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The issue begins with Priest Muar holding court in the deep basement of the Temple of Baal located in the City of Liam. Away from the prying eyes of the citizens of Baal, Priest Muar conducts a vile conversion process. Seeing the “supplicants” – citizens of Liam who seek to convert to the ways of Baal by proving their loyalty to Priest Muar. Such loyalty is tested by bring the ears of murdered Northmen, whether merchants or guards.
One of those supplicants is none other than Sultar. As Sultar approaches Priest Muar, he tells the priest he seeks to convert to Baal. However, Priest Muar is unimpressed with Sultar and tells Sultar that he must past the Trials of Baal. The first requires Sultar to sit in a room of dead and dying traitors to the cause of Baal – their wounds varying from gouging chest wounds to their eyes pried from their skulls. While in there Sultar ponders why Erikor sent him of all people to infiltrate the Baal Temple, certain that he would not survive.
The scene shifts to the Lost City once again where Zydrak is once again demanding the few survivors of the expedition to worship him. Bladehelm moves forward to attack, by Zydrak blasts him. Shadolok threatens Zydrak that if Bladehelm is harmed, he will make him pay. At that point, Zydrak gets tired of the “blasphemy” and orders the mutated apes to attack. The mutated apes quickly overwhelm one of the few surviving troops, which only encourages Armond Cres Hadrax to flee for his life.
Muldor and Barak continue to fight, but Muldor points out that they will soon be overtaken. Barak opts to use Nightwind as a diversion but striking her from behind and leaving her for the mutated apes to attack. Muldor ponders going after Barak for his heinous action, but realizes that Nightwind needed him more to help defend her. Zydrak demands that the mutated apes bring her to him for penance since she had been the one to sever his head. He grabs her by the neck, ready to slice her neck as Shadolok fights to reach her. However, it’s Muldor who strikes Zydrak from the back – forcing himself and the Man-God, Zydrak, to tumble into a liquid that begins to immediately dissolve their flesh. Shadolok pulls Muldor out of it – but it’s clear that it’s already too late. Muldor tells Shadolok to go after Barak, then Muldor takes his own life.
Shadolok checks with Eyamma who is tending to Nightwind. He explains she is hurt badly, but has a strong will; and Bladehelm is wounded, but he will recover in time as well.
The scene shifts to Belekir where King Belgur has arrived. King Belgur tells his men to form a hundred person expedition and to go into the Angora Jungles to find Barak and the expedition – and not to return until they have done so.
The scene shifts back to the Lost City and Barak finds Avienne’s body – then finds Yerdik’s – and sees there’s no Grail. Worried that King Belgur would have his head for Avienne’s death, Barak curses Yerdik. However his anger does not last long when he finds himself being challenged by Shadolok.
The two engage in combat and seem fairly matched until Shadolok manages to land a surprising blow to Barak’s face. Falling in the water, clenching his face, Barak drops his sword and tells Shadolok that they should work together to stop Coron. Shadolok refuses, mentioning he will not be stabbed in the back the way Nightwind was. However, in that time Barak had the time to draw a small dagger and throw it – landing it right between Shadolok’s ribs.
Barak walks off, leaving the dying Shadolok behind.
The scene shifts to the City of Liam, where two Baal soldiers are beating on Sultar, telling him to allow his inner fury to come loose so that it may be harvested and shaped by Baal. Convinced that Sultar will be of no use, they decide it would be best to just kill him and be done – but they want to be amused. They take Sultar to the “Flames of Baal” and tell him he must walk across the searing coals so that the soles of his shoes will be cleansed, as will his “soul.” Sultar seemed to laugh, before jumping on the coals and merely walking around as if it were simple cobblestone.
The scene jumps back to the Lost City where Zydrak crawls out of the liquid, barely flesh and skeleton – and shatters Eyamma’s knee. Shadolok appears and destroys the fragile remains of Zydrak. Bladehelm recovers – but begins to panic because he’s lost his vision.
When Eyamma asks what happened, Shadolok explains that he wasn’t sure. The last thing he remembered was dying from the dagger that Barak had thrown – then an old man – none other than – Diocoles healing him back to life.
As Shadolok carries Nightwind, with Eyamma helping Bladehelm – they hear cries above them. Looking up they see Grundar now where Zydrak once stood, surrounded by the mutated apes. The cries belonging to none other than Armond Cres Hadrax. Before they can do anything however, Grundar begins hammering spikes into Armond Cres Hadrax’s body, and Shadolok knows there’s nothing that can be done for him now but pray for a quick death.
When they rest for the night, Shadolok confesses to Eyamma that he feels like a failure because both Bladehelm and Nightwind were under his care. Eyamma shares the wise advise of his people, and says, “A person only fails when they cease trying.”
He then smiles and adds, “And as for Barak and Coron – perhaps they will kill one another?”
The scene shifts to Coron casting a spell to destroy the Grail – when suddenly Barak appears. Barak pounds away at Coron, cursing him for killing Avienne. Coron replies back, between the beating that it was Yerdik who had killed her and that Coron had tried to save her. Barak doesn’t believe his lies – and Coron then says, “You will either die by the Grail or by King Belgur’s hands, when he learns what has happened to Avienne.”
Barak stops and tells Coron to testify about Avienne’s murder. Coron agrees, but Barak shows little caring for Coron and hits him again, knocking him to the ground, and assuring him that he’s only being kept alive to serve Barak’s needs.
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