A Gamer's Inheritance

[Katorishi]

I love Inheritance Cycle and I love good Gamer fics, so I think I'll love this. I don't think I've ever read a good Inheritance Cycle fanfic, and I'm not so crazy about some aspects of how you've set up the System, but I have high hopes of loving this, so I look forward.

On that note, if anybody reading this has any recommendations for good IC fanfics, I'd love to hear about them. Thanks in advance.

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https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13309182/1/Stronghammer

 

[Ahtu]

Wait what? This is completely reworked. There were no Forsworn still alive, and Brom was not even remotely this incompetent. He downplayed his abilities most of the time with Eragon.

He was especially renown for his skill with magic, but he killed a good portion of the forsworn in swordfights, and the humans could use magic to match elves. Just like Murtagh does later to match Eragon.


It's a good story so far, but this last part is all completely "left-field" stuff. It was like it jumped into a different story out of nowhere.

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That would be spoilers. Though, if you read closely the answer is in the chapter.

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Hence it is not exactly a spoiler that there are 2 in here. Not canon tho, so it feels like you ran the story through a washing machine. And now I question everything.

 

[Ahtu]

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13309182/1/Stronghammer

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Thanks, I read that one when it was fairly new. Lost my browser history from that time, and forgot all about it. It was nice to finally read the whole story.

 

[Mythology216]

Who's Kuvira?

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Time travel has consequences. One of those, for this story, was the survival of some of the Forsworn. Kuvira is one of them. There were 8 unnamed Forsworn in canon, so we took one of them, stuck details on, and Kuvira was born.

 

[Mythology216]

Not a fan at all about how you had him leave. That was way too sudden and everyone was way too accepting. I don't think that was very realistic. Other than that though, I enjoyed the chapter.

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That's fair. I'm not a fan of it either, looking back. I may go back and edit it at some point in the future, but I'd like to get more written before I start looking at rewrites.

 

[Mythology216]

Why haven't magecraft and swordmanship "gained experience from past life?"

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Because he doesn't have the muscle memory to justify it. His archery got a boost because the Eragon at the start of canon was already an expert marksman. His Spellcrafting got a slight boost as well, since it's primarily mental, and he did make a few unique spells in canon.

 

[Mythology216]

Wait what? This is completely reworked. There were no Forsworn still alive, and Brom was not even remotely this incompetent. He downplayed his abilities most of the time with Eragon.

He was especially renown for his skill with magic, but he killed a good portion of the forsworn in swordfights, and the humans could use magic to match elves. Just like Murtagh does later to match Eragon.


It's a good story so far, but this last part is all completely "left-field" stuff. It was like it jumped into a different story out of nowhere.

---

Hence it is not exactly a spoiler that there are 2 in here. Not canon tho, so it feels like you ran the story through a washing machine. And now I question everything.

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You're right that it's reworked. Like I responded to someone else, time travel has consequences.
And Brom is only confirmed to have killed 3 of the Forsworn personally (and we're not told what methods he used), while arranging for the deaths of another 5. In this, I'm saying that his lack of a bonded dragon has been slowly diminishing his abilities, which is canon iirc, while the last 16 years he's spent as a storyteller in Carvahal has hastened that decline.
I'm sorry that it felt too 'left-field', but I didn't see how to foreshadow it more than I did. (Kuvira is the one Galbatorix contacted in Aroughs.)

 

[Ahtu]

You're right that it's reworked. Like I responded to someone else, time travel has consequences.
And Brom is only confirmed to have killed 3 of the Forsworn personally (and we're not told what methods he used), while arranging for the deaths of another 5. In this, I'm saying that his lack of a bonded dragon has been slowly diminishing his abilities, which is canon iirc, while the last 16 years he's spent as a storyteller in Carvahal has hastened that decline.
I'm sorry that it felt too 'left-field', but I didn't see how to foreshadow it more than I did. (Kuvira is the one Galbatorix contacted in Aroughs.)

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We're not told exactly, but I remember there benig strong hints provided. By Brom, Galbatorix, and the Eldunari. And I recall it saying somewhere that he killed some with a blade, and some with magic. Although both were ofc used in each fight. While his greatest strength was figuring out sneaky spells. Something he seems to have had help from the Eldunari with, and that Eragon inherited from him.

And the "left-field" stuff, was mostly there being forsworn still alive(kinda makes me wonder how they don't have Saphira's egg already).

 

[Mythology216]

I let out whoop as Saphira went into another dive. It would seem that she was enjoying her return to the skies even more than me. There was nothing quite like the rush that came with clinging to her back as she performed death defying dives and loops.

With us traveling by air, my daily schedule had to be altered slightly; I couldn't very well practice lifting a pebble from dragonback. Mornings, before we took to the skies, were devoted to training my magic. Between that and the spell to accelerate Saphira's growth, I had gained fourteen levels in my magecraft skill.

One of the first things I had done was restore the many wards that had once protected me. I received quite the fright when my scrying ward triggered the morning we left Palancar Valley. The only mage I was aware of that knew my face was Brom, but I couldn't take the chance that it was someone else. No one could know about Saphira yet.

I didn't even have to convince Saphira that I couldn't speed up her growth daily once we began travelling. She noticed that the spell took most of the day to sing and left me utterly exhausted. As much as she wanted to return to her former glory, she cared for my well-being so much more; that and she hated being idle for too long.
We agreed to stop once a week to recast the spell. Dragons already grow extremely fast, but I was amazed at how large she had gotten in the three weeks since first casting it. At only one month old, Saphira was as large as she had been when Brom died. At the rate she was growing, she would be large enough to breathe fire by the time we reached Gil'ead.

After magic practice, but before breaking camp, I had begun to go through the first level of Rimgar. While I didn't have to be as cautious with it as I had originally, due to not having a giant wound across my back from Durza, it still managed to prove challenging. My physical abilities were improving rapidly, but the flexibility required was not a part of that.

The evenings remained the domain of the sword. I was quick to discard the stick I had been using in favor of Brisingr. It didn't take long for the swordplay skill to hit level 10, at which point I received an eye-opening message.

Your [Swordplay] skill has reached level 10!
Congratulations, this means you have mastered the bare basics of using a sword!
At least now you aren't in danger of stabbing yourself!
Now, you must master a fighting style to progress the skill any further.
You currently have knowledge of three fighting styles.
It looks like none of them are fully available, so you will need to seek further instruction to raise their level caps to the normal 100.
[Imperial (0/10)] [Gnyjar Skul'blaka (0/85)] [Ausa Adurna (0/20)]
​

Imperial is the primary fighting style used by the humans of the Broddring Empire. It is focussed on refining the basics; using nothing more than the fundamentals to defeat your enemy. Through sparring with Murtagh, you have a basic understanding of the forms.

Gnyjar Skul'blaka, or Roaring Dragon, is the primary fighting style used by the Dragon Riders. It is focused on fighting alongside your dragon and swift footwork. This is the style taught to you by Brom and refined further by Oromis. As such, you have near complete understanding of the forms.

Ausa Adurna, or Flowing Water, is the primary fighting style used by the Elves of Du Weldenvarden. It is focussed on using an elf's inherent grace to transform any fight into a dance. Through extensive sparring with Vanir and Arya, you have picked up a rudimentary understanding of the forms.

I hadn't even realized there were different styles of sword fighting. I had much further to go than I originally thought before I was ready to face the more exotic threats in Alagaesia.

Eragon, Saphira's voice broke through my thoughts, there is a village ahead with a large raiding party of Urgals approaching swiftly.

I was confused for a moment. Urgals didn't group together unless a war was imminent. Then I remembered that they were still under Durza's control. We'll have to stop them. How many are there?

50. Saphira's response was quick. She cut off my next question before I could ask, There are no Kull. If you want to stop them, we need to act now before the village is alerted.

Very well. Bring us closer.

I strung my bow as we flew closer. It didn't take long before the Urgals entered my sight. I drew three arrows and nocked one. I hesitated. There were much more effective options that I hadn't even considered. I chuckled ruefully. It seemed that I was still guilty of jumping into things headfirst.

Instead of drawing my bow and taking a shot, I dipped into the wellspring of power at my command. Fixing the Urgals in my mind, I began to use one of the death words Oromis taught me. I furrowed my brow. It seemed that Durza had warded his minions against such modes of attack. Just to be sure, I ran through the other eleven words. Unsurprisingly, none of them had any effect.

With that option exhausted, I drew my bow. "Brisingr," I whispered. My sword burst into flames within its sheath, but I quickly cut the flow of power to it. At the end of each of the three arrows I drew rested a glowing blue ember. I fired into the group of Urgals, one arrow after another.

Before the first three arrows landed I had another three in my hand. I forwent any other spells, instead planning on picking Urgals off in the coming chaos. A moment later, the first arrow hit the neck of an Urgal. The other two were caught by shields. I smirked as three explosions ripped through the company.

I started firing again. I didn't remember ever firing that fast before. In under a minute I had emptied my quiver, each arrow finding purchase in an Urgal. Not all of them hit vital areas, but enough did that I had easily cut their numbers in half.

I frowned. Saphira was not yet close enough for me to be comfortable jumping off and wading into combat, but I couldn't give the Urgals a chance to regroup. The three explosive arrows had nearly drained my magical reserves, so magic wasn't an option without exhausting myself physically. That left a mental assault to turn them against each other as my only other option.

I hadn't expanded my mind, outside of talking to Saphira, since my mistake, but it appeared I could no longer put it off. I molded my mind into a steely javelin and launched my consciousness at the group of Urgals. My attack slammed against a seamless barrier around the first Urgal's mind. Before I could try to break through, the Urgal dropped dead.

I shook off my confusion and went for the next Urgal, only for the same thing to happen. For the third Urgal I tried a much softer approach, thinking that I may have overwhelmed the first two with the force I was exerting. It took longer, long enough that Saphira was getting ready to land, but that one eventually died as well.

I withdrew my mind back into myself and drew Brisingr. I could puzzle out why those three Urgals died at a later date. Saphira crashed into the crowd with a roar, crushing several Urgals beneath her bulk and snatching one with her jaws viscously jerking him back and forth like a ragdoll. I leaped from her back, bending my knees and rolling to reduce the impact. The Urgals quickly recovered from their earlier confusion with an actual target to focus on.

The one closest to me lowered his head to charge at me. I lunged forward, thrusting Brisingr through his eye and out the back of his skull before he could do so. Behind me, Saphira was a force of nature; lashing out with claw, tail and fang at any Urgal dumb enough to get close.

I settled into a rhythm. I would lunge forward, baiting an Urgal, and withdraw to Saphira's side. The Urgal would charge recklessly and I would swiftly cut them down. As the fight went on I could feel my heart beat harder, fire spreading through my veins, a smile stretching across my face; this was exhilarating! Slowly, I started to hyperfocus on the Urgals in front of me and I drifted from Saphira's side. That was a mistake.

I let out a cry as I felt cold fire bloom in my calf from the arrow that had pierced it, breaking my hyperfocus. Stumbling, I reached down to snap off the shaft. Unfortunately my distraction cost me. A line of fire lashed across my back as another Urgal took advantage.

I spun around in a rage and buried Brisingr in the Urgal's chest. Leaving Brisngr buried there I dived out of the way of another arrow, my roll bringing me to a body with 3 arrows stuck in it. Ripping them from the corpse as I drew my bow, I nocked and loosed an arrow at the Urgal archer. The Urgal's eyes widened and he tried to lift his shield, but he reacted too slow. My arrow pierced his neck and he fell to the ground choking on his own blood.

Behind me, Saphira let out a roar of pain. An Urgal had managed to get close and hacked at her left foreleg with his axe. Blinding rage filled me and I went to fire the remaining two arrows at him. In my rage, however, I drew too far. My bow, a gift from Garrow, once again burst into splinters that punctured my hand.

Dashing toward where I had left Brisngr I wrenched it from the Urgals chest, its hot blood splattering across my face, and marched toward the one guilty of harming Saphira. Before I could exact revenge, Saphira bit down on him and shook causing all his bones to audibly break. I looked around. The battle was over.

Slashing Brisngr in a wide arc to fling the blood off, I sheathed it and rushed to Saphira. I placed my hand on her leg and started muttering some of the more advanced healing spells. The Urgal had cut nearly to the bone. The system started flashing that my mana was empty so I expanded my mind and drew from the surrounding wildlife, careful not to fully drain anything. While still connected to the wildlife, I healed my own injuries as well.

Starting to feel the black creep in around my eyes, I said, Let's find somewhere to camp, Saphira. I mounted her and we flew away. As we were flying, I decided to deal with the system messages the battle had left me with.

50 enemies slain!
Albeit with Saphira's help.
100k exp gained!
[Gnyjar Skul'blaka] has leveled up x2!
[Archery] has leveled up!
[Magecraft] has leveled up !
You have leveled up !
Which classes would you like to progress in?
[Warrior] [Mage] [Ranger]
​

Exhausted as I was, I chose the first option I saw, Warrior, without putting much thought into it. Then I finally allowed myself to succumb to the sweet embrace of oblivion.

The campfire cast deep shadows through the moonless night. A short distance away, a horse could barely be seen. Closer to the fire a man slept, clutching a pack in his arms. An ear splitting shriek cut through the air. The horse fell into a panic, tugging at the rope holding it in place. The noise woke the man and he leapt to his feet, nimble as a cat, smoothly drawing a hand-and-a-half sword, the edge gleaming in the firelight as if molten. He settled into a defensive stance and called out, "Who's there." No response came from the shadows, but another shriek cut through the silence. The man cursed, "Ra'zac!"

A shape detached from the shadows and grabbed the horse just as the rope holding it in place snapped. An oily voice called out, "There is nowhere to run. . ."

I awoke with a start, my joints stiff from sleeping in the saddle. The sun had yet to crest the horizon, but I couldn't rest any more. Once he spoke, I recognized the man in my dream as my half-brother, Murtagh. I felt a pang of guilt at not thinking of him since travelling back, but I had a chance to rectify that.

I dismounted Saphira and did the necessary preparations, then fixed Murtagh in my mind's eye and said, "Draumr kopa." The water stilled and an image swirled into view. Murtagh lay curled around his pack next to a smoldering campfire. He appeared to be asleep. Tornac was picketed not too far away. Everything appeared to align with my dream, apart from the lack of Ra'zac.

Unfortunately, I did not recognize the land in Murtagh's immediate area, so I focused on manipulating the spell. Slowly, the image expanded to a bird's eye view. The land was mostly flat as far as the eye could see. A few miles north, east, and west of Murtagh's camp ran a river.

I was beginning to have an idea of where he was, and it wasn't too far away. The village resting on the north bank of the river confirmed it. Murtagh was camping just south of Yazuac.

I cut off the spell. There had only been a sliver of the moon visible the last I saw it. We didn't have much time to reach Murtagh, and I didn't know how close to Yazuac we were. I surrounded Saphira's consciousness with my own, urging her to wake up.

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​

The all too familiar shriek of a Lethrblaka ripped me out of my slumber. We had found Murtagh's camp the day I had my vision, but I couldn't just stroll up to him like an old friend. Even with Saphira's presence, he was likely to assume we were the King's agents. Thus, we had concealed ourselves and followed him, waiting for the night the Ra'zac would choose to attack. Four nights later, the time had finally arrived.

It is time, Saphira said, sounding eager to face our oldest enemies.

We had hidden ourselves only a short distance from Murtagh's camp, so I crept closer while Saphira took to the air. I muttered the spell needed to filter the Ra'zac's poison from the air; I did not yet trust my strength to break out on my own. I reached the camp just as the second shriek filled the air.

Just as in my dream, Murtagh cursed before one of the Ra'zac revealed itself. "There is nowhere to run, Morzansson," it called out. I wanted to interfere, but I still did not know where the second Ra'zac was.

"Who said anything about running?" Murtagh asked, sounding confident in his own abilities.

The Ra'zac chuckled, but did not move. Focused as he was on the Ra'zac with his horse, Murtagh didn't notice the one creeping up behind him. But I did. "Garjzla!" A bright blue light flared into existence in the center of the camp.

Both Ra'zac flinched back and shielded their eyes from the sudden intense light. Saphira swept down into the camp, snatching the Ra'zac holding Tornac from the ground. The second Ra'zac let out a shriek, reminiscent of the call of a Lethrblaka, and charged Saphira.

I charged from the undergrowth drawing Brisingr, stopping the remaining Ra'zac in its tracks. Before I could attack, I felt a jolt of pain come through my bond with Saphira, causing me to reach for her through our bond. "Saphira, what's happening!"

She responded, sounding pained "Lethrblaka!". Hearing the ring of steel behind me I cursed in my distraction I had ignored the other Ra'zac! Luckily, Murtagh had intercepted it's attack and saved my life.

I nodded in wordless thanks. Recentering myself I rushed to join the fight. Taking advantage of its focus on Murtagh I went for a powerful overhead strike that it barely avoided, settling into a tense standoff. I made the first move, lunging in quickly as Murtagh followed behind. We fell into a quick pace as if we had fought together all our lives. The Ra'zac could barely keep up, even with its superior speed, and the ring of metal echoed throughout the camp.

As the Ra'zac disengaged and jumped back it glanced at the sky. "We will meet again, fools. The king will not rest until the both of you are in his service or dead," it hissed before leaping into the sky. A Lethrblaka swept in and caught it before flying away. I could just make out the crumpled form of the other Ra'zac in one of the Lethrblaka's claws.

I sheathed Brisingr and closed my eyes, preparing to dismiss my summoned light. Before I could do so, Murtagh asked, "Who are you? Why did you help me?" Feeling a cold tingle on my throat, I opened my eyes to see his sword point resting on it.

I held up my hands in surrender. "My name is Eragon. I helped you because it was the right thing to do. Now, why don't you put away your sword so this doesn't get messy."

Before he could respond a familiar squeak rang out from his pack, distracting us both. As Murtagh rushed over, I stood in shock. What could I have changed that Murtagh stole a dragon egg?

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Beta'd/Co-authored by Morde24 and Mand'alor.
You can join me in the Omniverse via the link in my profile.

 

[Grimmouse197]

He didn't time travel as much as he entered an alternate reality then.

 

[Sil-the-Kind]

You have leveled up !

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OwO Whatws twis? A Wewel up?

 

[Mythology216]

He didn't time travel as much as he entered an alternate reality then.

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Perhaps.

 

[Mythology216]

OwO Whatws twis? A Wewel up?

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It's supposed to say x 3. This is the only site that replaces it with the emoji.

 

[shifty-sword]

Gonna need to reread the Inheritance saga at this point, it's been too long. But I'm glad to see more of this!