The Battle of Urû’baen

[Velathan]

The first warning Velathan had of his impending doom was the warning shout that David provided. As soon he he heard it, he glanced around, in a rush to spot whatever was coming. Then he saw it. A long spear, tipped with cruel, sharp metal and aiming straight for him. He wasn't able to make out who was wielding it as the horse was moving too quickly but he knew he had only seconds to react before being impaled. Acting quickly, the threw his shield up just before the spear collided with him and tried to sidestep at the same time.

A loud crack, and the total numbing of his arm informed him that he had been hit. Risking a glance down at his arm, Velathan realised that he had not been badly hurt, just a few bruises, but his shield was now utterly useless. He tore it off and threw it to the ground, far enough away that it wouldn't become and obstacle should he end up fighting this horseman. He turned and leveled his blade at this new threat, hoping that David could kill the woman they had just been fighting. "Get off your horse, and fight me like a man, blade to blade! Or are you scared?" he taunted, hoping to either dismount the man, which would be preferable, or provoke him into rash action so he could forcefully dismount him if possible. Either way, there wasn't much he was going to do against this man without a spear.

[Harbor]

Arya, Rowanis, Fasail/Aroure
Arya - Varden
Arya dodged Thorn’s thrashing tail and dove in toward him again, trying to find a way to dart underneath his wing and close to his body, where it would be more difficult for him to stomp on or slash at her. She leapt over his tail the next time it swung around and slashed at the rear fringe of the softer membranes of his wings, hoping to cause him enough pain to distract him from causing too much harm to Saphira. It tested her concentration to keep track of Eragon and Murtagh while still trying to wage her assault on one dragon without being inadvertently or purposefully harmed by either of the dragons wrestling in their vicinity. Other mortals were giving them all a wide berth. Wise of the humans.
>>Arya is trying to cut Thorn’s wings and free Saphira.

Rowanis (Ghost) - Varden
”This is just not the place for me!” Rowanis shrieked her frustration, unable to entirely defeat the habits of life as she dodged living people who fell right through her when she couldn’t avoid them. Of course no one could hear her, nor could anyone but Trelik see her, but she decided to count that to her advantage. She just needed to find another person she thought was on the Varden’s side to help. One person at a time, she told herself.

There was a man. Trying to overwhelm a Varden soldier. Rowanis marched over to him and shoved him sideways, trying to keep him off balance enough for the Varden soldier to overwhelm and, unfortunately, kill him. This was all awful.
*Edited because I misread previous posts. Anyone can be the Empire or Varden soldier she's hindering or helping.
>>Rowanis pushes over an Empire soldier who's fighting a Varden soldier.

Fasail and Aroure – Varden
>>Are still fighting an Empire Rider in the air. Fasail fails to block a sword strike and it hits her wards and is deflected. Aroure is worried about her because she knows Fasail doesn’t see well anymore. Aroure is fighting the Rider’s dragon.

*Can we begin putting Empire or Varden next to our character names? I’m not skilled or active enough anymore to know who’s on whose side if they aren’t canon. Thank you if you do!

[Quetzal]

ISRYDIA AND ARLYN
Varden

Isrydia and Arlyn were struggling against an Empire Rider. The enemy's dull brownish scales shifted under the force of Arlyn's bites and clawing. Isrydia and her dragon were slowly besting the other Rider, both moderately surprised by their apparent success since they had very little experience in fighting other dragon-Rider pairs together. Isrydia had managed to give the other Rider more cuts than she herself had received whenever the two neared one another, Arlyn's agility working to his advantage as he stayed aloft despite twisting to attack and manoeuvring to avoid being struck himself.

Isrydia was facing the castle when she saw a black shape shoot up high above the battle. There was no mistaking what that huge shape was. Arlyn, busy fighting, realised what was happening through his connection with his Rider. Fear shot through them. When what had to be Galbatorix's voice rang across the battlefield, they felt a sense of fear and dread as if the emotions had been flung down at them with such force they'd fallen down into cold, deep water. The Empire dragon shook off Arlyn and flew up to the mad King, leaving the young duo hovering stunned in mid-air. They had known this moment would come, yet now it had it did not seem real. They could not stop staring at Shruikan and the tiny figure on top that was the man who had caused so much suffering in this world. That man right there was to blame for all this. That man had killed so many, was the reason there were so few dragons, had made most of his subjects miserable by forcing them into a terribly low quality way of life. They usually felt angry when they thought about him, but seeing and hearing him in real life was so much different. For all the horror stories and legends, he was just a man. A real, living man, right there in the sky. All someone had to do was go to that man and remove him, and this would all be over. The cruel reign would end.

There was no need for anyone to tell Isrydia and Arlyn what the Varden Riders would do. They had planned for this. The Empire Riders were there to help Galbatorix and Shruikan. The Varden Riders could meet them and force them away from other Varden Riders, leaving a few free to attack the King and his mad dragon without worry of attack from behind. Arlyn beat his pale wings and rose up towards the black dragon. "This is it. One way or another, it will all be over soon," he said to Isrydia.

"We'll make it. Galbatorix and Shruikan will fall, our Riders and dragons are strong enough," Isrydia replied. She half-believed what she was saying. She had faith in her friends and allies, but all the same this was a huge challenge.

Summary: Isrydia and Arlyn fly to face Galbatorix.

RI'SHEI
Empire

Ri'Shei moved in for the kill, but she was bound as all other Empire soldiers were to only defend rather than attack. She glared at David in fury as he got to his feet, some surprise mingling with the rage as she saw him draw lightning to his sword. A magic user. A nice trick, that was. She ought to figure out a way to do something similar with her own swords. She was ready to carry on fighting when David got up. He lunged to stab at her stomach, sword still crackling with electricity. She was quick, using her own swords to knock his out the way. Or so she thought. At first she did not feel it, like when accidentally gripping a boiling hot pipe or kettle and it taking a moment to feel the searing burn. The pain his a moment after David's sword sank into her stomach, and the icy shock of it make her look down. Faint jolts of electricity were passing through her and searing the flesh around the cut, but they were little compared to the stab itself. She staggered back away from him, clutching her stomach as the blood seeped through the punctured armour. This could not be happening. She had been too slow. Never before had she been injured like this, so it was easy to assume that she had blocked the hit as usual. Ready to defend herself from a more deadly blow but knowing continuing to fight in this condition would kill her, Ri'Shei kept her left hand firmly clutching a sword as her right pressed against the wound, her eyes on enemies all around as she stumbled back bent double in pain. Thankfully no one contested her as she ducked into a quiet narrow alley and collapsed against a wall, breathing heavily.

Whatever Galbatorix was doing did not interest her now; she needed to care for herself first. It was best not to remove her armour, else the wound could worsen, and she had little to no skill with healing magic. All the same, she used words in the Ancient Language now to try and at least explore the damage, using a simple spell to examine her wound with her mind. It did not look fatal, provided she found a healer before she lost too much blood.

Summary: Ri'Shei is stabbed in the stomach by David and flees her fight with him.

ERAGON AND SAPHIRA
Varden

Eragon realised what Murtagh was attempting as soon as he felt his leg collide with his own. He jumped back to avoid being tripped, losing his position and missing a beat as he regained balance. It was not ideal, but it was better than being tripped. He saw the desperation in Murtagh's face. It couldn't be entirely to do with the fight; it wasn't clear who the victor would be at the stage, and Eragon did not think he could kill Murtagh even if he had the opportunity. His brother might have sided with the enemy, but he was still his brother. He had been one of his greatest friends once, and somewhere inside him that person was still lurking.

Galbatorix's voice startled him and sent a shiver down his spine. He had never before seen or heard the King himself. His task was all the more real now Galbatorix was visible. It had been easier to ignore the challenging fight when the cruel man and his dragon had been out of sight miles away. Saphira desperately tried to reach her Rider so they could fly together to meet the man they had been planning to defeat for since her hatching. Thorn was putting up a good fight. She simultaneously pushed against him, doing her best to exert more force on his damaged wing, and tried to roll out to one side. She needed him to give a little, then she could use that chance to slip out, grab Eragon and fly to meet Shruikan. She hoped Arya's help would be enough, or that Thorn would be summoned to Galbatorix's side as she could see other Empire dragons doing.

Summary: Eragon stumbles and Saphira tries to get away so they can attack Galbatorix.

FARRIA
Not fighting (Varden)

Farria relaxed when it became apparent that Farore was with the Varden, or at the very least a concerned soldier who did not want to kill a clearly innocent child. She nodded to show she understood, but there was not an easy solution to the problems Farore described. Her parents might be worried about her, perhaps, but she had not seen them for a long time. They were back in Therinsford, as far as she was aware, having fled her family after Sheratan arrived and they became truly afraid and rejected what she was. Safety was hard to find, and it was not with her parents. She could return to the Varden camp, but that would mean crossing a battlefield. It was best for her to find somewhere to hide here where it was unlikely any fighting would reach.

She could find safety, somehow, but there was one other problem. She was not the only child around. There were plenty of street kids in Uru'baen just as there were in any town, orphans or children of parents who had kicked them out, could not afford them, or were on the streets themselves. Many of them had not been evacuated. They weren't cared for. Farria knew this but had seen nothing of them, so assumed they had found somewhere to hide. There was only one child she had seen. Another girl, perhaps a bit older than herself, looking just as scared. She was not far but Farria had been too afraid of taps to go near her. If she was genuine, this woman looked strong and might help them both find somewhere to go. The child grabbed Farore's arm and beckoned for her to follow, urgently, picking her way swiftly through the quietest route to where she had last seen that other girl. If Farore were to understand her wish to be followed and allow the warg to lead her, she would find herself nearing that other lost child.

Summary: Farria tries to get Farore to help another scared girl she saw.

(Spartan322) Sedine is still absent, so it's Timmir's turn.

[Timmir]

Morrow - Empire

The knights spear managed to get a hit, but instead of hitting the man, he hit the man's shield instead. A pity. Morrow had hoped to make quick work of the man so he could help safeguard his ally, but that doesn't look like it's going to occur now.

As Morrow prepared himself for another attack, Galbatorix's voice rang throughout the city. Of all the rotten luck. With him being unable to attack them now, this fight had just proven to be a lot tougher. It also didn't help that the man Ri'shei was fighting just used some kind of electric attack as the other one dares to taunt Morrow into attacking him.

Do these men have no honor. Morrow thought to himself as his eyes narrowed. And things only seemed to have gotten worse when the man with the electric sword stabbed Ri'shei in the chest. At first Morrow thought Ri'shei may have kicked the bucket with that wound, but fortunately she was still able to keep herself up, if barely. As she made her retreat, Morrow quickly urged his horse to move between them and her to prevent them from giving chase. He was prepared to defend her from these adversaies until his dying breath.

Summary: Morrow covers Ri'shei's escape as he prepares himself to fight the two men by himself.

Trelik - Neutral

The thief watched in horror as the dark king made his appearance. Well it seems that the Varden may have their job cut out for them. How in the world they planned to face a man as powerful as him was beyond him. Despite the kings threat though, he knew the Varden will see this battle through to the end.

"I wish them luck with that. They are really going to need it." He said before gazing down below to see how his brother was doing, and it didn't seem good. His ally appeared to have retreated and it was now two against one.

Trelik cursed as he quickly put his cloak up and covered his face with a scarf while moving quickly over the rooftops. He had hoped this wouldn't need to participate this battle directly, but it seemed he had no choice now if he wanted to save his brother. Hopefully the wards he put around Morrow will hold long enough for him to get there.

Summary: Trelik disguises himself and moves into position on the rooftops in case he needs to protect his brother.

Farore - Varden

Farore looked at the girl oddly as she grabbed onto Farore's arm and beckoned for the Dragon Spirit to follow. While Farore wasn't so sure about this, but knew that it was probably something important. On their way though, a certain king decided to make his grand entrance.

Well that saves us the trouble of locating him in his castle. I just hope the others can hold out long enough until I'm done with this. Farore close her eye with hope. She'll be fighting up there with them soon, but right now, getting this girl to safety is her number one priority.

"DADDY?" Farore heard a young girl cry out in the distance, "DADDY WHERE ARE YOU?" Could this be the what the girl wanted to lead her to?

Then as they rounded a corner, a young ten year old girl came to view. Her red, curly hair was a complete mess while her face made obvious the amount of worry and fear that she was in. "Daddy? Where are you?" She called out again as tears ran freely down her face.

Farore took a deep breath as she approached the girl. "Little girl. You ned to go inside. It's not safe out here." She told the girl, however the girl didn't seem to care.

"B-but I have to find my Daddy. He said he will come back and protect me." The girl stated.

Seeing no choice, Farore decided to make a deal. "How about this? You head inside where it's safe while I look for your father for you, and bring him here after the fightings over. What do you say?"

"You will?"

Farore nodded her head. "I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best. Can I ask for you to give me both your's and your father's names?"

"I'm Alisa, and my father's name is Maes." Alisa said with some regained hope in her voice.

"Okay. Thanks Alisa." Farore said as she looked up real quick for somewhere the girls could hide. The best thing she could see though was a nearby abandoned house. "Alright. I need you two to hide inside that abandoned house over there until the fighting is over. Do you two think you can do that?"

Summary: Farore is lead to another girl, named Alisa, who's looking for her father. After a quick conversation, Farore asks both Farria and Alisa to seek shelter in a nearby house.

[Nandon]

Galbatorix sighed as if their answer displeased him. "Idiotic rebels always have to have it the hard way..." He said in a unmagic enhanced voice, to those riders beside him. Then he enhanced his voice and spoke aloud. "THEN YOU HAVE SIGNED YOUR OWN DEATH WARRANTS!" At this, with a quick slur of ancient language that was almost to fast to be understood. A wall of energy would quickly surround the city. Cutting off any reinforcements the varden may gain. While this also stopped any empire forces from retreating. It was clear to any nearby that this was most likely a trap that had been preplaced more than a spell he had uttered.

"Forces of the empire!" He shouted loudly. "Your king speaks! The enemy is cut off from their camps! There can be no retreat! Finish this fight now!" Then muttering another spell, several large groups of empire soldiers would discover they could feel no pain, And then with a such the wall of empire soldiers, some feeling pain, others not. crashed into the varden's lines with a renewed frenzy. While then with a wave of his hand all the empire riders he had assembled started to swarm the varden riders. While galbatorix's mind cast out like an oppressive cloud to attempt to lower the amount of contact any of the riders could have with their dragons.

[Emiryal ♕]

Reru
Reru smiled hearing Galbatorix's order. He rejoined Avendel landing on her back lightly. "Those will be the last words you ever speak," he said smirking then drew on the power he had stored in his rider blade. He'd been storing it there for decades every last drop he could gather and it was as full as it could get. Even with Brenton cutting him off from the Nether he still had that gem. Using it to fuel his spell he cast a spell without voicing it, it would crush all the bones in Talon's wings breaking them. With his flight taken he'd be an easy target and could be taken out. He did the same to Firern before he and Emiryal could do anything.

Summary: Reru attacks both Talon and Firern with a spell to break there wings so he can carry out Galbatorix's order to finish them off.

Emiryal
Firern roared in pain and agony as he felt his bones break. Emiryal's couldn't do anything to help or block it not with the amount of power Reru had put into it. The black dragon and rider plummeted down to the city below. Emiryal desperately tired to heal Firern's wings but the damage was too much for him to heal so quickly. Both of them crashed into a building below. Firern wasn't moving. Either he had passed out or at worst was dead. Emiryal was pinned under the dragon unable to do anything. He'd broken his leg in the fall and was pretty hurt.

Summary: Emiryal and Firern fall. Emiryal is badly injured and it is unclear if Firern is dead or not.

Murtagh
Thorn roared in pain as Arya's blade sliced his wing. Between that and Saphira exerting force on his wing he couldn't keep her pinned. He stumbled back holding his injured wing close to his body to protect it better. He swung his head to snap at Arya more annoyed with her than anything. He tried to snap at Saphira's tail to drag her back and stop her from getting to her rider.

Murtagh frowned when Eragon avoided his trip. He didn't even flinch when he heard the king's voice. His mission was to go after Eragon, he had no reason to return to Galbatorix's side unless ordered or Eragon went there."You'll have to get past me and Thorn before you get to him," Murtagh warned slashing at Eragon. "You'll die if you do get to Galbatorix, I'll only is maim you. I'd rather not see you and Saphira die," he said.

Summary: Thorn looses his hold on Saphira and tries to regain it. Thorn attacks Arya. Murtagh attacks Eragon and speaks to him.

[Brenton]

Konner and Talon - Varden

Konner tried to cut through the spell with one of his own but that failed, then he tried to weave a complex spell meant to shield Talon but that also failed. Lastly he gathered all of his energy to heal his friend quickly. As the wings shattered the rider began healing on the fly. It was difficult but he got them healed just enough to keep Talon airborne. Konner continued the spell and soon Talon was back to normal but now the rider was nearly depleted. That was when he felt it, a familiar presence giving him energy slowly. It was Brenton from wherever he was. With a mighty roar, the rider shot into the air with his allies.

Summary: Konner desperately tries to stop the spell but heals Talon quickly. Brenton gives him energy.

Roran Stronghammer - Varden

He had been atop his battle charger at the beginning, trying to coax his men into fighting harder yet now the elder child of Garrow stalked the streets with his hammer in one hand, a short sword on his hip, a spear across his back, and armored gauntlets ready for fist fighting. He would win. Technically Roran was the only son of Garrow yet he counted Eragon as his brother instead of his cousin. The first groups of soldiers fell with ease but then Galbatorix cast his spell and the soldiers were harder to kill. So he destroyed their heads and continued. On me fellow Varden soldiers. To victory we shall go!

Summary: Roran kills Empire soldiers and rallies the Varden behind him.

Clarissa and Vervada - Empire

Clarissa waited until the signal was given and then she was off to battle alongside the other Empire riders. They were not assured a victory but the odds were stacked in their favor for sure. As the Empire rider rode forward she connected her mind with Vervada and then shot a bolt of lightning aatthe pale blue dragon with a female rider.

Summary: Clarissa attacks Isrydia and Arlyn with magic.

Dyami Etu - Varden

The battle changed when the mad king made an appearance as soldiers grew braver and the riders flew off to protect them from the king. So the second in command of this battalion rode up to William and motioned toward Roran who was calling the Varden behind him. That seems to be our best bet right now.

Summary: Dyami mentions joining Roran in battle against the Empire.

((So much coding...ahh David Lightningsword is next))

[David Lightningsword]

KING ORIK-Varden

The King was attacked by many soliders who wanted to claim the name of kingkiller, and met their fate by the force of Volund, the ancient weapon of the dwarf kings. He was not far off from Roran Stronghammer now. As they were now cut off from any retreat, Orik knew the best chance was to combine into one giant fighting force, so he lead his dwarves slowly to His half-cousin. Since Eragon was his half brother, and Roran Eragon's cousin, they were as good as related. When Orik finally pused through the last empire soldier, he stood side by side with Roran. He said "Shall we fight together to rid the world of this evil Stronghammer?" His warhammer took another soliders life as he awaited a response from the human.

Summary: Orik and his dwarves joins Roran

DAVID LIGHTNINGSWORD-Varden

David watched with a smirk as he had beaten one of the best female warriors he had yet to meet. It went to show that no matter how much training you do, all it took was one unforeseen surprise and you could meet your downfall. When a Empire officer helped her escape and faced both him and Velathan off, David snorted and said "Two against one, you know how this ends. Are you truly brainwashed so much by the eggbreaker that you would die for him?" He twirled his sword, giving the man one last chance to escape.

Summary: David gives Morrow a chance to escape.

[Brenton]

Quick Note: We are having a lot of people skipped or they wait until the last minute. As we near Christmas and other holidays it is important to realize that just because there is a plot thread doesn't mean you should blow off family time. I will be discussing this subject thoroughly with the staff members to come to a decision on if skipping someone around the actual holidays is necessary.

[Harbor]

Arya
Even Arya was not so reserved to avoid the falling of fear deep in her belly when Thorn thrashed his head around and snapped at her. She stumbled backward and slashed at his eyes, not truly expecting to even touch him—for such a large dragon he was very fast. Although she hated to cause any dragon as bound as this one harms of any sort she continued pressing her advantage, aiming for his uninjured wing this time, gritting her teeth through the regret in the back of her throat. She might as well attack a prisoner chained in a dungeon—Thorn had no more choice in his actions than a slave at the end of his master’s steel-toothed whip.

But Eragon and Saphira still had to come first, and she comforted herself some diminutive degree by reminding herself that Thorn may well prefer death to his current enslavement. She had yet to try to kill him, preferring to save that until the need became absolute, and prayed to the stars that her decision to maim instead of slay would not come to haunt her in the future. Eragon, barely, seemed to be holding his own against Murtagh, so she delayed relinquishing her progress against Thorn to go to Eragon’s side.

>>Summary: Arya barely avoids Thorn’s attack and continues trying to cut his wings.

Rowanis
Rowanis whipped around when she heard the scream of an injured dragon, and looked up to see it plummeting down from almost directly above her.* Her mouth opened in awe at the size of it, for a moment fearing that it was Shruikan, but the colors of the Rider’s armor indicated a Varden allegiance, and that frightened her even more. What could possibly be strong enough to throw a dragon of that size from the skies?

Even though the falling dragon couldn’t hurt her Rowanis still held to a lot of the habits she would have exhibited in life, so she ran with the same fear as the other living soldiers around her, and the dragon and Rider crashed like a falling ship out of the sky. The dust from their collide with the earth flew up around them and Rowanis flung her arms to the sides to clear it from before her so she could see, then rushed to the dragon and Rider’s side. The Rider was pinned, the dragon unmoving.

There must be something she could do. No longer bound by the limits of the living there were many things Rowanis could do that she couldn’t have in life, when wrapped in flesh, but she doubted she was a strong enough wraith to lift a dragon. Either way she must try—she couldn’t leave a Rider stranded amidst a battle like that, and who was better suited to go to the aid of an immobilized soldier than a fighter who could not be harmed and had absolutely no need to watch her own back?

Seeing nothing she could do for the grimacing Rider Rowanis dug her toes into the dirt beside him and wrapped her arms underneath the immobile dragon’s sable-scaled hide, straining to lift it, budge it, nudge it just enough for the Rider to be able to free himself. It didn’t appear to be working. Rowanis cursed, called a breeze from behind her and bade it to solidify at the very edges of the dragon’s flesh, and between the wind and her own questionable strength threw every power she had into trying to make enough of a difference to matter.


>>Summary: Rowanis sees Emiryal and Firern fall and goes to help, trying to use a combination of her own strength and collected breezes to lift Firern’s side enough to free Emiryal. – Emiryal will be able to see the breezes moving but probably not Rowanis (who is a ghost).
*I’m not sure where you two were in the battle (Emiryal), so if you weren’t over the city, I will edit at your request and move Rowanis to underneath wherever you are. I know I’m having a hard time following details.

Fasail and Aroure
You can’t keep this up! Aroure insisted as Fasail ducked another strong swing from the enemy Rider and breathed fire over the face of his Dragon.

My wards won’t fail in a decade of this and you know it! Fasail shot back, jabbing with her bladed staff and managing to cut another strap from the enemy Rider’s saddle. He didn’t appear to be noticing what she was doing. The decades of energy Fasail had been winnowing away into her two favorite gems meant Fasail’s wards against physical harm hadn’t been penetrated once in her long history of using them, a fact she was inordinately proud of, set in comparison against her humiliation over the sporadic weakness all of her other spells manifested with.

That doesn’t mean you can’t harm yourself! Aroure managed to slide one of her claws under the strap that went around the other dragon’s girth and cut it, with a roar of triumph, and as the leather straps sprung loose Fasail lunged forward and slashed through the last straps holding the Rider’s legs in his saddle, preventing him from mending it quickly if he survived his landing, and preventing his dragon from catching him by catching the severed straps of the intricate saddle.

The dragon bellowed and swung around, swooping down toward his falling Rider.

Must we? Aroure quietly asked as they momentarily watched—Fasail through Aroure’s eyes—the enemy pair whirling down through the air.

Fasail’s voice, even in her mind, was ragged with remorse. Yes. I’m sorry.

Aroure angled her wings to streak after the other two. I am, too.

Aroure slammed into the enemy dragon’s back and they plummeted down, unable to stop the momentum from both of their weights. He thrashed to get out from underneath her but Aroure had him firmly by the back and was tearing at his wings with her claws. Fasail wanted to erupt into anguish at feeling Aroure’s sorrow at having to so ruin a fellow member of her species, even one that wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to her. They couldn’t know if this pair had chosen their wrongful side, after all, or had been forced to it.

They forced the two to the ground, slamming into it with enough force to drop several soldiers nearby from the vibrations. Fasail knew from the attention she’d paid to the Rider’s mind that his wards had saved him from the weight of the two dragons but he was already in the process of dying—the wards were sucking him dry. Fasail swiftly slid free of her buckles and leaped to the ground.

Fasail please, Aroure begged, and Fasail knew exactly what she meant. Aroure had always been the kinder of the two of them, the gentler. Fasail was the one who purposefully loved the ones she knew she couldn’t have, specifically so she would never have them enough to lose them. She sprinted to where Aroure had the other dragon’s head pinned to the ground, trying to approach out of his eyesight so he wouldn’t thrash anew when he saw her. It didn’t matter, really—he could hear her. Fasail spun her staff so she held it at one end instead of nearer the middle, waited exactly a second until she felt the Rider’s mind vanish from the world, and drove her staff like a spear through the dragon’s eardrum, where he wouldn’t be able to see it coming.

Why did you wait? Aroure wanted to know as she wearily dragged herself from on top of the dragon’s mangled frame.

Fasail wiped sweat out of her face and, with a rueful grimace, threaded her embedded staff out of the dragon’s skull. ”So they wouldn’t have to feel each other die. They lived together; they deserved to die together, whatever choices they might have made.” Aroure lightly nudged Fasail’s shoulder in agreement and thanks.

Aroure then abruptly lifted her head. Fasail. Firern and Emiryal have fallen.

A charge ran through Fasail and she flinched into an upright stance in an instant. Tell me.

Someone broke Firern’s wings with magic and they dropped. I think Emiryal is trapped beneath him.

Fasail threw herself into her saddle. Let’s go.

They reached the pair’s side in moments, only having to dodge arrows to get there, and Fasail’s wards diverted most of those anyway. So Aroure wouldn’t have to land Fasail leapt from her back when she was close enough from the ground to do so. Under unspoken agreement Aroure guarded them from the sky as Fasail knelt at Emiryal’s head, placing her hands on his shoulders. She could see something strange brewing underneath Firern’s sides but didn’t have the time to understand or to attack it at the moment. ”I can give you the power to lift him but you have to direct the spell yourself,” she urgently told him, praying he wouldn’t ask why—now wasn’t the time for an explanation, and she hated to tell other elves, especially, about her ineptitude with virtually all things magic-related. Either way she knew she had enough stored power in the gems hidden in her clothes to shift Firern just enough to free Emiryal.

>>Summary: Aroure and Fasail kill the dragon and Rider they had been fighting, then go to Emiryal and Firern’s aid.
*Emiryal is welcome to already know about Fasail’s lack of magical competency. She doesn’t readily share the information but elves in particular are more likely to notice when another elf avoids magic, or only rarely uses it.

Rella
Rella had never been in a battle of this scale before. The worst she’d ever been in were street skirmishes, and those rarely involved soldiers, or people formally trained for fighting. Brenton had applied, with her wary permission, a couple of wards around her to prevent her from being immediately killed*, but they didn’t help with the exhaustion of a fight that went on for hours. Rella didn’t have the stamina for this kind of skirmish. She’d never been trained for it nor expected that she’d need it.

Rella kept a watchful eye on where Brenton was fighting in the clouds above them, but she couldn’t always. When she saw a human-shaped figure twirling down from the clouds she bolted for it, fearing it would be him. She reached his side after he’d struck the ground, somewhere out of her sight, and grabbed the flask of a soldier nearby who would be needing it no longer. Uncorking it and kneeling where she could balance his head on her legs she splattered it over his face. ”Come on, moonbeam,” she said, bouncing with anxiety. For all the power Brenton seemed to sometimes possess she hoped for once it could do him right and save him from that fall. She briskly slapped his cheeks, jiggling his head with her knees. ”Up you get, come on. I expect the battle’s not done needing you yet.”


>>Summary: Rella sees Brenton fall, finds him and dumps water on his face.
*I’m assuming he would have done this, and will edit if you say otherwise.

[Emiryal ♕]

Quetzal is next

[Quetzal]

ISRYDIA AND ARLYN
Varden

Few of the other Varden Riders had made it to the place above the battle where Galbatorix and the majority of the other Empire Riders hovered. Isrydia and Arlyn could see Konner with Talon and Eragon with Saphira struggling to reach them, hindered by various things. Arlyn felt his heart drop and let out a pained whining roar. A dragon was plummeting to the ground, wings crumpled to ruin by shattered bones. He recognised him as Firern, his Rider Emiryal on his back - he had spoken little to them, but had seen them around the Varden camp. Watching any dragon, friend, acquaintance, or enemy, hurting caused him pain. Obviously he grieved more for those that fell who sided with the Varden, and was doing his best to detach himself from the feeling as they attacked the Empire, but suspected he would feel regret for the loss of the Empire dragons once the battle was done. Isrydia was trying to seek out where he was looking, so he pointed the tumbling pair out to her with his mind. "Emiryal and Firern have fallen," he said solemnly.

The pair watched helplessly as they crashed to earth. Arlyn was tempted to dive down to help, but saw the purple dragon he knew to be called Aroure and her Rider Fasail rush to lend a hand immediately. They would help the fallen couple. There was work to be done up here where they faced so many other Riders. They picked out the ones they had heard about. Rerukusu they recognised from the time they had, while being possessed by witches, aided him in finding a dragon's egg to kill in order to allow his dead dragon, Avendel, to inhabit the body she was currently in. The purple dragon he rode they knew was Avendel but had last seen inhabited by its true original owner, Kami. Kami's short life was a story that troubled Arlyn still, but now was no time for pondering regrets. Murtagh and Thorn they had met before under different circumstances, but those two were below fighting Eragon and Saphira. Galbatorix and Shruikan weren't hard to pick out. It was surreal seeing them from this close. They could see the hard lines set into the cruel man's face, see his malicious eyes looking out at his armies. He muttered something to his Riders before speaking to the entire battlefield again, apparently sealing it off from any reinforcements.

"We can't just stay here waiting for the others to join us," Arlyn pointed out what Isrydia had been thinking.

"You're right. Someone has to attack Galbatorix. But we don't stand a chance until the others join us, and..."

"Yes?"

"I'm scared, Arlyn."

"So am I. Let's go."

Other Varden and Empire Riders were colliding into fights around them. Arlyn flew straight for Shruikan, heart beating faster and harder as he neared the black dragon that was the villain of legend. Taking a deep breath, he breathed the biggest plume of fire he could manage at Shruikan's face. Before they could do anything else, lightning struck. Their wards were not strong enough to hold off the magic.

Isrydia's muscles spasmed as the electricity flowed through her, and would have thrown her off Arlyn's back if she weren't securely strapped into the saddle. She tasted blood where she bit down hard on her tongue. Arlyn's scales were excellent protection against physical damage as well as high temperatures, but did nothing to insulate against electricity. Without touching the ground, the electricity had nowhere to go so dissipated through their bodies and to some extent into the air. The dragon's muscles tensed and locked as they registered massive electrical signals, neurones all stimulated by the large charge. This was true of most muscles in his body, including those in his wings and shoulders. Wings locked, he began to fall. They acted as a sort of parachute, so he fell like a statue through custard. After dropping several dozens of feet he regained control, beating down hard and growling at the pain of his aching muscles. Both he and Isrydia had been hurt by the shock, but they were still alive. Angry now, he saw the cause of the spell. Another blue dragon with another female Rider, though the dragon had scales of a whole array of different blues and the odd bit of sea green, the Rider was much taller and looked nothing like Isrydia, and they had both sided with the Empire. He flew at them quickly, agile streamlined body aided by the wind, trying to bite Vervada's neck and preparing to twist away from attacks or to adjust his position should she move.

Summary: Arlyn shoots fire at Shruikan's face, then he and Isrydia are hit by Clarissa's lightning. Arlyn then tries to bite Vervada's neck.

ERAGON AND SAPHIRA
Varden

With a roar Saphira pushed herself free of Thorn, doing her best to escape him as quickly as she could. She saw Arya doing an excellent job of bothering the red dragon and was grateful. "Tail!" Eragon's voice rang out in her head as a warning. She flicked her tail up, narrowly escaping it being clamped in Thorn's jaws. It would not do to be dragged back down again now.

"Jump, little one, I'm here," she said to Eragon as she rose to just below the wall on which he struggled to keep up with Murtagh.

There was a great temptation to stay and fight Murtagh. If he did so, he would have been fighting the Empire's Champion during the battle, keeping him at bay, so no one could claim he had done nothing for the battle. He was likely to live if he made that choice. Yet that was not something he could live with. He would have failed his one greatest aim as a Rider if he backed down now. He was not a coward. It was not the smartest move, but he felt it was the honourable and correct action to take. "As I you, brother. You know Saphira and I could not kill you or Thorn. But I cannot let down Alagaesia. Someone has to stop Galbatorix, and since I became a Rider I've been trained to be that someone. I have to help the other Riders up there, and I couldn't live with myself if I didn't do my very best now the opportunity is here to kill him." He told Murtagh, jumping away from the slash and over the wall, onto Saphira's back. He landed heavily and climbed into her saddle, strapping himself in carefully. She flew away up towards Galbatorix, bracing herself to be either followed or drawn back down to the ground.

RI'SHEI
Empire

"Thanks," Ri'Shei gasped to Morrow. She was grateful for him helping her escape and had probably saved her life in doing so, but she wasn't so foolish as to hang around. She could thank him properly later, be it by helping him in return in the battle or by buying him a drink at the feast once the Empire had their victory. She stumbled away into a building, tearing off her ripped armour to better see the wound. The cut was long but thankfully not too deep to cause irreparable damage as far as she could tell. Muscle was torn and possibly more, it was hard to tell, but a healer would be able to help. Right now she needed to stem the blood flow.

Galbatorix's voice boomed overhead, and all of a sudden the gaping wound ceased to hurt. She looked around in alarm, then remembered the king's liking for making his soldiers unable to feel pain. Usually she would be grateful to be rid of the distraction, but right now such a thing was potentially deadly. She might be able to stop the bleeding, but without feeling pain, she would be unable to tell if the cut was being widened by activity, if the bleeding started again, or if the danger was not avoided simply by avoiding blood loss. She would not be able to tell either if she was injured further. She swore under her breath as she poked the wound, trying to tell where needed the most urgent attention. Nothing. At least the pain wouldn't make her feel sick any more. Choosing her words very carefully, she managed a simple spell to stop the bleeding and close the skin up somewhat. The skin was still raw and the internal damage was still there. She slipped her armour back on over her padded clothes and walked out, no longer doubled over in agony. She was feeling dizzy from blood loss and from the spell she had just cast. She needed to find a healer as quickly as she could. Doing her best to avoid fighting, she weakly cut at enemies as she made her way back through towards the Empire healers.

Summary: Ri'Shei can no longer feel pain thanks to Galbatorix, but still seeks a healer to stop her wound getting worse.

FARRIA
Not fighting (Varden)

Farria watched, silent as always, as Farore spoke with Alisa. The red-haired girl was so scared she was crying. Farria didn't like to cry any more, not in front of people. She felt scared often with the situations she always seemed to end up in, but was doing her best to not be afraid any more. It was hard. As scared as she was now, she had to be brave to keep a cool head. She nodded to Farore, walking towards the abandoned house. Alisa was a good foot or more taller than the scrawny seven-year-old. Maybe she was stronger. That might be helpful. Farria wondered if they would get along well, but she hadn't really had real friends her own age since she'd stopped talking. That didn't matter. What mattered was that they survived. Hiding seemed cowardly, but she wasn't ready to die and didn't see another way for two children to survive a battle as big as this.

Inside the house it was dusty and she could still hear noises from outside. She didn't feel safe. There were crashes from outside. Something might fall on the house. There were dragons up there, and catapults. Neither army would want to flatten a city that was potentially theirs, but they wouldn't mind letting a few houses go. Hopefully this one would stay intact. The most important thing was that they were hidden, something Farria was very good at.

A male voice boomed out over the city. Farria guessed it must be Galbatorix's since he was against the Varden and sounded like he was in charge. She shivered, looking at Alisa and trying to think how the battle must be going based on that voice. Which side did the other girl want to win? She might tell from her reactions, but she didn't care too much. Farria wanted the Varden to win since her parents had complained about the Empire from time to time, and after Eragon had taken her to the Varden camp she had been surrounded by people believing in the Empire's evil and hearing all sorts of stories. If Alisa supported the Empire, that wasn't much of an issue since she didn't think it would make someone evil, especially not a child.

Summary: Farria hides in the abandoned house.

(Spartan322) Sedine is still absent, so it's Timmir's turn.

[Emiryal ♕]

getting back on schedule now with the holidays over.

Skipping Timmir so Nandon is next.

[Brenton]

Skipping Nandon so Emiryal ♕ is next

[Brenton]

Skipping Emiryal ♕

[Brenton]

Clarissa and Vervada - Empire

Pain, the main sensory emotion that could either debilitate or invigorate a warring rider against current nemesis. In the case of Clarissa, it made her feel more powerful than ever and nigh invulnerable to all offensive assaults from her opponents. Yet when the light blue dragon nicked Vervada along her throat, just missing the carotid artery, the daughter of Galbatorix felt not just pain but also righteous fury. Blind rage that coursed through her body and was released in a bellowed, nearly guttural, spell. "JIERDA!" Her word was almost indecipherable but the meaning was there and that was for anything around them to break, including dragon bones.

The splintering sound of stone resonated as an avalanche started and soon was coming straight toward Arlyn and Isrydia. With three powerful wing strokes, Vervada was clear of the blast radius and safe for Clarissa to heal her.

Summary: Clarissa shouts a spell causing anything around her to break. An avalanche starts and is heading toward Isrydia and Arlyn.


Brenton Bromsson - Varden

The sounds of battle had faded and conscious thought long since left the mind of Brenton Bromsson as his body slammed into the hard packed earth. He was close to death, not quite there, but when the water hit the king's face he bolted upright and stared around. Battles were still waging around him but Brenton only saw the human that he had wed in the forest.

Rella had apparently seen him fall and was trying to wake him desperately. As he came back to full consciousness, the half elf stood up and hugged Rella quickly. Thank you, Rella. Now I should return to battle. With that he drew in energy from every person who was without defenses, only taking enough for the spell he needed.

As the energy filled him, Brenton imagined his cruxis crystal and weapons returning to his hands instantly. First was Undbitr, the blue rider sword that Brom once carried. After that came Argetadurna and the crystal. With finality, the half elf king placed his cruxis crystal inside his palm and sheathed Argetadurna. Now he was ready again.

Summary: Brenton comes to and thanks Rella before heading back into the fray.

[Brenton]

David Lightningsword is next

[David Lightningsword]

(David can not post due to Marrow not posting, and Mr Brenton over here forgot to post as Roran so Orik can't post so...)

TALION THE LONE RANGER (Fighting alongside the Varden)

Talion had made it to the battle just in time to see Galbatorix come out of hidding. Talion felt anger curse through his body as all he wanted to do was cut the Black hearted kings head of and mount it on a stick. Of course that was not going to be possible. Galbatorix was the ulmighty Rider.. none could stand in his path, Talion was just the Lone Ranger, so he would need help.. he would need Talot's heart of heart's.. and his father's rider sword. One he knew was safe somewhere in Uru'baen.. the other.. well it was in the clutches of the black king.

Talion began his work to eliminate as many soldiers as he could, cutting through each one with ease. Only a Ranger, Elf or Rider could match his skill with a sword, and none resided in this battle who had chosen as of yet to appose him. He would find Talot and Dauth.. and none but Galbatorix could stand in his way..

Summary: Talion enters and kills a lot of Empire soldiers.

TALOT ELDUNARI (Not fighting, But Varden)

It was time.. time to survey what was going on in the world above.. in Uru'baen. Talot knew the Varden was at its doorsteps not two days ago, and they must be attacking by now. The old Dragon stretched out his mind and found his speculation to be true. His heart leapt with hope though, when he became aware of one person in the battle.. Talion Tennant's son had arrived.. and Talot would be free soon..

Summary: Talot surveys the battle and finds Talion.

[Brenton]

Velathan is next and I had to wait for Nandon to post for a Roran part.

[Brenton]

Skipping Velathan so Harbor is next