A narrow pass
Discalaimer:Eragon belongs to Christopher Paolini
Eragon, Karris, Brom and Murtagh stood ont the rocky outcrop that overlooked Uru'baen. Eragon couldn't help but stare at the massive city. It was at least three times as big as Dras Leona. It had hundreds of trees but they looked broken, somehow. Karris was beginning to explain the history of Uru'baen. "Uru'baen was origannally an elf city. That is the reason for the abundance of trees. They have a broken effect because they were raised by magic and all magic left them. This was the third elven city the forsworn captured and the only one we didn't raze. The reason Galbatorix has set up his court here is simple. The rocks and ditches means that common soldiers can only assualt by moving through it. Whilst being easily defendable it is also a large area, as you can see." He broke off here and stared into the distance and his eyes widened. A slow smile spread across his face. Eragon also used magic to improve his sight. He couldn't believe what he saw . Hundreds of thousands of tents. Soldiers obviously but some of the tents were undoubtly filled with normal civilians. Karris looked thoughtfull. "Galbatorix seems to think the Varden won't attempt a direct attack which would put all these people at risk." Brom turned. "Galbatorix obviously will stop at nothing to force us into open battle. I say we give it to him, crush his army and then go for him." Murtagh looked and shrugged. "Either way there is going to be a lot of needless bloodshed. I say we fight our way instead of letting Galbatorix chose for us." Eragon was scared. Usally it took a lot more to scare him but this was too much. Murtagh was talking calmly about slaughtering thousands of innocents . And now they excpected him to do the same. Could he do the same? He remebered the elves warning. Do not lose yourself. Eragon had no intention of doing that. "Can't we somehow scatter them?" asked Eragon hoping that Karris had thought of something. Karris smiled. "It won't be as fun but it can work." He muttered to himself. "Get ready. We attack at dawn."
Eragon was dressed in merchanary clothes with a standard sword at his side. Karris's plan for getting rid of the inoccent was was simple. Dress like common guards , kill the other guards and lead the people to safety. Thet were only clearing a small amount of people. Just enough to make space for a pitched battle. Karris stared at Eragon. "I sensed a certian amount of fear among you when we were discussing tactics." He looked somewhat dissapointed. "You still fear losing yourself, killing innocents. That is what makes you different from me and Galbatorix. Sympathy. It's your greatest weakness and the very thing that inspires loyalty in others. I have no such weakness yet I have been betrayed hundreds of times. If I cared like you do I might very well have ruled this land." He shrugged. Karris had been cruel and ruthless in the past and in the end it was his downfall. It was the same with Galbatorix except that he has a farther way to fall.
Murtagh was creeping through the crevice in the ground trying to be silent. His part in the plan was to cause a distraction. All he had was a long piece of rope and a very sharp sword. Fortunetly that was all he needed. He needed information about what happens a lot and causes the gaurds to gather at one palce. When that happened Karris and Brom would strike. Brom was undetectable lying beneath a very thorny bush. Karris was kneeling on top of a rock in pitch black clothes. He had a hood over his eyes and Elvesbane to lean on. The green blade could easily be mistaken for a plant albeit one in a barren area. While Murtagh couldn't see or hear Karris he felt the faint echoes of his power. It seemed to be endless. Murtagh shuddered. Only one person had ever had that impression on him and that was who he was going out to kill.
Murtagh was never very subtle. He simply threw the rope over someone and pulled. He put Zarroc at his neck and whispered "Stay still or die. Your choice." Murtaghs speech had the chosen effect and the man looked up at him his mouth closed tight. "Now listen. We don't like Galbatorix any more than you do so are you going to talk or do you want things to get unpleasent?" The man shuddered and said "What do you want?" Their was now anger or fear in his voice. Murtagh had the feeling he was forcibly ripped from his home. Murtagh smiled. "I need you to tell me how to get all the gaurds at one place." The man was the vision of joy. He obviously thought they were going to help him escape. "Only one thing makes them abbonden their posts. Food. It is scarce and nobody is feeding well." Murtagh let the man go. He readied his rope and jumped from surprise when he saw Karris next to him. He handed him a roasted joint of meat and pointed. Murtagh sat the food down and made some light shine at the area.
The gaurds came at a remarkable speed.Brom had slipped off and drawn an elfish bow. Karris was standing , near invisible in the pitch darkness, ready to pounce. Murtagh was there, a red blade flashed in the darkness and three guards fell dead. Brom loosed arrows at the ones who tried to run. Karris simply pointed and gaurd after gaurd fell. Unfortunetly there was a magiacan amongst the guards. He managed to shoot a large amount of glass shards at Karris. Karris deflected them to the left. Unfortunetly that was were Brom was standing.
The magiacins trick was simple. He broke a glass bottle and shot the shards at the echoes of power. Now ,his magical attack on it's own was pathetic. But when Karris added his effect it became deadly. Brom quickly used his magic to blow the shards away but one found it's mark. It embedded itself in his chest. He fell to the ground limp. Eragon who was told to come when the attack began was at his side. Brom stirred. He privately knew he would only be a liability while fighting Galbatorix but he would never admit it. "Eragon" he began wheezing. "Once before I died and gave you my blessing. This time I give you a warning. Karris lives to serve himself. He is fond enough of you , but won't think twice about sacrificing you to kill Galbatorix. He excpects the same of you. Now remember he will definitly try..." Brom fell dead, unable to complete his warning. Most people would have just said the warning. But Brom first had to explain why he didn't bless Eragon again. Eragon didn't weep or even feel sad. He just felt hollowed. No one could see in the darkness, but if you could, you would've seen a smile on Karris's face.
The rest of the night passed without great incident.They easily killed the gaurd and led a lot of people to safety. They only saved the people on one side. The side at which they would strike.The reason was there was only one pass to the wall in that direction.That didn'r really matter. Thorn had thought of a plan to make sure the kings army didn't see them coming.
Eridor,Saphira and Thorn flew of in the direction of the wall. The were riderless but a dragon didn't need a mount to be fierce. While they attacked one side of Uru'baen ,their riders and the Varden would crush the other side of Uru'baen. Eridor flew down and smashed into the wall. Thousands of arrows hit him but he didn't even feel it. Those that weren't blocked by the wards Karris had set broke on his hide.He was simply too big for anything to truly harm. Only once was Eridor outmatched. When he fought Vrael's dragon. Over five thousand years old.He almost died that day. He survived because Galbatorix had shot a particullarly powerfull of blast of magic at the dragon. It was the only time Eridor had ever fleed. He would never let that happen again, though at the moment it was tempting. Hir fire delt with the soldiers easily enough but the shades were hurting him. They knew the wards would would stop death and wounds but the didn't stop pain. They obviosly hoped to make him retreat. He heard a very loud explosion. The explosion had ripped apart half of Uru'baen's defences. His feeling of elation fell as quickly as it came. A part of Galbatorix's palace shattered and Shruikan flew out.
Eragon never really enjoyed marching. He liked flying with Saphira and riding but walking bored him. He noted that Karris also looked bored to death. Most of the soldiers tended to avoid him. His clotes were a mixture of green and black.The green was cloth but the black was a strange metal. Eragon wore chain mail with blue clothes that Karris had given him. Murtagh was his own armor but with a red cloak. According to Karris it tradiosional for the human riders to wear cloth that mached their dragons. Galbatorix still wore gold cloth because that was the colour of his first dragon. The looked at the walls. Karris stood and raised his left hand.It blazed with silver light. It was trange that Karris aggreed to weaken himself before the battle. Murtagh was confused but said nothing. Eragon knew Karris would replensish himself. He knew how to draw magic from his surroundings and his right hand was pointed at the elvish army. "Tranfish losh nagiazitasi! Heroga fa deziaer! Nogana kadiz Karris!" Eragon watched as the walls crumpeled, ballitsas and catupalts and energy seeped out of the city to Karris. Enemies fell dead. Karris had used their lives to bring himself back to full power. The elves and Kull charged while the humans and dwarves followed.
Eridor landed heavily on a large group of shades. He killed two of them with his talons but the others would be back. He roared defiantly at Shruikan. The black dragon roared back and struck at Eridor with his claws. Eridor flew up and kicked down at him. Shruikan turned and tried to bite Eridor's neck. Eridor headbutted him hard and kicked. Shruikan fell backwards. Both of them blew deadly fire, but both of them were warded. Eridor saw one option. He flew at Shruikan at full speed and sent him crashing into the ramparts of the palace. He couldn't stop himself and flew into a line of houses. He lay there and knew Shruikan was dead. The sharp spikes went right through him. He closed his eyes and hoped that the wards would hold.
Murtagh rode on a very fast horse and was stopped constantly.Karris and Eragon could simply jump over the soldiers but Karris had chosen to clear a path for Murtagh. Eragon was helping the Varden until Murtagh was close to the palace. Murtagh had Zarroc and a very long pike in his hands. He calmly impaled the foot soldiers and slashed down those who were on horses. He pulled the reigns. He was at the front of the palace.
Eragon was fighting at the walls. The Varden weren't outnumbered they were just outpowered. The shades would not be stopped and the elves were pressed to the side. Galbatorix's tactics were simple. Keep the elves away from the shades and let them run loose over the others. Eragon knew hundreds of humans died keeping the elves back but he had a differebnt strategy. He had his sword in one hand and a long knife in the other. He used his sword to duel the shades and stabbed them with the knife. He sent a wave of flame that stopped the enemies advance and allowed the elves to break out. They ran at full speed and engaged the shades. Eragon turned, and with an incredible leap landed in the streets of Uru'baen. He ran towards the palace.
Karris ran through the streets of Uru'baen, killing with ease. He swung elvesbane and cut a tree, blocking the street. Some people started trying to move it but Karris set the tree aflame. They started running and Karris did a sort of slide of the roof and fell on a fat gaurd. He then grabbed the gaurd's sword and ran into the fray. He jumped into the center and held the swords as if drawing them. He then started swinging them in unision slashing through everything. He stared. Galbatorix's palace stood before him. Murtagh walked towards him , Zarroc in hand. Eragon came flying from one of the roofs. He drew his sword and sighed. Everything depended on this battle and he was fighting alongside someone he couldn't trust. Wordlessly they walked into the palace.