1
Once upon a time, long long ago
there existed a world of savage splendor.
An age made for adventure.
A time of darkness,
of demons, of sorcery.
It was a time when man, woman
and child were ruled by the sword.
But one tribe, the Ragnicks,
have the right of safe passage
throughout this world.
In the dawn of time,
their ancient king
had traded a mountain of gold
for a single sparkling ruby.
The stone was magic and
contained the secrets of music,
of joyful laughter,
of human kindness.
A wise and good man
the king knew these things were
far more precious than any earthly treasure.
And so the Ragnicks became
the world's entertainers,
storytellers, musicians.
They were joyfully
welcomed everywhere.
They adopted the orphan
twins Kutchek and Gore,
and a little girl, Kara
and they gave them the
Ragnick mark of the open road.
To show they now too
belonged to the tribe.
And the ruby passed from hand to hand.
From generation to generation.
And in time a young
and radient queen, Canary,
became the sacred guardian of its legend.
How much farther to the border?
Not far, just beyond those hills.
- Problems!
- Faster!
Faster!
Greyshaft.
Here.
You know where to hide it.
- No, I cannot leave you.
- We have no choice.
Go!
Stand aside!
My people are jugglers,
musicians, storytellers!
We have the right of free passage!
This is written!
No.
This is written:
It is time for you to learn
the pleasures of surrender.
No!
Stop it please!
Now do you understand?
You...
...and your magic, are mine.
Where is the ruby?
Put her in chains.
No!
No! No!
No!
- Kill him!
- No! I beg you!
Why?
- Are they magic?
- No!
They are orphans I
found on the road.
Please, they are only children!
If you let them live I promise...
I'll let you do whatever you want.
You promise to obey me?
Yes.
As long as I live these two
will never die by my hands...
...or by the hands of my men.
If you keep your promise.
Kadar!
The women are yours!
Congratulations my lord.
You've captured a most valuble prize.
An expensive one.
Where's the ruby?
Don't worry.
The magic stone will be ours.
Take her to my harem.
These fingers must be burned and
the ashes scattered.
Or it can be used against you.
Then see to it, sorceress.
Which one of you did this?
- Me.
- Me.
It isn't wise my lord
to allow these scorpions to live.
I made a pledge, sorceress.
They're not to die by my hand
or that of my subjects.
Then they shall die by their own hands.
They're yours, dirtmaster.
Throw them in the pit
and begin their training.
The brothers were separated
and put to work in a prison
called "The Pit".
Hey!
Their schooling consisted
of a single lesson.
Kill it!
But they refused to obey
and rebelled.
For his disobedience Kutchek
was systematically punished by a
giant in a black helmet.
Bastard!
And Gore by a giant in
a brass helmet.
In this way they were trained to
hate whoever wore that helmet.
Never the less they remained
rebellious and unbroken.
And they grew until they were men.
But not ordinary men.
Barbarians.
The animal within them had taken over.
No one could tell if either
twin remembered
or cared about his brother.
Too much time had passed,
and too much anger.
Pathetic dog!
Pathetic dog! Defend yourself!
Defend yourself!
Few women in the world have
worn jewels such as these.
Precious jewels.
More than a jewel
it looks like a chain for a slave.
Why do you do this to me?
I fill you with gifts
I give you all of my time,
my thoughts.
But you keep me in a cage!
You've bewitched me.
My lord, the moment has come.
Get out.
- Get out! Leave us!
- No my lord..
You've grown reckless, sorceress.
With reason, master.
There's much trouble in the land.
And the power of the ruby may
already be in the hands of your enemies.
You've grown weak.
I...
...am still master here.
Kadar.
Yes, but what power have you if
your heart is her prisoner?
There is still one chance
we may loosen her tongue.
- The twins are ready.
- They're alive?
Yes.
And ready to die.
At your command, my lord.
So be it.
No, you can't!
You promised you wouldn't harm them.
Yes, and I'll keep my promise.
The bastards will kill each other.
Holy Ishtar, what is this?
That's it, take a good look,
you lump of hog piss!
- I'm looking!
- Yeah?
Then suppose you tell me what
you're doing with my face?
Gore, you bloody idiot!
It's me, Kutchek! Your brother!
You lying turd, my brother is dead!
They told me the same thing about you!
Stop! Stop it please!
Stop it! Please! Stop!
- Canary! She's alive!
- That's right bonehead.
And we have to get outta here
if were're gonna save her.
Pull!
Stop those men! I want their heads!
- Now what?
- Hey, over here!
Over here!
Here!
Hey! Come here!
Look at the size of you two.
This is Ismenes lucky day.
Why don't you come and nibble on
this cage and let Ismene out of here?
Where are you going?
Where are you going?
Oh, great!
There's nobody.
No music, no colors, nothing.
It's impossible.
Holy Ishtar.
- This is China's doing.
- Hey, come on! Let me outta here!
Come on! Let me outta here!
If the Ragnicks locked you up in there
then there must be a good reason.
Just a little missunderstanding.
Careful, they've changed.
That's what's making me mad.
Hey, Ibar!
What the hell is going on?
Stay where you are, fatty.
Fatty?
- Me?
- You.
Fatty?
Who do you call "fatty", moosehead?
We caught them! Yay!
Hey Ibar! Enough fun and games!
It's us!
Kutchek and Gore. We've escaped.
You're lying.
The twins died long ago.
Get the outlaw girl,
we'll have a little entertaiment.
Hang all three of them.
Hey wait!
I don't even know these guys!
Let 'em hang! Let 'em hang!
Wait! Where's Kara??
She'll recognize us.
Yeah, Kara.
Kara? Who's Kara?
There's no Kara here.
She left many years ago.
- Come on, let the show begin.
- Wait husband!
How do they know of Kara?
Perhaps...
My brother. Watch this.
Hey, how did I do?
Almost as good as me.
No wait!
What do you want to do?
I want to find out who they are.
Husband, come here!
It's the open road,
the mark of the open road!
Right where nanny put it.
Come on, maybe now we can get to work.
We need some real weapons to rescue Canary.
It's no use. We have no weapons.
Besides, no one is strong enough
to oppose Kadar.
Are you kidding?
Look at us, we're huge!
Hey! Hey! I know where you can find
the weapons you want.
If someone wouldn't mind loosening these ropes,
perhaps I wouldn't mind loosening my tongue.
Hey.
Ismene, how do we know
we can trust you?
Ibar says all you're
interested in is gold.
- So what if it's true?
- If it's true, I'll wrestle you!
Shut up! We're not playing games here you know.
There'd better be some weapons in this tavern.
Don't worry about it.
In the "Bucket 'o Blood"
everything can be bought for a price.
Now, while you guys try to buy the weapons
I'm gonna see if I can find a way to
sneak you into Kadar's palace.
Hey buddy! Nice eye.
By the way, do you know where we
can buy any weapons?
Weapons?
Hey, Jacko.
So you want a deal, eh?
You want Jacko to give you
armour, weapons, horses? Yes?
- For this you give Jacko gold.
- Yeah, something like that.
Good. Now show gold to Jacko.
All of it.
You guys overpay Jacko.
What did I tell you?
You're always overdoing things.
Take back the ring.
Now look what you did.
You made him mad.
- Let's take out business elsewhere.
- Wait!
Forget deal.
Jacko make new deal.
- We're listening.
- We make little game.
Wrestling with the arm.
You mean you wanna armwrestle?
- Your gold against all my weapons.
- You're on.
Only, if Jacko wins...
you throw woman in too.
- It's a deal. Good!
- What?
Hey, wait a minute.
What do you think I am,
their personal property?
- Gore, get out of here, he's mine.
- No, get out.
- I'm doing it!
- Out!
Go ahead.
Armwrestling's my life.
- Who's your friend?
- This little darling? Froila.
Tell Froila to go eat a rat.
Ready?
Ready.
- Ready.
- Go!
It's not smart to beat Jako.
I know, but my brother is
a little slow.
He probably won't figure it out
until he's already won.
Tell your friend to behave herself.
You frightened her!
Move!
I've found out that Kadar keeps
the queen caged in his harem.
There's a secret tunnel
that can get you guys in there.
- Ok?
- Let's go!
Those guys are nasty.
Get those.
Lift her up.
- Come on.
- Hurry!
- What are you doing?
- Will you put her down!
Put her down.
This is no problem.
One good shove and we're in.
- Just give me a little room.
- Wait a minute!
- Why do you always get to have all the fun?
- Kutchek!
- I'm going.
- You always get to do everything first!
- What are you doing?
- What are you talking about?
Who goes there?
Just another working girl
that ended up in Talchet.
Not bad for a working girl.
Gee, thanks.
Move.
Hurry! Hurry!
According to my information
we're here.
Let me do this.
Okay, come here.
If you follow this passage it should
take you right to the harem.
I'll stay out here and watch
for Kadar's guards.
Oh, by the way: rumor is that
Kadar is so in love with Canary...
...that he's neglected all his
other women for years.
So be careful in there.
Good luck.
Over here.
- Canary.
- Canary.
That snake! What's he done to you?
- Are you all right?
- I am now.
- You sure took your time getting here.
- We hurried, but...
Never mind.
You've grown.
- And Kara?
- No...
No one's seen her since
Kadar captured us.
We've gotta get you out of here.
Forget about that.
If you free me it will alert
Kadar and his men.
- Yeah but...
- Listen to me, you've got to get the belly stone.
- The ruby?
- Yes.
You've got to get the magic
back to the Ragnicks.
Greyshaft hid the stone the day
we were captured.
If it ever were to fall into
the wrong hands...
It won't. Not while we're alive.
- Where did he hide the ruby?
- Limetree.
- Limetree?
- The forbidden lands...
There's no time to lose.
Tell me what you remember
about limetree.
Remember all the bedtime stories
I used to tell you?
- Well...
- Think.
I know! That's where our ancestors
buried their gold.
Yeah right! A mountain of gold in
return for the belly stone.
- And it was guarded by a dragon.
- An enormous dragon.
And he's called "The Gravemaker".
Nobody can defeat the dragon without...
Without...
Without the sacred weapons.
- I knew that.
- I knew that.
You have to go to the tomb of
the ancient king.
- There you'll find the weapons you need.
- Ok, but you're going with us.
If I leave Kadar will follow.
- I'll be all right.
- We'll be back.
I know.
Gore!
- No.
- Yeah.
- Gore, no!
- Yeah.
- No.
- Yeah.
- No.
- Yes.
Yes!
Where the hell have you been?
We've been looking for you all night.
What do you mean "where the hell have I been"?
Where the hell have you been?
I've been sitting here all night.
Real cute.
Well, the horses are waiting over here.
- Get me off!
- Wait!
Wait for me!
This will teach you to defy
the sorceress!
Where is the magic ruby?
Speak!
Speak!
Enough.
You pathetic creature.
Your little secret has been discovered.
Soon I'll have the ruby
and its power...
and you'll just be another one
of Kadar's harlots.
Gather my guards.
Who's trechary is this? The sorceress?
Yes, my lord.
Saddle the horses!
I want China.
The power of the ruby will be mine.
No one defies Kadar.
I thought we were going to Limetree.
What is this - the scenic route?
Listen - pay attention, okay?
We've got to get the sacred weapons
from the tomb of the ancient king.
Or we'll be defenceless against
the dragon. Got it?
The what?
Get it off!
The ruby.
I don't like the axe,
I want the sword.
I want the axe.
Good, I like the sword better.
- You're not afraid, are you?
- Are you kidding?
Who the hell were they?
Forgot to ask.
- So now what?
- Look!
- So?
- So what?
- So where's the ruby?
- I don't know.
- Canary said the ruby was gonna be here.
- Where?
- Right here.
- Here?
- Yeah, right here.
- There's no ruby here.
- I know there's no ruby here. What do you want me to do?
- There's no ruby here!
- No kidding, but what I am supposed to do?
- So what are we gonna do?
- I don't know!
- You don't know?
- What do you mean you don't know?
- I don't know!
I should kill you now.
I should kill you.
- I should kill you, you ugly scum.
- Look at you, you skinny piece of....
Watch out!
Fight or run?
Run.
Look!
Quick!
Look. I have an idea.
We get in the hole. When it moves
over the top we kill it
- We?
- I mean you.
Here dragon!
Here dragon, dragon, dragon!
Come on.
China?
The ruby.
The ruby. Where's the ruby?
What do you mean,
you don't have the ruby?
- I thought you had the ruby.
- I don't have the ruby.
What a waste of time, all this
for nothing.
- I was fighting the dragon.
- Oh, what was I doing?
- What is this, dragon piss?
- The ruby.
Don't take your eyes of the ruby.
"Don't take your eyes of the ruby."
Take this to Ibar.
We're gonna save Canary.
- Kara.
- Who?
Kara.
I hope I'll never have to go
back to those swamps again!
- Where did you find the horses?
- They were waiting for us.
They knew by instinct that we'd be back.
Good luck!
- Do you think we can trust her?
- Of course, she's Kara.
She'd never betray us.
Why're we going this way?
Because this way we'll get to Talchet
where they least expect us to,
surprise Kadar from behind.
Give up Kadar.
Every Ragnick will fight to the death
before they give up that ruby.
Silence.
One more word out of you and I'm
gonna cut your throat.
Soon we'll come across your friends.
It's the last time we'll see them.
Because today is the day
of their death.
Gore! Kutchek!
Gore!
It's Canary, let's go!
You've lost your magic.
Once, with your songs and your smile
you'd charm the hearts of men...
with the promise of gift of happiness.
Now your words are full of hate
and death.
Soon the power of the ruby will be mine.
You'll never get your hands on the ruby.
Only the eyes of an eagle can gaze on the ruby.
A serpent would be blinded by it...
and his mind confounded.
It looked to me as if you had fled.
As if you were free.
My magic made you think so.
Now I am free.
Pin.
Where are the others?
Where's Ibar and Allura?
- What's happened, child?
- Where are Kutchek and Gore?
I don't think they'll be coming back.
They rode off towards Talchet,
to try and free Canary.
We got the ruby.
There must be a curse on it.
It turned into a stone.
That means Canary is dead.
So be it.
The song is finished,
the laughter silent
the dream, dead.
You mean you're giving up?
Get the wagons and cut them loose.
We can still save our lives.
We've tried a thousand times.
As soon as we cut one vine,
two more spring up in its place.
A miracle.
A miracle.
The Ragnicks can choose
another queen.
Hurry, bring all the virgins.
Canary?
- Only two?
- Only two.
- In the whole tribe.
- In the whole tribe.
Yes. Yes.
Hurry.
No. No. There has to be someone.
You, child. Come here. Quickly!
Me?
Oh, no.
- No, not me.
- Bring her here!
Let go of me you clown!
You're crazy! I'm no virgin!
Child, this is no time for
subtleties.
Hold her still and uncover
her belly.
- But, husband...
- Be quiet!
It fits!
It's no use, child. You're the queen.
But husband, you fool.
She's not a Ragnick.
- No, no...
- No wait! Wait!
It's all right.
I am Kara.
It's Kara.
The queen!
This way.
Come on.
You're alive!
I want the reins.
I don't like the reins.
I don't like the reins.
Good, I like the reins better.