people left alive. Guin had to deal mainly with the bands of Shemites who had followed him up the tower and down again.

 The lower part of the tower was strangely still. And there's no sign of a fight outside the tower.

Fort Staphorus has been annihilated.

 Guin snarled.

 He was in a hurry. At last he reached the spot he had been looking for, and, as Remus had said, he saw in a drainpipe ditch dug into the wall a gleam of metal that might have been the tobacco of a key. But then he was surrounded ten or twenty times by the Semites who had come down the stairs after him, and he had no time to stoop and reach for the key before he had to swing his sword.

 If Fort Staphorus is destroyed or nearly destroyed, the barbarians will set it on fire.

 Guin grew impatient. He flung away Shem's stone axe and chopped the little ape-man from shoulder to belly with his sword in return. He protected himself against the wall and looked from side to side, trying to make an opening to pick up the key.

 There was no way he could do that. Guin gritted his teeth tightly, and then he took immediate and forceful action. Completely ignoring the Semites who were threatening him, he suddenly sank down and picked up the bundle of keys from the ditch with his left hand.

 He moved more swiftly than the Inazuma, but for a moment his broad back and leopard's head were exposed to the barbarians completely unprotected. For a tenth of a second the Semites hesitated, wondering if it was some deliberate trick of the leopard man--then they realized his intentions, and at once raised their stone axes.

 By then, Guin had already begun to regain his position. But he had let go of his previous advantage in order to get the key. When he raised his head, a barbarian stone axe swung at his forehead and nearly fell with a roar. Guin quickly blocked it with his sword. The sword, which had already sucked the blood of hundreds of barbarians, was smeared with blood. The sword, which had already sucked the blood of hundreds of barbarians, was smeared with blood. It blocked the attack of the stone axe but could not dodge it, and the axe grazed Guin's second arm. At the same time the sword slipped from his hand and flew off, hitting the wall with a chirping sound.

"It's dangerous!"

 Suddenly, an unexpected scream came from behind Shem. At the same time, over the heads of Shem, a new sword shot at Guin, who had lost his weapon.

 Quickly, Guin grabbed it in midair, regained control, and threw it to the side. It was a real close call. If the sword had not rebounded, the stone sword would have bitten into Guin's numb left shoulder.

 Armed with a new weapon that hadn't even spilled its blade, Guin looked at the one who had saved him as he cut through the Semites with renewed vigor, as if he were tireless. His savior, too, was already fighting fiercely, taking on one of the two sides of the barbarians.

 A satisfied laugh escaped from behind Guin's expressionless leopard-head mask - it was Oro, a young warrior of Torus, who threw him the sword.

"Now you've saved my life twice, Oro of Torus!"

 Guin yelled cheerfully as he cleaned up the Semites.

 Oro Torus looked at Guin and gave a faint laugh as he cut with Shem. He was wounded in many places, and his sword, which had caught Shem's stone axe, cut through the air at one point. As Oro turned his attention back to Guin, the barbarian who had been creeping behind him raised his stone axe.

 Oro was about to turn around when he noticed the presence. It was a bad idea - the sword had split Oro's forehead. His helmet had already been thrown away somewhere. The young Torus man's forehead cracked open and blood began to spurt out. Oro spun around like a frame, staggered and fell down with a crash.

"Oro!"

 Guin ranted and raved and flung the Semites off his body and flew down to Oro. By then, the number of barbarians was almost at its lowest point. He finished off the last few with the sword in his right hand while holding Oro in one hand, and then he shook Oro's body in the torus.

"Hey, get a grip."

"No."

 was Oro's gasping reply.

"Get out of here. They'll be back with new tricks soon. Even if you are Lure the Warlord, you're no match for the ghouls of the Ludo Wood. He'll get you.

"Don't talk too much."

 Guin put down his sword, his eyes searching for the cloth that would bind the wound. Oro Torus shook his head, his brain protruding from his cracked forehead.

"Get out of here. Thank God you're here. I came to save you. I saw the black smoke rising from the white tower, and I thought it would be a shame to see a warrior like you locked up and burned alive. I was glad to see you, you know, fighting."

"Oro. I told you not to talk. You've saved me twice now. From the gray monkey of Gabul and the ape-man of Shem. Now I'm going to save you."

"I just threw the ... sword at you. It was you who cut through with that sword. You saved yourself. Oh, I'm blind.

"You want some water?"

"No more . Oh, what a disaster has befallen the beautiful Fort Staphorus. The captain, ... my countryman Reed, and my good friend Ek were all killed before my eyes. Yarn be damned a hundred times over for bringing such an inexcusable fate to my castle. Oh ... I was supposed to finish my service as a frontier guard this spring and return to the beautiful city of Torus."

 Oro's throat began to growl. Guin remained silent, holding the young man who had saved him in his thick arms, and watched as his youthful face became marked with death.

"Oh--oh, the pain. Oh ..."

"Is there anything you want me to do for you?"

"No, ... nothing more--"

"Something-- a message to my family waiting for me in Torus."

"No ... no, then ..."

 Oro licked his tongue with his lips and squeezed out his voice.

"If you ever need help in Torus, go to Godollo, who runs the Smoke and Pipe Pavilion in downtown Torus. He's my old man. He's a good man, and he'll want to know how his son died-- a proper warrior against the apes of Shem. ..."

"Okay."

 Guin took Oro's hand. It was already cold and losing its strength.

"You've been good to me, haven't you?"

 Guin said. Oro tried to smile through his hurt face. His mouth twisted.

"You're an awesome warrior ..., leopard man."

 He whispered with his last strength.

"If I hadn't thrown my sword at you, then I wouldn't have been qualified to call myself a warrior of Mongol. ..."

 The voice died and Oro Torus died.

"I'll take ten Shemite heads for you."

 Guin grasped his sword gravely and swore, pointing it at the corpse on the floor.

"You are a brave man, Oro of Torus."

 His expressionless leopard head tilted forward slightly.

 It was then that he jerked awake. His nose caught the smell of stale smoke and his ears caught the sound of a new disturbance. The Shemites must have sent a new hand.

"Yeee! Yeee!"

"Aye! Aye!"

 I could hear Shem's strange, haunting voice faintly coming from downstairs.

 Guin sprang up like a spring. Leaving Oro's body behind, he climbed the stairs again. Reaching the top in a single breath, he pushed aside the stone door that served as a barricade.

"Oh Guin!"

 Remus jumped on me and started crying.

"Guin, Guin, I thought Guin had already been killed--"

"And it seems you've done as well as a prince of Paro deserves."

 Guin said, looking at the four or five dead Semites lying inside the barricade.

"I've always thought of you as a white feathered coward, but apparently I was wrong."

 Remus' cheeks flushed with joy. Guin took the key and held it out one after the other.

"This is it."

 He growled and inserted the key into the lock. The monolithic door slowly opens and Linda comes out from inside.

"Oh, Remus!"

"Linda, Linda!"

 For these pearls of Paro, identical twins, the most unbearable thing was being separated. Linda and Remus embraced each other tightly and kissed each other again and again with their arms, as if nothing could pull them apart again, and looked at each other with tear-stained eyes.

"--!"

 Guin swooped into the room, keeping an eye out in the meantime.

"Heee!"

 A high-pitched scream immediately erupted. Linda pushed Remus aside and ran into the room, stopping Guin's swinging sword with both hands.

"No, no, no, Suni is a good girl, we're friends, no!"

"Friends?"

"Suni has been captured by the Black Count. The Semites are here to rescue her. If they knew Suni was safe, they wouldn't try to take our lives."

"I don't know about that guy."

 Guin said, barking.

"Stay back, kids. They're coming up."

"Suni will talk to you!"

"Just stay out of sight, jerkoff princess."

 Guin barked.

"Damn it-- Shem's coming up with the fire. They're related to the monkeys, they can get down through the walls, but we're either here to burn, or-- here they come!"

 Shem's army has finally climbed to the top of the tower.

 Suni stepped forward to greet his comrades. But as soon as she saw the first few, she let out a squeal and ran behind Guin and the others.

"What's wrong with you, Suni?"

 Suni is talking too fast.

"What's wrong with you? My people are here to help you-- talk to them, tell them we're on their side!"

"Nonsense. This Semite girl says they are not of the Laks, but of the hostile Karoi."

"Guin!"

 Linda was so startled for a moment that she put her hand over her mouth, not even realizing the gravity of her words.

"Guin, you know Semitic!"

"Well, it looks like you're right. By the way, this is probably the end of our luck. Even with the girl, she's useless, and with Shem's hordes and all-consuming fire below, Mongol's army will be wiped out--that's ..."

"Guin, look out!"

 Guin dodges an arrow that's suddenly shot at him,

"Get inside."

 As soon as he closed the stone door, he took the key from inside.

"This door is solid. It'll hold for a while - not that it'll do much good once it's secure."

 Guin said, as the barbarians came rushing out the door in a matter of seconds, their mouths full of curses and anger at their missed prey.

"But until now, all we've been able to do is worry about each other separately. If we're going to die, I want us to die together."

 Linda said and hugged Remus again, but when she saw Suni huddled in a corner, holding her shoulders with both hands and shaking,

"Well, welcome, poor Suni, if that had been Suni's tribe, Suni alone would have been saved."

 He said softly and held out his hand. Suni cowered and squirmed against Linda.

 Just stare at it,

"I'm not gonna die here."

 Guin said.

"I don't even know who I am and why I'm doing this. Until I know that, I won't be killed for the sake of a few Nosferus monkeys."

"But ..."

 Remus shouted.

"Guin! Oh, my God, they're breaking down the door!"

 From outside the door, there was a tremendous roar of something heavy hitting the stone, and it was beginning to make it difficult to hear each other's words.

"They've got the hammer."

 Guin laughed.

"How can you be so clever for a monkey?"

"Guin!"

 With both hands clasped and raised, Linda said decisively.

"They are the barbarians of Nosferus. I've heard they torture and eat prisoners for their gods. When they break through the door, stab me and Remus with their swords. And Suni if she wants."

"Linda..."

 Remus shouted, hugging his sister and squirming .

 Guin laughed in the sound of destruction that was becoming more and more violent.

"As the accursed Black Count said, you have the pride of a born queen, Linda. But it's not too early to tell, you're not being hunted down at the last moment.

 Until the moment when all hope is lost, even the last of a hundred - or even if that is the case, until the moment when you die, hope and fight. That is true pride."

"But ..."

 Linda was about to say, when at last a hole was made in the middle of the thick stone door.

 Stone dust flew and fragments scattered. Guin retook his sword.

"Give me your sword, Guin. I'll fight for you."

 Linda said.

"Stay behind me. Back up to the wall, keep your back to the wall so they can't get behind you."

 was Guin's answer. Guin sheltered the three children behind him and stepped back a little to the wall with the hanging tapestry, which was the furthest from the door.

 Shouting and wielding stone axes, the victorious ape-men jumped in through the torn doorway.

 The battle began again. But this room had a low ceiling and was dark. This gave the giant Guin a disadvantage. As he swung his greatsword, which he held in his long arms, it struck the ceiling or a wall every time it struck one of Shem's heads.

 Guin let out a tremendous roar and stepped back a little bit, little by little.

"Guin--I can't go back any further!"

 Suddenly, the wall beyond the tapestry is gone!

"Aaaaah!"

 Linda's scream trailed off. Linda, Suni, Remus, and Guin - the four of them were engulfed in darkness, and before the horrified Shemites, the wall had closed right back up.

 All that remained was a stone wall.