Chapter Text
Chapter One
In the year 1994, from out of space comes a runaway planet, hurtling between The Earth and The moon, unleashing cosmic destruction. Man's civilization is cast in ruin. Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn. A strange new world rises from the old. A world of Savagery, super science, and sorcery.
A great wooden ship cuts through the choppy waters of the sea as it sails at a tremendous pace. Men run about the deck, working the rigging with all their strength and skill. Standing at the helm is a large, burly man with a thick brown beard and piercing blue eyes, his ragged clothing those worn by sea captains from years past. His name is Captain Willows.
Standing next to him is a large and muscular man, dressed in the furs of a barbarian. His blonde hair is the colour of wheat, his eyes as blue as the sky on a clear spring day. His furs are thick and brown, perhaps from a bear or similar animal. He wears the tooth of a great carnivorous beast about his neck on a leather thong, and thick leather bracers on his wrists. Attached to one bracer is a golden sword hilt. His name is Thundarr.
Next to him is a beautiful and shapely woman. Her hair is long and thick, and black as a raven's wing. Her olive skin and almond eyes mark her as being of Asian descent. She wears a light blue leotard with gold trim, and gold coloured boots which come up nearly to her knees. Her wrists also are clad in golden bracers, and she wears a gold circlet about her head. She is Thundarr's friend and companion, Princess Ariel, a sorceress.
Leaning over the gunwale is a large leonine humanoid. He stands perhaps 8' tall. His body is covered in a sleek, tan coloured fur, not unlike that of a cougar or mountain lion. His head is covered in a thick mane of golden hair, like that of a lion. He wears a simple loincloth and boots of black animal hide. He is a mok, one of a race of leonine people who combine the traits of lions and men in much the same way minotaurs of ancient Greek legends combined the features of men and bulls. His name is Ookla, and he is Thundarr's and Ariel's nearest and dearest friend.
"I don't think Ookla has found his sea legs yet!" Captain Willows says to Thundarr, shouting to be heard over the wind.
"Moks aren't very fond of water," replies Thundarr. He then walks over to his large hairy friend.
"Take heart, Ookla," says Thundarr, "We make great time. Our sea voyage will soon be at its end and we will once again be standing on solid ground."
Ookla growls something to Thundarr in his bestial tongue, to which the barbarian has a hearty laugh.
"What?" asks Ariel, "What did he say?"
"He says 'Not soon enough'!" Thundarr translates for his human friends.
The others all laugh at Ookla's remark.
"We will be there sooner than expected, thanks to Ariel's sorcery!" shouts Captain Willows.
"It's the least I could do," says Ariel, her hands glowing yellow as she magically fills the ships sails with wind, "After all, you were nice enough to grant us passage."
"Nonsense," replies Captain Willows, "There's not a sailor aboard this vessel that doesn't owe the three of you his life, myself included. If ever you need our aid, all you need do is ask."
Princess Ariel nodded, for she knew well to what Captain Willows was referring. Years ago, Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla had joined Captain Willows on his ship in an effort to rescue another ship caught in a storm in The Mystery Zone. Their efforts were thwarted by a giant sea serpent, summoned by the evil witch, Circe. Once the rescue ship had wrecked upon the shores of the island which was once the grand city of London, the witch turned Captain Willows and his crew into toad creatures under her control. Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla eventually defeated the witch. The curse which had kept her trapped on her island for so many centuries had turned her to stone. Once Circe was defeated, Ariel was able to find Captain Willows and his crew and counteract the witch's spell. They then found the shipwrecked victims who had washed up on the islands shores over the centuries, all turned to stone by Circe's magic, and returned them to flesh and blood. Then with the help of Ariel's magic, and the ship building skills of the many veteran sailors who were once again among the living, they managed to use the bits and pieces of wrecked ships which littered the shores to build a vessel seaworthy enough to get them all back to the mainland.
Since that time, Captain Willows had acquired a new ship. One much larger and faster than his old boat. Many of the shipwrecked sailors that had been rescued had been petrified for decades, some of them even centuries, and no longer had any families to return to. Thus they elected to stay on with the Captain as new additions to his crew. The Siren's Song is now one of the most celebrated ships sailing the oceans today.
"When do you think we'll see land, Captain?" asks Thundarr.
"By the time the sun sets I should think!" replies the captain, "By dawn at the latest!"
"Will we be there in time to catch up to the wizard?" asks the barbarian.
"I don't know!" admits Captain Willows, "It depends on how much of a lead he has on us, and how fast his ship travels! Is he really that great of a threat?"
"If we can reach him before he gets his powers back, he's no more of a threat than any common brigand!" explains Thundarr, "But if he regains his magical powers, he's a danger to us all!"
Thundarr is referring to the vanquished wizard, Vashtar. Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla teamed up with three women who were prophesized to bring about Vashtar's defeat. One was an Element Shifter named Maya, who was capable of assuming the form of any element, solid, liquid, or gas. The next was a female barbarian named Synda, who fought with a magical staff which amplified her strength tenfold. The last was a fashion model from twentieth century Old Earth named Valerie Storm, who had accidentally developed the powers of sprouting angelic wings for flight, and shooting energy beams from her eyes, when Vashtar tried to destroy her with his magic. The three of them managed to combine their powers and destroy Vashtar's power source, the Gem Of Glory. Without that, he became just a plain and simple human.
Desperate to regain his lost powers, Vashtar had searched high and low for a new power source. Now he travels across the seas to search through ruins which were ancient when the world was young, seeking a power source rumored to be even greater than The Gem Of Glory. News of his search had reached the ears of Thundarr and his companions. Thus they took up the chase. And Captain Willows and his crew were only too happy to lend a helping hand.
As the setting sun touches the horizon, the lookout up in the crow's nest calls out an alert. "Ship ahoy, Captain!" shouts the lookout, "Dead ahead!"
Captain Willows gives the wheel over to the helmsman and takes out his spyglass. He looks to where the lookout had indicated, and sure enough there was a ship. Not much of a ship, mind you. Compared to The Siren's Song, it was a rickety old tub. It appeared to be anchored just off the shore of a landmass. Scurrying about the ship's deck was her crew.
"Sea rats!" hisses Captain Willows in disgust.
Thundarr takes up the captain's spyglass and looks through it. "Groundlings!" he exclaims, "I didn't know they could sail!"
"Makes sense I suppose!" says Ariel, "Rats have always been a pest aboard ships!"
"How long can you keep our sails full of wind?" Captain Willows asks Ariel.
"How long do you need?"
"Until we're plank to plank with her!"
"Consider it done!"
"Thundarr!" says Captain Willows, "You and Ookla go below decks and ready your mounts!"
"We should stay with Ariel and keep her safe!" argues the barbarian, and Ookla howls in agreement.
"My men and I will keep her safe!" says Willows, "You need to be ready to head after this wizard of yours. I'm guessing those groundlings were left behind as a diversion, to slow you down."
"Are you sure?"
"Trust me, my friend!" says the captain, "My men and I can handle a bunch of groundlings!"
"Do as he says, Thundarr!" shouts Ariel, "I'm a big girl and can take care of myself!"
"Very well," says Thundarr, "Come Ookla! We prepare our mounts!"
As the barbarian and the mok head into the cargo hold to prepare their mounts to take up the chase after Vashtar, they hear Captain Willows bellowing orders to his men. "Ready your cutlasses boys! Break out the battle axes! Batten down the hatches! Make straight for those rat faced bastards! Ramming Speed!"
"Ramming speed?" says Thundarr.
"Ramming speed?!" exclaims Ariel, somewhat alarmed.
"Trust me!" says Captain Willows.
Thundarr and Ookla go below decks and ready their mounts. Thundarr prepares his white stallion and Princess Ariel's chestnut mare. Meanwhile, Ookla prepares his equart for the hard ride ahead. They listen to the sounds of the crew running to and fro above deck, waiting for a signal that the ships are about to collide.
Up above, Princess Ariel is throwing gust after gust of magical wind into the sails. The Siren's Song picks up a remarkable amount of speed, and is rapidly closing the distance between themselves and the groundling's ship. The groundlings appear to be desperately trying to raise their anchor and their sails and turn their ship about. Unfortunately for them, in their panicked state they cannot coordinate their efforts and are tripping over one another. The Siren's Song flies at them with a speed once only matched by motor boats. "Brace yourselves lads!" cries the captain, "Prepare for impact!"
The crew all grab hold of the ships rigging, masts, and gunwale. Down below, Thundarr and Ookla hear the command and grab hold of the support beams in the ship's hull. The two vessels collide with a mighty crash. The groundlings smaller and ill kept vessel splinters under the impact of the larger and better designed frigate. When The Siren's Song comes to a halt, the only thing keeping the groundling's ship afloat is the fact that it has lodged itself onto The Siren Song's prow. "Let's give 'em what for, boys!" cries Captain Willows.
The crew of The Siren's Song storm the decks of the groundling's ship, cutlass and ax in hand. Princess Ariel clears their path for them with her spells, blasting groundlings overboard. She waves her hand at the doors of the cargo hold, opening them with her magic. Thundarr and Ookla ride their mounts up onto the deck, and then jump over the gunwale and onto the deck of the groundling's wrecked ship. Ariel leaps onto her mare as it gallops past and follows her friends. Thundarr takes the golden sword hilt off of his bracer, and with a mere thought ignites the blade of his famed Sunsword. Groundlings come running at him, their simple wooden clubs held high to attack. Thundarr's Sunsword cuts through these simple wooden weapons with ease, sending the rat like creatures running in fear.
Ookla takes out his mighty bow, and fires one, two, three stun arrows in rapid succession. Each arrow strikes a groundling, rendering it unconscious. A groundling leaps at Ookla from its ships mast, but the mok simply catches it with one mighty clawed hand and hurls it overboard.
Princess Ariel joins her friends, and creates a magical bridge which runs from the crippled ship to the shore.
"Shall we be going?" she asks.
"What of the groundlings?" asks Thundarr.
"My men and I can handle the groundlings!" says Captain Willows, "You just worry about stopping that wizard of yours!"
"We'll see you soon, old friend!" Thundarr says to the captain, "Fight well!" Then the barbarian turns to his companions and shouts "ARIEL! OOKLA! RIIIIDE!"
The three of them race their mounts towards Ariel's magic bridge at a full gallop. A group of groundlings step between the oncoming trio and the bridge in an attempt to stop them. Princess Ariel scatters them with a blast of her magic. The three friends ride their mounts across the bridge. Once they've reached dry ground, Ariel dispels the bridge. As luck would have it, some of the groundlings had tried to give chase across the bridge. And as the bridge dissipates beneath their feet, the groundlings are dumped into the cold water. Thundarr, Ariel and Ookla don't even stop to watch the spectacle. They just ride their horses down the valley that leads away from the shore, the most logical path Vashtar could have taken.
As they ride their mounts further up the valley, they come upon an ancient bronze statue of a warrior wearing a plumed helmet and carrying a spear and a shield. Thundarr reins his stallion to a halt, and the others follow suit. They dismount, and Thundarr and Ookla begin checking the ground for evidence that Vashtar had come this way. Princess Ariel, having no real skill at tracking, elects to investigate the bronze statue instead. She clears away much of the moss and debris that covers the base of the statue, revealing a bronze plaque with Greek lettering engraved upon it. Thundarr and Ookla come over and look over her shoulder at the writing on the plaque.
"That sign," says Thundarr, "What does it mean?"
"It says, 'Come And Take Them!'" replies Ariel as she reads the plaque out lout to her friends.
"That writing," remarks Thundarr, "It looks different from the words written back home."
"That's because it's written in Greek," Ariel explains, "This is a statue of King Leonidas of Sparta. We must be in the pass of Thermopylae. I read about it in my stepfather's library."
"Thurrr . . . mop . . . ah . . . leeee?"
"A great battle took place here, thousands of years ago. King Xerxes of Persia came here seeking to conquer all of Greece. The first Greek kingdom to stand in his way was Sparta, whose soldiers were renown as the mightiest warriors of their day. In order to give his wife, Queen Gorgo, time to mobilize Sparta's army and seek reinforcements from neighboring kingdoms, King Leonidas marched here with three hundred of his best warriors to hold Xerxes' army at bay. When Xerxes demanded that King Leonidas and his men lay down their weapons, he replied . . ."
"Come and take them," says Thundarr, guessing the quote. Ariel nods her head in agreement.
"So Xerxes' army attacked," she says, continuing her story, "Three hundred Spartan soldiers stood their ground against one million Persian troops."
"And a million is more than three hundred?" Thundarr asks, for as a barbarian his mathematics skills are limited to his number of fingers and toes.
"Far more," Ariel confirms, "Enough for the Persian army to march down this valley, shoulder to shoulder, taking up the entire valley floor for as far as the eye can see."
"And these Spartans fought against such odds?" Thundarr asks.
"Not just fought," says Ariel, "But for three days and three nights, King Leonidas and his three hundred Spartans endured wave after wave of attacks by the Persians. It was not until the morning of the fourth day that they fell, and only because they were betrayed by one of their own. A Spartan showed the Persians a secret path to allow them to surround the three hundred Spartans. With the Persians coming only from the front, King Leonidas and his men could have held out for many more days. As it was, they were slaughtered like cattle. Still, for every Spartan who fell during those three days, he took at least a hundred Persians with him. And King Leonidas succeeded in what he set out to do. For by the time Xerxes and his army reached the gates of Sparta, they found ten thousand Spartan soldiers waiting for him on the battlefield, and another fifty thousand reinforcements from the neighboring kingdoms of Athens and Marathon. After the heavy toll spent battling only three hundred Spartans, the thought of battling ten thousand made many of Xerxes' soldiers lose heart. And a demoralized army is a defeated army."
"A noble sacrifice indeed," agrees Thundarr, more than a little impressed by the tale, "It reminds me of what you told me about The Alamo."
"Their stories are very similar, yes." agrees Ariel, "Though this battle took place over two thousand years before The Alamo was ever built."
Ookla begins howling at his two friends. "Ookla is right," says Thundarr, "We shouldn't delay any longer. We've found Vashtar's trail, and must catch him before he finds the power that he seeks."
"Agreed," says Ariel.
The three of them mount their steeds and ride off after Vashtar. After much hard riding they come upon a set of ancient ruins. They slow their mounts to a slow walk as they guide them through the rubble strewn streets. Stone columns litter the streets, and weeds and plants grow up between the broken cobble stones. Thundarr's superior tracking skills allow the barbarian to spot faint signs of recent passage. And when signs are scarce, Ookla's superior sense of smell leads the way. The trail eventually leads them to a great stone building, crumbling and falling apart.
"What is this place?" asks Thundarr.
"This building was once a temple to Zeus, king of the Greek Gods," says Ariel, "I believe these ruins are all that's left of the kingdom of Sparta."
Suddenly, from inside the temple, comes a great crash as if something large and heavy has fallen and shattered on the floor.
"Demon dogs!" cries Thundarr as he grabs his Sunsword and ignites the blade, "Ariel! Ookla! Into Battle!"
He spurs his stallion forward at a gallop. Ookla follows close behind on his equart, composite bow and stun arrow at the ready. Princess Ariel brings up the rear, one hand grasping her mare's reigns, the other held high, glowing in magical radiance. At the back of the temple is a set of stairs, leading down into a tomb. Thundarr rides his mount down the steps, Ookla and Ariel following close behind.
There, in the tomb, they find Vashtar. He stands behind a great stone sarcophagus, the lid laying shattered on the floor, and is drinking from a golden chalice. The wizard's body glows with an unearthly energy, the likes of which neither Thundarr nor his friends had ever seen before. Vashtar sees the three of them standing there and laughs as he crushes the chalice in his hand with ease.
"You are too late, barbarian!" says the wizard, "I am now more powerful than ever!"
"We'll see about that, Vashtar!" replies Ariel, and she fires a powerful magical blast right at the wizard.
Vashtar simply raises his hand and blocks the spell. He doesn't even deflect it, but rather appears to absorb the magical energy of Ariel's sorcery. Ookla howls in rage and fires a stun arrow at Vashtar. The projectile disintegrates just inches away from Vashtar's body, the wizard making no move to dodge or even block it. Thundarr's stallion rears up on its hind legs.
"Test your might against the Sunsword, wizard!" he cries as he charges his foe.
"Fool!" replies Vashtar, "I am no longer a mere wizard! I! Am! A! GOD!"
And with that he unleashes a wave of magical power, catching all three companions in its wake. The barbarian, the sorceress, and the mok all vanish, along with their mounts. The demigod, Vashtar, then vanishes himself, leaving only the echo of his evil laugh behind in the darkened tomb.
Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla, were not destroyed in that magical attack, however. They are lying unconscious on the cold marble floor. And several pairs of sandaled feet are now gathering around them.