And here is Chapter 3, early release! [th_113_.gif] please remember to rate and comment. your opinions matter to me. :gimme:

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Dark… it’s dark for as far as I can see. Not the darkness from the cave, no, I’m somewhere else… a place without sound or light. Did I die? Is this the place you go when your life ends? I feel as though I’m floating in nothingness, a complete and unbreakable void. My body seems to be made up of light blue flames, but the measly light can’t possibly cut through the oppressive void that surrounds me.

I feel week, like I’ve been awake for too long, I’m tired but I can’t sleep here, it feels too unnatural to sleep here. I need to wake up, think happy thoughts. Puppies… a nice hot meal… getting that last yard for a touchdown, Aaahh, those were the days. I was the star running back for my team in high school; I had a good future ahead of me. Then I got that stupid knee injury, ruined everything, I cursed my luck and tried everything to heal it properly…

Sudden warmth enveloped me and I could feel slightly more energized by the second. The flames that made up my body grew brighter, not by much, but the light somehow filled me with hope and confidence. My shoulder began to burn, well my whole body was burning but it was the most intense there... my head hurt, I missed that nice feeling from a moment ago, why don’t I go back to that? I began to see stars and then…

“GUUHaaagh!” I gasped for air and my surroundings were once again the familiar rock and dirt of the cave. I had to steady myself and calm my breathing a bit before the searing headache subsided. Then I remembered and inspected my wounds, on my leg, where the crocodile thing had cut me… a white scar, it almost seemed seared shut. It was ugly, but I wasn’t bleeding, confused and curious I inspected my shoulder… not nearly as ugly, but the punctures were sealed in the same fashion.

“What the hell happened to me?” then I remembered Ben, he wasn’t beside me, where did he go? Was he okay? Did he need my help? “Ben! Come here boy!” my voice was raspy, didn’t I just have a drink not too long ago? How long was I out for? Concern overriding my curiosity about my wounds, I attempted to stand, I needed to find Ben, the wound on his back couldn’t have been that bad right?

My muscles seemed tight and unaccustomed to movement. But I kept moving and pushed aside everything else, picking up the shell filled with mystery gems I went in search of my only companion. It didn’t take long; I’m surprised I didn’t hear him before, even if he was attempting to be sneaky. As I walked down the slightly curving tunnel I found that little jerk munching on what appeared to be the creepy croc head that bit me.

Honestly, even though I’m hungrier than I’ve ever been, I don’t think I could bring myself to eat that thing. Even though the meat was mostly gone its eyes were still wide open and glaring at me. It was enough to bring shivers down my spine. Also, what the hell were those things! In the heat of the moment I forgot my shock and just tried to escape. But these things weren’t natural, was I in some kind of subterranean lizard-man city? What kind of bad TV show was this!

Once again, more question, no answers. If I am ever to make any sense out of all this, then I need to get the hell out of here… Ben is looking at me with his ears down and tail completely still. “Yeah, yeah, go ahead, you helped me back there anyway.” He began to wag his tail happily at that and continues to eat. I don’t know how he can do it; his stomach is stronger than mine. Ben’s wound doesn’t seem to be that bad, the blood has clotted and it doesn’t seem that deep. Should have named him Lucky.

Sitting down next to him, I tried to piece together the days events, if it was even day that is. Unfortunately, I had no plausible reason for my wounds to be healed so suddenly. Also, though the memory was vague, I could still remember the dream I had, was that somehow linked to my healed wounds? No way to tell for sure.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to go back and take a look at that cavern again. I remember that weird blue light that burst forth when I was getting a terrible shoulder massage from headless over here. It seemed oddly familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. “Haaah” I sigh in exasperation, I’m sure it will come to me eventually. Hopefully everything will become clear once I get out of here.

We spent a few moments in silence, with the only sound coming from ben and his new bone. The fact that those croc faces didn’t come in search for us already probably meant that they were just territorial, or maybe scared shitless. Hell, I’m scared of what happened back there too and it saved my life! After a while I decided it’s about time we get moving. Ben follows close behind, carrying the skull like a souvenir.

After a few hours of walking, choosing new tunnels and walking some more, I noticed there was moss growing along the walls. Promising? I’m not too sure, but I think I heard something about moss and directions once upon a time. As we kept following the moss I started to hear something strange, like a scratching sound. As we moved forward the sound became louder and louder, until it resembled the crisp banging of something solid on something equally solid and metallic. Then came the grunting noises with it.

I started running, careful not to trip, but that sound was very human, and I couldn’t help feeling hope. Ben dropped the croc face and ran next to me, he could have easily overtaken me, but I think this whole experience has taught him a pack mentality. I stopped at a fork in the path; I tried to listen to the distant sounds.

They were now obviously human, I couldn’t make out what they were doing, building something? Perhaps this was some sort of mine? I could only distinguish one voice, a man; he was grunting and yelling something I couldn’t understand, a different language maybe? It didn’t sound like a language I was familiar with, but if they were human, then at the very least they could help me get out of this place.

Left, that was where the sounds seemed to be coming from. I made haste, not wanting to be in this place any longer than absolutely necessary. Though I suppose I should have been watching where I was stepping because I suddenly fell… through the ground. I tried to grab the edge, like they do in those action movies… harder than it looks, I ended up whacking my head off the lip of the hole and falling without any sense left in my noggin.

I hit the ground hard on my side, why was this all so painful? Oh ye gods, what have I done to deserve such harsh treatment! My head hurt like that night after my nineteenth birthday and I looked around in a daze. I seem to have a mild concussion, oh happy day! Oh, and by the way, Ben is looking down the hole at his fool of a master with a forlorn expression.

All bad jokes aside though…

My vision finally comes back into focus, only to find a very sharp piece of steel pointed directly at my neck. Where’s the LARP? The man in front of me is wearing what looks like leather armor with dark green clothes underneath. He doesn’t look very friendly, well actually he looks about as surprised as I am. But I can tell he’s not amused. I wouldn’t be either had someone started a cave in right above me.

“Mor jur’vat?” the man, he seemed to be in his late middle ages, asked me in a language I couldn’t begin to understand. His dark black hair with streaks of white along the sides of his head, and dark somewhat bushy eyebrows added to his scarred face and intense eyes to put the fear of god in me.

I simply raised my hands and tried to look as non-aggressive as possible and said… “I come in peace?” with an innocent smile, though I knew my words didn’t reach him.

my luck really sucks.

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