Back across the mountains to the West after the shrine had been made and its first sacrifice painted the ground in red, the new champion of darkness returned to his people.

Ruven walked up to the guard posted at the entrance and stood there.

The guard eyed him for a second, then said, “Welcome back. Did you see Folas? The boss wanted you back at camp.”

“He did.”

When he didn’t elaborate, the elf said, “Great, so where is he now?”

Tell him he accepted my embrace.

Ruven considered his god's suggestion, and replied, “He welcomed the gift of darkness and embraced eternity.”

A look of puzzlement caused the guard to pause, then asked, “So, when is he coming back?”

“He’s not.”

Flustered, they asked, “What do you mean?”

Unconcerned, Ruven shrugged and kept on walking into the camp.

Embrace eternity? I liked that.

“They all will embrace your eternity, eventually. Folas just happened to be the first.”

The guard yelled behind him, “What did you say?”

The shouts that came from deeper within the encampment diverted his attention from the guard and directed it towards the excitement that could only be found when a challenge was made.

“Of course, the boss would want me to be here. He always makes sure his potential rivals see him crush anyone who might want to take over.”

As a territorial nomad tribe, they used multiple campsites throughout the year. They forced their slaves to carry all their equipment and reinforce the old perimeter fence each time they moved.

This ensured their safety and food was never in short supply from overhunting. This had been the only life Ruven had known and he fit in perfectly.

The perfect breeding ground for aggression, anger and hate. The seeds of darkness that were planted long ago when the first dark war ravaged the land.

Fights to the death to prove dominance always leave me satisfied. Hurry up so you don't miss all the fun.

“Of course, darkness. I would hate to miss a good fight.”

Several children were training with wooden swords near the arena, supervised by a few older women. Every child had to survive the rite of passage to be considered a member of the tribe. As for the women, they rarely had any standing within the tribe, and from the dead, emotionless expression on their faces, they were likely captives used to populate the tribe.

He grabbed one and lifted the child. “Fetch food and drink and bring it to me at the pit.” Ruven held the dangling child until they nodded in understanding, then dropped them on the ground.

They dropped their wooden sword and ran off as he made his way over to the challenge pit to find a seat. Several elves moved out of the way when he approached and sat down.

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He may not know it yet, but as a champion of darkness, Ruven now radiated an aura that caused anyone with a weak will to feel powerless around him. It only worked in proximity, but with time, it would grow to encompass the entire camp.

The roar of the crowd in tandem with the smell of fresh blood being spilled energized Ruven. His friends Jonik and Falael noticed his arrival and waved him over. Their friendship blossomed after Ruben had outmatched them both in a fistfight. Strength and power determined who had the right to be respected in this tribe.

“What took you so long, Ruven? The main event is about to start.”

“Don’t worry about it Jonik.”

His friend shrugged and went back to watching the last set of slaves fighting to the death. The winner had the choice of joining the clan or leaving. What they didn't know is that anyone who chose the latter option received a quick death shortly after leaving.

The child appeared holding a cup and a plate and offered them to Ruven. He snatched them up, and the child ran away.

“Hey, Falael. Who challenged Darfin for the right to lead this time? Don’t tell me it was Sinaht.”

Falael shook his head and pointed to a burly elf standing on the other side of the pit. “It’s Jhaan. He thinks just because he knows how to hold a sword without cutting himself, he can face Darfin. His ego must have exploded ever since he got those women pregnant. Even Folas could do that if he had the balls to try. Speaking of, have you seen him? ”

He grinned and downed the rest of his drink. “Darfin sent him to find me, and I used the opportunity to kill him.”

His friend glanced over in surprise, then grinned. “About time. He has been a thorn in your side for a while.”

Following the removal of the dead body, Darfin entered the pit and raised his hand, silencing the crowd.

“Welcome all to the main event you have all been waiting for! Today, Jhaan has challenged me for the right to lead our tribe. Who here believes he could ever defeat me?”

Most of the crowd burst out in laughter while a small minority roared Jhaan’s name encouragingly.

Jhaan entered the pit with a two-handed sword. Jhaan had won every fight he had ever been in through force and superior strength. Ruven doubted he would lose in a fight against the elf. For close-range combat, few could match him. All it took was quick feet and precision to take on a brute like Jhaan.

Darfin unsheathed his curved one-handed sword and dagger. Everyone knew that if Darfin cut you with the dagger, he would inevitably win the match. Their leader had met an elf who specialized in crafting medicinal remedies and concocting poisons long ago. He used them to take over the tribe and offered them a carefree life in exchange.

His favorite cheat caused the muscles near the wound to go numb and make it difficult or impossible to hold a weapon or walk. Don’t be mistaken about his fighting prowess. If that had been his only ace in the hole, he never would have lasted this long. Darfin mastered his two-weapon fighting style over a decade ago.

Jhaan rushed forward, sword held to his side. He halted his dash by planting his foot in front and swung his blade up at an angle toward Darfin’s neck. Darfin pushed back at an angle, avoiding the attack, and leapt forward, using his blade to push Jhaan’s weapon further on its current trajectory, and stabbed with his dagger.

Twisting his body to the right as he dragged his lead foot back, Jhaan rotated his sword, hilt up, deflecting the dagger, and turned it into a thrust. Darfin knocked the thrust away from him as he spun, reversed his hold on the dagger, and stabbed again.

Jhaan let go with his right hand and let gravity help him deflect the dagger. He took a right step in as he landed a punch to the back of Darfin’s head. The veteran fighter rolled with the punch and came back up in time to see Jhaan swing down with all his might.

Darfin sliced into Jhaan’s ankles with his sword, causing the brute to jerk back mid-swing, allowing Darfin to deflect the attack and throw his dagger right into Jhaan’s throat.

The challenger dropped his blade and attempted to reach for the dagger, but failed to reach it before Darfin grabbed it and yanked it to the side with his left. Continuing his rotation, he spun around and finished cutting Jhaan’s head off and watched the body collapse.

The crowd roared in applause, stomping the ground as they thrust their fists up. Ruven noticed Jhaan’s most avid supporters were being taken care of during the commotion. He looked at Falael and Darfin, pointed at Darfin, and said, “After I’m done growing stronger, his head will be mine.”

All three shared a knowing grin. He stood up and waved for them to join him.

Talented that man may be, he will be powerless against the might of darkness when wielded by my champion.