Chapter IIXXXX

The Sack of Aroughs

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Jack cocked his repeater and crouched low to Jinx's neck.
'Alright, ladies and gents, nothing fancy, if any of the enemy go to hide in the houses, pick a target elsewhere and shoot them instead, we don't want to go killing civilians.' He said. 'And don't go jumping down to go for a close-quarter fight, let them come to us if they can get on Jinx, we have the advantage so let's use it.'
'Eloquent of you captain,' commented the elf assigned to Jack's crew, a silver-haired she-elf called Eliria.
'Comes with experience,' Jinx called. 'The prerequisite are Captain's bars.'
Jack glanced around to ask how Jinx would know, and saw Victoriatus and Rosarias making their runs on the wall.

They were neat passes, but would've been utterly suicidal without the assistance of the elves, and the number of deflected arrows, quarrels and rocks bore testament to the fact.
The effect the passes had were far more telling.

Victoriatus's long foreclaws swept men and ballistae alike off the edges of the wall left of the gate, and Rosarias's barbed tail sent them flying on the right, and straight down the middle came Eragon and Saphira, flaming directly into the sheltered arch above.

'We have a hole Jinx, let's make a foothold.'
Jinx didn't need telling twice, and dove down into the courtyard behind the gate, closely followed by Noctus.

They found a battalion of soldiers waiting for them, along with a quartet of figures facing the gate, arms raised, chanting something rendered unintelligible by their speaking out of time with one another.
Jinx wasted no time in attacking the battalion, leaving Jack with a shaky angle on the four spell casters, who were making a break for it.
'Bring 'em down!' Shouted Jack to his riflemen, indicating the four spell weavers.

As he watched, two of them dropped dead from pinpoint accurate arrow shots from Eliria, while the other two were caught by a volley of rifle fire, quickly followed by another five to be sure they weren't faking it.
Jack Dyer didn't believe in overkill.

'Enough!' Jack glanced around, and even Jinx paused in the act of carving up the battalion, who likewise paused in doing their level best in their futile if brave attempt to bring Jinx down.
The whip-crack command had also made Jinx back up to a safe distance and release the man he'd snatched up in his talons in preparation to throw.
Not wanting to waste the reprieve, the man scurried off to the side, throwing down his weapons as he did.

In the courtyard was Saphira, and Eragon had just slid down from her back, his blue sword held ready in his grip.
Jack had to admit the kid looked formidable decked out in chainmail with a sword and shield in his hands.
With Saphira at his back he'd look downright terrifying to a infantryman.
'You've seen what allies we have, and you no doubt know what happened to the dragons that went to fight the Varden last night.' Eragon said to the infantrymen before Jinx. 'We do not wish to fight you, our quarrel is against Galbatorix, lay down your arms and surrender, and you will not be harmed.' Eragon said.
'Yeah, sure.' Called the battalion's captain. 'Who're you to say what'll happen?'
Eragon locked eyes with the man.
'I am Eragon Shadeslayer, Rider of Saphira Bjartscular, you have my word of honour that you will not be harmed should you lay down your arms.' Eragon replied.

The gate behind him shook in its frame as a colossal blow landed, followed shortly after by a second.
'Last chance, surrender or die.' Eragon said.

The reactions were predictable to Jack's eye.
Roughly three quarters of the battalion's remnants threw down their weapons, another eighth fled into the city, and the remainder along with the captain charged Eragon.
'Ready!' Ordered Jack, then stopped, struck dumb as Eragon struck down first one, then another, then another three, then several more of the attacking men in fluid, almost contemptuous blows, before stepping past the captain as he slid in half, first his top half, then his lower half.

With this done, Saphira took one of the gates in her forepaws, then hauled it ajar as Eragon lifted the heavy bar free, before Jinx took the opposite gate and hauled it ajar, allowing the Varden's soldiers to stream through the gate.

Meanwhile, Galzra and Noctus had landed elsewhere in the city, and were currently fighting another group of troops which they'd caught out in the open.
As she watched, Galzra saw Noctus spit a globule of his venom and strike a captain that had been attempting to rally the troops.

The venom struck him full in the chest, and soaked through his leather backed mail and shirt, and he screamed in agony as the burning venom began to eat into his skin.
With a deft flick of her tail, Galzra put the man out of his misery by breaking his neck.

On her back, Noelfavrel shot another man who'd been about to fire on Noctus, while behind him Gideon did much the same thing.

Then Noctus yelled in surprise, and attempted to buck an exceptionally daring soldier off his back leg as the man tried to climb onto his back.
Galzra went to flick him off, but before she could, he fell as Gideon shot him through the back of the head.

Sweeping another six men from their feet, and driving more into the other streets while Noctus did the same on the other side of the square, Galzra glanced up and saw Mortarius coming in to land in the recently captured square with a good fifty extra men clinging to his harness.
The city was breached.

Scandland urged Rosarias to disengage from where she'd been savaging a watchtower which a group of soldiers had hunkered down in to snipe at the Varden's soldiers for a breather.
Somehow, she felt it shouldn't be as easy as it was, The Varden were taking the city with absurd ease.

The soldiers of Aroughs were fighting tenaciously, but as they'd successfully robbed the city of their aerial support the previous evening when Blö dhgarm's gambit had succeeded in luring the French into an attack which had gone seriously astray from the beginning when they'd found themselves attacked in turn by Saphira, Rosarias, Victoriatus, Mortarius and Vindexia.
'This is why all modern cities have pepper guns and other such deterrents.' Said Lieutenant Rinehart, Scandland's first.
'This is too easy, did they really need us to take this city?' Asked Rosarias as they circled above.
'Yes, it is too easy, and I think all they would've needed was Eragon, but it would have proven more costly Rosy, and the ease that this going with has as much to do with good planning as our presence.' Scandland replied.
'Captain, DeKere of Du Vrangr Gata wishes our assistance, the Varden he is with are being harassed by crossbowmen which have taken over a storehouse.' Said Fyf, the elf assigned to Rosarias.

Scandland went to ask where, but the elf merely pointed with unerring accuracy to a storehouse near a square, where a column of smoke could be seen rising.
'I see it.' Rosarias said, before heading for the building.

Jack pistol-whipped a soldier, before giving him a solid kick in the guts, sending him off Jinx's back, before shooting another that was grappling with his new first lieutenant Wallace.
'Thanks sir,' said the young man, breathing heavily.
This was only his second engagement including the little shit-show on the way from Dover, and in that he'd earned Jack's approval with his level head.
'Reloaded!' Reported one of the riflemen.
'Good, where to next Eliria?' Asked Jack.

So far, they'd been making nuisance attacks, or bailing out Varden who'd bitten off more than they could chew.
'We're making our final push, we're to support Eragon and Saphira while they secure the Governor.' The she elf replied, eyeing Jack.
Jack had a funny feeling that Eliria was either rather impressed with the way he handled his crew, or rather disapproving of his methods in fighting.
'Jinx, take us to the top of the keep, Eliria, tell Eragon we'll meet him there.'

Eragon looked over the city as Saphira perched on the tower roof.
In less than four hours, the Varden had managed to force the Empire's forces back to the keep, and now it was only a matter of time before they stormed the keep.
As he watched, Rosarias swept the curtain wall clean with her barbed tail, and Victoriatus made tangled ruins of the siege engines in the courtyard with his long foreclaws, before launching himself into the air once more.

'Alright, now what?' Called Jack through a speaking trumpet as Jinx began to circle, as Eragon watched Vindexia pull the portcullis out of the curtain wall, and Noctus unbar the inner gate.
'Drop Eliria and Gregs in the tower and resume circling, I'll call if we require any more assistance.' Eragon called back, as Saphira dropped her tail down the side of the tower, allowing Eragon to climb down to a window.

Inside, he was met by Eliria, Gregs and,-surprisingly,- Jack.
The maverick aviator captain grinned.
'You think I'd miss this? Jinx would never let me hear the end of it,' he said, as if reading Eragon's mind.
'I should've guessed.' Eragon replied dryly.

Eliria cocked her head.
Eragon listened intently.
'I know that chant,' he said with a chill, remembering a similar time several months previously.

'Jack, Gregs, weapons out, when we get into the Governor's study, shoot whoever is chanting.' Eragon said.
Saphira.
Eragon said, projecting the situation for her as they came down the stairs and entered the Governor's apartments.

They were in an opulent sitting room, and in an armchair looking onto the courtyard below was a portly man with well groomed, wispy white hair.
He looked around when he heard the small group enter.
'Well played Rider, I imagine you put those French out of business last night so those yellow and white fellows could ferry troops wholesale? Yes, very clever, now you have to stop them,- the Governor motioned to a group of four spell casters who were standing around a fifth chanting a spell. 'They're attempting to summon a shade to reap devastation on the Varden, to scorch the earth so to speak.'

As if on queue, Saphira landed on the balcony, making the Governor recoil in shock.
Same deal as with Fienster. Saphira said.
Eragon went to begin hacking at the nearest man's wards, but a gunshot rang out, followed by that man falling to the floor in a burst of blood.

A second later another shot rang out, and the man who was the subject of the spell fell dead, shot between the eyes.
The feedback made the remaining three fall to their knees with nose-bleeds.

Another two simultaneous shots and two more fell dead, before a final shot took the final woman in the heart.
Eragon glanced around to see Jack holster his pistols.
'Problem solved.' He said with a modest shrug. 'They obviously didn't factor gunpowder into their calculations.' He added.
Saphira snorted in amusement, before launching herself back into flight.

'Very well then Governor.' Eragon said.
'Yes, I believe it is time I put an end to this stupidity by admitting defeat, as I so wish I could have done at the start of all this and defected.'
So saying, he stood, and walked from the tower with them.

Well, that took a while, but I hope it was worth it.

It's not really all that much of an 'epic battle' sort of thing, as snapshots of one.

Anyway, I guess I should do the acknowledgements:

For the Favourite Author add, I'd like to thank soldier of knowledge.

For Reviewing, I'd like to thank: Forsaken By All, JAtkins, Hideout Writer and soldier of knowledge.

'til next time:

No One-liners.