The Siege of Laxland

The horde was ready for a meal. The Dream-Flayers had amassed, and the Brain-Eaters clawed at each other in their mindless need.

They had come upon the nation Relbun, the largest, and last, human controlled region in the world, all others had been destroyed by the Brain-Eaters. Within it, they had already attacked the towns of Ewe, Weepingshire, Oakholme, and Angorhall. They were now moments away from the attack of Laxland, and it was ready to fead.

The Uan Ill gave the order, and the Brain-Eaters began their assault.

It could smell fear before it had even began it's fight, and it turned that wondrous smell into death with one strike from it's fiery limb.

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The commander of the guard, Richard, saw the Brain-Eaters as they charged down from the foothills, and sounded the alarm, sending the people into a panicked run. As the first Brain-Eaters climbed the walls, Richard and his men stabbed at them, to no effect, and then the demons were upon them.

Richard fought harder then he had ever fought, slice, dodge, stab, side step-swing-block-kick-slice-dodge-stab, but to no avail. Richard was overrun by the Brain-Eaters, and finnally, several grabbed ahold of him, and began to feed.

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His eyes began to darken, and he felt light. He was aware of being lifted up, and then he saw two worlds, one, a city of gemstones and crystal, the other, a cave of pure darkness and terror. Out of the cavern, a serpentine creature with wings appeared, as well as many other strange, horrid things. As he watched, the serpentine thing flew toward him, and let out a shriek of pure malice.

Richard began to scream, and the serpent-thing entered his mouth, and latched onto his soul.

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Richard's body got up, and joined in the feeding.

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Laxland fell to the Brain-Eaters, and their numbers increased by a quarter.

Bounty-Hunting-Demon-Slaying Drug

After Jue left, Gem was moved to a dwarven sanitarium, which was run by an old dwarf named Pus, who was short, even by dwarf standards. After Gem was moved in, Plain-Walker spent most of his time watching her, talking to Pus, and telling Kor about the Brain-Eater hordes. Kor was busy training his boys to fight, and protect the mountain, as he did before Gem, Jue, and Plain-Walker showed up.

One day, during training, a young Dwarf, named Kus, asked Kor about the group of travelers.

"Wha' es e', lad?" asked Kor.

"Will, ser… E was woondireng, wha* ari 'hoosi Humans, 'ha' ya foough' bisedi, agaens' 'hi dimoon? Hoow da ya knoow 'him?" asked Kus.

Kor thought about what to say for a little bit, before speaking.

"Will, lad, 'hi fers' 'emi E mi' 'hi le'li gerl was whin Dirus win' and drooppid a' 'hi segh' oof Gim, 'hi waman we'h 'hi wiapoons."

"E usid 'a bi a par' oof a grap oof booun'y hun'irs we'h hir, back whin us Dwarvis s'ell madi coon'ac' we'h 'hi Humans, and 'hi Ilvis, and all 'ha' loo'.

"Ooni day, 'hoosi cria'uris 'ha' 'hi Humans call 'Braen-Ia'irs', oor somi'heng leki 'ha', s'ar'id 'a poop up all oovir 'hi placi, soo a bunch oof crabby oold magec weildirs win' up a mooun'aen and 'alkid 'a soomi gean' soor' callid Ugir, wha* sin' doown ooni hes sooldeirs 'a heri us 'a kill 'hi wholi loo' oof dimoons."

"Wi ded 'ha', and coollic'id ari la', and win' oon ari way. All ixcip' Gim, wha* had spawnid an addec'eoon 'a moons'ir hun'eng, and dicedid shi wad ra'hir woork foor Ugir foor enfene'y, 'hin si'li doown, coon'in' we'h 'hi rechis wi had iarnid."

Kor stopped talking, and appeared to be in deep thought, when Kus spoke again.

"And 'hi man?"

Kor looked at Kus. "Ooh, yis, 'hi man…"

"…'Hi man es 'hi Vikkoog wha* coon'ac'id us, and en'rooducid Gim 'a 'ha' accursid drug oof dimoon hun'eng."

Kus was weary of his teacher's temper, and left Kor alone with his thoughts.

When Kus was out of sight, Kor cried.

*In case you're wondering, that's a who, not a what. Pronounce it "huh".

Chapter No-Name I

Plain-Walker stood up from his position by the Brain-Eater.

"The Soul-Flayer has not given up the body, it is a powerful demon." reported Plain-Walker

"Will, 'hin why doon' ya jus' play we'h hooly magec, and banesh 'hi cursid 'heng, leki ya VIKKOOG saen's ari suppoosid 'a?" roared Kor.

"You know I can't do that anymore"

"Ooh, soo 'hi gria' ULAEN IALAR can noo' da 'hi oni 'heng hi was IVAR GAD FOOR, ih?"

"Watch your tongue!"

"Enough!" growled Jue "We are all upset that we let the creature hurt Gem, but that does NOT mean you get to act like babies fighting over a toy!"

Both men shut their mouths.

"Now…" Began Jue "Gem is unconscious, and will be scarred for life, but she is alive, and needs to be cared for. You two are going to stay here, and watch over her during her healing. I will go to Blood Peak, and collect the artifact."

Plain-Walker looked at Gem, and then back at Jue. "She is my responsibility, I will do as you suggest."

"Good."

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And so it was, that Plain-Walker and Kor stayed with Gem, while Jue went to Blood Peak, on a quest for an artifact of unknown power.

The Predator and the Prey

The party was left alone in the place where Kor and Jue had destroyed the warlock circle, a likely place for the demon to go. While they waited in the blood-soaked room, Gem puked, sickened by the gory mess.

"This is horrible, there is so much…" she puked again.

"Yes" said Plain-Walker.

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They waited there for five hours, before Void-Wind came.

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The creature crept in, sneaking past the dwarves, such succulent things, but it must have it's prey…

It entered the chamber where it's prey waited, and quickened it's pace.

It could hear her heart beat now, could smell here vomit, could see her twin souls!

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The Brain-Eater jumped from the shadows in the room's corner, tearing the floor apart as it charged them on all-fours.

It was different from any other Brain-Eater they had ever seen, with long, dark hair, and a body that appeared whole, save for a few scars, it's hands were like iron claws, as were it's feet, and it's eyes were not the eyes of a mindless evil. In fact, the only sign it was a demon, was that it's body was as pale as a corpse, and it had an aura of insanity about it that would scare anyone who was not accustomed to it.

The demon was about five feet from them, when it leaped over Jue, and Plain-Walker, and landed on Gem.

It began to dig at her flesh with it's claws, and bit at her with it's fanged jaws, ignoring the blows landed upon it's back by the three warrior's weapons, as if they were nothing but ants, little pests whose bite could be ignored, even by humans.

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It had her!

It tore at her flesh, cutting deep into it's prey.

It was almost over…

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In a strike of pure chance, Jue hit a scar on the Brain-Eater's side, and the demon shrieked in pain.

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As pain flooded it's senses, it dug it dug it's claws into it's prey, and fainted...

Sket and the People

While Solar-Light was fighting for rulership of Jonak, Gem and company were busy rallying the dwarven people against the Brain-Eater hordes.

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Following the slaughter of the dwarf barons, Kor showed the dwarves the warlock circle, and told them about the Brain-Eater threat that could be approaching even now.

"Hoow en 'hi undirwoorld ari wi suppoosid 'a bileivi ya?" said a woman named Sket, who was looked up to by the majority of the population. "E mian, ya jus' kellid oour in'eri goovirnmin'al boody, and 'hin 'ill us 'ha' 'hiy wiri sirveng dimoons, bu' ya havi noo praf, savi 'hes warloock cercli, and foor all wi knoow, ya coould havi foorgid 'ha', oor woorsi, bin useng e' yarsilf, and kellid 'hi' baroons 'a coovir up yar oown envoolvimin' we'h dimoons!" Many proclaimed their agreement.

"Will…" Kor began "E rially ded noo' 'henk 'ha' ya woould jus' 'hroow oou' all 'hi ivedinci 'ha' wi havi. Jus' lak a' e'! A warloock cercli es usiliss we'hoou' siviral warloocks, and 'hi humans havi oonly bin hiri a day! 'Hi ivedinci cliarly shoows 'ha' 'hi baroons wiri coonsoor'eng we'h dimoons! 'hiri es nix' 'a noo way wi coould havi bin 'hi oonis coonsoor'eng we'h dimoons!

The people murmured, their voices unclear.

They stopped talking, and Sket began.

"Ivan 'hoough yar ivedinci es, shall wi say, bicoomeng sa'esfac'oory 'a 'hi pioopli…"

she paused.

"'Hi fac' s'ell rimaens 'ha' e' es noo' praf."

"Wha', pray 'ill, dois a dwarf havi 'a da 'a pravi hemsilf aroound hiri?" Exclaimed Kor.

"E suggis' wi usi yar suppoosid sir's 'driam' 'a pravi oor despravi yar tali."

"Wha' da ya mian by 'ha'?"

"Why Kor, Doon' ya knoow, ya saed 'hiris gooeng 'a bi a dimoon hiri, 'anegh'.

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.

The First Challenge

Lux trained for seven days, and then the challenge began.

Lux was to battle five of Jonak's greatest warriors, so that Sorrow-Field could be sure that Lux was the heir of Solar-Shadow, the ancient king of the elves.

"This is not how this was supposed to happen! Lux, back down, we can go to Highaven, gain their loyalty, and then we can come back here, and gain the Blighted-One's affiliation some other way!" Said Birch.

But Lux would not back down. "Wizard! Can you not see that this is the only way? My people are a violent people, either I will win their loyalty in battle, or I will not win their loyalty at all! It is the only way."

They were quiet for a moment, and then Birch spoke. "Ah… Very well. But do not lose this, or all is lost!"

"Of course, Wizard."

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The first challenge was held in the camp's main clearing, beneath a tree.

It was a polearm fight, and so Lux used his Trident.

His opponent, Gol, was a small, quick moving hunter, and had chosen to use the quarterstaff in battle.

They began to circle each other, watching for movements. The first move was taken by Lux, jabbing his trident at Gol's heart. But Gol was quick, and dodged the attack, following with a flurry of strikes, landing almost all of them on the bigger, slower warrior.

Lux, now heavily bruised, was given an opportunity to strike soon after that, and took the chance to impale the hunter's leg, staking him to the ground with his trident, before beating the Gol half to death with the hunter's own weapon.

This is how Lux won the first challenge.

Sorrow-Field

While those things occurred in the Black Crown, Birch and Lux returned to the desert, and began working to combine the two tribes of Blighted-Ones.

They were welcomed back to Camp Jonak first by the children and their mothers. Lux picked up one of the boys and kissed him on the cheek, and carried him to the center of the camp.

The warriors of Jonak were training, and the hunters were preparing a meal. Some young men were attempting to swoon a group of females their age, with varying degrees of success.

Sorrow-Field, Jonak's new leader, came out to greet them. He said hello, and proceeded to look at Lux's new sword with the interest of a man who had known blades his entire life, and had just seen the work of the greatest swordsmiths in history(which he indeed had).

"A fine blade, Lux! Tell me, is this why Birch took you from us? You are a lucky man, friend!"

Lux answered. "Yes, I am indeed, but the sword is only part of why Birch took me out of the desert."

"Oh?"

Lux continued. "Birch was sent to locate the heir to the throne of the sun, the king of the Elves. His master, the Tri, showed him me! This is the sword of Petlex, son of Uger!"

But Sorrow-Field laughed. "You? King of the elves? We have been cut off from our cousins for generations, why, the sight of us would likely make them flee for the bushes of their paradise!"

Lux countered. "Ah, but our stories show that the king was amongst those to be trapped here with the plague. I am his heir, this blade is proof enough, look at the hilt!"

So Sorrow-Field looked at the hilt, which was inscribed with a rune of magic designed to protect it from all but it's owner's hands. It was a rune used by the great Solar-Shadow, who ruled Injanok, capital of the elves before the plague.

But Sorrow-Field was a man torn between religion, and politics, and wanted the power he held as chief of the Jonak Tribe, so, instead of embracing the king, as was the traditional greeting to give Elf-Kings, he suggested a challenge, to prove that the blade was a true relic of Solar-Shadow.

Birch cried out, but Lux agreed.