Hello! I took some time on this chapter, so please leave a review, for feedback on how to improve my writing.
Chapter 1: Revelations.
"They'll be back." Said Blohdgarm reassuringly to the other elves.
They had been waiting for Eragon and Saphira to return for 2 days. After the attack set off one of the defense orbs they had set up, the elves had immediately awoken to prepare themselves for the apparent attack.
Instead, what they found, or more like what they didn't find, was Eragon and Saphira chasing after whatever they had been attacked with.
What is happening? One elf had said. Are we under attack? Asked another Alfa.
Don't follow us! Eragon said. We'll take it on.
Of course, at that moment nobody really knew what 'it' was, and neither Saphira nor Eragon were willing to share any information, in fear that whatever had attacked them might be a spellcaster.
In those two days, they hadn't received anything. No messages through thought, no signs, and absolutely nothing for the elves to know about Eragon and Saphira's well-being. Blohdgarm himself had begun to worry after the first day.
The other elves were in a state of anxiety. Constantly staring at the forest they were
passing, hoping for their companions to return to them.
So far, they had only seen plains, and sometimes a mountain or two in the distance. They had seen no other people, giving them the idea that Alagaesia might be the only place with civilization in proximity.
The waiting was more excruciating than anything. They could easily find the pair with some spells, but they refrained from doing so, since Eragon had cast several wards against such spells.
The Eldunarya didn't have much else to say. Our minds can reach out farther than yours can, elflings, but even then, we can only sense Eragon and Saphira, and faintly. Said Valdr. It's as if something has hid them from our sight.
This only increased the elves unease.
The Talíta, on the other hand, was fine. The Edda river was unchanging, so the boat had an easy time going on its trek. It seemed indifferent to the events around it, as if it didn't need passengers to go where it had to go.
The elves, on the other hand, were getting increasingly stressed.
They tried scrying them, more than once. The result? A gray image, likely because of their own anti-scrying wards.
I told those hatchlings not to ward themselves from us. Now we can only wait. Growled Glaedr.
"My skin crawls from the thought of those two out alone." Said Blohdgarm.
"They are quite experienced, but these are unknown lands, filled with dangers we've never seen before." Said Yaela.
One more day, and they would send a small excursion to retrieve them. One more day.
The boat floated on gently. The river was long and monotonous, looking quite the same as it had every other day.
Suddenly, one of the elves staring out the bow of the ship stood up, his expression of faint surprise intensified into curiosity.
"Forgive me brethren, but there appears to be something on the horizon." He said in a polite almost ironic tone.
Nothing more than a speck, yet there was something. A tower, maybe? A flag? This sudden event didn't wash away the feelings within the elves, but it did help repress it.
The speck gradually enlarged into a large.. mass. Then, as they got closer, into a culmination of buildings. And yet, these were buildings of the likes nobody had ever seen before. Strange, curved, with abrupt starts and finishes in the architectural design. They weren't close enough to be sure, but there seemed to be a large collection of people… waiting.
Blohdgarm thought warily about the whereabouts of Eragon and Saphira.
Little did he know, that they would have to wait much, much longer in order to see their friends again. They were on their own.
Eragon
"This is taking too long." Said Eragon.
They had been trying to dislodge Saphira's wing out of a small crevice, where she had accidentally gotten it stuck in. It had been 2 days since they left the ship to hunt the Ra'zac that had attacked them.
Since then, they had not only lost track twice, but Eragon had almost lost Aren in a river, Saphira's paw had been caught in a larger-than-normal fox den, and now, Saphira had accidentally slipped into a small cave, capturing her wing in the crevice.
It was two hours past noon. They had been walking in between a large oak tree and an even larger stone when Saphira unknowingly stepped into a hole, which turned out to be a large recess under the rock.
This wouldn't have happened if you had followed my advice. retorted Saphira, the blue dragon that Eragon was bonded to. We should have flown over the forest, instead of treading around on the surface, like so many new-born pups, knocking into trees and making a ruckus.
"Stenr, sharjalví!" Said Eragon. The stone seemed to collapse on itself, shrinking and retreating into the dirt around.
You might make a mess while walking on the ground, but I'll remind you that I am much smaller than you, therefore much quieter. He retorted in a mocking-friendly tone.
A low, steady line of smoke streamed out of Saphira's nostrils. If I wanted to, I could simply tear down this entire forest, and raze the ruins with my flames. Said Saphira, with a slightly threatening tone.
Point taken. Answered Eragon.
Hmmph. grunted Saphira.
With a mighty heave, the dragon freed it's wing from the crevice, cracking the stone. They looked around in the forest they were in, trying and failing to recover the track they had been on.
This is pointless. These Ra'zac clearly aren't like the ones we've fought before, We should head back to the ship, and keep on our way. We'll have time later on to hunt it down.
If these aren't like the ones we've fought before, then how can we know that they won't present a higher threat later on? These are stranger lands, we are weak in knowledge.
He started walking towards the "track" they had been following, only to be intervened by a pouncing Saphira.
Did you not hear me? growled Saphira. I will not continue this hunt, and I will not allow you to go on without me. She lowered her head, her eyes level with Eragon's. And if you run, I will destroy the forest, and then capture you, drag you back to the ship and lay my paw on you chest, so that you never leave my side again. The threat hung tightly in the air.
Eragon contemplated running, but knew he could not escape Saphira's clutches in time. Her threat was not idle, He knew she would go to any length to keep Eragon safe. Finally, he gave in.
"Very well." Eragon said. "I'll go with you. But when we have time, we'll come back here, and finish this hunt. Can you promise me that?" Questioned Eragon.
I swear we'll come back here and finish this hunt. She swore in the ancient language.
"Then let's go on our way, and head back to the boat." As he hoisted himself onto the saddle, he heard a slight snick somewhere behind him. So faint, he could've mistooken it for the flutter of a bird.
He turned around sharply, rapidly pulling out his sword from its sheath. From the bushes, came an arrow. So accurately aimed, in fact, that it would've hit Eragon square in the forehead, if not for his wards.
He felt a surprising drop in stamina, the arrow had been going unnaturally fast. Magic? Saphira roared and quickly turned towards the direction of the arrow, successfully knocking Eragon down with her great body.
"Ow!" Complained Eragon.
Two more arrows sprang out from the bushes, bouncing off Saphira's wards. She promptly twirled around using her tail as a huge mace, flattening the underbrush and trees in front of her.
And in the midst of that destruction, Eragon swiftly got to his feet, and sprang towards the now flattened bushes. A dagger flew out, again, stopped by his wards. Now much closer, he yelled: "Brisingr!" His blue sword immediately caught flames, burning and cutting down everything in his blade's way.
With each strike, more of bushes fell down, severed and crisp. In one such cut, the crippled form of the Ra'zac was revealed, with a destroyed, collapsed arm due to Saphira's strike, and a broken beak, revealing a twitching, purple tongue beneath. Surrounding it, an eerie, black puddle of blood.
The Ra'zac raised his hand in a feeble gesture of mercy. It opened it's mouth.
"Huuuuman." It said in a weak, wheezy voice. "I have lived a thieves life. Stealing, hiding, killing. I don't know what you are, but few have been able to defeat one of my kind, none have been able to defeat me. Before I pass on into the void, tell me, what is your name?"
The Ra'zac words reverberated through Eragon. He was incredibly curious, suspicious. Why did this being sound so… proud? Almost as if his life had come to a glorious end, and not the pitiful death that the Rider had given him.
"My name is Eragon Kingkiller, Shadeslayer, Legend and Hero. I come from the land called Alagaesia. And today, I am Death." The Ra'zac seemed to acknowledge his fate, and slowly dropped his hand.
The Rider Eragon lifted his sword, strikingly blue, sending rays of reflected light into the shadows, and brought it down onto the creature known as Ra'zac. A metallic ring marked the end of such creature.
Eragon warily bent, and picked up the creature's weapons.
Good riddance. Said Saphira.
Indeed. Let's head back to the Talíta. Said Eragon.
Eragon lifted himself onto Saphira, and with a quick spell, tightened the saddle, locking himself in place.
They flew out into the sky, heading towards the river. And they flew. For a couple of hours, until nightfall. They promptly stopped by the Edda river for a quick break, preparing themselves to head towards the general direction of their ship.
In the distance, they saw a huge, lonely mountain, something was odd about it… it was.. glowing?
"Saphira, do you see that? Or are my eyes playing tricks on me?" He stood from the campfire he was seated at, almost knocking over his plate of fish.
Hatchling. Something is coming our way. In the distance, they could see colours, orbs flashing their way over the hills, causing winds, headed towards… them.
Are those… Spirits? His question was duly noted by Saphira, and he felt a slight agreement in her mind, although she said nothing, remaining with the benefit of doubt.
The spirits quickly made their way toward them. Since spirits are rarely seen, Saphira and Eragon decided to stand their ground, albeit in a defensive way.
They would come to regret such decision.
The spirits arrived, causing huge bouts of sand and dirt to be knocked into the air, and consequently, into their faces. 13, they were. All pulsing, changing color, vibrating with life.
One of them stood out from the others. A grey orb floated gently towards him, pulsing briefly with flashes of white and black. It seemed to be their "leader".
A tendril of thought emanated from the orb. It was conscious! The tendril solidified into a tentacle, and then into a massive force, stronger than Glaedr, stronger even than the majority of the Eldunari combined.
"Aaagghh!" He screamed in agony as the orb tore his being apart, destroying his mental defenses, and inspecting his memories. For what, he wasn't sure. It was around this time that he heard, although didn't really catalog, that Saphira was also being analyzed in a same manner.
His last memory was that of a deep thunder, as the ground around him shifted, and transformed.
And just like that, the Rider and Dragon of Alagaesia would be taken to Vorx, the spirit cave. And there they would be captured, but that is another part of this tale.
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