The Wandering Rider
An Inheritance Fan Fiction
By: Trenton Lee R. (Noctornal Hunter)
Kane sighed, tipping a cup of dwarvish mead so that the last of the contents dripped down his lips, tongue, and then throat. It had been a long day, flying straight from Vroengard to the village where one of the new riders- an Urgal, he assumed- was stationed. The dragon's name was a simple one; Bulk. It wasn't graceful, but it was supposed to be large and strong for its age, which was what hinted towards its rider's race. Kane was supposed to leave him or her with the location of the new base of the riders, where Eragon was training the new wave.
An Urgalgra. Those beasts are so powerful on their own…With dragons, they could out do the oldest of elves!
Tell me about it…I feel rather weak in comparison to most of the other riders at this point. Only with Svinrr could we be as fast as the elven or Kull riders...And even then, they could out do us if they've earned or found an Eldunari themselves.
That they could, Kane, but that is why we hunt and grow stronger each day.
They continued flying for an hour or so more, Cress' silvery scales reflecting and turning the space around them into a magical looking scene. Silvery light bathed the night sky and shadowy ground, the light of the moon reflecting off of Cress' scales. It was then, in the cool air, that three things happened. First, a massive roar sounded through the Spine, causing the many creatures below to scream in terror and scurry into the forests. Second, Cress tilted to the left, narrowly avoiding a wave of flames. Then, finally, a large purple dragon came into view, flying in the opposite direction Cress was going.
Another wave of purple flames bathed the land, and this time Kane was forced to quickly fumble with a set of words that caused the flames to move harmlessly around them. When the sickly purple fire dimmed, and Kane's vision cleared, the Rider was able to make out a cloaked figure on the back of the purple beast. That is, before the mental drill ensued. It lasted only for a few seconds, but in the process, Kane felt a dark presence that was, and yet wasn't. Evil danced along the edges of the thing's being, and something far worse at its core. Kane recoiled, then shoved back with all his force, pushing the strange mind away from him. Taking the chance to strike, Cress tilted himself towards the purple beast, loosed an echoing roar, then bit into the thing's neck, twisting and pulling until the other dragon shoved him back. And then they began to circle, flying perfectly symmetrical around and above the Spine.
A moment passed, and then, "Name yourself, so that I may know who has deigned to strike at myself and Cress!"
The figure and dragon were silent, circling Kane and Cress even as they circled the strangers. The purple dragon flicked its tongue out, as if it was considering attacking, then angled towards the ground. Cress hesitated, then followed as Svinrr approved. As they landed, Kane unbuckled the straps on his feet and slid down off of Cress' back, drawing Kveykva. The sword wasn't an original of Rhunon's- he'd learned the enchantments she had used from Eragon, and then got help crafting it from the Dwarf, Rofvel. When the sword was complete, Rofvel had insisted on a Dwarvish name. After some time practicing with it, Kane decided to call it Sigtknurl; Flicker Stone. It had weight, yet moved quickly and was easy to carry.
At the same time, the rider of the purple dragon drifted from its back, a sword of the same sickly colored purple appearing from his sleeve and then in his hand. Kane wet his lips, pushing every useful spell he knew to the forefront of his mind before taking a tentative step forward… "Reisa," stated the purple rider, and Kane felt himself left from the ground, cursing all the while.
"Vanta vindr," Kane retorted. Lack air. It was a simple spell, but with luck, it would choke the attacker…Or at least its dragon. He felt himself lurch forward, then drop to the ground even as the purple rider fell to a knee. He uttered 'Togira,' and watched as the purple rider's knee disjointed, causing him to fall to his hands. Cress appeared under Kane, allowing him to land with a painful thud in the saddle. He took a moment to rest, then slid down to the ground once more, walking towards the purple rider. Cress kept close behind him, his eyes locked on the purple dragon.
"Now I ask again…Who are you, and why have you attacked me?"
As the rider's lungs returned to full use, he took a deep breath and said, "I am…of little importance…but my massster will lay waste to this new…"Order." Thisss dragon…he wasss the Urgalsss'…"
"Was?"
"Perhapss…He sstill can be. But hisss mind iss in pain…"
Kane thought on this for a moment, and considered consulting Svinrr. He decided against it, and instead swung Sigtknurl at the left shoulder of the purple rider, watching as the silver blade pierced what he assumed was armor, then flesh, then more armor, coming out of the bottom of the rider's arm. Sigtknurl then dug into the rocky soil below, dripping what Kane would have thought was blood…Until it burned through the dirt and even began to drain his wards. He cast a quick spell to be rid of the stuff, then narrowed his brows.
"What are you?"
"Ah…I wass once a Ra'zac…But I ssstumbled upon a very bad place…My blood became as acid, and I became capable of usssing magicsss…but I became vulnerable to them as well, and lossst much of my ssstrength…My brothersss may share thisss fate…"
"Sso…erm…So…You've been altered?"
"Yess….And now, sso shall thisss dragon!"
The ex-Ra'zac attempted to leap at the purple dragon and bite into it, but Kane lopped its head off with Sigtknurl before it got even a few inches from its previous place. He again murmured a word to be rid of the blood, then said, "Brisingr," causing the body to burn away. As the silvery flames died away, the purple sword remained, which he assumed the ex-Ra'zac had stolen from one of the stocks Ilirea. If that were the case, then Kane had to get a message to Nasuada immediately…
Kane! Move!
Wha-, Kane began, but was cut off as a mass of purple flames bathed the ground around him. He rolled backwards, narrowly avoiding the main body of fire, but still receiving a minor burn on his left forearm. He popped back to his feet a second later, jumping into the air as the purple dragon swept the ground with its tail. He landed not a moment after the tail passed, then turned and sprinted towards Cress, climbing up into the saddle and latching himself into place as quickly as possible. As he finished, another wave of flames bathed the place Cress had previously been standing, and the silvery dragon had moved to the skies. The purple one seemed to consider following, but instead remained where it was, as if distracted. It was only then that Kane realized he felt another presence…
Ghvitor…Ghvitor…Ghvitor! Where am I!
Kane realized the dragon was speaking to all of them without meaning to, but the other speaker was completely blocked off.
I…I'm sorry…I was bested by a mere human!
Kane thought that the dragon might have been talking about him, but he realized that he hadn't even touched the beast, which met it thought the ex-Ra'zac was a human.
"Ah…it is okay, Tuskgver…All is forgiven this time…And who would these two be?"
Kane took the opportunity to speak then, saying, "My name is Kane Gregorsson, the Wandering Rider. As you may know, I have come to give Tuskgver and his rider directions to the island on which Eragon will train them. I would assume you are that rider?"
The Urgal nodded, showing the silver scar on his palm. Kane showed his in response, and then the tension seemed to fade. Cress drifted back to the ground, but Kane remained in place, gripping Sigtknurl as tightly as ever. It wasn't until Svinrr spoke that he sheathed the Dwarf-made rider's blade and dropped to the ground.
This Urgal means us no harm, Kane. Give him the directions and we may be on our way to Iliera.
And so he did, giving Ghvitor and Tuskgver mental pictures of the island, and then the safest route to it. When that was complete, the two duos said their farewells. Cress took to the skies, while Ghvitor and Tuskgver walked side by side back to whatever village it was they came from. It was yet another hour before Cress landed just outside the Spine, but still in the forests surrounding it. While he hunted, Kane cast wards around their camp to ward off any bandits or hungry bears, then set up a fire. Thirty or so minutes later, Cress returned with crimson liquid stained on his teeth, and two bucks in his left forefoot. He dropped them before Kane, who proceeded to skin, clean, cut up, and cook them with some vegetables and what water he had left. After eating, the two fell to sleep, enjoying rest for the first time in a number of days.