the pirate dragon

by bad-larry

hudreds of years before the riders, a number of dragons fled to another world to escape the war with the elves. What happens when one returns to his homeland? SaphiraxOC planned, don't know about Eragon, he may stay single 'cause he's a rider. no promises

3. new allies

The next morning I got up early and decided to experiment with the Demonocraphy's weaker summoning rituals. Saphira was on her side with Eragon clutched to her chest, as if he was a hatchling she thought someone would steal. I changed and crept towards my companions thinking 'silver weakens demons and I bet he has a few coins I could use'. I got within feet of Saphira's muzzle and she snorted, causing me to stumble with surprise. I landed hard and looked up, fearful of discovery. She had her lips raised slightly and was growling quietly, for a second I thought I was found out. But her eyes were still closed and I looked at Eragon and realized he was in the exact same position as when I saw him last night. Upon closer inspection I realized his eyes were open and I held my breath for several seconds before relaxing. 'okay, sleeping with your eyes open is definitely creepy, but not unheard of' I thought as I slowly reached into his coin purse and pulled out several before replacing all but the three silvers I found. As I turned around I could have sworn I was being watched. I quickly put the coins in my mouth and changed, scales covering my previously naked form, before grabbing the large book from my pack and taking off toward a nearby group of trees.

I finished the pentagram and put the coins around the summoning circle. Next I used a single claw to make a small incision on my foreleg and let the blood drip in the center before backing up and reading from the ancient tome. Lifeblood from my veins, and determination in my heart, I call upon the forces outside of time to summon the demon Orrun as mine! As soon as I finished the rite red smoke filled the ring before clearing. Inside was a red skinned imp the size of a small human baby flapping its bat like wings as it glared at me. I entered the makeshift arena and it flew at me, swinging clawed hands and snarling as it shot toward my face. Not expecting it to be so aggressive, I didn't move in time and got a painful slash on the end of my nose that was intended to put out my eye. Enough! I said as I batted it to the ground and pinned it with one claw. I held down the squirming thing, ignoring its terrified squeals and said the rite of binding, from the thoughts of the living, on misery you feed, I bind you to my will, my orders you will heed! It stopped struggling and said "what does master wish of Orrun?" fetch me a snack, I want twelve rabbits I said and he disappeared with a small burst of flame as I grinned with satisfaction and prepared for another summoning. I went through the book and found a demon, feeling overconfident I neglected to read the details. This time the smoke was royal purple and a naked humanoid female with horns and lavender skin appeared. I entered the ring and was about to pin her down for the rite of bonding when she turned into a dragon. My mind became fuzzy as she approached and nuzzled me. Somewhere there was a voice telling me to fight but the lust was building despite my mental struggles. Stop, I don't want this I said weakly trying to remember the other female from before but her image slipped past my grasp as my heart rate increased significantly, the sound pulling me further into the demon's control. I lay down tiredly, everything had a dream like quality as I felt myself get rolled onto my back and something start stroking me, slowly coaxing out my tool. Just relax. Give in and rest, there is no need to fight it said a voice in my head. It will be over soon and you won't remember a thing it continued as she got on top. Then I blacked out.

I woke in the same spot, and noticed a distant laughter. Something felt wrong, as if an ancient evil had arrived to plague the world and I was somehow responsible, but I couldn't figure out why. Soon Orrun returned with the rabbits. I dismissed him and ate the small morsels. I got back to the camp to see Eragon eating breakfast. When I landed he said "where were you?" "I went for a morning flight" I said, deciding I would replace the coins tomorrow. "You need silver to fly?" he asked before continuing his meal. I was already caught so I spit them out on the ground and said "no, but summoning without its dangerous." He looked at me funny and I said "where's Saphira?" "She went hunting. What do you mean by summoning?" "Family secret" I lied as Saphira arrived. The trip was uneventful at best and soon the Varden were on the horizon. When we landed we were surrounded by spectators. Remembering my father's advice, I kept my wings unfurled, ready for a quick takeoff at the first sign of treachery. Soon the crowd parted to allow a woman surrounded by guards through. She looked at me before saying to my companions "this is the one you spoke of? It is good to have a second dragon on our side." "My lady, this is Captain Alan Blood. Captain, this is lady Nasuada, leader of the Varden." She inclined her head and said "it is a pleasure to meet you. Please, follow me to my tent." Soon we arrived and Eragon entered as Saphira stuck her head into a hole in the wall. I hesitated before slashing a hole in the thick fabric and sticking my head through. After all, the less people who new about the potion, the better. There was a large table in the center of the room with several people sitting at it. There was Nasuada, an elf and Eragon. Then there was some kind of yellow-skinned-pig-man with rams horns and a funny smelling midget with a big beard. The pig saw me staring and stared me down, despite the fact I could easily bite it in half. "You have guts that rival that of my men. Count yourself lucky, few have looked at me like that and lived." I said and it grunted. Several guards glanced at me nervously and Nasuada cleared her throat. "This is Captain Alan Blood. Those you do not know are Arya of the elves, King Orrin of Surda, King Orik of the Dwarves, and Nar Garzvog of the Urgals. Tell me again the conditions of your aid." "I need sailors as well as sulfur iron and lead. I also need land for my pirates to live off after Galbatorix is dead. The land I want is a group of islands near Surda, the dense jungles and sandy beaches are just what they are used to." she sat there for several seconds before saying "and what do you offer us in return?" "My aid, and that of seasoned sailors wielding weapons you never thought possible as well as over twenty battle ready ships." "will you let our soldiers use these weapons?" "No." "You ask a pretty hefty price, if we are allies then why won't you let us use your weapons? Are you afraid of betrayal?" "you must understand, I am protecting the interests of my men and their descendents. In two thousand years the king of the mainland won't care about anything we say now. Those weapons could mean their survival and I will not allow sensitive information about them to fall in the hands of possible future enemies." I turned to Saphira and asked "is there a way to keep them from telling how the weapons work even if faced with death?" "We could have them swear in the ancient language, then they physically couldn't give away any information on them." She said and I looked back at Nasuada before saying "then that is the condition. Anyone who will learn these secrets must swear not to say anything about the training they receive or the weapons themselves. I will have ships waiting at the docks to transport anyone who whishes to use guns. My first mate, Giles, will issue all weapons upon their arrival at my main camp." At this I dismissed myself to explore the camp and meet more of these Urgals. Perhaps they would make suitable boarding parties. Almost instantly I was approached by Nar Garzvog. "Blood" he said lifting his chin and I stopped to look at him "if you go into the urgal part of camp, do not expect respect immediately. Among us, respect is earned solely through combat." "I have no problem killing to earn it if your people are as brave as you. Where I come from, a human with as much spine as yours is almost impossible to come by. Well, unless you count the British marines, but they are about as smart as the average rock." I continued into the camp and after several minutes of watching them fight in a pit several young rams looked at me, as if sizing me up. I watched them out of the corner of my eye as they approached and lowered their heads. From what I saw this was a challenge and I lowered my head and bared my teeth saying "no need to form a line, I will give you death at the same time." all twelve drew their weapons, obviously thinking of all the respect they would get for slaying a dragon and charged. I lifted off, grabbing the first one in reach and lifted him into the air. One of the others threw their battle axe and it got lodged in my shoulder as the one I grabbed prepared to slice the leg that held him. I grabbed the sword with my teeth and bit down, reducing it to twisted scrap as I looked him in the eyes. He showed no fear as I opened my mouth, not even flinching as fire welled in the back of my throat. White hot fire engulfed him and I dropped his charred bones before picking my next target. Seven had grouped together, forming a barrier with their shields as if to block the flame I sent towards them. The shields melted and soon they too were reduced to smoldering bones and ash. "Well, I see your kind isn't fire proof. Tell you what, I'm not unsporting. I'll refrain from incinerating the rest of you, hell, ill even land and stay on the ground." I plummeted at this and the survivors dove out of the way before encircling me. They charged, two from behind and two from the front. I swept my tail and slashed with my forepaws. The result was two disemboweled, one with its face splattered against a rock and the forth unconscious. My fight didn't go unnoticed by the humans though. A small crowd had gathered on the edge of the urgal camp and Eragon and Saphira were rushing towards me. "What are you doing!" Eragon yelled at me and I laughed before saying "looking for possible recruits. Before you get mad, they challenged me." I looked at the unconscious one to see his chest was crushed and he was barely breathing. "You should heal that one. He's alive, barely. Besides, he fought with skill; he's the only one that hit me." As I said this I pulled the axe out of my shoulder and looked at the wound as Eragon hurried to help the wounded Urgal. After several minutes Eragon was done and he opened his eyes. At first confusion showed in his eyes, then bewilderment as he felt his body over. He was obviously amazed he was still alive as he looked at me. "Congratulations are in order; you are the first non human to be offered a place in my fleet. If you accept, you will be given a ship and a crew to command. But you will have to swear an oath of loyalty to me first." He sat there for several second before saying "I accept." "Eragon, please tell him the words." I said and soon the urgal was bound to me and sworn to keep my secrets. "What is your name?" I said and soon he said "Grummock." "Captain Grummock, please follow me to discuss your new duties. And your axe is right there." He grabbed his one handed axe and placed it in a leather loop at his waist before following. "The crimson blades have few laws. A captain is subject to these laws just like the crew. In your culture you are allowed to challenge anyone in a fight. This is true for us as well, but killing your opponent is forbidden. All challenges must be fought in front of the whole crew. If one of the fighters dies, the crew will decide their fate. The punishments for the convicted can be whippings, or even death. But the dishonor of life in exile is often the most feared. Exiles will have a large X branded across their face. Chum will be thrown into the water and when the sharks are swimming around the ship he will be thrown overboard. If he escapes his bonds as well as the sharks, any crimson blade to see him again will attempt to kill him. The captain gets a quarter of the spoils, the rest is divided equally. You may attack any ship that flies the imperial flag or attacks you first. As captain, anyone on your ship other than me and my guests are subject to your orders, but the crew will ultimately decide your fate at sea. If you are killed by a mutiny and anyone survives they will not be charged so be fair to your men but maintain order." I gave him several minutes to digest what I said before saying "on a lighter note, anyone flying our flag will aid you against empire ships. Most of the blades are lovers of an alcoholic beverage called rum and tend to be good to members of the fleet, if no one else. And as a member of our crew, you may request a melee weapon made with dragon scales forged into the steel. It may not be magic proof, but they make the hardest alloy we've ever encountered. As for ranged weapons, the first mate of my flagship, Giles, will be the one to talk to. Other than that rely on your crew. Now, you may leave immediately for Reavstone and start plundering and preparing yourself. Look for a flag bearing crossed blood covered cutlasses behind a dragon skull. That is our mark." He bared his throat and left. I took flight after retrieving my pack and found a secluded spot. I removed my pack and changed before getting dressed. As I was buckling my cutlass I heard a sound and looked up. Seeing nothing I started putting the pistols in their holsters. Again I heard a sound, but this time was able to pinpoint its location. I drew a custom mad six shot flintlock and shot into a nearby bush. I heard a grunt of pain and said "the next shot goes for your head." The female elf, Arya stepped out of the bushes, a blood stain on the shoulder of her shirt. "What are you?" she said suspiciously and I frowned. "You already know, why were you spying on me?" she hesitated before saying "the last egg is in the kings castle. I wanted to know where you and your 'crew' came from." I scrutinized her face and said we are not from this world. If what Eragon told me is true, I came from the original land of the humans." "How did a dragon get there?" "I'll be frank, I still don't trust you elves. A month ago I would have killed you on the spot. Your kind forced drastic measures to be taken and a few dragons fled through an ancient link between worlds." I watched her face, it remained expression less and I finished "you should use magic to clean you blood. Lead poisoning kills humans and I doubt it will be any different for you." I holstered my pistol and lifted my pack, tightening the shoulder straps to fit my human form.

Soon I arrived at the camp; Arya had left, disappearing in an unnerving way. Before entering the perimeter I thought of a name to go by. 'I guess Jake will work' I thought and entered. My odd attire turned heads and soon I was confronted by several soldiers. "And just who are you?" asked one and I put my hand on my cutlass. "The names Jake, Captain Alan's representative." One looked at me funny and said "no Captain Alan in the Varden. A name like that stands out." "He's the dragon that arrived with Eragon and Saphira." I said and another said "Dragons can't be captains; you need a mind to have a rank." "Well, you obviously don't have a rank. Just point me in the direction of Eragon's tent." I snapped, keeping m myself from shooting this insolent fool. "You know what I think; I think he's an empire spy." Said another and I looked at the burly human. "out of my way, I'll find someone with a brain" I snarled as I fingered my revolver. Someone else overheard the conversation and the stepped up saying "your not going anywhere pal. I'm placing you under arrest until we can have your mind searched" with an air of command. I looked at the man and said "go ahead and try, it'll be the last thing you do" as I ignored the crowd forming around us. They drew their swords and began approaching m e, watching my saber. Instead of going for my blade I grabbed a pistol and shot the officers hand. A loud crack echoed through the area and he yelled in pain as he dropped his weapon. Everyone was quite as they stared at his almost missing appendage. The other soldiers charged as several people ran away. I drew my cutlass with my free hand as I shot another man in the chest before parrying a swing to my legs. I followed through with a slash to someone's neck as I leapt onto some crates and vaulted onto a nearby tent. I summoned my imp and yelled "defend your master" as I narrowly avoided an arrow. It chirped in glee that I ordered it to cause pain before shooting at the largest oncoming soldier and began mauling his face. I shot another man as he tried to get on the tent and slashed an oncoming arrow. A voice echoed over the chaos "ENOUGH!" everyone looked up as a roar followed. "Imp, to me!" I said and the demon gave his most recent victim one last vicious slash before obeying and flying around me excitedly as it chirped in its own language. They landed and the officer I shot approached saying "Shadeslayer, that man destroyed my hand!" holding up the bloody stump as I quickly showed Saphira my memories of what happened. Eragon looked at me and I said "no one will search my mind and live" in a cold voice "if he arrested me I would have killed him. The way I see it, the use of ones hand is a small price to pay for their life." He glared at me, squeezing his wrist to slow the bleeding. You are a suspected imperial spy; I was only ensuring the safety of the Varden!" I pointed my pistol at his head and fear showed on his face. "Don't ever imply I would even consider helping that egg breaker!" I yelled, hurting my throat. I punctuated my statement by shooting the ground inches from his left foot casing dirt to spray onto his blood stained uniform as he fell back in fear. Saphira jumped on me and pinned me to the ground with one paw. I dropped the pistol at this unexpected move and it went off, blowing a clean hole in a nearby tent. Let me go Saphira!" I yelled, struggling to get her off me. "no" she said simply and I glared at her. "Don't make me hurt you!" I bluffed and she laughed before saying "your trapped under my paw, if you change you'll blow your cover. Your at my mercy now." I hated being helpless, but she was right. If I turned back into a dragon my secret would be out and I would have one less surprise for the king. The imp was cackling madly chanting "master helpless, master miserable" over and over again as it fed of my mental suffering. "Fine, what are your terms?" I said out loud and I felt amusement from her. "Ask Eragon." I growled before saying in a mocking tone "oh mighty rider, what will it take to have you call off your beast?" she growled at the last part and I hid my satisfaction at my small victory despite the increased pressure from her paw. Nasuada approached, what is the meaning of this A…" Saphira growled and told her privately "refer to him as 'Jake' or 'ambassador'" "ambassador?" she corrected herself and the soldiers that started this looked at each other with worry. "lady Nasuada, if this is how your men treat a show of good faith, maybe my lord should reconsider aiding you in your war." In a smooth voice as I privately told her "just play along, I have no intention of backing down on our agreement." By this time the soldiers expressions had changed from worry to fear as they looked for an exit and s Saphira let me up. "Who, may I ask started this" she said and I said to Orrun, "imp, mark the guilty." He complied and small clouds formed over for men pushing their way from us, as well as two dead men and the one handed officer, who was sweating but stood his ground. The fleeing soldiers were shoved before her and said "what do you have to say in your defense" as they kneeled in front of their leader, visibly shaking. "We, we thought he was a spy, he was dressed weird" one said and the others nodded fearfully. The officer swallowed nervously before saying "I overheard their conversation and hoped to gain a bonus if he was a spy" she looked around the audience and said "are there any witnesses to this?" several people confirmed their stories, adding that I killed several during the incident." She looked at me and said "and why did you attack my men?" "They were going to have my mind searched. I hold information very dear to my lord. If anyone but me learned what I know it would mean strained relations, if not a declaration of war." "that would not be good, your peoples weapons would turn the tide of our conflict in the kings favor" she hesitate, as if thinking deeply before saying you soldiers are free to go, as you were attempting to protect the Varden." The grunts quickly left as the crimson clouds over their heads vanished. Nasuada looked at the lieutenant and he had dread on his face. "You to will not be punished as for the ambassador. You must pay for the three dead as well as the wounded. What do you offer in compensation?" I reached into my pack and took out a large bag of crowns plundered from an imperial tax ship. "Twenty thousand crowns from an imperial tax ship to be dispersed among the injured parties in accordance to the damage inflicted. As for the lieutenant" I said ignoring the gasps from the crowds. 'Apparently I offered a lot of money' I thought as I pulled out a small pistol from my boot "my low profile pistol, if he accepts the offer to be a captain in my lord's fleet. Of course, this particular ship will be yours at the end of the war and will be manned entirely by volunteers from your forces." The officer's eyes lit up at the thought of becoming a captain and he said "I accept" in a low voice. "Then it is settled those wounded in the fight, follow me." Dismissed" I said looking at the imp and he vanished in a puff of smoke. "You shouldn't have attacked to begin with. There is no one in the Varden who can force their way into the mind of a dragon" said Saphira. "I wasn't going to take that chance" I replied as I looked at her and she gave a draconic sigh. "I must leave, I need to change… into something more comfortable." I said before leaving the camp.