After several moments a blue dragon came out of the forest followed by a strange looking human. They approached the gates without showing any hostilities and came towards me. I noticed several of my men pointing muskets at them and said put your weapons down! And they lowered the barrels. I looked back at her and studied what she looked like. What are you staring at? Said a defiant female voice and I immediately looked away, the only other dragon I've seen was my Adopted father I replied as I studied the human and I mentally gasped and had the men point the rifles at the non- human before me. An elf! I said angrily as they both tensed after me. She growled and stood over him protectively saying touch him and you're dead!! My mind was spinning with images of elves slaughtering dragons a millennia ago that my father showed me, several leaking to others in the courtyard and one of my men yelled "touch the captain and we will fill you with lead" as several cannons were pointed at the pair. I finally calmed down enough to think clearly 'wait, if the elves were still killing dragons they wouldn't team up, and one or the other would most likely have gone extinct' I thought and said hold your fire. "But captain, those memories…" someone started to say but I cut him off …were a million years old. The war couldn't have lasted that long. Get them some mead. At this I turned back to them and said the name's Alan Blood, last dragon of earth. "My name's Eragon Shadeslayer and this is Saphira Brightscales" said the elf as a barrel of mead was put before Saphira and a cup was handed to Eragon. I finished my barrel and said to Saphira well; your scales are bright without thinking it through, getting me an odd look. Trying to change the subject I said anyone hungry? Saphira replied no and Eragon said "yes, but I don't eat meat" and I laughed. You wouldn't last two weeks at sea I said to him as I sent a few men to get him some fruit. Giles came up in a hurry and said "captain, there's a fleet of ships heading straight for us. What're your orders?" put the cannons on the ships, as well as any supplies that will fit. Then set fire to the rest and retreat to the island north of here I said and in minutes the ships were setting sail as the enemy began to barricade the harbor entrance. From the air I could see the red one going after Saphira and I got a strangely protective feeling. Without hesitating I grabbed a harpoon out of the burning fort, told my men to leave him to me and shot at him, keeping my secret weapon hidden against my underside as he turned to face me. Again I was stopped in mid air and I roared angrily and said cowards! You have no honor! Using magic in a fair fight is a tactic of the damned!! As I thrashed in their grip while keeping the harpoon out of sight. As he was dealing with me, Saphira rammed his side and I was released from their magic as they fell toward the sea, clawing and biting. I watched as they broke apart and I shot toward my opponent, readying the harpoon. The human looked up in shock just before I thrust the weapon through his torso and pinned him to his dragons back before using the red one's bulk to reverse by momentum, leaving large gashes on his lower back and pushing him closer to the sea as he roared in pain. Hah! You fight like a hatchling!! I said as he shot off to recover from my attack. Something on a nearby ship caught my attention and I looked to see three pale humans with blood red hair chanting and everything went dark.
I woke in a dark cell and tried to get up only to find I was chained to the floor. I tried to vocalize my outrage but my mouth was chained shut. I heard breathing nearby and I said show yourself and someone laughed. "You're in no position to issue demands" said one of the strange humans from earlier as he stepped out of the shadows. "My name's Drone, and I have been instructed to learn what I can from you. By force if necessary." He said in his snake like voice. You'll get nothing from me. The Blood family train themselves to deal with large amounts of pain. "Ah, so there are more of you, the king will be glad to know this." 'Let him think that' I thought to myself before saying our nation is larger and more powerful than you could imagine. When they learn of my capture they will respond violently. This land will make a small but welcome addition to our empire. I said and I smiled inwardly as he drank up my lies like my men and their drink. "Our reports say you haven't used magical attacks when plundering, why is that?" hah, you have no idea who your messing with and he got out a knife and approached. He went out of my sight and soon I felt a sharp pain in my left foreleg. "Where is your empire?" he said as I felt him begin sawing at my sensitive wing membranes. I groaned lightly, resisting the urge to try and roar in pain. It seemed my lack of obvious suffering was getting to him as he began to cut with more savage motions. A woman with red hair walked in and yelled "Drone! Galbatorix wanted him in fighting condition, why are you cutting off his wings!" "He won't tell me anything Raja, and we can always heal him before it becomes permanent" he replied as I felt my wings heal. Another man walked in and said "Galbatorix has summoned us. Most likely about our failure to capture the female and her rider" after he said this they turned into black mist and dissipated. I strained my senses for several minutes before deciding no one was nearby and changing into human form, the chains falling off me as I shrunk. I opened the door and walked down the hallway. Soon I ran into a guard and silently cursed the weak senses of humans s he looked at my naked form. "Soldier, where is your uniform" he asked and I played along saying "sir, my squad hid it on me sir!" in my best soldier impersonation voice. He laughed before saying "follow me boy, I'll lend you one of my old ones until you find it" and he led me to a room before handing me a stained shirt with pants and leather boots. "Now, this isn't free. I'm supposed to check on an elf, but I can't stand the creatures so you are to do it for me. Go down the stairs and it's the third cell on the right" he said handing me a key. 'An elf huh? Maybe I should help him out' I thought as I went down the stairs and found myself in front of an iron door. I opened it and found a malnourished and beaten elf hanging by chains on the far wall. I tried the key and found it did not fit the shackles as he looked up at me weakly and fainted. I stripped and changed before prying the metal bands off of his hands with surgical precision and laying him on the ground. I changed back and carried him through the halls, marveling at how light he was. Several guards came up and noticed me. "Stop! Where are you taking that prisoner?!" "I have order's to take him to the king" I said and they let me pass with the unconscious elf over my shoulders. I got out to the main gate, repeating my false orders to anyone who questioned me. The gate troops barred the exit and said in bored voices "password" and I hesitated before taking on e of their swords, killing them, and fleeing into the woods. I'm minutes I heard the sound of dogs in the distance. I changed, picked up my prize and took off toward the coast, leaving the uniform in tatters on the ground.
It had been three days since my escape; the elf had stirred several times. Sometimes I could swear he was looking at me, but I never caught him. I was laying on the ground, a stolen barrel of ale in front of me and the remains of a deer to my left. 'Where am I?' I thought to myself, 'I need to find my men but I have no idea where the rally point is from here' I continued, not noticing that the elf was sitting up and looking at me as I sipped my drink. "Greetings skulblaka" he said and I looked at him, trying to decide if it was an insult. "May I ask where your rider is?" he finished and I bared my teeth, if you think I would carry someone anywhere but in my claws you are gravely mistaken! I said. "Forgive me, mighty dragon. I thought the man who rescued me was a rider, after all, the chances of a normal person sneaking into Galbatorix's secret prison is incomprehensible." There was no man. I rescued you during my escape. Tell me elf, which direction is the giant whirlpool? I said and he looked confused before saying "the boar's eye is to the south west of Narda in the north. In other words, west of here." I hesitated before saying I can take you to a place you will be safe. But I swear by my ancestors, if you endanger my crew I won't hesitate to kill you as I picked him up in me claws and took off, ignoring his struggles of surprise.
Finally I made it to the rally point and set the elf, who I found out was Faelin, Galbatorix's son, down in the camp as Giles came forward. "Captain, you're free! I told those two landlubbers you would return!!" like the English underestimated my father, so did this empire misjudge me I said, now, prepare the ships, we move out in an hour. "So Doru Areabea is you rally point?" asked Eragon as he walked up, followed by Saphira. I looked at him and replied only one of many safe havens from the empire. It pays to be prepared for anything. Now, I have decided to assist you in your war, but know this, I will not take orders. If you want help in a fight, it must be in the form of a request. And the price for my assistance is to allow me to recruit men for my fleet. I said and Saphira looked at me fleet? Two ships in not much of a fleet. And I replied I only kept ships I had enough men for. Even now I don't have the optimum amount for proper combat efficiency. As I said this someone brought me some clothes and said "The ships are ready to leave." I changed into my naked human form and noticed the two elves and Saphira staring at me with wide eyes. "How is that possible? No spell can do that!" said Faelin in a shocked voice. I grinned as I put on my clothes and said "not a spell, a potion" how does it work? Said Saphira, obviously intrigued. "I can't tell you that. How it works, and how it's made have been family secrets for thousands of years, along with the creation of hell powder. But I'll give you some if you want it" I said with a grin as I put my six pistols on my belt and went into my sloop. I got to the chest and took the key from its hiding place. I opened the chest, expecting to fid it filled with it, but what I found was two bottles of potion, an old sheepskin scroll and two books, one looked normal and read 'the behavior, types, and life cycle of demons', the other was made of what appeared to be volcanic glass. Interested I looked at the title it read 'The Demonocraphy'. I took out one potion and closed the chest, making a note to read the books on the voyage. "is that it?" asked Eragon when I got back. "Yes it is" I said as I handed it to him. he muttered some words and immediately flinched. "Its poison!" he said accusingly as him and Saphira tensed up. "To humans, yes. But the worst thing it will do to a dragon is make them hyper" I said. Then why don't you drink it? Saphira said, not convinced. "fine." I answered and took off my clothes before changing, ignoring their uncomfortable expressions. You pour that in my mouth I said to one of my men and he took I from Eragon. I shuddered at the awful taste as it slid down my throat. In seconds I could barely keep still as energy rushed through me. I accidentally knocked over a pile of barrels with an involuntary twitch of my tail as I said there-see? If-it-was-poisonus-to-dragons-it-would-have-already-made-my-stomach-digest-itself,-giving-me-a-painful-death so fast I was barely understandable. Now-excuse-me,-I-can't-hold-still-any-longer I said as I jumped into the air and stated doing aerial maneuvers at high speeds.
It had been three hours, Saphira took the potion and we had an air race to determine the better flyer. Saphira won and now we were seeing who the faster swimmer was. The potion wore off an hour ago so I wasn't so hyper. I looked back and saw she was over a mile behind me. The ships were ahead of her and she said fine, you're a better swimmer and I laughed before returning to the ship and changing. Saphira caught up and I put a rope out my cabin window and left so she could change and get dressed without the crew watching her. After several thumps and a few yelps of pain she said Alan, how do you control this body? in a frustrated voice. It'll be fine. I said going in. she was almost five feet tall with shoulder length black hair and from what I could see was in good shape, as usual with changing forms, her eyes did not change color. She had managed to dress herself and was leaning on the wall and I laughed "that's your problem, you don't have a tail anymore" I said with a grin "and we are at sea, the rocking is hard to compensate for with only two legs, but you'll get used to it". Eragon came in and helped her to their quarters and I sat down to study the books in my chest.
The weeks had gone by quickly and I learned there are nine levels of the demon realm. Most demons were fire or earth based but others existed. Level one was the largest plain where the weakest lived and they got stronger the farther in you went. They had a system of almost constant combat or trickery, the weak would use guile to survive and any who were defeated would be eaten or enslaved by the victor, the former increasing the winner's strength and the latter enlarging their personal army. They started out as malicious or angry thoughts of the creatures in Alagaesia or Earth and would enter the first level when they formed their own personality. Their origins mean they thrived on the negative emotions of this world and if the summoner died while they were here, they would embark on a rampage of mayhem, death and destruction until someone else defeated them. Summoning them required a pentagram filled with specific rune and a blood sacrifice. They only would listen to you if you beat them at combat. After you beat them, if they survived, they would be bound to you and not listen to anyone else until you released them, you could set a word or sound as a summoning trigger and they would do what you ordered.
We arrived in Reavstone in late spring and I told Giles not to plunder any Surdan ships while I was gone. We spent the night in a local inn and I woke up around midnight, having rested enough on the ship. I decided to practice the movement skills my father taught me from his days as an assassin and spent the last hours until dawn leaping from roof to roof, stealing random objects when people were near and climbing up the sides of buildings. Soon I got back and we set off toward the Varden, me and Saphira gladly changing as soon as we left the city.
I fell asleep on the grass a little ways from my companions. Soon I found myself in a forest clearing and Saphira was nearby thinking deeply. I approached and said what's wrong? with concern in my voice. She looked at me with hope and said are you attracted by me? I stepped back before replying I think you're hotter than any fire I've breathed I said in an embarrassed tone. Good she said and I found myself on my back with her on top, kissing me deeply. The rest was a blur, kissing, licking, grunts of pleasure. I felt something was about to happen, I inhale, thrust and… I woke up breathing heavily, my dragon hood exposed to the stars and glanced fearfully at the others. Relief washed over me at the sight of them sleeping and I got up and walked away. I found a hidden spot and looked down at myself. It had never come all the way out before; usually it remained hidden under its armored scale. I sat there thinking as it slowly went back inside me, the scale covering the area it disappeared into before it hit me. 'It's so obvious!! I have never seen a female dragon before; Saphira's presence is making my hormones start to go crazy. I better keep myself under control; it would be embarrassing if my 'friend' came out when they were awake.' I thought as I returned to my previous sleeping spot.