Line #25 Literature/TheBarbarianAndTheSorceress


1	[[quoteright:298:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/43522989.jpg]]
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3	''The Barbarian and the Sorceress'' is a 2019 HeroicFantasy ShortStory by English writer Patrick Thornton.
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5	Rom, a BarbarianHero, is travelling a desolate wasteland, almost out of food and water, when Barnabus, a mysterious old man, appears before him offering him food and shelter for the night. Although suspicious, Rom accepts the old man's offer and follows him to the [[TempleOfDoom long abandoned temple]] where the old man is staying with Kira, a beautiful young woman who he claims is his daughter.
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7	Rom joins the pair for a meal, but it soon becomes apparent that neither are exactly who they appear to be...
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9	----
10	!!''The Barbarian and the Sorceress'' contains examples of:
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12	* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Rom's sword, up to [[spoiler: cutting an EldritchAbomination]].
13	* AncestralWeapon: Rom's sword.
14	--> '''Rom''': It was my father's blade, and his father's before him. And so on and so forth. It’s been in the family for a while.
15	* BadassInDistress: Rom, a BarbarianHero, gets captured by [[EvilSorcerer Barnabus]] and chained to a stone slab as a HumanSacrifice to an EldritchAbomination.
16	* BadSamaritan: Barnabus. He offers Rom food and shelter, while planning to [[HumanSacrifice sacrifice]] him to an EldritchAbomination.
17	* BarbarianHero: Rom, complete with BarbarianLonghair and BeardOfBarbarism, albeit he's a bit more of a DeadpanSnarker than most.
18	* BarrierWarrior: [[spoiler: Kira is able to conjure a mystical barrier to defend herself and Rom from Barnabus' sorcery.]]
19	* BeautifulSlaveGirl: Kira is described as quite attractive, and revealed to be Barnabus' slave.
20	* BigBad: Barnabus, an {{evil sorcerer}} planning to sacrifice Rom in a ritual, is the villain of the story.
21	* BitchInSheepsClothing: Barnabus, who pretends to be a kindly, if eccentric, hermit is really a crazy EldritchAbomination worshipping EvilSorcerer.
22	* BlackEyesOfEvil: Barnabus' eyes turn black when he uses his [[BlackMagic sorcery]], [[spoiler: as do Kira's, though in her case it's subverted as she's doing good]].
23	* BlackMagic: Barnabus' sorcery, including using it to inflict pain, choke someone, and to summon a EldritchAbomination, for the intent of gaining ''more'' power with a HumanSacrifice.
24	* BloodMagic: Part of Barnabus' ritual involves cutting Rom's chest.
25	* BraidsOfBarbarism: BarbarianHero Rom's long hair and beard are both braided.
26	* CollapsingLair: After [[spoiler: Barnabus is killed and the EldritchAbomination is driven back, the ancient temple collapses as Rom and Kira are forced to flee. In a few seconds, it's like it was never even there.]]
27	* DealWithTheDevil: Barnabus made a pact with the entity who he'll bring into the world in return for more power.
28	* DistressedDude: Rom is chained to a stone slab as a HumanSacrifice to an EldritchAbomination.
29	* ADogNamedDog: Rom's horse is called "Horse". It wasn't intentional, he just didn't name his horse due to not wanting to get too attached to it, but found himself starting to think of Horse ''as'' its name.
30	* EldritchAbomination: The creature Barnabus attempts to sacrifice Rom to.
31	--> ''As Rom watched in horror, something began to come through. His senses screamed as they attempted to process exactly what was there, before deciding that discretion was the better part of valour and giving up. All Rom could make out was tentacles and teeth, the sound of a high-pierced, inhuman screech, and the sickly sweet stench of rot.''
32	* EvilSorcerer: Barnabus, a sorcerer who tries to let an evil entity into the world by sacrificing Rom.
33	* FaceFullOfAlienWingWong: Barnabus plans for Kira to become "mother to [[EldritchAbomination his]] million spawn".
34	* GenderRestrictedAbility: Barnabus tells Rom only men have the intellect to learn sorcery. He's quite wrong however, as Kira picked it up while helping him learn from ancient scrolls.
35	* HotWitch: Kira. She's the Sorceress of the title, and rather attractive.
36	* HumanSacrifice: What Barnabus intends to do to Rom.
37	* InTheBack: [[spoiler: Kira]] stabs [[spoiler: Barnabus]] in the back.
38	* MagicIsEvil: Rom reacts violently on learning that Barnabus is a sorcerer, since his people believe this, because of ancient [[TheMagocracy sorcerer overlords]] who lusted for power. It turns out this isn't true however. Barnabus ''does'' use his powers for evil, but Kira doesn't, rather undoing his work.
39	* MyEyesAreUpHere: After Rom looks her over, starting from the feet up, Kira scathingly asks whether he had a good look.
40	* OffWithHisHead: The fate of [[spoiler: Barnabus, thanks to Rom.]]
41	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Barnabus, who's not only Kira's owner, but claimed all women lack the intellect to learn magic (Kira later proves him wrong).
42	* SwordAndSorcerer: Rom and Kira, by the end. [[spoiler: Rom kills Barnabus with his sword, while Kira uses her sorcery to banish the EldritchAbomination he's summoned.]]
43	* TempleOfDoom: The long-abandoned temple where Barnabus and Kira have been living.
44	* ThousandYardStare: Kira gets one after [[spoiler: banishing an EldritchAbomination]].
45	--> Rom looked into her eyes. They were back to normal, but there was something there, a distant look that Rom had only seen before in old warriors.

Context Literature / TheBarbarianAndTheSorceress