Solar-Light

That night, the fifth challenge took place.

Sorrow-Field had chosen for the final challenge to be a sword dual, with Lux wielding the Sun Blade. Many believed Lux would fight Ves, the son of Void-Wind.

The challenger walked into the ring of spectators. But the challenger was not Ves.

The Blight-Elf who stepped into the ring was none other then Sorrow-Field himself, wielding a katana.

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Lux could feel… Something. It was not the instinct of the dance, as he had felt many times before. It was lighter, sharper, quicker.

He saw Sorrow-Field, felt the earth move as the chief walked forward, sword raised.

He swung! The sound of sword-striking-sword filled the air! Lux felt exhilaration, felt not the battle lust of his people, but the joy of elves in the forest!

Sorrow-Field swung with the speed of a master. But Lux moved faster, blocking, dodging, parrying, and slashing.

Lux felt the tribes-people watching, cheering, jeering, and singing.

He knocked the katana out of Sorrow-Field's hands, and grabbed it.

He swung both blades, and stopped them two and one quarter inches from

Sorrow-Field's head, as was tradition in tribal duals, to symbolize killing the opponent.

Lux had passed the fifth challenge, and had become king of Jonak.

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Lux was given the title of Chieftan, and was renamed, from Lux, to Solar-Light, in honor of Solar-Shadow.

That night, they sent a messenger to Inja to tell them of Solar-Shadow's heir.

The Third and Fourth Challenge

After Adze was taken away-to be cared for by his family- Sorrow-Field sent out the third challenger.

Sem was a master of the "Flying Hammer", a weapon similar to the flail, and the weapon to be used by both fighters in this challenge.

Sem struck the moment he stepped into the ring of spectators, pulling on the chain of his hammer, throwing his weapon forward, hitting Lux's ear, causing him to bleed in yet another place.

Lux, knocked down and bleeding, swung his weapon at Sem's legs, bringing him down, and slammed the ball of his hammer on his head, before Sem wrapped his weapon around Lux's arm, and tugged, dislocating it.

Lux, no longer able to wield his weapon, bit Sem's throat.

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Birch was allowed to care for Lux, and wrapped his wounds in a material designed by the Blighted-Ones to allow for mobility with bandages, and relocated his shoulder.

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The fourth challenge.

The fourth challenge was a "Death Dance", the form of hand-to-hand combat used by the Blighted-Ones. Lux was to fight Kol, a huntress known for taking down the biggest prey in the desert.

The dance began.

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Lux felt his heart beat. He felt his muscles relaxing. He felt his soul tingling. He felt the instinct of the dance.

He looked at the enemy, and sensed blood.

He felt his heart beat. He felt his muscles relax. He felt his soul tingling. He felt the instinct of the dance.

He jumped at his prey filled himself with it's aroma, his prey had claws. They scraped his hide.

Blood. Beat. Blood. Relax. Blood. Tingle. Blood. Dance.

His claws cut deep, and he bit into the prey's side, ingesting a mouthful of flesh.

Blood. Meat. Beat. Blood. Meat. Beat. Blood. Tingle. Sweet.

He sensed his prey falling below him, sensed the lifeblood draining.

Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood…

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Sorrow-Field had Lux taken off of Kol, before he could kill her. He knew that if Lux won the next battle, he would have no choice but to give up leadership of Jonak to Lux.

He would have to intervene…

The Second Challenge

They rested, and the next day, the second challenge began.

Lux was to battle a warrior known as Adze -a Blighted-One known amongst the Jonak and the Inja alike for his unique weapon alterations, and his prowess with them- in an axe dual. Lux had selected a pole axe, and Adze had chosen an altered war axe for himself.

The combat was held in the same place as the first challenge, and Gol's blood was still visible on the ground, brown and dry.

The dual began, and this time, Lux's challenger started the fight almost instantly, getting in close, he struck at Lux's bruises, ripping them out of Lux's body with his strange war axe. Lux started to bleed.

Lux blocked Adze's strike with the haft of his axe, and struck Adze's shoulder, cutting deep.

But Adze merely switched the hand he held his axe in, and ripped open a part of Lux's arm. Lux pushed Adze back and jumped out of the Warriors range, and when Adze attempted to get close again, Lux tripped him with the blade of his axe.

Adze swung his weapon, and Lux blocked him, and then knocked the blade out of Adze own hands, Lux then planted his axe beside Adze's head.

The second challenge was won.