Wisps of shadows coalesced in a pool of murky darkness at the base of the altar before Ruven.

Reach out and grasp my power and make it your own. Command the darkness. Dominate it, and in return, control those around you. Once my power has manifested, it can be used to devastating effect for those who can wield it.

The last few years since his first sacrifice had been productive. After he established a new altar near each site they traveled to, he offered tributes every chance he got.

Morality played no part in his indiscriminate torture and slaughter of the weak, innocent, and dark-hearted alike. Beast or a sentient being, it did not matter.

When he couldn’t find prey on his own, he would take from the slaves and prisoners his tribe had captured and offer them to his god. The more they suffered, the greater the reward would be.

Any hope of salvation for Ruven had dried up and shriveled away, consumed by the darkness that now controlled him. Nothing could escape this god once it had a hold, especially its champion.

Ruven could hear the screams of the dying echo in his head as pulled the wisps toward him into his palm. The darkness promised him he could pull from within, given enough time. For now, he relied on the power that accumulated at the source of misery.

The darkness in his palm felt real. Tangible. The force in his palm, which he could manipulate, felt real and tangible to him. Ruven felt compelled to throw it like he would a rock aimed at his next victim.

Visualize it striking your target and exploding. Hatred and misery manifested. Let my power wash over them.

Ruven tensed his muscles and hurled the shadow ball with all his might into a nearby tree. It smashed into the bark in the blink of an eye, showering the area with debris. A high-pitched shriek broke his concentration, earning his ire.

We appear to have an unwanted guest. Why not test your newfound power on a moving target?

“You’re dead, you just don’t know it yet,” Ruven called out as he reached toward the pool of darkness and ripped a chunk of dark energy, and the chase began.

Twigs snapped beneath the pounding feet of an interloper who dared taint the sanctity of Ruven’s place of worship. The silhouette dashed between trees, frantic to escape.

Once there was a clear line of sight, Ruven focused on their back and hurled the ball of dark energy and watched in amazement at its speed and accuracy.

Crack!

The sound of the body being slammed into a tree echoed into the night. He relished the pain his victim must be in. On closer inspection, he found Lusha, the plaything of Ailen, another elf who vied for dominance in the tribe. She wasn’t the first to be sent to spy on him during his night escapades. You would think after the first few died, they would give up.

She wheezed, coughing up blood. Eyes staring up in anguish. If he had to guess, he would say that hitting the tree had crushed her chest.

“Why?”

The poor girl asked why. Why not indulge her? It will be entertaining.

“Why you ask? Because my god granted me new power, and you appeared. So, how did it feel being hit with my dark energy?”

Between gasps for breath, she wheezed out, “Monster.”

Nodding, Ruven agreed.

“A monster lurking in the shadows. A spider waiting for prey to feast on."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

He leaned down, grabbed her chin to force her gaze, and whispered, “Prey like you.”

Letting go, Ruven grabbed her ankle and began walking back to the shrine, dragging her behind him. Disappointed when he noticed she had passed out, he picked her up and dropped the elf on the shrine.

When a few slaps did nothing, he took out his dagger and stabbed her in the shoulder.

She jerked awake long enough for him to grin as he ran his blade across her throat and watched the life in her eyes fade away.

“We should celebrate my new achievement by forming a raid party. I could even invite Ailen.

Oh, really?

“Yes. It would be a shame if something happened to him.”

...

Several days later, Ruvan gathered his closest companions and requested an audience with Darfin to request permission to lead a raid. He scouted out ahead of time for a group traveling close enough to their camp for an easy ambush.

“Come in.”

Ruven entered the large tent, letting his eyes wander over the harem Darfin gained from previous raids. When one got pregnant, Darfin would kick them out and find a replacement. He could see the appeal but had no interests besides causing pain and growing his power.

“Sir. I located a group traveling within striking range. I’m sure there are a few that would be useful to you. Permission to lead a raid?”

Who said he couldn’t pretend to act subservient when it benefited him? Regardless, Darfin’s time to die would come soon.

The elf dismissed Ruven with a wave, and said, “Get it done. Don’t disappoint me.”

Jonik and Falael looked at Ruven expectingly and smiled when he nodded. “Assemble our people at our normal spot. Don’t forget to Invite Ailen. It’s fine if he wants to bring his friends.”

“Yes, sir.”

An hour later, a small group had gathered around. Ruven and his two friends stood together. Ailen brought Sinaht with him. Another brute who hungered for power. Four others sympathetic to Ruven’s ambitions rounded out the rest of the raid.

That meant when the time came, it would be seven against two. If they survived long enough to die.

“Listen up everyone. Our mark is a group of around seven traveling nearby. Four adult fighters, two who would be perfect souvenirs, and a child. Falael and Jonik will split up and take two each and surround them.”

He turned to Ailen, and said, “You and your friend can join me in the attack. You don’t mind, do you?”

The two exchanged a glance before Ailen turned back and said, “With pleasure.”

…

Ruven found the group camped after a few hours of travel and signaled his friends to surround it, mindful of the single elf on guard duty.

Three tents around a single firepit made up the makeshift camp. Besides the guard, he could see two others sitting by the fire.

Bow and arrow in hand, Ruven aimed at the night watch and let his arrow fly. Time appeared to slow down as the elf he hit grasped his neck and collapsed. His friends used that moment to spring into action.

Another elf lay dead with one trophy subdued by the time Ailen and Sinaht reached the tents. The skilled fighters easily cut down two adults who burst out with weapons drawn. As they were about to enter the tents, Ruven made his move.

He grabbed the attention of his two friends and grinned. They moved behind Ailen and pinned him to the ground without an issue while Ruven stomped the back of Sinhat’s leg, causing him to drop to one knee. Laughing with glee, Ruven disarmed the brute and stabbed the elf in the chest and neck from behind, spraying blood all over the front of the tent.

The body slumped over when Ruven felt satisfied. His attention turned to Ailen, still being held down by Jonik and Falael. The other four watched with amusement. He leaned down and said, “This is what you get for sending her out into the dark to spy on me. Do you even care? I enjoyed staring into her eyes as I slit her throat.”

Ruven stood up and said, “Everyone inside the tent can either come out voluntarily or make me come in and get you myself. I doubt you will like what I do then.”

A few seconds later, the last two shuffled out, hand in hand. He grabbed the child by the collar and yanked them away, kicking what had to be their mother to the ground. Ignoring their protests, he turned the child around and said, “I have a proposition for you. You are going to kill that elf being held down, or I will force you to kill your mother.”

The child trembled in his grip. They calmed down enough and said, “I’ll do it.”

“Wonderful! Just a reminder if you try any funny business, your mother will be the one to pay for your actions.”

After one of the four picked up and restrained the kid's mother, he handed the child a spare dagger. He helped Falael turn Ailen over and slammed his foot into their groin.

“He is all yours. You can’t stop until he stops breathing.”

The next several minutes were messy. The child lacked the strength to cause significant damage and lacked the knowledge of how. A few lucky hits opened Ailen’s veins, which caused him to bleed out. Dagger dropped and forgotten, the child ran back to their mother and cried.

Satisfied with his work, Ruven ordered the others to tie up the captive's hands and forced them to move. Darfin expected his new spoils promptly. Cloaked in darkness, he felt at home in his element.

“What will become of us?”

Without looking back, he replied, "The two adults will provide for the tribe while we give the child a chance to become one of us if they can survive."

You fed me well tonight. I have high hopes for the child. They have…potential.

“So do I darkness."

"So do I.”