The next morning I grabbed a pebble from the banks of the Anora River. According to the System, bonding with Saphira should have unlocked my magic. Therefore, I would be spending my travel time attempting the basic exercises Brom had once assigned me.
Before I could begin, I came to a realization. A significant part of my power before had been derived from fighting alongside Saphira, but it would be a few months before she was ready to fight by my side again.
I knew there were spells to accelerate her growth, the same way Galbatorix did to Thorn. The issue with that method was that it only affected the body. Her mind would still be that of a hatchling, which could lead to issues later on. Thorn's mind was evidence enough of that.
On top of the potential risks was the fact that Oromis refused to teach me the spells required, so I would have to experiment with the Ancient Language to discover them myself. That carried its own risks as well. If I didn't get the words absolutely perfect, there was a very real chance that the spell would kill me before doing anything.
Alternatively, I could simply wait for her to get large enough. I could remain in the wilderness, avoiding towns and roads, and take a more circuitous route to Gilead. The issue there came from Arya. The longer it took me to reach Gilead, the longer she would be at Durza's mercy.
I held no illusions that I could even come close to defeating Durza, especially if he had soldiers and Urgals under his command, so I would need Saphira to get away. I didn't even have a sword this time.
I paused to seriously consider the choice before me. The dull roar of the Anora River was nearly masking all other sounds in the area. I opened my mind and reached out to feel the life around me. A smile graced my face when I felt an ant colony, remembering how focused on a similar colony I was when Oromis first had me meditate. I decided to indulge and followed the colony for a few minutes.
Skill created!
Meditation (Active) [Lvl Max]:
You have learned to open your mind to the world around you, allowing it to rejuvenate you. Skill cannot be used in conjunction with any other activity. Changes all regeneration rates from per minute to per second when active.
From her perch on my shoulder, Saphira let out a squeak, jolting me out of my meditation. I chuckled and shook my head. There was no way I could risk harming Saphira, no matter how desperate I was to have her back completely; nothing was worth losing her again.
Decision made, I finally started walking for the day. More intent than ever on rediscovering my magic, I intoned, "Stenr reisa." The pebble in my hand stubbornly refused to budge. I dove into my mind, searching for the source of power that once came so readily to my hands.
There! A small barrier in a forgotten corner of my mind radiated power. I surrounded the barrier and began to probe it for weaknesses, to no avail.
My pleasant mood was rapidly declining with my continuous failures. How was I supposed to save Arya if I couldn't even access my magic? I would more than likely have to face Durza in my rescue attempt, and doing so without magic was suicide. Pushing down my frustration, I tried again, determined to make some progress.
I was ready to collapse in defeat by the end of the day. Despite my determination, I had made no progress in my attempts to use magic. I grumbled to myself as I built a campfire for the night. The System had told me my magic was unlocked, so why couldn't I actually use it?
I gave up on brooding over my defeat and began practicing with my makeshift sword. At least that was something I could actually improve on.
I settled into a half-crouch, stick held in one hand to my side. I closed my eyes and thought of everything I could remember from learning with Brom. I opened my eyes and began circling to the right, keeping where I imagined Brom would be moving directly ahead. I suddenly lunged forward, but aborted halfway. Brom would have easily countered that move and ended our fight.
The distance between us would have been greatly reduced, so I stopped circling. I made a few half-hearted swipes, as though testing his defenses, but Brom would have let nothing through. Deciding to employ some dirty tactics, I reached down and threw some dust into the air. Using the distraction, I made a quick jab. Brom hadn't survived the past century by falling for simple tricks, so he would have parried my jab, leaving me open to a counterattack. I leaned to my left, trying to avoid the imagined strike, and lost my balance.
I got up and brushed myself off. It wasn't much, but I had done slightly better than the day before. I settled into my stance once again to continue practicing.
Swordplay has leveled up [1 - 2]
I collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. I had practiced well into the night, the motions slowly becoming more natural, before the System finally gave me proof of my improvement. Before drifting off, I opened my mind to Saphira and started sharing my life with her. We had just reached the point when her egg had appeared the first time when sleep finally claimed me.
Over the next week, my days followed the same pattern; magic practice as I was walking followed by sword practice till I dropped. While I had yet to have any success with my magic, I had gained another two levels in swordplay. I had finished sharing our past with Saphira fairly quickly and spent the rest of my free time just talking to her. She had yet to respond, but I wasn't concerned; she had waited a month before speaking last time.
The seventh morning dawned like all the rest. Around midday, however, I saw something in the distance. At first, I thought nothing of it. I assumed it was Therinsford finally appearing. Several minutes later, though, it became clear that I was seeing something else. What had begun as a hazy shape on the horizon had become a large crowd of people heading straight for me.
Saphira, hide! I shouted mentally. I sensed a great deal of reluctance flow across our bond, but I insisted,
I need you to listen to me. These people cannot know about you yet. Any number of them could be loyal to Galbatorix. It's better for me to face them alone. Saphira complied, giving a snort of smoke and sending a wave of displeasure through our bond, and I continued on my own.
It didn't take too much longer for the distance between us to narrow enough that I finally recognized them as the Traders. I had forgotten that they were due to arrive in Carvahal soon. I prepared to veer off the road to allow the caravan to pass while I continued on my way, but the Caravan stopped instead. They began setting up camp, though there were still several hours of daylight left.
Curious, I approached them. The men eyed me as I approached, some of them placing their hands on their swords or daggers. The women ushered their children closer to them, and further away from me. I frowned. I didn't recall the Traders ever being that cautious.
"Hello! You're heading for Carvahal, correct?" One of the men gave a curt nod, so I continued. "May I ask why you're setting up camp so early? There are several hours of daylight left, and the village is still a week's journey away."
One of the men stepped forward and pointed south. "There's a storm coming. If you don't want to be caught in it, you should set up camp as well." I followed his finger with my gaze. There, on the horizon, was a white wall that was slowly getting larger. My eyes widened. How had I not noticed that until now?
"Thank you. I'd better go and start setting up my own camp."
I began to walk away before another man called out. "Wait. You should set up camp here. A storm like this is too dangerous to weather on your own."
I considered his offer. It would mean remaining separated from Saphira for longer than either of us preferred, but the man had a point. The blizzard coming would last for several days, and I was more likely to survive it with a large group. I glanced at the rest of the caravan. No one looked opposed to me accepting, some of the older children even looked hopeful.
"Thank you for the offer. If there's anything I can do to help, just ask."
The next few hours were spent helping pitch tents and gather wood. From what I could gather, they planned to build a large bonfire in the center of camp to keep us warm during the storm.
We managed to finish our preparations with some time to spare, so I decided to practice my swordplay until the storm hit. As I settled into my stance, some of the older boys interrupted me. "What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to teach myself to use a sword."
The boys were visibly excited by my answer. "Can you teach us?" the same one that interrupted me asked eagerly.
I considered it for a moment. If I accepted, it would give me people to practice with, at least temporarily. "I can try, although I'm just a beginner myself. Before we start, you need to gather some straight sticks about this size." I held up my makeshift sword to show them.
The boy eagerly ran off to do as I asked. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" a voice asked from behind me. I turned with a start. The man who had offered me sanctuary was standing behind me with an amused grin.
"I have no idea what I'm doing. I was being honest when I told them I was just a beginner, but trying to teach them should help me learn more. Even if it doesn't, there's no harm in trying."
"I happen to know a thing or two about fighting, so I'll stick around and supervise you. I won't interfere unless it looks like you're failing miserably."
I nodded, "I appreciate it." I knelt on the ground to meditate until the boys returned. I expanded my mind, careful not to invade any of the minds around me. Almost immediately, I felt the man behind me stiffen as barriers went up around his mind. Shocked, I retreated back to my mind. I opened my eyes to find the man drawing his sword.
I scrambled to my feet and settled into a defensive stance. I doubted I could win, especially not with a stick, but maybe I could last until help arrived. "What are you doing?" I called out loudly, cursing myself for choosing to practice in such a remote location.
Instead of answering, I felt him attempt to pierce my mental barriers. I narrowed my eyes as I reinforced them. With his mental attack blocked for now, the man charged me, swinging for my neck. I was just able to get my stick up in time, barely diverting his attack down and to the left. Before I was able to capitalize on the opening, I was staggered by a redoubled mental attack.
Growling in frustration, I decided to attempt breaking into his mind. With the force his attacks had, I expected some formidable barriers, so I threw all the force I could muster behind my attack. Surprisingly, I shattered his barriers with ease. He stumbled back, stunned at the force of my attack.
I was, once again, unable to capitalize, as I was lost in the man's memories. I watched as what seemed like the man's entire life flashed through my mind.
A boy, Caleb, entered his parents room to find their throats had been slit in the night. Caleb was taken in by servants of the king, Tom and Sarah. His parents' killer was never found.
The man, Caleb as I now knew him, struggled to his feet.
Caleb, now older, began training as a castle guard. He quickly rose through the ranks, impressing his superiors. Eventually, he gained an audience with the king.
Caleb retrieved his sword from where it had fallen.
King Galbatorix was more magnificent than Caleb had imagined. He asked Caleb his past, and seemed genuinely interested in Caleb's response.
He began to move toward me, sword raised.
When the king heard about Caleb's parents, he immediately realized who was responsible. Caleb was overjoyed to finally have a target for his vengeance: The Varden. Galbatorix cooled his excitement, however, and gave him a different assignment. The king had received word that one of his old enemies was still alive. Caleb's mission was to track down those rumours by any means necessary.
I wrenched myself from his mind, falling back just in time to avoid Caleb's slash. He stalked closer, once more raising his sword. My stick had been knocked away at one point, so I had no defense.
Suddenly, a familiar strength flooded through me. Desperate, I called out the first spell I could think of, "Brisingr!"
An unexpectedly enormous surge of power left me, and was still being drained. Frantically, I cast my mind out and connected to everything around me for extra power. The spell stopped drawing from me, and dozens of life sources started winking out of existence.
A circle of death began rapidly expanding from me. Caleb's eyes went wide. He dropped his sword and turned to run away.
Before he could take a step, the circle overtook him and he froze. I watched, horrified, as he seemed to shrivel in on himself. Eventually he fell to the ground, dead.
I started frantically trying to end my spell, but my efforts were futile. I tried to disconnect from the life around me, preferring death to sacrificing human life, but that too was in vain. The radius kept expanding. I began hearing screams from the camp, before they were cut short.
Every life that ended sent me spiralling deeper into despair. I had killed before, but this was different. The people I was with didn't deserve to die.
I chuckled mirthlessly. There was a time when the thought of anyone deserving to die would have horrified me. I remembered how disgusted I had been when Murtagh killed the disarmed Torkenbrand.
How the mighty have fallen.
Eventually, there were no more lifeforms within range of my mind and the spell began drawing from me once more, albeit at a much slower pace. I got a warning from the system that my mana was empty before the spell finally stopped.
A blinding light filled the area, accompanied by a deafening roar. The light quickly died, though the roar went on for a few more moments. I cautiously opened my eyes. For as far as I could see, life had been drained from everything. I looked to where Caleb had fallen just in time to see him crumble to dust.
There, just within arm's reach, was my sword. Suddenly, a deluge of
dings filled my ears as rune boxes filled my vision.
Quest Alert!
Survive!
You have attracted the ire of one of the Traders, causing them to try to kill you.
Objectives:
1. Survive long enough for help to arrive. (completed)
2. Prevent the man from breaking into your mind. (completed)
3. Break into his mind and learn his secrets. (completed)
4. Kill/subdue the man. (completed-killed)
Rewards:
1. 400 Exp
2. 800 Exp
3. 1600 Exp
4. 3200 Exp
170 people, 984 animals, and countless insects and plantlife killed.
Take 20,000 Exp
Congratulations!
You have managed to survive casting a spell worth 10 million mana.
As a reward, you gain a permanent 2x multiplier to you mana and mana regeneration.
Congratulations!
You have managed to summon your sword, Brisingr, across time and space.
As a reward, you gain access to the Inventory.
Inventory: similar to the spell taught to you by the Eldunari, the inventory allows you to carry items in a sort of pocket dimension. Any limits to the inventory must be discovered by the Gamer.
You have leveled up
!
Please choose which class to level up.
[Ranger: +4 Dex each level] [Warrior: +2 Str and Con each level] [Mage: +4 Int each level]
(note that you do not have to choose the same class every level)
I instinctively chose Warrior.
Name: Eragon Bromsson
Age: 15 (Mental Age 17)
Title: The Gamer, Dragon Rider [+2 to all stats each level]
Level: 7
Exp: 8392
Class: Ranger (4/100) [+4 Dex each level], Warrior (3/100) [+2 Str & Con each level]
Race: Human [+1 to all stats each level]
Alignment: Neutral Good
Tier: Mortal
HP: 805/805
HPR: 175/min
MP: 1589/1589
MPR: 32.9/min
SP: 920.5/920.5
SPR: 29.05/min
Str: 36 (37.44)
Dex: 50 (110)
Int: 35
Wis: 35
Cha: 30
Con: 40
Lck: 30
I sat in stunned silence. I was a monster. Not only had I killed scores of innocent people, I had grown stronger from it. Hours passed, but I had yet to move. The storm finally hit, and I still just sat there. Eventually, I felt someone enter the range of my mind. I recoiled in disgust at myself, withdrawing back into my mind and locking it down tighter than ever But still, I did not move.
The snow was piling up around me when I felt a gentle knocking at my mental barriers, but I refused to lower them. The knocking continued, only growing in intensity, but I steadfastly ignored it. Finally, what felt like a battering ram crashed into my shields, shattering them with as much ease as I had shattered Caleb's.
Eragon. A familiar voice resonated through my mind.
Saphira?
Yes, Little One. I am here. Before I could question her use of 'Little One', she sent a rush of memories into my mind. I saw events from the previous timeline, only from Saphira's perspective.
With growing wonder, I asked,
Are you really her? Are you my Saphira? A hum of affirmation came through our bond, and I began to weep in joy. I had my partner back. I didn't have to try to build that relationship with a new version of her.
A shiver made me realize how cold I had gotten and how thick the snow was. Luckily, the bonfire had been built before the incident, so I just needed to light it "Brisingr." This time, I fixed exactly what I wanted to do in my mind, Hoping to mitigate the chances of history repeating itself. With the fire lit, and my magic finally back, I cast a spell to keep it within its area and went to the nearest tent to sleep.
Betad/Co-authored by Morde24
You can join me in the Omniverse via the link in my profile.