Chapter 7

Battle drums sounded as the sound of collapsing rock filled the air and Ray felt the adrenaline he would need for battle rush up his body. He put on his helmet and shut the visor down. It would be tough for anything to get through his armour but without the entire N.8 set he was still vulnerable to direct hits.

He drew his pistol and looked at the barricades around three tunnels which the Urgals were going to channel out of. He decided that he could unload a hellfire on the central tunnel and then charge into their front lines and cause panic and mayhem.

He crouched on top of some wooden support beams and waited with the other soldiers. Eragon and Saphira would probably be used as an emblem to the army so would be flying atop the battle.

Ray thought of Cellular out in the Boer's all alone and prayed he'd find the trails or at least survive until Ray went looking for him. Ray heard with his improved ears the sounds of heavy footsteps and the chink of weapons and he readied himself. He targeted the centre and the rest of the Varden stiffened for the impending charge of Urgals.

Suddenly they poured from the entrances and Ray opened fire. Dozens fell before they knew what happened and then Ray charged in either an act of bravery or foolishness, but he'd aced the virtual training programs like this dozens of times, he knew he could do this.

He sliced, stabbed, parried, dodged and cut through their lines. He made it to the centre tunnel where he kept fighting, holding back the Urgals with a blood rage that had overcome him. He loved fighting, hated guarding those fields he wanted to keep cutting and killing forever when suddenly they were all gone.

Only two or three Urgals remained and they ran. Ray looked around in the darkness and summoned light. He was deep in the tunnel and had actually cut through the centre army.

He calmed down a bit and was about to head back when he saw the spear tip jutting from his leg, he then noticed the cracks over his visor and felt blood from a black arrowhead in his left boot.

He collapsed against the tunnel wall. He was in pain, so much pain as he looked at his wounds he realised he'd bleed out if he didn't do something. He pulled out the arrowhead first and healed the puncture wound.

The Javelin was more tricky as it had a nasty spiked edge, he could only heal the deep bleeding before he ran out of energy. Tired he flicked on his pistols light and headed back through the tunnel. He passed hundreds of dead bodies and contemplated whether he should get this blood rage checked out when he came into the glow of the still raging battle. He pondered why his hearing couldn't work and realised his helmet probably got knocked pretty hard.

Too tired to charge he started shooting into the Urgals rear and they began to crumble from the unexpected attack. He was about to make a break for a side with the least Urgals and fight back to the main army when he was jumped from behind by a large Urgal brandishing a twisted dagger.

Ray stopped the dagger inches from his face but his strength was waning. He clicked his feet together and a knife appeared from his boot, he stabbed upwards and the beast cried out in agony. Ray picked up a fallen soldiers short sword and slit the Urgal's throat before he could recover.

The Urgal gurgled as he puked blood and died slowly of oxygen deprivation.

Ray stood shakily to his feet, never having gone through something this intense in the training program. He tried to move but he was frozen, he saw a blue and a black shape fighting above him and the Urgal army as it broke and the Varden charged through. Ray collapsed, breathing sorry to his commanders if he died from a foolish rage.

Cellular was afraid, he'd heard nothing but the roars of some kind of animal for a while now and he couldn't sleep. He'd barely eaten for the past six days from which Ray, his Rider had gone.

He contemplated over and over his decisions to leave for the Boer's and wondered over and over if he should have run. "Ray will come, he wouldn't leave me" he kept saying. "Yeah he's gone he doesn't need you anymore he's got the female…" he argued to himself. "No he hasn't he just is delayed, he wouldn't choose her over me you are wrong"! "No you are wrong my friend, he's going to leave you to die out here I mean if you die he doesn't die, he's probably laughing at you right now". "Shut Up"! yelled Cellular roaring at the night from the crag on which he was perched.

Suddenly a gigantic beast of which Cellular had never seen before loomed above him. He saw it's blood red eyes and roared in fear. He took flight but because of lack of food he soon was caught up by the foe. He and it crashed to the ground the beast pecking him whilst he struggled to get away. His armour mostly protected him but the beast punctured his body multiple times. He cried out as some kind of Venom entered his system and he found his fear doubled.

Something strong woke inside of him then, brought on by the fear he had had for so many years and the bullying had quenched it but it was a pure, raw emotion that ran through his body now. He fought back for the first time in his life. The creature not expecting it was surprised when he felt the jaws of Cellular wrap themselves around it's neck and with an almighty force he bit into it snapping it's neck. He then began to ravage the corpse, ripping bits of bloody flesh from it and tearing it's intestines, gorging himself.

He also consumed more of the beasts poison, making him lose his sense of reality. He gave a gigantic roar and the old Cellular left only to be consumed by the dragon's primary intincts.

Survive.

Ray awoke with a cry from his dream. He was in a bed, it felt great after a month of camping but he tried to contact Cellular and found nothing there. His memories of the past day flooded into him like a tidal wave and Ray gasped at the emptiness he felt.

Getting his equipment together he dressed and began to exit when Arya came into his room. "Oh your awake, the Varden won and in no small part due to your charge and Eragon's defeat of the shade, you were amazing and considering that head wound I'm amazed your still alive".

"Thank you for everything, I trust Eragon in part explained why I'm here"? "Oh yes and that is why I hoped you'd be awake you see if you're going after Cellular then so am I". "That's nice but I'd prefer to go alone". "Ajihad thought you'd say that" she said sighing. "Which is why Saphira wants to take you". "What" exclaimed Ray.

"Well travelling on dragon back is a lot faster than horse, you should except her offer, she thinks it as repayment as well as meeting another member of her race".

Ray looked at Arya then couldn't help but grin, "Cellular was never very popular with other dragons so I never really had friends so this should be fun". "I'd like to speak to Eragon first though".

"That's another thing, it'll be a few days before he awakes, that Shade cut him pretty fiercely in the back before I could get to him, healers are tending to him as we speak and it will be some time before he's up and ready to go so Saphira thought this was a good time filler".

"What's a Shade"? asked Ray. "The Shade that Eragon killed was called Durza and he was the one who tortured me in Gil'ead, until Eragon saved me that is".

Ray grinned at Arya who held his grin with her cold Stoic position. "Didn't I also have something to do with that". "You merely helped Eragon rescue me, he could have managed alone".

"Got a bit of a crush on the young lad then Arya" chortled Ray. Arya looked angry and said "Don't be stupid you buffoon". "You really need to get out more" stated Ray.

Arya at this looked angry and Ray couldn't help but laugh out loud at her expression. So Arya strode out of the room with Ray following trying to apologize after her.

Wow, over 10,000…