Hey all, this is Arratra, reporting in for the latest chapter of Newcomers.

Currently I'm not going to be posting chapters very fast, but when they do come, they're going to be good ones if I can help it.

Please note that constructive reviews will help me get these up faster.

Here's the Disclaimer:

Zoids, the Inheritance Cycle, and custom Zoids are not mine.

The Drakus: .com/art/Drakus-Unit-RZ-Blade-243644057?q=boost%3Apopular%20Zoids&qo=2179

Murtagh rubbed at his shoulder, remembering the pain Galbatorix had inflicted on him; the scar on his back, inflicted by the very sword he now wore at his hip, was still throbbing angrily.

According to the spies, the Durza had inflicted on Eragon had done similar to this before the dragons had apparently wiped it away.

Galbatorix had made a terrible mistake in doing so, however; in doing so, he had inadvertently, somehow, changed Murtagh and Thorn's true names. As he had done it himself, the wards in place to warn him hadn't triggered, so he was still unaware… and somehow Murtagh and his dragon had managed to deceive the Black King, stealing the precious final egg, and a sizable portion of the Eldunari. Somehow, the king was still unaware that they had even been stolen, so Murtagh suspected that he'd taken Eldunari that hadn't been broken (mentally, that is).

Murtagh sat on the shores of the lake, staring out at the calm waters. Pain still coiled in his heart; remorse for the deaths he had caused among the Varden, and especially for betraying Eragon.

With a depressed sigh, he stood up and stripped his shirt off, before he waded out into the water. He dove down, into the crystal clear waters, allowing the cold water to sooth his still-throbbing scar.

"Be careful, Murtagh, the ball-of-flame-from-sky came down not far from here."

The human rider didn't respond with words, instead sending the mental equivalent of a thumbs-up, but he had already been distracted; a glowing lavender fluid was gathered in a small basin in the lakebed. Thinking of taking a sample, Murtagh pulled a flask from his rope belt, and scooped an amount of the liquid up, being careful not to touch it with his hands.

The rider of the crimson dragon grimaced to himself, pushing off the lakebed and arriving at the surface. He made his way to the shore, still grasping the flask, which he'd stoppered. He tossed it onto his shirt, then clambered out of the water, shaking himself off like a dog. Thorn watched him carefully as he unscrewed the cap again and studied the stuff inside. It moved fluidly, of course, but it seemed rather viscous.

"What do you think, Thorn?" Murtagh asked, looking up at the dragon. This was what had changed his true name; while being tortured via his scar, he had reached out to Thorn for help, and the dragon had answered his plea.

"I have not seen its like before," the dragon replied, "not even in my ancestral memories."

Murtagh frowned, studying the liquid. Curiosity overcame caution after a moment, and he dipped a finger into it. An unpleasant tingling sensation accompanied the contact with the fluid, and he pulled his finger out hurriedly. The fluid had seeped into a tiny cut on his finger, however, and Murtagh winced as the sensation increased to an even more unpleasant prickling.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Murtagh sighed, "Too late now…"

"I am not sure it is poison," Thorn said cautiously, sniffing at it, "It smells of metal, but not of any poisons I know."

The rider grumbled under his breath but didn't argue. Instead he fixed his gaze on something just barely visible further out on the lake, skimming the surface.

Cruurtun was enjoying his new form for the first time; although still a tad clumsy at times, as his nerves, and the computers now attached to them, hadn't yet completely learned how to move his new body, he was fast.

And being able to skim the water like this was something he'd never been able to enjoy before. The ion boosters weren't burning full-bore, but they were at the highest level that they could be taken without risking overheating; any higher, and the cooling system wouldn't be able to keep up, causing the temperature to build and eventually trip a cut-off switch.

Cruurtun spotted a glint of red, and spun, shifting direction almost instantly. As he reached the sand, he cut off power to the booster, and they instantly stopped firing, and skidded to a stop, spraying the shimmering ruby scales of the dragon with sand. Thorn growled curiously, leaning forwards. He could smell traces of the same metallic liquid on this metal-plated-creature as was in the flask.

Murtagh attempted a cursory scan of the person's mind, no more than a brush of emotions, and encountered a wall that his probe glanced right off. Taken aback, Murtagh instantly retreated behind his own barriers, but the creature before him tilted its head, blinking, but otherwise didn't react.

"Do you… do you know what this is?" Murtagh tried, biting his lip. He held out the flask, and the creature took it. One look inside, and the eyes hidden behind some form of semi-opaque window brightened.

"Zoid birthing fluid! Where did you find this?"

"It was at the bottom of the lake," Murtagh said gulping, "I… touched it. My hand's prickling."

The creature immediately took his hand and studied it intently.

Cruurtun gritted his teeth internally, reaching into his own mind for the commands to activate the advanced sensors.

:Initiating bio-scan:

"Give me a second," he said after a moment, "This could feel strange."

A fan of light wavered from a device secreted just above the nostril-slits in the facial armour, running over Murtagh, then thorn, then, over the birthing fluid itself.

:Scan complete:

:Results; 1 human (traces of Koto Gun Sniper DNA), 1 unknown (user designate; Dragon), sample of Zoid birthing fluid (heavily concentrated Koto Gun Sniper DNA present):

:Recommendation; human body already changing. Subject must ingest birthing fluid to avoid death:

"Say What?" Cruurtun spluttered, "He has to ingest it? ingest Zoid birthing fluid?"

:Correct; subject will die unless transformation is stabilised by birthing fluid and additional Koto Gun Sniper DNA:

"Dear Eve… All right, uh…"

"Murtagh," the human replied, uneasy.

"Murtagh. Unless you drink that stuff, you're going to die."

"I what?" Murtagh spluttered, "are you crazy?"

"Yeah, that was my first reaction, too," Cruurtun said, passing him back the flask, "The fluid is… well, but the illness and the cure. You're not going to be human after this either way, but you're going to live if you drink it-."

:Chance of survival. Current; 0.001%. After ingestion; 52.7%:

"Yeah, yeah. Smart-ass computer. All right, you'll probably live if you drink it. If you don't… well, you can't do more than hope to survive, and chances would be incredibly slim. Drink that, you've got slightly better than fifty-fifty."

Grimacing, Murtagh lifted the flask in a mock-toast, and lifted it to his lips.

:Warning; subject will likely suffer some memory loss:

"Oh, fine time to bring that up!" Cruurtun exclaimed, throwing up his hands. Murtagh froze.

"Wha-?"

"You'll probably forget a few things," Cruurtun sighed, "Drink it. You need to do it fast, I imagine."

"My arm is beginning to feel like I've plunged it into a fire, so I agree," Murtagh sighed, lifting the flask back to his lips and tipping it back. He swallowed as much as he could, but he was soon coughing, and dropped the flask. Some of the fluid spilled, and Cruurtun picked up the flask, screwing the cap back on.

"It feels like my insides are on fire," Murtagh gasped.

:Recommend immersion in purified birthing fluid. If such is unavailable, take to closest healer:

"Angela it is, then," Cruurtun sighed, lifting Murtagh and draping him across Thorn's back, "Follow me, good dragon. If I know, or rather Eragon knows, that healer, she'll have some of the birthing fluid from the lab purified already."