16 Chapter 16
As Brom leaves the clearing to procure some food Eragon looks back at the place where Arya was resting only a few moments ago. The black liquid that oozed out of her body rests in small pools on the ground, causing all of the grass it touches to wither and die. As Eragon stares at the liquid a strange feeling of familiarity blooms in his mind.
"What does this strange substance remind me of? A black sludge with a horrible smell that leaves the body through the pores… …. … Oh no… no no no no no no NO!!!"
Eragon clutches his head as a single thought permeates his mind. He falls to his knees and life seems to drain from his eyes. This substance is eerily similar to what someone's body expels in cultivation novels. It represents the impurities of the body being removed, strengthening the individual and allowing for higher levels of cultivation.
"The Eragon series was secretly a cultivation novel… I think I'm going to throw up." (This is a joke. Their will be no cultivation in this novel.)
Eragon sits on the ground and leans against a nearby tree. His thoughts are a whirlwind of activity as he comes to grips with what he has discovered.
"It makes sense… No one in this world knows about mana or cultivation so the power level is solely based on a person's inherent mana capacity. They completely believe that they use stamina to fuel their magic. The level of mana you can store in your body also increases your lifespan, which explains why elves, dwarves, and dragons have such long lives. This also explains how I have such a large mana base as I have been unconsciously circulating the mana throughout my body. I can feel it now, pulsating through my veins, strengthening my body and mind beyond the level of humanity." Eragon looks down in contemplation. I can't let anyone know this… If anyone finds out how to cultivate, this world will never be the same… Huh, at least I can fly on a sword in the future…"
Eragon tries to lighten up his mood with a joke but just can't seem to shake off this harrowing revelation. He leans back against the tree, mulling over his thoughts and plans for the future. Saphira curls up around him, a comforting gesture that he appreciates greatly. They remain there for an hour or so before Brom comes by and hands him a bowl of stew. Eragon eats his meal slowly and meticulously before nudging Saphira awake and standing up. He does some stretches to limber up before sitting in the grass in a lotus position. He focuses his mind and feels for the magic in his body. It takes but a moment for him to see a blue orb in his mindscape. The sphere of energy is many times greater then when he first discovered it. When he awakened his magic, the sphere of mana in his mind was the size of an acorn, now it is the size of a beach ball. it seems that he can increase his capacity for mana by expending his entire reserves every night. He has been consistently filling the gems in his belt full of mana to fuel his more laborious experiments.
Tightening his focus, Eragon wills the energy to flow like a river through his blood. The second he does this, a sharp pain lances down his spine. The flow of magic causes extreme pain wherever it goes causing Eragon to fall on his back and writhe in pain. He stops the flow of magic and waits there for a few minutes before the pain recedes and he stands up.
"Ow! Well that didn't work. Maybe it's not as simple as I thought it would be. I will have to keep experimenting with this in the future. This could be a perfect way to level the playing field between me and Galbatorix.
Having rested for a few minutes, Eragon pulls out his sword and begins practicing his sword techniques. Eragon shifts through the forms with grace and power, clearing his mind of all his worries. Over an hour passes before he finishes his training. Sheathing his sword, Eragon happens to glance to the side and see Arya standing next to a tree watching him. He smiles and waves to her then starts to pack up his things as she walks closer.
"I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier. I was angry and confused, but that is no excuse for how I treated you."
Eragon looks towards her with a look of understanding. "Like I said before, I accept your apology. You had just been freed from prison where you were tortured for information. While I may not know exactly what you're going through, I can at least sympathize with your pain. But make no mistake… I will defeat Galbatorix. Mark my words."
Arya nods, seeing his determination. "We shall see…" Arya turns around. "It's time to hit the road, it will take quite some time to reach the Varden."
Eragon has a lazy smile on his face as he slings a small backpack full of his enchanted items onto his back and walks back to camp. There he finds Brom sitting in the driver's seat of the cart after packing up their supplies. He is staring at the control panel with a quizzical look, most likely trying to uncover the mystery of its operation. Eragon's smile brightens as he strong arms him out of the driver's seat and presses the button for the slowest speed. The cart slowly makes its way out of the clearing and through the forest. The trees and shrubs start to thin and spread apart throughout the day's travel until they fade away entirely, making room for an endless expanse of sand and cacti.
...
Throughout the next day, Brom watches Eragon drive the cart through the Hadarac desert. Unable to hide his curiosity any longer, Brom nudges Eragon's shoulder to get his attention.
"Eragon, can you teach me to control this cart? I have been watching you press these crystals all day and while I understand some of it, I would like a more detailed explanation."
Eragon smiles. "Of course dad, you just had to ask." Eragon motions towards the control panel. "This here is what I call a control panel. From here, all the enchantments that coexist on this cart are controlled. While you are in motion, hold the left and right sides like this" Eragon demonstrates how to hold the panel. "Then you hold the left gem with your thumb to turn left and the right gem to turn right. Then you have the five gems over here in a vertical line. These gems control the speed of the cart, the bottom being the slowest speed and the top being the fastest. Then these gems over here control the barrier functions. There is only a physical barrier and a liquid barrier at the moment because making a barrier that guards against any form of magic is quite complex and I haven't really figured out a way to do so yet. These final two gems control the shape of the wheels as I had to make a wheel that can dig into the sand. Otherwise, we wouldn't even be able to use the cart in this desert."
Brom is once again flabbergasted by how complex the enchantments that Eragon can make. To have so many enchantments work together seamlessly is a remarkable feat. Seated in the back, Arya listens in on their conversation and is also very impressed by Eragon's prowess in enchanting. Even the elves would struggle to create an enchantment of this caliber. The fact that someone with only a year's worth of training in the ancient language can accomplish this is a miracle in and of itself.
Brom leans forward with an expectant look. "Eragon, your skill with enchantments is phenomenal. I can clearly see that your creativity is your strongest asset. While I will continue your training for the foreseeable future, you are charting unknown territory as no one that I know of could make this cart in a few weeks as you did. If you can make enchanted items powerful enough to defeat Galbatorix then go right ahead."
Eragon wraps his left arm around Brom's shoulder. "Thanks dad. I promise you that I will devote myself fully to my works so that one day I can kill the mad king with an enchantment so powerful, he won't know what hit him. For now, I will continue training in swordsmanship. Maybe we can also work on my mental defenses and social etiquette. I don't want to embarrass you when we meet the Varden."
Brom gives Eragon a devilish smirk. "If you are so eager, Let us get right to work starting with your mental defenses. I will be directing a mental probe towards your mind and you must defend yourself by keeping a clear mental image in your head." Brom's smirk turns serious. "Let us begin"
As Brom creates a mental probe, Eragon focuses his mind and pictures a jet black gem for his mental defense. Brom, seeing that Eragon is ready, stabs towards Eragon's mind with his mental probe, the dagger of energy impacts Eragon's mind and is deflected by his barrier. Eragon winces in pain as he feels the dagger run across the outer layer of this mindscape. After a few blows, Brom puts more of his strength into the attack, thinking this would be an opportune moment to peer into his son's mind by 'accident' and see if he can find out why he has this strange nagging feeling in the back of his mind about him.
The dagger turns into a lance that impacts Eragon's mind with tremendous force, causing his eyes to roll back into his head and causing him to nearly lose his grip on his mental defense. In that instant, Eragon thinks back to the black sludge from earlier, the intrusive thought destroying Eragon's mental image. The gem turns into black sludge that almost seems to animate within his mindscape. Eragon starts to see things in the sludge, faces and voices of those who tormented him in his previous life jump out at him and envelop his mind.
Within his mindscape, Sam appears to be in a pitch black room with no way to tell how big the room actually is. The darkness starts to shimmer as colors and images appear in his view. Within a few moments, Sam finds himself in his old bunk at the orphanage from his youth. The caretaker of the orphanage enters the room, her ugly face looming above him. She pulls out a wooden paddle and walks towards him. Sam tries to move but chains made of black sludge wrap around his arms and legs holding him in place.
As the paddle descends towards him the dream shifts and he is in a classroom at the college where he got his degree in engineering. Seated in front of him are a man and a woman he hoped to never see ever again. Knowing what is about to happen, Sam starts screaming and tries to break free from the chains but to no avail. He watches as the man gives Sam a knowing wink before making out with the girl in the middle of class. Anger builds in Sam's mind as he sees Anne, the woman who he thought was his girlfriend for many years, was actually betraying him for the upcoming basketball star, Henry.
The scene shifts once more to an apartment where he lived the rest of his life after getting his degree. His job paid fairly well, so the apartment was quite large and well furnished. Sam is seated in front of his television where he is watching a highlight reel for a basketball game. On the screen he sees Henry scoring point after point throughout the game. At the end of the game, he is seen dancing in joy with Anne in his arms. Depression rolls over Sam like a tidal wave, a crushing weight that threatens to smother him and end his torment forever.
"ERAGON!!! *Roooooooooooooooar!!!"
Startled, Sam looks around having recognized the voice and subsequent roar of Saphira. The dream dissolves into an inky blackness that completely surrounds him. The black sludge starts to wrap around him and drag him down into its depths. Sam reaches up with his hand and a blue scaled claw grabs him and pulls. The black sludge tries its best to keep hold of him but the might of a dragon is unmatched. Saphira manages to pull him from the dream and back into the real world.
