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The Stone of Vorg

















	














One memorable day, a stranger came out of the wilderness. Although he was simply dressed, he bore himself like a leader of warriors.

He dismounted at a kerbside inn and ate his simple meal in silence.

Later, crossing the Great Square of the city, the stranger espied a great boulder planted there.

He hailed a passer-by.

Tell me, fellow, what is that doing here?

Why, that is the stone of Vorg! I will tell you its story . . .

“Many lunar years ago, before the foundation of the empire, Targo, the father of the Emperor Trigo and a great chief among the Vorgs, was lost while hunting In the hills” . . .

I shall never reach camp now. It will be a chill night in the open for me.

“Targo made a fire and prepared some food. Presently . . .”

Who comes? Friend or foe?

I come in peace.
























	














“By his raiment, Targo recognised the newcomer as a sootha, or wandering wise-man.”

My son, spare a morsel to eat for a poor wanderer, and you will not regret it.

Be seated, master. Half of what I have is gladly yours.

“The meal over, the sootha made an astounding prediction to the Vorg chief . . .”

You have a son and he will lead your people to an unheard-of greatness. He will become the principal ruler of all the planet Elekton, until . . .

Until when, master?

“The sootha pointed.”

Until he who is able to smite that stone asunder with one blow of his fist, comes and takes your son’s Imperial crown from him!

“It was the Emperor Trigo himself who, many years later, had the stone brought to his own capital city and set up in the Great Square.”

That stone shall stand here, as a reminder to me that I must always rule you justly and well. If I fail in my task, may the prophecy be fulfilled . . .may he who can smite the stone asunder come and take my Imperial crown from me!

The story ended, the stranger gazed at the stone of Vorg.

Of course, it would be impossible to break the stone, even with a war-club, let alone with the bare fist.

I wonder . . .

Before the astonished gaze of the passers-by, the stranger raised his fist and brought it down.

Hah!

 . . . Huh!

He’s done it!

This instalment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 668 on 2 November 1974.

 
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The Food of the Gods (continued . . .)

















	

















	

















	

















	
















	
	
	
	
	Prepare to open fire !
	Not one stone is to
	be left standing !

	
	Then the leader saw . . .

	
	
	
	
	By all the
	stars ! Zargots !

	
	This herd of the most savage
	predators on Elekton had also
	eaten of the “food of the gods”.

	
	They fell upon the war-machines
	before the boys had time to
	bring their guns on aim . . .

	
	. . . and scattered
	them like toys.

	
	Janno and Peric had brought the news to the Emperor. They
	saw the destruction from the roof of the Imperial Palace.

	
	
	
	
	The boys
	seem to have
	escaped—
	they’re in
	full flight.

	
	
	
	
	The zargots have
	destroyed all the
	war-machines.

	
	
	
	
	We have exchanged one
	evil for another ! It is
	the zargots who will pound
	Trigan City to rubble.


























	

















	
















	
	Indeed, it seemed that Peric’s prediction would come true. But approaching the out-
	skirts of the city, the herd sighted a plantation of fruits, the deadly “food of the gods”.

	
	The defeated boys lay and watched
	the herd browsing on the fruit.

	
	
	
	
	Those brutes
	won’t stop till
	they’ve eaten
	the lot !

	
	
	
	
	I’m craving
	for some of that
	“food of the gods”.

	
	
	
	
	There’s nothing we can
	do. We may be super-
	creatures but we can’t
	handle super-zargots !

	
	It was at that time that the botanist, Beris,
	arrived at the Imperial Palace, to see
	his friend, Peric.

	
	
	
	
	Peric, I have analysed the structure of the
	alien plant and have established that its
	awful effect upon living beings is only
	temporary. Furthermore, I have devised
	a chemical that will rapidly kill the plant,
	if sprayed upon it from the air.

	
	
	
	
	We need some
	of that chemical
	now, Beris, to
	save Trigan City !

	
	Soon after, Janno flew over the zargot herd and sprayed
	the deadly plant. It withered to the touch of the chemical.
	Dismayed, the zargots moved on to find fresh plantations,
	but Janno was always ahead of them, killing, killing . . .

	
	The following day, a bedraggled mob of boys straggled shamefacedly into
	Trigan City. The effects of the “food of the gods” had left them forever.

	
	
	
	
	I—I don’t know what came over us.
	We didn’t seem to have any control over
	our actions. All we wanted to do was
	destroy, destroy, destroy !

	
	As Peric said later . . .

	
	
	
	
	We have also confirmed that
	the seeds of the plant came
	from the fragment of destroyed
	planet that was observed in the
	fourth lunar month of this year.
	It is not hard to guess how
	that planet was destroyed—
	by an atomic war !

	
	
	
	
	The same thing
	could have happened
	on Elekton !

This instalment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 667 on 26 October 1974.