"Thank you for your help." Perevail smiled at the human healers. They bore the white robes with blue lining characteristic of the Protectors Mage guild. The lead healer in question, a young woman of average height, golden curly locks, and green eyes. As opposed to a few of the other women and men in her squad, Merigold seemed comfortable around the riders, this casual nature made it easiest for the riders to deal with her over anyone else.

"No problem Sir Perevail." Merigold smiled, "Lady Maheera is quite fine, I'm not fully familiar with how deep the bond is, but Lady Juliana has been healed as well, luckily, you've all been so kind as to allow us to learn about dragon anatomy." Her eyes glittered, "I'm always interested in learning about how people and animals work, all those intertwining muscles wrapping nerves and bones and blood vessels." She held her flushing face.

"I… I see," Perevail nodded uncomfortably.

"Oh! Excuse me!" Merigold patted her face. "I apologize, I was born on a farm and prided myself on helping take care of the animals. A plague came out and decimated most of our livestock, and that mixed with others with natural injuries made life hard, I took up magic to help farmers and herders, and to of course help those who were sick as well."

Quite admirable. Belgabad quipped, he looked at the mages with his silver eyes. You care much for the lives under your protection, and I thank you for all of your efforts in healing my little siblings.

"Of course Sir Belgabad." Merigold bowed. After a few more moments, she and the other mages excused themselves.

She is an interesting human.

"She's crazier than Maheera, but in a different way." Perevail joked.

Come now Perevail, have you not seen elves with such obsessions?

"Well, yes." Perevail had to admit, living with the disparate cultures of the different riders, he had come to find that his race was often as peculiar, if not more peculiar, than the other races of Alagaesia. "Well, let us check on the lady in question."

Due to their prolonged stay, King Orrin had ordered the construction of a base of operations large enough to comfortably house several dragons, due to a combined effort between the races it took only months, but the newly created Dragon's Roost was well received by all dragons, though their riders often felt that is was much too hot for their liking. With walls as black as ebony, lit by everlasting torches, and separate doors and grand doors for the dragons, resting areas on different levels, and a massive stone and wood and charcoal bed that the dragons could occasionally light on fire for an extra warm nap, it was a building made with dragons and riders in mind, and Perevail could appreciate human and dwarven ingenuity.

They walked into the next room, where Maheera and Juliana were resting. Perevail looked to Juliana first, with where she had been cut, only a slight discoloration of scales showed the nearly catastrophic injury that had existed there before. He smiled in relief as he approached.

"How are you?"

Juliana narrowed her violet eyes at the elf, then lowered them, looking to Maheera.

I was a liability…

"No!" Maheera interrupted, "I was a liability, darn it, Juliana, my dragon, my partner, she was hurt." She turned to Juliana, "You were hurt, and I failed to protect you, I failed to heal you."

Juliana was silent, and slowly lowered her head to Maheera.

"You two should not feel blame…" Perevail began, smiling gently, "People can get hurt, they can make mistakes, reflect on how you were hurt, and what you need to do to be better."

Juliana turned to Maheera. You should get on your feet, you are a warrior, a hunter, a hunter must stretch their legs as much as they stretch their wings.

"But I can't leave you here, you aren't clear to stand yet."

I can take her to the coalbed, it will help warm her. Belgebad's eyes began to glow as he chanted in the ancient language. Juliana was levitated off the bed, and the massive silver dragon turned to head down to the coal bed, with Juliana floating behind.

"I still can't get used to how powerful in the ancient language he is." Maheera whispered with wonder.

Dragons did not need to fear losing themselves to lapses in concentration, their minds were built differently than that of humans, dwarves, urgals, or even elves, despite that, they also could not willingly use magic save for what was required for them to fly and breathe fire. Belgabad was the only exception. He had been born exceedingly calm compared to the more boisterous dragons, and had taken a penchant for meditating with Perevail. One day, as Perevail was reciting some poems in the ancient language, Belgabad had been inspired by the deep emotions going through Perevail's mind, and was able to bring part of the prose into reality. Belgabad had concentrated on this feeling, and with years of dedication, could call upon it to reach deeply into magic, whilst he did not need the ancient language, wordless magic's effects were more feeling than objective, and while it would never go awry, he could in fact be truly feeling a different truth to what he was trying to accomplish. This skill in magic though made Belgabad likely the most powerful dragon in history, a title that he approached with in humility. He had attempted to teach the other dragons this skill, but none had the patience to sit still if they were not sleeping or resting or preparing for a hunt, so much of his instruction fell on deaf ears.

Perevail smiled "Each dragon has their gift, this is simply Belgabad's." He turned to Maheera, "Let us walk, I'm certain you'd enjoy some fresh air."

He and Maheera waled out of Dragon's Roost, and were greeted by the sight of Marcale sparring with Rhumkard, and Johodar practicing midair maneuvers with Barukagon.

"Ah!" Rhumkard shouted with joy, blocking Marcale's swing absentmindedly as he looked at his fellow riders. "You've awoken Maheera, good! How is Juliana, and how are you?" He continued to block swings and thrusts brought down by Marcale, who had attempted to take advantage of his rider senior's lack of attention.

"Oh come on!" Marcale sighed after tripping and tumbling. "I should at least be able to get a hit in when you're not even looking!"

Maheera giggled, which caused Marcale to blush and turn. "I am well, as is Juliana, she simply needs some more rest, Belgabad led her to the Dragon's Roost CoalBed."

Good, she needs the heat to help her circulation. Johodar stated, who dived below Barukagon's grasp and lightly smacked the larger dragon's flank.

Better… Barukagon stated, Your aim is quite decent.

"At least someone's improving…" Marcale muttered. He grew apprehensive as Maheera approached him, and gaped in surprise as she held her hand out for him.

"I heard how you and Johodar had done your best to protect myself and Maheera, and how if not for you, we may have died multiple times." Maheera looked to the side, "I'm from a rough family of hunters, so it's a little hard to talk about it, but thanks, you saved our lives, and I'm sorry for belittling you, war, can be scary, and it can be hard…"

"Hey!" Marcale said quickly, "It's quite alright, and don't apologize too much! I… I understand a bit now… I understand why we need to fight." Marcale's thoughts went to the soldiers injured in battle on their side, wounds ranging from minor to life threatening, and recalled how almost all of them had someone to return home to.

Unfortunately for you, the one you'd return to is where you'd like them to be the least. Johodar quipped.

QUIET! Marcale messaged to his dragon privately.

Maheera however seemed to have not heard or registered Johodar's quip as she continued. "Either way, thank you, I guess you're not as cowardly as I thought."

Marcale smiled ruefully. "You really aren't used to complimenting people huh…"

Maheera laughed, then quietly replied, "No, just you." After a moment, she looked for Rhumkard. "Hey! Captain, can I spar with Marcale, I want to see if he's actually picked anything up!" Marcale paled as he watched Rhumkard ponder then nod. He turned to the smiling Maheera, all traces of embarrassment rid from her eyes. "Alright twerp, let's see you dance…"

Rhumkard and Perevail observed them sparring, then turned to each other to talk.

"I take it that things are going well with Vulcan and Volund?" Rhumkard asked.

This peeked the resting Johodar's interest, so the scarlet and gold dragon approached to listen in.

"He seemed healthy, if not a little tired." Perevail replied, "Ilirea was as busy as the warfront for a short moment, if not busier."

The nonsense with the shades and scrags of the black hand? As well as the stealing of human children right? Johodar asked.

Perevail nodded, closing his eyes, "The children's fate was especially tragic, most are dead, the rest were transformed into tools of battle, and countless shades along the way."

"They had one survivor." Rhumkard stated, "an interesting tale, a friend from the Catch-Tooth tribe gushed about a smart human boy who knew our tongue and lived with them."

"Yes, Vulcan sent me a correspondence, he likes the child from the few times they've interacted, he stated he had a level head and decent fighting prowess."

I heard from Marcale that the boy had turned into a Shade and subsequently lost his magic, how does one return from such a state?

"Given interviews and interrogations regarding this fiasco, it's likely that the experiment to turn him into a tool went awry, though, if he'a half as competent as Vulcan thinks he is, he may have just wrestled with the spirits mentally." Rhumkard snorted at Perevail's words. Perevail waited for the chortling to stop before continuing, "as it is, the Great Games have commenced, and there is an egg for choosing. Perhaps fate will shine on that child and he becomes a rider."

I worry, with all the attacks, wouldn't someone attempt to steal away the egg?

Perevail smiled, "You and Marcale are our newest pair of dragon and rider to be stationed with Eragon, so you may not have known, Vulcan has completed the most tasks asked of by Eragon. He's a talented, patient, strong fellow."

Rhumkard added, "He's a better fighter than I am from a martial level, if anyone could handle shades or worse, it would be him…"

…

"Hmmm?" Alpha turned to Gamma. "Who's that?"

Gamma looked at Vulcan, then back at Gamma. "I think that's a rider."

Alpha burst out laughing. "You mean the dwarf that struggled against the trash remnants of the black hand?" She smirked, turning to look at Vulcan.

Vulcan observed her with his dark eyes, he was equipped with a chain shirt, leather jerkin, and half plate. In his right hand he held a large hammer, in his left hand he held a steel tower shield. The rider's eyes roamed around his sockets as he scanned the room, eventually, his eyes rested on Tartarus.

The shade was lying on his stomach, arms to the side and twisted and mangled in weird angles. He gave Vulcan a wide grin, which caused the Rider to scowl, but the scowl quickly dropped from his face as he looked in front of Tartarus, a huge pile of ash and soot lay before the shade, with the ground still smocking from the heat of flames, but directly behind him, free of such things, where several children wrapped in vines. Vulcan then stared hard at the various burns covering the shade's body, and frowned. Tartarus, seeing the frown, turned away in annoyance.

Vulcan turned to the group of knights, guards, and mages, "Stay back, focus on protecting yourselves, I'll get you an opportunity to take the children, flee as soon as-"

"Hey! Pay attention to me!" Alpha raised her hand. "Brisingr Sverd!" (Fire Sword), she conjured a pillar of flame which she shaped vaguely into a sword, as she narrowed her eyes, the flames began to concentrate, growing brighter and brighter until it was blinding. As the room was engulfed in this bright light, Tarturus's eyes began to flicker between their bright red and Faris's colorless white with a hint of blue and violet. His eyes glanced to the children, who were now sweating profusely from the bright light, he frowned and began to try and move.

Vulcan turned back to Alpha, and not a moment too soon as the enhanced child charged towards him, blade of flame crackling as she swung down on Vulcan. Vulcan raised his shield to block, but after a split second instead moved out of the way. The flame sword slashed down at the shield, striking from the edge and overlapping, half the blade passing through and clipping off a bit of his pauldron.

"Oh? Aren't you pretty smart Beardie…" Alpha jokingly said, swinging her blade. "My 'sword', is made of flames, it isn't solid, so a shield is pretty useless!" She charged forward.

"Thringa!" (Compress/Thrust!) Vulcan shouted, a concentration of air focused on the middle of his shield that began to launch forward, as Alpha's flame sword hit this compressed air, an explosion of heat knocked both parties back. From the cloud of smoke and debris Vulcan charged forward, shouting out. "Kveykva böllr!" (Lightning ball, ball lightning, ect). Electricity arced out of his hand, forming into a an orb that bounced within itself, he launched it forward towards Alpha. Alpha took the blow head on, stumbling as the electricity caused her body to spasm. A second blast of lightning launched towards her, only to be blocked by rapidly approaching vines.

Gamma charged forward, vines trailing her and rushing towards Vulcan. As she charged forward she shouted every combination of words of death she could, smirking as Vulcan frowned.

"Thurra du lianí." (Dry the vines) The vines that approached Vulcan began to shrivel up rapidly. Vulcan quickly tore down the dry swinging down on Gamma. Instead of hitting flesh it struck her wards.

"I'm not a fan of pain like that freak over there." Gamma smirked, glancing at Alpha, who was getting back up. Raising her hands she launched more and more vines, wrapping around Vulcan. "Gath un thringa!" (Unite and compress!) The dry vines began to wrap around Vulcan, who raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Most people don't block things that don't hurt them." Gamma smirked, "I'm lazy, so I don't like having to reword my wards." Alpha charged forward with her flame sword, preparing to thrust into Vulcan's face.

"Stenr reisa" (Stone rise). A slab of the ground began to crack, rising up and knocking over Gamma, the stone raised up, blocking Alpha's path, she smashed through the rocks. "Vaetna!" (Scatter). The shattered stone split into hundreds of pieces of shrapnel and rapidly spread apart, parts of it crashing against Gamma's wards and vines and into Alpha. "Thringa!" (Compress). The spread stones began to fly back, wrapping around and covering Alpha's body. Alpha's movements slowed as the stones wrapped around her like a personal tomb.

Vulcan, freed from the vines, swung his hammer with inhuman force. Knocking Alpha back. As she flew back he began to rapidly chant in the ancient language, as he did, the vines surrounding the children were severed and they began to float into the air, which was beginning to shimmer from the heat.

"Oh, I can't have that happening." Gamma sighed, raising her hands, Vulcan frowned as the children stopped floating towards the exit. Eventually, he tisked, and the children floated back to the ground. "Good, you're busy fighting Alpha, and you've gotten her excited." Gamma sighs, "Now I have to keep them from burning. Malthinae aí skölir fra du verma." (Make a shield from the heat). A barrier, invisible save for the fact that the air behind it no longer shimmered from the rising heat, rose in front of Gamma, behind her was the children, the Ra'zac, and Tartarus.

Vulcan was about to speak, but snapped his head back on Alpha as the rocks and ground around her began to melt. A hand moved through that molten rock. Alpha stepped out from the molten slag, she smirked, "I didn't think I would actually need to try today, it's a good thing you delayed us then Gamma."

Gamma groaned, "I wish I didn't, first we dealt with guards, then a failed experiment, then a rider, should have told me to hurry up."

"Oh shut up, you wouldn't have listened anyway, just keep that barrier up." Alpha put her hands on her hips, "The doctor said we were designed to be capable of surpassing elves, shades, and riders right? Consider this a legitimate test run." She rushed forward at full speed, the ground cracked as she charged forward. Crashing into Vulcan's wards before he could raise his shield to block. "Come on old man!" Alpha laughed, the molten rock streaming towards her arm like tendrils flowing into the palm of her hand, she aimed it towards the entrance, where the kingdom's forces waited.

"Skölir!" Vulcan shouted, putting up an invisible barrier, Alpha launched a blast of flames and molten stones, smashing against the barrier. Using this distraction, Vulcan swung his hammer, crushing Alpha's arm and breaking her concentration. Alpha smiled as her wounds healed instantly, swinging back at Vulcan, who raised his shield in preparation…

"Well, isn't this awkward…" Donovan gave an apologetic smile, eyes wide like deers in head lights. "I had no idea we were breaking the record for fastest run. If I knew you were aiming for that I'd.." Seya ignored his rambling, glancing around, he was the loudest speaker, but she could overhear mage students and knight apprentices looking at her suspiciously. "I mean," Donovan added, speaking louder, "I can't believe you got searched by all those mages! They looked for even the slightest trace of a crystal for storing energy, and the look on their faces when you answered that you didn't cheat?!" He broke into a smile, "Fantastique. Man, I really won't get that date."

Seya saw her friends approaching, they had been dragged away by knights and mages and grilled on whether or not Seya had cheated, she had been fine with being interrogated herself, as annoying and bad as it already was, but she found herself irritated as she saw their faces. She grabbed Donovan's collar, "What do you want with us?!" Donovan responded by pursing his lips and making kissing noises at her. She cocked her fist back, but was stopped by Morgan.

"Seya… he's not worth it." Morgan shook his head, and glanced around, the other students began averting their eyes.

From an appreciable distance, John whispered to Cynthia. "So… why was it such a big deal?"

Cynthia glared at John, but did not answer. It was Vern who then opened his mouth and spoke, "Elves are superior to humans in physical and magical abilities, and while I can't say for sure whether they are generally smarter just outright, Elves are nigh immortal, so the average adult elf will have the level of life experience of human elders in our society. Humans only bridge that gap by being riders… or shades, and even if we can catch up to the accumulated knowledge the elves have, there's only so much an individual can learn and study before they die. Seya isn't a rider… and she is known to associate with Faris, who had his… accident, while nothing is concrete on either the mage or non-mage faction..." He looked at some of the Mages and Knights acting as administrators for the game. A few of them were talking amongst themselves or speaking to various contestants, but quite a few moved their gazes over to Seya and the other Mage apprentices of her group. "...their team as a whole has gotten on more than a few nerves on both sides, and Seya is the most suspicious of them all, as no one really has info on her from her birth till she was around 12."

"Huh, so conspiracy garbage?" John muttered, he spit on the floor. "Geez, it's been 4 years since she's been in this city and causing a ruckus, and just now they're paying attention to anything?" He frowned. "Sometimes I wonder how many of these old codgers actually remember what honor is, or whether they're more like Rembrant than they'd care t-"

"Don't mention that traitor's name." Cynthia cut sharply, "The anti-mage faction exists to protect people from Mage's abusive power, I have no problem with people attempting to seek strength beyond the norm…" She glanced at Donovan, then Seya, then Venka, "But I can't condone them using unfair means during something as sacred as the great games, they weren't competing against elves, urgals, beings of greater ability than humans normally, they were competing against fellow humans."

"That's exciting…" John smirked, "That means she doesn't give a rat's arse about 'fairness', I should have some fun then."

"Please," Cynthia sighed, "You lose to your cousin every time you duel, you expect to defeat someone likely stronger?"

John just laughed, "Won't know till I try…"

…

How are your wards?

"They are strong Volund…" Vulcan swung and blocked and danced around the human girl wreathed in flames attempting to gut him. The heat from the flames she emitted felt like a dull warmth and the attacks he could not parry or deflect instead bounced off his wards. At the moment, his dragon was standing straight above the area he confronted the children of the Scarlet Heart in, prepared to punch a hole through the cobblestone if he so needed help.

Be careful, the stone around this area is beginning to heat up, to the point that the morning dew is evaporating and the mist is clearing as if under the light of the midday sun.

"Only that hot?" Vulcan muttered, "I've handled tongs with worse heat resistance."

The red-eyed girl, Alpha as she seemed to be called, twitched at his statement and began to move even faster.

Barzul! He cursed mentally, She's faster than Perevail!

But you can still react. Volund replied.

Vulcan's minimal movements continued to be just barely enough to parry and block Alpha's worst blows, with his wards blocking what he couldn't, but he was able to also trade blows every once in a while, and Alpha, not having any wards, would receive the occasional broken limb, slowing her down for moments at a time.

…

As the fight continued, Faris felt himself wresting control of his body back from Tartarus, but as he gained more and more control the pain he had put his body through the more he began to feel the pain his body was in.

"It looks like he might win, but it will be close." Tartarus remarked innocently. Faris ignored him, fighting through the pain was one thing, but trying to reassert control of his body was like swimming through freezing mud while also under the haze of sleep. He struggled to move his limbs, even blinking felt like a chore. "Tut tut" Tartarus said in an admonishing tone. Faris immediately felt himself black out as the world grew dark again.

…

Vulcan had incurred a few injuries by now, his wards weren't perfect for efficiency's sake, so stray pebbles often slipped past his wards, pelting his armor but sometimes slipping through gaps and hitting his skin, the worst of those wounds was a huge welt on his thumb knuckle from a sizeable rock when he didn't raise his shield in time. The wound throbbed, but he didn't have enough time to heal or take out a tool he had already enchanted.

Alpha seemed to be in perfect condition despite the various blood stains all over her clothing from his attacks, her body regenerated rapidly, the way it jerked and popped and snapped back into place reminding him of a shade, or of a craftsman popping back in the joints of a marionette.

"Tired, old man?" She smirked, swinging her fist into the ground, causing the ground to crack and shrapnel to fly everywhere, the majority hit the walls, ceiling, floor, and Gamma's barrier, but many were launched in Vulcan's direction. Vulcan raised his shield and ran to the right, feeling the sound of the stones pelting his shield like a rapid drum beat. Rolling to the side he avoided Alpha's headlong charge, and hopping back he cocked back his hammer, tightening his grip, and swung with all his might, meeting her fist with his hammer. The force pushed him back, but broke Alpha's hand once again. Before she could recover, he rushed forward, swinging his hammer with reckless abandon. Alpha deflected the blows at first with great ease, but her movements began to slow, imperceptibly at first, then in a more gradual and noticeable fashion, she began to slow down, the recoil of their clashes knocked Vulcan back less and less, and her face began to betray the slightest bit of exhaustion.

Victory is tilting in my favor, Vulcan thought. His celebratory thoughts were cut short by a vine wrapping around his leg and skewing his balance.

"You forgot about meeee." Gamma said in a sing-song voice, smirking as her eyes gleamed in iridescent green light. Vulcan cursed out as his Hammer was being wrenched from his grip. Above them in the ceiling, Volund began to slam into the stone road above, attempting to break into the sewers.

No! Vulcan shouted mentally, There are still children in this area! The fallen stones may kill them!

Then their blood will be my responsibility alone Vulcan, Volund retorted viciously, My Rider shall not die tonight.

Alpha stood up slowly, breathing heavily, a bloody, sardonic grin filled her face, flames began to gather in her hand, the flames began to swirl rapidly, concentrating into a spear like form that radiated a large amount of heat. Vulcan struggled against the vines but couldn't free himself.

Tartarus watched this occur in almost slow motion, he had no inclination to help either the dwarf or the enhanced children. But after a moment of thought, he stood up. Despite his bones creaking and limbs discolored from the injuries he sustained, Tartarus made his way over to Gamma, he picked up a broken blade near one of the guard corpses, then, when he was right next to Gamma, slashed his own hand. Gamma turned just in time to see the boy shove his palm at her lips. Her mouth opened reflexively in a gasp then closed, but she had not been quick enough to stop his blood from entering her mouth.

Vulcan felt the vines slack, giving him just enough time to swing his hammer into Alpha's spear of flame. His arm vibrated from the shock of the impact and he was blown backwards by an explosion of heat and fire. As if on cue, Volund's claw broke through the sewer roof, a bronze dragon's head pierced through the rubble, glaring at the red haired girl. Opening his maw, a gout of rust colored fire blasted out. Alpha leapt out of the way, turning towards Gamma. She narrowed her eyes as she saw Faris grabbing Gamma from behind, his hand still over her mouth.

With little hesitation she charged forward, Faris leapt to the side just as he saw her twitch, she barrelled past him, and grabbed Gamma and ignoring the still unconscious children behind them, they retreated further into the sewers as the flames continued to coil and curl, like a throng of living creatures dancing and attempting to devoir all in it's path. The vines, no longer powered by Gamma, caught on fire quickly, fueling the dragon fire and heating up the room. Faris, lipped chapped and skin already beginning to flake from the heat, turned to the Ra'zac and harshly shouted, "Get these kids further out!" He cut down the vines holding the Ra'zac in place. As the Ra'zac grabbed the children and began moving away, Faris stared hard at the cracked ceiling He picked up a spear and jamming it into the roof. He pushed into the spear twisting until more of the roof fell. As if on cue, the hot air, and flames carried by it, began to fly up into the cool air of the city.

The roof began to cave in and Faris felt an explosion of pain as a falling piece of the roof shattered his shoulder. He collapsed, the rubble beginning to bury him….