Pinned up against jagged rock with nowhere to run and with some demon grinning in his face, the small ghusky couldn't help but wonder how he had gotten himself into this position.

It should have been easy. The mausoleum of the late Emperor was located amidst the desolation caused by his passing; The only things living nearby were leagues distant. Allegedly protected only by remoteness and a hostile environment, looting the mausoleum had promised to provide the riches necessary to return home. Outcast after a minor incident, the ghusky had finally had enough of living in places others had forgotten. Blast the consequences for going back- anywhere was better than nowhere.

He'd spent days trekking across the shattered valley before his eyes caught the high dome of the mausoleum rising over the dunes. Carefully finding his way through the canyons that spanned and divided the region, he crept his way into the structure at nightfall and located the empirial sarcophagus. Within minutes he'd broken the seal and was working on shifting the lid, eager to see what was inside. Unfortunately, that was when the nightmare began.

Within the heavy darkness of the mausoleum, a guardian had been placed to stand watch over his majesty's eternal slumber. The hulking canine stood head and shoulders over his prey; His toned body toughened further by the violence of the wastes and the zeal of his task. He calmly leapt from the shadows as soon as the seal on the sarcophagus had been broken and, seemingly effortlessly, sent his intruder flying across the room with a single blow. The ghusky was dazed and, coming to, saw twin pale green eyes glaring at him from across the darkness. That was enough to start him running.

Shivering, he could still see the beast's toothy grin as it lunged after him.

Nothing that big should have ever been able to move that fast, or with such ease. Down narrow canyon trails, across shifting dunes and up crumbling cliff faces, his beefy predator never seemed to slow or grow the least bit tired. The chase continued for hours, and it was only when the ghusky was nearing collapse from sheer exhaustion that he drew his dagger and turned to his pursuer in one last desperate stand. Before he could react, an explosion of grey fur knocked the weapon from his hand and broke it in the same motion. What felt like a mountain struck him across the face, and his footpaws left the ground as he was roughly lifted.

"I...don't suppose we could compromise?" The ghusky quavered, his nerve having long since failed.

The guardian smiled, his massive footpaw crashing down to rest on a dry bush. Sounding like thunder in a rock slide, his voice rumbled forth for the first time.

"What is best in life?"

The ghusky was confused. "I-I Don't-"

"To crush your enemies!" The guardian bellowed. "To see them driven before you!"

Babbling took hold of the smaller canine then. "You've crushed me- You've won! I took nothing! I WAS RUNNING AWAY!" His captor continued speaking as the ghusky's tunic slowly began to tear.

"And?" the grey furred hulk questioned, ignoring and interrupting his prey's blabbering.

"And what?!" cried the ghusky.

Sharp teeth moved into a dangerous smile. "And to hear the lamentation of their women..."

Time slowed as the sun began to rise. The ghusky felt those pale green eyes moving across his body and suddenly he knew. The remoteness of this place, the lack of anyone for miles, this sole defender of a dead emperor existing alone in isolation for untold years...

"I...I know people." he whined, horror creeping into his tone. "Whatever you want, it's yours, just let me g-"

The Guardian's hand dropped to his marked waistpiece, the only bit of clothing he wore, and he calmly untied the leather straps holding it in place before continuing.

"Weapons and armour are for cowards. Allow me to relieve us of both before continuing this fight."

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Higher Resolution (3000x4000): https://ssdciq.bay.livefilestore.co.....res.jpg?psid=1

This took me forever!

Waaaaay back in January, I went into an art trade with a good friend. He was awesome enough to have his part finished almost immediately, but it was around that time that I became really self-critical of my work and I never could get my end of the trade to a level I was satisfied with. Over the last few months I've been working on this on and off in order to get past many of the blocks I had in my drawing, and I'm so happy that the finished product was able to make up for the exceptionally long wait. Thanks again Sampson, you rock!

Art Trade with  sampsonwoof, with a Conan the Barbarian theme.

Drawn in Open Canvas 1.1 and Sai