I do not own Inheritance Cycle it belongs to Christopher Paolini. I do however own the fantasy culture and the race that practices it.
Sorry it took so long and sorry this one is going to be a pretty short chapter. But hey, it was already a short ass chapter in the book so no real harm done. We are drawing ever closer to the meeting with the queen of the elves. How do you think it will go down? Leave what you think will happen in a review please. Anyway, here's chapter 9.
Savagery
Chapter Nine: Battle of the Hollow Mountain
"It has begun." Arya said with a sorrow filled face.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Ris'ka comments, not taking her eyes off the three tunnels.
She didn't need to look to tell the others were glaring at her. She cared little for it though, the promise of blood and battle was all that filled her mind. Ever since their arrival here, Ris'ka had become increasingly confused and frustrated by the strangeness of this place. The Dance of Blades helped calm her, but it could only work for so long. This advancing army was the perfect opportunity for her to vent out her boiled up feelings without fear of any negative consequences.
That, and provide her and her partners with dinner.
Ris'ka slid down Dra'kor's neck and onto the saddle, quickly accompanied by Night-Scale. The others were also readying their weapons for the upcoming fight.
"That stone giant said he felt thousands of vibrations rumbling through the tunnels, and a scout came out of the tunnels not a minute after he spoke." Murtagh said. "The Urgals are coming."
"Let them come!" Ris'ka said eagerly. "We shall greet them with visca'ra'thûl. They coming seeking our blood, but we shall drown them in their own. They will know the great fury of the Screaming Skull clan!"
Dra'kor and Night-Scale both let out short roars of approval, both just as eager as Ris'ka for the chance to spill blood. With a mighty flap, Dra'kor ascended into the air and flew towards the left tunnel, Ris'ka and Night-Scale on his back.
They landed right at the mouth of the entrance, spearmen moved out of the way so they would not be trampled by him. The harsh calls of the Urgals echoed out of the tunnel. Dra'kor looked down into the hole then brought his head back as if to roar.
And roar he did. But this was not just any roar, it was a roar of fire.
His scale-colored flames shot forth from his maw in an unforgiving torrent of heat. A dark glow radiated as he breathed death down onto his foes, their screams of pain overcome by the roar of the fire. He breathed for nearly thirty full seconds before finally closing his mouth and sucking in some much needed air.
Placing a quick ward of heat protection upon herself and Night-Scale, Ris'ka and her dranther companion jumped into tunnel reeking of burnt and burning flesh.
'Remember, there are others here too. Don't take all the kills for yourselves.' Dra'kor reminded them both jokingly and seriously.
'Come now, Dra'kor. When have we ever let others miss out on a good fight?' Night-Scale reassured with her usual teasing tone.
'Hmmm.' was the dragon's only response.
'Don't worry, Dra'kor. There's plenty of meat to go around.' Ris'ka reminded him.
This was no exaggeration, there were more than enough foes to go around, so Ris'ka and Night-Scale could kill as much as they want before they let the humans and dwarves in on the fun.
Ris'ka was actually surprised when she saw how many Urgals Dra'kor had killed. There were so many burnt up corpses that the stone floor wasn't visible for nearly ten yards. The surviving Urgals dared not move up yet, the heat was too much to bare. Ris'ka and Night-Scale themselves would both be cooking alive if not for the ward shielding them from the intense heat.
Undaunted, they charged the Urgals with bloodthirsty screams, and started slaughtering them with complete abandon. Unprepared for the ferocity and suddenness of the assault, many of the Urgals were quickly cut to bloody pieces before they even knew what was happening.
Ris'ka hacked, slashed, stabbed, kicked, bit, parried and butchered her opponents with the kind of ferocity one could only achieve from rains of hunting and battle in the unforgiving jungles of Lizar'ik. Night-Scale weaved through the Urgals like a shadow, stabbing them at the base of the neck with her spear-tail, or tearing chunks out of their legs with her teeth.
Ris'ka reveled in the slaughter. This is where she belonged, in the heat of battle, where one's worth is proven by blood and blade. So consumed in her butchering was she that Ris'ka lost track of time. Twenty minutes passed, and she would have never noticed if Dra'kor had not contacted them.
'That is enough, Ris'ka, Night-Scale. The warriors at the mouth of the tunnel are becoming restless, they yearn to face the foe.' He told them.
Ris'ka tsked, 'Very well. Night-Scale, time to let the humans and dwarves in on the fun.' She told her partner just as she bisected a Kull in two.
Night-Scale looked up from the Urgal whose throat she had just torn out and nodded in agreement. The two quickly retreated up the tunnel where the warriors and Dra'kor waited.
They exited the tunnel to find the warriors looking anxious. "The enemy comes for your blood, warriors of the Varden!" She yells out to them. "Show them your blood is not so easy to spill!" The warriors cheered and readied themselves for the Urgal offensive. Cauldrons of steaming tar were poured down into the tunnel followed by another blast of fire from Dra'kor.
Ris'ka did not stay for this battle, though, she would leave it in the hands of these humans to hold the line here while she and her partners looked for where they were needed most. After Dra'kor finished breathing fire down the hole, they took off into the air, giving them a full view of the battle.
The central tunnel was holding strong, the stone elemental destroyed any Urgal that tried to exit the tunnel with mighty blows from his rocky fists and boulder feet. The only evidence of the Urgals numbers near it were the scores of smashed bodies strewn out in front of it. The right and left tunnels were not doing so well however, the Urgals numbers and strength were pushing the defenders slowly but surely back towards the white pyramid.
She quickly spotted Saphira, the blue dragoness fighting tooth and claw against the numerous Urgals. It reminded Ris'ka of a thunder-lizard trying to fight off a pack of hungry raptors. But no matter how many Urgals she lashed out at, more took their place. She soon spotted Eragon, charging at the Urgals attacking his partner with his red blade raised high.
Dra'kor flew over the dense Urgal lines, bathing them in metal melting fire. They tried to bring him down with hails of arrows, but his mother's hide and bones protected him from any real damage. Ris'ka used her aerial advantage to pick off several of the larger Kull with her bow, falling them with quick shots to the head.
After the third pass, Dra'kor lowered himself so that his large tail was dragging against the floor. He then sped through their lines, crushing or tossing any Urgals in his way, then quickly returned to higher elevation.
"Fight on, warriors of flesh and stone. Fight to protect your home and offspring!" The mighty Spirit of stone bellowed to the defending humans and dwarves, his words echoing like thunder.
Ris'ka suddenly felt an unfamiliar mind attempt to reach her own. She quickly set up barriers to deny it entry, but lowered them when she recognized it was Eragon.
'How goes your fight, Eragon? Have you killed many foes?' Ris'ka asks the young Rider.
'Yes, though I doubt as many as you have. Hrothgar needs our help; the fight is not going well for him.' He tells her quickly.
'We will arrive with speed and fury.' Ris'ka lets out a loud, primal scream that echoes throughout the hollow mountain. Her thirst for blood was now at its peak, she cared for nothing else, save that her thirst was quenched and her foes beaten. Dra'kor and Night-Scale shared their partner's desire and Dra'kor dove straight towards the mass of Urgals assaulting the old Rex.
Saphira and Eragon were already there, fighting beside the other dwarves. Ris'ka and her partners took a more aggressive approach. Dra'kor landed on several Urgals, crushing them under his weight. Ris'ka and Night-Scale leapt off of him wasted no time bathing themselves in the blood their enemies.
With scimitar, claw, tooth, and strength, they cut a swathe through the Urgals and towards the dwarves. Ris'ka saw a strange woman, garbed in a red cloak, stab an Urgal locked in combat with Eragon right through the chest with a double-sided blade staff. She dashed into the fray, a small human wearing nothing but a loincloth following her.
Ris'ka hollered and waved her blood-soaked arm at Eragon, making him turn to face her. "The fight goes well! Remember to take trophies!" She yells out before pouncing on a Kull and biting his face off.
The battle went on for hours, and Ris'ka spent all the time either flying in the sky or down on the ground killing Urgals. Both Ris'ka and Night-Scale were covered in layers of blood both fresh and old. If one had not seen them fight, they would have thought the two had just taken a bath in the red liquid. Blood covered Dra'kor as well, though it was restricted to his legs and mouth.
Despite the hours of unending combat, the three warriors felt little to no fatigue. Sadly, the same could not be said for the rest of the defenders. Both humans and dwarves were exhausted from the long fight, but the Urgals' constant stream of reinforcements kept them fresh. The stone elemental was not hindered by exhaustion or pain however, and it continued to guard the center tunnel with steadfast resolve. The warriors that had been waiting behind it had long since split in two to assist the tunnels on their flanks, as the giant held the line all on its own.
Ris'ka was just about to slice apart another Urgal, when she suddenly fell to her knees and grasped her head.
'Ris'ka!' Both her partners cried out as she crumpled to the floor. The Urgal made lifted its club to strike, but Night-Scale jumped on it and clawed its face off before it could bring the club down on Ris'ka's head.
Ris'ka breathed in and out heavily, her eyes wide underneath her skull helm. She could feel something, something unspeakably evil and unnatural approaching, but from where she could not tell. But with the feeling came voices, voices filled with pain and suffering, voices pleading for release.
'HeLp Us…'
'FreE uS…'
'We ARe BoUNd…'
'wE SeEK EScApe…'
'SaVE US…'
"It is here!" The giant rumbled, halting its defense to look towards the white pyramid. "That which should not be is here! It is here!" The Urgals tried to run past it, as it was distracted by whatever Ris'ka felt too, but it quickly turned back to them and crushed them under its stone fists.
What was happening? What is that which should not be? What could possibly cause a Great Spirit to react in such a manner?
Then it hit her.
The Shade…
Ris'ka remembered Ajihad saying that a Shade was a possessed body controlled by evil Spirits. These Spirits would no doubt desire more strength, and would most likely enslave other weaker Spirits to steal their power.
She had heard of another being fitting this description.
Ris'ka remembered her brother telling her a story about a shaman who asked a Water Spirit for the power to save his clan from a terrible plague. The Spirit agreed, but asked for the shaman to become its host. Desperate, the shaman ignored the words of warning from his familiar and agreed to become its host.
The Spirit took control of the shaman, body and mind. The shaman learned too late that he had been tricked. He had not made a deal with a Water Spirit, but with a Nolvoc, a demon pretending to be a Water Spirit. The shaman's soul was then devoured by the Nolvoc, who quickly slew the familiar. The monster went on a rampage that lasted three weeks, until a pack consisting of the most powerful shamans in all the tribes finally put it down.
But by then, over thirty clans lay in ruin, and two of the twenty ancient cities had been completely leveled. The Nolvoc was not destroyed easily either, fifteen of the twenty shamans were killed, and three were so badly wounded they died several days later.
It was said the Nolvoc used the shaman's knowledge of summoning to conjure lesser Spirits and enslave them to its will. It would then devour these Spirits, becoming stronger and stronger with each one it devoured.
This is what was approaching them, a Nolvoc. Ris'ka could feel its dark power passing through her, shuddering as its desire to inflict suffering on others weaker than it washed over her.
Ris'ka could not move, she could not think, she could barely breathe. How were they to fight that which even the Great Spirits fear? What hope did they have against such a foe?
SMACK!
'Snap out of it, Ris'ka! This is not the time nor the place for you to be lost in thought!' Night-Scale said after smacking Ris'ka with her tail.
Dra'kor was in front of them, holding back the tide of Urgals with fire, claw, and tooth. Ris'ka shook her head and stood up on wobbly feet, Night-Scale went to her side to support her. That dreadful feeling Ris'ka felt… she shuddered at the mere memory of it.
'The Shade beast, the Nolvoc, it is here.' She told them, still shaken by what she had experienced.
'We know. Saphira contacted me as you were reeling from the shock. Something is trying to tunnel its way up into the dwarf-den and that Eragon, Arya and herself were going to see what it was.' Dra'kor said as he swatted away five Urgals with his tail. 'It has to be the Nolvoc.'
'We must help them.' Ris'ka says as her balance finally returns. 'There is no way they can fight such a creature by themselves.'
Her partners approved, and once Ris'ka and Night-Scale were on Dra'kor, the mighty dragon took off towards the pyramid.
Instead of heading up to the dragonhold, Dra'kor sped right towards one of the mighty gates that led into the city mountain. He rammed his armored head against the hard gate, creating a resonating thud. It was not enough, the door still held. Shaking the dull pain away, Dra'kor backed up before dousing the gate in a torrent of flame. He closed his mouth after twenty seconds and charged again. The fire had weakened the wood greatly, and the armored dragon had no problem bashing through it.
An explosion of wooden shards blasted into the central chamber where a circle of Urgals had been watching Eragon fight a pale, flame-haired human. The sudden entrance startled all in the room, making everyone turn their attention towards Ris'ka and her partners.
Ris'ka could feel evil and hatred ooze out of the pale one as if it were overflowing. This was the Nolvoc, the one Ajihad called Durza.
Durza was the first to recover from the shock, and slashed Eragon over the back with his sword. The boy screamed in pain, falling to his knees. It was a dirty move, and Ris'ka let out a scream of rage before jumping off Dra'kor and running towards the abomination, Night-Scale and Dra'kor quickly following her.
"Seize the dragon and Rider!" The Nolvoc ordered the Urgals that had been watching him and Eragon duel. They roared, and charged towards the trio, effectively blocking them from reaching Eragon and the Nolvoc.
"VA MIS THRAS CUR'VAT SA!" Ris'ka yelled at the Nolvoc as she decapitated an Urgal. The demon looked at her and smiled a terrible smile of triumph.
"Give up, Rider. You have lost." He spoke with arrogant assurance, thinking he was right. "Surrender, and you won't be harmed."
"I would sooner die than surrender, much less so to a Nolvoc!" She kicked another Urgal in the side before slashing his arm off.
He snarled, and looked as if he was about to say more, when a deafening roar echoed through the chamber, and cut off any words he might say.
All present looked up, to see the massive red stone-flower had been shattered. Shards, both big and small, plummeted down towards the floor. In the center of the red shards was young Saphira, blue tinged fire spouting from her open mouth, and Arya stop her back. The elf's hair billowed as they shot towards the floor, her hand glowing with green magic.
Ris'ka quickly turned her attention back to the Nolvoc and Eragon, fearing this second distraction would only help the monster further. But the fear proved false. The roles were now reversed. Taking advantage of the distraction, Eragon rushed towards Durza, his sword pointing straight at his heart.
"Brisingr!" He shouted, his sword igniting into flames...
And running Durza straight through his heart.
The Nolvoc looked down at the blade impaling him with shock. His mouth hung open, but no words left it, only an unnatural howl. He dropped his sword and tried to pry Eragon's out of himself, but the blade was firmly lodged in his body and would not move.
The Nolvoc's skin suddenly became transparent. But there was no flesh nor bone nor blood underneath his hide, only swirling darkness. He wailed even louder as the darkness within pushed against his skin, cracking it as if it were part of a clay pot. Then, with one final cry, the Nolvoc's body was torn asunder, releasing the many Spirits it had enslaved.
As the Spirits sped through the air and out of the pyramid, Ris'ka could hear their cries of joy for finally being freed from rains of enslavement.
Eragon had done what had taken twenty shamans to do.
He had defeated a Nolvoc.
He had freed countless Spirits from a life of torment.
He was currently about to fall onto the ground.
Ris'ka ran up to him and caught the youth before he could hit the stone floor. She need not worry about the Urgals, in the confusion Dra'kor and Night-Scale finished off the remaining ones so they would not be a hindrance.
"Eragon! Eragon! You must stay awake! It is not yet your time to pass on!" Ris'ka tried to keep him awake by shaking him in her arms, but it was not enough.
He closed his eyes and went limp in her arms.
"Vaka!" Ris'ka cursed. She tore off her helmet and Eragon's metal armor, then placed her ear against his chest. It was weak, but his heart was still beating its rhythmic drum.
Ris'ka quickly leaned him forward and set about healing his wounds, using her magic to fuel his body's own regeneration process. The many cuts and scrapes he had gained from the battle healed fairly quickly, but for some reason, the wound on his back refused to be mended. The Nolvoc's dark magic prevented Ris'ka from treating it, acting as some sort of shield.
'Even in death, the Nolvoc brings pain.' Dra'kor said as he eyed the ropey scar on the human's back.
Saphira and Arya landed with a thud, the shards of the stone falling at an unnaturally slow speed after them, (the work of Arya's word magic no doubt.) They approached Ris'ka with worry and fear, eyeing the limp body of Eragon with dread. Saphira went up to them and nuzzled her unconscious Rider as she mewled fearfully.
"He lives, but my skill alone will not save him." Ris'ka tells them. "Get a healer, now!"
"No need for that, dear. I'm all you'll need." An unfamiliar, female voice calls out, making all present turn their heads to see the curly haired female and the loincloth boy standing at the ruined remains of the gate.
Author's Note: I AM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT! My school has an electronics policy and we can't have our electronics most of the time for the first two weeks of school. I've also been working on my sequel story to my first story. I will try to get these in faster, but no promises.
Also, for those of you who are warhammer fans, I am changing the description of the raptors from the dark elf cold ones to the raptors from Skull Island. A majority of the animals in Lizar'ik are influenced by the creatures of that island, and they just fit so well with the already savage land. Don't worry, I will still include several creatures from warhammer fantasy, but I feel like the cold ones are built more for open areas than in a jungle. Plus, the Venatosaurus (the Skull Island raptor) fits perfectly in the Lizar'ik jungles. It's agile, fast, intelligent, viscous, and downright awesome. Not to mention it is fucking huge, 16-24 feet long and roughly 10 to 11 feet tall, the perfect size to be a mount for the Saurous tribe.
I will be making some edits to previous chapters before I post this one. See if you can find them.
For those of you who are curious about the size of Lizar'ik, it is roughly the size of Australia, and is connected to a much larger continent around the size of Africa. However, the Serpent's Back Mountains separate it from the rest of the continent, its jagged and knife-like peaks forming an intimidating wall of stone. In general, Lizar'ik looks much like Skull Island from the 2005 King Kong movie, only it isn't sinking, it's larger, there are fewer grasslands, its flatter, and the jungles are thicker. If any of you have read the World of Kong book or looked up the king Kong wiki page, you will get a good picture of the terrain.
The ancient cities are places like Liz'ara. Cities filled with stone houses and great pyramids. Only eighteen useable cities remain, the rest are ruins, covered in various plants and home to many of Lizar'ik's animals, they can be found scattered all around Lizar'ik. These building are all that remain of those who first lived in Lizar'ik. Ten of the cities reside in the jungles of Lizar'ik, five in the Serpent's Back Mountains and three in and around the southern islands.
Liz'arin language
visca'ra'thûl – blood and fury
Nolvoc – demon, evil spirit, Liz'arin equivalent to a Shade, only more powerful. They are also very impulsive and will kill anything or anyone they come across in whatever way amuses them the most. No one knows how the twenty shamans were able to kill the first and so far only Nolvoc to take mortal form, but it is roughly the same way you kill a Shade, only you must aim for its stomach instead of its heart, for that is where it stores the souls it has eaten. (The voc rhymes with lock – Nole-vock)
Va mis thras cur'vat sa – I will tear you apart or I will rip you to pieces
On a side note: I think I forgot to write about the physical strength of the Liz'arin people. Saurous are inherently as strong as a Kull, but living in the dangerous confines of the Lizar'ik jungle have made them slightly stronger, they also have excellent reflexes, almost on par with that of an elf. They can run for vast distances at a steady pace or sprint short distances at the speed of a fast running elf (Keep in mind, these are short bursts and consume a lot of energy.). The Naga are the same upper body strength of the Saurous, but the real strength is in their tail. A Naga's tail ranges between 8 to 10 meters in length and has the strength to strangle a dragon or break every single bone in a Kull's body. As stated last chapter, Ga'goyle are much weaker than the other tribes, roughly having the same strength of a fit human. However, their leg and wing muscles are extremely strong despite their small frames.
Ris'ka has the magically enhanced strength of an elf, but her years spent in the jungle have added to her already superhuman strength. She is stronger, quicker, and more agile than any of the elves from Alagaësia. Also, Liz'arin have a multitude of exercise similar to what we use today to stay strong during peace times. These exercises include pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, tail-lifts, crunches, and many more. There are several more exercises that are exclusively for dragon Riders. One of which involves the dragon putting its paw over the Rider, and pressing down. The Rider will then push the paw up and down over a dozen or so times until they can lift no more. It's kind of like a shoulder and bench press combined, only standing up.
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DeadRich18 Out!