Thorn, Shruikan, circle them from above. Using the distraction of the elves to take off, the two dragons did as Murtagh told them. Thorn still had difficulties with his now clumsy body, but raw effort won his struggle against balance and gravity.
Murtagh was breathing hard and fast, perspiration drenching his brow. The watery beads streamed down his forehead, slithering across his face until they fell onto the bloody soil. The silvery eyes of the elf stared at Murtagh, increasing the sickening sensation which took hold of him. Although he was used to the pungent smell of blood, its decaying color and the sinister image of death, some encounters still made him feel uneasy.
I can't make it, Murtagh thought. Not unless my strength equals their numbers, by some miracle of chance. He looked into the distance. The elves, probably puzzled by the recklessness of their hasty companion and the dragons adopted a new strategy, were now dividing new tactics. Handling one Rider and two dragons was no easy feat, even for proficient warriors and experienced spell casters. Still, it was only a matter of time until they would make their move, and the airborne dragons still awaited Murtagh's command.
From their position, Murtagh could tell that the melee fighters would charge at him. With three against one, he would die faster than the decapitated elf besides him. Blood oozed from his left shoulder, his arm hanging uselessly, numbed by the vicious strike which pierced through his shoulder.
He needed power, speed, agility, but before all, a body that could keep up with the three elves long enough to dispose of one. By having Shruikan land in their midst, they would scatter like confused sheep, yet their determination and the hatred they bear for the black dragon might put him in danger. Still, this was the only distraction he could use properly, and time was of the essence.
But how? What magic could possibly enhance his physical capabilities beyond their limitation? The pressure forced upon his mind was not helping, and the only solution at hand was a dark spell of moderate power which Murtagh had never used before.
Dolagorn the Mighty was his name... Together with Siran and Lorfing, they have created a disaster of beautiful proportions. At the dawn of the elven civilization, chaos ruled. It is said that after the fall of the Grey Folk, the land was tainted with the scars of their doing for thousands of years. Maybe certain influences still lingered in Alagaesia, dormant and unknown, waiting for magic users to fall under its grip. I cannot contest the truth of those legends, but zeal and ambition forced some of the elves to rebel against their ruler. And for that, they needed power… A power greater than that of their opponents and skills more refined than their finest swordsman.
I have already taught you Siran's teachings and shared Lorfing's knowledge of magic, two of the more significant elven magicians. Quite the irony, how those arrogant elves banned their own spells, afraid of their power. Their mistake is our gain, and that's why you, my right hand of vengeance, will obliterate them.
With the aid of his other companions, Dolagorn succeeded in enhancing his physical prowess beyond any Rider. You already know that magic weakens you. Each spell uses your own energy to fuel itself so that it can spark into existence. Dolagorn did the opposite: he used magic to empower his body. The result was the massacre of the elven garrison of Laerlan, the elven capital at that time. Of course his companions helped him, but even now, elves tremble when the reminder of the Laerlan Slaughter lingers in their scrolls. Dark magic aided three elves in conquering a capital. You better mark my words…
Murtagh jerked his head when his mind returned to its sharp state. Of all his previous lessons with Galbatorix, this was the only one where he paused many times, filtering his secrets and carefully choosing what to discard and what to say. There was more to this story, but for now, Murtagh had to use this knowledge to defend himself.
What's life without a little risk? Murtagh chuckled, drawing upon the power of the remaining eldunari. He knew the words. He was aware of what irrational trade he was about to perform. He very well knew that the eldunari will be completely depleted, rendering him and the two dragons vulnerable for the rest of the fight. Yet he did not flinch. The string of silently whispered words slowly came to an end, completing the spell…
Magic is of no use when you are dead. Murtagh smiled as a surge of power engulfed his body. His muscles felt invigorated, the pain in his shoulder dissipated as the wound healed itself, and the sensation was exhilarating. The gedwey ignasia on his palm sparkled with ruby energy, and a translucent aura of magic imitated the shape of Murtagh's body, the incredible amount of energy oozing out of him. Murtagh learned that the richer the color, the stronger the magic was and the more resources he could spend. In his case, the faded vermilion aura was weak, impossible to see for a normal elf or human alike.
The other elves exchanged looks between them before they too charged forward, with the males taking the lead. The archer ran for a very short distance before she stopped, aiming with her bow at one of the dragons.
Shruikan, land in their path. The black dragon darted swiftly upon their location, roaring defiantly. As expected, the elves broke their formation to evade the massive bulk that collided with the earth, debris flying as he flung his tail and claws at two of the elves who were near him.
My turn, Murtagh laughed, and vanished. A column of fire erupted from behind the elf which continued his charge with Murtagh in the middle of it.
"My gratitude for your fallen comrade," he smirked and slashed through his torso with blinding speed, the power of his strike splitting his lower and upper parts of the body. He then fixed his gaze on the archer whose arrows pierced Shruikan's hide in different places.
"Jierda," whispered Murtagh, fixing the bow with his stare. Immediately after his incantation, he felt a small reserve of his energy dissipating, but the bow was still intact.
Wards… I must- he managed to think before the two swordsmen were upon him, a flurry of steel attacking him. The unrelenting slashes, hits and trusts appeared overwhelming, but due to his enhanced body, Murtagh managed to dodge and parry them all. Arrows kept bouncing off harmlessly whenever the whistling sound of one such arrow passed by Murtagh's ears, aiming at either Shruikan or himself.
Murtagh leaned his head to evade a potentially dangerous attack while he placed his sword vertically near his chest, parrying two other blows.
The archer, Murtagh managed to think across the mental connection he formed. Suddenly a blast of blazing red fire escaped from Thorn's mouth, forming a cloud that incinerated anything in its path.
Murtagh's wards protected him against the deadly flaming attack as he dashed towards the archer with all the speed he could muster. The female's lips moved as the arrow tip was covered with a small, extremely sharp layer of ice. With a flick of her hand, she released the arrow, which traveled with great speed towards the Rider.
The arrow smashed itself into the protective wards as Murtagh quickly advanced, slashing quickly with his sword as soon as he was in the range of the elf.
The female nimbly dodged most of his attacks, but she could not stop the sword from cutting her bow into pieces as Murtagh swung his sword upwards after a particular slash at her hips. With his uncanny speed, Murtagh managed to inflict numerous slashes before the elf disengaged. Due to the teleport assault, most of his magic dissipated, and so did his strength.
Pulling a small dagger from her hip, the archer attacked Murtagh savagely, swinging and thrusting with her dagger wildly in attempting to score a hit. Murtagh bended to the right, then lowered his body, and then smacked the elf in the chin with the pommel of Zar'roc as she lunged forward.
A cry of pain followed, but Murtagh could care no less as he quickly looked at the two swordsmen he left behind. The grass around Shruikan was reduced to ash, the thick smoke from the burning grass making Murtagh's eyesight ineffective. A blast of swirling air smashed into him, but the wards absorbed the full force of the impact. Turning his look towards the source of the spell, he could see the elf uttering other incantations while three of the arrows from the archer's quiver flew into the air with their tips pointed at Murtagh.
Thorn, help Shruikan, Murtagh commanded. Like a red arrow, Thorn roared and unleashed his blazing fury upon the ground, scorching it before the land trembled beneath his feet.
Realizing that his wards would be greatly weakened by the arrows, Murtagh abandoned his plan of killing the archer as he broke into a run, moving in different directions to make the targeting harder. He burst through the column of smoke, fixing his eyes on the two dragons who desperately tried to keep the elves away.
Shruikan slashed with his claws and even used his tail to hit the elves, but they nimbly evaded all of his attacks. Thorn was staying further in the back, assisting Shruikan by releasing streams of ruby fire to disorientate the elves.
The group of fighters quickly gathered into one spot, then separated, each of them running into a different direction. One of them attempted to flank Shruikan while the other went straight for Thorn.
Murtagh tightened his grip on Zar'roc and ran towards the elves as fast as he could. But he was too late. The elf that attacked Thorn easily evaded a paw swipe from the ruby dragon, then rolled over and slashed with his sword across his leg. Thorn hissed in pain, bringing his head down while his jaws parted, revealing rows of deadly teeth. The elf pushed his body into another roll, slashing again at Thorn's foreleg before he whirled his body, bringing his sword down upon the same foreleg. Thorn roared in pain as the blade cut a deep gash as blood poured out of the open wound.
Murtagh gritted his teeth, extending his hand. "Thrysta vindr," he shouted, creating a powerful force of air that impacted upon the elf. The male quickly looked towards the direction from which the spell came, but this distraction was all that Thorn needed. Enraged, the ruby dragon brought his snout down with incredible alacrity, but the elf disappeared. Whimpering as he took a step forward while he looked at Shruikan, Thorn stopped and tended to his wound, which was too severe for him to keep moving.
Content to get rid of the momentary threat, Murtagh quickly focused his attention and ran towards Shruikan, who was now fighting two enemies a bit farther from his location. Unlike Thorn, the black dragon managed to keep his enemies away through a series of quick paw strikes, tail swipes and wing buffets.
Murtagh managed to reach the two elves and tried to end the weakened one, but his companion parried his blow and slashed viciously at his chest. The weakened elf quickly disengaged and ran farther from Shruikan, looking at Murtagh expectantly. Murtagh moved Zar'roc through the air, then ran towards the elf, determined to end his life.
Charging forward, Zar'roc clashed with the metal blade in a multitude of sparks as the elf brought his sword forward. Murtagh attacked with a flurry of quick strikes, trying to push the elf on defensive, but even the toll of his miraculous escape was not a significant advantage. The small blade seemed to be everywhere as it blocked every blow made against the elf, while he gracefully danced around his enemy. Murtagh made a quick slash at the elf's legs, then at his hips, forcing him to defend his lower regions. Then, he slashed upwards, blocking an incoming hit from the elf. Focusing his strength into a mighty blow, Murtagh brought Zar'roc down in an oblique slash, forcing the elf in choosing between parrying and evading the blow. The elf quickly placed his free hand on the small pommel of the blade, parrying the incoming hit. A powerful, clanging noise resonated as Zar'roc cut through the metal blade, rendering the elf's weapon useless.
After gaining the necessary advantage over his enemy, Murtagh pushed forward, branding his blade relentlessly at the defenseless elf who desperately tried in avoiding the red blade.
He almost got him when the elf stumbled upon the ground, aiming with the remains of his sword at Murtagh. The red Rider was about to cut him down when he felt a constricting force wrapping around his feet. Quickly switching his look away from the defenseless elf, Murtagh noticed a few binding roots gripping his feet and rendering him unable to move.
"You were caught," laughed the elf, shouting towards his partner who was still busy with Shruikan. Murtagh looked at the elf venomously before he noticed the archer he failed to kill earlier. She stood nearby, muttering the needed words for the incantation. Turning his head around, Murtagh caught a glimpse of the other elf that was quickly approaching him, with Shruikan right on his heels.
Quickly exchanging Zar'roc between his hands, Murtagh gripped the sword firmly and threw it with great speed towards the laughing elf. The quick reflexes allowed him to dodge the sword aimed at his chest, but he was not fast enough to evade it in time. A scream of pain was released as Zar'roc pierced through the elf's shoulder, coloring his green tunic with the color of blood after it fell onto the ground.
Extending his hand, Murtagh quickly muttered the counter spell for the roots, but he met an unusual strong resistance from the archer. Still moaning in pain, the elf looked at Murtagh with hate and stabbed him with the remains of his sword. The metal bounced off harmlessly due to the wards, but the elf did not cease his attempts as he frowned, increasing the speed of his trusts. Murtagh punched the elf straight into the jaw, sending him back a short distance as he fell onto the ground.
Another scream, this time a feminine one dwarfed the moaning of the wounded elf as new roots sprouted from the ground, gripping Murtagh's arms. Murtagh struggled, trying to break free of the increasing constrictive force, but the strong roots did not falter. The pressure on his wrists and legs suddenly increased, snapping his fragile bones off. Murtagh screamed in agony at the pain that exploded from his arms and feet. Struggling with the intense pain, Murtagh barely noticed with the corner of his tear-filled eyes that the elf female dropped on the ground, exhausted due to the effects of the spell. Yet this was not the worst part. The agile companion of the wounded elf had reached Murtagh and began to slash furiously at him. The wounded elf also got up, switching his eyes towards Zar'roc as a small smile presented itself onto his face.
The ground trembled as something heavy smashed into the earth, temporary stopping the attacks of the agile elf. Shruikan barely stopped him from picking the sword with his heavy tail that smacked the earth with great power.
Murtagh tried to tap into the eldunari for extra energy, but there was none left. Desperate and with no alternatives left, he brushed his conscience against Shruikan's, pleading for an ounce of his great strength. The elder dragon said nothing, but allowed him access to his reserves.
Murtagh quickly muttered a healing spell to mend his broken bones. The vines around his wrists were still too strong for him to break free, but their constricting force lessened considerably after the elf fainted. Murtagh's bones snapped into place as the healing spell took effect, a groan of pain escaping him.
A fierce growl rippled from Shruikan as the black dragon swiped with his tail at the agile elf, but the elf rolled under it and picked Zar'roc, the blade gleaming with the blood of his kin.
Enraged, he slashed at Shruikan's leg immediately after ducking under a tail swipe. Shruikan growled in pain. The sickening sound only amplified when the elf used his paw as a support to jump, thrusting Zar'roc into the upper part of his leg. Shruikan roared in pain as the enchanted Rider blade pierced his scales, embedding into the soft muscle. An instinctive paw caught the elf unaware, sending him tumbling towards Murtagh.
I cannot allow them to recover, thought Murtagh. Thorn, I need help, he cried across their link. Lend me your strength.
With access to new reserves of power, Murtagh looked at Shruikan who crashed on his belly, Zar'roc implanted in his leg. Then, he quickly started to speak in the ancient language, uttering a spell that would take effect before the wards which protected him against swords would falter.
His gedwey ignasia glowed briefly before the howl of a terrible wind could be heard while everything around Murtagh glowed with a blinding white light. In the next moment, a blast of white mist radiated from Murtagh while a red blur of concentrated energy traversed the ground.
Murtagh opened his eyes shortly after the spell has ended. He immediately noticed that everything around him was frozen. The blades of grass were coated with crystalline ice, while the ground was frozen solid. A sickly scream of fright erupted from the elves, whose legs were now trapped in a thin layer of ice.
"Thrysta," said Murtagh simply, causing the ice to break into a multitude of shards. The roots that bound him snapped like dry twigs, releasing his arms and legs. Thanks to his wards against the cold, his body was not affected the slightest by the freezing spell which finished off his opponents.
The look upon the two elves's faces was that of pure shock as they stared incredulously at their frozen legs. No scream of pain, no whimper or anything was heard when the ice exploded into pieces, crumbling their frail bones and muscles.
"H-how could you…cast such a spell with-without falling dead from…exhaustation?"asked one elf that was lying on the ground, helpless.
Another voice filled with pain and hatred answered. "It was the dark king that…taught him to…torture his enemies like this… May you find no-no peace in your miserable life... son of Morzan."
Murtagh eyed the two elves briefly before he looked towards Zar'roc. Shruikan managed to pull it out of his leg somehow. Whimpering, he tried to lick his wounds, but the damage was greater than what dragon saliva could heal. Without paying attention to the deformed bodies of the two elves, Murtagh ran towards his sword, grabbing it with alacrity. Swishing it a couple of times, he quickly turned around, putting an end to the suffering of the two elves by cutting their heads.
The enemy is not yet finished, small one, Shruikan said when Murtagh tried to approach him. There would be a better opportunity for his wounds to be tended, and Murtagh accepted the truth in his words.
The fires that consumed the vegetation around the battle field moved forward, burning everything in their path while a black cloud of smoke rose above the orange flames. Scanning the area with his dark brown eyes, Murtagh quickly caught a glimpse of the female elf. With her staff held firmly into one hand while the other one was extended, the elf's lips did not cease moving. Murtagh easily noticed a glimmer of white, blinding light as something was created right above the elf's palm. A faint trail of frigid mist started to surround the elf's palm as the air began to freeze around that strange object. Murtagh jolted back as the object quickly took form. Several icicles were hidden in the frigid mist that surrounded them, sharp, pointy edges protruding from every part of their shape.
But they were not pointed at him. With a look of dread into his eyes, Murtagh turned his head towards Shruikan, whose attention was turned not on the two wounded elves, but onto the wounded form of Thorn.
Curses! The elf must have seen the whole battle, and if Shruikan was close enough when I used my freezing spell, then his wards are…
Murtagh's thoughts trailed off as he quickly sheathed his sword while silently chanting in the ancient language. A small ball of fire ignited itself into his outstretched hand. Without wasting more time to reinforce it, Murtagh launched the flaming ball at the elf. But it was too late…
With a flick of her hand, the icicles were launched with great speed towards Shruikan. At the same time, the ball of fire traversed through the air.. The fire splashed onto an invisible surface, dissipating its flames in an instant.
A loud roar of pain made Murtagh's heart skip a beat when the icicles pierced through Shruikan's side, easily bypassing the protection offered by his scales. Crimson blood oozed from the pierced flesh shortly after the icicles embedded themselves in the muscle, causing a noticeable damage.
Murtagh threw the elf a venomous glare as his conflicted feelings told him two different things: to put an end to the elf's life or to take care of Shruikan. Murtagh made up his mind almost in an instant when a soft growl overwhelmed his desire to take revenge upon the elf.
Turning around, Murtagh quickly ran towards Shruikan, inspecting his side.
Shruikan was too tall for Murtagh to reach where the wounds were and heal them. The icicles were obviously aimed towards his neck, but for some reason they failed to reach their target. Three of them were placed next to each other in a circular pattern, near the end of Shruikan's neck while the fourth one created a particular large puncture right above his foreleg. Murtagh could not evaluate the extent of the wounds, but he observed four tough objects embedded into the flesh, surrounded by the damaged black scales. The warm blood trickled down, coating the black scales with lines of red. Murtagh cringed at the sight and held his breath, the metallic scent being too pungent for him to smell.
Leave my wounds for a later time, small one. Right now you must end the elf before she can cause any more damage, said Shruikan as he turned his massive head towards Murtagh.
Knowing the pain Shruikan was probably experiencing, Murtagh reluctantly took his eyes off the bloodied punctures, she has wards against fire and probably ice, but something tells me that she is not protected against earth attacks.
The dragon growled softly, you should use your blade to finish her off then. It will take less energy and the precision of the attack does not leave room for failure.
That is right, but my wards have almost reached their limit. If she uses another spell that has to do with ice, then that will be the end of me.
Murtagh looked towards the ground, then at the elf, she is not that far away, but the energy it would take to rip the earth apart will be much greater than to give it a shape and launch it towards her. Maybe you could help me solve this problem.
Murtagh looked expectantly at Shruikan, who drew his head back, snorting a puff of black smoke. I can see why you small ones would need to waste so much energy on such a trivial thing, he said as he turned his body around.
The long, powerful tail of Shruikan soon came into view. Murtagh moved close to its end, but he was still careful to keep a distance large enough to avoid something unpleasant from happening.
Murtagh flexed his fingers as the tail was slowly being lifted into the air. Then, in a split second, it was brought down with massive force, making the ground tremble at the impact that shook it from its foundations. A cloud of dust and dirt rose into the air after the impact, but Murtagh was already muttering his incantations.
Fragments of earth rose into the air as they molded together into a shape that would resemble an earth icicle. Murtagh's lips stopped moving as the last of his silent words was uttered. The earth missile was quickly launched at the elf, who prepared yet another ice spell to finish off her enemies. Widening her eyes at the unsuspected attack, she firmly grabbed the staff with her hands, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Nope, it's not a cliffhanger. A single elf escaped, so she will most likely not get involved into an irrational battle. So how was the fight? I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially because those elves were not quite weak and Murtagh had to strain his available resources to their limits, and go beyond them too(he used Shruikan's energy...)
The next chapter will present the outcome of the battle and some other preparations. My intention is to get Murtagh and Thorn and Shruikan moving so I can get back to Eragon and his own team. There are high chances I will keep my promise and do the Roran chapters first. No matter, I hope you enjoyed this chapter enough to leave a comment or a review.