eragon rider 3

The King’s Speech</p>
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<p>I felt the gaze of several nobles trace me as I crossed the field. This time, a barren wasteland had been choosen for the fighting grounds. You wouldn’t be missing any action from the stands with this environment. But the noble’s gaze continued to haunt me. I knew that seeing field girls compete in the arena wasn’t very common. We weren’t trained to use magic like those from other cities.</p>
<p>Another reason why they might be watching me, was because my hair color, a bright blonde that almost looked white when the sun beat down on it, wasn’t very common either. Wearing clothing that went along with the scheme, plus that the clothes were a full set of armor must of surprised them. Maybe I had even gotten the King’s attention and I could win by a tie by the King at the last round. I doubted it though, and just crossed the field to the side where I should generally be.</p>
<p>Only a few girls from my city, like the first girl who had spread the rumor about the games coming early this year, I was able to identify. They looked extremely nervous and kept to themselves. I, on the other hand, felt completely relaxed. Other than the few noble’s from the King’s court whose eyes tracked me, I was convinced that the whole stadium couldn’t possibly be singling me out among this large of a crowd. I stood waiting as more people filed into the staduim and started a losely formed crowd.</p>
<p>When the flawless stone doors closed the doorways, informing me that everyone who had showed up on time had arrived, and melded into the walls, it made me warry. No one would be leaving until the round was finished or someone was desperate in need of medical attention. Everyone was arranged in their rows by guards that would disappear into smaller doorways later that would seal behind them when the games started. I was having the best luck yet, because I was given an place on the outside of the formation. We stood facing the front of the arena where the king sat, but backed on the opposite side.</p>
<p>”Welcome one and all to the sorcery tournament. Here, individuals will fight each other until they are too tired to continue on. The guards will determine when you are unfit and withdraw you from the fray when that time comes.” The King boomed, suddenly comanding everyone’s attention.</p>
<p>I noticed instantly that he was using a spell to make his voice louder and heard by all.</p>
<p>”The only rules of this tournament are to fight using magic alone and that you cannot kill your fellow opponets. Failure to follow this rule will result in you being withdrawed by force from the arena. You will give up your chance at gaining the title and leave the Capitol imediately. If you had been foolish enough to kill another opponet, you will be held until a punishment is decided for you.” he continued, pausing to catch his breath.</p>
<p>”I hope the best of luck be with you.” he said sincerely, and just as we thought the games would start he interupted.”But before I end my speech, I’d like to introduce my newfound friend, Eragon, to you all.” the King announced proudly.</p>
<p>The crowd errupted into cheering. He must have been introduced the first games for his recognition to be so nationally accepting. Something I must have missed while I remained back at my temporary housing the whole of last week. One of the stone doors that had melded into the stone of the arena, the ones right underneath the king’s thrown chair, opened up again to reveal a large figure.</p>
<p>I was frightened beyond belief as well as some of the others in the arena who had chosen to stay back at their houses. A large reptile covered in glittering sapphire scales emerged from the doorway. It was the largest creature I had ever seen, and I looked in awe as it slinked its way out into the open arena and turned off to my right. It had wings whose webbing was transucent in the sunlight and shone a pale, silverish blue, the viens underneath its surface visable. Along its back were curved spikes that went from it’s head to the tip of it’s tail. And sitting in the gap in the spikes was a man in a saddle.</p>
<p>He looked only four years older than me, having brownish blonde hair that was messily arranged on his head and brown eyes. His armor wasn’t recognizable to me. No one of my kind could have made it, so he must have been one of the strangers who had passed through our lands. At his belt there was a sword in a shimmering blue sheath that matched the color of the large flying reptile he was upon. Upon the sheath was the runes FIRE—the name of the sword. He waved to the crowd and smiled to them as the creature he was on came to a stop, but remained standing.</p> </div>

<div class=”textbody” id=”storyText” style=”-webkit-user-select: none; opacity: 1;”><p>The man quickly cast the same spell as the king and begun speaking.</p>
<p>”Hello all who have come to this year’s games. I wish you all luck and may the stars watch over you!” He said in the ancient language to all of us who were standing before him.</p>
<p>I wondered why he had used the ancient language, then thought that maybe he had to because it was the only language both our races understood. He was clearly not an Angel when you looked at him closely. His eyes were only one color and his skin wasn’t pale, but peach. He probably didn’t have wings either and that’s why he relied on his flying reptile to carry him around.</p>
<p>As soon as he had finished his part, his reptile had lept into the sky and taken him up into the air, where he circled around and then landed on the opposite side of the arena’s wall where he had probably started. Later on, I betted, he would probably be up sitting next to the king with all his nobles. For now though, my attention was on the king’s hand which had raised into the sky. The exact moment it dropped, I seperated myself from the group. I kept my senses open for anyone about to attack me while I had my back temporarily open to attacks.</p>
<p>I reached the wall in fifteen strides and flipped around, ready to face any who came to me. I watched as many were taken off guard, having been amazed by the man and his large lizard, and they were the firsts to go down. Most sorcerers took advantage over them and cast a simple spell to make your body heavier, thus forcing you to the ground. Their minds were overwelmed from the other magicians and they laid hopeless, sprawled out on the dirt. Those who remained standing began taking out those around them.</p>
<p>For instance, those who were on the outside of the mess that hadn’t moved suddenly found themselves flying backwards as the stronger magicians attempted to make more room for themselves and get rid of the pests. My armor had wards that had been forged into the tiny links of chain the day they were made. One of the many wards in it was one that helped me collect small amounts of energy from the people around me. It didn’t kill them and it didn’t draw their magical power from them, it only weakened them and made my pool of energy larger.</p>
<p>Another ward made any who attacked find that their spells were suddenly weaker than what they had been before. Just like how the armor repelled swords, it also repelled most magical attacks from help from my pool of energy. There were other countless others that were small, but significant in ways that protected me, but I could go on and on about them. I was sure that my wards plus the armor’s would protect me from from attacks. The only thing I have to worry about is fighting back.</p>
<p>Spells to protect was the only kind I had been taught in my schooling with the other children. I knew the words for knocking people off their feet and making them not see clearly, but other than that I didn’t know much. I hoped that at least those few words would get me passed the first round. After that, I didn’t know what I would do.</p>
<p>My first opponet was a girl who had accidently been backing up from the dueling group and hadn’t been checking her back. I spoke the word to knock her off her feet, which caused her to fall on the ground on her back. She hadn’t put up any defensive wards at all. Next, I described in a few short words what I wanted to happen to the girl while she was still on the ground. She was picked up and tossed like a peble and when she hit the ground she rebounded once, spinning in the air, then came to a halt on the other side of the arena. The girl was taken away by one of the soldiers when she sat up on the ground, but hadn’t moved since I threw her.</p>
<p>I remained guarding myself against the wall, shouting the words to throw people away from me above the wall of noise that had built up. The competition turned into whoever could say their words faster or come up with a way to by pass each others wards. Once, a boy a year older than me approached me. He had been fighting in the mess of sorcerers, but had decided to try his luck on the outside. He wanted my spot and he had chosen me because he must have figured out the words to bypass my wards.</p>
<p>I had just barely been able to think of a way to surpass his wards without dirrectly effecting them. The words for polishing armor had come to mind, and I had thrown in the words light and reflective into the mix. The end result was that it temporarily blinded the boy when my armor reflected the rays of the sun at his eyes. I managed to shout the word to toss him at another magician who had noticed me because of the flash of light and caught them both off guard. They fell to the ground in a heap and then imediately began fighting each other after they recovered.</p></div>
<div class=”textbody” id=”storyText” style=”-webkit-user-select: none; opacity: 1;”><p>With one crisis down and many to face, I kept my eyes and ears alert, along with sensing for patterns in the magic around me. If anyone tried to attack me from afar, I would know. Once the weaker sorcerers were sorted out, the stronger magicians began fighting each other. I stayed in my corner and watched as guards approached those who had been knocked out cold or those who were too tired to continue. Some had to be led out by force, but they never paid much attention to them. Out of the crowd that had been four hundred, I estimated that less than half remained now. I only had to survive a little longer.</p>
<p>More people approached me and I swatted them aside before they could reach. All I had to do to adjust the spell for long range was describe what they were wearing or something specific that other people didn’t have. Sometimes it back fired and I accidently threw the wrong person backwards. I memorized the words of those around me who fought without knowing that I was near and observed what the results were. In that way, I learned the spell to make dust get in someone’s eye or lift a rock off the ground to strike a foe, and many other simple spells that I could preform.</p>
<p>With still at least two hundred people fighting in the arena and the sun at noon exactly, I knew that the fight wasn’t going to last much longer.</p></div>
Round One Ends</p>
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<p>By late afternoon, there were only one hundred and fifty persons left out on the field. I was still one of them. My strategy to remain on the outside had worked so far. The stronger magicians were eliminating those who were moderate at using magic, leaving each other alone now that they weeded the true spell casters out. They would wait to duel each other in the one on one rounds later in the week. Right now they were focused on taking out fifty people so that they could move on already.</p>
<p>My light reflecting trick worked a couple more times until other enemies realized what I was doing and shielded their eyes with spells. The first one to react to my spell as I cast it just used his arm to cover his face though.