Thundarr The Barbarian in The Wrath Of Crom

[Thundarr]

IN​

THE WRATH OF CROM​

Chapter One

In the year 1994, from out of space came a runaway planet, hurtling between the Earth and the moon unleashing cosmic destruction! Man's civilization was cast in ruin. 2000 years later Earth is reborn. A strange new world rises from the old. A world of savagery, super science, and sorcery.

In this world, three heroes ride their mounts along an ancient paved rode. In the lead is a large muscular man riding a white stallion. His long blonde hair is the colour of straw. He wears the brown furs of a large animal and a large tooth hangs from his neck by a leather thong, marking him as a barbarian as though from some ancient legend. His wrists are adorned with leather bracers, a golden sword hilt attached to the one on his left. His blue eyes dart back and forth from one side of the road to the other, always on the lookout for danger. He is Thundarr, once a slave to the evil wizard Sabian, now a hero to the weak and the downtrodden.

Following Thundarr close behind on her chestnut mare is a beautiful young woman. Her long raven black hair flows behind her in the evening breeze. She wears a small blue outfit with gold trim, remeniscent of the swimwear people once wore centuries ago. She has golden bracers on her wrists, a matching gold circlet about her head, and yellow boots which come up almost to her knees. She is Princess Ariel, the stepdaughter of the wizard Sabian who had enslaved Thundarr, and was instrumental in his escape. She spent most of her life in her stepfathers library, learning all she could about history, culture, and sorcery. Her almond shaped eyes and olive skin mark her as of Asian descent, though many such destinctions are lost to the world now.

Bringing up the rear is their companion. A large lionine humanoid called a mok, riding a massive lizard like alien mount called an equart, for only equarts are strong enough to carry such large riders as moks. Moks combine the features of lions and men in much the same way minotaurs of ancient Greek myth combined the features of bulls and men. He has sleek tan coloured catlike fur covering his entire body, similar to the coat of a cougar or a puma. He has a long golden mane, and short black and grey hair on his face. He wears a black fur loincloth and matching boots, although this appears to be more out of modesty than any need to protect himself from the elements. The mok's name is Ookla. He and Thundarr befriended each other when they were both slaves of the wizard Sabian. When Ariel freed her stepfather's slaves, Ookla elected to stay with Thundarr.

Together the three of them have been riding across the land, defying the wizards who rule where ever they encounter them. Thundarr and his white stallion leap over the wreckage of an ancient Ford Mustang lying in the middle of the road, clearing the ancient automobile with ease. Ariel follows close behind on her mare, also clearing the wreckage. Ookla and his equart leap over the automobile, but don't quite clear it and squashes the ancient sportscar flat.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, stormclouds roll across the sky which was perfectly clear just moments ago. Thunder and lighting light up the sky, and the three friends are hit with rain, wind, and hail.

"Demon dogs!" Thundarr shouts, one of his favorite expressions, as the storm hits.

"This is no ordinary storm!" Ariel shouts in an attempt to be heard above the wind and the thunder, "This storm is wizard's work!"

"Aye!" Agrees Thundarr, "But who? And why?"

"This is my storm, barbarian!" Says a familiar voice, "And I am here to exact my revenge!"

Out of the storm cloud comes a grey skinned wizard wearing a purple cloak and a red helmet. Thundarr and his companions recognize him as the wizard Crom, whom they had defeated at the ruins of The Alamo years before.

"You used my moondial to go into the past and repair The Guardian machine! You destroyed my moondial so that I can no longer travel back to Old Earth to steal weapons for my army! You bested me at The Alamo, and robbed me of my slaves! For that, you must pay!"

"Then come here, wizard!" Thundarr replies, "And face Thundarr's fury!"

With that, Thundarr removed his Sunsword from its place on his bracer and ignites its blade. Princess Ariel brings her hands up above her head, summoning her magic in preparation for a spell. Ookla takes out his mighty mok composite bow and aims a stun arrow at the wizard. Crom laughs at their efforts and pulls a staff with a large red crystal on the end out from beneath his cloak. Ookla fires his stun arrow at the wizard, who merely vaporizes it with his staff. Ariel launches multiple balls of energy at Crom, but he simply uses his staff to conjure a sheild to repel them.

"Is that all you can manage wizard?" Thundarr taunts, "A little thunder storm and a few shields?"

"Actually," replies Crom, "I'm just getting warmed up!"

With that, Crom points his magical staff up at the sky. A blast of crimson sorcery strikes the storm clouds, and they begin to swirl around, faster and faster. Soon they form gigantic inverted funnels, like tornadoes turned upside down. At a gesture from Crom, the funnel moves over to Ariel. The sorceress desperately holds onto her mare's reigns, but she and her horse are sucked up by the giant whirlwind.

"Thundarrrrrrrrrrrr!" She cries as she disappears from sight.

"Ariel!" Thundarr shouts back, "Ariel!"

Next the wizard directs the funnel over to Ookla. Like Ariel before him, the mok and his mount were sucked up into the funnel. Ookla howls in protest as he disappears into the whirlwind.

"Ookla!" Thundarr calls, but gets no answer.

Now Crom moves the funnel over the barbarian. Thundarr grips his stallion's reigns tight, as he and his mount are dragged into the whirlwind along with his two companions.

"Demon . . . Dooooogssss!" He cries as he too disappears.

Crom laughs evilly as he raises his staff over his head and vanishes in a flash of light. Then the storm dissipates as quickly as it had appeared.

Elsewhere, a swirl of clouds appears in the sky near a snow capped mountain peak. Out of this twisting hole in the sky comes Thundarr and his white stallion. They land in a huge mound of white powdery snow. Thundarr gets up out of the snowbank and shakes the snow out of his hair. He quickly checks his mount. Luckily it suffered no damage in the fall. The barbarian then looks about for his companions. There were no tracks of any kind to be found, save those he and his stallion made when they arrived. If Ariel and Ookla were somewhere on this mountain, they would start heading down to where it was warmer. And that would be his best chance to catch up with them. So Thundarr mounts his white stallion and starts off along the first path that leads downwards.

Out in the middle of a large, clear lake, a whirlwind of clouds appears high up above the water. Seconds later, Princess Ariel and her mare fall from the hole in space and into the water. Ariel resurfaces just as the portal dissipates. She treads water for several minutes, looking around for Thundarr and Ookla. Niether of them surface, which she figures means they didn't arrive at the same place. Or at least, that's what she hopes it means. She swims over to her horse, which had already started swimming for shore, and grabs hold of its tail to get towed to land.

In the middle of a desert, just above a sand dune, clouds form out of nowhere and swirl into a whirlwind. Out of the portal fall Ookla and his equart. They tumble down the sandy slope, and by the time Ookla regains his feet the portal is gone. The mok looks about for his companions, but they are nowhere to be found. He climbs back up to the top of the dune and takes a look around. In nearly every direction, all he sees for miles and miles are more miles and miles. In all directions except one. There, far in the distance, are mountains. Ookla doesn't know where the others are, but he does know that if they are anywhere in this desert, they would be heading toward those mountains. That would be the most likely place to find not only shelter, but also clean drinking water. He checks his equart for injuries. Luckily, it wasn't injured in the fall. So he mounts the beast and starts to ride towards those mountains.

At the lake, Princess Ariel is just getting to the shore. She had let go of her mare's tail and is wading into shore on her own. She's shivering, as the water is icy cold, most likely fed from the glacial melts of the nearby mountains. She staggers out of the water, exhauster and freezing cold. She unsteadily moves towards a soft looking patch of grass, which is out in the open where the sun can shine down upon it unobstructed. Whether it's from luck or sheer determination she's not sure, but she manages to reach the grass and collapse. She let's herself fall asleep and allows the sun to warm her. Sometime later, she's not exactly sure how long (could have been minutes, could have been hours), Ariel wakes up. She no longer feels like she's freezing, but her clothes are still waterlogged and cold. She tries to get up, but finds that her legs are still very weak from having to tread water for so long. She pulls off her boots and dumps the water out, the places them on a log where she's sure they will get a lot of sun. Then she takes off her leotard and wrings it out. It had retained a surprising amount of lake water. She lays that out on the log as well to let it dry. She's not sure if there are any settlements nearby, but this is a matter of survival. If people come by while her clothes are drying, she's just going to have to deal with it. When it's a choice between survival and modesty, survival wins every time. She then goes back to that comfy patch of grass and goes back to sleep. Hopefully by the time she wakes up, her legs will be able to support her weight and and her clothes will be dry.

Up in the mountains, Thundarr is carefully guiding his horse down the mountain path. He has to be cautious, for this path does not appear to be well travelled. There are many areas that are very icy, and other areas where the snow is very unstable. As he's trying to determine if there is actual ground under the ice and snow beneath their feet, or of they are walking on a path composed entirely out of ice and snow, from out of nowhere Thundarr is tackled by some great shaggy beast.

"Demon dogs!" Exclaims the barbarian as the creature lands on top of him.

It looks like a wild cross between an ape and a bear, with fur as white as Thundarr's mount. It has wrapped one of its massive arms around Thundarr's waist, while its other hand is grasping the back of the barbarian's head. It is pulling Thundarr's head towards its mouth, as it opens its jaws wide exposing its massive, mok like teeth.

"You won't be dining on barbarian tonight, creature!" Says the barbarian.

Thundarr places both hands against the creatures jaws and pushes with all of his might. However, this beast is nearly as strong as Ookla. And as strong as he is, Thundarr just can't match strength with a mok. As the beast is squeazing him, Thundarr realizes that he actually feels colder when wrestling with this beast than he did before it attacked. He knows he must act soon, or the monster will snap his spine. Luckily, while the creature might have near mok strength, it seems to be a thoughtless beast. And most beasts fear fire. Thundarr pushes with all of his strength with his left hand against the beast's chin. With his right he quickly grabs the Sunsword from his bracer and ignites it right in the monster's face. As Thundarr had hoped, this startled the creature and it drops the barbarian. Thundarr immediately springs back out of its deadly reach. He notices that almost as soon as the beast let go, he begins to feel warmer. He's not sure if this is because he's no longer in contact with the beast, or simply because he had ignited the Sunsword's fiery blade. Somehow he suspects the former. He makes a quick mental note to ask Ariel about it, should he ever see her again. Thundarr soon discovers that this beast is not nearly as thoughtless as he first believed. While it was startled by the Sunsword's fiery blade, its response to the appearance of the weapon is to break off a gigantic icicle off of a rocky overhang and wield it like a club.

"Hungry for more, beast?" Thundarr asks, "Then come taste the fury of my Sunsword!"

Thundarr starts backing up, waving his Sunsword back and forth threateningly, until he puts his heels right up against an icy cliff with a thousand foot sheer drop. The monster swings at Thundarr, who ducks under the clumsy attack. The beast is teetering on the edge of the cliff, as Thundarr slashes the ground out from under it.

"So long, creature!" He says as it drops out of sight as the ledge beneath its feet crumbles.

Thundarr checks the immediate area to see if there are any more of these beasts lying in wait. When it becomes clear that this beast was a solo hunter, he extinguishes his blade, gathers his horse, and continues on down the mountain.

Ookla was well into his fourth day in this strange foriegn desert. He knows he's in a foriegn land, for the moon above is not broken. The stars look different as well. While he couldn't name any of these strange stars, or know if they had any constilations in this place, he was able to pick out a bright star just above the highest peak of the mountain range, and use that as his guide at night. And despite the blistering sun, he and his equart rode on all through the days as well. While he drank from his canteen sparingly, he ran out of water a couple of days ago. However he can smell fresh water in the distance. And grass. And trees. There is life at the edge of this desert, and where there's life there's hope. So he spurs his mount on a little further. Another day and night of hard riding have gone by. Ookla is nearly asleep in his saddle. His equart is staggering as it walks, barely able to keep going. Ookla doesn't realize it right away, but they are no longer traveling the desert wastes. There are grasses under foot. Not a lot. A patch here, a patch there, but it is grass. And it's green, and it's fresh. The equart stops to graze on this new treat. As neither of them had eaten in days, Ookla doesn't protest. The green grasses seem to reinvigorate the equart, and it continues on with renewed strength and determination. Soon, Ookla smells something in the air that picks up his spirits as well. It also gets his stomach growling. The smell of roasting meat and of woodsmoke. That can mean only one thing. People! He spurs his equart on even faster, hoping that he has stumbled upon Thundarr and Ariel's campsite. When he arrives at the campsite, he's fairly certain that it isn't Thundarr's and Ariel's. There are four horses tethered here. While there is a chesnut mare with a black mane, he sees that there are four saddles laid out on a fallen log, and Ariel and Thundarr both ride their mounts bareback. And none of the horses is a white stallion. But while these people might not be his friends, they had things he desperately needed. Mainly food and water. And while he dislikes the thought of stealing from these people, especially since moks are an honourable people, he will do what he has to in order to survive. As he rides into their camp, he sees that they have gone and left their gear behind. One of them even left his shield behind, with a magnificent fiery bird emblem on it. Aparently they either have great faith in their fellow man, or they were incredibly foolish. Either way, they were nowhere to be found to stop him from helping himself to a few of their provisions. Each of their horses was drinking water from a wooden bucket. He took two of the buckets, gave one to his equart so it could drink, and then drank the other one himself. That alone helped to revitalize the mok. Then he took the meat that was roasting on the spit and began biting off great big mouthfuls. By The Lords Of Light, that meat tasted good!

 

[Thundarr]

​

Chapter Two

On their way back from fishing at the lake, the four campers were all talking and laughing. In the lead is Conan, a barbarian from the northern mountains of Cimmeria. He is big and muscular, with long raven black hair. Next to him is Jasmine, an attractive young acrobat with long brown hair who grew up in a traveling circus. Then there is a large dark skinned man named Zula, who is the warrior prince of a kingdom called Wasai. And finally there is Grey Wolf, a wizard from the magical city of Xanthus. He has a blue stripe tattooed across his eyes, and he wears a grey turban and an enchanted yellow cape.

Each of them carries a weapon made out of a very special metal. Years ago, when Conan was but a teenager, there was a great meteor shower. The meteors were all made out of some sort of metal ore. Conan and his grandfather gathered up as many of these meteors as they could find and gave them to Conan's father, who was their village blacksmith. He used this metal ore to forge weapons, armour, and tools. Once tempered, the raw ore becomes known as starmetal. Conan's father made many starmetal weapons, and sold most of them at a trade bazaar. He kept only the sword, his finest work, which he gave to Conan. But then the evil wizard, Wrath-Amon, came to their village demanding that they turn over all of their starmetal. When he learned that they had sold it all, he cursed Conan's family with a spell of living stone. The only reason Conan didn't suffer the same fate was he had gone to fetch his sword so that he might fight Wrath-Amon, and by the time he returned he was too late. So now he searches the land for some way to reverse Wrath-Amon's evil spell. And along the way he has made these wonderful new friends, all of whom had purchased their weapons from Conan's father. Conan has his starmetal sword. Jasmine has her starmetal shurikens. Zula has a set of starmetal bolas. And Grey Wolf has a starmetal claw on his staff, however his magic is his strongest weapon. If any starmetal weapon so much as touches one of Wrath-Amon's snake people, it banishes them into The Abyss to join their evil god, Set.

As the four companions have many miles to go before they reach civilization, and Wrath-Amon has not sent any minions after them for some time, they had decided to take it easy for a few days. Zula had managed to bag a wild goat while hunting just the day before, which was roasting on a spit back at their camp. And today they've left Conan's pheonix, Needle, to watch the camp and had a very lucrative day of fishing. They had each managed to catch at least a few fish a piece. Grey Wolf had the best luck, having caught seven (although Conan is nearly certain that he had a little magical help). In any case, they will be eating well these next few days.

As they approach the camp, the smell of roasting meat makes Conan's stomach grumble. But when they are able to see their camp, they stop in their tracks at what they see.

"Crom's beard," says Conan in disbelief.

Squatting down next to their campfire is this large, hairy humanoid man-beast the likes of which they've never seen eating their dinner. The thing is huge, at least a foot taller than Conan should it stand to its full height. Its body is covered in tan coloured fur, similar to that of a cougar or a puma. It has a mane of golden hair, like that of a male lion. And its face is black and grey. Its incisors are long and pointed, similar to those of the sabre tooth tiger. The creature doesn't appear to notice their approach, so engrossed it is in its ill gotten meal. The creature then lifts up one of their wine skins and drinks a healthy swallow. Conan growls angrily at the theft, and he throws down his fishing equipment and this days catch and draws his sword.

Then he shouts, "You there! Thief! Put our dinner back!"

The creature stands up to its full height, looking even more frightening than it did before. Then it starts to roar and howl, and it holds the spitted goat up as though in challenge.

"If I have to fight you for my supper beast," says Conan, "then by Crom let us have at it!"

He charges the creature with his magnificent starmetal sword held high in a two handed grip. The beast roars and howls at Conan. The barbarian swings his mighty sword, but is caught by the wrist in one of this creature's massive hands, and is thrown through the air with ease. Conan lands hard on the ground a good one hundred feet away from the camp, and his sword sticks tip first into the earth at least ten feet away from his grasp.

"Let me try!" Says Zula as he takes out his bolas and charges the creature, whirling the weapon above his head as he does. He throws the weapon at his enemy and the cord wraps around it, pinning its arms to its sides. But as he approaches it, the creature breaks the cord with ease, then grabs Zula and throws him at the other two companions.

Being an acrobat, Jasmine manages to leap out of the way and then land nimbly on her feet. Grey Wolf is not so fortunate however. He tries to use his magic to catch Zula, but isn't able to conjure his magic in time to cast the spell. The dark skinned warrior crashes into the wizard, who falls hard and bumps his head on a rock, rendering him unconcious.

By now Conan has recovered his sword and was once again attacking the thief. The beast picks up a fallen log, which they had been using as a bench for sitting on, and uses it as a massive club. With one powerful strike, he knocks Conan's sword from his grasp. With another he sends the barbarian flying.

"I guess it's my turn," says Jasmine, and she hurls her shurikens at the beast, one after the other.

With a level of dexterity one wouldn't expect from a creature so huge, it actually deflects each and every shuriken thrown at it, causing them all to stick into the log. Jasmine leaps into the air and tries to deliver a flying kick. The beast drops its weapon, catches her by the ankle, the throws her off to the side with casual ease. Jasmine tucks and tumbles, doing an impressive double sommersault in midair, before landing gracefully on a large boulder in a perfectly balanced crouch. The beast roars and howls at her. Jasmine holds up her bracer and concentrates, and her shurikens pull themselves free of the the log and return to their owner. The beast howls and roars some more.

Zula charges the beast again, but it simply picks him up and throws him against the boulder that Jasmine had landed on.

"Are you okay?" Jasmine asks her friend.

"I'll live," he replies, "Are you hurt?"

"Not yet," she replies, "What of Grey Wolf? Maybe he can cast a spell to turn this beast into a kitten or something."

"He hit his head when we collided," says Zula, "He is out of this fight, I'm afraid."

The distraction from Jasmine and Zula has given Conan the time he needed to retrieve his sword and return to the battle.

"This time monster," he says, "I'm going to wear your fur as a coat!"

"Yaaaa-hee!" Comes a cry from the side.

Conan turns to see a blonde haired barbarian charging at him on the back of a white stallion. Before he could bring his sword up in defense, the newcomer leaps from his horse and tackles Conan. They tumble on the ground, wrestling each other, until Conan throws the blonde haired barbarian off of him. They both get to their feet at the same time, Conan quickly retrieving his sword.

"I don't know who you are," says Conan, "or why you've chosen to interfere. But I swear, by Crom, you shall regret it!"

The blonde barbarian glowers at the mention of Crom's name. "I am Thundarr," he declairs as he removes his Sunsword from its bracer and ignites its blade. "And if you are servants of Crom, then by The Lords Of Light that's all the reason I need to destroy you!"

And with that, Thundarr and Conan charge at each other with their weapons brought to bear. The blades of their weapons clash, and to Thundarr's utter amazement Conan's sword is unharmed. They swing and parry repeatedly, neither of them gaining an advantage.

"Demon dogs!" Cries Thundarr, "What type of metal can withstand the Sunsword?"

"Starmetal!" Conan roars as he attacks even more fiercely.

As the beast appears to be oddly transfixed on the duel between the two barbarians, Jasmine and Zula try attacking it in unison. They leap at it, Jasmine succesfully landing on its shoulders and wrapping her thighs around its neck in a head scrissors in an attempt to squeeze the air from it. Zula grabs one of its powerful arms with both of his own and wraps his legs about its torso in a body scissors to try and immobilize it. It throws them both off as though they were little more than a neusance, which is all they feel that they are to this creature. The beast howls and roars at them again.

Behind the beast, Grey Wolf is sneaking into position and points at it with his magic staff. He had recovered enough while the others fought the creature to regain conciousness. Now, while the beast is distracted by Jasmine and Zula, he has a chance to end this destructive conflict. But before he can cast a spell, a magical bolt hits him from behind, hurling him to the ground. Luckily he wasn't badly hurt and is quickly able to regain his footing. He turns and sees a beautiful, raven haired young woman, wearing a very revealing blue leotard and golden boots.

"Now, now," she says, wagging her finger like a disapproving mother, "It isn't nice to gang up on your playmates."

"I don't know who you are, madam," says Grey Wolf, "but you have no business interfering."

"The name's Ariel," replies the girl, "and I'm afraid I'm going I have to disagree with you. This fight most certainly concerns me."

"Then, Ariel, let us see if you are as formidable a foe face to face as you are when you attack from behind!"

And with that, Grey Wolf fires a magical bolt at the sorceress with his magic staff. Ariel deflects it with her own shield spell, then counters with a spell of her own. Grey Wolf tumbles out of the way, causing Ariel's spell to miss terribly. He counters with another spell, which Ariel dodges with impressive acrobatic skill.

As the two spellcasters are dueling, the great beast turns to them and begins howling and roaring, shaking its great fist at Grey Wolf. Jasmine once again tries to take advantage of the distraction by throwing her shurikens at the creature. Again, it picks up the log and uses it to block all of the shurikens. But rather than just throw the log aside, it slams it down on the ground pinning the shurikens on the underside.

"My shurikens!" Cries Jasmine, "I can't call them back to my bracer if they're pinned under that log like that!"

"It would take Grey Wolf's magic to lift a log that size," says Zula.

"We have to stop that beast now," says Jasmine, "Conan and Grey Wolf need our help."

Zula looks over at his friends, and sees that Jasmine is right. The two spellcasters and the two barbarians both appear to be in stalemates, where neither is likely to win any time soon. He turns to Jasmine and nods his head in agreement. The two of them charge the beast head on. The creature roars and howls at them, then when they attempt their double flying tackle it simply catches them and throws them away again. Again it howls and roars at them. As he and Jasmine get back to their feet, Zula has a curious expression on his face. Jasmine looks at him quizzically.

"What is it?" She asks.

"Something is not right here," says Zula.

"Like what?"

"This creature has demonstrated on more than one occassion that it could easily destroy us. The strength it takes to lift that log alone is enormous, and the creature wields it like it were but a child's toy. Yet when we attack it, it's clearly holding back, not using its full strength."

"So the beast is toying with use, like a cat with a mouse. It does look like a large cat after all."

"I have considered that possibility," concedes Zula with a nod, "But then there's its roars and growls. I could be wrong, but I think I have discerned a pattern. I think it may be talking to us."

"Are you sure?"

"Not yet. But I have an idea. Can you keep it distracted for a few moments?"

Jasmine nods her head, "Consider it distracted!"

Jasmine gets a running start at the beast. It prepares to grab her, but she leaps up over its head. Rather than attacking it outright, she feints and dodges, ducks and moves. She keeps the thing swinging wildly at her while Zula does whatever it is he's planning.

Zula kneels down on the ground and draws a mystical symbol in the dirt. "By the Sign Of Jebelsag, Master Of Beasts," he chants, "Animal brother, speak to me."

A blue, magical glow rises from the symbol. Then the glow leaps from the symbol to Zula's eyes, then from Zula's eyes to the beast's. He stands and approaches the creature. The creature roars and howls at Jasmine and Zula.

"Jasmine, get back!" Zula tells her. To the creature he says, "Calm, friend. Tell me what it is you're after."

The beast roars, growls, and howls at Zula. Zula nods his head as though he understands. "I see," he says.

"You understand what it's saying?" Jasmine asks.

"Aye," says Zula, "His name is Ookla. He is called a mok. He says he never wanted to fight us, and he regrets stealing our dinner. An evil wizard had banished him to the desert. He had gone days with neither food nor water. He was desperate. He tried to explain, but Conan attacked him. He understands that his appearance can be frightening, and that not all humans can understand mok, but he is not our enemy."

"So who are these other two?" She asks.

Ookla growls a reply, and Zula translates.

"Their names are Thundarr and Ariel. They are friends of his. When they saw us attacking Ookla, they automatically ran to his aid, just as we would for Conan and Grey Wolf."

Jasmine looks at Ookla. "So we're not enemies?" She asks.

Ookla shakes his head 'no'.

"Then I apologize," she says.

"We both do," says Zula.

He offers Ookla his hand, and the mok shakes it. Jasmine then clasps both of their hands together and smiles in relief. Then they turn and see that both spellcasters and both barbarians are still dueling each other.

"We've got to do something before they kill each other," says Jasmine.

"Princess Ariel!" Zula shouts out, "Grey Wolf! Stop fighting! It's okay! It was a misunderstanding!"

"Princess Ariel?" Asks Jasmine.

"That's what Ookla calls her," replies Zula.

"Princess Ariel!" Jasmine calls, "Please stop fighting. We don't want to hurt you! Grey Wolf! Put your staff down! They're not our enemies!"

"So, Grey Wolf?" Ariel asks, "Your friends say we are not enemies. What say you? Do you trust their judgement?"

Grey Wolf glances over to his companions and sees that they have stopped fighting the creature. In fact they were standing next to it like they were all old friends.

"I trust them with my life, dear lady," says Grey Wolf, and he lowers his staff which immediately stops crackling with power. Ariel, too, lowers her hands which no longer crackle with energy either.

The two spell casters walk over to their friends.

"Princess Ariel," says Grey Wolf, allow me to introduce my friends. Prince Zula of the Wosai tribe, and Jasmine the acrobat."

"Pleased to meet you," greets Ariel.

"Likewise," says Zula.

"And how are you doing Ookla?" Ariel asks.

Ookla replies by scooping her up in a big hug.

"That well, huh?" Gasps Ariel, as soon as she can catch her breath.

When Ookla puts her down he looks over to see that Thundarr and Conan are still fighting. He starts howling at Thundarr, but the blonde barbarian doesn't seem to hear.

"What is he saying?" Jasmine asks.

"The same thing we were a moment ago," replies Zula, "that we are not enemies and this is all a big misunderstanding."

"You understand mok?" asks Ariel, genuinely surprised.

"Only temporarily," replies Zula, "I will explain later. For now, we must stop our friends from killing each other."

"Agreed," says Ariel, "Thundarr! Stop fighting! These people are not our enemies!"

"Listen to her Conan!" adds Jasmine, "The mok! The lion creature! It meant us no harm! He was only hungry! And Thirsty! Surely we can share our food and drink with those in need!"

Again the barbarians ignore their friends and continue their duel.

"Stupid, stubborn barbarian," grumbles Jasmine.

"Which one?" asks Ariel.

"Take your pick," she replies.

"We can jest after we've kept our friends from making complete fools of themselves," says Grey Wolf.

"Too late," reply Ariel and Jasmine in unison. Then the two young women look at each other and laugh.

"Perhaps you and I should intervene," Grey Wolf Says to Ariel, "Seperate them with our magic."

"After you," says Ariel with a regal bow.

"Oh no," says Grey Wolf, "After you. I insist."

"Together then?" suggests Ariel.

"On the count of 'three'," agrees Grey Wolf.

The two spellcasters point at the two stubborn barbarians, who still refuse to stop fighting.

"One . . ." starts Princess Ariel.

"Two . . ." continues Grey Wolf.

"THREE!" they say together, and they unleash their magic.

Princess Ariel's spell creates a gigantic hand out of yellow energy which grabs Thundarr and throws him to the ground, pinning him there. At the same instant, Grey Wolf creates a similar hand of blue energy which throws Conan to the ground and pins him there as well. Both barbarians struggle against the spells, but to no avail.

"ARIEL!" shouts Thundarr, "What are you doing? Let me go!"

"Not until you've calmed down," says the sorceress.

"You don't understand!" cries Thundarr, "They are in league with the evil wizard who sent us here!"

"You lie!" shouts Conan, "The only wizard I'm in league with is the traitor who's keeping me from finishing you off! But that will change once I get my hands on his doublecrossing neck!"

"Your anger is misplaced, my friend," says Grey Wolf, "There is no reason for us to continue this senseless conflict."

"Bah!" says Thundarr, "That one is the liar! His heart is as black as the hair on his head! Why else would he have sworn fealty to the wizard Crom?"

"Is this true?" asks Ariel, "Are you in league with the wizard Crom?"

"Crom is no wizard, you black haired witch!" shouts Conan, "He is the guardian spirit of my people! He has been for over a thousand generations!"

"Thundarr!" Ariel cries, "Don't you see? It was all a misunderstanding! The Crom that Conan was speaking of and the one that sent us here are two different things! They just happen to have the same name, that's all!"

"How do we know that he doesn't worship the wizard Crom as a Deity?" asks Thundarr, "Some primitives are foolish enough to fall for such a cheap trick as that!"

"Because," explains Ariel, "He said they'd been worshipping Crom for a thousand generations! Earth didn't even have wizards that long ago!"

"Crom had The Moon Dial!" counters Thundarr, "He could have gone into their past and proclaimed himself their deity!"

"Unlikely," says Ariel, "Crom was more concerned with technology. I highly doubt he would come all the way back into the past of another world, just to set himself up as a barbarian deity. What would be the point?"

"Wait!" says Conan, "Do you mean to tell me that somewhere out there, there's an evil wizard who goes by the same name as the guardian spirit of my tribe?"

"That's exactly what we're saying," replies Grey Wolf.

"Then let me up," says Conan, more calmly but with a determined glint in his eye, "So that I may find this wizard and put my sword in his foolish heart."

 

[Thundarr]

Chapter Three

It took some convincing, but Princess Ariel finally managed to calm Thundarr down enough for her to be able to let him up without him trying to kill Conan again. Eventually they all sat around the camp fire together sharing stories. Conan told them of Wrath-Amon, how he needs starmetal to build seven temples to bring the evil serpent god, Set, from The Abyss and into this world. Of how when his family refused to give him any starmetal, he turned them all to stone. Then he spoke of meeting Prince Zula on a Stygian slave barge, and how the made a daring escape. And of how they later met Jasmine and Grey Wolf. He told them how Wrath-Amon sent the evil sorceress Mezmira to Xanthus to kidnap their Earth Wizards. And when she was discovered she turned Grey Wolf's brother and sister, Misha and Sasha, into wolves with thorns from the lycanthrus plant.

In turn, Princess Ariel told them of Earth. She told them about the way things were two thousand years ago, before The Cataclysm. She told them of the runaway planet that destroyed the Earth of old. And she told them of the way the Earth is now. She told them of many of their more memorable foes of the past, such as Gemini, Argoth: The Wizard Of A Thousand Eyes, Mindok The Mind Menace, Infernus and Xevon's werewolves, and the wizard Crom. She also spoke of her adventures here, after the wizard Crom had banished them to this world. Thundarr and Ookla joined in with their own tales. When they were finished, both parties were quite impressed with the other's tale.

"You must be a very powerful warrior," Jasmine says to Thundarr with a hint of awe in her voice, "I have heard of the creatures that attacked you. They're called yeti. They're very strong and quite vicious. It is said their very touch can steal the warmth from your bones."

"They are mighty beasts," agrees Thundarr, "but they are defensless against The Sunsword!"

"You come from quite a remarkable place," says Zula. "Machines that fly with people inside. Weapons that shoot beams of light more deadly than any arrow or crossbow bolt. Mechanical men who fight without question or fear. Amazing."

"It's not so different from your world Zula," replies Ariel. "We have our fare share of monsters, magic, barbarians, and evil wizards."

"I am more interested in this magical pool you mentioned," says Grey Wolf. "You say it has the power to cure lycanthropy?"

"Yes, that's right," replies Ariel.

"I wonder if it could make my brother and sister human again," says the wizard.

"I don't know," admits Ariel, "It worked on Xevon and his Pack, but they were werewolves from our world. It might not work on your brother and sister."

"But there's also a chance that it might," says Grey Wolf, and by the tone in his voice it was clear he meant to try.

"We would still have to get them to the pool," says Ariel, "and we're not even sure if we can get back to Earth."

"Bah!" Says Thundarr, "Ariel needs no magical pool to undo such magic. Remember the witch Cerce, Ariel? She turned Captain Willows and his shipwrecked crew into frogmen, and you changed them back. All the sailers she had shipwrecked over the years while searching for a sorceress to switch bodies with were turned to stone, and you made them all flesh again."

"You have broken a curse of living stone?" Conan asks, "Could you return my family to flesh?"

"I don't know," Ariel admits, "I can try. But Cerce was a witch, not a sorceress or a wizard. And she was vanquished before I had restored the crew and the shipwrecked survivors. This Wrath-Amon sounds very powerful. It will be a difficult curse to undo. But I do promise you that I will give it my best shot."

"He is very powerful indeed," says Conan, "And he has legions of snakemen warriors at his command. As well as human followers, like Mezmira. Vanquishing him will be no easy task."

"Perhaps it would be too much for you four alone," agrees Thundarr, "It may even be too much for Ookla, Ariel, and I on our own. But the seven of us working together?"

Conan laughs, "Woe to any who stand before us!"

Then the two barbarians clasp forarms as friends. Just then, Conan's baby pheonix, Needle, wakes up and comes out of Conan's shield. The magical bird yawns and stretches its wings.

"Needle hungry," says the pheonix, "are there any pomegranites?"

"Lords Of Light!" Exclaims Thundarr, "A magical bird!"

"Oh, him," says Conan, "That's Needle, my pheonix."

"A pheonix?" Says Ariel with wonder, "I have heard of these creatures, but I had never dreamed I'd ever meet one."

"He can be quite a useful companion," says Conan, "when he isn't distracted by pomegranites or falling asleep on duty!"

"Who are these people?" Needle asks.

"Only the people you let into our camp while you were supposed to be standing guard," replies the raven haired barbarian. "This is Thundarr The Barbarian, Princess Ariel, and Ookla The Mok."

Needle flies up to Ookla, who roars at the little pheonix. Needle screams and flies over to hide behind Jasmine. Everyone in the camp laughs at the pheonix's antics.

"Needle still hungry," says the bird.

"I'm sorry Needle," replies Jasmine, "I'm afraid our last pomegranite had spoiled while we were traveling."

"Oh," says the bird with a defeated air.

"Let me see," says Ariel.

Jasmine digs the rotted pomegranite out of her bag and hands it to Ariel. The sorceress casts a spell, and the pomegranite begins to glow a bright yellow. She throws the glowing rotted fruit out of the camp, where it lands behind the boulder which sits next to the path to the lake. A moment later a tree sprouts up, fully grown, and sporting ripe, red, pomegranites. Then Ariel uses her magic to telekinetically pick one of the pomegranites and hands it to Needle.

"Here you go, little friend," she says.

"Mmmm. Pomegranite," says the pheonix, and he shoves his face right into the piece if fruit and starts gorging himself. The others all laugh.

"Needle like sorceress lady," says the pheonix.

Princess Ariel strokes the magical bird's feathers. "I like you too, Needle," she says.

"You can keep him if you like," says Conan, "He can annoy you for a change."

"No way!" Says Needle, "Needle just got used to one big dumb barbarian. Not gonna switch for another! No way!"

The others all laugh at the pheonix, all except Thundarr and Conan. They both glare at the magical bird, neither very pleased about being called 'big dumb barbarians'. Then Conan brightens up as he gets an idea.

"Needle," he says, "Do you know of anything that might help our new friends here find their way home?"

"Home?" Needle asks, "Where's home?"

"Earth," says Ariel, "in another dimension."

"Hmmmm," says the pheonix, "Needle has little bits and pieces of memory from pheonix ancestors. Hard to think."

"Memory of pheonix ancestors?" Thundarr asks.

"A pheonix passes its memories down to future generations," explains Zula, "When a pheonix is young, like Needle here, the memories are fragmented and incomplete. As the pheonix grows and matures, its access to those memories become more complete."

"Interesting," says Ariel.

"So?" Conan asks the pheonix, "can you think of anything that may help?"

"Needle remember something," says the bird, "It called The World Wand. It supposed to be able to open portals to other worlds."

"Where is it?" Asks Thundarr, "What does it look like? How does it work?"

"Needle not know!" Says the tiny pheonix, "Only have bits and pieces of ancestor memory!"

"Grey Wolf," says Ariel, "Do you know of anything that might help us?"

"I have heard of this device which Needle speaks of," replies the wizard, "But the legends say it was lost centuries ago. There is one person who might be able to help us."

"Who?" Asks Thundarr.

"He is known simply as The Hermit. He is a very powerful sorcerer, both old and wise. But his years of isolation have left him somewhat . . . eccentric."

"Where can we find this Hermit?" Asks Conan.

"He is said to live amongst The Mounds Of The Titans, an ancient graveyard where many of this world's greatest heroes are laid to rest."

"And this graveyard," says Thundarr, "Where is that?"

"There," says Grey Wolf, pointing across the desert, "On the other side of The Dune Sea."

Ookla let's out a disappointed growl and buries his face in his palm. Zula laughs at his new friend's responce.

"Do not worry, my friend," says the dark skinned warrior, "We will all be going together, and with enough provisions and water to sustain us all for many days to come. It will not be like when the wizard banished you to the middle of the desert with no food or water."

This seems to improve the mok's mood considerably.

"We should get as much rest as we can tonight," says Thundarr, "We head out at first light!"

"Why so soon?" Ariel asks.

"Because if this World Wand does exist, we need to be sure that no one else gets it first!"

"Like who?" Ariel asks.

"Wrath-Amon," replies Conan, "If he were to get his hands on a device like this World Wand . . ."

"He wouldn't need to build his temples," finishes Grey Wolf, "He could bring Set into our world and the gods only know how many reinforcements!"

"Exactly," says Conan, "As soon as we get our new friends back home, we will need to destroy The World Wand."

"But what of Sasha and Misha?" Grey Wolf asks, "And what of your family? Without The World Wand, they might never be returned to normal."

"I know my family would gladly sacrifice themselves to keep Wrath-Amon from bringing Set into our world," replies Conan, "Would your brother and sister do any less?"

"I suppose not," says Grey Wolf, "But that magical pool of Ariel's is the first real chance I've found to make them human again."

"I understand how you feel," says Conan, "but it is important that Set never returns from The Abyss."

"Just because we have to keep The World Wand away from Wrath-Amon doesn't mean we can't help your families too," says Ariel, "We can bring The World Wand with us to Earth. Then once we've tried to cure Sasha and Misha, we can send you all home."

"Aye," says Thundarr, "It is the least we can do to repay you for your help. And once we've sent you home, then we can destroy the wand."

"You would do that for me?" Conan asks, "For us?"

"Of course!" Thundarr says, "We are friends now, are we not?"

"We are," agrees Conan, and he and Thundarr clasp forearms as brothers in arms.

"Good!" Says Ariel, "Now that that's settled, let's get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

 

[Thundarr]

Chapter Four

In his private chamber over in his temple to Set, Wrath-Amon watches the events about the campfire unfold and evesdrops upon the conversation of his enemies in his magical scrying pool.

"Yes, my dear," says Wrath-Amon, "you shall have a big day ahead of you tomorrow. A very big day indeed." He turns from the scrying pool. "Dregs!" Shouts the wizard, "Where is that blasted naga? Dreg! Come here!"

"Coming, Wrath-Amon!" Dregs calls out to his master.

Dregs slithers out of the hole in the wall which leads to his private bed chamber. He greatly resembles a gigantic cobra with arms. He quickly slithers up to the evil wizard.

"What do you command, my masssster?" He asks.

"Summon a band of my mightiest warriors," says Wrath-Amon, "Have them follow Conan and his friends until they've uncovered The World Wand, then take it from them!"

"B-b-but Wrath-Amon," says Dregs, frightened of enraging his master by pointing out the flaws in his plan but even more frightened of his wrath should he fail, "Our snake warriors cannot stand against the starmetal weaponsss! And our human allies aren't powerful enough to best such a group!"

"Send Mezmira!" Wrath-Amon shouts.

"Conan and the others know what she looksss like," hisses Dregs, "And Grey Wolf isss too powerful to be fooled by any illusion magic for very long. She would be dissscovered, and defeated, again."

Wrath-Amon glowers at the naga, and for a moment Dregs fears that he's going to strike at him out of pure frustration. Then, in a rare display of self control, the wizard calms himself.

"Of course," says Wrath-Amon, "With these new allies of his, and that Sunsword which the blonde haired barbarian wields, Conan and his friends will be that much more difficult to defeat. We must use cunning, as well as force."

Then the wizard turns from the scrying pool and storms out of the scrying chamber. "Come Dregs!" He commands, "We have much work to do!"

The naga quickly slithers after its master, desperately trying to keep up with his strong pace. They reach a large, iron bound door which is rarely ever used. Wrath-Amon points at the door with his ring finger, and a magical beam of light shoots forth from his serpent ring and strikes the lock, opening the door. Wrath-Amon enters the room with Dregs following at his heels. The door slams shut behind them, leaving the wizard and naga in complete darkness. Dregs trembles as he's unsure of what to expect. Then suddenly there's light, as a brazier in the far corner of the room erupts with flames. Then another brazier ignites. Then another. Then another. Now the room is aglow with the flickering light of the flames. The walls are all adorned with symbols of Set etched into the walls, and human skulls resting within small stone cubbies. Carved into the middle of the floor is a great big pentagram, surrounded by mystic runes which have been encrusted with powdered gemstones of various colours. The light reflects off of the crushed gemstones and dances about the room in mezmerising patters. The pentagram is nearly as large as the room itself. Wrath-Amon kneels down before the pentagram and begins to chant in an ancient tongue which sounds completely foreign even to the learned Dregs. Wrath-Amon chants on and on, without stopping, without pause. Dregs begins to tire and decides to wrap himself around one of the braziers and take a nap. Still, Wrath-Amon continues his chant.

Some time later, Dregs isn't sure exactly how long, the naga awakens to the sound of his master still chanting in that strange and ancient tongue. He must be at a very important part of the spell, for he is now standing and shouting those strange words out with great enthusiasm. Just then the flames in the braziers explode in a great flash of light, momentarily blinding the naga. When Dregs' eyesight returns, there, standing in the middle of the pentagram, is the most glorious creature Dregs had ever seen in his life. It appears to be a woman, tall with long luxurious black hair and the slender yet athletic physique of a dancer. Her skin is like porceline, yet she is anything but delicate. For while she is undeniably beautiful, she is most deffinately not human. She has a small pair of ivory horns protruding from her forehead, and a magnificent pair of leathery batlike wings sprouting from her shoulderblades. She glares at Wrath-Amon with a malevolent red glow in her eyes, and bares her vampire like fangs. She stands before the wizard without a stitch of clothing on, and makes no move to hide her nakedness. She hisses angrily at Wrath-Amon, her eyes glowing even more brightly in her rage, and she extends her palm towards the wizard. Dregs coils up in the corner, cowering in fear, as flames leap from her palm towards the naga's master.

Wrath-Amon stands there, unconcerned, as the hellfire races towards him. As soon as the flames reach the edge of the pentagram, they curl back about the demoness that hurled them. When it becomes obvious that her flames will not cross the barrier, the she-demon stops firing them and screams in frustration and rage. Dregs takes a peak at the scene unfolding, and sees Wrath-Amon calmly watching the she-demon's wrath.

"Have you any idea who I am, mortal?" Asks the demon.

"I know exactly who you are," answers Wrath-Amon calmly, "That is precisely why you are here."

"I am Glasya, Queen Of The Succubi," she declares, "I am no mere imp to be summoned to do a wizard's bidding!"

"That is not your true name," says Wrath-Amon, oh so calmly, "If it were, I wouldn't have been able to summon you. Shall I tell you your true name?"

With that, the wizard reaches under his cloak and pulls out an ancient parchment. He unrolls it, allowing the succubus to see what is written upon it. Glasya's face blanches as she reads the ancient runes. On that parchment is her true name, and a spell which could utterly destroy her. She folds her leathery wings about her in a symbol of surrender.

"No," she says, "Please don't."

Wrath-Amon rolls up the parchment and puts it away with a satisfied look upon his face.

"What is it you wish of me?" Asks the she-demon with a respectful bow.

"An alliance," replies the wizard.

Glasya looks up at Wrath-Amon with a confused expression on her face. With the scroll he had just shown her, a wizard could force her into servitude. Yet he is asking for an alliance.

"You do not seek to become my master?" She asks, genuinely surprised.

"And risk having you undermine my every command, even in the subtlest of ways? Nay. An alliance is far more beneficial."

"What are the terms?" She asks.

"Complete a task for me, and I shall set you free to create as much chaos as you see fit for as long as you are able," replies the wizard, "With the understanding that I may call upon you for aid at any time in the future."

"And what do you desire in return?" Glasya asks the wizard.

"A simple task," replies Wrath-Amon, "but a very important one. Something that requires a combination of power and cunning."

Wrath-Amon cups his hands in front of him, and a burst of flame erupts from his palms. When the flames burn out, there is a crystal sphere left in their stead. There appears to be flames burning within the crystal. As the flames subside, Glasya sees a pair of barbarians, one with black hair, the other blonde, with their hands locked together and pressing against each other chest to chest in a good natured contest of strength.

"The dark haired barbarian is called Conan," says Wrath-Amon, "He has been a constant irritant to me for a very long time. The other barbarian is known as Thundarr. He is a new ally of Conan's, and of him I know very little. Only that he carries an enchanted weapon called a Sunsword, which is the most powerful I've ever seen."

The wizard can see from the succubus' expression that he has peaked her interest. He waves his hand over the crystal ball, and the flames come back up. When they subside, the image in the crystal ball has changed to that of a man in a turban with a blue tattoo across his eyes sitting and talking with a beautiful dark haired young woman wearing a blue leotard with gold trim. As they talk, they demonstrate their magic to each other.

"The male wizard is called Grey Wolf," says Wrath-Amon, "He is a powerful wizard from the city of Xanthus. The woman is named Ariel. Her powers are great, but very new. I have never seen such magic before."

Wrath-Amon can tell by Glasya's expression that she's not pleased by the thought of battling not one, but two powerful wizards. Demons don't fear much, especially demons of the calibur of Glasya, but wizards are the one thing that even she has reservations about taking on. Wrath-Amon waves his hand over the crystal ball once more, hardly concerned with the demon queen's fears. Now the image in the sphere has changed once more, this time to show a dark skinned warrior, a young woman with long brown hair, and a great hairy beast that appears to be a cross between a man and a lion.

"The man is named Zula, Prince of the Wusai tribe," says the wizard, "He has the power to communicate with animals. The girl is named Jasmine, and is a highly skilled acrobat. She's also very good with her shurikens, almost never missing. The creature is named Ookla. He is a mok, a being new to this world. I know very little of him, except that he is extremely strong, is incapable of speaking human, though he does understand it, and is extremely loyal to Thundarr and Ariel."

"A powerful group," says Glasya.

"Which is why I have brought you here," replies Wrath-Amon.

"I will need help," says the succubus.

"I will give all the help you require," replies the wizard.

"Not from your lackies," says the she-demon, "If they were competant, I wouldn't be here in your damned circle."

"What do you require?" Wrath-Amon asks her.

"I will need to call in some of my minions," she replies.

Wrath-Amon takes a moment to think this over. A single demon is difficult to control. More that one is even more difficult. But this group of adventurers is extremely powerful. Likely powerful enough to defeat a single succubus, even if she is The Queen Of The Succubi.

"I can allow you to summon two more of your kind," says the wizard, "Any more and my spell of summoning will fail and you will all be cast back into Hell."

"Agreed," says Glasya.

The Queen Of The Succubi closes her eyes and begins to concentrate on contacting her reinforcements. As she's doing that, Wrath-Amon begins his chanting anew. It doesn't take long for his spell to reach its crecento this time around. Dregs closes his eyes before the flames in the braziers could erupt and blind him with a flash of light. As he reopens his eyes, he sees standing there in the magic circle next to Glasya, a beautiful blonde haired succubus and a handsome red haired male demon. Both are standing there completely naked.

"Allow me to introduce my consort," says Glasya, indicating the male demon, "His name is Gideon, an incubus. He is as skilled a swordsman as he is a lover. And this is Delilah, my chief leutenant. Her knowledge of the arcane arts is almost as extensive as her knowledge of a persons' erogenous zones."

"Somehow I doubt Conan and his friends will welcome you with open arms," says Wrath-Amon.

Glasya smiles at the wizard, then glances back at her two fellow demons. The three of them burst into flames right in front of Wrath-Amon's eyes. When the flames die away, the three demons stand there in the magic circle looking completely human. Their horns, fangs, and wings have all disappeared. Glasya is wearing a chainmail loincloth and matching bustenhalt, with steel shoulderpads, and a long red cape. She's also wearing brown leather boots and matching gauntlets. Belted to her hip is an ornate longsword with a dragon shaped hilt, the wings forming the crossguard, the neck forming the handle, and the head forming the pommel.

Delilah is wearing a daringly cut gown of red silk, with matching silk slippers. Gidion is wearing skin tight black silk breeches, a white silk shirt with ruffled cuffs and puffed out sleeves, which he wears unbuttoned leaving his muscular chest and abdomen exposed. He has a black pair of soft leather boots which come up to his knees and fold down at the tops. He has a basket hilted rapier belted to his hip in true swashbuckling style.

"Better?" Glasya asks.

"Much," replies Wrath-Amon.

"Then release us, and tell us more of this Conan and his friends so that we may properly prepare for our meeting."

Wrath-Amon nods his head in agreement, and with a mere gesture knocks over two of the braziers. The burning coals spill over the mystical runes, breaking the magical circle and allowing the three demons to walk free. Wrath-Amon gestures for them to accompany him out of the summoning chamber. The three demons disguised as human adventurers follow their ally out of the room, eager to learn all they can about their intended prey.

 

[Thundarr]

​

Chapter Five

It has been many days since the companions have started their trek across The Dune Sea. If it weren't for Zula and Conan's knowledge of the stars in the night sky, and Grey Wolf's and Ariel's magic, they could have Thundarr and Ookla could have easily become lost in this vast desert. Despite the long journey, they still seem to be a long way from The Hermit's home. They travel mostly by night, continuing on well into the morning and not stopping to set up camp until the heat from the sun is too much for them to bear. As they travel, they talk amongst each other. The more time that goes by, the closer the traveling companions become. It isn't long before they have developed deep friendships. Ookla begins teaching Zula and Jasmine to understand the mok language. Between Zula's ability to communicate with animals, simple sign language, and pantomiming, both the prince and the acrobat become fluent enough to understand a few simple phrases in the mok tongue. Ariel and Grey Wolf teach each other new spells, and Thundarr is not blind to the attraction that they seem to feel for each other. He is unsure as to what he thinks about this, as he can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. For his part, any ill feelings between himself and Conan have been forgotten. They find each other to be excellent sparring partners, and both of their swordsmanship skills have improved greatly in the short time they've been together. Conan notices that Jasmine can't seem to take her eyes off of the blonde warrior. He doesn't know why, but he feels a jolt of jealousy at the thought.

One night, when they're about halfway through the desert, the seven companions hear the sounds of battle coming from up ahead. They kick their mounts into a gallop and head towards the sound. As they crest the top of a sand dune, down below they see a group of three people, a man and two women, doing battle with at least a dozen or more of Wrath-Amon's soldiers. The man and the dark haired woman are battling their enemies with swords, while the blonde woman appears to be a sorceress, as she hurls flames and lightning from her fingertips. Conan draws his blade.

"Wrath-Amon's soldiers!" says the barbarian.

"Very brave when they outnumber their enemies, aren't they?" says Thundarr as he grabs his Sunsword and ignites the blade.

"What do you say we even the odds?" asks Ariel.

"I thought you'd never ask," replies Grey Wolf.

The seven of them kick their horses into a gallop and charge down the large dune. Zula whirls his bolas over his head. Jasmine takes her shurikens off of her bracer and gets ready to throw them. Ookla takes out his composite bow and readies a stun arrow. Grey Wolf takes off his cape and casts the spell to turn it into a flying carpet, then he and Princess Ariel get on and fly up over head, prepared to launch their spells to aid their friends.

"Yaaaaaaa-heee!" shouts Thundarr, his infamous battle cry.

The three surrounded adventurers turn towards their saviors and smile at their 'timely' arrival. Glasya shield punches one of the soldiers in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. Another soldier recovers from the shock of seeing the seven companions charging towards the fray and thrusts his spear at the woman warrior. Glasya slashes the spear with her enchanted blade, cutting the shaft in two. The serpent man looks at his spear shaft in astonishment, and Glasya knocks him out with a well placed spin kick. A third serpent man charges her, his battle-ax held above his head in preparation to cut her down. She punches him square in the face, knocking him down to the sandy ground.

Meanwhile, Gideon is dancing about the serpent men, parrying their attacks with his rapier and then retaliating with a humiliating slap on the backside with his blade. Enraged, the serpent men attack with fury. The dashing swashbuckler simply laughs and avoids their clumsy attempts to hit him, with the grace of a dancer. He then retaliates with more humiliating pokes and slaps of his rapier, never truly harming them but always making sure they know that he could if he wanted to.

As the other two are engaging the serpent men in martial combat, Delilah keeps them busy with her spells. She hurls balls of energy at them, which explode all about the serpent men and forces them to hide behind their shields. She binds some of them in bands of magical energy. Others she hurls away with great gusts of magical wind. And if any of them get too close to her, she conjures an invisible wall of magical energy which deflects their attacks. As she's preparing to cast another spell, two of the serpent men she's battling are thrown face first into the sand. She looks and sees that Grey Wolf and Princess Ariel are riding their horses at a high gallop to her aid, the hands of the sorceress and the staff of the wizard crackling with magical energy.

Zula rides towards the snake men, whirling his bolas over his head. He throws the weapon at a pair of spear wielding soldiers, binding them together. The Star Metal weights of the weapon glows a bright blue in the close proximity of the hated snake folk. All of Wrath-Amon's soldiers who are near the bolas revert to their reptilian form, as the metal breaks the enchantment that maintains their human disguise. The blue glow of Zula's bolas spreads across the bodies of the two trapped snake people. A vortex opens up above their heads and they're sucked into The Abyss to rejoin their evil master, Set, leaving behind empty suits of armor. Still glowing blue, the Bolas fly back into Zula's outstretched hand.

As the two serpent men are being sucked into The Abyss, Jasmine hurls her shuriken at four more of the reptiles. Each Star Metal throwing star hits its intended target with pinpoint accuracy. Like Zula's bolas, the throwing stars glow a blue radiance when they're in close proximity to the snake men. Each shuriken digs deep into the bronze breast plates of the snake people's armor, covering their targets bodies with a bright blue glow, and then sending them to The Abyss to join their brethren. Once again they leave behind their empty suits of armor. Just as with Zula's bolas, Jasmine's shuriken fly back to their resting place on her magnetized bracer of their own accord.

Thundarr rides his white stallion into a throng of serpent men, his Sunsword flashing back and forth furiously. While the Sunsword may not be able to send these snake men into The Abyss where they belong, the way the weapons of Conan and his friends can, Thundarr was able to render most of this group weaponless. For after just that one pass, most of those snake men have their weapons lying at their feet in two pieces. Thundarr had cut through their swords, spears, and axes as though they were made of paper.

As the serpent people are distracted by the blonde barbarian, Ookla rides by on his equart and jumps off, tackling the group to the ground. The mok gets back up, grabbing two of Wrath-Amon's soldiers by the scruffs of their necks and slamming their heads together, rendering them unconscious. Three more of the reptiles make the mistake of charging Ookla. The mok grabs them up in a mighty bear hug and squeezes them until they stop struggling. Once they go limp, he throws them into another group which Thundarr had not disarmed, knocking them all to the ground. The mok then takes up his bow and fires stun arrows once, twice, three times. Each projectile hits a snake man, rendering him unconscious.

Grey Wolf and Princess Ariel ride the wizard's cape over to Delilah. They leap from the magical garment and stand next to the sorceress, prepared to cast their spells in her defense. a group of three snake men try to rush the three spell casters, but Grey Wolf sends them flying away with a magical whirlwind. Two more snake men charge them, but Ariel casts a spell at the ground under their feet. The sand starts swirling about like a whirlpool, sucking the serpent men into the ground until they're buried up to their necks.

Conan rides his mighty stallion, Thunder, into the fray and swings his mighty sword with great fury. Every time his star metal blade so much as touches the flesh of the snake men, a vortex opens up and the servants of Set are dragged into The Abyss to join their dark master. Then he and Thundarr both leap from the backs of their mounts and join up with the red haired swashbuckler and his chainmail clad lady-friend. Then, standing shoulder to shoulder, the four of them charge at the scaly soldiers. The woman and her companion's skill are admirable, but their weapons don't compare to the star metal weapons of Conan and his friends, nor to the Sunsword.

Those who don't fall to Conan and Thundarr's blades turn tail and run. Ookla fires after them with his composite bow, and Zula and Jasmine throw their star metal weapons after them. As these are evil serpent men, none of the companions harbor any ill feelings about striking them from behind. Those struck by Jasmine's shuriken and Zula's bolas are banished to The Abyss. While those struck by Ookla's stun arrows are knocked out momentarily. Long enough for Conan to walk up to their unconscious forms and send them all to The Abyss. When the battle is over, Conan and Thundarr walk over to these new travelers.

"We thank you for your help," says the Glasya, "Wrath-Amon may have been able to defeat us that time had it not been for your timely arrival."

"Any enemies of that slime dweller is a friend of ours," replies Conan.

"You fight well," says Thundarr, "for a female."

"It takes more than just muscle to swing a sword, barbarian," replies the woman warrior.

"Your weapons," says Delilah, "by Mitra, I have never seen anything like them."

"They are made of Star Metal," explains Grey Wolf, "Any serpent man touched by them is sent straight into The Abyss."

"To join their evil snake god, Set," adds Zula.

"Amazing," says Gideon.

"Who are you?" asks Princess Ariel, "And why did Wrath-Amon send his soldiers after you?"

"My name is Glasya," replies the warrior, "With me is our clever rogue, Gideon, and the mighty sorceress, Delilah. As for why Wrath-Amon wishes us destroyed? We've all sworn vengeance against him for the many evils he had committed. Apparently he grows tired of our constant interference in his plans."

"Well met Glasya," says Conan, "I am Conan of Cimmeria. These are my friends, Jasmine the circus acrobat, Zula of The Wasai, and the wizard Grey Wolf of Xanthus. And then these others are Thundarr, a fellow barbarian, though not of my tribe. The girl is Princess Ariel, a sorceress. And their big hairy friend is Ookla, a mok."

"And where are they from?" asks Delilah.

"From another world," answers Ariel, "One very similar, but still very different, from this one."

"So why do you fight Wrath-Amon?" asks Thundarr.

"We all have our reasons," replies Glasya, "We've all lost loved ones to that sorcerer's evil. I lost my husband and my little girl."

"How?" asks Jasmine.

"My husband, Kalidor, was the finest swordsmith in all of Aquilonia," she says, "People came from miles around just to purchase one of his blades. One day, Wrath-Amon came and demanded that Kalidor return to Stygia with him to forge weapons for his soldiers. Kalidor refused. When my husband said 'no', Wrath-Amon cast an evil spell, turning him to stone."

"Crom," says Conan, "He cast the same spell upon my own family."

"My daughter, Sonja, ran out to her father before I could stop her," continues the raven haired warrior woman, "and the remaining mist from his spell turned her to stone as well. In anger, I took up one of my husband's blades and attacked the wizard. His guards were too many, and I was taken captive and forced into slavery."

"I know what you are going through," says Conan, "But you cannot lose hope. You may yet be able to save your family."

"Nay, barbarian," says Glasya, "There is no hope for my family. For I was not an obedient slave, and I defied my masters at every opportunity. Then one day, Wrath-Amon delivered the worst possible punishment. I was forced to stand and watch as he destroyed the stone statues that were my husband and daughter, along with any chance I had of breaking their curse."

"Mitra," says Jasmine in horror.

"Wrath-Amon did with one stroke of his black ring what no amount of lashes with a whip could achieve. He broke my spirit."

"That . . . That is terrible," says Grey Wolf, "You have my deepest sympathies."

"It was then that I was sent to away to build one of his accursed pyramids," she continues, "some months later, a couple of the slaves organized a revolt, and all of the slaves sailed free."

"How long ago was this?" asks Zula.

"About a year ago," replies Glasya.

"That was about the same time we met, my blood brother," Zula says to Conan, "It could very well be the very revolt we started that granted her her freedom."

"If it was," says the dark haired woman, "then once again, I thank you."

"And what of your friends?" asks Thundarr, "Why do they battle Wrath-Amon?"

"I was once a soldier in the Zamoran army," says Gideon, "I was the finest scout in the whole nation. None could find a trail, or slip through the wilderness unseen, as well as I. I was barely more than a boy, but I was praised by all the officers for my skills with sword and stealth. Then one day I returned home to my home village for a visit, only to find it in ruins. There was no sign of any living thing in the whole area. Everyone who was there were either taken captive, or killed. My parents. My brother. My sisters. They were all gone. Among the wreckage I had found a Stygian war banner. It was Wrath-Amon's troops who attacked my village, and I swore revenge. Ever since I have been relieving any Stygian snake lover I see of their valuables, them and their allies. I keep only what I need and give the rest to the poor peasants who can barely feed themselves."

"So you're a thief," says Conan.

"Technically," says Gideon with a shrug, "But the only thing I'll steal from a non-Stygian, is the heart of a beautiful woman."

With that, Gideon kisses Princess Ariel's hand, causing the sorceress to giggle and blush. The incubus in the form of a man does not miss the frowns that he receives from Thundarr and Grey Wolf as he does this. He simply smiles and gives a graceful bow to the beautiful spell caster. She giggles again, then gives the dashing rogue a curtsy in reply.

"And how about you, my lady?" Grey Wolf asks Delilah, "What is your story?"

"I was the apprentice of the great war wizard, Sulimon Morphela," says the blonde succubus.

"Sulimon Morphela?" says the wizards, "I have heard of him! He is said to be one of the greatest war wizards who ever lived! But, no one has heard from him for years."

"Yes," says Delilah, "And now thanks to Wrath-Amon, no one ever will again. You see, my master had grown so famous for his skill at magical combat that everywhere he went some young upstart sorcerer would challenge him to a duel. He eventually tired of fighting and sought seclusion, so he left the world of civilization behind. I wanted to learn magic from the very best sorcerer around, so I sought him out. It took a great deal of time and effort on my part, but I finally managed to track him down. Apparently this impressed him, for he granted my request to study under him. He became like the father I never had. Then one day Wrath-Amon showed up, challenging my master to a duel. While still a mighty wizard, he had not fought a real battle in years. He lost. Wrath-Amon left me alone. I suppose he felt that a mere apprentice wasn't worth the effort of destroying. I continued my studies alone, without my master's guidance. I scoured every tome, every scroll, tried every wand in that tower, until I had learned all that I could in my master's sanctum. Ever since then I have been scouring the globe, learning all I can of sorcery, and attacking Wrath-Amon's snake men where ever I find them."

"The three of us just sort of bumped into each other one day," says Gideon, "And once we had learned that we're all on pretty much the same mission, we decided to join forces. We've been pretty much inseparable ever since."

"So what are you three doing out here in the middle of the desert?" asks Zula, "With no horses and no supplies, only the clothes on your backs?"

"We had camels," replies Glasya, "but they were chased off by the snake men. I fear that we will never find them now."

"Then come join us," says Conan, "We're on our way to deliver a crippling blow to Wrath-Amon, and to Set."

"Are you sure you can spare the supplies?" asks Delilah.

"As long as Ookla keeps himself from eating everyone else's share of the food, there should be plenty," says Ariel with a laugh.

"Very well then," says Glasya, "We accept your offer."

The seven companions help their three apparent new allies onto their horses. Glasya rides behind Conan on Thunder. She wraps her arms tightly around his muscular torso, and doesn't miss the look of jealousy on Jasmine's face when she sees the succubus resting her head comfortably on the back of Conan's shoulder. Gideon rides behind Jasmine on her horse, and is fully aware of the jealous look in Conan's eyes as the incubus gently caresses the acrobat's hips. And Delilah rides behind Grey Wolf on his horse, noting the distrusting look she's receiving from Princess Ariel. Then the seven adventurers and their three demon companions ride off across the desert.

 

[Thundarr]

Chapter Six

After the sun rises, it soon becomes too hot to continue on any further across the barren desert. Luckily, the travelers come across a desert oasis where they can water their horses and rest in relative comfort. As they're pitching their tents, Needle comes out of his shield. The baby phoenix stretches and yawns, then sees the three new additions to their group. The little phoenix squawks and flies over to Conan.

"Conan! Conan!" shouts Needle, "There bad people in the camp!"

"What?" says the black haired barbarian, "Where?"

"Over there!" says the little phoenix, "Setting up Star Girl's tent!"

"Hahahaha!" laughs Conan, "They are not bad people! They are enemies of Wrath-Amon. They are our new friends."

"Needle sense bad magic!" warns the phoenix, "Only bad people use bad magic!"

"What is the matter?" asks Glasya as she walks over to Conan and the magical bird.

"Needle here says he senses bad magic coming from you and your companions," explains Conan, "Though I don't understand how that can be."

"Mitra," gasps the succubus, in a very believable approximation of disbelief, "You have a baby phoenix?"

"Yes," says Conan, "He can be very useful, when he's not annoying everyone."

"Well I can assure you, little friend, that I am no more evil than Conan here," she says to Needle.

"Lies!" says the magical bird, "Lies! Lies! Lies! Just like Mezmira! She pretend to be Conan's friend then try to destroy Xanthus!"

"I have heard about that," says Delilah, now joining her queen, "Mezmira is a blight on all who study magic, and I would gladly challenge her to a duel if given half a chance!"

"More lies!" says Needle, "She and warrior woman surrounded in bad magic!"

"I have never known Needle to make a mistake about such a thing before, Conan," says Grey Wolf as he comes over to join his friends. He had overheard much of the conversation and it peaked his wizard's curiosity.

"Ah!" says Delilah, as though a thought had just occurred to her, "We all have acquired many magical trinkets from our battles with the snake men of Stygia. Many of my protective devices were created by evil wizards. Surely that must be the magic your little friend has sensed."

"Yes!" says Glasya, "My sword and my armor once belonged to a Stygian warrior woman. It was said that she was a favored champion of Wrath-Amon's, and that he had made them just for her, enchanted with the most powerful of magics. Certainly weapons and armor forged and enchanted by one such as Wrath-Amon would confuse even an adult phoenix's senses."

"The explanation does make sense," says Grey Wolf.

"Well," says the phoenix, "Maybe Needle is wrong. But Needle not think so."

"I agree with Grey Wolf," says Conan, "I think their explanation makes sense."

"Yeah, but you just big dumb barbarian," says Needle, "You not know anything about magic."

"But Grey Wolf does," says Conan, "And he doesn't think our new friends are evil either."

"Needle like grey wizard," says Needle, "But grey wizard been wrong before. Needle still not trust them."

"You don't have to," says Conan, "Just accept the fact that I do."

"Hmph!" says the phoenix, "Don't come crawling to Needle when big dumb barbarian finds out Needle was right!"

Then with that, the magical bird goes back into Conan's shield.

"My apologies," says Conan to the two newest additions to their party, "Needle can be a little . . . high strung at times."

"It's quite alright," replies Glasya, "Needle obviously cares a great deal about you. You should be glad to have such a companion."

"If only he weren't so irritating," growls the barbarian.

The two warriors and the two wizards all share a laugh at that. Over next to the spring of clean, clear drinking water in the oasis, Gideon is helping Jasmine pitch her tent. Once the shelter has been set, the rogue walks over to the acrobat with a mischievous grin on his face.

"So," he says, "What are the sleeping arrangements going to be?"

I'll be sharing my tent with Princess Ariel," replies Jasmine, "Grey Wolf has agreed to loan his tent to your two lady friends. So you can either double up with Conan or Zula, or you can camp out under the stars with Thundarr and Ookla."

"And if I get cold?" asks the incubus.

"Throw another log on the fire," says Jasmine with a laugh.

"I prefer this kind of warmth," says Gideon, and he grabs the acrobat and kisses her passionately on the lips.

As Jasmine tries to push Gideon away, a red glowing energy escapes his mouth and enters hers. She pulls away from his grasp and then stands there, looking at him. She then grabs him and kisses him back, just as passionately. This time they separate more slowly. And as their lips part, a green glowing energy escapes Gideon's lips and slips between Jasmine's.

"Perhaps we could rethink the sleeping arrangements," says Jasmine.

"Maybe later," says Gideon, "Tonight may be too soon."

"Very well, My Love," says Jasmine, "But don't keep me waiting too long."

After her near disastrous meeting with Needle, Glasya starts putting her plan into motion. She walks over to where Thundarr is building the campfire for the days meal. She kneels down next to him and places her hand on his muscular forearm.

"You said very little on the ride over here," she says, "Is everything alright?"

"Not really," says the blonde barbarian.

"What's wrong?" she asks, "Maybe I can help."

"What's wrong is the same on my world as it is on yours," says Thundarr, "Evil wizards always seem to ruin things for decent folk. No matter how many you vanquish, there always seems to be another one popping up a week later. There never seems to be an end to it."

"There will be," says Glasya, "We just have to take care of one wizard at a time. Eventually both of our worlds will run out."

Then Glasya kisses Thundarr passionately on the lips. Like with Gideon and Jasmine, a red glowing energy escapes the succubus' lips and enters Thundarr's mouth.

"Wh-what?" says the barbarian.

"Forgive me," says Glasya, "But I have not been with a man since Wrath-Amon took my Kalidor away from me. And you are so very much like my husband. Big, strong, courageous. I . . . I just couldn't help myself."

"I didn't say I didn't like it," says Thundarrr, and this time he kisses her. As before, when their lips part, a green energy goes from her lips to his.

"Can I join you in your tent tonight?" Thundarr asks her.

"Not tonight," says Glasya, "It will be too crowded. But soon."

"I will wait for you, My Love," says the barbarian.

"Of course you will," replies the succubus queen with a sly smile.

On the other side of the spring, Grey Wolf is washing away the dirt from his face when Delilah approaches him. She kneels down next to him and gently lays her hand upon his shoulder.

"You seem troubled, friend," she says with false concern in her voice, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, dear lady," replies the wizard, "There is nothing anyone can do. My brother and sister were turned into wolves from the thorns of a lycanthrus plant. I have searched the world for a cure. And I will continue to search until the end of my days until I find it."

"Was it Wrath-Amon who did this terrible deed to your family?" asks the succubus.

"Nay. It was Mezmira, Queen Of Stygia, who did that foul deed. But she is as evil and wicked as Wrath-Amon, and nearly as powerful of a sorceress as well."

"My heart breaks for you," says Delilah, "We both have known such terrible suffering, such great loss."

With that, she kisses Grey Wolf passionately on the lips. As they pull apart, red glowing energy slips from Delilah's mouth and into Grey Wolf's. Then the wizard kisses the succubus back, just as passionately. This time when they part, a green magical glow slips from the mouth of the succubus into that of the wizard.

"Stay with me tonight," begs Grey Wolf.

"Nay, not tonight," replies Delilah, "I fear we would be taking advantage of our emotional state. But soon, if our feelings do not fade."

"I'm sure they will not," says the wizard.

"I'm sure you're right," replies the demon with a sly smile.

As the sun sets, the ten champions pack up their camp, mount their horses, then continue on with their journey. The riding arrangements were the same as they were the day before, with Glasya riding behind Conan, Gideon riding behind Jasmine, and Delilah riding behind Grey Wolf. Princess Ariel notices that Thundarr seems to be glaring at the dark haired barbarian and his passenger, though she hardly understands why. She thought the two barbarians had put their differences aside. Jasmine and Gideon have been getting along very well, giggling all along the ride like a couple of love struck teenagers. The same could be said for Grey Wolf and Delilah. She's not sure why, but this strikes Ariel as being very wrong for some reason. They ride through the night with no incidents from Wrath-Amon's snake men. And few bandits would willingly attack such a large and formidable group as this. When the sun rises over the eastern horizon, they find that they have made very good time. Unfortunately there is no oasis nearby this time, so they have to camp out in the open. Luckily there is at least a bunch of boulders which can be used to help protect them from any winds which might kick up. So once again the ten companions set up camp to wait out the day's blazing sun. Conan sits and keeps watch as the others take their rest in the shade of their tents. As he's keeping watch, Glasya comes up behind him and lays a gentle hand upon his shoulder. Conan spins about with his hand on the hilt of his sword before realizing that it is just his new found friend.

"Crom's teeth, woman!" exclaims the barbarian, "You should know better than to sneak up on a barbarian like that!"

"My apologies, Conan," says the succubus queen, "I was just having difficulty sleeping in this heat."

"I don't blame you," says Conan, "By Crom it gets hot out in this desert."

"I wanted to talk to you," says Glasya, "We have so much in common, you and I."

"Yes," agrees Conan, "Wrath-Amon has hurt us both very badly."

"And we both fight very well," says Glasya.

"Aye," says Conan, "You fight better than many of the men in my tribe."

"And you are a much better fighter than any Stygian soldier," she says.

"Why, thank you."

"And you are very handsome."

"Thank you again," says the barbarian, beginning to feel a little uncomfortable.

"Do you find me attractive?" asks the succubus.

"A man would have to be an absolute fool, both deaf, dumb, and blind, to not find a woman such as you attractive," he says.

As he says that, Glasya kisses him passionately. As with Thundarr the day before, a red glow slips from her mouth into his. Conan stands there, dumbfounded for a moment, then kisses her back. As their lips part a second time, a green glowing energy slips from her mouth into his.

"I . . . I haven't done that since Kalidor," says Glasya.

"I approve," says Conan, "Shall we retire to your tent?"

"It would be a little crowded in there with you, me, and Delilah," she replies, "perhaps after we get out of this gods forsaken desert, and we can finally be alone."

"Yes," says Conan, "Until then."

"Until then," says Glasya, and she slips away with an evil grin on her face.

Soon after, Zula comes out to relieve his blood brother of his guard duties. He sits and watches the dunes, seeking any sign of trouble, when a soft hand gently touches his arm and causes him to jump. There, standing next to him, is the lovely sorceress Delilah. Her daringly cut red gown looks even more enticing from the gentle desert breeze.

"You should not sneak up on me like that, my lady," says Zula, "You could get hurt."

"I'm sorry," says Delilah, "I didn't mean to startle you. I just couldn't sleep, and thought you could use a bit of company."

"Two sets of eyes can often see more that just one," agrees Zula, "Especially if one of those sets is aided by magic."

"I'll take that as a 'Yes' then," says the succubus with an innocent sounding laugh.

"I hope you do not intend to try and confront Wrath-Amon in a battle of magic when you meet him," says Zula, "If he destroyed your master, who was amongst the very best of battle wizards, I fear you would not fare much better."

"While I respect my master's accomplishments," says Delilah, "he was old and out of practice. He had not fought a wizard's duel in many years. While his spells were strong, his reflexes were slow and his skills rusty. I, however, am in the prime of my youth. I have learned his lessons well, and I have studied every scrap of parchment in his library. While I am hardly up to the task of facing Wrath-Amon in a magical duel, yet, my spells and my skills are not going unused and I grow more powerful every day. And every time I meet a new wizard, like your friends Grey Wolf and Ariel, I take it upon myself to learn all I can from them for as long as I'm in their company."

"I am sorry, my lady," says Zula, "I meant no offense."

"No offense is taken," says Delilah, "If I sounded harsh, it's only because of my deep hatred of that damned Wrath-Amon."

"I completely understand," replies Zula.

"Forgive me?" she asks.

"As you said, there is nothing to forgive."

"Thank you," says Delilah, and with that she kisses Zula passionately on the lips. As she and the dark skinned prince pull apart from one another, a red glowing energy escapes Delilah's mouth and enter's Zula's. Then the prince kisses her back, just as passionately. They hold their embrace for many moments before they release each other. This time when they part, a green glowing energy slips from Delilah's mouth into Zula's.

"Come to my tent with with me," says Zula.

"Not now," says Delilah, "It is too crowded. There are too many of us, and too few tents. When we reach civilization, you and I will be together.

"I can hardly wait," says Zula.

"Nor I," agrees Delilah.

Later in the day it is Princess Ariel's turn to stand watch. As she's keeping an eye out for trouble, trouble silently walks up behind her in the form of the handsome Gideon. He gently lays a soft hand upon her bare shoulder, causing the sorceress to jump in surprise.

"Gideon!" she hisses, "Don't do that! You startled me!"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," says the incubus, "I sometimes forget how softly I tread. It is an occupational hazard."

"What are you doing out here?" asks the sorceress, "Why aren't you in bed?"

"Does a gentleman need to have a reason to seek the company of a beautiful woman?" asks Gideon.

"In this day and age?" replies Ariel, "Yes."

"To be honest," he says, "there is something that I've been wanting to do since the very moment I had laid eyes on you."

"And what's that?" asks Ariel suspiciously.

"Only this," he replies, and he grabs the sorceress around the waist and kisses her passionately upon the lips.

As the sorceress pulls herself away from the incubus' embrace, a glowing red energy slips from his mouth and into hers. Then she kisses him back, even more passionately. This time their embrace lasts much longer. When Ariel finally comes up for air, a green glowing energy escapes Gideon's mouth and enters her's. She looks up at him with loving eyes.

"Come back to my tent with me," she says.

"And what of Thundarr?" asks Gideon.

"To Hell with Thundarr," says Ariel, "You're the one I want."

"Later," says the incubus, "when things aren't quite so . . . cramped."

"Promise?" asks Ariel coyly.

"Absolutely," agrees Gideon as he turns and walks away, grinning like the proverbial cat that ate the canary.

Later on, while it is Glasya's turn on watch, the Queen Of The Succubi slips away from the camp. Once she's out of earshot and is certain that she had not been followed, she draws her sword. She looks into the mirror like reflection of her blade and concentrates on the messaging Wrath-Amon. In a moment, the evil wizard's image appears in the blade.

"Well?" asks the wizard, "Report!"

"Everything is in motion," whispers Glasya, "The humans have all been enchanted with spells of lust and envy."

"What?" cries Wrath-Amon, "You were supposed to destroy them, not make them fall in love!"

"Oh, they will be destroyed, Your Greatness," says the succubus, "Over time, they will become obsessed with the persons of their desires. They will become insanely jealous, and destroy anyone who they see as an obstacle between them and those they desire. Even if that person is their best friend. Within a few days . . . They will destroy each other."

Wrath-Amon throws his head back and begins laughing at this. How gloriously cruel. He only wishes he had come up with something so truly twisted and evil. When his laughter subsides, he glares at the succubus.

"Clever," he says, "But be sure you do not fail me, demon queen. For the torments of Hell are nothing compared to the tortures I have planned should you fail me!"

And with that, the image of Wrath-Amon vanishes from the sword blade. Glasya sheaths the weapon and walks back to camp to return to her position as 'guard'. There she sits, and she waits.

 

[Thundarr]

Chapter Seven

That night the ten adventurers ride out across the desert. This time Glasya is riding on the back of Thundarr's horse, her arms wrapped around his muscular torso and her head resting on the back of his shoulder. Conan glares at them as he rides, which the succubus notices and smiles to herself. Gideon is riding on the back of Princess Ariel's mare today, his arms wrapped around her slender waist and talking in her ear as they ride, causing her to giggle like a school girl. Jasmine glares at the two of them as they ride, which does not go unnoticed by the incubus. Delilah rides behind Zula this night, which does not sit well with Grey Wolf. He glares at the two of them as the blonde sorceress wraps her arms around Zula's powerful torso and rests her head on the back of his shoulder. The she-demon sees this and smiles to herself. Her queen's plan was coming along beautifully.

Ookla can sense the tension between his companions, but for the life of him he can't figure out what is bothering his friends. Whenever they stop for a rest, he tries to continue his coaching of Zula and Jasmine on understanding the mok tongue. However neither of them seem to be interested in learning anymore. They seem more interested in what their companions are up to with the three new arrivals. Ookla tries to talk to Thundarr about what's going on, but the blonde barbarian seems more interested in talking with Glasya than in talking with his oldest and dearest friend. He tries to talk to Ariel, even though she can barely understand him, but the sorceress is too busy making googly eyes at Gideon to be bothered. The mok then taps on Conan's shield to try and talk to the baby phoenix, Needle. Needle flies out of the shield and lands on Ookla's shoulder.

"What big smelly oaf want?" asks the magical bird.

Ookla points out the couplings of companions and the strained feelings between their friends. While Needle can't understand a word Ookla is saying, he can see the daggers in the looks that Conan, Grey Wolf, and Jasmine are giving Thundarr, Zula, and Princess Ariel. He also notices that their three new companions aren't completely oblivious to this tension, and are in fact rather enjoying it.

"Oh no," says Needle, "Bad magic. Bad magic!"

Ookla grunts, with an upwards inflection at the end indicating it was a question.

"Needle magical creature," says the phoenix, "Can sense magic in the air. Can tell good magic from bad magic. Conan. Tiger Prince. Grey Wizard. They all under magic spell. Bad magic!"

Ookla grunts again, with a similar inflection as the first, indicating another question.

"Won't listen to Needle before!" says the phoenix, "Definitely not listen to Needle now. Need a wizard to break the spell. A good wizard. Need to find The Hermit!"

Ookla roars at the tiny phoenix. Needle has been around Ookla long enough to understand the fact that Ookla is simply talking to him, and is very excited or agitated (kind of hard to tell which is which), although the magical bird still can't understand one word of the mok's language. Still, he can guess what the big hairy beast is trying to say.

"Yes! Yes!" says Needle, "Needle go find good wizard! Get Hermit to break the spell!"

With that the little phoenix flies off to try and find this reclusive wizard, leaving a very worried mok behind to try and make sense of things. The day passes uneventfully, if uncomfortably. The tension between Ookla's companions is so thick it could be cut with a knife. The party sets out again at sunset, once more heading towards The Hermit's dwelling. Ookla watches with concern as Princess Ariel once again rides with Gideon behind her, all the while shooting smug smiles at Jasmine, who glares back at the happy couple. Conan glares at Thundarr as Glasya rides behind the blonde barbarian with her arms wrapped about his muscular torso. Thundarr grins back at Conan, only fueling the barbarian's jealousy even more. And the sorceress Delilah rides on the back of Prince Zula's horse, her arms wrapped comfortably around the dark skinned warrior's muscular abdomen. Grey Wolf glares at the two of them as they ride. Zula sees this and smiles at the elemental wizarda, feuling his jealousy even further.

As the sun begins to rise in the east, Ookla starts howling at the others in his beastial tongue. The others all stop their mounts.

"What does that hairy beast want now?" Conan asks in an irritated tone.

"Ookla says we must find shelter," says Thundarr, his voice dripping with venom, "and soon!"

"Why?" asks Grey Wolf, "What does he know?"

"A storm," says Thundarr, "Closing fast. He can sense it on the winds."

"Bah!" says Conan, "Superstitious nonsense!"

"It's not nonsense!" exclaims Ariel, "Ookla's senses are far keener than any human's. If he says that there's a storm coming, you can bet your last coin that a storm is coming."

"Very well, mok," says Conan, "Then where shall we seek shelter?"

Ookla scans the desert all about them. He sniffs the air, first east, then west, then north, then south. After a moments contemplation, he spurs his equart into a gallop towards the north. His nine companions follow close behind the mok. Soon, Ookla leads the party to a rocky outcropping with a large cave in its side. As they aproach, the mok dismounts his equart and leads it inside. The others get off of their horses just as the wind is beginning to kick up. They lead their mounts into the cave, one by one, until the last of them enters the cave just as the sand storm hits them. Thundarr ignites the blade of his Sunsword to light their way. Princess Ariel adds to the illumination by conjuring a light spell. Grey Wolf and Delilah do likewise.

The adventurers find themselves in a large cave with three additional tunnels leading deeper into the earth, plus the entrance they had just stepped through. They tether their horses in this first chamber, then begin to explore their shelter.

"I will check this tunnel," says Thundarr, pointing towards the passage to the left of the entrance. "Ariel, you take that tunnel," he says as he points towards the center passage, "And Grey Wolf can take that last passage there," as he points at the tunnel to the right of the entrance.

"Have no fear, Thundarr," says Gideon, "I shall keep Ariel safe."

Jasmine glares at the sorceress, and Ookla growls in suspicion. Thundarr ignores his friend's warning and heads off into the darkness of the tunnel. Gideon draws his rapier and joins Princess Ariel as she heads into the dark tunnel, lighting the way with her magic. And Grey Wolf enters the last tunnel, using his magic to light his way.

Thundarr walks through the dark tunnel. After several minutes it opens up into a cavern, slightly smaller than the main cavern at the entrance. The floor is quite sandy, and would make for a comfortable place to sleep. As he turns around to head back to the group, he comes face to face with Glasya.

"Lords Of Light!" Thundarr exclaims, "What are you doing here?"

"I missed you," says the succubus, "I wanted to see you."

"What of the others?" asks Thundarr.

"We are far from the other cavern," she says, "No one will hear us."

"Hear us do what?" asks the barbarian.

"This," says Glasya, and she envelops Thundarr and kisses him passionately.

The blonde barbarian returns the demon queen's embrace threefold. Glasya undoes the clasp of her cape and let's it slip to the cavern floor. She unbuckles Thundarr's heavy leather belt and tosses it aside. Thundarr unbuckles Glasya's swordbelt and let's her weapon clatter to the floor. She peels off Thundarr's fur vest, pulling it down his muscular arms until it falls by their feet. He quickly undoes the clasp of Glasya's chainmail bustenhalt, tossing the armor aside with a 'thump'.
Glasya turns away from the barbarian and spreads her discarded cape out over the ground.

As she's kneeling on all fours, Thundarr can no longer control his desire. He grabs the succubus from behind and throws her onto her back. He lays himself on top of her and kisses her deeply. She returns his embrace enthusiastically. Thundarr starts working his way down her neck, kissing her shoulder, and stopping at her perfectly shaped breasts. He gently kneeds them with his strong, caloused hands. He sucks hungrily upon her nipples, which are stiff and erect from her arousal. He continues on, kissing his way down her muscular, washboard stomach, until he reaches her chainmail clad groin. Thundarr undoes the clasps on the succubus' chainmail loincloth and peels away the piece of armor. Tossing the armor aside, Thundarr pulls his own fur loincloth down around his knees. He lowers himself onto the she-demon and thrusts his manhood inside her.

Glasya let's out a moan of pure pleasure as she feels Thundarr's manhood moving inside her. She wraps her legs tightly around the barbarian's waist and moves her hips, syncronizing their pelvic thrusts with each other. She digs her nails into his back as he brings her to climax, creating long scratches from his shoulders to his spine. She then grabs Thundarr's bare buttocks, pulling him into her. Encouraging him to thrust faster, harder. Thundarr's skin glistens with sweat as he thrusts his pelvis faster and faster. His breath comes in gasps until he let's out an animalistic grunt. His whole body seems to spasm as he releases his climax inside the Queen Of The Succubi. He collapses in her arms, quite spent, and they lie there together in a lover's embrace.

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Princess Ariel and the 'rogue' Gideon explore the center tunnel. Ariel uses her magic to light their way. The incubus has his rapier in one hand, poised to strike anything that might dare to threaten them, and a lit torch in his other hand, adding illumination to Ariel's light spell. The tunnel leads them to a small cave, roughly a third of the size of the chamber where they left the horses. There are many large stones scattered about, as well as soft sand all about the cave floor.

"This place should make a fine latrine, should we be forced to stay here a while," says Ariel.

"Oh?" says Gideon.

"It's isolated," explains the sorceress, "We can duck behind those boulders for extra privacy, if more than one of us has to go at once. And the ground soil is fairly loose. Perfect for burying our excrement, so we won't stink the place up."

"Always the logical one," he says, "I have a better reason for seeking privacy."

"Oh?" asks the sorceress, "What might that be?"

"This!" Exclaims the incubus, and he throws the sword and the torch aside, grabs Ariel in a tight embrace, and kisses her passionately.

Gideon slides his hands up Ariel's bare back and unties her leotard behind her neck. As he is pullin the top of her leotard down to her waist, Princess Ariel unbuckles Gideon's sword belt and tosses it aside. She then unclasps his cape and let's the garment fall to their feet as she pulls his blouse up and over his head. Gideon stops kissing the sorceress for a moment, and quickly lays his cape out on the cave floor. When he turns back around, he finds that Princess Ariel has removed her leotard completely. She throws herself into the incubus' arms and the two of them collapse onto the garment. Gideon kisses his way down Ariel's neck, her shoulder, and works his way down to her breasts. There he stays, kissing, licking, and caressing her breasts. He sucks and nibbles on her nipples, making them stiff and hard with desire. He licks and kisses his way down her smooth and flat belly, stopping to tongue her navel. Ariel laughs out loud as the incubus' tongue tickles her. The demon licks and kisses his way further down, until his face is right down in her crotch. He spreads her silky smooth thighs and licks her labia. The sorceress moans as the rogue incubus sucks on her clitoris. She reaches out with one hand and digs her fingers into the dirt as she fights the urge to scream out in pleasure. With her other hand, she reaches down and grabs Gideon by the hair, pulling his face more tightly into her groin. The incubus pulls his skin tight silk pants down to his knees. The demon thrusts his manhood into the sorceress, causing her to moan with pleasure. Ariel grabs Gideon's buttocks with both hands and pulls his pelvis into her with every thrust. Gideon thrusts faster and faster, driving Ariel to greater and greater heights of pleasure. Suddenly, the demon just stops.

"What's wrong?" Ariel asks him.

"Nothing," replies the incubus, "I just thought you'd like to try another position."

"Like what?"

"Turn over," he tells her, "Get on all fours."

Princess Ariel does as she's asked. Gideon gets behind her and places the tip of his manhood between her butt cheeks. He grabs her by her bare shoulders and thrusts his hips forward, driving himself into her rectum. He drives his manhood into her again and again. Ariel groans with every thrust of the incubus' pelvis as he sodomizes her. He drives himself into her again and again, moving faster and faster, until they both cry out as they climax simultaneously. They collapse together onto the cape, spooning together in a lover's embrace, quite exhausted.

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Grey Wolf follows the tunnel into an adjoining cave, lighting the way with his magic staff. This cave is roughly half the size of the main chamber. In the center of the cave is a fountain, fed by a natural spring. Grey Wolf inspects the spring. The water looks nice and clean. The wizard scoops some up in his hand and sniffs it. It doesn't smell contaminated. He drinks a small mouthful, enough to tell if something is wrong with the water, but hopefully not enough to be lethal if the water is somehow contaminated. He doesn't taste anything wrong with the water. If forced to, they could stay in these caves for some time. Grey Wolf turns to leave and is startled as he nearly walks right into the sorceress Delilah.

"I'm sorry," says Delilah, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"What are you doing here?" Grey Wolf asks her.

"I missed you," replies the succubus, "I wanted to see you again."

"Next time don't sneak up on me like that," says the wizard, "I might have harmed you accidentally."

"You're right, I'm sorry," she says, "So what did you find?"

"A natural spring," he says, "I'm pretty sure it's drinkable. We could stay here for some time if need be. This water is likely what Ookla smelled earlier."

"Ah, I see," says the she-demon.

"Let us return to the others," says Grey Wolf.

"Why?" Delilah asks, "It's so beautiful here, with the light reflecting off the water and all."

"To tell the others what we've found."

"They can wait," she tells him.

"Wait for what?"

"For us to do this," and she grabs the elemental wizard in a passionate embrace and kisses him deeply.

Grey Wolf returns her embrace with great enthusiasm. Delilah undoes the clasp of Grey Wolf's enchanted cape and throws it onto the floor. She then pulls his shirt off. Grey Wolf slips the noodle thin shoulder straps of Delilah's dress off her shoulders and down her arms. Her gown slips down to her waist, and the wizard slips the garment down over her hips and let's it fall to her ankles. Delilah undoes Grey Wolf's breeches and pulls them down to his ankles. She then points at the wizard's cape and casts a spell upon the garment, causing it to spread out nicely on the floor. The wizard and the sorceress lie down onto the cape together, wrapped in a lover's embrace. The kiss each other passionately, their tongues probing each others' mouths. Delilah begins kissing her way down Grey Wolf's neck, across his shoulders, and down his muscular chest. She nibbles on his nipples, bringing the man from Xanthus to greater levels of pleasure. She licks and kisses her way down his washboard abdominals until she gets to his crotch. There, she wraps her lips around Grey Wolf's manhood and bobs her head up and down as she sucks on his male member. The wizard lies back, completely absorbed in the oral pleasures he never imagined were possible. The succubus then pushes Grey Wolf's legs up until his knees nearly touch his shoulders. Once he's held in that position, she buries her face in between his butt cheeks and starts to tongue his butt hole. Grey Wolf can't belive what is happening to him. He didn't even know that a woman could do that, that a woman would do that. Delilah lowers his legs and straddles his hips. She slips his manhood up inside her. She grinds her hips, bounces up and down, drives him up inside her over and over. Grey Wolf let's her take control. He grabs her by her hips, thrusting his pelvis up in synchronus rythm with her bumping and grinding. They both moan in pleasure as their bodies intertwine in the most intimate of ways. Grey Wolf's body is slick with sweat. He's so enraptured in the moment, he doesn't even realize that Delilah isn't even sweating. They move together faster and faster, until they climax simultaneously. She collapses onto the wizard, and the lie there together in a lover's embrace.

 

[Thundarr]

Chapter Eight

Thundarr and Glasya lie in each others arms, resting soundly with an air of contentment about them. Thundarr's head rests gently against Glasya's breast. The two of them lay peacefully, not quite asleep, though not quite awake either. They barely notice as the cavern brightens up. At the last possible second, Thundarr and Glasya happen to look up and roll away as an enraged Conan brings his sword down into the dirt where they were lying just moments before.

"Demon dogs!" cries Thundarr as he pulls up his fur loincloth, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Glasya's mine!" says Conan, "By Crom you will not take her from me!"

The raven haired barbarian swings at Thundarr again. The blonde barbarian dives into a forward roll, narrowly dodging another potentially lethal blow. As he tumbles to his feet, Thundarr grabs his Sunsword from its bracer and ignites the blade.

Conan charges at Thundarr with his star metal sword, which the other barbarian parries with his own fiery blade. Thundarr retaliates with his Sunsword, which Conan in turn parries with his own blade. All the while, Glasya sits back and laughs. She doesn't even bother getting dressed, she just sits and enjoys the show as the two barbarians try to kill each other.

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In the smaller cavern designated as the latrine, Princess Ariel and Gideon spoon together in a lover's embrace. They are exhausted from their love making, and are nearly asleep. They are awakened with a shock as someone attacks them in the dark. Whoever the attacker is grabs hold of Ariel. The two combatants roll over to the torch, which is burning low. Ariel is on her back, and looks up in shock as she sees who her attacker is.

"Jasmine!" Ariel exclaims, "What are you doing?"

"He's mine!" Screams the acrobat, "You can't have him!"

"Oh?" Ariel says, "Then why is it that he made love to me and not to you?"

"By Mitra, you shall never lie with him again!"

"Oh yeah?" Ariel tucks her knees into her chest and kicks out, throwing the acrobat off of her.

Jasmine does a backward summersault, landing on her feet. She takes out her shuriken and throws them at Ariel. The sorceress conjurs a magical shield, deflecting the deadly projectiles. As the throwing stars bounce off of the magical shield, they return to their owner and reattach themselves to her magnetic bracer. Princess Ariel hurls a ball of magical energy at Jasmine, which the acrobat dodges. The magical ball hits a boulder behind her and explodes. Jasmine retaliates by throwing her shuriken at the sorceress. Ariel uses her magic to deflect the throwing stars again, then replies with a magical blast. Again, Jasmine dodges at the last second what promised to be an agonizing death.

And all the while, the incubus Gideon is sitting back and watching the entire event unfold with a smile on his face. He even laughs with evil glee as Ariel nearly vaporizes Jasmine. He laughs again as one of Jasmine's shuriken narrowly misses Princess Ariel.

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Grey Wolf and Delilah lie together ontop of his magical cape in the smaller cavern. Grey Wolf is lying on his back, and Delilah lies on top of him, using his shoulder as a pillow. A sudden brightening of the cavern awakens them. Grey Wolf looks up just in time to see Prince Zula coming at them with his spear raised over his head, poised to strike. Grey Wolf grabs Delilah and the two of them roll away from the attack at the last second, causing the speartip to dig into the ground. The succubus scrambles out of the way as the air wizard stands and pulls his breeches up.

"What is the meaning of this?" demands Grey Wolf.

"She's mine!" cries Zula as he swings his spear at the wizard.

Grey Wolf ducks the uncharacteristically clumsy swing and dives for his magic staff. Zula whips about and hurls his spear at the wizard, sticking the weapon into the ground between Grey Wolf and his staff and disrupting his attempt to grab the weapon.

Before Grey Wolf could make a scramble for the staff, Zula tackles him from behind. He wraps his muscular arms around the wizard's neck and sqeazes. The dark skinned warrior gets back to his feet and lifts Grey Wolf up by the neck, still strangling him.

"She's mine!" he says, "You can't have her!"

"Then why . . ." says Grey Wolf in a strained voice, "did she . . . make love . . .to me . . . and not . . . to you?"
"Aaaaaaarrrrrgh!" screams Zula in outrage, and he drags Grey Wolf over to the fountain and shoves his head under the water.

"It's me she loves! Not you!" he cries.

Grey Wolf tries desperately to push up against Zula's grip. While he is very strong and athletic, he is no warrior. The Wosai prince has him severely outclassed in a physical conflict. All the while, Delilah is sitting on a large rock off to the side, laughing wildly at the spectacle of two best friends fighting each other to the death over her.

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Ookla is waiting in the main chamber of this cave complex with the horses. First Thundarr, Ariel, Gideon, and Grey Wolf had gone to explore the other caverns. Then Glasya and Delilah went to check on Thundarr and Grey Wolf. When no one came back after several minutes, Conan, Jasmine, and Zula all left to see what was taking so long, leaving Ookla behind to guard the camp. Now the mok could hear the sounds of battle coming from not one, not two, but all three tunnels. He wants to run off to his friends rescue, but he doesn't know where to go first. Suddenly there is a burst of flame in the center of the cave and a cloud of smoke. When the smoke clears, there stands a most peculiar looking man. He wears a ragged red robe, trimmed with animal furs. His arms and legs, at least what Ookla can see of them, appear to be stick thin. He wears a necklace of animal teeth around his neck, not unlike the one Thundarr wears. His head is shaved bald, and he appears as though he could be a distant relative or ancestor of Princess Ariel's. Sitting on this wizard's shoulder is the young pheonix, Needle, his chest puffed out like a barnyard rooster and his face beaming with pride. The little pheonix starts flying excitedly about the cavern.

"Needle find Hermit!" he says, "Needle find Hermit! Needle do good! Now must help Needle's friends!"

"So," says the Hermit, "you must be this 'mok' creature that this little pheonix was rambling about."

Ookla howls back in response.

"Yes, yes. We can get into all that later. Right now I believe that you have friends who are in grave danger."

Ookla howls again, this time pointing at the three tunnels his companions had all entered earlier. The sounds of battle can be clearly heard coming from the first two tunnels. The third has gone eerily quiet.

"You two," says The Hermit, "Go and try and get the others to stop fighting! I will be in to help as soon as I can!"

And with that, the wiry little man runs off towards Zula and Grey Wolf. Ookla heads towards where Ariel and Jasmine went, while Needle flies towards Conan and Thundarr.

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Zula is still holding Grey Wolf's head under water. The dark skinned warrior has a crazed look of satisfaction on his face as the wizard's struggling weakens and his limbs begin to go limp. Just then The Hermit enters the chamber. Without so much as a word to the two combatants, he hurls an energy blast at Zula, striking the warrior prince and sending him flying through the air and crashing into the far wall. Zula falls to the floor in a heap, dazed from the impact of the spell. Meanwhile, Grey Wolf manages to push himself up out of the fountain and roll over onto his back. He coughs up a bunch of water, but otherwise seems to be breathing fine. Delilah looks over at the newcomer and hisses at him like an angry feline. She can sense the awesome power emanating from within this man.

"I lift the veils from your eyes," says The Hermit, "And I draw the envy from your hearts like poison from a wound!"

Red beams of energy leave the mouths of Zula and Grey Wolf, and enter the mouth of Delilah. Moments later, green beams of energy leave their mouths and enter Delilah's. The two friends get back to their feet, neither of them quite sure as to what was going on.

"You'll pay for that, old man!" Says Delilah to The Hermit, "You have no right to interfere!"

The old wizard looks a the she-demon and raises his hands, which begin to glow a bright yellow.

"Discard your mask," says The Hermit, "and let your true face be revealed!"

Then he blasts her with blasts of magical energy, forcing her to return to her natural form. The succubus stands before the wizards and the warrior prince, stark naked and with her horns, fangs, and wings bared for all to see.

"Damn you!" Screams the she-demon, "You will pay for that! You'll all pay!"

And with that, Delilah disappears in a burst of flame and the stench of brimstone. Zula hands Grey Wolf his magical staff.

"I'm so sorry my friend," says Zula, "I didn't realize."

"There will be time for apologies later," says The Hermit, "There are still two demons to vanquish!"

The three of them rush out of the cavern and back into the main chamber. There they find Ookla, with Jasmine tucked tightly under one arm, and a very naked Princess Ariel tucked under the other. Despite the fact that they're being held apart by an 8' tall mok, the two women are still desperately trying to claw each others eyes out. Meanwhile, Gideon is just standing there, leaning casually against his sword, with a smug look upon his handsome face. As Zula and Grey Wolf enter the cavern with the ancient wizard in tow, the demon's expression shifts from smug to annoyed.

"I lift the veils from your eyes, and draw the envy from your hearts like poison from a wound!" says The Hermit.

As before, red energy leaves the mouths of Ariel and Jasmine and enters the mouth of Gideon. Then green energy leaves the girls' mouths and enters the mouth of the incubus. As soon as it does, the sorceress and the acrobat both cease their struggling and Ookla sets them down. When he sees this, Gideon turns towards The Hermit and growls like a rabid wolf.

"Discard your mask and let your true face be revealed!" says the old wizard.

Yellow energy leaps from the palms of his hands and strikes the demon called Gideon, forcing him to revert to his natural form. The incubus glares at the group before him.

"You haven't seen the last of me!" He declairs, "I'll be back!"

And with that, the demon disappears in a burst of hellfire and brimstone. Grey Wolf walks over to Princess Ariel and drapes his magical cape over her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" He asks her.

"I . . . I suppose so," she replies, "I . . . don't . . . really know."

Ookla starts to howl and point towards the tunnel where the sounds of battle still rage. Ariel nods her head in agreement.

"Ookla's right," she says, "Thundarr and Conan need your guys' help more than I do right now. Go! I'll catch up."

"What will you be doing?" Asks Zula.

"Ummmmm . . . Getting dressed," she replies.

The Wosai prince's face gets an expression of comprehension that says that he just now realized that aside from her boots and Grey Wolf's cape, Princess Ariel has been standing there bare assed naked. Ookla guides Zula towards the tunnel that the sounds of battle are coming from. They're followed by Jasmine and The Hermit. Last comes Grey Wolf, who stops for a moment and looks over to Ariel. The sorceress disappears into the middle tunnel, her head down. The wizard wasn't sure if she was feeling ashamed of her actions, or violated by the incubus' spell, or perhaps both. He made a silent vow to help her sort out her feelings, then he moved to follow the others.

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Thundarr and Conan are fighting each other so very fiercely. Their bodies glisten with sweat under the flickering light of the Sunsword's blade. Each warrior is equally matched in speed, strength, and skill. Every move is anticipated and countered. Every counter is retaliated. If one cannot parry, they dodge. If one cannot dodge, they parry. If not for the differences in weapons and hair colour, one would almost think that they were fighting their evil twin.

"By Crom she is mine!" cries Conan, "You can't have her!"

"Lords Of Light, man!" replies Thundarr, "If that were true, she would have bedded you and not me!"

"Bah!" says Conan, "You took her by force! That's how you tribeless rogues operate!"

"If I took her by force, then why didn't she cry out for help?" asks Thundarr.

"You gagged her! You covered her mouth! There are plenty of ways you can keep a woman from screaming!"

"And I bet you've tested them all on your precious Jasmine!"

"How dare you, you treacherous dog!" shouts Conan, "I am a man of honor!"

"As am I!" replies Thundarr.

"Then why steal my woman?"

"I cannot steal what one does not own!" says Thundarr, "Glasya came to me! She was never yours!"

"YOU LIE!" Conan screams, "She loves me! She told me so herself!"

Just then, Zula and Ookla burst in, torches in hand. They're followed shortly by The Hermit and Jasmine. And finally out steps Grey Wolf, his magical staff glowing brightly and a look of angry determination on his face. Glasya glares at the companions, for it is soon obvious that her devious plan had failed. The Hermit holds his hands up over his head. The old wizard's hands glow yellow.

"I lift the veil from your eyes, and I shall draw the envy from your hearts as I would poison from a wound!"

As before, red glowing energy exits the mouths of the two barbarians. Shortly there after, green glowing energy exits the two barbarians mouths. Unlike with the other victims of the demons' magic, however, the two barbarians do not stop fighting. The Hermit turns his attention to Glasya.

"Discard your mask and let your true face be revealed!" says The Hermit.

Yellow beams of magical energy leap from the old wizard's hands and strike the she-demon. However, unlike with Gideon and Delilah, she does not revert to her natural form. The naked succubus picks up her broadsword and laughs triumphantly.

"You old fool!" she says, "Have you no idea who I am?" And with that she voluntarily changes into her natural form, "I am Glasya! Queen Of The Succubi! Greatest of all the she-demons! And I will have my revenge!"

And with that she vanishes in a ball of hellfire and brimstone. As the sulpheric smoke clears, the others notice that Conan and Thundarr have yet to cease their fighting. Ookla growls something in his own tongue, then takes aim at them with his mok composite longbow. He fires one stun arrow, and then quickly knocks another one and fires that one right after it. The first stun arrow hits Conan, rendering him unconcious. The second hits Thundarr almost immediately afterwards, before he gets the chance to capitalize on his fallen opponent.

Ookla goes to the two barbarians and picks them up, taking them to a comfortable corner of the cavern and laying them out. Meanwhile the others go to the horses and get their bedding, food, and other supplies. In minutes the cavern has been made into a comfortable campsite, and Thundarr and Conan have been tucked into their bedding.

 

[Thundarr]

Chapter Nine

Hours pass before the effects of Ookla's stun arrows wear off and Thundarr or Conan begin to come to. Thundarr stirs first, slowly lifting his head off of his fur vest, which he'd been using as a pillow. A second later, Conan too begins to stir.

"Lords Of Light," says Thundarr, "What happened?"

"You and Conan tried to kill each other," replies Grey Wolf, "Had Ookla not Knocked you two out with his stun arrows, it's very likely one of you would have succeeded."

"Crom's beard," says Conan, "What's going on? Where's Glasya?"

"It appears Glasya and her friends were not what they appeared," replies Zula.

"What are you talking about?" asks Conan, "What do you mean?"

"Glasya is a demon," explains The Hermit, "A very tricky one called a succubus. They seduce men and women, then take their souls to Hell for eternal torment. Glasya is the Queen Of All Succubi, and more powerful than any of her underlings."

"So what did they want with us?" asks Thundarr.

"It is my belief," says The Hermit, "that they were sent by Wrath-Amon, to destroy you."

"By pitting us against each other," says Jasmine as Wrath-Amon's scheme becomes clear.

"Exactly," replies the old wizard, "By having you kill each other, not only would you eliminate half your party, but those who survive will be forever tainted with the blood of the innocent. And that would make your souls all the easier to harvest."

"And we fell for it," says Zula, "Every last one of us."

"All except for Needle," says Conan, "I'm sorry, little friend, I shall never doubt you again," he says to the baby pheonix.

"Maybe big dumb barbarian appreciate Needle more now," says the magical bird.

"I promice you Needle," says Conan, "as soon as we get back to civilization, I'll buy you all the pomegranites you can eat."

"Oh boy! Pomegranites!" Shouts the bird as it flies loop-de-loops around the cave, "Needle gonna have pomegranites! All that Needle can eat?"

"All that Needle can eat," agrees Conan with a laugh.

"So," says Thundarr, "Who might you be, friend?"

"I am the wizard you've been seeking," says the old man.

"The Hermit?"

"At your service," replies the wizard with a humble bow.

"We come to ask your advice," says Grey Wolf, "We seek The World Wand. Rumor has it, you know where it might be found."

"The World Wand?" he asks, "If you want my advice, don't look for it. You'll live longer."

"We must find it," says Zula, "It's the only way we can get our friends here back to their own world."

"And their world might hold the cure to my brother and sister's lycanthropy," adds Grey Wolf.

"Please sir," says Jasmine, "It is the only chance to get Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla back to their own world."

"Why not just stay?" The Hermit asks, "This world isn't so bad. And we could use a group of heroes to help thwart the plans of Wrath-Amon."

"And leave our own world to the mercy of the wizards?" asks Thundarr, "I'd rather not."

"Not all wizards are evil, my friend," replies The Hermit.

"They are where we come from," argues Thundarr.

"I suppose you would know that better than I," says The Hermit with a sigh, "Very well. I shall help you."

"Thank you," says Conan with all sincerety.

"You might not thank me after you learn where you must go," replies The Hermit, "for The World Wand rests in the heart of Wyrm Mountain."

"Worm Mountain?" asks Thundarr, "That doesn't sound too dangerous."

"Not Worm Mountain, my friend," says Grey Wolf, "Wyrm Mountain. W-Y-R-M, not W-O-R-M."

"What's the difference?" asks Thundarr.

"A worm is a squiggly little thing that lives in the dirt, and are generally harmless," explains the young wizard, "A wyrm, however, is another word for dragon. Specifically, a particularly large and powerful dragon. And I garantee you, any place called Wyrm Mountain is not going to be a fun place to visit."

"Fun? Likely not," says Conan, "But if it's necessary to get our friends home, then that's where we'll go."

"Very well," says the old wizard, and he pulls a rolled up parchment out of his robes. "In that case, you will need this," and he hands the parchment to Conan. "It will point you in the right direction."

Conan takes the parchment and unrolls it. It is a map, showing the way to Wyrm Mountain from the desert. The barbarian carefully rolls the map back up and puts it with his belongings.

"My thanks, Old One," he says to The Hermit.

"And mine," says Thundarr.

The aged wizard nods his head in reply, then with a flourish of his hands, disappears in a burst of flame and puff of smoke. When the wizard had left, Princess Ariel gets up and walks away from the others without a word. Grey Wolf watches her leave, a look of concern on his face. She had been unusually quiet ever since the wizard showed up and ran off the demons. When everyone else had settled in to sleep, the young wizard gets up and goes after the sorceress. He finds her tending to the horses.

"Are you okay?" he asks her.

Ariel practically jumps out of her skin.

"You startled me," she says.

"My apologies," says Grey Wolf, "that was not my intent. I was worried about you. You seem unusually quiet. Is everything okay?"

"Yes," she says, not very convincingly, "I'm fine."

"I know I haven't known you for very long," says Grey Wolf, "but I can still tell that something troubles you. Tell me. Please. Perhaps I can help."

"I'm fine!" she says more forcefully, "It's just . . . I should have seen it."

"Seen what?"

"I should have seen through Gideon's disguise! All of their disguises! I'm a powerful sorceress, and they had me completely duped!"

"They are powerful demons," says Grey Wolf, "The spies and assassins of Hell. There's no way you could have known."

"No! I'm a sorceress! I should have known when magic was being used against me! I should have realized I was under a spell! I should have stopped him before he . . . Oh God! The lings he did to me! The things I let him do to me! I'm so ashamed!"

And the ever strong Princess Ariel breaks down in tears. She buries her head in Grey Wolf's shoulder and just unloads a torrent of tears. He holds her gently in his strong arms as she sobs into his shoulder. Carefully, he lowers her to the sandy floor and sits next to her during her emotional release.

Hours later, after Ariel has finished crying, the two spell casters return to the others. Zula, Ookla, and Jasmine are all asleep. Conan and Thundarr, well rested after the effects of Ookla's stun arrows had worn off, are up and about.

"Where have you two been?" asks Thundarr.

"Seeing to the horses," replies Grey Wolf, "and having a good talk."

"Get some rest," says Conan, "Thundarr and I will keep watch."

"Are you sure?" asks Ariel.

"Absolutely," agrees Thundarr, "We will wake you if anything happens."

Ariel and Grey Wolf go to their beds and settle in for the day, while Thundarr and Conan return to the main chamber. They stay up all day, watching the entrance and making sure nothing spooks the horses. The two barbarians spend the day renewing their friendship, and mending their fractured relationship. The day passes uneventfully. By the time the sun sets, the sand storm has passed. The two barbarians rouse their friends. They pack up their belongings, saddle their horses, and head out towards Mount Wyrm.

 

[Thundarr]

​

Chapter Ten

The seven companions ride out across the desert. According to Conan's map, Wyrm Mountain lies on the other side of The Valley Of Bones, in the heart of The Giant Wood. Watching the band going on their way, from on top of a great dune, are the demon queen Glasya and her cohorts. As the barbarians and their friends ride out of sight, the mighty succubus extends her wings, and with a few powerful flaps becomes airborn. Her two fellow demons follow suit, and the three of them are soon soaring through the night sky. As they fly overhead they look down upon their quarry, their demonic vision piercing the darkness with ease. Not far away, they spot a group of humans camping in an oasis for the night. They're obviously desert dwellers, as they don't bother traveling at night like foreigners.

The demons take a closer look. These humans aren't just desert nomads. They're slavers. Glasya swoops down and lands just outside the oasis, with the other two demons in tow. The three of them revert to their human forms and enter the brush. The slavers are all gathered around their campfires when the three demons enter the camp. The slavers all scramble to their feet and draw their weapons.

"Well," says the leader, "it looks like we've just found ourselves some new additions to our stable."

"The red haired one looks strong," says one of his men, "He'll fetch a fine price."

"And many men would pay handsomely to have wenches such as those in their harems," says another.

"Drop your weapons," says the leader to Glasya, "or we will cut you down where you stand."

"I think not," replies the succubus.

The slavers all advance on the three aparently outnumbered demons. As the men aproach, Glasya's eyes begin glowing a hellish red. Then Delilah's eyes similarly glow. Then Gideon's. The slavers all stop in their tracks, their eyes glowing red as they're all hypnotized by the demonic stares of the three succubi.

"Now," says Glasya, "I have a little errand for you . . ."

Some time later, the seven friends are still riding through the desert. They're still many hours from reaching the edge of the desert and entering The Valley Of Bones. Riding point is Conan, on his mighty black stallion Thunder. Next rides Zula on his brown and white stallion. After the Wasai prince rides Princess Ariel on her chestnut mare. She's flanked on either side by Thundarr on his white stallion, and Grey Wolf on his grey speckled mare. Just behind that trio is Jasmine on her brown mare with black legs. And finally, bringing up the rear, is Ookla on his equart. Conan, Zula, Jasmine, and Ookla are all hypervigilant of any possible dangers. Ariel, however, has been acting depressed ever since she had allowed herself to be seduced by the incubus, Gideon. For their parts, Thundarr and Grey Wolf have been trying to get Ariel to let go of her feelings. They've been trying to convince the sorceress to take that shame and guilt she feels and turn it into righteous anger, which would then help fuel her spells when she finally confronts Gideon again.

"I know how you feel," Thundarr tells her, "I too succumbed to the temptations of the demons. Glasya and I made love while I was under her spell."

"As did I with Delilah," says Grey Wolf, "I am a wizard, and I fell prey to her enchantments just as hard as Thundarr and Conan did to Glasya's. Yet I feel no shame. Only anger."

"I appreciate what you guys are trying to do," says Ariel, "but I can't help what I feel. It's not just that I'm upset that I fell victim to a sorcerer's trick. Or that I allowed myself to be seduced by Gideon while under the influence of his spell. Or even that I tried to kill Jasmine when she tried to come between us. It's what he did to me while we were making love. What I allowed him to do to me. What I wanted him to do to me. He treated me like a common harlot, and he made me like it. I actually begged him for more. And now . . . now I'm disgusted with myself."

They ride in silence for several more minutes. After a while, Conan reigns his horse Thunder to a stop. The others all reign in their horses as well.

"What is it?" asks Thundarr.

"There," replies Conan as he points ahead of them.

The others look to see what he's pointing at. There, up ahead, siloetted against the moonlight, is a band of at least ten men mounted on camels. They are apparently waiting for something atop a large sand dune just ahead.

Suddenly the party hears the sounds of an animal braying off to their left. They turn and see another band of at least ten men on camels cresting the top of another sand dune to the side.

Another noise draws the group's attention to the right, where yet another group of camel riders has crested the dune to that side. And finally, they hear the sounds of camels riding towards them from behind.

"I have a bad feeling about this," says Jasmine.

"What do you suppose they want?" asks Thundarr.

"Whatever it is," replies Zula, "I don't think they have our best interests at heart."

They then hear a sudden 'twanging' sound from all four directions.

"Archers!" cries Thundarr.

No sooner does he say it than Ariel raises her hands and conjures a sphere of yellow energy which covers the entire group. A split second later they hear the clattering of dozens of arrows bouncing off the magical energy shield and falling to the ground. The camel riders draw their scimitars and kick their camels into a gallop, charging the group from all angles.

"Demon Dogs!" cries Thundarr as he grabs his Sunsrord from his bracer and ignites the blade, "Everyone! Into BATTLE!"

Ookla takes out his mok bow and starts firing stun arrows at the advancing horde. Each stun arrow he shoots hits its mark and knocks a rider off of his mount and out cold. Conan draws his mighty Star Metal sword. Zula begins twirling his Star Metal bolas over his head. Jasmine snatches her throwing stars from her bracer and prepares to throw them. Grey Wolf holds up his magic staff, the Star Metal Claw Of Destiny attached to the end crackling with power. Then he and Princess Ariel dismount so that they may use their horses as cover, and cast their spells from relative safety.

"Yaaaaa-hee!" cries Thundarr as he spurs his white stallion to charge forward.

"Crom!" shouts Conan, and he turns Thunder about and spurs him into a gallop, charging the slavers who had flanked them from the right.

Zula and Jasmine both charge the slavers who had flanked them from the left. And when the slavers attacking from the rear get too close for Ookla to effectively use his composite bow anymore, he drops the weapon and charges the camel riders on his equart. He leaps from the back of his mount at the nearest slaver, tackling the man off his camel's back. Ookla quickly springs to his feat, launching himself at the camel of the next rider. Before the beast or its rider could even react, the mok grabs the mount in a headlock and wrestles it to the ground, throwing the rider face first into the sand. Then Ookla picks the camel up over his head and throws it at the next nearest rider, knocking him off his mount. The camel soars past its brother and collides with yet another camel, throwing the rider hard to the ground.

Thundarr charges into the slavers with his Sunsword blazing. The slavers try attacking the blonde barbarian with their scimitars, only to find their quarry's reflexes to be much quicker than they had thought possible. Thundarr swings, and slashes, and parries, and dodges. And when he is finished, all of the slavers are holding the useless hilts of their weapons as the blades of their scimitars litter the ground. Undeterred, the slavers pull out wooden clubs and heavy nets and make another charge at their prey. Once again, Thundarr is slashing and parrying with his mighty Sunsword, cutting through the flimsy wooden clubs and heavy rope nets. The mighty barbarian also slashes through the straps of the slavers' saddles, causing several of them to fall from their mounts.

One slaver rides his camel straight towards Thundarr with the intent to ram him and his mount. Thundarr stands on the back of his white stallion and leaps at the slaver, tackling him off of the camel's back. Another slaver drives his camel straight for the blonde barbarian in hopes of trampling him underfoot. In a surprising move, Thundarr charges straight at the camel, hauling off and leveling the beast with one mighty punch to its head. As its rider tries to get to his feet, Thundarr runs up and kicks the slaver in the face knocking him unconscious.

Conan drives his great black stallion into the throng of charging slavers. Like Thundarr seconds ago, the Cimmerian slashes and parries madly with his Star Metal sword. The steel blades of the slavers' scimitars shatter as they collide with the superior Star Metal of Conan's sword. Some of the slavers attempt to cast nets over the raven haired barbarian, but his mighty blade slashes through their ropes as though they were made of parchment. Conan drives Thunder into one of the slavers' camels, ramming the beast and toppling it into another camel. All three mounts and their riders tumble to the ground. Conan recovers first, grabs the two slavers by the scruffs of their necks and slamming their heads together. The two slavers fall to the barbarian's feet, out cold.

Another slaver charges Conan, waving a heavy wooden club. In one smooth movement, the Cimmerian ducks the slaver's swing and slashes the strap of his camel's saddle with his sword, causing the rider to fall heavily off his mount. Another mounted slaver rides his camel straight at Conan. In a surprise move, Conan runs straight at the camel. With one mighty punch, he knocks the camel to the ground. Before its rider even hits the ground, the Cimmerian leaps up and punches him in the face, knocking him out cold.

Jasmine and Zula charge on their horses towards the slavers. The young acrobat hurls her shuriken at them, one after the other, each one striking a man in his sword arm and causing him to drop his weapon. The Wasai prince let's loose with his bolas, which wrap around a slaver's head and knocks him from his camel. The two companions quickly recall their Star Metal weapons back to their hands, so that they may be used again.

They throw their weapons a second time, disarming four more slavers and knocking another from his mount. Soon, the slavers are upon Zula and Jasmine and their weapons are far less effective at such close range. However, the acrobat and the dark skinned warrior are far from helpless. Zula uses his bolas as a flail, bludgeoning any slavers who venture too near. Jasmine, with her incredible dexterity, leaps from her horse's back and tackles a slaver from his mount, knocking him to the ground. She springs to her feet and kicks him in the face, rendering him unconscious. Another slaver charges Jasmine on his camel in an attempt to trample her. She dives under another slaver's camel at the last second, causing the two of them to collide and collapse in a heap on the ground. Another slaver charges her, his club raised to strike her down. Zula charges his horse at the camel rider, ramming into the beast and knocking them both to the ground. He quickly punches the slaver in the face, knocking him out. Another slaver rides by and tries to ensnare the Wasai prince with a net. Zula ducks under the net, grabbing it as it swings overhead, and pulls it and its wielder from the camel, giving Jasmine the opportunity to knock the slaver out with a well placed kick to the head.

Princess Ariel and Grey Wolf aid their companions with their spells whenever and where ever they can. Grey Wolf conjures a tornado, which picks up a group of the slavers battling Zula and Jasmine and carries them high up in the air, then dropping them hard onto the ground. Ariel hurls exploding energy balls at the slavers attacking Thundarr. Those struck are knocked out cold. Grey Wolf knocks several of the slavers attacking Conan off of their mounts with powerful energy blasts from his magic staff. Ariel sees that several of the slavers have flanked Ookla, while the mok is busy swinging one of them by his ankles and using him like a club to bash the others. The sorceress casts a spell on the ground at the slavers' feet, causing them to sink into the sand, and then turning the sand into solid glass.

The slavers who are able turn tail and run. The camels that had lost their riders scatter across the desert. Those slavers who are still mounted ride away as hard and as fast as they can. The seven companions regroup as their attackers depart.

"Who do you suppose sent them?" asks Jasmine.

"I can hazard a guess," replies Ariel.

"Wrath-Amon?" asks Conan.

"Ultimately? Yes," says Grey Wolf, "But more immediately, I'd say this was the work of Glasya and her minions."

"Right," says Ariel, "And Wrath-Amon is likely the one who sent them to destroy us."

"Enough talk!" says Thundarr, "We have lost precious time. It will be dawn soon. We should continue on now."

"Thundarr is right," says Conan, "If we push on through morning, we should reach The Valley Of Bones by mid day."

"Then by all means, let us make haste," says Zula.

Ookla roars his agreement to that sentiment.

"It's agreed then," says Thundarr with a laugh, "we push on until we reach The Valley Of Bones."

Then they all mount their horses and ride on, with Conan once again in the lead with his map.

 

[Thundarr]

​

Chapter Eleven

Finally, the seven companions reach the edge of the desert. The ground begins to be less sandy, capable of supporting life. There are patches of grass here and there, and the farther they travel. The more frequently the grassy patches appear, and the larger the patches become. Soon they can see trees in the distance.

Princess Ariel seems to be in a better mood since the fight with the slavers. Apparently a little bit of violence is just what she needed to bring herself out of her slump. She's not 100% her old self just yet, but it appears she's on her way to beginning to heal. Perhaps a few more conflicts with Wrath-Amon's minions, or better yet Gideon himself, and she should be well on her way to being her old self again.

The companions cross a great medow and come to the edge of a great valley. The trees are great and lively, several species all about. Maple, birch, fir, pine, hickory, willow, and scores more. The air is heavy with the scent of their aromas, as well as those of cherry blossoms, apple blossoms, wild blueberries, and a dozen other smells. Multicoloured butterflies flutter about, so many of them the whole valley looks to be alive. Princess Ariel sits on her mare in awe at the sight.

"This is The Valley Of Bones?" She asks.

"Aye," says Conan.

"How did such a glorious place get such a frightful name?"

"A great battle took place here, long ago," explains Grey Wolf, "Centuries ago, before the oceans drank Atlantis, a company of Atlantean soldiers were marching down this valley, a thousand strong. They were ambushed by Stygian knights. Taken by surprise, surrounded, and outnumbered ten to one, the Atlantean infantry shouldn't have had a chance. But the Atlanteans were among the finest soldiers in the known world of their day. They fought the Stygians to a stalemate. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. Both forces were reduced in number from thousands, to mere dozens. The ranking officers of both sides agreed to a truce, and the two armies ceased hostilities and went about burying their dead. They turned this valley into a giant graveyard. It is rumored that the valley is haunted. That the spirits of those slain soldiers battle each other on the valley floor, to this very day."

"Bah!" Scoffs Thundarr, "Superstitious fairy tales. I have no fear of the dead. It's the living I worry about."

And with that, the blonde barbarian leads his white Stallion into the valley. Conan laughs, and urges Thunder to follow his friend. Jasmine and Zula follow Conan. Grey Wolf and Princess Ariel come next, with Ookla bringing up the rear.

Miles away, in his scrying room at The Temple Of Set, Wrath-Amon watches the heroes enter The Valley Of Bones in his scrying pool. The evil wizard let's out a frustrated hiss as he witnesses his most hated enemies entering the valley.

"You are wrong barbarian," he says to the image in the pool, his voice dripping with venom, "You most certainly should be worried about the dead. For very soon . . . you will be joining them!"

With that, Wrath-Amon turns and stalks away. Slithering close to his heels is Dregs.

"Wrath-Amon," says the naga, "Where are you going? What are you going to do?"

"Glasya and her kin have failed me," replies the wizard, "Twice! I shall send someone I have far more faith in."

"Who?"

"One who will be virtually invincible in The Valley Of Bones," replies Wrath-Amon.

"You don't mean . . ."

"Skulkur!"

They enter a great chamber, in which a stone coffin rests on a large dias in the middle of the room. Wrath-Amon points his Black Ring Of Set at the sarcofigus and unleashes a beam of green energy. The stone coffin glows, and the lid slides over to one side. Dregs cowers behind Wrath-Amon's legs as a skeletal figure rises out of the sarcofigus. It is dressed in ancient armor, wears a horned helmet on its head, and has long straggly whit hair clinging to its skull. It steps out of its coffin and walks up to the wizard, dropping to one knee in servitude.

"Skulkur," says Wrath-Amon, "Conan and his friends are traveling through The Valley Of Bones. Destroy them all, and bring me their weapons."

"As you command," says Skulkur in his raspy, hollow voice.

The undead warrior turns and marches away. He climbs aboard his chariot, takes up the reins and snaps them, sending his team of skeletal horses galloping through the air. Dregs shivers as he watches Skulkur fly away. The naga never learned to become comfortable around Wrath-Amon's undead minion. Likely because he's a constant reminder of the consequences of displeasing the dark wizard. But also because of the simple fact that, Skulkur is no longer alive.

In The Valley Of Bones, night has fallen. Thundarr pushes the group as far into the valley as he can before even one as stubborn as he has to admit that it's too dark out to ride any farther. They set up camp and build a large fire to keep the darkness and the night's chill at bay. Needle peaks his head out of Conan's shield and looks around.

"Needle not like this place," says the little phoenix, "It's spooky."

"It looks much nicer during the day," replies Conan, "Fear not. We shall be on the move again at first light."

Ookla growls something to the little phoenix. Thundarr laughs and pats his friend on the shoulder.

"Aye, old friend," says the barbarian, "Ookla says that you have nothing to fear with all of us here to protect you."

"Really?" says Needle.

"Absolutely," replies Ariel, "After all, we owe you our lives. Had it not been for you, some of us would still be under the succubi's spell. And some of us would be dead."

Needle flies over to Princess Ariel and lands on her lap, snuggling down to make himself more comfortable. The sorceress chuckles and pets the magical bird's plumage. The baby phoenix closes his eyes and enjoys the attention. Thundarr smiles at the sight. If Needle were a cat, the barbarian swears he would be purring right about now.

Just as the group of travelers are settling down for a good night's sleep, they're aroused by the clamoring of what sounds like heavily armored soldiers. Thundarr and Conan both leap to their feet, their swords in hand and ready to take on any foe. Grey Wolf takes up his staff and steps between Princess Ariel and the approaching sound. Jasmine grabs a shuriken from her bracer and prepares to throw it. Zula takes out his bolas and begins twirling them overhead. Ookla grabs his mighty mok bow and knocks a stun arrow, prepared to fire as soon as it's necessary. None of them were prepared, however, for what they saw.

Marching three by three down The Valley Of Bones, are the ghostly aparitions of the Atlantean soldiers who died there so very long ago. They look exactly as they did in life, except that they were completely transparent. They marched right past the campsite, not even registering the existance of the seven companions.

"Lords Of Light!" Says Thundarr in surprise.

"Crom," says Conan.

"Mitra," whispers Jasmine.

Ookla howls in his bestial tongue. The marching spectres continue to ignore the camping travelers. As the ghostly soldiers march past the companions, suddenly, without warning, the spirits are attacked by an unseen enemy. Translucent arrows fly through the air, cutting down the Atlantean troops. Then, out of the bushes, come the spirits of the Stygian army. Thundarr and Conan swing madly at the attacking soldiers, only to find their blades pass harmlessly through the attacking phantasms.

"Thundarr! Conan! Stop!" cries Ariel, "You can't harm them! They're only phantoms! Spirits doomed to relive their last days on Earth over and over again! For all eternity,"

Sure enough, the spirits fight each other. Their ghostly weapons penetrating each other's phantasmic bodies. But otherwise, causing no major disturbance in the surrounding valley.

"Demon dogs!" Thundarr curses, "Why do these spirits fight each other so, after all these years?"

"They're trapped," explains Princess Ariel, "They're doomed to relive their final battle over and over again until one side or the other is victorious. But because historically they fought each other to a stalemate, they can never end this vicious cycle they're stuck in."

So the seven companions sit back and watch as one of the greatest battles in Hyborean history replays itself right before them. And just as the history books teach, the two armies battle it out to a draw. Each time a spirit is impaled by an enemy spear, or slashed by an enemy sword, it would collapse to the ground as though mortally wounded. Conan shakes his head in sorrow at the horrid sight.

"By Crom, this is madness," he says, "Fighting the same battle over and over again. What do they hope to accomplish?"

"Victory," replies Thundarr, even though the question was rhetorical in nature.

"Conan's right," says Jasmine, "It's madness."

"On our world we have a saying," says Princess Ariel, "it goes, 'The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result each time'."

"What does that mean?" Conan asks.

"What you just said yourself, my blood brother," replies Zula, "That these spirits fighting a constant war which they can never win is madness."

After what seems like hours, the ghostly apparitions cease their conflict and fade from view. The companions hope that this is the last they see of The Ghost War, as they have come to think of the night's events. Once more they settle down for a good night's rest. Luckily for them, nothing else disturbs them for the rest of the evening. The next morning they all set out for Wyrm Mountain once more. Needle leaves Conan's shield and flies about their heads, quite happy to be free of that hot and dusty desert. Not that the heat really bothers him, being a phoenix and all, but no trees means no pomegranates. The companions barely travel a whole mile before they hear the sound of hooves galloping towards them. Thundarr turns to Grey Wolf for an answer.

"More ghosts?" he asks.

"I'm not sure," admits the wizard, "Perhaps."

"I thought the ghosts of this valley only came out at night," says Ariel.

"Maybe they can come out whenever they want," says Jasmine, "Hardly anyone ever comes here who can tell us for certain that they can't."

"Needle look and see!" says Needle, "Be right back!"

And with that, the excitable baby phoenix flies off around the bend. In only a moment or two, he comes flying right back, a look of panic on his face.

"Shulkur!" he shreaks, "Skulkur is coming! Skulkur is coming!"

Ookla growls a question.

"I don't know, old friend," replies Thundarr, and he turns to his new friends, "Who is Skulkur?"

Conan draws his sword and points it down at the road ahead.

"That is Skulkur," he says.

Up ahead, Skulkur drives his chariot into view, his skeletal horses slowing to a stop. Skulkur draws his sword and points it at the ground between himself and the seven adventurers. A red beam of light leaps from the tip of his blade and strikes the ground.

"Arise!" says Skulkur, "Arise! ARISE!"

Suddenly, the ground seems to come alive around them. Great mounds of earth start bulging up from the valley floor. Then skeletal hands begin digging their way out of the mounds. Soon skeletons, dressed in ancient and corroding armor, rise up from the earth. They draw their ancient rusted swords and take up their old and beaten shields. Their armor still bears the standards of the Atlantean and Stygian armies.

"ATTACK!" shouts Skulkur.

At their master's command, the skeletal army attack the companions.

"Demon Dogs!" cries Thundarr as he takes out his Sunsword and ignites the blade.

The blonde barbarian cuts down every skeletal soldier that gets within reach of his Sunsword. Two skeleton soldiers try attacking Ookla. The mok simply reaches down, grabs the two of them, then picks them up and smashes them together. The skeletons fall to the ground in pieces. Several skeletons try and attack Princess Ariel. She blasts them with balls of magical energy, reducing them to piles of bones. Grey Wolf smashes several of the skeletons with his magic staff, also reducing them to piles of bones, then blasts some that are further away with his magic.

Conan cuts down every skeleton that gets near him, his Star Metal blade turning them into piles of bones. Zula whirls his bolas about him, using them as a makeshift flail for striking the skeletons that get too near, then hurling the weapon at those that are farther away. Every skeleton warrior struck by the Star Metal bolas collapses in a heap. Jasmine hurls her shuriken at the skeletons, one after the other. Each throwing star that strikes a skeleton reduces it to a pile of unmoving bones. The shuriken return to their owner, who immediately throws them again.

"Lords Of Light!" cries Thundarr in surprise.

All of the skeletons that he, Ookla, and Ariel had destroyed have all reanimated, while all those struck down by Conan and his friends remain just piles of bones.

"My Sunsword cuts them down, but they keep getting back up!" cries the barbarian as he cuts them down down again.

Ookla howls as he smashes one skeleton after another to pieces, only to have them reform moments later.

"Even my magic can't keep them down!" says Ariel as she keeps blasting away at the skeleton army.

"Star Metal!" cries Conan, "Only Star Metal can undo the magic that animates them!"

"Then what can we do?" asks Thundarr.

"Their power source is the one who animated them!" says Grey Wolf, "Defeat Skulkur, and you defeat his army of the undead!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" asks Thundarr, "Ookla! Ariel! Follow Me!"

And Thundarr charges his white stallion at Skulkur, cutting his way through the skeletons standing in between them and the undead captain of this skeletal army. Ookla and Ariel follow right behind the fearless barbarian. Princess Ariel raises her hands above her head and unleashes a flurry of magical bolts, blasting any undead soldiers that get in the way and further clearing the path between them and Skulkur. Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla all leap from their mounts and square off against Wrath-Amon's servant. Just as they are about to attack this new adversary, thousands of spirits fill the road, walking out of the trees without a whisper of a sound. Thundarr's not sure why, but somehow they seem more sinister, more dangerous, than they did the other night.

"Demons Of Darkness! What now?" asks Thundarr.

Two of the spirits approach Thundarr, Ookla, Ariel, and Skulkur. They appear to be the generals of the two armies who had died here long ago. They point at the four individuals.

"You have disturbed the rest of those who dwell here!" they say in unison.

"Not us!" says Ariel, "It was him! We were only trying to pass through peacefully when he attacked us unprovoked!"

"We know," say the generals, "We have been watching. You and your friends may pass unharmed. We will deal with this one."

The spirits of the slain soldiers attack their reanimated bodies. Every ghostly warrior who runs a skeleton through with his phantasmal spear, or cuts one down with his spectral sword or ax, causes that skeleton to burst into flames and crumble into ash. And for every skeleton that bursts into flame, one ghostly warrior vanishes. The two generals turn their attentions to Skulkur. Wrath-Amon's undead puppet gets back into his chariot and flees, with these two specters hot on his heels. Thundarr, Ookla, and Ariel head back to rejoin the others.

"That was too close," says Jasmine.

"We are lucky that the spirits of this land are honorable," agrees Ariel.

"We had best be on our way," says Conan, "Who knows what surprises Wrath-Amon has in store for us."

"And I don't want to be around if those spirits decide to change their minds," adds Thundarr.

Ookla howls his agreement with the barbarians.

"Then let us make haste," says Zula, "If we hurry, we can be out of this valley by nightfall."

So they all mount their horses and ride off as fast as their steeds can carry them. Unbeknownst to them, Glasya, Gideon, and Delilah are all watching this entire affair from the tree tops.

"You're right, my dear Conan," says the demoness, "Wrath-Amon does have more in store for you. Much, much more."

Then she and her two demonic companions take to the air, flying to set their next trap for the companions. In The Giant Wood.

 

[Thundarr]

​

Chapter Twelve

The companions travel well into the night. When the moon is high up in the night sky, shining its silvery glow upon the the seven friends, they finally get to the end of the valley. Right at the edge of The Valley Of Bones is the famed Giant Wood. The first tree of the forest is so huge that all seven horses standing nose to tail couldn't even hope to cover one quarter the tree's circumfrance.

"Wow," says Princess Ariel as she looks up at the gigantic tree, "It sure didn't take much imagination to name this place. That thing is huge. You could carve an entire five bedroom house out of its trunk, complete with kitchen, dining room, and sitting room, and not even use up half the available space."

"Yes," agrees Grey Wolf, "it is most impressive. But we must be cautious. The trees aren't the only things in The Giant Wood that grow to such huge proportions. To many of the creatures that call this wood home, we would be little more than a nice light snack."

"It's pretty dark in there," says Conan, "It's too dangerous to take the horses in there. We should camp here for the night."

"Aye," agrees Thundarr, "We can start again at first light."

"Fine by me," says Jasmine as she dismounts, "My backside is killing me."

"Maybe you should try riding bareback," says Ariel, "You might find it more comfortable."

"I think I'll take your word on that," says the acrobat as she begins removing her horse's saddle.

"We need to get I fire going," says Zula.

"I'll go collect the firewood," anounces Thundarr, "I can light my way with my Sunsword."

"I will join you, my friend," says Grey Wolf, "My magic might help in collecting the firewood."

Ookla roars a reply.

"Very well, old friend," says Thundarr, "You can join us."

"The rest of us should start making camp," says Zula.

"Agreed," says Conan, "You three stay close together. There's no telling what dangers lurk in these woods."

"Don't worry," says Thundarr, "Just you make sure to keep the women safe."

"I'm a big girl, Thundarr," says Princess Ariel, "I can take care of myself."

"As can I," adds Jasmine.

"Don't worry, my friend," says Conan, "Zula and I will keep them safe."

The two women look at Conan and give a simultaneous 'Hmmmph'. Then they burst out laughing. Thundarr just shakes his head.

"Females," he says as he walks off to collect the firewood for the night.

Ariel and Jasmine start pitching the tents as Zula and Conan begin collecting large stones for building the fire pit. By the time they're finished making the camp, Thundarr, Ookla, and Grey Wolf return with armloads of firewood. Ookla's load is quite impressive, as his mok strength allows him to carry incredible amounts. Grey Wolf flies back to camp on his magical cape, with heavy loads of firewood piled up on the magical garment. Thundarr's armload actually looks pretty lame in comparison. They pile up the firewood next to the tents. Conan takes several jogs and a few branches and twigs and sets up the wood in the fire pit. Then he pulls out a stone and a piece of steel and starts striking them against each other, creating sparks, in an attempt to get a fire going. Thundarr walks up, takes out his Sunsword, igniting the blade, and then touches the blade to the tinder, setting it ablaze. Conan looks up at the blonde barbarian. Thundarr looks down at him and shrugs.

"My way is quicker," he says as he puts his Sunsword away.

Jasmine and Princess Ariel giggle at that, and Zula and Grey Wolf both burst out laughing. Even Ookla begins to chuckle. Conan looks at all his friends' mirth and can't help but start to laugh himself. Even Thundarr joins in. Almost as soon as the levity begins, it quickly ends. Jasmine notices that the horses are nervous, stamping and nickering in anxiety. She grabs a shuriken from her bracer and stands in a ready position, poised to strike.

"Conan," she says as loudly as she dares, "I don't think we're alone."

Conan leaps to his feet and draws his sword. Thundarr once again takes out his Sunsword and ignites the blade. Grey Wolf and Ariel leap to their feet and prepare to start casting their spells. Ookla knocks a stun arrow to his mok bow and prepares to take aim. Zula takes out his bolas and begins to twirl them over his head. They see several sets of eyes in the darkness, reflecting yellow in the firelight. The companions close ranks, standing shoulder to shoulder facing outwards around the fire. The eyes are all around them, surrounding them. Then one set of eyes moves forward, into the light. It's a great wolf, the size of Ookla's equart. Then another wolf steps out of the shadows. Then another, and another. Soon they're surrounded by gigantic wolves, circling them like sharks, growling at them.

"Wait my friends!" says Zula as he puts his bolas away, "Let me handle this."

The Prince of the Wasai drops to his knees and draws a mystical symbol in the dirt. "By the symbol of Jebelsag," he says, "Master Of Beasts! Animal brothers heed my call."

The mystic symbol begins to glow blue. The glow spreads to Zula's hands, then shoots out of his fingertips. Rays of blue light strike each wolf, causing it to stop in its tracks.

"We are not your prey," says Zula, "Please do not attack. We mean you no harm, but we shall defend ourselves if forced to."

The largest wolf from the pack cautiously approaches Zula. Zula bravely extends his hand to the giant lupine. It carefully sniffs Zula's hand. Then its ears come up, it begins wagging its tail, and it knocks the dark skinned warrior onto his back and begins licking his face. Almost immediately the other wolves in the pack begin to jump about like a bunch of playful pups. Some of them even approach the other members of the party and lick their faces too. Zula laughs as he scratches the lead wolf behind the ear.

"Thank you, my animal brother," says the Wasai prince, "but my friends and I are hungry. Could you help us find something to eat?"

The alpha wolf gets off of Zula, sits back on his haunches, throws his head back, and howls. One by one the other giant wolves in the pack stop their playing and join in the eery chorus. Soon the entire pack is howling at the night sky. Then the alpha male runs off, the rest of the pack following after. Thundarr offers his hand to Zula, helping him back up to his feet.

"Where did they go?" asks the barbarian.

"To find us some dinner," replies Zula.

"Will they return?" asks Conan.

"If they can find food," says Zula, "absolutely."

A few hours after they had left, the wolf pack returns with dinner. Three of the wolves each has a single rabbit in his mouth, which they happily drop at the feet of the Wasai prince. Like the wolves, these conies aren't the typical size of your average hare. They're each about the size of a shetlen pony. Even with Ookla's hardy appetite, just one of these rabbits was enough to feed the lot of them. Thundarr and Conan take one and haul it over to the tents, where they begin skinning and cleaning the rabbit. As they do this, Zula turns to the wolves, who are looking at him expectantly.

"We thank you, my friends," says Zula, "But I'm afrain we can't possibly eat all three rabbits. We will take the one my companions are preparing now. You can have the other two, with our compliments and our gratitude."

The wolves let out a series of barks, then tear into the dead rabbits. It's not a very pretty sight, watching the pack devour the two giant hares. But better them than his friends and their mounts. This night they enjoy a lovely meal of roasted coney, although it did take considerably longer to cook this one than it would a normal sized rabbit. In fact, their meal was actually cooked very rare. Still, it was the first hot, fresh meat any of them had eaten in a good long while. That alone made it a meal worthy of kings in the minds of the seven friends. They spent the night quite peacefully. The wolf pack had stayed around the camp as they slept, and few creatures would willingly attack a pack of giant wolves. When the friends wake up the following morn, they eat a quick breakfast of leftover rabbit, pack up the camp, then continue on their way. They make sure to leave the scraps leftover from their previous meals for the wolves, who seem quite grateful.

Much, much deeper in the forest, a family of giants sit about a campfire. There's a male giant, his long mane of hair and thick beard are grey with age. Next to him is a younger giant, with long black hair but no beard or mustache. And finally there is a female giant, with long wavy brown hair. They're all wearing clothing made of patchwork animal skins. The female giant is poking at their fire with a short (for them) stick. The older giant places a hand on his stomach as it growls in protest.

"I hungry," says Greybeard, "Why you not put meat on that stick?"

"Meat all run away, Papa," says the younger male, "We not catch any for days."

"But I hungry," says Papa.

"We hungry too," says the female giant.

"We not be hungry if you and Boy Son catch meat," argues Papa.

"We no catch meat 'cause there no meat to catch" shouts Boy Son.

"I know where you can find lots of meat," says a sultry feminine voice from out of nowhere.

"Who say that?" shouts Papa, "That you Wife Girl?"

"I not say nothing," says a surprised Wife Girl.

"I did," says the voice again.

This time they see where the voice is coming from. Out of nowhere appear three more giants. A red haired male, and two females. One of the females has long golden blonde hair, the other has long raven black hair. They stand before the giants completely naked, making not even a token attempt at modesty. The three giants that were talking back off cautiously. They were leery of magic, and these three appeared out of thin air. No giant could do that without mystical aid. But the three of them are so hungry, they can't quite find it within them to run away. Especially after these three strangers had promised them meat.

"You say we can have meat?" asks Papa.

"There is lots of meat heading this way," says Delilah.

"Humans," adds Glasya.

"Riding horses," says Gideon.

"Me like human meat," says Papa.

"Horse meat good too," adds Wife Girl.

"Human small," says Boy Son, "Not much meat. They carry sharp ouchies."

Papa picks up a huge log, "We carry big crushies!" he says.

"Boy Son smart," says Wife Girl, "He know humans. He try eat them before."

"Some humans throw rocks made of fire," says Boy Son, "and breathe winter. Humans dangerous."

"Me dangerous!" shouts Papa.

Glasya, Delilah, and Gideon each stare one of the giants in the eyes. The giant sized succubi and incubus each summon their innate magic, causing their eyes to glow red. The eyes of the giants then glow red as well. The squabbling amongst them ceases immediately. They each pick up the largest logs that they can lift, as well as the largest and heaviest rocks they could find. Then they storm off to find the humans they were searching for. The three demons smile as the giants leave, then revert to their natural size and forms. All the while they hear the giants chanting, "Meat. Meat. Meat," over and over again.

Later in the day, Thundarr is leading the troupe of adventurers through The Giant Wood. Aside from the fact that everything in this forest seems to have grown to enormous proportions, nothing seems to be really out of the ordinary here. That is until the ground begins to shake. The three giants step out through the over-sized trees.

"Demon Dogs!" cries Thundarr.

"Meat!" shouts Papa, and he swings his gigantic club at the barbarian, narrowly missing the barbarian.

"Crom!" says Conan as he draws his Star Metal sword.

"Mitra!" says Jasmine.

"Scatter!" cries Princess Ariel as she starts throwing magical balls of energy at the giants, "Don't bunch up! We're harder to hit separately!"

"Lords Of Light!" says Thundarr as he takes out his Sunsword, igniting the blade, "Look at the young giant!"

"What about him?" asks Zula as he ducks under a flying boulder.

"He looks just like Conan!" says the barbarian.

"By the gods!" exclaims Grey Wolf, "He is right!"

The female giant swings her club at Ookla, missing the mok by inches.

"Who cares what they look like?" says Conan, "Just slay them before they make a meal out of us!"

"I don't think your wolf friends will be able to help us out of this one, my friend!" Grey Wolf says to Zula.

"Even if they could," says Zula, "I don't think I'll get the chance to call them here!"

Ookla leaps off of his equart and dives behind a large tree, just as Conan's giant sized doppleganger throws a rock at him. The boulder cracks against the trunk of the tree. and Ookla steps out a second later and fires off two stun arrows at the giant. Both strike the giant, but are so small that they don't affect him. Papa charges at the mok with his giant club. Ookla dashes away just in time, letting the club practically knock over the tree he was hiding behind.

Zula fires a crossbow bolt at the old giant, Papa. The missile digs deep into the old giant's flesh, but is so small in comparison to his body that it does almost no real damage. Jasmine throws her throwing stars at the female giant. The shuriken all strike home, cutting into her flesh, but Wife Girl hardly notices them. She swings her club at the acrobat, nearly crushing her. Thundarr rides by and cuts the club in two with his Sunsword.

"Grey Wolf!" calls Princess Ariel, "Go for the eyes! It's our only chance!"

"I'm ready when you are, Princess!" replies the wizard.

"NOW!" she says, and the two of them blast Papa in the face with their magic, each of them focusing on a different eye.

Papa roars in agony, clutching his injured eyes as he staggers backward. He trips over a fallen tree and falls hard on his back. Ookla picks up one of the giants' discarded boulders and hurls it at Boy Son. The heavy stone catches the black haired giant right between the eyes. He stand there for a moment, his eyes crossed, and a peculiar expression on his face. He drops his club, falls to his knees, then collapses face first into the ground. The others all cheer.

"Like a scene right out of David and Goliath!" says Ariel.

"Who?" asks Thundarr

"Never mind," replies the sorceress, "Forget it."

"Hey!" says Jasmine, "Where's Conan?"

As the others look around, they see that his horse, Thunder, is walking around without a rider, and his Star Metal sword is stuck in the ground up to the hilt. They also notice that the female giant is also missing.

"Oh no!" says Zula.

They quickly find the giant's tracks and follow them back where they came from. It wasn't hard. Something that size couldn't possibly move with much stealth. As they approach the giants' campsite, they hear strange noises coming from up ahead. Afraid that they might be too late and the giant was already eating their friend, they quickened their pace. However, nothing could have prepared them for what they were about to see.

They enter a clearing in the woods, expecting to find the giant maid eating a meal. Instead they find her lying on her back, naked, pleasuring herself. From their angle, they can just see her hand moving back and forth over her privates. What's more, sticking out from between her fingers are what appear to be Conan's legs. He seems to be kicking in desperation, though whether to get away or to breathe one couldn't tell.

"Oh . . ." says Ariel.

"My . . ." says Zula.

"Gods . . ." says Jasmine.

"I guess we should help him," says Thundarr, "somehow."

"Maybe we should borrow a page from the Liliputians' playbook," says Ariel.

"Lilllll . . . eeee . . . pewwwww . . . shunnnns?" Thundarr asks, pronouncing the new word slowly.

"Forget it," says Ariel.

She points at some of the trees and rays of yellow energy leap from her hands and strike the trees. Their giant roots come out of the ground and wrap themselves around the female giant, pinning her to the ground. She points at some more trees and uses her magic to animate their roots too. Then another tree by the giant's head wraps its roots around Wife Girl's head and neck. Then more by her legs wrap around her ankles. They pull her legs apart as Thundarr and Ookla run up to the giant's crotch. The mok forces the giantess to release her grip as Thundarr pulls his friend out from inside her. Conan is completely drenched in feminine fluids, desperately gasping for air.

"This . . . never . . . happened," he says between breaths.

The raven haired barbarian walks back to his horse, where his sword and shield are both strapped to his saddle. Thundarr and Ookla follow, both trying their best to stifle their laughter. They mount up, Conan glaring at the others, silently to tell them that he sees no humor in what just happened. Conan rides off in the lead. The others all wait for him to get safely ahead of them before they all allow themselves a good hard laugh at his expense. Then they quickly move to catch up with their friend, before he gets too far ahead of them.

 

[Thundarr]

​

Chapter Thirteen

As the seven adventurers arrive at the base of Wyrm Mountain, Wrath-Amon howls in anger while he watches them in his scrying pool. Unaware that they're being watched, they all dismount and collect their mountaineering equipment from their horses.

"I wish we could take our horses with us," says Thundarr, "I do not like the idea of leaving them behind for monsters and giant wolves to eat."

"Nor do I," agrees Conan, "But there are no immediate trails up the mountain to take. And time is of the essence. Those demons and Skulkur were definitely sent after us by Wrath-Amon, which means he's searching for the World Wand too."

Ookla howls at the others, bringing them running to his side.

"What is it?" asks Grey Wolf, "What did he say?"

"He says he found a cave where out horses might be safe," replies Thundarr.

Ookla points to a small gap between two large boulders. Conan looks inside. From the little bit of light that's slipping through the opening, Conan can see a fairly large cave. And he hears water inside, perhaps from an underground stream. Conan turns back to the mok.

"There's a cave in there all right," he says, "And it could house our horses for quite some time. But how are they supposed to get in there through this tiny gap in the rocks?"

Ookla gently (for a mok) nudges the raven haired barbarian aside. He grabs hold of one of the boulders blocking the entrance and picks it up with little, if any, effort. He sets it aside and then moves the other boulder. The entrance to the cave is now plenty large enough for the horses to walk through.

"You are truly useful to have around, my friend," Zula says to Ookla.

Ookla growls a reply.

"You are most welcome," replies the Wasai prince.

"You understood him?" asks Thundarr.

"We have resumed our lessons in mok speak since the demons have left our company," replies Zula, "Ookla here says I am becoming quite fluent."

The others all go into the cave to check and make sure it's safe. Sure enough, there's a pool of water at one end of the cave. It's being fed from a constant trickling through the walls, likely runoff from the melting ice and snow higher up the mountain. Jasmine tastes it, and it seems drinkable. They quickly go about hauling as many plants into the cave as possible to give the horses something to eat while they're away. When the cave is as habitable as possible, they lead their horses inside. Conan goes last, but his horse, Thunder, doesn't want to enter the cave.

"Stupid, stubborn beast," growls Conan, "Move it! It's for your own protection!"

"Thunder doesn't enjoy being cooped up," Jasmine explains to their new friends, "He won't even enter a city."

"We don't have time for this," says Thundarr.

"Don't tell me," replies Conan, "Tell him."

"Allow me fellas," says Ariel.

She raises her hands over her head and a yellow glow covers the black stallion's entire body. The horse stops its struggling and becomes suddenly docile. It slowly walks inside the cave with no protests. Ookla quickly replaces the boulders, thus keeping the larger predators out of the cave.

"Sometimes you just need a woman's touch," says the sorceress.

Thundarr smiles at that. Not so much because he found the comment humorous, but more because his friend is beginning to act and sound more like her old self. Now that their horses are safe, the seven companions begin climbing the steep mountainside. The day is half over, and Conan and Thundarr want to get as close to their destination as possible by nightfall. Wrath-Amon too, is growing impatient. He turns away from his scrying pool and heads over to his audience hall, where one of his most powerful minions awaits his commands. Kneeling before Wrath-Amon's throne is a reptilian humanoid creature with bat like wings and four arms.

"Windfang!" says the wizard.

"What is your command, my master?" says the creature.

"I have a job for you!"

"Tell me, oh mighty Wrath-Amon!"

"Conan and his friends are climbing Wyrm Mountain right now in an attempt to capture the World Wand. I want you to wait until they have acquired it, and then take it from them!"

"And what of Conan and his friends?"

"Teach them how to fly," says the wizard, "By throwing them off a cliff!"

"Do not fail me, Windfang," warns Wrath-Amon, "I have already been disappointed by Skulkur, and my conjured demons. I am running out of patience."

"I swear it shall be done," says Windfang.

The winged henchman turns and leaves his master, leaping off the balcony and taking to the air to accomplish his mission. Wrath-Amon turns on his heels and marches back to the scrying chamber. He glares into the scrying pool, as though his sheer rage could somehow bring about the downfall of his sworn enemies. The evil wizard watches as Conan, Zula, Grey Wolf, Jasmine, and the newcomers, Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla, climb up the side of the mountain. He smiles as Princess Ariel slips and falls, but growls in dismay as Grey Wolf catches her by the wrist as she falls past him and helps her to continue on their way. Again, Wrath-Amon's hopes are raised as some loose rocks tumble down upon their heads, but slams his fist against the edge of his scrying pool in frustration as Ariel uses her magic to shield herself and her friends from the falling stones. Eventually, the sun sets and the friends set camp. They find a ledge wide enough to accommodate them all. There's still enough trees and bushes around to provide them with firewood, without having to resort to the bundles of wood they each carried. So they all bundle up against the cold, huddling together in order to share in their body heat. The next morning, they awake with the coming dawn. They stoke the embers of the fire to life, and use them to boil some tea. They eat a breakfast of dried meat and fruits, then prepare to continue on their journey.

"Would you like to borrow some of my clothes?" Jasmine asks Princess Ariel, "I have an extra set of warm clothing that should fit you."

"I think I'll be alright, thank you," replies the sorceress.

"Are you sure?" asks Grey Wolf, "Don't get me wrong, your choice of outfit certainly is . . . attractive. But it is very impractical for the journey we have ahead of us."

"The mountains can get awfully cold, Princess," adds Conan, "Perhaps you should heed their advice."

"I thank you all for your concern," says Ariel, "But I'm quite alright."

"Very well," says Jasmine, "But the offer stands if you change your mind."

"Much appreciated, Thank you."

The band of adventurers start climbing up the side of the mountain once again. They take few breaks for food and water, and when they do they're quite brief. But by the end of the second day of climbing, they had managed to scale quite high up the mountain. By the second night on the mountain, Ariel is beginning to look as though she may be regretting her decision to decline Jasmine's offer of warmer clothing. As she sits by the fire, she hugs her arms close to her body and rubs them briskly. Then Thundarr leads her over to the animal skins he had laid out as bedding. They sit on the skins together and he wraps them both in a large bear skin. She wraps her arms around his chest, rests her head upon his shoulder, then seems quite relaxed and content. Jasmine smiles to herself as she sees this.

"So that's why she doesn't want any warm clothing," she says to herself.

She certainly couldn't blame the sorceress. After all, Thundarr is very handsome. Crude, barbaric, stubborn, not very well educated, ill tempered, but very handsome. Princess Ariel falls asleep in Thundarr's arms. The others all pair up for warmth. Grey Wolf and Zula both huddle close to Ookla during the night. The find his furry hide most comforting during the cold night. And Jasmine and Conan spend the night in each others arms. As with Ariel and Thundarr, their mutual attraction for one another is often left unspoken. Once more they awake with the coming of dawn, breakfast on cold meat and hot tea, then start on their way once more. They come upon a natural pathway leading up the mountainside. It's about five feet wide at most places, with a steep but not unmanagible slope. Thundarr and Conan wait on the trail until all of their friends have climbed up, then they head on up the mountain path. Not long after they had begun walking they find their path blocked by a great hairy beast with shaggy brown fur. It looks very much like the yeti that Thundarr had battled on the mountain slope when he had first arrived in Hyborea. Then they hear another beast roaring at them. They look behind and see another of these creatures coming up from behind, blocking off any chance of escape.

"Demon Dogs!" says Thundarr as he takes out his Sunsword and ignites the blade.

"Not quite, my friend," says Conan as he draws his Star Metal sword, "Yetis!"

"I thought yetis were white," says a confused Thundarr.

"Their colour changes to match their surroundings," says Conan, "To camoflauge themselves so as to surprise their prey!"

Ookla howls in anger and steps towards the yeti that had come up from behind. Princess Ariel raises her hands and blasts the ground at the rear yeti's feet. The path crumbles away and the yeti goes tumbling down the mountainside. She then blasts the stones on the mountain wall next to the lead yeti, bringing them down on its head and sending him over the ledge to join its companion. Thundarr looks back at the sorceress with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Conan and I could have handled the yeti," he says.

Ookla howls his agreement that he too could have easily defeated the beast.

"We don't have time for this," says Ariel, "Wrath-Amon has already sent demons after us. Then he sent slavers, the undead, and then giants. Do you really want to waste time fighting some mindless beasts when we have bigger fish to fry?"

"What makes you think that the slavers and giants came from Wrath-Amon?" asks Jasmine.

"They had the feel of sorcery about them," she says.

"I noticed that too," says Grey Wolf, "It is unusual for slavers to attack a large and well armed group such as us. And giants can be easily manipulated."

"Manipulated to shove people into their . . ." begins Zula.

"Bellies!" says Conan, cutting him off.

"Manipulation is like meat and potatoes of the demons who Wrath-Amon sent after us," says Grey Wolf, "And they would happily manipulate a giant into shoving a person into their . . . belly. Just for the joy of watching it happen."

"You mean to say that those demons have been following us all this time?" asks Thundarr.

"It's very possible," replies Grey Wolf.

"More like probable," adds Ariel.

"Then let's get going," says Zula, "The sooner we can get The World Wand, the sooner we can send those demons back to Hell!"

They continue walking up the mountain path. In some areas the path widens to at least ten feet in width, allowing them to walk two by two. Is some areas, the path narrows to be barely a foot wide, forcing them to move slowly with their backs against the wall. Eventually, the path ends completely and they have to climb the side of the mountain, placing their hands and feet in any crack or crevice they can find. They manage to find a small cave in the side of the mountain. It's a tight fit, but they manage to all fit inside, and have just enough room for a small campfire. They manage to have a relatively restful, if not completely comfortable, night in the cave. They get very little actual sleep, though they do manage to dose here and there. In the morning, they head out once more. Finally, as the last rays of sunlight slowly dip beneath the western horizon, they arrive at their destination. It is a massive cave, with stalagmites and stalactites giving it the appearance of the gaping mouth of a giant carnivore. In fact, according to the map, this cave is called The Mouth Of The Dragon.

"Lords Of Light," says Thundarr.

"Is this where we're supposed to go?" asks Jasmine.

"That's what the map the old man gave us says," replies Conan.

"Then let us waste no time!" says Thundarr, and he strides forward without waiting for the others.

Conan draws his sword and runs to follow his friend. Zula takes out his crossbow and follows. Jasmine grabs a throwing star from her bracer and hurries to catch up. Grey Wolf follows with his magic staff at the ready. Ookla and Ariel bring up the rear, with Ookla's bow and Ariel's magic at the ready. They enter the cave and find Thundarr standing there, holding his Sunsword up like a torch. Ariel and Grey Wolf use their magic to add more light to the area, and then they see what had caused their friend to pause. There are four tunnels leading out of this first chamber.

"Crom," says Conan.

The others break out several torches and light them, lighting them and handing one to each party member. Then they look about the cave for some kind of clue as to where they should go next.

"Well," says Conan, "There are four tunnels and seven of us. I say we split up."

"Correction," says Ariel, "There are seven tunnels. Look up there."

Ariel points to the wall above the tunnels. Sure enough, there are three more up above where the other four tunnels are located. Too high for most people to get to, and easily missed from down below.

"Seven tunnels then," agrees Conan, "And seven of us. I say one person to each tunnel."

"What if one of the women should find danger?" asks Thundarr.

"Then 'Danger' should start running in the opposite direction," replies Ariel.

"We cannot risk spending time searching every tunnel individually," adds Grey Wolf, "If one of Wrath-Amon's minions should discover the correct path to The World Wand while we're busy searching a false trail, he will waste no time in unleashing Set upon the world."

"It's agreed then," says Jasmine, "We each take a separate tunnel and see where it leads. Once we know which of these tunnels leads to The World Wand, we go there together and retrieve it."

"Aye," says Grey Wolf and Zula.

Ookla growls his agreement.

"I still think it's too dangerous to be searching these tunnels alone," says Conan, "But you are right. We cannot risk letting Wrath-Amon getting hold of The World Wand. I agree."

"Aye," says Thundarr, who is obviously not very pleased with the arrangement, "We shall split up."

 

[Thundarr]

​

Chapter Fourteen

Each of the seven adventurers enters a tunnel carrying a lit torch. Even Thundarr carries one, even though his Sunsword provides more light than any mere torch could ever produce. Grey Wolf takes off his magical cape, and casts the spell which turns it into a flying carpet. He lifts Jasmine and Princess Ariel up to the tunnels up above the four down below. Princess Ariel takes the tunnel on the right, Jasmine takes the tunnel on the left, and Grey Wolf takes the tunnel in the center, so that if either of them runs into trouble, he'd be able to get to them and offer his help sooner than any of the others. Thundarr takes the lower tunnel on the center left, while Conan takes center right. Zula takes the lower tunnel on the far right, and Ookla takes the one on the far left. Soon, the cave behind them is dark and empty, with the lights of the travelers' torches quickly disappearing down the tunnels. No sooner do the last slivers of torchlight leave the main cave than three dark, winged, figures enter.

"Which way?" asks Glasya.

"The barbarians went down those two tunnels there," says Gideon, pointing to the two center tunnels, "The ladies went up above."

"No mistakes this time," says Glasya, "This time we finish it!"

"Their souls will be delicious," hisses Delilah.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Glasya warns, "These are mighty foes. We've seen them best undead, slavers, yetis, even giants."

"It was the interference of that meddling old wizard that kept them from being destroyed earlier," argues Delilah, "That won't happen again."

"Never the less," says Glasya, "Take no chances. Nothing fancy. Just feast on their souls."

"Yes, My Queen," agrees Delilah.

"As you wish," adds Gideon.

"Then go!" orders Glasya, "And may the blessings of Hell go with you."

With a few simple flaps of his wings, Gideon flies up to the tunnel where Princess Ariel had disappeared. He takes a few steps inside the tunnel, then bursts into flame. When the flames subside, he has assumed the form of Thundarr. They're absolutely identical, right down to their Sunswords. Glasya steps into the tunnel where Thundarr had entered. Like Gideon did just seconds ago, she too bursts into flame. As the Hellfire subside, the Demon Queen has assumed the form of Princess Ariel. Delilah follows Conan. The succubus bursts into flames and assumes the form of Jasmine. Then they follow their intended targets. Moving swiftly and silently, Gideon soon catches up to Ariel. The sorceress is moving cautiously, keeping an eye out for any possible traps. So absorbed in her search is Ariel that she nearly jumps out of her skin when the incubus touches her shoulder.

"Damn it, Thundarr!" she cries, "You startled me! Don't sneak up on me like that next time!"

"I'm sorry," says the incubus, "I thought you heard me."

"What are you doing here anyway?" she asks.

"My tunnel was a dead end," lies the incubus, "So I figured I'd come here to keep you safe."

"That's very thoughtful," says Ariel, "But I'm a big girl and can take care of myself."

"I also wanted to apologize," says the incubus.

"Apologize for what?"

"For letting Glasya seduce me. I never meant to hurt you like that."

"I never said that you hurt me," she says.

"I know. But that doesn't mean that you weren't hurt. I know I was under a spell, but I can't help but feel guilty."

"But why should I . . ." she begins to ask.

"Because we both know I've been wanting to do this for a long time," and he kisses her.

Ariel resists at first. Unsure if this is really happening or not. But this is Thundarr. His touch. His scent. Everything about him is just so right. And she has to admit to herself that she has wanted this. She's wanted it for years. So she wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him back. The incubus unfastens the ties of Ariel's leotard behind her neck, allowing the garment to slip down to her waist. The sorceress undoes the incubus' belt and throws it aside, then pulls his fur vest down over his muscular arms and lets the garment fall to their feet. The incubus kisses his way down her neck and breasts. He kneels down before her, takes hold of her leotard, and pulls it down to her ankles. She steps out of the garment and leans against the tunnel wall.

"I have wanted this for so long," she moans.

"You and I both," says the incubus, "I've wanted you since the first moment I saw you."

Then the incubus buries his face into her crotch. He licks and sucks on the most tender and sensitive of her body parts. She grabs his hair and lets out a moan of pure pleasure. Then he starts kissing his way up her body. He stops and hovers at her navel, flicking his tongue at it and causing her to giggle as he tickles her. Then he kisses his way up farther, licking her breasts and sucking on her nipples. Then they kiss again. Princess Ariel reaches down and pulls down the incubus' fur loincloth. The garment falls to his ankles and he steps out of it, kicking it away as he kisses the sorceress. He takes her by the thigh and brings her leg up around his waist. Then he thrusts his manhood deep inside her. Ariel moans again into the incubus' mouth, with pure sensual pleasure, as she's penetrated. Then they begin to move rhythmically together.

******************************************************************************************

At about the same time Gideon catches up with Princess Ariel, Glasya catches up to Thundarr. As silent as Death, the succubus slips up behind the blonde barbarian. She touches him on the shoulder, causing a surprised Thundarr to whirl about and nearly take her head off with his Sunsword.

"Demon Dogs!" he says as he realizes his apparent mistake, "What are you doing here?"

"My tunnel was a dead end," lies the succubus, "I thought I'd come down here and give you a hand."

"You should know better than to sneak up on me like that Ariel," says Thundarr, "You could have been hurt."

"I know, I'm sorry," says the Demon Queen, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Well, I'm glad you are with me," says Thundarr, "I didn't like the thought of you exploring these tunnels all alone."

"I must admit, I was relieved when my tunnel ended so abruptly," says the demoness, "I didn't like being separated from you either."

"Then why were you so eager to do so?"

"Because I needed time alone," lies the succubus, "Time to think."

"About what?" asks Thundarr.

"About what happened," she says, "What I allowed to happen. About how I hurt you."

"Hurt me?"

"By letting Gideon seduce me," she says.

"How does that hurt me?" he asks.

"Because . . ." says the succubus, " Because I think I wanted you to be the one to seduce me. And I think, deep down, you wanted that too."

"What?"

"Don't you?" she asks, "Don't you feel the connection between us? The energy?"

"I have always known there was a connection between us," says Thundarr, "But I've never been able to describe it before."

"I've known it from the moment I laid eyes on you," says the succubus, "I always known you were special. Why do you think that I helped you escape from my stepfather's citadel? So that you and I could be together. So that we could be happy. So that I could do this."

And the succubus, in the form of Princess Ariel, kisses Thundarr. Thundarr is unsure as to what to make of this. It isn't completely unexpected. He pretends to be oblivious to her attraction towards him, but truth be told he feels the same way. He just doesn't want to appear weak in front of others by admitting it, even to himself. But he wants this. By The Lords Of Light, he has always wanted this. So Thundarr kisses her back. The succubus in the guise of Princess Ariel unbuckles the barbarian's belt and casts it aside. Then she pulls his vest down his arms and tosses that aside as well. Thundarr reaches up behind her neck and unties the strap to her blue leotard. The Demon Queen pulls her leotard down to her ankles and steps out of the garment, kicking it away from her and her prey. She unties the drawstring holding up Thundarr's fur loincloth, pulling it down to the barbarian's ankles. Thundarr kicks the loincloth out of his way. The succubus turns around to face the wall. She reaches back and takes hold of Thundarr's manhood, and gently guides it into the warm folds of her delicate cunny. The barbarian takes hold of her by the waist and thrusts deep within her. The Demon Queen moans in pleasure. Thundarr thrusts again and again, picking up speed each time. The succubus grinds her hips rhythmically, moving her body with every thrust.

******************************************************************************************​

Delilah creeps down the tunnel Conan had entered. With uncanny stealth, the succubus in the form of Jasmine slips up behind the Cimmerian. Her footsteps are silent, she makes not a whisper of a sound as she approaches. Gently, the succubus lays a soft hand upon Conan's shoulder. With startling speed, the barbarian whirls about swinging his Star Metal sword. The succubus drops to the tunnel floor, just in time to avoid having her head separated from her shoulders.

"Crom's breath!" exclaims Conan, "Jasmine! What are you doing here?"

"Being attacked by you apparently," says the succubus who looks like Jasmine.

"Why aren't you in one of the tunnels up above this one?" asks the barbarian.

"It was a dead end," says the she-demon, "So I figured I'd come and give you a hand."

"You should know better than to sneak up on me like that!" scolds the Cimmerian, "You could have been killed!"

"I guess I'm lucky that you were aiming for the head of someone your own height then," says the succubus.

"Well then, be more careful," he says.

"I shall," agrees the she-demon.

"Why did you come down this tunnel?" asks Conan, "Why not help Grey Wolf, or one of our new friends."

"Two reasons," says the succubus, "First, I figured most of them could all take care of themselves if they got into trouble."

"And second?"

"Second, I've been wanting a chance to do this," and she kisses Conan on the lips.

"Wha . . .?"

"I've wanted to kiss you since the first time I laid eyes on you," says the she-demon in Jasmine's voice, "That and so much more."

"But what about our friends?"

"We'll have time to find The World Wand and get them home," she says, "I just want to make you mine. Right here. Right now."

She kisses Conan again. This time the Cimmerian kisses her back. He must admit, he had thought of this quite a bit since he had met the acrobat. But his quest had always got in the way of him being to express his feelings for the girl. But now that he knew that she felt the same way . . . The she-demon takes Conan's fur cloak and throws it on the ground. Then she takes his shield and tosses that aside. Conan begins unlacing the leather thong of her bustier. As the succubus is nibbling on Conan's nipples, Needle gets up out of the barbarian's shield.

"Why you go wake Needle?" asks the baby phoenix, "Needle was having nice dream about pomegranates!"

Then he sees Conan and Jasmine being intimate together. Needle senses immediately that something is wrong here. He senses the evil emanating from the succubus, and realizes that that is not Jasmine.

"Conan! Conan!" squawks the phoenix, "That not Star Girl! That not Star Girl!"

Conan looks over at Needle in confusion. Then he looks down at Jasmine's face and sees that she's glaring at Needle with pure hatred. That was completely unlike the acrobat. She liked Needle. She might have become annoyed with him for interrupting them at such an intimate moment, but she would never glare at the phoenix with suck malevolence and contempt. The Cimmerian immediately shoves her away, draws his Star Metal sword, and drives it through her heart. Delilah screams as her disguise evaporates, revealing her true form. Her body is consumed by Hellfire as the tunnel fills with the stench of brimstone.

"You haven't seen the last of me, barbarian!" she warns as she fades away, "I'll be back! You've only banished me for a hundred years! I'll have my revenge! If not against you, then against your children's children's childr . . ."

And Delilah vanishes, back to Hell where she belongs.

"Needle! Come!" says Conan, and he runs back down the hall from whence he came.

"Needle do good!" says Needle, "Needle saw bad magic and warn Conan!"

"Yes Needle!" says Conan between heavy breaths, "But now we must help our friends! There were three demons! Remember?"

"Needle remember! Needle remember!" says the phoenix, "Oh no! What if other demon is with Star Girl right now?"

"That's why we have to find out where the other two demons are!"

The two of them exit the tunnel into the main cavern. Conan looks desperately from one tunnel to another.

"They could have gone anywhere!" says Conan.

Needle flies up to the tunnel Thundarr went down. "Needle sense bad magic this way!" he says.

"That's probably Glasya," says the Cimmerian, "That's the tunnel Thundarr went down to explore. What about the other one?"

Needle looks around some more. "Bad magic this way!" says the phoenix at the mouth of the tunnel Princess Ariel went down.

"That's where Princess Ariel went!" says Conan, "Damn! I don't think I can reach them both in time!"

"What Conan do? What Conan do?"

"I'll go help Thundarr!" decised the barbarian, "You go see if you can find Grey Wolf! He may be able to banish Gideon if I can't get there in time with Thundarr!"

"Right! Right!" says the phoenix, "Needle help! Needle find gray wizard!" and he flies into the middle tunnel.

"Crom's speed, little friend," says Conan, then he runs with all the speed he can muster into the tunnel after Thundarr

******************************************************************************************​

It doesn't take Needle long to find the wizard Grey Wolf. The air wizard from Xanthus was taking his time, despite riding on his magic cape, to ensure that he didn't overlook any possible clues or set off any traps. He was truly surprised when Needle came flying at him at full speed squawking madly. He was immediately concerned, for Needle rarely left Conan's side except for the direst of emergencies.

"What has happened, my little friend?" asks the wizard.

"Demons!" says Needle as he tries to catch his breath, "One of them pretended to be Star Girl! Was tricking Conan! Needle warn him. Conan banish her with his sword!"

"The same demons as before?" asks Grey Wolf.

"Yes! Yes!" says Needle, "Conan banished Delilah! Glasya and Gideon still out there!"

"We'd better find them, and fast," says Grey Wolf.

"One in tunnel with Thundarr," says Needle, "Other in tunnel with Ariel. Conan already helping barbarian!"

"Then we shall help his sorceress," says Grey Wolf, "Come!"

Grey Wolf and Needle fly at great speed in order to try and get to Princess Ariel in time to save her from the incubus.

******************************************************************************************​

Conan runs down the tunnel where Thundarr had disappeared, praying to Crom that he was not too late. He could hear the sounds of moaning coming from up ahead. Apparently Glasya had Thundarr under her spell. Though exactly what she had in mind, he couldn't be certain. Before it was her plan to seduce them and make them fight amongst themselves, killing some while simultaneously destroying the morale of others. Whatever she was planning this time included seducing them while disguised as people the friends cared about. But why, he does not know.

Thundarr is lying on his back on the tunnel floor, as the woman he believes to be Princess Ariel is writhing on top of him. Never in his life had he felt such pure ecstacy. Never in his life had he felt such pure passion. He looks into the face of Princess Ariel, and she appears to be completely lost in the ecstacy of the moment herself. She moans in pleasure as she grinds upon him. What Thundarr does not realize, is that it is not his love making that is making her moan. Wave after wave of his life force is being drained away, an action which succubi find incredibly pleasurable. And due to their enchanting natures, so do their victims, right up until the point where they expire. Conan runs around the bend and sees what is taking place. He can actually sees the energy flowing from Thundarr into the demon wearing Ariel's face. Wasting no time, the raven haired barbarian runs up behind the succubus and drives his Star Metal sword into her back.

Thundarr is lying on his back, staring lovingly into the face of Ariel, when suddenly she throws her head back and screams as the blade of Conan's sword bursts out of her chest, right between her breasts. She stands up as Thundarr scrambles backward in shock. His shock increases as Glasya resumes her natural form in a burst of Hellfire and brimstone.

"Demon Dogs!" cries Thundarr.

"You've not won anything!" hisses the Demon Queen, "I'll be back! "I'll . . ."

"Yeah, yeah," says Conan as he twists the blade of his sword in her chest, causing her to scream in pain mid-sentence.

"That . . . wasn't . . . Ariel?" says Thundarr, thoroughly confused.

"Nay," says Conan, "It looked like she was draining the life out of you. I saw a white glow radiating from your body and being absorbed by hers."

"If she had been allowed to finish?"

"I know little about demons, my friend. But I think, most likely, you would have died."

"Wait!" says Thundarr, "If that was Glasya, then where is Ariel?"

"Likely with the demon called Gideon right now," replies the Cimmerian, "I sent Needle to find Grey Wolf and go save her."

"We must go to her!" says Thundarr, "At once!"

"We shall leave as soon as you are dressed, my friend."

Thundarr tries to get up, but falls right back over again.

"Lords Of Light let them reach her in time."

******************************************************************************************​

Grey Wolf and Needle race down the tunnel in order to find Princess Ariel. They see her and what looks like Thundarr, both naked, wrapped in a passionate, intimate embrace. Princess Ariel's back is pressed up against the wall, her legs wrapped around his waist, as the demon wearing Thundarr's face thrusts his pelvis again and again. The wizard and the phoenix can both see a white glow emenating from Ariel's body and being absorbed by the incubus. Ariel's head is resting on the strong shoulder of who she thinks is Thundarr. Her arms are loosely wrapped around his neck. She appears to be practically unconscious.

"Grey Wolf!" says Needle, "Hurry! Princess Lady almost out of energy!"

Grey Wolf points his magic staff at the phony Thundarr and blasts him with a burst of magical energy. It hits the demon full force, throwing him some distance from the sorceress. Grey Wolf quickly goes to check on Ariel. She's out cold, but she's still breathing. Grey Wolf covers her naked body with his magic cape. Then he stands up and faces the incubus. The demon doesn't even bother reverting to his natural form, even though he's been found out. He grabs the hilt of his Sunsword from its bracer and ignites the blade. Grey Wolf's surprise shows on his face, and the fake Thundarr laughs.

"Come wizard," says Gideon, "Match your magic against my Hellsword!"

"I will send you back to the fiery pits that spawned you," growls the wizard.

"You first," says Gideon in Thundarr's voice.

The demon charges at Grey Wolf. He waits for the last possible second before ducking under the demon's swing. Gideon turns back around and holds his Hellsword ready to attack again. Then the blade of Conan's Star Metal sword bursts out of his chest. Gideon returns to his natural form and his body erupts in flames as he is being banished back to Hell.
​

 

[Thundarr]

​

Chapter Fifteen

Completely unaware of the trouble the others have found themselves in, Ookla heads forth into his appointed tunnel. At one point, the mok feels a wave of dizziness, which passes quickly. Ookla continues on, watching out for signs of traps, side passages, or that perhaps he is going in the right direction. He comes across the skeleton of a human lying on the tunnel floor. Ookla kneels down to examine the body. The skeleton was once a warrior, judging from his armor and weapons. However, there doesn't appear to be any cause of death. It looks like he had just decided to lie down and die. Ookla continues on, and finds more skeletons. Some of them are in a sitting position with their backs against the tunnel wall. Others are just lying on the tunnel floor, as though they died in their sleep. Some are dressed as warriors, while others were most likely dressed in clothing that had rotted away years ago. Ookla wasn't very good at decyphering puzzles, and this was certainly a puzzle. For not one of these skeletons appeared to have died from any external force. They weren't slain by hidden arrows, or spring loaded blades, or falling stones, or any of the other things that people have a tendency to set as traps in places like these. They appear to have just died. Having no answers to this riddle, Ookla decides to press forward.

As he continues forward, Ookla finds several more skeletons. Soon the mok begins to notice something strange. Every set of skeletons he comes across seems to be in the exact same position as the skeletons several yards back. Out of curiosity, Ookla takes the helmet off of one of the skeleton warriors and sets it next to the skull. Then when he comes to a skeleton sitting against the tunnel wall, he takes its skull off of its shoulders and sets it on the skeleton's lap. The next time he passes a bunch of skeletons in the exact same position, the helmet and the skull are in the exact same position that they were in after Ookla had moved them. To test if this was a coincidence, Ookla crushes the helmet like a tin cup, and punches a hole in the wall next to the sitting skeleton. The mok continues on his way, then passes a skeleton with an identically crushed helmet, and an identical hole punched into the tunnel wall. Ookla finally realizes that these weren't different people who died in the exact same position as the last bunch. They were the exact same bunch of skeletons, he just kept passing them over and over again.

Ookla turns and starts running back the way he came. Again and again, Ookla runs past the same bunch of skeletons lying on the tunnel floor. Again and again, Ookla keeps running towards the entrance to the tunnel. He begins to pant heavily, but still he runs on. He begins to get a stitch in his side, but still he runs on. Still, he passes the same skeletons over and over again. He must have passed the skeletons twice as many times on his way back than he did on his was in, yet there still appears to be no end in sight. Ookla finally stops to rest. He takes out his canteen and quenches his parched throat. It's at this moment that realization hits him. That's why these skeletons had no visible injuries from what killed them. Time is what killed them. They were caught in this tunnel, trapped in this continual loop. They died from a lack of food and water. And if Ookla couldn't figure a way out of here, he was going to join them in eternity.

*************************************************************************************************​

Much like Ookla, Jasmine is completely unaware of what is happening to the others. She creeps along the tunnel, wary of any possible hidden traps, secret passages, or dangers. She has a lit torch in one hand, and a shuriken held ready in another. She comes upon a pile of bones and discarded bits of armor. She begins to move forward to investigate, but stops. Something about all this puts her instincts on edge. She throws her shuriken down the tunnel, and as the Star Metal throwing star passes over the pile of bones, several blades pop out of the wall at various heights like giant sets of sheers. She calls for the throwing star to return, and the blades slash out again as the shuriken passes over the bones. She does this several more times, testing the efficiency of the trap. Apparently, there is no limit to the number of times the trap can be sprung. And there is no height or angle where one can sneak past without being detected by whatever magic triggers the trap. She does, however, discover one weakness in the traps design. The blades are designed to be lethal to any person of any size. One cannot simply step over them because the blades are too low, or duck under them because the blades are too high. The shortest of dwarves would likely be cut in half at the waist, while simultaneously being decapitated and cut off at the knees. The tallest of humans would be sliced up like a piece of meat at a butcher's shop, his skull being sliced clean in two at the eyebrow. But between the topmost set of blades and the ceiling is a relatively wide gap. It would be considered narrow for most people. But Jasmine is an acrobat. She grew up in the circus. She should just be able to make it . . . maybe.

Jasmine takes several steps back. She takes several deep, steadying breaths. Then she gets a running start at the trap. At the last possible second, Jasmine hurls a throwing star down the tunnel. This activates the blades, right before her leap. She jumps up with everything she has, diving for the gap between the ceiling and the top set of blades. She twists her body in mid-air, so that her chest is practically scraping the ceiling. She arches her back and lands in a hand spring to her feet. She quickly, whirls about and recalls her shuriken to her bracer. Now that she's past this particularly nasty death trap, Jasmine checks herself for any injuries. The top blades had just managed to slice off her belt pouch, and some fabric from the seat of her pants. All in all, she had gotten through relatively unscathed. She just hopes that the others have done just as well.

*************************************************************************************************​

Zula heads forth in his assigned tunnel, completely unaware of what is befalling his comrades. As he presses forward, Zula notices several ancient runes carved into the stone floor and walls of the tunnel. He takes a moment to look them over. He is a learned man, but these symbols are something he has never seen before. Grey Wolf would likely know what they mean. Determined to find out where this tunnel leads and what is at the other end, the Wasai prince continues on. Soon, Zula begins to feel a great deal of anxiety. He is unsure as to why, for since the runes he has yet to see anything in this tunnel to warrant such a reaction. He figures it must be the urgency of his quest pressing on him, and presses forward. The farther and farther he goes, the more and more fearful he becomes. Zula is not a weak man. He is a powerful and brave warrior, from an entire race of brave and powerful warriors. He has mastered the sign of Jebelsag, Master Of Beasts. Yet he cannot shake this feeling of dread. And with every step forward, the feeling becomes worse, and worse.

The tunnel appears to be moving, turning around and around as though Zula were being rolled around in a giant barrel. The Wasai prince can barely keep his balance. He falls to his hands and knees. With a growl of defiance, Zula continues forth, crawling like an animal. The tunnel ahead of him distorts, like he's crawling through a bad dream. He crawls forward a little farther, then collapses under the strain.

When he awakens, Zula finds himself back in his father's palace, bound in irons. Sitting upon his father's throne is his treacherous cousin, Gora. On the end of Gora's royal scepter, is the mummified head of Zula's father, the king. Sitting naked at Gora's feet, their wrists in irons and with chains attached to collars around their necks, are Princess Ariel and Jasmine. Zula attempts to regain his feet.

"On your knees before the king!" shouts a guard, and he jabs the butt of his spear into the back of Zula's knee, forcing him to kneel.

Zula glares up at the guard, and is surprised to see that the guard is, in fact, a serpent man.

"Welcome, cousin," says Gora, "to the new kingdom of Wasai."

"You are no king, cousin," growls Zula.

"On the contrary," says Gora, "My throne has been sanctioned by not only Wrath-Amon, but Set himself."

"Lies!" says Zula, "He has yet to find enough Star Metal to build his temples!"

"He did not need it, dear cousin," says Gora, "You and your friends have lead him to The World Wand. Now he can conjure monsters most foul from anywhere in the multiverse. All thanks to you."

"No!" cries Zula.

"Oh, yes," replies Gora calmly, "Not only have you failed your friends. You have failed the entire world of Hyboria."

"I don't believe you!"

"Then perhaps you will believe this," says Gora, and he motions to his serpent men guards.

A pair of serpent men grab Zula by the arms and drag him out of the palace. There, in the court yard, are the impaled bodies of Conan, Thundarr, Grey Wolf, Snagg, and Ookla. They had been set out on display as though they were decorative ornaments. Zula looks away, unable to bear to look at his friends.

"As you can see, dear cousin," says Gora, "There is no hope."

*************************************************************************************************​

Ookla sits down on a large rock and contemplates what to do next. Ookla had never really been big on trying to solve problems with his mind. Like most moks, he was better at solving problems with his fists. But this seems like a thinking problem to him. So he sits and he thinks. Obviously the people who were trapped here before him were better thinkers than he is. They hadn't found a way out using their brains. If only there were something Ookla could smash to stop the loop in the tunnel, then he could get out of here.

What would Ariel do? wonders Ookla.

She would probably know just the right spell to cast to counter this tunnel's effects.

What about Thundarr? wonders Ookla, What would he do?

He'd probably take out his Sunsword and carve a whole new tunnel out of there. Then Ookla stands up and howls with joy.

That's it! That's the answer!

Ookla looks around the tunnel, trying to get his bearings. Once he knows which way he was walking when he entered the tunnel, he also knows which side of the tunnel connects to the tunnel Thundarr is investigating. The mok walks up to the tunnel wall and punches a hole in the stone. Then again. And again. And again.

*************************************************************************************************​

Jasmine continues on past the bladed trap. She hopes none of her friends try and follow her to see if she's okay. She had forgotten to leave them any kind of marker to let them know about the trap. Granted, the pile of bones was a pretty obvious marker, but the need to know not to go beyond that point. She hopes that if anyone tries to check up on her, it will be Grey Wolf or Ariel. Thundarr or Conan would just get themselves killed. So would Ookla, most likely. Zula tends to be more reflective than Conan, although he did get captured by slavers by being too impulsive. Hopefully he'd be okay.

As she continues forward, she sees a pile of discarded items up ahead. Cautiously, she creeps forward for a closer look. It appears to be a collection of weapons, burnt out torches, leather sacks, metal lanterns, and other seemingly random items. Suspicious as to why these things are sitting out here, with no sign of their former owners, Jasmine takes a cautious step backwards. She takes a shuriken from her bracer and throws it down the tunnel. As the throwing star passes over the pile of discarded items, several long steel spikes pop out of an illusionary wall. Suspended upon those spikes are several human and humanoid skeletons.

"So that's where the owners of those pieces went," whispers Jasmine.

As the spikes retract to their hidden compartment, Jasmine recalls her throwing star to her bracer. The spikes extend again as the shuriken passes over the pile of lost items. Once more, Jasmine sees a weakness in the trap's design. There's a gap between the top spikes and the ceiling. Apparently, whoever designed this dungeon never considered that people might be able to jump that high. Jasmine takes a throwing star from her bracer and throws it down the tunnel. This time, as soon as the spikes extend, Jasmine runs up and climbs the sides of the spikes as though they were a ladder. When she gets to the top she crawls across the top spikes as though crawling across a scaffold. Almost as soon as the acrobat gets to the top of the spikes, they begin to retract. She hurries across as quickly as she safely can. Once she gets to the other side of the spikes, she tumbles down to the tunnel floor, lands dexterously on her feet, then runs off down the tunnel, recalling her shuriken to her bracer.

*************************************************************************************************​

Zula is sitting in his cell, awaiting his execution in despair. He can't believe how things could have gone so wrong. All of his dearest friends, murdered. Jasmine and Princess Ariel, enslaved by his treacherous cousin. He had to set things right somehow. Exactly how, he didn't quite know. Perhaps he could start a revolt. But Gora had said that Wrath-Amon brought Set back to Hyboria. There was little the citizens of the world could do against the likes of Wrath-Amon, Set, and the warriors of Wasai. Well, his first order of business is to escape his cousin's prison.

Finally, the snake men guards arrive to take Zula to his execution. He's put into irons, and taken to the palace courtyard. 'King' Gora is sitting there, watching his cousin being dragged out like a common criminal. Zula glares at his cousin in defiance. In response, Gora grabs Jasmine and kisses her on the mouth. The acrobat returns the evil Wasai kings embrace. Of all the things Zula had seen since returning home, this is the most out of place. He could accept that Jasmine might be captured and forced into slavery. But Jasmine is a fighter. She would never, ever, just accept her role as a slave, she would fight to the bitter end. Accepting the embrace of the man who has enslaved her like a lover? Never!

Zula slams his irons into the faces of the guards guiding him to the impaling pole. The guards collapse to the ground, clutching their injured faces. Zula charges his cousin. Gora takes out his ax, preparing to meet his cousin head on. Zula leaps and tackles the traitor to the ground. He wraps the chain of his irons around Gora's neck and pulls it tight. Gora grabs Zula by the wrists and tries to get him to release his grip. Zula pulls even harder. Gora's eyes begin to bulge as he can't get enough air. The Wasai prince ignores the death rattle of his cousin. Gora becomes weaker and weaker, and eventually stops struggling altogether. As the life leaves Gora's body, the image of the palace courtyard begins to shift. His irons begin to disappear, the land around him goes dark, and he is once again in the tunnel inside Wyrm Mountain.

Zula understands now that he never truly left. It was all an illusion. A trick of magic, causing his mind to make him live out his worst fear. He takes up his torch and continues forward.

*************************************************************************************************​

Ookla continues punching the tunnel wall. Finally, the wall gives way and he opens up a hole between his tunnel and Thundarr's. He continues to punch the wall, again and again, widening the hole until it's big enough for him to step through. As he steps from his tunnel into Thundarr's, he sees what looks like Princess Ariel's blue leotard lying on the tunnel floor. The mok picks it up and sniffs it. He recognizes the scent, and it doesn't belong to Ariel. Glasya might have been able to assume Ariel's form, and conjure a replica of her leotard, but she couldn't fool a mok's nose. Ookla sniffs the air, trying to determine which direction Thundarr had gone. He discovers that the barbarian hadn't continued into the tunnel, but had doubled back. Knowing him, he likely ran to Ariel's aid. Not wanting to abandon his friends when they need his help, Ookla runs to catch up and help out.

*************************************************************************************************​

Jasmine reaches a section of the tunnel where the entire area is unusually blackened. She doesn't like the looks of this. Unlike before there are no piles of bones indicating a trap. No piles of random items as though they were just dropped. Just blackened walls, floor, and ceiling. As before, she takes out a shuriken and throws it down the tunnel. Nothing happens. She recalls the throwing star to her bracer. Again, nothing happens. She gets down on her hands and knees and inspects the tunnel floor. It appears as though the floor here was man made, not a natural formation. She gently brushes away any dirt that has built up on the floor over the years. Carved into the stones on the floor are symbols. She has never seen this kind of writing before. These look like ancient hyroglyphs, pictures meant to represent specific words. There was a symbol of a snake. A symbol of a man. A symbol of a dragon. A shield. A spear. A sword. A horse. An eagle. Yet she still has no idea as to what they represent. As an experiment, Jasmine chooses the symbol of the dragon and presses down on it with all her weight. Flames burst out from the walls, forcing Jasmine to throw herself backward out of the way. She looks back and sees that the walls are now glowing red.

"Well, that explains why there aren't any remains," says the acrobat.

She inches back up and tries another symbol, this time the symbol of the snake. Once more the walls spit out flames, leaving the stones red hot. Once again, Jasmine tests a symbol. This time she tests the symbol of the man. Once again, flames burst from the walls, forcing the acrobat to leap back once more. Again she goes back. And again, she tests another symbol. This time she tests the symbol of the shield. Nothing happens. She tries the symbol of the sword, and flames burst out of the walls. She tries the shield again . . . nothing. So she steps onto the shield symbol and begins gently clearing away the soot and ash from the floor. When she sees a shield symbol she steps on it, then starts the process over again. Eventually, she gets all the way across. The tunnel continues on, beyond into the darkness. Jasmine takes up her torch, and continues her search for The World Wand.

 

[Thundarr]

​

Chapter Sixteen

Ookla exits the tunnel that Thundarr had originally entered. He sniffs the air, trying to discern where his friend had gone to. His keen mok senses tell him that both Thundarr and Conan had in fact gone down the tunnel which Princess Ariel was exploring. Ookla leaps up as high as he can, grabs the ledge of the tunnel floor, then pulls himself up. Then he runs down the tunnel as fast as his legs can carry him. There he finds Thundarr, Conan, and the wizard Grey Wolf, all tending to an unconscious Princess Ariel. Ookla howls at them to tell him what is going on.

"It's Ariel," says Thundarr, "She's injured. Gideon had returned. He had assumed my form and then proceeded to drain the life from her. Glasya and Delilah tried to do the same to me and Conan. Luckily Needle realized in time to stop them before it was too late. We got here as fast as we could to save her, but I fear we may have been too late."

Ookla growls again.

"Grey Wolf says that if we can get her to his city, that he may be able to save her," explains Thundarr.

Ookla howls a reply in his bestial tongue.

"Nay, old friend," replies Thundarr, "We must find The World Wand first. If it falls into the wrong hands, than whatever hardships Ariel has suffered would have been in vain."

Ookla growls another question.

"You stay here and watch over her," replies Thundarr, "Conan, Grey Wolf and I will continue searching for this World Wand."

As Thundarr tries to stand, he loses his balance and stumbles into the tunnel wall. Ookla voices his concern.

"I'll be okay, old friend," says Thundarr, "You just worry about Ariel."

"Come," says Conan, as he takes Thundarr by the arm, "Let me help you."

"I'm fine," insists the blonde barbarian.

"I'm not asking, I'm telling," replies Conan, "That succubus drained more energy from you than you care to admit. I won't insist on you staying behind with Ookla and Ariel, but if you're going to be coming with me, you're going to have to let me help you."

"When I get my strength back . . ." begins Thundarr.

"You can do your best to best me in combat," Conan finishes for him with a laugh, "But I must point out that you haven't succeeded at that yet, and that was when you had your full strength."

The two barbarians and the wizard head farther into the tunnel, Thundarr being held up by his two new friends, leaving Ookla to care for the ailing Princess Ariel.

*************************************************************************************************​

Jasmine finally reaches the end of her tunnel. She finds herself on the edge of a massive crevasse. There is a great stone archway on the ledge of the crevasse. On the far ledge, directly across the way, is an identical stone archway. There appears to be no way across. The acrobat examines the stone archway more closely.

"There must be a key to solving this puzzle," she says to herself.

"There usually is," says a voice behind her.

Jasmine jumps at the sound and turns around, shuriken at the ready. To her surprise, no one is there.

"Who said that?" she asks.

"I did," replies the voice.

"Who are you?"

"The Keeper Of The Secret," says the voice.

"Can you tell me how to get across?"

"Yes I can," it replies.

"Then how?"

"That, you must discover for yourself," it replies.

"I thought you said you would tell me!" shouts the acrobat angerally.

"No," says the voice, "I said I can tell you the way across. But if I were to simply tell you how to do it, it wouldn't be much of a test. Now, would it?"

"A test?"

"Of course!" says the voice, "Only those most worthy may venture forth from here. You and Prince Zula are the first two to make it this far in over a millennium."

"Zula made it?"

"Oh yes! He should be coming along shortly. I'm afraid your other friends are not quite so fortunate."

"What?" says Jasmine, "What happened to them?"

"Not my doing, I'm afraid. Their trials were interrupted by outside interference. Whether they can persevere or perish is yet to be determined."

"Help them!"

"Not my job. I'm sorry, but I really must be leaving you now. I do hope your friends do well. This whole ordeal has been most entertaining."

And then Jasmine was left alone in total silence.

*************************************************************************************************​

Thundarr staggers along the long dark tunnel, Conan and Grey Wolf to either side of him, helping him to stay upright. They stagger down the tunnel together. Conan and Grey Wolf are holding up torches to light the way. Thundarr is bravely trying to keep his head up and move under his own power, but it is obvious that the encounter with The Queen Of The Succubi has had a negative effect on him. Much more so than he tries to let on. His body is lathered in sweat as he presses onward, stubbornly refusing to quit. As the three of them press on, the tunnel fills with a mysterious fog. The mist is so thick they can't even see each other. It begins to make them cough, and Conan and Grey Wolf both let go of Thundarr's arms as they grasp their throats in a vain attempt to breathe.

"Demon . . . Dogs!" curses Thundarr.

"Crom!" chokes Conan.

"Mitra!" wheezes Grey Wolf.

The three of them all stagger and collapse from inhaling the mysterious fog. When they do, the fog dissipates, leaving the barbarians and their wizard friend lying unconscious on the tunnel floor.

************************************************************************************************​

Conan awakes to find himself lying in a very familiar bed. It's his bed! The one he slept in most of his life as he lived with his mother, father, and grandfather. He looks about, confused as to exactly how he got there. He hears someone banging pots and pans in the kitchen. Cautiously, he gets up out of bed. He creeps over to the door and opens it a crack. There, over by the fireplace, cooking their evening meal, is his mother. And sitting at the dinner table are his father and grandfather.

"Mother!" cries the barbarian, and he runs over to the older woman and picks her up in a great hug, "You're alive!"

"Of course I am!" laughs his mother, "Why would I not be?"

"Father! Grandfather! You're both okay!"

"And it's good to see you're doing well too, son," says his father.

"But how?" asks Conan, "How did you reverse the Curse Of Living Stone?"

"Curse Of Living Stone?" asks Grandfather, "What are you talking about?"

"The wizard, Wrath-Amon!" says Conan, "He turned you all to stone! I've been searching for a cure ever since!"

"What are you talking about, son?" asks his father, "You've been here with us for months. Wrath-Amon has never even set foot in our village."

"What?" asks Conan, very confused, "But the Star Metal . . ."

"Conan, you've been very ill with fever," says his mother, "You must have dreamed this."

"No! It wasn't a dream! It was real! Zula, Grey Wolf, Jasmine, Snagg, and me, we all fought Wrath-Amon with our Star Metal weapons! We were searching all over for a cure for the spell Wrath-Amon cast upon you!"

"But Wrath-Amon cast no such spell," says his mother calmly, "And you have not left the village since the trades fair. You must have caught an exotic disease from one of those foreign travelers at the fair. Now get back into bed! I will bring you some soup."

"It was all just . . . a dream?" says Conan.

He staggers back to his bed, quite unsure as to what to make of all this.

************************************************************************************************​

Grey Wolf awakens in a nice soft bed. It takes him a moment to get his bearings. He realizes that he's lying in his own bed, back home in Xanthus. He gets up and quickly dresses. He has no memory of returning home at all. How did he get here? He leaves his room and goes downstairs, where to his surprise he sees his brother and sister, Sasha and Meesha, and they are no longer wolves.

"Sasha! Meesha!" cries Grey Wolf as he runs down the stairs, He buries his older siblings in a great hug, "You're alright! You're human again!"

"Weren't we always, little brother?" asks Meesha with a laugh.

"But the sorceress, Mezmira," says Grey Wolf, "She turned you into wolves with thorns from the lycanthrus plant!"

"I know of no sorceress by that name," says Sasha, confused.

"What?" asks Grey Wolf, "She is The Queen Of Stygia!"

"We have not had dealings with Stygia for many years," says Meesha, "We have no interest in their politics."

"But she was here!" says Grey Wolf, "She was plotting to kidnap our earth wizards and force them to use their earth magic to help Wrath-Amon build his pyramids to Set!"

"We have uncovered no such plot," says Sasha.

"Come, little brother," says Meesha, "You have been unwell. You have been suffering from nightmares."

"You mean, it was all a dream?" asks Grey Wolf.

"Perhaps a good rest will make you feel better," offers the older wizard

"I shall brew you an Elixir Of Vitality to get you your strength back," says his sister.

"Yes," says Grey Wolf, still very confused, "Perhaps you're right. Thank you."

************************************************************************************************​

Thundarr awakens in a large, soft bed with silken sheets and thick pillows tucked behind his head. He lifts the sheet which is draped over him and peaks underneath. Apparently he slept in this bed without a stitch of clothing on. Felling very panicked, he begins looking around for his Sunsword. Something is most certainly wrong here. He had absolutely no memory of this place, or how he came to be here.

"Good morning, Lover," says a very sultry, feminine voice.

Thundarr looks over to see Princess Ariel in the doorway of this elaborately decorated bedroom, wearing a blue silk bathrobe which is tied about the waist by a golden cord. She's holding two gem encrusted goblets of pure gold in her hands. The sorceress very seductively walks towards the barbarian. She sits down on the edge of the bed, and hands one of the jeweled cups to Thundarr.

"I was beginning to think you would never wake up," she says.

"Where am I?" asks Thundarr, "What happened? Are you okay? How did we get here? Where's my Sunsword? How did you recover from the incubus?"

"Whoa!" says Princess Ariel, "So many questions! Do you want them in order, or in an order that makes sense?"

"Just answer me woman!" says the barbarian.

"My, such forcefulness!" she says, "You know I've always loved that about you."

Thundarr's grimace tells her that his patience is wearing thin. With a sigh, Ariel decides that the direct approach is needed in this instance.

"For your first question, you are in our bed, in our bedroom, in our palace, in our kingdom, where you and I rule together as King and Queen."

"What kingdom?" asks Thundarr.

"Mine, silly!" says the sorceress, "The one I inherited from my stepfather after we vanquished him?"

"Sabian is vanquished?" asks Thundarr.

"As are most of the evil wizards throughout the world," she tells him, "Oh one or two pop up every now and then, but they're no match for the two of us."

"The two of us?" asks Thundarr, "What about Ookla?"

"Oh, he has his own people to worry about, since he married Chief Ogrot's daughter."

"And my Sunsword?" he asks.

"On the top shelf of the wardrobe, right next to your bracers, just like always," says Ariel.

"How did we get here? Did we find The World Wand? How did you manage to recover from the incubus' attack?"

"We've always been here. Well, since defeating my stepfather anyways. And what is this World Wand you speak of?"

"The . . . magic wand that would bring us back to Earth from Hyboria?" he says.

"I have never heard of such a thing," says Ariel, "Nor have I ever been attacked by an incubus."

"But I remember . . ."

"You were dreaming, My Love," she says.

"Why do you call me that?" he asks.

"Well, we are married after all," she says with a laugh, "How did you think you became my king?"

"It was all a dream?" he says.

"If you ask me," says Ariel, "I much prefer reality."

With that, she sets aside her drink, unties the sash of her robe, and slips out of the silken garment. She then slips into bed with Thundarr, lies on top of him, and kisses the barbarian passionately on the mouth. Thundarr returns her embrace. He feels himself stiffen at her silky touch. Her hair smells sweet from the scented oils she adds to her bath water. He buries his face in between her breasts as she lifts herself up. Then she guides his manhood up inside her as she lowers herself back down. Then they begin grinding into one another, moving their bodies in synchronous rhythm with each other. Ariel moans in pleasure as she rides her husband's manhood. Their bodies both glisten with sweat as they approach climax. They move together, faster and faster, until finally they let out a primal scream of adulation at the very height of their pleasure. Then Ariel collapses into Thundarr's arms and they fall into a blissful, contented sleep.

************************************************************************************************​

Jasmine sits, staring at the twin arches with no apparent way to get across the crevasse, when Zula arrives behind her. The Wasai prince looks at the puzzle set before them.

"So what does it mean?" he asks.

Jasmine is so startled, she nearly falls from her perch on the ledge of the crevasse.

"Don't startle me like that," she says.

"My apologies," he says, "So, any luck?"

"Yes, plenty," says the acrobat, "Unfortunately it's all bad."

"There must be a way to cross," says Zula.

"There is," she replies, "I just haven't been able to find it yet."

"You sound certain," he says.

"I am," she replies, "The Keeper Of The Secret told me that there is an answer. He just wouldn't tell me what it was."

"He should have at least left us some sort of clue!"

"I think these stone arches are the clue," says Jasmine, "I just have no idea what they mean."

"Should we try and find the others?" asks Zula.

"No," says Jasmine, "For one thing, we have no idea how to get to them. And for another, we would likely get ourselves killed going back through that gauntlet."

"I see your point," says the Wasai prince.

"I think you may be right," says Jasmine, "The clue to how to get across must be in these stone arches."

The two of them begin examining the stone arch with extreme precision. They search every nook and cranny of the arch, trying to find the elusive clue as to how to get across the crevasse. Yet no matter how hard they look, the arch still appears to be made of plain stone. There are no markings or etchings of any kind anywhere upon its surface. Once again, the acrobat and the Wasai prince sit down in frustration.

"We need Grey Wolf," says Zula, "Or Princess Ariel. Perhaps magic can reveal more than what our eyes can alone."

"Yes, but where are they?" asks Jasmine.

************************************************************************************************​

Back in the tunnel where they were left, Ookla sits protectively by Princess Ariel's side. The young sorceress is still unconscious from her ordeal with the incubus, Gideon. She moans and whimpers in her sleep. Ookla guesses that she must be dreaming. Whether her dreams are peaceful or nightmares, the mok can only guess. He picks up her leotard and dresses her. Then he wraps her up in Grey Wolf's cape. He picks up the discarded furs of the fake Thundarr and then carries her out of the tunnel, jumping down to the main chamber of this cave complex. Using the furs, Ookla makes a makeshift bed for Ariel, arranging things so that they would be as comfortable as possible. Then he sits, cradling her head on his lap, and he waits.

 

[Thundarr]

​

Chapter Seventeen

Conan awakens in his bed the next morning, quite refreshed. He gets out of bed and stretches his muscular arms over his head. He takes a deep breath of the Cimmerian mountain air. By Crom it felt good to be back home again. The raven haired young barbarian enters the common room of his family's tiny cottage. His mother has a pot of soup over the fire, and bread baking in the hearth.

"Feeling better, dear?" she asks.

"Aye, Mother," replies Conan, "I feel alive!"

"I hope you got your appetite back," she says.

"I'll eat later," says Conan, "I want to go for a walk and look around the village first. I feel like I haven't been home in months!"

"Alright then," says his mother, "Don't take too long! I wouldn't want your breakfast to get cold."

The young barbarian steps out into the morning air. Everything is bright and fresh. He walks through the village, and all of his neighbors stop what they're doing to greet him as he passes by. Out of the corner of his eye, Conan catches a glimpse of what appeared to be a blonde barbarian disappear around the corner.

"Thundarr?" says the Cimmerian.

He quickly runs over to where he saw the barbarian, but he is gone. Conan shakes his head in bewilderment. Must be from the fever, he tells himself. He goes to the village well to get a drink of water. As he's drinking, he catches a glimpse of Jasmine's reflection in the water. He quickly turns around to say something, but she's gone. Worried that he may still be ill, Conan hurries back home. In his haste, on the way he bumps into a very large barbarian wearing an extraordinary amount of fur.

"Excuse me," says Conan without paying the man much attention.

The other barbarian lets out a very familiar sounding, bestial roar. Conan stops in his tracks.

"Ookla?" he says, and he turns around. No one is there.

Conan quickly goes back into his family's cottage and sits down at the dinner table. His mother sees the panicked expression on his face.

"Conan?" she says, concern in her voice, "What's wrong?"

"Mother," says Conan, "I think I may still be ill."

*************************************************************************************************​

Grey Wolf awakens in his own bed. He gets up and stretches his arms up over his head, relishing in the comforts of home. He takes up his magic staff and heads downstairs to meet Sasha and Meesha for breakfast. His siblings are already at the breakfast table, helping themselves to fruits, and bread rolls, and cups of nectar.

"Brother! Sister!" says Grey Wolf, "So wonderful to see you this fine morning!"

"And how did you sleep, little brother?" asks Meesha.

"If I were to sleep any more soundly, you would have to check to see if I am still breathing!"

"You don't know how good it is to hear you say that," says Sasha, "We were so worried about you!"

"Yes," adds Meesha, "That fever of yours had us most concerned."

"Do not fear, my family," says Grey Wolf, "For I am fully recovered from that terrible fever."

"Then pray, join us for a fine breakfast," offers Sasha.

"I think I will go for a walk through the city first," says Grey Wolf, "After that illness, I feel as though I haven't been in Xanthus for months."

"Are you sure that is wise?" asks his brother, "So soon after being ill?"

"You hardly ate while you were with fever," says his sister, "You should eat first."

"I have a pocket full of coins," says Grey Wolf, "If I get hungry while I'm out, I shall buy something in the marketplace."

"Very well, little brother," says Meesha, "Enjoy your walk!"

"I shall!" says Grey Wolf, and he steps out of the family's palace.

As the air elemental wizard exits his family's palace, for what seems the first time in forever, he stretches his arms out in the morning light and breathes in the sweet smelling morning air. Rather than walk, Grey Wolf decides to fly through the city of Xanthus. He takes off his magic cape and enacts that enchantment which turns it into a flying carpet. Then he sits upon it cross legged and flies through the city streets. He moves at a leisurely pace, greeting his fellow wizards as he passes them on the street. He buys himself a pomegranate from a street vendor to eat for breakfast, then laughs to himself as he remembers the silly things Needle would do to get Conan to give him a pomegranate.

"But it was all a dream," he says to himself.

Then out of the corner of his eye, he spots a raven haired girl with olive skin wearing a blue leotard disappear around the corner just up the street.

"Ariel?" he says in confusion.

The young wizard hastens over to the area where he had seen his sorceress friend, above the heads of his fellow wizards. But by the time he gets there she is gone. Grey Wolf looks around in confusion.

"I saw her," he says to himself,"I know I did."

Figuring it to be his mind playing tricks on him, he decides to head back to the palace. On his way there, he catches a glimpse of another familiar sorceress out of the corner of his eye, The Queen Of Stygia, Mezmira. He races over to where he saw her, to see if he can get some answers from her. But, like Ariel, she is nowhere to be found. When he gives up looking for her, he decides to head back to his family's palace to get some rest. On the way there, he catches a glimpse of a raven haired barbarian turning the corner out of the corner of his eye.

"Conan!" he cries, and flies over to where he saw the Cimmerian.

Once again, the person Grey Wolf thought he saw had vanished. The wizard quickly checks his forehead. He doesn't feel feverish, at least not that he could tell. Perhaps he had not recovered from his illness as thoroughly as he had believed. He flies the rest of the way home, not stopping for any more delays. He quickly enters the palace, where he meets up once again with Sasha and Meesha.

"How was your walk, little brother?" asks Meesha.

"Not very pleasant, brother," replies Grey Wolf.

"Why?" asks Sasha, "What's wrong?"

"I think I'm still very ill."

***************************************************************************************************************​

Thundarr is dressed in more finery than he had ever worn in his life. Thankfully, his Royal Attire seems to pay homage to his barbarian roots. His boots and vest are lined with fur, and it seems to be customary that he wear his fur loincloth over his silk breeches. The furs are made from the hides of very exotic beasts from all over the known world. And it seems the more formal an occasion the clothing is designed for, the more exotic the animal the pelt comes from. Understandable, as that has long since been a tradition amongst the barbarians. Still, he's not sure if he can ever get used to the addition of silks and satins to his wardrobe. And his crown, while simple and not overdone, sits uncomfortably upon his brow. Thundarr stands alone on his Royal Balcony, overlooking the kingdom which is now his to rule. Princess Ariel . . . wait, Queen Ariel . . . comes up to her husband from behind and gently slips her arms around his muscular waist.

"What troubles you, My Love?" she asks.

Thundarr twists about in her embrace and put an arm around her shoulder. He looks down upon her beauty. She's wearing an elegant blue gown, which hugs the curves of her still remarkably athletic body. The gown goes all the way up to her neck in a high collar, which buttons closed at the nape of the neck. The dress is trimmed with gold, and has a dragon design twisting all about the legs and stopping at her ample bosom. And much like the blue leotard she wore when they were adventuring together, this gown was completely backless and sleeveless. Sexy and elegant, all at once. Thundarr looks back out over the kingdom he does not remember.

"Tell me about our kingdom," he says.

"I've told you a hundred times since we've been married," she says.

"So tell me again," replies Thundarr, "Please. I like hearing you tell it."

"Now who can resist the request of her king?" says Ariel.

"Only a fool would try," says the barbarian with a smile. Ariel chuckles at that.

"All right," she begins, "Before The Great Cataclysm, our kingdom was a city called Vancouver, located in a country called Canada near the southern border between the nations of Canada and The United States. Actually, Vancouver was a collection of smaller communities which were collectively known as Vancouver, but still maintained their individual names and governments. Communities such as Burnaby, Richmond, and Surrey, for example."

"So it was like several barbarian tribes gathering together to form a single community, but maintaining fealty to their individual clans," says Thundarr.

"That's a very good analogy," says Ariel, "Yes, it was exactly like that."

"I understand," says the barbarian king, "Please continue.

"Vancouver had a very large population from across the Pacific Ocean to the west," says Ariel, "There were many Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino people living here. Much like in the village of Cisco where we battled the wizard Kublai and Zogarr The Barbarian."

"Ah yes," says Thundarr, "You had mentioned that those villagers may have been your distant kin."

"After The Cataclysm, much of the city's population were wiped out by the massive tidal wave that hit here. The areas least affected were those farthest away from the coast, like Richmond, which had a high population of Asian immigrants. Once survivors began emerging, everyone moved closer to the coast. Without any commerce, we had to become a society of hunter/gatherers again, skills most humans had lost. But with The Pacific Ocean right at their doorstep, Vancouver became a fishing town. As the town grew, their need of strong leadership did too. I don't know exactly when it changed from a democracy to a monarchy. Record keeping wasn't all that efficient back then. But I know that once there was a Royal Family of Vancouver, my family had ruled here ever since."

"Until Sabian," adds Thundarr.

"Yes," says Ariel as she sadly looks at her feet, "Until him."

"Tell me of his rise to power," says Thundarr.

"Must I?" she asks, "You already know all this."

"Humor me," says the barbarian, "Please."

"Sabian was my parents court magician," she says, "It was his job to keep the kingdom and my family safe from evil wizards who wished to invade. Instead, he murdered my father and used magic to charm my mother into marrying him. When his desires turned towards me, he murdered my mother so that he could marry me instead. It was then that I started the slave revolt and escaped with you and Ookla."

"And then we came back here and . . ."

"And you slew my stepfather. You drove your Sunsword through his black heart, and cut off his head for good measure. You then set his head on a pike as a warning to all evil wizards of the fate of those who dare attack the kingdom of Vancouver ever again. It sits there on the road into town even now, the first in a long line of skulls taken from evil wizards and warlords who were foolish enough not to heed that first warning."

"How many skulls have I taken?"

"None recently," says Ariel, "But shortly after our marriage? Wizards seemed to come out of the woodwork to try and take the kingdom from us. And if it wasn't wizards, it was warlords coming to rape, pillage, and plunder. The heads of Gemini, Argoth, Artemis, and Octagon all line the road into town, as do the heads of Jurag, Zogarr, and Captain Corden."

"A barbaric practice," says Thundarr.

"Well, you are a barbarian My Love," she replies with a laugh.

"Good point!" laughs Thundarr, "I thank you for the tale. It was as entertaining and informative as ever."

"Your wish is my command," says Ariel as she hugs her husband.

"In that case," says Thundarr, "I wish we would retire back to our bed, so that I may thank you properly."

"As much as I would love to have you ravish me again," says Ariel with a laugh, "And again. And again. And again. And . . ."

Thundarr cuts her off with a deep and passionate kiss. The sorceress pulls back out of his reach.

"As I was saying," she continues, "As pleasant as that may be, we do have affairs of state to attend to."

"As king and queen, can we not have someone else handle the trivial matters?"

"That, my dear Thundarr, is how my parents lost their kingdom to an evil wizard. You promised me on our wedding day that you would never let that happen again. And if you ever wish to see me naked again, you will be sure that it doesn't!"

"Your wish," says Thundarr, as he dips into an exaggerated regal bow, "is my command!"

"Come on, Your Highness," says Ariel with a laugh, "The faster we tend to the trivial, day-to-day details of running a kingdom, the sooner we can return to our bedchamber and tend to producing an heir to the throne."

Thundarr and Ariel leave the balcony arm in arm, and head down to their throne room, quite content in each other's company.

************************************************************************************************​

At the crevasse, Zula and Jasmine are still examining the stone archway. Still, there are no markings or clues of any kind.

"Mitra! Where are Grey Wolf and Ariel?" says Jasmine in frustration, "We can't decipher this riddle without their help. Their spells will likely reveal whatever it is we're missing."

"Do not despair, Jasmine, says Zula, "The trials we must endure to get to this point are most difficult. I'm sure that they will be victorious. I just do not know how long it will take them to be so."

"My trials were all physical," says Jasmine, "I had to overcome a gauntlet of deathtraps."

"You are most fortunate," says Zula, "I had to live through my worst nightmare come to life."

"Really?" says Jasmine, "What was it? What did you do? How did you defeat it?"

"I'd rather not say what it was I faced," replies Zula, "It was much too painful. But how I defeated it. I got angry. So angry I was able to confront my fears, face them head on, and conquer them."

"I . . . I don't know if I could have done that."

"No one does," says the Wasai prince, "Until they have no other choice."

"Could the others be being forced to face their own worst fears?"

"I don't know," admits Zula, "It is a possibility. Though it appears as though each passage to the arch is a different kind of test. Tests for mind, body, and spirit. Some may simply be dead ends or death traps. We won't know until the others get here."

"I do hope they're alright," says Jasmine.

"As do I," agrees Zula, "As do I."

 

[Thundarr]

​

Chapter Eighteen

Conan spends the whole day in bed. His mother, father, and grandfather keep checking in on him periodically. Oddly enough, he doesn't feel sick. But these hallucinations of people that he, apparently, only ever met in his dreams are very worrisome. His mother is fussing over him like an old hen. Even his father refuses to allow him to work the forge until he is well again. While it is great to be home, or not be dreaming anymore, or whatever, Conan wants these hallucinations to stop. They don't seem to bother him while he's at home, only while he's out in public. So he stays at home most days, trying to recover from whatever this strange illness is. While eating his midday meal one day, Conan's father comes into the house with a great smile on his face. Conan looks up at his father, expecting to hear some wonderful news, hopefully to do with his illness.

"What is it father?" asks Conan, "What has made you so happy?"

"My son!" says his father, "I have the most wonderful news! A foreigner came into my smithy shop to get new shoes for her horse. As I was removing the horse's old worn out shoes, she and I began talking. The subject of your illness and the lingering hallucinations came up, and she says that she has an herb which may get rid of the hallucinations!"

"That's wonderful, father!" says Conan, "When can I meet this healer?"

"Soon," says his father, "First your grandfather has to help her collect some additional ingredients, so that the medicine can do its job."

"How much will this healer require in payment?" asks Conan, "We are hardly rich, and healing usually requires large amounts of gold."

"All she asked for was for me to shoe her horse for free," says his father.

"That is all?" says Conan, surprised.

"She does not administer healing simply for profit, so that only the fat and wealthy merchants can afford to be illness free," says the old blacksmith, "She became a healer to help the sick and injured, where ever she may find them. She gets compensated with room and board, as well as essential services such as I provide. That is how true healers should behave, at any rate. At least, I think so."

"As do I," agrees Conan, "Unfortunately, not many healers tend to agree."

"And how would you know this?" asks his father, "My worldly son, who has never set foot outside of Cimmerian lands?"

"You told me so yourself," says Conan.

"Ha-ha-ha! So I did!" laughs his father, "Well, at least you're no longer insisting you've been gallivanting around the world, fighting evil wizards!"

************************************************************************************************​

Grey Wolf is spending most of his time these past days looking through old tomes and scrolls in The Great Library Of Xanthus, one of the greatest collections of knowledge in all of Hyboria. Specifically, he is researching illnesses that are known to cause hallucinations, and their cures. Some he doesn't like the looks of, as they all lead to madness and death. These illnesses have no known cures, through magic or science. However, Sasha and Meesha had told him he started out with a fever, and in these maladies the fever comes near the end of the disease's course. So he continues reading. There are several different illnesses which have been documented over the generations that have been known to cause hallucinations. Many of them have symptoms which clash with what he knows about his own illness. For those that have known herbal treatments, Grey Wolf writes the names of the disease, the list of herbs needed to brew an antidote, and the exact procedure for making the medicine, down onto a piece of parchment. On a separate piece of parchment, he writes the names of all the illnesses that have no known cures that he thinks he may have.

Grey Wolf then returns to his family's magical laboratory, where with the aid of his brother and sister, brews the cures for many of the hallucinogenic maladies that he surmises that he may have become afflicted with. He gets as much rest as he can, often sleeping on a cot he had set up in the laboratory so that he may be close to his research. Sasha and Meesha make certain he gets his rest, by taking over his experiments and potions for him while he sleeps. Whenever the younger wizard is exhausted is when his hallucinations seem to get worse.

Days pass, and Grey Wolf has tried every remedy he could find to cure his disease. He would brew an antidote, drink it down, or apply it to his skin, or bathe in it, whatever the instructions tell him to do. Then after giving the remedy time to take effect, he would try going out into public. Everything would always start out fine. But then he would see Jasmine. Or Mezmira. Or Conan. Or Thundarr. Or Princess Ariel. Or Snagg, Or any one of the many other people he dreamed he met while adventuring around the world, searching for a cure for his siblings imagined lycanthropy. He has tried the last of the remedies the other day. And it had failed.

"Do not fret, little brother," says Sasha, "We will discover a cure for you."

"I feel as though I am going mad," says Grey Wolf.

"You are not mad," says his sister, "You were ill. This is just a part of that illness. Once we know more . . ."

"I have read every medical book in the city's library," says Grey Wolf, "I have consulted with the wisest and most powerful wizards in Xanthus. And I have come up with exactly nothing."

"Meesha and I will not give up, little brother," she tells him, "Right now, our brother is contacting every healer in the known world, looking for a cure! He will find it!"

"He had best find it soon," says a distraught Grey Wolf, "Because at this rate, I may soon not have enough of a mind left to heal."

************************************************************************************************​

Thundarr and Ariel sit on their thrones as they oversee the day to day business of running a kingdom. It is quite obvious to Ariel that her husband has little patience for such things. He had always been more in favor of action than thought, but he had lost some of that after the wedding. Now he seems more like the Thundarr of old, who wouldn't even compliment her for her skill with magic or her beauty. Except for that last part of course. She hasn't had this much trouble keeping Thundarr's hands off of her since their honeymoon.

This afternoon, Thundarr and Ariel are mediating disputes between various individuals. This farmer blames another for stealing his goat. That fisherman blames another for tangling up his nets. Two rival merchants arguing over who should be allowed to set up shop where. Ariel can tell that Thundarr would rather just hand them each an ax and a shield and let them settle things in the ruins of BC Place Stadium, where Sabian used to make slaves fight each other in gladiatorial combat for his own twisted pleasure. That was one of the first things she and Thundarr put an end to when they took the kingdom back from Sabian. Perhaps the gladiatorial games needed a rebirth? Replace the shields and axes with bare knuckled fights? Settle disputes and entertain the populace all at the same time, with nonlethal competitions! She would have to discuss this with Thundarr later.

The next person seeking an audience with the king and queen is a representative of the barbarians from the mountains to the north. The guards show the bearbarian in. Thundarr's jaw drops as he's looking upon the raven haired Conan, whom he and Ariel had already met.

"Conan?" Thundarr asks.

"Sire?" Asks the barbarian, "Have we met?"

"Of course we've met!" Says Thundarr, "We fought the minions of Wrath-Amon side by side!"

The barbarian from the north gives King Thundarr a confused look, as does the queen and the rest of the court. Thundarr regards their confused expressions with confusion of his own.

"Wrath-Amon!" Says Thundarr, in an attempt to shake loose the visitor's memory, "He sent shape shifting demons after us! You slew them with your Star Metal sword! The male demon nearly killed Queen Ariel! Remember?"

"I'm sorry sire," says Conan, "but I have no idea of the events you speak of. I have not met you before today."

Thundarr turns to his queen, "Ariel, he says, "surely you remember."

"I am sorry, My Love," says Ariel, "but I have never seen this man before in my life. Nor do I have any recollection of the events you speak of."

"But I . . . I remember it all so clearly," says the king, now very confused.

"Are you alright?" Conan asks him.

"No," replies King Thundarr, "Not alright. Not alright at all."

Thundarr gets up off his throne and walks off, leaving his court quite confused. Queen Ariel quickly quiets them all down.

"It's quite alright," she tells everyone, "The King has not been feeling himself lately. It shall soon pass."

She dismisses the court, then leaves to follow her husband. The guards shrug their shoulders and guide Conan from the audience hall. The Queen soon finds Thundarr in their bedchamber, staring at himself in the mirror as he leans wearily on her vanity table. She walks up behind him and places a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"What is it My Love?" She asks, "What is wrong?"

"Everything," sighs Thundarr, "It's all wrong. Us, this place, the whole thing."

"Aren't you happy here?"

"Of course I am," he replies, "I've never been happier. But I have no memory of us being together. Our victories over the wizards. Your stepfather. Our wedding. None of it."

"Do you want this life to end?" She asks.

"Nay," says Thundarr, "I do not. But it isn't real."

"I'm real," she says, and she wraps her arms around his chest in a warm hug, "I've never been more real."

"I wish to The Lords Of Light you were," he says, "but you are an illusion, just like everything else."

"Please," sobs Ariel, "Don't leave me."

Thundarr turns and wraps her in a hug, resting his cheek against the top of her head.

"Whether we are in this illusion or in reality," he tells her, "I will never leave you."

***********************************************************************************************************​

Conan is sitting at the dining table of his family's home, eating his mother's venison stew, when his grandfather returns.

"Great news everyone!" he says, " I have all of the necessary ingredient's for Conan's cure!"

"Excellent!" says Mother, "I shall go fetch the healer at once!"

"No need," says Grandfather, "I've brought her with me."

A mysterious cloaked figure enters the house, following Grandfather. She throws back the hood of her cloak, revealing her long braided, dark brown hair and beautiful face.

"Jasmine!" says Conan with excitement, leaping to his feet with such enthusiasm that he knocks over his chair and spills the contents of his bowl.

"Ummmm . . . Do I know you?" she asks.

"It's me!" he says, "Conan! We fought Wrath-Amon's minions together! My father forged your throwing stars!"

"I'm sorry . . . Conan, is it? But I have never seen you in my life."

"You see how sick our son is," says Conan's mother to the newcomer, "He believes he knows you."

"If I've never met her before," says Conan, "then how did I know her name?"

"Your grandfather must have mentioned it," says Mother.

"No," replies Conan, "I'm quite certain he did not."

"Your father then," suggests Grandfather.

"No," says Conan, "He didn't either."

"Then I must have introduced myself," says Jasmine.

"You never said a word until I stated your name!" exclaims Conan, now very upset, "By Crom, Someone tell me what's going on here!"

"You're very upset by your nightmares and hallucinations," says Conan's father in a soothing tone, "Why don't you rest in your room while your mother and Jasmine brew up your cure?"

"NO!" shouts Conan, "This is all wrong! You're all not real! None of this is! This is some trick of Wrath-Amon's to keep me from finding a cure!"

"Calm down, my son," says Father.

"Don't call me that!" screams Conan, "You are not my father!"

With that, Conan runs over to the hearth and grabs his father's sword from the mantle. His father reaches to restrain the enraged barbarian, but Conan drives the blade into his father's chest. His father stares at him with a look of utter shock as he collapses to the floor, in a growing pool of his life's blood. Grandfather steps protectively between Conan and his mother, but the barbarian doesn't hesitate. He slashes his grandfather through the chest, knocking him into his mother. Conan's mother tries desperately to crawl away, but Conan stands over her and stabs down with his father's sword, impaling her through the back. Jasmine stands there, dumbfounded. She turns and attempts to flee, but Conan throws the sword like it were a spear. The blade digs deep into the girl's back, dropping her to the floor. Conan looks around at the carnage left in disbelief.

"Crom's tears! What have I done?"

He runs over to Jasmine, who is the only one moving at all, and cradles her in his arms.

"Jasmine!" says Conan, "Jasmine! What did I do?"

"You . . ." whispers the acrobat, ". . . won."

Then she dies in Conan's arms. He clutches her dead body to his chest, and all goes black.

*************************************************************************************************​

Grey Wolf sits alone in the family's study, doing his best to try and keep away from other people. For some reason, his illness always seems to worsen when he's out among people. So he says away from people. Whatever is causing his hallucinations, Grey Wolf doesn't want it to get worse before he can find a cure. Sasha brings her younger brother a cup of herbal tea, meant to ease his symptoms. Just then, a very excited Meesha comes running into the study, followed by a mysterious cloaked figure who seems to glide at a leisurely pace.

"Sasha! Grey Wolf!" says Meesha excitedly, "I have great news!"

"You have found a cure?" asks Sasha.

"Close!" he says, "I have found a healer who claims to have a cure!"

"At this point, I'm willing to try anything," says Grey Wolf.

"Allow me to introduce . . ." says Meesha, as his guest removes her hood.

"MEZMIRA!" shouts Grey Wolf in disgust as he sees who his brother had brought back with him.

"You know of me?" asks a very confused Mezmira.

Grey Wolf turns to his siblings. "Surely you cannot ask this of me?" he says "By Mitra, she's the one who turned you into wolves!"

"But Grey Wolf," says Meesha, "That was just a dream. A nightmare brought on by your fever."

"What fever?" asks Grey Wolf, "I remember no fever!"

"You were sick," says Sasha calmly, "We took care of you. Remember?"

"Then how did I know immediately who Mezmira was?" asks the younger wizard, "You told me I had never even met her! That she had never set foot within Xanthus!"

"Please Grey Wolf," pleads Mezmira, "I am only here to help."

"Stay back, witch!" shouts Grey Wolf, "I wouldn't let you near me, even if the entire city were at stake!"

"If your illness is contagious, it could very well be," she replies.

"NO!" screams Grey Wolf, and he takes up his magic staff and hurls a powerful gust of wind at the sorceress.

Mezmira is caught directly by the magical attack, taking its full force. The wind attack throws her into the stone wall of the study with devastating force. There's a loud crack as she hits the wall, then slides down to the floor, leaving a red smear against the wall. Sasha runs over to the fallen sorceress to check on her condition.

"You killed her," she says, "You crushed her skull against the wall and killed her."

"Are you mad?" asks Meesha, "She was here to help you!"

"Mad?" says Grey Wolf, "Nay, I am quite sane. All this time I have been accepting your story that I've been ill. That everything that has happened to me since having met Conan was all a fever induced nightmare. A trick of the mind. But this is the trick. You two are the illusion. And if I am to help my real brother and sister, I am going to have to end this illusion. NOW!"

Grey Wolf immediately conjures a miniature tornado, which picks up his sister and carries him up to the chandelier at frightening speed. Before she can even react, Sasha's head gets tangled in the ropes holding the chandelier from the ceiling. The tornado dissipates, dropping the wizard to be hanged by her neck. Meesha quickly hurls a Bolt Of Flames at his younger brother, which Grey Wolf promptly blocks with a Sphere Of Force. He then retaliates with a Shock Wave, which throws Meesha against the wall. Dazed, but not dead, Meesha casts a Fan Of Flames spell at his little brother. Grey Wolf tumbles out of the way, and comes up with a Blast Of Wind spell. This slams his brother's head into the wall with stone crushing force. Like Mezmira before, his skull shatters, splattering his brains all over the wall. Grey Wolf drops to his knees, covers his face with his hands, begins to sob, and then all goes black.

*************************************************************************************************​

Thundarr picks Ariel up in his strong arms and carries her over to their bed. He lies her down on their silken sheets and kisses her gently on the lips. He slips his hand behind her neck and unbuttons her dress. Then he slides it down to her hips, and peels it off of his queen. The barbarian king then slips out of his own garments, and lies down on top of his beloved Ariel. He kisses her again, working his way down the sorceress's body. He stops at her ample bosom and nibbles on her nipples, eliciting a moan of pleasure from the queen. He kisses his way down her abdomen, stopping and flicking his tongue at her navel, causing her to laugh out loud as she's ticklish there. He continues to kiss her all the way down to her groin, where he stops and spends the next several minutes giving her oral pleasure. She grabs the pillows and arches her back, moaning, as her whole body tingles with pleasure at her king's touch. Then she grabs him by the hair and cries out in ecstasy as she climaxes.

Thundarr then slowly starts kissing his way up her body, once again stopping to tickle her navel with her tongue. Then he kisses, sucks, and nibbles upon her breasts. Then he kisses her, deeply and passionately. He then slides his erect manhood up inside her womanly folds. They move together in harmonious rhythm, moaning, sweating, staring lovingly into each others eyes. Faster and faster they move, wildly grinding their hips together, until they simultaneously climax with dual primal screams. Thundarr collapses into Ariel's arms, utterly spent. Ariel lies there, holding the barbarian in her arms. Then Thundarr gets up onto his knees, wraps his hands around Ariel's throat, and begins to squeeze. Ariel grasps the Barbarian's wrists, her eyes wide in shock and disbelief. Thundarr fights back the wave of emotions telling him to stop and continues squeezing. In what seems to Thundarr to take hours, but in truth was only a few moments, Ariel lies dead in their bed. Thundarr pulls her naked body against his, holds her head to his shoulder, lies back, and closes his eyes. Then all goes black.

 

[Thundarr]

​

Chapter Nineteen

Thundarr, Conan, and Grey Wolf all awaken from their forced slumbers with a start. Disoriented, they look about the tunnel, desperately trying to get their bearings.

"Demon Dogs!" pants Thundarr, "Do you know me?"

"You're Thundarr, by Crom," says Conan, "What of you? Do you know me?"

"Aye! You are Conan!" says Thundarr, "Then I am no longer dreaming."

"None of us are," says Grey Wolf, as he gets back to his feet, "We have finally conquered our dreams."

"What happened?" asks Conan.

"The gas," says Grey Wolf, "It carried with it an enchantment. It caused us to sleep, and dream our fondest dreams were reality. I dreamed that my brother and sister had not been turned into wolves."

"And I dreamed that my family had never been turned to stone," says Conan.

"I dreamed that all of the evil wizards of my world had been vanquished," says Thundarr, "and that Ariel had regained her kingdom, and taken me as her husband."

"We were all given a choice, my friends," says the wizard, "To die in a beautiful lie, or live in a harsh reality."

"Obviously we've all chosen reality," says Conan.

"Aye," agrees Thundarr, "Though I must admit, I was very tempted to choose the dream."

"That was the point of that trap," says Grey Wolf, "To waylay us with temptation. We needed to destroy our own temptations to return to reality."

"You mean you . . ." begins Conan.

"Killed my entire family," Grey Wolf finishes the thought.

"As did I with my family," says Conan.

"I strangled Ariel with my bare hands," says Thundarr, "After having made love to her."

"I did not know you and Ariel had that kind of relationship," says Grey Wolf.

"We don't," admits Thundarr.

"Then your heart must secretly desire one," says Conan.

"Enough talk!" exclaims Thundarr, "Time is short, and so is my patience!"

The blonde barbarian takes a few steps forward, then collapses and falls to his knees. Conan and Grey Wolf rush over and pick him up by his arms.

"Easy friend," says Conan, "You are still weak from Glasya's deception. That magical gas knocked us all out, but I doubt it was more than for a few minutes."

"But I was with my family for several days," says Conan in confusion.

"As was I," says Grey Wolf, "But time moves differently in our dreams than when we're awake. At least, so I've been told."

"Let us move on, then!" says Thundarr impatiently, "We have friends who need our help."

*************************************************************************************************​

Zula and Jasmine sit at the edge of the crevasse, still pondering the puzzle before them. They still have no idea of how to possibly get across. They are certain that these arches have something to do with the answer. They just still have no idea as to how to use them. Suddenly they hear a noise behind them. Zula takes aim with his crossbow, while Jasmine grabs a throwing star and prepares to throw it at whatever is approaching. They both lower their weapons with a sigh of relief when they see that it's Conan, Thundarr, and Grey Wolf approaching.

"Thank the gods!" exclaims Jasmine.

"Are you guys alright?" asks Zula.

"Fine," replies Thundarr.

"Really?" says Jasmine, "You don't look it."

"We had a run in with Glasya and her minions," explains Conan, "Thanks to Needle, I was able to see Delilah for what she really was before it was too late."

"Ariel and I weren't quite so lucky," says Thundarr.

"Where is Ariel," asks Jasmine.

"Conan came running to my aid after he had dispatched Delilah back to Hell," replies Thundarr, "But by the time we got to Ariel, Gideon had drained much of her life away. Had Grey Wolf gotten there any later than he did . . ."

"She is unconscious," says Conan, "Ookla and Needle are staying with her."

"Is that why you are so late in arriving, blood brother?" asks Zula.

"Well," says Conan, "We also had a slight problem getting through the tunnel we were in."

"A trap," says Grey Wolf, "A sleep gas which produces dreams so beautiful, you never want to wake from them."

"That doesn't sound like much of a trap," says Zula.

"If you decide to remain in the dream, you don't wake up," replies Grey Wolf.

"You'll die of dehydration in a few days," explains Conan, "all the while believing your fondest wish had come true."

"I see," says Jasmine, "Well, we've been stuck here, trying to figure out how to get across this crevasse."

"We're sure the two arches have something to do with it," adds Zula, "But for the life of us, we can't figure out what."

Grey Wolf walks up to the arch and examines it closely. He conjures a light with his staff and examines the arch from every angle. He stands for several minutes of scratching his chin, saying nothing as he contemplates the problem. Then his face brightens up as he snaps his fingers in celebration.

"I think I've got it!" he exclaims.

"What?" asks Jasmine.

Rather than answer the acrobat, Grey Wolf takes his magic staff and touches The Claw Of Destiny to the arch. The arch glows a brilliant blue radiance, as mystic runes appear upon the stone.

"Crom," gasps Conan, "What spell did you cast?"

"No spell, my friend," says the wizard, "It is the power of the Star Metal."

"You mean Zula and I could have revealed that writing at any time?" asks Jasmine.

"Don't feel too bad for not having thought of it," says Grey Wolf, "You are not schooled in the ways of magic, while I was born and raised in the city of Xanthus."

"What does that writing mean?" asks Thundarr, who can barely read in English let alone an ancient tongue from a distant world.

"It says, 'He who walks with his eyes closed can sometimes see a clearer path than he who keeps his eyes open.'," quotes the wizard.

"What does that mean?" asks Conan.

"I . . . I'm not sure," admits Grey Wolf.

"Great," says Thundarr, "Solve a puzzle just to read a riddle."

"Correction," says Jasmine, "We must solve the riddle, not just read it."

"But how?" asks Conan, "What does it mean?"

"I have an idea," says Zula.

The Wasai prince picks up a handful of dirt, steps underneath the arch, then throws the dirt out across the crevasse. The dirt just falls freely through the air, unobstructed. Zula turns back with a disappointed look on his face.

"Damn!" he says, "I thought the line about seeing a clearer path with your eyes shut meant that the bridge across was invisible. But if it were, then the dirt would have landed on the bridge, making it visible."

"A good try though, my friend," says Conan.

"Aye," agrees Thundarr, "I wish Ariel were here. She could just conjure up a bridge for us."

"What about your magic cape?" asks Jasmine.

"Ariel is using it as a blanket," explains Grey Wolf, "Her encounter with Gideon nearly killed her."

"Then all that's left is to answer this riddle," says Zula.

"Impossible!" says Jasmine, "It can't possibly be that simple! Could it?"

"What are you talking about girl?" asks Thundarr.

Jasmine doesn't answer. Instead, she steps underneath the stone arch. Then she closes her eyes, carefully places a single foot out over the crevasse, then lowers it. Her foot feels as though she has stepped on a bridge of solid stone. She opens her eyes and looks down. Immediately, the sensation of standing on solid stone disappears and she nearly topples over the edge to plummet to her death. At the last second, she grabs the stone arch and catches herself.

"We must cross the crevasse with our eyes closed," explains Jasmine, "Do not open them for anything. Just go slowly and place one foot directly in front of the other."

Then the circus acrobat demonstrates by walking across the invisible bridge. She slides her feet to feel her way, making sure she lines her heel up directly with her toes. Grey Wolf follows the acrobat's example. Next follows Zula. Thundarr stands up straight and begins to walk over to the crevasse, but just as he's stepping under the arch he loses his balance and leans against the stone. Conan runs up to his new friend and helps him up.

"I'm fine," argues Thundarr, "I don't need anyone's help."

"You aren't fine," replies the Cimmerian, "You are sweating like a galloping horse. You can barely stand, let alone walk across a bridge with your eyes closed."

"I can make it!" says Thundarr.

"And if you can't?" asks Conan, "Where does that leave Princess Ariel?"

"It's not that far!" says the blonde barbarian.

"To walk? Nay, it is not," says Conan, "But it is a very long way to fall."

"I will not be treated like an invalid!" says Thundarr.

"You're not," says Conan, "You're being treated as a friend. A friend who is very ill."

Thundarr growls angrily and throws a punch at Conan. Conan easily blocks the clumsy attack, catches Thundarr by the wrist, then throws him over his shoulder and to the ground. Thundarr hits hard. He tries to get back up, but doesn't have the strength and collapses. The raven haired Cimmerian stands over him looking down upon his friend.

"You see?" he says, "When we first met, you and I were equals as warriors. Neither of us could claim victory over the other. Now you're so weak, you can't even recover from a single throw."

"Fine," says Thundarr, "You win. I shall stay here and await your return."

"Your word of honor?" asks Conan.

"Barbarian to barbarian," agrees Thundarr.

Satisfied, Conan nods his head in agreement. He goes over to the ledge of the crevasse, just under the arch. The others are almost completely across now. He closes his eyes, then carefully walks out across the invisible bridge, fighting the urge to open his eyes to check to see if he's going straight. Eventually, he reaches the other side.

"What kept you?" asks Jasmine.

"I had to convince Thundarr that he was in no condition to cross an invisible bridge with his eyes closed," explains Conan, "He can barely walk with his eyes open after his encounter with Glasya."

"I take it he was not very receptive to the idea of staying behind," says Grey Wolf.

"He's as stubborn as an ox," says Conan, "And just as strong."

"That sounds familiar," says Jasmine with a little smirk.

"Come on," says Conan, "We have a World Wand to find, and two very ill friends to save."

With that, the raven haired barbarian enters the tunnel in the cavern wall across from this side's stone arch. Jasmine, Zula, and Grey Wolf follow close behind. On the far side of the crevasse, Thundarr watches his four friends enter the tunnel as he sits with his back resting against a stalagmite. Once the last of them disappears from view, he closes his eyes and allows exhaustion to overtake him and falls into a deep slumber.

 

[Thundarr]

​

Chapter Twenty

Conan, Zula, Grey Wolf, and Jasmine walk single file along a long and narrow tunnel. Stalagtites leer down at them like the stone teeth of some monstrous beast. The flickering lights of their torches does little to lessen the creepy feeling this tunnel gives them. Yet the four of them swallow their anxiety and press on. The tunnel finally opens up into an enormous cavern. The cavern is littered with thousands of gold coins and sparkling jewels, piled into huge mounds the size of houses. There are magnificent suits of metal armor, swords, axes, and shields which practically glow with histories of legendary feats of heroism. It is a treasure greater than the combined wealth of a thousand kings. And mixed in amongst the gold, jewels, and the magnificent swords and shields, are the remains of those who were foolish or desperate enough to try and take the treasure from its guardian. Of the guardian, there is no physical sign. However, across from the tunnel in which they had entered, the four friends see a massive cave. While it is way too deep and dark for them to see more than a few feet past the threshold, they can hear the steady rhythmic breathing of the cave's occupant. They put all of this out of their minds, however, when they see what's in the center of the cavern they now stand in. On a stone dais, sits a marble pedestal. And on that marble pedestal, sits a red velvet cushion. And resting upon that red velvet cushion, is what can only be The World Wand. It is a three foot length of polished ivory, with gold caps on either end. On one end, there is a large red crystal or gemstone, like a ruby or a garnet, roughly the size of a grown man's fist.

Conan and his three friends climb the stairs leading to the pedestal. They look upon the magical treasure with a sense of awe. Even Conan, who knows precious little about sorcery, can feel the power emanating from this mystical device. It verily hums with power. Looking around at all of the human remains strewn about the massive cavern, Conan reminds himself of their need for haste. Summoning all of his courage, the Cimmerian reaches out to grab The World Wand.

"STOP!" shouts a loud, booming voice which shakes the very ground.

From out of the cave comes an enormous dragon with bright blue scales. The wyrm, moving at a speed which seems impossible for a creature its size, coils about the dais blocking any possible escape by the four humans. The great dragon glares down at Conan and his friends as they look up at it in awe. The dragon leans its head in close, bares its fangs, and growls like a giant guard dog.

****************************************************************************​

In the main chamber of the cave complex, Ookla sits with the unconscious Princess Ariel. Gently, the powerful mok brushes a stray hair from her face. Her complexion is unusually pale, and she is sweating profusely. Whatever Gideon had done to her, she didn't look well. Ariel shivers under Grey Wolf's cloak. The sorceress mumbles incoherently in her sleep, which seems to Ookla to be anything but restful. Ookla let's out a great bestial sigh as he laments not being able to do more for his dear friend. Suddenly, Ookla hears a horrible screeching sound coming from outside the cave. Quickly, the mok breaks off a piece of a stalagmite to use as a club and stands protectively over Princess Ariel's prone form. Seconds later, three winged creatures, which look to be half man, half dragon, fly into the cave. Windfang breathes a fireball at Ookla. Instinctively, the mok swings his club at the fireball, striking it with all his might. The resulting explosion hurls Ookla down onto the cave floor, flat on his back, and sends his stone club flying across the cave.

"You two finish off these two," says Windfang to his minions, "I'll seek out the others!"

And after a moment of sniffing the air to figure out which way to go, Windfang flies into the tunnel where Conan, Thundarr, and Grey Wolf had disappeared, for it had the strongest scent. Meanwhile, the other two dragon-men swoop down on Ookla just as the mok is getting back to his feet, each grabbing one of his arms. Unfortunately for them, they had never fought a mok before and had no idea of the extraordinary, superhuman like strength of these leonine creatures. Ookla grabbed the two of them by their necks, then howling in rage, slammed their heads together with a satisfying 'crack'. Then the mok lifts them both up over his head and throws them across the cave, where they hit the rock wall with a loud 'thump'. Ookla runs after Windfang, climbing up into the tunnel the dragon-man had entered and running after him. Several feet into the tunnel, Ookla stops dead in his tracks. Up ahead is Windfang, lying on the ground in a deep slumber. All about the dragon-man is a mysterious yellow mist or fog. It reminds Ookla of the form the evil wizard Argoth used to travel around back home, before Thundarr threw him into The Labraya Tar Pits. It definitely had the feel of sorcery about it, so Ookla slowly backed away and went to check on Ariel.

When Ookla returns to the cave, he finds that Princess Ariel is right where he left her. She was still unconscious, and hadn't moved an inch. Neither had those two dragon-men that attacked them. Ookla calmly walks over to them, picks them up, and then carries them out of the cave. Once outside, he throws them both off the cliff, one after the other. Then the mok dusts off his hands and walks back inside. He sits back down next to Princess Ariel and awaits his friends return.

**************************************************************************************************​

Windfang awakens in a bed he doesn't remember getting into, in a room he does not recognize. The dragonoid tries to sit up, but finds himself too weak to even get up on his elbows. The next thing he knows, Jasmine is sitting in a chair next to his bed, her hand on his chest holding him down.

"You're not going anywhere!" she orders him, "The poison may have finally left your system, but you're very weak."

"Wh . . . Wha . . . Jasmine?" he asks, "What are you doing here?"

"Nursing you back to health," she says matter of factly.

"Wh . . . Why?"

"Because," she says, "We're not enemies. In some ways, we never were."

"But . . . Wrath-Amon . . ."

"Is no more," she says, "He has been vanquished, and all of his evil sorcery has been undone by the wizards of Xanthus. They've even lifted your curse."

"My . . . curse?" says Windfang, and he looks at his hands. Where there were once the scaly clawed hands of a dragonoid, are now the smooth tanned hands of a man.

"I'm . . . human again?" he asks, almost afraid to believe it.

"Windfang is no more," says Jasmine, "You are once again General Venturas from Koth. Wrath-Amon is no more, so you can never be cursed again."

"General Venturas?" says the former minion of Wrath-Amon, "I'm General Venturas?"

"Deep down, you always have been," says Jasmine.

"You . . . You mentioned something about a poison?"

"Yes. That yellow mist in the caves of Wyrm Mountain. They were some sort of toxic fumes. You breathed in an awful lot of it. You were lucky we got you out of there in time. It would have killed a lesser man. But you, being a dragon creature at the time, were far hardier than most. Still, it kept you out of action for many weeks."

"And you stayed here? With me?" he asks.

"Well, I at least made sure you had someone here looking after you. They trickled water, broth, and fruit juice down your throat so you wouldn't die of thirst or starvation."

"So . . . Does this mean I'm forgiven for working for Wrath-Amon?"

"Let's just say, I'm open to the possibility of your redemption," replies Jasmine.

"And what of us?" asks Venturas, "Are we to become friends?"

"I wouldn't hold your breath," says Jasmine, "If it happens at all, it won't be any time soon."

"I can wait," says the human who was once Windfang, as he lies back comfortably in his bed.

**************************************************************************************************​

Back on the tunnel floor, Windfang slumbers quite contentedly as he dreams that he is no longer bound into service to the hated Wrath-Amon.

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In the treasure room, Conan, Zula, Grey Wolf, and Jasmine all turn back to back and face outward as they are surrounded by the gargantuan wyrm. They all look upon the great beast, in all its awesome majesty, and realize just how pathetic their weapons would be against such a creature. The ancient wyrm glares upon them. A great gust of foul air bursts forth from its enormous nostrils as it exhales into the intruders faces.

"Who dares enter my home?" asks the dragon in its loud booming voice.

"I, Conan of Cimmeria, so dare!" says the barbarian, sounding much braver than he truly feels.

"What gives you the right to trespass in Wyrm Mountain?" asks the dragon.

'We are on a quest!" says Conan, "We need The World Wand to aid our friends in returning home!"

"That is a mighty gift which you seek," says the dragon, "What makes you think you are worthy of receiving it?"

"I have passed your test of wills!" says Conan, "I was not deterred by pleasant dreams of my fondest wish coming true!"

"Nor was I!" adds Grey Wolf.

"I did not succumb to your nightmare!" says Zula, "Where all of my worst fears became reality!"

"And I had made it past all of your death traps!" says Jasmine.

"Childs play," huffs the dragon.

"I also solved the puzzle of the archway!" says Grey Wolf.

"And I solved the riddle of the invisible bridge!" adds Jasmine.

"Is that all?" asks the dragon.

"And we seek only to keep it from the hands of those who will use it for evil purposes, and to help our most noble of friends get home!" says Conan.

"Admirable," says the dragon, "But I'm still not convinced."

"What then, mighty dragon, can we do to prove our worth?" asks Grey Wolf.

"You have passed every test I had placed before you!" says the dragon, "Now all that is left is one last challenge. If you succeed, you may take The World Wand. If you fail . . . it is probably best if you do not know what happens then."

"What is your challenge, wyrm?" asks Conan.

"You are walking along an underground tunnel when the tunnel splits into two. One tunnel leads to untold riches and a happy, long, and healthy life. The other tunnel leads to certain death. Which tunnel goes where, however, is unknown. There are two iron golems guarding these two tunnels. You are allowed to ask only one of them, just one question to figure out which tunnel is the one which leads wealth beyond imagining. The problem is, one of these golems always lies, the other always tell the truth. And, like the two tunnels, you do not know which one is which. With only the one question to ask, what do you ask the golems that would tell you the correct way to go, no matter which golem answers the question. So what do you ask?"

"Another riddle?" says Conan.

"Is that your question?" asks the dragon.

"NO!" shouts the entire group.

Conan, Zula. Jasmine, and Grey Wolf all huddle together discussing the possible answers to the riddle. After several moments of conferring with each other, Grey Wolf steps away from the group and approaches the wyrm.

"I have an answer to your riddle!" says the wizard.

"Yes?" says the dragon.

"I would ask the iron golem on the left, 'If I were to ask the iron golem on the right if the tunnel on the left were the way to untold riches, what would he say?' Then, no matter what he says, I would do the opposite!"

"But what if the iron golem you asked was telling the truth?" asks the dragon.

"If he were telling me the truth about what the other says, then that means that whatever the other golem says would be a lie and the opposite would be the truth!" says the wizard.

"And if the iron golem is lying?" asks the dragon.

"If the iron golem is lying about what the other golem would say, than that means that the other golem is speaking the truth! Thus the opposite of whatever the golem tells me is always the truth!"

"Very good!" says the dragon, "You have solved my riddle. You may take The World Wand if you so choose. You have earned it."

"We thank you, mighty wyrm." says Grey Wolf with a humble bow.

Conan walks over to the pedestal and picks The World Wand up off of its velvet cushion. As soon as the wand is within his grasp, a mystical whirlwind whirls about them, going faster and faster, until they disappear into a miniature tornado. The tornado speeds out of the treasure room and down the tunnel towards the bridge. It crosses the crevasse at an incredible speed. Thundarr is sitting on the far end of the crevasse, resting in an attempt to get his strength back. He sees the miniature tornado and leaps to his feet.

"Lords Of Light!" he exclaims as he grabs hold of his Sunsword and quickly ignites the blade.

The whirlwind comes upon the barbarian quickly. Even if he were at full strength, it would be unlikely if he could dodge this tornado. Weakened as he is by Glasya's seduction? He doesn't stand a chance. The tornado scoops him up and then continues on down the tunnel where Windfang slumbers. The tornado picks up the dragonoid and carries him along as well.

Back in the main entrance, Ookla and Needle maintain their vigil over the fallen Princess Ariel. Suddenly a miniature tornado exits the tunnel that Thundarr, Conan, and the others had disappeared down. Ookla stands over Ariel's prone body and roars at the approaching whirlwind. Needle starts flying madly around the room, squawking in a panic. The tornado picks them both up and carries them away. Down below, in the cave which is serving as the stables for the group's horses, The tornado appears out of nowhere and scoops up all of the mounts and the gear that was left behind. Then as suddenly as it arrived, the tornado disappears.

*************************************************************************************************​

In the town square of the city of Xanthus, right next to the great magical water fountain, a great whirlwind appears. As it dissipates, it reveals the seven adventuring heroes and their mounts, as well as Wrath-Amon's drgonoid henchman, Windfang. Conan, Zula, Jasmine, Thundarr, and Ookla look about at the city in wonder. Only Grey Wolf seems unaffected by their sudden arrival in the city of wizards. That's hardly surprising though, since he himself is a wizard and this city is his home. Two older wizards see the adventurers arrive and approach them. One of the wizards is tall and thin, with a long white beard. The other is shorter and rounder, with a beard which is short, neatly trimmed, and is mostly gray with a few black hairs here and there throughout.

"Hail and well met!" greets the taller of the two wizards.


"Welcome home Grey Wolf!" says the other.


"Well met," says the young wizard, "And it is good to be home. Please, our friends need help. One of them is gravely injured."


"Let me see," says the tall wizard, and he kneels down next to Princess Ariel and feels her pulse.


"Her heartbeat is steady, but weak," says the wizard, "What happened to her?"


"She was attacked by an incubus," replies Grey Wolf.


"We must get her to my home! Quickly!" says the wizard, "She has lost a great deal of energy and cannot last much longer!"


"I'll take her," says Thundarr, and he moves to pick up the sorceress.


As the barbarian kneels down to pick up his friend, he loses his balance and falls over onto his side. The old wizard looks at him and sees that his skin is unusually pale and he is covered in sweat.


"Are you alright, my son?" he asks.


"I'm fine!" snaps Thundarr, "And no wizard sired Thundarr!"


"I meant no offense," says the wizard, "I only meant that you look ill."


"He is ill," says Grey Wolf, "He too was attacked by a demon, a succubus."


"Then he should come too," says the old wizard, "And make haste, we haven't much time."


Zula helps Thundarr to his feet, while Conan picks up Ariel and carries the sorceress in his arms as he follows the old mage to his home. Meanwhile, Grey Wolf stays behind with the shorter of the two wizards that had come to greet them.


"What of this one?" asks the older wizard as he looks upon the slumbering form of Windfang.


"Lock him up and post a guard," says Grey Wolf, "If he never awakens from his dream, then we will be forever rid of his meddling on Wrath-Amon's behalf. If he does awaken from his slumber, we should do our best to keep him from returning to Wrath-Amon's side."


"Can your wizards council undo Wrath-Amon's curse?" asks Jasmine, "Make him human once more?"


"Possibly," says the older wizard, "If Wrath-Amon's black ring were destroyed, and Wrath-Amon himself banished or slain, it is possible."
"But so long as Wrath-Amon is around . . ." says Grey Wolf.


"Venturas' suffering continues," concludes the acrobat.


The older wizard casts a spell, causing Windfang's body to levitate in the air.


"I shall take him to the dungeons," says the wizard, "You go see Sasha and Meesha. I'm sure that they've missed you."


"And I have missed them," says Grey Wolf, "Plus, I have some wonderful news! News of a possible cure!"


"Go then," says the older wizard, "I can handle this job myself."


Grey Wolf turns to Ookla, the only other member of the party besides Jasmine not helping carry Princess Ariel to seek medical attention.


"Come, my friend," he says, "I want you to meet my brother and sister. Then I will take you on a tour of the city, so that you may experience all of the wonders that my city has to offer."


Ookla growls a reply, which Grey Wolf doesn't understand. He turns and looks at Jasmine, who had been studying the mok's language almost as soon as they had met him.


"I'm pretty sure that means 'yes'," says the acrobat.


"Then follow me," says Grey Wolf, and he leads his two remaining friends over to his family's palace.

 

[Thundarr]

​

Chapter Twenty One

Many days have passed since the seven heroes had arrived in Xanthus. The old wizard, Aboroth by name, provided Thundarr and Ariel with Potions Of Vitality to counteract the effects of the life draining powers of Glasya and Gideon. Thundarr recovered more quickly than Ariel, for Glasya wasn't able to drain him of nearly as much life energy as Gideon had drained from Princess Ariel. While Ariel is now awake, she is still very weak from the incubus' attack and so spends the majority of her time in bed. Aboroth gives her a Potion Of Vitality every day to help her regain her strength. Thundarr scarcely leaves her side throughout the whole ordeal, refusing to accept the invitations of Conan, Grey Wolf and Jasmine, even Ookla, to explore the city until Ariel is well.


The others do not spend their time idly waiting for the sorceress' health to improve either. The council of wizards in Xanthus have been studying The World Wand and figuring out how to best use its powers. They agree that Princess Ariel should be the one to wield the artifact once she's well, since she is the one who seeks to return home. Also, she has a greater understanding of where her world is in comparison to Hyboria. If Grey Wolf or any of the other wizards of Xanthus were to try and use the wand to send them home, Thundarr and his friends could wind up on entirely the wrong plane of existence. Ookla spends a great deal of time with the wizards council, speaking to them at great length about moks and their culture. Of course, he uses the aid of both Zula and Jasmine as translators, since none of the wizards can understand mok. Eventually, Princess Ariel is well enough to travel once more. She and Thundarr rejoin their friends just as soon as she's no longer bed ridden.


"Well met," greets Grey Wolf, "It is good to see you are both well again."


"It's good to feel well again," says Ariel, "All that doctoring was becoming tiresome."


"You needed rest," says Thundarr, "We had to be sure you would get it."


"So were you standing guard?" asks Ariel, "Or playing nursemaid?"


"A little of both," admits the barbarian.


"But now you are both well, and we can finally get you all home," says Conan.


"And hopefully, a cure for Sasha and Meesha," adds Grey Wolf.


"Then let us waste no more time," says Ariel, "Have you discovered how The World Wand works?"


"We have," says Grey Wolf, "The operation is simple enough. You need only point the wand at the area you want the portal to open, picture your destination in your mind, then speak the name of your desired destination out loud."


"I would think a wizard would come up with something more complicated," says Conan.


"It is more complicated than it seems, my friend," replies Grey Wolf, "If the wizard is uncertain of where exactly he wishes the portal to lead, he may find himself lost in some random location."


"Gather the horses then!" says Thundarr, "We leave as soon as we're ready!"


Within minutes, Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla are all mounted upon their steeds, as are Conan, Zula, Jasmine and Grey Wolf. The wolves, Sasha and Meesha, are sitting patiently next to their brother's horse. Grey Wolf hands The World Wand over to Princess Ariel. The sorceress takes the artifact, then looks at it closely. She gasps in surprise, then holds the device out to Thundarr to see.


"Thundarr! Look!" she says excitedly, "This wand looks exactly like the one the wizard Crom used to send us here!"


"Lords Of Light!" exclaims the barbarian, "How can this be?"


"I don't know," admits Ariel, "It is most unusual."


"We shall all get to the bottom of this mystery," says Grey Wolf, "After we get you three home."


"Aye," agrees Conan, "No sense in worrying about it until after that blasphemer, 'Crom', is dealt with."


"Then let us get back home and face him!" says Ariel. She points The World Wand at the street ahead of them and says, "Washington D.C., in the year 4000!"


A beam of ruby red light shines forth from the large gemstone on The World Wand's tip. It opens up a portal in space in front of the seven companions and the two wolves. Looking through the portal, they can see the ruins of the once great city. The crumbling walls of The White House. The headless statue of Abraham Lincoln. The Washington Monument lying on its side over top a large cement pond. Thundarr's white stallion rears up on its hind legs as the blonde barbarian expertly maintains his perch.


"Everyone!" he calls, "RIIIIIIIDE!"


Then he rides his horse through the portal. Conan spurs Thunder forward, and the great black stallion charges forth fearlessly through the magic portal. Zula and Jasmine follow their friend, and are quickly joined by Ookla on his equart. Next is Grey Wolf, with the lupine Sasha and Meesha close at his heels. Finally comes Princess Ariel on her chestnut mare. After a moment of disorientation, the sorceress finds herself alongside her friends in what remains of the center of power of Old Earth.


"This is your home?" asks Conan.


"Hard to believe anyone would miss a place in such disrepair," adds Zula.


"It wasn't always like this," says Princess Ariel, "It was much nicer once. And if we can ever bring an end to the tyranny of the wizards who rule here, it will be nice once more."


"I sincerely hope so," says Jasmine, "No offense, but this place gives me the creeps."


"No offense taken," says Ariel.


"Enough talk," says Thundarr, "We have a mission to accomplish."


"Aye," agrees Grey Wolf, "Where is this magical pool which you told me about?"


"There," says Ariel, pointing towards what's left of The Washington Monument, "Just under that toppled stone structure."


"Then let us waste no more time," says the wizard, and he spurs his horse into a gallop, Sasha and Meesha following close behind.


"Well," says Ariel, "You heard the man."


And she too spurs her mare into a gallop. Thundarr and Conan both spur their stallions forward, and are followed by Jasmine, Zula, and Ookla. Soon the others all catch up to the two spell casters at the pools edge. Sasha and Meesha both sniff curiously at the enchanted water, neither of them seeming entirely certain as to what they should do.


"Well?" asks Thundarr, "What are they waiting for? Tell them to jump in."


"They are nervous," says Grey Wolf, "I think they can sense the pool's power, but they don't know what to make of it."


"Crom's beard!" curses Conan, "Do you mean to say we came all this way for nothing?"


Ookla walks up to the two wolves, scoops them up by the scruffs of their necks, then tosses them into the water. Sasha and Meesha yelp and splash about in the pool. Then the magic of the pool begins to take effect. The wolves begin to grow, developing humanoid features. Their paws become hands. Their snouts shrink into their faces. Their hair retracts into their bodies. In a matter of moments, in place of two wolves in the pool are now a man and a woman. Sasha and Meesha both swim over to the edge of the pool.


"We are human again!" exclaims Meesha, "Thank you, little brother!"


"You should thank Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla," replies Grey Wolf, "It was they who discovered your cure."


"In that case," says Sasha, "We thank you all."


Meesha pulls himself out of the water, and Grey Wolf removes his magical cape and wraps it around his brother's waist like a kilt. Sasha stays in the water, keeping the pool's ledge strategically placed at chest level. Princess Ariel turns to Thundarr.


"Thundarr," she says, "Give me your belt and your vest."


"Whatever for?" asks the barbarian.


"Because I don't think Sasha wants to walk around naked until we can find her some clothes," replies the sorceress.


Thundarr looks down at Sasha and realizes that the mage in in fact naked. He quickly removes his belt and his vest and hands them to Princess Ariel, who holds them up for Sasha. Sasha climbs out of the pool and slips into the fur vest, wrapping the belt tightly around her waist. Luckily the height difference between her and the barbarian makes the vest hang on her body like a very short dress.


"Well," says Ariel, "It might not be very fashionable, but it should do until we can get you some proper clothes."


"Thank you," says Sasha.


"Come!" says Thundarr, "We can find you both some spare clothes in that village over there."


Thundarr leads them to the ruins of what was once The White House. Inside are the human villagers that Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla had saved from Xevon and his pack of werewolves some years earlier. The villagers remember Thundarr and his friends quite fondly, and are more than willing to provide them with food, clothing, and shelter. In fact, the day that The Pack had been defeated had become one of their most celebrated holidays. The next day, with their packs fully packed with provisions, the group, now two wizards stronger, gets ready to depart.


"So where to next?" asks Conan.


"To find Crom," replies Thundarr, "and put an end to his evil once and for all."


"But how will we find him?" asks Jasmine.


"I have a feeling," says Ariel, "that he is the one who will find us."


"Then we should be far from here when he does," says Conan, "So as to not endanger the lives of our hosts."


"Then let us be off!" says Thundarr, "Mount up!"


They all mount their horses and prepare to leave. Sasha rides behind her brother Grey Wolf, while Meesha rides behind Ookla on his equart. Thundarr leads them away from the village, just in case Crom attacks them right away. They head south, as the wizard's last known location was a citadel in Texas. Crom's magic is powerful, and it is entirely possible he had sensed Thundarr's return. He may even be watching them right at this moment. Thus, all of them keep their eyes open for any signs of trouble. Along the way, Princess Ariel points out ancient ruins and artifacts to their new friends, such as automobiles and skyscrapers, and explains their origins and functions. When the sun begins to set, the nine friends find themselves a secluded place to set up camp. Thundarr manages to find a clearing near a small lake where they can rest in relative comfort and safely water their horses. They quickly gather up as much driftwood as they can and have a raging campfire going.


"The night will be long and cold," says Thundarr, "But this fire should keep us warm."


"How long before we find this wizard, 'Crom'?" asks Conan.


"It is difficult to say," says the other barbarian, "If we have to track him all the way to his citadel, it could take us many weeks. And even if we find where his citadel was the last time we defeated him, he may have abandoned it in favor of a newer, more secure location."


"And if that's the case," adds Ariel, "It could take us much longer to find him."


"But if he were to come and seek us out," says Thundarr, "Then we could find him in a matter of days, if not hours."


"So we could be here for a while," concludes Grey Wolf.


"No longer than we were in your world," reasons Ariel, "As I highly doubt Crom is completely ignorant of our return. Or if he is, then he won't be for much longer."


"You believe he will make his presence felt soon?" asks Zula.


"If not tonight, then very likely by tomorrow," says Ariel.


"Then we should get as much sleep as we can, while we still have yet to be detected," says Jasmine.


"I second that opinion," says Ariel.


"You all take to your bedrolls and get some sleep," says Meesha, "Sasha and I shall take first watch."


"Are you sure, my brother?" asks Grey Wolf.


"Aye," says Meesha, "We have been living as wolves for many months. We would like to spend some time enjoying our human forms once again."


"Very well," says Grey Wolf, "When you begin to tire, please wake me and Princess Ariel to take the next shift."


"As you wish, little brother," says Sasha.


Then everyone goes to sleep, while the two wizards, Sasha and Meesha, keep watch. Just as they were asked, when the two wizards feel drowsy they wake Grey Wolf and Princess Ariel to take the second shift. Then when the wizard and the sorceress become too tired to keep watch anymore, they awaken Jasmine and Ookla for the third and final watch. Not long after the third watch begin their shift, dawn breaks and everyone begins to stir. Soon everyone wakes up, feeling fairly refreshed from a good night's sleep. They pull out some fresh fruits that the villagers had given them and breakfast around the campfire. Needle expresses disappointment that they didn't pick up any pomegranates, but settles down to enjoy a nice fresh pear instead. As the group is eating, they suddenly find themselves being attacked with lasers from the trees.


"Demon Dogs!" says Thundarr as he takes out his Sunsword and ignites the blade.


"Crom!" cries Conan as he draws his Star Metal sword.


"Good guess!" says Ariel, as she sees the gray skinned wizard floating over the tree tops.


"Attack them my mutants!" shouts the mad wizard, "ATTACK!"


Dozens of scaly reptilian mutants, wearing horned helmets and carrying energy rifles, charge forth from the treeline and charge the camping heroes. Zula fires his crossbow at one of the mutants, sending the crossbow bolt directly into the barrel of his rifle. The mutant fires back at the Wasai prince, or at least attempts to. With the barrel blocked, the energy rifle explodes in the mutants face, rendering him unconscious.
Jasmine throws her throwing stars at the lizard men, the razor sharp shuriken digging deep into the flesh of their forearms. Two of the lizard men drop their rifles as their injuries make it impossible for them to hold the weapons anymore. Jasmine calls for her throwing stars to return, which they do, causing the mutants whose arms they had imbedded themselves in even more pain.


Grey Wolf knocks several mutants off their feet with a Gust Of Wind spell., while Princess Ariel uses a Binding spell to wrap several mutants up in magical energy. Sasha uses her water magic to conjure up a massive wave and wash several of the mutants back into the trees. Meanwhile, Meesha casts a spell upon their campfire and causes it to hurl miniature fireballs at the attacking mutants, causing many of them to turn and run for safety.
Conan, Thundarr, and Zula charge straight for the oncoming mutants, while Ookla shoots at the mutants with his stun arrows. Zula throws his bolas at a mutant, entangling his legs and causing him to trip. Meanwhile, Conan deflects the mutants lasers with his shield and Thundarr blocks them with his Sunsword.


"These serpent men do not get sent into The Abyss when they touch our Star Metal," says a surprised Zula.


"They are not the serpent men of your world," replies Thundarr, as he cuts a mutant's energy rifle in two, "Things work differently here."


Conan cuts a mutant's energy rifle in half with his Star Metal sword, then kicks the scaly creature in the chest, knocking it to the ground.


"They aren't very fierce warriors!" says Conan as the mutant gets back to its feet and runs away.


"They are a cowardly lot," says Thundarr, as he disarms another one, "Only willing to stand and fight against enemies weaker than themselves."


Zula grabs an energy rifle from a mutant that had been rendered unconscious by one of Ookla's stun arrows. He aims it at a mutant and squeezes the trigger. The laser strikes the mutant in the chest, stunning him and knocking him out.


"Amazing," says Zula, "A crossbow which needs no arrows."


"Fight now!" says Thundarr, "Admire later!"


Zula starts firing the energy rifle at the lizard mutants. Not aiming at anyone in particular, just giving them a taste of their own medicine. The Wasai prince proves to be a far better shot than the mutant attackers, for many of them fall to his stolen weapon. Soon the mutants all turn and flee, having seen enough of the savage barbarians and their powerful magical allies.


"COWARDS!" cries Crom, "FOOLS! COME BACK! THEY ARE OUTNUMBERED! YOU CAN STILL WIN!"


"Your army has deserted you again, Crom!" says Thundarr, "What are you going to do now?"


"Now barbarian," says the wizard, "I shall send you away, PERMANENTLY!"


Crom pulls out the twin to Ariel's World Wand and raises it up over his head. But before he can cast the spell, Needle flies up and starts flapping about the wizards face, breaking his concentration. Crom starts swinging the wand at Needle as though it were a club. The baby phoenix is too swift for the wizard's clumsy attacks though, and easily avoids them. This distraction is enough to keep him from opening any portals, though, and allows Zula to retrieve his Star Metal bolas.


"NEEDLE! MOVE!" shouts Grey Wolf.


Needle does as he's told, and Grey Wolf casts another Gust Of Wind spell which forces the levitating Crom out over the lake. Before he can even respond to being hurled through the air, Sasha creates a pillar of water to erupt from the lake like lava from an erupting volcano. Grey Wolf then casts a spell of Arctic Wind, freezing the pillar of water into solid ice, trapping Crom at the top of the pillar. Then Zula throws his bolas at the wizard, wrapping them around his wand with enough force to rip it from his grasp. Then as the wand and bolas are falling, he calls the weapon to return to his grasp, bringing the wand with it. Crom struggles in his icy tomb, but cannot break free. Nor can he cast any spells, for his arms are completely encased in ice.


"LET ME OUT!" cries the wizard, "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! LET ME OUT, I SAY!"


"Let's not and say we did," says Ariel, to which the others all have a good chuckle.


"For someone who named himself after a god," says Conan, "I expected a greater challenge."


"He relies too much on his mutants and his machines," replies Thundarr, "Always has."


"So now what are we to do with him?" asks Zula.


"I have an idea," replies Ariel, "May I see his wand?"


"Of course," says the Wasai prince, and he hands the second World Wand over to the sorceress.


"Hey Ookla?" says the princess, "I'm going to be needing your help with this."


The mok nods his huge head in agreement, then stands ready to do whatever Ariel asks of him.


"On my mark," she says, "Smash the ice."


Then she points both wands at the lake and creates a horizontal portal just behind the ice pillar. Then she looks up at Crom, who is still struggling against his icy prison.


"Hey Crom!" she says, "Go to Hell!" Then she turns to Ookla, "NOW!" she says.


Ookla walks up to the pillar of ice and gives it a solid hard punch. The ice shatters and Crom, still encased in a large block of ice, falls into the open portal. Princess Ariel immediately closes the gate. All that is left of the evil wizard is the shards of ice floating in the lake. And when those melt, he will be all but a memory.

 

[Thundarr]

​

Chapter Twenty Two

After the defeat of the wizard Crom, the companions rejoice. They return to the ruins of Washington DC, where they celebrate with the villagers who dwell there. There is a great feast, with roasted meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, strong drink, music and dancing. Even Ookla tries to join in on the dancing, although his clumsiness causes him to trip and fall more often than not, much to the amusement of his friends. Moks are reknown for their great strength and being excellent archers, but they are terrible dancers. Ookla takes it all in stride and even joins them in their mirth.

Princess Ariel approaches Grey Wolf and his siblings, Sasha and Meesha, holding a pair of ancient wine bottles sealed with corks. She hands the bottles to the two wizards who had just been cured of their lycanthropy.

"Here," she says, "perhaps these will aid you in helping anyone else infected by that lycanthrus plant."

"What is it?" Grey Wolf asks.

"Water from the enchanted pool," replies Ariel, "Not enough to bathe in, I'm afraid. But perhaps you can use them to brew a magic potion."

"Thank you, Princess," says Meesha, "You are as generous as you are beautiful."

Ariel smiles and accepts the compliment with a polite bow. Conan walks up to the four spell casters.

"I don't suppose that water will do my family any good," he says.

"I don't know," replies Ariel, "I've only ever seen it work on curing lycanthropy, never petrification."

"Fear not, my friend," says Grey Wolf, "My brother, sister, and I will analyze this magical water in our wizard's laboratory back home. If it can be used to cure your family, we will do so."

"There may be other sources of power you can take back home with you to help your family though," says Ariel.

"What do you mean?" Asks Thundarr, who had just come over to see what his friends were discussing.

"Do you remember the magical pool of the Silicoids, last time we battled the wizard Gemini?"

"How could I forget?" Asks Thundarr, "He was going to use it to turn me to stone."

"He was going to turn you to stone?" Conan asks, "Like Wrath-Amon did to my family?"

"Aye," says Thundarr, "But I fail to see how those waters can help someone already turned to stone."

"The same way that snake and insect venom are used to create antitoxins," says Ariel, "If Grey Wolf and his family can analyze the mystical waters in their laboratory . . ."

"Then they may be able to use it to find a cure," finishes Conan as he grasps the logic.

"Yes," says Thundarr, "Now I understand."

"The pool of the Silicoids is very far from here," Ariel explains to their new friends, "It will take many days of hard riding to get there. And we may run into trouble along the way."

"We are no strangers to trouble," says Jazmine, as she had arrived just in time to hear the last little bit of the conversation.

"And I will stay here as long as it takes, if that is what I must do to help my family," says Conan.

"And where my blood brother goes," says the approaching Zula, "I follow."

"Then it is settled," says Thundarr, "Tomorrow we travel south, to the lair of the Silicoids!"

"We should stop by the village of Beverly, Thundarr," says Ariel.

"Why?" Asks the blonde barbarian.

"It's on the way to the lair of the Silicoids," explains the princess, "And we should stop by The Pool Of Power."

"Why?" Thundarr asks again, "The Sunsword does not need to be recharged again. It's as mighty as ever."

"The magic liquid of the pool might aid Grey Wolf and his family in their research on how to restore Conan's family."

"Can this magical pool you speak of change stone to flesh?" Conan asks.

"Not that I know of," admits Ariel, "But it may be an important ingredient in creating a magical potion that will. I'm only guessing, but there's no harm in trying."

"Then I say we stop at this . . . Beverly, and acquire this magical liquid," says Conan.

"As you wish, my friend," says Thundarr, "When it comes to the ways of magic, I have learned to trust in Ariel's judgement."

"It's settled then," says Ariel, "First to Beverly, then on to the Silicoids."

"Aye," agrees Thundarr, "Then we should get our rest. We leave at first light."

*********************************************************
​

The next morning the nine companions pack up their gear, mount up, and ride south. Dispite their exhausted and hung over conditions, they manage to get an early start and make good time. The journey to Mexico, where the lair of the Silicoids is located, is blessedly uneventful. No new wizards had taken up residence in the lands between Washington DC and Mexico where Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla had vanquished the ruling wizards yeard ago. And few bandits or mutants would willingly attack so large and well armed a group. Indeed, with three well armed warriors, four powerful sorcerers, a mok, an acrobat, and a baby phoenix, if any such groups were foolish enough to attack them, they wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

They eventually reach the lair of the Silicoids. Collecting liquid from the Pool Of Power was a relatively easy affair. Collecting the liquid from the Silicoid's pool is somewhat trickier. Princess Ariel has to use her magic to fill empty wine bottles with the mystical liquid. She also uses her magic to insert the corks, so as not to risk touching the liquid and that part of her body turning to stone. Now their three wizard friends have two bottles of liquid from each of the three pools, to study and hopefully find cures for the curses of Wrath-Amon and other dark wizards.

It is now finally time for Conan and his friends to return home. They say their final farewells to their new friends. Thundarr and Conan clasp wrists in brotherhood of warriors.

"Farewell," says Thundarr, "If ever you have need of me, and you can find a way to contact me, I will gladly fight by your side any day."

"And I you," replies Conan. Thundarr's white stallion whinnies, and Conan strokes the animals mane. "He is a magnificent animal," remarks Conan, "You should find him a name."

"Perhaps I will," says Thundarr, "Any suggestions?"

"My horse's name is Thunder," says Conan, "Why don't you name yours Lightning?"

"Lightning," ponders Thundarr out loud, "I like the sound of that."

Jazmine gives Ariel a hug goodbye. "I'll miss you," she says.

"I'll miss you too," replies Ariel, "I've never really had any girlfriends before."

"That's what happens when the open road is your home," admits Jazmine. She looks over to see Thundarr saying his goodbyes to Zula. "He really loves you, you know," she whispers to her, indicating Thundarr with a nod of her head.

"I know," says Ariel, "He has his own way of showing it, but I know."

Zula walks up to Ookla and scratches him behind the ear. "I shall miss you, my animal brother," he says.

Ookla howls a reply and scoops the Wasai prince up in a great bear hug.

"I couldn't have said it better," he gasps in reply.

"Thank you again for these magical liquids," Grey Wolf says to Ariel.

"I only hope they prove useful," she replies.

"I'm sure they will," says the gray wizard, "I have a very good feeling about them."

"Then use them well," she says as she gives him a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Farewell, barbarian," Jazmine says as she gives Thundarr a hug around the neck and a friendly kiss on the cheek. She looks over at Ariel as the sorceress is saying goodbye to Grey Wolf's brother and sister. "You take good care of that girl," she whispers to him as she pokes her finger into his muscular chest, "or you'll have to answer to me."

"I tremble at the thought," says Thundarr with a smile, "But I give you my word. No harm will come to Ariel so long as I am there to protect her."

"Be sure that doesn't," replies the acrobat.

Finally it is time for Conan and his friends to leave. They have all said their goodbyes and shared promises to meet up again should the fates allow it. Princess Ariel points the World Wands at a clearing and says, "The courtyard of the city of Xanthus!"

Red beams of energy shoot out of the red crystals on the tops of the wands. A large ring of red glowing energy forms in the clearing. In the center of this ring is the image of the courtyard of the city of Xanthus. Conan, Grey Wolf, and their friends ride towards the red ring, as Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla wave goodbye. They ride their mounts through the ring and vanish, reappearing in the image of Xanthus' courtyard. As soon as they do, Princess Ariel closes the gate. Once the gate is closed, she tosses the twin wands upon the ground. Thundarr takes out his Sunsword and ignites the blade, then brings it down upon the wands. There is a great explosion, which knocks all three of them from their feet. When they look to where the wands had been, there is nothing left but a black mark scortched upon the earth. Thundarr extinguishes the Sunswords fiery blade and places it back upon its bracer.

"They're home," says Ariel.

"And The World Wands are no more," adds Thundarr.

"Do you think Conan will find a cure for his family?" Ariel asks.

"I hope so," replies the barbarian, "We are kindred spirits, he and I." He walks over to his white stallion and starts stroking its mane. "Lightning," he says again, "I like it. It is a good name for a good and loyal steed."

"I shall name my horse too," says Ariel as she strokes her mare's coat, "I think I'll call her Chestnut."

"Chestnut?" Thundarr says, "It's your horse, I suppose you can call it whatever you want."

Ookla howls something in his bestial tongue.

"Comet?" Thundarr asks, "Why name your equart Comet?"

Ookla howls a reply.

"Aye," says the barbarian, "I suppose there would be no equarts if there were no comet two thousand years ago."

The three of them mount their newly named mounts. Thundarr gets Lightning to rear up on his hind legs.

"Ariel! Ookla! RIIIIDE!"

And the three of them ride off into the sunset.

*********************************************************
​

Conan, Jazmine, Zula, Grey Wolf, Sasha, and Meesha all arrive safely in Xanthus. They turn towards the portal and wave goodbye to their new friends one last time before it closes. As the gate disappears, Grey Wolf turns to the others.

"We should go immediately to my family's palace," he says, "The sooner we can begin studying these liquids in our laboratory, the sooner we can . . ."

The wizard is cut off by the anguished screams of his brother and sister. Grey Wolf turns to see the two of them holding their sides in agony. Both wizards fall from their horses and land hard upon the cobble stones. There's a loud crash as the bottles of magical liquid in their packs shatter.

"Sasha! Meesha! Noooo!" Grey Wolf cries.

The two wizards' fingernails become black claws. Their teeth become fangs. Their hands and feet become paws. Gray fur sprouts all over their bodies. Their clothes become shredded rags. And in moments, they are wolves once more.

"The magic of the pool," says Grey Wolf, "It must not have been able to permanently cure them."

"Ariel did say that lycanthropy of her world might be very different from ours," says Zula.

"What of the bottles?" Conan asks, "Did any of the bottles survive the fall?"

Grey Wolf looks through his siblings packs, and sadly shakes his head.

"I am sorry my friend," he says, "They are all broken. And their contents are contaminated. Even with the aid of our water wizards, they cannot be salvaged. Any help they may have provided your family has been lost."

"Perhaps," says Conan, "But you had succeeded in curing your family at least, if only for a little while. I suppose we should be glad of that."

"I suppose you're right," says Grey Wolf, "And I will not stop looking for a cure. For my family, or for yours."

"Of that, my friend," says Conan, "I have no doubt."

"Then let us rest here," says the wizard, "We can resume our quest in the morning."

"I second that," says Jazmine.

"Agreed," adds Zula.

"The morning then," agrees Conan.

"Come," says Grey Wolf, "We will stay at my family's palace. There's plenty of room for all of us."

The four companions head off towards the wizard's home with the two wolves, Sasha and Meesha, in tow for a good nights rest.

****************************************************************************
​

Glasya sits upon her throne in Hell, fuming over her defeat on Hyboria. Bad enough to be beaten by a mere mortal, but an ignorant barbarian was insufferable. The other Demon Lords Of Hell already consider her to be beneath them in stature, even while they desire her for their beds. Now she's a virtual laughing stock. She may never be able to live down this humiliation. Demons have very long memories, very long indeed. Just then, her leautenant Gideon arrives. He bows before his mistress in respect and fear. The she-demon struggles between the desire to flay the flesh from the incubus' bones and ravashing his body. Ever does her lust for blood mingle with her lust for flesh. And with her current mood, the lust for blood is rapidly becoming dominant.

"What do you want?" She demands.

"I bring thee a gift," says the incubus, "One that I'm sure thou shall be pleased with."

"I am in no mood for your games Gideon," growls Glasya, "Speak plainly!"

"As you wish, my queen," replies the demon.

Gideon motions behind him with his arm and corresponding bat-like wing. Through the smoke of the eternal fires of Hell come two succubi. Held between them is the limp form of what appears to be a man. He wears the robes of a wizard, ripped, torn, and filthy. His exposed flesh is cut, bruised, and swollen in a dozen places. His skin is a sickly gray. At first Glasya thought him to be dead. Then she realizes that he was born with gray skin. This is a mortal stranded in Hell. Normally, such a morsel wouldn't last more than a few minutes in that infernal plane of existance. The fact that this one lived was somewhat of a minor miracle. However, as much as Glasya enjoyed torturing mortals, they were frail creatures. Even if this one could survive to live out the rest of his natural life, he would die of old age long before her century of banishment were over.

"It's a mortal," she comments, "So?"

"So this is the wizard Crom," says Gideon, "The very same wizard that sent the barbarian Thundarr and his companions to Hyboria. Had it not been for him, Wrath-Amon may very well never have summoned us to do his bidding."

"Is he?" Says the demon queen, "Is he indeed?" If there was one thing that Glasya loved more than sex, it was vengeance. "Tell me Crom," she says, "Tell me everything you know about the barbarian Thundarr and his friends. The more you talk, the longer you're likely to live."

The Queen Of The Succubi laughs evilly as the wizard Crom cowers at her feet, beaten and afraid. He bows his head and begins to sob, causing the demon queen to laugh all the harder. Her minions join in her mirth, and begin crowding around the helpless mortal.

THE END

 

[Thundarr]

​

 

[Thundarr]

Bumped, so I can finally finish writing the damn thing!

 

[Manic4Love]

Thanks for the post. Was intriguing.