Chapter 3

The night was nearly over as Luc saw Loren forest disappear behind him. He cursed himself for the death of the elves, but was it all wrong? Did they not attack him first? Luc was confused and shook his held to calm himself. He slung the shield across his back and smiled knowing he was closer to reclaiming his humanity.

"Where to next?" Luc murmured thinking of the objects. "The land of Khemri nears so the bone is most logical." Then, a blinding flash lit Luc's eyes. His body seemed to burn. He screamed and ran to the safety of a ditch. Quickly covering his body with leaves, Luc was protected from the bane of Vampires, the sun.

Luc awoke as something prodded at his arm. "Ya think 'e's alive?" Came a rough voice.

"Dunno," came another. "Let's see what is on 'im." Luc jumped to his feet and drew his sword. The voices had come from Dwarves.

"Damn he's awake!" Cried the first, a red bearded dwarf wearing bronze armor. The second drew out a mithril axe and motioned for Luc to drop his weapon. The first dwarf drew his own axe and began to advance upon Luc also.

"I do not want trouble," Luc groaned. "I have fought many creatures I did not wish to, and have slain them. I will not be forced to end your life."

The dwarves looked puzzled upon hearing his response. "Ach! I don't believe 'im," growled the second, charging toward Luc, axe whirling wildly. Luc took a blow to his right arm causing him to drop his sword. "Now die ya damn villain!" The dwarf raised his axe to cleave off Luc's head but suddenly stopped.

Luc rose as the dwarf fell flat on his face. An arrow protruded from his back. The first dwarf shuddered as he saw his ally fall dead. Luc looked appalled upon seeing the make of the arrow. The fletching was yellow and the shaft of yew wood. The markings could only be from one thing: Wood Elves.

The trees were lined with them, scores of archers firing a hail of arrows. The surviving dwarf flew and jumped into a hole, never to be seen again. The arrows were unavoidable and pierced Luc's flesh. He raced along, but his pace was slowed and eventually he fell to the dust.

The elves loomed over him searching for the shield he had taken. Luc could not understand what they said as the prodded him with their bows and spears. They rolled him over and noticed the shield slung across his back. As the moved to seize it, Luc rose to his feet. The elves shuddered as they saw a man rise that they had thought to have been dead a hundred times over. They abandoned their quarry and jumped back into the folds of trees.

"I guess there is some advantage to this body," Luc said to himself. He looked at the body of the slain dwarf and without thinking drank the cool blood from its neck. Dwarf blood had less of a taste, but there was much of it to be had.

Luc wiped his mouth on a sleeve and continued on his way. Luc saw a great expanse before him and he knew these were the sands of Khemri. However, it would be foolish to move straight in without a plan. Luc retired beneath a pile of sand into his own secret fortress. Here, he began to map out his plan of action. Rising out of his shelter, Luc advanced toward a high pyramid that loomed before him. When he was not within a mile, twenty skeleton warriors clutching at spears arose from the sand before him. Behind them stood a Liche Priest, little more than a skeleton himself but resplendent in a purple robe. He chanted ancient words and the skeletons vibrantly attacked.

"Asfan...eru kaben Settra!" The skeletons advanced upon Luc attacking with all their might. Still wounded from his encounter with the elves, Luc couldn't react fast enough, only taking down about one skeleton for every ten wounds inflicted. He felt no pain, but was slowed as he continued to strike again and again. But it seemed as every enemy fell, another arose to take its place.

"The Liche!" Luc muttered coming to a startling realization as skeleton after skeleton fell and rose around him. Raising his sword, he ploughed through a column of the undead warriors and charged straight toward the Liche. The creature raised its staff in defense but the acacia rod was easily shattered under Luc's mighty blow. The attack continued and cleaved the Liche in half. The skeletons behind Luc fell to the ground and their bones lay still. Luc walked over to one of the remnant piles and picked up a femur which he tied a rope around and attached to the Wood Elf shield.

"That's two of the five items," Luc said almost in jubilation. However, his joy was short lived. The ground below him began to shake and up from the sands rose an immense being. It resembled a scorpion, but was made of bone and measured twenty feet in height. It snapped its claws and scuttled towards him. "This just isn't my day..." Luc panted running full pelt away from the land of Khemri. The creature, although mighty, was slow and soon retreated to not waste time.

Luc relaxed as he came to an abandoned town. Concealing himself in one of the houses, Luc slept, and awaited the next stage of his journey...Lustria.

End of Chapter 3