Chapter four: Ascension

Sorry that it took so long guys, I was sick and went on a vacation. It wont happen again. I made up for it by making this extra long and better then normal. Hope you guys enjoy!

Eragon stood on a hill that overlooked the city of Dras-Loena, he felt a compulsion to raze and burn the city. He had no felt such feelings while he was attacking Feinster, but he considered it Dras-Loena forever tainted by the foul influence of Helgrind. It was an unnatural blight on the world and he wanted to eradicate it.

They stood silently on the hilltop as the sun rose, then Arya said quietly "Blodgarm, you can't come with us. You would give us away the moment the sentinels saw us."

Blodgarm bared his teeth unhappily and said defiantly, "I won't leave you or Eragon in this city." It seems as if Blodgarm shared his opinion of Dras-Loena.

"Be reasonable Blodgarm, you would be instantly recognized as a elf if anyone saw you, we can't afford to be discovered away from the Varden."

He shook his head defiantly "I don't like it, what if you or Eragon was captured. I wouldn't-"

Arya cut him off sharply "We can take care of ourselves Blodgarm, we don't need you with us." She started to walk toward the city as she was talking.

"Since you can't go into the city you might as well set up camp for us. We will be tired when we come back." Blodgarm nodded reluctantly then strode back the way they came.

Eragon hurried to keep up with Arya, and then matched her pace. "How we going to get in?" He looked at the high walls of Dras-Leona and reluctantly concluded that the only way in for now was in through the gate, he hoped that Arya saw a better option.

"We will go in through the front gate, if we had our hoods covering our ears then we should have no problem." Eragon swallowed his disappoint and drew his hood over his head and tightened it. Arya also drew her cloak up, she muttered a couple of words and he noticed that her facial features were becoming more human.

"You have got to teach me that spell sometime, it would be very useful" she nodded and said between breaths "It is more complicated then it seems".

They slowed their pace as they neared the gates, they walked with their heads down and shoulders drooped. Other travelers soon joined them as they neared the city. A couple of guards stood inside the gate, they scanned the crowd. Eragon felt apprehensive as he neared them. They entered the gate making sure to be in the middle of the crowd, Eragon looked at the boots of the person in front of him in an effort to not make eye contact. They passed through with incident, none of the guards even gave them a second glance.

They stopped beside the doorway to a house, its windows were boarded up and the door was missing. "What did Nasuada say about finding this spy?" Arya took a scroll from her bag, scrutinized it for a second then put it back.

"Her instructions say that he is in the richer part of the Dras-Loena, in a market on the eastern side of the Cathedral." Eragon started toward the Cathedral, he wanted to get out of the poor part of Dras-Loena. The stench of sewage and desperation clung to everything in that part of the city, soon he promised himself, soon I will free these people.

It took them a while to reach the Cathedral, as the streets were very busy. Arya kept well away from the Cathedral, they feared that the priests would recognize the, they slowly inched their way around until they reached the market specified in Nasuada's instructions. Eragon looked at the teeming crowd of citizens and the quick-fingered merchants.

"Does the letter say what he looks like or where he is?" He looked at the numerous stands.

It said that he should be at one of these stores, he is a blacksmith and should be selling arms and armor. He will ask what you are looking for. Tell him that you are looking for a sword that is also a shield, he will understand." Arya intoned.

"Well that narrows it down" he looked at the sky and notice a pillar of smoke. Looking to his right he notice a large open building where the smoke originated.

"I think that might be our spy over there" Eragon said and then pointed at the building. Arya craned her neck and studied the building.

"Looks like it, but there's only on way to find out" She started pushing her way through the crowd and Eragon after a moment followed her. The market was crowded and he often had to push through people to get to the smithy.

Finally, after pushing through a particularly thick part of the crowd he reached his destination. Arya was leaning against a pillar looking down at him with a hint of a smile on her lips. "Took you long enough Eragon, I have been waiting here for some time.

His cheeks reddened and he exclaimed, "How did you get here so fast?" Her smile deepened "Instead of wasting time traversing that crowd I simply went around and kept to the outskirts" He looked down embarrassed.

Arya turned around and walked into the forge, he hurried to keep up with her. There was a glowing caldron in the middle of the circular room with anvils of various sizes surrounding it. Tools hung from the walls and ceiling, and there was a table shoved up against a wall with tools and scrolls on it. There was a man in the center of the room, tending to the forge. Eragon and Arya waited patiently as he worked, finally he let go of the bellow and wiped some sweat from his face. Eragon cleared his throat impatiently and the man looked up startled. He walked over and said "Ah! Sorry that I did not notice you sooner, but business has been very busy lately. Speaking of business, are you looking for anything? I don't just sell arms and armor you know, I can pretty much make anything you would need.

The man was friendly and had good-natured tone, and Eragon liked him "Actually yes, I am looking for a peculiar sword that can also be used as a shield. Ever heard of it?"

The man smiled deeply and he winked knowingly at him. "Yes I have heard of them and even have a couple in stock. Now if you follow me I will show them to you. He walked towards the back of the shop where there was a large oak door. He opened it and gestured for them to walk through. Eragon walked through and beheld a room filled with swords, shields, and armor. The man walked in and shut the door behind them, locking it.

"We can't talk here, follow me quietly" he said in a hushed voice. Eragon nodded and followed the spy up a flight of stairs. He took a moment to survey the room, it was a goodly sized room filled with iron ingots and charcoal. There was a small bed shoved up against a wall and with a couple of cabinets and a empty chair shoved up against a desk.

The man strode up to an empty shelf with and pushed it aside to reveal a hither too hidden doorway. He walked through and after a brief hesitation they followed him, inside there was a small room with a table and couple of chairs. The room had no windows and was completely hidden from the outside. It was small enough that no one would notice that the first floor was slightly bigger than the second floor, however it left the room very small and cramped.

The spy gave a large sigh and said "Sorry about that, but I think that I am being watched" He walked to the other side of the tiny room, squeezing past the table and wall and took a seat a one of the chairs. Eragon and Arya sat down too, there wasn't a lot of space so they were forced close together. She could do nothing about the fact that she was practically sitting on Eragons lap. Eragons face reddened and he look away to preserved Arya's dignity.
"How rude of me! I didn't even tell you my name." The man boomed. "It's Irwin, and I presume that you are Shadeslayer. The question was rhetorical but he nodded anyway "I would prefer it though if you just called me Eragon" he answered.

Irwin nodded rigorously "Of course, and your associate here?" He looked at Arya questionly.

"My name is Arya," she said shortly. Irwin's eyebrows raised and he said astonished "An Elf! I am honored, I never thought I would see one in my lifetime. Arya looked taken aback and Eragon blinked astonished.

"How did you know that she was an elf?" he asked curiously. Irwin just shrugged and said "She is too perfect to be completely human, and it was apparent from her slight accent that she speaks the Ancient Language often. Though her scent of crushed pine needles makes it apparent."

He laughed at their shocked faces and said chuckling "You don't think that Nasuada has fools and dullards as her spies, do you?

Eragon shook his head and responded, "No I don't, but I didn't except someone so … educated?" Irwin laughed some more and answered, wheezing for breath "No, not all of her spies are experienced as me, I just have an…eventful past."

He leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily "and now to more serious matters, I assume Nasuada told you about my letter?" Eragon nodded and then gestured for him to continue.

"I will start from the beginning, five days ago a group of…" He searched vainly for a fitting word. "Adventurers decided that it would be profitable to explore the Catacombs under the city.

Eragon interrupted him and said, "There's Catacombs under Dras-Leona? I have never heard of them." These Catacombs could be useful when we attack Dras-Loena, we might not even have to set siege to the city. He waited for an answer from Saphira out of pure habit. Then he remembered that Saphira was not there, loneliness was upon him like a hammer blow. He fought to control his unruly emotions and after a second it passed.

Irwin crossed his arms and nodded "Not many have. Dras-Leona stopped using the Catacombs almost two thousand years ago. Unfortunately for all the time I have walked those passages not once have I found an entrance outside the city"

Eragon tried not to look disappointed, but when Irwins smile grew wider he knew he had failed.

"You have been down in these catacombs before?" he asked. Irwin nodded, "yes I have, ever since I first came to this city I have explored them. I know them well, and I can guide you there easy enough. Anyway, They hoped to find gold and riches. But they did not even find a copper, the catacombs have been picked clean long before they were even born." Irwin shook his head at their stupidity.

"But one day while they were searching they found a large crack in one of the walls. They were able to look through it and found an undiscovered passageway. Excited they broke down the wall piece by piece. They uncovered a long forgotten tomb of some long dead person of importance. They found symbols that anyone who has been in Dras-Loena for a reasonable amount of time would recognize. The priests of Helgrind accursed black language, they recognized it and decided to tell the priests."
Irwin shook his head sadly and said, "They hoped that the priests would reward them greatly. Instead they thanked them and then gave them the honor of being their next sacrifices."

The information angered him and it made him all the more eager to lay siege to the city. Irwin seemed to share his sentiment, as his next words were angry. "The priests sent down a small scouting party, they found it quickly thanks to the directions given to them by the Adventurers. The priests recognized the tomb instantly, apparently one of their founders is buried there. The legends about him have long since faded, but enough of them still survive today to bring us tales of a long lost artifact.

Irwin next words were barely a whisper, Eragon and Arya had to lean forward to hear him. "This artifact has powers of destruction like no other relic in history. It is said that whoever wields it will be able to destroy entire armies and raze whole cities single-handily.

Eragon asked excited "Is this artifact real? If so is it really that powerful" Irwin shrugged and said, "The legends have most likely been exaggerated over time, but I assure you that it is quite real. It is mentioned in Domr Abr Wierda and in scrolls that predate even the Dragon Riders."

Arya had listened up to this point but now she asked "If what you are telling us is true then why haven't the priests retrieved it? This all happened days ago."

Irwin shifted his gaze to her, "for two reasons: the first is that the Adventures ventured too deep in the tomb and their guide got killed in a trap. They were lost for days, but they eventually found their way out. The second is that they have been arguing the rest of the time about who gets to retrieve it and who gets to use it."

He paused for a second and then said gruffly "but they sent out the group this morning, it is quite possible that it has been retrieved already."

Eragon blinked and said hurriedly "Then we should go now, while we still have a chance at seizing it."

Irwin nodded "that's exactly what I was thinking, there's not a moment to spare". He slid his chair back and stood up. Eragon followed suite and went to the door, he pushed the shelf aside and walked into the storage room. Arya strode past him with Irwin quick on her heels.

Eragon ran down the stairs taking the steps five at a time, he stopped at the middle of the forge. Arya was right behind him and they stood next to each other waiting for Irwin. The spy ran down the stairs a few seconds later.

"Keep close to me, and please don't run off like that again. I am many things but superhuman is not one of them" he said indigently.

Eragon smiled "after you" he said teasingly. Irwin grunted in reply and then started to lead them threw the city. They walked around to the back of the citadel, then he led them towards the poorer part of the city. After a couple of minutes they stopped next a large rusted grate. There as a thick fluid dripping from the pipe, it pooled in a small stagnate pond. The smell coming from it was unmistakable and he fought to keep his breakfast down.

"Of course the sewers, how classic" Eragon said with grim humor. Irwin grinned and said, "don't worry it gets better further in".

Irwin pushed at the grate and with a scraping noise it fell forward. Irwin climbed in and extended a hand to help Eragon. Arya looked up at them and said icily "I do not appreciate crawling through this sewage, it is unbecoming for a elf". Irwin grinned at her and said, "What would you prefer elf? Going through a sewer or Galbatorix destroying everything the Varden has worked for?"

Arya stiffened, then sighed and relaxed. She ignored Eragon's proffered hand and instead leaped into the tight corridor. Irwin chuckled and Arya looked at him coolly, Irwin wisely did not say anything else. The smell was terrible, Eragon held his breath for as long as he could, but he had to breath now. He breathed in deeply and almost vomited, luckly the passage ended soon after. He led them through the sewer until they came to a part, which had partly collapsed. They had to squeeze through a tight gap before entering the Catacombs.

The walls were carved out of the rough stone, and there was slots carved into the walls. They were filled with skeletons, often more then one in each slot. As Irwin led them through the complex labyrinth of tunnels, rooms, and the stairs Eragon's jaw dropped further and further as he saw room after room of bones.

"How many people are buried here?" he asked Irwin. He glanced briefly at the walls and answered "tens of thousands Shadeslayer. For a large period of time stretching back to Dras-Loena's construction to about two thousand years ago."

Eragon wondered who Irwin was and how did he know so much and decided to ask him. "Who are you Irwin, no common spy knows this much about elves, Dragon Riders, and obscure details of history". Irwin seemed unsurprised about his outburst.

"Who am I? That's hard question to answer. If you really want to know then I will tell you. My bloodline is ancient, and our founder was Vrael"

Eragon nearly tripped over a rock in his surprise, he quickly recovered his balance. "You are related to Vrael?" he said disbelieving.

Irwin nodded solemnly "I am the last of his bloodline, Galbatorix made sure that Vrael had no relatives. He killed the last of us about thirty years ago, I barely escaped with my life. My whole family was killed before my eyes, since then I have dedicated my whole life to overthrowing Galbatorix" He looked at Eragon sadly, "Now for you understand Shadeslayer?"

Eragon looked at Irwin, understanding now what drove the man. "I understand," he said respectively. Irwin grunted in reply and said, "don't you forget what Galbatorix has done, and he must be overthrown"

The rest of their trip passed by in silence until Irwin arrived at a large in the wall. Eragon looked through it but could see nothing, as the passage way was as black as pitch.

"I presume that we are here?" Irwin nodded and Eragon murmured a spell and a werelight appeared overhead illuminating the corridor.

Beyond the jagged edges of the whole the passageway was made out of smooth granite, thin gold stands snaked across the wall. Upon further inspection Eragon noticed that the gold formed jagged symbols that hurt his eyes just by looking at it.

"The black script of Helgrind inlayed in gold, what a novelty" Irwin murmured disapprovingly. Eragon cautiously moved toward the end of the corridor, he could hear voices faraway, but could not make out what they were saying. At the end of the corridor the passage dipped down into a steep stairway, it twisted to the left and down into the unknown depths.

At the bottom Eragon could see a dim light, he slowed down and pressed close against the wall. He pressed his finger against his lips and pointed to the light. Arya nodded and they quietly tread down the hallway as quiet as shadows.

Two soldiers in the black robes stood by a doorway, guarding it. Rags covered their faces and they carried short wicked blades. Eragon looked at Arya and slid his fingers across his throat. Arya drew her sword and Eragon followed suite. She leaped at one of the soldiers and stabbed him in the throat. Eragon hurriedly ran at the final soldier and slashed him across the neck as he opened his mouth to scream. The soldier gurgled and coughed on his own blood as he tried to yell. He caught the soldier before he hit the floor.
Eragon lowered him to the ground and stepped over him. There was a richly decorated hallway in front of him, a bright light radiated from the end. He walked slowly, deliberately walked towards it, shading his eyes with his arm so that he would not be blinded.

The chamber was circular and hundred feet across, the ceiling was so high that height ceased to matter. The whole room was inlayed with gold, sliver, and iron. Various precious gems winked at him, and various reenacted bloody scenes were depicted across the walls. In the middle of the room was a raised dais with a hand thrust up out of the floor. The hand was made out of pure obsidian and had golden claws for fingernails. Resting on its palm, emitting black light was a blood red crystal. It was about an arms length long and was hexagonal. Inside dark black and red thunderheads roiled violently. The crystal seemed to absorb light and omitted a violet radiance.

Standing around it arms upraised, fingertips touching, were three priests of Helgrind. All were missing a limb and one was missing both hands. They were chanting words in the ancient's language, but not any words that Eragon had ever heard of, they were…different. The words were twisted and guttural, he noticed detachedly that the crystal seemed to pulse with each word spoken.

Arya ran past him at the nearest priest, Eragon fumbled with his sword and then charged. The priests did not even notice, except when Arya gave one a furious slash with her sword. Then the priests seemed to be snapped out of some trance, they looked at Arya unemotionally black eyes boring into her.

Eragon suddenly felt an enormous force press against his mind, seeking to crush him. He hurriedly erected his mental barriers and fought against the presence that seeked to destroy his very essence. Arya was frozen in place and Irwin was on the ground cradling his head; no doubt a similar battle was being waged in their minds.

The force attacking him redoubled and he gritted his teeth in pain. Something was wrong, the threes priests should not be this powerful, this force was greater then anything even Oromis was able to summon. Something or someone was helping them. He looked at the crystal and noticed that thin strands of darkness were connecting the priests to the crystal. In that instance he made his choice and sealed his fate, he would rather die than be a servant a servant to Galbatorix.

He viciously attacked the presence and drove it back for a second, then strode up the crystal and swung his sword. "No! Don't! You will release the-" The priest yelled franticly terror plane in his voice as his sword hit the crystal.

The crystal shattered with a crystalline note, the noise was mental as well as physical and he flinched as the noise rebounded across his mind. A dark cloud leaked out of the shards and dissipated.

The room darkened, every shadow in the room seemed to be drawn towards the void. The darkness seemed tangible and Eragon became aware of a vast dark conscious that snapped and consumed, its rage was so great that Eragon felt as if his very essence was being consumed. He quailed as the presence turned its attention on him, it deliberately surrounded his consciousness, and it seeped through his barriers and into his mind. All of the shadow gathered around Eragon, it surrounded him with waves of blackness.

Suddenly the darkness seemed to solidify, and then it exploded outwards. Extricating, mind-numbing pain, Eragon screamed then he remembered no more as the pain overwhelmed him.

Ah, my first cliffhanger! What happened to Eragon? You guys will never guess. Plz review if you notice anything that you think I could do better. The next chapter will come out sooner.