Rahan. Episode Thirty Nine. The Bonds of Truth. by Roger Lecureux. A Puke (TM) Comic.

Rahan.

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Episode Thirty Nine.

The Bonds of Truth.

In these wild times, each clan fiercely guarded its hunting territory.
So the son of Crao was not surprised to be intercepted by three men.

What he was surprised by was the point of their arrows, as fine and polished as his ivory cutlass
The man with the fire-hair is going to die!

The arrows flew away, and stuck at the same time in the trunk, behind which Rahan had thrown himself.
Chtok! Chtok! Chtok!

Page Two:

The hunters did not have time to redraw their bows, before he disappeared into the thick refuge of the foliage.

I am Rahan, the son of Crao!
And Rahan is not the enemy of the men of the valley!!
An arrow mewed in the foliage.

Another lifted the bark from the branch where he was standing.
Rahan had seen it clearly.
These points are cut from a “Two Tooth” ivory!

The growl of a puma, behind him, made him forget the first danger.
You do not want to share your lair with Rahan!

Thus, two perils threatened the son of fierce ages.
Before him, the hunters saw the feline who was about to pounce.
The ivory knife springs from its sheath.

Page Three:

The men, lowering their bows, observed the fight.
They laughed when Rahan, losing his balance, grabbed a branch.
Ha-ha-ha! The one with “Fire-Hair” is not very agile!

They did not know that it was only a feint, and now Rahan was now under the puma, his ivory blade cut through the beast.
Ra-ha-ha!

But he had not foreseen that the heavy beast, struck dead, would fall on him and drag him down as he fell. His head hit the ground.

And he remained motionless.
An arrow rose up, pointed at his chest.
No! Not yet! Rahan needs to tell us where his weapon came from!

The intrigued hunters observed the knife.
Only those who know the "Valley of Two Teeth" would possess a weapon like this!

Page Four:

When the son of Crao recovered his senses, he was shackled on a sort of travois.
You want to kill Rahan. Why are you sparing him?

Because your cutlass intrigues us!
We want to know how you discovered “The Valley of the Two Teeth!”

We also need to know if you revealed the secret to other hunters!
Your words are too mysterious!

Rahan has never seen this valley you speak of!
This knife has always belonged to him!
He already had it when he was just a little man.

Only the sorcerer can tell the clan if you are telling the truth!
A curious village had just appeared.
In front of each hut and there was a mammoth tusk!

Page Five:

On the hill overlooking this village stood, intertwined, two front tusks belonging to a mastodon of exceptional size.

Where can this clan get so much ivory?
The son of Crao noticed a group of women polishing arrowheads.

The sorcerer who was approaching wore horns and his necklaces was also loaded with ivory trinkets.

Our hunters told Nara how they had captured Fire hair Rahan.
This knife proves.

That you discovered the secret of our clan!!

The son of Crao repeated that he had stolen the ivory cutlass, long ago, from the leader of a horde who wanted to end his life.

Page Six:

This horde knew, like your clan, the use that can be made of the tusks of the "Two-tooth" by "Those-who-walk-upright"!
Naara must believe Rahan!

The sorcerer and the chief consulted each other.
They seemed more incredulous than hostile to the captive.
The “Links-of-Truth” Will Tell If Rahan Is Deceiving Us!

Naara approached his hut in front of which vines hung.
He chose the finest.
The hunter who does not lie has a light body!

Rahan will hang at the great gate of the valley until sunrise!

If these links remain until the day it is because Rahan will have told the truth!
He will then be free to leave our territory!

Page Seven:

But if the bonds break it is because Rahan's body is too heavy with lies!!
We will then hunt him down to send him to the “Territory of Shadows”!

Naara the sorcerer had launched his verdict with vigor but without rage or hatred.
The son of Crao was pushed towards the portal without brutality.

Straw bracelets were even woven around his wrists to protect him from the bite of the lines.

Then they abandoned him hanging from the tusks which dominated the village on one side and an immense valley on the other.

And it was then that he thought he was living a nightmare.
On dozens of arrowheads, as far as his sight was, there were interspersed "Two-teeth" skeletons!!

Page Eight:

He remembered the superstitions of some hunters, saying that "Two-Tooths" who were mortally wounded or too old found themselves in their own "Territory of Shadows".

And Rahan has today before his eyes what he believed to be a legend!

But Rahan now knows where Naara's clan gets the ivory and why he wants to keep the location of the valley a secret!

The vines tightened on the straw bracelets, but did not cause him any pain.
But they are so fine! Too thin!!

If these fragile bonds gave way, he would be hunted down by the clan and put to death.
If they resisted he would be free!

Page Nine:

A Strange situation.
The son of Crao had often been strangled by enemies.
But never before had he wished for his bonds to resist!!

The links of truth! What a stupid spell!
If Naara-the-sorcerer invented it, he deserved to suffer it himself!

Perhaps to show the fairness of the ordeal, Rahan had been left his ivory cutlass.
Similarly, his arms remained free.

But he knew too well that his weight, sooner or later, would break the bonds.
So he avoided any movement that would have caused their rupture.

At the bottom of the hill he observed the great portal where the captive was hung.
Maybe he told the truth Naara!?
The links of truth will decide at sunrise!

Page Ten:

The sun dipped over the valley, glowing red on the bones bristling with long tusks.
If Rahan's body remained frozen, his spirit did not.

A few links will break, and the clan will set out in pursuit of Rahan!

Rahan will therefore only have "The Valley of Two Teeth" as his escape route!
Perhaps the night will come to his aid.

If these links last until the night. Ouch!
Crack!
Some fibers had just broken!!

And the others broke one by one!
The clan that was waiting for its fall would soon climb the hill to take down “Fire-Hair-the-Liar”!

Page Eleven:

Rahan wants to live!
The ties must hold at least until the night!
The son of fierce ages had just had an idea.

His hands clung to the "Links of Truth", and he twisted his fingers over the breaks that were about to occur.

The straw bracelets he wore no longer protected him, and the pain was excruciating.
Certainly, the fine vines could still break above his fingers but he had bought some time!

Precious time, since the sky was quickly darkening.

Another moment and Rahan will be able to drop and flee!

The “Links of Truth” still stand! Rahan told the truth!
We will find out in the morning!
Naara the sorcerer, disappointed, rushed into his hut.

Page Twelve:

Night came, almost total.
From the village, the clan can no longer see the great portal!
Rahan can go free!

Freeing his aching fingers, the son of Crao released the links.
And a moment later, he was in the darkness.

He was going down the slope leading to the valley of the “Two-Teeth”.

And what he had feared happened.
The wind suddenly chased away the clouds, unmasking the moon!
A clamor reached him.

Look! The links are broken! Rahan lied!

If, like most clans, that of Naara fears darkness, they will only track down Rahan at dawn!
But Rahan must run, run!
The son of fierce ages leaped between the bones piled up before him.

Page Thirteen:

He bypassed immense tusks or enormous rib cages, sometimes stumbling against the vines that crisscrossed the mammoths.

However.
The “Links of Truth” have denounced Rahan’s perfidy!
On the hunt, brothers! Death To the liar!

So the son of Crao was wrong, who supposed that this clan feared the night!
Behind their leader and Naara-the-sorcerer, the hunters rushed towards the great portal.

Rahan caught a glimpse of them, slipping nimbly between the bones.
The “Two-teeth” valley is their territory! They will quickly find Rahan!

He huddled behind a strange refuge of dislocated vertebrae.
If Rahan moves, they will see him immediately!

Page Fourteen:

The hunters had spread out and were methodically exploring every shadowy corner.
Rahan the liar knows how to hide!
But we will find him!

The son of Crao would certainly have been discovered if an unexpected event had not come to his aid.
Oh! Luck is with Rahan!

With long, painful trumpeting sounds, a large mammoth appeared at the bottom of the valley.
Painfully making its way through the carcasses, this solitary male came to die where those of his species had died.

Page Fifteen:

Abandoning the manhunt, the hunters rushed towards the dying mastodon.
This is even more ivory for their clan, and meat for many moons!

Overcome by countless spear blows, the “Two-teeth” collapsed.
A clamor of joy rose up in the valley.

They no longer think about Rahan!
Rahan can flee!
The son of fierce ages was wrong once again.

Leaving their clan to take care of carving up the enormous beast, the chief and Naara the sorcerer continued their search.
The day will come soon! “Fire-hair” will not escape us!

For a long time, Rahan slipped between the carcasses.
The first lights of dawn were iridescent in the ridges of the valley.

Page Sixteen:

Exhausted by this long race, he took refuge inside a thorax.
The clan is far away and Rahan is safe in this cage of bones!

For the third time, the son of Crao made a mistake.
He was going to doze off when.
You are caught, "Fire-hair"!

The “Links of Truth” have never deceived the Clan!
Ohh!
The leader stood at the entrance to the thorax, the sorcerer at the "Exit"!
Rahan was indeed trapped!

Since the links were broken, Rahan lied! So he must die!
The Chief bent his bow.

And the ivory-tipped arrow flew towards the son of fierce ages, entrapped by the bone bars of the cage.

Page Seventeen:

Instinctively, Rahan had protected his face and heart.
And the arrow ended stuck in the thick straw bracelet!!
Zlac!

The leader did not have time to grab another arrow.
The vertebra thrown by the son of Crao hit him right in the forehead!
Ah!

Naara the sorcerer took a step, a fine ivory weapon in his hand.
Rahan hates killing "Those-who-walk-upright” but.

When he has been forced to do it, he always triumphed!
Drop that weapon, Naara! Let go of it if you value your life!

The Sorcerer felt that he would not emerge victorious from single combat against this strong adversary. He wanted to flee.

Page Eighteen:

But in three leaps, the son of fierce ages caught up with him.
Not so fast, wizard!
Do not kill me!
Do not kill me!

Rahan will not kill you!
But he is going to prove to you how stupid this "Links of Truth" test that you imposed on him is!

While holding Naara, whom he had disarmed, Rahan cut off some fine vines.
Do you say that the body of the man who never lies is light?
We will see!

When the clan chief came back to his senses, the sun was bathing the valley of the “Two teeth”.
“Fire Hair” is missing! But oh!

The hunters who were running joyfully after putting down the mammoth, stopped, looking the same way.
Naara!

Page Nineteen:

Their sorcerer was suspended in the void, between two sides of the upper thorax, exactly as the man with the fiery hair had been at the great portal!!

His voice reached them and they saw him on the slope of the valley, out of range of arrows.
Do not release Naara, brothers!!

If he never tells lies, the "Links of Truth" should hold him up until the sun goes down!

Naara was pale.
A vine suddenly gave way!

Noo! No! Do not believe this!

The second vine immediately broke and the sorcerer rolled on the bones.
The leader and his men took a step back.

Page Twenty:

Rahan's ironic voice flowed through the valley.
Naara's body must be very heavy with lies!
He is forcing you to choose another wizard!

Or deprive yourself of a wizard, which would be even better!
Rahan hopes you understand that the "Links of Truth" test is stupid and cruel!

“Those-who-walk-upright” must think before deciding that one of their number lied!
They must provide proof!

Naara, ashamed, came and threw his sorcerer's attributes at the chief's feet.
Naara sincerely believed he had gifts. He was wrong!
He only asks for one favor. To stay in the clan as a simple hunter!

From the top of the ridge, the son of Crao saw this scene, in which he rejoiced.
He contemplated the fantastic valley of the "Two-teeth" for a moment longer, then he headed off in the direction of the sun, where it was lingering, on other horizons.

Index:
https://rumble.com/v3486cm-rahan-index-of-episodes-by-roger-lecureux..html

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