The knife that has killed Kulkarvek was still wet with his blood. The knife's wielder was still in shock at what the knife had done.
Gurgdor thought back to the events leading up to the momentous kill.
When he and the others had arrived at the fortress, it had been utter chaos. To begin with, there was an absurd amount of enemy Urgals. Then there was the variety of their own allied troops. Humans and friendly Urgals, hardly able to tell each other apart. Gurgdor had come to know that battles were this way, bloody and messy, but all of the others seemed a bit shocked. Helzvog and Galia seemed absolutely appalled, and even the four dragons, Jourt included, seemed somewhat surprised.
Glaedr spoke in all of their minds. See here the sad truth of us sentient beings. We wage battles and wars as if it were the only thing we knew how to do. And these battles are never in straight orderly lines, each soldier having a private sword duel with the other. No this a free-for-all, where each being fights in a flurry.
As they continued their approach, the archers noticed the four dragons approaching them, and turned their focus towards them. They were forced to land and join the fighting on the ground, to try and tear down the countless enemy Urgals. The Riders dismounted managed to dismount as Jourt created some cover for them. Gurgdor and the others sought out Stronghammer.
They met up with him where he stood tearing down the Urgals without pause. With the help of the 3 young Riders they were able to provide him some brief reprieve so they could talk.
"Ismira and her dragon are safe, I have already spoken with her, but briefly. Also, according to my spellcaster, there is more than one Urgal shaman among the enemy, holding up efficient wards. If you could help us find them it would be a grand help. Nar Garzhvog was trying to coordinate with his own shamans, but he was as occupied as I was when I last saw him." Stronghammer told them.
And with that they were once again forced to separate due to overwhelming numbers. As even Helzvog and Galia disappeared from the surrounding Urgal tides, Gurgdor felt no one but Miremel. And then he did feel someone else near him, aside from the countless Urgals. He turned and saw Osenthur in human form, taking down many of the Urgals with precision jabs with his dagger. The werecat turned toward him and smiled.
"You don't even realize it do you? None of your village saw it either then I suppose, except perhaps that Garzhvog, he did seem rather insightful, for an Urgal. I suspected you for a while, and I knew someone like you was due, especially after hearing of Urgals stirring here in the north. But these Urgals have spent much time exposed to Kulkarvek. They recognize it."
Gurgdor didn't understand. Osenthur noticed his look of confusion.
"Look around you. Have you cut down a single Urgal yet? Has your blade yet been stained with a drop of blood?" Osenthur asked.
Gurgdor was startled and he realized the werecat was right. He had not killed any of the Urgals yet. He had been simply wading through the Urgals and they had been ignoring him.
"How? Why? What is this?" Gurgdor asked, not understanding any of it.
"This is your fate, your destiny. Oh they will speak of you for years to come, and you have yet to do anything of note. You have not been attacked, because you are meant to be attacked by only one. Your blade has not touched any Urgals because it is meant only for one. You are meant for this, it is your destiny. Urgals are a primitive race and power passes in a primitive way. Whether or not you will be hailed as a great Rider has yet to be seen, but one thing is certain, you will be hailed as a great Urgal. It is time for you to assume that title which has marked few Riders in Alagaësia's history. Go now, the Urgal King awaits. He is immune to magic, and physical attacks can take him within an inch of his life but they will never be deadly unless the next king is the one to deal the final blow."
Gurgdor's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to start objecting that it couldn't possibly be him, there was a mistake. He stopped himself. He took a deep breath. Calling out to Miremel to come he asked Osenthur, "Where is he?"
Osenthur laughed a humorless laugh. "You really haven't noticed? He is beyond the Urgal forces deeper in the cavern. He is the one the size of a mountain. You can't miss him."
I don't like the werecat. Can I eat it? Miremel asked. Gurgdor chuckled, glad Miremel had distracted him from his less than favorable odds. Not just yet. Gurgdor replied. I should certainly hope not. Osenthur said, interrupting their conversation.
With an irritated roar, Miremel took off, Osenthur trying to deal with the archers to facilitate their flight. As it happened, it was unnecessary, because in that moment a huge emerald dragon flew into the cave and proceeded towards where the ruby and white dragons were battling. Miremel followed in its wake, as Gurgdor realized that that must be Fírnen, with Arya, riding into battle.
Gurgdor saw Fírnen successfully topple the giant king, but to his dismay he saw him grasp Vanilor as he fell. Miremel accelerated and Gurgdor told her to go to the Urgal's hand, while he would go to the head. Before she could protest, Gurgdor threw himself off her scaly back.
As he neared the giant's face he spoke a crude word in the ancient language and slowed his descent. "Letta!" He shouted, draining more energy than he had hoped. But it worked well enough, as he landed relatively softly.
He approached the eye and, without really pausing to think, hurled his knife with all his force into the depth of the eye. It penetrated effectively, and Kulkarvek let out one bloodcurdling howl before dying.
After he was dead however, Gurgdor felt a strange force within him tugging at the dead king. His body started to dissolve, and though he saw nothing, Gurgdor felt all the massive power within it get sucked into his own.
He heard a loud thud in the distance, but his worries about the noise soon disappeared. He was suddenly surrounded by four dragons, including his own, and their 3 respective Riders.
The first to act was Ismira, who sobbed and embraced Gurgdor, much to his surprise. Though she did not speak, Vanilor did. Words cannot express our emotion. Thank you.
Even the four elders were amazed at Gurgdor.
"Well, I must say, this is the first time in too long a while I have been happy to see and Urgal, and no finer Urgal than yourself could I have stumbled upon. I am Murtagh, and this is Thorn." Thorn let loose a huge column of flame. "Show off…" Murtagh muttered.
"You are indeed a fine warrior and finer Rider. I am pleased we have the chance to meet sooner than anticipated. I am Arya and this is Fírnen. That was a truly awe-inspiring kill. I must ask, how you managed to dissolve the body. I doubt you know enough of the ancient language to be able to manage that."
Before Gurgdor could answer, Osenthur appeared out of nowhere, in cat form, and interrupted. "It was hardly magic that was being worked there. There was a power far older than you can comprehend at work there. This young Kingkiller had tapped into it."
Gurgdor started when he heard himself called Kingkiller and realized it was true. Arya however was not satisfied. "I doubt that very much werecat. I assume you are the werecat Eragon told me about. I was here in Alagaësia almost when the elves first arrived here. There are little things I do not know of."
Osenthur hissed. "This is one them elf. Don't be arrogant. Before your race's arrival in Alagaësia they lived elsewhere, and the Urgals lived there as well. This is an ancestral power that dates back to even before there were Dragon Riders. This young Urgal is now king of his kind."
Gurgdor turned to Osenthur with doubt on his face.
"You still doubt me? Look over to where the battle was."
Gurgdor strained his eyes and he managed to see that all of the Urgals, friend and foe, were collapsed on the ground.
"Now clear your doubts and anyone else's; raise your hand and all of them will follow your command, as true King of the Urgals."
Gurgdor didn't really believe it. He didn't really think it would work. But he raised his hand.
And all the Urgals rose to their feet and mimicked his movement.
Hoped you liked this chapter I poured my heart and soul into making an awesome chapter for you guys. I am sooooooooo sorry I have been so inactive lately, but I hope to try and become a little more active here, continuing all my stories, in addition to 2 new ones I have planned. Stay tuned, because the End of Alagaësia is only beginning!