Some stuff to say here: I claim no ownership to the characters, settings, or anything else related to the Ratchet & Clank universe or the Inheritance Cycle universe. This fanfiction is 110% not-for-profit.

Warning: Slight and weak profanity, and some violence.

Note: This is best read at 3/4 size.

Ratchet was panting heavily, the stab had felt so real. He looked down at his bare stomach, and saw with a relief that the skin was unbroken. While he usually wore no shirt, Eragon had suggested that he should wear one in front of other people. However, Ratchet found them uncomfortable, and preferred to sleep without one.

" What did you dream of?" asked Eragon.

" Did I wake you up?" asked Ratchet in return. Eragon laughed.

" I haven't slept since the transformation that left me part Elf"

" Right. Well, I have repetitive dreams concerning the woman I love, Sasha. I see her in a cell, twice being fed by a man with a red sword, the third time, looking out toward a city with wooden houses next to four solitary mountains."

" Four solitary mountains... Were the buildings leaning on each other?"

"...Yeah?"

" The city we're talking about is Dras-Leona. It won't be much of a difference to our course."

" You're gonna help me look?"

" Of course. I once had dreams of a woman in a cell, and she turned out to be an Elf princess."

The flight to Dras-Leona lasted the rest of the day. When it was night, they stopped just outside of the city.

" I'd rather not sleep in the city if you could be a target. You know, the last time I was here, my cousin and I battled the Ra'zac in one of those mountains."

" Ra'zac? What are they? Insects?"

" Close. They have a shell like insects, but they also have big black eyes, a long beak, a purple tongue, and when they reach the age of twenty, they become big bat-like creatures called the Lethrblaka."

" Did you kill them?"

" Yes. As far as I know, they are extinct."

" Before we enter the city, there's something you should know. Firstly, Sasha isn't human. Secondly, on my back, is a robot. A robot is pretty much a machine that can think for itself. Clank!" explained Ratchet. At his word, Clank's green eyes opened.

" Hello, sir. Hello, dragon." He said.

My name is Saphira! Her mental shout was spread to everyone in the camp.

" My apologies, Saphira. The only other dragon's I've met were beasts that have tried to kill Ratchet and I."

" Clank, give me my wrench and my whip" said Ratchet. Clank did so, and Ratchet readied his whip, and whipped a small tree. The tree was split in two, and the splits were glowing red.

" Excellent!" cried Ratchet. Eragon made no comment, except to say "Be sure not to whip me with that"

Shortly after, Eragon had "reached out" with his mind, but he had only found humans, humans, and more humans.

" But I sense something very dark in the mountains, which are called Helgrind. Our best chance for finding Sasha is in Helgrind. If it is what I think it is, we should wait until morning."

" While we wait, please, tell me about your kind."

" Before I do, maybe I should show you one." Eragon dug a small hole, and filled it with water from a small spell. Rather than pester the man, Ratchet made no comment about the magic. He said two words, and Ratchet saw a man with shaggy brown hair, grey eyes, and a rather muscular body.

" That is my cousin, Roran." Said Eragon before ending the spell. "Our people are many. We have a lot of cities, a few have been destroyed in a war. We often eat meat as a sign of wealth, however I choose not to. I could talk all night and not scratch the surface."

They broke some bread before going to sleep. Ratchet's dreams involved Sasha being locked in a cell, in a cave. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

" Now we know she's in Helgrind." Was all Eragon said. Ratchet woke Clank, and put him on the shoulder straps. Eragon and Ratchet climbed onto Saphira, and with a giant lurch, she was flying. Eragon told her which mountain to go to, and they all slid into a cave on the mountain. What was inside shocked Ratchet nearly as much as it shocked Eragon. The entire mountain had been hollowed out, and there was some sort of light on the top.

" Oh my..." cried Eragon. On the bottom, was a ring of what could be Ra'zac, around what could be a man, except he was a black blur.

" I'll whip the Ra'zac, and if that doesn't work, shoot them with the Anti-matter rifle." Said Ratchet. Both Ratchet and Eragon jumped from ten feet up, while Clank stayed on Saphira with his rifle. Instantly, Ratchet saw that Sasha wasn't there. It was a trap.

Ratchet readied his whip, and his wrench, as all of the Ra'zac turned to face him. With all his might, he whipped the first Ra'zac in two, broke the blade of the second Ra'zac before beheading him, and cut down two more Ra'zac in one swing.

Never has it been this easy, thought Eragon. He had already killed off the remaining Ra'zac, leaving the mass of shadows. Slowly, the shadows dissipated, leaving Sasha in what looked like a black robe. Her hair had become red, and her eyes had become black. Completely black.

" You pitiful lifeforms will never survive!" she said in an unnerving low otherworldly voice.

" Oh no... She's a Shade!" cried Eragon. Sasha merely laughed.

" I am no Shade. Years ago, I got the chance to take this puny body as my own, to connect myself among the non spiritual level. For thousands of years I existed only as thought but NO MORE! Having met the Humans and the Lombaxes and all other species, I feel nothing but contempt for those who imprisoned me in the Void. I will have my revenge! I will wipe out all species and replace them with my own! And you will all suffer!" Sasha cried.

" Sasha! This is not who you truly are! You are strong! You can fight it, I know you can!" pleaded Ratchet. He hardly noticed when Saphira landed.

" This Sasha you speak of is dead. DEAD!" taunted Sasha as Ratchet struggled against Eragon, who was trying all of a sudden to pull him away, to flee. Even Clank was tugging at Ratchet's pants. The wrestling fit ended when Saphira picked Ratchet up with her left hand/paw, and Eragon jumped on her back.

" Get on, Clank!" cried Eragon.

" I'll hold it off..." replied Clank in an unnaturally amplified voice. Already, Sasha was trapped by Clank's unknown force.

" Clank, noooooo!" cried Ratchet, desperately trying to free himself from Saphira's grip, but to no avail. With one massive lurch, Saphira jumped up, and quickly flew to the cave entrance.

" Forgive me..." said Clank in a voice that was more amplified then before. As Saphira flew out of the hollow mountain, Ratchet heard Sasha's new unnatural voice one last time, his face wet with tears.

" I am the Black. No lump of metal can ever defeat me!" cried Sasha from within the hollow mountain. By the final note of her voice, Saphira was flying at breakneck speed over the city of Dras-Leona, when a light brighter than many suns completely obscured the four mountains. A massive shockwave spread out from that location, destroying Dras-Leona from underneath them. When Ratchet looked back, he saw a mushroom cloud slowly rise into the sky.

It didn't matter, nothing did anymore. Clank, Ratchet's best friend throughout all of his adventures, was gone, and Sasha was worse than dead.

AN: Wow... What's going to happen next? Reviews would be gladly appreciated, whether positive or critical :)