"Spawn of Dagon" by Henry Kuttner (July 1938) Originally appeared in Weird Tales, July 1938 Plot: Elak and Lycon are thieving and drinking in San-Mu. The city guard almost catch them except a mysterious figure rescues them, and takes them into a dark, secret tunnel. The mystery man is named Gesti and he offers Elak a job, to enter the tower of the wizard Zend, to destroy a magical gem he has there and kill the wizard. Elak leaves his drunken friend and goes into the tower through a secret door in the floor. He sneaks about before he hears footsteps. He escapes capture by climbing up into the shadowy ceiling. From there he sees the dwarf Zend and his undead servant carrying a beautiful young woman into his inner sanctum. Elak opens the secret door after them, enters and finds different rooms separated by curtains. In one of them is the ruby gem he has been sent to destroy. While doing this, he is discovered by the undead servant. Elak fights him though his sword can not really hurt him. Elak destroys the zombie by tripping it out a high window. Soon after the tower is invaded by a race of squidy creatures, the Children of Dagon, lead by Gesti. Their squidgy bodies are immune to weapons and Elak and Zend are tied up. Gesti removes his mask, revealing he too is a Child of Dagon. He explains that his race wishes to destroy all humankind and take back the world. Elak, Zend and the unconscious girl, Coryllis, are to be used as blood sacrifices. Left alone, Zend tries to untie Elak's bonds. While he is doing this he explains more about the evils of the Children of Dagon, how they have sunk many continents and would do the same to Atlantis with their blood. The ruby gem had held them at bay for its extraterrestrial rays are deadly to the Dagonites. Lycon wakes from his drunk and shows up to free them. Zend is sent to fix the gem while Lycon and Elak hold off the invaders. The battle is not going well when a wave of red illumination destroys the Dagonites, turning them into grey-colored ooze. Elak and Lycon wisely choose to leave then before Zend tries to recapture them. Lycon heads for the inn with Elak's stolen purse while Elak and Coryllis lie down together. Monsters: Children of Dagon - a fishy aquatic race that ruled the world before land appeared. Their agenda is to sink all continents and take back the world. Only the red stone magic from the stars that Zend uses stops them. They worship the forbidden and evil god Dagon. Reanimated corpse - the body of a decapitated criminal is revived with sorcery and follows Zend's every command. Sphinx-Creatures - mentioned as a race that existed before mankind and destroyed by the Children of Dagon Stone Beings - mentioned as a race that existed before mankind and destroyed by the Children of Dagon History: The most Lovecraftian of the Elak tales it also follows a plot/theme created by Howard in which a barbarian is hired to rob/kill a wizard by a dishonest third-party. Howard used it in "Rogues in the House", John Jakes in "Devils in the Walls", and Jack Vance in "Eyes of the overworld" to name three.
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