Ademar wandered into the desert focused on the horizon. The only navigable terrain features were the distant mountains. If you focused on something, you have a better chance of staying on course. If not, there is a solid chance you may end up traveling in circles. That was not as much of a concern in this stretch of desert. There were the occasional oasis, hillocks, copses of trees and tiny villages, just like the last one he passed through. It was more bustling in this desert than one might imagine. Today, it appeared to be very quiet.<br/><br/>He napped for at least three hours at a village named,<span style="font-style: italic">Afjan</span>. Feeling relieved, he took in some food and water. He actually felt invigorated and ready to take on the world.<span style="font-style: italic">'What did that horse thief say this mount's name was?'</span>Ademar kept his internal monologue going while wandering under the hot sun.<span style="font-style: italic">'Oh yea,</span>Ziggy.' He looked up at the sun, shielding the sun with his arm. Squinting, he caught a glimpse and looked away. Someone once told him it was unsafe to look directly into the sun. It could blind a person. "Ziggy...that means Victorious. What did you win, boy?" Ademar smiled, talking to his horse. "Oh yes, you won the opportunity to cart this sand-beggar through the wilderness." He patted the horse on the neck and rubbed him a few seconds as he looked out upon the horizon.<br/><br/>The sun hung low, preparing to duck behind the mountains. At a distance of at least eight, maybe ten miles he spotted thin pillars of smoke rising from an oasis. It was more of a large copse of trees. Maybe it was an oasis. He figured this would be a good spot to rest a bit and fill up on water, if it was available.<span style="font-style: italic">'Never pass up an oasis in the desert,'</span>someone else told him that.<span style="font-style: italic">'Did dad say that? Yes! It was dad...and mom made the comment about looking into the sun. But isn't that the sort of warning a mother would provide for a son? Thank goodness for mothers and fathers. They may not know what they are doing all the time, but by god, they do seem to get it right once in awhile. Now you're just getting silly, Ademar.'</span><br/><br/>About three miles from his objective, the sun could no longer be seen on the horizon. It was hiding behind the mountains, which were still another thirty miles away. Some illumination remained, but would be gone in the next forty five minutes. The road he had been traveling along appeared empty.<span style="font-style: italic">'Who else would be out here, anyway?'</span>Ademar was relieved to have put the memory of the old woman out of his head. He had forgotten all about that strange encounter.<br/><br/>As he neared the oasis, he noticed flickers of light. It appeared as though a few campfires were burning. But he was still too far away to know. As he got closer, he started to make out the silhouette of another traveler.  A second road from Saritunis merged into the one he had been on.<br/><br/>Ademar was still a half a mile away when he realized something was wrong. He noticed erratic movement. Whomever it was who stumbled into that campsite was under attack. He could not make out their target, but the attackers were definitely Trolls. He could tell by their size, their hunched forward posture and sagging shoulders. They flailed about on the attack and didn't seem to care for their own safety. They must have been eight or nine feet tall.<br/><br/>Ademar spurred Ziggy on harder. He had only a few hundred yards to close the distance. Finally, he was close enough to identify their target. It was a woman. She appeared handy with the sword, but even the best of them would be overcome by more than a dozen trolls. These monsters weren't leaving anything behind. They were out for blood and this woman was going to be their dinner. Three trolls converged on the woman.<br/><br/>At fifty feet from, Ademar quickly slid from his saddle, unsheathed his two swords, shorter one in his left hand. He jumped the remaining forty feet into a position behind the closest troll. He plunged the shorter sword deep into the creature's back, about where its heart and lungs should be. He pulled the blade out immediately, blood gurgled from the fresh wound, oozing down its back. Blood would have sputtered out its mouth as well. He jumped a few feet in front of a distant troll running toward them. He leveled both blades out and caught him in the chest. The troll took the hit and crumbled to the ground. He may not be out of the fight, but was down for at least a few minutes. Next, he jumped back to the woman, landing to the right of one of the two remaining creatures closest to her. He shoved his smaller sword through this one's throat, sending an arterial spurt out about eight feet. The warm dark liquid began to soak his comrade's head and shoulder, as his life force slowly seeped out of him. Ademar readied to jump again.