Chapter Six
Thundarr, Ariel, Ookla, and Princess Eekra ride all day long and well into the night. When they finally stop for a rest, the broken moon is high in the night sky. They set up camp at a riverbank, not far from the lake where Thundarr and Ariel had their bath. They build a roaring fire and settle in for the night.
"So Princess," says Thundarr, "how is it that you fight so well?"
Princess Eekra growls a reply, to which Thundarr nods thoughtfully.
"Well?" Asks Ariel, "What did she say?"
"Books," replies Thundarr, "she says she learned her fighting techniques by reading books. She says she found several ancient texts which teach something called 'kung-fu' and something else called 'karate'."
"I've never met a mok who knew how to read and write before," says Ariel.
Eekra growls a reply.
"A traveling sorcerer taught her several years ago," Thundarr translates, "She says he flew into the village on the back of a giant bird with a female barbarian."
"Shara and Merlik?" Ariel says with surprise. Eekra nods affirmatively.
"We haven't seen them in years," says Thundarr.
"How are they?" Asks Ariel, "What have they been going? How have been?"
Eekra says something in mok and Thundarr translates. "She says that it's been quite a long time since they've last visited the village."
They four friends then spend several hours talking and laughing. Discussing their meetings with Shara and Merlik. Thundarr and Ariel take great pleasure in retelling Ookla's love/hate relationship with Yeek, which Eekra finds very amusing and causes Ookla to hide his face with embarrassment. That just causes the other three to laugh even harder. All four of them are glad for the distraction. A few hours of idle conversation and laughter has already done much to lift their spirits. Suddenly the horses and equarts get really nervous and jittery. They pull free of their tethers and gallop off. A second later the ground bursts open and a large gray beast raises from the earth. It looks like a strange cross between a great white shark and an armadillo.
"Demon dogs!" Thundarr cries, taking out his Sunsword and igniting the blade.
"Look out!" Says Ariel, "It's a land shark!"
Ookla grabs his mok bow and Eekra takes up her quarterstaff. The four friends spread out. The land shark charges towards Ookla. Ookla launches a couple of stun arrows at it. They bounce harmlessly off its shell without even slowing it down. Eekra tackles Ookla out of the way before he could be devoured. Ariel throws a fireball at the land shark, which rolls off its shell with little or no effect. Eekra leaps up onto the beasts back and starts striking it with her staff. The land shark bucks and kicks like a wild stallion, knocking her off its back. The land shark attacks her, but she dodges aside before it could have a taste. Thundarr runs up and starts attacking with his Sunsword. Like the stun arrows and the fireball before it, the Sunsword bounces off the land sharks shell without causing any damage.
"Lords of Light!" Cries Thundarr as he strikes again and again, "The Sunsword has no effect!"
The land shark whipped its tail about and knocked Thundarr to the ground. The land shark stalks up with its mouth open wide about to bite down. Suddenly there was a huge glowing yellow cork in its mouth stopping it from biting down. It shakes its head back and forth trying to dislodge the cork, but to no avail. It sees Ariel standing off to the side, her hands glowing yellow. It begins charging towards her. Beams of energy leap from the sorceress's hands and surround the land shark, pushing it back. The beast digs its claws into the ground and pushes through the spell. Step by step, it slowly gets closer and closer to the sorceress. Beads of sweat build up on Ariel's brow.
"I...can't...hold...him...forever!" She says.
"Our weapons are useless!" Says Thundarr, "How can we stop it?"
"The...river!" Says Ariel as the land shark takes another step, "Land...sharks...can't...swim!"
Ookla runs up and grabs the land shark by the tail. Eekra runs up and grabs the tail as well. Then the two of them, in perfect co-ordination, begin to spin around whirling the land shark around and around, building more and more momentum. Then they release the tail and send it flying out into the middle of the river. The land shark disappears under the rapids and the companions collapse with a sigh of relief.
"I hope there aren't any more of those things," says Thundarr.
"We won't," replies Ariel, "land sharks are solitary hunters. They're only encountered in groups during mating season, and if that were the case we would've been attacked by more than just one."
"Then let us find the horses," says Thundarr, "they could've run a long ways by now."
They head out and round up their mounts. The animals didn't go far so it didn't take too long. They take them back to camp. After tethering them again, they rebuild their campfire and settle in for the night. As soon as dawn breaks the four companions eat a quick breakfast, climb up onto their mounts, then ride hard towards the town of Knox.