Shade of good
Discalimer:Eragon belongs to Christopher Paolini
Eragon and Karris had flown to the shade amry and jumped into their mist while Eridor and Saphira attacked their flank. "The shades musn't be allowed to reach the Varden!" Eragon shouted over the noise of battle. Swinging his sword in a circle he cleared the area around him. He stabbed a shade through the back and stole his sword. The shades used thin swords, good at piercing but bad at blocking. "When your stronger than one them it's easy to kill them!" Eragon shouted at Karris. "Wait until they start using magic!" Karris shouted back , playing Elvesbane low and hitting a shdes in the legs. He then leaped on the shade and finished him. Eragon ducked a large ball of fire. The shades had started using magic.
Eridor had now problem with shades , being resistent to their magic and too strong even for them. His only problem was putting his massive claws through their small chests. It was difficult but he managed at a slowish pace. Until Thorn rose up to meet him. Eridor laughed in a strange dragonish way. Thorn , enraged by this flew at full pace , jaws wide, only to crash to the ground from a massive swipe from Eridor. Thorn wasn't fully grown and was no much for the much larger Eridor. Eirdor had no intention of killing him put he had to be removed from the fight. He was about to ask Karris to use magic to stop him when Murtagh did it to him.
Karris was moving so fast that most human eyes couldn't register him, but unfortunetly shade eyes could. He obliterated wards and crushed shades with ease. But shades weren't famous for their great combat skills. They were famous because they could only be killed in a certain way. And that way was near impossible whilst fighting at all sides. "We'll probably win this fight but it's going to take forever to get rid of all these shades" he told Eridor. "Murtagh has frozen me in place" answered Eridor. "To you think you and Eragon can defeat him?" Karris stopped running , turned and impaled three more shades. "Hopefully , but keep struggeling. The more energy he loses, the easier defeating him will be."
Eragon had cut through the shade ranks and watched as the elves and Urgals joined the battle. The elves because they were the only ones who could match the shades and the urgals because they had such great hatred for shades. Eragon had met up with Arya. "How are things here in Uru'baen?" he asked politely. Arya looked angry. "Eragon this in no time for talk. Go back to fighting!" She yelled the last part and continued fighting the shades. Karris appeared and blasted several shades through the heart with fiery heat. "In my opinion they didn't torture her enough." He commented. 'Now come on" he continued before Eragon could respond angrily. "We have a rider to take down."
Saphira had taken over fighting Thorn after Murtagh stopped Eridor. "How could you return to an evil servitude?" she asked him , but recieved no answer. He had shut her out of his mind. Roaring loudly the two started fighting, both desperatly trying to get their jaws around the other's throat.
Karris and Eragon had forged a path towards Murtagh. Some shades stepped back instead of facing them. When they approached Murtagh they were shocked. His eyes had turned hollow. His face was beyond pale and his hair had a redish tinge. "He's been driven insane by aborbing to many shades" commented Karris sadly. "He may have been insane all along or at least changed. Galbatorix's training had broken him and made him a shell of what he once was." Eragon didn't want to believe it but he did. The Murtagh he knew didn't stand before him, but a fractured shell of what he once was. Eragon voiced what both of the riders feared. "He must have abosrbed a lot of shades to change his apperence like that." Karris nodded. "I thought there were a of missing shades.He must have absorbed at least another twenty." Eragon turned almost as pale as Murtagh. "But with that kind of power we wouldn't stand a chance!" Karris smiled thinly and sighed. "He may have far greater power , but he is also inexpirenced and quite possibly completely insane." They had been walking forward the whole time and stopped before Murtagh. "Remember he has to keep Eridor still. That should be draining him constantelly. Like Galbatorix he no longer cares about conserving energy, but Galbatorix was far stronger than him."
Murtagh drew Zarroc and held the sword high in the air, as if admiring the sparkels of light as they fell on the red blade. He turned to face Eragon and Karris and when they were about three feet away from him. "So you have returned, as I knew you would. But why? Have you come to take the throne? Restore the riders? End all hunger and poverty? Spread death and destruction? Conquer everthing?" He asked everything in strange voice tones accompanied by odd movements. "In short are you blessings or curses?" Karris shrugged. Erqgon also shrugged. Eragon hadn't really thought about what to do after the war. Karris had kept him busy and he didn't really care. He was free to do whatever he wanted and that was all that he wanted. Murtagh tittered. "Of course, Eragon is yet to chose his path. Let this battle define you!" Eragon could barely raise his sword before Murtagh was on him. Karris lashed out with Elvesbane and cried out in pain. "He still has wards!" he yelled at Eragon and they both jumped back.
Eragon had no idea what to do. For some reason Murtagh's wards only affected Karris. Karris was trying to overpower the wards with help from Eridor but he couldn't succeed. Eragon could only conclued that Murtagh had intentionally shaped his wards as such. Not that the lack of wards made Murtagh even remotely weak. He and Eragon fought like they used to albeit this time they both were incredibly strong. Eragon could feel the air move as they swung their swords. "Enjoying yourself?" asked Murtagh with a lifeless smile. "Why not join me?" asked Murtagh looking forlorn. His expressions changed rapidly during the fight. "Two brothers sharing the throne!" he shouted as if he loved the idea. Eragon shuddered. Nobody knew his allegiance since he stopped serving Nasuada. He was Karris's apprentice but it ended there. He knew no true master and as such, people were constantly trying to get him on their side. Karris meanwhile, had stopped trying to overpower the wards and was no trying to find something that could go through them.
Saphira and Thorn's fight was still going on with great ferocity. They had roughly the same size and strength so there was no clear victor. The battle against the shades however had been won. The few remaining elves and Uragls had gathered below Thorn and Saphira. Arya and Vanir were the only elves that looked remotely fresh. The both started shooting bolts of energy at Thorn. One hit him and Saphira seized the distraction and kicked him hard. He flew back and the fight continued. Eridor had managed to raise one massive claw. "Get him under my claw. I can keep him there until Karris and Eragon have finished Murtagh" Vanir and Arya were included in Eridor's mental orders and started using their magic to force Thorn to fly in Eridor's direction. Unfortunetly, while trying to bring Thorn down Saphira had left her guard down. Thorn managed to get his jaws around Saphira's neck. "No!" yelled both Vanir and Arya. While neither of them liked Eragon both of them greatly admired Saphira.The fired bolts of energy but it had no effect. Just before Thorn could clench his jaw a green bolt of magic hit him between the wings. Thorn fell to gound and landed underneath Eridor's claw but there was no need for him to do anything. Thorn was completely limp. Standing a short distance away, hand still raised, stood Karris.
Karris had lost all hope of finding a weakness in Murtagh's ward after realising they were similar to Galbatorix's, except that they can block diamonds and didn't protect him from Eragon. Karris decided it was either because they were brothers or because Murtagh had shaped it that way. Looking up he realised Saphira and Thorn were fighting. Realising where Thorn's jaws were he quickly formed a spell and fired it at Thorn. If the spell was going to kill Thron he didn't know.
Eragon and Murtagh were still fighting. Saphira was too angry to tell him anything of the fight. She was angry at both Thorn and Karris. Murtagh ran full speed and twisted his foot. The result was that he slid under Eragon and knocked him off his feat. "Have you made a desicion on my offer?" asked Murtagh as Eragon jumped up and slashed at his legs. "Still trying to make up my mind" said Eragon as Murtagh blocked the blow. "Having a converstion while fighting to the death is strange," Eragon decided. "But then again he is insane." The brothers were still perfectly matched. Eragon had already chosen his path but was still deciding how to tell Murtagh. Murtagh slashed high and Eragon parried the blow. He then slashed at Murtagh's middel. They traded blows until they were both to exshausted to continue. Murtagh exshaustion was helped along by Karris and Eridor who kept attacking his wards, Knowing they couldn't fight with Eragon they had decided to help him however possible. Murtagh lowerd his sword. "What is your answer my good brother?" Eragon looked down. "This" he whispered and struck his sword through Murtagh's chest.