Chapter Three

Captain Corden, Squeak, and Ogre have ridden their stolen equarts all day long and through the night without a moments rest. The sun is rising in the east, and they've slowed their mounts from a gallop to a trot. They need to put as much distance between themselves and the mok village of Knox as possible. They're certain that Chief Ogrot has formed a posse to hunt them down, and there are few that are better than hunting and tracking than moks. By noon they come upon a wide meadow, easy to cross but leaves them wide open and exposed. Figuring word of their escape hasn't reached the other villages yet, and that any mok hunting party is still miles behind them, they decide to chance it. They cross the meadow with no problems until they almost reach the treeline. When they're still about fifty feet away, over a dozen arrows fly down at them and stick into the ground around the equarts' feet. A motley crew of at least a dozen men, groundlings, carocks, and mutants steps out of the bushes, all brandishing weapons of some sort. Most of them carry clubs, though a lucky few carry swords, spears, and axes. Of more concern are those still in the bushes, at least another half dozen, with loaded crossbows. And who knows how many archers are in the trees? Of the three escapees, only Captain Corden has a weapon. And even with the fighting prowess of her two companions, she holds no illusions as to how a fight would result for the three of them.

"Well as I live and breath," says a voice from the bushes, "if it isn't Captain Corden, Queen Of The River Pirates."

Corden places a hand on the hilt of her rapier. If she were going to be captured by bounty hunters, she meant to go down fighting.

"Who are you?" She asks, "What do you want?"

Out from the bushes steps a man wearing the torn remnants of a wetsuit and carrying a cutlass. The skull and crossbones still emblazoned on his chest mark him as a former river pirate. Corden looks him over, an expression of recognition on her face.

"I recognize you," she says, "you were one of my crew."

"That's correct, Captain," he says, a level of disdain in his voice, "the name's Pontz".

"Tell your people to stand down," says Captain Corden.

Her former crewman laughs. "Does it look like we're on your ship?" He asks, "I don't take orders from you anymore!"

"So you have your own band of pirates now, is that it?"

"Something like that," he replies.

"So what do you want?" She asks him.

"When I first saw you riding across the meadow, just your mounts, your sword, and anything else of value you might have," he tells her, "But now that I know it's you? I want some payback."

"For what?" She asks, steeling herself for a fight.

"Your greed ruined us!" He shouts at her, "You were so damned obsessed with that mok treasure that you couldn't see it was a lost cause until it was too late! And what do you have to show for it? Most of your crew were captured, and those of us lucky enough to escape with our lives were scattered to the four winds. I was lucky to be taken in by this lot. And I've worked my way up to a position of respect!"

"So what now?" She asks, "You're some kind of highwayman?"

"Aye," he says, "second only to Uruk, King Of The Brigands."

"Impressive," Corden replies, with just a hint of insincerety in her voice, and she comes down off her equart, "then I propose an alliance. My friends and I are on our way to an ancient treasure which is virtually unguarded. Your cut should be more than enough to ease the pain of our past failures."

"It ain't up to me Captain," says the former river rat, "it's up to the boss."

"Then let me tell it to your boss!" She says.

"Oh, he's already heard ya," Pontz says, "but things like this ain't settled with a handshake."

Out of the bushes comes the biggest and most vicious looking mok any of them has ever seen. He's at least 8' tall. His fur is a dark shade of gray, his mane as black as a raven's wing. The right side of his face is horribly scarred, and he wears an eye-patch over his right eye. In his massive right hand he carries a battle ax that's so huge even Ogre would have to wield it two handed. He turns to the former river pirate and growls something to him in his bestial tongue. The pirate turns to his former captain.

"Uruk says that he will accept your terms if you can beat him in single combat," he translates, "but if he wins, you have to tell him where this treasure is."

"I've just spent six years imprisoned in a mok village," she tells him, "I've learned to understand their language," then she turns to Uruk, "You have a deal."

Squeak and Ogre dismount as Corden draws her rapier. She looks at the weapon in her hand, then looks at Uruk's ax as he cuts a fallen tree in half with a single one handed strike. She doesn't need to be told what'll happen to her if he hits her with that ax, or that her sword won't be able to stop it from hitting her. Squeak comes up to her and begins massaging her shoulders. He leans in close and whispers to her.

"You remember my fight with Ogre the other day?" He asks, "Just do the same thing. The key to beating him is strategy, not strength. If you stand toe to toe with him he'll cut you in half. Make him attack you with everything he has, tire him out. When he can barely raise his ax, then you strike."

The brigands form a circle around the two combatants. Uruk charges at Corden, swinging wildly with his ax. Corden does exactly as Squeak suggested. She ducks and she dodges. She slips in beneath his ax and jabs him with her rapier. She doesn't try for any killing blows, just a swipe to the buttocks or a jab to the thigh. Her intention's not to kill, or even to maim, but rather to anger her opponent. And the strategy works. Uruk goes wild with rage swinging madly, but not able to hit anything. Finally his strikes are slowing, his breathing heavy. He's bleeding from a dozen minor nicks and cuts. He has a murderous look in his eye. He raises his ax up over his head with both hands for a mighty downward strike and charges forward. Corden charges forward too, but dives into a forward roll, bringing both feet up to drive both heels into the mok's groin with all the strength she could muster. Uruk stops dead in his tracks, his one good eye rolls into the back of his head, his ax slips from his grasp, and he protectively cups his injured groin. Captain Corden scrambles to her feet, holding her weapon at the ready. Uruk lets out a pitiful little yelp, a couple octaves higher than normal, and falls to his knees. She holds the blade of her sword to his throat.

"Yield or die!" She tells him.

Uruk nods his head affirmatively. She steps back and places the tip of her blade to Uruk's throat.

"Here's the deal," she tells him, "I'm taking over your little band of brigands. You can stay on as my second in command. As such you will receive a fair share of whatever loot we steal. Or I can kill you where you stand. Which is it?"

Again, Uruk nods in agreement. Captain Corden sheaths her rapier and helps the mok to his feet.

"Now," she says, "summon the rest of your troops. We're about to find the greatest treasure imaginable. When we have it, Chief Ogrot and his tribe will feel my wrath!"

Uruk growls a question to his new commander. She smiles wickedly.

"Yes," she says, "I was imprisoned by Ogrot and his moks for six years. I plan on slaughtering the the whole damn village, down to the last mok, and selling the children into slavery!"

Uruk growls something back.

"So Ogrot banished you from the town of Knox?" She asks, "So you have as much reason for vengeance as I."

Uruk turns to the former river rat Pontz and gives him an order. The brigand gives his former captain a venomous glare, then nods his head. He stalks off to gather the rest of the brigands. Soon their numbers nearly double. They've packed up camp, mounted their horses, and they all ride off together. Along the way, Captain Corden learns much about her new found allies. The reason they all come from so many different places and are of so many different races is that they've all been displaced from their homes. And they've all been displaced by the same person, Thundarr. The groundlings and hawk mutants all used to work for the wizard Gemini. The tiger mutants all used to work for Jurag, the former slave. The carocks all used to tend the death flower fields before Thundarr had set them aflame. There were the pig mutants who worked for the wizard Artemis as the corrupt Sheriff Corb's deputies in the town of Lanta. There were blue skinned amazons who preferred Strya's rule over that of their true queen, Queen Diona. Plus several humans who just plain weren't very nice. So now Corden has herself an army of men and women who hate the barbarian and his friends just as much as she, and a second in command who had just as much reason to seek revenge against the town of Knox as she does. Later that night, Corden invites Uruk into her tent to discuss plans for the upcoming conquest. And by the sounds that come out of the tent after much discussion, it seems that any hard feelings between the two have been set aside. Corden lies against Uruk's massive chest, quite pleased with herself. She and Uruk have decided to work together. And once the village of Knox has been sacked and her crew released, she will build a new ship. Then she and Uruk would unite their forces and share in the plunder of countless communities. He would attack them from the land, and she would support him from the water. The perfect plan. And once they had weapons that not even Thundarr's famed Sunsword can defeat, they would be unconquerable.