Bergan roared with effort as he swung his gisarme, cutting off the shade's head. Before the body burst into smoke Angela stabbed forward Tinkledeath, piercing the shade's chest. They all backed up and away from the shade, watching as its body blew up.

"This… monster, why are they here?!" He winced as Haya put a hand to his shoulder wound, healing him slowly.

"Galbatorix experimented on shade creations." Haya said, "Two of my previous partners ended up being fodder for his experiments after failing tasks." She winced as the spirits rushed out. "Was this all of them?"

Elva shakes her head. "She's coming."

Haya began to channel the raw power within the crystal Jaya gave her, preparing layer upon layer of ward around herself and her allies.

Entering the room, was a child with scarlet eyes and hair. Solembum's fur bristled, and he backed up slightly. Angela gripped her sword with greater force. "This… this isn't Jahat, is it?"

Elva shook her head, "Once she says her third word run."

The shade girl regarded the group with wide eyes, smiling she spoke. "Oh, hello there." The floor beneath them burst into flames, nearly breaking the wards protecting the city's power source. The few dozen mages and volunteers donating their power for that particular hour backed against the wall. Panic in their voices as they saw the second shade. The plum of smoke cleared rapidly as an iron ball struck the shade, knocking her back dozens of feet. Bergan gripped the hand cannon Faris had used, arms trembling.

"How… did my son utilize this without his arms ripping off?" Bergan groaned, muscles trembling and chest heaving.

"Magic, like all other aspects of our world we can't explain." Elva twirled her dagger. "Angela, move three paces forward as quickly as you can and charge forward, Solembum, take as far a path as you can via the left. Don't tackle her, rather…" She pointed to the large Erisdar at the top. "Cut that rope."

"What should I do?" Bergan asked.

"Keep aiming, Haya, refuel and reignite, Gurant gave us the procedure." Elva took out a green glowing dagger. "There's more, but you can't hear it until it happens." She swallowed uncomfortably. "Follow my lead."

The walls of the city were torn apart, erupting in flame. The shade blew the buildings that rushed towards him, scowling as he had to leap out of the way from the attacks. "I'm getting tired of your illusions." He scowled in anger. He chanted in the ancient language to pierce the illusion surrounding him, just in time to dodge the flying blade, he wasn't able to fully dodge it as it speared his shoulder.

Farooq uttered some commands to the spirit controlling the blade, it charged forward, glowing in its wild magic.

The shade growled, unable to interfere with the magic behind the spirits.

"Even as you seek to destroy us, your magic is born from the spirits inside of you, more that destruction of flesh, they seek freedom." Farooq smirked, "So in its own way, your body is fighting against you."

Jaya swung his staff. Now the shade was within the depths of the sea, it found breathing impossible, it's mind slowly fading.

"Jierda!" The shade screamed, the sea broke apart, crackling like shards of glass. But before it could move forward a bag landed on its face, blowing up and hurtling it towards the ground. From the earth erupted a massive black dragon, closing its fangs on the shade. The shade blocked the teeth with its arms and legs, but it was the tongue that was the true danger, somehow piercing it in the heart. The shade began to scream in rage and horror as the illusion faded away, revealing Jaya with a sword, smirking as he pushed the dying shade into the pit it created.

"Un atra mor'ranr lifa unin hjarta onr." He uttered, turning away.

The last remaining black hand member's eyes flashed with fear, greater than the danger the rider posed, the Du Vrangr Gata seemed to be the true dangers. While Vulcan had dispatched of two of his hand, and the dwarves' dragon Volund had made short work of the fanghur they took control of, but the Du Vrangr Gata were by far the most dangerous.

"You weren't this powerful merely 3 months ago! If not for Vanir we would have killed you!"

Trianna simply replied, "We were outside of the city."

The black hand mage widened his eyes. He began to laugh. "So… that's why they had us diverge our forces. Jahat in her mercy gave us this opportunity knowing we would likely fail, in order to buy time for her weapon." He laughed, taking out a second blade and smirking, eyes flickering red. "GLORY TO JAHAT!" He charged forward, fighting with renewed vigor. Even as blades pierced him and his mind was on the backfoot, he fought like a wild beast, finally cutting down one of the members of the Du Vrangr Gata, he sighed as a blade stabbed through his spine. Dropping his weapon, he looked outside, smiling.

Trianna followed his gaze, eyes widening as she saw the station that held the city's massive energy source, there was a whole in the complex, and smoke wafting from it.

"It's too late it seems…" The mage smiles, kissing Trianna's hand. "A kiss to bid you goodbye." He began to chant rapidly in the ancient language, arms tightening around Trianna's arm like a vice. The combined efforts of the Du Vrangr Gata and Volund weren't able to remove the man from the embrace. Their words did nothing either, he had already died. Eventually his body crumbled to dust, an energy seeming to enter Trianna's body. Trianna began to feel her strength rapidly leave her as her body also began to glow.

"No!" She screamed.

"Vëoht" Volund said, the air around the glowing cult member seemed to thicken. "I've bought us a few minutes. Trianna, it's your call, what must we do?" The sorceress looked at the dwarf, then at the cultist, then at Nasuada.

"We will find a way to separate you two. We can do it, I'll recall one of the thirteen, Farooq! He can-" Trianna shook her head, smiling she stared at Vulcan.

"Take me to the air."

"Trianna!" Nasuada called out harshly, "I am giving you an order! Stay put now!"

"Nasuada, I will respectfully reply that your idea is stupid and will lead to all our deaths, we don't have enough time for a miracle caused by spirits." She shook her head, "I didn't imagine I would become one of the most powerful mages in all of Alagaesia." She smiled, "It was fun whilst it lasted."

She walked up to Vulcan, who helped her up to Volund's back. Together Dragon, Rider, and Sorceress took to the skies, getting as far away as possible from the castle and from the city.

"When will the spell end?" She simply asked.

Vulcan swore under his breath. "In 1 minute and 30 seconds." They were 30 miles away from the city and nearly 20 miles away from the air.

"Pity, I would have liked to ask you how Eragon was doing." She smiled. "I thought he was adorable, he was stronger than those insufferable twins, sharp, and quite handsome. And he was a rider!" She glowed as she said those words. "A powerful man who would shape the future of Alagaesia, and I thought I could maybe stand at his side." She giggled, "Of course, his dragon hated me. Maybe she saw what was within my heart."

Vulcan chuckled nervously. "I'm sorry, she was actually jealous of the potential attention being taken away."

Trianna laughed as well, "I could have been tied to the most powerful man in Alagaesia, but somehow, because a dragon envied me? How ironic." She sighed. "When riders returned, I had illusions of one choosing me, but I was too scared to try. I didn't think one would ever find me worthy." She smiled sadly. "This is the first dragon I've ever ridden," She looked down, "This is the first time I've seen my city in it's entirety." Tears streamed down her face. "It's so beautiful." She took out her staff and her ring, handing them to Vulcan. "You can stop here." As Vulcan takes the items Trianna stares into a hard spot of space, in an instant she was engulfed in violet light, her body disappearing in the explosion and reappearing leagues away in the air. Volund roared in rage as he flew back towards the kingdom.

The oath breaker's claws are deep that he still reaches out now to take vengeance on us.

"This isn't vengeance, this is disgusting." Vulcan turned to his Eldunari. Was there nothing that could be done?

…We can't reverse the process, we can only slow it, perhaps using the energy of the city she could live another decade, but by the week's end she would have lacked the capacity to think. The dragon hummed sadly. She was a brave woman. The sky flashed white for an instant. When Vulcan turned around, he saw a smoke cloud. Prepare! The Eldunari shouts. It releases a radius of light, heat, and poison that could reach even us!

All the more to fuel my anger… Volund rumbled.

As they flew rapidly towards the kingdom Vulcan couldn't help but think of the boy, who was captured by the same monsters who attacked the capital.

Venka opened her eyes, head pounding she looked around, she was in chains and fastened to a wall, her robe and items gone and replaced with a simple smock. She looked around in panic, the thin fabric felt alien, and she felt scared that someone had gotten close enough to replace her clothing. She looked left and right to see her friends were in similar positions, though larger and thicker looking chains held down Alanna, Dusan, and Seya.

"Ah… you're awake? You really are more impressive than I imagined." She looked to see Dr. Mendel, his eyes no longer held the pleasant light they once wore, now dark bags surrounded them, his eyes themselves had a slightly glazed and unfocused expression, but they zeroed in on Venka looking her up and down, before turning to each of the other kids. Venka squirmed, bruising her wrists as she struggled to do anything to get away from the man, she settled with pressing her back to the wall, in an attempt to meld into it.

"Get away from me! I'm warning you!" The man ignored her, coming closer, "Brisingr!" She screamed. Yet nothing happened.

"Surprised?" Dr. Mendel came closer, "That I'm not burning into ash?" He smiled, caressing her cheek. Venka turned away from his touch. "You are marvelous you know? Alpha is an exemplary specimen, as powerful as or even more powerful than the shade Gamma reported you all fought together. Beta is not far behind her in strength, and whilst the others aren't as impressive, they are all at around the levels of skilled elves. I had thought I had made a miracle with Omega's readings." He looked at Seya tenderly, like looking at an old friend, or lost lover, "She was a sickly child when I first met her, but she had astounding magical ability for a human, greater than most I had met. Though still less than any elf. And looking at her now, my experiment truly paid off, she's so powerful, if she hadn't exhausted herself and had been under my care, she would be leaps and bounds ahead of Alpha, a pity that Alpha is now slightly her senior in power." He chuckled, turning to Alanna and Dusan. "Those elves, elven children, they really are filled to the brim with a special magic, now that they are resting even the chains are having trouble keeping their magic on check. But you…" He turned to Venka; his eyes hungry. "You are just a human girl, yet Delta's fluctuations have never yielded a result comparable to what you have stored within you…" He took out a needle, eliciting struggling again. "Shhh, shhh, I only need a little blood, you don't want the needle breaking in you, do you?"

Venka stilled as the needle entered an artery, eyes widening as she felt a pinching, sour pain in her wrist, Mendel wiped the area and applied a quick healing gauze. "Where's Faris…" She growled at him.

"Oh? You want to know were Epsilon is? He's dead."

"I don't believe you.'

"Trust me," He laughed, "You should." He sighed, "That fool, he chose to sacrifice his life as opposed to lose his freedom to me, but lost both. But you!" He turned to look at Venka excitedly, hand touching her face again. "I'll make you even greater, even Jahat would be impressed with your pow-" He screamed as Venka bit down on his finger, dropping the needled his other hand clenched into a fist, punching Venka hard, causing her head to crack painfully against the wall and getting her to let go. He clutched his pained hand, throbbing from the force of the bite, he turned to glare at Venka, teeth clenched,

Venka spit at his direction, "Your hand is dirty and disgusting, nothing you make would ever be great." Mendel did not respond at first, finally, instead of simply retorting, he clenched his fist, choosing instead to punch Venka repeatedly, emphasizing each blow with a word.

"Don't! You! Dare! Lecture! Me! Child!"

"Stop it!" Dr. Mendel turned to see Seya had awakened, "Leave her alone! Isn't it me you want!? Let them go!"

"Ah… Omega." Dr. Mendel, almost immediately forgetting about his rage walked over to Seya. "It is truly lovely to see you again. I can comply with your first request, seeing you again has put me in a good mood. But I can't let them go, I think it's time to increase the family." He chuckled, "I wonder how powerful the elves will be…" He turned, stepping on the blood sample and twisting it left and right. "I wanted to see the content of the blood to make sure I had a correct mixing of the formula, but special treatment isn't warranted I gather."

Seya waited until she couldn't hear his footsteps before turning to Venka. "Are you alright? Did he… do anything to you."

"He drew my blood, and gave me these new bruises, so all he did was increase the ass-kicking I'll serve him when we break free."

Seya smiled at Venka's enthusiasm, but kept to herself the direness of their situation. Even if they broke out, they'd be in no shape to defend against the other enhanced children. The cuffs blocked magic, and the room blocked outside magic, so it was likely that they wouldn't be able to contact anyone via scrying or magic mirror, even if they broke out. Mumbling alerted her, and she and Venka turned to see who was beginning to get roused. It was Dusan.

The young elf's arms were sore, he turned and observed his surroundings. "Seya, Venka, you two are awake as well… Venka, are you alright? You look hurt…" Venka nodded. "Did the mad doctor capture us?"

"He did…" Seya muttered, leaning her head against the wall, it was the only comfort she could find. She closed her eyes, breathing in and out as calmly as possible.

Soon after the others began to wake.

"Where's Faris? Where's Bergan and the others?"

"I don't know," Venka sighed despondently.

"We can't just give up." Nya said angrily. She began to pull against her chains, hands turning white from the strain.

Seya looked at her friends. "You're right… we can't."

The door blew open, revealing Dr. Mendel, covered in scuff marks ran in, clutching a dagger, he looked wild eyed at the children, and sprinted towards Venka.

"Dammit! I won't let him! If he turns you then they may threaten Jahat!" Venka looked in fear at the desperation on Dr. Mendel's face. Another loud boom shook the area, and Beta burst in.

"Doctor we have approximately 2 seconds." Before Dr. Mendel could say anything, Beta blew up a wall, the earth and dirt levitated above the ceiling for a short bit, allowing the two to sprint through before it reformed almost perfectly. This was followed by two screams, followed by the sound of a shade dying as the spirits were ripped from the body. The kids knew the sound well enough from Hruk. Light footsteps echoed as the noise of the explosion settled, the door swung open again. Dust and smoke settling. A figure, the outline of a child, walked into the room, movement casual. The dust began to clear, revealing red hair, and glowing red eyes. The kids looked on in dread, then shock.

The first person to break the silence was Venka, who's eyes grew wide as she burst into a shrieking sob, her tears hit the floor, soaking in as the figure approached.

Morgan was the first person to speak, "F-Faris? Is that you…"

The shade cocked his head, "Was that this body's name?" He smiled, charging towards Venka, hand brimming with magic, "My name now is Tartarus…"